DISCON 2021

Our second day Tuesday, March 16, featured motivating remarks from Key Note Speaker, RIPN Jennifer Jones, the first woman to serve as RI’s President in 2022-23. Next, two inspirational speakers on Inclusion: RI Vice President-Elect, Director Zone 28/32, Valarie Wafer, RI Chair on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), and Michael Jacques (with his Father, Marcel). Michael is a young man who lives with Autism, and an Intellectual Disability. He cannot read or write and has written two books on Inclusion. A set of Michael’s books will be given to each club in our district to include in their first Little Lending Library.  

 

On the third day, Thursday, March 18, we were extremely honoured to have to attend our District Conference (the second time in 3 years), now RIPP Barry Rassin challenging us to Elevate Rotaract and Youth Programs.  Next, a panel discussion between Barry Rassin and three of our D7090 Rotaract took place on creating a Rotary for the future. The closing speaker was Evan Burrell, International Rotary Public Image Speaker, on how we can all be “Rotary Super Heros”, and engage members to increase the visibility of Rotary in our communities.

Oh, have to mention...Youth Director Rob Nagy took up PDG Melisa Schrock’s challenge to wear a wig to raise money for The Rotary Foundation. So,  throughout the first-hour program, Rob kept wearing long hair wigs, all different colours & shapes,  for added pledges of $50 US to TRF. He obtained $2,200. in pledges by taking up the challenge. Thank-you, Rob!

On our fourth day, we experienced International Service.  Elaine Hernandez, inspired us by sharing her life story, and how it was shaped by Rotary. She tells the story of Rotary helping her young sister obtaining support for corrective surgery for a cleft lip, her parents obtaining compassion and help with dignity & respect,  and as a late teen when she was the first Rotary Youth Exchange Student from the RC of Brantford. She covered 51 years, to the present, how Rotary shaped her life! She is now developing International Food Security and Clean Water programs in under-serviced communities. The next two hours of our program were packed with motivating presentations by three of our District Global Grant Projects in Kenya & Uganda, and an update on the Global Grant School Project in St. Maarten. We all left feeling personally connected with these district programs and motivated to learn more about Grant collaborations.