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After a couple of years off for the pandemic, the Rotary International Zone 28/32 Training Conference, this year called “Learning to Lead”, was back in full force in Toronto. Rotarians from Alaska, to Philadelphia, to New Foundland and the Great Lakes came together to gain knowledge about how to better lead in their own district. District 7090 sent a full slate of members from the leadership team, including DG Lisa Bishop, DGN David Alexander, Training Chair Barb Babij, Membership Chair Michele Starwalt-Woods and myself, who is going through the final stages of DG Training.
The conference included a who’s who in Rotary, including Rotary International Director Valerie Wafer, RI Director Drew Kessler, PRI Vice President Dean Rohrs, and RI President Elect Gord McInally (pictured with me left) and his wife Heather, who flew all the way in from Scotland to attend the event. The 3 day conference was filled with presentations full of great information on membership, the importance of the Rotary Foundation and all the great things it funds, use of technology to reach a wider audience, the value of Rotaract clubs in a community, and many other ideas to help clubs be the best they can be.The keynote addresses each day and night were full of passion and were quite inspiring. The stories of the impact that Rotary Rotarians are making around the world fill the room with pride. From hearing about world immunization days from Dean Rohrs to the impact of Rotary Peace Scholarships in far off countries, and finally to deeply felt message of peace and love from RI President Elect Gord McInally, with his passion for the issue of mental health.
For me, the hi-light of the conference was meeting my DGE colleagues for the first time in person. There is nothing quite like meeting the Rotarians who will be filling similar roles in their respective Districts. You discover that Rotarians all over the continent are doing unbelievable things in the communities, making our world a little better place to live. And the exchange of ideas was overwhelming and the experience left me inspired to help our District be even better and more impactful in our communities.
In between all the speeches was the tradition of Rotarians sharing fellowship and having some fun, while doing good. We learned that RIPE Gord does a mean impression of Tom Jones while doing Karaoke, and that kilt wearing is definitely in style when he shows up to an event. All in all, it was a memorable three days for my first Zone event, making so many new friends and getting a better and deeper appreciation for what Rotary can offer. It is my hope that more Rotarians will aspire to leadership roles in our District so that they too can attend an event like Learn to Lead, and bring greater fulfillment to your Rotary experience.
(For Facebook users, search #Rotaryl2l for more pictures and videos of the event)