Di
strict Governor, Bob Artis joined the Rotary Club of Grimsby at their virtual club meeting on May 5
th. During the meeting, two new members Selina Eckersall and Dean McCall (pictured) were inducted by Governor Bob and they were warmly welcomed by all members.
During the first week in April, the Rotary Club of Grimsby started a Rotary Speakers Series connecting its’ members and the community via Zoom during the very unsettling time of social distancing. At mid-day each Thursday an interesting guest speaker spoke about their area of expertise or interest and shared how COVID-19 was having an impact. The club also invited its’ local sister clubs, Lincoln Rotary and Grimsby Rotary @ Noon to participate in planning and attending future sessions.
To have a broader community impact and connect other service clubs whose members might be sharing feelings of isolation, the Rotary Speakers Series invited non-Rotarians to join in. The members of the local Chamber of Commerce, Probus Club, Canadian Federation of University Women, Lions Club, Toastmasters, and various retirees, artists, and church groups were invited to participate. From an initial attendance of approximately 30 people, attendance rose at some sessions to almost 100 participants.
Often the topic being discussed, as well as the weather outside governed the number of attendees. Excellent presentations by Niagara's acting Medical Officer of Health speaking about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the region; the CEO and Chief Librarian at the Grimsby Public Library informing us about library services that continued to be accessible; and the VP of Operations of Foodland /Sobeys grocery chain relaying the challenges and planning in food distribution, generated many questions during the moderated Q&A portion. A former CSIS director spoke about Cyber Security, the Principal of GSS, the local secondary school, helped us understand the impact on students and educators and the General Manager of an automotive parts manufacturer spoke of the impact of border closings and social distancing in the plant environment.
The thirteenth and final session of this season’s Rotary Speaker Series will happen in early July. The Chair of the Niagara Regional Council, Jim Bradley, will cap off the series with both a retrospective of the impact of the pandemic on the region and a look forward from the political and regional service perspective.
A huge thank you to the joint committee for running the series, spearheaded by Liz Fisk. By bringing so many community members into the family of Rotary, albeit for a brief time each Thursday; in a small way, Rotary connected our world in Grimsby and West Niagara!
