MAD, Making a Difference, MADison

 
It’s here, another Rotary year, another theme and yet another Governor.  The past themes were all well thought out and served us well. But for me there’s something special about Ian Risely’s theme and how his goals and the goals I have for the district are so much in sync.  My head spins with new thoughts and ideas about how we, the ‘Best of Friends’ District, impact our communities and our world.  We do make a difference. And when this year ends I’m hopeful that we will have contributed to a significant difference.
 
DG Reg MADison with Wayne Fyffe, District 7090 Canadian Chair of RI Convention promotion (Toronto 2018) are pictured together at this year's convention in Atlanta where they heard about President Ian's 2017-2018 theme Making a Difference.  
 
Under IPDG Marlee’s leadership we had a wonderful year Serving Humanity. I know she is pleased and grateful for our support and the results in her year, particularly the outstanding Foundation contributions that allowed PDG Karen Oakes to achieve her goals and get our district back to a level that has been shrinking the last year or two.  Karen developed a Foundation team that has served the district and Rotary well and we wish her well as she moves to her new role as Zone 24 East Foundation Coordinator.  And I wish her successor John Teibert the very best as he takes the reins of the Foundation team.
 
We have a solid District Leadership Team but we do need volunteers to serve in a variety of positions to give us bench strength, provide experience in succession planning and build a stronger group.  The proverb, ‘many hands make light work’ resonates as I think of where we could go.  If you have areas of interest and would like to explore possible opportunities with the district team, please Email me at reg@d7090.org and we’ll arrange to chat about it.
 
We have a particular need for individuals with experience in media, public relations, marketing and social media to be a part of our Public Image committee.  Our goal is to have three to five Rotarians on each side of the border to support our clubs and the district, and to capitalize on our new Rotary International launch of ‘People of Action’.  We’d love to have our people of action step forward!
 
It is absolutely amazing that the District Changeover occurred three weeks ago and that only 50 weeks remain in this Rotary year.  I want to thank those club presidents who are embarking, like me, on a new year and new challenges, as well as those who are repeating as club presidents.  Thanks to our eighteen Assistant Governors, the District Leadership Team and all of the volunteers at the club and district level for their commitment to serve.  To those about to experience their first year on the team, my gratitude and support. Together we will start to Make a Difference, and next July we will proudly look back, knowing we Have Made a Difference.