Submitted by: Debra Warner, District Governor 2018-19
 
Hello Rotarians, Rotaractors and family of Rotary!
 
The District Conference in Thunder Bay, ON was certainly one of the highlights of my year as District Governor! Thanks to everyone who attended the Conference!  Our theme was Building Bridges…Goodwill and Friendship and we certainly accomplished that.  Again, a heartfelt thanks to Wayne Robinson our Conference Chair and the four Canada Clubs for over 2 years of planning this great Conference.  A special thank you to Krysta Logozzo Daniele who was our Mistress of Ceremonies for the Conference.  Great job Krysta!  We had fantastic and diverse speakers, engaging breakout sessions and great entertainment!  During the Conference, I concentrated on recognizing Rotarians who went above and beyond in their District roles.
 
Those recognized were Lakehead Rotary Club President Wayne Robinson-Conference Chair, Past District Governor (PDG) Gary Nolte-Zone 28 End Polio Now Advisor, Irene Sottile-Zone 28 Assistant Rotary Coordinator, PDG Don Cavalier-Membership Chair, PDG Craig Loughery-Public Image Chair, Keith Brokke-Foundation Chair, Al Makynen-Assistant Governor, Elaine Hanson-Treasurer, Linda Marrin-District Trainer and Diane Collins for her continued support to our District and to me following her retirement last year. 
 
Our District was awarded two prestigious International Awards.  PDG Dave Fihn was awarded the PolioPlus Pioneer Award for his extraordinary service to the Rotary Foundation, such service having a substantial impact on the goal of polio eradication.  Please see the article written by PDG Gary Nolte outlining Dave’s accomplishments.  Congratulations PDG Dave!  Also, PDG Earl Rogers was awarded the Service Above Self Award.  In 1991, Rotary International Board of Directors created the Service Above Self Award to recognize Rotarians who truly embody Rotary’s principle motto.  While many Rotarians distinguish themselves through service, it is important to recognize those few who make service a way of life.  Congratulations to PDG Earl for being one of 150 Rotarians from around the world to receive this award! Please see the article written by PDG Jill Olson regarding Earl’s extraordinary service to his community.  Please see all the awards in this newsletter that were given out at the Conference. 
 
Our Executive Secretary has complied a great video on highlights of the conference.
 
Rotary International’s theme for May is Youth Services and we are very active in our District with Youth.  We have engaged Interact and Rotaract clubs, our 4-way Essay Test is under the direction of Becky Roeder, our Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is well run under the leadership of Beth Althoff and her team and it is a life changing event for the students who attend each year, and Youth Exchange, under the direction of Blake Carlson, is another one of our premier programs.  My experiences with our Youth this year has warmed my heart and left me memories that I will always cherish.  Thank you to all Rotarians in our District who work to make our programs a success.  Our District Youth Service Chair Rozanne Casey has written an article about our youth programs.  
 
There are 2 months left in this Rotary year and I would like to update each of you on our District Foundation giving.  To date, Rotarians in our District have contributed approximately $177,000 to the annual fund and $65,000 to PolioPlus which is down in both areas from last year at this time. Our District goal for the Annual Fund is $100 per capita with each Rotarian contributing a minimum of $26.50 which was the original amount that Arch Klumph contributed in 1917 to create The Foundation.   Rotary Direct is an easy way to contribute to The Rotary Foundation.  In the following links, you can read frequently asked questions regarding Rotary Direct and find the form you can use to register for this great way to give to The Rotary Foundation. https://my.rotary.org/en/document/rotary-direct-frequently-asked-questions, https://www.rotary.org/en/donate.  Rotaractor MacKenzie MacFarlane was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow during the Paul Harris Breakfast at the District conference for her commitment and dedication to Rotary and the Rotary Foundation.  Please see the article that MacKenzie has written regarding why she contributes monthly to the Rotary Foundation through Rotary Direct.  The District PolioPlus goal is $1500 per club so we have about $35,000 to go to make our goal!  Thank you to everyone who has contributed already and to those of you who have not…there is still time!
 
I look forward to my last two months as District Governor and will be visiting several clubs before the end of the year!  Please contact me if there if you would like me to attend an event and I will certainly come if possible! 
 
Yours in Rotary,
Debra Warner
District Governor 2017-18