Seasons Greetings fellow Rotarians, as we close in on the end of 2020 and hopefully soon, the scourge of COVID-19.  I hope that my American Rotarians had a safe, but Happy Thanksgiving.

 

President Holger Knaack announced today that the Rotary International Board had made the tough decision to cancel all Youth Exchanges, short or long term until the end of June 2021.  Jill Norton, and her team hope that with an effective vaccine that it may be possible to have a short-term exchange by next Summer.  As well, just maybe we will be able to host RYLA as well.

 

Plans are well in hand for our District Conference.  Please mark Saturday, March 20, 2021, in your calendars.  We are planning on a hybrid conference.  Even if the border remains shut I hope to be able to host the Canadian Rotarians at the NOTL Community Center and utilize the Zoom platform for those who cannot attend in person.  The team co-chaired by DGN Lisa Bishop and IPDG Melisa Schrock are pulling things together.  We have asked RIPN Jennifer Jones to be a keynote speaker either in person or via Zoom.  Please read the article in the December issue of the Rotary magazine starting on page 30 entitled Network Anchor – The Hungry Lady, a story about Dr. Elaine Hernandez.  I was touched by all the good she has done over the past 50 years since being the Rotary Club of Brantford’s first Youth Exchange student.  She is presently the President of the RC of Mission, Texas.   I messengered her to ask if she would be a speaker at the Conference and within 30 minutes she had phoned me to accept my invitation and she wants to attend in person if at all possible.  Her focus has been on hunger, health, and youth.