The "Rotary E-Club of Social Innovators", or “RESI,” as they have come to be known, are a true global E Club with members from every continent but Antarctica.RESI was chartered in 2017, by Rotary Peace Fellowship Evaluator and Past Chair of multiple Rotary Action Groups Gordon Crann, charter President-Elect Howard Weinstein, the 2011 Global Social Entrepreneur of the Year from Brazil, and charter Secretary Catherine Bonifant, a Rotarian Peacebuilder from Australia. The name Social Innovators was chosen to be broad enough to encompass its membership of environmentalists, peacebuilders, and social entrepreneurs.
In June 2018, RESI’s membership reached a peak of about sixty from every continent except for Antarctica. That same year RESI delivered a presentation at the Toronto RI Convention honouring the legacy of Past RI President Luis Giay’s Urban Peace Initiative with RESI Charter President Gordon Crann as Moderator, and Past RI President Luis Giay (from Argentina) as well as RESI Charter Member & a co-founder of Toronto’s PACT Urban Peace Initiative David Lockett as presenters.
RESI meetings are held online mid week and mid day EST meaning some of their dedicated members are joining in during the middle of the night! Meetings are always engaging, bringing fascinating stories from around the world highlighting the extraordinary accomplishments of social entrepreneurs everywhere. More information at https://rotary7090.org/clubinfo/resi
For details on joining RESI please contact President Lisa Farano lisafarano1@gmail.com
- Lisa Farano
Our current president, Lisa Farano, is a 25 year Rotarian, past President, twice secretary, Paul Harris Fellow and charter member of RESI as well as an Order of Ontario recipient for her peacebuilding work regarding Indigenous populations, while Pres-Elect is Natalija Vojno, from the former Yugoslavia, is a recent Rotary Peace Fellow graduate, completing her Masters in Japan and now a new Rotary member becoming the second Rotary Peace Fellow RESI President come July 1. Natalija is working on a District Grant to support an Indigenous Watershed project, building awareness and understanding through local gatherings and environmentally informed civic engagement. Thanks to the co-leadership of RESI Past President Richelieu Allison from Nigeria and current club secretary Gordon Crann – RESI is currently sponsoring a staggering 22 Rotary Peace Fellowship candidates. Richelieu and Gordon are the Co-Chairs of the RESI Rotary Peace Fellowships Team and PE Natalijah has also sponsored one candidate. The member who recruits a candidate takes the lead role in mentoring that candidate and RESI has been a leading District 7090 Club for the recruitment and mentoring of successful Rotary Peace Fellowship candidates from two successful candidates in 2018 to 5 in 2023 including at least one successful candidate every year between 2018 and 2023. The 22 Peace Fellowship candidates for 2025 include eleven master’s candidates. Continuing to focus on their club goals for 2023-24, RESI also has re-chartered the Rotaract E-Club of Social Innovators, the same Rotaract club that then RI President Barry Rassin presented the RoeSI charter at the District 7090 conference in 2018. Past District 7090 DG Bob Artis, has agreed to be the liaison between the new RoeSI and its sponsor RESI. No less than 4 RoeSI Rotaractors have successfully become Rotary Peace Fellows.