At today's meeting of the Port Arthur Rotary Club at the Prince Arthur Hotel, President Rod Morrison, welcomed Rotary District Governor Rick Bricker. Bricker and his wife Susan are in the area touring the three clubs in Thunder Bay and one in Nipigon. Bricker, based in Brainerd is Governor for an International Rotary District that includes in North Dakota, northern Minnesota, northwest Wisconsin and of course a small part of Canada in and around Thunder Bay. According to District Governor Bricker, " With a new Rotary year that began in July, comes a new theme from Rotary International President Mark Maloney. “Connect the World”. His message, Rotary allows us to connect with each other in meaningful ways across our differences. It connects us to communities and people who need our help. Rotarians throughout the world lend their hands in six areas of service that include youth service and community service. "
Bricker addressed the Club relating a most interesting and eclectic personal background including his Dry Cleaning businesses, his appreciation for the huge challenges of child/youth abuse in all its forms and his joy at joining the Rotary family in 1986. Governor Bricker also talked about Rotary's fight against polio that began in 1979 in the Phillippines and continues today. Rotary with its partners have reduced polio cases by 99.9 per cent since 1988 with the virus being endemic to only three countries in the world presently.
A most entertaining, inspirational and high energy spokesperson for Rotary, the audience learned about his passion for helping child abuse/human trafficking victims through a special resource centre development shipping bicycles to Haiti, and many other initiatives including innovations for the upcoming District Conference 2020 in Brainerd, MN, USA, April 23-26.
Also attending the meeting were Past President Hilary McDougall of the Thunder Bay Rotaract Club and District Rotaract Chair Thunder Bay's Catherine Kibiuk. Rotaract clubs bring together people ages 18-30 to exchange ideas with leaders in the community, develop leadership and professional skills, and have fun through service. In communities worldwide, Rotary and Rotaract members work side by side to take action through service. From big cities to rural villages, Rotaract is changing communities like Thunder Bay.
For more information about Port Arthur Rotary, please visit www.parotary.com or facebook.com/parotary. For information about Rotary District 5580, visit www.rotary5580.org and find Thunder Bay Rotaract information on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tbayrotaractclub.
Rotary is the world's largest and oldest humanitarian service network. There are four local clubs in the Thunder Bay and Nipigon area with membership that includes and welcomes individuals who are interested in serving their community and making a difference in our world. Our clubs work to serve and financially support local and international initiatives with a primary focus on maternal and child health, water and sanitation, fighting disease, supporting education, growing local economies and promoting peace. Port Arthur Rotary was established in 1924.
Thunder Bay Rotaract is a Rotary sponsored service club for young men and women ages 18 to 30 in Thunder Bay. Rotaract provides a social opportunity to strengthen ties in the community and meet diverse people in and around Thunder Bay. The program is also part of a global effort to bring peace and international understanding to the world. We accomplish this through community and international projects. We have a number of fundraisers and projects that we hold throughout the year to further our mission. Please visit facebook.com/tbayrotaractclub
