Dear Rotary Family,
According to my trusty Advent calendar, we are 9 days (a little less than that now) away from Christmas (and the chocolate from the calendar is keeping me semi stress-free). This coming Tuesday morning will be our last official meeting before Christmas and 2019! Although Kelley has sworn me to secrecy (my lips are sealed) about this week's surprise at the meeting, I wanted to share with you all a story that I believe pairs well with this week's surprise. I've been involved with Rotary by way of Rotaract (a club for university aged students) since 2012. I've had the honour of being part of 2 Rotaract (Brock Niagara & Oakville) clubs, a regular guest of the Rotary Club of Gore Bay during a summer job in Northern Ontario and a short-lived member of the E-Club of Southern Ontario & Western New York. Since I attended RYLA in the summer of 2013 and attended a few district conferences thereafter in District 7090, Rotary has been my passion. Every town I've had the opportunity to move to since graduation has provided me the opportunity to be part of a Rotary family. Although we all may have different vocations and different backgrounds, it's our passion for Rotary that binds us. I believe it was Audrey who alluded to having the opportunity to connect with someone from Africa during the 2018 International Convention in Toronto. Much like the Rotary gear, each person can be represented by a tooth of the gear. Without each person's contribution to the gear, we wouldn't be able to turn and thus turn other gears within our community.
Looking forward to celebrating the holiday season with you all on Tuesday!
Yours in Rotary,
Danielle
