A Classification: Danielle Hunter (Jun 02, 2019)

Volume 21, Issue #21, June 2nd, 2019

A Rotarian's Classification: Danielle Hunter

So I guess I get to interview myself this week eh? Hopefully I won't repeat too much of this in the presentation.

I grew up, just east of London, not East London to be clear, nor London, England. I grew up next door to my paternal grandparents and my father's boyhood home, and kitty corner to 4 generations of my paternal ancestors. My paternal grandparents were mink farmers, and sold their furs to the Hudson Bay Company. My maternal grandfather was Belgian and was a sod farmer in East London near the London Airport. Shortly after he arrived in Canada in 1949, he spent a winter in Winnipeg cleaning cow excrement out of rail cars.

My Grandpa, Oscar Lagrou pictured in the front row on the left.

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One fun fact about me is that I've been to every province in Canada, except the Northern territories. We traveled west to Tofino in 2004 when I was 13, east to Nova Scotia when I was 11, and spent 5 weeks in Newfoundland & Labrador when I was 17. Did I also mention we were trailer camping? You haven't saw one shower in record time, unless they're paying a loonie for hot water. Or the time that the doorknob fell off the bathroom door in the trailer while I was in it. The joke in my family is that my brothers and I remember what we ate wherever went, including the Mexican restaurant in Montana, that had a telephone ordering system at each table.

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What do you mean you can't drive a tractor? You're from the farm!

When I was growing up my family had a contract with Nabisco Foods (later on, Kraft) to grow sweet peas and sweet corn to be canned into Del Monte branded vegetables. My Mom also raised sheep when I was about 4 years old (1994). We also had a few beef cows, that we named T-Bone, and Pot Roast. There's a saying in my family that we can't really be vegetarians.

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How did you end up in Chatham?

Due to circumstances beyond my control, I moved home from the big city of Oakville in the fall of 2017 to my parents' home in Dorchester. In January of 2018, I met this handsome IT Administrator whose profile said he was in London. *cough* Make that an hour and twenty minutes west of London. On our second date, I convinced him to get a VIA Rail train bound for Toronto for the first time, and the rest is history.

Brandon was super thankful he wasn't late for the train. I'd like to say it was my charm, but the SteamWhistle brewery tour only helped my cause.

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Do I have a favourite place in Chatham-Kent?

Brandon and I are slowly eating our way through C-K, with the help of the Get Out & Save C-K book and the Chatham Daily News Dining Card. I think our favourite by far is Comfort & Soul in Cedar Springs. I also had an amazing chicken bacon sandwich at the Union Block in Dresden a few weeks back.

Danielle Hunter

Administrative Assistant

Sun Life Financial

Bechard Financial & Insurance

Michelle Hetherington Financial & Insurance

Batter up Rotarians, as Sparky takes us out to the ball game. Join our American Rotarians to the southwest as our beloved Jays take on the Tigers. Contact Sunrise Rotarian Doug Goldsmith for your seat on the bus if you wish to travel with other Rotarians across the border. Purchase your game ticket here.

Incoming District Youth Exchange Co-Chair (and Sunrise Rotarian) Ken Bechard announced we will be hosting Allison Castillo Valarezo from Ecuador starting in August! We will also be hosting three short term exchange students this summer, for a month each. Two from Italy and one from Brazil.

Rotarian Doug Goldsmith (our resident pot of gold), announced the new bingo sign-up from July to September will be released soon. There is 6 spots available, and lately we're been making approximately $525 per bingo!

It's official! Registration opened for Greening Your Grounds on Thursday, May 23rd. Please RVSP via phone at 519-354-7310 ext 223. Remember we are limited to 30 spots, so register early! Many thanks to Rotarians John Lawrence & Mark Peacock for organizing this!

We welcomed former Downtown Rotarian, and current President & CEO of the Chatham-Kent Chamber of Commerce, Gail Hundt.

During her banking career, she was a director of our Chamber of Commerce, and that's how she developed in an interest in the Chamber initially.

More than 200 members of our local Chamber have less than 25 employees.

Gail welcomes all Rotary members out to the Chamber's Business After Hours monthly event. There is now no admission, and no prizes, with the time moving to between 5 and 6:30pm.