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Today's Meeting Mar 8, 1999 Exchange Student Presentation Speaker: Mika Chair: Ken Campbell SongLeader: Darren Ings Greeters: Curtis Barlow, Dale Murphy
Next Week's Meeting Mar. 15, 1999 This is International Rotaract Week, and while we do not have a Rotoract Club in our Province, it doesn't mean there are not opportunities to address the leadership and service skills of youth. Rotoract is a young adults service club for those ages 18-30 which is sponsored by Rotary and provides the opportunities for service and leadership development. Voluntaryism is vital to our communities, and as a leading volunteer organization Rotary has a responsibility to encourage and support the development of voluntaryism among young people. That doesn't mean that we should focus all volunteer efforts on youth, but rather that we should seek to involve more youth in our volunteer work. We could begin by involving our families more in what we do. Have you ever considered taking a daughter or son to a Rotary meeting? (We have several siblings of Rotarians who are now active members of our club) When doing work for a club project, have you considered asking a son or daughter, or for that matter the young person that lives next door, to tag along or maybe take a more direct role in the project? Are you a solid example of a good volunteer? Would someone watching you see value and pride in volunteering? Would they be encouraged to do the same? As leaders in the business and professional community, Rotarians have the responsibility to foster leadership among youth, knowing they will be the people who provide leadership to our communities in the future. This need not take place in a formal, organized club. You can help meet that need in dozens of ways. Do you volunteer to work with youth through other youth serving organizations? Do you volunteer to take part in career days? Do you take the time to show an interest in the ideas and challenges facing young people? Are you an active supporter of Youth Exchange? There are many things we can do directly ourselves to ensure a solid linkage between young people and Rotary. Not just so they will have a positive attitude towards Rotary as they take on community leadership roles, but so they will have the confidence, experience, and skills to be successful as they become community leaders. British Rotarians help Lithuanian musician follow her dream Created by Royal Charter, Sir William Turner's Almshouses at Kirkleatham, England, have accommodated elderly people in needy circumstances for over 300 years. As trustee chairman of Almshouses and a Rotarian, Peter Sotheran wanted to find a way to do something special for the 20 residents. Sotheran's idea to provide them with a concert turned out to serve not only the community but also help a Lithuanian friend follow her dream. With the enthusiastic assistance of the Rotary Club of Guisborough & Great Ayton, England, Sotheran arranged for Lithuanian pianist and harpsichordist Daiva Stulgyte to travel in January to Great Britain, where she has always dreamed of performing, for a 12-day tour. The 32-year-old musician performs with the National Philharmonia of Lithuania and is a viola teacher and accompanist at the Vilnius Music Academy. With Rotarians providing lodging and transportation to and from performances during her whirlwind tour, Stulgyte played at several venues, including the Museum and Arts Centre in Durham City. She also performed a concert of chamber music with guest viola player Scott Dickinson and a challenging piano recital for the Darlington Piano Society. The highlight of the tour was a candlelit concert at the magnificent chapel at Almshouses, where Stulgyte played to a packed house. "To see the sense of accomplishment on her face," Sotheran said, "and to know we were a part of it -- that was wonderful." The tour, while helping a young professional further her career, also brought international musicians to communities that do not normally have the opportunity to enjoy such fine music. In addition to her concerts, Stulgyte visited two schools in the area to play for the children and talk about her music and life in Lithuania. "It is a privilege and a pleasure for us to help
this young professional achieve one of her
dreams," said Rotarian Brian Clare, president of
the British Rotary club that helped sponsor her
tour. "It is also a first rate example of Rotary's
international and vocational work."
50/50 draw: Ron Profit did profit (financially) from Rotary last week. He walked away with $53 from the draw, but came up with the five of spades instead of the Queen of Hearts, so the $500 remains. Attendance: Attendance for the first meeting in March was 72.4 percent with 11 Scooters. TRAVEL TO DISTRICT IN NEWFOUNDLAND We are attempting to arrange a charter flight to Newfoundland for the Rotary District Convention. It will be held May 27-30. Wayne Hambly will be elected as District Governor at the meeting, and as his home club we should be there in force to (vote against him) show our support. Rotarian Bob Bateman, is prepared to provide charter flights at a special Rotary rate. Each plane holds eight people, so we need eight people willing to leave at the same time and return at the same time. If we have enough people we may be able to arrange several flights. It will be a direct flight from Charlottetown to St. John's. The cost for the return flight will be about $375. per person. CONGRATULATIONS were extended by President Moe to the Rotarians and all who helped in the hosting of the very successful 1999 Scott Tournament of Hearts. The President also noted the success of Islanders competing in the Canada Winter Games, congratulating those returning home after the first week as well as those heading out for the second week of competition. MEMBERS WELCOME: We are always seeking to expand the Rotary family. Members are encouraged to consider introducing new members to the enjoyment of Rotary. JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT Yet another group which benefits from the financial support of our Rotary club appeared at last week's meeting. Joanne Campbell, Executive Director of Junior Achievement, thanked the members for their support, both individually and as a club. This year 1,700 students are involved in the program, double the number that participated last year. Programs offered by JA include: Company Program in which high school students develop and run their own business for 20 weeks; Business Basic Program which introduces grade six students to the fundamentals of business, and the ESIS program for grade eight students which helps develop an understanding of the relationship between education and achieving personal goals. The programs are offered across the province by more than 90 volunteer business people, including several from the Charlottetown Rotary Club. Joanne also announced that JACAN '99 will be hosted on the Island. It is an annual international business conference that brings together about 250 of the brightest young minds from around the world. CLASSIFICATION TALKS Two of the newer members of the Club provided some insight into their professions as David Arsenault and Chet MacNeil delivered their classification talks. David is a Chartered Accountant with PriceWaterhouse Coopers. He highlighted the impact of technology on the CA profession over the past 25 years. Before the arrival of the photocopier, fax machine and computer most of an accountant's time was spent gathering information, balancing and cross referencing financial statements. It left very little time to review the information, assess it and offer advice and planning to clients. Technology, especially the computer, greatly increased the speed of accounting. 25 years ago David says about 75% of his time was spent preparing, leaving 25% to provide other services. Now that ratio is about 50/50 and heading more towards advice and other services. In the future he sees less paper and even more time spent providing advice and other services to clients. This year corporations will be able to e-file tax returns the same as individuals. However, the CA will still be needed to do an independent assessment and to provide independent advice. Chet MacNeil spent 15 years as an Air Navigator tracking and monitoring submarines off the coast of Canada. Then he was assigned to an administrative job with the Armed Forces, and after retiring he took on his latest assignment as Executive Assistant to the Minister of Community Services and Attorney General. Chet says "problem solving" is a common aspect of all three jobs and he points out it is important to define the problem so that you avoid treating symptoms and actually deal with the real issue. As EA for fellow Rotarian Wes, Chet says he works with members of the community on behalf of the Minister. That means dealing with many phone calls or personal visits from people seeking assistance and guidance. They may be trying to have a social concern addressed, or need information on matters like seniors' housing, pension entitlements, or a cross section of government programs and services. In addition, Chet provides support services to some groups such as those working to ensure healthy childhood development. MAKEUPS to Mar 1 -Don Anderson (2), Gilbert DeJong, Lloyd MacLeod, Walter Cox. |