At last week's Rotary meeting, Dominic Giroux, President and CEO at Health Science North and the Health Sciences North Research Institute, provided Sunrisers with a great overview, key facts and the regional impact of HSN and HSNRI in Northeastern Ontario. Dominic gave an update on HSN's pandemic response coordinated and in partnership with community partners highlighting that Sudbury was better prepared than some communities as a result of proactive steps taken by the Sudbury and District Public Health Unit. He also shared HSN's vision for the future to meet the needs of the community which includes building a stronger and more competitive health research and innovation ecosystem in Northern Ontario as well as a new stand alone location for the Children's Treatment Center.
The Plasma Drive needs your help to reach the donation goal! Please contact Brandi Braithwaite to sign up for a time to donate.
India COVID Relief Project The project goal is to secure enough funds to purchase as many concentrators as is possible, at least 10 units and maybe more from our own District. Please check your email for "An URGENT message to all District 7010 Rotarians re: India COVID Relief Project". Instruction on how to contribute are contained in the email. Due to the urgency of the situation in India
this project will be open only until May 17th, 2021
Our Vocational Meeting guest this week is our very own Sunriser Dawn Condon, owner of Connected Living Yoga and Wellness. She will be sure to enlighten our morning with her teachings, wisdom and experience. And bonus…this week IT WILL BE ABSOLUTELY FINE TO BE IN YOUR YOGA OR STRETCHY PANTS WHILE ON THIS ZOOM MEETING ; ) Louise Bergeron, Vocational Director
The 2021 Virtual Convention will be better than ever, opening more innovative opportunities to learn and to engage with the family of Rotary, near and far. You’ll be able to network in virtual lounges, meet new partners in service, and join fun activities with Rotary members from around the world.
This event is open to all Rotary members and participants from 12-16 June 2021. Registration fees are as follows:
Promotional rate: US$49* through 11:59:59 (Chicago time - CDT) 7 May
US$65 - 8 May through 16 June
*Registration must be paid in full between 16 April and 7 May to receive the US$49 rate.
“As soon as I had a purpose that wasn’t my own, life was a bit easier,”
At this year’s Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany, Chris Wells won over a general session audience with a combination of high-energy showmanship and a serious message about mental health, drawn from his experience. A few years after graduating from college in 2011, Wells found himself depressed. “I’d felt a bit crap for months and months and months,” remembers Wells, now 29. “I was bored, negative all the time, stuck, not really doing anything. It was getting scary.”
Then two things happened that would change his life. First, a friend persuaded him to see a psychiatrist. Second, another friend introduced him to Jim Davies, a member of the Rotary Club of Market Harborough, who encouraged Wells to get involved with Rotary and suggested starting a Rotaract club. “I had no idea what to expect, but I was willing to try anything to not feel like this anymore,” Wells says.
Wells dived right into Rotary, helping found the Rotaract Club of Market Harborough in 2015. Soon the new Market Harborough Rotaractors were participating in a canned-food drive for local food banks, holding regular pub quiz fundraisers, and creating a support group for young stroke patients.
The club also held a night of comedy and music to raise money for a young man who had been accepted to a prestigious course at the National Youth Theatre in London but who couldn’t afford the fees. “I was like, ‘Right, we’ll have a Christmas concert in the middle of June, just to confuse everyone,’” Wells says cheerfully. “We raised more than enough money.”
The Market Harborough Rotaractors’ enthusiasm has proved contagious: Several new Rotaract clubs have been formed in the district.
Meanwhile, with continuing professional help, Wells’ mental health has improved. “As soon as I had a purpose that wasn’t my own, life was a bit easier,” he says. As he said in his speech at the convention: “Rotary isn’t the cure for depression, and people suffering from it shouldn’t feel shy about seeking out medical and professional help. … But for me, Rotaract truly aided in filling in some of those dark and empty spaces inside.”
