Rotary Club of Palgrave’s Weekly Rotary Minute

May 9, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Ross Farrelly
Every year, Rotary International (RI) holds an international convention where it elects the people who will lead Rotary for the following year.
This year, the convention will be held in Atlanta and the following year it will be in Toronto. This is a major event and usually draws 20,000 people or more from around the world.
Over the years, Kathy and I have attended RI conventions in Orlando, Brisbane, Salt Lake City, Chicago, Montreal and Lisbon. Due to its size, the convention is able to attract keynote speakers such as Ted Turner, Bill Gates or even Dolly Parton. All of these people do have a unique connection to Rotary and do not often speak to groups.
Another important part of the convention are smaller pre-conventions of the various Rotary programs, which we have attended due to our participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange program. The Youth Exchange preconvention was where many of our contacts were made which allowed us to add new countries to the exchange program. It is also really reassuring to the parents of outbound students to be able to be told that you have met the people who are in charge of the exchange program.
Another important part of all conventions is the House of Friendship, where all of the Rotary programs have displays and you can easily spend a few hours wandering, rather than attend one of the many breakout sessions that are also available.
The Toronto convention is very close to us, do plan to attend.
If you are interested in learning more about Rotary and how you can help create and foster moments of impact here in Caledon and around the world, please visit www.rotaryclubofpalgrave.com for more information on our Club and all the wonderful ways you could get involved.