Rotary conference attracts range of talents to region
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Chris Eakin
What do you get when you hold a Rotary conference at Evergreen Park south of Grande Prairie? You get 560 Rotarians from 77 different clubs, around 16 club fundraising projects on display, seven speakers, three pipers and one classical violinist (who came to talk, not to play).
The pipers were there as part of the opening ceremonies and piped in the organizers, VIPs and speakers for the People of Action Rotary District Conference.
Hosted by Rotary District 5370 and lasting Oct. 3-5, the theme of the conference was inclusion and the importance for Rotary to include people from all walks of life, not just the “pale, male and stale” as speaker Aaron Blomme put it (half-jokingly)
The speakers ranged from Amanda Lindhout, a Canadian journalist kidnapped and held for ransom in Somalia for 460 Days, to Katrina Perehudoff, an expert on health rights and laws around the world who worked with the World Health Organization.
Lindhout told the Rotarians being released when ransom was paid was not the instant happy ending. She was suffering from an extreme case of Post Traumatic Stress disorder and “I had to learn to feel my feelings again.” One thing she learned was that resiliency does not come from surviving a bad situation, rather, “The good times lived intentionally prepare you for the bad.”
Neil Pasricha gave a presentation on how he unwittingly became an expert on happiness while trying to break out of his own depression. He said he had been brought up to believe, study hard, work hard, achieve success and you will be happy. What he believes now is, “Be happy, do great work, big success,” explaining that happy people put more effort into their work and achieve more success. One piece of advice from his father which he didn’t understand at the time was “Never forget how lucky you are and how good you have it.”
Now, having suffered somewhat due to a marriage breakup and depression, he understands some of what his father was getting at. One piece of advise he offered was, “It’s easier to act yourself into a new way of thinking than think yourself into a new way of acting.” He gave the example of learning to swim as an adult due to fear of water. The instructor began by first having them wade in progressively deeper water and letting them feel safe in the water before finally beginning actual swimming lessons.
James Cunningham, whose name you may have heard in connection with Food Trucks, is also a stand-up comedian and gave a well-received performance with jokes that ranged from food-truck signs to things that American presidents actually said.
On Saturday, the presentations continued with Aaron Blomme, the Belgian violinist. His background included growing up near Flanders Field, a Rotary Ambassador Scholarship to study music in Russia and helping to organize an exhibit commemorating the end of WW1.
When he first broached the idea to the powers-that-be of doing the exhibit, with the idea of writing the soundtrack to the exhibit himself, he was threatened with financial ruin but being stubborn went ahead regardless.
Far from a financial disaster, the exhibit earned sponsorship from a number of different diplomatic missions and the stamp of approval from the King of Belgium.
Following his presentation, Blomme brought on a panel of young people—Yvonne Joubert, Daria Derczeni, Myles Dykes, Adam Grendys, all students who discussed what they saw as Rotary’s problems and how the organization might be made more appealing to their generation.
David Mead spoke on the importance of “finding your why.” He argued that when it comes to motivation, the “why” comes first, the “how” and “what” come later, and that people who understand what motivates them are much happier, more fulfilled and more effective.
Mead added the same can be said of companies, giving the example of Lego. Lego manufactures toy building blocks but their “why” is stimulating children’s creative side and encouraging their interest in engineering. Although they lost the patents, keeping their focus on the “why” has allowed them to continue in business successfully while others have foundered.
Mark Brand, a cook who has close to a dozen businesses running simultaneously while travelling to New York and other places for a television show and other responsibilities. With a history that includes addiction and jail, Brand said he takes seriously his responsibility to offer employment to those who experience employment barriers, whether addiction, criminal records or learning disabilities. Six of his businesses are in the lower-east side of downtown Vancouver.
Dean Rohrs, originally from South Africa but now a resident and Rotary member in Langley, B.C., spoke about the need for Rotary to change so as to appeal to the younger generations.
She said that weekly meetings over lunch with “exorbitant membership fees” do not attract the younger people Rotary will need to survive. She added that online meetings once a month would become more the norm and that clubs will become more effective at the projects they choose to help make the world a better place.
Following her talk was a panel presentation by Tim Schilds (Dawson Creek), Betty Skrepnek (Grande Prairie) and Ronald Sekkel, (Rotary International’s president’s representative from Scott’s Valley, California) on how Rotary might be improved.
One question that came up was, “How long until Rotary International gets a female president?” and Rohrs said it may be a few years. The conference wrapped up with a dinner and dance, the Starry Nights Governor’s Ball with music by the Two Bit Bandits Band.
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