Prez Jim McP opened the meeting. Dr Tom attempted to recite the 4 way test with his back to the banner and his eyes wide shut. Turns out he had a cheat sheet but it didn't really help him much. Maybe next time the doctor should add pictures to his crib sheet as he seemed unable to read his own writing. Jared did an impromptu Invocation. SAA Linda announced that we had 21 members and 4 guests in attendance. Those visiting us today were Mark Nycamp (guest of Cathy G), Tom Everrett (guest of Paul T), Dean Barreca (another guest of Paul T) and our speaker, Mike Kennedy of Your Future Reimagined Coaching.

 

George was away so no Health and Good Cheer report today.

 

 

 

Chris W reminded everyone that the early bird deadline to register for our International Rotary Convention In Toronto (June 24-27) is this Friday, Dec 15. Conference Cost of $335 US  will go up to $410 and then up to $495 after that. For more info, check you inbox. Our District Governor, Kathy Dick sent an email out to all members in the District on Wed, Dec 13. Chris is looking for volunteers to help organize the hosting of 20 international Rotarians on June 25th. This is a tri-club effort to showcase Cambridge to our fellow Rotarians. Please contact Chris for more info.

 

Chris also mentioned that we will have 2 teams playing in the 64th Annual Can-Am Rotary Bonspiel taking place in Stratford on January 18-20. Put on some colourful Paul T Cody pants and come on out to show your support! More info to follow in the New Year.

 

Jocelyn is originally from Stratford and has two teenagers. Her 16 year old daughter looks like her and is like her father. Her 14 year old son, on the other hand, looks like his father and is more like her. Seems like all the bases got covered there! Working in hospitality took Jocelyn between Stratford and Toronto until about 3 years ago when she took on a position with Pearle Hospitality and purchased a home right by Prez Jim in Puslinch. Jocelyn is currently the COO for the company.

 

Oktoberfest Vote - Prez Jim gave John Jonas two minutes to address the Oktoberfest vote. Thanks, John, for emphasizing that, first and foremost, we are all friends and Rotarians. John asked that anyone voting in favour of keeping Oktoberfest for another year fully commit to being active in the event. Ballots were distributed and collected so that they could be counted during our speaker segment.

 

To save you scrolling down ..... outcome was 24 in favour of cancelling, 8 in favour of keeping and 3 abstentions. And so, Oktoberfest is officially cancelled. Thanks to all who voted and to all who, over the years, put in so much time, effort and love. Long live the Hammershot in our Hearts and in our Lederhosen!  I think the message there got lost in the translation .... 

 

Linda introduced Mike Kennedy, President/Lead Coach of Your Future Reimagined (YFR) Coaching. Mike helps executives and professionals successfully transition to the next chapter of their life. Mike firmly believes that the best years are still ahead of us. After a 30 year career in sales, Mike started a new chapter in his own life that went beyond his coaching path. Mike is also an avid Dragon Boat racer and has been a team member in the World Championships more than once. Mike gave us an overview of how he works with clients. He encourages them to complete a list of things to do more of, less of as well as stop altogether. He also includes lists of things to continue and to start doing in life. Much of these lists are developed by taking a look at what's important and also visualizing what a person wants their next 25 years to be like. Of interest was the fact that when people retire, they typically free up about 2,500 hours per year! Ultimately, Mike's big question is "How do you want to spend those hours?"

More info on Mike can be found at www.yourfutrereimagined.com.

Heidi thanked our speaker.

 

Please bring food items to our Christmas Meeting next Thursday, December 21st. We will be spending it with Joy - really! Her name is Joy and we've met her before when she performed with the Cambridge Symphony Orchestra. We are in for a very fun and festive treat!

 

Items most needed by the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank are: small peanut butter jars (yes, they do prefer small), canned soup, sidekicks dishes, canned stews, canned meat/fish, pasta sauce, canned or dry pasta, brown beans/legumes, rice, canned fruit, school snacks (nut free) and baby food.