District Governor Kathi Dick has been a Rotarian for 11 years and is a proud member of Rotary Cambridge North where she served as president in 2013-14.  She also served on the Board of Directors for Rotary Cambridge North for many years in numerous capacities.  True to the motto of “Service above Self” Kathi has volunteered on an international scale and travelled to the Dominican Republic where she helped to build a medical centre, fed the hungry and tended to AIDS inflicted babies at the local hospital. She also went to Tanzania to make a difference and to experience the transformation her club and Rotary makes in the world. Kathi has been actively involved in the District on the Training Committee, the Foundation Committee and more recently the Governor team. Kathi has attend every Rotary International convention since 2013 which has taken her to Portugal, Australia, Brazil, South Korea and, most recently, Atlanta, Georgia. Kathi has been a real estate broker for the past 33 years.  She has 3 children and 2 grandchildren.

 

Timothy Whitehead has been an active Rotarian for 37 years. He first joined Rotary in Winnepeg at the Club that made Rotary an international organization. He was was a member of the Rotary Club of Ottawa where he served on the Board of Directors, was involved in Easter Seals and the Adventure in Citizenship program. He also served as President of the Club. For the past 20 years, Timothy has been a member of the Rotary Club of Mississauga. He has served on the Board of Directors, President of the Club and currently serves as Co-Chair of the Lobsterfest Committee and as an Ex-Officio member of the Board. Timothy has also been very involved with District 7080 as Chair and Co-Chair of four District Conferences. He is currently Program Chair of the 2017 District Conference and District Alumni Chair.

 

Kathi informed us that we were the 27th Club she's visited and congratulated us on our fundraisers and our fun meters (kudos to all who wore them!). She introduced Rita Westbrook, Assistant to the District Governor and member of the Sunrise Club in Cambridge. She also acknowledged Chris Wood as a new Assistant to the District Governor. Yeah, Chris!

 

Kathi shared her experience of visiting Tanzania in 2011, mentioning how moved she was by a little Masai girl who was learning to speak Swahili. She also addressed some of Rotary International and District 7080 goals, including ways to support and strengthen Clubs. She spoke to us about current projects including  developing a Strategic Plan for the District as well as updating the District Manual on Policies and Procedures. There is also a project in the works to develop a Rotary Peace Centre at the University of Waterloo. Efforts are being made to simplify the Rotary grant application process and a new and improved Rotary Club Central is now up and running. Focus is being put to keep new members active and engaged. Kathi is going to continue with her monthly videos to keep us updated on what's going on in our District as well as RI.

 

Kathi also reminded us that Humanitarian Service is a big part of Rotary and that sustainability of our projects is vital. She referred to our efforts to eradicate Polio, noting that Canada will be donating $100 Million to the cause and that approx. $ 1.2 Billion (US) has been pledged over the next 3 years. Smallpox is the only other disease to be completely eradicated and we are well on our way to doing the same with polio.

 

Rptary International President Ian Riseley has asked that clubs log the amount of money invested in projects as well as the number of hours given to all projects. These statistics will be compiled to show not just what Rotary is but also demonstrate what Rotary does. He has also asked the every Rotarian in the world plant one tree. Kathi will be using part of her District PR Budget to help promote our District's tree planting event next April 21st and 22nd (Earth Day weekend). Kathi spoke of Rotary Foundation being a charity that exceeds industry standards (4 star rating) and gave an outline of how to Clubs can qualify for Presidential Citations.