District Governor visits Kindersley Rotary Club

By Joan Janzen

KINDERSLEY - The Kindersley Rotary Club welcomed Manon Mitchell, the new District Governor for Southwestern Saskatchewan District 5360, to their dinner meeting on Wednesday, August 13. Members and guests gathered at the Highway Host on Main Street, where District Governor Manon Mitchell inducted new member Ashley Hill into the Kindersley Rotary Club. Expanding the club is one of Rotary’s goals. “With more people, we can do more good,” Manon said.

District Governor Manon Mitchell inducted new Kindersley Rotary member, Ashley Hill. Ashley is the manager at the Kindersley Inn. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN

The new District Governor is an enthusiastic public speaker and community builder who encouraged the Kindersley group to set four goals: impact, reach, engage and adapt.

“Adapting helps you to stay relevant. If you apply one action to each of those goals, you will impact your community. The membership action plan supplies all kinds of strategies to meet your goals,” she advised.

Manon shared Rotary’s theme for this year: “Unite for Good”. Rotary members are aware that behind every act of service, new member, and global challenge, two things matter most: friendship and trust.

While on the topic of friendship, she informed her listeners that Rotary offers 104 different fellowships for various activities, including everything from skydiving to skiing. “Fellowships are separate groups of Rotary members that have fun times together,” she said.

Thanks to Rotary’s Polio Plus connection, polio cases have fallen by 99.9 percent since 1988. “It’s because of Rotary, we don’t see Polio now in Canada,” she added.

Internationally, Rotary helps girls in the Dominican Republic access education and provides early childhood education resources in Cambodia. These projects are vitally important because “the majority of people on the planet don’t live like us,” Manon explained.

The heart of Rotary is strong local clubs; clubs that are welcoming, flexible, open to new ideas and responsive to the needs of their communities. Collaborating locally and identifying community needs increases the global impact and helps make things happen.

Before dinner was served, Manon talked about the importance of engagement. “We are going to do that right here, right now,” she said as she handed each guest a card addressed to a Rotary member from another district. “Writing an encouraging note to a stranger will help connect us,” she advised.

The remainder of the evening was spent connecting with one another over a delicious meal.