Editor: Scott Vetter, Assistant Editor: Rosemary Parker, Photographer: Robin Spencer
Announcements
Scott reminded members to reply regarding RCOS business cards asap. We need to get the layout done and send them to the printer, so reply to Scott this week.
Rosemary shared a poignant Rotary Moment, thanking the club and members for helping her through very difficult times over the past several years. She emphasized the caring and family aspect of Rotary, and how that has helped her personally and reaffirmed her faith in the good that comes of Rotary. Rotary is good people, and Rosemary is certainly a good Rotarian.
Happy Bucks elicited many good thoughts regarding family members, work and personal life, and, of course, the weather.
The Pandemic Effect on the Automotive Industry
Presented by Kateri Clark, Rotary District Membership Co-Chair, RCOS Membership Chair
We're very fortunate to have such a knowledgeable and influential leader as our Membership Chair and we took full advantage of that with this presentation on the State of Membership in Rotary.
Kateri enlightened us with some demographic information for Ottawa and membership statistics for Rotary and Rotaract. She reviewed some of the sobering and longstanding trends regarding membership in Rotary. Last year almost 140,000 people joined the Rotary family, however 150,000 left.
Kateri pointed out that membership is a priority for every club. And RI President Shekhar Mehta brings that to the individual level with Each One, Bring One. Challenging every Rotarian to sponsor a new Rotary or Rotaract member this year. With Kateri's guidance, that seems doable.
As Kateri coined during the presentation, "Rotary is a gift", so don't keep it a secret, pass it on. Interested in helping to build a stronger Rotary? Join Kateri Friday November 5 at 8am and learn more about a new Membership program.
Engaged to Vik Chawla, they’ve been postponing their marriage celebration until COVID allows Vic’s family to visit from India. Between them they have three lovely girls, one earning her Masters in Toronto, another studying Digital Media at Trent, and the third attending Canterbury HS in Ottawa. Add to that a rescue dog named Quill and it’s a Norman Rockwell scene. With Vic’s family in India and Kateri’s mom in Saskatchewan, their nuclear family is tightly knit in Ontario.
Kateri is a Senior Advisor in Strategy and Planning for the federal government. She’s been working in the public service for 18 years and has developed an expertise in strategy, planning, performance measurement and data. She has worked in areas such as science and technology, sustainable development, and is currently assisting the Shared Services department in meeting accessibility regulations.
With Kateri’s level of energy, a demanding full-time job wasn’t enough, so about nine years ago she started selling Arbonne. She finds it quite gratifying as she loves to help people live healthy, from the inside out.
Her grandfather was a proud Rotarian in Saskatchewan. During a couple summers in her teen years, Kateri travelled with her grandparents in an RV. When they visited a town that had a Rotary club, Grandpa would say ”Kateri, we’re going to lunch tomorrow”, and they would be guests at the local Rotary club. From that initial seed, a might oak has grown. When Kateri was looking to connect with more people and be involved in community service, she remembered Rotary and fund that an acquaintance was already involved; “thank you” to Angela Wellman who sponsored her at RC Ottawa. Rotary has been part of Kateri’s life for about eight years now. She started the Ottawa area Membership Initiative and is currently District Co-Chair for Membership.
Getting to Know Sherri Kelly
Interviewed by Joan Hunter
Sherri and Bill have two adult sons. William who lives in Dallas and manages their business there. William and his wife Catherine have been married for one year. Their other son, Erin, is in Canada and he has just taken the bar in the US. He is specializing in environmental regulations.
Sherri has a degree with specialization in foreign languages and an MBA.
Her background is in finance and accounting and she has worked for the major credit corporations as well as Xerox.
As an aside, Sherri is passionate about literature, culture and language and she is conversant in Spanish, German, French and Italian.
Bill had been a Rotarian for many years in Dallas. Sherri’s introduction to “service” began with meals on wheels. Once in Ottawa time permitted Sherri to become more engaged in volunteer work and she joined the Ottawa Rotary Club. At the Ottawa Club Sherri played a significant role in the Adventures in Citizenship Program over two years and then took on a role with respect to addressing environmental issues. If you recall the tree planting program in Africa (Kenya and Uganda) Sherri spearheaded this working with a non-profit organization. 300 trees were planted as a result of this initiative.
Getting to Know Vikas Chawla
Interviewed by Eva Hammond
Vik is engaged to be married to Kateri Clark (see above). Together they have three daughters: 26, 21 and 18 years old. One reason he joined Rotary was to become more involved in working for a better environment. He feels that Rotary offers a strong framework and commitment to usher in environmental change.
Vik’s Rotary classification is Webmaster, and he puts that to good use as a Sales/Marketing Solutions Expert with Bell Small Business. He has over 30 years experience working with multinational pharmaceutical, IT and Telecom companies. In his own words, “I am passionate about developing solutions for dynamic marketing teams and protecting environment.”
His ability to listen attentively and ask the right questions combined with an in-depth knowledge of analytical techniques, Microsoft Excel and Tableau, are key components to his success in collaborating with teams. Attesting to this success, Vik has received numerous awards for exceptional performance as a “Star Performer” in Bell Small Business
Vik enjoys kayaking and tried downhill skiing for the first time when he was 54 years old. In fact, he didn’t learn to swim until he was 49, so he obviously feels that learning is a life-long activity. He loves painting and apparently has a photographic memory.
Start Carving and Fight Polio
Rotaract Fundraiser
The event is a pumpkin carving contest with all proceeds going to End Polio Now. Submissions must include a $10 donation and will be accepted up to and until October 31st. Prizes will go to the spookiest, most elaborate, funniest, and most creative pumpkins, and winners receive their choice of a $40 Cineplex gift card or a $40 gift card to a coffee shop of their choosing!
Members of the Rotary Club Ottawa South learn about membership and Rotary International's plans for 2021-22.
RCOS Environmental Committee Enviro Tip
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle... and REJECT
Reject items packaged in single-use plastic. The manufacture and use of single-use plastic is a significant problem. Most of it isn't even recyclable in our municipal recycling program. So, complain to your grocer and restauranteurs, and refuse to buy products wrapped in such a wasteful and environmentally harmful manner.
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