Posted by Lyle Goodin on Oct 04, 2017
Rotary District 7070 Governor Neil Phillips spoke at a special Tri-Club meeting held Tuesday October3, 2017 at the Oshawa Golf and Country Club. Rotarians from the Oshawa Rotary Club, Oshawa Parkwood Rotary Club, the Bowmanville Rotary Club, and a number of guests were present.  D.G. Neil began by stating that he had not come armed with a laundry list of "to dos".  His philosophy is that most ideas for moving Rotary's objectives forward come from the grassroots and that District 7070 and Rotary International are there to support those initiatives. 
 
Neil noted the success of the District 7070 Foundation Walk that raised approximately $120,000 for the Foundation and expressed the hope Rotary has that 2017 might just be the first year that no cases of polio are reported anywhere in the world.  To ensure we meet this goal a last push is needed and each Club is being asked to donate $2000 to the End Polio Now campaign.
 
We were reminded that this is the 50th anniversary of Rotaract and Neil encouraged Clubs to support Rotaract and Interact Clubs and to consider attending the Rotaract pre-convention meetings in Toronto in 2018.
 
Speaking of conferences, we were reminded of the District 7070 Conference being held in Niagara-on-the-Lake in November.  Arrangements have been made for an excellent keynote speaker whose presentation should not be missed.  Over 200 Rotarians and guests have already registered.  Also of importance is the Rotary International Conference being held in Toronto in June 2018.  We need to ensure that this conference/party being held in our backyard will be the best ever and leave a lasting positive impression on the 30,000 Rotarians who will be in attendance.
 
Rotary District 7070 has partnered with the Highway for Heros tree planting project to support the planting of one tree along the highway for each Canadian Service Person who has lost their life in service of our country.  Neil would also like to see one tree planted for each Club in our district and why not one for every attendee at the 2018 RI Conference in Toronto.
 
In conclusion, D.G. Neil encouraged Rotary Clubs to have fun while doing the serious work of Rotary.
 
L to R: Rotary Club of Bowmanville Vice President John Burns, Rotary District 7070 Governor Neil Phillips, Rotary Club of Bowmanville President Reg Freethy