It feels like it was just yesterday that I attended my first Rotary meeting in Montmagny, a small town east of Quebec City; and yet it feels like many lifetimes ago, as so much has changed in my life since October 1998, when I joined the organization.
I was a bright-eyed, enthusiastic young teacher of 25 (close to Paul Harris’ own age when he started Rotary in 1905) and wanted to make a difference in my community. I was no stranger to volunteering or being part of a group of like-minded individuals: as a high school student in Quebec City in the late 80s, I was part of a KEY Club, the equivalent of Interact, sponsored by the Kiwanis clubs. As a pre-university student I was part of the literary and spiritual groups; and later, at Laval University (where I completed my BA in Teaching English as a Second Language and a Certificate in Psychology), I spent many hours giving my time to the student council for my program.
Today, almost twenty years (and many moves) later, I have been a member of several clubs in three different districts; I occupied several positions, such as club secretary and club president (twice); I participated and was involved in many programs, such as RYLA and the Ambassadorial Scholarships; and I learned a lot about the organization, travelling the world and meeting fantastic people along the way. For me, Rotary is a family who embraces me wherever I go; in a constantly connected world, our organization offers a unique and exceptional opportunity to keep people connected to each other – sharing their views and thoughts, and, through projects, activities, fundraising events and more, to make the world a bit better than it was before. For me, that is priceless!
Now, as a busy Montreal-based teacher in a pre-university college with two school-age daughters, not to mention the incredible man who shares my life with his two children, I have found that joining the Passport Club of D7040 has brought a new level of involvement for me in Rotary. I can count the volunteering hours I spend at my daughters’ school or at my workplace as makeups, and by doing small projects, like starting a little free library in front of my house, I can help the people in my local community – and further. Following the RI Convention in Toronto, I joined the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship of Rotary and have met Rotarians who share my love of travel. I still feel like that bright-eyed, enthusiastic 25-year-old who just discovered this incredible group of people called Rotarians – but now, as I am about to celebrate twenty years as a Rotarian myself, I can build on my humble experience and, hopefully, continue to ‘Be the Inspiration’ to my children, stepchildren, students, and all those around me.
Next week in Meet the Member, find out about Neil Carriere!
WHY THE ROTARY YEAR BEGINS JULY 1st...!!!
Ever wonder why the Rotary year begins 1 July? The international convention initially played a key role in determining the start date of our fiscal and administrative year.
Rotary's first fiscal year began the day after the first convention ended, on 18 August 1910. The 1911-12 fiscal year also related to the convention, beginning with the first day of the 1911 convention on 21 August.
At its August 1912 meeting, the Board of Directors ordered an audit of the International Association of Rotary Clubs' finances. The auditors recommended that the organization end its fiscal year on 30 June to give the secretary and treasurer time to prepare a financial statement for the convention and board, and determine the proper number of club delegates to the convention.
The executive committee concurred, and at its April 1913 meeting, designated 30 June as the end of the fiscal year. This also allowed for changes to the schedule for reporting club membership and payments. Even The Rotarian changed its volume numbering system to correspond to the fiscal year (beginning with vol. 5, July 1914).
Rotary continued to hold its annual conventions in July or August until 1917. Delegates to the 1916 event in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA, approved a resolution to hold future conventions in June, mainly because of the heat in cities where most of them occurred. The next one was held 17-21 June in Atlanta, Georgia.
The term "Rotary year" has been used to signify Rotary's annual administrative period since at least 1913. An article in The Rotarian that July noted, "The Rotary year that is rapidly drawing to a close has been signalized by several highly successful joint meetings of Clubs that are so situated as to assemble together easily and conveniently."
Since the executive committee's decision in 1913, the end of the Rotary year has remained 30 June.
