durhamregion.com This Week | Thursday, August 18, 2022 | 4 Limited space available. Apply today at trafalgarcastle.ca ALL GIRLS • GRADES 4-12 DISCOVER OUR SMALL CLASS SIZES AND SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT designed to help every student find academic success. Personal, local, global. That's the impact we make as members of the Rotary International family. And, at well over 1.4 million volunteers, that family is diverse, growing and excited to welcome the first female president in our organiza- tion's 117-year history of service. On July 1, 2022, Jennifer Jones from Windsor, Ont., became president of Rotary International, fulfilling a long-sought dream of Rotarians of all genders to have a female leader in the top job. This is something for which I have actively advocated for many years, and I am thrilled she is launching a new chapter of Rotary leadership, here at home and around the globe. "Because we belong to a global organization, our community is the world," said Jones during her July 5 visit to Toronto as part of an Imagine Rotary Canada tour, adding that Rotarians have to be "brave, courageous and intentional leaders." Being intentional includes being committed to the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion. And, according to Jones in her Canada Day message, it means the changing face of Rotary leadership and membership will not stop with a female president. Everyone must be able to see themselves reflected in who we are and what we do as part of the Rotary family. Challenging assumptions about who can belong to Rotary and about what we do as members is a key goal of the president's 25-day Imagine Rotary Canada tour and of the global impact tour that will follow. It's why every stop on the itinerary had hands-on activities and fun opportunities to volunteer with others to make a difference. In Toronto and Stoney Creek, activities included picking up garbage and plastic pollution as part Rotary's Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup initiative. Launched in 2021, this environmental project has grown to involve more than 10,000 participants from two provinces and eight American states. And it's still growing. On July 5, at Humber College in Toronto and at locations in Barrie, Belleville, Burlington and North Bay, Rotary partnered with Kids Against Hunger Canada to pack 117,000 meals to address food security in Indigenous communities in northwestern Ontario as well as in some of the poorest areas of the Philippines. The food-packing project is just one example of Rotary's many collaborations with organizations that share our commitment to creating positive community impact through humanitarian service. "In recent times, we have all witnessed incredible acts of service and kindness -- especially throughout the pandemic," says Jones. "Canada's 21,000 plus Rotary members are providing leadership during this challenging time in history. This tour is an opportunity to uncover the best of what we do and share it with others." That the world needs more brave, courageous and intentional leaders is clear. What isn't always clear is how to step up to leadership in your community. Rotary is one way. Why not Imagine Rotary (or reimagine it) and join the family? Learn more at www.rotary.org. Mary Lou Harrison is a member of Rotary Toronto Sunrise and is a Rotary public image co-ordinator (volunteer) for Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and parts of the United States. Her father has been a Rotarian for more than 60 years, and her daughter Rachel is the president of the Rotaract Club of Ottawa. ONTARIO ROTARIAN NOW ITS INTERNATIONAL PRESIDENT NEWS WINDSOR'S JENNIFER JONES 'LAUNCHING A NEW CHAPTER OF ROTARY LEADERSHIP' MARY LOU HARRISON Column Because we belong to a global organization, our community is the world. - Jennifer Jones