No guests were in attendance

Mike Lawrie, DG, RC of Cambridge Sunrise

Paul Rostrup was happy to have been volunteering at the St. Jacobs Holiday Art Market recently, staffing our Club and Catch the Ace displays.  He reported that there are lots of great items and deals to be had there.  The Market continues this weekend as well.

 

Carl Zehr is very happy that, as a non-techie, he recently completed the setup and file conversion/transfer of his two new home computers and that they are actually working!

 

Ernie Ginsler reminded members of our support for Peace Scholars at the University of Waterloo for Masters students at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and/or the Peace and Conflict Resolution program at Conrad Grebel.  We initiated this program six years ago which now involves support from all 5 KW clubs and to date over $150,000 has been provided for these peace scholarships.  We have recently received letters from this year’s recipients, thanking us for supporting their programs.

 

Here is the text of the letters:

 

Dear Ms. Gardiner,

 

On behalf of all students in the Faculty of Arts, thank you for your commitment to the Rotary Peace Scholarship. Your award is an inspiration and encouragement to our students.  Your generosity lets our students know there are caring people who understand the importance of higher education, and who want to join in helping them achieve their goals.

 

I am pleased to let you know that the recipients of your award are Harry Deng, Ashley Mungai and Spencer Page. Included are notes from all three students, thanking you for your generosity.

 

The Faculty of Arts is committed to helping students achieve their highest potential.  Great things happen when students bring their energy and intelligence to the world around them. They find ways to create positive change and make the world a better place for all.  We are so pleased and honored that you are joining us in this commitment.

 

Thanks for helping to create a nurturing learning environment for Harry, Ashley and Spencer.  You are a big reason why they are better positioned to make the most of their Waterloo Arts education.

 

Wishing you good health and peace of mind during these trying times.

 

Sincerely,

Kim Bardwell, Director, Arts Advancement

 

 

I am writing to express gratitude for your generosity by awarding me with the Rotary Peace Scholarship.  I am extremely appreciative and humbled to be selected as one of the recipients of this scholarship.

 

I am currently in the first year of my graduate studies at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in the Global Governance program and the entire experience been remarkable so far, even during these difficult times.  I consider myself fortunate to be a part of this amazing community of likeminded individuals who are all working in our unique ways to make a positive impact in our communities and beyond.

 

By awarding me with the Rotary Peace Scholarship, you have lightened by financial burdens so that I can focus on my education.  And for that, I am truly grateful. Thank you.

 

Sincerely,

Harry Deng

 

From Ashley M.W. Mungai :

 

The purpose of this letter is to simply say thank you for your generosity and support.

 

I am extremely humbled and honoured to be selected as one of your Rotary Scholars and ambassadors for this year.  The financial support that you are giving is not only a gift but a reminder that the journey towards being a part of more peaceful future is not in vain.  As an international student from Kenya, starting my Masters in Global Governance during a pandemic has come with several struggles and adjustments including, working two part-time jobs alongside my degree just to ensure I have rent.  This scholarship will allow me the opportunity to focus more on my academics and in turn be able to accomplish my goals of becoming an authentic African feminist voice for peace, in every sense of the word. Both at the domestic and institutional level.  My desire is to be part of helping shape and shift policies within my country to those that heal and prevent the perpetuation of violent systematic structures.

 

I promise to uphold the values of the Rotary club of promoting peace and commitment to challenging the world’s humanitarian problems.  Firstly, by being a voice for empowerment and bodily integrity for my fellow girl-child, through continuing to speak up against female genital mutilation and early marriages.

Secondly, thanks to your generous support I will able to continue studying at the Balsillie School of International Affairs and pursue my research interests that explore the cross section between gender, geography, insecurity, and the subsequent contesting understandings of violence.  This subject is personal to me, after having lived through the 2007 Kenya Post-Election Violence.  The violence was an ethnic violent eruption caused partly by contested historical territorial claims heightened by both inequality and political agitations.  My hope is that by understanding the motives, I will be able to strategically promote healing and sustainable peace.

 

Thank you again for selecting me as one of your Rotary Club Scholars,

 

Ashley M.W. Mungai

 

 

Please allow me to express my sincere gratitude for the scholarship I was awarded by your organization. I applied because I believe that we are living in a turbulent and potentially pivotal period in history. Folks like yourselves, dedicated to advancing the causes of peace and goodwill around the world, can and will make a difference as we face the exacerbated challenges of novel pandemics, climate change devastation, cyberterrorism, mass migration, deepened political partisanship, data governance, geopolitical conflict, biodiversity loss, and artificial intelligence.  I have promised to dedicate my research and study at the Balsillie School of International Affairs to the exploration of how we will respond to some of these daunting problems and pursue just and diplomatic solutions which eschew violence and the politics of fear and anger which we see all around us. In doing so, I strive to emulate and disseminate values of responsibility, justice, and peace.

 

Your contribution has provided me with the confidence and security to wholeheartedly pursue this goal. Although I may not be able to attend classes in person, your generosity has further motivated me to make the most of these unusual circumstances and to embrace this chance for independent study and learning.  The Balsillie School has already provided me with countless opportunities to expand my. In the short weeks since the term began, my professors have offered invaluable insight, I have found fulfillment in discourse with my peers, and my coursework and readings have challenged me to think more critically about globalization, environmental governance, and international organizations.  I am looking forward to engaging in collaborative research projects with some of my professors and students as well as preparing my Master’s Research Paper.

 

Thank you for the support you have shown me and other students like myself. For those of us wading into the wide and intimidating world of higher academia for the first time, it can often be challenging to believe in ourselves, our ideas, and our own abilities.  It can be a daunting transition.  Your scholarships, therefore, do more than pay for our study expenses.  They assure us that we are believed in, that our ideas matter, and that our abilities are worth nurturing. I have been encouraged and inspired by your kindness and I thank you once more for believing in me, my education, and the things I have yet to accomplish.

 

With gratitude and sincerest regards,

 

Spencer Page

 

Neil Swayze asked that any members who still have Online Auction Signs to please contact him to arrange for returning them.  There are 50 signs still unaccounted for.  Signs can be returned to Neil at his home or to Hubert Singh’s warehouse.

 

 

District Governor Mike Lawrie joined us today to officially present us with the 2019 - 2020 Presidential Citation, accepted on behalf of the club by Past President Paul Rostrup.

 

 

All members are encouraged to join in the fun at our annual Holiday Social, next Monday, December 14 at 7:00 p.m.  As we have done in the past we will be taking some time during this event to recognize are recent Paul Harris Fellowship recipients. If you have not done so already, please find a photo of yourself from holidays past and send this to Louise for the Guess the Rotarian contest. 
 
After our Christmas and New Year’s break we will be back on January 4 with guest speaker Jill Stoddart from Family and Children’s Services speaking to the issues of Residential Schools and Indigenous Peoples.
 
A full list of upcoming programs can be found on our website.