Posted on Mar 18, 2021
We were honoured to be able to welcome Rotary International Director Valarie Wafer as our very special guest speaker at this morning's meeting.  Besides being a Collingwood-based Rotarian, Valarie also chairs Rotary International’s new Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Taskforce that is charged with shaping a comprehensive action plan with achievable, measurable and meaningful outcomes for Rotary.  Rotarians from other clubs in our Guelph-Wellington Cluster also joined us in the ZOOM meeting to hear Rotary Club of Guelph South President Russ Powell and Rotarian Geoff Allen introduce Valarie and provide her biography.
 
 
 
Valarie explained how DEI is now a top priority for Rotary. She also advised that the Taskforce will work to develop strategies and assemble resources that Districts and Clubs will be able to use to assist them in better representing the communities they serve, a process that will be complex and comprehensive and will extend through to 2023.  The April issue of “Rotary” magazine has a feature article on DEI and the Taskforce, and the Rotary International website, including the Learning Centre there, will be used to communicate and educate on the issue and the opportunities to clubs that DIE provides.  We will look forward to following this important new Rotary initiative as the Taskforce’s work progresses!
 
Following a question and answer period, Rotary Foundation Chair Karen Curtis thanked Valarie for her inspirational talk, advising that the club would be making a donation in her name to the Rotary Foundation's PolioPlus Eradication project, enough to inoculate 300 children.