|
David Elliot and Mike Chaffee (upper and lower right) moderated the District 6330 Zoom presentation. Graham Trude (lower middle) joined the Armoured Strathconas Tank regiment in 2006 for 2 months of training. He served in Afghanistan in 2009 with the Princess Patricia's. An IED (Improvised Explosive Device) injured him with a concussion, whereupon he suffered PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Upon returning to Canada, he joined the Anishinaabe Police in Northern Ontario, 2 weeks on and 2 weeks in Orangeville. He has been a police detective and an undercover officer. He left the service for the good of his health. He is a founding member of the Singing Soldiers musicians ( http://singingsoldiers.com/ ) that have travelled Canada and the US raising awareness and fundraising for support for veterans affected by PTSD. PTSD is destroying the veterans' community; there is not enough support as proven by today's news headlines. Suicide rates in the veterans' community are increasing. Graham is overcoming alcoholism, mental health issues, and panic attacks. He believes that you do not need to be in a war to experience PTSD. Now he also speaks on behalf of https://www.soldieron.ca/ and https://truepatriotlove.com/why-we-need-you/ . Veterans have difficulty getting employment, become homeless and have difficulty with life in the "free world". They often need to relearn life skills. Tom Gump from Minnesota Veterans Club (upper left, above picture) spoke next. His club is cause-based, meaning that the club focuses on one issue, in this case, support for veterans. They do blood and food drives to support veterans. There are no veterans clubs in Canada, but Tom would be glad to help start one. Veterans clubs exist in North Carolina, Florida, Huston, and South Africa. On a different theme, he believes that Rotary will see new clubs that can organize and serve around a particular cause ie Anti-trafficking, homelessness, literacy, or potable water. He knows of a "businessman's bankers club" that did not thrive because they did not include the theme of service. Millennials like clubs that meet bi-monthly. The world should know that Rotary has 4 factors that make Rotary the best place to start a "Cause Club": - Rotary has a long history of service to the community and the world
- The Rotary Foundation both local and international, is set up to collect and direct donations to a given cause.
- A group of grassroots community people can "hit the ground running for a cause" by joining an existing club or starting their own club; Rotary offers the infrastructure to do that.
- Rotary offers the 4 Way Test as the basis for a safe place to meet.
She is from the Rotary Club of Sault St Marie, Michigan where the club has purchased banners focusing on veterans and their stories. These banners are placed on light posts along with a QR (Quick Response) code. You have probably seen square QR barcodes posted in public places that can be read by a smartphone with a QR barcode scanner app. Once the barcode has been read by the smartphone, and you have a data plan, you will see a website offering the information referred to by the code. In this case, the information is about local veterans and their service. Announcement(s): Bill Horn will speak 2Dec20. Stay tuned for further announcements. From District 6330: Save the date for our next Noon Zoom meeting December 9th and our guest will be Rotary International President Elect Jennifer Jones. Jennifer will be having a conversation on Rotary's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion policy. |
