Bruce speaks to the Membership at July 8th Zoom Meeting
 
 
It was a "packed screen" at the July 8th meeting as Incoming President Bruce delivered his inaugural address to 26 members of the Club - some sharing access via one computer. Bruce was introduced by past President Eric and thanked by President-elect Courtney. AG Milica administered the Rotary Oath in three parts to President Bruce, the incoming Board of Directors and to the membership at large.
 
Here is a copy of Bruce's speech in its entirety:
 
"Building On-Line Rotary for St.Catharines Lakeshore

Thank the Club for the confidence you have placed in me to “ Preside over the operations “ of this club. Working with Eric over the last year, and the entire board has been fun, and I have to say informative as I have a great deal to catch up on. I was a Charter member ,1986, invited by my friend Ed James , and Don Robertson, and a friend from the construction industry Gary Landry. Many friends in Rotary have passed on , Jon Asplin, Jim Cunningham.

In all those years I served only a few years on the board, and coasted as a member and committee member. I will take this opportunity to thank Eric and Eric's Board members for their continuing support for this term. Thank you Elaine for joining the Board is a new Director. And Ellen , past past President , for your services as you leave the Board. And I thank all the committee chairs, for agreeing to serve the club this year.
 
This year will be a little different than most , but much like last year it will be heavily influenced by the pandemic. I ask you to support the theme “building On-Line Rotary “ for the coming year. “Rotary grows through the internet, cyber space is ours to explore , take On-line Rotary to a anther level” “Rotary in the new age of the Digital world “ are all phrases we have heard , that apply to this year.
 
Pandemic Covid 19 has put us in an unusual position, Our usual handshake dinner meetings are off the table for a while . We have moved to Zoom meetings, thanks to Pres Eric and Sergeant at Arms, Gary Chard. I ask our club to use this unusual position to embrace Rotary by Zoom for at least 3 months , likely 6 months and build our capacity to do things we have not done before through cyberspace. The “Cyberspace “ may be a little dated, “digital world “may be more current, but The Star Wars meeting of the Jedi masters in the circle of holographic chairs comes to mind. Board meetings , “dinner without dinner” meetings, and committee meetings can all be done by Zoom. Meetings by zoom offer convenience, low cost, no travel time, we can join from anywhere there is internet and wifi connections , we can participate from cell phones , laptops , tablets and MacBook. There is great opportunity offered by necessity here, to expand the Reach of Rotary as a world wide organization with great presence on the “World Wide Web”
 
RI Pres. Holger Knaack offered his theme for this year back in Jan of 2020 , before the Pandemic, His theme is Rotary opens Opportunities, not sure he foresaw this Pandemic exactly, but the opportunity opened up by Rotary this year is for the club to build its online skills, Build on-line Rotary, and an opportunity for each member to build on their own on-line skills . Their is an opportunity for each Rotarian , with these new skills , on-line skills , to reach distant relatives, grandkids, and friends .
 
Rotary opens Opportunities. Past RI Pres. Mark Maloney saw much of the same future for on-line Rotary when he promoted the idea that Rotary Connects the World,
Fundraising on the internet is a new opportunity to explore, Go Fund me pages, for Lakeshore Rotary may be an option, Literacy by Skype or Club socials by Zoom
Public relations and public education by social media Rotary for the elderly, the immobile, the bedridden and the traveler, all can become an easy and welcome part of life with Rotary On-Line.
 
Every member should be able to participate when they want to, no matter where they are. That can be a legacy of the next 6 months of ON-Line Rotary. Rotary for the computer illiterate is a challenge , and it is a challenge being explored by many Rotary Clubs AND families though tablets, and Zoom buddies. Rotary for those very busy with family, busy with kids in sport or in diapers where people can participate without leaving home is an opportunity. We can be a much stronger organization by the time we resume the Dinner with dinner meetings back at the Parkway-Holiday Inn Suites in Jan 2021
 
It is my plan to prepare for a worst case scenario, resuming face to face shake hands dinner meetings January 2021, with hope for resuming as soon as October 14 , this year, Our host at the Holiday in Suites , Parkway are on the same timeline in this , hope for October, be prepared for January. And I look To commit this year to the building of club strength and capacity in cyberspace, through Zoom , Facebook, Skype ,our website, and maybe even twitter ? Other formats are likely out
there that members of this club can help us with . Let us Embrace the opportunity thrust upon us by this Pandemic crisis, embrace wholeheartedly and with enthusiasm for the first 6 months and lets see what new capacity, what new strength we can build for the Rotary Club of St.Catharines Lakeshore.
What can we build from the opportunity and the need thrust upon us by this Pandemic. This club is already on this road, lets build on the foundations we already have in the world of cyberspace, Rotary has the ground floor in place with dinner meetings, lets build a new level of Rotary in the next 6 months that will serve for the rest of the year and well into the future.

I will conclude with a quote from RI Pres Holger Knaack, in the July 2020 issue of the Rotarian,“This is our great challenge, not just in the next year but into the future. It is up to us to remake Rotary for these new times- to wholeheartedly embrace the ideas, energy and commitment of young people eager to find an outlet for idealism.
We must become an organization fully enmeshed in the digital age , not one that simply looks for online ways to keep doing what we have always done. The world needs Rotary now more than ever. It is up to us to make sure that Rotary Opens Opportunities for generations to come”.
 
Lets build St.Catharines Lakeshore On-line Rotary this year, and as Past Pres Eric Jones has said many times , if we are going to do it, lets make it fun!

Thank you"