March 31, 2020
 
April and May Schedule
In light of the rapidly changing situation with COVID-19 the decision has been made by our Board to suspend all in person meetings over the month of April and May. We are intending, wherever possible, to replace those meetings with online Zoom meetings. 
 
The health and safety of our members, their families and our community is our first and foremost priority. We are monitoring messages and guidance from public health authorities and following/implementing changes as appropriate for our organization.
 
Dates and details for upcoming replacement meetings will be added regularly on our Home Page as we have more information. 
 
Other Updates:
 
Rotary International
Rotary International is providing regular updates on COVID-19. Most recently, RI has announced changes to the grants programs to provide funding for projects related to COVID-19. The details can be found in this link Rotary International COVID-19
 
Information about the announced cancellation of the RI Convention in Hawaii found on the Rotary International Convention site
 
District 7080 and District Conference
Our District 7080 website is also providing regular updates and links to information sources on COVID-19. We were advised this week that the District Conference, originally scheduled for May 30th at Bingemans, has now been rescheduled to October 3rd - same location. More information will be provided but in the meantime please note this date on your calendars. 
 
 
Connecting with People
We want everyone to be safe and follow guidelines from our local health authorities. As suggested on the District site, consider reaching out to people who may feel isolated by phone, e-mail, text, Facebook etc. A simple conversation may help someone. 
 
Zoom Meetings
In the absence of face to face meetings, wherever possible, we will be using Zoom Meetings. You can set up a free account with Zoom which allows free meetings for up to 40 minutes per meeting. For smaller groups of 2 or 3 people the time limit does not apply. 
 
 
For meetings over 3 people and longer than 40 minutes please contact Secretary Bill Proctor or Rotarian Tom Mennill for information. (Note: Zoom has temporarily lifted the 40 minute time limit on some free accounts due to COVID-19, so see how long you can go).
 
If you are considering your own Zoom account for personal use, you can purchase a Zoom Pro host licence directly from Zoom. There is a 20% discount offered by Zoom through Rotary Global Rewards
 
Your understanding of the need for these changes and your support for the work of Rotary is appreciated.  
 
Paul Rostrup
President 2019 - 2020
Rotary Club of Kitchener
c: 226 792-1870