I am very humbled to be given the opportunity to be District 5550 Governor in 2016-17. I would like to introduce my fiancee Barb Klassen. Whenever possible, Barb will accompany me on the club visits. 
 
Last January Barb and I spent a week in San Diego at the International Assembly. There were 574 fellow District Governor Elects there for “Rotary School”.
 
Rotary President John Germ spoke about how Rotary has been many things to many people in the last 111 years. Through Rotary our members have found friends, community and a sense of purpose. Every week more than 34,000 clubs around the world come together for one overriding goal: service.
 
Service to Humanity has been the cornerstone of Rotary since its earliest days and remains the main purpose today. So it only makes sense that is the theme for this Rotary year.
 
President John spoke of his belief that there is no better path to meaningful service today than Rotary membership and no organization better placed to make a real and positive difference in our world.
He spoke of going back to our roots as a service club hence he chose "Service to Humanity" as this year's theme.
 
Germ spoke of service in three ways:
 
a) How important members are to Rotary: Listening to their needs. Know they joined. Understand what they get out of it.
 
b) How close we are to ending Polio: Know there are only two countries left. Be aware of how important it is that we move forward with a united front and common goals.
 
c) Remembering that Rotarians are volunteers: The family comes first. A business income stream is second and Rotary third.
 
As we move forward we need to think outside the box and continue to change the world.
 
Have a great July and look forward to the club visits