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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 26, 2008 - 21 Making a Difference Spotlight on Rotary and the Rotary Club of Oakville West The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices. Rotary's popularity spread and within a decade, clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg, Canada. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents. The organization adopted the Rotary International name a year later. As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members' professional and social interests. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need.The organization's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in its motto: Service Above Self. By 1925, Rotary had grown to 200 clubs with more than 20,000 members. The organization's distinguished reputation attracted presidents, prime ministers, and a host of other luminaries to its ranks. Today Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders with more than 1.2 million members belonging to 32, 000 Rotary Clubs in more than 200 countries and geographic areas. The Rotary Club of Oakville West (RCOW) was chartered in 1985 and is a small but mighty organization of diverse business professional leaders. CURRENT PROJECTS OF RCOW INCLUDE: · Participating in Dreams Take Flight where an RCOW member accompanies 3-4 challenged children on a one day trip to Disney World in Florida. · Charity golf tournament that raises approximately $7,000 which, in the past, has been donated to such Oakville agencies as Kerr Street Ministries, OTMH and the Oakville Symphony. · Co-partnership with other Oakville Rotary Clubs to support the Oakville Youth Development Centre, a relatively new drop-in centre for area teenagers at risk · Partnership with other Rotary Clubs for Camp Enterprise, an exhilarating annual four-day retreat for high school students interested in learning about business and private enterprise · Water for Humanity ­ teaming with other Oakville Rotary Clubs and Zenon Environment Ltd. to put in a water purification system which now supplies drinking water to 26 rural villages and more than 10,000 people in Tazaneen, South Africa. CURRENT RCOW DIRECTORS President - Doreen Blake President-Elect - Mickie Angas Past President - Calvin Balcom Secretary - Joanne Skantzos Treasurer - Simon Pong Communications - Marcel Painchaud Community Service - Edward Sweeney International Service - Mickie Angas Membership - David Angas Vocational Service -Deborah O'Malley Rotary Foundation - Ren Henderson Children and adults alike have fun at Disney World as part of Rotary's Dreams Take Flight program that has one Rotary member taking three to four challenged children to the park for a day. Better Broadband for Business Enjoy the fresh air & Unobstructed View with Dreamscreens! We are proud of our achievements in serving and connecting the Oakville business community to the rest of the world. THANK YOU OAKVILLE! Dreamscreens Canada Inc. NOW YOU SEE IT... WDM Wavelengths is proud to be nominated to receive an Oakville Award for Business Excellence. Thank You Oakville! ...NOW YOU DON'T 905-825-4421 1-877-BLINK IP www.blink.ca