Canada and Rotary
Pictured here is E. Leslie Pidgeon the first non-American to become President of Rotary International.
Next June, Rotarians from around the world will gather in Montreal for the 101st RI Convention. When they do, they not only will usher in a second century of Rotary conventions, they also will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Rotary club in Canada, that one in Winnipeg that can -- and does -- claim to be "the club that made Rotary international."
By 1914, six Canadian clubs had followed Winnipeg into "first 100 clubs" status: Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, and Victoria. In the nearly 100 years since, those seven clubs have multiplied a hundredfold: Canada is now home to 728 clubs with more than 27,000 members.
Among the more than 200 countries and geographical areas in which Rotary has a presence, Canada ranks 12th in both the number of clubs and members. Once those early clubs were chartered, it didn't take long for Canadians to assume leadership roles in the association.
E. Leslie Pidgeon, who was from Quebec but came to Rotary by way of Winnipeg, became president in 1917, the first non-American to hold the post. He established a long-term financial plan and was instrumental in taking Rotary south, into Latin America.
At the 1918 convention in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, another Canadian, a brilliant lawyer from Prince Edward Island named Donald MacRae, delivered an address promoting goodwill and peace among nations -- the first time this vision of Rotary was publicly expressed.
Three years later, at the first overseas convention, in Edinburgh, Scotland, MacRae offered the original version of the fourth object of Rotary: "The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service."
The Edinburgh convention saw the election of a second Canadian president for Rotary International, Crawford McCullough of Fort William, Ontario. It is McCullough who deserves much of the credit for expanding Rotary into an international organization. He traveled the world promoting Rotary himself, but he also tapped J. Layton Ralston of Halifax and James Wheeler "Big Jim" Davidson of Calgary to extend Rotary's reach to Australia and New Zealand.
Seven years later, Davidson would set off on his remarkable journey that strengthened the "slender chain" linking Rotary in Europe to the Far East. Just a few weeks before Davidson's death in 1933, journalist John Nelson of Paisley, Ontario, became RI's third Canadian president. He was later followed by Arthur Lageux, in 1950-51, and Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, in 2007-08.
While Canada's long and illustrious history in Rotary is well worth revisiting, it's equally important to examine its current participation, and to look to future possibilities. Whether it is the Rotary Club of Ladysmith, British Colombia, taking the lead with the ShelterBox program or the clubs in District 7040 mounting support for the Rotarian Action Group for Microcredit, Canadian Rotarians are in the forefront of developing promising new ideas and efforts. And Canadian support for major long-standing initiatives continues.
Canada's contributions to Rotary's polio eradication effort have been significant, both in financial terms and measured by volunteer participation. Last fall, the Canadian government announced that it was contributing $30 million toward eradicating polio in sub-Saharan Africa. That followed a June 2008 announcement of $60 million earmarked to help end the disease in Afghanistan.
Over the years, Canada has contributed nearly $331 million to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, putting it in the top five of all government donors. With Dr. Bob Scott serving as chair of the International PolioPlus Committee, Canada's commitment to eradicating polio is underscored.
And there is a clear sense of national pride in Past RI President Wilfrid J. Wilkinson's statement that "Canada has led the way in the fight to eradicate polio from the face of the world."
Canada also has been at the forefront of Rotary International's efforts to promote literacy throughout the world. A significant part of that push has come from District 7070 (Ontario), with Rotary Club of Alliston members Roger Hayward serving as RI's Literacy Resource Group area coordinator for North America and Joan Hayward as literacy coordinator for Zone 22 East in 2008-09.
And the Rotary Club of Belleville has produced a comprehensive catalogue of literacy programs and projects that can be adapted at the club level. In addition, club member Michael Maloney has created a successful literacy program, Teach Your Children Well.
So what is it that makes Canadian Rotarians unique? "We think internationally, as opposed to domestically," says Wilkinson. "Today, 16 of our 23 districts reach across Canadian borders and - given the new rezoning in Rotary - our country is now a part of five zones, when previously we were all in one zone. Because of our location, our club members are challenged to share ideas and projects with Americans and Russians. We are in a unique situation; our geography has an impact on how we think and act as Rotarians."