Janine Foster (and sometimes) Elmslie was introduced as Rotary's guest speaker today by Rotarian Dianne Spencer. Dianne and Janine's paths crossed in various organizations and programs over the past several years and Dianne noted Janine's background in terms of fundraising and building programs and organizations, an early adapter of technology when it came to donor data and research, always looking to improve processes to get things done efficiently. Janine was Senior Advisor of Philanthropy for the Canadian Physicians for Aid and Relief organization and has worked in post-secondary education at St. Lawrence College in Alumni Relations and Annual Giving and also as Manager of Appeals at Queen's University. Janine is the Director of Advancement at Loyalist College, sharing her talents and expertise there and in the community. As a former member of Rotary in Kingston, we are pleased to welcome Janine to the Rotary Club of Belleville.
Janine was born in Toronto with many moves between that time and her current position as Loyalist College, in fact she had attended eight (8) schools by Grade 9. But two places were a constant in Janine's life, her grandparents' place at Davenport and Avenue Road in Toronto and her aunt's place in Ivanhoe. Having attempted to drive a stick shift in an urban setting down Front Street in Belleville in the middle of the night, unsuccessfully, Janine now lives in Godfrey in Central Frontenac and drives 1000 km a week to get to work and she never goes the same way twice in one day.
Janine zeroed in on her journey to Rotary...in 3 acts. In Act One Janine admitted that she was professionally nosey. As a graduate from journalism school and working in weeklies and dailies as a business journalist, editor and publisher as well as hosting a weekly business radio show, Janine discovered very quickly in her career that everyone has a story. Janine developed a heart for people overlooked and became interested in volunteering and being part of an organization of professional do-gooders. That led her to Rotary who was renowned for its national reach with regional impact. Before Rotary though, Janine worked for the Salvation Army's national office, a territory from Pickering to the Quebec border and along the Ottawa river up to Petawawa. It was there that Janine learned that difficult conversations with people in need are an opportunity and necessity, developing the skills of story telling. Janine needed a head for business and heart for caring in supporting a number of missions and found joy in helping as the manager of mass appeals at Queen's University. Helping a student who worked hard to get there became a goal of Janine's. She describes herself as an alleged workaholic, but happy to report that she had the luxury of living her values through her work and found that increased her drive to accomplish and share her expertise. With an eye to winding down her professional life in a few years, Janine sees Rotary as a path where she can continue what she wants to do by building a focus on fundraising within the community.
Rotarian Jo-Anne Wheeler thanked Janine for her classification talk and sharing her life story with the Club and acknowledged Janine's already important work for Rotary behind the scenes with Clubrunner and developing a bursary for the Indigenous Peoples Partnership Committee. More to follow on that important step.