President Tracey Vandervoort was introduced by now Past President Karen Baker. Very pleased and honoured to be standing at the podium as the new Rotary Club of Belleville President for 2025 - 2026. Tracey recognized there is a long history and big boots to fill, but promised to do her best. First off, Tracey thanked the Club for supporting her trip to Calgary to attend the 2025 Rotary International Conference, an overwhelming experience in seeing 15,000 people from all around the world to join together to share goodwill in fellowship and to learn about how Rotary comes alive in so many places around the world. Of significant impact to Tracey was the power of community, seeing Rotarians from all around the world join together with the love of a common interest that was important to them and where they felt they could make an impact. Community is at the heart of what makes life rich and meaningful. Community is more than a group of people living in proximity. It's the bond that connects everyone, the network of care and support that uplifts us and the shared commitment that allows each of us to thrive, not as individuals, but as part of something greater.
As Rotarians, we are uniquely positioned to serve, strengthen and celebrate our communities through our service and our values. Building community is not easy. There is no app for it. Real community takes intention. Some simple ways that we can build stronger communities, including here at the Rotary Club of Belleville.
- Show up -- it begins with presence. Attend meetings, join a committee, volunteer.
- Talk to strangers -- a smile, a hello creates familiarity which builds trust and connection, which builds community
- Build bridges, not walls -- communities thrive on diversity of age, background, beliefs. Listen more. Judge less. Ask questions, seek understanding
- Celebrate and support local -- we enrich our culture when we support local businesses, artists and creators. We are in this together
- Be the neighbour you wish you had -- It's the little things that build a community. Acts of kindness have a ripple effect.
In closing, Tracey left us with this thought. Community doesn't happen to us. It's something we create, on purpose, with love, one small act at a time. When we build community, we don't just build better neighbourhoods, we build better lives. Community is the invisible thread that ties us together. In Rotary, that's what we do, one project, one friendship, one act of service at a time. Guided, of course, by the Four Way Test -- Is it the Truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
Rotary Secretary Jo-Anne Wheeler presented Tracey Vandervoort with her President Pin.