CALEB NICKERSON
CLARENDON Sept. 24, 2018
On Sept. 24, the Shawville Rotary Club hosted their District Governor at the Little Red Wagon Winery in Clarendon, as well as welcoming three new members to the group.
Martha Weaver, the Governor for Rotary District 7040, which encompasses 68 clubs across northern New York, Quebec, Nunavut and Ontario, was the guest of honour.
“It’s a big thing,” explained Shawville Rotary Club President Sue Page in a phone interview, who added that she ended up having Weaver stay at her home. “It turned out really, really well.”
“She was late coming up because she was in Ottawa trying to make arrangements for a bank account for Rotary to donate [to tornado victims],” Page continued. “She hadn’t planned to do that, it just happened.”

After dinner and a brief introduction from Page, Weaver spoke about the club’s 2018 theme, “Be the Inspiration.”
Page’s predecessor, Larry Coleman, was presented with the Past President’s pin for his years of service in the big seat. Page explained that Club Presidents usually have year-long terms, but Coleman was kept on for much longer.
“When you get somebody there that’s doing a good job, it’s awfully easy to keep them in,” she said.
Another special occasion marked at the gathering was the induction of three new Rotarians to the Shawville Club: Jarod Croghan, Debbie Howard (absent) and Randall Russell.
Page was over the moon with the quality and quantity of the new recruits.
“The board of directors, we sat down and said if we get one new member we’d be doing well,” she said. “That was our goal and we got three. They’re three good people, they’re enthusiastic and want to be Rotary members. We’re very excited to have them.”
She emphasized that the club is mostly made up of professionals, but is open to anyone that embodies their motto of “Service above Self.” She added that they are looking to relax some of their rules about meeting attendance in order to appeal to a wider range of people.
“Everybody’s so busy and not everyone can come every week. We’re trying to accomdate different people and different lifestyles,” she said.
Though she pointed to some of the Rotary’s high-profile projects, like the Villa James Shaw or donating to international charities, Page said that a lot of their work in the community is done discretely.
“We give to a lot of people that you never hear about,” she said. “When we hear of someone that needs help, we help them.”