I am so thankful and grateful for so many things in my life, including my wife Cheryl and all our family, living in Canada, living in Burlington specifically, and the opportunities that I have had throughout my life in business and in serving my community. There is one organization that I am particularly grateful for and that is the Rotary Club.

Rotary started with the vision of Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer, who led the creation of a group of local, diverse professionals, so that they could discuss ideas and make lifelong friendships. Over time, Rotary’s mission and vision extended to humanitarian service.

Today, Rotary is a global network of more 1.2 million members in over 35 000 clubs whose slogan is “Service Above Self.” Rotary promotes peace, fights disease, provides clean water, sanitation and hygiene, helps mothers and children access quality healthcare, supports education, grows local economies and supports many other worthwhile causes and organizations within the various communities that Rotary clubs reside in.

Burlington is extremely fortunate to have four very active clubs making a difference in different ways within Burlington, the surrounding area, and internationally.

The four Rotary clubs have made significant contributions locally to the Joseph Brant Hospital Redevelopment Project, Carpenter Hospice, Halton Women’s Place, and many other organizations. Rotary has extensive student exchange programs where some very fortunate high school students have had the opportunity to live and go to school in a different country for a whole year, and in exchange, our local clubs host exchange students from different parts of the world as well. For the last 35 years, Rotary has led the fight for the eradication of polio. These are simply some of the great contributions that Rotary clubs have made.

In Burlington, the clubs raise money by hosting great events for the community, including Canada’s Largest Ribfest, Lobster Fiesta, golf tournaments, bed races, road races, and many others. These events bring the community together and bring Rotarians together.

I very much value Rotary, as over the years, different members contribute differently to the various causes and the operations of the club. We all go through times when family and/or business priorities mean that one has little time to contribute to the Rotary cause. That’s okay. You can still be a member and attend meetings and get more involved when you have more time. For quite a few years, I was very busy as a city councillor and then mayor, and I simply could not contribute much of my time to Rotary. Now I am in a position where I can be involved again, attend the meetings, and get involved on a committee, as well as volunteer at events.

Rotary builds relationships within the clubs, within Rotary generally and within the community.

What I especially value about Rotary can best be summed up by a quote, often attributed to Harry S. Truman:

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”

Rick Goldring is a former mayor of Burlington and a proud member of the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore.