Rotary Club of Iqaluit 34th Annual Cross-Over Dinner

Iqaluit Rotary celebrated its 34thannual Cross-over dinner with fitting pomp and circumstance, this past May 29th 2010. The Cross-over dinner is Rotary’s change of command ceremony, where the President Elect takes formal control of the Club’s administration from the President of the previous year. While this might sound like a rigid tradition, it really is simply about recognizing the need for stable leadership which is necessary for the smooth continuity of the Club’s activities. This year’s celebration saw outgoing President Al Hayward hand over the reins (or gavel and bell) to 2009-2010’s President Elect, Victor Tootoo. Dressed in their Sunday best, the members in attendance were treated to a fabulous meal at the Frobisher Inn’s Baffin Room arranged by Don Sinclaire-Chenier, the outgoing Club secretary for 2009-2010. Good food, good wine and great friends made this dinner a smashing success as the conversation and banter hummed vibrantly throughout the evening, only to be interrupted by the customary speeches.

As outgoing President, Mr. Hayward got first crack at the podium and with his usual flair and genuine earnestness, thanked the members for their contribution to a successful year and singled out a rather large number of individuals to whom he owed much for supporting and mentoring him in his year of leadership. To his credit, Al also gave credit where it was truly due by confessing what everybody there already knew, namely, that his greatest support and guidance and, ultimate success in life as in rotary, was entirely due to his wonderful wife, Ms. Jennifer Hayward. Al also led the club in the first of many toasts to the expanding Rotary family by congratulating club member Peter Tumilty and his wife Svetlana on the recent birth of their baby Tatiana.

With a modicum of emotion, Mr. Hayward graciously handed over the Club’s gavel to Mr. Tootoo, who took his turn at the microphone. Mr. Tootoo acknowledged the hard work done over the past year and promised to engage the membership in way that would build on the past year’s momentum to seek a more meaningful experience in belonging to Iqaluit Rotary and Rotary International. We, at Iqaluit Rotary, look forward to rallying behind our new president, invigorated by his demonstrated commitment to Rotary and his fresh perspectives on which direction to take our Club.

With a new President, comes a new executive and the Cross-over dinner is the event for announcing the new Executive Committee. The new executive committee for 2010-2011 is made up of:

President-Elect: Don Sinclaire-Chenier will be taking over Victor Tootoo’s position as President Elect for 2010-2011, which means in 2011-12, he will be President of the Club Secretary: Peter Tumilty will be the new secretary of Iqaluit Rotary. Peter has his work cut out for him in filling the shoes of Donny “two-names” Sinclaire-Chenier. Treasurer: the new Treasurer is Jeff Chown, current record holder for organizing the most profitable Iqaluit Rotary Bonanza. Jeff replaces Martha Smith, who holds the record for the longest serving treasurer in the Club’s history.

The executive will be supported by a number of Directors, some of who have been with the club since its founding and others who have been Rotarians for less than a year. These include:

• Public Relations: Steve McVarnock
• Membership: Scott Weildon
• Community and Outreach Services: Terry Forth
• Fundraising: Rozy Singh

And of course, no club excutive would be complete without a Sergeant -at - Arms, a function which Murray Horn, the last of the founding members of the Rotary Club of Iqaluit still active with our Club, eagerly accepted.

The Cross-over Dinner is also the perfect opportunity to recognize individuals who have contributed above and beyond the call of duty to the community and the club. Two special awards were on the agenda to be presented that evening. The fist was the Andy Theriault Citizenship Award which is awarded to a community member who truly demonstrates service above self by being involved with an organization dedicated to community service. While the receipent does not have to be a Rotarian, Iqaluit Rotary was very pleased to honour our own Janine Budgell. The award and the cheque to a community organization of her choice were handed out at a follow up meeting since Janine could not attend the dinner.

Annually, Rotary also honours those Rotarian and community members with Rotary’s highest honour, The Paul Harris Fellowship. The award is also accompanied by a singificnat donation from the Club to the Rotary Foundation in the receipent’s name. This year, four recipients were recognized:

Jacques Fortier and Larry Fawcett at a meeting prior to the Cross-over Dinner, Ross Sheppard at a meeting after the Cross-over Dinner and Allen Hayward at the Cross-over Dinner.

Community demand for Rotary services puts a lot of pressure on a Rotary Club to be run as efficiently and effectively as possible at all times. All Rotary clubs need stable leadership capable of meeting club and community needs as they arise, in order to be successful. The Cross-over dinner is an essential part of Iqaluit Rotary’s success, not just because it is a good time, but because it reflects a strong commitment to long term, stable leadership. Without this commitment to good leadership, Iqaluit Rotary would not be as successful in meeting its community’s needs as it has been for the past 34 years.

The Cross-over dinner also allows Rotarians to celebrate the successes of the past year with spouses, friends and family members. Highlights from the 2009-10 year were numerous and some very significant, including a large increase in membership, over $40,000 raised locally for Haiti relief (which was then matched by the Government of Canada) , two successful vets visits and committed support for a new project, an RCMP Youth Camp.

An organization’s stability and growth depends in large part to its ability to plan for continued leadership, and is ingrained in Rotary International in the tradition of the Cross-over Dinner. While this might seem like a rigid tradition, the clear and structured change in command provides Iqaluit Rotary with the necessary stability to ensure smooth continuity in the activities of the Club. This continuity is essential, as the success of Rotary depends entirely on the ability of Iqaluit Rotary to meet the needs of its community through its activities. The Club supports its 2010-11 leaders and wishes them every success as we all remain committed to Service Above Self.

Al Hayward and Don Sinclaire-Cheniere, Past President and Secretary	Victor Tootoo New President and his friend
Jeff Chow and his partner, Celebrating Travel Bonanza record	Howard and his friend
Steve McVarnock and Julie	Young Terry and Mehroon
Carole, Murry Horn and ??	Murry Horn, Jennifer Hayward, Pat Doyle and Al Hayward
Paul Harris Fellows, Al Hayward, Cecelia, Murry HornTerry Forth, Ram Kamath and John Methews	Past Exceutive 2009-2010 Terry Forth, Jennifer, Al, Don Sinclaire-Cheniere, Jeff Chown, Marths Smith, and Victor Tootoo
New Executives, Past President and Secretary