Based on a story by Paul Van Nest
District Governor, Michel Wong Kee Song visited the Rotary Club of Kingston, his seventh in 3 1/2 days, and shared 3 stories and one announcement during the DG’s annual talk.
Song, originally from Mauritius, an Africa island nation off the east coast of the continent, joined a Rotary club in 1988 before moving to Montreal where he joined the Rotary Club of Old Montreal in 1993.
Michel found his niche in Rotary through his Mauritius club's Community Service Avenue of Service. As chair, he organized a survey of needs around the island and one that surfaced was for those with mental and physical challenges. He found they were living in single homes with no interaction with others.
As a result he lead the club to organize a social event for them. The committee obtained the use of five buses at no charge for a Saturday, picking them up, and taking them to a beach for the day. A hotelier provided the food and Rotarians managed the games and activities. There were smiles all day long but one boy, despite being deaf and dumb, was still able to express his joy, enriching the experience for everyone.
After this experience, Michel said to himself "I can make a difference." With team Rotary, they did, and Michel has been doing it ever since.
His second story took place closer to home, Plattsburg NY. At the time, the town didn't have a community centre where adults and kids could gather for community events. So working with their Rotary club Song gathered the resources to build one. Rotarians offered both architectural and engineering know-how to get the plans approved. Contractors and tradesmen were solicited by Rotarians to spearhead the build, while those who would benefit provided the person power to build it.
When asked what his best story for our district was, Michel replied his role in hosting the Rotary International Convention held in Montreal a number of years ago. He added that he has attended 16 RI Conventions world-wide.
Song ended his talk with a brief note on his goals for the district. To implement the President’s theme "Imagine Rotary" he said he want’s our district to be recognized as a beacon for Inclusion. Food Security is his passion and he saw it in action with Kingston's Food Sharing program, packing boxes on Wednesday morning with the Kingston-Frontenac RC and the Community Rotaract Club. Of course, he also said, membership is always on our plate.
Michel Wong Kee Song has received many awards but the most prestigious was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Michel found his niche in Rotary through his Mauritius club's Community Service Avenue of Service. As chair, he organized a survey of needs around the island and one that surfaced was for those with mental and physical challenges. He found they were living in single homes with no interaction with others.
As a result he lead the club to organize a social event for them. The committee obtained the use of five buses at no charge for a Saturday, picking them up, and taking them to a beach for the day. A hotelier provided the food and Rotarians managed the games and activities. There were smiles all day long but one boy, despite being deaf and dumb, was still able to express his joy, enriching the experience for everyone.
After this experience, Michel said to himself "I can make a difference." With team Rotary, they did, and Michel has been doing it ever since.
His second story took place closer to home, Plattsburg NY. At the time, the town didn't have a community centre where adults and kids could gather for community events. So working with their Rotary club Song gathered the resources to build one. Rotarians offered both architectural and engineering know-how to get the plans approved. Contractors and tradesmen were solicited by Rotarians to spearhead the build, while those who would benefit provided the person power to build it.When asked what his best story for our district was, Michel replied his role in hosting the Rotary International Convention held in Montreal a number of years ago. He added that he has attended 16 RI Conventions world-wide.
Song ended his talk with a brief note on his goals for the district. To implement the President’s theme "Imagine Rotary" he said he want’s our district to be recognized as a beacon for Inclusion. Food Security is his passion and he saw it in action with Kingston's Food Sharing program, packing boxes on Wednesday morning with the Kingston-Frontenac RC and the Community Rotaract Club. Of course, he also said, membership is always on our plate.
Michel Wong Kee Song has received many awards but the most prestigious was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Medal.
Watch and Listen to DG Michel Wong Kee Song's Presentation
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