Incoming president Megha Thakar accepting the gavel from Kathleen Murphy who has been our Club President for past two years. Megha will be sharing the role with Co-President, Joan Fisher. Take a moment to read Megha's inaugural speech…
"So… here I am, your new Co-President.
When Kathleen first asked me, I honestly thought I’d get a call a few days later saying, “Oops! Wrong person!”
But the call never came…
And now here I am.
It still feels a little weird calling myself Co-President. I still will look around when someone says “President” to see who they’re talking to - give me few months or a year, I’ll get used to it.
I may not have a lot of experience, but I have a huge amount of respect for what we do. And the first person I owe thanks to is the reason I felt brave enough to say yes in the first place: Kathleen.
Kathleen you made this job look so easy.
Then I opened my inbox.
I thought being President was about leadership, vision, and service. Apparently, it’s also about 437 emails, 19 spreadsheets, and answering questions before you’ve had your morning coffee.
Dennis, I’m kidding. The job is super easy - nothing to worry about.
Seriously though, we are who we are because of your leadership. This club is stronger because of you, and I’m proud to be part of it because of you. I know everyone here feels the same way.
Let’s give Kathleen a big round of applause.
Now, the good news is you’re not just stuck with me—you also get Joan.
Joan, just so we’re clear: if anything goes sideways this year, I’ve already told everyone it was your idea.
Just kidding.
You’re my mentor, my friend, and honestly one of the best things I got out of this whole deal. Thank you for agreeing to jump into this adventure with me.
You may see Joan and me up here talking, but none of that happens without our incredible Board members—the real superheroes of this club.
The only difference between them and superheroes is that instead of capes, they carry agendas, spreadsheets
We have:
Dennis, our President - Elect and Rotary’s official “What if we did this?” department.
Kathleen, our Past President and keeper of all Rotary wisdom.
Brenda, our Wonder Woman Secretary.
David R., our number wizard treasurer
Don Fraser, our Membership Chair and collector of future Rotarians.
Linda, our International Committee Chair and our passport to the world.
And Jordanna, our Community Chair and chief maker-of-things-happen.
Honestly, with a Board like this, my main job is just staying out of their way.
The Board has years of Rotary experience.
I have Google, optimism, and Joan’s phone number.
So, with a crew like that, here’s my hope for this year.
I want Rotary to be fun.
I want everyone to have a hand in our projects—whether that’s behind the scenes, front and centre, lifting boxes, taking photos, making phone calls, or simply showing up ready to help.
I want us to create projects that make a difference here (mind) not just on walls.
I want us to have so many great photos that people scrolling through social media stop and say, “Wait… Rotary does that?”
Because Rotary is not just breakfast meetings and business discussions.
It’s friendships.
It’s service.
It’s community.
It’s finding purpose in things as small as making a Zoom meeting work and as big as changing someone’s life.
I want people who have never heard of Rotary to discover it.
And I want people who think they know Rotary to see it in a completely different way.
So this year, we’ll do less—but we’ll do it better.
We’ll focus on the projects that matter, do them well, and make sure we enjoy the journey together.
Because while I may be wearing the captain’s hat, between us, I’ve never actually sailed anything in my life.
You’re going to have to row, navigate, and occasionally explain which direction is north.
And finally, many of you have heard me say this before, but it’s worth saying again.
I left my family in India, but I found another family here.
Because of all of you, Canada feels like home.
Thank you for your friendship.
Thank you for your support.
And thank you for trusting me with this role.
Here’s to another year of service, friendship, laughter, and hopefully not too many emails.
Thank you."
