Monday, December 15, 2008

GSE Team Holds Second Meeting | 12/12/08


On Friday, December 12, 2008, at St. Clair College in Windsor, Canada, the GSE Team held their second face-to-face meeting. A very productive meeting, the Team reviewed urgent items such as passport, visa (ETA), immunizations, travel insurance, future meeting dates, plus the PowerPoint presentations of the previous two years. Manish gathered final paperwork and urged the Team to have the logistics for travel to and from Australia completed prior to Christmas. Barry presented the details of the next group meeting where, with the assistance of Eileen Heasley, he has arranged for team building class. The hot topic of “The Uniform” was discussed with Katy presenting her research. Heather advised on the simplicity of the blog and circulated a "cheat sheet" that explains each step for posting. Cheryl B. officially accepted the position as ‘Team Photographer’ and will be catching every moment of the Team's time in Australia. She even purchased a new snazzy camera. On top of this, she is checking into small gifts for the Aussies. Kristi proposed draft versions of the marketing collateral - brochure, business and thank you cards - and with minor corrections these items were approved. Jennifer, Susanna, and Wayne each brought great ideas for all discussed topics. Missing was a vital member, Cheryl S., as she had a prior engagement. The meeting concluded with each member less overwhelmed and even more excited about this opportunity. Afterwards, many in attendance proceeded to a nearby restaurant for more discussion and camaraderie.

Friday, November 21, 2008

GSE Australia Team attends The Rotary Foundation Gala


Following our first meeting...we headed to the The Rotary Foundation Gala. We were introduced to Rotarians and their guests and met many interesting people that night...all with the same goal....to help support others throughout the world. We were updated on the Rotary initiative to eradicate polio, and clean drinking water for all as well as acknowledging new benefactors. The entire GSE team was announced and introduced with the traveling members receiving pins from District Governor Stan Sherman. It was definitely a memorable and informative evening.
As a post script, the gentleman in the right hand corner of the picture is actually Barry Fraser's team leader, Jerry who lead his team to Korea. He hadn't seen him in about 15 years.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Our first meeting...



We met for the first time on November 13th, 2008 before the Foundation Gala. After brief introductions we heard reports from Team Members and Leaders from Thailand (2007) and Turkey (2008). Although everyone was a little overwhelmed with a great deal of information we all agreed that we were extremely excited to set out on this journey. Future meeting dates were discussed to include business as well as possible social outings to see Australia (the movie) or dinner at Outback Steakhouse.

Introducing...GSE Team Members and Alternates



















Barry Fraser :: Team Leader

Barry Fraser will be the Rotary GSE leader from D 6380 (Canada & USA) to D 9630 (Queensland, Australia) February 26 -March 29, 2009. He has been married to Carolyn for 36 years and they have two daughters, Colleen married to Ian and a grandson, Elliott, and Heather to be married to Mike next summer and a son Kent. His first formal introduction to Rotary was being a GSE member to South Korea in 1977 and then becoming a member the next year. Barry was President of his Chatham, Ontario, Canada Club in 1987-88 when the Polio Campaign was launched. He continues as Chair of the Club’s Environment and the Vintage Mustang Fundraising Committees. Carolyn and Barry have participated in Limb Camps and NID’S for Polio in India the last two years and have witnessed the need for and impacts of Rotary Water Projects in Nepal. Barry’s career has been in rural/urban/agricultural/organizational leadership development as a professional extension person, first with the Provincial Government and now as a certified agricultural consultant and farm advisor. This experience along with Rotary has opened doors for him in community activities and church leadership. Barry looks forward to this upcoming GSE tour with young, outstanding leaders from their respective communities.

Cheryl Bootsma :: Member

Cheryl Bootsma is a full-time counsellor at Family Service Kent, a non-profit organization in Chatham, Ontario. She grew up in the London area and then went to pursue her undergraduate education at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a sophomore at Calvin, Cheryl studied for 5 months in Grenoble, France. She left Calvin with a B.A. in Psychology with a second major in French. Cheryl then attended Western Michigan University (in Kalamazoo, Michigan) and received her Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology.
She has been working at Family Service Kent for 2.5 years. In her spare time, Cheryl enjoys volunteering at her church, taking care of her plants, spending time with friends, and watching movies. She also loves to travel (she has been to Europe twice, Cuba, many States in the USA, as well as most of Canada) and learn about what makes people unique.


Kristi Cummings :: Member

Kristi Cummings serves as the marketing coordinator for the law firm of Garan Lucow Miller, P.C. With nine offices and 90 attorneys, she is responsible for the public relations, marketing, advertising, event planning, graphic design, sponsorships, web site content management, customer relationship management (CRM), budgeting and branding among other duties. She graduated at the top of her class (summa cum laude) with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Baker College and has been in the marketing field for over a decade. Curious by nature, she enjoys learning and is currently teaching herself web design/programming. She has traveled throughout the United States and Europe and enjoys different cultures, photography and spending time with family and friends.






Susanna Thomashefski :: Member


Susanna Thomashefski is the marketing, public relations and event coordinator for Ann Arbor SPARK. Ann Arbor SPARK is a unique non-profit organization, representing all communities in Washtenaw County. Susanna maintains and updates the website (www.AnnArborUSA.
org) as well as generates and sends weekly e-mail communications and newsletters to a database of over 9,000 e-mails which include partners, investors, supporters, and stakeholders. She is responsible for maintaining media clip coverage as well as working with the public relations team; communicating with local media and clients. She assists with the writing, editing and creation of marketing materials. Susanna graduated cum laude from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor of arts degree in English, public relations concentration. Susanna also spent a semester abroad in Rome, Italy. She relishes spending time with her family and friends, traveling and reading. A lifelong Catholic, she also teaches first grade religious education.

Katherine Uher :: Member
Katy Uher has been the morning show co-host of Chatham’s 94.3 CKSY since the summer of 2005. Born and raised in Blenheim, Ontario, Katy attended Loyalist College in Belleville, Ontario where she earned a diploma
in Broadcast Journalism. The following year she obtained a post-graduate diploma in Television News at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Following graduation she moved to Kelowna, British Columbia where she worked in the hospitality and media fields for 2 years before returning to Ontario. She has been fortunate enough to visit the Czech Republic on two occasions, the Bahamas, and will soon visit St. Maarten and St. Thomas. Katy enjoys spending time with family and friends, hosting events and volunteering in the community and practicing belly dancing.





Cheryl Savage :: Team Leader (Alternate)


Cheryl Savage is 51 years old and is a Rotarian with the Michigan Lakes Area Rotary Club, D6380. She is a past Secretary and President and currently is the Club Administrator. Cheryl loves Rotary and the personal growth it has given her. She has been selected as the alternate team leader to Australia this year. Cheryl has been married for 17 years. Her husband Bob is always supportive of Rotary events; helping and volunteering whenever needed. Bob & Cheryl have been involved with Rotary Limb Camps in India in 2006 and 2007 and a Rotary malaria net distribution in Africa in 2008. They own “Buildmaster, Inc. a construction company, incorporated in 1991. They also develop raw land for commercial use. They are landlords for both commercial and residential properties. Community involvement has been a very important exponent in her professional life. She has participated in Rebuilding Together in Oakland County since 1993. This program revitalizes homes for handicap, elderly and financially qualified families, allowing them to stay-put in their own homes. Other community activities include, American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life and working with the local food
pantry, Hospitality House. In 1993, Cheryl, received the Commerce Township “Business Person” of the year award for her ongoing community efforts. Cheryl’sinterests include travel, gardening, water gardening (pond), scuba and golf. And most importantly her love for her kid “Jackson” an 8 year-old cocker spaniel dog.


Jennifer Jacobson :: Member (Alternate)

Jennifer Jacobson serves as a Police Officer in her community of Chatham-Kent, Ontario. She has an educational background in Natural Resources Management and Natural Resources Law Enforcement. Prior to becoming a Police Officer she worked as a Project Coordinator for Wetland Restoration for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Jennifer also works in a volunteer capacity as a Deputy Conservation Officer. She enjoys outdoor activities and travelling. She has travelled throughout Canada, Colombia, Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji and most recently to El Salvador; where she participated in running an eye glass clinic. In her spare time she enjoys gardening and antiquing.






Heather Sarson :: Member (Alternate)

Heather Sarson earned her Bachelor of Music Therapy Degree from Wilfrid Laurier University in 1996. Soon after her internship, she began her career helping to establish the Music Therapy Program at the Prism Centre, a Children’s Treatment Centre in Chatham. In her profession, Heather often reflects on the words of Victor Hugo, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.” She also oversees Recreation Services and can be seen encouraging kids with disabilities to play sledge hockey, boccia ball or adapting other sports like gymnastics and swimming lessons. In her spare time Heather enjoys swimming with her boys, Carter and Spencer and going to concerts and movies with her husband Dave.