A Proud History of Service
This history of Rotary in Ontario, and what is now District 7070, begins with the formation of the Rotary Club of Toronto, which was chartered in 1913. Steady growth occurred, and, by 1956, the District had sixty clubs in a large area that included La Sarre in Quebec. Today, District 7070 has fifty-three clubs with twenty-three hundred members and extends from Picton west to Metropolitan Toronto. Four international conventions have been held in the District, all in Toronto.
Rotary strives to improve people’s lives in relation to these areas: creating and sustaining peace; fighting disease; providing access to clean water and sanitation; promoting the health of mothers and children; supporting education and growing local economies.
Rotary makes its contributions though service, and District 7070 has led the way on many fronts.
Some notable projects over the years have included:
- support for the Crippled Children’s Society and the Easter Seals Campaign
- contributing to the Toronto Zoo, wildlife conservation and the Ontario Science Centre’s Rain Forest Exhibit
- launching the Kids Safety Village in Durham Region in partnership with the Optimists’ Club and Durham Region Police
- donating Canada’s first Health Bus to the Wellesley Central Hospital to promote and support the delivery of healthcare to homeless persons, street youth and others who are vulnerable
You can read further about the District's projects here.
District 7070 has had the benefit of strong and enthusiastic leadership since its inception, and our new District Governor, Mark Chipman, continues the tradition.
It is with great pleasure that we say welcome to Mark Chipman from the Rotary Club of Whitby-Sunrise as our new District Governor for the Rotary year 2020-21. District Governor Mark Chipman has been a passionate and engaged Rotarian since 2006 with a wide range of experience at both the Club and District levels. With Whitby Sunrise he served as Club President in 2012, and as Director on several committees including Fundraising and the Whitby Ribfest. He feels privileged to have participated in humanitarian service for club projects in Laos, Thailand and Dominican Republic. ........
Mark served as Chair of the 2013 District 7070 Conference, Rotaract Chair, Assistant District Governor and Chaired the 2017 District Foundation Walk prior to joining the District Governor team. He has facilitated workshops and breakout sessions related to Public Image, Fundraising and Membership/Grow Rotary at several District Assembly and President Elect Training events. Mark has also been invited to speak at external events about the good work of Rotary and was honored to have the opportunity to be a Rotary Ambassador.
Mark has also been very active in his community having served on the Durham Environmental Advisory Committee, the Brooklin Downtown Development Steering Committee, Durham Big Brothers, 100 Men of Whitby and has been a champion of the RBC Run for the Kids annual event raising funds to help families navigate the mental health system.
Mark started his career in urban/environment planning, however for the past 25 years has been in the Information Technology field including 19 years at RBC. He is currently a Director in the RBC Technology & Operations group in Toronto. Mark is passionate about sports (and his beloved Leafs) and travel having had the opportunity to hike and explore all 7 continents, notably climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro with his wife Leslie on their honeymoon many moons ago. He is also a firm believer in Rotarians engaging in community and environmental initiatives, as well as leadership development with an eye on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Mark and his wife Leslie have been married for 23 years and currently live in Whitby. Leslie has also taken a very active role in Rotary sweat equity projects, fundraisers and fellowship events as well as in the community as part of Big Brothers organization and a former board member at Whitby Station Gallery. Congratulations to our new District Governor Mark Chipman.