It has been a long time since I last wrote a blog entry. Suffice to say, a lot has happened in the meantime.

Saturday June 20th 2009 saw six communities across Canada run the A Day for Africa program. It was the first time the program model had been distributed to multiple communities. We learned a lot and I look forward to incorporating those lessons into our efforts for 2010.

In July 2009 I visited projects in Uganda and Rwanda and met with beneficiaries including grandmothers, women, orphans and other persons affected by HIV and AIDS. That was the first time I had been to Sub-Saharan Africa, and I am infinitely thankful to Cournay Verbrugge and Lisa Jorgensen-Carnie of Remax Ocean Pacific Realty for making that possible.

Now it's March 2010 and things are looking good for our 2010 operations.

The Rotaract Club of Ottawa will be hosting an Art Gallery Fundraiser on March 27th at Mercury Lounge in Ottawa's Byward Market.

Program Coordinator Mohit Sethi will be working with the Rotary Interact Club of Lisgar Collegiate Institute to run A Day for Africa in Ottawa, Ontario on April 17th and May 22nd.

Program Coordinators Claire Donovan and Michael Brown are busy planning for operations in the Comox Valley, British Columbia. It is very exciting and I am sure the community will be pleased to see the program running for its 3rd consecutive year in that location :)

Other intitiatives are in the works as well, including some fantastic possibilities in other parts of Canada. I look forward to sharing those with you as they develop and to showing you what's new with the program as it develops as well.

Yours truly,

Billy Strachan
Founder
A Day for Africa