Vermilion Rotary Club President Elect Justin Thompson said he is excited about the role which will officially start on July 1. He says he hopes to bring a fresh perspective, energy and new ideas to the club; “It’s quite the commitment, but I’m glad the club is supporting me. Hopefully, I can keep the wheels on the bus for another year, and I really appreciate that the club members have the trust to let a young whipper snapper like me take the reins,” said Thompson.
Thompson wears many hats in the community; along with second Vice-President of the Vermilion Lion’s Club, he is on the board of director for the Friends of the Vermilion Public Library.
(Pictured) Vermilion Rotary President Elect Justin Thompson.
Photo Marie Conboy
Thompson will be the youngest President the Rotary in Vermilion have had yet at the fresh age 25 years old.
“The Rotary Club is constantly changing. I would like to see a focus shift more towards younger people getting involved and see more fresh faces in the club. I know there are a lot of people out there who are frustrated with a lot of things in today’s world but they just don’t know that there are outlets. It’s empowering to work together on projects towards a common goal,” said Thompson.
He says he has no set plans for the future right now, but he has a keen interest in politics and mentioned he wouldn’t mind running for Council one day.
“I am pretty happy with what I’m doing at the moment. I find that life is what happens when people are busy making other plans. I first became involved in the Rotary when I was 15 years old; I went to an Adventure in Technology camp put on by the Rotary. I did a week in Saskatoon, and it really influenced the path that I thought I was going to take with my life, before that I had no idea what I was going to do with my life,” he said.
Thompson later went on to study engineering at Lakeland College, and he is currently pursuing studies in Science.
“I remember I would always drive past the Rotary sign on my way in and out of town going to work every day. It read ‘Rotary meets at the Regional Center every Thursday morning at 7 a.m.’ but I could never make it because I started work at 7 a.m. and I knew that was the kind of thing the boss man would never let slide. Then with this big oil shake-up, I suddenly found myself out of work with a lot of time on my hands. I attended my first meeting over two years ago, and I have been going ever since,” said Thompson.