President's Message - July 2022

Name and Designations: Karen Wiersma 
Position: MPI President

Contact Information: 
Email: president@mpiottawa.ca
Linked In: Karen Wiersma | LinkedIn

Hello! Bonjour!

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Karen Wiersma and I am the 2022/ 2023 President of MPI Ottawa. Je m’appelle Karen Wiersma et je suis la présidente d’MPI Ottawa pour l’année 2022/2023.

I hope that everyone enjoyed the Canada Day long weekend and is having a wonderful summer so far.

I’d like to start by thanking the board members who have stepped down from last year’s board and to welcome those that are new to this year’s board and of course to thank those that are continuing for the coming year. Merci beaucoup à tous.

Are you interested in joining the board? We have decided to split the Signature Events position into two separate portfolios – one being for Awards and Recognition and the other, for Charity Auction and Community Outreach. You can visit the website for more information. If you are seeing this video after July 11^th when the application closes, feel free to reach out to Riccarda at leadership@mpiottawa.ca as she may have another volunteer position that may interest you! Nous sommes toujours à la recherche de bénévoles, alors n’hésitez pas à nous contacter.

The chapter is in a better position this year than it was a year ago and it’s all thanks to the hard work of the board, our volunteers, our sponsors and to you, our members for continuing to renew your membership and attending our chapter events.

Speaking of our chapter events, stay tuned for save the dates that will be coming out for the September education event and our AGM.

You will also see that the nominations for the Prix Prestige Awards Gala will be launched in the coming weeks. We have so many incredible volunteers in our chapter and I encourage each of you to nominate at least one of them. It’s really special to be nominated for one of these awards, by your industry peers and to be recognized for your hard work. SVP, je vous encourage a nommer un de nos membres.

There were 11 of us from the Ottawa Chapter at WEC in San Francisco and next year it will be in Mexico from June 12 to 15. There was some great education, networking and funds raised for the MPI Foundation. The foundation’s next Ottawa event is July 13* with Full Moon Yoga. Check out our website for details and the link to donate to participate.                        
*[Ed. Note. August 11 – Full Moon Yoga – Lansdowne Park]

The board slows down a bit in July but are back again in August working on another great year of education and events. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Take care! Bien à vous.

Article Edited by: Darlene Kelly-Stewart, Stonehouse Sales & Marketing Services