Cassandra Varanka, one of 50 world-wide winners of the Rotary International fellowship in Peace and Conflict Resolution, will speak via Zoom on July 20, 2023. For the Zoom link to access this talk, contact George Szok of the Bridgton-Lake Region Rotary Club at gszoksbox@gmail.com.Sponsored in 2021 by the Rotary Club of Bridgton-Lake Region and the choice from District 7780, Cassandra has now completed her first semester of studies at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.
Cassandra is shown in the photos with her classmates, and as she helped with a Rotary fundraiser, a sausage sizzle, with her Rotary host in Brisbane who is the President of the local Paddington Rotary Club. In Australia, Bunnings is the biggest hardware store (like a Home Depot, but with no competitor like Lowe's). On Saturdays and Sundays, Bunnings lets groups set up to grill sausages outside to fundraise for whatever their cause is. Apparently, it is so common that when folks go to the hardware store here on weekends, they expect to be able to buy a sausage from someone.
Her husband, Hai, grilled and was in charge of sauces (condiments) and ran the cash station for a while. The couple is also thrilled to be soaking in Aussie culture and keeping up their Rotary activities.
PDG Marty Hellman, member of RI’s Foundation Board and RC of Boothbay Harbor, remarked, “I enjoyed speaking with Cassie when I was in Brisbane last month for the RI Convention. I will be joining the Bridgton-Lake meeting by Zoom. If you wish to do so as well, please reach out to George Szok. I would love to be there in person, but I leave for Evanston that day. Spread the word about Cassie's talk!”