The following is a letter from OTA chairman Scott Tilley asking OTA members to help support an important cause:
You don’t have to be a grizzled CBC hockey commentator or Scottish bagpiper to be able to pull off wearing plaid. In advance of Father’s Day, be part of the Ontario trucking community which will be Wearing Plaid for Dad to fight prostate cancer on June 19 at the OTA retreat and board meeting in Muskoka.
More on that in a minute.
The OTA bi-annual retreat and board meeting at the JW Marriott Muskoka Resort is taking place on June 18-19. This is our spring opportunity to get together to discuss the issues of the industry. It also provides us an opportunity to share some fellowship, in a very pleasant environment.
For those not familiar with the schedule, there is a reception and dinner with comedic entertainment following a day full of engaging meetings. After the dinner, many make their way over to the bar/lounge area to socialize and tell more ‘untruths’ to each other. It’s a great night to share with spouses and significant others in a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.
Friday features golf times for those inclined to scale The Rock, but there are many open seats around the pool area where folks can mingle and continue the prior evening’s conversation (or for some, a continuation of the early morning’s more colourful stories). There’s also a great spa.
The dress code for the meetings and the evenings is normally business casual. But this year I’m proposing a twist, by introducing a Thursday evening (and golf day?) dress code.
Friday June19 marks the launch of newly launched prostate cancer campaign, Wear Plaid for Dad. Many Canadian celebrities are behind this campaign, including Don Cherry. The campaign is easy to take part in; Just wear something plaid. Plaid shirts, pants, dresses, hats, or (and I could regret this later) – Scottish kilts. Loud and obnoxious, or quiet and reserved – all plaid is in play.
This disease, like many forms of cancer, has recently hit close to home for a number of board members. So in the interest of raising awareness for this cause – while having a little fun in a classy but informal setting – I would like all board members to consider wearing something plaid to the Thurs evening dinner and, if they’re so inclined, on the fairways the next day too. Before we convene the meal we will take a group photo and tweet it out to #WearPlaidForDad –encouraging the industry to get involved in the prostate awareness campaign, which launches the next day.
The OTA staff has created a fundraising campaign for those inclined to help support the process with some cash as well. Or feel free to visit the www.wearplaidfordad.ca homepage to start your own fundraising teams.
Thanks in advance for your support. I look forward to seeing all of you on June 18-19.