2016 - 2017 District Governor Neil Berg
 
 
 

District 5360 eBulletin

 
 
 
 
 
Published first Friday of each Month.           Submit entries by Wednesday prior.
 

 

 

 



 
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
ClubRunner

Join us at District Conference - Red Deer

Come to District Conference

and see how YOU Strengthen Rotary Serving Humanity.



 
District Governor Message
What is Your Number ?

Strength in Numbers

 
The District Conference is fast approaching; when you receive this there will be only one month to go before we gather in Red Deer.
What is a District Conference?  It’s an annual opportunity for sharing Rotary fellowship and fun (meals, Home Hospitality, entertainment); and sharing Rotary information and stories (keynote addresses on relevant topics, eighteen breakout sessions on different Rotary related and other topics)
 

What do we mean by Strength in Numbers?

 
Consider the following numbers as they relate to you and me in our Rotary walk:
 
The number of members in your Club: the more willing hands, the greater the number of giving hearts and bright minds in your Club translates into greater capacity to do good in your community and the world.
 
The proportion of the members in your Club that are really engaged: who attend the meetings and projects; who help with the projects; who contribute to The Rotary Foundation and End Polio Now; who accept the challenge and the opportunity of Club and District leadership?
 

And how about these numbers?

 
100, 26.50, three billion: The Rotary Foundation was started one hundred years ago in 1917 with a contribution of $26.50; since that time, The Rotary Foundation has expended $3billion in doing good in the world.
 
350,000, 42, 4, 0: when the first polio vaccination effort was carried out in the Philippines by Rotarians there were about 350,000 new cases of polio every year, crippling and killing children around the world, including some right here in Alberta.  In 2016 there were 42 new cases in the world in three countries.  So far in 2017 there have been four new cases reported in two countries (Afghanistan and Pakistan).  The goal is 0, as in zero, nada, nothing.  Only the complete eradication of polio in the world can be our goal.
 
1,932, 1.24 million: there are 1,932 Rotarian in our District today and over one million Rotarians worldwide.  That’s a lot of brothers and sisters.
 
5360, as in ‘fifty 360’: we have about fifty Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in our District giving us the ability to have a 360 degree view of our communities and our place in the world.  (Credit for this goes to our amazing District Administrator Charlene Bearden; your Governor is not nearly that creative.)
 
800: the expected number of Red Deer and area Grade 8 students who will hear top-selling author Neil Pasricha on Friday morning of the District Conference.  And then you have the opportunity to hear his keynote address at the opening Friday luncheon.
 
256: the number of registrants for the District Conference May 5-7 at the Red Deer Sheraton. 
There is always room for more.  We hope you’ll join us in Red Deer.  Register here.
 
And as always, thank you for all you do in Rotary Serving Humanity.
 
Neil Berg
Rotary Club of Red Deer East
Rotary International District 5360 Governor
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
(403) 302-1552
 
2016-2017-Theme  Rotary logo (640x121) (320x61) (260x50)
Read more...
Service Reports
Youth and Camp are both Winners
On behalf of the Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp, I am very pleased to share our achievements at the Economic Developers Alberta Annual Conference.
 
Economic Developers Alberta (EDA) presented its annual Awards of Excellence during its 2017 Annual Conference at the Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta on March 23rd. These awards honour Alberta individuals for their contribution to the profession; as well as Alberta communities for excellence in: Business and Investment Attraction (BIA); Business Retention and Expansion (BRE); and Community Economic Development (CED).
 
AYEC was presented with the following two awards:
 
  • Award of Excellence in Large Community/Region Community Economic Development
  • Alex Metcalf Award for Community Economic Development
 
The Alex Metcalfe Award recognizes the "best of the best" community project in each of the BIA, BRE and CED categories.
 
Please feel free to share this success with your regional stakeholders who have helped make AYEC a reality each and every year.
Calgary Sarcee and Lynn Perrault: Partners

For three years Lynn Perrault has been employed through the Rotary Employment Partnership
to handle desk duties at the weekly meetings of Rotary Club of Calgary Sarcee.

Lynn greets all members and visitors, collects money and names, and puts together a bank deposit. Lynn has proven to be a very diligent employee with perfect attendance and a wonderful singing voice which helps our Oh Canada. Over that time, Lynn has become an important part of the club and contributed many interesting happy bucks and some tough questions for visiting speakers.

Earlier this year, Lynn used her stipend from the club plus her own funds to contribute $100 to Polio Plus. Lynn provides us all with a remarkable example of Service above Self. For her contributions, Lynn was recognized recently with a Paul Harris Award. Assistant Governor Jane Audet made the presentation and both her and Club President Nadeem Esmail eloquently thanked Lynn for her service. Lynn, once again showing her big heart, chose the moment to announce that she was making another $100 Polio Plus contribution.

 

Thank you Lynn!  

CRCF New Website needs your Content
Calgary Rotary Clubs Foundation
305, 105 - 12th Ave SE • Calgary, AB T2G 1A1
 
 
The Board of Directors for the Calgary Rotary Clubs Foundation (CRCF) encourages all Rotarians to visit the CRCF web site at the link provided above.
 
We are looking to update the site with new photos and stories about projects that our Calgary clubs are involved in or have completed where funds earned from the clubs involvement with CRCF were utilized.
 
If your club has a story to tell please send it along with photos to the attention of Gordon Forsyth
 
Send us your story in a “Word.doc” and please keep the dialogue to under 250 words.
 
Pictures should be sent as a separate attachment and not pasted to the Word Doc. Photos are limited to a maximum of Two (2).
 
CRCF reserves the right to edit all submissions to meet site formatting requirements.
We look forward to hearing from you
 
Thanks from Your CRCF BOD
Rotary/Mattamy Greenway Grand Opening Planning

The Rotary Mattamy Greenway project is nearing completion and planning for the Grand Opening event is underway!

 
All levels of donations of prizes and sponsorships will be gratefully received.
 
In order for the Parks Foundation to plan the event, clubs should make their contributions prior to May 15.  However, donations and sponsorships will continue to be accepted right up to the event. Clubs, individuals, companies and groups are all welcome to donate and will receive recognition as outlined. 
 
This is such an exciting project!  All of you took a ‘leap of faith’ five years ago and created a world’s first for the citizens of Calgary and area.
 
Email  Alexandra Velosa (Alex) or call 403 471 9583
 
  
 
Ugandan students live out Calgary Rotarian's legacy
 
Before George Kasumba was a teenager, he had endured more tragedy than most people can imagine.
His parents were killed in the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Kasumba and his siblings survived, but none of his other relatives had. So the children were taken to a United Nations refugee camp in Uganda, and they later met basic needs through a nongovernmental organisation, which suspended its activities in Uganda in 2001. Kasumba lost hope of continuing his education.  But then he encountered a member of his village connected with the Rotary Club of Kyocera, who told him about a new
college scholarship program. This program is the legacy of George H. "Curly" Galbraith, a 60-year member of the Rotary Club of  Calgary  who  once served as vice president of Rotary International.  He was so active in the dub, including making birthday calls to about 500 Rotarians over 20 years, that he was known as "Mr. Rotary:'
When Galbraith died in 2010, his widow, Doris, wanted to ensure his life would be honoured. The result is the Curly Galbraith Global Memorial, which has raised more than
$132,000 to send about 50 young adults through higher education programs in Uganda, says Past District Governor Garth Toombs, a member of the Rotary Club of Calgary and a charter member of the memorial committee.
The memorial arose from the Calgary club's Taking Rotary Assistance to Communities and Children (TRACC) program, which helped more than 750 AIDS orphans in three south­west Ugandan communities - Masaka, Kalisizo, and Kyotera. The Calgary Rotarians suggested the scholarship project as A way to ensure that the children helped by TRACC would have an education.
Uganda is a nation of 40 mil­ lion people that has weathered deep turmoil. In past decades, it has endured rule by dictators, violent internal struggles, severe economic instability. Notable to the memorial's success is that each scholarship recipient found a job after completing school - a substantial feat in a country that has the highest youth unemployment rate in Africa, which some estimates put as high as 80 per cent, Toombs says.
Doris Galbraith launched the memorial with a $25,000 donation, which has been supplemented by donations from other Galbraith family members, individual donations, and funds from the Calgary dub and six other area Rotary dubs.
Need is determined by a committee of Rotarians from the three Ugandan communities.  Each selected student is assigned a Rotarian as a mentor.
The memorial is a "life-giver;' says Francis Kyaluzi, a member of the Rotary Club of Kalisizo who has served on the committee since its inception. "After getting employed or starting work on their own, they support their siblings who are still in need of schooling;' he says. 'in the community is very proud as they see these children growing into responsible and self-reliant citizens:'
It costs about $3,000 for each student to complete three years of education in Uganda, including housing, in the field of their choosing. Students have studied in areas such as education, dentistry, computer science, pharmacy programs, nursing, carpentry, or agriculture.
In November 2015, Toombs and other Calgary Rotarians travelled the 13,500 kilometres to Uganda and met with students, talking with them about their classes or new jobs. They also talked about how students planned to give back once they had graduated.
Kasumba is already doing just that. He's coordinator for community services with Rudeser, an NGO that implemented TRACC activities on behalf of the Kyocera club. And he founded Gebrah, an organization that helps build HIVIAIDS aware­ness, strengthens the savings and income of local residents, and ensures food security.
Kasumba says the scholar­ ship program helped him change not only his life, but also the lives of those around him. "Most important of all, I got new parents - the Rotarians both local and international;' he says. "Believe me, I and my young siblings are no longer orphans:'
 
Reprinted from Rotarian Magazine Canada
 
Great Photos = Great Stories

Great Photos that Tell Stories Are the Currency of Social Media and Online Marketing

 
You’ve heard it a gazillion times, ‘A picture is worth 1,000 words.’ Well, it’s true!
 
Photos are a million-dollar tool for helping to tell life-altering service club stories. They are the currency of mainstream, online and social media communication. In this post I provide tips for taking pictures that will improve your social media success.
 
 
 
Robyn T. Braley
Calgary West
ShelterBox Updated - April
ShelterBox Update – April 2017
Disasters don’t stop – neither do we.
When it comes to disaster relief, the situation is always changing. ShelterBox is constantly monitoring events around the world and we pride ourselves on the ability to respond to disasters at a moment’s notice.
 
Our work would not be possible without the continued support of Rotarians and Rotary clubs across Canada, and around the world. Thank you for your continued generosity and for helping us to respond instantly to provide families with the tools they need to recover and rebuild after disaster.
 
Current ShelterBox Deployments
Madagascar – Cyclone Enawo
 
 
ShelterBox teams deployed to Madagascar following the landfall of Cyclone Enawo in early March. The cyclone made landfall as the equivalent of a Category 4 hurricane, packing wind speeds of up to 270 km/hr and bringing heavy rains. Cyclone Enawo is the strongest cyclone to hit the country in 13 years and the Malagasy Red Cross estimated that approximately 720,000 people would be affected directly and indirectly by this intense tropical cyclone.
 
 
 
 
Somaliland - Drought
 
A ShelterBox Response Team has been deployed to Somaliland as severe drought drips the region and warnings of famine are declared. Our team is there to assess the suitability of our aid and to get an understanding of the exact numbers of people needing our support. Somaliland has a population of 3 million, half of whom are nomads. Nomad life depends on livestock and the continual search for grazing land. Already up to 70% of livestock have perished in some areas due to the lack of rainfall.
 
ShelterBox Team Lead, James Luxton says, ‘[…] It is the widely and thinly scattered nomadic population, constantly on the move, that brings the greatest challenges. Simply finding those in greatest need amid this vast open territory will be a task. We are talking to all the relevant players, aid agencies and government, and will then decide what help ShelterBox is able to offer, and where.’
 
 
 
 
 
Additional Deployments and Monitoring
In addition, ShelterBox is working in Iraq, the Syrian Region, Niger, Cameroon and Mozambique. Our teams are also monitoring Zimbabwe.

ShelterBox Canada – 159 Jane Street, Office 2, Toronto, ON M6S 3Y8
Email: support@shelterboxcanada.org  Phone: 647-352-1930
Presidential Citation - Qualify your club Today !
HOW TO QUALIFY
 
To qualify for the Presidential Citation, clubs must complete two mandatory activities and additional activities in several categories. Most activities will be verified automatically through RI’s data. But some will be verified only by the information you enter in Rotary Club Central.
 
To more accurately capture your club’s achievements, for the first time ever, clubs will have the entire Rotary year — from 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017 — to achieve the Presidential Citation goals.
 
District governors will be able to track the progress of all of their clubs online, and I’m asking them to follow up with you regularly and support you in achieving these goals
 
DISTRICT CITATION
 
RI President John Germ will also offer a special citation to districts that:
  • Have at least 51 percent of clubs earn the Presidential Citation
  • Contribute at least 20 percent of their District Designated Fund to PolioPlus
  • Increase Annual Fund giving by 5 percent over last year’s total
  • Achieve a 3 percent increase in membership
 
Thank you in advance for your efforts this year to show Rotary Serving Humanity.
 
Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp Aug 13-19,

Club Sponsorship and Adult Volunteer Opportunities Available

 

 

                        

JOHN F. GERM

PRESIDENT 2016-17

ROTARY CLUB OF CHATTANOOGA

TENNESSEE, USA
     
 

Globally, in developed as well as in developing countries, child mortality is on the decline and life expectancy on the rise. In 1960, 182 of every 1,000 children born died before turning five; today, that number is down to 43. A child born in 1960 could expect to live an average of just 52 years; by contrast, a child born this year can expect to live to 71.

Then as now, the factors most likely to determine a child's fate are set at birth: where he or she is born, the educational and economic condition of the family, the availability of medical care. Yet one of the most important advances in public health has reached every country and must now reach every child: immunization.

The use of vaccines has, in many parts of the world, nearly eliminated diseases that once were widespread, such as diphtheria, tetanus, and rubella. Thanks to vaccines, 20 million lives have been saved from measles since 2000. Smallpox has been eradicated – and polio is next.

Thirty years ago, there were an estimated 350,000 cases of polio per year worldwide. As this issue of The Rotarian went to press, only 37 cases of polio had been recorded in 2016 – the lowest number in history. All of the other cases, and the paralysis and death they would have brought, were prevented through the widespread use of a safe, reliable, and inexpensive vaccine.

Overall, the World Health Organization estimates that immunization prevents an estimated 2 million to 3 million deaths every year. It also averts a tremendous burden of disability and economic loss. Yet we could be doing so much better: An additional 1.5 million deaths could be avoided by improving vaccine coverage worldwide.

This month, from 24 to 30 April, we join WHO, UNICEF, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in celebrating World Immunization Week, raising awareness of the incredible impact that vaccines have had on global health. This year's theme is "Vaccines Work" – and they do. Increased use of vaccines has broader repercussions for public health: controlling viral hepatitis, reducing both the need for antibiotics and the development of antibiotic-resistant microbes, and reaching more children and adolescents with essential health interventions. In every part of the world, routine immunization is as crucial as ever to ensure that all children have the best chance at a healthy future.

In an uncertain world, vaccines offer something remarkable: a way to protect our children throughout their lives. By working together to safeguard all children against polio and other preventable diseases, Rotary is truly Serving Humanity – now and for generations to come.

 



 

eBulletin Editor: Charlene Bearden

Email 

 

Rotary International District 5360

Monthly eBulletin

Published the first Friday of the month.

Submissions due the Wednesday prior.