Welcome to the 2015/16 Rotary Year! First of all I would like to thank and congratulate Garth Toombs for the fine year that he had in leading the 5360 Team. He will now be starting to get a well-deserved rest.
We have a lot to accomplish this year and together we will work hard to achieve our collective goals. We will celebrate your achievements in Canmore next May 13-15th when our Conference “Rising to New Heights” will focus on all the great work that you have done.
Liz and I are very much looking forward to visiting you all when we attend your clubs, starting in late August.
“Ravi” Ravendran , President of Rotary International has announced that the focus this year will be on “Be a Gift to the World” . This is a great theme and one in which, as Rotarians, we can all identify with as we continue doing the great work of Rotary and spreading its word around the World.
Look for my column in this space each month and in the meantime it remains for me to wish each and everyone one of you a “Happy New Rotary Year” and continued success as you remain and/or become more engaged in this wonderful organization that we belong to.
Don’t forget there are many individuals in the District who are available to help you. Simply go to www. Rotary5360.ca and click on the Organization link.
District Conference 2015…. Good Medicine in the ‘Hat
Over 340 Rotarians from Lacombe to Lethbridge, from Canmore to Kindersley, gathered for a weekend of inspiration and fellowship in Medicine Hat. Five Keynote speakers hailing from Australia to Saskatchewan challenged attendees to “Light Up Rotary”.
Award Winners Announced at District Conference in Medicine Hat 2015
Presidential Citations 2015
Congratulations to the following clubs! 4 Rotary Clubs qualified, a Rotaract and an Interact Club. It was no small feat to meet the 2014-2015 requirements involving membership increase, local and international service and expanding Rotary’s network.
We had a coffee with Citizenship Judge Joe Woodard a few weeks ago. He has been a Citizenship Judge since 2012 following a career as an academic and writer. His academic background includes a Ph.D from Claremont Graduate School. He has a long record of community action.
Steve Rickard graduated from McMaster University in Hamilton Ontario with an Honors’ Degree (B.A.) in Urban Studies. He is married to Marie and has 3 children and 5 grandchildren. Professionally, he has enjoyed a long career in real estate consulting and was granted in 1982 his designation Accredited Appraiser Canadian Institute (AACI) and Professional Land Economist (PLE). He has served on various professional boards and committees and was granted the designation Fellow of the Real Estate Institute (FRI) in 1978 and was certified in Land Use Planning (CLP). Steve became a Chartered Arbitrator in 1995.
Mother of three sons, grandma to five grandchildren, and ‘Canadian mom’ to young people in Romania, Kenya, Iraq, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Congo, Columbia, and Peru, Martha McManus is an outstanding Rotarian of District 5360, and a member of the Rotary Club of Calgary Centennial.
While celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the partnership between Red Deer East and the Las-Pinas club, the team travelled to Tanauan, Batangas, Philippines. Tanauan is a city of approximately 152,000 people. It was suggested by one of the team members, a charter member of the Rotaract Club of Red Deer, to bring feminine hygiene kits and distribute them to girls that were in desperate need. The organization, Days for Girls, partnered with Red Deer East to supply sustainable feminine hygiene products and awareness.
Roma Souraya & The Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park
On Friday morning at 7 am sharp the Club convened in Gasoline Alley to enjoy fellowship and be introduced by Cheryl Ryan to their Global Grant Scholar Ms. Roma Souraya and her Rotary mentor Dr. Hendrik Kraay (Calgary Olympic Club). The membership and guests enthusiastically greeted both.
Another Rotary years ends and another one begins and along with it the Rotary Leadership Institute continues to be one of the keys programs to that helps provide new Rotarians with an effective orientation and aspiring leaders at the club or District level with an excellent educational foundation for success.
Celebration of 10 Years of A Sustainable Partnership and Projects
On February 1, 2015 the 5th Rotary Club of Red Deer East Team arrived in the Philippines to celebrate a decade of Service Projects in Partnership with the Rotary Club of Las Pinas Camino- Real. It all began with a Rotary Foundation Group Study Exchange Team.
10 Years, 5 Teams and 35 Club members, spouses and friends participated in the development and the inauguration of all projects.
This 10th Anniversary Team were their to inaugurate the Indigenous Village Water Project in the mountains of the Philippines 150 km north of Manila. The Project was aptly name the Monty J. Audenart Water Prjoject because of his 5 dental volunteer trips to the Philippines.
Recipients of the ShelterBox Hero Awards received their banners at the District Conference in Medicine Hat from ShelterBox Ambassador Ray Kmetiuk, Rotary Club of Red Deer Sunrise. Here are the clubs that stepped up in 2014 to help with Disaster Relief in many different countries.
I was reading the local newspaper the Lethbridge Herald in the spring of 2012 when I came across an article announcing the opening of the first public library on a reserve in Alberta. Having been born and raised in Lethbridge, I took it for granted that everyone had access to a public library. After all, I had been going to my local library since I was able to ride my bike and have been an avid user of the local library ever since. When my children were younger, we were at the library every week borrowing books, movies and toys. As they grew older, the public library was a resource used to research school projects, attend music recitals and go to screenings of the Banff Mountain Film Festival. Our lives have been immeasurably enriched by having a public library in our community.
Rotary 4 Way Test Multi Media Competition 2014-2015
showcased 3 truly talented young women from Lethbridge Winston Churchill High School and conference goers had the treat of viewing their presentations and their points of view.
Congratulations!
1st Prize Winners – Roya Akbary and Cecilia Reid teamed up to win the first prize with a video presenting the 4 way test applied to ethical shopping.
2nd Prize Winner – Tiffany Trinh presented a video showing the 4 way test applied to the use of Cellphones
Philippe Francois, President Elect of the Rotary Club of Pincher Creek, on the left in the photo above, made some notes during the presentation by Michael McQueen, on the right in the photo above, at the District Conference held May 8-10, 2015. He shared his notes with Charlene Bearden, who passed them on to me.
This past year I have spoken to several District 5360 Rotary clubs about, “What makes an effective website?” Regardless of how new, powerful, dynamic or successful your website is, you will soon be contacted by an “expert” who will tell you it sucks. What is fact and what is fiction?
This young lady is more fortunate than most in her village. She is young and will benefit from the Honduras Economic Community Development (HECD) Phase II Project that was headed up by Duncan Stanners from Calgary West Rotary Club. In partnership with Opportunity International and both the Provincial and Federal governments of Canada Rotary made HUGE impact in two communities with Water Projects. Also with our Microfinance partner Opportunity International, we were able to help setup a brand new Branch Office for Microfinance with IDH.
Get The Smartphone App for Your Phone and Find Rotary Meetings
Get the smartphone app for your phone and find Rotary Meetings wherever you are. Search your app store for Club Locator by Rotary and start using it today !
The Beginning- Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park began with a meeting of Rotarians from the United States and Canada. Here are some excerpts from the book “Born of A Vision” by Chris Morrison, published by the Waterton Natural History Association and the Pincher Creek Rotary Club (2007).
Honduras Economic and Community Development Phase II update
The HECD Phase II project is funded by the District 5360 Rotary Clubs of Airdrie, Calgary West, Calgary, Calgary South, Heritage Park, Sarcee and Olympic, the Rotary Clubs of Olympia Washington and Real de Minas (Host club), with additional funding from CIP, private donors, DDF from Districts 5360 and 4250 and TRF, matched 3:1 by the Canadian government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Development (DFATD). The total project is about $600,000 CDN.
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