We’re quickly approaching the halfway point in our Rotary year—time is truly flying! Many of you have heard about our District goals aligned with the Rotary Action Plan 4 Priorities, and I’m pleased to share that we’re making solid progress on all fronts.
Increasing our Impact
November 1st was a special day in our District as we welcomed keynote speaker Ramesh Ferris (DG District 5360) for our “Twin the Win” polio event in Calgary, which was also shared via Zoom. With Rotarian William Friedsen setting the tone through his jazz quintet, and Rotarian Bill Quinney ensuring the Iron Lung was also in attendance, we successfully raised awareness of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and Rotary’s commitment to protecting children worldwide from this crippling disease.
We also welcomed new members into the Polio Plus Society—and the year isn’t over yet! If you’d like to join this dedicated group of Rotarians who have pledged USD $100 per year until polio is eradicated, please reach out to Marlene. We began the year with 54 members; our goal is to twin that number. We have moved up to 77 and hope to reach our goal of 108.
I would also like to recognize the CLUBS making significant contributions. Most recently, the Rotary Club of Calgary North pledged CAD $1,500 annually. Bravo to these Rotarians and bravo to our generous clubs!
A big thanks to Rotarians Kurt Kowalchuk & Greg Wing, the U of C Rotaract Club and the Rotary Youth Exchange students for making this event memorable.
Expanding our reach
Inviting clubs to document their membership goal in the Membership Action Plan proved to be a bit challenging, but I’m thrilled to share that 32 out of 43 clubs have now entered a goal into the system. Why does this matter? The numbers tell the story.
Clubs with a goal:
• 70% have gained more than one new member
• Only 6% have fewer members today than on July 1
Clubs without a goal:
• Just 31% have gained more than one new member
• 27% have fewer members today than on July 1
When a club sets a goal, it rallies members around a shared direction—boosting engagement, action, and momentum. Thank you to the 32 clubs who helped move us closer to our District goal of 100%. I’ll gladly take 74% this year!
Collectively, the results are truly outstanding. Take a look at this graph showing total new members added compared to a conservative 5% growth estimate—we are well ahead of the game! Let's keep the energy flowing!
A huge thank-you to Jeff Foss and his incredible team on our District Membership Committees for driving this success.
Membership Engagement Subcommittee: Andrew Bronson ( Lethbridge East), Sue Carpenter-Parnell,(Cochrane),Doug Mac Millan (Calgary Downtown), Mary Turner(Olds)
New Club Development Subcommittee: Co-Chairs Steven Fehr (Calgary North) & Steve Leavitt (Raymond)
Membership Growth Subcommittee: Co-chairs David Thompson (Calgary North) & Craig Henderson (Calgary Downtown)
Enhancing Participant Engagement
With just one club visit left—on Wednesday, December 3rd with Medicine Hat Ignite—our card-writing service project (for those who participated during my DG message visits) is wrapping up. Have you received your card yet? The final batches should be in the mail over the next couple of weeks.
At every single club visit, without exception, there were smiles, comments, and genuine excitement about this project. Thank you all for embracing this idea and helping us UNITE FOR GOOD across the District. This District goal is now officially complete—and I hope many of you will continue staying in touch with your new Rotary friend and family member. It truly became a District-wide service project unlike anything we’ve done before.
And if you’d like to stay part of initiatives that are “firsts” in our District, then get ready—our District Conference is shaping up to be something extraordinary. We’re expecting over 500 attendees! Don’t miss the article later in this newsletter for more details.
Increasing Our Ability To Adapt
The goals for this year are to:
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Update our Committee Terms of Reference (TORs),
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Create or revise policies needed for stronger governance, and
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Refresh our Strategic Plan in alignment with the Rotary Action Plan.
This is a significant undertaking that will span the entire year. So far, we have received four updated TORs and obtained the original source files needed to review and realign the Strategic Plan with the Rotary Action Plan. More updates will follow as the year progresses.
