e-Strathconian, Jan 25, 2019 (Jan 25, 2019)

The Rotary Club of
Edmonton Strathcona

Chartered 1974

e-Strathconian

January 25, 2019

Thanks for visiting our site! The first ClubRunner site in District 5370

"The Friendly Club"

We meet Tuesdays at 12:15 PM

Woodvale Facility and Golf Clubhouse

4540 - 50 Street NW
Edmonton, AB T6L 6B6
Canada

Phone:

(780) 466-5566

Fax:

(780) 665-7011

Email:

strathconian@telus.net

District Site

Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona

Venue Map

David Rayner

Posted on Jan 25, 2019

We have just received word that David suffered a heart attack on Tuesday. This follows a heart attack Bernadette suffered in September.

I am trying get in touch with their son Sean and will report upon receiving further news.

Hans G.

780-918-1079

Eric Solash

Posted by Hans Granholm on Jan 25, 2019

Update on Eric Solash as per Friday, January 25 - 1100hrs

I visited Eric at Grey Nuns again yesterday and was pleasantly surprised with his remarkable recovery. He still has an open incision left over with a drain from the most recent surgery #7. The final close up is still some time away.

He has had a couple of "runs" around the unit.

He is most appreciative of cards, letters, well wishes and flowers (Heather, Val, ARCH) decorating his private room. He wishes to thank everyone who cast a shaddow in his doorway

You are welcome to visit him any time. He is in unit 41, fourth floor, room 4116. Visit hours are 1100-2100. Quiet time is between 2 and 4 (1400-1600).

Be sure to use the hand sanitizer before and after you leave his room and don't plan to stay more than half an hour as he feels he has to entertain you.

It goes without saying that you do not want to visit if you feel ANY sickness yourself.

Updates will be distributed as they become available.

Hans G.

RCES new mail address

Posted by Graham Gilchrist on Jan 05, 2019

We have a new mail address:

Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona

Box 4253 STN SOUTH CRO

EDMONTON AB T6E 4T3

For complete club contact information, click HERE

Hockey Pool

Welcome to the Rotary Hockey Pool For Polio Eradication

You are invited to enter the 2nd annual Rotary Hockey Pool For Polio Eradication sponsored by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona.

Here’s some interesting facts about THIS hockey pool!!

You could win up to $1750, 4 prize pools, Pool is limited to 500 participants, Entry fee is $20, Every entry automatically makes a donation of $10 to PolioPlus, Every entry automatically adds $10 to the prize pool, Each team will consist of 3 goalies, 8 defenceman and 12 forwards for a total of 23 players, Get rid of those underperforming or injured players during the 3 trade weeks incorporated into the schedule.

You will also be able to add 50/50 tickets to your purchase with or without entering the hockey pool.

Build your own team from scratch! It’s easy!!

To register or access the 50/50 draw click here:
tinyurl.com/HockeyPool1819

AGLC Hockey Pool Licence 505230 AGLC 50/50 Licence 505241 No tax receipts issued for this event

Hockey Pool 2018-19.

Aug 29, 2018 – Apr 06, 2019 11:45 PM

RC Edmonton Riverview, Rotary's Got Talent

St. Albert Inn

Jan 26, 2019

Mustard Seed Volunteer Opportunity

Mustard Seed Church

Feb 02, 2019
3:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Oilkings Polio 2019

Feb 18, 2019 – Feb 19, 2019 12:00 AM

Rotary International Convention Hamburg, 2019

Hamburg

Jun 01, 2019 – Jun 05, 2019

District 5370 Conference 2019

Grande Prairie

Oct 03, 2019 – Oct 05, 2019

Harald Kuckertz receives high award

Posted by Carin Jansen van Vuuren on Jan 25, 2019

On Monday, January 21, 2019 the German Ambassador to Canada, Sabine Sparwasser, awarded our member Harald Kuckertz, Honorary Consul of Northern Alberta and the Northwest Territories, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany at her official residence in Rockcliffe Park, Ottawa.

The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany - also known as the Federal Cross of Merit - is the highest tribute the Federal Republic of Germany can pay to individuals for services to the nation. It is the only federal decoration of Germany. It was created by the first President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Theodor Heuss, on September 7, 1952 and has been awarded to over 200,000 individuals since, both German citizens and foreigners. Since the 1990's the number of annual awards has declined from over 4000, to 1752 in 2011.

Close to one hundred people, including Harald's wife Irene and daughter Sabrina, attended the ceremony. Amongst the guests were the other five German Honorary Consuls of Canada, three German Consul Generals, the German Military Attache to Canada and various other members and staff of the Embassy in Ottawa and Consulates in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, as well as special guests invited by the Ambassador.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona now boasts three members who were awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Fritz Koenig and Bernd Reuscher having received the award previously. Congratulations Harald - we are very proud of you!

See below for the ambassador's speach

Here is the speech Ambassador Sparwasser gave. She handed over her notes to Harald right after.

It is my great pleasure and honour tonight to say a heartfelt thank you on behalf of the Federal Republic of Germany to Harald Kuckertz, our Honorary Consul in Edmonton for his dedicated, selfless and efficient service.

Harald Kuckertz was born in Aachen; he visited his uncle in 1972 in Edmonton - and that was that.

Like many of us, he fell in love with Canada - and never left . He studied law at the UofAlberta, became Canadian and lawyer in Edmonton. His office in Strathcona became over the years the go to place for German and Canadian citizens and companies in need of good advice and help. Harald Kuckertz always kept in touch with his German heritage;
He served for many years on the Board or as President of the German Canadian Business and Professional Association. He was one of the first persons the Alberta Government or City of Edmonton would go to when German delegations came to town or trade missions were sent on their way to Germany.
In 2013 he took on the additional task as Honorary Consul in Edmonton.
Honorary Consuls are for us indispensable roots into our host countries, they are an invaluable network and provide hugely appreciated services to our citizens. We can count ourselves lucky to find personalities of such high standing, with such commitment for our bilateral relationship and to public service.

Personalities such as Harald Kuckertz. He was there for Germans, whenever support was needed. He jumped into the car at all hours of the day to help in an emergency. He never counted the hours of work added onto his busy life as a lawyer when he fostered economic cooperation, looked after delegations or organized events with the German or diplomatic community. And his wife not only tolerated this, she was there all the way with him. Amongst the most notable ones for a Diplomatic Gala, where both of you pulled out all the stops to make Germany shine. A big Thank you also goes to Irene. Wonderful that she and her daughter are here.

Dear Harald Kuckertz, You have opened so many doors for us - German business people, scientists and introduced my colleagues and me to Alberta politics. At every step of the way, it is obvious how much respect and friendship you have generated for yourself and for Germany.
Warm hearted, unpretentious, selfless, helpful, highly knowledgeable but uncomplicated these are the adjectives always used to describe you. You have never put your own needs first, even when ill health made it harder for you to work. We cannot thank you enough for your impressive labour of love to both your countries, Germany and Canada. But if we can never thank you enough, at least we can thank you in the voice of the highest representative of Germany.
It is my great honour to bestow the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to you on behalf of our President, Dr. Frank Walter Steinmeier.

Shannon Gill, Drive Happiness

Posted by Vi Hughes on Jan 22, 2019

This Tuesday we heard from Shannon Gill, the Executive Director of Drive Happiness Senior’s Assisted Transportation. Drive Happiness provides low cost transportation for seniors in the Edmonton area. Their volunteer drivers will help clients from the door to the vehicle and all the way into their appointment. They will handle walkers and smaller foldable wheel chairs. They will then return later to pick up the client and return them to their door at home.

Drive Happiness provided an average of fifteen hundred rides per month in 2018, and their drivers logged over two hundred sixteen thousand kilometers last year. Drive Happiness is a registered not for profit and relies on both government and private funding.

Clients must register and have a yearly income under thirty-five thousand dollars, if single or under sixty five thousand if a couple. There is a thirty dollar yearly fee and each ride is ten dollars per ticket. The ticket covers both to and from their appointment. The client must be able to get into and out of the vehicle with limited assistance.

There is a ninety minute limit on the ride, although under some circumstances they will provide a longer ride if they have a willing driver. They will take someone to multiple stops and wait for them as long as it is within the time limit. So a trip to the grocery store and the drug store or elsewhere and then back home is possible. They will take people anywhere, any time. To the airport at three in the morning, to church on Sunday, to an appointment at the hospital which requires a long walk through many corridors, or out of town to visit a relative. They also have drivers who can speak other languages. They currently provide service in Edmonton, St. Albert, Leduc, Sherwood Park and Strathcona County, and are in talks to expand their service further.

Their customers have an age range from fifty two to ninety nine and eighty percent are women. The client must arrange the ride several days in advance, by calling their office. All of their trips are made by personally talking to the client, not online, as most of their clients are not tech savvy. They ask to know where and when the ride is needed and approximately how long the appointment will take. Many of their clients are single individuals who greatly enjoy the company of someone else and their drivers are happy to provide conversation along with the ride.

Their volunteer drivers are interviewed, screened, vetted and trained to deal with all types of clients. They must all have a vulnerable persons record check in place. They must also have a clean driving record. They are trained to recognize problems with their clients and are able to connect them with other agencies that can help. They range in age from twenty one to eighty six. Their drivers go online and choose which rides they are able to handle and create their own schedules. They reimburse their drivers for the kilometers driven. Insurance coverage is through the driver first, but Drive happiness also carries extra insurance to cover their drivers in case of an accident.

Drive Happiness is funded by a New Horizons government grant which is coming to an end soon. They have two full time staff and three part time staff, housed in an office inside Steinhauer church . Their cost per ride is twenty seven dollars and their annual budget is about five hundred thousand per year. They received two hundred sixty thousand from government funding last year. Their current goal is to spread their funding sources out further. They are always looking for volunteer drivers and for other funding sources.

Mustard Seed Dinner

Posted by Sam Lilly on Jan 11, 2019

The Mustard Seed

The Edmonton Strathcona "Friendly" Rotary Club has sponsored a meal at the "Mustard Seed 96th street drop in centre" for Saturday February 2nd 2019 from 3pm to 7pm.

10 volunteers are needed to prepare and serve food to members of the community. AND WE ARE NOW FULLY BOOKED--THANK YOU!

Sam Lilly or email lillysam@yahoo.com.

Click HERE to sign up

Support Amarok Society

Posted by Ken Germain on Dec 08, 2018

Thanks to all who donated to the recent Amarok appeal.
More emphasis will be put on corporate sponsors who can match our efforts and contributions.

I thought you'd like to hear that things seem to be picking up for Amarok Society.

We're likely opening either 3 or 4 more schools this year in Bangladesh in partnerships with Rotary Clubs there, which will make a big difference. And there are other North American business partnerships we're starting to form which is part of our plan to broaden our funding support. At some point, once our revenue grows even more, we'll probably hire a social media expert (part time) to start to build more support from individuals "adopting" mothers and other things. So, we can see 2019 is off to an exciting start.

http://amaroksociety.org/wordpress/donate/get-involved/

Please read the article and decide if your family has a desire to positively impact the lives of Mothers and Daughters in Bangladesh.
They become teachers in the slums by the hundreds!

Democracy isn't a Pizza.

It's a Tree.

Ostensibly, democracy is one of the chief exports of the western world. It’s conflated with freedom and is seen as inherently valuable for its own sake. There’s also a belief that once democracy is introduced to a country, the citizens will use it to resolve all the country’s problems.

But Democracy isn’t a pizza: we can’t just deliver it to a society’s doorstep, never giving a thought to what’s on the other side of that door. Democracy, rather, is a tree that we’re transplanting: it requires numerous other factors to help it thrive. An uninformed public, for instance, can’t exercise an effective democracy. Likewise, a corrupt government can stand in the way of fair processes and accessibility. It takes more than the advent of an election to realize the democratic ideal.

Rupa never used to leave her slum. This isn’t strange; none of the women there felt comfortable venturing far from their home. Mobility was just one more privilege of men. She couldn’t read, either. I know that her city, Dhaka, has municipal elections, but how on earth that practically functions in the slums is beyond me, where most people can’t read, almost half of the voting-age population feels repressed by the other half, and even something as simple as going for a walk can be problematic. How does unbiased information find its way into such a place? How does an informed, representative vote come out?

Strike a Match, Light the way

There are a hundred ways in which education has transformed Rupa’s sense of herself. She and her classmates are now leaders in their community. So, when a group of them went to speak to a city counsellor to discuss an unfulfilled campaign promise, that marked a huge shift in the community. Democracy wasn’t achieved when Bangladesh got the vote. But when Rupa marches freely with her fellow students to hold local government accountable, they are taking an admirable step in democracy’s direction.

We would like to acknowledge our gratitude to the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove, the Callista Fund, and the Silicon Valley Community Foundation for their generosity in supporting our operations. We are also extremely grateful to all the individuals, Rotary Clubs, and corporations who are supporting us. As Amarok Society donors, you recognize that the world’s education crisis is destructive and inhumane, and that education is a basic human right. Your generous support is leading the path to global education and sustainable peace.

Security for the Future

A new and efficient way to support our operations in South Asia is by donating stocks, securities, and mutual funds. Did you know that when you donate securities or mutual funds you don't have to worry about capital gains tax? To learn more about the benefits, click here.

Rotary's Got Talent

Posted on Dec 08, 2018

As you may have heard, our club is planning the 2nd Annual Rotary's Got Talent. DG Ingrid Neitsch has agreed to come back as a "celebrity judge."

We'd love to see this become an annual event that brings Rotarians across the district together. Last year, members from several clubs performed and attended, and we're hoping to build upon that fellowship.

So, I have two simple requests:

1) Could you pass the word on to your members that we've got room for a few more acts? Any kind of talent is welcome, so musicians, singers, comedians, magicians, jugglers . . . really, any kind of talent is welcome, and it could be Rotarians themselves who perform, or it could be their spouses, partners, children, friends. It could be solo performers or duos or trios or small groups/troupes. If anyone wants to perform, just tell them to contact me at pauldusseault@outlook.com and I'll pass their contact information on to our talent coordinator.

2) Could you send out the attached poster (pdf and jpeg attached) about the event to your members to encourage them to attend? It's a family-friendly event, so they can bring their families, their relatives, their friends. It's simply a fun evening that brings Rotarians together and generates awareness of Rotary. By the way, as you can see from the poster, profits from the event are going to Operation Friendship, to support programs for our city's underprivileged and homeless seniors.

Thanks so much for your attention.

ClubRunner Link:

https://portal.clubrunner.ca/454/Event/rotary-s-got-talent-2019--

Facebook Link:

https://www.facebook.com/events/1918497454853666/

Visit Greece with the Greek anyone?

Posted by Dimitri Papanicolas on Nov 16, 2018

Visit Greece with the Greek anyone?

Posted by Dimitri Papanicolas on 16 November 2018

INQUIRY FOR INTEREST FOR A TRIP TO GREECE IN SEPTEMBER 2019

After two successful Tours of Greece in 2016 and 2018, a couple of club members have asked me if I will be organizing a tour in September 2019. I would like to have an idea of how many members of our club (and their friends) will be interested in participating. The bus tour is about 10 days and takes place in the middle of September. If interested in participating, please send an e-mail to Dimitri Papanicolas at

dpapanicolas@outlook.com . The number of participants is in the order of 20, on first come first served basis. We will also connect with a few Rotary Clubs during the trip. Of course, the tour is open to non-Rotarian too.

The tour will take place in the mainland visiting archeological sites, religious sites, overall site seeing (see map) and of course some local food, wine, ouzo and shopping. Island and cruise tours can be organized separately before or after the tour.

A CHALLENGE HAS BEEN ISSUED...THE GLOVES ARE OFF!!

Posted by Patrick Gibson on Nov 09, 2018

The Rotary Club of Bakersfield California thinks they can bring more people to a Condors game then we can to an Oil Kings game....REALLY???

Tickets: kmack@edmontonoilers.com or gibsonpatrick55@gmail.com

Can't make this game....buy a 4 ticket voucher ($100) to any Oil Kings game this season.

Don't like hockey... you can still support the cause by buying 4 tickets ($100) and donating back to OEG's "classrooms and hockey" program.

4-Way Test

RI link: 4-Way Test

Vince Campbell

Open the President's site page.

Vi Hughes
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President

Vince Campbell

President Elect

Donna Hutton

President Nominee

Jim Peddie

Secretary

Audrey Martyn

Treasurer

Graham Gilchrist

Executive Secretary

Hans Granholm

Past President

Dimitri Papanicolas

Membership

Ellen Weber

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Gene Sekora

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Patrick Gibson

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Carin Jansen van Vuuren

Bulletin Editor

Vi Hughes

Bulletin Publisher

Hans Granholm

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Loida Lumanlan

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Dennis Freeman

Website/Communications/Security

Hans Granholm

Canada Flag Project

Sandy Germain

At Large

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Member Birthdays

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January 7

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January 14

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January 14

Dimitri Papanicolas

January 21

Hal Quilliam

January 24

Wally Romaniuk

January 24

Doug Mulholland

February 15

Vince Campbell

February 29

Spouse Birthdays

Linda Granholm

January 15

Lorraine

January 15

Joan Freeman

January 29

Heather Gierach

February 5

Val Solash

February 14

Sue Docker

February 23

Anniversaries

Bernd Reuscher

Wendy Fung Reuscher

January 3

Dennis Freeman

Joan Freeman

February 5

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Barbara

February 5

Join Date

Ellen Weber

January 1, 1999

20 years

Hal Quilliam

January 2, 2001

18 years

Wally Romaniuk

January 3, 1978

41 years

Bruce Flesher

January 6, 1998

21 years

Eric Germain

January 9, 1990

29 years

Campbell Chow

January 20, 2015

4 years

Don Stefanyk

January 20, 2015

4 years

Vince Campbell

January 20, 2015

4 years

Ivan Docker

January 31, 1984

35 years

Nicolle Germain

February 5, 2013

6 years

Graham Gilchrist

February 8, 2005

14 years

Rose Marie Basaraba

February 10, 2004

15 years

Loida Lumanlan

February 16, 2016

3 years

Brenda McCullough

February 24, 1994

25 years

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Club Contact:

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Web: www.EdmontonStrathcona.Rotary5370.org