e-Strathconian, 09 Aug 2026 (Aug. 09, 2026)

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

"The Friendly Club"

Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m.

Boston Pizza

4804 Calgary Trail NW
Edmonton, AB T6X 0P9
Canada

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Our Club meets the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month. Please arrive by 11:30 to order your meal. The 2nd Tuesday is a "Meeting with a Purpose" - a volunteer event, date and time to be determined. Members will be notified by email of the details.

District Site

Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona

Venue Map

Summer BBQ

Posted by Vi Hughes on Aug 09, 2026

This Saturday our club held our Summer BBQ at the home of our gracious hosts Stephan and Carin Jansen van Vuuren. We were treated to Stephan’s renowned BBQ Brisket with all the trimmings courtesy of our hosts with the very able culinary skills of Sean McMurtry and Donna Hutton. We had a perfect day, no rain or excessive heat and the mosquitos were nowhere to be seen- kudos to Stephan and Carin for that!.

We were joined by past members, spouses and guests and a good time was had by all… visiting, catching up or getting to know each other better. We also had a short presentation from various executive members on what our club has been doing recently. We would like to thank Stephan and Carin again for this opportunity to enjoy some great food along with good old fashioned Rotary fellowship.

See the Photo Album below for more pix.

New Member Talk, Jefferey Nketiah

Posted by Vi Hughes on Aug 09, 2026

Jefferey Nketiah with Club Member Ken Germain

This week, our newest member Jefferey Nketiah told us a little about himself and what drew him to Rotary. Jefferey told us that he grew up in Ghana, West Africa as the oldest of five children. He said that his parents valued education and ensured that they gave their children the best education they could. He said that shortly after he had graduated from the Natural Resource Management Program his father fell ill with what turned out to be cancer. The trials his family went through in trying to get timely testing, diagnosis and treatment for his father in Africa forever changed his direction in life. He realised that improving access to health and medical treatment was much more aligned with his new goals in life and he transitioned into the non-profit field of Health advocacy.

Along the way he was asked to pick up someone from Canada from the airport one day, and this was how he first met his future wife. Two years later they moved to Canada. At first he found our cold winters to be quite a shock, but he slowly adjusted.

Jefferey told us that he loves music, he plays piano and sings. He also said that he and his wife have released two recordings of their music on You Tube.

He now works at the University of Alberta Hospital Foundation and it was there that he first learned about our Rotary club through the daughter of Rotary member Eric Germain. He told us that he loves the impact of Rotary. One of his goals in life is to set up an educational fund back in Africa. He said that he thinks that the meaningful relationships that we leave behind us are the most important things in life.

We would like to thank Jefferey for his insightful talk and to welcome him to Rotary.

Let Girls Learn, Belize

Posted by Laura Brown on Aug 04, 2026

I wanted to share some pics from my recent trip to Belize for the Let Girls Learn program!

Truly a life changing experience :

After some reflection I was left with one enormous takeaway.

Early in the program back in October and November we heard story after story of extreme violence, trauma and hardship that these girls were experiencing in real time. It was really discouraging. We lost quite a few Canadian mentors in the beginning because they couldn't handle the toll it was taking on their personal peace to hear about these events. I found myself asking questions (to myself) such as "What are we actually doing here?", "How are we possibly going to help these girls or make any real impact?", and the most alarming thought... "Is this nothing more that a feel-good exercise for the privileged to feel better about themselves?

Then during my week in Belize I spend two days along side with these girls painting a homeless shelter. I have to tell you, we approached this project with the confidence of Mike Holmes and the skill level of racoons with paint rollers! The finished product was far from perfect and that's ok because perfection was never the goal.

The real impact wasn't a fresh coat of paint. It was showing the men who resided in this shelter that their community hadn't forgotten them. That people believed in them and most of all... there are people who care enough about them to show up.

And then it clicked.. that is EXAXTLY what we were doing for the girls of this program. We weren't doing this to swoop in and rescue them and solve every problem they face. We were there to remind them that they matter, that they're worthy of being invested in and there are people, both in Belize and across the world who believe in their future.❤️❤️❤️

Sometimes the greatest gift we can give is simply showing up.

See Photo album below for more pix.

Rotary District 5370 Foundation Team Leadership Position Opportunities

Posted by Eric Germain on Aug 09, 2026

Rotary District 5370 Foundation Team Leadership Position Opportunities Available

· Are you ready and looking for a new Rotary leadership and learning opportunity?

· Do you have a passion for The Rotary Foundation?

· Would you like to help Rotary & Rotaract Clubs, Rotarians, and Rotaractors play an active role in creating lasting impacts though their on-going support for TRF?

· Do you have experience, knowledge and a passion for PolioPlus, Foundation Grants, or the Endowment Fund that you want to share?

The District 5370 Foundation Team has three (3) vacant positions that may be just what you are looking for:

1. Rotary District 5370 PolioPlus Chair– helping Clubs create lasting impact through the eradication of polio in the world,

2. Rotary District 5370 Grants Co-chair- helping Clubs create lasting impact through District Youth & Project Grants,

3. Rotary District 5370 Endowment/Major Gifts Chair - helping Clubs create lasting impact by promoting giving to The Rotary Foundation Endowment Fund.

If you know of anyone in your Rotary or Rotaract Club who might be interested in any of these District 5370 Foundation leadership positions, please share this information with them.

District Rotary Foundation Chair 2025-2028

District Board Member 2025-2027

Past President, Rotary Club of Jasper

Rotary International District 5370

Cel. 780-931-6249

Email. foundation@rotary5370.org

Polio Plus Society

4-Way Test

2026 Summer BBQ
Let Girls Learn