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.
This past week we heard an enthusiastic report from our President Elect, Eric Germain on the recent District Conference held in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Here is a brief overview of that talk as provided by Eric.
This year's Rotary District Conference was held on May 12 to 14 in Whitehorse Yukon. It was very well organized and hosted by the Rotary Club of Whitehorse. It was also well attended by over 250 Rotarians and friends from our Rotary District and beyond.
Whitehorse is a fast growing busy city of approximately 35,000 residents of the 40,000 who live in the Yukon.
The large indigenous population was well represented at the conference featuring native dances, entertainment, guest speakers, and a ceremonial fire.
Past District Governor Brent Collingwood was the Master of Ceremonies for the conference and did a good job of keeping the program running on schedule.
Rotary District Governor Ramesh Ferris did an excellent job in his formal and informal duties providing key note addresses and recognition of the event speakers and presentations. He is internationally recognized for his outstanding support and presentations as a polio survivor for the Rotary Polio Plus project for the eradication of polio around the globe.
Rick Hanson provided an outstanding and powerful keynote presentation on his life, and his mission of accessibility for disabled people, including his Man In Motion Journey of 40,000 miles around the earth in a wheelchair in the 1980's.
Michael Sheldrick, founder of Global Citizen gave an inspirational talk about the profound impact his impressive organization is doing to make the world a better place.
It was great time to see some old friends and make some new friends in our amazing Rotary District.
It was a privilege and pleasure to represent the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona. Also in attendance from our club was Ron Brown and Past District Governor Judy Harcourt Brown.
The Rotary District Conference theme which I thought was reflective of our Rotary Club was "Teamwork Makes The Dream Work!"
Our Interact Club from Percy Page High School visited Ronald McDonald House and provided a meal for the residents there. We congratulate them on a successful event.
We want to take a moment to celebrate the creativity and resilience of the communities in the countries where we work, as they work to protect our planet.
We have worked hard to eliminate as much single use plastic as we can in our aid, but some is still necessary. In Somalia, families displaced by drought and conflict are transforming that aid packaging into mats, baskets, vases, and handbags. Not only are they reducing waste, but they’re also earning an income to support their families.
Women like Fadumo and Halima have formed weaving groups, creating essential items from these materials. Fadumo shares, “I’m happy to earn income from this project. I can now buy books and shoes for my children.”
A little proof that sustainability, innovation, and collaboration can change lives
Your Impact in Action
“Now the house is already built, we can stay comfortably, and everyone will have their share, and we will live safely.”
-Zara, Chad
Your support makes an incredible difference for people like Zara who have lost their homes to disaster and conflict. Zara’s journey from Sudan to Chad had been shaped by uncertainty and the daily struggle to keep her children safe. Receiving a transitional, semi‑durable shelter transformed that reality. Her new home has given her stability, protection from the elements, and the dignity of a space she can truly call her own. With a solid structure, secure doors, and shade for her children, Zara now feels rooted in a place where she once felt she could only pass through. Because of you, Zara has more than a roof over her head, she has a place to call home.
Partner Spotlight: Uttaran
Uttaran, whose name fittingly means “transition” in Bangla, is a partner organization focused on lifting people out of poverty, expanding livelihood opportunities, and strengthening the resilience of marginalized communities across Bangladesh. Their partnership with ShelterBox has added a powerful new dimension to that mission by integrating emergency shelter and rapid disaster response into their work. Together, we responded to cyclones and flooding in 2024, and again in November 2025 when a devastating fire tore through the Korail slum in Dhaka, affecting more than 2,000 households and forcing thousands into open spaces with nothing. Through this collaboration, families received essential items such as kitchen sets, bedding, roofing materials, and cash assistance to help them meet urgent household needs.
The partnership between Uttaran and ShelterBox demonstrates how local expertise and global humanitarian support can come together to restore safety, dignity, and hope for families facing crisis.
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