Why: This is the largest fundraiser for our club in terms of revenue generated over a two day period. This revenue is basically divided into two and funds a majority of our community projects, local and international over a two year period. -
This past Tuesday we heard from Andrea Burkhardt, pictured, from End Poverty Edmonton, on the Initiative of the City of Edmonton to end poverty in Edmonton, within a generation. This initiative was established in 2015, and they now have developed a road map to guide them forwards. The road map sets out five main goals with a total of thirty-five actions that have each been assigned to various groups around the city of Edmonton to address. It also sets benchmarks against which the results are to be measured.
We have about one hundred thousand people in Edmonton living in poverty, including about thirty-five thousand children. The cost of health and social services to our Alberta economy for services provided each year to those living in poverty is over seven billion dollars. Lifting people out of poverty has some very real benefits for all of us.
In the past many different groups in Edmonton have been rescuing people from problem situations, Rotary being one of those groups, but most of these actions do not comprehensively address the root cause of the problems, which is poverty. The five goals of the road map are 1) Toward True Reconciliation, 2) Justice for All, 3) Move People out of Poverty, 4) Invest in a Poverty Free Future and 5) Change the Conversation: Build a Movement to End Poverty. Andrea explained that we need to remove the stigma around people who live in poverty.
There are six game changers, that if we do them well, will help to end poverty. These are to 1) Eliminate racism, by creating ways to recognise, include and celebrate the culture of our aboriginal peoples and other cultural groups. 2) Create livable incomes, the living wage in Edmonton is closing in on seventeen dollars and hour, but twenty percent of the population still works for less than fifteen dollars on hour. 3) Affordable housing, is an essential element in this strategy. 4) Affordable and accessible transit at all hours for homes, schools, services and places of business so that people can move easily from one to the other. 5) Child care that is affordable and high quality, and finally 6) Access to Mental Health and Addictions Services.
Half of these thirty-five actions belong to the City of Edmonton to address and the other half are spread among many different groups. She invited Rotary to have a look at the road map action points to see which of these things we can help to address. Ending poverty is not something any one group can do alone, we all need to work together on this problem. These goals are not set in stone, they can and will shift over time.
The current budget of the City of Edmonton to address these issues is set at five and a half million dollars a year and they are still in the process of setting benchmarks and ways to measure their progress. Poverty is about inclusion in society, not just money. Poverty and loneliness often go hand in hand. We can make a difference in peoples lives in more than just a monetary way by helping to end poverty.
Today, fields of brilliant poppies still grow in France.
A writer first made the connection between the poppy and battlefield deaths during the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, remarking that fields that were barren before battle exploded with the blood-red flowers after the fighting ended.
During the tremendous bombardments of the First World War the chalk soils became rich in lime from rubble, allowing 'popaver rhoeas' to thrive. When the war ended the lime was quickly absorbed, and the poppy began to disappear again.
After John McCrae's poem In Flanders Fields was published in 1915 the poppy became a popular symbol for soldiers who died in battle.
Three years later an American, Moina Michael, was working in a New York City YMCA canteen when she started wearing a poppy in memory of the millions who died on the battlefield.
During a 1920 visit to the United States a French woman, Madame Guerin, learned of the custom. On her return to France she decided to use handmade poppies to raise money for the destitute children in war-torn areas of the country. In November, 1921, the first poppies were distributed in Canada.
Thanks to the millions of Canadians who wear flowers each November, the little red plant has never died. And neither have Canadian's memories for 116,031 of their countrymen who died in battle.
InFlanders Fields By: Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918) Canadian Army
In Flanders Fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
Please join us for the annual Christmas Party of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona on Tuesday December 5, 2017.
It will be held once again at the Edmonton Golf and Country Club. This is an event not to be missed.
We are doing the Shoebox project again this year. We will explain in more details later, but starting Tuesday November 7th, we will have the appropriate box available for you to pick up at our meeting. The cost is $2.25 per box.
Open this Link to see more details about the Shoebox Project.
Bring your significant other, family and friends, your singing voices and Christmas Spirit and enjoy a relaxed evening among Rotary friends.
Dress: Professional Dress – no denim allowed in the Club
Cocktails are at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7p.m.. Please register as soon as possible.
Registration deadline¨December 2nd, payable in advance to Rose Marie or Graham or on-line
Need technical assistance? Contact Hans Granholm, 780-466-5566
Welcome to the Rotary Hockey Pool For Polio Eradication, Sponsored by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Strathcona
Here’s some interesting facts about THIS hockey pool!!
Pool is limited to 330 participants, Entry fee is $30, Every entry automatically make a donation of $15 to PolioPlus, Every entry automatically adds $15 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 2 trade weeks incorporated into the schedule.
Test your hockey knowledge by building your own team from scratch!
District Governor, Frank Reitz, President, Vince Campbell and Sponsor Eric Germain inducted Ellen Weber, as a new member to our club. Ellen is a former member of the Pittsford Rotary Club in New York State. Her Classification is Brain Research. We would all like to extend a hearty welcome to Ellen.
For the last 20 years or so, our club has offered the chance to win a bottle of wine, a lottery ticket, or a Wheel of Fortune opportunity for a prize. A bit of fun in the middle of the meeting. Members pay $1. for the chance. We have made about $800.00 profit for the general revenue each year.
As this has recently been deemed a game of chance rather than a game of skill, the activity becomes an event that must be licensed by Alberta's Gaming Commission.
That sounds like a lot of unnecessary work.
Tickets at the door are therefore now FREE of charge to everyone. No one pays for the opportunity to win the prizes, so it is not gambling.
We would like to continue The Wheel of Fortune and encourage members to help keep it rewarding and exciting by donating in one of three ways:
1) Donate prizes. Fun prizes always show up. Thanks folks!
Maybe sponsor a whole wedge! Consider the dozen roses spot. Great! Thanks Heather.
2) Sponsor the wine prize. Otherwise the club will pay for it. I can store it. No, really.
3) Donate cash! (a lot like sponsoring the wine prize but I buy the wine. Thanks Campbell C).
District Governor, Frank Reitz presented a Level One, Major Donor Award to Patrick and Susan Gibson, in recognition of their support for the Rotary Foundation.
As you may know RI President Ian Riseley is holding six peacebuilding conferences around the world. The first of these international conferences is close for your members to attend. On February 9-11, 2018 in Vancouver, BC. The presidential peacebuilding conference will examine sustainable global and local environmental practices, and their contributions to peacebuilding and peacemaking.
Participants will discuss the impact of environmental issues on health, fresh air, clean water, vegetation, and food production – and how improved environmental conditions are a fundamental condition of building peace within communities. The conference will bring together community leaders, youth, and representatives from the public, private, and government sectors. Attendees also can participate in a hands-on service project the morning after the conference.
There will be a focus on how Rotary clubs can involve their local community in sustainable projects and peacebuilding.
Members of any Rotary club are to encouraged to attend this important international Rotary event.
The conference website has a list of keynote speakers, link to book a hotel room, draft program and a link to the registration. Please visit: www.EnvironmentandPeace.com.
Rotarians from the US, Canada and around the world will come together at the Hyatt Regency in Vancouver for this conference. Will your club be represented?
Thank you for all you do for Rotary and your community,
Chris Offer, PDG for Rotary Peacebuilding Conference Vancouver
Our Rotary group has partnered in a joint venture with the Rotary Club of Pretoria to help raise funds for the New Hope School in Pretoria. Patrick Gibson has put together a presentation that he will be making to the other rotary clubs in our area to encourage them to help us with this venture. Our goal is to put enough funding in place for us to be able to apply for a Rotary International matching grant.
Patrick gave us the same presentation he will be making to other local rotary groups. It included a short introduction on the New Hope School, followed by a video that has been prepared by the New Hope School. The New Hope School has been one of the projects of our club for some years now, and most of our members are well aware of the work they do in schooling for handicapped children in the Pretoria area. They provide many services above and beyond the usual schooling activities, such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and many others, as needed by their students.
They receive only basic funding from the local government, so must fundraise to provide these other services. Some of the specific projects our funds could be used for would be a specialised playground, or programs to provide technical skills such as kitchen skills, nail and hair salon skills and sewing skills. Patrick has also put together a ‘Go Fund Me’ page on the web, on which people can get more information, view the video and make contributions. We will also be adding a link on our Rotary web page to this site.
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We are sad to report that one of our Honorary members, Gordon Peterson, died on Saturday, November 4th. 
Today, fields of brilliant poppies still grow in France. 
to see more details about the Shoebox Project.
For the last 20 years or so, our club has offered the chance to win a bottle of wine, a lottery ticket, or a Wheel of Fortune opportunity for a prize. A bit of fun in the middle of the meeting. Members pay $1. for the chance. We have made about $800.00 profit for the general revenue each year.
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RI link: ?_=636459318229158931)
