 Amy Smith was the presenter at the Riverview Rotary Club and spoke from Brisbane, Australia. Amy has visited the Riverview Rotary Club as our grant scholarship student. She is a Graduate of the University of Alberta and originates from Calmar, Alberta. She was a member of Rotaract and participated in Rotaract Belize projects. She recently completed a 2-year masters from the University of Queensland, Australia and is now on temporary work assignments. 7 Rotary Clubs, including the Riverview Rotary Club contributed and with the Rotary Foundation dollars provided the 2-year scholarship. Amy talked about international Indigenous Development and Reconciliation in Settler States in Canada and Australia. She is proud of her Metis heritage. She studied Political Science in 2015 and since worked in Human Resources and organized cultural awareness events, bringing her 2 worlds together. The Rotary Global Grant Scholarship has been an amazing experience. She studied at the University of Queensland and received her Master’s Degree in Social Sciences. She was accepted into the Aurora Internship Program in Australia. A 5-week internship. “Understanding alone does not bring change. It’s what we do with that understanding that matters.” – Krishna Pujari. Amy believes we cannot sit on our understanding but need to take action. |
Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview
Service Above Self
We meet Tuesdays at 7:30 AM
E Meetings
E Meetings
Contact Us for the E-Meeting link
Edmonton, AB T5G 0W6
Canada
Edmonton, AB T5G 0W6
Canada
Phone:
(780) 616-3018
Email:
 Jessica Brandon ACT- Jessica Brandon, Manager of Training and Education, Action Coalition on Human Trafficking presented to the Riverview Rotary Club. |
HSMUN High School Model United Nations held its 3-day conference hosted by the UofA undergrads. This was the 18th annual conference with 578 students participating, from 26 schools. The 2020 conference guest speaker was former Governor Genera Madame Michelle Jean and 5370 District Governor Tracey Vavrek. Conference closing remarks were by Rotarian Brent Collingwood.
Rotary Clubs are finding ways to serve and to provide fellowship despite COVID-19
Riverview Rotary has received a heartfelt email updating the good news results of the Kashojwa Uganda Water Project.
Hope this finds you well.
I am writing to you to bring to your attention to the water project impaction to our village.
As the major reason of the kashojwa project that you and your Rotary club funded was to bring down the typhoid cases..... READ MORE..
Riverview Rotary E-Meeting
Join the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview E-meeting from your computer, tablet or smartphone.
Contact Us and we will send you a gotomeeting link to join every Tuesday at 7:30 am
Riverview Rotary & Westend Rotary are stacking tables for shipping to South America Schools.
Virtual Tuesday Morning Meeting
The Riverview Rotary Club regular Tuesday morning meetings are now virtual meetings. Every Tuesday morning at 8:00 - 8:30 am the club will meet and conduct its good work and fellowship via E-meetings. Club members will be sent the link Monday prior to the Tuesday meeting.
You can make announcements and happy buck announcements during the meeting. The Sargent will be omnipresent.
For more information contact
Darcy Frunchak
780.616.3018
Al Gorgichuk working on dismantling tables for shipping.
Dr. Roman Bayrock is the Riverview Rotary Champion of the Wheelchair Project.
Early this year, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview (Canada) and Club Rotario Tomebamba (Cuenca, Ecuador) partnered on a project to replace the aging 1990s-era computers (Window 95 vintage) at the Unidad Educativa Especial Adinea, a school for children and youth with developmental disabilities.
Missing Rotary because your club cancelled its regular meeting. Continue your Rotary involvement by “visiting” the Rotary E-Club of Canada One (the home club of DGE Jim Ferguson).
The E-club also holds a weekly Coffee Chat on Thursday morning at 8:00 am MDT. These gatherings are “strictly for fun and fellowship and a way to get to know our fellows Rotarians.”
On the third Tuesday each month, the E-club holds a monthly fellowship assembly at 6:00 pm MDT, with a different theme each month.
Visit the E-Club Canada One website <https://portal.clubrunner.ca/8529> to learn more and sign up to attend its meetings.
Thanks to money donated by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview, through its “Operation Esperanza” medical/dental project, the Club Rotario Tomebamba of Cuenca, Ecuador is now able to carry out its own dental missions throughout the year. The funds went to purchase two portable dental units and one portable sterilizer/autoclave. The Tomebamba already had two units in their possession, but that was not enough to carry out an effective dental program.
With new COVID-19 guidelines in place, we have to limit the number of staff who can make & serve food. We are IN NEED of disposable/paper plates, cutlery & cups so we can continue serving 3 hot meals a day to our seniors. If you can, please drop off items at 9526-106 Avenue this weekend! https://www.ofss.org
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic,
the Spirited Spring Gala has been postponed.
Stay safe and healthy,
and we'll hope to reschedule this event later this year.
the Spirited Spring Gala has been postponed.
Stay safe and healthy,
and we'll hope to reschedule this event later this year.
The Riverview Rotary regular Tuesday morning meetings are canceled at the Chateau Nova until further notice.
Precautions to ensure the health and safety of the members is paramount. As various public civic and rotary gathers are suspended, the temporary suspension of Riverview Rotary morning meetings is a prudent measure at this time. You will be updated with changes as they occur.
The district has canceled the March 20 & 21 Learning conference.
Other Riverview Rotary Events & Speakers are also canceled.
Darcy Frunchak
Riverview Rotary Club President
"With a little help from my friends........."
Dr. John Lewis spoke to the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview.
Dr. Lewis and his team continue to work on innovative testing and therapies.
I wanted to say thank you to the Riverview Rotary Club for such a nice dinner tonight at the Norwood school.
An email from a family who attended the Norwood School Celebration of Learning Pasta Dinner served up by Riverview Rotary.
Vicki Strang from “The Gang” Grandmothers of Alberta for a New Generation. Riverview Rotary donated $4000 in 2006 as seed funding. The organization has grown to now raise $2 million annually. Check out their web site and https://edmgrandmothers.org/get-involvedtoo/calendar-of-events/ for their calendar of events.
Lynn Gagne, C.H.N. Certified in Holistic Nutrition presented on the importance of nutrition on health. |
HSMUN High School Mock United Nations Opening Ceremonies with guest speakers Rt Hon. Michaelle Jean, 27th Governor-General of Canada and Tracey Vavrek Rotary District Governor.
Stephen Lau, BCom, LLB, and realtor with RE/MAX Real Estate presented a 2020 Edmonton Real Estate outlook.
There are now 5 generations poised to buy or sell a home and with market influences, it is harder than ever to make a buying and selling choice. External factors have deterred millennials from owning a home; high debt-to-income ratio, difficulty saving for a down payment, new mortgage qualifying rules, reduction in purchaser confidence, and the supply of affordable housing has declined. The house baby boomers own is not the house Millennials can afford or even want, says Stephen Lau. "Immigration and wealthy foreign buyers have led to a change in monetary and lending policies by the government and banks. Mortgage 'stress test' rules make it increasingly difficult for homebuyers to qualify for a home purchase. Sellers will have to adjust their expectations that their home values will keep going up."
Stephen suggests "if you intend to live in your home for more than 5 years, consider investing in modernizing your home's interior/exterior appeal. If you intend to sell in less than 5 years, you will not have the benefit of enjoying your renovation investment for long and will not "recoup" the investment and be better off doing minimal improvements to get the house to be reasonably competitive with more modern homes." Appliances, upgrading to hardwood and granite counters, smart home features and upgrading the energy efficiency of a home will realize the best return of the investment.
Stephen Lau, BCom, LLB, Realtor
EdmontonHomePros.ca
Message from the 2020 Ecuador Medical / Dental Mission
The Team left for Cuenca, Ecuador Jan. 24. Our team of 60 individuals arrived in Cuenca Jan. 25 and we received a warm welcome from the local Rotary Club, and from Dr. Avila and his family.
The Dental Team consisted of 5 dentists and their assistants. They treated all the patients before surgery. The Dental Team treated children in rural schools, in an orphanage, and in a shelter for Venezuelan refugees.
Come one. Come all. Support our inner-city programs. Formerly, we called this event Scotch Mist, but now we have wine pairings as well as Scotch pairings.
Edmonton Ward 1 Councilor, Andrew Knack, spoke at the Riverview Club.
Dr. Tom Greidanus and the medical team are at Hospital San Juan De Dios Ecuador. Helping those in need with dental work, hip and knee replacement surgeries. Life-changing surgeries allow those crippled to now lead productive lives.
Dr. Roman Bayrock returned from 12 days with the Westend Rotary Club in Guatemala and Westend Club President Ben Doz. The Westend Club worked on its vision program and our Dr Roman Bayrock worked hard as the resident Chiropractor. Patients said they felt delicious. |
Amanda Banister, Associate Director of Musical Creativity YONA addresses Riverview Rotary.
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Cynthia Dusseault and brother Blaine also went on this trip. They worked with Marielle Black who has a registered charity Roby’s Helping Hands and instrumental in getting the project off the ground. There were 11 women that trained to sew on this trip.
Brent Collingwood introduced Riverview Rotary guests Azan Esmail, HSMUN Secretary-General and Jinseo Kim, HSMUN Director-General. They spoke about the upcoming HSMUN convention on Feb 20-22 at the U of A. There are 600 student delegates attending HSMUN this year. 35 Students from Grande Prairie are attending. The keynote speaker is Michaëlle Jean, Canada’s 27th 2005-10, Governor-General. Tracey Vavrek, District 5370 DG will make an opening address on behalf of Riverview Rotary and Brent Collingwood will make the closing address. Riverview Rotary has supported HSMUN for 10 years. This year Riverview Rotary will make efforts to showcase at the event and show that with Rotary, the youth can make changes in the world. Riverview Rotarians are encouraged to attend this event.
Paul Dusseault gave an outstanding presentation on the Ecuador projects, the Riverview Rotary has supported over the past 21 years.
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Roman Bayrock is reported to be in Guatemala.
He sent us this picture. Which he says is an ariel picture of a Maya Temple.
But it looks more like it is made of sand on the beach.
Members of the Riverview Rotary attended the 2019 Salvation Army Appreciation dinner at the Chateau Louis Hotel.
Chris Gowers headed up the Kettle Ringing program for Riverview Rotary. Chris & Kathline Gowers, Lindsay Robinson, Dean Wood, Darcy Frunchak and Andrew Frunchak attended the luncheon.
Tim Sharp, Riverview Rotarian and Director of the Salvation Army Edmonton Branch spoke at the event. The Salvation Army surpassed its projections and raised near $650,000. Thank you to all the Kettle volunteers in 2019.
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Menasha Nikhanj, Director of Integrated Community Safety and Director of Engagement and Strategy with the Government of Alberta, Justice and Solicitor General, Menasha is a Peace Fellow from Riverview Rotary District 5370 and completed the Professional Development Certificate at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok.
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Riverview Rotary Serves up Christmas Dinner at Operation Friendship
Rhonda Tollefson, Principal, with the music director of Norwood School and the Norwood School Choir performed Christmas Carols. 14 young singers dawned pajamas and sang to the Riverview Rotary audience, who very much appreciated the Carols. Thank you to Leslie Cleary – Rotary Community Services Director for creating this heart-warming event.
Riverview Rotary Club together with the Cenntenial Interact Club and the Westend Rotary Club joined forces to make dinner at Ronald McDonald House on Dec 7, 2019.
Dr. Tom Greidanus receives the Paul Harris Pin +3 Sapphires.
The Multiple Paul Harris Fellow Plus 3 Sapphires Award and pin recognize Dr. Greidanu's contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
Darcy Frunchak (left) Dr. Tom Greidanus (right)
Carl Simonson receives the Paul Harris Fellow Award
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Darcy Frunchak, Riverview Rotary Club President presents The Paul Harris Fellow Award to Carl Simonson. The Paul Harris Fellow Award is presented in recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions.
Tim Sharp, Executive Director, Salvation Army Edmonton Community Resource Centre is inducted into the Riverview Rotary Dec 3, 2019.
Darcy Frunchak, Club President presented Tim Sharp with the Rotary Pin and Badge and the club welcomed Tim to Riverview Rotary.
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Darcy Frunchak (left), Tim Sharp (right)
Dr. Barry Lyka dons his Partridge in a Pear Tree Sweater
The Annual Riverview Rotary Christmas Party was held at the University Club On Dec 3. Nelson Scott & Lindsay Robinson, Event Organizers, did a fabulous job making this event a success. LoraLee Peaslee, the 2020 President-Elect presided over the evening and made the evening fun and festive.
Rotary Club of Kampala-Munyonyo Presents Club Banner at the Riverview Rotary Event.
Nabilah Naggayi Sempala, a Rotarian and the incumbent Member of Parliament representing the Kampala Women Parliamentary Constituency in the 10th Ugandan Parliament. She presented the Rotary Club of Kampala-Munyonyo banner to Darcy Frunchak, President of the Riverview Rotary Club.
Riverview Rotary Pints For Polio & More! A Resounding Success!
Darcy Frunchak, Riverview Club President, began the evening by outlining the impact of Riverview Rotary and its members have on the local Edmonton Community and its International reach to those in need. Wayne Kauffman presented the history of Polio and the fight to eradicate polio over the decades and Dr. Mikolaj Raszek, CEO of Merogenomics, a genome sequencing company, presented interesting information on the virus, tracking the virus, how it spreads, the logistics of vaccinating millions and consequences.
U.B.A.K.A. (URBAN BULLDOGS AGAINST KIDS ABUSE) is a non-profit biker organization that advocates against child abuse, spoke at the Riverview Rotary meetings on Nov 26.
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Riverview Rotary crew sits down for Tim's coffee after cleaning out the Club Storage locker Nov 20, 2019.
Items were moved to a different location. Club records and pictures will be archived and saved. The change is expected to save the club $1500 annually.
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Riverview Rotary provides 2 $1000 scholarships. The 2019 recipients are Chantel Akinneah who is entering 1st year Engineering at the U of A and Alexis Schick going on in 1st year Occupation Therapy at Grant McEwan University. Congratulations!
From the Riverview Rotary's Facebook page, the club received this post:
Nelson Byamukama You changed life history in my village. We now have clean drinking water. And life is going on well now. Thanks and God bless you all for the great work you are doing for the world.
Brushes and rollers got busy at the Operation Friendship Center when the Cenntenial Rotaract Club got down to painting the decks around the Centre. In no time they had the place looking new and bright again. Youth Service Director, Dr. Roman Bayrock, Club Services Director, Sandra Bayrock, together with Community Services Director, Leslie Cleary took on the role of supervisor and stood back and let them get the job done.
Youth Orchestra of Northern Alberta YONA Students receives their instruments.
An Edmonton couple who sent four ambulances and a fire truck off to help third-world Belize communities has just heard back about how busy two of the vehicles have been.
NICK LEES, EDMONTON JOURNAL Updated: October 27, 2019
A Special Executive Board meeting was held on Oct 21, 2019.
This is an annual visit by the presiding District Governor where the Club Directors can present the Club's project and endeavours.
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Kasha Fardo is entering the master's program at the London School of Economics. Riverview Rotary donated $2500 together with 11 other local clubs and Rotary Foundation for a total $69000 scholarship.
Kasha has drawn inspiration in her academic and career plans from Rotary.
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Calvin Lim - Riverview Club Rotarian - 2019 Winner - Innovative Broker of the Year
Recognized by The Insurance Nexus Awards, in Chicago, Calvin Lim is the 2019 Innovative Broker of the Year Winner for the insurance broker organization who goes above and beyond to meet the needs of the customer in the modern insurance industry.
In the pursuit of delivering customer-first products with a seamless experience from purchase to claims, each carrier must first become a customer-centric organization. To recognize excellence and innovation at each stage of this process, in the category for product development, customer service, operational transformation and claims – and aim to celebrate both the executives leading the change and the teams on the front line every day executing on customer strategy.
Calvin Lim is the Owner of UW Insurer Brokers and a Riverview Rotarian since 2016.
Riverview Rotary - Janet Tryhuba, Executive Director for Fort Edmonton Foundation presented the history and the future of Edmonton's Fort Edmonton Park. Rotary has played and continues to be a big part in Fort Edmonton Park on July 30th.
Why sight? Why Seva Canada https://www.seva.ca/? Karen Chalmers, Executive Director of Edmonton Destination Marketing (EDMH) for Seva Canada, explained why to our members at Tuesday's club meeting. A surprisingly high 80% of visual impairment is treatable or preventable. With approximately 36 million people in the world being blind, that means 29 million people who can't see could see, if they were treated. Cataracts account for a large percentage of blindness and visual impairment--and that's where Seva Canada comes in. Through its eye programs in some of the world's poorest countries, the organization has already helped--through cataract surgeries--5 million individuals see. As Chalmers points out, "Restoring sight breaks the cycle of poverty." It breaks down the financial and social barriers created by blindness and visual impairment. It provides individuals with the opportunity to study, to learn, to work, to live productive lives. Our Rotary club provided Seva Canada with a substantial donation this year, to help the organization help more people see.
Scotch Mist 2019--what a great evening! Cocktails on the lovely patio/balcony of the Royal Glenora Club. Fine Scotch. Fine food. A little Prosecco. Fun "games." Classy silent auction items. We accomplished what we hoped to; we raised a good chunk of change for our inner-city programs. Thanks to everyone who attended! Thanks to the staff of the Royal Glenora Club and to chef Steve Buzak for an amazing dinner. Thanks to the folks from Authentic Wine and Spirits Merchants, who partnered with us once again. Stay tuned for info about next year's event. Not sure if we can top this one, but we're sure going to try.
Possessing a moral compass and unwavering moral principles. Upstanding. Honorable. Fair. Sincere. This aptly describes the individuals who were honored on May 8, 2019 at the 2019 Capital Region Rotary Integrity Awards. Every year, Rotary clubs are invited to honor non-Rotarians who embody the ideals of Rotary in their contributions to the community. The members of our club who attended the event heard some incredible stories about some incredible individuals. Just as we, as Rotarians, strive to "Be the Inspiration," these individuals serve as inspiration for us.
We were delighted to have Jim Bradshaw as our club's honoree. Jim has spent countless hours volunteering on community boards and for community initiatives--working to make communities better places for everyone.
(Photos: Jim Bradshaw, all the honorees, Jim with Rotarians and friends).png)
Jimmy Morrison, Community Relations Supervisor at Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS), addressed our club at Tuesday's meeting, filling us in on the amazing work the society does for our city's disadvantaged seniors. OFSS may be unknown to many, but it's dear to the hearts of our club members and is an organization we have been supporting for many years. Jimmy reminded us how lucky we are to live the lives we do, and how much our gifts of compassion and support mean to those less fortunate.
OFSS is holding it's Breaking Ground Gala on Monday, May 27, 2019, with the goal of raising money to build a new OFSS building that will provide an extra level of care for disadvantaged seniors who are in the fragile stages of life. If you have it in your heart to give, consider attending the gala or donating online to OFSS.
The Edmonton Centennial Interact Club (at Ross Sheppard) hosted us for breakfast on April 30th and told us about their recent work in Belize.
Interact club president, Maya, says, “This year, Ross Sheppard’s Centennial Interact Club made our 7th trip to Belize to work with two of the schools in partnership with us--Ocean Academy and Eden Primary. It was beyond incredible. Each and every member who went has returned beyond grateful for our experience. We painted murals, rooms, and a guardhouse, and shared wonderful memories with the students of each school! We’ve come back with a renewed sense of leadership and service, ready to embody Rotary’s motto of ‘Service above Self’ within our communities and with the schools in the future!”
Here are some pics of the Interactors in Belize. We're proud to be a sponsor of this club.
Dinner was served! On April 24th, club members headed to Operation Friendship Seniors Society to serve dinner to disadvantaged seniors. Unfortunately, we can't post pics of the seniors, but here's the stellar crew that served them.
It makes for a great Rotary meeting when there's an induction. At Tuesday's meeting, there was one. Welcome to the club, Mariusz Sapijaszko!
Mariusz is a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon https://www.youthfulimage.com/dr-mariusz-sapijaszko-cosmetic-dermatology. He's eager to serve, and we're delighted that he decided to join our club.
“Sewing for a Better Tomorrow,” our club’s newest international project, delivered a week of sewing lessons to a group of women in Sandhill Village, Belize and left the women with the equipment, supplies, skills, and knowledge they need to start a sewing cooperative and earn gainful income.
It was a week of long days and hard work in some mighty intense heat—both for the women of Sandhill and for the project’s volunteers—but under the fantastic leadership of club member Lora Lee Peaslee, the rewards reaped by all were many.
The ultimate goal was to help the women help themselves, so we’re looking forward to hearing updates from the co-op executive regarding how things are going. Lora Lee will stay connected with the women to provide ongoing support and advice. A heartfelt thanks goes out to all of you who donated to this worthwhile project.
On Tuesday, April 16th, Cecilia Blasetti, Director of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre addressed members at our weekly meeting. Our club has had a long relationship with the Centre, providing annual funding for its IUD (intrauterine device) program. Cecilia thanked the club for its ongoing support and had some good news. The IUD program has now obtained secure, sustainable funding for the program, so we can channel our club’s funding donation to other good causes.
Cecilia described the many other services and programs that the Boyle McCauley Health Centre coordinates, pointing out that there are still opportunities and needs for partnerships with Rotary. For example, people often come through the door of the Centre with no healthcare card. The Centre assists them with getting “into the system” so that they can access much needed medial care. The Centre also offers dental, footcare, chiropractic care (Our own club member Roman Bayrock, a chiropractor, has often donated his time here.), acupuncture, optometry as well as assistance with finding housing, pregnancy services, etc. The list goes on.
The Boyle McCauley Health Centre offer services to the most vulnerable in our society—individuals who have challenges accessing health services. This is awesome work and we look forward to exploring new ways we can become involved.
At Tuesday's club meeting, club member Dr. Tom Greidanus spoke about the Operation Esperanza mission, which took place in late January and early February of this year. One of our club's signature projects, for over 2 decades the mission has been improving the lives of impoverished Ecuadoreans. This year, 48 hip and knee replacements were performed by the orthopedic arm of the mission, and a few hundred individuals (most of them children) were given dental treatment by the dental arm of the mission.
Our Rotary district and the Rotaract club at Concordia University hosted Paul Chappell (he's 4th from the left, in the back row) on Saturday to deliver the workshop "Inspire Peace: A New Peace Paradigm and Skill Set." (Visit https://www.peaceliteracy.org.)Rotarians, Rotaractors, and members of the broader community attended. There were many takeaways and we were all given much to ponder--about the non-physical needs of human beings, about reality and virtual reality, about building community, about building shared trust, about aggression, and ultimately about what comprises peace. Chappell ended on the note that "Evil is caused by taking the easy path." For Rotarians and Rotaractors, that's an important message that many of us already take to heart. As "People of Action," we need to take risks and seek to effect change, or peace will be unattainable.
At this morning's meeting, we headed outside for a unique "ambulance blessing" by Father Mark Bayrock and the chance to wish Roman Bayrock and Sandra Bayrock a safe journey. On Friday they will be hitting the road as part of the “Highway to Mexico” convoy. Started in 2002 by the Swan City Rotary Club of Grande Prairie, the “Highway to Mexico has, over the years, brought together several Rotary clubs and many Rotarians in a unique mission to personally deliver emergency vehicles, school buses and other equipment to Mazatlán, Mexico. Here, in the province of Sinaloa, lives are changed and lives are saved by these vehicles and this equipment. Roman and Sandra will be driving an ambulance donated by our club, and Roman sourced the 80 wheelchairs that will be transported by the 10 vehicles in the convoy. Buen viaje, Roman and Sandra!
On the evening of March 21st, our club members plus family members and friends rallied to serve dinner at not one but two inner-city schools--Norwood and Delton. It was "report card night" and the free pasta dinner dished out by our club members brought parents and families out to celebrate learning.
We mourn the loss of Mary McLean, who was a long-time member of our club and a dear friend to many of our members. She was an elegant and graceful woman who epitomized the ideals of Rotary. Here is her obituary and photo as it appeared in the Edmonton Journal.
MCLEAN, Mary
Mary McLean passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 in Burlington, Ontario, with her son by her side, at age 86 years. Mary leaves behind her son, Barton (Brenda); and three grandchildren, Carson, Cierra and Savannah. Mary was the eldest of six and leaves her sisters, Hilma and Lillia; her sister-in-law, Yvonne; as well as nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, Norris; sisters, Emma and Anne; her brother, Gary; as well as her life-long best friend, Grace Allen. Mary was born in Prince George, B.C. on November 2, 1932 and moved to Edmonton in 1962. After working for Shell Canada she found her true passion in Real Estate. She was a Rotarian (Edmonton Riverview), a member of Beta Sigma Phi and active in her church, Robertson Wesley United. She touched the lives of so many and she will be missed by everyone who knew her. Visitation to take place on Thursday, March 28, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home, 10011 114 St. Edmonton. Funeral Service to take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 29, 2019 at Robertson Wesley United Church, 10209 123 St. NW, Edmonton. Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 14611 St. Albert Trail NW, Edmonton. To send condolences, please visit www.connelly-mckinley.com.
MCLEAN, Mary
Mary McLean passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 in Burlington, Ontario, with her son by her side, at age 86 years. Mary leaves behind her son, Barton (Brenda); and three grandchildren, Carson, Cierra and Savannah. Mary was the eldest of six and leaves her sisters, Hilma and Lillia; her sister-in-law, Yvonne; as well as nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband of 47 years, Norris; sisters, Emma and Anne; her brother, Gary; as well as her life-long best friend, Grace Allen. Mary was born in Prince George, B.C. on November 2, 1932 and moved to Edmonton in 1962. After working for Shell Canada she found her true passion in Real Estate. She was a Rotarian (Edmonton Riverview), a member of Beta Sigma Phi and active in her church, Robertson Wesley United. She touched the lives of so many and she will be missed by everyone who knew her. Visitation to take place on Thursday, March 28, 2019 from 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at the Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home, 10011 114 St. Edmonton. Funeral Service to take place at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, March 29, 2019 at Robertson Wesley United Church, 10209 123 St. NW, Edmonton. Interment to follow at Holy Cross Cemetery, 14611 St. Albert Trail NW, Edmonton. To send condolences, please visit www.connelly-mckinley.com.
Paul and Cynthia Dusseault are beginning their journey home from a six-week stay in Ecuador. The trip was very much a volunteer vacation. The club’s International Committee provided $5000 CAD for them to use in a partner project with the Tomebamba Rotary Club in the city of Cuenca. The project involved equipping Casa Maria Amor, a shelter for abused women and their children, with a variety of much-needed items—clothing, running shoes, kitchen supplies & equipment, etc. The women and children flee their homes with only the clothing on their backs, and the shelter is their refuge sometimes for many months. Government support for Casa Maria Amor was recently cut back, so the shelter is struggling to meet the needs of the women and children.
While helping the Tomebamba Rotary Club seek out (shop for and order) the many items that were needed by Casa Maria Amor, Paul and Cynthia embarked on a side volunteer project of their own. This project turned out to be much bigger than they had imagined. They spent almost every morning—for four weeks—at Hogar Miguel León, a home for low or no-income seniors (many with no families) as well as for orphans.
A week was spent turning up the soil in a huge overgrown-with-weeds garden plot, preparing the soil for a vegetable garden. Paul and Cynthia arrived early every morning to first help the staff with the seniors—to get them ready for the day and to help them with breakfast. (Many of the seniors are in wheelchairs, so they need help with showering and dressing. Many have great difficulty feeding themselves or simply cannot feed themselves.) Once breakfast was over, then Paul and Cynthia headed into the garden for three to four hours, adzes and shovels in hand. The seniors watched curiously and offered the occasional bit of advice.
The next two/three weeks were spent fixing the seniors’ wheelchairs, which were in very bad shape—flats tires, loose brakes, missing footrests and armrests, missing bolts on hand rims, etc. Paul and Cynthia got to know where to buy tubes, tires, tools, etc.—Ecuador is not a place with one-stop-shops. They were also entrusted with a key to a secret room that contained about two dozen old wheelchairs, from which they were able to salvage parts. It was an exercise is creativity. Some of the seniors cried when they were given their refurbished wheelchairs. Thanks to the generous donation of money from the Operation Esperanza ward nurses whom Paul and Cynthia had come to know through volunteering on that medical/dental mission for 6 years, and who had entrusted them with some money to do something charitable with, there was money to buy supplies, tools, and parts to fix as many wheelchairs as possible plus to buy three brand new wheelchairs.
Towards the end of the wheelchair project, the nuns who run the hogar asked Paul and Cynthia if they could help with a fairly big donation—of an oxygen concentrator needed by a sweet 103-year-old man who has to be on oxygen 24/7. Compiling the remaining money from the nurses, plus a donation by a Canadian friend (Thanks, Dennis!) who had come to visit, plus some personal money that Paul and Cynthia contributed, plus a top-up by the Riverview Rotary club, Paul and Cynthia had the funds to go oxygen concentrator shopping. There was much happiness at the hogar the day they purchased it, squeezed it into a taxi, and delivered it.
The day Paul and Cynthia went to the hogar to say good-bye to the nuns, staff, and seniors, a two-hour-long surprise party was held to thank them—complete with speeches, cake (a real treat for the seniors), hand-made gifts and cards, and a few tears.
Back to Casa Maria Amor, just before leaving Cuenca, Paul and Cynthia and a delegation of Tomebamba Rotarians went to deliver all the items that had been purchased for the shelter. More speeches. Another little party. But the gratitude goes both ways. As Paul and Cynthia point out, giving back makes you a better person, so everyone benefits.
Fervone Goings, WISEST team lead, spoke to our club at Tuesday's weekly meeting about equipping and empowering girls and women to pursue and embrace careers in STEM--science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. WISEST (Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science & Technology) is a unit of the University of Alberta.
The Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview sponsored four grade six girls from Delton School to attend the Choices Conference (hosted by WISEST) in February, engage in hands-on activities, watch cool demonstrations, and learn about the fascinating world of STEM. Seeds planted? Here's hoping!
"Shake it for Belize" was a delightful evening. Thanks to everyone who attended, everyone who opened their wallets to donate to our "Sewing for a Better Tomorrow Project," and everyone who donated their time to help Lora Lee make the evening a success. There definitely was a little "shaking it" going on, as evidenced by the photo.
Sandra Bayrock, one of our hard-working associate members, gave her "classification talk" at our March 12th club meeting. Sandra is a real estate agent and volunteer extraordinaire. She and her husband, Roman Bayrock (he's also a member of our club) have been behind our club's ambulance, firetruck, and Belize playground projects. Sandra jokingly--or not--spoke about how life prepared her for "Team Roman." As incoming director of "Club Services," Sandra will be bringing her enthusiasm and passion to our board in the new Rotary year.
Some of our members attended our Rotary district's "Spring Learning Event" on March 8th and 9th. Svetlana Pavlenko, who is currently serving on our club's board as director of fundraising and will be stepping into the role of president elect on July 1st, attended and took away some valuable insights. One of those was a simple, straightforward way to answer the question that we Rotarians are so often asked: "What is Rotary?"
On March 5th, at our weekly club meeting, Shayne Saskiw, who wears many hats, gave club members some insights into the key issues in the upcoming 2019 provincial election. Read more about Shayne and his experience with the world of Alberta politics. Shayne spoke to our club from his position as a principal with Alberta Counsel, which is a multi-partisan firm specializing in legal and lobby services at both the provincial and municipal levels.
At this Tuesday’s club meeting, Nelson Scott introduced Rotarians to narrowboat vacationing on the canals of England. These boats were built during the Industrial Revolution, and Nelson and his wife, June, embarked on a unique narrowboat adventure. After receiving a brief introduction to their 72-foot-long, seven-foot-wide narrowboat as well as an orientation to the operation of the locks they would be navigating through, they set out on a week-long journey on the Stourport Ring. This trip of about 90 miles included 10 tunnels and 118 locks, of which only three of the latter are manned. The boat itself was well equipped and provided comfortable accommodation for four people (up to six people is possible). Nelson said that narrowboats and locks are easy to operate. The trip offered contrast between urban settings—such as Birmingham—and tranquil countryside. Needless to say, many pubs were located along the route.
At Tuesday's club meeting, member Chris Gowers took the stage and delivered part 3 of his "classification talk. In his working career, Chris was a hotelier par excellence.
Each member of a Rotary club is expected to deliver a presentation about his/her vocation/profession; this is called a "classification talk."
It's time to register for our annual fundraiser for inner-city programs. Come out and enjoy a delightful evening. The ticket link is on the poster, or you can CLICK HERE.
We inducted a new member at Tuesday's meeting, and we're delighted. Rozanna Wyatt is an executive leadership and performance coach and the founder of her company, Wyatt Leadership IQ. Rotary is the perfect place for her to use her expertise and knowledge. Happy Rotary journey, Rozanna!
Here's Rozanna with Stephen Lau (who introduced Rozanna to Rotary) and Paul Dusseault (Club Membership Director).
We enjoyed a delightful "classification talk" at this morning's club meeting. Svetlana Pavlenko spoke about her home city of Novosibirsk, Russia; her education (she holds a doctorate by the way); her hobbies (she loves gardening); and her passions (she loves travelling, learning, going to the opera, and much more). You may remember that she was a candidate for Ward 5 councillor in the 2017 city election. We are so very lucky to have Svetlana in our club.
The Operation Esperanza team, led by club member Dr. Tom Greidanus, has arrived in Cuenca, Ecuador. Work has begun--orthopedic surgeries and dental treatment for those who can't afford it. Go team!
Club member Calvin Lim did a make-up meeting at a Rotary club in Hong Kong while he was travelling. Here he is doing a flag exchange and . . . making a little speech? Yay, Calvin! We can't wait to hear how their meetings work compared to ours.
The Food Bank always needs volunteers, and our club was happy to step up. Ten of us--Rotarians and friends--headed to the Food Bank's warehouse on Thursday, January 24th. We sorted donations of food and packed hampers. Of course we also swept up when we were finished. Hence, the brooms.
The club went on a virtual trip to Russia during Tuesday morning's club meeting. Paul and Cynthia Dusseault condensed their one-month sojourn in Russia into a combination history lesson and travelogue. It was 30 days of independent exploration and discovery that took them through western Russia (St. Petersburg, Veliky Novgorod, Moscow, the many towns of the Golden Ring, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan, and Ekaterinburg) and gave them some amazing insights into an often misunderstood country.
On Monday evening, our club’s Membership Committee hosted an “Introduction to Rotary” event for new and newish members of the club. Club Membership Director, Paul Dusseault, welcomed the attendees—five of the club’s newish members (Svetlana, Lola, Sandra, Mark, and Denis), along with Denis’s spouse, Monique, Stephen Lau’s girlfriend, Faye, one potential member, Wei Chew, and the Membership Committee members, Wayne, Nelson, Stephen, and Dean.
Wayne identified the many benefits of Rotary membership—networking, fellowship, the reward of “giving back,” the opportunity to develop humanitarian projects using one’s knowledge and skills. He explained the club’s focus on impacting inner city youth and seniors. Projects such as the Rocky Mountain Experience, the Voyager Experience, school dinners, music programs, and scholarships demonstrate our commitment to youth. Our partnership with Operation Friendship Seniors Society (serving meals, holding clothing drives, and assisting with Christmas programs) forms the focal point of our work with seniors. Internationally, our many projects include the Operation Esperanza Medical/Dental Mission to Ecuador, providing ambulances to countries in Central America and Africa, building playgrounds in Belize, and a brand-new-this-year sewing project in Belize.
The “Introduction to Rotary” evening was interactive, with lots of questions, answers, and great conversation. Everyone took away a greater appreciation of what the club does, what it can do, and how individual members constitute the driving force behind it all.
Members of our Rotary club celebrated the 50th anniversary of Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS) this morning at their "kick-off breakfast," which heralds a string of anniversary year events. It was great to spend a little time with the seniors served by OFSS, to meet some of the society's board members, and to mingle with other folks who give of themselves to help this shining star of a social service agency in our city.
The Calgary Flames fan is Jimmy Morrison, OFSS's Community Relations Supervisor. And that's long-time OFSS board member, Sue Walsh, wearing the lovely green and purple scarf. The rest . . . well, that would be us Rotarians, from left to right: Leslie, Chris Cynthia, Paul, and Dean.
The Salvation Army hosted an "appreciation lunch" for its recent Christmas Kettle Bell Campaign, and some of our club members who took shifts at Southgate Mall to help fill the kettle attended.
The Edmonton campaign raised over half a million dollars to provide social services to the capital region's vulnerable and disadvantaged.
Here we are with Rotarians from other Edmonton clubs that also "rang the kettle bells."
There's Chris (far left), Paul (next to Cliff), and Raemonde and Darcy holding the certificate of appreciation.
We're delighted to announce our club's newest international project, spearheaded by long-term member Lora Lee Peaslee. Please consider supporting this project that will change the lives of low-income and no-income women in a village in Belize.
We've set up a GoFundMe campaign to tell the story and to make it easy for you to give if you can. Click here or click on the photo to learn more.
At this morning's weekly meeting, club member Stephen Lau, President and Founder of Edmonton Home Pros, gave us a fascinating crash course on the current status of the real estate market here in Edmonton mainly but also in other parts of the country.
Get ready for more “skinny homes.” Understand that millennials have a huge effect on the market because they’re doing everything later in life—including buying homes. If you live in a huge house, think of downsizing soon because demand for big homes is dropping. Modernize/renovate your home if you plan on living in it for another 5-10 years; otherwise, don’t bother. Expect the real estate market to remain flat because of the uncertain economic and political situation. Etc. etc. etc.
Stephen, who organizes speakers/presenters for our weekly meetings, had to figure out how to cover the last-minute cancellation (due to illness) for this morning. He stepped up in a big way to be the speaker himself and outdid himself. Tons of info, a heap of insights, and an excellent handout to boot.
A few club members headed out to the Alexander First Nation on Thursday, December 20th to hear the YONA students perform at the Kipohtakaw Education Centre's annual Christmas concert. These students have been in the YONA program for a year and a half and gave a smashing performance for burgeoning violinists. Our club has been a long-time supporter of the YONA program, which was largely the impetus of our former club member, Carl Simonson.
Watch the video!
Watch the video!
We made the news! Our longstanding partnership with Norwood School is indeed a special one.
Watch the video!
Watch the video!
Thursday, Dec. 13th was delivery day at Operation Friendship Seniors Society. Santa presented the surprised and delighted seniors with presents purchased by generous shoppers through the Stocking Stuffers for Seniors program held in partnership with London Drugs and other organization. Our club's own Sandra Bayrock and Leslie Cleary were there to help. This is a program that our club has taken to heart; several of us volunteered for different stages of the program this year.
Riverview Rotary served Christmas dinner to over 200 at the Operation Friendship Seniors Society a few days before Christmas.
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Riverview Rotary served Christmas dinner to over 200 at the Operation Friendship Seniors Society just a few days before Christmas. Chris Gowers was the evening's maitre d'. Under his stewardship was Mrs. Gowers, Brent, Wayne, Roman, Sandra, Leslie, Darcy & Raemonde and others. Dinner was topped off with a Christmas orange, Christmas cookies and well wishes. We "did a fine job", according to Chris and together with the Center's help, raised the spirits for all.
At our meeting this morning, Dr. Mark Joffe, Vice President & Medical Director for Northern Alberta with Albert Health Services, walked us through the history of polio, from when it was a mysterious and misunderstood disease that afflicted thousands and killed many, through to the discovery that polio is caused by a virus and can be vaccinated against, and finally to today when immunization programs have almost wiped this dreaded disease from the planet, the only countries with polio cases being Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan--and the numbers of those cases being very small. Joffe pointed out that the barriers to wiping polio from these three countries are both political and social. For example, the Pakistani Taliban have banned the polio vaccine.
Joffe gave us incredible insights into how polio affected life in Edmonton through the years, and how medical professionals here stepped up to cope with the epidemics of the 1950s. He told a moving story of iron lungs and lives destroyed. It's a story that Rotarians embrace and pay attention to because the fight to end polio is a fight that Rotary will not walk away from until polio is no more.
You can help Rotary and its partners in the fight to end polio.
Cliff Neufeld, our club's president, thanks Dr. Joffe for an informative, insightful, and powerful presentation.
What a great club meeting we had this morning! Too much for one story, so there will be two today. This one's about service . . . one of the pillars of Rotary. We gave and we thanked.
First, there's Edmonton's Food Bank. Our director of community services, Leslie Cleary, handed a cheque for $5000 to Tamisan Bencz-Knight, Manager of Strategic Relationships & Partnerships for the Food Bank. The money will help augment the Food Bank's food hamper program through the provision of shelf-stable milk for the hampers handed out to the Edmonton's families in need.
Second, there's Alberta Honda. Club member Roman Bayrock presented Glen Lewis, Shop Foreman at Alberta Honda, with a plaque in appreciation of Alberta Honda's work on servicing our donated ambulances and fire trucks to get them ready to go to places like Belize and Honduras--places that are in dire need of emergency services vehicles.
Third, we have Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS). Long-time club/board member Dean Wood loaded up his vehicle with items collected by our club members for the disadvantaged seniors who use the services of OFSS. Winter clothing, coffee, mugs, a blanket/afghan or two . . . we hope these items help the seniors stay warm this winter.
Meet our incredible judges for our 2nd Annual Rotary's Got Talent. Buy your tickets. Mark your calendars for Saturday, January 26, 2019.
Club members, partners, and friends donned their Christmas finery and gathered at the Faculty Club on the evening of December 4, 2018 to celebrate the season at the annual club Christmas soirée. Thanks, Nelson, Lindsay, John, Lora Lee, and all those who played a role in making the party a success. Thanks, Darcy (our club's president-elect), for being our witty MC. And of course, thanks David for delighting us with your looking-back-on-a-year-at-Riverview version of 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. The party's "white elephant gift exchange" organized by John was a blast, but there wasn't enough "stealing." Darn us polite Rotarians!!
The Rotary Foundation enables Rotarians around the world to undertake humanitarian service projects that change lives. At Tuesday morning's club meeting, Vicky Grabb, who is a governance consultant by profession and a Rotarian at heart, reminded us of that.
Donations to the Foundation come back to club members so they can carry out work in the Rotary's 6 areas of focus:
• Peace and conflict prevention/resolution
• Disease prevention and treatment
• Water and sanitation
• Maternal and child health
• Basic education and literacy
• Economic and community development
Rotarians donate to the Foundation, but so can anyone--everyone. Read more about the Foundation, and . . . well, why not consider donating.
Our club president, Clifford Neufeld is thanking Vicky with a gift--the gift being a donation to the Foundation, specifically to the fund to eradicate polio from the planet.
Our club volunteered for the Salvation Army's "Christmas Kettle Campaign" again this year. You might have seen some of us at Southgate Mall this past Friday and Saturday.
If you haven't had a chance to put a little something in the kettle, you can donate online.
And remember, one of the secrets to happiness is helping others.
Professor Gordon Houlden, Director of the China Institute, explained China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to our club's members and guests this morning. Consisting of a “belt” of overland routes based on the ancient "Silk Road" and a maritime “road” of shipping lanes connecting numerous ports, the BRI is, as Houlden explained, the "biggest infrastructure project in history," with over 100 countries involved. (Learn more)
While China--a country that has been on the rise for a few decades--is the driving force behind the initiative and will reap substantial economic and social rewards from it, the goals are multi-fold for all involved countries. Houlden identified them in his presentation: 1) policy coordination; 2) facilities connectivity; 3) unimpeded trade; 4) financial integration; 5) people-to-people bonds.
This is an initiative you can expect to hear much about in the future.
On November 15th, 2018, we lent a hand to write gift tags for the Stocking Stuffers for Seniors initiative, spearheaded by Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS), operated in conjunction with London Drugs, and with many other partners involved. Our club was proud to participate this year, and here we are, at Stingray Radio in West Edmonton Mall, preparing the tags that will appear on Christmas trees in London Drugs stores very soon. Take a tag, buy the gifts listed, hand them to the customer service folks at London Drugs, and those gifts will be wrapped and given to our city's disadvantaged seniors at Christmas. If you're still not quite sure how the program works, click here.
On November 8, 2018, some dedicated members of our club and some friends of our club met at the Emmanuel Foundation's warehouse to load a shipping container that is now on its way to Belize. In the container . . . well, there's literally a ton (or more) of donated items. Thanks to our club members Roman and Sandra Bayrock for working with the Emmanuel Foundation to collect items and spearhead the loading of this container.
3 playgrounds
6 boxes EMT (emergency medical technician) uniforms
5 desks
30 hospital mattresses
2 bundles of garden tools
4 handsaws
10 chairs (for a sewing project that our member Lora Lee is organizing for 2019)
6 tables (for Lora Lee's sewing project)
14 sewing machines (for Lora Lee's sewing project)
2 boxes fabric (for Lora Lee's sewing project)
30 wheelchairs
10 walkers
10 spinal boards
37 bicycles
600 soccer balls & pumps
20 boxes soccer uniforms
2 hospital gurneys
. . . plus so much more (4 calling birds, 3 French hens, 2 turtle doves, and a partridge in a pear tree--well, not really, but 'tis the season)
District Governor Ingrid Neitsch met with our club’s board on October 29th and spoke at our club meeting on October 30th, to deliver some advice and inspiration.
Ingrid (front centre), Marilyn Mucha (Assistant District Governor) to Ingrid's right, and our hard-working board.
Animated discussion!
Ingrid with Stephen Lau, our speaker organizer, who is not looking jet-lagged at all after his recent trip to China.
This past week, club member Sandra Bayrock spent some time with Stanice Tokio Markham at Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS) making Christmas lists for disadvantaged inner city seniors in Edmonton. This is part of an amazing program--called Stocking Stuffers for Seniors--developed by OFSS. Actually, it was OFSS Community Relations Supervisor Jimmy Morrison, who came up with the idea, and it makes one's heart sing.
For each senior, Sandra and Stanice created a list of 3 items--could be something like toiletries, socks, throw blankets, cookies, chocolates, etc.--that would make Christmas special for that person. Those lists will be taken to London Drugs, written on ornament-shaped tags, and hung on a Christmas tree.
Then it's up to Edmontonians to pitch in. How? When you're doing your Christmas shopping this year, pop into a London Drugs store, look for the tree, take a tag, buy the items and leave them with the cashier. The gifts will be wrapped and given to the seniors at Christmas.
The Edmonton Journal wrote an article about the program last year.
It truly is better to give than to receive, and this program brings that home.
Back from a month-long journey in Russia, Paul Dusseault presents our club president, Cliff Neufeld, with "flags" from two Rotary clubs (a St. Petersburg club and a Kazan club) in Russia. When you're a Rotarian, you're welcome--in fact, more than welcome--to attend meetings of clubs in other countries. The exchange of flags is a token of friendship, and each club's flag is representative of some feature or aspect of the club, its city, or its country.
About that journey, Paul Dusseault and his wife (Cynthia, also a member of the Riverview club) travelled independently (not on a tour), learning a great deal about Russia, its people, and its history. Two members of the Kazan club even took an afternoon off work to show Paul and Cynthia some of the historic sights near Kazan, which is the capital of the Republic of Tatarstan. That's Rotary fellowship!
Paul Dusseault says, "Visiting clubs anywhere in the world is a great feature of Rotary. We think this type of people-to-people relationship building contributes to peace building by reducing mistrust and misinformation between people and nations. And by the way, go to Russia, it is amazing."
Andrée Vincent, MD/MBA candidate of the class of 2019 at the University of Alberta and co-founder of Starlight Performance Camp, told us (at our club meeting this week) how children affected by chronic illnesses and disabilities have the unique opportunity to feel like a star for a day at this free performance camp that teaches cheerleading, dance, gymnastics, and fashion. Created and led by U of A medical students, the camp gives children confidence and self-esteem. At the end of they day, children perform for their families--and they literally shine!
Andrée Vincent is receiving a heartfelt thanks from our club president, Cliff Neufeld.
District Governor Ingrid Neitsch and the Rotary Club of Edmonton West hosted a mighty fine district conference this past weekend. There was music. There were outstanding speakers. There were countless opportunities to connect, network, engage, and learn. We had excellent attendance by the members of our club, and no doubt all of us left inspired and energized--ready to take "Service Above Self" to a new level.
If you were unable to attend this year's district conference, plan to get inspired at next year's, which will take place in Grande Prairie. If you register before November 30th, you'll get the early-bird rate. See you there!
Our members who attended the last day of the conference.
The students, families, and teachers of Delton School enjoyed a "Welcome Back" barbecue on September 13th. Thanks goes to our club's Community Services committee for organizing this event, and thanks goes to those who cooked and served. Here's the crew that came out on a very cool fall evening.
Greg Litvinov, Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, officially became a Rotarian on Tuesday. Yay!!!! Welcome, Greg!
Following Greg's induction, our guest speaker, Michael Baker, Area Manager (covering Northern Alberta) for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, spoke about the valuable work the Society does to fund research and support patients with blood cancers.
At Tuesday's meeting, one of our newer members, Dr. Denis Vincent, delivered his "classification talk." In the world of Rotary, this is a requirement of Rotarians. The talk showcases who you are, what you do, and helps your fellow members get to know you--all geared to enrich the fellowship aspect of Rotary.
Denis spoke about his background, his family, his practice . . . what makes him tick, what makes him who he is.
And speaking of fellowship . . . left to right, there's Stephen Lau, Denis, and Club President Cliff Neufeld.
Thanks to club members Roman Bayrock and Sandra McDonald, ambulances are heading to where they're needed. Global News covered the story. Check it out here.
So, at Tuesday's meeting, Karen Unland and her daughter Elizabeth Spencer gave us some insights into podcasts and why we should make them part of "our media diets." Check out Karen and Elizabeth's podcast, "That's a Thing." (https://thatsathing.transistor.fm/) And if that's not your thing, check out the Alberta Podcast Network (https://www.albertapodcastnetwork.com/ for more great podcasts by Albertans. Then go even broader, and check out Time's "the best podcasts of 2018 so far (http://time.com/5275708/best-podcasts-of-2018-so-far/).
Induction!! At Tuesday's meeting, Jessy Nerval became our first new member in this Rotary year. Jessy launched the Seva Food Truck not-for-profit (see Seva YEG) a project of Edmonton’s Sikh community. Seva Food Truck provides meals to Edmonton’s hungry, regardless of ethnicity or religion. Welcome Jessy!
Today’s speaker was our own Roman Bayrock, who, with his fiancée, our own Sandra McDonald, enjoyed a unique boating adventure this summer, through the many locks of Canada’s Rideau Canal. The Canal was opened in 1832. It was designed to defend Kingston, Canada’s capital at the time, from an American attack. Thankfully, that attack never happened.
We had great speakers at our last 2 meetings!
On July 31st, Dr. Mikolaj Raszek, the founder and managing director of Edmonton-based Merogenomics Inc., delivered a fascinating talk on the medical benefits of genome sequencing and how it can be used in the areas of cancer screening, the study of hereditary and infectious diseases, prenatal screening, and much more. This is medical science as its most advanced, and the good news is that genome sequencing is available to the general public. Learn more at https://merogenomics.ca/.
On August 7th, Bean Gill, who, in 2012, suddenly became paralyzed by transverse myelitis, spoke about her journey to rebuild her life and regain her strength and also to become the cofounder of the ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre, where individuals with spinal cord injuries and associated disorders engage in neurorecovery--exercises that retrain the nervous system and foster mobility. Check out Bean's story https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/bean-gill-wheelchair-spinal-cord-exercise-recovery-1.4006521 and the ReYu Paralysis Recovery Centre:https://www.reyu.ca/.
On July 24th, it was far from our typical Tuesday morning meeting. Tony Nguyen, Co-Founder of F.R.E.E. Fitness and Personal Trainer, got us off our chairs, made us work some of our under-worked highly-in-need-of stretching muscles, and gave us some great exercise tips--which we should all take to heart. After all, a healthy, fit Rotarian is much more capable of working to make the world a better place.
Andrew Otway, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation delivered an eye-opening and highly informative presentation to our club on Tuesday, about the hospital that many of us know well. This busy hospital runs 28 operating rooms, can provide complex care for 66 babies at a time in its neonatal intensive care unit, delivers hundreds of babies every year, and so on and so on.
But, the hospital needs help to carry out necessary upgrades and renovations. If you can find it in your heart to give back to the hospital that does so much for so many, well . . . give a little or give a lot. Here's the link: https://www.royalalex.org/.
Andrew Otway (left) and club president Cliff Neufeld.
A few weeks ago, our club had a "handover" event at the Faculty Club, at which the reins of the club were handed over to a new president and a new board. Past President Paul thanked those who served on the board and served in key roles during his presidential year. Thanks again, everyone!
John, Jason, and Tamisan couldn't be at the event, so Paul thanked them at this week's meeting. Thanks, John, for another year of serving as Club Secretary. Thanks, Jason, for arranging our weekly speakers and handling our ongoing grocery card fundraiser. Thanks, Tamisan, for scheduling us all for meeting set-up and take-down.
As our club embarks on a new Rotary year, we invite you to learn about Rotary (https://www.rotary.org/en) by coming to a meeting. Head over to our website (https://portal.clubrunner.ca/454) and learn more about us. Send us a message and we'll let you know about our upcoming meetings, our meeting format, what Rotary does, and how Rotary can become one of the most meaningful aspects of your life.
At Tuesday's meeting, one of our newest members, Dr. Denis Vincent, spoke about ezReferral (http://ezreferral.org), a must-have service for health care professionals and their patients.
The service (Dr. Vincent is the founder and CEO) makes it possible for health professionals to send referrals easily and securely through the cloud, ensuring that everyone is on the same page, including the patient. The system automatically notifies and reminds patients of what's up, which means patients don't have to wonder what's really happening with those referrals their physicians said they made.
The ezReferral system means no more faxing. Faxing is an archaic, inefficient method of communicating, and as Dr. Vincent points out, lost faxes can and do put patients' lives at risk. A referral that's acted upon in a timely manner can save a life.
Dr. Vincent and his innovation partners built ezReferral as a social enterprise. It won the Canadian Medical Association’s top prize for innovation last year.
Ask your health care professional if he/she uses or knows about ezReferral. If the answer is "no," then forward him/her this article about the downfalls of old-fashioned faxing: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/…/article-why-are-fax-mach…/ and encourage him/her to advocate for a change. Some health professionals are already on board, but bureaucracy is an impediment. Advocacy can make a difference--and save lives.
On May 31st, we enjoyed a lovely "cinq à sept" farewell party for long-time club member Mary McLean. We gathered at the home of member Lindsay Robinson to celebrate Mary's years with our club and to wish her well as she prepares to move far away from us, but closer to her family.
Good-bye Mary. We are going to miss you. We thank you for your many years of stellar "service above self." (And here are just a few photos of the delightful evening.)
Another great meeting on Tuesday. Induction happened first. Meet our newest club member, Dr. Denis Vincent, family physician and innovator (http://www.cbc.ca/…/ezreferral-alberta-denis-vincent-1.4248…). Welcome to the Rotary family, Denis! And thanks, club member Stephen Lau, for inviting Denis to our meetings to learn about Rotary and now embrace it.
We were also treated to an informative presentation about University of Alberta’s High School Model United Nations (HSMUN) 2018 Conference (https://hsmun.org), of which our club has been the primary sponsor for the past six years.
Thanks, Perrin Michalyshyn (HSMUN 2018 Secretary General), Abdel Tayem (HSMUN 2019 Secretary General), and Azan Esmail (HSMUN 2020 Secretary General), for telling us about the issues/debates and how students solve world problems.
On May 22nd, we welcomed Reverend Mark Bayrock (Всечесніший о. Марко Байрак) as a member of our club. Yay!!! His classification: Minister of Religion. We're delighted that he has chosen to become part of the Rotary family. We're sure he'll find many ways to put his skills and expertise to use as he helps us in our projects and endeavours.
Our Scotch Mist 2018 event took place on Friday, May 11th. It was a lively event and raised funds to help support our inner city school programs. Thanks to all who helped with the event and all who attended.
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More pics . . . .
At Tuesday's club meeting, Dr. Tom Greidanus gave a presentation about Operation Esperanza 2018, and some members of the Operation Esperanza team joined him to tell stories about the patients and volunteers, and how lives are changed. Our club, of which Dr. Tom is a member, received a Rotary Global Grant to support the mission.
Here's Dr. Tom with some team members. Left to Right: Cynthia Dusseault, Paul Dusseault, Dr. Tom, Sharon Litchfield, Mary Knight, Suzy Depledge
Dr. Tom with Paul Dusseault, who has been handling the mission's finances for the past 5 years.
We welcomed another new member into our Rotary club on Tuesday. Lola Ibraimova, born in Uzbekistan, is a licensed immigration consultant, fluent in four languages. She has a resume that’s nothing short of impressive, and we are delighted she has chosen to join our club.
Our guest speaker at the meeting, Reverend Mark Bayrock, gave us a fascinating presentation about his sabbatical year, during which he embarked on a road trip through Canada and US, one highlight of which was attending the Fiat Club of America’s annual gathering in Michigan. He also spent a few months at a monastery in California and studied for a semester at the Pontifical North American College in Rome, Italy. Quite a journey!
At our meeting last Tuesday, Svetlana Pavlenko was inducted into our club. We are delighted that she has chosen to join the Rotary family--and our club in particular. Svetlana is the Executive Director of the JDIC (Jewish) Seniors' Centre and has a wealth of expertise to draw upon as she takes part in the endeavours of Rotary.
We also want to thank Gem Munro for delivering a passionate talk about the Amarok Society, which he founded with his family. The Amarok Society teaches uneducated mothers, in the poorest areas of the world, so they, in turn, can teach their children and the children in their communities. It's not about building schools and libraries; it's about sustainable, cost-effective education. The teaching happens in houses, on rooftops . . . wherever the teachers and students have a space to teach and learn. Check out the website of the Amarok Society, and learn about its work and its impact--on mothers, on children, on the world. You'll see that, as the society's motto states, "If you teach a mother, you teach a family. If you teach five mothers, you teach a neighbourhood."
At Tuesday's club meeting, Raemonde Bezenar, Executive Director of the Mountain Gorilla Conservation Society of Canada, donned her gorilla suit and gave us an impassioned talk about her work with the endangered gorillas of Africa.
In May of this year, to raise money for students pursuing careers in veterinary medicine--and who will potentially become "gorilla doctors" for these great apes--Raemonde will be spending 12 days trekking to Everest Base Camp and then participating in the 60 Km Extreme Ultra Everest Marathon. Please consider supporting Raemonde in her efforts by donating to her GoFundMe campaign.
University of Alberta’s High School Model United Nations (HSMUN) 2018 Conference!
This year marks the 16th anniversary of HSMUN, and for the past 16 years the University of Alberta campus has been transformed for three days of each year into a realm of negotiation and intrigue. High school students from across the province had the opportunity to work together through real life scenarios. Riverview Rotary is pleased to continue to support the HSMUN financially each year.
HSMUN 2018 will took place from Thursday, February 22 to Saturday, February 24, 2018 at the U of A north campus. The conference commenced with opening ceremonies on Thursday night and wrap up on Saturday afternoon with closing plenary.
The mission is over. Sixty-five volunteers from Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba travelled to Cuenca, Ecuador early this month to take part in Operation Esperanza, the orthopedic-dental mission that provides much-needed surgeries and dental treatment to disadvantaged individuals. Here's the team enjoying an evening of food and entertainment provided by our partner club, Club Rotario Tomebamba. There was good reason for the team to celebrate this year. A record number of surgeries were performed (44 hip and knee replacements for adults, 17 surgeries for children with a variety of orthopedic conditions), and 381 adults and children were provided with dental treatment. Kudos to Operation Esperanza team leader, Dr. Tom Greidanus, a member of our club, for another successful Operation Esperanza mission.
Nelson Scott presented the "Paul Harris" + 4 pin. Congratulations Nelson!
Two new members: Leslie Cleary and Don Bladen inducted into Riverview Rotary. Welcome to Riverview!
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Guest Speaker: David Sheppard, MLA gave an overview of NDP
education and health care plans at the Feb 6, 2018 Rotary Meeting
Enjoy an evening of fun, friends and fine scotch
May 11, 2018
Royal Glenora Club
click the link to purchase tickets
Register Today!. Tickets are limited.
The snow didn't stop the show, and what a show it was! Here's to the organizing team, the judges, the performers, and everyone who attended "Rotary's Got Talent!" Proceeds are going to the Emmanuel Foundation, to help hurricane victims rebuild.
Here are a few pics from the event. Go to our Facebook page to see more.
Our judges: Bryan Hall, Ingrid Neitsch, Rob Christie, and Frank Reitz
MC Miles Gibson
Brent Collingwood, singing a sea shanty
Duff Robison, who closed the show in style
This could be the year we see no new cases of polio. Read this excellent article from TIME magazine (http://time.com/5068516/is-2018-the-year-for-polios-extinction/) about the fight to end this terrible disease--a fight we're winning, and a fight in which Rotary has played a big role.
Congratulations to club member Dr. Tom Greidanus, who received his Paul Harris x2 pin at this morning's club meeting. Paul Harris pins honor donors to the Rotary Foundation, which supports life-changing projects around the world. Dr. Tom Greidanus will soon be heading to Ecuador with a large team of volunteers on the orthopedic/dental Operation Esperanza mission. A grant from the Rotary Foundation supports this mission.
Here's Dr. Tom (left) receiving his pin from club president Paul Dusseault.
We live longer than ever before, and life is indeed a gift. But, along with that longevity often comes chronic illnesses, dementia, and a host of other conditions and issues. Dr. Jean Triscott (https://www.ualberta.ca/medicine/about/people/jean-triscott), Professor and Director of the Division of Care of the Elderly, spoke at our Tuesday morning club meeting about the work being done to improve the care of the elderly and make life better for us in our twilight years.
Read more about the work of the Division of Care of the Elderly here: https://www.ualberta.ca/…/a…/division-of-care-of-the-elderly.
Here's club member Chris Gowers thanking Dr. Triscott for taking the time to talk to us.
Thanks and thanks again to the Honourable Stephanie McLean, Minister of Service Alberta. Through her efforts, the Alberta Government was most gracious in responding to our request for surplus wheelchairs, tables, and chairs.
Our club partners with a few charities, especially the Emmanuel Foundation https://www.efoundation.ca, which ships containers full of playgrounds, medical equipment, and educational materials worldwide. In the extra spaces of those containers, we stick our tables, chairs, sewing machines, and other donations. Off they go to countries like Nicaragua, Uganda, and Belize.
Here are some photos of our work parties loading up wheelchairs and disassembling and loading up tables for delivery to the Emmanuel Foundation's distribution centre. Way to go, Riverview Rotary!
Ingrid Neitsh knows the performing arts. We're delighted she'll be on our panel of judges for our upcoming (January 26th) "Rotary's Got Talent!"
Register today (tickets are going fast!) for an event that will make your January rock! Everyone is welcome.
At Tuesday morning's club meeting, Cynthia Dusseault gave her classification talk, telling the story of the career journey (from radiation therapy technologist to elementary school teacher, and including a little dabble in the travel agency business) that led her to become a freelance writer. Her 20-year writing career encompasses magazine articles, blogs, marketing materials, web copy, a picture book for children (published by Scholastic Canada), video scripts, corporate history projects . . . you name it.
Cynthia considers herself to be the least photogenic person on the planet, so instead of a photo of her, here's a photo of the portfolio pieces she brought to the meeting.
Our distinguished District Governor (Rotary District 5370) is taking time out of his busy schedule to serve as a judge at "Rotary's Got Talent," an event you really don't want to miss. Put January 26, 2018 on your calendar, register today (tickets are only $45) and help us raise money for hurricane relief. Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
What better way to start 2018 than with a fundraiser? And a fun fundraiser to boot! Everyone is welcome--Rotarians and non-Rotarians. Bring your family. Bring your friends.
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Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview
Invites You To
The First Annual
Rotary's Got Talent!
With proceeds to be donated to hurricane relief efforts.
Friday, January 26, 2018
Be "wowed" by the talent of Rotarians
and friends and relatives of Rotarians.
Enjoy the commentary of a panel of "celebrity" judges.
This is purely entertainment. Performers won't be awarded prizes.
Tickets: $45 per person
(includes buffet dinner and show)
Dinner starts at 6:00 pm.
Show starts at 7:00 pm.
The Carvery Buffet Royale
3318 Gateway Boulevard
Edmonton AB T6J 6V1
Or copy and paste this url into your browser: https://goo.gl/EqCUwR
This morning, at our weekly breakfast meeting, club members and guests were treated to a presentation by our own Miles Gibson, long-term Rotarian, our club's current membership director, and (as of October of this year) Ironman. Miles talked about the rigorous training he undertook to prepare for the Ironman competition in Cambridge, Maryland this fall, and also about what it was like to spend 12 hours and 31 minutes completing a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, followed by a 112-mile (180.25 km) bicycle ride, followed by a 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run.
What a story! What an accomplishment!
On Saturday, Dec. 2nd, our club sponsored and served a hot meal at the McCauley Senior’s Drop-In Centre, operated by Operation Friendship Seniors Society. This society provides a range of services to disadvantaged inner city seniors. It's cold out there, and the drop-in centre is where seniors can come to warm up, have a cup of coffee, get some socks and mittens and toques (donations are always welcome), and have a hot meal. The OFSS also operates housing facilities for seniors, and it works with the city's landlords to help find long-term housing solutions.
Such stories of hardship lie behind the faces of the seniors who come to the centre. There are many opportunities for volunteers to help.
So . . .
Getting ready to fill plates in the kitchen . . .
Our kitchen crew . . .
Our serving crew . . .
On December 1st, several of club members headed to Southgate Mall to volunteer for The Salvation Army's Christmas Kettle Campaign, which helps support those in need at Christmas and year round. Thanks to the busy shoppers who took the time to stop, say "hi," and put something in the kettle. Every little bit helps to make the holiday season brighter for those who have less.
There is no greater joy than giving.
Here are Norm Johnson and Paul Dusseault, who took the last shift at the Christmas Kettle.
Thanks to Wayne Kauffman (on the left), our district's Rotary Foundation Chair, and Wayne McCutcheon (right), our Grants Chair (District & Global), for once again providing us with insight into The Rotary Foundation--the foundation that funds life-changing projects around the world.
Through district and global grants, our district's clubs are able to make a difference in the lives of our fellow human beings. Our own club has obtained several grants, most recently to dig a well and bring clean water to a community in Uganda, and also to support our international orthopedic/dental mission, Operation Esperanza, to Ecuador.
Congratulations to Dean Wood (left) on receiving his Paul Harris x 4 pin from Wayne Kauffman. Dean is a committed donor to The Rotary Foundation.
Rotary news from the District Governor
We need your help to feed hungry Edmontonians!
Riverview Rotary heard that Edmonton's Food Bank is experiencing a shortage of donations -- food and funds. We have committed $5,000 to this wonderful organization and the cheque is already making its way there now.
We're asking your help in matching our donation and sending another $5,000 to Edmonton's Food Bank that does so much for so many.
Our club has a long history of serving meals to Edmonton's needy, whether they are the children and families who belong to our inner city school communities, or they are disadvantaged seniors struggling to meet their basic needs. But, on a daily basis, people in our city are hungry, and Edmonton's Food Bank is there for them. Visit the website of Edmonton's Food Bank to learn more.
Riverview Rotary's newest member - Shayan Jalali
Ambulance comes from the Latin word "Ambulare"
"Ambulare" in Latin means "to walk or move about" which references the early medical care where patients were moved by lifting or wheeling. An important and essential item for any community to help provide medical care.
Club member, Roman Bayrock, and Riverview Rotary friend, Sandra McDonald, were able to acquire another ambulance to share with a community in Belize. After a thorough mechanical inspection and it loaded with donated medical items ... it is ready to go and will be heading down to Belize within a couple of weeks! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.
Dusseaults!
Judy & Ron!
Judy Harcourt-Brown and Ron Brown were the successful bidders at our Operation Esperanza fundraiser to send Dr. Greidanus to Ecuador for hip and knee operations last October. They bid on an fun filled adventure packed jet boat trip down the North Saskatchewan river from Edmonton to Devon. After a stuffed salmon BBQ , a quick zip back and a great time was had by all. We even got hung up, unintentionally I might add, on a gravel bar. Kudos to Judy and Ron for being gracious outdoors people. Can’t think of nicer people to go boating with.
On June 20, John Williams, Lindsay Robinson and Roman Bayrock were presented with Paul Harris Pins in recognition of their support of the Rotary Foundation! What great examples of Service Before Self!
Rotary International Convention
Operation Esperanza Expanded
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It is amazing the friendships that has been built spanning thousands of kilometers from Edmonton, Canada to Cuenca, Ecuador as we work with the Tomebamba Rotary Club. A couple of years ago we met with the local orphanage, Hogar Miguel Leon, that the Tomebamba Club was helping to see how else we can support their work.
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An Elegant Evening of SCOTCH MIST!
Come and enjoy a unique experience of pairing fine scotch whiskies featuring Flaming Heart with a three course dinner.
All funds raised will support inner city youth programs.
Date: Friday, May 11, 2018
Doors: 6:00 p.m.
Location: Royal Glenora Club (11160 River Valley Road)
Tickets on Sale soon...
How many Rotarians can you fit in an Ambulance?
All you need to know to nominate ....
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Nomination Form and Criteria
Integrity is defined as a moral soundness, uprightness, and honesty. The District 5370 Capital Region Rotary clubs annually present Integrity Awards to promote high ethical standards and raise awareness of Rotary ideals. The purpose of these awards is to honour adult, non-Rotarian members of the community for their integrity as citizens. Each participating club recognizes one such individual at an annual Dinner.
Also, we are looking for 3-4 people who would be interested in volunteering for an hour or so to discuss nominees and make a selection on behalf of the club. If you are interested in this role, please let Karen know by end of day Tuesday, March 14.
A Riverview Rotary 2016-2017 Update
The Rotary Foundation: "To Do Good In The World"
The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.
A monthly donation of $15 (CDN) to the Rotary Foundation will allow you to fulfill $100 (US) per Rotarian each year and then some. Join the movement to make a difference.
The Rotary Foundation (Canada) is a Canadian federally chartered corporation and Canadian registered charity supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of The Rotary Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Join the millions of Rotarians giving to Our Foundation and know that you are doing good in the world.
