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It was a full meeting today starting with a cheque presentation to Helping Hands, induction of newest member Courtney Hughes and a Youth Exchange banner swap
Today our Membership director, Mona Grace, inducted Anka and Lee to our club. Welcome to Sunrise Rotary, where the cool kids hang.
Jared Gossen with the Wapiti Community Support Association, presented at our meeting to share with us the great work the Wapiti house is doing in the community.
The Wapiti Community Support Association's Wapiti House provides shelter and support to homeless and hard to house individuals who have a unique blend of needs, requiring a unique kind of housing.
They manage this by providing a modern facility with extensive services and compassionate support.
We had a full room this morning with members and guests, thanks to everyone that attended. Our club welcomed our inbound exchange student Ann-Sophie from Switzerland. She shared a little bit about herself, her family, her home and her passions and interests. Welcome Ann-Sophie.
Lydia Bardak, President of the Rotary Club of Yellowknife attended our meeting on Tuesday August 22nd and exchanged banners with President Tanya. Lydia and her family are staying in Grande Prairie with her sister as they await their return to Yellowknife after being evacuated due to fires.
On Wednesday the After 5 club hosted all the Rotary clubs at their meeting with special guest Pepesan from Mazatlan who shared his heartfelt experiences with the project. He shared his gratitude, emphasizing how this project has truly made a difference. It was a great evening of stories and fellowship reminding us once again how great our Rotary community is. Thanks to all the members that attended. Our guest speaker today was Tanya Wald from Sunrise House. Sunrise House provides emergency shelter to youth ages 12-17 who have become or are at risk of becoming homeless. They provide a safe and supportive environment encouraging healthy decision making and strengthen coping skills.
Sunrise House is building a New Youth Emergency Shelter and to date, the community has raised $5.5 million dollars! With 1 million dollars left to raise, they invite the community to help “Lockout Youth Homelessness” by purchasing a lock for a minimum $25 donation and they will put your lock on the Sun Structure for you. The Sun Structure will be placed outside the New Shelter once it opens to signify how the community wrapped its arms around us. Together we can “lock out Youth Homelessness” and ensure no youth is ever turned away.
Thank you Tanya for joining us this morning. 
Rotary Recap Report - July 18, 2023 - Key Highlights:
- President Tanya led her first meeting with great success. The meeting ran smoothly and concluded promptly at 1 minute to 8. Well done, President Tanya!
- "Guess Those Lyrics" Table Order: Sergeant Nevada took charge of selecting the table order by conducting a fun game of "Guess Those Lyrics." The winners were determined based on their knowledge of lyrics from Queen, The Beatles, and Bon Jovi songs.
- Brooklyn delivered an informative Outbound presentation, sharing her upcoming exchange trip to a small island in Germany. We learned a lot about Brooklyn's interests and witnessed her excitement for the upcoming year. Great job on the presentation, Brooklyn!
Brooklyn also held the ticket for the Chase the Ace draw, and fortunately, for the rest of us, she pulled a Jack. - Mona's Big News: Mona subtly hinted at her news without explicitly verbalizing it, when she stood up, we were all dazzled by the massive rock on her left hand. Congratulations, Mona!
- Dick French presented the sponsorship packages for Scarecrow, emphasizing the need for sponsors. Let's spread the word and find sponsors for this event.
- Sergeant Nevada, in her enthusiastic manner, overstepped her boundaries by thanking me for my update on upcoming socials and community service. We appreciate her enthusiasm, even though she isn't the president.
We had a rip-roarin' time at our offsite meeting on July 11th at Keddies! We gathered bright and early 'round the lot to kick off the Teepee Creek Stompede with a delicious breakfast courtesy of Keddies.
Y'all showed up in your finest gear, ready to embrace the Western spirit. The aroma of fresh coffee and flapjacks on the griddle filled the air, fuelin' us for the day ahead. Keddies sure knows how to satisfy a hearty appetite!
We couldn't help but be amazed by the impressive selection of Western wear and tack on display. From rugged boots and shiny spurs to colorful cowboy hats and intricately tooled saddles, Keddies has it all. It was like bein' a kid in a Western wonderland!
A big thank you goes out to the folks at Keddies for their warm hospitality and kick-startin' our day in such a delightful manner. It showcased the strong sense of community and camaraderie that Rotary fosters.
Fellowship was the highlight of our meetin' as we shared laughs, stories, and deepened our bonds as Rotarians. While we temporarily traded our usual meetin' spot for the charm of Keddies, the spirit of Rotary burned bright. We continue to make a positive impact on our community, remainin' a force for good.
Until we meet again, I'll be riding this dusty trail into the horizon of a setting sun, Yeee Haww!
Colby Dunham
Club members gathered on Tuesday July 4th at Off the Wheaten Path for dinner and fellowship. President Tanya presented Past President Nevada with a gavel and pin and thanked her for her year presiding over the club. Dinner was fantastic as was the fellowship.
This morning our club donated $5000.00 to the Grande Prairie Hospitals' Auxiliary Association. Wanda Johnson, President of the Association accepted the cheque from club members Lyneah Watson-Grusie. The Grande Prairie Hospitals' Auxiliary Association is a group of dedicated women and men who work together to raise funds which are used to purchase equipment, furnishings and other items that are not funded by Alberta Health Services. They also own and operate the gift shops at the QE11 Ambulatory Care Centre and at the Grande Prairie Regional Hospital. All of the money they raise or earn at the gift shops remain in our community. Our club members are very pleased to support this association and their volunteers.
Member Neil Weston presents his member allocation cheque to Abby with KidSport Grande Prairie. They provide grants to help cover the costs of registration fees so that all kids aged 18 and under in Grande Prairie can play a season of sport.
Membership Director Dick French inducted 4 new members to our club. Welcome Clay, Tammy, Justin and Carl. 
President Elect Tanya Ayre presents a club allocation cheque for $1000.00 to members of the Grande Prairie Composite High School Interact Club
Dick French presents his member allocation of $1000.00 to Peter Kim with the Salvation Army
Rotary Club of Grande Prairie Sunrise members Janice Chomik (left) and Tanya Ayre (right) each present a cheque in the amount of $1000.00 to Dawn Miller with the Grande Prairie Hospital Foundation in support of the Therapeutic Clown program. Members of the Sunrise Rotary club were each allocated $1000.00 to donate to a charity of their choice and both Janice and Tanya chose the Therapeutic Clown program. Tanya’s daughter was in the hospital at a young age and Butterfly helped with making her time there less stressful. Janice chose the program because her 9 year old great niece Harper has donated on her own to the program, once when she heard they were in need of stuffed animals (by making and selling bracelets) and again when she heard the program was in need of dolls and hot wheels (by baking cookies and having a bake sale). Janice and Tanya are very pleased to support this important program at our local hospital.
Thank you to Erica and Cara with the Grande Prairie Pride Society for presenting at our meeting this morning and sharing all things Pride with our members. We love hearing about the great work that you are doing in our community.
Congratulations to Doug Hare on receiving his Paul Harris plus two.
Doug Edey chose Special Olympics Grande Prairie for this week's member allocation
Charter member, Bill Stepanko, the first member allocation chose the community of Por Los Ninos as his recipient.
Our outgoing exchange student, Lara, received a very warm welcome from her new family in France. So, her French journey begins.......
Members joined in Swan City's Friend's of Rotary golf tournament. Was a great day with great people. Colby filled our ears with good music and superb driving skills.
A warm welcome to our incoming Austrian exchange student, Lorena. A few of us were at the airport to greet her. We are thrilled to have her. And yes, Cherene is with us!
At our meeting this morning President Nevada accepted a banner from our in bound exchange student Lorena and presented a banner to our outgoing exchange student Lara. Our club is very proud to be part of the Rotary exchange program.
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Reach Within to Embrace Humanity
Grande Prairie, AB T8V 1L4
Canada