Stories

On December 17 President Jeff conducted inductions of three new members of the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie Sunrise.  Welcome Jan, Dick and Rod!

Hello from Argentina!!!!

As of today, Tuesday, October 2nd, I have been in my new city of Catamarca, Argentina for a month!

I have been blessed with an amazing first family and a great group of exchangers.

Life here goes at a much slower pace than I am used to......to say the least.  The Rotary in Catamarca is not very active at all except for the outbounds who are always planning comething for everyone.  Spanish is proving difficult to learn, but I hope that the process will speed up after is start lessons next week.

My school is very small (even compared to Beaverlodge) but everyone is helpful.  I also go to school with three inbounds and three outbounds.  School is from 8:00am to 1:00pm every day, Monday to Friday.

I share a house with four sisters, a mother and father.  All are very nice and very patient with me.  My host brother will return from Germany in November.  They also have three dogs and two cats, all of which quickly warmed up to me, especially the one cat that now "shares" my bed.

I have been learning to ride and play Polo which has been great fun!!  Got to a full gallop and "punched" the ball.

I went to Cordoba spring orientation a couple of weeks ago and met a cool group of people.  I have registered to go on a South Argentia trip the end of October for 17 days.  That should be fun and I am looking forward to it.

The first month has been an adventure, but all is well and I am looking forward to what is next.

Saludos from Catamarca.

 Kory Rycroft 

Hello from Argentina!!!!

As of today, Tuesday, October 2nd, I have been in my new city of Catamarca, Argentina for a month!

I have been blessed with an amazing first family and a great group of exchangers.

Life here goes at a much slower pace than I am used to......to say the least.  The Rotary in Catamarca is not very active at all except for the outbounds who are always planning comething for everyone.  Spanish is proving difficult to learn, but I hope that the process will speed up after is start lessons next week.

My school is very small (even compared to Beaverlodge) but everyone is helpful.  I also go to school with three inbounds and three outbounds.  School is from 8:00am to 1:00pm every day, Monday to Friday.

I share a house with four sisters, a mother and father.  All are very nice and very patient with me.  My host brother will return from Germany in November.  They also have three dogs and two cats, all of which quickly warmed up to me, especially the one cat that now "shares" my bed.

I have been learning to ride and play Polo which has been great fun!!  Got to a full gallop and "punched" the ball.

I went to Cordoba spring orientation a couple of weeks ago and met a cool group of people.  I have registered to go on a South Argentia trip the end of October for 17 days.  That should be fun and I am looking forward to it.

The first month has been an adventure, but all is well and I am looking forward to what is next.

Saludos from Catamarca.

 Kory Rycroft 

New update from Morganne in the Czech Republic. 

 

 

A huge thank you to our men for the great work last night at Hot Flash Havoc!  Fabulous job!!  I must say you will be the envy of many at next week’s meeting when the others hear that you with over 320 women in the room with only a few fabulous men dressed to serve!  

 Help Spread the word, forward to those you care about!

Congratulations to our Paul Harris Fellow members on your recognition at this week's meeting!

Welcome Mark Davidson, Brenda Moore, Jean Zheng, William Veidemanis and Luke Gable to Rotary.

Presentation of PDG Betty's Rotary Champion Award

Congratulations Past Assistant Governor, Vernon Boyd on your Rotary Champion Award!  

Vernon, for all the lives you touch and all that you do for Rotary with no expectations in return ----- THANK YOU for exemplary service to Rotary!

Vernon was presented his award by Assistant Governor Tracey Vavrek on behalf of Past District Governor Betty Screpnek.

The Rotary Club of Grande Prairie Sunrise

7^th Annual Stompin’ Scarecrow Festival

(brought to you by the Stompede Association & Keddies Tack and Western Wear)

 Our Festival has grown to a three day event!

October 16-19, 2014

Featuring:

 A “Fest-of-Ale” on October 16th at the Creative Arts Center. Sponsored by the Den Pub and Carvery featuring Craft Beer Tasting, Appies, music and an Art Show and Sale.  $20 Tickets available at the Den or at Keddies.

 Children’s Craft Programs at the Creative Arts Center on October 18^th.  Two classes available… and they are FREE! : 11-12 or 1-2.  Book your spot at the Center for Creative Arts (780-814-6080) as seating is limited.

Coloring contest; available in the GP Public Library, Epic Mortgage Solutions or the UPS Store.  Deadline for entering is October 6^th; entries can be dropped off at the UPS Store, Epic Mortgage Solutions or the GP Public Library.

 Our Premier event: the Stompin Scarecrow Auction, Dinner and Dance with

The Boom Chucka Boys!

If you saw them last year, you know not to miss them again! E-mail Frank at frankh@happytrailsrv.ca for ticket information

 

“Scarecrow Festival Family Stomp” at the County Sportsplex on October 19, 1:00-5:00.  Bouncy Castles, games, bar-b-que, petting zoo; Eastlink TV promotions and much more!

 

Enjoy the Corn Maze at the Country Roads RV Park (weather permitting) from Oct 3-16; free with a “special ticket” available at Happy Trails RV

 To reserve a table for the Scarecrow Auction, Call Frank at 780-876-0317

Mike and Greg are off! Our Club is honoured to be one of the team for the Rotary Highway to Mexico project.  Follow the adventures on our facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Rotary-Club-of-Grande-Prairie-Sunrise/159661140735648

Well it has been another fantastic year for the Salvation Army Food Bank!

We are up slightly over last year, we hit a new record of 160,000 item, if we take an average cost of $1.69 that equates to $270,400 and counting, there will be more item and cash coming in this week.

Thank you to the many volunteers and the community for your support!  The lives of many have been touched as a result of your efforts! 

 

Congratulations to Shirley Norton on her Paul Harris award!

George Malcolm joined us for the January 29 morning meeting to receive his winning from the 50/50 draw, congratulations George!

 

 

Carmen and Gail Haakstad joined our January 29th meeting to receive their winning of $50,000 from the Cash Lottery draw, Congratulations to Carmen and Gail!!

 

 

Kevin Hilgers and Vernon Boyd attended today’s Grande Cache Rotary Meeting.

They were welcomed by all the Rotarians wearing a tie on behalf of Vernon who always wearing a tie! How awesome was that!!!

Congratulations Gerry on receiveing your Paul Harris Fellow plus 5. This is an amazing contribution you have provided to Rotary and we can't thank you enough. If you are interested in donating to the foundation please talk to Sandra Impey and set up your quarterly contributions.

 

Hey GP Sunrise,

Sorry for the lack of updates but I have been pretty busy here living up my exchange and what not, but here is a rather long update of April and May.

April was probably the best month of my entire exchange. I went to school for 11 days out of the month and the rest of the days were spent travelling with exchange students and my family here.
So starting the list of travels is Germany. On the Thursday before Easter (Easter holidays in the Czech are from Thursday till Tuesday) my host mom, her friend and I headed to Dresden Germany for the weekend. We arrived on Thursday later in the evening, so I called it a night and went to sleep. The next morning we woke up early and walked all around Dresden. We saw many famous landmarks, and all in all it was a really good day. I thought Dresden was so beautiful so many nice buildings and churches. For those of you who don't know Dresden were bombed flat in WWII and they still rebuilding the city. The next day we had really horrible weather, it was raining and just really cold in general. So I took this as an opportunity to go shopping. I spent most of the day down Prague Street which is a big street full of shops in the center of Dresden. That night we headed home. The train ride to the Czech border is one I will never forget. That afternoon in Dresden was a football game. Well let me tell you those German are very passionate about their football. We ended up in a wagon with all the Danamo Dresden fans. They started off really funny, they were drinking, singing and cheering. As the train ride continued on the mood changed and they started to get angry. By the end of the trip the wagon smelt horrible and was completely destroyed it was disgusting. We arrived late in Hradec that night and then went to bed. The next day for Easter we went on a castle tour and then out for lunch at a restaurant where I had a typical Czech Easter lunch. That evening I went with a few of my friends to a dance competition of my other friend and then after we went to a pub for a drink. 

 

Okay now on to the next weekend! On Friday morning (April 13th) my friend Emily and I hopped on a train and headed to Austria for the weekend to meet with some of my extended family. I cannot sum up in words of how much I love these people. They are amazing in every way, so kind and loving. When i arrived I instantly felt loved. 

when we arrived we were met at the train station by a member of the family and from there he drove us all around Vienna for 2 hours. We finished our tour at the top of a hill where we got a sky view of Vienna. From there we headed to Traufmanadorf, which is 30 minutes from Vienna, to my family's home. Emily and I received our own private flat for the weekend, it was so beautiful. That night Emily and I finished LOTR ( which we started on the train) and then went to bed. The next day we spent most of the day just hanging out with the family eating and what not. Then in the afternoon we went to an outlet mall in Parndorf. My family actually owns a store in  this mall, so we hit up some store with our last stop being there store: Mustang Jeans. I was showered in gifts that I didn't deserve and walked away from the mall with almost a entire new closet of clothes. That night we went out to dinner. I have never ate so much in my entire life. Both Emily and I received half a chicken, salad , a plate of rice to share and dessert, it was a crazy amount of food. After a good night sleep Emily and I woke up early and spent most of the morning riding around in sports cars and just loving life. That afternoon at four my family drove us to the train station and Emily and I headed back to the CR. It was a great weekend I had so much fun with my family and Emily it was unreal.

 

From April 21st till May 4th I had my Euro tour. These two weeks were probably the most amazing weeks of my life so far. I cannot tell you how much I loved it or how much I love all the people I was with. 

 

So it all started on April 21^st, I hoped on a train and heading south to Slovakia (Bratislava to be exact). Accompanied by Alejandro and Fernanda we took the train from Hradec to Brno where our friends Jennings and Estaben joined us. We continued on our journey, in Breclav we ended up having to stop the train because two of our friends other train was running late and they needed to catch ours. After a ten minute delay we finally were on the last stretch of our journey to Bratislava. We arrived at around 2 and headed out for pizza. At 5pm we hoped on our bus and started the 19 hour journey to Monaco. It was a very long way. I slept maybe four hours thanks to my lovely friend Russell who took it upon himself to sleep on me the entire way making it nearly impossible for me to sleep. We arrived in Monaco at 9:30 in the morning. We then went on a full day of site seeing. First to the museum of oceanography, then just walked around the entire country, seeing many big land marks. We saw the prince of Monaco’s palace, then Monte Carlo casino and just walked around. We ended the day soaking up sun rays at the beach.  Let me tell you Monaco is defiantly the playground of the rich and famous. Tons of yachts (giant yachts) personal helicopters, sport cars were the only cars and at Monte Carlo everyone was dressed to the nines! We then travelled form Monaco to Nice France were we spent the night.

The next day we woke up rather early and jumped back on the bus for a full day of travelling to Barcelona Spain. We arrived at our hostel late afternoon and were allowed to look around a bit till 10pm. The next day we had a guided tour of all of Barcelona in the morning. We started at the top of mount Jupiter, and then continued to the FC Barcelona football stadium, which was actually pretty cool. After we hope on the bus and went around the city. We saw bull fighting areas, the Gouti house, the Dragon house (by Gouti) and then we stopped and got out at Sagada Familia. We didn’t go inside the first day but we look at the church from the outside. Sagada Familia is probably the most interesting and beautiful church I have been in since being here which is saying a lot as I have seen a ton of churches in europe. After Sagada Familia we head to the Olympic villa for lunch and a 1 hour relax break. My friends and I grabbed a quick sandwich and headed straight towards the beach. After our break we went and saw the statue of Christopher Columbus and then to park Guell which is also a work of Gouti. It was fantastic. Gouti was an amazing artist and was really wild. He was really cutting edge which we found out later was because he like to eat magic mushrooms. After park Guell we head to La Rumbla, which are these huge streets in Barcelona where rotary gave us free time till 10 pm again. It was all good fun walking around and seeing things, then one of my close friends Juli was getting kind of angry and sad so I decided to cheer her up with some shopping. We started with a group of 8 and the other really didn’t want to come shopping. So Juli and I asked them to come back and get us in 30 minutes and we would go into some shops. We pointed out the exact shops we would be in and then split up. Juli and I shopped later than expected but we thought it was no problem since the gang hadn’t come looking for us again. We waited in the little ally was for a good 20 minutes and still no sign of them. We tried calling but no answer so we thought we would go back to the La Rumbla and hope to find someone since we had no idea where the hostel was.  We made it back to the La Rumbla as it was getting really dark. We bought some ice cream and waited a bit… Well men in Spain are really aggressive and gross so we were a tad scared and decided to ask someone where our hostel was so we could go back alone. Our hostel was in a super crappy part of town so it was the longest walk of our lives because we didn’t want to look foreign so we didn’t talk to each other at all. Any ways we made it back safe and sound and got a tad mad at our group but then continued on. The next day we woke up and went on a tour of the old gothic centre. We saw many interesting things and even saw the art school were Picasso studied. At around 12 we were let go from rotary and then went on with free time. We went for lunch saw more of Barcelona on our own. That night we had dinner with rotary at an all you can eat buffet and then after was set free again till 10 pm. My friends and I headed out for a night time stroll through Barcelona and ended the night with ice cream on the beach. Our last and final day in Barcelona we had a pretty full day. We started off at the old Spanish town; it was very touristy but really beautiful, lots of hand made things and orange trees all around super beautiful. After the Spanish old town we went to an art museum. Which I found boring until one of my friends and I decided to analyze the pictures making it a lot more enjoyable.  After the museum we had more free time till 6pm when we had to be at the bus. During free time we did nothing to exciting. At 6 we went to the bus which then we all went to Sagada Familia again to visit the inside of the church. The inside was just as beautiful as the outside and I took soooooooo many pictures. At 7:30pm we headed to the ferry which was taking us across the sea to Rome.

The boat was rather boring and it was kind of a long trip. We spent one night and one whole day on the boat. We had a joke wedding the first night where we jokingly married two exchange students and then after went to the disco for the “reception”. The next day we relaxed and did absolutely nothing on the boat. We docked in Italy around 5pm. So we got back on the bus we had a two hour drive to Rome. We then stopped for Pizza 30 mins outside of Rome which last about two hours. So we arrived in Rome late and then went straight to our hotel. The first day in Rome we woke up at 8 and headed to the Colosseum first thing in the morning. After the Colosseum we walked around an old part of Rome which archaeologist had to dig up out of the ground. We even saw the place where Julius Ceaser was cremated. After that we went and saw parliament and finished our guided tour at the Parthenon.  After we again then received free time and me and my friends went for lunch and explored Rome on our own. At 6 we met up with the whole group again and walked to the Spanish steps and then to the trevi fountain. We didn’t stop at this but continued on to a pizza restaurant and ate pizza and rotary allowed us to have a glass of red wine each. It was fabulous. After dinner they gave us the option of free time or to go back to the hotel because the next day was going to be long and a lot of walking. I chose to go back to the hotel with some friends and wash some laundry. I started by washing my underwear and when I finished my friend Russell came in and asked if he could wash some t shirts and underwear. Well since he is a boy and had no idea how to hand wash clothes guess who had to wash them.. Yeah this girl did. But I did make him blow dry my underwear so I guess it all evens out.  The second day in Rome was crazy. Rotary had the bright idea to take us to The Vatican on the last Sunday of the month. Which means the Vatican is free to enter and not to mention the Pope appears and sings a hymn for the people. So we waited in line for an hour with a huge angry mob that hated us because two students and a Rotarian went a head of the group and saved a spot in line… there were 40 of us who arrived after them… It was not fun. Once we finally got into the Vatican we were given 3 hours to look around. The Vatican was beautiful but there were too many people. It was to the point I wanted to get out as fast as possible… I saw the Sistine Chapel which was pretty but I wasn't amazed by it. At 11:30 the group who I was with decided they wanted to see the pope. So we made our way out of the Vatican to St. Peters basilica square to see him. We were running short on time so they decided to run. I ran a bit till I almost got hit by a bus and decided there was no way I was running. Alone with no phone I thought I would easily be able to find my group again. I was wrong. In the square there were probably 6 thousand or more people. I literally froze and had no idea what to do. I forgot where the meeting point was to meet with rotary at 1 I was alone and had no phone. After being alone for about five or so minutes I looked over my shoulder and saw a group of my exchange students hoping over the security fence. I was so relived.  After we saw the pope we wait for rotary and our tour guide, and then wait FOUR hours in line to enter the Basilica. It was terrible. No one had eaten since 7 in the morning we were hungry and tired and when we finally got to go inside they gave us a total of 30 mins to look around. I was so angry. After the Vatican we went to a castle in the middle of Rome and then to a nice square where we finished the guided tour. That night my friends and I ate dinner and then toured around we spent some time at the tervi fountain again and then went to a little Italian coffee shop to finish the night. All in all Rome was beautiful but there were way too many people.

The next day we hopped back on the bus and drove to southern Italy. We arrived in the afternoon and then spent the afternoon hiking up the volcano Vesuvius. It was pretty cool a tad bit hot but really nice view of Naples and the sea. That night we went into Naples and went to a pizza restaurant where we were able to help make our own pizza with some Italian men. After pizza we walked around for a bit then headed to our hotel. The next morning we got up early and went to Pompeii an ancient city that was destroyed by Vesuvius. I was really interesting, a little funny because we went to an ancient roman whore house which was hilarious. After Pompeii we got on the bus and drove 7 and half hours to Florence.

Florence was beautiful. We spent two nights and one day there.  During the day we went on a seven hour walking tour of the city. We saw many museums and churches. It was truly breath taking. After the tour we had free time where we were allowed to walk around until 7 when we were supposed to meet for dinner. My friends and I ended up in a street market where there was tons of jewellery, leather products , shirts etc. . After we went for ice cream and sat in a park. At seven we went back to the hostel for dinner and then after dinner swimming and to the disco.

The next morning we woke up and hopped on the bus to spend the last day of Euro tour in Venice.  I LOVED Venice. I heard it was supposed to smell bad but I think because it wasn’t too hot yet that the smell hadn’t arrived yet. We had a great day looking around Venice. Taking pictures and walking around. I finished off the night at a nice Italian restaurant with my friends and ice cream. At 10 we all got back on the bus and headed back to Bratislava.

I came home on the 4th of May from euro tour. May wasn't that exciting a few main highlights was District 2240 district conference, Prague and Olomouc. Rotary District conference was a lot of fun. For the students we mostly just hung out with each other. We performed for all the Rotarian but other than that the weekend was pretty chill. The following week on the 22nd my friend Fernanda and I headed to Olomouc for the day, as a way to see another Czech city but also to get out of going to school. It was a good relaxing day for us and we did some site seeing and just enjoyed the sunshine. Also during that week some exchange students and I headed Prague for the day on the Thursday and just did some shopping and met up with some Danish exchange students who were on their euro tour. All in all May was a good month. Not extremely exciting but not boring at all.

I am now on my last month as an exchange student. I have so many plans and travels I am sure the month will go way too quickly. When I leave the Czech republic, I am not only leaving this beautiful country which I love but I am also leaving my complete life here behind. I have two wonderful host families who I love, a group of school friends, a wonderful Rotary club and of course the most amazing group of inbound exchange students, who really have become my support group, my best friends and most of all my family. I don't think I could thank you enough for allowing me to represent you in the Czech Republic and providing me with this opportunity which will forever have an impact on my life. This year has been the hardest year of my life, but also the most rewarding. And the only words I can say are Thank you.

Morganne

Grande Prairie is well represented at the Rotary World Curling Championships in Washington.

Today the team played their first game with first win! Way to go guys!!! Opening Banquet is tonight! At this time they will present a gift to the Mayor. Tomorrow they are scheduled to play 2 games.

http://wwv.mazatlan.gob.mx/2012/03/20/recibe-alcalde-a-clubes-rotarios-de-alberta-canada-y-entregan-unidades/

Looks like the Sunrise Club was well represented for the District Curling Bonspiel in Dawson Creek.

Congrats Gerry on recieving his Paul Harris +4!!!!!

Has your contact information changed? Make sure you sign in and update all info so you can ensure you receive your copy of the Rotarian.

November 28, 2011 update from Morganne.

Just a reminder the Sunrise Rotary Club's Annual General Meeting will be held December 20th. Please make sure you attend to have your vote count.

Dale Williams with Wolvernine Wheelchair Sports accepts a check from President Mike as his group was chosen as a recipient in the 2011 Car Lottery.

 Join us for the 4th annual Scarecrow Festival.

October 15th at Five Mile Hall

6pm for Cocktails and Dinner at 7pm.

Enjoy the music of Horse Thief and special appearance by Tenille!

Please sell tickets to the event to your friends and nieghbours!

Tickets are available at CCSI on the corner of 100th and 100th 780-538-2012!

Hello, Rotary Club of Grande Prairie Sunrise!
 
Most exchange students don't get a second chance at their first month of exchange, but I did. Japan will always be a part of me, and if I had the choice I would stay in Japan for my full year. But that being said, I am so lucky to spend the rest of year in Brazil. There are advantages to going to two countries. I am getting such a contrast of cultures going from such an introverted country like Japan, to a very extroverted country like Brazil. Since I was in Canada for a month, we decided that I'd stay in Brazil a month longer, till August 22.
 
I'm living in a city named Belo Horizonte, which means beautiful horizon. It's the 6th largest city in Brazil, and I live near the center. I love living in a big city so much. There's always something to see and do. It's almost winter now. The Brazilians consider it cold. But it's around 22 degrees every day. In the summer it's usually around 30. Another reason that I'm excited to be here is because my sister went on exchange to Brazil a couple years ago. We'll always have this in common, and I'll have some one to speak Portuguese with when I come back.
 
I have a host sister named Paloma, who's 19. She is one of nicest people I've met here. She's always there for me to talk to or to ask a question. My host brother, Victor, is on exchange in Canada right now, in Kamloops. He's coming back early July. I'm excited to have an older brother. My host mom owns a costume shop and my host dad owns an air conditioning business. We also have a housemaid named Lala. She is really kind. I'm still not quite used to someone cleaning my room and making my food everyday.
 
I'm still getting used to the fact that I'm not in Japan. I keep in contact with my host families and friends there. I will definitely be back sometime in the next couple of years. But my time in Brazil in short and I plan on embracing it. I'm going to try to pick up as much Portuguese as possible and take every opportunity I get. I'm always amazed at how much Rotary has given me and how it connects the people. I'm so thankful for this unique opportunity.
 

Karly J. Hilgers

Rotary Student Exchange 2010 2011

Host Club:  Rotary Club of Koriyama South, Japan & Rotary Club of Belo Horizonte Pampulha, Brazil

Sponsor Club: Rotary Club of Grande Prairie Sunrise, Canada

Our club has opened a trust account to collect funds for the relief effort in D2530.  Our exchange student Karly Hilgers was living in Koriyama in the Fukushima Prefecture (60 km from the Fukushima nuclear plant) when the earthquake struck on March 11. Karly's host father and other Rotarians were instrumental in helping Karly get to Tokyo and safely home. This despite chaos, impassable roads, and gasoline shortages and rationing. Our executive has decided to raise money to pass on to the executive of D2530.

Congratulations Kylee on receiving your first Paul Harris!

Interested in donating $100 per year to the Rotary Foundation. Please contact Jane Manning and she will aid you in setting up your contribution plan.

Karly is safe at home from Japan. She presented her very emotional experience of a wonderful exchange and leaving her new home in light of the tsunami.

Check it out and tell your friends!!  This is a cool car!  http://news.sunrisecarlottery.com/

Good luck on the District Curling Bonspiel - you look great!!!!! What spirit!

In Grande Prairie Rotary Day is Monday, February 28th. We'll celebrate with a multi club luncheon at the Holiday Inn. We are delighted to have Past District 5360 Governor Mark Starratt join us as a featured presenter. (District 5360 is south of us and includes Southern Alberta and a bit of Saskatchewan) Mark was District Governor in 2008 2009. Mark is a Paul Harris Fellow, a charter member of the Paul Harris Society, a member of the Bequest Society and a Major Donor of The Rotary Foundation.

Past President Vernon Boyd presented Tracey Vavrek with her Paul Harris Fellow plus one. Congratulations Tracey!!!!!

Sunrise Rotary Club, I'm wishing you happy holidays and happy new year from Japan! Time is passing by so fast here. I can't believe it's been 5 months already!

Don't forget, the February 1st meeting will be held at the Coca Cola Centre in the Stanford Inn room. Wear flat, closed toe shoes and you will have the opportunity to view the Multiplex in construction.

President Tracy, Rotarian's and guests.

In my business day I am always looking for Potential Rotarian's -  It's always a challenge to explain what Rotary is. Last week I did just that  - tried to explain what Rotary is to a potential Rotarian.  

Ana received a special gift this morning of her very own Storm jersey that is being signed by all the Storm players.

Ana had the opportunity this morning to tell us more about her and information on her heritage, culture and country. Great job on the presentation Ana!!!

Just a quick note to remind you there is no Rotary meeting the morning of December 14th as we are celebrating the Christmas Party on the 17th.

 

 

Wow, I have done so much in just a month that I don't even know where to start. A couple of weeks ago I went to Sendai with my fellow first grade classmates. Sendai is a city about two hours North of my city, Koriyama. The first thing we went to once we arrived was the Sendai University.

Ana was able to join us at this year's Festival of Trees; from helping Frosty, to working the fishing game, and bean bag toss Ana worked everywhere. Darryl Bartie also gave Ana a lesson on making balloon animals. Glad you could come Ana!

Check out more photos under the photo journal...or watch the video

We had a wonderful dinner and visit from our District Governor in Grande Prairie. That evening was filled with fellowship, Paul Harris presentations and a wonderful presentation by Mary.

Check out Eastlink's brillant reporting on our Rotary Scarecrow Festival: Watch the video...

As per Ana's challenge to the club Vernon took the time this weekend to take Ana out on her first skating adventure!!  Watch the video....

Chris Warkentin spent this morning with us informing us on some of the new immigration changes in Canada.

The Scarecrow Festival was amazing this year; incredible scarecrows, great organizing and a fun night of fellowship by all. Congrats to the organizing committee on raising over $30000.00. Amazing!!!! 

Sunrise Rotary along with Swan City and the GP Rotary Club have committed funds to the Multiplex to establish Rotary Ave in the new centre. Pictured are President Tracey and Cheryl McKenzie accepting the funds of $33333.33

Hello, Sunrise Rotary Club! I can't believe it's been a month and a half already. Time is flying by, probably due to how busy I've been. I get a newsletter every month or so from my city's International Exchange Association, and this months included information about a day trip to Iwaki by bus. I signed right up. I had assumed that the bus tour was for exchange students only, so you can imagine how surprised I was to find a busload of older Chinese people. That's how it looked at first anyhow, later I found two girls, 25 years old from Indonesia. Also I was excited to find a man from the United States and one from Australia. The trip was a blast, we started off with the Iwaki Tower, which you can see the whole city and coastline from. Next we packed in a dinosaur museum, a Kabuki play (all parts are played by men), a lantern festival, and we even made our own fish sticks.

Konnichiwa Sunrise Rotary Club! I am in the beautiful country of Japan and have so much to tell. When I arrived in Japan I was surprised to find that there was not only the two ladies said to come pick me up, but around ten Rotarians and non Rotarians carrying a huge sign saying 'Welcome Karly J. Hilgers'! It was amazing. After they picked me up, we drove for four hours to my city Koriyama. We went out for dinner at a traditional Japanese retaurant, and they kept giving me more and more bowls of food, saying Eat! Though I have no idea what I ate, it was Oishii, delicious. They then dressed me up in a yukata, a cotton kimono which they bought for me.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered their time for the food bank drive. This year we again set record numbers which will aid the Salvation Army greatly. Please check out the story in the Daily Herald Tribune.

http://www.dailyheraldtribune.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?archive=true&e=2760472

John Howard Society Penny Mickanuck received $10000 from the car lottery. Funds will be used for the youth program and mentorship with the boys club ages 12-17.

GPPSD Lorne Radbourne recieved $10000 from the car lottery. Funds will be used for the support of students and learning, striving for excellence, scholorships for trade training, grant programming, reading university (grade 3) and saturday tutorials.

Coolaid was a recipient of the 2010 car lottery. Funds will be used to aid in the expansion of the after school program. Funds will also be used to purchase supplies, art crafts, personal items and snacks for the children.

Community Village was a recipient of the 2010 car lottery. Funds will be used for their volunteer mentorship, assisting in life skills, resume writing and employment.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, Vernon Boyd and Gina Wallace received $10000 from the car lottery. Funds will be used for an in school mentoring program.

 

Please check out the link with info for the Grande Prairie Youth Exchange Program. http://youthexchangeinfo.com/

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is back! Oct 2nd is the next scheduled date. Please let Heather or Myron know if you would like to attend as a guest or as a host.

Welcome to Grande Prairie Ana!!!

Ana is our beloved exchange student from Brazil. She is 17 years old and is working on her grade 12 at the Composite High School.

Please check back to the website and we will have a list of all the activities Ana would love to try while in Canada!

Hisakazu Sawai joined us this morning from Rotary Club 2640 with his son Yasuto Sawai who was an exchange student staying with Sandra Easton's family.  Welcome to Grande Prairie!

Congratulations to Doug Edey on receiving his first Paul Harris for his volunteer time he had committed. Thank you to Rod MacIntyre for donating his points to award this very special presentation to Doug.

Welcome to all of our newest Rotarians! We cannot wait to get to know you and encourage you to become fully involved in all the opportunities Rotary has to offer.

Inductions were held June 8, 2010.

A great time was had by everyone for Lobsterfest. Great food, company and lots of dancing! Thank you to the committee for organizing this great event!

Can you believe it has already been a full year since Justine arrived and joined the club? It is with sadness that she will be returning home on June 21, 2010. Justine's last meeting will be at the change over meeting on the 15th, please make sure you take the opportunity to say good bye and wish her well.

Just a reminder that the change over meeting is June 15th hosted at Joan Sinclairs. Please watch for the sign up sheets on the tables and an email for the event. The Tuesday morning meeting is CANCELLED. See you all then!

The theme was set and the room was ready to see all the graduates of PWA done up to the nines. Justine graduated with fellow exchange students Osmar and Rikke. Congratulations to you all!

• Saturday, June 5th
• Cost $60/each 
•  DCOY Amories
• Cocktails at 6pm
• Dinner at 7pm

The Sunrise Rotary brochure is now available online under the download section. This handy tool will help you explain a bit about the club and some of the expectations of "What Rotary is". Don't forget the ABC's of Rotary publication is also available in book form from the club cabinet.

When airlines passengers step out of their plane and into the airport arrival / luggage area - the doors will open and the first thing they see will be a 3 x 6 foot "Rotary Welcomes You" sign .   This sign also reminds people that Grande Prairie really is a "Rotary City".  Special thanks to LSM for assistance with the sign construction.  Also thanks to the GP Airport for allowing this to happen.  The sign indicates where the 4 clubs meet - and even the fact we will host the 2012 District Conference.  Click on pic to enlarge

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Greenathon. We had a fantastic turn out and made a difference in our community!! Check out the photo albums for more pictures!!

Did you sign up to help on May 1st for the Greenathon? If not please give Janice a call and let's do our part in cleaning up our home.

Members of the Sunrise Rotary joined together to work on the 3 year plan of the club and what activities needed to be kept. If you were unable to attend please definately try to next year as this is an opportunity for your voice to be heard.

Vernon and Berwick Rotary President exchanging banners.

Check out Facebook for all pictures or check out the photo journal for some...the boys bought home silver!!

A Letter from Perth: Hello from Perth!!!! Well the Dream Team is alive. We played our first game yesterday after the opening ceremonies against Meaford from ontario who we beat last year quite easily. But this time around it was a disaster. lost 9-3. i think we all curled about 25%. Duncan was really struggling.

We had a Great Time last night at host reception. presented our gift to the mayor, etc. i stayed out a way too late. got to bed at 330. We played at 1015 this am and Won 13-2 over Lake Placid USA. we all curled really well. Ice is really keen here. So we are 1-1. Next up is Grimsby who are also 1-1. We play at 330 (830 your time). 2 years ago they beat us. Not this year though. i am very tired from sweeping. we sweep every rock from end to end. three teams are 2-0. Perth, Strattford and Ayre who are really strong teams. Update: well we Won so we are now 2 Wins!!!!! 1 loss. my best 2 games today but exhausted. 3 teams are 3-0 and we have not played them. we play them wednesday and thursday. Steller won 9-1 so they are 3-0. we play at 8am tomorrow and again at 1pm Cheers!!! Oh and it is snowing here.

Jeff and I attended Sunrise Meeting at 715am. 14 members. We r 6hrs ahead of AB.

Going on a train to england:Berwick upon tweed. The rotarians(who we met curling in Brantford) will pick us up and we will attend the Rotary meeting tonight.

Please read letter.

P.S Additional photos are located in the photo journal.

Our famous curling team is headed to Perth for the Rotary International Curling Bonspiel. Keep up to date with our guys by checking out Perth Curling. Or check them out on Facebook under Grande Prairie Sunrise Rotary Curling

Hi sorry didn't update last night,

I just checked out the blog website, some great photos!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.offexploring.com/edsonrotary/blog/utah/beaver/

The whole group posing in Beaver Utah.

Well we attended a lunch meeting today in St. George, Utah was good they were very excited about our Mexico project. Today was a short driving day and we are now in Vegas going to Lake Havasau in the morning.

 

Will try to keep you all informed of our progress, the Edson group has a blog going has anyone been checking it out??

We are in Beaver, Utah and yes we have already told almost every joke about this. In fact I'm sending a picture of Eve and I with a beaver!!!!  All is well Gerry and I are having a good time in a fire truck with no radio.We are off in the morning to a lunch meeting in St. George and then to Vegas, yeah!

We are in Dillon Montana this is our 2^nd night and other than one small break down Gerry and I have been going well.  Well OK he thinks that I back seat drive too much but we are working on that.  So far it has been a lot of fun and the whole group is getting to know one another better.

Day 2

Leaving Tim Hortons at 6am!!!!!!!!

Paul Harris +2

Second Paul Harris

Our Rotary Day luncheon was an excellent opportunity for a day of fellowship for all Rotarians. During the luncheon we did honor those who achieved their Paul Harris.

Tracey Vavrek

Vernon Boyd

Gerry Dobko

Congrats to all of them!!!!!!!!

If you find a future Rotarian and would like to propose the person, you can download the paperwork under the download section on our home screen. Please let us know if you need any help.

Another successful bonspiel is completed and Grande Prairie Sunrise brings home the prestigious "Harry Jewel - Sportsman Team of the Year Award" !!

Heather Coney received her official welcome to Rotary today by receiving her pin, Four Way Test and the Objects of Rotary. As well, she completed an avenue of her Red Badge Program with her classification talk.

It is time to get your tickets before they are all sold out! http://www.sunrisecarlottery.com The car will be located at venues around Grande Prairie. Here are a few coming up: McGovern's R.V. Show , Tech Center, Feb 1 – 7 Home Show, Tech Center, March 5 – 7 Ag Classic, Tech Center, March 11 – 13

Sunrise Rotary is proud to be involved with this project to raise funds for Shelter Boxes to send to Haiti.

The Rotary House grande opening took place this past Thursday afternoon. It is a huge accomplishment of what this facility will mean to many of our local Grande Prairie community members.

Grimshaw Trucking is graciously allowing Sunrise Rotary to put ads in support of Rotary on 4 in-city delivery trucks.  Sunrise will be auctioning off the opportunity to have your face on the back of the vehicle starting this Tuesday.The ad will stay on for 6 months and then the opportunity will come up again.  All money will be going to the Shelterbox Program.  February 9 is the last day to bid so make sure you sign up.

Did you know that you can check your Paul Harris contributions and donate online.

All you need to do is sign up at: https://www.rotary.org/en/selfservice/Pages/login.aspx

Make sure you have your membership number to sign up.

A big thank you to Carolynn Dejong and Jeff Keddie who will filling in some big shoes for the upcoming Exchange Students from Rod and Nicole.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday January 26th in the evening at 7pm at Happy Trails; the car lottery will be holding their annual stuffing session of all the brochures to be sent out to potential customers. Remember this car lottery generates quite a bit of funds to go back to our local and international community. This lottery cannot succeed without each member aiding in its success. We hope to see you all there. Sign up sheets will be also circulated on Tuesday morning.

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

 

The Sunrise Car Lottery was very excited to donate $50000 to local community groups from the 2009 Car Lottery!

The Grande Prairie Exchange Students enjoyed being a part of the Santa Claus Parade. They are featured with one of the vehicles that will be going down to Mazatlan.

Just a reminder the December 15th Meeting is cancelled due to the Christmas Party on the 18th.

Justine's Wish list while in Canada is:
-go to Vancouver
-go to US
-go to Quebec
-skiing
-go to a concert
-learn country
-learn native dances
-slegdog
- work at the SPCA or at the dog's farm
-make all the trips
-cut wood like a lamberjack
-go to an indian reserve
-go camping
-play hockey
-play football
-icefishing
-go to see a rugby game
-teach you my national anthem
-be a cowgirl for one week
-live in a farm for one week
-go to Royal Tyrell Dinosaur Museum
-eat waffles
-ice skating
 

Another Successful YEAR!

Congrats to Vernon for winning the Frank Devlyn Award!!!! We are all very proud of you.

Grande Prairie Rotarian Frank Daskewech attends a United Way lunch with his new girlfriend, a member of Sunrise Rotary. Cooo-grrrrr!

 I attended a Rotary function Oct. 17, 2009 in Chiang Mai, Thailand.  It was kind of unexpected on my part as you can tell by my attire.  I went with parents of an exchange student from 5 years ago Grace, they are the couple to my right in the picture.

A big congrats to our car lottery winner Irene Vavrek of Sexsmith. A full picture of our winner will be featured shortly!!!!

Just a reminder to sign up for the District Governor Dinner on September 24, 2009. Cocktails at 6pm and dinner at 7pm at th Quality Inn. Please let Naomi know if you will be attending.

 

Make sure you mark your calendars!! Food Bank Drive for Grande Prairie & Area Sep 14  at 5:00 PM - The D-Coy Armories We need teams consisting of: Truck and Driver Min. 2 and Max. 4 Canvassers per team Truck signs are provided Collection Bags also provided.

The members would like to thank you Past President Vernon and the Executive for the commitment shown by all as representatives of the club. Your time is greatly appreciated in the success of the Sunrise Rotary Club.

The Change Over Meeting was a well attended event by Sunrise members. The evening provided an opportunity for everyone to gather and chat without a formal program. We would like to thank Joan for the hospitality and Kylee for aiding in the organization.

This is a picture of Darcy, Katrina and Kylee Haining in front of one of the many floral displays in the House of Friendship at the 100^th Annual Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, England.  Thank you for the opportunity to represent our Club.

Time to mark your calendar and put on some work gloves. Scarecrow festival is around the corner and the committee needs aid to make this event a success. Please contact Sandra Impey.

Grande Prairie will be hosting the Harvest Weekend for the Exchange students in September.

We will be looking for a few billets for the inbound exchange students from Thursday pm to Sunday am September 10 - 13. This is a great opportunity to meet students from other countries W e have 14 students this year coming in along with our 3 exchange students. If interested please contact Rod MacIntyre.

Thank you to the Sunrise Board for their commitment and dedication this past year.

Pictured is Donna Friesen. Donna is saying goodbye to us as she is moving to Medicine Hat. We wish you all the best Donna!!

We were delighted to have the GSE team arrive from Nigeria and present to the club.

Please see the attachment under downloads to order your new Sunrise Rotary Spirit Wear. If you would like to try on the items for sizing, please see Kylee.

Felix, our lovely exchange student is seen here with President Vernon, receiving his Sunrise Rotary Jacket.

April 21, 2009 meeting was hosted by the Community Village. There was an excellent turnout of members and guests who came to see the facility and their future plans.

We would like to thank them for their hospitality and presentation.

Sunrise Rotary hosted another retreat this past Saturday. The group discussed the past year of successes and challenges and came up with many ideas for the future. A survey will be coming your way soon, to ensure that no one's opinions are missed for future endeavors.

Students will be travelling next weekend to attend the conference: below is a synopsis of what RYLA is....

Greg and Duncan had the wonderful experience of travelling to Mexico with an ambulance to provide to a community. Stay tuned....Greg & Duncan will be presenting the highlights of their trip and experiences.

Arctic Winter Games was a proud recipient of a past car lottery.  Funds will aid in the community and showcasing some amazing talent.

Recognition Points Transfer

Once a person becomes a Paul Harris Fellow, every dollar he/she donates above the initial $1,000 gets a Foundation Recognition Point (FRP) that he/she can give to another person. FRPs are only derived from cash contributions made after becoming Paul Harris Fellows.

Please let us know if you would like to start your Paul Harris Contributions on your quarterly billing.

On February 23 the Rotary Clubs joined together to celebrate Rotary Day. The day consisted of a luncheon and the announcement of Rotary's commitment to the Rotary House of $500000.

The Sunrise Rotary Club along with Doug Hare and Luke Nagge, received the Frank Devlyn Award for Employment partnership. Congrats!

Past President (Rotary Club of Grande Prairie) Kevin Hilgers will be stepping into the role of Assistant Governor effective July 1, 2009.  Incoming District Governor Terry Drader made it official.  The role of the AG is to represent the District when needed, to advise when and where needed, and - like the District itself - assist clubs to attain their goals.  The local AG covers the Grande Prairie clubs, (Including Rotaract, Interact) and Grande Cache. Generally the role is a 3 year term.   There are 13 AG's in District 5370, which stretches from Yellowknife to Wetaskiwin,  North Battleford to Ft Nelson, and points in between.  There are about 60 clubs in the district - with 2500 members.

Make sure you check out Jori-Lynn's photo album she sent......

Just a reminder that December 2nd, there will be no Rotary meeting as we have our annual Christmas Party on December 5, 2008. 6pm at the Grande Prairie Inn.

 

We'll see you all there!!!!!

Signage up showing the start of Rotary House

In support of the QEII Hospital Foundation (funds directs toward the Cancer Clinic) and Sunrise Rotary Club

T he biggest obstacles to eradicating polio are the underfunding of the global initiative and insufficient political commitment from the remaining polio-affected countries. Rotary International believes the primary source for additional funds can and should be governments of polio-free industrialized countries. Your contribution through Rotary will help ensure that we keep doing our part to get the job done.

Contribute to Rotary's $100 Million Challenge Rotary's US$100 Million Challenge, a three-year fundraising commitment, is the Rotary Foundation's response to the $100 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help eradicate polio. Every dollar given to PolioPlus during the next three years will be counted toward the $100 million match.

An Early Sell Out Again This Year!

Sunrise Rotary Club will be hosting the 1st Annual Scarecrow Festival, presented by Western Financial Group; Lewis and Wright Agencies in October.

The Winners Are...
Traditional
1st Place:   Grande Prairie Therapeutic Massage
2nd Place:  Jakes Down South
3rd Place:  Fabricland
Honorable Mention:  Dobko, Logan, Innes and Hougestal

Celebrity
1st Place:  Stanford Hotels
2nd Place:  Tonic Hair & Body Studio
3rd Place:  Sunlife Financial
Honorable Mention:  Coyote Moon

Occupational
1st Place:  Community Foundation & United Way
2nd Place:  ATCO Electric
3rd Place:  Viking Pacific
Honorable Mention:  Esquires East

Thanks to our judges: Gladys Blackmore, Helen Rice and Jean Bauer

The 2008 Street Performer's Festival was a huge success and a huge thanks from the organizing committee to the Sunrise Rotary Club for our participation once again.  The weather was beautiful and there was record attendance at the event. Set up, security and take down all went very smoothly.  Thanks to everyone who helped.

Colleen presents perfect attendance pins to those who attended weekly meetings and makeup meetings to achieve this honor. Great job!!

Jakob presents his club banner to President Vernon.

The Sunrise Rotary are proud to introduce their newest members.

We're in limbo mode right now - waiting for things to get fixed.

These talented gentlemen were this years Rotary Curling District Champs.

Way to go!!!!

Jakob joined other exchange students in a wonderful trip to the NWT with the Tip Toe to Caribou. He had a fantastic time!!!

Pictured are President Colleen, Glenda Farnden and Andy from STARS. They were very excited to accept a donation of $5000 to go towards the helipad at the QEII Hospital.

I just got back from an amazing time in Italy, here are some

pics from my trip.

The Surise Car Lottery has dispersed their funds to three very fortunate community groups

Hello G.P. Sunrise Club!!!

Exchange student Amy Vanderveen presents President Colleen Tarrant with an appreciate gift for the support the Sunrise Rotary Club has given her.

The Sunrise Rotary Club volunteered their time with the setup/take down and registration of the Parkinson's Walk. The walk itself raised approximately $32,000.00. Thanks to all the volunteers and the walkers and those who pledged money and sponsored the walkers.

The Thursday golf tourney raised approximately $65,000.00 and was a huge success as well.

Way to go Grande Prairie.

and the lucky WINNER

is . . .

Richard

Zavisha

of Clairmont,AB

CLICK HERE TO BUY YOUR TICKET TODAY!!

Below is information of child sponsor sites that a fellow Rotarian has worked with and deemed legitimate.

At our August 29th meeting, Tracey Vavrek (from the Community Foundation of Greater Grande Prairie) dropped by and presented President Nicole

Attention Club Officers, Directors and Interested Rotarians! Fall Assembly and Leadership Training - September 22/23, 2006

What a wonderful and inspirational visit it was! LEAD THE WAY!

Fun in the parade!

A proud moment for our club we are now members of Alberta's Promise.

The Sunrise Car Lottery SOLD OUT EARLY

On a sunny Saturday October 22nd, a small group of Sunrise Rotarians completed the City of Grande Prairie's very first off-leash dog park.  City Council approved the project some time ago but no private companies were interested in doing the work.  The off-leash dog park is located near the entrance to South Bear Creek Park beside the outdoor model car race track.  Thanks to Jeff Keddie for the use of the post pounder, it sure made our job much easier. Muskoseepi Park staff will be putting up a Sunrise Rotary sign at the dog park.  More photos in Photos section to the right.

The new website is up and running check it out at:

www.rotaryhouse.ca

And what a success it was.

Canadian Cancer Society Relay For Life

A celebration of survival and a tribute to the lives of loved ones who have been touched by cancer. Twelve hours of fun, friendship and fundraising to beat cancer. Communities from coast to coast, taking up the fight.

Be a part of our team and help make cancer history.

Let's clean up Grande Prairie!  Take the City Scrub Challenge and clean up winter trash at or near your place of business, your place of recreation or your place of residence!

Don't forget to register.  Check out your events page for details.

Is coming up soon so be ready as we will be assisting them again this year!

A Special Thanks to all who participated in the bottle drive!

It's almost that time again to get out and clean up our community!  May 7th, 2005 details to follow.

Come out and celebrate our club's birthday.  April 5th at the Best Western.

Come out and help to build new facilities on the trails for the club!  Dates will be announced shortly...

Help clean up a great community facility.  Let's not let one of Grande Prairie's greatest summer time gathering place go!!  April 30th come out and lend a hand!

April is the month of the volunteer! 

There will be more information to come of the events we will be volunteering at such as Camp Tamarack Work Bee and the clean up of the cross country ski trails! 

Please keep track of all of your hours including those through other avenues.

"Celebrating Rotary: Felowship & Fun"
Fort MacLeod, Alberta
February 17-20, 2005

Bolivia Night was a fund raiser hosted by the Sunrise Rotary Club of Grande Prairie.  It was held on November 20,2004 to raise funds to send our exchange student on the Rotary Cross Canada Tour.

Well,i finally managed to actually create a webpage that has something of interest on it.

hello all,so im finally writing another group letter. i hadnt realized how long it had been until now!

The best kept secret in Rotary is the Rotary Fellowships. If you are interested in golf, music, travel or any recreational endeavor, or if you are a lawyer, engineer, banker or a member of another vocation you should consider joining an appropiate fellowship.

Good Day Rotarians Formulation of an anti-abuse/harassment policy for District 5370 is of significant importance to the continued success of Rotary in our District.

One week update...you can email Terry at grantterri@hotmail.com

On Wednesday morning, July 28th, a number of GP Sunrise Rotarians and their families said farewell to our Rotary Exchange Student Margarita Aveiga Narvaez. Margarita is on her way home to Ecuador travelling through Toronto

Rotary District 5370 Convention May 13 â¿¢ 16 Mayfield Suites & Hotel, Edmonton, Alberta