We started our club visits in Fort McMurray. Past District Governor Frank Reitz and his wife Barb took us on a tour of the Links Golf Course, an impressive legacy project of the Rotary Club of Fort McMurray. The Rotary Club of Fort McMurray Oilsands is a small but vibrant club of young parents, juggling Rotary and family, but still able to be actively involved in the community.
The Rotary Club of The Battlefords sponsored Astronaut Chris Hatfield, who gave an enlightening presentation to high school students, was a special youth project that raised significant funds.
We were treated to a joint meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Lloydminster Border City and the Rotary Club of Lloydminister. The clubs meet at different times to cater to the needs of Rotarians. The clubs have their own individual projects but work cooperatively on larger community events.
The Rotary Club of Wainwright told us about their community projects, such as the phenomenal CT scanner project. A Rotary initiated project that involved the entire community.
Whoopee! The price of gas is dropping.
The Rotary Club of Lac La Biche (which is a French translation from the Cree, meaning Lake of the Elk) is a small club, “that punches above their weight” and takes great pride in their community work and projects, which we toured.
Then off to the Rotary Club of Athabasca. That club is very active in their community and does a great job with signage on their projects.
We saw what I call a 1922 version of Facebook! It is the road sign entering town promoting Rotary and its events.
Join Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimists
for joint service week
I support the initiative and encourage Rotarians to reach out to others in the service world to see if we can work together. Jennifer Jones was strongly supportive of this type of initiative when she was in Edmonton last month. My Governor's travels and Official Visits with clubs demonstrates that major service projects require the cooperation of all the entire community working together. This would be a great way to expand our influence and meet other community leaders in support of the community.
John Nicoll, District Governor
Our joint service week with Kiwanis International, Lions Clubs International, and Optimist International was so successful last year, we’re doing it again!
During the week of 11-17 September, we’re encouraging Rotary and Rotaract clubs to partner with local Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist clubs on a service project that will have a long-term impact in your community. (Use the club finder tools to locate Kiwanis, Lions, and Optimist clubs near you.) To get started, work with a local social service organization or with local government officials to learn what your community needs and how you can plan the most effective project.
Tell your neighbors — and us — about your joint service project by sending out a news release, posting on social media with #CelebrateCommunity, and adding the project to Rotary Showcase.
We can do more when we work together. Let’s harness the collective power of our four organizations’ 3.4 million members and Celebrate Community together.
Sincerely,
John Hewko
General Secretary
Rotary International
Please join Saint City Rotary Club on a trip to Vietnam
Dec 5-14, 2022
We fly to Hanoi and then work our way down to Hoi Chi Min City.
All hotels are 4-5 star, 3 meals a day, a variety of excursions and plenty of time to Christmas shop.
This all-inclusive trip is only $3299 which includes flights from Vancouver, hotels, 3 meals per day and English-speaking guides.
Our Rotary Club has been offering these fundraiser trips for 5 years with this company and find them very reputable. Join us today or enquire about our 2023 trips.
Call Diane for further information 587-340-7794 or email derotary@telus.net
A great way to relax before the Christmas rush.
DEADLINE TO BOOK this fantastic trip is August 29th, 2022
Back in April, one of our club members thought we should do something to assist Ukrainians coming to Canada under the CUAET visa program. This gives Ukrainian citizens and their families the ability to come to Canada and be immediately eligible for a three year open work permit. But where to start? The answer was surprisingly simple…Facebook!
A couple of us joined a growing Facebook group of volunteers across Canada and Ukrainian people seeking assistance. Not long after, we made our own Facebook group called “Grande Prairie, Alberta Hosts Ukraine” where we provide information on our city and our program. We started inviting Ukrainian people to join. This is where we connect with people, answer their questions, provide information and, once they have decided Grande Prairie is the place for them, start the resettlement process. Some of their stories are absolutely heart-breaking.
One family left for Poland on the day of the invasion because their town was occupied by Russian soldiers by the afternoon. It took five days to drive across Ukraine because of bombings, poor road conditions and traffic. As they got close to the Polish border, the line-up of vehicles was overwhelming so the family abandoned their vehicle and walked the last 20 km to Poland.
Another family was trapped in Mariupol without heat, electricity or running water and eventually fled when to a nearby village after their apartment building was hit. Near the end of March, Russia opened a “safe corridor” that lead only to Russia. The family decided that was a better option than remaining in Mariupol so they drove 1,100 km through Russia, all the way to Tblisi, Georgia. Their car windows were covered in plastic as the glass had been blown out during the bombing of Mariupol.
Yet another watched from their home as Russian missiles blew up the nearby military base. The windows in their apartment building shattered. The next day, the father drove his wife and children to Slovenia, then turned back to return to Ukraine and join the military.
What started as a small, ad hoc committee now includes members from other Grande Prairie Rotary clubs and consists of a number of sub-committees to deal with the various aspects of the project: social media, employment, host family vetting and support, long-term rentals, ESL, driving pool, furniture sourcing, household goods and moving crew. We’re also in the process of setting up another sub-committee to deal with childcare and assist families with registering their children for school.
To date, we have brought over 50 people to Grande Prairie through our program and are expecting another 20 in August, but that will grow. In addition, we have provided supports to a number of other families who found their way to Grande Prairie through other means.
That is the power of Rotary – many people contributing their job skills, connections, resources and time so that we essentially have our very own resettlement agency. Funds for this project were contributed by the Rotary Club of Grande Prairie and the City of Grande Prairie along with many private donations. While we cannot do anything about the war in Ukraine, we can offer a soft place to land in Canada, a helping hand and Grande Prairie hospitality.
Karen Munjak
Rotary Club of Grande Prairie
The attached photo is from a BBQ we hosted on July 24 for all Ukrainian newcomers and our volunteers.
