Welcome to the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue!

Edmonton Whyte Avenue

Fun, Fearless and Focused!

Tuesdays at 5:30 pm. Program from 6:00 - 7:00 pm. Meeting fee $10. Guests - first 2 are on us!
Rooster Cafe & Kitchen
10732 82 Ave NW
Edmonton, AB T6E 6P4
Canada
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District Site
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Venue Map
Club President 2019-20

Stan Bissell

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Upcoming Speakers
Michelle Okere and Enninya Okere
Jul 14, 2020
Who's Who
Ryan King
Jul 21, 2020
Edmonton Eskimos and Kings Kids
Dayna Hyman
Jul 28, 2020
KidSport Edmonton
Michael Janz - Edmonton Public School Trustee
Aug 04, 2020 6:00 PM
Edmonton Education during the COVID-19
No Meeting - Committee Business!
Aug 11, 2020 6:00 PM
Intervivos
Aug 18, 2020 6:00 PM
David Ridley - Edmonton Heritage Council
Aug 25, 2020 6:00 PM
View entire list...
Club Executives & Directors
President
Stan Bissell
President Elect
Kelly Sysak
Secretary
Mike Greaney
Immediate Past President
Kevin McLeod
Treasurer
Stan Kodric
Communications & Web Admin
Michelle Okere
Membership
Marilyn Mucha
Services - Community
Kristin Jennings
Services - International
Jennifer Laughton
Services - Youth
James Wynters
Services - Youth
Kelly Sysak
Rotary Foundation
Tamara Larson
Programming
Stan Bissell
Fellowship
Saiyed Jaffer
Programming
Kevin McLeod
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People of Action
New to Rotary? Interested in learning more? Come to our next meeting and see what we're all about.
 
First two meetings are on us!
 
 
 
Updates on Club Activities
Kristin Jennings Whyte Knight Award
Kristin is the latest recipient of the Whyte Knight Award. Kristin's dedication and leadership as our community service chair has kept our club engaged in community service all year. Her drive and initiative meant that hundreds of meals were prepared and delivered to those in need during the days of pandemic lock down. Congratulations Kristin!
Changeover Party
Whyte Avenue Rotary rang in the new Rotary year with an exciting online changeover party. Some members tuned in "on location" for a social distance watch party at Rooster Cafe & Kitchen. To kick off the evening, soon-to-be-president Stan Bissell demonstrated how to make a mojito and a mint julep and then President Kevin McLeod looked back at all the amazing things the club accomplished this past Rotary year. Tim Onciul presented the Whyte Knight Award to Kristin Jennings for her dedication, and especially for keeping our club connected to community service during the pandemic. Tamara Larsen wrapped up the meeting by presenting Paul Harris awards to five club members! With so many reasons to celebrate, the fun kept going at Rooster Cafe & Kitchen even after the online meeting ended.  
Thank You For the Great Rotary Year!
A friendly message from the 2019-2020 Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue President:
 
Another Rotary year is coming to its end and I want to extend my sincerest thanks to the club leadership, members, friends of the club, and to the greater Edmonton community for your amazing efforts and support over the past Rotary year!
 
Thank you to all Rotary Whyte Ave members - I cannot imagine a better group with whom to spend my Tuesday afternoons. Your passion for service, enthusiasm, and commitment to the club and community has made this past year of fun and success possible. Thank you for making the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue such an amazing part of  Edmonton and the greater Rotary community. 
 
Thank you to the 2019-2020 executive team and committee chairs - The entire club is in your debt for your exceptional leadership and hard work over the past year. It is an understatement to say that all of our accomplishments this year would have been impossible without you. Thank you all for exemplifying the Rotary motto of Service Above Self.
 
And thank you to all of our community partners, our friends and colleagues from Rotary District 5370, from the other clubs in the Rotary family, and all of our friends of the club. Thank you for partnering with us, supporting our events with your time and donations, and working with the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue to create positive and lasting change in Edmonton and around the world.
 
Best of luck to President-elect Stan Bissell and the 2020-2021 leadership team, the club is in good hands with such an amazing team leading the way.
 
But the fun is not over yet!  We have a Changeover party this Tuesday where we will celebrate our efforts over the past year and welcome in the new leadership team. You can attend online or in person at Rooster Bar and Kitchen. The party starts at 6PM - you can find more details here.
 
I am extremely thankful to the membership for their trust in me to act as the President of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue. It has been an honour and I am looking forward to the exciting year ahead!
 
Best,
 
Kevin McLeod
2019-2020 President of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue
Learning About Ethical A.I.
The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by University of Alberta Associate Professor Nidhi Hegde, who talked about the fascinating world of ethics in A.I and the privacy implications around machine learning.
 
Professor Hegde explained A.I. to members and how, to quote John McCarthy, it "is the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, especially intelligent computer programs." A.I. essentially refers to solving problems using algorithms on a computer. However, Professor Hegde noted that a problem is that A.I. often has privacy implications. Professor Hegde gave the example of a Netflix survey in 2006 which led to datasets that were easily de-anonymized, ultimately leading to Netflix being sued over privacy issues.
 
She also talked about some of the other ethical issues related to machine learning, including bias in facial recognition software and data collection through social media.
 
Professor Hegde indicated that there is still a long way to go towards having ethical A.I. as well as to ensuring people's privacy is protected and data is used for the right reasons.  Professor Hegde noted a positive development in this area, mentioning a European Union (EU) regulation called the General Data Protection Regulation, which is designed to protect and empower all EU citizens data privacy and reshape the way organizations across the region approach data privacy.
 
An exciting and informative presentation, thank you Nidhi Hegde for presenting and thank you to everyone who joined us!
Read our 2019-2020 Strategic Plan!
After the club had a robust and exciting brainstorming session in January 2020, a strategic document was put together to provide a current snapshot of club considerations on identity, member engagement, and fundraising. The strategic document is now available!  You can review it here: 
 
It is the aim of this document to act as a club resource and support current and future decision making. Thank you to Kristin for facilitating the brainstorming session in January and thank you to everyone who provided input!
Planning For the New Rotary Year
 
To help prepare for the new Rotary year that begins in July, President-elect Stan B. called together the incoming 2020/21 chairs and executive to have their first team meeting!   The team came together and discussed their committee plans for the year - and what an amazing year ahead!  Some exciting items discussed include: A Rotary Whyte Ave scholarship, partnering with Shine for Shelterbox, exciting community speakers, and more!  
 
The team then spent some time discussing fundraising for the year to ensure the club can continue making a difference in the community.
 
2020-21 Rotary year is sure to be exciting, thank you to Stan for organizing and to the new leadership team for taking on these important roles!
International Projects We Support
Making Polio History 
 
Rotary made a promise to rid the world of polio and continues to work each day to reach that goal. Watch this new video to learn more about this endemic, Rotary’ efforts to eliminate polio worldwide, and how you can help. You can learn more about Rotary’s efforts towards polio eradication here.
 
A Kiva Story
Posted by Stan Bissell on May 28, 2018
 
KIVA Microfinance Loans
One of Rotary International’s six area’s of focus is growing local economies by “strengthening local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities.” The Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue is working on this area of focus by providing microloans through kiva.org.
 
Stan Bissell shared the story of Thúy, a female entrepreneur living in a remote rural community in Vietnam, who the club has supported with a microloan.
Read more...
 
 
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Event Cancellation Policy
Monies for events will be refunded (less an administration fee as well as any loss incurred by the District for contractual issues incurred by the District) provided the request is made at least 7 days prior to the event.
 
The refund will be processed after all incurred costs have been received and processed.
 
Normally, 10% of the fees paid will be withheld to cover these charges.
 
No refunds will be made within 7 days of the event. 
 
There will be no refund for district dues or donations.