Whyte Avenue Rotary Newsletter for the Week of February 2 (Jan 29, 2021)

Last Tuesday, President-elect Kelly kept us all laughing with an online festival of fellowship and fun. Club members got to know each other better, and know a little more about Rotary, through a trivia game based on Rotary history and on interesting facts about members. That was followed up by having to match club members with their baby photos. The final challenge was a round of online Pictionary where participants learned just how hard it is to draw with a computer mouse! Thanks for making us smile Kelly.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue loves doing hands-on volunteering. Making meals for the families in the Edmonton RMH is one of our favourite volunteer activities. With COVID-19 restrictions, we can't volunteer in person, so we are fundraising to donate the funds that we would have put toward making meals for the house this year. When we volunteer in person it would have cost our club approximately $250 for the food to make a meal for the house. Our goal is to fundraise enough to cover the cost of two meals.

You can support our team fundraiser by clicking the link below and making a donation. Tax receipts will be provided for donations over $20.

Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue | Ronald McDonald House Charities (rmhccanada.ca)

Polio Eradication Podcast by our Upcoming Speaker Craig Baird

When Craig Baird, host of the Canadian History Ehx podcast, did his presentation to the Rotary Club of Edmonton West in August, one of the questions he received from a member was if he would do an episode on polio eradication. Well, Craig has done just that!

The podcast episode looks at the polio threat in Canada, its impact it had on individual Canadians, and how it was mostly eradicated by Canadian scientists and he mentions in the episode the immense efforts Rotary put into eradicating polio.

We can't wait to have Craig as our speaker on February 2nd. You can check out his podcasts at Canadian History Ehx – A deep dive into our amazing history (canadaehx.com)

Click Here to Listen to the Canada and Polio Episode

Youth Services is looking to set up an Interact Committee that will help both Rotary sponsoring clubs and Interact Clubs bridge the gaps during COVID, but also to help provide assistance and training for clubs who wish to sponsor an Interact Club.

The District is looking for Rotarians and Rotaractors who are interested in sitting on this new committee from ALL areas of District 5370. The committee goals will be to work toward a training program for Rotary and Rotaract clubs wishing to sponsor Interact clubs, provide regular communication to the club sponsors, and share ideas and best practices.

The next meeting will be February 11 at 7 p.m. The hope is to get this committee in place to help support RYLE, & RYPEN which coming up in May.

If you are interested, please contact Elizabeth Bonkink, Youth Services 5370 Co-Chair, at e_bonkink@hotmail.com

Foundation Moment

What is a Rotary Foundation Global Grant Scholarship?

Established in 1947, the original Ambassadorial Scholarship program was designed to further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries. With the launch of the Rotary Grants model, scholarships are now used to fund study by graduate students whose career goals support an area of focus. The funding is the same as a humanitarian global grant with a minimum scholarship amount of US $30,000. Upon returning home, Rotary Scholars share with Rotarians and others their experiences that led to a greater understanding of their host country, and what career they will go into in order to meet the six areas of focus and spread goodwill and understanding.

Our District is sponsoring a Global Grant Scholarship this year with the Rotary Club of Edmonton as the lead club. Rotary Clubs of Edmonton Whyte Avenue, Edmonton West, Edmonton South, Westlock, Wainwright, and Edmonton Riverview, along with several individual sponsors are collaborating to make this happen. Anna-Marie Robertson, a former Youth Exchange student, will be attending Georgetown University to study international law. (Rotary’s Area of Focus: peace and conflict prevention/resolutions.)

Are you interested in supporting or learning more about our Foundation? Ask Tamara Larsen, Foundation Chair, for information.

Click Here for Information about the Foundation

February 2

Craig B aird - Canadian History Ehx

This week we have Craig Baird, host of the podcast Canadian History Ehx, coming to speak to our club. Craig feels that Canada has a history that is interesting and deep and he uses his podcast to spread that history.

Please join us online at 6:00pm by clicking the link: https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/987309437