Congratulations To Our Very Own Kevin McLeod for Being Recognized as a Top 40 Under 40
Congratulations Kevin on this well-deserved recognition.
Here is a link to the article - https://edifyedmonton.com/people/top-40/2024/kevin-mcleod
Stories
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Pub N Paint III Join the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue for an entertaining and fun guided paint night to raise funds for polio eradication. Come follow along with step-by-step instructions as you sip on drinks at Rooster Kitchen & Bar (10732 82 Avenue Northwest Edmonton). This is designed to be an inclusive, fun, non-intimidating atmosphere to create art in good company. All supplies are included, just bring yourself and be ready to have a good time! Tickets are $56.20 and you will receive a tax receipt for $20 from The Rotary Foundation. Purchase your tickets from the link below: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/pubnpaint-paint-for-polio-fundraiser-tickets-1042113839547 |
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Paint for Polio Our second annual Paint for Polio event to raise funds for polio eradication was a great success. It was a creative and fun way to increase awareness about polio and to help reach our goal of stamping polio out for good. Thanks to everyone who came and supported. |
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Creating Opportunities Through KIVA MicroloansOne of the ways that the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue creates international opportunities is by making microloans through an organization called Kiva. Billions of people around the world do not have access to traditional finance and Kiva loans give people the power and resources to build the life they choose. By crowdfunding smaller amounts—called microloans—more borrowers get funded. Through Kiva, we find a person around the world who we want to support, decide how much we want to contribute toward the loan, get repaid, and then lend the money again. The initial $700 we put into Kiva has been loaned more than three times over to people in 44 different countries and we just made our 125th loan!  Click this link to learn more about Kiva: How does Kiva work? | Kiva
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Pub N Paint for Polio Join the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue for an entertaining and fun guided paint night to raise funds for polio eradication. Come follow along with step-by-step instructions as you sip on your $5 pints & mimosas at Rooster Kitchen & Bar (10732 82 Avenue Northwest Edmonton). This is designed to be an inclusive, fun, non-intimidating atmosphere to create art in good company. All supplies are included, just bring yourself and be ready to have a good time! Tickets are $51.72 and you will receive a tax receipt for $20 from The Rotary Foundation. Purchase your tickets from the link below: |
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2023-2024 Rotary Theme This year's Rotary Presidential theme is "Create Hope in the World." Rotary International President Gordon R. McInally calls for Rotary to create hope in the world by working for peace and mental wellbeing. He urges members to engage in tough conversations and earn the trust that’s necessary to realize these values
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Welcome to Our New Member Marianne Auch Whyte Avenue Rotary is so pleased to welcome our newest member, Marianne Auch. Marianne retired as a junior high humanities and drama teacher following thirty years in the classroom. Prior to that, she worked as a radio news reporter in Kamloops, BC. She is also a certified yoga teacher and meditation instructor. Marianne is excited to increase her community service through Rotary. |
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So Many Reasons to Celebrate! We had so many reasons to celebrate the end of this 2022-2023 Rotary Year: The Whyte Knight Award for club service was given to Kelly, President Tamara finished serving her third term as president, Adam took the reigns as our new club president, and we inducted a new member! Our hands were sore from so much clapping. Another successful year with the fun, focused and fearless club.
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Rotaract Update It was so great to hear from the University of Alberta Rotaract about the successes and challenges of this past year. The work you do is inspirational! We love it when you stop by to attend one of our meetings. Our club was happy to support U of A Rotaract members to participate in the Rotaract Summit. |
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Supporting YESS Whyte Avenue Rotary is proud to support our community partner, YESS. Thank you Margo Long for updating our club on the incredible work that YESS is doing. |
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Remembering Betty Marsh With sadness, we share the passing of club member Betty Marsh. Betty was a warm and positive person who always brought a smile to the faces of her fellow club members. We will miss you Betty! A donation to the Rotary Foundation will be made in Betty's honour. Her obituary and details of her celebration of life can be found at this link.
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Monolith Tour & Tasting Whyte Avenue Rotary had a fun and interesting tour and tasting at The Monolith on Thursday. We enjoyed hearing the story of this unique facility in Edmonton's growing microbrewery industry and tasting the unique beers that they are making. We love learning about and supporting local businesses and this was certainly a fun club "field trip,"
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Coats for Kids & Families On February 2, our club members were busy sorting coats at the United Way Coats for Kids & Families program. This program aims to ensure families have access to the proper winter outerwear needed for our cold Edmonton and area winters.
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Paint for Polio Our Paint for Polio fundraiser with Pub N Paint YEG was a huge success. We are so close to wiping polio out for good and every dollar counts. We raised over $600 for polio eradication and had so much fun doing it. Thanks Rooster Kitchen & Cafe for hosting us and for Ariel Durkin for making us all into artists.
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Project Amigo Sponsorship Project Amigo Canada Society focuses on supporting youth of lower income families in Suchitlan, Colima, Mexico. Without support, these youth would have difficulty achieving even a basic, education. Project Amigo ensures students have access to a continuous education from elementary to tech school or university levels, and the ability to achieve their highest potential. For the past two years, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue has been sponsoring a Project Amigo student who is elementary school. Project Amigo has reached out to our club to ask if we would consider sponsoring a student at the secondary level, which is a larger financial commitment of $850/year. Due to the pandemic, many families in the communities Project Amigo serves are dealing with financial difficulty, which resulted in more families applying for support for their children’ education. This September alone, they have accepted more than 40 new students at the secondary level and they are hoping to find a sponsor for each of them. Click to read the bios for two of these students in their first year of Secondary School. |
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Mision Claridad Paul Dusseault from the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview came to speak to our club about Misión Claridad (Mission Clarity). This project provides free cataract surgery to Ecuadoreans who can’t afford it and whose lives and livelihoods are profoundly impacted by their blindness or vision impairment due to cataracts. The mission will also raises awareness of what cataracts are, the risk factors that predispose individuals to cataracts, and how several of those risk factors can be minimized. Thank you for sharing this inspiring story and worthwhile project with our club Paul!
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Kris Knutson The Mustard Seed |
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A Streetcar Named Rotary On Tuesday October 4th, Whyte Avenue Rotary members took Streetcar No. 33, a restored 1912 streetcar, for a ride across the High Level Bridge. We learned so much from our volunteer conductor about history of the car and the historical society that preserves and runs the cars as we enjoyed the beauty of the Edmonton river valley.
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Pub N Paint for Polio Join the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue for an entertaining and fun guided paint night to raise funds for polio eradication. Come follow along with step-by-step instructions as you sip on your $5 pints & mimosas at Rooster Kitchen & Bar (10732 82 Avenue Northwest Edmonton). This is designed to be an inclusive, fun, non-intimidating atmosphere to create art in good company. All supplies are included, just bring yourself and be ready to have a good time! Tickets are $48.76 and you will receive a tax receipt for $20 from The Rotary Foundation. Purchase your tickets from the link below: PubNPaint "Paint for Polio" Fundraiser Tickets, Tue, 22 Nov 2022 at 7:00 PM | Eventbrite |
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Tuesday, August 30th, Global Grant Scholar, Haley StangOn Tuesday, August 30th we were happy to have both an in person meeting AND listen to our great presenter, Haley Stang, a Rotary District 5370 Global Grant scholar. 
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Welcome to the 2022-2023 Rotary Year RI President-elect Jennifer Jones imagines a Rotary where members act to make their dreams become reality and they make the most of their club experiences. She urges members to engage more with each other and use these connections to build partnerships that change the world. The 2022-23 presidential theme logo was designed by renowned Australia-based Indigenous artist Riki Salam to represent RI President Jennifer Jones’ theme and initiatives. The logo represents key elements of Rotary while honoring the Indigenous culture: • The circle signifies connections to one another. • The dots around the circle represent people, one for each of our areas of focus. • The circle and the dots together become a navigation star, which signifies Rotary’s guiding light. • The solid line underneath signifies a digging stick used for hard work — a tool that Rotary’s people of action use to get things done.
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Congratulations to Whyte Avenue Rotary Alumna Paige Reeves Edmonton’s Skills Society is a Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue community partner and we are proud of the work that club alumna, Paige Reeves, has done to help steward The Future of Home Solutions Lab to address the gaps in housing for people with developmental disabilities.
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Tuesday, April 19th Volunteer EventThank you all so much for coming out this past Tuesday to prepare food hampers for the needy. Your efforts are truly appreciated! Glad to see new member Eric. Also member prospect Arshi and significant other Steve as well as Sami join us. Their applications are being processed. Members of YEG Passport and Edmonton club also participated as well as Friends of the club. Super involvement on a snowy evening!!!! Next Food Bank event is Sunday May 15. spots still open. Consider signing up or bring a friend. See the club website for event posting. |
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Melcor Meals Take 7Our small but mighty club was back at one of our favourite activities this week - supporting community members in our city.  |
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Project Amigo Update Miguel Angel Rodriguez Martinez, the Project Amigo student that our club sponsors in Colima, Mexico, sent us a letter and drawing thanking us for the support and gifts that were sent with Marilyn Mucha when she travelled there to participate in a volunteer week. It is so exciting that she got to meet our “ahijado” We can't wait to hear more about Marilyn and Sue's experiences later in May. Click the "Read More" to read a translation of Miguel's letter.
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Supporting Ukraine At Rotary, we are deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Ukraine and the escalating loss of life and humanitarian hardship there. Our club met on Tuesday, March 8th, to discuss how our club, and how individual club members, could support the people of Ukraine during this crisis. Our club will be making a donation to ShelterBox Canada to help address the many Ukrainian people who have become refugees. Click the "read more" button below to see three ways you can help.
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Neighbour AppreciationThanks to all the club members and friends that came together to show some love to our neighbours in shelter on the south side. We put together 80 Valentine’s Day packages with Cinnaholic cinnamon buns and Crave cupcakes picked up by James Cameron and packaged by Marilyn Mucha and her Mom, Alice. Then added beautiful handwritten greeting cards by Simone Desilets, Claudette Rosenthal and Kathy Strobl, as well as Tim Horton's gift cards, stuffed by Kristin Jennings. These were delivered to the Knox and Strathearn Baptist shelter locations by Michelle Okere and Brittany Grunerud. Additionally, our Neighbour Center friends are getting a handwritten card and Subway gift card when they pick up their March bus passes. We appreciate everyone’s contributions! This no doubt made a difference in the hearts of the recipients.     |
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Bissell CentreAt our last meeting we had a presentation from Kelly Sysak, a Development Officer with Edmonton's Bissell Centre.  |
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Operation Friendship Seniors Society Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OFSS) is a smaller inner city agency that has been around since 1969. It serves the specific demographic of seniors 55 and older who are facing poverty and homelessness. On Tuesday February 1st, Jimmy Morrison, Community Relations Supervisor with OFSS, came to update the club on the work that OFSS is doing in the community, how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected OFSS, and how our club could support OFSS. We look forward to re-engaging with OFSS as a community partner. Thank you Jimmy!
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Dr. Tanyss Munro Amarok Society The Rotary Club Whyte Avenue had the pleasure of hearing from Dr. Tanyss Munro from Amarok Society on Tuesday, November 30th. We were given an update of the Amarok Society. The Amarok Society teach mothers to teach the world They work in the slums of Bangladesh where, according to the UN, virtually all population growth is taking place in the least developed regions and countries in urban centres, not rural villages. 1 in 3 children is growing up illiterate. It’s unlikely that any child will grow up in this chaotic, violent, noisy place to become a thoughtful, caring adult. Given that building schools, training teachers and filling them with children was not working Amarok needed to come up with a novel approach. What if we taught their illiterate mothers? Every school we have is for mothers with 25 mothers/school. Each mother teaches 5 children in her microschool. Every one of these children will graduate from high school – some will go beyond. Every boy they teach grows up thinking it natural and normal to be taught with girls by a woman. Not one of these little girls will be a child-bride like the mothers who teach them were. We thank Dr. Tanyss Munro for giving our club an update and seeing the amazing work that Amarok Society continues to do. |
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Rachel Notley, MLA On Monday November 15th, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue co-hosted an online lunchtime meeting with the Rotary Club of Edmonton (Downtown) and the Rotary Club of Edmonton West. Each club president had a chance to share a bit about their clubs and their upcoming events and activities. Our speaker was Member of the Legislative Assembly for Edmonton Strathcona, and Leader of the Official Opposition, Rachel Notley. Ms. Notley shared her perspective on the state of affairs in Alberta and took time to answer questions from club members. We appreciated Ms. Notley taking time from her busy schedule to speak with Rotarians.
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Project Amigo Update On Tuesday, November 16, we had Past District 5370 Governor and Canadian Intermediary for Project Amigo Canada Society, Elly Contreras-Vermeulen, join our meeting as our speaker live from Colima Mexico. Elly provided an update on the work that Project Amigo is doing and how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected their efforts. Project Amigo Canada Society helps lift youth out of poverty through education and focuses on supporting youth of lower income families in Suchitlan, Colima, Mexico. For the past three years, the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club has been sponsoring a student through Project Amigo, and at the meeting we got a chance to meet Miguel via Zoom and to ask him questions. Miguel is in Grade 6 and loves Spanish class, reading, playing basketball, and his favourite food is pizza. It was wonderful to make the connection with Miguel. One of our members, Marilyn Mucha, will be participating in a Project Amigo volunteer week this winter, so we will soon get to learn more about Project Amigo and Miguel through her volunteer experience. To learn more about Project Amigo Canada Society, click here.
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Congratulations!Whyte Avenue Rotary Members Michelle and Enyinnah Okere are both chosen for Edify Edmonton magazine's Top 40 Under 40!   |
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Empowering Girls Initiative Tamara Larson, as an Ambassador for this year's Empowering Girls Initiative, told us about how Equality is a fundamental human right that's critical in order to have a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world. Still, girls and women worldwide face inequities in areas including health and education, and they experience significant violence and disproportionate poverty. Rotary encourages clubs and districts to prioritize projects that improve the health, well-being, education, and economic security of girls in their communities and around the world. Tamara Larson Ambassador For Empowering Girls Initiative |
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Tamara Larson |
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Edmonton Sport Council On Tuesday September 21st, we had Gary Shelton, Executive Director of the Edmonton Sport Council, speak to our club about the work that the Edmonton Sport Council does and how COVID has impacted youth sport in Edmonton. The Edmonton Sport Council is a non-profit society serving and representing the sport, active recreation, and active living community. Some of the objectives of the council are to raise the profile of sport in Edmonton, share best practices, and to facilitate access to expertise, education, and training in the areas of physical literacy, sport, and active recreation by Edmonton organizations. Gary shared how COVID-19 has dramatically impacted the sport community and how socioeconomic status has a major impact on returning to sport. For example, youth sport has lost access to community use of schools gyms during the pandemic; golf courses reduced or eliminated youth subsides due to the high demand for tee times; and availability of equipment, such as cross-country skis, and bikes, has been limited. Gary shared some startling figures, including how approximately 365,000 girls who were in sport prior to COVID 19 are not expected to return to sport! Thank you for the enlightening talk Gary.
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STARS Air Ambulance On Tuesday September 14, we had the pleasure of hearing Jon Gogan, Provincial Director for Northern and Central Operations, tell us about Shock, Trauma, Air Rescue Service (STARS). Jon told us how STARS was founded in 1985 after a pregnant woman from a rural community died from blood loss, leaving a father alone with their newborn. For STARS founder Dr. Powell, her death was one too many. Something had to be done and a non-profit helicopter air ambulance service was begun and has grown to serve three provinces. We have probably all seen the iconic red helicopters, but hearing first-hand about the incredible life-saving work that STARS Air Ambulance does gave us a new appreciation of just what those helicopters can do and why it is so important to support their work. Thank you Jon for sharing inspiring stories of this incredible organization! If you want to learn more about STARS, visit Stars.ca.
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Fall Social at Hawrelak Park Whyte Avenue Rotary had a great turnout of members and friends at our fall get together in the park. Members had not seen each other in person for many months due to the pandemic and it was great to catch up face-to-face. We were also happy to support the Rooster Cafe by ordering delicious catered meals. |
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Root for Trees Volunteering Our club, members of the YEG Passport Club, and friends spent Wednesday evening planting fruit and nut trees - cranberries, gooseberries, saskatoon and hazelnuts as part of City of Edmonton Root for Trees initiative. Club members also joined U of A Rotaract club on Friday night to continue the planting along Strathearn Crescent. Thanks to everyone who came out to help expand, care for and protect our urban forest. |
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REET Institute
Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue members Michelle & Enyinnah Okere joined us to talk about a new non-profit that they have started called the REET Institute. The REET Institute teaches students about financial literacy and commercial real estate. The REET Institute will partner with corporations, schools, and non-profits to deliver training using a blend of e-learning, live courses, and hands-on experience. REET leverages a practical learning approach where students work with industry professionals and executives to evaluate live deals. These deals are located within their respective communities and students are then required to present them in a pitch competition to industry leaders. Students emerge from the program with the skills, confidence, experiences and networks that prepare them to secure a strong first job and to become stakeholders in their community. Michelle and Enyinnah are particularly interested in promoting diversity and inclusion in the commercial real estate sector and hope to engage youth from diverse and marginalized backgrounds to participate in this training. You can learn more by visiting their website at this link: REET Institute – Welcome to our institute. Thank you for sharing your exciting new venture with us Michelle & Enyinnah! |
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Taproot Edmonton & the Municipal Election On Tuesday we had Mack Male from Taproot Edmonton speak to our club about the upcoming municipal election. Taproot Edmonton is a source of curiosity-driven original stories, curated newsletters on various topics, and locally focused podcasts with a mission to help communities understand themselves better. Taproot Edmonton has a strong focus on municipal issues and club members were very interested in what they have to say about the upcoming municipal election. One of the exciting tools they are developing is a candidate survey that will be used to match voters with a candidate whose position on election issues most closely aligns-- it will be great to visit their website later this fall to give the tool a try and use it to become more informed about the election. Vist Taproot Edmonton at https://edmonton.taproot.news/ to find out more or check out their "Speaking Municipally" podcast by clicking this link.
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A Visit from DG Donna Barrett We were honoured to have District Governor Donna Barrett come to our club meeting on Tuesday, July 13th; our club was one of the first clubs in District 5370 that Donna visited. Donna met with our board before joining our regular club meeting. She spoke on this year's theme of Serve To Change Lives and remarked how our club already has a stellar record of service in the community. We look forward to inviting her back for an in person visit when we are meeting again face to face. Donna also played her fun introductory video for us, which you can check out at this link: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/50012/Stories/district-governor-donna-barrett |
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A Youth Leader for the Ages The latest edition of Rotary Canada magazine features a story about our own Tamara Larson and all the work that she has done with young leaders in Rotary. It is great to see our club mentioned in this national publication. Congratulations Tamara. Check out the article here.
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Bronze Hat Trick for ShelterBox Canada Every year, ShelterBox Canada says thank you to Rotary Clubs for their incredible support with the ShelterBox Canada Hero Awards. Natural disasters and conflict are inevitable and frequent, and the need is continuous. A ShelterBox Canada Hero is a Rotary Club that has identified the continuing need to prepare for disasters and respond at a moment’s notice. Clubs are recognized based on their total annual giving throughout the Rotary year and all donations that are fundraised or donated by the club are included in Hero recognition. For the third year in a row, The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue has been awarded with a Bronze Hero award from ShelterBox Canada! ShelterBox has now provided aid to 2,000,000 people across 98 countries! While it took 15 years to help 1 million people, The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue has helped ShelterBox reach their second million in the space of just 5.5 years. Our club is proud that we could contribute to help improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of families affected by disaster and conflict.
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Annual General Meeting Last Tuesday we held our club's annual general meeting (AGM) online. This is an important meeting as it is an opportunity to reflect on the current Rotary year, make decisions about the next Rotary year, and holding an AGM is also requirement for our club to maintain our society status. At the meeting, committee chairs reported on the fantastic things that they accomplished during this Rotary year, we discussed the proposed budget for the next Rotary year, and we elected the members of the club board of directors. Congratulations President Kelly, Secretary Mike, Treasurer Stan K, and Past-president Stan B who will who will lead our club in the 2021-2022 Rotary year.
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Congratulations to Our 50/50 Winner The Whyte Avenue Rotary Club teamed up with the Strathcona Rotary Club to raise funds for our clubs and to support Wounded Warriors Canada through a 50/50 cash raffle. Congratulations to the winner, Neil Reid of Edmonton, who took home $3,360. Thanks you to everyone who supported this fundraiser. |
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Royal Astronomical Society of Canada On Tuesday we had Geoff from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada (RASC) speak to our club about all the interesting things that the organization does. The RASC brings together over 4,000 enthusiastic amateurs, educators, and professionals. The RASC Edmonton Centre, established in 1932, exists to promote the advancement of astronomy and allied sciences as well as to increase public awareness of astronomy as an enjoyable hobby and as an important scientific endeavor. Geoff shared how people with an interest in astronomy could learn more through the events that RASC holds and the publications that they produce. They have many free opportunities throughout the year for people to hear talks by celestial experts or to sky gaze with local astronomers at the observatory in Coronation Park. Thank you for sharing your passion for astronomy with us Geoff.
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Who's Who with Lochlan Keylor On Tuesday May 18, Lochlan Keylor gave his Who's Who? classification talk in an engaging and lighthearted fireside-chat format with his Rotary sponsor, Paige Reeves. As Lochlan answered questions from Paige, we got to learn more about his life, career, interests, and what brought Lochlan to Rotary. Lochlan shared with us how he completed the hospitality management program at NAIT with the support of Inclusion Alberta and was working as a banquet server and host for corporate events at Fort Edmonton Park prior to the pandemic. Lochlan is an avid reader and has been a long-time member of a book club; he is a connoisseur of fine cocktails; he is also an accomplished Toastmaster and will be the president of his Toastmaster club next year. Lochlan is obviously very social and likes to stay busy, which makes him a great Rotarian. Thanks for sharing with us Lochlan, introducing your cats to us, and making us laugh.
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Rotary Integrity Awards The 17th Annual Rotary Integrity Awards were held on Monday May 17th. Rotary clubs in the greater Edmonton area are able to nominate one non-Rotarian who they feel is a local hero; this year, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue nominated Margo Long, President and CEO of Youth Empowerment Support Services (YESS). Margo took home an Integrity Award for her passion in bringing community support for youth in the Edmonton area. Our club was so happy that someone who exemplifies the motto "service above self" was able to able to be recognized. After winning her award, Margo said, "Of all the achievements I have to be proud of in my life, being recognized for my integrity and service is truly incredible." Congratulations Margo.
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Coordinated Youth ResponseOn Tuesday May 11th, Eli Schrader, a Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue alumnus, came to speak to us about Edmonton's Coordinated Youth Response. This is a collaborative effort in Edmonton to integrate support for youth aged 15-24 experiencing crisis and housing instability during the pandemic. There are several youth service agencies from across the city that have formed this network to support vulnerable and at-risk youth in an effective and streamlined way. Thank you Eli for sharing how the youth sector in Edmonton is becoming more unified.  |
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Salvation Army Grace Village On Tuesday May 4th, we had Al Hoeft, The Salvation Army Divisional Secretary for Public Relations & Development for the Alberta & Northern Territories Division, speak to our club about the plans for their new Grace Village facility. Grace Village will provide supportive housing to bridge the gap between chronic homelessness and permanent housing in Edmonton. Grace Village will also offer addiction recovery programming to help people build the strength to break free of drug or alcohol addiction, giving hope for a better and brighter future. Al explained how Grace Village will be designed to support residents in a dignified and safe way, to promote community engagement and outreach, and meet the highest environmental building standards as a net zero building. Thank you for coming to speak to us about this project Al! For more information on Grace Village visit BuildingTheDreamYEG.ca
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Linda Hoang - Cat Fest This week we had Linda Hoang as our guest speaker. Linda is one of Alberta's most popular bloggers and social media strategists. Her blog and social media presence shows her passion for supporting local businesses, exploring neighbourhoods, and discovering food and art. Linda is the founder of the Edmonton International Cat Festival. Linda shared her love of cats (and cat puns) with us and how Cat Fest is adapting to the challenges of covid-19. She is also the founder of Instagrammable Wall Guides and she told us how she scouts out, shares, and gives tours of the most interesting walls to use as photo backdrops in Edmonton and other cities. An instagrammable wall tour sounds like a great activity for a future Whyte Avenue Rotary fellowship event! Thanks Linda - your presentation was purr-fect!
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Whyte Avenue Rotary Helps the Edmonton Food Bank On Tuesday April 20th, Whyte Avenue Rotary Club members and friends were at the Edmonton Food Bank safely helping sort items and fill hampers for those in need. Thanks to the volunteers who helped out with this event!
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U School On Tuesday April 13, two University of Alberta Senators, Dave Rumbold and Marla Palakkamanil, and Michaela Mann, U School Program Lead, came to speak to our club about U School. U School is a program run by the University of Alberta Senate that aims to introduce and connect students in grades 4 through 9 from socially vulnerable, Aboriginal (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) and rural communities to the University of Alberta. Classes, with their classroom teachers, attend a week-long immersion experience on campus led by U School staff. Our guest speakers shared how the sessions at U School are designed to build excitement while meeting the objectives of the curriculum. The program also strives to create a sense of belonging for marginalized students who have significant barriers to overcome - and it is clearly working since hundreds of U School alumni now attend the University of Alberta. The quotation that our guest speakers shared with us sums up the impact of U School, "Some children are lucky to grow up in families and communities where the life-changing power of post-secondary education is well understood. U School is for everyone else." U School sounds amazing and we were so happy to learn about this program and the role of a University of Alberta Senator.
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Anna-Marie Robertson - Global Grant Scholar On Tuesday we had Anna-Marie Robertson join us online from the UK to talk about how Rotary has made an impact in her life. Anna-Marie completed her law degree at Cambridge University in July, and now with the help of a Rotary Global Grant, she is going to continue her studies in law by starting a master of laws degree in National Security Law at Georgetown University as a Georgetown National Security Law Scholar. Anna-Marie has an impressive academic and service background. In addition to her law degree, she holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Transnational Law and Human Rights (Carleton University) and a Certificate in International Affairs and Strategy (Sciences Po). Prior to her legal studies, Anna-Marie held various positions at the Canadian Red Cross and has been deployed to a number of disasters across Canada. She is currently works as Senior Advisor, Government Relations at the Canadian Red Cross. Anna-Marie is a former Rotary Youth Exchange Student (2012-2013); following her exchange, Anna-Marie returned home to Edmonton where she engaged with Rotary as a Rotex student and established an Interact Club at her high school. Anna-Marie was awarded the Rotex Scholarship (District 5370) for her commitment to service and further recognized by the Rotary Club of Edmonton as a Paul Harris Fellow. We are so happy that the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club was able to work with other District 5370 Rotary Clubs to help make this Global Grant Scholarship happen for Anna-Marie - she is such a deserving recipient and we look forward to hearing about her studies when she comes back to visit our club again. All the best in your studies Anna-Marie!
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50-50 Cash Raffle In Support of YESS Whyte Avenue Rotary held an online 50/50 raffle in support of Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) during the month of April. YESS has been one of our community partners since our club was chartered over ten years ago. Proceeds raised from this 50/50 will help support the valuable work that YESS does. Thank you everyone for your support of this fundraiser. Congratulations to Mike Brandingen, who took home half of the $3,820 total jackpot. |
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ShelterBox Trivia Fundraiser Our International Committee hosted a trivia night to help raise funds in support of ShelterBox, Rotary's partner in international disaster relief. Karen shared the story of ShelterBox and about the great work that they do, then quizmaster Jennifer kept us laughing as she stumped us in multiple categories. Thank you to everyone who participated and who made a donation to ShelterBox. Congratulations to Linda Newton & Keith Laughton, who joined from Ottawa to win the quiz, and congratulations to our door prize winner, Michelle, who got a solar lamp and cell phone charger - just like the ones that go into a ShelterBox.
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Kassia Fardoe - Global Grant Scholar This week we had Global Grant Scholar Kassia Fardoe as our speaker. Kassia was studying at the London School of Economics where she worked to complete her Master of Science in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies. Kassia is passionate about animals and wildlife conservationism and she has focused that passion by examining the neo-colonial behaviours of conservationists in her dissertation. We were interested to hear about her experience living in London and her studies, including a project that looked at using drones for humanitarian responses. We also heard about the challenges she faced trying to complete her studies in the middle of a pandemic, such as having to attend seminars with a 7-hour time difference! Multiple Rotary clubs collaborated to make this scholarship happen and our club is proud to have been one of the clubs that helped support Kassia's Global Grant Scholarship. Best of luck in your future endeavours Kassia.
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Karen Foss Who's Who? On Tuesday March 3rd we had our very own Karen Foss give her Who's Who? talk. This was an opportunity for Karen to tell the club about about herself, her career, and what brought her to Rotary. We were so interested to learn about Karen's role as a nurse practitioner in the area of neonatal intensive care and to find out about her fascinating research into addition and the effect of opioids and other drugs on pregnant women and pre-term babies. Thank you for the engaging presentation Karen! The work you do is so important and we are lucky to have you as a member of our club.
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Change for Climate This week we had Lisa Dockman, Energy Transition Project Manager from the City of Edmonton, as our guest speaker. Lisa spoke to us about the many City of Edmonton initiatives to mitigate climate change. We learned about how the Change for Climate program is helping Edmontonians make their homes more efficient through energy audits and incentives, solar rebate programs, and energy mapping. She also shared how The City is helping people get around in more environmentally friendly way through greater mobility choice and electrification of public transport and rebates for electric cars. Thank you Lisa for sharing ways that we can act locally to make us more resistant to the global impacts of climate change and to protect our quality of life, health and economy. |
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Dan Rude - AUMA This week we had Dan Rude, Chief Executive Officer of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA), as our guest speaker. AUMA was established in 1905 to represent Alberta’s urban municipalities, including cities, towns, villages, summer villages, and specialized municipalities. Dan talked about how the AUMA supports and advocates for Alberta municipalities to help build more vibrant communities. This multi-faceted organization does so many things and we all learned a lot. Thank you for being our speaker Dan!
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Global Grant Scholar Several District 5370 Rotary clubs, including the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club, and individual Rotary members contributed to raise the $10,000 USD required to fund a Global Grant Scholarship for Anna-Marie Robertson. Global Grant Scholarships fund graduate-level coursework or research for one to four academic years and Anna-Marie will be using this scholarship to support her studies at Georgetown University where she will be studying international law. Global grant scholars plan to pursue a career in one of Rotary's area of focus and Anna-Marie's studies align with the peace and conflict prevention/resolution area of focus. Congratulations Anna-Marie! We can't wait to have you come talk to our club about your research and your experiences. |
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Craig Baird, Host of Canadian History Ehx This week we had Craig Baird, host of the podcast Canadian History Ehx, 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. He made us feel like we were part of one of his podcast episodes as he told the story of the 1915 flood in Edmonton that changed the shape and history of our city forever. Thank you Craig for making our local history accessible and for entertaining us. Craig also has a great episode on polio eradication that looks at the polio threat in Canada, the impact it had on individual Canadians, and how it was mostly eradicated by Canadian scientists. He also mentions the immense efforts Rotary put into eradicating polio. You can listen to the polio episode at https://canadaehx.com/2021/01/16/canada-and-polio/ |
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Online Festival of Fellowship & Fun 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. |
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We Did It! - Successful Fundraiser for the Edmonton Ronald McDonald House WE DID IT!!! 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 couldn't volunteer in person, so we put out the call to raise 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 was to fundraise enough to cover the cost of two meals - and we did it! Although we have reached our goal, the team fundraiser is open until the end of June and you can still donate by clicking the link below and making a donation. Tax receipts will be provided for donations over $20.
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Whyte Knight Award Service above self is a trait that Whyte Avenue Rotary members, and all Rotarians, admire and strive to demonstrate. The Whyte Knight Award was created by our club to recognize the commitment of our fun, fearless, and focused members in serving others. The previous recipient of the award decides, in consultation with other club members, the person who deserves to have this award. On Tuesday, Kristin Jennings, the past recipient of the award, presented The Whyte Knight Award to Michelle Okere for her service. Michelle is a passionate and dedicated member of our club who embodies service above self. We really appreciate that she brings a lot of knowledge to the club from her work life. As Communications Chair for our club, Michelle has increased our social media engagement on all of our club platforms. She helped conceptualize and develop an online version of our Pumpkins for Polio fundraiser, including an online voting component, and she was a joint-force in organizing and promoting our online Holiday Silent Auction. Michelle has incredible energy and warmth, kindness and generosity. Congratulations Michelle! |
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Ronald McDonald House Charities AlbertaAshley Walsh, RMHC Donor Relations Officer, joined us online to talk about how Ronald McDonald House Charities Alberta supports families seeking vital medical treatment for their seriously ill or injured child. RMHC houses provide a home-away-from-home for families who need to travel for medical reasons. This is an organization that is near and dear to the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club; the Edmonton RMHC house is only blocks away from where our club regularly meets in-person when we aren't meeting online, and members have volunteered there to make meals for families staying in the house. Ashley shared powerful videos of families who told their stories of staying in a Ronald McDonald house and she shared impressive statistics on the impact that RMHC has made for Alberta families who have been in this tough situation over the years. It was so great to hear from RMHC and we can't wait until we are able to volunteer with this amazing organization in-person again!
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Global Rotary Radio Presents: Women in Rotary Tamara was recently asked to give an interview about women in Rotary on Global Rotary Radio and the interview will be broadcast on Saturday at 12 MST. In her interview, she speaks about her personal journey and about our club and the activities that we do. To listen, you can download the Global Rotary Radio app on android and IOS from the links included in the story content. Congratulations Tamara! |
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1000 Survival Gardens Strini Reddy, from the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, and Rob Campbell, from the Rotary Club of Hillcrest in South Africa, were our guest speakers on Tuesday January 12th. They described the familiar impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had in South Africa, resulting in unemployment, business failures, school closures, and social isolation. With little income and sparse government assistance, women are faced with providing food for their families by growing their own food. The 1000 Survival Gardens project aims to address this need by providing women in South Africa with a survival garden kit to help them create food security and self-sufficiency during and after the pandemic. The kit includes the ingenious Hippo Roller, which allows women to more easily transport water, and the tools and seedlings to start small vegetable gardens.
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Holiday Spirit Auction Our Holiday Spirit Auction was a success with over $1,500 raised in support of the Fresh Routes mobile grocery store at the Neighbour Centre! This was our first year doing an online auction and we can't wait to make it even bigger and better next year. Thank you to everyone who donated items, bid on items, and spread the word. Special thanks to Michelle and Tamara for spearheading this fundraiser. You can make out the smile on Tamara's face behind the mask as she makes contactless deliveries of auction items to the lucky winning bidders.
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Stocking Stuffing for Skills With monetary donations from members of our club, hat donations from the Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS), and the generous donations of member Mel from her Shoppers Drug Mart location, we were able to put together 100 bountiful stockings for folks who are supported by the Skills Society. Our club has been participating in Stocking Stuffing with Skills for five years. Each year, members of our club have enjoyed putting the stockings together with staff from Skills. Unfortunately this year, we were not able to meet as a group to put the stockings together. Our Community Service Chair, Kristin, and her partner Chris, formed a mini assembly line in their living room to stuff the ‘stockings’. This year has been challenging for a multitude of reasons, but luckily COVID has not stopped our small but mighty club from spreading Christmas cheer. |
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Holiday Spirit AuctionHelp Nourish Our Neighbours this Holiday Season Hello friends, As you know, COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing food security challenges for our community. To aid in the response, the Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue is raising funds through an online auction to support the Fresh Routes x The Neighbour Centre Mobile Grocery Store this holiday season. Fresh Routes exists to increase access to affordable, culturally appropriate food in a manner that maintains dignity. The Mobile Grocery Store (MGS) is a community-driven grocery store on wheels that increases the availability of healthy and affordable foods in underserved neighbourhoods. The MGS carries a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, bread and healthy non-perishables under market value, allowing all individuals to have access to healthy food. Will YOU help nourish our neighbours this holiday season? Bid on our silent auction or make a general donation. All funds raised will go to the Neighbour Centre to support Fresh Routes. https://givergy.ca/OnlineAuctionRCOEWA2020/?controller=lots&category=All%20Lots Please help spread the word! Share our social media posts or this email. Thank you for the support! |
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Update: Project Amigo Sponsor a Child Last year Whyte Avenue Rotary sponsored a child in Colima, Mexico through the Project Amigo Canada Society. The $135 donation provided Miguel with the tools he needed to be successful, such as shoes, clothing and educational services. The sponsorship also helped him broaden his horizons and to connect with people beyond his own communities with the annual “Day at the Beach” trip and at Project Amigo’s volunteer-driven Christmas Fiesta. We are pleased to renew Miguel's scholarship for another year. |
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It's Time YEG Treena, Sheineen, and Micheal from It’s Time YEG were our guest speakers this past week. It’s Time YEG is an initiative to prevent gender-based violence and sexual assault in our city. Our presenters provided us with a definition for gender-based violence, shared the results of research on gender-based violence in Edmonton, and helped us know what to do when we see it. Thank you for raising our awareness of these issues and sharing valuable resources with us. This important work helps make Edmonton a safer city. |
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Kidsport Edmonton Dayna Hyman, Executive Director of KidSport Edmonton, was our club guest speaker on November 24th. KidSport Edmonton is a local non-profit organization that subsidizes sport registration fees for kids who live at or below the poverty line. Providing local kids with access to sport helps achieve KidSport's goal to make it "So ALL Kids Can Play!" Dayna described the work her organization does and how it benefits those who receive KidSport funding. The video testimonials from those who have been given opportunities to play sport by KidSport were powerful and moving. Dayna also shared the challenges KidSport is facing during the COVID-19 pandemic and how they are pivoting to address those challenges. Thanks for sharing with us Dayna! |
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Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS) The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by Terra MacLean, training coordinator for Second Chance Animal Rescue (SCARS), on Tuesday November 17th. SCARS is a non-profit Edmonton and Athabasca-based registered charity that is almost entirely volunteer operated. SCARS takes in as many homeless pets as their resources allow. Each one is spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped and receives whatever care it needs. They typically have over 200 animals in care and find loving homes for over 1,200 animals every year! Terra shared with us about how the COVID-19 pandemic caused many of its fundraisers to be cancelled and how a surge in intake raised veterinary bills and has resulted in a closure of their animal intake.
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Fresh Routes at The Neighbour Centre We are excited for the launch of a new initiative from the Neighbour Centre. The Neighbour Centre is one of Whyte Avenue Rotary's community partners and we are thrilled to have been able to help support the Fresh Routes program.
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Who's Who with Jennifer Laughton Whyte Avenue members were excited to hear from our own Jennifer Laughton this past week. Jennifer told us about her family and Rotary journey. We were extremely interested to hear about her passion for forensic anthropology and her PhD work in Russia. Thank you for sharing Jenn! We are so fortunate to have you as a member of our club.
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Pumpkins for Polio Pumpkins for Polio was an online competition to raise funds to help eradicate polio. Participants purchased an $10 ticket through Eventbrite, carved a pumpkin, and shared their creations on social media using the hashtag #PumpkinsForPolio. The winners were decided by an online vote. 🥇1st Place: Stan & Ewan In addition to the Whyte Ave prize pack, a donation of $100 will be made in their name to the Rotary Foundation. 🥈2nd Place: Elizabeth Bonkink A donation of $50 will be made to the Rotary Foundation in her name. |
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Update from the Combined Rotary Women's School Whyte Avenue Rotary partnered with the Amarok Society and several other District 5370 Rotary Clubs to build the Combined Rotary Women's School in Bangladesh. In the school's latest update, they describe their struggles and challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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Spooky Fellowship Event Whyte Avenue Rotary had a spooktacular time on a ghost walk with Edmonton Ghost Tours. Our guide, Nadine, entertained us (from an appropriate social distance) with haunted tales of Old Strathcona. Look how terrified Stan is!
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Making Sandwiches with The Mustard Seed A couple of club members had fun while helping out The Mustard Seed out last Tuesday by making sandwiches for inner city people in need. You can see their smiles even though they are wearing masks.
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Edmonton Social Planning Council The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by Susan Morrisey, Executive Director of the Edmonton Social Planning Council on Tuesday October 6th. The ESPC is an independent, non-profit, non-partisan social research organization. Their research is focused particularly in the areas of low income and poverty, and they are a source of knowledge and expertise on social issues within our community. Susan shared with us about the impressive work that the Edmonton Social Planning Council has done over the past 80 years, and how they deepen community understanding of social planning issues, influence policy, and spark collaborative actions that lead to positive social change.
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Rotary Club of the Year! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue is honored to have won the award for Rotary Club of the Year at the Vision 2020 Virtual District Conference. Congratulations to all of the club members and last year's executive team on this outstanding achievement! Read the district newsletter for more information about the award.
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Terra Centre This past Tuesday, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by Karen Mottershead, Executive Director of the Terra Centre. Terra is a non-profit organization that provides supports and services that empower teen parents to succeed. Karen shared with us about the work that Terra does, such as partnering with Edmonton Public Schools at Braemar School for more than 20 years to support student parents completing their high school diploma. Through multiple on-site services, students can concentrate on both their studies and their new role as a parent. Karen also shared how Terra is coping with COVID and how they are trying an online improv fundraiser called Laughs over Lunch. Sounds like a great way to support Terra and have some fun!
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African Region Declared Free of Wild Polio! The World Health Organization (WHO) on 25 August announced that transmission of the wild poliovirus has officially been stopped in all 47 countries of its African region. This is a historic and vital step toward global eradication of polio, which is Rotary’s top priority. |
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Smiling with interVivos Last week we had Zohreh Saher and Madison Lorenz from interVivos present to our club about their mentorship program. Zohreh captured this great image of our club members' smiling faces.
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Camp-at-Home for Hope The Mustard Seed is a community partner of Whyte Avenue Rotary. This is an opportunity to raise money to help the most vulnerable members of your community by camping in your living room or your backyard. Camp-at-home to help those without one!
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Meals for Melcor Take 5 Our club organized a 5th meal delivery to support of some folks living at Melcor Village. Our members, friends and family of the club, YEG Passport Club members & Glenora Club Members generously prepared or purchased over 200 meals, cookies, muffins and packs of trail mix! A big thank you to Rahim and Rooster Cafe for supporting our project again! “There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.” - Margaret J Wheatley |
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ShelterBox Hero Award Our club achieved the bronze-level hero status for Shelterbox for the second Rotary year in a row! That means that we raised over $1200 per year for the past two Rotary years. SheterBox's mission is a world where no family is left without shelter after disaster, and our club has helped them to reach over 32,000 families during the past Rotary year in in Ethiopia, Somaliland, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, The Philippines, Paraguay, Vanuatu, and Bangladesh.
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Rotary Facemasks for SaleWhyte Avenue Rotary has stylish Rotary-branded face masks for sale for just $20 each. They will spread awareness of Rotary while helping prevent the spread of COVID-19. They even cover beards! Thank you Marilyn Mucha for donating these to the club. Please contact club president, Stan Bissell, to arrange payment and pickup of a mask.
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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!
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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 |
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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! |
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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! |
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Speaking with Mr. Speaker The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by the 14th Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly this past Tuesday, MLA Nathan Cooper. Speaker Cooper kicked off his presentation by talking about the great work of Rotary in the community, which had many members nodding their heads in agreement (no surprise that many people online like Rotary too!). He even has a Rotary connection - he was a Rotary exchange student to Australia. He then talked about the Speaker role of maintaining orderly debate in the Chamber, and to ensure that members conduct their business according to the Standing Orders of the Assembly. He showed members a fun video he made outlining unparliamentary language, so now Rotarians know to avoid calling people 'talking twaddle' when visiting the Alberta Legislature! Speaker Cooper explained why he started creating short videos on the Alberta Legislative Assembly as a way of demystifying our democratic institutions. Now he's working to rebuild faith in our democracy one video at a time! The presentation was complete with appearances from the legislative mace and black rod! Thank you Mr. Speaker for coming to speak to our club and to everyone who joined! |
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Providing More Support To People in Need Through Kiva Kiva, founded in 2005, has the mission to expand financial access to help under-served people and communities thrive through micro loans. Rotary Whyte Avenue has been supporting people in need through Kiva for the past several years. International Services Chair Stan B. told our club this past Tuesday how we provided an additional $300.00 to people in need through Kiva. This way, our club can continue to support others through one of Rotary International’s six area’s of focus: growing local economies by “strengthening local entrepreneurs and community leaders, particularly women, in impoverished communities. Thank you Stan for your amazing work! |
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Rotary Whyte Avenue Talks Podcasts This past Tuesday, Rotary Whyte Avenue was joined by Fawnda Mithrush from the Alberta Podcast Network to talk about the Network's efforts to bring more local podcasts to Alberta. Fawnda explained podcasting in Alberta and how the Alberta Podcast Network got started. Fawnda gave examples of some of her past and current work as a podcast producer, including her very own podcast called 'I Don't Get It,' which offers a critical perspective on performances of all kinds happening in Edmonton and beyond as well as her work on 'A Tale of Two Weeklies,' a podcast about two alt-weekly newspapers and how they battled it out for supremacy on the streets of Edmonton. She explained how it is important to have a strong narrative and a story to tell for a podcast to be successful. She also described the great diversity of podcasts out there, including one of her favourites on pens and stationary! Our questions and answer period revealed a lot of podcast fans in the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue on everything from marketing to politics! Thanks to Fawnda for coming to speak to our club and for everyone who joined us online! |
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Welcome to the Club Lochlan and Karen! (Fellowship Chair Saiyed virtually 'knighting' inductees as new members of the club) This past Tuesday, we had a very special meeting where we introduced two fantastic new members: Lochlan Keylor and Karen Foss. Our club is still meeting online to keep people safe during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. However, to welcome our new members, we had our first ever virtual inductions! Membership Chair Kathy, as well as both member sponsors Marilyn and Paige, were on hand to welcome Rotary Whyte Avenue's newest members to our club! Our club likes to welcome members as 'Whyte Knights' for the community through a knighting ceremony! To keep the tradition alive in the age of physical distancing, our amazing Fellowship Chair Saiyed made an online knighting ceremony for our new members, complete with music and fireworks! Welcome to the club Lochlan and Karen! |
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Speaking With Mr. SpeakerThe Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was joined by the 14th Speaker of the Alberta Legislative Assembly this past Tuesday, MLA Nathan Cooper. Speaker Cooper kicked off his presentation by talking about the great work of Rotary in the community, which had many members nodding their heads in agreement (no surprise that many people online like Rotary too!). He even has a Rotary connection - he was a Rotary exchange student to Australia. He then talked about the Speaker role of maintaining orderly debate in the Chamber, and to ensure that members conduct their business according to the Standing Orders of the Assembly. He showed members a fun video he made outlining unparliamentary language, so now Rotarians know to avoid calling people 'talking twaddle' when visiting the Alberta Legislature! Speaker Cooper explained why he started creating short videos on the Alberta Legislative Assembly as a way of demystifying our democratic institutions. Now he's working to rebuild faith in our democracy one video at a time! The presentation was complete with appearances from the legislative mace and black rod! Thank you Mr. Speaker for coming to speak to our club and to everyone who joined! |
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Rotary's Statement Against Racism The killing of George Floyd at the hands of police officers is tragic, shocking, and demonstrates the prevalence of racism and discrimination in our society. Our sincerest condolences to the family of George Floyd. Rotary Whyte Avenue has always aimed to serve the club, community, and others by following Rotary's Four Way Test: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build good and better friendships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? This test leaves no room for racism and discrimination of any kind. With this in mind, we would like to highlight in particular the following from Rotary International's Statement: "At Rotary, we have no tolerance for racism. Promoting respect, celebrating diversity, demanding ethical leadership, and working tirelessly to advance peace are central tenets of our work. We have more work to do to create more just, open and welcoming communities for all people. We know there are no easy fixes and that challenging conversations and work lie before all of us. Rotary’s strength has long been our ability and commitment to bringing people together. We will tap into that strength now as we stand with those who are working for peace and justice." Black lives matter. There is much more work we need to do to build a society free of discrimination. We as a club will continue our pledge to serve others and make our communities better through service. If you have any comments or if there is anything we as a club could be doing better, please do not hesitate to contact President Kevin at kggmcleod@hotmail.com. You can read Rotary International's full statement here: https://www.rotary.org/en/statement-rotary-international |
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New Member Proposal - Lochlan Keylor
Dear $NICK_NAME$, A motion was presented to the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club Executive Board on the nomination of Lochlan Keylor for membership in the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue. Lochlan Keylor has been nominated by Paige Reeves under the classification of Hospitality Management, Banquet Server. Please indicate within seven days (7), by email to the Club Secretary, Mike Greaney, if you have any knowledge that prospective member, Lochlan Keylor, does not meet the Rotary Four-Way Test and you object to the admission as a new member or if you require additional information regarding this candidate. Bio Lochlan is an engaged community member who enjoys keeping busy and being active in his community. He has been in a book club for several years now through the Edmonton Public Library, is a seasoned toastmaster having been attending the Fabulous Facilitators Toastmasters club for 4 years, and is a long time member of RootEd., a local community-building initiative. Lochlan studied hospitality management at NAIT and has pursued a number of different employment opportunities over the years. Lochlan has been working as a restaurant host and banquet server at Fort Edmonton Park for 6 years now. Lochlan is interested in joining Rotary for the opportunity to give back to his community and connect with other engaged community members. Thank you, Kathy Strobl Membership Chair Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue |
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New Member Proposal - Karen Foss
Dear $NICK_NAME$, A motion was presented to the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club Executive Board on the nomination of Karen Foss for membership in the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue. Karen Foss has been nominated by Marilyn Mucha under the classification of Nurse Practioner - Women's and Child Health. Please indicate within seven days (7), by email to the Club Secretary, Mike Greaney, if you have any knowledge that prospective member, Karen Foss, does not meet the Rotary Four-Way Test and you object to the admission as a new member or if you require additional information regarding this candidate. Bio Karen grew up in a small central Alberta town but Edmonton has provided the setting for her home, work, and education since her late teens. A nurse by profession for more than 30 years, she has worked in Neonatal Intensive care. She is the mother of two dynamic women in their 20s that have chosen health-related professions. Aside from Karen’s undergraduate and graduate education in nursing, she also has graduate degrees in Educational Policy Studies – adult education focus. Karen has become more aware of health literacy, marginalization, diversity, and social responsibility. With her exposure to the Whyte Ave Rotary club, she says she has witnessed how our like-minded, energetic members are friends; together taking action to support healthier communities both locally and globally. Karen has participated in the Skills Society – Making meals twice and visited our club meetings in person and online. Thank you, Kathy Strobl Membership Chair Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue |
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Thank You from the Mustard Seed! Here is a nice message of thanks from Mary Murphy of the Mustard Seed's Neighbour Centre for our club's support of their weekly Dinner Club program: "Thank you to the Rotary Club of Edmonton on Whyte Avenue for your financial support and the generous gift of your time and talents! When we were able to share meal making and gather around a communal table to share our delicious creations and conversations you often taught us cooking techniques, made creative desserts out of our ‘interesting’ ingredients and lead us into so many interesting with intriguing conversations with questions of the day. |
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Rotary Whyte Ave Members Plan for the Future Whyte Ave Rotarians are always thinking ahead, that's why a few of us got together online this past week to review district grants and project funding! We discussed plans for possible community service projects for the 2020/21 Rotary year as well as how to best support youth in our area with grant funding. Great projects are being lined up, stay tuned for more details! A fantastic discussion with some fantastic Rotarians, thank you to everyone who participated! |
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Learning More About Rotary's COVID Response & The Rotaract Conference Rotary Whyte Ave had double the fun this past Tuesday when we had two presentations! First up, we had our very own District Governor Tracey Vavrek who joined the club online to give an update on Rotary's work since the COVID-19 outbreak. Rotary District 5370 has been active since the beginning by establishing a risk management task force to help the district respond to the changes as well as a policy framework to help the district move forward. Tough decisions had to be made, such as canceling district training and youth camps. However, Rotary is more important now than ever so the district has been working hard to support Rotarians. The district has since made the district training available online; started releasing its newsletter weekly; is doing virtual events (such as an upcoming virtual pints for polio); and providing clubs special COVID-19 grant funding! Tracey is also inviting members to join her for online coffee chats to help keep Rotarians connected (register for the next coffee chat this Tuesday here). Thank you for coming Tracey! Next up, we learned about the 1st ever Rotaract Conference in Halifax when University of Alberta Rotaract Club members Kira Eberts, Wyatt Liboiron, and Ana D’Aubeterre came and spoke to Rotary Whyte Ave. The University of Alberta Rotaract Club helped develop this Conference, the fist of its kind in Canada, to help connect Rotaracters across the country. Five members from the U of A club went to the Conference in February where they met other Rotaracters, shared ideas on how to make a difference in the community, as well as learned new communication tools and governance practices! Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue supported this great initiative by helping to send University of Alberta Rotaract Club members to Halifax. With what they learned, the University of Alberta Rotaract Club came back to Edmonton and revamped the structure of their club so they can better serve club members and the community. Way to go Rotaract! Want to learn more about the Rotaract Conference? Watch a fun video on the trip here. Thank you to our speakers and for everyone who joined us online! |
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Menstrual Health Education In Tanzania (Rotary Whyte Avenue's own Kristen Jennings presenting on women's health in Tanzania in November 2019 We all know of the fantastic work our fearless Community Services Chair Kristin Jennings does in our community, but this week we got to learn about her incredible work abroad! Last Tuesday, Kristin came and presented on her efforts supporting sustainable menstrual care and health education in Tanzania. Kristin explained that, for some women and girls in Tanzania, education about menstruation is not readily available. What's more, many women also face barriers in accessing safe and sustainable menstrual hygiene products. To help overcome these barriers, Kristin went with a small group to schools across Tanzania in November 2019 to make a difference. She spent over six days distributing kits across rural Tanzania, provided presentations, as well as did demos at rural schools in Tanzania. Kristin talked about their important work to support menstrual education, including by showcasing some of the materials distributed. She also raised how her group provided dental hygiene presentations for the boys at the schools so that all students received support. She also talked about going beyond schools and supporting families, which they did through a community presentation for about 30 women (all of which also received kits). Kristin ended off her journey with an amazing climb up Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa! An fantastic presentation by an incredible Rotarian, thank you for speaking to our club Kristin! |
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Rotary Whyte Avenue Goes the Extra Mile Again With Our 3rd Meals for Melcor Volunteering Event!
Delicious chili, pastas, muffins, and more were served by Rotary Whyte Avenue for community members in need! Over 100 delicious meals and 100 baked goods were made and delivered by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue for marginalized persons with complex needs who live at Melcor Village and are supported by the Skills Society. All meals were picked up and delivered to Melcor Village by our amazing Community Services Chair Kristin.
Thank you Kristin for your leadership and to everyone who helped out! |
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Supporting Community Members Through Social Work in Old Strathcona Community Development Social Worker Nor'Ali McDaniel joined Rotary Whyte Avenue for an online meeting to talk about her incredible work in Old Strathcona. Nor'Ali has been working as a Community Development Social Worker with the City of Edmonton since 2018. Before this role, she worked in non-profits focused on addressing issues of poverty, homelessness, and harm reduction in Alberta, including six years at Bissell Centre with the Housing First team in both front-line and supervisory positions, and three years with the Wood Buffalo HIV/AIDS Society working on hepatitis C education and a needle exchange program. Nor'Ali talked about her efforts to make a caring, connected, and inclusive Edmonton where people are connected to the supports they need. As part of her presentation, Nor'Ali shared a video on a day in the life of an ethnographer to help the audience understand their relationships with street-involved individuals (you can watch the video here: https://www.edmonton.ca/city_government/initiatives_innovation/recover-research.aspx). She also talked about some of the great supports available in the city that she works with, including Food Deserts and Fresh Routes. Thank you for joining us Nor'Ali and thank you to everyone who came out! |
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Over $1500 Raised In Support Of Edmonton's Food Bank (Rotary Whyte Ave & friends volunteering at Edmonton's Food Bank in October 2019) In typical Rotary Whyte Avenue fashion, our club members and friends came together to provide overwhelming support for a great community partner - Edmonton's Food Bank! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue regularly volunteers with Edmonton's Food Bank. In March, to help this community partner continue to provide food items and services for Edmontonians in need during the COVID-19 outbreak, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue made a commitment to cost-match monetary donations to Edmonton's Food Bank up to $500. And Rotarians rose to the challenge! Rotarians and friends dug deep to support and made a total of $703.00 in personal donations! Amazed by this response, the club went beyond the initial $500 cost match commitment and matched the entire amount of $703.00! To make the donations go even farther, the club's cost-matched donation was made through ATBcares, which matches 15% of donations made in Alberta. This led to a total of $1511.45 donated to Edmonton's Food Bank! Way to go everyone! The generosity and community spirit of this club knows no bounds, thank you to everyone who donated! Still want to support? You can donate to Edmonton's Food bank directly via: https://www.edmontonsfoodbank.com/donate-now/ Thank you all for supporting Edmonton's Food Bank! |
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Passing Along Words of Thanks from Edmonton's Food BankThanks to the generosity of our members and friends our club was able to donate $1,200 to Edmonton's Food Bank. Our club has also over the past year gone to the Food Bank several times to help pack hampers. To show their thanks, the Edmonton's Food Bank recently sent us the following video as part of Volunteer Week: |
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A Bunch of Happy Rotarians During Our Online Happy Hour! While physical distancing can sometimes get you down, it only takes a chat with a few Rotarians to bring you right back up! This past Friday, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue helped curb the spread of COVID-19 while having a great time with friends online through our 2nd virtual happy hour! President-elect/Club Bartender Stan B. kick-started the night by showing attendees how to make a classic old fashioned and gave an exciting history of the drink in the process! Attendees then spent the next hour chatting away. Highlights include how they discussed their favourite drinks, Kathy's physical distancing math project while she's out for a run, and how the members had a pet show off contest with some cute cats and dogs (Kevin's house plant get an honourary mention). Thank you to Stan for showing us how to make another fantastic drink, to Scott for getting us online, and to everyone who joined! |
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Learning How to Avoid a Social Media Crisis with Grant Ainsley This past Tuesday, Rotary Whyte Ave was joined by Grant Ainsley to learn about social media crises and, more importantly, how to avoid them. Grant Ainsley has spent close to 20 years in the news media and public relations in Edmonton, Alberta. Over the last decade he's worked as a media trainer and spoken across Canada on a regular basis on topics related to the news media, social media and communications. Rotarians and guests were shown some real world examples of social media crises and how it can effect a company's brand and reputation. Grant then went over why it is important to have a social media strategy in place so that employees know what is allowed, what isn't, as well as the consequences for poor behaviour online. Thank you Grant for joining us and thank you to everyone who joined us online! |
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Rotary Whyte Ave Meetings Will Continue Online for the Month of May Due to the coronavirus outbreak, our Rotary Club moved on line to help curb the spread while still having Rotary fun on a weekly basis! To ensure we carry on meeting while still playing our part in keeping our neighbours and community safe, our club will continue meeting online for the month of May. Looking forward to having more Rotary fun online! |
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Home Cooked Meals for Melcor Village People of Action are at it again! Rotarians and friends, including past club members, neighbors, friends from the YEG Passport Club and friends from the Glenora Club, once again showed their commitment to supporting our community by making delicious home cooked meals for people in need! Over 100 delicious meals and 60, 2-pack baked goods were made and delivered for marginalized persons with complex needs who live at Melcor Village and are supported by the Skills Society. Way to go everyone! A big thank you to Kristin for organizing, to both Kristin and Marilyn for picking up and delivering food, to the Rotary Club of Glenora and the YEG Passport Club for your support, and to everyone who helped out!
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The Leadership Team Discusses The Club Response To The COVID19 Outbreak
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The EFCL Joins Rotary Online to Talk Community
During these days of physical distancing, we are all in need of some community. Luckily, Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues (EFCL) Executive Director Laura Cunningham-Shpeley showed us that there is no better way to meet your neighbours than through our local community leagues! Rotary Whyte Avenue members and friends heard from Laura when she spoke to our club last Tuesday during our fist online meeting. Laura talked about the history of community leagues in Alberta and how Edmonton is not only the first instance of community leagues in Canada but has one of the most active community league scenes in the country. She also talked about the work of community leagues around the city and how there is more than half a billion in community infrastructure in Edmonton - including over 119 ice rinks, 126 community halls, and 55 water spray parks! During the outbreak, the EFCL will continue to provide support and resources for community leagues and Edmontonians. Community leagues across the city are also organizing efforts to support those in need during the pandemic. Thank you for coming Laura and thanks to everyone who joined our last meeting! |
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Members Tipsy on Fun From Our Virtual Happy Hour Social! How do you help curb the spread of COVID-19 and have a great time with friends? By attending a virtual happy hour of course! Rotarians and friends got together this past Friday to socialize, check-in, and have some nice drinks at our first online social event. President elect Stan showed off his bartending skills by making a delicious looking gin sour to start the night off. Members and friends chatted about life since the outbreak and had some exciting conversations, including a debate on which movies are more fun: Bollywood (Indian movies) vs. Nollywood (Nigerian movies); great places to get food; and how we can use our free time to take classes online (EDX.org was recommended). Thanks for everyone who made it out (or stayed in?) for our online event! Thank you to President-elect Stan for teaching us some exciting drinks and for Past President Scott for getting us online! |
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Upcoming Guest Speakers in April!Here’s an update from Past-President Scott Young on what our club is up to for the month of April! If you are a member of a different Rotary Club, Rotaract or Interact or just plain interested in attending an upcoming online meeting please join us! There’s no cost and we have a great lineup of guest speakers. For details visit our club calendar or click the links below:
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Supporting Skills SocietyWhyte Avenue Rotary members have been busy preparing meals for 13 people living at Melcor Village, who are supported by Skills Society. Skills Society is a non-profit organization that works to help people with disabilities in the Edmonton area to be fully included as citizens in the community. Our fearless community service chair, Kristin, picked up over 100 meals made by focused club members and delivered them to people at Melcor Village!
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A Message from Rotary President Mark Maloney on COVID-19The #COVID19 global pandemic is threatening our health, safety and way of life. We will get through this by working together and taking care of each other – just what Rotary members do. Read more: on.rotary.org/covid-19 |
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Rotary Whyte Ave Meetings Now Online!
To help ensure we as a club can continue to have Rotary fun while still doing our part to curb the spread of the Novel Coronavirus in our community, Rotary Whyte Avenue is having our club meetings online for the month of April! Our first online meeting will be on April 7th when Laura Cunningham-Shpeley from the Edmonton Federation of Community Leagues joins us to talk about the EFCL! Watch your email inbox, Whyte Ave Rotary social media, and our website as we will share the web links and call-in information so you can take part in these meetings online! We will decide whether we continue to have online meetings on a monthly basis. We are also organizing virtual social events so we can still socialize while physical distancing! Our first event is this Friday - click here to learn more. We're looking forward to seeing you all online - stay healthy and safe out there! |
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CANCELLED: March Club EventsTo play our part in curbing the spread of Novel Coronavirus in our community and out of an abundance of caution, all Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue meetings will be cancelled for the rest of March. |
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DG Tracey Vavrek Sends Words of Celebration in Honour of Club's 10th AnniversaryThe Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue celebrated its 10th anniversary on March 3, 2020 and our very own District Governor, Tracey Vavrek, sent a message of support and congratulations! Thank you for your message Tracey, here is to another 10 years!
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Former DG Celebrates Rotary Whyte Ave's 10th Anniversary MilestoneThe Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue celebrated its 10th anniversary on March 3, 2020. To mark this event, friends and colleagues have been sending in their celebratory messages to celebrate a decade of public service. One such message was from Terry Drader, who was the Rotary 5370 District Governor when the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was established. Terry couldn't join us as he is away in Arizona but he sent us this celebratory message. Thank you Terry! |
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10th Anniversary Wishes from 2009/10 District GovernorThe Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue celebrated its 10th anniversary on March 3, 2020. To mark this event, friends and colleagues have been sending in their celebratory messages to celebrate a decade of public service. One such message was from Terry Drader, who was the Rotary 5370 District Governor when the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was established. Terry couldn't join us as he is away in Arizona but he sent us this celebratory message. Thank you Terry!
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Trivia Night to End Polio Rotarians and friends got together this past Wednesday to outsmart Polio together! Rotary Whyte Avenue put on a trivia night to raise funds towards the eradication of polio. Foundation Chair Tamara kick-started the night by talking about our Rotary goals and thanking everyone for coming. Our President-elect Stan B. put together some challenging trivia questions about Edmonton on everything from Edmonton cuisine, landmarks, sports, and celebrities! Multiple teams showed off their knowledge of Edmonton and competed for the YEG trivia crown. However, at the end we had a three way tie between teams YEGtastic Gatway, Ageless, and the YEG Masters! After two sudden death rounds, YEGtastic placed first, Ageless in second, and YEG Masters in third! Rahim J. is also the lucky recipient of the 50/50 draw! Final amount of funds raised is being calculated and will be shared at an upcoming meeting. The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue thanks Polar Park for hosting us, for putting $2.50 of every drink sold towards our polio fundraiser, and for the delicious food! Thank you to Tamara and Stan for organizing such a great trivia night and fundraiser, and thank you to everyone who came out! |
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Kasey Machin on Parity YEG and Bringing Gender Parity to Politics
On Tuesday, February 11th, Kasey Machin, Co-Founder and Chair of Parity YEG, discussed her group’s work to increase gender parity in all levels of government. Kasey, who works as a Communications and Policy advisor for Edmonton City Council’s Ward 1, is a firm believer in the roles of education and advocacy in encouraging women to run for municipal, provincial and federal office. |
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Trivia night on Feb. 19 to raise funds to end polio
How well do you know Edmonton? Test your Edmonton smarts and help rid the world of Polio by joining us at our 'Do You Know YEG?' Trivia Night! The rules are simple - whoever knows the most about Edmonton wins! The trivia night categories include questions on Edmonton celebrities, landmarks, and history with prizes for the winner! Play as a team or as a single player. The Details: When: Wednesday, February 19, 2020 What time: 6PM - 8PM Where: Polar Park Brewing Company (10416 80 Ave NW) How much: $20 Come play trivia or just socialize among friends! Delicious appetizers will be available all night and $2.50 from every drink sold goes towards eliminating polio for good! Show off your Edmonton knowledge for a worthy cause! Funds raised go towards our goal of eradicating polio. Register here. |
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Learning About the Edmonton Police Commission
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Councillor Ben Henderson presents update on Plan Whyte
On Tuesday, January 28th, Rotary Club on Whyte received a visit from Ward 8 Councillor Ben Henderson. Councillor Henderson, who has served the area encompassing Whyte Avenue on City Council since 2007, spoke about the Whyte Avenue Commercial Area Land Use Study, commonly referred to as Plan Whyte. Old Strathcona Business Association Executive Director Cherie Klassen was also on hand to share her valuable perspective. |
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Amarok Update The Amarok Society has shared an update on the progress of The Combined Rotary Women's School in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue, in partnership with five other Rotary Clubs and the Amarok Society, helped to fund the building of the school in 2018. This school is in a slum area with more than 150 families living in a crowded area. Every afternoon, 25 women from this slum attend the school. Each mother who attends the Amarok mini-school teaches her own children, as well as five neighborhood children, what she has learned. Some highlights from the 2019 Field Monitoring Report: -Women attending the school have reported that they have attained better jobs that allow them to contribute money to their families -The children enrolled in formal government primary schools are more successful with the support of the Amarok mini-school -There is increased value placed upon education in the community, which has led to fewer child brides -The school library has developed into a successful community library |
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Rotary Whyte Ave Shines in Support of Shelterbox
This past Tuesday, Rotary Whyte Ave members and friends got together in support of Shelterbox! Shelterbox is a Rotary partner that provides emergency disaster relief to families around the world who have been made homeless by natural disaster and conflict. Meeting at the Almanac on Whyte, President-elect and International Services Chair Stan Bissell provided a great presentation on the value and importance of Shelterbox and how members and guests can support. Stan added that the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave would match any donations raised up to $1200! Guests also got to enjoy great company, fine drinks, and some delicious food (hope everyone tried the cheese cake!). Last year our club raised the $1,500 needed to pay for one ShelterBox. This year the goal is to raise enough funding for two Shelterboxes! As you read this, funds are being counted and an update on how much was raised will be provided at the next meeting. There is still time to donate so please do not hesitate to reach out to Stan or Club President Kevin if you would like to contribute! A huge thank you to Stan Bissell for organizing such a great event and thank you to everyone who came out and donated! |
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Rotary Whyte Ave Coming Out To Support Rotaract On January 18th, the University of Alberta Rotaract Club organized a fantastic networking and mentoring event! This event included a round table discussion that provided Rotaractors opportunities to meet, ask questions, and build connections with the Rotarians of their sponsor Rotary clubs. The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave is a sponsor of the University of Alberta Rotaract Club and Youth Services Co-Chair James Wynters went out to support! Thank you James for representing Rotary Whyte Ave and helping to make this event a success! Congrats to the University of Alberta Rotaract Club for another successful event! |
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January 14th Meeting Cancelled Due to Extreme Cold Weather
This evening's Rotary Whyte Ave meeting is cancelled tonight due to the extreme cold! Stay warm out there and we'll see you at our exciting Shine for Shelterbox event next Tuesday at The Almanac! |
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A New Year Message
Happy New Year everyone! Rotary Whyte Avenue took a few weeks off to enjoy the holidays and I hope everyone had a fantastic holiday season! As we gear up for 2020, I just want to acknowledge all the hard work of everyone over the past year. In 2019, we came together to serve the community through countless community service events; we were fearless in taking on new and exciting fundraisers in support of youth at risk and to combat polio; and we created great moments together in fellowship! I'm incredibly grateful to everyone for their hard work, support, and dedication to the club and to serve others. Thank you! I can't wait to see what we will accomplish together in 2020! -Kevin |
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Great Holiday Party to End 2019 There's snow better place to be then a Rotary holiday party! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was in the holiday spirit this past Tuesday as we held our year end holiday party! Members and friends were at their holiday best as Christmas sweaters, socks, and more holiday gear was on display! Photos from the past 6 months were on rotation, new photos were being taken at our photo booth (including some 'elfies!), and some of the best food you can find in Edmonton was being served! What's more, we were able to celebrate the induction of two fantastic new members (more on that below) as well as highlight our club's support to Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) through the first inaugural Dodge the Streets charity dodge ball tournament (more on that below as well). There were so many good times, it was easy to get a bit 'Santamental!' :) |
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Building Community at the Neighbour Centre Christmas Dinner The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was in the holiday spirit this past Thursday when we helped our community partner the Neighbour Centre kick off its annual Christmas Dinner! The Neighbour Centre is a non-profit organization that supports homeless and marginalized people in Edmonton.
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Prepping for the Neighbour Centre Christmas Dinner!.jpg) The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue worked hard to get desserts ready in preparation for the Neighbour Centre's Christmas Party last Thursday! Last Tuesday, Rotarians & friends donated their time and cooking skills to make sure the annual Neighbour Centre Christmas Party had some great food, including rice krispies squares and chocolate peppermint bark! Thank you to Kristin and Marilyn for organizing and to all the volunteers!
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Go-Cups Going Towards a Good Cause.jpg) Rotarians dusted off (and also bought!) travel mugs in support of the Neighbour Centre! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave collected go-cups to donate to patrons of the Neighbour Centre. Travel mugs are an item of great need for many experiencing homelessness. These great donations were dropped off last Thursday at the annual Neighbour Centre Christmas Dinner. Thank you to Marilyn for getting this travel mug drive started and to everyone who donated!
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New Member Proposal - Jennifer Laughton
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Spreading Holiday Cheer with the Skills Society.jpg) Members and friends of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue were spreading holiday cheer early this year when they got together to prepare holiday stockings for the Skills Society! The Skills Society is a community partner that provides much needed support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, survivors of acquired brain injury, and their families. For the fourth year in a row, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue collected donations for a whopping 110 holiday stockings for people supported by the Skills Society’s Outreach Program. Volunteers then went to the Skills Society on Thursday to assemble these great gifts for people in need!
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Whyte Ave Rotarian Recognized for Her Contributions The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue's own Tamara Larson was recognized for her commitment & support to the Rotary Foundation last night as she was presented the Major Donor crystal! As a Major donor, Tamara joined a global group of humanitarians united in their passion of service. Congrats Tamara!
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Paths for People Helps Make Edmonton More AccessibleOn Tuesday December 3, Sarah Hoyles from Paths for People helped us reimagine how public space can be used and how Edmonton can be made more accessible through active transportation. We are excited to see Open Streets come to Whyte Avenue this June!
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Whyte Knight Award: Tim Onciul Rotary is often defined as “service above self” and the Whyte Knight Award was created to recognize the commitment of our fun, fearless, and focused members in serving others. Tonight we awarded Tim Onciul with the Whyte Knight Award. Tim was the inaugural recipient of the award back in May of 2016. Tim received the award again for his continued passion to help youth in our community. The dodgeball tournament in support of Youth Empowerment Support Services (YESS) was a success because of Tim’s vision and commitment. Thank you Tim for all that you do! Congratulations on receiving the Whyte Knight Award! |
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Check out our weekly Newsletter This week's Newsletter is up! Take a look at it here: https://portal.clubrunner.ca/6160/bulletin/ViewSent/d1537fdd-d639-435d-83f7-11984d8fed01/20d7fb41-0e7c-4667-8768-ffa229bfd843?mid=d15f1d72-61df-4a6d-a4fa-84006773f7f9&type=c |
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Dr Stan Houston Provides Context in Quest to End Polio
On Tuesday November 19th, Dr. Stan Houston, adjunct professor at the U of A’s School of Public Health helped put the global efforts to eradicate polio into perspective by comparing its progress with efforts to eradicate other diseases. He also gave a brief history on clinical awareness of the disease and shared some facts and figures regarding it’s toll on society and the victories and challenges involved in achieving eradication. |
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Upcoming Speaker Nov 5: Anthony at Your Service!
Come learn Anthony's story on Nov. 5th! |
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Building a Strong Foundation to Scare off Polio! A few members of the Rotary Whyte Avenue Foundation Committee got together this week to discuss all things foundation! Members finalized some details on the exciting pumpkins for polio family event planned for October 29th (you can catch a glimpse at one of the silent auction prizes in the picture!). You can all about our pumpkins for Polio event here: bit.ly/316QQ8x) Members also looked at options for a future polio fundraising event near the end of November. We are looking to collaborate with a new up and coming business off whyte, so stay tuned! Thanks to all who made it out to this committee meeting and for all of your support to help make Polio history!
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Nova Cannabis Visit a New High Point for the Club! On October 15, Rotary Whyte Avenue members and friends went to Nova Cannabis off Whyte to learn about this new and exciting industry! Store manager Chris Ianson gave members and friends a new understanding of the cannabis industry and how it has evolved since cannabis legalization. Chris explained how a big part of their business was providing education and ensuring that cannabis is consumed responsibly. Thank you to Rotary Whyte Ave's own Marilyn Mucha for organizing the trip and to everyone who made it out!
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CTV News: Edmontonians dip, dug, dive, dodge for a causeNice coverage from CTV Edmonton for this weekend's Dodge the Streets Charity Dodgeball Tournament in partnership with Dodgeball Edmonton and Dodgeball Canada in support of YESS. Was a great day (as you can see by all of the pictures on our Facebook page) and we look forward to doing it again next year! Thank you to our sponsors RAMP Interactive and Qube Invest! |
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Winner of Dodge the Streets 50/50 Draw Found! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue held a 50/50 draw at our Dodge the Streets Tournament and we have found our winner! The winning number is 705190 and the winning ticket came forward on Sunday, October 20. Thank you to everyone who took part in our 50/50 draw and thank you for supporting the Dodge the Streets charity dodgeball tournament!
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Making a Difference One Dodged Ball at a Time!.jpg) The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue held it's inaugural Dodge the Streets charity dodgeball tournament in support of Youth Empowerment and Support Services on Saturday! Saturday turned out to be a fantastic day as 26 teams descended on the Saville Community Sport Centre to compete for the coveted cookie medals made famous through Hockey Night on Whyte! This tournament had 4 divisions, with the Men’s/Women’s divisions each having 6 teams, the co-ed Competitive having 10 teams, and the co-ed Recreational having 4 teams. The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave also competed in the recreational league and won bronze (and won a lot of hearts as well, I would imagine!). Rotary Whyte Ave was lucky to partner with Dodgeball Canada and Dodgeball Edmonton to put this event on in support of YESS! Total funds raised are being confirmed as we speak. Thank you to these great partners for making the 1st Dodge the Streets tournament such a success! Thank you to everyone who made it out and everyone who supported! |
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Robert Lang Regales Rotary on Whyte
On October 8th we were fortunate to have Robert Lang hold court at the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club. During this time he touched on but a few of his talents and the fascinating anecdotes they have facilitated. A true Edmonton pioneer, Robert is 89 years young and still manages Lang Locksmiths, which opened in town in 1972. |
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Whyte Ave Awarded the Rotary Citation with Silver Distinction The Rotary Citation is awarded to clubs for achieving goals that strengthen Rotary and the club. Goals include increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in the community. Our Rotary Club won this honour for our achievements over the 2018/19 year. Our club also received the silver distinction for going well beyond the requirements needed to win the Rotary Citation. Out of the 60 Rotary Clubs in the Rotary 5370 District, only 9 clubs received this honour. Congratulations to all club members and friends for making the 2018/19 year such a great success! |
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Club Assembly!
On October 1st, Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave got together for a club assembly! As part of the meeting, club members went over the results of the recent member satisfaction survey. The results showed that members really do enjoy being members of our club as well as love the programs organized. For the future, the survey showed that we as a club should focus on strengthening club membership and engagement. One of the follow up's from the membership survey is to plan a brainstorming session to discuss club goals and culture at a future meeting. |
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"Dodge the Streets" 1st annual Dodgeball Tournament in Support of YESSThe First Annual "Dodge the Streets" dodgeball tournament is coming up on October 19th. Tamara Larson with Whyte Ave Rotary, Duane Wysynki with Dodgeball Canada and Margo Long from YESS explain how the event will help homeless teens in Edmonton. Register your team now at: www.DodgeballEdmonton.com |
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Help us Help The BahamasPeople in the Bahamas are still suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Dorian. Immediate Past Rotary President, Barry Rassin, and our Rotary International District 5370 leaders have urged clubs to consider providing aid for this disaster. The Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue has donated $250USD to the Robbins Funds, a fund for relief efforts of Rotary International District 6990 (Florida and Bahamas). Watch the video from Barry Rassin:
If you wish to personally donate to this disaster, you can donate in the following ways: Robbins Fund Bahamas Relief (in USD only) through Rotary District 6990 (Florida and Bahamas) Bahamas Relief (in USD only) through Rotary District 7020 (Caribbean and Grand Bahamas) Rotary Disaster Relief (in CAD and eligible for a Canadian tax receipt) ShelterBox Canada (in CAD and eligible for a Canadian tax receipt) |
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A Purr-fect Evening at the Cat Cafe on Whyte!.JPG) Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave was very fur-tunate to have had a paws-itively great night of fellowship at the Cat Cafe on Whyte last Tuesday! Rotarians and guests were introduced to the cats and learned more about the Cat Cafe business model. The group learned that the Cat Cafe owners were inspired to open the cafe from similar stores in their native China, except there you can find cafes dedicated to all kinds of animals - everything from cats, to owls, to hedgehog cafes! Members also learned that cats will often be sent to the cafe to help socialize them - and those cats definitely got some social time with Rotary around! We're not 'kitten' around, Rotarians and their guests were 'feline' fine after that cafe visit. |
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Wine Survivor CancellationDue to low sales, we've decided to cancel the wine survivor planned for September 17. Though this is not the best outcome, cancelling will ensure we don't get stuck with any major costs, allows us to concentrate our efforts on some of the big fundraising events coming up (such as the Dodge the Streets), and provides an opportunity to learn and be ready for the next time. I'd like to thank everyone who worked so hard selling tickets! Though it's unfortunate to cancel the raffle, all your hard work to make to move this raffle forward is what drives this club. I know we as a club can find the best path forward to make sure we avoid this type of outcome in the future. Going forward, we'll take time during our Club Assembly on October 1st to discuss fundraising so that everyone has an opportunity to comment and so that we can discuss as a club. Please don't hesitate to contact me *kggmcleod@hotmail.com) at anytime if you have any questions, comments, or concerns as I would be happy to discuss at any time! Thanks again everyone for your patience, commitment, and support! Warm regards, Kevin McLeod President |
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Rotary Connects Whyte Ave with India! This past Tuesday our club was lucky to be visited by Mukta Malhotra, coming all the way from India! Mukta is a member of the Rotary Club of Gurgaon Harmony Iberis which meets in Gurugram, Haryana (not far from New Delhi). Mukta talked to club members and guests about some of her club's activities and ways we can collaborate together in the future. We then participated in a banner exchange between our two clubs. Rotary really does Connect the World, thank you for joining us Mukta!
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Learning Alberta History with FRAMS The President of the Friends of the Royal Alberta Museum Society (FRAMS), Chris Radojewski, joined Rotary Tuesday to talk about the great work they do to share Alberta's history with the world. FRAMS is a registered charity that supports the Royal Alberta Museum.
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Week Off to Promote Committee Work
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Laurie de Grace on McDougall House Treatment Centre
On Tuesday August 20th , Laurie de Grace, Executive Director of McDougall House, gave a presentation on the association’s history and the work it does in the field of addiction treatment. Established in 1969, McDougall House is a second stage live-in treatment centre for women recovering from substance addiction. Clients spend an average of three months at the centre modelling healthier lifestyles and developing the coping skills necessary to make self-medication less compelling. |
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Enjoying the Summer at Brandingen's BBQ Bash!
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Making Polio HistoryRotary made a promise to rid the world of |
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KAIROS Blanket Exercise an Indigenous Canadian History Lesson
On Tuesday August 6th members of the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club attended a presentation of The KAIROS Blanket Exercise at the Orange Hub Community Centre. This workshop was sponsored by Reach Edmonton, an organization that advocates for community safety through improved engagement of all community residents. |
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Helping Out at the Neighbour Centre BBQ! On August 1st, Rotary Whyte Ave and friends helped community partner the Neighbour Centre put on a fantastic community BBQ! This BBQ is an annual event hosted by the Neighbor Centre and supported by Rotary Whyte Ave to provide Neighbours experiencing homelessness and community members a safe space to kick back and relax and enjoy some delicious food. Rotarians and friends helped organize the event, set up, severed delicious meals, donated food, desserts, games, and equipment, and helped clean up at the end of the night.
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Amarok Combined Rotary Women's School Update (Dhaka, Bangladesh) Last year our club co-sponsored a school in Bangladesh through The Amarok Society -- the Combined Rotary Women's School - with The Rotary Clubs of Strathcona, Mayfield, Urban Spirits, Grand Prairie and Hinton. Here is an update that they have sent us with some photos and a letter updating us on the progress of the school and the program.
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Brent Collingwood Shares his Passion for the River Valley
On Tuesday July 23rd Brent Collingwood gave a fascinating presentation on his work as Executive Director with the River Valley Alliance. Ask an Edmontonian what sets the city apart and the river valley will invariably be near the top of their list. As keen as we are to claim bragging rights to this incredible resource we actually share this pristine tract with six other municipalities. In 1996 the River Valley Alliance was formed to preserve and enhance this area. A key feature of their master plan is to establish an interconnected path that will bridge existing trails and extend for 100 km through the Town of Devon, Parkland County, Leduc County, The City of Edmonton, Strathcona County, Sturgeon County and the City of Fort Saskatchewan. |
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Whyte Ave Rotary Supports Youth Success in Mexico The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue has sponsored a child in elementary school in Colima, Mexico through Project Amigo. This sponsorship will help provide a child with the tools he or she needs for success, such as shoes, clothing and educational services. This sponsorship also helps to connect the child with people beyond their own community by allowing them to participate in the annual “Day at the Beach” trip and at Project Amigo’s volunteer-driven Christmas Fiesta.
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Recover Edmonton Wellness Project Tackles Homelessness From Unique Perspective On Tuesday July 9th Susan Coward of the Recover Urban Wellness Project gave a presentation on the their work to affect positive change with marginalized youth and adults in Edmonton. Launched by the City of Edmonton in 2017, The Recover Urban Wellness Project attempts to reconcile the specific needs of marginalized individuals with support groups, businesses and area residents that interact with them on a regular basis.
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Making a Delicious Brunch for Children & their Families at Ronald McDonald House
Rotary Whyte Avenue is cooking up a storm at Ronald McDonald House! On July 6 2019, members and friends of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave planned and cooked a delicious brunch for children and their families accessing the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton. |
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It's a New Rotary Year!.png) Rotary International President Mark Daniel Maloney’s theme for 2019-20, Rotary Connects the World, asks Rotarians to strengthen the many ways that Rotary Connects the World, building the connections that allow talented, thoughtful, and generous people to unite and take meaningful action through Rotary service. |
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Take Part in our 2nd Annual Wine Survivor! Tickets for our 2nd Annual Wine Survivor are now available (where you have to chance of winning a large amount of wine) being held at our Change-Over Party at the Polar Park Brewery on Tuesday, June 25th. Funds raised go towards our various community service projects (such as The Neighbour Centre's Dinner Club and Meals that Mend at Ronald McDonald House), our youth programs (sending high school and university students to leadership camps) as well as our international programs (microfinancing through Kivaand ShelterBox) |
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U of A Discusses Community Engagement University of Alberta community engagement consultants Alexis Ksiaskiewicz and Emily Ball visited our club on June 18th, 2019. The U of A is conducting a thorough examination of how it is connecting with its internal and external stakeholders in order to come up with a comprehensive community engagement plan. To date the consultation process has involved over 60 sessions discussing engagement opportunities with over 1300 people.
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Join Us at Our Year-End Change-Over Party on June 25th! Come celebrate all that our club has accomplished this year with President Scott Young and hear what our incoming President Kevin McLeod has in store for the new year! Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/whyte-ave-rotary-year-end-change-over-party-tickets-62901519137 Tickets include:
We will also be doing the draw for our 2nd Annual Whyte Ave Rotary Wine Survivor fundraiser! |
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World Partnership Walk coming on June 9th On our May 29th meeting Naz Hasham gave a presentation on the Aga Khan Foundation Canada's World Partnership Walk, which is being held on the Legislature grounds on June 9th. Naz Hasham grew up in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the oldest of seven sisters. Her family of nine's accommodations in Dar es Salaam was the equivalent of a bachelor apartment. Still, their living situation was better than that of many she witnessed first-hand during her upbringing. Her directorship with the World Partnership Walk is one of the many volunteer activities she has immersed herself in to affect positive change locally and globally. The Aga Khan Foundation Canada was initiated by people who came from East Africa and were eager to dedicate some of their relative good fortune to alleviating poverty in developing areas of Africa and Asia. Their first World Partnership Walk was held in 1985 in Vancouver and has become an annual event in 10 cities, including Edmonton. Since that first event teams set up by schools, workplaces and community groups have raised more than 100 million dollars throughout Canada, mostly through fundraising activities leading up to the walk itself. The proceeds from these events have funded over 180 initiatives in 15 countries, reducing poverty and improving the quality of life for millions. There is still time to participate in this year's event. For more information go to https://www.worldpartnershipwalk.com/en/walk-cities/edmonton |
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Rotary Learns How to Compost Rotary members had a fun filled afternoon learning how to compost in our own backyards from Master Composter Nicole Spring from Veg in Yeg. Veg in Yeg is a social enterprise based in Garneau, Edmonton who grows vegetables, herbs, and flowers for local consumption through "Pay What You Want" pricing. |
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Renee Senko and Caitlin Johnston discuss their Belize Playground trip At our May 14th meeting Renee Senko, past president of the Vegreville Rotary club, and Caitlin Johnston, current president of the Vegreville Interact Club, came by to give a presentation on their recent trip to Belize. Renee and Caitlin joined 8 other volunteers to assist in building a playground at Paraiso School in Corozal. The playground equipment consisted of repurposed equipment from a playground in Alberta that had been recently upgraded. The Emmanuel foundation handles the logistics of sourcing out and transporting decommissioned items that would be invaluable elsewhere. In Paraiso the local Rotary Club made the necessary preparations to facilitate the build and provided the visiting Canadians with an experience they would not forget.
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YEG Passport Rotary Club submits Charter Documents! Congratulations to the YEG Passport Rotary Club for getting one step closer to being official. Charter documents were signed by President Markus Muhs, Secretary Anne McAthey and District Governor Ingrid Neitsch and witnessed by club advisor and member of sponsor club RC of Edmonton Whyte Ave Marilyn Mucha at the District office on Friday, May 10, 2019.
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Seven Women - Tackling Poverty Head On The challenging realityThe first Sustainable Development Goal aims to end extreme poverty everywhere by improving the access of the most vulnerable members of society to economic opportunities. Nepal is one of the poorest countries in Asia and at least 22% of its population still lives under the poverty line. Within Nepal, disabled and other socially marginalised women are amongst some of the most disadvantaged social groups, and are often excluded from training and employment opportunities. When disabled women are employed, they are often paid less than their able-bodied peers. |
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Whyte Ave Rotary Visits the Food Bank On Tuesday November 9th members of the Whyte Avenue Rotary Club, the YEG Passport Club and their friends were given the opportunity to assist the Edmonton Food Bank. In the Food Bank's large warehouse downtown we helped sort donated fresh and non-perishable food items and build hampers to be distributed to individuals and families who are having trouble making ends meet. |
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Rotary Making A Difference in Bangladesh Rotary Whyte Avenue is proud to be a sponsor of the Combined Rotary Women’s Schools in Bangladesh to support the non-profit Amarok Society. The Amarok Society empowers mothers through education so that they can in turn empower their children and communities. Great to work in partnership with other great Alberta Rotary Clubs to help make this project happen! |
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Amy Smith - Aurora Report 2019 Our Club participated in a Global Grant Scholarship (along with RC Westlock, RC Saint City, RC Nisku/Leduc, RC Jasper and RC Brisbane) to help support Amy Smith, where she is currently completing a Masters of Development Practice Degree (with a specialization in Social and Cultural Dynamics of Development) at the University of Queensland in Australia. Here is her most recent update! "During the 2018/2019 summer period, I interned with the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation (DDWCAC) in Bendigo, Victoria for five weeks. Right from the start, I felt welcome and included by the small team at the office in Bendigo. Everyone made an effort to get to know me and make sure I was comfortable in my new temporary community. This Canadian also got to experience her first 40 degrees weather in Australia! |
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Dr. Emily Block speaks on her work in Ghana.JPG) On Tuesday March 5th Dr. Emily Block spoke to the Rotary Club on Whyte about her work with the Frontiers of Business Initiative at the University of Alberta. After spending 20 years in the U.S. at the Universities of Notre Dame and Illinois Emily returned to Canada in 2016 to teach at the U of A. She is currently the Eric Geddes Associate Professor of Management at the U of A's Alberta School of Business. Emily's Frontiers of Business MBA elective looks at improving the livelihoods of those in developing countries while making the best use of finite contributions of money and volunteer labour. |
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Rotarians Help "Chuck a Puck"! Wow --- last minute things can turn into $$ in a hurry. Friday March 8, District Governor Ingrid Neitsch got a call from the Edmonton Oilers Group with a cancellation of volunteers to sell "Chuck a Pucks" at the Oil Kings game this past Sunday. She texts Marilyn while at District Spring training to see if our club can come up with 10 volunteers for 2 pm Sunday. Marilyn said " YES", all the while wondering who she could call on such short notice. |
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Operation Friendship and Assisting Hard to House Seniors Our February 26th meeting featured Jimmy Morrison, Community Relations supervisor for the Operation Friendship Seniors Society (OSFF) of Edmonton. For the last 50 years Operation Friendship has been providing support and accommodation for hard to house seniors in our city. |
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Meena Deccan speaks on Honour Based ViolenceOn February 12th Meena Deccan gave a compelling talk on the topic of Honour Based Violence. Her presentation challenged many of the prevailing perceptions surrounding this phenomenon and laid out why conventional social services and law enforcement guidelines may be ineffective in breaking the escalating pattern of emotional and physical abuse involved.
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TONIGHT'S CLUB ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN CANCELLED!!Heads up tonight's Club Assembly has been cancelled due to the extreme cold. The Club Assembly will now take place on Tuesday, February 19th. Stay warm!
More info on the current conditions here: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/deep-freeze-cold-warning-edmonton-alberta-1.5004590 |
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Stan Bissell speaks about Shelterbox.JPG) Stan Bissell has a ShelterBox conveniently tucked away somewhere in his new home. In the aftermath of a disaster this kit contains many of the essentials required to protect a family from the elements and allow them to begin to rebuild their lives. Inside it's large durable storage container, which can be repurposed in a multitude of ways, the ShelterBox contains a family sized tent, solar lights, water storage and purification equipment, thermal blankets, cooking utensils and basic tools. Stan feels fortunate to have this potentially life-saving kit in his house. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, January 22nd Stan Bissell Will Be Talking About ShelterBoxJoin us on Tuesday, January 22nd from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Cafe & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue, as club member (and International Programs Chair) Stan Bissell will be talking about how ShelterBox has provided emergency shelter for over a million people displaced due to a natural disaster as well as his plans to raise money for ShelterBox with his "Shine for ShelterBox" fundraiser!. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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Kathy Stobl and Toastmasters: Improving Your Speaking SkillsMaybe your livelihood depends on crafting and delivering compelling presentations. Or perhaps you simply want to able to hold your own in a typical conversation. On our January 15th meeting Kathy Strobl explained how joining Toastmasters could benefit those in either situation.
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ATB Financial Hosts a Presentation by Brian Mandujano and Inclusion Alberta Our first weekly meeting after the Christmas break was hosted by ATB Financial's Strathcona branch on 80th Avenue and 104 Street. We were introduced to Brian Mandujano, who's employment with ATB was facilitated by Inclusion Alberta. Inclusion Alberta is a family-based non-profit federation that advocates on behalf of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families. They do this by helping find meaningful employment for those with a developmental disability. |
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Celebrating Our Successes for the First Year & Plans for the Rest of the YearClub President Scott Young talks about the club's accomplishments for the first part of the year as well as the plans for the second half of the year. Also, thanks everyone for your help making the year a success so far! |
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Support for the Belize Playground Project.jpg) Mike Greaney supporting the Emmanuel Foundation's Belize Playground Project by helping load a sea can destined for Belize!
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[Meeting Replay] 11.20.2018 - Paige Reeves, Vocational ServicesAmazing presentation by #WhyteAveRotary member Paige on vocational services! Great to hear to hear how we can use our vocational talents & experiences to serve our club & community! |
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A Rotary Foundation Primer, courtesy of Wayne and WayneTo kick off Foundation Month, on Tuesday, November 6th, Wayne Kauffman, our district Rotary Foundation chair, and Wayne McKutcheon, our district grants chair presented on the importance of the work that Rotary clubs are able to achieve by donating to The Rotary Foundation's Annual Fund and Polio Plus. We appreciate the hard work they both do on behalf of our District!
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Join Us for Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? The Fall 2018 edition of Guess Who's Coming To Dinner is fast approaching! Guess Who's Coming To Dinner is not only a fun way to enjoy some fellowship with members of the club and their guests but is also a chance to enjoy a great meal and some classic Rotarian hospitality.
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Whyte Knight Award - Kevin McLeod The latest member of our Fun, Fearless and Focused club has shown since they became a member in 2015 that they are willing to go above and beyond to help the club stay organized with our community services events, is willing to learn and try new things as head of our Communications Committee and has been super helpful as our President-Elect, and I look forward to seeing what he can do once he becomes President of our Club next year. Please join me in congratulating Kevin McLeod as the latest recipient of the Whyte Knight Award!
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District Governor Ingrid Neitsch Visits Rotary on Whyte On Tuesday October 30th we hosted our esteemed District Governor Ingrid Neitsch. During her presentation the inspiring qualities that served her well as an educator and as an influential Rotary member were on full display.
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You're Invited! Tuesday, October 16th Nicole Spring from Veg in Yeg is our Guest Speaker!We are pleased to be welcoming Nicole Spring from Veg in Yeg as our guest speaker on Tuesday, October 16th from 6 - 7 pm. Nicole will be talking about how she turned a vacant lot in Garneau into an amazing garden where she grows vegetables, herbs and flowers for local consumption. It's a great story that you won't want to miss! We look forward to seeing you there! |
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[Meeting Replay] 09.18.2018 - Cherie Klassen, Old Strathcona Business AssociationThese are truly interesting times for Old Strathcona, and as Executive Director of the Old Strathcona Business Association Cherie Klassen has a front row seat. On Tuesday September 18th we had the privilege of hearing her insights on the many aspects at play in the area. She touched on her group's efforts to amend the new smoking bylaw that doubles the distance smoking is allowed from any business entrance to ten meters.
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You're Invited! Tuesday, September 25th - Nova Winter, Mary Murphy & Aaron Cranston from the Neighbour CentreOn September 25th, from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue will be welcoming Nova Winter, Mary Murphy & Aaron Cranston from the Neighbour Centre, as our guest speakers. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, September 18th - Cherie Klassen from the Old Strathcona Business AssociationOn September 18th, from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue will be welcoming Cherie Klassen, the new Executive Director of the Old Strathcona Business Association, as our guest speaker. She will be talking about all of the wonderful things going on with businesses in the Old Strathcona Area. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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[Meeting Replay] 09.04.18 - Our First Club Assembly of the Year!
Members of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue showcased their plans and goals for the Club during the first Club Assembly of the year! Whyte Avenue Rotary members took advantage of this time to exchange ideas and present Committee plans on how to take action in the upcoming year. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, September 4th - Our first Club Assembly of the Year!Come join us on Tuesday, September 4th for our first Club Assembly of the year! This will be a great opportunity to learn about the plans for the year and hear from our Community Chairs. See you all there!
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Kiva Loan Chosen by Scott - Chenaimoyo
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You're Invited! Tuesday, August 21st - Who's Who: Maria Reyes & Scott YoungOn August 21st, from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue will learn more about members Maria Reyes and Scott Young who will be doing what we call their “Who’s Who” presentation. Come and learn what these two Rotarians are all about and what makes them tick. We look forward to seeing you there! #WhyteRotary #RotaryD5370 |
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Brianne Thomas, Stollery Women's Network
On August 14th Brianne Thomas spoke on behalf of The Stollery Women’s Network. Established in 2014, the Stollery Women’s Network assists the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation in raising awareness and funding for the amazing work the hospital does with sick and injured children every day. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, August 14th - Brianne Thomas from the Stollery Women's NetworkCome join us on Tuesday, August 14th from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Cafe & Kitchen as Brianne Thomas from the Stollery Women's Foundation will be our guest speaker! She'll be talking about their Giving Comfort Campaign where they give comfort packages to families going to Emergency at the Stollery Children's Hospital at the University of Alberta. |
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Edith Martin on Project Amigo On August 7th Edith Martin of the Edmonton Northeast Rotary Club gave a presentation on Project Amigo, an NGO that assists and advocates for education in rural Mexico. Project Amigo was inspired by one individual's visit to Colima, Mexico in 1984. While site-seeing Ted Rose inadvertently found himself in one of the area's smaller villages. Thoroughly charmed by it's inhabitants but taken aback by the pervasive poverty he encountered he became a catalyst for change in many young lives.
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You're Invited! Tuesday, August 7th - Edith Martin from Project AmigoMany folks when they join Rotary have a goal or, are anxious to be able to experience an international work project and Edith Martin will be sharing one of the best ways to have this experience. Project Amigo in Cofradia, Mexico is transforming lives, is committed to ending poverty through education and for the last 32 years has involved volunteers to help. Come hear about an experience on Tuesday, August 7th from 6 till 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue, that is available to you and your friends that will be life changing. |
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Kristin Jennings on YNTA, Project Amazonas, and her trip to Peru
On our July 24th meeting Kristin Jennings gave a wonderful presentation on her recent trip to Peru. As members of Young Nurses Take Action Kristin, three other Registered Nurses and nine nursing students assisted Project Amazonas by providing medical aid to those living along a portion of the Amazon River.  Young Nurses Take Action was founded in Edmonton in 2011 to encourage engagement and mentorship opportunities among young Registered Nurses. Among the many activities and projects they have participated in have been six medical volunteer trips. This latest one involved travelling in a house boat along the Amazon River and making scheduled stops along the way to administer basic medical services to underserved rural communities. |
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Meeting Replay - July 17, 2018 - RI Convention Toronto 2018 RecapMissed the meeting on Tuesday? Perhaps you'd like to get a feel for our meetings? This is a replay of our meeting on Tuesday, July 17th, 2018 where members Kathy Strobl, Scott Young, Tamara Larson and Marilyn Mucha reviewed their experience at the Rotary International Conference in Toronto. If you've ever wondered what it’s like to go to a Rotary International Convention or wanted to learn more about the recent Rotary Convention in Toronto then you'll want to watch the replay. Marilyn Mucha also gave an update on one of the Kiva micro-lending projects we are involved in, Tamara Larson gave a brief overview of the District's Peacebuilding initiative and Kristin Jennings gave a preview of her presentation next week on her recent trip to Peru with Young Nurses Take Action, where they worked alongside Project Amazonas to deliver medical aid to villages along the Amazon. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, July 24th - Kristin Jennings and Project AmazonasCome join us on Tuesday, July 24th from 6 to 7 pm at the Rooster Cafe & Kitchen as our very own Kristin Jennings will be our guest speaker! She'll be talking about Young Nurses Take Action and their recent mentorship trip to Peru with Project Amazonas, where they delivered medical aid to villages along the Amazon. She also did a trip along the Inca Trail so should have some interesting stories and lots of great pictures. Hope to see you there! |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, July 17th - Rotary Convention Toronto 2018 RecapEver wonder what it’s like to go to a Rotary International Convention? Want to learn more about the recent Rotary Convention in Toronto? My name is Scott Young and I’m the President of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue and I’d like to personally invite you to our meeting on Tuesday, July 17th from 6 till 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue where several of our members (including myself) will be sharing their experiences at largest Rotary International event of the year! I look forward to seeing you there! |
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Rotary E-Club of Canada One member Dr. Peter Denooy
We all deal with commutes of various distances to get to our weekly Rotary meeting. However, imagine making it to your 5:45 PM meeting on Whyte Avenue if your office is in the Dominican Republic. Dr. Peter Denooy is an active and contributing member of our Rotary District 5370. As such he regularly attends his club's weekly meetings. He also spends most of his time in his newly adopted home of the Dominican Republic. This feat was made possible by the advent of the Rotary e-Club of Canada One. |
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You're Invited! Tuesday, July 10th - Our Guest Speaker is Dr. Peter Denooy from Rotary e-Club of Canada OneEver wonder what a Rotary eClub is all about? Interested in learning more about an ongoing Rotary project currently underway in the Dominican Republic? My name is Scott Young and I’m the President of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue and I’d like to personally invite you to our meeting on Tuesday, July 10th from 6 till 7 pm at the Rooster Café & Kitchen on Whyte Avenue where our guest speaker Peter Denooy from the Rotary E-Club of Canada One will be answering those very questions! |
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RI Theme2018-2019 Rotary international theme |
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The Neighbour Centre Dinner Club.JPG) The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue continued their longstanding support of the The Neighbour Centre with a grant towards the Dinner Club Program. The Dinner Club is a weekly program organized by The Neighbour Centre where neighbours experiencing homelessness, as well as those volunteering, come together to prepare, cook, and eat dinner.
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Congratulations Tamara Larson, District 5370 Rotarian of the Year! Outgoing Rotary 5370 Governor Frank Reitz honouring Rotary Club on Whyte member Tamara Larson as the District's Rotarian of the Year. |
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ATTENTION all Wine Survivor ticket buyers!There is a venue change to reveal the winner for our First Annual Wine Survivor!
You do NOT need to be present to win! NEW location ATB Financial Arts Barn 10330 84 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T6E 2G9 Reverse draw to start at 7:30 pm |
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Whyte Ave Rotary's First Pride Parade
June 9, 2018 was our first time in Edmonton's Pride Parade. Old Scona Interactors, University of Alberta Rotaractors, and Whyte Avenue Rotarians joined forces to put together a fabulous group of proud paraders who danced and sang while handing out beads, buttons, and flags. The energy was bursting at the seams and the crowd was amazing. Great job to our club members who served on the committee: Kelly Sysak, Mike Greaney, Marilyn Mucha, Ellie Huang. A special Thank You to Mike's daughter, Evelyn, for putting together the vast majority of the buttons. We couldn't have done it without you! |
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Year-End Party June 12 from 7-9pm Come celebrate the year that is coming to a close and get ready for the year ahead. It's bound to be another great year of fun! We'll be announcing the Wine Survivor winners - see below for information. Link to Eventbrite to purchase tickets ATB Financial Arts Barns 10330 84 Avenue NW Edmonton, AB T6E 2G9 |
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Tree Planting Inititiave The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue teamed with Rotaracters and Rotarians from across the city to add a little green to Edmonton! Rotarians got to work Tuesday night by planting trees with Root for Trees! City of Edmonton's Root for Trees initiative aims to rejuvenate natural areas in Edmonton through tree planting. By combining our efforts, we planted close to 700 trees, shrubs, and flowers! Thanks to all the volunteers who made this possible! .png) .JPG) |
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Meals That Mend Rotarians and friends made their way to Ronald McDonald House Tuesday to take part in the Meals that Mend program. Meals that Mend provides a comforting meal for Ronald McDonald House families when they need it the most. Rotarians and friends came together to prepare a delicious breakfast for dinner meal for all families at the House. There were pancakes, sausages, breakfast burritos, and a lot of smiles had during this meal! Thank you to everyone who donated and volunteered for this event and a special thank you to James Wynters for planning such a successful meal!     |
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A Kiva Story.png) 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. |
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Wine Survivor at the Year-end Party |
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Pride Parade June 9 - Rotary entry - Join in the walk!
 The Edmonton Pride Festival theme is FULL SPECTRUM and will have its Pride Parade on Whyte Ave on Saturday, June 9, 2018 and Rotary will be there. The Rotary entry for our District is organized by the Edmonton Whyte Ave club, UofA Rotaract club and spearheaded by Old Scona Interact. Click to find out more... |
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Considering Mental Health On May 22nd Rotary Whyte Avenue member and psychiatric professional, Alfonso Ceccherini-Nelli MD, shared some facts and insights regarding the state of Mental Health in Canada. Alfonso highlighted a couple of surprising statistics; in an average year, 1 in 5 Canadians will personally experience a mental health problem and 50% of Canadians will have had some form of mental illness by the time they are 40. |
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Catherine Falk, Root For Trees In preparation for our club's tree planting event on May 31st, Catherine Falk from the City of Edmonton's Root for Trees give a presentation. Catherine outlined the history of this program and how it contributes to the well-being of our city. |
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Whyte Ave Food Crawl
A warm, blue-skied evening was the setting for The Whyte Avenue Rotary Club's first ever food crawl last Tuesday. It was a fun, fearless and food-focused night where members and friends of the club visited and strolled between three unique venues for some tasty eats. The first stop was Avila Arepa for a sampling of some traditional Venezuelan appetizers. For a choice selection of entrées, we headed to Malt & Mortar, one of Whyte Avenue's newest additions. After our meals, we strolled off the Ave and made some room for our last stop at Ohana Donuterie where we each tried one of their delectable donuts. Thank you to all who came out for a night of food and fellowship and helped make our first food crawl a great success! |
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Roots for Trees - May 31st In keeping with 2017-18 RI President Ian H.S. Riseley's challenge for every Rotarian to plant a tree we are joining forces with the Rotary Clubs of Edmonton West, Glenora and Strathcona to do our part by planting trees on May 31st through the City of Edmonton's Roots for Trees program. The City of Edmonton's Root for Trees initiative aims to rejuvenate natural areas in Edmonton through tree planting. Come and join us! Details: Where: we'll meet at the corner of 205th Street & 60th Avenue, Edmonton, Alberta. The tree planting will take place around this area and Hamptons Lake. When: Thursday May 31, 2018. What time: 4:45PM to 7PM. Interested volunteers are requested to sign-up before Thursday, May 10 in order to take part! This is to ensure that Roots for Trees has time to prepare the materials. Make sure to wear comfortable clothes and bring your 'Rotary at Work' shirt if you have one! Please feel free to email me (kggmcleod@hotmail.com) at anytime if you have any questions. Thank you for your support and I hope to see you all there! Kevin McLeod Community Services Chair, Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue |
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Identity Part II On May 1st, Paige Reeves led the second of our three meetings focusing on Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue's identity and what can be done to enhance it. Drawing on her enthusiasm for assisting her clients at AdaptAbilities and the insight it has given her, Paige challenged those in attendance to consider ways to make our club more inclusive. From its beginning just over eight years ago, our club was one of the many that helped Rotary evolve from its origins of exclusivity to a makeup that would be more in-line with its mission statement, as validated by our Four-Way Test. Rather than settle for the level of diversity our club has already achieved, we would be better served looking for barriers that we may inadvertently create as a group and as individuals. It could very well be these barriers that deter prospective productive members from attending our meeting and finding belonging within our club. Thank you to Paige for facilitating this thought-provoking session. |
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Gem Munro of the Amarok SocietyAt the April 17th meeting Gem Munro gave a compelling presentation on the Amarok society.  Gem and his wife, Dr. Tanyss Munro, founded the Amarok Society in 1992 to support their efforts in providing education to First Nations children that were not being adequately served by the existing school system. The Munros then set their sights on improving the prospects of the poorest people in Bangladesh. |
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Wine Survivor June 12thWine Survivor, an event that allows you and your friends to integrate your love of Rotary with your love of alcoholic beverages takes place on June 12th at the Polar Park Brewery, 10416-80 Avenue (the old Bee Bell Bakery site). Tamara Larson has 500 tickets to sell to this event. Tickets are $10 with the donation of a bottle of wine worth at least $15, or $25 without a wine donation. Lets make sure to support this fun and worthwhile initiative. The winner is set to receive at least 64 bottles of vino, so it might be a good time to build that wine cellar you've always wanted. Contact Tamara Larson or Kathy Strobl for tickets and more information. |
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Get In on the Action There's no more exciting way to help in the fight against polio than cheering on our hometown hockey heroes. Your $29 ticket gets you access to the pre-game mixer from 3:00 to 4:00 pm, plus great seats to see the Oil Kings take on the Swift Current Broncos at Roger's Place. $11.00 from each ticket sold goes toward the End Polio Now campaign, with all funds raised matched by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Tickets are still available from Club President Kathy Strobl. Help make this our third consecutive record-breaking year by purchasing your tickets today. |
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Ice On Whyte Volunteers Needed The Whyte Avenue Rotary Club is getting ready to once again support the Boardwalk Ice On Whyte Festival, January 25th through February 4th. Volunteers are needed for a variety of four-hour shifts January 25 - 28 and February 1 - 4. You can sign up for your choice of shifts by visiting the Ice On Whyte Volunteer page. Please help make sure that this year's festival is another rousing, frosty success. |
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Belize Playground Update Wendy Andrews, Chair of the District 5370 Playground Committee, attended our January 9th meeting to give us the latest news on the playground program. Playgrounds are provided by the Emmanuel Foundation, which refurbishes and redesigns municipal and school playgrounds from Western Canada. Through this project, playgrounds that were once destined for the landfill find a new home in Belize. As an extension of the project, play leadership programs are being developed as a component of the build, ensuring sustainability and ongoing maintenance. You can learn more about this important and exciting initiative by visiting the District 5370 webpage, or contacting Stan Bissell, International Service Co-Chair for Whyte Avenue Rotary. |
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Welcome, Maria Reyes!.jpg) At our January 9th meeting, we were very pleased to induct Maria Reyes as the newest member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue, with the member classification, Government. Maria has an extensive history with Rotary, spanning 15 years and five Rotary Clubs from BC to the Atlantic provinces. Welcome to the club and our Whyte Avenue Rotary family, Maria! |
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Leadership Meeting January 2ndOn Tuesday, January 2nd, the leadership team will meet at 6:00 pm in the boardroom at the Arts Barns to review 2017 and look out to 2018. Our next regular meeting will be January 9th at Rooster Cafe & Kitchen.  |
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U of A Alumni Affairs We were very fortunate to play host to some distinguished guests and alumni from the University of Alberta for our last meeting of 2017. Sean Price, Associate Vice President of Alumni Affairs, brought along Alumni Council President Ayaz Bhanji and a number of Council Member to share their perspectives on the University of Alberta as one of Canada's premiere post-secondary institutions, and also on its impact on their lives after graduation. University of Alberta Senate representative Stephen Leppard gave a presentation that was filled with an astonishing array of facts about the university:
It's great to think that this world-class institution is just down the street, and closely connected to Whyte Avenue Rotary!
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Christmas Dinner with The Neighbour Centre The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue was in the holiday spirit last Thursday when we helped our community partner The Neighbour Centre kick off its annual Christmas Party. Rotarians donated their time and desserts to make sure this event was a success. It was a full house as an estimated 100 guests gathered at Strathcona Baptist Church to share in a fine meal and good times between volunteers, neighbours experiencing poverty or homelessness, friends, and members of the community. Thank you to all who took part in an evening that truly embodied of the Christmas spirit.
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Merry and Bright Whyte Ave Rotarians came out in style on the evening Tuesday, December 12th to celebrate the holidays at Rooster Cafe. Ugly Christmas sweaters, tasty eats and a funky photo booth set the tone for a fun-filled night. Marilyn brought our exchange student, Andreas, who also took part in the fun. A big thanks to everyone who came out and celebrated this special time of year with us. |
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A Visit From U of A Alumni Sean Price, Associate Vice President with the University of Alberta Alumni Association, and a past Whyte Avenue Rotarian, will be presenting on 10 Things You Should Know About the U of A at our December 19th meeting. Come hear how the university continues to excel and contribute at the local, regional and international levels in these challenging times. |
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Stocking Up for the Skills Society.jpg) Members and friends of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue spread holiday cheer early this year when they got together to prepare holiday stockings for the Skills Society! The Skills Society is an incredible community partner that provides much needed support services to children and adults with developmental disabilities, survivors of acquired brain injury, and their families. For the second year in a row, the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue collected donations and assembled 56 holiday stockings for people supported by the Skills Society’s Outreach Program. The club would like to thank the Skills Society for inviting us to their office so we could assemble the stockings together as well as thank everyone who donated and volunteered! |
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D.G. Frank Reitz Visit Last Tuesday, District Governor Frank Reitz and wife Barbara were good enough to make the trip to Whyte Avenue from their home in Fort McMurray as part of their initiative to visit all 57 clubs in District 5370. Frank shared a video clip in which RI president Ian Riseley reflected on the necessary evolution of, "...stronger, more active clubs that serve in more lasting ways," and the need for clubs to adapt to stay relevant while remaining true to the principals of Rotary. This comment particularly resonates for Whyte Avenue and our community focus and connectedness with the people and organizations of Old Strathcona. It's good to know that we're already well down the path that RI is recommending.Frank touched on the importance of our continuing efforts to eradicate polio, citing 15 new cases identified in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and the stressed the need for continued support of the The Rotary Foundation in this ground-breaking work. If you would like to up your contribution to TRF, please contact Foundation Chair Lynn Kazairwe or one of our club executive. He also explored the need for us to continue to grow and solidify our membership, identifying that clubs need to do a better job of communicating what is expected of our membership, and also conveying our unique culture. People need to understand who we are and what we do in order to fully engage. We will be looking at these issues in the next while in order to help members better communicate what it really means to be a part of Whyte Avenue Rotary. Frank praised our projects partnerships and programs, and our work in supporting youth programs in particular, and also presented club president Kathy Strobl with the Shelter Box bronze award for our support of their important work. |
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Nov 28 at ATB Financial Arts Barns
Our Tuesday, November 28 our meeting will be held at ATB Financial Arts Barns located at 10330 - 84 Ave NW. Conrad Nobert from the Strathcona Community League will be speaking about the neighborhood renewal project, which includes a partnership with the University of Alberta. Visit http:// Regular meeting fee of $10 applies. Guests are always welcome to join us and receive two complimentary meetings so you can get to know us!
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Change of Meeting VenueArtisan Resto-Cafe will be closed for renovations on Tuesday, November 21st, so our meeting will be held in the Boardroom at the Edmonton Arts Barns, 10330 - 84th avenue, beginning at our regular 5:45 start time. The evening will feature a visit by our District Governor, Frank Reitz, to update us on the current state of District 5370. This is an important opportunity to gain a broader perspective on Rotary, and all members are encouraged to attend. Our speaker will be focused on organizational issues, and not dealing with any issues in our community, so the meeting might not be suited to introducing new people to our club. First impressions are important, so think about saving your invites for a later date.
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Pool On Tuesday, November 15th, we welcomed members, family, friends of our club, District guests and fellow Rotarians at our 2nd Annual Pool for Polio FUNdraiser . Our three co-hosts: President Kathy and two dynamic young leaders, Maria and Wyatt, from the University of Alberta Rotaract Club, kicked the night off. District Governor Frank Reitz also spoke and presented our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club with our End Polio Now: Make History Together Campaign award from The Rotary Foundation for reaching our Polio Plus goal of $2662 US. Frank and his wife Barb joined us to compete for the Pool for Polio champion title, and Past District Governor Laura Morie spoke about Rotary's role in eradicating Polio worldwide, and our true impact on the lives of so many. We would also like to thank District Governor Elect Ingrid Neitsch for taking time out of her busy schedule to join us.Eight teams came together to vie for the coveted Pool for Polio championship. There were a lot of close games but ultimately team Hygge were the victors. Congratulations to Richard and Sheila of team Hygge on their win, as well as to runners-up Tristan and Peter of team Polio Predators. Silent auction items included an autographed Edmonton Oiler Ryan Nugent-Hopkins print, two lift tickets to Marmot, a Nespresso machine, beautiful artwork and prints by local artists, wine, Rotary swag and much more. Thanks to all who donated items in support of the event, as well as all the bidders. We are excited to announce that through a portion of ticket sales, generous donations to Polio Plus by members and friends, and the proceeds from the silent auction, our club raised $2262 towards our Polio Plus goal for this year! With matching funds from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation of 2:1, this will make our contribution worth $7986! A very big THANK YOU to The Billiard Club for sponsoring our event; they donated the venue, the pool and provided one highball for each ticket sold for our guests to enjoy. Thanks, also, to all of you who made our 2nd Annual Pool for Polio a huge success! |
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Raffle Results.JPG) Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club has been hard at work selling raffle tickets to raise funds for our many clubs projects and initiatives. Thanks to the hard work of our members, we sold 594 tickets, which means we have raised $1188 towards our fundraising goal this year! Here are the lucky winners: Ken Saunders - Patrick Maroon Prize Package Garrett Turta - Commemorative D11 Cat Bronze Collector Piece Paul Atkins - Gift Certificate to Julios Barrio Dalene Onciul - Two tickets to the ESO Kim McInnes - Autographed Oil Kings Hockey Stick Thank you to our generous sponsors who donated these fabulous auction items: United Cycle, Finning Edmonton Power Systems, Julios Barrio, Edmonton Oil Kings and Marilyn Mucha. |
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The Final Push: Pool For PolioOur 2nd annual Pool For Polio FUNdraiser is coming up on Tuesday, November 14th, at The Billiard Club, 2nd floor, 10505 - 82 Avenue, starting at 6:00 pm. You don't have to play pool to enjoy this terrific event. You only need to follow a few simple steps: - Buy a ticket. It's not too late to purchase tickets on-line for $25.00, including pool, appetizers and one highball before 9:00 pm. - Bring a friend. This is the perfect opportunity to introduce new people to the Whyte Avenue Rotary experience. - Bring the money from you raffle ticket sales, along with any unsold tickets. (But, mostly money from sales!) - Bring an item to add to our silent auction. Be creative. You never know what's going to kick off a bidding war. Last year, we raised $2,400 towards our Polio Plus goal. This year we are aiming for $3,000, which will become a $15,000 donation after matching funds from both the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Government of Canada. We are so very close to completely eradicating polio, worldwide. Be part of this important and historic effort by joining us for an evening of fun and FUNdraising.
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Brick Art by Aaron We were very privileged to hear from mom Marilyn Bercovich, whose 24-year old son, Aaron, is a unique artist working in a unique medium; LEGO® bricks. As the parent of a child living with autism, Marilyn has a special perspective on helping her son to find his gift and create his own path in life. What started as play and a creative outlet has now grown into a small business, with Aaron creating original and commissioned works using only the iconic building blocks as his medium. Having built store display models for the busiest LEGO® Store in Canada, Aaron now creates portraits, corporate logos, and transforms almost any image into a beautiful art mosaic. For a young man that thrives on organization, following patterns, and being precise, he has found a niche that is ideally suited to his skills and personality. With support from Marilyn, and family and friends, we look forward Aaron's continued growth and success as an artist, entrepreneur, and a young man building (with LEGO®) his own future.   You can learn more about Aaron and see a gallery of his works by visiting Brick Art By Aaron. |
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Welcome, Mike Greaney.jpg) On Tuesday, November 7th, Mike Greaney was inducted with the member classification "Retail", with daughter Erin watching the proceedings. As a long-time resident of Strathcona and an active volunteer, he is sure to be a valuable addition to our club. Welcome, Mike, to the Whyte Avenue Rotary family.
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Pool for Polio! The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue is hosting their 2nd Annual Pool for Polio FUNdraiser on Tuesday, November 14, 2017 at The Billiard Club (2nd floor 10505 – 82 Avenue). Each dollar raised at this Polio FUNdraising event will matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation making each dollar raised $3! In addition, the Canadian government has committed $100 million dollars to help eradicate polio! At our 1st Annual Pool for Polio, our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club raised $2400 for our Polio Plus goal. With matching funds, our contribution to eradicate polio totaled $9600! All proceeds from ticket sales, donations and silent auction bids will go towards Polio Plus and The Rotary Foundation in support of our club’s goal to help eradicate polio. We are asking for YOUR help to End Polio Now! Help us reach our goal of $3000! Donate a silent auction item for our 2nd Annual Pool for Polio and we will share on our webpage, social media and have signage at the event in support of YOUR generosity. Tickets for this FUNdraiser are $25 and include pool, appetizers and one highball before 9 pm. Pool is optional so please join us! You can purchase tickets on line through the following link or by contacting one of our members: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/2nd-annual-pool-for-polio-tickets-39343118326 Monetary donations can also be made online (through the above link) or we will accept cash and/or cheques at the 2nd Annual Pool for Polio event! Tax receipts will be issued through The Rotary Foundation for amounts of $10 or more. Thank you for your generous support of this Polio FUNdraiser. For further information regarding this event or silent auction item donations, please contact Tamara Larson, Fundraising Chair at (587) 783-8880 or Larson.tamarac@gmail.com |
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Second Annual Mix and Match On October 25th, 50 Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and Exchange Students mingled at the second annual Mix and Match event organized by Whyte Avenue Club and University of Alberta Rotaract Club. This year, the event was sponsored by District 5370 who are looking to support both youth and mentorship. The event aims to foster connections between Rotarians and youth in Rotary and is an opportunity for mentors from Whyte Avenue to connect with Mentees from UofA Rotaract. Mentorship is a priority of the district, specifically for youth, but has long been an informal mechanism for building fellowship and friendships in Rotary. Turnout from District Clubs was fantastic with 4 Rotaract and 6 Rotary clubs represented. Attendees were invited to mix and match themselves with people from other clubs while enjoying the great food sponsored by the St. John`s Institute. Whyte Avenue hopes this annual event will continue to build bridges with Rotary youth and between clubs.
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Kids Help Phone - Malissa Tarr
On Tuesday, October 17, Malissa Tarr of Kids Help Phone spoke to our members and guests about Kids Help Phone. It has evolved over the years and now provides 24/7 counselling online or over the phone. It is Canada's only national 24-hour, bilingual and anonymous phone counselling, web counselling and referral service for children and youth. It's completely confidential - no call display or tracing. Whether by phone, mobile app or through our websites, you can connect with Kids Help Phone whenever and however you want.  |
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Best of Luck, Amy!We welcomed Amy Smith to our meeting on October 17 as she presented our club with a traditional gift of tobacco and a dream catcher she made specifically for Rotary Club of Whyte Avenue to express her appreciation for our club's financial support in helping her qualify for a global grant scholarship. Our club is one of several in the District to support her studies over the next two years as she works toward a Master of Development Practive (MDP) at University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. As a Métis woman she is passionate about Indigenous community development work and is an active Rotaractor and charter President of the Calmar Interact Club during high school. Congratulations, Amy. We wish you the best and look forward to seeing you again when you return from Australia!  |
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Our 7th Annual Hockey Night on Whyte
Hockey Night on Whyte 2017 HNOW By the Numbers: - 3 media outlets - 2 Oiler Alumni - 80 players - 300 burgers served - 1 awesome band: Secret Parcels - 200 estimated community members who viewed or participated in off-rink activities including CommuniTEA tea, hair styling in the Armoury, music, and more! Saturday, September 23 marked our club’s 7th Annual Hockey Night on Whyte event and it was a smashing success! It was the perfect weather for sweating it out in the Impark lot beside YESS Armoury for a little 4-on-4 hockey action. Eight teams battled for first place and the best cookie medals you’ve ever seen! Thanks to Sophie Waldin for baking the cookie medals again this year for all our podium finishers. We were fortunate enough to be joined by Oilers alumni Geoff Smith and Marc Fistric who spoke to the crowd and did the official puck drop while Global and CTV captured the action. Lauren secured our fantastic live band, The Secret Parcels, to provide entertainment – thank you Alphonzo, Max, Nellis, Jonn, and Jon “Herman” for coming out! Paige and Mathew brought CommuniTEA, a mobile tea house that serves up iced tea to thirsty community members while creating the coolest hand-made buttons! At many times during the day, the number of community members watching and partaking in the off-rink events outnumbered the players on the rinks. It was a record year for sponsorships and as always plenty of food from Save-on-Foods and vendors at Strathcona Farmers’ Market, just to mention a few (with over 300 hamburgers served!) Thank you to each sponsor for your support, and to our members and friends who approached them – it doesn’t get done without you! And many thanks to each and every member that took time to engage community members in conversations that we know make a difference. |
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Learning Fireside
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Rotaract in Nicaragua
Rotaract in NicaraguaThis week we had a group of Rotaracters from the University of Alberta come to tell us about their international projects in Nicaragua. They have had projects in three areas in Nicaragua since 2012, in Managua, Cinco Pinos, and Belen. Throughout 2012 to 2015 they have worked with Saint Albert based Roots of Change and the Nicaraguan FUNDACCO to build a preschool, a community centre and water collection resources in community. Partnering with onsite organizations is a huge part of Rotaract’s and Rotary’s mindset to ensure that useful projects will be proposed, well-managed, and carried out in a sustainable way. Their latest project was centered around supporting families in the rural Cinco Pinos where many families did not have running water. A representative from each of the fifteen effected families came to talk with the Rotaracters with the help of an ever-patient translator whose wife was the translator for the club’s last trip. The families said it was important for them to have a face to place where things were coming from and to be a part of the process in building relationships. In was an incredibly meaningful trip for our young counterparts as they had a chance to experience the lives of those they were supporting by billeting with community members. Each one had a story of how members on both sides said they were family afterwards and continue to build on their connections. |
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Kristy Russ, the Renegade PharmacistKristy Russ, the Renegade PharmacistWe had Kristy Russ the renegade pharmacist as our speaker this week. Kristy believes in emphasizing realistic changing and addressing underlying problems because as she says, there is nothing normal about feeling crappy! The Top 5 things she notices her clients struggle with is issues with weight, exhaustion, insomnia, constant pain and mood. She recommends working on key areas in your life starting with diet and understanding that a lot of our everyday diets are to extreme and unbalanced so our bodies decreased energy and storing fat is a natural reaction to that, especially because it is nearly impossible to achieve optimal nutrient levels based on diet alone. Nutrients is a big focus for her clients as 97% of Canadians do not get the RDA levels of nutrients, and that they are how our body functions without complication. She recommends higher quality, professionally recommended supplements as poor quality manufacturing or ingredients either lack what is actually needed or will not dissolve properly. In terms of exercise she wishes we realized how hard it was to build and maintain muscle mass especially after 30 and that we’d stop doing long episodes of cardio and focused on 3 half an hour work outs a week with intensity and strength training. We should also address stress management and quality sleep more seriously, as busy people fail to recognize the body’s emotional and physical signs of stress, before they become to hard to manage. She also looks into nutrients to help balance hormones that may be changing rapidly and help ease the effects. Her main question is, “Is your normal really normal?" |
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Strathcona Park CleanupStrathcona Park Cleanup |
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Potluck Picnic in the ParkPotluck Picnic in the Park –Glorious Sunshine and FellowshipA great turnout at Emily Murphy park included many club members and their families along with prospective members –  Rowena, Maria, Crystal and Rick. Ride sharing made it possible for anyone that wanted to attend to get to this picnic venue not far from our club's neighbourhood.The food selection was varied and delicious, from popcorn and veggie snacks to homemade pie, Betty’s baked beans and perfectly roasted marshmallows by Tim Onciul. Great weather made this a perfect night for fellowship including lots of games brought by Laura Milroy and Steve McRory. Paige and Mathew’s little canine family members Pipp and Izzy were a big hit with all ages. An added feature was the presence of the Skills Society CommuniTea mobile van serving iced tea and making colourful custom buttons. We have partnered with Skills Society in the past and their participation helped remind us of our commitment to community service and inclusion. A big thank you to all the members that came to share great conversation and food as well as members that could not attend but dropped off food items to share – thanks Kelly and prospective member Mike Greaney. If only all our meetings could be outdoors on sunny summer days …. |
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Whyte Knight, Stan Bissell, & Shelly Vermillion |
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All About Atlanta Rotary International Convention - August 1 On August 1, we had our own club members Paige Reeves, Guiscela Perez-Arellano, Tamara Larson, and Rotaract member Yvone Joubert talk about their experience at the Rotary International (RI) Convention in Atlanta. They stayed on Peach Street which is Atlanta’s version of Whyte Avenue and were surrounded by 40,000 Rotarians. The conference had many highlights including 2017-2018 Rotary Internation President, Ian Riseley, sharing his goals in Rotary of peace and sustainability. Martin Luther King Jr’s daughter and CEO of The King Centre, Bernice King, also spoke about her and her father’s message of peace. Bill Gates spoke about our polio efforts and has pledged 1.2 billion dollars for the new polio campaign, Drop to Zero. Ashton Kutcher spoke about his work with human trafficking including online tracking software to help find people involved. Kutcher urged to be more aware that trafficking is thriving in developed countries and that survivors need not only to have the rings broken up but to have supports created for them afterwards. Overall, it was a fantastic experience designed to help Rotarians think about how to connect their inspirations and skills to be better Rotarians. For those interested in attending the next RI Convention it is in Toronto from June 23 - 28, 2018.  |
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Good News Auto
On Tuesday, July 25, Kimberly & Chris Ferland, co-owners of Good News Auto, joined our meeting to tell us about Good News Auto and its Jump Start Fund. Good News Auto is a regular retail mechanic shop dedicated to vehicle education and providing financial assistance for vehicle repairs. Balancing vehicles and money is a challenge for customers. They believe there are two ways they can help customers with this balancing act. 1. offer vehicle education opportunities 2. offer financial assistance when repair costs are overwhelming Good News Auto specializes in general auto repair just like most shops in Edmonton BUT Good News Auto Repair is the only mechanic shop in Canada that uses a portion of profits to offer vehicle education workshops to the general public. They also offer "Learn to Earn" matched savings opportunities and safety repair grants to qualified customers. Since their doors opened in 2012 they have funded over $200,000 through the JumpStart fund. You can learn more about Good News Auto at http://www.goodnewsauto.ca |
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Meeting Knifewear |
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Speaker: Lyle Johnson, Rotary Club of Sherwood Park and the Emmanuel Foundation
This week our club's speaker was Lyle Johnson, Rotary Club of Sherwood Park President and a representative of the Emmanuel Foundation. The Emmanuel Foundation is an organization that shares Canada’s surplus of medical and school equipment with other developing countries to foster sustainable community change and development. So far it has had a huge impact on building relationships with other communities and continues to expand after their playground relocation initiative (Play It Forward) has increased school engagement and children’s development. The Emmanuel Foundation makes achieving international projects more accessible for Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs. The foundation is hoping to strengthen their ability to ship supplies, find more donated space, and is asking for administrative volunteers as well as volunteers’ support for work projects and delivery. |
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Kevin Ku: Back home to Taiwan
KEVIN KU: BACK HOME TO TAIWAN A big thank you to all District 5370 clubs who supported his stay in Alberta. As we may recall, Kevin was destined to be hosted by the Ft. McMurray clubs for 2016-17, however the wildfires last May quickly scuttled those plans and the District sought out a Plan B to enable Kevin to still come to our District and experience his exchange to Canada. A truly creative solution came together with the efforts of no less than four clubs to host and financially support Kevin’s successful cultural experience. Kevin said his last good byes on Sunday July 2, 2017 after spending the past 11 months with the families of his counselor Mike Brandingen ( Whyte Ave club), Marilyn Mucha (Whyte Ave Club) Brian Kiely ( Mayfield Club) Alfonso Ceccherini-Nelli ( Whyte Ave), and Sophie Waldin (formerly Whyte Ave). Financial support from Mayfield, Edmonton West, eClub Camada One, and Ft. MacMurray enabled Kevin to attend school at Austin O’Brien Catholic High School, take the public bus system and participate in the special activities such as Spring and Fall Orientations, Westlock District Conference, Yellowknife Tip-toe with the caribou, skiing in Jasper and the final 10-day mountain hiking trip. In addition, Kevin attended both RYLA and RYLE camps thanks to Frank Yakimchuk ( eClub Canada One). Kevin, along with the other inbound Youth Exchange Students (YEX) was obliged to raise funds for Shelterbox this year and Kevin exceeded his goal and raised over $650 . by cooking a traditional Taiwanese dinner to Rotarians and non-Rotarians willing to dine for a fee ( and some who generously contributed directly to his campaign) His presentations to his supporting clubs highlighted his cherished memories of meeting generous Rotarians and their families and seeing the northern lights, learning to ski and curl and eating his new favourite foods – Poutine and pyrogies. Through the generous support of the Ft. Mac clubs, Kevin was also afforded the opportunity to visit his original hosting city, do some fishing, take a private plane ride over the area to see the natural beauty and the remains of that devastating fire. Although we bid farewell to Kevin perhaps we will see him in Taiwan in 2021 when the RI convention is in Taipei. |
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Tamara Larson - Paul Harris Fellow
Tamara Larson - Paul harris fellow Last week, Past President Tamara Larson was presented with her Paul Harris Fellowship Pin for her outstanding support of the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Tamara, we are proud to have you. |
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The Neighbour Centre BBQ and Sending Off Kevin KuThe NEIGHBOUR CENTRE BBQ and SENDING OFF KEVIN KU The Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue supported their long standing community partner the Neighbour Centre in putting on their annual Summer BBQ! The event was hosted by the Neighbour Centre and meant to provide Neighbours experiencing homelessness a safe space to kick back and relax. Rotarians, friends, and neighbours all came together to join the summer fun in Hawrelak Park. We also came together to wish our exchange student Kevin Ku the best as he readies to return to Taiwan after a successful exchange year. Thank you to everyone who made this event possible! |
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Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Ave 2016-2017June 20 We had our year-end celebration! We showcased the many wonderful projects and initiatives we have worked on this year, the accomplishments of our members and committees and launched our new Rotary year! There were activities for our young Rotarians in training (and for those of us still young at heart), appetizers and a cash bar. Enjoy the video! |
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Whyte Knight Award - Betty Marsh.png) The Whyte Knight Award in our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED club was created to recognize "service above self" for our members and their commitment to serving others. This award is for members and chosen by members. President Elect Kathy Strobl was the most recent recipient of the Whyte Knight Award for her many contributions to our club in her leadership roles. Along with input from members of the club, tonight member Betty Marsh was awarded the Whyte Knight Award! She is our greeter extraordinaire, is committed to our Dinner Club project with the Neighbour Centre and is committed to serving the community, and humanity, in every way. Thank you Betty for all that you do and being such an amazing part of our club! Congratulations on being awarded the Whyte Knight Award for Service Above Self!
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Second Annual Youth SummitCome out and help us celebrate the many accomplishments of our young Rotary leaders and their Rotary Superhero stories! Celebrating Rotary Superheros! Saturday, May 27 10 am to 3 pm University of Alberta - Education North Building ED N2 115 (112 street and 87 avenue) Tickets are $5 and includes lunch along with a Rotary Superhero T Shirt! We are launching our First Annual Youth Awards and there will be a MYSTERY speaker and more! Want to volunteer - watch for the volunteer schedule coming out soon! Please contact Tamara at larson.tamarc@gmail.com for further details! |
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Guess Who is Coming to Dinner On Saturday, May 13, Paige Reeves and Mathew Bilyk hosted our Guess Who is Coming to Dinner at their new home in Sherwood Park. Tim and Dalene Onciul, exchange student Kevin Ku along with Tamara and Owen Larson were treated to some very special Bilyk family recipes and FUN was had by all. Thanks to all who participated. We still have spots available for Saturday, June 3! Please let Tamara know at larson.tamarac@gmail.com if you are interested in being a part of Guess Who Is Coming to Dinner! |
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Youth Exchange student Kevin Ku - Taiwanese dinner raises funds for Shelterbox Canada.jpg) Kevin Ku - a.k.a. Iron Chef Kai-wen, did an amazing job of creating a culinary feast on Saturday, April 22, 2017 to raise funds for Shelterbox. Club members Stan Kodric, Mike Brandingen and wife Deb, Eli Schraeder, Marilyn Mucha and husband Len Chanasyk, along with Marilyn’s sister Terry joined in Kevin’s Taiwanese specialties of pork and shrimp dumplings, beef Lo mei (sp?) with tofu, fried rice, squid with pea pods, sauteed cabbage and mushrooms, chicken and mushroom soup and finished things off with Bubble milk tea, and pineapple mini cakes. Thank you as well to all who donated to Kevin’s Shelterbox campaign, including club members Pam Handy and eClub President Frank Yakimchuk. Donations can still be made online to Shelterbox, see link, for a tax receipt. |
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Fort Edmonton Park - A Rotary Legacy  Janet Tryhuba (Executive Director of the Fort Edmonton Foundation) joined our meeting on April 18, 2017 to share with us the history and future vision of Fort Edmonton Park. It began in 1966 when Rotary Club of Edmonton Downtown began working with the city to create a replica of the Fort. It wasn't until 1974 that the Park opened in its doors. Today the Fort Edmonton Capital Expansion Plan has set its sights on developing the top four initiatives of the Master Plan:
Fort Edmonton Park and Fort Edmonton Foundation appreciates all support to move this vision forward. Volunteer your time, donate, sponsor or attend an event. Jeans and Jewels is a fundraising dinner on June 15, 2017 and A Night in the Wild West is the fall gala on September 16, 2017. |
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Meet Ellie and GuiscelaOn Tuesday, April 11, we had two of our members do their Who's Who for us. What a great way for our members to get to know each other.  Ellie is an alumnus of our District 5370 Youth Exchange program. She came to us from Taiwan in 2012 2013 and was part of the Westlock Club. During her time there, she made many friends and close ties to her host family, the community of Westlock and our District. This year, she returned to Edmonton to study at the University of Alberta. She had the choice of Hawaii or Edmonton and she chose Edmonton as she wanted to once again be a part of her Rotary family. Ellie is the first dual Rotaractor and Rotarian, not only in District 5370, but in our Zone! She is a member of the University of Alberta Rotaract Club as well as a member of our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club. She has also joined the District Youth Exchange committee working closely with our ROTEX students and more.  Guiscela is also an alumus of the youth exchange program - just a different District! Originally from Mexico, Guiscela did her exchange in Germany. She then moved back to Europe after her exchange to work as a nanny before arriving here in Canada. Her two week vacation turned into her becoming a part of our community and our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club. We all talk about wearing our Rotary attire proudly. Here is a great reason why we should! Guiscela was at a salon where a member of our club was and wearing a Rotary pin. Guiscela asked about Rotary and soon she became a member of the Whyte Avenue Rotary club. Let's wear our attire proudly and start a conversation about Rotary! Guiscela too has joined the District Youth Exchange team and has taken on many important roles. Thanks Ellie and Guiscela for sharing with us and being a part of our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club! |
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Ronald McDonald House - April 4On Tuesday, April 4, the FUN, FEARLESS, & FOCUSED Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue prepared and served a Greek inspired meal to the families at the Ronald McDonald House! Rotarians and friends came together to make and serve chicken souvlaki, Greek potatoes, Greek salad with pita bread and hummus (and an assortment of desserts too!) so the families at Ronald McDonald House could have a fantastic meal. .JPG) |
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Club Fundraising is Successful Through PartnershipsOur club partnered with the Rotary club of Edmonton Mayfield to participate in a two-day casino at West Edmonton Mall’s Palace Saturday and Sunday March 17 & 18, 2017. Members Tim Onciul, Alicia Brown, Kate Peters, Mike Brandingen and Marilyn Mucha were joined by prospective member Laura Milroy and Friends of the Club Rupak Sarma (two shifts), Deb Brandingen and Tammy Medhurst to fill a total of 10 shifts. Together we raised $10,000 for our projects, both local and international. A huge thank you to all for giving up your time to bringing significant funding to our service activities. Our own club casino application is in process but we will have to wait at least 24 months before we get the opportunity to host our own event and call upon more volunteers at that time. Just last month, our club again partnered with the Mayfield Rotary club at their Fork it Over fundraising dinner and auction on February 10, 2017. The Mardi Gras themed event saw close to 300 people attend the dinner at Marriott River Cree Ballroom, where numerous silent and live auction items sold along with raffle tickets to raise nearly $ 50,000. Our own Randy Clark, spouse of member Sheila Hawkins won the top raffle prize of $2,000. Thank you to all our club volunteers who helped decorate, tally auction items, take donations and take down the decorations as well as the members who secured the many auction items and sold raffle tickets. A big club collaborative event. Our share of the funds is $10,000, which will go a long way towards our local and international service projects. |
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Fork It Over 2017On Friday, February 10, our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club partnered with the Mayfield Club to raise funds at this very fun event!
Thank you all who participated, donated, spent their hard earned funds on the many live and silent auction items, volunteered and truly made this event a success.
Watch for updates on how much was raised and the many projects our club will support!
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Whyte Knight Award - Kathy Strobl Rotary is founded upon the foundation of "SERVICE ABOVE SELF". Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club has members who truly exemplify this heart for service in all that they do.
In order to recognize members for their hard work and dedication to Rotary and serving others, our club has created the Whyte Knight Award for Exemplary Service Above Self to our Club and Community.
This award is chosen by members for members.
On February 7th, past recipient Kristin Jennings had the distinct honor to present the Whyte Knight Award to our Foundation Chair and President Elect Kathy Strobl.
Kathy is a charter member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue. She is described as confident, kind, loyal and respectful of herself and others. In May of 2014, Kathy was co-chair of the first annual "She's All That - A Celebration of Women in Rotary". In the fall of 2014, the District sponsored Kathy as a Future Rotary Leader to attend the Future Rotary Workshop at the Zone Institute in Cherry Hill, NJ. Past District Governor Betty Screpnek reaching out to Kathy and the Whyte Avenue Club to support her and the Glenora Club to play a key role in planning her District Conference in the same year. Presently, along with her very important roles in our club, Kathy is the secretary of the District Foundation Committee and treasurer of the District's Charitable Foundation.
Congratulations Kathy on being awarded the Whyte Knight Award for your exemplary service in all that you do!
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Fork It Over - NEW Fundraiser for our club Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club has partnered with the Edmonton Mayfield Club to raise funds. Fork It Over is a great night of fun and laughter with great live and silent auction items and more.
Tickets are $125 each or a table of ten for $1,175.
Tickets can be purchased from any member, online (please see link below) or by contacting Tamara Larson at larson.tamarac@gmail.com.
The theme is Mardi Gras and entertainment will be provided by "That Guy". And, as a special treat, the jazz band from Old Scona Academic High School (our Interact Club members will be there also) will also be featured. It is a night that will warm your heart in this cold, Alberta winter. AND, your ticket purchase automatically enters you to win an all expense paid trip to New Orleans, LA for a week! Funds generated from this great event will go towards supporting our many youth programs and community initiatives. Come out and support our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club. http://mayfieldforkitover.ca/index.html |
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Rotary and Edmonton Oil KingsOn Sunday, January 22, Rotary District 5370 partnered once again with the Edmonton Oil Kings to raise awareness and funds to eradicate Polio world wide. We are THIS CLOSE!
 CONGRATULATIONS to our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club who sold 100 tickets for this game! $9 from each ticket goals towards Polio Plus and this helped us raise $900 towards our club annual Polio Plus goal. Because every $1 raised for Polio is matched 2:1 by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as well as 2:1 by the Canadian Government, YOUR $1 actually becomes $5. That makes our $900 worth $3600 towards eradicating Polio world wide! THANK YOU!
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Happy New Year!It is hard to believe that 2017 is upon us! In 2016, there were many ups and downs yet the true kindness of so many truly came to the forefront. As life brings us challenges, working together, we can truly make a difference - one life at at time, one day at a time, one project at a time!
This past year saw our economy change dramatically which had a huge impact on so many both personally and professionally. We were all impacted by the fire in Fort McMurray. Some of our community partners, who depend upon donations and the generosity of so many, felt the economic downturn in ways that were passed on to those who needed help the most. Despite this, Albertans, Rotarians and those who could help, DID! We saw kindness in so many ways; people opened their homes to those who needed it the most, meals were provided, new relationships were developed and so much more.
Here are some pictures from our year-end party:
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Serving HumanityDecember was a very busy month for our club, our friends and Rotaractors! Together, in addition to the many other activities going on, we were able to support the Neighbor Centre and their annual Christmas dinner on Thursday, December 15 at Old Strathcona Baptist Church.
Thank you to all who donated food and beverage items and to those who time out of their very busy holiday season to share this meal, along with their time and talents, to make this Christmas dinner very special for those who need it the most.
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Ronald McDonald HouseOn Tuesday, December 6, our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club served dinner to the families at Ronald McDonald House. In the true spirit of our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club, our members decided to have a Ukrainian night.
 On Sunday, December 4, some of our members, along with the University of Alberta Rotaract Club and the Strathcona County Rotaract Club, these ambitious Rotarians made over 300 perogies!
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Visit from our District Governor Laura Morie On Tuesday, December 13, District Governor Laura Morie came to visit our club. Each year, the District Governor visits each club in the District. During that time, she also meets with the Leadership Team prior to the club visit. Our club was the last on her club tour for District 5370 and we are so grateful to her for her dedication and passion for Rotary. In total, she has been part of over 120 club meetings and visits since July 1!
 District Governor Laura spoke to us about the important of Rotary, youth being our future, the need for clubs to be flexible, some unique growth strategies and the importance of the Rotary Foundation; this 100 year old organization is the financial fuel that drives Rotary. This year, the Rotary Foundation is celebrating its Centennial. It all started with a donation of $26.50 and since then, it has handled billions of dollars and truly made the world a better place.
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November Was Rotary Foundation MonthNovember was a very busy month for our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club. Our First Annual Pool for Polio was a HUGE success in raising $2400 towards our PolioPlus goal for 2016 - 2017 and FUN was had by all!
On November 22, we had a very special club meeting. We were joined by Patrick Gibson, District Polio Plus Chair, Wayne Kauffman, District Foundation Chair, Wayne McCutcheon, District Grants Chair and our District Governor Laura Morie.
Member Marilyn Mucha was presented with her Major Donor award and our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club was honored by Rotary International for the following:
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Paul Harris Fellows: Kristin Jennings & Paige Reeves Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club was proud to present two of members with their first Paul Harris Fellow. Both members are recipients of the Whyte Knight Award. Through their own contributions to the Rotary
Foundation and points from generous club members in recognition of their exemplary service, Kristin Jennings and Paige Reeves were given their Paul Harris Fellows by Foundation Chair Kathy Strobl and President Tamara Larson.
Congratulations Kristin and Paige for this achievement.
Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication, not only to Rotary, but also everything that you do in changing lives, serving humanity and truly making a difference!
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December 1 - Interact Club of Old Scona Academic Charter Night Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club proud to sponsor the new Interact Club of Old Scona Academic. Today, they are 76 members strong and working hard on new projects, initiatives and fundraising to work with partners in our local community and establish relationships with other Interact Clubs to work on international projects.
District Governor Laura Morie joined us on December 1 to celebrate the charter of this new Interact club and presented Co-Presidents Rudra Patel and Fajr Haq with their Charter Certificate from Rotary International, our 2016 - 2017 Banner "Rotary Serving Humanity' and Certificates of Membership for the 76 newest members of Rotary in District 5370.
It was great to see family, friends, Rotarians and more come out to support these young Rotarians.
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Pool for Polio Our first annual Pool for Polio took place on Tuesday, November 8 at The Billiard Club on Whyte Avenue. We were joined by family and friends, other Rotarians and Rotaractors from our District. Special guests included District Polio Chair Patrick Gibson, District Governor Laura Morie and Past District Governor Jackie Hobal.
Along with the doubles pool tournament, we heard from Jackie Hobal about her personal journey as a polio survivor and how it impacted her family and her life.
Thank you Jackie for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us!
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Presentation by youth exchange student Kevin Ku Kevin Ku, our inbound youth exchange student, presented to us last night about his home country Taiwan, his family and more about his life. Kevin did a great job and we had such a great time hearing from him! Kevin's exchange and Canadian experience is quite unique. He is sponsored by five Rotary clubs; we are his host club and are providing two host families. The Rotary Club of Edmonton Mayfield is providing a host family as well as financial support. He is also supported financially by the eClub Canada One, Edmonton West and Fort McMurray Oil Sands!
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Whyte Knight Award: Kristin Jennings Rotary is founded on the premise of "Service Above Self". Our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club has members who truly go above and beyond to serve in so many different ways.
In order to honor their hard work and exemplary service to the club and the community, our club has created the Whyte Knight Award.
This award is for our members and chosen by members. Our most recent recipient Marilyn Mucha, and three other club members, met recently to choose our next recipient.
We would like to congratulate Kristin Jennings on being the recipient of the Whyte Knight Award. Kristin joined our club 18 months ago.
In this time, she has joined the Community Service committee, the Vocational Service committee, is working with our newly chartered Interact Club (Old Scona Academic High School) and is our Program Chair.
Her energy, enthusiasm and quiet determination have truly made our club grow in so many ways. This fall, Kristin was one of the ten candidates from our District to attend Rotary NOW! in Winnipeg with 40 other young Rotary leaders in Zones 24 and 32.
Congratulations Kristin on receiving the Whyte Knight Award for all of your hard work in serving the community!
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Pool for Polio Come out support our event to raise funds to eradicate polio! It is the 100th Anniversary of the Rotary Foundation.
In celebration of all the amazing projects and work that we are able to do in the world thanks to the Rotary Foundation, we are launching our FIRST Annual Pool for Polio! Funds raised will go towards our End Polio Now campaign.
Each dollar raised is matched 5:1; the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation provides $2 for every dollar raised and the Canadian government also provides matching funds! Your $1 becomes $5!
Tickets are $25. Hope to see you there!
There will be a pool tournament, silent auction items in an evening that will be filled with fellowship and fun!
Facebook Link:
Purchase YOUR tickets online:
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Recap: Mix and Match Tuesday, October 25 On Tuesday, October 25, our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary club hosted a District event that included Rotaractors, Interactors and Rotarians! What a great evening of fun and friendship for us to network with our young Rotary leaders!
We had Rotaractors and Interactors from the Edmonton area join us along with several Rotary clubs. Thank you all for taking time out of your busy schedule to come and mingle!
 Thank you to Lindsey Johnson, President, University of Alberta Rotaract Club, and her team, along with Kate Peters, Rotaract Chair RC Edmonton Whyte Avenue for their hard work on putting such a great event together.
We look forward to making this an annual event so watch for details in the future!
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Mix and Match Tuesday, October 25Come out and support our young Rotary leaders!
Our meeting next week will an opportunity to meet Rotaractors and Interactors and hear about their projects.
Same time! Same place!
Here is the event information:
Cost is $10 for Rotarians and is FREE for our young Rotary leaders!
For those of you who are on Facebook, here is the link:
Here is the invitation and link to purchase tickets on Clubrunner:
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OSYS Renovations with Home DepotOn Wednesday, August 3, our FUN FEARLESS & FOCUSED Rotary Club spent the day at the Old Strathcona Youth Society doing renovations!
The Old Strathcona Home Depot, as part of their Orange Door Project in helping eliminate youth homelessness, came in and worked with our club to paint, build new exterior benches, renovate the bathroom, put up some much need shelving and storage along with new blinds and futons for this great organization.
Thank you to Michael and his Team Depot for their hard work and dedication in truly making a difference in the lives of youth in our community.
A BIG Thank You to our Past President Kelly Sysak, along with our Vocational Services Chair Tim Onciul, for working together with the team at Old Strathcona Home Depot and the Old Strathcona Youth Society in making this very important day a true success! Volunteers from our and friends list included Marilyn Mucha, Mike Brandingen, Dave Brown, Rupak Sharma and Tamara Larson.
Here are some before and after photos:
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