We would like to acknowledge Sue Calder (right) for her support to the Rotary Foundation. Rotary International recognizes contributions by awarding pins to those Rotarians. President, Mindy Stroet. The mission of The Rotary Foundation is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty. The Rotary Foundation (Canada) is a Canadian federally chartered corporation and Canadian registered charity supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of The Rotary Foundation who share its vision of a better world. Congratulations and thank you Sue! (Photo taken Dec 16, 2025)
Annually, the Rotary Clubs of Prince George get together to raise funds for Polio Eradication. Worldwide, this has been an international cause that Rotary has vowed to complete. This year our Clubs raised $3,484 towards the fight! (2025) 
Raf joins the Club and is looking forward to helping within the community — we, the Club members, are happy to have him and make a new friend along the way! Rotary is not only a community service Club, but also a social Club. Consider joining!
We would like to acknowledge two award recipients from our Club today! First we have Lorne Calder, Assistant District Governor, presenting an End Polio Now Rotary Foundation Award to Past-President Carol Hansson for raising nearly $2000 in donations towards the cause. Secondly we have Lorne presenting Club Member, Toni Stedeford, her Paul Harris, level 4, award pin for her dedication and commitment to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations to you both! (Picture taken November 4, 2025)
Anyone can be a part of the fight to end polioand have their donation to Rotary matched 2-to-1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Visit endpolio.org to learn more and donate.
The Long Term Exchange Program is open to non-graduated students between the ages of 15 and 18 at the time of departure (Summer 2026 would be when you would begin your exchange). Applicants should be above average students who have demonstrated leadership in their school or community. They must be flexible, open to new experiences and have an interest in learning a new language.
How the process works:
The applicant completes an Initial Application Form and is interviewed by a panel of local Rotarians to determine suitability. If selected the successful student completes a Long Term Application and provides a list of three countries of interest for the exchange. Rotary then looks for a placement and once that is secured in one of the three countries, the student will do an online language training program in the language of their exchange country. While in the host country the student stays with host families (2-3 families).
What’s included?
The student would be supported by both a Youth Exchange Officer and a Counsellor. A monthly allowance is provided to cover small items like toiletries, movie tickets, etc. All large expenditures (travel in your host country) would be paid for by the parents, unless it is a Rotary mandated event. The selected applicant are required to attend school, however marks from the exchange country likely will not transfer back to the school system here in Canada. The cost for the 10-month program currently is $3,500.00 which covers the application fee, a blazer, business cards, etc. Parents are required to purchase medical/dental insurance while the student is away and must purchase a return airline ticket for them.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to provide a student a culturally immersive experience on the world stage.
Deadline to apply:
October 31, 2025
Contact:
Toni Stedeford, Youth Program Chair at tstedeford@gmail.com
The Rotary Club of Prince George wants to give a warm welcome to Heidi Booth of GOTT Energy. Heidi brings her passion of getting involved and making a difference in the community through Rotary! (Picture taken Oct 7, 2025 // left, Mindy Stroet, Club President // right, Heidi Booth)
The Rotary Clubs of Prince George would like to thank GOTT ENERGY for being the Title Sponsor for our upcoming Golf Tournament. Not only does GOTT help "Putting control of your power into your hands", they help putting the power back into the community by supporting Rotary! Check them out: https://www.gottenergy.com
Our Club would like to give a warm welcome to Davi, our exchange student from Brazil. Every year a student is chosen and sponsored by our Club to be apart of a world-wide exchange program for 10 months. The inbound and outbound students get to list their top three destination countries of choice, then paired up for the exchange. The program has been sponsored by Rotary here in PG for decades, giving youth a once in a lifetime experience to explore other cultures, develop a second language, become more independant, grow leadership skills, become educated on a world stage, and build life-long friendships. (Photo taken Sept 2, 2025)
On the left last week, past-president Carol Hansson awarded the 2024-2025 Rotarian of the Year award to Nolan Nicholson. Nolan had gone over and above what Rotary sets as an example of by helping support our causes and the community at large. Way to go Nolan! Then on the right we have current president Mindy Stroet inducting Luis Gonzalez back into the Club. He looks forward to contributing and giving back to the community that is his home. (Pictures taken Aug 19, 2025). Why are we growing so fast? It's our history. It's our legacy. It's why we do it. Come check us out! https://portal.clubrunner.ca/758
"Congratulations! Your club has earned the Club Excellence Award, the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, for 2024-25. This past year, your Club demonstrated a commitment to achieve its goals, which ultimately helps strengthen Rotary and shape our future around the world." ~ Stephanie Urchick, RI President. "On behalf our Club here in Prince George, we are honoured to receive this prestigious award." ~ Carol Hansson, past-present (2024-2025)
We would like to welcome Chilliwack Rotarian, Paul Blessen to our Prince George Club. Did you know, our members are made up of business owners, local professionals, retirees, and passionate community citizens? Paul brings his talents to Prince George working with the BC First Nations Justice Council, supporting children, families and future generations by "transforming the status quo today" through a trusted and representative justice system. Simply saying, making a positive difference in our community. (Picture July 29, 2025, Mindy Stroet, Club President, Paul Blessen, Martin Meyer, Club Secretary)
Wyatt Nicolson from Prince George returns from Ottawa after attending the Rotary-sponsored Adventures in Citizenship trip to give his presentation on his experience to a packed room of Rotarians. (Pictures taken July 22, 2025 -- In the top left picture, Wyatt Nicholson is shown with his dad Nolan Nicholson)Each year outstanding high school students are chosen from across Canada will spend four days in the Ottawa in a program designed to develop Canadian senior high students potential as leaders in their communities and in Canadian society. The program is an exceptional opportunity for the Adventurers to explore our identity, shared values, the implications of the freedoms we all enjoy, and our history of tolerance and the search for compromises to bridge our differences. The students are sponsored by Rotary Clubs in all ten provinces and three territories, and their travel costs are borne by the sponsoring clubs. The program was instituted by the Rotary Club of Ottawa in 1951. To date, over 10,000 students have participated in the program including past Governor General Adrienne Clarkson, the Right Honourable Joe Clark and the Honourable Edward Broadbent.
Every year, our Club gets together to celebrate the passing of the baton from one President to the next. In 83 years -- yes 83 years -- our Club has never had the same president twice. Part of being with Rotary is to deepen leadership skills, and we not only do this as tradition, but as legacy. Many of us got together at the Northern Lights Winery on this beautiful day to enjoy some nice mediterranean food and friendship. In the lower photo taken on July 13, 2025 from left to right shows Carol Hansson, immediate Past President, Gary Wilson, Past-President, and Mindy Stroet, our newest President for the 2025-2016 term. We all wish Mindy a fantastic year!
We'd like to proudly announce that our next outbound exchange student is, Nathanial Thomson, who will be off to Brazil for the upcoming 2025-2026 school year. Rotary believes in developing the next generation of leaders. Our exchange programs help students build leadership skills, expand their education and learn the value of service, all on a worldwide stage. (Youth program co-ordinator and Past-President Toni Stedeford, Nathanial Thomson, Father and Past-President Matt Thomson)
Our Club would like to do a big shout out to Kopar Administration Ltd! They help train youth interested in the construction trade through their Bladerunners program. The completed gazebo in the Rotary Community Garden, which makes up a part of the David Douglas Botanical Gardens up at UNBC, is absolutely stunning. (Picture taken July 9, 2025)
The Rotary Club of Prince George is proud to induct our newest members, former Club President Travis Morgan and Randi Zurowski. The Club is excited to have their commitment and excitement to support our community through programs and projects that Rotary offers. (Photo taken June 24)
As the Rotary Community Garden gets underway for its second season, the gazebo is taking shape and will provide gardeners some shade in the sun! We’d like to thank everyone who has volunteered their time, made private donations, and to the district Rotary grant team to help make this happen for our community. (Pictures taken June 10, 2025)
(770 Brunswick St)We would like to acknowledge that we hold our meetings on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Lheidli T'enneh
