Special Rotary Club Meeting – June 3 2025
Madeleine King
On June 3, fifty members gathered for our lunch meeting at the Fairmont Palliser with the special purpose of receiving a recommendation for multi-year funding from the Legacy Projects Committee and to vote on that proposal. The meeting was chaired by President Elect Bill Hamilton in President Joe’s absence for unavoidable reasons. He introduced Legacy Project Committee co-chair Vern Kimball to make the presentation.
Legacy Projects Presentation Slides
There followed questions and answers, with much gratitude expressed to Vern for the clear and detailed presentation. For details of the verbal presentation please click below at: READ MORE (and scroll down)
Quorum was confirmed and scrutineers named.
The motion was read out and displayed: Be it resolved that the Downtown Rotary Club provides $1,000,000 in four annual payments of $250,000 beginning in June of 2025 for the purpose of funding the development of four (4) outdoor all season sports activity hubs starting with one in the Community of Pineridge in 2025.
The vote in favour of the motion was unanimous.
OTHER BUSINESS
Foundations Committee Chair Past President Rick Erven presented Rotary International Major Donor recognition to Kurt Kowalchuk and Manon Mitchell, who both explained the value of such donations, how their work in Cambodia led them to this club some years ago, and how the needed funding for the ongoing literacy program in Cambodia led directly to their supporting it with a major donation. They inspired others to make similar choices, whether for international projects or local ones, especially bearing in mind that 50% of our RI donations to the Annual Fund return to our District.
Your scribe spoke, as Convention Club Champion, about the need to choose your specific volunteer shifts as soon as possible (preferably two shifts) and to encourage friends and family as well. With regard to new registrations for the Convention (and to attend the Saturday-only House of Friendship), on-line registrations are now closed but in-person registration on-site will be open. Regarding our club BBQ on Monday June 23 it is sold-out and will have amazing programming thanks to Chair Doug Webb (Club President Nominee) and the fabulous BBQ team.
Next meeting: Annual General Meeting led by President Joe Fras celebrating the end of his presidential year: June 17 at noon.
Chair Bill Hamilton announced the end of the meeting shortly before 1.30pm.
Highlights of the Legacy Projects verbal Presentation
Vern Kimball edited by Madeleine King
The Club has adopted a new purposeful and transparent philanthropic strategy to advance important community initiatives with objective and transparent execution.
The Flames Foundation project advances youth mental health but is also a huge benefit for the whole community.
You can see that based on the demographics, the 1st community to benefit, Pinebrook, is clearly a disadvantaged community as are the other three communities which have similar resource disparities compared to the Calgary average Calgary.
The Flames Foundation will work with the community associations to provide free programming two-four days a week in the critical period between 3 and 5 pm to keep kids from "doom scrolling" on their cell phones.
Some free programs will also be available in the evening and weekends, but these times are envisioned as times for free unstructured play for youth and the community.
There is also an opportunity for Trellis to organize and participate in programming. Trellis operates in a school adjacent to the Pineridge site and focuses on indigenous youth.
Trellis has a track record of working with and supporting youth at risk and helping them thrive with for example, their after-school homework support which kids using the activity hub will learn about thereby also touching on Rotary’s education focus.
We know that when engaged in activities, youth are known to do better, make better decisions and get in trouble less often.
Partner Funding and Sustainability
Of the estimated $3,500,000 - $4,000,000 cost for the four activity hubs, significant partners include
The Flames Foundation at $1,000,000,
Rotary Club at Stampede Park at $1,000,000 and
the recommended Downtown Club’s $1,000,000.
The Flames and Park Foundations are committed to finding the balance required.
The Flames Foundation will also provide $25,000 to $50,000 per year for equipment and programming to ensure that youth have access to nets and other equipment for hockey, lacrosse, soccer ball hockey etc.
The Pinebrook Community Association has undertaken the responsibility for operations, maintenance, repairs, ice flooding, clean up, programming and reporting.
This is an exciting project that you can make happen and in doing so dramatically improve the lives of 1,000s of kids and their families in four Calgary communities.