"Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves!"
The Rotary Club of Calgary comprises professional and community leaders brought together in fellowship to make a better future.
Birthdays
Chris Marra
September 21
Robert Brookwell
Sid Mark
David Holden
September 23
September 26
September 27
Ann Toombs
September 28
Anniversaries
Bill Clapham -- 30 years
Bill Hamilton -- 5 years
Jill Conroy -- 5 years
Trevor Ironside -- 5 years
Inspirational Quote
"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Youth Centres of Calgary - Forest Lawn - Marmie's House
Manon Mitchell
A cold and wet day did not deter the many who came to celebrate the opening of what our club affectionately knows as "Marmie's House". This is the newest addition to the Youth Centres of Calgary in Forest Lawn. YCC gives kids whose lives are subject to chaos and uncertainty a welcoming home-like place, stability, nutritious food, help with homework, and healthy connections they may not have access to elsewhere. Our club contributed to the purchase of the house through the generous bequest of past Rotary club member, Marmie Hess. Many of our members put in hours alongside contractors and other volunteers to renovate and prepare the house for its opening. Watch for a short video on the opening celebrations in the next COG.
Our Club's Granting Strategy
Randy Topolnitsky, Chair GSTF, GSIT
On July 18th, your Rotary Club of Calgary Board of Directors approved the Local Discretionary Granting Strategic Directions: 2024-26. Attached is the Granting Strategy Positioning Summary which gives you the background to this project and the Executive Summary of the granting strategy.
Thank you to all of you who participated in one of the 9 consultation sessions and completed the survey that helped build the foundation for the strategy. A Granting Strategy Implementation Team (GSIT) has been formed to integrate the strategy into the Club. Over the weeks and months ahead, you will begin to hear from the GSIT more details of the strategy and will have an opportunity to participate further in the implementation process. In the interim, should you have any questions, feel free to reach out to any of the Granting Strategy Task Force members (GSTF).
3 ways our community is advancing early literacy this September
Natalie Appleton
What does it mean to a child if they can’t read? What is the role we can all play in raising readers? Find out how our club—and the initiatives we support—has been taking important steps to promote early childhood reading this month.
Selection of Initial Legacy Projects Committee Co-Chairs
Randy Topolnitsky
Our club is re-igniting the Legacy Projects committee starting with the nomination of Co-Chairs. The nominating committee for Legacy Projects Committee Co-Chairs shall be composed of the Past President, President, President-elect (the Executive) and up to five additional members who may be appointed by the Executive, ideally with knowledge of the Granting Strategy Strategic Directions as well as the overall strategic direction of the Club. The nominating committee for Legacy Projects Committee Co-Chairs shall be presided over by the Immediate Past President, failing whom the President shall designate the presiding member of the nominating committee.
Welcome the World to Calgary -Volunteer for the Rotary International Convention 2025
Manon Mitchell / Madeleine King
The Rotary International Convention is coming to Calgary from June 21 to 25, 2025. This event attracts thousands of Rotarians from around the world. They come together to share ideas, make new friends and be inspired by the work of Rotary around the world. We anticipate over 25,000 people attending this convention; it will be the first large convention held in the new BMO centre. The last time it was held in Calgary was 1996 and those who were in attendance still rave about their great experience in Calgary.
Just like other world class events in our city such as the ’88 Winter Olympics and the annual Calgary Stampede, success factor includes having volunteers to assist with a variety of key tasks that make the experience of attendees an unforgettable one.
We are reaching out to those of you who would like to participate as volunteers for this Rotary International Convention. It comes with distinctive clothing and cowboy hat as well as all the training you’ll need to be the best you can be.
If you are interested in participating, please click here and add your name to the growing list of amazing Calgarians who love to welcome the world to our great city. We are seeking 2,000 volunteers and will have many shifts available. These will be advertised in the coming months. For the time being, we just need you to put up your hand in a virtual way.
Thanks for considering the Rotary International Convention 2025 as a great opportunity to be part of the action!
If you have any questions, please contact Madeleine King who is our club's Convention Champion.
Big Book Bank Volunteer Opportunity
Steacy Pinney
JOIN US! Come volunteer at the next Book Bank children’s book donation day!
Date: Saturday October 5th (9:45am – 1:00pm)
Location: Shedpoint, 1212 34 Avenue SE (Bay 120 on East side of the building)
What is the “Book Bank”? We are like a food bank: For families furthest from opportunity, we’re here to nourish the hearts and minds of children in Calgary with board, picture, chapter and teen books. From our shelves at the Book Bank at Shedpoint to our shelves of the Little Red Reading House, Reading Place affiliates, community agencies and Little Free Libraries, our book access movement has given thousands of children books of their very own to keep and get hooked on reading.
What will volunteers do? Volunteers will receive book donations, thank donors and/or sort the donated books into categories (board, picture, chapter and teen books). This process helps prepare us for book orders from community agencies & organizations working with families furthest from opportunity.
On the day:
9:45 Volunteers arrive
9:50 We will give volunteers a quick run down of the layout of the book bank and training on book sorting. We will also provide instructions on the loading dock and greeting & thanking donors.
10:00am we will open the loading dock (depending on weather we may keep it closed) and volunteers will then greet book donors, help bring in books, give some examples of where the books go and thank them for their donation.
Dawn will provide a cheat sheet on the day. Some volunteers will be greeting donors and some in the Book Bank sorting books. (Groups can switch half way if they want to)
At 1:00pm we will make sure all book donations are in the Book Bank and the loading dock area is left as we found it.
(the registration link can be found just below the words EVENT LINKS on the upper left of the event window)
September 30, 2024—Truth and Reconciliation Day.
Franco Savoia
The Club’s Indigenous Relations Committee met on Friday September 13, 2024.
September 30th is Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Day. It provides an opportunity to all club members to show our support for truth and reconciliation. One simple action is to wear an orange shirt on the September 30. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
Some activities and events that for your consideration:
Pokaiks Orange Shirt Day Walk & Family Event: CIF Reconciliation Society annual commemorative walk and gathering for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation will feature performers, speakers, elders’ storytelling, an Indigenous art market, and more.
The committee encourages all club members to do take some action to support truth and reconciliation.
The Left Unread Storybooth
Natalie Appleton
The Left Unread Storybooth campaign is a collection of videos that asks simple but important questions to those who've been a part of helping local children learn to read. Left Unread is a movement that continues to create urgency around the need for early literacy and early learning investment and understanding in Calgary and Alberta.
Through the illuminating, heartfelt and hopeful voices of those featured in Storybooth videos, we hope to shed a light on both the struggle and the opportunity in helping more children learn to read by Grade 3. This is also a meaningful chance to help our community discover the network of resources already available.
Many of those interviewed work at Calgary agencies that support Calgary children and families. Many filmings took place at the recent Calgary Reads Big Book Sale, where proceeds fund early literacy initiatives. The entire Storybooth series will be uploaded to YouTube, with two new videos being released every week and joining the ‘Left Unread Storybooth playlist’.
In addition to the toolkit teaser videos which include snippets of multiple conversations, please feel welcome to also post full videos as they relate to your organization.
Thank you for joining us in advocating for each child’s right to read and sharing these stories on Social Media!
Fellowship & Business at WCS
Manon Mitchell
Our club's World Community Service (WCS) committee had a great offsite meeting at the Calgary Winter Club on Tuesday September 10 in the evening. We had great discussions and voted on projects that will make a huge impact on people in so many different countries. This is a large committee and we welcome others who wish to participate in International work. Please contact Doug McMillan, committee chair for further information.
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Connaught School Bar-B-Q
Diane Macdonald
Friday, September 6th was a hot day to stand over a grill for several hours, then serve hundreds of students, teachers, and community members (and a few Calgary Police Service members), hamburgers and veggie burgers-- but several of our members helped the Rotary Club of Calgary Centennial to do just that. Gord and Bev Graham took a break from the heat and the action to catch their breath near the end of the event.
The Rotary Blog
Manon Mitchell
Yes, Rotary has a blog. It's called Rotary Voices and you'll also find the Rotary Voices Podcast at the bottom of their home page. Aside from the many great articles, the latest audio piece is about how music is medicine for our brains!
Recently three of our members have taken the time to relay their best wishes and endorse our newsletter the COG. It's full of great articles and we encourage our members to submit stories of interest.
Bruce Fenwick; The COG has definitely been developing into a truly informative vehicle. Great information from CRCF , BBQs and more.
Tom Loucks: Keep up your good work on the COG. Tis an important item.
Brom (David Bromwich, now living in Ottawa, still receives the COG): It will be a year on Sept 15th since we left Calgary. We still feel homesick for Calgary where we lived for 45 years. Ironically, reading the latest, excellent edition of the COG seems to make that feeling of loss more acute! It was great to see all the photos of people I know so well and Rotarians I counted as friends. Congratulations to you and Diane on an excellent edition with lots of photos. I really liked the format... Keep up the good work at Rotary and give my best regards to anyone who might remember us!
Brom also sent this recent picture of him and Marilyn in Ottawa:
When is the COG published?
Manon Mitchell
The COG, the electronic newsletter informing our members of our club's activities and interesting articles is published approximately every 2 weeks, usually (but not always) the week when we do not have an inperson club meeting. We'd love to send it weekly but it takes about 6 hours to put together so every other week will have to do.
If you'd like to have us publish an article or have an idea about what we should be publishing, please forward your ideas to Manon or Diane by the FRIDAY before the Tuesday publication date.
You are also welcome to contact either Manon or Diane to discuss as stry idea you may have.
Here are this year's publication dates:
July 9, 23
Aug 6, 20
Sep 3, 17
Oct 1, 15, 29
Nov 19
Dec 3, 17, 24 (Xmas edition)
Jan 7, 21
Feb4, 18
Mar 4, 18
Apr 1, 15, 29
May 6, 20
June 3, 17
If you enjoy reading the COG, let us know because your comments are the only way we know we are hitting the mark and it is our reward!
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Some activities and events that for your consideration:
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