This week's Sergeant-at-Arms Lisa Corrigan called the meeting to order. President Tim Heaton introduced honorary member Frank McKitrick who kicked-off the meeting with a musical flourish that continued through the head table introduction. More tenured club members will remember Frank's lively renditions of O Canada, as he used to lead us in the weekly singing of the national anthem before those duties were taken up by Michael Pierson and Manon Mitchell.
Thanks go out to our front entrance volunteers Barbara Lutz, John Seigner and Murray Young. Thanks also go out to Gord Graham and Hurst Construction for this week's COG sponsorship.
President Tim also thanked Gord on behalf of the club for helping the Centennial club put on a breakfast in support of Connaught School. By lending our club's equipment, and helping with the setup and cleanup, Gord has assisted the Centennial club in taking a step to participating in the Community Hubs Initiative.
For this week's sing song Tim took us to Hawaii where the humuhumu-nukunuku a pua'a go swimming by. The song, My Little Grass Shack in Kealakekua, Hawaii, was written in 1933 by Tommy Harrison, Bill Cogswell and Johnny Noble.
Our president nominee Eric Bennett, stepping in for a travelling Kurt Kowalchuk, announced this week's visitors and guests, and acknowledged the four club members who are celebrating birthdays.
Eric Bennett also announced the February 5 club meeting will focus on membership, and all members are encouraged to invite a prospective new member to the meeting. With philanthropist Brett Wilson lined up as our guest speaker, this meeting will be a great opportunity to introduce your guests to the club.
Barbara Young provided an update from the World Community Service Committee. The presentation is well worth reading to gain an appreciation of the WCS's activities.
There are a number of exciting fellowship events coming up over the next few weeks.
Join the Calgary Rotaract Club for its Sunday fun day on January 20th with the Calgary Hitmen. Bring your skates and a helmet, and join a post-game family skate on the Scotiabank Saddledome's ice. Tickets are only $15, with $5 of that going to support community youth programs.
Join the Rotary Club of Calgary South in ringing in the Year of the Pig on January 25th at the Larry Kwong Memorial Chinese New Year Dinner. Pre-purchase your tickets for only $50, but do it soon. Tickets sell out quickly as seating is limited.
Enjoy an evening of comedy with two of Canada's funniest: Bruce McCulloch and Cathy Jones. On the afternoon of Saturday, January 26th we will travel to Banff by private motor coach for an evening at the Banff Centre. While you will be on your own for dinner, the ticket price includes transportation to Banff and the comedy performance at the Eric Harvie Theatre.
District Governor Dan Doherty is hosting another film night on January 30th. Falling Through the Cracks: Greg’s Story is a short film on Greg Price’s journey through the healthcare system.
The Rotary Club of Calgary West is holding its big, beautiful, blooming plant sale. Thee different types of potted plants are available at $29.50 each. The deadline for ordering plants is February 15th, and plants will be available for pick up on May 29th. Proceeds from the plant sale are evenly divided between the Calgary West club and NSTEP.
Sonny Belenkie introduced this week's speaker Dr. Kamala Patel of the Live Cell Imaging (LCI) Laboratory. The LCI resource is an important element of the University of Calgary’s Snyder Institute for Chronic Diseases that provides state-of-the-art microscopes and expertise to researchers studying chronic diseases.
Dr. Patel stressed the importance of collaboration to the LCI’s mandate. The LCI achieves this through its support for academic and industrial partnerships. Its strategy is to bring together creative ideas, cutting-edge tools and top talent recruited from around the world.
Her research is advancing our understanding of the role of white blood cells in inflammation. These cells, also known as leukocytes, are the key agents that help the body fight off invading microorganisms. While the inflammation that results from their action is normally a part of a healthy response to infection, inflammation characterizes many chronic diseases, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and atherosclerosis. These diseases impact the quality of life for many Canadians, and impose tremendous health care costs.
Dr. Patel concluded her remarks by extending an invitation to visit the LCI resource laboratory, noting that science is a journey that is more fun if you have company. After all, “The image is just the beginning…” Lori Forand thanked our speaker for her most informative presentation.
COG Staff - January 15, 2019
Editor
Craig Henderson
Photography
Ralph Lundberg
Sponsorships
David Holden
Rotary Club of Calgary - Chartered April 1914 as Club #949
Suite 305, 105-12 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 1A1
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