|
The Club's Annual Meeting Madeleine King President Joe Fras called the meeting to order shortly after noon with the many members and guests present having successfully entered the Fairmount Palliser Hotel (our "club home" for 110 years) fully secured for the G7 Meeting at Kananaskis. We sang O Canada with Michael Pierson at the keyboard. The Invocation by Bob Taylor was a reading of the Pledge to the Commonwealth, an organization in which Rotary is represented as are over 50 independent countries. Its values are similarly inspirational to those of Rotary; Bob asked us to bear them in mind during our international Convention. Members were asked to introduce their guests. President Joe thanked the front of house volunteers, Ann Haessel, recent member Berti Kawooya and Greeter Steacy Pinney. New member Mag Radwan was introduced by Membership Director Craig Henderson, and new corporate member Ann Logan for the Calgary Library Foundation Association was introduced by her long-time colleague in literacy Steacy Pinney. Please see their stories below. Our first Legacy Grant Recipient, the Glenbow Museum, was represented by their President and CEO, Nicholas Bell, who gave a heartfelt thanks to the club for our donation of $250,000 towards their newly expanded students' room. She explained how it will help them increase student experiences at the facility and help offer students that all-important early-in-life cultural exposure. Charvi Shah, former president (or co-president) of both the Western Canada High School Interactors and the University of Calgary Rotaractors, invited everyone to the Picnic in the Park hosted by the UCalgary Rotaractors as part of Convention Wednesday June 25 at noon - 6pm at Celebration Square in East Village. George Brookman asked for more Convention volunteers, including from those not attending Convention, as requested by Volunteer Chair for Host Organizing Committee Farid Bedwany. After time for food and fellowship, President Joe commenced the Annual Meeting at 12.45pm, calling on Treasurer Joel Snodgrass to first present the financial report. Both the Treasurer and then the President outlined their priority areas demonstrating to an enthusiastic audience their priority areas of achievement. A lively question and answer session ensued, which mostly consisted of supportive and grateful comments. President Joe thanked our Office Manager Jo-Ann Clarke for all her work for him as President and for the club throughout the year. Everyone is invited to attend the ground-breaking event celebrating our Signature Legacy Grant of one million dollars at noon this Friday June 20 at Pineridge Community Association in collaboration with the Flames Foundation and the Stampede Park Rotary Club. There followed the annual traditional hand-over to incoming President Bill Hamilton and the naming of the new board of directors who will be more fully introduced at President Bill's first meeting in July. The next club meeting is on Thursday June 26 (because of Convention running until the previous day) at the Palliser at noon; for details please see information below. The topic: Addictions and Mental Health. President Joe ended the meeting with his special quote which he suggested would be relevant during Convention. The quote is printed above. President Bill was invited to close the meeting by "ringing" our very special bell (gifted many years ago by the Calgary Fire Department from one of their early fire trucks). |
.png)
