The Rotary Club of Calgary comprises professional and community leaders brought together in fellowship to make a better future.
Birthdays:
Tom Loucks
August 23
Lou MacEachern
August 26
Trevor Ironside
September 02
Bill Avery
September 04
Aaron Miller
September 04
Roy Boettger
September 05
Ethan Green
September 07
Aleem Dhanani
September 09
Opportunities for being in service
Message from President Madeleine
When you read this I’ll be in Iceland with all Bob’s family, returning August 19. I hope you too are enjoying these summer months! I believe we all want our club to be successfully meeting the needs of members – and that means having an engaged membership. So we are organizing a special “Volunteer and Information Sharing Fair” in the beautiful Bennett Room at the Ranchmen’s Club as our regular meeting for September 13. Hope to see you all there! Click Here is the link for ticket purchases.
Table booths will be manned by board members and committee chairs and others – and information will be shared before and after lunch itself. Your questions will be answered – so do come prepared to dialogue! At lunch our Treasurer Bill Hamilton has agreed to give us a short overview of this year’s budgets – one for the Club side and one for our charitable side – and of course, your questions will be answered!
Also, starting September I’ll be available to answer your questions before each lunch meeting from 11.45am in our Rotary welcome area at the Palliser. Please diarize September 13 and make sure to buy your ticket in good time! Just click here.
Rotary International Convention
By Manon Mitchell
For a truly great Rotary experience nothing compares to attending the Rotary International Convention. Held once a year (typically at the end of May/early June) this is where Rotarians from around the world come together to learn and share. Did you know there are more countries in Rotary International than in the United Nations? Come and meet people from around the world who share the same values; attending is like going to the first ever family reunion with extended family you did not know existed! But above that, the experience includes listening and being inspired by world class speakers.
There is a House of Friendship where you’ll meet and get to learn about Rotary’s Fellowships; you’ll discover the many Rotary Action Groups and the talk to the people who are engaged in these speciality areas. The House of Friendship opens the day before the official start so you can take your time and not miss out on any break out sessions by visiting HOF on the Saturday. On Sunday the official start of the convention is a feast for the eyes and ears as music/entertainment/flags of Rotary Countries are paraded. The speakers are truly wonderful and well worth the price of admission. Every day keynote speakers begin the day and present to all attendees then break out session showcase specific topics delivered by subject matter experts in more intimate (smaller groups) setting. Evening can be spent doing your own thing, meeting up with newly found friends or signing up for Host Organizing Committee (HOC) activities.
This Rotary year’s convention will be held in Melbourne, Australia. There is a special pricing available now till December 15 and if you check out air fares, they are pretty good right now.
If you’d like to know more about attending the convention, please feel free to contact any of the following: Madeleine King, Bob Taylor, Walley Temple, Kurt Kowalchuk and Manon Mitchell.
Join us in the beautiful city of Melbourne, Australia, 27-31 May to connect with other people of action. We’ll hear from great speakers, enjoy fantastic entertainment, take part in inspirational breakout sessions, and so much more.
Register today to receive the reduced rate. Don’t wait, because this rate expires on 15 December.
In recognition of 10 years of the Shaw Charity Classic, the event is celebrating 10 of the individuals, groups and families who have made a positive impact on the community through this event. These are our Community Champions. Deb Hymers, who will soon be introduced to our club as a new member, has been honours with this award as a Community Champion! Shaw will be donating $10,000 to Deb’s charity of choice. Hmm we wonder what that might be?
Congratulations Deb, your impact on the community through NStep has been nothing but outstanding!
Highway Clean-up, Saturday, September 10, 2022
By Diane Macdonald
For many years, we have fulfilled a commitment to do a clean-up the ditches of 5 km. of Highway 40, in Kananaskis country. This year, we will meet at 10am at the Wedge Pond parking lot on September 10th, take an hour or so to each pick up litter along a 1km stretch of the 5km, then meet back at Wedge Pond for a picnic. It’s a great opportunity for some fellowship, fresh air and exercise.
Contact Dave Macdonald at warrenpoint@telus.net if you’re able to join the group. We need about 10 to 15 people so we each need to do just a short stretch of the road. We’ve contacted Volker Stevin and made arrangements for the reflective vests and the garbage bags, so we are all set to go.
Small Donations Committee Provides Funding to CanPraxis
By Diane Macdonald
In the 2021 -2022 year, our Club agreed to provide $4,000 to CanPraxis, an organization that helps Veterans and First Responders who suffer from stress injuries, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The name of the organization is significant. Can – stands for the Canadian “Can Do” attitude; Praxis is Latin, meaning “theory into practice”. Those in the organization think of it as “Walk the Talk”. Calgary is the hub of the program, but the actual sessions take place elsewhere in the province.
For those affected by this type of stress injury (and their families), CanPraxis offers clinically sound programs with professional, trauma-informed counsellors, free of charge to the participants. It is a three stage program, three days at a time, spread out over several months or years. The first three days is hosted in Blackfalds, Alberta, when a Veteran or First Responder, from anywhere in Canada, attends with his/her spouse with all costs covered, including transportation to Alberta and accommodation and meals while they’re here. The focus of this first session is communication skills.
Phase 2 is several months to a year later, when the participant returns to Bowden for equine therapy, involving riding as well as care of the horses. The spouses come back as a group, learning to look after themselves first and building their own peer support group.
Phase three involves the couples returning for a pack ride into the mountains.
The costs for the program is approximately $25,000 for 6 couples for a 3 day session. There is no government or corporate support provided, so the program relies on donations such as ours. Of note is the fact that self-reporting by the participants indicates that 93% state they use what is taught on either a full time or part time basis.
Peace Park Assembly
By Manon Mitchell and Trevor Axworthy
The Waterton Glacier International Peace Park Association (WGIPPA) seeks to support and maintain the development and promotion of Waterton Lakes National Park and Glacier National Park as a symbol of friendship, cooperation and our commitment to building peace initiatives whenever possible. Begun in 1932 by Rotarians from Alberta Canada and the United States, the park looks to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2032.
Every year Rotarians from both sides of the Canada USA border come together a weekend in September to celebrate, learn, and reaffirm their belief in a peaceful world. The Peace Park is a great symbol for all who visit. Rotarians attending the Peace Park Assembly return to their individual clubs with a better understanding of Peace Parks and the environment. The event alternates between Canada and the US and this year Rotarians are called to register for the weekend of September 16 – 18 in Great Falls, Montana.
The attached PDF file has all the details (costs, registration links, schedule, locations etc…).
Experience Rotary in the idyllic settings of Waterton Peace Park! You’ll have a remarkable weekend!
Calgary Reads BBQ, Thursday September 8, 5 to 8 PM
By Diane Macdonald
Watch your email inbox for the link to a live sign-up sheet to volunteer for the Barbeque. It will be held at the Alexandra Centre, 922 – 9th Ave. S.E., in Inglewood.
Proudly Presenting Our Corporate Members
COG Staff - August 23, 2022
Editor:
Andrea Serink & Diane Macdonald
Contributors:
Manon Mitchell, Trevor Axworthy and Bill Kaufmann.
Rotary Club of Calgary - Chartered April 1914 as Club #949
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