"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.
Rotary International's theme for the 2025-2026 year
Birthdays
Dave Owens February 24
Felicity Lof February 26
Anniversaries
Lawrence Bates 40 years
Bruce Fenwick 40 years
Charles Pratt 30 years
Joe Fras 30 years
Madeleine King 25 years
yegana Allard 15 years
Manon Mitchell 15 years
Kurt Kowalchuk 15 years
Ryan Tizzard 5 years
William Friedson 5 years
YOUR VOICE!
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Club Meeting - Special Assembly Feb 17
Madeleine King
President Bill Hamilton called the meeting to order with a lower than average attendance (36) on a day of snowy winter weather.
Dr. Walley Temple's sad recent passing was noted and his outstanding Servant Leadership recognized. His funeral is next Tuesday afternoon at Scarboro United Church; our lunch meeting will end promptly enabling members to attend in good time. The club will honour him more fully at a later date.
Club Assembly Highlights
• The assembly thanked volunteers, introduced one guest (who may join our club), and highlighted fellowship activities.
District Conference Participation Drive - District Governor Manon Mitchell
• The club will host a district conference in Red Deer on May 1, featuring keynote speakers and new three‑minute “elevator pitch" slots. Further information is at this link.
• Members are encouraged to register, invite their committee peers, and apply for the limited eight “elevator pitch” spots to promote projects at the House of Friendship. It will be necessary to register for a table (Cost $50) which offers opportunity for further discussion after the "elevator pitch".
Board Nomination and Member Engagement Update - Doug Webb, President Elect
• The board nomination committee is reviewing candidates for July openings and will finalize selections soon.
• Members are encouraged to join committees, contribute to long‑range planning, and register early for the Rotary Convention in Taipei with incoming President Doug Webb.
Budget Overview and Funding Allocation - Joel Snodgrass, Treasurer
• The board urges new initiatives to be presented (by March 31) with detailed budgets and action plans to streamline review and avoid scheduling conflicts.
• Feedback on the new Rotary year schedule should be submitted by March 31 to allow timely planning before the year‑end accounting period.
See article following for current budget details.
Saswat’s Global STEM Journey - Barb Young and Garry Moyes, Stay-in-School Mentors
• As SIS mentors, Garry and Barb guided Saswat Bandhari from Valley View Elementary in our club's stay‑in‑school (SIS) program to a university application in aeronautical engineering.
• Saswat built a drone kit, presented at the Japan Super Science Fair, and now leads his high school’s student council and internet club.
Mentorship and Membership Update - Peter Harrison, Youth Director
• The SIS program encourages volunteers to mentor students, citing a successful example of Saswat’s impact. See article following.
Membership Attrition and Recruitment Strategy - Peter Harrison, Acting Membership Lead
• With the help of all members, we will attempt to recruit 28 new members by June 30 to add to or current 128 members (minus attrition).
Peter led the meeting in a membership encouragement and growth exercise, resulting in inspirational reporting from each group on what appealed to them most about Rotary and identification of potential new members.
President Bill ended the meeting, noting next week's meeting with guest speaker John Brown, Dean of the University of Calgary School of Architecture, Planning and Landscaping will address the recent move of the School into 14 floors of the former Nexen building as part of the City’s office conversion program. He will speak to its impact on downtown and making of Calgary a leader in the training of the next generation of city builders.
Pre-Budget Presentation at Club Assembly
Joel Snodgrass, Club Treasurer
Please accept that the numbers/figures in this presentation (see Story Content) are not finalised but are for information purposes to encourage members to submit their own budget requests and suggestions. The figures are rounded for the purpose of presentation to showcase a bit of the ‘behind the scenes’ budgeting process we undertake as a board.
If members have any feedback or would like to discuss further, they can reach out to me at joel.snodgrass93@gmail.com
Story of our Stay-in-School Student Saswat Bandhari
Barb Young and Garry Moyes
The Story in Saswat's Own Words
The Japan Super Science Fair (JSSF) is an international event hosted in Kyoto, Japan, that brings students from around the world together to share their research, innovations, and scientific curiosity. The fair provides an environment where students can exchange ideas, learn how to improve, work harder on their research, and gain exposure to scientific lectures.
This year, I had the opportunity to present a group project that my two friends, Nichola and Manan, and I worked hard on over the summer. We originally came together to create something innovative and impactful, and after trying multiple ideas and going through trial and error, we finally found our direction. Our research focuses on using drones and computer vision to detect AprilTags, synchronize files, and convert camera pixel coordinates into real-world UTM coordinates. The goal of this project is to determine how accurate drone surveys can be without using expensive systems or ground control points. We wanted to see if a regular consumer drone, combined with careful data processing, could still produce reliable results for mapping and measurement. Through our hard work and dedication, our science teacher, who had been overseeing our progress, asked us if we would like to present this at the international level. Manan and I happily agreed, although unfortunately Nichola was not able to go.
One of the things I enjoyed most about attending JSSF was meeting students from dozens of countries and seeing the talent that is spread across the world. I am grateful to have received knowledge and feedback from so many wonderful people. I also learned more about the next steps our group can take to achieve even greater accuracy, including an opportunity to test our work in the real world through someone whose father uses the expensive systems against which we are trying to compare. The motto of JSSF is "Just Let Spread Your Seeds and Fly", and I truly felt myself rising in Japan. The culture, the city life, the people, and the food are all forms of art whose beauty cannot be explained with words. Japan is truly beautiful and I am forever grateful to have been given the chance to go there.
The Stay In School Program has been the first stepping stone on my path through life. Through the constant support of my mentors, Barbara and Garry, and many Rotarians across Canada, including the friends I made at the RYLA and RAHR camps, I have become a more complete person. I have learned to recognize my own worth and talent, as well as to understand the people around me with a perspective shaped by the thousands of stories I have heard from wise individuals.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who has supported me along this journey, from my mentors Barbara and Garry, to my family, to the Stay In School Program, to my buddies in Japan Yu and Kaho, and to everyone who has connected with me and helped make everything work behind the scenes.
With thanks to all those who helped us raise funds for projects by volunteering at our club's casino this weekend!
More pictures to come in next week's issue.
On Friday it was: DG Manon Mitchell, Bob Taylor and me, Michael Broadhurst, Doug McMillan, Barbara Tolevski, Franco Savoia, Rob Brookwell, Rick Erven, Barb Young (and Angeline and Neil pictured below).
Angeline Hayes and Neil Morrison (Maxine's husband) working as chip-runners Friday evening.
A Resource for RCCD members who are employers
Franco Savoia
RCCD is a member of the Calgary Funders and Foundations Roundtable. The Carthy Foundation is a member. It has invested in developing OY Works, a tool kit for employers to effectively work with young employees. We are sharing this toolkit for RCCD members who are employers.
OY Works is a new online toolkit to help employers recruit, onboard, mentor, and retain Opportunity Youth (OY), young people 18-29 years old not currently in school, training or work and who face barriers to employment.
The toolkit features business success stories and step-by-step guides to help organizations of every size build more inclusive, resilient workplaces. This free resource was developed in partnership with employers, HR professionals, and youth-serving agencies. OY Works is a project of the Calgary Youth Employment Initiative and the Collaborative Funders’ Table, a unique partnership that brings together funders from different sectors.
This toolkit helps employers and business owners:
Attract, hire, and retain Opportunity Youth
Build inclusive onboarding and mentoring processes
Explore wage subsidies
Strengthen their workplace culture, while expanding their talent pipeline
When young people get the chance to contribute, it’s a win for youth, employers, and the community.
