"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
Tyson Schmidt May 20
Lawrence Bates May 26
Rosemary Crawford May 24
Bill Redmond May 27
Maxine Morrison May 27
Steve Stein May 27
Bruce Millar May 28
Bob Taylor June 1
Diane Macdonald June 2
Anniversaries
Sandra Elliott 30 years
Michael Pierson 15 years
President Joe’s Inspirational Quote
"After eating an entire bull, the mountain lion felt so good he starting roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.
The moral of the story…..when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut.”
- Will Rodgers
Another Great Club Meeting- Were You There?
Doug McMillan
The May 13, 2025 meeting of the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown was attended by approximately 75 members and guests and had a Calgary Stampede theme. If you were unable to attend, you missed a great event which made us proud to be Calgarians and Rotarians!
Following President Joe Fras opening the meeting and an enthusiastic “O Canada” by those present, Michael Colborne’s invocation reminded us to be mindful of opportunities to help others and recognized the contributions of the Calgary Stampede to our city and Rotary Club.
Steve Allan introduced dignitaries from the Stampede (some Past Presidents of both the Stampede and of our club) and City of Calgary as well as Alpha House. Front of the house volunteers were thanked by Joe, and Michael Broadhurst introduced members with recent birthdays (see above in COG).
Our newest member of the club is Berti Kawooya who was introduced by her son Daudi as his “best friend”. Berti’s picture as well as impressive background and successes are described in more detail in the story below.
NEW to the club meeting were the “mini- auctions”- ably and amusingly handled by honourary member Frank Hall. Dinner for two, four Stampede Rodeo tickets, a Banff Springs Hotel night for two with breakfast, 3 nights in a Canmore condo, a Rocky Mountain scene painting and a gift certificate (all donated) resulted in $3600 for Alpha House. For similar future auctions, you need to be present to bid.
Vern Kimball introduced guest speaker Joel Crowley, CEO of the Calgary Stampede who spoke about not only the 10 day event but other aspects of the Stampede which include two ranches (one for kids and one raising the best bucking horses in the world). The Calgary Stampede was established the same year as the City of Calgary was incorporated (1884) and includes a 117 year history of involvement of Treaty 7 First Nations.
This year the Parade Marshal will be Shania Twain who will also have a separate show July 5, 2025. New to the rodeo this year is a Ladies Breakaway Calf- roping event. Other attractions will include the RCMP Musical Ride, Nashville North, and the Rotary Dream Home lottery. Don’t forget the Stampede Bowl (July 3 this year- Stampeders vs the Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and the Calgary Surge basketball July 9, 2025.
Joel showed the site plan which includes the BMO centre where the 2025 Rotary Convention will be held, a new events centre (which will allow Calgary to be on the circuit for the top world entertainment performers) and three future hotels along with improved site access and egress.
It’s hard to capture all the events related to the Calgary Stampede and the contributions to the city (economic impact currently being reassessed but in 2019 was $540 million of which half came during the 10 days of the Stampede).
Links between the Calgary Stampede and our club have benefitted many over the last 110 years. Attend both to truly experience Calgary!
Following the presentation by Joel Cawley, the triumvirate of George Brookman, Vern Kimball and Steve Allan presented Paul Harris awards to Joel Cowley, Stuart O’ Connor, Will Osler and Dana Peers.
President Joe closed the meeting with his regular quote (see above in COG) noting that our next meeting May 27, 2025 will feature as speaker Mark Garner, Executive Director of the Downtown Association. Your Rotary colleagues hope you will attend!
At the lunch meeting on May 13th, our newest member, Berti Kawooya, was introduced by her son, Daudi, who also recently joined the Club, and by Past President Eva Friesen.
Berti has been a member of the Rotary Club of Kampala West in Uganda, so she is no stranger to Rotary. She is a retired diplomat with 20+ years of experience in building networks in several countries, including Denmark, Australia and Canada, and as an International volunteer in Kosovo in 2010, where she assisted with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo. She is currently involved with an organization to create sustainable changes in Uganda using education as a tool to break the cycle of poverty.
Berti, we’re delighted to welcome you as a member of the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown.
Vocational Service Opportunity
Manvi Pant (NGSE Co-chair)
This summer, the D5360 NGSE committee is excited to welcome Victor Dalla Costa, a 20-year-old participant from District 1842 in Germany, to Calgary. Victor will be in Calgary from approximately June 28–30 until August 1–4 following the RI Convention. I’m reaching out to see if there is a Rotarian or business that might be open to supporting the vocational component of his exchange during that time.
Victor is a bright, multilingual graduate from a bilingual high school in Munich, fluent in German, Italian, and English. He gained practical experience through internships at FairFleet (a leading drone services company in Munich) and Bottega Veneta in Milan where he currently works in their Global Brand Communication team on strategic branding, celebrity partnerships, cross-regional project planning, and financial tracking.
Victor is now hoping to gain exposure to professional environments in business consulting, management, M&A, private equity, or procurement—with particular interest in strategic decision-making, financial analysis, and operational efficiency. As such, we’re seeking a Rotarian or local business that could offer one or more of the following:
A short-term, unpaid internship
Job shadowing opportunities
Access to team meetings or conversations with professionals in relevant departments
Engagement at your workplace could offer incredible insight as Victor prepares to enter university and shape his career path. If you, or or someone in your network, may be able to support Victor as a vocational supervisor, I’d love to connect further. I am also happy to set up a zoom or -in-person meeting to discuss further details. I can provide Victor's official application form and Motivation letter as well.
Lee Laboratory, Arnie Charbonneau Cancer Institute
It’s Barbeque Season!
Diane Macdonald
On May 8th, we had a nice afternoon to cook 750 hot dogs for all the wonderful volunteers from the Big Book Sale. This was the day that all the set-up was complete and the volunteers had the opportunity to head to the Calgary Curling Rink and have the first chance to buy their favourite books before the doors opened to the general public the next day. As the volunteers exited the rink with their bags, boxes and sometimes wagons full of books, they were able to enjoy a hot dog and a mandarin orange. Our cooking and serving crews did a great job of keeping up with the demand.
If you haven’t been out to volunteer for a BBQ, make a note to try it – it’s a great fellowship opportunity! The next event will be at West Dover School on June 12th. Watch for the sign-up sheet, which will be posted in the next few days.
Our Big Book Sale is happening!
Manon Mitchell
Our club members joined forces with Calgarians in the first important stage of our Big Book Sale: accepting the book donations from the public and sorting all of those wonderful treasures. Some were involved in accepting donations around town and others got busy unboxing and doing the important pre sort. What a great start to another successful book sale!
The Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown is hosting an Addiction & Mental Health luncheon from noon until 2:00pm, June 26 2025, at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel, in the Crystal Ballroom, immediately following the Rotary International Convention.
Marshall Smith, former Chief of Staff for the Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, and one of the main architects behind the “Alberta Recovery Model” along with the Hon. Dan Williams, Minister of Addiction and Mental Health and a driver behind the Alberta Recovery Model’s implementation, will speak at our event.
This is an excellent opportunity to introduce some of the most effective and innovative addiction and mental heath initiatives being implemented in Canada.
Come join your fellow Rotarians. Let’s work together to find better ways to provide support for those struggling with the challenges of addiction and mental health.
Hear how Alberta is redefining the problem and focusing on long-term recovery.
The Stay-in-School Mentor Meeting at YCC's Marmie’s House - saying good-bye to Alana
Alana Sargent is thanked for her contributions to the Rotary Club of Calgary Downtown, especially related to the Stay in School program. Warm wishes are extended for her personal and professional future.
Newsletter from YCC
Madeleine King
Note: As mentioned at our May 6 Rotary meeting, the Club’s Board at its April meeting approved a $250K five-year term grant as proposed by our Youth Programs Committee.
All year long, through the days, weeks and months at YCC, volunteers spend time with kids; they listen, show curiosity and act as mentors, coach them on the courts and rinks, teach them to play cards and chess, cook, garden, music and create art. Volunteers take time out from their busy lives to flip burgers on our barbecue, fix broken basketball backboards, build fences and mend walls, drop off books, bikes, clothes and groceries, play street hockey and soccer with the kids in the sunshine and rain. They help kids with their chores and leave only when the day is done and the house is in order.
Volunteers serve on our working board and act as models of accountability, tolerance and responsibility. Some discount their services or cover the costs associated with summer camp trips to a local ranch, to the zoo, to professional sports events, pools, parks and the rivers. They pay for groceries and games, laptops, sports fees and new sneakers. Volunteers pitch in to fill backpacks for kids for the first day back at school and to fill holiday boxes for families, packed with gift cards, food, gifts and treats.
Life would be so different for the families of Ogden and Forest Lawn if not for all these efforts. As kids say daily “I don’t know what I’d do without you”, WE don’t know what we would do without YOU. Our work is only possible by virtue of your generosity and kindness.
Happy spring to all of you and to everyone. We'll send a newsletter once our summer camps start up. In the meantime, here are a few photos from the happy chaos and positive energy of our YCC homes.
To thrive, these kids need more, and in YCC’s warm, welcoming and safe homes, they have just that. Cheers to the volunteers!
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 Madeleine by the FRIDAY before the Tuesday publication date.
You are also welcome to contact either Madeleine, Doug or Diane to discuss any idea you may have.
Here are the remaining publication dates for the first half on 2025:
June 3, June 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 this is our reward!
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