"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
Ann Haessel
April 23
Dan Hays
April 24
Murray Young
April 26
Laurene Wilson
April 26
Barb Young
April 28
Lindsay Marczak
April 30
Gord Graham
May 3
Frank Hall
May 6
Peter Harrison
May 8
Walley Temple
May 8
Tracy Johnson
May 9
Joel Snodgrass
May 11
Forry Angus
May 13
Rotary Anniversaries
Catherine Scheers -- 5years
Dave Macdonald-- 30 years
Philip Libin -- 35 years
Inspirational Quote
"You can make more friendships in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get people interested in you"
Dale Carnegie
Michael Colborne Outstanding Contribution
Al McMillan
April 12, 2024 is the date of the President’s Dinner for Inclusion Alberta, our Partner in the Rotary Employment Partnership, At that dinner, the Colonel Eric W. and Dr. Barbara V. Cormack Memorial Award is given to an Albertan who has made an outstanding, long term, voluntary contribution to serving the interests of people with developmental disabilities and their families. This year’s recipient of the award is Rotarian Mike Colborne. For many years, Mike has worked with this community, and has been the driving force behind the Rotary Employment Partnership in Calgary since 2011. Congratulations Mike!
Here is Mike on the left and Al on the right at our recent club meeting on April 9, 2024.
Welcome Tina Mao
Diane McDonald
Let's welcome Tina Mao to our club. Tina was introduced at our club meeting on April 9th. Tina is an entrepreneur with an educational background in Business, and Entrepreneurship/Innovation. She is the founder of Leo Charter Services based in Calgary. Tina hopes to find out more about our community’s real needs and how to help deal with them.
What do you think?
Randy Topolnitsky
Two years ago, a Legacy Task Force was struck to clearly define and document how we should deal with legacy funding in our community. This led to the Granting Strategy Task Force which recently carried out a number of focus session to engage members in the crafting of our granting strategy. One of the outcomes was to reach out to our members and survey the club. An email was sent early last week and as of Friday April 19, twelve (12) responses were provided. Please read the background and provide your feedback by filling out the survey.
Our club has proudly sponsored the Rotary Calgary Concerto Competition (Manon Mitchell Project Champion) once again this year. It is our club’s contribution to youth in Arts & Culture. This year a record number of participants (51) aged 8 - 18 years old, performed for a panel of three (3) judges: Rolf Bertsch, Janet Kuschak and Jamie Syer at Michael Lipnicki Fine Pianos. The competition was extended due to the higher number of participants and was live streamed courtesy of the Calgary Folk Club around the world from Friday March 8 to Sunday March 10th. Over 700 people watched from Austria, Canada, Cayman Islands, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Pakistan, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, Ukraine, and the United States. Read more to access the links and watch the winning performances.
On a recent Saturday morning, four members of our Club arrived at Marmie’s House, across the street from some of our Stay-in-School schools, to paint the walls in the under-renovation bungalow. The work is progressing according to plan and the House looks terrific. Cathy and Randy Topolnitsky and Dave and Diane Macdonald managed to get a coat of paint on the entire basement and a second coat on more than half by lunch time. The afternoon crew (not from our Club) finished the second coat and added a third, so the painting is finished!
From Jane Wachowich, Executive Director of Young Centres of Calgary: “Please accept my heartfelt thanks to the magnificent painters who completed the paint work in a single day on Saturday. You have brought us one step closer to our opening, and have left your mark on this work.”
Marmie’s House will provide a safe haven in non-school hours for children and youth from the community. The goal is to have it up and running in the next very few months. Watch for notice of a grand opening in September!
Pictured here are Cathy and Randy Topolnitsky.
Designing Your Rotary Experience
Rotary International
Rotary offers benefits for people of all ages and backgrounds. From learning more about the world to learning more about yourself, you can grow by engaging with Rotary's global network and the array of activities, programs, and interest groups that Rotary offers.
When you get involved in Rotary, whether as a Rotarians, Rotaractors, or program participants, you expand your perspective by honing your skills, learning from professionals, making new connections, and making a difference your community and around the world.
We know that each member has a unique combination of interests, skills, and talents, and so each member will be attracted to different activities. Click here to download a guide which describes the options you can choose from to personalize your Rotary experience and get involved in ways that matter to you.
Donate Your Books
Natalie Appleton
Did you know the books in your home could help Calgary children become stronger readers? Read on to find out what to donate to Calgary Reads Big Book Sale—and when—so there are more books and more proceeds to support critical early childhood reading work in our community.
You Can Still Register for Conference in Drumheller!
Manon Mitchell
Every year our Rotary District plans an inspiring conference to provide Rotarians with an great opportunity to learn, connect, make new friendships and be inspired. This year's conference is in Drumheller on May 4 and 5. Registrations are still open. Many of our club members are attending, so join us in Drumheller. Great speakers (Steacy Pinney from our club!) and break out sessions are planned and you can see those on the DisCon website. By the way did you know that our own Disconauraus Rex's video invitation now has more the 2.2K views on YouTube! It is the highest viewed video on our District YouTube Channel. CLICK HERE to register and join us for a great weekend of fellowship and learning!
2025 Convention VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
Farid Bedwany
Remember the excitement and buzz in the city during the 1988 Winter Olympics? The city came alive with the thousands of volunteers who created an atmosphere of service. Again in 1996 when the Rotary Convention came to Calgary, volunteers from all over our district (Southern Alberta) made this an event to remember. We have the opportunity to host the world in 2025 and NOW is the TIME to express your desire to volunteer for our convention. Rotary International handles everything inside the convention centre from speakers to entertainment to the amazing House of Friendship. Our own Host Organizing Committee (HOC ... you'll hear this acronym frequently throughout the year), co-chaired by Mark Starratt and Craig Stokke, handles everything outside of the convention space.
Our HOC needs us to assist in many ways. Right now HOC is recruiting volunteers.
Please click here to add your name to the amazing folks who will welcome the world in June of 2025. (Convention starts on June 22, 2025 and runs for 4 days)
2025 Rotary International Convention - Club Booth
Doug McMillan and Manon Mitchell
The Rotary event of the year is coming to Calgary on June 22, 2025. We will be welcoming Rotarians from around the world at next year's International Convention. Some of us will be attending this year's convention as ambassadors at this year's convention in Singapore. The House of Friendship is a huge space allocated to Clubs, Fellowships and Rotary Action Groups to communicate their activities; this allows all Rotarians to learn, and connect with other rotarians, clubs and projects. We are starting planning for a Rotary Club of Calgary Booth at the 2025 House of Friendship. At this point, we need to build our list of volunteers who will commit to a 4 hour shift (or more) at our booth. Of course, we will provide guidance and training for those who wish to be ambassadors of our club. It would be great to have a representative from each of our main areas: Youth, Community Services, International and Early Childhood Literacy. For the time being, Manon will track volunteers so please let Manon know (by clicking here) that you'd be willing to work 1 shift (4 hours) at our booth at the House of Friendship. The convention runs from June 22 to June 25, 2025.
Good ol' Fashioned Manners
Manon Mitchell
It was pointed out at a recent informal discussion amongst Rotarians that Zoom is enabling some less than inclusive behaviours. Yes, we are all tired of the tiny screens but we must never forget that there are real people in those little squares and each and every one of them wishes to feel included and part of our community. This article is just a simple reminder that when you are in a breakout room, be mindful of the new arrivals and that means acknowledging their presence. Of course, if you don't know the person, you can always say welcome and ask them to introduce themselves and what brought them to the meeting. It's what we would do in person, right? Kindness and courtesy go a long way in building great relationships and making all feel welcome.
SAVE THE DATES FOR OUR BIG BOOK SALE
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE CALGARY READS BIG BOOK SALE
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Let's welcome Tina Mao to our club. Tina was introduced at our club meeting on April 9th. Tina is an entrepreneur with an educational background in Business, and Entrepreneurship/Innovation. She is the founder of 
On a recent Saturday morning, four members of our Club arrived at Marmie’s House, across the street from some of our Stay-in-School schools, to paint the walls in the under-renovation bungalow. The work is progressing according to plan and the House looks terrific. Cathy and Randy Topolnitsky and Dave and Diane Macdonald managed to get a coat of paint on the entire basement and a second coat on more than half by lunch time. The afternoon crew (not from our Club) finished the second coat and added a third, so the painting is finished!
Did you know the books in your home could help Calgary children become stronger readers? Read on to find out what to donate to Calgary Reads Big Book Sale—and when—so there are more books and more proceeds to support critical early childhood reading work in our community.
