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Service Above Self

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Mondays at 12:00 p.m.

Pidherney Curling Centre

4725-43 Street
Upstairs
Red Deer, AB T4N 6Z3
Canada

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Providing public toilets: Early Rotary service

Providing public toilets: Early Rotary

Nobel laureate leads speaker roster for 2025 Rotary International convention

Yemeni journalist Tawakkol Karman promotes peace and women’s rights

Turkish Rotary member honored for advancing womens leadership

Turkish Rotary member honored for advancing women’s leadership

Rotary honors a teacher and mentor with the 2025 Sylvia Whitlock Leadership Award

Rotary honors a teacher and mentor with the 2025 Sylvia Whitlock Leadership AwardThis Turkish Rotarian has promoted women’s financial literacy, funded scholarships for girls, and

A way off ‘the track’

One street in Seattle, a Rotary club, and a reckoning with the global scourge of sex trafficking.

March 3 - McDougal Wealth Management Presentation

Penny Leckie, McDougal Wealth Management, shared tips regarding charitable giving and tax savings. Penny, a member of the Rotary Stampede Club, encouraged all to make the most of donations and charitable giving. In response to a common opinion that only large donation amounts can make a difference she referred to the impact that a small mosquito makes buzzing around in a tent. Every little bit makes a difference. Penny encouraged all to ensure that clear communication regarding your objectives and plans for giving are shared with all who are involved- lawyer, tax accountant, financial advisor, etc- to ensure that everyone is working toward a common goal of lessening tax implications and resulting in the best results for investments and desired philanthropic goals. She discussed options such as donating with publicly traded securities and provided information regarding donor advised funds. An amazing amount of information was shared!

Penny was a participant in the recent Rotary bonspiel in Olds. She encourages all curlers to consider travelling to Yellowknife next March for the event.

Rotary After 5 - March 13

Join us on Thursday, March 13 at Zainab's Coffee House. Bring a friend, bring your spouse, bring a future Rotarian!

February 24th Meeting - New Members, Paul Harris Fellowship, Literacy Alive Belize Update, and more!

We welcomed 3 new members to Rotary Club of Red Deer! Congratulations to Shelley Daleug, Jennifer Whelan, and Dr. Maureen Bakken

on becoming part of our Rotary family!

Paul Harris Awards

Paul Harris Awards are awarded in recognition to contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Funds are used to support humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs around the world. Donations help improve lives in your community and around the world.

We celebrate the following

Brett Mauthie: Paul Harris inaugural

Judith McIntyre: Paul Harris +2

Gerry Winia, Foundation chair, reminded members that contributing to the Foundation is crucial in order for our club projects to be eligible for grants for local or international projects. Many projects over the years that are sponsored by this club (Water project, library in Africa, Belize literacy, support for local youth projects, etc) have benefited from this support. Gerry encourages all members to contribute and become sustaining members. A sustaining member donates $100 USD to the foundation annually. This year, that was about $139 CAD.

Rotarian of the Month

We celebrate Brett Mauthe. Brett currently coordinates our fundraising efforts at the Red Deer Rebels games, and the recent Agri Trade. He ensures that we comply with AGLC regulations and draws up the work schedules for members- not an easy task! Brett has belonged to our club since 2021 and is invaluable member of the Rotary community.

Coldest Night of the Year

While it was not as cold as it has been in recent weeks, Rotary members still experienced some of the challenges of those who are unhoused as they travelled on the icy trails of Red Deer. We walked 5 km, a small portion of the 10km that most unhoused walk each night searching for warmth and shelter It was an excellent example of Rotary In Action -working together to help members of our community. The Red Deer Food Bank and Mustard Seed exceeded their fundraising goals, in part due to the over $2300 raised by this club. Thanks to all who played a part in making a difference.

Rotary After 5

It was great to gather at Red Hart Brewing on Feb 13th to celebrate Valentine's Day. We wish to thank Red Hart Brewing for their ongoing support for our Beers For Belize fundraiser. Red Hart Brewing is passionate about supporting their community and was more than glad to help us with our literacy initiative. It is a cozy spot to enjoy good conversation and beverages that is also dog friendly.

February 10th 2025 Meeting

* No meeting was held on February 17th in observation of Family Day *

Membership News

Erin Peden, Executive Director, Community Foundation of Central Alberta, shared her vocational speech. She is of Irish and Scottish descent and comes by her red hair and passion naturally. Married for 22 years to a RCMP member, they parent a large family. Erin is a strong advocate for children, especially those with autism and PTSD.

Erin is committed to ensuring that money well spent has the greatest impact possible. She strongly supports community projects that result in community growth. Erin is very busy and often found at community events and activities . She was drawn to Rotary as she wants to be part of an organization that does good things together. Erin, you are a great addition to Rotary - People of Action.

Coldest Night of the Year Walk

Rotarians are People of Action!

Our team is up for the challenge on Saturday Feb 22 as we walk to raise funds to support the Mustard Seed and Red Deer Food Bank. You can choose from a 2 or 5 km route, starting downtown at Central Middle School. The event starts at 4 p.m. and will conclude by 7 p.m. If you are not able to walk, please support one of our walkers. You can even walk somewhere much warmer than Red Deer! We have been issued a challenge by the other city clubs and are going to rise to the challenge! Please make sure to donate or sign up to part of the team via the link below!

https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=5476809&langPref=en-CA

February 3rd Meeting - Road Trip to Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre

Manon Therriault, Chief Executive Officer at Red Deer Regional Health Foundation shared information and updates regarding the hospital expansion. The Foundation's mandate is to provide support for health care in Central Alberta and to ensure that the best tools, services, and programs are available for family, friends, and the community. Funds raised provide equipment that is meet needs that are beyond the government's mandate to provide basic care.

Changes to the Red Deer Regional Hospital include a 8 floor ambulatory clinic that should be ready for occupancy in 2029. A new 6 floor patient tower that will act as a clinical services facility will also be built and will hopefully meet the regions growing needs by the time it is completed. Many departments will be shifting their location during the building phases. The expansion will add 200 more beds to the 375 beds currently available. When completed, the hospital will require 2000 additional staff members beyond the current 3600 staff. Members can read more in The Flash!

January 27th Meeting - Legacy Projects, Vocational Presentation, and Rotarian of the Month!

The Special Club Meeting focused on providing members with information regarding our 2 Legacy projects in order to provide direction to the committees for further action. Copies of the proposed motions were shared via email to members before the meeting.

The Rotary Wetland Project is the legacy project to recognize our 100th year anniversary. Jack Panteluk and Bob Mills, committee members, provided background information regarding the history of the project and how it has evolved over the years. It has evolved from a project primarily focused on building an interpretive centre to a more phased approach.

The Career Opportunity Fund is a 75th Anniversary Project established to support educational opportunities for youth in the form of a bursary. A motion was presented to recognize the Rotary Club of Red Deer's commitment to sustaining the fund and financial responsibility. Background and questions were answered by Angela Gray, committee member and Erin Peden, executive director of the Community Foundation of Central Alberta. Clarification regarding the history of the bursary, previous procedures and processes, how funds are distributed and the parameters of the bursary were shared. It is important to note that bursaries are distributed to students who have academic achievement but are unable to attend post secondary training due to financial restrictions.

We welcomed Jennifer Whelan. Jennifer was introduced to Rotary by Eric Madsen and Tammy Mattson who work with her at Prime Boiler. Before joining formally, Jennifer was able to participate in many Rotary events such as tree planting, Rebels 50/50, BBQ's, etc. She saw the impact that Rotary had on the community and wanted to be part of it. Jennifer grew up near Coronation, Alberta and learned the values of perseverance and hard work from her close knit family. She and her husband Chadwick enjoy being active. Jennifer has worked at Prime Boiler and is now currently a project management professional working in the training centre. Through her work, Jennifer managed the installation of the signage at the Wetlands. Working on this project provided her with an excellent understanding of the role that Rotary plays in the community. She was able to see the power of collaboration. Jennifer, we are excited to welcome you to the Rotary community.

Garth Olson presented this honor to Gerry Winia. Gerry has been a member for 38 years and has served in a wide capacity over the years. He has been a member of the Board, taking on many different roles. Gerry is currently the Chair, Rotary Foundation and ensures that all are aware of the importance of its work. He is a willing volunteer to do whatever tasks he is asked and shares his vast knowledge extensively. Gerry demonstrates high ethical standards in both his personal and professional interactions He truly lives the 4 Way Test in all that he does, demonstrating Service Above Self. We congratulate Gerry on this well deserved accolade and acknowledgement of his contributions to Rotary.