March 2025

The Flash, Board Edition

 

 

Rotary Colleagues, welcome to your monthly board update.

The board met on March 11, 2025 in a special meeting to review the draft bylaws and then met on March 18, 2025 as part of it's regular meeting cycle.  The outcome of those meetings are as follows.

Decisions:

• Transfer funds between Rotary accounts that exceed the Treasurer's approved limits.

• Engage Expert IT Solutions to provide backup support to our Microsoft 365 environment and provide Fee for Service IT support, as required.

• Approve a contribution to Global Grant 2576210 (in application) for $20,175 USD. The total value of the grant is $119,715 USD.

• Board recommendation to circulate Draft Bylaws for members to review and discuss at the March 31st Business meeting.

Director Updates:

Bylaw Review: Members of the club have received several email messages from Secretary Angela, sharing copies of the current bylaws, proposed bylaws, and a covering member outlining the broad approach used in crafting this revised document.  Please ensure the material and come to the meeting on March 31st with your questions and feedback in hand.

Please note that Michael Keyes from Warren Sinclair, LLP will be in attendance to help answer any questions.

Club Service Week: For the last three years, in late September, we have worked with the Kinsmen, Kiwanis, Lions, Optimists, and Rotary Clubs to come together and jointly do service work in the community. As plans come together for 2025, it was agreed:

• The cash portion be moved to $2,000.00 this year, and each Club considers moving it up to $2,500.00 next year as a possible cap.

• A minimum of 5 volunteers be offered to a project, with a maximum of 10, depending on the project.

• Project time commitment to be 2 to 3 hours. Again, each Club works out the details and needs of the project.

• Projects should center around Youth, Seniors, the Handicapped, the Disadvantaged, and the Indigenous.

• It is recommended that flexibility in the timing of the projects be allowed.

• Ensure we have a project or two that all members are capable of participating in.

• Limit weather-affected projects if possible.

• The Chair should rotate each year to a different Club, if possible.

Thanks to Past President Phil for your leadership on this file.

Black Tie Bingo: Rotarian Garth Olson is in the process of securing the space for our 2025 event to be held on Thursday, October 30, 2025 (the date is in the ClubRunner calendar).  Thanks for getting these details booked Garth

Financial Statement Review: The committee has completed their mid-year review. Thanks to Gerry Winia, Rodney Perigny, Phil Pattison, and Laura Snape for your work in validating our financial statements.

Budgeting for the 2025/26 Rotary year has started. The Board will be reviewing, and hopefully approving, the budget at their April board meeting so that dues notices can go out in early May. Watch for more and thanks Treasurer Ron

Head Table at Business Meetings: Several years ago, we discontinued the practice of having the President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Speaker sit at a head table for our meetings. Starting March 31st, we are going to reintroduce a modified version of that practice. The Board of Directors will sit at a head table for our monthly business meetings. The intent is to raise the profile of the board with our members so that we know who is taking care of which portfolios. We’ll do this through the end of the Rotary year and re-evaluate the practice in July 2025.

Belize Advocacy Trip: International Director Darcy reported on this recently completed trip to experience Literacy Alive. This project is doing amazing things. The focus of the visit was to learn more about Literacy Alive, get a sense of what else can be done, and talk to local Rotarians about how we can work more closely together. Darcy outlined the following opportunities:

• Let's celebrate Literacy Alive, both in Red Deer and in Belize.

• Let's engage Red Deer Rotarians in visiting Literacy Alive.

• Let's engage Central Alberta clubs in supporting Literacy Alive.

• Let's facilitate bringing together the Rotary Clubs (seven of them) in Belize to build a united approach to government in relation to Literacy Alive.

New Global Grant: Dr. Paradis and her team are in the process of applying for a new Global Grant focused on EIGHT outcomes:

1. Provide primary teachers and school administrators training on the Reading Intervention assessments and instructional strategies.

2. Continue to collaborate with the Belize government to have the program used in all primary schools.

3. Provide training to build the capacity of teachers in differentiating for instruction, as the variance of student reading levels across any grade is substantial (proven by recent pretesting on letter/sound recognition by approximately 6000 standard one students).

4. Engage community libraries to provide supplemental programs to complement school programs and provide reading support for the community at large.

5. Collaborate with local publishers and businesses to provide resources for classrooms and libraries that are culturally relevant and provide a leveled approach to reading.

6. Engage tertiary teacher education institutions in utilizing the science of reading instructional approaches in the core curriculum for new teachers.

7. Collaborate with local community, Rotary clubs, and other organizations to develop activities that advocate for and celebrate literacy improvements in their communities.

8. Collaborate with the government on the development of Belize’s national norms for reading.

Here’s what's truly amazing. Each YEAR, this program is helping 7,000 young Belizeans learn how to read. How is this being done? Take a look at who is helping us make it happen:

• $2000 USD from Rotary Easy

• $2000 USD from Rotary Club of Stettler

• $5000 USD from Rotary Club of Yarmouth, ME

• $5000 USD from District 7780

• $45000 USD from District 5360

• $40000 USD from Rotary World Fund

The Rotary Club of Red Deer is leading the charge in building a "country of readers." Thank you Lynne, the Literacy Alive team, and club volunteers who have helped to make this happen over the years. Our project is viewed as a WORLD leader in Rotary's universe.

That’s it for us… enjoy the rest of your week, and we’ll see you for a bylaw conversation on March 31st.