Welcome from Darcy M and singing of O’Canada led by our esteemed mayor and Rotary member, Ken Johnston.
Guests included: Jim Woods (Mayor Red Deer County), Judy Robbins-Weir (Red Deer Festival of the Performing Arts), Rod Pittman (IBC Community Bank)
Visiting Rotarians: Kurt Kowalchuk (District Governor Nominee 5360), Patrician Arango, Meaghan Maskowitz, Helen deBruyckere , Susan Hopt-Kmetiuk and Zainab Mohamoud (Red Deer Sunrise), Neil Swensrude (Red Deer East), Victor Maris (Sylvan Lake)
Anniversary Greetings
Steve Leavitt, 5360 District Governor, sent congratulations of this momentous occasion and remarked on the great impact that Rotary has had on the lives of those in Red Deer and surrounding area.
Kurt Kowalchuk , 5360 District Governor Nominee, noted that 4 Rotary members receiving the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Medal was a direct reflection of the high commitment that this club has toward community. The club has also helped Rotary grow within the communities of Stettler, Innisfail, Sylvan Lake and Olds along with 2 other clubs in Red Deer. Long standing events such as the Senior Christmas Concert, 50/50 tickets at Rebels Games, Black Tie Bingo and numerous fellowship activities are a sign of the links to the community that continue. Congratulations were extended as the club now has grown to 71 members!!!
Jim Woods, Mayor Red Deer County, spoke of the foresight of those 100 years to establish a club that focused on service to others.
Ken Johnston, Red Deer Mayor and Rotarian, encouraged those present to continue to apply the 4 Way test to their daily lives. It is a privilege that we have to share our gifts in service to others. A touching tribute to deceased members was read and served as a reminder of our responsibility to continue the dedication to service that they exhibited.
Darcy M, club President, reminded members to celebrate the successes that Rotary has made, with his focus for our year ahead being the ABCs
ASSEMBLE the next generation of Rotary in our Club
BUILD new pathways of service
CELEBRATE our success – past, present and future
He noted the work of Shelley R and Don O and their committees to provide celebrations such as the 100 Year Kickoff event at the recent Rebels game.
Bruce and Judy Robbins-Weir
Happy/Sad and other Fun Things
Bruce B presented Judy Robbins-Weir from Red Deer Festival of Performing Arts with cheque for $5000. She thanked Rotary for their continuing support of the event. Over 400 entries have been received for this years event. Many in attendance shared that they had fond memories of participating in the festival in their younger years. So good to see it continuing and thriving.
Robert Lampard gave thanks for those contributing photos and stories to the upcoming April Red Deer Advocate insert celebrating our 100 Year Anniversary. He noted that there is a presentation focusing on Roland Michener, former Governor General of Canada, on March 15 for the Central Alberta Historical Society at the Red Deer Museum and Archives.
Amanda: Amanda, and Donna Purcell QC Law put $20 in the bucket (but did not announce) for advertising dollars. The firm is sponsoring the "She Is" event in celebration of International Women's Day, by the Central Alberta Child Advocacy Centre on March 8, 2023 at the Holiday Inn and Suites, Red Deer South. For more information contact Amanda.
Membership News
Stuart Cullem (Gloria Beck , sponsor) and Justin Snider (Ray McBeth, sponsor) became our newest Rotary members. Congratulations and a warm welcome is extended. We are excited to have you join us!!!!
1st reading as possible new member for Jan Carr, local realtor with Royal LePage.
If you have specific feedback for membership, please contact membership@rotaryclubofreddeer.ca
Member Bios & Mug Shots
As part of our Centennial Celebration, the committee intends to honour different Rotarians and bios would be very helpful. As a newer Rotarian and still learning names and faces, the photo portion of member profiles in ClubRunner is useful.
The executive is asking the members of the club to add their bio and photo to their member profile in Club Runner. If you would like assistance, please reach out to the executive (or the Flashettes) for assistance.
In Memoriam
At our meeting, Mayor Ken Johnston, included a list of significant Rotarians from his his time in the club forward (mid 90s) as a reminder of the heavyweights of the past who paved the way for us today. We are including this list here as well for those who were unable to be at the meeting:
Richard Warren
Keith Maron
Mike Day
Donna Stewart Wood
Max Edgar
John Harms
Les Peddle
Margaret Rodunk
Frank Holman
Bud Lund
Willie Mah
Ken Boake
Alfio Truant
Ken Ing
Ray Durham
Arnold Ritchie
Mel Hough
Ida Christiansen
Jack Jonsworth
Dan Laubman
Hazel Carson
Doug Lindsay
Mac Johnston
Bill McCartney
Please let us know if we have incorrectly spelt/named anyone so we can correct it.
From The Flash
We welcome your feedback and can be contacted at:
TheFlash@rotaryclubofreddeer.ca
Centennial
Shelley, chair of centennial committee: Full report is linked HERE and will be made available on Club Runner. Highlights include monthly Day of Service ( March at The Mustard Seed, April at the Food Bank, Spring tree planting, etc), multi page Red Deer Advocate insert sharing the club history and community involvement, and community events such as the Parade, Pancake breakfast, etc. There will be many opportunities to celebrate as Rotary Clubs and with the Red Deer community.
Bob Lampard and co have assembled a multi page Advocate insert focusing on the Club history. Advertisers are being sought to help pay for the insert. See recent email from Shelley on Club Runner for details.
Garth Olson : Shirts are being ordered to increase our visibility in the community at events and to celebrate the 100 Years. Gold and Blue shirts in long and short sleeve styles will be made available for order and purchase in the upcoming weeks.
Don, chair of the centennial event committee:
100 Year Gala
On the evening of Thursday, May 4 2023, Red Deer Rotary will hold a night celebrating our history with dinner, tributes, insight and entertainment. We will celebrate the contributions of Rotary over the past century.
Dinner speaker Rex Murphy is a well known Canadian media personality and political commentator. Born in Newfoundland, educated at Memorial University and Oxford, Rex provides entertaining and well informed commentary on Canadian issues, with a empathetic position on Western Canadian Challenges. We anticipate an entertaining and thought provoking evening”.
Save the date and share the opportunity with all your contacts as Rex Murphy enjoys a national profile and a large following and we expect a big demand for tickets. Sponsorship opportunities are available to fund a portion of the dinner activity or to pay tribute to a few of the departed long time club members so fondly recalled by Mayor Ken Johnston in his address.
Contact Don Odell, Sheryl Kreil, or Rob Stryker for details.
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