iHuman Youth Society Request 2019... APPROVED!

Rotary International President Visit

Centennial Event: Centennial Gala

2016 Rotary Vacation Raffle raised $12,790

Thank you to all club members who assisted selling tickets for the 2016 Rotary Club of Edmonton Vacation Raffle led by John Kopeck.

The draw was held on February 15, 2016, by President Randy Heaps witnessed by board members Gayle Head and Stacey Scott Nykolyshyn.

Prize winners were all club members and names were announced at our February 22 club meeting.

The Vocational Services Committee of the Rotary Club of Edmonton has helped to create a total of 16 positions since October 2008 in the District 5370 Rotary Employment Partnership program. 14 of these have been under the leadership of the current Vocational Services Chair, Johanne Johnson (since 2011). The statistics speak for themselves on the success of this program and the quality of the partnering business employers. Rotarians from our Club have been key to providing employment in this program and ensuring people maintain their employment.

Club Meeting Attendance

Please join fellow Rotarians from the Edmonton region in honouring Integrity Awardees from sister clubs at a Gala Dinner at The Agora in the Strathcona Community Centre in Sherwood Park.  The dinner is being held on Thursday, April 25, at 600 for 630 PM.  The cost of tickets is $50.00 and they can be obtained from Sylvia Boyetchko or Kevin Keough.

The Integrity Awardee for the Rotary Club of Edmonton this year is Scott Matheson.  A brief summary of some of his main contributions to the community is below.

Scott Matheson

Scott Matheson has made extraordinary contributions to the Edmonton community through extensive contributions to strategic planning, operational support and fundraising for important organizations that serve the community.  Seven years ago he founded Row for Kid, where he still organizes and participates, to raise funds for the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, and through which nearly $700,000 has been raised to date.   He is the past-chair of the Capital Care Foundation, an organization dedicated to meeting the needs of a diverse ageing population through research and service.  He has also been a lead organizer for the Festival of Trees fundraising activity in support of the University of Alberta Hospital Foundation.  Following in the footsteps of his father, Scott is the President of Crime Stoppers of Northern Alberta, an organization supporting the safety of the Edmonton community.   Scott has contributed countless hours to community development activities.  Through being a director on the Fort Edmonton Park Management Company his fund-raising skills and knowledge construction enabled him to make significant contributions to the Park, in particular to the Blatchford Field Hanger restoration.   As a Director of the Downtown Development Association he has been an enabler of projects for low-income housing and for other activities to revitalize the Edmonton’s downtown core.  This exceptional record of the service of others which has required a high level of commitment and personal time makes Scott Matheson a deserving recipient of the Rotary Integrity Award.

We are calling on all club members to assist in securing auction items for this event.  Our goal is to have 300 silent auction items and 10 live auction items.  We would like to get commitments by no later than May 31, 2013.  Thanks in advance to all club members for your assistance.

If you have any questions, please contact John Kopeck our Acquisition Chair at (780) 429-5452 or by e-mail at jkopeck@edmontonjournal.com

Lifetime Achievement Awards are conferred on Fellows of the Chartered Accountants who, through their entire career, have rendered meritorious service to the profession, and whose career and achievements in the community have brought honour to the profession.

There is great interest in the visit of Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka May 10 and 11.  And for good reason, never have we had the honour of hosting a standing R.I.President in District 5370. 

There are three opportunties to spend time with our International President.

Million Dollar Dinner - a fundraiser for the Rotary Foundation Saturday, May 11 in Sherwood Park.  We have sent invitations to new Bequest Society members.  We have also sent invitations to Paul Harris Society members and Major Donors as a way to thank them for their support.   You can be there, too by joining the Bequest Society,  it's a few easy steps.    Take these steps, support the Foundation (heck it's part of your will so you don't even have to pay now) and join us. Details: http://tinyurl.com/b6qmlsb

Rotary Day, Saturday AM May 11, Old Fort Edmonton Park.   A free BBQ (Thanks, Driving Force!).  If able help us spend a bit of time at a spring clean up before the BBQ, if President Tanaka can pitch in, I can, too!    (The President is known for a local "clean the streets" inititiative he enjoys in Japan.  See his video on the mentioned link)  Bring family, a friend or potential Rotarian!   Details:  http://serviceaboveself.ca/rotary-day/edmonton-area/

Peace Begins With You(th) - Friday May 10.  An evening event for YOUTH!  Interact, Youth exchange,  friends of Rotary,  Ryla, Rypen, etc.   A karaoke evening with the President will include mixing, mingling,  networking,  dance and more fun!  Details: http://serviceaboveself.ca/rotary-day/youth-event/ 

The Anfindsen Family request the pleasure your company to join with them for a celebration of Lorne's life.  This will be held on Sunday April 21, 2013 from 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm at the Edmonton Petroleum Club - 11110 - 108 Street.

Who wants to travel to South Africa and have a hoot with fellow 5370 and local Rotarians? We have successful contact with South African Rotarians regarding a Rotary FReindship Exchange. We would travel there in November 2013, they would visit our District Spring 2014. A Rotary Friendship Exchange is just for FUN. (This year India and England occurred with great fun and success!) You would be hosted by Rotarians. If you go you don't necessarily need to host but would be asked to possibly assist with the planning when they visit us. The trip will be about 2 weeks unless you plan more... Below is the link to Rotary Friendship Exchange. Also below - our response from one District in SA as to what you can expect. We would be looking for around 8 - 12 Rotarians/spouses or single Rotarians... Are you in? Start packing and join us. 
 
 Rotary Friendship Exchange Details..

http://www.rotary.org/en/ServiceAndFellowship/MakeConnections/RotaryFriendshipExchange/Pages/ridefault.aspx

In future newsletters, we will include the monthly message from our Rotary International President.  To access the April 2013 edition, please click on the link below:

http://www.rotary.org/en/aboutus/rotaryleadership/ripresident/pages/messages.aspx

The Rotary Club of Edmonton Northern Lights are the organizers and it is an opportunity for all Rotary Clubs in the Edmonton area to come out and enjoy some fresh air and meet the Rotary International President Sakuji Tanaka.

Everyone is invited to celebrate Rotary Day with us at Fort Edmonton on Saturday May 11th.

We have "clean up the park" planned for the morning, with the President of Rotary International-Sakuji Tanaka joining us for the clean up! Then a bbq with entertainment, including Country Singer, Shawna Lynn and a band.  Please bring a potential Rotarian and/or family members with you!

 The schedule is as follows:

9-9:20 Registration, maps and supplies distributed
9:20-9:30 arrive at clean up site area
9:30-11:00 clean up assigned area (mostly leaves and light trash in each area)
11:00-11:30 Words from the President of Rotary International Sakuji Tanaka and District Governor Kevin Hilgers, on the steps of Fort Edmonton.
11:30-1:30 Free BBQ (Sponsored through Driving Force.

Casual wear, including boots or runners and please bring gloves for the clean up!
Million Dollar Dinner that evening.  Further details here:  http://serviceaboveself.ca/rotary-day/edmonton-area/

Call or e-mail Rene to let her know if you can attend and if so how many people you are bringing with you.  We have to let the Northern Lights Club know by May 1st so that they can order enough food and drinks.

This program will feature Terry Wickham, Producer and General Manager of the Edmonton Folk Festival.  

Beginning in 1980 with one staff person and 300 volunteers, the Edmonton Folk Music Festival has grown and matured to become one of the leading folk festivals in the world (and many would say the best).  Now boasting a volunteer force of over 2000, the festival is a not-for-profit society dedicated to bringing in the best of folk music from around the world.

The quality of the music and the depth of the performer lineup is the single greatest ingredient in its success. Terry Wickham, Producer, selects artists within a broad musical mandate.

The Folk Fest’s Vision is to continue to improve as a world-class folk music festival.

This year, the Edmonton Folk Festival sold out in a matter of hours.  It will provide yet again another year of excellence with more than 70 outstanding performers from across Canada, the US, the UK, Europe, Africa and Australia/Asia and more than 40,000 music fans.

Terry will speak to us about the music festival, its history, its contributions to the City of Edmonton and the Capital region, current challenges, future aims and how he leads a team of volunteers towards continued excellence.

Lewis Cardinal has spent most of his professional life in public service. As a communicator and educator, he has dedicated his work to creating and maintaining connections and relationships that cross cultural divides. His work has mirrored his personal vision of a socially-just and responsive society.

Mr. Cardinal has a long track record of public service which includes his board involvement with Aboriginal Commission on Human Rights and Justice, John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Human Rights, Little Warriors, Edmonton Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee, Bissell Centre Board of Governors, and as National Chair the Aboriginal Voices Radio Network.

Mr. Cardinal has received Canada's highest Aboriginal recognition award, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Public Service, and has received the Distinguished Alumni Award for Grant MacEwan University, and the Alberta Centennial Medal for his work in Human Rights and Diversity. As well, he is the owner of Cardinal Strategic Communications, specializing in Education and Communications.

On Saturday evening the RCE exchange student Arthur Mert was chef and hosted a dinner for  several Past Presidents, our current President and thier wives. It was a fund raiser in part for the Japanese relief effort and in part to help pay for some excursions Arthur has and wants to take. It was a great evening and we can recommend his cooking ability, and the fun of the evening.

Chef Arthur	Sous Chef Rose	Appetizers anyone???
Just a little stir	Ahh...Belgium meatballs	Proof of the pudding

An Employment Opportunity.....

Steve Hogle is the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs with the Katz Group.  His focus is squarely on the Edmonton Arena and Entertainment District, a project slated to be built on a 16 acre parcel of land in downtown Edmonton.

Before joining Katz Group one year ago, Steve was the Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the Alberta Research Counciul, now Alberta Innovates Technology Futures.  He spent three years working with a variey of stakeholders and promoting the value of science and innovation in the province of Alberta.

 The majority of Steve's career - almost 30 years - was spent in the media, including stops in Camrose, Red Deer, Japan and Edmonton, where he spent 25 years at CTV Edmonton, becoming the third Hogle to hold the position of Director of News and Public Affiars.  He was proud to watch his new team capture a variety of awards over the years, ranging from Edward R. Murrow Awards for international recognition to Radio and Television News Directors Awards for national honours to a Canadian Association of Broadcasters Trophy for the Best Newscast in Canada,

Steve's numerous volunteer activities in the community include roles with Ronald McDonald House, the Manning Awards, Salute to Excellence, Canadian Athletic Club and Youth for Christ, the last of which led to an assignment to shoot documentary footage in Burundi, Africa, one of the pporest nations on earth.  His work with the United Way at the Alberta Research Council resulted in back to back Awards from the Premier of Alberta.

Steve has been married for 29 years to Cathy, a school teacher.  Together they have a son Zac, who is carrying on the family tradiiton in media, and a daughter Kirsten, who is a yogi! 

This program will feature Ted Rose and Susan Hill

While on vacation in Mexico in 1984, Ted Rose stumbled into a small village and a children's home for underprivileged kids.  That unplanned visit turned out to be a life-changing event.

A couple of years later, he and his wife Susan sold their office equipment business in northern California and moved to Colima, Mexico to devote full time to helping disadvantaged children learn skills and develop visions to improve their chances for a better future.

Their effort launched Project Amigo which now provides educational and incentive programs and higher education scholarships to 300+ disadvantaged children each year. It also provides dental, auditory and vision care, thanks to volunteers.

Ted grew up in Los Angeles and was educated at Humboldt State University.  He has been a Rotarian for 31 years, and is now a member of the Rotary Club of Colima. Ted received Rotary International's "Service Above Self" Award in the year  2000.

Susan grew up in Palo Alto, and graduated from the University of Wyoming. She has been a Rotarian for eleven years, and is also a member of the Rotary Club of Colima.

Ted and Susan are both past Club Presidents and are Rotary Foundation Major Donors.

Legacy Projects Finalists Unveilled.

After months of painstaking research and due dilligence the Legacy Committee chaired by Rotarian Luther Haave will unveil the finalists for the 2011 Rotary Club of Edmonton Legacy Project.  You the member will have a direct vote to determine which of the projects will move forward.

 His presentation will discuss 'The shifting demographics of our community impact all aspects of our lives, both personally and professionally. By the year 2025, one in every four people in Edmonton will be a senior. In his presentation, Roger will speak to how we support seniors to 'Age in Place' and will describe what this means to Sage (Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton), your business and your community.'

Roger is the Executive Director of Sage, the Seniors Association of Greater Edmonton, a role he has fulfilled since 1997. As Executive Director, he has been active in many community collaborations and has been instrumental in establishing a number of innovative services for seniors.  In the past Roger has served on many Boards and Commissions. In 2005, Roger received a Centennial medal for his work with seniors

This Rotary Program will feature Dr. Robert Bailey.

R.J. Bailey is a Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  A graduate of the University of Ottawa in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, he finished his internal medicine specialty training at the University of Alberta.

Dr. Bailey then became the first fellow of the University of Alberta Gastroenterology training program.  Following that, he was the recipient of the first Canadian Liver Foundation fellowship, which provided support for hepatology training with Dr. Roger Williams at the King's College London. 

Dr. Bailey maintains a varied hepatology, gastroenterology and endoscopy practice in Edmonton, Alberta.  He is active in teaching, research, and the delivery of clinical care. 

He has been involved as an executive on numerous medical societies and committees, including President of the Alberta Internist Society, President of SIED, Treasurer of Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG), President of Medical Staff of Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton, Treasurer of OMED, and Endoscopy Chair for the 2005 World Congress of Gastroenterology.  Dr. Bailey is currently Medical Director of the Northern Health Services Network. 

Dr. Bailey has titlesdhis presentation  "A Gastroenterologist in Ethopia - Endoscopy in Evolution" and will focus on highlights of his recent trip to Ethopia.

The featured speaker will be Dr. Chris Leung, CEO of Catholic Social Services. The following is the announcement of his appointment in April 2002.

Chris Leung is the new chief executive officer of Catholic Charities, the parent society of Catholic Social Services and the Sign of Hope Society.

The agency's board of directors announced Leung's appointment April 10 following the resignation of Father Micheal Laporte, who served as CEO for almost three years.

Leung has served in a variety of senior management positions with the organization for the past two decades, most recently as associate CEO.

Laporte left his position to pursue a career in social work with CSS. "I'm looking forward to doing hands on work with people," he said.

"This is a decision that I made for myself."

The holder of a master's degree in social work, Laporte began doing summer work with CSS in 1982, rose to program manager in Wetaskiwin in 1988 and was appointed CEO of Catholic Charities in September 1999.

"I'm happy the appointment fell on Chris Leung," he said. "He is a very competent administrator and someone who genuinely believes in the mission of Catholic Charities."

Leung, 54, has a doctorate in management as well as graduate degrees in social/public administration and management studies from Hong Kong University. He worked with Caritas Hong Kong for more than 10 years before joining Catholic Charities in 1981.

"I found him in Hong Kong 21 years ago," said Msgr. Bill Irwin, the agency's founder and vice-chair of its board of directors. "I think he'll be an excellent CEO. Now I can retire and go away."

Leung was serving as manager of human resources for Caritas Hong Kong in 1981 when Irwin visited the island as a delegate to an international social work conference.

"So he offered me the job."

When Leung announced his resignation to Caritas, he was met with the surprise of his life. Instead of scolding him for leaving the agency, Hong Kong Bishop, now a cardinal, John Baptist Cheng presented him with the Caritas Medal for outstanding service.

Almost 20 years later, in 2000, Leung received another important recognition - the prestigious Peer Reviewer of the Year award from the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children in recognition of his exceptional organizational and analytical skills.

Upon his arrival in Edmonton in 1981, Leung became director of administration. Seven years later, in 1988, he was promoted to senior vice president and, in 1998, he became associate chief executive officer.

His appointment in early April as CEO for Catholic Charities caught him by surprise, but he says he is ready for the task.

"I am honoured to be chosen chief executive officer and I look forward to the many challenges and opportunities facing Catholic Social Services and Catholic Charities during these rapidly changing times," he said.

As CEO, Leung must lead more than 1,100 full-time, part-time and contractual staff, plus 1,700 volunteers currently working for the organization and its subsidiaries.

Board chair Patricia O'Brien believes Leung has what it takes. "In Dr. Leung we have a leader who has the exceptional skills, leadership and knowledge required to successfully lead Catholic Charities and its subsidiaries, Catholic Social Services and the Sign of Hope Society, during the 21st century."

Archbishop Thomas Collins echoed O'Brien's remarks, saying he is pleased Leung has accepted the challenge of leading the "loyal" staff and volunteers of the three organizations. "Chris is a man of faith and integrity and one who has clearly dedicated his life to serving people in need."

The speaker will be Richard Andersen, President and CEO of Northlands. Mr Andersen was appointed CEO and President in June 2010 as noted in the Press Release of that date.

Northlands is excited to announce the appointment of Richard Andersen CFE, an experienced and renowned leader in sports and facility management, as the new President and CEO of the organization.

"I am delighted to share the news of this appointment with our community," said Andrew Huntley, Chair of the Northlands Board of Directors. "Richard is highly regarded for his leadership in delivering exceptional events and managing world class venues and facilities. Richard is the perfect choice as leader of Northlands' future."

As the former General Manager of Petco Park in San Diego and the Executive Vice President of the San Diego Padres, Andersen brings a wealth of experience in largescale, international facility and sports franchise management. Petco Park opened in
2004 to considerable critical and architectural acclaim. With Andersen at the helm, the park has become synonymous with excellence in facility management, and was recently awarded the 2010 Venue Excellence Award in the stadiums category from the International Association of Assembly Managers.

Andersen has invaluable experience in Northlands' core businesses: event production, facility management, creating exceptional customer experiences, attracting major international events and negotiating corporate sponsorships. "Richard can build on the strong legacy of Northlands and take our multi-faceted facilities and events into an exciting future," described Huntley. "We are confident that a leader of his caliber can continue to position Northlands as a critical entertainment and economic driver in Edmonton and Northern Alberta. Richard will take Northlands to the next level."

Andersen takes over from current President and CEO, Ken Knowles, who has served in the role for the last 11 years. "Ken is to be commended for his accomplishments as our President and CEO, and he has our deepest gratitude for his 25 years of loyal service to the organization and this community," said Huntley. "Richard will continue our tradition of running a business that serves the community with integrity, world class standards and a deep commitment to doing what's best for Edmonton and Northern Alberta. These multiple 'bottom lines' are as important to him as they are to us. It's one of the ways in which we knew he was a great fit." Andersen's tenure begins on August 3,2010.

"I am impressed by Northlands, its ambitions and its strong connection to the community," said Andersen of his new employer. "Northlands, already a cornerstone of the community, has shaped Edmonton and continues to play a pivotal role in its business, sporting and cultural life. My wife Susan and I are excited to be coming to Edmonton, becoming a part of the community and playing a part in shaping the next chapter for Northlands," concluded Andersen.

Thiis Rotary Program will feature The Premier of the Province, Ed Stelmach. Premier Stelmach will be speaking about the State of the Province.

Given the announcement our Premier made Tuesday January 25 2011 it could be a very interesting meeting.

January 24^th - Youth Day

Speakers:        Each group will have 10 - 12 minutes to present

First Group:      Attendees of the World Affairs Seminar

Julia Amelio and Elizabeth Higgs, Attendees sponsored by Youth Services

The World Affairs Seminar is the vision of Rotarian Dr. Dale Brock, whose vision was to bring about better understanding of world problems within a select group of young people from around the world. To accomplish this, he built a Seminar to study current issues. In the course of this study, the Seminar provides opportunities for participants to discuss those issues with other young people from around the world. Emphasis is on promoting better understanding of the causes of international conflict with the idea that if the causes are understood, problems are more likely to be solved peacefully.

Second Group:  Rotaract of Edmonton Centre            

Hailey Hutton, President, Kirsten Poon, Vice President, Pavel Medvedev, International Director

Rotaract of Edmonton Centre will be speaking about our two main ongoing community and international projects. The community initiative is an after-school mentorship program for a group of students at Delton Elementary School . The International project we're currently working on is a nursery construction project on Mfangano Island , Kenya . This May, they will be traveling again to Mfangano Island to assist in construction of the nursery, visit the school and bring new shoes for every student of Misori primary school.

Antoine Parker (Pictured here) and his associate Kevin Gangel will be our speakers on January 17. There subject is "What is social enterprise?

Antoine Palmer is Edmonton's one and only monk-turned-business consultant, with an extensive background in social enterprise, community development, communication and mediation, project management, and real estate investment. His firm, Konscious Corp. is a hub for champions of sustainability and social enterprise in Edmonton. Konscious facilitates collaboration among community leaders and provides a range of strategic consulting services. Antoine is married with three children and volunteers with several community organizations.

Meeting cancelled due to the Christmas Season.

The speaker will be Reg Milley, CEO of the Edmonton Airport Authority.

Reg Milley joined Edmonton Airports as President and Chief Executive Officer on February 1, 2005.  Edmonton Airports is responsible for the management and operation of four airports in the capital region: Edmonton International Airport; Edmonton City Centre Airport; Villeneuve Airport and Cooking Lake Airport.

Prior to joining Edmonton Airports, Reg was President of Halifax International Airport, a position he held since 2001.  Before that, he was a Vice President and Lead Officer with Husky Energy Inc. of Calgary, Alberta.

Reg is a graduate of Memorial University of Newfoundland.  He is a Director and past Chair of the Canadian Airports Council (CAC), and also chairs the Association's Governance & Compensation Committee.  Reg is also a member of the Government of Alberta's External Advisory Committee on Strategic Transportation Policy; member of the Alberta Economic Development Authority Board of Directors and Transportation Committee member; member of the World Governing Board of Airports Council International (ACI) and Board member of Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA); Vice Chair of the Telus World of Science Edmonton Board of Directors and a member of the Governance Committee; member of the Board of the Edmonton Symphony Society; member of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Presidential Advisory Committee; member of Concordia University Management Advisory Committee; and member of the Coordinated Clearance Coalition Advisory Board.

Reg and his wife Marcie have two children: Catherine, a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine practicing in St. Albert; and Kent, a member of Shell Canada's Management Development Program and currently assigned to the Scotford Refinery Expansion project in Fort Saskatchewan.

This Rotary Program will feature long time Rotarian Paul Byrne.

Paul  is the President & CEO of Grant MacEwan University.  Paul's career has also seen him in leadership positions at three public post-secondary institutions in Canada as well as work in the private sector with General Motors.

Dr. Byrne's academic credentials include a PhD from the University of Alberta, a Masters of Education from the State University of New York, a Bachelor of Arts with Distinction from Brock University, and certificates from Ryerson University and the League for Innovation.  He has completed post doctoral work at Harvard Graduate School and Oxford.

Paul's commitment to enhance access and provide a continuum of learning for learners is a key attribute that he brings to the presidency.  He has a strong belief that the soul of a university is the staff and their commitment to serving the needs of students.

Paul is a board member of The Edmonton Police Foundation Board, the Canadian Forces Liaison Council, the Judicial College of Arizona, and two US-based boards. He is Past-Chair of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.   In recognition of his community leadership, Dr. Byrne received the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, the Alberta Centennial Gold Medal, and the Alberta Commemorative Silver Medallion. Venture Magazine named Paul as one of Alberta's 50 most influential people in 2000 and 2004.  In April 2006 he received the Paul A. Elsner International Excellence in Leadership Award from the Chair Academy. In October 2009, Paul was installed as the Honorary Colonel of 419 Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, based in Cold Lake, Alberta.

Internationally, Paul has participated in projects and activities in India, South Africa, Uganda, Mexico, China, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Ukraine.

Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is the province's largest undergraduate university with four campuses, over 70 programs, a budget of $190 million and serves more than 38,000 learners annually.  MacEwan's mandate includes offering certificates, diplomas, post-graduate diplomas, applied degrees and undergraduate degrees.

The subject of Paul's address will be "MacEwan University - Sustainability"

This week will feature an update from two of our service focused committees. The World Community Service Committee Chair Brian Hehn  will provide an update on the Internationally oriented projects while Bill Hamilton, Chair of the Community Services Committee will speak about our clubs community focused efforts.

This is a good opportunity to catch up on the service work being done by our club.

Jasper in January 14-16

To:  Rotary Youth Exchange Students

Whether you are an avid skier or you have never felt snow before, it's time to think about a ski trip in the new year with other Rotary students.  Every winter the Rotary Club organizes a ski trip for Rotary Youth Exchange Students in the district to experience skiing in the Rocky Mountains.   Experienced chaperones will take you there and ski instructors will give lessons to the first timers or others who want to polish their moves.  Rental of ski equipment will be arranged for you, all you have to do is to register!

             Registration is on a first-come first-served basis - Register Early!!

Cost :              $350 per person 

·        This cost includes housing, transportation, rentals, lessons, breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday, Pizza Dinner on Saturday.

·        You will have access to the facilities at the Jasper Recreation Centre such as pool, hot tub, showers and pool games.

Deadlines                                                     

Registration Deadline:             Received by Mon., December 27, 2010

Payment Deadline :                   Received by Wed., January 5, 2011

(Sorry, we cannot accept late registration or payment)

To Register :            Fax or e-mail a completed Registration Form to Mimi Hui

As we near Remembrance Day, the Rotary Club of Edmonton program will feature Brigadier-General Lamarre, DMM, CD. Brigadier-General Lamarre joined the Canadian Forces from Calgary in June 1981. His first posting after completion of his training as a Logistics Officer in 1986 was to Transportation Company of 1 Service Battalion, Calgary. There, he served as a Platoon Commander, Company Training and Operations Officer and Company 2 I/C. This posting was followed by a Regular Support Staff tour at Hamilton Militia District Headquarters from 1988 to 1990.

He was next posted to Force Mobile Command Headquarters in St-Hubert, Quebec. After working in the SSO Transportation and G4 Operations sections, he was sent to Croatia from January to August of 1994 as the Movements Officer for the Canadian Contingent. Promoted to the rank of Major while overseas, he was then posted to 1 Service Battalion, Calgary, as the Officer Commanding Transportation Company from 1994 to 1996.

After a short posting to J4 Logistics at National Defence Headquarters (NDHQ), he took over the responsibilities of Career Manager for all Army Logistics Officers, a position he held from June 1997 to June 1999. This was followed by a two year posting as G4 of 1 Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in Edmonton, Alberta.
Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel in 2002, he served for one year as the G4 of Land Forces Central Area in Toronto until July 2003.

Thereafter, he was appointed the Commanding Officer of 1 Service Battalion in Edmonton, from where he deployed during the period of July 2004 to February 2005 to command the Canadian National Support Element of Operation ATHENA, Canada's contribution to the NATO mission in Afghanistan.

He was promoted to Colonel in June 2005 and attended the Industrial College of the Armed Forces at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C. In June 2006, he was appointed Director Plans Support/Specialist within the Strategic Joint Staff. In September 2006, he was appointed Director Land Service Support, the G4 of the Canadian Army. He assumed command of 1 Area Support Group, the support formation in Land Forces Western Area, in June of 2008.  In June 2010, he was appointed Commander (designate) JTF-Afg HQ 5-11/Mission Transition Task Force and will deploy in June 2011.  He was promoted to his current rank in September 2010.

Brigadier-General Lamarre is a graduate of the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Kingston, the Canadian Forces College, Toronto and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in Washington, D.C. He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, a Masters in Defence Studies and a Masters of Science in National Resource Management.

Bob Baker graduated from the University of Alberta, Department of Drama, in 1974 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Acting) Honors degree. In 1972 he co-founded and was co-director of Edmonton's Alberta Barter Theatre. From 1974 to 1979 he was in the Acting Company of The Stratford Festival in Ontario. In 1979 he became a faculty member of Vancouver Community College and taught Professional Acting Classes in Vancouver and Edmonton. In 1982, he was appointed Artistic Director of Edmonton's cutting-edge Phoenix Theatre where he directed such plays as Cloud Nine; Key Exchange; Torch Song Trilogy; Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You and The Actor's Nightmare; The Zen of an Intelligent Machine;As Is; B-Movie, The Play; The Curse of the Werewolf and North Shore Live, which he co-wrote, along with Tom Wood and Nicola Cavendish.

The years 1987-1989 saw Mr. Baker directing around the world in places such as The Shaw Festival, Alberta Theatre Projects, The Vancouver Playhouse, The Canadian Stage Company, and Harbourfront Theatre in Toronto, The Edinburgh International Theatre Festival, The National Arts Centre, The Cleveland Playhouse, The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, and The Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. In 1989 he became a member of the faculty at Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto.

In 1990 he was appointed Artistic Director of The Canadian Stage Company in Toronto where he directed such plays as Breaking the Code; The Dreamland; Henry VI; Richard III; La Bête; Once On This Island; Into the Woods; The Glorious 12^th; Angels in America Parts I and II and Claptrap.

This 2010-2011 Season marks Mr. Baker's 12^th year as Artistic Director at the Citadel Theatre.

Mr. Baker has received four Dora Award (Toronto) nominations for Outstanding Direction (Breaking the Code; Into the Woods; Angels in America Part I and Angels in America Part II) and received the award for directing B-Movie, The Play. Locally, Mr. Baker has three Sterling Awards (Edmonton) for Best Director (Popcorn, Cabaret and The Pillowman) and three nominations for Best Director for "Art"; Measure for Measure and West Side Story

Here is a note from Nelson Nolan, our Rotary exchange student.

Hello Downtown Rotary Club. This is Nelson and I am the outbound exchange student for the club. I am currently on my exchange to Basel, Switzerland. In my first two months here I have already acquired many great memories and experiences. I am learning High German and in the process of understanding the Swiss dialect of German. I have already travelled to France, Italy and numerous parts of Switzerland. I suppose I can be classified as a tourist now.  It is incredible how much you learn each day from just being in another place in the world. I am optimistic for the rest of my exchange and excited to share my experiences with you when I get back.

Our Rotary Program will feature a report from Eve Dewart, who was our Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Eve's Exchange country was Finland.  This is how Eve introduces herself.

"My name is Eve Dewart and thanks to Edmonton Rotary, I was given the opportunity to spend the 2009/2010 school year in Tampere, Finland. It is Finland's third largest city and is about a two-hour drive north of Helsinki. I attended Tampereen Yhtesikoulon Lukio, a high school with a performing arts focus. I was able to learn to speak some Finnish and get a close look at Finland's lifestyle and culture. Some of my most memorable Finnish experiences are going to sauna, eating reindeer, attending graduation and going to the capital, Helsinki. While there I also had the opportunity to travel to several other countries, including Russia, Denmark, Italy, France and Germany. It was an amazing opportunity for which I am truly grateful.

Now that I am back home in Edmonton, I am attending Archbishop MacDonald High School once again and pursuing my interest in sports, particularly volleyball and sailing."

For the full story and accompanying photos be sure to attend this meeting.

Our guest speaker will be Gordon Sawyer, President of the Edmonton Rush.

- Native Albertan
- Born in Calgary, Alberta
- Lived in Calgary, Red Deer and Edmonton. Doing his second tour of duty in Edmonton, AB.
- Started his formal career as a purchasing agent at Bruins Plumbing in 1975.
- moved to the Albertan Newspaper from 1977-1979.
- moved to Global mail for launch of national newspaper in 1980.
- moved to Rogers Cable as a marketing supervisor for the launch of Super Channel, First Choice and C  Channel in 1981.
- 1983 to 2009 - Returned to the newspaper business at the Calgary Sun where he held a number of positions over 26 years.
- 2009 - Retired from the Calgary Sun and in April 2009 became the President of the Edmonton Rush Lacrosse Club.
He has two daughters Chelsea and Kate of whom he is very proud.

Hon. David Johnston, the new Governor General of Canada in 1963 was a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, (District 6290) to attend University of Cambridge in England. 

The program speaker will be Helen Nolan, Executive Director of the 124st Street  Business Association.

Helen will provide an update on the redevelopment of 124 Street In 1988 the merchants of the business district, 124th Street, extending from Jasper Avenue north to 111 Avenue in central Edmonton, formed a business association. The purpose of this association was to work with the City of Edmonton to stimulate growth within the business district. Through the efforts of many members working with the Board over the years, 124th Street has physically improved with streetscaping and infrastructure work. Many businesses have seen the benefits of locating or expanding within the 124th Street business area. The vacancy rate is at an all time low, however rental rates have not been significantly affected. Many of the businesses have been on 124th Street for years, providing specialty sales and service to Edmonton and surrounding areas. Accessible parking and a diverse range of businesses and services, cobbled sidewalks and decorative street-lights, our streets invite each passerby to linger, to explore and to discover the charm of an area not much bigger than the heart of a small town. From sporting goods, travel and home decor to high fashion, flowers, books and designer furniture, you'll find what you're looking for on 124 Street & Area. Enjoy a break in one of many fine restaurants and bistros along the way, and don't miss the famous "Gallery Walk", featuring some of the best art the city has to offer. Perhaps you are a history buff? Take a guided walk of the Original West End, or head to the Provincial Museum of Alberta for an outstanding variety of displays and events. Capture the magic of a bygone age in the heart of a bustling city - Visit 124 Street & Area today!

The 1989 Council on Legislation vote to admit women into Rotary clubs worldwide remains a watershed moment in the history of Rotary.

"My fellow delegates, I would like to remind you that the world of 1989 is very different to the world of 1905. I sincerely believe that Rotary has to adapt itself to a changing world," said Frank J. Devlyn, who would go on to become RI president in 2000-01.

The vote followed the decades-long efforts of men and women from all over the Rotary world to allow for the admission of women into Rotary clubs, and several close votes at previous Council meetings.  Success story.

The committee has acted very quickly and positively in its effort to raise funds to support the much needed relief effort.

The fund raising dinner was held at Khazana Restaurant, in an environment that felt like a small group of 50 friends coming together to help close friends in need.  Dr. Muzaffar Siddiqui offered a touching and emotional plea to help.  Gene Zwozdesky, the Minister of Health and Wellness, who also joined us for dinner, offered a compelling call to action.

We raised over $35,000, which will be matched by CIDA for an additional $35,000, for a total of $70,000.  Of the funds accessible to us, the committee decided to use two third of the funds to address immediate needs by purchasing Shelter Boxes, Aqua Boxes, and other much needed emergency items.  The other one third will be given to Rotary International to support medium- and long-term projects, likely with a focus on improving Pakistan's capacity to rebuilt itself.

A big salute to committee members Mike Nabavi, Joyce Tustian, Sarkis Hakopdjanian, Joel David, David Heibert, Karen McDonald and Muzaffar Siddiqui

Jackie has been involved in a variety of club and district committees and served as district trainer facilitating the training of incoming Club Presidents and District and Club Leaders.  She was also a member of the District Harassment and Abuse Committee and served as Club President of the Athabasca Club during Rotary's Centennial year in 2003-2004   In 2006 Jackie travelled to Ajijic, Mexico, as part of a delegation from Athabasca working with Rotarians to support an orphanage for children who have been abandoned as a result of AIDS.   Jackie continues to work closely with the Teacher Facilitation and Training committee for the District 5370 Belize Literacy Program. Jackie is a member of the Paul Harris Society and the Bequest Society.  She was honored to have been chosen to be District Governor for District 5370 in 2010-2011.

Jackie enjoys the many opportunities for fellowship in Rotary and especially the District 5360/5370 annual curling bonspiel in February is also on the calendar. 

Education Administration & Training is Jackie's vocational classification.  Jackie is a retired school administrator from Edmonton Public Schools where she held a variety of teaching, consulting, supervisory and administrative positions.  In addition Jackie has authored textbooks as has served as a curriculum specialist.  She has worked as an Adjunct Professor and Instructor for the Faculty of Education, University of Alberta in Edmonton and on campus in SlaveLake where she taught in the Aboriginal Teacher Education Program.   Recently, Jackie assisted in the development and coordination of curriculum implementation planning and professional development for Northern Alberta and Edmonton Region School Districts. 

Jackie is married to Wayne, a retired Program Head from Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT)  Two married sons - Daryn and Patty and Brendan and Robin and 4 grandchildren all living in Edmonton enrich Jackie and Wayne lives. In addition to family and gatherings with Rotary friends, lake visits with the grandchildren, hiking and golf are passions for Jackie and Wayne.  Their guest cabin at Island Lake brings enjoyment and opportunities to meet and welcome many visitors.

The annual Rotary-UN Day will be held on Saturday, 6 November, at United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Under the theme "Rotary and the UN: Building Communities, Bridging Continents," the daylong meeting will bring together key leaders from the United Nations, Rotary International, and other organizations to discuss humanitarian issues and opportunities for collaboration.

Organized by the RI representatives to the UN, this year's event will feature presentations from senior UN staff and Rotary leaders as well as panel discussions on health, water, literacy, and youth.

High school-age students, including Interactors and Rotary Youth Exchange participants, can attend a special youth program in the morning and join the adult program in the afternoon.

Rotary-UN Day 2009 attracted more than 1,600 attendees from 46 countries. Because of reduced meeting space this year, early registration is encouraged. Read more.

To register, submit the appropriate form and payment.

Adult registration form
Youth/student registration form
Online registration

For further information, contact Brad Jenkins, RI representative to the UN in New York.

The program for the July 26 meeting will feature the well known Canadian and Edmonton Broadcaster Byran Hall.

One of the most recognizable voices in Alberta's media industry, "Hallsy" has spent over 50 years announcing and promoting sports. Bryan Hall combined personality, commitment and longevity to create an enormous impact on the City of Edmonton. Bryan has been the play-by-play announcer for the Edmonton Eskimos for over 35 years, calling the action for several Grey Cup victories and countless memories. Bryan was also the voice of the Alberta Oilers (World Hockey Association), Edmonton Flyers Hockey Club and Edmonton Oil Kings Hockey Club. In 1967 Bryan Hall took a bold step forward in sports broadcasting when he pioneered the first open-line sports show in Edmonton.

Throughout the last 50 years, Bryan has established himself as the most well known media celebrity in the City of Edmonton. Bryan's impact on the City of Edmonton and the media community across the country has been recognized twice: being honoured with "Bryan Hall Day" proclamations from the City of Edmonton, and, in 1989, being inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton now has a Facebook Page. Take a look and sign up as this can be another information and communication tool. Here is the link:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=100582649992038

The featured speaker for the scheduled meeting Monday July 12 will be John Wheelright of Dogs with Wings. The following was taken from their website.

Our Mission

Fostering independence and integration for Albertans with disabilities by providing highly trained assistance dogs and ongoing support.

Our Goals

To train and graduate sufficient, qualified assistance dogs yearly to meet the growing demand. To increase our annual funding contributions to enable us to meet the demand. To enrich someone's life by helping them to become more independent, and to enhance their ability to contribute to the community through their job, education and volunteer work by providing them with a fully trained assistance dog.

Our Values

Persons with disabilities are important members of society who need our assistance. We work with and support other organizations that provide assistance to the challenged members of our society. We provide dedicated and innovative services and opportunities for our clients. 
Our organization exists to serve our clients; our volunteers are instrumental in meeting our goals. Our assistance dogs are not just working dogs, they are valued family members.

The featured speaker will be Daniel Watson, Deputy Minister Western Economic Development.

Daniel was appointed Deputy Minister for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) on July 16, 2009.

Before this appointment Daniel was Associate Deputy Minister at WD. Previously, he was Senior Assistant Deputy Minister at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, Assistant Deputy Minister at WD Saskatchewan Region, and Director General at the Department of Justice.

Prior to joining the federal public service, he worked for both the British Columbia and the Saskatchewan governments, gaining extensive experience in policy, Aboriginal issues and intergovernmental affairs.

A graduate of the University of British Columbia, Mr. Watson sat on a number of government committees, including the Saskatchewan Federal Council, the Assistant Deputy Ministers' Forum.

WD promotes the development and diversification of the western Canadian economy and advances the interests of the West in national economic policy. Western Economic Diversification Canada works to strengthen western innovation, entrepreneurship and community economic development. Daniel is based in WD Headquarters in Edmonton.

Representatives from the Edmonton Eskimos will be featured on the program on May 31. They will be updating Rotarians on the planning for the 98th Grey Cup.

For the second straight year, the province of Alberta will host Canada's largest annual sporting event. Taking place in the city of Edmonton, the 98th Grey Cup will be played at Commonwealth Stadium, a historic venue that has played host to several major sporting events, including Grey Cups from previous years. Festivities surrounding the event will highlight Edmonton's passion for football, and the spirit of this northern Alberta city, something fans of all ages won't want to miss.

This Grey Cup is also important to Edmonton because it coincides with the Eskimos' 100-year anniversary. Decades of great memories and great football will no doubt be featured throughout the festivities, as fans from all over Canada come to together to celebrate, while the CFL's best compete for the championship trophy.

The program will feature Dr. Andy Knight. You may recall the long time Rotarian Ron Grantham was an advocate and financial contributor to the Peace and Conflict resolution studies at the University of Alberta. Dr. Knight was a friend of Ron's and was one of the first to teach in that field at the university.

Dr. Andy Knight was appointed to the International Development Research Centre Board of Governors in March 2007. He is serving his first term, which will expire in 2011. Effective July 1st, Dr. Knight became Chairman for the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Previously, he was Professor of International Relations in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta, Director of the Office of the Interdisciplinary Studies' Peace and Post-Conflict Studies Certificate Program in the Faculty of Arts and Faculty Advisor, National Model United Nations (NMUN) and High School Model United Nations. He co-edited the international journal, Global Governance, from 2000 to 2005 and has served as Vice Chair of the Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS). Professor Knight is the author and editor of several books, including Adapting the United Nations to a Postmodern Era: Lessons Learned and A Changing United Nations. He is co-editor of Building Sustainable Peace.

The speaker will be Dr. Wayne Shillington, President & CEO Norquest College

Dr. Wayne Shillington has had a tremendous impact on Alberta's post-secondary system for more than 30 years. Starting his career as a teacher in Saskatchewan, Dr. Shillington moved to Alberta in the late '70s where he spent 20 years at Lakeland College in northeastern Alberta, including serving inthe role of academic vice-president.
Throughout his career, Dr. Shillington has maintained a strong commitment to ensuring
everyone has an opportunity for a post-secondary education. He has worked extensively withoutreach program delivery and pioneered the use of distance education technology and alternatelearning models. Dr. Shillington's own educational successes include a Masters degree in Curriculum and Instruction, and a PhD in Educational Leadership from Gonzaga University in Washington State.

In 1998, Dr. Shillington became President of NorQuest College (formerly Alberta Vocational College). His leadership and vision has led to significant expansion of NorQuest programs and partnerships with the community, business and other post-secondary institutions. Today, NorQuest College is a recognized innovator and leader in business, industry and health careers training, English language and adult literacy, and workplace programs to assist newcomers in transitioning to the workforce.
Dr. Shillington believes in investing in his community and does so as a volunteer with a variety of community organizations, including the Riverview Rotary Club, Vibrant Communities Edmonton, and the United Way. His involvement extends to the Edmonton Chamber ofCommerce, Edmonton Economic Development Corporation and the Edmonton Downtown Business Association. In fact, Dr. Shillington's community involvement is one of the reasons NorQuest has emerged as a key contributor to the economic and social development of the Edmonton region.
Dr. Shillington and his wife Marcy are active supporters of Edmonton's arts and cultural community and throughout the year, they attend a variety of fundraising events in support of many charitable causes.

A former member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton, Dr. Gerry Predy will be our speaker.

Dr. Predy received his M.D. from the University of Alberta in 1976 and holds a Fellowship in the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons with a specialty in Community Medicine. He has over 25 years experience in Family Medicine and Public Health in both rural and urban settings. In September, 1996 he was appointed Medical Officer of Health for the Capital Health Region in Alberta, and this past year became the Vice-President of Public Health as well. Major responsibilities include managing health protection programs and monitoring and reporting on the health status of the population. Annually, Dr. Predy produces a health status report entitled "How Healthy Are We?" which makes use of population health indicators and the influence of the determinants of health. Chronic disease prevention, injury prevention and healthy physical and social environments are high on his agenda.

As Medical Officer of Health Dr. Predy has a major role in health protection overseeing emergency preparedness, infection control in the community, for example, influenza, antibiotic resistant organisms, tuberculosis and HIV and utilizes a number of strategies for controlling outbreaks.

Dr. Predy also has a limited practice in a local medical clinic thereby keeping up to date on what is circulating in the community. He is interested in running and regularly participates in marathons. He recently was presented with a Leadership Award in Heart Healthy Policy by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

This weeks program will feature Nolan Crouse, Mayor of St. Albert. Nolan Crouse has lived in St. Albert since 1991 and served a term as Councillor from 2004-2007. During his time on Council, Nolan served on a number of Boards and Committees including:

•St. Albert/Sturgeon Intermunicipal Development Plan Team

•Capital Region Waste Minimization Advisory Committee

•Chair, St. Albert Finance and Audit Committee

•Multipurpose Leisure Centre Campaign Planning Committee

•St. Albert Subdivision and Development Appeal Board •Yellowhead Highway Association

•Affordable Housing Advisory Board

•Municipal Planning Commission

Nolan has also been very involved in the community, especially through the Alberta Junior Hockey League where he has contributed as both a Coach and General Manager. In addition to his involvement in the sporting community, he has also been involved in the United Way and a number of community initiatives such as the Slave Lake Arctic Winter Games. Nolan has extensive experience in the Forest Products industry and as an entrepreneur.

He recently completed his MBA in Community Economic Development. Nolan is married to wife Gwen and has three children.

Wendy is a second generation Rotarian who is actively involved in Rotary at the district level as a trainer and is Chair of the Rotary Employment Partnership. Wendy is also a Past President of the Mayfield Rotary Club.

Outside of Rotary, Wendy is equally as active a President of the Alberta Association for Community Living

 In her spare time Wendy   also finds time for her paying job as a Principal in the firm PossibilityWorks, which specializes in staff training and leadership development. Wendy and her husband Blaine have two sons, Aaron and Kyle.   Kyle, the youngest, is 15 years old and has a developmental disability.  

We are pleased that our guest speaker will by Mayor Stephen Mandel.

Serving Alberta's Capital City, Mayor Stephen Mandel has led the City of Edmonton since October 2004.

Mayor Mandel is a strong advocate for Alberta municipalities, ensuring they receive a fair share of funding to pay for vital infrastructure and community services.   In addition, his advancement of key initiatives like Port Alberta are driven by his dedication to fostering Edmonton's growing position as a hub for northern development, transportation, logistics, manufacturing and research.

His bold vision to improve the integration of services in the Edmonton region made historic progress by encouraging the Province to take the lead and create a new governance body with a clear direction to build a more effective regional plan.

Mayor Mandel's impartial leadership approach strengthens the community.   In 2007, when the City invested a record breaking $1 billion to improve roads, neighbourhoods and community revitalizations, the City continued to be a strong patron for the arts and cultural events leading to Edmonton becoming the Culture Capital of Canada.

Through his inclusive vision for the city, Mayor Mandel has given a voice and opportunities to low-income families, seniors, and those in need.

As Mayor, Stephen is a steadfast steward of numerous green initiatives and remains committed to preserving Edmonton's reputation as a global environmental leader.

Before running for public office, Mayor Mandel was an accomplished businessman bringing 30 years of private sector experience to City Hall.   As President of Mandel Group, he was involved in business development, residential and commerical real estate development, construction, as well as operations of hotels and sports enterprises.

Stephen remains active in the community and volunteers for organizations including the Mazankowski Heart Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Jewish Community Centre, and Allen Gray Continuing Care Centre.   He is married, with two grown children.

"You breathe and you breathe and you breathe. And then you take a step."

That's how Finbar O'Sullivan, a member of the Rotary Club of Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, describes climbing to the summit of 23,000-foot Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, the highest peak in the Western Hemisphere. "It was physically brutal -- probably one of the hardest things I think I've ever done."

The Program for Monday February 8, 2010 will feature our Premier Ed Stelmach.

By contributing to the Foundation, you advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

There are as many reasons to support The Rotary Foundation as there are ways to do good in the world.

By contributing to the Foundation, you advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education, and the alleviation of poverty.

Here are a few ways your contributions are making change possible.

RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith addresses district governors-elect at the 2010 International Assembly.

After taking the stage to the tune of "California, Here I Come," RI President-elect Ray Klinginsmith announced the 2010-11 RI theme, Building Communities -- Bridging Continents, during the opening plenary session of the 2010 International Assembly .

Klinginsmith said he arrived at the theme after reviewing RI themes of years past. He noticed that only a few spoke to non-Rotarians.

"As a result, I decided to search for a briefly stated theme that would fulfill two objectives: the first to explain Rotary to non-Rotarians, and the second to validate our work for Rotarians," he said. "The words I have selected to describe Rotary's current mission and to highlight our achievements are what we do best: Building Communities -- Bridging Continents. "  Full Story

Dr. Shaw assumed his responsibilities as President and CEO of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) on October 1, 1997. Today, Dr. Shaw leads a team of more than 3,300 staff serving over 84,000 students with an annual budget of $302 million.

Educational highlights

• BA from Chaminade University of Honolulu
• MSc from Dalhousie University
• MEd and PhD from the University of Toronto
• Completed the Professional Development program at the Harvard University Institute for Educational Management
• Earned Chartered Director designation from McMaster University and The Conference Board of Canada in 2006
• Teaches Organizational Behaviour at NAIT
• Adjunct Professor, MBA program, Cape Breton University

Accomplishments at NAIT
During Dr. Shaw's tenure, NAIT has grown into the number one apprenticeship trainer in Canada and was recognized as one of Alberta's Top Employers for 2007 and 2008. In addition, NAIT has:

• opened a number of world-class centres, including
  • the state-of-the-art NAIT HP Centre for Information and Communications Technology – home of the Duncan McNeill Centre for Innovation
  • the NAIT Petro-Canada Centre for Millwright Technology
  • the NAIT Spartan Centre for Instrumentation Technology
  • the NAIT Shell Manufacturing Centre
• launched two unique baccalaureate programs – a Bachelor of Technology in Technology Management and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Enterprise Management
• recently announced a $1.5 billion workforce development strategy

He is most proud of NAIT's 141,000 alumni who are getting the job done in Alberta and around the world.

Memberships and awards

• Member of Industry Canada's Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC)
• Chair of the Standards Council of Canada, Canadian Advisory Committee
• Sits on a number of boards including the Canadian Bureau for International Education (CBIE) and the Canadian Commercialization Corporation (CCC)
• 2005 Distinguished Leadership Award from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) District VIII.
• Alberta Venture magazine's 2004 Business Person of the Year and one of their 50 Most Influential People in 2000 and 2005

Former Rotary Exchange Student Liz Green (then Elizabeth Thomas) from Australia visited our Rotary Club on Monday. She and her husband are taking a six week tour of US and Canada. In speaking to club members she reflected how the experience has changed her life. She, in her words, was an immature 16 year old who had lived a very sheltered life in rural Australia. She returned to Australia a year later a more confident, independent and mature young lady. On her return she had found that her class had graduated, and a number of her friends were pregnant. This was not the path for her. She completed her grade 12, participated in public speaking finishing second at state level competitions. Liz has now graduated from University, and has been teaching for three years. Liz ended her comments by saying " I am who I am today because of my experiences here".

Thank you Liz for the update. It is nice to see the difference we are making to the young people who come to our Rotary Club in the Rotary Youth Exchange program.

The focus of the Rotary Program for Monday January 18 will be the Rotary Youth Exchange Program. There will be three speakers , presenting different viewpoints on the program. They are:

Nelson Nolan our 2010-11 Outbound Student who will introduction of himself to the club.

Joel Semeniuk, a Rotex member (returned student) and current medical student at the U of A will discuss Rotary Youth Exchange program's impact on his life.

Debbie Walker a former host family as well as parent of a Rotary Youth Exchange program participant will discuss the benefits of hosting from her perspective.

Our Guest speaker will be Sandy Mactaggart, the recient of the Dickson Memorial Award.

Sandy Auld Mactaggart was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1928.  He was evacuated to Canada at the age of 12 in 1940 from Islay during World War II.  After schooling in Ontario at Lakefield College School and in New England at the Choate School, he graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in architecture.  In 1952, he received his Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard Business School.  He was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alberta in 1990.

He came to Edmonton in 1952 and two years later incorporated Maclab Enterprises Ltd. with the late Jean de La Bruyère.  This company is engaged in property development and venture capital activities in Western Canada, the United States and other parts of the world.

Sandy Mactaggart was one of the four founders of the Citadel, Edmonton's first professional regional theatre and remains a governor. more

Merry Christmas and the fellowship of the season will be the program and focus of the meeting this Monday, December 14. Members are reminded to bring their partners and please, please pre register so that we have a good number for the meal count.

Rotarian Santa Morley has arranged a great program, with the Rotary Brass Ensemble, and students from Victoria School of Performing and Visual Arts making an appearance. I understand they ( the students) may be doing some numbers from their recent successful production of "White Christmas".

Rylee Oosterhuis is our second outbound Rotary Youth Exchange Student. Her exchange is in Skaelskor, Denmark .

Rylee sends monthly updates on her progress and has been having challenges.  Apparently the language was a problem for her so after about 1 month in a regular high school she transferred to a school for Danish as a second language.  She is studying Danish with gusto and is trying to get to a point where she can return to regular high school and be more productive.  We expect that will happen within the next month.   She also struggled with her first host family in the beginning but worked through it to have an enjoyable time there in the end.  No doubt she grew from the experience and is one of the great benefits of RYE.   She has just recently moved to her 2^nd host family.  Rylee is enjoying doing a lot of extra-curricular activities such as working out at a gym and dance classes.  She has been to the opera and has taken some nice trips around Denmark.

I regret to advise that Nick Ochotta passed away in his sleep early evening Friday December 4, 2009. Service details are:

Nick was an avid Rotarian having joined the Rotary Club of Edmonton January 11, 1968. Nick served the club as President  in the 1989 - 1990 Rotary year. Nick served in the Canadian military during World War two, operating a tank (little known fact: the Sherman tank had an air-cooled, aircraft-style, radial engine).  Nick's passion has always been photography.  He tells of, as a youth, assisting the official photographer of the Edmonton Eskimos football team, where Nick was responsible to load film into the movie cameras.  The film lasted about ten minutes, so quite a few films needed to be loaded for the game.  With the introduction of colour film, Nick entered the field of photofinishing, and he established Northwest Colour Laboratories, a colour film processing laboratory that served Alberta and more.

A little-known interest of Nick's is stained-glass windows.  Nick creates and repairs these windows, and for many years had his residential garage converted to this endeavor.  Nick is also an accomplished artist.

Over the years of his membership in Rotary, Nick has taken many photographs.  He has provided these to the club archives. 

Eve Dewart is one of our two outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students. She is living in Tampere, Finland and has just completed her first 3 months there. Here is an update.

 " Eve is doing great and sends regular updates.  She is energetically taking on the task of learning a very, very difficult language, Finnish.  She attends school regularly and has made many friends at her school.  She is even taking such topics as math and physics, not easy even in English let along Finnish.  In addition she is doing a lot of dance and is now practicing ballroom dance in preparation for the big high school dance coming up after the new year.  Her first host family was great and she became close to them.  Enough cannot be said for what an important role a good host family can make in an exchange student's experience (hint, hint… are you a great host family just waiting to happen for our inbound students?).  Eve has just moved to her 2^nd host family.

  Eve also has an online blog at www.evefinland.blogspot.com and I encourage you to take a look.  She has a few videos that she made about her experiences on it that are interesting.

Satya Das will be the feature speaker on Monday November 16. Satya is an experienced opinion leader, a noted policy advisor, and most recently, the author of the best selling The Best Country – Why Canada Will Lead the Future. With more than 25 years of public policy experience in his previous career as an award winning editorialist and national columnist, Das has substantial expertise in economic policy, social policy and foreign policy. A pioneering commentator on Canadian identity and values, he wrote about Canadian pluralism in the 2003 Supreme Court Law Review. As a principal in Cambridge Strategies Inc., he has advised at the most senior levels of the federal, Alberta and municipal governments on governance issues, policy development, strategic planning and economic policy. His volunteer work has brought him a number of major awards for the advancement of human rights and cultural diversity.

On Monday he will be discussing his latest book titled "Green Oil"

Julie Mulligan, the Rotarian from Drayton Valley, who was kidnapped in Nigeria gave a riveting presentation at the Rotary Club  of Edmonton on Monday, October 26. After being held in captivity and at gun point for 13 days it would be easy to hate her captors and and want to forget she had ever been there. Julie has the true Rotary spirit and has recognized a significant problem in Nigeria. An estimated one million women in Nigeria suffer from Obstetric Fistula the most devastating of all childbirth injuries. More information here. Julie has joined her fellow international Rotarians in fighting to overcome this debilitating condition. The Board of Directors have agreed to match contributions made by Rotary members on a 1 for 1 basis (up to $2,500) to support this cause. Please contact Bonnie with your contribution.

This program will feature James Rajotte, MP

As a member of the Conservative Party of Canada in the Canadian House of Commons, Rajotte is chair of Parliament's Standing Committee on Finance. Previously he was chair of the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology. He represented the riding of Edmonton Southwest from 2000 to 2004. In the 2004 federal election he was elected in the newly-created riding of Edmonton-Leduc. He was re-elected in Edmonton-Leduc in the 2006 and 2008 federal elections. He was first elected as a Canadian Alliance MP in 2000, and was also one of four Alliance MPs who agreed to sit with the Progressive Conservative caucus after the December 9, 2003 creation of the Conservative Party, as the Alliance and Progressive Conservative parliamentary caucuses were not officially merged into a single caucus until a few weeks later.
Rajotte is a former executive assistant and researcher. Rajotte was the CPC official opposition critic for Industry and also fulfilled the role of opposition critic for Science, Research and Development. His interests include classical music and literature.

Dolly Parton will speak at the morning plenary session on 23 June to promote reading among preschool children. Photo courtesy of The Dollywood Foundation

Country music legend and philanthropist Dolly Parton will be a keynote speaker during the 2010 RI Convention in Montréal, Québec, Canada, 20-23 June.

Parton will speak at the morning plenary session on 23 June to promote reading among preschool children. She and the Dollywood Foundation's Imagination Library teamed up with Rotary International in March to help provide age-appropriate books each month to children from birth until age five. Read more.

Parton will speak to Rotarians about the importance of early childhood reading and how the collaboration with Rotary International has augmented the success of the Imagination Library.

The singer developed a personal love of books while growing up in rural Tennessee, USA, where she saw firsthand the toll that illiteracy can take on families.

"I am thrilled about our partnership with Rotary International," she said in March. "Rotarians love kids as much as I do, so I truly believe we can do something extraordinary together to help even more children love to read and succeed."

Since its launch in 1996, the Imagination Library has provided more than 23 million books to preschoolers.

The guest speaker will be Dr. Larry Ohlhauser. Dr. Ohlhauser is known around the world for his inspirational seminar and book, The Healthy CEO, which uses his proven concepts of goal setting and outcome measurement to address the unique health and career challenges facing professional executives. As a professional, motivational, and corporate keynote speaker, Dr. Ohlhauser tells you how to develop a healthy CEO.

After running a successful medical practice in Alberta, Canada, Dr. Ohlhauser worked with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta for 20 years (the last 12 years as Registrar and CEO). Today Dr. Ohlhauser is president and CEO of Ohlhauser & Associates, a consulting firm specializing in healthcare strategy and management consulting for large multinationals, business corporations, and government institutions.

• Planning and development for the Glenora Community League
• Glenora School Council chair and volunteer coordinator
• Reading mentor at Glenora School
• Director of St. Basil´s School of Ukrainian Dance
• Communications director for Kupalo Ukrainian Dance School
• Volunteer coordinator for the Bell Walk for Kids

Rotarian Sharon Liu and her husband Ed Wong are excited to announce the arrival of their first baby who was born Wednesday, September 16. Summer Eden Wong was 6 lbs 4 oz and 20 inches long. (for the ladies in the club).  Mother Sharon and daughter summer are doing well.

Congratulations!!

The late Ron Grantham, a Rotarian of note, was instrumental in encouraging the University of Alberta to create  "Peace and Conflict Resolution" studies. This involved personal contributions, and a great deal of effort. The concept has moved forward and  now there will be a major conference in Edmonton to support the established goals.

A major international conference organized by the United Nations University and the University of  Alberta titled «Towards 'the Dignity of Difference': Neither 'the Clash of Civilizations' nor 'the End of History'» with keynote address from Benjamin Barber, Robert Cox, Hassan Hanafi, and Fred Dallmayr will take place in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada) on 2–4 October 2009.

All panels are FREE and OPEN to public. To learn more about the conference and to register please visit http://www.dofdifference.org/.

Stricken with polio at the age of four, Perlman overcame great physical challenges to become one of the world's most celebrated musicians. Now, he'll help Rotary meet its greatest challenge -- to eradicate polio.  

To buy tickets, phone the Philharmonic box office at 212-875-5656 (hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily) and mention that you're a Rotarian so you can access the block of tickets reserved for Rotarians until 1 November. Tickets can also be purchased online  through the Philharmonic, but they are not part of the Rotary ticket block. Tickets are expected to go quickly.

All proceeds benefit Rotary's US$200 Million Challenge.

 Here is the press release download a press release about the event.

On Tuesday September 16th our father, Ronald Douglas Grantham, died at the Misericordia hospital in Edmonton.  He had been in the hospital for the past two months but we all (Dad included) were making plans for him to move to a facility in Edmonton where he could have a bit more care than at Canterbury Court (the seniors residence he founded which led to his decoration with the Order of Canada).  He died peacefully in the night after a wonderfully full day of visitors.

We are both saddened and shocked to have to provide this news to you.  We know, however, that Dad would have wanted to send one large message to everyone he knew to let them know that he cared for each of you and he loved to communicate with you all.  Thank you for sharing messages and community with Dad, he loved to have this access with you and to share information and knowledge.As one friend put it, "He was such a large presence in this life - it is so unlike him not to be here."

The program will feature Fred Horne, Chair of the Alberta Heath Policy Committee 

Fred Horne (born August 25, 1961 in Whitby, Ontario) is a Canadian politician and current Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Edmonton-Rutherford as a Progressive Conservative.

Horne, a former debater, moved from Ontario to Alberta in 1992 to accept the position of executive director with the Alberta Debating and Speech Association. He later coached Team Canada at the World Schools Debating Championships. Prior to his election, he spent 25 years as a health policy consultant, working with various governments, health professional bodies, and research organizations to develop health care. Horne holds a master of business administration degree from Royal Roads University in Victoria, British Columbia and a postgraduate certification in dispute resolution from York University.

This week will feature two Rotarians, King Richard and former Secretary Randy Boissoneault who will be discussing their experiances at the Rotary Internatoinal Convention that was held in Birmingham.

With the next Rotary International Conference being held in Montreal, It will provide an opportunity for club members to experiance this wonderful event.

Waterton - Glacier is a monument to the vision and hard work of Rotary leaders from both sides of the border. On July 4, 1931, representatives from the Rotary clubs of Kalispell, Great Falls, and Missoula in Montana, and Lethbridge and Cardston in Alberta met at Waterton Park, Alberta. They devised a plan to designate the two national parks as one "International Peace Park", the first of its kind in the world.

The first meeting of the Rotary Club of Edmotnon to be held in the Sutton Place Hotel will feature Murray Smith as our guest speaker.

Murray Smith was elected to the Alberta Legislature in June 1993. Prior to his election, Murray worked in the private sector, where his career included ownership of a number of Alberta companies in the energy and retail sectors.

Murray has been involved in the oilpatch from his early years on the rigs in northern Alberta to his eventual ownership of an oil well servicing company and other entrepreneurial ventures.

Murray's third consecutive elected term and his appointment as Alberta's Minister of Energy began in March 2001. The ministry has responsibility for a diverse resource development portfolio that includes natural gas, conventional oil, oil sands, petrochemicals, electricity, coal, and minerals.

Pictured here is E. Leslie Pidgeon the first non-American to become President of Rotary International.

Next June, Rotarians from around the world will gather in Montreal for the 101st RI Convention. When they do, they not only will usher in a second century of Rotary conventions, they also will mark the 100th anniversary of the first Rotary club in Canada, that one in Winnipeg that can -- and does -- claim to be "the club that made Rotary international."

By 1914, six Canadian clubs had followed Winnipeg into "first 100 clubs" status: Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, and Victoria. In the nearly 100 years since, those seven clubs have multiplied a hundredfold: Canada is now home to 728 clubs with more than 27,000 members.

About 1,500 people, including Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and United Nations leaders, will attend Rotary-UN Day in New York City on 7 November.

Organized by RI representatives to the UN, the day will feature panel discussions on water, literacy, health, and youth. Speakers from the United Nations, Rotary, and other nongovernmental organizations will discuss humanitarian programs and provide insight into the more than 60-year relationship between Rotary and the UN.

The program will also include a youth panel featuring a speaker from Interact and Rotaract, who will each present a 10-minute description of a hands-on international club project.

Learn more, including how to register, at www.riunday.org. All registration forms must be submitted by 23 October. Early registration is encouraged.

E-mail Brad Jenkins, primary RI representative to the UN in New York, for further information.

He is past president of the Forth Valley Junior Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Scottish Junior Chambers of Commerce and past general legal counsel of Jaycees International. In addition, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him the deputy lieutenant of his district. 

John is an elder of the Church of Scotland, where he has served as session clerk and Presbytery elder. Active in Boy Scouting, he received the organization's Medal of Merit for helping to form new Scout groups in Eastern Europe. 

A Rotarian since 1970, John is a member of the Rotary Club of Grangemouth. He has served Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland (RIBI) as committee member and chair, vice president, and president. He has served Rotary International as district governor, task force member, committee member, vice chair, RI Board Executive Committee chair, director, and Rotary Foundation trustee. He also has been a representative, member at large, and parliamentarian for the Council on Legislation on several occasions. 

John is a Rotary Foundation Major Donor and Bequest Society member. He is a recipient of the Foundation's Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award.

John and his wife, June, have been married since 1965.

President, Rotary International, 2009-10
Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 2000-04
Director, Rotary International, 1995-97
President, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, 1992-93
Vice President, Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, 1991-92

Mr. Bart West was appointed as Honorary Colonel of 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron in Edmonton, AB in October 2001. He will be discussing his view of a trip he took to visit the troops in Afganistan.

Honorary Colonel West was born in the UK. Following training as an electrical engineer (specializing in electric power transmission and distribution) he held a variety of engineering positions with the electricity supply industry in the UK.

Dr. Milton Ness, Zoo Veterinarian for the Valley Zoo in Edmonton is a poster child for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.  In his 28 years as an Edmonton area veterinarian, he has practiced in almost every facet of veterinary medicine. He spent 5 years as a mixed practice veterinarian in Fort Saskatchewan and 23 years as a companion animal/exotic animal veterinarian. He has done exotic animal and wildlife medicine and surgery his entire career at sites that include West Edmonton Mall, Elk Island National Park, the Valley Zoo, and private individuals. He spent 8 years as an academic, teaching veterinary topic at NAIT.  He was hired by the Valley Zoo in 2007 to become the first staff veterinarian at that facility in its 50 year history. He has recently become the focus of national and international commentary with regards to "Lucy" the 34 year old Asian elephant who is the longest residing animal at the Valley Zoo. 

Having recently returned from the Rotary International Convention in Birmingham, England our New President, King Richard will make his inaugural address to members of the Rotary Club of Edmonton. Rotarian King Richard will review his thoughts on the convention and outline some of his ideas for the year. This is a do not miss meeting.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton is pleased to host Councillor Ed Gibbons for lunch this Thursday.

Ed Gibbons, Councillor of Ward 3, remembers 118 Avenue in its heyday. He's delighted that 118 Avenue is returning to its roots as a vibrant community, filled with restaurants, ethnic shops and a diverse array of arts and services. Most importantly, families of all ages and sizes are calling the surrounding area home.

"When I lived there, 118 Avenue was a major thoroughfare," notes Gibbons. "It's a privilege for me to support the revitalization of this historic community. As a City Councillor, I'm proud to have worked with the community on many aspects of the revitalization project."

Be sure to attend on Thursday, June 11, as Councillor Ed Gibbons shares his views on the rejuvenation of this historic Edmonton district. The Councillor will entertain a brief question period at the conclusion of his presentation.

Our Rotary District 5370 is sponsoring a major program in which Rotarians and their partners will impact the education system in Belize in a major way. The Alberta Department of Education is one of those partners. One aspect of the project is to send Alberta teachers to Belize during the summer months to "teach the teacher". A second aspect is to bring a number of Belize teachers to Edmonton for specialized training.

Past President Muriel Dunnigan was the club liaison for the return visit and asked a number of our members to act as host families. Included was Roger Laing, Dawn Fargey, Gary Keen and Harry Buddle. Muriel and Frank also hosted a dinner party for all involved. This is the evidence.

John and Lois Bachynsky once again were fabulous hosts for the wrap up of the Mystery Dinner parties. They opened their home to Rotary couples who participated in the fellowship event. The evening was filled with laughter, wine, great food, wine and more laughter. This is one of the great Rotary fellowships held during the year.

Past President Hal, Mike and Joel

Hostess Lois, Maxine and Johann

The complete photo journal can be found at fellowship.

Each year The Rotary Club of Edmonton honors a business person who makes a real difference in our city. This year (2009) Doug Goss a practicing lawyer with Bryan & Company LLB was selected. Doug's boundless energy and outstanding vision allow him to see things as they could be and then he works with a team of like minded individuals to make it happen. From one time events like the Heritage Classic, to continuous involvement in important causes like NAIT and the Edmonton Oiler Community Foundation, Doug makes important contributions to make our city a vibrant and exciting place to live. This is a tribute to Doug Goss produced by Aquila Productions Ltd.

This weeks Program will feature Rick Lelecheur, CEO of the Edmonton Eskimos AND Richie Hall our new Head Coach.

Richie Hall (born October 4, 1960, in San Antonio, Texas) is the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. Hall played college football at Colorado State University before joining the CFL and playing defensive back for the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders from 1983-1991. Hall was a CFL All-Star in 1983 and he was part of the Roughriders' 1989 Grey Cup winning team. He also won the Tom Pate Memorial Award in 1990. Hall served as the defensive coordinator for the Roughriders for eight years before he was hired as the head coach the Eskimos. Hall becomes the first African-American head coach in the Edmonton Eskimos history.

Wanda Cree, winner of the 2009 Integrity Award  will be the featured speaker for the luncheon meeting scheduled for Thursday April 30.

Wanda Cree has a remarkable record of service to the seniors of Edmonton and Alberta. From 1974 to 1981 she was the Assistant Director of the Society for the Retired and Semi-Retired. Following that she worked for the Seniors Secretariat of the Government of Alberta for 12 years where she was responsible for province-wide information services, and the grants program of the Secretariat. In her own retirement she has continued to contribute hundreds of hours of volunteer service to improving conditions for the elderly in our city and province. She has assisted in establishing the Senior Friendly program and the planning for the International Year of Older Persons. She was a member of the Action Committee on Elder Abuse. She was active member of the Alberta Association of Gerontology where she held a number of highly responsible positions. The Association has honoured her with the Mary Morrison Davis Awards for exceptional services in the field. Wanda has served on the Advisory Committee of the University of Alberta Centre on Aging, and as a member of the Capital Health Consumer Advisory Committee to their Geriatric Services. She helped to form the Edmonton Seniors Coordinating Council and continues to serve on its Board. For the last ten years she has chaired the Edmonton Seniors Community Health Council, a group of retired health professionals working to improve policy and programs for seniors. Wanda Cree has helped to significantly improve the lives of hundreds of Edmonton and Alberta seniors. Her outstanding contributions make her a most deserving recipient of the Rotary Integrity Award

Rotarian Era Rowles is one of the many Rotarians who is a strong believer in and supporter of the "Downtown with a Purpose Gala". As the owner of business that represents many Alberta Artists, Era asks for and receives the support of many of her clients. Among those who have donated art to the Gala are painters Bi Y Cheng view, Lissi Legge view, and George Schwindt view. There is also sculpture and glass work by Ken Li view and Larry Guterson.

There are many items available for auction.

 Now in its eight year, the Edmonton Employment Partnership is a collaboration of District 5370 & 5360 Rotary clubs, the Alberta Association for Community Living, and Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) Program Branch and Community Boards (Alberta Seniors & Community Supports).

The purpose of the project is to create meaningful employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities in partnership with Rotary business owners and employers.   Many Rotarians are making an invaluable difference by helping people with developmental disabilities "get their foot in the door" of business and industry - to have a chance for real jobs. In turn many Rotarians are learning about the contribution people with developmental disabilities can make from improving the bottom line (e.g., by reducing turnover) to increasing customer satisfaction.  

So just how does an employer go about employing someone with a developmental disability? Employers may think, at first, that they simply do not have any jobs for someone with a developmental disability.  However, our experience and that of an increasing number of Rotarians, demonstrates that many jobs exist when an employer has the support and opportunity to think about the benefits of hiring someone with a developmental disability. The project staff helps business owners and employers to think about how jobs can be re-defined so as to maximize efficiency and productivity while creating the possibility of an employment opportunity for someone with a developmental disability.

This weeks Rotary Program will feature the presentation of our Rotary Club's Paul Harris Award Winner in conjunction with the Downtown with a Purpose Gala. The person selected is Doug Goss. Doug has been involved in our community in many ways. This article was taken from "Canoe" to provide an example of the involvement Doug participates in.

When the Edmonton Oilers began looking for somebody to help stage an outdoor hockey game at Commonwealth Stadium, lawyer Doug Goss was a natural selection.

A huge Oilers fan, Goss, a merger-and-acquisitions specialist with Bryan & Company, has put his talents to work for dozens of worthwhile causes in Alberta's capital. Among the more notable efforts, Goss sits on the boards of the Edmonton Eskimos Football Club, the Edmonton Oilers Community Foundation and Kids Kottage. He also co-chairs Alberta's Promise, a group established by Premier Ralph Klein and led by business leaders to help improve the lives of children. Goss, who also serves as a board member for Capital Health, the Alberta Economic Development Authority and NAIT, was mooted as an ideal mayoralty candidate by an Edmonton Journal columnist, an idea that Goss dismissed because, he says, his wife Joanne, a provincial court judge, would kill him.

The Vocational Services Committee is contributing $5,000.00 towards the Pro Coro Canada Youth Program. This program focuses on the male voice in High Schools and Youth Choirs to encourage and support young men who like to sing. The featured event is the Male Voices Concert on May 24 at the Winspear Centre for Music  which will see the combined voices of the young men and the Tenors and Basses of Pro Coro fill the hall with music.

The Speaker will be William S. Rice QC, Chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission.

Bill Rice was appointed chair and CEO of the Alberta Securities Commission in July 2005, following 25 years as a commercial and securities lawyer, most recently serving a five-year term as the national managing partner of the law firm Bennett Jones LLP. During the course of his practice, he represented a variety of enterprises, including major Alberta corporations, junior to mid-size oil and gas exploration and service companies, major US energy corporations, and almost all institutional members of Alberta's investment banking community. Mr. Rice has held board and chair responsibilities with several public and private companies and has lectured on the subjects of corporate law, public financing, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance, and law firm management.

"I advocate balance between principles-and rules-based approaches, yet see many reasons why Canadian market realities demand a rules-based regulatory regime. Major market participants claim they cannot apply behavioural leverage to major companies in whose securities they invest. Many junior issuers lack the sophistication, resources, and advisors to interpret and apply principles. Besieged boards of directors feel powerless to apply a principles-based approach. Meanwhile, market participants and their professional advisors look to regulatory authorities and organizations to dictate the rules. We must acknowledge and understand Canadian market risks in order to properly manage them. We must remove rules that have become established principles and ensure that the remaining rules are readily understood by those who must follow them."

Mei was able to take a trip to Ottawa and Montreal with her secnd host family. They visited Montreal to learn about the cosmopolitan nature of the city and of course do some shopping. The second stop was Ottawa where they were able to see some of the famous landmarks including the Parliment Buildings.

Why RSVP?

Your Rotary club needs you to RSVP to keep our lunch costs as low as 
possible. However, just because you RSVP that you are coming, that 
doesn't mean that you HAVE to come.   Your club understands that plans 
change. All we're asking is that you RSVP to the best of your 
knowledge. If your plans change, we just ask that you send Lovina an 
email or call her to let her know. You won't be charged. And if you 
don't RSVP because you don't think you can come, but on Thursday you 
find yourself able to come, please come!

The reason that we are asking you to RSVP is that the Westin Hotel has 
been losing money on our lunches for a while now and in these 
challenging economic times, they need to either control their costs or 
increase the price for lunch. The reason that the Westin has been 
losing money is that they do not have good information on how many 
people are coming to each lunch. If they don't know how many people 
are coming, they either make too much food or not enough. Either way, 
it is more expensive for the hotel. Sometimes only 60 people come and 
other times 150 come, so you can see how this can make it difficult 
for the Westin to make the right amount of food.

All we're asking is that you take a minute to RSVP if you think you 
will be coming to come to lunch.

Club Runner has recently added a feature that allows you to respond saying that you will attend, or that you are unable to attend. Simply click on the Luncheon invitation Lovina sends out and follow the links. If you have forgotten your password please give Lovina a call and she will reset it for you.

Thank you.

This week we will feature Mayor Stephen Mandel. Serving Alberta's Capital City, Mayor Stephen Mandel has led the City of Edmonton since October 2004.

Mayor Mandel is a strong advocate for Alberta municipalities, ensuring they receive a fair share of funding to pay for vital infrastructure and community services.   In addition, his advancement of key initiatives like Port Alberta are driven by his dedication to fostering Edmonton's growing position as a hub for northern development, transportation, logistics, manufacturing and research.

Before running for public office, Mayor Mandel was an accomplished businessman bringing 30 years of private sector experience to City Hall.   As President of Mandel Group, he was involved in business development, residential and commerical real estate development, construction, as well as operations of hotels and sports enterprises.

Stephen remains active in the community and volunteers for organizations including the Mazankowski Heart Institute, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Jewish Community Centre, and Allen Gray Continuing Care Centre.   He is married, with two grown children.

The Rotary Program for March 5 will feature Jim Carter speaking on Carbon Capture. Jim Carter was appointed President and Chief Operating Officer of Syncrude in October 1997. A mining industry veteran, Mr. Carter has contributed invaluable knowledge, experience and dedication to the achievement of Syncrude's goals. Since joining Syncrude in its first full year of operation, he has played a prominent role in a variety of initiatives aimed at enhancing safety, reliability, production, unit costs and product quality.

This week the speaker will be Lisa Grotkowski, our Ambassadorial Scholar who has returned from a year of studies in Sweden.

The Ambassadorial Scholarship Program which was founded in 1947 is the Rotary Foundation's oldest and best known program. Since then nearly 38,000 men and women from 100 countries have studied abroad under its auspices. Today it is the worlds largest privately funded international scholarship program.

During the first Rotary club meeting on 23 February 1905 in Chicago, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram Shorey and Paul Harris (pictured left to right) met to talk about their personal experiences. Harris then unfolded his general plan for their club meetings.

This was the simple beginning of the world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago. It was created because of Harris' wish to capture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.

Rotarians continue to take pride in their history. In honor of that first club, Rotarians have preserved its original meeting place, Room 711 in Chicago's Unity Building, by re-creating the office as it existed in 1905. For several years, the Paul Harris 711 Club maintained the room as a shrine for visiting Rotarians. In 1989, when the building was scheduled to be demolished, the club carefully dismantled the office and salvaged the interior, including doors and radiators. In 1993, the RI Board of Directors set aside a permanent home for the restored Room 711 at RI World Headquarters in the Chicago suburb of Evanston.

For more historical information about Rotary, visit Rotary History and Archives or the Rotary Global History Fellowship.

With the important contributions of these generous donors, The Rotary Foundation is fulfilling its promise of creating a polio-free world, helping children and families live healthier lives through Rotary's Humanitarian Grants Program, and educating young people about cultures worldwide. Rotary World Peace Fellows are engaging in the study of peace building, which may allow them to participate in resolution efforts in some of the world's most challenging situations.

Below are totals as of 31 December 2008. Learn more about the individual recognition that these donors receive.

• Arch C. Klumph Society members -- 229
• Major Donors -- 10,724
• Bequest Society -- 6,341
• Benefactors -- 79,238
• Paul Harris Fellows -- 1,147,854

Current members of the Rotary Club of Edmonton and their partners who are Paul Harris Fellows are listed on the club website. Look on the menu on the left have side of the home page. Look for the heading "Site Pages" then look for Paul Harris Fellows.

This week's Rotary Program will feature Dr. Arvind Koshal who will, be speaking on "The Making of a Heart Institute". Dr Koshal is very accomplished as noted in the following short biography.

Members of the Rotary Club of Edmonton lead the young people who are part of the Rotary Youth Exchange on a ski trip to Jasper. A full story will be comming shortly, meanwhile enjoy some of these photos.

http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxJournals/journal.aspx?cid=447&jid=15008

Please note there is a venue change for this meeting.

The meeting will be held at the Kids in the Hall Bistro at City Hall. All seats have been sold for this event and the club is unable to host additional members or guests for this meeting only.

The speakers this Thursday will be Kelley and Christopher Polowy. In June 06, 2006 Kelley's younger brother Christopher spent a week  at the Stollery Hospital after coming down with a rare condition called Kawasaki Disease. It caused his skin to break out in a severe rash, his joints to ache, and the arteries to his heart to enlarge. He has since recovered, but his sister Kelley just couldn't get the hospital out of her mind. " All she wanted for Christmas was toys for the kids" her Mother Gloria said. Kelley's first initiative was to painting and decorating cards, wrapping paper and Christmas ornaments to sell at her own art sale in her West Edmonton neighbourhood.

Dianne Young, then President and CEO of the Stollery Children's Hospital Foundation, is impressed by Kelley's community spirit. "What is important is that a child of that age get's it,"  she said. "They get that they can make a difference, and to me that is more important than any dollar amount that they raise".

Kelley will be telling her story.

Paraphrased from the Edmonton Journal Article published March 7, 2007

During club meeting this year, our Club Secretary, Rotarian Randy Boissonnault, has presented Rotary Reflections. These are stories of how activities or experiances are tied into Rotary ideals, philsophies and actions. This week Randy reflects on the Inaugural speach of President Obama, specifically  making a choice to be hopeful. Click here

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=7ocNECcgCRQ

Quite apart from the original large donation the Edmonton Rotary Clubs made to the construction to the palisades and bastions, these clubs have continued to contribute through the Historical Foundation to the development of the Park.The Rotary Club of South Edmonton transported the round Henderson Barn to the Park, and sponsored the reconstruction of the Henderson farm house. These buildings form a conspicuous and interesting part of the area known as 1885 Street. In addition in 1986 The Rotary Club of South Edmonton began to stage a threshing bee at the park during threshing season This venture required an investment of about $20,000 for the threshing machines. The demonstration each fall of the kind of harvesting operation that has practically disappeared and yet formed an important feature of our farming life in the past has been very popular. The threshing bee has since evolved into the Harvest Fair Weekend of the present.

In connection with the building of 1885 Street, one of the conspicuous structures is Jasper House Hotel. Both the Rotary Club of Edmonton West and the Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast contributed towards it. The Rotary Club of Edmonton Mayfield has a covered wagon built and the Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast a wagon i which the handicapped can ride around the park

This city park of 156 acres includes the reconstructed Hudson's Bay Fort, the 1885 Street and the 1920 Street among other attractions.

This ambitious project has become a major attraction and is a valuable contribution towards the preservation and understanding of our past. The park is a product of much effort, time and money that came from many sources. The provincial and federal governments, as well as many businesses, organizations and individuals have contributed. It is not a Rotary Park, however Rotary in Edmonton has played a major role in its conception and development.

The committee brought about the incorporation of the Fort Edmonton Historical Foundation which came into being December 18, 1969.

Its objectives are to promote the development of the park and restore the fort, "historically correct in so far as possible," to assist in preserving and restoring other buildings, artifacts, records which reflect and record the historical heritage of the Edmonton area and to establish a fund for these purposes. The 50 charter members were prominent citizens from the Edmonton area and included those Rotarians who had promoted the creation of the Foundation. In the first 10 Years' existence the Foundation has had several presidents from Rotary In addition to Mr. Wolfe are Ray Ludford of the West Edmonton Club and Walter Howard.

Every year the Foundation elects an Honourary Chief Factor from among those who have made a notable contribution to the park. From the Downtown Club have been Messrs. Dickson, Wolfe and Ward and from the South Edmonton Club Jack Edworthy.

Throughout the early '70s, Merrill Wolfe has a major role in seeing that the Rotary pledge was met and in raising funds from provincial and federal governments and from business and individuals and in seeing the work went forward. The fort was completed and the official opening took place on May 17, 1974.

December 10, 2008

Edmonton, Alberta  

Dear Rotary Club of Edmonton:  

As you know, on November 22, 2008, the Edmonton Centennial Interact Club hosted An Unbelizeable Evening, a silent auction fundraiser and banquet in support of the education system in Belize.  We are very pleased to say that our night was a great success.  In total, this event raised over $15 000 through ticket sales, silent auction items, and sponsorships.  All of these funds will go towards our international project in Belize, for the betterment of the lives of deserving children.  

Though we take pride in the commitment of our club members for this success, we could never forget the support of countless others.  Thus, we would like to take this time to thank you for sponsoring and attending our event.  Your contribution to this project has been invaluable, and will undoubtedly make a difference in another part of the world.  You have taken part in a remarkable cause, and we would like to reiterate the significance of your role.   We are truly excited for the change this project will bring.  Again, thank you for joining us on our journey.    

Sincerely,    

President Anisha Chotalia  

On behalf of the Edmonton Centennial Interact Club

On Thursday December 11, 2008, Rotarian Brent Abbott presented a cheque to Colleen Novotine of the Boyle McAuley Health Centre. In receiving the cheque Colleen went on to tell us about the use of funds. In one case it will help buy shoes for a client who has size 15 shoes. These are hard to find and it is important the the client be prepared for the current winter conditions. In other cases the funds will be used to purchase necessities that the clients cannot afford.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton has a long history and relationship with the Boyle McAuley Health Centre. Located in the heart of the Boyle Street area,  it serves inner city residents through a variety of programs such as Street Works which is a needle exchange.

Under the able leadership of Rotarian Linda Hall, The Rotary Club of Edmonton provided an enjoyable Christmas party for the tenants of Rotary's Millennium House. The festive event included a wonderful meal, a sing-a-long by the Rotary Band, Santa and Christmas gifts. The pictures tell the story. Check out the photo Journal on the lower right of the web page or click on the link. Thanks to President Gord for the photographs.

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5370/447/journal/14305/Story97723/IMG_3112.JPG

Rotary leaders and Indian Rotarians are expressing sadness and offering support for survivors following last week's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, that killed more than 170 people. 

More than 300 Mumbai Rotarians joined tens of thousands of city residents on 3 December in a peace march to mourn the dead and protest the violence. Participants gathered in the streets surrounding the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel, one of several locations stormed by armed gunmen on 26 November. In a show of unity and peace, Rotarians carried Rotary flags and banners.

"It is a terrible situation. But Rotary is ready to help those who have suffered," says Past RI President Rajendra Saboo. "Rotary will be most needed when the painful happening recedes in the memory."

The Program this week will feature the Rotary Christmas Program. The Program committee has put togeather a delightful program that will help usher in the Christmas season. It will feature time for Rotary Fellowship, a fantastic Men's group UPSILON  and of course Santa himself.

Members are encouraged to attend  and bring your spouse, significant other  and family to celebrate the season.

This story is taken from the RCE 75th Anniversary booklet. The Rotary Club of Edmonton received a letter dated December 17, 1979, from a point in rural Alberta.

" Nearly 30 years ago, while living in Edmonton, I was left a widow, with four small children and no means of support. In the fall I was able to get work at a very low salary, but it was difficult making ends meet. We faced a very bleak Christmas, and it is one I will never forget. It was extremely cold and I had walked from the bus line, my thoughts on the coming holiday season. There would be no husband to share with me, no Daddy to enjoy what was usually a very happy day for my children.

When I went into the house, the first thing I saw was a big wooden box, with "Rotary Club" on the end.

This week well known Edmonton Sun Columnist Graham Hicks will be speaking to the club.  Graham was selected as the Rotary Club of Edmonton Integrity Award Winner for 2008.

Graham has a very active and interesting biography.

The Rotary Club of Edmonton has had a long history of working with and supporting what is now the Christmas Bureau.

Back in 1918 the members decided to make individual contributions to provide Christmas Hampers to needy families. In the first year there were 20 of them whose names were provided by the Salvation Army.

The hampers were paid for by thee individual contributions of members each year. The cost ranged from $400.00 in the beginning to over $3,000.00. The club purchased the contents of the hampers, a turkey, all the food as well as games and books for the children. Each hamper filled a large strong wooden box with handles on each end so the Rotarians could carry it. Members met to pack hampers, first at the Thompson & Dynes store on Jasper Avenue, later at the Cockshutt Plow warehouse and in more recent years at Edmonton Motors.

The tradition of sharing continues. Non-denominational and accessible to all, The Christmas Bureau works closely with a number of other organizations to ensure that the money we raise is used effectively without duplication of service. While the process of determining a person's eligibility is a thorough one, it is marked by a spirit of compassion and generosity, respecting his or her dignity, integrity, confidentiality and rights. The Bureau is a registered non-profit society governed by a board of directors and administered by a small staff employed for a portion of the year.

The four new Directors who take office on July 1, 2009 have been elected. They are

Randy Boissonnault, Ed Keelaghan, Wendy Cooper and Elexis Schloss. The following appointments were also announced:

Secretary: Lianne Lefsrud

Treasurer: John Brennan

Sgt.  at Arms: Barbara Perkins

The first Rotary meeting was held in a typical business office - a small room, not too well lighted, with a desk and three or four uncomfortable chairs, a coat rack in a corner , one or two pictures, and an engineering chart on the wall.

It was the office of Gus Loehr, a mining engineer, and Gus had just welcomes a visitor - a merchant tailor names Hiram Shorey. Hiram took one of the straight backed chairs, and he and Gus began to talk - first casual conversation about the usual topics, but their talk soon drifted to the idea which a lawyer friend had been discussing for several months. The Lawyer's name was Paul Harri, and he had an idea about a new kind of club.. They would discuss it again tonight, for Gus and Hiram were waiting for too more visitors-Silvester Schiele, a coal dealer and Paul Harris himself.

Don Lowry, President and CEO has led the transformation of EPCOR Utilities Inc. into a North American power and water company. Under his leadership, EPCOR has delivered on its plan to achieve sustained growth.

This week Mei attended the stage performance of Hairspray with Rotarian President GordDeeks and Rotarian Gayle Head. Mei's friend Scarlett, an exchange student from France also attended. Mei, Gord and Gayle are pictured with a member of the Hairspray cast. On Thursday Mei attended her first Edmonton Oiler Hockey Game thanks to an invitation from Rotarian Marguerite Trussler. Mei ended the week with a sleepover at Scarlett's  to celebrate Scarlett's host sister's birthday. Not much sleep was had by all.

Check the link:

http://www.clubrunner.ca/CPrg/DxJournals/adminjournalcontents.aspx?cid=447&jid=14033&tail=3&dir=b

Pictured here; RI President Dong Kurn Lee meets Jonathan Olunga of Uganda, the 10,000th Gift of Life patient. Rotary Images/Alyce Henson

More than 900 people, including Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors from more than 44 countries, attended Rotary International Day at the United Nations in New York City on 8 November.

The day featured panel discussions on water, literacy, health, and hunger. Speakers came from within Rotary, the UN, and other partner nongovernmental organizations, illustrating how organizations can work together to tackle these challenging issues.

President Gordon Deeks called for nominations for the office of President Elect Nominee on Thursday November 20. A motion was made from the floor to have nominations cease and was unanimously passed. As a result Rotarian Jim Greenough was declared to be the President Elect Nominee. Jim will take office July 1, 2010

 Jim was sponsored by Past President Ralph Young and joined the Rotary Club of Edmonton February 10, 1994. He has served on a number of committees  and is currently the Chair of the Program committee and is Treasurer of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Foundation.

This weeks Rotary Program will feature  Memory Chazeza, a dynamic young lady from Malawi.

An orphan from a young age, Memory struggled hard to complete her education. In 2006, Memory graduated from university with a degree in education, a lifelong dream she once thought to be unattainable. She is now the Director of APU Secondary School for Girls in rural Malawi. She is putting her considerable talents and passion into improving the lives of hundreds of other young girls who are suffering the same hardships that she has overcome. Through her work with girls and education, Memory has become a respected role model, and has single-handedly changed the views of the male leaders in her community. They are now encouraging their daughters to continue with their schooling.  Not only are they willingly accepting leadership from a woman, but they are actively seeking Memory's advice. Because of Memory, thousands of little girls now believe that they too can have a future - a future that includes education, health, independence and empowerment.

These websites will provide additional information:

www.malawigirlsonthemove.com

http://www.bclocalnews.com/vancouver_island_south/oakbaynews/community/34173049.html

Editors note.

I have had an opportunity to listen to Memory speak. This is a young lady with vision and passion and that special internal belief and drive to make a difference. This is one speaker that I can highly recommend.

Our guest speaker will be Dr. Lloyd Steier, PhD from the U of A School of Business. He will be speaking about family business.

His credentials include:

Distinguished Chair, Entrepreneurship & Family Enterprise
Professor, Strategic Management & Organization
Academic Director, Centre for Entrepreneurship & Family Enterprise
Academic Director, Alberta Business Family Institute

On the eve of Afghanistan's 19-21 October National Immunization Days, Stephen Brown, past governor of District 5340 (California, USA), had an extraordinary opportunity to witness the country's drive to end polio in action.

Brown and Fary Moini, a fellow member of the Rotary Club of La Jolla Golden Triangle, were in Afghanistan to help develop Rotary humanitarian and educational projects. They were invited by Dr. Ajmal Pardis, chair of the country's National PolioPlus Committee and a member of the Rotary Club of Jalalabad, to attend a 15 October meeting of Islamic leaders, or mullahs, in Jalalabad.

The meeting emphasized the importance of the polio eradication initiative and linked immunization against the disease to the duties of parents to protect their children, as explained in the Quran.

The Program for the Rotary Club of Edmonton on Thursday November 6th will be our Remembrance Day Tribute. The speaker will be LCol Tom Bradley. He has operational experience in Bosnia and Afghanistan where he has completed two tours. His first rotation was in 2002 and the second was when he was deployed with BGen Grant in 2007.  Col Bradley has unique experience at the strategic level having served as Chief of Staff and as Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Defence Staff.  Col Bradley is married and has three children.

Also in attendance will be Regimental Sergeant Major Chief Warrant Officer Ken Hodge.

As with many exchange students Javier Escute has remained in touch with our Rotary Club. In recent correspondance with Rotarian Al Jacobson,  Javier sent some photos which can be seen in the Photo Journal on the website. He can also be seen on youtube in the following links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHjSUO914Lc  ;

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zdyXV-jomI&feature=related

Born in Lac la Biche, Alberta and raised in Edmonton, LaForge enjoyed a lengthy career with Molson Breweries of Canada where he ascended to Vice President of International Marketing, working in the United Kingdom, Japan and across Canada. He also enjoyed a leadership position within Olympics Canada, as President and CEO of Alpine Canada Alpin and served on the Executive Board of the Canadian Olympic Committee.  

Rotarians Janet Brown and Marie Ulveland, accompanied by Marie's daughter Amy were recently in New York. Among the activities was to visit the Rotary Club of New York which meets in the Harvard Club. Janet noted that the tab for lunch was $50.00 which makes the $20.00 or so we pay here look very reasonable.

Marie's comment was "what happens in New York stays in New York"

Mei has been to a number of events over the past several weeks. It includes the Mexico/Canada Soccar Game thanks to Past President David Black and Margarita Hansen, A Kids in the Hall event, thanks to Fred Katz ( she met Mayor Mandel and Councellor Ben Henderson),  A significant fund raiser thanks to Rotarian Era Rowles and Janet Brown, Thanks Giving Dinner, and Don Henry's 65 Birthday Party. Pict ures can be seen in the Photo Journal under the heading Mei's Adventure October

The Rotary Centre for new Canadians is nearing completion.  Project Chairman Randy Heaps, Past Presidents Scott and Russ along with Marc Barylo made a site visit on Thursday September 25th. The finishing touches include moving furniture, unpacking and placing equipment, touch-ups, etc. It is anticipated the first Immigrant refugees will be located in the Centre on October 6.

Additional photos are located in the photo journal section of The Rotary Club of Edmonton home page  on the Photo Journal menu, lower right hand side of the web page.

A Grand Opening is anticipated and will be scheduled in the fall.

Pictured here are Rotarian Del Dilke and our exchange Student Mei (pronounced May). Del gave Mei a fashionable jacket with the onset of a Canadian fall and the weather it brings.

Mei is an adventourous young lady who is very fluent in English. She awaits your call to share Canadian experiences. She can be reached through her current host parents Russ and Johann Mann.

Myka Osinchuk has been Executive Director of the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine ( iRSM) since February 2007.  The organization was formerly known as COMPRU. iRSM is a joint initiative of Caritas Health Group, Capital Health and the University of Alberta.  It is a unique integrated translational clinical research institute, with a focus on reconstructive medical sciences. 

W.H. Bill Bruce, like Oliver McIntyre, was born in Bruce County, Ontario. He came to Calgary around 1908 at the age of 18 and worked for the Alberta Government Telephones as a lineman. Eventually he became head of AGT, then Deputy Minister of Telephones. In World War I he enlisted in the Signal Corps and won the military medal.

He was a member of the Association of Professional Engineers, Geologists and Geophysicists, the professional body to which persons practicing those professions must belong Mr. Bruce's major contribution to his profession was as Warden and Secretary of Camp 6 (Alberta) of the Ritual of the Calling of thee Engineer, a post he held for 22 years beginning in 1942

The purpose of this ritual is to pass on to young engineers the ethical concepts of the profession, and it is marked by the presentation of an iron ring. Mr. Bruce's interest in the ritual matched his interest in Rotary.

This Thursday, the Rotary program will feature the two finalists for  the Rotary Club of Edmonton's Legacy project. As this will be a significant project with a substantial price tag, members are urged to attend and listen to what the presenters have to say. A great deal of work has already been done, and what remains is the presentation and vote to select the project.October 9th is the voting day. The information that follows was published last week, and is being reprinted to allow the membership to be well prepared for the presentations on Thursday.

Committee Membership: 
David Black, Richard Dickinson, Muriel Dunnigan, Jim Greenough, Luther Haave (Vice Chair), Rod Karius, Scott Montgomery, Barry Schloss, Elexis Schloss, Bill Stephens, Clayton Tiedemann (Chair)

Process: 
Request for Proposals were sent out first week of April, 2008 to 28 possible proponent organizations in the greater Edmonton area.  Deadline for submission was May 31.  The Committee received 13 responses to the RFP and narrowed that list to 6 on June 11.  Those six were:

YWCA - Building Bright Futures Campaign
Pilgrims Hospice - Construction of Edmonton's First and Only Community Based Residential Hospice
Bissell Centre - Relocation of the Community Access Program
Children's Autism Services of Edmonton - Children's Treatment Centre
Society for Assisted Cooperative Recovery from Eating Disorders - Treatment Facility

Read more...

Linda Hughes is the Chair  of the  Blue Ribbon Committee to End Homelessness in Edmonton. Linda has an impressive set of credentials which include:

-Former Publisher, President and Editor in Chief , Edmonton Journal

-General Manager, CanWest Media Works

-Alberta Business Hall of Fame

-University of Alberta Honorary Doctor of Laws

-Athabasca University Honorary Doctor of Letters

-BA in History and Economics, University of Victoria

-Volunteer, Bhutan Observer, Royal Alexander Hospital Foundation, United Way of the Alberta Capital Region, and Norquest College

The Rotary Club of Edmonton Luncheon held on December 13 was a special occasion, where Rotarians, their partners and special guests enjoyed the seasonal fellowship.

At their 8-9 July summit meeting in Japan, the G8 nations agreed to "maintain momentum towards the historical achievement of eradicating polio." 

To do so, their joint statement continued, "We will meet our previous commitments to maintain or increase financial contributions to support the Global Polio Eradication Initiative [GPEI], and encourage other public and private donors to do the same."

Together, the G8 countries -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States -- account for more than half of all funding of the GPEI. The initiative is led by the World Health Organization, Rotary International, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and UNICEF.

This Rotary Program will feature Bob Boutilier, General Manager Edmonton Transportation Department. Bob has a MBatchelor and Master of Engineering from the Royal Military College in Kingston, OntarioHis experiance includes 22 years with the military with a variety of postings including Canada, England and The Middle East. In Civic Transportation Management Bob has worked with the City of Calgary and in 1996 moved to Toronto  to work with their Transit Commission.

Bob assumed the role of General Manager Transportation Department in Edmonton July 23, 2007. This has been an active year for Bob as  expansion of the LRT and the Trolly issues have been at the forefront of the publics mind.

Gordon Deeks assumed the Presidency of the Rotary Club of Edmonton on July 1, 2008. Gordo, as he is affectionately called by his friends, is a twelve year member of the club. He has served on the Board of Directors and  the Executive as "Honorary" Secretary. He has also served as Chair of the Program Committee, member of the auction Committee among others.

Gord has also been very active in the community having started the Concordia Eskimo Golf Tournament (10 years), serving on the Better Business Bureau (1991-1995), The NAIT Advisory Board for Sales and Marketing Department, Collegue of Grant MacEwan College (2005-present), Chaired the Employabilities Golf Tournament for 5 years, Ronald McDonald House President 2006-2008.

The program this Thursday will feature Mel Wong Assistant Deputy Minister Technology Dept. His subject matter will be Alberta's Action Plan --  Bringng Technology to Market. This will explain the way the Alberta Government supports innovative technology by providing funding to purchasers of new technology.

Those who plan on attending the meeting should note that the location of the Badge Box/distribution Centre will change. It will now be located just inside the door of the meeting room to let our members pick up thier name badges as the enter the room.

Lisa Grotkowski is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Edmonton and is the 2007-2008 Rotary District 5370 Ambassadorial Scholar.  She is in Sweden to study at the Post Graduate level.

Past International President Cliff Dotcherman's thoughts on the meaning of a Paul Harris Fellowship