It is hard to believe that the 2021-22 Rotary Year and my term as President is almost over. Melinda Noyes will take on this 106 year old office on July 1 and I know she is going to rock it (no pressure!)!
I think it is safe to say 2021-22 was an unusual year. It started on the heels of Brian Edwards’ even more unusual year with the club meeting exclusively by Zoom but I think we should all look back with some satisfaction on what the club achieved. (Congratulations to Brian who will become District Governor in 2 years!) I thought we would get back to in-person meetings quickly, but it wasn’t until December that we were able to move to hybrid meetings. But we did and overall I think we had an excellent speakers program the year, largely thanks to Barry Schloss and the Program Committee.
We worked around COVID to have a strong year on the service side too. In August, Don McFarlane led a whole of club effort to a tremendously successful Million Dollar Golf Tournament. It resulted in a $23,500 donation to Lurana Shelter, that was matched by another donor to make significant improvement to this first line shelter for women and children escaping domestic violence.
In the Fall, Melinda Noyes led the annual Step Up To The Plate Luncheon where key note speaker Paul Brandt and a survivor of human trafficking made powerful presentations to over 100 people, raising awareness of the issue in Edmonton and globally. The Luncheon resulted in a $10,000 contribution to the Centre to End All Sexual Exploitation (CEASE).
Also in the Fall, the Walk for Polio organized by John Yamamoto presented an opportunity to socialize and ride the funicular to the river valley and raised $2,500 to help end the child crippling scourge of polio.
The ongoing COVID pandemic restricted the work of the Youth Services Committee chaired by Edward Mondol but they still made important contributions to Kids on Track and other youth leadership development programs. The club took the lead in administering the District’s support for Anna Marie Robinson’s studies on international law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.
The May 17 Rotary Integrity Awards was a huge success as documented in Nick Lee’s column in the Journal. Twelve Edmonton area Rotary Clubs joined to celebrate the work of a dozen local unsung heroes at a banquet at the Chateau Lacombe attended by 130 people. Congratulations to co-chairs Neil Lang and Nadean Langlois!
The Community Services Committee chaired by JJ Tremblay was active throughout the year making a difference providing lunches at disadvantages schools, at Operation Friendship Senior Society, at Millennium House and elsewhere. Recently, the Sleep in Heavenly Peace project organized by Kevin Keough built 29 beds to get children in Edmonton off the floor and into safe secure beds, building self-worth and no doubt contributing to a better night’s sleep and better school performance
The International Services Committee chaired by Rod Karius completed the Club’s major literacy project in Belize and helped other clubs with their international projects. Most notably, the club and our Warsaw based member, Anna Wieczorek, responded to the humanitarian crisis created by the illegal invasion of Ukraine. So far the club has raised some $25,000 (including a contribution from the Rotary Club of Edmonton Foundation) for shelter, food, medical equipment of the simple necessity of a decent suitcase for refugees. Anna’s work attracted attention from CBC Radio’s local morning show and Global TV’s national morning show.
There is more, looking back it’s been quite the year. But as these stories show, the club’s success is attributed to leaders stepping forward and members kicking in with their volunteer time or financial contributions. Thank you to everyone for your contributions to the club’s success and personal support over the year!
