At the International Convention in Atlanta in June of 1917, the sixth President of Rotary International Arch Klumpf stood on the stage and declared that what Rotary needed was a charitable endowment to do good in the world. The first donation of $26.50 came from the Rotary Club of Kansas City and The Rotary Foundation was born.
In the last one hundred years, your Foundation has supported either directly or via District and Global Grants: $3billion of good in the world, in the areas of promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education and growing local economies.
I believe that if every Rotarian was fully aware and understood the depth and breadth of all the Rotary Foundation does in the world, in the International community and right here at home in Alberta and Saskatchewan, there would never be a need to ask for contributions or to give any more incentive than the simple knowledge and understanding of what you were doing to serve humanity.
November is the month we focus on our Foundation. And this is especially significant this year with our Foundation’s Centennial. Rotary International’s goal is for new contributions of U$300million this Rotary year.
We will never again get the opportunity to celebrate and participate in the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation so let me ask you: What can you as an individual Rotarian or as a Rotary Club do participate in the celebration?
Here’s what our District is doing:
We will continue with the process of awarding 100 PH points to every new member. Why new members? Because the next move from that new member will be to turn to her Club President or Club Foundation Chair and ask: ‘What’s this Paul Harris thing about? Tell me more about the Rotary Foundation.’ … and the conversation continues.
We will continue to award 100 Paul Harris points for every member who signs up for Rotary Direct, the automatic monthly or quarterly online contribution. Pretty simple and painless. If this suits your situation and cash flow, it could make sense.
We are this Rotary year asking every Rotarian in the District to follow my lead (because I wouldn’t ask you to do something I wouldn’t do myself) to consider a donation of U$100 to match the 100th anniversary (or at least to get started with $26.50!)
The polio eradication effort that Rotary International started in the mid-1980’s is not finished. And so we are this Rotary year asking every Rotarian in the District to again follow my lead and consider a donation of C$26.50 to the End Polio Now campaign.
A celebration at the District Conference (Red Deer AB May 5-7, 2017) of all those Clubs and their members who achieve particular objectives around the ‘100s’. (Your Club President and Foundation Chair have details. Ask them what you can do to support this initiative.)
That’s all about the WHAT and HOW of the Foundation and contributions. More important is the WHY.
Consider this: The women in Bangladesh or South America who will no longer need to carry jugs on their heads for two miles to collect water from a polluted stream because Rotarians dug wells to provide fresh water. The young girls in Africa or India who can go to school after the age of 12 or 13 because Rotarians built clean and separate toilet facilities. The little children of Pakistan and Afghanistan who will not contract polio because Rotarians funded vaccination against this disease. The five Rotary Peace Centers located around the world. Microfinance and safe water initiatives in Central America.
And of course, all the great local community initiatives that are supported by District grants funded by the ‘recycling’ of previous year’s contributions.
Our District Foundation group and its processes are held up as examples for other Districts in the Rotary world. Between the Rotary Foundation holding the highest credit and stewardship rating from Charity Navigator and the due diligence and governance that goes into the Foundation’s and our District’s grant administration, I know that we can have strong confidence in the stewardship that is being applied to the money (the treasure) that we’ve contributed to the Foundation.
That’s why The Rotary Foundation is one of my charities of choice.
And as always, thank you for what you do for Rotary and for your contributions of time, talent and treasure in Rotary Serving Humanity.
The Government of Alberta has reinstated the
subsidy for Police Information Checks
(also referred to as police background checks and police record checks) for Alberta volunteers who are involved in recognised organisations. Rotary youth volunteers and host family members applying for a police information check need to follow the instructions on the district webpage, http://www.rotary5360.ca/Page/volunteer-screening-program, to use the Volunteer Organization Authorization Number to receive the subsidy discount.
District policy requires that all Rotary youth volunteers, including YEX host families, provide a police information check as part of the volunteer screening process. Some Rotarians have asked if the federal government's Nexus card could be accepted as a police information check. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) advises that the Nexus card is not a substitute for a police record check so we won't be able to accept the Nexus card as a substitute.
This will be the last post in our series featuring tips for creating a media program at your club. Maximise the impact of generating mainstream media attention by running your own social media program in the days leading up to, the day of, and the days following your event.
Hopefully, you are all aware of the significance of The Rotary Foundation and the importance of celebrating the Foundation’s centennial.
Really it is not about celebrating the Foundation’s centennial at all, it really is all about the incredible amount of good that has come from the generous donations that all the Rotarians, and friends of Rotarians, have made over the past 100 years.
So it is important to continue this tradition of giving, not for us but for them!
The District wants to recognise your generosity and challenges all clubs to step up to the plate and support the District initiative and join in a grand “Bubbly” celebration at the District conference in Red Deer next May 5th, 6th and 7th.
This event will recognise all members present whose club has achieved one or more of the following targets, targets designed to be within reach of every club:
100% club member engagement as a:
Sustaining Member - US$100 per year
Paul Harris Fellow - donations of US$1,000+
PolioPlus contributor at CDN$26.50 per individual member
100% increase in:
Paul Harris Society members - US$1,000 per year
Major Donors - donation total US$10,000+
Benefactors or Bequest Society members
or
One Arch Klump Society Member with donations totalling US$250,000
(or a commitment to do so over 3 consecutive years starting this Rotary year.)
So put a smile on the faces of all those that benefit from the generosity of Rotarians around the world.
As we know, when we help others it also puts a smile on our face.
Thank you for your support of the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International
Many clubs in our district put a focus on World Polio Day, raising funds for the eradication of Polio.
Here are a few who let me know what their club did:
RC Calgary East held a cocktail and hors d'oeuvres evening on Oct 24th to replace their regular meeting on Oct 27th. Admission was $26.50 ...yes! In recognition of the first donation ever given to the Rotary Foundation.
RC Sylvan Lake had a special speaker to give an update on Polio and made a donation to the End Polio Now campaign.
RC High River held a "Meal to end Polio" on Oct 27th. Lots of great participation by Rotarians and guests which raised $2258.00. The club goal is $2650.00
Does your club have a $ goal towards the End Polio Now campaign?
RC Lacombe is hosting a Salute to Rotary with a mission to eradicate Polio in the world with Anna Maria Kaufmann in concert on November 1st.
Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Red Deer East and Paris Alliance, and District 5360 through a Global Grant Scholarship, Ms. Jiliane Golczyk is currently in the second year of her MA in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po in Paris, France. As part of her program, Jiliane is currently doing an internship in San José, Costa Rica, from where she writes to tell about what she has been doing.
Greetings from San José, Costa Rica!
As a part of my Master's degree in Human Rights and Humanitarian Action at Sciences Po in Paris, I have to complete an internship. I chose to do mine at the UNESCO Cluster Office in San José. Our office covers five Central American countries: Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.
I have been in Costa Rica for over two months now, and I have been enjoying the experience to the fullest. The internship is very demanding but incredibly interesting. I am working in the Social and Human Sciences Sector of UNESCO, which deals with themes related to building a culture of peace, promoting human rights and gender equality, fomenting intercultural dialogue and social inclusion, and preventing youth violence. The mandate is large and we cover five countries, so there is always a lot of work to do.
Some of the projects that I have been working on include:
Developing a project to prevent youth violence in El Salvador (where the Mara Salvatrucha represent a big security threat)
Interviewing vulnerable groups (afrodescendants, indigenous peoples, LGBTI) in order to define how the Costa Rican government and UN System can better serve their needs
Working with the Costa Rican government in order to create Centers for Peace for vulnerable youth
Organising a summit empowering young women
Developing a project promoting the culture of peace in the La Mosquitia region of Honduras
And lots more!
I am very lucky to have a director who empowers me and who gives me opportunities to demonstrate my abilities, and so I have been involved in a lot of very different projects and have been learning a lot.
I will be returning to Paris, France, in January, in order to complete the final semester of my Masters. My experience in Costa Rica has gone far beyond my expectations, and I am so happy to be here. I am so grateful to have had the chance to accept this unpaid internship, thanks to the Rotary Global Grant scholarship.
Sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Calgary-Heritage Park and Genève International, and District 5360 through a Global Grant Scholarship, Ms. Sarah Pousette is currently doing her MA in International and Development Economics at the Graduate Institute in International and Development Studies in Geneva, Switzerland. Sarah writes from Geneva to tell about what she has been doing.
I arrived in Geneva exactly two months ago today to begin my two-year Masters program at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in International and Development Economics. I arrived on a Saturday and began a three- week intensive math and economics boot camp first thing the following Monday morning. The purpose of this is to bring everyone up to the same level in statistics and calculus so that they will be able to do the empirical and theoretical work that we have in our first year of study here. Those first three weeks went by very quickly as we (my classmates and I) had classes every morning and each afternoon had to do a number of practical and administrative things that happen when you move to a brand new country, including getting health insurance, applying for residence permits, opening up bank accounts, getting a cell phone plan, buying sheets and towels, etc. Adding to the challenge of getting all these things done is having to do them in a language you aren’t very familiar with! While Geneva is recognised as one of the most international cities in the world, it is actually interesting to find many many people here do not speak much English. Using my relatively broken French, some miming and their relatively broken English, I finally managed to get almost everything done I needed by mid-September. I have included a picture of the outside of the Graduate Institute, the buildings are almost entirely made of glass, as well as a picture from inside the library here and a photo I took all of my classmates after one of our lectures.
On September 15th I had an opportunity to attend my first meeting of the Rotary Club Genève International, my host Rotary club here in Geneva. The club has about 30 members with people in it from many places around the world. We had a presentation on a pilot program designed for the integration of resettled UNHCR refugees from Syria into Geneva by the Swiss Confederation; it was very interesting to learn about the way that the Swiss Confederation is working to support refugees here. I’ve enclosed a picture I took during the presentation. I also had the opportunity after the meeting to be introduced to some of the members for Rotaract Genève (French speaking Rotaract club) and to learn more about what they are doing here; I hope to attend one of their upcoming events in November. The Rotary Club Genève International is now working to start an English Rotaract club here and asked me to become a member of it. The new Rotaract club met for the first time last night and will be having meetings every second Wednesday here at my school. In November I will also have the opportunity to give a presentation to the Rotary club together with the two other Global Grant Scholarship Winners who are being hosted by the club here and I am really looking forward to that!
This semester I am taking a course on the history of development, a French language class and three mandatory economics classes on microeconomics, macroeconomics and econometrics. The program for economics students is quite regimented in the first year, with all of the core classes taking place now, and then in the second year, you have the opportunity to specialise in whatever field you are interested in. This means the course content in the first year is quite heavy and challenging, but I am learning a lot! The heavy course load means that I do not have too much time for other activities. However, I did have the opportunity to tour the United Nations buildings here, to attend some cool events including a talk on the limits of globalisation by Nobel Prize winner Paul Krugman. I was also elected as class representative for the Economics Program to the Graduate Institute Student Association (GISA) and have begun working on some events and initiatives for the program.
And Honduras Economic and Community Development Program
Our Honduras Economic and Community Development (HECD) Project dovetails with the United Nations’ Global Goal #8 for Sustainable Development (SDG). The Goal states,” Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all.”
HECD is a 10-Phase project and to date $1Million USD has been granted through Rotary initiated projects in Honduras. Honduras is the third most impoverished nation in Latin America. Since 2012 we have been working with the local Rotary Club, Real de Minas in Tegucigalpa, and our two NGO partners; Opportunity International Canada (OIC) and the Implementing Partner in Honduras Institute of Development in Honduras (IDH). All parties have come together to identify needs in the communities.
It is predicted in Phase III, 200 new clients will be able to be served (70% of the clients are women). On average every client supports five dependents so taking into account indirect beneficiaries, over 1,000 people will benefit. This is in the first year alone – and due to our partner’s methodology and microloan repayment rate, these loans will be paid out, repaid, loaned out again and the cycle continues – a truly sustainable model for growth of our NGO and the beneficiaries.
The needs that this project will address will be creating jobs and improving livelihoods. This is a hand up not a handout. At the grass roots level, loans are small and the extremely poor cannot access safe, affordable loans from a traditional bank and are relegated to loan sharks. The women of the local communities come to microfinance seeking help to start and/or grow their business. They see for themselves how a microfinance loan can be life changing. As anywhere in the world these women want the best for their families. They have said – thank you for letting me help my family.
The business projects they chose are as varied as the women themselves but the results are the same. The women are bringing themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty. They have money now to provide nourishing food for their families, send their children to school, set aside savings and grow their business. The clients are resourceful and hard working but they lack the necessary tools and access to capital to pull themselves out of their current circumstances. Holistic microfinance is a transformational business!
Through OIC’s contacts with IDH, they have identified a growing need for financing Small to Medium Enterprises (SME). The need for this type of loan is urgent. It is referred to as the “missing middle”. The loans are larger than traditional microfinance loans, but still too small to qualify for traditional banking loans, typically in the range of $5,000. The prime objective of HECD Phase IV is to help develop IDH’s capability and capacity to start serving this gap in the microfinancing marketplace.
Geographically, the IDH Santa Barbara Branch along with the new branch in San Pedro Sula are ideally situated to serve the whole valley between the capital city, Tegucigalpa, up to San Pedro Sula and to the Northern Coast where there is high traffic and demand for this type of loan. Yes, the need will also evolve as the microfinance clients grow into SME clients but the demand for SME loans is already there and needs to be addressed immediately. Currently, this “gap” in the Honduras economic “system” is failing to support economic and community development. This is the backbone of a struggling economy and gives rise to an improvement in the standard of living so badly needed in the poverty-ridden conditions of Honduras. Phase IV will maintain the momentum of the HECD program and will provide a foundation for future HECD phases.
On October 27, 9 Rotarians from District 5360 and a few interested friends gathered at the home of Barb Young, of Rotary Club of Calgary. The meeting was chaired by Bill Skinner, of Rotary Club of Calgary Heritage Park. This was expected to be the first meeting of a Guatemala Focus Group.
It brought together people who have active interest or participation in development projects in Guatemala that are operated or funded by Rotary clubs of this District. Its purpose was to share information, contacts and potential project work among a larger group of Rotarians. The meeting came about after discussions at the 2016 Discon, as well as at the quarterly meeting of club international service chairpersons.
Plans will be developed most likely for semi-annual meetings, hopefully, to accommodate representatives from clubs around the entire District.
If you have an interest in joining this group, please email Bill at call (403) 807-1976.
The Rotary Club of High River entered a team in the “Grate Grown Up Spelling Bee” held at the town’s historic Wales Theatre as part of Alberta Arts and Culture Days on Oct. 1, 2016. This event raised funds for Literacy for Life.
“With basic education and literacy being one of Rotary’s six main focus areas, the Spelling Bee just fit right in with our club’s Dictionary Project for school students,” said (Mrs.) Sandy Rowland.
Dressed as 1960s and ’70s hippies, Rotarians Sandy, Nes Davison, Ted Dawson and Scott Forbes competed as the “Kaleidoscopes.” They may not have been the best word spellers, but they came second in the “gratest” number of pledges, raising about $2,000 for Literacy for Life. As well, the “Kaleidoscopes” won the 2016 Gratest Costume award, a trophy they get to keep for a year.
High River Rotarians Nes and LaVera Davison, Scott Forbes, Sandy Rowland and
Ted Dawson dressed as 1960s and '70s hippies for
Literacy for Life's Grate Grown Up Spelling Bee on Oct. 1, 2016
Do you have an interest in volunteering at the District level? Do you see yourself as a leader, a mentor, a supporter and a team player? Do you like to work with like-minded people? And, do you believe in continuous improvement opportunities?
If your answers to the above questions are “yes” then the District Nominating Committee encourages you to put your name forward for any one of the following District positions that are currently available:
Community Service Chair
International Service Chair
Vocational Service Chair
Key Position Responsibilities
Coordinate District initiatives related to Service
Promote participation in service through networking with Club Service leaders
Promote Clubs’ successful service activities
Encourage Clubs to be innovative and use sustainable approaches to solving community and international needs
Share service related resources and best practices with Club service leaders
Assist Club Service committee chairs in carrying out their responsibilities
Your term as Chair will ideally begin prior to the end of December and will run for 3 years beginning on July 1, 2017. You get to work with the District Leadership team and together we will focus on strengthening and supporting our service efforts at both the District and Club level.
Please send me your expression of interest by Friday, November 12th. This should include a short summary of your Rotary experience at the Club and/or District level and why you feel you should be considered for the position. Like any position in Rotary, you and the area of service will get out of it what you put into it! Looking forward to hearing from you.
On the evening of September 30th, just over 200 people, including many children, gathered in the Dance Hall of the Alexandra Centre Society to experience many aspects of Syrian Culture. The place was buzzing with activity and the aromas of the food made you feel like you were transported to an exotic country. Performers, including our own Rotarian Ghada AlAtrash shared their creative talents on stage. Aya Mhanna playing the Oud (The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument with 11 or 12 strings; it looks like a lute, however, it has a smaller neck) just mesmerised the audience. Many women sat patiently as they watched the artistry of the henna painter, beautiful images slowly unfolding on their hands and arms. We were all introduced to the Dabke which is an Arabic dance which combines circle dance and line dancing. Many people joined the Syrian Women’s club in this lively and joyous dance.
Both Global and CTV covered the event from different perspectives and the reports were aired on the news both Friday night and Saturday. You can view the individual reports by clicking on these links:
People were very generous at the event which raised $7,569.10 for Syrian newcomers to Calgary. Twenty-five percent (25%) will be donated to the Rotary Club of Calgary North for the establishment of scholarships for post-secondary students who have arrived from Syrian, and seventy-five percent (75%) to the Syrian Women’s club of Calgary for more welcome kits and supplies for Syrian newcomers.
Perhaps the most important part of the evening was the breaking of barriers between Syrian newcomers and Calgarians as well stood shoulder to shoulder, enjoying the human experience of sharing food, music and culture. What an awesome evening!
A special thank you to the Syrian Women’s club, Cliff Tyminski, Robb Liebel, Gary Bains (Calgary North), Terri Holland (Calgary Sarcee), Kurt Kowalchuk & Ghada AlAtrash (Calgary Downtown) and our non-rotarian volunteers, Deb (Barb Young’s daughter) & her friend Rob, and Simon (Kurt’s son).
And finally, thank you to all the Rotarians who attended, brought their friends, or bought tickets so that Syrian newcomers can attend.
Co-President Audrey King and Evon Jones wrap roses for delivery
Bill Mains fills his car full of dozens of wrapped roses
Chuck Galambos delivers roses to RBC happy recipients.
For over a dozen years
the Rotary Club of Lethbridge East (RCLE) has pre-sold roses to be delivered on the Thursday prior to Thanksgiving. This year under the leadership of Chris McLean, our club members and friends wrapped and delivered almost 500 dozen long- stemmed red roses to happy recipients at residences and businesses in Lethbridge and neighbouring communities. Google: “Rotary Club of Lethbridge East” (on ClubRunner) for CTV video on Rotary Roses: e.g. http://portal.clubrunner.ca/965 and see this video under Rotary Roses 2016 - 475 dozen roses delivered - that is a lot of smiles.
Funds raised go to RCLE’s ongoing projects: youth, community and international. This year our inbound and outbound Exchange Students’ country is Austria. We also send high school students to both Adventures in Citizenship and Agriculture. We continue to support the Rotary 4-way test multimedia TED talk contest in high school, Interact, RYLA and RYPEN.
Our big community project this year together with the City of Lethbridge is the third rebuild of the Sugar Bowl playground, which our Club has been involved with over 38 years--this time with an adult fitness park as an addition. We also buy bulk nutritious food for the local food bank and participate in the Dragon Boat Festival.
Together with our local Rotaract Club at the University of Lethbridge we have supported building a Kindergarten in Mexico. What started as a ‘palette school’ is almost completed as a solid school. Kindergarten attendance is a pre-requisite to entering grade 1. Other international projects are KIVA Microcredit, the Waterton/Glacier Rotary International Peace Park and a dental health preventative care project for Uganda.
ShelterBox has a team on the ground in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm to hit the country in generations.
The Category 4 hurricane tore through Haiti on Tuesday October 4, causing massive destruction to the country still recovering from the earthquake that struck in 2010. The death toll is nearing 1000 and it is estimated that 350,000 people are in need of assistance in Haiti alone.
Even though the storm has passed in Haiti, the devastation and destruction is not yet over. Communities are experiencing flash-flooding and mudslides that continue to rip houses apart. Communications are still cut off to some remote areas, but officials have said that parts of the south of the country have suffered between 90-100% damage. The first cases of cholera have been confirmed, and medical facilities are overwhelmed by the amount of people wounded by the hurricane.
ShelterBox has aid stored in Haiti and Panama and a ShelterBox Response Team, including Canadian Andre Bloemink, is in Haiti and is working with local Rotary contacts to assess the extent of damage firsthand.
Photo Credit: Reuters/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
Our team in Haiti have found that there is a real need and desire for Haitians to help Haitians as best as they can. We believe that communities recover faster when they work together. This is why we don't just deliver emergency aid, but materials like ShelterKits that contain the tools people need to rebuild their lives and homes. We work with people to provide the exact tools they need, along with the training to help strengthen communities for the future.
We believe that no family should be without shelter, and our
teams will go to the ends of the earth to support communities who need it. As a Rotary Project Partner, ShelterBox remains the best Rotary way to support the families affected by disaster around the world. Rotary Clubs from coast to coast continue to make the work we do possible, 365 days a year.
ShelterBox is committed to the families affected by Hurricane Matthew in Haiti and throughout the region, and to other disasters around the world, but we can't do it alone. We need your help. Please donate online, by phone or by sending a cheque to our office (address and info below).
Photo Credit: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images
Thank you so much for your continued support of ShelterBox Canada, our work would not be possible without the dedication of Rotary Clubs across the country. Together with Rotary, we have ensured hundreds of thousands of families have shelter and supplies after disasters.
ShelterBox Canada – 159 Jane St Office 2, Toronto, ON M6S 3Y8
and it’s up to all of us to protect, promote, and deliver our message in all of our interactions. By speaking, writing, and designing in a unified voice and look, we ensure that our communications are unmistakably Rotary.
All advertising, business cards, posters, postcards, pamphlets, sponsor forms, etc. must contain the new gold standard logo going forward. All items requesting to appear in the newsletters are vetted to ensure the new Rotary logo is being used.
See the Rotary.org Brand Centre to access:
customise your club's logo
advertising templates
poster templates
membership materials
presentation templates
press release templates
Discover how branding/identity works best for everyone by visiting more useful resources at Rotary.org - Branding Centre
Clubs who are involved in the District Youth Exchange program or clubs who are thinking about getting involved - Come to NAYEN 2017 and experience the excitement of hanging out with like-minded people who are passionate about the Rotary Youth Exchange program. NAYEN (North American Youth Exchange Network) and its member Districts and Multi-Districts are all about continuous improvement, sharing best practices, training, strengthening relationships with our exchange partners, meeting new friends and of course, fun and fellowship. For more information on NAYEN 2017, including how to register, please visit the website NAYEN 2017 Conference.
Get all information on logo, colour, typeset, layouts for the new branding image of Rotary at the Rotary Branding Center. Sign in to access all the benefits.
To assist in your search for quality speakers at your meetings, please see below and submit suggestions.
Vecova Centre for Disability Services and Research
Joan Lee is the Chief Executive Officer for Vecova Centre for Disability Services and Research. She is a senior leader in the not-for-profit sector with over 40 years of experience working with people with disabilities, not-for-profit and charitable organisations.
Joans' presentation focuses on the work of Vecova and the impact the organisation has for people with disabilities and the community.
She will tell you about Vecova, it's history, mission, vision, services and what the future holds.
To book this speaker for your club, please contact Joan Lee directly via phone (403-284-1121) or email.
not your average anything
Winner of Calgary Chamber’s 2016 Community Impact Award as part of Small Business Week
Joy Hewitt, Chief Employment Coordinator and Job Coach Manager, is happy to share information on this unique company. Many of the attributes that employers are looking for are qualities that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have – honesty and integrity, loyalty and dedication, a strong work ethic, analytical skills, computer skills, time management and organizational skills, motivation or initiative, and the ability to think outside the box – yet rarely do prospective employers see the innate skills and potential of such candidates. Meticulon focuses on these positive attributes as we assess the strengths and skills of our candidates while we also consider their aspirations and what would be the best job match for them, within our niche of the IT field.
To book this speaker for your club, please contact Joy Hewitt directly (403-210-5000 ext 2046) or email.
As part of follow-up and sharing the great day of Mke Dreams Real, you are invited to download a PDF summary
submitted by Stephen and Leslie Simms of Rotary Club of Cochrane. As stated by Stephen, "the event is very much worth attending.
The slides will give you an idea of the topics but without all the emotion in the room. If you want that you've got to show up on your own."
Looking back at the momentous 1917 Rotary Convention in Atlanta, it is difficult to see what could have been contentious about the words of then-President Arch C. Klumph: “It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world.” Yet, at the time, support for the idea was far from unanimous. Some thought an endowment fund would create more trouble than it was worth. But Klumph’s idea received the support it most needed in the form of an initial donation of $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City, Mo.
Nearly 100 years later, we recognize Klumph’s idea as not only visionary, but revolutionary: It set in place the mechanism that allowed Rotary to become the vast force for “doing good in the world” that it is today.
In many ways, our Rotary Foundation is the foundation of Rotary as we know it. It has created a mechanism for cooperation and partnership among clubs and between Rotary and other organizations; it has enabled us to be ever more ambitious in our work and to reach for goals of historic proportions, such as the eradication of polio. It is impossible to quantify the good that has been done over the last century as a result of The Rotary Foundation. All we can know for sure is that Arch Klumph, if he could see it, would be proud.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at our international convention in Atlanta: the city where our Foundation was born. I hope a record number of Rotarians will be there to celebrate the centennial of our Foundation. In the meantime, there are plenty of other ways to celebrate! I encourage you to read more about the Foundation centennial at centennial.rotary.org. There, you’ll learn about the history of our Foundation and find ideas for events and projects in your clubs and your community.
One of the most important ways we are celebrating the Foundation centennial is with a fundraising goal of $300 million. Your gift to your Foundation is the best way of ensuring a strong second century for Rotarians Doing Good in the World and for Rotary Serving Humanity.
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At the International Convention in Atlanta in June of 1917, the sixth President of Rotary International Arch Klumpf stood on the stage and declared that what Rotary needed was a charitable endowment to do good in the world. The first donation of $26.50 came from the Rotary Club of Kansas City and The Rotary Foundation was born..jpg){kind=logo}
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On the evening of September 30th, just over 200 people, including many children, gathered in the Dance Hall of the Alexandra Centre Society to experience many aspects of Syrian Culture. The place was buzzing with activity and the aromas of the food made you feel like you were transported to an exotic country. Performers, including our own Rotarian Ghada AlAtrash shared their creative talents on stage. Aya Mhanna playing the Oud (The oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument with 11 or 12 strings; it looks like a 
ShelterBox has a team on the ground in Haiti following Hurricane Matthew, the most powerful storm to hit the country in generations.
Our team in Haiti have found that there is a real need and desire for Haitians to help Haitians as best as they can. We believe that communities recover faster when they work together. This is why we don't just deliver emergency aid, but materials like ShelterKits that contain the tools people need to rebuild their lives and homes. We work with people to provide the exact tools they need, along with the training to help strengthen communities for the future.
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We have a powerful story to tell
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