2017-2018 District Governor Rick Istead
 
   

District fifty360⁰
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Published first Friday of the Month.              Submissions due Wednesday prior.             Editor: Charlene Bearden
 

 

                             

                             

                              

 


District Governor Message
February is Peace and Conflict Resolution month
 
Conflict and violence displace millions of people each year. Half of those killed in conflict are children, and 90 percent are civilians. Through our service projects, peace fellowships, and scholarships, our members are taking action to address the underlying causes of conflict, including poverty, inequality, ethnic tension, lack of access to education, and unequal distribution of resources. To learn more about Rotary’s efforts to promote peace go to My Rotary: https://my.rotary.org/en. For more local information about how our District is involved, please reach out to our District Rotary Foundation Committee.
 
At last count, ...
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Service Reports
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ShelterBox Updated - January 2018
 
BANGLADESH: Working with Rotary
When the worst rains in 40 years caused widespread flooding in Bangladesh, Rotary contacts were instrumental in enabling ShelterBox to respond.
Rotarian Ahmed Farooque of the Rotary Club of Dhaka Kawran Bazar had worked with ShelterBox on two previous occasions and was our first point of contact in country. By arranging an official invitation and organizing permits, the club facilitated ShelterBox access to areas of the country that would otherwise have been impossible to reach.Rotary in Bangladesh was able to assist with transport, warehousing, local knowledge and contacts that enabled ShelterBox to provide nearly 3,000 families with shelter, light and protection from disease. One of these families was Bizli’s.

Meet Bizli and her family...
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Community Hubs Legacy Project Update
 
In June 2017, the Rotary Club of Calgary officially entered into an agreement with United Way of Calgary and the City of Calgary to become an active Community Hubs partner. Community Hubs are a key recommendation of Enough for AllCalgary’s poverty reduction strategy. 
 
We are delighted to inform you that the Community Hubs Legacy Project in partnership with the City of Calgary and the United Way of Calgary and Area has been nominated for the Spirits of Gold Award in the Together We Can category. This award recognizes a collaborative initiative which has developed significant partnerships with community agencies, community groups, government, businesses and/or citizens to address and alleviate complex social problems that can’t be solved by one sector or organization alone.
 
Winners of the awards will be announced at United Way’s Spirits of Gold Recognition Gala on Wednesday, February 7, 2018. amy.ansell@calgaryunitedway.org   
This Event has sold out 
Winter Activity Day

Thanks to the help and support of Rotary Calgary,

approximately 30 refugee children in Calgary had the opportunity to enjoy a winter activity day in the first week of January. Organized and hosted by the Joy Foundation for Refugee Youth, this event volunteer based and free to all refugee children who attended. The attendees enjoyed fun activities, including gym games, sports, and arts and crafts.
 
Many of the children who attended the camp would not have had the opportunity to partake in recreational activities like this due to their families’ circumstances including transportation, finances, etc.  Children and parents alike were very grateful and cannot wait to participate again.
Update from Cambridge

Letter from Cambridge

 
Speaking on my experiences in Cambridge at the Rotary District Council in January 2018.
 
Queens’ Old Hall formal in our Queens’ robes during the Christmas season.
January 19, 2018
 
Dear Rotarians in District 5360:
 
My first semester at the University of Cambridge has been jam-packed with school and activities. Cambridge itself has been magical. The Gender Studies department, while small, is full of students from all over the world doing diverse research on important policy issues, and my supervisor has been an incredible mentor as we move into the bulk of thesis writing. It is still incredible to me that my college, Queens’, was founded in 1448 by Queen Margaret of Anjou, and I enjoy walking across the famous historical Mathematical Bridge every morning to get to my department. My class of matriculates is incredibly international, and we enjoy updating each other during our regular Queens’ formal dinners and halls.
 In-between classes, ...
  
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Build your Club: Build Relationships
 
Is your club so busy doing the work of Rotary that members never get to really know each other? Do long-time members leave because they no longer feel Rotary is relevant or adds value to their lives? Do new members soon leave because no one talks to them?
 
Building meaningful doesn’t have to be hard! Check out no-cost or low-cost ideas for having fun.
 
From the BTRB Vault
 
 
Robyn Braley
Rotary Club of High River supports many local projects
 
The following item was part of the Rotary column published in the High River Times on Jan. 12, 2018. It gives readers an idea of what Rotary does in their community.
The Rotary Club of High River supports the local community by funding a variety of projects. These include:
  • High River District Health Care Foundation for improvements to the maternity ward at the local hospital;
  • High River Handi-Bus;
  • Foothills Search and Rescue;
  • Kinettes Water Tower Park;
  • High River Guides’ London trip;
  • Junior Achievement;
  • school dictionary program for Grade 3 students;
  • Senator Riley School council for nutrition program;
  • high school Spring Ball;
  • local school graduations;
  • Christmas lights in George Lane Park;
  • Santa  Claus Parade;
  • Food Bank/The Salvation Army; and
  • Narrow Road Home.
 
All the fundraising is volunteer-driven.
New Digs for the Rotary Club of Calgary Sarcee
You won’t find the Rotary Club of Calgary Sarcee at the Sheraton Eau Claire anymore. The hotel is renovating their restaurant area which prompted this nearly 20-year-old Rotary club to find a new home. And they did!
 
Find the RC Calgary Sarcee in the Bow Valley Club: Still on Thursday morning at 7:00 am and now located in this wonderful new facility!
 
Drop in and check out what the little club that can, does! Park in Bow Valley Square (entrance on 5th Avenue), take the elevators to the +30 level and validate your parking ticket at the entrance of the Bow Valley Club located near the elevators.
 
Yes, folks - FREE PARKING in DOWNTOWN CALGARY for a Rotary meeting!
 
The meetings end around 8:10 am so you can fit in a Rotary meeting before work even starts! It’s a great breakfast for $20 and wonderful company of some pretty great Rotarians.
 
See you at the Bow Valley Club soon!
 
 
President Janet Balfour and Rotarians Deb Hymers and Pauline Fletcher
 
RLI–not just a pretty acronym

Ever wondered what the heck RLI is all about?

 
We advertise these RLI courses several times of the year and include pictures like the one in this article of HAPPY SMILING Rotarians upon the completion of their RLI journey. The Rotary Leadership Institute or RLI is not just a pretty acronym. What is it? Well, we thought you’d like to hear from the participants themselves:
 
“Whether you have been in Rotary 30 years or 3 months you don’t know what you don’t know. Taking RLI will fill in the gaps and enhance your appreciation of Rotary. You should take RLI because a large part of the value is meeting Rotarians from other clubs, the discussions that take place, the fresh ideas and the potential working relationship between clubs.”  Bill Fitzsimmons, Calgary West 
 
“RLI was a very impactful ...
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Ian H.S. Riseley

PRESIDENT 2017-18

ROTARY CLUB OF Sandringham
Victoria, Australia

     
 

In Rotary, our diversity is our strength. This idea dates back to the earliest years of our organization, when the classification system was first proposed. The idea behind it was simple: that a club with members who had a wide variety of backgrounds and abilities would be capable of better service than one without.

In the years since, the idea of diversity in Rotary has come to be defined more broadly. We have discovered that a club that truly represents its community is far better able to serve that community effectively. Looking ahead, it is clear how essential diversity will remain in Rotary: not only to strong service today, but to a strong organization in the future.

One of the most pressing aspects of diversity to address in our membership is the age of our members. When you look around at almost any Rotary event, it becomes immediately obvious that the age range in the room does not promise a sustainable future for our organization. Our membership is near a record high, and we are bringing in new members all the time – yet only a small minority of those members are young enough to have decades of Rotary service ahead of them. To ensure a strong and capable Rotary leadership tomorrow, we need to bring in young and capable members today.

We also cannot discuss diversity in Rotary without addressing the issue of gender. It is difficult to imagine that just three decades ago, women could not join Rotary. Although we have come a long way since then, the legacy of that misguided policy is still with us. Far too many people continue to think of Rotary as an organization only for men, and that idea has had a detrimental effect on both our public image and our membership growth. Today, women make up just over 21 percent of Rotary's membership. While this is certainly a great improvement, we have a long way to go to meet what should be the goal of every club: a gender balance that matches the balance of our world, with as many women in Rotary as men.

Whatever brought each of us to Rotary, we stay because we find value in Rotary membership and believe that our service has value to the world. By building clubs that reflect that world in all its diversity, we will build even more enduring value in Rotary: Making a Difference.

Newsletters of Interest

 
 
(Our District 5360 is part of Zone 24)
Russell Hampton
National Awards Services Inc.
ClubRunner

Email eBulletin Editor: Charlene Bearden

 

Rotary International District 5360

Monthly DG eBulletin

Published the first Friday of the month.

Submissions due the Wednesday prior.

 

   
     

 

Upcoming Events
Medicine Hat PETs - President Elect Training
Medicine Hat Lodge Resort, Casino & Spa
Feb 03, 2018
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
 
Rotary Conf- Environmental Sustainability & Peace
Vancouver
Feb 09, 2018 8:00 AM –
Feb 11, 2018 4:00 PM
 
Red Deer PETs - President Elect Training
Olds College
Feb 17, 2018
9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
 
Family Day - Alberta
Feb 19, 2018 11:59 PM
 
SHE HAS A NAME
Globe Cinema
Feb 21, 2018
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
 
AG Check-in
Feb 27, 2018
7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
 
District Board Mtg.
Mar 02, 2018
12:00 PM – 3:00 PM
 
RLI MOD 1 Calgary - Register Here
Rotary Challenger Park
Mar 10, 2018
9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
 
St. Patrick's Day
Mar 17, 2018 11:59 PM
 
RLI - MOD 1 High River
High River Memorial Center
Mar 17, 2018
8:30 AM – 4:00 PM