Welcome to the Family of Rotary – We have two new Interact Clubs in our District, and I would like to welcome the Interact club of Strathcona Tweedsmuir and our newest club the Kainai Interact Club on the Blood Reserve.  Hats off to these amazing young people and to the Rotary Clubs of Okotoks, Calgary Fish Creek, Raymond and Cardston for sponsoring these clubs!  AND, with thanks to the Membership Committee, I welcome home Rotarians who after a time away are coming back to Rotary.  Welcome back, we are very glad to have you home. 😊   Shelter Box – Look to our District Website to donate club and personal funds to this worthy partnership with Rotary International.  Shelter Box is an opportunity to provide our global citizens with dignity, security and safety when natural disasters or conflicts have taken everything from them.  Many of our programs have changed this year and there may be funding available from other committees in your club to support Shelter Box.  Or, maybe in lieu of Christmas presents your family will give the gift of shelter to another family.   Social Media Launch – I am so excited to announce that we have a new Social media team who is ready to share our latest ideas and events across our District.  If your club is doing something that is really cool please let Charlene Bearden know and she will coordinate the spread of your news through our Communication Committee members to our District Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts.  Contact Charlene at Admin@Rotary5360.ca.  Communication Committee members will be reaching out to you too.  Let’s share our success stories!   Christmas Party – I have with the help of some Rotary elves invited each and everyone to a Holiday Cheer evening, or hour at 7:00 pm, Wednesday, December 16th!  It will be a fun time to ‘see’ each other and wish everyone the very best of the season.  Hope you can join, click to register to attend this event!   Mentorship Program – Have you Met? Have you got a plan to meet?  How is it going so far??  Super excited to hear that this oversubscribed program between Rotaracters and Rotarians is going so well!  THANK you to everyone who signed up and took a chance on this new opportunity to get to know each other better, support our passion in Rotary and explore new opportunities to provide service.   Toastmasters Rotary Alliance is getting stronger and stronger.  We are leaders in our Zone and have already been involved in training opportunities to spread awareness of the alliance.  We have also grown our membership in both organizations. A new presentation of the alliance should be ready soon to be used in your next club meeting discussion, or speaker invitation.  Watch for it.   We are closing in on the Half Time show of our Rotary year; a time to celebrate the opportunities we have been presented within the first half and a time to put into action the dreams we have for the year!  We all know that Life is Too Short – so don’t delay, SEIZE THE DAY, and make those BIG DREAMS of our year the reality of 2021! We are thinking ahead, and are excited to nominate Kurt Kowalchuk as our District Governor Nominee Designate.  Congratulations Kurt!   Our hearts and minds turn now to our family traditions which unlike other years will be different this year as we navigate through our current global situation with the COVID pandemic.  We will pivot from tradition and venture to the newness of family Zoom celebrations, together we will remember those no longer with us, and celebrate the new faces our families have welcomed this year.  It is going to feel different. And weird.  I hope the familiarity of family, the hope and fortitude we share as Rotarians will carry us through any uncertainty that crosses our path and will provide the strength we need to breathe, to navigate and to have success in uncharted territory.  Think of our pioneers – what amazing, confidant folks they were.  Rotary Opens Opportunities – let’s go get them!   From Steve, and myself, from our family to yours, we wish you the very best of the season.  See you in the New Year! 😊   Yours in Rotary Service, Mary Mary Turner, District Governer mary.turner5360@gmail.com 403-507-3460   Joy Peace Friendship It is All About Rotary!