June 2022

June is Rotary Fellowship month. Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion. Being part of a fellowship is a fun way to make friends around the world, explore a hobby or profession, and enhance your Rotary experience. At this time there are 55 fellowships to choose from.
 
Fellowship also speaks to the friendships that we have with fellow Rotarians. We come from diverse backgrounds.  Our members come from many vocations.  Some are in the prime of their careers, others are retired.   But we all share a commitment to give back to others, and, when living out that commitment, every new member finds that there are new friends to be made. In every survey about why Rotarians love Rotary and why Rotarians continue to be members, one of the top reasons (and often the number one reason) is fellowship.
 
Rotary was founded in 1905 when lawyer Paul Harris and three friends met in a small office in downtown Chicago. These men wanted to rekindle in the spirit of friendliness they had known in their hometowns. Today, we join Rotary for many different reasons, but it's likely that one of the major reasons we “stay” in Rotary has to do with the friendships formed and fellowship developed over the years.
 

We enjoy what we do because we do it together.

What have we been up to?

 
Our Day of Service was on June 5. We were on Garbage Detail on our stretch of Highway 16. The day brought
together Rotarians and Lions Club members and friends.
 
Rotary Days events offer us the chance to build long-term partnerships with other service clubs, who share the same vision of making the world a better place for all.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
You can see that we always find interesting things at the side of the road. This is a truck box cover that must have come loose. We also found a fire extinguisher, lots of work gloves, our usual assortment of fast food containers and Tim's cups. There were 2 unopened STI swab kits, I would like to know the story behind that one. And quite a few tyres and bits of cars.
 
 

This weeks foundation moment reminds us of what Rotary has done to assist with the Crisis in Ukraine.
 
All donations to the Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund from 3 March to 30 April 2022 have been prioritized for use providing humanitarian aid to regions that are supporting Ukrainian refugees or other victims of the war.
 
Thanks to the generosity of donors around the world, we raised more than $15 million in contributions that are already helping provide people with essential items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing.
 
So far, 90 disaster response grants totaling $2.4 million have been awarded to support people affected by the war. The Rotary Foundation will continue to use the donations for humanitarian aid in and around Ukraine, and districts can apply for these grants until 30 June 2022.
 
Donations made to the Disaster Response Fund after 30 April will be available to all communities around the world that need assistance recovering from disasters.
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Jackie Hobal
May 20
 
Ed Schultz
June 2
 
Ben Doz
June 5
 
John Donner
June 8
 
James Spalding
June 16
 
David Turner
June 23
 
Join Date
Spencer Mueller
May 5, 2014
8 years
 
Joseph Lizotte
June 1, 1993
29 years
 
Lorne Proctor
June 1, 1984
38 years
 
Darrel Ripley
June 30, 2012
10 years
 
Sherry Holmes
June 30, 2001
21 years
 

Rotary Endings and Beginnings

As the Rotary International Year ends we celebrate achievements and look forward to New Beginnings.
 
President Mehta’s June message said that we have lived up to every challenge, including to grow more, do more, and Rotary has grown in a way that we haven’t in many years.
 
This year saw life-changing new projects across all areas of focus, as we took up important work at the highest level — with UNICEF, the Commonwealth, and global leaders. Our efforts opened opportunities to empower girls, improve the environment, and advance literacy and health. 
 
President Mehta  thanked the wonderful Rotary staff for ensuring that we can work with care for our fellow human beings, with peace in our hearts.
 
 
During the closing session, Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones gave members a preview of what she'll be focusing on.
 
"For the past two years, the most common question I have received is, 'How does it feel to be our first woman president?'" Jones said. "I will confess, I feel a sense of excitement brewing because I believe this opens opportunities for lifting and celebrating each of our diverse perspectives."
 
"We've all taken a different path to get here," she continued. "Some because your father was a Rotarian, some because an employer tapped you on the shoulder, others because a Supreme Court ruling permitted women to join ... and yet each of us entered through one mechanism — an invitation.
 
"That is why I am determined to harness diversity, equity, and inclusion to advance this invitation across the Rotary world."
 
Jones also called on leaders throughout Rotary to be trailblazers, and pledged to continue President Shekhar Mehta's Empowering Girls initiative, which she said "has resonated powerfully around the world."

Edmonton West Changeover

It was so wonderful to get together again. Thank you to those who joined us to celebrate the past Rotary year.
Rotary is about Service and Fellowship. The 2021-22 RI Theme certainly personified that. Rotarians know that service and fellowship go hand-in-hand because, through the fellowship of our service projects, we build friendships that last a lifetime. The past 2 years have challenged those ideals. COVID-19 being the biggest peacetime disruptor Rotary has ever seen.
 
I would like to applaud Ken Brander, David Weir, and their board for leading the club through the first year and a half of dealing with COVID and navigating zoom meetings as the world was turned upside down. I am so proud of our members for their strength and deep commitment to the Rotary Club of Edmonton West. It points to their patience, tenacity, and can-do attitude. And it also shows that we can adapt, think outside the box and come up with solutions. That the most important thing we do is service to others, whatever we have to do to achieve that goal.
 
Because of the boards hard work and dedication we didn’t miss a step. We continued to support community organizations, if not with hands on projects, with donations.
 
At the beginning of this Rotary year, we were looking forward to less restrictions and Rotary life transitioning towards “normal times”, but we had another disruption, as we found ourselves without a president. Again, I saw the true depth of commitment from fellow Rotarians who believed in our club, as we came up with an alternate plan. Thank you to Jackie and Ingrid who spent hours on the phone rallying the troops. I’m glad they weren’t paying for those calls.
 
I would like to thank my co-presidents, Jackie, and Al, from the bottom of my heart for stepping up with your positive attitude and saving the day.
 
 
Jackie was instrumental in pulling us all together this year. She recognized what we needed to do, and made sure we did it. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience.
 
 
Al is a work horse. He was secretary, president, grant writer, minute taker and volunteer extraordinaire. At board meetings he left with the longest list of Action Items. Thank you for everything you do for the club and for your positive attitude.
 
 
And then there was me.
 
Rotary members share a unique passion to improve their communities and the world. In 2017 Rotary International launched their People of Action campaign. I can definitely say that Edmonton West Rotary members are people of action, and now things have opened up we are back out there doing what we do best. We have volunteered 1,141 hours this year. So congratulations to you all. I want to thank all the volunteers who have given their time and their passion to these worthy organizations.
 
 
We did manage to have a few COVID friendly social events this year. Friendship is what keeps us connected to Rotary and each other and social events give us the opportunity to do that.
 
 
New Directions
As an organization, Rotary International is growing in New Directions. It is focusing on current issues like the environment, Indigenous Relationships, Peace Building and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Our New Directions Committee has challenged Club Members to take fresh perspectives on partners, projects and potential members – to build on Rotary values and objectives to engage on these emerging areas of interest.
 
 
Peace Building
As you know we were the first club in the District to become a Peace Builder Club, thanks to a lot of initial work by Ingrid. Rotarian Peacebuilder Clubs commit to engage in dialogues and projects that promote positive peace both in their communities and across the globe and to provide funding to RI for peace initiatives. We participate in funding for peace fellowships and brought in speakers on Positive Peace. Ingrid and Jackie were part of the group that was adjudicating the Peace Scholars.
Through Ingrid we have also contributed to the Peace Pole Project. We are working with the MacEwan University and University of Alberta to install peace poles. Edmonton West bought 2 peace poles for the district conference, one for a draw and the other for a silent auction. Ingrid has also been working with Fort Edmonton for a peace pole to be presented during the evening with Jennifer Jones to be installed at the entrance to the park.
 
 
Indigenous Relationships
Our club, under the leadership of John, supported the orange shirt initiative led by the YEG passport club.
John is part of the district Indigenous committee who organized an indigenous speaker series.
John also spoke at the recent District conference and hosted a booth in the House of Friendship.
We are exploring opportunities to collaborate with other Rotary Clubs on how to build a relationship with Bent Arrow.
And Doug and John visited Saddle Lake Cree Nation in June with the objective of building relationships.
 
 
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
In 2021 the Rotary International Board approved a new DEI Code of Conduct that reflects our core values. It provides a supportive framework for how Rotary members can create and maintain an environment that is collaborative, positive, and healthy for everyone.
The DEI code of conduct asks Rotary members to:
  • Use respectful language
  • Be supportive
  • Foster a welcoming and inclusive environment
  • Celebrate diversity
Although free expression is important, what we say and how we behave matter. Rotary does not tolerate speech or behavior that promotes bias, discrimination, prejudice, or hatred because of age, ethnicity, race, color, disabilities, religion, socioeconomic status, culture, sex, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
 
Edmonton West has created a sub-committee to expand our knowledge and increase our ability to facilitate positive discussions about DEI issues. Our strategy is to engage speakers and work with our community partners to engage directly with diverse populations.
 
We will be hosting a BBQ with the Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers on July 23 and doing a joint service project with the same group in August at our Root for Trees Event. I would like Edmonton West members and families to come out and support these events.
 
The volunteering that we do with our community partners doesn’t always give us the opportunity to talk with the people we are helping. We do good work by supporting the organizations, but to gain understanding, learning and acceptance we need to engage directly and listen to their stories, get to know them and build relationships.
 
 

Paul Harris Fellow

The board voted to award a Paul Harris Fellow to Major Graham Pilkington, former Commanding officer of the 395 Air Cadet Squadron. Due to health reasons, Major Graham Pilkington has stepped down and we wanted to recognize the outstanding work he has done with the Cadets.

 

 
The leadership on the board this year was second to none. Our fundraising events were cancelled because of COVID restrictions and as a board we had some tough decisions to make. Being a board member is like a village….we all have multiple jobs and we work together to do what needs to be done and I thank the board for that.
 
Jackie and Al as presidents led the board through most of the year. Their diligence kept us all focused and on task.
 
David Weir, as past president gathered a lot of valuable information from members during his year which helped in many of the decisions that had to be made.
 
Al, as secretary took excellent minutes, kept us up to date with RI and wrote the grants.
 
Our Treasurer Vicky meticulously kept the books and prepared a budget that even I could understand. She was also our Foundation Chair.
 
Lorne has quite a few jobs, he is our Youth chair and International Chair. He is also an integral part of the Guatemala team, and organizer of the auction at our upcoming golf fundraiser.
 
Rob has planned and organized a spectacular speaker series this year, he has spent countless hours learning how to use the owl and setting up for our hybrid meetings. He did an amazing job.
 
John, as our New Directions chair has accomplished much in the area of New Directions. Thank you to John for taking us into unchartered territory with kindness, thoughtfulness and an open heart.
 
Art has been with us in board meetings for the past few months as he takes over the treasurer position from Vicky. Thank you for taking on this vitally important role.
 
Thanks to Ingrid for her insight, leadership and advise as she helped get us back on track at the beginning of the year.
 
Mike Ryan, although he has been down and out a few times with COVID, still found the time to take on the Community Services Chair.
 
Bryan Gouthro, as a newer member, joined our board. Thank you for your comments and observations. It’s always good to get a new perspective.
 
Spencer, our member at large. If it wasn’t for him our meetings would be about 5 hours long. Thanks for keeping us on point and sticking to the agenda.
 
Doug, our president elect, is now ready to take on the role as leader of the board.
 
I would also like to add, that any member is welcome to attend a board meeting. We conduct them all online, so you can join from the comfort of your own home. If you want to learn what’s going on in the club, that’s the place to do it!!
 
 
Members are the Heart of Rotary
 
 
Rotary’s strength is in its diversity. Members bring a whole range of skills and abilities which enable us to be so effective in the work we do for the ­community. Diversity brings strength and this is true of not only different vocations, but also different interests, languages, backgrounds, cultures and ideas. Every member has something to contribute to the club, so as the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work.
 
I would like to say thankyou to each and every member for the skills and passion they give to the club and for everyone doing their bit.
 
To my undaunted volunteers who have signed up for anything and everything I can organize: Duart, Ken, Bert, Richard, John and Penny, Ben, Dave Turner, Rob and Elizabeth, Bryan Gouthro, David Weir, David Graham, Jim Johnston, Anthony, Lorne, Vic, Mike, Al and Karen, J.P, Art, Doug, and Darryll White. And I am happy to welcome Fred back to our volunteer team.
 
To Bert who always brings his bright smile to cheer us up.
 
To Jerome, thank you for entertaining us so beautifully on the piano. And for your many years of service to Grandview.
 
To Bill, Ken and Lorne who keep us connected to the 395 Air Cadet Squadron.
 
To Ben and Marley who have donated money, time, love and unmatched passion to the Eye Project in Guatemala for the past 25 years.
 
To Darryll White who has volunteered to help run the hybrid meetings.
 
To Zen and all his work in Costa Rica and the Ukraine.
 
To Rob and Joe who have helped organized our speakers for this year.
 
To Sherry Holmes who is the keeper of our archives and history of the club.
 
To Wayne Ellis for his past contributions to the Golf Fundraiser.
 
To Spencer, Brian Thompson, Lorne, Vicky, Bryan Gouthro, and Doug for all their work on the golf fundraiser this year. Spencer has put his heart and soul into the event and I wish it every success.
 
To Ingrid for all the work she does for the Zone and the District and her unwavering belief that peace is possible through Rotary.
 
To Ann Orsini who reaches out to members with thoughtful messages and birthday wishes.
 
To Darrel and Peggy who organize the hiking trip every year. They challenge us to climb higher and to enjoy the view.
 
To Jim Spalding who rarely misses a meeting and enjoys the fellowship. Thanks for signing up for the Registration Desk.
 
To David Wier for the huge amount of work that he put into the member survey, and of course his presidency last year which was completely online.
 
To our newest member Nancy who has already signed up to volunteer at the Food Bank.
 
Our club is also lucky to have friends like Karen Gibbens, who support our club by volunteering.
 
Behind every Rotarian is a partner or spouse that puts up with the time we spend doing Rotary Work, and who also come out and volunteer and support events. Thank you!
 
My biggest thank you goes to Spencer who has put up with me being on my laptop every night preparing for meetings, updating the website, and creating power points, getting frustrated with technology and generally ignoring him. Thanks for your patience and understanding.
 
Each and every one of you is invaluable to the Edmonton West team and I am humbled by your efforts and your service to others.
 
So it is with immense pride that I hand the club over to Doug Sollows, the president for the 2022-23 year.
 
We wish you well in the year ahead. As you might know by now, I love using quotes. So, in the words of Douglas Adams, “Don’t Panic”, we are all here to support you. And taking a line from Gerry and the Pacemakers, as president of the Rotary Club of Edmonton West, “You’ll Never Walk Alone”.
 
Welcome our President for the 2022-23 year….Doug Sollows.
 

Upcoming Events

 
Day of Impact
As you know, for the first two weeks of the new Rotary Year, RI President Jennifer Jones is travelling across the country to showcase our wonderful country to the Rotary World. And unlike the FIFA World Cup, Edmonton has been chosen as one of the Hub stops on July 9.
 
 
We will be welcoming her with positive, community impact activities in every corner of Rotary District 5370.  In Edmonton there are 2 Root for Trees Events, so if you haven’t signed up yet, please do so.
The big event will be at Fort Edmonton Park where the Indigenous Peoples Experience will be part of the tour. John Donner has been involved in organizing this event. 
 If you buy a ticket to the Evening with Jennifer Jones in the Blatchford Hanger, you will be able to enter the park and enjoy the facilities any time after 10:00 am. The event in the evening begins at 5:00 pm. It will be a wonderful opportunity to get together and celebrate all things Rotary with fellow Rotarians and friends and to meet Jennifer Jones. She is a very dynamic and inspiring speaker and I encourage you all to buy a ticket.

Rotary Club of Edmonton West Golf FUNdraiser

 
Organization of our Golf Fundraiser on July 28 is coming along famously. I would like to thank the golf committee for all their hard work behind the scenes. Putting together a fundraising event is a lot of work. Reaching out to sponsors, asking for donations and wrangling foursomes is challenging and I would like to thank Spencer for his huge contribution of time and energy to pulling that together.
Upcoming Events
Volunteering at the Food Bank ~ Full
Edmonton Food Bank Warehouse
Jun 28, 2022
5:00 PM – 7:30 PM
 
Day of Impact ~ Root for Trees Event
TBD
Jul 09, 2022
9:00 AM – 11:00 AM
 
An Evening with RI President Jennifer Jones
Fort Edmonton Park
Jul 09, 2022 5:00 PM
 
Purolator Tackle Hunger ~ Full
Commonwealth Stadium
Jul 22, 2022 4:45 PM
 
FRIENDSHIP PICNIC IN THE PARK
Laurier Park - Picnic Site # 6
Jul 23, 2022 4:00 PM
 
Serving a Meal at Hope Mission
Hope Mission
Jul 24, 2022
10:00 AM – 12:30 PM
 
Golf FUNdraiser - Save the date
Cougar Creek Golf Resort
Jul 28, 2022
 
Root for Trees ~ Guided Tree Planting
TBD
Aug 06, 2022
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
 
Volunteering at Habitat for Humanity Re-Store
Habitat for Humanity ReStore
Aug 20, 2022
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
 
View entire list

Thank You!

Thank you all for your unwavering support this year. As the new Rotary year begins there is always that feeling of excitement and anticipation in the air. This year is no exception, especially at we welcome Jennifer Jones as Rotary International’s president for 2022-23. This groundbreaking selection will make her the first woman to hold that office in the service organization’s 115-year existence. As Jennifer Jones looks ahead to her presidential term, she confirms that she’s prepared to take on existing and new challenges as society continues to evolve at a rapid pace, and like Rotary presidents before her, is eager to set Rotary on course for a robust and vibrant future.

Hold onto your hats......this is going to get exciting!!!

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