Every month since I joined Rotary, I’ve looked forward to reading the Rotary Magazine, especially the opening essay from our Rotary president. I’ll admit that as much as I appreciate a digital copy, I still revel in the tactile sensation of sitting down and leafing through the glossy pages. They are a treasure trove of photos and memorable stories about our great organization — the one we all know and love. I have learned so much over the years about service projects and lives that each of you have transformed.

As a communications professional, I have longed for the day that our stories were a regular part of mainstream media and that our flagship magazine might populate doctor’s offices, coffee shops, or anywhere else people sit, wait, and browse. It’s great that Rotary members are better informed about all we do, and wouldn’t it be that much better if more people knew our stories.

All this was top of mind as I thought about our plans for promoting Rotary worldwide in the upcoming year. Over the next 12 months, we are going to shine a light on projects that put Rotary service on display to the world, and we are going to do it strategically. Nick and I will focus on some of the highest impact, sustainable, and scalable Rotary projects from our areas of focus in what we call the Imagine Impact Tour.

We are inviting top-tier journalists, thought leaders, and influencers to use their channels to help us raise awareness by reaching people who want to serve but have not yet realized they can do it through Rotary.

But there was another important issue to consider — our carbon footprint. I take seriously Rotary’s emerging leadership position on environmental issues. The example set by our members during the pandemic is fundamental to how we carve out our future.

That means we will harness digital technology to tell these stories — we will be tweeting, posting, and “going live” to anyone who will listen. We must consider our environment, and part of that means not always traveling but continuing to connect in meaningful ways as we have for the past two years.

Of course, we are social people, and we still need to be together. We simply need to be more mindful of our decisions and think about how we get together just a little bit differently. For example, if we travel to visit a project, we will plan successive visits in neighboring areas.

So, what are your stories and who can help tell them? I hope you might consider your own Imagine Impact efforts — your story might be something you can promote just as easily on social media or during a Zoom call. Think about ways to showcase notable projects in your clubs and districts. 

We all feel the impact that Rotary service and values have on us. Now it’s our opportunity to share that feeling with others.

 

 

On July 9th a very enthusiastic welcoming party met RI President Jennifer Jones and her team as they arrived at EIA. The Day of Impact was to show what Edmonton and surrounding area Rotary Clubs are doing to improve their communities and those abroad. 

 

It was a beautifully sunny day and Edmonton couldn't have looked better. The excitement and enthusiasm carried on through the day as Jennifer Jones and her team toured the organized events.

 

 

 

In the morning there were two Root for Trees events organized. Each site had 30 volunteers that included Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and Friends. The Root for Trees Program plants native species of trees, shrubs and wildflowers to add biodiversity to the urban forest. Our teams planted over 400 species in Terrace Heights and Sifton Park Ravine.

 

 

 

 

Mayor Amarjeet Sohi and Edmonton City Council declared July 9th as Rotary International Day in Edmonton and counsellors Jennifer Rice and Ashley Salvador brought the message to Rotarians and community members at the evening event.

 

 

Welcome to Doug Sollows, our President for 2022/23. During the club assembly Doug outlined his goals for the coming year.

 

CLUB GOALS FOR 2022-2023

Member Communication: Engage with all our members to encourage them to fulfill their need of service above self in our Club activities.

Allocation of Creative Engagement: To have clear intent about what we can accomplish with our people and money this year and by extension into next. How do we engage all our current thirty-seven members into our Avenues of Service, to support the Chairs of these committees? The potential of WE!

Partnering: Explore partnering to build capacity: Why duplicate when we can collaborate?

Immersion on this years Theme: Participate in and be inspired by our time with President Jennifer on Saturday, July 9, and appeal to our members to take in the day and the gala.

Fundraising: Have a successful Golf Tournament. Make connections and evaluate the potential of our relationships.

Rotary Foundation: Work with and support Ingrid in her role as the Zone Chair for the Foundation. Communicate the benefits of the Foundation. I would really appreciate every member giving to the Foundation!

Rotaract and Interact Clubs: Investment more in our rotary youth. To provide mentorship to the members and build relationships within the University and High School.

2+1 Quality Over Quantity: Going to two hybrid meeting + one other event (whether it be committee planning meetings, social events) where we can program and come together to make positive change.

Social Media: Exploring the outreach and communication potential of our Rotary Club profile and the use of ZOOM for committee meetings, speakers, and RI themed events.

Membership: Reach out to our contacts and encourage them to become members. Look for younger members. Get our club up to forty-five people.

We had a wonderful picnic in the park with newcomers from Edmonton Mennonite Centre for Newcomers, celebrating Rotary International and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Thanks to Sara, from EMCN, for helping to organize the day. Great connections and friendships were made. 

To get to know each other we played a speed meeting game. We chose someone we didn't know and talked about what we love about Edmonton. Then we moved on to the next person. Great fellowship was had by all as we got to know each other. 

Then the fun and games began. We played giant jenga, had a rousing game of soccer and then the dancing started. The newcomers led us in a line dance and then they taught us the East African dance moves to "Just One Leg".  Which proves that anyone can dance!

Thank you to everyone who came to the picnic and contributed to the wonderful day.  We had great food, great conversations and made some new friends. We learnt a lot about their journeys to Canada and the challenges they faced. How wonderful that we were able to meet and enjoy time together.