Happenings in Rotary
An evening with MHHS Rotary Interact
Once a year, we, the members of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat, are invited to have dinner and spend the evening with the Rotary Interact Club members at the Medicine Hat High School. It is always a feast of an occasion - literally and figuratively.
 
We were warmly welcomed by 2022-2023 Interact President, Bethany Klein (see below), Vice-President Mo Suberu, Social Media Coordinator Anna Thomas, four other Interact members. and two Teacher Advisors, Tammy Vaari and Tiffany Adams.
 
 
 
Sitting around tables, chatting and enjoying a delicious taco meal with brownies for dessert, we 24 Rotarians and guests, 7 Interactors, and  two teachers spent two informative and inspiring hours together.
 
 
The MHHS Interactors are a group of Hat High students that come together to act in Rotary values. Leadership is promoted and interaction with the local and international communities enabled.
 
The Interactors took turns to present the many activities undertaken during by the Club during the past Rotary year, starting with a recruitment drive among Hat High students in September 2022. This Rotary year, they had 24 members, 14 of whom were active.
 
 
The Interactors bowled us over with their presentation on the many and varied activities, services and projects undertaken by MHHS Interact Club this Rotary year.
 
These included: 
Positive message cards for Hat High students who needed a boost; a  Poppy Project related to Remembrance Day; the selling of Candy Grams for friends and teachers; a Bake Sale which raised over $230.00; Operation Christmas Child, involving filling 20 boxes which were then dropped off at Hillcrest Church; Campus Clean-up, in partnership with Earth Club; and Youth in Philanthropy, a program which allows Interact members to have hands-on experience working on projects of local charitable organizations. This year they researched three organizations: The Women's Shelter, the SPCA, and Saamis Immigration. The Community Foundation heard their presentations on these three organizations and gave Interact a grant of $1,400, which Interact then donated to Saamis Immigration Services Society.
 
During the question and discussion part of the program, we were entertained and delighted to hear from each Interactor, what their Rotary-related highlight had been. President Bethany identified her attendance of the Zone 28/32 Interact Conference as the main highlight of her year, which had been a great opportunity for her to network with other Interactors and to learn.
 
CONGRATULATIONS, President Bethany and your executive and members! Your Interact Club's projects are great examples of 'Service Above Self', which have made a significant difference in the lives of others. We, the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat, salute you and are proud to support the MHHS Interact Club!
 
A fun part of the evening was a fund-raiser with a difference: an envelope lottery.
 
 
Luck was on the side of President Melany Harty and Assistant Governor Keith Walker, who were two of the winners of very interesting prizes!
 
Rotary Club of Medicine Hat Director of Vocational and Youth Service, Peter Mueller, was thanked for his support of the Interact Club over the past year.
 
The regrets and the warm congratulations of newly retired MHHS vice-principal and teacher advisor of Interact, Sue Withers, were conveyed.
 
Anne Carrier congratulated and thanked President Bethany and her Interactors on their achievements and on a very successful and enjoyable joint meeting.
 
The evening wrapped with the introduction of two young men from Brazil! - twins Gabriel and Tiago Oliva. These two are both ROTEX members, having been on Rotary Youth Exchanges in Canada and Germany respectively. They are currently students at the Medicine Hat College, studying Business Management. Rotarian Gail Halderman met them quite by chance at a bank in Medicine Hat, and invited them to attend the joint Interact/Rotary Club meeting.
 
 
They gave brief introductions of themselves, past, present and hoped-for future. 
 
Gabriel and Tiago, we welcome you to our city, and to whatever Rotary connections you choose to make over the months and years ahead!
 
 
All in all, once again at this joint meeting, the incredible power of Rotary to empower young people, to connect people of all backgrounds and life stages in service to others, and to promote world understanding and peace, was evident. What a privilege it is, to be a Rotarian!
 
From Curator of a Museum to Curator of a Rotary Club
 
President Elect (PE) Bruce Shepard started his address by thanking the members for the trust placed in him as incoming President of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat.
He drew a parallel between being a museum curator, ‘a keeper of a collection of valuable items worth keeping’, and the curator of our Club, comprising so many ‘specimens’ who have invaluable perspectives on life, having lived for many years and had so many experiences.
 
PE Bruce referred to the history document published at the time of our Club’s Centennial Celebrations (2018), the ‘story line’ of our Club, how proud members can be of the many achievements over the decades, and said we need to shift gears from being overly modest about the Club’s achievements, to getting the word out about what a great service club Rotary is, and the difference we make in people’s lives, both locally and internationally. He made special reference to the Rotary Music Festival.
 
Bruce highlighted Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, suggesting that many Club members have moved through the different levels over the years, and have now reached the level of self-actualization, putting us in the important position of being able to see beyond ourselves, acknowledge the needs of others, and live the ‘service above self’ motto.
 
Medicine Hat has a population of about 63,000, a third being over 60 years of age. PE Bruce said how important it is, that we give those retirees who would like to, the opportunity to serve their community in a different capacity, namely via a service club like Rotary. He also referred to newcomers to our city, our ‘new neighbours’, and getting the Rotary story out to them.
 
The key to attracting new members and retaining their participation? “Tap into what people feel most passionate about”.
 
Our Club will be holding an event in April 2024, National Volunteer Month in Canada, to showcase Rotary in general, our Club specifically, and to attract new members. PE Bruce will chair the organizing committee.
 
He again encouraged all members to join at least one of the many Club committees that will be up and running during his year as President.
 
To our incoming ‘Curator of the Exhibit’ of the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat and its members:
 
Thank you, Bruce Shepard, for taking on the position of 2023-2024 Club President. We wish you the very best for a year of member attraction, retention, club innovation and vibrancy!
Classification Talk - Alain Geurard
Classification Talk - Alain Geurard
Alain Guerard was introduced as our speaker today, to give his classification talk by his club sponsor, Dave Panabaker.  Alain described himself as being a very lucky person all his life.  He thanked Joe Hrankowski, whose reclassification talk he heard and that prompted him to make some notes so he wouldn't forget something important that he wanted to say.
Alain was born and raised in Montreal, and they had a good life, good schools and good friends.  He said that other than some summer trips to the farm, he never left the "Island", and was very happy.  When he was 16 he decided that he wanted to join the Canadian Armed Forces, and became a cadet destined for the infantry.  However, 5 years at the Royal Military College and poor eyesight resulted in him graduation as a logistics officer.
 
He got married to Joanne after graduation, and they have been together for 52 years.  They have two children, their daughter has been a police officer but is now studying for a degree in education.  Their son is a geologist in Calgary.  Most importantly, they have 4 grandkids.  His career took him to many locations around this country and he retired from the military in 1995 as the DCO of the School of Logistics.
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Upon retirement, he found a job at KPMG in supply chain management and has continued to work in that field over the past 20 years.  He has been involved in larger projects with firms such as Pfizer, with the Canadian Blood Service, and overseas with fuel logistics in Sudan and container loads of relief supplies for the Ukraine.  His work is gradually tapering off, but he still gets calls and puts in about one day a week. He has volunteered at AJ Loan Cupboard over the past year, and both the Esplanade and Co-op Place. He descibed himself as a "WYSIWYG" guy, "what you see is what you get.
 
He was thanked by Past District Governor Sandy Mackay, and presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship, our tradition for new members and we look forward to Alain's ideas and energy in the club for years to come.
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Medicine Hat

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Mondays at 11:45 AM
Medicine Hat Lodge
1051 Ross Glen Dr SE
Medicine Hat, AB T1B 3T8
Canada
The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat has returned to meeting in person, face-to-face meetings as of Monday March 21. A ZOOM link will still be available for those who are cautious, ill or are away on vacation.
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Rotary Club of Medicine Hat
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Medicine Hat, AB, T1A 7H1
 
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