President Bruce Shepard started the meeting with a sharp ring of the bell at precisely 12:15 pm. This was our second visit to the MH Legion, to test out their facilities and kitchen, as well as the logistics of holding a meeting in this particular room.
President Bruce reviewed a really busy week at the Rotary Music Festival, with the Rosebowl competition on Friday evening and the Stars of the Festival program on Sunday night. He congradulated the Music Festival team on another (the 69th) great event.
Bruce also spoke about the work of the Monarch 1911 Society and the weekend renewal of the Friends of the Monarch Society (where he will take a "vice" President role). The AGM was held on Sunday afternoon, appropriately in the Monarch Theatre, and there is a renewed sense of energy and enthusiasm around the building and the prospects for returning it to active duty.
Rotary Club "What-z New":
A few more meeting helpers are required to run cameras and sound during our hybrid meetings. Anyone wishing to help should contact Mike Christie 403 878 3311.
Rotary Club Committee Membership Update:
Please continue to assist your 'team captains' and please also work in other areas of club activity, as you are able.
NEW DEVELOPMENT! Please have a look on ClubRunner in the Committee section. You should find your name on one of the committee member lists, as per your choice(s). If not, please contact President Bruce.
Rotary Club Information:
Housekeeping:
If you have a Meeting Minute, please phone, text or email the President and it will be included in the next Newsletter.
Board minutes can be found on ClubRunner, under Club Documents.
Rotary District 5360 and Rotary International News
RI CONVENTION 2025 IN CALGARY
The RI Convention was last held in Calgary in 1996. It’s going to be back in Calgary again in 2025.
DG Kurt Kowalchuk (email dated June 19) is calling for committee members, in particular but not exclusively, for the Sponsorship & Revenue committee, and the House of Friendship committee
If you are interested in volunteering, contact Host Organizing Committee secretary, Luanne Whitmarsh (l.whitmarsh@shaw.ca)
DG Kurt writes that this convention is going to be done in a way that will be transformational for Rotary in our District
PDG Sandy McKay has volunteered to be the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat's representative on the RI Host Committee.
Other District news
The annual District 5360 AGM will be held on May 13th at 7:00 pm. Our club is normally officially represented by the President-elect and another member of the executive, but any Rotarian may attend. It is a ZOOM meeting, so no travel required. Watch the WN for a link to sign up.
The 2024 District Conference. Register online at https://www.discon5360.ca . The 2024 District Conference will be in Drumheller on May 4 and 5. Because of the 2025 RI Convention in Calgary, there will likely be no local conference in 2025 and the next District Conference will be May 2026 in Red Deer.
Ideas for Future Programs
The Rotary Club's Program Committee members are Jillian Koch (jkoch@jmhca.com), Dave Panabaker (d.panabaker@hotmail.com) and Margie Booyens (margiebooyens@gmail.com).
If you have ideas for future programs, please contact them.
The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat welcomed two representatives of the Los Amigo's project to our meeting today. Karl Samuels of the Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise and Michael Henderson of the Rotary Club of Cardston joined us to bring us closer to this project. Los Amigo's has been operating for about a dozen years, it took a couple off during the pandemic but is now hard at work assembling convoy's of emergency vehicles, which are miled-out or houred-out in Canada, a new home in Mexico. The Los Amigos Project is an inspiring international service initiative coordinated by the Rotary Club of Lethbridge. Since its inception in 2011, this project has been making a significant impact by repurposing retired service and emergency vehicles for communities around Mazatlan, Mexico.
Their 2024 trip, which is their 12th group going down leaves on September 29th, for the one week drive to Mexico and then stays for approximately another week to distribute the vehicles, and the additional equipment that can be sent with them, as well as provide some training to the emergency responders who are receiving the equipment. The fleet for this trip will be 4 fire trucks and 4 hand-i-bus vans. An example of the donated equipment is shown below, from the town of Fort Macleod, a 1997 Ford pumper.
The program has a cost of approximately $8,000 per vehicle, so the group is obviously looking for donations, both of funds and of vehicles. They are also looking for drivers, as the two week trip is usually something that retired individuals can accommodate in the schedule with more ease that regular working folks. A class 5 license, with the "Q" endorsement for air brakes is required.
The group has so far taken 61 vehicles south, and the reception from the municipalities in Mexico is often overwhelming and heart-warming. Some of the equipment hardly has time to cool off from the drive, as it is put to use almost immediately.
Karl indicated that only one vehicle of the 61 which have been donated so far is no longer working, so that is a great track record.
GUESTS: The Rotary Club welcomed the following to our meeting today,
Karl Samuels, Rotary Club of Lethbridge Sunrise
Michael Henderson, Rotary Club of Cardston
Deb Chokelal, guest of Rotarian Alain Guerard
Stephan Dow, guest of Rotarian Dave Stalwick
Sharon McDonnel, Rotary Club of Medicine Hat Saamis and our local Assistant Governor.
CLUB DRAW: No draw today, as we were away from the MH Lodge
Please remember to contribute gifts for the weekly draw. The stock cupboard is looking a tad bare!
Makeups: None mentioned .
Birthdays:
Dan Kammerer March 4
Dave Panabaker March 7
Terry Cooper March 25
Rotary Anniversaries:
Stan Sakamoto 40 years March 1, 1984
Jack Snedden 35 years March 1, 1989
Dave Stalwick 22 years March 4, 2002
Mike Christie 22 years March 4, 2002
John John 21 years March 10, 2003
Bruce Shepard 10 years March 10, 2014.
Alain Guerard 1 year March 13, 2023.
Dawn Barr 20 years March 29, 2004.
Wedding Anniversary Rose Runner for March 2024:
Gail Halderman
Minutes:
WHY ROTARY? EVENT: Wednesday April 24, from 6:30pm
Mike Christie asked for volunteers to decorate the Stampede Grounds Ballroom. He said that Interact members and selected Rotary Music Festival participants would be in attendance, as would members of the other Rotary Clubs in town. There will be a cash bar. Coffee and liqueur are included in the $30 pp ticket. The event will be run like a typical Rotary Club meeting. The Events Committee has found a few sponsors, but donations for door prizes are needed.
BINGO
Gregg Martin advised that our next bingo event will be during the Easter weekend, on Saturday 30 March, in the evening. Invitations will go out this week.
ROTARY MUSIC FESTIVAL
Milan Vujovic and Mark Sorenson were working the donation and program table at the Rotary Rosebowl competition on Friday evening, March 15th. It was well attended and the performances were wonderful.
Club 1000 Raffle Results.
Our principal fundraising mechanism for the Music Festival is our Club 1000 raffle, and it wrapped up on Friday evening, with the results being announced at the Stars of the Festival on Sunday night. Dave Panabaker was very happy to surprise Rotarians Sandy Mackay and President Bruce Shepard with checks, as they were some of the winners in the raffle. In total 669 tickets (about the same as 2023) were sold and after expenses it is hoped that our raffle will produce about $20,000 for the Festival. Dave read out the winners and handed out a few of the checks to be hand delivered.
JAMES (JIM) MARSHALL Exhibit
Dave Panabaker drew attention to the upcoming celebration of Jim Marshall’s 85th birthday and his wonderful art works. A reception will be held in the Yuill Gallery at Medalta Potteries on 10 April at 7pm, as the birthday celebration. The exhibit is open from March 2 to April 27, please come out and take in this fabulous display of a lifetime of work by this renown Medicine Hat artist, and a long time Saamis Rotarian.
CHURCH BASED PROJECT
Dave Panabaker told members about a St John’s Presbyterian church project called MHart. He invited members to attend an event being planned by MHart, on Thursday 21 March, at St Johns, at 7pm. We will hear from two keynote speakers, Emma Piayda and Ayman Kaiden, from the Medicine Hat Public School Division. Their theme: “Caring for Kids New to Canada – Building Bridges in School”. Learn about the experiences and challenges faced by the students and their families Aydan and Emma work with.
TEAM FREEWHEEL BIKE PROJECT
Ken Zollner reminded members that the spring handout of restored bikes would start on Thursday 4 April 2024.
NEXT MEETING
Monday 25 March at noon at the Redcliff Youth Center, Main St Redcliff. We will tour the facility, see the donation we made their last year at work and hear from the Executive Director.
Family of Rotary
No mention of anyone today.
Please keep a Board Member informed about members health changes, so that information can be provided to the club through the Weekly News.
The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat has returned to meeting in person. Our first meeting of every month is a ZOOM business meeting. Check the club calendar, which is usually up to date for our meeting locations and program.
