President Doug Fleming rang the meeting bell at 12:15 and this week we all recited the Rotary 4-Way Test. A nice change of pace and something every Rotarian should know by heart.
President Doug thanked everyone from the club, and there were quite a few, who helped in some way at last week's "Special Olympics Canada Summer Games", held here in Medicine Hat. He especially singled out Mike Christie, who in his protocol role had his hands full all week. Doug and Dave Stalwick enjoyed working the greeting position for the swimming event, which Rotary sponsored.
Doug also mentioned that he has 10.5 months to go in his role as President (but who's counting?). Doug announced to the meeting that the annual District Governor's visit is scheduled for Monday September 21st, but the DG will be in town earlier that that and will be having a meeting with Saamis Rotary on Thursday evening, September 10th at the Monarch Theatre at 7:00 pm. Everyone from our club is invited to attend.
ROTARY AT MEDICINE HAT LEVEL: MONARCH 1911 SOCIETY
The "reopening" event will be in conjunction with the downtown auto show. A double feature, featuring "cars" on Saturday August 22nd. Be there or be "square"..
As well, the Monarch is hosting two musical events that might interest Rotarians.
Our club will try to keep track of events on at the Monarch, and will give members a heads-up about opportunities to serve. If you are interested in volunteering at the Monarch, please let Rotarian Janessa Anderson know (403-952-1907) and she will provide details of available shifts and responsibilities.
Volunteering at a show is a great way to connect with the community and support our historic local landmark.
Ideas for Future Programs
The Rotary Club's Program Committee members are Jillian Koch (jkoch@jmhca.com), Margie Booyens (margiebooyens@gmail.com), Alain Guerard (aguerard@telus.net), Sharon Hayward (sharon.hayward@medicinehatymca.ca).
PLEASE NOTE: Suggestions for club meeting programs are always welcomed and appreciated! Keep on giving us your ideas! You don't have to wait for a survey to give us your input!
The Rotary Club of Medicine Hat was delighted to welcome Jan Stalwick, a former club member and daughter of Rotarian Dave Stalwick to our meeting today. Jan was introduced by her Dad and he told a story about how she fell in love with the veterinary profession.
Jan gave a delightful talk, about how the profession has advanced since she started her career 12 years ago, how veterinary medicine has mirrored some of the evolutions of human medicine and how their practice has adapted. She spoke about a recent American lawsuit which has changed the liabilities associated with pet care, and therefore increased the complexity around care plans.
Jan spoke about the advent of AI in their practice, and how the industry has been converted as corporate interests have become players in the field. She answered questions about the timing of some procedures, what and how much to feed pets, some of the dangers of bones for dogs, how the industry may not be graduating enough vets in Canada to meet demand and the perennial question of how much should my dog weigh?
It was a great presentation, by our favourite Vet GP.
Jan was thanked by President Doug and we look forward to seeing her again soon.
ATTENDANCE: 20 members and 2 guests attended the meeting in person. We were joined by Kitt & Dieter Brand, and Jillian Koch online. EDITORS NOTE: KUDO'S TO MARGIE BOOYENS FOR THE GREAT PHOTOS.
Our sign in desk was manned by Gail Halderman and our greeter was Kenya Awudi.
GUESTS:
Jan Stalwick, our guest speaker
Madison, Dawn Barr's granddaughter
MEETING DRAW:
Dick Bide was the lucky winner of a tie and tea from the far east.
BIRTHDAYS:
Sue Withers - August 7
Lesley Tuchscherer - August 22
Gregg Martin - August 25
ROTARY ANNIVERSARIES:
Sandy MacKay - 49 years - July 01, 1977
Ken Zollner - 43 years - Aug 01 1983
Jillian Koch - 10 years - Aug 08 2016
Neil Ratol - 1 year - Aug 12 2025 (currently on leave of absence)
WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ROSE RUNNER FOR AUGUST 2026:
The Rose Runner for August is Nadia Deenen (thank you, Nadia! We know it's a month full of anniversaries!).
NEW MINUTES AND REMINDERS:
ROSE RUNNER DUTY: Anne Carrier filled the last two spots on our 2026-2027 Rose Runner schedule. The book will be circulated from member to member, to cover each month. A copy of this year's schedule is on the club website as a “downloadable” file.
BINGO: Dave Panabaker advised that our bingo on August 16th served 52 players and we the pool profit suffered a lost of around $590.00. The winner of the guess pot was Anne Carrier, who attracted the attention of the Sgt-at-Arms because she had loose change around. We did receive our checks for the pool profits for July, and they averaged $1730.00 for each of the bingos we ran last month, it is still our primary fundraising activity.
NEXT BINGO - VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED - Dave Stalwick advised that our next bingo will be Thursday evening, September 3rd, so please check your calendar and if you haven't worked one recently consider helping out! The emailed signup invitation will go out early next week.
ROTARY CLUB OF MEDICINE HAT DINNER CLUB: Odessa Vermee has taken over responsibility for organizing our Dinner Club. Thank you, Odessa! Please sign up with Odessa if you are interested in hosting a dinner in your home!
ROTARY CASINO: Ken Zollner was happy to report that he received the necessary AGLC license for our casino on Sept 22-23, 2026. A full team for that event has been assembled.
THE 2026 TERRY FOX RUN: SUNDAY 20 SEPTEMBER:10:30: 46 years ago, Terry Fox crossed Canada, running on an artificial leg, to raise money for cancer. The annual run is organized by Keith Walker and the Sunrise Rotary Club have, over the years, raised $70,000. So this year, the Terry Fox run is once again around the Rotary Sunrise Trail (Medicine Hat College campus), 3km, no hills, starting at 10:30am. Do join in! You don't have to run, you can walk! Form a team to participate and have fun! Please register: terryfox.org. You can donate on this website or at the start of the race.
ROTARY GARAGE SALE: The Saamis Rotary Club is having a garage sale, if you'd like to look through what the Saamis Rotarians are “giving” away, check it out.
NEW GENERATIONS SERVICE EXCHANGE PROGRAM PARTICIPANT - Davi Pereira from Brazil is coming to Medicine Hat in December, January, and possibly February. Terry Brekko and the Craciun family are hosting Davi. Additional host families - even for just a two week period each - would be great. You could also opt to have Davi just for a weekend, a meal and/or a day trip. Please contact Margie Booyens (403.952.7340) for more information. Davi is studying to become a school teacher.
Family of Rotary:
No updates this week.
Please keep a Board Member informed about members health and/or any other changes, so that information can be provided to the club through the Weekly News.
Our first meeting of every month is a business meeting, but all meetings are both in person and available on ZOOM. Check the club calendar, which is usually up to date for our meeting locations and program.
