Annual Highway Cleanup
About a dozen members and friends of our club participated in cleaning up a 3 km stretch of the south side of Highway 1 just east of Calgary. A good outing followed by lunch.
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Rotary Mattamy Greenway Path Project
The Rotary Clubs of Calgary, including Calgary North contributed about 1.2 million dollars to the construction of the city circling path project. Our club donated 75 thousand of the total Rotary Contribution and participated in the Grand Opening. With food donated by Spolumbo's a group of our members served attendees at the opening Spolumbo's sausages on buns, burgers, water, etc.
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Picnic in Edworthy Park
We had somewhere between 25 and 30 guests and members, including Lu and May our New Generations Student Exchange participants, on Tuesday 08 August 2023. |
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Innovative Calgary park to support citizens’ mental healthInnovative Calgary park to support citizens’ mental healthOriginally Posted on livewirecalgary: On Aug 4th 2021 |
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Shelterbox Awards Calgary North Silver Hero Status |
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Covid 19 Impacts Our Club Youth Exchange ProgramsWith the outbreak of Covid 19, our exchange student program has had to be terminated. As a result Balint Blasko, our inbound from Hungary has returned home, and our outbound students, Hannah Kuipers and Dani Parras have also returned to Canada. Everyone has arrived at their respective homes, and to date none have been ill with the coronavirus. Until a vaccine can be developed, our Rotary district, has cancelled exchanges for the new school year as well. We will be posting information and visiting the Calgary North schools once this situation is under control.
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A Just-In-Time Gift Cindy Ngo, Annual Giving Development Officer, wrote these much appreciated words to Calgary North:The incredible donation from the Rotary Club of Calgary North last year led to the purchase of a machine that allows for state-of-the-art training for our doctors at the Foothills Medical Centre.
A side note – this machine is currently being programmed to train our doctors to respond to COVID-19 patients. How timely is that? Without even planning for this, your support is helping us transform health care and potentially saving lives during this pandemic. THANK YOU! |
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Another Success Story Rachel Engler (right) and her partner Ava Chow (left) The Rotary Club of Calgary North received the following fun email from a young lady named Rachel Engler: Dear President Newel and Members of The Rotary Club of Calgary North, I am writing to thank you for contributing to the Calgary Youth Science Fair. My partner, Ava Chow, and I were awarded the Rotary Clubs of Calgary Environment Award. We are in Grade 6. We are very excited to receive the award! I thought you might find this story interesting. Rotary provided more than this award to me. My Dad was a Rotary Exchange student in high school. He went to Brazil. He stayed in my great grandparent's house and first met my mom [there], though they didn't get together until 24 years later, when he visited there again. Soon after, they got married and had me. So you see, if it was not for the Rotary Club I would not be here. *********************** Rachael's father, Steven Engler, was sponsored by the Princeton Rotary Club of B.C. in 1978–79 and was hosted by the Rotary Club São João da Boa Vista (Centro) (founded 1939). Steven's wife's name is Heloisa and they have two younger children in addition to Rachel. All the kids are dual citizens. Steven tell us his exchange trip changed his life in other ways. He became interested in other cultures and is now a Professor of Religious Studies at Mount Royal University, teaching mainly Christianity and specializing in Brazilian religions for his research We are grateful to Steven and Rachael for sharing their stories and letting us share them on this Web page. We are also grateful for every exchange student we have had the pleasure of meeting and hearing about. |
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The Longest Night
For most of us December 21st is the shortest day of the year, but for those living rough - on the streets or in shelters - it's the longest night of the year. Cold and hunger and how to combat them become the common ground for people living rough and they form bonds, friendships, and informal support groups. When one of their group is missing, it can hard for them to find out what happened to that person, many of whom died. Ryan White, Reporter / Producer @CTVRyanWhite reported that this year, a 'Longest Night of the Year' event "brought current and former homeless Calgarians together to pay tribute to those who lost their lives on the streets. The service, which was held outside Calgary city hall early Friday evening, honoured the memory of more than 130 people who have passed in recent years. The names of the deceased, whether it be their birth name or the name they were known by in homeless circles, was read aloud in a display of respect and dignity. Nigel Kirk, organizer of the event, says homeless Calgarians are at great risk as they can face exposure to the elements, addiction, mental illness, and a dehumanizing attitude towards the homeless." Rotary Club of Calgary North did what they could to help, gathering to serve coffee, hot chocolate, rice, and chili to the attendees. This was the first of what might well be an annual event and we were proud to be of service. |
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A Success Story in the Making
Sonny's story is engaging, energizing, and captivating for sure; but above all else, it is heart warming. Sonny Carmona, a former Rotary Club of Calgary North exchange student from Venezuela, is now an international student at Seneca College. We always found her charming and willing to work hard at anything she tackled. It appears that Seneca College feels the same way. Every year the top 16 colleges with marketing programs in Ontario are called to participate in the the Ontario college marketing competition, a process that starts early April to pick the top 16 students in the school of marketing to be pair up and represent different categories. Sonny was selected to represent the Direct Marketing Team with another young woman who is from the from Dominican Republic. After eight months of really hard work Sonny and her team mate accomplished FIRST PLACE in the competition Sonny also received a special award, one that is given to just one person. Sonny was nominated by her school for an award that recognized the recipient as someone with "outstanding character and leadership skills" and who is a hard worker and an excellent, collaborative team member. We are so proud, but not surprised, to know that Sonny received this award. Sonny particularly appreciates being the first Venezuelan to be recognized in this way and shares her glory with Rotary. This is what Sonny has to say: "YOU are behind it. Rotary is behind it. Since 2011 when I got the opportunity to travel I would have never imagine I would had meet amazing people like you, each one of you had tough me, give me knowledge and pull my ears more than once when it was necessary every day until today each one of you had help to shape me to be ME to give 300% to be able to live in a country where I can live and not just survive and there will be never enough words that can express my feelings and gratitude for you. Thank you , thank you, thank you." Sonny, you are welcome, admired, and much loved.  |
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New Exchange Student for Calgary NorthRotary Club of Calgary North's 2018-2019 YEX Student from France has arrived and our 2017-2018 YEX Student is settling back in in Sardinia. This Stefan on his first day in Calgary attempting to get a view of downtown Calgary. Unfortunately, it was still a tad smokey at that time. The other picture is Michele back home and purchasing a suit for his sister's wedding.   Watch this space for more information on Stefan, his background and his time in Canada and news from YEX alumni.
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Literacy in Jamaica
The Hanover Educational Institute in Western Jamaica resides in the parish of Hanover, where a population of 70,000, has a illiteracy rate of 35%. Furthermore, Hanover is ranked #4 out of 13 parishes with the highest rate of persons getting infected by HIV even though there is vigorous on-going outreach program in the communities. As if that weren't difficult enough, Hanover is ranked #2 behind St. James as the Parish with the highest number of young men involved in scamming. Young men are dropping out of high schools as they see this activity as the way out of poverty. |
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Last Meeting of the 2016-2017 Year
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Brian's Craft TalkThis week, we were able to get to know Brian L. just a little bit better.
Brian began by sharing a bit about his Rotary history and what Rotary means to him.
Brian has been a Rotarian for about 10 years at various clubs. He expressed his passion for Rotary with these words, "for me it's about the values of Rotary and the 4-Way Test;Spending time with like-minded-hearted people who subscribe to Rotary Moto: Service above self".
Brian's distinguished career has been large and varied. He began his career with RPN Saskatchewan, then moved into a position as a nurse educator at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, then became Executive Director of the Pheonix Residential. After a number of other interesting positions, Brian eventually becme the President and CEO of Lakeland College.
Now semi-retired, Brian's list of jobs while retired is as long as when he was working. Among other positions, Brian is the President of Brian Larson Consulting and sits on the ABSA Board of Directors.
Brian is married to Marilyn, has three daughters and eight grandchildren. He also plays the piano accordian.
Thank you Brian for a fun and informative Craft talk. Next time a performance . . :)
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Parkinson AlbertaThis week we welcomed guests Pam A. and Katie V. from Parkinson Alberta who shared information about Parkinson Alberta and the services it offers.
What is Parkinson disease?
 Symptoms can include:
•Over the past 7 years Parkinson Alberta has contributed over half a million dollars to Parkinson’s research.
•3 research projects Parkinson Alberta has contributed research monies to include:
•Dr Patrick Flood. Focused on determining the role of inflammation in PD and how can affecting the change in that inflammation alter progression of the disorder.
•Dr Janis Miyasaki. Focused on advanced care planning involving learning about the types of healthcare decisions that might need to be made for the future, thinking about those decisions ahead of time, and letting others know about preferences.
•Dr Forkert. Focused on developing and evaluating new image processing methods, and software tools for the analysis of medical images.
Services
•Parkinson Alberta offers singing classes that include 6 sessions, $65 for Members, $70 for non-members
Research indicates that singing can help improve some speech problems commonly associated with Parkinson's. Higher vocal loudness and better vocal control have been reported after participating in therapeutic singing. The PD Helpline provides information for people with Parkinson’s, care partners, students, employers, and health care professionals Events
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Creating Employment Opportunities for People with Developmental DisabilitiesCreating Employment Opportunities for
People with Developmental Disabilities  District 5360 An Inclusion Alberta/Rotary Employment Partnership
Today's speaker was Mike Colborne talked to us about this unique partnership.
Inclusion Alberta, (formerly AACL) is a non-profit, voluntary association of more than 40 organizations from across Alberta representing the interests of children and adults with developmental disabilities and their families for almost half a century. Why It’s Important
Project Success
  Benefits
 Possibilities
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Thank Yous and Cards
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4-Way Test |
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Club HistoryGerry Darichuk is updating the Club's history and has sifted through photos and memorabilia but needs assistance from anyone that has more to offer. Please send photos and captions and history notes to Gerry for inclusion in the archives.
Stories and anecdotes are appreciated so that a full and comprehensive history can be cobbled together. Since the Club has been through many years, there is certainly plenty of history that needs remembering. Some examples of partially archived items include: Funny Hat Days, Enthias Project, Curling, City Counsellors, Opera Singer, Integrity Awards, Louise Dean, Buchanan School, Sailor, Exchange Students, Haggis !, Challenger Park, Ugly Tie Auction, Drama Plays, Social Events, Pot Lucks, etc. Please pass along anything to Gerry Darichuk or call for pickup of hard copy items.
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