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Local Rotary Club News
This Week and Last Week
As we continue to meet on Zoom, please be reminded that you can join the meeting this week and every week at https://zoom.us/j/602710507.  If you already have the Zoom app on your computer or mobile, you can enter the meeting ID directly: 602-710-507.

At the May 28 Meeting

  1. Meeting starts at 12:00 PM
  2. Lunch is... whatever you bring and are willing to eat on camera in front of your closest Rotarian friends!
  3. Guest Speaker: Wes Snihur will give his classification speech!

In Case You Missed It...

The recording of the May 21 meeting can be found here.  Mayor Stuart Houston gave an update on how the City of Spruce Grove has been impacted by COVID-19.
 
Summary of COVID-19 Support in May
In May, our club continued its financial support for organizations responding to the social and economic problems presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Recognizing our community's strong ties to Ft. McMurray and the compounding effect of the COVID-19 pandemic's consequences have on the flooding that occurred there, the club directed $1000 to those relief efforts.  We also adjusted our plans at the last minute and have held back some planned funding for May as we learned of the Alberta Government CIP grant funding announcements.  We want to ensure we can maximize positive impacts from our donations to agencies to the community by considering how all funders are responding to meet needs.  The COVID-19 Response Committee continues to analyze the developing situation and we will provide another update in June.
 
OrganizationActivitiesDonation
Auggie's CafeProviding brown-bag lunches to people needing food support$1,200
Parkland Pregnancy Support CentreProviding baby supplies, consumables and food to families expecting or who have recently had babies$2,000
Disaster Aid CanadaFt. McMurray Flood Relief Fund$1,000
Tri-Community Adult Learning AssociationTables and chairs to support roving Internet connection stations$1,000
TOTAL $5,200
 
Playing Party Games With Friends and Family Online
At last week's meeting, we played a game of Quiplash in our Zoom meeting to demonstrate how you can play online party games with friends and family online.  Though we played a game that had to be bought, you can find plenty of free online games or even play traditional party games like Charades or board games with a little creative improvisation.  You also don't have to be using Zoom.  Any other online meeting apps like FaceTime, Google Meet, Skype, and more, can be used for this purpose.  Any app that allows screen sharing and/or video sharing will do the trick.
 
Jackbox Games, the makers of Quiplash, have put together a guide to illustrate how to play their games online with Zoom.  In addition, this article from Good Housekeeping provides a list of games, online and traditional, that you can play online.  Again, they highlight Zoom, but any videoconferencing app should work.
 
Have fun!
Summary of COVID-19 Support in April
The Rotary Club of Spruce Grove has answered the community's call for support as we grapple with the public health, social, and economic impacts of the COVID-19 public health emergency.  In April, our club members volunteered in many ways to help those in need.  Highlights include picking up hampers at the food bank to deliver them to those who couldn't pick them up for themselves, delivering brown bag lunches to families in need of nutritional support, assisting Canadian Blood Services to ensure their recent donation clinic was healthy and safe for donors, and providing messages of support to front-line workers.
 
Thanks to our club's financial supporters and the generosity of Rotarians, our club was able to support the following community organizations providing vital relief services to the people of Spruce Grove and surrounding area.
 
OrganizationActivitiesDonation
Auggie's CafeProviding brown-bag lunches to people needing food support$4,200
Parkland Pregnancy Support CentreProviding baby supplies, consumables and food to families expecting or who have recently had babies$4,500
Engage Network ChurchProviding food hampers to people needing food support$1,800
Tri-Region Pay Forward Kindness SocietyProviding supports to unsheltered people in the region$1,000
Tri-Community Adult Learning AssociationProviding wireless hubs and devices to households without Internet connections$1,000
Compassionate ConnectionsProviding furniture and household items to families with children$1,000
Parkland Food BankProviding food hampers to people needing food support$1,000
TOTAL $14,500
 
Celebrating Volunteers
A letter from The Honourable Leela Sharon Aheer, Minister of Culture, Multiculturalism and Status of Women...
 
Volunteers are the foundation of our community life, and Alberta is proud to celebrate the incredible contributions Albertans make through a wide range of volunteering activities – whether simply caring for one another, or pitching in to help our local community organizations support those that are most vulnerable.
 
Albertans have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic but continue to demonstrate resilience and compassion for one another during this time of crisis. Premier Jason Kenney has issued a call to Albertans to help out however they can during this time of crisis, recognizing that our first priority is the health and safety of Albertans. All Albertans are encouraged to follow the advice of Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, for social distancing, limiting the number of people in public spaces and wearing masks in crowded places. Guidelines for safe volunteering are available on Alberta.ca/COVID-19. 
Read more...