What you are looking at is the latest design for our eBulletin, including new links to our website Home Page, Archived eBulletins, and Archived Stories. Please let me know what you think here.
More importantly, our Club decided at the AGM on December 5th to limit access to the eBulletin to members only, i.e. internet users will no longer see a button on the website Home Page linked to our eBulletin or previously published stories. Also, I will no longer
We wish Dianne McConnell's son, Eric, all the best as he works to recover from his current health problem. He has been quite ill and was in the ICU for a week. Club Service Director Rita Sharek will be sending the appropriate well wishes to Dianne and her family on behalf of our Club.
Members of our Club Executive and Directors presented an update to Club members in respect to their areas of responsiblity at our Annual General Meeting held on December 5th. Community Service Director Barry Twynam, International Service Director Neil Hollands, Vocational Service Director Ray Frayne, Vice-President AnnLisa Jensen, and Past President Angus McKenzie were unable to attend that day. We thank all for their work on behalf of our Club.
Thanks to generous Club member support for the Silly Santa Auction on November 14th and additional member donations, we were able to provide the Wings of Providence Crisis Shelter with 47 housecoats and a cheque for over $1,300 towards the cost of their Christmas party. What a wonderful gift for mothers and their children during a time of their critical need! Below is the happy cast of gift wrappers: Judy Kesanko, Past President Arlaine Monaghan, Patti Zeglen, Lesley Crawford, Rita Sharek, Jan Vanderbij, Meryl Murray, and Elizabeth Marsh.
At our December 5th meeting, Victor Moroz our Club President for 2014-2015 and our members confirmed that the President-elect for 2014-2015 will be AnnLisa Jensen, Secretary will be Lesley Crawford, and Treasurer will be Jan Vanderbij.
This leaves the position of Vice-President for 2014-2015 open at the moment. This position is really a four year commitment, i.e. Vice-President in 2014-2015, President-elect in 2015-2016, President in 2016-2017, and Past President in 2017-2018. If you are interested in this position, please contact Victor here or at 780-963-7931.
On Tuesday, December 3rd, International Service Director Neil Hollands and his wife Linda kindly hosted a Fireside at their home . The focus of our discussion was on continued work with projects in Ecuador, the medical equipment we have in storage waiting to be shipped to Nigeria and/or another needy area, and the new grant application process as is reguired by our District and Rotary International. Thanks also to Randy Hetherington, Past President Brad Mastaler, John Oldham, Tony Zeglen, and President Nizar Abouchami for their attendance and participation.
Brad Mastaler and John Oldham, both members of the International Service Committee, updated our Club about the status of the medical equipment we have on hand at the December 5th AGM. Thanks to Bill Steinburg, about three years ago, we had an opportunity to take a variety of pieces of medical equipment from the hospital in Devon that was going to be disposed, which we then put into storage thinking that we could give this equipment to a worthy group in a short time frame. Well, that didn't quite work out.
At the December 5th meeting of our Club, President Nizar Abouchami proudly exchanged banners with Rotarian Christian (Chris) Findt from the Rotary Club of Bad Mergentheim, Germany. Banner exchanges are just one of the traditions when Rotarians visit any of the 34,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide.
Considering that this eBulletin is now for Club members only, I have decided to introduce a new feature - "The End Word" (found at the end of every eBulletin edition). I invite all members to send me your thoughts which you would like to share with fellow Club members on an issue affecting our Club or the Rotary world. Because I like sticking my neck out, I've written the second such article. Enjoy and please feel free to respond to those last words or submit your own article for future pbulication.
Who wouldn't want to spend some quality time with Larry Holland and Brad Mastaler discussing changes to existing policies and/or the creation of new policies for our Club? Who wouldn't want to present these drafts to our Board and Club membership? Well, if you are one of the many who fall into this category, please contact either one of those gentleman soon.
At our December 5th meeting, Brad Mastaler, Chair of the 2014 Lobsterfest Dinner and Charity Auction, promised that we will receive an on-line survey in the new year to gauge our opinions on how things should be run this time around. Stay tuned.
As per usual, we will cancel our Thursday lunch meetings during the Christmas and New Years period, which means no meetings on December 26, 2013 and January 2, 2014. We will return to our regular schedule on Thursday, January 9th, 2014.
From Julius Buski, Past District 5370 Governor (1999-2000), District 5370 Council on Legislation Delegate 2013:
At the 2013 Rotary International (RI) Council on Legislation, a number of resolutions were referred to the RI Board of Directors and the Trustees of the Rotary Foundation for consideration. These two bodies have now had an opportunity to consider the resolutions and report on action taken, as summarized below:
To Consider Proposing Legislation to the Next Council on Legislation to Introduce a New Category of Membership: Associate Membership
The RI board noted that the associate membership pilot program is currently scheduled to conclude on June 30, 2014. Based on the results of that pilot program, the board will consider legislation to the 2016 Council that would introduce the category of “associate member.”
To Encourage the Adoption of the Second Object of Rotary as a Guiding Principle for Vocational Service
The RI Board referred this matter to the 2013-14 Vocational Service Committee for consideration.
To Consider Adding Peace and Conflict Resolution Activities to the Areas of International Service
The RI Board noted that peace and conflict resolution is a priority as one of the areas of focus and is actively promoted to Rotary clubs and districts as an international service opportunity and rescinded a policy section which was unduly restrictive in defining international service.
To Establish RI New Generations Service Day
The RI Board undertook to encourage Rotary clubs and districts to promote participation in Global Youth Service Day.
To Request the RI Board to Consider Designating the Rotary Leadership Institute as an RI Affiliate or as a Structured Program of RI
The RI Board decided to take no action at this time.
To Consider Making Grandchildren of Rotarians Eligible for Foundation Awards Programs
The Foundation Trustees decided that in order to continue to avoid any real or perceived conflict of interest that relatives of Rotarians receive preferential treatment in receiving Foundation funding, there would be no change in eligibility criteria.
To Considler Granting an Exception to the Eligibility Guidelines for Grants for Families Affected by Disasters
The Foundation Trustees noted that family members of Rotarians killed in disasters are already eligible to receive Foundation awards.
The next RI Council on Legislation will occur in 2016. Any club may propose changes to Rotary’s governing documents. Proposed legislation from a club must be endorsed by the clubs of the district at a district conference and then submitted to RI. The deadline for submission of items for consideration at the 2016 Council on Legislation is December 31, 2015. As your 2013 COL delegate, I am available to assist clubs in drafting proposed changes as well as to clarify any matters regarding procedure. Please feel free to contact me here.
Check out the production of Cats at Festival Place in Sherwood Park (Box Office 780-449-3378) from December 19th to 30th. Elizabeth Marsh is playing Grizabella, the Glamour Cat.
New ideas. Change. Democratic decision-making. Transparency. Accountability. Free exchange of opinions. Respect differing views. Standing up for what is right. Equality of persons. Integrity.
These are concepts that I hold dear; concepts that I have tried to live by in my professional and personal life.
Although every effort is made to ensure that the content of this eBulletin is faithful to the Rotary Four Way Test, readers should be aware that this publication is not the official record of decisions made by the Rotary Club of Spruce Grove. The approved minutes of the Club constitute the one and only such record.
