Former exchange student headed to Washington as a Global Grant scholar

The day a then-nine-year-old Anna-Marie Robertson tagged along to a lecture by a University of Alberta political science professor she started a journey that has now led her to Georgetown University as a Rotary Global Grant scholar

Along the way, Anna-Marie spent a year as a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student, served as president of an Interact club, earned degrees from universities in Canada and the United Kingdom, and worked for the Canadian Red Cross.

“My mom was taking courses at the U of A and took me with her to an international relations lecture by Dr. Andy Knight. He spoke about peace-building and post-conflict issues and reconciliation,” she says. “I sat in the corner of the lecture theatre with my pen and little pad of paper and was captivated by the work and the ideas that were being discussed. [What] Dr. Knight shared with me really inspired me to be an active global citizen and I vowed that I would make the world a better, more peaceful place.”

Her year as a RYE student in 2012-2013 was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Edmonton—the same club that is the sponsoring club for her Rotary Global Grant scholarship. She was hosted by the Rotary Club of Enkhuizen in the Netherlands.

“My youth exchange really did set me up for my success. It was life-changing for countless reasons and I really truly believe that I would not have been able to achieve what I have without that experience from Rotary,” she says. 

“My exchange solidified core values that continue to shape how I engage in the world today, including what’s articulated in the six Bes—to be first, to be curious, to be on purpose, to be grateful, to be of service and to be here now.”

Living in Europe provided Anna-Marie with opportunities to visit the International Court of Justice in the Hague, which required a three-hour train journey from northern Netherlands to the south.

“I spent many, many hours in the Peace Palace Library, which stands next to the International Court of Justice,” she says. “I read about international law and specifically about international humanitarian law or the rules of war and thought about how I might be able to contribute to the field in the future.”

Following her year in Europe, Anna-Marie returned to establish an Interact club at her Edmonton high school. She also became involved in Rotex— a society of past Rotary Youth Exchange alumni that engages with current Inbounds and Outbounds to better their exchange experience overall—and attended the High School Model United Nations, a program sponsored at the University of Alberta by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Riverview.

In recognition of her commitment to service, Anna-Marie received a Rotex scholarship from District 5370 and a Paul Harris Fellowship from the Edmonton Rotary club. 

After high school, Anna-Marie earned a bachelor of arts degree with honours from Carleton University in Ottawa, in Transnational Law and Human Rights. She also earned a Certificate in International Affairs and Strategy from Sciences Po (France) where she lived and studies on university exchange.

After graduating, Anna-Maria worked for the Canadian Red Cross, where she held various positions.

“During my time, I was deployed to the wildfire response in Fort McMurray in 2016 and then subsequently to B.C. in 2017. But mostly, this time really reaffirmed my passion for international law. Part of that included an opportunity where I was selected to represent the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement during initial discussions on lethal autonomous weapon systems—in a flashier sense, killer robots—with the government of Canada,” she says. 

“It’s here that I began to think about the legal implications of new technology and armed conflict,” she says. “As I sat in those discussions with leaders on robotics, international lawyers, advocates, and representatives from the judge advocate general, I realized that I lacked the credential legitimacy to provide critique to the applicable law. So this has catapulted me into – to pursue a qualifying law degree.”

That took her to St. Edmund’s College at Cambridge University.

“It was one of the most challenging and rewarding periods of my life. I was humbled, torn down and built back up again to be a more deliberate, critical and empathetic thinker,” she says. “My education here was so rich and rewarding and challenging and I hope it will make me an excellent lawyer.

“I was taught by world-renowned legal thinkers. Not surprisingly, Cambridge attracted some of the brightest legal minds to participate in speaking engagements, networking events or workshops.”

Anna-Marie receive her law degree in July 2020 with the highest marks in law at St. Edmund’s College for that year. Her plans to immediately pursue a master of laws in National Security Law at Georgetown University were disrupted by COVID-19.

As a result, she spent the past year working for the Canadian Red Cross as a senior advisor for government relations.

“I support on policy, proposal development, lobbying obligations and a host of other interesting things. This role has been tremendously humbling and I’m so grateful to work with colleagues who are responding to COVID-19 in Canada and around the world.”

Now that the pandemic restrictions are being relaxed, Anna-Marie will move to Washington, D.C., to begin her studies as the latest Global Grant scholar from our District as part of Georgetown National Security Law Fellowship program.

Read about previous District 5370 Global Grant scholars:

Rotary Grant Scholarship provided Amy Smith an opportunity to work with an Australian Aboriginal community   

Kassia Fardoe: from RYLE to the London School of Economics

From Whitehorse to Cape Town as a Rotary Global Grant scholar

“Global grant scholarships are a fabulous way for Rotarians to really touch the future,” says Past District Governor Ingrid Neitsch, who worked with the Rotary Club of Edmonton to facilitate Anna-Marie’s scholarship. It involved reaching out to other clubs to secure donations to support the scholarship, which is also funded by District Designated Funds and The Rotary Foundation.

“A Global Grant scholarship has to be based on one of the areas of focus and Anna-Marie’s area is peace and conflict resolution,” Ingrid says. “The candidates need to have and demonstrate excellent leadership skills. They need to show commitment to community service. They need to have a record of academic success. They need to have well-defined and realistic goals for their future, ideas about how to advance in their field and also a commitment to include some commitment to Rotary’s way of living and values.”

In addition to the Rotary scholarship, Anna-Marie has also received a Viscount Bennett Scholarship from the Law Society of Alberta and will attend Georgetown as a national security law scholar.

Anna-Marie has already been able to attend a virtual meeting of the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill, which will be her host club during her studies. 

“The club is so welcoming and absolutely filled with international lawyers. I’m really excited to start to join their meetings because they really reflect the diversity and expertise of the D.C.  community,” she says.

“They’ve paired me up with a mentor [who is] the legislative assistant to the chief of the army. I spoke with her in March and we had discussions about national security, life in D.C., the attacks in the Capitol and all of her work, and in particular of course, what’s intersecting with national security law.”

This club will also host another Global Grant scholar from France who is the same program at Georgetown.

“I’m so glad to be connected and to be going somewhere which is really at the centre of national security work in the world,” Anna-Marie says. “The U.S. and Georgetown University offer unique expertise. They offer a focus on cutting-edge issues, which will give me the opportunity to develop a stronger background and best prepare me to contribute to this field in Canada.”

All students in her classes will be required to be fully vaccinated and will be attending classes in person.

“After all of these lockdowns, I’m really just excited to get into that library and study with other people” she says.

“The course offering is extensive,” she says. “I’m particularly excited to pursue cyber and national security, national security law through an immigration framework, a space law seminar—how could you not—and war crimes and prosecutions.

“The aim of my research is to undertake a legal analysis of cyber operations, looking at them as a means and method of warfare to consider different operations that may reflect legality or alternatively disproportionate or unnecessary military action,” she says. “My goal is to understand whether there’s a potential benefit to this technology in conflict, whether it can indeed be more humane without sacrificing principles of humanity or fundamental protections afforded by international humanitarian law.”

And what does the future hold for Anna-Marie?

“Ultimately, my intention is to give back meaningfully to my community and to contribute thoughtful arguments and policies for national security issues in Canada and globally, and to contribute to peace-building and to represent the legal profession with the highest level of professionalism, diligence and advocacy,” she says. 

“In the short term, I’m focused on deepening my critical legal knowledge and qualifying as a lawyer in Canada. I’m currently studying for the qualification exams to transfer my U.K. law degree as well as working towards the New York bar, which is particularly useful for practice in public international law.”

16 Edmonton area non-Rotarians honoured during virtual Integrity Awards ceremony

The woman who has been the public face of Alberta’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic was among 16 non-Rotarians receiving awards at the 17th annual Edmonton Capital Region Integrity Awards ceremony, held virtually on Monday evening, May 17.

The people who were honoured were selected by clubs in the Edmonton area because they live lives that are consistent with the four-way test and exemplify Rotary’s motto of “Service Above Self.”

This year, for the first time, Rotaract clubs joined Rotary clubs to put forward names of individuals who they felt should be honoured.

Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, was reluctant to accept the award as an individual, but did so on behalf of her team.

The May 17 issue of the Edmonton Journal quoted Hinshaw as saying, “While I am the public spokesperson for my team working on the COVID-19 response, I could not do what has been done this year without all of them. I don’t feel that I can put myself above the team while being nominated for an individual award.”

Slides showing the faces and names of members of the team were shown during her remarks while accepting the award.

Dr. Hinshaw was nominated by the Rotary Club of Edmonton West.

This year’s event was co-ordinated by the Rotary Club of Edmonton, with president-elect Jim Saunderson and past president Neil Lang serving as co-chairs. Their club was also responsible for the awards in 2020 and will take on the role again for 2022. 

After that, another club will become the lead club for the next three years.

The MC for the evening was another member of the Edmonton club. Lesley MacDonald has emceed every awards ceremony since the Edmonton Capital Region Integrity Awards were established in 2008.

Prior to this year, 158 non-Rotarians received Integrity Awards.

In addition to Dr. Hinshaw, recipients included:

Margo Long (nominated by the Rotary Club of Edmonton Whyte Avenue)—The president and CEO of Youth Empowerment and Support Services (YESS) “is great at communicating the need for community support for youth in our city.” YESS provides immediate low-barrier overnight and day services, temporary supportive housing and individualized wrap-around supports for young people aged 14-24.

John Ashton (Rotary Club of Sherwood Park)—“John has led a life of service to his community, Alberta and Canada and has a legacy of achievements … he spearheaded efforts to bring public art and heritage recognition to Sherwood Park,” as president of the Heritage Mile Society. “The Heritage Mile is a tribute to Strathcona County’s rural heritage and gives us a wonderful snapshot of the history of the county.”

Clarence W. Shields (Rotary Club of Nisku-Leduc)—“Clarence has committed time and support to many community service projects … One of Clarence’s proudest events is the Shield’s Annual Free Christmas Dinner serving dinner to 600-plus people, which his family has been doing for 44 years in Fort McMurray and then Nisku.”

Mieko Ouchi (Rotary Club of Edmonton Urban Spirits)—“Mieko Ouchi, an actor, director and filmmaker, understands how powerful a tool theatre can be to engage young people. Theatre can show them the potential consequences of their choices and leave them with a clearer understanding of complex issues.”

Cecilia Blasetti (Rotary Club of Edmonton)—The recently retired head of the Boyle McCauley Health Centre “worked with many dedicated staff and board members who shared her passion for ensuring that the most marginalized members of our community receive accessible, high-quality health care.”

Kathy Hamelin (Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast)—“She became a lifelong advocate for Indigenous families and healing through community building, sharing traditional knowledge and ensuring people get the medicine they need, no matter what.”

Germaine Chau (Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast)—The “Book Lady” at Sports Central is “a big believer in literacy and very committed to helping every child read and develop a love for books. Germaine has personally donated over 10,000 books and makes countless phone calls to fundraise … At Sports Central, once children are outfitted with free sports equipment, they are invited to select three books.”

John Liston (Rotary Club of St. Albert)—“John Liston has been a vibrant and caring leader in St. Albert for 26 years. In that time, he has contributed hugely to many worthwhile community organizations; to use he own words, ‘I love to serve.’”

Bernie Travis (Rotary Club of Edmonton Glenora)—“In 2011, Bernie Travis founded the Early Onset Dementia Alberta Foundation (EODAF). She was inspired to do this because of common frustration with the capacity of the health-care systems and services to meet the needs of persons experiencing early-onset dementia and their families.”

Deanna Hagen (Rotary Club of Edmonton Sunrise)—“Deanna is a RCMP officer, serving our community for more than 20 years, who consistently goes above and beyond the call of duty … Deanna was diagnosed with PTSD in 2005 and suffered a duty-related brain injury shortly thereafter that challenged her to the core. She overcame these pitfalls, setbacks, shame and the ‘tough guy’ credo of the RCMP to find her authentic ‘why’ and thrive once again.” She is the Youth Strategies Program Coordinator and the Opioid Presentation Coordinator for K Division (Alberta) and in 2015 founded iKare4Kids, a non-profit that provides iPads/tablets to families living at Ronald McDonald House.

Jeff Tetz (Rotary Club of Edmonton Mayfield)—“As the founder of SantaYEG, Jeff has made a difference in the lives of thousands of homeless and disadvantaged people in the Edmonton area. SantaYEG is focused on clothing and feeding Edmonton’s homeless population during the winter months.”

Issa Kamara (Rotary Club of YEG Passport)—“Issa Kamara is a peacebuilder who seeks to create cross-cultural understanding. He is the founder and executive director of Sinkunia Community Development Organization (SCDO), an Edmonton-based non-profit organization that supports the settlement and integration of African immigrant children, youth and families in the community.”

Cassandra Tomas (Rotaract Club of Strathcona Country)—“Cassandra’s passion for running means she went through a lot of running shoes. This sparked a need for a way to recycle her shoes, extending the life once they were no longer suited for marathons. She was the founder of a Soles for Souls chapter in Alberta. Soles for Souls turns used shoes and clothing into opportunity, providing disaster relief and fighting poverty by launching small businesses to sell donated shoes, and protecting the planet by keeping items out of landfills and extending their lifespans.”

Aubrianna Snow (Rotaract Club of MacEwan University)—The vice-president student life of the Students’ Association of MacEwan University for the last two years “is a tireless advocate for vulnerable students and has worked towards a safe MacEwan University campus … She led the creation of the Student Voice on Violence Elimination (SOVE) committee.”

Newel Anderson (Rotaract Club of Edmonton)—“Newell is an ambitious and passionate indiviual who works towards creating an inclusive and empowering environment through his cosmetic line … Though Newel has faced harsh adversity—even personal attacks—his desire to see his community succeed and grow with dignity never faltered.”

Note: These brief descriptions were taken from the evening’s program. To read the full inspiring stories of how these individual contributed and what they achieve for their communities, email Neil Lang to request a copy of the program.

Circumstances required different approaches, incoming District Governor says

District Governor-Elect Donna Barrett is optimistic that 2021-2022 will be the year we return to in-person meetings and service projects, but understands that we will likely still be living with restrictions when she assumes leadership of the District on July 1.

Club visits will be conducted differently than in previous years when District Governors spent the summer and fall travelling throughout the District.

“I am planning right now to meet with clubs virtually, early in the fall,” Donna says. Later in the year she hopes to visit clubs in person. 

“I’m really looking forward to connecting with clubs and the people in clubs and experiencing Rotary fellowship,” she says. “I am hoping that as we get into the late fall and early spring that we will be able to connect face-to-face rather than just virtually.”

She also looks forward to an in-person District conference toward the end of her year as governor.

The District conference will be on May 27-28, 2022. “We pushed it as far back as we could in the hopes that we can bring everybody together,” Donna says.

“I’m hoping that we will be able to showcase some of the great projects that our clubs have done during the year.”

The theme for the conference will be “Leadership in Service.”

Donna hopes that during club visits there will be opportunities for her to participate with Rotarians in service projects.

“I am hoping to really emphasize the importance of service. Ideally, I would like to visit the clubs when they’re having their service projects and participate in service with the clubs,” she says. “In order to do that, I would need the clubs to let me know when their service events are and I would arrange my schedule around them.”

Some club visits will be a homecoming of sorts for Donna, who spent six years as superintendent of the Northland School Division, which encompasses schools in smaller Northern Alberta communities.

“Northland School Division mirrors a lot of the geography of our District, so I’m very familiar with some of the communities in the northern part of the province, where I was working and where now I will be connecting through Rotary,” she says. “I’m excited about getting back to those communities.”

Prior to working with Northland, Donna’s career was with the Edmonton Public School Board.

“I think I had almost every position you could have in education, starting with being a teacher and I was a school principal and a consultant,” she says. “Then I worked in the district office as an assistant superintendent until I left Edmonton Public in 2010 to become the superintendent of Northland School Division.”

Donna has been a member of the Rotary Club of Edmonton Sunrise since the club was chartered in 2003. She was club president in 2018.

“Our club does a lot in schools and because of my education background, I was always interested participating in those activities,” she says.

“In 2009 and 2010, I had the opportunity to be a part of the Belize Literacy Project and for two summers I went to Belize with other educators to provide professional development for teachers in Belize,” Donna says. “That was a wonderful experience, being able to see the impact that Rotary could have internationally, as well as locally.”

Donna’s involvement at the District level began in 2016 when she joined the Learning and Development Committee, where she served as chair for three years, including one year when she was also the DG nominee-designate, the first step toward becoming governor.

Donna’s preparation to assume the role of District Governor has been unlike that of any who have gone before.

“One of the things that makes my experience different than previous District Governors is that I’ve done everything virtually. Except for my very first learning assembly, a zone experience in Niagara Falls a couple of years ago, everything I’ve done, all of the connections I’ve made, have been online,” she says. “I must say that transition to online learning has gone really, really well. RI is really to be commended for the work they’ve done providing that kind of support.”

In February, she was scheduled to be in Orlando for Rotary’s International Assembly with all the other incoming District Governors from around the world who would have been there to prepare to lead their Districts.

“I’m hoping that before my year is over that I will be able to go to an international convention and connect face-to-face with some of the governors that I’ve met online.”

During the International Assembly, the RI president-elect announced the theme for the upcoming year.

“The theme—Serve to Change Lives—really resonates with me and it impacts how I’m thinking about my club visits,” Donna says.

She hopes that clubs, either individually or in partnership with other clubs, will plan at least one day of service in their community, noting that Rotary Days of Service is a RI presidential initiative for 2021-2022.

Shekhar Mehta, Rotary Club of Calcutta-Mahanagar, West Bengal, India

About Rotary Days of Service, Rotary International President-elect Shekhar Mehta wrote: “I challenge every club to plan and host at least one practical and action-oriented Rotary Day of Service during the 2021-22 Rotary year. The event should address a challenge facing your community that fits in one or more of Rotary’s areas of focus and brings together volunteers from within and outside Rotary.”

“This initiative really focuses on thinking about service and providing service in a way that engages Rotarians and engages non-Rotarians in coming together to serve their community,” Donna says.

Donna believes that service can be an entry point for future Rotarians.

“I think that membership is the result of what we do and that everything that we do as Rotarians impacts on membership. There is a real link to membership development,” she says. “If you’re doing more, if you’re engaging people, the impact of Rotary will be greater with more members.”

Even so, Donna has not set goals for attracting new members. Before looking to attract new members, she suggests focusing first on member retention.

“Retention is a bigger membership issue than encouraging new membership,” she says, suggesting that member retention may be easier now than previously. 

“Clubs don’t need to look the way they have in the past. There is more flexibility,” she says. “The requirements that used to be there aren’t there anymore. There are other ways of being part of Rotary.”

This could mean becoming part of an e-club, a satellite club or a passport club. 

“There are lots of opportunities so that people don’t just leave Rotary. There may be another club that’s a better match, perhaps in terms of when and how it meets,” Donna says. “We can help facilitate another kind of match for Rotarians if their current club isn’t working for them.”

She thinks that there are lessons to be learned about retention by listening to former Rotarians, pointing to an initiative earlier this year to survey people who had left their Rotary clubs over the past five years.

“Our former members told us they joined Rotary for the fellowship and for the service, so I think an emphasis on engaging our members in service where they can participate and really see and feel the impact of the work they do will help us to retain members,” Donna says. “By reaching out to the community and saying, ‘What are the things that really matter here?’ and then aligning our service projects to support those things will increase Rotary’s profile and help people to understand the contributions of Rotary and to see Rotary is an organization they want to belong to.”

As she looks forward to her year as District Governor, Donna sees a bit of a silver lining in our pandemic experience.

“I think that what we’re doing is going forward, not going back to something that Rotary was before,” she say. “What can we bring from this experience that will contribute to an even stronger Rotary as we go forward into the future?”

At least 10 reasons to attend the 2021 virtual District Learning Assembly

Not registered for the District Learning Assembly on Saturday morning, April 17? Undecided about attending?

Well, we think you should register today! And we have at least 10 reasons why this is a not-to-be-missed event:

1. It’s Virtual! No travel. No accommodation costs. No meals to buy. P.S. You don’t even have to wear pants, unless you really want to. 
2. RI President Holger Knaack will be there. As Rick said in the movie Casablanca, “Of all the Rotary Districts in all the towns in all the world, he walks into our Learning Assembly.” P.S. Maybe we didn’t get that quotation quite right, but it is special and an honour that with 530 Rotary Districts worldwide Holger found time in his busy schedule to speak at our Learning Assembly.
3. It’s not just another Zoom meeting! The Learning and Development Committee contracted Infinite Event Services to produce an outstanding virtual event. P.S. Infinite Event Services has experience with online events with 1,500 or more attendees. These guys are pros!
4. The Learning and Development Committee listened. And the committee used what it heard to create a program that responds to what Rotarians said they wanted.
5. Have you accepted a club leadership position for 2021-2022? There’s a breakout session for that: president-elect; treasurer; secretary; membership, public image and international service chairs. 
6. Not in a club leadership role? There are breakout sessions for you too: RI Learning Centre, Clubrunner 101; peacebuilding; technology; community service; fundraising; and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). P.S. You can also attend any of the position-specific breakouts (See reason #5).
7. What’s up with the RI 2021-2022 theme “Serve to Change Lives?” DGE Donna Barrett will explain what it means for us. P.S. Next year’s theme is reflected in the theme for the Learning Assembly: “Leadership to Change Lives and Grow Rotary.”
8. Outstanding Keynoters—Part 1: Michael Angelo Caruso is an internationally recognized expert on leadership and a Past District Governor who helps Rotarians to grow and to lead their clubs.
9. Outstanding Keynoters—Part 2: Niigaan Sinclair is a university professor and an award-winning First Nation writer, editor and activist who credits Rotary youth programs for changing his life.
10. Visit with Rotarians from other clubs. Okay, these visits will be virtual, but consider them a reminder that there are other Rotarians out there waiting to meet you when we are able to gather in person again.

Bonus Reason: 

It’s FREE! What else can we say?

We promised at least 10 reasons to register right away for the District 5370 Learning Assembly and came up with 11. 

What about you? What is your reason for registering for the Learning Assembly?

Click here to go to the registration page! We look forward to seeing you on April 17!

Fellowships link Rotarians from around the world with shared interests

We all know that Rotary is about fellowship. It’s why many of us joined and why even more of us stay.

Fellowship can go beyond our clubs, Districts and even country boundaries when we opt to join one of the more than 80 Rotary Fellowships.

According to information from the Rotary International website, “Rotary Fellowships consist of members who share a common interest in recreational activities, sports, hobbies or professions. These groups help expand skills, foster vocational development and enhance the Rotary experience by exploring interests while developing connections around the world.”

Fellowships are open to all Rotarians and their families and to participants and alumni of all Rotary and Foundation programs.  They function independently of Rotary International, establishing their own rules, dues requirements and administrative structure.

There are fellowships for Rotarians who are passionate about antique automobiles, magic, bird watching, marathon running, photography, railroads, Rotary on stamps and many other areas of interest.

One Rotarian who has taken advantage of this opportunity to connect with Rotarians from around the world is Betty Screpnek (Rotary Passport Club of Northwest Spirit), who has been a member of the International Travel and Hosting Fellowship for about 20 years since discovering the ITHF House of Friendship booth at a RI convention.

“You have Rotarians from around the world sharing their cultures,” the past District 5370 Governor (2012-2014) says.

ITHF organizes tours for Rotarians prior to and following Rotary International conventions, including ones associated with the 2018 convention in Toronto that Berry organized.

“The pre-convention tour began in Ottawa and we travelled to Quebec City and Montreal before ending up in Toronto,” Betty says. “After the convention, there was rail trip from Vancouver to Calgary, which arrived during the Stampede. Rotarians from all over the world were excited with these tours.”

She finds that other Rotarians are willing to help plan these tours.

“All I had to do was get on the phone to Rotarians in these community to ask what to see and what to do.”

Betty is already thinking about pre and post convention tours for 2025 when the RI convention will be in Calgary.

“These tours will definitely include visits to the mountains,” she says.

Being one of more than 1,000 ITHF members meant that Betty and her husband George had the opportunity to host a Rotary couple from India a few years ago.

“They found us through the membership list,” she says. “We hosted them in Edmonton for three days before we drove them to Jasper. We are still friends.”

If the Screpneks were to visit India, they could give them a call.

“We wouldn’t expect them to host us in their home, but we could ask them for advice on where to go and what to see,” Betty says. “Maybe they could meet us for lunch.”

These visits offer opportunities to learn about each other’s culture.

“When the couple from India were in Canada, they were open to all my questions,” Berry says. “They were comfortable sharing their culture.”

A newer member of the travel fellowship is Lou Henderson (RC of Camrose), who joined after visiting the ITHF booth at the 2018 convention in Toronto.

“We have not had an opportunity to either host or be hosted, but we are looking forward to the day when can connect with Rotarians in a travel destination,” she says. “We love to meet new people and love any opportunity to experience a place with local residents and get off the tourist path.”

Her husband Morris (RC of Camrose Daybreak) joined BREWS (Beers Rotarians Enjoy Worldwide) after visiting that fellowship’s booth in Toronto.

“We were looking forward to the BREWS event at the Honolulu convention,” Lou says, noting that the convention was transitioned to a virtual event due to the pandemic.

That didn’t mean that BREWS members didn’t have opportunities to share their enthusiasm for beer.

“BREWS has continued to be active during the pandemic by switching to virtual events,” Lou says. “They have hosted several different opportunities to enjoy beers of the world over Zoom and are managing to keep their members connected.”

Like the 2020 convention before it, the 2021 convention that was scheduled for Taiwan will be held virtually, but there will still be an opportunity to learn about many of the fellowships that are expected to have booths in the virtual House of Friendship.

You can also visit websites created by most of the fellowships to learn more about their activities and membership.

Alberta Rotarians: Have your say on charitable gaming, including 50/50 raffles

Morris  Henderson (RC of Camrose Daybreak) wants to hear the thoughts of Rotarians related to charitable gaming in Alberta, particularly particularly about online 50/50 raffles.

Morris is one of approximately 90 individual representing organizations depending on proceeds from casinos, bingo, raffles and pull tickets who have been invited by Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) to participate in its stakeholder review of the charitable gaming sector in Alberta.

The closure of casinos due to the pandemic has made fundraising a challenge for many clubs in Alberta, some of which have considered online 50/50 raffles as an alternative.

“The Rotary Club of Camrose Daybreak hosted a casino in September 2019 and the slot for our next casino is the third quarter of 2023, a 46 to 48 months wait, but with the COVID casino closures, it is unknown when we will get a casino date,” Morris says.

“With the uncertainty of casino availability, I have been looking into online 50/50 raffles of $20,000 and less to fundraise for our community support initiatives,” he says.

Morris feels that some of the new terms and conditions for online 50/50 raffles announced by AGLC on February 2 are positive, but thinks other changes have created barriers for clubs considering this fundraising option.

Morris identifies three positive changes:

• For raffles of $20,000 and less, licences are still free with simplified reporting.
• Receipts and tickets are generated by the system such as RaffleBox.ca and emailed to the buyer. There is no need to mail tickets.
• The online system can select the winning ticket, so there is no need to print ticket stubs to draw from a barrel.

On the other hand, there are barriers that remain:

• 50/50 raffles where tickets are sold over a period longer than one day must guarantee a prize payout of 20% of the total ticket value. For example. a $10,000 licence requires a minimum $2,000 prize regardless of actual sales, even if you have to use non-gaming funds to meet the guarantee and expenses.
• The ticket packages you offer have fixed availability – if you offer 80 packages of 25 tickets for $50 and they are selling out faster than you thought, you can request an increase from AGLC but the online system supplier is prohibited from changing the 80 you initially chose.

“I am advocating for changes to eliminate the barriers I have described,” Morris says. “You can help me by sharing your experience with 50/50 raffles.”

• Have you held traditional 2-part ticket, draw from barrel 50/50 raffles?
• Are you holding online 50/50 raffles? If yes, what experiences can you share?
• Have you considered holding online 50/50 raffles but decided not to? Why?
• Do/would the barriers I mentioned hold you back from online 50/50 raffles?
• Do you have success stories to share with other clubs?

“You can let me know your thoughts on this important topic by email to rotary.morris@telus.net,” Morris says.

As a participant in the AGLC charitable gaming review, Morris also wants to hear your thoughts about any aspect of gaming.

“Let me know improvements you would like to see in casino, bingo, raffle or pull-ticket gaming,” he says. “You can also let AGLC know by email to yoursay@aglc.ca by mid-April to be heard.”

ShelterBox Update: Water, just like shelter, is a human right

Whoever you are, wherever you are, you are entitled to clean, safe water. But today, billions of people around the world do not have access to clean and safe water. According to WHO/UNICEF, 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water services. 

Disasters force families out of their homes, making it difficult to access clean drinking water. Disasters cause a huge amount of damage and destruction. Water hand pumps break. Local water sources get filled up with debris, dirt, or chemicals, making it unsafe to drink. 

When families are unable to access clean water, water filters can help produce safe drinking water. Water filters distributed by ShelterBox can remove viruses, bacteria, pathogens, chemical, heavy metals, and fecal matter found in contaminated water. These water filters can turn up to 1,000 litres of unsafe water into clean, safe, drinkable water.

Maïramu and her family of seven were displaced when their village in Nigeria was attacked by Boko Haram. Like many refugees, the most difficult problem that Maïramu faces daily is access to safe drinking water. 

“We started to get sick,” she says. “After a while, I noticed that my children and I were having frequent stomach aches and diarrhea. I realized it was caused by the water.”

Watch District Governor Jim Ferguson’s message for March (Water and Sanitation Month)

After receiving a ShelterBox water filter, Maïramu and her family no longer suffer from sickness and diarrhea. 

“Thanks to the filter, I can assure you that our problems concerning water are no longer related to sickness, but related to distance, because we still have to travel a long way to collect it,” she says. “Today, we drink water without fear.”

Having access to clean water reduces the risk of illness caused by bacteria and other pathogens found in dirty water. By providing families with water containers and water filters, we can make safe drinking water one less thing to worry about. To learn more about how you can support families with clean water after disasters, visit: https://www.shelterboxcanada.org/world-water-day-provide-clean-water/

District Learning Assembly on April 17 will be “fantastic” online event

Chair Jody Swanson (RC of St. Albert) and the other 23 members of the District Learning and Development committee are “super-excited” about the virtual District Learning Assembly to be held Saturday, April 17.

“We want to show that this is District 5370 and we can do a fantastic online conference,” Jody says. “This will absolutely not be just another Zoom meeting. You are going to love it!”

Infinite Event Services, which is owned by Rotarian Sheldon Fingler (RC of Morinville) has been contracted to handle the technical aspect of the Assembly.

Click here to register for the 2021 District Learning Assembly.

“We are trying to set a precedent of having a fantastic experience that creates an outstanding learning and inspirational experience,“ Jody says. “Even though it is an online event, it will be interactive and it will be live. We want people to be engaged and empowered by the time our three-hour conference is done.”

In addition to being an opportunity for participants to hear two keynote addresses and choose from among more than 10 breakout sessions, the Assembly will feature DGE Donna Barrett’s preview of the 2021-2022 Rotary year and her introduction of next year’s theme, “Serve to Change Lives.”

This theme, which was set by Rotary International President-Elect Shekhar Mehta from India, is reflected in the Assembly’s theme: Leadership to Change Lives and Grow Rotary.

Michael Angelo Caruso will kick off the day and Niigaan Sinclair will bring the Assembly to a close.

Caruso is a professional speaker and an internationally recognized expert on leadership, sales and improving customer service. He teaches leaders and salespeople how to be better presenters.

“Michael is also a Rotarian, a past District Governor and the public image co-ordinator for Zone 28,” Jody says. “He helps Rotarians to grow and lead their clubs.”

Michael Angelo Caruso

Sinclair is Anishinaabe (St. Peter’s/Little Peguis), an associate professor at the University of Manitoba, and an award-winning writer, editor and activist.

“His life as a young student was significantly and profoundly changed through his participation in Rotary youth programs,” Jody says. “What he learned at that time changed how he looked at life and how he wanted to pursue his life.”

The first series of breakouts will focus on specific club leadership roles, including sessions for presidents-elect, treasurers, secretaries, as well as Foundation, membership, international service and public image chairs.

“We are highly encouraging the presidents-elect and the current presidents to ask their club committee chairs to attend their specific breakout session, but anyone may attend any of these sessions,” Jody says. “If you are thinking of becoming a membership chair but you are not sure what it involves, you should definitely come to the membership session. 

“Whatever speaks to you and piques your interest, I would definitely pop in because sometimes you never know what a role is until you are in the middle of it. It’s better to learn what that role is about. That way I think that people will be more willing to take on a leadership position.”

Niigaan Sinclair

The second set of breakouts offer topics more of a general interest, such as community service; technology; ClubRunner; the RI Learning Centre; fundraising; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Peacebuilding.

Time is scheduled between the two blocks of breakout sessions for a special general meeting, during which club representatives will be asked to confirm Brent Collingwood (RC of Edmonton Riverview) as the District Governor Nominee Designate, to approve a slate of nominees for the District’s nominating committee, and to review and discuss the 2021-2022 District budget recently approved by the board of directors.

“I encourage every single person to register and to check this Assembly out. If you have never come to a District event you need to come check this one out,” Jody says.

“There is no cost to attend and there is no travel involved,” she says. “We are aiming for around 250 to 300, which is a substantially higher attendee count than the 150 to 200 who attended in-person assemblies held in previous years.”

She admits that the committee would like to see more event participants. 

“We would love to get to 500,” she says. “We can definitely handle that. This will be a live, interactive event that you should attend. Register today!”

Two clubs choose to profile members, but their reasons for doing so are different

While their initiatives are similar, the reasons that two clubs in our District have chosen to publish profiles of their members are different.

Each has a different audience in mind and so each approaches how they publish differently. The target for the Rotary E-Club of Canada One is its own members, while the Rotary Club of St. Albert has crafted it messages with an external audience in mind.

For the E-Club, publishing short member biographies in its weekly bulletin addresses the challenge of members getting to know each other when some have never met in person, even pre-pandemic.

Profile of Angel Blanco from the RECCO bulletin

“We aren’t like terra clubs,” says E-Club president Tammy Waugh who lives in Red Deer, but has spent much of the year with her daughter in Nova Scotia. “Some of our members have never met in person and don’t know a lot about each other.”

Other E-club members live in the United Kingdom, Europe, Mexico, the United States, the Caribbean and across Canada.

In the fall, Tammy asked Rotarians to send her their “member moments.”

“What were the things that have inspired you to be a Rotarian? Was it a particular incident? Or was simply because a friend brought you to the club?” 

Of the 24 people who received the email, Tammy received 19 responses containing member moments. She decided we would feature one each week in the bulletin.

The biographies have been well received. “I have received some great feedback,” Tammy says. “It makes members feel connected. It gives us something to talk about at our coffee chats on Thursday mornings.”

Now that nearly every member has been profiled once, Tammy plans to start over with additional information about members. They may be asked to explain how they maintain perfect attendance and why that’s important to them. Or they could talk about The Rotary Foundation.

“Our donations to the Foundation have been among the top three or four every year in the District, which is remarkable for a small club,” Tammy says. “We will focus on why people give to the Foundation. We all hear why we should give to the Foundation but we don’t often hear the reasons people have chosen to give.”

Profile of PDG Elly Contreras-Vermeulen from the RECCO bulletin

The St. Albert club hopes to change how community members see Rotary and prompt them to consider becoming involved.

“In our community, there was this perception that people looked at  Rotary as ‘pale, male and stale,’” says president Mark Dixon. “What we wanted to do was to address this and adjust the perception that we were a privileged group and we gave money to things because we were well off.”

The club’s campaign kicked off with a half-page newspaper advertisement in July that introduced members of the 2020-2021 board and included a screen shot taken during a board meeting.

“When I built the board for this current year, I intentionally focused on diversity, equity and inclusion and you can really see that in the image,” Mark says. “There is real diversity in our board in backgrounds, experience, age, ethnicity, male/female. I am very proud of that.”

In addition to appearing in the newspaper, the advertisement was shared on various social media platforms.

“We expanded our social media platforms this year to include Instagram because Rotaractors are very active on Instagram, but we also have Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. We are consistent in sending out to all four platforms anything we post, especially the campaign,” Mark says.

The initial advertisement was followed up with a series of ads focused on individual members who explain why they became Rotarians.

“We are hoping that as these members are profiled that individuals in the community will say, ‘Hey, you know I had never thought of Rotary in that way. If they are in Rotary, I could see myself in Rotary,’” Mark says. 

“Maybe they will make that connection, but at the very least if they see us reaching out to support a cause or raising funds for the food bank or Tools For School, they will say, ‘Hey that is a great group. They have some resources but I want to support them because now I understand them better.’”

The club is continuing with the campaign and Mark expects to profile about 10 of its 65 members, which he feels will be representative of the club. 

“Club members share the profiles with others in their networks. We are getting lots of leverage out of the campaign,” he says.

From Whitehorse to Cape Town as a Rotary Global Grant scholar

It would not be an exaggeration to say that a trip to Kenya and Tanzania changed the course of Allison Furniss’s life and led to her earning a master’s degree in political science from the University of Cape Town as a Rotary Global Grant scholar.

“I went to Tanzania and Kenya in the last year of my undergraduate studies, with my brother,” says Allison, who was born and raised in Whitehorse. “That was my first time coming to Africa and I was just blown away by the warmth of the people and the vibrant cultures here.”

Since that visit as a tourist, Allison has spent several years living and working in different African countries, including Tanzania, Namibia, South Africa and the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“At the risk of sounding cliché, it really just took hold—the beauty of the continent, the people and the environment; the diversity that exists here between cultures and languages and countries; and contrasting that with extreme poverty, with the very oppressive history through colonization and all the struggles,” she says. “There is just this incredible vibrancy and beauty here and I think it really took hold.”

After graduating from Acadia University with a degree in kinesiology and nutrition, Allison looked for opportunities that would take her back to East Africa. 

“I was very keen on East Africa and by chance I got an internship in Tanzania through the Canadian CIDA—the Canadian International Development Agency.”

After a year in East Africa, Allison spent three years in Namibia where she worked in sports for development and social change or sports for peacebuilding.

Those years in Africa were followed by four years back in Whitehorse.

“I worked primarily doing youth empowerment programs across the North, mostly in the Yukon but also into the NWT,” she says. “I also worked at Yukon College, which is now Yukon University, where I was supporting students in building their life skills outside of the classroom, which focused quite a lot on First Nation students and with other students who were struggling, like single moms and mature students.”

But Allison’s dream was to return to Africa.

“I always knew I wanted to do grad school at the University of Cape Town,” she says.

The route to fulfilling that lay through securing a Rotary Global Grant scholarship with the support of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse Rendezvous and District 5010.

Our District and both Whitehorse clubs provided additional funding to support Allison’s studies after the Yukon became part of District 5370.

Related article: Two Whitehorse clubs joined District 5370 on July 1

Global Grant scholarships require financial commitment from one or more Rotary clubs and the District before they are topped up by The Rotary Foundation.

“I was working on my application to the university and also working with local Rotarian Lois Craig,” Allison says. “She’s a really wonderful lady who helped me so much. I worked with her on my Global Grant application to study at UCT.”

After applying to UCT, Allison discovered that there was another hurdle she would have to deal with before entering the master’s program.

“I ended up having to do this extra honours program that they have at the University of Cape Town,” she says. “They do a three-year undergrad and then this one-year honours and then a two-year master’s. So they required me to do this honors as kind of a stepping stone into the master’s because I was changing disciplines and I have studied here before.

“I ended up getting a Global Grant for one year of the honours studies. That was funded through the Foundation and the District. At the time, Yukon was part of the District with Alaska.

“I had to reapply for the scholarship to the university. Luckily, all that came through again for a two-year master’s, which I have just finished.” 

Allison is grateful for the Rotary Global Grant scholarship she received.

“It made all the difference in the world in the sense that I would have never been able to pursue graduate work without the Rotary Global Grant because I wouldn’t have been willing to take on debt,” she says. “I feel so thankful for that.”

Related articles: 

Rotary Grant Scholarship provided Amy Smith an opportunity to work with an Australian Aboriginal community   

Kassia Fardoe: from RYLE to the London School of Economics

Allison chose the University of Cape Town because of its reputation.

“The program is really well-renowned. The University of Cape Town is a world-class institution. It’s in the top 200 in the world,” she says. “Both my master’s and honours were in the political science department in a program called Justice and Transformation, which focuses a lot on reconciliation, international human rights protection and restorative justice.

“They’re really grappling with a lot of these issues of reconciliation and restorative justice and how to build a peaceful, more just and equal society. It was also that I would be in a context in South Africa that’s leading on the issue, where I would also be living in an environment that aligns with what I’m studying.”

There is also a connections between what’s happened in South Africa since the end of apartheid and Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission process.

“I felt that we as Canadians have a lot to learn from the South African context,” she says. “I don’t know if you know this, but there were South Africans who were hired to help us design our Truth and Reconciliation Commission process. South Africa is really a leader on these issues and we as the world have a lot to learn from them.”

Allison was also attracted by the city itself.

“When I was in Tanzania, I visited Cape Town for the first time and just fell in love with the city,” she says. This place is so beautiful. You can’t believe Cape Town. It’s just mountains and ocean and it’s so beautiful. It’s so special.”

Allison conducted her research in Eastern DRC among women who work in mines to recover coltan, which is used in the production of tantalum, a key component in the manufacture of cellphones and computers.

“I did primary in-person field work, ethnographic field work with female miners in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,” she says. “It’s essentially hand-panning like they did during the gold rush of 1898 in the Yukon. It’s literally the exact same techniques.”

Now that she has completed her master’s degree,  Allison has obtained one of 16 scholarships  awarded each year by the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Foundation to students entering a PhD program.

“I’ve switched now into the Department of Anthropology, so I’m really interdisciplinary in my studies. I’ve been kind of all over the place,” she says. “From sports science to nutrition and kinesiology, to political science and anthropology. 

“It’s not because I haven’t been able to make up my mind on what I wanted to do. But it’s more a reflection of how my interests and values have changed over time and I had a big gap there, the eight years of working between my undergrad and post-grad studies. So a lot of changes in my life, my perspectives in that time, especially having worked in development in Africa for four years.”

Allison’s PhD research at UCT will build on her master’s work.

“My research will build on that and I’m particularly interested in women’s labour politics—how they organize, how they overcome exclusions that they face,” She says. “Obviously, mining is a really male-dominated industry in general.”

Reflecting on her experience as a Rotary Global Grant scholar, Allison says that the support she received was more than financial.

“I still am just blown away by the international network that exists through Rotary and how much support I received from Rotarians here in Cape Town, and also in Canada and the U.S.,” she says. “It was simple things, like Rotarians here in Cape Town meeting me at the airport when I first arrived and that kind of stuff that just makes such a big difference when you’re moving so far away and you’re new to a place. So I’m so indebted to Rotary.”

Allison hopes her studies with be “a springboard back into a career in development or humanitarian aid or peacebuilding,” she says. “I would really like to continue with research projects or work for big intergovernmental organizations like the UN or the World Bank or with the African Union.

“I’m open to going to academia even though I really had never thought about it before. That wasn’t the plan.”

While she is not yet a Rotarian—that will have to wait until after she completes her studies—Allison has maintained her connections with Rotary. 

“I’m keen to maintain ties with Rotary and to stay involved with Rotary, even though I won’t be able to be a member just yet, mostly because of financial restraint.”

She occasionally attends meetings of her host club, the Rotary Club of Sea Point, and helps with Rotary and Rotaract projects.

She has also joined meetings of the Whitehorse club virtually, and had an opportunity to connect with our District—which the Whitehorse clubs joined after Allison had begun her studies in South Africa—when she joined PDG and Foundation chair Tim Schilds and Sally for dinner while they were visiting South Africa in early 2020.

“So it was really nice to connect with the District that Yukon now finds themselves in and it’s always nice to connect—one with Rotarians and also with Canadians when you’re far from home.”

Allison says she is willing to speak to other clubs in our District during their virtual meetings.

“If any clubs want, I can talk about either my own journey and my involvement with Rotary or I’m happy to also just kind of speak about my research.”

You can email Allison to invite her for a virtual visit to your club.