We had our usual monthly Business Meeting, via Zoom, at noon on Monday 4 December 2023, with President Bruce at the helm.
It was a meeting jam-packed with updates, discussion and planning, with good participation from all 22 who linked in from Medicine Hat and further afield.
President Bruce is planning a strategic plan review on 8 January, our first business meeting in the new year.
The Club Board met on 28 November at Grant Thornton, thanks to Past President Melanie Harty. One of the discussion points during this board meeting was the content of a letter of resignation from one of the Club’s younger members, setting out varied reasons for his resignation, including aspects that the board will be further investigating.
President Bruce said the Board would not be meeting in December, but that if any important issues arose before the January board meeting, please to contact him or club secretary Doug Fleming.
An update on club committee work followed:
Communication and Promotions: Rotary has been showcased well in the Medicine Hat News of late, with the article on the Saamis Rotary Club and the Monarch theatre, followed by the first Medicine Hat Rotary monthly column, penned by President Bruce and Kitt Brand, on the Cenotaph (see MHN, November 30). The December column will focus on Rotary’s participation in the Salvation Army’s Christmas Kettles fundraiser over the past 39 or more years. Members are requested to submit stories and comments to Bruce or Kitt; also to suggest themes for columns in the new year.
Club Service: Dave Stalwick reported that seven sites have been surveyed in a mission to explore a new meeting venue for the club. The list of important considerations is lengthy, from access and parking, to storage space, size and food quality. Dave plans to take his top three suggestions to the Board. President Bruce thanked Dave for the considerable time and effort he is putting into this assignment.
International and Community Service: Terry Cooper spoke briefly about the recent donations made by the Club to Saamis Immigration, the YMCA and the Redcliff Youth Centre. He referred to the amount of money left in the budget for this portfolio, that the committee would be meeting after the noon meeting, and that Kitt Brand and Margie Booyens would take the lead in his absence (January to April 2024). Mention was made of the great publicity given to Rotary by the recipients, through their newsletters and Facebook pages.
Finances: Treasurer Gail Halderman reported that club income and expenditures were going as planned. He mentioned the amount raised from the club’s Casino participation. Gail reminded members that November had been ‘giving’ month and that it was never too late to donate to The Rotary Foundation.
Youth, Membership and Retention: Peter Mueller, the lead for this committee, said his focus was on participation in the planning of the “Why Rotary?” event, coming up on Wednesday 24 April 2024.
On the topic of this event, President Elect Mike Christie gave the meeting an update on the planning underway. Venue: MH Exhibition and Stampede Centre Grandstand room. Time span: likely from 6:30 – 09:30pm. The food, bar and entertainment have been organized and booked. The program is a work in progress. All club members will be participants in some or other way. Members were encouraged to think of who they would like to invite to this event, and to invite them, the central purpose of the event being to showcase Rotary and attract new members.
Let us all support this event, in every way we are able, right from the current planning process, up to and on 24 April, helping “Why Rotary?” to be a very special occasion and, all being well, a rejuvenating point, in the life of our 105 year young club!
