December 7, 2020 - Rotary Weekly News (Dec 07, 2020)

President Meeting Remarks:

President Mark Sorenson welcomed everyone to our Dec 7^th ZOOM meeting. We had a total of 37 people at the meeting.

Mark encouraged everyone to stay safe and help stop the spread of COVID.

Please continue to sell the tickets for Club 1000, our principle fundraising for the Music Festival.

Also, important "after meeting" announcement from the Rotary Music Festival Society.

November 30, 2020

It is with regret that the Medicine Hat Rotary Music Festival Society Board has decided to cancel the Live Festival for 2021. While much effort and thought has been put into making plans for moving ahead with a live Festival, recent developments have indicated to us that to continue moving forward with plans for Live Festival in the face of uncertainty, would be a less than wise use of resources at this time. As a result, we are moving now, while registration is only just opening, to our Plan C, which is to conduct an online Festival for 2021. This follows the precedent set by majority of the other local Festivals throughout Alberta as well as the Alberta Music Festival Association Provincial Festival plan. This decision was based upon financial considerations involving the Rotary Club, the uncertainty surrounding COVID and our province’s ability to curb the exponentially increasing numbers, as well as the expectation of lower registration numbers this year even with a Live Festival. Our energies will now be invested in moving forward with an online Festival. More details will follow to this regard from our Executive Director, Delynne Lorentzen, in the days to come.

We will also have and online advertising section so we can still sell advertising space as well as collect donations from our Patrons. More to come on this.

Thank you for your understanding. Stay safe, be well.

Milan Vujovic, Chair, Rotary Music Festival Society

Rotary Club "What-z New":

A new club laptop is in our future, the current one will not provide the service required to stream our meetings.
If our hybrid meetings continue in the future, a few more meeting helpers will be required to help run cameras and sound. We are all learning as we go along here, but these type of meetings are manpower intensive.

Rotary Club Membership Update:

If you are interested in helping this working membership team, please contact Mike Christie.

Rotary Club Information:

Housekeeping:
- Please collect club draw items. It is an important part of our meeting and the funds generated help to run the club.
- If you have a Meeting Minute, please phone or email the Newsletter and we'll include it.
- Board minutes can be found on ClubRunner, under Club Documents.

Upcoming Club Program, Activities, and Meetings

Our next "ZOOM" meeting will be Monday, December 14th - Music Festival AGM
The DG and President Mark have requested that we limit our in person gatherings while COVID cases are rising in the community, so likely the balance of this calendar year's meetings will be done by ZOOM. More information to come soon.

Upcoming Rotary District and International Events:

Mark this date in your calendars, the 2021 Rotary District Conference is May 14 - 16, 2021 in Drumheller, AB.
Mike reminded us that on Dec 21st our new RI president Jennefer Jones will have a Zoom Meeting. We will have two separate Zoom meetings on that noon hour. A link to register for the first hour, hosted by the RC of Lethbridge will go out this week. Our club meeting will start at about 1:00 pm, and a separate link will go out from Mike on that.

Future Programs:

The Rotary Club's Program Coordinator is Jillian Koch. If you have future program ideas, please email Jillian at jkoch@jmhca.com

Medicine Hat Santa Claus Fund

Former Rotarian Mike Hertz was on our meeting to talk to us about the Santa Claus Fund needs for 2020.

The Santa Claus fund is celebrating it's 34 year. In these years it has assisted some 18,000 families by raising some $5 million dollars that has been distributed to the needy families. Mike reviewed their mission statement.

COVID -19 has presented a new challenge in raising funds to match an increased demand for help. Personal donations are only 75% of 2019 and corporate donations are reduced as no face to face fundraisers could be accomplished. He did give a list of major cash donors which include our club. There has been some new fund raising ideas ventured. "Coins for Kids' will provide income up to Dec 31/20. The Co-op is doing a tell ask. Dec 11-15 will have a "Santa Claus is coming to town" which is an ask for toys . Volunteers will pick up any toys that are donated. The Tigers hockey club is selling TIGER t-shirts with profits going to the Santa Claus fund. A new 50/50 draw may be added as the first one was sold out.

The current request for assistance in 2020 has come from 657 families (594 in 2019) representing some 1362 children ( 1232 in 2019). Now any individual/family in crisis will get some support right up to Christmas day. The Santa Claus fund provides assistance though out the year for any family in crisis.

If you wish to make that donation, please go to https://www.mhsantafund.com and press the DONATE button. In the "notes" section please put a note like "2020 Rotary Club Pass the Hat", so the donations can be totaled by the fund.

Mike took questions and responded to each.

Meeting News

Posted on Dec 07, 2020

Guests:

Our guests today were Brent Secondiak and our Guest speaker Mike Hertz..

Club Draw:

No draws this week.

Minute People:

PP Margie mentioned a thank you from the Medicine Hat Sunrise Rotary for our help with their recent club project, "Purse for a Sister, Bag for a Mister"...over 100 collected in total, the photo below is those collected at the MH Public Library.

Melanie Hardy made a motion (with Ken Zollner as second) to waive the 14 day notice period for a motion to be presented for Community Service. Carried
The Committee for Community Service has an opportunity to provide some 120 bikes to associations and individuals of need. These bikes will come from the police impound yard, serviced by volunteers and a Rotary label attached before being give to individuals/ associations. The first 30 bikes will be refurbished and give to the Salvation Army by Christmas time. Motion by Melanie Hardy was seconded by Anne Carrier for an annual amount of a total of $5,500.00 for the cost to refurbish 30 bikes each quarter. Motion was carried. Discussion on the logistics was discussed and left to the committee to assist in the delivery of the plan.
Kitt Brand reminded us that Dec7th is the anniversary of Pearl Harbor.
Please remember that the Saamis Rotary Club is having a "Cheer for a Year" draw this fall, (LAST WEEK) for tickets are available from the Rafflebox website.

Just a reminder that the Sunrise Rotary Club is also having a Christmas 50/50 draw. (LAST WEEK) for tickets that are available through club members.

This concert is still going to happen so please book the date into your calendar and join them for this wonderful event.

The Medicine Hat Ignite Rotary Club has planned a "Christmas Convoy", to spread Christmas Cheer at the local hospital and seniors facilities. If you are interested in participating, please contact Karen Blewett, Teresa Schile or Heather Bach.

If you have photos or a story to include in the Weekly News, please submit it to Dave P and we'll try to publish it.

Birthdays: December.

Dieter Brand December 10.
Dale Stein December 12.
Gail Halderman December 16.
Adolf Seiler December 17.
Ken Zollner December 18.
John John December 19.
Kitt Brand December 28.

Club Anniversaries: November.

Doug Thorson 7 years December 2, 2013.
Terry Cooper 13 years December 4, 2007.
Roger Roy 15 years December 11, 2005.
Joan Sauve 20 years December 11, 2000.
Sarah Koch 5 years December 14, 2015.
Ken Feser 2 years December 17, 2018.
Theresa Eisenbarth 22 years December 23, 1998.

Makeups:

Bingo Team for Thursday Nov 26th.

Family of Rotary: (PLEASE KEEP ADOLF INFORMED ABOUT MEMBERS SO THAT INFORMATION CAN BE PASSED ON TO ALL IN THE WEEKLY NEWS)..

We all wish Dick Bide a speedy recovery from his knee surgery.
Dawn Barr passed along that Joe Hrankowski will be undergoing bypass surgery in Calgary on Dec 17^th, we all wish him the best.