Rotary Weekly News - Oct 20, 2025 (Oct. 20, 2025)

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

President Elect Doug Fleming chaired our noon meeting today.

Doug opened the meeting with a warm welcome to all, mentioning that October is 'Economic and Community Development month' on the RI calendar.

This was followed by the reading of our land acknowledgment. No O Canada this week, due to technical challenges.

Doug shared the good news that President Milan's knee operation on the 14th of October went well and that he's on the road to recovery. All members wish Milan the best! Milan sends greetings from home!

Guests were welcomed and introduced: Jace Anderson, Nick Wepruk, Stewart Kennedy (see Meeting News for more information on our three guests).

We then had the pleasure of new member Brian Andjelic's "classification" talk. Brian was invited to join the Rotary family by Brent Secondiak, who introduced him.

Brian titled his talk "Who am I and what do I love?" He gave an awesome presentation on his family's history, his education, his career and work history, his current involvements at the Medicine Hat College, JBS Foods in Brooks, Medicine Hat Community Housing Society, his love of travel, of his wife Colleen, his three children, four grandchildren and of fly fishing!

Selected highlights:

Brian used indigenous families way of introducing himself - 'we are who we became from' - starting with his lineage, rooted in Serbia (currently Bosnia), before sharing his own story
Criss-crossing the globe from Serbia, his Dad ended up joining his brother in Medicine Hat... and the two of them marrying two sisters!
Brian and wife Colleen share a love for one another and for travel. They married in New Zealand in 2007
Brian has two daughters, a son and four grandchildren
He puts FAMILY FIRST... and is a proponent of the notion that it takes more than just the two parents to raise a child, especially in current times
On the education front, Brian has a B Education (U Lethbridge) and a M Arts (Santiago State U)
Brian was Superintendent of Prairie Rose School Division for 38 years (the amalgamation of about four divisions over the years)
Hope, efficacy, resilience, optimism: these four concepts working together, form a psychological capital framework that Brian has developed for dealing with mental health, without using the term 'mental health'. He does teaching and training on this approach
He was the last of about 20 grandchildren to visit Croatia, previously Serbia, the ancestral home of his father. He took this trip about 8 days after retiring, knowing that he had to 'disrupt' himself, entering a retirement chapter after a 38 year career
Brian's last thoughts were about the critical importance of PURPOSE. He shared a slide depicting IKIGAI, Japanese for what you love, what you are good at, and what you can be paid for. Coming together, they point to a possible career direction. It was clear to us, that Brian chose well, bringing leadership, direction, cohesion and light to each of his career positions and activities.

Brian concluded his talk by thanking Rotary for the opportunity to join and 'work his purpose' in a slightly different way, as a Rotarian.

We welcome you into the Rotary family, Brian! We are privileged to have access to your knowledge, experience, insights and values.

After Brian's presentation, President Elect Doug welcomed guest speaker Jace Anderson, ED of Tourism Medicine Hat (please see STORY section of this newsletter).

Board member Brent Secondiak, Past President Mike Christie, and Past President Sandy MacKay had the pleasure of handing over a cheque to the value of $2,000 to Jodie Engbert, General Manager of Employment and Community Programs, YMCA of Southern Alberta. This is our Club's contribution to the Y Connect program.

NEXT MONDAY AT NOON: A visit to the Root Cellar on Maple Avenue.

MONARCH 1911 SOCIETY

As many Rotarians will know, our club, in cooperation with the Saamis Rotary Club and the Friends of the Monarch Society, has been working on restoring both the structure and the programming at the historic Monarch movie theatre on 2nd St S.E, Medicine Hat.

Our club will try to keep track of events on at the Monarch, to give members a heads-up that the opportunity to serve exists. If you are interested, please let Rotarian Janessa Anderson (403-952-1907) know and she can provide details of available shifts and responsibilities.

Volunteering at a show is a great way to connect with the community and support the historic local landmark.

Ideas for Future Programs

The Rotary Club's Program Committee members are Jillian Koch (jkoch@jmhca.com), Margie Booyens (margiebooyens@gmail.com), Alain Guerard (aguerard@telus.net), Sharon Hayward (sharon.hayward@medicinehatymca.ca).

THE VISITOR ECONOMY - MEDICINE HAT

On Monday 20 October, the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat had the pleasure of welcoming guest speaker Jace Anderson - woolen Nepali cap and all!

As many know, Jace is the Executive Director of Tourism Medicine Hat. He carries the position with aplomb, passion, motivation and vision.

Here's his account of his time with us Rotarians during our noon meeting:

"During what is Rotary Economic and Community Development Month, it was my pleasure to speak on behalf of Tourism Medicine Hat. With a lively and engaging question and answer portion throughout, we talked about tourisms work at the intersection of the visitor economy and economic development. About how destination development efforts benefit both the resident and visitor.

We touched on empathy in marketing. Gas City and community branding too. Lively and engaging.

I was able to introduce Nick in his recent role with the Medicine Hat Sport and Event Council.

We agreed that food and drink can inspire visitation. I highlighted our Savour Albertas South campaign - particularly how 3 weeks of Farm to Fork kicks off on November 1. We will see 70+ local and regional restaurants along Highway 3 all featuring locally sourced menu items. So good.

We talked about our Sunshine Trolleys, and how their usage and visibility in the community has grown significantly again in 2025. We expect as many as 90 school classroom tours (2400+ local kids and educators). 300 total trips this year. Our busiest year yet. I was sure to celebrate the incredible support from South Country Coop and two local Rotary Clubs who have made contributions that help to make it all possible.

We talked briefly about the Visitor Information Centre, and how it is uniquely positioned to provide long haul travelers with compelling invitations to linger in our region. How in 2025 we saw more than 40 US states check in, and more than 39 unique international countries too.

We talked live music, and the power/benefit to pride-of-place that a cultural community builds when it consistently outperforms expectations. Jazzfest and the Rotary Music Festival were just two we noted.

It all stitches together into a fabric and a tapestry that is Medicine Hat and Southeast Alberta.

I probably mentioned that visitation leads to relocation... and that it all starts with a visit. And we talked about my hat. The woolen Nepali hat. I told the story how I almost lost this particular hat once.

The Rotary Club members were vary gracious, I likely went over time. It was a wonderful way to spend a Monday. I love the hat".

And we love you, Jace! Thank you for an interesting, lively, entertaining presentation. And thank you for being the tourism kingpin in our city!

MEETING NEWS

ATTENDANCE: The meeting was attended by 26 in-person, including three guests, and three online.

GUESTS:

Our three guests were: Jace Anderson (Executive Director, Tourism Medicine Hat), Nick Wepruk (Sport and Event Specialist, Medicine Hat Sport and Event Council), and Stewart Kennedy (guest of Mike Christie).

MEETING DRAW:

Sharon Hayward was the lucky winner of a tin of Belgian chocolate biscuits.

Please remember to contribute gifts for the weekly draw. If you are somewhere interesting, a small gift to the club for the draw is much appreciated!

Makeups: None were mentioned.

Birthdays:

Gwen Dirk Oct 4
Sharon Hayward Oct 7
Peter Mueller Oct 13.

Rotary Anniversaries:

Anne Carrier. 12 years. Oct 7, 2013
Dale Stein 18 years. Oct 22, 2007

WEDDING ANNIVERSARY ROSE RUNNER FOR OCTOBER 2025 IS:

Glen Presley

MINUTES

A reminder that our District is invited to participate in Zone 28 new member orientation webinars.

New Member Orientation Webinars

We are excited to share the dates for this year’s New Member Orientation webinars. These fast-paced, informative sessions are ideal not only for new members but for any Rotarian who wants to learn more about our amazing organization.

Save the Dates (all at 7:30 pm EST):

Tuesday, October 21

Wednesday, January 21

Thursday, April 23

Join the webinars at this link https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fus06web.zoom.us%2Fj%2F86755780910%3Fpwd%3DpOP9Y2J6g78EkCgPLFnDT4kH5OOgfc.1&data=05%7C02%7C%7C167fd38c87b744a899f808de0528eea2%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638953870511022170%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=1a9UOBvMFruOUswDHighX3BZpemVvnsfnibsi0Ms0YM%3D&reserved=0

BINGO: Dave Stalwick reported that $610 was made during the last Bingo session. He undertook to provide more details at our next meeting.
THE LOBSTER MOBSTERS MINI MOBSTERS FUNDRAISER: Kitt Brand is recruiting volunteers for a fundraising event featuring the delicious offerings of Lobster Mobster. Club members can ask friends and family to use a special code on any order and the club will receive 15% of the value. Please email your interest to Kitt (kittbrand@gmail.com).
CLUB PROGRAM: Three program-related matters: 1) Margie encouraged members to attend the visit to the Root Cellar on Monday 27 October and requested that members bring their own brown bag lunch 2) The Club Christmas party will be held on Monday 1 December from 5:30pm in the Ballroom at the Stampede Grounds. A small organizing group will meet soon to plan the party. Members interested in assisting in this regard were asked to contact Margie, and 3) Members were asked whether they would like to meet on Monday 22 December, this date being so close to Christmas. After a brief discussion and a show of hands, it was decided that a meeting would indeed be held with a Christmas theme of some sort, to be planned by the Club Program Committee.
LEADERSHIP WITH PURPOSE: The Community Foundation has a special leadership seminar coming up on Nov 6th. Registration is available through the CFSEA and is $25.00 per person.

WORLD POLIO DAY: 24 OCTOBER

Rotary International's "World Polio Day" is coming up on Friday.

CARNIVAL OF HOPE FUNDRAISER

Dick Northcott reminded members that REAL HUMANITARIAN will be having a Carnival of Hope fundraiser on Friday October 24 in the Black Box Theatre, Esplanade. Check your calendars if you are interested in attending, tickets for this fundraiser are $100 per person. Tickets can be purchased via the website or an e-transfer can be sent to rachel.austin@realhumanitarian.com.

Family of Rotary

Please keep a Board Member informed about members health and/or any other changes, so that information can be provided to the club through the Weekly News.