to this week's meeting ofThe Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning September 7, 2026
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Complete the form for a make-up!
Please leave a donation to assist our club to do Rotary's good works!
to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning
September 7, 2026
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
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Greeter this week
Rotarian Tammy Waugh
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Message from Club President, Patrick
Rotary's goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy. We support education for all children and literacy for children and adults.
Rotary members make amazing things happen, like:
Opening schools: In Afghanistan, Rotary members opened a girls’ school to break the cycle of poverty and social imbalance.
Teaching adults to read: Rotary members in the United States partnered with ProLiteracy Detroit to recruit and train tutors after a study showed that more than half of the local adult population was functionally illiterate.
New teaching methods: The SOUNS program in South Africa, Puerto Rico and the United States teaches educators how to improve literacy by teaching children to recognize letters by sounds instead of names.
Making schools healthy: Rotarians are providing clean, fresh water to every public school in Lebanon so students can be healthier and get a better education.
Enhancing educational systems: In Kenya, Rotary clubs are working with the Global Partnership for Education and local and national governments to advance life-long learning opportunities for poor and marginalized children.
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Inspirational moment
My Darling Clementine
by Diana Ward, Guthrie, Oklahoma, USA
After our Saturday night performance, we stayed in Carthage so we could attend church services on Sunday. That night, our dog, Butch, barked all night. Mistakenly, we ignored him, while someone released the roping steers, the cows for the wild cow milking, and our darling Clementine. Clementine is the mule Tom rides in parades and opening rodeo activities. She was chained to the fence near our trailer.
Hoping she hadn't wandered far, we dressed for church, and looked for signs of her on the way. We could see where she'd been, by hoof marks in the dirt and scrapes on the pavement made by the chain she drug behind. After services we resumed our search, but no Clementine. The kids were sad and we were worried.
We called the local radio station for help. They made an announcement, and we went to the rodeo arena so folks could contact us. Soon, a pick-up truck pulled up, and two men got out.
They were members of a local mule rider's club and wanted to help. We followed them to one member's home. Soon, there were pick-ups and mules everywhere. Whole families had come to help, with the women bringing food. It had turned into a Sunday Social.
The men saddled their mules, including one for Tom, and loaded them into pickup trucks. They followed Clementine's chain marks into a heavily wooded area, but the chain marks were hidden among other animal tracks. Clementine had been lost for 12 hours, and it was getting cold and dark. The men split into three groups to search, yet, would she let a stranger catch her, or would she just run deeper into the woods? Mules, you see, are funny animals, they do things their own way, so you have to do things their way.
Finally, all but one group had assembled, empty handed, at the designated rendezvous spot. They heard the final group coming, when out of the brush rode one fellow, holding Clem's chain and halter. Tom's heart sank, as he thought, "Without the chain or halter, how can she be found? At least she won't be caught by her halter and starve or die of thirst. She'll be OK on her own, but what will I tell Diana and the kids?"
A moment later, the other riders came out of the bush. One of them was riding a tri-colored ginny, our Clementine! This wonderful group of strangers came into our lives and to our aid. We could never have found our mule on our own. They will forever have a place in our hearts.
Originally published as HeroicStories #194 on Jan 22, 2001
Canadiana
Tilley Hat - History of the ultimate dad accessory
Written by Leah Rumack — Posted August 9, 2026
DANA BEVERIDGE/FLICKR [CC BY 2.0 - ATTRIBUTION 2.0 GENERIC]
https://www.flickr.com/search/?text=tilley+hat
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Let’s face it: the Tilley Endurables hat is the ultimate “dad” accessory — somehow deeply uncool and impossibly chic at the same time.
But before it was the unofficial uniform of birdwatchers, it was a solution to Alex Tilley’s distinctly Toronto problem.
In 1980, Tilley, then a local art dealer, was looking for a hat that wouldn’t blow off his head while he was sailing on Lake Ontario. He wanted something that floated, wouldn’t shrink and looked half decent. The T1 was born — a piece of engineering complete with a secret pocket and a chin strap that could withstand a gale.
Then came “gorpcore,” the curious fashion movement where we all started dressing like we were midway through an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro just to grab a flat white. Suddenly, the Tilley wasn’t just for retired geography teachers; it was a vibe. Realizing the untapped potential of this uglycool icon, Canadian fashion titan Joe Mimran acquired and relaunched the brand in 2018.
The pivot worked. Post-pandemic, as our collective tolerance for stiff collars vanished, Tilley opened a flagship on über-hip Ossington Avenue in downtown Toronto in 2022.
By 2024, the brand leaned further into authentic luxury with Tilley Sport, a stylish activewear line designed by Pink Tartan’s Kimberley Newport-Mimran.
The evolution was possible because Tilley embraced the absurdity of its durability — including the legendary tale of an elephant swallowing a Tilley not once but three times, only for it to be recovered and worn again. That stubborn durability is why the brand remains a staple; it doesn’t just protect you from the sun — it collects stories.
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Input from our guests and members
Members and guests attending our weekly meetings are very important to us. Based on your comments we are able to produce many more educational, inspiring, and entertaining weekly meetings.
Would you please send us your comments?
*** September Message from the RI President 1.25 million is more than a number Rotary has always been about people. Not projects. Not numbers. People. Our goal of reaching 1.25 million Rotarians and 125,000 Rotaractors by our 125th anniversary in 2030 is also about people.  I want to offer your club a simple exercise. Look back over the last five to seven years and find your best year. Maybe it was a year when new members arrived and, more meaningfully, stayed. Maybe it was a year your meetings became something members looked forward to, rather than another obligation on a crowded calendar. Find that year. Then I ask you to do better than your best. This is not a call to outpace the club across town or the district next door. It is never meant to be a competition between Rotary members. It is, instead, an invitation to hold ourselves to our highest standard, and to rise to meet it again. Why does this 2030 membership goal matter enough to me that I keep returning to it? Because behind every one of those numbers is a person whose life could be changed by this organization, just as mine and yours have been changed by it. Rotary has given me friendships that have lasted decades, a sense of purpose I did not know I was searching for, and something that, in time, came to feel like an extension of my family. I suspect many of you understand this in your own lives, in your own way. That life-changing experience is what we offer when we invite someone to join us. There are people in your communities right now who would find real meaning here if only someone thought to ask them. So, tell them your story. Tell them honestly how Rotary changed you, not just about the projects you led or the funds you raised but about the person you became along the way. Those stories have a way of reaching people when little else does. If we hope to Create Lasting Impact, the kind that resounds for generations, we will need more people standing beside us to help carry our work forward. Let us come together, not only this month but every month of every year, to make Rotary stronger, more joyful, and more like the family it has always been to me. Find your best year. Then let us be better than our best, together. YINKA Olayinka “Yinka” Hakeem Babalola, President, Rotary International (2026-27) *** A storyteller with enthusiasm... |
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ROTARIAN CODE OF CONDUCT
As a Rotarian, I will:
***1. Act with integrity and high ethical standards in my personal and professional life
2. Deal fairly with others and treat them and their occupations with respect
3. Use my professional skills through Rotary to mentor young people, help those with special needs, and improve people’s quality of life in my community and in the world
4. Avoid behaviour that reflects adversely on Rotary or other Rotarians
5. Help maintain a harassment-free environment in Rotary meetings, events, and activities; report any suspected harassment; and help ensure non-retaliation to those individuals that report harassment
Rotary’s Code of Conduct provides a simple but powerful guide for ethical behaviour, emphasizing honesty, accountability, and respect for others. Along with the Four-Way Test, it encourages thoughtful reflection on how we live and interact, helping us become better citizens and better human beings.
Material Suggestions and Greeter Messages Always Needed!
Please feel free to forward an approx. 150 - 200 word message or any material suggestions in an e-mail, or in a Word document, along with a JPeg picture or two, to E-Club Administration Chair, Kitty Bucsko.
We'd love to hear from you!
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Just so you're aware -
Our Club's Ongoing Projects -
We provide ongoing support for the following projects:
Click the links below to find out more about each project!
And we're doing great!
Ask for more information if you'd like to be involved!
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Real-time meetings
Once a month - Fellowship Assembly. Each 3rd Thursday of the month is our Fellowship Assembly, and we often invite interesting speakers or Rotary Leaders for this entertaining, educational fun event. Plan to join us.
The time is 9:00 a.m. (Mountain Time) in lieu of the weekly Coffee Chat except for July and August when there are no FA’s. Here is the zoom link:
Everyone is welcome to attend and we encourage your participation.
Please click our Event Calendar for details and access Link.
For further inquiries or suggestions please contact: info@rotaryeclubcanada.ca
All our videos can be viewed on our YouTube channel.
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How do you support our club?
- The Paypal button on our ClubRunner Home Page
- The donation button on the attendance form, or
- Make an Interac transfer to rotaryeclubcanada1@gmail.com
- Send a cheque to:
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
14008 101 Avenue NW
Edmonton, AB
Canada T5N 0K3
(780) 267 4547
In acknowledgement of the recent passing of Dolly Parton, Rotarian David has produced this brief recount of the club’s involvement in the Imagination Library.
The Imagination Library was an idea that Dolly Parton had. Growing up in the Appalachians and with a father that was illiterate she wanted to improve literacy in America and so began the Imagination Library in 1995. To quote Dolly Parton,
“When I was growing up in the hills of East Tennessee, I knew my dreams would come true. The seeds of these dreams are often found in books and the seeds you help plant in your community can grow across the world.”
She started in her own County in Tennessee and the program now extends across America, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The program is quite simple, the parents of children in the communities served signs up their child to receive an age appropriate book every month until the child is 5 years old. The books are shipped every month from the Dolly Parton operation in St Catharines, Ontario and delivered to the home address of the child. There is no cost to the parents.
I believe Gord Lewis of the Leduc club initially introduced it to the club and another member, Lynne Ternosky in Stratford, Ontario, became enthused by the Imagination Library and investigated as to how it operated and how it required a “champion” in each community. She determined that there was a need in the Northwest Territories. By chance, she knew the librarian in Tuktoyaktuk and the librarian was to become the champion.
On March 5, 2014 the club president signed a memorandum of agreement for the club to promote the Imagination Library in Tuktoyaktuk. That was subsequently amended to include another 9 communities.
Lynne Ternosky, inspired club members to sign on for the program and asked us as individuals to donate and then continued by making contact with her numerous friends and acquaintances both Rotarians and non-Rotarians, asking them to donate. This was helped by the club setting up an account with the District Charitable Foundation so that they could issue Charitable donation tax receipts to individual donors.
In August 2015, past District Governor Al Bergsma passed away and I went to his funeral in Rocky Mountain House. At the funeral I happened to sit next to the late John Newsham and, as Rotarians do, we asked each other which club are you in? I was surprised that John knew about our club and had been following our activities through our club website and he asked about the Imagination Library so I offered to go the club and talk about the program, which I subsequently did.
After the meeting, I spoke to their club president and he indicated that they would consider making a donation to the program. So it was quite a surprise to receive a cheque a few weeks later for $10,600 and even more of a surprise when we received another cheque later in the year for $13,152.00.
The result of that club’s generous donations and donations from other clubs, companies, and individuals and a District Grant meant that by the end of December 2016 the club’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library account was over $56,000.00. The result was that we could actively promote the program in the 9 other communities in addition to the original one in Tuktoyaktuk. Subsequently 2 communities actually did some of their own fundraising so the children in their communities could be assured of receiving books. About this time our member Lynne travelled from Stratford to visit Tuktoyaktuk to see her friend and ensure the program was working fine.
If there were any doubts about the value of a program to improve literacy in the Northwest Territories, I had them dispelled during a conversation with a cousin of my wife. During the winter he works on the famous winter ice road, the one that is made every January, to move diesel fuel and other supplies from Yellowknife to the diamond mines. I had mentioned to him about our literacy program in the Northwest Territories and he said he had two men working at his camp that came from Tuktoyaktuk, that they came down in January and worked until April on the ice road.
These men then returned home to Tuktoyaktuk and their families, and could live their normal life the remainder of the year hunting for food and fishing. But these men were literate and were employable and so many of the children now becoming literate at an early age, and getting an education, will have similar opportunities.
Our club’s program has resulted in 24,712 books being shipped to the 10 communities. The outcome of the success we have had with the Imagination Library program in the 10 communities the Northwest Territories Literacy Council has now made an agreement with the Dollywood Foundation to promote the program in the other communities in the Northwest Territories.
The success of this program means that many of the children in the Northwest Territories have learnt to read giving them an opportunity to get a better education and improve their life and their employment opportunities.
-- Thank you, David!
Environment
Humour
A little humour - a little early for the season
but it game me a laugh, so I'm sharing the "joy"
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Rotary minute
Literacy is Hope
When we teach someone to read, we do far more than help them recognize words.
We give them the confidence to complete an application, understand a prescription, read a bedtime story to their children, start a business, or simply enjoy a novel.
Literacy is freedom.
Education creates choices.
As Rotarians, we believe every person deserves the opportunity to learn.
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Rotary Members' Inspiration
The Power of a Pencil
A pencil costs very little.
Yet in the hands of a child, it can write the first letters of a name.
Later it writes dreams.
Eventually it signs diplomas, job applications, business contracts, and perhaps even peace agreements.
Sometimes changing the world begins with something as simple as a pencil.
Rotary Jukebox
For a small donation, your favorite musician will be featured on one of our next e-meetings for everyone to enjoy.
Click Here to send your request.
THIS WEEK - Piano Man (special)
About 90–95% of breast cancers occur sporadically, meaning they are not caused by inherited gene mutations.
Only about 5–10% are considered hereditary, and BRCA1 and BRCA2 account for many—but not all—of those inherited cases. Researchers now know there are several other genes that can also increase breast cancer risk.
One fascinating historical note: BRCA1 was discovered in 1994, and it fundamentally changed our understanding of cancer. Before then, scientists suspected some breast cancers ran in families, but identifying the BRCA1 gene provided the first clear genetic explanation and opened the door to today's field of cancer genetics.
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The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Doug recites the Four-Way Test of the things that Rotarians think, say, or do.
Thank you for joining us. We appreciate your feedback and hope you will return and invite a guest.
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Our Facebook page. Please remember to check out our posts on the Rotary E-Club’s Facebook page. We work hard to post something every second day, sometimes more often.
Invite friends to Like our page and enjoy our posts. Also, please take the time to Share our posts on your Facebook Page.
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Archived Meetings
All meetings are archived. Click here to see a list and choose what you wish to view.
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Attendance Links
Complete the attendance/donation form to have your attendance recognized.
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Donate For the Meeting You Have Attended.
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to help us help those in need.
As you have not had to buy lunch or travel to attend this program, please consider a donation of a minimum of $10.00 in appreciation for the experience you have enjoyed.
We thank you very much!
Program Donations
Our E-Club is a dynamic club comprised of ordinary working and retired people who acknowledge that Rotarians are people who are generous with their time and their resources.
Our club and the program you have just enjoyed, either as a member or a visitor, is funded only by donations.
We are developing ideas for fundraising with our members who are scattered across Canada, USA, Central America, and Europe, but we do need your help.
As you have not had to buy lunch or travel to attend this program, please make a donation of a minimum of $10.00, considering you're saving in time and cost in appreciation for the experience you have enjoyed.
Interested in providing Rotary Service? Unable to attend terra club meetings?
Contact our membership chair for information or
or HERE to learn about Associate Membership
