to this week's meeting ofThe Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning October 5, 2026
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Complete the form for a make-up!
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to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning
October 5, 2026
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
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Greeter this week
Club President, Patrick Gibson
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Inspirational moment
By Priya Ahluwalia, Rotary Club of Southwest Florida, USA
While those answers are true, to me Rotary is the following:
A member of our club, Tracey Mitchem, recently faced one of the most difficult moments any grandparent can experience. Her grandson, Elijah, underwent a complicated heart surgery on 21 July at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
The surgery was successful, but Elijah’s recovery would require his family to remain in Cincinnati for nearly two weeks. Like so many families facing a medical crisis, they were suddenly confronted with another challenge: Where will we stay?
The Ronald McDonald House had a waiting list. Other local options hadn’t worked out. Time was running out.
So we did what Rotary members do. Our club reached out to the Rotary Club of Cincinnati.
Within 24 hours, we received a response from one of their members. Without hesitation, Mary and her family opened their home to complete strangers. Tracey and her family had more than just a place to sleep — they had kindness, comfort, and support during one of the hardest times in their lives.
While in Cincinnati, Tracey even attended a meeting of the Rotary Club of Cincinnati, where she experienced firsthand that Rotary fellowship knows no boundaries.
Think about that for a moment.
Two people who had never met. Two Rotary clubs separated by more than a thousand miles. Connected by one shared ideal: Service Above Self.
So now when people ask me what Rotary is, I don’t start by talking about our projects, scholarships, networking events, or international initiatives. I tell them this story.
Because Rotary isn’t just something we join. It’s a family. And when one member needs help, the family of Rotary shows up.
Canadiana
Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow — Brave in Peace
He had fought for Canada.
Now he was about to begin fighting with Canada—for the rights of his own people.
Home From the War
When Pegahmagabow returned to Parry Island in 1919, he came home as one of Canada’s most decorated Indigenous soldiers.
But his military record did not free him from the restrictions imposed upon First Nations people by the Indian Act.
For First Nations communities, much of everyday life was subject to federal government control.
For a man who had spent four years being entrusted with extraordinary responsibility on the battlefield, that must have been a remarkable contradiction.
Canada had trusted Francis Pegahmagabow to crawl into No Man’s Land under enemy fire.
Now, at home, he encountered a government system that did not trust Indigenous people to manage their own affairs.
Pegahmagabow was not inclined to accept that quietly.
From Soldier to Chief
In 1921, he became Chief of the Parry Island Band, now Wasauksing First Nation.
The skills required were different now, but the determination was familiar.
Pegahmagabow challenged government interference in the affairs of his community and resisted the power exercised by Indian agents. He believed First Nations people should have greater control over their own lives, communities, lands, and traditions.
He also understood something else: preserving Indigenous culture mattered.
The young scout who had once observed an enemy battlefield was now looking much farther ahead—to what might happen to his people if their language, traditions, and authority continued to be eroded.
He served as Chief from 1921 to 1925 and later returned to band government as a councillor.
But eventually his concerns extended far beyond his own community.
A Larger Fight
Pegahmagabow became involved in the emerging national movement for Indigenous political rights.
This was decades before the Indigenous rights movement would become familiar to most Canadians.
Pegahmagabow and other Indigenous leaders were already trying to bring First Nations together, strengthen their political voice, and assert their right to speak for themselves.
He eventually became one of the early organizations seeking greater unity and political representation for Indigenous peoples.
Supreme Chief of the National Indian Government,
There is a remarkable object preserved today at the Canadian War Museum: Pegahmagabow’s eagle-feather headdress as Supreme Chief.
Think for a moment about the two symbols associated with this one man.
There are his Military Medal and two bars—recognition of extraordinary courage in war.
And there is his Supreme Chief’s headdress—representing the struggle to defend his people in peace.
Two very different battles.
One remarkable life.
He Still Believed in Canada
Perhaps one of the most interesting things about Pegahmagabow is that his experiences did not simply turn him against the country for which he had fought.
After the war, he continued his military involvement through Canada’s non-permanent active militia.
His son Duncan later remembered that his father “felt very strongly about his country.”
That makes his story more complicated—and perhaps more powerful.
Pegahmagabow could believe in Canada while also believing that Canada was failing his people. He could serve his country while demanding that his country change.
The Man His Family Remembered
Francis Pegahmagabow married Eva Nanibush, and they raised a family.
Yet the legendary sniper apparently spoke very little about his wartime accomplishments.
His family remembered something else.
Duncan described his father as a peaceful man, someone who taught that human beings should live in harmony with all living things.
It is a striking description of a man whose name would eventually become famous because of his wartime record.
Perhaps Francis Pegahmagabow did not believe the number of enemy soldiers he had killed was the most important thing people should know about him.
He had survived the war.
Then he had come home and spent much of the rest of his life trying to make things better for the generations that would follow.
Brave in Peace
Francis Pegahmagabow died at Wasauksing in 1952.
Today, his medals are preserved at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa, and his bronze likeness stands in Parry Sound overlooking Georgian Bay toward his home at Wasauksing First Nation.
The monument honours the soldier, the Indigenous leader, and the man.
And associated with his story are four words that beautifully encompass both halves of his extraordinary life:
Brave in war. Brave in peace.
The first part is easy to understand.
Courage on a battlefield is visible. It can be recorded in military citations, recognized with medals, and retold through stories of extraordinary acts under fire.
But courage in peace can be quieter.
It can mean challenging authority when an unjust system has existed for generations.
It can mean insisting that your people deserve to make decisions for themselves.
It can mean protecting a culture, speaking when others would prefer silence, and continuing to believe that your country can become better than it is.
Francis “Peggy” Pegahmagabow spent four years fighting for Canada.
Then he came home and spent much of the rest of his life fighting for his people—and asking Canada to live up to the ideals for which he had risked his life.
That, too, was courage.
Sources
• Veterans Affairs Canada — Francis Pegahmagabow https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/people-and-stories/francis-pegahmagabow
• Veterans Affairs Canada — Corporal Francis Pegahmagabow Memorial
https://www.veterans.gc.ca/en/remembrance/memorials/canada/corporal-francis-pegahmagabow-memorial
• Canadian War Museum — Pegahmagabow’s Headdress https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/decorations-and-memorials/commemorative-items/pegahmagabows-head-dress/
• Canadian War Museum — Francis Pegahmagabow Collection https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/archive/3182637
• Canadian War Museum — Pegahmagabow’s Headdress https://www.warmuseum.ca/firstworldwar/objects-and-photos/decorations-and-memorials/commemorative-items/pegahmagabows-head-dress/
• Canadian War Museum — Francis Pegahmagabow Collection https://www.warmuseum.ca/collections/archive/3182637
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OUR SOCIAL CORNER -
Input from our guests and members
Send us your news - what's happening that's important in your corner of the world?
- What has Rotary contributed to your life?
- What have YOU contributed to Rotary recently to make your community a better place?
- Is there a Rotary project or experience you'd like to share?
*** A storyteller - Instincts |
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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!
- Dolly Parton Imagination Library
- Project Amigo - See our Mission at Project Amigo below -
- Creating Opportunities for Guatemalans
- Modessa Youth Opportunities
- Casa Hogar Los Angelitos (CHLA)
- KIVA Microfinance
- Braemar School
And we're doing great!
Ask for more information if you'd like to be involved!
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Our Mission at Project Amigo
• To enable the disadvantaged and marginalized youth of Suchitlan, Colima, Mexico to achieve their highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material support and enrichment activities.
• To provide opportunities for volunteers to help and build relationships with Project Amigo youth in Mexico;
• To foster friendship and understanding between Rotarians, friends and organizations from developed countries and from within Mexico.
• To enable the disadvantaged and marginalized youth of Suchitlan, Colima, Mexico to achieve their highest potential by providing educational opportunities, material support and enrichment activities.
• To provide opportunities for volunteers to help and build relationships with Project Amigo youth in Mexico;
• To foster friendship and understanding between Rotarians, friends and organizations from developed countries and from within Mexico.
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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
Environment
Humour
Which one is the female cat?
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Rotary minute
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Rotary Members' Inspiration
Rotary District 7570 -
District Governor 2024-25
Rotary District 7570 serves Virginia and nearby regions; its conference is being held in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
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 - Bohemian Rhapsody (Peter Bence)
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The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Angel 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.
Please Click Here to leave us a comment or send a message..
Scroll down for Program Donations and Attendance links.
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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.
- CLICK HERE to return to our ClubRunner Home Page.
- Visiting Rotarians and guests - Click HERE.
- Members of Rotary E-Club of Canada One - Click HERE.
- e-Satellite Attendance - Click HERE.
Confirmation of your attendance will be sent to your e-mail address promptly.
Please support our club!
Donate For the Meeting You Have Attended.
Please consider making a small donation in lieu of a meal
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
