to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning September 22, 2025
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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 September 22, 2025
Scroll down to enjoy the content!
Complete the form for a make-up!
The Rotary theme for 2025-26 -
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Greeter this week
Rotarian Tammy
Inspirational moment
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Canadiana
Desolation Sound –
another interesting topic
introduced at the Thursday morning CoffeeSip!
Desolation Sound is one of British Columbia’s most stunning and storied coastal regions—a paradise for boaters, kayakers, and nature lovers.
Located at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast, near Powell River and Lund, it's where the Strait of Georgia meets the rugged fjords of the Coast Mountains.
About Desolation Sound
• Geography: It’s a deep-water sound flanked by dramatic mountain peaks, lush forested slopes, and dozens of small coves and inlets. The area includes Desolation Sound Marine Provincial Park, which covers over 8,000 hectares of shoreline and ocean.
• Climate: Unusually warm ocean temperatures for British Columbia—thanks to protected waters and limited tidal mixing—make it one of the few places where you can comfortably swim in the ocean in BC.
• Wildlife: Home to seals, dolphins, humpback whales, orcas, black bears, bald eagles, and more. It’s a spectacular spot for eco-adventures.
A Bit of History
Captain George Vancouver (1792). The name Desolation Sound was bestowed by British explorer Captain George Vancouver during his 1792 expedition. Despite its natural beauty, he found the area gloomy and uninhabited during his rainy, fog-filled visit.
In his journal, he wrote:
“No prospects could be more dreary than the present...
desolate and melancholy.”
Hence, the name Desolation Sound—though visitors today would strongly disagree with his gloomy assessment.
Indigenous History
Long before Vancouver arrived, the region was (and still is) the traditional territory of several Indigenous nations, including:
• Tla’amin (Sliammon) First Nation
• Klahoose First Nation
• Homalco First Nation
These nations used the area for millennia, establishing seasonal camps, fishing, hunting, and harvesting shellfish. Petroglyphs and culturally modified trees remain as evidence of this deep-rooted presence.
Photo credit - https://bcparks.ca/desolation-sound-marine-park/
European settlement came slowly, mainly with logging and fishing industries. A few homesteaders and pioneers, drawn by the isolation and natural beauty, carved out lives in this wild environment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Today
Desolation Sound is now a haven for:
• Yachters and boaters: Part of the Inside Passage, it's a sheltered and scenic destination for pleasure craft heading to Alaska.
• Kayakers: Calm waters and island hopping appeal to paddlers of all levels.
• Campers: There are many marine-access-only campsites.
• Artists and writers: Its beauty and remoteness have inspired many, including author Grant Lawrence, who wrote Adventures in Solitude about his childhood summers there.
Desolation Sound offers a chance to slow down and soak in nature at its best. And unlike Captain Vancouver, you’ll probably come away with a very different word than desolation—perhaps tranquility, wonder, or awe.
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General References – BC Parks – Desolation Sound: https://bcparks.ca/desolation-sound-park
Grant Lawrence, Adventures in Solitude (Harbour Publishing, 2010) Book: Adventures in Solitude: What Not to Wear to a Nude Potluck and Other Stories from Desolation Sound
George Vancouver’s Journals via Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14344 Full title: A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, and Round the World (1798)
Tla’amin Nation: https://www.tlaaminnation.com
Klahoose First Nation: https://www.klahoose.org
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Comments 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.
Following are some of the comments we have received. Would you please send us your comments?
August 4. Great info on Louis Riel. I don’t recall studying him much in school. Also, climate change in Greenland – pretty hard to argue that it’s not happening.
-- Patrick Gibson, E-Club of Canada One, District 5370
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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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Announcements
Basic education and
literacy
is one of The Rotary Foundation’s seven areas of
focus.
We know that basic education and literacy are essential for
reducing poverty, improving health, encouraging community and economic
development, and promoting peace.
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A Rotary Partnership - Rotary Club of Belize
...contributed by Rotarian Patrick
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SEPTEMBER 30 IS THE NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
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RECCO donation - Fire Truck for Mexico
Upon the request by Honorary member Elly Contreras, who is now a member of the Ajijic Rotary Club in Jalisco, Mexico, RECCO has given a donation of $1,000 Canadian to go towards a much needed fire truck.
This project is a partnership with the Ajijic Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Skagitt Washington, and Baja Bridges, a non-profit that does community assessments of needed ambulances, fire trucks, rescue gear and other types of equipment used for emergency services.
San Pedro Tlaquepaque has a population of 687,000. The estimated fire engines that are needed are a minimum of 35. The community has only 5 - 6.
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
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
These Canadian Teachers are Inspiring Change
through Sustainability Education
It’s no secret that teachers are the change-makers of tomorrow. Teachers inspire and motivate their students daily. With the right support, students have the opportunity to become stewards of environmental change!
We wanted to highlight inspirational Canadian teachers fostering sustainability in their classrooms and leading their students to take environmental action.
Read the third story below and learn how they became sustainability leaders. Maybe this will spark your own journey.
Meet Karen Montgomery
She hopes to instill in her students to love nature and the want to protect it. In her classroom, the students often have debates on real-life matters, such as building a new school gym but to do so, cutting down their large playground trees. Karen says, "Students always have great ideas, and really show an understanding of the stakeholders in each situation. Year after year, students choose to keep our old gymnasium to save the tree, and it makes me so happy!"
This mural not only prevents plastic waste from ending up in the environment, but it also collects water to help local insects. In addition, her grade 6 students converted a stationary bike to create energy to turn on a light bulb. Their efforts did not go unnoticed, and they received 2nd place in Green Learning's Re-Energy Challenge!
In 2024, some of her students formed the Flood Fighters Club to combat flooding on their school grounds. This team of students designed a plan to help reduce flooding. Their French drain design earned them 1st place in the Flood: ED Challenge and their design was implemented at their school!
In 2024, some of her students formed the Flood Fighters Club to combat flooding on their school grounds. This team of students designed a plan to help reduce flooding. Their French drain design earned them 1st place in the Flood: ED Challenge and their design was implemented at their school!
Humour
After retiring, a former Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant took a new job as a high school teacher.
Just before the school year started, he injured his back He was required to wear a light plaster cast around the upper part of his body.
Fortunately, the cast fit under his shirt and wasn't noticeable when he wore his suit coat.
On the first day of class, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in the school.
On the first day of class, he found himself assigned to the toughest students in the school.
The smart-a** punks, having already heard the new teacher was a former Marine, were leery of him, and he knew they would be testing his discipline in the classroom.
Walking confidently into the rowdy classroom, the new teacher opened the window wide and sat down at his desk. With a strong breeze blowing it made his tie flap.
He picked up a stapler and stapled the tie to his chest.
Dead Silence.
The rest of the year went smoothly.
Dead Silence.
The rest of the year went smoothly.
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New members' corner
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Rotary minute
Rotary has an inspiring real-life initiative in Guatemala known as the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP). Since 1997, it has provided books, teacher training, computer labs, and youth scholarships in one of the most hardship-stricken education environments in Latin America.
Source - The Guatemala Literacy Project
Here are some true story elements from GLP to share for your inspiration -
• Rotary’s Spark Reading Program introduced children’s books and effective reading instruction into primary schools that had never had them—often the first books the children had ever held. There were real tear jerker moments when teachers visited rural classrooms and saw students devouring books for the first time.
Source - Service in Action
• In one spotlight visit, a Rotary volunteer described a young girl who practiced reading word by word aloud in her lap—even though she then went to work in the city dump six days a week. Without the literacy program, she’d likely have dropped out. Thanks in part to the Textbook Program and other supports, she stayed in school.
Source - Rotary service blog
Source - The Guatemala Literacy Project
Here are some true story elements from GLP to share for your inspiration -
• Rotary’s Spark Reading Program introduced children’s books and effective reading instruction into primary schools that had never had them—often the first books the children had ever held. There were real tear jerker moments when teachers visited rural classrooms and saw students devouring books for the first time.
Source - Service in Action
• In one spotlight visit, a Rotary volunteer described a young girl who practiced reading word by word aloud in her lap—even though she then went to work in the city dump six days a week. Without the literacy program, she’d likely have dropped out. Thanks in part to the Textbook Program and other supports, she stayed in school.
Source - Rotary service blog
• Rotary’s Textbook Program works sustainably: students pay a small rental fee (~ USD $1.50/month), which goes into a revolving fund that helps schools replace textbooks over time—minimizing dependence on ongoing external funding.
Source - Guatemala Literacy Project
Each of these elements reflects real Rotary programming and first person accounts. They fit well into a Rotary minute for Basic Education and Literacy Month—real, concrete, and powerful.
Source - Guatemala Literacy Project
Each of these elements reflects real Rotary programming and first person accounts. They fit well into a Rotary minute for Basic Education and Literacy Month—real, concrete, and powerful.
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Food for thought
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Rotary Jukebox
For a small donation, your favorite musician will be featured on one of our next e-meetings for everyone to enjoy.
Every week we'll have a draw and the lucky person will see their song featured!
Malala Yousafzai’s Stand for Girls’ Education (Pakistan)
Shot by the Taliban at age 15 for advocating girls' education, Malala became a global symbol of the right to read and learn.
After surviving, she co-founded the Malala Fund, which helps young girls access education in places where it’s still denied.
Her Nobel Peace Prize win at age 17 highlighted how literacy is a human right—and a powerful force for peace.
The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Lois recites the Four-Way Test of the things that Rotarians think, say, or do.
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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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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
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