to this week's meeting of
to this week's meeting of
The Rotary E-Club of Canada One
For the week beginning
May 11, 2026
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 Jim
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Inspirational moment
The game changer
Meet your 2026-27 Rotary president, Olayinka Hakeem Babalola
Olayinka “Yinka” Hakeem Babalola is sitting on the wrong side of his desk, staring at the tiny squares on the laptop perched in front of him. He’s just finished speaking on a call with 300 Rotaractors from the African continent and other parts of the world, Rotary’s president-elect explains as he turns down the volume.
“They held a celebration for me because I’m a past Rotaractor,” he says. By seeing Babalola, himself once in their shoes, embarking on the highest position in Rotary, who knows how many of the 300 he will inspire.
It’s early October, less than two months since the Rotary International Board of Directors selected Babalola to lead Rotary, in a special session in late August after the resignation of RI President-elect SangKoo Yun, who died shortly after, following months of cancer treatment.
It’s only the second trip to Rotary headquarters for Babalola, of the Rotary Club of Trans Amadi in Nigeria, since his selection. His office is nearly empty, void so far of all the gifts Rotary leaders tend to accumulate during their travels as an incoming president.
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Indigenous Dance
This short film is featuring British Columbia's First Nations Alex and Daniel Wells. Member of Lil’wat First Nation, this film was made as a showreel to demonstrate their skills as professional dancers. Alex Wells is x3 times world champion hoop dancer.
Jenice Wells, Daniel's wife, is also performing Women's traditional dancing. They perform Fancy, Traditional and Hoop dancing all around the world. They also are music artists. They composed and performed the music from this film. From open meadows to ancient forests, we discover some stunning landscapes from where they are from.
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Canadiana
Home-grown Canadiana
Rotary Pancake Breakfast Under the Bridge
When: Mid-July (Saturday morning of the Port Huron to Mackinac Sailboat Race weekend)
Where: Beneath the Blue Water Bridges, Sarnia Waterfront
Host: Rotary Club of Sarnia
The Rotary Pancake Breakfast under the Bridge is one of Sarnia’s most cherished summer traditions — and a perfect example of modern Canadiana.
The Bluewater Bridge – (Photo: Lambton County Museums)
Each July, as thousands gather to watch the sailboats queue for the start of the Port Huron to Mackinac Race, the Rotary Club of Sarnia welcomes the community to enjoy pancakes, sausages, coffee, and classic Canadian hospitality along the St. Clair River.
• Held at an iconic Canadian border landmark
• Deeply rooted in community service, the heart of Rotary and Canadian civic culture
• A long-standing Sarnia tradition that families look forward to every year
• The aroma of pancakes and maple syrup on a summer morning feels quintessentially Canadian
• Celebrates Sarnia’s connection to water, boating, and the Great Lakes — all major parts of Canadian identity.
Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race – Wikipedia
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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.
From the week of May 4. Loved the tap dancing video last week. Wish I could do that!
-- Rotarian Cynthia Dusseault, E-Club of Canada One (RECCO), D5370
Week of May 4. I have attended your Club’s meetings over the years, largely to achieve a “make-up meeting” for one of the meetings that I have missed at our Club. This week’s online meeting is the best one experienced to date! The variety is perfect and the content is truly exceptional. Each segment was very meaningful to me. Thank you for allowing members like me to have access to your meetings – such a great service to others!
-- Rotarian Gary McLelan, Rotary Club of Campbell River, District 5020
Week of May 4. I have attended your Club’s meetings over the years, largely to achieve a “make-up meeting” for one of the meetings that I have missed at our Club. This week’s online meeting is the best one experienced to date! The variety is perfect and the content is truly exceptional. Each segment was very meaningful to me. Thank you for allowing members like me to have access to your meetings – such a great service to others!
-- Rotarian Gary McLelan, Rotary Club of Campbell River, District 5020
*** A Rotary Pod get-together - shared by Rotarian Angel |
I got to know them through Majadahonda, and their parent club (Serrano), they are actually a satellite club of them and are looking to become independent and get their own charter. Since the clubs are both e-clubs, it is a good situation to exchange ideas and help each other out.
The group are very active in what regards to social / cultural activities. Within the group there are experts in arts / architecture / social / educational affairs. And this apparently was a special occasion, similar to the pod at Ann Lisa’s home last year.
Re the paintings - We are in the XVI century, after the expulsion of the Jews, the Lutheran reform, the counter reform and with the inquisition in full swing. Why is the Queen of Saba white? Because Renaissance painters Europeanized all biblical figures. It’s symbolic, not historical.
Why is the cloth written in Hebrew? Because the scene represents the wisdom and divine authority of Salomón. The Hebrew is decorative, meant to signal “this is biblical.” Why are the writings in Hebrew? The objects at the table are very symbolic - the pergamin* represents the law, the scales (obviously) justice and judgment, and the script with numbers mathematical knowledge. The text in Hebrew means that the decisions are taken before God or divine law.
*"pergamin”—an older term for parchment—a writing material traditionally associated with law or formal record
They are isolated Hebrew characters, do not form a word, and much less a phrase. Tibaldi (the author of the paintings) never had a problem with the inquisition, if the writings would have been on real Hebrew, then he would have had problems.
For example, Elñ Greco was criticized for having a "non natural" style. Fray Luis de Leon was incarcerated for translating the Bible, and a few others, but Tibaldi was never in their sight.
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International Bee Day – May 20
Why do we need pollinators?
Pollinators allow many plants, including many food crops, to reproduce. Indeed, the food that we eat, such as fruits and vegetables, directly relies on pollinators. A world without pollinators would equal a world without food diversity – no blueberries, coffee, chocolate, cucumbers and so much more. They also serve as sentinels for emergent environmental risks, signaling the health of local ecosystems.
Pollinators not only help ensure the abundance of fruits, nuts, and seeds, but also their variety and quality, which is crucial for human nutrition. Beyond food, pollinators also contribute directly to medicines, biofuels, fibers like cotton and linen, and construction materials. The vast majority of flowering plant species only produce seeds if animal pollinators move pollen from the anthers to the stigmas of their flowers. Without this service, many interconnected species and processes functioning within the ecosystem would collapse.
Pollination is therefore a keystone process, in both human managed and natural terrestrial ecosystems. It is critical for food production and human livelihoods and directly links wild ecosystems with agricultural production systems.
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This beer is fighting polio
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A Rotary Voices Podcast
(You might choose a quiet moment to listen as it's quite long!)
You've Got a Friend!
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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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Consider -
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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.
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THE OBJECT OF ROTARY
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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
Rotarians - People of Action
Humour
It’s a Tuesday in the mid-1800s, and a British linguist bursts into his colleague’s office. “I’ve got it, Bertrand!” he exclaims. “The perfect spelling mnemonic!”
The linguist skips up to his colleague’s blackboard, palms a piece of chalk, and writes: “I before E, except after C — or when sounded like A as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.’”
“I love it!” Bertrand bellows after reading the rhyme several times. “Never again shall I mistake the spellings of receive, believe, or piecemeal thanks to your scientific solution! It’s—Wait a tick,” Bertrand freezes in his tracks. “What about science, scientific, and the like? Do those words not break the rule?”
“Well, they do,” the linguist concedes, “but such words are really just weird exceptions to the—” “Weird?! Another rule-breaker!! Good catch, old bean.” Bertrand paces the room, twirling his beard in thought. “And what of the words height, glacier, and species?”
“Um, well”
“What if one were to write of, say, an icier, dicier, spicier zeitgeist?”
“Uh…”
“Or a veiny, beige, neighing geisha? A leisurely foreign sovereign seized by caffeine? A—”
“Oh, rein it in, man!”
“Yes! To rein a sleigh aweigh with seismic atheist keisters!”
“Sod it. I forfeit.”
“A forfeited heirloom for a feisty veiled poltergeist…”
You don’t need to be a linguist to realize the world’s most famous English rule is built over a minefield of exceptions.
The linguist skips up to his colleague’s blackboard, palms a piece of chalk, and writes: “I before E, except after C — or when sounded like A as in ‘neighbor’ and ‘weigh.’”
“I love it!” Bertrand bellows after reading the rhyme several times. “Never again shall I mistake the spellings of receive, believe, or piecemeal thanks to your scientific solution! It’s—Wait a tick,” Bertrand freezes in his tracks. “What about science, scientific, and the like? Do those words not break the rule?”
“Well, they do,” the linguist concedes, “but such words are really just weird exceptions to the—” “Weird?! Another rule-breaker!! Good catch, old bean.” Bertrand paces the room, twirling his beard in thought. “And what of the words height, glacier, and species?”
“Um, well”
“What if one were to write of, say, an icier, dicier, spicier zeitgeist?”
“Uh…”
“Or a veiny, beige, neighing geisha? A leisurely foreign sovereign seized by caffeine? A—”
“Oh, rein it in, man!”
“Yes! To rein a sleigh aweigh with seismic atheist keisters!”
“Sod it. I forfeit.”
“A forfeited heirloom for a feisty veiled poltergeist…”
You don’t need to be a linguist to realize the world’s most famous English rule is built over a minefield of exceptions.
“I before E, except after C” first entered textbooks around 1855, and has enjoyed a prolific run ever since for its poetic simplicity; any kid can learn it, and any adult can use it—the only problem is, it’s almost always wrong.
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Changemakers of Interact
Teens creating real community impact
Interact helps youth develop leadership skills and service values
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Rotary minute
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What is RYLA?
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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.
Click Here to send your request.
THIS WEEK - Better Together
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The Four-way Test
To close the meeting, Rotarian Patrick 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
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