Stephanie A. Urchick

President 2024-25

February 2025

This month, as we come together for the International Assembly and the Presidential Peace Conference, we celebrate The Magic of Rotary — a unique blend of global connection, vision, and action that empowers us to create lasting change.

One of the most inspiring examples is our Rotary Peace Fellowship program, a cornerstone of Rotary’s mission to build a more peaceful and just world.

For more than 23 years, Rotary Peace Fellowships have been transforming communities. Our Rotary Peace Centers, hosted at leading universities around the globe, have educated over 1,800 fellows who now work in more than 140 countries.

These centers cultivate expertise in fields like conflict resolution, sustainable development, and peacebuilding, preparing fellows to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges. This program exemplifies how Rotary turns vision into action, creating a ripple effect of hope and change.

This month during the Presidential Peace Conference, we celebrate a significant milestone with the opening of our newest peace center in Istanbul. This center will focus on training leaders to address peacebuilding challenges in the Middle East and North Africa, further extending Rotary’s impact.

Peace fellows are dedicated champions of transformation, addressing critical issues such as refugee resettlement, youth and women’s empowerment, and reconciliation in conflict zones. Many founded vital organizations or hold leadership roles in governments, nongovernmental organizations, and international institutions like the United Nations and World Bank.

One inspiring story is that of Ntang Julius Meleng, a 2024 Rotary Peace Fellow at Makerere University in Uganda. Through his Social Change Initiative, Julius has worked to empower young people in Cameroon to take active roles in peacebuilding and leadership.

His project provided training in conflict prevention, civic engagement, and leadership to youths and community officials in areas affected by conflict, equipping people to drive sustainable peace efforts.

Julius harnessed Rotary’s global network to overcome obstacles, including limited funding and security risks, and make a meaningful impact.

The Rotary Peace Fellowship gave Julius the tools and support to turn his vision into reality. His work embodies The Magic of Rotary — the transformative power of connecting people, sharing resources, and uniting for a common purpose.

As we reflect on the achievements of our peace fellows and celebrate Rotary’s enduring commitment to peace, let us also recognize the role that everyone in our network of 1.2 million members plays in creating magic through service.

Together, we can amplify our impact, inspire new generations of leaders, and build a brighter, more peaceful future.

 

 

 

 

The Rotary Club of Edmonton West completed another successful trip to Guatemala. What an amazing project this is!! We ran 5 eye clinics, saw 825 patients, did 41 surgeries, dispensed 237 readers and will send back 153 prescription glasses. Our Canadian team and our Guatemalan friends made it all possible.

 

 

This weeks speaker was Janna Tominuk, the CEO of Sport Central. 

A longtime fixture in the social service landscape of Edmonton, Sport Central's primary goal is to retrieve, repair, recycle and redistribute sports equipment to kids aged 4 to 17 in families facing financial hardship. In 2024, Sports Central provided 13,264 kids with equipment to get them in the game of their choice or keep them active with a good, working bicycle. 

Sport Central relies on the Edmonton community for donations of funds, equipment and volunteer time to recondition sports equipment for use by its clients.

We will be organizing a tour of their warehouse and I encourage you all to sign up. We are excited hear more about how we can volunteer with this great organization.

 

 

This event is an opportunity to honour and celebrate outstanding leaders in our community who have demonstrated Rotary values by their actions and commitments. Our Club supports this event by nominating an adult non-Rotarian Albertan who deserves to be recognized for their integrity as citizens. If you would like to put forward an individual who exemplifies these attributes please email Ingrid.

The deadline for nominations is March 14, 2025 

 

For our Club, fundraising is vital since it allows us to give to the community and support different humanitarian projects. Not only does fundraising provide money, but it strengthens community engagement and awareness.

 

All of our members are expected to contribute in some way to this fundraiser. 

Please see Lorne with your wine and auction items. I will be sending out a sign up for volunteers shortly.

 

We appreciate all the work that the committee has been doing behind the scenes. And thank you in advance to our members for your donations and for volunteering.