Brian Pilloud is our new president

(L-R) New Rotary Club of Estevan president Brian Pilloud accepts the presidential gavel from past-president Tyler Knibbs. Brian's one-year term is club president started on July 1, and he was presented with the presidential gavel on July 3. At that meeting, he shared some of his background in the financial sector, including his travels through Manitoba prior to his arrival in Estevan. We look forward to Brian serving as president during the upcoming year. 

Rotary Lobsterfest was a big success

Rotarians, and others, gather for a group picture with the giant lobster that  was at Lobsterfest.

Thanks to Terri Williams, who designed this sign, and others, that greeted people at Lobsterfest.

Lobsterfest supporters enjoyed a fresh, whole Atlantic lobster.

Raj Singh and Leann Boehm stirred and served butter for the lobster. 

Art Beselt was among those who cooked steaks at Lobsterfest. 

Former Rotarian Vern Symons and current Rotary member Reynold Bert prepared the lobster. 

The Rotary Club of Estevan recently hosted its biggest fundraiser of the year, our annual Lobsterfest.
We served steak and lobster to more than 700 people. Not only did people support us by purchasing the lobster, but many of them placed bids on silent auction items or purchased 50/50 tickets.
This year's Lobsterfest was the biggest yet in terms of the number of tickets sold. 
A number of community groups volunteered to help make the event possible.
Proceeds from Lobsterfest will be used to support various Rotary projects in the community and around the world. We were able to make a couple cheque presentations at the start of the evening. (See the story below for more information).
Rotary would like to thank everybody for the support they showed to make Lobsterfest another huge success. We'll see you again next year. 

Rotary supports two organizations

(L-R) RM of Coalfields Reeve Stan Lainton, Estevan City Councillor Roy Ludwig, Rotary Club of Estevan president Tyler Knibbs, St. Joseph's Hospital CEO Greg Hoffort and RM of Benson Councillor Larry Mack participated in a cheque presentation for the new STARS Air Ambulance helipad. 

(L-R) Rotary Club of Estevan president Tyler Knibbs presented a cheque to Hearthstone Community Campaign chair Vern Buck.

The Rotary Club of Estevan was proud to continue their support for one organization, and make a cheque presentation to another, during our annual Lobsterfest on June 8.
Rotary presented cheques to the new Hearthstone Community Campaign, which is trying to construct a new regional nursing home in Estevan, and the Regional Health Care Committee, which is constructing a new helipad for the STARS Air Ambulance.

The club and the foundation each donated $10,000 to Hearthstone.

Rotary announced last year that it would contribute a total of $100,000 over five years to the new nursing home. The donation works out to $10,000 a year, over five years, from both the club and the foundation. The presentation on June 8 marked the second payment to Hearthstone from the Rotary club and its foundation. 

The Regional Health Care Committee received $20,000 from the club. The money will be directed towards a helipad for the STARS Air Ambulance. Construction is underway on the helipad, which is near St. Joseph's Hospital.

The donation from Rotary will take care of all of the money that the health committee had to raise for the helipad. Contributions from the provincial government and work-in-kind donations meant that the committee had to raise $20,000 of the estimated $500,000 cost.

Rotary presents funds from Carol Festival

The Rotary Club of Estevan presented cheques to local band programs on June 19. Band programs for the Estevan Comprehensive School, the Holy Family Roman Catholic Separate School Division, and public schools in the city and in the rural areas each received $325. The funds were raised during the Rotary Carol Festivals in 2010 and 2011. Participating in the cheque presentations were: (L-R) band instructors Kyle Whitehead, Shauna Meek, Stacy Grunert and Corinne Kuchinka, and Rotary Club of Estevan president Tyler Knibbs. 

Clean-up will be May 12.

Rotary Club of Estevan members will be busy on Saturday, thanks to the annual Highway 47 South clean-up.
Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. at the Pro-Wash Shell. Then they will be walking up and down Highway 47 south of the city, picking up garbage from ditches.
Local 4-H members have assisted with the clean-up in the past, and will likely be asked to participate again.
We weren't able to do a clean-up last year, due to the spring flooding that swamped Highway 47 South. So there could be extra litter this year, which means we could need even greater support.

Rotary auction was again a success

The Rotary Club of Estevan's annual auction on April 26 at the Estevan Shoppers Mall was a big success, as the club raised thousands of dollars for their projects in the community and around the world.

Hundreds of items were auctioned off during the three-hour event, including clothes, gift certificates and various forms of merchandise. The products that were sold during the auction fetched an estimated $10,600.

A few thousand dollars were collected through cash donations.

The event is Rotary's second-largest fundraiser of the year.

Auction proceeds will be directed to a wide variety of Rotary projects in the community. Those community efforts include: the 4-H calf show and sale, 4-H speaking contests, the Estevan Salvation Army, Christmas hampers, Meals on Wheels delivery, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, the Estevan Arts Council's Stars for Saskatchewan program, the Envision Counselling and Support Centre, parks and recreation facilities in Estevan, Penta Completions Estevan Minor Football, and Estevan's new regional nursing home.

Other initiatives include sponsoring a local student to attend Adventures in Citizenship in Ottawa, the Model United Nations Assembly in Winnipeg, and the short-term and long-term student exchange programs. 

Thanks to everybody who purchased items at the auction, the Rotarians and the other volunteers who worked throughout the evening, and to Mack Auction Services for once again doing a great job of selling the items.

Rotary auction is March 26

The Rotary Club of Estevan is preparing for its annual auction, which will take place on Thursday, April 26 at the Estevan Shoppers Mall.
The auction will begin at 6 p.m.
Routes for the auction were distributed at Tuesday's Rotary meeting. Rotarians who did not receive their route will be able to pick it up at the March 20 meeting.
The deadline to complete your route will be Tuesday, April 10. It is imperative that you finish your route by that date so that we can get all the items available for the auction into the advertising for the newspapers.
Merchandise and/or gift certificates can be left with Gloria Chicoine, or they can be dropped off at Power Dodge.
The auction is our second largest fundraiser of the year. We're looking forward to all the items that will be available this year, and we hope that this year's auction will once again be the best ever.

Report from PETS training

Thanks to Rotarian Brian Pilloud for filing this report from the President Elect Training Seminar...

On March 2 - 4 both Cory Prokop (Vice President) and I (President Elect) attended the District training held in Russell, MB. The program consisted of meeting District and Zone reps, brainstorming ideas with other incoming club Presidents as well delivery of a great deal of information on various Rotary programs. Speakers ranged from the District Governor, the District Governor Elect, 3 district trainers from clubs in our district as well as 3 Rotarians involved heavily in Rotary in our Zone (Zone 24 is actually all of Canada and Russia east of the Ural mountains). Very interesting and dynamic individuals! At times, the shear volume of information provided to me was a bit intimidating considering I've been in Rotary for 11+ years and felt that I knew a fair bit about Rotary. That being said, the District trainers and Executive are trying to share as much as possible to assist Rotarians like me get prepared. Some Past Presidents in our club highly recommended that Vice Presidents attend the training in addition to President Elects (just like Cory did this year). I never did that and I highly recommend it to future Presidents. I received some very valuable tools to use during my term as Rotary President in 2012-2013 (some of those items require my attention right now and not in July 2012!). I'm certain I will find the tools invaluable during the next 12 - 18 months. One thing that stands out for me from the training is the opportunity to meet and network with other incoming Presidents of other clubs. I've come to learn that the Estevan club shares many of the same challenges that other clubs do. I can also say, with much certainty, that our club is very well organized, well run and does a great service to our local community and to Rotary International projects. Some of the key messages or events that I am sharing with the club (and will continue to share over the coming weeks and months) are:
Rotary Theme for 2012-2013 PEACE THROUGH SERVICE
District Assemblies Upcoming Regina March 31, Winnipeg April 14, Saskatoon April 21

Happy Birthday, Rotary.

February 23 is Rotary's 107th birthday.
Rotary began when four men gathered at a downtown Chicago office. Since that time, it has grown into a truly international service group, with more than 1.2 million members in dozens of countries around the world.
Rotary has taken a leading role in the eradication of polio around the world, and as documented in the film "The Final Inch," we're on the cusp of reaching our goal. Polio is now classified as endemic in four countries: India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria. It's been nearly a year since India's last documented polio case.
Rotary is also a champion of literacy, clean water, education, health care and many other causes. The Rotary Club of Estevan is a vibrant club, with over 50 members, and a record for outstanding community service. We are proud to support many different causes in the community.
Happy birthday, Rotary, and may we continue to promote its ideals, and celebrate its accomplishments.

Paul Harris Presentations

The Rotary Club of Estevan recognized those who have contributed to the Rotary Foundation during Tuesday's meeting.
Two people were presented with their Paul Harris Fellowships: Charles Olsen and Donna Frank. They donated $1,000 each to the foundation to receive their fellowships.
Other people were recognized for supporting the foundation. Norm Nicol was presented with a one sapphire pin for donating $2,000 to the foundation. Ron Gallaway was recognized with a two-saphire pin for donating $3,000. Patrick Dupuis was presented with three and four sapphire pins. He has now donated at least $5,000 to the foundation. And Ron Areshenkoff and Reynold Bert earned five sapphires for donating $6,000.
Rotary applauds those who have donated to the foundation, which is responsible for so many of Rotary's international projects.

(Pictured, L-R) Charles Olsen and Donna Frank accept their Paul Harris Fellowships from Eric Pullam and Tyler Knibbs.

New members inducted

The Rotary Club of Estevan inducted four members at Tuesday's meeting. Becky Tait, Edie Spagrud, and John and Terri Williams were officially welcomed to our club. They were reminded of what it means to be a Rotarian, why they were invited to our club, and what the expectations will be now that they are members. They have proven to be invaluable members since joining Rotary.

If you are interested in joining Rotary, please contact one of our members.

January 24, 2012 meeting

Good day all:

We had a very informative meeting on Tuesday at lunch.  We welcomed Adam Baker who was a long term youth exchange student that went to Finland this past year.  He was sponsored by the Dryden, Ontario Rotary Club as we had sent Pierce Stallard to Germany during the same time period.  He gave a presentation that was very well received by all that were in attendance.  He thanked the Rotarians for "The best year of my life."

Terri Williams is looking for ideas and suggestions for Rotary get togethers.  If you have any ideas please let her know. 

See you next week...