Home Page | Rotary Club of Calgary East

St. Rose of Lima School in the Rundle community has never had a playground since being converted from a High School to a K-9 School. The Rotary Club of Calgary East partnered with the Rundle Special Fundraising Society, St. Rose of Lima School, Calgary Parks Foundation, Government of Alberta, and Totem to secure the funds for a playground. The playground was constucted in September and was dedicated on November 21. Dignitaries and Calgary East Rotary members attended the dedication along with all the students and teaching staff. The playgroung is recognized as a memorial for Jim and Betty Smith, deceased members of the Calgary East Rotary club who were dedicated to supporting youth. Jim and Betty's family attended the dedication and cut the ribbon to officially open the playground.

Habitat for Humanity

Habitat for Humanity held the ground breaking ceremony at Dawson's Landing in Chestermere on November 12. The Rotary Club of Calgary East is partnering with Habitat for Humanity for a build day on June 13, 2026. We will provide at least twelve volunteer to help with the construction of 24 new affordable homes in Dawson's landing. In addition to our volunteers we contribute $5,000 towards the constuction materials. Working families who could not otherwise own a home pay no down payment and the monthly payments are typically capped at 30% of the household income. We previously volunteered for a build day at Livingston 24 in the northeast community of Livingston and are looking at opportunities to volunteer at the ReStore.

Readers & Leaders

We recently became a sponsor for the Readers and Leaders program with a $6,000 contribution. This is a rebrand of the "It's a Crime Not to Read" program started by our Rotary club, the Calgary Public Library and the Calgary Police Service in 2001. Police officers, fire fighters and first responders read to grade 3 students. The program connects students with books, reading, life-long learning, and positive community relationships.

Polio Event

Rotary District 5360 held a social in support of Polio at the Alexander Center Society Dance Hall on November 1. The keynote speaker was Ramesh Ferris who is the District Governor for District 5370 and a polio survivor. Everyone was inspired when Ramesh shared his powerful polio story. After we heard from Ramesh, we had a Zoom call with Mike McGovern, Rotary International's Polio Chair and had a update on the current Polio campaign. We enjoyed light snacks, Iron Lung Ale, and music from William Friedson and hjis jazz band.

Guest Speaker Cam Stewart

Rotary Club of Calgary East member, Cam Stewart was our guest speaker on October 23. Cam spent a good part of his career in the Calgary Police Service and through his involvement with different communities, he become a leader in diversity, inclusion and equity. Cam recently published a book, "It's a good day to DIE", a journy in diversity, inclusion and equity. Cam shared some of his experiences related to DIE that are included in his book. We are fortunate to have Cam as a member of our club.

http://camstewart.net/livetodie/

Habitat for Humanity ReStore

Our meeting on October 16 was hosted by the Habitat for Humanity ReStore on Sunridge Way. Lauren Riley and her colleagues gave us a tour of the ReStore. We have a build day planned in June, 2026 and we plan to look at group volunteer opportunities at the ReStore. Habitat for Humanity are always looking for individauls volunteers to help customers, sort donations or build furnture.

http://habitatsouthernab.ca/give/volunteer

Guest Speakers Alex & Marianne

Alex Montiel gave a very informative presentation on the Helping Hands Society of Cochrane and area. They connect with community members who want to help with those that need a hand through volunteer-powered programs like rides to appointments, outdoor seasonal support, emergency meals, and access to free, rescued food.

Calgary East Rotarian, Marianne Santopinto is a native Calgarian who graduated from St Francis High School and has two years of University. Marianne raised four children and has numerous grandchildren. She worked for 17 years in the school system, 10 years in oil and gas, and 2 years in long term care facilities. Marianne is enjoying retirement and has served with a number of Associations and Societies as well as Rotary.

Social / Networking Evening

The Rotary Club of Calgary East hosted a social / networking event on September 25 at the Calgary Plaza hotel. President Nurdin welcomed everyone to the event. Vince Vavrek from the Rotary Club of Heritage Park provided an overview of Rotary International and District 5360. Brian Carnahan provided an overview of the Rotary Club of Calgary East and the costs and benefits of being a Rotarian. Everyone enjoyed the evening and we will be adding members in the coming weeks.

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Meeting with Guest Speakers
Calgary Plaza Hotel

Dec. 18, 2025
5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Challenger Park Casino
Elbow River Casino

Jan. 21, 2026 11:00 p.m. –
Jan. 22, 2026 3:00 a.m.
Vecova Casino
Cowboy's Casino

Jan. 28, 2026 11:00 p.m. –
Jan. 29, 2026 3:00 a.m.