The Rotary Club of Winnipeg West acknowledges that our meetings, held virtually or in-person, are held on Treaty One lands. We do this to reaffirm our commitment and responsibility in improving relationships between nations and to improving our own understanding of local Inuit, Metis, and First Nations Peoples and their cultures and rights.
We recognize that the clean water we are drinking is sourced from the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation.
February 19 Meeting Program - Speaker: D.G.
Our speaker today was Wayne Jacobson, our district governor.
Wayne referred to the rotary motto of “the Magic of Rotary” and said that every day we are changing lives. Polio Plus initiatives have almost entirely eradicated polio in the world.
The sad reality, however, is that Rotary membership is down across the world. Rotary International has done research to find out what the most successful clubs are doing. Pillars of growth that have been identified are the ability to adapt, participant engagement and increasing impact.
The goal of all Rotary clubs should be to leave a legacy and in order to do so we need to focus on membership.
A couple of years ago we were challenged to increase membership to 1200 in our district or face re-districting. While we have had more success in our zone than many others, we have increased to only 1152 members and added 4 new clubs.
Wayne said that he has visited most of the clubs in our zone and noted that the mean age is around 65. He said that we need to bring in more younger members so that the younger generation can continue the Rotary legacy. He suggested that this can be done by establishing satellite clubs and Rotoract clubs.
Wayne also suggested that we expand our reach by working with other organizations.
In closing, Wayne invited us to the district conference and mentioned 4 keynote speakers.
President Bob thanked Wayne for his challenging presentation.
D.G. Wayne presents President Bob with an award for our club's financial support of the End Polio Now campaign.
Fellowship Meeting February 12 - Assiniboine Inn
A few Rotarians showed up for our fellowship lunch on Feb. 12th and enjoyed a wide choice of meals at very affordable menu prices. Our next fellowship meeting will be Thursday, March 12 at Smitty's 1017 St James St, Winnipeg MB R3H 0K6. In addition to our usual informal meeting, we are treating this as a trial run as a possible new meeting venue. Being more central, we hope that it will be more convenient for all.
Terry Cooper To The Rescue!
A huge shout out and thank you to Terry Cooper (former member) for helping us navigate the club finances and financial reporting.
Terry has been tirelessly navigating all the work that Ernie has been performing for years. This is not an easy task as Ernie has done so much for us (without a lot of recognition) and kept the finances of the club buttoned down with a great deal of comfort for the Board.
Thank you Terry for your great work! A true Rotarian spirit!
RCWW Goes Cashless
February 19th was the first attempt at a cashless meeting. We're giving it a 7 out of 10 ranking. Here is a summary:
Zeffy's tap to pay worked well.
Bruce's phone was problematic
Gary's phone was good
QR code option worked well
Some observations/issues:
Issue: Debit card won't work with tap. Solution: credit cards work
Issue: Don't have a credit card. Solution ... accept cash ... grrrr
Issue: Tap not working on Bruce's phone .... Solution: remove the heavy duty protective case
Issue: Not all payments have name associated with. Solution: make sure payer enters name
Overall good results. It really helps/speeds things up if members remember to pre-pay using the supplied link to Zeffy.
Next up we need to figure out how to handle the miscellaneous $$$ i.e. fines, chase the ace, etc.
In addition to our luncheons semi-annual dues are now also being processed this way.
ChickenFest and donations to the Golden Rainbow Fund have been set up for the past year to accept payments through Zeffy and we are very pleased with the performance and efficiency of working with this vendor. And, it saves us the cost of credit cart processing fees!
New Projects:
On Monday, RCWW Board approved the participation in and continuation of three projects.
$500 contribution to the Ripple Effect scholarships for schools in Guatemala. As many are aware, the Ripple Effect program was started by RCWW under the guidance of Alex Zahradnitzky … quite the legacy.
$850 to continue our sponsorship of a graduating cadet to Rotary Club of Sioux lookout's Wilderness Journey this summer
$500 additional contribution to the Ukraine project that we were involved with this past winter, contributing towards Christmas gifts and school generators.
RRC Polytech Indigenous Scholarships
Did you know that RCWW supports our indigenous community with two $2500 awards to support full-time Indigenous students in overcoming financial barriers, while pursuing their career dreams?
Effective immediately the RCWW will formally recognize individuals in the community who choose to be associated with the Rotary Club of Winnipeg West for the purpose of making a difference without a full time rigid commitment.
This is a flexible, less formal way for individuals to connect with RCWW without committing to the full responsibilities of traditional membership, but have the talent and willingness to make a difference.
Keying in on “flexible volunteerism” “Friends of Rotary” allows individuals to impact on their own terms. No attendance requirements, no weekly meetings—just hands-on help when their schedule allows.
And no cost!
The Commitment: Unlike active members, "Friends of Rotary" aren't required to attend every meeting or pay R.I dues.
The Role: “Friends of Rotary” are invited to support club projects, attend social events, attend meetings, sit on committees and help with fundraising or community service.
The Status: "Friends of Rotary" is not an official membership category recognized by Rotary International. It is our own local designation to recognize a network of volunteers and supporters who want to be engaged and share our values.
We hope that “Friends of Rotary” will lower the "barrier to entry" for people who are intimidated by the perceived rigidity of traditional Rotary membership.
Where do “Friends of Rotary” come from?
People already engaged with RCWW, but are not formal members
Spouses/partners/family members of current members
Busy Professionals who can't commit to membership
Former Rotarians (maybe even some who are reading this)
Corporate Partners
Know someone who should be considered for the “Friends of Rotary” designation?
Please contact any Board Member and let us know.
Exciting Update: Moving to the New ClubRunner "Nova" Platform
To ensure our club remains efficient and well-connected, we are excited to announce that we have migrated our club management system from the ClubRunner Classic interface to the brand-new ClubRunner Nova platform.
Nova is the next generation of the ClubRunner software we already use. It has been rebuilt from the ground up to be faster, more secure, and much easier to use on your smartphone or tablet. Think of it as a "modern upgrade" to our digital home.
What’s Changing for You?
While our core data (membership lists, committees, and stories) remains the same, the User Interface (UI)—how the website looks and how you click through it—will be much cleaner and more intuitive.
Key Improvements You’ll Notice:
A Simplified Dashboard: No more digging through complex menus; the most important tools are now front and center.
Mobile Friendly: You can now easily update your profile or check the club directory directly from your phone without "pinching and zooming."
Better Integration: Improved syncing with Rotary International and smoother processing for club dues and event registrations.
What Do You Need to Do? Business as Usual
Login Info: Your current username and password remains exactly the same.
We encourage you to log in and click around! You’ll find the new layout much more "app-like" and modern.
We are confident this upgrade will save our volunteers time and make it easier for all of us to stay engaged with our club’s projects and fellowships.
If you have any questions or experience any hitches please feel free to reach out to Dan Sutton/Club Secretary.
ChickenFest 2026
The committee met on Feb. 19 and planning is underway for an exciting campaign launch on March 26th, 6:00 PM at. Mark your calendars.
Still looking for someone Rotarian, friend or family member to fill the position of:
Silent Auction Coordinator - procure auction items & organize auction. Auction to be held in conjunction with campaign launch set for March 26.
This is a short term position, 5 weeks - now until March 26
If no one steps up by February 26th, the Silent Auction will be cancelled and we'll miss out on this revenue opportunity.
Note: if you want to team up with someone to share the load that's OK. Not an official Club member? That's OK too. We just need some help!
Please contact Gary or Bruce to volunteer.
Stay ChickenFest Committee March 5th.
WWRMW - $500 Winner Drawn
Once again our draw master Terry Dick performed the draw and gave the honour of drawing the winning ticket to visiting D.G. Wayne Jacobson.
The winning ticket was #127 - Gail Dhaliwal, sold by Stan Rybuck.
Congrats Gail! Way to go Stan!
Next draw is March 19, 2026
Terry shakes the box
D.G. Wayne makes the draw
The winner is ….
Fines Master
Al Goddard was under the weather today and was M.I.A. and therefore couldn't perform his fines master duties (I guess we'll believe that).
Fear not …. President Bob stepped in, rounded up some “Happy Bucks” and levied some Olympics themed fines.
Family of Rotary
We were please to hear that Ernie is continuing his hard work in physio therapy and is looking forward to his eventual return to our club meetings as a fully retired member! Ernie, we can't wait to welcome you home!
Reminders & Announcements
February 26 - AGAPE
March 5 regular meeting speaker: Daniel Ebanks - Master Chef Canada 2025 home cooks competition
March 12 Fellowship Lunch - Smitty's 1017 St James St, Winnipeg MB R3H 0K6 -- Trial Run - Possible new meeting venue
March 19 Regular Club Meeting - Smitty's - Speaker: Barry Prentice - A new approach to wildfire management
March 26 AGAPE in the morning & ChickenFest campaign launch - 1155 Notre Dame Avenue in the evening.
Homework For The Week - All Rotarians
Like & Share all RCWW social media posts and ads.
Volunteer for the ChickenFest Committee - Silent Auction
Make suggestions for possible meeting venue alternatives meeting the criteria of central location, free private room and all-in price point < $25
Make suggestions for alternative community volunteering
r helping us navigate the club finances and financial reporting.
