This Rotor can also be found on the FRONT PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE,
on the right side (where it used to be).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
May 22 - In-person meeting at the Delta hosted by Eastview - replacement speaker will be found as the 'Honouring Indigenous Peoples' presenter was deferred to June 19th;
May 29, 6:30 P.M. – Fellowship evening in the Hoeft’s backyard; – a fine evening of campfire togetherness;
Jun 2 – In-person meeting at the Delta hosted by the RC of Regina;
Jun 12 – Regina Eastview meets via ZOOM;
Jun 19 - In-person meeting at the Delta hosted by Regina Eastview - the Program is 'Honouring Indigenous Peoples' with Speaker Georgia-Lyn Keewatin;
June 21-25 – Rotary International Convention in Calgary;
July 4 – 17th Annual Lyle Piett Memorial Golf Tournament at Tor Hill Golf Course – invite your family and friends - looking for Silent Auction Items and Golfing Prizes, call Al Hillsden or John Van Koll;
May 8 & 9, 2026 - District 5550 Conference in Neepawa, Manitoba - mark this now so you save the dates (there are other things happenning before these days next May);
DOLLY PARTON IMAGINATION LIBRARY WITH AMANDA LANOWAY
Regina Eastview members and guests joined for a ZOOM meeting where conversations initially centred on appreciation for the rain. President Al Hoeft apologized for delay in getting the meeting started, sounded like he was in Moose Jaw, but in a short time 18 people were on the call. This included Ugandan Rotarian Nora calling in from somewhere in Kenya. Demonstrating, once again the, Magic of Rotary!
Following a warm welcome to members and visitors, President Al, in keeping with tradition, shared the Club's Land Acknowledge statement. He next reminded viewers of the steps we are taking to enhance our Rotary image in the community. As an example of 'Image Building' he introduced a video prepared by the Rotary Club of Nepal, following the earthquake they experienced in 2015. The video shows how Nepal Rotarians were energized to support projects, at home and around the world, addressing each of Rotary's 7 Areas of Focus. President Al noted that through Rotary we are connected with like-minded people around the world with the use of 'imaging expertise' in our community we can create a Regina Eastview story.
This led us right into our Guest Speaker's presentation and our President smoothly introduced us to Amanda Lanoway, a member of the RC of Regina and now one of two Regional Lead’s for Dolly Parton's Imagination Library in Canada. This is a book gifting program for kids from birth to age 5, at no cost to the family and available to communities everywhere.
Using Power Point slides Amanda Lanoway introduced us to Dollywood Foundation a non-profit organization created by Dolly Parton in 1988. Inspired by her Dad, the Dollywood Foundation mission is simply to inspire a love of books and reading. The Imagination Library is a community based earlier literacy book gifting program distributing high quality books hand selected for each age group. Local partners make the inspired passion their own, by imagining a child anywhere in the world can have a book to read. The Foundation is celebrating 3 million registered children are receiving these gifts supported by over three thousand community partnerships in Canada, USA, Australia, Ireland and the UK. 265 Million Books have been mailed since 1996. 60,000 books are distributed monthly to children in Canada. In our 10 provinces and 3 territories there are a total of 451 partnerships. Local Program Partners serve in 3 ways: i) publicize the program; ii) Enroll children; and, iii) Fundraise. Partners include (but are not limited to) Ministries of Education, Municipalities, Community Foundations, School Districts, Schools, Community Volunteers, Service Clubs such as Rotary and Kiwanis, Preschool and Child Care Centres. Books are delivered to the child's home once each and every month, the cost is $3.85 / month, or $47.00 / child / year.
Amanda Lanoway
The program is structured on the foundation that early experiences 'build brains'. Baby's brain grows rapidly and providing creative learning during this time is critical so getting started early is key, rather than waiting until the child is enrolled in kindergarten. From Amanda we learned that Brain science tells us the Reading Network in children's brains doesn't exist naturally, but must be built. This matters for 3 reasons. The first is 'Love' - books delivered to the home is an event “my book is here!” and there is snuggling as parent and child explore the new book (over and over again), creating a bond, a shared experience. The second is educational impact as it prepares the child for kindergarten. The third reason is Community and Family Impact - in the Community reading creates a shared bond among children, which is critical when children enter kindergarten; Impact in the family, simply getting books into the home changes the trajectory of kids, families and communities. It is all about the Books and getting them into homes and children's hands.
Imagination Library
The program boasts,"It is big impact, with low cost, low effort and low risk.A Turnkey Program!"
An Eastview Opportunity!
FAMILY OF ROTARY
President Al reminded us that there are a number of members who have Birthdays in the last half of May including Peter Neufeldt - May 16, Vic Wiebe - May 19, President Al - May 24, Gary Carlson - May 28, Gail Bradley - May 29 and Richard Taylor on May 30;
Noted in the May 1, 2025 issue of the ROTOR, but reacknowleged today,were 2 members celebrating Month of May Rotary Anniversaries are Past President Greg McNamara with 30 years, and our almost 'Forever Secretary' Allen Hillsden with 45 yearsof service through Rotary.
Congratulations to all celebrants.
President Greg presents Rotarian Nelson Falkowsky with the much prized McNamara insulated shopping bag - January 5, 2017
FELLOWSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
The May 29th Fellowship evening in the Hoeft's backyard consists of gentle guitar interludes, spontaneous singing, depending on what is brought to the venue there could be chips, peanuts, and other treats, all of which are consistently blended with inspiring conversation;
A BIG SHOUT of appreciation to the Rotary Club of Regina for arranging the Virtual District Conference Watch Party at Access Communication on May 9 and 10. The dozen of us who gathered there, appreciated the program of quality speakers, we enjoyed the breakout room and feed-back conversations, in a very accommodating facility;
THANK YOU, President George Carson for your leadership in making this happen;
The conference focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) presented Rotary's dedication to Human Rights. When these Rights are challenged or set aside, there was a strong sense Rotarian voices must cry out in protest;
Have a wonderful long weekend.
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"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go." Dr. Seuss
Today's guests
We were pleased to welcome our Guest Speaker Amanada Lanoway, a member of the Rotary Club of Regina. It was wonderful to have Nora, a Rotarian from Kampala Uganda as a visitor.
Next Meeting Responsibilities
See you all at the Delta for our In-Person meeting next Thrusday,
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