Calgary awaits!
Eager Rotarians encourage other Canadian members to prepare to experience the magic of the 2025 convention
The biggest event on the Rotary calendar is more than eight months away. But to hear Louisa Horne talk, you’d think she already had her bags packed. “We don’t often have the event in Canada,” she says, “so this is an incredible opportunity to see the global nature of Rotary, right at home!”
The event, if you have to ask, is the 2025 Rotary International Convention, which in June returns to Canada for the first time in seven years. The setting is Calgary, and Horne, a member of the Rotary Club of Halifax Harbour, is eager to make the trek from Nova Scotia to Alberta. “You see old friends and you make new ones — on the bus and subway, standing in line, all over the city,” she says. “You see the Rotary wheel, and of course you strike up conversations with total strangers. Because they aren’t strangers; they are friends you haven’t met before. You learn so much from some amazing speakers. And it’s fun!”
The 2025 Rotary International Convention is not to be missed. Register by 15 December to receive a discount.
But it’s the chance to see people representing nearly the whole world gathered in one place that has a special appeal for Horne. “The convention makes the global local,” she explains. “The flags and the people from around the world create an amazing experience. We talk about Rotary being global and having opportunities for friendship around the world, but until you are in the midst of more than 10,000 people with seven or eight languages being spoken in sessions, you just can’t fully get it.”
Rotary Canada talked with members of Rotary across the country, and from Quebec to British Columbia, the enthusiasm expressed by Horne was shared by them all. With one voice they encouraged Canadian Rotarians and Rotaractors to make their way to the convention in Calgary 21-25 June. “I urge my fellow Canadians to make attending the convention a top priority,” says Christina Hassan, a member of the Rotary Club of Calgary Fish Creek and the 2024-25 governor for District 5360, which encompasses southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan. “We have a unique opportunity to showcase our renowned Canadian Western hospitality and the ‘Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth’ — the Calgary Stampede. Let’s come together in Calgary to deepen our global connections, share our warmth, and learn from inspiring speakers and workshops. Join us in helping others experience the Team Canada magic of Rotary!”
Though no longer Calgary’s tallest structure, the Calgary Tower remains the city’s defining landmark.
Image credit: Monika Lozinska
“There is magic in Rotary, and the Calgary convention is an amazing opportunity for Canadian Rotary club members to share that magic,” adds Penny Offer, who, like her husband, Chris Offer, is a member of the Rotary Club of Ladner in British Columbia. “The convention offers limitless ways to make your club stronger and bolder. You’ll find new ideas, learn best practices, see old ideas reimagined, and share project achievements. I organized a new member mentor project for my Rotary club because I attended a breakout session at an international convention. I served on a humanitarian project in China helping children with cleft lips and palates because I stopped to learn about a project at a booth in the House of Friendship.”
“One of my top reasons for attending the Calgary convention will be to reconnect with the many Rotary friends I have made over the years,” says Chris Offer. “There is Rotary magic in walking into the House of Friendship and meeting a friend from the other end of the country or the other side of the globe. As hosts of the 2025 convention, members of every Canadian Rotary club should attend. We can show the Rotary world our unique Canadian hospitality.”
Like Chris and Penny Offer, Shirley-Pat Gale is a past governor of British Columbia’s District 5040. She’s also an adopted member of the Tl'esqox — Toosey First Nation. “Next year’s international convention is an opportunity to connect and share lived experience so our Rotary family continues to grow their understanding, commitments, and partnerships with the First Peoples of Canada,” says Gale. “It is an opportunity to showcase Indigenous culture and achievements and highlight the good work done, being done, and all that is potentially possible with the help, support, and action of our Rotary family.”
“Calgary is going to be a great opportunity to showcase multiculturalism in Canada,” adds Ontario’s Suzanne Grouette, a proud Métis member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-WIDE (We’re Inclusive, Diverse, and Equitable) and a newly anointed board member of HIP, which stands for Honouring Indigenous Peoples, a group Rotarians helped found. “Calgary is the home of Blackfoot, Métis, Nakoda, and Dene nations, giving the city a rich heritage to draw upon and elders who can provide teachings that can add to Rotary’s view of the world.”
A 90-minute drive from Calgary, the charming town of Banff is a great jumping off point from which to explore the Rocky Mountains.
Image credit: Monika Lozinska
A member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg who is active in District 5550’s World Peace Partners, David Newman sees the convention as an important opportunity to convey and embrace an urgent message. “Canadian Rotarians can inspire and motivate the global democracy of Rotary members to unite and commit to take peace action in Canada,” says Newman. “By our example, we can inspire Rotarians in other countries to become Positive Peace Activators and expand Rotary into a critical mass of agents of change. This is why it is an absolute must for Canadian Rotarians to congregate in Calgary.”
Billed as the world’s tallest mural, this 95-metre explosion of colour by the German artist known as DAIM adorns the side of a building one block south of the Calgary Tower.
Image credit: Monika Lozinska
For Valarie Wafer, the Calgary convention promises to be “a global adventure packed into a few unforgettable days!” A member of the Rotary Club of Burlington Lakeshore in Ontario and chair of Rotary’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council, Wafer describes how that would unfold. “Imagine rubbing shoulders with thousands of Rotarians from every corner of the world, swapping stories, and brainstorming ideas that could transform your community.
“And let’s not forget the sheer excitement of showing off Canada’s awesomeness! Hosting this mega event in Calgary means we get to roll out the red carpet and share our vibrant culture, stunning landscapes, and warm hospitality with the world. It’s the perfect blend of fun and purpose — a chance to create amazing memories, forge lifelong connections, and proudly showcase what makes Canada such an incredible place to live and serve.”
Let’s give the last word to Claude Martel. Écoutez bien!
“Que vous soyez un membre d’un club Rotary, un dirigeant du club, un administrateur d’un district du Canada, la convention saura vous faire prendre conscience de la grandeur et de la force du Rotary,” says Martel, a member of the Rotary Club of Québec-Val-Bélair (as if you had to be told). “Des conférenciers dynamiques, des discussions passionnantes, des rencontres intéressantes vous y attendront. Vous apprécierez l’amitié internationale. Lors des conventions du Rotary, on y trouve toujours des découvertes magiques.
“La participation à la Convention Internationale du Rotary 2025 vous motivera par la quantité et la qualité des rencontres. Que ce soit avec des membres de votre district ou de nouveaux contacts, vous reviendrez heureux, satisfaits et actifs dans votre club. Nous sommes privilégiés d’accueillir la convention du Rotary au Canada. Ne manquez cette opportunité. Nous vous y attendrons du 21 au 25 juin.”
Well put, Claude. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. See you in Calgary!
This story originally appeared in the October 2024 issue of Rotary Canada magazine.