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This is the first year for there to be a Family Month in the Rotary calendar. The designation is to encourage us to Lend a Hand to the needy families in our communities. Also, to extend the warmth and activities in our clubs to our own families, so that Rotary becomes their life too. It took me by surprise and leaves me somewhat wordless, because we have written and spoken frequently about the Family of Rotary, introduced a fine Family of Rotary logo, and recorded the many activities related to President Jonathan Majiyagbe’s concept that have already been conducted in our district.

Then suddenly the words came to me. Rotary curling in our district is one of our premier fellowship activities. One of the two curling teams in my club held a dinner and invited a 16 year old (Hindu) Rotary exchange student from India to join them. They decided to also welcome the governor and his wife, just back from making their official visits to the clubs.

Governor Mike’s official visits to the 47 clubs and one Rotaract club are now completed. He enjoyed sitting in on the committee selecting the Group Study Exchange team members to Ukraine; attending an elegant Christmas Dinner by Calgary West at Heritage Park; participating in the charter night of the Medicine Hat High School Interact Club; and making a second visit to the Medicine Hat club, Medicine Hat Sunrise and Calgary. He even made it to his own club for the first time in months.

High school students become very motivated Interactors. They, alone or in conjunction with their sponsoring Rotary Club can make a big difference. Here are some ideas for Interact and Rotary. Do joint fund raising ventures leading to joint projects. Match a Rotarian with an Interactor as a mentor. Attend each other club’s meeting.

Interact projects that are under way are support for an orphanage in Mexico; mentoring elementary school children; participating in the 25 hour famine; reforestation in Alberta and B.C. following the summer fires; Top drop – over 100 toys already collected for Christmas; Santa’s Anonymous - $4000 raised to provide over 50 food hampers for the needy at Christmas.

- Submitted by Bob Jones, district chair Interact

Another Winterfest has come and gone, but the inbound (& some outbound) rotary exchange students and Rotex were left with many memories, and anticipation for next year.

On Friday December 7^th, Rotex President Mark Jones and Vice-President Jon Salonga started the weekend for the students with a real Canadian activity - HOCKEY. The day began with a viewing of the Minnesota Wild team practice. This was followed by a comprehensive tour of the Saddledome. In Jon Salonga’s words "We learned that there are actually big ads plastered on the ceiling of the concourse, and that people can get a ‘suite view’ (no pun intended) of the game without having to actually pay for the suite." So, even Calgarians found themselves experiencing new things.

The ‘Amazing Race’ featured many activities designed to promote inter-exchange/Rotex student relations while having fun at the same time. The students were split into six teams and wandered throughout various malls and provided entertainment to many spectators. The funniest event was when a team became live mannequins at Fairweather, while the most embarrassing was when a male member from each team had to wear boxers over their pants and excuse their actions with large signs around their necks declaring ‘I am an exchange student in a contest’. The one event shared by all teams was taking turns ringing bells and collecting donations for the Salvation Army, raising approximately $400.

Friday’s highlight was a Calgary Flames vs. Minnesota Wild hockey game. Students expressed their Canadian pride (even if they were inbounds) by painting names on their chests and showing them to other spectators. The game ended with a score of 2-1 for Calgary. Talk about an exciting game to end an exciting day - the second goal was scored with only 22.8 s left in the third period, causing quite a commotion. Go Flames!

Saturday began with yet another Canadian ice sport, this time curling. Many students had never thrown a curling rock in their lives, yet they could be seen enjoying themselves at all times. This was followed by a game called ‘Bigger or Better’. Students began with a candy cane and some chocolates, and were sent out to wander the Huntington Hills community to trade with homeowners for bigger/better commodities. We finished with various items such as sports equipment and a 2 kg box of spaghetti.

Following this was the potluck dinner; it was a great way for people to be able to sit down and chat and enjoy new types of food. Chairman Bob Holland followed his personal tradition and supplied us with two boxes of mandarin oranges. After dinner and a quick cleanup, the One World Drum Company provided the evenings entertainment. Students were given their own drums and taught the language of music. Even if you didn’t have a drum, it was possible for you to sit back and just listen to the sounds of the students enjoying themselves, tap your feet or even join in the shouts of "goo - doo" and other various sounds. Somewhere near the end, just as everyone’s hands were red and sore, Naty (Argentina) and Ericka (Finland) decided they needed a break, and began to dance. However, the drummers were too engrossed with their attempts to keep the beat to pay much attention to them.

After this, the students proceeded to the Boys and Girls Club, where they enjoyed candlelit talks about anything you could imagine. They didn’t fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, around 5:00.