- Event: Rotary Club of Calgary West Annual Calgary Stampede Parade Breakfast & Seating
- Date/Time: Friday, July 4, 2025 | 6:30 AM – 12:00 PM
- Location: Downtown Calgary along the Stampede Parade route at 738 9th Ave SW
- Highlights:
- Hearty Stampede breakfast served by volunteers and Rotary youth exchange students
- Prime parade viewing from bleacher seating
- Fundraising through breakfast ticket sales and Rotary-branded cowboy hat sales
- Purpose: Fundraiser to support Rotary programs and community initiatives
- Outcome: A successful, fun-filled event celebrating community, western heritage, and service above self.
Support Opportunity — Empower the Next Generation of Young Leaders!
The Rotary Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp (RAYEC) - RAYEC is a week-long August camp for youth ages 13- 15 interested in business and entrepreneurship. The main focus of this camp is to educate youth about marketing, advertising, preparing a cash-flow statement and writing a business plan. Campers set up their own businesses and borrow real money from actual bankers. The last day is “Business Day” at the camp, when campers open and operate their businesses. The youth also participate in many fun recreational activities throughout their week at camp. RAYEC accepts 60 youths aged 13-15 each year based on their applications. This camp is FREE to attend for the campers that are selected, thanks to the generous support of our partners and sponsors.
Support the future of youth leadership by using the donate button below to contribute to RAYEC's Youth Leader Program—an empowering initiative where 10 exceptional young adults, aged 16 to 18, return to camp as trained volunteer leaders. These individuals receive dedicated leadership training through a series of virtual and in- person sessions, preparing them to mentor younger peers, guide business teams, and lead recreational activities throughout the week long camp.
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR RAYEC WEBSITE
🎯 Why Donate?
Your donation helps cover:
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Camp accommodations and meals
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Transportation and supplies
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Hands-on learning materials
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Support from trained youth leaders and mentors
With your support, we can continue to offer this unique, fully-funded experience to deserving youth from across Alberta and beyond — including Indigenous and rural communities where access to entrepreneurial education is limited.
💡 Every dollar makes a difference — whether it funds a camper’s journey, supports our volunteer youth leaders, or enhances the camp experience through new resources and activities.
❤️ Help Us Shape the Future — One Young Entrepreneur at a Time
Donate today and invest in the potential of youth.
Your contribution empowers the next generation to dream big, take initiative, and become the changemakers of tomorrow.
- Donations can be made to the Calgary West Rotary Club / RAYEC by e-Transfer
- Tax receipts will be issued for donations of $25.00 or more.
- Please include your name, mailing address, phone number, and email address with your e-transfer. Receipts will be sent before year-end.
- Charitable Registration Number 889395398 RR0001
Join us in making a lasting impact.
Empowering Future Leaders: The RAYEC Story
The Rotary Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp (RAYEC) is a transformative, week-long summer experience for 60 youth aged 13–15 who are eager to learn about business and entrepreneurship. Campers gain hands-on experience in marketing, financial planning, and business development—culminating in a real-world “Business Day” where they launch and operate their own ventures using actual loans from bankers.
RAYEC is completely free for participants, thanks to generous donors and sponsors. In addition to business learning, campers enjoy recreational activities and mentorship from trained youth leaders.
An exciting part of the program is the Youth Leader Program, where 10 former campers (ages 16–18) return as volunteer leaders. These young adults undergo specialized training to mentor campers and guide team activities, making a lasting impact as role models.
By donating, supporters help cover critical costs such as accommodation, meals, transportation, and training resources. Contributions also expand access for youth in Indigenous and rural communities, where entrepreneurial education is often out of reach.
Every donation fuels a young person’s dream—and plants the seed for tomorrow’s changemakers.
Join the Calgary West Rotary Club in building a brighter future through youth empowerment.
On July 3, 2025, from 6:00–8:00 p.m., Rotary Club of Calgary West members and friends gathered downtown to set up for the Calgary Stampede Parade Breakfast and Seating event. Setup tasks included organizing the breakfast and seating areas. Bleacher seats were professionally pressure washed by “Seating U.” The team’s effort ensured everything was ready for a successful event the following morning.
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"Gratefully Supported" is a tribute to the Rotary Clubs of Calgary for their long-standing support of the Community Kitchen Program of Calgary. Highlights include the Rotary Club's global mission to create lasting change and acknowledges their contributions, including funding major purchases like a 5-ton truck, a multi-use printer, and convection ovens.
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Rotarians gather in each others homes to build lasting friendships and enjoy a hot meal with great conversation. This is just one of many social activities that members and friends enjoy about being in Rotary.
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Our Causes
The Calgary, Centennial, Chinook, East, North, Heritage Park, West and Fish Creek Rotary Clubs have initiated a "one door" application for Rotary support in time, talent and treasure. By applying once, your request for support will be shared with all eight participating clubs. Please click the logo to the left to submit an application.
Chris Ritter
I am proud to be the President of the Rotary Club of Calgary West. I joined Rotary over 10 years ago and over that time have come to enjoy great fellowship, meaningful service and being part of an organization that serves communities locally and abroad.
We have a great club with a diversity of members from different backgrounds, cultures and beliefs. We are brought together based on a few simple ideas, Service above Self and we are People of Action. This is sometimes easier said than done, so my hope is that our club will continue to focus on these and make it a priority to focus on serving our community.
There are three areas that based on discussion with the membership that I am hoping that we can continue towards working on.
- Connections: Have fun, build our friendships and relationships.
- Meaningful Service: Let’s continue to serve our community but also grow in areas that fit with our principals and priorities. Be a Club Champion and reach out to our membership for service opportunities.
- Personal Growth and Engagement: Try something new, involve others, take a risk and look for areas to serve.
I want to encourage each and every member and those who may want to join us as a new member to continue to grow in the area of serving others and helping Rotary to continue to be an organization that strives to make the world and our community a better place for all people.
Chris Ritter
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Help us make our community a better place
