15K Rotarians from 140 countries celebrate community at Calgary convention

15,000 Rotarians are in Calgary for their convention where they will work together to find solutions to problems in their communities. Tyler Barrow explains.

Last week, Alberta hosted the G7, which featured global leaders from around the world gathering together in Kananaskis Country to try to solve a few of the world’s problems.

This week, Calgary is hosting the 2025 Rotary International Convention, which features 15,000 ordinary folks from 140 countries around the world gathering together at BMO Centre in Stampede Park to try to solve a few of the world’s problems.

“I don’t think we have enough time to talk about the variety of things that are being talked about, but it’s everything from peace and conflict resolution to polio eradication to literacy, maternal health, and community engagement,“ said Mark Starratt, the co-chair of the host organizing committee. ”There’s just so many things going on at this convention. It’s hard to put a pulse on just one thing.”

Starratt said there are 13 Rotary Clubs in Calgary and more than 45 in southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, who represent a sliver of the organization’s 1.2 million people from 46,000 different clubs.

When you put that kind of people to work trying to solve a problem, you can get a lot done, said Rotary International General Secretary and CEO John Hewko.

“Rotary, really, back in 1985, had the the audacity to say we are going to eradicate a disease from the face of the earth,” Hewko said.

“Smallpox have just been eradicated, and we -- to celebrate our 75th anniversary -- said we’re going to tackle eradicating polio.

“We were joined by the WHO, UNICEF, CDC, and, more recently, the Gates Foundation and GAVI to create the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

“We started with 125 countries that had polio back then,” Hewko said. “We’re now down to just two: Afghanistan and Pakistan, where the virus is still circling. So we’re on the verge of eradicating polio and leaving a legacy for as long as mankind inhabits the earth.”

Hewko said Rotarians around the world have contributed US $2.9 billion to the effort over 40 years, and recently Gates announced he would chip in two dollars for every dollar raised by Rotarians.

Not bad for a gathering of not-so-ordinary folks.

“What the polio eradication effort demonstrates is the power of the individual, the power of grassroots organizations to unite together around the cross to drive change and to really make a difference in the world,” Hewko said.

Locally, two Calgary Rotary Clubs joined with the Flames Foundation Friday to announce a $3 million donation to build four sports zones in different communities across the city.

The convention is believed to be one of the largest Calgary has ever hosted and if there’s a problem to be solved in Calgary this week, it might be finding a vacant hotel room or a dinner reservation at a restaurant.

All those visitors are expected to book 30,000 hotel room nights and drop around $81 million into the local economy.

“We’re delighted to be here in in Calgary,” Hewko said. “And of course, we’re going to be taking advantage of the incredible hospitality of the of the people of Calgary and the City of Calgary.”

Rotary International Convention 2025 continues through June 25.