Kiwanis Club of Calgary Chinook
3112 - 11 Street N.E. T2E 7J1 Calgary, AB, Canada

What a difference a day makes in Calgary! The evening before was a perfect night for our first bike giveaway of the year. Then boom, the next day we are picking up bikes in the snow. Thank you to the board of Arbour Grove Condominiums for offering us the unclaimed bikes from their bike storage clean up. We picked up 11 bikes that will get cleaned and tuned up to be given away at our next bike giveaway.

13 kids are ready for all sorts of adventures this summer on their new-to-them bikes. In partnership with Two Wheel View, we gave away re-conditioned bikes to children from 5 families in Vista Heights last night. Blue skies and warm temperatures blessed our outdoor event and allowed us to follow all the Co-Vid safety protocols. The giveaway let the graduates from Two Wheel View's new GAP Employment Program see kids enjoying the bikes they had repaired. The six-week pilot program teaches basic bike mechanic skills as well as job application skills. It was so great to see the kids test riding their new bikes, especially some of the little ones who were getting their first bike ever. Thanks to all our volunteers and Thom from Two-Wheel View. Yes, we are smiling behind those masks!

Here's a wonderful opportunity to support kids' literacy in Calgary. We'll be there!

Find out how you can be a powerful force for serving children and learn about the meaningful impact it has at our Zoom Open House.

It is with great sadness and a profound sense of loss that we share our dear friend, mentor, former Kamp Kiwanis Director/Manager and inexhaustible Kamp Kiwanis... patron extraordinaire Nestor Kelba passed away yesterday. Our deepest sympathies, thoughts and prayers are with his wife Ellen and their children Joan, Tim, Stephen, Paul, and their families and Nestor's siblings Doug, Grant and Betty and their families. Nestor was "One of A Kind" and will be sorely missed by all who knew him. Nestor, then a teacher with the Calgary Board of Education, began his journey at Kamp Kiwanis in 1966 as Kamp Director with his wife Ellen, Kamp Mom and Nurse. They raised 3 of their 4 children for 6 years at Kamp (their youngest being born after their directorship at Kamp.) They were the first Kamp family to live in the White House which remains the residence of the Kamp Director today. In the Spring of 1968, Nestor brought about a major change to Kamp Kiwanis. The Calgary School Board was searching for an outdoor education centre near Calgary for their outdoor lab school program. Considering Nestor's affiliation with the School Board, it seemed logical to hold it at the camp. In May of 1968, the first elementary school students arrived at the camp for a week of environmental studies and lessons. Nestor recruited high school students as counsellors for the outdoor recreation program; many of them, because of this experience, would stay on as summer staff. Nestor introduced many new ideas and concepts during his years as Director, and many of these have become important Kamp Kiwanis traditions that have had a positive effect on the many children and staff who were involved in both the outdoor school and summer programs. Nestor was the first Director to integrate the staff so that there were both male and female counsellors for each session, providing diverse role models which Nestor felt was important for the children. He developed the idea that each wooden K-Pole with the names of kampers and staff should have a special meaning, something relevant to an incident or activity that occurred during the session. He also introduced the wood cookie name tags on which each staff member and kamper would burn his or her name. Nestor and Ellen left their positions at Kamp in 1972, however, they liked the area so much they bought a house about five minutes from the camp. Nestor became the Supervisor of the Calgary Board of Education's Off-Campus Activities Team and was actively involved in running outdoor school programs for the Board. Nestor continued to be involved with the Kiwanis Club of Calgary and Kamp Kiwanis, serving on the Board of Directors for both. Nestor was instrumental in turning Kamp into a year-round facility and developing the Main Lodge in the early 1990s when there was a possibility that the Kamp might be closed. In 1994, Nestor returned to Kamp Kiwanis as the Managing Director, a position that he held until his retirement in 2012. In 2013, the Main Lodge was dedicated and renamed Nestor Lodge. Nestor Kelba, aka Wolverine, leaves a legacy of 55 years of involvement with Kamp Kiwanis and the Kiwanis Club of Calgary, one that will certainly endure in the many years to come. More details will be forthcoming about a Celebration of Life for Nestor and ways to honour his memory for those wanting to give support. Please take a moment to remember Nestor and his family today and if you would like to share your fond memories in the comments, his family, friends and Kamp Kiwanis Staff welcome you to do so. Kiwanis Clubs of Calgary and Area Kiwanis Club of Calgary Chinook Kiwanis Club of Cochrane and Area Kiwanis Airdrie Kiwanis Calgary Northmount Kiwanis Okotoks Kiwanis Western Canada District Alberta Camping Association Calgary Board of Education The Venturers Society

Here's a simple way to help women and children in need. The Brenda Strafford Centre needs donations of toilet paper.