Submitted by Will Arscott 14^h of June 2017

MEETING RECAP - Meeting at Bessborough Presided by President Jack

Becas Update - Jim Weber

Greeter - Gary Rusu (and grocery card salesman)

Cashier - Paul Gauthier

Set-up - Al Morton and Wayne McGillivray

Sergeant - Steve Wilson

Visitors and Guests - Adriana Van Duyvendyk

 

O Canada - was sung. Even with Wayne it was a small but determined choir at this week’s meeting. Come on people it is summer but we still want to see you out if at all possible.

 

Grace - Al Morton did an excellent grace with a long quotation from Mother Teresa about how science leads to faith and eventually to service to others and then peace. As Rotarians we want to achieve peace through our service.

 

Visitors and Guests - Adriana Van D

Bwaya Norsum was introduced from Ghana. It would turn out later that Norsum is assisting the Becas project with IT. He bravely battled our projection system throughout the meeting holding a microphone to the laptop to put it on the PA so our members could hear the videos Jim presented.

 

 

Last Club Meeting at KG School: President Jack remarked briefly on how successful this event had been. Thanks to Joanne Fisher for her help in arranging. It was great for the club to see the room we are helping to provide. The room does have a feeling of being a community room rather than a classroom.

 

Dues Are Now Due: You only have until June 15^th to avoid the additional $25 cost for this year. Despite the efforts made we only have some twenty-two paid members. PLEASE GET YOUR DUES IN.

 

Meewasin Rotary Lobsterfest: Rib Jasper has confirmed that our club sold twenty-three tickets and will have raised close to $1,000 for our club projects. Thanks to all from our club who attended.

 

Board Meeting: Will be held at the usual location this Wednesday at 7:00 am.

 

Grocery Cards: We still have far too much club money tied up in this inventory particularly with our year end approaching. Thanks to all who buy regularly. Special thanks to Gary Emde who called by Gary R and ordered $1,000 worth. Please plan your BBQ season to help us reduce this holding.

 

President’s Dinner: Will be held at the Saskatoon Club the evening of June 26^th. There will be no regular Monday meeting on that day. Please get your ticket order or at least confirm your attendance with Mark. He needs to know numbers to pass along to the Saskatoon Club. Unfortunately, you cannot just show up for this event. Mark’s email is mgryba@gmail.com. Please come and help the club kick President Jack’s a** out the door.

 

Centennial Celebration and Dinner: Plans are going well and tickets are for sale on Picatic. To date sales have been very slow as they usually are ahead of Rotary events.

 

Regina Eastview Golf: All Rotarians are invited to participate in this event. The brochure was sent out with the information for this meeting. If you do not have and are interested see President Jack.

 

Tim Cholowski: Regrettably has taken a one year absence from our club. He made a $500 donation towards our centennial.

 

 

Sergeant at Arms: Steve Wilson

 

Steve started with a bevy of fines: You were fined if you were dressed more casually than Steve; if you did not attend the event at KG school; if you have not gotten your ticket for the President’s dinner. Especially you were fined if you made any disparaging remarks about Sydney Crosby over the course of the hockey play-offs. Steve’s time was short and profitable for the Rotary Foundation.

 

 

H Graham Pearson for selling his hair for $1,220 to cancer charity. He certainly looks lighter. He says he is now much cooler. Graham, I hope you have a hat for the fishing trip as we do not want you to have sunstroke or a fried pate.

 

S Gary Rusu for the proposed provincial tax on insurance premiums. Will Arscott also put in a sad dollar on this. People should not be taxed for seeking to meet their responsibilities. Saskatchewan would be the only province with such a tax. If you agree contact Gary and join the petition.

 

H & S Mark Gryba for travelling to Portland with his sons to seek accommodations for his studies at chiropractic school. Also happy for the two Blue Jay games in Seattle where the Jay’s fans far outnumbered the hometown Mariners fans.

 

H Wayne McGillivray for that pesky Sidney Crosby. Also was impressed with the Roughriders and now believes the coach should not be fired (at least till after the first league game).

 

H Wayne Storozuk for trip with daughter and successful run. Believes his daughter will have a better time when she is able to run without being five month’s pregnant.

 

H Jack Brodsky for being a hockey fan but glad to see the end of a very long season.

 

 

 

Jim spoke with considerable passion about the Becas program in Puerto Vallarta. Jim admits that he has really found place and meaning for himself in this program. He knows these feelings are returned by the people the program touches in PV.

 

Over time the program has grown from ten students to over 105 students in three schools. Several hundred students have now gone through the program. This year saw the loss of one major donor but the twenty-three students released were able to continue to receive scholarships with only a minority having to be funded out of the contingency reserve established for situations like this.

 

Altogether $350,000 has been spent with only about 1% of this money coming from our club. Jim is always seeking more support. He knows the program requires support beyond our club and beyond Rotary as Rotary pockets are only so deep.

 

A short video was played in which three students thanked the program for the change it had made in their lives. The students were obviously bright and had good English skills. The real success of the program is that these students are going further than they ever thought they could. They are finishing high school and going on to college choices they once thought were not available to them. In the process they come to feel much better about themselves. This extends to their whole families as the parents take pride in the student’s accomplishments. The students model for their younger siblings who also begin to aim and go higher.

 

The big need now is to create a sure and stable future for the program. This comes in two parts financial and administrative. Both parts are important. Jim believes that without solving these two areas that succession will not be successful. Ultimately, the program must be able to function without Jim. On the administrative side, programs are needed to track both donors and students. Technology can also streamline and simplify administration. A simple example is issuing instant tax receipts for donations. The best model is for the donor to sponsor a student through their participation in the program; though in the practical world this is not always possible.

 

The Becas website is up and will be expanded. Bwaya Norsum is helping Jim and is now Jim’s newest best friend. Aim is to have better communication throughout using devices such as mail chimp. The site will have messages from the students as well as testimonials from donors. Jim asked our members who are donors/sponsors to consider making a short testimonial for the site. Jim wanted the testimonials to describe what the donors have received out of the program. The intention is for internet outreach to find donors looking to support a program such as Becas.

 

The plan to ask for repayment of funds paid is moving ahead and has been well received by the students in the program. The idea is that the students will re-pay the money that has been spent for their education as they are able. This is non-binding. A letter of intent to re-pay will be taken from each student. Often students want to help fund education for their own siblings before undertaking the repayment for their education. Jim knows that repayment will never reach 100%. Even if repayment reached 50% it would allow the program to reach a much greater and of Puerto Vallarta and Santa Barbara.

 

Jim took several questions. Yes, donations of laptops are still needed as well as any available Kindles or Kobos. Books are expensive in Mexico but many can be downloaded for free.

 

Jim was thanked for his service by President Jack who remarked about his obvious passion.

 

 

 

Meeting June 26^th President’s Dinner at the Saskatoon Club in the evening.