Submitted by Will Arscott

 

 

The meeting was held once again in the Main Dining Room at the Saskatoon Club. We were all properly greeted at the door by past-president Wendy. Emcee for the meeting was President Jack The meeting began with members singing O Canada. It was billed to be a group effort and even with our smallish number we did a credible job. 

 

The blessing was asked by Elaine Zakreski who recently returned from an extended stay in Malawi. Elaine pointed out that the most important love is the love we give away. This forms the basis of the Rotary goal of ‘Service Above Self.’ In many ways compassion is what drives our lives in Rotary. Cashier for this meeting was Wayne Palmer. Mark Gryba handled technology.   The meeting was joined by Prem Sharma on Zoom.

 

 

When we came to this item on the agenda, we didn’t have any visitors or guests. Over the course of the meeting, we were joined by visiting Rotarian Rafiq Ahkar from India by way of France. Many of us had the pleasure of meeting Rafiq at the BBQ at Jack’s. We were also joined by a prospective member Kelechi Agubata who we hope to hear more about soon.

 

 

No report.

 

 

Donna Gauthier reported that we have Sobey’s grocery cards available in denominations of $50 and $100.  Please speak to Donna before or after the meeting or call to arrange purchase. Our application for Co-op cards has gone in and we are waiting on approval and receipt of the cards.

 

Paul Gauthier reported that the organization of the craft fair is going very well under the direction of Linda Petrow. To date 68 of 75 tables are rented. This year’s event will take place at the Prairieland Exhibition. It will be important to advertise the event and get people to attend.  The club appreciates Linda’s efforts with this project.

 

 

Lots of our members had news to share and some significant funds were raised. Maybe the funds raised from this meeting should be specifically earmarked for the polio relief effort in Gaza.

 

 

 

Paul Gauthier as Foundation Chair presented Elaine with her Paul Harris Plus 2 pin.  Congratulations Elaine. We all know that this is only a small part of your overall commitment to philanthropy. You and Peter have made a huge contribution to Saskatoon and the world. Thank You!

 

 

 

 

President Jack needed no introduction and didn’t get one.

 

Jack began by reviewing our most recent activities: The club had a fairly busy month of August.   We held a regular meeting and a very successful and well-attended BBQ at Jack’s farm. In between we had a service event to mark the opening of the Space on H.

 

On Saturday August 17^th our members manned a BBQ at the Space on H. This event was an opportunity for people in the community to visit and learn about the activities of the Space on H.  The day started with heavy rain in the morning and ended with lighter rain later in the day, but we had a dry period for the event. The BBQ came from Boryski’s and worked well. Over 200 burgers were cooked and consumed. The crowd was smaller than it would have been had the weather been better, but the event was appreciated by all. There were leftover burgers that were contributed to a volunteer appreciation event for the volunteers at the Space on H. We had lots of members out to help and there was lots of opportunity for social time. It was particularly great to see both Dave Sundby and Vic Dubois present at the event.

 

Mark Gryba is to be thanked for his tenacity and insistence on recognition for our club. The exterior sign was up for the event. It is quite large and violates city signage rules, but it is up and will be a good advertisement for our club.

 

Jack went on to review recent correspondence he has received as the president of our club:

 

There was a reminder of the breakfast to salute member Vic Dubois on his retirement from radio management. The event is this Friday at 7am rather than 8am. Tickets are still available from the CJWW website.  All proceeds go to the Saskatoon City Hospital Foundation. As mentioned, it was good to see Vic at the Space on H event and he reassured us that he intends to continue his on-air radio work even though he is looking forward to turning management over to a younger generation.

 

September 8^th was Rotary Literacy Day. Out club undertook nothing specific to this event but much of our work both locally and internationally supports literacy.

 

Our District 5550 Governor Peter Tonge will be visiting Saskatoon on October 23^rd and 24^th.  He will not be visiting our club as such but will be attending a noon meeting and breakfast. These events are open to all Rotarians. Jack promises an email with further information as the date grows closer.

 

The district is taking applications for governor for the 2027-2028 Rotary year. If any members have an interest the application form is available from Jack.

 

In district news overall membership has fallen significantly. It is important to get overall membership up above 1,000.  If this is not achieved, we could face redistricting which would cause disruption. To achieve this goal the district is offering a payment of $140 for each new member registered. Increasing membership needs to be among our goals for this year. There is a need to look at membership initiatives both in our own club and on a five-club basis in Saskatoon.

 

World Polio Day is on October 24^th. Jack distributed two articles about the new polio situation in Gaza. They are both worth reading. The first is from Rotary and deals with our participation in the effort to immunize the children of Gaza. The second is from the New York Times and is a longer and much bleaker article. Reports to date are that the effort in Gaza is underway and is going as well as could be expected in such difficult circumstances.

 

Jack expressed thanks to Avis Hardy who has now posted the meeting dates for the remainder of this year on the website.

 

President Jack will be away from October 16^th to 31^st.  He was not very specific about his plans but said something about the cooking and wine in France being outstanding.

 

The final part of the presentation dealt with the plans for our club for the coming year. There are two large concerns: membership and fundraising. New initiatives are required in both these areas. At future meetings club members will be asked to brainstorm and consider ideas in both these areas. The Board is hoping to bring ideas to the membership for refining and development.

 

The budget for both local and international will be set at $7,700 for this year. This is money we already have. Next year’s budget will reflect the success we have in our fundraising efforts for this year.

 

Jim Weber is considering undertaking another raffle if he can find the help he needs.  Please stay tuned for further developments.

 

The club may undertake two grant applications for this year: Prem has already applied for a district grant for his project in Nepal. Maureen may be ready to apply for her second global grant for Joy’s Home in Uganda.

 

Our Foundation Dinner, a potluck, will be held the evening of November 4^th at Mayfair United Church. This was a very successful event last year. Paul will speak at this event and is hoping to review the grant process.

 

Steve Wilson very briefly brought us up to date on Adventures in Technology. There is agreement that the program should continue but the issue is in obtaining sufficient billets.  Without the billets it is not likely to continue. Steve will keep the club informed on progress. It is a good opportunity to advertise Saskatoon.

 

There is a desire to have more hands-on events. Jack would like to find opportunities beyond the Friendship Inn.

 

Steve Wilson expressed thanks to President Jack for taking on a second presidency. I think all members feel we are in good hands for the next Rotary year.

 

 

Next meeting date is September 23.