Submitted by Will Arscott 

 

 

The meeting was held in the Main Dining Room at the Saskatoon Club. We were a small but enthusiastic group. President Steven Wilson chaired the meeting. Cashier was Donna Gauthier. Paul Gauthier handled the technology.  

 

The meeting began with members signing ‘O’ Canada.  The blessing was asked by Will Arscott.  Will’s grace emphasized human goodness and service, but he also asked God to comfort the Rusu family. 

  

 

Our only guest was our guest speaker Joline who was on a return to our club and was introduced later in the program.

 

 

The club was surprised and saddened by the passing of Marjorie Rusu, wife of Gary. Marjorie had health issues for the last while that had prevented the Rusu’s usual winter travel. The club members joined in expressing condolences to the Rusu family.

 

 

Donna Gauthier announced that we are down to only $500 in grocery cards. Only Sobeys/Safeway cards remain. They may be gone by the time of this newsletter, but it would be great to have all the cards off our books at the end of the Rotary year which is the end of June.

 

We are down to two meetings remaining in this Rotary year. On June 12 we will have our last regular meeting with our own Elaine Zakreski speaking on her recently completed trip to Malawi.

 

Our final meeting will be the President’s Dinner which will be on the evening of June 26.   President Steve is organizing a special menu with the kitchen of the Saskatoon Club. Look for a notice to RSVP and choose a wonderful dinner for this night. It would be great if as many members as possible came out and helped salute Steve for his hard work over the past year.

 

 

It would seem the news about Marjorie Rusu took some of the joy out of the room. The only Happy and Sad dollars came from President Steven and Wendy Cooper who both put in twenty dollars in memory of Marjorie.

 

 

Joline made her return visit to our club. She was introduced by Avis Hardy.

 

Jolene is the Executive Director of Hope Restored Canada. She grew up on the west side of Saskatoon.  She studied at Bethany College and the University of Saskatchewan. In her formative years she become aware of the exploitation of girls and women in Saskatoon. Despite its name Hope Restored Canada is a local charity operating one facility here in Saskatoon.  In the future they may expand to other parts of the province or even beyond.

 

Hope Restored Canada was founded in 2015 to help girls and women escape from sexual exploitation and trafficking. It is a federally registered not for profit organization. Their mandate has two parts: First, to reach out to those who are being sexually exploited or are recently out of the trade to offer support for a new beginning. Their second mandate is in public education.

 

They opened their home in 2019 and supports about sixty women a year with a long-term program. Normally there are six women including one family with children in the program at any time. Often one of the major goals for women entering the program is to get their kids back.  There are often additional issues around drug and alcohol dependency.

 

Hope Restored Canada offers a long-term program usually lasting six to nine months. The first couple of weeks consists of a stabilization phase. This gives the women a chance to detox and establish a regular schedule. There is an assessment of the individual needs for each client.

 

Most program time is spent doing classes; many of these classes are centered on developing practical skills. Most clients need help addressing the trauma they have suffered in their lives.   In this area many need to reconnect with their aboriginal culture.

 

The final weeks of the program are spent helping the women to prepare for what will happen next in their lives. Many require an educational plan to get their GED or to develop a particular job skill. Often at this point the clients begin to re-integrate with their families.

 

Hope Restored Canada is the only agency offering this type of program in Saskatchewan. The program is largely funded by the government, but corporate and other fundraising is becoming increasingly important.

 

Last year our club was greatly impressed with Joline and the HRC program. The club donated money which was aided by donations from our members. This year we will continue our support.  To that end, President Steven presented a cheque to Joline in the amount of $7,200. Our contribution is used for the special purpose of providing rewards to clients as they move through the program. It is very positive when the clients can get their hair done or get a new outfit which assists their self-esteem growth. Increased self-esteem is critical to their long-term success. More information on Hope Restored Canada can be found anytime at hoperestoredcanada.org.

 

Meeting Adjourned.