ROTARY CLUB OF SASKATOON
February 22, 2021
ZOOM MEETING
President Paul played the O’ Canada tape and Elaine Zakreski recited a moving grace and prayed with us about hugging others through God when we can not do it in person.
There were no visitors and guests as our speaker was our own Jim Weber.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Gary Kerr gave a health of the club report.
- Vic Dubois has hip surgery scheduled for March and may be able to return to work by the end of April. John Davies is doing well. Elwood Flynn still gets around and has good days / bad days with his knees. Otto Ulrich is well. Norm Woodcock is on the mend and Harold Chapman is in hospital (103 yrs. old). Ken Creelman passed away. Claire Heagy has moved into the same complex as the Davies, but Vangie has some mobility issues.
- Co-Op and Sobeys food cards are available. We have about $6,000 right now.
- We have 29 responses to the Member Model survey. A more complete report will come later but the large majority are in favour and other clubs in the district are already doing something like this. The Assistant District Governor is aware.
HAPPY AND SAD DOLLARS
- Mark Gryba just had a birthday and received a special coffee mug that keeps the coffee at a temperature of your choice throughout the day.
- Gary Kerr is sad that the furnace went out in his cabin but happy that he was notified by the security company at 4:00 am and it was resolved by 8:00 am the same morning.
- Peter Voldeng’s daughter has been accepted to chiropractic school in Minneapolis. Now she needs to decide if she wants to do it.
- Mike Giesbrecht gave $ 10.00 for being at the meeting.
- Jim Weber has resumed walks with the dog and the mother-in-law.
- Graham Pearson gave $ 50.00 daughter, Mallory, passing her CPA exam and is with Raymond James. Graham’s brother-in-law was laid off but has a new job with Cubix, a heavy machinery supplier, which he loves. Mike Babcock returns to Saskatoon to coach and a momma deer attends regularly at their property to be fed, scratched behind her ears. I guess you asked for it, Graham!
ROTARY MOMENT
We viewed a moving five -minute video about Hope for Malawi and its beginnings with Elaine and Peter Zakreski. On a flight following a five-county trip of a lifetime that Peter and Elaine had taken. Elaine was talking with a woman who informed her of the plight of the children in Malawi, so many hundred thousand children have been orphaned by AIDS. That led to Peter’s generous contributions to build a shelter and then a clinic, where so little, seemingly, went so far there.
SPEAKER - JIM WEBER
Jim Weber was introduced by Gary Rusu. About 37 years ago a neighbour of Jim’s, Bruce Pendleton, asked him if he was a member of any service club. When Jim replied that he wasn’t because he was too busy, Lorne said, ‘are you too busy to eat lunch on Monday?’ Jim attended a meeting and was impressed with a project that the club was then involved with and the rest is history. Jim has been on the World Community Service Committee ever since.
Jim told us about the beginnings and the evolution of the Becas program. The roots of the program were in the Rotary volunteers giving food to the children, families really, who relied on the dump to live in Puerto Vallarta. This grew into financial support so the children could attend school. Other clubs had already started a program when Jim became involved, but there was a point in 2008 where 6 students lost their support because their American Sponsors had been hit hard by the downturn in their economy. Jim found 6 new sponsors in Saskatoon and from then on Saskatoon was much more involved with the program. Over the years, with the help of Allan Lebiszczak, an accountant, and member of our club, Becas has built up a surplus fund which covers emergencies such as a loss of sponsors. A club in Calgary had been sponsoring 25 students from a grant that had been obtained three years earlier but in 2015 the grant ran out and new sponsors were needed. Our club obtained 23 sponsors after Calgary had found two scholarships.
From 2005 until now $ 660,961.91 has been sent to sponsor students. The students must do their part, however, and to qualify they must have and 85 % or higher average and they must be poor. Donations of laptops and musical instruments have greatly enhanced their learning, and these are regularly shipped down to Puerto Vallarta.
A Repayable Scholarship Program was set up in the last few years where successful students, once working, can give money back to the program and help other students in the same position they were several years before. This is entirely voluntary and, because no document or commitment is signed, it does not offend any banking laws in that country.
COVID has curtailed a lot of the work and many contacts Jim would normally have down there are shut off for now, which is unfortunate, but interest in the community has built up very well over the past and referrals to possible sponsors come from unexpected places when things are normal.
Thanks, Jim, for all the work done by you and your committee.
Next Meeting - April 5th with a Rap Update by Winston Blake
- reported by Steve Wilson
