Submitted by Will Arscott 

 

 

This meeting was held in person at the Saskatoon Club. We were joined by Tim Squires and Graham Pearson on the Zoom option. President Mark was our MC. Cashier was Wayne Palmer.  Technology was handled by Mark Gryba and Paul Gauthier.  Thanks to Avis Hardy for setting up the roster. Greeter was Jack Brodsky.

 

We began with sung ‘O’ Canada.  Gary is rapidly becoming an old hand at leading us in the anthem. The blessing was asked by Al Morton who started with a quotation from Prime Minister Lester Pearson on the importance of seeking peace in our world.

 

 

Our only guest was our presenter, Brenna, who was introduced later in the program.

 

 

No report. 

 

 

Rotary Club of Saskatoon Lottery: This was spoken to by both President Mark and by Jim Weber.  Mark spoke about the importance of all members becoming involved in the fundraising projects.  We are now a club of only about 30 members, and we need everyone to contribute to have a successful project.  Jim reported that the tickets would be available for sale as soon as the licensing was completed.  A sample list of some very exciting travel prizes from another club was passed around at the meeting as an example of what we could try to get for prizes.  Jim is still looking for some prizes in the $500 to $700 range.  Golf or hotel packages would be most welcome.  Specifically, we are looking for a prize or two that would be of particular interest to women.  A spa package might be a good example. Thanks to Jim, Paul Gauthier, and Tim Squires for their work in shepherding this project.

 

U.S. Open Golf Pool: This is the second golf pool and tickets are available. By the time this Rotateller is published the players will have teed off and tickets will no longer be available. This project has the potential to raise as much as $10,000 if it is fully supported.

 

Board Meeting: The last meeting of the year will take place on Wednesday June 22 by Zoom.  President Mark announced that Will Arscott will be taking over Marc Cheriyan’s position as program director. Welcome back to the Board, Will!  Mark emphasized that the program director is a coordinator position and that it is the responsibility of all club members to suggest presenter names and help develop programs for our meeting.

 

District Conference: The Saskatoon Rotary Clubs are hosting the 2023 conference. An organizing committee has been set up and this will be a traditional in- person conference. Our club rep will be Steve Wilson. Please contact him if you can help.

Our last meeting of the year – our President’s Dinner - will take place on Monday, June 27.  It will be a supper meeting rather than lunch, and as usual, spouses or significant others are also invited to attend. Please let President Mark know if you can attend as we need to give numbers to the Saskatoon Club.

 

Grocery Cards:  Please see Donna Gauthier and be prepared for the July long weekend. Please contact her to order your cards. They can be ordered now to be available at the next meeting or they can be delivered. 

 

 

 

 

 

Brenna was introduced as the new development and communications director of the Saskatoon Housing Initiatives Program (SHIP). She was born and raised in Saskatoon and is a graduate of the U of S. She is now pursing an advanced degree from Athabasca University.

 

The goal of the SHIP program is to help individuals and families that would have trouble obtaining quality affordable housing. Their program is a holistic program. On one side they work with individuals who would have problems finding housing. In many cases, there is a need for additional services such as addiction counselling and mental health services.  In this regard the SHIP program works with groups such as the Friendship Inn and the Tribal Council. It is estimated that up to 85% of the people in Saskatoon who suffer homelessness are of indigenous descent. The goal is to provide ‘wrap-around’ support which will allow people to maintain a more stable housing situation.

 

The second major area is to work as a facilitator between government agencies and builders supplying low-cost housing to the Saskatoon market. The city has created the Homelessness Action Plan which provides a basis for much of this work.  Much of the funding for new construction comes from the Federal Government. In the last year, for which numbers have been published (2020), there were about 475 homeless people in Saskatoon. New numbers will be finalized soon, and that number has grown over the pandemic.

 

Brenna was thanked by President Mark. In recognition, the regular donation will be made to Bethany Homes.

 

 

Next Meeting is the President’s Dinner on June 27, 2022