ROTARY CLUB OF SASKATOON
OCTOBER 31, 2016
TERRACE LOUNGE, HOTEL BESSBOROUGH
WAYNE led O’ Canada and AVIS said Grace
CLAIRE delivered the Visitors and Guests . We had Earl Newton a visiting rotarian from Saskatoon North and we were introduced to Twyla Hale, a prospective member, a guest of
Bill Johnson .
ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM PRESIDENT JACK:
- Next week is the tour of the Police Station . We start with a regular meeting at noon . Chief Weighill is our guest speaker . After the meeting the tour is at 1:00 pm . We come in the main entrance and parking is on the west side of the building
- Rock for RAP is on November 18
- On November 22nd there is a planned District Grant Webinar, which will be held at the Saskatoon Club .
- Grocery cards are being ordered . In particular Safeway and Sobey’s cards .
- Congratulations were delivered to Bev Dubois who won her seat on City Council . She was present along with her husband Vic Dubois .
DAVE SUNDBY led the main part of the meeting, calling upon some of the members to give reports .
- Mike LeClaire spoke on RAP . The meeting two Thursdays ago was very well done . He
says that the communication team of RAP is very important and there are some good members, among whom are Laurie Hopkinson, Carol, Deena, and Winston . Fund raising is going well and the finance department is strong . What Mike would like to see is a proper program evaluation, which would be an academic exercise, that would demonstrate to prospective benefactors its viability and achievement of goals .
- Paul Gauthier spoke about the Foundation Dinner . We are closing in on our $4,700 minimum goal . We have 31 coming to the dinner paying $ 60.00 each . We will be presenting 11 Paul Harris and Multiple Paul Harris pins . Making contributions online is the best way to send in money .
- Maureen Torr and Earl Newton . Joy’s Home of Hope . A challenge Maureen has run into is how slowly information is obtained . There are children whose profile she was trying to get and it took several months . There are about 25 more children that could still be sponsored at about $ 35.00 per month (or year) . They are running both an orphanage and a community school . Saskatoon is showing great support in the Bridges paper, recently devoting two pages on its report . They are partnering with Marion Graham and Howard Code schools writing letters with the kids in Uganda .
Earl spent 25 days in Uganda . He observed the children to be happy, healthy, and learning . There was even a Grade 5 class who made up a lesson at night so they wouldn’t get behind in the curriculum . He was a curiosity to the kids, touching his hair because they had never seen it so white and so long . Uganda has a rotary water plus program . With water and sanitation the challenge is to get people to actually use the toilets rather than the bush as was their custom .
- Avis mentioned that the King George school Christmas event is on December 21st . Donations are needed, in particular gifts suitable for men .
- Dave Sundby explained the volunteering for the Enchanted Forest . Dave and Peter Zakreski are the volunteers from our club . There are also two from the Nutana Club . They are taking payment for entry between November 17th and January 10th . The evening sessions are usually between 5:00 pm and 10:30 pm . The cost per car has gone up from $30.00 to $33.00 . If we would like to help we would not be replacing one of those four but we would be a helper at their ‘elbow’ to keep up on everything so that at the end of the night things could be wrapped up sooner .
- Malawi . Peter Zakreski said that the presentation they made at our club has been made at some schools as well and there are three more to go . There is an invite only brunch event on the 4th at the Sheraton Cavalier . Wayne is singing O’ Canada and there is also a vocalist who will be there . They are preparing a new container . A carpentry class from one of the schools is setting up in such a way that it can be used to supplement an office space after it arrives and is emptied . The Concorde group has been generous with warehouse space . This shipment there will be 30 wedding dresses which will be used to rent out in Malawi and this will be another funds raiser . They have sponsors locally who are assisting: Globe Printers and Action Wear . The plan is to stay in the current area until 2020, by which time every aspect of the plan will have been carried out . After that they would start over in a new area .
- Bekkus . Jim Weber started by saying the web site is almost ready but not quite . They did not have a Bekkus dinner this year . There are other fund raising efforts in the works such as a live tasting event at a local pub . They will hook up with Kiwanis in September of 2017 to sell apples . The challenges in Puerta Vallerta are that local people have made promises but have not fulfilled them. One good thing, though is that they have started a program where once a student has graduated and working they are invited to pay back their own scholarship . This will, of course, allow the money to be used for a new student.
They still have a used lap top program .
SERGEANT - DAVE SUNDBY
- Happy and Sad Dollars . Bev Dubois gave happy dollars for her election win . She will try to attend meetings as much as she can . Jack gave happy and sad dollars for Atchison’s loss but enjoyed the campaign . Bill Johnson, also for the Mayor’s campaign . Dave spoke of his airline travel and turning around because of fog . Earl was happy to be here and for the program in Uganda . Wayne was happy to be at Mosaic and happy the Chicago Cubs still have a chance . He’s also happy with the scotch whiskey the Jim supplied .
There is a meeting of the 100th Birthday Committee after this meeting .
- Steve Wilson
