ROTARY CLUB OF SASKATOON
March 10, 2025
MEETING AT THE SASKATOON CLUB
President Jack chaired the meeting.
Members sang O Canada. Elaine Zakreski recited grace.
Mark Gryba handled technology. Cashier was Donna Gauthier. Don Lepp was the greeter and introduced guests, Barnard Akinyem, a visiting Rotarian from Winnipeg, and Dorothy Hudson of the Nutana Club who was introduced more formally before her presentation to the members.
HEALTH OF THE CLUB: Jack announced that Drew Byers had recently passed away. His celebration of life will be on May 25, 2025, at the Western Development Museum at 1:30 pm. Wayne Palmer is having some surgery and will be away for two to three weeks.
HAPPY AND SAD DOLLARS
- $150 sad dollars from Jack for Drew Byers and a further $50 happy dollars for a great trip to New Zealand.
- $50 happy dollars from Don Lepp for the win by the Men’s University hockey team. They now move on to the national championships. Another $50 because he must leave early to meet with a contractor.
- $100 happy dollars from Elaine who was in Mexico and had the chance to attend the awards evening, seeing Jim Weber win a special award with the scholarship program there. There were also many happy and grateful students present at the awards event.
- $50 sad dollars from Paul for Wayne and for Drew.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Donna Gauthier has Grocery Cards available from Safeway and Sobeys.
There is a Rotary-wide club social on March 17 from 5:00 to 9:00pm at the Saskatoon Club. This is a Monday night. Cost is $25 at the door. Let the North Club know if you are planning to attend. They asked to know by March 10 so if you are interested let them know immediately - Bob Anderson and Joanne Dignean are the contacts.
Presentation
Maureen introduced Dorothy Hudson who has been a Rotarian with the Nutana club for 23 years. Dorothy has also spent two years in Nigeria with the polio efforts and has also served in Nepal and Tibet. She is here to speak to us about the global grant project in Ghana which is all about sanitation and water quality.
The project is to do with empowering rural communities. The lead contact in the Nutana club is Asit Sarkar. They are linked with the rotary club of Bobotanya in Ghana. Local Rotarians on the committee are Hannah Enti-Brown (a nurse), Bob McGillivray, Jim Gillis (a lawyer) and Dorothy Hudson.
They also have some support from the rotary club of Nova in Michigan as well as Dr. Alhassan at the faculty of medicine, U of S. He is taking some students to the site in May.
The community, whose name is Kalbeo, has about 1500 people. The area raises crops and livestock.
A bore hole is being dug to access fresh water, along with additional catch basins. Toilets will be installed which are designed to be flushed with approximately one cup of water. The refuse will be stored in a shallow tank which will compost for two years and then it can be used as fertilizer.
The costs are as follows:
Boring hole $4,920
Micro Flush $30,905
Wash Transoms $32,210
Travel Costs $12,685.00
Next Meeting - March 24. Presenter is Bronwyn Eyer on American tariffs and Canada’s future energy independence and where Saskatchewan fits in.
- reported by Steve Wilson