Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting 21 April, 2015 - Katie DeRosa on Asylum Seekers

Reporter: Renate Gibbs

Renate busy taking notes, and Bill with an incongruous armful

Photos: Steve Sharlow and David Sills

Steve Sharlow kindly stepped into the role of MC, citing the value of our Rotary Magazine, given that it is Rotary Magazine Month.  He shared how a past article on the topic of “transitions for retirees” stimulated his conversations with others.

O’Canada was sung, and Grace provided by Perry Bamji with the theme of appreciation, for 164 countries that benefit from Rotary Clubs.

Guests:

Peter Laurie introduced guests in attendance: Katherine Duncan, (a former Oak Bay Club member); Rosemary and John Knechtel  from Hamilton and Ancarter, Ontario; Kristi Foster with Rotaract, and Katie DeRosa, today’s speaker.

Announcements:

• Steve Sharlow let us in on the secret Facebook question of whose shoes were in the photo. Lance Shaver guessed correctly that it was none other than Peter Laurie’s shoes.
• Joan Peggs collected the Spring Spectacular newspaper clippings for George Jay School, and encouraged any Flag monies collected to go to David Maxwell.
• Heather Aked encouraged all silent auction items to go directly to Leslie at Monterey Centre by May 5th.  
• The Victoria Hospital Foundation thanked the club for a generous donation to support a Blood Pressure monitor.  
• Heather requested we let Brian Lamb know our intent for next year’s membership as the report for our actual numbers are reflected in our fees.  A July  post-dated cheque is due by the first week of May, 2015.
• Neil Rawnsley reported that our progress with  the Car Raffle is going well; sharing his thanks for the drivers and volunteers who filled shifts to date – we will need to cover 3 shifts during the TC Run.
  
  
  
• Jim Force thanked John Jordan for his work in Rwanda, and  John thanked the club for the $2,500 donated by our members, on behalf of the students who would have an opportunity to attend university because of this amount.
  
  
  
• Joan Firkins encouraged greater club participation for the New Orleans Dinner as this event is just 2 weeks away.  44 more tickets need to be sold, and more silent auction items are needed urgently.
  
  

       

Guest speaker

Vicky Scott introduced the guest speaker, Katie DeRosa. Katie is a journalist with the Times Colonist, a District Rotary Winner, and a Global Applicant for the London School of Economics.

Katie opened with the story of the MV Sun Sea, carrying nearly 500, which arrived on our shores in August, 2010.  Asylum seekers  are now affected by  Bill C31, the new “Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act,” which became law in December 2012. Amongst other provisions, this Act authorizes mandatory detention for groups of refugees without documentation, for 12 months, without review. (For Katie's Times Colonist article click here.)

The tragedy of  refugees escaping Northern Africa and trying to cross the Mediterranean for Europe, but dying at sea in increasing numbers, due to unseaworthy boats and cut-backs in funding for  water rescue operations by Italy, has been in the news lately.  To date, the incentive to leave war torn or impoverished countries for a chance at freedom in Europe, has left over 1700 dead in the first 4 months of 2015, compared to 2400 who died in  2014.

Katie spent some time in Australia, studying its refugee policies and shared her video clip of a refugee interviewed in Sydney, Australia, in "community detention" in a private home while his case for refugee status is being  reviewed.  This refugee is a participant in the "Refugee Art Project" which seeks to provide a creative outlet for detainees and enables them to tell their story through art. There is a significant mental health trauma due to the indefinite wait for a host country to accept them. (For Katie's article on this person click here.)

The Australian  government has sought out countries to take the asylum seekers, who are intercepted at sea, through monetary incentives. Refugees can volunteer to resettle in Cambodia and Papua New Guinea.

Katie questioned Canada’s shift from being a nation of immigrants, to now having laws creating barriers to those seeking refugee status in our country.  Questions from the audience included aspects of the Express Entry Visa for skilled immigrants; the implications of human smuggling and trafficking, and criminal elements. A thought to ponder is how can the world respond to the atrocities to which  various countries subject  their people, that result in such desperate attempts to flee, despite the risk to their lives.  Katie promised to use her time at the London School of Economics to find the solutions to this challenging problem!

Naida Hyde thanked Katie for the informative talk on an important topic.

Steve Sharlow closed the meeting without the Queen!

Katie and her Rotary Mug with Steve S.

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting 14 April, 2015

Reporter: Ron Cooley

Photos: Steve Sharlow

The meeting was held at the Oak Bay  Rec. Centre. President Jim opened the meeting with a joke about how the residents from Oak Bay had to be restrained from returning (if) they got to heaven.

Pablo Diemecke said Grace

Mary Canty introduced our visiting Rotarians:  Eero Viitanen  from Pirkkala Rotary Club in Finland and Mark Bedford from Penticton

Guests:

Anneliese Sanghara from the Rotaract Club of Victoria

Johanna Kaipio from Finland guest of Eero Viitanen

Perry Bamji announced that the International committee, with the help of Peter Lawrie and John Jordan, raised $2,405 from the sale of the Rotary Club of Oak Bay's 40th Anniversary DVD.

The DVD was sold after John Jordan's talk on his work in Rwanda last meeting.  They had hoped to raise $500 which would provide 1 student with tuition and room and board for 10 months at University.  They raised another $95 at today's meeting which will provide for 5 students.

Jim Laing was our Celebrations Master- He called on his experience as a sports announcer to levy huge fines to both hockey fans and non fans.

Happy/Sad:

Wendy Townsend was happy she was going to Hawaii

Jim Force was happy his oil tank was not contaminated when it was dug up.

Lorna Curtis was happy that she would focus on shopping next time she was Celebrations Master.

Mark Bedford was fined $5 for interrupting Jim Laing during his Hockey -Stanley Cup declamation.

Ron Cooley had a sad $5 as he was follicley discriminated against by Dallas Chapple and was forced to shave off his goatee to avoid constant fines.

Brian Lamb explained to us how the 50/50 draw was actually a 50/25/25 draw with 50% going to club and the balance split in half for the weekly draw and 1/2 going to the pot to be won if you chose the correct marble.

Wendy Townsend won the weekly draw. She said she won last time she went to Hawaii. Good thing for the rest of us she does not commute from there.

Speakers:

Lorna Curtis and Peter Lawrie were our speakers for the week and the topic was the District Training and Leadership Assembly

Lorna said our district 5020 has 88 clubs divided into areas and a territory that runs from Pt. Hardy to Woodland, Washington, including the Olympic Peninsula. We have 16 Assistant

District Governors who cover 5-6 clubs each. They all meet 4 times per year to discuss issues. The District Governor chain is in place to provide continuity for the District. Once confirmed, you  are on a 5 year path.

• District Governor Nominee Elect
• District Governor Nominee
• District Governor Elect
• District Governor
• Past District Governor

 The chairs of the District Governor committee covers issues such as membership, public image and foundation. They assist the clubs with operations.

Peter Lawrie started his talk with the importance of looking good and focused his good looks on his shoes which came up just a bit short of Lorna's shoes (as you would expect). Great try though.

Peter focused on Grant Management. He encouraged members to investigate the Certified Grant Management course. This covers both the Global and District Grants.

When a grant is applied for, the Club President must sign a memorandum of understanding to follow the Rotary International rules surround grants

At least 1 club member must be Certified.

Peter said it was the #1 reason Rotary International rated 4*'s on a study of Charitable groups. We had 2 people in attendance who had 1st hand knowledge of what it takes to complete a final project report. This is especially difficult in places like India and Rwanda where it is not common practice to give receipts. John Jordan had to provide 150 receipts for his report.

Both said it was only scary the 1st time. Mark Bedford thanked Peter for all of his help in completing the final report as it was very frustrating. The International Committee and the District Governor help with the grant application.

Anne McIntyre has a proposal for a youth leadership project in Zambia. The Shoulder to Shoulder Grant shared with Berkley CA for a project in Mexico was approved for $159,000.

It is crucial to go to the Club with your grant proposal as it must be signed off by Lorna, Tav Macpherson or Peter.

It was announced that District Community Grants of $3500 (1st yr for this) with applications from Apr1-June 1, 2015 will be combined for a total of $10,500. It must be a joint USA and Canadian club application.

Be sure to volunteer for the Car Raffle. (Contact Bill Burns if you are unsure how to sign up.) We are partnering with other clubs in Greater Victoria this year. The Victoria Foundation will match our proceeds up to $100,000. BC gaming rants guidelines require that the money be spent locally. This year's launch is at Thrifty Foods Cloverdale and Quadra.

President Jim spoke about paying our dues in May as the money remitted to Rotary International is based on June membership.

We closed the meeting with a YouTube video by the Rotaract Club of Victoria lip dubbing to Taylor Swift's song called "Shake it Off."

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting - 7 April 2015 - Citizenship Judge Pash

Reporter: Lorna Curtis
Photos: David Sills

Where was everyone?? Was it something we said?? Must be the nice weather and everyone is gardening as only about 30 people were in attendance!  Perry Bamji opened the meeting.

Guests:Sanjay introduced guests - Judge Pash and Fiona Bramble

Perry gave a mini program on the Rotarian Magazine and encourages club members to read the Rotarian.  He outlined the great PR the club has received this year.

50/50:

Dallas (Sergeant at Arms) - fined Perry for not being the speaker but giving a program anyway.

She also levied the following fines:

*Those who had ham, turkey, lamb this past weekend,

*Those who did not donate books,

*Those who have not signed up online for car raffle shifts.

Happy/sad dollars - Jack happy, something to do with Bob Schelle not being eaten by a shark in Hawaii. John Edgell happy because $150,000 US RI foundation grant has been approved for a school project in Mexico. Jessica sad as she is taking a leave from Rotary. Eugan happy as he has just returned from a trip to Dublin where he met his 11 pound grandson for the first time.  Joan P. gave a cheque in honour of the anniversary of her father's passing. Wendy happy, son got his iron ring.  Neil R happy for getting two Guinness drink tickets at Ted Harrison’s Celebration of Life.

Announcements:

Brian Lamb - still 50 Mardi Gras tickets left – please invite friends we need to sell these tickets in order to make this event a success!!!!!!

Joan Peggs - TC Butchard of Gardens template now available, bring them to Rotary and they are distributed to local schools - Joan will tell you where squares are if you need help!

Guest Speaker:  John Edgell - introduced Judge Gerald Pash who was appointed Citizenship Judge for British Columbia in 2012, following a 27 year career in radio broadcasting.  He worked for the Department of National Defence for 22 years as a public affairs officer.  He has received many awards in recognition of his commitment to active, engaged citizenship involving health, education, law enforcement, families, women, youth, veterans, heritage, culture, arts and commerce.  He has been a Rotarian for over 40 years and has just moved behind the tweed curtain. He may consider joining the Oak Bay Rotary Club.

Judge Pash asked for a show of hands from those born in Canada before January 1, 1947, and went on to explain these people were actually not born Canadian citizens but rather British Subjects, because until that time, there was no citizenship statute in Canada. In 1911, the largest number of immigrants came to Canada – over 400,000.  At the first Citizenship Court, Alexander Mackenzie King was made the first Canadian citizen and is now on the $50 bill.

Some current requirements in order to become a Canadian Citizen:

• Capable of speaking some English or French (few sentences).
• Permanent residency in Canada – 1095 days in the past 4 years before applying for citizenship. Judge Pash gave some great examples as to why some people apply for exceptions to this rule.
• Demonstrate a knowledge of Canada – Judge Pash circulated sample questions that are asked. (I am sure some Canadians do not know the answer to all these questions!) His favorite duty is the Citizenship ceremony.  

He sometimes asks why people come to Canada and the  most frequent answers are the right to vote, and  freedoms – of thought, beliefs, associations, rights and equality.

Amendments to the Citizenship Act received Royal Assent in 2014 and on June 19, 2014 certain provisions came into force with further provisions coming into force in 2015. (For an explanation of these amendments at the Government of Canada website, click here.) One such amendment provides that applicants will no longer be allowed to use an interpreter to do the test.

Judge Pash reminded us that Vimy Ridge day is Thursday.  Some club members received the Vimy Pin to commemorate Canada’s momentous victory at Vimy Ridge, France, April 9, 1917.  

Judge Pash then performed a citizenship ceremony in both official languages.

Rotary Club of Oak Bay, 31 March 2015 - Tour of Disaster Aid Canada

Reporter and Photographer: Joan Firkins

Approximately 25 Rotarians and guests (Eileen Lavigne and Garon Gisler)) and 3 visiting Rotarians (Kris Zmudzinski, Prince George; Tom Kofin, Edmonton, and Christopher Causton, Victoria Harborside) met at 11:30 a.m. to tour the Disaster Aid Canada facility at 426 William Street, hosted by our very own Anne McIntyre. Anne is the Executive Director of Disaster Aid, formerly known as Shelterbox Canada. The description below is a brief overview of the good works done by Disaster Aid:

“Disaster Aid Canada provides worldwide aid to people displaced by a disaster. Immediate relief will be found with the Disaster Relief Kit.  It includes a 3 room tent, a tool kit, Hygiene Kits, warmth & comfort products and a water filtration system that will provide a family of 10, a years’ worth of drinkable water.

Our Soap for Hope program collects soap & shampoo from hotels which would have ended up in our landfills. The soap is re-packaged to form the Hygiene Kit.  Many illnesses in developing countries can be prevented simply by washing with soap. 

We also have the Little Dress for Africa program and Days for Girls kits. 

Disaster Aid Canada is governed and administered by Canadian Rotarians. We work in partnership with many Rotary Clubs to provide Disaster Relief Kits and Hygiene Kits to their International Projects.

Disaster Aid Canada is made possible by our generous donors who want to help bring relief to those who have lost everything. This gives them hope as they begin to rebuild their lives.”

               Anne answered a number of questions from our members concerning the recent disasters in Vanuatu and the Congo and she explained the relevance of the kits and the soap to each – they are all needed badly. 

Anne was asked what her biggest issues are at the moment and she replied that the restocking of the kits and transportation are a challenge. She then mentioned that a donor has kindly offered to double funding received in the month of April and she has a number of school fundraisers on the go to take advantage of the generous offer – several Rotarians stepped up to the plate and handed over cash to ensure it is doubled!

               After the tour concluded, everyone adjourned to Spinnakers for lunch and a raucous hour of fellowship was had by all! Our thanks to Anne for allowing us to tour the premises and also our thanks for all she and Disaster Aid are doing to make life just a little bit easier for those in need.

           

A future Rotarian found the tour interesting, but it was past his nap time! 

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting of 24 March 2015 - Rwanda Project Update by John Jordan

Reporter: Gordon Quigley

MC Jessica started the meeting on time at 12:15 p.m.   She began her introduction by reminding us that March is Literacy Month and that we should be grateful for our ability to read because literacy leads to many great things such as reading a book or even writing a script.  She then made a logical jump (or perhaps leap…) and announced that the meeting was all about her (more on this later).

Everyone sang O’Canada followed by Lynne Murray saying grace that included the ending – “…we should be grateful for the lessons of service.”

Janette Nation welcomed our guests including visiting Rotarian Kris Zmudzinski of the Prince George, Downtown Club and visitors Juliette Kajuga, hosted by Wolf Schopper and Coleen Force hosted by President Jim.

Announcements:

• Mary Canty asked us to keep Batya and David Westler in our thoughts as they are going through a difficult time and if possible to send them an email so they know we are thinking about them.
• Brian Lamb gave us an update on Mardi Gras Madness ticket sales.  We have 57 remaining unsold tickets with 45 days until the event that will be held on May 9th.  He said we are behind our performance of last year and we need to sell more than 1 ticket per day.   Tickets are $45 apiece so please engage to help us reach our goal.
• Heather Aked continued the Mardi Gras Madness theme by passing a round a sheet to badger (in a nice way) all those who had not yet provided a silent auction item.
• Heather Aked also reminded us that next week’s club meeting (March 31^st) will start with a visit to the Disaster Aid Canada Warehouse and then adjourn to Spinnakers for lunch. Disaster Aid Address: 426 William St, Victoria, BC V9A 3Y9     Phone:  250-595-5974 
• Neil Rawnsley announced that Ted Harrison’s memorial will take place on Saturday, April 4th at 1:30 pm at the University Club at UVIC.

 Celebration Master: 

Fines:  Celebrations Master, Dallas Chapple wasted no time in exhausting everyone’s supply of Loonies and Toonies by starting with group level fines for lack of pins and badges, not having shaken hands with Tom Croft (apparently this week’s appointed secret hand shaker), not bringing or taking any books, and not having yet signed up for the Disaster Aid Canada visit or the Spinnakers meal.  She then went to the individual level fining Ron Cooley for not having got over “Movember”, fining Jessica for the “this meeting is all about me” declaration and finally fining Lori McLeod for spilling a glass of water. 

Anniversaries: Everyone sang an enthusiastic rendition of “Happy Birthday” to Tom Lidkea, David Sills and Brian Lamb. 

Happy and Sad Dollars: This started interestingly with Tom Lidkea telling a joke about the bunny and the python (which frankly I did not understand) this was followed by Vicky Pitt announcing her son’s engagement, John Edgell announcing progress on the Mexican preparatory high school project (everyone keep their fingers crossed that the global grant is approved!).  David Philip fittingly wrapped up this section by telling another joke – something about a frog and a pimple (which again I did not understand– perhaps I was scribing too hard?) 

50/50: John Jordan won the 50/50 (but pulled the black marble).  He promptly donated his winnings to the Literacy Fund – this was a good segue into his presentation where more money would change hands.

Rwanda Project Update – John Jordan:

Lori McLeod introduced our speaker John Jordan, following Perry Bamji strict rule not to say “everyone already knows our speaker”, by telling us one thing that we did not know about John (this one thing cannot be reprinted here - to protect the innocent !!!!!!!).

John began by relating a story of how he met Elias, an 11 year old orphan boy with a tragic history, in

the shop of his friend, Wakazi.  John told of how his heart went out to the boy and how he wanted to help but then hit a mental barrier of what he could reasonably handle in terms of time and resources.  John told us he had been testing a new theory that goes like this: “there is always enough and nothing is ever too complicated”, that he is not alone but is in fact the advanced guard, that he had a network of supporters and that when he says "yes", it will turn out well and the resources will come.  John decided to take him in and soon after, Elias was invited to come home with one of John’s team who had two boys of a similar age. Elias now lives and attends school with his new brothers. 

John then gave an update on the core projects he and his team work on in Rwanda.  These core project are: 

• Rehabilitate 70-100 widows' houses per year. 
• Provide the nurturing environment of a boarding school to 65-70 students. 
• Introduce technology to provide benefits to a hundred that will multiply to benefits for tens of thousands.

This year, our club sponsored a $7000 grant to support widows' houses.  $6000 was spent on 24 houses at a cost of $160 per house.  The $160 per house provides a roof, water, a stove, animal, garden and health insurance.  They also provide a leased field for cultivation to earn enough to sustain them above a subsistence level.  $1000 went to build 6 composting toilets, providing fertilizer that can double the crop yield.

The first technology, the rocket stove introduced 6 years ago, has been a big success with over 10,500 stoves installed and over 100 people trained in their production. These stoves have reached an acceptance level such that they are now considered the standard.  The stove project has become self-sustainable and John and his team will now move on to focus on other new technologies. 

One very promising technology is reusable sanitary pads for girls as they provide a cost effective alternative to keep girls in school while also reducing waste disposal challenges.  John and his team have started local production of pads for sale, trained and hired teachers to present a thorough Reproductive Health curriculum, and built a “room for girls” at local school as a dignified place to change, wash or rest during menstruation.

John made an interesting point on the importance of technology.  In Rwanda, human labour is their only commodity.  Technology multiplies their labour and thus has a compounding effect that helps people raise their standard of living.  Stoves that reduce the amount of time they have to search for firewood and fertilizer from composting toilets, that double their crop yields, both have this multiplying effect.

In subsidising boarding school costs,rather than making it free, for 65 to 70 students per year, they are careful not to devalue education.  To that end, the students and their families sign contracts to pay for a portion of the cost.  They are given animals to raise to give them the income required to fund their portion of the education.  The education initiative is a big success as, for the first time, 4 of the 30 graduates received national merit scholarships to attend university.  This success has created a new challenge as the scholarships provide only for tuition and not for room and board.  Again, John is getting an opportunity to test his theory and has said yes to helping with 50% of these living funds for these students and providing support to help the students earn the other 50%.   To help provide the resources, John is invoking the Rotary tradition of “passing the hat”. 

To support John’s request, Perry Bamji has put together a CD commemorating 40 years of the Oak Bay Rotary Club’s history, for donations of $20 and up.  For donations above $25 John can provide a tax receipt.Please make out your cheque to:  InnovativeCommunities.Org Foundation

Words I will remember from John’s talk:  "There is always enough and nothing is ever too complicated” and “If you say "yes" it will turn out well and the resources will come.”

Peter Johannknecht thanked John by saying that he was touched by what John was doing and how it was a great example of “Service above Self”

President Jim then thanked John Jordan again and thanked Jessica for being the M/C this month.

We closed our meeting with “The Queen”

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting - St Patrick's Day - Flags Program

Reporter: Victoria Pitt 

Jessica Van Der Veen conducted the meeting today

President Jim reminded the members that it is Literacy month and that Orca Books will donate a book for each person who reads a book to a baby and takes a picture .  President Jim encouraged everyone to read a book to baby Ryan who was in attendance and to take that picture!

Win said grace in English and Latin in honour of the Saint’s day.

Rod Sim introduced visiting guests and Rotarians, not allowing any of them to sit down until all were introduced and welcomed. 

Visiting Rotarians:

Charlie Scobie from Sackville, NB

Kris Zmudzinski from Downtown Price George, BC

Baby Garon (sleeping, eating, and pooping)

Roteractor:  Joey Vaesen

Guests:

Eileen Lavigne  - guest of Steve

Alyson Hawksworoth, Margaret Parker, Loretta Dodsworoth, Anne Godin and Phillip Bourne and

Sylvia Bradley – all supporters of the flag program and guests of Joan Peggs

Lesley Ockermueller   - guest of Rod Sim

Health of the Club – Mary reported that David and Batya’s son is not doing well and remains ill in Israel.  David and Batya are in Israel to assist with his care.

Announcements:

Heather: 

• Sign up for the Vocational Visit to Anne McIntyre’s shop (Disaster Aid Canada) followed by lunch on March 31^st – today is your last chance.
• The list for silent auction items is going around to those who have not yet signed up – if it comes to you please fill it in and pass it on to the next person on the list!

Vicky: Please make sure to donate any spare Aeroplan  miles to the club’s Foundation. You can do this through your Aeroplan account on line and thanks to those who have already done so.

50/50 - David Maxwell after 12 years avoiding  it, did duty as the Celebrations Master.

Fines were levied for:

•  not wearing green;
•  for TomCroft whose picture was on the front page of the paper as councillor of our fair city but without a Rotary pin in evidence;
•  the loose Rotary Australia pin will cost the owner ( who was that?);
•  Sandy Curry for the write up about his daughter who is soon to be married because there was no mention of Rotary;
•  Janna and Ryan for doing the 2 for 1 thing;
•  Ron Cooley just because;
•  anyone who has never been to South America;
•  Questions from the Annual Report of TRF included:the number of clubs ( TAV knew!);where the grants went – ( disease prevention, Polio plus,  sanitation and water); Rod’s table did not know that the third highest per capita for giving to the Foundation comes from Canada at $168 per member (we are closer to $300 per member at OB)

Birthdays :  John Jordan was the only one present so he was properly sung to and put money in the pot noting it is the first birthday since he joined the club  7 years ago that he has been here rather than in Rwanda

Happy/Sad dollars:

Mary was happy to welcome Margaret Parker, a longtime friend, to the meeting.

Steve thanked Jack for doing his duty for him and awarded him with a gold star which he affixed to Jack’s lapel.

David Philip (aka Dr. Phil) said this was an auspicious day for Ireland but we should not ignore the Scots or the Welsh.  Scots keep the Sabbath (and anything else they get their hands on), the Welsh pray on their knees (and on their neighbours);, the Irish  fight well  even when they do not know what they are fighting for and; the English are self-made and so relieve the Almighty of any responsibilities. 

The winning ticket #5109 was held by Sandy – his first time winning the draw and he got the white marble as well.

Flags and the Flags Program (Joan Peggs): 

Phil Neroutsos  then introduced our own Joan Peggs to talk about Flags and the Flag program.

Joan introduced her topic by thanking all the subscribers were present and Joe who assisted with preparation of her PowerPoint.

There was a short Video about how Canada got her Flag 50 years ago

Joan also thanked the members of the Flag committee ( Rod, Lorna, Perry, Tricia, Sandy, Jim Force, John Jordan, Peter, Don O’Coffee,  Bob Schell and TAV) who are on the committee She also thanked all the installers( who are too numerous to list here)

Rod then explained the finances of the program which is doing well and making us more money each year so far.  We received the first 100 flags as gifts from the Edmonton club and are now trying to source and order any new flags locally.

We have been able to keep a large number of subscribers and garner new subscribers each year.  The current chair is responsible for about 30-40% of the subscriptions (thank you, Joan!)

Funds have gone to our International programs which are worldwide. Recent projects include: Rwanda, Malawi, Mexico, India and Guatemala.

Local Projects of the club include:

• Trafalgar Park (the look out on King George Terrace)
• Windsor Park Pavilion (contribution to rebuilding)
• The Rotary Teen Area behind Oak Bay Rec. Centre
• The Teen Centre ( Portable) which will soon be donated by us to the LG’s Literacy project once the new centre opens
• The Seeing Eye Cameras at the corner of Foul Bay and Fort St ( provide sounds for those who cannot see)
• The Water Park – this was initially the vision of a Rotarian and has been supported by our club since 1990, when we contributed $90,000 to its original construction.  Over the years we have done an annual maintenance party and contributed to the costs of upgrading and replacing equipment.
•   Bike racks at Cattle point and the Dorset S.t entrance to  Uplands park
• Climbing wall at Oak Bay Rec. Centre, used by children and adults alike.

Locally the club has also donated:

• $3,000 for a Pacemaker clinic to Victoria Hospitals Foundation;
• $52,000 to Eldercare to pay for a bath tub, a wide screen TV , a wheel chair swing and               many other extras in seniors homes;
• Helped with various schools in the area including George Jay, Quadra and Macaulay to             purchase needed items such as smart boards and projectors.

Many thanks to all the Flag subscribers who have supported the program and our projects

As an aside, one of the guests noted that he knew George Stanley, whose design was chosen for the flag.  He was a member of the Rotary Club of Sackville, NB.  The design was achieved by taking the flag of RMC, removing the middle crest and substituting it for a red maple leaf. The design, when submitted, was unanimously chosen by the committee and, the rest is history.

Totem Pole donation matching: 

President Jim informed the club that the Board has approved a donation of $1,000 to the totem pole project.  Anyone in the club who donates to the project will also have their donations matched by the club up to a total of $1,000.  Speak to Rod for details.

Win thanked Joan for her clear presentation and her work on the Flag committee.

President Jim then awarded “Light up Rotary” pins to Anne for driving two kids to RYLA and to TAV for his work at the district level. He also awarded bookmarks to those who have visited the  “ Start Early Facebook page” – Heather, Ron, Tom C, Joan Peggs, Janna, Steve, Joan Firkins, Jessica and Anne M.

The meeting then closed with the singing of “the Queen”  

Rotary Club of Oak Bay Meeting of 10 March 2015 - Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence

Reporter:  Tav Macpherson

MC Jessica Vander Veen started the meeting promptly at 12:15 p.m.  She opened by extolling the value of literacy and the impact that it has on the lifestyle and standard of living of a society.  Standard literacy tests have been developed worldwide.  It appears that even in an advanced country like Canada, literacy rates are of concern.  22% of adult Canadians are not literate and a further 23% function at a very basic level.

After the singing of O’Canada, Cory Burger delivered the invocation.  

Guests: welcomed by Jack Petrie

From Rotaract: Lauren Askew, Jasmine Neville and Ferni Tunde-Oladepo attended.  In addition, Stacey Lund, Lindsay Player and speaker, Kelly Graham (all from PISE) and Sandy Richardson (CEO of the Victoria Foundation) joined us. It is always a pleasure to welcome the offspring of club members and Janna Malo introduced baby Garon and Alexander Evanchuk came along with Heather Aked.

Announcements:

• Mary Canty – the health of the club is good although Renate Gibbs is recovering from foot surgery.
• Heather Aked reminded us of DLTA to be held in Centralia on 27-28^th March.  She also reminded us of the 31^st March club meeting at which we visit Disaster Aid and then adjourn to Spinnakers for lunch. 
• Peter Lawrie gave a reminder of the International Committee meeting.

50/50: Professing to enjoy taking money from everybody, Celebrations Master, Dallas Chapple levied fines for not wearing tags and pins; sitting at the same table as last week; not giving or taking a book; not going to the “Second Best Marigold Hotel” movie; not paying a flag subscription and to Lorna Curtis for looking so good!  Happy and sad dollars were given by Alexander Evanchuk, Cory Burger, Rod Sim and Anne Sims.  Janette Nation won the draw but drew the black marble.

Guest Speaker:

Neil Rawnsley introduced our guest speaker, Kelly Graham from the Pacific Institute for Sports Excellence (PISE).  Last year our club contributed $20,000 of the proceeds from the car raffle to The Adaptive Physical Literacy Program which is administered by PISE.  The Victoria Foundation generously matched our donation. 

Kelly Graham is the Physical Literacy Co-ordinator at PISE.  She organizes 41 physical literacy classes across Victoria and has 23 leaders working with about 700 children.  Kelly holds a Bachelors degree in sport and fitness leadership and has an impressive list of programs in which she has been involved.

Kelly spoke of the Adaptive Physical Literacy program.  Setting the scene, she indicated that society has changed in recent years and children are not getting adequate physical activity.  Because "screen" time is increasing drastically, only 9% of boys and 4% of girls in Canada are meeting the guidelines for daily activity (60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical exercise).  Unstructured play is becoming extinct and walking to school and playing in the park are examples of activities that are disappearing.  The result is seen in poor health, both physical and mental, in our children.  Obesity, diabetes and diminished bone density are just a few of the indicators. 

Physical Literacy is the development of fundamental movement skills such as running, jumping, throwing, catching and kicking.  All these skills are important not only in sports and games but also in every-day living.  Confidence and competence makes every day living far more enjoyable.

PISE has a commitment to providing physical literacy programs to those who might not otherwise have access to them including vulnerable youth, children and teens with disabilities, aboriginal youth and low-income families.  These groups often face barriers.  Finances may be a problem but also a lack of information and input are adversities.  Schools rarely have the resources to teach physical education to the physically and mentally challenged and many programs are not user-friendly to them.  A high degree of creativity and empathy is required in establishing programs.

PISE’s vision is to be recognized as a passionate and innovative leader contributing to sport and physical excellence in Canada.  The program leaders start with a “yes” in mind when they are faced with a challenge and understand that they need to accommodate unique situations.  There are four unique programs for children with disabilities.

• I CAN have physical literacy, a partnership with the Canucks Autism Network, in which a number of different visual aids have been developed to held non-verbal participants
• Community Connections, a partnership with Community Living Victoria.
•  Power Play also with Community Living Victoria
•  Early Childhood Intervention, in partnership with the Queen Alexandra Centre. For further information, visit www.piseworld.com

Kelly concluded by thanking the Rotary Club of Oak Bay and the Victoria Foundation for their financial support and for the opportunity to inform us of the incredible work performed by PISE and the leaders who help youth gain physical literacy.

There was a question period followed by Heather Aked’s eloquent thanks to Kelly Graham on behalf of all those in attendance.

Lorna Curtis reported on the Rotary Car raffle.  Nine of the 11 local clubs have agreed to participate this year.  Thrifty Foods is offering incredible support by providing the vehicle, a Nissan Rogue, and assisting with the banners and marketing. The Victoria Foundation has agreed to partner in the program and the aim is to raise funds to form a collaborative  network with other charities for the distribution of food items that would otherwise go to waste. Lorna called for volunteers to administer the Car raffle.

MC Jessican Vander Veen closed the meeting after the singing of “God Save the Queen”.

(Editor's note - Dr. Perry Bamji provided the following report of events that happened during the week: As part of its on-going commitment to support the local community, the Rotary Club of Oak Bay recently donated $3,000 to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation towards purchasing a Blood Pressure Monitor for the Pacemaker Clinic at the Royal Jubilee Hospital. 

Heather Aked presenting cheque to Ms melanie Mahlman, Executive director of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation

An automatic blood pressure machine takes a patient’s blood pressure at scheduled intervals. Special features of this essential equipment include a heart rate monitor and a finger clip to measure blood oxygen content. This equipment ensures cardiac patients are closely monitored automatically and enables nurses to continue other duties and support other patients.)