Reporter: Sabrina Corraini
IMPORTANT: Please let George Pritchard know if you will be away in October, November, or December, as he is preparing the roster and wants to make sure those absences are taken into consideration.
Brian Lamb hosted the meeting in Peter's absence. Following the singing of O Canada, Lynne Murray said grace.
Peter Sou introduced the guests:
* Penny and Rob Morton, on their annual visit to OBR from Wales
* Jill Croft, Tom's wife
* Sandy Currie and Carl Ivey, also guests of Tom Croft
* Betty Pitt, Vicky Pitt's mother
* Janna Malo, a guest of the club
* Richard Acomba, guest of Joan Peggs
Announcements:
* Claire asked again for club members to think of people to propose as new members as part of membership month, and Jim Force, Jack Petrie and Don O'Coffey all said they have names for the membership committee to pursue.
* Sabrina Corraini then made an announcement that she's putting together a Youth Services committee and would like anyone interested in joining the committee to get in touch with her ASAP. Phone: 250-953-8417, email: sabrina.corraini@nbc.ca
* Brian then asked Heather Aked to make an announcement, noting that she would be following the trend of the parade of beautiful young women making announcements! Heather said that we're trying to raise $1200 with the Thrifty Foods Smile Card, so if you want a Smile Card, go see Heather to get one.
Brian was not only president for the day, but also fines' master. He asked questions from the Rotarian Magazine and fined the tables who gave the wrong answers. For example: What is the ongoing annual cost of the fight against Polio? $1 billion dollars per year!
Happy/Sad Dollars:
* Ron Cooley gave happy dollars because he went to My Fair Lady put on by the Blue Bridge Theatre and it was excellent.
* Vicky Pitt gave happy dollars for her roadtrip to Seattle and Portland with her sister and mother.
* Bill Burns gave happy dollars because he recently spent time with his grandkids (4-yrs-old and 1-yr-old) and he's soon headed off to Scotland for a month.
* Tom Croft gave $5 happy dollars because he said (in response to Brian's earlier comment) that the whole club is full of gorgeous women!
* Penny and Rob Morton gave happy/sad dollars because they're happy to be back in Victoria for a visit, but likely won't be back for a year or so because some of their family will be living in Spain for awhile, so will visit Spain instead.
In his role as "president", Brian thanked himself for doing a great job as fines master!
Wendy Townsend won the 50/50 but didn't draw the coveted white marble, so the pot will continue to grow.
Lori McLeod, (above) needing no introduction, was our speaker. Lori spoke about the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation. They are not funded by government and rely entirely on donations and funds raised through special events. They have a small staff of only two full-timers, a few contracted employees, and a volunteer board. Their mission is to ensure that the community supports and respects aging with dignity. There are 700 residents who are directly supported by the Foundation, and the Foundation has established scholarships and awards, too. March is Embrace Aging Month, which applies to all ages because no matter how old or young you are, you're still aging! Lori promoted the idea of doing a joint fundraising event with the club, and will elaborate on that another time.
After talking briefly about the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation, Lori passed the mike to Lisa Markin and Rowan the golden retriever, who gave a wonderful presentation about Inspire Animal Assisted Therapy. Lisa is an RN with 23 years of diverse experience in the field. Rowan is a certified therapy dog who was trained for more than 2 years and knows over 55 commands. Lisa and Rowan began their partnership in 2007 and are currently working with clients at the Aberdeen Hospital, which is a contract funded by the Eldercare Foundation.
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| Happy Honorary New Club Member |
An important distinction is that AAT is not the same as the "Visiting Dog Program," which is where volunteers bring their pets to meet and greet patients. However, this type of program is the most common in Canada.
Lisa and Rowan work with two populations of clients: those in "active" rehab and those who live in residential care but still receive some rehab therapy. The clients play games and do activities with Rowan - often they will work harder without even realising it, just because a dog is present. The games and activities work on multiple functions such as gross and fine motor skills (playing hockey or tying a handkerchief around Rowan's neck), and verbal skills (such as voice projection and vocabulary to call commands to Rowan). The psychological benefits of AAT reduce anxiety, loneliness and depression, and increase self-esteem. AAT provides an opportunity to provide and receive affection, which isn't as easily accomplished with typical therapy programs.
People respond in a positive way when an animal is present and AAT and the therapy becomes fun.
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| Rowan loves cauliflower! |
People may meet their goals faster when participating in the AAT program. Lisa recounted stories about her clients, and said sometimes clients will stand or walk for much longer, without even realising it, because they're standing or walking with Rowan. Being able to take Rowan for longer and longer walks motivates them to reach their goals.
Don O'Coffey thanked Lisa and Rowan and presented them with a Rotary mug as a gift from the club.
We all sang God Save the Queen and the meeting was adjourned.
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