President Vicky opened the meeting.
Grace was said by Glenn Sparks
O Canada was started by Rick Evans
A toast to the Queen and Canada
The head table was introduced:
Chris Bangham to introduce our speaker
Jackie Van Lankveld our speaker
Vicky Rudachuk President
Larry Iggulden Sergeant-at-Arms
Ron Fast Rotary story
Jean Armitage to introduce our guests.
Guests:
Just one guest today – Don Hetherington
Rotary Story:
Ron Fast gave a nice pitch for Rib Fest. It’s our biggest fund-raiser, with room for everyone to participate. If you want to ‘solidify yourself as a Rotarian’, then be part of this. Show me! said Ron.
Speaker:
Chris Bangham introduced our own Jackie Van Lankveld. Jackie is a very active Rotarian who received a Paul Harris award last year. She is also picking up the Chairmanship of the International Community Service committee, again, and is involved with this also at the district level.
Jackie started by thanking our club and several Rotarians who had helped and advised her. In particular, Henry Becker.
She then described her project, a school for orphaned children in Entebbe, Uganda. This is a 3-way partnership between our club (and others in our district), the Rotary Club of Nkumba
and a group called Environmental Women in Action for Development (EWA)
The need is to accommodate approximately 330 community children, currently using an inadequate make-shift building.
Jackie then went through the 6 things in Uganda which left a lasting impression with her.
- The children – always happy, thrilled to be at school, generous and polite.
- Rotary in Uganda – everywhere, and always busy. One of them donated $2,000 to her project
- The countryside – in a word, beautiful. Masses of fruit – bananas, pineapple.
- Food – always delicious
- Poverty – stares at you. Lack of facilities we take for granted – such as garbage removal, sewer systems.
- The traffic – intensely crowded, no rules of the road.
Jackie ended her presentation with an update of her fund-raising - $CDN 44,000 – the goal of $US 37,000 well in sight!
(I will try to make Jackie’s full presentation available on Club Runner)
Rick Evans ably thanked the speaker, recounting the number of times this club has risen to the challenge of international aid. He thanked Jackie for the time and energy she has spent making a difference.
Announcements:
President Vicky asked us to think of Rotarian Trevor Van Nest, absent today as he is donating one of his kidneys to his brother.
Happy Dollars:
Wade Stayzer carried the basket, and paid compliments to Rib Fest (he himself has given many hours and years to supervision of the the beer tent)
George Darte – urged people to bring a friend to Rib Fest
Don Hetherington – nice to be back
Eugene Gillies and Mike Allen – contributed their birthday money
April Feasby – applauded Jackie, and reminded us that the 5 car draw is close
Annette Hemerick – celebrated a birthday and (apologies to Annette but I didn’t catch the other thing)
Art Wing – cudos to Jackie
Rick Radowsky – thank goodness for a lucky escape – back home in time to douse a burning living room lamp
Norma Medulun and Margaret Jarrell – in their own ways, appreciation for Jackie’s presentation
Jagdish Mehta – had received a dressing down for calling his boss (many years ago) “a 62-year old woman” – should have been “a woman of 62 years”
Jean Armitage – cudos to Jackie and please support the Niagara Jazz Festival by purchasing raffle tickets
Jackie Van Lankveld – forgot to mention that 13 of her children – 5 to 13 years - need a sponsor. Think $500 per year.
50/50 Draw
President Vicky then announced the 50/50 draw winning ticket number, which was claimed by Graham Kennedy – but he could not draw an ace. The pot grows still more!
SEEN AT THE MEETING:
School for orphaned children in Entebbe, Uganda. 
