The Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako is happy to introduce Garth Frizzell as our 2023-24 President. Garth brings wide and varied experience to the position and we look forward to working with him as our club rebuilds after COVID!
Garth came to Prince George to complete his Masters in International Studies at UNBC, founded Terra Cognita Software Systems, pursued politics and moved into teaching. He is currently a Business instructor at the College of New Caledonia, teaching business courses in entrepreneurship, economics and business law. He was re-elected in 2022 for his fifth term on Prince George City Council.
Prior to his year as President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, Garth served as a board member, and representative on international missions working with partners in Vietnam, Cambodia, Peru, Colombia, and Ukraine.
Garth’s interests and experience include technology, politics, international development, equity diversity and inclusion He rides a motorcycle and is currently writing a book, though not at the same time.
I first heard about Rotary Youth Exchange while attending RYLA in Terrace. The way the program was described to me stirred my imagination and I began to dream what life on exchange could be like. The places you get to see, the people you meet, and the gained independence all drew me towards the program. When I applied, I didn’t expect to be selected. I was 14, very shy, and figured there would be better candidates than myself. My parents also thought it was unlikely for me to be selected due to being younger. Imagine mine and their shock. Going on exchange to France did more for me than I could’ve imagined. It sounds exaggerated but it was a pivotal moment that led me to the success I’ve had today. I returned more confident knowing if I can survive a year abroad there’s a lot more I could do. I put my effort toward community involvement. I volunteered for anything and everything, lead fundraising projects, and got to know so many more people. I didn’t know it at the time, but these activities helped me get scholarships and awards that covered a lot of my university and assisted me in getting jobs. I decided to go to UNBC and get a joint degree in Global and International Studies and Political Science, a topic I never would have gone into if my interest in international affairs wasn’t piqued during the exchange. Throughout the one year away, I saw how many opportunities there are around the world, and I enjoyed getting to know people of so many different backgrounds. I got to reflect critically on my exchange during university, as I thought back to all I witnessed and began to understand what some of it meant from an international lens. So yes, I would say Rotary Youth Exchange has had a major impact on my life. It has shaped who I am today and I there’s not one element of my life that I can’t relate back to the exchange program. It all reverts in some form or another back to Rotary.
If I could do the exchange program again, I would in a heartbeat. There are so many countries that I would love to experience an exchange in. For any students who are considering going on exchange but aren’t sure, my biggest piece of advice is to take the leap. Immerse yourself in the possibilities that the exchange may bring up. Imagine what it could be like to go to school in another country. The adventures you will take, and the friendships that you will develop. Once you start dreaming of it, make it your reality because it will change your life. You learn so much about yourself that you wouldn’t if you just stayed home. At a young age, this knowledge is invaluable as you begin to navigate the adult world.
I’m still trying to figure out the path I want to take in life. There’s so many options and I have many interests. Right now, I’m exploring an interest I never thought I would have: politics. I’m enjoying learning all there is to know about BC Politics and being in the heart of some big changes happening in our province.
Editor’s note:
Some other notable achievements that Sarah has not mentioned include:
Academic achievement and bilingualism
Tutoring secondary school students in French
Prince George Youth Citizen of the Year
Continuing involvement with Interact, Rotex and Rotaract
While attending university, worked part-time with AWAC (Advocating for Women and Community) supporting women at risk
Was a key organizer for a fundraiser to support Australian wildfire relief
Successfully completed her internship as a BC Legislative Assistant
Currently employed as the Legislative Executive Coordinator in the Official Opposition caucus where she helps maing MLA Schedules and coordinates meetings with stakeholders
The club has opted to have one meeting per month in the evening at a local restaurant which provides the opportunity for spouses and guests to attend who might not be able to make it in the morning. For the social evening on July 20th the choice was the Northern Palace. The food, fellowship and restaurant hospitality was great and very well attended.
Our special guest on this evening was our 2023/24 outbound exchange student Naomi Mercedes. This 15 year old has just completed Grade 10 at Duchess Park Secondary School. At the school she is actively involved in its leadership. She is very involved in sports and enjoys working out, playing basketball, downhill skiing and mountain biking. Her parents Bonnie and Steven Mercedes (and older sister) are excited for her year long exchange to begin in Spain.
With her departure our club is eagerly awaiting our new inbound student.
Fellow Rotarians John and Tracey Kason hosted a farewell BBQ for the BC Tour – District 5040 Youth Exchange members on July 4th, at their property in Prince George. This BBQ was well represented by all of the Prince George Rotary Clubs, host families, future outbound students and parents. The excellent meal, provided lots of time for everyone to mingle and reflect on the past year that the students were here. The students spoke on what they had learned during their year in Canada, thanked all their host families and sponsor clubs. All of them want to come back! Lots of teary goodbyes too.
The BC Tour is the last major event that the inbound exchange students are able to go on before returning to their respective countries. The inbound students in attendance were:
- Valerian Leignel from France
- Karoline Lindeberg from Sweden
- Lucie Braird from Belgium
- Lucas Petit from France
- Matt Isemann from Germany
Each student made a desert or specific dish special to their country that was shared with all the attendees.
The Tour is organized that they travel the full district, starting from Vancouver area through Cultus Lake, through Manning Park, to Vernon and Myra Canyon to bike and zipline, William Lake for the rodeo, on to Quesnel and Barkerville, Prince George, and on to Smithers and Prince Rupert they do the grizzly bear tour. This camping trip gives lots of time for them to see the entire province, with special events planned at each stop. BC Tour Coordinator, Dave Nielsen (PG Nechako) and Maria Lindeberg (Karoline’s mother and a Swedish Rotarian) provide chaperoning. Kudos and thanks for all of their efforts into making this a successful trip for everyone involved.
This year marked the resumption of the in-person Youth Exchange Program, after it was interrupted during COVID. During the 2021-22 year the students that would have gone abroad, were given the option to try a virtual exchange. This program was also very successful, as students talked weekly (or more often) to each other. They learned their language, talked about their cultures, showed each other how to cook in their cultures, and gained new friendships.
The STEP program is also underway, and most of these students have begun by going to their host countries. We should see the inbound students at our club later this summer.
BC Tour Youth Exchange Farewell BBQ in Prince George
The annual President’s Ball was held this year at the Otway Nordic Centre on the evening of June 25, 2023. The potluck dinner was a wonderful time for members to reflect on the past year, as well as pass the baton from current President Kathy Carlson to the incoming President Garth Frizzell. As part of the festivities the club also selected the Rotarian of the Year by secret ballot.
A Rotarian of the Year is a member who: • Is in good standing • Is active in club activities • Exemplifies professional standards and ethics, going above and beyond, living the Four Way Test and the Object of Rotary • Exhibits “Service Above Self” in their daily activities • Promotes Rotary by their actions and involvements Our members vote for the person that they feel has earned this honor. This year the honour was passed from Kelly Zammit to Shirley Moore. As part of the tradition, the new recipient receives the coveted “Green Jacket”, to be worn proudly at all Rotary functions. In addition to this the member is awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by the club. Shirley has been a member of the Nechako Club for many years and prior to this was a member of the New Caledonia Rotary Club until it disbanded. Her actions and commitment to the club make her a perfect recipient.
Rotary District 5040 Governor in 2004-05 and 35-year member of RC Prince George Nechako, Ron Neukomm, passed away at Rotary Hospice in Prince George on April 6, 2022. Born and raised in Prince George, Ron received, with his wife Dee, the Prince George Community Foundation's Citizen of the Year Award in 2017 for their extensive volunteer work.
In 1986 Ron was invited to join the Nechako Rotary Club, a month later he was elected director of Community Services. He served as Club Secretary for six years and was Club President in 1996. Ron was District Secretary 1998-99 and Assistant Governor North 2001-2003. He serves on the RYLA North Committee. Both Ron and Dee are Paul Harris Fellows. He served as Rotary district governor in 2004-2005. He took great pride in his 30 years of perfect attendance for weekly club meetings.
Ron was born in 1945. He attended school in Prince George, B.C. After high school, he traveled around the world for a year and a half before returning to Prince George where he was hired by the Pacific Great Eastern Railway (BC Rail).
During Ron's 30 years on the railway he held various positions within the railway's Marketing & Sales department in Prince George and Vancouver. In 1997 a career change saw Ron working as a Sales Rep for an industrial wholesale company followed by retirement in 2000.
Ron has been an active volunteer in the community of Prince George. He was a Charter member and Past President of Prince George Transportation Club. Along with Rotary, Ron also served as a director and vice-president of the Prince George Chamber of Commerce and sat as a board director with the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame and the United Way. He was named an honorary life member of the Prince George Child Development Centre for his 12 years of board service, including a term as president. A devoted member of St. Andrew’s United Church, Neukomm worked on the church’s maintenance committee.
Ron was named a 2017 Citizen of the Year by the Prince George Community Foundation, receiving the honour alongside his wife, Dee, who is a founding member of Special Olympics Prince George, a provincial and national Special Olympics Female Coach of the Year, and a 1999 inductee into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame.
Dee, their son Curtis and family members were at his side when he passed. He is predeceased by his daughter Lara.
A celebration of life for PDG Ron Neukomm has been scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Trinity United Church Prince George.
View online service available at trinitypg.ca Live Stream
Thanks to the work of Rotarians in Vancouver, prominent landmarks such as BC Place, Vancouver City Hall’s clock were lit up in red, while Telus Science World shone bright Sunday Oct 24.
Elsewhere, you might have seen photos of prominent landmarks around the world glowing in red.
The Nasdaq at Times Square in New York City glowing in purple, for example.
It’s all due to Rotarians around the world displaying their commitment to eradicate polio on World Polio Day on Oct. 24.
Prince George Rotarians participated in a virtual polio walk.
Thanks to Rotary and our partners and our vaccination efforts, more than 19 million people are walking today. More than 1.5 million children’s lives have been saved. More than 2.5 billion children have been immunized.
Dolly Hilton joined the Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako in July 2010 and hasn’t looked back since.
She first joined the club from an invitation from her friend Leona Anderson, a long-time member of the club and the Board.
Dolly initially joined for networking but soon realized it had so much more to offer than a small community-minded charity once she found the true meaning of being a Rotarian. As is her habit, once she became a Rotarian she joined the Board, eventually becoming President in 2015-16. That year under Dolly’s leadership, she led the club to one of the district’s most esteemed honours, being named the club-of-the-year.
She has stayed on the Board in different capacities since and likes to be part of the decision-making team of the club. She was asked to join the District Foundation Committee about five years ago and presently holds the position of Paul Harris Society Co-ordinator. She believes strongly in supporting the charities she is passionate about. The Rotary Foundation is top of the list as she is a Sustaining Member of the Paul Harris Society.
On Tuesday, Sept. 21 we marked the United Nations International Day of Peace, recognized internationally every year on Sept. 21.
Members from the four Prince George Rotary clubs (including District 5040 Governor Lorne Calder) gathered Tuesday morning at City Hall to raise the UN Peace Flag with Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall.
From the UN: "as we heal from the COVID-19 pandemic, we are inspired to think creatively and collectively about how to help everyone recover better, how to build resilience, and how to transform our world into one that is more equal, more just, equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and healthier."
Congratulations to Dolly Hilton who received her Paul Harris Fellow +7 pin recently from our president Kathy Carlson. The Paul Harris Fellow pins recognize those who have contributed $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation which helps Rotarians advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by improving health, providing quality education, improving the environment, and alleviating poverty. #WeAreRotary#RotaryFoundation#pgrotary#PeopleOfAction
The start of the new Rotary year brings new beginnings.
District 5040 Governor Lorne Calder from the Prince George Rotary Club Downtown presented our President Kathy Carlson with the new 2021-22 banner, Serve to Change Lives. We're excited about the upcoming year and making an impact in Prince George and around the world. #WeAreRotary#PeopleOfAction#PGRotary#CityOfPG
Join us at our Wednesday, June 2 meeting to hear from Tamara Shaw. Tamara will discuss your PG Passport for Your Summer Staycation. Our meeting begins at 7:30 a.m. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Hear from Sarah McCrea from the Prince George Brain Injured Group at our next meeting Wednesday, May 5 at 7:30 a.m. You'll find out more about the services it provides and how it helps those living with the effects of acquired brain injury enhance their lives. Everyone welcome! Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Join us at our Wednesday, April 21 Zoom meeting to hear from Terri McClymont, executive director at Prince George REAPS (Recycling & Environmental Action Planning Society).
Terri will discuss composting and recycling along with topics on waste avoidance, reducing food waste, composting, and make small everyday changes for the environment.
Our meeting gets underway at 7:30 a.m. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Join us this Wednesday, April 7 to hear from Shelly Burich and Mike Wittry from the Rotary Club of Roatan in Honduras. They'll discuss how the club has served in a Third-World country during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The meeting gets underway just before 7:30 a.m. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Join us at our meeting this Wednesday, March 10 at 7:30 a.m. to hear from Connie Abe, executive director at AWAC - Association Advocating for Women and Community. She'll tell us where all the funds from the recent Coldest Night of the Year go towards as well as all the important initiatives AWAC undertakes in Prince George. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link. #PeopleOfAction#WeAreRotary#CityOfPG
We're participating in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraiser on Saturday, Feb. 20 and walking 5K.
It's a fundraiser for Awac Prince George, the Association Advocating for Women and Community, a non-profit organization in Prince George that began in 1994. Its original mandate was to provide safe and supportive shelter for street -involved women and female youth. They have since expanded their services to respond to an increase in the rate of homelessness for both men and women. You can either donate or send a message to the team at this link.
Hear from Judy Thomas, a Registered Professional Forester, who'll discuss old growth tree management in the Prince George Timber Supply Area, at our meeting Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 a.m.
Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Dennis Spurgin from the Rotary Club of Palm Springs - Sunup joins us this Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 7:30 a.m. to discuss Project Peanut Butter, a program to treat and cure children of Severe and Acute Malnutrition.
SAM kills more than 3.5 million children worldwide each year. More children die of SAM each year than of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria combined. But, on the brighter side, we are very near to finding a global solution to SAM. It is as simple as a jar of specially developed peanut butter known as “Ready-to-use Therapeutic Food” (RUTF).
Project Peanut Butter, spearheaded by Spurgin, has received funding from Rotary clubs around the world, including the Nechako Rotary Club, along with support from the World Health Organization.
For the Zoom link, please email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com
B.C. high school high school students – check out Yellowhead Rotary Club's online Adventures in Healthcare March 13 - April 30. Learn more about healthcare careers including:
nursing
medicine
physiotherapy
occupational therapy
med lab tech
med rad tech
Explore the post-secondary options available to pursue those careers. It's free to attend! Visit www.adventuresinhealthcare.com for more info.
Join Teresa Saunders, general manager of the Prince George Symphony Orchestra, who will speak to us about the PGSO's season at our Wednesday, Dec. 9 meeting.
The online meeting will get underway at 7:30 a.m. Please log in prior to that time. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Join us at our meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 18 as we hear from Andy Beesley, Vice President, Business of the Prince George Cougars.
Andy will give us an update on the status of the Western Hockey League team as it deals with the coronavirus pandemic.
For the last several seasons, our Rotarians have volunteered as ushers at their home games at CN Centre. We appreciate the partnership that we have built supporting each other's community endeavours
You can safely join us for breakfast at the Prestige Hotel at 7:15 a.m. or you can attend online via Zoom. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
We are thrilled to receive our Rotary Presidential Citation for 2019-20. The citation recognizes our club achieving goals around membership, service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation and building awareness of Rotary in our community.
District 5040 Governor Elect Lorne Calder from the Prince George Rotary Club Downtown presented the certificate to our club president Rachelle Delorey at our hybrid meeting on Nov. 4 at the Prestige Hotel. #PeopleOfAction #WeAreRotary
Join us at our Wednesday, Nov. 4 meeting to find out more about our Journey to the Well project that was spearheaded by former Rotarian Debbie Down and Brenda Colebrook.
It's a project where they and the club partnered with the Rotary Club of Arusha to build a pair of water wells in northern Tanzania in 2017. Several District 5040 Rotary clubs also contributed to the project that we received a $10,000 grant from the Rotary Foundation that helped raise a little more than $42,000 to build the wells. Join us at the Prestige Hotel at 7:15 a.m. in person or else email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Join us on Wednesday, Oct. 21 as we hear from Mike McGovern, RI PolioPlus chair via Zoom at noon. Lunch is $20 each for those who attend in person (all COVID safety precautions followed). Everyone, whether you attend in person or via Zoom is asked to make a $20.20 donation to PolioPlus at: https://www.endpolio.org/donate
Hear from Gordon Duke, the CEO of the Prince George Airport Authority at our Wednesday, Oct. 14 meeting.
Duke will join us at the Prestige Hotel at 7:30 a.m. in a hybrid meeting. You can also join us online via Zoom. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Hear from Mayor Lyn Hall as he gives us an update about the status of City of Prince George during COVID-19 at our Wednesday, Oct. 7 meeting at 7:30 a.m. This is a hybrid meeting. Our club is taking all safety precautions to meet in person at the Prestige Hotel but others are welcome to join us via Zoom. Email nechakorotarypresident@gmail.com for the Zoom link.
Prince George, B.C., September 21, 2020 — Prince George Rotarians, along with the City of Prince George raised the United Nations peace flag today at City Hall to proclaim Sept. 21 as the International Day of Peace and the week dedicated to peace in Prince George.
Members from the four Prince George Rotary Clubs (Prince George, Nechako and Yellowhead and Rotaract Club were joined by Rotary International District 5040 Governor Dave Hamilton, a member of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, along with Prince George Mayor Lyn Hall, a member of the Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako.
Prince George, B.C. – The Prince George Nechako Rotary Club and the Prince George RCMP are gearing up for the Great Big Bike Registry on Sunday, Aug. 9.
Rotary volunteers and representatives of the RCMP will be fanned out at eight locations across the city encouraging cyclists of all ages to stop by and register their bikes with 529 Garage, a comprehensive bike registry and recovery system with the primary goal of deterring bike theft.
Congratulations to our President Rachelle Delorey who was named the 2019-20 Nechako Rotarian of the Year for her fantastic contributions Sunday at our physically-distanced President's Picnic. We also presented volunteer extraordinaire John Ruston with a special Paul Harris Fellow for his service to our club with Operation Red Nose Prince George (has volunteered every night for the last 11 years) and as a game host at the Prince George Cougars games, among others. Lorne Calder, 2020-21 District Governor-Elect, oversaw the installation of Rachelle, who is staying on another year as President, and the incoming board. #PeopleofAction#WeAreRotary
The Rotary Club of Prince George - Nechako has cancelled the PG Rotary Ribfest on June 19 - 21. The following letter was sent to the ribbers involved in the event, along with sponsors.
April 18, 2020
The Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako and the PG Rotary Ribfest organizing committee are being vigilant and closely monitoring the outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
We have also followed strict measures by federal and provincial health authorities including mandatory physical distancing and disallowing mass gatherings to prevent the spread of the disease.
Those measures have had a profound impact on our Rotary club and Ribfest organizing committee. We are no longer meeting face-to-face every week, instead staying home and holding our meetings online. The uncertainty around this rapidly-evolving situation and COVID-19 has forced the cancellation of Rotary events, fundraisers and conferences in B.C. and around the world.
The health and safety of those who attend PG Rotary Ribfest is of our utmost concern. That’s why we have made the difficult decision to cancel the 2020 PG Rotary Ribfest on June 19-21 since we simply cannot hold an event that has enormous health risks for all involved in a face-to-face format.
We were really looking forward to the second annual PG Rotary Ribfest at Pacific Western Brewing. There was excitement for all involved and we really wanted to build on the success of the inaugural 2019 event. It’s also a new fundraiser for our Rotary club and gives us the opportunity to showcase what Rotary is all about – community volunteers working together to create lasting change in Prince George. And have fun doing it.
We also understand the profound financial impact COVID-19 is having on businesses such as yours, those who we rely on to support our events. Please know that we are thinking of you and send you our best wishes.
We hope you understand our decision. We will immediately return any funds we have received from you as Ribbers and sponsors. We hope that we can return in 2021 once it’s safe to do so.
Sincerely,
Rachelle Delorey President, Rotary Club of Prince George
Robert Quibell, Kathy Carlson Co-chairs, PG Rotary Ribfest
We really enjoyed the presentation by Dustin Snyder of the Spruce City Wildlife Association at our meeting on March 11.
Spruce City Wildlife Association is run by 100 per cent of volunteers and is heavily involved in the community - back country clean-up, trout release, salmon send-off, the family fishing derby, and school group tours through its hatchery along the Nechako River. The hatchery is the only one north of Kamloops.
Founded in 1970, Spruce City Wildlife is a conservation club that is comprised of hunters, anglers, trappers and various outdoor enthusiasts. Its mandate is to ensure the sound long-term management of B.C.’s fish, wildlife, park and outdoor recreational resources in the best interests of all British Columbians.
They did their first Chinook Salmon fry release four years ago as it's a good way to remind people that salmon are here.
Spruce City Wildlife Association is providing conservation for future generations.
Thanks again Dustin for giving an update on all the great work SCWA does in Prince George and northern B.C.
Congratulations to Dave Nielsen for being selected Rotarian of the Week at our meeting Wednesday. Dave plays a valuable role on our youth exchange committee as he and his family serve as host families for current and former visiting students, interview potential outbound students and serves as a chaperone on the BC Tour. Dave also volunteers for us at Operation Red Nose Prince George and as a game usher at the PG Cougars games. Thanks for your commitment to community service Dave, we couldn't do it without you! #PeopleofAction#WeAreRotary
Our Rotarian of the Week for Feb. 26 is Kathy Carlson (middle) who was selected by Harold Hartshorne, Rotarian of the Week for Feb. 19.
Kathy is our club admin chair who lines up our guest speakers and she also played a vital role in helping organize Operation Red Nose and now Prince George Ribfest in June.
Harold is a valuable member of our club who volunteers for us during our Prince George Cougars nights, Operation Red Nose, spring clean up and is always there to lend a helping hand whenever we need him.
Congratulations Kathy and Harold. You indeed are #PeopleofAction! #WeAreRotary
On behalf of the Rotary Foundation, Kelly Zammit presented our Club President Rachelle Delorey with her Paul Harris + 1 pin at our meeting Wednesday. A Paul Harris Fellow is someone who gives $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. A pin is awarded for every $1,000 given.
Since it was founded more than 100 years ago, the Rotary Foundation has spent more than $4 billion on life-changing, sustainable projects and goes towards Rotary's Six Areas of Focus: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, supporting education, saving mothers and children, and growing local economies.
Congratulations Rachelle on your commitment and contribution to the Rotary Foundation! #WeAreRotary #PeopleofAction
Our co-fundraising chair Ken Pendergast and President Rachelle Delorey were more than happy to present, on behalf of our club, an $8,000 cheque to David Mothus of the Blackburn REMAX All Wheels Adventure Park. The funds were generated from Operation Red Nose that our club organizes, a fundraiser for youth and amateur sports programs. We are more than happy to support the skate/bike park, a valuable addition to the Blackburn Community Association and the surrounding community. #WeAreRotary #PeopleofAction
Kathy Lewis from the Prince George Ice Oval Society attended our Rotary meeting Wednesday morning to except a cheque for $3,000. The cheque was presented by President Rachelle and Andy Beasley from the Prince George Cougars. The funds were earned by the club from our volunteer nights at the Cougars games.
Kathy did a presentation on the ice oval and the fact that it is run entirely by volunteers. More than 200 people a day are using the oval and the fees are kept low to allow everyone access so the donation is very much appreciated.
Congratulations to Dolly Hilton who received her Paul Harris +6 pin from District Governor Nominee Lorne Calder at our Jan. 8 meeting.
The Paul Harris Fellow pin recognizes Dolly's contributions of $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation, meaning Dolly has donated $7,000 to receive her PHF +6 pin which includes a ruby gemstone.
The Rotary Foundation supports Rotary's six areas of focus, including: preventing disease, peace, providing clean water, education, growing local economies, and saving mothers and children.
It's Vini!! It was so great welcome back Vini Richter, our inbound youth exchange student from 2014-15 to our breakfast meeting Dec. 18. Vini, hailing all the way from Brazil, arrived in Prince George on Dec. 13 and is spending the next five weeks with us. Yay! After his successful year abroad with us, which included volunteering at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, Vini returned to Brazil where he completed a university degree in business management. He's now an English teacher. He's currently staying with one of his former host families, Deb Loreth Nielsen and her Rotarian husband Dave. Also in the photo is another one of his former host families Bonnie Urquhart, club president
Rachelle Delorey, and Gina Rawson, our youth exchange chair and District Youth Exchange chair.
We spent Dec. 16 and 17 volunteering with the Prince George Council of Seniors - Seniors Resource Centre delivering Christmas hampers to Prince George seniors. This has become an annual Christmas tradition for our club. We love supporting seniors in our community and helping out whenever we can.
Those helping out included Ken Pendergast, Brenda and Gary Peacock, Neil King, Lisa Redpath, Kelly Zammit and Neil Godbout.
Shirley Moore went out of her way again to make sure our Salvation Army family will have a great Christmas. We put together a hamper with a lot of festive foods for the holidays as well as gifts for each one of the family members. We had enough left over for cash gift cards to Superstore so the family could still shop a little and make sure all their Christmas wishes come true. Thank you to all who gave and shopped as this is the true meaning of Christmas.
Congratulations to Shirley Moore who was named Rotarian of the Week for Oct. 30.
Shirley was selected by Gina Rawson (Rotarian of the Week for Oct. 23) for all the work she quietly does behind the scenes and can be counted on whenever asked.
She does a fantastic job organizing our social/fellowship events, including our end of summer barbecue and our Christmas Party on Nov. 23.
Thanks Shirley for everything you do for us - we really appreciate it. You are indeed part of Rotary's #PeopleofAction. #WeAreRotary
It was wonderful to have Jason Keller join us as our guest speaker and shared his inspirational story at our meeting on Wednesday.
Jason is the successful owner of Fit as a Fighter Fitness personal training business. He's also a brain injury survivor, a former boxer, a Mixed Martial Artist, and a community volunteer.
Jason grew up in Prince George but while working in the Vancouver area, fell almost eight metres from a railing onto pavement in 2011 in Surrey.
He spent a year in hospital in recovery and rehab and returned to Prince George where he and his now wife could be closer to their families.
He opened up his first training studio in the garage of the house he rented. Eventually, they bought their own house with its own studio.
Jason has now enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts in Criminology program at Thompson Rivers University and taking online courses. Once he completes his BA, he plans to enroll in law school.
Thanks for joining us Jason. We wish you continued success!
We were happy to receive our Rotary Presidential Citation with Gold Distinction for 2018-19 at our meeting Wednesday.
District Governor Nominee Lorne Calder from the Prince George Downtown Rotary Club presented Lisa Redpath, our past-president from 2018-19 with the award.
The Nechako Rotary Club which is active and engaged in the community, was one of only nine clubs in District 5040 to receive the Presidential Citation as we met our goals in membership, the Rotary Foundation, and public relations.
Thank you DGN Lorne and past-president Lisa for your guidance and leadership. #PeopleofAction #WeAreRotary
It was great to have Carolyn Duerksen (right), the founder and artistic director of the Tapestry Singers join us at our Oct. 23 meeting.
The choral group comprised of youth and students in Grades 4 to 12, was founded 12 years ago and was entirely built on the strength of volunteers.
They sing a wide range of musical styles and perform at various sports events, community events, seniors' homes and collaborate with numerous groups.
They also compete at a number of music festivals. At a competition in 2014 in Seattle, they won first place for best overall, earning the Gold standard.
The Tapestry Singers consist of two groups; junior singers -- Grades 4-7; and senior singers -- Grades 7-12.
Thank you Carolyn, it was great learning more about the Tapestry Singers and your quest for choral excellence whenever you perform.
Congratulations to Gina Rawson who was named Rotarian of the Week for Oct. 23.
Gina was selected by Ken Pendergast and Kelly Zammit (Rotarians of the Week for Oct. 16) for her work as chair of our Youth Services Committee which oversees youth exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards and the Adventures in Rotary programs. Gina recently oversaw the selection of three Prince George high school students who will represent the three Prince George Rotary clubs as youth exchange students for 2020-21.
She is also the District 5040 Youth Exchange chair.
Congratulations to our two most recent Rotarians of the Week, Dr. William Osei and Harold Hartshorne. William and Harold are always willing to help out with our club projects and fundraisers, including the city's annual spring clean-up, ushering at Prince George Cougars games, Operation Red Nose Prince George, manning the Salvation Army's Christmas Kettles and many more. We couldn't do it without you William and Harold! #WeAreRotary#PeopleofAction
Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Rotary Clubs of Prince George booth Saturday on International Day of Peace at Downtown PG Fallfest. It was a great opportunity to promote Rotary and have people express what peace means to them.
On Friday, the City of Prince George raised the United Nations flag to signify the International Day of Peace on Sept. 21.
Congratulations to our latest Paul Harris Fellows -- Neil Godbout, Karen Toombs, Leona Wilkinson and Gord Smith who received their recognition pins recently.
The Paul Harris Fellow pins acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation which supports our six areas of focus as well as PolioPlus. #WeAreRotary #PeopleofAction
Congratulations to Neil Godbout who was named Rotarian of the Week at our meeting on Sept. 18. Gord Smith (Rotarian of the Week for Sept. 11), selected Neil for keeping us all informed in his role as Editor in Chief at the Prince George Citizen. Neil is also our Club Admin director who lines up our guest speakers every week. Congratulations Neil! #PeopleofAction#WeAreRotary
Prince George, B.C., August 23, 2019 — The Rotary International District 5040 Governor representing 55 clubs and 1,384 Rotarians in B.C. is visiting Prince George and neighbouring northern B.C. communities this week in an effort to grow the volunteer service organization.
District Governor Bala Naidoo, a member of the Rotary Club of Burnaby – Metrotown is being hosted by Prince George’s four Rotary clubs (Rotary Club of Prince George, Rotary Club of Prince George – Yellowhead, the Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako and the Prince George Rotaract Club).
“We are in a period of rapid change where an organization that started in 1905 needs to become relevant to our next generation,” says Naidoo. “We have accomplished a lot to integrate youth from high schools and 19 – 30 year-olds, university and young professionals to join us to ensure a succession plan for the organization."
Congratulations to the Prince George Rotaract Club who was presented with its Rotary Citation for 2018-19 by District 5040 Governor Bala Naidoo Thursday at the multi-club meeting hosted by the Yellowhead Rotary Club.
The Rotaractors on hand to accept the citation were, from left, Sakshi Satish, Lisa Russell and Paige Malmgren. #WeAreRotary #PeopleofAction
Brooke Svendsen says her year abroad in Denmark as a Rotary Youth Exchange student was an amazing, fantastic experience, one that she now has friends from around the world.
Brooke joined us Wednesday at our meeting where she discussed her journey, one where she left Prince George in August 2018 and returned in July 2019.
She lived in a town called Nykobing Falser (population 16,540) in southern Denmark and lived with three different host families. They took her on trips to Copenhagen and Bornholm.
Brooke was enrolled in the music/math stream at her school, attending classes from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
As part of her Rotary duties, she went on a trip through Europe with other youth exchange students that included visiting seven countries in 19 days.
We're thrilled that Brooke had a wonderful year abroad. She was a great ambassador for Prince George and Canada.
Congratulations to Tom Leboe, our Rotarian of the Week for Aug. 14.
Tom was selected by Brenda Peacock (Rotarian of the Week for Aug. 7) for his dedicated service to Rotary for 11 years.
He's a long-time member of the Special Projects Committee, and ensured our inaugural PG Ribfest was a success in partnership with Pacific Western Brewing.
He and his wife Jean regularly volunteer for Operation Red Nose, Cougars games as ushers and attends any other projects that need volunteers. He's proven he goes above and beyond for our club.
Tom is indeed part of Rotary's #PeopleofAction. #WeAreRotary
Since August is Membership Month, it was a great opportunity today to have four of our newer Rotarians give their Vocational talks. It was an opportunity for our members to get to know them better.
We heard from Judy Mitchell, Cori Ramsay, Vivian Martin and Kathy Carlson who have all joined our club in the last two years.
Judy Mitchell is a counsellor and clinician with Morneau Shepell. Before her current role, she was previously involved in Aboriginal health as a counsellor and clinician, working in First Nations communities in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario, setting up research centres. She also spent time with Positive Living North and the Elizabeth Fry Society.
She joined Rotary in October 2018.
Cori Ramsay is a Communications Officer with Integris Credit Union as well as a City of Prince George Councillor who is passionate about public relations. She was a speaker in the inaugural 2017 TEDxUNBC and a Prince George Chamber of Commerce’s Top 40 Under 40 recipient. She joined our club in March.
Vivian Martin is a retired City of Prince George employee who is an artist, jeweller and photographer. She creates masks and sculptures out of recycled cotton T-shirts. She also teaches workshops on her various forms of art. She joined our club in October 2018.
Kathy Carlson is the Executive Director of the Central BC Railway and Forestry Museum joined our club in August 2018 who currently sits on our Operation Red Nose and Peace committees and is our Vice-President. She was also the volunteer co-ordinator for PG Ribfest.
Judy, Cori, Vivian and Kathy have all volunteered with our club in various capacities, including Operation Red Nose, Prince George Cougars games, PG Ribfest and the HIV/AIDS Walk.
Welcome, you are indeed #PeopleofAction! #WeAreRotary
Morgan Johnson (middle), whom we sent to Rotary Adventures in Healthcare in May, joined us for breakfast today where she reflected on her amazing experiences as a participant.
Rotary Adventures in Healthcare was created in 2017 by the Rotary Club of Prince George Yellowhead to provide an opportunity to introduce high school students to post-secondary education, applied training and career opportunities in the health sciences in northern B.C.
Participants visit AimHi, the College of New Caledonia and the University of Northern British Columbia over the course of four days.
In addition to the Yellowhead Rotary Club, it's a collaboration with School District 57, AimHi, Northern Health, CNC and UNBC.
Thanks Morgan, we're glad you had a fantastic time!
Congratulations to Brenda Peacock who was selected as Rotarian of the Week for Aug. 7 today by Leona Wilkinson (Rotarian of the Week for July 31).
Brenda has been in our club for 17 years and goes above and beyond for the committees she serves on, including Special Projects chair and Operation Red Nose.
As part of Operation Red Nose, Brenda, along with her husband Gary, take care of a vast number of sponsorships, and take pictures of sponsors with Rudy (the ORN mascot) to recognize their support. They are there every night of operation overseeing our volunteer set-up, ensuring they have all the right items for a successful night on the road.
Operation Red Nose, a designated driving service available during nine nights during the holiday season, is our club's biggest fundraiser of the year.
We sponsored Sylvia Masich to participate in Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) South at Camp Elphinstone in April.
RYLA South participants learn about leadership, community building and the impact of Rotary around the world.
At our meeting on Wednesday, she gave a short presentation on her fantastic and wonderful experiences at RYLA and thanked the club for their support.
Sylvia, who is a member of the PG Blizzard Speed Skating Club, PG Track and Field Club graduated from Duchess Park secondary in June. She was also involved in the leadership club.
Sylvia is attending the University of Northern British Columbia this fall, where she is studying history and political science. She will also be involved in the PG Rotaract Club.
She was thanked by our Youth Services chair Gina Rawson and President Rachelle Delorey. We are thrilled you had a great time at RYLA South.
Congratulations to Leona Wilkinson (middle) who was selected Rotarian of the Week for July 31.
Andrea Johnson, the Rotarian of the Week for July 24, chose Leona for her dedication of ensuring the books are in order for Operation Red Nose and PG Ribfest, as well as bringing in new members and sponsors.
Our Rotarian of the Week is Kathy Carlson for July 17. Badhri Narayanan selected Kathy for her all the work she did at our inaugural PG Ribfest in June, including organizing the volunteers. Kathy also lines up our guest speakers every week. Congratulations! #WeAreRotary#PeopleofAction
President-Elect Darrell recognized our recent Rotarians of the Week at our meeting Wednesday morning.
Past-President Robert Quibell was selected on July 3 for the fantastic work he did in organizing Prince George Ribfest on June 21-23. He collaborated with Kyle Sampson at Pacific Western Brewing and over saw the Ribfest committee to ensure everything ran smoothly for the inaugural fundraising event for our club.
Robert in turn chose Badhri Narayanan on July 10 for his work on the Ribfest committee and delivering posters and flyers. In May and June, Badhri, encouraged by Robert, visited our fellow District 5040 Rotary clubs in the Lower Mainland while he was travelling.
President-Elect Darrell and Past President Dolly were more than happy to present $5,137 to Positive Living North's Fire Pit at our meeting this morning.
The Fire Pit is a drop-in centre that is a safe place for homeless people to access meals, health and employment resources and cultural activities.
The money was raised from our 50/50 ticket raffle at the inaugural Prince George Ribfest on June 21-23.
Congratulations to seven of our Rotarians who received new Paul Harris Fellow pins at our meeting on Wednesday.
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition (named after Rotary International's founder) acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. The Foundation supports Rotary's six areas of focus internationally and locally: peace and conflict prevention/resolution; disease prevention and treatment; water and sanitation; maternal and child health; basic education and literacy; economic and community development.
President Lisa Redpath, in one of her final duties as Club President, presented the following Rotarians with their pins. From left: Dolly Hilton (Paul Harris +5), Harold Hartshorne (PH +3), Andrea Johnson (PH +1), Tom Leboe (PH +2), Karen Toombs (PH +6), Rachelle Delorey (PH), and Harold Spensley (PH +2).
President Lisa Redpath and Vice President Darrell Hubbell awarded an honorary Paul Harris Fellow to Kyle Sampson at our Wednesday morning meeting today.
Kyle, the marketing, events and sales leader for Pacific Western Brewing in Prince George, was a key organizer in ensuring our inaugural Prince George Ribfest was huge success on the weekend.
The Paul Harris Fellow, named after the founder of Rotary International, is presented to individuals who make contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
The honorary Paul Harris Fellow is a way of expressing our thanks to Kyle for his outstanding work and collaboration with us.
Congratulations to Darrell Hubbell who was named our Rotarian of the Year 2018-19 at our President’s dinner Saturday night. He was awarded the jacket by Gord Smith, who won the coveted award and Rotary jacket last year. Saturday night was also an opportunity for us all to thank President Lisa for leading our club. She did a great job. #WeAreRotary#PeopleofAction
It was great to have Janet Marren, the chief librarian at the Prince George Public Library join us recently to give us an update on what's happening at one of the gems in our community.
In late April, Prince George City Council approved the $3.95 million for the new and long-awaited entrance to the Bob Harkins branch downtown.
The Prince George Public Library has more than 54,000 card holders and serves more than 1,100 people each day between the two branches - the Bob Harkins branch downtown and the Nechako branch in the Hart.
Thanks again Janet for visiting us!
By the Book: An Update from the Prince George Public Library
We were honoured to have staff from the Positive Living North: No khe̅yoh t'sih'en t'sehena Society join us at one of our recent meetings and talk to us about the important work they do in Prince George and northern B.C. Positive Living North provides a wide array of programs and services designed to raise public awareness, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS/HCV, reduce stigma and discrimination, and support people living with, affected by, or at risk of HIV/AIDS/HCV. The society has also developed an innovative program called the 'Fire Pit' in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic Northern BC communities are experiencing. Proceeds from our PG Ribfest in partnership with Pacific Western Brewing on June 21-23 will go towards Positive Living North programming. #PeopleofAction
Positive Living North - Making a Difference in our Community
It was great to have the three Prince George Rotary Clubs -- Yellowhead Rotary Club, PG Rotary Club Downtown, and ourselves -- join forces and pitch in for the City of Prince George's Annual City-wide spring clean-up today. And no, those are not the bottles of wine we drank along the way, haha. However it was scary how many cigarette butts we picked up. #PeopleOfAction#WeAreRotary#RotariansAtWork
Rotary Pitches In, Helps With City Spring Clean-up
Let’s go Spruce Kings!!! 👏👏👏Thanks to Kyle from the Spruce Kings for joining us this morning to discuss the team’s fantastic season and playoff run as they prepare to take on the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL’s Fred Page Cup final series beginning this weekend in #CityofPG. The team is one of three community-owned franchises in the BC Hockey League and they also like to give back to the community, supporting various non-profits and charities throughout the season. Don’t forget, tickets for the Spruce Kings Show Home are still available, get yours now before it’s too late. The draw is May 3. Tickets, info at www.sprucekingsshowhome.ca
It was wonderful to have Terry and Paul Nichols from Quesnel join us at our meeting on March 27 as our guest speakers where they discussed their journey to help veterans struggling with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. In 2015, they launched the Communities for Veterans, the Ride Across Canada where they rode horseback across Canada which offered local veterans the opportunity to experience the positive effects of equine therapy while connecting with Canadians along the way. When they returned, they created the Equine Assisted Mindfulness program for veterans, a residential therapy programs incorporating designed to support and treat people experiencing symptoms of PTSD. Thank you again Terry and Paul for sharing your story and the work you do in assisting our veterans.
At our most recent meeting on Wednesday, Past District Governor Don Evans presented President Lisa and Past-President Robert with our 2017-18 Presidential Citation along with our Certificate of Appreciation for our club's contribution to the Rotary Foundation and Polio Plus. Well done everyone! #PeopleofAction
Kudos to Eric Depenau for earning his first Paul Harris Fellow pin recently, which was presented by President Lisa. Eric's contributions to the Rotary Foundation goes towards eradicating polio and other diseases, promoting peace, providing clean water, education, maternal and children's health and supporting local economies. Thank you Eric! #PeopleofAction
https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/opinion/columnists/taking-the-risk-to-ask-questions-1.2354427It's always good to ask questions since you never know where the answers could leave you. We found out the impact of that today after a project we completed in 2010. During a culture and conflict class at Duchess Park secondary in 2009, social studies teacher Gerry Chidiac examined the most horrible situations in the world. His guest speaker one day was from war-torn Liberia in West Africa who was looking for materials to run several schools he was overseeing. Kendra Kipping, a Grade 11 student at the time, was inspired by his talk and had an idea of sending chalkboards from the old Duchess Park school which was about to replaced to Africa. Gerry asked several people, including us at Nechako Rotary. The chalkboards were shipped overseas and the schools received them in October 2010. Kendra, who went on to earn a psychology degree from UNBC and now works with those with developmental disorders says the project was life-changing. It all stemmed from one single question. #PeopleofAction
Read Gerry's column in the Prince George Citizen. The link is attached.
We were thrilled to have our District 5040 Governor Darcy Long (middle) induct two new members to our club on Aug. 15. Welcome to the Rotary family, Patty Rawson (left) and Katherine Carlson (right)! As Rotarians, we are confident you will soon become #PeopleofAction.
He’s an unsung hero. He greets us every Wednesday morning with a great big hello when we check in and catches up with us. He co-shares Sgt. at Arms duties. Congratulations to our founding Rotarian Gord Smith who received our coveted #Rotary jacket for being selected as our 2017-18 Rotarian of the Year Saturday night at our President's Ball/dinner at Rotary Lodge at the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club. The dinner was also an opportunity to thank and congratulate President Robert for his successful year of service and leadership and to welcome President-elect Lisa as she takes over for 2018-19. #PeopleofAction
We had a fabulous time planting trees on Wednesday June 6 in Rainbow Park alongside Rotarians from the Yellowhead Rotary Club, PG Rotary Club Downtown and Rotaract Club - PrinceGeorge. Around 200 pine seedlings that Industrial Forestry Service donated to us, replaced trees that were removed in the park due to the mountain pine beetle outbreak. Thanks to the City of Prince George's Parks and Recreation department for its unwavering support for this project since planning began in December. We appreciate the collaboration between the City and IFS as Rotarians such as ourselves strive to make a difference in our community with environmental sustainability initiatives such as this one. #CityofPG#PeopleofAction#Rotary
Thanks to Alison Hagreen of the Prince George Brain Injured Group who joined us Wednesday as our guest speaker. Most brain injuries comes from accidents, violence, fall, strokes and more. Alison provided us with some stats that revealed the rate of violence is going up for brain injury as is the rate for those who are incarcerated. A lot of them have brain Injuries. The Prince George Brain Injured Group helps more than 300 survivors each year with community rehabilitation and services. Thanks Alison for keeping us informed about the important work you do!
Sarah Ash first got involved in Rotary four years ago when she attended RYLA Lakelse in Terrace. Since then, she's been hooked on Rotary and taken advantage of the youth opportunities available to her over the years. She was our outbound youth exchange student in 2015-16, spending a year abroad in France. Last month, we sponsored her to attend Rotary Adventure in Citizenship in Ottawa, organized by the Rotary Club of Ottawa. The program attracts 220 senior high school students from across Canada and involves tours, lectures and social events to enhance the students' understanding of Canadian citizenship. Thanks for being a great ambassador for our club, Sarah! She graduates on Friday from College Heights secondary and is enrolled at UNBC in September.
We spent Tuesday, May 8 at Kelly Road secondary doing mock interviews with Grades 11 and 12 students to help them improve their resume-writing and job-seeking skills. We do the interviews twice a year and look forward to it every time. Thanks for hosting us Kelly Road, we love helping out your students!
That’s a wrap on RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) North 2018! Thanks to 15 amazing young professionals from Prince George, Burns Lake, Williams Lake and Vancouver who joined us at Camp Friendship for a fabulous weekend of team building, and fun who were inspired by community champions and leaders who are making an impact locally and internationally.
Congratulations to Ken Pendergast, Kelly Zammit and Dolly Hilton who received their new Paul Harris Fellow pins today from President Robert. The Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) pins recognize those who have contributed $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation. Ken earned his PHF + 8 pin; Kelly collected her PHF +5 pin, while Dolly received her PHF +4 pin. Congratulations and thank you for your generous support which will go towards service projects around the world, from eradicating polio, building water wells and creating peace. #PeopleofAction
Congratulations to Gail MacLaren who received her Paul Harris Fellow + 3 pin yesterday from President Robert. The Paul Harris Fellow pin recognizes those who contribute $1,000 or more to the Annual Fund, or PolioPlus. Donations from Rotarians such as Gail are instrumental in securing and growing Rotary International programs around the world. Gail has been a valuable member of our Nechako Rotary Club for 22 years. #PeopleofAction
For Albert Thomsen, attending RYLA South on Easter weekend was one of the best weekends he's had. It was absolutely amazing, he said. Throughout the weekend, Albert, along with Logan Cruz, were pushed out of their comfort zone which benefitted both of them. For Logan, she said even though everyone was reserved at the beginning of the weekend, by the end of it she felt like she'd known everyone forever. The workshops were inspiring and provided participants with plenty of ways to help their communities. Both Logan and Albert told us, along with President Robert, about that RYLA magic today at our meeting. We're thrilled we provided them with opportunities for leadership, reflection and community service. Albert is our inbound youth exchange student from Denmark, while Logan is an outbound youth exchange student who will be going abroad to Italy for 2018-19.
Congratulations to Ron Neukomm who received his Paul Harris +8 pin today from President Robert. Thanks Ron for your dedication to the Rotary Foundation!
We presented the Hart Highlands Winter Club (Hart Ski Hill) with $7,445 that will go towards the new magic carpet ski lift. The proceeds came from our 50-50 draw. We couldn’t have been more happier to help them out and help more youth and adults learn to ski.
We were absolutely thrilled to present our 50-50 winner Richard Sampson with a cheque for $7,445! Congratulations Richard! Thanks for you support. Proceeds went to the magic carpet lift at the Hart Ski Hill!
The Nechako Rotary Club has organized Operation Red Nose Prince George for more than 15 years since taking over for UNBC Athletics. On Friday, Nov. 24, we celebrated the Operation Red Nose 20th anniversary with an open house. It was a great opportunity to meet new and returning volunteers. We also congratulated Heather Spicer who has volunteered with us for all 20 years. Amazing! We're on the road next weekend, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 1 and 2. All of our client donations stay within Prince George, going towards youth and amateur sports organizations, as well as fund our New Generations program.
A lot of us love to downhill ski and we want Prince George youth to take advantage of a favourite winter pastime. It’s why we are proud to partner with the Hart Highlands Winter Club (Hart Ski Hill) to sponsor the Nechako Rotary Learning Centre with a value of $25,000. We recently gave $15,000 to Pat Bell who is spearheading the project for the Hart Ski Hill along with Harold Spensley from our club and our fundraising chair Dolly Hilton. We will raise the remaining $10,000 through various other avenues. #PeopleofAction
Recently our youth exchange student, Albert Finne Thomsen, our 2017-2018 Inbound student from Odense, Denmark arrived in Prince George. Here is with his host family Past-president Brian and Brenda Pearson and Rotarian Dave Nielsen when he arrived at Prince George International Airport. He then went on the Tweedsmuir Trek and went to our first club meeting on Wednesday.
Welcome or velkommen to Prince George and Canada, Albert.
As well, we had our 2016-17 inbound exchange student Alyssa Hartford visit us where she did her presentation on her year abroad in Taiwan. In addition to English and French, Alyssa is now fluent in Mandarin. She will complete her final year of high school this year at Duchess Park secondary.
Please give a huge and warm welcome to Kathleen Moir who was inducted as a new member into our club on Wednesday Kathleen is program director and resource development at AiMHi - Prince George Association for Community Living. We know she is excited to be a Rotarian where we share ideas, take action and create lasting change. Welcome Kathleen!
President Robert presented Rotarians Dolly Hilton and Karen Toombs with their Paul Harris Fellow pins today, recognizing their contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations!
We were more than happy to help out the WHL's Prince George Cougars hockey club last season as we volunteered as ushers at six games at CN Centre.
At each game, we had either 25 Rotarians or friends of Rotary who each volunteered for five hours.
For our efforts, the Cougars, represented by Andy Beesley, Vice President, Business and Tyler Lippingwell, Manager of Game Operations and Promotions, presented us a cheque of $5,250.
The funds will be used to support other non-profit organizations in Prince George.
We teamed up with Yellowhead Rotary Club Saturday night in a joint President's Ball where we celebrated our outgoing presidents Marnie Hamagami (Yellowhead) and Neil Godbout (Nechako). It was an opportunity to thank them for leading us and enjoying wonderful years in 2016-17. We also played a few games of chance for fake money. A great time was had by all. Congratulations too to Dolly Hilton for winning Nechako Rotarian of the Year. A well-deserved honour!
President-Elect Robert gave it passionate talk this morning regarding his upcoming year as president. He talked about the goals set for the club and the ability to set additional goals that members would like to see in the upcoming year. He talked about making a difference in the community, the lives of people we know and don't know and the lives of our fellow Rotarians. All the best in the upcoming year Robert and we are behind you 100%.
Alice said goodby at the meeting this morning as her dad is coming on Sunday to pick her up. They are going to travel around BC and possibly into Alberta for a period of time. She has said that she has enjoyed her stay here immensely and will always remember her time here. The club gave her a hoodie from her school as a farewell gift and we know she will wear it with pride . Hopefully we will be able to get together with her again when they drop back into Prince George before going back to France. We wish Alice all the best and look forward to hearing from her from time to time.
NAncy Krushelnicki presented some interesting information on the Prince George farmers market this morning.
The motto for the farmer's market is Make it, Bake it or Grow it. There can be up to 65 vendors selling their home made goods such pickles, jams, soaps as well as fresh vegetables, fresh fish, bison, beef just to name a few.
The Farmer's Market started in 1995 when 10 people got together to start a small local market. Today it is a thriving market every Saturday morning down on 6th Avenue in the colourful building behind the Keg. It is a great way to support the local economy and know where your food comes from.. There is usually some local musiciansNancy serenading the shoppers who want to sit and have a coffee or some of the great food available
Their website can be found at www.farmersmarketpg.ca
So go on down to the Prince George Farmer's Market next Saturday and check out what they offer...
District 5040 Conference was in Whistler BC May 4, 5th and 6th. We had a great turn out as we had nine Rotarians from our club attend the conference. Great speakers and fellowship.
An update from our Outbound Exchange student, Alyssa Hartford, in Taipei.
Alyssa has been having a great time in Taipei. Here are some highlights:
School Activities:
The Taiwanese students had midterm exams so the school took the exchange students on a field trip. I also attended an interview for the Junior High school students in my school. To explain to them why they should keep studying and my experience with the Taiwanese school system. In my geography class I did a presentation on Canada and also explained the history and geography. I have also been on a few school trips. In Chinese class we also had our midterm exam.
Attendance At Rotary Functions:
I attended a rotary district badminton competition with my club, as well as a dinner. Then I also had a culture class I had to attend in the morning. My club didn't have any formal meeting this month so I handed in my speech by video. At the end of the month some of my rotary club members and the students in my club went on a tour around one of the districts in Taiwan and got to make our own traditional food and really learnt and attached with the Taiwanese culture.
Activities Outside of Rotary:
I didn't do very many activities outside of Rotary this month. I hung out with my friends a little and my host family took me hiking at a national park where I met the Taipei mayor. My family also took me to a ceramics district and I got to make a plate. I went to a university league baseball game with most of the exchange students in my district. Which was very interesting and fun to watch since it was my first baseball game. I joined Judo at the police academy.
The incoming president of Rotary International, representing 1.2 million members in 35,000 clubs around the world, visiting Prince George this week.
Ian Riseley, a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Victoria, Australia is being hosted by Prince George’s three Rotary clubs (Rotary Club of Prince George, Rotary Club of Prince George – Yellowhead, and the Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako).
He arrived in Prince George Tuesday evening, October 18th and spent Wednesday touring the city. Today he’ll be addressing Rotarians from Prince George and neighbouring communities as the guest speaker during a luncheon at the Hart Community Centre. He’ll return to Vancouver tonight and spend the weekend at a variety of Rotary events.
Riseley’s visit to Prince George was spurred by his urge to visit a smaller community outside of Vancouver during his week-long visit to B.C.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Rotary International President-Elect Ian chose Prince George,” said Ross Birchall, president of the Rotary Club of Prince George. “To have the chance to welcome and host someone such as Ian with such high stature in Rotary International is an honour and it’s very exciting.”
During his time in Prince George, Riseley visited venues the three Prince George Rotary clubs contributed to, such as the Rotary Soccer Fields, Rotary Hospice House, the new skateboard park at Darren Fitzpatrick Bravery Park, and the Rotary Gazebo at UNBC among others. He also learned about ongoing projects the three clubs are passionate about such as Prince George Rotary’s Big Blue Ball that fundraises for men’s health, the Taste of India (Yellowhead Rotary’s fundraiser for various local non-profit organizations and sanitation and water projects in India) and Nechako Rotary’s Journey to the Well Water Well project in Tanzania and Operation Red Nose here in Prince George.
“Rotarians in Prince George have contributed thousands of hours of their time towards local and international projects,” said Neil Godbout, president of the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako. “We’re happy to show off the work we’ve accomplished to both Ian, as well as visiting Rotary International director Dean Rohrs.”
Riseley is a practicing accountant and principal of Ian Riseley and Co., which specializes in advising local and international businesses, and has a strong interest in international affairs. He received the AusAID Peacebuilder Award from the Australian government in 2002 in recognition of his work in Timor-Leste. He also received the Order of Australia medal in 2006 for service to the Australian community.
A member since 1978, Riseley has served Rotary as treasurer, director, trustee, RI Board Executive Committee member, task force member, committee member and chair, and district governor. He is also a former member of the Australian Polio Eradication Private Sector Campaign and a recipient of the Rotary Foundation’s Service Award for a Polio-Free World.
Riseley will succeed current Rotary International President John Germ of Chattanooga, Tenn., on July 1, 2017.
Rotary International President-Elect Ian Riseley Visits Prince George
When an exchange student comes to the District, we ask them to make a 'bucket list' of the things that they would like to see or do while in Canada. This is sometimes tricky for them as they aren't completely sure what is possible. A couple of weeks ago, Alice's bucket list was shared at one of the weekly meetings but I thought it would be helpful to share it online.
Alice's family spends a great deal of time outdoors and she loves hiking, cycling, and photography. She has joined the Outdoor Rec. class at school and this is giving her some opportunities to experience Canada's natural side but I know that we have some great outdoors men and women in this club. Alice's other desire is to learn to cook specifically Canadian foods which is another area that the members of our club excel at. I also know there are some great photographers in the club and that Alice would be grateful for a local photography safari and some photography tips.
Here's the list:
Go camping
Hiking
Go to the Rockies
Go dog sledding - Dave and I will likely take her to Fort St. James for the Caledonia Cup.
Hunting
Snowshoeing
Go quading
Do the Bowron Lake full circuit - she did part of this with the Outdoor Rec class
Ice fishing
Cross country skiing
Learn to cook Canadian food
See how they make maple syrup
See aurora borealis
Go to Alaska - needs some pre-planning due to Visa requirements
See black bears, grizzly bears, lynx, cougar, moose, eagles, polar bears, buffalo, beavers, orcas and other whales
Go to Niagara Falls and Ottawa
Meet First Nations/Inuit people
If you can help out with any of these, please let me know. Send me an email at deb.nielsen@unbc.ca or let Dave know at one of the meetings.
It was our pleasure to welcome District Governor Elect Lyn Stroshin and her husband Alex, who were in Prince George over the weekend for the District Assembly and Grant Workshop.
In addition to our usual Happy and Sad dollars, Lloyd Clay made an unprecedented donation followed by the announcement that he and his wife, of 60 years, will be moving to Kamloops to be closer to their family.
Ken reported that the Pineview Community Association has generously offered us their leftover garage sale items and asked for volunteers to help him pick up the items on Sunday afternoon, April 10th. Anyone who would like to help, we will be meeting at 3:00pm at the Art Knapps building on the Old Cariboo Highway.
Robert asked for volunteers to help organize the space at the school on Saturday, April 9th from 10:00am to 2:00pm.
Gina reported that the Nechako Rotary club will be sending two candidates -- Levi Green and Stewart Bathos -- to the Youth Conference that runs parallel with the District Conference.
Next Wednesday, we will be supporting Pink day so be sure to wear your best pink.
Dolly encouraged Rotary members to attend the next Business After 5 Chamber of Commerce event at the Northern Lights Estate Winery on April 12th.
Don't forget that there will be pub night this coming Friday night at the Legion.
Juliana is happy to be playing soccer for the school and she will forward a schedule so that we can come and watch some of her games.
Reminder that the Downtown Rotary exchange student, Florence Merken, will be presented at an art show at Studio 2880, April 21st at 7:00pm. Light refreshments will be served.
On March 30th, we proudly welcomed Donna Flood, who was inducted into the Nechako Rotary Club. Donna is the Executive Director of the Prince George Hospice House and has extensive experience in health care leadership.
When I got back from the Christmas break not many people were talking to me, so I talked to my Rotary club about changing schools or classes. Changing schools wasn’t possible but if I talked to my main teacher and the counsellors at school I could change classes. I planned to go into the European section because it’s a section that learns English and what I was thinking is that maybe they would be more interested in talking to me. It wasn’t to be speaking English or anything like that. I talked to the main teacher and the counsellors and they said it wasn’t possible for me to go into the European section because it already has 38 students and is to full. Apparently my min teacher had tried to put me in it at the beginning of the year and it was to full then as well. But I continued to talk to the counsellor about the difficulties I’ve been having at making friends and that I’m always eating alone. She knows one of the girls in my class very well so she said she would discreetly bring me up with her and get her to ask me to lunch with her and her friends. She did talk to her and that Friday I ate with her and her friends. It was really good and I think now they really realize that I’m always alone because before I had said it but I guess it never registered. It’s difficult for me to eat with them unfortunately because there are different groups within the class and I’m in group 1 and they are all in group 2 and they take Russian and I take Spanish so we start lunch at different times. Also people have been starting to talk to me again and I’m really hoping I get to do things soon on the weekend with them. When I was also talking with the counsellor she told me there's 4 other students who moved to France who can’t speak French so she arranged a class for me and them to be in. I think school will be getting a lot better soon, at least I hope so.
Attendance at Rotary Functions:
I went to one Rotary meeting this month. I had just talked about Christmas and how the change in families went. Other than that there was a Rotaract meet up at a city that’s close to me. Unfortunately the Rotary district wouldn’t let the exchange students stay the night with the people in Rotaract so only me and 2 other exchange students went for one day. It was nice and they said that since I live in the same city I can start doing things with them so I’m going to be asking about that.
Activities Outside of Rotary:
Because I haven’t been able to make friends I’m looking at starting to play badminton but I still need to find a club. So i changed families and I really like my host sister and my host dad but my host mom does annoy me at times. She stops me every 3 words to try and correct my French which then turns out to be a mistake and she didn’t need to fix it but she thought I was trying to say something else. I can’t say I’m tired or something else like that without getting a lecture and it does get frustrating. I’m trying to learn French how everyone else is speaking it but she thinks I don’t and I tell her that I do and show her but she's always saying I can’t and even once I do a French exercise perfectly she just continues saying I don’t know how to. I did have the other Canadian in my district stay the weekend and she did say my host mom was sort of weird. First day she said I wasn’t locking the door properly but I don’t leave or have the key for the door she was talking about. My host sister could have 3 people plus herself stay in the same room but I can only have 1 person. I understand that it is her house and she gets to decide who can and can’t. I am getting settled in her though and it's a lot different than the Murador’s and it was a bit more relaxed in the Murador’s where here I do feel a little stressed about saying anything. My host mom has complimented me and said I am the most practical exchange students they’ve had because I do ask questions about themselves and are curious to know them where the others weren’t.
Comments and Requests:
I’ve been talking about 200 euros that our district wants us to pay for the mandatory events and some people have paid that and the district talked to my YEO here about my payment I think but they haven’t brought it up to me yet so I have no idea what's going on.
By Sarah Ash
If you would like to send Sarah an email, her address is: sarahash00@shaw.ca.
Work bee to put the school furniture together on February 13th
Tri-Club Cross-Country Ski day and Potluck dinner at Otway on February 28th
Alpine Ski day at Purden on March 5th
Nechako Rotary Club Pub Night at the Legion on February 12th at 5:30pm
Yellowhead Rotary Club Taste of India on February 20th - tickets are $100.00 and Dolly bought a table
PG Chamber of Commerce Top 40 Under 40 on February 4th at 5:00pm at UNBC
Looking for a Vice-President and Chair of the Foundation committee in lieu of William Osei's absence
Julianne's Update: Next week she will be attending ski races in Jasper through her school. Last week she went curling - she said it reminds her of Canadian bowling!
Special Thanks and Congratulations go to:
Dolly and Executive for organizing our Charter Night
Lloyd and Gordon - who are two of our original Charter Members! Gord has been our Sgt at Arms for that entire period!
Rotary History
More than 60 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a Rotarian in the United States devised a simple, four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The statement and the principles it embodied also helped many others find their own ethical compass. Soon embraced and popularized by Rotary International, The Four-Way Test today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks. - See more at: http://portal.clubrunner.ca/7708/Stories/history-of-the-four-way-test#sthash.jPZOUmQR.dpuf
More than 60 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a Rotarian in the United States devised a simple, four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The statement and the principles it embodied also helped many others find their own ethical compass. Soon embraced and popularized by Rotary International, The Four-Way Test today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks. - See more at: http://portal.clubrunner.ca/7708/Stories/history-of-the-four-way-test#sthash.jPZOUmQR.dpuf
More than 60 years ago, in the midst of the Great Depression, a Rotarian in the United States devised a simple, four-part ethical guideline that helped him rescue a beleaguered business. The statement and the principles it embodied also helped many others find their own ethical compass. Soon embraced and popularized by Rotary International, The Four-Way Test today stands as one of the organization’s hallmarks. For more information, see John Berthelot's entire article here.
Saturday, January 30th the Nechako Rotary club celebrated its 30th Anniversary with a Charter Dinner. The Rotary Club of Prince George - Nechako was chartered on November 4, 1985 and held its charter presentation meeting and banquet on January 18th, 1986. Our sponsoring club was the Rotary Club of Prince George - Yellowhead. Charter members include:
Brian Bethel
Layne Bixby
Jim Blake
Don Blight
Geoff Bonser
Terry Brown
Lloyd Clay
Bob Crosbie
Don Dunaway
Bob Fortier
Don Grantham
Bill Gurney
Phil Hartl
Allan Husband
Mike Jenkins
Hans Johansen
Ivan Jorgenson
Wayne Kidd
Norm McGee
Dan Marcotte
Eamon McArdle
Mickey Milns
Dennis Nore
John Paterson
Lyell Rodger
Gordon Smith
Greg Springall
Peter Twidle
Glen Wicklund
D. Eisenbrenner
A special word of gratitude to Lloyd Clay and Gordon Smith who have been members since the beginning and have and continue to be hard-working members and exemplary examples of the meaning of Rotary. Gord Smith was the original Sargent at Arms and has been served in this position throughout the club's existence.
And a special thanks to Andrea Johnson and Juliana Ruhstrat for organizing the event.
The speaker for the January 27th was Sharon Tower from the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition (OBAC). OBAC's mandate is provide unified, cross-regional leadership that ensures place-based, innovation driven, economic diversification, sustainable development and, resiliency. The Coalition seeks to lead with integrity and dedication, initiating collaborative solutions that enable all our citizens to better determine future opportunities and respond to challenges. The Coalition was established in 2005 to deal with the community impacts of the pine beetle epidemic. Membership to the coalition is voluntary and comprised of local government leaders from the following municipalities and regional districts:
Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako
Regional District of Fraser-Fort George
City of Prince George
Town of Smithers
District of Vanderhoof
District of Fort St. James
District of Houston
District of Mackenzie
Village of Burns Lake
Village of Fraser Lake
Village of Granisle
Village of McBride
Village of Telkwa
Village of Valemount
Sharon reported that the local economy will start to feel the impact of the pine beetle kill. While there still is some viable timber but it will require new roads making it expensive to haul. The timber shortfall is predicted to have a devastating impact on the local economy and people of the region and will likely see 5 mills closing by 2020 resulting in a 47% increase in unemployment. OBAC continues to be involved in a variety of initiatives and strategies including the Rural BC Project, agriculture, alternative energy projects, mining, soil research, tourism including a mountain biking strategy, community social services projects, like housing in Houston and Smithers. The Coalition is a not-for-profit organization that tries to leverage every dollar. If you would like more information about the Omineca Beetle Action Coalition, check out their website at: http://www.ominecacoalition.ca/concrete5/.
The presentation for the January 20th meeting was given by Jody Tindill, the president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association of Northern BC. Jody is the first female president of the Canadian Home Builders' Association of Northern BC, busniess manager and partner of Belledunne Homes, and controller of finance and facilities for the Prince George Public Library. Jody has a B.Comm from the University of Northern British Columbia.
The Canadian Home Builders' Association of Northern BC (CHBA-NBC) offers three levels of advocacy and networking across the country. Their core purpose is to assist members in serving the needs and meeting the aspirations of Canadian for housing. Nationally, the association began in 1943, with the provincial association beginning in 1965/66 and Prince George serving as the provincial headquarters before moving to Vancouver. The provincial CHBA board is made up of local association representatives, with 1600 members across the province and advocates on provincial issues, offers provincial housing awards, builder credentials, Home Owner Protection (HPO).
On a local level, the Prince George Contractor's Association began in 1958 and would grow into the CHBA. There are currently 84 members but this is growing all the time. The CHBA-NBC advocates on a local and regional level, organizes social and networking events, and provides builder education. One of the recent endeavours has been the Master Residential Builder Certification program. Jody also spoke about energy programs and the various energy ratings from Ground 0 or simply abiding by the building code, through Energy Star, R-2000, NZE Ready and Net Zero Energy which is 1005 energy efficient.
Jody invited us to attend their biggest fundraising event, the Prince George Home and Garden Show, which will be held April 22, 23, and 24. In addition to the great booths, vendors, food, friends, and fun, the PG Home and Garden Show will feature the Rona Kutthroat Konstruction competition, a Little Builder's section, Urban farmer Ron Berezan, a Birdhouse auction, and an Ugly Stove competition -- bring in that avocado green stove and you might just win a new one. You can find more about the PG Home and Garden Show at: http://www.chbahomeshow.ca/.
You can also follow CHBA-NBC on Twitter and on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/chbaofnorthernbc/?fref=ts.
Canadian Home Builders' Association of Northern British Columbia
Brenda Colebrook and Debbie Dow attended our meeting to discuss their experience on safari in Tanzania. They shared gorgeous photos of the wildlife in Tanzania. Debbie noted that it was the wildlife that originally brought her to Tanzania, but it is the people that will continue to bring her back.
Born and raised in Prince George, Debbie had a career overseeing field projects for the Ministry of Forests before starting her own antique business. Now retired, she volunteers with her church and loves getting outdoors and traveling to remote environments. Brenda also has a passion for animals, which led to her move to Prince George as a young RN. She married a vet and settled into life in PG, raised her family and is an active volunteer in our community. Given their passion for animals and the outdoors, they decided to journey to Tanzania, a country in East Africa, to participate in an eco safari. Early in their journey they were instructed never to share their water with the locals. Over the course of their safari, they were enchanted by the wildlife and beautiful vistas, but their hearts were captured by the local people known as the Maasai.
The Maasai are pasturalists, live in rural villages. The adults will walk 7 - 10 km to collect water, bringing it home in containers balanced on their heads. Children walk their animals for many kilometers so that the animals can drink as well. Despite many underground water resources, the Maasai have difficulty obtaining the water they need for health. Many of the surface sources of water (ponds and streams) dry up in the summer months, and all of them are contaminated with parasites because these pools are shared with wildlife as well as their goats and cows. They visited a school which served 43 students, and asked about the container hanging outside, only to learn that this small (4 litre) receptacle was the daily ration of water for the students and their schoolmaster.
Brenda and Debbie were instructed never to give their water away, but whenever their vehicle stopped children would come to beg for food and water. One day, a small child approached the vehicle. Debbie had a bottle of water and her camera within reach of the window; a young child reached in and grabbed the bottle of water, leaving the camera. This reflects the high value that is place on water in the area. It was challenging to do as they were instructed, in the face of such need for water. Brenda and Debbie resolved to do something to help the Maasai, and decided that raising funds to build a well would be an important use of their skills and talents! They produced a gorgeous calendar which is available for purchase for $25, and almost all of the proceeds go directly towards the costs of the well. Since August 2014, they have raised $16,200 towards the cost of building a hand-pumped shallow well that can provide water for hundreds of people and their animals. They note that many of the wells that other groups install at schools or churches will not provide water for the animals, which means that the Maasai still have long daily journeys to attain water for their animals. While a deeper well would serve a much larger number of people, a shallow well is more achievable in terms of cost to create and cost to maintain. With the drop in the Canadian dollar, Brenda and Debbie have produced a 2016 calendar for sale, and once they are done they will have enough money to proceed with the well.
Calendars are available through Dolly, or you can contact Debbie and Brenda directly at projectwell2015@outlook.com
The presentation for the January 6th meeting was an introduction to Club Runner and a discussion about how Club Runner can better meet our needs as a club. The presentation notes have been uploaded under the Club Documents. There was an interest in members knowing how to create Events, instructions for this have also been added to the Club Documents. Watch for changes to Club Runner and please feel free to forward suggestions or questions regarding Club Runner to Deb Nielsen at deb.nielsen@unbc.ca.
Operation Red Nose Volunteer Recognition event will be a spaghetti dinner at 5:30pm Saturday at ICBC. Contact Neil for more information.
Youth Exchange - Gina will be buying tickets to the Cougars game tomorrow (Jan 14). Just a reminder that the winter exchange takes place on the 22nd, with a Cougars game on Friday, Skiing and then a chili dinner at Otway on Saturday, on tobogganing on Sunday. Gina is looking for a host family for two of the boys.
Pub Night at the Legion - the first one will be on Friday February 12 at 5:30pm, friends and family are welcome. Minors are welcome until 8pm and after 8 there may be a cover charge, if there's a live band.
Taste of India has been sold out but Dolly reserved a table - costs are $100 per seat, contact Dolly if you want to attend.
Update from Juliana - last Sunday she went to Otway! She was impressed by how beautiful it was out there, and it was lots of fun! She also took in her first Cougars game - and they won!
Our presenters were Brenda Colebrook and Debbie Dow, and there is another story on their "Journey to the Well - Tanzania".
Dolly's "History of Rotary" presentation focused on the term "Rotary Ann". This has been a term used to refer to the wives of Rotary members, which originated in 1914 when Rotarians in San Francisco took a train to the convention in Houston. It was unusual for wives to attend Rotary events and Ann Brunnier, wife of Bru Brunnier, was the only woman aboard the train. As they progressed along their journey, Ann was introduced to new passengers as the "Rotarian's Ann" which morphed into "Rotary Ann". One of the San Francisco delegates wrote a "Rotary Ann" chant for the Houston conference, one of the performances to emphasize that the convention would be coming to San Fancisco the following year. Eventually, "Rotary Ann" was used to refer to all the wives of the members.
Gina won the 50/50 and Gordon noted that she donated her winnings back to Rotary, so thank you for that!
We had five recipients of the Paul Harris award! Ken (+7), Gordon (+3), Gail (+1), Shirley (+1), and Harold (+1) . Congratulations on the award and thank you for your generosity!
The Paul Harris Fellowship is named for Paul Harris, who founded Rotary over 100 years ago. The Fellowship was established in his honor in 1957 to express appreciation and recognition for a contribution of US $1000 to the Rotary Foundation. A Paul Harris Fellow is an individual who contributes $1,000 US or in whose name that amount is contributed. Every Paul Harris Fellow receives a pin, medallion and a certificate when he or she becomes a Fellow. This identifies the Paul Harris Fellow as an advocate of the Foundation's goals of world peace and international understanding.
2015 Christmas Breakfast and Annual Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Thank you to the Coast Inn of the North for the lovely breakfast and the choir for serenading us over breakfast. Michelle Marelli was the winner of the Ugly Christmas Sweater contest. Such a wonderful treat to see all the beautiful families. Enjoy the photos and the holidays.
Anyone who can help with delivering the Seniors' Christmas hampers, meet at the Prince George Citizen office on Monday, December 21st at 9:00 am.
Ugly Sweater/Annual Christmas Breakfast next meeting -- December 23rd -- please RSVP to Lisa.
We will be holding a pub night at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch #43 every 2nd Friday night beginning January 5th. Young people are welcome between 5:00 pm and 8:00 pm.
There was no report from Juliana as she did not attend.
The presentation for the meeting was Annual General meeting and 2015 Financial Statements. The reports that were submitted have been uploaded to Club Runner under Documents.
Gina wanted to assure everyone that in light of Friday's events in Paris, that she has been in touch with both our exchange students in France and they are both fine. Neither of their host families were directly affected by the attacks but everyone in France is of course affected to some degree. Neither Sarah nor Anthony are letting this dampen their experience of France.
Highlights from Sarah's Report:
I got over the cold I mentioned last time quickly.
My host family took me to the Pont d’arc which is a replica of a cave that contains the oldest drawing in the world and I absolutely loved it. I also got to see a black and white movie with the orchestra playing in the background and it had been a Charlie Chaplin “The Kid” so the writing was in the English.
This month I did go to one Rotary meeting. At the meeting I talked (in French) a little bit about school and how I am liking France. My club said that since their meetings go until around 11:00pm at night on a school night that they will only ask me to come when I am on holidays. When I go to my next meeting I am going to make the club butter tarts as I will be bringing that dessert to our exchange student international meal later this month.
My French is getting much better now I understand so much more (as long as the person doesn’t speak super fast” I think I still need another couple of months to really be speaking it well but my host family and Rotary both said that it has improved so much. I did miss Halloween a bit since i didn’t get to do anything. I’m not homesick though. Overall France is really amazing and I still can’t believe I’m here for a year. It still feels like a dream.
You can read Sarah's full report in the longer story.
Missed the Meeting? Make it up by reading the recap!
The Skateboard Planning Committee continues to meet at the Pioneer Centre. If you are interested in getting involved, contact Ken.
On November 2nd, City Council will proclaim Rotary Week. There will be a flag-raising at 10:30am at City Hall. The Downtown club arranged for media to attend.
Last spring, we were contacted by Linden Peterson regarding the donation of a substantial amount of used office furniture. We haven't done anything with it, but we need to make a "go - no go" decision soon. Will and Ken will be moving the items on the weekend and were looking for volunteers to assist.
Rachelle was looking for a couple of volunteers for Kelly Road Interviews, as there were still some spaces in the afternoon. The sign-up sheet was circulated.
Operation Red Nose is gearing up for launch on November 16.
Dolly is selling calendars, proceeds will go towards building wells in Tanzania. They are $25 each and Dolly will be bringing them to the next Rotary meeting.
Rotaract is a Tri-Club sponsored group of young adults, and they're working hard to get established. Gina advised we're looking for a Rotaract Liaison - as they only have 1 business meeting per month, and there are three clubs involved, this will take a minimal amount of time. The role is just to mentor them. Rachelle took this on last year but has taken on a number of other volunteer responsibilities this year. Contact Gina if you'd like to step up!
We're looking for candidates for Outbound Youth Exchange - ideally they should be in grade 9 or 10 right now. Contact Gina for more information.
Julianna noted that she is happy to be playing soccer again! She had a strong suspicion that she was the only person in Prince George pleased to see snow on Monday. She went to her first hockey game and is looking forward to winter! Julianna will also be submitting a column to the Prince George Citizen two times per month, discussing her experiences as a Rotary Exhange Student.
Leona discussed the success of the Rotary Foundation Dinner. 37 people attended from Nechako club, 18 from Yellowhead and 32 from Downtown. She will be sending out tax receipts to participants shortly.
Loralyn Murdoch was the guest speaker - we have a separate story capturing some of the key points of her presentation.
Michaela Will reports out on her experience at RYLA North 2015.
Michaela Will attended Rotary this morning and shared her experience at RYLA North this fall. Heading out and hoping for a relaxing week-end free of homework assignments, Michaela, along with fourteen other young adults, didn't know what to expect. What she experienced was a weekend of workshops, activities and the development of new friendships. Speakers included George Stedeford (The Money Game), Kerry Deschamps (A Simple Leadership Truth to Build Your Life Around), Lorne Calder (Ethics and the Four Way Test), Peter Thompson (Applied Creativity), Ross Birchall (The Young Entrepreneur and the 21st Century Challenge) and Shauna Harper (Connecting the Dots). She learned about Rotary, leadership principles, and the fact that you "may never get there" and the importance of enjoying the journey. While she wasn't a fan of the tire swing, Michaela took a leap of faith and tried out the zipline! Overall she thought it was an exceptional experience and would recommend it to other young adults who are interested in learning more about themselves and developing leadership skills.
Friday night, The Prince George Community Foundation celebrated community volunteerism and philanthropy with its 2015 Citizens of the Year. In past year's the nominees have been narrowed down to honour one citizen but breaking with tradition, the foundation chose to honour five recipients this year. Among the recipients was none other than our own, William Osei. Congratulations William from all of us at the Nechako Rotary club. We also congratulate Diana Nakamura, Anthony Everett, and Bill and Judy Russel. You can read more about these amazing citizens here.
CONGRATULATIONS William Osei - Citizen of the Year
This week Operation Red Noseis teaming up with the local hockey clubs to raise awareness about the program and its aims. Come out and support Operation Red Nose and the Prince George Cougars on Wednesday, October 21st at 7:00pm at the CN Centre and on show your support again for the Prince George Spruce Kings on Friday, October 23rd at 7:00pm at the Prince George Coliseum. Loud and proud!
Operation Red Nose TEAMS UP with Local Hockey Clubs
Karen and Warren came to the club meeting on Wednesday morning to signup members to volunteer for Operation Red Nose. Once the registration was complete they printed off the Criminal Record Check form that needs to be taken to the RCMP station. Our push has started to get all of our members signed up along with the large number of volunteers needed for a successful season. Please contact Karen at 250-961-6465 if you need help or sign up at www.ornpg.ca.
Kathleen has been in the drivers seat for Administering the 617 civic employees of Prince George for two months, and takes these reins with a long and solid background in the City.
Kathleen was born and raised in Prince George, and has a long family history in Prince George, with over 100 years of family ties to the City. Kathleen's father and grandfather was also city employees and engineers.
Kathleen has been a employee with the City for 29 years holding many important roles, including Financial Director, prior to assuming the role of City Manager.
Kathleen said her position reports to the 75 thousand residents of Prince George, with direct reporting to the Mayor and Council.
Mayor Lyn Hall, a Rotarian with the Nechako Rotary Club, thanked Kathleen for her presentation and her strong leadership in the role of City Manager, during these past few months, with great things to come.
The Nechako Rotary Club is making another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program in recognition of Kathleen's presentation.
The Nechako Rotary Club receives applications for a number of opportunities to support organizations in our community to provide programs that benefit people within Prince George.
The Nechako Rotary Club has made a $1,000.00 donation to the United Nations Association in Canada in support of their programs to assist youth and literacy both locally and globally.
President Leona Anderson and PDG Neil King have the honor of presenting a cheque for $1,000.00 dollars to UNAC President Guilliana Tamblyn and Director Kathy MacDonald.
Thank you Nechako Rotarians for continuing to work to assist these worthy programs.
United Nations Association in Canada is a new organization that was started in 2014. The Founder and President of the Prince George Branch of UNAC is Giulliana Tamblyn. The Director of the Program is Kathy MacDonald.
Both Giulliana and Kathy provided some basic background information about some of the goals and activities being provided by UNAC.
One of the key programs of UNAC is currently their "Sport-In-A-Box" project.
This Sport-In-A-Box program has been implemented in Canada for about 10 years, but new to UNAC locally.
The Sport-In-A-Box program is:
Focused on 9 to 12 year old children
Provides 8 flexible sessions
Integrates physical literacy both locally and globally
Provides training for volunteer facilitators
Provides for a coordinator
The program is provided through a step by step process, where children are provided with a colored box, which they then place a number of sports type items, specific th Canada.
These boxes are then exchanged with children in other countries, to share and learn through the exchange and appreciation of the different sport type activities.
The Prince George Branch of UNAC is currently fund raising with a goal of $25,000.00 to support their program.
The Nechako Rotary Club is one of their donors, with a $1,000.00 donation to the program.
PDG Neil King thanked both Giulliana and Kathy for their presentation, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club is always pleased to induct new members into Rotary.
Today, PDG Ron Neukomm, President Leona Anderson and Rotarian Sponsor Lisa Redpath had the pleasure of introducing the two newest Rotarians into the Nechako Rotary Club.
Zelda Craig is the CEO of her company, Vibrant Leadership Training in Prince George. Zelda holds the Classification of Education.
Prince George City Mayor Lyn Hall is a long time resident of Prince George and assumes the Classification of City Administration.
Please introduce yourselves to these two new Rotarians and ensure they are welcome into Rotary.
Doctor Margot Parkes is the Canada Research Chair in Health, Ecosystems & Society, School of Health Sciences & Northern Medical Program, of the UNBC Health Research Institute.
Dr. Parkes is no stranger to Rotary, with Rotary helping to start her extensive career as an Ambassadorial Scholar over 20 years ago in Brussels.
Dr. Parkes presentation focused on Ecosystems and the cumulative relationship of Ecosystems with health, both Public and Personal Health.
Dr. Parkes discussion related to the "Stuart-Nechako Watershed" because of the Nechako Rotary Club, but her talk was relative to all watersheds and ecosystems, regardless of their location, as they are all relative to the long term effect on our environmental and personal health.
The "Stuart-Nechako Watershed" is approximately the same size as Switzerland, but with a much smaller population.
"ECO" is a Greek word meaning "House".
Ecosystems relate to such things as: Air, Water, (both surface and ground water) environmental dynamics, land use and practices, active lifestyles, etc.
The bottom line being that the "Upstream Effects Causes Downstream Impacts." Whatever happens in a ecosystem, within a watershed, will have an impact on the ultimate well being of the environment and the related health of everything downstream.
We regularly see and appreciate these facts more from the research and information being presented by people such as Dr. Parkes and the other people involved in the study of cause and effect on our environmental systems.
Rotarian Doctor William Osai thanked Dr. Parkes with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Ranjit Gill is the Executive Director of the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum. Ranjit was a former Rotarian with the Prince George Downtown Club.
Ranjit provided a detailed update to the Nechako Club membership this morning on the large new developments happening at the Railway and Forestry Museum.
The Museum is celebrating 100 years of Rail Transportation in the north, as well as the exciting things that are under construction, including completion of the house that was used for one of the section workers, donated by CN Rail.
The Museum recently planted a large number of "Fruit Trees" on the 8 acre grounds of the Museum, which are expected to bear fruit this summer.
A large covered "Gazebo" type structure is currently in the newest plans for the Museum. This large structure will provide considerable cover for some of the Museum equipment and rolling stock.
This cover is currently being funded raised and the total cost is expected to be close to $500 thousand dollars.
The Museum is seeking donations from organizations and corporate sponsors to complete this worth while project.
Ranjit was thanked for her presentation by Past President Andrea Johnson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Past President Kelly Zammit received her fifth Paul Harris Pin today, in recognition of Kelly's continuous contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
Kelly makes regular weekly contributions to the Foundation under the "Every Rotarian, Every Year." The contribution dollars just keep adding up.
The Rotary Foundation is the Charity Organization of choice for all Rotarians. Through the Rotary Foundation, Rotary has the ability to make a difference, including an array of projects that save and invigorate the lives of people around the world and enhance International friendship and understanding.
The Foundation Programs provide educational opportunities, food, potable water, health care, immunizations, and shelter for millions of persons.
Kelly, your contribution to the Rotary Foundation is allaying suffering, improving living conditions and providing educational opportunities for young people somewhere in the world.
Thank you for your continued support for the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations on receiving yet another Paul Harris recognition.
Fellow Rotarian Neil Godbout walked the Nechako Rotary Club down memory lane to some degree with a pictorial presentation of the Prince George Citizen and it's 100 Years of covering the News and Events.
A great contribution to both the City of Prince George and the people that have helped to make this city what it is today, in recognition of the Centennial.
The Citizen has been a somewhat controversial daily paper during those years, in that it reported the good, the bad, and the ugly to the reading public, regardless of individual preference.
Despite the continual move to electronic messaging and devises, the Citizen continues to enjoy a large reader population, providing some security for our local newspaper in the years ahead.
Neil was thanked for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Thank you Neil for a great job in walking us down memory lane.
Dr. Roy Rae has spent half of his life in northern California and the other half in northern British Columbia.
Roy received his M.Sc in Biology at UNBC and his PhD in Ecology at Norwegian University of Life Science in Norway.
Dr. Rae has spoken to the Nechako Rotary Club on a previous occasion a few years ago regarding wildlife related vehicle collisions. He also assisted the Nechako Club with one of the earlier Group Study Exchange programs during their stay in Prince George, with a tour of UNBC and focus on his Science Lab at the University.
Dr. Rae has special interest in: 1) Plant - animal interactions; 2) Field based Education; 3) Considerations for special landscape features, including such things as mineral licks, bear dens, wildlife trees in forest planning and management; and 4) Determining strategies for mitigating wildlife-related vehicular collisions.
Dr. Rae explained that the number of wildlife related vehicular collisions is down significantly from when he last spoke on the subject with Rotary, but the reason is mostly due to reduced numbers of wildlife in the area, than any scientific or management strategies.
Dr. Rae also indicated that the number of events is likely considerably higher than those actually reported, due to other circumstances including such things as moose collisions with railroad trains and events where a vehicle was not seriously damaged.
Dr. Rae also continues to advise that the use of animal whistles doesn't reduce the frequency of animal collisions as most people hoped.
Dr. Rae also indicated most of the wildlife collisions occur during night driving as the animals are harder to see, and this is also the time of the day when the animals often frequent the highway corridors seeking minerals along the roads, as well as reprieve from deep snow and possible predation. Also, some of the more desirable feed sources such as younger willow and alder may be found along the roads.
Dr Rae was thanked for his presentation and responsiveness to numerous questions, by Rotarian Harold Spensley and President Leona Wilkinson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Juliana continues to make great progress on her bucket list! There are still some things left on there. If you want to connect with Juliana, the best way to connect with her is to send her an email at: j.ruhstrat@ruhstrat.de
Here are a few items that are still "outstanding" on her to-do list - can you help her accomplish one of these goals?
We enjoyed an excellent and informative presentation at our July 30 meeting from Nechako Rotarian Loraina Stephen and her husband Don whose contracting company, Quartz Contracting, operate nine northern BC provincial parks in the Omineca region around Prince George. They, and their four kids, began the operation in 1985, when the BC Parks system was changed. Since then, it's been a family affair. Their parks include Purden Lake east of Prince George; Crooked River, Whiskers Point, Tudyah and Carp Lake north of Prince George and Sowchea and Beaumont west of the city. Park visitors are attracted to camping, hiking, and fishing opportunities, as well as the bounty of flora and fauna. Over the years, their son Ian has become quite the photographer, capturing fabulous images of the all the parks. They are also using social media to inform visitors and campers of how many sites are still open every weekend as well as events happening at all the parks.
They were thanked by Rotarian Garry Howse and President Brian.
Rotary Exchange student Elyse Donck pulled the winning ticket for the 1971 Ford Torino at the Nechako Club's meeting this morning at 8:00am. The winner is FERN HOLLAHAN of Prince George, ticket number 1718. Fern was immediately contacted by the Rotary Club and was quite excited about her win! The car will soon be deliverd to a very happy winner!
The recipients of the proceeds will be the Salvation Army for the purchase of their Emergency Response Support Unit.
This was a major fundraising undertaking thanks to Rotarians and Friends of Rotary who believe in Rotary's motto "Service Above Self."
Special recognition goes out to Past President Ken Pendergast for the countless volunteer hours he put in as chair of club fundraising and to the team captains that worked tirelessly throughout the past four months!
Announcing the Lucky Winner of the 1971 Ford Torino
The World Baseball Challenge is coming to Prince George again this July 2011. Prince George hosted the WBC in 2009 with a very successful week of Baseball. The event is hosted every 2 years.
Jim Swanson, Shawn Rice and Lori Wolfe explained to the Nechako Rotary Club this years highlights for the WBC with the Blue Jays being major sponsors this year.
Cuba is the number one team in this league and they have recently announced their commitment to come to Prince George as part of the games.
In 2009, the three Rotary Clubs in Prince George sponsored the 4 day Kids Training Camp and now have first right of refusal to retain this sponsorship in Prince George.
Lori Wolfe has been brought into the WBC program in Prince George to provide the overall directorship for the Kids Camp. Lori is very optimistic that this years Kids Camp will be even bigger and better than last years program. Lori indicated they already have 70 kids signed up for the 4 day camp scheduled for July 3rd through July 6th.
The WBC is once again looking to Rotary in Prince George to provide sponsorship in this Kids Camp.
The WBC representatives were thanked by President Elect Kelly Zammit, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Doctor Steven Chang just returned to Prince George from his most recent trip to Sierra Leone, and came home to a pleasant surprise.
Before leaving Prince George, Steven had passed around a number of letters to members in the Medical Community in Prince George, asking for donations for assistance to help ship the current container of Medical Equipment, School Books and other supplies collected in Prince George and surrounding northern communities, to Africa. These materials have only recently been shipped to the RWHN Warehouse in Vancouver awaiting placement into a container for overseas transport.
Steven found that people in the north had donated over $4200.00 to assist with the transport of the container. The Rotary Club of Mackenzie has also assisted with a cheque for $500.00.
A total of approximately $6000.00 is required for shipment of the container, plus a further $2000.00 to cover port fees on arrival into Africa.
Doctor Chang also presented the Nechako Rotary Club with a Banner he received while on his trip.
Rotarian Gail MacLaren provided the club members an update on our new inbound exchange student arriving in Prince George in August.
Our new student, Maike Adams, is from Germany and will be turning 16 years of age this year. Maike is a great young person and has already been communicating with our club electronically as she eagerly awaits her arrival date to Canada. Maike speaks English from her studies in Germany, and will fit in nicely with Rotary and her new friends in Prince George.
The first couple of Host Families have been arranged for Maike, but Gail indicates we still need some hosting. Anyone that can assist should contact Gail directly.
Gail also mentioned that it is necessary for many of our Rotarians to get their Criminal Record Checks completed as these are necessary for all Rotarians having involvement with our Youth Exchange Program. The CRC is necessary to be completed every four years.
Operation Red Nose Chair and President Elect Kelly Zammit accepted the Community Service Project Award at the District 5040 Rotary Convention in Vancouver on May 8th, 2011.
District Governor Penny Offer presented the Award to the Nechako Rotary Club.
This award is in appreciation for the extent of Community Service and Recognition in Prince George through Rotary by our hosting of the Operation Red Nose Program during the past decade, during the Christmas Festive Season.
Thank you Kelly for your Leadership in ORN and all the hundreds of hours donated by Nechako Rotarians, families and friends to make this program such a wonderful success story in Prince George.
Dennis Kiffiak, Director of Development for HOPE AIR provided an informational presentation about the service of Hope Air to our communities around the province and across Canada.
Hope Air is a relatively unknown organization despite the fact they are celebrating their 25th Anniversary in Canada this year.
Hope Air has provided over 66,000 Air Flights to people in need of medical assistance during the past 25 years, that are financially unable to afford these flights without some assistance.
In Prince George, a full 365 flights have been provided during the current year, one per day on average, and another 900 needed. The program is growing by over 90% with many aspects of the clients changing to include seniors as well as single parents living on fixed income and under the poverty line.
Hope Air have three criteria they use to help determine their willingness to assist people. These are: Assessment; Treatment,; and Follow-up Treatment.
Hope Air provide most of their Flight assistance through WestJet, where they have to pay the taxes and Airport Charges on the flights that are otherwise donated by WestJet. Another source of flights is the private Aircraft flown by pilots where Hope Air fund 50% of their fuel costs and expenses, allowing these pilots to enjoy their flying at a reduced rate.
Hope Air is a non profit organization and is constantly looking for assistance to provide this service through support from communities and organizations such as Rotary.
Dennis was thanked for his presentation by Rotary Garry Howse with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Past President Rotarian Ron Fichner, of the Downtown Rotary Club provided the Nechako Club members with a power point presentation of the Plans, Sponsorships to date and background details regarding the Kordyban Cancer Lodge being built in Prince George in conjunction with the new Cancer Clinic.
The Lodge will be an attractive and comfortable building designed to help people that require access to the facilities provided through the Cancer Clinic in Prince George, as well as their families and care givers.
The Lodge will be constructed using lots of wood products and glass to provide an open and warm atmosphere. The building will provide a total of 18 rooms and 36 beds for accommodation in addition to a comfortable lounge area and eating area for three meals a day.
The sixteen Rotary Clubs serving the northern regions of BC have all been asked to get together to help raise a minimum of $100,000.00 required to sponsor the "Hair Salon and Wig Bank."
Rotarian Larry Parker thanked Ron for his presentation with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Adele Sjoberg brought a cardboard box to the Nechako Club meeting this morning to collect the donated shoes for the Soles4Souls Program this year.
The program ends for this year on May 7th, so you only have a few more days to dig out those old shoes and take them to Adele's Timberline Footfitters Store for collection.
Thanks to Adele, her Store is providing a $10.00 discount coupon to anyone that donated their old shoes to the program.
Thank you Adele for being a Rotarian and taking this initiative.
One of the many tasks or challenges for Rotarians involved in projects like the Rotary World Health Nework, is the preparation for shipment of equipment and materials to far of locations such as Serra Leone in Africa.
Most of this equipment and supplies, have not packaging available and require some work to prepare for shipment. This is especially apparent when looking at some heavy, fragile equipment such as X-Ray machines that still have a use in other locations but have been surpassed by our technology here in Canada.
However, Rotarians like a challenge. Rotarian and Charter member Lloyd Clay is one of those Rotarians. When Lloyd took on the task of preparing the latest piece of equipment, a very heavy and fragile X-Ray component, he thought is was a relatively easy task.
One week later, with donated plywood, wafer board and 2X4's, the job is completed and the piece of equipment is ready for shipment to the RWHN warehouse in Vancouver.
Thank you Lloyd Clay, Harold Spensley, Garry Howse, for your help in making this "easy task" a success.
Behind the Scenes of the Rotary World Health Network
Rotarian Adele Sjoberg is asking Nechako Rotarians, friends and family to clean out their closets of the older, slightly worn shoes, boots, sandals and footwear that still has some miles left in them, to donate to this years "Soles4Soles" program.
The Soles4Soles program is currently being sponsored as a Rotary Project in Kelowna. Due to the lateness in the year, the Nechako Rotary Club decided not to be directly involved in 2011, as we did not have time to arrange for media, storage and transportation of the donated footwear.
For 2011 however, Adele is arranging for the footwear to be dropped off at her store for short term storage, where the shoes will be organized and donated to various locations.
Some of the shoes will remain in the communities in northern BC, while some will be relocated to needy recipients in the other parts of the province, or shipped to other locations, including offshore countries.
Please drop off your donations to Adele's store "Timberline Footfitters" or bring them to the next Nechako Club meeting for Adele to collect. Otherwise you might find Adele literally "taking the shoes right off your feet"
Thank you Adele for helping coordinate this very worthwhile program in Prince George this year. Hopefully, next year we can expand this into a local Rotary Club Project..
Local Green Party Candidate Hilary Crowley spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club about some of the Policies, views and mandate in politics that the Green Party would implement if they are successful in the upcoming election.
Hilary is a long time resident of Prince George, serving as a Physio Therapist in Prince George for many years, and now providing this service to children in outreach areas such as Vanderhoof, Fort St James and Burns Lake that do not have access to therapy in their communities.
Hilary outlined the 10 Guiding Principles for the Green Party, including: Sustainability, Social Justice, Grass Routes Democracy, Non Violence, Community Based Economy, Gender Equity, Diversity, Decentralization, Personal and Global Responsibility and Ecological Wisdom.
Hilary also addressed some of her views regarding local issues such as Site C Hydro proposal, Tar Sands and the Embridge Pipeline proposal. All difficult types of projects when facing some of the current ecological challenges with sustainability of our environment during at least the next 7 decades.
Rotarian Adele Sjoberg thanked Hilary for her presentation with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Emotional Intelligence is one of the newer practices to help people improve their communicator skills. These practices are especially helpful for people in their workplace.
Emotional Intelligence is sometimes called "likeability". The ability to effectively manage your own emotions and respond to the emotions of others in a positive and useful way.
Zelda Craig, Partner, Trainer and Consultant of JAZ Training and Facilitation provided an interesting presentation on Emotional Intelligence to the Nechako Rotary Club. Zelda is capable of providing training and assessment of Emotional Intelligence Skills with people. I am certain that many people would have enjoyed spending a number of hours working with Zelda on these management concepts.
Zelda was thanked by Rotarian Bob Guy with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary club donated $3000.00 to AIMHI to assist with the updating and purchase of materials for their "Games Library" located in the AIMHI facility on 950 Kerry Street in Prince George.
AIMHI has been in existence in Prince George for 54 years as a None Profit Charitable Organization. AIMHI provide assistance, counsellings and training for hundreds of young people in our community, as well as assisting some of these people with employment opportunities.
The Nechako Rotary Club has been presented with a "Silver Donor" certificate during their Sponsor Recognition Meeting on April 5th, 2011.
32 young men and women from around northern BC attended a week long training academy at Kelly Road School during their spring break. These young students, ages 16 to 18 years old, were accommodated, fed and trained at Kelly Road for the entire week. Part of their training was the usual "Drill Team" required by the RCMP as part of their regular Boot Camp.
17 of these young people are Prince George residents. The remainder come from other communities in the north. These young people took the training in earnest and it is hoped that many of them will pursue a career in Policing as a result of this Youth Academy.
The Nechako Rotary Club provided $2500.00 sponsor ship to this program. Additional sponsorship was provided by Integris Credit Union, The Yellowhead Rotary Club, School District 57 and Just Good Food.
One of the many programs supported through the Family Y is the Youth Assistance Program (YAP). Misty Koster is the program coordinator with the Family Y and she is very passionate about the YAP program. The YAP Program is about "Empowering Young People to Empower Themselves".
The program provides every assistance reasonable to the youth in Prince George that apply for help, including the opportunity to get cleaned up, clothed and enrolled in programs that will aide in their recovery back to being able to sustain and empower themselves.
The Family Y is pleased with the support provided through the Nechako Rotary Club to assist these youth in our Community. Rotarian Diane Nakamura is a strong component in this program too.
Tiana Kelly, accompanied by fellow staffers from the Prince George Family Y, Faydra Aldridge, Misty Koster and Karen Cameron, made a joint presentation on the large activities and programs provided and made available to residents in the community to demonstrate clearly that the Family Y is "Not Just A Gym".
The YMCA has had a presence in Prince George since 1964. The Y is a family based type of operation, relying on its membership and Charitable donations to make their programs available to citizens in Prince George. The Y provides at least 100 group fitness plans for people in addition to all the other programs including such things as Child Care and Seniors Programs.
The Family Y is pleased to be a member and partner with Rotary in Prince George and to share in the efforts to provide assistance to the many types of programs we share in the community.
Tiana, Faydra, Misty and Karen were thanked by Rotarian Gina Rawson for their presentation with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Kiyono, a friend and guest of Diane Nakamara, made a short presentation to the Nechako Club about one of the current Fund Raising efforts happening in Prince George to provide assistance to the thousands of people seriously impacted by the earthquake and tsunami that occurred to devastate Japan.
About 40 Rotarians, friends and spouses came out to ski, snow board and play in the snow on March 12th. The day and the event was great, followed by some great hospitality, Chili, liquid libation and Rotary Fellowship hosted by Bill and Cathy Hellyer and Steve Forster at their cabin at Purden Mountain Ski Hill. Of course both Harold and Nancy Spensley were there to assist with the event and hospitality too.
The Nechako Rotary Club had a good turn out for the event. Almost enough for a meeting. Thank you for a great day.
The Nechako Rotary Club has made a significant Donation of $2500.00 to the UNBC Debate Society to help host the Northern BC Debate Championship March 18th to 20th, 2011 in Prince George.
James Alexander, Executive Vice President and Tournament Director of the Debate Championship attended our cheque presentation this morning with Rotarian Adele Sjoberg. James gave a short outline of how the Debate Championship is being scheduled with students from across northern BC.
The Debate Championship is expected to draw up to 180 students to UNBC for the event.
James will be back at a later date to make a presentation to the Club regarding the Debate Championship.
Thank you James and Adele and her committee for their recommendation to help sponsor this Worthy event.
The RCMP Youth Academy 2011 is scheduled in Prince George in March 2011, with 18 students from Prince George and another 11 students from other locations around BC. The event is planned in conjunction with Kelly Road Secondary School.
The program is focused on youth with a specific interest in Policing. Special Constable Davey Greenlees from the Prince George Community Policing Office, in addition to Bruce Northrup from Kelly Road School, attended the Nechako Rotary Club to receive our cheque for $2500.00 as our donation to help sponsor this event.
The chegue was presented by Rotarian Adele Sjoberg, Chair of the Funding Program Committee.
Lois Boone, former MLA, Highways Minister, School Board Member and long time resident of Prince George spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club this morning about her background, her political views and concerns regarding some of the issues currently facing people in BC and Canada.
Lois is campaigning for representation as the NDP Candidate for the Prince George - Peace River Constituency.
Lois was thanked by Rotarian Bonnie Urguhart with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Evelyn Lee, Director of the Prince George Cantata Singers, and her group of Choir, lead the Nechako Rotary Club in a great singing of "Oh Canada" in both the English and French version, followed by a short Slide Presentation of their "Choirfest 2011" Opera Choruses that is scheduled for May 20 to 22nd 2011, in Prince George.
The event is expected to draw between 200 and 250 Chorfesters from all over BC.
The theme is "O is for Opera" and the Nechako Rotary Club has donated $1000.00 to the Chorfest 2011 event.
Thank you Chorfest and good luck with Chorfest 2011 in May.
Rotarian Gina Rawson is doing her part to lower the average age of the Nechako Rotary Club by hosting her Grandson "Noel" to the morning Breakfast Meeting. Noel enjoyed the breakfast. We enjoyed his company. Thank you Gina for helping to raise a new Rotarian at an early age.
Linda Liss Co-Executive Director of "Making Ourselves Matter Services Society " in Prince George spoke to the Nechako Club about MOMSS,
MOMSS's "Mission" is to provide a supportive nurturing environment that will empower young women at risk to become competent, productive, and contributing members of the community."
MOMSS focuses on young women between the ages of 19 and 29 years of age, with the goal of "Empowering" these young women to succeed in our community with training to be:
Self Supporting, Resilient to negative peer pressures, Effective at managing drug and alcohol challenges, and being competent employees or post secondary students.
The program is an extensive 18 month holistic life skills empowerment program, utilizing therapeutic and healing strategies in overcoming the effects of the clients negative experiences. The clients have the opportunity to practice independent living prior to reintegration back into the community.
Linda was thanked by Rotarian Neil Godbout with a donation to our Polio Plus Program. Thank you Linda and Neil.
Gary Wilson is a Professor of Anthropology & Political Science at UNBC. Gary took a few minutes to explain their upcoming "Field School" where 11 students will be traveling to The Isle of Man for a 3 week period in May 2011.
During this field trip, these students will explore cultural change, the place of heritage and the politics of identity in Ireland and the Isle of Man, two of the most dynamic and intriguing parts of Celtic Europe. During the trip the students will be required to prepare studies and reports on their experience.
Gary indicated various reasons for the trip, including; career aspirations, travel experience, learning outside of the classroom and personal interest.
The trip is budgeted to cost each student approximately $6,000 dollars. The students are looking at a variety of fund raising opportunities to help with the expenses. They are open to ideas and eager to work with groups such as Rotary to help raise the funds.
Globalization, Culture and the Politics of Identity in Celtic Europe
Past District Governor and current Director of the Nechako Rotary Club Membership Committee led the Club through a "Fireside" type Membership Slide Show to demonstrate some of the background of Rotary and the many activities that the Nechako club is involved in.
Today's meeting was dedicated to the Club's hosting a Membership Drive, where many Rotarians brought friends and associates as prospective new members of Rotary.
Thank you Ron, for your leadership and dedication to bringing new members into Rotary.
Joan Stevens, with her parents, was introduced to the Club this morning as the Nechako Rotary Clubs next outbound student to go to another country for a one year long Rotary Youth Exchange. Joan was recently selected through a rigorous process by Rotarians in Prince George.
Joan is not sure yet which country she might be going to, but is hopeful that it might be Brazil. We are certain that Joan will make a good Ambassador for our country and city, no matter where she goes.
Rotarian Gail MacLaren introduced Joan and her parents to the Club.
Savannah Westgarde, Co-Founder of Ek Duniya, provided a short follow up to the Nechako Rotary Club, including a Certificate of Appreciation, for her opportunity to present to the Club on December 1st, 2010 regarding the Ek Duniya Program in Jodhpur, India.
The Ek Duniya Program is a Support and Awareness Program, designed to assist women in other countries that do not share the same level of recognition and liberalization that women enjoy in other parts of the world. Ek Duniya currently has over 150 women uniting together to help women to access resources, education, human rights and health.
The Ek Duniya Foundation is creating a Centre for Change in Jodhpur, India and is seeking financial assistance for the start up costs for this centre from organizations such as Rotary.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm received yet another Paul Harris Fellow Pin, making this one his 6th Paul Harris Fellowship.
PDG Ron is a regular and faithful contributor to the Rotary Foundation. Ron has also used his Foundation credits to assist with other Paul Harris Awards on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Congratulations Ron on your latest achievement and Thank you for your generosity to the Rotary Foundation.
Cpl Carissa Hornoi, the head of the Community Policing Office in Prince George, and Liaison officer for our partnership between the RCMP and Operation Red Nose, spoke to the club regarding the requirements of the Criminal Record Checks (CRC) that Rotarians and volunteers are required to complete each year for our Operation Red Nose Program as well as the CRC that is required every 4 years for our Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
The annual CRC is a requirement of the National Office of Operation Red Nose, as a condition of our contract to host the Red Nose Program. Cpl Hornoi has been very helpful in accommodating these CRC's for the program, despite the fact that the CRC conditions seem to get a little more detailed each year. This year, 2010, many volunteers including a few Rotarians were required to be finger printed as part of the process, due to the fact that an applicant for a CRC had the unfortunate reality of being the same gender and have the same birthday as an individual somewhere else in Canada that had a previous conviction of an offense under similar criteria, such as a sexual offense. These few cases took longer to process, but did not impair the delivery of the program.
Cpl Hornoi is also convinced that as the Administrator for our CRC applications, she is in a position to apply the one CRC to cover the Youth Exchange CRC requirement that is only required every 4 years.
Any other organizations that require a CRC for a volunteer, such as Scouts Canada or a Youth Service Program, must be dealt with as separate applications.
Cpl Hornoi as thanked by President Elect Kelly Zammit, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Cameron Stolz, a member of the Yellowhead Rotary Club, spoke to the Nechako Club this morning regarding his candidacy for the Prince George - Peace River Riding of the Federal Conservative Party.
As everyone knows, Cameron is currently a member of the Prince George City Council and claims to be a dedicated political junkie, having been interested and concerned with all levels of politics from a n early age.
Cameron did not dwell on all the reasons that people might want to support him in his bid for the position. Instead, he delivered a thought provoking presentation about the low level of political involvement by the general public as there seems to be a substantial level of apathy around politics these days.
Cameron provided to challenges to the members this morning.
1) in the next week, have a serious discussion with your family about politics, local community, provincial and federal. The future of our political leadership will be determined by our youth.
2) In the next week, have a similar political discussion with your friends, colleagues and work mates.
Cameron is convinced that our political future will be determined by "Those People Who Show Up". This requires people to be informed or the debates and asking the questions of all the candidates to help ensure we have the right people in the positions of government.
Cameron was thanked by Rotary Mark Miller, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Jay Hill, Conservative Member for the Prince George-Peace River riding announced his resignation in October 2010.
Colin Kinsley, the previous Mayor of Prince George for 12 years, as well as previous Rotarian with the Nechako Rotary Club spoke to the Club this morning about his intent to enter the race as one of the Candidates to replace Jay Hill as the Prince George-Peace River member for the Conservative Party.
Nominations for Candidates are required on February 14th, 2011 with the elections to take place on March 7th.
Since his retirement as Mayor of Prince George, Colin Kinsley has been actively involved in the Embridge Pipeline Project as well as maintaining his contacts with people in both business and politics. Colin indicated he is ready, willing and able to accept the challenge if he is successful in his campaign.
Past President Harry Hufty thanked Colin for his presentation with a donation being made by the Club to our Polio Plus Project.
Prince George - Peace River Federal Leadership Race
Past President and Rotarian Harold Spensley received his first Paul Harris Fellowship Award in June 2004 when he was recognized as "Rotarian of the Year" with the Nechako Rotary Club following one of his years as Chair of our Operation Red Nose Program. Today, Harold received his second Paul Harris Fellowship Pin as a result of Harold's donations to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations Harold.
Mayor Dan Rogers provided some slides and background information on the City of Prince George trip to China during October 2010, along with other Cities and the Province of BC, to further discussions on Education, Tourism, Economic Development, Transportation and Government Services. The trip was specific to Shanghai, Jaingmen, Taishan and Kaiping. Mayor Roger's identified the main objectives of the trip were to Observe and Learn from the Chinese Culture, to gather information relative to potential future relationships with these cities and the opportunity to invite an inbound delegation of Chinese people to visit Prince George in 2011. The trip was successful, with a contingent of people making a short visitation to Prince George following their trip to the USA before Christmas. Mayor Rogers indicated a more formal delegation is expected to arrive in Prince George, likely in July 2011.
Mayor Rogers was thanked by PDG Ron Neukomm, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Past President and Rotarian Alain LeFebvre has made a personal commitment to donate annually to the Rotary Foundation since 2003. During these past 7 years Alain has been the recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship each year. Today, Alain received his latest Paul Harris Fellowship pin with 2 Red Rubies on it, signifying that this is his 8th Paul Harris Fellowship. Congratulations Alain on your latest accomplishment by donating through "Every Rotarian Every Year".
The Nechako Rotary Club inducted our newest Rotarian Brian Lee into Rotary today with Sponsor Gary Gurnsey and PDG Neil King. Brian Lee is employed with I.C.B.C. and holds the Classification of Auto Insurance Estimator. Please introduce yourself to Brian and make him welcome as our newest Rotarian in the Nechako Club.
Red Nose Chair Kelly Zammit provided a brief update on our 2010 Operation Red Nose Program, where Prince George lead all the BC Red Nose Teams with a total of 1123 Rides for the season. A Volunteer Appreciation Banquet is being prepared for Saturday January 8th commencing at 5:00 PM to recogniise the Sponsors and the many volunteers that make our program the huge success it is. Thank you Kelly for your Leadership in this program, and thank you to all Rotarians and friends that came out to achieve this successful year.
Rotarian and Public Relations Director Andrea Johnson provided an outline of some of the Social Activities planned for the Club during the next couple months. February 12th is slated for our Hosting of the Otway Cross Country Ski Day followed by a "Pot Luck" dinner in the Ski Club Lodge. More details will follow with an opportunity to sign up for rental ski equipment (if needed). Andrea is contacting the Yellowhead Club regarding the downhill Ski Day being planned for Purden this year and will provide more details as they become known. Lastly, a Nechako Club Fun Curling evening is also being planned and will be scheduled later in March. Thank you Andrea.
Rotarian Thomas (Tom) Keller provided the Club with an interesting outline of his background from growing up on a small farm to his family and occupation as a Banker with RBC in Prince George. Tom is enjoying both his job and his family and looks forward to slowing down a little to have the time to appreciate them more. Good Luck on that Tom. Thank you for sharing your life with your fellow Rotarians and the opportunity to get to know you better.
Rotarian William Osei is the newest recipient of a Paul Harris Fellowship. William was so impressed by the number of people he met during his trip to Accra, Ghana that held Paul Harris Fellowships, that he immediately returned to Prince George and ordered one for himself. Congratulations William on becoming one of the distinguished Paul Harris Fellows.
Rotarian Dr. William Osei attended the RI Convention in Montreal last spring and made initial connections with people to participate in the West Africa Project Fair being held in Accra, Ghana from November 3 to 12th, 2010. During the trip, Dr. Osei was also involved in assisting with medical treatment of children as well as attending a few Rotary Meetings, many banquets and meetings to understand the many possible Rotary Projects that might be undertaken through joint ventures by the Nechako Rotary Club. We will hear more on these possible projects during the next few months as William works through the details with the Rotary Foundation Committee. William was thanked by ADG Gary Gurnsey for a very interesting presentation.
Rotarian and Chair of Operation Red Nose Kelly Zammit provided a brief update to the Club regarding the Volunteer Appreciation Banquet held at the ICBC Claim Centre in recognition of the tremendous efforts of all the volunteers that helped to make our 2010 Campaign the huge success that it is. 135 volunteers came out for the dinner provided by Just Goode Foods, along with lots of presentations and door prizes. A number of cheques were also distributed to organizations that came out to work as volunteers for the program. A total of $10,500.00 was presented during the dinner. A Special Recognition of "Gold Medals" was made to all of the "Toombs Family" for both their support with 78 person nights of volunteering, plus recognition for the fact they helped in all capacities including organizing, registration, set-up, take-down, dispatch, driving, runner, etc. Our Operation Red Nose Program would not be the success that it is without the support of the Toombs Family. Thank you very much.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm is only a few short months from being one of the Charter Members of the Nechako Rotary Club. Ron maintains 100% attendance in Rotary and has done so for his entire membership as a Rotarian.
In addition to perfect attendance, Ron is another shining example of our "Every Rotarian Every Year" program.
Ron donates weekly to the Rotary Foundation and these donations quickly accrue to amount to another $1000.00 (US) donation and another Paul Harris Fellowship Award.
Ron has received his eighth Paul Harris Fellowship Award in recognition of his annual giving.
Thank you Ron for your continuous generosity to the Rotary Foundation.
Rotarian Brian Pearson is the Nechako Rotary Clubs Past President and currently co-chair of the Prince George Rotary Foundation Fund Raising Dinner scheduled for January 24th, 2015.
Brian has been a regular example of "Every Rotarian Every Year" with his weekly donations to the Foundation.
These donations rapidly add up to the amount of $1000.00 (US) funds.
Brian currently now has a total of three Paul Harris Fellowship Awards.
Isabel Fleck spent a number of years in the Nechako Rotary functioning in may capacities including President of the Club.
Isabel was very instrumental in Chairing our Operation Red Nose Program, as well as coordinating our Nechako Rotary Club Literacy Program, with the donation of dictionaries to school children and assisting with the "Raise a Reader" program.
Isabel has been a strong supporter of the Rotary Foundation with her annual giving donations.
Isabel resigned from Rotary a few short years ago due to both job and family pressures, but remains a supporter of Rotary.
The Nechako Rotary Club had the honor of recognizing four people with Paul Harris Fellowship Awards during the regular Club breakfast.
Paul Harris Fellowships were developed in 1957 in recognition of Rotarians and friends of Rotary that have contributed $1000.00 (US) to the Rotary Foundation.
This prestigious Award was created in Honor of Paul Harris, founder of Rotary in 1905. Additional Awards are provided when Rotarians and Friends of Rotary contribute additional amounts of $1000.00 to the Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation is the Charitable Organization created by Rotary to manage and direct funds through Rotary into all the various avenues of Service.
Contributors to the Foundation are helping to allay suffering, improving living conditions and providing educational opportunities for young people in the world. This is a truly Selfless Action.
Today the Paul Harris Awards were presented to:
Isabel Fleck, Past President of the Nechako Club, recognizing her 5th Paul Harris Fellowship.
Dr. William Osei, also a Sustaining member of the Paul Harris Society, with his 6th Paul Harris Fellowship.
Brian Pearson, Past President of the Nechako Rotary Club, with his 3rd Paul Harris Fellowship.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm, with his 8th Paul Harris Fellowship.
Thank you Rotarians for continuing to contribute to the Rotary Foundation.
Congratulations on being recognized for your generous contributions.
Executive Director Donalda Carson of the Prince George Rotary Hospice House spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club membership this morning.
Donalda is a former member of Rotary and a Charter member of the New Caledonia Club. Donalda has been with the Rotary Hospice House for many years, having great interaction with the Rotary Clubs in Prince George through various activities including fund raising for Hospice.
Donalda is retiring from the Rotary Hospice House role of Executive Director on March 10th, 2015 and going on a much deserved holiday to Brazil.
Donalda received a standing ovation from the Nechako Rotary Club for her performance as Executive Director of the Rotary Hospice House during these past years.
The Rotary Hospice House has recruited a new Executive Director, Donna Flood, whom will be following the great leadership style demonstrated by Donalda in the past, and will certainly continue to interact with Rotary in Prince George.
Donalda was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Loraina Stephen, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Many Nechako Rotarians, friends, family and Exchange Students came out for one last 2014 Breakfast on December 31st, to socialize and prepare to bring in the New Year together with our wrap up evening of Operation Red Nose.
2014 has been another great year for the Nechako Rotary Club as demonstrated by the membership today.
Happy New Year fellow Rotarians. 2015 promises to be another great year for everyone.
The Inn of the North has been hosting the Nechako Rotary Club during the past year, with the excellent service provided to the Club by "Elaine".
Elaine has been one of the catering staff for many years at the Inn of the North and is well know for her excellent service to the "Rotary Clubs" there, as well as to the "Winston's Group" that meet at The Inn of the North each Thursday.
President Leona Wilkinson recognized "Elaine" and her dedication of "Service" to the Nechako Club during the Christmas Breakfast.
Thank you Elaine for your dedication and service to the Nechako Rotary Club.
Nechako Rotary Club's current Exchange Student "Vini" (Vinicius Richert), was recognized for his Birthday, during his weekly update of experiences while visiting Prince George.
Congratulations Vini, on your Birthday.
Thank you for being a great "Ambassador" to your country and to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
Rotarian Dr. William Osai, won the Ugly Sweater contest during the Nechako Rotary Clubs 2014 Christmas Breakfast, not with an ugly Sweater, but a colorful jacket that he allegedly acquired from "Don Cherry". infamous NHL Hockey commentator, known for his fashion designer cloths.
Move over Don Cherry, you have some serious competition here in sunny Prince George.
William was thanked for being a participant and winner by Rotarian Terri McConnachie.
Congratulations William. You are clearly a winner.
The "Prince George Cantana Singers" entertained the Nechako Rotary Club during the annual Christmas Breakfast this morning. The Cantana Singers have been in the business of bringing Christmas Carols to the Citizens of Prince George for a very long time, and have not lost their ability to bring in the "Christmas Spirit" through their songs.
Rotarian Doctor William Osai made a very informative slide show and presentation regarding "Ebola."
Ebola is not a new disease, having been recorded and experienced in many countries of Africa from 1976 to the current 2014.
Recently though cases of Ebola have been reported in North America, raising significant concern regarding another very serious and often deadly disease.
Dr. Osai provided some background data regarding Ebola. The disease is normally contacted through:
Consumption of infected "Bush Meat."
Coming in contact with body fluids of sick Ebola patients, such as blood; urine, feces; vomit; sweat.
May be transmitted through animals, such as bats.
People that may have contact with people suspected of being sick with Ebola need to be very careful and protect themselves with the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in addition to avoiding any body fluids as mentioned earlier.
No one is immune from Ebola, and there currently is no cure for the disease, although early detection and treatment has been successful in saving 50% of infected people from death from the disease.
Survivors can carry the disease for a prolonged period of time, and their body fluids can be dangerous to others for up to about 3 months.
Ebola is not transmitted through water, air, food or contact with pets.
Doctor Osai was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Loraina Stevens and President Leona Wilkinson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Andrea Palmer, Marketing & Communications Coordinator for the Prince George Public Library made a presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the "Raise a Reader" program, hosted again this year in Prince George.
The "Raise a Reader Program" has been a regular occurrence in Prince George since 1997, and the Nechako Rotary Club has been a faithful sponsor and participant of this program, during most of those years.
The "Raise a Reader" Program, through sponsorships has received over $300 thousand dollars during this time, which has helped to fund and make the program the success it is.
Numerous volunteers frequent a number of popular locations, such as the local Starbucks, Tim Horton's, MacDonald's, etc. helping to raise some of these funds, in addition to the regular sponsorship donations paid directly to the program by organizations such as the Nechako Rotary.
Andrea was thanked by Rotarian Neil Godbout for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
National Office of Operation Red Nose representative, here in BC is Marie Chantelle.
Marie Chantelle has been representing Operation Red Nose here in BC since 1997, which is the first year the Red Nose Program was hosted in Prince George, through UNBC.
In 2001, when the Nechako Rotary Club became the Official Host of Red Nose in Prince George, it was Marie Chantelle, working with the current Rotary Club President, Harold Spensley and Rotarian Ken Pendergast, carrying the program on from the previous hosts at UNBC.
During the past years, Marie Chantelle, who actually likes to be addressed as MC, has worked with all of our Nechako Rotary Chairs and representatives, to ensure our program is adequately registered and supported through the provincial sponsors and the National Office.
This year is the 31st year of Operation Red Nose across Canada, with some branches of the program now being hosted in other countries, including Switzerland.
MC said part of her job, which is now only 6 months of the year, is to work as a sort of watch dog or policeman, to ensure that the program is operating according to the rules. No monies are received from the individual campaigns. All funding for the Program at the National Office level, is generated through their own sponsorships and some profit from the sale of Operation Red Nose materials.
MC and her associated were extremely pleased to see the Prince George hosts of the ORN Program meeting them on arrival at the airport at midnight on Monday evening, and showing the support of Prince George during the "Punch Bowl" launch, as well as the "Official Puck Drop" during the Cougars Hockey Game.
MC was also very impressed by the amount of exposure Operation Red Nose and "Rudy" received during the Cougars game and the intermissions.
Rotarians, President Leona Wilkinson and Lorainna Stevens thanked MC for her presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The "Official Operation Red Nose" Campaign in British Columbia was "Kicked Off" yesterday with the "Punch Bowl" Celebration in Prince George at the Canada Games Plaza.
Speakers for this years Campaign included Prince George Operation Red Nose Chair Neil Godbout, in addition to our current Mayor Sheri Green, Carol Gass representing our Vista Radio Sponsor, and representatives from ICBC and Operation Red Nose National Office.
The Punch Bowl was well attended by Sponsors, Prince George Administration and leaders of both the Nechako Rotary Club and our Operation Red Nose Prince George.
Prince George Fireman Brian Burleigh has been a Fireman with the Prince George Fire Department for the past 12 years and is the current Chair of the Prince George Firefighters "Burn Fund Centre" Campaign.
The Prince George Fire Department has pledged $100 thousand dollars to the "Burn Fund Centre" Campaign over a three year period.
The "Burn Fund Centre" has been identified as the first of its kind in North America. A home away from home for patients and families while undergoing treatment, on discharge transition or returning for follow up treatment.
The Burn Centre will be the best place for burn and trauma survivors to recover. The ground breaking ceremony for the Burn Centre building was on September 17, 2014.
The location of this new facility is: 3891 Main Street and East 23rd Avenue between the BC Professional Fire Fighter's Burn, Trauma & Plastics Unit at Vancouver General Hospital and BC Children's Hospital.
The "Burn Centre" will provide 8 short term stay, Free of Charge, furnished accommodation suites for patients and families while undergoing treatment at VGH or Children's Hospital.
The Prince George Firemen are selling Calendars for $20.00 each to assist with their fund raising pledge of $100 thousand dollars.
Calendars are available by contacting any one of the Prince George Fire Department centre.
Personal donations may also be made, with tax receipts for any amount of $25.00 or more. If a personal donation of $25 dollars or more is made, you can make the donation in support of the Prince George Firemen by marking "Prince George" on your pledge form.
On line information and pledges can be made at: burnfund.org
Rotarian Dean Simpson and President Leona Wilkinson thanked Brian for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
PDG Ron Neukomm describes some of the hard work and early projects embarked on by Rotarians in the 1988 to 2000 battle to raise funds for Polio Plus.
Fortunately, because of this hard work and dedication by Rotarians, volunteers and gracious sponsors, many of our younger generation have not had to deal with or become associated with the horrible disease, Polio Militias.
Those that have been exposed directly or indirectly, reflect back with tremendous respect and awe for those that were afflicted and survived. Sorrow for those that did not survive, and renewed commitment to see the Battle to the very end.
The Nechako Rotary Club recognized and celebrated the wonderful work and progress achieved by Rotary through out the world in the long battle to eradicate Polio, with the year 2000 as the expected date of achievement.
Rotarians Kelly Zammit and PDG Ron Neukomm took a few minutes to enlighten the Nechako Rotary Club membership of the long battle with some statistical benchmarks on our Rotary achievements in the battle against Polio.
Rotary"s fight to eradicate Polio throughout the world commenced in 1988, when they originally pledged to raise a whopping $300 Million dollars, which was deemed sufficient at that time to beat Polio Militias.
The original $300 Million dollars was raised in many ways, including the sale of Rotary Cook Books throughout the Rotary Clubs in BC.
The Battle against Polio has proved to be much more complicated and challenging than originally expected, with costs rising into the billions of dollars with the help of huge donations from around the world, including governments and charitable organizations such as the "Bill and Malinda Gates Society".
Polio Plus has become the biggest Project ever tackled by Rotary, but the fight has been rewarding as each year marks success in the eradication of Polio, with the exception of 2013, which saw a slight increase in the outbreak of Polio due to access problems in some remote areas.
Unfortunately, lives have been lost by a few Rotarians and Volunteers attempting to provide Polio Vaccine into some of these remote areas.
But the fight must, and will go on, as we move toward the entire eradication of Polio in the World.
Polio still lurks in three countries around the world. Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan. We are that close to meeting our goal.
A further 5.5 Billion Dollars are needed to take the fight to a conclusion, with the greatest costs required to continue to reach into these remote and sometimes hostile areas.
The new target date to reach this conclusion is now 2018.
Rotary, Rotarians, Volunteers, Governments and gracious Sponsors are up for the fight, and we will succeed.
The "Polio Plus Program" will eradicate Polio in the World.
Rotarian Karen Toombs received recognition during the regular meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club for becoming a member of the "Paul Harris Society".
Membership in the Paul Harris Society is achieved when a Rotarian commits to making an annual contribution of $1000.00 or more to the Rotary Foundation.
The Rotary Foundation is the Major Rotary Fund Raiser used throughout the Rotary World to support funding for all of the Rotary Programs, including the contributions required to match the Rotary funding for Polio Plus.
Karen Toombs is a former Paul Harris Fellow from earlier contributions and has taken the significant step forward to join the many other Rotarians that are members in the "Paul Harris Society."
Congratulations Karen and thank you for putting the Rotary Foundation on your list of Annual Giving.
Operation Red Nose chair Neil Godbout updated Rotarians on the progress of the 2014 campaign.
So far, 45 volunteers have signed up towards our goal of 450. A sign-up day will be held at the club Nov. 5.
Neil, Lloyd and Lisa Redpath had a very productive meeting with Andy Beesley and his staff at the Prince George Cougars on Oct. 7.
The game on Tuesday, Nov. 18 will be dubbed Operation Red Nose night.
The Cougars are giving us a table for volunteer sign-up, a guest box, discounted tickets and Rudy (aka Jackie) will drop the puck.
Since it's game-day for the team, they can't participate in the rally earlier in the day, but they will take a photo with their Red Noses on and put it on the score clock.
After the rally Neil will show her around town, take her to T & S Communications, have Warren and Jackie show her the database and smartphone dispatch system.
It is hoped that MC can stay overnight Nov. 18 and join us for our Rotary meeting Nov. 19.
Giulliana Tamblyn of the United Nations Association of Canada (UNAC) - Prince George joined us Oct. 8 as our guest speaker.
There are currently 20 UNAC branches in Canada, including the newly created branch in Prince George that was founded in March 2014. Its goal is to promote awareness of international issues and help build a sustainable world, ie through eradicating poverty and hunger and achieving universal primary education.
The Prince George branch meets the second Thursday of every month at CNC and is open to the public. There are currently 11 board members/volunteers involved.
UNAC Prince George is hosting a fundraising dinner at the Twisted Cork on Monday, Oct. 20 from 7 to 9 p.m. That follows a public forum from 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. at UNBC in Rm 5-123. The branch is also celebrating UN Day on Friday, Oct. 24 with a flag-raising ceremony at 9 a.m. at City Hall.
Guilliana was thanked for her informative presentation by president Leona Wilkinson and Tom Leboe.
District 5040 Governor Ken Wilson and his wife Peggy visited Nechako Rotary for its regular breakfast meeting on Oct. 1. DG Ken is a long-time member of the Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise and is in the midst of touring the clubs in the northern half of District 5040.
In front of a full house, DG Ken touched on the importance of membership, Rotary Foundation, New Generations. He was impressed that all members in Nechako Rotary are engaged in the club supporting various Prince George and Rotary initiatives. DG Ken then met with President Leona and her board of directors after breakfast.
Nechako Rotary recently provided $801 to Prince George Youth Rugby Club to buy pinnies, tackle pads and bags.
The club is for all youth, boys and girls, between the ages of 13 to 18 in Prince George which practices twice per week on the fields at Duchess Park secondary.
President Leona, past DG's Neil King and Ron Neukomm, Brenda Peacock and Andrea Johnson recently stopped by the club's practice for a photo.
Our new Rotary exchange student, Vinnie from Brazil, took a few minutes to update the Nechako Rotary Club on his experiences during the past week in Prince George.
Vinnie also took the opportunity to present Club President Leona Wilkinson with a small gift from his sponsor club in Brazil, including a short letter of introduction and the "Banner" from that sponsor club.
Vinnie has produced his initial "Wish List" of activities and events he would like the opportunity to participate in while here on his exchange.
Please take the opportunity to invite Vinnie to participate in some of your activities. He is a very nice young man with a good sense of humor.
Andy Beesley is no stranger to the Nechako Rotary or Prince George, where he has lived for the past 35 years.
Andy assumed the role of Vice President-Business for the PG Cougars following the recent change in ownership of the Cougars.
Andy has been a long time supporter of Hockey in Prince George, as well as the past Manager of the CN Centre.
The PG Cougars are making a clean sweep of their former image and operating principles under the direction of the new owners and the VP-Business.
The Cougars are Rebuilding under the theme - "The New Ice Age."
This includes the hiring of new coaches, a new team psychologist, a series of new team building processes, complete rebuild of the teams dressing room facilities, to name a few of the changes verbalized by Andy.
The team has also hired a new Director of Sales & Marketing. Fellow Rotarian Marnie Hamagami of the Yellowhead Rotary Club assumed that Directorship recently.
The PG Cougars have also invested in a new electronic 50/50 Program, that will completely enhance the 50/50 ticket sales with instant electronic read-out for the fans during the game.
There is virtually nothing the PG Cougars will not try or do to re-establish themselves in Prince George and are very happy to remain a part of Prince George.
The Cougars expect a number of "sell-out" games, showing that the people of Prince George still love hockey and their team.
Maybe the Nechako Rotary Club can arrange to hold one of our regular weekly meetings at the CN Centre with a special tour of the PG Cougars dressing room and training facilities.
Rotarian and PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Andy for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Doctor William Osei assisted with the promotional program at the Pine Centre on Saturday September 6th, 2014, helping to start this years recruitment process for much need volunteers to make our Operation Red Nose Program successful again during this Holiday Season.
Doctor Osei demonstrates the correct wearing of the "Red Nose" as part of his usual good humor in promoting our Rotary Programs in Prince George.
Thank you William, for being a good sport in promoting this years campaign.
Allan Langdon, Director of Multi-Materials BC provided a detailed presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the latest in Recycling with BC.
Multi-Materials BC is a non profit corporation created by the many producers in BC that are compelled effective September 1st, 2014 to provide recycling opportunities within BC for all of the containers and packaging utilized in the sale of their products.
There is currently over 1000 producers in BC contributing to Multi-Materials BC. Smaller producers can opt to pay a regular fee for their product packaging.
There is currently 1.25 million households in BC being serviced by the Multi-Materials Program. An additional 400,000 multi Family households are also being included, with the exception of dwellings such as apartments and condominiums.
The contract for collection of these recyclable products in Prince George was awarded to Emterra Environmental.
For more information on the new recycling program, you are directed to the website: www.recyclinginbc.ca
You can also download the recycling apps on your smart phone to quickly check on the date of pickup in your area. The app is: multimaterialsbc
Rotarian Harold Spensley thanked Allan for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Doctor Marie Hay presented a very controversial opinion on "The Adverse Health Effects of Oil Pipeline and the Tar Sands" in Canada.
The effects from published information are seen as serious health risks causing such medical problems from Cancer to headaches and nausea.
Dr. Hay refers pipelines and Tar Sands development to "Dirty, Destructive Fuels".
Dr Hay cites situations in her presentation where pipelines have ruptured causing unrepairable damage, and creating huge health effects where many if not all the people have died from being in close proximity to the spill.
Dr. Hay claims that the Inuit People of the north are the most "at risk" and effected people due to their proximity to the Tar Sands.
Dr. Hay claims that Quesnel Lake is now totally polluted and will never survive since the recent spill of the mining storage effluent pond into Quesnel Lake.
As usual, Rotarians are interested in seeing and hearing both sides of the story regarding news and happenings in our world. Each Rotarian has the opportunity to research and understand the information to their own satisfaction.
The information provided by Dr. Hay provides the opportunity for people to analyze the topic and make their own informed decisions.
Past President Brian Pearson thanked Dr. Hay with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The Adverse Health Effects of Oil Pipelines and Tar Sands
Pat Bell is a former Honorary Member of the Nechako Rotary Club. Pat Bell is a local businessman in Prince George, and served 12 years as the Prince George/Mackenzie MLA.
Since retiring from Politics, Pat has been involved in the Board of Conifex Timber Inc. where is now holding the position of Executive Vice President.
One of Pat's latest projects, which he refers to as "a vision or a delusion" with his son Doug and wife Brenda, is the creation of a winery in Prince George.
The new winery, called Northern Lights Estate Winery, will produce a variety of 10 wines made from fruit.
Some of the popular fruits will be Rhubarb, Apple, Cherry, Saskatoon, and some blends that they feel confident will become popular through sales.
The Northern Lights Estate Winery is scheduled to be open for production in 2015 with a slower start up at an on site store with production to increase to approximately 4000 cases over the next 6 years.
The winery is currently purchasing various quality fruits for production, while they pant and grow a variety of their own stock on their acreage.
The Winery site will include among other things, an amphitheater, a patio for customers to sample the products and enjoy the scenery and an ample building for wine manufacturing and sales.
A future plan also includes a "culinary kitchen" where people will be able to practice their cooking skills and pair the results with fine wines.
Rotarian Tom Keller thanked Pat for his interesting and enthusiastic presentation, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program
Pat also donated two bottles of wine which he auctioned off to Lorainna Steven and Gina Rawson, at a very competitive value. Maybe the Northern Lights Estate Winery prices will now go up substantially.
The Texas 4000 Bike Group attached a short "Thank You" note to the picture post card sent to the Nechako Rotary Club, thanking the Club for the support to their group as they biked through Prince George again this year from Texas to Alaska.
For the third year in a row, the Nechako Rotary Club has assisted the "Texas 4000" group during their short stay in Prince George while they bike from Texas to Alaska and return.
The Texas 4000 people are very grateful for the donations of food and assistance during their visit.
Many of the Nechako Rotary Club members took the opportunity this morning following Leti's presentation on her year as our Exchange Student, to have a group picture with Leti, prior to her departure next Wednesday, July 30th, back to Argentina.
Not all of the Rotarians in the Nechako Club could be there for the picture, but those that are not in the picture, are there in spirit, to wish Leti a hearty Thank You for being a great Rotary Exchange Student.
Everyone wishes a good safe trip home and an open Welcome to come back to Canada in the future.
Leticia Emilio is our Exchange Student from Argentina.
Just a short year ago Leti arrived at the Prince George Airport from her home in Argentina, a shy young girl.
During this past year, Leti has led a very active lifestyle, jam packed with excitement and activity both with Rotary functions and friends.
Leti has been an an active and successful student during these past months too.
Leti started her exchange attending the Tweedsmuir Trek along with fellow Exchange Students, where they enjoyed the camping, boating, fishing, swimming and really getting to know each other. Leti caught her fist Canadian Fish during this trip, and a memorable fish at that.
Leti has had the opportunity to visit most parts of British Columbia and Vancouver Island during her exchange, as well as to visit Edmonton, Alberta.
Leti experienced the Prince George Polar Bear swim at Ness Lake, skiing at Purden and Otway and Whistler.
Ice skating and hiking, with both summer and winter treks to key locations.
Leti will be returning to her home in Argentina on Wednesday July 30th. She has only been here a year but has touched the lives of everyone she has known in Prince George during this exchange.
Thank you for being a great Exchange Student with the Nechako Rotary Club and an excellent Ambassador to your country of Argentina.
We truly wish you well during your return to school in Argentina and that you will find the opportunity to come back to Canada and visit us again.
Rotarian Cheryl Voyt thanked Leti for her presentation on her travels and experiences during this past year, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Former Prince George City Mayor and current consultant for Embridge, Colin Kinsley, provided the Nechako Rotary Club with an update on the status of the controversial "Northern Gateway" pipeline proposal.
The pipeline proposal is to transport crude oil from the Tar Sands to a new port being constructed in Kitimat with a 36 inch pipeline and return "condensate" back through a smaller 20 inch line.
The pipeline project is designed to be constructed with a number of "spreads" which are the working areas for each of several sections of the pipeline. Each spread is typically a section of about 60 kilometres in length.
The constructed pipeline is laid into a trench at depths of a minimum of 3 feet, with some areas being much deeper depending on the topography.
For major river crossings, the pipeline employs a horizontal directional drilling (HDD), which will bore a hole underground, placing the pipeline well below the water in the river, so there is no impact on the water body. This HDD method is also employed under highways or rail lines that are encountered.
Distribution of the oil from Kitimat is planned to use the latest technology including double lined tankers to haul the crude oil to markets through sections of the Douglas Channel, which is wide enough and deep enough to handle this transportation safely.
During construction of the pipeline, Northern Gateway will employ 3000 workers, and will require 560 full time employees, when the pipeline is operational.
The pipeline is estimated to provide $1.2 billion dollars in taxes annually, plus over $800 million dollars in local goods and services annually to northern and central BC.
Northern Gateway is committed to providing skills training and education to workers on the project, with a good percentage of the jobs being promised to aboriginal people.
A total of 26 Aboriginal Bands are reported to have agreements with Northern Gateway project to date.
For more information on the project you can sign on to their website: www.gatewayfacts.ca
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Colin Kinsley for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Gerry Bomford is a well known and distinguished Bee Keeper in the Prince George area.
Gerry was raised in a Horticulturist/Beekeeper environment as a young boy in Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island and moved to Prince George in 1991, where he purchased property in Salmon Valley, providing the opportunity to indulge and foster this lifetime interest.
Gerry is a member of the BC Honey Producers Association, and was the President of the Prince George Beekeeper's Association for 10 years.
Gerry was asked to provide comments on the recent Honey Bee Swam that occurred in the downtown core of Prince George.
To do so, Gerry provided substantial background information on the history of Beekeeping which dates back a couple thousand years. Further, Gerry provided very interesting commentary about the life cycle of Honey Bees and the selection and growth of the "Queen Bee" and her drones.
Honey Bees are relatively placid insects, that are very busy doing what they are known for, the production of honey in their hives. They are not normally aggressive when managed and not alarmed or disturbed.
Gerry has 50 colonies of bees within a few mile radius of Prince George, and estimates another 50 colonies in the area owned by other Beekeepers.
The situation of a "Bee Swam" is not uncommon and need not be a real concern to manage if handled by people that know what they are dealing with. In fact, it could be a fairly lucrative situation to a Beekeeper.
The recent situation was not managed well as a result of the people involved being inexperienced and alarmed by the "Swam." With out knowing what proper steps or actions to take, a large percentage of the Bees were destroyed, including the "Queen." The surviving Bees ultimately left the area in search of other hives or opportunities.
Rotarian Lisa Redpath, also a Beekeeper, thanked Gerry for his very informative presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club Annually recognize one of their members as Rotarian of the Year, with a Paul Harris Fellowship, for their exemplary Service to Rotary and their Community.
A Paul Harris Fellowship is the highest Award that can be bestowed on a Rotarian in Rotary.
The Rotarian of the Year Award in the Nechako Rotary Club is through a selection process by secret ballot of the membership.
This year's Award was presented to Dr. William Osei for his personal dedication to Rotary through participation, as well as his leadership of the Nechako Rotary Club as Director of the Rotary Foundation and the World Help Network.
Dr. Osei has shown strong leadership and representation in these roles with the collection of Books and Medical Supplies with the appropriate arrangements for shipment to Vancouver and countries selected as recipients through the Rotary World Help Program.
Dr. William Osei is also a strong example of the support to the Rotary Foundation with his regular donations to the Foundation under the concept of "Every Rotarian, Every Year."
Dr. Osei also was presented with an additional Paul Harris Pin in recognition for these regular donations.
Thank you William, for your leadership and congratulations on your "Rotarian of the Year."
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey was also inducted into the Nechako Rotary Clubs Honorary Members, during the Annual Presidents Ball.
Gary and his wife Betty have been involved for many years with the Nechako Rotary Club. Gary was active with the Rotary Youth Exchange Program of the Club during the years when the Club took the Prince George Students on the Bowron Lakes Canoe Trip.
Gary left the Nechako Club for a few years while working in Vanderhoof and Tumbler Ridge, where he was active in the Rotary Clubs of both Vanderhoof and Dawson Creek.
Gary rejoined the Nechako Rotary Club in 2003 and was the Club President in 2004.
Gary then functioned as Assistant Governor for the North Eastern Region of District 5040 from the years 2008 to 2011.
Gary is now restricted in his activities by his current medical conditions, making regular attendance and participation difficult. As an Honorary Member, Gary and Betty will be able to maintain contact with the Club through ebulletins and participation during special occasions.
Thank you Gary and Betty for your service through Rotary.
Rotarian Neil King is both a Past President of the Nechako Rotary Club and Past District Governor. Neil served as District Governor in District 5040 during the 1998-1999 year of Rotary.
Neil and his Wife Darlene have been dedicated to Rotary since Neil joined the Nechako Club in 1987.
Neil and Darlene now spend half of their year in the warmer climates of the United States, where they are also actively involved in Rotary during the winter months.
As an Honorary Member, Neil and Darlene can stay in touch with the Nechako Rotary Club by receiving the regular ebulletins, and can participate in Rotary activities when they are able to do so, including some of the fund raising programs, and the Fun Events.
Welcome Neil and Darlene, to the role of Honorary Member.
Rotarian Allen LeFebvre has been a member of the Paul Harris Society since his year as President of the Nechako Rotary Club in 2001-2002.
A member of the Paul Harris Society is a Rotarian that has committed to supporting the Rotary Foundation with an Annual Contribution of $1,000.00 or more per year.
these Society Members are very instrumental in making the commitments of Rotary through the Foundation a reality.
Thank you very much for your donations Allen and demonstration of Leadership in Rotary through example.
Former Rotarian with the Nechako Rotary Club Jos Van Hag and his wife Wilma, were recognized during the Annual Presidents Ball, for the continued support to the Nechako Rotary Club.
both Jos and Wilma have supported the Nechako Club with the use of their warehouse at Art Knapps Plantland for storage of medical equipment and supplies for shipment to third world countries for a number of years. In addition to storage facilities, the Van Hags have donated the use of their pallet jack and forklift plus the very generous transportation of these supplies to the Rotary World Help warehouse in Vancouver each spring, and all free of charge.
this is the second Paul Harris Fellowship presented to Jos for his generosity.
The Nechako Rotary Club is endebted to the Van Hag family for their generosity and Thank them very much for their kind and generous support.
Rotarian Karen Toombs received her second Paul Harris Fellow recognition during the Presidents Ball for the Nechako Rotary Club, as a result of Karen's regular contribution to the Rotary Foundation, "Every Rotarian, Every Month".
thank you Karen for your participation in the Rotary Foundation. This regular contribution is what helps allow Rotary to make a difference in the communities at home and abroad. Programs such as our Polio Plus program would not be the success they are without support for the Rotary Foundation.
The PGATV Club provide assistance to the Recreation Sites and Trails BC Ministry for installation of signage for both directions and safety of the user public.
This bridge was constructed by the PGATV Club and volunteer equipment and labor across another un-named creek crossing, where the former rough crossing has deteriorated and was no-longer safe for ATV use.
George Hohnich is the President of the PG All Terrain Vehicle Club.
George and Rotarian Ken Pendergast provided the Nechako Rotary Club an overview of some of the work being done in Tabor Mountain as part of the Tabor Mountain Recreation Society, as well as work completed on the Prince George to Wells route.
The Tabor Mountain Recreation Society, is a non profit organization that represents snowmobilers, ATV's, Bikers, Horse Riders, Hikers and Environmental enthusiasts with over 400 kms of trails on Tabor Mountain.
The PGATV is one of those groups, that use the trail network as well as dedicate many hours of volunteer time and money to help upgrade and maintain the trail system.
During the last few years, much time and money has been dedicated to improving the trails that have deteriorated through natural erosion, regrowth of plants and trees, and encroachment of beaver dams on the trails.
This work has included the use of heavy equipment, construction of two bridges, installation of many culverts and the regrading and contouring of slopes and washouts.
Substantial manpower has been spent on the cutting of windfalls and alder growth that traditionally occur on these trails throughout the seasons as part of the natural rehabilitation of the forest.
The PGATV Club also assist the Provincial Recreational Sites and Trails BC Ministry with installation of directional signage for the public, as well as general information to ATV users on the safety and environmental usage of the trails network.
PGATV Club provide regular ATV training and safety courses to people of all ages, to help make their experience more rewarding while operating machines in a safe manner.
The Province of BC has introduced legislation with Bill 13, which is expected to be enacted this fall, requiring all ATV's in BC to be both registered and licensed. This legislation requires that all ATV's also be insured with Public Liability Insurance for operation on any Forest Roads or crossing of Public Roads.
George was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Ken Pendergast, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Derek Baker is the Community Relations Advisor for Pacific NorthWest LNG, a BC Based subsidiary of PETRONAS, which is seeking to build a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility in Port Edward, BC.
The proposed LNG plant at Port Edward, just outside of Prince Rupert, BC, would actually consist of two LNP plants. The plants and the two associated storage facilities would be located on Lelu Island, just off shore of Port Edward. The development would also require construction of a bridge to connect the mainland with Lelu Island.
Pacific NorthWest LNG are already in the business of exporting and have a skilled workforce with expertise in the business.
BC and the North West have have world class natural gas reserves, projected to last for between 100 and 150 years, at current consumption.
The Port Edward operation is tied closely with the current proposed Trans Canada Pipeline, which would be over 900 kms in length when completed.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is 600 times more condensed than when it is in the gaseous stage, making LNG the more logical and preferred method for shipment. The Natural Gas is converted to the liquefied stage at minus 162 degrees.
Pacific NorthWest LNG plan to be in commercial operations in 2019. Construction of the facilities and bridge will take 4 years, with an estimated $11 Billion dollars investment.
During the construction period, it is estimated to employ up to 4500 workers.
The completed project will provide a further 330 local jobs in operations, plus an additional 300 spin-off jobs.
The process is estimated to provide $1.3 Billion dollars in tax revenue.
Derek was thanked by Rotarian Bill Bateman for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Anne Hogan is the current Secretary of the Prince George Naturalists Club. Both Anne and Shanelle Marshall, President of the PG Naturalists Club, attended the Nechako Rotary Club meeting to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the Naturalist Clubs plans to enhance The Hudson's Bay Wetland.
The Hudson's Bay Wetland is often referred to by locals as the Hudson's Bay Slough. This wetland divides South Fort George area from the Fort George Park area.
Currently, a walking and biking trail exists from the Nechako Bridge, through Cottonwood Island, along the Fraser River and under the Yellowhead Highway Bridge, through Fort George Park, and continues across and along the Hudson's Bay Slough to Carrie Jane Gray Park and the Carney Street Hill.
The PG Naturalists Club have prepared a comprehensive plan that will allow people to walk, jog or run from Fort George Park on a nature tour around the full expanse of the Wetland area, with the addition of improved trail development and a bridge, connecting the existing trail on the southern portion of the Slough with a trail around the northern section.
The goal of the Hudson's Bay Wetland Project is to enhance the wetland as a natural setting for birds, fish, animals and plant life while creating an interpretive walk covering both sides of the channel draining to the Fraser River and circling the lake west of Queensway.
The PG Naturalists Club is partnering with The Exploration Place and the City of Prince George as primary partners for the Project. Additional organizations are providing support including REAPS; Caledonia Ramblers; BC Nature; Fraser Basin Council; Fisheries and Oceans; Ducks Unlimited; Northwest Invasive Plant Council; PG Community Forest Advisory Committee and the Overhang Education Centre.
Costs are projected to be in excess of $200 thousand dollars. These funds will need to be acquired through donations and fund raising programs.
Additional information can be found through the PG Naturalists Club, or phoning 250-963-9520, or websites: hbwetland.wordpress.com or pgnaturalists@hotmail.ca
Anne was thanked by Rotarian Dean Simpson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Our current Inbound Exchange Student Leticia Ermilio from Argentina provided the Nechako Club with an update of all her activities during the past two weeks including attending the Outbound Orientation session in Vancouver during the May long weekend, followed by the District 5040 Conference in Squamish on May 23rd weekend.
The Conference hosted over 120 Rotary Youth from across the Province, and Leti assured everyone they had a great time.
Thank you Leti for being a good Ambassador for your country and a great exchange student for the Nechako Rotary Club.
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey and wife Betty were present this morning during the regular Nechako Rotary Club Meeting.
Gary, a long time Rotarian with the Nechako Rotary Club has functioned in most capacities during the past years, including President and Assistant Governor.
Gary has been absent from club participation during the past number of months due to illness.
It was a pleasure to have both Gary and Betty come out to a meeting, and they were greeted by fellow Rotarians by a welcome round of applause.
We will enjoy Gary and Betty's presence during the President's Ball on June 21st.
Operation Red Nose Chair Neil Godbout gave the Nechako Rotary Club a very candid update on the Club's current status with the ORN Program in Prince George.
The Nechako Rotary Club has been sponsoring Operation Red Nose in Prince George since 2001.
The Program has become a resounding success in Prince George, as one of the top Community Supporters.
The Program provides large dividends to the Community in support of youth and youth sports events, including the entire funding for our Nechako Rotary Youth Exchange Program. All our New Generations Programs are funded through our ORN funding.
The Nechako Rotary Club ORN Program consistently provides in excess of 1 thousand safe rides home during the Christmas Festive Season.
The ORN Program requires a considerable amount of time and effort throughout the entire year by a handful of dedicated Rotarians to make the program ready for delivery each and every year.
The ORN Program requires a large number of dedicated Rotarians, plus volunteers from the community to make the program successful for 9 nights each year, generally starting at 7:00 PM with set-up and training, through to driving and clean-up after 3:00 AM.
During the past couple years the support and participation from the regular Rotarians in the Nechako Club has been waning, leaving a significant shortfall to be carried by the remaining club members.
Chairman Neil provided the Club membership with a couple options to consider:
1) Does the Nechako Rotary Club want to continue to support the Prince George Operation Red Nose Program as sponsor?
2) Does the Nechako Rotary Club want to consider an independent Safe Ride Home Program, removed from the current Operation Red Nose Program and administration under the current Charter of the National Office in Quebec?
A Unanimous vote was provided by the Nechako Rotary Club to continue to sponsor Operation Red Nose in Prince George during the current 2014 Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club also voted in favor of a small committee to review the options and dialoque necessary for the Club to consider operating an independent Safe Ride Home Program, outside of the scope of the current program in future years.
Thank you Chairman Neil and Rotarians for this continued support for Operation Red Nose in Prince George.
John Rankin, President of JR Canadian Mapping Ltd referred to as CANMAP in Prince George, was the guest speaker for the Nechako Rotary Club this morning.
CANMAP was established in Prince George in 2001 and became incorporated in 2009.
CANMAP is a combination of UAV and Photogrammetry.
So, what is UAV you ask? Good question. Most people would think that most of the aerial photography was still being conducted by high flying aircraft and space shuttles. Well, guess again.
UAV stands for "Unmanned Aerial Vehicle." In fact there are many earlier varieties of UAV and the one currently used by CANMAP is a small unmanned plane with a wing span only 2.1 metres wide and a weight of approximately 5 Kg. This unmanned plane looks much like a large bird when in flight, with a maximum ceiling flight of about 400 feet above ground. The UAV is equipped with a digital camera and video camera.
The digital camera can take 10 aerial pictures per second, and cover an area of approximately 1000 hectares, in a systematic flight plan, which provides very accurate aerial reconnaissance information, with flights of up to 90 minutes with the current battery capacity of the plane.
This information is all contained and managed through computer technology to provide valuable information in a few minutes of flight that used to take weeks of hard physical work and ground truthing by experienced professional field staff.
Wow, isn't technology great. So, when you think someone might be looking over your shoulder when you are out in the bush, the technology is there, so maybe you are on candid camera.
John was thanked for his very informative presentation by Rotarian Rachelle Delorey and President Brian Pearson.
Lola Dawn Fennell, Manager of the Prince George Council of Seniors, and President Ernie Myers of the Council of Seniors, provided a detailed presentation of the multitude of "Services" provided by the Council, through the newly established "Senior Resource Centre".
The Prince George Council of Seniors represents 24 different Seniors organizations and Service organizations in Prince George. Collectively, these 24 organizations represent approximately 4,000 seniors in Prince George.
The Nechako Rotary Club is one of those Service Organizations, with Rotarian Lloyd Clay as our representative on the Council's Board of Directors.
The Council of Seniors have 8 separate Committees of dedicated people, all volunteers, that work together to provide the huge list of services to seniors in Prince George. Programs include "Meals on Wheels; a Dental Program; a Radio Program; a Better at Home Program; a Seniors Housing Program; Seniors Access Program; to mention a few."
The Council also provides assistance to seniors through things such as basic computer training, assistance with completion of Income Tax Returns, various forms of representation with Civic, Municipal and Provincial Government issues.
As Lloyd Clay stated, " he is constantly amazed and impressed by the quantity and quality of representation provided by the Prince George Council of Seniors in Prince George."
Both Lola Dawn and Ernie were thanked for their presentation by Rotarian Lloyd Clay and President Brian Pearson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Lola Dawn Fennell, Manager of the Prince George Council of Seniors, and Ernie Myers, President of the Prince George Council of Seniors provided a Recognition Certificate to the Nechako Rotary Club for all of the support received by Rotary during the past years, through the Annual Christmas Hamper Program, the Council of Seniors fall Garage Sale and the sponsoring of the hundreds of cloth bags purchased to deliver the Christmas Hampers to needy Senior Citizens receiving the Hampers.
The Recognition Certificate was presented to President Brian Pearson on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Thank you Rotarians, for being there to support the Prince George Council of Seniors.
Marnie Hamagami is the General Manager of the Prince George Symphony for the past 15 months, having moved from Vancouver Island with her husband and baby. Marnie is orignally from Cranbrook, BC and holds degrees in German Literature and International Business.
Marnie is also a Rotarian with the Prince George - Yellowhead Club and an active particpant in the community.
This morning we heard about some of the amazing outreach projects that are being done by the Prince George Symphony Orchestra. Of particular interest and pride of the symphony is a program that was inspired by El Sistema from Venezuela which has proven successful in creating social transformation through teaching music to groups of children.
A Sistema program was launched in Prince George, in September 2013, at Quinson Elementary School. The program was opened up to vulnerable students. These students would not have had the opportunity to participate in music lessons. They were each provided with a violin, something nutritious to eat, and instruction in playing the instruments. The instructors are senior students from the Prince George Conservatory of Music and volunteer their time to teach the youth.
In addition to many benefits in improving the children’s learning, the parents and families have also become a stronger community. The Prince George Symphony is proud of bringing this valuable program to Prince George.
Marnie was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Harold Spensley, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Prgram.
Rotary Gail MacLaren tucked into her lobster dinner with enthusiasm too. Spouse Wayne was there but apparently not included in the photo opportunity, possibly as he was to engrossed in his dinner.
Oops, sorry, wrong story. Charter Member Lloyd Clay and wife Adene were also enjoying their lobster dinner, along with a few questionably humorous stories.
Prince George Club Youth Exchange Student Lucus enjoyed the evening although it is questionable about his pallet for Lobster. This was Lucus's first experience with Lobster and all bets are off as to when he might try the delicacy again.
Beth James, Chief Executive Officer for the City of Prince George provided a brief but comprehensive update on some of the changes and direction being taken in Prince George since she was hired almost one year ago.
Beth is a recruit from Vancouver and has held many executive positions both in Government and the Private Sector prior to moving to Prince George. Beth reports she loves Prince George and our weather.
The City has been actively engaged in a series of planning and public involvement reviews during the past year, with Beth's direction. Beth also expressed concern that they have not received sufficient input from the youth in Prince George, and will be going back to some areas to get further input before the plans are finalized.
The City is also moving forward with the direction of the Core Review, which Beth explains is not a one shot deal, but an on going process.
Rotarian Gina Rawson thanked Beth for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm and Art Erasmus are joined by Past President and Charter Member Lloyd Clay at the Nechako Rotary Club Meeting, to demonstrate some of the "Wisdom in Rotary" supporting our Clubs by the more senior members of Rotary that help provide the strength and wisdom to our Clubs.
So, just because there is a little snow on the roof, doesn't mean the fire is out, as some wise person was apparently quoted to have said.
Past District Governor (2001-2002) Art Erasmus is the current Chair of the Rotary Foundation Committee in District 5040.
Art joined Rotary in Prince George in 1984, and became the President of the Prince George Club in 1991-92. After moving to Terrace, Art became the President of the Terrace Rotary Club in 1998-99.
Art and his wife Leslie are sustaining Rotary Foundation Members, Paul Harris Fellows and Rotary Foundation Benefactors, Foundation Bequest Society members and Major Donors. These credentials are a very strong indication that both Art and Leslie are firm believers in The Rotary Foundation.
Art was a Rotarian for 6 years before he became acquainted with the Foundation. When he discovered the Foundation and what kind of achievements were the result of the Foundation, he and Leslie became involved, to help make a difference in promoting those goals.
Some of Art and Leslie's work has involved work in Ethiopia, providing water wells, education and sanitation and health to a village in Ethiopia, as well as involvement in the National Immunization of Children under 5 years of age against Polio. The Theme supports "Engage Rotary and Change Lives."
Art's Foundation Presentation explains that many people are not currently supporting the Foundation because they either never heard about the Foundation or frankly, do not know of the details of what the Foundation is and does within Rotary.
The Rotary Foundation (Canada) is a Canadian not-for-profit corporation supported solely by volunteer contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation.
The Foundation's goal is to enable Rotarians to advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty.
More information on the Foundation is available on the website: trfcanada.org
Art indicated some people with little knowledge of the Foundation, have made contributions to the Foundation because if Art Erasmus believes in the Foundation, it must be good. Well, from Art and Leslie's track record, that is a strong indicator, but the real truth requires each and every Rotarian to check it out and make their individual donations, that they feel they can afford, based on their own research and recognition of the wonderful things that Rotary achieves every year through membership support.
The Foundation is one of the best not-for-profit Corporations with the lowest administration fees in the world.
Rotary is asking each and every Rotarian to become a donor, every year. Each small donation helps make the power of the Foundation much bigger and capable of carrying out the goals identified.
If you are not a donor, Why Not? Check it out.
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Art for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
These are examples of the "Bags of Love" prepared by volunteers to go to some young boy or girl in need, containing some items of love and comfort for the displaced child.
Bags of Love, may cause a person to wonder about the nature of the presentation.
However, Irena Lipovsky from the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Prince George, clears up that impression quickly, when she talks passionately about a program she and a number of her fellow members got involved in about 2008.
Irena and her people learned about a number of "Foster Children" that were being taken from their homes through the local child protection services program, and relocated in a new and strange environment to live as "Foster Children."
This experience is extremely upsetting to young people, some in their very early lives, ranging from a child of 18 months up to their teens.
Often these young people are removed during the night, with nothing but the cloths on their backs. They are frightened and very alone. Their parents may have just been arrested and taken away, or worse.
A child orphaned by their parents, under these extreme conditions, often loose everything, toys, clothing, personal items, and even family pictures. These young people are in need, as they have become victims, through no fault of their own.
The "Bags of Love" is a program designed to help erase the transition for children when they have been removed from their home.
The contents of each bag are very basic, but very special. They include: a kid sized handmade comforter, a soft cuddly toy, some personal care items such as a comb, hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste and such. A couple of toys are also included for the appropriate age and gender of the child.
The "Bags of Love" are delivered to the local agencies charged with the removal of these children from their homes, to be given to each child when they are moved due to abuse or neglect.
To date, the Program has delivered over 600 "Bags of Love" in Prince George and surrounding communities, including Quesnel, Vanderhoof, Fort St James and Mackenzie.
The program is not funded other than through various fund raising efforts, donations and volunteers.
Volunteers are always required to assist with sewing comforters and duffle bags, or donation of money to purchase needed items. All gifts are tax deductible and go directly to help children in the local communities.
Irena can be contacted at 250-564-8967
Rotarian Karen Toombs thanked Irena for her presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Karen Toombs is also involved with the "Bags of Love" program through the Pathfinders in Prince George, and will gladly receive donations and provide additional information as required.
Thank you Karen and Irena for a very caring and giving program in our community.
Len McNamara, Executive Director of the Prince George Youth Soccer Association, and Zoe, his assistant, provided an update on the Soccer Association and some of the activities that take place on the Rotary Soccer Fields in PG.
Len advised that there is about 1600 games of soccer scheduled for the Rotary Soccer Fields each season.
For youth Soccer, this involves children as young as 3 years old, up to the age of 18 years.
Soccer is a very popular youth sport and requires approximately $40 thousand dollars in referee expenses, in addition to the cost of equipment and maintenance.
However, on what is referred to as "Super Saturdays" there will be as many as 6,000 people on the Rotary Soccer Field grounds. Anyone frequenting the area during these days has seen the crowds of people and vehicles around the area.
Len and Zoe handed out pamphlets outlining one of the PG Youth Soccer Association fund raising efforts called "Score-A-Thon" with CLUB11.
Score-A-Thon will collect pledges by players and coaches up to the Active Start Soccer Festival on June 21, 2014.
Score-A-Thon raised over $13,000 in its inaugural year, as is expected to raise $100,000 in funding this year.
Businesses are encouraged to make pledges and Naming Rights are available for Score-A-Thon and other CLUB 11 Events.
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Len and Zoe for their presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Kathleen Moir is the Manager of Infinite Employment Solutions with AIMHI in Prince George.
Kathy provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a detailed presentation on many of the factors involving the hiring of people with disabilities within the community. Disabilities can be identified in a number of ways from both physical and mental.
AIMHI has a remarkable track record of working with disabled people in our community, assisting these people with preparing themselves for employment, as well as working with business in the community to help provide employment opportunities.
Many people with disabilities can or only want to work part time hours within a week, providing an opportunity for some companies to select or provide specific jobs for people with disabilities.
Many companies have found significant return on investment for hiring people with disabilities. These disabled people have displaced honest and reliable service skills in return for the opportunity for a job.
AIMHI also provides community services such as gardening, lawn care, snow removal, etc. with the aide of disabled workers, with reasonable competitive rates. AIMHI provide supervision for these people while they are carrying out the work they have been hired to do.
Rotarian Neil Godbout thanked Kathy for her presentation, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Nicole Lewis and Walt Kaln of the BC Lottery Corporation provided some incite and details regarding the "Responsible Gambling Awareness" programs offered in BC to people that participate in the variety of gambling activities throughout the Province.
Gambling can become an addiction to people much the same as smoking or the use of drugs and alcohol.
The Province of BC currently has 17 gambling establishments spread throughout BC.
Each of these Casino's has people trained in the identification and assistance of people that might be subject to problems associated with gambling. A similar program has now been adopted by other provinces including Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
Problem Gamblers statistically effect some 4.6% of BC Adults. A further 8.7 % of the adults in BC are considered at risk Gamblers.
Because Gambling is a personal choice, similar to smoking and other addictions, people must ask for and seek assistance to help them with their problems associated with this problem. They cannot be forced to submit to assistance.
The membership of the Nechako Rotary Club made a couple of very strong recommendations to both Nicole and Walt regarding the size and quantities of future prizes controlled by the BC Lottery Corporation.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton thanked both Walt and Nicole for their presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Pam Tobin spoke to the Nechako Rotary Cub on the current initiatives taking place in Prince George with the new Cancer Clinic and Kordyban Cancer Lodge during the regular breakfast meeting program.
Pam was thanked for her presentation by Rotarians Lorainna Steven and President Brian Pearson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Chrissy Blok, Membership & Events Manager for the Prince George Chamber of Commerce provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a brief update on the role of the Chamber in Prince George.
Chrissy is new to her position at the Chamber and has been working hard to become familiar with the many activities of the Chamber during her short tenure.
Chambers of Commerce function as the Voice of Business in the Community. This role provides a strong network for business across the province and interaction with government.
The Chamber is seen as the Connection and Engagement Tool for Business.
One of the current initiatives is arranging to assist business with a trip to China to promote the business opportunities in Prince George and possible market connections.
The Chamber brings the business community together in Prince George on a regular basis through their business meetings and luncheons.
Chrissy was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian David McDougall, whom is also a member of the CofC in Prince George.
Chrissy was recognized for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Letti and Rotarian Andrea Johnson try out the snow conditions at Otway. Letti is enjoying her inaugural experiment with Nordic Skiing on her new skis provided through a donated Ski Package from Cycle Logic in Prince George.
Letti took a couple minutes to update her host Nechako Rotary Club members on her adventures as our Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Argentina. Leti spent a few days in Whistler with her colleagues and described the experience as "Wonderful". Leti also had the opportunity to try out her new cross country skis at Otway with Rotarian Andrea Johnson. Letti indicated this was also great and that she liked skiing.
Lauren Galbraith and Stefan Widmer are the Co-Directors of the Prince George Street Soccer program.
Both Lauren and Stefan are 2nd year UBC Medical Students studying at the UNBC Northern Medical Program.
Seeing the disparity between certain populations in Prince George and the health care system through their studies at the Northern Medical Program, they decided to start a soccer initiative in an attempt to improve health outcomes for people that fall within the classification of homeless, drug afflicted or mentally ill.
During their youth, both Lauren and Stefan have been heavily involved in athletics, and have been fortunate to experience the benefits and positive outcomes that come from sports participation.
For these reasons, they decided to start a Street Soccer Program here in Prince George.
Street Soccer is a Registered Charity Program commenced in 2006 with 13 teams in 8 cities with BC. The founder of the program is Doctor Alan Bates, starting the Vancouver Street Soccer League.
In Prince George, a survey of a number of street people revealed that 30% of these people are absolutely homeless, while an additional 51% have drug additions. These people are referred to as "Marginalized Populations".
Current participation in the Street Soccer Program is restricted to young adults, 18+ years of age. This program is in its first year of operation in Prince George, with the goal of retaining a strong connection to the Northern Medical Program at UNBC.
The Street Soccer events are held weekly at the Ron Brent Elementary School, between 8 and 9 PM. The local teams are competing with other sport teams in Prince George, such as the RCMP, Northern Health or any other organized group that wants to be involved.
The Prince George Street Soccer Program is planning to participate in the National Tournament held in Vancouver in May 2014, where they will have the opportunity to compete with other teams from some of the other cities.
The Prince George Street Soccer Program requires help with securing: Funding; Equipment; Volunteers and expenses, such as rental and insurance costs for their venue.
AG Lorne Calder, member and Past President of the Rotary Club of Prince George (Downtown Club) brings considerable knowledge and experience to Rotary in Prince George.
Lorne Welcomed the new Rotaract Club at UNBC in his capacity of Assistant Governor for District 5040, with some background comments about Rotary and the role of the younger generation in helping to sustain the goals of Rotary.
New Generations Director Gina Rawson did an exemplary job of opening the comments for the new Rotaract Club Inaugurated at UNBC today, January 29th, 2014.
Prince George Rotary Clubs assisted in the Inauguration of the latest Rotaract Club at UNBC today, by welcoming the new Club President Sylva Falk and her fellow Rotaractors as founding members of the new club.
Both Interact in the High Schools, and Rotaract for the younger adult population are the future cornerstone of Rotary in the future. These young people often have been exposed to Rotary initially through our Youth Exchange Programs, Adventure Programs or RYLA, (Rotary Youth Leadership) and were effectively impressed with these experiences.
Many of these young people received huge personal growth during their involvement in these programs, helping to shape their future in such a way that they want to get more involved in Rotary.
This is truly "Growing our own Rotarians today and into the future."
Both New Generations Director Gina Rawson and Assistant Governor Lorne Calder spoke to the new Rotaractors about Rotary and the opportunities these young adults have to offer and share in their roles as new Rotarians.
One of the realities of both Interact and Rotaract is that these young people are just commencing their education and or career paths respectively, and therefore will often be moving on to other locations in a few short years. This necessitates bring newer members into these clubs on a constant basis as their club turn over is typically about 25%.
This new Rotaract Club is starting on a good foundation with promises from Rotary in Prince George to provide support and council as and when required, as well as a standing invitation to participate in other Prince George Rotary activities and functions.
Now why didn't they have Education Programs like this when I was in School or College?
CNC International Educational Planner, Jennifer Wheeler and Dave Leman, Trip Leader took the Nechako Rotary Club on a preview of a 15 Day Eco-Safari to Tanzania, as guest speakers to the morning meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club.
The actual Eco-Safari is scheduled to commence on August 10th, 2014 through to August 24th, 2014.
David showed many interesting and enticing slides of some of the planned highlights of the tour to wet peoples appetite for what is assured to be a wonderful trip.
David has been touring through southern Africa since the early 1980's and has become a bit of an expert on the background and details to see in Tanzania. The trip is guaranteed to be a photographers dream come true.
The trip will include visits to the Serengeti, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro Crater and Olduvai Gorge to name a few, with all inclusive features of the trip including good camping style accommodations, flush toilets, showers, good food and transportation, along with a huge quantity of scenery, wildlife and bird species to match those or better on any continent.
or their information sessions at CNC on either; Wednesday, February 5th, room 1-117 at 7:00 to 8:30 pm, or Monday March 3rd, room 1-117 at 7:00 to 8:30 PM.
Both Jennifer and Dave were thanked by Rotarian Andrea Johnson and President Brian Pearson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The Prince George Rotaract Club operating at UNBC is up and running again after a couple years of sabbatical, and is once again functioning well with some new members to take the helm.
The current President of the Rotaract Club, Slyva Falk, attended the Nechako Rotary Club Meeting this morning and took a minute to update the Rotarians on the new Club's progress.
Fellow Rotarian Terri Dickson, currently a member of the Burns Lake Rotary Club, is working as the Membership Recruitment Coordinator for the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club (Otway) in Prince George.
Terri and her family have recently moved to Prince George and are extremely busy with job functions in Prince George and surround communities.
Terri provided an interesting update and plee for volunteer assistance to the Nechako Rotary Club for the various improvements at Otway in preparation for the 2015 Winter Games, as well as the many "Test Events" that are being hosted at Otway, also in preparation of the 2015 Games.
The Caledonia Nordic Ski Club has approximately 50 kilometres of cross country trails to beckon the approximately 2000 skiing members of the Club for 2014. New developments include the "Biathlon Range", "two new Technical Buildings", a series of improvements to some of the trails and the Stadium area. These new developments were required to accommodate the Club's expansion, but were also required specifically to host the Nordic Skiing Events in the 2015 Winter Games.
In addition to the Nordic Skiing, Otway is used extensively for "Snowshoeing" and in summer is a regular attraction for "Mountain Biking", "Hiking" and "running". Competitive events are held for Biking and Running during the summer months as well.
Caledonia Nordic Ski Club requires many volunteers to assist with many of the functions associated with hosting these competitive events during the next couple months, and anyone interested in getting involved should contact the organizers and/or the office at Otway.
Terri was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Dolly Hilton with anoother donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian William Osei is the recipient of another Paul Harris Pin which he has received from his regular donation to the Rotary Foundation. Rotarians are asked to donate under the "Every Rotarian - Every Year" program.
Through these regular donations, Rotarians have the opportunity to assist Rotary do the many wonderful things accomplished through the Foundation.
In Exchange, contributing Rotarians like William are recognized for their donations with Paul Harris Fellowship Awards. Every $1000.00 donated represents another Paul Harris recognition.
Congratulations William on your achievement and support of the Rotary Foundation.
The Nechako Rotary Clubs Out Bound Student selection is complete and the winner is Becca Schuetz. Becca and her parents, Cheryl and Robert Schuetz attended the regular Club Breakfast to become more familiar with Rotary.
Becca doesn't know yet where she is going on her exchange but is very excited and enthusiastic about anyone of her choice's.
Former member of the Nechako Rotary Club, and Past President, Gordon Bliss joined the Club for Christmas Breakfast and proud to show his "Ugly Sweater" for the occasion.
President Elect Leona Anderson is giving "Santa" her "Wish List" for a very prosperous year for the Nechako Rotary Club as she prepares to head to PETS training in Seattle in February, 2014.
The Nechako Rotary Club is known for its hard working members and their creativity when trying to ensure their membership are exposed to a variety of experiences and opportunities.
The attached photo is an example of that creativity in offering yet another exciting and memorable experience.
Candle light "Breakfast" in a tropical setting to help lighten the winter "Blah" which is known to set into Prince George during some of the darker chilly days of winter.
What more can you ask that this. Each Rotarian should bare this point in mind while casting their minds to Friends and business associates, that might be invited out to consider joining in the "Wonderful World of Rotary."
Two distinguished UNBC professors, Gail Fondahl, PhD, and Gary Wilson, PhD, spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club this morning about the "International Arctic Social Sciences Association (IASSA).
Both Gail and Gary are affiliated with the IASSA from a practical and an academic background.
The IASSA has been in existence since 1992, with over 600 members, representing 30 countries. Although most of the members come from an Academic background, some are more practitioners and anyone is welcome to get involved in the organization. a person may find additional information on IASSA through the website at:
The IASSA holds an International Congress every 3 years in a different country. The event has been held in Canada before, but never in Prince George.
On May 20th to 24th, 2014, The IASSA International Congress will be hosted in Prince George at UNBC.
It is expected that most of the membership of the IASSA will attend, plus other registrants, with 4 to 5 hundred people converging on Prince George for the 4 day Congress.
Although the event is being hosted at UNBC, there will be ample opportunity for the public to be involved and interact with the registrants in the Congress.
Additional information will be made available to Rotary as it becomes available.
Both Gail and Gary were thanked by Rotarian Dean Simpson, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Diane Nakamura, former Rotarian of the Nechako Rotary Club, provided an interesting program on The Association Advocating for Women and Children in Prince George to the Club this morning. Diane dubbed the presentation as an great opportunity to come back and interact with her friends in Rotary.
Diane was one of the people that originated this AWAC program in Prince George back in 1994 and is now the Director of AWAC in Prince George.
AWAC is a very active and strong support group for women and children in Prince George that are experiencing problems and require both shelter and support counseling to assist them with dealing with the problems.
The program is considered a success story in the community with many of these troubled people having the ability to resolve their issues and becoming capable of finding their own means to provide shelter and become active people in the community again.
AWAC is one of many programs made available within the community to help reach out to people in need.
Diane was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Lisa Redpath, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Amanada Chmelyk is a 4th year nursing student at UNBC, here in Prince George, working for the Canadian Cancer Society as a Community Nursing Practicum.
Amanda's role in the Society is to help raise the awareness of "Radon Gas" in our community.
Many people never hear of things like "Radon Gas". It is a naturally occurring, odorless, colorless cancer causing gas that can build up in our homes.
In fact, Radon Gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer, after smoking. Further, Radon Gas increases significantly, the chances of a smoker becoming exposed to cancer.
The Canadian Cancer Society and Northern Health are encouraging all people in Prince George to have their homes checked for the possible presence of higher levels of Radon Gas, and if this gas is measured in the home, to take preventative measures to reduce the levels of Radon Gas in the home.
The testing for Radon Gas is easy and inexpensive. If gas levels are detected, the means of reducing these levels is also relatively inexpensive with qualified contractors.
You can purchase a Radon Gas detector in Prince George for $30.00 by visiting the Public Health Protection Office.
You can also go online at: myonething.ca and get additional information on this topic.
Rotarian Loraina Stephen thanked Amanda for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Thank you Loraina and Amanda for making Rotarians more aware of the risks associated with Radon Gas.
Some of our Rotarians experienced some difficulty getting their "Party Celebration" supplies to function during the Official 2013 "Kick-off" of the Operation Red Nose Program in Prince George.
Even with the aide of a butane BBQ lighter, Rotarians Karen Toombs, Rachelle Delorey and Jessica Pawluk were almost stumped trying to light their "Roman Candles".
I thought Pathfinders and their Leaders were trained to light entire fires with only one match. Well, technology and technique are changing.
It is now official, the 2013 Operation Red Nose Program in Prince George, hosted by the Nechako Rotary Club celebrated the official "Kick-off" this morning at 10;30 AM at the ICBC Claims Centre with the campaign Motto "Come Party With Us."
This is the 30th year of Operation Red Nose since it was developed in Quebec, and the 15th year of operation in Prince George, where it commenced in 1997 with UNBC.
The Nechako Rotary Club became the host commencing in 2001 when UNBC could no longer muster sufficient volunteers to raise funds for their Timber Wolves teams.
Last year, 2012 Campaign provided a total of 1084 Safe Rides with a total of 622 volunteer nights and 26,150 kilometres driven.
Volunteers are still signing up for this years program and sponsorships continue to roll in from companies and Responsible Licensed Establishments in the Prince George community, to help make this years program even bigger and better.
David Conway, Manager, Community Relations with BC Hydro, provided a good Update to Rotary Club members on the current process of the proposed Site C Hydro Dam planned for construction slightly upstream from Fort St John on the Peace River.
BC Hydro is projecting an increase in Hydro Electric Power demands of 40% over the next 20 years despite their best efforts to reduce power consumption through conservation, re-investment, retro fitting and other forms of power generation.
One example of the re-investment is spending 400 million dollars on upgrading the WAC Bennett Dam. Some very significant retro fitting is required to maintain other existing facilities in the lower mainland area.
Site C, if approved for commissioning will be a much smaller development than the current WAC Bennett and Williston Lake dam. Site S is planned to be only 1,050 metres in length and 60 metres in height with an increase in water depth of 50 metres.
The water reservoir planned will be 83 kilometres long with a power generation capacity of 1,100 KW.
Approximately 29 kilometres of road will require relocation between Hudson Hope and Fort St John to accommodate the reservoir site.
Public Hearings will commence in December and targeted for completion in January 2014.
If BC Hydro receives approval for Site C, construction is planned to commence in 2015. Full removal of all merchantable timber and non merchantable timber is required, plus a safe navigation depth of 5 metres during the lowest expected draw down of water levels.
David encourages people in Prince George to come out to the public hearing, register to speak to the hearings if they have any comments or concerns.
David was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Garry Howse, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Lloyd Clay and his wife Adene just returned from a 3 week holiday in China.
Lloyd was asked on the spur of the moment to provide a short presentation on their experiences in China, and as normal, Lloyd kept his presentation to a short 4 minutes.
The trip to China was fantastic, despite the fact that the schedule and the pace was action packed from early morning to late at night every day.
They experienced time on the Yangtze River, recently dammed by a huge structure providing 5 locks for the passage of ocean going ships carrying supplies and products in and out of the country.
The trip included walking tours and water taxi's where tourists had opportunity to see some structures that were 700 years old, and new structures created to accommodate the millions of people that had to be moved as a result of the flooding of the Yangtze into a huge man made lake and shipping corridor.
The trip started in Shanghai and ended with tours in and around Beijing, including the huge and magnificent Great Wall of China.
Lloyd indicated one shortfall of the trip was the fact they could never see the blue sky due to the heavy smog that occurs around China constantly. The smog was likened to a person smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day.
That is another story.
Thank you Lloyd for your brief presentation. No, we would never forget to take a picture of your smiling face for Club Runner.
Thank you also to Rotarian David McDougall for joining Lloyd in the "Kodak Moment."
Diane Sears, from the Rotary Hospice House in Prince George did double duty today.
Diane came to the Nechako Rotary Club to sell some tickets for the Rotary Hospice House "Dream Home" worth $100 dollars apiece. The "Dream Home" is located at 7693 Stillwater Crescent and is valued at approximately $450 thousand dollars. The Draw will take place on November 14th, 2013 at 8:00 PM.
Diane was also selling the Hospice House 50/50 Tickets being sold to raise funds for the Hospice "Grief Support Program." That Draw will happen tomorrow, November 7th, 2013 at 8:00 PM. The current cash price will likely be in the $60 thousand dollar range Diane said.
Diane took a few minutes to update Club Members on the Rotary Hospice House.
The "Hospice House" is a 10 bed facility that normally experiences between 65 to 70% occupancy throughout the year. This year though, occupancy has been running at 75 to 80% and the reasons are not known for sure but it might be partially attributed to the additional services experienced through the new Cancer Clinic and Kordyban Lodge.
Rotary Hospice House is a great facility providing excellent service to people in and around Prince George community. Everyone at some time seems to be touched with family and friends that have needed the additional care provided for loved ones during their final days.
Hospice has the ability to provide that extra help where people can spend the time with their family and friends 24/7.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton thanked Diane for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus program.
Rotarian Neil Godbout in the 2013 Operation Red Nose Chair in Prince George.
Neil is keeping a tight rein on the program development as it unfolds, and takes a few minutes to update the membership on the events.
Neil is appealing to all Rotarians to get their applications and Criminal Record Checks completed ASAP if they have not been processed already.
Neil is also asking Rotarians to sign-up for our Special Safe Ride Home Program being conducted on November 16th from 10PM to 2PM in support of the RCMP Ball being hosted at the Prince George Civic Centre. We will require at least 10 two person teams for the 4 hour period. More teams would be nice as we will be able to complete more rides and share some camaraderie as well. All proceeds will go t our General Funds for a change. Special Insurance Coverage is being arranged to cover both client and escort vehicles during the ride.
One of the pleasures of being a Rotarian is the sharing in the "New Generations" program.
New Generations has many responsibilities, one of them being the "care and feeding" of our inbound or visiting student that we host in Prince George.
This year our student is "Leticia Ermilio" from Argentina, currently staying with Gina Rawson. Gina is also our New Generations Director and general "mother" of all of our youth programs, with the benefit of her committee of Rotarians, families and friends.
Each Wednesday morning Rotarians get the opportunity to meet with Leticia, or "Letty" as she is sometimes called, and to hear about what adventures Letty has experienced during her last weeks in Prince George.
Letty is a wonderful young woman and is very active and interested in everything she can be involved in during her Exchange Year. Letty is active with other exchange students in Prince George as well as her other friends through school and related activities.
Letty is interested in traveling and all sports activities, including fishing, skiing, hiking, picnics, skating and pretty well anything Prince George and surrounding area has to offer.
The challenge is always getting people to include our student in their schedules, as well as fitting those plans into the busy schedule of and Exchange Student.
Lets all make an effort to include Letty into our schedules to make her year with us one of very fond memories and experiences.
2013-14 District Governor Garry Shearer attended the regular morning breakfast meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club this morning, and provided the Club with an interesting presentation on the three priorities established from our RI President.
The three priorities are 1) Membership; 2) Foundation and 3) District Convention in May 23 to 27th, 2014 in Squamish, BC.
The Nechako Club received full marks for our cross section of ages and gender in our Club membership, and encouraged to work toward membership growth.
The Nechako Club continues to have regular donations to the Foundation and are encouraged to increase this donation by the examples of both the District Governor and our Club President Brian Pearson. The goal is to have all Rotarians make a "pledge they can afford" to the Rotary Foundation. "Every Rotarian, Every Year."
All Rotarians are invited and encouraged to come on down to the annual District Convention, which is being hosted this Rotary Year in Squamish, BC. They have an action packed program with great speakers and entertainment.
Each Club is encouraged to bring a Rotaract and Interact Student, or a student that would qualify for either classification, to the convention, where they will be provided accommodation and meals at the new University of Squamish facilities, compliments of the convention. An agenda is planned for all students during the convention, including all the Rotary Exchange Students.
President Brian Pearson thanked DG Shearer for his presentation with a real wooden copy of the "Mr. PG" unique to Prince George.
Thank you DAG Garry Shearer for your presentation. A follow-up meeting with the Club Executive followed the regular meeting, enabling the Club to better inform DG Shearer of the Club activities and goals for the year.
District Governor Garry Shearer received a copy of this years Rotary Theme Banner "Engage Rotary/Change Lives" while attending a Rotary function in Chicago recently.
DG Garry Shearer took the opportunity to present a copy of this Theme Banner to Nechako Rotary Club President Brian Pearson, during his Club Visit this morning.
Thank you DG Shearer. The Nechako Club now has a Banner to display during the regular club meetings.
Last year, Nechako Rotarians made a commitment to help purchase an Emergency Response Unit for the Prince George Salvation Army.
The commitment was for a sum of $25,000.00. A Car Raffle was arranged to raise the funds for this commitment. Despite the best laid plans and hard work of all Rotarians involved, the raffle only produced a net sum of $17,000.00, which was turned over to the Salvation Army for the project, with a pledge to raise the remaining money through additional Club efforts.
The Nechako Rotary Club held a spring garage sale and was successful in raising some of the funds, but still somewhat short of our pledge.
Undaunted, the Nechako Club then embarked on a 50/50 Raffle which was extremely successful and netted the club approximately $10,000.00.
Today, the Nechako Rotary Club had the opportunity to finalize our Mission and provide a cheque of $7,000.00 to the Prince George Salvation Army, Captain Neil Wilkinson, to complete our pledge for the full $25,000.00.
Thank you fellow Rotarians, and the Salvation Army for your hard work and dedication, and patience.
Our Rotary exchange student Elyse Donck returned from her three-week Rotary BC tour July 21 and immediately joined Nechako Rotarians for our annual country picnic that day. Thanks, as always, for the wonderful hospitality by hosts Garry and Lynnette Howse for having us at their island in the middle of Summit Lake. The weather was perfect and we enjoyed an afternoon of fellowship like no other. The loons sang and the bald eagles soared above. Elyse also met Jill Budac (pictured in the paddle boat), our 2012-13 outbound exchange student from Prince George who spent the last year, coincidentally, in Belgium.
Elyse returned home to Belgium July 24. Stay tuned for pictures from the airport.
Doctor Steven Chang's Young son, Dakota, heard that Rotary is planning to help fund a Skate Board Park in the Hart. Young Dakota is a firm believer in the idea of the Skate Board Park on the Hart and immediately decided to help with Fund Raising.
Dakota went on a door to door campaign of the neighbors in his home area, soliciting donations for the construction of the Skate Board Park.
Doctor Chang is very supportive of his son's efforts and arranged for Dakota to come to the regular morning breakfast meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club to present the money he raised for the project.
Dakota was successful in raising the initial $287.00 from his "Door to Door Campaign" getting donations for the Skate Park.
Father Doctor Chang and son Dakota presented the donation to Fund Raiding Chair Ken Pendergast.
Hopefully, this is a good indication of the kind of support we can expect from our community while looking for funding and construction capacity to plan and complete the project.
Dean Simpson gave his classification talk at the July 16 meeting. Dean began his career at Kal Tire in Prince George while still in high school, eventually moving up through the ranks while attending college in the Lower Mainland where he was enrolled as a business student. He returned to Prince George to run the Kal Tire shop, but realized he was also giving advice to his employees on financial planning and securities. He eventually left Kal Tire to become a full-time investment advisor. He became a Rotarian first as a member of the Rotary Club of Prince George and then transferring to Nechako a year and a half ago. Thanks for the informative presentation Dean!
Once again, Nechako Rotary is proud to support the World Baseball Challenge, set to take to Citizen Field Aug. 13-23.
On behalf of the club, President Brian presented WBC organizer Jim Swanson with a $2,500 cheque that will be used for youth initiatives at the tournament.
The Winner of the Nechako Rotary Club 50/50 Ticket Raffle for $10 Thousand Dollars is Spencer Pighin, of 935 North Tabor Blvd., Prince George, with the lucky ticket #00752, sold to Mr. Pighin by PDG Ron Neukomm.
The 50/50 Draw was conducted at precisely 0800 hours, July 3rd, 2013 at Esthers Inn by our brand new President, Brian Pearson, assisted by Fund Raising Chair Ken Pendergast with guest speaker Mike Ray actually making the draw.
Spencer Pighin was immediately contacted by cell phone. Mr. Pighin was naturally very pleased to be the winner of the $10,000.00 price.
Arrangements are being made for an official cheque presentation and media coverage with the Prince George Citizen.
Thank you Rotarians for another successful Raffle Program. This kind of fund raising is crucial to our Rotary Programs and is not possible without the full assistance of all of our Club members, and often their families and friends.
Recycling and Environmental Action Planning Society (REAPS) is a Prince George based group of people concerned about our community and country.
Terri McClymont is the local leader of REAPS in Prince George. Terri provided a very interesting presentation and examples of recycling, and composting that are helpful in reducing the amount of solid waste being disposed of in Prince George.
Recycling and composting are very beneficial without a lot of work and inconvenience to people.
REAPS has put in considerable effort trying to coordinate and centralize recycling to assist the public in reducing their solid waste while helping to protect our environment.
The two big problems remain in both plastic products and Styrofoam used for packaging.
Plastic products need to be seriously cleaned of their contents prior to being left for recycling. Most people do not think of this aspect and materials such as food waste become very rancid and strong smelling, making the recycling of plastic very difficult.
Therefore, Prince George doesn't currently have a venue for plastic products recycling.
Terri handed out a long list of recyclable materials and venues for delivery, as well as a very good document on Composting.
Past President Kelly Zammit thanked Terri for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
During the recent Presidents Ball, President Andrea presented the "Spirit of Rotary Award" to Rotarian Karen Toombs.
Karen Toombs is a very good example of a Rotarian that illustrates Rotarians volunteering of their time on projects around the world. Karen and her family are quick to volunteer and be involved in almost any worthy project.
Thank you Karen, and your family, for being a shining example of volunteerism in Rotary.
Well, you had to be there to fully appreciate the full sentiment to the occasion.
After weeks of searching, and considerable expense too, I'm sure, "Waldo" the wondering "Travel Mug" was safely placed back into the loving hands of his owner, Rotarian Lloyd Clay.
It was truly a heart felt moment, bringing tears to the eyes of not only Lloyd and Adene Clay, but I'm sure there was not a dry eye in the place, to hear the sentiment expressed by the return of "Waldo" to his home.
It is very encouraging to know there is a happy ending to such a trying experience, and we hope that no one else has to have the same type of misfortune as the "Clays" with their coveted Travel Mug, that decided to go for a little "Walk About" in British Columbia, apparently listening to the tune "King of the Road".
Fellow Rotarians, Gina Rawson was the honored recipient of the "Rotarian of the Year" award this year through all of her hard work, dedication and love for the Rotary Youth and New Generations Program, in addition to her being a model Rotarian in everything she does, and what she she says.
Gina was recognized as "Rotarian of the Year" during the annual President's Ball held on Saturday night, June 15th, 2013. Lots of food, fun and live music were enjoyed by everyone that attended this years celebration.
President Andrea was roasted and toasted by fellow Rotarians.
Everyone danced to to the music of Prince George's own "Old Time Fiddlers".
Gina was presented her "Rotarian of the Year" plaque by Assistant District Governor Lorne Calder and President Andrea Johnson.
Congratulations Gina for being a wonderful Rotarian and a shining example for our club.
The 37th Annual BC Elders Gathering is being hosted in Prince George from July 8th to 11th, 2013 at the CN Centre.
This years gathering is titled " Honor Your Journey."
Rena Zatorski, Project Manager, is with Red Earth Management. Rena provided some background information of this years BC Elders Gathering.
The Gathering will bring over 2200 First Nations Elders from the 206 Native Bands throughout BC. Rena indicated that already they have registrations from 103 of those bands. Accommodations are booked in all the Hotels and Motels in Prince George, with some accommodations also being taken in Quesnel and Vanderhoof.
The number of Elders in BC is expanding, similar to all cultures in BC and the Gathering may need to rethink the age requirements sometime in the future. Elders are honored as "Knowledge Keepers" and have been very helpful in passing on this knowledge and traditions over the centuries to the younger generations within the bands.
This year the BC Elders Gathering is open to the public, but registration is still a requirement, and the cost is $50.00 per person, which includes lunch and parking at the CN Centre.
Rena was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Lisa Mueller, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Well, David Low has been attending meetings as a guest of the Nechako Rotary Club for the past couple of months.
David was introduced to the Nechako Rotary Club by Rotarian Gary Gurnsey. David works with AAA Credit Counselors + Debt Consultants, and has the Classification of Debt Management.
PDG Neil King and Membership Director Neil Godbout inducted David into the Nechako Rotary Club this morning.
President Andrea Johnson assisted with the induction process.
While many Rotarians are frantically searching for "Waldo", the Wondering Travel Mug, the little Devil is still enjoying himself while enjoying his freedom.
"Waldo" was seen during the past weekend, again enjoying himself at "Purden Lake." Waldo certainly seems to have a likeness for water, as he has been observed a number of times, looking longingly for a boat or two in which to possibly hitch a ride, obviously to expand his horizons.
Distraught Rotarian Lloyd Clay is seeking Professional Help in his search for "Waldo" his coveted coffee mug that has been missing for the past few weeks, while apparently doing a "Walk About" and obviously lots of riding, flying and even possibly boating around British Columbia.
Rotarian Lloyd purchased a book "Searching for Waldo" which provides clear definitive guidelines on what to do and where to look in search of "Waldo", the Travel Mug.
Lloyd is pulling out all stops in his search, even to the extent of setting up a "Search for Waldo" fund and sign up program for volunteers.
Lloyd has agreed to go to the media, seeking volunteer assistance. Thus the attached picture, which clearly shows the sorrow and suffering that Lloyd and Adene are experiencing from the loss of his favorite coffee mug.
Well, we are confident that with the aide of this new book and search techniques, "Waldo" will certainly be found soon and returned to his loving home.
Anthony Everett, Chair of the 2015 Canada Winter Games Committee in Prince George, was the guest speaker at the Nechako Rotary Club meeting on June 5th.
Like most people involved in these events, Anthony is a volunteer, and works at the Northern Tourism Association when not involved in the preparations for the 2015 Canada Winter Games to be hosted in Prince George.
The Canada Winter Games have been happening a total of 23 times, every two years, since 1967. The games alternate from Summer Games and Winter Games. This is the largest Multi Sport Events in Canada.
Prince George will host the 24th series of games in 2015, during the 100th Anniversary of our city.
The Games Motto is: "Inspiring Dreams & Building Champions" We will see much of this during the games starting in February, with a total of 19 sport activities over 18 days.
A total of 2400 athletes will participate between the ages of 12 and 35 years.
The games will require thousands of volunteers, and we all know that these type of events could not and would not happen without these volunteers.
Volunteers will receive coaching and some training in the specifics of the areas of expertise required, depending on the nature of the work.
As always, Prince George is rising to the challenge, from the bid committee exercise to the commencement of the games, and we can be assured that the 2015 Games will be another success story in our City, regardless of the tasks and uncertainty that lays ahead, including the weather, which includes temperature and snow conditions.
Anthony was thanked by Rotarian President Elect Brian Pearson, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
A meeting between representatives of the City Recreation and Parks people, the Nechako Rotary Club, the Downtown Rotary Club and the Hart Community Association took place last Thursday to complete a site assessment for the potential construction of the Hart Community Skate Board Park.
The two locations offered by the City are Bravery Park, which is located directly behind the Eagles Hall, and Heather Park, which is located directly behind the Elks Centre.
The Heather Park site is somewhat isolated and the current developments are most suited for team type sports such as baseball, football, soccer etc. The group in the site assessment agreed that it is less desirable for something like a Skate Board Park due to its isolated and secluded nature.
The Bravery Park site is close to the Hart Mall and shopping, as well as being very visible with immediate proximity to the children's play ground and a ball diamond.
Residents in the area would have the ability to attend to both the very young children and their youth that have progressed to the Skate Board age.
Discussion involved asking the local residents and the kids on the Hart about their preference of locations and access. Additional information will be asked about the possible inclusion, or changes that might be recommended over the current skate board park locate downtown across from the YMCA.
The downtown Skate Park was built in 2002 with 19,000 sq. feet and cost $250,000 dollars. A Skate Park was built in Peachland in 2012 at 5,000 sq. feet and cost $225,000.
Discussion also included the options of above ground and/or in ground features. Above ground features are generally cheaper. Also, the fact that the current downtown Skate Park is heavily used by two wheel bikes, it might be a consideration to add to the design to accommodate a changing usage.
The City and the Hart Community Association have agreed to seek further input from people on the Hart for consideration of the Hart Skate Board Park committee that needs to soon be formed under the umbrella of the Hart Community association.
Rotarian William Osei is one of the many Rotarians that supports the Rotary Foundation with their Annual Giving commitment of "Every Rotarian - Every Year."
William Osei was the recipient of another Paul Harris Fellow Pin to recognize his annual donation to the Rotary Foundation. The pin was presented to William by President Andrea Johnson during the regular meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Congratulations William and thank you for your commitment to the Foundation.
"Waldo" the wayward "Travel Mug" owned previously by Rotarian Lloyd Clay, took some time off from his busy schedule, or "Walk About" to participate in the Annual "YMCA Healthy Kids Day" run.
Naturally, being a healthy Kids function, "Waldo" was only distributing "decaffeinated water" to the runners, as "Waldo" is a very conscientious health enthusiast, just like his owner.
"Waldo" is on his own again for awhile as Lloyd and Adene enjoy themselves in the southern portion of the province. "Waldo" plans to make the best of his freedom, and will likely show up in a number of places during the next couple weeks, before he returns to being nothing more than a mere "Travel Mug."
The Nechako Rotary Club were there to Staff a "Water Station" during the Annual "YMCA Healthy Kids Day" run.
Rotarians President Andrea Johnson, Gordon Smith and William Osei were there with the assistance of our Youth Exchange Student Elyse Donck. The 10 km Water Station at 5th and Foothills was in very capable hands.
The only risk was being overrun by Forest Tent Caterpillars, which were plentiful. Nobody seemed to mind, and the runners had good weather to accommodate the run.
Well, it appears that "Waldo" did show up at the mall as he had indicated, and a very good thing at that.
Ticket sales have been a little slow at the mall the last couple days. But this morning, with "Waldo's" assistance we managed to sell a whopping 8 tickets in the two hour shift.
Maybe it could be coined "Waldo to the rescue" but ticket sales were pretty good, considering one of our Rotarians failed to show for her shift. I wonder whom that might have been?
Clearly, it must be that charismatic touch that "Waldo" has acquired from his owner over the years.
Thank you "Waldo". Glad to have your support.
I understand he is heading for the "Family YMCA Road Race & Healthy Kids Day" tomorrow. What a great Travel Mug. Maybe we should all have one.
Some diligent Rotarians have been keeping a watchful eye out for "Waldo" the "Travel Mug" and we all know "Waldo" has been doing a bit of a "Walk About" in BC during the last few weeks,
The last sighting of "Waldo" was while he was hamming it up with Celebrities in Quesnel, during the "Striking Gold" Rotary District 5040 Conference.
Well, it appears "Waldo's" timing is just a little off. A "Dollar Short and a Day Late", is the old saying.
Lloyd and Adene Clay, loving owners of the coveted Travel Mug, appear to have left for the Vancouver, Victoria area this morning, possibly in hopes of finding "Waldo" and bringing him home.
Alas, "Waldo" was seen on the front steps of the Clay residence on Limestone Crescent, this morning, and nobody home to let the poor wayward Travel Mug in.
Well, "Waldo" was heard muttering about the fact that if Lloyd didn't care to wait for him, he would just head for the Pine Centre Mall and hang-out with all the other Mugs.
He might even sell a few raffle tickets for the Nechako Rotary Club while he is there.
Jessica Aldred joined the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation about 8 months ago with an impressive series of Education and Training experiences in Fund Raising.
Jessica spent some time this morning speaking to the Nechako Rotary Club about the Spirit of the North Healthcare Foundation and the continuing process of determining goals and priorities.
Jessica pointed out that the members of the Nechako Rotary Club have collectively donated over $85,000.00 over the past few years to the Spirit of the North. Not something that most of our Club membership would have known, but a remarkable achievement, none the less.
Prince George can be very proud of the improvements that have been made to our City's Healthcare facilities, thanks to the continued work of the Spirit of the North, the dedicated work of the various people and organizations, including Rotary in our community.
Jessica was thanked by Rotarian Neil Godbout, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
"Waldo" shows much of the same character as his owner, thinking himself to be young and wanting to always be in the "Limelight".
During the "Striking Gold" District 5040 Conference in Quesnel this past weekend, "Waldo" was seen hanging out with the District 5040 Exchange Students, while they prepared for their traditional "Flag Ceremony".
Its a wonder that "Waldo" didn't march in the ceremony, carrying the BC Flag. I'm sure that if his owner had known, he would have arranged for a special "Prince George" flag, just for the occasion.
It does appear that "Waldo" is progressing home to Prince George anyway, so hopefully we will see a reunion with his owner, whom everyone heard this morning, is missing his coveted mug dearly.
Nechako Rotary Club's current Exchange Student Elyse Donck provided a detailed report this morning regarding her past weeks activities, during the "Striking Gold" District 5040 Conference, as well as some strong feelings about the fact that her exchange is rapidly coming to an end.
All students in District 5040 attended the District Conference in Quesnel, giving them a chance to spend lots of time together, but also making them aware of the fact they will soon be departing for their homes and leaving great friends behind, at least in the short term.
Elyse has enjoyed her exchange very much and was feeling a little low this morning because of the recognition that the year is coming to a close.
Elyse is always very fun loving and exuberant and she always bounces back quickly. She was also quick to show off her "Belgium" sweat shirt as part of her update.
Not to despair Elyse, you still have some time and lots of opportunity to experience more during those next few weeks.
Well, thankfully "Waldo" seems to be making some progress in a homeward direction. While he was rather obscure during the weekend, he did manage to get his picture taken with the Rotary Celebrities, both current District 5040 Governor Rebecca MacPherson and District Governor Elect Garry Shearer.
"Waldo" seems to have an affinity to water, which is a bit of a surprise, when one thinks about the amount of time he has spent with his owner around water, small leaky boats and canoes.
"Waldo" might one day share the story about when he and owner Lloyd Clay tried to stand up in their canoe while boating in Carp Lake. But that is another story for another time.
"Waldo" was seen languishing on the shore in Victoria Harbor recently. Has he still got a mind to jump a boat somewhere on the coast of BC and sail around the world before returning home.
Rick King draws a great crowd where ever he travels to speak about his favorite topic, "Rotary".
Many Rotarians have had the opportunity to hear Rick King speak during Rotary functions, including Conventions and President Elect Training programs.
There is no doubt that he is one of the greatest and distinguished speakers on the many topics where Rotary is involved.
President Andrea Johnson and her fellow Rotary Presidents in the north took the opportunity for a photo Ops with Rick King during his visit to Terrace.
President Andrea Johnson reminded everyone in the Club during this morning's meeting to continue to keep an eye out for "Waldo the Nomad Coffee Mug."
Well, it appears that "Waldo" did make it to Terrace during the Rick King speech presentation as expected. The little Devil managed to sneak into a couple of the pictures with Rick King too, dressed to the nines with a neat bow tie and all.
It would see that he, like his owner, has a bit of a flare for the spotlight and isn't bothered by the camera.
Jackie Piment is a gardener with many years of experience, both during her years in Burns Lake and more recently here in Prince George, where she now makes her home.
The use of the term "Herb" is quite correct in north America, where as the Brits apparently use the term "Erb".
Jackie and her late husband Al Piment, retired from the BC Forest Service, started their love of herbs and flowers while living on a large property in Burns Lake. They managed to make the love of plants into a profitable business. Jackie indicated the sale of products was primarily through word of mouth though as their home in Burns Lake was to removed from the Farmers Market in Prince George, and the prime growing season was relatively short, with frost free days only occurring in the month of July.
This was Jackie's second presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club, where she has had the opportunity to speak to the club about her expertise. Jackie is also a member of the UNBC Botanical Garden Society.
Jackie was thanked for her informative presentation by Rotarian Dolly Hilton, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
It would appear that "Waldo" is concerned about Lloyd's grief of the unexpected disappearance of his coffee mug.
Waldo was seen in a phone booth in Terrace. We can only assume he was trying to make a collect call home, to ease Lloyd's concerns. Very considerate of a coffee mug that has been subjected to being left alone in some of the craziest circumstances.
W e do not know if Lloyd was prepared to accept the charges of the long distance call from "Waldo", so we will just keep our eyes peeled and hope for a happy reunion.
Nechako Rotarians will recall that fellow Rotarian Lloyd Clay has a favorite Tim Horton's coffee mug, which we will refer to as "Waldo."
Lloyd has grown very attached to "Waldo" over the years, despite the fact that he has experienced serious difficulty keeping track of "Waldo's" where abouts.
Lloyd has gone so far as to put his name and phone number on "Waldo" to assist people that find him, to contact Lloyd, so that he might be returned to his rightful owner.
Why, the other day, Lloyd placed "Waldo" on the top of his car, and proceeded to drive down the street, and sure enough "Waldo" jumped off the car en route. It was most fortunate that Lloyd's wife Adene spotted "Waldo" sitting beside the curb a few blocks from home, and Lloyd had the opportunity to go and fetch "Waldo" home before he was lost for ever.
Now, some of you might have noticed that Lloyd was carrying his second most coveted Tim Horton's coffee mug this morning, as it appears that "Waldo" has flown the coup once again. We know not where the little devil has gone this time.
Please keep your eyes peeled for "Waldo" as I'm sure he will show up somewhere. With help "Waldo" will be returned safe and sound to his owner. "Waldo" may just have gone for a "walk about" the same as they do in Australia, after the long winter boredom.
Keep in mind that Lloyd feels very strongly about this coveted mug, and may may rather disparaging remarks or accusations regarding the disappearance of "Waldo". Please pay no mind to these remarks, as we all know everyone in the Club will be working hard to return "Waldo" home, where ever he may be.
Shirley Bond is no stranger to Prince George, or the Nechako Rotary Club. Shirley is running for her 4th term in Prince George with the Liberal Party.
Shirley currently holds the Portfolio as the Attorney General and has held portfolios as Minister of Health and Minister of Highways. Prior to entering the program as a Liberal candidate, Shirley was involved for many years in Prince George as a School Board Trustee and Chair.
Mike Morris is the new Liberal candidate replacing incumbent Pat Bell.
Mike is a retired RCMP officer having worked in Prince George previously as Superintendent of the Northern District. Both of Mike's sons have followed in his footsteps and are currently members of the RCMP.
Mike is also a BC Trapper holding a trap line here in Northern BC. Mike feels that the fur industry is one of the many resources that contribute to the BC Economy now and into the future.
Both Shirley and Mike expressed comments that the work of politicians is to ensure that our province manages our resources in a responsible manner to ensure we leave a legacy four our children and grand children.
Shirley made specific reference to the Rotary Four Way Test and how this test should be the basis of all decisions being made when considering the interests of the Province.
Rotarian Lloyd Clay thanked bot Shirley and Mike for their presentation to the Club.
Collen Van Mook, Director of Community Services for Prince George, provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a short Video and background on the 2013 Artistic Gymnastics BC Championships being hosted in Prince George, April 5th to 7th, 2013.
Colleen is functioning as a Volunteer for the 2013 Artistic Gymnastics BC Championship, and was a lead person for the City during the 2015 Canada Winter Games Bid Committee.
The Gymnastics Events will be held at the Northern Sports Centre at UNBC and will be used as a "Test Event" for this facility in preparation for the 2015 Canada Winter Games.
There are 75 Gymnastics Clubs in British Columbia and Prince George will be hosting approximately 500 young male and female gymnasts during this 3 day event. The athletes will be accompanied by both family members, coaches and chaperone's during the event, helping to raise the awareness and economic benefits to Prince George.
Rotarian Harold Spensley thanked Colleen for her presentation and presented Colleen with a cheque for $750.00 from the Nechako Rotary Club for funding of equipment toward the 2013 Artistic Gymnastics BC event.
Nechako Rotary Club Exchange Student Elyse Donck had a couple of unfortunate set-backs during the past weeks.
First, Elyse was riding in a car driven by a friend to UNBC when the car was in an accident and Elyse suffered some minor injures such as a sore shoulder and a bump or two.
To make matters worse, Elyse was participating in one of her sports activities, Soccer, at the UNBC Sports Complex and sustained a serious knee injury while scoring a goal. You can imagine that Elyse doesn't do anything half heartedly and the resultant injury has put her on crutches and pain medications for a period of time.
Elyse is getting medical attention from the local doctor, for the knee as well as advise from her father, whom also has a medical background as a Chiropractor. Elyse and all her friends are hopeful that the knee can be cured with the need of an operation.
We are sure that Elyse will be back in action as soon as possible, but knows full well that the healing will take some time and "TLC", or Tender Love and Care.
District 5040 Youth Exchange Coordinator Petrie Neive and Liz Neive play a very important Role in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program for our District.
Most Rotarians have limited appreciation for the amount of work and dedication required to run and effective Youth Exchange Program in Rotary.
The program is very detailed and requires countless hours of dedication to ensuring the program is operated within the guidelines and safety for our students and the volunteers.
Each participating Club also has a number of dedicated Rotarians and volunteers for selection, paperwork, scheduling and the general care and control of these students with their host families during each year.
No wonder our Youth Exchange Program is the shining example Internationally. A great credit to Rotary and our Youth. Thank you all you volunteers.
Rotarian Karen Toombs thanked both Petrie and Liz for their leadership and presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Jim Swanson and his guest Shawn Rice spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club about the World Baseball Challenge.
The World Baseball Challenge has been hosted successfully in Prince George in 2009 and 2011, although the weather was less than cooperative in 2011, with 10 full days of rain.
The Nechako Rotary Club has been a proud supporter of this event for those two years, co-sponsoring the "Kids Training Camp" during this event.
The Training Camp is put on through volunteer support from the "Blue Jays" providing real hands on training to many of our young baseball enthusiasts in Prince George.
The 2013 World Baseball Challenge promises to be another 10 days of excellent baseball from August 13th to 23rd. The dates were moved to this time slot to accommodate the teams coming from Cuba and Japan, as they are key participants in these games.
The World Baseball Challenge is built on the backs of volunteers like Jim and Shawn. Rotarians are welcome to once again get involved in some of the volunteer activities, such as helping to support the individual visiting teams.
Thank you both Jim and Shawn for your presentation. Let the Games begin.
Former Rotarian Adele Sjoberg of Timberline Footfitters in Prince George spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club this morning about supporting the "Kelowna Sunrise Rotary Club" in their "Soles4Souls" campaign.
The "Soles4Souls" campaign has been taking place each spring for a few years. The Nechako Rotary Club has helped support this program with Adele for at least the past two or three years.
The Kelowna Sunrise Rotary Club plans to collect 1 million pairs of shoes over the next five years. However, their goal for this spring is 100,000 pairs of shoes during the month of April.
As Adele said, " if you have any gently used shoes, in your closet that are no longer required, please consider donating them to Soles4Souls, where they will be presented to a new owner that would very much appreciate receiving them."
These gently used shoes can be pairs of any type, size and color.
Donations can be made directly to: Timberline Footfitters - 10808 Victoria Street, or to: Total Delivery Systems - 1014 Great Street, in Prince George.
The Nechako Rotary Club received some preliminary insight into the plans and expectations of two of the NDP Candidates for the upcoming Provincial Election in May 2013.
Sherry Ogawara is the NDP Candidate for Prince George - Valemount in the next election.
Sherry is a 24 year resident of Prince George and works as a Freelance Broadcast Journalist, Dietitian and Small Business Owner.
Bobby Deepak is the NDP Candidate for Prince George - Mackenzie riding in the next election.
Bobby was raised in Fort St James and Prince George, graduating from DP Todd and advancing to a Law Degree from University of Ottawa.
Bobby currently practices Labour Law, which is Administrative Law, through his company North Labour Law.
President Elect Brian Pearson thanked both Sherry and Bobby for their presentations, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Angela Keller is a UNBC Student completing her second year of Environmental Studies.
Angela is the leader of a group of UNBC Students interested in collecting used Educational Books from UNBC for donation to the Nechako Rotary Club. These books will be collected periodically as they become available, and stored for shipment through our connections with the World Help Network chaired by Dr. William Osai.
Thank you Angela and William for making this connection and the opportunity to recycle valuable books to people that can use them.
Nerchako Rotary Club's newest Rotarian, Rachelle Delorey provided the Club a brief background or Classification Talk regarding herself and her occupation of "Perpetual Transformation of the Body, Mind and Soul."
Rachelle took a few minutes to explain some of the details surrounding her role in helping people better understand the complexities of the Body, Mind and Soul, with a promise to provide more detailed representation to the Club in the Future.
Thank You Rachelle, for helping fellow Rotarians get to know you and your vocation better.
Nechako Rotary Club members were entertained this morning by our current Exchange Student, Elyse Donck from Belgium.
Elyse provided a very interesting and enthusiastic presentation about the location of her homeland, Belgium, relative to the rest of the world and specifically Europe.
Elyse is a very interesting and active student, and extremely proud of her homeland and loving family. Elyse gave the Club an example of the Belgium "Anthem" as well as some descriptive remarks about some of the less known historical background of how the City of Brussels, their Capital, was saved from a serious bombing by the little boy now honored by a statue of "The Manneken Pis" better known as the Little Boy Peeing. The little Boy put out the fuse to the bomb by peeing on the fuse before the bomb was detonated.
Elyse has had a very interesting 7 months of her year in Prince George, and much of that time has been dedicated to sports activities including both Cross Country Skiing, Alpine Downhill Skiing or snow boarding and indoor Soccer.
Elyse had a very exciting opportunity to snowboard in unbelievable "Powder Snow" at both Powder King and Whistler. Elyse had a short video of her experience with some of her fellow students enjoying this winter sport.
Elyse, you are a wonderful young woman, full of excitement and enthusiasm, and a proud Ambassador to your homeland Belgium.
The Nechako Rotary Club received a presentation this morning from Mr. G.E.M. Munro on the topic of "Teach a Mother, Change the World".
G.E.M. Munro and his wife Dr. Tanyss Munro are founders and Co-Directors of the "Amarok Society"
The Amarok Society was created to assist with the teaching and educational opportunities for people living in depressed and poor locations of the world.
The Munro's started their teaching with First Nations in Canada prior to choosing to try to make a difference in the slums of Bangladesh.
Amarok has created a total of 14 schools in Bangladesh focused on teaching women living in the very unfortunate slums of this country. These women are taught to read and write in their native language as well as English. These women are then tasked with the opportunity to teach their new skills to 5 children around them. Thus the opportunity to grow the program.
The program in Bangladesh appears to be highly successful. For more information about Amarok Society and their work, please visit their website at: www.amaroksociety.org
Rotarian Ron Shearer thanked Mr. Munro with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
PDG Ron Neukomm and Director Neil Godbout assisted the Club in the induction of two new Rotarians this morning during our regular meeting.
Dean Simpson is a transferring member from the Prince George Downtown Club, holding the classification of Financial Adviser, with the company Edward Jones. Dean was initially sponsored into Rotary by Rick Harrison of the Downtown Club.
Lee Foulds Andrews is a new Rotarian working for the Bank of Montreal, with the Classification of Mortgage Specialist. Lee is sponsored into Rotary by Rotarian Lisa Mueller.
Please welcome both Dean and Lee into the Nechako Rotary Club and assist them in becoming part of the Nechako Team.
Allan Wilson, Chief Librarian for the Prince George Public Library provided an update to the Nechako Rotary Club of the current activities involving the Library.
The Library has been actively involved in the completion of the "Sky Lab" project for the library. This project is now completed. In addition to the Sky Lab, the Library and their Board of Directors have been busy planning to ensure that the Public Library remains an integral part of the services provided to the people of Prince George and surrounding area.
Allen provided some information regarding their priorities, and the next major project for the Library is the "Knowledge Garden" which will have their "Shovel Ceremony" this spring.
The "Knowledge Garden" has a complete budget of $178 thousand dollars. The Library has currently raised an initial $75 thousand dollars with an additional $15 thousand currently pledged to the project. An additional $91 thousand dollars is required through donations to complete the project.
Allen has approached the three Rotary Clubs in Prince George to seek assistance in raising this final $91 thousand dollar commitment as a Tri-Club project.
With this amount of money, Rotary in Prince George has the opportunity to have "Naming Rights" for the "Knowledge Garden". This would entitle Rotary to take a high profile in our community in recognition of the funding to the Garden.
The Public Library is also active in a number of other ways including improvements to the entrance/access to the library and some internal facilities upgrades.
The Library will also be part of the 2015 Winter Games, where it will become part of the "Games Village" during the 2 weeks the games are being hosted in Prince George. The Library will be closed to normal public access during this short period of time.
Allen was thanked by Rotarian Phil Mantler for his presentation, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The 2012 Nechako Rotary Club Project was assisting with the purchase of the Emergency Response Unit for the Salvation Army in Prince George.
The Club Membership worked hard during the 4 month period to sell tickets on our "Ford Torino" Car Raffle to raise the funds to meet our Pledge of $25 thousand dollars to the Prince George Salvation Army, to help with the purchase of the Emergency Response Unit Trailer used to augment the Salvation Army's ability to respond to Emergency Crisis in the north.
Crisis such as the Mill Fire in Burns Lake or the Lakeland Mill Fire in Prince George in addition to any other crisis that might occur in BC, where people are impacted by the loss of their homes etc and require immediate assistance in the supply of shelter, food and counseling to help get their lives and well being back in order.
Today, Nechako Club President Andrea Johnson and Fund raising Director Ken Pendergast presented a cheque for $18,000 dollars to Captain Neil Wilkinson of the Prince George Salvation Army. Captain Wilkinson is also a member of the Nechako Rotary Club. The $18 thousand dollars was a substantial completion of our Pledge to the Salvation Army, with a promise to work hard in the future to help complete the entire pledge amount of $25 thousand dollars.
Thank you members for your hard work and commitment to this pledge and making the Nechako Rotary Club a responsible Service Club in our Community.
Executive Director Joanne Pickering from the Prince George "Habitat For Humanity" provided the Nechako Rotary with some interesting background details regarding their organization.
Habitat For Humanity was created in Prince George in 2002 by Joanne and some other like minded people as a dream to assist low income level people to acquire affordable housing, in addition to a number of other means of support. This support includes assistance with planning their financial abilities and advise in managing their personal assets.
Habitat For Humanity operates under the umbrella of "Habitat Canada" where the local organization can seek assistance in developing grants among other things.
People seeking assistance from Habitat For Humanity undergo a substantial screening process to qualify for help, and are selected on the merits of this process.
When selected for assistance, these people are required to meet a number of criteria, including the actual commitment of work toward their housing project. These people must commit a minimum of 250 hours of personal labor at the onset and a minimum of a total 500 hours prior to actually being allowed to move into the home.
Much of the materials and labor is donated through local businesses and building contractors in Prince George. Where purchases are required, much of this is provided at cost to Habitat For Humanity.
Thanks to the College of New Caledonia, much of the construction is provided through their student program, giving students the opportunity to gain practical experience while assisting with the construction, plumbing etc in the new home.
The recipient of the home has an arranged "No Interest Mortgage" over up to a 30 year period and are required to pay approximately 30% of the current appraised value of the home through this mortgage. This makes the monthly mortgage rate reachable for people in their lower income levels. They must reside in the home for a minimum of 12 years before they can sell the home.
Habitat For Humanity has a retail outlet on the corner of 2nd and Queensway where they also accept donations of materials, furniture etc. which they sell to assist with their operating costs.
Joanne was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Dolly Hilton with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rosalind Thorn is the President of the BC Construction - North Association which also includes the Prince George Construction Association.
Both Rosalind and Melissa Jackson, Regional Manager of Skill Trade Employment Programs for the BCCA, provided some comprehensive information regarding the Construction Industry in the north.
The North is the usual large area covering everything in the northern part of the Province from Williams Lake to the Yukon and Alberta borders, and west to the Charlotte's.
The Prince George Construction Association was chartered in 1958 and has been a huge help to the industry over these past decades, assisting people in the construction industry with everything including assistance with plans, document preparation and bidding on projects, with some of the latest INTERNET technology to streamline and speed up the processes.
A large component of the assistance is also in the area of health and safety, where the BCCA helps provide Safety Training to workers in the industry.
Another large portion of their work is around the area of Apprenticeships assisting the industry in training and recruiting new people into the many skilled trades required to carry out the work. This work includes many facets including the operation of heavy equipment to carpenters, plumbers, concrete workers, electricians etc.
Both Rosalind and Melissa explained the huge financial contribution to the northern region which amounts to something in the order of $65 Billions dollars, when including the many very large programs in the mining, pipeline, smelting etc. businesses that most people don't include when thinking about the construction industry.
Thank you Rosalind and Melissa for your informative program. The speakers were thanked by Dr. William Osai with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club enjoyed a presentation this morning by Cliff Rafael, from CNC.
Cliff is from Trinidad, but immigrated to Canada, and specifically Prince George 20 years ago. Cliff is one of the instructors at CNC where he is also involved as one of the promoters of the "Black History".
Cliff's message today is that we in Canada are all part of a large national immigration to North America, from every ethnic background and country, but collectively we comprise an "Essential Fabric" into the people that make up our country called Canada.
Each person is a connective thread in this fabric, composed of many colors and backgrounds, providing the diversity of our Canadian Nationality. These "threads" make up the pattern of this "Fabric" of our multi cultural people.
The College of New Caledonia is having three separate events to help celebrate this years "Black History" starting with an information meeting on February 9th, at the Civic Centre. Admission is $15.00 per person.
The festivities will include some ethnic foods and entertainment.
Cliff summaries the events as being full of "FUN - FOOD and FELLOWSHIP".
Come out and participate in the "Fabric" of "Black History Month".
Cliff was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Lisa Mueller, with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Alain LeFebvre is the recipient of hie "Major Donor" pin and Plaque in recognition for the fact that Alain has been donating $1000.00 per year to the Rotary Foundation during the past 10 years.
Alain now has a full 10 Paul Harris Fellowship credits qualifying for this prestigious award.
The Award was presented to Alain during the regular Rotary Club meeting by PDG Ron Neukomm.
Congratulations Alain for this achievement and your support for the Rotary Foundation.
Joni Brown is the "Team Leader" of RE/Max for the Caribou Real Estate Board.
The Caribou Real Estate Board covers all of the Northern portion of BC, from 100 Mile House to the Yukon Border, Prince Rupert to Alberta Border. Typical of anything in the North, we do things in a big way, or a big piece of the Province.
David Black is in Commercial Realty with ROYAL LePAGE in Prince George.
Both people provided the Nechako Club with an update in Real Estate for our region.
Everyone knows that our Realty took a "Melt Down" in 2008 that was very serious. Property Sales were almost at a stand still. This poor market stayed with us for about 2 years and started to improve in 2010.
Increase in the market has seen a slow improvement and 2012 was seen as a "Good Year" in Real Estate. The market was described now as being "Stable".
Joni indicated prices are being somewhat skewed by the sale of some of the "high end" homes in Prince George that have sold at higher prices than the average home, making the average seem a little higher than normal.
Joni indicated their is a good cross section of homes in Prince George ranging from $180 thousand to the more expensive Executive type homes on the market.
David indicated their is a good movement of larger Commercial Properties in Prince George, but the City has not experienced the higher growth that many expected would occur during the past 20 years.
Both Joni and David gave the Club some experienced opinions regarding the challenges that both Realtors and Building Appraisers face when trying to make an honest evaluation of the prices that clients might expect when planning to market their homes and property.
Both Joni and David were thanked by Rotarian Phil Mantler, with another donation to our Polio Plus Campaign.
Nechako Rotary Club Exchange Student Elyse Donck provided the club with her weekly update on the busy life of an Exchange Student while in BC.
Elyse just returned from a weekend trip to Whistler, where she and fellow students enjoyed themselves skiing the slopes in Whistler.
Elyse is an accomplished skier and is hoping to spend a day at Powder King this week while all the students have the week off.
Elyse has been taking the opportunity to ski regularly on the Hart Highland Hill and Cross Country at Otway when she can fit them into her busy schedule.
Elyse is very enthusiastic, and makes the regular request that if any Rotarians are doing something, she would very much like to accompany them for the day.
Isn't the life of an Exchange Student boring? Not when young people like Elyse are involved.
Exchange Student Elyse Donck and Wikinson's Host Family attended the Caledonia Nordic Ski Club Snow Fest on January 6th, 2013 to experience Cross Country Skiing.
Elyse is no stranger to Cross Country skiing and demonstrated her skills quickly. Elyse wants to sign up for the Annual "Ice Man" event in February along with a swimmer and a runner. President Andrea is also promoting the event.
Elyse takes a moment to poise for a picture at Otway during the event with Rotarian Ken Pendergast.
Rotarian Albert Koeler has graciously offered to take the "Winner" of the 2012 Foundation Dinner "Door Prize" for an "Unforgettable Ride" in his private Unimog.
What is a Unimog you asked?
Well, among other things, this Unimog is a convertible model, heavy duty 4 wheel drive unit that any outdoor enthusiast would love to own, especially when the going gets rough. Or, for that matter, during some of the challenging driving conditions in a Typical Prince George Winter.
I think they have springs for suspension, but you wouldn't know it!
These units were also used in Europe to pull aircraft around on the airports, although they are designed as an "Off Road" unit, manufactured by Mercedes Benz.
Come out to the Foundation Dinner this Saturday January 19th, at the Blackburn Community Hall, to ensure your name is in the draw for this exciting experience.
I hope I win so I can take the ride next Hunting Season!!!
Doctor Chris Opio from UNBC was the guest speaker during our regular Nechako Rotary Club meeting just prior to Christmas.
Doctor Opio provided a very informative presentation regarding the Northern Uganda Development Fund, which he is involved as one of his many functions here in Prince George.
Doctor Opio was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Phil Mantler with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Elyse said she was interviewed following the swim and got the feeling she "was and important person." Of course you are an important person to Rotary and the Nechako Rotary Club as well as a fine example of our Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club Executive have approved the 2013 Car Raffle Program.
The Club is in the process of selecting a suitable car for the raffle, as well as the selection of a worthy Program or Project to be the primary recipient of funds generated from the Raffle.
Application to BC Lotteries must be completed in January to ensure we have the necessary License for commencement in May.
The current car being considered is a new 2012 Volkswagen ES Convertible through Hub City Motors.
The Fund Raising Committee will keep you apprised of developments as they unfold.
The Rotary Exchange Students took the plunge at Ness Lake on News Years Day in Ness Lake.
Our Exchange Student, Elyse Donck, was one of the students that took the dip, and Elyse said it was "So Cold" but a lot of fun. She enjoyed the event very much although it was hard to believe they were actually going to jump in the frigid waters.
Elsyse swam the length of the pool carrying her Canadian Flag. What an amazing young woman. The students forgot to take towels, but were rescued by President Andrea, with blankets.
How many Rotary International Exchange students can put a "Polar Bear Swim" on their list of Memorabilia.
Congratulations Elyse, and thank you for being a Great Ambassador to the Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
Thank you President Andrea for being there for Elyse and the girls, after only a couple hours of sleep from our New Years Red Nose Program.
Our Nechako Club inbound student Elyse Donck will celebrate her 18th Birthday this Friday December 21st.
Elyse has indicated her birthday wish is to go Roller Skating. Current host family, the Wilkinson's, have arranged for a two hour roller skate at the Prince George Rolla-Dome on Friday night from 9:00 to 11:00 pm.
Come out and join Elyse and the Wilkinson family for an evening skate.
The Nechako Rotary Club Operation Red Nose Committee have developed a Training Program Power Point Presentation for 2012, to help organize and stream line the regular evening Training Program for all participating Volunteers before they start their evening of providing Safe Rides to clients.
The Training Program Power Point was Demo'd at the regular morning meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club to familiarize club members and seek input into any additions that might be necessary.
The Festive Season is fast approaching and your Operation Red Nose Committee is working behind the scenes to ensure the Nechako Rotary Club and all our faithful volunteers are signed up and ready to start providing our "Safe Ride Home Program" commencing on November 23rd and 24th.
How can you help, you ask? Get your application completed and processed along with the compulsory "Criminal Record Check." As host Rotarians, we must show strong leadership and be a good example to our volunteers.
The process is much easier this year with the electronic application on line. All you need to do is to go into the website at www.ornpg.ca and place your Drivers License number and Birth date in the required document fields. the form will automatically fill in the remaining necessary information.
You will check the data for accuracy, print and sign and initial many times as usual, we cannot make it too easy. Then take the signed copy of the document along with your Drivers License to our friendly Community Policing Office on 6th and Brunswick for processing.
Don't forget to take your previous copy of Finger Prints, if you were one of the many that had to do that.
It is a much simpler, streamlined process. Even I can do it, and now if necessary, many of us can help you, if required, so please ask if you need assistance.
The committee is also seeking sponsorships, both from our regular supporters, but always looking for new additional sponsorships. So, if you can provide some assistance in getting information brochures and letters out to potential sponsors that you know or have connections with, your assistance would be most welcome.
This is our #1 Fund Raiser now Rotarians, as well as a huge contribution and commitment to our community.
Besides, it is a great cause with lots of fellowship and fun during the festive season. What else would you do with your time anyway.
The official "Kick-Off" ceremony for the Operation Red Nose Program in Prince George for the 2012 Operating Season, was conducted this year with the Theme, "Choose Your Ride."
The Kick-Off was implemented with the cooperation of the Prince George City Bus company, the Funeral Chapel, the RCMP, the Prince George Taxi company and a host of people including Diana Pozer from ICBC, the media in Prince George, and of course the Nechako Rotary Club as Operation Red Nose Sponsors.
This Theme has been used before, in previous years of the program, and is very appropriate for the occasion. The program is all about citizens making the conscious choice of how they will get home following an evening of celebrating the festive season.
Luke Zammit volunteered to be our citizen that required making the choice. Luke physically went to each of the venues, including the City Bus, the Hearse, the RCMP van and the taxi before selecting the Safe Ride Home offered by an Operation Red Nose Team of volunteers.
Thank you Team for participating in another successful "Kick-Off" presentation. Thank you President Andrea for organizing the event with Diana Pozer and the various participants. Thank you Lisa Mueller and Karen Toombs for providing the ORN vehicles for the event.
Michele Sinclair is a representative of the Operation Christmas Child Program in Prince George.
Operation Christmas Child was formed in 1990 as a hands-on project of "Samaritan's Purse" an International Christian relief and development organization.
Canadians are able to bless the lives of children living in the developing world by packing gift filled shoe boxes with a variety of toys, school supplies, and hygiene items.
Each shoe box communicates the simple message of God's love to the child who receives it.
Operation Christmas Child also opens doors for "Samaritan's Purse" to provide further assistance to children, their families and their communities.
People are encouraged to donate $7.00 per shoe box, which they can then fill with the suggested items and have their shoe box included in a shipment to one of these developing countries.
Last year, Operation Christmas Child delivered 69 shipping containers of shoe boxes to developing countries.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton thanked Michele for her presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Not your regular Rotary Dress Code, you say? Well thankfully Halloween only comes once an year and likely falls on the regular Rotary Breakfast Day for the Nechako Club more rarely.
Rotarian Gina Rawson is a little camera shy, even when in costume, but takes a quick moment to provide some firm direction to the cameraman, as she goes about her business of introducing our guest speaker for the morning presentation.
Thanks Gina. We hope the paint washes off in a month or two.
Davy Greenlees is a definite "Multi-task" person in the community of Prince George.
Davy is a "Special Constable" with the RCMP where he is involved in Community Policing activities and liaison with many of the other services where the police get involved, including the coordination with Youth Training for the RCMP and many other youth activities, such as Scouts Canada.
Davy has recently been given the Volunteer position of Area Commissioner for the Central Interior & Cariboo-Chilcotin with Scouts Canada.
In this capacity, Davy covers Scouting activities from Clinton north, as well as west to Prince Rupert and east to McBride.
Volunteering is becoming a much more complex role in Scouting, requiring potential volunteers to be trained and tested in skills and personalities prior to being permitted to work with the youth in Scouting activities.
One of Davy's goals is to assist with providing a more streamlined and accessible training opportunity for volunteers that want to get involved in the role of Scouting.
Davy is hopeful that Rotary will support him in his goals of providing the training to volunteers in our community, similar to the support we have provided in other ventures, including the RCMP Youth Leadership Program in Prince George.
Lisa Muller thanked Davy for his presentation with another donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Donalda Carson is no stranger to the Nechako Rotary Club as we have had a long history of working with Donalda over the years helping to raise funds for this great facility in Prince George.
Donalda provided the Nechako Rotary Club with an update of the Hospice House with examples of the services provided at the Hospice house as well as some of the Thoughts and Themes used in the administration of the house.
Both administrative and medical staff become extremely committed to the services provided in Hospice and become attached to the residences of the Hospice House during their relatively short stay during their final journey. Hospice assists in making that short stay as enjoyable as possible with the inclusion of family and friends day and night, if required. Family members can stay, eat and visit, 24-7 during those final hours and days.
Rotarian and PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Donalda for her presentation with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Cat Silvertsen is the Project Manager for the Welcoming and Inclusive Communities and Workplaces Program in Prince George.
This is a very long title, but the job includes helping with the hiring and placement of people into jobs in Prince George with the assistance of Immigration and Multicultural Services.
Prince George has a growing population of immigrants from East India, China and the Philippines.
Welcome PG provides the assistance and the connections to help these people get settled and employed in Prince George.
Rotarian Lisa Redpath thanked Cat and her assistant, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Nechako Rotary Club Fund Raising Chair Ken Pendergast was presented a "Card of Appreciation" from President Andrea Johnson for leading this years "Car Raffle".
The entire Club worked very hard to make this years Raffle another success, and although we as a club may have fallen slightly short of our goal, the fund raiser was a total Club Team Event during the 4 months, assisted by each member and the other shift Captains, and our employee Elita Cragg.
Final figures are still being drafted, but we made something close to $18 thousand dollars toward our pledge to the Salvation Army Response Unit. We can all be proud of this years program.
The Appreciation goes to each and every member of the Nechako Rotary Club, their friends and family that helped to achieve this success.
The Lucky Winner of this years Car Raffle, "Fern Hollahan", was presented the 1971 Ford Torino Convertible prize from the 2012 Nechako Rotary Club fund raising project.
President Andrea Johnson and Past President Kelly Zammit presented the car to Fern at her residence in Prince George, along with the necessary transfer documents to make it official.
Fern is a very Happy winner and immediately posed with the car for a picture.
Congratulations Fern, and thank you all of the Rotarians, family and friends that helped to make this another successful major fund raiser for the Nechako Rotary Club.
The Nechako Rotary Club had the pleasure of DG Rebecca McPherson's annual Club Visit this morning.
Rebecca is starting her round of Club visitations, with a 5:30 am start to make our breakfast meeting.
Rebecca jokingly commented that it is hard to believe that she is going to have to do this for the next year, but she is definitely up for the challenge.
Rebecca has been a Rotarian since 2000 and a member of the Quesnel Rotary Club.
Rebecca identified with some of the District 5040 Goals during her year and the fact that this Rotary year the the District Convention will be hosted in Quesnel, with Striking Gold in Quesnel, and that there will be a solid weekend of Rotary Business, wrapped around a full agenda of fun for Rotarians.
The weekend will include a Fishing Derby on Dragon Lake and Gold Panning for those that want to Strike it Rich in the Gold Fields.
Rebecca encourages all Rotarians to register and get involved in this Annual Convention, and invites all Rotarians to join her in attending the Rotary International Convention.
Thank you Rebecca for attending our Club Meeting, along with ADG Lorne Calder.
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Rebecca for her presentation, providing a gift from local author Jack Boudreau with some of his many short stories of the Prince George area.
Nechako Rotary Club's newest In Bound Exchange Student, Elyse Donck has been in Prince George for only 10 days, and very busy days at that.
Elyse is currently staying with the Stephen Family, and the Stephen family are keeping Elyse very occupied to start off her year of exchange.
Elyse has been to "Carp Lake" with the family and had the good fortune to catch her first fish already.
Elyse took a few minutes to talk to the club and will be a regular attendee to our meetings to keep the Club apprised of her exchange activities. She is already registered in her school classes and promises to be another great exchange student and Ambassador to her home country of Belgium.
Welcome Elyse. We look forward to hearing of your adventures while being our guest in Prince George.
Jolene Shepard is the "Mentor Me" coordinator in Prince George for the United Way program in Northern BC.
Jolene was raised on Vancouver Island in a "Logger" family.
She tried her hand as a Sheep Herder when the Forest Industry used sheep to eat the vegetation that created competition for young seedlings in newly reforested areas.
When the Forest sector stopped using sheep for this silviculture practice, Jolene tried her hand at "Berry Farming" and traded this occupation for the job of "Mentor Me" coordinator with the United Way.
Jolene is still convinced she wants to be a farmer, but in the mean time, she is very dedicated to working with young people by matching them with mentors in Prince George.
The Mentor Me program, has people with work skills and practices in the business sector, that are prepared to spend a minimum of 6 hours over a three month period of time, to coach, council and demonstrate their skills to young people that have yet to make career choices.
Jolene works with these people and some of the youth in Prince George to match these skills with the specific young people's needs. These young people spend the minimum 6 hours learning some of the job attributes from the volunteer mentors.
The program helps these young people to make some of their career choices and the required educational requirements necessary for such a career.
The program has been performed for many years through various formats, usually coordinated through the schools, CNC and UNBC, with considerable success.
Thank you to United Way for continuing to carry the program in the North.
Jolene was thanked by Rotarian Leona Anderson, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Jim Swanson is a very proud Coach and Co-Host of the ReMax Championship Ball Tournament that took place here in Prince George last week from Thursday to Sunday.
The games were well attended with excellent weather for a Ball Tournament, providing the public with some great Ball Games.
The Prince George "Axemen" came through the tournament with the First Place and winners of the "Gold Medal."
Jim was a busy person during the event, but claimed that Coaching the Axemen during this tournament was an easy task given the quality of the team with their batting and pitching skills. The team had pitchers that never even got a chance to take the mound due to the fine pitching skills of some of the leading pitchers.
Also, the Axemen demonstrated some great batting skills with home runs and RBI's to bring them to the Gold Medals.
Thank You Jim and Prince George for once again putting Prince George on the map as a Sport Venue and Strong Team Spirit.
Corine Gibson, Jackie Pement and Birthe Miller, representing the David Douglas Botanical Garden Society were the presenters of an interesting and colorful slide presentation of their Society.
The DDBGS has been in existence since 1991, when the University of Northern BC was recently completed and had almost nothing for exterior decoration and beautification.
The Society boasts approximately 200 members, with a "Master Gardener" Diploma as one of the challenges offered to those people that fancy themselves with a "Green Thumb".
The Society is a non profit, registered charity Society, with the goal of providing for the beautification of the grounds and environment around UNBC with both native and imported plants, vegetation and development for Prince George and the University to be proud of.
Thank you DG Lorne Calder for thanking our speakers from the DDBGS, which we will make another pledge to our Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club's new Exchange Student, Elyse Donck arrived yesterday, Tuesday August 28th, from Belgium. Elyse is suffering from Jet Lag following a long grueling trip from Belgium, and was not available this morning for attending our meeting, but will surely be out next week to meet the Club.
Elyse is being hosted initially with the Stephen's and her Exchange Sister, Joan Stephen.
Welcome Elyse, to Prince George and a very exciting year as our Exchange Student.
Pictured is Joan Stephen, Elyse Donck and New Generations Director, Gina Rawson.
Diandra Norburn is a UBC Student employed for the summer to host the City of Prince George's Historic Downtown Prince George program as part of their Read - Learn Discover Program.
Diandra did a lot of reading and research through the Prince George Archives to gather her wealth of information to host the summer "Historic Downtown Prince George" walking tours.
Prince George was Incorporated in 1913 and has a huge history in the older building around the City.
Prince George has always been a bit of a "Pioneering City" with it's initial Central Fort George image as a non drinking or gambling City, only a short distance from South Fort George, which was known for it's free spirit of both gambling and alcohol consumption.
Diandra did an excellent job of walking the Nechako Rotary Club members through a series of slides of the Downtown core of Prince George, with pictures of many of the buildings and development that occurred in the early years. Many of these building have now been replaced with new structures, but some still stand today as part of our History.
Many of our Prince George residents still remember some of these building and the activities that were experienced during those earlier years.
Everyone learned a lot about Prince George that we did not know, and possibly some we were trying to forget?
Diandra was thanked for her presentation by PDG Ron Neukomm, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Ron is one of the people in our Club that has been born and raised in Prince George, and remembers much of this history well.
Thank you Ron and Diandra for an interesting walk through the "Historic Downtown of Prince George".
Membership Director Neil Godbout and Rotarian Lisa Redpath planned and executed a great "Rotary Fireside Event" at Lisa's cabin at Ness Lake on Saturday, August 18th, 2012.
The setting was excellent, the weather equally great, and the mosquito population was almost non existent.
Ness Lake is a beautiful recreational lake and lots of ski boats were out with kids on ski's, boards and float devises to provide some background visual activities.
The attendees had generous quantities of good food and refreshments, while discussing the merits of Rotary and potential Rotary Fund Raising opportunities for future.
Thank you Lisa for offering your cabin and hospitality. Neil, thank you for arranging the Fireside.
For those that attended, thanks for coming.
For those that didn't come out, you missed a great social afternoon at Ness Lake.
Birte Wiegmann is also a part of the ROSE Program from Germany and now a guest of the Toombs family.
Birte assisted Jackie Toombs in showing the Club some of their slides of her home in Germany and some of the experiences they had during the one month trip that Jackie had as part of the ROSE Program as Nechako Rotary Club's student.
Birte will be in Prince George for another 2 weeks, so I'm sure we will have opportunity to see more of her too.
Thank you Jackie and Birte for your presentation.
The Nechako Rotary Club attended the 2012 PGX Seniors Day Event with the Salvation Army Response Trailer to sell tickets on our 1971 Ford Torino Car.
Rotarian Bill Bateman did a great job of delivering and removing the trailer to the PGX, while Rotarians Ron Shearer and Lorainna Stevens staffed the ticket sales during the 6 hour Show.
The Day was well attended and our Rotarians sold 21 tickets during the show.
Thank you all, for your support for this event.
Jillian Budac is off to Belgium in a few days starting her adventure as this years Nechako Rotary Club Outbound Student participating in the annual Rotary Youth Exchange Program.
Jillian is very enthusiastic about her exchange and will surely make a good Ambassador for both the Nechako Club and Prince George.
Good luck on your trip Jillian. We will be looking forward to your monthly reports and seeing you when you return. It will be a major experience in your life.
Aliysia Heffernan went to Holland for a month as part of the Rotary Overseas Exchange Program and had a great trip, as well as getting lots of exercise looking for Restaurants with her host family. Maybe map reading and compass orientation should be part of the Exchange Program?
Aliysia's counterpart, Mineau, from Holland is now a guest in Prince George with Aliysia and assisted Aliysia in showing the Club some slides of their trip.
Thank you girls for sharing your experiences.
Rotarian William Osei has made a point of attending the RI Convention for the past 3 years.
William is a dedicated Rotarian, involved in the Rotary Foundation. Last year William was successful in getting to meet the RI President, during the Convention.
This year is no exception as William managed to get a picture with our current 2012-13 President Sakuji Tanaka during the Convention in Accra, Ghana.
Good job William. You are a great example of what a Rotarian can achieve by attending Conventions.
The Northern Part of British Columbia has been fortunate in having District 5040 District Governors represent Rotary during the past decade and a half.
Past District Governors Neil King and Ron Neukomm teamed up with this years District 5040 Governor Rebecca McPherson for a picture this morning during the regular Club breakfast meeting.
Both Neil and Ron have played a significant role in Rotary during the years leading up to their year of Governorship and for many years following, as members of the District 5040 Directorship.
Rebecca is sure to follow in their footsteps.
Thank you to all three for their leadership in representing Rotary in BC.
President Andrea provided the Nechako Rotary Club 2012-13 year Goals and Objectives Plan layed out through her Business Plan, PETS and meetings with her counterparts in the Downtown Club and Yellowhead Club regarding Tri-Club initiatives.
The three Presidents have good Rotary Spirit in working together within Prince George to promote our common objectives regarding Polio eradication, Literacy and Youth Programs in support of this years Rotary Objectives.
Rotarian of the Year, Past President Kelly Zammit receives her third Paul Harris Pin from President Andria Johnson.
Kelly received her Rotarian of the Year plaque during the President's Ball, but the pin did not arrive in time for the event, thus providing the opportunity to present the pin at the regular Rotary meeting with a large percentage of Club Members present.
Congratulations again Kelly for an very Distinguished Year.
Rotarian Diane Nakamura spoke to the Club and Maike Adams this morning about the wonderful year we have had with Maike as our current inbound exchange student.
Maike has been a great young student and ambassador for her homeland, Germany. Maike had lots of great experiences and traveled extensive through out BC during the past year, with no cause for concern for her host families and the Nechako Rotary Club.
Maike is a very pleasant and polite young woman, and represented the Nechako Rotary Club well during the year as our student.
Thank you Maike for a great year. We wish you a safe journey home and welcome you to keep in touch with us during the future. Do come back and see us again.
Rotarian Jim Swanson and Shawn Rice provided the Club with a holistic presentation of the World Baseball Challenge in Prince George since it was first presented in 2002.
Nechako Rotary have been involved in the event during the past two seasons, 2009 and 2011 as Sponsors of the Kids Training Camp events. Shawn mentioned that this sponsorship was a very important aspect of this Kids Camp, to ensure it was part of the program, and extremely well received by the kids. Many have gone on since to participate in baseball leagues.
This year, thanks to REMAX major sponsorship, Prince George is hosting the 2012 REMAX Senior Men's Baseball Championships. The second time this event has been hosted in Prince George.
This event is looking for sponsorship of $1500.00 from the Nechako Club to assist with either handi-capped children being able to attend these games, or similar types of sponsorship.
Jim and Shawn were encouraged to get a letter of request into the Club for consideration, ASAP.
Past President, Larry Parker has been a participant with this group as early as the 2002 Baseball Challenge, and thanked both Jim and Shawn for their dedication to baseball and leadership in this event during these years.
Nechako Club will make another contribution to our Polio Plus Program in recognition of both Jim and Shawn's presentation.
The Executive members for 2011/12 that could not attend the President's Ball were recognized by President Kelly Zammit, during the regular Club Meeting, June 27th.
Treasurer Leona Anderson could not attend either function as she recovers from her second round of surgery on her knee, but was at both events in thought and the minds of the executive.
This year's President's Ball was designed as Country Western, so everyone was invited to dust off their cowboy boots, stetson's and put on their old blue jeans to come out and celebrate the year with some Fiddle playing music provided by the Prince George Old Time Fiddlers.
Many Rotarians, families and friends came out to the Ball, but the two people that embellished the Ball with their costumes is Karen and Warren Toombs. Their costumes were outstanding, and they received the prize for the best costumes.
Thank you Karen and Warren, great costumes and support for the event.
President Kelly Zammit received the "Rotarian of the Year" award for 2011 - 2012 with the Nechako Rotary Club.
President Kelly was selected for this honor due to many reasons, including her Leadership, Positive Attitude, Attention to "Fiscal Management" for the Club, Membership Growth, helping to deal with Club Financial Commitments and completion of a couple outstanding Club projects.
Congratulations Kelly for a Great Rotary Year and a Great Job Done.
The Rotarian of the Year was presented by our current ADG, Lorne Calder from the Downtown Club.
Nechako Rotary outbound student, Joan Stephen, has just returned from her year long exchange in Brazil, and provided an exciting presentation with some slides to document her experiences.
Joan was hosted by a Brazilian Rotary Club, where all members spoke Portuguese and not a word of English, so it was baptism by fire for Joan to learn the language quickly. Thankfully, her first host parents both spoke English and helped Joan with the language barrier during her first few months in Brazil.
Joan had a wonderful year, with opportunity to see and experience the culture, the cities, and the people, making many friends that she will Cherise and remember the rest of her life.
Joan has to repeat her grade 12 her in Prince George, as the year of school in Brazil, ended in mid term there. Joan said "this is not a problem, and she really doesn't mind, as the experience was wonderful and she learned so much from the trip anyway, that repeating grade 12 here is Worth it.
Thank you Joan for your presentation and for being a great Ambassador for Prince George and Rotary.
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey, Past President and Past DGA, is being Honored with the presentation of a "Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal" in recognition of his ongoing support of programs and initiatives to fellow citizens, communities and our country.
This medal was presented to Gary during a special ceremony at Government House in Victoria BC, on Friday, March 30th, 2012, with the Lieutenant Governor.
Gary has been specifically involved with PDG Bob Blacker in helping to promote the objectives of the Lieutenant Governor with Literacy with First Nations Bands in BC.
Corporal Alyson Colye, of the RCMP in Prince George provided a presentation on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) Program in British Columbia.
The DARE program is targeted at educating young people in our school system, at an early age about the problems and concerns associated with Drugs and Alcohol.
Children are much more vulnerable at an early age while their bodies and minds are still developing, and any substance abuse at a young age increases the potential for long term abuse when that person gets beyond their adolescence age.
Students are enrolled in a two week course through DARE, where they take a total of 10 lessons, each 2 hours in length, and upon completion, they receive a certificate and other hand out memorabilia.
It costs only $10.00 to enroll each student in the DARE program. There is 147 DARE officers in BC, that visit the schools on a regular basis to teach the DARE program. These DARE officers are usually regular duty Police Officers that do the program on a volunteer basis with the support of their supervisor.
Rotarian, Past President Harry Hufty thanked Corporal Colye for her presentation with a $1000.00 donation to the local Prince George DARE program on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Canadian Anti Fraud Centre - 1 888-495-8501
Better Business Bureau - 604-681-1514
BC Securities Commission 1-800-373-6393 or 1-604-899-6854
Do Not Call Registry 1-866-580-3625
Equuifax 1-800-465-7166
Trans Union 1-877-525-3823
Scam Busters - sambusters.org
Phone Busters 1-888-495-8501
Keep a record of all your important Cards and Numbers in a secure place, SIN #, Passport, DL, Health Card # etc.
Have easy access to all Providers Phone Numbers
Contact Providers Immediately
Cancel Your Cards
Create a New Bank Account Number
Report to Police if Cards are stolen
Report to Credit Bureaus Immediately
Phone the Passport Office 1-800-567-6868
Check with the Credit Bureau every 6 months
Possibly enroll into a Fraud Alert Reporting Agency
Facebook, Blogspot, and Myspace are the top sites used by Youtube
Facebook has over 800 million Active users
If Facebook were a couontry, it would be the World's 3rd largest
The average Facebook user spends 55 minutes a day on the site
Facebook is translated into 100 languages
Over 40 Billion pieces of content (weblinks), stories, blogs, photos are shared every month
At least 150 million Active Users access Facebook through Smart Phones
Every minute Youtube uploads 35 minutes of video
It would take over 1000 years to watch all the videos
2 Billion viewers log into Youtube daily
Never Click on a Link on your computer messages, Use the actual URL
Protect your PIN
Destroy Hotel Swipe Cards
Secure your credit cards in scan resistant sleeves
Give your Credit Card Companies your itinerary when traveling
Set withdrawal limits on your accounts
Have one low limit card for Purchases
Use only Banking Machines in High Traffic Areas
Don't use your SIN # for marking Property
Stop Mail Service when away from Home
Don't let your Credit Card out of your site
Make sure you get the right card back from retailers
Go to the bank in person to update your banking information
Always use secure sites, HTTPS, and watch for the Padlock
Shred, Shred, Shred
Check monthly Credit Card/Bank Statements for accuracy
The US Population have over 250 million cell phones
Each year over 80 million cell phones are reported lost or stolen
Canada has over 24 million cell phones. 7.2 million lost annually
In the USA last year 329 organizations lost 86,000 laptops
About 12,000 laptops are lost in US Airports every week
120,000 cell phones are lost annually in Chicago taxi cabs alone
All these devices have personal information that could be used for identity theft.
Nechako Rotary Exchange Student Maike provided a brief update to Club Members during the breakfast meeting on her week attending the Rotary Youth Exchange Orientation and District Conference in Richmond.
This will be the last opportunity for all the students to gather as a group during their exchange, and naturally will be a memorable highlight for the years ahead, as they will soon depart home after their year in BC.
Thank you Maike, for being a good Ambassador for your country and a good daughter of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Special Constable Fred Greene, with the RCMP Community Policing Office, spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club members providing an update on the latest numbers, issues and concerns regarding Frauds, Scams and Computer Viruses facing our population today.
Fred spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club approximately 3 years ago and todays talk and slides were focused primarily on the issues around cell phones, computers and Scammers using our home phones, and accessing our Charge Cards, Debit Cards.
The Fraud business is literally HUGE and each and every person using technology such as phones, cell phones, computers, bank machines etc. is constantly at risk of their personal financial and personal information being compromised.
Fred used some very detailed slides to bring home his messages. Some of these slides will be included in our Club Runner Stories for members to read in more detail.
Fred was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian and Past President Alain LeFebvre, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
All of the District 5040 Exchange Students were brought together during the District Orientation and 2012 Conference in Richmond. The Students provided some entertainment and skills with their "Skit" for all the delegates, as well as their presence and charm during the Saturday evening Dinner and Dance.
President Kelly presented Director of Rotary Foundation and Rotary World Help Network, William Osei, with the Certificate of Appreciation received during the District 5040 Convention in Richmond on May 19th and 20th.
The Nechako Rotary Club were presented this Certificate in recognition of the Participation with the District RWHN in collecting and shipping medical and educational equipment and supplies to other countries.
Thank you William and all the Nechako Rotary Club membership for your work in this regard.
Rotarian Club President Kelly Zammit and Captain Neil Wilkinson examine the new "Toy Hauler" Trailer purchased through Happy Trails RV to function as the Disaster Response Support Unit for the Prince George Salvation Army.
This new addition to the Salvation Army Disaster Response, provides capacity to carry the very necessary supplies required for the Army to response to a disaster in one of our northern communities, as well as to provide much needed washroom and sleeping accommodation for the Salvation Army team deployed to help people involved in the disaster.
One of our Newest Rotarians, Loraina Stephen was the second contributer to the Rotary Foundation following last weeks presentation on all of the good that is provided by the Foundation through donations from Rotarians.
Both Gary Gurnsey and Loraina Stephen immediately pledged $1000.00 each to the foundation program following our last weeks program.
Thank you Loraina for your donation and your support for both Rotary and the Rotary Foundation.
ADG Lorne Calder took the opportunity while he had the podium this morning at the Nechako Rotary Club, to recognize the "Outstanding Achievement" of Rotarian Gary Gurnsey and his work with PDG Bob Blacker, on behalf of the Lieutenant Governor in Literacy Programs for First Nations. Specifically, helping to put Libraries into the hands of various First Nations Bands throughout BC.
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey was called to Government House in Victoria recently to be presented with a "Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Medal" for his participation in this program.
Congratulations Gary for your dedication to Rotary.
Rotarian Captain Neil Wilkinson, of the Salvation Army in Prince George, brought the new "Support Unit" to the Nechako Rotary Club breakfast meeting this morning to show Rotarians what we will be working hard to sell tickets to pay for during the next 4 months.
This Response Support Unit has been provided to the Prince George Salvation Army early, so that it can be used within the north during the summer.
The unit was received by the Salvation Army through Happy Trails RV and almost immediately dispatched to the unfortunate Sawmill Accident at Lakeland Mills, where it was used extensively during the past week.
Captain Neil said the unit is a wonderful addition to their Response Kitchen Unit.
Nechako Rotary have pledged to raise the $25,000.00 required to pay for this Response Support Unit through Ticket Sales during the next 4 months, with the 1971 Ford Torino Car Raffle.
Tickets will be on sale commencing May 12, 2012 and the draw will happen at Ester's Inn on September 12, 2012 at 0800 hours.
The Salvation Army is hosting a media event at 4:00 PM on Friday May 4th, at 777 Ospika Boulevard to recognize the new Unit.
All Rotarians are invited to come out to Celebrate the New Unit on Friday.
In true Leadership Style, President Kelly recognizes the efforts of the Director or Membership, Neil Godbout, with the Membership Increase Award received from District 5040 District Governor Hans Doge at the 2012 Convention in Richmond.
As Director of Membership, Neil helped the Club achieve this award by inducting 14 new members into the club during this Rotary Year.
A very significant achievement. Congratulations Team Nechako.
Rotarians Neil Godbout and Andrea Johnson took a moment to smile for the camera during their shift of helping to sell the Garage Sale Items and over see the cash.
The Garage Sale was a huge success again, with the support of Rotarians and the citizens of Prince George. All of the sale items were donated by people in Prince George that are pleased to support our International Programs.
The Sale grossed in excess of $5000.00 in sales between sale items and the food grill.
Thank you Rotarians for another job well done!!!
President Kelly Zammit was the recipient of the 2012 District Membership Increase Award during the District 5040 Convention at the River Rock Casino in Richmond on May 19th and 20th.
The Nechako Rotary Club membership was increased by fourteen (14) members during the Rotary Year, thanks to President Kelly and the Club members.
Kelly received the Award from District Governor, Hans Doge.
The Nechako Rotary Club held a very successful Spring Garage Sale at Studio 2880 during the weekend of April 28th and 29th.
Despite the rather rainy weather, both Rotarians and the residents of Prince George came out in support of the Sale to help raise money for our International Programs.
The Club grossed in excess of $5000.00 during the 2 day sale. A very successful two days that included lots of fellowship while making money.
Thank you Rotarians, spouses, families and friends for your help and cooperation in making this another successful fund raising event.
PDG Ron Neukomm presented a "Plaque of Appreciation" to the Nechako Rotary Club. The plaque is recognition for the support provided from the Prince George Senior Secondary School Polar Hockey Team during the ten years from 2002 to 2012.
Thank you Ron for bringing this to the Club.
Rotarian Jim Dahl, from the Ketchican, Alaska Rotary Club, is making a 15 thousand mile tour on his motorcycle, from Ketichan to Florida and points between, hoping to meet with 100 or more smaller Rotary Clubs, along the way.
Jim's message to each of these Rotary Clubs, is some examples of the wonderful work being done through Rotary Volunteers with the support of funding received through grants from the Rotary Foundation.
Jim has been a Rotarian since 1985, when Rotary started the campaign to eradicate Polio from the World. He has seen the huge amount of work being done for this task and the fact we are "This Close" to achieving our goal.
Jim was also a Group Study Team Leader, another program funded through the Rotary Foundation.
Jim indicated he was inspired to do something he could do for the Foundation. Riding across North America to carry the message is his goal to fill that inspiration.
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey pledged $1000.00 to the Foundation in recognition of the Presentation and Jim Dahl's goal of raising $100 thousand dollars by getting each of the 100 Rotary Clubs to pledge $1000.00.
Thank you Gary Gurnsey, for your generosity to the Foundation.
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Jim with another donation to our Polio Plus Program, and one of the coveted Nechako Rotary Club Banners.
ADG Lorne Calder, PDG's Neil King and Ron Neukomm worked as a team to present Paul Harris Fellow pins to five Rotarians in the Nechako Rotary Club. Recipients are: Gordon Smith, President Kelly Zammit, Richard Wilkczek, Ken Pendergast and Alain LeFebvre.
Each of the Paul Harris Fellowship pins are recognizing the contributions these Rotarians are making to the Rotary Foundation. Rotarians are asked to make annual pledges of at least $100.00 per year to the Rotary Foundation. Some Rotarians have made personal commitments to the allocation of $1000.00 per year, where they will receive an additional PHF each year in recognition of their commitment.
Rotarians from the Nechako Rotary Club were out in large numbers to support the Northern Health Fair hosted in the Pine Centre Mall on Saturday April 21st.
A large "Disaster Aide Kit" was set up along with tables and display panels to help the public appreciate some of the work Rotary is involved with, both in the community and abroad, as well as to help encourage people to "Take the Test" relative to their health.
A good number of people did take the test, including many of the attending Rotarians.
Thank you to Rotarian Dr. William Osei for organizing and leading the program for the day, as well as all the Rotarians that were able to take part in the program for the day.
The Nechako Rotary Club, with the assistance of PDG Ron Neukomm, has supported the Rotary Adventures In Tourism program again in Kelowna this year.
Ron took our student, Maddison Dunn to the event in Kelowna for the weekend, and drove her home again.
Maddison provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a short presentation about her experiences during the trip. These young people get some real exposure to different aspects of tourism, including some hands on experience with some of the tourist venues and sports activities, such as golf.
As always, these events give young people the opportunity to see and experience possible future career opportunities, as well as the very valuable interaction with other young people, helping to mold their character for their future.
Thank you Ron for your leadership in this program, and Maddison for her presentation.
Allan Wilson is the Chief Librarian at the Prince George Public Library.
Allan provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a very interesting update on current and future activities at the library.
The Prince George Public Library is the largest library in northern BC and 12th largest in the Province.
16 of the largest Libraries in in the province, serve 97% of the population of BC.
The life of a library has changed substantially over the years and will continue to do so to serve the needs of the people, in keeping with needs and technology.
You can visit the library at: mylibrary strategic plan to see some of these changes.
The Prince George Library focuses on the 3 P's; (People, Partners and Place) image.
The Library is a "Social Space" and used extensively by the young and the seniors in our community.
New programs are being developed regularly to adapt to the needs of this diverse cross section of public users of the library. Examples are: Open Learning; Adaptive Learning and Opportunistic Teaching.
The Prince George Library is putting the final touches to their Skye Lab, which will be ready in June, 2012.
The new "Knowledge Garden" is in the works and being funded through volunteer donations.
The Prince George Public Library is actually two separate buildings, to meet the needs in Prince George. The main Library downtown, named the "Bob Harkin's" Building and the second one on the Hart, called "Nechako."
There is an additional need for a library facility located in College Heights.
However, Allen is quick to point out that this is not likely to happen in the current building structure plans for the city. Therefore, Allan and his Board of Director's are looking at other creative ways to provide these services in the future, and it may be possible to replicate other ideas, in the form of "BOB". Acronym for "Box O Books", which is the concept of creating a more mobile Library in a "Container Box" that can be established at a much reduced price to conventional building, and provide the services required.
Allan was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Neil Godbout, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Nechako Rotary Exchange Student Maike attended the Rotary Youth Leadership Adventure at Camp Jubilee this year.
As usual, these RYLA experiences are jam packed with activities for the young people, giving them all kinds of opportunity to learn new things including team building and working together on creative projects.
This year, the RYLA South program was attended by 95 young people, with only 27 of them being male and the remainder females. This may further represent the change in demographics being experienced in our workforce and membership in service clubs throughout North America.
Thank you Maike for sharing with us on your RYLA experience.
Nechako Rotary Club Exchange Student Maike Adams provided the club with her weekly update on activities as our inbound exchange student.
Maike is enjoying he stay in Prince George, and currently staying with Tom Keller and family.
Maike will provide a more complete report next week on her experiences during RYLA.
Maike is becoming quite comfortable speaking to the club, as can be seen by her relaxed manner at the podium.
Thank you Maike.
Again this year, Rotarian Adele Sjoberg is promoting the collection of shoes by donation to support the program of "Soles for Souls".
This program operates by volunteer support to collect old shoes, or shoes that are not being used, or no longer fit, and have them allocated to people that require assistance and cannot afford to purchase shoes.
The Nechako Rotary Club, with Adele's guidance provided a large donation of shoes last year, and the hope is that this year will also be successful.
Anyone with shoes to donate, can take them to Adele's Shop, and drop them off, or bring them to Rotary, and they can be handed off then.
Donations of shoes will be gratefully received up to April 25th.
Thank you Adele, for taking lead again this year on a very Worthy program.
Rotary Gary Gurnsey is being Honored with the presentation of a "Queen Elizabeth ll Diamond Jubilee Medal" in recognition of his ongoing support of programs and initiatives to fellow citizens, communities and our country.
This medal will be presented to Gary during a special ceremony at Government House in Victoria BC, on Friday, March 30th, 2012, with the Lieutenant Governor.
Gary has been specifically involved with PDG Bob Blacker in helping to promote the objectives of the Lieutenant Governor with Literacy with First Nations Bands in BC.
Nechako Rotary Club President Kelly Zammit announced the event to the Club in honor of Gary's invitation to Government House.
Congratulations Gary on yet another major achievement through your dedication to Rotary.
The Nechako Rotary Club were treated to an interesting presentation about the Prince George Farmer's Market this morning.
Nancy Krushelnicki is a member and promoter of our Prince George Farmer's Market.
Nancy indicated that the local Farmer's Market was created in Prince George in 1994 with only 10 vender's in the association. Today there is over 80 vender's that use and support the Market as a means of providing direct access to producers in and around Prince George.
Farmers Markets are a growth industry in BC designed to allow the consumer public to shop for home grown and manufactured products directly.
There is approximately 160 Farmers Markets throughout BC.
The Motto of the Farmer's Market is: Make it; Bake it or Grow it.
These vender's are selling their produce to meet the needs of their customers and will try to accommodate special needs and requests, including Gluten Free products and corn free Honey.
There is a limited supply of fresh produce in Prince George available to the consumer and the Farmer's Market is a means of increasing this supply from local producers.
This also includes fresh meats, poultry and fish.
Nancy was thanked by Rotarian Neil Godbout, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Another Prince George resident has returned home with some wonderful pictures and stories of their Safari in Africa.
Norm MacDonald is a well know resident of Prince George that spent a number of weeks in Africa, part of which was participating with his wife and two other travelers on a Safari in Zimbabwe, Africa.
This is a special Safari where people stay in a number of different camps during the trip, but their accommodations are canvas tents, and the kitchen and shower facilities are also canvas shelters.
Norm has some amazing pictures of the animals, birds and reptiles they observed during the Safari. Many from as close as a few feet away, while they were in the protective cover of an open vehicle.
Norm cautions that they were not allowed out of the vehicles during the day to walk around, so the animals would not attack them.
They were also not allowed to leave their tents during the night, despite the fact they could hear animals moving around the camp area.
The camp was protected by lighted lamps placed strategically around the camp site and tent facilities, to ward off animals. No other form of protection was visible, not even a rifle.
Norm did mention that their is some snakes and stuff in Africa, but they never saw any during their trip.
Norm was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Harold Spensley, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
PDG Ron Neukomm updated the Nechako Rotary Club on this years completion of the Dictionary Program as our contribution to addressing Literacy in our schools in Prince George.
Over the past 5 years the Nechako Rotary Club has donated over 8,000 dictionaries to school children in grades 5 through 8 in Prince George.
These dictionaries have been very well received by both the children and their respective schools.
Ron has been our leader on this program for the past 5 years and is looking for another Rotarian to step in as leader, while Ron provides mentorship for this worthy program.
Thank you Ron for your leadership and thank you to all Rotarians that have helped to make this program the success that it is.
Rotarian Gary Gurnsey demonstrates commitment to the Rotary Foundation with a $1,000.00 dollar donation to the Rotary World Help Network.
Receiving the Bank Draft is Nechako Rotary Club's Director of the Rotary Foundation, Dr. William Osai.
Thank you Gary for your donation and support for this worthy cause.
President Elect Andrea Johnson has just returned from President Elect Training in Seattle full of excitement, energy and ideas, not to mention lots of memories from the experience.
PETS is an annual event where Rotarians from the local Districts, including our District 5040 gather in Seattle for a very full three day agenda, where all the President Elects meet with their District Governor Elect, Assistant District Governors and a large slate of people that volunteer to provide training and assistance.
Approximately 750 future Presidents, District Governors and these volunteers make for a very exciting weekend of ideas and goals for the next year of events in Rotary.
These people hear presentations from some of the most inspiring people from across North America.
Andrea will provide the Club with a more detailed presentation of her experiences and commitments for the next year, in the next few weeks.
Rotarian Karen Toombs provided the membership with her Classification Talk this morning.
As Karen put it, she was "born at a very young age" where she lived at a place called Findley Forks. Findley Forks is now under water as part of the Williston Lake Reservoir, but used to be a small outpost north of the current town of Mackenzie.
Karen has lived in the Prince George area all of her life, and has been a member of T&S Communications with her husband Warren for 29 years.
Karen and family have also been active participants in Pathfinders for 25 years, through their church group. This has been a wonderful experience in youth upbringing and watching these young people come back to the community later in their lives to stay and work in Prince George.
The Toombs family have been very instrumental in helping to make our Operation Red Nose Program the success that it is today, and is supported also by Karen's husband Warren and their three daughters, Amanda, Sara and Jackie.
The Toombs family love to travel and also spend a lot of their recreational time as a family, involved in both seeking and hiding Geo caches. They recently found a total of 251 geocaches in one day while on holidays in Las Vegas. Wow. I'm not if that is a record, but certainly a major achievement in the world of Geocachers.
Thank you Karen for helping us to know you and your family better.
Rhonda Berg is back.
Rhonda Berg was a member of the Nechako Rotary Club a few years ago and found it necessary to resign due to time commitments.
Fortunately, Rhonda has now decided it is time to return to Rotary, as a Corporate Member, on behalf of Norgate Auto Body.
Norgate Auto Body has been a supporter of our Operation Red Nose Program for many years, both as a Gold Sponsor and with the provision of a car to use during the month of our campaign.
Rhonda is sponsored by Rotarian Gary Gurnsey, and holds the Classification of Auto Body Repair.
Please make a point of welcoming Rhonda back into the Club.
New Rotarian Ron Shearer also provided a snap shot into his background in his Classification Talk.
Ron is a retired Millwright, having worked in the trade in a number of locations throughout northern BC. He started the trade working for Alcan in Kitimat, where he discovered that it rained allot.
Ron worked for Endako Mines near Fraser Lake for many years, as well as Polar Forest Products at Bear Lake, and a mining company in Stewart, BC, where Ron also learned that it snowed allot. In fact Ron said it was an incredible amount of snow.
Ron finished his career as a Millwright working in the sawmill at Houston, BC.
After retirement, Ron became an independent entrepreneur with the purchase of a Fishing Lodge on Bonaparte Lake in the Caribou. Ron indicated this was a fun opportunity during the winter, but they would have to close everything down in winter and move to Kamloops because access was not available unless winter logging was taking place in the areas around Bonaparte Lake.
Ron sold the lodge to some Swiss people that closed the lodge down and continue to use it for their own private resort.
Ron has been active as a volunteer in Prince George, with the BC Seniors Games, as well as assisting regularly with our Operation Red Nose Program.
Ron is keen to get involved in more of our Rotary Programs and will be an active participant in Fund Raising projects including our Garage Sale and Car Raffle programs.
Ron likes to spend his idle time on his ATV during the summer months.
New Rotarian Cheryl Vogt provided the club with her Classification Talk on February 29th.
Although Cheryl is a new member, she is not new to Rotary by any means.
Cheryl has been involved in Rotary in one way or another for a long time, with her father Gordon Smith as one of the Charter Members of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Cheryl has also been one of our active volunteers in Operation Red Nose for some time, helping the team, and her mother Margaret Smith with the task of answering phones for dispatching rides.
Cheryl is a long time resident of Prince George, and District Manager for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. The CFIB is focused on assisting small business opportunities in the community.
Diane Nakamara, Director of the New Generations Program for the Nechako Rotary Club provided members with a quick update on the recent selection of a "First Class" student for the RYLA South Program. Both Diane and Bob Quinlan completed interviews and found an extremely well qualified young candidate.
Diane also announced that New Generations are proceeding with interviews on Saturday for the next "Short Term Exchange Program" (STEP) where a student is selected from Prince George to exchange with another student from another country, for a one month exchange during the summer of 2012.
New Rotarian Loraina Stephen also provided the club with her Classification Talk.
Loraina and her husband Don Stephen are no strangers to Rotary either. Both have been active with the Nechako Rotary Exchange Program for some time. Husband Don was selected as a student years ago and as such they were instrumental in convincing their daughter to apply for the program, and as a result is now our current outbound student in Chili.
Loraina leads a very busy lifestyle with the Classification of Tourism, which she and husband Don have earned by being Provincial Park Contractors since 1985 when the contracting out of these facilities first started.
As Quartz Contracting, they currently administer 10 Provincial Parks in the area, including Bear Lake, McLeod Lake, Tudiya and Carp lakes on Highway 97 north. They also administer Beaumont Park on Fraser Lake and others in the area of Prince George.
Quartz Contracting employ about 20 people annually plus a number of temporary employees during the summer season to administer these parks.
As if that is not enough, Loraina also works for Northern Health as part of the Centre for Healthy Living, where she is focused on ensuring that people pay attention to their Dietary needs.
President Elect Andrea Johnson received some "Hands On" experience this morning for her role as President of the Nechako Rotary Club, commencing in the New Rotary Year, July 1st, 2012.
President Kelly is busy conducting a full three day and evening "Training" program for managers and was not available to chair the morning meeting.
Andrea graciously accepted the responsibility to chair the meeting in Kelly's absence, and carried the task with ease. Nothing like a little challenge to start off with either, having the guest speakers not show for their presentation.
Not to worry, Andrea quickly slotted in a couple more Classification Talks.
Mayor Sherri Green was our guest and speaker this morning at Nechako Rotary
Mayor Green provided the club with an update on events in Prince George and Council during her short span of time as Mayor.
Council have been very active during this period with a strong focus on changing the fiscal management within the City.
The Mayor and Council have chosen to conduct a "Core Review" for the City and will engage a consulting firm to create a list of options for the City from this review.
Council is also focusing their attention on a "Business Committee" to look at ways to improve opportunity for both small and large business in Prince George.
This concept is also generating interest in other communities in the province and of similar interest by the Provincial Government.
One of the significant challenges facing our Council is dealing with an ever growing Annual Budget process.
Council has set a target of 3.12% general increase in the Budget. This means a reduction of $1.6 million dollars in City salaries and expenses.
This constraint has required the removal of a number of regular positions within the City employment. Some of these positions were already vacant, but has required the laying off of 9 City employees.
City is currently reviewing our "Snow & Road Budget" and have chosen to hold the line on the 2011 budget level, which is currently the highest levels of funding experienced for this expense.
Sherri spoke briefly about some of the future vision Council is facing, including our "Civic Pride"; the upcoming "100 year Anniversary Celebration of Prince George, which is also tied directly with the 2015 Canada Winter Games" and the "River Road Project."
The River Road Project entails committing an additional $3.6 million dollars along with funding from both Federal and Provincial dollars, to create a Dyke the length of River Road from the Nechako Bridge to the CN Railway Bridge. Funding this much needed project could cost an additional .32% increase in general taxes to both citizens and businesses in Prince George.
Mayor Green was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Harry Hufty, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Nechako Rotary Youth Exchange Student Maike Adams gave her weekly report to the Club regarding her week of Adventure in Prince George.
Never a dull moment in the life of an exchange student, including her studies Maike had opportunity to participate in the Otway Ski Evening, cross country skiing, and the annual Polar Bear Swim.
Thank you Maike.
The Nechako Rotary Club is hosting their annual Cross Country Ski Day on Thursday, February 16th, 2012 at Otway Caledonia Ski Club.
The skiing for the day is free for Rotarians due to our sponsorship of the Otway Ski Lodge through Rotary in past projects.
Rental ski equipment is available through the rental shop at a nominal fee. The rental shop is open until 8:00 PM.
The Nechako Club members, family and friends will enjoy some skiing, fresh air, exercise and fun, along with a meal of Chili and Buns, some Mull Wine, coffee and soft drinks following the skiing.
If you are not a skier but want to come out for the meal, fresh air and fellowship, you and your family and friends are very welcome.
This is a family event, and lots of room for the kids too.
If you have not already signed up but want to come out, please call either President Kelly, Andrea Johnson or myself so we can ensure we have some food and refreshments for all.
Rotarian Captain Neil Wilkinson of the Salvation Army in Prince George and four of the Prince George Volunteers with the Emergency Disaster Services team in Prince George, provided some background on the type of activities that the Salvation Army provides in Northern BC.
The Prince George Division covers the area from about Williams Lake north to the BC/Yukon Border. West to almost Smithers and east to the Alberta border.
A huge area in which the Salvation Army provides assistance in many ways including the provision for mobile feeding, shelter, spiritual ministry along with the distribution of necessary supplies. The Salvation Army are one of the first Response Units to arrive at a disaster site and generally the last to leave.
The Salvation Army has a mobile response Unit, which Captain Neil Wilkinson and his team of Volunteers showed to Rotarians this morning.
This unit is very good but lacks the necessary capacity to haul additional supplies as well as the accommodation and washroom facilities required for the Response Team.
For this reason, the Nechako Rotary Club have pledged to help purchase an additional Response Unit with the proceeds of our 2012 Rotary Car Raffle.
Salvation Army Response locations are located in 10 other localities around the province, including one in Terrace to help service northern BC.
The Salvation Army will be hosting a series of training programs, commencing on May 4,5 and 6 of 2012 in Prince George, to assist people that would like to sign up to be volunteers for the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services team.
Captain Neil Wilkinson welcomes Rotarians to get involved in this very responsible and rewarding service.
In addition to helping people in our communities, the program provides lots of fellowship similar to that of Rotary.
Thank you Neil for your presentation.
The Prince George Division of the Salvation Army Emergency Disaster Services has a very well equipped vehicle ready to be deployed to an emergency in the northern communities. This vehicle is deployed and operated primarily with the assistance of trained volunteers through the Salvation Army.
Rotarians Gail MacLaren and Deanna Whissell provided the Nechako Club with some entertainment and Trivia during the morning meeting, with a Valentine's Day Presentation around the History of Masks created initially in 1296 to help people from different cultures and classes to communicate and do business.
The concept was successful in helping people operate in a forum of neutrality and anonymity to a point of where it helped in both business and "monkey business".
The wearing of masks was eventually banned in Venice until 1976, when people were again allowed to wear the garment, often with other costume apparel.
It is said that up to 3 million people visit Venice regularly to see and participate in the "Carnival of Venice."
Gail and Deanna provided a "Quiz" following the presentation to see how many Rotarians were paying attention to details, with prizes for some of them that were.
Both Dolly Hilton and Rhonda Berg were recipients of prizes for the Quiz.
Thank you Gail and Deanna for your presentation on some things that every Rotarian should know.
Rotarian Gail MacLaren paid a fine for advertising one of the local events being hosted in Prince George on February 11th, 2012 at the Columbus Community Hall.
The event is a "Masquerade Ball" commencing at 7:30 PM and going until "Late".
Cost of the event is $68.00 per person and tickets are available through the PGSO office.
Darwin Coxson, Associate Professor and Plant Ecologist of UNBC provided a great presentation and pictures of the "Ancient Forest Trail" located approximately 110 kilometres East of Prince George on Highway 16.
Darwin explained that this is one of many small pieces of "Inland Rain forest" that remain in northern BC, far removed from the Coastal Environment where most people might expect to see examples of huge and very old "Red Cedar" trees.
The site is a very lush growing site, with an abundance of plant species and undergrowth, relative to this type of very wet Ecosystem.
The Ancient Forest Trail was created by a group of dedicated people from the Hiking Clubs. The site is not part of a Provincial Park, and is built and maintained by volunteers. The local Highways maintain the parking lot and snow removal to assist visitors during all seasons.
Visitors might often see local wildlife as part of their experience while enjoying the walk through this forest of Old Growth trees that might be as much as 1500 years old. There is now some speculation that these trees might be some of the first to grow in BC and might even be the source of trees now growing in other rainforest's located in BC.
The site is now becoming well known by visitors from other countries as well as some of the visitors from other provinces.
Darwin suggested that the site might one day be a candidate to be classified as "A World Heritage Site".
Rotarian David McDougall thanked Darwin for his presentation with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian and Chair of the 2011 Operation Red Nose Program, Andrea Johnson, provided a short update regarding completion of our Annual ORN Program.
Andrea also took the opportunity to recognize one of our faithful ORN sponsors, "Norgate Auto Body Ltd." Norgate was a Gold Sponsor for over 5 years and has continued to supply our annual program with a Van for the month of the Campaign.
Andrea presented a recognition plaque to Ronda Berg, co-owner of Norgate Auto Body.
Stuart Ballantyne, CEO of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, hosted here in Prince George from February 12th to March 1st, 2015, provided an update to Nechako Rotary Club members this morning.
The Theme for the games is "Inspiring Dreams & Building Champions".
The Prince George Community competed for Hosting the 2015 Canada Winter Games in 2010. Following the successful bidding process, the huge logistical process of making ready for the delivery of these events will take place during the next 3 years. This is precisely 1114 days in the future.
This means that Prince George must think and plan "Big" as "The Nation will come!"
The Canada Winter Games will host 2100 Athletes during the 3 week period.
Athletes, 13 teams, will participate from all of the 10 Provinces and 3 Territories. These athletes range from ages 12 to 35.
An additional 1500 Coaches, Team Staff and Officials will also be present and require accommodation, care and feeding.
There is a total of 24 types of Winter Games involved, with 18 separate venues, all within the City Limits, only 15 minutes away, with the exception of the Ski Events being hosted at Purden Ski Resort, Tabor Mountain and Otway's Caledonia Nordic Ski Club.
This will be the 25th Edition of the Canada Winter Games, that were created initially in 1967.
The events, plus logistics, and the thousands of associated tasks associated with this huge series of events will require 6000 Volunteers from the community. Without volunteers, this type of event is not possible.
Prince George is well known for their Community Spirit and Volunteering to make these kind of events a huge success. The 2015 Games will be another record as demonstrated by the people of Prince George and fellow Northern Communities in BC.
Stuart was thanked by Rotarian Dolly Hilton, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton has produced the "Pennies Jar" again this year for fellow Rotarians to donate their change to assist the Club with our pledge to fight Polio.
The "Pennies Jar" will be available during the next month to receive donations prior to being counted and a "Draw" to determine whom can guess the amount of money that was donated in the Jar.
Dolly announced that India is now declared "Polio Free" for one year, and that Rotary throughout the world has been successful in collecting a total of $200.2 million dollars as our commitment to the the Bill Gates Foundations pledge of $355 million dollars.
Rotary will win the battle against Polio and our Pennies will help to achieve this goal.
Please bring your "Change" to deposit in the "Penny Jar".
Danielle Smyth is the Sustainability Manager of The Green University Centre at UNBC.
UNBC has been identified as a "Green University" since opening in 1994. One of the Trademarks of UNBC is their Environmental Teaching. Danielle moved to Prince George in 2007 to pursue her Master's Degree of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies, which she completed in 2009.
UNBC has demonstrated Leadership in Environmental programs through major initiatives including their Renewable Energy Program, utilizing Bio Energy, including:
Heating with recycled fuels (Wood Pellets)
Bio Energy Gasification in 2011
Plans for Bio Energy Electrification in 2014
UNBC has been successful in reducing their Natural Gas requirements by 85% through these initiatives.
The Environmental studies and teaching focus on the 3 R's: Reduction; Reuse; Recycling.
They have introduced a Composting Program since 1995, and are active in providing support for the local agriculture community in growing products local, as well as supporting the local "Farmer's Market" in the sale of these products.
UNBC interacts with local Recycling companies, the City of Prince George and the Public in promoting greater Environmental programs. However, Prince George recycling is still the "Tip of the Iceberg" with a long way to go to catch up to many of our southern communities.
Our Rotary Exchange Student, Maike Adams was provided Ski Lessons at Purden Ski Resort by Past President and Ski Instructor Harold Spensley.
Harold announced this morning that Maike demonstrated good skills and courage on the hill, following Harold down some challenging ski runs and passed with high marks.
Maike is now off for a trip to Whistler, where she will have the opportunity to experience further Skiing opportunities during her visit.
Congratulations Maike and thank you Harold for your instruction.
Liam Baker, Manager of the PG Cycle Club and Megan Broswick, Safety Coordinator for the PG Cycle Club presented an overview of the 650 Ha. Pidherny Recreational Site.
This Pidherny Recreational Site is the area that the PG Cycle Club have used for many years for Mountain Biking, Dirt Biking and Hiking. The site is located on the north side of the Nechako bench off of Foothills. The site is shared and supported by a number of organizations including:
The PG Cycle Club
Ministry of Lands, Forests & Natural Resources
Ministry of Transportation
Woodlot Owner for part of the area
First Nations
PG Golf & Curling Club, holding rights to part of the area for the new Golf Course
City of Prince George
The PG Cycle Club currently has about 120 members, plus 60 young novice riders called "Sprockets".
Total Mountain Biker users for the Pidherny Recreation Site is estimated to be approximately 500 people.
The Site is currently as mass of trails being used and maintained by the Club in varying stages of development.
The PG Cycle Club have plans to improve the site with a lengthly "Downhill" trail that requires extensive machine construction work, as well as a beginner run of about 750 metres that will assist new riders in developing Mountain Biking Skills.
The Club also requires construction of a suitable parking lot adjacent to the Foothills Drive to allow users to safely park their automobiles while they ride the trails.
The PG Cycle Club is continually seeking funding through projects such as Bottle Drives etc, and is seeking funding from potential sponsors such as the Nechako Rotary Club to assist with these developments.
Liam and Megan were thanked for their presentation by Rotarian Jim Swanson, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club continues to grow with the induction of 3 new members during the regular Breakfast meeting this morning.
Karen Toombs, formerly participating as one of our Corporate Members with T&S Communications, has committed to becoming an Active Member, with the Classification of Communications. Karen's sponsor is Gary Gurnsey.
Cheryl Vogt, District Manager for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, sponsored by Gordon Smith, has the Classification of Independent Business.
Lisa Redpath, Project Coordinator at the Community Arts Council of Prince George, sponsored by Neil Godbout, has the Classification of Arts Council.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton thanked our presenter, Danielle Smyth, Sustainability Manager of "The Green University Centre" at UNBC for her presentation "Going Green at UNBC" with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Thank you Dolly for engaging Danielle as our speaker.
As a side bar note, February is the month in which Rotary will celebrate our achievements with the battle to Eradicate the World of Polio, and Rotary has much to celebrate in this regard with the announcement that India is another country now in the endemic category.
Assistant District Governor Lorne Calder presented Nechako Rotary Club President Kelly Zammit with a Rotary Foundation Certificate in recognition of the Club's financial contribution of an amount greater than $2000.00 specifically for the Eradication of Polio.
This amount is out Annual Pledge as a Rotary Club in support of the $200 Million Dollar Challenge.
Together, Rotary will fulfill our promise to the children of the World to eradicate Polio.
Rotarian William Osei attended the Nechako Rotary Club in his very stylish Rotarian Jacket. William jested that he was wearing his Rotary Pajamas, but in fact, this is a very prestigious Rotary Jacket, and Christmas is a great time of year to wear such Rotary attire.
Of course, the other time is during the Annual Rotary Convention, which William has become a regular attendee.
New Rotarian Deanna Whissell, owner of Vanilla Clothing in Prince George, provided the membership with her Classification Talk this morning.
Deanna currently operates about half time in Prince George and White Rock, BC where she also has her second store, Vanilla Clothing #2. When in White Rock, Deaana maintains her Rotary presence with "make-ups" but wanted to become a member of the Nechako Club in Prince George as her home base.
Deanna's sponsor and good friend is Shirley Moore. Deanna was also best friends with Sharon Reese, former member of the Nechako Club. When Sharon pasted away from cancer, Deanna continued as owner of the Clothing Store here in Prince George.
Deanna has the Classification of Retail Clothing.
Please help to make Deanna a welcome member of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Sergeant at Arms Rotarians Gordon Smith and Thomas Kellar are ready and working despite the venue as the Nechako Rotary Club members meet on Dec 14th in the Dining Room area of Esther's Inn.
Gord's comment was " We will make do" as the sign in and ticket sales were done at one of the dining booths rather than their customary sign in table.
Thanks guys for always being there to do your job.
Rotarian Dr. William Osei was front and centre this morning to show off his new tie, as part of his "Dress Code" for the regular day of work in the life of a Rotarian.
William's comment was "he wanted the picture to be taken in a lighted area, as he doesn't show up well in the shadows."
With that bright tie, William, you are sure to stand out in both the light and shadows.
Canadian Cancer Society Campaign Manager Les Waldie provided the Nechako Club membership with a timely update on work progress for the construction of the new Cancer Lodge.
Work is proceeding on time and within budget with most of the foundation completed and some of the exterior walls being raised. Les indicated the project received a bit of a surprise during the excavation for the foundation when it came in contact with an old buried "WW11 Bunker". Fortunately, the bunker was empty and the project was not delayed beyond the fact they had to break up the heavy concrete bunker to enable the construction of the building foundation.
Les also informed members that the funding is being backed by the Canadian Cancer Society and that the local Campaign Committee has exceeded their goal in pledges of the $10 million dollars. This a remarkable example of how much the people and companies in the North are supporting this worthy project.
The Kordyban Lodge will display lots of wood and wood products in the construction and is receiving regular input through cooperation with the other two Cancer Lodges in BC, one in Vancouver, the "Ike Barber Cancer Lodge" and the lodge in Kelowna.
When constructed, the Canadian Cancer Society will assume office space in the building rather than their current location downtown on the 3rd floor of the Barton Insurance building.
Les Waldie was thanked by Past President Ken Pendergast, with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Nechako Rotary Exchange Student Maike Adams provided the membership an update of her weeks activities in Prince George.
Maike also provided the Club with her current cellular phone number (250-617-8262) to call when a Rotarian has the opportunity to invite Maike on an event such as Skiing, Skating, Fishing, Hunting, Dinner, a Movie, a field trip or any combination you like.
Maike is now with her second host family and getting ready for Christmas with both shopping and receiving parcels from home.
Maike is a very pleasant and intelligent young woman, and would love to participate in activities being hosted by our membership. Please give her a call.
The first weekend of the Nechako Rotary Club Operation Red Nose Program was completed successfully, with the aide of the new computerized dispatch system that has been developed on our behalf by Jeff Paetku of ABC Communications.
The computer program is still in the development stages but still performed well, directing the rides to smart phones carried by each of the ORN Teams.
Friday evening we provided a total of 25 rides with 9 teams.
Saturday evening we provided a further 51 rides with a total of 12 teams, although a couple of the teams were only required to assist with a short backlog when we got busy.
Response time was averaging only 2.5 minutes, which is amazing as we are doing really well if we can keep the response to 15 minutes or less.
Sponsorship for this years program is ongoing, with additional donations still being received from participating companies and businesses.
The bottom line is that our Operation Red Nose Program continues to grow this year, over our previous records, and the Nechako Rotary Club continues to grow the program in response to the needs to manage with the many volunteers and teams required to dispatch a large program.
Thank you Rotarians and friends of Rotary for making this wonderful community program possible.
Nechako Rotary Club Vice President Brian Pearson officially thanked Canadian Frieghtways Regional Manager Lyle Jensen for donating the use of one of Canadian Freightways Highway Trailers for storage purposes during our Fall Garage Sale.
Canadian Freightways delivered the trailer to the PG Highway Rescue Parking Lot and left it for our use during the entire long weekend. The trailer was very useful for the storage and protection of a large part of our Garage Sale items, especially with the heavy winds and rain we experienced.
Lyle said to give him a call if we require another trailer for a spring garage sale. They will be happy to oblige. If so, we will need to be creative in preparing access steps or ramp, as these trailers are pretty high off the ground.
Brian provided a certificate to Lyle Jensen on behalf of the Nechako Rotary, with the pledge of a further donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Thank you Brian for both the idea and the presentation.
One of our new Rotarians, Jim Swanson, gave the Nechako Rotary Club an opportunity to get to know him a little better this morning through his Classification Talk.
Jim was born in Quesnel, BC and moved around the province as a an amateur hockey player during his earlier years, finally returning to Quesnel and finally Prince George.
Jim worked for 14 years as Sports Editor for the Prince George Citizen prior to his move to working for Telus as Telephone Service Manager, where he has been for the last year.
Jim is well known in the community for his role as Chair of the World Baseball Challenge, having successfully completed this role during both the 2009 and 2011 years here in Prince George. Jim and his family love the game of baseball and could spend hours talking about the sport and the fun they have had being involved in the World Baseball Challenge program.
Jim mentioned to the Club that the World Baseball Challenge has been a great revenue producer for the city of Prince George despite the fact that many of the games in 2011 were either postponed or rained out. The WBC has brought approximately 5 million dollars to the city during the two years.
Jim is married to Lori-Ann for 20 years and they have two children, both of whom have become known in the City from their role as performance singers at sports events.
Jim indicated he chose membership with the Nechako Club because of the activities and programs the Nechako Club do, making it the club of choice for him and his family.
Welcome to Rotary Jim, and thank you for sharing your classification background with us.
Rotarian Carissa Hornoi is patiently planning the appropriate design and pattern for their Halloween Pumpkin carving display during the Nechako Rotary Club breakfast.
Rotarian Karen Toombs sits poised to "attack" the pumpkin with a vengeance with the knife provided for the occasion.
Carissa doesn't appear at all concerned about the way in which this sharp instrument is being brandished.
Another fine Halloween Pumpkin was produced through this Rotary Team effort.
Rotarian William Osei is a doctor with a purpose and is taking the opportunity to practice his surgical skills while carving the Halloween Pumpkin during the Nechako Rotary Club breakfast.
Rotarian Charter Member Lloyd Clay is doing what Engineers do best and that is to stand back and direct the operation while maintaining a safe distance from the leading edge of the knife.
Lloyd was heard saying that William really preferred using a scalpel for this type of incisions.
The final outcome was a very fine example of a Halloween Pumpkin, fit to be crowned with the Ball Cap borrowed from Past President Ken.
Rotarian Guenter Stahl is new to the Nechako Rotary Club but far from being new to Rotary.
Guenter joined Rotary about 26 years ago while working as the District Forest Manager in Smithers. Guenter spent 15 years in Smithers with his family and work. When Guenter retired in 2001 the family moved to Coquitlam to be closer to their aging parents. Guenter and his wife Diane both originated in the lower mainland in their earlier years and marriage.
Guenter has traveled the Province extensively during his career both in Forestry and working with the Forest Practices Board. Guenter also spent some time as a Consultant after retirement, that also called for extensive travel.
Guenter and wife Diane currently have a daughter and family in Prince George and have chosen to relocate to Prince George to spend time with their siblings, when not being "Snow Birds" where they will fly to Yuma, Arizona to spend the winters in much warmer climates.
Thank you Guenter for allowing the membership to get to know you and your wife Diane better.
New Generations Director Diane Nakamara and Gail McLaren, with the assistance of our current Exchange Student Maike Adams, updated the Club membership regarding the Prince George Rotary Clubs recruitment process for the next wave of Youth Exchange Students.
Last week was a busy period with the interviewing of nine great young people in Prince George that have applied for the Exchange Program. This list of nine has now been shortlisted to a total of 5 students that will be further assessed to fill two positions and two alternate positions for our Out Bound Student Program.
Currently, the Downtown Club and the Nechako Club have filed papers for the Exchange Program. The Yellowhead Club Youth Coordinator is talking to their Executive to see if they are prepared to be included again this year.
A continual concern with the Youth Exchange Program is both with finding Host Families for the in bound students, as well as getting Rotarians to provide meaningful engagement activities and experiences for our students during their year with us.
Each student is asked to provide their "Wish List" of things they would like to see, do and experience while in Prince George. Each Rotarian is asked to help by including our Students in their family activities whenever they can.
Thank You Diane, Gail and Ron Neukomm for your involvement and commitment to this wonderful program.
One of the White Rock Rock Rotary Clubs collected a large quantity of used kids hockey equipment under their program "Rotary Rec for Kids", to be shipped to Prince George for distribution to "Kids in Need of Equipment".
The Nechako Rotary Club was asked to receive and oversee the dispersal of this equipment.
The equipment arrived compliments of Bandstra Transport. A total of 7 pallets of equipment, including almost 2 pallets of Ski boots and snow boarder boots and some Figure Skates.
The equipment was nicely separated and categorized by type and packaged in large hockey bags and boxes.
Thanks to the Prince George Family Y and specifically Faydra Aldridge, the equipment was received and stored temporarily at the Family Y facility at the Highland School site.
The next step in the chain is to get the equipment into the hands of those young people that need it and will use it.
The Prince George Minor Hockey Association is trying to arrange for an equipment Swap at the Kin Centre in conjunction with their team building program.
The Family Y is going to accept the "Helmets, Skates and Goalie Gloves" for their Kids Skate Program.
Any Surplus equipment following these processes will be donated to the Tsay Kay First Nations kids located at Fort Ware.
Hopefully, the Ski Equipment can be used through the School's Ski Program where they take students to Otway, Tabor and Purden.
Hanna Wilkins is the second young adult chosen to attend the RYLA North Program at Ness Lake.
Hanna has not been an exchange student with Rotary but a very good candidate for RYLA indeed. Hanna has taken her education through home schooling without the usual opportunity for student interaction available to young people exposed to our regular school programs.
Hanna found the RYLA experience very rewarding because of the interaction with these other young adults and also spoke highly of the benefits that will influence her thinking and actions.
The concept of "Fairness" and "Beneficial to all concerned" has a real significance to these young people from the RYLA experience.
Rotarians Bob Quinlan and Dolly Hilton worked tirelessly during the Nechako Rotary Club Garage Sale serving Coffee, Soft Drinks, Hot Dogs and Pop Corn as well as absolutely great Breakfast Sandwiches to Rotarians, spouses, friends and garage sale participants alike.
The Food Tent generated approximately $500 dollars toward the total proceeds of the Garage Sale.
Thank you Bob, Dolly and others that also helped to make this component of the Sale a success.
DG Hans Doge also presented our current inbound Exchange Student, Maike Adams from Germany with her own Club Membership Badge.
Maike has only been with us in Prince George for a few weeks and has been super busy getting acquainted and involved in all the activities in Prince George.
Welcome Maike, we look forward to seeing you at our meetings, hearing of your Adventures as an Exchange Student and involving you in all the activities in our country, as well as all the activities you have on your "Wish List".
Chantalle Mitchell was our Exchange Student selected to visit Switzerland this summer as part of the one month Exchange commonly referred to as the ROSE Program.
Chantalle had a great time during her stay, having the opportunity to visit many places and meet many great people. Chantalle is bilingual in both French and English and found this very helpful in communicating with some of the people during her visit.
Chantalle provided the Nechako Club with a slide presentation of some of the people and highlights of her trip. Chantalle is very grateful to the Nechako Club for sponsoring her on this wonderful trip.
Heather Allen was our outbound Exchange Student in Australia one year ago. Since that time, Heather has graduated from High School and was keen to attend our RYLA North Program, held at Ness Lake Bible Camp. RYLA North was canceled for a couple years during which the program received some changes.
As usual though, with every RYLA Program, the young adults that participate, return from the camp full of enthusiasm and praise for the experience, as the program makes significant positive change to the way these young people interact with other people. Experiences that will be very helpful in their work and actions for the rest of their lives.
Heather is no exception to the rule and she expressed sincere appreciation for the opportunity to attend RYLA this year.
Another good example of how Rotary helps to influence our youth in our community.
The Nechako Rotary Club is one of the main sponsors for recreational facilities and trails in Cottonwood Island.
Early in the Spring, the City Recreation Department as for input into the replace of two of the four previous bridges that had been destroyed from flooding from the Nechako River five years earlier. The city received replacement funding from the Provincial Emergency Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club requested that the one main bridge be a "Copy" of the old Nechako Highway Bridge, referred to as the Cameron Street Bridge, that has recently been replaced by the new structure. The City agreed with this request.
The Cottonwood Island Bridge was fairly slowly developed during the summer, along with the first low level bridge on the east end of the park. Additional trail work was also completed in the summer program.
On October 1st, the Bridge was "Official Opened" with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and cake for all the participants. Mayor Dan Rogers recognized the Nechako Rotary Club's work and financial support in the Cottonwood Island Park.
Major funding was also provided by Telus for the construction of this new bridge.
PDG Neil King introduced another approach to getting more Rotarians involved in regular meetings by providing President Kelly Zammit with a book of Invocations that he acquired while attending a Rotary Club in Arizona.
This book provides an opportunity for all Rotarians to take turns with providing the "Invocation" during our regular meetings, rather than leaving the task to only a select few people all of the time.
In Rotary, the challenge is looking for new and creative ways and means of getting more people involved in Club proceedings and making them feel more part of the club.
Thank you Neil for taking this initiative. I am confident this procedure will be a pleasant change.
Fiona Taylor, Deputy Project Officer for BC Hydro was the speaker for the Nechako Rotary Club on September 21st.
Fiona provided a number of slides and back ground information on the benefits of the "Smart Metering Program".
Hydro has been faced with many challenges during the years with theft of electricity in addition to the problems associated with "Power Outs" and related issues.
The "Smart Meter" will assist Hydro in many ways in managing their delivery of power to customers, including the tracking of electricity consumption, policing of electricity theft, and reduction of maintenance costs.
Smart Meters assist with the detection of expensive equipment failures that will assist Hydro in taking preventive measures rather than the high cost of repairs when the system and equipment fails.
The Smart Meter is capable of reporting on these kind of operational activities through computer technology, saving BC Hydro millions of dollars in operational costs as well as vastly improved performance to their customers.
Smart Meters are being installed and will be coming to your home or work place soon.
Rotarian Lloyd Clay thanked Fiona for her presentation with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Exchange Student Maike Adams presented Rotary President Kelly Zammit with her Sponsor Koln Germany Rotary Club Banner during the September 14th regular Breakfast Club meeting.
Rotarians, spouses, friends and friends of Rotary responded extremely well to assist the Club in generating much needed funds for our Rotary World Help Network Program.
Donations of items were provided by Rotarians and friends as well as many families in Prince George to make the Garage Sale a Huge Success.
The weather was a little uncooperative, but the people came out in large numbers to browse and buy many of the items on display.
The Club raised almost $4500.00 from the sale of items. This will net approximately $3700.00 toward our RWHN program.
Thank you to everyone that donated and assisted in the Garage Sale making it another total success project and providing more fellowship and hands on equity than we have seen in some time.
District Governor Hans Doge had a busy morning on September 14th with the Nechako Rotary Club.
DG Hans made his official presentation to the Club, in addition to making the "Draw" for the Nechako Club Car Raffle, and presenting Club Badges to our newest Rotarian Carissa Hornoi and our Exchange Student from Germany, Maike Adams.
DG Hans provided the club with a snap shot of District 5040's Goals and Expectations for this year as well as loads of encouragement to the club regarding our club activities within the community, the District and through our RWHN program.
DG Hans also met with the Club Executive following the meeting to discuss Club Goals and Accomplishments.
PDG Ron Neukomm thanked DG Hans for his presentation with a gift of the Book "A Century in Rotary"
The Nechako Rotary Club Car Raffle Draw on September 14th was "Very Well Executed" by Rotary President Kelly Zammit, PDG Ron Neukomm, DG Hans Doge, Corporal Carissa Hornoi and Exchange Student Maike Adams.
The "Draw" was completed at 0800 AM as part of the regular meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club with official Scrutinizers, PDG Ron Neukomm and Carissa Hornoi overseeing the draw by District Governor Hans Doge.
The Lucky Winner is Nelson Hall, a retired Forest Worker in Prince George.
The Car Raffle was a huge success, having a "Sell out of Tickets" two days prior to the official draw date.
Thank you everyone, Rotarians, spouses and friends of Rotary that participated in the Raffle. It was your hard work and dedication to ticket sales that made this Raffle the success that it is is.
Final reconciliation will be known soon and a cheque prepared for distribution to the "Kordyban Cancer Lodge" being constructed in Prince George as part of the Nechako Club's contribution to funding of the "Wig Bank" along with the other two Rotary Clubs in Prince George.
Nechako Rotary Club's newest Exchange Student from Germany, Maike Adams, has been in Canada a total of two weeks and already she has taken the podium to update the club on her experiences during this past two weeks.
Maike barely got off the plane from her 20 hour travel from Germany to Prince George, when she was met at the plane and whisked away to participate in the Tweedsmuir Trek along with all the other new inbound students.
The Tweedsmuir Trek was another resounding success with action packed activities for all the participants. Maike showed some slides of her trip along with her new exchange friends.
When Maike returned from Tweedsmuir, she was taken for a visit to the Ancient Forest with Rotarian Diane Nakamura, where she became aware of some of the oldest forest in BC and only an hours drive from Prince George.
Maike, Diane and Gail MacLaren have been busy getting settled into this years exchange program and have already prepared a sizable list of "Things to Do with Maike during her exchange."
Please take the opportunity to get to know Maike and help ensure she has the action packed exchange we are capable of providing here in Prince George.
Thank you Maike for getting involved. We look forward to regular updates on your adventures.
Visiting Rotarian Dirk and his wife Gertriede Hoekenctyk, from the Netherlands, did a make up at the Nechako Rotary Club this morning. They have been touring BC for the past 2 weeks and have another 2 weeks of adventure before departing Vancouver for their home.
Dirk and Gertriede have thoroughly enjoyed BC and claim they have had nothing but good weather, scenery and hospitality during their visit.
Dir happens to be the Chair of the Shelter Box Program for their District in the Netherlands and took a few minutes to enlighten Club Members of their success in supporting the Shelter Box Program. For a relatively small club, they have been extremely successful in their support for this wonderful program.
Rotarian Gail MacLaren provided an update on the Youth Exchange Program with the return of Chris Olivier from Sweden and the date of arrival of our newest inbound student Maikie from France.
Gail has some host parent arrangements in order but is always in need of more assistance with our youth program.
Gail announced that Maikie has arrived and immediately departed on the Tweedsmuir Trek along with all the other new inbound students, leaders and interested Rotarians. Gail accompanied Maikie on the Trek for the past weekend and everyone had a good time despite the ON and Off weather, including fishing, swimming etc.
Gail indicates that Maikie is a very athletic young student and she hopes to get involved in all our Canadian sports activities including Skating, Skiing and any other activities we can provide during her year with us.
Rotarian Per Dahlstrom, a member of one of the four Rotary Clubs in Duncan, BC did a make-up at the Nechako Rotary Club this morning.
Per Dahlstrom is an active member of the ShelterBox Response Teams and has participated in a number of Disaster Aide activities during the past 3 years, including Haiti.
Per took a few minutes to outline some of these activities as a member of ShelterBox. I'm certain that Per would have been pleased to provide a full program for the Club on some of his experiences had time permitted.
Thank you Per for volunteering to provide a quick overview. Rotarians are always ready and able to provide impromptu presentations on subjects they are involved in.
Liza Arnold is a volunteer and organizer of the local Terry Fox Run in Prince George. Liza can be reached at 250-964-7326 or email: lryan01@telus.net.
Liza provided a comprehensive program about the Terry Fox Foundation and the upcoming Terry Fox Run in Prince George.
Terry Fox was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba on July 28th 1958. He and his parents moved to BC when Terry was about 10 years old.
At an early age, Terry had the misfortune of getting Cancer in his leg with the ultimate loss of the lower part of his leg through amputation.
To help resolve the solution to Cancer treatment, so others would not have the same misfortune, Terry started the Marathon of Hope on April 12, 1980.
During the initial training for the Marathon of Hope, Terry Fox actually trained in Prince George and got to know some of the local sports enthusiasts well during that time.
During the Marathon Of Hope, Terry Fox ran a total of 3339 miles over 143 days. Unfortunately during this period of time, in September 1980, the Cancer returned causing Terry to have to stop his run.
On June 28th, 1981, Terry Fox died of Cancer. Terry's mother, Betty Fox, was over taken by her son's passion to resolve the battle with Cancer and continued Terry's quest.
Thus, in September 1981, The Annual Terry Fox Run was born to continue to raise funds for Cancer Research.
For this reason, the Terry Fox Foundation was created. The Foundation is an Independent Organization and operates without Sponsorship.
The Foundation has a National office and operates with a total of 33 staff people in 10 offices across Canada.
There are a total of 9,000 Terry Fox Runs in different locations across Canada each year.
In Prince George, the Run generates between 400 and 600 participants each year, raising between $13,000 and $16,000 dollars per year.
Unlike many programs, a full 85 cents of every dollar goes to Cancer Research. This amounts to only 15% for administrative overhead.
This years Terry Fox Run in Prince George is scheduled for Sunday, September 18th, 2011. The Run location will start from the Community Foundation Park between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM. Participants can walk or run he 5 km course which is an easy course.
Rotarian Bill Bateman thanked Liza for her presentation with a Donation to the Polio Plus Program.
Chris Olivier has just returned during the past couple weeks from his Exchange to Sweden. Chris provided a presentation to the Club of the highlights of his year with some slides of the experience.
In Chris's words, the Exchange was the greatest thing that has happened in his life. He said the first few weeks were great but difficult while people treated him with some trepidation until they and he felt comfortable in his new environment. Then the Exchange just got better during the entire year.
Chris never really got homesick during the year. Getting close to the end of his exchange, he was starting to look forward to coming home to family and friends, but also regretting the end of his stay with new friends and host parents.
Chris and all the other Exchange Students in the area were treated to an extensive tour around western Europe to wrap up the Exchange Program for the year. Again, Chris indicated this was a wonderful experience that he will never forget.
Rotarian Bob Quinlan thanked Chis for his presentation with a Donation to our Polio Plus Program.
President Kelly, our new Captain of the Good Ship Nechako, provided a revealing and detailed Financial estimate of this years Budget projections, as part of our internal Club Day program.
The Budget projections indicate a number of facts that we as a Rotary Club must be pro-active about:
1) Club membership is a priority as membership and the related dues has declined during the past few years while our level of Club spending has remained fairly constant.
2) The Club needs to pursue additional programs and activities to raise funds for our projects as our current projects including ORN and Gaming are very restricted in how we can spend the money we raise.
3) The Club needs to be more pro-active about weekly expenses incurred and ensure we remain creative in charging those costs where appropriate.
Doctor Jeff Payne provided the Nechako Rotary Club with a very interesting and informative update on the UBC Medical Program that has been active in Prince George since 2004.
Prince George's Medical Program through UNBC enrolls 32 students per year into what is typically known as the students 3rd year of their program.
The combined efforts through UBC, University of Victoria and UNBC, with a fourth soon to activated in the Okanagan, makes this Medical School Program one of the largest in North America.
The Program enrolls a total of 288 students per year through these four Universities, from an application level of over 1000 in the Province.
Students are required to complete the 4 year program plus a minimum of an additional 2 years for family medicine or an additional 5 years for other specialties.
The program is constantly looking a ways and means of encouraging local applicants to study Medicine in the Province and to return to some of their rural locations to practice following their Internship.
Doctor Payne was thanked by Rotarian Gordon Smith with a Donation to our Polio Plus Program
This Eagle chose one of the highest trees right behind Garry and Lynnette's cabin on Johnson Island to perch for awhile and keep a close eye on all the Rotarians visiting his domain.
Earlier in the day he could be seen soaring on the breezes high above the island.
Sunday July 24th, Garry and Lynnette Howse hosted the Nechako Rotary Club to their summer place on "Johnson Island" in Summit Lake.
Garry and Lynnette truly enjoy their "Peace, Quiet and Tranquility" on their Island. It has all the comforts necessary along with about 30 acres of wilderness surrounded by water. The Family Dog, "Chewy" has the run of the island and is there to protect the place from wildlife and unwelcome guests. Garry informed everyone that Chewy treed a very large Black Bear this morning just for the sport of it.
If this isn't the Summit Lake Hilton, it should be.
Many Rotarians arrived by the Summit Lake Lodge Pontoon Boat that functions as the local Ferry Service.
Everyone enjoyed a wonderful meal, a little liquid libation, some Boca Ball and whole bunch of fellowship and socializing.
Dan Milburn is a Professional Planner with the City of Prince George. One of his duties is to guide the process of creating and reviewing the Prince George Official Community Plan. (OCP)
The OCP is a 15 year planning process with 5 year reviews required. This document is used as the City "Framework for Land Use and Planning Statements and Map Designations."
The OCP is being updated this year in conjunction with information and process completed through "MyPG"
The process is actually a 4 stage program consisting of consultation, public review and finally to City Council for endorsement.
The OCG is currently on display as part of the Public Review Process, where citizens of PG have the ability to review and provide feedback to the City, prior to the final draft being prepared for Council this fall.
Dan informed the Nechako Club that the current Census for PG is approximately 70,500 people with a current growth rate of between .8 and 1% per year. This census is still down from the City population high of about 10 years ago.
Prince George is still a relatively young community with an average age of just over 40 years. This is one of the stats that PG can still boast about despite the fact that the community is continuing to age with older residents remaining in PG after they retire. The over 65 group is expected do double in the city by the year 2038.
Anyone wanting more information or comment on the current Planning of the OCP is encouraged to visit City Hall.
Past President Harry Hufty thanked Dan Milburn for his presentation with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Not to be out done by PDG Ron Neukomm, Ken Pendergast brought in this monster size Rock Fish during the two day Charter with Arbitrator Fish Charters.
This fish runs a strong competition for biggest fish, along with most of the Herring bait being used.
The good news though is that this fish and another slightly larger were used to feed the "Pet" Eagles that evening. Guide Jack Clifton has got the eagles trained to come to his whistle and scoop these fish out of the water right beside the boat during and amazing power dive.
Hold on Ron, the competition is going to get tougher.
PDG Ron Neukomm thought he had hooked the bottom of the ocean for a few minutes until this 40 pound Spring Salmon, aka Chinook Salmon, started to move.
Then Ron had a hand full or should I say a Rod full. Fishing Guide Jack Clifton of Arbitrator Fishing Charters showed his guiding skill by coaching Ron with the fish, netting the fish and keeping the boat off the rocks, all in the same process.
Do you think Ron looks like a Happy Hooker? Maybe a little tired also, as the fish put up a noble battle and almost won a few times.
Congratulations Ron on a bigger than normal Charter fish.
New Generations Director Diane Nakamura introduced our two young students involved in the Rotary Short Term Exchange Program (STEP) this year. The STEP program is a one month exchange of students into another country while a student from that country also comes to Canada for a month.
This year, Patricia Constantin from Switzerland came to Prince George and is enjoying the exchange very much. Patricia finds Canadians to be very gracious hosts.
Chantal Mitchell is our outbound student from Duchess Park in Prince George. Chantal will be visiting during her exchange, in Switzerland with the Constantin family and is very much looking forward to her trip and the opportunity to be an Ambassador to Prince George.
President Kelly Zammit exchanges Banners with the students following a short presentation from both of these young women.
President and CEO Tim McEwan, of Initiatives PG provided an interesting and thought provoking presentation regarding the current Strategic Plan in Prince George.
Initiatives PG main concept is to be a catalyst to improve Prince George as a place to do business, to create and improve the market economics of business in Northern BC and as a place for people to live and retire.
Initiatives PG have created a multi step program within their Strategic Plan to address these points. Everything from Downtown Revitalization efforts, Marketing Prospectives, working with export and import initiatives through the Container Port in Prince Rupert and future opportunities with our newly expanded Prince George Airport.
Prince George is seen as the Hub of the North for both Energy and Knowledge.
Tim indicated that Prince George is already experiencing a Skill Shortage that is being reflected in the current 6% unemployment levels in the area. There is also a shortage of trained Engineering Skills in the north that needs to be addressed through both CNC and UNBC.
The new Medical Training Centre is a real asset to the area, as will be the new Cancer Clinic and Lodge under development.
Tim indicated that Prince George current growth rate is approximately 1% per year.
Past President Ken Pendergast thanked Tim for his presentation with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
The Nechako Rotary Club was in Fort George Park with our 1969 Mustang Raffle Car, to celebrate Canada Day with thousands of Prince George people, despite the cool and rainy July 1st Day.
The day was a success, as people in Prince George are not daunted by a little cool and rainy weather. The car ticket sales were also a success, almost matching those in the Park during the Prince George Show & Shine Day, which was warmer and Sunny.
Ticket Sales we almost $1200.00 for the Day. Thank you Rotarians for supporting the Car Raffle Sales during Canada Day.
Total Ticket Sales now exceed $21,500.00 for the six weeks since we commenced the raffle. Almost Half Way There.
President Elect Kelly Zammit takes a minute to place the 2011-12 Rotary Theme Banner on the podium to commence her presentation of a short Video from our 2011-12 Rotary International President Kalyan Bannerjee.
The 2011-12 Rotary Theme is " Reach Within to Embrace Humanity."
Kelly also gave Club Members a bit of a glimpse at the new years Goals around Membership Recruitment and Retention, followed by a great inspirational Video regarding the final challenges to the complete Eradication of Polio in the World.
Rotarian Neil Godbout introduced our speaker this morning, to present on the topic of HST.
Neil asked his friend and colleague, Judy Tindill to come to the Club Breakfast meeting to speak on the topic of the HST from the prospective of the effect the HST has to Registered Charities, Home Based Business and to personal taxpayers.
President Elect Kelly Zammit accepts the "Official Club Gavel" at the end of todays Rotary Meeting, marking the end of the 2010-11 Rotary Year.
President Kelly is now fully in charge of the Club for the 2011-12 year, and accepts the position with excitement, enthusiasm and a little trepidation.
Fear not, Kelly is in control. As RI President Kalyan Bannerjee requests, Kelly is prepared and capable of "Reaching Within to Embrace Humanity".
The Club is in Good Hands and a strong Directorship is in place to assist President Kelly in the new year.
Past President of the Nechako Rotary Club, Isabel Fleck is the recipient of the "Rotarian of the Year" Award for 2010-11 Rotary Year.
Isabel has been a very dedicated Rotarian with the Nechako Club, having functioned for years on the Club Executive as well as President and Past President.
Isabel has been responsible for providing the Leadership on the Club's Literacy Programs, including the extensive School Dictionary Program, Can Spell Program and Raise a Reader Program.
Isabel has also been very instrumental in promoting and leading our Operation Red Nose Program during her rein as President.
Congratulations Isabel and thank you for being a great Rotarian.
Bruce Gaunt, Drinking Water Planner for the Northern Health Authority, provided some very interesting details regarding the availability of safe drinking water in the Northern 2/3 of the Province. That is roughly the size of the Northern Health Authority area, although the population is much smaller that the southern area.
In this huge area, Northern Health is responsible for overseeing approximately 1230 Water Systems, although this doesn't include the individual or personal water systems across the north.
Water Regulations were unheard of in BC until 1992, says Bruce. Before that time, people used all sort of water wells and water systems without any control of regulation to ensure the safety of the water to the consumers.
In 2003, the Province brought in the Drinking Water Protection Act and Regulations.
It might be said that people were more comfortable not knowing the quality of the water they were using, as the more you learn about water quality and bacteria or chemicals that might be in the water, the more alarmed you might become.
Clean water has been a serious health concern in many situations over the years, causing illness or death in many instances.
In BC, we are fortunate to have a large quantity of water without many health concerns. However, we are also guilty of being very wasteful of water, with the average come using 250 gallons of water per day for the average 3 person family.
Bruce was thanked by Rotarian Neil Godbout with another donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Not the oldest, or the prettiest, but very much at home in the Park with all the other Vintage and Classic Cars on display during the Father's Day Show and Shine, in Fort George Park.
The "Kid's Training Camp" is a reality again this year, in conjunction with the 2011 World Baseball Challenge (WBC) as a result of the Nechako Rotary Clubs' donation of $2500.00 to help fund this worth while baseball camp in Prince George for about 100 of our youth in the community.
The Three Rotary Clubs jointed funded the camp in 2009, but this year the Nechako Rotary Club is the sole Rotary Sponsor along with the Toronto Blue Jays, that are providing the Professional Coaches that will be providing the hands on training for the kid's during the July 4th to 6th Camp.
Six Rotarians are required for each of the three days to assist with the camp by registering the kid's, overseeing the training and assisting where required, ensuring the kids are fed and taken care of during the camp, ensuring the kids are all safely picked up by their families and assisting with general tidiness of the ball grounds.
Shawn Rice, Promotions Director for the WBC attended the Nechako Rotary Club Breakfast Meeting to receive the Cheque for $2500.00 sponsorship. Shawn indicated without this sponsorship, the Kid's Camp would not likely have occurred this year.
2011 World Baseball Challenge "Kids Training Camp"
Kat Dunbar continues to brave the elements in Prince George on a daily basis to get the 1969 Mustang from storage, moved to the designated location, and set up for another day of ticket sales.
Kat is our "Student Employee" and she is doing a very good job of carrying out her duties with limited direction from the Club.
This week, the car is at Spruceland Shopping Centre. The location in the mall is not ideal and the weather is less than perfect for ticket sales, but Kat is on the job.
Rotarians, Faydra Aldridge and Gina Rawson have a short breather during the first shift of the "Show and Shine" Car Show held on Father's Day in Fort George Park.
Business started off relatively slow in the morning at the park, but escalated during the day to keep both ticket sales Rotarians very busy until the late afternoon, when people dwindled away from the show.
We sold a Whopping $1305.00 worth of tickets during the day to bring our total sales over the $17 thousand dollar mark to date. Roughly 1/3 of the way to selling out our 10 thousand tickets.
Thank you to everyone coming out to support the Car Raffle during Father's Day.
Judy Tindill is the comptroller for the Prince George Library, as well as sharing a partnership in a Home Based Business where she and her partner build new homes for sale.
Judy is also a consumer, like everyone else in BC both as a private citizen and purchasing all of the lumber, construction materials and commodities relative to new home construction.
Judy provided her experience with the HST in all of these scenarios and some reflection on the implications of what would be necessary to go back to the old Provincial Sales Tax (PST) system.
The return of the PST would cost tax payers a Billion Dollars and take something up to 18 months to re-establish, where we would have a tax system that was difficult for business and really not much cheaper, if any, than the HST that is under heavy debate in BC.
Each house hold is currently receiving Ballot Forms, asking BC Citizens to cast their vote as to whether you are in favour of extinguishing the HST and reinstating the PST in conjunction with the GST.
The choice is yours. Hopefully some of the comments from Judy have helped to make your decision.
Judy was thanked by Rotarian Leona Anderson, with a donation to our Polio Plus Campaign.
HST - the Effect to Registered Charities, Home Based Business and Personal Taxes
Judy Close, one of the staff from the Prince George Council of Seniors, presented some background of what the Council of Seniors is doing in Prince George to assist some of our community seniors with assistance and food delivery.
The Council of Seniors has been working with a donated Van and volunteer drivers to deliver food to needy seniors in our community. The program has been dubbed "Wheels to Meals."
To raise some of the necessary funds to help provide this service, the Council is hosting a Fun Golf Tournament at Aberdeen Golf Course on June 17th. The afternoon of playing a round of golf is polished off with a BBQ, and all for the price of $80.00 plus HST, per golfer.
Individual golfers, partners or foursomes are encouraged to come out and enjoy the day as well as help raise funds for the "Wheels to Meals" program.
Judy provided answers to a number of questions regarding the Council of Seniors many programs in Prince George in addition to the Wheels for Meals program.
Charter member Lloyd Clay provided comments (almost as long as the speaker) in addition to compliments to both Judy and the Council of Seniors for the quality and quantity of programs they administer. Lloyd provided Judy with our certificate of another donation to the Polio Plus Campaign.
Prince George Council of Seniors Fund Raising Golf Tournament
Charter member Lloyd Clay wears the colors of a true Canucks Fan to the Nechako Rotary Club meeting this morning.
Lloyd led the Club in the singing of our National Anthem in the spirit of BC's sports fans supporting the Vancouver Canucks as well as proudly wearing the Team Jersey that he received only last night from his son.
Lloyd admitted that if he were to sell the coveted Jersey at auction, he would likely make sufficient money from the auction to purchase a ticket to tonights game.
Rotarians Doctor Steven Chang and Doctor William Osei help to wrap a pallet of medical supplies in preparation for shipment to the Vancouver RWHN warehouse with the assistance of Jose Van Hage and his Art Knapp's Plant land truck and trailer destined for Vancouver.
The final shipment for this Rotary year from Prince George consisted of the remaining medical equipment, hospital beds, X-Ray Machine, 3 more pallets of books, 30 more chalk boards, one more sewing machine and an air compressor donated by Rotarian Gary Gurnsey.
Soon, all these materials will be placed in another container for shipment to Serra Leone.
Not a typical operation for a pair of medical practitioners
Rotarians Lloyd Clay and Harold Spensley worked diligently to construct this rather homely box on a pallet to provide the necessary protection for an expensive X-Ray arm being shipped to Sierra Leone.
Doctor's Steven Chang and William Osei assist Lloyd Clay with preparations for loading the ungainly load into the truck, including writing directions and shipping details on the exterior of the box.
Thanks Guy's for putting your shoulders to the load and getting the job done in good time.
Members of the Nechako Rotary Club were out early on Sunday morning June 5th to host one of the water stations for the Family YMCA's Annual Healthy Kid's Day Run.
Rotarians Leona Anderson, Gary Gurnsey, Neil Godbout, daughter Karla Godbout and Ken Pendergast were on station at 07:50 AM with the water, pumps and cups to provide much needed water to a total of 473 runners participating in the run. Runners ranged from all ages, with some pushing baby strollers, to the seniors that can still put on the miles.
Thank you team for helping Rotary be part of this great event.
Rotarian Neil Godbout arrived to assist with the water station for the PG Family YMCA Healthy Kids Run with his daughter Karla.
Neil immediately provided Karla with the necessary training to carry out the job and set her to work chasing along the street with runners, picking up the discarded water cups. A very necessary and important part of the routine of staffing a water station and protecting our environment.
Thank you Karla, for your assistance as part of the Team Nechako.
Both Faydra Aldridge and Karen Cameron are employees of the Family Y for about 2 years and part of the Nechako Rotary Club pilot Corporate Membership Team along with Rotarian Mark Miller.
Faydra and Karen provided Classification Talks to the Club this morning to better acquaint the club with our Corporate Members. Both Faydra and Karen love working for the Family Y and attending Rotary, although there is some concern about making early morning meetings each and every week.
Faydra got her initial taste of Rotary as part of the Group Study Exchange to the Philippines in 2010 and has been active with the Nechako Club since, including volunteering to work as Ambassador for the Disaster Aide Canada Program and Kelly Road Interviews.
Karen returned to Prince George after completing her education and has become active with Rotary through her work commitments and being part of the Family Y Corporate Membership Team.
Thank you Faydra and Karen for doing your impromptu Classification Talks. It is a pleasure having both of you involved in Rotary.
Mayor Dan Rogers and Dave Witwam of the City of Prince George provided the latest plans and drawing for the proposed RCMP Detachment Building designed to replace the current facility. The current building was constructed in 1972 and functioned as both a Court House and RCMP Detachment located on the upper floors. The Holding Cells remain located on the upper floor of the building, providing a serious safety concern for transporting prisoners from the lower ground level to the cell blocks via elevator through the work areas. The old facility provides very inadequate accommodation for the expanded staffing levels of the police in addition to the labs, etc. necessary for modern policing. initial plans were prepared in 1997 for a replacement facility and now after over a decade, the ground breaking at 4th and Victoria might commence as soon as spring 2011, with a completion schedule over 3 years. One of the prime considerations by the City was that the new building will be located in the downtown core. The plans is currently undergoing a Public Review process which will not be concluded until the middle of January 2011 at the earliest.
PDG Ron Neukomm and sponsor ADG Gary Gurnsey inducted Allison Fedorkiw as our newest Rotarian with the classification "International Social Enterprises". Allison operates a business that facilitates volunteer assignments to many 3 rd world countries. Allison just recently returned from working in Africa. Last month Allison gave our club a brief outline of the work she is doing. Please introduce yourself to Allison and help make her welcome as our newest Rotarian.
Past President Isabel Fleck gave a brief update on the Dictionary Program provided by the Nechako Rotary Club to students in the Prince George Schools. This is a great program assisting in our Literacy Mandate in Rotary. Isabel showed a couple of the hand drawn "Thank You" Cards prepared by a couple of the schools, which demonstrates that the Dictionaries are well received and appreciated by students. Isabel is confident "that the use of computers has not entirely replaced the need for a dictionary."
PDG Ron Neukomm owns a 1969 Mustang car which he is prepared to sell to the Nechako Rotary Club to be used as a "Car Raffle" to help the Club raise money for our worthy projects. The Club Executive passed a motion to proceed to the next steps of getting an independent appraisal of the Mustang as well as investigating through Lotteries regarding the license and conditions necessary to proceed with a Car Raffle next spring. The Mustang would be raffled on an "As Is" basis to ensure the Club is not open to possible additional expenditures after the draw.
The Club Executive are confident that this Mustang will attract ticket sales with a good opportunity for fund raising. We may have the opportunity to include a donated "Hot Tub" as a second prize draw.
The Nechako Rotary Club has not embarked on a Car Raffle for almost a decade, but need to return to these activities to raise money. The full support of all Rotarians in the Club is necessary to make this project a success if we go forward with the Raffle.
PDG Ron Neukomm had the opportunity during the 25rh Anniversary Charter Night Celebration to present a "Paul Harris Fellowship Pin" with six stones attached, to Past President Alain LeFebvre. Alain claims to be a quiet Accountant and we know this to be the case. However, Alain is always ready and willing to help out in Rotary when needed. Alain is also a faithful supporter of the Rotary Foundation and has been making financial contributions annually to support the Foundation. This recognition is evident by the fact that Alain now has a total of 7 Paul Harris Fellowships to his credit. Congratulations Alain on this level of achievement.
Past District Governor and Past President Ron Neukomm provided written comments from all the Past Presidents of the Nechako Rotary Club that were not able to attend the 25th Anniversary Charter Night. PDG Ron contacted each of those Past Presidents to receive their comments regarding their year as president. The Nechako Rotary Club has experienced a colorful and challenging 25 years of Service in Prince George and all comments spoke fondly of the Honor each Past President felt for their opportunity to represent the Club.
Past President Isabel Fleck took the opportunity during the 25th Anniversary Charter Night of the Nechako Rotary Club to present a "Paul Harris Fellowship" to her husband and partner David Fleck. Isabel indicated that David is most worthy of this prestigious award for all the hard work and support that David has provided to both Isabel and Rotary during her years as a Rotarian. Isabel also reminded us that " Behind every good man, is a good woman" (and vise versa) We know that to be a fact due to the high performance demonstrated by Isabel as a member of the Nechako Club. Congratulations David on becoming a "Paul Harris Fellow".
Many of the "Past Presidents" of the Nechako Rotary Club were able to attend the 25th Anniversary Charter Night. Each of the Past Presidents were given the opportunity to speak about the "High Points" in their year as President. Some excellent memorabilia was provided about the History of the Club.
The Nechako Rotary Club celebrated their 25th Anniversary in Rotary on November 3rd, 2010. The vent was well attended by Rotary members and guests including many of the "Charter Members" of the Club. PDG Ron Neukomm chaired the Charter Memories session with assistance from Charter Member Gordon Smith.
Rotarian Bill Bateman also attended the resent Rotary Leadership Institute Level 1 Workshop in Prince George. Like all the other attendees, Bill had high praise for the workshop. The RLI Level 1 through 3 workshops are highly recommended for all Rotarians as a means of furthering their knowledge and experience on Rotary.
Thank you Bill for your participation.
Cindy Smith, teacher and Leader of the College Heights Interact Club, along with Interacter, Taryn Hepburn, took a few minutes to introduce some of their activities to Nechako Club members. These young people in the College Heights Secondary School are taking the Rotary Interact Program very seriously with over 3000 hours of participation in their program. These young people recently attended a Leadership Program at Camp Elkness focused on Environment, Literacy and Poverty as part of their camp program. Many of these young people are our Rotarians of the future. Cindy and Taryn presented a plaque to President Elect Kelly Zammit during their presentation.
Thank you Cindy and Taryn for your leadership. well done.
Disaster Aid Canada had a positive presence at the Prince George Senior Secondary School during the Youth Conference during the weekend. Students and adults alike had the opportunity to see the new and enlarged example of a "Disaster Aid Canada" kit set up with all the equipment supplied in the kit. The new kits are bigger, better and cheaper than the former kits. The display was staffed by Rotarian and Disaster Aid Canada Ambassador Gary Gurnsey, as well as Rotarian and Executive Director of Disaster Aid Canada Don Ohlgren.
Rotarian William Osei took a few minutes to express his appreciation of the opportunity to attend the resent Level 1 Rotary Leadership Institute Workshop in Prince George. The RLI is a great opportunity for Rotarians to learn and experience many aspects of Rotary in the world and our communities.
Thank you William.
Canadian Singer and Song Writer Susan Aglukark was a major focal point and Team Leader during the weekend Prince George Youth Conference. Susan Aglukark was hosted for the conference by Integris Credit Union and both a mentor and motivational speaker for about 350 students during the conference. In addition to providing some very powerful advise to young people growing up in smaller communities on making career choices, she entertained the students and many of the adults involved in making this program the great success it was in Prince George. The three Rotary Clubs in Prince George shared a $10,000.00 sponsorship donation to help make this worthy program a reality in Prince George.
Thank you Rotarians.
Members of the Nechako Rotary Club were invited to attend and participate in the "Ribbon Cutting" Ceremony at the Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum on Monday, Oct. 25th to recognize the donations provided to the Museum for the construction of the "Accessibility Ramp" allowing greater access of this great facility to people restricted to wheel chair access. A large donation was received from the Federal Government in addition to funding provided from Rotary. Approximately 20 people were present for the ribbon cutting including Prince City Mayor Dan Rogers and representatives from our Federal Government. The Railway & Forestry Museum continues to be a focal point in our community, drawing visitors locally as well as tourists visiting and traveling through our community.
Rotarians Past President Isabel Fleck and Paz Milburn deliver Rotary Dictionaries to Grade 4 Students at Peden Hill Elementary and Central Fort George Schools on October 25th. Students and Teachers alike, are very pleased to receive these Dictionaries in their classes as a continuation of our Nechako Rotary Clubs contribution to our Literacy Program. The Dictionary Program will continue during the next few weeks with Rotarians visiting the schools scheduled. If you provide assistance in delivering these books to the children, please let Isabel Fleck know of your availability.
Thank you Isabel and Paz. Great job.
Nechako Club Rotarians were assisted on Friday Oct. 22nd by School Teacher Gerry Chidiac ans a number of the students involved in the "Me to We" Program in school, to box, carry, load and unload about 60 cases of school books, text books and library books from the old Gladstone School, into the trailer supplied by Rotarian Gary Gurnsey, and hauled to Art Knapp's Plantland warehouse. An additional 60 cases of books were also boxed and removed from Gladstone again Tuesday Oct. 26th.
Thank you to Rotarians, President Bob Guy, Kelly Zammit, Ron Neukomm and Lloyd Clay for helping in this project. In addition to the books, we were able to also pick up 3 hospital beds to be stored for later shipment.
These books, beds, remaining blackboards and sundry equipment will be transferred to the Vancouver World Health Network warehouse for shipment to Africa.
Duchess Park teacher Mr. Gerry Chidiac and some of his students were discussing the demise and disposal of some of the equipment located in the old Duchess Park School. Some of this equipment was identified as surplus and required to disposed of. The students indicated that it would be opportune for items such as books and Black Boards, if they could be shipped to a country where these items could be used and appreciated.
Members of the Nechako Rotary Club were contacted by Mr. Chidiac, and arrangements made to haul all these Black Boards to the Art Knapp Plantland warehouse for storage in preparation for further shipment to Vancouver's World Health Network Warehouse.
The Black Boards, books, medical Equipment, office equipment and 168 sewing machines were transported, compliments of Jos Van Hage from Art Knapp's, to Vancouver, where it was ultimately shipped by container to Africa. The attached picture, taken by Allison Fedorkiw, Director of The Humanity Exchange, during her current trip to Africa, demonstrated the fact that the Black Boards arrived and are very much appreciated by the people in Monrovia, Africa.
The dedication and hard work of a number of Rotarians in the Nechako Rotary Club coupled with some great volunteers in both Prince George and Quesnel, helped to ship a total of 168 Sewing Machines to Monrovia, Africa. These sewing machines were donated by generous members of the public in these communities, and collected by Rotarians and friends. Each machine was carefully inspected and serviced by Rotarian Bill Bateman, prior to being stored at Art Knapp's Plantland warehouse. These machines, along with a large quantity of books, medical equipment, office supplies and school Blackboards, were then shipped, compliments of Jos Van Hage from Art Knapps, to Vancouver to the World Health Network Warehouse. Ultimately, all of these materials were placed in a container and shipped to Africa as part of Rotary's District 5040 commitment to helping people in other parts of the world through the Rotary Foundation.
Rotarians can be very thankful and proud of the fact that these efforts have been received in Africa. The Sewing Machines are being used by people in Africa to make items for sale and create employment.
This picture was supplied by Allison Fedorkiw, Director of The Human Exchange in Prince George during her current visit to Africa.
Andrew Poon, Media Relations & Government Affairs Communications & Education representative, provided some background and statistical information on the Role that British Columbia Securities Commission plays in the province to help the public deal with "Scams". Their "InvestRight" Program identifies that a full 38% of our public are approached by efforts to fraudulent investments. 4% of people in Canada are actual victims of Fraud. Minority groups and people with lower education are more susceptible to Fraud. Many Seniors are seriously victimized by Fraud and loose much of their limited finances to Fraud. Fortunately, 71% of Canadians research their investments carefully before making financial commitments. Many of the Fraudulent acts are through connections such as; "Cold Calls"; "Friends & Family"; "Internet Promotions"; "Investment Ads"; and "Investment Seminars".
BC Securities Commission is an organization that is available to assist people in selecting the right investment agencies to reduce the risk of Fraud. They can be accessed at: www.investment.org
Andrew was thanked by Rotarian Leona Anderson, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program. Thank you Andrew and Leona.
Rotarian Tom Keller also attended the resent RLI Training session on October 16th in Prince George. Tom indicated that as a new Rotarian, the training and the experience of sharing Rotary knowledge and activities was tremendously helpful in giving him a broader perspective of Rotary.
Thank you Tom.
Rotarian Kelly Zammit is Chair of our Operation Red Nose Program. Kelly took a few minutes to update the members of the Nechako Rotary Club on the progress with 68 volunteers currently signed up ORN with 42 of those volunteers already having received approved Criminal Record Checks.
The campaign for Sponsors will start next week, but with the change in Liquor Laws this year, we expect a significant increase in requests for Safe Rides Home and need all the volunteers, both Rotarian and Public, to ensure we can deliver the program in our normal responsible way.
Please sign up in some capacity and talk to family and friends to encourage them to come out and assist with the program.
It is a very rewarding experience.
A Rotary Leadership Institute Level 1 Program was conducted in Prince George on October 16th. Rotarian Dolly Hilton provided the Club Membership with her impression of attending the RLI and how it has a very profound effect on new Rotarians. Thank you Dolly for sharing your positive experience.
Neil Godbout, Administrative Communications Coordinator for the Prince George Public Library provided some excellent information and background on the Library as both a "People Place" and a "Social Place." There are 50 thousand Library Card Holders in Prince George. Unlike library's of past decades, the Prince George Library provides a lot of entertainment to people through a variety of medium including books, films, videos, CD, DVDs, and magazines. The library also provides entry level computer training for people in need of basic computer skills. The library is also a major sponsor in the local Literacy Programs within the community, and Neil thanked Rotarians for assistance in that worthy program. Neil is not a stranger to Rotary given that he has been personally involved in the Rotary Group Study Exchange and has high regard for Rotary.
Neil was thanked for his presentation by Rotarian Bill Bateman, with a donation to our Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Rotarian Gerry Lundquist also brought an heirlum type "Piggy Bank" filled with pennies as his donation to the "Pennies for Polio" program created by DG Penny Offer as District 5040's contribution to the Rotary Polio Plus Program.
Thank you Gerry for your donation to the cause.
Rotarian Dolly Hilton brought her Cookie Jar that has been converted to a huge "Piggy Bank" with a large quantity of pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, loonies and toonies. Dolly estimated the weight of a penny and has challenged all Rotarians in the Nechako Club to donated enough pennies to match their personal weight, with the entire proceeds going to support the Rotary Polio Plus Program which is close to eradicating Polio throughout the World. Thank you Dolly for your pledge and challenge.
Jade Perry, grand daughter of Rotarian Brian Pearson, is no stranger to the Nechako Rotary Club. Jade and her parents live in Chetwynd, BC. When Jade is in Prince George visiting her grand parents, Brian makes a point of bringing her out to the Nechako Rotary Club meetings. Any wagers on the chances of Jade becoming a Rotarian when she grows up.
Chair Kelly Zammit and Public Relations Director Andrea Johnson get and early start watching the arrival of Volunteers during the ORN Kick-Off event from the balcony of the CNC Atrium.
Approximately 55 Rotarians and ORN Volunteers braved a cold, wet evening to attend the Volunteer Kick-Off Event at the CNC Atrium on Saturday, September 25th. The event was considered a success although we hoped to see a much larger turn out of volunteers. Heather Spicer and Constable Carissa Hornio were in attendance to assist with Criminal Record Checks as well as participate in explaining to the volunteers exactly how our Operation Red Nose Program is carried out during the 9 nights of operation.
Rotarian and Chair of Operation Red Nose presented a cheque to Rotarian Ken Toombs as the representative for the Prince George Pathfinders Group. The "Toombs Family" provide enormous support and participation into the Nechako Club sponsored Operation Red Nose Program. Although a late donation to Pathfinders on behalf of ORN, this donation has been part of the planned distribution of our ORN funds since the completion of our 2009 program ending December 31st, 2009.
A Big Thank You to the "Toombs Family" for their continued support for ORN.
Volunteer Heather (Mother) Spicer and Constable Carissa Hornio came out to the regular meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club to assist with completion of Rotarians Criminal Record checks to get the paperwork completed early and avoid potential bottle necks later with the additional requirements for completion of these essential documents for the Operation Red Nose Program. Both Heather and Carissa will attend next weeks meeting to help ensure we get all Rotarians registered early.
Team Nechako was out in force again this year to support the CIBC Run for the Cure against Breast Cancer. Team Nechako raised $1000.00 dollars in donations and registrations toward the cure. Special thanks to Ivan Cartwright, wife Gail, Ivan's daughter and grand child, as well as the other participants and donors of the Nechako Rotary Club, for your assistance in this very worthy annual event.
Members of the Nechako Rotary Club responded to the call for volunteers to assist with the Salvation Army Food Bank Drive again this year. The weather was much warmer than last year, making the effort considerably easier on the volunteers. Nechako Club assisted at the Hart Save-On-Food Store by handing out grocery bags, receiving donations, hauling donations to the Salvation Army warehouse and staffing the Salvation Army Kettle on site. The event was scheduled from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The Prince George public were gracious with their donations again this year, to help those in need through the Salvation Army.
Thank you Rotarians for responding to the request for assistance.
Gregory Gauthier from the Nechako Rotary Club and Het Shah from the Yellowhead Rotary Club were out helping raise funds for the "Raise A Reader" Program. The young men showed lots of enthusiasm for getting up at 5:30 in the morning to help out while seeing the sun rise and the morning mist enshroud Prince George for a typical fall day.
Thank you Greg and Het for your help.
This morning PDG Neil King inducted two new members into the Nechako Rotary Club. Gerry Lundquist, sponsored by Bob Quinlan, holds the Classification of Railroad Marketing. Tom Keller, sponsored by PDG Ron Neukomm, holds the classification of Commercial Banking.
Please introduce yourselfs to both Tom and Gerry and make them welcome in our Rotary World.
September 29th is "Raise A Reader" day in Prince George. Raise A Reader Program has managed to raise up to $115 thousand dollars in the past year, to assist with Literacy Training to people. Apparently police records indicate that about 85% of people that are regularly involved in crime, are also illiterate. There is some direct correlation between peoples ability to read and write and their ability to stay within the lines of the law.
Today, a strong contingent of Nechako Rotarians were out helping with the Raise A Reader Program, including two of our Rotary Exchange Students, Gregory Gauthier and Het Shah. Rotarians Bill Bateman, Al LeFebvre, Garry Gurnsey, Gail MacLaren, Gina Rawson, Isabel Fleck, Andrea Johnson, Lloyd Clay and Ken Pendergast were helping receive donations.
Past President Isabel Fleck shows off this years T Shirts that will be worn by a number of Rotarians from the Nechako Rotary Club next Wednesday Sept. 29th in the Pine Centre Mall, when we promote our "Raise A Reader" program and help raise funds for this exciting program.
Isabel is our Club's leader on Literacy Programs, and gave a short update on our school Dictionary Program, including the French version that will be presented to the French Immersion Schools in Prince George.
Isabel also orchestrated approval from the Club Executive to fund $2500.00 this year along with the Downtown Rotary Club for a combined total of $5000.00 as "Gold Sponsors" for the "CanSpell" Program.
Savannah Westgarde, Community Relations Coordinator for the Canadian Red Cross, provided a very interesting presentation on the good work being provided by the Canadian Red Cross in Prince George and around the world. Like Rotary, the Red Cross is known and recognized throughout the World for the support provided to people in need, in various ways.
Thank you Savannah for providing us with a greater understanding of some of the great efforts of the Canadian Red Cross.
PDG Ron Neukomm and Past President Ken Pendergast did a little tag team to explain to members the upcoming Nechako Rotary Club 25th Anniversary Dinner and the Rotary Foundation Dinner taking place on both November 3rd and November 6th. The 25th Anniversary Dinner will be at Esther's Inn on November 3rd and the Foundation Dinner will be at the Greek Orthodox Church on November 6th. Lots of opportunity for fellowship and fun for Rotarians and guests. Remember, winter is just around the corner and we need to lay on a little weight to fend off the cold this season.
Wow!! Get hold of your Air Bags and Hang on to your Hat's.
Lisa Mueller probably set a new record for the Nechako Rotary Club today. Lisa was inducted into the Club on transfer from the Terrace - Skeena Valley Club. Today she also gave her impromptu Classification Talk as our newest Rotary member.
Lisa has been a Rotarian for 3 short years, during which time she has functioned as both Club Secretary and Foundation Chair. Lisa specifically asked to transfer to the Nechako Club as she had seen the presentation a year ago about Operation Red Nose and wants to be part of the Red Nose Team.
This young woman knows what she wants to do and gets it done. She is an avid outdoors person and loves to walk and hike with friends and associated.
Welcome Lisa to the Nechako Team. Rotarians lead by example and you have started off on the right foot.
The Nechako Rotary Club is the official Sponsor for Cottonwood Island Park in Prince George. Earlier in the spring, members of the Club, Ron Neukomm, Gary Gurnsey, Robert Guy and Ken Pendergast met with the City of Prince George Parks people to discuss plans to spend approximately $400 thousand dollars this summer replacing at least 3 bridges, two viewing platforms, trail and path repairs and general maintenance. The work has finally commenced with the placement of large steel girders for the first of the bridges. This bridge will replace the one at the confluence of both the Nechako and Fraser rivers, adjacent to the easterly parking lot. The "old" steel rail car structure originally used by the Nechako Club for this site has been removed, presumably to Bridge Heaven, where all old bridges go.
Pam Tobin, Project Lead, Clinical Programs, for the Northern Cancer Control Strategy presented information and slides regarding this initiative in Prince George and Northern BC. The Northern Cancer Control Strategy is a joint partnership of the BC Cancer Agency, Northern Health and the Provincial Health Services Authority. This project is designed to assist people located in the northern region of BC, with a total of 15 programs, in 10 community clinics across the north. The two latest clinics being located in Vanderhoof and Queen Charlotte Islands. These clinics provide local assistance to people, including such things as "Telemedicine" and "Recruitment." The new "Centre for the North" Cancer Clinic is under construction, with a completion date scheduled for Sept. 2012. This Centre for the North will be augmented with the planned Cancer Lodge that is planned to be constructed at Alward Place Park.
The expectation is that this clinic will service between 35 and 40 cancer patients a day and the numbers will surely increase over time.
Pam was thanked by Rotarian Leona Anderson, with a donation to our Polio Plus Program. Thank you Pam and Leona.
Samantha Gallacher, Catering Manager for Esther's Inn took a minute this morning to speak to the Club and welcome them to the hospitality of Esther's Inn, the new home for the Nechako Rotary Club weekly meetings.
Karen Cameron, Manager of Resource Development for the Prince George Family Y presented the outline for their Fund Raiser on October 1 and 2nd, 2010. The Family Y is hosting A Champions Hockey Weekend tournament at the Kin 1 Centre with Trevor Linden as the guest and Keynote Speaker for the Banquet on October 1st. Individual tickets are available with a chance to win an early bird prize of sitting at Trevor Linden's table during the banquet, if you purchase your ticket by September 9th. Yes, that is tomorrow. You can also purchase a table for 10 and invite some of your friends to celebrate the weekend with you. Entry is also available for players that want to get in and compete with the Champions.
Karen was thanked by Rotarian and past President Harry Hufty with a donation to our Polio Plus Program.
Lisa Mueller has recently moved from Terrace, where she has been a Rotarian for the past 3 years. Lisa was motivated to transfer to the Nechako Rotary Club as she is familiar with the Operation Red Nose Program offered in Prince George and wanted to join the Club responsible for that program. Lisa joins the Nechako Club with the Classification of "Banking - Insurance."
Lisa was inducted into the Nechako Rotary club by PDG Ron Neukomm. Please welcome Lisa as our newest club member.
The Nechako Rotary Club's newest Exchange Student, Gregory Gauthier from France has just returned from his experience with the Tweedsmeir Trek in Burns Lake. Unfortunately, the regular Trek was changed due to the resent Forest Fire Ban on the woods area. However, the experience was still a great success as verbalized by Gregory, when he spoke to the Club this morning. The students had a great time. The Tweedsmeir Trek is used as the unofficial "Ice Breaker" for our inbound students and helps to get them acquainted with their peers and the Exchange Program. Gregory is a fast learner and a willing student. He said, "I Love Canada."
Good for you Gregory. We love you and Canada too.
Doctor David Bowering from the Northern Health Department presented the Nechako Rotary Club with some very interesting facts and figures regarding Men's Health, or possibly Lack of good Health in Prince George and Northern BC. On average, men living in the north are more susceptible to poor health conditions both from personal life styles as well as their association with work hazards. Typically, men throughout the country tend to live shorter lives than women, but the the figures indicate that men are prone to much greater health issues, driving fatalities etc than women. Men are also inclined to not seek medical examinations or assistance until a problem is clearly evident. I wonder if this has anything to do with the fable that Men don't ask for directions either.
Dr. Bowering was thanked by President Bob Guy for his presentation.
Helen Domsky presented a very interesting talk regarding the 2010 Literacy Program in our community and throughout the north. Actually, literacy is a major concern throughout the Province and is being addressed by Helen Domsky, through Government initiatives such as the current "Read Now BC" program, which is part of British Columbia's Literacy Action Plan. a full 40% of all adults have illiteracy problems that affect them through all aspects of their lives from reading medical prescriptions, recipes and their ability to successfully compete for job advancement in their work place.
In Prince George programs are provided through both the College of New Caledonia and the Native Friendship Centre to assist people in solving some of their literacy problems. In many cases, these programs are provided free of charge, with the assistance of government funding. Programs include "Train the Trainer" to assist employers in helping their employees to improve their skills for work and advancement in the workforce. These Literacy Programs are currently funded into 2011. The Nechako Rotary Club is very active in supporting Literacy Programs through our "Raise a Reader and Dictionary" programs as examples.
Rotarian and Past President Isabel Fleck thanked Helen for her presentation with another donation being made to our Polio Plus Program.
District Governor Penny Offer provided the Nechako Club a comprehensive background on some of the many worthwhile programs and projects that place Rotary as the largest and best service club in the world. Penny also provided the Nechako Club to continue to support the programs such as Polio Plus, Shelter Box or Canada Aide Program, Water Programs, WHN etc. that we are currently involved in, but to expand our horizons where possible and continue to reach out as part of our commitment to Rotary to "Build Communities and Bridge Continents". Make Rotary Bigger, Better and Bolder as per RI President Ray Klinginsmith's mandate. Both Penny and Chris Offer have been long time Rotarians, traveling extensively in their personal pursuit of Rotary Goals and providing strong Leadership by Example. Thank you Penny for your motivating presentation.
Heather Allen has just recently returned from her Student Exchange to South Wales Australia. Heather was sponsored by the Nechako Rotary Club. Heather worked hard during her year in Australia, working with the local Church Youth Group two and three times a week in addition to keeping up with her school classes. However, Heather had a great time and did some real quality touring of the beaches, Cities and Australian Outback including a visit to Aries Rock. Heather has a large number of slides to help remember her exchange and many of her friends during the year. Heather is a converted Rotarian at heart now as a result of her exchange and wants to stay involved in Rotary programs and activities in one form or another, including Rotaract.
Thank you Heather for a great presentation.
Doctor Steven Chang has been a Guiding Light with his leadership in our World Health Network providing donated Sewing Machines, School Books and School Supplies, Medical Equipment and Office Furniture to Africa. District Governor Penny Offer presented her "Certificate of Recognition" to Dr Steven Chang, a member of the Nechako Rotary Club, for his leadership and work as a Medical Practitioner providing aide to people in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Congratulations Steven for your dedication and contributions to our WHN program.
Prince George Rotary Club sponsored Exchange Student Aleana King attended the Nechako Club meeting this morning to meet our newest student Gregory Gauthier and say a few words of farewell to Prince before she departs next week for her exchange in France. Friends are hosting a farewell party to see Aleana off on her years exchange and want Gregory to participate.
One of the "Traditions" of the Nechako Rotary Club is for the immediate Past President to assume the role of "Foundation Director". In keeping with this rather new "Tradition" is for the last years Foundation Director to pass on the Coveted Picture donated by UNBC to the new current Foundation Director.
Following this "Tradition" last years Foundation Director, and Past President, Gary Gurnsey, passes on the coveted picture to this years Foundation Director and last years President Ken Pendergast. The coveted picture was turned over to the current Club President, Bob Guy for safe keeping and transportation, where it may reside for the next two years.
The Three Amigo's, better known as the three current Club President's of the Prince George Rotary Clubs, Bob Hlina, Geordan Lloyd and Robert Guy received "Penny's Posse" Badges during the Rotary BBQ held at the UNBC Rotary Gazebo on Tuesday, August 10th. Penny also included Past President Lorne Caulder as one of the Posse as Lorne is now a Director for District 5040. During the morning Club meeting, Past President Gary Gurnsey was also pinned as a member of Penny's Posse as Gary is one of the current Assistant District Governors.
Rotarian Mark Feldinger thanked Guest Speaker Les Waldie for his presentation on the 2015 Winter Games Bid Process on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club with another donation to our Polio Plus Program, to help drive Polio out of our World.
Lorena Van Hage recently returned from her Rotary Student Exchange to Rome, Italy, as part of our ROSE Program. The reciprocal of the ROSE Program is to host a student from the same country. In this case, Flaria Pergola is visiting Prince George from Rome and being hosted by the Jos Van Hage family. Jos Van Hage is a former Rotarian with the Nechako Rotary Club and a great sponsor for our Rotary World Health Network Program.
Lorena Van Hage thanked the Nechako Rotary Club for sponsoring her in the ROSE Program, and presented President Bob Guy with a Rotary Banner from Rome.
Gina Rawson is not a "Morning Person" she says, but finds that do to her work with the Prince George Public Library, that making Rotary Meetings is best for her despite not being a morning person. Gina has been a member of the Yellowhead Rotary Club for some time, but was experiencing difficulties making the Thursday Noon Meetings. Gina has been doing make ups at Nechako Rotary and decided to transfer to the Nechako Club. District Governor Penny Offer helped induct Gina into the Nechako Club during our regular meeting.
Please welcome Gina to the Nechako Club and help to make her comfortable as our newest Club Member.
Rotarians Kelly Zammit, Ken Pendergast and William Osei provided a detailed presentation on the resent RI Convention in Montreal, with pictures of the entire program and some background documentary regarding the main features and the plenary sessions.
The Convention had 18,500 delegates from all over the world and another 4 to 5 thousand visitors as spouses and friends of Rotarians in Montreal. Conventions are a great way to get to know more about Rotary and the great things that Rotary does in the world to promote Peace, Fellowship, Goodwill and Service. The main Services programs continue to be eradication of Polio throughout the World.
Next years Convention is being hosted in New Orleans and promises to be a great program.
2010-2011 Ri President Ray Klinginsmith provided his mandate for the year with "Cowboy Logic" where Rotarians are asked to continue to promote Rotary to make it "Bigger, Better and Bolder."
Thank you Kelly for the fine job of organizing and leading the presentation.
Rotary Adele Sjoberg presented Jack Hooper with a cheque for $1000.00 dollars this morning for their Junior Achievement Program. Jack spoke briefly about Junior Achievement in Prince George and how the Nechako Rotary Club donation will help considerably in the delivery of this program to some of our youth.
Chief Derrick Orr, the youngest Chief ever to be elected to the position in the McLeod Lake Band provided some interesting background regarding his past two years as Chief of the Band as well as the previous 8 years working for the Band and Council. Chief Orr is only 35 years old, and assumed the role of Chief of the McLeod Lake Band two years ago. The past two years have been very unsettled for the Band due to the economic turmoil experienced in BC. However, the good news is that conditions have bottomed out and beginning to improve nicely for the Band with receipt of some substantial money's owed to the Band as well as an additional allocation of timber for their Forest Company, Dus Cho Logging. Chief Orr indicated his goal is to improve the literacy and growth of youth in the Band as well as to encourage the return of many of the Band members to their native homeland located on the northern shores of McLeod Lake. The membership is currently spread from the Indian Reserve #1 to Prince George, across Canada and some in the USA. The Band population is about 462 people.
Rotarian and Past President Larry Parker thanked Chief Orr for his presentation with a donation to our Polio Plus Campaign.
President Bob Guy took the role of spokesperson for his table consisting of David McDougall and Gail McLaren to deal with the topic of Club Fund Raising. with Operation Red Nose being the largest funding program, but the need to focus on other activities again, such as raffles, dinners, BBQ's etc. to replace some of the funding that is expected to be reduced with current changes to the Lotteries Programs.
PDG Neil King, Rotarian Leona Anderson and President Bob Guy inducted our newest Rotarian Lorelli (Dolly) Hilton into the Nechako Rotary Club. Dolly works for RBC Dominion Securities and now holds the classification of Investment Advisor. Dolly will be another asset to the Nechako Rotary Club. Please introduce yourself to Dolly and make her comfortable as our new Rotarian.
Co-Chair of the 2015 Winter Games Committee Les Waldie presented the current work and challenges facing Prince George and the Bid Committee to win the honor of hosting the 2015 Winter Games. Currently the competition is between Prince George, Kamloops and Kelowna for games. The Winter Games has never been hosted before in BC, although the Summer Games have been hosted in both Kamloops and New Westminster. The games will be comprised of 23 different sport events, with 3600 athletes during the 2 week period. If Prince George is successful in winning the 2015 Winter Games Bid, it will be the largest undertaking of this nature ever hosted in Prince George and will require approximately 6,000 volunteers with an approximate $30 million dollar operating budget. The Games Evaluation Committee will re-visit Prince George on August 9th, 2010 to make their final assessment of our City's ability and preparedness to host the games. We require all the business community and people of Prince George to come out and demonstrate their support for being hosts in this final Bid for the Games.
The Club were provided with a very good presentation and short slide show by our Brazilian Student Raissa Morandi. Rai provided some pictures of her experience in Prince George during the past year as well as her words of thanks to the Club for all she has seen, learned and experienced. Raissa will never forget her experiences here in BC, her friends and host families. The Nechako Rotary Club will never forget Raissa either, I'm sure. Rai asked for a group picture with the Club and her fellow Exchange Students that attended this meeting. It has been a very gratifying year for the Nechako Rotary Club Youth Exchange.
PDG Ron Neukomm was spokesperson for his table on the discussion topic regarding Club Projects. The table had a very busy 15 minute dialogue discussing many aspects of the Club activities from Cottonwood Island to the potential for our involvement in the soon to be discussed Prince George Cancer Clinic and Cancer Lodge, where we may have opportunities similar to those of the Prince George Rotary Hospice House.
Liz and Alan Wischert, from Summit Hill Colorado have been on the road for the past 6 weeks, touring from Colorado to Alaska, the Yukon, including Top of the World Highway, Dawson City, the Dempster, Whitehorse and down the Cassiar Highway to Prince George. The Wischert's will now travel to Jasper, Banff and onward to their home again in Colorado. The Wischert's exchanged Club Banner's with President Bob Guy in addition to making a short presentation about their home area and their trip. They have completed a total of 12 make-ups so far in their travels, toward maintaining their 100% attendance. The Wischert's also shared information during our Table Topics, of how their Club raises approx. $40 thousand dollars each year hosting a weekend BBQ Fest where they actually sell approx. $250 thousand dollars worth of food and drinks during the weekend, to people withing about a 40 mile radius of their home town of approx. 35 thousand people.
Nechako Rotary Club's Youth Exchange Student Raissa Morandi is a very busy Young woman with attending school in addition to all the extra curricular activities offered and expected with a Rotary Exchange Student. Rai supplied the Club with her list of activities she wanted to experience during her year with us in Prince George. Each week Rai is ticking off the events as they occur. We are not sure when she gets time for sleep, but Rai admitted that she fell asleep during the return trip from visiting the McLeod Lake Indian Band last week. Thank you Rai for being a great addition to our Nechako Club Rotary Club.
Larina Van Hage is our Outbound Student traveling to Rome for the month of July as part of the Rotary Short Term Exchange Program. Larina will be an excellent Ambassador for Canada and BC while visiting Italy. The Van Hage family have been long term supporters and friends of Rotary. Rotarian Ron Neukomm introduced Larina to the Club and presented her with a Nechako Club Banner to take to Rotary in Rome during her exchange.
Most of the Host Families for our Rotary Youth Exchange student were present during the President's Ball on June 5th at Otway Caledonia Ski Club. Rick & Julie Koopman, David & Janice Wharrie, Paz Milburn and Peter. Missing is Sue and Ken Sand's.
President Ken Pendergast was presented the "Rotarian of the Year" Award on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club. The Award was presented by Rotarian Kelly Zammit, this year's Coordinator of the Award.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm and wife Dee honored Heather Spicer with a "Paul Harris Fellowship Award" for her dedication, assistance and Service Above Self in supporting our Operation Red Nose Program during the past 10 years. Heather is a faithful member of our Operation Red Nose Committee as well as attending all nights of operation during the program delivery, with volunteer register, sign up and call-out. A truly amazing Rotary Volunteer and a very worthy Paul Harris Fellow. Thank you Ron and Dee for your generosity and recognition.
Rotarians, spouses, friends, family of the Nechako Rotary Club gathered together at the Otway Caledonia Ski Club for the Annual 2009/2010 President's Ball. A fantastic meal catered by "Just Goode Foods", plenty of liquid libation and entertainment provided by a local group "Out of Alba". The leaders of the group being James & Margaret Coyle. Everyone enjoyed the sing along that hearkened memories back to the East Coast of Canada. A good time was had by all those attending.
The Mini Rail Station will have a wooden plaque attached dedicating the construction funding in recognition of the Rotary Club of Prince George-New Caledonia. Nechako Rotary Club participated in the unveiling ceremony as the sponsors for the New Caledonia Club.
The Min Railroad was a major attraction during the weekend providing rides to children both young and old to locations east of Prince George. Engineer and Rotarian Kelly Zammit, Harold Spensley and other volunteers from the Railway & Forestry Museum were kept busy both Saturday and Sunday providing rides around the Museum grounds.
Rotarian Harold Spensley and Railway & Forestry Museum Volunteer Ron Jansen are two of the primary people responsible for the design and construction of the Mini Railroad Station as well as the Operation of the Mini Railroad. Harold and Ron have spent countless hours building, maintaining and running the Prince George Mini Railroad at the Museum. During the weekend Railway and Forestry Museum Garage Sale, both Harold and Ron were present and keeping a watchful eye on the railroad to ensure it was working perfectly and safely. This is what Railroad Engineers do, and these two people provide this service as volunteers, largely behind the scenes, on a very frequent basis. Thank you Harold and Ron for your dedication and service as "Unsung Volunteers" for the Railway and Forestry Museum.
"Safety Bear" and guide Heather Spicer, also a volunteer for the Nechako Rotary Club Operation Red Nose Program were present during the Saturday Railway & Forestry Museum Garage Sale. "Safety Bear" was a real attraction with the children attending the Museum, providing "Safety Bear" stickers for the kids and riding the rails.
Saturday, May 29th, The Nechako Rotary Club participated with the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum in an official "Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, recognizing the funding and efforts provided by the "New Caledonia Rotary Club" in the construction of the Mini Rail Station. The New Caledonia Rotary Club provided the funding for the construction prior to their closure. Planning and construction was completed by Nechako Rotarian Harold Spensley with the assistance of some members of the Railway and Forestry Museum.
As the New Caledonia Club is no longer in operation, the Nechako Rotary Club were asked to be part of the Ribbon Cutting, as the original sponsors for the New Caledonia Club.
One of our newest Rotarians, Bob Quinlan provided the Nechako Club with his "Classification Talk". Bob is an entrepreneur that has spend most of his life in Prince George, despite his initial pledge to leave the city as soon as possible while attending school here. During his early years, Bob was moved with his parents to many different locations, with 13 different moves to his credit before arriving in Prince George. Bob's father was in the Military and subject to frequent relocations. After 40 years of residence in Prince George, Bob loves the city, the people and the opportunities here. Among other things, Bob has worked for years in the carpet industry, firstly as a carpet floor installer and later as owner of a Carpet Supply Company. Bob then moved into the Realtor business working with three different realty companies over the years. Finally Bob moved into his current occupation as a Mortgage Broker. Thank you Bob for presenting your Classification Talk.
Dave Fuller, a representative from the Pisces Swim Club attended the Nechako Rotary Club meeting and thanked the Club for the donation made to the Pisces Swim Club for their participation in our Operation Red Nose Program. The Pisces Swim Club have a large number of members and are dependent on donations from Service Clubs to assist with expenses in running their swim programs for children. The Nechako Rotary Club donated $600.00 to the Pisces Swim Club.
Rotarian and President Elect Robert (Bob) Guy presented his experience with attending the President Elect Training in Seattle this spring. Bob is primed and ready to go to work on July 1st as our incoming President, having had the opportunity to share experiences and ideas with fellow President Elect Rotarians in other Clubs and the incoming District Governor, Penny Offer.
Like most people attending PETS in Seattle the experience is a little over whelming with the quantity of Rotarians, presentations and first class speakers. Good Luck Bob, we are looking forward to a successful 2010-11 Rotary Year.
Chief Keith Laboucan and Dave Townsend of the Fort George Highway Rescue Organization in Prince George attended the Nechako Rotary Club meeting. Keith explained briefly their organizational role in our community and their reliance on donations from organizations such as Rotary to enable them to offer the service in our community.
The Nechako Rotary Club presented Highway Rescue with a cheque for $4269.61.
One of our remaining Charter Members, Rotarian John Paterson announced that today would be the last day of attendance with the Nechako Rotary Club as John is retiring after 44 years as an Accountant in Prince George. This Saturday, John and his wife Elizabeth will be moving to Kelowna where John will seek out another Rotary Club of choice. The Nechako Rotary Club presented John with a book, "A Century of Rotary" in recognition of his long service with the Club.
Good Luck John, in your new adventures as a retiree, and thank you for your support of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Wynne Widdis, a Nurse at the University Hospital of Northern BC presented some background information and handouts on the PG PARTY Program. PARTY is the acronym for "Prevent Alcohol and Risk Related Trauma in Youth" in our community. During the 1990's physicians and nurses in PG were becoming seriously concerned about the number of youth with traumatic injures related to alcohol. In 2002 the Prince George Safe Attitudes and Actions Society was formed and has, as its sole mission to promote injury prevention through reality education. In 1997, the P.A.R.T.Y. program was implemented. The program is run through about 30 volunteers whom contribute their time to ensure PARTY runs effectively. Volunteers come from the RCMP, School District 57, University Hospital of Northern BC, BC Ambulance Service, The Brain Injury Group of PG and local physicians in Prince George.
Wynne was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Sam Kirsch with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program. The Club also presented a cheque for the PARTY Program for $1,000.00 dollars to Wynne.
The Nechako Rotary Club received an Award during the Rotary District Convention in Prince Rupert on May 15th, for Distinguished Service in our efforts to provide materials for Africa through our Rotary World Health Program during this Rotary Year. The award was presented to Rotary World Health Director Gary Gurnsey on behalf of the Club.
District Governor Gordon Dalglish presented the Nechako Rotary Club with a Distinguished Club Achievement Award during the 2009/2010 District Convention in Prince Rupert on Saturday May 15th, 2010.
Accepting the Award on behalf of the Rotary Club was President Ken Pendergast. The award was presented during the Seafood BBQ event held at the Port Edward Cannery.
Julie Kerr, Leader of the Population Health Program for Northern Health, provided a very good presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the Building of Healthy Northern Communities. The Program is a collaborative approach through partnership and teamwork among community services, agencies, government bodies, cultural and religious groups and individuals,
Rotarian William Osei thanked Julie for her presentation with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
The "BEE LIEVERS" were out in force for the 24 hour "Relay for Life" walkathon at Masich Stadium on May 8th and 9th. Erin Guy from the Prince George Rotaract Club was the organizer and Decorator for the event. The Bee Liever's won "First Place" for decorated tent at the event as well as raising $3000.00 toward the fight against Cancer. The Bee Liever team completed approximately 300 laps of the Stadium Oval during the 24 hour Relay, which is approximately equivalent to walking to Vanderhoof from Prince George.
Leon Callier, Director of "We Care Home Health Services" presented some background to members regarding the aging community in Prince George along with some helpful details regarding the kind of programs available to assist seniors in the community when it comes to home care giving. There is a shortage of affordable accommodation for seniors that require "Home Care" in Prince George. Many people are now choosing to retire and stay in Prince George and many also choose to remain in their own homes during their later years, but find it difficult to manage all of their daily needs without assistance. We Care Home Health Services is an organization in Prince George that can be contacted for provision of these essential services.
Leon Callier was thanked by Rotarian and PDG Ron Neukomm with a donation to our Shelterbox Canada Program.
Rotarian Larry Parker presented the "Rotary Moment" message to the Club this morning regarding Rotary's respond to countries when in need, such as the Hurrican in Haiti and the Earthquake in Chile.
Rotarian and Shelter Box Ambassador Gary Gurnsey provided a short update on the successful involvement and and achievements of Shelter Box during this year. In 2010 Shelter Box has responded to disasters all over the world including Sumatra, Fiji, Uganda, Chile, Peru, Egypt and Kenya. ShelterBox Canada has contributed over 5,000 Shelter Boxes out of the total 70,500 boxes deployed during this Rotary year.
The Nechako Rotary Club was presented with a plaque acknowledging our involvement in the Shelterbox Canada Program. Thank you to everyone for your participation.
UNBC's President, Dr. George Iwama spoke to the Nechako Rotary Club on April 28th, regarding his 10 months in the role as President of our Northern University. Dr. Iwama said that he is very pleased to be back in BC and head of the Northern University. He indicated that UNBC has a very broad and holistic attitude toward Sciences and Research despite the fact it is not a large University. He indicated this is a good factor given that UNBC is growing where some other older Universities might be inclined to pass on some of these type of activities. Dr. Iwama has a very strong professional background in BC as well as having leadership in academic programs including the National Research Council. Dr. Iwama is certain to maintain the high standard for the University of Northern BC.
Rotarian Sam Kirsch thanked Dr. Iwama with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
3rd Year Student Brian Daszko, made a short presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the UNBC Model United Nations Program that was hosted for the first time this year. The program is well received in Prince George with sponsorships and fund raising from the community. The Nechako Rotary Club presented a cheque for $500.00 to Brian in support of the Model United Nations Program.
Past District Governor Ron Neukomm from the Nechako Rotary Club assisted the Yellowhead Club with induction of their newest Rotarian during the Tri-Club Rotary Meeting on April 22nd in honour of the Philippine GSE Team visit. PDG Neukomm inducted Dave Wilbur into the Yellowhead Club. This is a great example of Rotary working together in Prince George.
Ashley Stoppler, Manager of the Northern Health Connections Program provided a very interesting and detailed presentation regarding the busing services provided to clients throughout Northern BC.
Northern Health provide comprehensive bus service to people to and from most of the communities throughout northern BC for medical purposes. Over 30,000 clients have recieved transportation during the past three years. The service is based on a budget value of $13.00 per person. However, the cost of service delivery is provided on average, to people between the ages of 40 and 80 years of age at a cost of between $20.00 and $80.00 per person depending on their place of residence.
Over all, Ashley reports people are relatively satisfied with the service, with some people having to spend up to 8 hours on a bus getting to their destination. Ashley also reports that the drivers seem to go out of their way to provide extra care and attention to people in need during their transportation.
Ashley was thanked for her presentation by Rotarian Larry Parker. with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
Prince George Rotary Clubs hosted the Philippine Group Study Exchange team on April 21st when they arrived on CN Rail from Terrace, with a Tri-Club Meeting hosted by the Yellowhead Club on April 22nd in addition to a whirl-wind tour of vocational visits to business and offices throughout the city. On April 23rd, the Team were driven to Quesnel for another Rotary meeting and hand-off to the Williams Lake Rotary Clubs. The Philippine team members were very pleased with Prince George hospitality. Thank you to everyone that participated including host family Gary Gurnsey, Lloyd Clay for host driving and Rod Tidsbury for being the Nechako Rotary Club coordinator for the GSE.
Leia Feldinger, daughter of Rotarian Mark Feldinger is a student at Duchess Park School in Prince George. Duchess Park School took the Challenge of raising money through the school, to help fund the Shelter Box Canada Project, in response to the disasters in both Haiti and Chile.
Leia made a short presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club and presented the $405.00 funds directly to our Shelter Box Ambassador, Gary Gurnsey.
Thank you Leia and Duchess Park School for your kind and generous support.
Doctor Berhanu Tadesse Taye and Doctor Amanual Ottoro were guests of the Nechako Rotary Club today. Both of these gentlemen are members of the YMCA in Ethiopia. Dr. Berhanu provided a detailed presentation of the YMCA in Ethiopia that was originally founded in 1947. This program was then focused on Literacy and youth programs, including Camping and Vocational School training for youth. The YMCA was "Frozen" and Closed for a number of years due to Marxist Rule and not re-opened again until 1992. At this time they developed an new Strategy for Youth and Women in Ethiopian YMCA's and have 6 separate YMCA Centres. Ethiopia works with many other countries in the development and delivery of their YMCA programs. For this reason, Dr. Berhanu and Ottoro are visiting the Prince George YMCA this week. Dr. Berhanu is also a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow in Ethiopia.
Rotarian PDG Ron Neukomm thanked Dr. Berhanu for his presentation with a Donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program, and a Nechako Club Banner to take back to his home Club in Ethiopia.
PDG Ron Neukomm, his wife Dee, Ken Pendergast and wife, Anita attended the 2010 Prince George Sports Hall of Fame Awards Banquet on April 10th, 2010.
The Nechako Rotary Club presented a trophy to Ms. Erin Bull, 2009 Canadian Champion in the Martial Arts discipline of Taekwon-do. A total of 12 Youth Athletes were recognized during the event.
A total of 6 Prince George Atheletes were inducted into the Prince George Sports Hall of Fame with Excellence Awards.
Scott Bellavance - Freestyle Skiing
Kim Chadwick - Bowling
Tony Tomra - Power Lifting
Kurt Ottesen - Taekwon-Do
Hans Niedermeyer - Soccer
Wayne Spongagle - Boxing
Rotarians Gary Gurnsey, Bob Guy, Andrea Johnson, and Kelly Zammit attended the "District 5040 Assembly" in Quesnel on April 10th, 2010. On April 11th, these Rotarians and President Ken Pendergast also attended the required "Rotary Foundation Future Vision Plan Workshop in Quesnel, as part of the District 5040 "Pilot" for the Rotary Foundation.
Each Rotary Club in District 5040 must have at least two Rotarians participate in these workshops to qualify for application of either District or Global Grants during the next 3 years of the pilot program.
Nechako Rotarians each received a substantial amount of background literature to read and digest, in addition to the workshop exercises in preparation for the programs. This information will be shared with the club during the next few weeks as part of the clubs preparation for any planned applications for funding through the Rotary Foundation.
The District Assembly and Foundation Future Vision Workshop were hosted by the Quesnel Rotary Clubs and District Governor Elect Penny Offer and PDG Kevin Conway.
Both programs were well attended and successful in the spirit of Rotary.
On March 10th, 2010, the Nechako Rotary Club received a letter from UNBC's office of External Relations thanking the club for Rotary's part in providing scholarships to 927 students.
4 Rotary Bursuries were presented in values of $1000.00 each. An additional 3 Rotary Scholarships were presented, each valued at $1500.00.
On Monday, April 5th, 2010 The Nechako Rotary Club Members, along with some Rotary friends put their shoulders and backs to the load, and literally loaded a 53 foot trailer, donated by Jos Van Hage, with medical equipment, school books, black boards, desks and chairs, sewing machines, cloth materials, patterns and sundry other supplies. All this materials and equipment was packaged and loaded into the trailer in 2 1/2 hours of hard work for shipment to Vancouver, where it will soon be reloaded again into containers for transport to Liberia and Serra Leone.
Thank you Rotarians and friends for a job well done.
Dan Adamson, Environmental Manager for the City of Prince George provided an interesting presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the rational for reduction of energy consumption, in addition to the barriers to the process and the lack of support or uptake to energy reduction in Canada and Prince George.
Everyone has seen literature and promotion of our "Carbon Footprint" and the opportunity to buy or sell Carbon Credits. However, the concept is slow moving due to a number of factors including lack of knowledge, opportunities, time, bureaucracy, cost and lack of financing.
Further, the concept is not being strongly promoted due to lack of sharing, add on's to costs and apathy by the public and the market place.
Rotarian Brian Pearson thanked Dan Adamson for his presentation with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
Fellow Rotarian and Prince George City Mayor Dan Rogers provided the Nechako Club with a great presentation regarding the City's activities and budgets today as well as a look into the future, or long term.
Mayor Roger's identified with a couple of the significant City objects; one being a Clean Air Policy; the second having the City be known as a Knowledge Based Resource Economy.
Mayor Roger's identified the Top Ten current achievements he sees for the community, in declining order:
10) Top Cop position
9) SGOG Plan (A revitalized on the ground plan for the downtown core)
8) Alward Park Cancer Society Lodge
7) My PG
6) National Quality Institute
5) World Baseball Challenge
4) Road to the Roar
3) Olympic Torch Event
2) Boundary Road Project
1) City Road Rehabilitation Program. (largest budget ever for city road rehabilitation, increases to 3.4 Million dollars this year)
Rotarian Harold Spensley thanked Mayor Dan Rogers with another donation to our Shelter Box Canada Project. Thanks Dan for an informed update on our City
First Time Curler, Nechako Club Exchange Student Raissa Olmos Morandi is "In The Tea" as her prize for participating in the Nechako Rotary Fun Spiel on March 20th, 2010.
Rotarian Hans Johansen, Charter Member of the Nechako Rotary Club was recognized as an Honorary Member of the Club and presented a book, "One Hundred Years of Rotary" on behalf of the Club.
Hans plans to return as a regular member of the club in the future.
Raisaa Morandi, our Brazilian Exchange Student provided the Nechako Club with an exciting slide presentation about Brazil. The presentation was well documented in terms of Brazil - The Country - The Region - The City - The Family - Friends - and what I like to do. Very well done Rai.
Brazil is a very large and beautiful country with fantastic beaches, rivers, scenery, people and weather. A country with 200 million people. Rai has a lovely family that are very involved in Rotary youth. It is very evident that Rai is very proactive in every thing she does both at home in Brazil and home here in British Columbia during her year as our exchange school. We know Rai likes to do everything and be involved in everything while she is here.
Rai has 6 months of schooling to complete when she returns home to Brazil and then she will be off to University.
Thank you Rai for your very informative and warm presentation.
The Nechako Rotary Club provided sponsorship and support in this years Canspell 2010 competition. This years Spelling Bee hosted a total of 44 students throughout the north competing for the Northern BC Regional Title.
Cynthia Dykhuizen from Barlow Creek School in Quesnel will now represent the north at Canspell National Finals in Ottawa.
Thanks to Rotarians Gary Gurnsey and Ron Neukomm for their representation of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Rotarian Dr. William Osei introduced Brenda Matsen, Program Manager of the Northern Interior Dental Health Program, to provide a a detailed presentation on the use and benefits of Fluoridation both in Dentistry and in treatment of our drinking water. Water Fluoridation has been stated as "one of the 10 greatest public health achievements of the 20th century." It is further stated that Fluoridation has been helpful in improving the health of over 10 million Canadians and 184 million Americans.
Fluoridation is a regular water treatment in 4% of BC Communities including Fort St John, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Terrace, Cranbrook, Lake Cowichan, Sparwood and Williams Lake,
Rotarian Leona Anderson thanked Brenda for her presentation with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
Rotarian Sharon Blaker from the Chilliwack Rotary Club did a make-up meeting at the Nechako Rotary Club during his Business Trip to Prince George. Sharon is a Director of the Chilliwack Club and works as a Trainer for the RCMP in their involvement with First Nations and Healing Circles.
Sharon exchanged Banners with the Nechako Club.
Marilyn Juds, Founder & Research Coordinator for the Safe Water Coalition in Prince George, and Joanne Shilling, Secretary, provided an interesting and detailed presentation on the use of Fluoride in the Prince George water supply. Marilyn's presentation provided information dating into the 1950's regarding the use of fluorides including a number of quotations by Doctors and Scientists suggesting that fluorides have negative effects on people and should not be introduced into water systems.
Many countries have either stopped or banned the use of fluorides in their water supplies.
Marilyn's presentation on behalf of the Safe Water Coalition is all about the potential risks to humans and that the people in Prince George should have a say in the decisions that effect them on safety and health issues.
Marilyn and Joanne were thanked by Rotarian Bill Bateman, with a donation to Shelter Box Canada.
Nechako Rotary Club Charter Member Lloyd Clay provided the Rotary Foundation Moment today with comments regarding the recent impacts of the major earthquake in Chile as compared to the earthquake in Haiti.
Although the earthquake in Chile was much more severe in magnitude the effect was considerably less than the quake that hit Haiti.
Rotary has provided quick response to both of these disasters with Response Teams and the shipment of Shelter Boxes to assist with emergency aide and shelter for people effected in these quakes.
City Transit Analyst Daniel Pearce provided a very interesting presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the fleet of Transit Buses and Handi-Dart buses used to provide transportation for many of the residents of Prince George. The use of the City Transit System has doubled during the past 6 years with major traffic from UNBC to downtown area, the Spruceland route, Hart Highlands and College Heights. The city is trying some innovative ideas including tying bus fares to "Air Quality" and "Biking to Work" to encourage people to use the system more frequently.
Rotarian Kelly Zammit thanked Daniel for his presentation with a donation to our ShelterBox Canada Program.
Rotarian and Shelterbox Canada Ambassador Gary Gurnsey provided an update to the Nechako Rotary Club of the support in the north for the current campaign "Have a Heart for Haiti". Gary reports preliminary figures of approximately $100 thousand dollars collected from 100 Mile House and north, collectively and $20 thousand in Prince George alone. Gary estimates with other contributions coming in, Sheltarbox has raised about $120 thousand dollars. The current display at Pine Centre Mall is getting good responses and will remain their with staffing from Rotarians and volunteers from the public sector until Feb. 14th.
A reminder to anyone still thinking of making a donation, that the government is continuing to match all donations until midnight, February 12th, so time is running out.
Thank you Gary, for your leadership in this very worthy cause.
The Rotaract Club of Prince George Vice President, Erin Guy reported to the membership of the Nechako Rotary Club on their current progress with supporting their Shelterbox Program.
Rotaract have been very active in supporting the latest Shelterbox activities for "Have a Heart for Haiti" in addition to purchasing a Shelterbox during the visit with Shelterbox founder Tom Henderson.
Rotaract are planning to "Camp-out" in a Shelterbox both to and from Prince Rupert, in addition to the time of the 2010 District 5040 Rotary Conference in Prince Rupert May 13th to 16th.
During that time, Rotaract members will live in the Shelterbox with hopes of local communities providing them with their hospitality including food.
Good work Rotaract. Thank you.
Rotarian and Youth Exchange Director Gail MacLaren read an email report from our Exchange Student Raissa Olmos Morandi about her current adventures as one of the volunteers at the 2010 Olympics.
Rai is staying with Rotarian Hosts in Squamish, while working as a volunteer picking up trash around the venues at Whistler.
Rai has been getting in some great time, watching some of the sports, including being a one person "Cheer Leader" for her Brazilian competitors, as she is likely the only person their from Brazil except for the team.
Rai has even managed to get an interview on TV and seen by her friends and family at the Olympic Games.
Such is the life of a Rotary Exchange Student. Way to go Rai.
Guest Speaker Tamara Sweet provided a great presentation regarding the Canadian Blood Services. The role of blood donation is relatively simple but not well understood by the public in BC. Tamara indicates that a person giving blood can save up to three persons every hour due to the fact that the blood is separated into specific components and each of those three components can help to save a life.
Unfortunately, many people in BC are not blood donor's said Tamara, unlike many other provinces such as Alberta. Therefore, BC is required to import blood from other provinces to meet the needs of BC residents.
Rotarian Mark Feldinger thanked Tamara for her presentation with a donation to our Shelterbox Canada Program.
Assistant Sergeant at Arms Adele Sjoberg preforms her weekly duties of reporting on Club membership attendance to meetings and introduction of guests.
Thank you Adele.
Rotarian Shirley Moore was part of the Valentine's Day Presentation with a big smile for all.
Shirley has been absent for a few weeks while recuperating from surgery and is now getting back on her feet and back to business as usual.
Thanks Shirley, good to have you back as part of the club and the team.
Sewing Machines, materials, patterns and miscellaneous items were collected in Quesnel on Saturday, January 30th by Rotarians Gary Gurnsey, Bill Bateman, Steven Chang and Ken Pendergast.
A major supporter of this program, Judy Bala, Ruth Barthel, her husband and son, have been collecting sewing machines and materials in Prince George and Quesnel for the past few months. This shipment contained 25 additional sewing machines to compliment the previous collection, bringing the total to in excess of 120 sewing machines. All these machines are being repaired and serviced as required by Bill Bateman, prior to being placed in storage with other materials in Art Knapp's warehouse. These machines, materials, school supplies and medical equipment will be shipped to Vancouver this spring, in cooperation with the Rotary Club of Tsawassen, for further container shipment to both Liberia and Sierra Leone
Yellowhead Rotarian Jay Lazzarin, Chair of the 2010 Adventures In Forestry Program provided the Nechako Rotary Club with an update of this important youth program for Prince George.
Adventures in Forestry has been an annual event since 1991 with both the Downtown Club and the Nechako Club assisting the Yellowhead Club in seeking suitable candidates for this program as well as sharing in the initial cost of the program. The cost to each club is $350 dollars.
The Adventures in Forestry Program also offers a $1000.00 Bursary to students that are attending a course in Forestry or Environmental Studies.
Rotarian Bill Bateman thanked Jay for his presentation with a donation to our Shelterbox Canada Program.
Todays presentation "Have a Heart for Haiti" by Rotarian and Shelter Box Ambassador Gary Gurnsey, provided an update to our Club regarding the progress made in Prince George to solicit funds to provide assistance to Haiti.
Shelter Box has pledged 10,000 units to be shipped to Haiti. Canadians are responding to the Earthquake Disaster in Haiti in traditional Canadian style with donations in excess of $45 million dollars.
In Prince George, Shelter Box has raised over $50,000.00 to date. A Shelter Box is located in the Pine Centre Mall until Feb. 14th, with Rotarians and volunteers staffing the display in two hour shifts.
This morning following Gary's presentation, the Hat was passed throughout the membership with donations amounting to $1255.00 raised. Tax receipts will be provided from Shelter Box for these donations.
Anyone not attending the meeting this morning that would like to make a donation, please contact Gary Gurnsey or Ken Pendergast directly.
The Nechako Club will entertain a vote to during Monday evening Director's Meeting to match the donation's of the individual members. These donations are being matched, dollar for dollar, by our Federal Government. This would represent another 5 Shelter Boxes going to Haiti.
Thank you Gary and all the fellow Rotarians that made a contribution to Shelter Box.
Shawn Rice, Marketing Director for the Prince George World Baseball Challenge held in July 2009, provided a series of picture slides of the event including the various Sponsors, action shots and pictures of the Kids Camp training.
The three Prince George Rotary Clubs were the Sponsors of the 4 day Kids Camp program, where over 100 local boys and girls were provided 4 days of rigorous training in baseball by professional trainers in the basics of baseball. Many of the parents came out as spectators as well as helping with some of the logistics during these four days of camp.
The camp has received very positive reviews from the kids and their parents as one of the best opportunities they have had in Prince George to assist these young people learn the basics of the game as well as sportsmanship.
The World Baseball Challenge will take place again in 2011 in Prince George. Rotary has first rights to continue as the Sponsor for this event in 2011.
The World Baseball Challenge provided some items of clothing that were auctioned to our members, with the proceeds designated to Shelter Box program specific to "Have a Heart for Haiti." $160.00 was raised through this auction.
Shawn was presented with a certificate by the Club making a Donation to our Shelter Box Canada project.
Your Prince George Cougars, including General Manager Dallas Thompson, Head Coach Dean Clark and Assistant Coaches Jason Becker and Jeff Battam attended the breakfast meeting of the Nechako Rotary Club on January 13th, 2010.
Head Coach Dean Clark informed the Club of the current status of the Prince George Cougars, indicating they are not having a great scoring year, but still have a "shot" at the playoffs with about 29 games left in the regular season.
The Cougars have been supporters of the Nechako Club Operation Red Nose Program during the past few years, allowing the Red Nose Committee to host a booth during the initial games surrounding the Red Nose Kick-off, including a large quantity of free tickets for the game, and publicity with the official "Puck Drop".
Rotarian and potential Cougars "Star" Lloyd Clay presented Dean Clark with a certificate as one of our "Bronze" Sponsors, as well as our donation to the Shelter Box Canada Program.
Thank you Prince George Cougars.
One of the newer Youth Groups, the Camp Hughes group for Scouts Canada came out to assist with our 2009 Operation Red Nose Program. Scouts Canada were a little late in getting organized and could not provide a lot of volunteers this year, due to lack of timely Criminal Record Checks. However, I am assured that Scouts Canada will be on side again during our 2010 campaign with much greater volunteering presence, in addition to the always faithful support and participation of our Chief Scouter, Donald Macdonald.
A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Scouts Canada's Camp Hughes group during our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.
Accepting the Certificate is Elizabeth French, Area Commissioner for Scouts Canada.
The Pisces Swim Club provided a total of 184 hours/26 person nights of Volunteering for our 2009 Operation Red Nose Program.
A Certificiate of Appreciation was presented to the Pisces Swim Club for their support and participation.
The Pathfinders organization came out in large numbers of volunteers again this year, providing 421 volunteer hours/60 person nights with our program.
The Pathfinders provided volunteer assistance on phones, driving, dispatching and runner to help make our program the success it is. Without this kind of support, our Operation Red Nose Program could not function. Thank you Pathfinders for your great continued support and participation.
T&S Communications was recognized as one of our Gold Sponsors during the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January 9th. T&S Communications provide all the VHF radios and Dispatch base station for our Operation Red Nose Program each year.
Accepting the Plaque on behalf of T&S Communications is Eldon Toombs. Eldon also assisted as one of our Dispatchers, including New Years Eve, where he and Gordon Smith did a miraculous job of trying to keep 25 teams on the job of delivering 151 safe rides to clients during a 4 hour period.
Thank you T&S Communications for your continued support and participation.
The Barracuda Swim Club provided 242 hours/35 person nights of volunteering to assist with our 2009 Operation Red Nose Program.
The Barracuda Swim Club were presented a Cerificate of Appreciation for this great support and Participation. Accepting the Certificate is Doug Hurd, one of the many people that came out to assist with our Safe Ride Home Program.
The Prince George Crisis Pregnancy Centre organization provided 242 volunteer hours/35 person nights of volunteers during our 2009 Operation Red Nose Campaign. These people came out on a regular basis to provide the safe ride teams necessary to deliver our program. Without these volunteer groups our program would not function.
A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to the Prince George Cris Pregnancy Centre for their support and participation, during the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January 9th.
The Prince George Citizen was recognized as a Gold Sponsor again this year during our Operation Red Nose Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. The Citizen provided almost continual support and written Media Coverage of our 2009 Red Nose Campaign. Accepting the Plaque on behalf of The Citizen is Allan Ramsey. Allan has been a faithful corespondent with our program. Thank you Allan.
Once again, "Just Goode Food" has gone above and beyond in their support to Rotary and our Operation Red Nose Program, Rotarian Gordon Smith and wife Marge, came out faithfully each of the nine nights of operation, providing food and beverage for all the volunteers. To top it off, Marge has functioned with Heather Spicer to organize all the volunteers and then work the phones each night of our operations. Gord has assumed the roll of Driver and Dispatch assistant as well as all around handy man during each night of operations. Gord has also functioned as one of the ORN Steering committee each and every year of our program.
"Just Goode Food" is recognized as one of our Bronze Sponsors. They provided an excellent dinner for our Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January 9th, as usual.
Thank you Gordon and Marge for your faithful and continuous support.
Our Operation Red Nose Partner ICBC was recognized with a plaque during the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January 9th. Accepting the Plaque is Diana Pozer. Diana is the Safety Coordinator for ICBC as well as one of our ORN Committee members. ICBC has provided our program with the venue for all of of our Red Nose Program since inception. Thank you Diana for a great job.
Operation Red Nose Partner Chan Foucher LeFebvre was recognized with a Plaque during the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner on January 9th, 2010.
Accepting the Plaque is our own Rotarian Alain LeFebvre. In addition to being our official Red Nose Program Auditor, Alain came out and dispatched the program for us on Dec. 18th and 19th, with a new all time record of 167 rides with 20 teams of volunteers.
Congratulations Alain. Great job as usual.
The Prince George RCMP was recognized as one of our Operation Red Nose Partners during the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. The RCMP provide our Program with support for operations within Prince George through completion of all our Criminal Record checks required for each volunteer each year. Our regular RCMP member Constable Carissa Hornoi, Community Policing Manager and member of our Steering Committee could not attend our appreciation dinner.
Accepting the Plaque on behave of Community Policing is our own "Mother Goose" Heather Spicer. Heather works at Community Policing as well as a very valuable member of our steering committee since day one.
Integris Credit Union was recognized as one of our newest Gold Sponsors at the Volunteer Appreciation Dinner. In previous years, Integris has been a Silver Sponsor. This year, with some serious persuasion by the local Branch Manager and Nechako Rotarian Kelly Zammit, Integris moved into the "gold". Accepting the Plaque on behalf of Integris is Kelly Zammit. In Kelly's spare time, she also functions as our Operation Red Nose Program Chair, and is responsible for all the art work, Brochure and appreciation letters and certificates for the program. Congratulations Kelly for a superb job.
Nechako Rotary Club Exchange Student "RAI" from Brazil, has had a busy weekend travelling to and from Smithers on the train along with fellow exchange students. Rai said the train was really nice and they enjoyed the trip very much. Rai also got her first experience on both Skis and then Snow Boarding. She likes both of them very much. Skiing, Snowboarding, Skating, Curling and pretty much anything to do with sports, fun and people in Canada is on "Rai's Wish List" of things she would like to have the opportunity to try while she is our student in Canada.
Please take the opportunity to host Rai when possible on some of these outings.
The attached caption from todays copy of "BC" in the Citizen seems to accurately capture the image of the well dressed ORN Driver, prepared for any wintere conditions in Prince George
Charter Member Don Grantham has been a Rotarian for over 30 years, having been a Rotarian in Vanderhoof prior to returning to work in Prince George.
When Don returned to Prince George he tried to transfer his Rotary Membership from Vanderhoof to Prince George, but under the old classification system, there were to many Rotarians already holding that classification.
Don was asked to help form the new Nechako Rotary Club as one of the Charter Members. Don has functioned in all the Avenues of Service during his years in Rotary and served as President of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Don and Joyce spend 6 months each summer at their lake home, and travel to other places such as Hawaii and time with family members, making it difficult to maintain regular attendance. The Nechako Rotary Club have opted to make Don an Honorary Member of the Club, where he can stay involved with Rotary when he is home and remain connected with all their Rotary friends.
Rotarians Ron Neukomm and sponsor Gary Gurnsey inducted Dr. Steven Chang into the Nechako Rotary Club on December 9th, 2009.
Dr. Chang is a Medical Practitioner in Prince George that spends much of his time working on International Medical Projects in countries that have little or no medical assistance. Dr. Chang is currently active in a program in Serra Leone where a medical team will visit the last week of January and first week of February, 2010.
Welcome Doctor Steven Chang to the Wonderful World of Rotary and the Nechako Rotary Club.
Rotarian Ron Neukomm and Isabel Fleck provided a short report on the success of our Dictionary Program to date:
During the 2007-2008 School Year we presented 626 Dictionaries to 5 schools.
In the 2008-2009 School Year we presented 2622 Dictionaries to 25 schools.
This year, 2009-2010 School Year, we have presented 1385 Dictionaries to a further 33 schools, This represents a total of 4633 dictionaries over the three years. The club has additional dictionaries in stock to cover next years program with the soon to be acquired supply of French Dictionaries for three of our schools offering French language classes.
This is a remarkable program delivered by members of our club from funds raised primarily from our Operation Red Nose Program.
Congratulations Rotarians for an outstanding program.
President of CNC and Yellowhead Rotarian John Bowman provided information to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the "Prince GEorge Fitness Challenge 2010".
The "Prince George Fitness Challenge 2010" (PGFC 2010) is a joint project sponsored by the Yellowhead Rotary Club, College of New Caledonia, and Northern Health. The purposes of the PGFC
2010 are to:
• encourage Prince George residents to learn more about their personal health, dietary issues and physical fitness;
• motivate Prince George residents to begin a program of regular physical activity and healthy eating that will support their achievement of personal goals regarding physical fitness, body weight and general health;
• help build relationship connections and a community of support for individuals adopting healthy lifestyles and physical fitness activity; and,
• raise funds for worthy projects in the Prince George community (e.g. literacy, health and wellness,school-based nutrition, etc.)
Individuals and/or teams of four will register for participation in a sixteen-week program of health and fitness activities that they will select, plan and actively participate in between January 3, 2010 and April 24, 2010.
Participant will be provided with information and access to local health, physical fitness, dietary resources and other related expertise (e.g. from Northern Health, CNC, UNBC, local fitness clubs and other related service providers, etc.).
Rotarian Andrea Johnson thanked John Bowman with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Progect.
Andrew Burton, Artistic Director of Street Spirits presented an interesting talk regarding "Street Spirits Theatre Company" to the Nechako Rotary Club on December 2nd, 2009.
Street Spirits is an established youth driven social action theatre program, operating since 1999, providing performances, workshops and special events in BC and across North America.
Street Spirits works with youth from the community to develop a positive peer culture around the concepts of social responsibility and community action. Youths can join Street Spirit as early as age 13. Senior members can take leadership roles in the program.
The program is funded through a variety of sources including donations, revenue from performances and workshops and grants from government and foundations. The program is run on a volunteer basis.
Andrew was thanked by Rotarian Adele Sjoberg, with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
The 2009 Rotary Foundation Dinner was a complete success on Saturday, November 21st, at the Prince George Kinsmen's Centre.
Approximately 100 Rotarians and spouses were in attendance to hear about Polio by Joan Toone. Chris Offer, District 5040 Director of the Foundation provided some additional background on what is happening in The Rotary Foundation program. Rotarians were treated to some very good entertainment, fellowship and excellant food. Rotarians were also generous in their contributions to the Foundation through purchases at the Bar, the Live Auction and the Silent Auction.
If you were not there, you missed a good event and might feel obligued to pay a "Sad Dollar".
Nechako Rotary Youth Exchange Student "Rai Almos Morandi" took a few minutes during the morning meeting to update the membership on her activities as our Exchange Student from Brazil. Rai has been a very busy student attending her studies in school, skiing and attending the Foundation Dinner.
Rai indicated she loved skiing for the first time, considering she never saw snow before her arrival to Prince George. Rai wants to spend more time skiing as she is sure she can become more skilled with practice.
Rai also experienced "levitation" during her involvement with our magician and one of his performances at the Foundation Dinner. Rai indicated it was a weird experience, seeming to literally float in space.
Mark Fercho, from My PG and Mike Davis, Manager of Communications & Citizen Engagement attending the Nechako Rotary Club to present the latest City initiative on Integrated Community Sustainability Planning for Prince George.
The Plan is called My PG. This plan has been in the development stage for the past year, involving Community Partners, the Mayor and Council, and members of the Public. The plan process includes a short questionnaire allowing members of the public to provide input and feedback.
The plan is designed to drive the community's future plans, goals, decisions and budget. This is the first time the City has evolved from Annual Plans to the concept of Incremental Planning.
Mark indicated the process follows other similar processes in place in communities and provincial governments. The process is well worth the time and effort required to ensure all levels of the community is provided an opportunity to input into our City's long term planning.
Mark was thanked by Rotarian Bob Guy with a donation to the Shelter Box Canada Program.
District 5040 Foundation Director Chris Offer attended the Prince George Foundation Dinner on Saturday night Novemeber 21st.
Chris took a few minutes to update Rotarians regarding the great work the Foundation is doing with Polio Plus money being raised to meet the $200 Million Dollar challenge created when Bill Gates pledged their $355 Million Dollars in the final efforts to eradicate Polio in the remaining four countries.
Rotarian Harold Spensley was recognized for his hard work and dedication during the past years with the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum.
Harold was presented with a coveted Pewter Rotary ashtray and a $250 donation to the Railway and Forestry Museum.
Kristen Harrott, Executive Director of the Pacific Sport Northern BC Centre at UNBC presented a combination of short videos and slides regarding the exciting Sport for Life programs available to children age 3 to 12, youth age 13 to 18 and adults. The Charles Jago Northern Sport Centre at UNBC is linked with Canadian Sport Centres to provide well designed and controlled programs for people of all ages in our community.
Thank you Kristen for a very informative presentation.
Kristen was thanked by rotarian Harold Spensley with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
The "Watering Hole or Oasis" for the Rotary Foundation Dinner on Saturday night, November 21st was staffed by our own Rotartact Club of Prince George.
These young Rotarians did a good job of keeping the remaining rotarians well watered during the evening so they could yell "bids" during the Auction and cruise the Silent Auction items making written bids.
Pictured is President Erin Guy and two of her fellow Rotaractors.
Nechako Rotary Club Exchange Student "Rai" was part of the levitation magical act during the Rotary Foundation entertainment on Saturday night, November 21st.
Rai was "balanced" on a chair as if she was floating on a cloud, which is something exchange students do regularly.
Joan Toone is a victim of Poliomyelitis. Joan was paralyzed by polio in 1951.
Both Joan and her husband Terry Toone attended the Foundation Dinner Saturday November 21st,in Prince George.
Joan's purpose for her presentation at the Foundation Dinner was to teach people about the effects of Polio and the trauma of Post Polio Syndrome. Joan also wants to inform Rotarians about the huge value of the Polio Plus Program and how it relates to Post Polio.
Joan was thanked for her presentation by Bob Campbell, President of the Downtown Rotary Club.
Our Nechako Club Exchange Student Raissa and Rotarian Diane Nakamura attended a Traditional Native Feast with the Necoslie Native Band in Fort St James on October 29th.
Rai was invited to participate with some of the Band Members with their traditional "Snare Drums".
Congratulations Rai for being our proud student participant.
Last years Rotary Exchange Student sponsored by the Nechako Rotary Club, Deanna Palmer of Burns Lake, attended the Club during our Halloween Breakfast and provided a good presentation and pictures of her year in the Philipines.
Deanna enjoyed her exchange very much and admits it was a real experience to go from a "have" country to a country that is not nearly as fortunate as we are in Canada.
That you Deanna for your presentation. Deanna was thanked by Rotarian and Past District Governor Ron Neukomm. A donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program will be made on Deanna's behalf.
Past Exchange Student Deanna Palmer from Burns Lake, whom the Nechako Rotary Club sponsored to go to the Philipines for a year, and our current Exchange Student Rai Olmos Morandi from Brazil, chat during our Halloween Breakfast.
The Nechako Rotary Club are in good hands with both the Sergeant at Arms and assistant Sergeant at Arms dressed for Halloween Breakfast on October 21st, 2009.
Rotarian Shirley Moore and Nechako Club exchange Student Rai Olmos Morandi get a short break for the camera while handing out shopping bags and a suggested grocery list to members of the public during the "Stuff a Bag" with non perishable grocery items for the Salvation Army Food Bank.
The Nechako Team working on a member of the public to make a food donation to the "Stuff a Bag" program with the Salvation Army/Save On Food drive at the Hart Save On Food store.
Rotarian Kelly Zammit's son Luke came out to assist the Nechako Club at the Hart Save On Food Store with the "Stuff a Bag" with non perishable groceries for the Salvation Army/Save On Food program.
Luke also helped the public with cash donations to the Salvation Army Kettle.
Thanks Luke for a great day.
"Bashful Ivan" Cartwright braves the cold morning on October 10th to staff the Salvation Army Kettle as part of the Prince George Food Bank Program.
The Nechako Club assisted the program at the Hart Save On Store as part of the October 10th, "A Day in the Life of Rotary" program.
The attached picture is the proceeds for the day from all "Stuff a Bag" events for the Salvation Army/Save On Food stores in Prince George. This is a huge amount of food donated by the public in Prince George. The Salvation Army one ton van was completely full of food at the end of the 6 hour event.
Thank you to everyone that helped to make this day such a success.
Nechako Club Rotarians pulled together on October 10th, 2009 to assist the Prince George Salvation Army/Save On Foods program to stock the warehouse of the PG Food Bank with groceries for the on coming cold season.
The Nechako Club worked the Hart Save On Food Store from 11 AM to 5 PM while CIBC, Rotarians from the Yellowhead Club and the Prince George Rotaract Club provided people for the other Save On Food Stores.
The day proved very successful with the people in Prince George making generous donations of non perishable groceries as well as cash donations to the Salvation Army Kettles.
Thank you to Nechako Club members Barbara Croome, Rod Croome, Ron Neukomm, Gary Gurnsey, Ivan Cartwright, Gail MacLaren, Kelly Zammit, son Luke Zammit, Shirley Moore and our exchange Student Rai Olmos Morandi for organizing, pick up and delivery and helping to staff the event at Hart Save On Foods.
The event was a great day in the Life of Rotary.
Team Nechako participated again this year in the annual "Run for the Cure".
The Prince George run had a total of 735 participants, with over $100 thousand dollars raised from participants and sponsors.
Thank you to members of the Nechako Rotary Club for support with donations and participation.
Nechako members that participated were: Shirley Moore, Jane Newman, Mayor Dan Rogers, Ivan Cartwright, Larry Parker, Raissa Morandi, Ken Pendergast, Gail MacLaren, Chelsea Kirkpatrick and Jillian Newman.
Only three members were available for a Team Photo opportunity.
22 Rotarians from Prince George, Fort St James, Quesnel and 100 Mile House attended the first offering of the Rotary Leadership Institute Level 1 Training in Prince George on Sept 19th, 2009.
The course was interesting and provided lots of exchange of ideas and practical exercises for all participants.
President Erin Guy works the information booth at UNBC during Wednesday and Thursday to inform potential members about Rotaract with a good response and many signees. Erin and colleagues also provided the same display presentation at CNC the week before.
The re-vitalized Rotaract Club is well on its way again with sponsorship from the Nechako Rotary Club.
Rotaract have arranged a meeting room at Treasure Cove Casino and will meet twice per month, the first and third weeks of the month.
Brazilian Exchange Student Raissa (Rai) Morandi provided a weekly update to the Nechako Club of her activities as our new exchange student. Rai attended the inbound orientation session in 100 Mile House on the weekend as well as her first week in school. Rai is very happy with her school and is keen to "Learn a lot."
Rai presented the Nechako Club with a Brazilian Flag that will be flown during weekly meetings through her year in Prince George.
Rotarian Isabel Fleck provides some last minute arrangements for the Nechako Clubs volunteers to the "Raise A Reader" program scheduled for Sept. 23rd.
Isabel also updated the club on our current Dictionary Program, including the opportunity for Rotarians to purchase copies of our dictionary at $5.00 per copy. The dictionary might be useful as "Stocking Stuffers", gifts to grand children, etc. and each Rotarian is encouraged to purchase at least one copy to help with the expenses of the program, including purchase of the books, shipping etc.
Vince Ramcharran is taking 70 copies of our Dictionary on his trip to Guyana this fall, so our dictionaries are becoming International circulated.
The annual Tri-Club Golf Challenge was a success on Monday Sept. 14th, 2009 with the Nechako Rotary winning over the Downtown and Yellowhead Rotary Clubs by a narrow margin, thanks to the fine accounting and the Calloway System used by Event Coordinator, Larry Parker and his orginizing group.
Prizes were donated by Yellowhead Road & Bridge, Integris Credit Union, McElhanney Engineering, KPMG, Timberline Foot Fitters, J Source It Supplies, CNC and Deloitte Touche.
Participants from the Nechako Club were: Neil King, Brenda Peacock, Ken Pendergast, Anita Pendergast, Bonnie Urquihart, Ken Urquihart, Andrea Johnson, Don Grantham, Larry Parker and Alain LeFebvre.
Both Alain and Larry had very good games, shooting under their handi-cap.
District Governor Gordon Dalglish presented a motivating speech to the Nechako Rotary Club during his annual visit to Prince George. Gordon provided District 5040 focus for the Rotary Year with the Theme "The Future of Rotary is in your hands."
Gordon returned to Prince George in the afternoon and attended the Nechako Clubs monthly Directors Meeting, providing comments and encouoragement for the great work being done by our Club.
President Gary Gurnsey applied for recognition of the District Governor's Presidential Citation during the year 2008-2009.
District Governor Gordon Dalglish presented the Prince George-Nechako Rotary Club with the Presidential Citation for for the year 2008-2009 for achievement of this distinguished goal achievement.
The Award was presented during Govenor Gordon's presentation and received on our behalf by the current President, Ken Pendergast.
Thank you Gary Gurnsey for your leadership and guidance in achieving this goal of our "efforts to reduce Child mortaility and Make Dreams Real for the world's children."
Our Brazilian Exchange Student Raissa Morandi, whom prefers to be called "Rai" provides the Nechako Club an update on her busy week which included a trip to Edmonton, the West Edmonton Mall, the rip through Jasper and preparations for he upcoming school year in Prince George.
Rai is a brilliant young ambassador to her country and is certain to make a great impression to all of us during the coming year.
Rai presented a Brazilian Flag to the Nechako Club, that will be displayed weekly during the year of her exchange.
Thank you Rai for your enthusiastic update.
Members of the Nechako, Yellowhead and Downtown Club met with Rotarian and professional facilitator Don Evans from Vancouver on Sept 12th and 13th to prepare a Tri-Club Strategic Plan for Rotary in Prince George.
Don Evans has provided facilitation for 15 Rotary Clubs previously in preparation of Strategic Plans.
Don did an exemplary job of leading the Prince George Rotarians through the process, keeping everyone on target and focused.
The resultant plan will be presented to all three clubs during the next few weeks, with a planned update process in January 2010 to guide the President Elects in their goals for PETS in March 2010.
Past President and Foundation Chair Larry Parker presented a second "Paul Harris Fellow" Award to Charter Rotary Member Gordon Smith.
Congratulations Gordon.
Barbara Croome, Community Ministries Coordinator for the Salvation Army, provided details regarding the activities of the Salvation Army in Prince George.
15 Rotarians from the three Prince George Rotary Clubs, in addition to two people from the David Douglas Botanical Society, came out armed with Mattocks, Shovels, Pulaski Tools, as well as two brush saws and a portable chipper from PG Rentals, to do some remedial work on the Pavilion area.
The Botanical Society are preparing a plan to plant native trees, shrubs and grasses in the area in support of the new Rotary Pavilion.
Thanks to Nechako Rotarians Lloyd Clay, Ivan Cartwright, Kelly Zammit, Bob and Erin Guy for coming out to assist with the work party.
Another few hours is required to complete the tree cutting and removal, to be scheduled on an evening in a week or so, when the weather is not quite so hot.
Lunches were provided by Quisno's as well as a Highab truck by Ken Sands.
Rotarian Bonnie Urquhart couldn't come out and volunteer due to her work schedule, but her husband Ken Urquhart came out on Bonnie's behalf to assist with the "General Golfer" duties.
Thanks Ken.
87 young Prince George youth provide their undivided attention to the volunteer coaches from the World Base Ball Challenge during the 4 day training camp.
Volunteers from both the Yellowhead Club and the Nechako Club came out to assist with registration, serving, training sessions, ball diamand maintenance and "General Golfer"
during the Youth Training Camp provided as part of the World Baseball Challenge.
Thanks to Tamara Shaw, Jim Imrich, Tracy MaCall and Thersa Healy and Bill Hellyer from the Yellowhead Club.
Thanks also to Kelly Zammit, Gary Gurnsey, Ken Urquhart (Bonnie) Larry Parker, Ivan Cartwright and Bob Guy from Nechako Rotary Club.
87 young ball players, age 6 to 13 attended the four day Youth Training Camp Monday through Thursday July 20th to 24th.
Coaches from Team Canada, Team BC and the PG Axemen provided a total of 20 hours of training for these youngsters from Prince George.
The "Kids had a Ball" from all the reviews of parents, coaches and the kids themselves.
The 20 hours was action packed with warm up exercises, technigue, ball handling, batting, and good old ball playing, where the teams were made up by age class and the game is on.
Dennis Nore, representing the Canadian Cancer Society, and Cpl. Mike Stevenson representing the PG RCMP, made a presentation regarding the Cops for Cancer 2009 "Tour de North."
The Tour de North is a program provided by the police since 1994 in an effort to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and programs for support and encouragement to young children with cancer.
The Tour de North covers a total of 830 kilometers from Prince George to Prince Rupert. Police members from the northern communities do some serious training to endure the average 8 hours per day ride on bicycles, where they average approximately 53 kilometers per hour. The ride is strenuous and the group cannot wait for any stragglers, so each participant must get themselves in shape for the ride. The course is conducted over the period of 7 days and nights.
Cpl. Mike Stevenson has completed this Tour de North four times.
Dennis Nore indicated that a sum of $1500 per week is required to assist a family during the period of months spent through rehabilitation of their child with cancer. A donation of $5,000 will generally cover the entire cost for one child's rehabilitation.
Rotarian Hugh Nicholson thanked Dennis and Mike for their presentation with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada program.
Nechako Rotary Exchange Student Chloe Berset said Good Bye to the Club this morning, as she leaves for Vancouver to spend some time while meeting her parents from Switzerland.
Chloe and her parents will be returning to PG in the last week of July and promise to come and see the club during that visit.
The end of July, Chloe and her parents will be returning to Switzerland, where Chloe will complete her schooling.
Chloe leaves with mixed feelings as she has made some life long friends in Prince George during this past year, and is committed to returning to Canada again one day after she has completed he education.
At the Prince George Airport, Chloe and two of her friends pose during her farewell.
Good luck Chloe. You have been a great Ambassador for Switzerland.
Shall Sinha, PHD and professional speaker, provided an excellant presentation about Herbert J. Taylor as a Rotarian and manager during the early years of Rotary and the depression.
Herbert J Taylor is the author of the "Four Way Test" a composition of only 24 words put together to inspire employees during the depression years to live and work better.
These 24 words have become symbollic to all Rotarians as a way of life.
Shall Sinha has been a disciple of India's Mahatma Gandhi for many years having been exposed in his early years in India to the work and wisdom of Gandhi everyday.
Prior to the 1980's Shall made the decision to devote the rest of his life to teaching others about Gandhi approach to life. Shall obtained his Master's and PHD in Engineering He specialized in aeronautics for Pratt & Whitney and the Canadian Armed Forces.
Shall and his wife, both Rotarians from Edmonton Alberta, travel extensively promoting Gandhi through Rotary.
Shall is the author of three books - "From Ordinary to Extraordinary", "24 Heroic Journeys" and "Words of Wisdom from 500 Lives".
You can learn more about Shall Sinha by visitng his website. http:www.peace.ca
Thank you Shall for your inspiring presentation.
Rotarian Ron Neukomm thanked Doctor Shall Sinha with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
Another one of Nechako Rotary's great young Exchange Student's is completing her last few days of the one year exchange program. Chloe has been a great ambassador to her country of Switzerland. She has enjoyed a very busy year of school, travel, skiing and friendships she will have as fond memories.
Chloe leaves for home next week with mixed emotions as she looks forward to going home but also sad to be leaving her families and friends during this past year.
Good Luck Chloe. We hope to see you again soon.
Rotarian Cathy Travis and RYLARIAN Mark Stevens provided a short comment on the success of RYLA North this spring.
RYLA is a wonderful youth leadership program that provides some of our young adults with skills and leadership qualities that will assist them throughout their lives.
Rotarian Tom Leboe provided fellow Rotarians with a brief background of his classification as "Brewmaster".
Tom has been a long term resident of Prince George working as Brewmaster at Pacific Western Breweries, where Tom confirms that business continues to grow better and better each year since the brewery was bought by the current owner in 1991.
Tom and his wife Jean are well known for their love of children, having one by natural birth, one adopted child and a total of 63 foster children to their credit.
Congratulations Tom and Jean for such a wonderful contribution.
On Friday, June 5th, 2009 the three Prince George Rotary Clubs celebrated the official completion of the Rotary Centennial Pavillion constructed at the view point in front of UNBC.
The project has been a long one, spanning almost 5 years from plans to completion.
A commemorative plague will be mounted on a large stone in front of the pavillion to mark the occasion in addition to a "Time Capsul" that is being placed with the rock.
The event was honoured by presentatations from a City of Prince George Representative, followed by MLA Shirley Bond, and UNBC representative Rob Van Adrichem.
Ron Fichner, President of the Downtown Rotary Club, and MC for the occasion, thought many of us might not be around to see the viewing of the Time Capsul in a hundred years, but sure that the contents would remember the occasion well.
PDG Ron Neukomm and sponsor Gary Gurnsey inducted our newest Rotarian, Andrea Johnson, into the Nechako Rotary Club. Andrea recently moved from Quesnel, BC, where she was a Rotarian.
Andrea is very Rotary minded and keen to get involved with the community events sponsored by the Nechako Rotary Club.
Andrea works for the College of New Caledonia and holds the classification of "Public Relations".
Catherine Kendall, Community Development Coordinator for the Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre Society provided a slide presentation regarding their Society with the specific Mission of: Developing a neighbourhood which is safe and healthy for all residents, with a particular focus on the needs of children, youth and families.
The Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre is currently campaigning and fund raising to construct a community centre which will provide a variety of educational, recreational and business opportunities.
Catherine was thanked by Rotarian Garry Howse, with a donation to our Shelter Box Canada Program.
Kurt Wolf, Manager & Graphic Artist of Custom Stitch, made a presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club regarding the large number of Mountain Bike Parks being constructed in communities throughout the province.
In Prince George, young mountain bikers are using public facilities and private property, often office building complex fixtures for their riding practice, as Prince George doesn't provide venues for Mountain Biker's to learn and practice their riding skills. Often, the makeshift facilities used are "Home Grown" and not safe for use.
The PG Cycling Club provide basic training and education for up to 40 young mountain bikers or "Sprockids" at places like the Otway Ski Club until better and more permanent facilities can be planned and funded through the city and supported by organizations such Rotary and the business community.
Thank you Kurt for your detailed and enthusiastic presentation. A donation to Polio Plus has been made on your behalf.
The Group Study Exchange from the United Kingdom arrived in Prince George on May 9th and were greeted by their Rotarian Host Families during an informal BBQ and visit to the Prince George Railway and Forestry Museum.
The GSE Team were provided tours of Pacific Western Brewery, Prince George's Canfor Pulp Mill and UNBC. The team also spent Monday afternoon participating in vocational visits at PGRH, Exploration Place, The City of PG, the local CPAC and RCMP offices as well as a tour of the PG Regional Corrections Centre.
Following a Tri-Club Rotary Meeting at the Downtown Rotary Club on Tuesday, May 12th, the GSE Team were provided a tour of Dunkley Lumbers sawmill and planer mill before being met by the Quesnel Rotary Clubs to continue their tour in the Cariboo and onward to Victoria where they will participate in the District 5040 Annual Rotary Convention May 22nd to 24th.
The UK Team were very pleased with their stay in Prince George and very appreciative of the hospitality of their host families and the three Prince George Rotary Clubs.
President Gary Gurnsey presented a cheque on May 9th, 2009, for $ 5,000.00 to Ranjit, General Manager of the Prince George Railway & Forestry Museum. The money was raised by the Nechako Rotary Club through a special grant provided by BC Gaming under the BC Volunteer Incentive Program (BC150 VIP). We were able to recognize 100 volunteers, who supported our Operation Red Nose Program with a minimum of 5 hours each to our 2008 Red Nose Project.
In addition to our funds, each volunteer will receive a letter of recogniton form the Premier of B.C
Rotarian Cathy Travis, a member of the PG Downtown Club, made a short presentation on the values and benefits of the Rotary Youth Leadership Program (RYLA), with some examples of how this excellant program directed at our young adults in the community has helped them in their education, communication skills and careers.
Many of our newer Rotarians and future Rotarians will be generated from their exposure as Rylarians. Prince George is one of the hosts for the RYLA North program and Cathy is asking each Rotarian to canvas their work area, their church or other organizations for suitable candidates for the next RYLA North Program that is scheduled for the first week of July.
Thank you Cathy for your devotion and dedication to this great program.
Prince George Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar, Kinona Avo, is a young Japanese scholar that has been attending UNBC through our Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Program for the past two years.
Kinona is very thankful to Rotary for the opportunity to attend UNBC's very challenging program these past two years. She also indicated her appreciation for the interaction with all the fine people in Prince George.
Kinona is going back to Japan in June to make a presentation to one of the Japanese Rotary Clubs, but will return to Prince George again in July for a futher two years of education at UNBC to complete her training.
Thank you Kinona for your enthusiastic presentation. Rotary is proud of you. A donation to our ShelterBox - Canada Program is made in your honour.
Michael Bayley, a Consultant with the Investors Group Financial Services Inc. provided a short talk regarding the opportunity to attend a presentation by Craig Kielburger. This event is an exclusive to Investors Group Clients, families and friends and is suitable for children ages nine and older, high school and University students and adults of all ages.
Craig Kielburger is an accomplished child rights advocate and leadership specialist. He is the founder of "Free The Children" and co-founder of "Leaders Today".
The presentation is scheduled for Monday June 1st at the PG Civic Centre.
If you would like to attend this performance, contact Michael Bayley at 250-564-2310.
Dr. William Osei, Chief Medical Health Officer for the Northern Health Authority provided the Nechako Rotary Club a presentation on Health, the practice of focusing on prevention, leading to good health rather than having to focus on the cure after the healthy conditions have deteriorated.
Dr. Osei is a very well travelled authority on issues of health. He is also a past Rotarian of clubs in Batswana and Regina.
Rotarian and Past President Larry Parker thanked Dr. Osei on behalf of the Nechako Rotary Club.
Our Youth Exchange Student from Switzerland, Chloe, presented a presentation with some beautiful slides of her homeland, traditions, and her family to the Club as part of our Family Day in Rotary.
Switzerland is a beautiful country with many mountains, flowers, traditions, water, landscapes and snow.
President Gary Gurnsey suggested that possibly Chloe is responsible for some of the heavy snows experienced here in Prince George during Chloe's year.
Thank you Chloe for your presentation. Enjoy your trip to the Queen Charlotte Islands, followed by your trek around BC and to the District Convention in Victoria.
Shelter Box Canada Area Ambassador Gary Gurnsey arranged for a weekend display of one complete "Shelter Box" display at the Pine Centre Mall on Friday and Saturday, April 17th and 18th.
The display was staffed with a number of members from the Nechako Rotary Club in addition to members of the Latino-Canadian Association. The display in the Mall was Coordinated by Rotarian Paz Milburn.
Thank you everyone that helped to make this display successful. Many dollars were donated by shoppers in the community during the display. The "Shelter Box" is being transported to Burns Lake, where it will be displayed in a similar manner.
Rotarians from Burns Lake, Vanderhoof, Ft St James, Mackenzie and Prince George, including the local President of the PG RYLA Club attended a full day District Assembly with District Governor Elect Gordon Dalglish, District Governor nominee Penny Offer and Past District Governor Dean Rohrs.
Agenda items were: 2009-2010 Goals, Board meetings, The Perfect Rotary Meeting, and training on computer access to the multitude of information on the RI Website and the areas that are necessary for regular access and input to RI, the Rotary Foundation etc.
The Assembly, was quoted by one Rotarian as "Having attended 7 Assemblies now, this assembly was the best."
Thank you Gordon, Dean, Penny and Gary Gurnsey, as Asst. District Governor for putting on this excellant Assembly.
One of our newer Rotarians, Bonnie Urquhart provided her classification talk to assist the Nechako Rotary Club in getting to know Bonnie better.
Bonnie has been an active student, mother and Toastmaster, with a career in Chartered Accounting. Bonnie is currently working with Norrthern Health Services, indicated she has some fine grand children and clearly demonstrated her Toastmasters skills.
New President of the Prince George ROTARACT Club, Luke Barone, made a short presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club. Luke has just resently stepped into the role of President and wants to ensure our Club is aware of their club activities and continue to to support their Rotaract Club.
Charter Member and Sergent at Arms of the Nechako Rotary Club, Gordon Smith provided the membership with his classification talk.
Gord has been a resident of Prince George since 1972, with a variety of occupations including his own Retail Jewellery business until he retired in 2000.
Gord has provided a whole new definition of retirement, having more jobs during retirement than most people have during their entire working career.
Thanks Gord, retirement is obviously good for you too!
Honoured Rotarian Rod Ferguson is leaving the Nechako Rotary Club and moving to Quebec with his family. Rod has been a President and Past President of the Club in addition to Coordinator for the 2008 Operation Red Nose Program and Chair of the 2009 International Festival "Viva Lo Caliente". Rod has shared many funny stories and even a few funny jokes with the club as well as providing us with our weekly Club prayers.
President Gary Gurnsey presented Rod with a piece of local art to remind him of all his friends in the Nechako Rotary Club. Good Luck Rod!
Past President Larry Parker presented a Paul Harris Fellowship to Rod Ferguson in recognition for Rod's long service and dedication to the Nechako Rotary Club. Due to the short notice and timing of the PHF Awards, the document and award will be forwarded to Rod in Quebec.
Congratulations Rod as our newest Paul Harris Fellow.
Rotarian Robert (Bob) Guy did a great classifcation talk this morning regarding his variety of vocations from working as a Mill Wright in a number of locations throughout the North, to working as a Technical Advisor for Forintek where Bob provided assistance to the local Value Added Wood Industry and some examples of this industry for comparison in the USA.
Bob returned to UNBC to complete his Masters Degree in Education during the past 3 years and is on the Road to Recruitment to find a job with these new skills during an uncertain economy.
Thanks Bob for your impromptu presentation and good luck in your job hunting.
Bill Cheung, Administrator for our Club Runner Directory, provided a hands on demonstration of how each Rotarian can access the site to view information from Rotary International, our District 5040 website, our own personal profiles, sending Rotary emails, the new Club Directory and a host of other information available on the site.
Each Rotarian is encouraged to access the site on a regular basis to learn and experience the wealth of information available.
Bill was thanked by Rotarian Sam Kirsch with a donation to our Shelterbox Program.
Guest Speaker Helen Domshy, MA. is the Prince George Literacy Outreach Coordinator. Helen provided an interesting presentation to the Nechako Rotary Club about the issues around Literacy in Prince George, with some good examples of how this might impact family members and other residents in our city. Helen suggested that the Nechako Rotary Club should scrutinize all applications for funding to see how support for a particular group might help reduce the level of literacy in Prince George, such as our current dictionary program is doing through elementary schools.
Helen was thanked by Rotarian Bob Guy and a contribution to our Shelter Box Program. Thank you Helen for a good presentation.
The Team of "Eldon Toombs" and "Rod Ferguson" controlled a total of 20 Teams providing 123 Safe Rides Home on New Years Eve as the grand finallie to this years Operation Red Nose Program. No small task to manage with 20 teams of enthusiastic people spread out and searching for party revellers around the city. New Years Eve Program started promptly with the phones ringing at 9:00 PM and going steadily through until the phone lines were stopped at 4:00 AM on January 1st. Good Job Team!!
Another one of the "Dedicated Red Nose Teams" came out to help provide safe rides home to celebrating Prince George citizens. This team even decorate their personal car with a "Red Nose and Antlers" plus Antler's for each team member. How committed is that? Ruth Buehler, Ingrid Endenshaw and Marty James have come out on a number of evenings to help with our Red Nose Program, and they had "Fun doing it".
The "Toombs Family" made a collective decision, said Rotarian Ken Toombs, to come out this year in force, to support the Nechako Clubs Operation Red Nose Program. They have done an exemplary in their support as indicated by this picture of all eleven of them on New Years Eve, where they covered tasks of Dispatch, Telephone, Runner, Escort Driver, Navigator and Client Driver. The Toombs family came out in force on many of the nights of operation, in addition to providing the full vehicle radio coverage.
The Nechako Rotary Club and Operation Red Nose thank the Toombs Family for their generosity and dedication to another successful Red Nose Program. Thank you all.
Fellow Rotarians John and Tracey Kason hosted a farewell BBQ for the BC Tour – District 5040 Youth Exchange members on July 4th, at their property in Prince George. This BBQ was well represented by all of the Prince George Rotary Clubs, host families, future outbound students and parents. The excellent meal, provided lots of time for everyone to mingle and reflect on the past year that the students were here. The students spoke on what they had learned during their year in Canada, thanked all their host families and sponsor clubs. All of them want to come back! Lots of teary goodbyes too.
No khe̅yoh t'sih'en t'sehena Society join us at one of our recent meetings and talk to us about the important work they do in Prince George and northern B.C. 
It's always good to ask questions since you never know where the answers could leave you. We found out the impact of that today after a project we completed in 2010. 
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That’s a wrap on RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) North 2018! Thanks to 15 amazing young professionals from Prince George, Burns Lake, Williams Lake and Vancouver who joined us at Camp Friendship for a fabulous weekend of team building, and fun who were inspired by community champions and leaders who are making an impact locally and internationally.
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We will raise the remaining $10,000 through various other avenues. .JPG)
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President-Elect Robert gave it passionate talk this morning regarding his upcoming year as president. He talked about the goals set for the club and the ability to set additional goals that members would like to see in the upcoming year. He talked about making a difference in the community, the lives of people we know and don't know and the lives of our fellow Rotarians. All the best in the upcoming year Robert and we are behind you 100%.
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Alice said goodby at the meeting this morning as her dad is coming on Sunday to pick her up. They are going to travel around BC and possibly into Alberta for a period of time. She has said that she has enjoyed her stay here immensely and will always remember her time here. The club gave her a hoodie from her school as a farewell gift and we know she will wear it with pride . Hopefully we will be able to get together with her again when they drop back into Prince George before going back to France. We wish Alice all the best and look forward to hearing from her from time to time. .JPG)
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New Orleans style Gala at the District 5040 Conference
District 5040 Conference was in Whistler BC May 4, 5th and 6th. We had a great turn out as we had nine Rotarians from our club attend the conference. Great speakers and fellowship. 
The incoming president of Rotary International, representing 1.2 million members in 35,000 clubs around the world, visiting Prince George this week. 
When an exchange student comes to the District, we ask them to make a 'bucket list' of the things that they would like to see or do while in Canada. This is sometimes tricky for them as they aren't completely sure what is possible. A couple of weeks ago, Alice's bucket list was shared at one of the weekly meetings but I thought it would be helpful to share it online.
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The game on Tuesday, Nov. 18 will be dubbed Operation Red Nose night.
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