The club’s last meeting of the 2020-2021 Rotary year began – as before, with the tinkling sound of a bell and the District Land Acknowledgement statement. Today’s virtual version of O Canada (described as “A mournful anti-anthem that seemed perfectly calibrated to the present, uncertain moment”) was sung by Don Amero (Canadian country and folksinger-songwriter from Winnipeg) prior to a Jets vs Canadiens hockey game as part of the pre-game ceremony honouring the 215 children whose remains were discovered at a former residential school in Kamloops, BC. This meeting’s opening ceremony was rounded off with the following Thought of the Week written in the Rotarian in 1916 by Paul Harris:
“The rise and fall of civilization will depend upon the thoughtfulness or the thoughtlessness of men. The greatest thing that can happen to man or nation is to stimulate the individual or national thoughtfulness.”
“The rise and fall of civilization will depend upon the thoughtfulness or the thoughtlessness of men. The greatest thing that can happen to man or nation is to stimulate the individual or national thoughtfulness.”
ROTARY MOMENTS
At a very recent meeting of the club’s foundation (Rotary Club of Charleswood Charitable Foundation – aka RCCCF) a suggestion was made that members submit donations (each on one’s own honour, as one pleases) – either to the club or to RCCCF (for a tax receipt) – to share the savings that meetings online have provided our pocketbooks over the past year due to the pandemic.
This week’s Chase the Ace (#11) winner was Muriel Sutherland. It was $28.00.
INVITED SPEAKER – unable to attend
PDG Nancy informed members that Christine Reid, who coordinates homestays for international students attending Oak Park and Shaftesbury High schools in the Pembina Trails School Division, was unable to be our featured speaker today because the student her family was hosting was to have graduated today and had organized a dinner for the family on short notice to commemorate the event. PDG Nancy indicated that Christine will be coming to speak to us in July (12th ?) but needs to find Homestay homes by the end of July. Homestay families are compensated for room and food - $800 per month ($900 for students with special dietary needs) as indicated here: https://www.pembinatrails.ca/affiliates/isp/Apply/Fee-Schedule/Pages/default.aspx. The hosting terms can be for 3 months, 5 months or 10 months. To host, a family needs to have a bedroom available (with a proper egress window), clear police check and have an interest in cultural exchange. Gender, culture and interest-preferences are taken into account when matching students with families.
A concern expressed that the school division’s Homestay Program would be competition for Rotary’s Youth Exchange Program in the Charleswood area was somewhat allayed by the news that the Rotary Youth Exchange program has been cancelled until 2022-2023 the earliest.