President Cathy Skene opened the meeting with the club's land acknowledgement and the singing of O'Canada by those in attendance.

Introduction of Guests - Sarge Lyle Miller introduced Johanna, a prospective member and her daughter Stephanie. Amy Tung, our guest speaker, will be introduced in greater detail in advance of her presentation.

Chair Announcements

Last week Cathy mentioned that the Rotary Foundation Canada has found itself painted as the villain in a media campaign around the estate of a deceased Rotary member in Edmonton. There was a special Talking Rotary podcast produced addressing this. A link to the podcast is here.

Our club’s Christmas party will be held on December 16th, right here at the beautiful Breezy Bend Golf & Country Club. Chuck has tickets. They are priced at $45 each. Family and friends are welcome. Get yours soon. A few things to know about the party:

• Rod will be taking portraits. There is no charge for this. Your pictures will be emailed to you.
• There will be appetizers served prior to the Christmas dinner so come hungry.
• We will be collecting socks and warm waterproof mitts for Westgrove School students, and warm socks for men or women to be distributed by Canadian Footwear.
• Cash donations are also welcome.
• We won’t be collecting food items for Westgrove School this year as the provincial food grant has hopefully taken care of this. Speak to Chuck if you have questions.

A few words about socks. Canadian Footwear’s Fit Feet On The Street program started in 2002. Their goal is to put footwear on the feet of Manitoba families who would otherwise not have access to them. It is their mandate to treat all recipients of the footwear with both dignity and respect. If you have ever suffered from cold feet (and we live in Manitoba so of course you have) just imagine what it would feel like without a warm home or car waiting for you. Socks can literally save lives for the under-sheltered.

From Socks 4 Souls Canada:

Socks are the item of clothing most needed in homeless shelters. They’re also the least donated. New socks contribute to better mobility and minimize the possibility of frostbite and reduce the risk of cellulitis, impetigo, fungal infection, trench foot and skin breakdown.Clean socks keep feet warm and dry and prevent skin breakdown, blisters and infection. This is important for an unhoused person because their feet are their main mode of transportation - to get to shelters, to get to meals, to get to job interviews.

Jack Wilson, Assiniboine Forest - email report to Forest Committee, Nov. 22, 2024:

The Sagimay trail loop from the Eve Wernier pond to the Chalfont entrance, accessibility enhancement project will be completed Nov. 23. A final progress meeting was held this morning, called by our Consultants Public City, with the City of Wpg Naturalist dept. reps, Al Roberts & I from Rotary and the contractor and his foreman. We walked the trail and a few minor deficiencies were pointed out, which the contractor said they would correct. Today, the site foreman advised all materials were in place, including all quarter down, clay/earth mix for the path shoulders and wood chips to go on top of the clay mix. The contractor was just completing the spreading and final leveling of this material. He advised they were going to work tomorrow morning, which should complete the project. When you get a chance, take a walk in the forest and check out the new barrier-free Sagimay path. We feel this enhancement looks good and will certainly enhance the ability for individuals with mobility issues as well as families with strollers to access another section of the wonderful Assiniboine Forest. As well, we believe there will be no trail flooding like in past years as the trail is some 6 to 10 inches higher than before the trail enhancement.

Bridge of Hope Ukraine - Volunteer Opportunity

Location: Bridge Of Hope Ukraine, 3259 Portage Ave
When: Saturday, November 30th from 9-3pm.
Volunteer Opportunity: We are looking for volunteers.

Please register asap so we can confirm how many volunteers we will have. Knowing this number allows us to better estimate how much work we can do and how many families we can support.

We are currently in need of Christmas decorations, Mattresses, desks, and desk chairs. Items can be dropped off on Saturday morning or if requiring pick up, please direct donors to complete our Donate Furniture form.

We have now supported 333 families!!

Guest Speaker introduced by President Cathy Skene:

Amy Tung is here to prove that ‘third time’s the charm.’ Amy was first scheduled to speak on September 30th, but then we remembered that Orange Shirt Day is now a statutory holiday, so there was no meeting that day. We re-scheduled her to October 28th, and she got sick. But tonight she is here! President Cathy met Amy through a board that they both sit on, and which Amy chairs - the Epic Opportunities Foundation Board. That is where President Cathy learned about Amy's passion, the 'I Am Love Project' which she founded. The project aims to empower women, provide job opportunities, and amplify their skills.

Amy highlighted the project's initiatives, including providing short-term contract work to women facing mental health challenges, designing and selling jewelry with messages of love and empowerment, and supporting charities that matter to the community. Amy also shared a testimonial from a woman named Sarah, who credited the project with transforming her life.

Supporting Women With Disabilities in Work - Amy discussed the challenges faced by women with disabilities, particularly those with mental health issues. She highlighted the stigma surrounding these issues and how it can prevent women from seeking help. She shared the success of the project in supporting over 35 women back into the workplace in the last two years. Amy emphasized the importance of building confidence and providing opportunities for women to earn a living. Amy discussed the impact of mental health issues on individuals, such as losing a job, developing substance abuse issues, and having a criminal record.

President Cathy expressed gratitude for the support of organizations like Amy's I Am Love Project, which has helped bridge the gap in mental health support for women with disabilities. For more information, visit the I Am Love Project at https://www.iamloveproject.ca

Happy Bucks

• Dave Soper - Happy to be home. He would have been happier if he got back in time to hear his daughter speak at last week's meeting.
• Cathy Skene - enjoyed the symphony, with Thorgy Thor.
• Chuck Crocker - enjoyed his granddaughter's performance in a musical.
• Al Roberts - his bank taught him how to use his new phone.
• Johanna (guest) - happy to be welcomed to Rotary.
• Ed Thompson - Elaine had COVID, but he didn't get it.
• Stephanie - grateful for easy access to clean water.
• Amy (guest speaker) - happy to be eating with a fork. Chopsticks are not easy!

Next week we will hear from Justin Rowan, who is an Energy Efficiency Analyst for Efficiency Manitoba’s income based programs. And with the sudden change in the weather, it’s time to learn about energy efficiency.