President Glenn called the meeting to order with the land acknowledgement and the singing of O’Canada.

Rotary Moment – President Glenn commented on his recent trip to Newfoundland and the hospitality of locals. The friendly, easy- going attitude of Newfoundlanders is a model for other regions wishing to be more welcoming and increase tourism.

Club Business Announcements:

Lobsterfest – Jim reported that we sold close to 600 tickets for lobster and chicken. This is an excellent result, given the numbers two weeks ago. The final push was effective. Another challenge for Lobsterfest was a shortage of BBQ chicken from our regular supplier. Jim’s son saved the day, contacting a source in Calgary. Jim Jr. will bring the extra chickens with him this week. Cathy has the club totals for paper tickets sold, but still needs the reconciliation from a few members. Contact Cathy at cathy.skene@gmail.com.

Mandy - The next furniture drive is scheduled this Saturday, June 17th. Volunteers are asked to register online at: www.bridgeofhopeukraine.com.

Youth Committee – each year, we award the Ed Werbowski Memorial scholarships to grade 12 students at 3 high schools in Charleswood. We attend convocation ceremonies on behalf of the club. June 26 – Shaftesbury HS, June 27 – St. Paul’s HS and June 28, Oak Park HS.

Adventure in Citizenship – President Glenn read from a hand written thank you card from Holden Zemlak, who attended AIC, sponsored by our club.

Golf Tournament – Lyle Miller attended a golf tournament organized by Wallin Industries Ltd in support of Bridge of Hope Ukraine. The result was very positive, with over $6,000 raised to support the committee. Thank you to Lyle for going above and beyond to represent the club and the Ukraine project. Well done!!

President Glenn introduced Ray Kerasevich, President and CEO, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, highlighting his impressive career and academics. He is relatively new in his role with the Conservancy, appointed in 2023. Ray provided an overview of the history of the Park and Zoo. At one time, it was almost exclusively funded by the City of Winnipeg. Eventually, it was agreed that without significant new funding in infrastructure in the coming years, segments of the Park – which are either unsafe or otherwise deteriorating – will be forced to close. A new Board was established with leaders in the business community.

Fundraising came from all levels of government and exceeded expectations from the public and corporate sponsors. It allowed the Conservancy to improve all aspects of the Park and Zoo, adding new infrastructure, programming and planning for the future.

The Leaf is the latest major project with impressive outdoor landscaping and the indoor gardens, amenities and butterfly exhibit.

Following several questions, Jack Wilson thanked Ray on behalf of the club.

Sarge – those in attendance welcomed guest speaker Ray Kerasevich and Laura Cabak, Assiniboine Park Conservancy, Honorary member Sharon Jasper and Peter and Nancy on Zoom.

Happy Dollars

• Cathy was happy to see a smile on Jim's face again. (Lobster sales and sourcing worked out.)
• Iain was happy about a message that he received from the Hamilton club: Omeid said: "Proud moment today when Sandhya pinned premier Doug Ford with a Rotary pin". I commented that I did not know that. He said:"I didn't know until today that the Ford family were all Rotarians. Doug served as a president 21 years ago."
• Len enjoyed pulling weeds at Westgrove School...and has the pictures to prove it.
• Sharon was happy that Len and the rest of the crew are continuing this project at Westgrove, which is one that Darv helped with. Sharon also reported a wonderful event that was hosted by Fort Whyte Alive to honour those who have passed in the last year, and raised a given level of donation for Cancer Care. Darv's name has been inscribed on a plaque. They were given lanterns with candles to float on the lake. It was very windy. Darvin's sank.
• Chuck was happy to get back to the garden beds. When he picked up bedding plants at Bosch they donated some for Westgrove. In fact, they donated so much that the school will be sending some home with their students.
• Mandy was late because of a detour on Roblin. She also had a 60 ft. poplar fall on her house during Friday's storm. Another tree fell on their deck and one on the yard. We waited to hear why she was happy about all this! Well, they have firewood for a lifetime, and even though there was extensive damage to the house it is still livable, and no one was hurt.
• Mike was happy that his condo in Montana which went on the market on Tuesday was sold today!

Anniversaries:

Mandy reported an anniversary and endured the singing of Happy Anniversary!!

Fines – there were two fines. Mandy and John were late because of construction. President Glenn had the 50/50 ticket and drew the blue marble. Lucky!!

Upcoming meeting – the June 19 meeting was cancelled due to a lack of space at Breezy Bend. It will be a reprieve for many of us volunteering at Lobsterfest on Friday and the Ukraine project on Saturday. The next meeting will be Monday, June 26, the club’s annual changeover.