Rod’s focus on what he has been doing over the past 10-11 months has been physical activities. Since the gym at his workplace is operated by volunteers, it has been closed since March due to the pandemic, those physical activities have been taking place in the outdoors. In the summer months, this included camping, tubing and kayaking in the Whiteshell and Nopiming Provincial Parks with partner Dory.

Due to the lack of services along the Crow Wing Trail (part of the Trans Canada Trail going from Winnipeg to Emerson) south of St Malo, Rod’s bicycling on that trail in July involved camping at St Pierre-Joly, doing a day ride to St Malo and then back the first day (50 km), then doing another day ride from the campsite to Niverville and back again along a slightly different route the next day (63 km). Along that route he discovered the Mennonite Memorial Landing Site (located at the junction of the Red and Rat Rivers) which commemorates the arrival of the first group of Mennonite settlers on August 1, 1874. Due to the hot weather, Rod carried 4 bottles of water strapped to his bike as well as an insulated bag containing food and juices. On day 3, the camper was moved to St Malo and from there Rod bicycled south to beyond the Roseau River and back again (62 km), discovering a swinging bridge built in 1946 that schoolchildren used to get across the river.

In August Rod did the “Great Cycle Challenge”, a fundraiser for the SickKids Foundation to fight kids cancer. His original goal was to ride 300 km to raise $300, but by the end of August this had been adjusted to 922 km because he had raised $922. At the end of August he had raised $1072.34, but had ridden “only” 1001.1 km because he had received the last amount of donations after the end of the month by which time the Great Cycle Challenge had ended.

Rod joined a team of 26 riders from all over the city of Winnipeg who called themselves “Tour du Frendz” and got to go on group rides on trails all over the city. He also biked on portions of the Trans-Canada Trail in the Westhawk and Falcon Lake area.

Family events included an Easter Family Zoom event in April, a backyard wedding August, celebrated both his mother’s 80^th birthday and a niece’s wedding in BC in September and drove out to Alberta in October to visit a brother (since a winter storm had prevented a Thanksgiving gathering a year earlier).

For the winter, Rod has purchased some studded tires for his bike and biked out along the frozen Assiniboine River to The Forks. In addition, Rod has gone out cross-country skiing about 20 times since Christmas.

Next week, Catherine Moltzan will share her past year of activities with us.

The need for raising sizable funds for the Assiniboine Forest Enhancement projects at a time when regular fundraisers like our annual lobster dinner cannot be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic led to an exploration of possible alternatives. One suggestion was to do an online fundraiser previously called “Chase the Ace” but renamed “Chase the Card” by the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority (LGCA) in Manitoba. Discussion of this matter with LGCA representatives led to the advice that due to the regulations controlling the equipment and the software required it would be best to hire a pre-approved vendor to set this up for our Rotary club. This led to discussions with a representative from “BUMP”, which is part of the Sportech Group. (BUMP operates the 50-50 fundraiser at Jets home games as well as numerous other sports franchises in North America, hospital draws and non-profit organizations like some Rotary Clubs in eastern parts of Canada.) Discussions online have taken place between representatives of BUMP and various members of our club foundation and the Assiniboine Forest committee. Following approvals from the Board of the Rotary Club of Charleswood Charitable Foundation (RCCCF) and the club’s Board, a contract has been signed with BUMP.

Doug showed some slides explaining how the online “Chase the Card” game works. The procedure is something like this: Select a card. Purchase your tickets to the weekly draw; If you win the weekly draw, your card will be revealed. If your card is the Ace of Spades, you win the progressive jackpot as well as the weekly jackpot.

Club expenses involved include the following:

LGCA – 1.5% of gross sales at the end of each raffle.
PAYSAFE -$99 activation fee + $35/month + $0.10 per swipe+3.5% of charges

BUMP – $3000 for a 3 year contract (can be terminated after 1 year) + 7% of gross sales

It is estimated that 35-40% of the gross sales will go to the club at the end of each game. It takes 6 weeks after the game ends for the fund transfer to the club to take place.

Since the funds are being raised for developments at Assiniboine Forest, Rod reminded members that information about the fundraiser could/should be posted there - Doug agreed, but only as long as the City of Winnipeg is not mentioned as having anything to do with the draw. Members of the club would be expected to share the fundraiser information (e.g. the purpose, the website for buying tickets, etc.) with forest users, friends and neighbours using personal contacts, social media, ads aimed at Charleswood area residents, etc.

HAPPY BUCKS

PDG Nancy was relieved to have finally had her hair cut (after 4 months)

Chuck was pleased with his discovery that snow covering his satellite dish at the cottage was preventing his TV viewing and that his care in brushing the snow off the satellite dish allowed him to watch the hockey game (which wasn’t that good, apparently).

President Doug was happy that his “mouth was still working” in spite of incission caused by the removal of a basal skin carcinoma on his face on Wednesday (less than a week ago).

Lloyd was relieved to have got rid of a 2009 vehicle with 350,000 km on it by donating it to Teen Challenge. The plan is to sell it at an auction for $2000, if anyone is interested. Lloyd was also pleased to have recently received his $500 refund from Manitoba Public Insurance.

PDG Jim was pleased to report that he received his first visitors since Thanksgiving – when his daughter and her husband (part of their two-some “Bubble”) came over. PDG Nancy followed up with the news that she and Dave had gone over for dinner with son Garry and Cathy – their twosome “Bubble”.

PDG Ed was happy that his 96 year old mother, after spending two months in Treherne Hospital with a broken leg, was back in her apartment at the Holland Seniors Manor, wearing masks and playing cards with friends.

Glenn had a happy haircut story – While out for a walk on Saturday morning, he dropped in to a barber on Corydon and asked if the barber had space for another one and was advised that the barber would take 5 minutes to complete the haircut he was working on and Glenn would be next!

Paul had a “Happy Buck” as his youngest daughter moved out of the house, leaving him and Catherine as empty-nesters. The daughter had been away for a while, then came back – on the condition that she would need to go back to school. She got a degree in Commerce and Human Resources, and has been working for MPI for almost two years – quite a success story for her to be going out on her own now.