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

Rotary Moment – President Iain did not have a Rotary moment other than to say he and Caroline are looking forward to seeing everyone on Monday, Dec. 18 for the Christmas party here at Breezy Bend.

Sarge Mike introduced guests - Kyla Walton and Sue Burns, guest speakers from Prairie Strides; Dan Sutton, Winnipeg West Rotary Club; Anya, guest of Mandy, and Sharon Jasper, Honourary member.

Announcements and Reports:

Doug McKenzie – we heard from Doug who is following the Club Bulletin regularly. He prefers making more progress before considering receiving any visitors.

Nancy Hansen informs us - This is what people collecting aluminum tabs need to know: It takes 5 million aluminum tabs to pay for 1 wheelchair. Every aluminum tab counts. PLASTIC bread tags are collected SEPARATELY and must be separated. We DO NOT collect paper bread tags or beer bottle caps. Nancy hopes this helps and thanks us for your efforts!

Club Board Meeting - we do have a Board Meeting this week, on Wednesday. Please submit committee reports as necessary.

Bridge of Hope Ukraine – Mandy reported that the Bridge of Hope Ukraine project was profiled in the Winnipeg Free Press. A copy was circulated. Here is a link. The next furniture event will be Saturday, Dec. 16. If you haven’t done so, volunteer at bridgeofhopeukraine.com. Mandy expects by year end, 175 families will have been supported. In the new year, the effort will continue in the new location. A one-year rental agreement will be considered by the Club’s Board of Directors this week.

Rossbrook House – Cathy Skene reminded members about the club fundraiser in support of Rossbrook House to be held Monday, Feb. 26 at the Caboto Centre. Tickets are $60 per person. Consider inviting friends and family to join you. We also need items donated for a silent auction. If you can help in any way, contact cathy.skene@gmail.com.

Assiniboine Forest – Jack reported that the committee has made progress in pursuing a grant to study the east side parking. The study is necessary in pursuing this part of the long-term plan for the Forest. We also had consultants examine one of the trails designated for wheelchairs.

Thank you to Lorraine for her work on preparing the agenda for the party. 

Chuck reminded members that the club is taking donations for Fit for the Street and Westgrove School. The list of items (or cash) includes:

Canadian Footwear Fit for the Street: Warm socks for men and ladies.

Westgrove School Breakfast / Snacks:

• Cereal – Rice Krispies
• Cornflakes (Frosted and Original)
• Cheerios (Honey Nut and Original)
• Granola Cereals
• Wow Butter
• Strawberry Jam
• Granola Bars (no Peanuts)
• Nutragrain Bars
• Pudding Cups (Chocolate and Vanilla)
• Apple Sauce Cups
• Fruit Cups
• Ritz Crackers
• Cookies (Oatmeal or similar)
• Cheese Strings
• Yogurt Tubes
• Apple Juice
• Cheese Whiz

Tonight's guest speaker is Kyla Walton, acting Executive Director at Prairie Strides Inc. Prairie Strides is an adaptive horseback riding program for children with disabilities. Riding sessions are conducted by trained adaptive riding instructors in conjunction with volunteer physiotherapists, speech language pathologists and occupational therapists.

Prairie Strides was established in 1977, with a Board of Directors, as a registered charity, located in the Sport MB building on Pacific Ave. It has 100+ volunteers, and 24 children participate in the program or are on the current wait list. Ages 5-15 years. Programs run out of West Wind Stables in Oak Bluff.

Two 10 week sessions are offered each year (Fall & Spring) 2 evenings per week (Monday and Wednesday). Roles include instructors, therapists, barn supervisor/support, horse leaders and side walkers.

Riders affected but not limited to disabilities such as cerebral palsy, learning, intellectual impairment, traumatic brain injury, fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, down syndrome, spina bifida and more.

Prairie Strides look at the child’s individual abilities and focus on how to maximize their skills. There are numerous physical benefits too, including balance, coordination and posture, muscle strengthening, improved reflexes and more. Communication benefits include listening skills, following directions, and interactions with peers. Social / emotional benefits include empathy, patience, motivation, overcoming fears and feeling of acceptance.

There is no government funding for the program. Prairie Strides relies on public donations and fundraising. In some cases, parents of the children pay all or part of the cost. Visit prairiestrides.com to donate or for information about joining their team of volunteers.

Save the date for the Annual Market in support of Prairie Strides it’s their biggest fundraiser of the year and they can’t wait to see you February 3 & 4, 2024 at Assiniboia Downs. Vendor applications are open and early-bird pricing in effect. CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION Event tickets on sale soon!

Jokes for the week from President Iain - What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy and the other’s a little lighter.

I could tell you a construction joke? Sorry, I’m still working on it.

Happy Bucks

• Lloyd enjoyed a couple of good weeks travelling to visit all the grandchildren in Calgary and Ottawa. So now no one is coming to him for Christmas!
• Sharon shared a Thank You to Ed for helping her with repairs on her house. She was also happy with the article about the Ukraine Project that appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press. She especially liked seeing the Rotary in the Community banner, which Darvin and their son made and donated to the club.
• Mandy was happy that the sign was put up, and that the farmers were there with their tape measures to make sure that it went up perfectly straight.
• Lyle put in a future happy buck, because he's pretty sure that Ed will want to help him with home repairs too.
• Cathy was happy that she was finally able to see her granddaughter's holiday concert in person. And that the baby, who was also due the same day, has delayed its arrival so as not to interfere with the concert.
• Ed Thompson was happy that the RCCCF books balanced for the month.
• Chuck was happy that he had his last Christmas parcel ready to go, but when he got to the post office their system was down and they were unable to send it.

50/50 

Ticket drawn belonged to Alan Roberts, who was unable to draw the elusive blue marble.

Our next meeting is December 18th, annual Christmas Party. Chuck gave a final reminder to remember donations of breakfast items, socks or cash donations in support of Fit for the Street program and Westgrove School