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

The Sarge introduced our guests Jasmin Basta (scholarship recipient) and her friend Harold, Owen Kochanski (scholarship recipient) and his father Tyler and Nick (prospective member).

Chair Announcements

It has been awhile since we have gathered here at Breezy Bend. But there was plenty going on.

On July 29th we met in the Assiniboine Forest. Mother Nature gave us a fright with a quick thunderstorm, but it quickly cleared and we were able to meet as planned. It was nice to have had Kathleen Cook and her assistant. Jackie Maxted, Evan Duncan and his family, and Tosha Hotel, president of the Portage la Prairie Rotary Club, joined us. We had some learning time, something to eat, and a lovely walk through the forest. Big thank you’s to Jack, Mike and LeeAnn for organizing, and to David for chairing the opening of the meeting. Several people have suggested that this should be an annual event.

August 5th was Terry Fox Day, so our club did not meet. However, a few of the club's diehards travelled to Dauphin for their 100th anniversary dinner that day. Cathy felt like we were in the presence of royalty: the RI president, the past district governor, the current district governor and the district governor elect were all there. Dauphin created an inspiring display of news clippings of the club’s projects organized by decade. Dinner was delicious and the speeches were short. Our club was well represented by Lyle and Norine, Jack and Joyce, David, and Cathy. And of course, Peter Tonge. It was worth the trip to see Peter wearing his Rotary tie.

August 12th we didn’t meet again. This time because we were resting up for the Green Spaces Golf Tournament the next day.

We were disappointed by the low number of registrations, but we had fun. And more good food and prizes. Cathy failed in her quest to win Most Honest Team, but not through lack of trying. Many balls met a watery demise.

You will have noticed - I hope that you noticed - that the price of dinner has risen by $1, to $23. This is because Breezy Bend raised their price. The club does not make a profit on dinner; you pay what Breezy Bend charges the club. And the hope is that you’ll agree that we get good value here.

Christmas Party - Booked here at Breezy for December 16th. Mark your calendars. It’s less than 4 months away. And invite family and friends. More details to follow.

The August Board meeting will be on Wednesday, August 21st at 4:30 pm.

This evening Cathy was reminded of a quote from Andy Warhol: “They always say that time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” That’s why Rotarians are called People of Action. And this evening we have with us two young people who will also be changing things, and creating a better future.

This evening we continue our tradition of hearing from our Ed Werbowski scholarship recipients.

Ed Werbowski Scholarship

This scholarship is in memory of Ed Werbowski, a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, Charleswood, much admired for his unflagging energy and commitment to the ideals of Rotary, namely, 'service above self'. The bursary is available to a grade 12 student at high schools in Charleswood and applied to post-secondary education costs within 2 years following graduation. It is intended to assist in achieving academic goals and can be applied toward any education related costs, including textbooks or lab fees. The Rotary Club pays $1000 to the education institute which is applied to the recipient's student account.

Meaghan Krawat - graduating from Oak Park High School sent regrets. She has to work this evening. Below is her note to the club.

Cathy was lucky to be the one presenting Meaghan with her scholarship, on behalf of our club, and told us that Meaghan was surprised and delighted to receive it. She shared the following message:

This fall I’m headed to England to attend the University of Reading (pronounced Red-ing haha) to study law. The reason for my rather far venture is that in the United Kingdom it is direct entry into law school. I had become set on studying law while progressing through high school as I started to learn more about societal issues and law's ability to greatly protect humans and improve their lives. The school I’m attending not only allows me to start down my decided path as soon as possible but it has connections to allow me to participate in pro bono work and work in firms.

Thank you all for helping me make this dream of mine possible through the scholarship and my apologies for missing what I know is a lovely night.

Jasmin Basta

Jasmin is 17 and Egyptian. And attended Shaftesbury High School. In the fall, she will be attending UBC at the Vancouver campus for Engineering.

Owen Kochanski

Owen graduated from St. Paul’s High School in June and has lived in the River Heights and Tuxedo area his entire life. He attended both Laidlaw School and St. John Brebeuf School for elementary and junior high. Owen is enrolled in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Manitoba for the upcoming school year and is planning an advanced Psychology degree, with the hope of becoming a clinical psychologist in the future.

Jasmin and Owen spoke to the club about their interests and involvement in and outside of school and their future pursuits. They thanked the club for the support.

Happy Dollars

• Jim is happy to have his surgery for cataracts confirmed in October. Both eyes will be done at the same time.
• Jagidsh - told a story about taking up golf and playing for the first time. There was a hole with water and his first 3 attempts were wet. His playing partner put a ball on the green and he continued from there.
• Nancy M. - they had a houseful of family visiting. Great fun. Now the house feels empty.
• Jack T. - his birthday today. We sang happy birthday, led by Dave Morris.
• Glenn - happy to be back to a meeting. At the cottage from mid May and a recent trip to BC. The flight from Winnipeg to Vancouver was delayed, missing a connecting flight. Had to rearrange the itinerary. It all worked out.
• Cathy held on to her loonie so long that she forgot what she was happy about. She threw it in the pot anyway.
• Lyle was happy that he was finally picked up from the hole at the golf tournament that he was monitoring after waiting so long he thought he'd been forgotten.
• Rod was happy to have stumbled across the World Unicycling Championships on a recent visit to Bemidji, Minnesota. He and Dory were out bicycling a local path when they found themselves in the middle of a unicycle race! They also took in unicycle hockey. Despite the entertainment, Rod plans to keep both his wheels.
• Allan - July at the cottage. The water warmed for swimming. A daughter was impacted by flight disruptions causing her to stay for a longer visit.
• Ed Toews - had his prized truck out for a drive. Its top speed when he was 16 was 55 MPH. Today, it is still 55 MPH.
• Ed and Elaine Thompson celebrated an anniversary and enjoyed the club's best wishes through song.

Next week

We will hold a club assembly. We will share our plans and projects for the upcoming year. This will be an interactive meeting, so start thinking about your ideas and questions for our "The Magic of Rotary" year.