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

Chair Announcements

August 27th was a very special day: Did anyone do anything un-special for National Just Because Day? Cathy was driving to Vermilion Bay, so had to obey the Highway Traffic Act. Didn’t leave much room to be spontaneous.

President Cathy was out at Fort Whyte Alive on Friday and her favourite poster at Fort Whyte Farms reads: "I dream of a world where chickens can cross the road without having their motives questioned." Maybe their motive is…just because. It’s September. A new season and a time for getting back to business. And some of that business sounds like quite a lot of fun.

The Council of Women of Winnipeg has invited us to their 130th anniversary tea. There is information on your table. Cathy's got her ticket.

Rossbrook House has orange shirts available. If you don’t have an orange shirt here’s your chance to get one, and to support a worthy organisation. If you already have one…well, you can’t have too many orange shirts. They are $25/$28 with tax and come in s, m, l and xl. Cathy will be picking hers up to avoid paying shipping, and will pick up for anyone who asks. Rossbrook is also hosting their Fall Gathering on Friday, October 25th from 11:30 am to 1 pm. Tickets are $85 and include a partial tax receipt. If you are interested let Cathy know and she’ll forward the email. Or just go to Rossbrook House’s website.

Polio Plus: a generous donor has stepped forward and will match all donations from club members this month to polio, up to $1,000. Polio has made a reappearance in Gaza, and immunisation is critical.

The Winnipeg Presidents met last week and shared some of the upcoming plans.

• St. Boniface/St. Vital will be holding their 12th annual fall Scotch Whiskey Fundraiser on Thursday, October 24, 2024 at the Winnipeg Winter Club.
• The Rotary Club of Winnipeg is having a build for Sleep in Heavenly Peace (SHP) this Saturday. They plan to build "40 beds for 40 kids" in 4 hours. They have their 40 volunteers recruited. They are accepting donations of twin size sheet sets, pillows and blankets. And cash. You may recall that Jim Thiessen was a speaker at our meeting a while back, and talked about SHP. And Jim and his partner Bonnie Emerson were the keynote speakers at our Rossbrook House fundraising dinner. If you’re interested in seeing a build, consider coming out. Frank Cosway suggested that we might do a joint bed build with their club in the future so this would be a good opportunity to see what is involved. If you want to donate bedding, Cathy can deliver it if you get it to her by Thursday. Or, she can pick up.
• Gimli Rotary is working on establishing an Interlake chapter of sleep in heavenly peace.

We received some interesting questions and comments at the club assembly. The committee chairs will be responding to those shortly.

A message from Peter Tonge, DG

I am pleased to announce that the District Board of Directors has approved a new membership incentive.

From now until the end of this Rotary year, your club will receive $140 for each new member inducted. This money can be used in a way that is best for your club. This is the first of several membership initiatives undertaken by the Membership Committee, the Board Directors and the District Leadership Team.

There are things that each of you can do to support our membership push. I encourage each club to hold a membership event in September. Rotary succeeds when the community sees firsthand the work that we do. I encourage each member to invite a friend, family member or colleague to join you at your favourite Rotary activity. It is the perfect opportunity to humble brag about what we do.

As of July 1 st, our District membership has fallen below 1000. Rotary International has asked us to increase our membership to at least 1100 by January 1, 2025, to avoid redistricting or redistribution. With that in mind, membership will be our focus for the next few months. Let's work together to achieve this goal.

Let’s have a membership discussion. I invite you to share your questions, ideas, and past successes. Together, we will succeed and grow!

After President Cathy finished her announcements, Sarge Mike introduced our guests, Chris Melnick and John Helliar.

President Cathy introduced two speakers with us this evening. Chris Melnick was born and raised in St.Vital and got a master’s degree in Library and Information Science from Dalhouse. In 2004 she started Share the Magic, which is now a federally registered charity. John Helliar has worked in the social services field for over 40 years. He retired from the Manitoba government in 2016. He holds a BA in Economics from the University of Manitoba. John is not only the president of Share the Magic, he is also treasurer and board member of his church, board member at Osborne Village Resources Centre and constituency president with a political party.

Share the Magic provides books of all levels to under- served communities throughout Manitoba. Their motto is “Let’s Keep Giving Away Books.” This year they are celebrating their 20th anniversary.

President Cathy welcomed Chris Melnyck to the podium.

Ms Melnick introduced us all to her journey with Share the Magic (https://www.facebook.com/p/Share-The- Magic-Book-Program-100064510157409/) (https://canlearnsociety.ca/share-the-magic/) Chris shared her career as a retired social services professional, her experience of founding "Share the Magic" an organisation that provides books to underserved communities in Manitoba. She recounted how she started by buying books at garage sales and distributing them to areas with limited access to literature. The organisation is celebrating its 20th anniversary and she discussed her journey from her own money to setting up libraries in housing units and participating in summer festivals. She also shared her experience of not being re-elected which allowed her to follow her passion for starting an informal organisation.

Promoting Literacy and Book Donation Efforts

Chris discussed the organisation's efforts to promote literacy, particularly in inner city schools and remote communities. They have given away over 760,000 books, valued at over 4.7 million dollars, and have worked with various groups to organise book drives. She emphasised the importance of literacy in opening doors to opportunities and improving lives. She also shared their criteria for accepting book donations, including a focus on inclusivity and diversity, and their connection with Pluriel for French language books. She encouraged attendees to donate books and offered to communicate via phone or email for arrangements.

Magic Book Program and Upcoming Event

Chris discussed the Magic Book Program, a partnership with First Book Canada (https://www.firstbookcanada.org/), which provides new children's books to underserved communities. She mentioned that they source books from various places, including schools and individuals, and have a Facebook page for updates (see above). Chris announced an upcoming event on September 24th at the Dakota Community Center, where they will be giving away books and hosting a book sale. She encouraged attendees to RSVP by the 20th of September. Chris also mentioned the importance of literacy and how reading can be a powerful tool for personal growth. She encouraged everyone to read their bulletin for more information.

President Cathy thanked both Chris and John for taking the time to join us this evening. Both were presented with Charleswood forest bags which serve to promote the Assiniboine Forest.

Sarge Mike asked the attendees if there were any Happy Bucks, birthdays, anniversaries.

• Jagdish celebrated his birthday recently and asked us all to sing Happy Birthday.
• Rod was at the Banjo Bowl and is happy they won.
• Cathy: Congratulations to Lee Ann Taylor who competed in the Paralympics and brought home the first Bronze in the Triathlon. Cathy also mentioned she is also a member of the Manitoba Wheelchair Association.
• David S.: Super happy about the weather.
• Bernard: Received congratulations from everyone on the happy news his wife gave birth to a baby girl named Flourish on August 19th.
• Lyle: Celebrated his 52nd wedding anniversary and he was donating $50 to Polio and jokingly said there were a couple of years that he is taking off on behalf of.

Sarge Mike held the draw and Bob Eilers, whose ticket was drawn by our guest John Helliar, successfully drew the lucky marble. After which the meeting was adjourned.