Nancy introduced our guest speaker for this evening:

 

Tom Ethans has been the executive director of Take Pride Winnipeg since 1997. When he joined, the organization was doing three programs - a spring litter clean-up, some graffiti removal and had just started doing some murals.

 

Since then, Tom and his team have expanded these programs and have developed ten others, mostly on the education side. Tom has written a children's book, Timmy the Tumble Bag, about plastic bag recycling, and is in the process of writing another one about electronics recycling.

 

Tom received the Professional Leadership Award from Keep America Beautiful. He is most proud of his two children, Jennifer and Jordan.

 

Take Pride Winnipeg is dedicated to inspiring community pride, raising public awareness and promoting citizen responsibility in making Winnipeg and Manitoba clean and beautiful.

 

Tom and Tanya were on a tight schedule tonight as they had to go from our meeting to the premier of the film "Stand, the Musical" about the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike. They started the presentation by showing a short film of Winnipeg references in popular culture.

 

 

Take Pride has 4 pillars: Cleanliness, Beautification, Education and Pride. They host many events such as the spring clean-up which has 18 - 20,000 youth hitting the streets. They hire students in the summer as "green Wave" teams to clean, plant and beautify. They've had more than 500 murals painted - graffiti artists generally do not tag murals. "Brush-up Winnipeg" gets companies or clubs (hint-hint) to paint a senior's house. "P.A.W.S." is Pride in Action in Winnipeg Schools. There is "Take Pride Reading", "Bag Up Manitoba" and "Fashion Fest" where students make outfits out of recycled materials then display them in a fashion show. "Snow Angels" shovel walks for seniors and "Winnipeg Plalking Club" (Pick litter while walking = plalking) is a joint program with the ReFit Center.

 

Questions.

 

1 - Lloyd asked about pet dirt.

A - Take Pride has been proactive at dog parks and education.

 

2 - Nancy wanted to know where she could get a copy of the children's book.

 

3 - Glenn wondered if restaurants are required to have ashtrays outside.

A - No.

 

4 - Jim asked where they get their funding.

A - The City of Winnipeg, grants and corporate donations.

 

Darvin had the Sarges badge on tonight.

 

 

 

 

Mandy avoided a fine for the head table going to dinner first two weeks in a row once it was explained to the sarge they weren't supposed to go first; Bob and Ed took it upon themselves to jump the line. Pay up Bob and Ed!

 

There was a show of hands who intended to register for the district conference. After taking a photo of the hands to hold them to it, the sarge fined the rest.