The second online meeting of the Rotary Club of Winnipeg – Charleswood had 18 club members sign in by 5:45pm. Prior to that there had been at least 15 minutes of fellowship by video chat. That is what we must do to beat this awful virus. We all have to do our part. Some were having a beverage or snack; even feel free to bring your dinner along with you when you sign in! By the end of the meeting our numbers had grown to 21 present.

 

President Mandy reminded all that the district conference scheduled in Kenora has been cancelled. There will be an online electronic version of the district conference; President Mandy hopes all Charleswood Rotarians will register.  Follow this link to view the site.

 https://portal.clubrunner.ca/991/Event/district-5550-conference-2020 .

 

Reminder that any student is welcome to sign up at no charge to them. The D.C. committee want them to be a part of the conference. The registration site is now open to sign up for the webinar. There is a $50 registration fee. Conference is on Saturday May 23, 2020. A note from D.G. Fred Wright;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=a412a70f-38e9-4ff8-b775-9200c96721cc  .

 

Paul Brault discussed the support being provided to Westgrove School families during this difficult time. Food and supplies can be dropped off at Paul & Catherine’s home. Please call first and leave items on the front porch. E-Transfer would be best, then Paul could purchase exactly what they are requiring at that specific point in time.  Paul and Ed discussed options to donate through the foundation, but the decision made was that Ed and Paul would discuss offline and then share the instructions to the members in a separate email. In the meantime, donations can still be sent to Paul Brault  pbrault@me.com . Paul will be tracking the donations to report to the foundation for receipts.  Paul estimates that $700-1000 worth of groceries is the weekly need of the Westgrove families, so sustainability is key vs a large sum of donations at once then nothing after that.  Just something for us to keep in mind if we are inviting family and friends to participate. We are supporting 34 families in the Westgrove community.

 

Paul has been in contact with Winnipeg Harvest and they are supportive of our efforts with the Westgrove families.

 

Darvin Jasper advised that he has told his regular LobsterFest ticket purchasers about the Westgrove families needs. They have provided two boxes of items for donation.

 

President Mandy advised that she is discussing a matching donation plan with Manulife for her own support of Westgrove (limited to $1000). She also gave a “huge shout-out to Paul for his work supporting the Westgrove families”. Paul may use his local community Facebook group to raise support for Westgrove.

 

Bob Eilers recommended that anyone interested should watch the PBS documentary ‘Polio Crusade’. The American outbreak with personal accounts from polio survivors about the disease that paralyzed thousands before Jonas Salk introduced a vaccine to guard against it. Find on your PBS channel Tuesday night at 8:00pm.

 

Jim Forestell has been discussing the Charleswood Rotary 2020 Golf Tournament with stake holders. A decision has been made to cancel the event for 2020. Planning to have a 2021 tournament will begin in September.

 

Dave Morris has called Bill Johnson to see how he is doing. Bill is still working and feeling a little better.

 

Lloyd Talbot advised that his church has a church coaches program that provides one on one support and teaching for the children out of school. The church is also providing care packages similar to the work being done for the Westgrove families.

 

Jim Forestell asked everyone to hold onto the LobsterFest tickets that were distributed. There may be a way to reuse them for next year.

 

Iain and Carla would like to volunteer once their self isolation is completed on Friday. Iain asked if anyone in the club requires food or Rx orders delivered. There was a suggestion that Oak Table (109 Pulford / 204-416-2240) is looking for volunteers. Mission Statement: To provide hospitality, support and advocacy for those in need of a safe, respectful, community.

 

President Mandy and Nancy Morris have once more looked around Rotary.org and found an inspiring video to present to the club tonight. We would only view a section of the video (start point 6mins in – finish at ~ 20mins).

 

 

There were many quotable moments during the video:

 

“Strive not to be a success but to be of value”, [Albert Einstein]. Jennifer also told stories of how in Rotary we are about connectivity. We strive to have shared experiences. She told the background of the movie ‘Fields of Dreams’ [1989].  The takeaway was that heaven is “the place where dreams come true”. Jennifer then said, “that is Rotary”.

 

Jennifer wanted to make sure that Rotarians tell people outside of Rotary our stories. Tell what we do. They might not join Rotary, but they could help in many different ways in our various projects and programs.  Our stories are our greatest Rotary recruitment tools. What stories do you have about your own lives, clubs and districts?

 

Nancy Morris stated that she believes Jennifer Jones should be the first female Rotary President. We need to be together; we tend to search each other out.

 

 

An estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation facilities that hygienically separate human excreta from human contact. Rotarian Alfredo Pérez knows the schools in Guatemala and neighboring countries can use all the help available in this area. 

 

The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools Target Challenge focuses on providing clean water and sanitation systems, and equipping teachers to educate students on better hygiene practices. 

 

So, when Carlos Flores, then governor of District 4250 (Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras), asked Pérez in 2016 to get involved with the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Schools Target Challenge, he quickly accepted. As the name suggests, the pilot program focuses on providing clean water and sanitation systems, and equipping teachers to educate students on better hygiene practices.

 

“The objective of the project is to develop good hygiene habits in children,” Pérez says. “By reducing absenteeism due to diseases that are acquired due to lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene in schools, we can increase their academic development. Training teachers to help children develop good hygiene habits is key.”

 

Indeed, more than a year after the effort began, the Rotary Club of Valle de Guatemala, where Pérez is a member, has improved conditions for as many as 1,793 children from 10 schools in the town of Escuintla, about 40 miles south of Guatemala City, the capital.

 

Corporación Energías de Guatemala, an energy company, backed the project with a $62,000 grant. Pérez’s club and the Rotary Club of Escuintla worked with local public health officials and urban and rural planners. The project provided toilets, washing stations, and water tanks, and also supported training for teachers so that the facilities would be put to good use.

 

This year, members of Pérez’s club have a budget of $30,000 for work at five more schools.  Pérez is giving talks around his country in hopes of recruiting more clubs to take up the challenge in their communities, and he’s seeking international partners to help expand the program.

 

Sarge Mike Dudar was called upon to get some virtual Happy Bucks.

 

 

 

None reported by club members. Extended family were mentioned.

 

 

Brett Bourne (Cycling Event Coordinator- Cycle of Hope / Habitat for Humanity)

Olenka Antymniuk and perhaps another ride individual

 

 

If you have any ideas for the ‘Presentation’ portion of these meetings, please contact President Mandy or Nancy Morris. Any video finds should run a max. of 15 minutes.