Ten members and two guests gathered at Timms for our regular weekly meeting. Wayne, Allan, Nav, Leon, Rudy, Stephen, John, Brendan, Nora and Bob were joined by Michelle Ingall and Erin Julihn.
Pre-meeting activity included reading an article about pulling electricity from air. The cloud device has holes called nanopores which are less than a thousandth of the width of a human hair. Energy is harvested from electrically charged water in the air that passes through them.
Following the call to order, introduction of our club, and O Canada (Excellent. Excellent rendition) we moved on to Rotary announcements.
John, Nora, Wayne and Leon will be selling 50/50 tickets this weekend. More volunteers are needed, as we had to forsake one possible sales site due to the shortage of volunteers. Call Wayne if you’re able to assist.
No birthdays or anniversaries to announce.
Nav mentioned that Roy Brown had passed away earlier this year, just in case some of us may have missed hearing about it. Roy was instrumental (for those who knew Roy, pun intended) in the building of Langley Lodge, and it was in that extended care facility that he spent his last days.
Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities
Our guest speakers told us about Pacific Riding for Developing Abilities located at 208 Street and 10th Avenue, which is changing lives, one hoofbeat at a time. They offer therapeutic and clinical care programs, and PRDA is the largest riding facility in B.C., and possibly in Canada. They are most fortunate to own their fifteen acre property with two indoor riding arenas across from Campbell Valley Park.
Erin (Director of Operations) spoke from personal experience with her daughters, one who is autistic and was helped immensely by her equine therapy, and the other who recovered from a terrible illness with this help. The movement of the horse when it’s walking helps the rider strengthen core muscles, and is the best exercise for this that exists.
Michelle (Executive Director) has been with PRDA for eighteen years and has seen so many lives improved, physically and psychologically, through the programs they offer. Right now there are 200 riders waiting for spaces. Half of the riders are funded, and a thirty-minute lesson costs $42. They have a maximum of two students per instructor, and it is common to have four walking adults with one rider.
PRDA has fifteen therapy horses who work up to two hours per day and ten hours in a week. Out of 100 horses offered for their program, only one or two are deemed suitable. They have to be comfortable being handled by twenty plus people per day, a big change for them, and most cannot adapt. When they receive a retired horse, they say the horse will still be good for five to ten years of gentle, steady work. PRDA has their fiftieth anniversary capital campaign underway, trying to raise funds for Lacey’s Lounge, a safe, warm viewing experience for riders and caregivers, and an addition to the Rider and Volunteer reception area.
Michelle said that a horse senses how you’re feeling, hot or cold, excited or nervous, and one even revealed that a woman was pregnant. No details provided.
Next we were on to the Foundation Moment presented by Wayne.
Brendan sent him a link with Rotary information called “A Foundation to Build On” and Wayne shared some facts. TRF is recognized as one of the most effective and well-managed charitable organizations in the world, with twelve consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator and an A-plus rating from CharityWatch. From 2014-15 through 2018-19 the top countries for total giving and per capita giving are listed below.
Top dollar amountTop per capita giving
U.S.A. $395 699 358 1. Singapore $615
India $88 875 333 2. Hong Kong $451
Japan $84 467 802 3. Canada $344
Korea $79 249 818 4. Taiwan $330
Taiwan $53 105 767 5. Korea $265
Canada $40 799 946 6. U.S.A. $245
Five years of global grants by area of focus
Basic education and literacy $53 261 360 Community economic development $54 118 305 Disease prevention and treatment $151 761 859 Maternal and child health $35 233 163 Peacebuilding and conflict prevention $18 659 168 Water, sanitation, and hygiene $100 657 464
2018-19 Total Expenditures $335 (in millions)
Polio Plus $151 45.1% Global Grants $87 26% District Grants $26 7.8% Rotary Peace Centers $5 1.5%
Other Grants $12 3.6% Program Operations $20 6% Fund Development $19 5.7% General Administration $15 4.5%
The Light Touch
This was followed by The Light Touch, which again featured three short ones. The first one caused some consternation for some members.
Comic Sans (Arial, Times New Roman, Bookman) walked into a bar. The bartender says, “We don’t serve your type here.”
I went to a store to buy some books about turtles. “Hardbacks?” asked the shopkeeper. “Yes,” I replied, “and they have little heads too.”
I used to be addicted to not showering. Luckily, I’ve been clean for five years.
Other updates
Happy and sad dollars for polio Plus were pledged for: patients who could use the therapy from PRDA; a wonderful presentation; sharing personal experiences; hearing about the programs; an excellent program; glad to be back at our meeting; sorry about Roy passing; a hearing aid story with a happy ending; great speakers; and wife returning from Russia.
We toasted Canada, and packed up before leaving. Cheers!
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