March 1 Meeting

 

THERE ARE NO REGULAR MEETINGS FOR THE NEXT TWO WEEKS. 

Next week we visit Sophie’s Place, 9460 140^th Ave.  Car pools will go from the Pacific Inn parking lot at 7:15 am. 

The following week is March 15 and there will be a St. Patrick’s dinner at Pat Hahn’s new home, 1282 Duprez St, White Rock at 6 p.m. 

This will be our March social.

 

Stuart Wilson started O’Canada and Roberta Zdril gave the invocation.

Guests were Sandy Whiteman and John Block from Semiahmoo Rotary Club.  John spoke of the Gift Card Program.  He has spoken to Daryl of Save-On Foods.  The program Rotary has is a very special one and is not to be made available to the general public.  The Block Family matching ends in June and other sponsors are being sought.

 

There is an RLI (Rotary Leadership Institute) this Saturday, March 4, at the Sunrise Conference Center, registration at 8 am and program at 8:30.  Pat said anyone who has not been to one should attend.  There are big changes coming in Rotary and there are very good speakers.

 

A Bird House was auctioned with Deirdre winning the house and over $260 raised for Polio Plus.

 

Speaker, Sandy Whiteman, talked about Wheelchairs given to Mexico.  Sandy has been to 5 distributions in Mexico in the last 10 years.  He told many stories.  At the first distribution he was at chairs were given to residents of a senior’s home with appalling conditions.  A woman was very appreciative as she was put in her new chair and said to him in Spanish which he later had translated, “Now I know what God’s eyes look like.”  In his most recent trip he inquired why so many young people needed wheel chairs and was told that many had Cerebral Palsy.  He said that there are matching grants available which make a gift of $10 into $65.  He said that he hopes to have a large container ready this year with 4 or 5 clubs taking part.  He also said that Mexican Rotary Clubs work very hard and told a story of one club obtaining an ambulance and their problems getting it over the border from the U.S.A.  These clubs select recipients of chairs and even have changed adult diapers.  In spite of preparations the computer projector did not work and Sandy passed his I Pad around.  I pads are very expensive in Mexico so they were brought in from the U.S.A.  One boy who was crippled and non verbal was able to communicate with an I pad.

Deirdre thanked the speaker.

 

Our executive will consider a wheel chair project.

 

Save-on cards can be bought using Visa at certain businesses in South Surrey and White Rock.  A full list was promised but in the meantime some are Courtesy Cleaners and Shill Insurance Brokers.