The Grindstone - March 21, 2021 (Mar 21, 2022)

Rotary Club of Lincoln Meeting IN-PERSON

Rotary Hall, Cave Springs Retreat & Conference Centre

Tuesday, March 8, 2022, 7:30am- 8:30am

President Brenda opened the meeting by welcoming everyone to the club’s first in-person meeting since November 23, 2021. Special thanks to Tim Hortons (Serena Drive, Beamsville) for the complimentary coffee, tea & muffins enjoyed by all.

Terry Kotwa offered the invocation in which he reflected on the tragic circumstances of the war in Ukraine. He explained that his mother was born in Ukraine and how deeply grateful he is for the freedom and safety of his family's life in Canada.

For her Point of Pride, Gayle Lucas-Roth shared that she and Paul had recently participated in a virtual celebration marking the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of Kitchener. Special guests included Rotary International President-Elect 2022-2023 Jennifer Jones & Canada's 21st Prime Minister, The Honorable Paul Martin. Jennifer offered congratulations on Kitchener Rotary's 100th anniversary and an update on Rotary’s Polio Plus campaign. And, Paul Martin provided a compelling presentation on Indigenous Education & the Martin Family Initiative. Watch the recording of the evening here - www.youtube.com/watch?v=GckiktyH7lo

Registrar Paul Roth reported that 16 Lincoln Rotarians + two guests were in attendance at the meeting. Brenda recognized with appreciation Anna Belanger, guest speaker, & Donna Pree, friend of Lincoln Rotary.

PROGRAM

SPEAKER: Anna Belanger, RAP Program Manager; LINC/ESL Coordinator

Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Centre (NFAMC)

https://www.folk-arts.ca/

TOPIC: Refugee Assistance Program (RAP)

In her introduction, Gayle Lucas-Roth highlighted that Anna was born in Poland and journeyed with her family to live in Canada when she was 8 years old. With this firsthand experience as an immigrant, Anna's career at Niagara Folk Arts is well-founded. Over 14 years, she has had a variety of responsibilities leading up to her current roles with a staff of 15 behind her. In light of Lincoln Rotary's recent outreach to NFAMC to build its 2022-23 District Grant Project Proposal, Anna's presentation featured the Centre's leadership with the Afghan Refugee RAP in Niagara.

NFAMC, as a Service Provider Organization (SPO), delivers on behalf of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), various settlement and orientation services to Government Assisted Refugees (GARs) in their transition to Canada.

The Resettlement Assistance Program (RAP) assists GARs when they first arrive in Canada by providing settlement support for up to one year. Through collaborative partnerships with other organizations, RAP provides GARs with immediate and essential services generally within four to six weeks of arrival in Canada. NFAMC was selected by Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to operate as the first Refugee Reception Centre in Niagara for the resettlement of Afghan refugees.

For an overview of A Refugee’s Resettlement Journey to Canada - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6ng9lTwIGQ

Currently, NFAMC has welcomed 4 Afghan refugee families to Niagara with another 21 families expected in the coming months. To meet the humanitarian needs of these families destined for Niagara from their Port Of Entry in Canada, they are met by the NFAMC RAP team at the Reception Hotel located in Niagara, where they will stay for up to 6 weeks until they find permanent housing. NFAMC offers the following immediate services upon the clients’ arrival at the Reception Hotel:

Assistance with food and accommodations and basic household needs
Holistic in depth Needs Assessment and Settlement Plan for each client
Life Skills Orientation, Registration for school (both child and parent), provision of supplies/resources, including food nutrition and dietary restrictions/allergen awareness
Assessment of language, education and health needs
Information and Orientation Session
Introduction to service providers in the community
Assistance with interpretation and transportation
Providing a daily monetary allowance
Ongoing Settlement Services and support through RAP, is continued for up to one year after the clients’ departure from the Reception Hotel.

Finding affordable permanent housing is a major challenge for refugee families. Two of the Afghan families have found homes in Niagara while the other two have moved on - one to Mississauga and the other to London because they were successful in finding employment and housing in these communities.

Anna concluded her presentation by thanking Lincoln Rotary for reaching out to determine how the club could best invest in Afghan refugee support through a DISTRICT GRANT PROJECT. She applauded the club's plan to equip at least FIVE Afghan families each with a new laptop computer loaded with Microsoft Office Software, etc. She explained that refugee families arrive with very few belongings. A laptop computer is essential for:

- Parents to attend English as a Second Language (ESL) classes virtually (or in person) & complete assigned homework

Note: While it’s likely that one parent is proficient in the English language, the other parent & any other adult members of the family are not. Consequently, ESL training is vital to the family’s resettlement process & is provided by NFAMC.

- Children to attend virtual schooling (as necessary) &/or use online resources to succeed in their schooling

- All to access information about relevant community services, employment opportunities, etc., and communicate with their family members around the world.

In response to a question about other items needed to enable refugees in their resettlement, Anna indicated that the greatest need is for PERSONAL HYGIENE PRODUCTS & TOILETRIES (shampoo, lotion, toothpaste, floss, tooth & hair brushes, deodorant, razors, socks, underwear, etc.) & BABY SUPPLIES (bottles, diapers, wipes, personal hygiene pads).

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS & HAPPY BUCKS

CALL FOR PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP NOMINATIONS

Lincoln Rotary is calling for nominations for Paul Harris Awards for the 2021/22 Rotary year. RCL's Paul Harris Award Selection Guidelines & Nomination Forms were forwarded to all club members with an email from Terry Kotwa on March 9, 2022

If you missed this email, contact Paul Roth for details & nomination forms - pcroth131@gmail.com NOMINATIONS CLOSE on April 1, 2022

The board will review the recommendations of the Paul Harris Committee on April 7. Recipients will be announced to the membership on April 12. Awards will be presented at an event later in the spring.

10th Edition SPRING HANDMADE MARKET - June 3-4 & 10-11, 2022, 13th Street Winery, St Catharines

Handmade Market organizers have invited Lincoln Rotary to manage the PARKING for this major event. In response to President Brenda's request for a show of hands, members indicated solid support for this undertaking, which requires a substantial cadre of volunteers to be available over the four days.

LAMPLIGHTER TOUR 2022

Plans are well underway for Lamplighter performances...

September 13 - Premier Performance (Dress Rehearsal) at Providence Church; September 23-25 - Hiking Tours featuring 4 plays @ Cave Springs Camp

SUMMER GAMES 2022 TORCH RELAY - https://niagara2022games.ca/catch-the-spirit/torch-relay/

The Torch Relay will be travelling through the Town of Lincoln on July 24, 2022 leaving Rotary Park in Beamsville and ending at the Lincoln Museum & Cultural Centre in Jordan Village. To submit nominations for Torchbearers - http://niagara2022games.ca/news/article/torchbearer-en/ NOMINATIONS DEADLINE is MARCH 31, 2022

To conclude the meeting, Martha Kralt collected HAPPY BUCKS!

Along with a whole lot of clinking, club members shared an abundance of happy thoughts especially about being back together in-person again and the promise of spring. Others extended International Women's Day celebratory wishes. Of special note was John Kralt's happiness regarding his journey back to good health and his CALL TO ACTION for members to support the collection of personal hygiene products for refugees resettling in Niagara.