What did You Miss - April 24, 2023

Chair: Sue Ueffing

 

 

Guests:  Pauline Raven and Barry Leslie (guest speakers), Kevin Connor (Dartmouth East) and Mauricio Quiroz, Claire Rivard.

 

O'Canada: Sue Ueffing

 

Rick: Happy that all of the Valley Faces 2022 receivables are collected!

Shelley: Happy for a great wine survivor night!

Sue: Happy for a great trip and seeing grandchildren in Ottawa.

 

Presidents Report: Heather welcomed all our guests and reminded us of important upcoming events, including: Charter Night – May 8^th (no regular meeting that day), Environment day – June 3^rd and Lobster Doo – June 24^th (tentative date – more info to come!). Big thank you to Shelley and the special events team for the great wine survivor night on the weekend.

 

Sue introduced Pauline Raven.

Pauline provided an update on the nearly 200 people that Helping Hands Orchard Valley has in their database of Ukrainian people that have settled from Windsor to Annapolis Royal. They have been organizing events like a bus tour of Annapolis Royal for Easter and cultural events like the one at Gaspereau school. They have been finding that most of the Ukrainian families that come here decide to stay in the Valley. They have also been continuing to support Ukrainian families with a $200 move in grant when they move into their own accommodations and providing furniture and support in matching children with programs that align with their interests and skills (for example, music camp and dance classes). Their upcoming project is to launch a summer camp for Ukrainian children that will be staffed in part by Ukrainian mothers and will allow parents to continue to work over the summer when the kids aren’t in school. This is a $40,000 project, for which they’ve applied for grants from the province and the County.

 

 

Barry then spoke about his role with the organization, which deals primarily with education and work. He explained how many of the Ukrainians have had many different jobs and may have lots of skills but not necessarily the certifications they need for the role here in Canada. So, he has been working with the NS Apprenticeship agency and educational institutions like NSCC to attempt to cut through red tape for folks. Barry asked that members consider volunteering to be a mentor for Ukrainian families, able to help with transportation, language support and just a local connection. If you are interested, contact either Barry or Pauline.

Cate thanked our speakers.

 

Phyllis: Charter Night – sign up by May 1^st – include any dietary restrictions or allergies.

Ellen: Centenary – hired the summer student – Katie Fawcett, who will start in mid-May.

Shelley: Centenary Gala planning – meeting Monday May 1^st at 11am.

Craig: Centenary Legacy Project – sending out an email for a brainstorm of “dream” projects.

 

 

Phyllis: RCKCF - $10,000 for Mauricio’s scholarship fund.

 

 

Bruce had the winning ticket, but again… It's a Roll-over!!

Meeting ended with Jon leading the club in the 4 Way Test!!