The Buzz - March 2, 2015
The Buzz - March 2, 2015
President David Samm opened the meeting at 1215 pm.
No guests were present at this week’s meeting.
Health of the Club - no report. In recognition of the recent passing of Ray Hook’s father, in lieu of flowers the club has made a donation to the True Patriot Love foundation which helps support veterans and their families.
Massie report - Macie returned from his Tiptoe with the Caribou trip and it was “the best trip of my life.” He joined 28 other youth exchange students on a trek north - while they started out as strangers they all quickly became friends. The adventures included visiting an aboriginal school where he learned more about native culture, toured a museum and they also went dog sledding. While in Yellowknife they visited Bullets Bar where the students were encouraged to “leave their mark” on a wall in the bar. Massie left one of his cards, and also recognized other exchange students’ names. The students enjoyed a hike at -35, but didn’t find it cold at all - and while the distance of the hike would have taken about 15 minutes to walk, their guide made frequent stops pointing out many items of interest like animal tracks. He also was amazed by the Northern Lights, and he was part of a play to convey to the other students and organizers what they learned and experienced during the trip… and his role in the play was to portray the Northern Lights. “I could not imagine ever going on a trip like this - I have no words for this trip… not even in Portuguese.”
Belize update - Ron Grue has returned from seven weeks in Belize where he orchestrated the building of a school with the Dawson Creek Rotary Club, as well as a water project to deliver water from a nearby river to the village of Otoxha. Ron appreciated the support he received from our club for his efforts, and after seeing the villagers have access to running water it’s good to know that the project has made a difference in the community. “Water - we take it so much for granted.” Over three miles of pipe were installed to bring water to the village, and an NGO in the area is expected to install a larger pipe to have two water systems supporting the community. In thanks, the villagers sent more “Belize Bags” as a thank-you. Ron has received a request to help build a third school in the region, this one being in an even more remote region of the countryside...and there are some hesitations in taking on this challenge. However, his next area of focus and interest would be to help the villagers create an enhanced economy by developing their agricultural/wood products industry to help stimulate the local community. Ron will be speaking at the district training this weekend.
Kyle update - Randall reported that they recently had a Skype session and Kyle will be moving to his third host family soon. His weekends have been very busy, becoming more culured by attending Rembrandt exhibits and Mozart performances. One of Kyle’s goals while being in Holland was to be mistaken as a Dutch resident… and it happened recently when someone asked what area of Holland he was from!
Luncheon survey update - Dawn reported that there are a few more Rotarians left to provide input into changes to our luncheon arrangements - when all input is received Dawn and Tyler will consolidate the results and provide a recommendation.
Rotary Fireside - to be held on Wednesday March 11 at Dawn’s home. All new Rotarians and others looking for some re-kindling of their Rotary knowledge are urged to attend.
Rotary Gala Celebration - next meeting is on Thursday at noon at Eats Restaurant at the Camrose Resort Casino. Please see Tyler for tickets to sell and provide Tony with updates on silent auction items being collected. Please contact Dan if you need ‘ask’ letters, ticket sales letters or posters to display to promote tickets sales.
50/50 changes - effective March 9 meeting, the way the club sells and awards the 50/50 will be changing. President David explained that the $1 50/50 fee will be in addition to, not included in the $15 lunch cost. Also, rather than awarding prize money each week the person whose number is randomly drawn will choose a card from a standard deck of cards - if the member draws the same card that was randomly selected (8 of Diamonds) they win the collective pot. If the card is not picked, the money collected that will will roll over to next week’s pot and that card it removed from the deck. Members have the opportunity to buy more than one draw ticket and it is expected the pot will grow and grow to make it a more interesting draw each week. Whether the pot is won or carried over, the Rotarian whose ticket is drawn will still lead the club in the 4 Way Test.
Guest Speaker - Randall Nickel - Classification Presentation
-Randall is the youngest of three children, and was born in Chilliwack, BC, then moved as a child to southern Manitoba. He attended the University of Manitoba and received his Bachelor of Education degree, and it is where he met his wife Suzanne who studied nursing. They moved to Calgary where Randall’s first job was as a letter carrier. After 18 months he realized that was not the career for him (thanks in part to his room mate soaking the bottoms of his pant legs in beef in an effort to attract the dogs on his route!)
-he and Suzanne applied to work overseas, which lead them to Egypt for three years where he taught english to 56 grade 5 students - he did not know arabic, the students didn’t know Engish, yet he worked hard to develop their english skills. Looking back it was more an exercise to bring muslim and christian residents together. Their oldest son was born in Cairo, and as they were the only Canadian/foreigner in the community they were somewhat of a celebrity in the community - whenever they went out for dinner the local ladies would care for their son… often bringing him back after dinner his head reddened by all the kisses he received from the ladies.
-returned to Calgary where Suzanne worked at the Foothills Hospital in Calgary and Randall was tasked with teaching Shakespeare to English as Second Language adults.\
-the opportunity arose to take on a role as a small grants coordinator with an NGO in Lebanon. With the birth of their daughter in Lebanon, each of their children was born on a different continent (Africa, North America and Asia)… and Suzanne was reluctant to see their family grow by having a child born on the other four continents.
-after five more years abroad, they weren’t sure if Calgary was where they wanted to return to, and with his parents in Carmose (and their children having not much interaction with their grandparents), they decided to come to Camrose. They were able to have two years with his mother before she passed away of cancer in 2006. Randall was working in Edmonton when the Open Door advertised for an Executive Director...and while he didn’t know what an ED he applied anyway. Ten years later he’s still the ED of the Open Door, and just now realizing what the ED does! Over time, he’s discovered the ED is the business end of the organization - and he’s proud to say he’s not dreaded going to work. He said it is very gratifying to see the development of the Youth Shelter at the former Gardner College dorms. Recently the Open Door was told by two recent shelter residents that if it wasn’t for the shelter the individuals would be dead. This year, 20% of the 44 youth assisted by the Open Door have needed their support in the past - and therefore one of their goals is to help those youth from cycling back through the program a second and third time. While staff spend time ‘on the streets’ helping youth with immediate needs, they are also spending time in youth court on Wednesdays - as many youth enter the court system with little understanding of what’s happening, and there’s very little support for them when they’re in court. The Open Door is also working with the PACE Outreach school, and they’ve also made connections with youth at the public library as well.
-one of the Open Door’s biggest fundraisers of the year - the Open Door Golf Tournament - is set for Saturday May 23...and while there’s been excellent weather seven out of the past nine years, Randall is optimistic that excellent weather will prevail for the 10th annual tournament.
-Thanks Randall for the insights into your life and your career.
50/50 draw - won by David Samm who lead the club in the 4-Way test.
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Next Meeting - Monday March 9th at 11:45 am in the Rotary Room of the Camrose Recreation Centre.
Greeters/Judges - Ray Hook and Norm Mayer
Guest Speakers - 644 Camrose Rotary Cadets