Tim visited Shail on February 2nd and reported: “I had a delightful visit with Shail today, photos attached. We revisited old engineering sagas we had 40 years ago when he worked of my Underhill office in Whitehorse when he was electrical consultant for the construction of Yukon University and the Andrew Philipsen Law Courts, both in Whitehorse. My Underhill firm was involved in some of the functional planning and community consultation for both projects and so we made some office space for an architect who Carlsberg Jackson Partners from New West moved a rep into, one for Shail for his visits and a third for the mechanical consultant. He is a brilliant electrical engineer highly respected by his professional engineering peers and a fine gentleman. All of those qualities shone through again today and his ever present smile in the photos attests to that.
He is a John Grisham fan and Jan gave me his latest to read on the plane and I’ll swap with him next week when I am back. A very rewarding visit for me and I hope, him.”
At our Zoom meeting on February 3rd we heard from Fazineh Keita and Ava Vanderstarren of the Innocence Lost Foundation.
Innocence Lost Foundation is a registered charity with the mission to help former child soldiers and communities after war to find healing and opportunities. They are currently working on phase one of their project in Kabala, Sierra Leone, West Africa: a community centre which will include a water well, medical, education, skills training and therapy programs.
On February 4th Hans, Ilan, Amy, Bishnu, Dianna and Lydia attended the Rotary Foundation Fundraiser/Chinese New Year celebration on behalf of the Arbutus Club. Our Co-President Elect Bishnu took up the charity drive challenge and did 31 pushups in one minute!
At the event Hans spoke with Dean Rohr and John Berry about Erica McFarland, a student from San Antonio, Texas. Erica is currently finishing her senior year at The University of Texas at San Antonio. The International Club sponsor, Rotary Club of Fair Oaks Ranch Texas (District 5840), has provided a Global Grant Scholarship (a Rotary World Grant) so that Erica can attend UBC for one year with maternal and child health as her Rotary Area of Focus. An International Host Club was required for her and we have agreed to serve in this role. We look forward to meeting Erica!
At our February 14th at our in-person meeting Bishnu repeated (and exceeded) his previous pushups record to benefit ShelterBox. This resulted in our club making a donation of $1,200 (the cost of a fully equipped tent) to aid victims of the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. An incredible impact on families affected by this disaster. Thank you Bishnu and all who donated.
At the same meeting we installed D’Arcy Warner:
and inducted David Grewal.
And our Co-President Elect Hans was presented with a new Paul Harris pin. Congratulations, Hans!
Our district grant application on behalf of MOSAIC has been submitted (Rotary Emergency Fund for Migrant Workers). We should hear whether we are successful within the next few weeks.
We have sponsored the cost of registration at RYLA South for three students.
At our February 23rd Club Assembly we unanimously agreed that we would explore sending a shipping container of medical equipment to Ukraine, in conjunction with Rotary World Health. Total shipping cost for a container is approximately $10,600. Elena, Christine and Mary will spearhead a fundraiser, probably a Ukranian dinner on June 10, 2023.
February 24 Mike Dicks collected books from Sir Wilfrid Laurier Elementary, photos below. Next up Bayview Elementary!
