Alright, the Eye-Opener for two meetings back-to-back to finally get us all caught up, and just in time for tomorrow's meeting!

INVOCATION

Terry-Lynn Stone gave invocations both weeks, so you can be sure there were several mentions of raffle tickets. The first week she spoke about what it means to be Canadian, which is very much like being a Rotarian - helping out those who aren't lucky enough to be right here! The following week she said something as well, but I wasn't really listening... Oh wait, that's it! She challenged us to find someone you disagree with and LISTEN to their side. I suppose part of that is trying not to also explain to them why they are wrong, but to each their own!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

- The Kay Bingham BBQ worked out well! Thanks to Lynda Mackenzie for organizing the troops!

- Darren Wilkinson needed help with repairing the paving stones at the Hospice June 12, 13, 14. Turns out they finished in one night, kinda like last time... Darren, it's time to stop underestimating us. 

- Pit Stop June 25 - Lynda MacKenzie: Be there or be square, signup to follow via email, starts at 12:20 and ends at 5pm, cooking "chicken bits”

- RLI June 24, July 8, July 22 in Kamloops, club pays for it, learn a lot about rotary, it’s interesting for both new members and longtime members

- RSVP for the Induction Dinner at the Wildlife Park - click the link above. Remember that there is no booze in the park, and that we need to leave by 7:30 so the animals (and older Rotarians) can sleep....

- JULY 7th MEETING CHANGE OF LOCATION - instead of our usually meeting, we will be cooking breakfast for the special olympians! Find the sign up sheet to make sure you get yourself someplace useful! If Friday is no good for you, we also need to cook on Saturday morning!

-TOMORROW (maybe today if you are reading this on Friday) - Potluck at Roxanna's for Little Luci's going away! 

- The Sergeant at Arms Committee is in search of recruits, what with Billy-Boy leaving.... Show up a bit early, heckle during happy bucks, and enforce unwritten club rules with an iron fist! Contact Dave Deol for details!

- Ribfest hired a sponsorship chair, and the best candidate was right under our nose - Colin O'Leary is stepping into the new contract role, taking a load off the weary shoulders of our long suffering sponsorship committee.

MEMBER BIRTHDAYS/SPOUSE BIRTHDAYS / ANNIVERSARIES

Oh just a whole bunch!

PAUL HARRIS FELLOWSHIP - DEREK SCHREURS

The Club congratulated Derek Schreurs on achieving the status of Paul Harris Fellow

VERY SPECIAL ROTARY FRIENDSHIP AND FELLOWSHIP AWARD - ROB PHILLIPS!

The Club recognized the years of faithful contributions Rob Phillips has made in our club and the community - a standing ovation followed!

NEWS/WEATHER/SPORTS

Morgan Elander told us about the differences doing renos with and without the family around, and the horrible plumbing errors that result....

Speaking of plumbing, the O'Learys spent the previous week without water, with Colin only getting to the bottom of it the night before the meeting. Fortunately there were some flowers being auctioned off at the meeting, so Colin paid top dollar to express his love and forgiveness for the ever-understanding Lisa O'Leary! He also had a good Comey testimony joke that went over everyone's heads....

In sports news, there was some criticism of the Kamloops Venom men's lacrosse team's recent play, with the conclusion the issue is clearly with the team's coaching. 

BUSINESS 

Brad Henry handily filled in for an absent Tony Gilbert. In true business news fashion, everything was either up a tick or a down a tick. We did hear that Julie Kimmel is a force to be reckoned with on the lacrosse pitch - Brad has noticed her while coaching the Kamloops Venom. No one chanted "Tony, Tony" when Brad was finished, so he called the day a success!

Tony was back next week and did not tell a personal anecdote. Instead we heard about Comey, the British election and the continuing decline of the shopping mall... Come to think of it, do any of our members have a store in a shopping mall? Coincidence?

JUNE 2nd - BERNADETTE SIRACKY - KAMLOOPS FOOD BANK

One of our favorite former members was back for an update on all that's happened at the food bank - she treated us to a lovely "thank you" slideshow for all of Rotary's help over the years, including the food drives and the $100,000 the five clubs put into their building!

For those not in the know, Bernadette started with our club in 2007, and ran the first food bank drive in 2008 - now here we are 18 food drives later! It started with us, and now the whole community, including several youth groups, have been pulled in - we're teach compassion to the next generation!!

We also got an update on Project Starfish, the backpack program getting food into the hands of vulnerable students and their families over the weekend. Their next challenge is figuring out how to keep this up over the summer while schools out.... ALSO, they've received a grant from Foodbanks BC to mentor other regional food banks so they can start their own Project Starfish! Fantastic!

JUNE 9th - LUCI CANADIAN STORY

Last December Luci told us all about her homeland of Bolivia. This time she told us all about her time in Canada.

She wore her Rotary Exchange vest in all it's finery, complete with cowbell and vanity licence plates, until she transformed into her "Canadian Outfit"!

We heard about the various culture shocks Lucy encountered in Canada, from the lack of hugs as a standard greeting, no shoes indoors and no siestas, to the small lunches, big dinners, cold weather, and just how polite everyone is (sorry about that!)

Luci did come to love winter - she thanked everyone for their patience as they taught her how to ski, and her winter sporting experience didn't stop there: hockey, winterbikes, ice fishing, skating, snowman building, dogsledding, curling, and just plain getting stuck in the snow. She did more than most of our club combined! 

And her first Christmas with snow was absolutely magical!

School was great - with 4 courses per semester opposed to the 14 she was used to! Everything felt like High School Musical!

Luci thanked her host families - they all let her feel like part of the family!

And Luci thanked the club, for everything we had done... and then the tears started coming... all around the room... 

Luci was a great addition to the club, and we will miss her, but she goes back home richer for the experience that Rotary Exchange gave her, and the lifelong friendships she formed with our Rotarians, their families, and her fellow Rotary exchange students.

All these sentiments were echoed by the Rotarians in happy bucks. Among the many thanks to Luci:

• Roxanna Ferguson told us Luci travelled with her children between her house and her children's father's house, and both household remarked what a joy she was to have!
• Derek Schreurs was convinced and asked if he could find four host families for himself!
• Kent Wong remarked that with all that a student brings to a club, he can't imagine a Rotary club without a student.... but sadly such clubs exist!
• Mark Adam's son Maxim is off for Brazil - Luci taught him Portugese, but just the bad words! Mark blames Roxanna's household....
• and John Cleland came away with the quote of the day - "She came as an ambassador for her country, and leaves an ambassador for ours.

• John Cleland also has 60 more chicks for Colin O'Leary's kids to name... but they'll have to hurry, some of these birds are due for a "little trip"
• Colin Willis' son Emerson received a signed copy of Vladislav Tretiak's "The Art of Goaltending" from a neighbour, and he was almost as thrilled as his dad!
• Kent Wong put up some slideshows of Rotary meetings and events from the mid-2000s - there were many remarks of how young many Daybreakers looked... and how others hadn't changed at all!
• Kymm Behrns bought his wife a church for his wife for her birthday! I hear the place is full of oak!
• Dougie has a flight to go meet his new grandchild.... only trouble is the baby isn't born yet!
• Tim Reynolds says that those of you who are full of yourselves should go pick up some trash!
• Sheila Minten noted from a recent seminar that "giving back" is very important factor for quality of life - many seniors have trouble losing this aspect of their life when they are no longer able to volunteer like they used to!
• Alison Wegner hear Merritt Rotary had their facebook hacked and had fraudulent messages sent from it's account soliciting donations to an illegitimate account! Be careful out there!
• Kayle Tjomsaas is back from Iceland & Norway, Rob Phillips is back from Ireland!
• Wayne McRann is off to Seattle for the three day Blue Jays Party!
• and Andrew Reid has been having such bad allergies, his son asked mom if dad was doing drugs.... good cover story, Andrew!