The Westerner for April 22, 2013

• Mike Ryan had to clean his office due to renovations and found two significant documents.  One is a Presidential Citation for our Rotary Club, and the other is an Avenue of Service Citation for Jerome Martin.  Congratulations Jerome.
• John Blimke provided copies of the new poster / registration form for the 2013 Al Hamilton & Friends Charity Golf Classic on Thursday, July 25th.  If you want to golf you better get your registration in quick.  If you are not golfing, then you may want to volunteer to participate in a day of fun & good eats & drinks.
• Kieran LeBlanc reported on the Strategic Planning Session for our Club held at the Duncan and Craig office boardroom last Saturday.  12 members, mostly members of the current or incoming Board of Directors attended.  Six goals for the Club were established and an Action Plan to achieve each of these goals is still being worked on.  On Monday, May 27th, we will have an evening Club Assembly to talk about the Goals and the Action Plan.  Mark it on your calendars now.  There will be no noon meeting that Monday.
• Many members have provided rave reviews of the Murray Smith Quartet concert at Grandview last week.  Thanks to Jerome and Ingrid for their work in arranging this and other concerts.
• On Rotary Day - Saturday, May 11th, plan on being at Fort Edmonton Park between 9:00 am and 9:20 am, to register to help Rotary International President Sakuju Tanaka lead a clean-up of the park.  Note that the park is not yet open to the general public on this date.  John Blimke's Driving Force is sponsoring a BBQ to feed those who help with the clean-up.  If you have any prospective members in mind, this would be a good event to show them what Rotary can do for a community.  We should be done by 1:30 pm.
• Chris Gowers is finally scheduled to get his knee surgery next Monday - Good luck Chris.  Meanwhile, we have some open speaker spots for May available.  If you have something to say to the club, or you know of a good speaker who is available please contact Chris this week to make the arrangements.
• Steve McEachern reminded us of the Integrity Awards dinner this Thursday evening.  If you have never been, it is quite an uplifting experience.  Each of the 10 Edmonton Rotary Clubs has nominated an non-Rotarian to receive an Integrity Award.  Each of these nominees will be incredible people who have made something good happen in Edmonton.  Contact Steve or Kieran for tickets, location, time, etc.
• 50/50 Draw - We have winners - Kieran and Brent each get cheques for $73.00, so next week we will be back to a full deck of cards and a pot of $15 or so.
• Finemaster Dan Graham reminded us that we have to file our Income Tax returns by the end of this month.  He raised $33.00 for the Club by stumping most of us on his Income Tax questions.

PROGRAM - THE KEISKAMMA TRUST ART PROJECT

Kieran LeBlanc introduced Cheryl Mahaffey, Annette Woudstra and Nozeti Makhubalo.  Cheryl Mahaffey is President of Keiskamma Canada Foundation, based in Edmonton.  Annette Woudstra is the Founder of the Keiskamma Canada Foundation and a Leader in the Keiskamma Trust in South Africa.  Nozeti Makhubalo is a fabric artist involved in the Keiskamma Trust Art Project, and is in Edmonton as a participant in a showing of their works at the McMullen Gallery at the U of A Hospital, main floor.

Annette is an author by profession.  On a trip to Africa several years ago, she saw an exhibition of one of the monumental and world-renouned tapestries created by the Keiskamma Trust Art Project.  Interest in that sparked a trip to the village of Hamburg, South Africa with her family in 2008 to write about the Keiskamma Trust.  She stayed for a year and a half, and became a Director of the Trust.  Her belief in the importance of this work prompted her to found Keiskamma Canada Foundation, which raises funds and awareness from its base here in Edmonton.  Annette has divided her time between South Africa and Edmonton in recent years, but in July she will move permanently to South Africa to work with the Trust.

Nozeti Makhubalo was born and raised in Hamburg, South Africa.  She took her elementary schooling there, and then went to Peddie, 70 kilometers away, for high school.  She was then married in the "traditional way".  Her family sold her to a man who had a lot of lobola (cows).  She became the mother of six girls.  She is now divorced from the husband, and she hopes that her daughters will only get married if they fall in love with their chosen partner.  Nozeti is now an artist and a health care worker.  She describes her art as "sending messages through the world by changing words into pictures."

In Annette's slide presentation, we learned some startling facts:

• In South Africa, 1000 persons per day die from AIDS
• In South Africa, there are 1.9 million AIDS orphans
• 70% of South Africa's Health Care Budget goes to HIV/AIDS prevention & treatment
• In the Keiskamma Trust area, there are 33 clinics with zero Doctors
• Much progress has been made in treatment of HIV/AIDS, but not so much in the prevention area

Bob Kimmerly presented Cheryl, Annette and Nozeti with Rotary coffee mugs as a token of appreciation for their presentation.  Frank Boodram promised to talk to his daughter in Switzerland who works for the Global Fund, to see if that organization can help with funding for the Trust.  If you would like to help or need more information contact cheryl@wordsthatsing.com