The Westerner for August 19, 2013
Meeting: chair, Bill Buckham; music, Jerome; grace, Bob Kimmerly
Attendance/Guests: 23 including Nadine Fulmer, Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast; Paul Freeman and Shelagh Kubish, Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts and guest speakers
Fun Golf: September 10 @ Victoria Golf Course, $78, with tee times around noon; the steak dinner is our regular weekly meeting, $38, starting around 5:00;
No Meeting at Edmonton Petroleum Club on September 2 re Labour Day nor September 9 due to meeting moved to September 10 (see above)
50/50: lucky people are Bob Lamoureux and Ann as they matched cards and they win $78.25 each.
Grandview Extended Care Centre Landscaping: please join Brian in this hands on event to upgrade the deteriorating landscaping around the Rotary House of Friendship; be there at 10:00 a m
Casino: Bill Buckham reported that our share of the casino funds raised last spring (averaged over the quarter ending June 30) have been reported at $80,817.20; well done, Rotarians
New Member Proposed - Duart Berg has been proposed by Ed Schultz. His Classification is yet to be determined.
Finemaster: Jerome fined the 50/50 winners $2 and all who were talking while the chair was trying to speak $1; he then gave some interesting facts via questions to individual tables including August 28 being the 50th anniversary of the famous Martin Luther King speech
Guest Speakers: Jerome introduced Paul Freeman as the funding and creative director of the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts [Paul has university degrees in fine arts] and Shelagh Kubish as chair of the Nina Haggerty Centre for the Arts board of directors.
Shelagh mentioned reasons that she got involved with the Nina and that their mission is the importance of art creation by disabled artists. Due to recent cuts in government funding they are having issues in keeping out of debt. They are funded by many foundations like the Stollery and the Muttart but the cancellation of the Step Program {gave them a student for the summer} and the provincial grants means they have to add a new fund raiser "Keep the Love Alive". The Stollery Foundation match every dollar donated. Contact Rona Fraser 780-886-6640 or www.igg.me/at/ktla to make donations. More information is available at http://www.thenina.ca/how-to-be-involved/donate-now .
Paul used a power point picture display to supplement his spoken points re developmental disability problems. He helps disabled people through the facilities of the Nina to provide self identity through creative expression. The Nina was founded in 2003. It promotes the work collection of art from many artists and provides a place that disabled can become practicing artists. The individual can choose their own medium and work at their own pace. The artists make their own choices but are supported to become creative. They make friends, build community. They are now into digital expression since Rotary Club of Edmonton Northeast has provided computer work stations. Artists have to be allowed to fail often in order to learn {like cutting linoleum with a sharp knife - they learn quickly}.
The art is usually not saleable but the art produced, eventually, is good. Some art is sold at fund raisers. The centre also works with recovering addicts as participants. Free Family and Community Nights are offered often.
Shelagh and Paul were thanked by Mike Ryan