The Westerner for March 25, 2013
Meeting: chair and grace, Rob Dunseith; music, Jerome
Attendance/Guests: 25 including David Gibbens, guest of Fred
No Meeting Easter Monday - Bill Buckham indicated that planning of shifts is complete for the Casino at the Yellowhead Facilty. Your shift acts as a makeup for any meeting missed.
Membership Day: Darrel Ripley announced that membership day is April 8 rather than April 1 due to no meeting on Easter Monday. He asked all members to keep looking for potential members
Planning Session: our club's outgoing and incoming boards of directors will meet Saturday, April 20, to do planning for both next year and for the following several years in line with Rotary International's new planning guidelines. All club members are asked to attend to give their input. Time and location to be advised
50/50: Duane Evans and Rob Dunseith did not match cards; $112 carried over to April 8
Finemaster: Duane asked returning snow birds to contribute $1; one of those was Bill Arnold who will be 100 years old this year (July 13) and Duane welcomed him back from Phoenix and gave him well wishes in advance for his birthday and the expected letter from the Queen. Other fines included not working the casino $1 and not intending to attend the planning meeting $1
Food Bank: Edmonton Petrolium Club invites Rotarians to donate using the boxes located in the EPC's foyer - they should be their until around april 10.
Projects - Belize - updates: Brian used a video presentation to provide an update based mainly on the recent trip by several Rotarians to build a lifeguard station, among other items. The theme is "Edmonton West Placencia Rotary Partnership". In November, 2012, Duane, Fred, Ed and Brian travelled to Placencia and Seine Bight to work on various hands-on projects - the two Rotary Clubs basically merge and work as one. This is a great arrangement and is the result of grand relationship building by Fred, Chris, Duane and Cathie, and Al and Karen. Keep in mind that the Placencia Rotary Club has a reverse snow bird problem in the summer. Placencia and Seine Bight exist on a sandy spit of land running along the east coast of Belize. Because of a drowning at Easter, 2012, the town of Placencia decided they needed a lifeguard station. Rotary filled the bill and built a multi-use stand - it also works as a speakers' podium for local events like fairs.
The material was local pine (a very wet lumber). The tower was built at Rotarian Sonny's home and transfered to the beach by local, strong youth. The tower was anchored by the Rotarians digging down to water level, leveling the tower and back filling with sand.
The November team also attended a local Rotary meeting in a restaurant on the beach, both the Placencia Elementary School and the Seine Bight Elementary School and fireside (farewell party). A video showed the toilets we funded for the Placencia school and a march by Placencia elementary students for HIV AIDS Awareness. They also went to the mainland to visit Independence High School where all students from both Placencia and Seine Bight have to travel to (by boat daily) if they want to go to high school. The Rotarians met with the scholarship students (4 from each of Placencia and Seine Bight) who have helped tremendously in the summer teaching program. Our Rotary Club funds the scholarships to the tune of $2,000 per year. We also fund a hardship fund, administered by Principal Omar, which has been used mainly as nutrious lunch program. In thanks to Omar for the great administrative work and help he gives to the Independence High School, our Rotarians presented him with a Paul Harris Fellowship. A further video showed a gymnasium under construction that had to be finished in a few weeks as it was to host the national volleyball tournament.
They also gave Omar a chegue for this year's hardship fund doantion ($2,000). Omar makes sure the students help with the running of the school - an examaple is he buys lumber and the shop students are commissioned to produce workable desks for use by students in the school.
At the farewell fireside, our donation towards purchase of Christmas gifts for the poor students in the area was presented to the local Rotarians - they were very thankfull. A video showed a side trip to San Ignacio on the west border(Guatemala), a drive through Spanish Crossing (a local Mennonite colony) and the resort Los Porticos Villas.
Brian was thanked by Rob Dunseith.