The Weekly Westerner Edition 56.22 (Jan 30, 2023)

The meeting started at 12:01 pm. There was a short land acknowledgement followed by the singing of O Canada. Guests included Amy St. Jean from Kindred sponsor of the Never Too Late Program (NTL), Claudia Vargas, RCCW scholarship recipient from the fall graduating class of NTL, and Joyce Luke a soon to be new Rotarian at Calgary West. This was an in person meeting only. There were four separate segments to today’s program.

Judy Cochran, past Vocational Services Director introduced Amy St. Jean. Natalija Reljic is the current Vocational Services Director but was unable to attend today as she was not feeling well. Calgary West awards two separate scholarships of $1,000 each from the Vocational Services budget every year. One goes to a graduate from the Spring ceremony and one goes to a graduate of the Fall ceremony. We rely heavily on the input of the NTL staff to choose the scholarship recipients. RCCW also helps participate in both the grads by decorating the venue, buying journals and roses for each graduate plus crayons and coloring books for the children in attendance.

Amy has been with Kindred for 18 years. From 2011-2018 she was the coordinator of the NTL program. Since achieving her Master’s degree in 2018 she has moved into supervisory roles at the agency. Her passion is the NTL program and Judy can vouch for that having worked with Amy at many of the grad ceremonies.

Amy explains that the NTL program helps adult learners return to school to complete their GED (General Education Development or high school equivalency).

There is no cost to the student. It is a four and a half month program offering nine hours of instruction per week both in person and since Covid online. The students have made the decision to return to school which benefits not only the student but also their families. Many have faced hardships growing up and attending high school as teenagers. Often labelled dumb or stupid they drop out early. They become a part of a community and learn often missed social and economic life skills. They gain a new found confidence knowing they can learn and achieve their goals.

Our one scholarship recipient from the Spring 2022 graduating class, Christina Bernii, could not be in attendance today as she was in class and could not skip – even though Amy asked her! Christina started the NTL program in the fall of 2021. She is currently at Mount Royal taking Event Management. She always wanted to be a wedding planner but needed her GED first. She will graduate with a certificate and one of her teachers has offered her a job upon completion of her studies. Congrats to you, Christina!

Claudia Vargas was invited to the podium as the second RCCW scholarship recipient. Claudia started the NTL program in February 2022 and completed her GED in June with the grad ceremony being in the Fall of 2022. Claudia expressed her deepest gratitude to Calgary West. Claudia talks about the NTL teachers, advisors and fellow students being family. They do more than just help you pass your exams. Claudia grew up in a broken family and dropped out of high school at Grade 10. The spark for Claudia was her daughter entering university and she wanted to be able to go to university as well. She will use the scholarship funds to upgrade her marks then enter university as a mature student. Amy told us Claudia was nervous but she did an excellent job! Claudia had to be encouraged to apply for the scholarship. She thought first of others in the class that were more deserving than herself. We are glad you were chosen, Claudia, congratulations and the best of luck in your future studies.

In answer to a question, Amy said there are about sixty students per year entering the program but not every student makes it to exams or passes exams first time. Madame President had awarded the scholarship to Claudia at the spring grad. The students’ stories will bring tears to your eyes.

Martin Bunting, newly appointed Chair of the Local Community Services (LCS) Committee brought us an overview of what this committee does.

In general, we are making the changes outlined in here to better the information flow to the club and to insure there is good oversite by all.
The attached is for discussion purposes to better communication and direction.
Monies are allocated to LCS at the beginning of the new Rotary year once the budget has been approved with forecasts for funding and allocations made for Youth, Vocational and carry forward projects.
Terms and Conditions of spending funds in both the Community (charity) Account and the Casino Account must be adhered to.
The committee makes sure the proper funds are allocated to the proper source of funds, charities must have proper documentation in place for review by the Committee and funding a specific project meets the Club’s preferences.
The Committee sends their recommendations to the Board. The Board will not deny approval unless they see glaring errors. Once approvals are in place the Club Champion is informed.
Club Champion will take a vested interest and feels we should help this project. He or she may be asked to attend an LCS meeting to answer questions for the Committee. There may be follow up required by the Committee.
The entire approval process from application submission to funds being sent to the charity can take 1 to 3 months.

In closing, Martin wants to hear from you. He plans on bringing updates once a month. He is looking for two more members, preferably female, to join the Committee. Let’s celebrate and sing our own praises by sharing our achievements.

Martin received a Calgary West “Happy Birthday” song.

Marlene Doherty was up next wearing her Homes of Hope hat this time. She gave us the 5W’s on the upcoming Homes of Hope build:

WHO: The who includes various Rotary Clubs plus friends and family and Youth participants. We partner with Youth With A Mission (YWAM) – their build teams who are volunteers and their staff.

Who gets a home? YWAM uses the following criteria:

Families must own the land outright or be making payments.
Have children under the age of 18 years.
They earn less than $100 USD per ~~week..~~week.
Have an immediate need for shelter.
Extenuating circumstance such as medical conditions may weigh heavily on who gets a home.

WHAT: Imagine how different our safe, comfortable homes here are compared to homes which are little more than a shack these people currently live in. The homes we build are wood framed with a concrete floor. There are 3 windows and a secure door. The roof is shingled. There are 2 bedrooms with an open living area. The cost for a home is $10,500 US and is approximately the size of a single garage in Calgary. In addition, the families are provided with a furniture package that includes beds & bedding, table & chairs, dishes, propane stove & drapes. A refrigerator & metal bars are an additional cost. Safety is paramount and teams are formed and directed by YWAM staff. There is a job for everyone.

WHERE: Initially we built in and around Ensenada, but the majority of our buildings have been in Del Mar near Rosario and in the area surrounding Tijuana. It’s about a 40-minute bus ride from San Diego to the base. YWAM arranges for coach buses for the trips to the airport and base also for school buses to drive us to our build sites. The sites vary depending on the family’s land.

WHEN: It’s a four day build – travel Thursday, build Friday & Saturday – travel Sunday. The trip this year is scheduled from April 17-22, 2023, a Monday to Thursday. Participants may spend additional days prior to or following the build. Participants are required to:

Register with YWAM
Find their way to San Diego
Contribute $469.00 US for transportation, accommodation & meals at YWAM.

Another WHY: Rotarians are People of Action. Strong fellowship and connection with each other but also with the families. On the initial day, teams gather at the start of the home – a cement pad. The family is there too. On the final day, we gather outside their home and pass the keys in a circle. The impact is life changing moment - for you and the family you built for. The family now has a safe and healthy home – off a dirt floor. Their overall health improves, the children begin to excel at school and the parents can focus on providing the necessities of life without worrying about shelter. It is their Dream Home!

Thank you to Calgary West and to our members for your support over the past 15 years providing funding and volunteers. We missed two years due to COVID and are thrilled to be returning for our 16^th build.

Gordon McInally, RI President Elect, announced his presidential theme for 2023-2024 “CREATE HOPE IN THE WORLD!” Will you join us to build 3 homes in 4 days. Let’s change lives together and create HOPE!

My Story by Club President, Linda Anderson

She starts off by saying she is an ordinary person. Linda was born in London England in 1945 in the closing days of World War II. Her father was a Canadian solider fighting in Holland and Belgium at the time. Her mother was an English war bride who helped the war efforts by packaging parachutes.

A move was in store and Linda and her mother crossed via ship to Halifax then westward via train to Winnipeg. When her father arrived back on Canadian soil, he set up a butcher shop in Winnipeg. Her childhood was ordinary, Linda says. It holds memories many of us hold who grew up in that era.

She and her now husband, Tim, began dating while they were in high school. This romance carried on thru University and while Linda attended law school. The two love birds married in 1968 and moved to Ottawa. Linda found a job with the Department of Justice. She was a Jaycette liken it to Rotary Anns. Then they were off to Denver.

Linda and Tim have three children and now live in Redwood. Linda was a stay at home mom up until 1987 when she decided to go back to work. Steve Rickard gave her a job reference for a lawyer he knew. Linda was called to the bar in 1989.

Linda supported Tim in his Presidential year 2018-19 by joining Rotary. She saw how much good Rotary did in the world when she and Tim went to the Rotary International Convention in Toronto. Three years later she became President Elect Nominee.

Linda’s take on Rotary and her words of wisdom include but are not limited to the following:

Not enough of the public is aware of all we do.
New members should take advantage of their assigned mentor. Ask to meet all Board Directors and Committee Chairs.
Moving from a Committee member to President is a huge leap and one lacks institutional knowledge that comes from years of involvement.
Go to the District Conference. Meet other Rotarians and learn of their modus operandi.
Be modern – use the website. My Rotary offers educational courses.
Participate in activities – volunteer. Join in to meet others.
Come to meetings to learn about us and others.

Magic Moments

Barbie Hames brought us up to date on January birthdays and anniversaries.

Deb McMillan is inviting all new members and veteran members to a Fireside Chat on February 5 at their home from 2-4:30 pm. Several emails have been sent out.

Marlene Doherty reminds us the last day to purchase beautiful flowers and veggie plants is January 31. Pick up is May 23. Don’t miss out on an instant garden.

Pat Fitzsimmons invites us to another Thursday meeting on February 23 at 6 pm. at the Joyce on 4^th. This is an informal meeting in lieu of the Family Day meeting.

She also tells us the Habitat for Humanity Build will be held April 29. More info to follow.

Steve Rickard announced the passing of Tony Harben on January 15, 2023. The Celebration of Life is February 3. Tony was a founding member of Calgary West.

President Announcements

The Giant Book Sale is coming up hosted by Calgary Downtown. An information session will be noon on January 31 or watch the recording if you are interested in volunteering.

Thanks to all those who volunteered at the Habitat for Humanity Casino last Friday and Saturday. The Calgary West Casino is coming up March 12 and 13 so sign up to volunteer.

The District Conference early bird deadline has been extended to February 10. Don’t miss out!

Next week’s meeting is a hybrid meeting and our guest speaker is Dr. Clement Lanthier, President and CEO of the Wilder Institute.

Linda thanked all those involved who volunteered at today’s meeting.

The meeting adjourned at 1:10 pm with the 4 Way Test Jingle.