Meeting Notes July 16, 2014

 

The meeting was called to order by President Ken at 12:15.

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Meeting visitors included:

  1. Julia Richmond---Jocelynn Briggs

  2. Viktor Ozej---(Returning exchange student)

 

Announcements

Dave Van Gelder gave us an update on Brandy.

She is home and settled now. While she was in the hospital she had many visitors that helped her with her attitude and morale. Right now she is working on a to do list of activities. She has an appointment Thursday July 17th at 3pm to get the results of the Pathology and to determine what comes next in her journey.”

 

Mr. Kerwin sold all the great tasting sausages that were left over from Dockfest! They were gluten and diary free and extremely good! Thank you to all Rotarian’s who purchased a bag for $10.

 

Don Dunton encouraged teams of four to sign up for the golf tournament. The team captain has to summit the registration card by the end of July to get the discounted price of $150.

 

Len Ross asked for volunteers for August 8-10, 2014, various shifts for Party in a Box, and security for a baseball tournament. Location is Parry Sound and Smart Serve would be an asset to the team. Please contact Len if you can help out and for more details.

 

President Ken formally asked Gord Mitchell to be our Sargent of Arms. Gord graciously accepted and everyone cheered!

 

All the presidents and former presidents of Rotary in the area met at West Side Fish and Chips. Margret Walton organized the meeting to get all the clubs to be more involved and collaborative with each other. President Ken is looking forward to more meetings throughout the year.

 

Next board meeting is scheduled Wednesday July 23, 2014 at 6:45pm.

 

President Ken and former President Deb approached the club with an idea of having an outdoor picnic lunch meeting at Debbie's cottage. There was no definitive decision made on date or location.  President Ken liked the idea of this free outdoor location. 

 

Sandy McKay informed us that DockFest brought in a minimum of $12,000. Not all bills are in yet.

 

Speaker and Topic

The speaker this week was Ron Strickland. His presentation was about the Pinalito Low Cost Housing Project. This project was completed in Guatemala February 11-25, 2001.

 

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Objective of Project

The objective is to improve the health and living conditions of the extremely poor indigenous peoples of Mayan ancestry living in and around the remote mountain community of Pinalito, Guatemala.

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Pinalito is a small community on the sides of a mountain in the remote area east of the city of Zacapa, in the Department of Zacapa, Guatemala. This area borders on the neighbouring country of Honduras. Until two years ago, this area was only accessible by footpaths. Now there is a road of sorts which can only be used by short wheel based 4x4 trucks. The inhabitants are an indigenous people descended from the Mayan Indians.

The Plan

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- Construct 12’ x 24’ cement block homes for 30 families.

- Containing 2 to 3 rooms, cement floor plus a corrugated steel roof.

-Water lines to be extended, new pila and wash area constructed.

  • Outdoor latrines included for basic sanitation and new stove.

There were three teams who worked with locals to accomplish this project.

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Foundation Funding was used for this project and all volunteers worked in conjunction with Club Rotary Guatemala Metropolio and Faith in Action.

Ron told us some interesting stories about a bus with a broken washroom and air conditioning.

During the question and answers period, Ron elaborated on how the blocks for the buildings had to be carried or transported by donkeys.

For more details ask Ron Strickland, it was a very great project and helped a great many people improve their living conditions in Guatemala.

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Thank you Ron for your great presentation!

 

Other News 

Viktor updated us on his future plans. Viktor plans to study International Relations. He hopes to work in Diplomacy, a Television Station or as an Ambassador.

He hopes to practice these skills on Canadian girls.

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Happy Bucks

Ross Kerwin was happy to report that the free library at Town Hall is a success.

Pam McCluskey's baseball team is undefeated!

Ron Strickland had a great time on the fishing trip. The caught 594 fish and they swear when the fish get away.

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Viktor Ozej was happy to be back in Canada!

Gord Mitchell congratulated Jocelynn Briggs on her first Echo. Gord also gave Doug his cap back.

President Ken was very happy that Gord has agreed to be our Sargent of Arms

Foundation Draw

Guest Julia Richmond number was drawn and the pot is still up for grabs.