Whoop~Up Bulletin

Vol.86, No.13, October 20, 2003

 

Upcoming (Meeting days in black)

Bernie's Top Ten Reasons why you should join Rotary

 

Number 9 - CULTURAL DIVERSITY

Rotary International is an association of local clubs in many countries. Clubs are open to members of every ethnic group, political persuasion, language, and religious belief. Rotary clubs contain a cross-section of the world's leaders. They practice and promote tolerance.

Proposed NEW Members, first notice 

Cam Hall, proposed by Gordon Lowe, from the Salvation Army, replacing Sam Roberts.

Doug Parker, proposed by Helen Henderson, Director of Physical Plant, Operations and Planning at the U of L.

 

Donation and Thanks

Dear Bernie,

Thank you very much for drawing our ticket for the Cadillac CTS in the recent Rotary Summer Lottery. Your phone call to inform us of our good fortune is one of our most pleasant surprises ever - we still can't believe it. We purchased a set of tickets to support your Galt Gardens Project and the next thing we knew, friends were calling to say that we won a car on Global TV. We had no idea what the vehicle even looked like as we had bought the tickets by phone. Kendall Gibson was very accommodating in showing us the vehicle for the first time over at Global, and Ralph Gast has been just terrific to deal with at Murray's. The car looks great! We haven't had a chance to drive it much, but it sure turns heads when we zoom (not too fast, though) down the street.

Please find enclosed a donation to your service club.

Many thanks again to the Rotary Club.

Dick and Mary Quon.

Greeter Mark introduced:

Dan Shapiro, Guest Speaker

Karen Patching

Kelly Smerek

Randy Tremel

Mark Lenchuka

Claire Murray

 

Wasn't That A Party

Bernie is still grinning over the Black Tie Bingo evening of being wined, dined, and champagned.

 

BTB Report

Jamie thanks committee members: Mike M for looking after art donations, Daniel H for gathering the major prizes, Elisabeth N and Geri H for regimenting logistics and with the help of Kelvin N, running a smooth evening.  Wayne for committee meeting minutes which were partly true and assembling the PowerPoint presentation which hi-lighted sponsors, Rotarians and Rotary programs.  Thanks to Tim and Bev Waters, without whom the evening would not have happened.  Bev sold tickets and gathered many silent auction items.  Thanks to committee members who endured the evening of food testing and menu selection.  Thanks to Beatrice for database building, developing the printed program, billing and thank-yous.  Thanks to Doug McMaster of Ceremonies, for Karlen on seating, menu and setup.  Thanks to Bob Carey for getting us the Robert Bateman print and other silent auction items. 

 

Nancy sends her report that the auctions, and bingo card sales brought in $27,300.  Jamie conservatively estimates we will clear $35,000 which is $5000 over the budget that Nancy forced us to invent.

 

A real big thanks to Rotarians who bought tickets, supplied generous donations for prizes and auctions, brought friends and bid on silent auction items.

 

SAA Report

Sergeant At Arms Daniel found many happy bucks from Gord Jong on the recent Rolex Watch win, Brian Treadwell on winning a patio suite complete with BBQ from ATCO, 75# of steaks from Dallas and Katrina and the patio furniture from Beachcombers.  Daniel was jubilant over his $1000 cash win, which he spent at the Auction, plus a bit.  Doug McArthur paid a regrets buck that the city alderman did not win the bicycles.  He is also happy to have been a presenter at the recent UofL convocation, with LeRoy Little Bear, the recipient. Wayne is happy that Peter Green presented Wayne's photo of Rotarian Lloyd, along with a winning description.  Peter is happy that his $20 investment in that photo brought $200 at the art auction.  Ken Lewis is happy the Community Band has a CD for sale.  Dick Turner is happy his grandson had a hat trick.  Robin Hood is happy that RBC really is a Platinum Sponsor.  Wayne Stewart is happy to be a fully sighted bionic man who no longer drives by braille.  Georgina is happy that her mother graduated from University.  Chris Murray is happy that Murray Auto will be announced as one of Canada's top 100 employers, and that his father Claire was runner up in this year's Entrepreneur of the Year awards.  Geri is happy they received their $125,000 CFEP grant and will be able to complete renovations.  David Senior is happy that his son is still holding down a job and girl friend as well as being on the LCI honour roll.  Chris Y was relieved to pay for his TV commerical.  Jamie paid for her memory lapse.

 

Isabel Report

Our exchange student really enjoyed her first ever Thanksgiving turkey and holiday with the Murray family in Manitoba.  She said it was truly amazing to drive 11 hours in one direction, and nothing changes.  Back in Switzerland, an eleven hour drive would take you through many climate zones, cultures and countries.

 

Guest Speaker

Doug introduced Dan Shapiro who is a member of the law society for 29 years,  specializing in matrimony and litigation.  He has served on the board of the tennis club since 1974, on the Southern Alberta Legal Aid appeals committee for six years, Past President of the Lethbridge Bar Association, Public relations director for Lethbridge and district Big Brother's and a Big Brother for 10 years.  He has been a member of the YMCA since 1974, and a board member on Habitat for Humanity for six years and chairman for the past two.  He is married to Deborah and has two teen-age daughters.  He enjoys skiing, tennis and carpentry.

 

Dan began by thanking Rotarian Eddie Cairns for doctoring him through many sicknesses and being the reason he (Dan) is still alive today.  Dan says carpentry is a hobby, which moved him to volunteer on the Habitat for Humanity project on Oxford Road in 1996.  He and 100 other people from many walks of life started in the morning on the subfloor, put up the walls, the roof, the sheathing, the windows, the electrical and half the plumbing in one day.  He was hooked.  He called the office the next morning and said, "Cancel my appointments for the rest of the week."  Since that day, he has banged in many nails and hit his fingers plenty, too. 

 

Habitat for Humanity began years ago in Georgia by Millard and Linda Fuller. Putting faith into action, the Fullers founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976.  It came to Canada in 1985, and has built over 100,000 homes with a target of 200,000 by 2010.  There is a home being finished somewhere in the world every 40 minutes.  The goal of the organisation is to alleviate poverty by giving a hand-up, not a hand-out.  The organisation is not based on any race, religion or colour.  The recipients of these homes are people who would never otherwise have a hope of owning a home.  An application to Habitat for Humanity considers need, income and participation.  They are picked by determining which applicant is most likely to be a credit to H4H.  The common belief that only newly arrived immigrants get homes is hogwash - about 40% of homes have gone to other than Canadian-born people.

 

New home owners are given a first mortgage on 80% of the home's market value, with no interest, and a second mortgage on 20%, which is forgivable if the first mortgage is paid in full.  Money received from the mortgage payments is re-invested in more housing.  The city of Winnipeg is Canada's leader in the project with 100 houses to their credit and another five or six houses built each year. 

 

The Herculean task of framing, siding and roofing a house with a combination of skilled and unskilled volunteers is topped off at the end of the project with an dedication which is a touching event.  Church groups pitch in to feed and water the volunteers, there is a building committee, a P.R. committee, a volunteer committee, a family selection committee, a home ownership committee that undertakes the education of the new home owner in taxation, insurance, maintenance.  DomTar donates the wallboard, Corning donates the insulation.  Local companies supply materials at cost and labour at reduced rates, if not donated outright.

 

H4H needs volunteers, material, labour, donations, but there is nothing like it for building a community.  "When I get a little pissed at the world, I go for a drive to look at the homes I helped to build, to remember the people I worked with, the job we did, and it energizes me."

 

This year's home went to a Rotarian's daughter who is a single mother with three kids.  Rotarians who are blood donors have probably met the young lady who is delighted with the house and the opportunity of ownership that she would otherwise not have.  Next year's home will be built for a single mom with one child, again near the new school on the west-side. 

 

Since H4H in Lethbridge began, one single father defaulted, turned over custody of his kids and turned back the house.  One other lady married and sold the house back to H4H, because the contract states the organisation has the right of first refusal.  If you know of a family that might fit the profile, you can have an application mailed out to them.  Annual family income cannot exceed $27-29 thousand.

 

How to get involved

You can phone 327-6612 for a volunteer form.  Insurance?  Yes, we have insurance up the ying-yang, and we are very safety conscious, hard hats only.    Guest Karen Patching of Patching and Associates rose to donate next year's home architecture plans and will bring all her people to join the nail banging.

 

Bernie thanked Dan for his talk and presented him with a gift of sight.

 

Cash Draw

Dan drew Chris Murray for $10, and David Hughes for $5.00

 

Speaking of Doug McArthur: he is offering a digital camera for sale.  The photo below was the last one taken, which shows it takes good quality pictures.  The camera may have been dropped (one time).

 

"We endeavor to tell the truth in all reporting." 

 

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