Miscellaneous

Repeat from last week or until no longer relevant or until I delete it:

There is a RYLA South this year and any participant must be registered before February 23rd. The dates are March 25th - 28th at Camp Elphinstone and the cost is $450.00. If you know someone who is interested have them register.

Marg is looking for volunteers Tuesday mornings to serve breakfasts at Gilmore starting at 7 AM. So please check your calendars and help in a hands on project.

District 5040 is seeking corporate/financial sponsorship for this years district conference from April 28 - 30 2023 to address the twin concerns of new members and membership retention. The various packages can be considered by following this link. various sponsorship packages . The financial support will go directly to subsidizing the District Conference for new Rotarians, Future Rotarians and Rotaractors as a method of gaining support and continuing to grow Rotary in our communities.

Sunday February 26^th 4 – 7 is the Victor Ghirra appreciation night for the supporters. Including dinner.

Zoom Meeting Rules

THE LINK TO OUR THURSDAY MEETINGS WILL NO LONGER BE EMAILED BUT ACCESSED THROUGH THE LINK BELOW.

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86855229058?pwd=c1pxUklLeDMwWGpCdjIrOS9Oak4wUT09

Meeting ID: 868 5522 9058
Passcode: 473892

1) Mute your microphone if you aren't already muted. Background noise is distracting.
2) If you are not engaged in the presentation, turn off your camera.
3) Chat function should only be used to address the speaker, not for Club member remarks during the presentation

4) Unmute when harassing the Sergeant at Arms or taking your turn during Sergeant at Arms.

5) Keep your surveillance balloons out of the good old Excited States of America.

Please direct any questions to the President or a board member of your choosing and we will discuss any and all questions or concerns during our board meeting. Also please refer anyone who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the club.

INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE

Unfortunately I was a little late and not prepared to record the wonderful quote so we will go with this: Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.

VISITORS

Asked Bob Shoker to send me a list of visitors and he clearly is working toward being the next bulletin editor because this is what he emailed me.

Ray Wang ( quiet boss of Ed who really killed the burritos)

Lance Montiero ( who was the most talkative/lively guest we have had). He’s a Rotarian at heart for sure but will need to be contained during SAA

Ed Gavsie and Ava Koldenhof ( remarkable young lady)

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND

CLUB BUSINESS

Thanks to Eleanore for the cookies. Thanks to Larry for the Breakfast. Thanks to Marg for hosting the Auction Meeting.

Marg Dixon was presented with her seventh(?) Paul Harris.

Auction News.

Shopify is up

Thanks for the wine for the wine wall and please bring yours if you haven’t.

Judy May is sponsoring something that I did not really hear but thankyou Judy.

Peter Levelton is sponsoring the photos.

Debbie and Miles will sponsor will the decorations.

Debbie recommends that we publish a news story before the auction about all the projects it supports and an article after the auction about how much was raised.

She is still looking for someone to Sponsor the wine at the tables.

Sandra is now open to selling the tickets. $175 for a ticket and $2,000 to sponsor a table.

Thanks to Sam and Chris P. for getting out our flyers and the web site.

In other news:

Bobby is sending out our invoices and was hissed at by some unidentified member but a source told your editor the person was near a walker. A reminder that this Sunday is the Victor Ghirra thankyou dinner.

sergeant At Arms Tidbits

Debbie Samson was with us on her last day on zoom as she is heading home this afternoon. She claims to have run a half marathon, without evidence, as the chip did not work (uh - huh). Nothing recorded nothing happened. Richmond Addiction society Board is looking for members if you or anyone you know might be interested.

Gordon claimed he had nothing to report but told us about WL on zoom where the camera and microphone follow you around the room. Also said he fobbed off his job at Rotary for the next year without telling us which of the multiple roles he fulfills. Whichever one it us we thank you for your service.

Larry is counting the days before going under the knife again. We are all thinking of you.

Debbie T. got away on their cruise and did enjoy themselves a bit and swam with stingrays. Last week she attended a conference where raising student voices in educational programs was one topic. She is slowly getting back on track. Will schedule a social committee meeting next week.

Marg enjoyed hosting the auction meeting. Or Don did or Whatever.

Debbie M said that Steveston Seafood House has offered a cash prize of $500 for the head and tails game. Manuel started chemo and has had two rounds. There is currently a break. Then two more sessions will be followed by an assessment to see if the chemo is working.

Judy provided lots of babysitting service this week including attending 3 hockey games in one Saturday. The twins loved their game and the 12 year old didn’t talk about his. On the other hand her 13 year old granddaughter was interested in the other players. And because you can never get enough Judy is looking after 6 of them this weekend.

Kal thanked Larry and Marg for breakfast and the auction meeting respectfully. The chip on his walker also was not working so there is no evidence he completed a marathon either.

Sam said it was good to be in Colorado went skiing for first time on a mountain where no one knows him. The instructor used the term “pizza” (I assume it means snowplow). He went skiing with friends. But the only time he fell was skiing through “Rainbow Arch”(?) which is a narrow path where one should not “pizza”. Sounds painful. 😖

Peter’s granddaughter had a fundraiser for her soccer team where they sold 300 dozen Krispy Krème donuts in 2 hours.

Blair had a great weekend in Calgary with four brothers and his sister in the same place for the first time in years. Went to a super bowl party and Monday he slept until noon.

Jeanette thanked Susan for making her go to the auction meeting.

Peachy welcomed our guests. Sadly, this week a friends house caught fire and her husband died. The community is devastated and all are sad. This is on top of last month when another friend had been killed.

Susan is sorry to see so much tragedy. It is important that we stick close together and be really glad when we see each other. She thanked Ray and Lance for being guests today. Ray is on the board of Richmond Cares and Richmond Gives. Lance was here to find out what happens at Rotary. (The next step to becoming a member.)

Carolyn said this month is birthday party extravaganza month. So they fit all celebrations into February with rearranged the house for parties and the super bowl. At one point the kids were suspiciously quiet. They had used marker all over their faces to look like the football players. She is looking forward to March and enjoyed golfing with Max.

Max on Sunday watched his first Super Bowl and claims he understands the rules. He also had a soccer game this week and vowed there was nothing to report from the game.

Lance thanked Susan for being invited to our meeting. He organized a jam packed charity event with 300 guests for a Valentine’s day fundraiser for BC Diabetes Association. It was at the Riverside Ballroom which after some heckling from the tough crowd declared that the venue had been “okay”.

Mary Lou time has been jam packed since Christmas. Saw Forgiveness then is off to Palm Springs to stay with Pat and friends for golf and bridge.

I slept in. My internal alarm clock set for 6AM no matter whether in Jordan or Delta did not go off. Rushed to Rotary with my vest on inside out. Very busy since Christmas with three trips babysitting in Kelowna, out every night this week and up at 4 AM to let the dog out. 😴

Bill’s dog turned 12 today, a record age for one of their dogs and he still acts like a puppy. Went to Detroit to meet Jake to see the Canucks game (an annual event with location chosen by Jake). The weather was horrible and he ran half marathon with a chip, so there is proof. He watched a large number of people who started drinking early Super Bowl Sunday.

Chris M. said Eleanore drove the cookies to her house last night so the cookies could make it to our meeting. On Tuesday morning Chris went to the Woman’s march for missing indigenous woman and found it overwhelming. She listened, walked and absorbed about how much more work there is to do. The march made the issues come alive for her. She is reading 12 things you need to know about the Indian Act. She had a nice romantic Valentines Day (but would not rate it on a scale of 1 – 10). She enjoyed an awesome Super Bowl party and then out into garage to play darts.

Sandra reported that it was very rainy when they got to Hawaii with floods and then the weather changed and it was great. It is whale season and Brittany and her Girlfriend while out for coffee watched a whale’s tail flapping and then a breach. The four went Zodiac whale watching and saw a baby whale breaching. Two large whales came past the baby and toward the Zodiac with their blow holes just in front of the boat and then went right underneath the boat. The whales head came straight up by the boat, and Sandra could have touched it. The whales turned in the water and waved their flippers at the boat. Whales are bigger than a bus and are fast when they are moving. It was the best trip ever.

Bobby wants to hire Debbie M. to help organize events at Riverside. He went out for a valentines dinner and was hassled for paying with a Keg gift card. (How romantic especially because he tried to pay with the card at a Ricky’s). On Sunday he hosted a super bowl party and is getting ready for another busy week at the Riverside Ballrooms.

Bob would rather do his whale watching on the History channel. He enjoyed the Super Bowl particularly because he used Krispy Kream doughnuts to make French toast. Yummy. He is off to PETS so he can be our next excellent president.

Meanderings

Last week I asked ChatGPT to write a 250 word essay about the history of Black History Month and this is what it wrote.

Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual observance in the United States and Canada to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history. The idea of Black History Month can be traced back to 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The ASNLH aimed to promote the study of African American history and to bring recognition to the contributions of African Americans to society.

The first observance of what was originally called Negro History Week was held in February 1926 and was established to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two influential figures in African American history. The week was later expanded to a month-long celebration in 1976, as part of the United States' bicentennial celebrations. Since then, Black History Month has been recognized and celebrated in schools, communities, and by the government throughout North America.

The significance of Black History Month lies in its ability to educate and raise awareness about the rich history and cultural heritage of African Americans. It also serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality and recognition for African Americans, who have faced and overcome many obstacles, including slavery, segregation, and systemic racism.

In conclusion, Black History Month is an important observance that recognizes the achievements and contributions of African Americans to society. It serves as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality and recognition and helps to educate future generations about the rich history and cultural heritage of African Americans.Black History Month, also known as African American History Month, is an annual observance in the United States and Canada to celebrate and recognize the contributions and achievements of African Americans throughout history. The idea of Black History Month can be traced back to 1915, when historian Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History (ASNLH). The ASNLH aimed to promote the study of African American history and to bring recognition to the contributions of African Americans to society.

At our family place at Skaha we receive a monthly magazine called Skaha Matters. It always contains a section on the history of Kaleden, which is on the west side of Skaha about 8 kilometres outside of Penticton. Apparently in the 1920s there were four families in Kaleden that set up their own telephone system. They strung the wires along the barb wire fencing. The system only worked if the people who wanted to talk picked the phone up at the same time because there was no way to make the telephone ring on the other end. So the individual wanting to talk would stand at either at the bottom or the top of the hill and yell "yoohoo" at the top of their lungs until someone answered "yoohoo" back. They would both then returned to their homes and pick up the phone to have their conversation. Electricity and the telephone were not available in Kaleden until the 1930s.

SPEAKER

Richmond Cares Richmond Gives

Ed Gavsie told us about the many services RCRG provides for the community of Richmond. The Christmas fund is their best known program and it had a successful season. It serves more people each year and this year was able to help everyone who sought help from them. This means the community supported RCRG as there is no government support other than a small gaming grant. The RCMP toy drive is the largest donor with 1.6 tons of toys this year and increase from 1.5 last year. This was the 90^th year for the Christmas Fund. An no Ed was not there at the beginning .

The largest department is servicing seniors the biggest program is “Better at Home” whose goal is to keep seniors in their homes as long as possible. RCRG provides friendly visitors for seniors who live alone, driving seniors for shopping or medical appointments and grocery delivery. They need volunteer drivers and they have a vehicle currently sponsored by the Steveston Rotary Club. They have volunteer shoppers and fill 135 orders a week. RCRG will provide frozen meals, housekeeping and meal preparation. With the goal of keeping seniors in their homes.

RCRG provides a childcare referral service and resource centre for the province, parents and day cares operators. There is a early childhood book library and bins of toys. The staff are early child hood trained caregivers who will also put on seminars.

Ed was going to retire but agreed to an 8 month contract 8 years ago. The RCRG core business is as a resource centre with a list volunteer opportunities, counsellors for volunteering and a source for many organizations to find volunteers. There are also sources for management and training on their web site. Here is a link to their website RCRG - Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives

RCRG works with the Richmond Community Foundation and provides financial management and administrative work including the endowment funds and scholarships.

Many of the Boards of these organizations are aging out and it is difficult to attract youth onto the boards and also raising funds for volunteer organizations.

Ed introduced Ava who with her grandmother, had been making jewelery at 9 years old and brought in a cheque for $1,000. Ava said her objective was to raise $10,000. Last year she brought a cheque for $1,000 and had reached the goal of raising $10.000. Ava is now back from school in France and agreed to become the youth ambassador for the Christmas Fund.

Ava is a French immersion student at McMath. She is 16 years old and in Grade 11. She is overjoyed at being the first ever youth ambassador for the Christmas Fund. Been part since of 9 years. Said she wanted to raise money for the Christmas Fund and started making beaded key chains with goal of raising $10,000. She has been making since she was 8 and donated the final $1,000 two years ago. Exchange program to France agreed.

The reason for setting this goal is because of how she was raised. Her grandmother was a good role model who volunteered in Africa and Ava would give all the money from her piggy bank to her grandmother to take with her. A parent or grandparent as role model is very important. She wants to help her peers become better members of the community and to become volunteers. Volunteers are the back bone of the community and her goal is to get highschoolers more involved.

Ed said there were new programs to engage high school students in activities that interests them and the Christmas fund is a good one to engage with. If you or if you know someone who is looking for opportunities to volunteer go to the web site. RCRG - Richmond Cares, Richmond Gives

Upcoming Events

Sunday February 26^th 4 – 7 is the Victor Ghirra appreciation night for the supporters. Including dinner.

Friday May 5th, 2023, Gala Auction.

TODAY'S CHUCKLEs

Did you hear about the cross-eyed teacher who lost her job because she couldn’t control her pupils?

I'm reading a book about anti-gravity. I just can’t put it down.