Meeting: January 5th, 2021
Guests: Kyle Roberts, Tom Shellenberg
Visiting Rotarians: San Mahara (Nanaimo Daybreak), Rose Stevens (Lakewood), Rob Rose of Bellevue
Notable Rotarians:
Roald Amundsen Rotary Club of Oslo Norway and Bill Robinson Rotary Club of Nanaimo North.
Colin's Rotary Minute:
Colin reminded us that Rotary is about sharing. In particular we should be aware that part of this is to share Rotary with others and this means proposing new members so that those folks can also share in the world of Rotary.
And in that spirit - thanks to Colin for sharing a little bit about Rotary at each meeting. I always look forward to learning something new or perhaps being reminded of something I had forgotten. Thanks Colin!
Announcements:
- Rob reported that the Salvation Army meals will be halted for the immediate future. We hope to be back with the clients can get back inside and the risk from Covid is reduced.
- Larry told us that the last Loaves and Fishes had a low turnout last month - possibly related to the season. Hopefully we will get back on track at this months session.
- Bob brought us up to date on the golf ball drop. We have sold 10% of our objective but we will be ramping up the work shortly. The committee hopes to have some exiting plans for our next meeting
With Covid-19 precautions, Bob Lasota (left) presents Dave Miles with the Nanaimo North Rotary's Great Golf Ball Drop Early Bird prize.
Birthdays:
Anniversaries:
- Lynn (8 years)
- Barney (24 years)
- Collin (41 years)
Points to Ponder:
Why do they put Braille on the drive-through bank machines?
Special Note:
We had two Rotarians join us this week for the Nepal presentation. (thanks to Zoom!).
Rose Stevens has been working and raising money for Nepal projects for several years. In 2013 she secured funding for a Braille printer to be used to print textbooks for the blind / visually impaired in Nepal.
Rob Rose was awarded a $330,000 Rotary Grant in 2008 for work in rehabilitating and educating Nepalese children with disabilities.
Program:
This weeks presentation was a follow-up on the 'Weight We Carry' presentation we had some time back. Tom Shellenberg and Kyle Roberts hiked in Nepal to raise money for women's mental health (also in Nepal). What made this unusual was the fact that they carried canoes for the entire distance. In winter! I'm not sure you could find a more Canadian thing to do to raise money. In addition to the canoes (33 lbs) they also carried a 60 lb pack each.
We knew that their goal was to raise $150,000 so that a women's mental health centre could be built in Nepal. They gave us the good news that their goal has been reached! Early progress has been made on the building although, with Covid, the working is moving ahead slowly.
Route to the Everest Base Camp
Along the road
Success! Everest Base Camp. Proof that Crazy Canucks still exist.
