Sunrise bulletin for the week of October 31, 2012
Hallowe'en morning, with some costumes in evidence, and 11 members made it through the slightly damp weather for this week's Rotary meeting. Also with us again were Susan Neale and Steven McGrandle, both guests of Cleopatra Perez.
Rotary moment
John Haley (anyone remember him?) reviewed the new grant structure of The Rotary Foundation. There are only three types of grants: district, global and package. TRF has also developed six areas of focus for future grants. All this is described in the current issue of The Rotarian magazine.
Club and district news
Strathcona Community Centre's dinner is this weekend at the Pink Pearl restaurant. President Julie has more info.
The district Foundation Dinner will be November 24 in New Westminister. Register at www.rotary5040.org.
The District Governor's official visit with our club will be on November 21. DG Rebecca MacPherson will present two Paul Harris Fellow recognitions and will also meet with the board that day.
Our board has decided that the club will again be part of the Rotary World Help Network, which sends shipping containers of supplies to developing countries. Our club's cost is $10 per member per year.
Personal stuff
Good to see John returned from his wanderings. Since some of us saw him last, he's been to Chicago, Australia, Montana, Spokane and perhaps a few other places. He reports that his son in Australia is getting to know some of the Rotary Peace Scholars there.
Larry Belsito says Tania is recovering nicely from the heart problems she encountered during their trip to Ontario. They're awaiting the arrival of twin grandchildren.
Today's program
Our speaker was our own member and President Elect Ann-Shirley Goodell, who recently returned from a 3-week volunteer consulting assignment in Bucaramanga, Colombia. She says the new President of Colombia has effectively chased the worst of the drug cartels into other countries, making Colombia a pleasant and safe place to visit. The Colombian people and the architecture are traditional Spanish, as most of the native peoples were lost to smallpox epidemics. Bucaramanga (try saying that 3 times fast!) is a city at 9,000 feet in the Andes, with about the same population as Vancouver.
Ann-Shirley's clients were two school administrations, one public and one privately-funded, and the chamber of commerce which supports them. In recent years, the government has declared much of the mountain tops to be parks, reducing the safe area for guerilla fighters (and also mining operations). This has prompted many refugees to move to cities like Bucaramanga, where the schools are inadequate to handle them. Ann-Shirley's assignment was to help both school groups learn how to raise funds from local sources, primarily businesses, as international aid is less available during the economic downturn.
One of her client groups has responsibility for two privately-funded schools serving the refugee children and their families. Ten years ago this group, with substantial help from a local contractor, built a school for 450 students (nursery to grade 12), with a science lab funded by the Government of Canada. The same group opened a second facility in another area of the city a few months ago which now serves 72 nursery-school children. Ann-Shirley showed photos of these schools and the kids who are enjoying them. Both schools are scheduled for expansion, the first to 650 students and the second to 300. Some adult education classes are also contemplated.
There's also a Rotary connection. Ann-Shirley met with the leaders of the original Bucaramanga club and the new, younger, Millenium club. These clubs have been active supporters of the schools and are raising funds now to furnish and equip the new classrooms in the expanded schools. They envision that some $60,000 to $70,000 will be required, of which they and a club in the Netherlands have already raised $25,000. They would love to have our club work with them to raise the remaining $35,000 or more, part of which might be in the form of grants from The Rotary Foundation and/or our district. The Bucaramanga clubs are now preparing grant applications for this purpose and Ann-Shirley will share this information with our board for consideration. Our club can then decide whether and how we might assist them.
Next week
Our November 7 meeting will look at the topic of intercultural marketing.
Ann-Shirley and I will be away for the next few months, basking on the beaches of California. Eduardo de Santiago has agreed to look after the bulletin, but he may ask some of you for help. Adios.
Rob