MINUTES OF MEETING: Tuesday, August 6, 2024 Editor: Dave Andrews Meeting Called to Order at 6:30 PM: by President Hilda Finnigan Grace: Al Finnigan Toast to the KING : Bill Creamer Land Acknowledgement: We respectfully acknowledge that the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood is meeting on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nations, within the jurisdiction of the Williams Treaties. We are committed to our responsibility of stewardship, in these relationships and for this land on which we learn, share and live. Toast to CANADA : Robbie Larocque Visiting Rotarians and Guests Steve Rutledge – Rotary Club of Whitby-Sunrise Madimba Tshibuabua and his wife Ntumba, and children Olga Yasmine – guest of Linda Porritt Tess Pierce Shashi Bhatia – Rotary Club of Pickering James Ilenikhena – Rotary Club of Utako Abuja in Nigeria BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES: Happy Birthday to Shashi Bhatia on August 4 Happy Birthday to Leon Efraim on August 6 Happy Anniversary to Larry and Kay Hurren on August 3 ANNOUNCEMENTS: We go back to the North Oshawa Farmers market on Saturday August 31 (the Labor Day Weekend) from 8:30 am to 2 pm. We may even have tulip bulbs by then. We will be selling Ploughman’s Choice and Bird Houses. Al and Hilda Finnigan will volunteer for the Aug 31. We need volunteers for the following Saturdays (Sept 7, 14, 21, 28 and Oct 5). Please get out your calendars and let Hilda know when you can help.
We need helpers to clean up at the yard (behind Meineke Muffler on King St E) where we store the Ploughman’s Choice this week (about 4 volunteers) for about an hour to move plastic over to MAK Funeral Home bin and pile up used pallets. . Please let Hilda know if you can help. There are a few bags that have split open, if you want no charge Ploughman’s Choice, bring a shovel and a container and it is yours.
DURHAM COLLEGE – 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm (LIVE BROADCAST) – joint meeting of Durham Region Rotary Clubs and co-hosted by the Rotary Clubs of Oshawa and Oshawa-Parkwood, in the Rotary Global Classroom in the new Centre for Collaborative Education at Durham College where we will celebrate World Polio Day with leaders from around the world. This is one of District 7070’s premier events in the Rotary year : The Rotary Foundation's Polio Eradication Initiative to END POLIO NOW. Reception with light lunch and beverages being planned from 6 PM to 7 PM. Cost is $35 if you are coming to Durham College ($10 of which will be donated to the PolioPlus Fund in your name). Be sure to invite you spouse, relatives, business associates, and prospective members and all clubs in District 7070. We will see the live Rotary International livestream event and we will also broadcast our event live to Rotary Clubs and to Universities and colleges worldwide. All clubs in the District are invited. Proclamations from City and Region to our clubs. We will connect with PolioPlus Volunteers and special guests from around the world. Please register today: https://rotary7070.org/event/copy-of-world-polio-day-2023-live-from-durham-college/ SGT AT ARMS Don Igbokwe ACE OF SPADES Ted Morrison drew the 9 of Hearts and received a consolation prize of an all leather tote bag, courtesy of George Mc Cormack (Oshawa Rotary Club) … and the pot continues to grow HAPPY BUCKS: Al – Happy $5 for a great holiday trip and just checking to see if Emmy runs out early tonight. Shashi – Happy to be joining her new Rotary family and happy to see the youngsters too, Rotary’s next generation. Emmy – Happy $5 for a great time last week at the Great Canadian brewhouse. Thank you to Jan for organizing our outing. Congratulations to all of our new inductees tonight. Tess – A happy $5 to be joining our club. Steve Rutledge – A Happy $5 for surviving 4 days at the Rotary Scarborough Ribfest. Hilda – Also a happy $ 5 for a great trip last week and it is a great pleasure to see Madimba and his whole family here for the induction ceremony. Bill – Had a great time last week at his daughter’s cottage watching all of grandkids swim. The swimming lessens sure paid off. Madimba – Very happy to be joining our Rotary Club – a real gift, along with another gift - his whole family here tonight too. Induction of 4 members to the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood: A historic night at the Rotary Club of Oshawa-Parkwood as we welcomed 4 members: Madimba Tshibuabua (new to Rotary), transferees Shashi Bhatia (from the Pickering club), and James Ilenikhena (from the Rotary Club of Utako Abuja in Nigeria) and we welcomed back to Rotary Dr Tess Pierce (previously with the Oshawa Club). 
SPEAKER: For the last 14 years (minus the Covid years) Steve, a member of the Rotary Club of Whitby-Sunrise, has ventured into Laos serving the rural villagers with the most basic of needs for sustained life. Since 2009, Adopt A Village in Laos has completed over 100 villages with filtered water, one family at a time, serving just over 40,000 rural villagers, constructed 25 permanent water supplies, repaired numerous others, built about 50 banks of toilets, 12 school construction projects and continues to sponsor a host of primary, secondary and university students. Steve started with a video of the work that he and his team did this past winter in Laos: laying PVC pipe, building dams, reservoirs, banks of toilets, providing feminine pads to girls in villages, building a community centre, and providing 800 families in 15 villages, with clean water with filters, for the first time in their lives.
Now that the Covid lockdowns are over, AAVIL is restarting its feminine hygiene program. In addition to providing feminine hygiene pads to secondary school students, full hygiene training is provided, including washrooms dedicated to the female students and special waste containers, plus a daily washroom cleaning program. Steve noted that Rotary is so well known in Laos because of clubs like ours for assisting Steve over the years. Steve told us all about the water filters which we, as individuals, can purchase for $125 each, and they will be placed into the hands of a family in Laos to get their clean water. One filter will look after a family of 6 to 8 people with clean water for 8 years. They are even taught how to clean the filter. The filter proves 99.99% clean water. (And it is tax deductible). See:  
As a result of providing clean water to families in Laos, infant mortality has decreased from 8,1% to 3.3%. Steve even explains to villagers all about bacteria, how it spreads and what washing their hands does to stop the flow of bacteria. Be sure to read all about Adopt A Village Laos at https://aavil.org/ Next year, (Dec 1, 2024 through to April 2025) Steve is planning on building 2 full complete water projects(from the rivers in the mountains down to the villages ) and also a school with 3 classrooms and a office , and toilets. You are most welcome to come and help. International service Director and Past President David Penney thanked Steve for his talk tonight and for his true dedication to the families in Laos. MORE INFORMATION IN THE CALENDAR OF EVENTS be sure to check this out!! IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT, YOU CAN MAKE UP: Go online at www.rotary.org go to the club locator and find a club or clubs near your destination. Or you can add the free App Rotary Club Locator to your phone for instant look up of any club in the world. Please mail or fax your make-ups to Secretary Sue MacKinnon, or give your make-up card to the attendance/registration officer at the next club meeting. 
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