This Rotor can also be found on the FRONT PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE,
on the right side (where it used to be).
ANNOUNCEMENTS
June is Rotary Fellowship Month;
June 21-25 – Rotary International Convention in Calgary - best wishes to our Club's attendees - safe travels and enjoy the experience;
Jun 26 12 noon – Regina Eastview holds its last ZOOM Meeting in the 2024-2025 Rotary year;
Jul 4 – 17th Annual Lyle Piett Memorial Golf Tournament at Tor Hill – its on 2 weeks tomorrow;
Jul 12 - The Floyd Manz Memorial Ripple Effect Ride – where PDGs Doug Mortin and Peter Neufeldt ride to support Regina Eastview's educational projects in Guatemala; Also
Jul 13, 5:00 Cocktails - 5:30 Dinner Regina Eastview’s Change-over Meeting at the Royal Regina Golf Club;
Jul 30 – Annual Pancake Breakfast to help kick off the Annual Regina Exhibition – Volunteers required.
President Elect Jayna Amadasun called the Regina Eastview gathering at the Delta to order at 12 noon and welcomed Rotarians and Visitors alike, to our concluding in-person 2024-2025 Rotary Meeting. In her already appreciated efficient style, PE Jayne opened our meeting by sharing our Club's Land Acknowledgement statement, reminding us of the respect we have for the people who welcomed us to this place. Although there were no known Birthday or Anniversary celebrants in the room, should there have been, they were warmly acknowledged by the PE Jayna. We stood, and Allen Hillsden led us in singing our National Anthem. Happy Dollars were extracted from the willing volunteers. Following these activities, those who paid more were invited to go to the very sufficent buffet. Initially there was puzzlement in the room because 'no one' gave direction on the order and in typical respectful Rotary fashion the masses remained. As it is in Rotary, some one had an idea and others simply sprang forward to assist.
It was a youthful two part program which unfolded as planned and expected. PE Jayne invited Jennifer Watama to speak to us about her participation at the Adventure in Citizenship Program.
Using power Point slides, Jennifer Watama, a Grade 12 student at Luther College and this fall attending University of Regina, on a pathway to becoming a teacher of kindergarten children, shared her experience. Earlier this year she was asked if she would like to participate in the Adventure in Citizenship in Ottawa and without much thought or any quests she said “Yes”. That split second set the stage for the grandest of opportunities and eye opening experiences.
Jennifer’s participation in the Adventures in Citizenship, hosted in Ottawa by Rotary was a wonderful and fulfilling experience where she developed friendships with an array of similar aged youth with whom she has maintained close contact. It was a place where she benefited from life changing experiences. They visited Parliament Hill, sat in Chairs of Canada’s MPs and participated in a sugar bush dinner, a French Canadian feast celebrating the spring maple syrup harvest. This typically features a hearty, plain and simple meal reflective of the community, in this case Quebec setting. This five day Adventure started with what Jennifer described as, “a really long day of travel from Regina to Ottawa’, where they were met and looked after by the nicest people for the next 4 days. A portion of Day 2 was actually spent in the House of Commons and unfolded wiith great opportunities to make friends which is admittedly easy for this extroverted young lady, and individual friendships extended in to friendship groups. Day 3 saw them taking bus tours around Ottawa where they learned about its history, visiting former and current residences of the Prime Minimiser. They took in a variety of presentations and learned about political advocacy and were encouraged to participate by writing a letter to their respective MP. In Jennifer’s case she wrote, advocating for enhanced Mental Health Services which is a focus she has developed because of life experiences of a friend who committed suicide. This day concluded with an evening Talent Show created by the students.
Day 4 involved touring National Sites in the City and facilities such as museums, and included presentations on aspects of Citizenship and concluded with a formal Dinner and Dance. Day 5 was a very sad day and Jennifer admitted to ‘crying most of the time’, because she going home and was leaving behind all these new friends. However, they were invited to sit in on the formality of seeing people take the Oath of Citizenship and she was struck by the beauty and emotion associated with this strategic personal commitment associated with becoming the Citizen of a country different from the one into which one was born.
Jennifer expressed her deep appreciation and thanks for having been granted this life expanding experience of nationhood and friends from all across our country.
A Portion of the June 19 Crowd
Georgia-Lyn Keewatin is a Grade 10 student at Athol Murray College of Notre Dame Boarding School in the town of Wilcox, Saskatchewan. She graduated from Mother Theresa School in Regina, and because she had lived her whole life in Regina, she wanted to attend a school with a residence.
She admitted she loves to travel and has become a rugby enthusiast. Georgia-Lyn was fortune to participate in an exchange with Newfoundland, and was captured by the change of scenery from flat and straight Saskatchewan to the rocky and ‘un-straight’ landscape of Canada’s 10th Province. More recently she was in Italy with a group of students, for which she had to fund raise $5,000.00 to take this trip. Italy was an eye opening experience. To see structures and places, ‘a thousand years old, at every corner’, was mind expanding. She has struggled with not knowing what she wanted to do with her life after Grade 12, but confessed that participating in the Honouring Indigenous Peoples Youth 2 Youth Program positioned her to look at her future in a new way. The Y2Y program was hosted in Nova Scotia and included many presentations on Truth and Reconciliation.
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Georgia-Lyn Keewatin
It was here she learned more about Orange Shirt Day and she meet Phyllis (Jack) Webstad and heard the story directly from the person who had her special new orange shirt taken away when she arrived at the Residential School all those years ago. Attending Y2Y she learned about ‘What Seeing’ is, and in this instance it was seeing good things with one eye, from and Indigenous perspective, and with the other eye seeing the good things from a ‘settlers’ perspective,and moving on from this view of the world. Georgia-Lyn indicated in the prairies we know about treaties, but in the Maritimes as in other places in Canada there are no treaties. In the prairies boys and men are drummers, girls and women do not drum, but they make drums. In the Maritimes girls and women are also Drummers. One got the sense Georgia-Lyn has an untested drummer heart and would welcome such an opportunity. In the 2025 Y2Y program in May students spent a lot of time outdoors looking for and picking plants for medicine.
Georgia-Lyn’s key ‘take away’ included an understanding that Canada is culturally diverse, but it is getting easier, and she is more confident to speak about her culture. Secondly, she is inspired to learn as much as she can about her own culture, but also the cultures and experiences of others and then meeting in some safe space where she could, for instance drum. In Georgia-Lyn’s mind this would be a wonderful opportunity to broaden her understanding of others and appeciative of her own culture and history.
She concluded her presentation by expressing her deep appreciation to Rotary for making it possible for her to deepen her appreciation and love for her heritage. Technology did not allow Georgia-Lyn to show her Power Point photographs, so the gifted young lady painted her experience with the gifted use of words.
Jennifer and Georgia-Lyn you made us proud that we had the good fortune of sponsoring you to these two life enhancing Adventures.
FAMILY OF ROTARY
It is with great sadness that we learned of our former Club member, Jim Powell's death. A message from Cindy advised us that Jim passed away Tuesday, June 17th at 5:13 P.M., with the family at his side;
Please keep Cindy and the Powell family in your thoughts and prayers;
FELLOWSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
Acting President Jayna invited Father's Day highlights;
Peter Peters told us about spending the day before Father's Day, with son Ward at Ward's cabin doing interior repairs - the whole day working together - 'TIME', the best of Father's Day gifts;
Jeff Barber expressed his equal and unwavering love and respect for his children, and detailed the invitation to son's home for Father's Day dinner consisting of barbecued brisket; from his daughter he was gifted with an over-due library book;
Ann Grahame spoke about a Post-Father's Day event which consisted of preparing to host a dinner for the Terry Fox National Ride for Hope cyclists as they rode into Regina on June 16th;
Sadly the Terry Fox Ride Cyclists were drenched and cold and therefore not able to attend the catered Roast Beef Dinner prepared by Charlotte's Catering and served at the Salvation Army venue;
The hosting Rotary Member sponsors of the event and their friends enjoyed each others company, had a great dinner, packed the remaining food into containers and delivered the food to the cyclist at the hotel - a service opportunity;
Wishing everyone a great week.
All Local Terry Fox Ride Dinner Attendees had Volunteer Responsibilities!
Steward Graham Carried in the Flowers
Nikki Rekmen, Terry Fox Ride Co-ordinator
Telling the Ride's Story!
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"We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future." Franklin D. Roosevelt
Today's guests
We were delighted to have the power of youth in the persons of Jennifer Watama and Georgia-Lyn Keewatin at our meeting; along with Peter White of the RC of Hampton (NB) and Rotary Club of Regina Statesmen, Ian Yeates and Allen Goudie. Thank you all for making this a great Rotary hour.
Next Meeting Responsibilities
June 26, is Regina Eastview's wrap-up 12 noon ZOOM Meeting for Rotary year 2025-2026.Surely, you want to be there!
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