President Jayna welcomed everyone to the meeting and began with the Land Acknowledgement. Jeanne Alexander was invited to introduce guest speaker, Julius Brown with OSI-CAN. Julius is a Canadian citizen and former military officer. He has had experience wiith PTSD and he has compassion which led him to help others.
OSI-CAN was formed in 2016. It is an Operational Stress Injury/Post Traumatic Stress Support Initiative and is a partnership between the Canadian Mental Health Association (Sask) and the Royal Canadian Legion (Sask Command). In 2019 the program expanded to include the Alberto A.S.K. Peer Support groups with the program operating some 12 groups across the province.
The mission is to inspire hope and contribute to the continuous well-being and recovery process of veterans, Community First Responders and Public Safety Personnel.
The vision of OSI-CAN is to empower and encourage them to strive for recovery, resiliency, and post traumatic growth through self-determination while creating greater public awareness. OSI-CAN has one GOAL in mind: TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF THE MEN AND WOMEN WHO PUT THEMSELVES ON THE LINE FOR US. Indigenous people have been supported by OSI-CAN. Many support mechanisms help with the recovery process. Horses and dogs offer amazing assistance in recovery as well. A number of events have been shown to improve outcomes.
Only someone who has experienced PTSD can understand the need for help and understanding. Thank you for your presentation today, Julius. What a wondeful program this is to help recovery of individuals. It exemplifies compassion and understanding for all. Well done to everyone involved. We wish you continued success with the program.
This year the Rotary International Conference in Taipei, Taiwan, saw a gathering of 38,000 people. Nearing the end of his service, RI President Arezzo emphasized the importance of continuity in Rotary leadership.
“I like the image of a relay race,” he said, “No runner owns the race. The most important moment is not the running---it's the passing. Rotary is a relay. We receive, we carry forward, we pass it on. and every generation of Rotarians must leave the organization stronger, kinder and more hopeful for the generation that follows.”
G. Bradley, Acting Rotary Foundation Chair, noted that this year Eastviewians contributed a total of $10, 090 dollars to the Foundation. This year the contributions were higher than the last 3 years. Thank you Rotarians. You have made a difference.
FELLOWSHIP HIGHLIGHTS
There were happy bucks:
Allen Hillsden noted his granddaughter had a busy month--she graduated with a Biology degree, married and has a new job. Congratulations to her.
Jeff Barber is looking forward to retirement in the fall when he will donate more time to his new granddaughter.
Congratulations Jeff and best wishes on your retirement and enjoy the grandpa experience.
Jeff also noted the exchange book festival, a huge event of which his son had a role.
Have a good week. Enjoy the summer and Rotary events ahead.
“Keep your face to the sun and you will never see the shadows” Helen Keller
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