The Rotary Club Of Festival City

President:  David Moore

Minutes of the meeting of March 27, 2012

Club email:  festivalcityrotary@gmail.com

Club web blog: www.festivalcityrotary.blogspot.com

ClubRunner site: www.festivalcityrotary.ca

Guests: Bob Martin and Clark Mitchell are from the Stratford Rotary Club. Dr. Giza Wordofa.  Rotary Exchange student Phanuwat Kongwattananon (Nu) is from Thailand.

Draw Prize: David Moore donated the prize won by Sam Theocharis.

Announcements:

  1. Fish Fry Dinner and Dance: A notice of this event was forwarded to club members. If you are interested in joining Lynne Ternosky please contact her.
  2. A Milestone: Kent and Dianne Chisholm celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on March 17. They celebrated the event in New York City attending a performance of Jesus Christ Superstar.
  3. Invitation: Our club members are invited to a reception at the MRI suite in the SGH on March 29 at 7 PM. The reception thanks donors for supporting the MRI.
  4. Stratford Summer Music: S.S.M. is holding a soiree on Sunday April 1 at noon at the Bijou Restaurant. This event will feature lunch accompanied by violin and piano music played by soloists from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory of Music. The event will support the Stratford Summer Music. The cost is $125 per person and tax receipts will be issued.  RSVP at Imau@stratfordsummermusic.ca or call 519-271-2101

Guest Speaker: David Moore introduced Jean Aitcheson who presented a slide show of her 2011 medical mission to Guatemala. The population of Guatemala has a rich Mayan heritage. Women still wear Mayan style clothing and many of the weaving and food preparation methods are still practiced.

Jean’s clinics were set up in churches and homes. Here they provided dental, optical, and medical services to villagers who are too poor to pay for medical services. Some slides show children learning to brush their teeth, others receiving treatment for fungal infections and eye problems. Gloria, a young dentist from the Philippines provided dental services. Eye glasses were fitted to people with vision problems. Lauren, who had been a Rotary Exchange student but now a graduate student at U of T acted as translator for the team.

Jean also visited a corn cleaning facility where white corn was bagged to be used to make tortillas. Black beans are also a staple of the Guatemalan diet. Jean visited many of the local markets where produce and crafts were sold. Everything a home requires can be purchased in the markets.

The patients and their families were very pleased to have the services of the mission and thanked the volunteers by providing them with some meals and gifts of fresh local strawberries.

Jean was thanked by Lynne Ternosky