Pam was in the chair and welcomed members and guests on World Smile Day. Highlights of her visit to Coventry for the Rotary Peace Conference included visiting the remains of the old cathedral (a hall built in 1344), getting a hug from the Lord Mayor of Coventry, being on the same stage as Shakespeare, and seeing a 16’ x 58’ hand-sewn tapestry. Quote from the conference: “Peace is not the absence of war, it is the presence of justice and global understanding.”

 

The Greeter was Wynn who was dressed for the occasion after receiving a hint from an unnamed person (who was probably not far away).

 

 

50-50 Draw:   Charlie’s number was drawn but he failed to pick the Queen of Spades so the pot of $81 carries forward to next week. However, the consolation prize was a large smiley cup.

 

Guests:  Vince and Ann Reinsborough; and our frequent and always welcome visitor Mariah.

 

Visiting Rotarian: Sharon from South Lake County Club, Florida.

 

Rotary Volunteers had a busy week: George and Patricia showed a group from the U.S. round town; Pam helped the Port Elgin Walkathon raise $1,600; Sandy was on duty at the Marshview breakfast program.

 

Birthdays:  Dianne celebrated another milestone and was suitably serenaded.

 

Happy Dollars:    Charlie was happy with his smiley cup.   Tammy had a successful shopping expedition to Moncton with her daughter, who also received a High School award.   Wynn completed a course in Truro as a result of which he can now legally own a firearm.  His hat dates from a curling bonspiel (he gave a shot by shot account of the game).  Dianne drew attention to Sackville native Ethan Crossman who is with the Memorial Cup winning Acadie-Bathurst Titans.

 

Next Week: 7 June 2018:   Chair: Charlie   Greeter: George   Introducer: Jamie   Thanker: Ove   Speaker:  Tammy – Classification Talk.

 

BBQ:  On 21 June.  Note change of location to Dianne’s. More details next week.

 

Projects Meeting next Monday after Toonie Count; all welcome.

 

 

George introduced guest speaker Laura Reinsborough who was a RYE student in  Norway in 2000-2001 (at Ove’s urging). She introduced Melanie Ball who shared the presentation with her on “School Food: A Recipe for Change.”

 

 

Introducing the fourth time she has given a talk to Sackville Rotary, Laura recalled her time in Norway and a return visit four years ago to her host family there. Currently she is Director of the New Brunswick Food Security Action Network.  She circulated copies of their study guide “Everybody Eats: A conversation on food and its importance in New Brunswick.”

 

Statistics show that not enough people in New Brunswick have access to sufficient  food/healthy food. Almost 20,000 New Brunswickers have to access a food bank each month. One child in five in New Brunswick experiences food insecurity, and this is a major cause of anxiety and depression.

 

Melanie commended the programs in the Sackville area which 1. Provide food, personal care items, and clothing;  2. Create lunches made from local ingredients;  3. Encourage younger kids to cook for older kids (e.g. oatcakes, pizza). Donations of clothing, especially winter jackets and athletic wear are always welcome.

 

The fact that New Brunswick also has a high obesity rate shows that the problem is not just getting enough food, but getting healthy food. Unfortunately, the healthy food can often cost more in the grocery store.

 

 

Dianne expressed thanks to both the speakers for an informative and challenging presentation.

 

The meeting closed with the Four Way Test.

 

On World Smile Day, all Sackville Rotarians – and their guests – had a smile on their face: