The Rotary Club of
St Thomas
Rotaserver
Stories
2Mar22 Return to Wayside-Kenya Water Project
Rotaserver March 2 , 2022 Live again at the Wayside
Kenyan Water & Girl Empowerment Project – Speaker was Kathleen Murphy, Rotary Club of South London
  • Deurence Onyango – a very active fellow Kenyan Rotarian in her district and beyond to empower girls. 
  • Nominee for the 2021-22 Rotary People of Action: Champions of Girls’ Empowerment
  • Founder of Smart Girlhood – mentoring girls by providing Menstrual Health Management information and sanitary pads while encouraging them to avoid missing school during the “Period of Shame.” 
  • Located in Homabay County, Kenya.
  • Poor infrastructure:  no clean water, roads or health centre
  • 65% of girls rely on NGO’s for sanitary pads
  • 24% bought for by friends (boys, and mostly in exchange for sex
  • Deurence started community action/ Sensitization group
Girls & women wake up at 3 AM to make the trek of over 10Km for potable water
Solar Disinfection System SODIS was introduced
  • Fill plastic 1.5 liter water bottles
  • Leave in the sun on corrugated tables for 1 day
  • Kills 99.9 of bacteria and pathogens
  • In Kenya water had to be decanted first of dirt and small rocks
  • PET bottles used with no BPA so no concern about leaching
Ways to donate:
    noting “Kenya Project” in the Message section
  • Make cheque payable to:
   Rotary Club of London South (Kenya Project)
   and  mail to PO Box 25602, London, ON N6C 6B3
  • Donate via www.CanadaHelps.org
    1. Search Rotary Club of London South Foundation
    2. Select Campaign “Kenya Project”
The following is a response to Malcolm from  Kathleen about his question re sewing machines:
How nice to sit across from you today.  
Wanted to answer your question about the sewing machine...it is a treadle machine.  Electricity is not reliable in the community.
I have made the suggestion to Joan about doing a press release for International Women's Day about the Kenyan project.  I think she plans on doing it but we have no way of knowing if it will be picked up.
Thanks for the great hospitality.  Hope our paths cross again soon.
K
 
President Barbara opened the meeting with the gong, firs time for many weeks; toasts to Rotary International, Queen and Country and the President and people of Ukraine. The 4-way test was recited.  10 members and 2 guests made up the attendance.  Despite best efforts, no one was able to connect remotely but this glitch has been solved for future meetings (apologies to Gerry, Catharine, Connie and Cindy if you tried to link in).
 
Announcements
Help wanted! To write and publish the Rotaserver using CR. Stew will train, but not when he is away on March break.
 
Please see this link to donate to Rotary help for Ukraine:
 
Donations were made to the Port Burwell Marine Museum and the Destination Church school lunch program.
 
“Come Get Your Cowboy On” event, March 6, 2022, $113 including tax at Hellenic Centre.  Fundraiser for any club donating to silent auction; menu: roast beef, chicken, taters, pie. Clubs are encouraged to purchase tables of 8.
 
Trudy announced that Wayside and Tuna Tuesday group backpacks were given to OPP (photo op on Facebook).  The OPP will be including recognition on their website. She thanked those club members who have donated to the cause.
 
Music Festival Update
Stew Shouldice reported that 143 entries have been adjudicated by 4 people.  All contestants will have produced YouTube videos.  Adjudications come back to the committee coordinator, then out to contestants. The Friday evening March 4, 2022, at 7:00 p.m.  virtual Final Competition with live streamed performances has been cancelled. Stay tuned for a date for a live Final Competition.
Of note, Malcolm Rust mentioned that the Scholarship Committee of our Foundation remains involved in the distribution of awards this year.
 
50/50 – Maggie Horn is back to winning the draw!
 
Fine Master
Bill and Maggie Horn did a fantastic job in their “Quiz for People Who Know Everything”. If we had the correct answer, that deducted 25 cents from our fine. None the less, everyone paid a toonie as we have not met in person for so long. Some of the questions:
  1. What vegetable is never cooked, frozen or canned?    (lettuce)
  2. What fruits or vegetables never have to be planted from seed each year ? (asparagus and rhubarb)
  3. What North American landmark is lost more each year (Niagara Falls recedes 2.5 feet through erosion per year).  Further, Bill added, ¾ of North America’s watershed goes over Niagara Falls.
  4. What plant’s seeds are on the outside of the fruit (strawberry)
  5. How does the pear in pear brandy get inside the bottle (place sprout inside neck of bottle and grow the pear inside first) 
Barbara was the star with at least 4 correct answers!
 
Happy Finns
(Past Happy Finns due next week to Pat Martyn per the amount sent in her email)
Nancy – Kathleen’s presentation and Paul’s 80th birthday
Bill – His mother’s birthday was today (born in 1907), Ohio became an official state on this day, dear friend passed away, 2 turkey buzzards seen (early and a sign of spring)
Maggie – Kathleen’s presentation and niece’s birthday today
Malcolm – Kathleen and her Rotary work, particularly with Youth Exchange
Ron – Kathleen, great to hear about the project in Kenya, happy surprise when car repair was $180 instead of $1000, finished another book (the Qu’ran), grandson Scott’s birthday
Kathleen – thanks for hosting her and learning about the project
Mary – Kathleen’s presentation, today’s meet in person event, brother’s birthday, not working so able to attend today
Trish – Kathleen and the information she shared, daughter Rosalyn and husband Brad bought a home, Stew for managing the sound, power point and zoom meeting and meeting at Wayside again
Mark – happy with in-person meeting, excellent presentation by Kathleen, found out that Malcolm won the turkey raffle, celebrated a birthday, recognition of Trudy (Mark’s hero)
Trudy – Kathleen’s presentation, Interactors going on an outing to Palmer’s Maple Syrup tonight, Nick and Trudy’s anniversary today
Barbara – cardinal singing at the top of the tree on Sunday is a sign of spring, Kathleen’s presentation and the fact that we can discuss the needs of girls and the loss of school attendance during their menstrual cycles, in-person meeting
 
President Barbara thanked Trudy and Nick for helping Bob and the Wayside staff to expedite lunch today.  Barbara ended the meeting by thanking Ron, our Sergeant-at-Arms for “making us look and sound like a real Rotary meeting today”.
 
Web site of the Rotary Club of St Thomas  http://rotarystthomas.org
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My Experience in Rotary Pat Martyn
Apr 20, 2022 12:00 PM
 
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