Greg Kyllo, our MLA, handed our President Norm Brown a congratulations citation certificate - this year is our 75th year of service in Salmon Arm and the Shuswap.
Club member Kimberly Rees spoke to the attending members about the Shuswap Music Festival, a yearly event, sponsored jointly by the Shuswap Music Teachers' Association and the Rotary Club of Salmon.
Arm. 
May 3rd's speaker was Karla Fester from Frog Friendly Coffee, an ethically sourced coffee roasting company based in Canoe. The family-oriented business is eco-friendly with a history in Oaxaca, Mexico. Begun as a partnership 14 years ago the coffee beans are sourced in that region from a variety originally from Ethiopia. They are grown wild in the cloud mountains above Oaxaca. The company invests in the health and well-being of the local residents and makes their business work to the benefit of everyone. The beans travel to Vancouver and on to the roasting facility in Canoe, BC, where they are roasted to order as freshness is important. The company now supplies close to 2000 grocery stores across BC.
Our 26 April speaker was Serena Caner, President of the Shuswap Food Action Society, a registered charity in Salmon Arm, dedicated to improving food security in the area. To that end the society has many projects on the go. They include a Community Teaching Garden, the Downtown Farmers' Market, the Shuswap Box Program, Foodie Fridays, Family Food Boxes, Kinderbuddies, and Shuswap Farm Tours. Future projects include a Community Teaching program, a Soup business for schools, a Community Food Assessment, and a Gleaning program. They are involved with several of the local support groups in Salmon Arm and on the Food Hub steering committee.
Linda Soles of The Rotary Club of Kamloops West was our guest speaker on Monday 19 April. She gave an overview and update of the work of Brian and Karen Shaben from her club, who live and work with orphaned and abandoned Hill Tribe girls in Chang Rai, Thailand. The Shabens currently have five girls living with them. By being provided a homelike family atmosphere, the girls gain life skills and self-confidence. Our club has supported these girls in the past. Their successful graduation guarantees their freedom from human trafficking in the Thai sex trade.
Our guest speaker on Monday 12 April was Joran Kuijper, the club's 2005-6 inbound Youth Exchange student form the Netherlands. Joran was delighted to be able to see and speak to his host parents. He reviewed (in pictures) the highlights of his stay in Salmon Arm and updated us on his life since returning home. Joran is now living in Amsterdam and works as a university lecturer and researcher in architecture.
Our speaker on Monday, March 29, was Corey Hirsch, former NHL goalie and now mental health advocate. We watched a taped video of his presentation to the Shuswap Youth Launch on the subject of mental health and his own personal struggles.
Our speaker on Monday 22 March was Alex de Chantal, Fundraising Strategy Coordinator for the Shuswap North Okanagan Rail Trail. He updated the club on the plans to develop and construct the rail trail between Sicamous and Armstrong. The program has now moved to the fund-raising phase, which includes community fund-raising as well as federal and provincial grants. The committee is hoping to gather funds quickly so that work can begin as soon as possible.
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Aug 30, 2021 1:00 PM
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