Our Youth Exchange student Eden Heckrodt arrived in Brasil in late August. Since then she has had many adventures. She has started school, met many new friends, helped her exchange sister prepare for an exchange to Turkey, tried lots of new foods, and spent a couple of weekends at a beach house in the jungle!
Started in 1984, Project Amigo is an organization based in Colima, Mexico whose mission it is to empower disadvantaged and marginalized children to achieve their highest potential. By offering comprehensive scholarships for formal education, school supplies, access to educational assistance centers, homework clubs, enrichment activities and healthcare services not otherwise available to them, it is committed to ending poverty through education, one child at a time. Our club is one of 12 in BC to sponsor students. There are currently 220 high school students (grades 7-12) in the program.
The cost of attending junior high and high school are beyond the means of many rural families. Without scholarships, schooling for the youth served by Project Amigo would end at sixth grade, and they would begin working in menial, low-paying jobs. In the above photo, Jesus, a former student sponsored by our club, holds one of some new computers that Project Amigo had acquired. Jesus is 3rd from the left at the back of the group.
The Guatemala Literacy Project is a network of individual Rotarians and the nonprofit Cooperative for Education dedicated to improving education for underserved students in Guatemala. Since 1997, over 800 clubs around the world have participated in the GLP. Guatemala has one of the most extreme combinations of poverty, illiteracy and inequality. 4 out of 5 indigenous Guatemalans live in poverty and 1 in 3 cannot not read or write.
Sarah Sigurdson introduced Salmon Arm Mayor Alan Harrison who presented a City update:
The City - the main thrust is diversity and collaboration:
- Population increased an average 2%/year over the past 5 years
- Infrastructure is the prime concern
- Unique in its development of collaboration with non-profit organizations to benefit the city
At our June 15 meeting, Days for Girls advocate and head of Days for Girls Canada, Terri-Lynn Stone told the club members about
the Days for Girls organization, its programs and focus on education of menstrual health for girls all over the world. In many countries, girls are unable to attend school during the time of their period because they do not have the supplies they need to allow attendance.
The Rotary Club of Salmon Arm, in cooperation with the City of Salmon Arm and Shuswap Recreation Society, is planning an official ribbon cutting ceremony at Roger’s Rink on Friday July 19th, from 11:00am to 2:00pm.
The official ribbon cutting will take place at approximately 11:00am followed by a tour of the walking track. Complimentary hotdogs, snacks, refreshments, and cake will be served following the ceremony.
Go to Salmon Arm Recreation's Facebook page to see and accept this Invite.
Club Members were thrilled to welcome former SA Rotarians Patrick Webb and Colleen Fennell to our meeting on July 8. It was a joyful reunion of friends. Norm Brown honoured the couple with a recognition award for their former contributions to the club and for keeping in touch.
Rotarian Mike Boudreau of the Shuswap Rotary club spoke to our July 8 meeting on the subject of Peace. He pointed out the various forms of violence and conflict that exist in the world as well as in our local community and that it takes only one Rotarian to help create peace. He used the Four - Way Test to show how we as Rotarians can contribute to the peace-making efforts.