The Rotary Club of Salmon Arm has donated $2000 to the Lytton Fire Relief. The money will be added to the funds that through Red Cross are being distributed to the residents of Lytton, who lost their homes and businesses.
Maureen McTavish pins the Rotary Wheel on new member Jourdyne Mason at the Monday, July 5 meeting. Jourdyne, a chiropractor, was excited to become a member and immediately signed up to help on a number of committees.
Two of our members were recently presented with Paul Harris awards for their contributions to the Rotary Foundation.
Winston Lee-Hai was presented with his Paul Harris +8 pin by Assistant District Governor Penny Brown at the June 28 meeting. 
The commemorative plaque for Christmas Island at the Salmon Arm Foreshore was just refurbished after showing some wear and tear. Christmas Island was built and dedicated in 1991 to Eric Christmas, a long-time Rotarian who was very involved in saving the foreshore and developing the sanctuary. Eric passed away in 1990 and a plaque was erected in his honour.
RENT A FLAG FROM ROTARY!
If you missed May 24 and Canada Day, we still have a few flags left for flying Labour Day and Remembrance Day.
The club will install a large flag on a 10 foot pole on your front lawn over two remaining holiday periods in 2021. For a donation of $30, we'll put the flag in the week before and remove it the week after the following Canada holidays:
September 6, Labour Day
November 11, Remembrance Day
The registration fee of $30 covers BOTH instances.
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.
Salmon Arm Fair Manager Jim McEwan from the Salmon Arm & Shuswap Lake Agricultural Association provided information about the upcoming Fair. He explained that planning has been ongoing since March with a combination of virtual and live events. He described several of the new activities and displays, such as cooking demonstrations and medieval jousting. A Barn Dance will be held for two evenings. The theme is ‘Resiliency’ with emphasis on a ‘community fair’. His enthusiasm for the event was very evident during his talk.
The final meeting of the Rotary year 2020-2021 was held June 28, 2021. After a summation of his year, outgoing president Norm Brown asked Assistant District Governor Penny Brown (centre) to install the 2021-22 Board. Present (l to r) were Sterling Land, Secretary Isabel Reinertson, Maureen McTavish, President Patrick Webb, Lynda Stepura, Dan Hudson, Norm Brown and President-Elect Garry Hoffart. Missing are Deb Archambault, Treasurer Tina Almond, and Sapphire Games.
A.J. Decker from the Shuswap Storefront School talked to club members at the June 14 meeting about the school, its focus, and programs. The school currently has 40 students aged 16-19, in two sessions, 20 in the AM, and 20 in the PM. The school runs a relationship based program designed to help the students gain graduation diplomas and sort out life's challenges. One aspect of the program that the students particularly enjoy is the Indigenous Carvings. Under the guidance of John Sayer, Knowledge Keeper, the students learn carving and have created many works of art, notably walking sticks, masks and totem poles. Many of the masks have been mounted on trees and posts at Little Mountain Park.
Our Monday 31 May speaker was Victoria DuBois, Youth Exchange student from Brussels, Belgium in 2012-13, who reviewed her exchange in Salmon Arm and her life since her return. In her talk she emphasized how her stay in Salmon Arm had influenced her personal growth and enriched and directed her life. She attended university, obtaining both a bachelor's and master degree in business management and is going in to a specialized master's degree.
She works as a director for a non-profit organization working in integration of newcomers. She is very involved in her community activities. Victoria clearly embodies the Rotary motto of Service Above Self.
Our speaker on May 17 was Len Youden from the CSRD FireSmart program.
His role is to educate and help residents prepare for the wildfire season. He illustrated many ways that homes and properties can be fireproofed. There is a BC Homeowner’s Guide available online on the BC FireSmart website. It contains valuable tips. on how to reduce the threat of wildfire to your home and community. Check out www.firesmart.bc.ca and www.csrd.bc.ca/firesmart for more information.
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.
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