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Service Above Self
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We meet Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Canad Inns
2401 Saskatchewan Avenue W
Portage La Prairie, MB R1N 3L5
Canada
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| Posted by Preston Meier
 Doug Pedden and Craig Bennet presented to their fellow Rotarians during Tuesday's meeting where they discussed changes to funding formulas of the Rotary Foundation which will allow districts to better decide where funds will be spent. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE GRAPHIC/QMI Agency) The Portage Rotary Club heard from two of its own at Tuesday’s meeting where they discussed changes to the funding formula of the Rotary Foundation. “We were talking about the Rotary Foundation which is a big part of Rotary International. What it is, is Rotary has its own foundation and they use it to build communities around the world for different projects in the third world and in local communities,” said Rotary member Doug Pedden who spoke alongside Craig Bennet. The two are the Foundation directors for the Portage club. “They use it for different types of projects such as health projects, parks, schools in other countries, and stuff like that.” During the meeting Pedden and Bennet spoke about the benefits of becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. One can become a fellow by donating $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Only the interest from that money is spent, and it goes towards various different projects. “Most of the Rotarians are Paul Harris Fellows a lot of them are sustaining members as well. It’s more to explain to them how the new system is going to work and the benefit of being a Paul Harris Fellow is even greater now than it was before,” said Pedden. Perhaps the best part is that local districts now have more control over how that money is spent. “Before decisions were being made at Rotary’s head office in Chicago and it was becoming too bureaucratic and taking too long. This is a much more simplified system and its set. The funding formula was a little iffy before and this way is a much more methodical and logical way,” said Pedden. How the Portage club will benefit from this is yet to be seen. It all depends on the upcoming president and the planning they are able to do before their term in order to get things done. “It’s important for us to have our executive positions in early so we can talk about what kind of programs we are going to be looking at. I think a lot of the programs are going to be locally development that our club is going to be looking at,” said Craig Bennet. “In previous years we have done international projects, but those are a lot tougher to do, there is a lot more planning that goes into that | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Jenn Bach, Kim Wilton, Charles Morrison and Robin Dudgeon of the Plap City Rollers roller derby league took the time to present to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday afternoon, about their league and the upcoming bout season which begins on May 11 in Brandon. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from members of the Plap City Rollers roller derby team during Tuesday’s meeting where they discussed the newest sport emerging in the city. Referee Charles Morrison and skaters Jenn Bach and Kim Wilton, who skate under the derby names Chuck Morris, Lynn Detta, and Kim-Jong Wheels respectively, spoke to the club about the history of their league, some common misconceptions about derby, and their upcoming bouting season, which begins on May 11 in Brandon. The league was started in the spring of 2012 and there are currently about 12 women on the team, which is called the Headstone Honeys. Bach said what attracted her to the game was its aggressive and competitive nature. She has gained many things since joining including both social and physical benefits. “It’s been amazing. First and foremost it is amazing exercise. My cardio and my body strength have improved tremendously in the last year,” said Bach. “I was new to Portage la Prairie two years ago and so I didn’t really have a lot of involvement with the community and the roller derby team has really allowed me to be a part of the community and learn more of what’s out there. It’s been really nice to have the opportunity to be a part of something.” She added she often gets asked some pretty interesting questions when people find out she is involved in the sport such as if it is staged or if players are allowed to punch each other. “To answer those: no it is not staged it’s like any other competitive sport we go out there and play our best and hope for the win; in terms of whether or not we can punch each other no that is not the case,” said Bach. “It’s like any other sport. There is some body contact that is allowed and there is other body contact that isn’t allowed. It’s a matter of staying within the confines of the game.” Kim Wilton noted that since the sport was revived in Austin, Texas about ten years ago the sport has continued to grow all around the world including in the province of Manitoba. “It’s been growing and growing. It seems every month there’s a new league starting up. I know there is talk of one starting up in Turtle Mountain in Manitoba, which is great. It gives us more people to skate against,” said Wilton. “I think it’s growing because like I say it’s just a lot of fun to play, fun to watch and it’s just a good time.” Both skaters agree that anyone thinking about coming to a bout should certainly do so as the game is very exciting, easy to understand, and fun for people of all ages. “It is going to be exciting. If you’ve never seen roller derby in person before you are about to be surprised. There is no sport like it, you will never go watch a sport that is quite as exciting as watching roller derby,” said Bach. “I think they will be impressed with what a great sport it is to watch, how dynamic it is, and how you get involved and really rooting for things,” said Wilton. “We’ll have a halftime show and I think it will really just be good entertainment. It’s going to be that American-Canadian banter – who is going to take the game.” Anyone who would like to get more information is encouraged to email portagerollerderby@gmail.com or visit the league on Facebook at Plap City Rollers. | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Wayde Drain and Margaret Lesperance spoke to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, about Toastmasters in Portage la Prairie. The club meets once a week at the Portage Collegiate Prince Charles Building to help participants improve their public speaking and quick thinking skills. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from Margaret Lesperance and Wayde Drain at Tuesday’s meeting where they talked about the Toastmasters Club. The Toastmasters has been running in Portage la Prairie for the last 33 years where it teaches people better public speaking skills and how to think on their feet. The meetings average four to six people with around 12 people in the club right now. Toastmasters meets on Monday evenings (except holidays) at 7:00 PM at the PCI Prince Charles School. All adults are welcome to attend. “It’s a small group and I like the constructive criticism that they do. When you do a speech they say this is what you’ve done good, here’s some room for improvement, and you end off with what you’ve done good again,” said Wayde Drain. For Drain among the most important skills a person can learn from Toastmasters is confidence. “I thought, what do I need this for? I’m a farmer. But there’s always a situation where you are going to be put on the spot or you’re going for a job interview. You don’t want to go to a job interview and be all stammering and humming and hawing and you’re stuck for answers,” said Drain. “That’s where Toastmasters really shines, and that’s what employers really like because they see the confidence in you. They see the confidence in your hand gestures, your movements, that’s Toastmasters.” Margaret Lesperance has been in Toastmasters for nearly 20 years and now refers to herself as a lifer. “I love it and I think it’s a good thing. I love the people that it attracts – it attracts people that want to better themselves, want to better their community, their relationships,” said Lesperance. “It’s just good all around. It makes better citizens, better communities, and a better world.” In the near two decades she’s been with the club she has noticed many changes in herself. “I think maybe self-confidence, I think maybe I’m more assertive. In an organization or a gathering I want to talk to people whereas before I would hesitate. I feel more forward,” said Lesperance. “Everything that happens in Toastmasters is a learning experience.” To get more information call Wayde at 239-7001, visit portagetoastmasters.com or come down to a meeting and try it out. | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Ken Keith, executive director of Central Plains Inc. (CPI) spoke to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, where he announced the organization is now known as Portage la Prairie Regional Economic Development (PRED) to better reflect its current membership. The Portage Rotary Club heard from Ken Keith at Tuesday’s meeting where he discussed changes coming to Central Plains Inc. Ken Keith, executive director of Central Plains Inc. announced that the economic development agency would be changing its name to the Portage la Prairie Regional Economic Development (PRED) Inc. “There has been a fair bit of wonderment I suppose on what’s happened to CPI. I heard a lot about CPI for over 40 years and suddenly they are not there – not taking press interviews, the website is down, all that kind of thing,” said Keith. “It was more of wondering what is happening to our economic development representation.” Things really changed after funding from Manitoba Agriculture, Food, and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) withdrawn in 2012. At one time CPI served as many as 16 municipalities in the Central Plains region but now only serves the RM of Portage la Prairie and the City of Portage la Prairie. The new name better reflects its current membership. “It just so happened that the city and the RM have enjoyed longstanding collaboration. They have long seen the need to get that economic development back to the left and go forward and advance to get into the new economy that we experience today,” said Keith. Along with a new name has come new goals and priorities – to become the number once centre in rural Manitoba for small and medium sized businesses. PRED also wants to focus on business development, engaging the local business community, retaining businesses in the area, and marking the region to attract new businesses. “We have many, many short term goals but we can’t accomplish them all right away. Each one that we have fits in with our long term strategic plan so everything we do really needs to fall in line,” said Keith. Three short term goals for the 2013 years are to: engage businesses and offer them services to start-up or expand; establish a business advisory board; and to market the region properly. “Council and businesses alike really see the need to take or receive comments and opportunities for the business community and sit down with the voice of the community from time to time and this is going to go a long way to help organize it,” said Keith of the establishment of a business advisory board. Among his marketing priorities is to encourage Portagers to shop local. “I mentioned that there are 20,000 residents in this community. That’s a pretty large internal market. I can’t fault the average person for going into Winnipeg and enjoying themselves but I think that there is a fair bit of leakage where residents could be buying local and supporting their community,” said Keith. “When they do that it also generates business owners to stock more of what is in demand and become sharper. I think there is a huge opportunity for that. Not to say that we shouldn’t focus on bringing business from outside but start working on what we have already.” | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Doug Kit, safety sales specialist with Acklands Grainger, holds an AED. The Portage Rotary Club learned about automated external deliberators (AED) on Tuesday from Acklands Grainger Safety Sales Specialist Doug Kit. “We’re getting a lot of requests from companies about more information about AEDs because of the publicity about the public law, so we thought it would be a good idea, because it can save thousands of lives every year that’s why we thought it was important to do the presentation,” said Kit. The province of Manitoba passed legislation in December 2012 requiring the installation of AEDs in high-traffic public places such as gyms, arenas, community centres, golf courses, schools and airports by January 31, 2014. Kit’s presentation gave background information on the device, how to use it, as well as, the cost and when it should be used. According to Kit, Acklands has sold more than 200 devices since the province passed the new legislation. “We sold a lot last year when were starting to get the word out on AEDs and legislation certainly kick started a lot of newer business,” said Kit. Kit said devices retail between $800 and $1,500. | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Melanie Vieira, a flight paramedic in Manitoba, came to speak to the Portage Rotary Club on Tuesday about the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) Foundation. The Province of Manitoba signed a multi year agreement with the helicopter ambulance service which is valued at $10 million per year. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage la Prairie Rotary Club heard from representatives of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) Foundation during Tuesday’s meeting. The Province of Manitoba signed a multi-year agreement with the STARS air ambulance last year, which is currently costing $10 million per year. This helps to cover maintenance to the helicopters, operational costs, as well as training for the employees of STARS. Melanie Vieira is a flight paramedic who has been working for STARS since November of 2012. She explained that the medical personnel are cross-trained in order to do all the jobs necessary during a flight. “When we come into STARS air medical crew we generally have quite a bit of experience. When we start our training with STARS all the medics and nurses start receiving the same training. At the end of it, we could essentially function in either seat,” said Vieira. But the training doesn’t stop after the initial start up it continues over the career of the paramedic or nurse with STARS. “It’s ongoing training. We have quarterly requirements that we have to meet. In a year there is so much training we have to do, and over two years there are requirements that we have to meet. It is very much ongoing and mostly physician led,” said Vieira. The feedback that she has been getting from families of patients assisted by STARS has been very positive. “They are generally pleased that this patient is getting where they need to be a lot faster. They are pleased that their family is getting that high level of care that we do provide from the sending facility or scene to the receiving facility,” said Vieira. STARS also spoke with the club in order to peak interest in donations to keep the air ambulance a free service for families it assists. “It’s huge because right now we’re at the point in our tenure here in the province where it’s all about advocacy and it’s all about communication. In order to get support people have to first know who we are,” said Shandy Walls, manager of major gifts for the Manitoba branch of STARS. “A group like Rotary is really to us the best vehicle because we are talking to them directly and they are leaders in the community, they are business owners, and they are people who really care deeply about their community.” When Walls goes out on these type of presentations to the public she often hears a lot of questions about the types of calls that the STARS chopper responds to as well as questions about the way that STARS is funded. Statistics presented recorded that 59 per cent of calls for the STARS helicopter service are inter-facility transfers while 41 per cent are scene calls. Scene calls can be broken down into: motor vehicle collisions (49 per cent), medical (14 per cent), recreation (13 per cent), SAR and other (five per cent), industrial (three per cent), and agricultural (three per cent). While the government of Manitoba provides funding to keep the service running STARS is also seeking grassroots support as well. One such initiative that will help build this support is Manitoba version of the CEO Rescue in the Rockies which has been successful in Alberta. “Basically, we take CEOs from companies in the province, they come to the base in the morning. We start off with a breakfast, we have a little media tour, and then we fly them off to the undisclosed remote island. They will be there probably four to five hours only with their telephones raising funds and calling people,” said Walls. “Once they’ve raised successfully their $100,000 then we pick them up and fly them back and we are going to be having a reception at Assiniboine Park that evening.” Calgary has had five oil and gas CEOs, which have raised $2.5 million in the last two years. It is expected that Manitoba may need a few more in order to reach that $1 million yearly goal. One CEO already scheduled to take part is McCallister Farms owner Chris McCallister from Portage la Prairie. For more information on how you can donate to STARS visit www.stars.ca. | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Karen Lambert of the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Portage la Prairie branch, spoke to club members during Tuesday's meeting about the stigma of Alzheimer's Disease and how they can get educated. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from Karen Lambert from the Alzheimer Society of Manitoba, Portage la Prairie branch, at Tuesday’s meeting where she talked to members about the stigma of Alzheimer’s disease and what they could do to help. “Stigma it’s embarrassing and it’s hard for people to accept and to deal with. If a person has cancer or diabetes or heart disease it’s talked about but if a person has Alzheimer’s disease or dementia people tend not to talk about it,” said Lambert following the meeting. “(It’s) denial or just a protective attitude that they don’t want people to know there is something wrong with this person’s brain or the way they are thinking.” She feels the solution to the stigma is to educate the public more and to teach those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia that it is nothing to be ashamed about. “It’s a disease like any other disease. Find out the facts, learn as much as you can, and don’t be afraid to talk about it with people so that they can understand that it’s okay to have dementia,” said Lambert. “They didn’t do anything to catch it.” Locally there are many support groups that offer help to those caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease. “In Portage here we have one that’s 9:30 a.m. the third Thursday of each month at Douglas Campbell Lodge, there’s another at 5 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of each month also at Douglas Campbell Lodge,” said Lambert. “That’s open to anyone – family or friends that are caregivers. It’s a support group just for them to be able to vent and share of the things they are going through. The good and the bad.” There are also support groups in the rural areas: in Treherne the first Thursday of every month; in Gladstone the second Thursday of each month; and in MacGregor the third Wednesday of each month. If someone thinks that they have Alzheimer’s disease or know someone that might have the disease it is best to speak with a family doctor about your concerns. “Take note on what some of the symptoms are and what some of their concerns are. Make an appointment with their doctor, share these thoughts with them, and get the person totally checked out,” said Lambert. “Sometimes early signs of dementia can be caused by something that’s acute that’s treatable. Don’t panic that it’s a dementia, rule out everything else first.” The Memory Walk for 2013 will be taking place in Portage la Prairie on June 5 and in Gladstone on June 13. Other dates in the area will be announced soon. For more information visit www.alzheimer.mb.ca or call the North Central Region office in Portage la Prairie at 239-4898. Office hours are Tues. to Thurs. 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. robin.dudgeon@sunmedia.ca | | Posted by Preston Meier
TSFRC on the move Tuesday, March 5, 2013 3:25:59 CST PM  Cathy Vanstone, executive director of the Tupper St. Family Resource Centre, came to speak to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, about the big move the centre will be making to the old bingo hall at the end of March. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) Tupper St. Family Resource Centre will soon have a new name and a new location once it moves at the end of March. Along with a new location at the former Portage Sport and Cultural Association (PSCA) bingo hall the Tupper Street Family Resource Centre will have a new name, the Family Resource Centre – Parenting Families in Central Plains after they make the move on March 25. “Our programs are remaining in operation right up until the week before we move. We wanted to move in a way that had the least disruption to our clients as possible. We have no programs the last week of March because of Spring Break week but we will be working hard in moving,” said Cathy Vanstone, executive director of the Tupper St. Family Resource Centre. Making the move along with them will be the Child and Family Services of Central Manitoba Family Enhancement program who will make the move prior to that date and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Portage la Prairie who will make the move on March 27. The move was one Vanstone said was much needed to allow the centre to run programs and allow more families to take part. “Two things intersected: one, our lease was up, and two, was our need for a larger space. The opportunity to purchase the building that we’re moving to was presented and we are able to move into it,” said Vanstone. “It’s exciting. The space will be very user friendly and allow even larger groups to participate in some of our programs.” But the work is far from over once they are in the new building as there is nearly $200,000 of renovations that still need to be completed. “Certainly, the work is going on. It will be ready for us to move into but all of us are working together to do the fundraising related to the renovation costs. All of us are collaborating on that as it is greatly needed,” said Vanstone. “Some of the fundraising is done through foundations and through groups that share our mandate. However, we will continue to seek support from our community partners – that includes other agencies, that includes businesses, that includes individuals and service clubs.” Vanstone notes that the centre has had amazing support from community in the past and she hopes those relationships continue as things move forward. To make a donation come to Tupper St. Family Resource Centre at 20 Tupper St. or call (204) 857-9011. robin.dudgeon@sunmedia.ca Twitter@PDGrobin_dud | | Posted by Preston Meier
Source of Strength Making A Difference At PCI. Written by Eoin Devereux on Wednesday, 27 February 2013 
A student based peer program at P.C.I. School in Portage la Prairie is providing youth an outlet of support. Members of Sources of Strength, spoke to members of the Portage Rotary Club yesterday about the initiative. S.O.S utilizes the power of peer social networks, to prevent suicide, bullying and substance abuse. Jen Kostuchuk is one of the students who has been involved with S.O.S. right from the beginning. She says it has a very important message. "If you bottle it up for too long, you're going to have a point when you just have to talk to someone and that's why we're here. We really want to be able to be there and know that you can talk to us. We are trust worthy people and we want to help you as much as we can, in the way that we have been trained." Student Katie Burke has been involved, right from the start and says the effort is making a difference, as she sees that more young people understand what Sources of Strength is all about and are opening up to their peers and adults about sensitive issues. She says it's wonderful to see the project having the desired effect. "Everybody struggles with something and being a part of this group you see more people. You hear about other peoples stories or people, they notice you and they come and talk to you and you can help more people." says Burke. "I think it's very positive for our school." | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Dave Patsack, co-chair for the 2015 bid to bring the RBC Cup to Portage la Prairie in 2015, spoke to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, updating them on the bid's progress. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY The Portage la Prairie Rotary Club heard from Dave Patsack at Tuesday’s meeting where he discussed Portage’s bid for the 2015 RBC Cup. Portage la Prairie is currently facing off against Cobourg, Ont., which is 90 kilometers east of Toronto, for the chance to host the upcoming hockey competition. “We are feeling pretty confident right now, we have no reason not to. We’ve got a great facility, we’ve got a great team, and a great community with lots of experience,” said Patsack. “We haven’t had any negative feedback from Hockey Canada and everything we’ve brought has been positive. We’ll just have to wait and see.” Patsack, who co-chair the bid committee, submitted the bid last month. Hockey Canada now has to evaluate the bids before making its final decision in May. “We may have to go to Hockey Canada or they might come out here. There will be a site inspection and we will make a presentation to them as well as to what the budget and the whole program will be about. They’ll also to go Colburg and here the same thing from them and then take that information back,” said Patsack. The presentation should include a sales pitch promoting the city of Portage la Prairie and also will lay out a projected budget. “Basically, it’s a sales pitch as to why we should have it. We will highlight the fact that all the teams will be staying within seven to ten minutes of the arena; we’ll talk about having lots of junior hockey teams within an hour and a half of Portage so we’ll have a fan base for support; we’ll talk about the facility itself being new and state-of-the-art; and also our rich history of community support in regards to our successful hosting of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts (and others). We have a real strong history of success,” said Patsack. The projected budget for putting on the 2015 RBC Cup is $580,000 along with a projected revenue of $680,000. That leaves $100,000 which will be distributed to the five teams playing in the cup as well as out in the community. Each of the five teams taking part in the Cup will receive $10,000 each, that will leave $50,000 which Patsack’s committee plans to send out into the community. “That is going to be divided up 30 per cent going towards a scholarship for a Portage Terrier graduate who is continuing post-secondary education; 30 per cent of the profit is going to go back to the PCU Centre to be used for facilities and a bidding pool; 20 per cent is going to go to Portage Minor Hockey to development programs; 10 per cent is going to go to the BDO Centre to help it as a third ice surface; and 10 per cent is going to go to Arron’s Chance 2 Play,” said Patsack. The only thing the bid committee can be sure of is expenses. The rest is based on ticket sales, sponsorship funds, and of course the help of many volunteers. But the affect the cup will have on the community is priceless. “The positive impact on youth coming to see that type of hockey being played, I don’t think you can really put a dollar value on that,” said Patsack. | | Posted by Preston Meier
Rotary hears from Exchange Student  Rotary exchange student Kaori Miwa gave a presentation to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, where she discussed herself and her home country. She arrived from Japan in Aug. of 2012. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) Japanese Rotary Exchange student Kaori Miwa gave a short presentation to the Portage Rotary Club at Tuesday’s meeting. The 17-year-old from Inazawa, Japan arrived back in August. She has been staying with host families and attending school at Portage Collegiate since then. Back in Japan she was in her second year at a private school. She explained that at home she lives with her mother, an elementary school teacher, her father, who works in an office in the import/export business, as well as a brother, sister, and grandparents. Inazawa has approximately 130,000 inhabitants is located almost 360 km southwest of Tokyo. Inazawa is known for its plants and gingo nuts as well as its naked man festival known as a Hadaka Matsuri. Miwa will be returning to Japan at the end of the school year. Pond Hockey The Portage Rotary Club also got an update on the Western Canadian Pond Hockey Championship which is scheduled to take place from Feb. 22-24 on Island Park. “Things are coming along quite smoothly. We’ve gotten great feedback from the community for sponsorships, it’s actually been overwhelming,” said Rotarian Travis Foster. It is expected that the cut off date for sponsors will be by the end of this week, giving the committee time to prepare material before the event. “We are going to cut it off this week so that we can now start getting our signs made up and the programs put together. We don’t want to have anybody,” said Foster. “For registration we are currently up to 13 teams. I know of probably about three more that are just waiting for it to come through. We will likely cap it at about 20, I think that would be more than enough teams to fill the weekend. Being three weeks away we’re probably going to reach the 20 teams.” Foster also discussed partnerships with two local organizations – the Portage Fire Department and the Oakville Seals hockey club – that will make the event a success. Both groups are hoping to volunteer some of their time in exchange for a donation to a good cause. “Just to give our committee a little bit of freedom the firefighters are helping us out in flooding the ice…in return they have asked for a donation after everything is said and done to their cause,” said Foster. “I believe they are going to be putting it towards their donation to the BDO Centre for the Community.” The Oakville Seals hockey club is also hoping to lend a hand with the reffing and scorekeeping during the event. “They have told us that they will take care of the entire weekend of reffing and score keeping for a $500 donation if their team gets up and running for start up fees either to help with jerseys or things like that,” said Foster. For more on the pond hockey championships you can visit the website online at www.portagepondhockey. | | Posted by Preston Meier
Tuesday Jan 29 2013Barrett speaks to Rotary Club  Superintendent Hazen Barrett pictured at the Portage Rotary Club's Tuesday meeting where he discussed what is new with the Portage la Prairie School Division. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from Superintendent Hazen Barrett during Tuesday’s meeting where he discussed what is new with the Portage la Prairie School Division. Items that came up during his Rotary presentation included the large number of retirements the division expects in the next five years, as well as the division’s desire to lobby to keep natural gas buses in production. Teacher retirements The Portage School Division is doing its best to prepare for the coming retirement of a large number of teachers in the next five years. At last count there were 31 teachers over 55 working in the division during the 2012-2013 school year. “Over the next five years we probably anticipate over 65 to 70 teachers who will be able to retire. Out of that probably 50 per cent of our administrators will be eligible for retirement,” said Barrett. “Our supervisors, our managers, our principals that’s a fairly significant hole to fill and boards across the Province and across the country are dealing with that right now.” This can prove to be especially difficult with specialty staff such as French Immersion teachers. “It’s very costly to continue to recruit for these positions but you simply just have to keep doing it or else you don’t have the bodies to cover the classrooms,” said Barrett. “We’ve been very lucky because we’ve had a very supportive board in terms of pursuing initiatives to keep the employment roles filled here in Portage. I hope that we can continue to be that successful.” A number of years ago the Portage School Division was very successful in hiring a full range of school clinicians. “One of the things that our board did just a few years back that paid off big time was look at return of service agreements with school clinicians such as speech pathologists and psychologists, helping them finish their education in return for an agreement for them to come and work for the school division,” said Barrett. “That paid off big time for us as we’re one of the few divisions in the province of our size that has a full complement of school clinicians. I attribute that in large part to the board’s initiative in pushing that through.” Natural Gas Buses The Portage School Division is among the few in the country to be employing natural gas buses – 14 out of 21 buses as well as two spares. “Those buses, you can’t acquire those anymore in an average sized bus. You would have to go to an extra long bus, which is useless to us as a division. It wouldn’t even be able to fit in our maintenance garage,” said Barrett. He has found that the natural gas bus, although more expensive during initial purchase, saves nearly 50 per cent in fuel costs each year. “Right now a few school divisions in our country and in the United States that have natural gas buses are talking with governments about the possibility of having discussions with the industry about restarting the natural gas bus movement,” said Barrett. The board is continuing to look at this issue but has not approached the Province yet. “It certainly makes sense to us as a school division that this continues on and I think they’d like to have some discussions not only with the Province but with the School Boards Association as to what could take place,” said Barrett. robin.dudgeon@sunmedia.ca Twitter@PDGrobin_dud | | Posted by Preston Meier
Project Wants Your Input  Joyce Schrader
Your opportunity to be part of the Harmony Project through the Portage la Prairie Family Abuse Prevention Centre is here. The three-year project is gathering data on domestic violence in this region, and needs your feedback. Executive Director Joyce Schrader says you can fill out a survey on-line, or use a drop-box. She believes it's crucial to have as many men and women participate as possible, because the more information available, the better it is to develop a community plan. Schrader's seen some data already, and while she can't talk about it, says themes are emerging. She expected some, while others were unforeseen. Schrader adds the surveys have been designed to be easy and quick, to allow them to find out what's happening in the community. The PCU Centre, the hospital, Portage Friendship Centre, Red River College, and AFM have drop-boxes. Here's a link to the on-line survey. | | Posted by Preston Meier
 Riley Trimble and Rachel Verwey spoke to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, about their trip to Regina in November for the Adventures in Agriculture conference. (ROBIN DUDGEON/PORTAGE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from Rachel Verwey and Riley Trimble at Tuesday's meeting, where they learned about the pair's trip to Regina for the Western Canadian Agribition conference. The two grade 12 students took a trip to Regina from November 21 – 25, sponsored by the Portage Rotary Club through the Adventures in Agriculture program, where they not only attended the Western Canadian Agribition conference but they toured Red Head Equipment, the John Deere factory, the Weyburn Inland Terminal, the University of Regina as well as others. “I’ve shown cattle for my family and for other people, and I’ve worked in that agriculture field so to go out and see Agribition, the biggest show in Western Canada was something I’ve always wanted to do,” said Rachel Verwey. The trip gave the two students the chance to see first hand some of the different occupations that are available in the agriculture industry and to get to do some pretty cool stuff. “I showed us so many different options and told us that we can do whatever we want. If you’re looking to get into the agriculture business it’s pretty much wide open,” said Verwey. But the trip wasn’t all learning and tours there was fun too. The students attended a rodeo, played laser tag, and got the chance to stay with Rotary host families during the trip. “I really liked the rodeo. It’s something I’d never really seen before and to see at such a huge level – these were professional bull riders, and these were professional cowboys – it was kind of neat,” said Verwey. “(My favorite part) was the Red Head Equipment factory and part of the cattle show too,” said Riley Trimble. Both found the experience incredibly rewarding in helping them consider possible career opportunities after graduation. “I always knew that I wanted to do a degree in agriculture but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do after. Being able to see some of the different things I kind of have a better idea of what direction I’m going to take,” said Verwey. Verwey hopes to pursue a degree in agriculture and possibly go into agronomy, while Trimble would like to get into heavy diesel mechanics. robin.dudgeon@sunmedia.ca Twitter@PDGrobin_dud | | Posted by Preston Meier
Our local Portage Rotary club is now on TWITTER! Follow us Rotary@portrotaryclub for all the current local Portage Rotary updates. Portage Rotary club follows Rotary International and will retweet from them to all following us. Any questions - email Preston at pmeier@miginsurance.ca | | Posted by Preston Meier
Tuesday, December 4, 2012 4:17:00 CST PM  The Portage Rotary Club heard from from Jennifer Campbell, the coordinator of the Momentum project for the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) during Tuesday's meeting. Portage was one of 16 communities across the country to be chosen for the initiative. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) Jennifer Campbell of the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) spoke to the Rotary Club, Tuesday, about the Momentum project, which has been building over the last couple of months. Portage la Prairie is among 16 other communities across Canada who are taking part in the project, which is being commissioned by the Status of Women Canada. Both PRCR and the Portage Family Abuse Prevention Centre have projects being supported by Status of Women Canada. “The initial desire coming out of the three year project is empowering and building on the capacity of women in our community to build a stronger community,” said Project Momentum coordinator for the PCRC, Jennifer Campbell. “It’s giving them the tools that they need to take the steps that they want to take in their life.” Campbell has been meeting with groups of women aged 18 to 35 to discuss economic security in Portage la Prairie – both the good and the bad. “Economic security is a touchy issue, money is a touchy issue and people don’t really want to go there,” said Campbell. “Once I’ve got them there I’ve just found that they’re so responsive and they’ve just been so engaged in the conversation and leave feeling happy. Sometimes people just want to be heard and they want to feel like somebody is listening and somebody cares.” That is exactly what PCRC plans to do – take the data gleaned from the focus groups and put it into action. “What I can say is that we are going to be listening to the community, we’re going to be listening to the women and we’re going to find out what they feel they need,” said Campbell. “We’re really looking at our key priority areas and that’s when we’ll start to know where we’re going to put our focus and how we’re going to do it.” Key barriers that have emerged from the focus groups include transportation, employment, childcare, and housing. “Those seem to be the key areas that people just keep bringing up. It’s finding the one area that they need help with the most and focusing on that,” said Campbell. “That’s going to be different for each individual, we can’t take a cookie cutter approach to this because one size does not fit all in this project.” Campbell hopes that the report will have a real positive effect on the community when all is said and done. “I don’t want this to end up being a report or something that sits on a shelf and doesn’t go anywhere. I want us to take out those key items and then put them into motion, I want to see action happening, I want to see the community coming together on this and moving forward,” said Campbell. A mens focus group is also in the works to help gain male perspective on economic security in the city. “It’s something that I would like to get out there because I’m not getting the response that I was expecting. It’s imperative that we get their perspective,” said Campbell. Transportation and a $25 stipend will be provided. Those interested in taking part in the focus groups can call Jennifer Campbell at the PCRC at (204)240-7272 or email j.campbell@PortageCRC.com. | | Posted by Preston Meier
Tuesday, November 27, 2012 6:04:16 CST PM  Jack Meseyton of E.F. Moon Construction spoke to the Portage Rotary Club, Tuesday, where he discussed the company's last 50 years in business and where it hopes to head in the future. (ROBIN DUDGEON/THE DAILY GRAPHIC/QMI AGENCY) The Portage Rotary Club heard from Jack Meseyton of E.F. Moon Construction, Tuesday, where he spoke about their 50 years in business. Meseyton is 50-50 partner with Mark Moon in running E.F. Moon Construction since Ted and Cal Moon retired in 2007. “This is our 50th year in business. The company was founded in 1962 by Ted Moon,” said Meseyton. “ The company deals in heavy construction – excavation, road building, sewer and water, demolition, cartage – and almost anything that can be done with heavy equipment. “We are in a highly competitive industry with now eight to twelve bidders on public projects. Margins are tight, it’s not an Internet get rich quick scheme by any means,” said Meseyton. “We work hard for what we do.” E.F. Moon has worked on a number of important projects including all the site work where Walmart currently stands; excavated the Kenaston underpass in Winnipeg; and all the bulk excavation for the James Richardson airport terminal in Winnipeg. “Those kind of projects are once in a lifetime projects. In our lifetime there’s never going to be another terminal built in Winnipeg,” said Meseyton. “It’s exciting to be part of those type of things.” Other projects are Manitoba include work in Brandon, Pinawa, Riding Mountain, and Thompson. “We try not to worry what the other people are doing because you can only worry about yourself. But you do have to keep an eye on the competition,” said Meseyton. E.F. Moon does its best to buy local and chooses to keep its projects within Manitoba. The company has also become known for its support of the community including the PCU Centre as well as its loyal employees, many of whom have been working for them for many years. “While competition has increased recently we believe the future bodes well for us and our employees. There’s always going to be ups and downs but if we stay focused we will be fine and we will be around to help support local initiatives as long as they need them,” said Meseyton. | | Posted by Guy Moffat on Nov 01, 2012
 L to R: Dean Cairns of the Rotary Club. Faye Maly & Michelle Laidlaw of North Memorial School
The Portage la Prairie Rotary Club is helping out the North Memorial School breakfast program. The group has collected about 2 dozen boxes of cereal and made a financial donation of $250.00 in an effort to support the program. Principal Michelle Laidlaw says the breakfast program has been running for about 15 years and offers students a healthy breakfast of cereal, toast and juice. Laidlaw says it's wonderful to see this type of local support. "The support by clubs like Rotary, is the difference between providing breakfast and not being able to do so. We rely heavily on the community for donations, both for cereal and for other supplies. So if we don't have those things, then we can't provide the service." Laidlaw says when it comes to support, every little bit helps. "We figure, we've been running for approximately 15 years and currently we're averaging about 30 students a day." she says. "Our calculation was, that we believe we've served about 72,000 breakfast to date, since the program began Rotary Club President Derek McCutcheon says they are pleased to be able to support a project like this, that's offers a good meal for children in need. "There's lot of cereal (collected). These folks could use it." says McCutcheon. "These people have really put themselves out to help & that's huge in our eyes." | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club announced at Tuesday’s meeting that the Jail and Bail fundraiser nearly met its $20,000 target by fundraising just over $17,000 with more still pouring in. The Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) community facilitator Mary Lynn Moffat made the announcement to her fellow Rotarians. “I just wanted to take a minute to thank the club and all those that came out to help out for Jail and Bail and those of you that agreed to be arrested. It was a phenomenal day,” said Moffat. “I must admit more money just arrived, but to date we raised $17,437.00 in one day of Jail and Bail and there is more to come.” | | Posted by Sandy Watson
Rotary (In a Nutshell) It never gets old..... | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club and the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) held a jail and bail fundraiser at the PCU Centre, Thursday which saw community members take part to raise funds to extend the walking and biking paths in Portage la Prairie. Nearly 30 community members including Coun. Brent Froese, Portage MLA Ian Wishart, school division superintendent Hazen Barrett, and fire chief Phil Carpenter spent some time behind bars in a mock jail for a good cause. Mock trials were held with all of the trappings – judges, lawyers, sheriffs, clerks, fake charges and fake mugshots - and then participants were put in jail where they had to raise a specific amount of bail money determined by the court. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club hear from the co-chairs of the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts Tuesday about some of the challenges and successes they faced planning the event. The event held at the PCU Centre from Jan. 25-29 has been called one of the best Scotties yet, and is something co-chairs Jo-Anne Inglis and Diane Sadler called their dream. “Until 2010 we felt we could not feasibly host the event in Portage la Prairie for two reasons: Curl Manitoba requires that the event be held in an arena setting to give the Manitoba curlers the arena experience before they go to the national event; and secondly, the Scotties is a 16 team event unlike the Safeway Select Championship which is a 32 team event – it could not be successfully held at the Centennial Arena due to cost considerations,” said Inglis. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The City of Portage la Prairie proclaimed Feb. 23 Rotary Day with the signing of a proclamation at City Hall, Friday. International Rotary Day on Feb. 23 is significant not only to recognize the many things Rotary clubs do in communities around the world but also to celebrate 105 years of service since the club was created back in 1905. The Rotary Club in Portage la Prairie will celebrate 61 years of service on Feb. 23. Rotarians Preston Meier and Brad Poole were present for the signing of the proclamation. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) is teaming up with the Portage Rotary Club to raise funds for an extension of the city’s walking path through a jail and bail fundraiser. The fundraiser will take place on Feb. 23 at the PCU Centre from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. “We’re basically going to be arresting a number of community members and it’s up to them to raise their bail to get out of jail. Their friends and family can support them or they can give money to keep them in jail,” said Mary Lynn Moffat, community facilitator for the PCRC. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club sent two PCI students Madison DeLong and Shelby Page to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) Camp in 2011. The girls shared their experience with the club at Tuesday’s meeting. The week long advanced program camp was held at the Anglican Church Camp at Clear Lake, Man. in August of 2011. Shelby Page is in grade 11 at PCI while Madison DeLong is in grade 12. Both are involved with the social justice group at PCI, and with Peer Helpers. DeLong is also the secretary on student council. Over all the girls said RYLA was an incredible experience that they are very thankful for. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Portage Rotary Club made a significant donation to the PCU Centre on Feb. 3 by giving $32,000 for the centre. This is the latest contribution that Rotary Club has made to the facility as part of its capital campaign support. "This is our second installment to the City for the PCU Centre," said Brad Poole, president of Portage Rotary Club. "Our commitment is over five years as a club. Obviously, it's a large sum of money. We are on target to be done with our commitment in a four -year time period." Rotary's commitment to the PCU Centre is for $125,000 in total. So far, it has contributed about $60,000, which includes the $32,000 grant it made on Friday. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Portage Rotary Club stepped up on Friday and made a donation to Westend Daycare in Portage la Prairie. Janice Delf, executive director of Westend Daycare, said the $500 it received from Portage Rotary Club will help Westend Daycare purchase a play slide for its new play yard. “I’m excited,” she said. “The yard is ready to go, so when it comes to spring we will be ready to go out and play.” Brad Poole, president of the Portage Rotary Club, said its important to its members to stay active in the community, so making the contribution to Westend Daycare as part of its community giving efforts was meaningful. “As an organization, in the 61 years that Portage Rotary Club has been in town, obviously there has been a lot of local projects … (and) we want to keep up our commitment,” said Poole. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Sunset Palliative Care enjoyed a special gift from Portage Rotary Club on Friday. The local Rotary Club made a donation of $500 to the Portage area organization. Dr. David Kinnear, chairman of the board with Sunset Palliative Care, was pleased to see new funding support the organization’s work. “We are thrilled to have the cheque from Rotary to be dedicated to improving the Memory Garden on the Island,” he said. “We have plans to improve the walkway, to put a small decorative fence up around the Memory Garden. I’m sure we’ll find a use for it.” “It’s a beautiful little area for people to come and reminisce, and we are looking forward to it being improved,” added Kinnear. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Students preparing for their futures have a variety of options to choose from including considering careers in the trades. Carol Stewart, career counsellor with Portage Collegiate Institute, spoke at Portage Rotary Club on Tuesday about opportunities for students considering careers in the trades as well as the overall benefits that are available to students in connecting with business in Portage. She said the community can liaison with students to benefit both parties. Through establishing connections with employers, students can gain valuable experience while employers or other organizations can benefit by having eager young people to help fill their needs. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club heard from Kelly Small from the Province of Manitoba who got the club up to speed on the Health e-Plan program. Small, who is a program consultant for Health e-Plan and the department of Healthy Living, Youth and Seniors has been traveling to different places across the province talking about Health e-Plan. “Health e-Plan is an online interactive health testing tool that the province launched in June of last year. It’s free, it’s bilingual, it’s completely confidential and available to all Manitobans 18 and older,” said Small. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Craig Dunn of Craig Dunn GM met with the Portage Rotary club on Tuesday to update them on the state of the auto industry both at home and abroad. Dunn first took members back to the recession in 2008 where vehicle sales in North America dropped from 17 million to 10 million the following year. "To say the auto industry has changed significantly in the last three years is probably an understatement. Every manufacturer felt that crunch," said Dunn. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The history of a local french fry factory has its roots south of the border where a budding entrepreneur once realized his dream by developing a frozen french fry that would turn into a billion-dollar business.At Portage la Prairie Rotary Club at the Canad Inns on Jan. 3, Chris Tompkins, the unit director at the local Portage Simplot plant, told Rotary members the fascinating story of how the company's founder JR (Jack) Simplot first developed his french fries in Idaho in 1946. It was described as the classic rags to riches tale and one that is sure to inspire anyone who ever had a good idea and a little determination to make it a reality. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
When Portage Rotary Club met Tuesday the group had an opportunity to learn more about Rotary International Foundation's work around the world to help eradicate polio, which still exists in some countries.Portage Rotary Club had its luncheon meeting at Canad Inns in Portage la Prairie and saw the documentary film The Final Inch, which has been nominated for an academy award, as part of its session. Portage Rotary member Doug Pedden, who is in charge of the local Rotary club's international service, discussed the importance of the film and the local club's contribution to helping eliminate polio in other countries. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Portage Rotary Club members had a chance to hear about how Christmas is spent in Brazil during Tuesday's meeting at the Canad Inns in Portage la Prairie.Rotary Exchange student Bruna Chideroli, who is from southwestern Brazil, has been staying in Portage with her host family and gave a talk about what Christmas is like in her homeland at Rotary. Chideroli, 17, who is attending Portage Collegiate Institute this year, said she is accustomed to going to mass on Dec. 24, Christmas Eve, and then returning home for a dinner with her family. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Portager Mark Verwey briefed the Portage Rotary Club on Tuesday about his 2010 trip to Kenya with the Free the Children organization. Verwey said in 2010 he experienced two things: turning 50 and reading Free the Children by Craig Keilburger. "Call it a midlife crisis – I just decided I had to do something different. What I decided to do was to learn more about the organization Free the Children and then go to Africa to find out what they were doing," said Verwey. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Neepawa Rotarian Dave Bennet spoke to the Portage Rotary Club on Tuesday about his experience in the group study exchange he took part in during October of 2011. Bennet and four young people from Rotary District 5550 spent 28 days in England where they visited District 1210 in the West Midlands bordering Wales. Bennet led the expedition and was joined by Brennan Brooks a probation officer from Saskatoon; Shaunna McKim a city police officer from Regina; Alicia Smith a senior policy and rate analyst from Moose Jaw; and Jody Jury an agricultural specialist from Eden, Man. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Mary Lynn Moffat from the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation (PCRC) spoke at Tuesday's Rotary meeting where she updated the club on some of the event the PCRC has undertaken so far this year and what they have coming up. Moffat identified five priorities that are laid out in PCRC's five year plan which is set to expire in 2014. Those priorities are: housing, poverty reduction, community engagement, affordable recreation and leisure, and capacity building. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club heard from Don Boddy at Tuesday's meeting, who discussed his work with Employment Development and Placement Services (EDAP). Employment facilitator Don Boddy has worked with EDAP since 2005. "The EDAP program has been around since 2000. It's a federal provincial program that pays money to SAM Inc. to run my program. It was designed to fill a gap for people with disabilities that weren't really fitting in anywhere. The gaps are huge in the systems," said Boddy. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The SAM Inc. organization has been able to provide employment to those who are mentally challenged, while at the same time providing a service to the community.The organization in Portage la Prairie will be heading into its 25th year of service next year and is moving along well. Tom Wishart, manager of SAM Inc., visited Portage Rotary Club at Canad Inns Tuesday to give Rotarians an update on SAM's activities. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Giving older workers a little help in getting back into the work force is the focus of a new program offered through Portage Learning and Literacy Centre.On Tuesday at the Rotary Club luncheon at Canad Inns in Portage la Prairie, Cynthia Keith, who runs the POWER program at the Learning Centre, spoke to Rotary members about the program, which aims to help direct those over the age of 55 who want to re-enter the workforce. The Power program stands for Portage Older Worker Employment Resource program. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
District governor Eva Vida spoke to rotary club on Tuesday about the state of rotary and the message for the 2011-2012 year. Vida, who governs district 5550 which covers northwestern Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan, got a chance to meet with Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee at a district governor's training session in San Diego recently. At the training session Banerjee unveiled his theme for the 2011-2012 year, which is 'to reach within to embrace humanity'. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Canadian Armed Forces member Trevor Jessau addressed the Portage Rotary Club on Tuesday about his current tour in Afghanistan and his previous work with the Canadian military. Jessau is currently on leave from a tour of Afghanistan. He came home to Canada on Saturday to take part in his daughter's wedding and will be returning to Afghanistan on Friday. Jessau is currently stationed in Shiloh, Man. with the 1st Regiment Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, and lives in Brandon with his fiancé. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The RCMP Regimental Ball took place yesterday at Canad Inns where the RCMP celebrated with residents at the Portage Curling Club.The event, which is put on every year to raise money for the youth and was sponsored by the MLCC and the Royal Bank, gave residents the opportunity to interact with each other and establish better community relationships in a formal environment. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Dr. Lisa Graham of the Heartland Naturopathic and Wellness Centre in Portage spoke with rotary Tuesday about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and providing a good example for the next generation. Graham argued that living in North America we have it made. We have time, space, and this beautiful country where we can eat and live like kings and queens. But there are some urgent medical problems that we need to address, one of them being childhood obesity, 8 year olds with plaque in their veins who are popping cholesterol meds. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Tana Silverland is cycling across Canada with no previous experience, no support team, and no personal funding for her journey. She is making the journey from the Yukon to Newfoundland on the power of complete strangers and on her way through Portage on August 30 she stopped to address the Rotary Club. SOS Children's Fund is a charity that is currently operating in more than 130 countries around the world. Since it's formation in 1949 it has grown to attract the support of well-known individuals like the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Mike Holmes. The charity has operated in Canada since 1969 and is currently running a children's village in Surrey, BC. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Joyce Schrader, the executive director of the Portage Family Abuse Prevention Centre, addressed Rotary Tuesday on the province of Manitoba's Workplace Initiative to Support Employees (WISE) on Family Violence. The WISE on Family Violence toolkit, said Schrader, offers employers information and resources to help employers recognize and support staff who are affected by domestic violence. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Aug 26, 2011
Portage Rotary Club had an opportunity to learn more about the work of Sunset Palliative Care Inc. when it met for its weekly luncheon at Canad Inns in Portage la Prairie Tuesday.With Sunset Palliative Care, Pat Chimney said the organization has been busy with its projects and is progressing into more work with the Memory Garden located at Island Park. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Aug 18, 2011
Royal Canadian Mounted Police across the country are focused on youth and that's just fine with Central Plains RCMP community liaison officer Shannon Neff."We have a high priority with youth," Neff said, while speaking to the Portage la Prairie Rotary Club meeting on Tuesday. "We think it's really important engage with youth and spend time with them and to have a positive relationship with them." | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage la Prairie Rotary Club and the RCMP Central Plains Division are set to host the second annual RCMP Regimental Ball.This year the ball takes place Sept.10 at the Canad Inns with proceeds from the evening going in support of Rotary youth projects, such as Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, youth exchanges inbound and outbound, playgrounds, scoreboards at Republic of Manitobah Park and Portage Collegiate Institute future projects. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club got a little lesson in fire safety on Tuesday afternoon thanks to the group's special guest speaker, Phil Carpenter, chief of Portage Emergency Services.The chief spent about half an hour telling the Rotarians about Portage Emergency Services and about fire prevention. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jul 27, 2011
Executive Director of Portage and District Recycling, Ferdi van Dongen, was the Rotary Club's guest speaker on Tuesday afternoon. Van Dongen took the opportunity to update Rotary members on the issue of recycling in rural Manitoba.Portage District and Recycling, a not-for-profit contract company, started in 1989 and is one of the largest recycling businesses in rural Manitoba, offering recycling services to more than 75 communities, towns and rural municipalities across south western and central western Manitoba. Portage District and Recycling operates three recycling plants out of Portage, Dauphin and Virden. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jul 20, 2011
Orvil Cairns was the guest speaker at Tuesday's Rotary luncheon. The local real estate agent took the opportunity to speak about the booming housing market, while addressing some questions from his fellow Rotary members. Affordable housing, bidding wars and the future of the housing market were hot topics during the talk. Cairns is a member of the Portage Rotary Club. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jul 06, 2011
Jennifer Sarna, executive director of the Portage Regional Recreational Authority (PRRA) was the special guest speaker at Tuesday's Rotary Club luncheon. Sarna kicked off her presentation by telling the Rotary Club about the changes and developments that the PRRA has undergone since it stopped being a department of the city. Though both the city and RM still fund the PRRA, Sarna said it is growing and developing as a non-profit business with a vision to encourage community-wide participation in recreational sports. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jun 29, 2011
Larry Muirhead, chair of Habitat for Humanity's Portage la Prairie chapter and former president of the Portage Rotary Club, spoke with the club at a luncheon Tuesday. Muirhead's talk focused on the changes to the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. With the Winnipeg chapter of the organization becoming a regional branch Muirhead said the number of homes being built in Manitoba should increase. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jun 27, 2011
Claire Bourgois, from France, is visiting Portage la Prairie this summer working as an intern with a number of organizations. She was seen at the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation annual general meeting on Friday as she is also interning with the PCRC. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jun 22, 2011
Stephen Maybury, the CEO of Southport Aerospace Centre, addressed a Rotary Club meeting Tuesday at Canad Inns where he was able to discuss new development going on with the company. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Portage la Prairie Rotary will be holding a sale starting Wednesday. (JUNE 8, 2011)
The used book, magazine, CD and movie sale runs from June 8 to 12 at Portage Mall. The event takes place between 1 pm and 8 pm Wednesday to Friday; Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday from 12 pm to 4 pm.
| | Posted by Terry Comeau
La Verendrye School students will enjoy added safety now when playing sports in the school gym with the help of some local donations.At the school Tuesday, a number of community groups provided funding to help the school purchase eight thick mats that will be positioned against the walls in the gymnasium to provide a cushion for students who are playing basketball and other sports. The addition of the mats will help enhance student safety at the school. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club invited retired Assiniboine Park Zoo director, Doug Ross, to speak at its weekly lunch meeting on Tuesday afternoon. "I always feel like I'm from Portage," said the Charleswood Rotary Club member whose parents were born and raised in this city. Ross spoke about the multi-million dollar expansions that are taking place throughout Assiniboine Park. | | Posted by Terry Comeau
Photo: by Angela Brown... Bill Smith, left, and Jack Wilson, with Third Quarter, visited Portage Rotary Club at Canad Inns Tuesday to discuss a pilot project to match up older A project that has started up in Portage la Prairie hopes to help older workers match up with employers looking for help. Bill Smith is program director with Third Quarter, a national program made available through the Manitoba Chamber of Commerce. He spoke to Portage Rotary Club at Canad Inns Tuesday about the program. Smith said many people over the age of 50 who are either retired or approaching retirement are often looking to find a position in the workplace where their work skills and experience are appreciated. Through Third Quarter, a pilot project that is funded by the federal government, prospective older workers can hook up with employers via the Third Quarter website. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on May 16, 2011
Manitoba's current flooding situation has temporarily washed away Saturday's (May 14th, 2011) planned RCMP Gala. The Portage la Prairie RCMP and the Portage Rotary Club sent out a joint press release Tuesday to announce that due to the local flood emergency that has arisen this week, the Rotary Club and the RCMP decided to postpone the event. "With the flood affecting many people in our area and with many people sandbagging and helping others," the release said, "both the Rotary and RCMP committees for the gala agree that this event needs to be postponed." The Rotary Club aims to announce a new date when it is set but that date will depend on the availability of the Air Command Band, which is the main entertainment for the event. Ticket holders for Saturday's postponed gala are asked to wait for the new date to be announced in hopes that it will work for ticket holders. Refunds will be given to those who need them after the new date is announced. Courtesy of the Portage Dail Graphic link | | Posted by Terry Comeau on May 11, 2011
Portage la Prairie area residents who might find they have some paper back or hard cover books, old music CDs and VHS & DVD movies that are collecting dust would be interested in this event. The Portage Rotary Club is looking for donations for its first ever Gigantic Used Book, Magazine, CD Music and Movie Sale. The Rotary Club of Portage and the Portage Mall has teamed up to put on a huge used book, music and movie sale at the Portage Mall from June 8 to June 12. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on May 09, 2011
Food was on the minds of many of the Portage Rotary Club members who attended the recent luncheon with guest speaker Lynda Lowry, chief operating officer/general manager of Food Development Centre. Rotary Club members gathered at Canad Inns Tuesday to hear how the local facility is advancing in the variety of foods it makes, as well as in the actual size of the location in northeast Portage la Prairie. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on May 09, 2011
The Rotary Club of Portage la Prairie and the city's RCMP are teaming up again this year for the 2nd Annual Portage RCMP Gala Evening on May 14 at the Canad Inns. Last year was the first in many years that the event took place in the city and the Rotary's chairman for the event, Wayne Klippenstein, was pleased with the results. "Last year was the first time the rotary club and the RCMP partnered for this kind of event and it was very successful," Klippenstein said. In fact, the evening was so well received that popular demand brought it back. | | Posted by Terry Comeau on Mar 28, 2011
Tuesday's Rotary meeting was all about community. The club heard from representatives from the Portage Community Revitalization Corporation about their work to better Portage. The club also made an impromptu decision to donate to the crisis in Japan.
Donny Todoruk, the club's president, started the meeting by asking members to consider what the club was capable of giving. "My question to our club is this," Todoruk said, "Can we contribute? Do we want to contribute? What can we contribute?"
| | Posted by Terry Comeau on Mar 18, 2011
| | Posted by Terry Comeau on Mar 18, 2011
Dear Fellow Rotarians of District 5550 Attached is a letter from District Governor, Harvey Hanson, regarding thecurrent relief efforts underway by Rotary in connection with the recentearthquake and tsunami in Japan. Rotary District 5550 is also committedto help in this humanitarian effort. Please read the Governor's letterand discuss this at your next Club Meeting. On behalf of DG Harvey Hanson, thank you.
John Borst
District 5550 web-editor Follow this link: Disaster Relief Letter
| | Posted by Terry Comeau on Feb 25, 2011
| | Posted by Terry Comeau on Jan 18, 2011
| | Posted by Terry Comeau
The Portage Rotary Club is getting ready to launch another book sale in lieu of their recent sale being a huge success.The Rotary Club is calling out to all Portagers and surrounding RMs to donate any used books, CD music and movie for the sale of which the Rotary Club and the Portage Mall are running in conjuction. The sale will take place starting Wednesday Nov. 16 to Sunday Nov. 20 at the Portage la Prairie Mall. From Wednesday to Friday, the sale goes from 1 p.m to 8 p.m. On Saturday, the sale goes from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. while Sunday's sale lasts from noon until 4 p.m. Sunday will also be a discount day. |
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Speakers
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May 28, 2013
Youth Exchange and other programs
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Jun 04, 2013
Portage Ukranian Nursery School
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Jun 11, 2013
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Jun 18, 2013
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Jun 25, 2013
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View entire list...
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