Call to Order

Pres Carol D P Presiding.

21 Rotarians attending.

Guests

Our Speakers Mike Dunnigan and Barry Stotts

Makeups

Patrice J had 4 make ups. 2 with Interact and 2 on her trip/cruise.

Announcements

Reminder there is no meeting next week (May 21st, 2013).

There was a board meeting yesterday evening. A decision was made to donate $200 to the Canada Day fund (as per budgeted). There were also two other charitable donations that were brought to the Club for motions. The first was for $1000 to Annik Levesque for the orphanage in Haiti. This motion was made by Harry G. and seconded by Cliff D. The second motion was for $1000 to the Malawi Girls School. This motion was made by Larry J. and seconded by Ron R.

Flag planting to start this weekend. Anyone who needs assistance picking up and planting flags should let Carol D-P. know ASAP. Flags can be picked up between 9-5pm at the old Schnell and Barrie building at 4707 39^th Street. Southside doors will be open for access. Please remember to pick up both the flags and the spiked pipes you will need to plant them.

Flag subscriptions will be pro-rated if people would like to purchase a subscription mid-summer. The pro-rated cost will be $35 after Victoria Day and $20 after Canada Day.

Rib Tickler tickets are available from Destiny R. (She will be away May 16-25th) This event is coming up quickly, June 6th.

Verifiers for Wednesday, May 15, are Anna and Karen. If you cannot make it on your scheduled day it is your responsibility to find a replacement.

There are now on-going “Rotary Clubs of Camrose” socials in the lounge in the Camrose Casino, starting at 5.30PM till 7.00PM. The next event of this type is planned for Thursday, June 6, 2013. Please try to attend and bring a fellow Rotarian, a partner, or a friend to this event and take the chance to exchange ideas in a relaxed setting. Light food items are available.

Inter-club Clean-up and Barbecue at the Stoney Creek Centre Park on Wed, May, 15 2013.  People will start the clean-up at 4:00pm and the BBQ will take place at 6:30. Members please bring a salad or dessert.

Our Casino is planned for November 1^st and 2^nd (Friday and Saturday). A list was circulated by Patrice J. this morning. If you were not able to sign up, please contact Patrice J. for possible shifts.

Rotary Moment

Cliff D. told us about his history both recent and distant. He is the middle of 3 generations of Drevers involved in Rotary. Cliff married Bev (his high school sweetheart) in 1980 and they moved to Hardisty where they farmed full time before moving to Camrose in 1992 to work in and expand the family fuel business. Cliff and Bev have four children and two grandchildren and family remains very important to Cliff. Cliff loves being outdoors and being active, he enjoys cycling, kayaking, and has many hiking experiences under his belt including Monte Picchu and the Himalayas.

Cliff also loves travelling and hopes to put his pilot license to use one day for pleasure trips rather than for business. This past summer Cliff was able to indulge both his love of adventure and his strong family commitment by travelling to Ireland with his family. From Ireland they continued on to Scotland where they visited the Isle of Skye. While there, they visited Dunvegan Castle which can be traced back to the MacLeod Clan which holds a family connection for Cliff. They then travelled to Orkney Islands where they connected with a distant relative and had the opportunity to see the headstone of an 8 times great grandfather from the 1700s. It is no surprise that Cliff has business savvy in his blood since in 1820 William Drever moved to Canada and opened the first store on Portage and Main.

Cliff has seen some significant changes in farming over the years and is involved with Prairie Heritage promoting safe and healthy beef. He encourages members to check out www.beef.ca and also the Ted Talk by Alan Savory on fighting desertification http://www.ted.com/talks/allan_savory_how_to_green_the_world_s_deserts_and_reverse_climate_change.html

Happy Bucks included: Grad on Friday and only one more to go (also a self-imposed fine for missing Bingo), attendance of the Million Dollar Dinner and the RI president visit, an Excellent trip/cruise, an upcoming family trip and the 4.5 million raised at the Million Dollar Dinner as well as the commitment of the Canadian Government for funds for Polio.

Judge

No fines this week, although Cliff D. tried to wrangle a dollar from John S. by testing his history knowledge.

50-50 Draw

Joy was the lucky winner of a spice package that was brought back by Patrice J. from her recent trip.

Destiny had the opportunity to draw for the Ace, but had to settle for the 3 of Diamonds.

Speaker

Carolyn introduced our speaker today, Mike Dunnigan and Barry Stotts.

Mike and Barry participated in a Habitat for Humanity build in Guatemala this past January. They described this adventure as “impulse tripping” as they started planning in October and flew in January.

Mike and Barry worked with a team of 12 people ranging in age from 22 to 69 years. Some were participating in their first build and others were on their 10^th and 15^th build. Both Barry and Mike found that the good humor of the team was a huge part of what made this trip so amazing. They often returned to their accommodations at the end of the day with sore stomachs from laughing throughout the day.

When Mike and Barry arrived they were treated to one night in a 5 star hotel (the owner provides this accommodation at 30% of regular cost for Habitat volunteers, before heading to the build site. When they arrived on site the foundation of the 420 square foot home was already started and the first row of bricks had been set. They were on site until the roof went on and spent their days filling cracks and making mortar/cement.  They worked with a mason and his assistant who were the only positions paid by Habitat for Humanity. The home was built for a family of four…plus a baby on the way and has 5 rooms and an amazing view of the lake and volcanos.

This experience was one that neither Barry nor Mike will ever forget. Even with poor air quality and “chicken bus” transportation, they reported having a great experience with excellent accommodations and food. They were both impressed with the gratefulness and involvement of the recipient family as well as the wonderful work that Habitat does around the world. They encourage people to consider participating in a Global Village program if they are ever able. Barry and Mike thoroughly enjoyed their “all-inclusive holiday….with work.” And would love to go back, but also believe that charity begins at home and are committed to doing what they can to help on a local level as well.

Carolyn presented Mike and Barry with a Gift of Sight Certificate, from Operation Eyesight, to thank them for their presentation.