Basketeers

Earlier this month, members of the Festival City Rotary Club created baskets in support of victims of domestic abuse. Baskets were provided for Optimism Place and the Emily Murphy Centre.

(L-R) Maxine Noel, Donna Hinz, Judith Sept and some hot chick, pose in front of all the collected baskets, while below Franklin Hinz (L) and a helper work hard to unload the hampers.

The Festival City Rotary Club wishes to recognize Ken Hansen with a Paul Harris Fellowship for his service to the club.

As the program co-ordinator for the Club, Ken has consistently obtained a variety of interesting speakers for our morning meetings. He has been a strong support of club activities and currently chair the Club's Service Committee.

Congratulations Ken!

Peter Moreton Presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship

Rotarian Peter Moreton (the bald guy with the ugly tie) was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship at the Club's November 10th meeting. Peter was joined by his wife Carol (far L), and Club Secretary Diane Yundt and Club President Kent Chisholm (far R).

Banner Exchange - Iquitos Amazonia, Peru.

Jean Aitcheson (L) and Lyn McInnis (C) presented the President-Elect Linda Jones (R) with a banner from the Rotary Club of Iquitos Amazonia, Peru.

Laura Pogson Awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship

Rotarian Laura Pogson (L) was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship at its weekly meeting on Oct 27. The award citation was as follows:

"The Festival City Rotary Club wishes to recognize Laura Pogson with a Paul Harris Fellowship for her service to the club, community and world. Laura was Club President from 2006-2007. She has been involved on a number of community committees that include: Stratford Perth County Community Foundation, Torch Relay Committee, Sister Cities Committee, and Divorce Care. On the international level, Laura has been active with First Steps, a Christian development organization fighting malnutrition in North Korea."

Club Secretary Diane Yundt (R) invested Laura on behalf of the club.

Congratulation Laura!

Who is Nobody?

The Festival City Rotary Club of Stratford has funded the introduction of the Who Is Nobody? character education program for the Grade 6 Gifted Program taught by teacher Cindy Carlson at Stratford Central Public School.

It all began in October,2009, when a mysterious suitcase arrived at the classroom containing a blue rag doll void of features and gender.

Throughout this year long program, each student will implement a service learning project and then design a 3D object to pin on the Nobody doll which will give the doll its character. This project builds on everybody's unique strengths, nurturing their self-esteem and enhancing their academic performance. NOBODY will become a SOMEBODY!

The FCRCS can look forward to a visit from SOMEBODY and Ms. Carlson in the new year.

Visit www.whoisnobody.com for further information on this multiple award-winning program that is sponsored by several Rotary clubs throughout Ontario.

A Dispatch from Normandy

Phoenicia is a Rotary Exchange Student from Stratford. This is her first report to the Club.

Bonjour :)

Monday (October 26) marks exactly two months for me here in France. I’m staying in Granville, Normandy. It’s a small city - about the size of Stratford - known mostly for it’s fish and beaches. The city is surrounded, on two sides by ocean. My house backs on to the beach. These particular beaches are known for their giant tides - the largest in Europe I believe - that at high tide completely cover all of the beaches and at low tide allow you to walk all the way out to the light house.

I am staying with the Carli family, the father is a Rotarian, my YEO and counsellor. They have three kids - Juliette (20), Cesar (18) and Edgar (16). Only Edgar lives with us the whole year, the other two are gone to university for business and medicine respectively. I have my own room here, I stay in Juliette’s room and am usually expected to wake myself up for school (however, my host mom still insists on coming to check to see if I am awake). I switch family’s around the end of December - Beginning of January.

The Rotary Club here is the Rotary Club of Granville, they are a completely male club and have mixed socials once a month (or so) where the Rotarians bring their wives. They meet every 15 days on Thursdays. There have been, at most, about 20 - 25 Rotarians at our meetings however, there are more members than that as they have a list of common absences. Even though I am a girl, I am still invited to all of the meetings, and therefore have been the only female there on many occasions. Since I have been here the club has not done much. We had a ‘Contact Club’ come and visit us from Cuxhaven, Germany, in early October (the weekend before Thanksgiving). The ‘Contact Club’ brought two girls, one girl on exchange from Thailand and the other a German girl - I believe the daughter of a Rotarian. Most of the Rotarians (from Germany) didn’t speak French so I ended up translating for most of the weekend. We have a pre-viewing of a new Christmas movie (starring Jim Carrey) that raises money for, I believe brain research in order to help ‘Maladies de Cerveau’ (brain diseases).

My host district doesn’t have very many ‘get togethers’ for the young students. We had a one day orientation meeting in September (from 11 - 4) where I met a few students but it was not nearly long enough. We then had a weekend last weekend (October 17 weekend) at Mont St. Michel for all of the students in (I think) the Northern half of France. There were over 150 most of which were from English speaking countries (excluding Mexico that had the largest group). It was from Saturday at 11 until Sunday at 4. We walked along thebay of Mt. St. Michel (tide was low) for four hours - for no reason - and then had a Rotary dinner where we all sang our anthems and then we had a dance from 12 - 2 (am). The next day we went to a visit at Mt. St. Michel from 10 -12 and then had lunch and then the students that had come from area’s such as Paris had to leave to get back. We have a weekend (starting this Thursday - 28 - where we are going to Parc Astérix - a popular amusement park in Paris, I am really excited.

I met many kids from Canada, including two girls from our district. I met a girl from Alberta, Nova Scotia and Quebec, and many from British Columbia and Ontario. We spoke English all weekend since that was the only language that everyone could speak well enough to communicate in all weekend.

School is going really well, I am in Seconde, which is the equivalent of a mixture of our 11 and 10. Mostly 11. All of the kids in my class are 14/15, which makes me the oldest at 16. Our schedule is different everyday and the same every week. Over the course of the week I have: Math, English, MPI, Geography/History, French, Physics/Chemistry, Biology, Gym, First, and Civics. I go from 8 - 6 everyday except Wednesdays when I only go until noon and every other Monday and Tuesday when I only go until four.

Life here is really good. I am having loads of fun and every day is a new adventure. I have yet to be truly homesick, I have only missed knowing precisely what is going on. My knowledge of French before I got here (thanks to French Immersion) has helped a lot. I didn’t get headaches like some other kids have reported. I understand most of my classes and I am getting alright grades (they are low for France by only a few marks but low for home by about 10 - 15%).

I haven’t done much traveling yet. I have only seen Granville and Lille (I went with my host mom when she went to drop my host sister off at school). I hope (and plan) to see Paris and the D-Day Beaches before I leave.

I hope everything is good at home. Thanks to everyone for making this happen. If anyone wants to contact me Carol can give you my email, I’d be happy to hear from anyone

À Plus tard,

Phoenicia

Theatre Brunch 2009

Club President Kent Chisholm officially welcomed everyone to the Festival City Rotary Club's Annual Theatre Brunch on Sunday October 25th. This year's play was West Side Story.

The Brunch was once again catered by the Queen's Inn.

Carol Rock has seconds at the Dessert Table.

Our Guest Speaker was Dan Chameroy, who appeared as Lt. Schrank in the play.

Lyn ruins another good photograph by waving.

Just as in previous years, Peter Moreton demonstrates his innate inability to his polish shoes.

Ron Rogers Is Recognized with a Paul Harris Fellowship

Ron Rogers is being recognized for his service to the Club and Foundation with a Paul Harris Fellowship. Ron is a charter member and a strong supporter of Club activities and projects. As the Club's and Foundation's Treasurer for many years, Ron's sage advice and financial knowledge has stood the Club in good stead throughout turbulent economic times.

Dazed and Confused Near Machu Picchu

Dear Family and friends,

from 40 degrees in the jungle to sitting here with hot cocoa tea to help with altitude and a heavy sweater on, What a change in one day.

I got all the medical supplies returning to Stratford packed in 3 hockey bags and true to form, they were too heavy and )tell Walter= we had to repack. But the three that returned home took 6 pieces of luggage which was nice. We still have hockey bags with us.

Pastor Fran Schmidt, the Canadian Lutheran missionary met us at the airport and it was nice to connect with our ddear Katharine´s replacement. She took all three folks and Geneva Neal, the exchange student and was going to spend the day with them in Lima.

We came on to Cusco and it is good to be here once again. All our luggage arrived and the travel com`pany picked us up in a nuce bus that is ours for the stay. The hotel is very nice, quaint with all amemities, and we have it for half their regular price due to the mix up with our regular hotel. The man who made our travel arrangements is a Rotarian and I asked the lady with us to call him and ask when the meetings were so I could plan. Lo and behold, it was right then, so I changed and Erik came to pick me up. They welcomed me warmly, LYnn did not go and I presented our banner to them. They were very interested in what our club does and what the medical project was all about. They looked at eachh other and asked if we would come here to do the same thing. They have literacy and health projects and they run a discount drug store. I have invited them to the World international convention in Montreal.

Erik brought me back to the hotel and That bed was so welcome. It is cold here. There is a heater in the room. I could not gp to sleep as my feet were cold, so yes, Ken, I got up and put my socks on. The bed is so heavy with the covers and then I could not sleep cause by feet were too hot.

Breakfast is now with hot eggs, what a change. Today we go on the Sacred valley tour and maybe a dinner show tonight.

Thanks for all your good wishes. Will try to give you updates. Everyone is still well and so far, no altitude problems.

Love to you all,

Jean