Why do people wear orange shirts on September 30? And what does this beautiful colour  symbolizes?

 

Orange Shirt Day references a real orange shirt taken from a residential school survivor in Canada.

Phyllis Webstad now 40 years old, tells her story about an orange shirt  she wore with pride on her first day at a church-run residential school in Williams Lake, B.C.  In her story she stated she was stripped of her clothes by school authorities, her hair  cut and her beautiful shirt was taken away. She never got it back. (https://www.orangeshirtday.org/phyllis-story.html)  

“The colour orange has always reminded me of how my feelings didn’t matter, how no one cared.” I went to a treatment centre for healing when I was 27 and have been on this healing journey since then. I finally get it, that the feeling of worthlessness and insignificance, ingrained in me from my first day at the mission, affected the way I lived my life for many years.”

 

The day aims to raise awareness of the residential school system in Canada

More than 150,000 First Nations, Métis and Inuit children attended Indian residential schools in Canada between the 1800s and 1996. Operated by the Canadian government and church organizations. It is estimated that between four to six thousand children died at residential schools.

Wearing an orange shirt reminds us of the impact of residential then and Now

The last of the Residential schools closed in 1996, and as Webstad’s story indicates, many survivors are still coping with the physical and sexual abuse experienced at the schools. The impact of such trauma is still felt through communities today.

Orange Shirt Day honours Indigenous persons and their experiences and celebrate their resilience  and a commitment that - Every Child Matters. 

There's something starting to really take shape in Fraser River Heritage Park.  It's not a bird!  Or a plane! It's the new Rotary Observatory and Space Science Centre!  And it is happening on our doorstep and before our eyes.  What a terrific opportunity this facility will be - a place for the families of Mission to learn about the solar system and outer space.  You can follow the progress on Facebook by searching for the Rotary Observatory and Space Science Centre

 

 

Rotarians joined members of Stave Valley Salmon and families from the community to plant trees at Silverdale Creek Wetlands on Saturday.  The weather, in spite of a gloomy forecast of everlasting rain, surprised us with a lovely spring day of mixed sun and clouds.  Families came down and planted trees and explored the area, finding frogs, birds and a swimming garter snake, much to the delight of certain young boys!  There was a Rubber Duck Race to raise money for the Mission Food Centre, and along with refreshments and home-made cookies, the day was a huge success!  Thanks to Jim Taylor (for organizing) and other members of the Rotary Club of Mission for helping. 

How do you save a language from extinction?  Our guest speaker at Rotary this week will be Peter Lindley, Mission Public School District Language and Cultural Worker. Three decades after the last residential school closed in Mission, Halq'emeylem, the traditional language of the Sto:Lo people is now being taught in seven schools in our district. The Aboriginal populations of Canada lost their language through residential school and the Indian Hospitals", says Deroche Elementary Principal, Sue McLeod.  "It is pretty significant that this opportunity is now offered for our students and their families." Come and hear the story of this stunning effort to save a language and associated cultural meanings from extinction. Guests are welcome - Wednesday, April 9 at 7 am - Carrington House

Come out on Thursday to join us at the Rotary Carol Festival in the Clarke Theatre.  Admission is by donation to the Mission Christmas Bureau.  This is the start of the Christmas Festivities in Mission, and has been a Rotary tradition for decades.  Come and raise your voices to sing in the season together.  November 29th at 7 pm at the Clarke Foundation Theatre. 

 Louise Lacerte, key organizer for our Club's Respite room project with Laura Koch, residential Care Manager of Dr. Stuart Pavillion and Debbie Tenerelli, Residential Care coordinator. Through Rotary International's District Simplified Grant we were able to furnish and decorate the  Respite Room for Mission's temporary extended care facility in Abbotsford When the new extended care unit is completed next year, the furnishings will come back to Mission.

 

Our guest speaker, Haddy Abra told the story of how he contracted polio at age 9 and spent a month in an iron lung.  The experience left him hard hearted.  He told us the inspiring story about how his life journey turned him into a true humanitarian with a wide open heart. 

 

Bill Tyler speaks at our club to remind us about the importance of supporting Camp Jubilee.  $250 sends a child to camp.  Camp changes lives and supports our youth.  This is one way we can make a difference in Mission.  Let us know if you can help in this initiative! 

On Wednesday, June 13, Rotarian Ed entertained us with his classification speech.  We learned of his path through life that led him to Rotary. 

See more information on the blog at http://teamtylerdental.wordpress.com/

MICA representative and fellow Rotarian Cory Cassel receives a cheque from the proceeds of the Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser.

Kathie Krahn and Harry Huber presented

“A Walk To Remember”

The presentation included their experiences in building homes for those that might otherwise live in cornstalk houses.  One family lost their father and siblings in a flood leaving the mother and surviving children homeless.  They also distribute needed items such as blankets and schools supplies.

On Saturday, March 10, six hearty souls braved the elements to take part in the Sunrise Rotary birdwatching walk at Silverdale Creek Wetlands.  A number of bird species were seen or heard during the 90 minute walk.  Below is the list of the 21 bird species noted.

Pacific Wren, Song Sparrow, Spotted Towhee, Steller's Jay, Golden-crowned Kinglet, American Dipper, American Robin, Varied Thrush, Hooded Merganser, Mallard, Ring-necked Duck, Bufflehead, Canada Goose, Belted Kingfisher, Great Blue Heron, Red-tailed Hawk, Northern Flicker, Black-capped Chickadee, Red-winged Blackbird, Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Pigeon

 On April 14, another walk is planned to see what Spring migrants have arrived from their wintering grounds in the tropics.  The walk will begin at 9:00 am.

District Gov. Jane Helten delivered a memorable message. She also presented District 5050 recognition pins to three club members, name badges to three new members, and promoted the spring 2012 District Conference.

Check out additional pictures on our Facebook: Rotary Club of Mission AM.

 

Sense of Taste, Smell and Humour---Kathleen has them all! For more information, visit www.BetweenTheVines.ca 

Kathleen will be with us at the Swish & Swirl on November 26th. Do you have your tickets?

At the August 24 meeting, Heidi explained how the Edwardian Garden at the Mission Museum is being developed with volunteer labor and the assistance of the District of Mission's Parls Department.

Past President Elspeth presents cheque to Georgina of Mission Community Services for Family Tree House  and Mission"4' Kids Family Place. This will help families to attend a Picnic in the Park.

With Rick Rake behind the camera, Ken brought the message and thank to Rotary. Even the bike was in the room!

Hatzic High School Youth and Leader Nick Field return after rewarding trip to El Salvador

Mission Public Schools benefit from a program that provides Learning through Play to children and their care givers.  

Stephan St. Amour, winner of our club's Serving From the Heart Award, studies at Riverside College. He is an excellent student in the Plumbing Program and an active community volunteer. He was accompanied by his proud parents Lori and Michel St.Amour, and his plumbing instructor Tony Zadworny.  

The event takes place at All Saints Church Hall on Second Avenue and James on Saturday, February 19th.

Doors open at 5:30 and Dinner at 6:00 p.m.

Tickets at $25 are available from club members (call 604-302-2005) or at Envison Credit Union in the Junction and  Murdoch's Book Shoppe on First Avenue. 

You will enjoy "Chef" Ed's spaghetti dinner, dessert auction, wine bar, African music, and  student speakers from Zambia.

Funds raised will be used to purchase dental equipment for a clinic at Grace Academy in Ndola, Zambia. 

Jerry Lewis and Deanne Martin returned to Mission AM Rotary club Jan. 19th in a production of Rotary Foundation's 3 Hs...or was that 4Hs?

Peter Williams, coordinator of the Hatzic Secondary Habitat for Humanity Project received $1000 from Misson AM Rotay for this year's trip to El Salvador.

Megan Scarrow was chosen as Mission Morning Rotary's first Student of the Month. Megan has volunteeed many hours with Mission Hospice and she has participated in Hatzic Secondary's Habitat for Humanity in Guatemala and will go with the group this year to El Salvador

Click on title above to find out. And there is more to come!

In the 2010 National Edition of Communities in Bloom, the District of Mission was a finalist in the 20,001 to 50,000 population category.

Mission received a 5/5 Bloom rating and a special mention ­for the Municipal Forest.

Come and see what everyone is talking about!  Learn about the Rotary Observatory and Space Science Centre!  See slide shows and telescope demonstrations by Fraser Valley Astronomers!  Hot Dogs and Popcorn, too!  All proceeds go to the Observatory Project. 

How do Rotarians help a community?  Through fundraising of course!  Our next offer is Hanging Baskets available Saturday, May 10th (the day before Mother's Day).  Baskets must be pre-ordered.  Email orders to lloydrash@hotmail.com by May 7th.   Cost is $25, and the funds raised will go to support families in Mission - scholarships, Imagination Library, the astronomical observatory, and many other community initiatives.  Please help by ordering one of these baskets! 

And they change the life, not only of the child who receives the vaccine, but the person who helps to make it happen.  Rotarians are working in some of the most difficult and stress-ridden areas of the world to make sure that children will grow up strong and healthy.  Read about one Rotarian's efforts to make a difference by travelling to Nigeria to vaccinate children against polio.  http://blog.rotary.org/2014/04/18/al_bonney/

 

 We are at it again!  There is another batch of succulent, juicy, chickens on the horizon!  This is a fundraiser for our club and the many community projects that we do.  Please share with all your friends, colleagues, family, and vague acquaintances.  These are locally raised, free run, healthy and happy chickens raised on an all-vegetable diet. Delicious roasted, and then leftovers for sandwiches, salads, wraps, etc.   The pick up date is April 25th at Ferndale Farms on Laxton Road.  To order call 604-826-4468
So Beat the Drum and Don't Stop!  The Chickens are Coming! 

It's tonight!  Saturday, March 15th, 2014.  Shepherd's Pies are made, desserts are in the oven, hall is decorated.  Come and join us.  Doors open at 6:30 pm.  Funds raised support the new Astronomical Observatory in Heritage Park.  $35 for a great meal, live music, and fun!  Still some tickets at the door.  

Rotarians gathered on Saturday for a Harvest Supper to raise money to support Families in Mission.  Proceeds will go to the Mission Community Services Food Centre and to the Dolly Parton Imagination Library program which provides books for 100 children in our community. 

Coming up this month - Thursday, October 24th, 2013 marks World Polio Day.  World Polio Day was established by Rotary International over a decade ago to commemorate the birth of Jonas Salk, who led the first team to develop a vaccine against poliomyelitis. Use of this inactivated poliovirus vaccine and subsequent widespread use of the oral poliovirus, developed by Albert Sabin, led to the establishment of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in 1988. Since then, GPEI has reduced polio worldwide by 99%.  Rotary, along with our partners, has reduced polio cases by 99 percent worldwide since our first project to vaccinate children in the Philippines in 1979. We are close to eradicating polio, but we have not quite finished the job.  World Polio Day is a time to commemorate what we have done, and to renew our energy to finish the job in the near future!

To find out how you can make a difference in this effort, follow this link:   https://www.rotary.org/en/take-action/end-polio

 

It's Hanging Basket Time! Support the Rotary Club of Mission and pre-order today. They cost $25. Pick up is on May 11 from 9 - 11 am at Hume Park on Hurd St. in Mission.   Funds raised go to support a variety of community projects.  You can order by emailing:  marilyn.macdonald@ufv.ca  or lloydrash@hotmail.com 

A group of enthusiastic Rotarians met on Saturday to wrap trees at the Silverdale Creek Wetlands with wire mesh to protect them against Canada's National Animal.  Those pesky beavers were cutting down the trees that WE planted!  It was decided that simply would not do, so we took action in typical Rotarian style!  And what lovely weather we had! 

Rotarian Tok presents book on history of Gur Sikh Gurdwara (temple) to Rotarian Elspeth for the Mission Library

Great food, plenty of fun and games andthousands raised. Job well done by a great bunch of volunteers!

District Govenor Wiebe honoured some of our club Rotarians when he visited in November and encouraged all members to invite a friend to join us.

Rose Bennett and members of the cast of Opening Night Theatre offered a brief overview of their Remembrance Day play. Rose explained how significantly her family had been affected by the irst World War- 3 aunts and 12 children left without their husbands/fathers. The family also suffered injuries in the seckond World Way.

Dr. Evered addressed Rotary last week updating on the University. Mission accounts for 7% of the students attending UFV. UFV administration is working to bring a new program to the Mission campus to add to its first year arts and business offerings and the professional Certificate in Communications

See the photo journal for more great pictures. There was lots of muck and hard labour, but also a lot of fun when we turned out to participate in planting 4000 plants and trees at Siverdale Creek Wetlands and friendly competition with Hatzic students. Many thanks to fearless leaders Jim and Terry Taylor.

It is not all business for Inspector Pat Walsh. When he is not leading in the protection of our community, he is climbing every mountain, paddling amongst the islands and saling the seas and sounds.

The Rotary Rulers made a great showing at Quiz Night, despite the fierce competition. Rotary's fourth place was only six points behind the winning team. Please click on picture for a larger image.

Glen Kask focused on an interesting side trip on his cruise to Alaska, Japan and Russia, an aboriginal (Anui)village in northern Japan. Look at the Ainu in the background and Glen's new beard. Do you think he has found his role model?

President Elspeth brought a visitor to Rotary on Sept. 1st to help raffle off the Polio Plus Calendar. Rotarian Craig Grant took home the prize for $110 after an exciting auction.

Aug 26 2010 by Marilyn MacDonald James' involvement in villages of his life led him to his commitment to working on strong communities

Rotarian and Mayor of Mission, James Atebe joins torch runners on stage February 8, 2010.

Mission's two Rotary clubs met at 5:00 a.m. to hand out souvenirs and assist security during the arrival of the Olympic torch run through Mission. An estimated 9,00 people attended.

President Pam hands over cheque to Suzanne Vermeer for the Friendly Visitor Program of Mission Community Services

Rotary co-ordinates Mission's Terry Fox Run 2009

Mark Littlefield highlights youth activities and community involvement

Installation Time with President Mark and Assistant DG Bill.

Due to the work of a committee consisting of President Glen Kask, Louise Lacerte, Mark Johnson, Pam Alexis and Heather Stewart, the club recently formed a Society. The official date of incorporation was January 25, 2008.

Bill Campbelll accepted a cheque from president-elect Mark Johnson on April 2, 2008.

Inspector Pat Walsh spoke to our club on Wednesday, April 2, 2008.

Greetings from Jean and Glen in Thailand,

Our members from two Mission clubs have arrived safely in Thailand and are ready to go to work.

1. Sent 18 kids to Camp Jubilee 2. Gave $500 to the Celebration of Community 3. Raised over $1,600 by selling Blueberries to support Student Scholarships 4. Stream Cleanup of D'Herbomez Creek in Heritage Park 5. Ongoing Imagination Library: recruiting 100 children to receive a book a month until they go to Kindergarten 6. Gave $500 to Mission Community Services for the Diwali Celebration 7. Contributed $1000.00 to Polio Plus and had our Club's name on the District 5050 soccer ball which was presented to Ray Klinginsmith on September 29, 2010. 8. Applied for and received a District Simplified Grant to help refurbish Future Shop Daycare at Mission Secondary School 9. Helped to organize the annual Terry Fox Run. 10. Planted trees at the Wetland Project. 11. $1000.00 donated to the Red Cross for Pakistan Flood Relief 12. Much, much more to come in the rest of the Rotary year.

Nyomi spoke to our club on July 19 on the topic of the environment. She has recently attended a youth conference in Newfoundland on this topic and is enthusiastic about spreading the word about saving our planet.

These fellows did the "grunt" work!