Tree Appreciation Day, November 4, 2012

Here are a few photos from the recent Tree Appreciation Day at Uplands Park. Our club donated bike racks located on Dorset Street and at the southern entrance to Cattle Point.

Joan digs!

The Bike Rack our club donated

President Joan, Mayor Nils Jensen, and Monty Holding, Chairman of Oak Bay Parks and Rec

Tom Lidkea's wife Margaret shows young girl how to plant.

A Tribute to Nels Granewall: Aug 30, 1940 - Oct 23, 2012

Nels was a long-time member of the Oak Bay Rotary Club, serving as President in 1985-86. The following letter in tribute to Nels on his passing last week, comes from former Oak Bay Rotary Exchange Student, Leyland Cecco.

Dear Rotarians,

I wanted to take this chance to address the club about the impact one member has had on my life.

I received an email two days ago that Nels Granewall had peacefully passed away. This news, while saddening, didn’t come as a surprise, given that Nels had battled cancer for the past few years.

Whenever someone close passes away, it affords us both the opportunity to reflect on the profound influence he or she has had in our lives, and also the chance to preserve their deeds through our mourning process.

Rotary prides itself as an organization dedicated to the cause of bettering humanity. Its countless accomplishments are built upon the sturdy foundation of ‘Service above self.’  I want to use this opportunity to tell of the selfless service shown by Nels.

When I was 16 years old, my worldview was expanded in such a way that proved to be, at minimum, incredibly transformative. After nervously applying as a candidate to Rotary’s Youth Exchange Program, I was selected as an alternate. I was later given a place in the program and spent a year in Slovakia. Needless to say, one cannot enumerate the benefits I drew from the experience. Nels served as my Youth Exchange Counselor for the second half of my year abroad. It was a task he executed with a sense of duty and responsibility. It was at this point that I saw his passion for breaking down cultural and geographic barriers. At times, he seemed more excited about the experiences I was having than I was!

Upon my return, Nels began to play a larger role in my life. He encouraged me to stay active with Rotary, and suggested I take over the Oak Bay High School’s Interact Club. With his assistance (along with the dedicated work of other Rotarians) we increased the membership from six the previous year to 45. We undertook a campaign to fund the construction of a school in Malawi and raised thousands of dollars for this important cause. Nels saw the intrinsic value of community service and shared this passion with those around him.

After my high school graduation, Nels and I kept in close contact. In my first year of university, he suggested I consider applying for a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship. I had been told by many Rotarians of Nels’ strong belief in the program. He saw Rotary’s resources as an integral tool in not only engaging youth, but also doing so in a way that brought about meaningful, tangible change in communities. I took his advice, was nominated and later received the award. I spent a year in Turkey studying social inequities, and photographing areas in the conflict-ridden Kurdish areas.

My passion for photography would never have been discovered had Nels not encouraged me to follow my desire to see and understand more of the world. It was in Turkey where I felt the profound effect images could have on both others and me. This passion has taken me to many striking locations, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, Rwanda and Uganda.

Upon my completion of the year, I was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship and Nels proudly stood beside me (after giving a flattering introduction) as I received the award. What amazed me about Nels was his ability to foster passion and invest in those youth with a shared desire to engage all opportunities that bring positive change. He saw my potential and aggressively involved me in community service projects with Rotary- both at home and abroad.

His impact still resonates when it comes to ambitiously expanding my horizons. When the January 25^th revolution toppled former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, I waited only a few days before applying for a job in Cairo. I earned a position teaching politics and history in a country rife with turmoil. In fact, I am writing this letter from Egypt in my second year at the school. Had I not received the support I did from Nels and Rotary during my other times abroad, I would not have jumped at the opportunity to enter the fray of a post-revolution society inundated with growing pains.

Fittingly, as I write to you I’m reminded of the ancient Egyptian story of death. They believed that before the deceased could pass onward into the afterlife, they were asked two questions.

The first question was “Did you find happiness in this world?” Given Nels’ dedicated passion and excitement for the world, I believe he did. Those who saw the joys Nels took in his pursuits can only nod with a smile on their face.

The second question was “Did you bring happiness to others in this world?” It is my sincere belief that as we talk about the accomplishments of Nels in the following days amongst friends and colleagues, the question answers itself. None of us need struggle to remember the impact of his presence. His service, placed high above self, ripples further outwards even after his passing.

This is our benchmark and this is our aim - to produce an enduring legacy of selfless action. In the end, this becomes measure of one’s life. Nels, for all that he was, lit a path for youth to follow that will continue to shine bright.

Best regards,

Leyland Cecco

FROM THE QUEEN ALEXANDER FOUNDATION FOR CHILDREN: Call for Volunteers! The Summer Car Picnic has been re-invented!

The Queen Alexandra foundation for Children is looking for Volunteers for the 2012 Motorcar Gathering on Sunday, August 19th. This is an all-inclusive, family-friendly car show with lots of activities for kids of all ages. We will need volunteers to help set up on Saturday, August 18th as well as volunteers for the day of the event. If you are a regular at car shows on the Island and would like to help us out by handing out flyers in advance of the Motorcar Gathering please let us know; we are eager to get the word out. If you’re interested in volunteering please send me an e-mail with answers to the following questions and we will do our best to find the right place for you:
Jackie.Adamthwaite@viha.ca
Your name:
Phone number day:
Phone number eve:
Preferred e-mail address:
What day would you like to Volunteer: 
Set up on Saturday, August 18th from 1:00pm – 5:00pm
Day of Event on Sunday, August 19th from 9:30 – 2:30pm (BBQ Lunch is provided)
Clean up Crew on Sunday, August 19th from 2:00pm – 5:00pm

Of the volunteer areas listed above please list your top 3 choices and I will do my best to accommodate:
Is there any reason you would have difficulty standing for extended periods of time?:
Have you volunteered for Car Picnic events at QA in the past?:
If so what was your volunteer role?:
Will you have an opportunity between June 15 - August 15 to hand out flyers or put up posters?:
Would you be interested in volunteering for future events with the Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children?:
For up-to-date information on the Motorcar Gathering please visit our website:
http://www.queenalexandra.org/events/2012-motorcar-gathering
With gratitude and good wishes,
Jackie Adamthwaite
Coordinator of Special Events
Queen Alexandra Foundation for Children
2390 Arbutus Road | Victoria BC | V8N 1V7
t: 250-519-6735 | c: 250-920-6343
Jackie.Adamthwaite@viha.ca

Supporting the potential of children.

Oak Bay Tea Party Pics, June 2 and 3, 2012

Dave and Heather

Don, Betty and Heather

Ron and Jane

Report from John Jordan in Rwanda

Hello from Rwanda,

My time here is well past half way and the results are good. There are nearly 2000 households that don’t choke with smoke each evening because our stove is there. There are 700-800 mothers who don’t worry that their toddler can tip over a pot or trip into the open fire.  The elimination of smoke and burns is a huge blessing that will translate into improved health and economy for each of those families from now on.  Success in this larger scale is a daily challenge that anyone who has started their own business will recognize. The need for training, logistics, policy, team building, marketing, etc. makes impossible demands on our meager time and finances.  Still, bit by bit, as best as we can, we build the system that produces an impact to surprise even us.

Success on the smaller scale is witnessed in the delight of a grandmother who used to search every day for wood, some days not finding enough even to cook her rice or potatoes. She now goes 3 days a week, satisfied to bring twigs and corn stalks that suffice to heat her meals.  It’s the heart-touching testimonial by a mother who shows the scars covering her 4-year-old neck to waist caused by the pot that tipped from her former 3-stone fire pit: “Don’t wait,” she pleads with the group of her neighbours,            ”because the new stove will protect your children.” It’s also the satisfaction and dignity I see in the faces of our stove makers when they receive their salary. Regular jobs are few in the private sector and we have created 15 self-sustaining positions. They work hard for $50/month, carrying 48 lbs of clay up from the quarry in the valley, fashioning the stove, and then, after a week of drying, carrying it off one, 2, or 3 miles to install.

The people love the stove mostly because it uses less wood and doesn’t sting their eyes. The bigger benefits of diminishing creosote in their lungs and no burns for their children are mostly unrecognized  by the users. The clinics, however, say the health benefits are noticeable after 6 months.  It's like stopping a 2-pack-a-day habit.  A worry is that the poorest don’t buy. If you’re wondering what you might do for them, $50 lets me give 20 stoves to the most needy. Through the clinics, we could distribute 60 a month among the 3 locations - and have a lasting impact that would remove that worry from my mind. 

Thanks from the heart of Africa,   Bwana John.