David Knoppart and Dr. Aman Rai from the Hyde Park Rotary Club presented an overview of their medical clinic trip to Nicaragua.  On the "Commit to Nicaragua " trip they worked on medical clinics to help remote villages with health issues such as dealing with diabetes, high blood pressure, and other medial issues.  Dental clinics, vision care, hearing care, educational issues and community agricultural development were also part of the mission.

 

An additional program was part of the trip was to encourage building simple cinder block stoves for cooking and eliminating cooking on open fires.  Smoke from this type of cooking causes chronic lung conditions and other medical problems.  The Rotary Club of Hyde Park is working on a grant proposal to develop 250 stoves for this part of the country.  David outline the grant proposal and welcomed our help.

 

Our club effort to better serve the Hispanic community in London was kicked off with presentations at the Byron Library by club members and follow up presentations Starbucks.  Both meeting were well attended by interested individuals.  Continuing discussion are planned with participants determining if they want to set up a Satellite Club or join the Rotary Club of London South as members.

Cheryl Fin, GM of Tourism London, told us the importance of tourism to the London economy. Visitors to London spend $831 million for same day and overnight stays.  There are 8,537 jobs associated with tourism (3% of London employment).  The visitor centres handled  of 20,000 transactions each year.  There are four main areas of tourism the city focuses on: experiential tourism, conventions, culture and entertainment, and sports tourism.  Recent wins in each of these areas were: experiential tourism/ Unlocked and Inspired 3.0 Conventions/The Association of Municipal ties of Ontario, Culture and Entertainment / Junos  Sport tourism / Continental Cup of Curling.

 

Tourism London is rebranding and the new look of the Wellington Rd. centre is an example of the new brand look.

On Valentine's Day, our Brazilian sweetheart, Eduarda Mendoca Dercy fondly known as Duda, gave an excellent presentation of her home country and specifically the city of Cachoeiro de Itapemirim where she is from in the southeast state of  Espírito Santo,  We learned about Duda's family and friends, career aspiration to become a doctor and her favourite Brazilian foods.

We were treated to an entertaining and informative talk by Dr. Darryl Gopaul about microbiology.  Darryl explained the nature and location of various forms of bacteria found on the human body and how they spread.   He outlined the nature of bacteria, how they interact with viruses and how some are helpful and some are harmful.  Slides of the actual bacteria were shown and some anecdotes were used to help us understand the nature of some of the bacterial function.  Among the bacteria he explained were tetanus, e. coli, and strep.

 

 

Over this Rotary year we have engaged in providing the White Oaks Public School Library with upgrades the school could not otherwise afford.  Some of the upgrades include furniture, carpeting, and bilingual books in Arabic/English.  Below are some pictures of equipment we have purchased.

Moria McKee, Owner and operator of Excavo Art Gallery explained the focus of her gallery in supporting up coming artist in London and beyond.  She also explained her role in appraisal of art.  Appraisals are conducted in a different fashion depending on the purpose of the appraisal.  Appraisal for insurance purposes is different from estate appraisals.  However, determining value either for replacement (insurance) or market value (estate) starts with finding comparable works recently sold or auctioned.  Moria also advises collectors in art selection for purchase.

Our annual Christmas Carol meeting featuring Sam and Dave (Kirwin) with many favourites including Frosty and !2 Days of Christmas.

 

Dani Bartlett, Labour Coordinator for Middlesex London United Way, spoke about the United Way's initiatives to support the anti violence against women initiatives in our community.  One of the programs the UW undertakes is the "New Beginning Loan Program".  This is a micro loan program allowing women to get a new start in a violence free environment.  The average loan size is $299.44.  However, a loan a small as $27 can pay for cab fare to allow a rural woman to escape an abusive relationship.  In 2018 63 women have taken advantage of the program.

Reg Ash, CEO of the Western Fair, brought us up to date with the history and recent developments at the Western Fair.  The Fair started in 1867 as an agricultural society and has developed into a not-for-profit organization with 50 full time and 100 part time employees.  The Western Fair manages the several properties in the Western Fair District.   Some are solely operated by the Fair and other are join ventures with the City of London.  The Fair is involved with renovating some of the historic buildings and bring them back as close as possible to their original design.  Other properties such as the sport complex are relatively new and modern.  Commitment to the community is a constant theme of the Fair; special shows , days of  caring,  special arrangements for stimulant sensitive children during the annual fall fair, and learn to skate programs, are examples of community commitment.  The Western Fair has hosted harness racing since the 1870's and continues with up to 125 cards today.