Call to Order
President Anna Harder.
22 Rotary Members attending.
Guests
Denis Beesley
Brianna Schultz
Makeups
None.
Announcements
Today we inducted Josh Mohr to the club. Welcome Josh!
Breakfast next week will be Ham and Eggs
Challenge Day at Comp was held on Wednesday, October 22, Thank you to anyone from the club who was able to volunteer for this event. We will be giving the Comp a cheque for $2000, as approved in our Budget, to help with the program.
Carol provided a Food for Thought moment looking deeper in to the history of the War Memorial Arch. With some help from Wikipedia we know “The National War Memorial (also known as The Response) is a tall granite cenotaph with accreted bronze sculptures, that stands in Confederation Square, Ottawa, and serves as the federal war memorial for Canada. Originally built to commemorate the First World War, in 1982 it was rededicated to include commemoration of the Second World War and the Korean War. In 2000, the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the memorial site and symbolizes the sacrifices made by all Canadians who have died or may yet die for their country.”
We had the distinct pleasure of presenting a cheque for $1000 to Brianna Shultz of the Augustana Campus of the U. of A. Brianna is one of our winners in our Scholarship Grant program, led by Foundation Chair Paul. What made Brianna’s application special is the fact that she has a deep commitment to the community, made a significant effort to raise her GPA from first year to second and her determination to avoid accumulating student loans.
Larry shared with the club that after meeting with Cable 10 it was decided that the club would not be required to pay rent for the entire year. Great news considering all the Bingo challenges these past months.
50-50 Draw
Judge Greg offered up 15 tickets for use in his Skybox. There were many happy winners!
Carolyn pulled the 4 of clubs and will have the honor of providing a food for thought moment next week.
Happy Bucks
Judge Greg opted to not hand out any fines today….although he warned us that he was going to hand out fines for lack of name tags….so be warned.
Happy Bucks were many and varied this week and included: the casino social x 4, a great trip to Vegas, Sad to leave Vancouver but happy to be back in Camrose and even happier that his wife could come back too after a not so great surgery experience, son was chosen for “soldier for a day” experience, leaving for the winter (particularly after a frozen car this morning), the Arts in Camrose (2 local concerts), CPAC naming ceremony, returned from Arizona, attendance at the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Awards, leaving for Arizona, finished 2 major projects this week, discovered that great great grandparents were Canadian so that makes this person ¾ Canadian, a great month in France, attendance to the Battle River Community Foundation dinner, kids hockey, attending a tax course all week next week.
Guest Speaker
Odell introduced our speaker Denis Beesley Denis was born in Stratford on Avon and moved to Canada in 1980, to Edmonton in 1989 and finally to Camrose in 1998.
Denis is currently the President and CEO of the Bethany Group and provided us with a great snapshot of where the Bethany Group came from and some of the recent expansions that have been taking place. The following information has been taken from The Bethany Group website http://www.thebethanygroup.ca and provides a summary of what Denis covered in his presentation.
On October 1 1922, The Bethany Group began as a response to a need in Bawlf, Alberta to find a home for the elderly. After relocating to Camrose in 1949, The Bethany Group was pleased to return to its roots in Bawlf in 2012 when it assumed the management of Sanden Court.
The Bethany Group receives its authority from its own Act of the Legislative – the Bethany Nursing Home of Camrose, Alberta Act. While its legal name is Bethany Nursing Home of Camrose, Alberta, the organization operates as The Bethany Group.
The origins of The Bethany Group are centered within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. In 2012, this formal relationship was ended by mutual agreement and now The Bethany Group operates independently setting its own Constitution, Bylaws, and Board composition.
Over the past 90 years, The Bethany Group has seen many changes, expanding its scope of services to over 20 communities in central Alberta. From continuing care, supportive living and independent living for seniors to a variety of housing programs including affordable family housing, the organization remains committed to its residents and clients and enhanced quality of life while maintaining its faith-based roots.
Starting in 2011, The Bethany Group created new relationships with Lacombe Foundation, the Flagstaff Regional Housing Group, and Rimoka Housing Foundation. In addition to Wetaskiwin and Camrose, the organization now operates as the management body maintaining a strategic partnership with the existing local community Boards.
The Bethany Group now serves and supports over nearly 2300 people and employs approximately 900 direct and indirect staff in a variety of facilities and programs.
In 2012, The Board of Governors set new Vision, Mission, & Values for The Bethany Group:
Our vision is an enhanced quality of life for vulnerable people.
Our mission is to enhance the quality of life of the people we serve.
We believe that all people we serve deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in an atmosphere of holistic care, cooperation, and integrity working from a Christian foundation that reflects God’s love and caring.
The Bethany Lifestyle: We encourage a friendly and inviting culture where everyone is secure and their needs are respected.
After some questions from the floor, Odell presented Denis with a Polio Plus certificate.