Minutes of October 6, 2014 Meeting

Rotary Minute - Presented by Dr. Abara about membership strategies and issues facing clubs today.

Announcements
- Simran (Interact Club) reminded that their club is looking for speakers in the community service, environment or eco-related fields for their upcoming Career Fair.  Please see earlier email to all club members and forward to anyone interested.
- Steve will be updating the Club Runner system to Version 3 shortly.  Any questions, please ask Steve.
- Reminder of Festival of Praise and Remembrance on November 9.  Will be a great show honouring our vets.  Please contact Dr. Abara for tickets.

Interactor Presentation
We were very pleased to welcome four executive members of the Interact Club tonight:  Simran Chathanat, Rapisna Ravichandran, Kathleen Qu and Afreen Ahmadi.  The Club is run out of Bayview HIghschool and now numbers about 30 students.
- Simram:  The broad vision of the Interact Club is to get their members more involved in community.  They have many events planned and would like to expand their events to include other schools.
- Rapisna: The club is now 3 years old and she feels their club has more direction now and it empowers students to get involved in their school, community and internationally, creating a larger awareness of the world around them.
- Kathleen: They ran many events last year including a book drive, a "dress to progress" event which raised Polio Awareness, Locks of Kindness where 25 pony tails of hair were donated for cancer patients, and a talent show at a senior's home.
- Afreen:  Told us about some upcoming events for this year including another Locks of Kindness event, an event promoting Rotary, some workshops and a blood drive.
The Interactors thanked Dr. Emmanuel Abara for his past work in getting this club off the ground and Steve Knight for his continued good work as Youth Services Chair.
Well done all Interactors!!  

Speakers Lesley Sims and Rob Spence from 360 Kids
Lesley explained that 360 Kids (formerly known as Pathways) has been assisting at risk youth for over 20 years.  There are about 300 homeless kids in Richmond Hill and only 26 emergency beds.  Lesley says about 1,400 youth come through their doors every year.  At 360 Kids, they provide a safe facility for these kids.  They teach life skills, personal skills, assist with housing, employment, clothing, counselling.  Rob explained about their latest project called Youth Hub.  This is a housing and support centre already approved and under construction at Yonge and Crosby.  Scheduled opening will be in 2 years.  Rotary can help by donating funds, clothing, food, bedding, or volunteering.

Next Meeting
There will not be a meeting next week due to Thanksgiving holiday.  Next meeting will be at the Sheraton on October 20.  Please RSVP to David Tate or Nash Azam.