From the Frying Pan into the Deep Freeze!!!

Good Day Fellow Kiwanians!
January 23rd was an eventful day in the history of your LG.  Not only did I return from the very last Mid-winter Board meeting of the EC&C District but I also went through a 50 degree change in temperature in 6 hrs.!!!!
I have concluded that we humans can withstand just about anything and survive!
There was much discussion at this final Board meeting before the Trustee is elected within our Division to assume the role of dealing predominately with policies, procedures, bylaws, finance and general governance of the District.
Future LG's will focus totally on the clubs within each of their own divisions and their responsibilities will be as follows:
Responsibilities:
Support the goals of the district.
• Be accountable for meeting the membership growth goals for the division. Drive membership growth in the district specifically by focusing on the opening of new Kiwanis clubs and assisting current clubs in recruitment and retention efforts.
• Ensure that the club experience is attractive to new and existing members.
• Invest time and resources in those clubs with the potential for the greatest return.
• Evaluate, coach, support and provide positive reinforcement to Kiwanis clubs in the division.
• Coordinate assistance by communicating with district board and Kiwanis International.
Serve as a leader in the district by communicating the vision/messages of Kiwanis International and the district to the clubs and motivating the members to action.
• Ensure participation in club leadership education sessions.
• Speak on behalf of the district and prepare messages that are positive, personal and passionate.
• Communicate regularly with club presidents. Provide opportunities to meet face to face by scheduling productive division council meetings.
• Support succession planning by ensuring a seamless transition among preceding, current and succeeding administrations.
Are you a future Lt. Governor??  Would you like to be???  Here are the qualifications:
Qualifications:
A proven leader with the ability to:
• Motivate and inspire volunteers
• Manage time
• Build relationships with club and community leaders
• Encourage, support, coach and counsel club presidents
• Focus energy on the objectives
• Lead by example
• Facilitate change
• Use Microsoft Office software
I know someone out there in Division 3 could easily handle this job so please think about it.  If you may be interested, please contact me and I will be glad to fill you in.
I will be filing my report from Mid-Winter and distributing it by e-mail to all club Presidents and Secretaries before our scheduled DCM on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2011 in Chatham.  That will give everyone the opportunity to ask any questions you may have regarding the report.
Below are a few pictures taken at Mid-Winter:

 From Lt. to Rt. in the front row are Shelley DeCotes, LG Division 5, Terry Gracey, LG Division 6 and Jim Scott, LG Division 4.  I am the missing person.  This represents Region A.

Governor Paul speaking to the LG's - inspiring us to "Light the Fire within each Kiwanian".

A view from the resort out into the Atlantic Ocean.  

 Beautifully strange orchids are everywhere!

Several landslides occurred and are still occurring after the hurricane that struck St. Lucia.

In the picture you can see that one house was spared but the landslide took out the house on the opposite side of the road, in the process killing a family of 5.

 Runoff from the mountains during the hurricane caused swelling of the rivers, which caused massive devastation.

 Some parts of the island remained untouched such as Marigot Bay, a double natural harbour for vessels.

 

 These rock formations are known as the Indian and the Lion.

 The water was so powerful during the hurricane, entire roads were lost.  The excavator is below the level of the road.  The payment is the black portion at the top of the picture.  Underground pipes can also be seen.

 Good things come in small packages as demonstrated above.  Lt. to Right - District Treasurer Bob Johnson, LG Sheila and LG Jim Scott from Division 4.

Finally a group shot of those that were present on our final night in St. Lucia.

It is sad that this venue for discussion and fellowship has come to an end but fear not, discussions will be occurring regarding the possibility of something similar being arranged for next winter that any Kiwanian can attend so stay tuned!

See you in Chatham on Feb. 12th. 

Yours in Kiwanis Service,

LG. Sheila

Sarnia-Lambton Golden K Kiwanis Donation to Bluewater Health

Hello All:
It is my honour to post the following: 
The Sarnia-Lambton Golden K Kiwanis club made a pledge to Bluewater Health and are keeping their promise.
Pictured below from left to right are Don Hislop, Johanne Tompkins (BWH Foundation), Liz Kenny (BWH Foundation Director) and President Jim Brady.  A donation of $3500.00 was given, which brings their total donation to date up to $29,664.79.  This total is ahead of their projected timeline to complete this project.

The money donated was as a result of the Golden K arranging a concert in late November by Scott Woods and his band.  Scott is a two-time winner of the Canadian Open Fiddle Contest, two-time winner of the Canadian Grand Masters Fiddling Championships, and Canadian Fiddle Entertainer of the Year in 1999. Scott and his band will return to the area on March 25, 2011 at the Camlachie Community Centre, 7pm to perform for the Camlachie United Church.  For more information on Scott Woods please click on this link:  Scott Woods.
I urge all Kiwanians to keep up their great work to support the causes that are both close to home and abroad. 
LG Sheila

Seaway Kiwanis BMX Park - video

Hello All:  Please find attached a link to a video created by a local father which demonstrates just how wonderful putting money back into our community can give kids something to do.  Congratulations to the Seaway Kiwanis group for the development of the BMX Park at Canatara Park in Sarnia.

Seaway Kiwanis BMX Park Video

LG Sheila

A New Decade means a Fresh Start!

Good Day Fellow Kiwanians!

Here we are, starting a new decade!  This can mean a fresh start to the second quarter of your Kiwanis year!
Take some time to reflect on your achievements from October 1st to December 31st and plan on improving your service to your community and those that are less fortunate either at home or abroad. 
We are heading to the end of our 3 year commitment for our HIV/Aids project and as such, we have to place a lot of effort into meeting our obligation of providing $1 million dollars towards the prevention of this disease in Trinidad, Tobago, Jamaica and Guyana.  We made a promise and Kiwanians keep their promises. 
Don Burnard, the HIV/Aids chair for Division 3 will be arranging a visit to each club to update you on our progress so please welcome him with open arms and understanding.  Listen to what he has to say and do what you can.  ANY donation is better than NO donation at all.  Remember, you can make a personal donation and get a tax receipt by forwarding it to the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada with a message stating it is to be credited to your club's pledge.  You can do this right on line by going to http://kfcdn.org/.
I will be contacting each club President next week to remind them about the upcoming Divisional Council meeting set for Saturday, Feb. 12th in Chatham.  Please remember to bring a copy of your club report so the recording secretary can include it in the minutes. 
Many thanks to all the clubs that included me in your Christmas celebrations!  I had a wonderful time at each visit.  Some I could not attend due to the weather not cooperating with me!  Here's hoping that the rest of the winter is much kinder to all of us!
I am looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible during my next quarterly visits.

Keep up the good work and keep the "Fire" within you burning brightly!
LG Sheila

Christmas Time is Here!

Good Day Fellow Kiwanians!
It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  Division 3 clubs can now say this due to our latest accumulation of snow!  We are catching up with our fellow Kiwanians in Division 4, 5 and 6 who received an unpresidented amount of the white stuff last week. 
As I reflect on the past year, I find myself being thankful for all the new friends I have made through Kiwanis.  I am thankful for my health, my passion for life and my desire to assist my fellow human beings in the best possible manner that I can.  I am thankful for my partner Kevin (in front) and for my son Michael. 

During this season of giving, please remember those less fortunate. If you are able, do what you can for them.  This is the heart and soul of what a Kiwanian really is.  They give of themselves with open hearts and minds. 
I wish all of you a safe and healthy Christmas Season and great joy and happiness for the coming year.

LG Sheila Donald

HIV/Aids December 2010 Newsletter

FIRST INSTALLMENT 

OF $255,648 FOR

THE CHILDREN OF JAMAICA

Dear Fellow Kiwanians,

I am pleased to announce that as of November 30, 2010 the Kiwanians of E.C. and C. have raised $538,707 in cash and pledges for our District Children’s Project in partnership with UNICEF.

Our contribution to date of $145,824.00 for programming in Guyana is helping to provide crucial support towards the national Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Program (PMTCT.)

UNICEF has utilized our funds towards a range of activities that are currently benefiting hundreds of children throughout several regions of the country. This includes the establishment of PMTCT sites in hinterland communities, mobile outreach to remote communities, and support to strengthen the Ministry of Health’s national PMTCT activities.

UNICEF has advised us that it is now time to move on - move on to Jamaica to support the children there who desperately need our help.

I am pleased to advise that on November 2, 2010 the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada forwarded $255,648 in District Project funds as the first installment of our $399,000 commitment to the children of Jamaica. .

Once our obligation is honoured in Jamaica, we will then move on to help the Children of Trinidad and Tobago.

In order to keep our promises however, we must complete the job by putting further plans in place to reach our $1,000,000 goal.  We must ensure that pledges previously made by clubs are honoured and we must encourage those clubs that have yet to make a contribution, to do so as quickly as possible. 

We will keep the promise we all made. We will change the world one child and one community at a time. We will finish the job.

Thank you for all that you have done and thank you for all that you will do to keep our promise.

Yours in Kiwanis,

Governor Paul

Why do the Children of Jamaica Need our Help?

With a population of over 2.6 million, 37% of which are children, Jamaica is experiencing ageneralized HIV epidemic.  The estimated HIV prevalence rate is currently 1.5 to 2%.  While all the parishes of the country are affected by the epidemic, the island’s most urbanized parishes of Kingston, St. Andrew and St. James, have consistently recorded the highest number of AIDS cases at 737 cases per 100,000 persons.  Tourism, which is the island’s main source of income, is believed to be a significant contributing factor.

The good news is that in 2006, the rate of transmission of HIV from a mother living with HIV to her child was 10% compared to 25% in 2002. This was at a time prior to the introduction of services to prevent transmission of HIV from mother to child.

By 2007, the HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women had been reduced to 1.6% and it has remained in the 1.5 to 2% range for the past several years.

In 2008, the National HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Programme reported that 90% of pregnant women who accessed antenatal care in public health facilities received voluntary confidential counselling and testing for HIV.  Of those who tested positive, 84% received anti-retroviral (ARV) medication for the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Among the HIV exposed babies born in the public sector, 98% received ARV medication to further guard against HIV transmission from their mothers.

In 2008, Jamaica’s rate of mother to child transmission of HIV fell below 5%.  When compared to the mother to child transmission baseline of 25% established in 2003, prior to the advent of the PMTCT programme, the difference is significant. However, efforts must now be accelerated achieve the ultimate goal of reducing transmission to under 2%.

Many challenges still exist in delivering services to children like our Kayla and their mothers. The Government of Jamaica has been working to reduce its heavy debt burden and navigate through the global economic crisis. This process has negatively affected the health system’s ability to deliver PMTCT services to HIV positive pregnant women, their children and partners and threatens to see a reversal in the progress made to date.  The contributions of The Eastern Canada and Caribbean District of Kiwanis International will help to support this critical situation. 

BECOME a Champion for Children

A very special District Project announcement was made at the Saint John convention this past August.   Past Governor Chuck McIlravey and Past Lieutenant Governor Kim Conrad presented the details of the new “Champions for Children” program to recognize individuals who donate $500 or more to the District Children’s Project. 

You are invited to join the many generous Kiwanians of our District who have already made their own personal donation to our District Project.

Champion donors will receive the coveted and stylish “Champions for Children” ball cap!

Cheques should be made payable to:

Kiwanis Foundation of Canada,

P O Box 5034,   Brantford ON    N3T 6J7

IMPORTANT REMINDER TO ALL CLUBS

When submitting a donation for the District Children’s Project to the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada, please be sure that you mark the donation DISTRICT CHILDREN’S PROJECT.  Without this note of direction, the Kiwanis Foundation of Canada will assume it is a donation being made to their general fund.

Merry Christmas

from the District Children’s Project Committee!