Volume 48, Number 32                                                                                      March 10, 2005

The SPOKE

Rotary Club of Toronto West

Rotary Grace – O Lord, we stand for every race, for every creed from every place, to give our thanks and say our grace for food, for health. May peace embrace the world through Rotary.

 

Last week –March 3, 2005

            Kate MacNaughton from FACE, The Foundation for the Arts and Creative Enrichment/Fondation pour les Arts et Enrichissement Créatif explained the history and ambitions of this young charity. FACE is a national foundation that provides funds to enable youth in need or at risk to pursue enhanced Arts programming that would otherwise be beyond their reach.

            In its eighteen months of existence, FACE has launched a “grass roots” program to introduce arts programs into communities; Parkdale Community Centre and Regents Park are early targets of the program. While the focus is on Toronto for now, the mission of the organization is national in scope.

            “We target kids who slip through the cracks; who drop out or struggle”, Kate said. She explained that using the arts as a learning medium helps them experience learning as a positive experience, not a confrontation with authority.

            Kate credits her own high school drama teacher with providing motivation and showing that arts and theatre are learning media, not just subjects in their own right.

            FACE hopes to bridge where scholarships don’t reach using a funding model similar to sports organizations. They will fund individual applicants as well a community centres and try to solicit volunteer art educators and other contributors to support the program. Prospective students must complete an application showing an initial level of understanding of their art interest.

Need is an important factor in making awards and students must demonstrate  an intention to continue their studies, not just dabble or “try it out”.

            FACE is launching a capital campaign hoping to raise an initial $50,000 to fund the infrastructure and hire some permanent employees to develop the foundation and promote the “FACE” brand.

Wine Draw:

            Earl LaBerge was the lucky oenophile.

Visitors:

            No visitors last week.

This Week:

            This week’s speaker will be Mr. Peter Sirois of the Etobicoke Chamber of Commerce. He will discuss the role of the ECC in the business community and how the chamber is focused on helping local businesses.

Members:

            We welcome the return of Ron Wayman, our Spoke Editor.

Birthdays & Anniversaries:

            Bryan Pett, Birthday, March 5th

            Ron & Joan Wayman, Wedding anniversary, March 5th

Next Week - March 17, 2005

            Our speaker on St. Patrick’s day will Mr. Gilbert Khoury.

Spoke Joke:

            When a man tried to buy half a head of lettuce in the supermarket the young produce assistant told him that they would sell only whole heads of lettuce.

            The man walked on and the clerk said to a colleague, “Some idiot just tried to buy half a head of lettuce!”

            When he suddenly noticed that the man had returned and was standing at his elbow he quickly added, “And this kind gentleman here has just offered to purchase the other half.”

Events:

            C. Dennis Flynn Foundation Annual St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon on Thursday, March 17, 2005. 11:30 to 14:00, Canadiana Restaurant. More info in last week’s Spoke, available on the Club website, www.rotarytorontowest.ca.

            April 1 - 2, 2005, Presidents Elect Training Session (PETS), BMO Institute for Learning, Pharmacy & Steeles

            May 14, 2005, Club Officers Training Session (COTS), BMO Institute for Learning.

            June 18 - 22, 2005: 96th Annual Rotary Convention, Chicago, IL

 

This irregular edition of the Spoke was prepared and published by Bill Belier and Paul Collier, in anticipation of the early return of Spoke Editor, Ron Wayman.