05-03-24 Peace Summit
I got up early so that I could dry my hair before walking over to the Peace Summit. I realized that I forgot any method of combing or brushing my hair. Oh well, the fingers worked. The first session of the morning at the Human Rights Education Institute had technical difficulties getting started, but turned out to be a real blessing in my day. The speaker, Devankar Mekhi, was on by zoom from Detroit and shared a lot of great information about cultivating peace and encouraging youth to Rotary. We broke into small groups and answered a bunch of questions around the circle. I made some conference friends in that circle, and we were blessed to have Keynote speaker for tomorrow, Deepa Willingham, in our circle. At one point she had two of us in tears with her stories about changing someone’s life with our actions. I look forward to tomorrow. Afterwards was the Peace Pole dedication with the Schitsu’umsh drummers. It was moving and I saw a moment when what looked like a young landscaper was driving past and pulled into a parking lot across the street to come over and see what was going on. He seemed earnestly interested, asked questions of a Rotarian at the back of the pack and stayed to watch.
On the way back from that, I stopped at Figpickles again to buy ‘The Child’ as I found out on Lego.com that it is a retired item. This made me happy to find and they were thrilled that I had discovered that and was getting it.
I dropped it off in my room and headed down to the lunch to find Heidi and Jordan had arrived. I sat at the table with them and Sandra and Bill from Kimberley. It was a multicultural buffet and I was able to find many delicious options that I was not allergic to. The first speaker was Demetress Harrell. She was very inspiring, came from Texas and left us touched by her message of giving. Next was Gabor Gasztonyi from NEw Westminster, BC. He is a survivor of polio, a photographer and huge giver in the world of African children who are victims of Polio. After a break there was a panel of 4 who spoke on homelessness. It was interesting, but not feasible in BC due to the difference in laws. There were some very good points though about coming alongside and supporting even on an individual level. During the break I had a great talk with the CDA youth rotary group about potential marketing possibilities as I had become aware that CDA store employees were not aware of Rotary in the area. They listened and responded well to my observations. The final session at the resort was Chief Allan from the CDA Tribe, Schitsu’umsh. He was full of personality and had an ‘off the cuff’ manner of speaking that was very well crafted to keep the session positive. He is the face of reconciliation. I want to believe it was not just what we wanted to hear, but I do believe he was full of grace and that there is a reason he has been chief for so long. His two sisters and niece were the drummers that I had seen earlier and they did two songs. I spoke with one of them after and asked her to pass along a message to her brother of gratitude.
The donation to the auction raising money for polio eradication includes a lovely grouping from Cranbrook
Once I was done that session, I was led astray and bought the last penguin available. I downloaded the App and found that I am supporting and following Elal who is somewhere off the coast of Uruguay. The stuffy is soft and gorgeous. I love penguins, have since the 90s or so when I first realized how glorious they are in real life. I hope someday to see them in their natural habitat.
I had an hour free time so I wandered the park and the waterfront enjoying the art and the view.
The final event of the evening was a tapas buffet sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce. I was happy when 4 of the Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary group joined me at the table I was at. We had a great visit, enjoying the food, a beverage and the guitar player/singer. We then visited as we strolled back to the Resort. Penny and I, two bookkeepers celebrating end of season, sat on the deck and had drinks. Just before the sun was to set, Helen joined us and we all had a lovely visit before it cooled down. I am loving that I am staying alone, but am also enjoying getting to know people from the other clubs. There are so many that I am already meeting in the lobby and elevators with great exclamations of recognition and hellos. It truly is a relationship, an extended family. This experience makes me more eager to travel more and get involved with Rotary international experiences. Heidi mentioned that I may want to be involved in Polio vaccination days as I have a soft spot due to the fact that my maternal grandfather died from Polio when my mom was a child. I am open to that!
triumphgal 