19 September 2013 Business Meeting, Rotary Peace Scholar and update on Malawi project

Last Thursday's business meeting was well attended by members and 4 visitors.

Rotarian Lewis Wilson brought greetings from his home club, Thornton Cleveleys, near Blackpool while from further afield, the speaker was Luciana Storelli-Castro who is is originally from Mendoza in Argentina; President of the Queen Victoria School (QVS) Interact Club, Rebecca Johnson and Professor Helen Cheyne from Stirling University completed the list of welcome guests.

President Colin Strachan dealt with the business meeting items, including an update on progress of arrangements for the Club's 40^th Charter Dinner on 29 November, and Partners Evening on 10 October with Professor John Curtice as guest speaker and confirmation of the date for the Winter Concert for senior citizens at QVS on 20 November. The Rotary Shoebox scheme was again underway with 250 new shoeboxes due for collection and distribution to Eastern Europe in time for Christmas.

Rebecca Johnson told the club of good progress with the QVS Interact Club with several projects underway, including fundraising for Mary's Meals, Red Cross and Parkinson's UK. A new Rotakids Club has over 40 signed up and a meeting with District Rotakids Coordinator, Anne Forster is planned shortly.

Mary Fraser, Audrey Cooper and Helen Cheyne gave a brief update on the progress of the Malawi project which is on track for shortlisting and selection of a suitable candidate to be based at Stirling University for one year scholarship studying Maternal and Child Health.

Speaker, Luciana Storelli-Castro is a Rotary Peace Scholar studying for an MA in Peace Studies at Bradford University. She grew up in Colorado where she graduated with a BA in Political Science. She has been involved with Rotary as an Exchange Student to Germany and as an Ambassadorial Scholar to Ghana where she travelled widely and helped set up a soccer team for young girls at the Liberian Refugee Camp at Buduburam. Her interests are in the field of Transitional Justice which looks for recognition for victims and promotion of possibilities for peace, reconciliation and democracy and she hopes to continue with her studies after her year in Bradford.

Peter Farr thanked Luciana for a very thought provoking talk and wished her well in her future career.