Come to EITHER or BOTH on Wednesday, May 5, 2010
at The Old Mill ~ Balmoral & Guildhall Rooms
To avoid stairs, enter at West, Upper Level Main Door

AGM with Guest Speaker from War Child Canada
FREE ~ BUT PLEASE REGISTER
(Registration aids in planning amenities)

09:15 - Coffee, Light Refreshments, Committee Chairs
09:45 - AGM - Part One - Treasurer's Report/Constitution
10:15 - Speaker: Alyson Rowe, War Child Canada
11:15 - AGM - Part Two - Constitution/Elections
11:45 - Adjournment - mingle with the lunch crowd

SPRING LUNCHEON
YOU MUST REGISTER ~ $25.00

11:30 - Cash Bar ~ Mingle with AGM Crowd
12:15 - Luncheon

Market Salad Greens: Tiny Tomatoes, Shaved Cucumber & Carrot Ribbons, Rice Wine Vinegar, Fine Olive Dressing
Entrée: Stuffed Breast of Chicken Supreme with Couscous, Apricots & Golden Raisins, Sun Dried Cranberry Sauce, Oven Roasted New Potatoes with Roasted Peppers, Symphony of Green and Yellow Beans, Cauliflower
Sweets: Old Mill English Trifle OR Fresh fruit with no sugar & gluten-free

Variety of Rolls & Butter, Coffee (regular, decaf), Fine Herbal Teas

Special Diet?
Salmon or Vegetarian Plate with Pasta may be substituted
Fresh Fruit may be selected instead of Trifle

Substitutions MUST be selected when you register!

1:00 - Entertainment ~ "To Be Announced"

Dr. Samantha Nutt - War Child Canada Founder

Dr. Samantha Nutt (Sam) is a medical doctor with more than thirteen years of experience working in war zones. Committed to peace, human rights and social justice, her ambition has always been to help war-affected women and children. She has worked in some of the world's most violent flashpoints with War Child Canada, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Iraq, Afghanistan, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Burundi, northern Uganda, Ethiopia and the Thai-Burmese border.

Over the course of her professional career and as the Founder and Executive Director of War Child Canada, Nutt has spearheaded efforts to provide direct humanitarian support and long term programming to war-affected children and their families, and to promote greater awareness in Canada concerning the rights of children everywhere.

Nutt's work on behalf of war-affected communities around the world has been widely recognized. Among other honours, Nutt is a recipient of Canada's Top 40 under 40 Award (Globe and Mail). She was designated by Time Magazine as one of "Canada's Five Leading Activists." CBC News has profiled her as a "Canadian leader." CTV National News has declared her a "Canadian Success Story" and Maclean's Magazine featured her in their annual Honour Roll as one of "Twelve Canadians Making a Difference." Global TV has declared her a "National Trailblazer." Chatelaine Magazine has named her one of "Twelve Canadian Women Who Should Run for Politics," as well as awarding her the title of "Ms. Chatelaine." Flare Magazine has profiled her as one of "Thirty Great Canadian Women." She has been described by Hello Magazine as one of "Canada's Top Ten Outstanding Women," by Homemakers Magazine as one of "Ten Great Canadian Women to Know," and has been featured as a guest on CBC Television's "The Hour." ( http://www.cbc.ca/thehour/videos.html?id=729577449 ). Most recently, she was chosen as Personnalité De La Semaine by La Presse and CBC Radio Canada, and was chosen as one of 200 Young Global Leaders in the world by the World Economic Forum.

Nutt has written for Maclean's Magazine covering war-related issues, is a published author and frequently appears on Canadian television and radio as an expert commentator on war and human rights issues. She is also a highly sought after keynote speaker on the impact of war, human rights, social justice and on public engagement in global issues, inspiring others to make a difference.

She graduated Summa Cum Laude from McMaster University, earned an MSc with distinction from London University, and holds a Fellowship in Community Medicine (FRCPC) from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. She is further certified by the College of Family Practice (CCFP) and completed a sub specialization in women's health through the University of Toronto as a Women's Health Scholar. Dr. Nutt has received honorary doctorates from Niagara University and Brock University (Doctor of Humane Letters) and McMaster University (Doctor of Laws). In 2009, she will be awarded an honourary doctorate from the University of Lethbridge.

Dr. Samantha Nutt is bilingual, and is also on staff at Women's College Hospital in Toronto and is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Contact: War Child Canada
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 204
Toronto, Ontario, M5V 3A8
Tel: 416.971.7474 / Fax: 416.971.7946 / Toll Free: 1.866.WARCHILD
Email: info@warchild.ca / Website: www.warchild.ca

Source: War Child Canada website. Used with permission.

WAR CHILD CANADA
The RTO/ERO Toronto AGM to be addressed by a Representative

Mission:
War Child Canada is a registered Canadian charity dedicated to providing urgently needed humanitarian assistance to war-affected children around the world. War Child Canada helps generate awareness, support and advocacy for children's rights everywhere.

Can I adopt a war child?
Not through War Child. Other family members usually adopt children who are orphaned by war. However, the chaos of war means that reuniting children with family can often be a long and costly process, so you may want to consider giving financial aid instead. This will allow agencies working in this field to speed up reunification and make the experience more comfortable for the children.

How can I volunteer?
There are lots of ways to volunteer with War Child, and we're always pleased to hear from enthusiastic individuals looking to work with us. Check out the "Get Involved" section for details.

Can I volunteer overseas?
We do not send volunteers overseas because of the extreme risk of working in war zones. War Child believes that the best way to help those in need is to foster self-sustainability and promote the capabilities of local organizations and peoples.

I want to do a fund-raiser, how do I go about doing that?
There are all sorts of fund-raising events you can do and we can provide online help. Check out the "Get Involved" page for more information on how you can fund-raise for War Child.

Can someone from War Child speak at my school/event?
We try our best to accommodate as many speaking engagements as possible. Email info@warchild.us with details of your event, but please give us a couple of weeks to process your request.

How does War Child decide where programs should be located?
Our projects are chosen and designed based on the current humanitarian needs of children affected by war, and by War Child's capacity to address those needs. Our staff conduct comprehensive needs assessments in conflict and post-conflict zones to determine necessity of relief and how best to implement programs that promote self-reliance, sustainability and transparency. We place significant emphasis on our consultation and collaboration with local partners in the regions we work in. This helps us to
identify the most urgent needs and effective methods of delivering assistance.

How much of my donation goes to administrative costs; how much reaches the children directly?
War Child's administrative costs are less than 10% of total expenditures and are among the lowest in the charitable field. 90 cents out of every dollar goes directly to fund programs for war-affected children and their families. War Child strives to maintain the highest level of accountability, transparency and effectiveness in all our efforts. We welcome inquiries concerning our financial policies and expenditure profile. You can view War Child's annual report and financial balance and operations statements on the About Us section of this website.

Can I donate food, toys or clothing items?
War Child does not accept physical goods as the shipping and handling costs of sending packages overseas is actually quite high, often higher than the value of the goods themselves. We believe it is far more beneficial to buy goods locally as this ensures that the local economy is being served rather than being swamped by an influx of foreign goods.

Who designed your logo?
Our logo was created by the founders of War Child UK. Funnily enough, it was designed on the back of a beer mat. If it had been a round mat, we`d have a round logo. But it wasn't. It was square.

Island Science School

Watch this space in our May Newsletter for details of the 50th Anniversary Celebration.

Check the vacant executive positions (Supplement) and join us for a year or so! (At our New Member Breakfast two volunteers came forward but we lost their names. Silly us!) If still interested, call Val Mah at 416.553.0445

*

Perhaps you can help us to decide a title to this new Fall Event to celebrate not answering the call of the bell. Two names are suggested as shown above.

This event was first held last year at the Mandarin Restaurant at Yonge and Eglinton under the tentative title of ‘Freedom~from~Bells Luncheon'.

Watch for our May Newsletter with details regarding our
2010 first-day-of-school luncheon.

Organizing Committee:
John Cox: cox06@live.com
Anne Ludwigson: 416•324•0909 / acludwigson@rogers.com
Valerie Mah: 416•533•0445 / vmah@ican.net

You could be a Roots of Empathy Instructor!

Roots of Empathy is a program for elementary school children. The program's aim is to increase empathy – the ability to understand another person's feelings.  The heart of the program is a parent and infant who visit the classroom once a month for the school year. Children learn to care and respect each other, hopefully resulting in less bullying and aggression.

As the Roots of Empathy Instructor you:

• coach the children to observe the baby's development, celebrate milestones, interact with the baby and learn about an infant's needs.

• visit the classroom before and after each baby visit to prepare and reinforce teachings, using a specialized curriculum that is developmentally appropriate for each of four age ranges—Kindergarten (JK/SK), Primary (Grades 1-3), Junior (Grades 4-6), Intermediate (Grades 7 and 8).

• commit to four days of mandatory training, 27 classroom visits from October to June, preparation of lesson materials and travel time to a local community school.

• are comfortable presenting to children in a classroom setting.

Are you interested in volunteering your time in a local school?
Would you like to partner with a baby and a parent to build caring, peaceful and civil societies through the development of empathy?

For more information, please contact:
Penny Dickie at 416•849•4690 x25 / pdickie@rootsofempathy.org  
or visit www.rootsofempathy.org

Editors: Penny has written to let us know that last year's request for volunteers was quite successful. Perhaps there are others who can help.

Eighteenth Annual Spring Concert

Let There Be Music

Ralph Peters, Conductor
Margaret Deeth, Accompanist

Wednesday, May 26, 2010, 7:30pm

Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate
2300 Pharmacy Avenue between Sheppard and Finch

Tickets $10 available from choir members or at the door

Wednesday June 30th, 2010

Rolling Hills Golf Club ~ The Championship Course (par 72)
12808 Warden Avenue, Gormley, Ontario
http://en.clublink.ca/golf/golfcourse/overview.cfm?GOLF_COURSE_ID=0530

Times:
Golf: Registration at 11:30 a.m.
Tee Off (shotgun start) at 1:00pm
Scramble format / Golf carts mandatory

Social: 6:30pm
Roast Beef Buffet Dinner at the golf course

Cost:
Golf and Social: $100.00 (includes cart, taxes and service charges)
Social only: $40.00 (all inclusive)

Register by June 18, 2010
For information on how to register, go to our web site: www.ntci.on.ca
and click on "TSSAA Golf". Or contact George Shepherd at 416•231•5738

Avoid disappointment, register early ~ we were over subscribed last year

Open to all RTO/ERO members