At last week's meeting, Friday November 22nd, we heard from Marion Reidel, author of...
President Martin began the meeting with a toast to the Rotary Foundation. He also discussed his meeting with other district presidents and the recent Board of Directors. At this meeting, internal grants were approved and a resolution was passed to give the International Committee extra time to complete a proposal. During the same meeting new bylaws were also approved.
A visiting Rotarian, Carol..., discussed her peace project in Uganda,
Terrie Jarvis highlighted the local Tim Horton's Smile Cookie Fundraiser. All proceeds are going to The Grove Hubs in Guelph and Wellington County.
Janette Hogan made a request for Sparkles volunteers. You should have received an email with volunteer registration this past weekend. If you haven't, please email Janette at janettemhogan@gmail.com.
Rick LeFeuvre had a happy buck for his wife's 70th anniversary. Happy birthday!
Aidan Harris made an announcement on behalf of Nanita Mohan about her Food Drive collection. If you have items to donate, please bring them to this Friday's meeting!
Helmuth Slisarenko discussed a film that he as his wife saw called 'Red Fever'. He highly recommends the film and hopes to see if play at the Bookshelf in Guelph.
After lunch, Eleni Bakopoulos introduced our speaker. "She is a mother, a teacher and a published author. Her two books include Cafe Conversations and We Drank Wine, a collection of short stories. And she has a third new book, which is called Other People's Problems."
Eleni also commented on how 'witty' Marion is. "If you know Marion, she has a very sharp, sarcastic wit. Yeah, it's not for the it's not for the weak or the meek."
Eleni got to know Marion because Marion has been a student at her art school for over two years.
Eleni noted that one thing that's interesting about where her art studio is located, Wyndham Street, you get to see how people react to homeless people. "...some people will cross the street. They'll navigate a safer path. They'll try to avoid some of the homeless people. Some people will challenge themselves to walk through and actually have give them a smile, make eye contact. Marion is one of the individuals who not only engages with those people, but volunteers at the mission."
Eleni then invited Marion up to the podium.
Marion began by thanking Eleni and the club for having her speak here today. She then elaborated on what the Royal City Mission is. Royal City Mission is "a place to be," for individuals that have nowhere to go during the day. Whether it is because they have no home, no job, or just need the support.
Royal City Mission "also serve[s] the need of food security...When I started there, we were serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to about 80 people per city. Right now the mission is open only five days a week, starting at two o'clock. They're doing one formal meal a day and snacks and coffee for the rest of the time. And then they also offer a bin program, because, again, if you're living rough, your stuff has to go somewhere. So the Royal City Mission has rubber made tubs where a guy can leave his second pair of shoes or a clean t-shirt or his winter jacket, that sort of thing, their personal possession, so they don't have to carry them around all day, every day."
Marion also clarified that not everyone at the Mission is unhoused. "Some people there have lodgings, and they come to the mission for socialization."
Marion then turned to her book, Other People's Problems. The book is a composition of testimonies from individuals who go to the Mission. The idea of the book is to empower the voices of individuals' whose stories we seldom hear.
When Marion was putting the book together she thought that people would be hesitant to tell her their stories. However, she found that most were taken aback because "nobody ever asked them before."
The story she read to us is called 'Broken'. It is the story about a regular at the Mission. His name has been changed for privacy reasons, but the story is true.
Below is the direct transcript from her reading.
"Trevor knows that his family loves him. They just can't be with him. And so he lives in the deep forest.
He enters the mission in the early evening, carrying a black knapsack, a takeout food container and a light fixture.
A staccato monolog follows as he settles at the table, "..and they took it, took it. Took it. No permission. They took it. I see you. See you. You, I know you. They were there yesterday, yesterday. Cold, very cold. Oh, it's gone. They've got it, no, right? They took it yesterday. In the dark, it's cold."
Trevor's rant continues as he tucks his bag out of reach under the table, and places the food container on the sticky surface. Previous occupants have left empty mugs and coffee rings.
He begins fiddling with the light fixture. "It's gold, very valuable. A chandelier worth lots of money, real gold just needs fixing cash again."
He handles the fixture gently and inspects the found treasure. A mission volunteer appears at his side and greets him by name. "How are you today? Trevor."
"good, good. I have a chandelier."
"I can see that," the volunteer wipes the table with sanitizer and picks up two empty mugs. "Where'd you find that?"
"People throw things away, nice things. Gotta fix it, worth a lot of money."
"Be careful not to cut yourself on the broken glass. Trevor, see there, there's a piece missing." The volunteer indicates a partially broken glass panel on what is clearly a cheap brass hallway fixture. "Don't hurt yourself."
The volunteer moves on to collect other items for the dishwasher and to tell a staff member about the broken light fixture.
Trevor often arrives with the found treasure.
One time, it was three rocks the size of potatoes that he was convinced were valuable fossils. At other times, he's had a crushed machine part, a ragged book and a bald wooden Nutcracker figure. Trevor is a scavenger.
The room is crowded today because it's cold outside, a man asks whether he can sit at Trevor's table. "Sure, everybody's welcome here."
Trevor pulls the light fixture toward himself, making space for the newcomer to set down his coffee.
Seeing the drink, Trevor decides to get himself a coffee and a snack as he waits at the counter to be served. Trevor keeps one eye on the light fixture.
The mission is the only place where Trevor engages with others on the street, his rants cause pedestrians to keep a distance, but here, people know he'll respond politely when spoken to.
Sure, Trevor has conversations with those who can't be seen, but He's respectful and grateful to be here.
He was never able to meet the standards for expected behavior in school. He couldn't be still, had to move all the time. Couldn't be quiet in the elementary grades, he needed an educational assistant to wrangle him. He was constantly moving, touching things and classmates.
For years, his parents and teachers hoped he would grow out of it. They tried medication, but it wrapped him in an intolerable fog.
By grade 10, his uniqueness had become significant enough to result in leaving the educational system. But he can read. Loves to recite passages from the battered Bible he keeps in his bag. Staying focused is his problem.
Trevor got a job when he left school, his parents insisted he worked on a loading dock, did shipping and receiving, but that work requires careful attention. There was detailed paperwork and items had to go in specific places. Trevor's distractedness was deemed a safety hazard. His rants annoyed his fellow workers. It was not a good fit.
"What have you got there," a table mate asks, as Trevor returns with a coffee and a cupcake.
"A chandelier. Found it. Gonna fix it. Worth a lot of money. It's gold."
"Buddy, it's gold colored. But that doesn't mean it's gold." The man takes a drink and waits to see whether his comment will be understood. "Someone threw it out because it's cheap and broken. No one's going to want it."
Trevor stares at the light fixture. He notices the gold is scraped away in places, and silver medal is underneath. He's been tricked. It's pretending to be gold and valuable.
He drinks his coffee and eats the cupcake in silence.
At first glance, Trevor might cause one to think that he has a Middle Eastern ethnicity. He is dark haired and fine featured with what appears to be a dark complexion, however, closer inspection reveals that the darkness of his skin would be dissolved with sufficient soap and hot water, dirt, soot and grease tint his exposed flesh at his campsite, which he refers to as deep in the forest.
Trevor often builds a little fire to keep warm. The faint scent of wood smoke is embedded in his clothing. It's an aroma that tweaks memories of summer campfires.
Trevor doesn't smoke, he doesn't drink and he doesn't take drugs, not even the ones the doctor told him to. He eats well and gets plenty of fresh air and exercise.
A couple of weeks ago, he had a bike that he found abandoned in one of the city's Park heads. Riding made much easier for Trevor to get from the forest to the city's core, but the bike didn't have a lock. So while he was having dinner at the mission, someone took it.
He's traveling on foot again.
The Mission is Trevor's mailing address. He gets a support check from the Ontario Works program. It provides $300 per month. That's his sole income. And so he lives in the woods, eats at the mission and hunts for things he might be able to sell.
Amanda is in charge of tonight's shift. She comes over to check in and pulls up a chair to the table. "Hey, Trevor, how are you this evening?"
"Good. Got a coffee. I'm okay."
"So why do you have a light fixture with you tonight?"
"It's a chandelier. Found it. Gonna fix it. Worth a lot of money. It's gold."
"Is that so?" Amanda knows better than to argue with Trevor.
"Yeah. I mean, no. Got tricked. It's not really gold. See that," Trevor points to the scraped metal.
"You're right. I think it's cheap brass, too shiny for gold, really." Amanda gently reinforces Trevor's insight.
Clutching his hands to his chest, Trevor says, "broken. Be careful. Don't cut yourself."
"Yes, that's probably why someone threw it away. Can I dispose of it for you? Just to make sure no one cuts themselves on it." She does not reach for the light fixture until Trevor agrees to its disposal.
"It's a chandelier. I found it. Was gonna fix it. Not worth money. It's broken."
"You're right about that. I will take it away. I know what to do with it."
"Thanks."
Amanda gathers the attached chain and lifts the fixture. "Look now you have room to eat dinner. That's better, right?"
"Thanks."
"No problem." As Amanda crosses the room, she greets regular guests by their names, inquires about their day and explains why she's carrying a shiny gold light fixture.
With nothing to occupy his hands, Trevor starts tapping lightly on the table top. He mumbles, "not gold. Broken. Not gold. Worthless, broken."
The Mission is the only place where Trevor has human contact. He knows the staff will arrange for medical support if he needs it. They make sure he has a warm coat, mittens and boots. The meals are delicious, and they give him snacks to take back to his camp.
His take out box has three donuts he's saving for later.
It's essential for Trevor to make the hike to the Mission from his home in the deep forest. Every day.
The Mission outreach worker knows exactly what forest Trevor's referring to. She's been there to check on him. He's told staff that his family is still in town. He says they're rich, but that could simply mean they live in a house.
Trevor knows they love him, but they can't be with him anymore. Their relationship is broken."
Marion closed the book to a silent, attentive, Rotary audience. After a round of applause she thanked the club and said, "these are not happy stories," but they are important ones to hear.
Marion briefly read a second story and then took questions from the club. She was thanked by Aidan Harris and presented a speaker's certificate.
As there was nothing more for the good of Rotary, Brian Martin adjourned the meeting.
Notes taken by Otter.ai, edited by Aidan Harris.
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