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DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250311T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250311T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20240711T114620Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250331T193718Z
UID:5741-1741687200-1741690800@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Marcie Jacklin - The Owl Foundation
DESCRIPTION:Topic: Owl Foundation has long history of helping raptors \nRalph Stefan introduced Marcie Jacklin\, a volunteer with the Owl Foundation\, a Rehabilitation Centre for wild owls and other raptors in Vineland at Jordan Harbour. \nMarci\, a former Brock librarian and active birder who earned a national award for enduring commitment to conservation\, said the foundation has two groups of owls – those that need long-term care and those that are nursed back to health and prepared for release back to the wild. \nThe Owl Foundation\, which was founded by Kay and Larry McKeever in the 1970’s\, is a registered charity. It is not open to the public but regular donors are invited once a year to observe the work that is being done. \nMarci pointed out that baby owls must even learn what species they belong to. Young or injured owls are rehabilitated back to good health and are then released as close as possible to their natural habitat. \nShe described some of the unique physical qualities of owls. Their large eyes don’t move but owls are able to turn their heads up to 270-degrees. They can both see and hear from great distances. Because most owls are active at night and have excellent camouflage plumage\, they can be very difficult to spot and Marci said your best chance of finding one is to listen for its sound. \nMarci played a variety of sounds made by different species but probably only an expert would recognize some of them as an owl’s call as they ranged from screeching to barking. \nMarcie listed the various types of common owls that can be seen in this area: Eastern Screech Owl which is just robin-sized\, Great Horned Owl\, Long Eared Owl\, North Saw-whet Owl\, Short-eared Owl\, Barred Owl\, Barn Owl and Snowy Owl which is becoming more common in Niagara.  She said nesting owls can be very protective and urged everyone to respect an owl’s space and not disturb or make them feel threatened. If you find an injured animal\, she recommended that you not touch it but notify an expert rehabilitator. \nJim Cameron\, a long-time contributor to the foundation\, thanked Marcie for her informative talk and presented her with a gift certificate in token of appreciation. \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/marcie-jacklin/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Marcie-Jacklin-e1740506340220.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250211T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250211T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20240124T163242Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250228T143523Z
UID:5628-1739268000-1739271600@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Tom Herstad - Author
DESCRIPTION:Tom Herstad – Author  – His book “2nd Line West” which is about a Lady who has “A Message For Us All” \nAuthor details process in telling mother’s inspiring story \nVic Cicci introduced guest speaker and author Tom Herstad who has been a hockey player\, coach\, outdoor adventurer\, a marketing and sales consultant and is a lighting designer by trade. \nTom\, who was born in Toronto but said that his family has roots in Niagara\, has spoken to 26 other Probus clubs to deliver the message about his mother’s life detailed in his book “Love\, Care and Share”. \nTom was just 12 years old when his father died suddenly just after he and his mother had enjoyed a dinner out. Tom’s mother\, Margie\, was 38 when she was left a widow with four children to care for. She fell into a deep depression and began drinking heavily. The depression lasted for three years before Margie discovered AA\, attended one meeting and never drank again. \nTom said that from that time on\, the spare bedroom in their home was rarely empty as Margie welcomed people in need into her home. After Margie died at the age of 73 in 2011\, Tom and his sister Julianne discussed the number of people their mother had taken in from the late 1970s to the mid-1990s and came up with 18 names and set out to find and interview them. \nThey collected interviews\, letters and videos over three years and agreed the story needed to be told. When Tom’s sister felt unable to put the story down on paper\, Tom agreed to take over. During the writing process\, he had the good fortune to connect with a number of people who provided encouragement and coaching along the way. \nDuring a trip to Mexico\, he met Tanya Freedman\, a publisher and writing coach who agreed to read his 68-page draft and provided further coaching. Bonnie Kogos\, a columnist with the Sudbury Star was impressed with the story and helped Tom rewrite the first edition. While Tom was continuing to work on the book\, he met Paul Saltzman\, a movie producer\, who encouraged him to seek financing to turn the story into a movie which will be released soon. \nDuring the process\, the title was changed from “Love\, Care and Share” to “2nd Line West”\, a reference to the location of their home. Tom said the current book\, which he had available for sale\, is actually the third edition. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Tom for bringing his mother’s inspiring story and presented him with a gift certificate as a token of appreciation. \nTo view Tom’s presentation on You-tube click here. \n \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/tom-herstad/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Tom-Herstad.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20250114T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20250114T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20240119T185610Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250211T205400Z
UID:5612-1736848800-1736852400@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:William J. Thomas - Author
DESCRIPTION:William J. Thomas – His most recent book “And That’s Why I Love Small Town Living!” a quaint and touching collection of stories set in a simpler time. \nWilliam Thomas finds humour in everyday incidents \nJim Cameron introduced guest speaker William Thomas\, a Canadian author\, scriptwriter with two Gemini nominations and a nationally syndicated humour columnist whose weekly columns appear in the Niagara daily newspapers as well as the Hamilton Spectator. He is also the senior writer for Canada’s Forever Young. \nWilliam said that he has spoken to more than 40 Probus Clubs and entertained the large turnout with some tales from his many speaking appearances where sometimes things did not go as planned. He listed the top 10 things Canadians fear including the fear of public speaking. \nHe provided some humorous examples of the behaviour of men which he wrote about in his book “Guys: Not Really Bright and Proud of It.” He also talked about funny incidents recorded in his book “The Dog Rules (Damn Near Everything)”. \nWilliam\, who at one time had his column appear in nearly 50 newspapers across Canada\, talked about other humour writers he has known and respected including Arthur Black. William said that he has become a voracious reader and emphasized the importance of reading and suggested that younger people may be causing themselves harm by spending so much time on screens. \nWilliam brought along copies of his latest book “And That’s Why I Love Small Town Living” that relates personal anecdotes from his life in Wainfleet\, Welland and Port Colborne. He autographed copies for fans following his presentation. \nDuncan McLaren thanked William on behalf of the club for his entertaining talk. \nTo view William’s presentation video click here.
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/william-j-thomas/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/William-Thomas.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241210T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241210T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20231205T162427Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164930Z
UID:5581-1733824800-1733828400@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:John Hewitt - St. Catharines hockey historian
DESCRIPTION:John Hewitt – Topic will be “St. Catharines Hockey” and John will be offering copies of his book “Garden City Hockey Heroes”\, priced at $20.00 [cash only \nCity arena had long history with junior A hockey \nRick Kent introduced guest speaker John Hewitt\, a former high school history teacher and historian on Junior A hockey in St. Catharines\, whose book entitled “Garden City Hockey Heroes” provides a detailed history combined with extensive statistics of Junior A hockey in the city.  John also wrote “The Last Word\,” which described the heroics of the 1972 Summit Series. \nThe focus of John’s message was the history of the St. Catharines Garden City Arena. He noted that St. Catharines did not have an indoor arena or an artificial ice surface\, while other smaller nearby towns such as Thorold had opened its arena in 1936. It was during the depression and the city had no money to build one but in the fall of 1937\, a vote by the citizens pushed the city to agree to build an arena\, provided the citizens could raise half the estimated cost of $80\,000. \nJohn said that several influential businessmen led by Harry Carmichael helped to organize a fund-raising event which raised $106\,000\, more than enough to start construction.  A site was selected and the city hired Newman Brothers to construct the arena.  Construction started in early 1938 and by November the arena was built\, but without seating. \nA man called Touch Woods offered to pay to install the seating but later wanted his money back. John said that two exhibition games were arranged to cover the cost. First\, the Toronto Maple Leafs and then the Detroit Red Wings came to the city to play games against three Niagara Senior teams (one period against each team). The arena’s official opening took place on December 30\, 1938. \nOver the years many alterations were made to the building and in 1966 a $2.5 million update twinned the area with the Rex Stimers Arena next door and the original building was renamed the Jack Gatecliff Arena. The St. Catharines arena stood for 85 years until it was taken down in 2023. \nJunior A hockey came to this city in 1943 when Rudy Pilous established the Falcons as the first team to play in the new arena\, followed by the Teepees in 1947-62\, the Black Hawks in 62-76\, the Fincups 76-77 and\, 30 years later\, the IceDogs arrived in 2007. The Teepees won the Memorial Cup in 1954 and 1960. \n   Many of the hockey players who developed their skills in St. Catharines went on to play in the NHL and elsewhere. Some of the notables included Marcel Dionne\, Stan Makita\, Bobby Hull\, Elmer Vasko and others.  John said that in the 41 years of Junior A Hockey in St. Catharines\, a total of 124 players went on to play in the NHL\, some with Hall of Fame careers. \nDuncan McLaren thanked John for his excellent presentation. John\, who was accompanied by Ron Friesen\, later autographed copies \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/john-hewitt-st-catharines-hockey-historian/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/John-Hewitt.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241112T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241112T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230813T013643Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250212T002336Z
UID:5432-1731405600-1731409200@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Paul Chapman -
DESCRIPTION:Paul Chapman – Speaker \nTopic “Decoration Day a Precursor of – Remembrance Day  – A Remembrance of the Fenian Raids \nTim Kaye introduced speaker Paul Chapman\, a  graduate from Brock and from the University of Waterloo.  Paul\, a former urban planner with the city of St. Catharines\, talked about the history of Remembrance Day and offered a tribute to the Fenian Raids. \nPaul said that Decoration Day was first celebrated on June 2\, 1890\, as a form of protest by veterans of the Fenian Raids over the lack of recognition. November 11 was recognized as Armistice Day in1919 to mark the armistice ending the First World War. Armistice Day was officially recognized by an act of Parliament in 1931. In 1946\, the name was changed to Remembrance Day to recognize those who died in any conflict. \nPaul explained that the Fenians were Irish Catholics who wanted to free Ireland from British rule. Many of the Fenians were veterans of the American Civil War and their plan was to conquer Canada and trade it to England in exchange for home rule for Ireland. The Fenian forces began gathering in Buffalo in June of 1866 before crossing the Niagara River into Canada where they expected to be welcomed with open arms. \nCanada was still not a country and when the 1500 Fenians landed in Fort Erie\, they were well equipped. On the other hand\, the Canadian militia\, under the direction of Sir John A. Macdonald\, was poorly trained and poorly equipped with duties being assigned based on social and political position. The Canadian forces were made up of two groups – regular British forces and militia troops from Toronto. When the militia arrived\, the forces took heavy fire and casualties and retreated to Ridgeway. However\, the Fenians also retreated back to Buffalo fearing that the border would be closed behind them. \nCanadian press at the time and our history have characterized the battle as a victory for Canada. But\, Paul noted there were positives for Canada as an inquiry into the conflict led to the push for a united Canada. \nThe Canadian veterans from this uprising began organizing in an effort to gain recognition for those who lost their lives. Paul said his great grandfather\, Charles Chapman\, was a key figure in this push for recognition and became known as the father of Decoration Day. The veterans were finally recognized with medals and later\, the Province of Ontario issued land grants to the veterans. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Paul for his interesting look at our history\, especially noting the family connection. \nTo view Paul Chapman’s presentation video\, please click here.
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/paul-chapman/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Paul-Chapman.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20241008T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20241008T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20231031T155632Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164931Z
UID:5530-1728381600-1728385200@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Tom Owens\, St. George's Church
DESCRIPTION:Tom Owens – “St. George’s Church history tied to growth of St. Catharines”. \nBill Holman introduced guest speaker Tom Owens and his topic “The history of St. Georges Anglican Church”. \nTom has an Honours BA from Carleton\, a Bachelor of Education from Queens and a Master of Education from Brock. He taught high school history and social sciences for 32 years in the Lincoln County/Niagara school boards. \nTom began his presentation with some background on the mythical or real St. George who lived back in the third century and was a martyr for his early Christian faith and he Tom Owens was believed to have been a Roman soldier warrior/saint. He became a patron Saint in the Church of England in the thirteenth century. There is today a St. Georges Chapel in Windsor castle. \nTom went on to talk about the historic St. Georges Church here in St. Catharines. The Church of England established a parish in St. Catharines in 1792. The first gathering of Christians here was in private homes and the first church building was erected in 1796 and was located near the site of the present CKTB building. This wooden building was destroyed by fire in 1836 and its replacement was built in 1840 on land purchased from William Hamilton Merritt on Church Street where it is today. \nTom distributed a diagram illustrating when various additions were built on to the original 40 by 60foot structure. The first addition came in 1845 when the steeple was added. He pointed out that a new steeple was constructed in 2016 to accommodate the 23 Carillon bells. A hall and other outbuildings were added in the 1900’s and they were connected to the main church in 1992. \nA cemetery behind the church was moved and relocated to Victoria Lawn in 1856 to allow the expansion although some of the tombstones\, including one for Paul Shipman\, remain around the outside of the church. Tom remarked on the number of tombstones naming young people and said that 21-25 was the median age of death in those early years. \nTom mentioned some of the features in the church such as the walnut wood screen carving just inside the front entrance\, the stained-glass windows dedicated to various local families\, church pew benches that had doors which are now used as wainscoting\, and the Casavant organ. \nTom concluded his presentation with a note of appreciation to many who provided insight into the history of St. Georges noting especially Walter Asbil and Ron Baum. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Tom for his presentation with a token of appreciation. \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/tom-owens/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/logo.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240910T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240910T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230926T171352Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164931Z
UID:5497-1725962400-1725966000@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Alex Olson - Senior Research Associate at the UofT's Centre for Analytics and AI Engineering
DESCRIPTION:Alex Olson – Senior Research Associate at the UofT’s Centre for Analytics and AI Engineering  helps lift mystery surrounding world of AI \nDon Walker introduced his grandson Alex Olson who is a Senior Research Associate at the U of T’s Centre for Analytics and AI Engineering. Alex’s topic was titled “Ever wondered how Siri\, Alexa\, or Google Assistant seem to understand you?” \nAlex\, a graduate of the University of Edinburgh\, was able in reasonable layman’s terms to demystify the technology behind intelligent chatbots like ChatGPT. He compared traditional computer programs that know the characteristics of their inputs to AI programs that accept inputs that don’t conform to a set of rules. An example is languages and sentences\, it could be anything. Early AI software used a set of prewritten rules to make decisions and solve problems such as the program to recognize faces from cameras that began in the 1990’s. \nA newer generation of AI is based on machine learning where large numbers of examples or data is entered and the program imitates the way humans learn and gets better at producing a result. Alex explained that machine learning is similar to how babies learn through negative or positive feedback. He spoke about Artificial Neural Networks that teach computers to process data in a way that is inspired by the human brain. The neurons learn to watch out for specific things that can then be used to make predictions. But Alex added that neuron networks are not brains. Once a neuron network is trained\, it doesn’t keep learning. It is a type of machine learning process\, called deep learning\, that uses interconnected nodes or neurons (complex mathematical equations) in a layered structure that resembles the human brain. \nThis is the basis of new language models such at ChatGPT. The new Apple iPhone runs neural networks directly on the phone using special processors from Nividia (accounting for its surge in value over the years). \nAI is producing benefits such as data analysis of a large number of surgeries to guide decision making on present day surgeries. Also\, governments and companies are catching up to using AI to give insight into past performance when developing regulations and business strategies. \nAlex said that many people express deep concern about the future of AI around such things as job displacement\, concentration of power and societal impact. He however remains optimistic that neural networks are tools that can be used for positive applications. He concluded by saying that AI is a tool we need to understand and guide responsibly. \nThere were many questions for Alex on manipulation of photos and videos\, medical assistance and self driving cars. Alex gave an example of eyeglasses available today that have cameras and software that can guide a sight-challenged wearer to the location of an item. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Alex for his informative presentation of a very complex topic that our \nmembers could well understand.
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/alexolson/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Alex-Olson.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240813T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240813T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230814T171227Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164931Z
UID:5442-1723543200-1723546800@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Angela Cancellara - Alzheimer Society Niagara Region
DESCRIPTION:Angela Cancellara – Alzheimer Society Niagara Region. Programs to help those with dementia \nAngela Cancellara clears the mystery around aging and dementia \nHerb Woods introduced guest speaker\, Angela Cancellara\, Public Education Coordinator\, Alzheimer Society of Niagara Region whose presentation is on dementia and programs available to help those with the disease. She pointed out that the number of people living with dementia in Canada is increasing and the Alzheimer Society is a very valuable part of our community. \nAngela has a degree in Community Health and her role at the Alzheimer Society has provided her with the opportunity to educate and support care partners and people living with dementia. \nAngela discussed how our brain works\, and the oxygen/nutrients required for its maintenance. She used the simple act of answering a telephone to show how the brain uses perception\, decision making\, motor skills and social skills for such basic everyday tasks. She described how our brain changes as we age and gave several examples of normal aging and not normal aging such as social engagement and not remembering names and faces. \nNormal aging\, Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)\, and dementia are cognitive states encountered in older adults. She said that 40% of people over 65 experience some form of memory loss with no cognitive loss; MCI has cognitive loss but no impairment of daily living; dementia shows cognitive loss with impairment of activities of daily living. Angela pointed out that dementia is not just an old person’s disease as there are limited cases of young onset dementia. \nDementia is an overall term for a set of symptoms that are caused by disorders affecting the brain. These include Alzheimer’s Disease (60-80%)\, Vascular Dementia (15-25%)\, Lewy Body Dementia (5-10%)\, Frontotemportal Dementia (5-10%)\, Huntington’s Dementia and Parkinson’s Dementia among others. \nAngela pointed out that there are unavoidable risk factors such as age\, gender (women are more likely to suffer dementia than men) and genetics. \nShe said that early diagnosis is important as some causes are reversible such as elevated cholesterol\, thyroid problems\, diabetes and medications. Angela urged people to make healthy choices by choosing nutrient-dense foods\, giving your brain challenges and increasing physical activity.  Most important is to stay socially engaged and manage stress by finding pockets of joy every day. \nThere is hope for the future. Angela said that 40% of cases could be prevented and many more delayed through awareness and lifestyles. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Angela for helping us understand dementia and how we can help ourselves and others. The message was timely as evidenced by the numerous detailed questions. \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/angela-cancellara/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Angela-Cancellara.jpg
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240709T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240709T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230814T154459Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164931Z
UID:5439-1720519200-1720522800@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Emily Liefl\, Outreach Manager  Niagara Region "Seniors community programs"
DESCRIPTION:Emily Liefl\, Outreach Manager Niagara Region “Seniors community programs” – Seniors community programs \nMany services available to Niagara’s seniors \nAndy Redman introduced Emily Liefl\, Outreach Manager at Niagara Region Senior Services. Emily spoke on the range of services offered by NRSS and their importance in today’s community as in Canada the population of seniors 65 and older is projected to nearly double in size from 2.4 million in 2017 to 4.6 million in 2041. In Niagara\, 11\,400 individuals are living with a diagnosis of dementia according to the Alzheimer Society of Niagara. \nThe Seniors Community Programs include Long-term Care Services and Assisted Living Services. All are aimed at helping older adults to stay connected\, be active and keep learning. \nTwo new Community Hubs will be added in 2024 and 2025 — the Gilmore Community Hub in Fort Erie (Fall 2024) and the Linhaven Community Hub\, currently under construction on Ontario Street in St. Catharines. These hubs will house Seniors Community Programs. \nOutreach Services connect Community Workers who can assist older adults to find and access programs and supports that help them to live independently and safely at home. Seniors Exercise programs aim to maintain and improve balance\, strength and endurance for older adults and those at increased risk of falls. \nThe Ambulatory Rehab Program Partnership of community and healthcare providers offers outpatient ambulatory rehabilitation with a 12-week wellness program of health promotion/education/exercise sessions. \nThe Adult Day Program\, available across Niagara\, is designed to help older adults stay physically active\, cognitively stimulated and socially connected. The Respite Companion Program provides an in-home respite companion for persons living with Alzheimer’s or other progressive dementia and their care partners. \nThe Wellness Services include\, in addition to group exercise\, virtual wellness guest speakers on a variety of health and wellness topics related to healthy aging. Emily also mentioned Hotel Dieu Shaver Hospital which provides professional services including physiotherapy\, occupational therapy and speech language pathology. \nEmily pointed out that the many services are available to older adults 60+ who reside in Ontario and have a valid Heath Card. While many of the services are free\, there is a nominal charge for some. \nConcerned about a senior? The Niagara Gatekeepers program works to identify at-risk older adults and link them with community support agencies. More information about all the services is available at www.niagararegion.ca/seniors. \nDenis Woods thanked Emily for her presentation noting most of us haven’t used these valuable programs yet but certainly some of us will in the future.
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/emily-liefl/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Emily-Liefl.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240611T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240611T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230625T192238Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164931Z
UID:5390-1718100000-1718103600@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Lori Gill - Founder and clinical director of (ATTCH) Niagara
DESCRIPTION:Lori Gill – Founder and clinical director of (ATTCH) Niagara \nTopic:  “An introduction to the neurobiology of trauma and how ATTCH Niagara is meeting the need for the treatment of complex trauma within the Niagara Region”\n \nATTCH Niagara works to heal trauma from bad experiences \nDuncan McLaren introduced Lori Gill\, founder and clinical director of the Attachment and Trauma Treatment Centre for Healing (ATTCH) Niagara. She is a registered psychotherapist\, Certified Trauma Specialist\, Consultant\, Supervisor and trainer and a Certified Compassion Fatigue Specialist. ATTCH is a non-profit providing free and low-cost trauma specialized therapy to individuals who could not otherwise afford it. Its mission is healing life’s hurts through awareness\, compassion\, and self-care. \nLori’s presentation was titled Healing Life’s Hurts. She discussed the brain’s critical development during the first five years of a child’s life. During the first year\, the brain grows more rapidly than through the rest of one’s life. It is also susceptible to adverse childhood experiences including intergenerational transmission of trauma through as many as four generations\, that’s from one’s great grandparents. The experiences witnessed as a child mirror the adult’s actions and experiences. \nLori said that as many as one in four youth will experience potentially traumatic experiences and she pointed out that emotional abuse can damage the brain more than physical abuse. \nShe said that regulating the nervous system is very important to ongoing resiliency and optimal development.  To that end\, ATTCH Niagara incorporates various holistic wellness practices to increase attention span\, regulate the body and mind and to optimize the ability of clients to regulate their emotions and behaviours. \nATTCH Niagara specializes in the impact that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) have on the brain\, body and nervous system. ACEs account for many of the traumatic experiences suffered by people throughout their lives. These experiences affect how your brain works. “Flipping your lid” means that feelings get so big that you lose control of your ability to think and act clearly. You may start screaming\, acting restless\, trying to run away from a situation\, feeling numb\, unable to move\, feeling unable to control your reactions. \nIn her PowerPoint presentation\, she illustrated the hand-brain model coined by Dr. Daniel Siegel showing how the brain and body are connected. \n \nBoth brain hemispheres are affected. The left and right brain don’t integrate and work together – there is no cooperation between the two hemispheres. ATTCH diagnoses brain function to help people understand trauma’s impact on their life and give them programs and actions to control and manage their problems. \nMore information about the work of ATTCH Niagara is available at www.attchniagara.com \nDuncan thanked Lori for her informative presentation on a topic not well understood but likely experienced directly or indirectly by most people. \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/lori-gill-attch/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/lori-gill.png
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240514T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240514T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230814T114728Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164948Z
UID:5435-1715680800-1715684400@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:John Arnone - author
DESCRIPTION:John Arnone  Topic: Us and Them: Canada\, Canadians and The Beatles NEW updated book \nSpeaker details many links between Beatles\, Canada \nBob Henderson introduced author John Robert Arnone whose topic was the story of the Beatles’ and their many connections to Canada.  John\, who lives in Victoria Harbour\, Ontario\, is a self-confessed passionate Beatles’ fan and spent years researching ties between the Beatles and Canada. \nJohn said that one of the Beatles’ first public performances was interrupted when a fight broke out between rowdy Canadian soldiers in the Top Ten Club in Hamburg\, Germany that required police and tear gas to quell. John’s quest to tell the Canadian side of the Beatles’ story began when he noticed errors in references to the Beatles’ appearances in this country during a tour of a Beatles museum in Liverpool. \nJohn noted that George Harrison had both an uncle and sister living in Canada and John Lennon’s mother resided in Toronto. \nJohn highlighted numerous Canadians who came into contact with the Beatles in the early days including Carrol Levis who hosted the Talent Discovery Show in the UK where the Quarrymen in 1957\, with John Lennon\, Paul McCartney and George Harrison\, failed to impress.  The group changed its name to Johnny and the Moondogs and auditioned for the talent show again in 1959 but once again failed to impress. After Ringo Starr joined the group they encountered a woman from Hamilton in Mayfair\, London who spiked their sugar cubes with LSD providing them with their first exposure to drugs.  Possibly as a result\, their music evolved into classics like Strawberry Fields Forever and the Rubber Soul Album and the rest is history. \nJohn’s book titled “Us and Them” details the long history of connections between the Beatles and Canadians including the Decker Dash at the Winnipeg airport when the Beatles’ plane stopped for refueling only to have the airport overrun by fans leading to the foursome stepping foot on Canadian soil for the first time. Harry Saltzman from St. John\, N.B.\, long-time producer of James Bond films\, passed on producing the first Beatle movie\, A Hard Day’s Night in 1964.  One of the most interesting was Lillian Shirt\, a Cree from Northern Alberta who was protesting housing opportunities for Indigenous peoples in Edmonton.  A local radio station contacted Lillian and said that John Lennon wanted to support her and had asked to speak to her.  When they spoke\, she repeated words to John that her grandmother had often said to her.  These words were “Imagine if there was no hate\, if we loved each other\, loved one another\, that there would be no war between us”. John asked for permission to use the words and they likely helped inspire Lennon’s famous song “Imagine”. \nDuncan thanked John for speaking to the club and making us aware of these Canadians who were part of the Beatles legend of the 50’s\, 60’s and 70’s. \n  \n  
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/john-arnone-author/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/John-Arnone-photo-LR.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240409T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240409T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230617T201626Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164949Z
UID:5368-1712656800-1712660400@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Randy Klaassen - Training Officer CASARA Niagara
DESCRIPTION:Randy Klaassen – Training Officer CARES – CASARA Niagara \, \nTopic:  “Civil Air Rescue Emergency Service (CASARA Niagara)\n \nLocal organization plays key role in search and rescue \nRudy Thiessen introduced guest speaker Randy Klaassen\, who was accompanied by Rick Kaczkan\, from the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association Niagara\, (CARES–CASARA)\, which is based at the Niagara District Airport. \nRandy’s topic was the Civil Air Rescue Emergency Service and its role in both air and ground search operations across Ontario. Randy and Rick brought their Yellow Cube Van (“The Pig”)\, their operations vehicle with radio comms\, and extended an invitation to anyone interested to view their equipment. \nRandy\, who is a training officer with CARES Niagara\, said the organization became operational in 1977. CARES Niagara is a founding member of CASARA National and is now part of a Canada-wide organization. \n \nCASARA is a registered non-profit organization with community volunteers who are trained to professional standards in the many aspects of search and rescue. Randy reviewed their role in supporting Canada’s Search and Rescue (SAR) program and to promote aviation safety and SAR awareness. \nSAR operations are conducted by various means of air and ground\, visual and electronic search for missing aircraft\, persons and vessels. Ground search activities (“ground homing”) are generally electronic searches for aircraft emergency location transmitters (ELTs) that are present on all commercial and private aircraft. \nThey support the RCAF in training and searches anywhere up to the Arctic as called upon. Their team comprises spotters who are trained “eyes in the sky” for visual and electronic searching\, navigators who are skilled in search patterns and pilots who are trained for low-level SAR flying. They also have adopted Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones) that have a pilot and observer. They use software that identifies particular colours in photos such as blue objects in a forest. Generally\, each member has 10 hours of ongoing training for each hour worked. \nTraining sessions are held September to June at the Niagara District Airport. Training covers a wide variety of topics including aviation safety\, meteorology\, first aid\, navigation\, survival techniques and search methods using visual and electronic skills. CASARA Ontario works with the Ontario Provincial Police\, the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Coast Guard among others. \nRandy\, using a PowerPoint presentation\, illustrated the difficulty of spotting a downed airplane in a densely wooded area even while flying at low heights. \nCASARA is funded by the Department of National Defence and by community donations.  Randy pointed out that more information about the organization is available at www.casaraniagara.ca \nDuncan McLaren thanked Randy for his most informative presentation on this critical aspect of Canadian aircraft safety. \n \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/randy-klaassen-cares/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CASARA-logo-e1687268318274.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240312T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240312T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230509T185439Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164949Z
UID:5346-1710237600-1710241200@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Dominic Ventresca & Koby Vanyo\, St. Catharines - Older Adult Centres
DESCRIPTION:Dominic Ventresca & Koby Vanyo\, St. Catharines – Older Adult Centres \nOlder Adult Centres – The City of St. Catharines offers a variety of recreation and leisure programs at our three older adult centres! Make new friends\, get involved\, volunteer and keep your mind and body active with our many opportunities.\n \nTopic:  Older Adult Centres – The City of St. Catharines \n          \n Seniors urged to maintain active and healthy lifestyle \nAndy Redman introduced Domenic Ventresca whose topic was “Making a Difference in Aging:  For Ourselves and for our Community”.  Dominic studied gerontology at the University of Toronto and had a 36-year career administering long-term care and community services for Niagara Region. He continues to apply his learning through volunteer roles as chair of the Age-Friendly Niagara Council Board (AFNC)\, as director on the board of the Ontario Association of Councils on Aging and as a member of the St. Catharines advisory committee on older adults. \nDominic pointed out the world is facing a situation where there are more older people than children and more people at extreme old age. AFNC addresses questions like how do we foster better health and well-being in older age and address challenges and opportunities.  And will population aging be accompanied by a longer period of good health and sustained sense of well-being and extended periods of social engagement and productivity or more illness\, disability and dependency? \nThe World Health Organization emphasizes that health and well-being are determined not only by our genes and personal characteristics\, but also by the physical and social environments in which we live our lives. \nThe World Health Organization Global Network for Age-friendly Cities and Communities connects communities world-wide with the common vision of making their community a great place in which to age\, focuses on action at the local level\, fostering full participation of older people and the promotion of healthy and active ageing membership of approximately 850 communities in over 40 countries covering over 230 million people. \nOlder adults are valuable contributors to the community.  Dominic noted approximately 38% of the Niagara population is 55 years and over\, compared to 33% for the rest of Canada. Current Niagara population growth is from commuters and retirees moving to Niagara. Most of today’s older adults are well\, active\, healthier and living longer to unprecedented levels\, all of which provides for great opportunities. Older adults make up many of the volunteers for local organizations\, and donors to local causes. Baby Boomers control the bulk of wealth and spending; they spend 66% more on goods and services than millennial households. \nDominic emphasized that older adults should modify what can be modified over their life course with personal lifestyle choices like healthy diet\, activity\, social relationships. Brain health and dementia risk reduction recent research has shown that there are several actions you can take to promote brain health and delay or prevent cognitive impairment. Things such as proper sleep\, diet\, exercise habits\, lifestyle choices\, and level of brain activity can all affect how your brain functions.   Research supports that engaging in several healthy lifestyle behaviours could prevent or delay up to 40% of dementias and lower the risk of Alzheimer’s by up to 60%. \nThe Age-Friendly Niagara Council’s vision is for an age-friendly Niagara community for all ages.  Its mission is to foster a caring community that optimizes quality of life as people age. Visit the  website www.agefriendlyniagara.com to find out more information. \nDominic was accompanied by Koby Vanyo\, programs supervisor for older adult centres in St. Catharines\, who detailed a host of opportunities to get and stay involved in a wide variety of activities. \nHarold Nash\, who is in his 90’s\, thanked Dominic for his presentation and his emphasis on the importance of active aging. \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/simone-phelan-koby-vanyo-st-catharines-older-adult-centres/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Dominic-Ventresca-1.jpg
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240213T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240213T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230318T161400Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164949Z
UID:5278-1707818400-1707822000@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Rochelle Bush - Tubman Tours
DESCRIPTION:Rochelle Bush – Tubman Tours\,\n \nTopic: Links to Underground Railroad and Black history unveiled \nDuncan McLaren introduced Rochelle Bush whose topic was the Underground Railroad in Niagara and the Black presence in St. CatharinesRochelle is the owner and primary guide of Tubman Tours Canada and is a trustee and resident historian of the Salem Chapel\, BME Church. Her presentation celebrated Black History Month 2024. \nRochelle talked about the Niagara Freedom Trail and its many characters\, events\, and locations.  She traced Black history from Carter G. Woods\, who founded the Association for the Study of African American Life and History\, to the establishment of Negro History Week in the USA in 1926 and Canada in the 1950’s to the establishment of Black History Month\, every February since 1976. \nRochelle told the stories of Elijah McCoy (the real McCoy) who invented the lubricating cup\, Mathieu da Costa\, who was an Afro-French member of the exploring party of Samuel de Champlain and was the first recorded free Black person to arrive in Canada\, and Olivier Le Jeune who was the first recorded slave purchased in New France. \nThe Niagara Freedom Trail was established in 1995 and honours the thousands of African American slaves who found freedom in Canada. The Underground Railroad aided an estimated 40\,000 slaves in their escape to the northern American states\, or ultimately to the freedom of Canada. Fort Erie was a popular crossing for freedom seekers because of its proximity to Buffalo along with Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake. \nRochelle told the story of Josiah Henson who was an author\, abolitionist\, and minister. Born into slavery\, in Maryland\, fearing that he would be separated from his family\, he escaped and hiked from Kentucky to Upper Canada in 1830 with his wife and four children\, and founded a settlement and laborer’s school for other fugitive slaves in Upper Canada. \nShe spoke of many historic figures including Harriet Tubman who had ties to St. Catharines. Tubman\, for a time a member of the Salem Chapel BME Church\, who\, after escaping slavery\, made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 enslaved people\, including her family and friends\, using the network of antislavery activists and safe houses known as the Underground Railroad. Reverand Anthony Burns\, an escaped slave\, gained his freedom in Canada and briefly served at the Zion Baptist Church now located on Raymond Street. \nRochelle told the story of the Chloe Cooley incident. Chloe was sold by her enslaver and was to be sent back across the Niagara River to a new owner in New York\, but her loud protests drew attention and although she wasn’t rescued her abduction played a key role in the passage of the Act to Limit Slavery in Upper Canada in 1792. Slavery was eventually abolished throughout most of the British Empire in 1833 and Emancipation Day\, held each August 1\, marks the date in 1834 when the act came into effect. \nRecently\, on February 3\, 2024\, Parks Canada unveiled a historical plaque outlining the Chloe Cooley story\, to be installed at Queenston Heights. \nRochelle also talked about Richard Pierpoint who came to Canada\, served as a British soldier\, fought with Butler’s Rangers\, raised a Colour Corps and received a land grant in what is now St. Catharines. \nShe pointed out that the Fugitive Slave Act passed in the United States in 1850 meant that any Black people living in the northern states could be accused of being runaways\, captured and returned to enslavement. This increased the urgency to seek safety north of the border. \nDuncan McLaren thanked Rochelle for her very interesting and extensive presentation of this part of Niagara’s history and asked for a show hands of members who would be interested to taking one of Rochelle’s tours. \n  \n  \n  \n  \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/rochelle-bush/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/png:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Rochelle-Bush.png
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;TZID=America/Toronto:20240109T100000
DTEND;TZID=America/Toronto:20240109T110000
DTSTAMP:20260404T092616
CREATED:20230309T152453Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20250131T164949Z
UID:5267-1704794400-1704798000@probusstcatharines.com
SUMMARY:Susan Gram - Niagara chapter of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society
DESCRIPTION:Susan Gram\, – Niagara chapter of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society \nTopic:  Hereditary hemochromatosis – a genetic\, metabolic disorder that results in iron overload\n \nHereditary blood disorder affects many Canadians \nDuncan McLaren introduced Susan Gram of the Niagara chapter of the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society. Her topic was hereditary hemochromatosis — a genetic\, metabolic disorder that results in iron overload. Susan has hemochromatosis and told her personal journey with this condition. \nSusan explained that HHC is one of the most common genetic disorders in Canada\, affecting one in 300 Canadians. The disorder causes the body to retain too much iron from dietary sources that builds up in various body organs such as liver\, pancreas\, heart\, pituitary gland\, joints\, and endocrine glands. It affects both men and women and is most prevalent in those of European and Celtic descent but can be found in other ethnic backgrounds as well. \nSusan said that HHC cannot be cured but added that most of the complications are preventable with early testing\, diagnosis\, and treatment. \nShe pointed out that\, until recently\, most general practitioners believed the disease was extremely rare and patient’s symptoms were overlooked or attributed to other causes. Some of the general symptoms include chronic fatigue\, loss of body hair\, thyroid problems\, sudden weight loss\, personality changes\, arthritic pain\, and bloating. \nHereditary Hemochromatosis is caused by defects in the gene called HFE. Screening blood tests for Ferritin levels must be specifically ordered by a physician\, but DNA testing can confirm whether or not an individual with elevated transferrin saturation and serum ferritin has HHC. \nSusan said that one in nine Canadians are carriers of the disease. She said a person must inherit two defective copies of the HFE gene — one from each parent — for hemochromatosis to occur. \nTreatment involves removing blood from the patient. When the body creates new blood\, excess iron is drawn from other organs and tissues. \nSusan said that in her own case\, the blood letting brought her levels back to normal with no organ damage. People with hemochromatosis must maintain their lower iron levels for life with periodic blood removal. She said that this blood can often be donated to Canadian Blood Services through blood donor clinics. \nSusan urged everyone to be vigilant in looking at items like diet supplements that can in heavy in iron. The society is based in Richmond\, B.C.\, and more information is available on the website www.toomuchiron.ca \nDuncan thanked Susan for her informative talk and presented a donation on behalf of PROBUS to the Canadian Hemochromatosis Society. \n \n  \n 
URL:https://probusstcatharines.com/event/susan-gram-niagara-chapter-of-the-canadian-hemochromatosis-society/
LOCATION:Lions Hall\, 732 Niagara Street\, St. Catharines\, Ontario\, L2M 7W7\, Canada
CATEGORIES:2024 Past Speakers,Speakers
ATTACH;FMTTYPE=image/jpeg:https://probusstcatharines.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Susan-Jones-Gram.jpg
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