“To Hell With The Bell ” Breakfast
Large crowd at “To Hell With The Bell” breakfast rings in the new school year in style
The highlight of the morning was a moving tribute to a longtime founding member and the introduction of various members of the Education Retirees Association of Ottawa Board of Directors. A call was also put out for volunteers.
Held this year at a new location—Amberwood Lounge & Eatery (ALE) in Stittsville—the event began, of course, with the traditional ringing of the school bell.
After breakfast, the bell rang again to indicate that recess was over, and President Chris Borzecki introduced the members of the Executive “who all volunteer their time to make ERAO work and bring to its member the many activities that are offered during the year."
A request was made by the President for volunteers to help fill some of the vacant positions on the Executive. It is volunteers, he emphasized, that enable ERAO to continue to provide the varied activities that the members benefit from. "Those who are interested or who would like more information are encouraged to email info@erao.ca.”
Following this was a tribute and presentation to founding member, Jan Hynes, who was attributed to having done so much for ERAO and its predecessor, OPERA. The tribute, written by another longtime member, John Harding, was presented by Chris Borzecki. A small token of the Executive’s appreciation was given to Jan and a donation was made to a charity of her choosing.
ERAO Social Committee Chair, Shelley McDonald, then introduced the Social Committee members and asked each club coordinator to speak about their group. Heather Anderson spoke about the Book Club. Nancy Arbogast spoke about the Quilters Club. Vikki Zulpo, speaking for Richard Taylor who was unable to attend, spoke about the Camera Club’s activities. Judith Hoye spoke about the Ottawa Carleton Choristers, which, while not an ERAO club, has many ERAO members in its ranks.