The 20-something young man from Addis Ababa in Africa reminded Sharon Romank of her son’s friends in Canada. Smart, handsome, and tech savvy. Michael Isayas was an IT nerd assigned to help Sharon set up patient records while on a medical mission with Restor International Inc , formerly known as Rotoplast Canada.

Isayas took on the task because he’s a member of Rotaract, the global community of young Rotary adults. The local clubs partnered with Restor’s medical team to perform cleft lip/palate repairs and burn recovery for their fellow Africans. Patients have been receiving relief through similar medical missions over 10 years for intense physical pain, social isolation and suffering in a country where poverty is acute.

Romank first left her comfortable home two years ago in the Okanagan and business, Affordable Storage Sherwood Park, for a volunteer expedition to the capital city of Ethiopia in East Africa. At 2440m, Addis is the third highest capital in the world; Canadians who travel there must pay careful attention to altitude adjustments and World Health Organization warnings about disease prevention.

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On the streets of Ethiopia There’s much love says Sharon Romank

from Affordable Storage

By Sharon A.M. MacLean

The Christmas wreath has been around for centuries. The circle of the wreath is a symbol of eternity while the plants within the wreath symbolize the strength of life overcoming the challenge of winter.

Help keep the tradition alive by protecting the garland in a wreath bag, like the one shown. The handles are for ease of carrying but also for hanging. Wreaths should be hung so they maintain their shape and your traditions for years to come.

Christmas ornaments cost a little or a lot. Still, you want to keep the memories and use the adornments year after year. You can protect your memories by keeping them in a Christmas Ornament Storage Box. Each quilted box holds 24 ornaments with removable dividers to accommodate different size bulbs.

The joy of an organized Christmas Packing tips…And singin’ a song with you!

Restor International Inc. , Affordable Storage, and Ethiopia

Holiday Tips

Affordable Storage Sherwood Park The Storage Bulletin

Wreath bags protectyour memories.

Ornament Storage Box

BULLETINThe StorageThe Storage

December, 2014 Volume 1, Issue 4

Affordable Storage Sherwood Park The Storage Bulletin

Holiday Tips

Preparations for the holiday festivities are in full swing. The home gets decorated…families are making plans to gather…Christmas pudding makes an appearance. Yet, the time will arrive, once again, when we need to pack up the celebrations for another year. Remember these 3 tips to make it easier:

• Always pack the tree in a tree bag, especially if the lights are built into the tree. You do not want that household dust to get into the light socket and cause any electrical issues. Besides the hazard, we all know a tree without lights is like a Christmas without snow.

• Think about storing smaller ornaments in egg cartons. Easy storage, great protection.

• Make packing easier by storing like items together. While you’re storing bulbs in a box separate from other décor containers, don’t forget to label each box. The promise of Christmas peace begins when you’re not on the ornament hunt.

Merry self-storage wishes to all! When old acquaintances meet again

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It had been a relatively quick decision in 2012 to make the trip when friend and paediatrician Dr. Katherine Gross invited Romank to a Restor presentation in Kelowna. “But I doubt if I’ll be interested in going,” said Romank at the time. She soon changed her mind, and joined the team a few months later.

Mother hen Jean BirdRotaplast Canada’s 13-member medical crew includes reconstructive plastic surgeons with special training in cleft care, pediatricians, neonatal nurses, and pediatric anaesthesiologists. Their lead plastic surgeon and Medical Director is Dr. Stan Valnicek of Kelowna. Medical people work closely with local hospital staff while non-medical volunteers, who pay for their own transportation, help with administrative duties.

How difficult is it to recruit for such intense assignments? “Relatively easy,” says Mission Director Jean Bird. “It’s not a problem finding those people.” The former nurse and business woman who started up a continuous care community in Kelowna during the 80s with a staff of 90 and 450 residents brings vast experience to organizing intricate operations. On the clerical side, she organizes visas, makes travel arrangements, and recruits personnel; on the medical side, Bird assists Director of Nursing Kim East with drug lists and arrangements for delicate instruments required for complex medical surgeries. Bird and East arrive three days in advance of the team for a pre-op clinic to ensure that

a smooth-operating machine is in place for medical people which, this year, includes Dr. Stan Melnychuk of Edmonton.” Bird who joined Rotary in 2009 was preparing for her fourth mission in November.

“I’m like the mother hen,” adds a playful Bird to describe her role.

Romank also returned this year to Bahir Dar for her second mission with Restor Canada. “I wanted to fulfill my volunteer obligations,” said Romank. “As a business

leader, we have certain responsibilities. We have to lead things other than business because we can use

our skills in other ways.” She also wants to make a point about local Rotarian assistance: “In Africa, it is Rotaract members who will change the world; the young want change.” Romank was impressed with the commitment she saw among resident service clubs: “We couldn’t have done it without the African Rotarians.”

Romank comes with a long history of Rotary experience, especially the International Youth Exchange. Students from India, Germany, Spain, Belgium, and Japan found temporary accommodation in her home and community. What did she come away with after years of boarding the students? “I’ve come to know that no one in the world is better or worse, just different. The kids learned that, and I learned that lesson, too.”

restor—the Beginnings Rotaplast Canada was established as a charity in 2004. John McCormack of Kelowna and three professional friends—an orthodontist, lawyer, and financial advisor—heard now-retired nurse Marianne Mackenzie talk about her service trips to third-world countries. They were inspired to help—

from Affordable Storage

Tree bags keep homesfree of hazards

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Sharon Romank with students at Bahir-Dar

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not a far cry for McCormack who’s always liked giving back. Today, he’s the organization’s President responsible for overseeing the recent rebranding of the charity to reflect a distinctly Canadian personality.

“Why Ethiopia,” asked a keen observer. Why not help people with medical need in Canada?

“We had entry to the country,” said McCormack who’s a semi-retired partner with Myers Norris Penny in Kelowna. “We met some good people in Ethiopia—a country on the edge of a war zone. And the country is under serviced with just nine plastic surgeons.”

But the founding member of Restor is just winding up with his answer. “There’s lots of good things to do in Canada but not the structure,” said

the life-long volunteer of the country’s health care system. “The medical culture in Canada won’t let us deliver free volunteer

services to people in medical need.” He’s referring to licensing requirements, insurance, and bulky government policies that hold up delivery of volunteer services. “The expectations of Canadians are that we should work within the system.”

McCormack seems to be suggesting there are many people with time and money in Canada willing to volunteer their medical services in this country—but no place to go with their good intentions. “That’s it,” said McCormack. “So, we go to Africa as well as to Chile, China, Ethiopia, India, the Philippines, and Vietnam.

new Mission:training for the local coMMunityThis year’s trip to Bahir-Dar, about six hours by car from Addis Ababa, reflects new horizons for Rotoplast Canada. They have a new name and operate as a non-profit independent of the original U.S. operation. “We want to be sustainable ourselves,” says Bird. “Most medical missions are MASH models; they go in and leave.

“We want to create a sustainable education component.” The plan is to partner with the local clinic headed by Dr. Gebe Kassa to teach enhanced nurse training in such areas as paediatrics and neonatal care based on accredited curriculum adapted by Director of Nursing East. They also will establish peer-to-peer physician training for surgeons, anesthesiologist, and paediatricians.

Their advance trip in 2012 found a sense of urgency to help women in need of uterine prolapse repair. Over 1,000 women are waiting for this surgery in a country where mothers have many children at a very early age.

“We know we must also increase our work in functional reconstruction of burns,” says McCormack. Many rural people spend their lives around fire and are badly burned in accidents. They relay the story of meeting 16-year-old Addis in 2012 who was begging on the street to help support her family. Her face, arm, and hand had been badly burned in a fire as a young child. She could not close her left eye or use her arm. Two Canadian plastic surgeons worked for over three hours to release her eyelid with a skin graft and to repair her arm. The surgery greatly improved her disfigurement and mobility giving her a new lie and new opportunities.

Fund raising is another pillar of responsibility for Bird. Grant applications, special events and personal gifts contribute to her roster of tools to raise $120K for each trip. Of course, there’s always more to do.

Last word goes to Sharon Romank who’s travelled to more than 35 countries in her lifetime: “These are very close families. They may live on the street but, in many ways, they have more than families in the Western World.

“I saw how happy they were…how they loved life.” we also have theseother services forbusiness clients: • Free Lock• 10% discount on merchandise• Pre-paid 12-month rental guarantee• Electronic billing• Complimentary electronic billboard• Keyholding and delivery service• Telephone/E-mail notification of deliveries

We believe in aligning with bridges of hope and pillars of support for Strathcona County. These four community groups, among others, reflect our business values and benefited this year from our annual Give Back program.

1. DRugS AND ADDiCTioN iN STRAThCoNA CouNTy High school students benefit from learning the facts about

drugs and addiction through publication of an annual resoruce catalogue.

2. FeSTivAl oF TReeS Information and Volunteer Centre for Strathcona County Festival of Trees suppports voluntary initiatives and connects

people to community information.

3. The STRAThCoNA ChRiSTMAS BuReAu Qualifying residents receive hampers of food and gifts from

the Christmas Bureau.The contents are collected through the generous donations of County residents and businesses.

4. SAFFRoN CeNTRe Persons who have suffered from abuse and sexual assault

receive counseling services through the Centre. Counselling also is provided to those who have been affected by sexual assault.

Affordable StorageContinued from previous page