A touch of kindness:
RTO/ERO Goodwill program honours members

When District 41, Elgin Goodwill representative Eleanor Lyle called to visit a member celebrating his 90th birthday, she did not expect to find him in his ski gear, heading for the slopes. “It blew me away,” said Lyle who had expected to find someone in a rocking chair. “It gave me a wonderful feeling to look forward to. You don’t have to be afraid when you’re 90,” she said.

Goodwill representatives across Districts dedicate themselves to honouring and celebrating our members.

They send personal cards, call, visit, and send gifts on milestone birthdays, special occasions, times of illness, death, or whenever members are in need of a little “TLC – Teachers’ Lively Contact”, as District 31, Wellington calls it. While activities vary, a highlight for many Goodwill programs are the birthday celebrations for the 90 +, which usually include a card, a plant, a certificate and often a visit. Goodwill representatives often receive thank-you notes and calls from members and their family members. “There are so many stories that stand out,” said District 7, Windsor-Essex Goodwill representative Valerie Luscott. “The notes may come in shaky handwriting with obvious efforts due to arthritis but these folks know the correct protocol of sending out thank you’s for gifts and remembrances,” shared District 41, Elgin chair Margaret Hulls. “It’s about a joy in their face when someone remembers them, ” said District 13, Hamilton-Wentworth- Haldimand chair Joanne Weeks who believes Goodwill is as rewarding for the Goodwill representative as for the members. “We think it’s a good way to represent RTO/ERO,” she added.

District 4, Sudbury-Manitoulin/North Shore Goodwill Chair Monique Taylor recalls the words of a member’s grandson, “Gee, I had no idea that Gran’maman had such a social network.”

There is little doubt that Goodwill is one of RTO/ERO’s most rewarding program, so the Provincial Office is encouraging Districts to learn from each other, and use their human and financial resources to develop their local Goodwill program.

Communications staff changes

Renée Mercuri, Communications Associate, started her maternity leave on Monday, April 6; we wish her well.

Over the next year, while Renée is on leave, Kim Williams, Administrative Assistant, Communications & Planning will assume Renée’s role as Acting Communications Associate.

To fill Kim’s role, we have hired Madalina Hubert to be Acting Administrative Assistant.  To ensure a smooth transition, Madalina has been in the Provincial Office for the past two months learning from Kim, while Kim has been working closely with Renée.

Madalina is fluently bilingual and is a recent graduate of York University, completing her Honours Bachelor of Arts in 2007 and her Master of Arts last year.  She has a Certificate of Teaching English as an International Language and a Certificate of Bilingual Excellence (English/French), also from York.  Several years ago she taught French at a Tutorial School, and while at York University, worked as a graduate assistant.

Since 2006, Madalina has worked at the international newspaper The Epoch Times, as a proofreader and a print and web journalist.  She has researched and written articles in a variety of genres, including entertainment, art and culture, news, community, and special events.

Madalina is multi-lingual; in addition to French, she has an excellent knowledge of Italian, German and Romanian.  She possesses a variety of computer skills, including In-Design, which we use to produce Liaison.

Thus, please contact Kim for issues relating to Renaissance, Display advertising and Senate, and contact Madalina for items relating to committees (Communications and Member Services), Liaison and classified advertising.

We welcome a new addition to the RTO/ERO family, Maxence Tao Mercuri Tusin, born on April 6, 2009.  Congratulations to Renée and her husband Joshua on the birth of their son!

Provincial Executive motions and news
Passed at the P.E. meetings of February and March 2009

• Recommended to Senate that the Associate Membership Category of the Constitution be amended with the addition of:  “A retired teacher receiving a pension from a non-designated Ontario private school.”

• Approved the revised disclaimer for trips/excursions/events.

• Signed the 2009 agreement with Manufacturers Life

• Reimbursed Johnson Inc. the sum of approximately $9,000 for consulting services performed in 2008.

• Approved Travel Expense Guidelines, as amended, effective November 1, 2009.

• Recommended to Senate that the RTO/ERO charitable donation for 2009 be made to the James Bartleman Book Club – Club Amick.

Other Business
• The Provincial Executive also discussed and reviewed:
• Presentations from Investment Managers from TD and RBC
• District Presidents’ Workshop Update
• Pros and Cons of One Senate Meeting a Year
• Survey of Members
• Political Advocacy Plan
• RTO/ERO Investment Policy
• Draft Spring Senate Agenda
• Provincial Office Technological Study
• RTO/ERO Provincial Website

Batter-up: See the Blue Jays

Tickets are now on sale for the annual RTO/ERO Blue Jays game, this year on Saturday, August 22, 2009. Join your colleagues and their families from other Districts as the Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Angels at 1 p.m. at the Rogers Centre.

All members of RTO/ERO and their friends and family are invited to attend this special event, at a discounted price of $39. The seats will once again be in the Field Level Bases on the third base side.

As the game takes place on a Saturday, it is a “Junior Jays” game, meaning special items and pre-game entertainment for youth under 14, and the opportunity to run the bases after the game. This is a great present for grandchildren!

Prior to the game, there will be a special presentation by the Provincial Executive, on behalf of RTO/ERO, to a charitable organization to be chosen at the May Senate. A portion of each ticket sold will be donated to this charity as well.

For further information and/or to reserve groups of tickets on behalf of your District, please contact:

John Evans
Account Executive / Group Development
Toronto Blue Jays Baseball Club
One Blue Jays Way, Suite 3200
Toronto, Ontario M5V 1J1
(416) 341-1304 Direct Line
john.evans@bluejays.com

Old Age Security pension news

As of April 1, 2009, the basic Old Age Security (OAS) pension, paid to people 65 years of age and over, will remain unchanged at $516.96 per month for the period covering April-June 2009. Although there is no change this quarter, the OAS benefit rates have increased by 2.9 percent overall over the past year.

OAS benefits are revised quarterly (in January, April, July and October) to reflect any increases in the cost of living as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). If there is no increase in the cost of living, benefit rates stay at the same level.
 
The OAS program consists of the basic pension, the Guaranteed Income Supplement (GIS) and the Allowance. The GIS and the Allowance provide additional benefits to eligible low-income pensioners and their spouses or common-law partners, as well as to eligible survivors.

Both OAS and the Canada Pension Plan enhance the quality of life of Canadian seniors by providing a modest base upon which to build additional income for retirement. The OAS program is funded through general tax revenue and provides a basic minimum income for Canadian seniors. It provided 4.5 million seniors with approximately $32 billion in 2007-08.

The Canada Pension Plan (or the Quebec Pension Plan, in Quebec) is funded through contributions by Canadian workers, their employers and the self-employed, and through investment earnings on the Plan’s funds. In addition to retirement benefits, the Plan provides disability benefits, death benefits, survivor benefits, and benefits for children.

Source: Government of Canada

Renaissance proposals wanted
New themed issues need your ideas and insights in 2009 and beyond

With Renaissance themed issues, we will aim to tackle topics of interest to our members.We will continue our tradition of profiling members, while taking bold and interesting steps to present bright ideas, insightful experiences, thoughtful reflections and points of view with plenty of colour, wit and style.

HOW TO CONTRIBUTE
Send us a BRIEF query with your proposal outlining the experiences,opinions, artwork or photography you’d like to share. Note that we cannot guarantee that writing and images will be published as received. We will endeavour to incorporate as many member viewpoints as we can.

FALL: Authorship and Publishing
Proposal deadline May 1^st
In over 40 years of publications by The Retired Teachers of Ontario, one thing stands true – educators love to write and get published. Where did they get their inspiration and how did they make it happen? Members share their
insights on how writing is both a release and a second career and how publishing can be for everyone who wants to see their name in print.

WINTER: Community Grassroots Action
Proposal deadline August 7^th
The Retired Teachers of Ontario was founded on a grassroots movement of retirees seeking equality and fairness in their pensions. Since then we can look back on a history of action at the local and grassroots level, addressing issues in education, healthcare, seniors’ and retirees’ rights and larger societal issues that affect all Canadians. We’ll take a closer look at what members are doing today to take action on issues and give voices to their communities.

If you or someone you know would be interested in being included in a themed issue, contact us about your experiences, your opinions, or even your artwork and photography.
renaissance@rto-ero.org

Seeking your themed issue ideas
Deadline May 15^th
What issues and trends are important to you? What topics and themes do you want to see featured in Renaissance? Let us know what themes we should be focusing on in future issues of Renaissance. Please send all ideas with your name and District number to renaissance@rto-ero.org or call us at 1.800.361.9888.

Liaison is published on a regular basis by the RTO/ERO Provincial Office. Districts and Units are encouraged to reproduce this material for their own purposes. A colour PDF version of Liaison is available on the members' only web site.

Editor: Simon Leibovitz | Design: renée I.A. mercuri | Copy editing: Kim Williams

Copyright © 2008 The Retired Teachers of Ontario/Les enseignantes et enseignants retraités de l'Ontario. All rights reserved.

1.800.361.9888 | 416.962.9463 || info@rto-ero.org || www.rto-ero.org
18 Spadina Road, Suite 300 | Toronto, Ontario | M5R 2S7 |CANADA

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