1. The StorageThe Storage
BULLETIN
December, 2014 Volume 1, Issue 4
On the streets of Ethiopia
There’s much love says Sharon Romank
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.
from Affordable Storage
The joy of an organized Christmas
Packing tips…And singin’ a song with you!
Wreath bags protect
your memories.
Ornament Storage Box
Continued on next page Continued on next page
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.
Restor International Inc. , Affordable Storage, and Ethiopia
Holiday Tips
Affordable Storage Sherwood Park The Storage Bulletin

2. More...
Holiday Tips
from Affordable Storage
Merry self-storage wishes to all!
When old acquaintances meet again
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
Tree bags keep homes
free of hazards
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.
Continued from previous page
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 Bird
Rotaplast 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
Sharon Romank with
required
students at Bahir-Dar
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—
Continued on next page
Affordable Storage Sherwood Park The Storage Bulletin

3. Affordable Storage Continued from previous page
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 Add iction
in Strat hcona Count y
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 Strat hcona 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. Saffr on Centr e
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.
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.
61 Broadway Blvd., Sherwood Park, AB
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
Call Now: (877) 524-2290
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.
We also have these
“I saw how happy they were…how they loved life.” 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 community
This 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
other services for
business 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
Affordable Storage Sherwood Park The Storage Bulletin