We started our meeting at 7.30am and Matthew did the 4 way test perfectly. Bravo Matthew!

 

We had 16 members; Luisa De Godoy, our exchange student was present. We had one visiting Rotarian, Ron Toyota from Creston Valley Club and also Mayor of CV. Three guest visited us today as well: Steve McGrandle; Sven Rowaert, guest of Milie, and Tina Parbhakar.

 

Announcements:

 

Rotary on Ice: This will be a special event happening on September 27th .  Rotary on Ice is being presented for the 4th year as a Polio Fundraiser for all our clubs in the Lower Mainland. The Vancouver Giants have partnered with Rotary and are donating $5.00 for each ticket we sell.  Rotary will also have the opportunity to raise more money with a 50/50 draw at this event , which will go to youth programs in our District. This is a great opportunity to raise money and get our Rotary brand in front of 4,000  to 5,000 attendees. Please buy tickets and give them to friends, relatives and young people in your communities. It's going to be a great night for Rotary and for the eradication of Polio.

Rotary Leadership Institute:  Part 1, 2 & 3 are being offered on Saturday, September 28 2013 at the Accent Inn in Burnaby, BC.

 

Luisa De Godoy gave us an update of her first couple of days here in Vancouver as an exchange student. She had the opportunity to go camping last week and she had a great time, doing a variety of activities, like water tubing, fishing, hiking, etc. She is also adapting to the new school and making new friends everyday. This is a little bit different from what she was used in Brazil. Here, you can pick and choose your classes whereas in Brazil you have to take all the classes that are part of the academic program.

 

Sargent-at-arms

 

- Sheila is heading of to UK and France for 3 weeks.

- Larry spent a nice weekend in Point Roberts.

- Carlos gave a “awareness dollar” for the people in Mexico suffering the consequences after two hurricanes hit different parts of Mexico.

- Milie caught a couple of fish in the Fraser River.

- Valery is happy because she is going to see her daughter in Victoria.

 

Guest Speaker

 

Matthew introduces our speaker, Rick Gill.

 

Rick grew up in North Delta, BC. He was a professional Basketball player and he had the opportunity to play in 3 different countries: Mexico, South Africa and Australia. This gave him the opportunity to meet great people and also this experience changed his view and perspective basically o everything.

 

Gill is the Canadian volunteer director of Hoops 4 Hope, a charity that uses basketball to help youth in Africa and Canada. They use basketball to provide a safe environment where children can develop strong social skills, strong ethics and strong leadership.

 

Through basketball, they empower children to become productive adults, engage in healthy life styles, manage life’s challenges, build self-steem, etcetera.

 

The coaches teach through games, role-playing activities and discussions. This is very important so the kids learn different skills to be able to make their own decisions.

 

Thought of the day

 

In a gentle way, you can shake the world – Mahatma Gandhi.