Sunrise bulletin for the week of September 25, 2013
Another sunny Wednesday morning in Vancouver, as 16 members gathered for our breakfast meeting. President Ann-Shirley Goodell welcomed our guests who were Luisa Godoy (our exchange student from Brazil), Blanca Tostado (Alfredo Carrete's mother-in-law from Mexico), Tina Parbhakar (former Rotarian and prospective club member) and Donald Cyr (guest of Milie Taing).
Rotary moment
Ann-Shirley reports that new cases of polio worldwide are 264 for this year to date, up from 145 at this time last year. The good news is that the 3 countries where polio is still endemic showed a drop of 44 percent. The bad news is that 185 new cases have emerged in countries that were polio-free for several years. Which shows us that we need to keep pursuing the goal to End Polio Now, as this dread disease can easily be spread to polio-free countries like Canada. The Rotary Foundation and Bill Gates are working hard on this and need our continuing financial support. The Rotary on Ice event this Friday will raise some funds for the RI polio campaign.
Today's program -- business meeting
Youth. Luisa told us about her weekend orientation session with the other inbound students, held at a remote camp near Williams Lake. She's now living in the West End and attending King George School, which she says is going well. She'll be exploring Grouse Mountain this weekend with Gary Chomyn (weather permitting) and will experience her first Canadian Thanksgiving with Lawrence Bicknell and his family.
Membership. Carlos Obregon has resigned and will be joining the Lion's Gate club which is closer to his home and work. He's been an active member and past President, so we'll miss him. Carlos will visit from time to time and will participate in some of our social activities. The board has accepted former Rotarian Tina Parbhakar as a new member and she will be inducted next week.
Financials. Treasurer Susan Neale emailed the club's budget and financial results for July-August. Any questions should be directed to Susan.
Foundation. In John Haley's absence, Rob Goodell reported that a committee is looking at ideas for our club's Sunrise Foundation, perhaps to increase its endowment to provide more scholarships for deserving downtown Vancouver students. If you have ideas, contact John, Susan, Lawrence or Rob.
Nominating. A new Treasurer will be needed before Lawrence becomes President in July, so all the many volunteers should talk with Abigail Turner. First come, first served.
Club Administration. Larry Belsito says that all our members except one have signed up to work on one or more committees. The one exception will be assigned to work on all the committees as punishment for being last. Programs and speakers have already been booked for the next several months, thanks to Cam Scott's work and the ideas submitted by members. Keep sending suggestions to him.
Service projects. Sheila Anderson is away, but Ann-Shirley advised that the Colombian school project has been delayed due to the actions of local government in Bucaramanga. Cleo Perez and her committee will proceed with plans for our fund-raiser on March 15, so funds will be available when the school expansion goes ahead. Details of this project are shown below. The Hoop-a-Thon committee will meet tomorrow, September 26, to begin planning for next June's event. Matthew Lynam and his committee are organizing things for our annual Christmas Luncheon with the West End Seniors, scheduled for December 15.
Social. Guess Who's Coming for Dinner will be on Saturday, October 19, at 6:30 pm. This is always a popular evening of relaxed fellowship, food and wine with other members and their guests. Send Ann-Shirley an email to let her know whether you will be a host or a guest, who your guest is, and what you'd like to bring to this potluck dinner. The club Christmas party will be on Saturday, December 7, at Goodells' downtown condo. More info is coming, but save the date.
Pretty full agenda, I think, and we finished on time. Have a great week and we'll see you next Wednesday.
Rob