The Rotary International theme for March was Clean Water and Sanitation - a critical requirement for the physical, economic and social wellness for all communities and peoples. President Carlos shared with us the reality that 1 in 9 people globally (approximately 844 million people) are living without access to clean water.
Our first order of business in March was...a Business Meeting to review and report on our progress against our annual goals this year. The good news is that our club is running a healthy surplus during this pandemic period. Even better is that our club is reallocating $4000 of this bounty to immediately help local kids at risk as part of our 2021 Hoop-a-thon campaign.
In terms of international service, our partnership discussions with the Rotary Club of El Tigre in Venezuela have continued, however, for the meantime, the best way to help out would be for members and friends to consider supporting El Tigre's online music bingo fundraiser planned for May 1. Check out the link below for more information. We are also connecting with the Executive Director of Project Amigo, which is one of our club's international projects, to see how we can further our work with this great organization, for example, by directly sponsoring an elementary student - see https://www.projectamigo.org
On the club social and meeting front, special thanks to Thomas for his efforts to arrange for our members to enjoy the option of safe, in-person meetings at the Vancouver club for a couple of times during March before we entered the "circuit-breaker" lockdown period again. Stay tuned for updates as we decide where and when we can adjust for future "blended" Zoom and in-person meetings as the pandemic rules and situation evolve.
A real treat for our members in March was an engaging and informative presentation from Volker Klassen, who is the CEO of the Port of Trier in Germany, and a regular online visitor to our club. Volker is a member of the Rotary Club of Mittelmosel-Wittlich and Chair of the club's Youth Exchange Committee. In 1998, Volker visited Vancouver as
a Rotary Exchange Student so he's a true champion for the program!
More than 2500 people work at the Port, which is located at the confluence of the Moselle and Saar rivers, and provides logistics, transport and real estate, services and solutions for customers moving cargo and goods throughout the EU. In addition to the impressive business work of the port, we also learned about the environmental leadership it has been taking to address climate change and rising water levels as well as its sponsorship of an Artist's Festival in 2022.
On the personal side, we also learned more about Volker's family, his passion for flying (as a licensed pilot), and his Rotary club's fundraising efforts, including an online winetasting event. In closing, he issued an invitation for all to visit his club and city in our future travel adventures in order to experience the excellent Christmas market, award-winning wines, and overall hospitality. Be careful what you wish for Volker!
Ready, Set, Go for Hoop-a-thon 2021 on April 24th!
On March 24th, our club champion and amazing leader Gary got us all fired up to launch our annual Hoop-a-thon fundraising campaign for our Rotary Youth Leadership program that supports at-risk youth in our local community, including scholarships, basketball programs and the Girls Who LEAP https://www.girlswholeap.com leadership program in the Downtown Eastside.
This year's campaign builds on the past growth and success of our signature youth service project, by adding partnerships with the Rotary Clubs of Vancouver-Mountainview and Mittelmosel-Wittlich (our first global partner!) and continues the wonderful sponsorship we have received from corporate sponsors as well as our media partners/sponsors Global BC TV.
The Hoop-a-thon Committee has developed a dynamic, one-hour blended (Zoom and live event) that will take place on April 24th, starting at 9:00 am Pacific Time. Watch it live here: https://youtu.be/iyWWfqqHkcc
Given the pandemic restrictions this year, our Rotary team members will be taking a seat on the bench so that a team of student athletes can take our places at the free-throw line on April 24th. Members and our family and friends can donate directly to the campaign using this link: https://chim.pn/238E2xX.
We closed out our March meeting schedule with a special guest visit from fellow Rotarian, Rumana Monzur. Rumana is litigation counsel at the Department of Justice Canada and she is living proof that hope can triumph over adversity, even in the darkest situations.
In 2011, Rosa was an Assistant Professor in International Relations at the University of Dhaka in Bangladesh who was pursuing her masters degree in Political Science at the University of British Columbia when she permanently lost her sight as a result of a horrendous domestic assault by her former husband. With incredible inner strength, and with help from Canadian friends and medical specialists, Rumana not only survived, but changed careers and graduated in 2017 from UBC law school, after which she received her Canadian citizenship and launched her legal career.
Today Rumana lives with her daughter in Vancouver and is a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver. She continues to support and inspire others with her legal work and keynote speeches. A documentary about her story, "Untying the Knot" was featured at the Toronto Hot Docs festival, and she is working on book that is scheduled for publication in the spring of 2022.
Thank you Rumana for sharing your story of light and hope with us and our world!
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