Canada-Japan Cultural Exchange
Stories
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Global Business Collaboration At our August 2nd meeting club member and marketing master Kaustav Ghosh (pictured above with our Club's new Grants Committee Chair Danison Buan and Past President Cam Scott) gave us an engaging update on his online business campaign I Support Your Business. In the past six months, the global marketing initiative has expanded beyond the original 100+ companies, with 92 new Canadian and Indian small businesses supporting one another for shared success - congratulations Kaustav! Learn about the latest Indo-Canadian partnership initiative of I Support Your Business here: https://youtu.be/I_-cvz9IQFo and about the origin of this successful marketing venture here: https://youtu.be/fbPQUd2KzSI.
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An Exceptional Service Leader On August 9th we were treated to an inspiring presentation of the personal and professional journey of club member Zarina Rosimo. Zarina is the Operations Manager for Shelter and Outreach Services at the PHS Community Services Society, having previously worked as a Building Manager with Atira's Hutchinson Block and Hazelwood Hotel properties and for the BC Indigenous Housing Society. Prior to working in supportive housing, Zarina was a Community Support Worker with the RainCity Housing and Support Society, and a Supervisor and a Mental Health and Addiction Support Worker with the Greater Vancouver Community Services Society. Zarina brings a true service commitment to her job and to her role as a Rotarian - one that is deeply rooted in her lived experience growing up in care and having had to advocate for change and supportive programs in the school system as a young parent. Zarina transferred to our club from the Rotary Club of Vancouver Mountainview where she served as Club Secretary and received the Don Evans Award for First Nation/Indigenous Advocacy for her leadership initiating the Safe Rides for Indigenous Women and other service projects in the Downtown Eastside. She is also a member of Regal Rotaract Club and serves on the District DEI and Youth Alumni committees. We are grateful to have such a shining model of Service Above Self in our club! |
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Building Understanding Through Shared LearningThe month of August closed out with a beautiful performance of traditional Japanese dance by our friend and educator, Mari Kato with her daughters Hibiki and Shizuha - above. Mari Kato also shared her work as the owner of Focus Education Services, which builds intercultural language skills through lessons, teacher training, workshops, and global interactive events. Thank you to Mari, Hibiki and Shizuha for the gift of music, story and dance. If you missed it, you can enjoy the performance on our Vancouver Sunrise YouTube channel here.
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It's (Not) All Business At our August 23rd meeting, we discussed our 2023-2024 Action plan to continue advancing our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Strategic Plan. Fasten your seat belts because among our goals and plans for this Rotary year, we can look forward to:
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Proud of Our Pride Support  We were proud to wave our Rotary banner and provide our support for our local Pride community through two summer events:
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Recruiting Hoop-A-Thon Partners!  Gary wowed the crowd of Rotarians who attended the July 9th Vancouver Bandits Rotary Night at the Langley Events Centre. The great news is that his hard work and the drive from White Rock to Langley paid off. Several clubs signed up to learn more about the Rotary Hoop-A-Thon for Local Communities partnership, and the Vancouver Bandits look to become a key partner going forward. Woo hoo!!
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Officially, President Peter! The launch of the new Rotary year in July included the hand over of duties from our outgoing Board members to the new club leadership team, which includes our new President Peter Fox and new Treasurer, Reyna Dominguez Debernardi. ADG Maryanne Velayo made the handover official by presenting us with the 2023-2024 banner for this year's theme, "Create Hope in the World." Thank you to outgoing Treasurer James Miller for your service and to our continuing Board members, including Past President Cam Scott for your dedication and leadership. Ready, set, go!
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A Membership WindfallWhat better way to end the past year and welcome the new year than with the gift of three new members who joined our club at the changeover of the Rotary calendar year? With great joy and gratitude we welcome Danison Buan, Zarina Rosimo, and Ryan McBride to our club and we look forward to serving with these these talented and dynamic young Rotarians - pictured above with Past President Cam and President Peter. Stay tuned for much, much more about Zarina, Danison and Ryan in upcoming Bulletin features, including which of them got their Ph.D before their BC driver's license, which one indulges their love of cuisine in their home "test kitchen" or when travelling the globe, and which one has received the distinguished Don Evans Award for First Nation/Indigenous Advocacy.
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What a Year it Was! Before we welcomed the new Rotary year, we walked through a review of some of the Club's highlights of Past President Cam's 2022-23 Rotary year. You can watch the encore show right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssk-kqA1DIE
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Rolling In the New Rotary Year Sticky fingers and lots of laughs proved to be the perfect recipe to celebrate the Rotary annual changeover with new friends and old pals. Master Chef Ron Sushi led a sushi making fundraiser and social event on July 7th at the Obregon household in North Vancouver. Funds raised will support our club's international Project Amigo, helping children of migrant workers in Colima, Mexico attend school. Special thanks to Azita and Carlos for hosting this wonderful party! Catch some of the highlights here on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I06q_7zuXSM |
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Finishing with Finesse
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A Local Champion Who are these guys? To find out, read the story below under District Capers!
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A Life Affirming Close Call Jarek Jakubec is a Senior Rocks Mechanics Engineer and diamond deposit specialist with SRK Consulting. He is a lifelong athlete who has climbed the summits of over 70 volcanoes around the globe. Jarek (pictured above in the yellow jacket) joined our April 26th meeting to share his harrowing experience in November 2021 surviving a mountaineering accident on the descent from the summit of Nevado del Colima in Colombia. The climbing team was at an elevation of 4,750 metres when a less experienced climber dislodged a 1.5 tonne boulder that hit Jarek on the rope below, fracturing his legs and pelvis in multiple places. It took a team of 5 people over 8 hours to carry him down to base camp 4,000m by lifting his stretchered in 2-minute intervals. Luckily, he was evacuated by a Black Hawk Special Forces helicopter and received life-saving surgery in Bogotá one week after the accident. Jarek was able to medevac home to Vancouver shortly after surgery and began a two-year rehabilitation process to regain his ability to walk. Proving that anything is possible, he recently completed the GranFondo Whistler bike ride and is back on his mission to summit the rest of world's volcanic peaks.
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Shooting Hoops to Support Future LeadersOn April 22nd, we welcomed the return of full-court action at the Strathcona Community Centre for our 2023 signature Hoop-A-Thon fundraising project to support kids at risk with scholarships, basketball and youth leadership programs.   This year again, we welcomed partner Rotary, Rotaract and Interact clubs from across District 5040 and corporate donors who participated in the event. Pictured above are: Chris Gailus from Media Sponsor Global BC TV who raised over $6500 this year through his expert shots and social media support; and VP of Finance, Dallas Leung, from Corporate Sponsor Global Container Terminals shown beside King George Interact President Malena who led her team of high schoolers to raise funds for the Downtown Battered Women's Shelter. The top team award goes to the Vancouver Young Professionals Rotaract Club team pictured below. Gunesh, in the centre was the day's top shooter, sinking 22 baskets in one minute. The final tally of funds raised will be available in June, but, at the end of April, Hoop-A-Thon project leader Gary Chomyn reported that we have already met our $50,000 target!!  Enjoy more event photos on our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wHGhEcO-JE |
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District Conference Capers
Pictured above are scenes from the conference including headline photo "Hoop-A-Thon twins" Ron (aka the Rotary Bunny who kept speakers and attendees on time and task) and Strathcona Basketball alumnus and local basketball coach Dimitri Harris. We are especially grateful for Dimitri's help. He went to great lengths to find and transport a portable basketball hoop to the Pinnacle Hotel, and without that commitment and effort, we could not have staged our live conference Hoop-A-Thon fundraiser for Food Banks BC. Demitri joined the Strathcona Basketball program as a 6-year old, and, after many triumphs and challenges, he now serves as a basketball coach as well as a mentor to young people in Vancouver and Northshore communities - a true champion! You can read some of his story here: https://joutreachsociety2014.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/harris-demitri.pdf |
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Confronting a Hornet's Nest Paul van Westendorp, BC's Provincial Apiarist, and member of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, joined us on March 15th, to tell us about recent efforts to address local outbreaks of the Northern Giant Hornet in BC and Washington State. Previously known as the Giant Asian Hornet, (whose scientific name is Vespa Mandarinia), its presence here was first reported by a vigilant beekeeper in Nanaimo. This non-native species seems to have hitched a ride on a container ship from Korea or Japan, and scientists on both sides of the border have been working to locate and destroy the nests of these fierce predators of honeybees and their food sources. Hopefully, 2023 will "bee" the last year that Paul and his colleagues will need to surveil and patrol for these critters! |
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RYLA South Returns!The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program for young people ages 16-18 returned to full force, March 25-28, at Camp Elphinstone on the Sunshine Coast after a multi-year pandemic absence. We are proud to have sponsored five high school students to attend RYLA South which provides indoor and outdoor interactive workshops, team-building exercises, professional speakers, hands-on service projects and other fun activities. Special thanks to the hard work and commitment of our very own James Fox, District 5040 RYLA Chair, who leads this great program!
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High Finance Planning Cheers and thank you to our high-powered Finance Committee members who met recently to balance our books. The venue was the Terminal City Club, and it was reported that the Happy Hour timing was entirely coincidental.
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Mea Cuppa
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Serving On An Unforgettable Ride We celebrated International Women's Day at our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise with a special presentation by club member Abigail Turner about her recent motorcycle ride across four Rotary Districts in India. The Ride for Rotary is a Rotary Foundation fundraising event where participants experience Indian heritage, culture and hospitality along with an exchange of Rotary fellowship. We could almost feel the warm wind at our backs as Abigail shared pictures and stories of this incredible and sometimes harrowing experience - watch out for those trucks and cows!
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Supporting Kindergarten Students Our youngest Rotarians, members of the Strathcona Elementary EarlyAct Club were inspired by their youth mentors at the Strathcona Interact Club to partner with ToysRUs in gathering donated toys, wrapping them and delivering them to kids in five different Kindergarten classrooms and a local Parents Support Group. Pictured above are some of the lucky recipients - and please note that only those with school photo permission waivers are in the shot ;D
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A 101 Marketing Formula to Serve Others On March 29th, Kaustav Ghosh joined us to share his personal and professional experiences in Rotary and creating impactful branding and marketing campaigns. Kaustav is a creative and passionate business consultant and former District Rotaract Representative in India who recently moved to Vancouver. He spoke to us about two campaigns that he and his wife, Laxmi Sorte, created to assist over 800 small businesses in India that were struggling during the pandemic. We are also delighted to report that Kaustav will be officially joining our club as a new member in April - which is the best gift of all by allowing us to share in his upcoming Canadian marketing and travel adventures!
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Celebrating a Man for all Seasons On February 22, we celebrated a special birthday milestone for our longest-serving and most distinguished member, Vicente Asuncion. Joining us for this very special occasion were Vic's wife Maryanne, son Ben, plus former club mates from the Rotary Club of Vancouver Quadra: Hans Doge, Dawn Sadler and Don Yerba. Thank you for giving us a wonderful excuse to have cake with our coffee and breakfast Vicente!
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Collecting Winter Wearables Our hats are off to the inspiring young members of the University Hill Interact Club who launched their new club with a successful Toque and Sock Drive for the Homeless - pictured here with members of Vancouver's Park Rangers whose work brings them into contact with members of the city's homeless population.
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Young Peer Helpers in Training Service Above Self was on full display when Teacher Sponsors and youth from our Strathcona Elementary EarlyAct Club showed up for a Pro-D day of training on February 17th. Thirty-six of these dedicated young people learned how to serve as Peer Helpers for their fellow students with a goal to make school recess and lunch hours safer and more inclusive for all. How to lead the way, future Rotarians! |
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PEDAL Brings Bikes to Communities PEDAL Society's shop manager Sarah Thomas joined our January 18th meeting to tell us about the work being done by her organization to help current and would-be cyclists access and maintain their bikes. Founded in 1993, PEDAL offers services and programs through its bike shop at Main & Broadway in Vancouver and with local and global partners. Sarah told us about a few:
PEDAL is 100% run with support from volunteers, grants, and partners including Arc'teryx, City of Vancouver, KidSafe, and the Vancouver Community Bike Network. |
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April 22, 2023 is Hoop-A-Thon |
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PEDAL Society's Community BikesPEDAL Society's shop manager Sarah Thomas joined our January 18th meeting to tell us about the work being done by her organization to help current and would-be cyclists access and maintain their bikes. Founded in 1993, PEDAL offers services and programs through its bike shop at Main & Broadway in Vancouver and with local and global partners. Sarah told us about a few:
PEDAL is 100% funded by donations, grants and volunteers, and partners with sponsors like Arc'teryx,City of Vancouver, KidSafe, and the Vancouver Community Bike Network.
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Toys R Wrapped Strathcona Interactors collected donations, wrapped and delivered over 200 toys to children in need in the Strathcona area in partnership with:
Judging by the pictures it looks like they had lots of fun performing this service for kids in need too. For more inspiration, check out their video on Youtube here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PjLlS7jkza4&list=PL7t0sYrOyWZWMYVkGR_Jab7YhDsvy8XrU |
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Holiday Happy Bucks! Our members' holiday stories at our Welcome Home meeting raised spirits and a few bucks for Rotary's Polio Plus campaign.
Welcome 2023 and here's hoping you bring peace on earth, better health, and more laughter to all! |
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January 11th Return to Coal Harbour At long last, we returned to our Club's home base meeting location at the Coal Harbour Community Centre (CHCC) on January 11th. Why do we love it so much? Here are just a few of the reasons:
Given the new school construction taking place immediately south of the CHCC, access to our waterfront meeting room is via the alternative entrance marked by the Vancouver Sunrise sandwich board sign. You can’t miss it as you walk along the sea wall. See you soon! |
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Sharing Sunshine Dream Possibilities We closed out our Rotary meetings in the month of November with an uplifting presentation by Brianne Oswald, Partnerships Manager of the Sunshine Foundation. The Foundation was created in 1987 to help youth, ages 11-21 living with severe physical disabilities, to identify their future vision and to take a step towards realizing that potential. Too often, these young people have their dreams defined by the physical limitations and challenges that able-bodied members of their communities see. Research shows that overcoming obstacles in adolescence, with the right supports, can foster mental resilience and positive growth. A couple of the stories Brianne shared with us demonstrates this formula in action.
The Sunshine Foundation works with youth and families across Canada to build confidence, independence and optimism to boost their mental health and future goals. For more information on their work and results check out https://www.sunshine.ca.  |
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When Help is Needed, Strathcona Interactors Respond Always prepared to help out, our amazing Strathcona Interactors spent a weekend afternoon in November preparing personal hygiene kits to hand out to residents on the Downtown Eastside.
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Take Heart Where This Risk is Concerned On November 16th, Dr. Cathy Wang joined us to provide practical tips to address the daunting reality that for 1 in 4 adult Canadians, high blood pressure is the #1 risk factor for stroke and a major risk factor for heart disease. Cathy is a Clinical Instructor in UBC's Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science and the business owner and manager of 360Care Denman Pharmacy in Vancouver's West End - https://360carepharmacy.com. High blood pressure, or "hypertension" is affected by two sets of risk factors:
Pharmacies provide free access to blood pressure readers with simple instructions. So next time you're out and about picking up groceries, prescriptions, or a lottery ticket, take a moment to roll up your sleeve and give your heart a first and second thought! |
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Promoting Healthy Communities & Vaccine AccessMark Zhou and Ajit Johal joined us on October 5th to tell us about their work as creators and drivers of immunize.io, a local not-for-profit organization that works with local and international pharmacists, community groups and health organizations to promote access and availability to approved vaccines - including support for the global polio immunization campaign. Ajit is the Clinical Director of immunize.io. He teaches at UBC within the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science and is the voice and face behind immunize.io's education webinars and media spotlights. Co-founder Mark is Operations Manager, and also a pharmacist who applies his experience in operations optimization, project management, technology adoption and implementation. Their mission is to immunize the world against preventable diseases by promoting community access and collaboration between healthcare professionals. Their commitment starts with a 1-for-1 promise to donate one vaccine abroad for every vaccine they administer locally. Thank you for the amazing work Ajit and Mark! |
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Supporting Migrant Workers Across Our Province The next time you visit a local seniors' care home, check into a fresh room in a hotel, bite into a local peach or enjoy a sip of BC wine, you might want to consider the challenges facing the 6,000 migrant workers who deliver these services each year for our communities. On August 31st, we welcomed Hugo Velazquez to speak to us about about the work he leads to support migrant workers in our province. Hugo is a lawyer, local Mexican diplomat and the Senior Manager of Community Outreach, Advocacy and Migrant Programs for MOSAIC BC. MOSAIC is the largest organization in Canada providing settlement support services for immigrants and new Canadians, including serving as the lead agency for Afghan and Ukrainian refugees in BC. MOSAIC's support services are delivered in English, French, Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Tagalog and translation and interpretation support is also available in over 50 languages. |
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Celebrating & Empowering Girls Who LEAP Rotary International's first woman leader, Jennifer Jones, has made Empowering Girls one of the four presidential initiatives for her Imagine Rotary year. The Empowering Girls initiative is Rotary International's commitment to making a lasting impact on a generation of girls. Through the Empowering Girls Initiative, Rotary members worldwide are working to enhance girls’ safety, health, education, and well-being. Our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise is proud to be a founding sponsor of the Girls Who LEAP (Lead to Empower & Act with Purpose) program that provides leadership and mentorship opportunities as well as early intervention supports for at-risk female-identifying and non-binary youth in our local Downtown Eastside and Grandview Woodlands communities https://www.girlswholeap.com. On a sunny August weekend, participants, mentors and elders of the Girls Who LEAP program gathered for a BBQ picnic to celebrate the third successful year of this amazing program that now serves over 120+ girls between grades 6-12 and onwards. We can't wait to see what these future community and organizational leaders will accomplish this year! Why is Empowering Girls a Priority for President Jennifer Jones and Rotary? |
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Big Dreams & Giving Back to Community Thanks to the amazing support from our partner Rotarians, Rotaractors and corporate sponsors, we were able to hand out $36,000 in awards to all 13 applicants to our 2022 Hoop-a-thon Rotary Youth Leadership Scholarships this year.
Hear from the students what these awards mean to them... |
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A Big Investment in Future Generations   There was no better way to kick off the new Rotary year than by presenting the proceeds of our 2022 Hoop-a-thon fundraising campaign to an incredible group of young students and youth program leaders! This year's campaign set another new record by surpassing our target of $50,000 by almost $10K and brought our Hoop-A-Thon fundraising total to over a half million dollars for kids at risk. How did we distribute the funds you might ask... |
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Welcome to President Cam and Our Board for 2022-23! No brass bands were available on short notice, however, District Governor John Berry and Assistant District Governor Mary Anne Velayo presided over our transition meeting on July 6th and led the swearing in of our President Cam Scott and our Club Board of Directors for the 2022-2023 Rotary year. A huge thank you to our leaders for their time and service in guiding our club affairs! |
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EarlyActors Brings Pride to Classmates & Neighbours One of our June highlights was a neighbourhood Pride Parade that was organized and led by our Strathcona Elementary School EarlyAct Club members on June 16th. Undaunted by the stops and starts of changing pandemic restrictions, and with strong support from teacher sponsor Doug Sherrett and seed funding from our Sunrise club, the 30+ member EarlyAct Club at Strathcona started work on this service project in early May. The results were nothing short of spectacular! |
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Hoop-a-thon 2022 Shows the Way to Help Kids On and Off the Court All the hard work and planning paid off on the morning of Saturday April 23rd, when Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors and supporters showed up to raise funds at our annual Hoop-a-thon fundraiser.One of the highlights of the day was the participation of Global BC TV News Anchor Chris Gailus - pictured above addressing the group. Chris has been a strong supporter of the Hoop-a-thon event in recent years, and, this year he surpassed his previous free-throw record when he sank 18 baskets in one minute to raise over $3000 through his effort.
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UBC Rotaractors Convert Exam Frustration into Funds for Good Works Shout out to the UBC Rotaractors who provided an outlet for their fellow students' April's end-of-term stress relief with a creative fundraising event called the "Car Smash"! |
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From the Archives: Helping Grow Rotary in Ukraine A little known chapter in the history of our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise is the club's past contribution to growing Rotary in Ukraine.
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Rotaractors, Interactors and Rotarians Back in Action! With pandemic restrictions easing in March, our King George Interactors (pictured above) were busy in March working on their seven (yes, 7!) projects to support Reconciliation. |
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Shooting for $50K: Hoop-A-Thon Goes Live on April 23! What's a Hoop-a-thon? For those who don’t know, Hoop-A-Thon is our club's signature fundraising event based on pledges in support of the number of free throws each participant can sink in one minute. The funds raised go to scholarships, local youth leadership programs and the basketball program at Strathcona Community Centre (SCC).
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The Doctor is In - Learning About Ophthalmology
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Things You Should Know About Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers Anissa Lau, an Outreach and Event Coordinator for Metro Vancouver Crime Stoppers (MVCS), gave an excellent presentation on February 23rd to inform us about Crime Stoppers and its community safety work. Crime Stoppers is a completely independent, not-for-profit organization that takes information from anonymous members of the public about crimes past, present and future. They offer cash rewards of up to $5,000 for information leading to a charge or an arrest. Callers are given a code number which is used for case updates and rewards. Tipsters are never asked to testify (they are protected by the Supreme Court of Canada). |
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Supporting Community Safety in Strathcona On January 26, 2022, we welcomed Dan Turnvill to our weekly meeting to speak to us about the work being done by the Strathcona Community Policing Centre and how our club can get involved. Dan is the Executive Director of the Strathcona Community Policing Centre, which is one of 11 community policing centres across Vancouver, and is the major initiatives run by the Strathcona Community Safety Association, a registered charity. Dan joined the Strathcona Community Policing Centre in 2020, after a decade working in sports management with the BC Soccer Association, including 2 years as the head of Discipline. |
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A Personal and Professional Perspective on Reconciliation Our guest speaker at our January 12, 2022 meeting was Lorelei Higgins who spoke to us about the shared path of Truth and Reconciliation. Lorelei has deep professional and personal experience on this topic. As a Métis Canadian, she comes by her peacebuilding roots naturally. Her Métis heritage can be traced from the Red River in Winnipeg, Manitoba where her great-grandfather came across to Canada from Kent, England, and met her great-grandmother – a Cree and Ojibwe community leader.
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RYLA Changes Lives |
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A Presidential Citation Among our October highlight events, was the very worthy recognition of Past President Carlos who was presented with a Club Citation by Past Assistant Governor John Bathurst. |
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Reality Checking Cyber Crime Risks On October 20th, Dominic Vogel, a Cyber Security Specialist, spoke to us about cyber risk. Dominic is a frequent security commentator on radio/TV/social media and was recently appointed to the BC Provincial Cyber Security Advisory Committee. |
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Helping Our Neighbours Our club added dollars to dedication on October 9th when we presented a donation to Food on the Corner, a program that provides meals to over 150 people in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside neighbourhood every Saturday morning from 11 to noon. |
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Welcome to Natalia, Miguel and Jessica!In keeping with the spirit of Canadian Thanksgiving, October was a month of bounty for our club as we welcomed three new members to our growing Rotary Vancouver Sunrise family: Natalia Cabrera, Miguel Buitrago and Jessica Singh.   |
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Prepare for the Future While You Enjoy the PresentNicole Garton was our guest speaker on October 27th and spoke to us about the importance of ensuring you have at least the essentials for wills and estate planning in place to prepare for the unexpected. There are many risks and problems that can arise for the estimated one-third to one-half of Canadians who pass away without these measures in place.
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Lighting Up the Town to End Polio NowVancouver City Hall, Science World and BC Place were glowing in red on October 24th to recognize Rotary's World Polio Day and to promote Rotary's Polio Plus campaign.  |
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August 2021 Club Activities
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Club Activities for July 2021
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2021 Strathcona Hoopathon PresentationOur 2021 Rotary HOOP-A-THON was held on Saturday April 24. The Program featured Rotarians, The Strathcona Kids, Chris Gailus & Yvonne Schalle from GLOBAL BC, Rotoractors, Interactors and Rotarians in Germany. Thanks to our many donors who made this year’s event a huge success! Watch it now on You Tube: |
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Support Vancouver Young Professionals Rotaract Club's Shoebox Project - Check out their Online Auction!From December 1-8, our friends in the Vancouver Young Professionals Rotaract Club are holding their online auction of handmade, homemade items to raise funds in support of their annual Shoebox Project for Women. Visit their site and give from the heart to make a heartfelt difference - https://www.32auctions.com/Shoebox-Project2020  |
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Rotary World Polio Day 2020 proclamation by Vancouver Mayor Kennedy Stewart |
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Bono's Message to Rotary on the Fight to End PolioBono salutes Rotary and recognizes Rotary's global campaign to eliminate this terrible disease from the world see the video below: |
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Succesful Hoopathon 2020 and Scholarship Presentations On Sunday June 28, in an outdoor, physically-distanced ceremony, Rotarians gathered with the successful scholarship recipients, family members and community representatives to celebrate the 2020 Rotary Youth Leadership Hoop-a-thon awards. THANK YOU!! The 2020 Strathcona ROTARY Youth Leadership Hoop-A-Thon Raised $52,000+ Thanks to all who donated this year during unusually difficult economic times. Because of the generosity of Rotarians, friends, family, our Corporate Donors, The HoopLaw Tournament and the Vancouver Basketball Foundation we were able to exceed last year’s receipts! ALL of the money raised will go towards helping kids in East Vancouver: Scholarships: $35,000 Strathcona Basketball Program: $8,190 Rotary Youth Leadership Training (RYLA): $4,000 Girls who LEAP: (Lead, Empower, Act with Purpose): $5,000 Since 2007 the ROTARY Hoop-A-Thon Project has raised over $415,000 supporting our Youth Leadership initiatives in Vancouver. Again, thank you for helping us help the kids! SEE YOU NEXT YEAR! |
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Interactors Leading the Way for Vision 2020Our Rotary Interactors are collecting eyeglasses at King George Secondary School as part of our District 5040 eyeglass donation campaign.  |
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Week of October 16 2019We had 13 members and 2 visiting Rotarians, Brian Street from the Vancouver club and Mary French who is the CEO and founder of the Dictionary Project Announcements: * For our next meeting on Oct. 23, 2019, our guest speakers will be Jason Lauzon, Principal of the King Jorge Secondary School and School Ambassador Jesse. * Our club's Christmas party is formally scheduled for December 14th. It will be at the Obregon's house like last year. More details to come. * October 24th is World Polio Day. We have a photo opp with the Vancouver Major on October 18th at 3 pm at City Hall; please try to attend! * From October 25-27, Districts 5040 and 5050 are hosting the largest Rotaract event on the west coast of North America, the Big West Rotaract Conference. This ninth annual regional conference for Rotaractors provides skill training and leadership development for our organization’s young leaders. * Be a star and join us for some Hollywood Glitz as Rotarians and Rotaractors across District 5040 raise fund for our Rotary Foundation. Hollywood Glitz dinner and the show takes place on Saturday, November 16th at the Burnaby Firefighters Banquet and Conference Centre and is sure to be an evening of entertainment that you don’t want to miss! Poster with details is attached. Note that on this evening Rotarians can make a donation of $500 US to the Rotary Foundation that will be matched by District Points and you will receive a Paul Harris. Tickets are now on sale online at www.burnabymetrotownrotary.org or by calling Sam Wong at 604-731-1191 ext 3 Rotary Moment: Mary French, the founder of the dictionary project, brought us the Rotary moment today. The goal of this program is to assist all students in becoming good writers, active readers, creative thinkers, and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary. The dictionaries are a gift to each student to use at school and at home for years to come. Educators see third grade as the dividing line between learning to read and reading to learn, so we encourage our sponsors to give dictionaries each year to children in the third grade. Learn more about this program by visiting their official website: https://www.dictionaryproject.org Guest Speaker Our Speaker today was Trevor Stokes, who runs the Street Front Alternative program. Streetfront is a Vancouver School Board alternative education program based out of Britannia Secondary School in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Streetfront approaches education with an emphasis on physical activities and outdoor experiences. They offer classes in Math, Science, Socials and English for grades 8 -10. In addition, they have Physical Education, Outdoor Education, Planning, Woodworking, and Foods classes. They run three days per week, with some students training for and participating in the Seattle and Vancouver full and Half Marathons. They also spend approximately 35 days of the 190 school days in an outdoor environment – this includes the three four-day camp trips. Watch Trevor in this TEDx talk: Visit their website to learn more: https://streetfront.ca Thought of the day: You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it's important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages. - Michelle Obama |
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August 8 2018This week we welcomed 12 members and Sheila's guest, Kathy Chou. Announcements: * Rotary Leadership Institute courses deadline is August 31. Rotary Leadership Institute is one of the ways our Rotarians can learn more about the world of Rotary and enjoy some fellowship along the way. These facilitated session are very interactive and enjoyable. Register online: https://rotary5040.org/Stories/rotary-leadership-institute-1 *Our Day of the Dead fiesta is confirmed for October 27th at the Hellenic Centre. Tickets will be $75 per person. Rotary Moment August is Membership month and today Diana asked us to consider WHO our members are and who might be prospective members for our Club to meet Ron’s membership goal of growing to 30 members. As a breakfast club, we might appeal more to “morning people”, retirees, people who don’t have a lunch break or who have to get home right after work for child pick-up or evening commitments. But we shouldn’t rule out non-morning people either, who might be able to attend with a little peer support and encouragement for ride sharing or reminders. As a downtown club, we might appeal to people working in the area, maybe people coming to the rec centre on Wednesdays for child care or programs, using the Evo or other ride sharing in the rec centre parking, or businesses in the Coal Harbour area or the West End. Most of all we will appeal to people who value community service and have the time to commit to at least one of our projects and to the social activities. We will appeal to people who see us in action in the community at Strathcona or hear about our work with youth in Project Amigo, RYLA and King George Interact, which makes it important to show up and get the word out. Business Meeting Our club Board met yesterday and here are a few highlights: Membership Everyone to invite guests and work on helping to engage good speakers please. Ron, Gary and Ted to set up meeting with Van City about a corporate membership to have local branch managers or other reps attend our club. Financial - Treasurer’s report Ted reported we are in good shape, ended 2017-2018 in a slight surplus position. Invoices for dues will be going out shortly - payment due within 30 days please. Projects Abigail, Emma and Matthew had a great time teaching swimming at Project Amigo. For many kids, it was their first time ever being in the water, other than local streams which can be dangerous during flooding. More details to follow at a future meeting we hope! Gary thanked everyone for their support with a successful Hoop-a-thon this year which increased our fundraising by 20% for a total of $23,429 thanks to our partnership with other clubs. Ron noted that the Strathcona kids raised an additional $10,000. Refer to Gary’s email for more details. Foundation: John declared his objective to increase the Rotary Sunrise Foundation fund by $25K-$30K in the next two years through member contributions with he and Marni kicking off the effort this year. The funds can be used to increase our scholarships which have not increased in amount since the fund was established 25 years ago, and to provide greater support to youth programs such as RYLA and other work we do. More to follow on this and our scholarship and bursary program funds with SFU which require our attention to ensure we are meeting our objectives through the university’s administration of the funding. 2018-2019 Presidential Priorities: Please provide Ron with feedback on his proposed goals for 2018-2019 and he will formally present them at a September club meeting - see summary below: Great Vibrant Meetings:
Membership 30 Members by 2019:
Fundraising for Club Activities:
International Projects:
Thought of the day: “To handle yourself use your head, to handle others use your heart. “Eleanor Roosevelt. Why Rotary? Read more here: https://www.rotary.org/en/why-rotary About Rotary: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary |
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January 3 20184 Way Test: President Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. We had 11 members present today. Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment today was about an experience Alfredo had this past Christmas. He received a Christmas card from a client and in the envelope, instead of a lump of coal he found a $150 donation to our club's foundation! Talk about an original and thoughtful present. Announcements: * In February 2018, the eyes of the Rotary World will be on Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Zones 24 and 25 will host the Presidential Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Peace. Our member Diana Theman will be attending. Read more about this conference on the official website: https://environmentandpeace.com/ * This year we will be having another fundraiser for Project Amigo, more details coming in the month of March. Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Jackie Kloosterboer who is the Emergency Planning Coordinator & Emergency Social Services Director with the city of Vancouver. Jackie has been leading the way in earthquake preparedness for over 18 years. She presents more than 100 Earthquake Preparedness sessions each year to groups, businesses and at conferences, taking people step by step through the process of how to prepare their family and pets for whatever disaster comes their way. Jackie is often interviewed by a variety of media outlets across Canada as she promotes Earthquake Preparedness. There were 3 recommendations that I feel are very important and easy to implement: 1) Have an out of Province emergency contact. You may not be able to contact all your friends and family locally due to the communications services being unavailable or limited. 2) Have an agreed on evacuation location where all your family members can meet in the event of an emergency. 3) Budget 4 liters of water per person per day.  Thought of the day: "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." - Oprah Winfrey Next Speakers: Jan 10 - Business Meeting. Jan 17 - Advanced Education, High School Graduates' next move. Jan 24 - Robbie Burns Day |
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December 20 20174 Way Test: President Elect Ron Suzuki led the group in the Four-Way Test. We had 13 members present today. Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment today was about clean water. Clean water and sanitation is a human right. When people, especially children, have access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene, they lead healthier and more successful lives. We don’t just build wells and walk away. Rotary members integrate water, sanitation, and hygiene into education projects. When children learn about disease transmission and practice good hygiene, they miss less school. And they can take those lessons home to their families, expanding our impact. Announcements: * There will not be a meeting on December 27th, that is the only cancelled meeting this month. * The Yaletown and the Vancouver Rotary clubs have committed to the Hoopathon once again this year. Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Jonathan Evans from the Salvation Army. The Army was founded in 1865 in London by one-time Methodist circuit-preacher William Booth and his wife Catherine as the East London Christian Mission. In 1878 Booth reorganised the mission, becoming its first General and introducing the military structure which has been retained to the present day. The organization reports a worldwide membership of over 1.5 million. The Salvation Army offers a variety of services and programs throughout the province of British Columbia for members of the communities that we serve. These activities are motivated by a belief that each individual possesses an inherent worth and dignity. It is the goal of The Salvation Army to restore dignity and hope in the lives of those we serve through these programs as they experience times of need.  Thought of the day: The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Next Speakers: Jan 3 - Jackie Kloosterboer, Earthquake Preparedness. Jan 10 - Business Meeting. Jan 17 - Advanced Education, High School Graduates' next move |
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December 13 20174 Way Test: President Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. We had 16 members present and two visiting Rotarians from South Africa, Roger and Mariam Dymond. Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment today was done by Michael Alty. In 2015, the Health Minister of Malawi, Africa, noted that the nation of more than 17 million people had only 10 active dentists practicing there. They faced a real problem of untreated dental health issues. So, the Rotary club of the capital, Lilongwe, sponsored a ve-day dental camp that treated more than 1,100 Malawians. The Rotarians held a golf tournament in advance to raise the money needed to pay for all the medications and dental hygiene products. They also hired 30 additional dentists needed to make the dental camp a success. There is still a need for more dentists in Malawi but the backlog of needed treatment has been addressed. Announcements: * There will not be a meeting on December 27th, that is the only cancelled meeting this month. * The Yaletown and the Vancouver Rotary clubs have committed to the Hoopathon once again this year. * Our Christmas party was a success! Thank you very much, John and Marni, for hosting everyone, please check out the pics below:     Guest Speaker: Today we had our Annual General Meeting for both our club and our foundation. Our finances are looking good, thanks in large part to our Treasurers and our board, thank you all for your hard work!  Thought of the day: Abraham Joshua Heschel — 'When I was young, I used to admire intelligent people; as I grow older, I admire kind people.' Next Speakers: Dec 20 - Salvation Army, Christmas theme. Jan 3 - Jackie Kloosterboer, Earthquake Preparedness. Jan 10 - Business Meeting. |
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December 6 20174 Way Test: Ron Suzuki was the acting president today; he led the group in the Four-Way Test. We had 14 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment today was done by Michael Alty. The Rotary Foundation as of the 2015-2016 Financial Year had over $1 billion in assets invested. However, like many Rotary projects, the Rotary Foundation had a humble beginning. It was an initial contribution of $26.50 in 1917 which set in motion a powerful force that has transformed millions of lives around the globe! Announcements: * Our Christmas party will be this Saturday! * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Sing up here: https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/registrations/publicfill/eventpublicfill.aspx?evtid=ee7c9d43-60d1-4b4b-9fee-faea5ff62f8d * There will not be a meeting on December 27th, that is the only canceled meeting this month. * The Yaletown and the Vancouver Rotary clubs have committed to the Hoopathon once again this year. Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was our member Tina Parbhakar, the topic of her presentation was "Uganda - child rights". Tina is a practicing lawyer and an avid volunteer based in Vancouver, B.C. She is passionate about social justice issues in Canada and abroad. In 2012-2013, she worked in Kampala through the Aga Khan Foundation Canada as a Communications Specialist with the Madrasa Early Childhood Programme and has previously worked in Delhi with Participatory Research in Asia on issues related to violence against women. She is currently a member of Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada. As part of her presentation, she recommended that we watch the video linked below, it is called "The girl effect" Tina's presentation was very informative and we thank her for speaking to us today!  Thought of the day: "Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving." - Albert Einstein Next Speakers: Dec 13 - Business meeting. Club's AGM and Foundation. Dec 20 - Salvation Army, Christmas theme. Jan 3 - Jackie Kloosterboer, Earthquake Preparedness
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November 29 20174 Way Test: Ron Suzuki was the acting president today; he led the group in the Four-Way Test. We had 13 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment today was done by John Haley, he brought a collection of crafts and jewelry that he acquired in his trip to Africa, we all got to admire the beauty and artistry displayed by the crafts. Announcements: * Our Christmas party will be on Dec 9th, RSVP by December 3rd! * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Sing up here: https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/registrations/publicfill/eventpublicfill.aspx?evtid=ee7c9d43-60d1-4b4b-9fee-faea5ff62f8d * There will not be a meeting on December 27th, that is the only canceled meeting this month. * The Hoopathon will take place on April 28th, 2018, the first planning meeting took place this week. Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Laura Track. Laura is a lawyer in CLAS’s Human Rights Clinic. She advocates on behalf of people who have experienced discrimination and assists complainants to navigate BC’s human rights process. Laura also has a strong interest in making legal knowledge accessible, since the first step in defending our human rights is to know what they are. She delivers workshops and presentations to a wide variety of audiences to inform and empower people to exercise their human rights. Prior to joining CLAS, Laura worked with several other legal non-profits in Vancouver, learning much along the way about the law’s potential to advance equality and social justice. She is on the Advisory Committee of the Rise Women's Legal Centre and a volunteer yoga teacher and Board Chair of Yoga Outreach, a charity providing free yoga classes to disadvantaged communities. The topic of her presentation was "Marijuana legalization and human rights". Here are a few highlights of her presentation: * Bill C 45 will make Marijuana legal by July 2018. * Canadians 18 or older will be able to legally possess up to 30 grams and four plants of Marijuana for recreational use. * Employers will likely treat Marijuana use like alcohol, not allowed during work hours. * One of the challenges presented by the legalization is that there are no reliable tests for impairment due to marijuana use.  Thought of the day: Dr. Seuss — 'You are you. Now, isn't that pleasant?' Next Speakers: Dec 6 - Tina Parbhakar, Uganda - child rights Dec 13 - Business meeting. Club's AGM and Foundation. Dec 20 - Salvation Army, Christmas theme. |
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November 22 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 14 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. Rotary Moment: Sonya told us about diversity in Rotary. The first Rotary Clubs in Asia were Manila in the Philippines and Shanghai in China, each in July 1919. Rotary's office in Illinois immediately began encouraging the Rotary Club of Shanghai to recruit Chinese members “believing that when a considerable number of the native business and professional men have been so honoured, the Shanghai Club will begin to realize its period of greatest success.” As part of considering the application of a Club to be chartered in Kolkata (then Calcutta), India in January 1920 and Tokyo, Japan in October 1920, Rotary formally considered the issue of racial restriction in membership and determined that the organization could not allow racial restrictions to the organization's growth. In Rotary's legislative deliberations in June 1921, it was formally determined that racial restrictions would not be permitted. Non-racialism was included in the terms of the standard constitution in 1922 and required to be adopted by all member Clubs. Rotary and other service clubs in the last decade of the 20th century became open to gay members. Other minorities, in the face of general changes in demographics and declining membership, are also encouraged to join. Announcements: * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Sing up here: https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/registrations/publicfill/eventpublicfill.aspx?evtid=ee7c9d43-60d1-4b4b-9fee-faea5ff62f8d * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December 9th, make sure you save the date! * There will not be a meeting on December 27th, that is the only cancelled meeting this month. * The Hoopathon will take place on April 28th, 2018, mark your calendars! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was member John Haley, telling us about his once in a lifetime adventure trip to Africa. Here are a few of the many exciting highlights of his presentation: * He and Marni went off the beaten path to meet with several very interesting tribes that live in remote areas in Africa. * One of the tribes they had contact with were the Himba people, The Himba are indigenous peoples with an estimated population of about 50,000 people living in northern Namibia. They are semi-nomadic. * Himba women especially, as well as Himba men, are remarkably famous for covering themselves with otjize paste, a cosmetic mixture of butterfat and ochre pigment, to cleanse the skin over long periods due to water scarcity and protect themselves from the extremely hot and dry climate of the Kaokoland as well as against mosquito insect bites * Another tribe they met with were the Maasai. The Maasai are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress.   Thought of the day: “The only man I envy is the man who has not yet been to Africa – for he has so much to look forward to.” Richard Mullin Next Speakers: Nov 29 - Laura Track, Marijuana Legalization Dec 6 - Tina Parbhakar, Uganda - child rights Dec 13 - Business meeting. Club's AGM and Foundation.
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November 15 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 14 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. As well as District Governor Don Evans and his wife Debbie and Davinder Grewal Assistant District Governor. Rotary Moment: Diana Theman told our guests about our current catering company. Potluck catering is a non-profit social enterprise and registered charity, Potluck Café Society operates Potluck Café & Catering to help fund and support its community programs, including the creation of jobs for neighborhood residents with barriers to traditional employment. Announcements: *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Sing up here: https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/registrations/publicfill/eventpublicfill.aspx?evtid=ee7c9d43-60d1-4b4b-9fee-faea5ff62f8d * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December 9th, make sure you save the date! Especial Announcement: Our member Ted MacCormack was awarded a Paul Harris medal for his contributions to the Rotary Foundation, congratulations!  Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was our District Governor Don Evans. Don Evans has been active in Rotary for more than 30 years. He is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Vancouver (2002-2003) and has held many different positions with his club. He has been active with District 5040 Strategic Planning, a member of the District Foundation Committee and was a PETS Trainer. He was named Rotarian of the Year in 5040 in 2014. Here are a few of the many interesting highlights of his presentation: * Rotary Presidential Conference on Environmental Sustainability & Peace, Vancouver, BC, Friday to Sunday, February 9 – 11, 2018. More information here: https://environmentandpeace.com/ * Our District 5040 is now the top growing district in terms of membership in Canada! 5th in North America! * Rotary International now has over 500K Interactors and 250K Rotaractors. * RI wants all the clubs to start tracking members volunteer hours, make sure you log in your hours in the attendace sheet when you come to our meetings. * District 5040 has a new Rotarian business directory, make sure to register your business there: http://rotary5040.business/ * Our district conference will take place on May 31 to June 3 2018 in Squamish, please check out the conference webpage to find out more and register: http://www.rotary5040.org/Page/2018-district-conference Thought of the day: Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. - Albert Einstein Next Speakers: Nov 22 - John Haley, African trip part 2 Nov 29 - Laura Track, Marijuana Legalization Dec 6 - Tina Parbhakar, Uganda - child rights
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November 8 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 13 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. Rotary Moment: Ted MacCormac told us about a very interesting fundraising that a club he attends in Hawaii did one day. Members were invited to donate the spare change they were carrying. They ended up raising a considerable amount, but the most impressive part was that the venue's server was one of the largest donors! Announcements: *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Contact Tom Smith to sign up. * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December 9th, make sure you save the date! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Commander Chris Persson, Commander of the HMCS Discovery. HMCS Discovery is a Royal Canadian Navy Reserve division and shore facility based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Created during World War II from the Vancouver Half Company of the Royal Naval Canadian Volunteer Reserve, Discovery was used for recruitment and training and provided almost 8,000 personnel during the war. Discovery continued in its training role following the war, and also serves as headquarters for several Reserve and Cadet units. Commander Chris Persson joined the Naval Reserve in Ottawa in 1978. For the first 8 years of his naval career he trained and worked as a cook, working in that capacity on and off on the west coast and in some of the nation’s smaller naval ships. In July 2011 he deployed on a six-month tour in Manama, Bahrain where he was a Future Operations planner for Counter Piracy and Counter Terrorism Naval Forces in the Indian Ocean and Somalia Regions.  Thought of the day: Carl Gustav Jung — 'You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.' Next Speakers: Nov 15- Business Meeting with District Governor Don Evans. Nov 22 - John Haley, African trip part 2 Nov 29 - Laura Track, Marijuana Legalization |
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November 1st 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 13 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame. Rotary Moment: Gary Shearer, our guest speaker, did the Rotary moment for us today. He told us about an experience he had during the training seminar for incoming Rotary district governors. This seminar took place in San Diego, just a few hundred meters from a military base. The moment that impacted him was when the Japanese and US flag came in together to the venue. The 2 former enemies united in Rotary. Announcements: *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ * On Saturday, December 9th from 9:00 AM to noon there will be a membership workshop entitled Priority #1 Plus. Contact Tom Smith to sign up. * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December 9th, make sure you save the date! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Gary Shearer, District Foundation Chair. Some of the highlights of his presentation: * The Rotary Foundation disburses USD$200M each and every year on Rotary projects around the world. * The RF has 3 funds, Polio, annual fund and permanent fund. * The RF ranks among the best-managed charities in the world. * The RF has 6 areas of focus:
 Thought of the day: Carl Gustav Jung — 'You are what you do, not what you say you'll do.' Next Speakers: Nov 8 - Commander of HMCS Discovery Nov 15- Business Meeting with District Governor Don Evans. Nov 22 - John Haley, African trip part 2 |
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October 25 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 14 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame, who is considering joining our club! Rotary Moment: Today we skipped it to have more time for our guest speaker. Announcements: *The Project Amigo Dia de Los Muertos dinner fundraiser was a success! *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December 9th, make sure you save the date! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was our member Larry Belsito doing his classification talk. Some if the highlghts of his presentation: * He was born in Ontario, his father was Italian and his Mother Canadian. * He had 3 brothers. * He met Tania, his wife, in 1972. They have 5 grown children. * Some of the places he has lived and worked in: Dubai, Fiji, Brazil, Puerto Rico and Qatar. * He joined Rotary in 1979 and he is a charter member of our club. He has bee our club's president twice. * He actually danced with Tina Turner in 1983!  Thought of the day: It's one of those days where even my coffee needs coffee! Next Speakers: Nov 1 - Garry Shearer, RI Foundation and Polio Plus Nov 8 - Mark Ferrari, Port of Vancouver Nov 15- Business Meeting with District Governor Don Evans. |
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October 18 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 17 members present and one guest, Adriana Adame, who is considering joining our club! Rotary Moment: This month Larry Belsito will be doing the Rotary Moment. Today he told us 20 good reasons to join Rotary: 1. Friendship: In an increasingly complex world, Rotary provides one of the most basic human needs: the need for friendship and fellowship. It is one of two reasons why Rotary began in 1905. 2. Business Development: The second original reason for Rotary's beginning is business development. Everyone needs to network. Rotary consists of a cross section of every business community. Its members come from all walks of life. Rotarians help each other and collectively help others. 3. Personal Growth and Development: Membership in Rotary continues one’s growth and education in human relations and personal development. 4. Leadership Development: Rotary is an organization of leaders and successful people. Serving in Rotary positions is like a college education. Leadership: - learning how to motivate, influence, and lead leaders. 5. Citizenship in the Community: Membership in a Rotary club makes one a better community citizen. The average Rotary club consists of the most active citizens of any community. 6. Continuing Education: Each week at Rotary there is a program designed to keep one informed about what is going on in the community, nation, and world. Each meeting provides an opportunity to listen to different speakers and a variety of timely topics. 7. Fun: Rotary is fun, a lot of fun. Each meeting is fun. The club projects are fun. Social activities are fun. The service is fun. 8. Public Speaking Skills: Many individuals who joined Rotary were afraid to speak in public. Rotary develops confidence and skill in public communication and the opportunity to practice and perfect these skills. 9. Citizenship in the World: Every Rotarian wears a pin that says “Rotary International.” There are few places on the globe that do not have a Rotary club. Every Rotarian is welcome – even encouraged – to attend any of the 29,000 clubs in 194 nations and geographical regions. This means instant friends in both one’s own community and in the world community. 10. Assistance when Traveling: Because there are Rotary clubs everywhere, many a Rotarian in need of a doctor, lawyer, hotel, dentist, advice, etc., while traveling has found assistance through Rotary. 11. Entertainment: Every Rotary club and district has parties and activities that provide diversion in one’s business life. Rotary holds conferences, conventions, assemblies, and institutes that provide entertainment in addition to Rotary information, education, and service. 12. The Development of Social Skills: Every week and at various events and functions, Rotary develops one’s personality, social skills and people skills. Rotary is for people who like people. 13. Family Programs: Rotary provides one of the world’s largest youth exchange programs; high school and college clubs for future Rotarians; opportunities for spouse involvement; and a host of activities designed to help family members in growth and the development of family values. 14. Vocational Skills: Every Rotarian is expected to take part in the growth and development of his or her own profession or vocation; to serve on committees and to teach youth about one’s job or vocation. Rotary helps to make one a better doctor, lawyer, teacher, etc... 15. The Development of Ethics: Rotarians practice a 4-Way Test that governs one’s ethical standards. Rotarians are expected to be ethical in business and personal relationships. 16. Cultural Awareness: Around the world, practically every religion, country, culture, race, creed, political persuasion, language, color, and ethnic identity is found in Rotary. It is a cross section of the world’s most prominent citizens from every background. Rotarians become aware of their cultures and learn to love and work with people everywhere. They become better citizens of their countries in the process. 17. Prestige: Rotary members are prominent people: leaders of business, the professions, art, government, sports, military, religion, and all disciplines. Rotary is the oldest and most prestigious service club in the world. Its ranks include executives, managers, professionals – people who make decisions and influence policy. 18. Nice People: Rotarians above all are nice people - the nicest people on the face of the earth. They are important people who follow the policy of it is nice to be important but it is important to be nice. 19. The Absence of an “Official Creed”: Rotary has no secret handshake, no secret policy, no official creed, no secret meeting or rituals. It is an open society of men and women who simply believe in helping others. 20. The Opportunity to Serve: Rotary is a service club. Its business is mankind. Its product is service. Rotarians provide community service to both local and international communities. This is perhaps the best reason for becoming a Rotarian: the chance to do something for somebody else and to sense the self-fulfillment that comes in the process and return of that satisfaction to one’s own life. It is richly rewarding. Announcements: *The Project Amigo Dia de Los Muertos dinner fundraiser will be on October 21st at the Hellenic Centre. Tickets will be $50 and the event page can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589 *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ * Our club's Christmas party will be at John Haley's house on December9th, make sure you save the date! Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Chris Loat from Shelterbox. ShelterBox is an international relief charity that provides immediate assistance to people affected by disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic activity, flooding, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, or conflict. With 18 international affiliates, ShelterBox provides shelter, lifesaving equipment, and educational materials to hard-hit communities worldwide. Since its founding in 2000, ShelterBox has responded to more than 200 natural disasters and humanitarian crises in almost 90 countries, providing vital aid for well over 1 million people. Please visit their website: https://www.shelterboxcanada.org/  Thought of the day: "When we serve others, we gain more than hope. We gain energy." — Margaret J. Wheatley in Next Speakers: Oct 25 - Larry Belsito, classification talk Nov 1 - Garry Shearer, RI Foundation and Polio Plus Nov 8 - Mark Ferrari, Port of Vancouver |
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October 4 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 15 members present. Rotary Moment: This month Larry Belsito will be doing the Rotary Moment. Today he told about famous Rotarians, here is a list with a fe of them:
Announcements: * Ron has been successful in having an Aviva Grant approved for voting. Congratulations Ron!. On October 10 the voting starts, so we need to vote and get the word out to vote. The voting concludes on October 19. https://www.avivacommunityfund.org/voting/project/view/17-123 *The Project Amigo Dia de Los Muertos dinner fundraiser will be on October 21st at the Hellenic Centre. Tickets will be $50 and the event page can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589 *The Rotary Club of Vancouver Downtown invited us to the Rotary Foundation Dinner on November 18. More details in this link: http://richmondrotary.com/event/rotary-foundation-dinner/ Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was Raymond Greenwood, also known as Mr. Fireworks. Mr. Fireworks has been making events "light up" for over 30 years. Alongside his son Matthew "Boom Boom" Greenwood they sell and organize fireworks displays, both indoor and outdoor. Leading up to Halloween they run a family fireworks store which includes all my Flashing Light Products, proudly brought to you by The King Of Bling He helped bring the fireworks to the city in 1990 and ran it for the next 11 years when it was sponsored by tobacco company Benson & Hedges and known as the "Benson & Hedges Symphony of Fire." When the federal government clamped down on tobacco sponsorship in 2000, Benson & Hedges canceled its backing. HSBC Bank Canada, BC Hydro and the City of Vancouver chipped in to save the event. Each year since organizers have struggled to come up with the roughly $4-million in cash and donations required to produce the show. Thought of the day: Life is like a firework. You gotta ignite the fuse and make it beautiful. Next Speakers: Oct 11 - Business Meeting Oct 18 - Chris Loat, ShelterBox |
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September 27 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 12 members present as well as four guests from the Strathcona Community Centre: Coach Mitra Tshan and players Devon Wong, Lucy Guan, Surprise Munie. Rotary Moment: Today Ron Suzuki presented the RM. These are his words: "In honour of our guests today this is my Rotary Moment and the reason I joined this Club. Strathcona is a little Community Center that does big things serving our Countries oldest and poorest community. In 2003 I met Rotarian Robert French who invited me to speak at an upcoming Breakfast Meeting. My presentation included needed support for the Center's Downstairs Kitchen Renovation and our expanding Basketball Program. In 2004 the Rotary helped the Center raise 5,000.00 for a kitchen renovation in 2005 Rotary raised funds to purchase and install a Basketball Score Clock 2006- we now have the Rotary Hoopathon which as of 2016 raised over $225,000.00 for Basketball and Youth Leadership Programs. When I retired I was told to surround myself with good people who do good things and this is why I joined the Rotary!" Announcements:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589
Meeting: Today we presented the Strathcona Community Centre with a cheque for $11,500. These were funds raised on the Hoppathon.  Our club was very proud to present Gary Chomyn with a Paul Harris for his hard work on making the Hoopathon a success!  Guest Speaker: Our guest speaker today was our new member Natalya Lysova with her classification talk. Her talk was very interesting and helped us know more about her. Some of the highllights of her presentation were:
Thought of the day: How lucky Adam was. He knew when he said a good thing, nobody had said it before. Mark Twain Next Speakers: Oct 4 - Raymond Greenwood, Mr. Fireworks. Oct 11 - Business Meeting Oct 18 - Chris Loat, ShelterBox |
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September 20 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 13 members present as well as three visiting Rotarians, Harold McLeod from Florida, Shail Mahanti from the Arbutus club and Thora Thorasdottir from Iceland. Our meeting today took an unexpected turn since we were not able to access the community centre. As resourceful Rotarians, we quickly found an alternate meeting venue in Diana's party room of her building :) Rotary Moment: Today Ron Suzuki presented the RM. These are his words: "Rotarians Celebrating Diversity Everyday. It was very challenging for people of Color in the early part of the 20th Century. In 1914 the Komagata Maru a chartered ship of South Asian Immigrants was not allowed to land in Vancouver.1920 was the second coming of the Ku Klux Klan in the United States 1923 the Chinese Immigration Act banned Chinese from making Canada their home. 25,000.00 Japanese Canadians were interned in 1942. In 1921 when Racial Restriction was addressed in Rotary it was formally determined that racial restriction would not be permitted. Non-Racism was included in the Rotary terms of the standard constitution in 1922, required to be adopted by all member clubs. Rotary and other service clubs in the last decade have encouraged the membership of the LGBQT community as well as other minorities. Peter and I marched in last months Pride Parade in front of 650,000 we both thought maybe next year getting all the Vancouver Rotary Clubs to participate as a community service entry." Announcements:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589
Meeting: Our meeting today was adapted from the original plan since we did not have AV in place. John Charbonneau was kind enough to offer to come back and give his presentation next week. This image shows what a group of locked-out Rotarians look like:  Thought of the day: Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. -Epictetus Next Speakers: September 27 - John Charbonneau, Reverse Mortgages. Krystal Brennan, Stream of Dreams Murals Society. Raymond Greenwood, Mr. Fireworks. |
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September 13 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four-Way Test. Today we had 16 members present as well as one guest,Jonathan Evans, from the Salvation Army and one visiting Rotarian from the Downtown Club, Franco Gallo. Rotary Moment: Today Ron Suzuki presented the RM. These are his words: "Rotaract a contraction for Rotary in Motion originally began as a Rotary International Youth Program in 1968 in Charolette North Carolina. Rotaract is a Rotary Sponsored service,leadership,organization for young men and women 18-30. Presently there are now 9,522 clubs spread around the world which equals to 291,006. I will be speaking to the Trek Program at UBC today. Trek is a Student Service Program servicing the Downtown East-Side. I will be talking about the Rotaract Program today!" Announcements:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589
Meeting: Our meeting today was our monthly business meeting to discuss our current and future projects as well as membership recruitment and retention. Great work by our board and all members. The pictures below show Ron Suzuki handing out scholarships. You may recognize Lokton Au, president of the King George Interact, as one of the recipients.   Thought of the day: The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. - Mahatma Gandhi. Next Speakers: September 20 - John Charbonneau, Reverse Mortgages. Septermber 27 - Krystal Brennan, Stream of Dreams Murals Society. October 4 - Raymond Greenwood, Mr. Fireworks. |
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September 6 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 16 members present as well as one guest, Jane Mitchell, a guest of Sheila Anderson and 2 visiting Rotarians from the Cambie club, Branden Yu and Kwahgo Son. Rotary Moment: Today Ron Suzuki presented the RM. These are his words: "My only regrets in retirement is my day to day contact with our youth.The first Interact Club for Senior Secondary Students was established by the Rotary Club of Melbourne Florida in the late 60s! The term Interact is derived from inter for international and act for action. Today there are over 15,875 Interact Clubs with more than 151,000 members in 88 countries. A major goal of Interact is to provide opportunities for young people to create greater understanding and goodwill with youth throughout the world. As a member of the Project Amigo Committee I will be meeting with our King George Secondary Interact Program about their engagement in this International Project!" Announcements:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/day-of-the-dead-party-for-project-amigo-tickets-36905247589
Meeting: Our guest speaker today was Bob Blacker, Past District Governor and Rotarian for the past 20 years. Bob is a Paul Harris Fellow and member of the District 5040 Paul Harris Society. Bob was born in Australia, moved to Canada in 1971. That same year Bob joined the New Westminster Police Department and retired from the department in 2000 with the rank of Inspector. Today he talked about the "Write to Read" program. Write to Read is a volunteer effort on the part of many individuals who have contributed their time and effort to create a library system for remote First Nations communities in BC. The Write to Read Project delivers books, libraries, computers, tablets & high speed Internet connections to remote First Nation communities in BC. In 1998, Bob became an Honorary Aide de Camp (HADC) to the Lt. Governor of British Columbia. In 2007 His Honour, Steven Point, and Bob started to work together to get books into isolated First Nations Communities in British Columbia. In 2012, after his term as Lt. Governor, HH Steven Point returned to the Bench as a Provincial Court Judge. As a result, Bob carried on as the Project Leader. Both men never dreamt that WRITE TO READ would be as successful as it is today. Learn more about this project on their website: https://www.writetoreadbc.com/  Thought of the day: Education Is Not the Learning of Facts but the Training of the Mind to Think - Albert Einstein Next Speakers: September 13 - Business Meeting. September 20 - John Charbonneau, Reverse Mortgages. Septermber 27 - Krystal Brennan, Stream of Dreams Murals Society
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August 30 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 15 members present as well as two guests, Emma Dyer, Abigail Turner's daughter and her friend Piper McIntire. Rotary Moment: Today we learned about the power of Facebook as a tool to promote Rotary and our projects. To give you an idea of the reach that Facebook has, here are some impressive stats: It took 38 years for radio to reach 40 million listeners and television 12 years to reach that many viewers, but it took Facebook only nine months to register 100 million users. That’s right -- one hundred million users in nine months. Today Facebook has over 2 billion users! Our club's Facebook page has close to 3,500 "fans". These are people who want to receive our content as it gets posted in our page. Announcements:
Meeting: Our guest speaker today was Tom Smith. He is a member of the Tsawwassen Rotary Club since 2002, and past member of the Vancouver Rotary Club. Tom is a Past President of his club and former Assistant Governor. Currently he is the District Membership Chair and Paul Harris Society District Chair. He is the Social Chair in his own club. And recently appointed to the TRF Canada committee for helping manage the government grant of $1,200,000 per year for 5 years. Tom is a curler, bridge player and a cyclist. He and his son, Steve, run a sales agency. He is married to Stephanie and also has a daughter, Wendy, who is a teacher. And last but definitely not least, a six year old grandson, Noah and a two year old granddaughter, Amelia.
His presentation was on the crucial topic of Rotary membership. he provided our members with several very innovative ways of attracting and retaining members.
Thought of the day: "If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman." - Margaret Thatcher Next Speakers: September 6 - Bob Blacker, Education and Literacy. September 13 - Business Meeting. September 20 - John Charbonneau, Reverse Mortgages. |
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August 23 2017
4 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 14 members present as well as one visiting Rotarian, Mike Carter from the US. Rotary Moment: Today we learned about how one club in Philadelphia has created different types of membership to cater to members on different life stages and carreers. The Rotary Club of Philadelphia offers different levels of membership, including full, a la carte with "pay as you go" lunches, and a Happy Hour Club. The Happy Hour Club meets once a month for a happy hour meeting and once a month for a service project during the day. Announcements:
Meeting: Our guest speaker today was Paola Murillo, founder of Latincouver. In 2008 Paola Murillo and a group of friends felt there was a need for Latinos to feel more welcome in our City. A Latin plaza was in the works. The name “Latincouver” just sounded right, the perfect mix between Latinos and Vancouver. We were welcomed within the Latin American communities in 2009 with a huge launch Party. Latincouver ”The Virtual Plaza in BC” was officially born. We presented our 1st Carnaval del Sol in Vancouver at the Hellenic Community. They currently run 5 programs:
The Carnaval del Sol had 120K visitors this summer. Latincouver received the proclamation for the “Latin American Week” from the Province of B.C. and work along with the City of Vancouver to promote a multicultural scene. Read more about this organization on their website: http://www.latincouver.ca/ Thought of the day: "Roots are not in landscape or a country, or a people, they are inside you." - Isabel Allende Next Speakers: August 30 - Tom Smith, District Membership Chair. September 6 - Bob Blacker, Education and Literacy. Septermber 13 - Business Meeting. |
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August 16 20174 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 12 members present as well as 2 guests, Natalia Lysova and Bill Archer. Rotary Moment: Today we learned how Rotary International is governed: Rotary International is governed by a board of directors composed of the international president, the president-elect, the general secretary, and 17 zone directors. The chief operating officer of RI is the general secretary, who heads a staff of about 600 people working at the international headquarters in Evanston and in seven international offices around the world. Announcements:
Meeting: Our guest speaker today was Bob de Wit, from the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association. The topic of his presentation was "Hot-button issues in the residential construction industry". Some of the points of view he shared were:
To learn more about what the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association does please visit: http://www.gvhba.org/ Thought of the day: "There are only two things we should fight for. One is the defense of our homes and the other is the Bill of Rights." - Smedley Butler Next Speakers: August 23 - Paola Murillo, Latincouver. August 30 - Tom Smith, District Membership Chair. Important Links: Set up your Rotary Foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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August 9 2017
4 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 17 members present. Rotary Moment:
The topic today was led by Gary and the subject was the Hoop-a- Thon for 2017. Our Goal- We are shooting to make a difference for kids on and off of the court. Our goal this year was $22,000. Our achievement was $23,162. We received a Rotary grant of $2,333. Chris Gaillus had pledges of $302 for each basket, which took in $3,322. Rotary Club of Vancouver donated $1,000 from their foundation. The Yaletown club donated $450. $11,581 went to scholarships and bursaries and $11,581 went to the Basketball programs for equipment, coaches, and camps. Next year’s goal is $25,000. Congratulations to Gary and his team. Announcements:
Meeting: We had a business meeting today. FINANCIALS- John is accumulating all info needed to reapply for the gaming grant. (Deadline is Nov. 30). For each speaker coming to our club, we will send a donation of $10.00 to the polio fund as a thank you. MEMBERSHIP- Each member had committed recently to try to bring at least one guest a year to our meetings ( as potential members). Also we should try to pass out the Welcome to Rotary brochures to as many people as possible. DIVERSITY- Our goal is to increase gender, professional and ethnic members. ENGAGEMENT- Seven people have volunteering to be monthly Rotary Moment presenters.We have four more openings for the year. On our Attendance Sheet, we should now enter the amount of time each week that was spent volunteering for Rotary, next to your name. YOUTH- Please read the outcomes sought and measures on our Strategic Plan for Next Speakers: August 16 - Bob de Wit, Building Codes and Affordable Housing. August 23 - Paola Murillo, Latincouver. Important Links: Set up your Rotary Foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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August 2 2017
4 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 16 members present, as well as Natalia Lysova, who will be a member soon! Rotary Moment: Gary Chomyn shared the final numbers for the Hoopathon:
Announcements:
Meeting: Our guest speakers today were Doreen Drysdale and Sheila Polard, from the Life Saving Society. The Lifesaving Society (formerly the Royal Lifesaving Society) is a not-for-profit organization whose mandate is to reduce water-related death and injury. The Society has been educating the public and training lifesavers and lifeguards in B.C. since 1911 Promoting lifesaving and lifeguarding programs, and improving aquatic safety through youth education are just two ways the Lifesaving Society is able to serve the public. The Junior Lifeguard Club creates a focus for children aged seven years and up, preparing swimmers with valuable lifesaving skills. The Canadian Swim Patrol and Bronze Star are programs specifically designed for young swimmers. Find out more by visiting their website: http://www.lifesaving.bc.ca/ Pics from our meeting today:  Next Speakers: August 9 - Business meeting. August 16 - Bob de Wit, Building Codes and Affordable Housing. August 23 - Paola Murillo, Latincouver. Important Links: Set up your Rotary Foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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July 26 2017
4 Way Test: Alfredo led the group in the Four Way Test. Today we had 19 members present, as well as our Assistant DG, Parvinder Grewal, our speaker Yahaira Moran and her companion, Meriely Arias, Director of Publicity and Promotions, Venezuelan Canadian Society of BC
Rotary Moment: Our Rotary Moment was presented by Assistant DG, Parvinder Grewal. She paid tremendous compliments to our club, for our camaraderie, enthusiasm and the fact that everyone participates personally. This is Parvinder’s last year in her term as Assistant DG. She focused on the new District Governor, Don Evans. Don is a strategic planner. He suggests that we visit the Rotaract and Interact clubs in our area at least once a quarter. Also very important is that the Website is always kept up to date. We should make sure that we occasionally attend a hands-on visit to local projects. The Squamish club has opened a bank account for donations to help those affected by the BC Fires. And we must work out a system for recording volunteer hours for all members. Announcements:
Sargent at Arms: Due to time restraints, please remember your Happy Events from this week and let us know next week what they were. Meeting: Cleo introduced our speaker today, Yahaira Moran.Topic “We speak Spanish here” How to keep a second language. Yahaira is from Venezuela and after staying in Texas for several years, came to Vancouver in 2013. The objectives of this program are: 1. To Motivate the use of Spanish and increase vocabulary. 2.Teach about other Spanish speaking Countries and their cultures. 3.Workshops about resources in our community. For more info, google www.vcsbc.ca , the website for Supporting the Venezuelan Community in BC. Sheila thanked the speaker in Spanish. Pics from our meeting today:   Next Speakers: Doreen Drysdale Life Saving Society Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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July 19 2017
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July 12 2017
4 Way Test: The meeting was led by stand-in Ron Suzuki, who also coached us through the Four Way Test. We had 12 members present as well as guest Scott McCormac, son of Ted, Natalia Lysova, second visit as a potential member, Gloria Staudt, from New Westminister morning club and guest speaker, Saad Karim. Rotary Moment: Cleo started a three chapter history of the Four Way Test. In the 1930’s, The Club Aluminum Products and its 250 employees were bankrupt. Herbert J Taylor decided that the company had to change its ethical philosophy to reflect high ethics and morals that God would have waned in business. In the 1940s, Taylor was a director of Rotary International.He offered it to Rotary and it was accepted. It has never changed and was copyrighted in 1954 Announcements:
Sargent at arms: Cleo took over the collection of donations to the Polio Fund. Meeting - Gloria Staudt introduced our speaker, Saad Karim. Saad Karim from North Vancouver was sponsored by District 5040 as a Rotary PeaceFellow. On August 30, 2012, Saad graduated from the three-month peace program at Chulalongkorn University Bangkok. Saad has worked for the past ten years with a variety of humanitarian programs in Africa, most recently in Darfur, Sudan. He has accepted a new job working in Liberia. If your club is interested in nominating someone from your community to attend Rotary’s three-month peace program or one of the two-year graduate university programs please contact the District 5040 Peace Center Committee Chair Gloria Tom Wing For more information on the Rotary Peace Centers visit www.Rotary.org/RotaryCenters Saad Karim was selected by his fellow students as one of the two class spokesmen at their graduation. This is the graduation presentation speech can be found by googling “Saad Karim- Rotary Peace Fellow Vancouver, BC” Thank you to the speaker by Francis Kototyluk Pics from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you will start having positive results. Willie Nelson Next Speakers: Spencer Sproule-Topic LNG Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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July 5th 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 17 members present. We also had Natalia Lysova from Russia, who is currently looking to join a club.
Rotary Moment: Cleo told us some very interesting facts about how Rotary started in Latin America. The firs club was in Cuba in 1916, the second one in Uruguay in 1918. Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had our first business meeting in this Rotary year. President Alfredo led the meeting and we reviewed our plans and budgets for the year. Pics from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we've been waiting for. We are the change that we seek. Barack Obama Next Speakers: There will be no meeting on Wednesday, June 28. Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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June 21 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 17 members present. Tania Belsito was our guest.
Rotary Moment: Today we skipped the Rotary moment so we could have more time for the Canada 150 presentation. Announcements:
Meeting - Today Larry Belsito put together a very fun presentation about Canada's 150th birthday. The presentation included videos and quizzes. The winners of the quizzes on Wednesday were: Ted was the winner of the best dressed in red and white- One lotto Max ticket Diana was the winner of the Canadian Inventions with 11 correct answers One Lotto Max ticket Cam was the winner of the Multiple choices with 9 correct answers 3 Gold Rush Scratchit tickets Cleo was second with 8 correct answers 2 Gold Rush scratchit tickets There was a tie for third place with 7 correct answers One Gold rush ticket each Michael, Carlos and Ted These are some Canadian inventions:
These are the videos we watched: Pics from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: The beauty of the trees, the softness of the air, the fragrance of the grass, speaks to me. The summit of the mountain, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the sea, speaks to me. The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dew drop on the flower, speaks to me. The strength of fire, the taste of salmon, the trail of the sun, And the life that never goes away, They speak to me. And my heart soars Chief Dan George Next Speakers: There will be no meeting on Wednesday, June 28. Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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June 14 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 12 members present. We had 2 visiting Rotarians, Blair Trenholme from the Vancouver club and John Robertson visiting from California.
Rotary Moment: Our Rotary moment today was to point out how Mateo Carrete, Alfredo's son, actually scored 10 hoops in the Hoppathon. He is only 5 years old, but he actually practiced for weeks leading up to the event. A true Rotarian in the making! Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had a business meeting to discuss our club's plans, budgets, and other fun things. Pics from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” Helen Keller. Next Speakers: June 21 - Larry Belsito - Canada's 150th Birthday There will be no meeting on Wednesday, June 28. Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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June 7 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 13 members present. We had a visiting Rotarian from Romania, Dr. Cristian Falup-Pecurariu who is in town attending a congress about Parkinson's disease research. We also hosted the Interact Club of King George school.
Rotary Moment:
Larry Belsito told us some very interesting stats about Rotary in Canada:
Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speakers were the RYLA attendees that our club sponsored. These are some highlights of their presentation:
Pics from our meeting today:    Thought of the day: "Youth is the gift of nature, but age is a work of art." - Stanislaw Jerzy Next Speakers: June 14 - Business Meeting June 21 - Larry Belsito - Canada's 150th Birthday Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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May 31 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present. Our only guest was our speaker Bryan Yu who is the Deputy Chief Economist for Central 1 credit union.
Rotary Moment:
Sheila Anderson is doing the Rotary Moment this month. Today she read from Rotary Canada some of 20 things to know about Rotary. Among things he read were – 4 R.I. Presidents were from Canada, Winnipeg was the first club outside the U.S.A., and the R.I. Convention has been held in Canada 7 times and it is scheduled for Toronto next year. Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was Bryan Yu, from Central 1 Credit Union. His presentation was titled "Economic and Housing Outlook for Canada". His presentation was filled with very well researched and useful data. These are some highlights:
Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: You can make positive deposits in your own economy every day by reading and listening to powerful, positive, life-changing content and by associating with encouraging and hope-building people. Zig Ziglar Next 3 Speakers: June 7 - RYLA June 14 - Business Meeting June 21 - Larry Belsito - Canada's 150th Birthday Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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May 24 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as one guest, Anicia Miles.
Rotary Moment: Sheila Anderson is doing the Rotary Moment this month. Today she told us a story about a young woman's journey with Rotary. Sylvia Barton is our District’s first participant in the New Generations Exchange Program and this is the story of the journey she has embarked on with Rotary. Sylvie as she is known by those close to her, is a 3rd year student at SFU majoring in criminology with a minor in First Nations Studies. You can read her article here: http://rotary5040.org/Stories/a-young-woman%E2%80%99s-journey-with-rotary Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was John Haley, who showed us a slideshow of his trip to Africa. Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: “Traveling—it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” Ibn Battuta, The Travels of Ibn Battutah Next 2 Speakers: May 31 - Brian Yu - Senior Economist - BC Central One June 7 - RYLA Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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May 17 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as 2 guests, Nic Davies and visiting Rotarian Gina Neumann from the Cranbrook club.
Rotary Moment: Sheila Anderson is doing the Rotary Moment this month. Today she gave us a quiz about Rotary history:
Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speakers were Maria Poe and Lianne Stooshnoff from Mosaic BC. They spoke about the Work BC employment services centre. MOSAIC is a registered charity serving immigrant, newcomer and refugee communities in Greater Vancouver for the past 40 years. Supported by a board of directors, the organization manages a $20 million plus budget annually with more than 300 staff, 450 volunteers and 300 contractors. MOSAIC administers WorkBC Employment Services Centres in Vancouver Northeast of the BC Provincial Government. WorkBC is the provincial government's access point to the world of work in British Columbia. It was created with one key goal – to help all British Columbians to successfully navigate B.C.’s labour market. WorkBC helps people find jobs, explore career options and improve their skills. We also help employers fill jobs, find the right talent and grow their businesses. Other people who regularly use WorkBC products and services include parents, teachers, career and employment counsellors, human resources professionals, researchers and decision-makers. Visit their website for more information: https://www.mosaicbc.org/services/employment/ Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: Care is a state in which something does matter; it is the source of human tenderness. Rollo May Next 2 Speakers: May 24 - John Haley - My African Vacation May 31 - Brian Yu - Senior Economist - BC Central One Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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May 10 2107
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as 1 guest, Glenn Wilson.
Rotary Moment: Sheila Anderson is doing the Rotary Moment this month. Today she told us about the Rotary International convention for 1018, which will be in Toronto from June 23-27 2018. Check out the official website: http://www.rotary2018.org/ Sam Owori is selected to be 2018-19 Rotary president. The 2016-17 Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International has unanimously nominated Samuel Frobisher Owori, of the Rotary Club of Kampala, Uganda, to be the president of Rotary International in 2018-19. Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had a business meeting. These meetings take place after the monthly board meetings. In these meetings, we discuss our club's operation as well as our ongoing and future projects. Last week, our guest speaker was our member Tina Parbhakar. The title of her presentation was "Child and Youth law in Uganda" and this is the recap of her presentation: Tina spoke to the club about her experiences in Uganda with children's rights and the law. In particular, she described her six month internship through the Canadian Bar Association on a project called Supporting Access to Justice for Children and Youth in East Africa. She worked within the Ugandan Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs and described, for example, a monitoring visit to a remand centre that holds children who have come into conflict with the law and a media tour of Justice Centres Uganda, an innovative effort to ensure citizens outside of the most urban areas of Uganda have access to free legal services and advice. Tina will continue this presentation with specific examples of the Ugandan justice system in action and concluding remarks at a meeting in August. Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: "All great achievements require time." - Maya Angelou Next 2 Speakers: May 17 - Leanne Stooshnoff / Maria Po - Mosaic/Work BC May 24 - John Haley - My African Vacation Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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May 3 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present as well as 1 guest, Glenn Wilson.
Rotary Moment: Sheila Anderson is doing the Rotary Moment this month. Today she told us that the The Rotary Foundation has received the highest possible score from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. In the most recent ratings, released on 1 September, The Rotary Foundation earned the maximum 100 points for both demonstrating strong financial health and commitment to accountability and transparency. Only 1% of charities achive this recognition. The Foundation also received its ninth straight 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. "Attaining a 4-star rating verifies that The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in your area of work," Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was our member Tina Parbhakar. The title of her presentation was "Child and Youth law in Uganda" Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: People often say that motivation doesn't last. Well, neither does bathing - that's why we recommend it daily. - Zig Ziglar Next 2 Speakers: May 10 - Business meeting May 17 - Leanne Stooshnoff / Maria Po - Mosaic/Work BC Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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April 26 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 19 members present as well as 1 guest, Liliana Marlene Esparza, a guest of Alfredo.
Rotary Moment: Tina is doing the Rotary Moment this month. She will be talking about Rotarians she has met that have had an impact in her life. She told us about meeting Jim Sparling, a RC Saanich member who is a specialist in chest / respiratory medicine and ran the VIHA chest clinic for more than 10 years before retiring in 2010. Jim has been volunteering in Uganda since 1994 on his own and in partnership with a number of Rotary Grants - created the Friends of Mengo Hospital Society. His focus is Tuberculosis. Current incidence in Canada for TB is ~5/100,000. In the 1700’s/1800’s in Europe when TB was at its worst, the incidence rate was ~35 – 40/100,000. In 1994 at a Montreal medical conference professionals were speculating the end of TB in the world by the turn of the century. Currently, in Uganda, the incidence rate is ~700/100,000 and in sub-Saharan Africa it climbs to 1000-2000/100,000 depending on the country. The game changer has been HIV. It suppresses the part of the immune system designed to resist TB. Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was Daniel Rotman. Daniel has a background in all things mind related and an interest in all things sustainable. He studied Cognitive Science and went on to complete a Masters in Conflict Resolution. The conflict he sees as the most pressing today is with our relationship to waste. He currently volunteers with SPEC as Co-Chair of the Zero Waste Committee where he is developing a waste reduction education program. He spoke about the "circular economy". A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. Looking beyond the current "take, make and dispose” extractive industrial model, the circular economy is restorative and regenerative by design. Relying on system-wide innovation, it aims to redefine products and services to design waste out, while minimising negative impacts. Underpinned by a transition to renewable energy sources, the circular model builds economic, natural and social capital. Below are links to the resources I showed during the presentation as well as additional links to resources and other areas of interest. http://www.recyclingalternative.com/ > the organization I work for, we are a local, values based waste management company that embodies the notion of keeping materials at their highest value, and innovates to create and promote opportunities to foster a circular economy https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/ > champions of the circular economy movement http://www.nzwc.ca/Pages/default.aspx > regional and national initiative helping to galvanize the zero waste movement in Canada http://www.masterrecyclervancouver.ca/ > the waste reduction education program I co-created and co-facilitate, be sure to check out the Talkin' Trash radio show for podcast style shows on a variety of topics that alumni of the program created just last year http://vancouver.ca/home-property-development/waste-wizard.aspx > search tool for where to properly dispose of all your municipal waste http://rcbc.ca/ > local not for profit organization to help make recycling easier, they have a hotline you can call to ask questions about disposal of goods as well, and feel free to direct those kinds of questions to me as well as they often don't have good answers to difficult questions http://www.bcrecycles.ca/ > website that lists all the extended producer responsibility (EPR) programs in BC and where to find depots and drop off spots for hard to recycle items, like hazardous waste http://www.spec.bc.ca/waste > lastly, a plug for the organization I volunteer with, which also founded RCBC, and the Master Recycler Program Pic from our meeting today:  Thought of the day: Andrew Carnegie — 'There is little success where there is little laughter.' Next 2 Speakers: May 3 - Tina Parbhakar - Child and Youth law in Uganda May 10 - Business meeting Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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April 19 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present as well as 2 guests, Maricarmen Obregon and visiting Rotarian: Carol Brock from Coral Galbes.
Rotary Moment: Tina is doing the Rotary Moment this month. She will be talking about Rotarians she has met that have had an impact in her life. She told us about meeting Stephen Mwanje. In 2010-11, Mwanje was governor of District 9200, which then included Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. As he was researching options to address Uganda’s lack of health care, he crossed paths with Marion Bunch, an American Rotarian who had founded Rotarians for Family Health & AIDS Prevention in 2004. Their collaboration resulted in the country’s first free health clinic, organized by Mwanje in 2011. Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had the kickoff meeting for our Hoopathon. Make sure you check out the new webpage: http://hoopathon.ca/  Thought of the day: "Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." - Mark Twain Next 2 Speakers: April 26 - Matthew Pattinson - Composting/Waste Prevention May 3 - Tina Parbhakar - Child and Youth law in Uganda Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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April 12 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 21 members present as well as 3 visiting Rotarians: Sophie Gloy, Nic Davies both of them are looking for a club to join (wink, wink) and Carol Brock from Florida. We were also happy to have ADG Davinder Grewal as our guest.
Rotary Moment: Tina is doing the Rotary Moment this month. She will be talking about Rotarians she has met that have had an impact in her life. She told us about meeting Naz Rayani has been honoured for his philanthropic efforts many times over the years, including receiving the Order of Canada. Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had our yearly hockey pool. Good luck to everyone with their teams! Pic from our meeting:  Thought of the day: 'Live long and prosper' is an abbreviated version of a traditional Jewish religious blessing. It came to a wider public in the Star Trek TV series. It was used there by the character Mr. Spock Next 2 Speakers: April 19 - Business Meeting. April 26 - Matthew Pattinson - Composting/Waste Prevention Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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April 5 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 15 members present as well as our guest speaker, Dale Albertson.
Rotary Moment: Tina is doing the Rotary Moment this month. She will be talking about Rotarians she has met that have had an impact in her life. She told us about Connie M. Deford, whom she met at a seminar. Connie a retired City Clerk of Bay City, Michigan. She was voted Michigan City Clerk of the Year and was the recipient of the prestigious Quill Award from the International Institute of Municipal Clerks, the Bay County Bar Association Liberty Bell Award, and the Michigan Municipal League Award of Merit. Currently, she serves as a Professional Registered Parliamentarian and meeting consultant. She is a Past President of both the Michigan State Association of Parliamentarians and the National Association of Parliamentarians. She serves clients throughout the United States. Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speaker today was Dale Albertson, who is an International Development Expert. He is the executive director of ACCES. the African Canadian Continuing Education Society. For more nearly 20 years, ACCES has been helping young Kenyans obtain the skills and education needed to benefit themselves and their society through: post-secondary scholarships; secondary scholarships; primary schools; health, gender and HIV/AIDS awareness; and small business and agricultural training. Please visit their website to learn more: https://acceskenya.org/ Pic from our meeting:  Thought of the day: "Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you'll start having positive results." - Willie Nelson Next 2 Speakers: April 12 - Hockey Pool led by Paul Hamilton. April 19 - Business Meeting. Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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March 29 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 17 members present as well as visiting Rotarian Peter Roundhill, from the Lions Gate Rotary Club. We also had Jamey McDonald as our guest speaker.
Rotary Moment: James Fox told us about an essay written by a Rotaractor, on this essay, the author highlights the incredible reach and capabilities of the Rotary organization. With 1.2 million members Rotary connects 1.2 million members from more than 200 countries. Interact, organized and sponsored by Rotary clubs for young adults aged 12-18. There are more than 12,300 Interact clubs in 133 countries. Rotaract: groups organized by Rotary clubs to promote leadership, professional development, and service among young adults aged 18-30. There are more than 8,000 Rotaract clubs in 167 countries. As you can see, the impact of Rotary is huge! Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speaker today was Jamey McDonald, from the New Hope Community Services Society. New Hope welcomes and supports refugee claimants and immigrants through housing, employment, and community. They own and operate a 13-unit apartment building in Surrey. It is designed to provide housing for families as they transition to healthy living in Canada The primary need for refugees is safe, secure, reasonably priced housing. New Hope offers this to all categories of refugees. Once housing has been taken care of, refugees need help to settle into their Canadian life. Included in that are such things as:
Check out their website for more information: http://newhopecs.org/ Pic from our meeting:  Thought of the day: "Love does not need vocabulary" Next 2 Speakers: April 5 - Dale Albertson Fundraising for Charities April 12 - Hockey Pool led by Paul Hamilton. Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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March 22 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as Joan Posivy from the Rotary club of Vancouver.
Rotary Moment: James Fox jumped right into his club duties by providing us with a Rotary moment today. He told us about the Guatemala literacy project. The Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP) is a partnership between Rotary International clubs and the non-profit organization Cooperative for Education (CoEd). This initiative provides badly-needed textbooks, computer labs, scholarships, literacy and training programs to underprivileged children in Guatemala. You can find more details on their website: http://www.coeduc.org/r_about.htm Announcements:
Meeting - During our meeting today we had Joan Posivy, from the Vancouver Rotary, tell us about the Global Youth Project. She founded this project in 2014 One of her favourite speaking engagements — for the last 20 years, in fact — has been at the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) camp for young adults. I see an incredible amount of talent and potential in each one of them, and more importantly, I want to be sure they see this in themselves. Check out her website here: http://globalyouthproject.org/ Pic from our meeting:  Thought of the day: "Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value." - Albert Einstein Next 2 Speakers: March 29 - Jamey McDonald Better Lives Counselling/New Hope April 5 - Dale Albertson Fundraising for Charities Important Links: Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here |
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March 8 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 18 members present as well as 3 guests, Sophie Gloy from the Rotary club of Victoria and Nic Davies who belonged to the Whistler Rotary club. Both of them have recently moved to Vancouver and are looking for a new club, wink, wink :). We also had James Fox for the last time as a guest since he was inducted today! Today being International Women's day, we asked our lady Rotarians to recite the 4-way test.
Rotary Moment: James Fox jumped right into his club duties by providing us with a Rotary moment today. He told us about a project done by Rotarians from Taipei.
In January 2014, a report titled “Child Welfare League Foundation” noted a considerable gap between urban and rural areas. The lack of resources in remote areas led to poorer performance by children, many of who were aborigines. Since these children could never catch up, roughly a quarter of them consider dropping out of elementary school. Improving basic education seemed to be extremely crucial in helping eliminate poverty in these areas.
To make the project sustainable, they support teachers specialized in this creative science approach not only to teach fourth through sixth graders, but also train the local teachers in order that they can carry on the training for future classes.
In three years, they used Rotary Foundation funds to reach 20 schools. The program continues to grow today.
Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speaker today was Philip Burgess, from the Bottom Up Foundation.
From The Bottom Up Foundation is a registered non-profit providing diaper assistance to the families of Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. Diapers are expensive—they can cost $70 to $80 or more each month. As a result, parents with limited means often try to make do without them, try to stretch their supply by leaving babies in dirty diapers longer or re-use disposable diapers. A diaper is a small thing, but can make an impact in a big way.
The need is tremendous— healthy child will require an average of 50 diaper changes a week, translating approximately 2600 diaper changes a year.
To find out more, visit their official website: https://www.bottomsupfoundation.com/
And their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fromthebottomupfoundation/
Pic from our meeting:
 Thought of the day:
"Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude." - Dale Carnegie
Next 2 Speakers:
March 15 - Business meeting
March 22 - Dominic Rubino - Van Entrepren Assn - Global Student of the Year Award
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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March 1st 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 19 members present as well as 1 guest, James Fox who will become a member next week. We all recited the 4-way test.
Rotary Moment: Cleo told us that she is currently taking a training program based on the works of Dale Carnegie. She was impressed to find that there are multiple references to Rotary in his books!
Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speaker today was our member Sheila Anderson. She told us about Project Amigo, in Mexico. This year this is our international project.
Project Amigo was born when Rotarian Ted Rose first visited the state of Colima, back in 1984, he went to hike a volcano. But, instead, he took the wrong bus and found himself in a little poverty-stricken village.
That mistake, and a few other fortuitous events, led to his decision a couple of years later to trade his comfortable life as the owner of an office machine company for a life surrounded by wonderful, and very poor, children who appeared to need a helping hand if they were ever to break out of poverty.
To achieve their goal, the project aims to remove the financial barriers to education through scholarships that include school fees, transportation, uniforms and school supplies, and a hot lunch.
To date, there are over 60 university graduates from the project.
To find out more, visit their official website: http://www.projectamigo.org/
Pic from our meeting:
 Thought of the day:
"When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but creatures of emotion." - Dale Carnegie
Next 2 Speakers:
March 8 - Philip Burgess - Bottoms Up Foundation
March 15 - Business meeting
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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February 15 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 15 members present as well as 2 visiting Rotarians from Brazil: Monica Wagner and Daladiana Lima. Both of them are here in Vancouver for a few months to learn English. We all recited the 4-way test.
Rotary Moment: Frances presented part III of the "Women in Rotary" topic. She told us about the "Inner Wheel Club" which is an international organisation closely linked to Rotary that was founded in 1924 by Margarette Golding, a nurse, business woman and the wife of a Manchester Rotarian, to unite wives and daughters of Rotarians.
Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had our Valentines day auction. Some great items were donated and our club raised funds for our operation.
Pic from our meeting:
   Thought of the day:
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt." - Charles M. Schulz
Next 2 Speakers:
Feb 22 - King George Interact Club
March 1 - To be confirmed
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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February 8 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as 2 guests, James Fox, District chair of RYLA south and son of Peter Fox, and Brian Martin from the West Vancouver Sunrise club. We all recited the 4-way test.
Rotary Moment: Frances presented part II of the "Women in Rotary" topic. She told us how Rotary clubs in Sri Lanks and India wanted to include women as member. And this was 40 years before the US clubs finally allowed women as members.
Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was Nate Toevs from the Neil Squire Society.
The Neil Squire Society is a Canadian national not-for-profit organization that empowers Canadians with disabilities through advocacy, computer-based assistive technology, research and development, and various employment programs. It has five locations across Canada.
The Neil Squire Society began as a result of Bill Cameron's efforts with his relative Neil Squire. When Neil was paralyzed from the neck down in a car accident in 1980, Bill created a “sip-and-puff” machine to allow Neil to communicate using Morse code.
Check out their website for more information: https://www.neilsquire.ca/
Pic from our meeting:
 Thought of the day:
"If you fell down yesterday, stand up today." - H. G. Wells
Next 2 Speakers:
Feb 15 - Business Meeting
Feb 22 - King George Interact Club
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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February 1st 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present as well as one guest, James Fox, District chair of RYLA south and son of Peter Fox. We all recited the 4-way test.
Rotary Moment: Frances will be doing The Rotary moment this month. Today she reminded us that women have only been allowed in Rotary for the past 30 years. It was not an easy transition from being a men-only organization. Clubs from Canada and California played a key role in this change.
Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was James Fox, chair of RYLA south.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary’s leadership training and personal development program for young people. Youth leaders from across the province are sponsored by a participating Rotary club to attend a RYLA camp as an “award” for their demonstrated leadership and service to their community.
RYLA South is for grade 10-12 students looking for an intensive leadership and personal development training program. RYLA South’s goal is to provide participants with the skills they need to navigate their way through the challenges teens encounter in their formative years.
The 4-day camp consists of interactive workshops, teambuilding exercises, presentations from professional speakers, hands on service projects and many other fun activities. Our club is sponsoring 8 attendees this year, 6 from King George and 2 from Strathcona.
Pic from our meeting:
 Next 3 Speakers:
Feb 8 - Nate Toevs - Neil Squire Soc - Emp Outreach
Feb 15 - Business Meeting
Feb 22 - King George Interact Club
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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January 25 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present as well as 2 visiting Rotarians: Ehud Falkovitz from Israel and Karin Egedekaderkova from Denmark. We all recited the Four Way Test. We had 20 members in attendance and no guests today.
Rotary Moment: The Rotary moment today was to celebrate Lawrence Bicknell who today received his Paul Harris plus 3 medal, congratulations!
 Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had our Annual Robbie Burns party, with haggis and scotch!
  Next 2 Speakers:
Feb 1 - Jason Bowman - BC Ferries
Feb 8 - Nate Toevs - Neil Squire Soc - Emp Outreach
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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January 18th 2017
Today we celebrated our clubs 30th anniversary. We had a full house with many former members in attendance as well as guests such as: Davinder Grewal, our ADG. Ana Fernandez our financial guru, David Pasin from the West End community centre association. John Bathurst president of the Rotary club of Vancouver, our sponsor. Lokton Au, president of the King George Interact and many other guests.
Since today we had a party, there is not a whole lot to report other than sharing some pics from the event:
You can see all the pictures in this album: https://goo.gl/ka80IU
The thought of the Day:
Rotary vision: Observance of the Golden Rule of service — Real Happiness Is Helping Others “The search for individual joy, satisfaction, and happiness is universal, and I strongly believe it is a goal that can best be fulfilled by helping others....Some of the most rewarding moments in our lives occur when we are helping, serving, and caring for others.” — A Chat with President Cliff, THE ROTARIAN, August 1992 Next 2 Speakers:
Jan 25 - Robbie Burns Day
Feb 1 - Jason Bowman - BC Ferries
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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January 11 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, we all recited the Four Way Test. We had 20 members in attendance and no guests today.
Rotary Moment: The Rotary moment today was about our guiding principles:
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideals of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster the following:
FIRST. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
SECOND. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; THIRD. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business, and community life; FOURTH. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service. Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had our Annual General Meeting.
The thought of the Day:
“If we train our youth properly, we need not have any fear as to the future of the world.” — Inaugural Address, 1949 Rotary Convention, New York, New York, USA
Pic from our meeting:
 Next 2 Speakers:
18 - Jan - Club's 30th Anniversary
25 Jan - Robbie Burns Day
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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January 4 2017
At this Wednesday's meeting, Frances led us in the Four Way Test. We had 14 members in attendance and no guests today.
Rotary Moment: The Rotary moment today was a reminder about the importance of membership.
Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was Ron Suzuki giving us his classification talk.
These are some of the highlights of his presentation about his fascinating and inspiring life:
The thought of the Day:
“Man has affinity for his fellowman, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the
greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.” — A Road I Have Travelled, THE ROTARIAN, February 1934 Pic from our meeting:
 Next 2 Speakers:
11 - Jan - Business meeting
18 - Jan - Club's 30th Anniversary
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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December 21st 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, Cleo led us in the Four Way Test. We had 12 members in attendance, Rotarian Gordon Cormack from Calgary and our guest speaker, Nick Parker.
Rotary Moment: “Rotary is Fellowship. Real Fellowship is frank, spontaneous, full of warmth, and if
you want to gauge its depth you will find that it is the difference between “Mister” and “Bill” — “Reverend” and “Jack.” — Call Him “Bill,” THE ROTARIAN, May 1915 Announcements:
Meeting - Today our guest speaker was Rev. Nick Parker. He is currently the rector of St. Stephen's in West Vancouver. A former Canadian Naval Officer, he attended Royal Military College, Trent University, and Wycliffe College, University of Toronto.
Nick is a keen sailor, cyclist and boat builder with a love of the outdoors. His musical claim to fame is that he was once introduced by his Cathedral Organist as playing the bagpipes and the banjo. He spoke about the global network of Mission to Seafarers centres (www.missiontoseafarers.org). These places offer a warm and hospitable “home away from home,” for those who visit the worlds ports. Vancouver and Roberts Bank are no exception, as the Chaplains, Staff and Volunteers offer their best to ensure that the needs of the seafarers are met.
The thought of the Day:
"This is my wish for you: peace of mind, prosperity through the year, happiness that multiplies, health for you and yours, fun around every corner, energy to chase your dreams, joy to fill your holidays!"
D.M. Dellinger
Pic from our meeting:
 Next 2 Speakers:
4- Jan - Ron Suzuki Classification Talk
11 - Jan - Business meeting
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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December 14 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, Cleo led us in the Four Way Test. We had no speaker today, no visitors today AND only 9 members today. We have a speaker next week, so it would be good if we had better attendance for that meeting on Dec.21. NOTE- There is no meeting planned for Dec 28.
Rotary Moment: “Man has affinity for his fellow man, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.”
— A Road I Have Travelled, THE ROTARIAN, February 1934— Announcements:
Meeting - Today was a Club Meeting.
Financials for the year 2015 -2016 were presented by Peter Fox. Rather than summarize it here, Peter will make sure that a copy is sent to all members of our club. Our President then reviewed that progression of our Action Plans for the remainder of the year. Again, Cleo will ensure that each member will receive a copy of the latest update (December 13, 2016) on the email. The board mentioned that the EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) donation of 100 dollars US needed to be reviewed. If you are not sure how to arrange monthly, quarterly or annual payments, check with Peter or Sheila. Remember that we have a very special meeting on January 18 to celebrate our 30th anniversary of our inception into Rotary. We will be inviting as many of our past members as will be able to come to that meeting, to join us in our celebration.
MEMBERSHIP- A while back, we all received a request from the membership committee (Vic) to list a few names of people who would be potential members for the future. Only a small number were turned in to Vic. Please try to get these in to Vic. If you need a copy of the memo, please let him know. The thought of the Day:
“Man has affinity for his fellow man, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.”
— A Road I Have Travelled, THE ROTARIAN, February 1934— Next 2 Speakers:
21-Dec - Nick Parker "The holiday season"
4- Jan - Ron Suzuki Classification Talk
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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December 7 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 15 members present. We had three guests, Alan Reynolds, who is a charter member of our club and Anthony Kupferschmidt, who is the Executive Director of the West End Seniors Network and our guest speaker Jordan Bateman, from the Canadian Taxpayer Federation. The 4-way test was read by all members in perfect sync ;)
Rotary Moment: Matthew Lynam will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he told us about a program called Smile, from Amazon. With this program, you choose a charity of your choice, such as the Rotary Foundation, and Amazon will donate a portion of your purchases to that charity. For more details visit: https://smile.amazon.com/
Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speakers today was Jordan Bateman, from the BC chapter of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. This is a citizens advocacy group dedicated to lower taxes, less waste and accountable government. They are a federally incorporated, non-profit organization that has 30,156 donors across the country and is governed by a five-person board of directors.
He spoke about the Teddy Awards. The "Teddies" are awarded to government entities and politicians wasteful spending or high taxes. Founded in 1999, The Teddies are named after Ted Weatherill, a former Chairman of the Canada Labour Relations Board who was terminated in 1998 for expenses incompatible with his position. The expenses included $150,000 in meals over eight years and over $700 for a lunch in Paris.
This year the Federal Government Teddy went to Canada’s delegation to the 2014 conference numbered 69 people – but the new Trudeau government quadrupled that figure to 283 for the 2015 event. The total bill for taxpayers has yet to be tallied, but the costs from one Ministerial office alone ran to $282,000.
The Provincial Government Teddy went to Prince Edward Island’s Department of Tourism and Culture. They printed 180,000 copies of their 2015 tourism guide. The cover features a man and a woman relaxing on a sandy PEI beach, with the woman reading a book and the man in shorts laying back and relaxing. Unfortunately, the department clearly failed to notice a significant “bulge” in his shorts that appears to be an erection.
The Municipal Teddy went to The City of Calgary spent an extra $246,000 on a project to embed LED lights on its new Forest Lawn Lift Station that change colour depending on how fast the station is pumping waste water.
The positive side of all of these awards is that they are almost never any repeat winners. Which would indicate that the wasteful entities actually change their ways after "winning" one of these awards.
Pics from the meeting:
 The thought of the Day:
The best things in life are tax-free.
Anonymous
Next 3 Speakers:
14-Dec - Business Meeting
21-Dec - Nick Parker "The holiday season"
4- Jan - Ron Suzuki Classification Talk
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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November 30 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 14 members present and our guest speakers: Craig and William Veroni and Shelina Dilgir.
The 4-way test was read by all members in perfect sync ;)
Rotary Moment: Ron Suzuki will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he told us the story of the Rotary wheel logo: The first design was made in 1905 by Chicago Rotarian Montague Bear, an engraver who drew a simple wagon wheel, with a few lines to show dust and motion. The wheel was said to illustrate "Civilization and Movement."
Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speakers today talked about Type 1 diabetes and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). For over 40 years, JDRF has been a global leader in the search for an end to type 1 diabetes (T1D), through both research funding and advocacy.
Type 1 diabetes is a disease in which the pancreas does not produce any insulin. Insulin is a hormone that helps your body to control the level of glucose (sugar) in your blood. Without insulin, glucose builds up in your blood instead of being used for energy. Your body produces glucose and also gets glucose from foods like bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk and fruit.
The cause of type 1 diabetes remains unknown. It is not caused by eating too much sugar, and is not preventable. The current thought is that type 1 diabetes occurs when the body’s immune system destroys the cells that make insulin. People with T1D have to test their blood sugar level up to 10 times a day, including nighttime. Families of children diagnosed with T1D receive support and guidance through JDRF.
Please check out their website for more details: http://www.jdrf.ca/
Pics from the meeting:
 Thought of the Day:
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free
Frederic Douglass
Next 3 Speakers:
7-Dec - Jordan Bateman "Canadian Taxpayers Federation"
14-Dec - Business Meeting
21-Dec - Nick Parker "The holiday season".
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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November 23 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 13 members present and our 2 guest speakers: Manion Broadbent and Sally Boschung.
The 4-way test was read by John Haley.
Rotary Moment: Ron Suzuki will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he told us the names of some celebrities who actively support and endorse Rotary:
Announcements:
Meeting - Our guest speakers today gave us a very interesting presentation about New Zealand's balanced literacy approach.
Pics from the meeting:
 Thought of the Day:
Once you learn to read, you will be forever free
Frederic Douglass
Next 3 Speakers:
30-Nov - Mystery Speaker "Type 1 Diabetes"
7-Dec - Jordan Bateman "Canadian Taxpayers Federation"
14-Dec - Business Meeting
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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November 16 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 15 members present and 1 visiting Rotarian, Terry Miller from the Vancouver Rotary.
The 4-way test was read by Carlos.
Rotary Moment: Ron Suzuki will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he touched on a few interesting facts about RYLA:
Announcements:
Meeting - Today we had a business meeting to discuss, plan and set goals for our club's future.
Pics from the meeting:
 Thought of the Day:
Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. ~Author unknown
Next 3 Speakers:
23-Nov - Marion Broadbent "New Zealand School Exchange"
30-Nov - Mystery Speaker "Type 1 Diabetes"
7-Dec - Jordan Bateman "Canadian Taxpayers Federation"
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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November 9th 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 15 members present, 1 visiting Rotarian, Brian Kerr who was also our guest speaker. And 5 guests from the Strathcona community centre who visited us to receive the cheque for the funds raised in the Hoopathon: Sally Chang, Mitra Tan, Christina Hong, Harvey Eng and Stephanie Chow.
The 4-way test was read by all.
Rotary Moment: Ron Suzuki will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he had a couple of quiz questions about the Hoopathon:
Announcements:
Today we presented the Strathcona community centre with a cheque with the funds raised in this years Hoopathon:
 Meeting - Our guest Speaker today was Brian J Kerr. He joined Rotary in 2005 and is currently a member of the West Vancouver Sunrise club, where he was president in 2011.
His presentation was on Canada's achievements during the Great War. Canada's sacrifices and contributions to the Great War changed its history and enabled it to become more independent, while opening a deep rift between the French and English speaking populations.
For the first time in Canadian military history, Canadian forces fought as a distinct unit, first under a British commander but ultimately under a Canadian-born commander. The highpoints of Canadian military achievement during the Great War came during the Somme, Vimy, and Passchendaele battles and what later became known as "Canada's Hundred Days".
Canada's total casualties stood at the end of the war at 67,000 killed and 250,000 wounded, out of an expeditionary force of 620,000 people mobilized (39% of mobilized were casualties).
Pics from the meeting:
 Next 3 Speakers:
16-Nov - Business Meeting
23-Nov - Marion Broadbent "New Zealand School Exchange"
30-Nov - King George Interact Club
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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November 2nd 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present as well as 3 visiting Rotarians, 2 from Dallas, Texas. Matt Michel and David Heimer. And Don Evans, our guest speaker. The 4-way test was read by John Haley.
Rotary Moment: Ron Suzuki will be doing the Rotary moment this month. Today he commented on all the good things about Rotary. Among those:
Announcements:
1) The “ Rotarian save live-CPR/AED training and certification.” Was a huge success, 8 Rotarians attended and it was a very hands on and insightful course.
Meeting - Our guest Speaker today was Don Evans, has been a Rotarian for more than 29 years. He is a Past President of the Rotary Club of Vancouver (2002-2003) and has held many different positions with the club. He is also active with District 5040 as Strategic Planning Chair, a member of the District Foundation Committee and is a PETS Trainer.
Don is also President Emeritus of the West Coast Railway Association, and has been active with the group for 40 years - it would be fair to say that railroading is one of don's passions . Don also serves on the boards of both businesses and other non profits .He was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his active community involvement and was named 2005 Business Person of the Year by the Squamish Chamber of Commerce for his work with the West Coast Railway Heritage Park.
His presentation today was to tell us about the Rotary foundation's 100 years and some of the amazing achievements it has had in this time period. The Rotary Foundation is a non-profit corporation that supports the efforts of Rotary International to achieve world understanding and peace through international humanitarian, educational, and cultural exchange programs. It is supported solely by voluntary contributions from Rotarians and friends of the Foundation who share its vision of a better world.
The Foundation was created in 1917 by Rotary International's sixth president, Arch C. Klumph, as an endowment fund for Rotary "to do good in the world." It has grown from an initial contribution of US$26.50 to more than US$1billion. It has one of the largest and most prestigious international fellowship programs in the world. Pics from the meeting:
  Thought of the Day:
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles M. Schulz
Next 3 Speakers:
9-Nov - Brian Kerr "Remembrance Day"
16-Nov - Business Meeting
23-Nov - Marion Broadbent "New Zealand School Exchange"
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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October 26 2016
At this Wednesday's meeting, we had 16 members present as well as 3 guests, the Piñon family from Spain. The 4-way test was read by all the members in perfect unison.
Rotary Moment: Peter Browne had some Rotary trivia questions for us today:
1) How long did it take for Rotary to have 1,000 clubs? A: 11 years!
2) What is the furthest distance that a Rotary banner has travelled? A: A Rotary banner was onboard the Apolo 8!
Announcements:
1) Ted is promoting the “ Rotarian save live-CPR/AED training and certification.” The session will be on October 29 near the Seabus terminal in North Vancouver. Please get in touch with Ted if you would be interested in attending.
2) Sheila gave us an update about our International project, there are multiple fund-raising ideas for the Project Amigo, she will keep us posted with the best options.
Meeting - Today we had a business meeting to discuss the goals for our club and how to achieve them. Exciting times ahead!
Pics from the meeting:
 Thought of the Day:
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles M. Schulz
Next 3 Speakers:
2-Nov - Don Evans "Foundation Month"
9-Nov - Brian Kerr "Remembrance Day"
16-Nov - Business Meeting
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
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October 19 2016
The meeting took place at the Vancouver Food Bank, where we learned about how it is run, how it helps today and the plans for the future. As our special guest, we had Hanne Hoistra, our exchange student from 5 years ago.
Rotary Moment:
Peter Browne had 3 Rotary trivia questions for us today:
1) When was the first Rotary meeting? A: February 1905
2) When was the first meeting outside of the US? A: Winnipeg!
3) When was the first meeting outside North America? A: Dublin
Announcements:
1) Ted is promoting the “ Rotarian save live-CPR/AED training and certification.” The session will be on October 29 near the Seabus terminal in North Vancouver. Please get in touch with Ted if you would be interested in attending.
2) Sheila gave us an update about our International project, there are multiple fund-raising ideas for the Project Amigo, she will keep us posted with the best options.
Meeting - Our host at the Vancouver food bank was Aart Schuurman Hess, who is also a Rotarian. He gave us a presentation and a tour of the facilities.
Some of the highlights of his presentation were:
Pics from our visit:
  Thought of the Day:
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
Charles M. Schulz
Next 3 Speakers:
26-Oct - Business Meeting
2-Nov - Don Evans "Foundation Month"
9-Nov - Brian Kerr "Remembrance Day"
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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October 12 2016
At last Wednesday's meeting, we had 18 Members one guest, Fabiola Sanchez and 2 Rotarian guests, our District Governor Lyn Stroshin and our Assistant District Governor Davinder Grewal . The 4-way test was read by Ron Suzuki.
Rotary Moment:
Peter Browne told us that at the 1917 convention, outgoing Rotary President Arch Klumph proposed to set up an endowment “for the purpose of doing good in the world.” In 1928, it was renamed The Rotary Foundation, and it became a distinct entity within Rotary International.
Announcements:
1) Ted is promoting the “ Rotarian save live-CPR/AED training and certification.” The session will be on October 29 near the Seabus terminal in North Vancouver. Please get in touch with Ted if you would be interested in attending.
2) Our meeting on October 19th will be at the Food Bank, make sure you make a note of this.
3) Lawrence asked us to express our support for the youth exchange program, we are in need of another family to host an exchange student for 2 months. We may have to partner with another club to be able to host a student. If you are able to host please get in touch with Lawrence.
4) For our club's Christmas party we are planning to have it on December 4th and this year it may be a brunch rather than a dinner. Stay tuned for more on this later!
5) Matthew Lynam was awarded a Paul Harris medal today for his huge contributions to our club, congrats!!
Meeting - Our guest speaker today was Lyn Stroshin who is the District 5040 Governor. She looks after 48 Rotary clubs. These are some of the highlights of her presentation:
Pics from our meeting:
  Thought of the Day:
Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Next 3 Speakers:
19-Oct - Meeting at the food bank.
26-Oct - Business Meeting
2-Nov - Don Evans "Foundation Month"
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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August 10 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 16 Members. Our only guest was Millie Taing who used to be with our club. The 4 Way Test was read by Gary.
Rotary Moment:
Larry Belsito told us about how the Catholic church was initially suspicious of Rotary, considering it a secret society with dubious motives. But this has changes and even Pope Francis is an honorary Rotarian with a club in Buenos Aires!
Announcements:
1) On August 27th we will have the trip to Abigail's chalet in Whistler, please make sure that you confirm with her is you will be going.
Business Meeting
Today we had a brief business meeting. Where the board reported some impressive achievements. Our club is in good hands and in good shape financially as well as in terms of membership.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Millie Taing who spoke about artificial intelligence.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence exhibited by machines. In computer science, an ideal "intelligent" machine is a flexible rational agent that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chance of success at some goal.
Millie's company is using AI for project management. AI helps process very large amounts of information, something that would be impossible for humans. The information is then processed via rules that determine what kind of decisions are made with the processed information.
For more information check out their website: http://lili.ai/
Thought of the Day:
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
Eleanor Roosevelt
Next 3 Speakers:
17-Aug Lauryn Oates Teaching young girls in Afghanistan 24-Aug Michael Alty Classification Part 2 31-Aug Tom Smith Membership
Pics:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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August 3rd 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 17 Members. We had our Assistant District Governor, Davinder Grewal, visiting us as well as our guest speaker Michael Lowry. The 4 Way Test was read by Iozsef.
Presentation by ADG Davinder Grewal
Davinder talked about the 3 focus areas for this new Rotary year:
Focus 1: Membership, we need to focus on attracting and retaining younger members. New legislation was passed to allow Rotaractors to also be Rotarians at the same time.
Focus 2: Polio. This is a high priority, the goal for each club is to raise $2,650.
Focus 3: Business networking. This will be encouraged again as this was part of the original Rotary clubs in the beginning.
Rotary Moment:
Larry Belsito told us about how recent it was the women were accepted as Rotarians. Seattle was the first club to do so in 1986! Nowadays women represent 15% of the total membership worldwide.
Announcements:
1) On August 27th we will have the trip to Abigail's chalet in Whistler, please make sure that you confirm with her is you will be going.
2) Matthew will be placing the order for the "Rotarians at Work" T-shirts, make sure you let him know if you need yours.
Guest Speaker - Ron Suzuki introduced our guest speaker today, Michael Lowry represents Western Canada Marine Response Corporation (WCMRC). It's mandate is to ensure there is a state of preparedness in place and to mitigate the impact when an oil spill occurs. This includes the protection of wildlife, economic and environmental sensitivities, and the safety of both the responders and the public.
WCMRC is a private company certified as a Response Organization by Transport Canada – Marine Safety. They work, train and exercise closely with a number of government departments including municipalities, port and harbour authorities, Canadian Coast Guard, Environment Canada, BC Ministry of Environment and Coastal First Nations.
For more information check out their website: http://wcmrc.com/
Next 3 Speakers:
10-Aug Business Mtg Milie Taing Artificial Intelligence
17-Aug Lauryn Oates Teaching young girls in Afghanistan 24-Aug Michael Alty Classification Part 2 Pics:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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July 27th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members. We had one visiting Rotarian, our guest speaker Elena Agala from the Richmond sunrise club. The 4 Way Test was read by Gary.
Rotary Moment:
Gary Chomyn asked us some trivia questions, such as Do you know how many countries in the world have Rotary clubs? The answer is over 200!!
What are the areas of focus for the Rotary Foundation? 6:
Announcements:
1) Our new district governor, Lyn Stroshin, will be visiting our club on August 3rd. Please try to attend that meeting.
2) We are going to be scanning all the club banners from Rotarians who have visited our club in the past several years. We will be creating a photo album that we will share with everyone.
3) On August 27th we will have the trip to Abigail's chalet in Whistler, please make sure that you confirm with her is you will be going.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Elena Agala, she spoke about Rotary World Help program. Elena graduated with a bachelors degree in Education, she owned her own business for 20 years and she joined Rotary in 2000.
In 1997, a group of dedicated Rotarians from the Province of British Columbia, Canada established Rotary World Help (RWH), a non-profit, registered charitable organization that coordinates the shipment of used and donated educational, humanitarian and medical supplies to countries in need throughout the world. Elena is past director of RWH.
Some of the highlights of her presentation were:
Pics:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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July 20th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members. As well as 1 guest, Mariella Begemann. Lawrence presided the meeting as Cleo is out of town. The 4 Way Test was read in fluent Spanish by Sheila Anderson.
Rotary Moment:
Gary Chomyn asked us some trivia questions, such as Do you know how many Rotary clubs there are worldwide? The answer is 35,000!!
Also, did you know that Buzz Aldrin the astronaut actually put a 4 way test pin on the moon?
Announcements:
1) Our new district governor, Lyn Stroshin, will be visiting our club on August 3rd. Please try to attend that meeting.
2) Ted MacCormac told us the the guest speakers roster is fully booked until December.
3) On August 27th we will have the trip to Abigail's chalet in Whistler, please make sure that you confirm with her is you will be going.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Kathy Nyoni, from the North Shore Disability Resource Centre. They run a program called STAGE, which stands for Supportive Transition Adult Group Education.
The program is is a weekday service for transitioning adults with disabilities who have completed high school. Participants can access educational, vocational and social recreational activities in the community or at the program site.
STAGE offers a varied schedule based on the goals of the participants:
-Functional academics (Smart Readers, Math 2 Go, Money Skills )
-Skill development (bus skills, office skills, basic computer skills) -Work skill training through community volunteering -Employment exploration through Informational interviews and tours with local businesses and services Some of the highlights of her presentation were:
Thought of the Day:
There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.
R. Buckminster Fuller
Pics:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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july 13th 2016 MeetingAt Wednesday’s meeting, our newest member, Peter Browne reactivated the position of official Greeter for the month of July. Sheila stood in as acting president for this meeting. The Four Way test carried out by Peter Fox. Sixteen members were present today. Rotary Moment:
Gary had a quiz prepared about Rotary.
1. Our new International President- Answer- John Germ 2. Where is he from- Answer Chattanooga, Tennessee 3. The theme for 2016-2017- Answer-Rotary Serving Humanity 4. Who old is Rotary Foundation- Answer- 100 years 5. What was the first donation to Foundation- Answer- $26.50 made by the Rotary Club of Kansas City 6. How cases of polio last year. Answer -74 cases A second Rotary moment from Bill was the launching of a sail-boat sponsored by our club for handicapped sailors. Sam Sullivan, mayor at that time, accepted to the Jericho Sailing Club. Announcements:
1. T Shirts- “ Rotary At Work”- If you do not have one, contact Matthew with your size.
2. Odlum– our foundation account now has a market value of $81,004.82. 3. Luminosity- Diana and Gary discussed the events that we will hold this year. A summary will be forwarded to all members. Guest Speaker-
Cam introduced Ted MacCormac. Ted was one of original founders of our club in 1986, rejoining our club after some years in a North Vancouver club. Ted has been President twice in our club, and twice in other clubs. He has been a Rotarian earlier in the 70’s and 80’s in three other cities. We are so happy to have Ted back in the club. Ted introduced the thought for the day in our club.
Pics:
  Thought of the Day:
"We don’t grow when things are easy. We grow when
we face challenges." Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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July 6th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had the pleasure of welcoming not one but two new members!. Ted MacCormac and Peter Brown are our newest members, congrats! The 4 Way Test was read by Vicente.
Rotary Moment:
On Tuesday July 5, Diana and gary attended the City of Vancouver, Awards of Excellence Ceremony at Van Dusen Gardens… where Mayor Gregor Robertson, presented our fellow Rotarian Ron Suzuki, with a CIVIC Merit Award. Ron was chosen after a unanimous decision by Vancouver City Council to receive the award, which is one of the highest honors bestowed on an individual in Vancouver. The Civic Merit Award was established by the City in 1942 to recognize individuals for outstanding performance in sports, science, arts or culture – or in recognition of a specific service. Ron received the Civic Merit Award for his tireless work as an advocate for children in Vancouver’s low income communities and for strong leadership in developing a successful basketball program exclusively for girls and young women at Strathcona CC.
Ron’s work over the years - supports Rotary’s mandate of Service above Self. Congrats Ron on receiving the City of Vancouver Civic Merit Awards. You make all Rotarians proud!  Announcements:
1) These are the upcoming luminosity social events for our club:
New Members- Today we welcomed Ted and Peter as new members, pics below:
  Thought of the Day:
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
Mahatma Gandhi
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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June 22nd 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 17 Members. As well as 1 visiting Rotarian, Ted MacCormac and 2 guests, Susanna Clarke and Jason Blank. The 4 Way Test was read by Ted.
Rotary Moment:
Vicente told us that Europe has been polio free since 2002, but last year there were 2 cases in Ukraine and they also found polio viruses in the sewage system in Brazil. For this reason the polio plus program has 124 labs all over the world to monitor for polio virus.
Announcements:
1) last reminder to collect any outstanding hoopathon pledges.
2) No meeting next Wednesday.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Tim Readman, he is the executive director of the Stroke Recovery Association of BC. He graduated from the University of Northumbria, England, as an occupational therapist. Tim is also a professional musician, singer, producer and music journalist.
The Stroke Recovery Association of BC (SRABC) is a non-profit organization. They have been offering information and programs for stroke survivors, after they leave hospital since 1979.
Some of the highlights of his presentation were:
Thought of the Day:
It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver.
Mahatma Gandhi
Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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June 15th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 13 Members. As well as 4 visiting Rotarians, Steve and Dawn Rutledge, Mike Storey from the Ladner Rotary club, Prakashchandra Shetty Chithur, president of the Kundapura Rotary club in India as well as Robert Ronald Fernandes from India as well. The 4 Way Test was read by Carlos.
Rotary Moment:
Vicente told us that the Polio Plus foundation has donated 30M dollars to the Polio eradication efforts taking place in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Announcements:
1) Peter Fox is looking at an option for our outdoor exercise equipment project, stay tuned for more information in the next few weeks.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Steve Rutledge, he grew up in Georgetown Ontario and spent his career as co-owner of a mid sized computer company in Toronto. Since retirement he has narrowed his focus on community support locally and internationally. For the last several years he has been serving the rural villagers of Laos with the most basic needs including water for villages.
His biggest accomplishment is the provision of water filtration for over 12,500 rural villagers, along with hygiene training for each family.
Some of the highlights of his presentation were:
Pic from the meeting:
  Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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June 8th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had a full house with 19 Members. We also had 2 guests, Peter Brown and our guest speaker. As well as 2 visiting Rotarians, Ted MacCormac who will soon join our club and Ranjana Mutsuddi from the Rotary Club of Kabitirtha, Calcutta in India. The 4 Way Test was read by Diana
Rotary Moment:
Vicente reminded us about Rotary fellowships, which are international, independently organized groups of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses, and Rotaractors who share a common vocation or recreational interest. Rotary Fellowships give their members the opportunity to have fun, make new friends around the world, and enhance their experience in Rotary.
There are fellowships for yachting, wine collecting, and dozens of other interests. The full list can be found here:
https://www.rotary.org/myrotary/en/rotary-fellowships
Announcements:
1) Hoop a Thon. Gary brought us some excellent news, not only did we meet the goal or raising $15K but we actually raised around $17,000!!!
2) Don't forget to put our changeover dinner in your calendars, it will be this Sunday at 3pm.
3) Peter Fox asked us to please pay our latest invoices. Our club needs the funds.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Tru Van Trieu, founder of Human Wellness, a company that helps individuals and employers to holistically address workplace stress and conflicts.
Some of the highlights of her presentation were:
Thought of the day:
Raise your thoughts, not your fists
Matshona Dhliwayo
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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June 1st 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members. We also had 2 guests, Jason Blank and a visiting Rotarian, Lindsay Lam from the Rotary E-Club in Edmonton. The 4 Way Test was read by Diana
Rotary Moment:
Vicente told us some great news about the Polio Plus program, Nigeria is no longer on the list of countries with Polio, only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain on that dreaded list.
He also told us how back home in the Philippines he remembers how devastating Polio was for the children who became ill.
Announcements:
1) Hoop a Thon. It is this Saturday, make sure you get all your pledges in. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
2) Don't forget to put our changeover dinner in your calendars, it will be on June 12th.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was our member Michael Alty giving us his classification talk.
Some of the points he mentioned were:
Thought of the day:
Tell me and I'll forget
Show me and I'll remember
Involve me and I'll understand
Anonymous
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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May 25 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 13 Members. Our guest today was Ted McCormac. Rotary Moment:
Matthew told us a very inspiring quote:
“Man has affinity for his fellowman, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the
greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.” — A Road I Have Travelled, THE ROTARIAN, February 1934 Announcements:
1) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn urged us to send our the emails, we are seriously behind in our fund raising goals. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
2) Global TV created a TV spot promoting the Hoopathon, check out the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CSY9u0XehA
3) Don't forget to put our changeover dinner in your calendars, it will be on June 12th.
Guest Speakers - Our guest speakers today were from Vector International Academy (http://www.vectorinternational.ca/). Mary Kato, the founder, brought 4 of her students to practice their public speaking English skills. They had a very interesting presentation about the differences in culture and language between Japan and Canada.
Some of the points they mentioned were:
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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May 18 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members. Our guests were William Chen and Ron Suzuki as a guest for the last time as he became the newest member of our club today! Rotary Moment:
Alfredo told us about the latest cover in the "Rotarian" magazine, which features U2's guitarist "The Edge" and his father, who was a Rotarian for decades.
Announcements:
1) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn urged us to send our the emails, we are seriously behind in our fund raising goals. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
2) The Vancouver Olive Oil Company donated $50 to the hoopathon.
3) Don't forget to put our changeover dinner in your calendars, it will be on June 12th.
Guest Speakers - Today we did not have a guest speaker.
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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May 11 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 16 Members, 2 guests: Ron Suzuki and Ted McCormac as well as a group of Rotaractors. Frances recited the 4 way test. Rotary Moment:
The Rotary moment today was about the breakfast at the Strathcona community centre and what a great sense of community and solidarity it provides.
Announcements:
1) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn already sent each of us the first pledge email, make sure you send it to your friends, coworkers, etc. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
2) Hoops & Hops - Practice shooting for Hoop-a-thon Basketball teams on Wed, May 18, 7:30 pm at Strathcona Community Centre followed by Beer at the Union Pub. Everyone welcome!
Guest Speakers - Today we had a group of Rotaractors who attended the RYLA program in the Sunshine Coast recently.
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is Rotary’s leadership training and personal development program for young people. Youth leaders from across the province are sponsored by a participating Rotary club to attend a RYLA camp as an “award” for their demonstrated leadership and service to their community.
Those who are selected to attend RYLA will learn valuable leadership and career skills, build self-confidence, discuss current ethical and social issues and meet active community leaders – all while having a ton of fun! Rotary International District 5040 (British Columbia, Canada) Rotary Youth Leadership Awards have become one of the most impactful and enriching programs of Rotary service for young people. Over 150 youth leaders from communities across the province attend the annual RYLA camps. Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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May 4 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members and 2 guests: Ron Suzuki and Ted McCormac. Vicente recited the 4 way test. Rotary Moment:
The Rotary moment today was about membership and the importance of including and involving the new members.
Announcements:
1) Olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting coming up on May 11th. There are still a few spots available, please contact Frances to book your spot. 2) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn already sent each of us the first pledge email, make sure you send it to your friends, coworkers, etc. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
3) Hoops & Hops - Practice shooting for Hoop-a-thon Basketball teams on Wed, May 18, 7:30 pm at Strathcona Community Centre followed by Beer at the Union Pub. Everyone welcome!
4) The Rotary Foundation will be having an online webinar on 12 May from 10:00-11:00 CST, join Rotary staff as they share volunteer tips for fundraising, helping your club to do more good around the world in the coming year. Register here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5241320626464911105
Guest Speaker - Today we had a business meeting to discuss our club's plans and current and future projects.
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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April 27th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members and 1 guest: Ron Suzuki. Vicente recited the 4 way test. Rotary Moment:
The Rotary moment today was a reminder to please share the hoopathon on your social media profiles, all you have to do is go to our Facebook page, linked at the bottom of this bulletin, and click "share".
Announcements:
1) Olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting coming up on May 11th. There are still a few spots available, please contact Frances to book your spot. 2) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn already sent each of us the first pledge email, make sure you send it to your friends, coworkers, etc. Click Hoopathon.ca to go to our page.
3) On Friday May 6 we are invited for breakfast at the Strathcona Community Centre. Please arrive by 8am. Coffee, tea and breakfast are available by donation.
4) The Rotary Foundation will be having an online webinar on 12 May from 10:00-11:00 CST, join Rotary staff as they share volunteer tips for fundraising, helping your club to do more good around the world in the coming year. Register here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5241320626464911105
5) This weekend is the Rotary District 5040 conference. Several of our members are attending, have fun!
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Ramona Materi. She is the author of a book called "British Columbia's New North". Some of the points she mentioned were:
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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April 20th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 19 Members and 3 guests: Ron Suzuki, Jason Blank and Todd Talbot, a guest of Jim Clarke.
Matthew recited the 4 way test. Rotary Moment:
Michael Alty told us about his experience as a Rotary exchange student when he lived in South Africa in 2003. He is still reaping benefits from that experience.
Announcements:
1) Olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting coming up on May 11th. There are still a few spots available, please contact Frances to book your spot. 2) Hoop a Thon. Gary Chomyn kick started our 6 week hoopathon fund raising campaign. He will be sending all of us 3 emails for us to just copy and paste and send to our contacts. The goal is to have 100% participation from our club, you can make a pledge, shoot hoops and gather pledges from friends and family.
We now have a dedicated URL and webpage for the Hoopathon: Click Hoopathon.ca to go to view our page.
Here is the video promoting the hoopathon:
Here is the link if you would like to share it: https://youtu.be/tN95B72FAoY
3) On Friday May 6 we are invited for breakfast at the Strathcona Community Centre. Please arrive by 8am. Coffee, tea and breakfast are available by donation.
4) The Rotary Foundation will be having an online webinar on 12 May from 10:00-11:00 CST, join Rotary staff as they share volunteer tips for fundraising, helping your club to do more good around the world in the coming year. Register here:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5241320626464911105
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker today was Ron Suzuki to help us kick off the hoopathon fundraising. Some of the points he mentioned were:
Pic from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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April 13th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 15 Members and no guests today.
John Haley recited the 4 way test. Rotary Moment:
Michael Alty provided us with some very powerful and very interesting stats for the Rotary Foundation. Last year the foundation received 123M in donations. The Polio Plus fund raised 23M, which grew to 98M once matched by the Gates Foundation.
Announcements:
1) Olive oil and balsamic vinegar tasting coming up on May 11th. Sounds like a great event! 2) Hoop a Thon- Gary Chomyn has organized a Hoopathon kickoff meeting for April 20th. Please make sure you attend our meeting next Wednesday.
3) Another upcoming social event will be a breakfast at the Strathcona Community Centre. More information will be provided at a later date.
4) Our changeover this year will be hosted by John Haley, the tentative date is June 12.
Guest Speaker - Today we had a business meeting to discuss internal club affairs.
Pics from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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April 6th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 14 Members and 3 Guests- Paul Hamilton, our guest auctioneer, Brian Silzer, guest of Bill Sheddy and Jason Blank, Cleo's guest. Vicente Asuncion recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
Michael Alty told us a story about a Rotary club in Pakistan that teamed up with Coca Cola to set up water filtration systems in a village. As the population came to fetch clean water they would offer to give the Polio vaccine to the children who came with their parents. What a great way to promote vaccination!
Announcements:
1) Seniors Christmas Luncheon. Matthew is still exploring options for the WESN Christmas Lunch. 2) Hoop a Thon- Gary Chomyn has organized a Hoopathon kickoff meeting for April 20th. Please make sure you attend our meeting that day.
3) Peter Fox told us that the UBC Rotaractors are having a Fundraiser Dinner at the Regal Beagle Bar and Grill (2281 West Broadway, - $45 p.h.) in support of MOSAIC (Programs and Services to immigrants and refugees) on 9th April.
Website as follows: http://www.rotaract5040.org/vanubc/ Guest Speaker - Today we had our hockey pool, all members present - and non present - are now in the pool! keep an eye on those games!
Pics from the meeting:
  Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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March 30th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 16 Members and 3 Guests- David J. Greer, our guest speaker, Mayor Ron Toyota from the Creston Valley Rotary and David Savage from the Cranbrook Sunrise Rotary.
Peter Fox recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
President Cleo told us about a moment of inspiration she had last weekend. She noted how the work that Rotary does can have far reaching positive consequences, such as the RYLA program helping young people find their calling and avoid falling for the empty promises of crime, violence and other negative life paths.
Announcements:
1) Seniors Christmas Luncheon. Matthew updated us on the status of the event. In a nutshell, we ned to find a way to raise 17K for the event. One of the options would be to sale water bottles at farmers markets during the summer. 2) Hoop a Thon- Gary invited each of us to contact 20 friends/acquaintances and start the pledging process now.
Guest Speaker - Our guest speaker was Coach David J. Greer, a entrepreneurial coach.
The title of his presentation was "Slow Down to Speed Up".
Some of the highlights from the presentation were:
Pics from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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March 23rd 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 11 Members and 4 Guests- our 3 guest speakers and Jason Blank, a guest of Cleo. Our guest speakers were: Tanya Colledge, Elizabeth Edward and Peggy John.
Lawrence recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
Bill S. gave us a couple of ideas to change up our Sergeant at Arms program: defamation dollars, which will allow members to poke fun at other member for a fee and incremental dollars to allow the next member to announce something for an incremental fee. Sounds like fun!
Announcements:
1) Seniors Christmas Luncheon. Matthew is still looking for options for venues and to raise the necessary funds for this event. 2) Guess Who is Coming for Dinner- It wa a success, Diana and Matthew report having had a great time at Abigail's. All other participants also reported having had a blast.
3) Lawrence invited us to consider attending a container loading, keep an eye on your inbox for future opportunities.
4) Hoop a Thon- Gary announced that Global TV is onboard and will be participating in the event and giving it TV coverage!
Guest Speakers - Our guest speakers were from the BC transplant society.
It was a very interesting and a very moving presentation, one of our speakers, Elizabeth, is actually a heart transplant recipient. Some of the highlights from the presentation were:
http://www.transplant.bc.ca/
Pics from the meeting:
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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March 16th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 13 Members and Two Guests-Michael Alty for the last time as a guest and Jane Mitchell, a guest of Sheila Anderson.
Can Scott recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
Bill S. with reminisces from his former Club (Rotary Casino Nights). Michael Alty will present the Rotary moments in April.
Announcements:
1) Seniors Christmas Luncheon. Matt has checked out our present location and the West End Rec Centre, and they are not suitable. Alfredo has mentioned that the Round House Rec Centre in Yaletown might be an option. Further investigation will be done. We would be responsible for food for the event . ( probably about 200 seniors) 2) Guess Who is Coming for Dinner- On this Saturday at the locations advised to each member attending. 6 PM Have a great time.
3) RYLA is taking place on March 26 in the Sunshine Coast. This event is open to Rotarians as well.
4) Hoop a Thon- Gary is finalizing an arrangement with a local TV network to be announced when it is final, for inclusive coverage, and media coverage of the Hoop-a-thon. More on this when the arrangements are finalized. There will be a meeting on March 22 at 5 PM at Strathcona who those interested in being there.
Induction to Our Club - President Cleo presented our newest member, Michael Alty to the club. Everyone congratulated him personally on becoming a part of our family. Welcome to Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise, Michael. Start working on your classification talk to the club to be presented at some stage in the near future.
Discussion on our meeting formats
Some of the Objectives:
Some of the Activities - Interact- - Pub Night - Meeting at Strathcona Breakfast - Diana - Fireside Chats - Bike Rides and Runs Seawall - Cam - Container Loading ( World Help) - Lawrence Other Suggestions- Movie nights,Day at the Races, Community Days, Popcorn sales, Next Week Speaker - Regarding Organ Transplants and a survival’s story Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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March 9th 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had 15 members and one guest, Michael Alty, who will become a member very soon.
Vic recited the 4 way test.
Announcements:
1) Next week Michael Alty will be inducted as the newest member of our club. 2) We are in discussions to evaluate and decide on the Seniors Christmas lunch. A committee headed by Matthew will be looking at all the options.
3) RYLA is taking place on March 26 in the Sunshine Coast. This event is open to Rotarians as well.
Guest Speaker
Our session today was dedicated to do some brainstorming as to what social activities are of interest to the club. You may recall that we are changing from 4 weekly meetings a month to having 3 meetings and a social event. Pics from our meeting
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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March 2nd 2016 MeetingRemember that our meetings are at the new location at Coal Harbour Community Centre.
At last Wednesday's meeting we had 11 members and one guest, Michael Alty, who will become a member very soon.
Vic recited the 4 way test.
Announcements:
1) Our 2016 Hoop-A-Thon will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016. This year’s fund raising will again go towards the Strathcona Rotary Youth Leadership Program.
2) If you have interest in attending Ron Suzuki’s retirement party, it will be on April 16 at the Pink Pearl Restaurant. Let Peter Fox know as he has arranged for a table. Tickets are 45 dollars etc.
3) Guess who is coming to dinner will take place on march 19, please contact Abigail and let her know if you would like to host or attend this event.
4) On May 13th the Steveston Rotary club will be hosting it's "Grapes, Hops and Bites" event, More info here:
http://portal.clubrunner.ca/772/Stories/grapes-hops-bites-2015-is-back
Guest Speaker
Today we had a business meeting. Pics from our meeting
  Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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February 24 2016 MeetingRemember that our meetings will now be at the new location at Coal Harbour Community Centre.
At last Wednesday's meeting we had 11 members and one guest, Michael Alty.
Vic recited the 4 way test.
Announcements:
1) Our 2016 Hoop-A-Thon will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016. This year’s fund raising will again go towards the Strathcona Rotary Youth Leadership Program.
2) If you have interest in attending Ron Suzuki’s retirement party, it will be on April 16 at the Pink Pearl Restaurant. Let Peter Fox know as he has arranged for a table. Tickets are 45 dollars etc.
3) Guess who is coming to dinner will take place on march 19, please contact Abigail and let her know if you would like to host or attend this event.
4) Garry Shearer presented the club with a grant from the District of $2,000.00 to be used in conjunction with the Hoop-a-thon towards expenses and scholarships for the event taking place in June.
5) On May 13th the Steveston Rotary club will be hosting it's "Grapes, Hops and Bites" event, More info here:
http://portal.clubrunner.ca/772/Stories/grapes-hops-bites-2015-is-back
6) Garry also mentioned that there is a Japanese Student coming to Vancouver who is studying Forestry. Several members seemed keen on being involved with him during his stay. More details later.
Guest Speaker
Our Guest Speaker today was Francis Kolotyluk. She continued her very interesting classification talk from last week. Pics from our meeting
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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February 17 2016 MeetingRemember our last meeting at the Law Courts Restaurant will be next week. A memo will be sent to everybody with the directions to our new location at Coal Harbour.
At last Wednesday's meeting we had 11 members and four guests Rotarian District 5040 Grants administrator Garry Shearer. Guest of Sheila- June Mitchell, return visit of potential member, Michael Alty and Katharina Wagner, Ambassadorial Student from Munich, Germany
Lawrence recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
John H. had to do with the purpose of the Fireside Chats, especially with new members. We should reinstate these in the near future. The evening would promote fellowship and increase knowledge about Rotary Programs, including Rotary Foundation. By the way, the 111th Anniversary is coming up on February 23. Tuesdays tend to be a good day to carry out these get-togethers.
Announcements:
1) Our 2016 Hoop-A-Thon will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016. This year’s fund raising will again go towards the Strathcona Rotary Youth Leadership Program.
2) If you have interest in attending Ron Suzuki’s retirement party, it will be on April 16 at the Pink Pearl Restaurant. Let Peter Fox know as he has arranged for a table. Tickets are 45 dollars etc.
3) Guess who is coming to dinner will take place on march 19, please contact Abigail and let her know if you would like to host or attend this event.
4) Garry Shearer presented the club with a grant from the District of $2,000.00 to be used in conjunction with the Hoop-a-thon towards expenses and scholarships for the event taking place in June.
5) On May 13th the Steveston Rotary club will be hosting it's "Grapes, Hops and Bites" event, More info here:
http://portal.clubrunner.ca/772/Stories/grapes-hops-bites-2015-is-back
6) Garry also mentioned that there is a Japanese Student coming to Vancouver who is studying Forestry. Several members seemed keen on being involved with him during his stay. More details later.
7) Katharina Wagner spoke on her vast experiences such as the Paris Volunteer camp, volunteering also in Australia, New Zealand and Samoa. While here at UBC, she is very active with the UBC Rotaract Club.
Guest Speaker
Our Guest Speaker today was Francis Kolotyluk. She was from a military family, living in Alberta. She also at 10 years of age, attended Grammar School in UK, where Drama was her passion. Back in Calgary, while in High School, she was one of five students selected to attend Adventures in Citizenship with Rotary. 17 and 18 were very active years for Francis, at that time , meeting her husband amongst other highlights. Part Two of her classification talk will take place next week at the meeting Don’t miss it. Pics from our meeting
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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February 10 2016 MeetingAt last Wednesday's meeting we had one guest: Millie Tang, former club member and a good friend of us. She is moving back to Paris to start her own company!
Sheila recited the 4 way test.
Rotary Moment:
We skipped this today to have our yearly Valentine's day auction.
Announcements:
1) Our 2016 Hoop-A-Thon will be held on Saturday, June 4, 2016. This year’s fund raising will again go towards the Strathcona Rotary Youth Leadership Program.
2) Our yearly Valentine's day auction will take place on February 8th. If you can donate items towards this please get in touch with Abigail.
3) Guess who is coming to dinner will take place on march 19, please contact Abigail and let her know if you would like to host or attend this event.
4) Ron Suzuki is retiring and there is a party for him on April 16 at the Pink Pearl, which will be a fundraising function for the Strathcona community centre.
5) On May 13th the Steveston Rotary club will be hosting it's "Grapes, Hops and Bites" event, More info here:
http://portal.clubrunner.ca/772/Stories/grapes-hops-bites-2015-is-back
Today we had our Valentine's day auction.
Pics from our meeting
 Important Links:
Set up your Rotary foundation donation via credit card: Just click here
We now have a proper website under our own domain name: rotaryvancouversunrise.ca
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April 15 2015Hello Everyone,
This week Nancy recited the 4 way test for us, we had Diana Lozano as a guest (she is interested in becoming a member). Our guest speakers were 3 very enthusiastic young adults from UNYA (Urban Native Youth Association).
UNYA helps native young people via mentorships that can last for years, making a big difference in their lives.
Announcements:
Please don't forget to email Abigail if you would like to participate in the "Guess who is coming to dinner" event.
Joszef brought us some ideas for international projects. His Father in law is a Rotarian en Peru and they are in need of a Rotary partner to provide children with anemia evaluations.
And now some images from our meeting:
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April 8th 2015 MeetingThis week we had 2 guests, Diana Lozano who was Alfredo's guest and former member Paul Hamilton, who helped us with the hockey pool auction.
Announcements:
Gary reminded us about the Hoopathon and Abigail reminded us about the "Guess who is coming to diner" event, make sure you email Abigail if you would like to host or be a guest for this social event.
Hockey Pool Auction:
As every year, the auction was a lot of fun and everyone participated (spent money) whether you were at the meeting or not!
Please see the pics below to find out who bought which team:
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March 25 2015 MeetingIn our last meeting Cam Scott recited the 4 way test, the Rotary moment was provided by John. He mentioned that the Rotarian magazine was recently received an award with other magazines such as Time, The Atlantic and Harpers Bazaar.
We had 2 guests: Maxime and Mark Pinnel, Maxime is an exchange student from Switzerland:
 Our Guest Speaker was Valerie A. Shapiro who is the Co-President of the Canadian International Council, Vancouver branch.
 Cam Scott thanked our speaker for a great presentation.
Upcoming Events:April 25th: Guess who is coming to dinner. Make sure you email Abigail to sign up either as a host or guest.
June: We will have our changeover dinner. More details will be available soon.
June 6th: Hoopathon.
On a side note, I visited Larry at the hospital and he looked great, he was scheduled to go home last week and is very eager to come back to the club.
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Allison MacLean on Delta TVFilmmaker Allison MacLean gave an interview on Delta TV about her documentary Burkas to Bullets. She will be speaking in Whiterock on Feb. 18. |
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News of Allison MacLean
Allison MacLean will speak in Whiterock on Feb. 18, 2015. She gave an interview to Delta TV about her documentary Burkas to Bullets. |
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Rotary Meeting Locations and Times
Meeting Locations
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New Meeting Venue October 8th 2014Meeting Venue http://www.lawcourtsinn.com/index.php/restaurant/ The Law Courts Inn800 Smithe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2E1
Canada
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New Location for Meetings Whitespot Restaurant on Georgia Every Wednesdays at 7:15 till 8:30 am |
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ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER SUNRISE MEETING MAY 21, 2014ATTENDANCE- Today we all chimed in with the Four Way Test. We had 15 members present, as well as our two speakers and David Ayala and Luisa Godoy. Luisa keeps up with her busy life as an Exchange Student. Convention coming up this week-end.
ROTARY MOMENT- John reminded us that Rotary is not just working on eliminating Polio. It also is involved in providing safe water, improved sanitation and hygiene education. He mentioned that in Ethiopia, there are 56 million people who do not have safe water. Most people spend an average of 6 hours a day collecting water. Also 54,000 children die in Ethiopia each year of diarrhea. Alberta Rotaries are quite involved in projects in this regard, with 21 locations having solar powered pumps, benefiting 16,000 people. If you have not read the article yet, check out May edition of the Rotarian ( Page 12) for the article.
ANNOUNCEMENTS- Hoop-a-thon- Make of the teams will be published Thursday. Remember that at 430 on Thursday, there will be an hour and a half practice for all team members at Strathcona Gym. A birdie tells me that the group may find a happy hour somewhere after all that hard work. Also Larry will send out an email with the second follow-up for our contacts on Thursday. Donations are slowly coming in, but we need to remind our people of the program and the need for donations.
Meeting location- The board is investigated our meeting site , whether it will be here at the Coast, or one of a couple of possibilities are being also looked into. More next week will be discussed on this.
Sargent at Arms took the day of this week, but I am sure everything was happy.
SPEAKERS- Dr Peter Wing , retired Spinal Surgeon and Claire Weeks, retired doctor and spinal therapist were our speakers. We want to tell you about our exciting project in Nepal, where spinal injury can spell disaster in the absence of the supports that we take for granted. Pain, poverty and despair can be relentless companions of spinal cord-injured Nepalese. But, with your financial help, we intend to alleviate their pain and turn their despair and poverty into hope and productivity. We (Drs. Peter Wing and Claire Weeks) are retired physicians who specialized, during our careers, in the surgical and rehabilitation treatment of spinal cord injuries. On a 2009 visit to Nepal, we witnessed the crushing obstacles faced by spinal cord patients and their caregivers, and decided to help. On our return to Canada we established a charitable group within the University of British Columbia (UBC) Department of Orthopaedics, an affiliation for which we are most grateful. We are known as the Nepalese Spinal Cord Injury Collaboration or Spine Nepal (SpiNepal). We have been working closely with colleagues at the Spinal Injury Rehabilitation Centre (SIRC) near Kathmandu, Nepal’s first and only specialized spinal injury unit. Our main focus is to participate in training doctors in the care of spinal cord injury. We have made four trips to Nepal since 2009. To date we have been self-funded but, as our objectives and commitments have grown, we now need help with some aspects of the project. We invite you to join us in this endeavour. People with spinal cord injury (SCI) in Nepal have a much reduced life expectancy and, if they survive, SCI impacts every aspect of their lives. Ninety percent of Nepal’s population of about 27 million live in a rural environment several days’ walk from the nearest town. Most are subsistence farmers who toil from dawn to dark to earn a meagre existence. People generally transport cargo on their backs in baskets or on frames suspended from wide fabric forehead straps. Enormous burdens of firewood, rocks and stones, building supplies, and fodder for animals are constantly on the move. The effort required to plant and harvest crops on thin strips of terraced fields on steep hillsides is staggering. This type of work is simply not possible from a wheelchair. Transportation is slow and difficult even for able-bodied people. Buses have high floors with several steps up to the interior and are often overloaded with seating only on top of the bus. Small taxis are also impossible for people in chairs. The roads are rutted and pockmarked with potholes, usually full of garbage and without standard curbs to make access to shops easy. There are no curb cuts. Imagine trying to negotiate a wheelchair across a road, or trying to use public transportation to get to work, go to school, or visit your family.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead |
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Newsletter May 14th 2014Hello fellow Rotarian and friends, this week I’m very late sending the Rotary Newsletter from last week. My apologies. Time really flies.
This week we were 12 members and one visitor, Steve McGrandle.
Rotary Moment
Today John tested our knowledge about vending machines. He asked as a few difficult questions about vending machines and the different products they sella round the world. We learned that the first vending machine was designed by a Greek mathematician back in 215 B.C. Another interesting fact that we learned is that in 1926, cigarette vending machines were invented in the USA. There are some vending machines around Los Angeles that sell caviar. In Italy there are vending machines that make pizzas from scratch in about three minutes. There was a lot of fact about these machines that we were not aware of.
Announcements
Hoopathon! It is only a few weeks from now. Please save the date. June 14th. Have you signed-up? Please email your friends and your contacts and ask for pledges. Let’s make it happen. Together we can get to our goal.
On May 28th, we will have a Hoopathon practice, from 4 to 6:30 pm at the Strathcona Community Centre. It will be fun!
This year’s Change Over Dinner will be a day after the Hoopathon, on June 15th. More details to come in the next few days.
The speakers for May 21st will be Rotarians Peter Wing and Claire Weeks , A training, spinal cord injury hospital in Katmandu, Nepal.
Thought of the day
Believe you can and you're halfway there. |
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Newsletter May 7th 2014ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER SUNRISE NEWSLETTER OF MAY 7, 2014
ATTENDANCE- Led by Valerie who has just returned from her trip, we heard the Four Way test in English, with the promise of the next time, being in French. We had 16 members present as well as our previous member David Ayala, who has indicated the wish to rejoin the club.
HAPPY DOLLARS- All contributors had happy dollars and no sad dollars. As a reward, Bill had a draw for twice prizes today. A box of Purdy Chocolates which was one by Sheila A. and a special lottery ticket called Cleopatra which was won by no less than Cleo P. We will see if Cleo has a happy dollar next week, stating she won that lottery.
ROTARY MOMENT- Sad to see that it is now recognized that there is a new outbreak of polio this year. Glad to see that in the Vancouver paper, Rotary was given credit with the Gates Foundation, but all other mentions did not recognize Rotary in their articles.
ANNOUNCEMENTS- Remember June 14 is Hoop a Thon Day. Mark your calendars. The Rotary team captains are recruiting members ((Four to a team including the captain). All members will have pledge sheets to include donations for their shooting ability. Make sure that you have sent your emails out to your contacts.
SPEAKER- Our speaker today was Zahed Lalani, Regional Campaign Manager for Vancouver and Victoria with the Aga Khan Foundation of Canada. The Foundation is a non-denominational organization, investing in community driven sustainable solutions in the poorest countries of the world. The Foundation has developed two Aga Khan Universities in the world, covering three main academic programs, Economic Development, Social Development and Culture. Their International Fellowship Programs offer extraordinary training programs and an eight-month overseas placement for recent university graduates and young professionals who are 30 years of age or under. Tina P. spoke of her involvement in her placement in Uganda, and perhaps at some stage, we can ask her to elaborate on her experience in that program. There are three fellowship streams, a) International Development Management, b) International Microfinance and Microenterprise and C) Young Professionals in Media. In 2013, the Aga Khan received the annual award from the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada Award in recognition for it’s work in promoting Islamic Architecture, in Canada as well as the rest of the world. There are approximately 30 million Ismailis in the world today. The Foundation has also worked with many Rotary Clubs in international projects around the world. Their big event coming up- The World Partnership Walk, an annual event for 30 years which helps take steps to end world poverty. It will be on May 25 starting at Lumberman’s Arch in Stanley Park. So far, 40,000 people participate annually in the walk and 82 million dollars has been raised. 100% of the donations go towards international development projects.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY- You cannot judge the depth of the well by the length of the handle. Quote from Gary Chomyn’s uncle.
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Newsletter April 30 2014ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER SUNRISE NEWSLETTER APRIL 30, 2014
ATTENDANCE- Cleo recited a beautiful version of the Four Way Test in Spanish. It must of been perfect as no one offered any corrections. Today we had fourteen members present and almost as many guests. Steve McGrandle and Brandi England, John Bland and his wife , Shima Alavi. Our RYLA speakers today, Luisa, Justine, Maha and Cali. David Ng from Strathcona came to represent Justine.
ROTARY MOMENT- John Haley presented some stats from the May Rotary magazine which were presented by RI President Ron Burton. Countries with the largest membership gains, 2003-2013 1. India 2.Korea 3. Germany 4.Taiwan and 5. Brazil. Those with the greatest declines. 1. United States 2.Japan 3.England 4. Australia and 5. Canada. Rotary has allocated 3 Million dollars to create regional and support regional membership plans. The aim is to increase membership around the world. He suggested that we be sure to read the full article in the May issue.
ANNOUNCEMENTS- Hoop-a thon- Important to get your emails out to your contacts. Larry will send a sample email with attachments as a sample to you by Friday. For the Rotary shoot outs, we are established four team captains. Matthew, Gary, Julie and Lawrence. We need one my captain. The five captains will line up their team of themselves and three more members. Captain number five, please contact Larry. First come, first served. Let Larry know who your teams are by next Monday or Tuesday. Start bribing the good ones to be sure that you have the best players. The one and only practice session will be on Wednesday May 28 5 PM at Strathcona and the pub after. Be thinking about CORPORATE sponsors as well. The event is June 14 at 10 AM at Strathcona. Colombian Fundraiser- Sheila and Cleo will arrange a meeting soon to start planning for the event in late September or early October.
HAPPY DOLLARS- Sheila just back from Cayman Islands. Cleo off to San Francisco. Lawrence is off to London. Milie off to Kelowna. And I forgot who is off to San Diego. Lets make sure that everything who is not travelling will be here next week. John happy that tax time is virtually over. Diana lost keys, cards, wallet etc last week so will have a new identity soon. Tina very busy at work. Larry has laryngitis so half of ____ words _____missing. SPEAKERS Our four speakers were our four representatives at the RYLA Leadership Group last Weekend . There were 107 representatives at the camp. Great representations from the girls, Luisa, Justine, Maha and Cali.. They learned that you are never too young to contribute to the community. They learned about the four types of leaders, Controller, Analyser, Promoter and Supporter. They closed with a Talent Show, and the four girls sang the theme song from the conference to our club. They learned all about Rotaract, Interact and other facets of Rotary. Sessions started at 8 AM and finished at 11 PM each day.
NEXT WEEKS SPEAKER – ZAHED LALANI- AGA KHAN FOUNDATION OF CANADA |
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Newsletter April 23rd 2014
Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Newsletter April 23, 2014
Attendance
We had 14 members today and three guests. Brandi England, who did the Rotary moment, as she went to Brazil as a Rotary Exchange student when she was 17. Rotarian Luis Yanguas from Madrid Spain originally and who has visited us previously . And Luisa our Exchange student.
Rotary Moment
Brandi England told us a very emotional story on how Rotary has changed her life. She spent a whole year in Brazil when she was 17 as a Rotary Exchange student. Brandi played a very important role when she was volunteering at the Emergency Social Services desk in the PREOC (emergency operations centre) in Kamloops during the fires of 2003. One night, Brandi received a phone call about 9pm from a lady crying who had three kids, two of them with severe asthma and their house was on fire. In the beginning, Brandi had no idea how to help her, but her first reaction was to call the Rotary Club of Abbotsford-Matsqui and ask for help. The president of that Rotary Club went all over, and him and some other fellow Rotarians drove all the way to Kamloops and help to coordinate with the firefighters the rescue of the lady and her 3 kids. They all were safe after the rescued. This could not have been possible without Brandi and her excellent reaction and response. Announcements: A friendly reminder to send out emails to your contacts about Hoop-A-Thon asking to consider a donation to this great cause.
Business Meeting We had our business meeting, where different topics where discussed. Some of the focus areas that were discussed were Membership, meeting management, Strathcona Youth Leadership Program, Interact, among others.
We will have two RYLA Students as speakers next week as they are having their RYLA Weekend this weekend. This includes Luisa, our Exchange student.
See you next week! |
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NEWSLETTER MEETING APRIL 16, 2014Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Newsletter April 16, 2014
Attendance- A rousing four way test this morning, sounded a bit like 16 different versions but certainly an inspiration. We had 16 members in attendance today. Our speaker, Dr Wasserman; Guests were Jun Tallo all the way from Cebu City West in the Phillipines ( exchanged banners); Steve McGrandle; Jose Riga’s son, Frederic; Luisa , our Exchange student and three potential recruits to our club, Brandi England, Byran Dar Santos and John Bland.
Announcements- Gary announced that Jack FM will be doing a major promotion of our Hoopathon. And also a practice for basketball will take place at Strathcona on May 28, a Wednesday at 430 (and refreshments after). We will be line up teams for the shoot-outs soon. A super meeting was held by the committee last night at Strathcona.
Happy Dollars- Ably collected by Diana Bill wished Mr. Gillis of the Canucks , the best of luck, where ever he goes. Abigail took her motorcycle out of winter storage. Sonya is finally getting away, New York this weekend. Cam mentioned that the playoffs start tonight. Being absent last week, he got stuck with Montreal. And guess what, the won their first game today.
Speaker- Gary introduced our guest speaker, Dr, Wyeth Wasserman. He is Assistant Dean of research at UBC Faculty of medicine,, professor of Medical Genetics, and Executor Director of the Child and Family Research Institute. He specializes in the study of the human genome (DNA). He did his PhD in cancer research at the University of Wisconsin. Then pursued advanced training in the new field of Bioinformatics. He developed computer software for identifying DNA on/off switches- the special pieces of DNA in chromosomes that control which genes are active. He is currently at the BC Children’s hospital and UBC, becoming increasingly focused on finding mutations in DNA that cause childhood disorders. DNA contain 3 million differences of which 9 of 10 show up in unrelated people. Recent work from his lab addresses emerging challenges for personalized medicine, including the creation of software for analyzing, interpreting and delivering DNA sequence data to clinicians to access and interpret patient genetic profiles. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed papers but managed to make this difficult topic more understandable to us non- scientific types. After many questions, Abigail thanked the Doctor. REMINDER- Next week’s meeting is at our regular Coast Coal Harbour Hotel, and we will have a business meeting. On the 30th of April, we will have our RYLA students review the RYLA sessions which they attended.
Thought For The Day "when one door of happiness closes another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us" Helen Keller
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Newsletter April 9 2014
Our view for today’s meeting was amazing, from the floor 35th overlooking English bay and Kitsilano on a shinny and bright morning. We wish we could get more day like this.
We had 17 members at the meeting and three guests. Paul Hamilton, former club member and our Emcee for the hockey pool, HOCKEY POOL
Another great hockey pool - a total of $1,535 was raised - (a slight increase over last year of $15). Thanks to Paul Hamilton for being a great auctioneer and John H for his wealth of hockey facts.
Lori and Cleo, the woman joined forces and it is Boston all the way (you are both in for $20 each).
Cam, Jim and Iozsef, you were missed but certain members (will remain nameless) did have fun exercising your proxies. Thanks to those that paid this morning and good luck to all. Rotary Club - Vancouver Sunrise Hockey Pool - 2014. Total amount Raised: $1,536! 1ST Place 2ND Place GUMBY 35% $ 537.60 15% $ 230.40 10% $ 153.60
For some reason, we were not able to attach a table with all names, teams, and amount owing by member. We will send this information on a separate email.
Please remember that this week’s meeting (April 16th) will again be at the Coast Plaza Hotel at Comox and Denman.
Speaker will be Dr Wyeth Wasserman, -Topic Sequencing your DNA to find lost ancestors. |
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Strathcona Community Basketball Program June 14 2014 - Help Us Help the KidsThe Group's PurposeTo raise $15,000 at the Annual Hoop-A-Thon fundraising event in support of the Strathcona Rotary Youth Development Program. Funds raised will go towards the costs for the youth to attend Camps (Summer and Winter), Equipment and Supplies and Scholarships Charities this Group Supports:How to HelpYou can help the following ways: About the OrganizersRotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise has supported this program since 2006 because it provides a positive life experience and fosters the same leadership values as Rotary: be good citizens, respect and care about others and strive to be the best that you can be at school and in your community. |
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Make Donations to our Hoop A Thon fundraiser for Strathcona Community Centre |
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Meeting Location April 9th and 16, 2014For the next two weeks the Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise will meet at the following location. |
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NEWSLETTER APRIL 2, 2014ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER SUNRISE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2, 2014
ATTENDANCE- Today we had fifteen members present, as well as our Exchange Student Luisa and our guest speaker, Tom Smith, our District Assistant Governor. John Haley regaled us with the Four Way Test.
ROTARY MOMENT- John also presented a story of a part of Paul Harris’ life. The subject was trees. In 1936, Paul Harris and his wife Jean travelled throughout Central and South America. Over the years, he shared his reflections of tree planting in Chile. He noted that he thought of tree planting as a symbol of good will, and hoped that the trees that he planted at home and abroad would stand for generations as expressions of international peace and good will. He planted trees in Peru, Columbia, Chile, Argentina and Brazil. His first tree was planted in South Africa, then everywhere that we visited , he planted friendship trees, Australia, Europe, Asia, Africa, and of course North America.
ANNOUNCEMENTS- Gary gave a summary of the discussions held in the committee. On June 14, 50 inner city youths, representing their 500 teammates, will shoot “free throws” to raise money together with Rotarians, alumni players and celebrities. Since 2006, the hoop-a-thon has raised $165,000 supporting the Strathcona Rotary Youth Development Program supporting teamwork, leadership skills, community involvement , education and respect for others. Last year, our club raised $15,700. Money raised will go towards summer and winter camps, equipment and supplies and scholarships. Last year, we had 100 % participation. Lets try again this year.
HAPPY DOLLARS- Gary enjoyed a weekend in Washington. Bill mentioned that Marvin Gaye would have been 75 this week. Milie attended a “ Silent Retreat” ( enough said). Jim just back from Whitehorse-Minus 40 at night and -20 in the day Cleo attended her first Ice Hockey game as a Canadian.
GUEST SPEAKER- TOM SMITH – ON THE SUBJECT OF FOUNDATION - Rotary International made up of 33,000 clubs and 1.2 million members - Largest service organization - He explains the difference between Global Grants and District Grants - Sustainability of a project, is to make sure that the project can carry for the future. - Rotary also partners with other charities on projects, ie Mercy Ship - Paul Harris Awards are earned with $1,000 of donations - Foundation Benefactor- leaving $1,000 minimum to Rotary in one’s will - Points can be accumulated by the club to put towards P Harris awards as well - Paul Harris award- second pin includes a sapphire and after the fifth sapphire, the pin includes a Ruby. - Rotary major project is the elimination of Polio, when it started there were 350,000 cases and we are now down to 200 cases this year - There were many more details on Foundation and we ask that you check the websites for Rotary for more explanations
NEXT WEEK’S MEETING- THE HOCKEY POOL |
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NEWSLETTER MEETING MARCH 26, 2014ROTARY CLUB OF VANCOUVER SUNRISE
NEWSLETTER MEETING MARCH 26, 2014
ATTENDANCE Our greeter for April is Gary Chomyn.
UPCOMING SPEAKERS FOR APRIL April 2- Tom Smith , Assistant Governor, Rotary Foundation ( TRF) Education April 9- Hockey Pool April 16-Dr Wyeth Wasserman UBC –Sequencing your DNA (Ancestry) April 23- Business Meeting April 30- RYLA Student Speakers
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Vancouver Sunrise Bulletin - March 19th 2014Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise March 19,2014 Meeting
Attendance- Tina started the meeting with the Four Way Test, and was applauded with great enthusiasm. There were 18 members present as well as our Speaker, David Clark-Wilson and his assistant, Bram. Larry was the stand-in emcee today.
Rotary Moment- Diana did a brief Rotary moment, actually maybe 50 seconds, talking about several celebrities and their involvement with Rotary.
Announcements- We are sorry to announce that Ann-Shirley and Rob Goodell for personal reasons, have resigned from the Club. Our thanks go out to them for their Rotary service (14 years in our club) and wish them well for the future. A reminder from Gary that the Hoopathon is scheduled for June 14, then a second reminder that it will be on June 14, and maybe even a third. Lost count.
Sargent at Arms- Jose took on the chore of collecting mostly happy bucks today. Julie is nice and tanned from her trip to Mexico. Lawrence mentioned that the school confirmed that Luisa can attain her Grade 12 certificate here. Luisa has had a girlfriend from Brazil here for a week. Party time at the Bicknells. Milie unfortunately was hit on her bike by another bicyclist this morning, shaken up, but no injury to her or her bike. Diana mentioned that she has changed positions at Hydro. Her new role is leading the developing of an integrated Safety, Health and Environment Management System at BC Hydro. Congratulations Diana from all of us. Abigail and family heading to Whistler for four days. Have FUN. Larry and Tania spent two days at the Bear Mountain Resort in outer Victoria . Great celebration of her birthday. Tina brought this message back to the club…. Shanti Uganda is having a warehouse sale (50-75%) of handmade bags & jewelry in Chinatown this weekend. All proceeds go directly to improving maternal and child health and well-being, such as supporting the women who make these great items! See: http://shantiuganda.org/dont-miss-our-winter-warehouse-sale-with-fable-naturals-and-global-mothers/ for details.
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Speaker- David Clark-Wilson has been fascinated with energy for his entire life from the age of four. He is amazed that in the 50 years since, no one has developed affordable technology to store the sun’s heat and energy for efficient use. He was born in London England and has a B.Sc in Mathematics. In December 2011, David formed the company HighNet Energy Inc which stands for Human Ingenuity and Gaia in Harmony with New Energy Technology. Basically the Led Bright light bulb wins in all categories. It has the longest life, coolest bulb, most lumens per Watt, cheapest electricity, safest bulb and lowest wattage. His book, named Led Bright’s Mission to Save the Planet, The Light Bulb Games was available to our group and he has plans for another 11 books in the series. It was a very Illuminating subject, presenting it so that all could understand.
Thought for the Day
Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed. Mahatma Gandhi |
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Sunrise bulletin for the week of March 12, 2014Hola!
Paul Harris Fellow Governor Garry had the privilege of presenting a Paul Harris Fellow award to a surprised Ana Leonore Vivas. She has served as Executive Director of Fundacion Estructurar for 27 years, from the very beginning of the 2 schools in Bucaramanga which provide education for hundreds of refugee children in their part of Colombia. Ana Leonore, although a member of Kiwanis, has selflessly provided Rotary-style service to the most needy families in her community. She was recently honoured by her government with an award for outstanding service and is a shining example of "Service above Self." Accordingly, DG Garry was pleased to add Rotary and Canadian recognition through this PHF award, which was earned by club members' donations to The Rotary Foundation. Today's program Jorge Cortissoz Cabrera was a banker 27 years ago and also President of his Rotary club and President of the local chamber of commerce. He, with a Catholic sister and a construction contractor, determined to do what they could to help the vulnerable refugee families in Bucaramanga who were at high social risk due to the guerrillas and the drug cartels that terrorized parts of Colombia at that time. Poverty is a big problem for these families, 77 percent of whom, even today, have incomes of less than 54 Canadian dollars a month. Together these 3 gained support from various levels of | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
