We just
celebrated 101 years of Rotary Service on February 23rd with World
Understanding Month. Rotary International is the only organization in the world
to focus on World Understanding and Peace through Cultural, Educational and
Humanitarian Programs.
One of the Educational Programs is Group Study Exchange and in March our
GSE team is in Thailand District 3350. For 40 years we have offered an
opportunity for one Rotarian Leader and four young business and professional
people to spend 4 weeks in another country. This program is made possible by
the World Fund of The Rotary Foundation and the generosity of Rotarians who
open their homes and hearts. Staying in
Rotarians homes, experiencing their culture, eating their food and seeing their
country helps with world understanding and peace. Next month we have a
specialized exchange related to Crime and Crime Prevention with District 5280
in
In a book, My Road to Rotary, our
Rotary Founder, Paul Harris said, “…. Through business and social interaction
nations become intelligible to one another. Strange customs which in the
beginning are irritating eventually become interesting and frequently are
copied, contributing to the enrichment of life!”
March is not assigned a specific
focus for Rotary but it should be named: Rotary
Training Month. The Governor-Elect has just finished training and will be
training all President-Elects this month in
Rotaract Week
is observed during the week of March 13th. What plans do you have to
focus on Rotaract? Let us know.
Our Rotary year is in it’s last quarter and it is time to celebrate with fellow
Rotarians at the District Conference in
Whistler, May 19th to 21st. Sign up now by going to
our District website. You will not regret
it!
Thanks for what you are doing for
Rotary,
Governor Sonia
“What could be more symbolic of Rotary than a great symphony orchestra,
bringing together in perfect harmony people from many different countries,
nationalities, races, creeds, and cultures, representing many specialized talents
but each playing a different note on a different instrument, and each essential
for the perfection of the whole?” — Address to 1956 Rotary Convention,
By Stephanie Liboiron
Spring 2006 , Communique (The SFU
communication Co-op Newsletter)
The Rotary Club of Lions Gate is a
service group made of volunteers dedicated to strengthening their community.
One of their most ambitious projects is organizing North Vancouver Canada Day,
a huge festival attracting residents from all over the
Being a community-oriented resident of
The Rotary Club has now been hiring SFU
co-op students as far back as 12 years to help manage the Canada Day project.
The successful student works closely with the Rotary Club and also with North
Vancouver Park Events. Given the large size of the project and the short
time-frame given to plan the event, there are definitely challenges faced by
both the co-op student and the employers. My supervisor and Community Events
Programmer, Janice Bailey, believes in the benefits of hiring a co-op student.
“This is a large project, and the student’s learning curve in the initial days
of the posting can be quite steep. However,
while this posting is challenging, every student has found it to be a rewarding
experience, and most have come away with access to new employment opportunities
and a clearer sense of their career goals.”
I spent the first part of my work term
busily planning and organizing the Canada Day event. I was involved with all
aspects of the event; from recruiting performers, managing equipment
inventories, designing the website and promotional items, handling the budget,
and finally, overseeing the day of the event. Through my work term, Rotary
provided me with excellent support and the chance to make decisions which
impacted the outcome of the event, as well as the
Looking back on my experience, I was very impressed
with the dedication of the Rotarians planning the event. Even though organizing
this mammoth project was stressful at times, each Rotarian devoted
himself/herself to creating an event that showcased the best of
“The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we
pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for
us, no monuments created in our honor.
But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of
people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will
appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who
will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had
to give. “ - Leo Buscaglia
2006-7 Presidents
gather to Lead The
Way
Anyone who
has held the exciting post of Club President will always look back with awe at
their PETS experience! Why? Well, along with over 500 Presidents Elect from the
Pacific North West, they spend a long weekend finding out everything they need
to know about being a Rotary President!
March 9-12
saw the 2006 team of Presidents Elect gather in
Our
own District Governor Elect, Kevin Conway, together with PDG's and AG's took us through our District objectives,
strategies and tactics for 2006-7; breakout sessions then took these and
formulated them into Club plans - which you will all be hearing about in the
coming months.
But one of
the most significant, and proudest, bits of news we heard was that next Rotary
Year, we expect to see the last case of Polio in the world. If that remains
true for the following 3 years, the world will officially be declared
"Polio Free". If there is anything that Rotarians can be proud of,
this milestone in Humanity's fight against disease is surely one of the most
significant. And it's all happened because of your contributions of time, effort and over US$600 million
to The Rotary Foundation. Thank you!!
So next
time you are talking to your President Elect, ask about PETS, ask about how
empowered they felt, ask about how they are going to take your club into this,
our Second Century of Rotary Service! (And if you don't ask, they'll tell you
anyway!!)
Last, the
presentation Team of PDGs, DG's,
DGE's, DGN's and AG's
extends it's thanks and admiration to all D5040 PE's for being such a
supportive audience and developing Club and District leadership plans that
will be second to none in Rotary! Congratulations and y'all have a great year
as you "Lead The
Way".
Gordon
Dalglish
Assistant
Governor, Richmond/Delta
Don’t miss the chance to celebrate World Rotaract Week!
During
the week of 13-19 March, Rotaract will celebrate its 38th anniversary. Join the
celebration and tell the world about Rotaract.
§
Calling on the Rotayry clubs in our district to:
§
Invite Rotaractors to
attend your Rotary Club meeting
§
Invite yourself to a
Rotaract club meeting
§
Consider a join
Rotaract/Rotary project
Rotaract
was officially inaugurated during January 1968 under RI President Luther
Hodges. On 13 March 1968, the Rotaract Club of the
There
are currently more than 7,500 Rotaract clubs in more than 155 countries, with
an estimated membership of more than 173,000 Rotaractors.
A message from Rotaract Committee Chair
Charles Grant
Rotaractors
are dynamic, energetic, and enthusiastic. Rotaractors could be and should be
the next membership wave of Rotary. They are the future leaders of our clubs,
cities, and nations around the world.
As
chair of RIs Rotaract Committee, I am requesting that
Rotarians at the club and district level help support Rotaract! If every
Rotarian made a point of doing this, we would surely reach our goal this year
of starting a new Rotaract club in every district. Club presidents and district
governors can make a big difference in leading the way.
Rotary
will be a stronger and better organization if we can build a better bond
between Rotary and Rotaract.
Thank you in advance
To find out more about Rotaract clubs in District
5040, visit their website at:
http://www.rotaract.ca/clubs.html
This is for Rotarians who travel and enjoy hitting
that little white ball into those 18 holes – another Rotary Fellowship that
challenges the “4-Way Test”!
The Objectives of the IGFR are:
§
To develop and promote
worldwide friendship in a sporting, relaxing way
§
To serve the community and
humanity, through golfing
§
To promote international
understanding and peace
Opportunities and benefits of the golfing fellowship include:
Check out this Fellowship’s
web site at: www.golfing-rotarians.com and
learn how to broaden your Rotary horizons.
tion of the Rotarians planning the event. Even though organizing this
mammoth project was GSE THAILAND EXCHANGE
– D5040 & D3350
An exciting journey began on February
25. A team of 5 members from D5040 headed to Bangkok, Thailand.
Outbound
§
AG Phil Claxton, Team
Leader, sponsored by his own club Powell River.
§
Kym
Bohachewski, Team Member,
sponsored by Richmond Sunrise.
§
Natalie Grant, Team Member,
sponsored by Richmond Sunrise.
§
Rachel
McMillan , Team Member, sponsored by Vancouver Chinatown.
§
Shannon Jonasson,
Team Member, sponsored by Quesnel.
To
see individual profile and trip update, please visit www.GSE5040.org
The Group Study Exchange
Program of The Rotary Foundation is unique cultural and vocational exchange
opportunity for business and professional men and women between the age of 25
and 40. The program provides travel grants for teams of young participants to
exchange visits between paired areas in different countries. For four to six
weeks, team members study the host country's institutions and ways of life,
observe their own vocations as practiced abroad, develop person and
professional relationships, and exchange ideas
GSE SPECIALIZED EXCHANGE LOS ANGELES - D5040 & D5280
This is a specialized
GSE Team for Crime Prevention - an all police team, led by retired RCMP member
Neil Mackay. The team will be leaving for
Outbound
§
Neil Mackay, Team Leader,
sponsored by his own club
§
Constable Jody Akerman, Team Member, sponsored by Ladner.
§
Constable Devon Jones, Team
Member, sponsored by Whistler.
§
Constable Michelle Hannah,
Team Member, sponsored by Vancouver Arbutus.
§
Seageant Jean
To see individual profile, please visit www.GSE5040.org
A BIG WELCOME TO OUR VISITING INBOUND TEAM
FROM D3350
These are tentative dates
upon their arrival
Apr29
- May09 Lower Mainland
May10
- May18 Northern Region
May19
- May21 District Conference
May22
- May27 Sea to Sky Corridor,
Sunsee Sathatinan, Team Leader
from
Jariya Chulathammakul, Team
Member
Naruemon Pinto, Team Member from
Chinawat Prasomtong - Team Member
from
Danaya Wasuwat - Team Member from
This
is the first joint district conference. Take the opportunity to meet fellow
Rotarians from D5040 and 5050 in beautiful Whistler.
Download
registration form from District event page, there will be a surcharge of $50
after April 1st.
Reserve
your hotel rooms as soon as possible, check out the special rates offered by
the two top class hotels, Hilton & Delta Whistler.
For the golfers, register for the golfing tournament
to be held on Thu. May 18 at Whistler Golf Club, Arnold Palmer’s first Canadian
design.
Friday
May 19 and Saturday May 20 will be packed with plenary and breakout sessions featuring
great speakers such as John Eberhard, Jean Irwin and
special guests.
For
fellowship, buffet dinner at the Roundhouse Mountain Complex on Friday night
and the DG Gala Dinner on Saturday night. To celebrate the Internationalism of
Rotary, and the many “Origins” of both Districts, you are encouraged to wear
something appropriate to your own Origins. What are you waiting for? Register
and see you all there.
Do you
have a best day in Rotary and what was it?
Everyone
has a story about Rotary service.
RI
Foundation Chair Frank Devlyn is asking us to share our story with our
fellow Rotarians. It will inspire them to know about the good work Rotarians
accomplish every day.
Bob
Gallagher, a Rotarian and good friend of his from
"Four
days after my daughter Michelle was born, I joined Rotary. During my first few
years, I was a member of a Rotary club. I participated in projects. I went to
luncheons and made friends in my Rotary club. I was like most members of
Rotary.
"After
six years, I finally attended my first district conference. As we left the
plenary hall following the Group Study Exchange presentation, I casually
mentioned to my club's president-elect that someday I would like to become
involved in GSE. Life has a way of moving faster than we expect. Only 10 short
months later, I truly became a Rotarian while leading a GSE team to the
"It
was during my GSE experience that my eyes were opened to what Rotarians can do
when they serve with love and practice Service Above
Self. While in the
"A
few years later, I traveled to Africa in the far northwest corner of
- To read complete article, visit www.rotary.org Foundation Chair March message.
The biggest question in Rotary to me is why “we” as members of Rotary
Clubs think we are invincible and will live forever?
At
least that must be the question as it cannot be “we” do not care enough about
Rotary that we do not want to preserve it! Think about it! When did YOU last
introduce a new member to a Rotary Club? When did you last ask someone if they
were interested in finding out what Rotary stands for and what Rotarians do?
When
we look around us we can see all kinds of members of our Clubs who are aging.
Who will be around in another 5/10/15 years to carry out the work that needs to
be done? If you are in this category, don’t you LOVE Rotary enough that you
want to do your part to ensure it continues to grow and work it’s
magic? If you are not in the category of mature members, can’t you see your
role as one in building our foundations for an even more powerful organization?
Never in our history has our world needed an organization like Rotary, to make
the world a more peaceful place for all of us, our families and our neighbors, local and global.
Our
District is not enjoying growth in membership the way Districts around us, are
performing. Are we so different than Vancouver Island or
It
is never too late to start a journey and let’s remember all journeys start with
a single first step. Let’s join together, all members of Rotary Clubs in 5040,
and start this journey to bring in more members for all our Clubs.
After
reading this message, please go and look in a mirror. That’s the person who is
the KEY. It begins and ends with you and all of us no matter how long or how
short our Rotary career has been to date. No matter how young or old you feel.
No matter how many new members you have introduced to a Rotary Club. No
matter…………..You can do it and together WE can achieve great growth for Rotary
Clubs throughout 5040, throughout Zone 22 and throughout the world.
Rotary
knows few boundaries and we should look beyond our own Clubs to build
membership.
This
message started with a question and it will end with one too!
Are
we being fair to Rotary? Now go look in the mirror………..please.
Yours
in Rotary
Henry Fetigan,
District Membership Chair
District
Assembly for Club leaders
Please
mark your calendars for the District Assembly for club leaders. It is scheduled
for Saturday May 6th at Cheers Restaurant in
This
is a seminar for all Rotarians especially Presidents, Secretaries,
Foundation Chairs, Membership Chairs, and other club Directors. It is a great
opportunity to prepare for the coming Rotary year and learn more about
important aspects of the various roles within your club leadership. This is
your opportunity to "Lead the Way".
More
details will come later and the registration fee will be set at a later date.
Check events page for seminars across District 5040.
Time
For Wine
§
Wine Tasting,
§
Food Tasting,
§
Entertainment
§
Silent Auction
Saturday
April 29, 2006 - 6:30-9:30pm
Contact
lperry@newwestrotary.ca or call
Don Michiel 604-444-3006 for ticket information.
The
most powerful force in the promotion of international understanding and peace
is exposure to different cultures. Youth Exchange provides thousands of young
people with the opportunity to meet people from other countries and to
experience their cultures.
The
experience often leaves quite an impact to the exchange student. Here are some
words from Eric Welscher, the youth exchange student
sponsored by Rotary Club of Gibson. Eric is going to Catholic school in
“Wow, time is zooming by! I'm so amazed at how it
contrasts the beginning of the year; back when I felt as though I was
deteriorating into my pressboard school-chair, not understanding a word. Like
time seemed to pass by the millimetre, when the whole world was so
intoxicatingly foreign, and when my most favourite activity was trying to fall
asleep (it's still up there, just not my most favourite). Those times seem so
far away from me now. Not necessarily due to the passing of time, more as the
gradual shift from childhood to adulthood; I'm no longer completely naïve to my
surroundings, I'm a new person now.
In these last couple months, this country has
become mine; this culture and my daily way of life is
no longer outlandish or National Geographic like. The people are my
neighbours, and the language my comfort. I can read the weather and the 'time by
the sun', like I always did at home. In all, I feel as though my experience
here in
A group of doctors and nurses from Bermuda and the
It was really great to see the practical side of
Plastics. For example, you are missing an ear? Then we'll make you a new one
from one of your ribs... You can't breathe through your nose? Then mess around
with it till it works. Amazing work when someone can walk away from it
functioning better.
Though personally, one of the hardest things to
deal with was watching the burn victims. Like a little boy whose classmates had
thrown gasoline on him and lit him on fire; he has been coming to the surgeries
every year since, so they can do the little they can to help him function
normally. And its shocking how strong those little
kids really are...
I volunteered during the week they stayed,
organizing the thousands of medical supplies they had brought, setting up IVs,
translating for patients and doctors, and even helping in the OR; (I scrubbed
in for the last three days). I made good friends with all of the doctors, and I
spent nearly every evening eating dinner and talking about
Two
days after they left, I was off to
We spent the entire trip in a lodge/community where
we worked, swam, and ate amazing food nearly every day. ..
Of course working was fun and rewarding, but the
best moments where the ones between everything. Jungle star gazing, running in
the warm rain, and swimming across the wide muddy river (with the local kids
grinning and yelling out ¡Anaconda!) to cool off gave us the real memories . .
. .
Each year District Awards are presented to clubs and
individual Rotarian to recognize their service efforts. We are currently
accepting nomination submissions
Nominations
can be submitted from the clubs, the Assistant Governors and the Governor.
Please email written submission to Awards Chair, PDG Leo Nimsick at nimsick@telus.net
Membership Award
Presented to the club with the highest percentage membership gain.
Best Bulletin Award
Based
on the award committee’s evaluation of the following:
Appearance: Does it communicate in a pleasing way?
§
Readability: Is the bulletin exciting and fun to read?
§
Club News: Does it inform about meetings, member activities, fellowship, projects,
youth, finance, committee reports, plans and future events?
§
District and International
News: Does it report on District, Rotary International and
Rotary Foundation plans and programs and other important Rotary communications?
§
General Interest: Does it appeal to casual readers and others?
Individual Recognition
Recognition at the District Conference of individual Rotarians or
friends of Rotary for exemplary service during the Rotary year.
Club Recognition
Recognition
at the District Conference of individual Rotary clubs for exemplary service
projects during the Rotary year.
District 5040 Governor’s Award
Recognizing
that the strength of the Rotary movement is founded on the service carried out
by club members, the purpose of this award will be to provide a means for
Rotary Clubs in District 5040 to recognize a member for outstanding service to
Rotary and/or the community (local or world).
Eligible Nominees: Candidates for nomination should be Rotarians in good standing in their
clubs who have consistently demonstrated their support of the Object of Rotary
through participation in a variety of service activities.
Selection Process: The nomination of a candidate to receive this award will be made by the
club. The method of selection will be determined by the club. The club
president must endorse the nomination and submit it to the District Governor.
Requirement: A fee of $300.00 Canadian is to accompany the nomination. This fee will
be accumulated in a special fund to be used for a Rotary purpose as determined
by the District Governor. A special pin and certificate will be presented to
the recipient. This award is separate and apart from the Paul Harris Fellowship
which is a recognition for a $1000.00 US contribution to the Rotary Foundation.
NEW ADDITIONS
TO GIBSONS
President Eric Small inducted Lynnette Robinson and
Freddy Marks as the newest
Rotarians. Both are now part of the Rotary family of over
1,200,000 members in 170 countries. Congratulations to Lynnette and Freddy, may
they enjoy a lifetime experience in serving others in the local and
international community.
NEWLY REVISED
FACT PACKS
Get your newly revised English language fact packs on-line in the
Effective Public Relations section of RI Web site owww.rotary.org or D5040 website www.rotary5040.org
Fact sheets can be used for writing press releases,
letters-to-the-editor, media interviews, presentations and speeches. The fact
packs will soon be available for download in eight Rotary languages.
District Conference Sponsorship Chair Magdalen
Leung is asking for your support:
Each year, the Rotary District holds an annual
conference. To hold a successful regional conference is no easy task. To make
the conference as affordable as possible requires a considerable amount
of funding. Consequently, we hope to count on our generous Rotarians, as
prominent business establishments and community leaders, to become one of our
sponsors in these exciting and worthwhile events.
In 2006, the Conference will be held in Whistler, B.C.
from May 19 to 21. In 2007, the Conference will be held in
Your early response is most essential. Sponsorship form can be downloaded under District
Conference event page. Please mark X on the sponsorship level of your choice.
The cheque should be made payable to “Rotary District 5040”.
TO PROMOTE YOUR CLUB’S UPCOMING
EVNETS
CLUB SERVICE PROJECTS POWERPOINT
PRESENTATION
If circumstances allow, we are planning to show off
club projects during the May District Conference. These will also be posted in
5040 district website under Service Projects.
If your club would like to participate, please submit one or two of your club's
signature projects from the past year.
They could be an overseas, local or joint project. Due Date for
submission is March 31, 2006.
Each project should
include:
Since it is a powerpoint,
the message has to be short and precise, we can also add a link to your website
if readers wish further detail.
To help my planning, please inform me whether your club will be remitting a
submission.
CLUB
MEETING
CANCELLEATION
NOTICE
West Van Sunrise will NOT be meeting on Thursday
March 30th, they will be joining the
other North Shore Clubs at a special meeting with the
These are
belated postings, the Rotarians were being recognized
during DG’s visit end of last year.
Fort
St. James - Orville Koette and Louly Thomson
Smithers Alpine - President Don Chinnick, Vocational Director
Alison Wiley and Treasurer Brian Foot