Sonia’s chicken soup for ROTARIAN SOULS
Just as New Years is a time to make
resolutions, May is the month for spring cleaning and getting your
Rotary house in order. Spring cleaning means different things to different
people, but one thing we know it is the time of turning over the soil,
planting, growth, newness and bright sunny days.
May is the month for Assistant
Governors to report on all the clubs; for Presidents to complete
their goals; and Secretaries to complete all phases of their job. It is
not too early for the President-Elects and their clubs to plan for
Literacy month for July.
Have you topped out your donation
to The Rotary Foundation and made the “Every Rotarian Every Year” goal? Have you brought in a new member?
You can still accomplish these two
items in May and meet your club goals.
It is the time to look around your
Rotary Club and say, “THANK YOU” to your members who have worked
tirelessly this year.
And it is time to celebrate and join
Rotarians in Whistler May 19th to 21st for the District 5040 & 5050
Conference. Please join us for this great occasion.
Governor Sonia
P. S. Please print copies of the
newsletter for your club members.
The motive power of Rotary is friendship. Fellowship is
wonderful; it illuminates life’s pathway, spreads good cheer, and is worth a
high price. - Paul Harris, “My Road to Rotary.”
Rotary Volunteer Spotlight Canadian Rotarian helps Ugandans hear better
Dr. Irwin Stewart
believes that Rotary does its best
work when it supports sustainable service projects that have the potential to
benefit a developing country's entire population. In such a "top
down" approach, Rotarians work with a government to educate and aid
service personnel, who then gain the expertise to train others and help their fellow
citizens.
Stewart, an otolaryngologist and a past governor of District 5040 (
"When those people reach
the ability to train others, they're going to benefit the entire population of
the country," says Stewart, a member of the Rotary Club of
Volunteers also supplied 400 solar-powered
hearing aids to deaf people who cannot benefit from surgery, equipped
clinicians with basic diagnostic equipment, donated 250 used computers to
schools for the deaf, and provided medical training materials, hospital and
medical supplies, microscopes, textbooks, and more.
- This article was originally published in the
April 2006 issue of Rotary World.
Inspiration: A good idea goes a very long way.
What is the connection between
the ROTARY FOUNDATION WALK organized by the Rotary Club of Vancouver
Quadra and the LORD MAYOR’S WALK organized by the Rotary Club of Leeds,
United Kingdom?
The Lord Mayor’s Walk
thousands of miles from
A Leed’s Rotarian liked the wheelchair-friendly flat walk and
started organizing their walk last year. It has grown from 400 participants
last year to thousands of participants this year. Money raised this year will
go to five different local charities.
WHO will be speaking at the DISTRICT CONFERENCE IN WHISTLER?
It is with great pleasure that we announce that Mr. John Furlong, CEO of VANOC (
The Vancouver Organizing Committee for
the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games (VANOC)
was established on September 30, 2003. The Committee’s mandate is to support
and promote the development of sport in
VANOC is guided by a 20-member board of
directors nominated by the Government of Canada, the
The Vancouver 2010 mission is to touch the soul of the nation and inspire the
world by creating and delivering an extraordinary Olympic and Paralympic experience with lasting legacies. The vision is
to build a stronger
Prior to his appointment at VANOC in
2004, Furlong was the President and Chief Operating Officer for the Vancouver
2010 Bid Corporation. He helped lead the organization through numerous phases.
In his role, he became the Bid’s international face and key spokesperson,
tirelessly clocking more than 1.2 million miles in his travels to promote the
Bid.
“The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are
“This is our time to shine, our time to
show the world who we are and what we can do – from coast to coast to coast.
“Beyond the showcasing of outstanding
athletic and cultural performances, we believe the Games can touch the soul of
our nation. The Games have the capacity to inspire people of all ages, prompt
community celebration and pride, foster unity, embrace diversity and instill a
genuine spirit of peace in us all. Through the Games we can become
nation-builders, champions at home and at play and we can become better
citizens of the world.”
Don’t miss this opportunity to hear
John’s fascinating presentation! Join with fellow Rotarians from Districts 5040
and 5050 in the fellowship of a District Conference, and “Come Walk where
the Olympians are going to Tread!”
-Your District Conference Committee
We are delighted to welcome John
Eberhard as RI President Carl-Wilhelm Stenhammar's
Special Representative to the Conference. John is well known to us as our Past
Zone 22 Director and he will be opening the proceedings on Friday May 19th at
1.30 p.m.
Plenary Sessions have been scheduled, and include Jean Irwin, a previous Ambassadorial Scholar and
well known PETS presenter. Jean's talks are always stimulating, highly
entertaining and talk to the very heart of "Service Above
Self”.
In Memoriam
It has been a touching
tradition over the past few years for District 5040 to hold a short Memorial
Service at the end of the District Conference. This remembers those of our
District who have passed away since our last Conference.
I’m pleased to say that we
will be continuing this tradition at our Whistler event.
As the formal Conference now
ends on Saturday night, we are holding our Service on Sunday Morning in a specially reserved room at the Hilton Hotel, from 8:00 a.m.
till 9:a.m.
We are honoured to have Rev.
Harlene Walker, of Whistler, in attendance. The
service will consist of members lighting a candle in memory, and signing a Book
of Remembrance beside the past members’ name. A spouse, partner, or other close
relative may also be remembered. Perhaps you may wish to include a small
photograph.
Should members wish, we
would be pleased to provide time for a brief eulogy of no more than 2 minutes, please. But this is
entirely optional. Short multi-denominational readings will also be presented.
All District Rotarians are
invited to attend. Should you wish to remember someone, please arrange to let
us know in advance. You may do this by sending an
email to me, with your name, the name of the deceased, the club (if any) and
relationship to you, if relevant. You may also just leave me a voicemail
message, if that is easier.
Email to: gdalglis@ca.ibm.com or Call (604) 244-2131
anytime.
We look forward to welcoming
you to this event and to remember, and celebrate the contribution of, those who
may no longer be with us, but who have been helped make our clubs, our District
- and Rotary International itself – what they are today.
Thank You,
Gordon Dalglish, Assistant
Governor
Conference
Program Co-Chair
Bragging Tables
Exhibition booths are available in the Conference Foyer - for
Commercial, Club and Project displays. What a good opportunity for the clubs to
set up "Bragging Tables" to exhibit their current and past successful
projects, and also brag about their community service.
To reserve your table, please contact Stan Rogers by stanrogers@legacypacific.com
or by phone 604-823-4015 or download registration form http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5040/html/8963/Rotary%20Convention%20Brochure[1].pdf
BILL SAUER Assistant Governor Northwest
“It’s been a rewarding experience to represent the
The Northwest area of District 5040 consists of seven
Clubs. Starting at the beginning or end of highway 16 (depending on your
viewpoint) on the north coast,
The Rotary Club of Prince Rupert is
the second oldest Club in B.C., chartered in 1921. They are currently involved
in the restoration of Rushbrook Trail. This scenic
pathway follows an old rail bed next to the waterfront.
The Rotary Club of Prince Rupert Hecate Strait is considered the junior club in the City. Along with doing their own
projects, they work jointly with the Prince Rupert Club on numerous projects,
and jointly host the annual Foundation Dinner.
Going inland for an hour and a half will get you to
the City of
The Rotary Club of Terrace is the senior club most recently celebrating their 50th
anniversary. A lot of projects undertaken by the club are in conjunction with
the newer Skeena-Valley Club. They include highway cleanup, sponsorship of
major projects such as the transition house, and the joint Centennial project
of a wheelchair accessible playground.
The Rotary Club of Terrace Skeena-Valley is
the junior club in Terrace and is also my Club. The Club recently hosted a very
successful joint Foundation Dinner which the Terrace and Kitimat
Clubs participate in. Each year it is hosted by a different Club and this
year’s theme was pirates and wenches. Along with the joint projects with the
Terrace Club, the Skeena-Valley Club fund raises at the annual trades fair. For
the young at heart in the community the Club has a Treasure Hunt and an annual
Pumpkin fling . For the seniors the Club operates a
weekly bingo.
Taking a small detour from highway 16 along highway 37 for 45 minutes
gets you to the City of
The Rotary Club of Kitimat is known as the little club that can! What sets this little club apart,
are some of their adventurous fundraising events. Annual
scotch tasting where over 50 brands of scotch are available. Wine and
cheese fundraisers with the exotic cheeses prepared in different ways followed
by decadent chocolate desserts. The club is also very involved in Youth
Exchange and both RYLA North and RYLA South.
Moving back to Terrace and East down highway 16 for 2
and a half hours gets us to the community of Smithers and their two Clubs.
The Rotary Club of Smithers is involved in community projects as well as various International
projects.
The Rotary Club of Smithers
Alpine was chartered during Past District Governor Art Erasmus’s year. They
are involved in community projects such as park’s and benches, Salvation Army
Christmas kettles, special Olympics, scholarships, recycling, kids lunches,
second sheet of ice , miss teen B.C. and math lunch contests. Annual golf
scrambles and other fundraising events.
The list of accomplishments by all of the above Clubs is by no means
complete. One major Northwest accomplishment was the Water Well Project that all of the Clubs in
the area came together on to support Art and Lesley Erasmus both financially
and emotionally. A common theme running through all of the clubs is the FUN and
FELLOWSHIP that comes to the forefront of every event undertaken. It is truly a
wonderful feeling to drive through all of the towns in the area and see so many
Rotary wheels highlighting all the good that Rotary does and will continue to
do.
Gibson's Wine Festival
Those who did not attend including me missed out on Gibson’s most
successful wine/Beer Festival and Art Auction in the last 11th years.
GSE
The Team has completed their tour. By all accounts
it was a total success. We look forward to hearing from Phil and his team at
the District Conference in May. Welcome back gang. One of their Rotary
highlights was spending an afternoon at PRIP Bichai Rattakul’s home in
GSE LA EXCITING DIARIES www.gse5040.org
GSE 2006 Specialized Law
Enforcement Team departed for
Besides enjoying the
hospitality of L.A. Rotarians, meeting the inbound GSE team and visit clubs in
D5280, they visited many exciting places such as: Monica Pd (live fire time at
the range with the SWAT Team; Westwood FBI Bureau; 2 Billion dollar Getty
Center and Museum; LA International Airport Police Department (K-9 unit);
Transport Security Administration; the Immigration and Customs Operation at
LAX; Los Angeles County Sheriffs, Marina Del-Ray Division; Gates Security – tour of the Pacific
Palisades and coffee with Spielberg, Hanks and Schwarzenegger; LAPD; LA Fire
Department; Port of LA Police Department and much more.
Team Members are Jean Hamm,
Michelle Hannah, Jody Akerman, and Robyn Waldron led
by Team Leader Neil MacKay. Visit www.gse5040.org for team profiles and dairy
details.
Eyecare FELLOWSHIP OF ROTARIANS
§
to bring together, in fellowship and service, those Rotarians who have an
active interest in the prevention of blindness and the promotion of eye health
and vision worldwide.
§
to provide both a platform and a forum to discuss ideas and develop
appropriate cooperative programs to further our shared goals.
§
to promote international understanding and peace through our common
purpose and efforts.
This fellowship is an outgrowth of the former
Avoidable Blindness Task Force and the Fellowship of Eye Care Professionals.
All Rotarians interested in preventing blindness and improving eye health are
invited to become members of this official Rotary fellowship. The fellowship is
open to professionals and non-professionals alike.
District 5040 Fellowships Chair
Member, International Travel and Hosting Fellowship
RI Convention Events
HOUSE OF
FRIENDSHIP—WHERE PEOPLE MEET
Special opening
of the House of Friendship with the Danish Royal Life Guard and a lot of cultural and historical exhibitions.
BANNER
EXCHANGE
Banner exchange
area – please - bring ”One for Your Host” and participate in creating a wall
covered with the largest number of club banners ever collected in one place.
VIKING BOAT
Experience a
Viking boat which crossed the
SCANDINAVIAN
CHRISTMAS
Rotaract presents
a Scandinavian Christmas exhibition where you can buy your Christmas ornaments.
NOBEL DINNER
Professor
Michael Nobel and/or Peter Nobel will be the main speakers)
HOST
HOSPITALITY NIGHT
An old Convention tradition,
offering a marvelous opportunity for participants to have dinner and enjoy an
evening of hospitality and international fellowship with Rotarians at a private
home, a restaurant, or a local Rotary club.
A DAY IN THE
FAMOUS
You are free to
stroll around in
SWEDISH NIGHT
On video screens
you will meet Swedish celebrities such as the Royal Family, Ingmar Bergman and
Ingvar Kamprad of IKEA and sport celebrities such as Björn Borg, Annika Sörenstam and Peter Forsberg. Listen to the stories behind Volvo, SAAB, IKEA and Tetra Pak.
CONVENTION
WORLD CUP GOLF
join the Convention World Cup Golf
2006 8-9 of June 2006 on the two master courses of Barsebäck
in
Visit the HOC homepage for more information and order tickets http://www.riconvention2006.org/Default.htm
See you in Beautiful Malmö and Wonderful
Copenhagen
- Grethe Christiansen, HOC International Promotion
RYLA South was a huge success.
Visit District website at www.rotary5040.org to
view complete photo journal.
Also go to Program Youth to check out Rotary International projects
proposed by 10 selected RYLA Teams. The workshop involved 60+ Rylarians.
RYLA North Aug 9 –13, 2006 Moose Springs Resort,
Download
application at the District Event page www.rotary5040.org
For more information, please contact Kathi Travers, RYLA North Chair, 250-564-2554 or kathipg@telus.net .
Please
return the completed application form to: Valerie Delorme, Registrar, FAX
250-562-4524 or valerie@cflca.com .
Note: If your Rotary Club has a Gaming Fund account, RYLA expenses
have been
"approved" to be taken from that account!
Scholar’s Study VANC CHINATOWN CLUB
Rotary Club
of Vancouver
Chinatown was treated to a sneak preview of their Millennium Project. .
. .the Scholar's Study at the
Project
Last
year, they raised almost $200,000, enough to build
a home for 132 children at the El Hogar
orphanage in
The
annual golf tournament for destitute Honduran children will be held at the
University Golf Club on Thursday, September 21. There are several
ways that you can help: ask your company to sponsor the tournament; ask your
company to sponsor a hole or half-hole; make a donation, tax receipt will be
issued; make up a foursome and register for the tournament; donate an auction
item and spread the word.
For
more information, please contact Ian Rose at 604-926-9181
Editor’s Corner
Have you checked the PUBLIC
RELATIONS PAGE in the District website lately? New ideas are posted from time to time. We invite you to share your tips with fellow Rotarians. Please send
your submission to
RI wants
your Rotary story . . . Rotary
International is collecting ideas and projects from clubs and districts to
pitch to the media. You are invited to send upcoming project (description &
contact info) that you think will make a great news story to pr@rotary.org.
With the help of their media staff, perhaps your upcoming Rotary project will
make a splash in your community!
Humanity in
Motion II . . .
The “Humanity in Motion II” DVD and CD-ROM provide
ready-made public relations tools that Rotarians can use to obtain free or
low-cost placements with their local print or broadcast media. It contains
television, print, Internet, and outdoor ad designs with the theme that Rotary
promotes peace through educational programs. Limit one copy per Rotarian.
The FREE copy can be ordered online at RI website shop. To preview the Humanity
in Motion videos, visit
RI Public Relations . Rotarians are encouraged to use these
materials to attract positive publicity for their service efforts.
“HOW TO KEEP OUR CLUBS
ALIVE?”. . . here’s
one Rotarian’s opinion
Rotarian Chris Langley from
Rotary Club Metrotown sharing his thought on
this forum. This is an edited summary.
To view thread and participate, login to District website at www.rotary5040.org
Building Rotary
It’s no good just inviting any individual to
come for breakfast / lunch / dinner.
People have to be invited who are already involved in their community in
one way or another. Rotary is built by volunteers, so quiet diners who
go home after work or don't like to get out of bed are a bad bet. It takes time to find the "right
person". They need to be outgoing and already involved.
A Club also needs a very solid plan in which to
actively involve people according to their interests. They need to be
brought in immediately they have joined and given real work to do. New members need to be actively approached by
the old members. Get to know them. It’s going to take concentrated effort.
What builds a strong Rotary Club? Activity
beyond the food table! Fellowship is
great over food but action is what Rotary is about, or should be. My own
feeling is that the centering of meetings around food has dominated Clubs. Food
is NOT what Rotary is about....it isn't a gourmet eating and tasting club, is it?
Heaven forbid, what about a bagged lunch meeting
once in a while? (I can hear some people getting up to leave now, muttering
that if they cannot get a "good meal" they won't come). I wonder how
much of the active work they do?
Another thing that makes Rotary good is its fellowship, but
fellowship can come in many forms. "Doers" are usually fairly
boisterous and loud and opinionated, know how to laugh and you cannot miss them
in a crowd. Does that describe your club meetings? They may be unconventional,
not wear a suit, sometimes say the wrong thing at the right time, but they get
stuff done. Those who don't participate ...well generally they don't
participate! They come for lunch, come to be seen.
Clubs need hands on things to do and have to
be carefully crafted so that even a 90 year old with a walking stick can feel
that they have done something to help, and yes, they should be asked. A Club
needs presence in its community. This should be addressed at the recruiting
stage! People need to be part of the community in other ways than that is where
their office is sited.
Every
community needs to know there is an active and fun-filled Rotary Club in their
midst. Create a presence, get boisterous, its not hard
to find ways in which you can make a hands-on and very public difference. The
danger is, if you don't, your numbers will drop to near extinction levels, good
members and potential members will steer away, throwing up their hands and the
lunchtime glee-club atmosphere will be compounded and forever in search for
people who will stay more than a year. Give them something to stay for! (other than lunch).
Newest VANC TECH INTERACT CLUB
Welcome to our Rotary family! The Interact Club of Vancouver Technical Secondary School has 22
chartered members and is sponsored by Vancouver Chinatown Club. Van Tech is
located at 2600 East Broadway, Vancouver.
DG Sonia challenged the club to live by the Rotary
motto of "Service Above Self". She
encouraged the Interact members to take on both a local and international
service project. She told them that will be the difference between being a
service club vs. a social club. District Interact Chair Chris Loat encouraged
the club members to use the Rotary 4-way Test in their school and lives. DGND
Dean Rohrs gave an example of an Interact Club that
raised more than $100,000 for the PolioPlus campaign.
Visit District website www.rotary5040.org to read the full charter night detail by AG
Penny Offer and see the photo journal.
Welcome the 2
new members to
Vancouver Chinatown Club
PP Henry Fetigan inducted
Helen
Wong and Nancy Yee to their club.
Freemason’s Community Award GRAND
LODGE OF B.C. & Yukon
On May 2, 2006, Dr Anthony Yurkovich
and Mrs. Nancy Yurkovich from Rotary Club of Richmond
were recognized for their commitment to the well being of the citizens of
Notices
DEADLINE:
Article
submission deadline for
MEETING CANCELLATION:
The Rotary Club of New Westminster will not be holding
their regular lunch meeting on Thursday June 1st due to their Installation
Dinner later that evening.