ImageIt is hard to believe that our year of Peace Through Service is almost over.  For Ted and I it has been a year that we will never forget.  We had the opportunity to meet many wonderful Rotarians and make new friends. I would like to thank each of you for the support you have given me, the hospitality Ted and I received while visiting your club and the dedication each of you have to Rotary.

Each PDG that I spoke to before I started my year as DG told me that it would be a very busy year and that visiting the individual clubs would be the best part.  It really was.  Each club in our district is unique, each has its own way of doing Rotary, its own traditions, its own culture, but they all have one thing in common; they make a positive difference in their communities and around the world.

We started the year with many goals, many of which we were able to accomplish. One goal was to increase membership. With your help we have done this.  We started the year with 1524 members and finished the year with 1544.  We also chartered a new e-club in June, The Rotary E-club of Lulu Island, British Columbia, with an addition of 38 charter members.

Our Annual foundation giving this year to date is $260,151.26 and rising as last minute donations are made.  This is wonderful news; it means that in 3 years’ time, when John Anderson is DG, our district will have $130,075.63 in DDF that will be split between District and Global Grants.  This year we had $102,497.27.  Great work to each of your clubs!  As I am still DG I would be remiss in not reminding you that donations made up to midnight tomorrow night will still count towards this year total.  Your support of our foundation helps Rotarian in continuing to make a difference.

I had the privilege of being District Governor during a year when there were many special events held in our district. There are too many for me to mention all of them individually but some of the highlights are;

 RI President Tanka came to visit us twice; once for the Zone 24/32 Zone Institute where many of you had the opportunity to meet him and hear him speak.  The second time was when the Rotary Club of Vancouver celebrated 100 years of Rotary Service and shared the celebration with all of us.

The Interact Club of Hugh Boyd School won the Rotary International Interact Video Contest and had the privilege of having President Tanka come to their school. 

Our District Foundation Dinner, hosted by the Rotary Club of New Westminster, was a fun event that saw Rotarians and Friends of Rotary contribute over $11,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

The Peace Forum held jointly with District 5050 was a great opportunity to learn about the many ways we as Rotarians help to bring peace to the lives of others.  And we really do make a difference.

The district conference that was held in Quesnel was a huge success.  We had a lot of fun, which if you remember I did promise during my club visits, we heard great Rotary Stories from the speakers, enjoyed the Polio Walk with Ramesh Ferris, celebrated individual and club accomplishment and came away feeling proud to be Rotarians.

A special thank you to all of you who helped make these events successful.

I will be District Trainer for DGE Ken Wilson this coming year and look forward to seeing all of you at future events.

Thank you for your leadership and the time that each of you gives to Rotary. You really are making a difference. Thank you for allowing me to be District Governor and sharing the year where we worked toward PEACE THROUGH SERVICE.

And please remember to TELL YOUR ROTARY STORY.

Rebecca