As People of Action we Rotarians, every day throughout the world, get things done through fellowship and make new friends as we do. Fellowship is our way of life in our shared service above self. In June we take the opportunity to celebrate fellowship and our Rotary Fellowships.
Beyond our clubs, many of us also enjoy international fellowship and goodwill among those with similar recreational and vocational interests by joining Rotary Fellowships. So far there are 78 Rotary Fellowships. Rotary Fellowships are groups of Rotarians, Rotarian spouses and Rotaractors in at least three countries with at least three officers elected within the group to oversee administration. Some are for health professionals, military veterans and honorary consuls to name a few. Others are for magicians, pilots, those who love dolls and, yes, in my case, those who like trains.
Fellowships provide opportunities for Rotarians to make lasting friendships within our clubs and communities and far beyond our districts and countries. Rotary Fellowships empower their members to pursue their passions and connect with new friends in Rotary from all over the world. They unite members who share a particular vocation or have mutual interests in the same field. Fellowships can even be said to contribute to the advancement of world understanding and peace. If nothing else, members of Rotary Fellowships simply have fun and enhance their experience in Rotary.
Your profession, business or industry area may well have already established a Rotary Fellowship to which you can contribute and from which you can learn. While most Rotarians join fellowships to connect with their international professional counterparts, to find an outlet for hobbies, and to meet new friends, the unique service opportunities these groups offer keep their members especially active and engaged in Rotary.
Some doctors as members of the Health Professionals, for instance, have focused on reducing maternal and child mortality rates in India, some pilots, in the Flying Fellowship, plan trips and offer aviation support to Rotary projects, and members of the Environment Fellowship support local, national, and international Rotary efforts in promoting environmental peace and sustainability, the theme of the Presidential Peacebuilding conference here in Vancouver on February 10, 2018.
So have a look at the wide range of interests covered by Rotary Fellowships, at https://tinyurl.com/y8hz9m7z, such as marathon running, scuba diving, bird watching, chess, Esperanto, gourmets, lawyers, nurses, police, recreational vehicles, singles, stockbrokers, venture capitalists, wine, whiskey and yoga and more. There’s something for everybody. Or there could be for your particular passion.
Volunteer Hours - Keep Them Coming!
As we write this month's news, Rotary Club Central shows that globally we have so far tallied more than 42 million volunteer hours, and here in District 5040 we have now passed 46,000 recorded volunteer hours. That's an amazing amount of work done by Rotarians, but I suspect that so far only about half of what we really do has been captured. Thanks to our clubs who have been inputting their hours, but please keep at it right to year end. Every hour counts, so make sure that your club gets all their hours entered so they count towards our District total, and Rotary International's total.
It's amazing the work we do around the globe day in and day out - our tally of volunteering will be a tangible statistic of those contributions to our communities and to our world.
District Conference 2018
District Conference 2018 is here! Peacing It Together is getting underway May 31 in Squamish, and we look forward to seeing all of you there!
Visit Don's Diary
One of our most frequently asked questions is about what other clubs do for projects, and to raise funds. Well, one way to learn about some of this without leaving your desk is to visit Don's Diary on the Rotary5040.org website at rotary5040.org/Page/don-s-diary. We have visited all the clubs in our District, and are making second visits at this time, and we have noted all we have seen in each club and community in this blog. Check it out!
Yours in Rotary,
Don & Deb
Membership Update
Congratulations to the new Rotary Club of Lillooet who just chartered with 22 members. Plans are for a charter dinner in September……Lillooet Style. Next up, either The Dragon Rotary Club of Greater Vancouver or the Rotary Club of Vanderhoof.
If you would like more information please contact Tom Smith, your District Membership Chair at tom@tascosales.ca.
Rotaract Update
50 years is a long time and deserves celebration! Boy did our District 5040 Rotaract Clubs celebrate on May 12th during an evening of dinner, dancing, and fun! During the evening we showcased our clubs' projects - past, present, and future. We heard great speeches by District Governor Don Evans, District Governor Elect Darcy Long and District Rotaract Chair Joan Posivy.
District Rotaract Representative (DRR) Johanna Johnson recognized the hard work of this year's District Committee, and took the opportunity to install the new DRR Carina McClelland and all of the new Rotaract Clubs' Presidents. Last, but not least we gave out our Rotaract Awards. Congratulations to our winner of the Bill Richwa Award, aka Outstanding Rotaractor of the Year, Eric Young! The Best Club Project went to the Rotaract Club of New Westminster Rotaract Club for the Charity for Change Fundraiser, which raised $4,037 for the Malala Education Fund and Books for Africa!
We would like to send out a big THANK YOU to all Rotarians who made it to party! We greatly appreciate your support! We would also like to thank Yaletown Rotaractor DJ Kaief Spencer of The Link Intl. for providing us with the perfect soundtrack to our party!
Since the 2017/2018 term is coming to its end, our last meeting will be a dinner on June 12 at the Parlour. We are looking forward to continue developing our great team work with the Rotarians of District 5040 in the term of 2018/2019!
There is still time to register and we would love to see you there!
******Please bring your Rotary Club's rollup banners for display on the Mezzanine during the District Conference
Parking: Parking on site and off site, lot attendants/signage will direct you
Thursday 10 AM - 5:30 PM: RLI
Pre-Conference Socials: Thursday 5 PM – 7 PM: No host bar-Club Car open at West Coast Railway Heritage Park, Squamish
Thursday 6 PM: Join the golfers on the patio Thursday afternoon at the Squamish Valley Golf & Country Club, 2458 Mamquam Road, Squamish, a la carte drinks/food.
Golfers: Tee off times on Thursday are 1:34 PM (Mike, Bala, Dave D.D.) and 1:43 PM(Frank, TJ, Dolly, Dave W)
Registration Location: The registration check in desk will be inside main entry of CN Roundhouse & Conference Centre, West Coast Railway Heritage Park
Registration Hours: Thursday: 5:30 PM to 7 PM Friday: 7:30 AM to 9:15 AM & 2:45 PM – 3:30 PM
Registration for the 2019 District Confernce)
Saturday: 8 AM to 9 AM
Registration Phone Contact : Mike Storey 604.830.1310
Program: There have been changes to the preliminary program shown on the Conference Website, sorry but final program will not be available until Thursday
Dress code and theme: Thursday/Friday/Sunday: Rotary Gear or smart casual
Saturday Gala: Happy Days – 50’s Rock & Roll themed Rotary Party, no black tie here, come in your Rock & Roll 50's attire
We hope to see all Rotarians at our District Conference May 31st to June 3rd in Squamish at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park
The Government of Canada has just signed a generous pledge of CDN $100 million to help eradicate polio in Afghanistan as well as in the two other endemic countries, Nigeria and Pakistan, and to continue to protect many polio-free countries. Hon. Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, had announced the pledge at the Rotary International Convention in Atlanta last June.
In addition to previous donations of CDN $ 650 million, this most recent funding consists of CDN $ 30 million to WHO and UNICEF to support programme activities in Afghanistan, and Can$ 70 million of flexible funding that can be used to support vaccination campaigns, rapid outbreak response, poliovirus surveillance and other critical eradication strategies and activities to reach every last child worldwide with a safe vaccine.
Those attending the District 5040 Conference will have a special opportunity to pick up some great strawberries. The Rotary Club of Squamish, in partnership with the Rotary Club of Abbotsford - Sumas, is holding aStrawberry Sale.
Turns out that Rotary has some great Fraser Valley connections to some of the best locally grown strawberries. There is nothing added - no sugar, no water, no preservatives. Just yummy sliced strawberriesThey are washed, hulled and sliced then put into the pails. Ready to be enjoyed right away or frozen for use during the year. Proceeds will go towards a global grant to provide fistula clinics in Kenya.
Prince George Downtown Rotary Club had close to 300 people attended a community breakfast at Spruceland Elementary Traditional School April 19th. Parents and kids filled the school gym and were invited to eat a morning meal together. Breakfast can be the most important meal of the day as students learn better on a full belly.
It's BACK! Join the Rotary Club of New Westminster Royal City on May 27th, for the second annual Rotary Century Ride presented by Caps Bicycles! 100% of the $26.50 entry will be going to support both the eradication of polio as well as build a library for New Westminster's own Purpose Secondary School in an effort to help raise literacy.
Now you may be wondering why such an arbitrary entry fee?? That is the original donation that started Rotary International over 100 YEARS AGO!
Imagine soaking up Western Canada's soul-stirring landscape from a bi-level glass-dome luxury coach while nibbling on gourmet meals created by Executive Chefs. Sound like a dream come true? It is!
District Conference registrants will have a chance to have their name selected for a Rocky Mountaineer GoldLeaf trip for two valued at $5,000, as part of a fundraiser for Rotary.
But - you have to be there! You must be registered and in attendance to qualify.
Ever wonder what makes an Interactor inspired, a Rotaractor rejoice, a Youth Exchanger engage, or a Rotarian rejuvenate? Then you won’t want to miss this fast-paced, interactive session. Interested Rotarians will take a 9 minute journey to Quest University for a one-hour group exchange comprised of multi-generations from our Rotary family. Carefully selected questions will be asked, designed to help us learn more about each other and what makes us tick in our Rotary world.
The Royal City Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of New Westminster invite you to participate in the 23rd Annual Pot of Gold Charity Golf Tournament on July 17th at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club. Over the past 22 years, this event has raised almost $500,000 for local charities. Over $33,000 was raised from last year’s tournament alone. There are four hole in one prizes valued at $25,000 or more! Go to www.rotarypotofgoldgolf.com to learn more and register.
Registration is only $195 per golfer: includes golf, cart, lunch, buffet dinner, prizes, contests, & photos with BC Lions Felions.
June 5 - Burnaby South Interact and Rotaract June 11 - Vancouver Young Professionals Rotaract June 15 - North Van Installation June 16 - DG 2018-2019 Installation in Gibsons June 20 - Lions Gate 40th Anniversary and Installation June 24-27 - Rotary International Convention in Toronto