eNewsletter
April 2016

April is Maternal and Child Health Month and Way more!

April is Maternal and Child Health Month in the Rotary Calendar and while that is not a specific topic at the District Conference, the work Rotary does in this area will be included in several of the presentations and demonstrated in the posters at Showcase 5040.
 
If you are one of the 400 people heading to Whistler next week to attend the District Conference at the Chateau or the concurrent youth conference at Hi Whistler, you are in for a real treat. Our President’s representative, Rotary International Director, Julia Phelps and her husband, Steve arrive on Wednesday and will be driven to Whistler by their aides PDG Ken and Peggy Wilson. On Thursday, Julia will visit the Rotary Leadership Institute taking place at the Chateau Whistler and speak at the Whistler Millennium Club’s noon meeting.
 
Some of you are participating in the RLI sessions on Thursday and the conference registration will open immediately following. Thursday evening is a chance to visit with friends and enjoy the fine restaurants and pubs in the Village. You are all welcome to join us for a drink in the Kananaskis Room when you get back to the hotel.
 
Registration opens in earnest early Friday morning and we have a super line up of speakers to inform and entertain you. Peace Scholar, Julia Smith and Aga Khan Foundation Director Steve Mason will kick things off while Danielle Lalliment will give us the inside scoop on how to attract young professionals into Rotary. The good times continue Saturday when Ezra Teshome and Penny LeGate speak on polio eradication.  In between there are lots to learn from our own in breakout sessions and Showcase 5040.
 
Fear not all is not work and there will be plenty of time to enjoy the sights and sounds of Whistler. Be sure to pack your jeans or your casual gear for pub night at Merlins on Friday night and your finery for the Governor’s Gala on Saturday night. We look forward to having you with us and if this is your first District Conference be prepared for warmth, friendship and fun times.  See you in the Mountains!
 
Tribute to PDG David Ker
With the closing of the Vancouver South Club, we have to say good-bye to one of our most generous Rotarians, David Ker who is moving his membership to the RC of Salt Spring Island in District 5020. Not wanting him to go without due thanks and recognition, Claire and I joined Penny and Chris Offer on a cruise to the Gulf islands to visit with Dave and Lis Ker in their home and to present Dave with a certificate of appreciation for all he has done for Rotary in our District and for those who Rotary serves. Chris recorded the event and we will be sharing the tape at the conference so that all may pay fitting tribute to a great Rotarian and a true Gift to the World.
 
Council on Legislation
The Council on Legislation (COL), Rotary’s parliament, meets every three years and has just concluded its meeting in Chicago. Penny Offer, District 5040 rep has sent a number of posts on Facebook and will give a more formal report following the AGM at the District Conference. Penny, one of 523 delegates from all over the Rotary World reports that the Council dealt with  181 resolutions and passed some key changes giving Rotary clubs an opportunity for flexibility on some of our procedures in our Constitution and By Laws.  A big bouquet to Penny for all the work she put into preparation for the meeting and for her service on our behalf during a very busy week.
 
Walk to End Polio
On Saturday, May 14 the Rotary, Rotaract and Interact Clubs of Burnaby & New Westminster along with the Vancouver Cambie club are hosting a Polio Walk at River Market in New Westminster. All Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors in the Lower Mainland are encouraged to sign up as an individual or as part of a team and come out to the walk. For those of you further afield feel free to support the Governors team ‘Governors get Going’ and donate to End Polio Now  
 
April Adventures
While final conference preparations have taken up a lot of time this month I have managed to get out to a number of Rotary events. DGE Lyn Stroshin and District Grants Chair Garry Shearer have also met with many of you at the various District Assemblies and Grants Seminars that have taken place in Prince George, Quesnel, Williams Lake and Terrace.  
 
On April 2nd I had the pleasure of joining over 100 Rotarians in Kitimat for their annual Terrace/Kitimat Foundation Dinner with PDG Bob Blacker as the evening’s speaker. It was a great night that started with a most memorable champagne bus ride from Terrace and provided a good opportunity to meet up with Rotarians from the North West.
 
Last week I had the privilege of inducting five new members at the Vancouver Club and they tell me they have a few more in the wings. Well done, Vancouver and welcome to the new Rotarians.
 
On April 16th I got to dine out on foods from around the world at the Burnaby Club’s International Dinner before heading out to the Tsawwassen Club’s Wine Gala, which was also a world-class affair. It’s a tough job, but somebody has to do it!
 
Fun is something our exchange students know a lot about. Whether it be skiing at Whistler, which was quite the experience for Noe Estrad from Mexico; running in the Sun Run as Mette Lund Piil from Denmark did with her home-stay mom, Kathleen Beaton or putting on an art show as Florence Merkin from Belgium did in Prince George.
 
It was fun too for me to visit the South Delta Interact Club and the Vancouver Yaletown Rotaract  Club and learn about their projects and how they put service above self.
 
I am constantly amazed at the work Rotarians do and the fun they have doing it.
 
Keep up the good work!
Cheers, John

John l. Anderson
District Governor 2015-16
Rotary District 5040

Membership Matters

Membership Matters presentations have been and will be given at all District Assemblies.  Tom and DGE Lyn have split the load.  Here is a revelation for you.  All Rotary clubs are the same.  Yes, all Rotary are the same in the fact that they are completely different.  Where am I going with this?  Stay with me.  All Rotary geographic areas are different too.  Prince George is not like Gibson and Vancouver is not like Bowen Island.  So both factors have to be considered when designing a club membership plan.  Tom and his committee are willing and able to help any club design a membership plan that fits their club and their area.  What’s the catch, you say?  Well, there are two catches.  One, you must have seen Tom’s Membership Matters presentation either in person or your club has watched it on YouTube at a club meeting.  And two, you must have a minimum of four people on your membership committee.  You need a Membership Chair who reports to the board.  This chair needs a recruitment chair, a mentoring chair and a retention chair.  Once they are in place Tom and his committee will figure out how to help you.  But it starts with a club asking for help.
 
If you have questions for Tom please contact him at tom@tascosales.ca.
 
Please don’t forget to ask your new Rotarians the Three Magic Questions:  1.  Why did you join Rotary?  2.  What excites you about Rotary?  3.  How did Rotary find you?
 
Have a look at a YouTube version of our Membership Matters presentation:
 
 

Rotaract Impact

Rotaract has a lot to celebrate this spring! As we head into the the warmer months, here are some events we look forward to (hope to see you there!):
 
  • May 7th Beer & Burger Night at The Castle Neighbourhood Grill: Join New Westminster Rotaract for another awesome fundraiser. Proceeds go to the Rotaract Club in Nairobi Central and their initiative supporting female students so they don't miss school due to feminine hygiene.
     
  • May 21st Rotaract Installation Dinner: Save the date for this awesome evening of food, fun, and celebration. We will be installing next year's Rotaract Club leadership. The theme will be a "Superhero Gala". The dinner will be at Burnaby Mountain Clubhouse and we want to invite all sponsoring Rotarians, friends, and family to come.
     
  • Rotaract PACE Roundtrip update: We have been gathering applications from interested Rotaractors all over globe. We will close applications at the end of April and select successful candidates in mid-May. We have also drafted a tentative itinerary...this year we are excited to announce the addition of Capilano Suspension Bridge as one of the day activities.
This coming week be on the look out for us, as 32 Rotaractors will be heading up to Whistler to join Rotarians, Interactors, and everyone else in the Rotary family at the District Conference!

 

News

2016 District Conference March Newsletter

The March District 5040 Conference 2016 newsletter is online. Update on keynote speakers, Rotary Jeopardy coming to conference 2016, New Audain museum opens in Whistler, registration goes over goal of 300, just days left to save $25 on registration and Much More - See more at: . - Read more...
 
Conference 2016 in Whistler www.CelebrateRotary.ca

Rotary District 5040 Youth Conference 2016

Date: Friday, April 29, 4:30 pm to Sunday, May 1, 2016, 12 pm
Location: Whistler, BC

Registration: $175 ($200 after April 1, 2016) - includes all meals and accommodation

Read more or download the flyer 

2016 COL Gives Clubs Flexibility

The Council on Legislation approved two key measures that will give clubs greater flexibility in their meetings and membership. Both were proposed by the RI Board of Directors and passed overwhelmingly after vigorous debate.

The first measure gives clubs greater autonomy in when and how often they meet, how often they cancel meetings, and what constitutes a meeting, as long as they meet at least twice a month. Clubs may also meet twice a week. A model being used in several locations to offer members a choice of meeting times.

The second change gives clubs flexibility to experiment with membership models. The new membership opportunities are included in ‘active’ membership which means they must pay RI and district dues. Clubs may adjust the club dues for the new membership types if they wish. Read more

PHF Presentation with gusto

This video shows how one club presents Paul Harris Fellow recognition. The presentation uses slides to highlight the change in peoples lives that the gift to The Rotary Foundation made. By relating the Paul Harris Fellow recognition to the recipients of the aid the new Paul Harris Fellow and the audience understand the full impact of the gift. The video was created John Charbonneau, Rotary Club of Tsawwassen. Watch the Presentation

Rotary Club of Vancouver Annual Bike-A-Thon

We have held this event for the past 31 years. It is a bike ride from Vancouver to Harrison Hot Springs Resort, a distance of 120km.  It is held the second Sunday in July and this year falls on July 10th.  The event is run to raise funds for the deaf and hard of hearing in British Columbia and we have raised over $2.8 million in our 31 years. Read more

Featured Video

 

District Conference, Whistler BC

Events

Apr 28  - RLI Session #1
Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Apr 28 - RLI Session #2
Fairmont Chateau Whistler

Apr 28 - RLI Session #3
Vancouver

Apr 28 - May 1 - District Conference
Whistler Fairmont, Whistler

Apr 29 - May 1 - District Youth Conference - Whistler

May 14 - District Assembly Sunshine Coast

May 14 - Rotary's Walk to End Polio Now - River Market 810 Quayside Dr, New Westminster

May 15 - Grant Management Seminar -  Sunshine Coast

Photos

Photos of DG Visits

Photos of District & Club Events

Image
Image
Image
Image
© Copyright Rotary District 5040