Sudden cardiac arrest can strike anybody at any time. The heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. Moments count. To help save lives on Bowen Island the people of action in the Rotary club there have worked with authorities and neighbourhoods to install 25 automated external defibrillators or AEDs so far at key locations around the island. An AED is a portable device that checks the heart rhythm and can send an electric shock to the heart to try to restore a normal rhythm.
Prince Rupert Rotary exchange student in 2016-17, from Denmark, Oliver Bjorling, and his family made Prince Rupert the first stop on their North American vacation.
District Grants allow Rotary and Rotaract clubs to identify, plan, and fund worthy projects in their own communities or internationally. Grants can fund improvements such as kitchen equipment for a food pantry, assistance for after-school programs, a defibrillator for a community centre, or renovations to an accessible playground.
Before Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year there were 2,789 buildings in the village of Moshchun. After Russian artillery shelling there were 789 still standing. Left behind were 1,597 craters from shells. With the participation of Rotary clubs of the world, in partnership with Ukrainian state, the rebuilding of Moshchun has the aim of developing a symbol of happy, independent, modern Ukraine.
Search and rescue operations are on the rise. As more and more people take to the trails and ski runs of Vancouver's North Shore mountains, the demand on North Shore Rescue, most recently at 130 calls a year, has steadily increased since its founding in 1965. North Shore Rescue is a community-based search and rescue team of 40 volunteers with skills in search and rescue operations in mountain, canyon and urban settings to provide a life-saving service to the public, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In support of North Shore Rescue, the Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise held its 11th Annual Rotary Ride for Rescue on June 11th, 2022. The event is a fundraising road and mountain bike ride up West Vancouver’s Cypress Mountain which involved 90, Rotarians and other volunteers as bike riders or organizers. It included a pancake breakfast and prizes after the ride at the British Pacific Properties Cypress village on Cypress mountain. -- photos by Tania Ryan
Based on a donor screening process, one in every two people is able to give blood, but only 1 in 81 people actually give blood. This lack of blood donors regularly leads to a significant shortage of blood when compared with the demand for blood from hospitals in their ongoing treatment of patients.
Even when the blood inventory is good in the healthcare system some hospitals are forced to cancel elective procedures, such as heart and cancer surgeries, for lack of some components in the blood, such as platelets, which have a very short shelf life, and of rare blood types. Of course, there is a constant demand for blood in treating trauma patients in accidents and providing regular transfusions for cancer patients.
The Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise joined Canadian Blood Services in the "Partners for Life Program." Soon afterwards the COVID pandemic hit. This meant that donations could only be made at the two CBS locations on Oak Street and Dunsmuir Street in Vancouver.
Jennifer Jones, Rotary International’s first female president, is the perfect leader to spread the word about the good Rotary does in the world, and inspire its members to keep going.
Eight leaders in Richmond received Rotary International’s prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award at a special awards evening on June 15th, hosted jointly by four Rotary clubs in the community.
A fire truck, two ambulances, medical equipment and supplies and equipment have been arriving as relief in parts of war-torn Ukraine thanks to the Rotary group of clubs and Districts in which our District 5040 Governor Lorne Calder has represented us. Lorne reports that the group's next step is to acquire a hard bottom boat and some diving equipment to take out bombs, shells and debris out of their rivers and lakes so people in destroyed communities can access fresh water. The access to fresh water becoming more and more critical.
Over 500 students from Strathcona Elementary School marched through their Vancouver community on June 15, 2022 as the school's first annual Pride Parade led by members of the EarlyAct program, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise.
Rotary International CEO & General Secretary John Hewko inspires many thousands through his speech at Rotary's June 2022 international convention in Houston, Texas -- the first after two years.
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta visits an Empowering Girls project in Nigeria
Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta meets with Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta to discuss plans to provide free heart surgeries and other Rotary initiatives
Several new Canadian families from Syria and Ukraine were among those in Squamish who were delighted to take home 40 refurbished bikes, among the 80 donated, in the Recycle Bicycle program re-launched on June 4, 2022. 20 volunteers from the Rotary Club of Squamish and Squamish Helping Hands came out to collect, repair, and distribute bikes to kids and families in Squamish through a Kids Bike Drive.
Thanks to the generosity of Rotary donors in Canada, who have contributed CDN$1 million so far, and around the world, more than US$15 million, to the Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund for Ukraine, the funds have been helping provide people with essential items such as water, food, shelter, medicine, and clothing.
Hundreds of inner-city kids at risk in East Vancouver will once again benefit from the estimated $50,000 raised for Grade 12 post-secondary scholarships and youth leadership development programs thanks to the 2022 Rotary Hoop-A-Thon on April 23rd.
The Garibaldi Volunteer Fire Department, in the Squamish area, can buy a reconnaissance drone with a thermal imaging camera, to search less accessible places for wildfire assessment, hotspots, and to locate warm bodies, thanks to a $6,000 grant from the Rotary Club of Squamish presented on April 25, 2022 at Black Tusk Village.
As of July 1st, 2022 the new international Chair of the Rotary Peace Centers Committee, which every year selects the Rotary Peace Fellows for the 50 Master's Degree or 80 Professional Certificate programs in peace and conflict resolution at seven universities throughout the world, is Past District 5040 Governor Chris Offer.
So far generous Rotarians and clubs in District 5040 have generated $100,000 for the Ukraine Disaster Response Fund. As of April 18, 2022 Rotary's global total had reached $9.5 million. The funds will support locally-led relief efforts underway by Rotary clubs in Ukraine and neighboring countries. More information about this crisis and Rotary's response.
Uppsala University, Sweden's oldest university (founded 1477), has just accepted University of Victoria BA graduate in political science, Vanessa Lanteigne, to its Master of Arts program in peace and conflict resolution.
Rotary District 5040 Governor in 2004-05 and 35-year member of RC Prince George Nechako, Ron Neukomm, passed away at Rotary Hospice in Prince George on April 6, 2022.
The crisis in Ukraine is having devastating consequences on civilians as families flee their homes. According to the United Nations, more than 2 million people, most of them women and children, have sought refuge in neighboring countries and across Europe, while about 1 million more people have been displaced within Ukraine. Rotary and Rotaract (young professionals) clubs in Europe and around the world have taken swift action and are working with members nearby to provide food, water, medical equipment, and shelter for refugees.
Our District 5040 selection committee announces additional members for the District Leaders' team who will start their roles on July 1, 2022.
Since 2016 the Vancouver Police Department's Use of Force instruction for new recruits has included judo which Rotary Peace Fellow Constable Bryan Nykon has been providing as instructor. Having completed his Rotary-funded Master's degree program at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom in 2011, through a Rotary Peace Fellowship, Bryan has been instrumental in bringing conflict resolution principles into police training. He has been developing and implementing use of force training for all VPD officers.
A Celebration of LIfe for District Public Image Chair Andrea Johnson, of the Rotary Club of Prince George Nechako, will be held on March 26th at 10:30 am at the University of Northern British Columbia, where she worked as a Communication Officer. The service will take place in the Canfor Theatre and directional signage will be in place to help you locate the theatre. If you are unable to attend in person, we are pleased that we can offer you the opportunity to attend virtually. https://unbc.zoom.us/j/62813385550.... Following the service, a reception will be held at the Twisted Cork, 1157 5th Ave.
We're thrilled that Ramesh Ferris will join us as a keynote speaker at our District Conference in Prince George, May 20-22.
Ramesh is a Polio Survivor who resides in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Join the Regal Rotaract Club for a conversation with Ram Nayyar, an acclaimed certified life coach and author on Tuesday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m.
It's the first of the District 5040 Rotary Speaker Series.
Ram Nayyar helps others bring their best to every aspect of life, sport, and business. He is one of only a few coaches to lead teams into medal-round contention at the Olympic Level, yet his focus is on developing skills for life off the court.
Zoom link:
You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Nov 16, 2021 07:30 PM Vancouver
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlduutqzktGN0aWWU40A7LoNMZ0NNToxz1
When: Nov 16, 2021 07:30 PM Vancouver
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYlduutqzktGN0aWWU40A7LoNMZ0NNToxz1
Ram is a Level-Five Chartered Professional Coach (Ch. C. P.), Master Learning Facilitator, and holds a Diploma in High Performance Coaching. He has been Head Coach for the Canadian National Badminton Team, The Canadian National Para Badminton Team, the Mumbai Rockets of the Premier Badminton League, and the Vancouver Lawn Tennis and Badminton Club. He is the author of two books: The Sport of Life, and From Confusion to Clarity.
Dolly Hilton joined the Rotary Club of Prince George – Nechako in July 2010 and hasn’t looked back since.
She first joined the club from an invitation from her friend Leona Anderson, a long-time member of the club and the Board.
Dolly initially joined for networking but soon realized it had so much more to offer than a small community-minded charity once she found the true meaning of being a Rotarian. As is her habit, once she became a Rotarian she joined the Board, eventually becoming President in 2015-16. That year under Dolly’s leadership, she led the club to one of the district’s most esteemed honours, being named the club-of-the-year.
She has stayed on the Board in different capacities since and likes to be part of the decision-making team of the club.
She was asked to join the District Foundation Committee about five years ago and presently holds the position of Paul Harris Society Co-ordinator. She believes strongly in supporting the charities she is passionate about. The Rotary Foundation is top of the list as she is a Sustaining Member of the Paul Harris Society.
How does an exchange program function in a pandemic? The obvious answer would be that it doesn’t, but Rotary Youth Exchange has always prompted our students to be adaptable and willing to step outside the box, so it was time to listen to our own counsel.
Rotary International suspended all non-essential travel until the end of June 2022. Covid had resulted in the repatriation of students that were on exchange and cancelled the opportunity for those students already approved for travel in the fall of this year. Short-term exchange came to a screeching halt.
After investigation and thoughtful consideration, the solution was found; a virtual exchange program would be undertaken. Our YEX committee formed a smaller subcommittee to plan, organize and launch “Virtual Exchange 2021." A few other clubs in our Rotary world had already launched similar programs, RI provided a webinar on the topic, and NAYEN (North American Youth Exchange Network) had compiled some documents that could be adapted for our use.
The Royal City Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of New Westminster continue to put the fun into fundraising!!
The two New Westminster Rotary Clubs partnered yet again to hold the 25th Annual Rotary Pot of Gold Charity Golf Tournament on August 24th at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club in Richmond, BC.
The two New Westminster Rotary Clubs partnered yet again to hold the 25th Annual Rotary Pot of Gold Charity Golf Tournament on August 24th at Mayfair Lakes Golf Club in Richmond, BC.
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