Polio is a potentially fatal, paralyzing disease that primarily affects children under five. It has no cure but is preventable through vaccination and can be eradicated.
- For over 35 years, Rotary’s PolioPlus program has helped lead global eradication efforts through fundraising, advocacy, volunteer mobilization, and mass vaccination.
- Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began in 1988, cases have fallen 99.9%; wild poliovirus remains endemic in Afghanistan and Pakistan, in part because of conflicts in ideology and continued warfare in those countries make some of their more remote regions inaccessible.
- Rotary members have contributed over US$3 billion and helped protect more than 3 billion children across 122 countries.
- Major challenges include political insecurity, mobile populations, difficult terrain, vaccine refusal, misinformation, and reaching remote communities.
- Rotary commits US$50 million annually, matched 2-to-1 by the Gates Foundation, for a combined US$150 million yearly commitment.
- More than 1 million Rotary members have contributed time and money, working with partners such as UNICEF and receiving support from public figures.

Our new District 5040 Governor Nominee Designate Yvonne Anderson has served as Past President of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen. She is an experienced Rotary leader with a strong record in membership growth, international service, community engagement and organizational leadership and currently serves as the Richmond/Delta Area Membership Director while continuing as an active member of her club's Board of Directors.

OBITUARY — PDG John Anderson, age 81, passed away on August 22, 2026, at Surrey Memorial Hospital after a strong and courageous battle with cancer.

Linda Low is a Rotary Peace Scholar who has dedicated her career to promoting peace through dialogue and community engagement. Having grown up in Kelowna and lived in Vancouver, while attending and graduating from the University of British Columbia and starting her career, Linda shares in this brief video how Rotary programs and membership have provided valuable opportunities to build connections, grow as a leader, and advance peace efforts globally.

Sixty people from 16 Rotary clubs in District 5040 and two Rotaract clubs, including three children, came together for fun and fellowship, hamburgers, hotdogs and to catch up with fellow Rotarians and meet new friends at a good old fashioned summer BBQ at a park in the Vancouver, BC suburb of Delta on July 18, 2026. Rotary International Director, Zones 28 & 32 2026-28, Marty Helman was the honoured guest. Marty is on her Impact Tour to every one of the 40 Districts in both Zones over the 24 months of her term. District 5040 includes 48 clubs from the Greater Vancouver, BC area up the coast to Prince Rupert and inland to Prince George.
 

There were so many excellent nominations for the 2026 District Awards, reflecting the outstanding talent and achievements among our clubs and our members. Congratulations to recipients of this year’s District Awards. See why these nominations were recognized for best practices in service to our Clubs and the District.   

Lytton, BC has been on alert for the threat from the Saw Creek wildfire which has been growing in size only three kilometres to the south. Nearby Siska First Nation has also been under threat. The fire trailer sponsored by Rotary Club of Steveston and Rotary's Emergency Aid Canada and donated to the Siska community, was the first of nine sponsored and donated to First Nation communities in BC. Here is the first fire trailer in action, preventing a much bigger disaster.

As we near the end of another Rotary year it's a time to reflect on our achievements throughout District 5040 and the groundwork we have prepared for what comes next. Rotary builds on the efforts of those who came before us. We strive to create opportunities for those who will follow.

Our Rotary theme “Unite for Good” is reflected in every act of service done by like minded people to create something larger than ourselves. During this past year our District adapted to our changing world to better strengthen and support our clubs.

Rotary's Adventures in Health Care program in Prince George allows young people to explore the wide range of careers within the health care system and connect them to educational pathways and possible career. Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past month.

This is the last post of these monthly posts from clubs throughout the District. This series began three years ago as some form of “member communication” in keeping with strategy of the Public Image Committee, to create some sense of “community” in the District. Our team of 10 Assistant Governors has determined that a more informative method of reporting and discussing, focused on trends, needs and issues among our clubs – as the District aims to serve our clubs – will be more effective.

In rural communities across South Africa, limited access to water affects health, education, household income, and daily dignity. Women and children often spend hours each day carrying heavy containers over long distances, reducing time available for school, work, food production, and community life. The ECOroller Scaling Project addresses that burden with a practical 70-litre rolling water container that allows families to move significantly more water with far less physical strain.

The Rotary Club of Prince Rupert donated $2,100 which, with the help of the Rotary Club of Gibsons, received an additional District Grant of $1,050 from The Rotary Foundation to add to this project. Working with the Rotary Club of Hillcrest in South Africa that total donation of $3,150 was doubled by the Rolling Water Foundation to fund 60 ECOrollers delivered to families in South Africa.

A dedicated leader, community pillar, friend, proud member of the Rotary Club of Squamish, and leader of various Rotary District 5040 programs,  Lynda Rocha, passed away on May 5, 2026 at the age of 61. Lynda will be missed by so many in her community and throughout our District, especially in the cause of youth, as she lived her life that truly exemplified the Rotary motto of "Service Above Self."

Pender Harbour Rotary has built and installed 38 Western Purple Martin nesting boxes throughout the inner harbour for the large type of swallow which nests in groups on early April arrival following migration to the area from Brazil. Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past month.