Home Page | Rotary District 5040

Click to view

Crisis relief response

Looking for meeting ideas?

Check the District 5040 Speakers Bureau

Full Length Celebration Video

Click to view

More Information about

Odd Eidsvik Park

Slide Show

Published in The Northern View

May 20 - 22, 2022

Conference Site

Program at a Glance

Mark your calendars

Thats correct! Mark your calendars for two important upcoming events.

June 21

DGE John Berry Installation Dinner

Jun 21, 2022 5:30 PM – 9:30 PM
Inn at the Quay
900 Quayside Drive
New Westminster

July 10

Imagine Rotary Canada Tour Vancouver

with

2022-23 RI President Jennifer Jones

Meet our 2022-23 RI President as she visits our District

More Information

Hot stuff! Fire department acquires drone thanks to Squamish Rotary grant

Posted on May 06, 2022

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.

Ladner Rotarian to chair international Rotary Peace Centers Committee

Posted on Apr 30, 2022

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. Member of the Rotary Club of Ladner, Chris also serves on the board of The Rotary Foundation Canada.

Rotary's support for people of Ukraine nearing $10 million

Posted on Apr 26, 2022

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.

District recommended Peace Scholar one of only 50 selected worldwide for Master's program

Posted by Peter Roaf on Apr 16, 2022

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. Sponsorship for Vanessa's program is one of 50 at the Master's level and 100 at the Professional Certificate level provided by Rotary International as its multi-million-dollar investment in peace worldwide. Uppsala is one of seven universities in the world for which Rotary sponsors post-graduate candidates for peace-related programs.

A panel of District members, led by District 5040 Rotary Peace Fellowship Chair Gloria Staudt, interviewed Vanessa last June and recommended her as one of the candidates, among hundreds approved by an international Rotary Peace Scholarship panel. She has been completing her work in recent years as National Coordinator at Canadian Voice of Women for Peace in Toronto.

Past District Governor Ron Neukomm passes away

Posted on Apr 07, 2022

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. Born and raised in Prince George, Ron received, with his wife Dee, the Prince George Community Foundation's Citizen of the Year Award in 2017 for their extensive volunteer work.

Rotary’s network enables rapid humanitarian relief for Ukrainian refugees

Posted by Peter Roaf on Mar 17, 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.

District 5040 and the Rotary Club of Vancouver chartered the Rotary Club of Kyiv 30 years ago along with five other Rotary Districts. Now there are 62 Rotary clubs in Ukraine. See a powerpoint presentation from one of the other original sponsoring Districts.

Our District has already raised $45.000 US and expect the RC of Vancouver to top this up by $20,000 and the District to top this up by $25,000 (DDF). Very close to the $100,000 mark in the last 5 days! Some of our clubs have raised close to $20,000 raised for Shelter Box. The Burns Lake club donated $9,000+ to the Disaster Response Fund (16 member club)!! One member of the RC of Vancouver donated $25,000 CDN!!

District Leaders starting July 1, 2022

Hot off the press. Our District 5040 selection committee has selected additional members for the District Leaders team who will start their roles on July 1, 2022.

Here is the complete list:

District Foundation Chair – Lorne Calder

District Youth Certification/Compliance – Bob Crawford and Sarah Johnston

District Youth Protection Officer - Ron Davis

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) – James Fox

Assistant Governor North Shore/Bowen Island – Marni Fraser

District Foundation Vice-chair – Ian Grant

District Secretary - Jo Hildebrandt

Youth Exchange Chair – Bob Killbery

District Historian – Penny Offer

District Peace Committee Chair – Ardath Paxton-Mann

District Youth Committee Chair - Gina Rawson
Assistant Governor Burnaby/New Westminster – Ron Shaw
PETS Operating Committee Rep – Lyn Stroshin

Rotaract Chair – Ron Suzuki

Executive Assistant Governor – Murray Wood

Welcome Team members! Thank you for stepping forward. We are excited to have you aboard and we look forward to working with you. Click the link by each member's name for some additional information about their background.

Rotary Peace Fellow applies peacebuilding to police training

Posted by Peter Roaf on Mar 12, 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.

Celebration of life for Andrea Johnson Mar 26th

Posted on Mar 17, 2022

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.

Ramesh Ferris tackles polio one step at a time

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.

Rotary Speaker Series: Ram Nayyar

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

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.

Meet Your New Prince George - North AG: Dolly Hilton

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.

Youth Exchange in a COVID World

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.

New Westminster hold 25th Annual Pot of Gold Golf Tournament

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 above photo was taken at the tournament by Gabor Gasztonyi, Rotarian. The “Payne Stewart-wannabe” in orange plus-4s and tam with Felions Darby and April-Lynne is none other than Royal City Rotary’s one and only, current President, Roy Prevost, who blessed us with some haute couture on the day.

Diversity Equity Inclusion continues to define Rotary

Posted by Peter Roaf on Aug 14, 2021

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is a top priority for Rotary International as well as District 5040. It underscores our core values as a foundation for how members interact with each other and their communities. Rotary was based on Diversity in 1905 and has grown globally on that foundation. Yet, our Rotary clubs can learn more and do more to support that commitment to DEI as our communities and our world transform around us. We want to welcome more people with diverse abilities and from diverse backgrounds, as people of action, in our cause of service above self.

District Conference 2022 passes a significant milestone

This just in. District Conference 2022 has just passed a significant milestone.

More than 100 people have registered for the conference. Already!

This is much ahead of our plans and we thank Rotary for the vote of confidence.

Dave Connors is the winner of the draw for the free ticket. Congratulations!

It looks like this is going to be a popular event. If you have not already done so there is no better time than now to register.

Meet Your New Vancouver AG: Mary Anne Velayo

When her family moved to Canada in 2011, Mary Anne Velayo has 20-plus years of entrepreneurial experience working in distribution of consumer goods and pharmaceutical products and has proven track record in the fields of enterprise development, finance, and marketing. She earned her bachelor’s degrees in Psychology and Business Management as well as her master’s degree in Education.

As a charter member of the Rotary Club Vancouver Mountainview (RCVM) since 2017, Mary Anne served as Club Administration Chair in 2018, has led major fundraisers and became Club President in 2019-2020. During her term as Club President, RCVM was given Rotary Citation (Gold level) and won D5040 Highest Number of New Members sharing the achievement with another club. She is a Paul Harris Fellow +5 and recently joined the esteemed Paul Harris Society.

Mary Anne has also been engaged in community services and newcomers’ settlement assistance and been extensively involved in helping non-profit organizations and community groups especially the Filipino community.

Meet Your New Sea-to-Sky AG: Liz Scroggins

Liz Scroggins has been a Rotarian since 2009, club president 2011-2012, international projects chair from 2011-present. She is a proud, third-generation Rotarian as both her father and grandfather were club presidents. Rotary has provided many meaningful opportunities and experiences for both her and her family.

On her second trip to Lesotho, South Africa, she was fortunate to bring her two teenage daughters. They worked on volunteer projects for three weeks and they worked hard! Their time working there together to help others, was life changing.

Liz lives in Whistler with her husband where they enjoy the winters skiing and rest of the year biking, hiking, golfing and enjoying their home. She volunteers on a local farm in Pemberton one half day a week and tend to their backyard vegetable and flower gardens. This provides them with an abundance of fresh food during the summer and fall.

Meet Your New Northwest AG: Ron Malmas

Ron Malmas is B.C.-born, growing up in the Fraser Valley before his life journey living in the Central Cariboo and finally settling in Terrace in 2017. Ron joined Rotary in 2007 with the Rotary Club of Williams Lake Daybreak.

He acted as club president for two terms and was as the chair of the Williams Lake Daybreak Rotary Stampede Parade for three years and started the Williams Lake Starfish program. He was successful twice at raising community funds for Shelter Box relief in Fiji in 2008 and shortly after as club President hosted a Tsunami fund raising dinner after the devastation in Japan.

Ron has two sons, three grandchildren and has been married to his husband Steven for seven years.

Together they moved to Terrace where they work side by side in the funeral industry. After joining the Rotary Club of Terrace Skeena Valley upon arrival to Terrace, Ron has been the Membership chair, Learning and Development chair and the Rotary Club of Skeena Valley Starfish Pack chair.

Sneak Peak - Welcome to Prince George 2022

Announcing the Dave Hamilton Service Above Self Bursary

A Legacy That will Transform

The Dave Hamilton Service Above Self Bursary will make it possible for students to reach for the stars and pursue their dreams after high school. This bursary will be available to any high school graduate of District 5040 and will be awarded to students who demonstrate:

being part of the Rotary family For example: Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) attendee, participant at one of the Adventures Camps, Youth Exchange students who are graduating from high school or Interact members.
examples of Service Above Self to the community
good citizenship
satisfactory academic progress
the commitment to continue their education or skills development.

There will be a formal application process. Details to follow.

Please donate by using the donate button or QR code below: