Below are links to transcripts and videos of Rotary International leaders who gave inspirational speeches to 16,000 Rotary members from 140 countries attending the June 21 to 25, 2025 Rotary Convention in Calgary.
For those with busy personal and work lives and not able to read the full transcripts or view the videos, through the links below, excerpts from the presentations are also offered below.
The first of nine fire trailers to be given to First Nation communities in BC – this one, “Phoenix”, going to the Siska community near Lytton, wiped out be fire in 2021 – was on display, along with the Write To Read project, in the House of Friendship at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary June 21 to 15, 2025. The exhibit was one of the first, among almost 250 exhibits, met at a main entrance to the House of Friendship for the 16,000 Rotarians and Rotaract members attending from 140 countries.
"Phoenix”, the first of nine fire trailers to be donated to the Siska First Nation community near Lytton and eight other BC First Nation communities, is now complete and ready for service. The fire trailer, which can be towed or airlifted to operate in hard to reach areas and provide rapid response to smaller fires before they become big ones, can also serve to fight fires right in the community. Rotary Club of Steveston and Rotary District 5040 leaders and a representative of Disaster Aid Canada, a Rotary organization based in Ladysmith, which contributed $350,000 to the project, dedicated the prototype, at a ceremony in March, but the final version has greater capacity and is decked out in full livery.
Dear Fellow Rotarians of District 5040:
As June 30th draws near and the Rotary year comes to a close, Judy and I find ourselves reflecting with immense gratitude on what has truly been a magical journey. Serving as your District Governor this past year has been the honour of a lifetime.
With our theme, “The Magic of Rotary,” and our shared commitment to “Empowering Through Unity,” we witnessed how much we can achieve when we come together with purpose, compassion, and collaboration. The year was filled with inspiring moments, meaningful service, and incredible fellowship—all of which were made possible by you, the Club Members.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been under attack in this recent era of increased polarization. "The Challenge of DEI in a Divided World" was the topic of the third in a series of Positive Peace Conversations our District 5040 sponsored along with Rotary partner Mediators Beyond Borders International (MBBI) on May 28th.
Chair of the former Rotary International Task Force on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and current Chair of the RI DEI Advisory Council Valarie Wafer spoke during the session about DEI and Rotary's commitment to it, by that name or another name which might avoid provoking negative reaction by some.
Powell River Members on Texada Island officially open a gazebo shelter which club members built and sponsored (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past 30 days or so.
The 196 students and staff of Mwaasua Primary School and the 122 students and staff of Makaalu Secondary School, in Wamunyu, 112 km east of Nairobi, Kenya, have had to travel long distances daily to fill buckets of water from streams. Not only was that water not clean, leading to illness, the water collection took significant time and energy to collect. Both challenges took students and teachers away from receiving and providing education. Maasai children in Tanzania often cannot attend school because there are no schools close to where they live. They do not learn English in their home and since secondary school entrance requires literacy in English they are barred from entry. The English Medium Primary School in Engaruka Tanzania, of 300 students and staff, provides education in English so students can gain an education and literacy in English.Rotarian Ron Suzuki prepares for the 2024 District 5040 Conference End Polio Now Walk in Terrace, BC with his pal, Rotarian Ron Malmas dressed as one very friendly dinosaur. And while we don't have pictures yet, Ron Suzuki is currently preparing for the 2025 District 5040 Conference End Polio Now Walk.
Join us at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, BC, Friday, April 25th at 4:30 p.m.
The only waterfront property in Squamish, at the head of Howe Sound, was heavily-polluted industrial land, resulting in a toxic environment closed to public access. After 20 years of community visioning and effort and site remediation to remove toxicity Sp’akw’us Feather Park, on District of Squamish land, now provides year round recreational access to the ocean for the community of Squamish. The Sp'akw'us Feather Park Oceanfront Playground is now a key feature of the Park. Initiated by the Rotary Club of Williams Lake, the new $90,000 Community Fitness Park in Williams Lake is a user friendly, multi-station, outdoor exercise center with equipment that can be used by all generations. The facility is built alongside an existing playground, frequented by children and their families, and close to the Williams Lake Seniors' Activity Centre, promoting social interaction between all age groups. Thousands of men and women fighting on the front lines in Ukraine, many civilians injured from bombings in the war with Russia and those needing routine medical care after some facilities have been destroyed, are benefitting from used medical equipment and supplies and equipment shipped to the country through Rotary Districts 5040 and 5050 shared Rotary World Help (RWH) network with sponsorship by the Rotary Club of Vancouver Arbutus and a District 5040 grant. 
Canadian Government reaches the $1 billion mark in supporting the campaign to rid the world of polio
Vulnerable elderly in a small Mexican community now at home in new residence powered by solar panels
In the small beach resort town of Bucerias, on the southwest coast of Mexico, there were no non-profit care homes for the elderly in the community and in the entire state of Nayarit when Rotarians Jim and Marilyn Moxin decided to found Casa de la Paz, which opened in July 2024. The Rotary Club of Richmond partnered with the Rotary Club of Oak Bay to support the new facility with two solar panels for. The Rotary Club of Richmond held a fundraising dinner at the Little Mexico Cantina in Steveston and contributed $2,667. With $1,333 from The Rotary Foundation through a District Grant the Richmond club donated $4,000 for the solar panels.
