Fellow District 5040 members, I hope you are all well and enjoying the changing season as the leaves change.
It has been an absolute pleasure to visit clubs and see the amazing work of our Rotary Family. The many hundreds of kilometres on the road and multiple ferry rides have all been worth it on feeling the joy and true inspiration I experienced in reaching my various destinations, to hear the "brags" about our District and about the Interactors raising funds to support girls' education in Bangladesh, and installing eight new members in a single club and five in another.
District 5040 Leaders Leading Leaders (and if you are wondering who the leaders are, “the leaders are you!”) You are invited to a series of Facilitated Rotary Learning Conversations
“How do we engage our members in a conversation towards a deeper understanding of one another, improve membership engagement and growth while expanding our innate leadership skills in a volunteer setting?”
As the dawn broke over Stan Clarke Park in Squamish on Saturday, a jolly band of Rotary Pumpkineers joined Squamish BIA members and a crew from Sea to Sky Couriers to create the Pumpkin Patch in the Park.
500 pumpkins were spread around the park, tents were erected, games were set up, and the BBQ was lit.
All was ready for 10am when the kids and adults arrived, many in costume, to select their pumpkin(s) by donation, have faces painted, dance to the music, go on the trick-or-treat adventure, have photos taken, do some Halloween crafts and play the games. And for the hungry, the hot dog crew was busy cooking and serving up the Rotary Dog-in-a-Bun. The proceeds will be going to the Squamish Welcome Centre and the Rotary Club of Squamish’s Oceanfront Playground fund.
Today 20 million people, who might have been paralyzed by polio, are walking. Another 1.5 million people, who would have died from polio, are alive. So far, the global effort to eradicate polio has saved more than $27 billion in health care costs. Another $14 billion is expected to be saved by 2050. -- photos by Michael Cowhig, Rotary Club of Vancouver Arbutus
Armours Beach in Gibsons is a public recreation area and meeting place for families and friends of all ages. The swimming and picnic area is active throughout the spring, summer and fall. Rotary Club of Gibsons led a project to renovate the Armours Beach facility, at the north end of the Gibsons Beach Walk which starts at the Gibsons Marina, 1.2 km to the south.
Camp Potlatch is run by the Boys and Girls Club South Coast BC on 133 acres of wilderness along the shores of Howe Sound. Thousands of children have visited Camp Potlatch over the past 70 years. Rotary Club of Lionsgate in North Vancouver, with support of a Rotary District Grant, sponsors under privileged children to attend Camp Potlatch in summer
1 in 10 girls in Sub-Saharan Africa misses 20% of school during their menstrual cycle. Many girls starting to menstruate drop out of school altogether. Lack of affordable menstruation products, facilities and education are among the reasons for this barrier to education. Myths and taboos around menstruation in some societies and communities are further barriers.
Working with the Rotary Club of Kampala Nsambya, in Uganda, the Global Grant was, "Girls Helping Girls Stay in School" Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise plus clubs of Vancouver, Pender Harbour, Whistler Millennium, Williams Lake Daybreak, Kitimat, and Squamish received a Rotary Global Grant.