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.
Registration is now open for the District 5040 Rotary Family Picnic - part of the upcoming Impact Tour! Join fellow Rotary members and their families from across District 5040 for a fun, relaxed day of connection, community , and celebration. Don't miss the chance to be part of the energy and spirit of the tour - register today.
A student graduating this year from high school, in communities served by clubs in Rotary District 5040, with plans to pursue post-secondary education, including trades, can apply for the $1,000 Dave Hamilton “Service Above Self” Bursary by May 15, 2026.
Students who are eligible are part of the "Rotary family", having participated in their school's Interact Club, Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA), Youth Exchange or Adventures programs. More details…….
An April 18th Meet and Greet of 75 members, family and friends from all eight Rotary and Rotaract clubs in Richmond and Delta was an opportunity to learn about other clubs in the Area, be inspired by presentations on each club's achievements in service to our community and the world, and open the door to more collaboration on future service
The event, which leaders of all the clubs agreed to hold, was an opportunity to encourage members to network with each other – beyond our own clubs -- and not only achieve results through fellowship and friendship, but to network and learn from each other.
Rotary Clubs of Ladner, Richmond, Richmond Sunrise, Richmond Sunset, Steveston and Tsawwassen participated.
In and around the City of Lipa, Batangas province of the Philippines, about 80 kilometers south of Manila, many of the 387,392 residents are too poor to afford dental care. Of course, poor dental health aggravates or leads to other health problems.
Led by Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club member Dentist Dr. Danilo Salcedo and a team of several club members who also work in the health services professions, joined professional dental workers from Caring Hearts Dentistry from Canada and dental care providers in the Philippines on a dental care mission in February 2026. Members of the Rotary Club of Lipa assisted in administering the clinic.
With funding from Richmond Sunrise Rotary of $5,000 and a District Grant from The Rotary Foundation of $2,500 the dental mission this year treated over 2,000 patients, many children who had never had any dental services performed previously as well as seniors and adults, unable to afford dental services. Rotary World Help shipped equipment and supplies from this area to Lipa. Repairs were also made to needed dental equipment repairs or replacement.
Nominations for the 2026 District Awards are now open. The Rotary District 5040 Awards recognize outstanding contributions made by Rotarians and their clubs. Your nominations highlight achievements in various categories and inspire greater engagement. We learn from recipients’ entries, making recognition valuable.
As described on the District Awards page, categories include: > Outstanding Club of the Year > Rotarian of the Year > Don Evans People of Action Award > Rotary Public Image Award > Membership Awards (to be awarded later in the year based on year end results).
Ian Evans, of RC Lions Gate, (phhoto) celebrated his 75th anniversary as an active Rotary member on March 2, 2026 – the longest serving member among our 1.4 million members worldwide. Ian will celebrate his 100th birthday this summer. Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past two months.
𝐑𝐈 𝐃𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔-𝟐𝟖, 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐥𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭 𝟓𝟎𝟒𝟎 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.
Director Marty will visit every district in Zones 28/32– from Barrow to Bermuda as well as Kelowna, Kalamazoo, and Kingston.
Clubs are preparing to send a high school student to Ottawa this Spring for Adventure in Citizenship, joining many from across Canada (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past month.
Pregnancy at the age of 18 years and younger is considered high risk. Pregnancy at those young ages comes with three times the risk of maternal death and twice the risk of neonatal death as opposed to that for older age groups. Early adolescents often don’t have access to reproductive health services provided in the mainstream public health sector. An Economic and Social Council Commission of the 47-nation-member United Nations reports that early (adolescent ages 10-14 years old) pregnancy is increasing, mostly from consensual relationships, estimated at 7 infants per day.
Quality prenatal care in the Philippines has been a challenge particularly in urban poor areas because of the cost. The Rotary Club of Vancouver Mountainview made a modest contribution of US$100 to the US$41,443 project to enable it – sponsored by the Rotary Club of Las Pinas in District 3030 and by other clubs and Districts in the Philippines -- to apply for a Rotary Global Grant. Then Mountainview Rotary committed to donating $1,000 every year to Las Piñas Rotary to expand this project to other areas in need of this service in the Philippines.
Five of seven members inducted into Rotary Club of Richmond's new Satellite Club, plus one Richmond Rotaract new member (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past month.
Featured on the national CTV News channel, December 17, 2025, is a story about a discarded food recycling system for people in need, in London, Ontario run by volunteers, many from a local Rotary club. This kind of work is going on here in communities throughout BC.
As I spent the last several months doing my club visits I was continually impressed by the amazing work of our Rotarians.
We make our communities both local and global a more joyous place for all.
Never underestimate the impact our projects have on the lives of others.
May you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season and spend time with those you love.
Take care.
Jan
Jan Gisborne
District 5040 Governor
Rotary Club of Dragon participated in Music of Hope Christmas Concert, supporting a charity for those with a disability (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past month.
For the 17th consecutive year The Rotary Foundation has received a four-star rating — the highest level possible — from Charity Navigator, an independent charity evaluator in the United States. Our international Foundation continues to act as a powerful force for meaningful change and lasting impact through service.
In Uganda’s Ibanda District Parish of Irimya people in some remote villages earn less than $2 per day, have low literacy rates and education often no more than Grade 2 level and for some up to Grade 5 level. Many have had to walk over 3 km to fetch water from contaminated sources demanding time and energy away from any school or daily routines. Once they have brought home the water, the people in the Parish have suffered an extremely high rate of waterborne disease.
Thanks to some Rotary clubs in District 5040 and a local club in Uganda, the villagers now have a Gravity Flow System (GFS) of clean water flowing down in pipes from nearby hills to the seven villages in the valley below, a system which the local villagers constructed in good part themselves. The water pipeline system passes through a jungle forest to a reservoir tank of 45,000 liters of clean water. From the tank the water travels by a network of pipes to 37 taps for the 7,000 people living in the seven communities.
While Rotary and its World Health Foundation and government partners in the Global Polio Eradication Initiative have eliminated annual polio cases worldwide by 99.9% since 1988, preventing paralysis and even death among 20 million children, many children suffer from this incurable disease throughout the developing world, suffering deformed and paralysed limbs as well as breathing difficulties for their entire lives.
Hospitals such as Cheshire Services Ethiopia in Addis Ababa provide essential surgery to the limbs of children with polio to prevent further deformation. These surgeries also allow children to wear and walk with leg braces instead of being forced to crawl on the streets, as has been the case for many years. Cheshire Services Ethiopia, an international organisation that serves as the primary caregiver for children and youth with disabilities in Ethiopia, manages rehabilitation hospitals in Meganeshe, Hawassa, and Dire Dawa.
The District Nomination Committee is pleased to announce Assistant Governor Peter Roaf of the Rotary Club of Ladner as District Governor Nominee Designate to serve as District Governor in 2028-2029.
Rotary Club of Burnaby Metrotown continued distributing Coats for Kids to families needing a hand up with winter coats (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past two months.
Guatemala has one of the most extreme combinations of poverty, illiteracy and inequality. 4 out of 5 indigenous Guatemalans live in poverty and 1 in 3 cannot not read or write. In Guatemala’s Western and Central Highlands, the most illiterate part of the country, during the 2023 Guatemalan school year, primary school literacy training expanded in 30 communities, serving 5,711 students and training 243 teachers thanks in part to a Global Grant from The Rotary Foundation, US$1000 from the Rotary Club of Quesnel and 154 separate funding contributors.
The US$57,000 project aimed to strengthen both traditional and technological literacy in the communities supported in four key areas. This project was part of the Guatemala Literacy Project (GLP), a network of Rotarians and the nonprofit organization, Cooperative for Education (CoEd), to improve education for underserved students in Guatemala.
On the United Nations "World Polio Day", October 24th, a group of Rotarians and friends of various ages participated in the annual Walk for Polio. The walk started at Vancouver City Hall, where Councillor Rebecca Bligh presented the City's Proclamation in support of the worldwide day, to mark the success, but journey ahead, in ridding the world of polio
Polio (poliomyelitis) is a paralyzing and potentially deadly infectious disease that most commonly affects children under the age of 5. The virus spreads from person to person, typically through contaminated water. It can then attack the nervous system. Rotary started the global campaign to end polio about 40 years ago, when there were 350,000 cases a year in 120 countries. Since joined by world health organizations, foundations and governments the number of cases has dropped to tens of cases in two remaining countries. Our goal of ridding the world of this disease is closer than ever. -- photos by Ken Choy, Rotaract Club of Richmond
Thanks to Rotary Club of Whistler, with support from the Rotary Club of Whistler Millenium, and The Rotary Foundation through a District Grant, a new bike park has just opened at Bayly Park to provide a community gathering space for Cheakamus Crossing residents. The renovated park builds on the former facility operated by Whistler BMX, which closed in 2024. The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) has since taken over operations and revitalized the bike park. – Story courtesy of Liz McDonald, Pique Newsmagazine, Whistler; photo by Ken Martin
As World Polio Day approaches on October 24th here is a video of Bill Gates, at the 2025 Rotary International Convention in Calgary, renewing the longstanding partnership with Rotary International in our joint commitment to rid the world of polio through the Gates Foundation's commitment to match US dollars raised by Rotary 2 to 1 raising up to US$450 million over the next three years. This renewed commitment is more than funding. It’s a promise to future generations, and proof that when we work together, we achieve the extraordinary.
Please join us on Monday, September 22, 2025, at 7:00 pm (PDT) to learn how -
"YOU could be a District Governor"
Rotary Club of West Vancouver Sunrise held its annual Ride for Rescue fundraiiser to support North Shore Search and Rescuse (photo). Here are many of the other achievements and activities of some of our clubs in Rotary District 5040 in the past three months.
As I get ready to start my District Governor club visits in September I am looking forward to learning about the clubs’ service projects and plans. I want to listen to concerns & challenges facing our clubs. I will provide some highlights of the District in 2025-26,
My role as DG is to support and strengthen our clubs so all members can fully enjoy the experience of Rotary.
Please check the District calendar for DG visits which will be updated as they are booked Thanks.
Jan
Jan Gisborne
District 5040 Governor
Since 2020 the cost of groceries alone has increased by 47% along with other cost increases such as rent, household expenses and childcare. Now 29% of children in BC face food insecurity including 44% of children in single parent families. For those who depend on school meal programs throughout the week, each weekend brings stress, fear, and empty cupboards. Then there the months when children are not in school.
Starting in 2012 Back Pack Buddies has engaged local schools, donors, social workers and other non-profits to deliver food to hungry children. Today it supports over 6,000 children every week in 73 communities across BC. At the Backpack Buddies food storage warehouse in North Vancouver problems had arisen with vermin accessing the stored food.
