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While in-person meetings are currently cancelled as a result of COVID-19, the Rotary Club of Langley continues to meet online every Thursday at 7pm! Thinking of visiting us? For more info contact our President or Secretary via the Officers and Directors sidebar located on the left-hand side of our home page. We look forward to hearing from you!

April 15, 2021

Tonight we held an Interclub Zoom meeting with the Rotary Club of Abbotsford Matsqui, with them serving as hosts. AG Allan Asaph brought greetings and a Message on behalf of DG Carol Tichelman, and encouraged us to sign up for the virtual district conference.

President Veronica Lopez prepared and presented an excellent power point summary(April 15, 2021) of what the Rotary Club of Langley has accomplished and what we have done and continue to do to help others. PP Wayne explained how we collect and use happy and sad dollars to help put an end to polio in our world. Our club pledged happy dollars which Wayne recorded and put into his old Rotary collection tin.

President Kelly Meade shared detailed information about the Rotary Club of Abbotsford Matsqui and involved several club members in the presentation. Click Matsqui April 2021 to see screenshot captures from his presentation.

We enjoyed sharing with other Rotarians, and it was good to meet new people and renew old friendships. You can see screenshots of those attending by clicking April 15, 2021.

April 8, 2021

Discussions during our social time included getting to know our guests, COVID vaccinations (one person was both too young and too old to receive the shot), daffodils in bloom at the Arboretum, and places to visit. Brett Kissel (country singer) led us in O Canada, singing without accompaniment (well, Wayne joined him from the comfort of his den) and we enjoyed a version that was easy to sing along with and that sang the right notes. Great country, eh?

Announcements (and there were many): This year’s theme is Rotary Opens Opportunities; Music Bingo is coming on April 16 (check the flyer sent out by Trisha); Interclub Meeting with Abbotsford Matsqui next week with a 6 p.m. start; District 5050 has started the Polio Plus Society and our members are encouraged to pledge to donate at least $100 US per year until polio is eradicated; Windows of Opportunity, our district conference, will be held online; Club Training is happening in April and club members are encouraged to sign up for sessions of their choice.

The Rotary Foundation Moment for this week was Matching Money with People for Positive Results, and you can read Wayne’s message: Matching Money with People for Positive Results Matching Money with People for Positive Results.

Veronica introduced our guests from the B.C. Lung Association and we were treated to a very informative and interesting presentation (April 8, 2021) from Christopher Lam, President and CEO, and Dr. Noah Quastel, Director of Law and Policy, Healthy Indoor Environments Program, with Katrina van Bylandt, Director of Communications and Engagement, chipping in as well. One in five Canadians have some type of lung disease and we heard about the many programs offered by the B.C. Lung Association. Two main contributors to harmful particles in the air inside houses are wood-burning fireplaces and smoking, and vaping is harmful to your lungs as well. Radon gas is a problem in some areas of the province. Having a fresh air supply in your home is important, and hepa filters are useful. Noah and Chris answered many questions as our members sought more information.

We collected happy dollar pledges and shared the reasons why we were happy or hopeful (no sad dollars) and closed the meeting with our toast to Canada. Cheers!

April 1, 2021

For awhile tonight it was a three person conversation during social time, but then others joined in. Topics included pronunciation, April Fools (no fooling), and rating confusion. You shoulda been there. Jim See sent his regrets.

Shortly after seven o’clock it was finally Veronica’s turn to say, “You’re late, Les.” She had seen it was seven, but as our birthday boy had not yet appeared onscreen, she waited. Then she called on Leon and he played a video of O Canada performed by various military bands.

Announcements: This year’s theme is Rotary Opens Opportunities; this is Maternal and Child Health Month and Rotarians provide education and medication to help prevent diseases (see more in a video at rotary.org); our Interclub with Abbotsford-Matsqui is on the 15^th; Music Bingo is coming on April 16^th(get your tickets); and our Windows of Opportunity District Conference will be online May 14-15.

Three of our members have just had or soon will have their birthdays. The two Bobs were absent, so we sang splendidly for Les who just celebrated #89. From her facial expression, I think Zofia was amused at our special rendition.

Foundation Chair Wayne read the Rotary Moment for this week, asking the question Want to Learn More About The Rotary Foundation? You may read the report and check out the websites for yourself.

President Veronica proudly presented a certificate to Wayne Wiebe recognizing him as a member of the District 5050 Polio Plus Society. Any Rotarian may become a member by pledging to donate at least $100 US per year to Polio Plus until polio is eradicated from our world. Congratulations, Wayne!

PP Wayne updated the club with regards to the Societies Act and our progress in getting our annual reports submitted. As Scholarship Committee Chair he announced that we have received sixteen applications for the six scholarships we will be awarding. Committee members will soon be receiving their copies of the information to evaluate.

President Veronica formally introduced our guest speaker, Zofia (rhymes with mafia) Switkowski who spoke to us about the Langley Restorative Action Program and the Community Justice Initiatives. Restorative Justice offers an alternative way to deal with various conflicts that arise. The Restorative Action Program began as a pilot project with the Langley School District in 2000 and was formally adopted by S.D.#35 in 2006. The goal is to create positive change in school culture and provide conflict resolution skills and training resources to students and staff on restorative practices. The program focuses on feelings and understanding and agreement on what should be done to mend the relationship. Zofia had a great presentation and you can view the slides by clicking: April 1, 2021 at your leisure.

We had first call for nominations for the position of Vice President next year. Due to work and study commitments, Claudia has had to step back from her full Rotary involvement and thus we have a vacancy on next year’s board. Lana Hart was nominated at this evening’s meeting.

We pledged happy dollars and shared our reasons for being happy. Then we closed our meeting with a toast to Canada. Cheers and happy Easter!

March 25, 2021

When our meeting was called to order, we began with a version of O Canada recorded in Newfoundland, and the video featured many singers. Unlike last week, most of our members watched, rather than joining in. A comment was made suggesting that these singers were almost as good as we were last week. Hmm.

Announcements (and there were many): This year’s theme is Rotary Opens Opportunities; Music Bingo is coming on April 16 (check the flyer sent out by Trisha); Les will be 89 on the 30^th, but we postponed singing until next week; Interclub Meeting with Abbotsford Matsqui on April 15, 6 p.m. start; interesting speakers are coming up in April; only eleven people have completed Leon’s survey so far; District 5050 received a special citation for the number of clubs earning club citations in 2019-2020 -- this Citation honours Rotary districts in which at least half of the Rotary clubs earned the Rotary Citation, and only 93 of 534 districts worldwide received the Rotary District Citation. Our club was one of the successful ones; the district is looking for Zoom technicians for the district training sessions; District 5050 has started the Polio Plus Society and you can become a member by pledging to donate at least $100 US per year until polio is eradicated; and the new Rotary Club of Golden Ears Sunrise is being chartered.

President Veronica then took a breath and asked Foundation Chair Wayne to read the Rotary Moment for this week. With his granddaughter Annika on his lap, Wayne told How The Rotary Foundation Touched One Person’s Life. Brendan informed the club about a Public Fast to Stop the Jets and a short candlelight walk planned for April 10, a protest against the Canadian government’s plan to spend $75 billion for 88 fighter jets.

Veronica formally introduced our guest speaker, Vineetha Nakka, to the club and invited her to speak on the topic of epilepsy. You can learn more about CESEBC and see slides of her presentation by clicking March 25, 2021. Our brains have over 100 billion neurons, and during seizures too many are firing and sending messages all at once. About 1% of Canadians have epilepsy, and in 65% of the cases the cause is unknown. A person may experience focal or generalized seizures, and Vineeth explained the differences. She also presented slides indicating what you need to know to do in the event of a seizure. Vineeth informed us about Purple Day happening March 26, an opportunity to show support for Epilepsy Awareness.

We collected happy dollar pledges and shared the reasons why were happy, and closed the meeting with our toast to Canada. Cheers!