It’s a shame we don’t have more members attending our meetings as they continue to be interesting and the social interaction is great. This week Rudy, Wayne, Les, Anthony, John, Stephen and Nora appeared in person, and Bob and Gertrude participated via zoom. We were joined by Geoff Clay who brought his dad to the meeting, and Brad Hendy, our guest speaker.
Following the call to order and O Canada (a rollicking version, very robust), Stephen asked for any Rotary business. We will be sponsoring a student for YAIL. While we had no applicants from Langley, we will hear at a future meeting from Amarpreet Bind from Surrey whom we are able to assist. Rudy reminded that the District Assembly will be held on March 25 and we have only three members registered so far. Nora reported about an ABSL meeting where discussion was held about getting wifi access to zoom at RIC. Apparently one individual was able to tether a laptop to his phone so they could have access. We would like to have a Canadian flag displayed at the RIC as well.
We welcomed Les Clay back to our meeting and as his 91st birthday is at the end of the month, we treated him with our full version of Happy Birthday. This was a happy occasion.
Bard in the Valley
Bard in the Valley (now referred to as BIV by Brad Hendy) was begun by former club member Allan Thain back in 2010 when he was an active Rotarian, because he wanted free Shakespeare for the people in a public park. This year the production will be a lesser-known play called Cymbeline (not on my Ed. 365 course list at UBC) with shows July 6-16 at Township 7 and July 20-23 in Douglas Park. Admission at the park is by donation, and all events will be ticketed to help keep order and track of attendees and keep everything safe.
BIV has purchased a mic system and has a need for chairs and storage. They draw their actors mainly from TWU and UFV which both have acting degrees. The actors receive honorariums of $500 each. This is also a great opportunity for students, and BIV is always looking for volunteers. Brad says they will find a role for anyone interested.
Next we were on to the Foundation Moment from Jack Rae.
HOW DO GLOBAL GRANTS MAKE SUSTAINABLE CHANGE IN THE WORLD?
One remarkable aspect of The Rotary Foundation is that opportunities for significant projects exist wherever there’s a need — in large countries and small ones, in metropolitan areas and rural ones.
Global grant projects are built on international partnerships, and those collaborations can take many forms. A district in Canada may be the international sponsor, with a U.S. district as the host sponsor. A club in France could sponsor a global grant project in Germany. The need, not the location, determines the project.
Here’s another example: Rotary clubs in Honduras and the U.S. worked together on a global grant project to provide eye care to people in Honduras. Members from both clubs provided vision services through local clinics. They evaluated more than 1,200 people and gave prescription eyeglasses to 600. A local nongovernmental organization will continue to provide glasses and medications to people who need them.
What does this mean for the community? Better eyesight can lead to better educational or occupational opportunities, which can mean a better quality of life for people.
Clubs around the world use these grants from the Foundation to make long-term, sustainable change. Every club has the opportunity to do this, one project at a time.
Light Touch
Before leaving the lectern, Wayne added the Light Touch, with this week’s offering involving singing. If you were in attendance you would have heard about a married couple with problems visiting a doctor and how the husband was suffering from TJS. We do not have a video to attach.
Other updates
Happy and sad dollars were pledged for: catching up with two Ukrainian refugees; strata concerns; happy to be here at the meeting; seeing Les at the meeting; Brad’s presentation; getting things fixed at Brookswood Seniors Centre; seedy Saturday at the arboretum; and Wayne’s serenading during the Light Touch.
Next week’s speaker will be Marilyn Pittico, speaking about the Hope After Stroke program. We toasted Canada, packed up the chairs and tables, and bid each other good night.
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