Members

Garry Sass

Garry was born in Edmonton and moved to Vancouver when he was 16 years old. He joined the Seaforth Highlanders, a Reserve unit, with a group of friends in 1965 and retired 20 years later in 1985 to spend more time with his family. He rose to the rank of Master Warrant Officer in the position of the Senior Company Sargent Major in charge of Logistics. One of his responsibilities was teaching 17-19 years old reservists to drive military vehicles. Upon retirement he continued to work with youth coaching his sons in baseball leading to coaching and teaching the game to both youth and coaches for about 30 years. His passion for youth development started at that time.

Garry worked in one job for 42 years as a Parts Advisor with a GMC dealership that saw several owners over that time, ending with Barnes Wheaton GMC.
He joined Rotary in Nov 2008 after attending a Booksale at Guildford Mall. He was encouraged by one of the members at that time to check out the club. Garry’s life has revolved around service and helping others to gain their potential so Rotary was a good fit.

When he retired in 2010 he had more time for his Rotary passion and became Club President in 2012-13 previously serving as both Youth and Community Service Chair. During his tenure as President, he grew
the club by the largest percentage per capita in the district at that time. By achieving the goals set forward at the onset of the year, the club received a Presidential Citation Award.

One of his personal passions is the Guildford Family Resource Centre which the club has worked with over the past 10 years, repairing and replacing equipment as required. He also is on the District 5050 committee for YAIL (Youth Adventures in Leadership) which holds a leadership camp yearly for youth from 15-17 years old. Being Santa at the Rotary Sponsored Seniors Christmas Dinner, as well as at several schools and daycare centers over the past several years has been a definite highlight in his Rotary journey.
Garry and his wife Dianna Sears received a Lifetime Achievement Heart Award from the City of Surrey in 2020 for their work with youth and Rotary in Surrey.
Garry’s vision for 2021-22 Rotary Year is to continue to expand existing projects as well as developing more Environmentally friendly projects with the city.

His Favorite saying is “Don’t be Sorry, be HAPPY”

Sam Sangha

“I’m Sukhvinder (Sam) Sangha and have the privilege of being president of the Rotary club of Surrey (2020-2021). I was born in Punjab, India and lived most of my life in Surrey. I’m married with three children and own Equipment Rental Businesses locally.

Rotary has allowed me to meet incredible people in to be involved in various projects from Medical Supplies to Africa, Canadian Global Eyesight to maintaining a Surrey Street etc. I believe in “Service above Self” and giving back and setting good example. “

What does Rotary mean for you?

Rotary is a family of well meaning people working to make the World a better place.

What is your biggest accomplishment with the Rotary Club of Surrey?

Becoming the president, although I’m president of 2 companies I was more focused on doing my best.

In your opinion, what makes a good Rotarian?

Good Rotarian is a person who truly believes in “ Service above Self” .

What are your passions?

Although I do love cars (Porsche owner) , I love meeting people , travel and new experiences more . I mention car as it’s the only passion available at the moment.

Parveen Goel

Dr. Parveen Goel is an executive with Canada Post Corporation with a strong background in supply chain and automotive industries. He has lead Engineering and Operations of large public and private corporations. He received Canada Post Corporation President’s IMPACT award in 2015, and TRW’s Chairman’s award for Innovation in 2002. Dr. Parveen Goel received his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Wayne State University, Detroit, USA, in 1998. He has published and presented more than thirty research papers and articles in international refereed journals and conferences. Dr. Goel volunteers for many organizations, including the Air Cadet League of Canada (ACLC), Canadian Cancer Society, and Rotary International. He is the Chair of 819 Squadron ACLC. He has been on the board of many social, religious and charitable organizations. He is very passionate about education and enjoys spending time with his family, reading books, and walking in nature. He is currently pursuing an MBA from the University of British Columbia

Arthur Claxton

After two years of post-graduate work at the U of Manitoba he worked successfully for two provincial governments, specializing in communications and adult education for 10 years. He was concerned with the lack of public education regarding finance and decided to move into the private sector.

He began to work in the financial industry in 1981. Currently, he is excited about his work as a Retirement Income Specialist; helping individuals moving into retirement fortify their financial future. He takes is role as a “personal economic strategist” seriously as he has taught financial planning at BCIT and has run public seminars through the Dept. of Continuing Education. He also produced and directed his own television program called the Money Masters for two seasons. He is the President of Ayoba Financial Services, which allows him to teach people concepts which help when they reach their “play years.”

He is married with four children and eight grandchildren. He is the Executive Director of the Fraser Valley Executive Association. He is Chairman of the Board of EmotionsBC. He has been an active Rotarian for the past 27 years is a Past President and is currently the Foundation Chairperson. He also represents Custom Plan Financial Group, the fifth largest financial planning firm in Metro Vancouver. He has been a member of Advocis, the Financial Advisors Association of Canada for 29 years.

A world traveler, having visited 23 countries, his goal for his clients is to have financial freedom to travel the world, achieve their financial goals and have peace of mind at home. He encourages everyone to support Rotary to give back to the community.

Bryce McElroy

Bryce joined the Rotary Club of Surrey in March 1999 and has been a Director and Treasurer for many years. He values this experience of contributing to the community and mostly with the relationships developed with other Rotarians. His leadership in retail banking and financial planning has been a great contribution to the ongoing operations of the Starfish Food Program. A program to supply nutritious food to school children’s families in need. Bryce has a natural inclination to serve and work with people, and his Rotary experience has allowed him to make a difference in the community.

Lal Baniya

I am always looking for opportunities to give back to my community so when I had initially heard about Rotary Club, back in 2003, I was both grateful and ecstatic to join as a chartered member of Rotary Club of Pokhara Fishtail, Nepal. Over the years, Rotary Club has not only provided me with a platform to serve the local community but also a sense of camaraderie with like-minded individuals. Therefore, after moving to Canada and becoming a licensed realtor, I decided to transfer my membership to the Rotary Club of Surrey in 2011. Here, I have had the opportunity to meet an amazing group of professionals with high ethical standards, integrity and selfless commitment to service. Alongside, we have successfully coordinated funding for both local and international projects: Starfish Program in Surrey., BC, Library Project in Nicaragua, and Computer lab and Ambulance project in Nepal. I enjoy my Rotary experience and have found satisfaction and happiness in serving communities, locally and globally.

George Pedersson

My life has been about service to help people and organizations to become better and get through challenges to achieve their goals.

I am an economist by training. My service has been in the corporate world as an employee and as a consultant advising corporations and governments. I have been a Chief Economist and a Director in the investment community. I have had my own economic consulting company, and currently work as a consultant of small business in SME Business Consulting Group. I have had great satisfaction working in the community on various organizations.

Some of my greatest joys are seeing the smiles and gratitude of those I have helped over come major challenges. We are not islands unto ourselves....we are a community of individuals and have a responsibility to look out for one another. Nobody achieves that on their own. I am proud to be back in Rotary to serve above self, after an absence of some years.

Marian Maletta

I joined Rotary in 2008 to gain business connections and networking opportunities when I was a credit union branch manager in Surrey.
When I changed occupations and went into health care, I continued in Rotary. Through Rotary, I am helping my community both here and around the world. I am most proud of having raised wonderful children. In my free time I like to enjoy outdoor activities and spending time with family.

Daria Morariu

“I am very excited to be a member of the Rotary Club of Surrey Family. Since the first day I decided to participate in my community and join Rotary, the Club members have welcomed me with open hearts. I am very proud to have found a group of people who work together to change people's lives and to have a positive impact in our community.

We were a young family when we moved to Surrey in 2015. Along with traveling, hiking, movies and spending quality time together and participating in Rotary, we are very busy. We always make time to participate in community events that help the community to prosper..

I don't have a lot of free time, but I like to spend the little time that I have doing meaningful activities and meeting people from whom I can learn and look up to. Our family often participates in most of the Rotary events and this is a great way of passing onto our children the value of compassion and helping others. If you want to participate in your community in a meaningful way, consider joining Rotary”

Deane Gurney

"Rotary began with me as a young professional in the Surrey area when I was looking for some networking areas to let the community know of my new business. I was also looking for individuals with high ethical standards to assist me in the administration of referral files. Rotary has allowed me to do this along with serving my community. I have appreciated Rotary in its assistance to me to develop into caring for others by offering assistance so that they can function in the community. By helping small charities who often struggle to get projects done, we serve a purpose that no other assistance is available. I would recommend Rotary to anyone who wants to network and serve their community at the same time."