Mardi Gras party!

Another great District 5040 annual conference at Whistler, sponsored by DG Lyn Stroshin and committee.

Speakers/topics: presentations by Rotaract (Thomas did the Yaletown roundup), ROTEX (Returning Youth Exchange), Interact (WOW); Roy Prevost (being a humanitarian); Gabour Gasztonyii (helping polio sufferers); Shirley Pat Chamberlain (what inspires Genexers); Dr. Matt Balcarras (brain health & service); Dennehy Foundation (preventing depression related suicide in youth); World Village (bringing the stats home); David Forward (TRF story); Christina Hassan (Interact provides tools for success-FullSoul medical kits for women in Uganda); Tom Hierck (moving forward); Sara Eftekar (peace scholar); Kyle Gomes (conference videographer who has been on several trips overseas to document projects – and he’s still an Interactor – and his Interact Club’s project to provide veterans from WWII with grave markers).

Events:  Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre lunch/First Nations blessing & tour (great facility); AGM (Karen attended); Presidents’ dinner; project fair (we proudly displayed ours and Karen answered lots of questions); Human Peace Wheel; memorial (14 members this year); geocaching demo; 2018 conference presentation; and the Mardi Gras Gala (photos sent!!).

Awards:

·         Tom Smith (Rotarian of the Year)

·         Ladner (Rotary Club of the Year)

·         Ralph Townsley (Service Above Self Award re World Help Network)

·         Membership increase awards – Vanc Centennial cleaned up! Overall increase of 78%, highest % increase for females

·         a Whistler fellow who builds playgrounds in war zones (special service award for non-Rotarian)

·         DG Lyn was presented with a quilt with pictures of all of her TRF 100 cakes and club visits (ours was Madhu’s installation – better than cake!)

Polio & TRF Update:  The District Million Dollar Dinner raised $3.4 million (wow).  Polio stats for this year: only 2 endemic countries and 5 new cases (in 1985 it was 350,000 cases in 125 countries)!

Best quotes:

ü  The world needs the best version of you showing up every day.

ü  Take note, step forward, take action.

ü  The power of Rotary – making things happen.

ü  You can choose to look away, but you can’t then say you didn’t know.

ü  Do not be satisfied with what you have become.