Kate Hammer and Tarlyn Campbell are two new members of Ladner Rotary whom Rotary District Governor Bala Naidoo inducted on his annual visit to our club on October 15, 2019. Bala officiated at other ceremonies that day. -- photos by Chris Offer
Preparing to light up a third 60-foot tree at Memorial Park in Ladner for the Christmas season, Ladner Rotarians met at the home of Walt Hayward to screw 1,500 coloured lightbulbs into 60 strings of tree lights. Rotary Club of Ladner is preparing for its second Christmas tree lighting and community celebration early in December.
Elena Agala (left), of the Richmond Sunrise Rotary Club, and President Bridget Jacob, of the Ladner Rotary Club, finish sorting soccer and sports shirts destined for The Philippines, in a shipping container along with used medical and dental equipment, donated through Rotary World Help, based in Coquitlam, BC.
Rotary International's contributions to its six global areas of focus have almost doubled over the past five years and approach $100 million. The Rotary Foundation has continued to grant funds to locally and regionally led Rotary projects around the world in the six areas of Maternal and Child Health, Water and Sanitation, Disease Prevention and Treatment, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Basic Education and Literacy, and Economic and Community Development. For example, Ladner Rotary led a project to bring running water over 6.5 km to a remote village in Laos where children and women now have more time to devote to school and community life.
Worldwide polio cases have dropped from 350,000 in 122 countries in 1988 to just 33 in two countries in 2018 – Pakistan and Afghanistan. Now the world stands on the threshold of eradicating the disease forever. Nigeria, the last polio endemic country in Africa, has passed the 3-year milestone without a case, and it is anticipated that the whole African Region will be declared polio free in 2020.
To date, Rotary has contributed more than US$1.9 billion and countless volunteer hours to the protection of more than 2.5 billion children around the world. Around the world, on October 24, 2019, Rotary International, foundations, governments and global health organizations are marking World Polio Day. To salute World Polio Day, Rotary Club of Ladner is holding “Pumpkins for Polio” sales events on Tuesday, October 22, with proceeds going entirely to the End Polio campaign: 10 am to 1 pm at Ladner Leisure Centre and 3:30 to 5:30 pm, including a pumpkin carving contest, at Delta Secondary School.
Zosim Ettenbera was only six months old when she contracted polio. She managed to work her way past the crippling viral disease in her childhood and move on to a career in physiotherapy. Eventually she became Director of Rehabilitation Services at Langley Hospital. Her story, of battling not only polio, but later in life, cancer, is one of tremendous courage and determination, includes the recurrence of effects from her childhood affliction, with Post Polio Syndrome, which affects many adults decades later after what used to be called, "infantile paralysis (polio)" or poliomyelitis.
With the approach of World Polio Day on October 24, 2019, Delta Mayor George Harvie announces at a City Council meeting Ladner Rotary's Pumpkins for Polio events on October 22.
The global campaign to End Polio around the world, started by Rotary over 30 years ago, will receive proceeds from sales of pumpkins on October 22, ahead of World Polio Day on October 24, 2019. Rotary Club of Ladner members, Delta Police community volunteers and members of the Rotary-sponsored Interact Club at Delta Secondary School joined forces in Pumpkins for Polio sales, at Ladner Leisure Centre, then at Delta Secondary School, where a pumpkin carving contest was included. Pumpkins donated by Westham Island Herb Farm, with thanks. -- photos by Chris Offer
Ladner Rotary continues to meet weekly on ZOOM. To attend as a guest, please contact Chris Offer chrisoffer@outlook.com or club president Peter Roaf proaf@shaw.ca
