Four years after the Rotary Club of Ladner identified the need in the community, representatives of the club and partner, Corporation of Delta, celebrated with a sod turning ceremony to officially start construction of the Ladner Rotary Splash Park at Memorial Park on September 21, 2017. Turning of the sod included: (l to r) Rotarians Guillermo Bustos, Patricia Sibley with grandson Jackson, and Lynn Cameron, Delta Chief Administrative Officer George Harvie, Ladner Rotary Splash Park Committee Chair Irene Forcier, Delta Councillor Heather King, and Ladner Rotarians Peter Roaf, Bridget Jacob, Linda Cran, Walt Hayward, and President Ulf Ottho. -- photos by Mel Baly

A 34-year veteran of Rotary and former investment firm regional manager, Richard Shantz, is inducted as a member of the Rotary Club of Ladner, having transferred from the Rotary Club of Ottawa to his new home in Delta with wife, Janet. Officiating at the ceremony were President Elect Kerry-Lynne Findlay and Past President Walt Hayward. During his 34 years in Rotary, six were as member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver. 21 of those years were spent in the Ottawa club, where he was President in 2008-09 and Chair of the Rotary Club of Ottawa Children’s Foundation.

Clean water is vital to health, education and well being. Remote villages in Laos lack access to clean water. Members of the Rotary Club of Ladner have visited these villages early in recent years to deliver water filters and, in turn, enable education under the Adopt-A-Village in Laos program founded by Ontario Rotarian Steve Rutledge.

Thanks to Tsawwassen Mills mall, Urban Impact and the Delta Optimist, the Rotary Club of Ladner raised over $700 net for the water project in the remote village of Ban Xiengda, Laos from donations by people who stopped by the club's Shred A Thon in the parking lot of Tsawwassen Mills mall on September 23, 2017. Delta Police representatives were on hand to advise people about fraud and identity theft and effective management of documents.

As our children and grandchildren head back to school for another year it's fitting that Rotary focuses on Education and Literacy in September. We live in a privileged society and part of the world where we take education and literacy for granted. For instance, if all women completed primary education, there would be 66% fewer maternal deaths, a child born to a mother who can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of five and, if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills, 171 million people could be lifted out of poverty, which would be equivalent to a 12% cut in world poverty.

 

 

Engaging young learners through stimulating, relevant and inspiring educational experiences is the aim of the Delta School District's Academy Programs. The School District offers 10 Sport Academies, from Baseball to Golf, and seven elite hockey teams. It also offers four Fine Arts Academies: Dance; Film Acting; Film Production; Opera & Performance.