Join us for an exclusive fireside chat with Tamara Vrooman, O.B.C., an influential leader driving change in Vancouver and beyond. As President and CEO of Vancouver International Airport and former CEO of Vancity, Tamara brings a wealth of experience in transformative business practices and community impact. Recognized as one of Canada’s most powerful leaders, she will share her vision for inclusive economic growth, innovative philanthropy, and environmental sustainability. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain insights from a leader who’s shaping the future of business and community for the greater good.
REGISTRATION IS OPEN FOR THE FOLLOWING MEETINGS.
REGISTER ON THE CLUBRUNNER APP NOW
Tuesday Dec. 10, 2024 - CLUB AGMs and Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation presentation
Tuesday Dec. 17, 2024 - WINTER HOLIDAY SOCIAL LUNCH
Join us for our club's traditional holiday luncheon. If you have any requests, e.g., activities, please let Carolyn know asap. We will also be saying goodbye to Carolyn as she retires and hello to Patricia who will be taking over as the club administrator.
Wednesday Dec. 18, 2024 - FAMILY CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION DINNER
Let's celebrate each other in the spirit of Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa, Feast of Saint Nicholas, Advent, and Bodhi. Regardless of your faith and beliefs we want to celebrate in each other's company in our traditional Rotary way.
Tuesday Dec. 24 & 31, 2024 - NO MEETINGS
Tuesday Jan. 7, 2024 - INSPIRATIONAL SPEAKER
Nicole Havrda, a young 18 year-old Canadian race car driver who is rapidly making her name known in the world of motorsports. In 2024 Nicole raced in the highly competitive Formula Regional Americas series - the next step towards her goal of Formula 1.
Rotary Club of Vancouver Family Christmas Celebration Dinner
The dinner will include:
starter of soup
main course of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes & vegetables
dessert of assorted sweets
The cost for the evening is:
free for members who pay quarterly meal fees
$60 per person for pay-as-you-go members and guests
$30 per person for youth 12 years old and younger
there will be a cash bar available
Parking is available at the Holiday Inn Suites Hotel Impark Parkade, 1110 Howe St.
Price is $12 after 6:00 p.m.
Register early to be sure you secure your space. CLICK HERE to register.
If you'd like to contribute to our silent auction, please contact Adriana Zylmans.
Dear Registrants for the Calgary Convention - District 5040:
Please “Help Us Bring the Magic of Rotary” to Calgary at the Rotary International Convention on June 21-25, 2025!
If you have already registered or are planning to register for next year's Rotary International Convention in Calgary, we could use your help!
Please join us as a Volunteer!
We plan to offer a variety of volunteer roles to match a wide range of interests and skills and your availability while in Calgary. Potential volunteers include members of our global Rotary family, friends of Rotary, business associates and students. All volunteers must be at least 18 years old.
We are in the process of developing our volunteer roles and responsibilities and schedules for our volunteer positions. These will be communicated to everyone in due course, but at this point in time we're looking for an expression of interest from those Rotarians who would like to help us showcase our city and make the 2025 Rotary International Convention a resounding success!
To volunteer, please push the button below and fill out the required information as completely as possible.
If no written objection is filed with the Secretary within 7 days of Nov. 29, 2024, (by Dec. 6, 2024), Jeff Brown, will upon payment of the dues and assessments determined by the Board, be declared elected as a member of the Rotary Club of Vancouver recognized by Rotary International.
The classification that Jeff will hold is “Marine Insurance (retired)”.
Proposer: Franz Gehriger
Seconder: Wessel Veenstra (Netherlands)
Mentor: Michael Woolnough
*
none this week
at our Club
Mass Abedi 16 years
wedding
none this week
* come in person next week to celebrate your birthday with Purdy's chocolates!!
Let us know what you think about our last meeting. Scan the QR code below and fill out the short survey.
Last Meeting Nov. 19, 2024
Franco Gallo, President, chaired the meeting and gave the invocation.
Sam Shorter, Secretary
Mindy Tulsi-Ingram, Sergeant at Arms
Chair’s Announcements:
Welcome to our guests, new and returning, as well as our own members who have taken time out of busy schedules to attend. We are grateful to see new faces, remember guests are ALWAYS welcome at our meetings.
Addressing the news surrounding an Edmonton Rotarian whose will is being disputed by his wife and family, Franco read out the Rotary Foundation's (TRF) response. The TRF claim that the dispute is not with them but rather between the family and the written will. They are attempting to work to resolve the matter in the most responsible way. CLICK HERE to read another news article that explains the TRF response.
As a sidenote, the Rotary Foundation received the highest rating from Charity Navigator, an independent evaluator of charities in the U.S., for 16th consecutive year. CLICK HERE to read about it (you may need to log in to your MyRotary account).
Margaret Perry (Tremayne’s wife of 71 years) passed away last week. Her celebration of life will be on Wednesday, December 4th, 1:00 p.m., at Shaughnessy Heights United Church. CLICK HERE to read her obituary.
Secretary's announcements:
Reminders of upcoming events/meetings (see above)
Birthdays, member club anniversaries, wedding anniversaries (see above)
Special Announcements & Members' Moments:
Jason Boudreau, as immediate past president & chair of the nominating committee, announced the slate for the 2025-26 RCoV Board. Thank you to the whole committee for their support and work in securing the slate. Special thank you to these members who have stepped up to accept the challenge of leading our club on the RCoV Board. Thank you to all concerned!
Joan Posivy, President
Franco Gallo, Imm. Past President
Kaz Kadono, continuing as Treasurer
Directors completing the final year of the 2 year term: Stephanie Lawton & Richard Higgins
Directors starting their 2 year term: Malcolm Hunter, Sean Chan, Nathan Hesketh, and Navid Morawej
Sergeant at Arms, continuing for a 2nd year: Mindy Tulsi-Ingram
SAVE THE DATE: February 7-9, 2025 for the RCoV's annual Whistler Weekend. Thanks to John Hayto for letting us know and for, once again, organizing this fabulous event on behalf of us all. If anyone wants to help John, please reach out to him. It's a big job for one person!!
Peter Clarke represented the newly re-formed DEI committee. Last week members were asked to suggest a new name that would reflect a better understanding of what the committee is actually all about. Some suggestions came in and today, members were asked to vote. The committee will announce the winning name soon.
Sandra Lowe talked about her recent Rotary Volunteer trip to Nicaragua. Though it was short, one week, it was packed with great experiences. Sandra is not new to traveling for humanitarian work; she has been to the Dominican Republic many times. This trip was with the Rotary Club of Stratford, Ontario. They partnered with StoveTeam International providing stoves that would greatly improve the health of the communities by removing the venting to outside vs inside the homes.
Our club sponsored many eco-stoves in Nicaragua thereby helping many. Sandra eloquently stated what Rotary really stands for. It's not just local meetings and work. Rotary really does "build international relationships, improves lives and creates a better world".
Sandra will be returning to Nicaragua on Feb. 1, 2025 to continue with the work.
Program:
Christos Kalaitzis introduced the Hon. Dimitrios V. Skoutas. Dimitrios currently serves as the Consul General of Greece in Vancouver, a role he has held since August 2023. With over two decades of diplomatic experience, Hon. Skoutas has served in key roles at Greek Embassies in Kazakhstan, Russia, Finland, and Singapore. Prior to his current position, he worked at the Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the Directorate for South-East Europe and was the Diplomatic Advisor to the Minister of Tourism from 2019 to 2021.
He is fluent in English, Russian, and French, and holding multiple degrees, Dimitrios brings a wealth of global expertise to his current position in fostering Greek-Canadian relations.
He emphasized that Greece can be your partner for growth. Greece is a good cheap entry point for most everything. It has one of the biggest ports in Europe.
Dimitrios provided a comprehensive view of Greek economics in a very entertaining way. He spoke of the good and the bad.
One of the topics that seemed to be of high interest to the audience was why it’s so difficult to purchase Greek wines in BC. The regulations in BC are very exclusive so they cannot bring Greek wine into the province. That said, Marquis Wine Cellars, owned by John Clerides, does have a wonderful, exclusive selection.
It is interesting to know that Greece is strong in the green energy sector. They are 57% green now, it was higher, but with wars and increasing energy prices it has taken a toll. They’ve had to import liquified LNG that costs more. The country is determined to keep increasing their green energy initiatives.
Upon the closing of Dimitrios’ talk, we heard briefly from Alexandros Tsakoumis, the President of the Hellenic Community in Vancouver. Alex is very familiar with Rotary – his Dad was a long time member with Des Verma. He told us that he will be donating $100 to EndPolio in memory of his father and Des Verma.
Tony Papajohn, also attending our luncheon, is on the board of the Hellenic Community in Vancouver with him. They put a great deal of political capital on the line working with the federal government. The Hellenic community centre is older and needs significant and urgent upgrades and repairs. It is open to all and is used by large, diverse communities coming out to use their facility. The Board approached the federal government and after negotiating for about 8 weeks were thrilled to receive a $5M grant. Everyone is very appreciative and are now negotiating with the provincial Government for matching funds. The federal contribution is the largest heritage grant in Canada to any ethnic community. Kudos to all concerned.
Meeting adjourned with a toast by President Franco Gallo:
