Vol. 102 No. 37
Bill Davidson, President
Parisa Adrangi, Secretary
IN-PERSON MEMBER MEETINGS SUSPENDED FOR NOW
MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
To fellow Rotarians:
On Tuesday of this week, a group of Rotarians comprised of members of our Youth and Community Service committees, along with other concerned members of our club and Ron Suzuki, of the Vancouver Sunrise Rotary Club, had a meeting on Zoom to see what our club can do in the near term to help individuals in need.
The goal of the meeting was to find 2-3 worthwhile projects in our community where our funds will make an meaningful impact to people, rather than simply donating to any of the large service agencies where one never truly knows how or where the funds are disbursed. We want to focus on Youth and their families in our community and within that focus area we are looking for organizations and individuals who are not receiving large amounts of government funding or corporate sponsorship.
In addition to Youth and CSC funds, the International Service Committee as well as some individual Rotarians have made funds available for this undertaking. Although the purpose of this email is to keep Rotarians informed as to the activities that are still going on in the Club, donations to support the causes we will come up with would be very welcome.
The issue of determining how best to use these funds is not straightforward under current conditions. Schools are shut-down and not likely to open after spring-break; community centers are shut-down; individuals are afraid to leave their homes; and volunteers are reluctant to meet with those that they need to meet with in order to help them… in other words there are roadblocks in getting our aid to the people who require it… these are unique problems that we are not used to.
There was a great deal of discussion on various worthy groups that we are considering as recipients of our donations. There was recommendation for one organization that will be go to the Board for approval. Furthermore, a sub-group from today’s committee are going to follow up on various suggestions and then report back with some recommendations.
As Carolyn mentioned in an email earlier this week, we need to maintain our communication and interaction between members to keep our Rotary Club vibrant and relevant. Today’s meeting was a wonderful example of that.
I will report further on this endeavor as we make progress.
Our club will soon be on-line! Thomas Reppchen is working diligently to get every member set up to participate in Zoom meetings. So far we have had committees meeting successfully; the next step is to test out an all member meeting. This is exciting... it will allow everyone who has a computer or smart phone to log in and participate no matter where you are in the world. Stay tuned for further updates.
STORIES FROM THE TRENCHES Recent travel adventures of our members
Michael & Jane Woolnough:
Our Caribbean ‘cultural cruise’ did not go well from the start. After the initial passenger boarding denial in Dominican Republic (virus-related) all 700 people flew 4 days later to Saint Martin to access the ship. Subsequently five new coronavirus cases were confirmed on board effectively denying us docking anywhere in the Caribbean thereafter.
After 5 days of extra ‘cruising’, Cuba came to our rescue with the provision that all passengers be taken directly from the gangway to Havana airport tarmac and straight to the UK on a requisitioned aircraft.
So now we are in an Airbnb in southern UK in self- isolation waiting for permission to book a flight back to Vancouver if airports, borders etc stay open.
Jane and I wish that everybody in the club and their families stay safe and healthy during this unusual time.
Paul & Heather Martin:
As many of you know, Heather and I left for a month long trip to the Middle East on March 2nd. Our plan was to spend 4 days in Tel Aviv, 7 days in Jordan, and the balance back in Israel.
All was going well until March 9th when we learned that Israel was closing its border to all visitors. We were not put off by this and decided to spend more time in Jordan, and then look at another country, perhaps Morocco or Egypt.
By March 12th it was apparent we needed to plan an earlier return home. I was able to book Aeroplan tickets for March 16th: Aegean airlines to Athens, Lufthansa from Athens to Frankfurt, and then Frankfurt to Vancouver; all in business class. Things looked good so we got to see more stuff in Jordan.
On Sunday March 15th, we started getting new routing info from Aeroplan. No Aegean flight was included. New routing, Athens to Munich, Munich to Frankfurt, but that flight arrived only 5 minutes before we'd have to board the flight to Vancouver.
We tried every other combination of flights eventually concluding we needed a Royal Jordanian flight out of Amman ASAP. All flights were showing as full. We decided to get to the airport and found that seats were in fact available and bought tickets to Istanbul. Once in Istanbul we would seek out options to get home but this proved a bit confusing on arrival as we had to purchase visas to clear customs even though we were leaving the airport.
First denied purchasing tickets by a Turkish Airline agent, I went online and bought 4 tickets (us and the Johnsons) to Gatwick UK for 8:30 the next morning. We got two hotel rooms in the Yotel Hotel right in the airport. Once in our rooms I started looking at options from London to Canada... anywhere in Canada. Aeroplan was now useless as they were loosing route options fast. I was able to book two Air Canada tickets from Heathrow to Calgary and then to on to Vancouver; the Johnsons ended up going Gatwick to Dublin, Dublin to LA and L.A. to Vancouver. We has 3.5 hrs to connect in London Gatwick to Heathrow and made the cab ride in 45 minutes. Once checked in we headed for the lounge and some wine!
We had to spend $8000.00 to get home, not sure what we can claim on insurance. Nonetheless, we are back, self quarantined, and happy. We will be moving to our new townhouse by Mid April. Hoping this all clears up soon as we are looking forward to our Newfoundland Trip in August.
Bill & Luise Schulz:
The 30-day cruise we recently enjoyed, from Cape Town to Singapore, had been on our bucket list for over a year. We left on Jan 30 arriving in Cape Town on Feb 1. The cruise company advised us that no passengers or crew who had been to China the previous 30 days would be allowed on board, as well every person's temperature would be checked and refused boarding if they had a fever. Our cruise ship was very pro-active, and we were sanitizing constantly and checked at 5 ports for possible fever, travelling through Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Roberts Bay.
On day 21 we received notice that due to the coronavirus after visiting our next ports Columbo and Galle Sri Lanka we would not be proceeding to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore instead we would head west, then north to Oman and Dubai.
Our detour resulted in having an additional two days at sea plus the challenge of arranging air transport from Dubai to Vancouver via Toronto which was extremely frustrating and cost double the fare from Singapore/Hong Kong /Vancouver. The cruise line was, however, very generous and gave all passengers a very substantial rebate due to the change of itinerary. We flew home on March 6, a tiring 26-hour trip. On arriving home, there was absolutely no screening for the virus and we also did not receive any Quarantine notice. I woke up Sunday morning with a cold so isolated myself and am thankful Luise did not catch it. We are now both fine, though are still being very careful; we haven't visited Luise’s 97-year old Mom and 88-year old aunt, which has been very sad but necessary.
Blessings to all from your fellow Rotarian, Bill.
To read Bill's full report CLICK HERE. Feel free to contact Bill to hear more details about what sounds like a trip of a lifetime, bschulz@shaw.ca.
We regret to announce that the Rotary International Convention, scheduled for 6-10 June 2020, in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA, has been canceled in response to the ongoing threat of COVID-19.
We are sorry that we will not see you in Honolulu this year, but this decision is necessary to protect the health of everyone involved.
At this time, they kindly ask that you do not contact RI Registration to inquire about your registration, ticket or housing cancellations as the team is working diligently to inform all attendees.
For more than a week now, I've been in Nelson tending to my self-storage facility where 2 out of 3 of my main employees are off sick and as a precaution are quarantined for 2 weeks. Thus, I've been working a whole lot of 10-hour shifts! In truth, it's been fun connecting with some of our long-time customers who I haven't seen in awhile. It's so hard not to hug them though!!!
When I looked out the office window today, I saw this mama with her two kids and to me, they looked totally at ease and enjoying the moment. It was a good lesson. The other picture is from my morning security rounds walking the property. We have 7.5 acres, and it's a really joy to hang out here and breathe in that fresh Kootenay air. It's a reminder that all is well in this moment.
Looking forward to seeing you all again soon. Stay healthy & positive. Big hug, Joan.
Seniors around the world are being told to sequester themselves to limit exposure to the virus. While many stores have added a seniors-only hour of shopping, many still don't want to go out the the shops.
In Castlegar, a phone number has been set up that seniors can call. They will be matched up with a Grocery Buddy, who will ensure the supplies needed are picked up and delivered to the senior's door.
A BIT OF TIME ON YOUR HANDS?
WHAT WILL YOU WATCH TODAY?
Check out the Rotary International YouTube channel.
There is a fantastic array of videos to choose from. Topics include:
People of Action
End Polio
Doing Good in the World
But there's so much more. Subscribe today.
Watch. Learn. Connect.
CLICK HERE to connect to the Rotary International YouTube channel
ROTARY CLUBS AROUND THE GLOBE STEPPING UP TO HELP THOSE IN NEED DURING THESE UNCERTAIN TIMES
So many clubs, including our own, are taking steps to direct, or redirect if necessary, funds and resources to help those in most need in their communities.
As a global organization Rotary is well placed to really make a difference. It is always inspiring -- People of Action for sure!
What makes you most proud to be a Rotarian? Send in your answer to Carolyn to be shared with all.
Upcoming Events please click on the titles for more info for specific events
RI CONVENTION 2020
