Tuesday Sep. 10, 2024SPEAKER SERIES PRESENTATION Fireside chat with Arthur Griffiths
Arthur is a very proud Canadian (born and raised) and businessperson, a true entrepreneur and devoted philanthropist, following in the reputation and footsteps of the Griffiths Family legacy.
He is the former owner of the Vancouver Canucks and Vancouver Grizzlies. He also financed, built and owned General Motors Place (now Rogers Arena). During the Arena construction phase, we were awarded an NBA expansion franchise, Vancouver Grizzlies. In the late 1990’s, he chaired the Vancouver/ Whistler Bid Society to bring the 2010 Winter and Paralympic games to Vancouver/Whistler.
He was taught by the great examples from my parent’s legendary business career that it’s very important to give back to your community. In 1995, as one of the founding members opened the first free-standing hospice for children and their families in North America, Canuck Place. (source: https://www.arthurgriffiths.com/)
Our club will be honoured to present Arthur Griffiths with a Paul Harris Fellowship Award in recognition of the exceptional contributions Arthur has given to the betterment of our society. This award is named after the esteemed founder of Rotary Club International, Paul Harris, and represents the highest form of recognition a Rotary Club can bestow.
Please join us for this special meeting. Invite everyone you know, the more the merrier. Registration is open until Sunday Sept. 8th,CLICK HERE to register. Or register using the ClubRunner App on your phone.
Share the Eventbrite link with friends, colleagues and on your social media, https://rcov-arthur-griffiths.eventbrite.ca.
Tuesday Sep. 17, 2024 FOCUS ON MEMBERS Business panel chat with a experts facilitated by Joan Posivy. This session includes panelists Gordon Esau, Mellisa Mills, and Peter Jackman.
Gordon Esau is a retired lawyer who started with a firm as 1 of 3 lawyers. This firm grew over the years to be the world's largest firm - Denton's, with 10,000 lawyers. Gordon's specialty was representing some of Hollywood's major studios and TV networks.
Mellisa Mills is the Founder and CEO of Spread'em. Starting with $500 and a bicycle, she has grown this company into a multi-million dollar one with her plant-based, dairy-free cheeses and dips.
Peter Jackman is the GM & CEO of the Terminal City Club. Under his guidance, the Club has earned the prestigious Platinum Club status, held by the top 1% of private clubs worldwide.
Have you logged on to your MyRotary account recently?
There are so many resources available to Rotarians via Rotary International. For our newer members, you do need to have an active MyRotary account (check with your mentor). One of these benefits is the extensive learning library. The below image shows what topics are available; within each topic there are multiple courses you can enroll for. Some are short, some are longer but can be done in chunks as your schedule permits. Download the course catalog to see at a glance which offerings are new or have been updated.
* come in person next week to celebrate your birthday with Purdy's chocolates!!
Last Meeting Sep. 03, 2024
Franco Gallo, President, chaired the meeting and gave the invocation.
Sam Shorter, Secretary, hosted ZOOM
Mindy Tulsi-Ingram, Sergeant at Arms, introduced guests
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.
Secretary's announcements:
Reminders of upcoming events/meetings (see above)
Birthdays, member club anniversaries, wedding anniversaries (see above)
Members' Moments and Special Presentations:
Good news this week were mostly all about children and grandchildren going back to school! Parisa's daughter started her studies at Princeton University, Sean's daughter entered grade 1 - as did Stephanie's granddaughter!
We also had lots of positive comments around the monthly Mix and Mingles.
The last one, was a great success again, with a total of 50 people attending (members and guests). Let's keep the Mix and Mingle's going!
Michael Woolnough won the bike at the "Ride for Hearing" Event and donated it back to the club and the proceeds to go to the club's foundation. The bid was won by John Bathurst. Congratulations John, and thank you to Michael for giving back to Rotary!
Program:
This week, we had Mark Steinkampf, Executive Director of Odd Squad Productions present to the members and our guests.
We also planned for Bob Rich, Former Chief Constable of the Abbotsford Police Department and Toby Hinton, Retired Sergeant of the Vancouver Police Department chime in. Mark's presentation was so captivating - we ran out of time!!!
As a result, we scheduled all speakers to come back on Tuesday October 1st, to continue this informative presentation!
The key topics that were covered are:
- Current realities in the Vancouver Downtown Eastside
- Understanding different drug categories and how addiction develops
- The critical importance of preventing substance use by youths &
- Strategies to counter pro-drug messaging and youth targeted marketing
Facts:
- 78% of drug abuse in Vancouver is happening on the Vancouver Eastside
- 25K People live in the Downtown Eastside, of which 50% are addicts/people with other severe mental health issues
What is a drug?
- Anything that changes the way in which the mind and the body functions.
What is drug addiction?
- Continued Use, Tolerance, Withdrawal & Continued Used in spite of negative consequences.
- Substance related deaths in Canada: 78% Tobacco, 16% Alcohol, 5% Illicit Drugs
What are the top three causes to use drugs?
- Peer Pressure, Family Use, Masking Psychological Pain
After gaining the trust of a young women down on the Eastside a few years back and after conversing with her over time - Mark summarized what most addict's main two questions are, when they look at the current dilemma of their lives:
WHAT AM I MISSING & WHAT ELSE IS OUT THERE?
Simple, yet powerful questions, that define addiction, as Mark suggests.
By having the group back for a continuation of the presentation, the Rotary Club of Vancouver and its Community Service Committee (CSC) continue to address substance use issues among use; in partnership with Odd Squad Productions.
Favourite Quotes from this week's meeting:
Mark Steinkampf shared a meaningful quote of a former (passed) addict:
Everyone tells you about how bad drugs are.
No one tells you about how much fun they can be.
That is the sick thing about it.
Before you figure things out, it's too late. Joe Walker - Son, Brother, Addict
Meeting adjourned with a toast by President Franco Gallo:
a very proud Canadian (born and raised) and businessperson, a true entrepreneur and devoted philanthropist, following in the reputation and footsteps of the Griffiths Family legacy. 
