This Rotary year, we’re adding a dose of humour to our Secretary announcements. Have a good clean joke? Send it to jokes@rotaryvancouver.org — yours might be featured at an upcoming meeting!
Doug Kellough, 55 Years
Michael Woolnough, 51 Years
Mark Hirschi, 10 Years
* come in person 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.
Who do you know who is remarkable - someone whose story or expertise would captivate a room full of experienced business and community leaders?
We're looking to build a short list of headliner speakers to invite to our upcoming Rotary Club of Vancouver meetings. Think thought leaders, change makers, or trailblazers in business, sports, innovation, public service, or philanthropy.
Take a quick scroll through your LinkedIn connections. You might spot someone you haven’t thought about in a while who would be perfect.
If someone comes to mind, please connect with Bill Davidson at billd@davidson-co.com.
Back to School Blast 2025
Every Backpack Has a Story.
Help Us Write the Next Chapter!
We are just 2 WEEKS AWAY from our annual Back to School Blast, happening August 16–23 across Vancouver, Surrey, and the Tri-Cities! Our goal? To equip 1,000 children and youth with backpacks filled with school supplies—and we need your help to make it happen.
But our mission goes far beyond just one event.
Through our Adopt-A-School initiative, we work year-round with over 50 local schools, responding to real needs with real solutions. Whether it’s a hungry student, a classroom in crisis, or a teacher needing emergency support, our team steps in with food programs, hygiene kits, emotional care, extracurricular access, and more.
Because when schools call—we show up.
But we know we can't do it alone. We need the support of our community, including people like you, to make it happen.
WILL YOU JOIN US?
HERE'S HOW YOU CAN HELP:
1. Volunteer with us!
Help us create an unforgettable experience where families feel connected, and every child is celebrated. Sign up to serve at one of our event locations in Vancouver, Surrey, or Tri-Cities.
VANCOUVER - August 16 (10:00AM-3:00PM) SURREY - August 20 (12:30-4:00PM) PORT COQUITLAM - August 23 (10:00AM-3:00PM)
A fun, free Back to School event for the whole family
Year-long Adopt-A-School support for their school
Every dollar you give helps close the gap for students in under-resourced communities—and brings lasting change to our city’s most vulnerable families.
Your support, whether through volunteering or donating, will make a meaningful impact.
GOAL:$100,000
$30 sponsors one child a backpack.
Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated.
A Celebration of Life will be held at Terminal City Club on Sunday, 7 September 2025 at 1:00 pm for Bill Dauphinee.
You can RSVP to Wendy Dauphinee via email: wendy@dauphinee.ca or call 604.985.9693 anytime up to five days before the event.
Wendy, Randa, Connor and Kyra hope to see you there.
Help Carla Launch Her Career
Carla Loubere, Co-President of the UBC Rotaract Club, is seeking a paid internship or part-time role in:
International relations
Diplomacy
Global cooperation / NGOs
International business
📅 Availability: Mid-Sept to April (flexible hours, light course load)
📧 Contact Patricia for her résumé if you can help or connect her with opportunities.
Fun Contest – Show Your RCoV Spirit!
Theme:Why are you a Member of the RCoV?
🎥 Format: 30-second reel
📅 Deadline: Aug. 26, 2025
🎁 Every entry wins a Purdy’s chocolate bar
🏆 Aug. 27: UBC Rotaracts pick the top 3
📢 Sept. 2: Winners announced!
📧 Email all Reels to: rotary.joan@gmail.com
International Service Committee Announcement
The International Service Committee will be hosting their start-up meeting for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year.
The first business meeting will take place on:
Date: Monday, August 25, 2025 at 6:30 pm
Location: Suite 3202 - 1281 West Cordova Street, Buzzer # 247
Note: To enter the building, you need to use the buzzer (#247) for the Callisto Building NOT the Corina Building.
Parking: You need to park in the visitor area of the Callisto Building and NOT the Corina Building. When you enter the parkade use the intercom for the Calisto Building and turn right to park in the visitors area.
This is a Business meeting, cold drinks will be served but no food. Please have dinner before you come.
The focus of the International Service Committee seeks to improve the lives of people living in poverty in foreign countries, with a particular focus on underprivileged women and children. Their areas of focus include sustainable development projects that will help to improve water and sanitation, to provide women and children with skills training and education opportunities, and to send containers of medical supplies and equipment through Rotary World Help.
If you are interested in joining the International Service Committee for the coming year, please contact Adriana Zylmans at the meeting today or send an email to azylmans@telus.net
Adriana will send a Meeting Agenda and reminder a few days before the meeting.
Weekly Meeting Recap
Last Week's Meeting Recap
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Meeting Chair: Joan Posivy
Secretary: Sam Ally Potel
Sargent-at-Arms: Lisa Chlysta-Adehl
"Discussions, Updates & Fresh Ideas"
This week's meeting celebrated International Youth Day and highlighted the importance of positive influences. Brian Westerberg, a surgeon and biker, was recognized as a guest, Visiting Rotarian Rodolfo Mendizabal from Ixtapa, Mexico had a flag exchange, and Trevor Hanowski was inducted into the Rotary Club of Vancouver, noted for his diverse career in film, academia, and now immersive technology in medical research. The Community Service Committee's impact was showcased through videos, detailing support for mental health, addiction recovery, and women's shelters. Specific projects included a $7,000 fence for Santa Maria House and various support for Talitha Koum Society.
New Weekly Initiative:
Lisa introduced the "Rotary Minute" as a new weekly addition to the meetings. In this segment, a different member each week will take one minute to share an interesting discovery or resource from the Rotary world, such as information from rotary.org, Rotaract, district activities, or any interesting Rotary-related fact. The purpose is to help members learn more about the extensive resources and opportunities within Rotary that many might not be aware of.
First Rotary Minute presented by Lisa:
Lisa explored the rotary.org website and discovered the "Get Involved" page, which showcases numerous Rotary fellowship groups. She highlighted the surprising diversity of these groups, which include interests like Magicians, Marathon, Writing, Mentoring, Metal Head, Metaverse, Chess, Coffee Lovers, Comedy, Composting, and even a Yachting club. Her goal was to demonstrate the wide range of connections and opportunities available within Rotary that many members might not know about.
Rene's Presentation:
Renee's presentation highlighted the Community Service Committee's work supporting vulnerable populations through three key organizations:
Santa Maria House (Safe House for Women):
Helped install a secure fence and security cameras
Provided a safe environment for women and children
Addressed security concerns in a high-risk neighborhood
Talitha Koum Society:
Supports women recovering from addiction, abuse, and street life
Provides rehabilitation programs and connection opportunities
Helps women rebuild their lives and reunite with families
Many participants are indigenous women
Stand Up for Mental Health:
Supports individuals with mental health conditions
Uses comedy as a tool for building confidence and fighting stigma
Helps people overcome depression and anxiety through performance
The Rotary Club's Community Service Committee is making a tangible difference in people's lives by supporting programs that provide healing, security, and opportunities for vulnerable individuals
President Joan Posivy, with newly Inducted Trevor Hanowski, and Franz Gehriger
Trevor Hanowski
"From Prairie Soup Kitchens to Hollywood Sets: A Journey of Service"
History of the Hanowski family:
During the 1930th Depression period, Trevor's Grandfather saw in Vienna an advertising: Immigrate to Canada and buy Lands for $1 per acre...
And his Grandparents immigrated to Melville Saskatchewan.
Trevor's journey from a small prairie town to Hollywood sets, and now to medical research, might sound like an unlikely path - but every step has been guided by the same principle:
"Service to Others"
Trevor's parents figured the best way to teach their son from age five to fifteen to spend his weekends serving meals to folks who needed them most. He learned early that everyone has a story, everyone deserves dignity, and that sometimes the most important thing you can offer someone is simply showing up. His mom used to say, "Trevor, you're not just serving food - you're serving hope." Though at age seven, he was mostly just trying not to drop the mashed potatoes.
Fast forward through high school, Trevor made the decision to move to Savannah, Georgia to study Industrial Design and 3D Computer Animation at SCAD. Nobody in his small town understood why Trevor was heading south to learn how to make things look real on computers. His grandfather just nodded politely and asked: do you still know how to fix a tractor?
Those years at SCAD opened up a world Trevor never knew existed. Suddenly, he was designing everything from concept cars to imaginary worlds, learning that creativity could be both an art and a science. Little did he know that this combination of technical skill and creative vision would eventually land him on movie sets working on films like Pacific Rim, Arrow, and even having concept art approved by Steven Spielberg - though Trevor was pretty sure Spielberg didn't know there was a kid from Melville behind those drawings.
For 26 years, Trevor has been fortunate to work in film and television, helping bring impossible worlds to life. Trevor has art directed alien planets, designed superhero costumes, and created digital environments that have entertained millions. But perhaps equally rewarding has been his 12 years as a professor, teaching at colleges and universities throughout North America from the British Columbia Institute of Technology to Savannah College of Art and Design, from Kwantlen Polytechnic to Capilano University.
There's something magical about watching a student's eyes light up when they finally understand how to bring their imagination to life on screen. Whether Trevor was teaching anatomy for illustration, digital animation, or environment concept art creation, he discovered that education became another form of service - passing on not just technical skills, but the confidence to dream bigger.
But here's the thing about both Hollywood and academia after a while, Trevor started asking: "What am I really building? What legacy am I leaving?"
This is the reason why Trevor is going to Washington DC, at Johns Hopkins University, to "reboot his career". At 50- something, he decided to pursue a Master's in Immersive Media and Emerging Technology with a focus on Gen Al, XR and Neuroscience. But more importantly, he is diving into research that spans the School of Medicine, the Whiting School of Engineering, and the School of Bioethics.
Trevor discovered that all those years of visual storytelling, of making the impossible seem real, of collaborating with brilliant teams under impossible deadlines those skills translate beautifully to medical research and bioethics. He will explore how immersive technologies can help patients understand complex medical procedures, how virtual reality can assist in therapy, and how visual storytelling can make bioethical concepts accessible to everyone.
It turns out that boy who learned to serve soup in Saskatchewan and the man who learned to craft digital worlds in Savannah can come together to serve in entirely new ways. Instead of feeding bodies, Trevor will now help to feed minds - using technology to make medical knowledge more accessible, more understandable, and more human.
The Rotary motto "Service Above Self" resonates deeply with Trevor because it connects every chapter of his story: from serving soup, to crafting digital words and now feeding minds.
The meeting was adjourned with a toast by President Joan Posivy:
VANCOUVER - August 16 (10:00AM-3:00PM)
A backpack full of essential school supplies
A fun, free Back to School event for the whole family
Year-long Adopt-A-School support for their school
