Last Meeting May 28, 2019
John Hayto chaired the meeting, in Brian Street's absence.
Kayo Otake accompanied us on the piano for the singing of O Canada.
Jim Evans acting as Sergeant-at-Arms introduced visitors and guests, in Joe Lopushinsky's absence.
President's Announcements:
- A day hasn't gone by without thinking of Don Evans. Thank you to the Terminal City Club for honouring Don by flying their flags at 1/2 mast.
Joan Posivy provided the Secretary's Announcements:
- Reminders of upcoming events/meetings (see above).
- Birthdays: Jason Boudreau Jun03
- Member anniversaries: Sean Chan 1 year, Amin Eskooch 1 year, Navid Morawej 1 year, Pierre Adjoury 2 years, Victoir Wu 2 years, Michael Woolnough 18 years, John Sullivan 24 years, Jack Zaleski 25 years, Tom Crean 39 years, Richard Landahl 40 years
- Wedding anniversaries: Nick & Marnie Blom 52 years Jun03
Special announcements and members' moments:
- DG Darcy Long shared some special words about Don Evans. Everyone in Rotary is hurting with this loss. All that is left now is to celebrate his memory. She expressed that she was fortunate to follow him as District Governor; having him as her mentor. Sincere condolences to all of us as his home club Rotary family. Deb sends her love to us all. His loss is leaving great holes as he filled so many roles and wore so many hats. If anyone, whether you be a seasoned Rotarian or a relatively new one, if interested in anything that Don was involved with and would like to carry it on, please consider it. Contact Darcy if you have questions, want to chat about it, or would like to throw your name in the hat.
The memorial service for Don has been set for Sunday July 7th at the Squamish Heritage Railway Park Roundhouse. More details will follow as we receive them.
- Joan Posivy read out a message received via Brian Street from Jeffry Cadorette expressing his condolences.
She also requested that if anyone is travelling to send her their favourite photo(s) to include in the weekly slide show.
- Gerry Glazier updated us on the Peace Fellowship interviews last week. Miguel Rozo has been chosen as the scholar to be sponsored by our Club. Miguel will be back in Vancouver in August and will attend at least one Club meeting then.
Gerry also reminded us of the upcoming Journey Home fundraising dinner on June 20th. Journey Home is an organization long supported by our Club. Their dinner, Summer Solstice Soiree, will have a fabulous keynote speaker: Mohammad Moheq. Mr. Moheq arrived in BC 7 years ago with his family and became part of the Journey Home Community. After receiving his Canadian Permanent Residency, he worked to assist in countering religious extremism in Afghanistan and was recently appointed as Afghanistan's Ambassador to Egypt. Gerry has booked a table for 8 for the dinner and is looking for another 4 people to join him. Please contact him asap if you are interested.
- Mindy Tulsi-Ingram invited us to her talk at VanEx on June 12th, 11:00-1:00, Cultivating a Generous Presence. CLICK HERE for information.
- Katherine Copeland updated us on the youth fundraising barbeque that was held last Saturday at Trev Deeley. Despite the rainy day, there was a decent turnout. Special thanks to Phil Webber, Peter Clarke and John Hayto for coming out to support the event. It did make some money, approximately: $500 on food sales, $100 in donations, and $50 for the auction item (a gift certificate to a tattoo parlour). Thank you to those who helped, Victoir Wu, Sean Chan, Jenifer Brousseau.
There is another barbeque scheduled for Saturday August 17th. Do come out to support us and visit the fabulous Trev Deeley museum. It is fascinating whether you are a motorcycle enthusiast or not.
- Phil Webber gave a shout out to Katherine Copeland for organizing and to Sean Chang, Victoir Wu, Jenifer Brousseau, Peter Clarke, and John Hayto for attending the 2019-2010 Red Carpet Ball preliminary launch event for our youth fundraisers at Trev Deeley Motorcycles on Boundary Road; and of course to Malcolm Hunter our member and location sponsor; to the Water Street Cafe - the food sponsor, and Katherine's biker friends from BACA for making it all possible.
Program: Phil Webber spoke about the Club's Foundations.
As Rotarians we give of our:
- talent,
- time, and
- treasure
for the purpose of:
- giving back to our community (Vancouver and B.C.);
- assisting in raising the human condition in foreign lands (such as the Cngo and elsewhere in Central Africa);
- eradicating polio and other diseases; and
- for fostering world peace and conflict resolution.
In the Rotary Club of Vancouver (RCOV), the depth of our work is only made possible because of our charitable foundations: The Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation, and The Rotary Club of Vancouver Hearing Foundation, and of course the support of Rotary Internation (RI) and the Foundation of the Rotary International.
But it all starts with the RCoV and its own foundations, without which, save for the Polio-Plus Eradication Initiative, there would be little financial support from RI and its foundation.
Rotary Club of Vancouver Hearing Foundation
RCOV is entering the final push for our annual bike-a-thon fundraiser which raises in the neighbourhood of $150,000 per year for the Rotary Club of Vancouver Hearing Foundation. That foundation uses the lion’s share of those funds within a year after the bike-a-thon to assist those with impaired hearing or to fund research directed to that end. I urge each of you to get engaged now as riders and fund raisers, approaching friends, family and business associates for donations with the objective of making this year’s hearing initiatives, the best ever.
Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation
But today I wish to emphasize the need for each of us to consider the Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation (VRCF) in our annual giving plans.
The VRCF is managed on a sustainable basis and from investment growth, it currently funds approximately $110,000 per year of charitable projects designed or investigated, and then endorsed and where necessary monitored by RCoV's Community Service, International Service or Youth Committees. This money is divided more or less equally between Community Service (including Youth) and International Service in our budgeting processes. Youth also receives funds from the Don Kavanagh Youth Fund also maintained within the Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation and from annual contributions made to VRCF by the Vancouver Foundation in the $10,000 range from its Koerner Family Fund. The Koerner funds come with their own qualifying expenditure criteria.
The Youth Committee also generally receives significant funds ($33,000 in 2018/19) from the BC Gaming Branch but expenditures from these funds also have to meeting Gaming Branch criteria.
That said, Rotary Club of Vancouver could do so much more if each member included Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation in his or her annual charitable giving plans. With 100 members, each donating $200 per year, our foundation, the Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation, would grow by $20,000 per year with a corresponding increase in RCoV programs. At $500 each per year, it would grow by $50,000 per year with so much more for RCoV charitable projects.
When we add to annual member contributions in the range just mentioned, bequests, such as that made by Don Kavanagh through his estate, and giving incentives like Rene Fluri's give of his book, From Scratch - the Rene Fluri Story, with a request that recipients donate to Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation, the future of the Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation and RCoV could be very bright.
Please add Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation to your charitable giving plans and if you can, make it an annual habit.
In closing, John Hayto, thanked all of those who have spearheaded the incredible Club initiatives. As Phil said, the initiatives that the Vancouver Rotary Club Foundation supports. It is definitely well-worth considering as a charity of choice. Please talk it up with your friends and family; it is little known as an option and it helps so many.
Meeting adjourned with a toast to the Rotary Club of Vancouver!
Sue Biely is a trailblazer in Canadian independent media, designing and facilitating innovative initiatives to enable the sector to adapt to and utilize ever changing forces. With a history in content, policy, business models, conference design, workshop delivery, partnerships and campaigns -- Sue continually works to bring a diversity of voices and mediums to story telling for the common good. 
