July 9, 2024 -CLUB DAY - FOCUS ON BUSINESS Fireside chat with host Joan Posivy, featuring business leaders Stu Bird, Sandra Lowe & Laura Donellan.
Looking to build and lead hardworking, reliable, and honest teams that continuously deliver excellent results? Trying to figure out how to foster a productive corporate culture? Struggling to navigate your course in a family business?
Bring your most pressing business questions to this special Rotary Club of Vancouver luncheon. One or more of these three business leaders can offer valuable, actionable suggestions and advice.
This would be an excellent meeting to invite friends and colleagues to so they get a taste of the depth and breadth of business experience and expertise held by the members of the Rotary Club of Vancouver. Both members (member button) and non-members (guest button) can register using the link below. Looking forward to seeing you soon.
Please note that the deadline to RSVP is no later than Sunday July 14thas our numbers need to be guaranteed to TCC on Monday morning.
Tuesday, July 23, 2024 NO LUNCH MEETING Lunch meeting replaced by Friday evening social
Friday, July 26, 2024 SOCIAL MINGLE AT TCC - MAKING NEW CONNECTIONS
Hosted by Mindy Tulsi-Ingram, an opportunity to mingle and get to know others Rotarians and TCC members better
The Rotary World Help Network was established in 1992 after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Kiev, Ukraine. District 5040 sent a delegation of Rotarians to the former Soviet Union to assist with establishing the first Rotary Club in Kiev in the Ukraine. The delegates saw the state of the medical facilities and decided to find a way to help. In 1993, the late Ted Segodnia, together with fellow Rotary Club of Vancouver members, Bill Richwa and Ralph Towsley, organized the first shipment of medical supplies and equipment to Kiev. Bill, Ted and their wives went to Kiev to oversee the distribution of the supplies. When they returned home they found more supplies waiting for them, so they convinced the Club to carry on the project as an international service project.
The Rotary World Help Network of BC became a registered Charity in 1997. Membership is open to all Rotary Clubs in the province. All members contribute to the administrative costs, are represented on its Board, and participate in decision making. Individual clubs sponsor the assembly and shipping costs of a given container. The Rotary World Help Network of BC comprises 37 Rotary clubs, with 1,600 members located throughout BC.
Originally, mainly medical supplies were sent to hospitals which had been built but couldn’t fully operate because of a lack of supplies or equipment. Today, medical supplies and equipment are still the main focus, but it has expanded to include dental and optical, education, and sports equipment and disaster relief supplies. Since its founding, working with Rotary partners in developing countries, the Network has sent 456 containers of medical and educational equipment and supplies to 61 developing countries. The value of these shipments is estimated at $160 million. The estimated impact has been to help approx. 13.6 million people globally.
Every year the Rotary Club of Vancouver awards $300 - the Bill Richwa Award, to the Rotaractor of the Year. This year the recipient was Christine de Castro. Congratulations Christine. Well deserved!
* come in person to celebrate your birthday with Purdy's chocolates!!
Last Meeting July 09, 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:
Joan Posivy presented Rotaractor Christine de Castro with the Bill Richwa Award as District 5040’s Rotaractor of the Year. Christine spoke, giving us some details of her Rotaract ‘career’. Very busy and definitely showing she is a Rotarian through and through. Obviously a well deserved award recipient. Congratulations Christine.
Eric Peach, President of the VYP Rotaract Club for a 2nd term, shared their club’s year in review presentation. Fundraisers, retreats, volunteer initiatives & projects, all well-attended and successful. Certainly a very, very busy club. What is key is that the percentage of members who participate in the various activities and initiatives is large. Thanks to Eric for sharing.
Program - PRESIDENT'S PRESENTATION
Franco Gallo, to start out his year, shared his roadmap for the club’s 2024-25 year. He highlighted the challenges faced and the solutions that will be implemented to help solve them. It’s an ambitious change for the club and requires courage to make it happen, as Peter Clarke said.
Change is often uncomfortable, and it will take time to see results. It’s okay to be a little worried about these changes. However to keep our club moving forward, relevant, and recognized for the work we do, it is necessary. To be successful, we need all members to communicate concerns, thoughts (whether they be positive, negative), thereby helping to make our club stronger and better moving forward into the future. The RCoV Board members will be keeping their ear to the ground, measuring if the changes are having the positive impact they are working towards. If not, they are ready to adjust – for this they need support, as already noted, by open communication from all members.
At one time, our club was a business powerhouse in Vancouver with a membership that included the top business leaders in the city. A couple of examples of this are (1) we helped rebuild the business community in Kyiv through Rotary (not just by providing medical supplies) and (2) we have the Vancouver Convention Centre and hosted Expo ’86 because of the work of our own club members, at the time led by Paul McCrea. This is but two examples of how, if we put our minds, talents, and resources together, we can accomplish just about anything.
CLICK HERE to see Franco’s presentation slides. Please feel free to contact Franco with your questions and thoughts.
Meeting adjourned with a toast to positive change for the Rotary Club of Vancouver.
ROTARY - Our product is service and members our most precious asset.
