Special Paul Harris Award

50 Year Members

April 29th, 2014

 

Charles Flavelle, Renu Fluri and Tremayne Perry

The Paul Harris award was created in memory of Paul Harris, who established the Rotary Club over 109 years ago, and is the highest recognition presented by the Rotary Club of Vancouver.  Its purpose is to acknowledge the outstanding contribution and exceptional service of members of both the Club and the community.

The “Paul Harris Fellow” designation (later to become “Paul Harris Fellow Recognition”) was created in 1957 to recognize the gift of $1000 US to the Rotary Foundation.  There were also several other awards including ones for $500 and $100 but they were subsequently discontinued.

The Rotary Club of Vancouver continues our tradition of recognizing the recipient for their contribution to our Club, the community and to the betterment of the world as a whole, with a Paul Harris Fellow Recognition.  This is truly service above self.

It is my pleasure, on your behalf, to make such a presentation today.

The recipients have a long history with our Club and have been involved in many aspects of the Club.  They have been active on many of our Committees, been a Director and also one of our Presidents.  They have been active in many of the social and fellowship events, both past and present, including and not limited to the former President’s Balls, the One-Day Ranch and The Windups at Sea.  They have participated in our fundraisers including Ice Capades, the auctions in their various forms over the years and the Bike-A-Thon.  They not only sold tickets, but also raised or donated money and items, promoted the events in the community and at their business, volunteering at the actual events in a variety of levels and also riding in the Bike-A-Thon.

They have also been a leader in their business community, insuring the success and longevity of their business.

On a personal note, our recipient has also been a long time friend and mentor to me both in business and personally.

Now this is a very special recognition today and one that is not likely to be duplicated.

If you feel like I have described a delicious pastry, covered in chocolate and served up on a tray made of 2x4’s… you would be right.
In recognition of their almost 150 years of continuous membership and contributions to the Rotary Club of Vancouver, on your behalf, I am very pleased to introduce our latest Paul Harris Fellows… Tremayne Perry, Charles Flavell and René Fluri who all joined our club 50 years ago.

Presented by Stu Bird

Our Newest Paul Harris Recipient

Bill Dauphinee

June 10, 2014

There are some members in our club who quietly day after day do an amazing amount of work for our Rotary Club. They may not make a big splash but they contribute tirelessly and selflessly that we almost take their efforts for granted. But I do not take these people for granted. I feel it is very important to acknowledge these individuals because they are often the heart and soul of our great club.
 
Our newest Paul Harris Fellow is a man that fits this bill.
He has been a member for 31 years and our Treasurer for 16 years. This means that he has had 16 years of board meetings even during tax……and golf season. If he attended 60% of board meetings, which is more than likely, that would have him contributing to our club through over 100 board meetings. The impact from his involvement is undeterminable but based on my time at the board I can honestly say he is always a voice of compassion and reason.
 
He is active annually in the Bike-a-thon, Curling and curling weekend and enjoys supporting every club event, auction and presidents event possible. He and his incredible family have entertained most of us with the clubs wonderful annual Christmas Caroling event. He enjoys having fun and living life while passionately giving back to our community through Rotary.
 
While being our treasurer he supervised our Secretary Pam for over 15 years and is what Pam lovingly describes as “the best boss she ever had”.
 
He has a deep sense of humour which I have been told he needs once you see his golf game.
 
At the board level he has provided great continuity and history as well as a balance of conservatism and optimism combined with deep commitment. He has very strong ethics and is honest to a fault.
 
He looks after the clubs finances as if they were his own; with care and attention to detail. He has successfully navigated our club through the economy of 2008 to which we have arrived as strong as ever.
 
He single handedly garnered one of the best media relationships our club has by stepping up with a wonderfully balanced letter to the Vancouver Sun and Gerry Bellett in regards to our breakfast programs and Norquay School
 
Fellow Rotarians Lets stand and congratulate Bill Dauphinee as our newest PHF.
 

Paul Harris Award

D'Arcy Warner
June 17,2014

Today we are recognizing someone who has flown under the radar but has consistently contributed and performed outstanding work on behalf of our Rotary Club. He is a bit of an enigma. He is a very difficult person to get to know but is also one of the most likable people in the club. Despite some significant challenges in his life he never complains and carry’s on his responsibilities with accuracy, energy and passion.
 
D'Arcy has been a member of our club since 1997 he comes from the HR world and was also Past President of the SFU Alumni Association. He has chaired the World Community Service committee and excels at grant applications which as you all know can double the amount we are able to send to our international projects. He sat as the program committee chair. He sits on the board of, and is the perpetual Secretary for Rotary World Help. Dan Gallant calls him a very competent Secretary and a perfectionist and heaven help you if you want to challenge the minutes. He has sat on the RCV board and has also been Club Secretary in 2001. He wrote our Operations manual which is the key reference and guide to all board members of the club. He was the grants Chair for the District during the Future Vision pilot program which must have been a challenging assignment.
 
Apparently he is a multi-tasker as one laptop is not good enough you must have two. Of course I am talking about D'Arcy Warner. Who if given the chance will tell you he is a “really good guy” but I will tell you he is a “Really Great Rotarian” A dedicated man with a passion for doing what is right and doing it right and a hard worker in the causes we all strive to achieve.
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When receiving the Paul Harris Fellow on June 17^th D'Arcy confirmed his love for Rotary and especially the Rotary World Help which has now sent over 305 containers to third world countries totaling over $105,000,000.
 
D'Arcy accepted the award to a standing ovation.

D'Arcy is shown with his son David, his daughter-in-law Michelle and grandchildren Rebecca and Jack.

Our Newest Paul Harris Fellow
Franz Gehriger
Presented by President Peter Clarke

It is my great pleasure to present our club’s next Paul Harris Fellow.
 
Shortly after joining our club in 1985, Rotary International started its Polio Plus Campaign. In today’s Rotary his contribution would have earned him a PHF 10 times over.
 
He is one of the most dedicated members of the Bike-A-Thon and one of the largest contributors, both as a fundraiser and as a speedy rider often finishing right behind those perky Hayto children.
 
He was instrumental in providing office space for our club and has provided the Rotary Club of Vancouver the “best price” for an office in the downtown core as well as a boardroom at no cost many times over the years.
 
He has worked on many committees including Ski Weekend, Scholarship, Group Study Exchange and Bike-A-Thon.
 
Rotary is one of his utmost priorities. He hardly ever misses a meeting even when he is travelling and he supports all the club’s social functions. He complete believes in and supports all Rotary causes. He keeps a Rotary plaque on his desk to remind him of the principles of being a Rotarian.
 
He was President in 2011-12, and during his term had some inspired ideas about how to improve our club and gain the recognition it deserves. He conceived of and ensured a wonderful new crab fest event and also organized and provided sandwiches to the poor in Oppenheimer Park.
 
I am sure there are many other Rotary accomplishments that I am unaware of.
 
He is a consistent and dedicated Rotarian and someone I admire very much.
 
Please welcome our newest Paul Harris Fellow – Franz Gehriger.

Paul Harris Fellow
Heather Baker
Presented by President Mary Laing

Rotary is an amazing organization because of its members. But it is not just the members who make great things happen for Rotary and the people we serve. The families of Rotarians and Friends ofRotary also make things happen. There are times when these non-Rotarians make a huge difference by helping out and using their vocational skills to further the goals of the club. Today we honour such a person.

It takes a lot of planning and organizing time to put on a “President’s Ball” to recognize a retiring President in a special  way as a thank you for their contribution to the club. It is usually a large and unique event designed to suit the individual  President. Over more than a decade, this Friend of Rotary has organized not one but 4 retiring Presidents’ events. 

In the Fall of 2012, when of the chair of the “Novemberfest” auction/dinner was no longer able to carry on due to pending  surgery, this Friend of Rotary, on short notice, agreed to assist the planning team. This team regrouped and went on to  organize a fun and successful event, raising over $19,000 for the club for 2013-14. 

The biggest celebration ever for this club, our 100th Anniversary, occurred the week of April 16th to 20th. There were  many people who helped make the week a success. It was truly a club effort. There was one person, however, who was  not a Rotarian and who spent hundreds of hours to make the celebration events fun, classy, and representative of Rotary.  She started as the overall Event Chair and then manager of the Gala. While she did receive a nominal payment, it in no  way came close to the real value of the time spent over a period of 1.5 years. Even when times got tough, stressful with  so many balls in the air and opinions and suggestions to sort out, she never gave up. 

While the work of the event planning was ongoing, there was another huge task that she took on because there were no  other club Rotarians who were willing or able to do it….that was the Public Relations function. She took it on because it 

was so connected to the success of the 100th Anniversary events. If we could not get our message out, the 100th celebration would not be successful and that was not an option. Working with the Board, she developed a PR Strategy for 2012-13 and systematically went about guiding us to  implement it. She did this without a committee and she pushed us and pushed us hard. She was always there to remind  us of our brand and our key strategies. She has also left us with recommendations to take us into the future so we don’t  lose what we have gained for the public awareness of the RCV. Without her drive, energy, experience and commitment,  the celebration week would not have been the success it was.

Members and guests, please join me in congratulating the RCV’s newest Paul Harris Fellow, Heather Baker.

Paul Harris Fellow
Barbara Welsh

Presented by President Mary Laing

She is the daughter of a successful entrepreneur and a former long term RCV member. She is very much a selfmade professional.
After she found herself a single mother of three, she moved to the Cariboo in the interior. In subsequent years, she turned her hobby of wildlife photography into a profession. She learned marketing skills and succeeded in selling her pictures of BC wildlife in galleries throughout the province.
After several years in Horse Lake, she remarried and with her husband, raised their six children. After tragedy struck, she became the sole parent of the blended family.
While raising her family and pursuing her photographic career, she learned everything she could about investment. She worked daily and continued on a path which has resulted in financial success.
Since joining the RCV, she has been an active participant and generous contributor to all fundraising activities, participated as a rider to raise funds for the Bike-a-Thon, and has been an enthusiastic participant in all the club’s major social activities.
Barbara Welsh was elected to the Board and assumed responsibility as liason with the WCSC. She joined Stephanie and Verona in our first club mission to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania to participate in the opening of the first phase of the Water for Life project in 20 Schools. She became the photographer and chronicler of the mission, recording with her new professional camera (purchased for the mission), the sights and sounds of Rotary’s work in Dar es Salaam. She spent weeks refining and formatting that material and, despite major technical challenges, was able to present that record to our club in February.
After further refining the presentation for the 100th Anniversary celebration it was presented at the project seminar at Kayo’s dinner for visiting international Rotarians.  She has now taken on the co-chairmanship of the WSCS for 2013-14.
\When I became sick with the flu and couldn’t get out of bed one morning, Barbara dropped everything when I called to ask if she could walk over to a downtown hotel and pick up the 40 letters from Russian children for a joint RCV and Russian RC peace project. Without hesitation, she did this for the club and for the kids.
She has the heart of a true Rotarian.
Ladies and Gentlemen, please join me in congratulating the RCV’s latest Paul Harris Fellow, Barbara Welsh.

David Greenwood
Paul Harris Presentation by President Mary Laing

This member has distinguished himself through his work on our club’s World Community Service Committee and Rotary World Help, a network of over 30 clubs of which our club is a charter member.
This member took over the VP, Shipping role for Rotary World Help when the person in that position was no longer able to do the job due to work pressures. It is a very complex and time consuming position responsible for the coordination of all container shipping. This involves working with local and international partners to make sure the containers are at the warehouse for loading and that they arrive at their destinations on time. This member is also making significant changes and improvements to make the process more efficient. 

Paul Harris Award Honouree - Mr. Mass Abedi.

Presented by Anne Lippert, May 29th 2012.

Mass joined the Rotary Club of Vancouver in 2008, and immediately became active with the World Community Service Committee.  On a trip to the Congo with others from the club in 2008 for a Water Wells Project, he produced an 8 minute video which was shown at a club meeting (and at the District Conference??? Nor sure)  He has also filmed at a number of other club events, and sometimes is able to broadcast these events on AhTV.  

Mass was born in Germany, but is a Canadian citizen. He splits his time between Europe and Vancouver. He was educated at the Ludwig-Maximillans University in Munich and graduated with a German Business Administration Degree.  

Pursuing his passion for the film business in Canada, he attended the Vancouver Film School, completed the Motion Picture Producer’s Program at SAIT in Calgary, and became a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada. He returned to Germany where he went to work for Berlusconi’s TELE 5 Network as Assistant PrManage and Production Contoller. He later joined Kirch Group’s German SportsNetwork DSF and the Plaza Media Broadcast Center as Project Manager for live Outside Units. 

In 2001, he was contracted as Event Manager for the German Canadian Co-production Exchange Forum in Munich, sponsored by the Deutsche Bank, the Bavarian Government Funding Agency FFF-Bayern and the BC Film Commission.    Mass is currently the Producer at ABCO Film Corp., and produces features for Ahorn TV, a German Language Television station, and Tulip TV, a Dutch language TV station.  During the 2010 Olympics, Ahorn TV covered many events and broadcast the events to Germany.  

Mass enjoys memberships in a number of film associations, the Vancouver Board of Trade, and several Canadian German Associations. 

April 24, 2012
Kayo Otake -  Paul Harris Award presented by Verona Edelstein

Today our club is honouring a Rotarian, a person who exemplifies the Rotary values of caring and service to the communities.

This Rotarian is successful in business and is a parent and grandparent. This Rotarian is quick off the mark to contribute to club Fund Raising and also has personally spearheaded three other fund raisers. This Rotarian brought an international festival to Vancouver.

This Rotarian is a brilliant and generous host. This Rotarian comes from a line of 20 generations of physicians on the male side, and twenty generations of artists and musicians on the female side. This Rotarian, bridges two cultures and considers people in every part of the world as part of her community. 

I am referring to Kayo Otake. Since joining our club in 2004, Kayo has been an active member of the World Community Service Committee.