Starfish is looking for club volunteers to provide 1-2 hours every Wednesday mid day in October for the purposes of breaking down grocery supplies for Starfish. We need 4-6 volunteers each week.
This will count as community service, be tracked as a club make up and quality for the Presidential Pardon from the weekly Sgt.
Category 5 Hurricane Irma is currently barreling through the Caribbean with sustained record-breaking wind speeds of 300 km/h.
We are mobilizing a highly-trained ShelterBox Response Team today to understand how we can help families who have lost everything. Many islands have already been hit, and Barbuda is now considered uninhabitable as 95% of buildings were destroyed and there is no water or power. The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba and Florida are still in the potential path of this ferocious storm.
An estimated 49 million people are in the path of Hurricane Irma, a storm that is roughly the same size as France, and now the strongest ever in the Atlantic.
We currently have ShelterKits prepositioned in Panama and our team will be meeting with the International Federation of Red Cross in Panama to coordinate our response. Being in Panama will allow us to respond faster when the islands become accessible.
But it's not just Hurricane Irma that is causing devastation around the world. The last two weeks have brought devastating flooding round the world. More than 1.7 million people have been affected in Nepal, while a third of Bangladesh is under water. Huge areas of India and Myanmar are also in need of support.
As official Project Partners in disaster relief, Rotary and ShelterBox work together to ensure that no family is left without shelter after disasters. ShelterBox teams are currently working with Rotarians in District 3281 in Bangladesh and Rotary District 3292 in Nepal to determine the need and what we can do to help. We are also in communication with local Rotarians in the Caribbean.
We need your support in order to help families affected by monsoon season and other disasters around the world. Please consider making a club donation and encourage your club members to donate and help families whose homes have been washed away.
Donations can be made by mail or online at www.shelterboxcanada.org Attached here is a donation form that can be used to collect donations from members who wish to help. We also have fundraising pages available for all Rotary Clubs and we encourage you to sign up your club here. If you need any assistance with setting up your page please let me know.
Thank you so much for your club's continued support.
There is a wonderful opportunity for you to attend the Presidential Peacebuilding Conference of Rotary International in Vancouver, BC, February 9 – 11, 2018.
Rotarians in District 5050 are part of the official hosts for the Conference, along with Rotary Zones 24 and 25 - across Canada and along the West Coast from Alaska to California
The Presidential Conference on Environmental Sustainability and Peace is one of six international Peacebuilding Conferences planned for the 2017-2018 Rotary year and the only one in North America.
President Ian Riseley has made environmental sustainability a major focus for his year and we are honored to be one of the host Districts for his first Presidential Conference.
The event venue is at one of Vancouver's best hotels - the Hyatt Regency - with a specially discounted room rate of $189.
All prices are in Canadian dollars - a great deal for Canadians and an even better deal for Americans.
Wednesday September 27, 2017 | 6:30 - 9:00 pm The Phoenix Lounge, 33780 King Rd, Tickets are $10, Entry includes dessert, coffee and tea
This is our 3rd year and it has been warmly received in the Abbotsford community and is great fun - lots of laughs, some prizes, and the coveted title of Trivia Champions 2017 is at stake!
The Rotary Club of Abbotsford Sumas wanted you to both know that they have so far 13 members signed up for this year's event - so please consider their challenge!
Teams are of 6 people or less - you can enter the costume contest by dressing up as something to reflect literacy. Also new this year, we will have prize draws, tickets $10, where you can put your ticket in for a draw of the prize/s of your choice.
Please let me know if you have any questions. The Rotary Challenge is on!
Join Rotary President Ian Riseley and his wife, Juliet, at the 2018 Rotary Convention in Toronto. The cosmopolitan city of Toronto offers something for everyone and is the perfect setting for the biggest event of the Rotary year.
As a past convention attendee, you understand that every convention is an opportunity to learn. We hope you'll come to Toronto to connect with old friends, make new ones, and be a part of the best Rotary has to offer.
The January 2018 Peace Arch Journal is available here
DISTRICT GRANTS SEMINARS REMINDERS
February 3rd - registration deadline - January 29th
Two people from each club, one must be the President Elect, must attend and become qualified in order that the club is eligible to apply for any grant monies.
ROTARY LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE (RLI)
March 10, 2018 - Surrey - 5 Star Catering, 5640 188 Street, Surrey, BC V3S 4N5 Registration is now open. Please choose Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 or the Grad Program and ensure that you register for the correct part. Cost is $60.00 Canadian. Any registrations after February 28th will be $70.00 Canadian.
WELCOME
District 5050 welcomes its 58th club, the Pacific Northwest Passport Club. Charter celebration will be March 3, 2018 at Northwood Hall, Bellingham. More information on district website.
DISTRICT CONFERENCE
At our conference, we will be honouring the Rotarians who have passed away but remain with us in spirit since the 2017 conference, held in early May. Please send a headshot photo and a bio stating information about: family, Rotary induction date, Rotary positions, awards, profession, interests and other significant facts. Please send the bios and photo to Maureen Boyd maureenelizabethboyd@gmail.com by February 15, 2018.
SAVE THE DATE
March 16 & 17 - Snohomish County Rotaract chartering celebration with District 5050 Rotaract 50th year celebration. Further details to follow.
April 7, 2018 - District Training Assembly - Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Surrey. Registration will be open soon.
Since the launch of Rotary Global Rewards on 1 July 2015, over 100,000 members have visited the site! We would like to thank you for supporting the program by spreading awareness of it among your district and clubs.
If you have not visited Rotary Global Rewards recently, we now have over 1,500 offers worldwide. We recommend using the member benefits program both locally and when you travel.
If you’d like to give discounts to other Rotarians, add your own company’s special offers to the growing portfolio of Rotary Global Rewards. To date, over 350 offers have been posted by Rotarians.
We have also added two new and exciting global travel offers, a hotel discount center and an airline discount center, which provide great discounts and give up to 10 percent of your purchase back to Rotary.
Rotary International continues to work on branding and communication of our organization throughout the world. They are pushing for greater exposure within the press, radio, television and social media.
To this end, we would like to encourage all members to participate, with contribution, on our social media sites.