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Kathrin Matadeen
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Speakers
Aug 01, 2017
Abbotsford City Master Plan
Aug 08, 2017
Aug 15, 2017
What is SARA and its impact on our community?
Aug 22, 2017
Update on Canuck Place
Aug 29, 2017
Wheelchair Foundation - Guatamala
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News
Enhanced Playground Becomes Reality - Prince Charles Elementary
Swinging into Spring...Serving Youth, Seniors, and Community!
Fraser Valley Celebrates -Rotary Foundation’s Centennial Year at The Reach
 
The Rotary Clubs of Abbotsford Presents Don Funk Memorial Award
Rotary Club of Abbotsford Presents 5 Community Charities with Funding
Rotary Club of Abbotsford - Presidents Night 2016 is Goin International
 
New President for the Rotary Club of Abbotsford 2016
Prestigious Paul Harris Fellowships Awarded
Club Information
Rotary: Making a Difference
Abbotsford
We meet Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Phoenix Lounge
33780 King Road
Abbotsford, BC  V2S 7P2
Canada
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Stories
Message from President Sara
 “The green reed which bends in the wind is stronger than the mighty oak which breaks in a storm.”

Most of us are familiar with this idea from Confucius, or the Aesop’s fable similar in theme about the oak tree and the blades of grass.  The oak is mighty and strong, but with great change, and sometimes great hardship, its deep roots and rigid structure prevent its survival.  Whereas, the blades of grass bend and sway with the winds of change, remaining unharmed after a great storm.
 
The only constant in life is change—in life, in work, and yes, in Rotary.  Change is something we encounter week by week, day by day, and even minute by minute throughout our lives.  Change can be hard for some to accept, and we all experience it at a different pace.  It is something we need to navigate, work through, or, best of all, embrace. 
 
With 10 months of our Rotary year behind us, I look back over that time in awe of the changes our club and our individual members have gone through.  Health concerns, financial anxiety, job changes, and even death of loved-ones have plagued our members.  Our club is in a state of transition in how we operate, defining what we are working toward and even identifying our purpose beyond the general “doing good in the world.”  This is not unique to our club or to this Rotary year. This is something being wrestled with by Rotary clubs in Abbotsford and afar, and will continue as Rotary looks to remain relevant in this ever-changing world. 
 
Each of us ebb and flow with our engagement and excitement for Rotary.  I will admit to losing my Rotary mojo a time or two (or ten) throughout the year.  That’s what comes with having great passion for something.  Amongst all the highs and lows, I know we are still a very healthy club.  We have committees and a board of directors in place to run the day-to-day areas of the club and plan for the coming years.  We have a continuity plan for the future of the club’s leadership and growth of the members.   We have great opportunities for members to step into new roles and take Rotary training offered up by the District.  Also, we have a willingness to make changes to adapt to the world as it is now.  Though not always easy, we as a club and individuals are strong enough to make changes.  Maybe it feels like we’ve handled a lot of change lately because we are driving that change, making it happen; we are not afraid to move forward.  Perhaps this occasional discomfort we have is what progress feels like. 
 
As the final months of the 2016-17 year are upon us (7 weeks to go – not that I’m counting – haha), I am certain that the Rotary Club of Abbotsford is still the place I want to be.  Rotary is where I go to feel connected to people who are doing good in the world.  The Rotary community is strong and deeply rooted, like the mighty oak, but becoming more flexible, like the blades of grass, to adjust to the ever-changing world.  Live life like a Rotarian; love fully and give generously of yourself.  Rotary is still the place I turn to as my outlet to give, and I whole-heartedly encourage you to continue to do the same.
 
Yours in Rotary,

President Sara
Prince Charles Elementary Playground Project Underway

 

 

The inclusive playground project at Prince Charles Elementary School became a reality on Thursday, April 27 with the school Principal Cameron Friesen, PAC representatives, and 6 members of our Rotary club kicking off the construction.  President Sara "broke ground" with a few children from the school and would like to thank Stacey Irwin, Mark Dana, Megan Bartsch, Dave Loewen and Bev Hasenpflug for their attendance for the big moment.  Also, thanks to Bev and the Community Grants committee for the suggestion to try for a District matching grant, which allowed our $5000 (from 2016 HIO) to become $10,000, a significant portion of the total cost of the playground.  Well done Rotarians!
Membership Proposal
The following memberships are being proposed:
 
Kolby Hughes (Retired: Education) and Nick Man (Internet Services)
 
Should you have any questions, please contact Hugh Ellis, hugh.ellis@cwbank.com
Sunshine Report

 

Happy Birthday!

none to report this week

 
 


Happy Anniversary!

 
Leslie & Patrick McConnell - July 29
Gail & Casey Smit - July 31
Joanna & Paul Tsang - July 31
 
 
 
 
Rotary Global Rewards
Rotary Global Rewards

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.

See www.rotary.org/globalrewards for details. Spend less, give more.

Best regards,

Rotary Global Rewards program team

Join Us on Facebook and Twitter!
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. 

 

The link for Facebook is: http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClub.Abbotsford 

 

The link for twitter is: https://twitter.com/AbbyRotaryClub  

 

We look forward to those members of Rotary that currently publish a social media page to link to one or both of the sites listed above. Thank you.