May 6 2014 (May 09, 2014)

Bulletin Editor

Suzanne Benoit (If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)

Club Information

Join us for dinner!

Service Above Self

We meet Tuesdays at 6:10 PM

Frith-Radcliffe Auditorium, Kiwanis Village

1233 Kiwanis Crescent (off Nelson Street)
Nanaimo, BC V9S5Y1
Canada

District Site

Venue Map

Speakers

May 13, 2014
50/50 Draw!
off site - White Spot

May 20, 2014
Rossalind Scott
The Better Business Bureau

May 27, 2014
Visiting Rotarians from Ghana
Rotary in Ghana

Jun 03, 2014
Jim Turley
End of year Financial report!

View entire list

Upcoming Events

Rotary used book sale

Nanaimo North Town Centre

May 02, 2014 – May 12, 2014

Nanaimo Rhododendron Soc Flower Show & Plant sale

Centennial Building

May 10, 2014 <br /> 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM

Community Breakfast

Community Services Building

May 17, 2014 <br /> 7:00 AM – 12:30 PM

Sponsors

May 6, 2014 Meeting

I have lots to report so please bear with me.

The fund allocation motions were voted on and all were approved:

That Nanaimo North Rotary provide funding as follows:

$1,000 in Gaming funds to the Coast Salish Employment and Training Society to fund the production of Hul’iqumil’num language booklets

$5000 in Gaming funds to the Nanaimo Food Share Society for the Summer Lunch Munch Program

$5000 in Gaming funds to Nanaimo Big Brothers/Big Sisters for the in-school mentoring program

$5000 in Gaming funds to the Nanaimo 7-10 Club for the purchase of a new stove and an additional hot water heater

Craig found a great article on incoming President Greg and his soon be wife Kim.

Click here for the full article on the Nanaimo Daily News web site.

This is a great picture of them.

The 50/50 draw: May 13^th is our Burger & Beer evening where we will draw the winning ticket for this year's 50/50 draw!! The event will take place at the Aulds Rd White Spot and, like last fall, we will have the whole bar area to ourselves. Audrey will be there at 5:30 with the tickets; Please feel free to bring your spouses and/or friends -- the more the merrier!! And remember: we make money off the Burger & Beer tickets, as well, so the more we sell the more $$$ we have to do good in the community!! Audrey would love to know how many people will be attending.

Barsby volunteers: Ed has sent out a call for volunteers as follow: As part of Rotary North’s ongoing support of John Barsby School we are helping to serve lunch at the following Barsby events and I am a writing to ask for volunteers:

Wednesday, May 14 – About 100 Cedar students who will be transferring to Barsby next year will be visiting for a tour and orientation. The Barsby Culinary program will be preparing a hamburger lunch and Rotary volunteers will be serving it

Thursday, May 15 – Another 100 or so Cedar students will be visiting for a tour and orientation. Again the Barsby Culinary program will be preparing a hamburger lunch and Rotary volunteers will be serving it.

Monday, June 2 - Grade 7 students from the Barsby feeder schools will be visiting for a tour and orientation. that will be attending JBCS in September. Once again the Barsby Culinary program will be preparing lunch and Rotary volunteers will be serving it

In all three days we’ll need 5 or 6 volunteers from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM to assist with set up and serving. If you can help on any of those days please let me know as soon as possible

Visiting Rotarians from Sunyani Ghana will be here from May 21^st until May 27^th, I believe. Please correct me if I am wrong. If you can put one of these gentlemen up during their stay, please contact Bev Hilton.

The Downtown Club is having their book sale and it is on until May 12^th.

Craig gave us a run down on the Conference where both Districts 5020 and 5050 had their conferences on at the same time. About 350 delegates showed up. Next year conference is in Nanaimo.

Our program this week was Dave Cusson, RCMP Cpl. Who updated us on the D.A.R.E. program and other youth drug and crime awareness programs. He was great.

I think that Audrey won the wine but I don’t think she collected it. Derick threw the dice for the Vegas but did not win.

Thank you

Stories

Video update from Disaster Aid International

Alan Lomax forwarded this seven minute video update on the assistance provided by Disaster Aid International to the Philippines after the recent earthquake & typhoon disasters:

OUR STORY | DISASTER AID INTERNATIONAL from James Chapman on Vimeo.

District Conference at Whistler

Posted by Craig Clarke

About 350 delegates participated in the District Conference in Whistler last weekend. The conference was held simultaneously with that of D5050. Past RI President Kalyan Banerjee attended on behalf of RI President Ron Burton; he thanked us for our support of the Rotary Foundation.

I learned that our district is the largest in the Americas, the largest international district and 7^th largest in the world. The Honourable Steven Point and Robert Blacker described the Write to Read literacy project which brings libraries to isolated communities in BC. Steven Solomon & Jean Irwin spoke about the benefits of the ambassadorial scholarship program.

One of the functions of the conference was to recognize clubs for their accomplishments during the year. Our club won an award for increasing membership - well done!

On Sunday morning, the final breakfast plenary was held with both districts combined. It turned out that both Pete Taylor & DG Denis Boyd of 5050 worked in radio early in their careers.

Norm Watts introduced the 2015 Conference which will be held in Nanaimo from June 19-21 next year. Norm was asked by incoming DG Michael Procter to chair next year's conference, returning the favour for Michael who chaired the conference when Norm was DG.

Peace Corps and Rotary kickoff historic collaboration

Posted on May 09, 2014

In an effort to promote global development and volunteer service, Rotary and Peace Corps have agreed to participate in a one-year pilot program in the Philippines, Thailand, and Togo.

Under the agreement, Rotary clubs and Peace Corps volunteers are encouraged to share their resources and knowledge to boost the impact of development projects in these three countries.

Opportunities for collaboration include supporting community projects, training, networking, and community education. Through the Peace Corps Partnership Program, Rotary clubs can continue to provide small grants to support volunteers and their communities.

Peace Corps Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet and Rotary International General Secretary John Hewko signed the letter of collaboration on Monday, 5 May, at Rotary's headquarters during a ceremony that was attended by RI President Ron Burton and RPCV Rotary staff. In his remarks to the audience, Burton applauded the collaboration and both organizations' commitments to service.

"Today's announcement is particularly meaningful for me because I come from a family of Rotarians," said Hessler-Radelet, referring to her father, grandfather, and aunt. "We are eager to join together in common efforts to inspire volunteerism across the country and around the world."

Hewko noted how both organizations are committed to improving lives and building stronger communities by addressing the root causes of violence and conflict, such as poverty, illiteracy, disease, and lack of access to clean water and sanitation.

The two organizations also agreed to explore expanding the collaboration to more countries based on the results of the pilot. Rotary will enlist the support of its members in recruiting Peace Corps volunteers and involving returned Peace Corps volunteers in service projects at home.

Rotary members made collaboration possible

Hessler-Radelet credited Rotary members in the Denver area, particularly returned Peace Corps volunteers Sue Fox, Valerie Hopkins, and Steve Werner, with helping to make the collaboration possible.

The three Rotarians, who attended the signing, are members of the District 5450 Rotary-Peace Corps Alliance Committee, which has sought a formal agreement between the two organizations since 2010.

Werner said they wanted to create an official relationship to make it easier for Rotary clubs and Peace Corps volunteers to connect. "[The letter] ensures compatibility and a shared value system," he added.

Jesse Davis, one of more than a dozen Rotary employees who are returned Peace Corps volunteers, said he hopes the partnership inspires more like it around the world.

"While serving as a Peace Corps response volunteer in Panama, I found myself working with the local Rotary club on countless occasions. They were an integral partner in my work," he said.

Strengthening connections

The letter of collaboration not only officially recognizes the partnership between the two organizations, but also encourages Rotary clubs and Peace Corps volunteers to expand the connections already in place.

In Togo, Peace Corps volunteers Daniel Brown and David Gooze have teamed up with Rotary and other partners in the United States and Togo to distribute more than 5,000 soccer balls to disadvantaged youth. They are organizing 'More Than Just a Game' sessions, which use soccer as a medium to teach children about malaria prevention.

"It's just one example of how Rotary and Peace Corps can collaborate on the ground to achieve lasting impact in the communities where we work," Hessler-Radelet said.

Within the Philippines, Thailand, and Togo, Peace Corps posts and Rotary districts will coordinate at the country level with support from the headquarters of both organizations. Local Rotary clubs interested in working with Peace Corps volunteers should contact their district governors. Clubs located elsewhere should work through their Rotary counterparts in the pilot countries.

Read what Peace Corps Acting Director Carrie Hessler-Radelet says on the collaboration
Find out how you can support peace through Rotary
Learn about the Rotarian Action Group for Peace

By Maureen Vaught

Rotary News

6-May-2014