Yvonne Anderson, President of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, joined us on December 6th to profile her club's water resource project and the efforts to adapt their club to the needs of future generation members.  

 

After consulting their younger members, the Club has created a professional networking satellite club of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen for early career 30-50 year olds with young families. The group meets twice per month, once online and once in person, with opportunities for members to participate in the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen's projects...while their fellow Rotarians handle much of the administration and "business" of Rotary in support.

 

Yvonne also showed us the Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project that the Tsawwassen Club project is leading to bring a gravity flow water system and WASH programs to thousands of residents in 7 villages in Irimya, Uganda. With partner club Rotary Club of Mbarara they obtained a Rotary Global Grant for $111,659 CAD - the only Global Grant awarded to District 5040 in 2023-2024. 

 

The total matched value of the project is over $500,000 CAD, and includes activities to recruit and train engineers and to teach and provide sanitation and soap making programs for sustainability.

 

We thank John Haley for his many years of service as our Foundation Chair and champion. John's contributions as a founding member of our club and his accounting expertise in ensuring that we have maintained the required reporting and regulatory compliance for our Rotary Club of Vancouver Sunrise Foundation has been invaluable. 

 

The Board is reviewing the 2024-2025 portfolios to better suit the needs and size of our club, and will discuss progress at an upcoming meeting.  Any members who are interested in one of the open 2024-25 Board positions, or supporting any of the existing portfolios as a committee member are invited to contact Peter or Ed. 

Our busy club member Zarina always manages to fit in time for service and was onsite at the Miyawaki Tree Planting Project at Terra Nova Park in Richmond with her daughter Aralina from the Interlink Interact club. 

 

This is a service project of the Rotaract HOPE 604 Club. Christine, the club's President, has invited our club to join in yearly...so get your boots and spades ready for next fall!

 

 

Our Strathcona Interactors and the Strathcona Youth Council baked up a storm using the kitchen facilitates at the Strathcona Community Centre, including some all-time treats: brownies, cinnamon rolls, sugar Cookies, Rice Krispie squares, and lemon tarts that went to a Christmas Eve dinner in the Downtown Eastside.  Great work all!

 

 

Since September, members of our club have been participating in the Bread Brigade partnership project with the Mountainview Rotary Club and Cob's Bread. Every second Tuesday, a small team picks up the unsold bread and pastries from Cob's and delivers them to The Osborn shelter on East Hastings.  

 

More help is needed at Cob's for January and February, so if you can spare half an hour on a Tuesday evening at 8:15 pm, please sign up here for a future shift to help package up the donations at Cob's Bread at 1702 Robson Street (corner of Robson and Bidwell) for delivery.  Thanks to Ron and Steve for their support with unloading at The Osborn.

 

 

Every second Saturday of the month our club also supports the Food on the Corner service project at 222 Main Street (near the court house) to distribute home-made soup, sandwiches, pastries, bread and coffee to seniors and others in need on the Downtown Eastside.  We need two members to help out on January 13th, so if you're available from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm, please contact Ron.