How do we build mental resilience and maintain wellness through the challenges of a continuing pandemic?
Kathleen Beaton, a registered clinical counsellor, and 10-year member of the Rotary Club of Tsawwassen, shared her advice and a series of practical tips and tools with our members at the February 3 meeting. Describing resilience as a continuum between bending and breaking, Kathleen invited us to embrace optimism, self-care, (including exercise), and to practise kindness and expressing gratitude.
District Rotaract Mentoring Pilot is Seeking Mentors
The District 5040 pilot Rotary/Rotaract Mentorship Program will launch later this month. If you would like to be included on the list of potential Mentors for the pilot program, please click on the following link to complete the Mentor Intake Form by March 20th.
February 17 –An Update on the Rotary Peace Scholar Program
Our District 5040 Rotary Peace Scholar champion, Gloria Staudt, brought us the latest news about RI and our district's work to advance local and global peace efforts through development of outstanding young leaders.
Pictured above is Sara Eftekhar, a 2015 Peace Scholar from North Vancouver who applied for the Rotary Peace Fellowship Masters program and studied at Bradford University in England. Subsequently, she trained as a labour and delivery nurse and continued to be active in women's health and gender equality.
Before the pandemic she continued at BC women's hospital in labour and delivery, and also was working at UBC on a Canada's first research study testing a health intervention for women who are survivors of domestic violence.
Saad Karim, also from North Vancouver, was a 2012 District 5040 Peace Scholar who has spoken to our club in recent years.
Saad had applied for the Rotary Peace Fellowship Professional Certificate program after following his interest and passion for international humanitarian and development work which started in 2002 based in Africa including work in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and in Lao PDR. His last position in 2020 was with CARE International in Laos PDR as Country Director. His family is in North Vancouver and before the pandemic he began doing consulting work with some attention to his family.
Bronwyn Manley, from Australia, was our District's 2019 scholar. She studied at the Duke University Global Peace Centre and has focused on helping vulnerable kids through education and technology, particularly in displaced and refugee situations.
The ideal Rotary Peace Scholar candidate is a proven peace and development leader with at least five years of relevant work experience.
Candidates need to come to the program with an idea for a social change initiative to promote peace and development in the program region or their community. They also need a clear vision of how the fellowship experience and network will advance their peace work and increase their impact.
After the program, candidates should be willing to share their own work and experience. 93% of the more than 1,300 working alumni say they are in jobs connected to peace and development in more than 115 countries.
•51% serve in government and nongovernment agencies
•24% work in education, are pursuing advance degrees, or are involved in academic research
•6% work for UN agencies
•6% work in law and law enforcement
•13% work as journalists, for the World Bank, and in other professions.
Valentine Auction is a Great Success!
Thanks to some shameless steering by auctioneer and Past-President Matthew, plus the generosity of our members in donating and bidding on items and experiences, our February 10 Valentine's in-house virtual auction was a fun-filled and financial success for our club. We raised $3865 for club administration and meeting costs. That just makes those winning tipples and tastes even sweeter. See you next year!
Start Me Up Campaign Aims High to Save More Lives
Leanne Strachan, the head of Strategic Partnerships & New Business Development for
St. John Ambulance (British Columbia and Yukon) presented us with a partnership proposal for Rotary to join its Start Me Up Campaign to place 1000 Publicly Accessible Automatic External Defibrillators (AEDs) across BC. Simply put, the campaign aims to equip high-traffic, public places with AEDs and empower bystanders to save lives.
The need is high because nearly 40,000 Canadians die each year from sudden cardiac arrest and in BC, more than 6000 cardiac arrests occur outside a hospital setting and require BC Emergency Health Services response with 82% of those occurring in metro/urban areas. It only takes 3-5 minutes for brain damage to occur and the survival rate is less than 5% after 12 minutes without treatment.
The AEDs being provided by St. John's Ambulance are in a highly visible and weatherproof station. The stand is manufactured in BC and made of 80% recycled ABS plastic. The cabinet has an audible alarm, photo control and lighting and is equipped with a simple-step-by-step guide that is also audible. This spring, a companion app will be released that works with the community AEDs and will expedite a direct 911 call.
As an update, our own Peter Fox is currently checking with the City of Vancouver Parks and Recreation to explore partnering options for our Sunrise Club, (possibly with other Vancouver Rotary Clubs), to co-brand and place one of these AEDs near Jericho Beach or another high-traffic, park or seawall location.
For more information, check out this recent interview in Vancouver is Awesome at:
