In spite of being largely confined to our households by public health orders, the Rotarians of Vancouver Sunrise and our youth clubs still managed to be active in our communities - in service and fellowship.
Thank you to Frances for organizing an evening social night on December 21 for friends and Rotarian gals to hear from Rotary Ambassadorial scholar and local businesswoman Mari Kato about her professional and personal journey from Japan to Canada. Such fascinating insights about both cultures!
Here are a few images from some of the service events from December.
Service in Action! Past President Ron and his young volunteer helper at the Salvation Army Toy Drive at Toys R Us on Broadway
Our Strathcona Interact Club youth delivering care packages and messages to seniors at Sun Wat Senior Centre - see also for more
President Elect Ed ringing the bell at the Salvation Army kettle
An Amazing Year in Taiwan
Serena Causton, a Grade 12 student currently living on Saltspring Island, treated us to a very well-organized presentation outlining her recent experiences as a Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) student in Taipei, Taiwan. Using a creative and fast-paced presentation, Serena covered topics such as the geography, history, culture, food, and customs of Taiwan, as well as some of her unexpected experiences and personal learnings.
One of her many interesting experiences was that the students are responsible for keeping their school clean (there are no janitors). Serena’s Chinese language classes made up 20% of her class time, enabling her to make significant progress with her Mandarin skills, including winning a top foreign student language award.
Her presentation demonstrated, yet again, that the RYE Program is one of Rotary’s best programs. Here's a quote from Serena about why:
Exchange is not for everyone, but there is something out there for everyone. Something that will open your eyes to how diverse the world really is. Something that will help you learn what its like to live as someone else and realize how different people can be. Something that will teach you to appreciate how much an individual’s understanding of the world can differ from person to person. From there, you can use others to make you your own person, someone who is better than you would ever be alone because they are a collection of the good you found in others.
Check out Serena's superb storytelling and pictures at the link below.
Don't expect everyone to be motivated by the "Good Santa" pitch when you talk about Rotary with members and prospective members - at least not all of the time!
You might also want to let them know about the "selfish" benefits of why service to others and volunteering leads to longer, happier and healthier life!
That was one of the takeaways from our December 9 virtual presentation by American Rotarian Patrick Galvin.
Check out his compelling TedTalk at the link below.
On December 16, our club completed our due diligence duties by carrying out our Annual General Meeting(s) for both our Rotary Club and our Sunrise Foundation. With a great turnout that exceeded our quorum requirement, and, under the watchful eye (and gracious sponsorship) of Assistant District Governor John Bathurst, we approved the reports for our previous Rotary year and endorsed our executive for the next year.
Many thanks to John, Abigail, James and Vicente whose efforts made sure that we stay on the right side of the law for our legal and financial filings.
Big congratulations (and thank you) to Thomas Reppchen for accepting and being confirmed as our President Elect for the Rotary Year 2021-22!
This year we all found new ways to share the holiday traditions with family.
Club member Reyna designed and directed a complete shared, online Christmas dinner with her family in Mexico - including choreographed and matching menus, drinks, and songs.
Way to go Reyna for living and loving the Christmas spirit with flair and panache!
Meetings were cancelled on December 23 and 30th in light of the statutory holidays. Our next meeting together on Zoom will be on January 6, 2021.
As we retreated to our households to enjoy the company of those who could be with us in person and those with whom we connected with from a distance, we are grateful for all that we have, and for the Rotary fellowship and service that we enjoyed together through the challenges and difficulties of 2020.
We hope that 2021 will bring better times for everyone:
May love and kindness help to heal broken hearts,
Tolerance and appreciation enrich relationships and community,
Imagination and openness spark new creativity and understanding, and
May you find whatever you need in the new year ahead of us.
