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Rotaract District 5050 Newsletter- Version 1

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all having a wonderful 2015 year so far. If you want to see what our Rotaract clubs have been up to, check out our very first Rotaract District 5050 newsletter!

Rotaract District 5050 Newsletter

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Happy New Rotaract Year!

We are officially nine days into our Rotaract year, what has your club been up to?  If you’re still taking the fledgling steps into the new term why not start out with reviewing this year’s Presidential Citation!  There are big changes to this year’s format so it would be prudent to view it now and take the necessary steps to completing it.

This year there are real objectives that include membership and retention, brand identification, social media, etc, and not just make someone in your community smile.  Although prior Presidential Citations were fun, they didn’t have a lot of meat to the bones.  Good luck, Rotaractors.  If you need any guidance with completing this year’s Citation, please feel free to contact me!

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Pre-Induction Night… The Best is Yet to Come.

Engage Rotary, Change Lives
Engage Rotary, Change Lives

Tonight may be a first for us.  To my knowledge for the first time in District 5050 history, and certainly for the first time in the past four years, tonight will be the first time that our Rotaract clubs will be holding a joint induction ceremony!  This is a huge step forward for us.  In addition, this is an extra special evening because we will be swearing-in a new full-time board of directors for two new(er) clubs.  The Tri-Cities Rotaract Club will be inducting their first full board since chartering earlier this year while the Rotaract Club of Langley will be inducting their first full board after revitalizing their club half way through this Rotaract year.  A truly proud moment.  For so many members this is the culmination of a tremendous amount of hard work and dedication.  In addition, the idea to hold a joint evening of this nature was brought forth by the Rotaract Club of Chilliwack Fraser who, because of distance from the other clubs in the area, have found it hard in the past to feel engaged with the rest of the district.

This evening marks a new leaf and a fresh step forward for all clubs in the District.  Notwithstanding a great amount of effort from the outgoing boards from each, a heartfelt “Thank You” is certainly due to the previous presidents and their directors for without them these strides forward assuredly would not have seen such a positive outcome.  First and foremost a thank you is due to Suzanna Lopez, Past President of the Rotaract Club of Langley.  For a many number of years Suzanna tried so hard to kick-start her group and lead it back to the glory days that it once knew.  Unfortunately for her this dream was not able to be brought to a reality.  She graciously handed over the reigns to Lexi Vankovich as the interim President for the last half of this Rotaract year before passing it over to the new full-time President Elect Nadine Mross.  It has been a long road but this club has a bright future ahead of it.

The next set of “thank you’s” comes from a special place in my heart as I know what it is like to finish one year and roll directly into the next.  Kimberley Chong of the Tri-Cities Rotaract Club worked hard with a fledgling group to eventually charter the club in this past year and is now rolling full steam ahead into the 2013-2014 Rotaract year.  Riding on the momentum of a stellar first half-year she is at the helm of a seemingly unstoppable force of youth and exuberance!  I know her position well as I walked the same path of leadership with the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale in its fledgling years.  I see great things for this group in the future and look forward to taking part in their journey.

The Rotaract Club of Chilliwack Fraser is on a serious roll and would not be where it is today without the leadership and guidance of Desmond Devnich.  Over the past year Desmond has seen a stark increase in membership and fueled a fire beneath his club to see them set and achieve fabulous new goals.  Des has decided to sit an additional year as President of his club to ensure the momentum continues and that groundwork is properly laid for succession of his club.  Again, I too am in a position such as this as I am set to embark in my second term as District Rotaract Representative.

Last but certainly not least I would like to thank my own President, Janice Khunkhun of the Rotaract Club of Cloverdale.  Jan lead the club, sometimes ostensibly effortlessly, to obtain many large goals.  From PR campaigns to large fundraisers, fellowship to the early completion of goals set forth by Rotary International.  She set goals and not only completed them, she crushed them!  For the first time in club history we had completed items on the Rotaract Presidential Citation within weeks of its announcement.  Not too shabby.  It has been a pleasure working, travelling, and playing along side of her for so many years; Janice, thank you 🙂

Really, all that is left to say is that I am looking forward to the events that are about to unfold.  I am looking forward to connecting with Rotaractors from across our district tonight, but more so I am excited for what is to come.  We are so young yet as a district.  We have a strong history of a few clubs doing exceptional things and we have nowhere to go from here but up.

And that is awesome.

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Active Club Status – Remember to Represent!

adviceIt is with great pleasure that I announce that all of our clubs are currently holding active club status with the mothership, Rotary International.

If you are reading this and you are not a member of District 5050 but are a member of another Rotary District, please take a moment to look through this list to verify if your club is in good standing.  If you don’t see your club there, check this list to verify if you have been suspended due to inactivity or neglect to follow-up with Rotary International.  If you find yourself on the delinquent list but are truly active, have your president contact RI immediately!  Clubs on the suspended list who do not put themselves in good standing by September 2013 will be shut down for good.  And really, nobody wants to see that happen!

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Keep Calm and Join Rotaract!

Keep Calm and Join Rotaract!

Saturday, May 18th is the District 5050 Rotaract Installation Night. We will be saying a hearty “Thank You!” to the outgoing 2012-2013 Board of Directors while ushering in a new crop of dedicated leaders to guide us through the 2013-2014 Rotaract year!
If you are available to join us on this mirthful occasion, please contact one of our presidents or myself for further information!

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Rotary Peace Forum Richmond

Hot on the heels of the Rotary Peace Forum Honolulu was the Rotary Peace Forum Richmond, a joint project between Rotary District 5040 (Vancouver and most of British Columbia) and District 5050.  There were a number of really thoughtful, peace oriented presentations given throughout the day, only one and a half of which were repeats from Hawai’i (which was nice).

Chris Offer and his International Bear
Chris Offer and his International Bear
RID5040 DG Rebecca and RID5050 DG Sean read opening remarks from RIP Sakuji Tanaka
RID5040 DG Rebecca and RID5050 DG Sean read opening remarks from RIP Sakuji Tanaka
Julian Fantino announces extended Canadian contribution amounts to the March 1st cut-off.
Julian Fantino announces extended Canadian contribution amounts to the March 1st cut-off.
The Government of British Columbia proclaims February 23rd Rotary Day in British Columbia
The Government of British Columbia proclaims February 23rd Rotary Day in British Columbia
A panel discussion on bullying
A panel discussion on bullying
Presentation on Rotary Peace Forum Honolulu
Presentation on Rotary Peace Forum Honolulu
RID Bryn Styles receives a thank you gift from Forum organizers
RID Bryn Styles receives a thank you gift from Forum organizers
Action Shot
Action Shot
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RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Awards

It’s that time of year again, folks!  Rotary District 5050 is pleased to announce that registration for the 2013 RYLA is now open!

If you are between the ages of 18 and 30, are a leader in your community, want to further your skills and make new friends in the process then this is an opportunity that you should not pass up.  The four-day camp taking place from May 2nd to 5th at the Mount Baker Bibleway Camp in the beautiful Cascade Mountain foothills.

RYLA 5050 is put on at not cost to the camper, you are either invited or are required to apply at which time the organizers try their best to find sponsorship for you.  If you are more ambitious than that (which if you are a leader, you probably are), you are urged to contact a Rotary club in your local area and ask if they would sponsor you for this opportunity.  Whichever you choose you’ll want to do it now as the registration deadline is April 15th!

If you attend, be sure to let us know how it went.  Who knows, you might see one of our members there!

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Another celebratory article hailing from Chilliwack and Rotaract President Desmond Devnich. It’s PR-Tastic!

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A great article from the far reaches of District 5050 in the Upper Fraser Valley.

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Rotary Global Peace Forum – Update

It has been less than 24 hours since the closing plenary session at the Rotary Global Peace Forum in Honolulu, the second of three such forums held at significant locations of conflict and subsequent peace through the past century. As I collect my thoughts I will write them down for reflection and discussion.

If you are in Rotary District 5040, District 5050 or any surrounding area, please feel free to join me at the joint District 5040-5050 Peace Forum on February 23rd in Richmond, BC, Canada. I will be discussing very briefly my experiences at this forum while a Rotarian from Tsawwassen relays their experiences from the forum in Berlin, Germany. In all honesty, that would be the best opportunity to discuss anything further!

Until then, keep your eye posted to this blog for futher updates!

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