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.