New Executive Installed At the 33rd Installation Dinner of the Rotary Club of Westbank held on June 15th, the 2009-10 president, Marjolein Lloyd, and her new executive were installed for the new Rotary year. Area 4 Assistant District Governor, Tony French presided over the installation ceremonies. Tony French expressed his appreciation to all those who provided leadership over the past Rotary year under the leadership of President Harris and offered his congratulations and best wishes to Marjolein Lloyd and her new executive. Outgoing President Dave Harris reviewed the past year’s accomplishments and acknowledged

and expressed gratitude to the members of the club who provided leadership in bringing these accomplishments to fruition. Harris pointed out that even though we all lead busy lives, “yet our Rotary club flourishes due to the efforts of our members who participate in many of the activities that we undertake.” In extending his appreciation to the club members, he stressed that “it certainly takes commitment on your part.” “This is much appreciated by Rotary, and is satisfying to all who put Service Above Self,” added Harris. In his concluding remarks, Harris expressed satisfaction that the “young blood,” is taking over at the changing of the guard this night. “It bodes well for the future of this club,” emphasized Harris. In her address, in-coming President Marjolein Lloyd said that she planned to carry her philosophy of “Go big, or go home!” throughout the year as she assumed her responsibilities. “This club should have big plans,” pointed out Lloyd. “We have big hearts, big ideas, and big dreams; so let’s make big plans and strive to succeed,” added Lloyd. According to Lloyd, big plans are not always about starting; “it’s also about following through with existing ones and seeing the plans come to fruition.”

Lloyd expressed that we should be proud of our efforts, and that we should not be afraid to make a point of sharing this with the community. Lloyd noted that we need to “let the community know what we have done, and what we plan to do in the future.”

In her concluding remarks, Lloyd stressed that “we need to look to the future as we venture on as a winning team, to do even greater things.” In line with this year’s theme, “The Future of Rotary Is In Your Hands,” Lloyd challenged the Westbank Rotarians to “step up, and participate as true Rotarians, because indeed, the future of Rotary is in our hands.”

July-August, 2009, Volume 8, Issue 1

Calendar of Events Aug 03 – No Meeting (Statutory Holiday) Aug 10 -- Klaus Naumann (Topic: Shelter boxes) and Executive Meeting Aug 17 – Business Meeting Aug 24 – Melissa Unruh (Topic: RYLA Report Aug 31 -- Martin Cronin (Topic: Terrorism)

Page 2 Millicent Winston Accepts Rotarian of the Year Award Millicent Winston, a director on the Rotary Club of Westbank’s executive for the past two years and this past year’s Membership Committee chair, was presented with the 2008-09 Rotarian of the Year Award on June 26th.

2008-09 President Dave Harris, who had selected Winston for her Tony French, the new Assistant District Governor for Area 4 (Central Okanagan) of District 5060, presented the 2008-09 Presidential Citation to Dave Harris, the past-president of the Rotary Club of Westbank on Monday, July 13th. In addition, ADG French

outstanding contributions to the club during the past Rotary year, made the presentation. Winston became a member of the Rotary Club of Westbank in 2005. Out with the Old and In with the New

The club’s 2008-09 President Dave Harris adjourns the last meeting of the club for the 2008-09 Rotary Year. presented the club with the 2008-09 Membership Development and Extension Award The Presidential Citation is presented annually to presidents of Rotary Clubs that achieve specific goals established each year by the President of Rotary International. The Rotary International Membership Development and Extension Award, was presented to the Rotary Club of Westbank in recognition of its contribution made in membership development by sponsoring the West Kelowna Daybreak Club. Dave Harris accepted the award for the club.

Marjolein Lloyd, the club’s 2009-10 president, makes her point at her first club meeting on July 06th. Marjolein Lloyd, the club’s 2008-09 president, along with Rick deJong, (president-elect), Deb Winsby (vice-president), Basil Majdy (treasurer), John Pouliot (secretary), Dave Harris (past-president) and four directors (Ed Kolybaba, Sylvia Hermans, Linda Edwards, Shirley-Anne Weber and Troy Grover ) assumed executive duties for the club on July 01, 2009.

Area 4 Assistant District Governor Presents Awards to Westbank Rotary Club

Page 3 Rotarians from the Rotary Club of Westbank were actively engaged in preparing and serving up pancakes and sausages at its Annual Pancake Breakfast, providing support and assistance for the Kids Fair activities and organizing the four day event held

from July 01-04 in West Kelowna.

Attendance at the Club’s Annual Pancake Breakfast, held from 6:30-10:30 am on Saturday, July 04th, was only down a little from last year.

The biggest disappointment was that the net profit from the annual fundraiser was over $1000 less than one year earlier, even though the gross profit was only $275 down from the previous year, mostly due to the rental of tents.

Westbank Rotarians Volunteer Throughout the Canada Day Weekend

Page 4

The Rotary Club of Westbank was the recipient of a donation of $500 from the Kiwanis Club of Westbank Westside on July 04, 2009, to assist in the financing of the Water Park in West Kelowna.

Club president Marjolein Lloyd accepted the donation on behalf of the club from Judith Kruetzky and Rose Merritt, both of the former Kiwanis Club, which has since folded.

Young Okanagan Writers’ Contest Update Back in January, Yasmin John-Thorpe made a presentation to the Rotary Club of Westbank about the ‘BC Youth Camp Write Camp’ which began in 2008 and which is organized each year by the Penticton Writers and Publishers. As well, she made a request of the club to sponsor four students to the camp which was held in Penticton from July 05-10. Three students from West Kelowna participated in the Camp. David Knowles, a Westbank Rotarian, attended the opening ceremonies of the Camp on July 07. He reported that Bill Barisoff, MLA and speaker, served as the MC for the event, while the Lieutenant Governor, Steven Point, and his wife, were piped in by his own piper and an aid, both in full regalia. Knowles shared that the Lieutenant Governor delivered one of the most inspirational speeches he had ever heard. Knowles was quite sure that the “eighty-seven young writers, their parents, numerous sponsors, three mayors and the organizers were thoroughly inspired!” The young writers were instructed during the first week of July by six professionals from the writing and publishing industry. Knowles pointed out that our Rotary Club received full recognition for sponsoring the four Westbank young writers.

Birthday Greetings Happy Anniversary July 02 – Shirley-Anne Weber July 06 – Peter & Krista Klein July 05 – Sean Lloyd July 25 – Joe & Margorie Ganske July 24 – Deb Winsby Aug 16 – Shawn & Cheryl Tait July 31 – Mary-Ellen Severn Aug 17 – Garth & Pam Allmand Aug 02 – Adona Dunn Aug 19 – Basil Majdy & Millicent Aug 05 – John Pouliot Winston Aug 05 – Barb Harris Aug 26 – Willie & Doug Findlater Sept 01 – Viv Kolybaba Sept 05 – Steven & Dayna Faux Sept 02 – Heather Krampl Sept 04 – Marjolein Lloyd

Kiwanis Club Makes Donation to Water Park

Judith Kruetsky, Marjolein Lloyd and Rose Merritt

The members of the Rotary Club of Westbank express their heart filled thanks to all those who made such a difference in saving our community of West Kelowna during the recent fires.

Page 5

Shirley-Anne Weber Delivers Classification Talk Shirley-Anne Weber was inducted into the membership of the Rotary Club of Westbank. on February 10, 2009. Since that time, she has taken an active role as a member with the club. On July 06, Shirley-Anne was finally scheduled to provide a ‘classification talk’ for her Rotarian team members. During her ‘classification talk’ delivery, Shirley-Anne shared that she was born in Glace Bay, Cape Breton. Her father first worked as a coal miner and then later joined the armed services. Because of this new career, Shirley-Anne and her family moved to Germany in 1959; but in 1962 they returned to Canada to live in Oromocto, NB for the remainder of her public school years.

Upon high school graduation, Shirley-Anne commenced working at Zellers, working as a department head in Jewellery. After a promotion, she continued on with Zellers in the advertising office. Shirley-Anne met Doug Weber in 1977 in Fredericton where they both worked in Zellers. On November 29th of 1980, they were married and they moved on to Riverview, NB. Shirley-Anne worked as a manager in a small convenience store in

Shirley-Anne working at the club’s Annual Pancake Breakfast on July 04, 2009 Riverview while Doug worked with K-Mart. Within one year, Doug commenced work with a pharmaceutical company, which Shirley-Anne points out was the time when “things started to turn around for us.” They bought their first house in 1982 and in 1983 they gave birth to their first son Sean. Two years later, Gregory joined the family. In 1996, they moved to Lower Sackville, NS where Doug accepted a promotion. Throughout the early growth years of their sons, Shirley-Anne stayed home, taking time to be with her children, upgrading her academic skills and volunteering at school and with the sport teams their children played on. When Sean started junior high school, Shirley-Anne thought that it was time to return to the work force, this time with Staples, where she started off taking regular sales calls in customer service. Six months later, she was chosen to assume duties in executive customer service, where she dealt with preferred customer account managers. In 2004, Shirley-Anne and Doug put their house on the market and set both of their sons up in apartments. In the

fall of 2005, they packed up their cube van and moved to the Okanagan. Their boys, who were both in university, followed them to the Okanagan in 2006. She was able to transfer to the Staples store in Kelowna where she worked as aisles captain and a year later as an administrative specialist. When the store in West Kelowna opened, she applied and was accepted as a 3rd keyholder, a position she continues to hold at the West Kelowna store. The new Rotary year will bring with it new experiences for Shirley-Anne. She will be serving as a director on the executive and as the chair of the club’s Administrative Committee.

Sheriff & Greeter/Grace Assignment

Greeters are responsible for setting up and taking down the banners, flags, and podium, and for introducing the guest speakers. Program coordinator, Rick deJong, should be contacted to attain a biography on the speakers.

Greeter/Set-up/Grace Duties: July 06 – Rick deJong July 20 – Steve Faux July 27 – Helmut Foerg Aug 10 – Troy Grover Aug 17 – Sylvia Hermans Aug 24 – David Knowles Aug 31 – Walter Krampl Sheriff/Take-Down Duties: July 06 – Adona Dunn July 20 – Willie Findlater July 27 – Joe Ganske Aug 10 – Dave Harris Aug 17 – Angela King Aug 24 – Ed Kolybaba Aug 31 – Ken Lindsay

Page 6 Bursary Winner Expresses Appreciation Brittney Stancec, the 2009 winner of the club’s $5000 bursary, expressed her appreciation to the Rotary Club of Westbank members in a recent letter.

Brittney writes: Thank you for your generous contribution to my education at the Central Okanagan Bursary and Scholarship Evening. Your belief in me means a great deal and motivates me to achieve both my educational and life goals and dreams. I am so happy your organization sees the value in youth education and invests their time and money into young students like me. Thank you so very much for the continuing education bursary. It is greatly appreciated and I look forward to keeping you updated on my success. Jillian is Back Home Jillian Fugedi, our outbound 2008-09 Rotary Youth Exchange student arrived back home from Switzerland in early July. Jillian shared that as the days were winding down for her departure home, she realized that it was not going to be as difficult as she first thought. First of all, she recognized that she was so blessed to have the opportunity for this unique adventure. Furthermore,

she expressed that she was getting all excited about her move to Kingston, Ontario, in late August where she will be attending Kingston University. Jillian referred to the situation as being “definitely bittersweet.” She says that she made some awesome friends over there and that she became very close with her host families. “While it was tough saying goodbye, I know that I'll come back and visit them,” pointed out Jillian. “Switzerland is very central and small enough that I can surely zip through there and say "bonjour" the next time I'm in Europe,” noted Jillian. It was exciting to learn that Jillian had received the Chancellor's Scholarship to Queen's! As Jillian puts it, “I start my new adventure September 3rd when I move out to Ontario. As a final note, Jillian shared that she attended the 100th Rotary International Conference in Birmingham! According to her, the keynote speakers were great and she met many people, including Tim and Kathryn Kemp. Yasemin Arriving in August

Keeping track of who is coming and who is going is a challenge when it comes to keeping abreast of the departures and return of outgoing

Rotary exchange students and the arrival and departure of inbound Rotary exchange students.

The latest news is that Yasemin Yonet, our incoming Rotary Youth Exchange Student from Icmler/Marmaris in Turkey, will be arriving on August 21st to spend a year here in the Central Okanagan. She will be sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Westbank, Peachland and West Kelowna Daybreak.

Yasemin and her mother have been in constant communication with coordinator Adona Dunn. She is of course very excited about coming and has been actively engaged on the internet learning all about British Columbia, the Okanagan, West Kelowna and Peachland

Yasemin has her Canadian Visa and has met all of the other requirements for her entry into Canada and her stay with us for the coming Rotary year. Adona Dunn, the coordinator of the YE Program for the Rotary Club of Westbank, has indicated that a host family is still required. Rotary members are asked to seriously consider hosting Yasemin and gaining a whole new experience. As is the case for a youth exchange student, host families gain a significant positive experience that they will always cherish for years to come.

Page 7

Do You Want a Partner for Life?

It’s simple; you can have a partner, or perhaps a second partner for life, by adopting a parrot from the Parrot Island Sanctuary in Peachland. According to Carmen Hildebrand, a Board of Directors with the Sanctuary

who spoke to the Westbank Rotarians on June 01, parrots mate for life and if they haven’t yet mated and you adopt them, you then become their partner for life. So why haven’t people lined up to adopt a parrot?

Ray Parkes, the manager of the Sanctuary, who also spoke at the meeting, stressed that partnering parrots with people must be carried out carefully. Parrots are not like other pets...…they demand your attention and they expect that you will not abandon them at some later period in their life. In fact, life changes for a parrot, such as changing homes, can affect their behavior significantly and can also affect their health. Furthermore, people adopting parrots must recognize up front that maintaining the food and veterinarian bills for a parrot can be quite costly, explained Parkes.

“So why don’t they release parrots back into the wild? It has been done

with many animals and other birds, so why not parrots?” According to Parkes, many of the parrots in the Sanctuary have come from homes where the parrot owners have purchased the parrots from a pet store. Pet stores, for the most part, purchase their parrots from breeders, even though breeding parrots in Canada is illegal. Parkes adds that “a parrot must be born in the wild to be put back into the wild,” as parrots are not born with an instinct, like other birds. They must be taught by their parents.

Hildebrand expressed that we “have no business tampering with nature.” She added, “People need to be educated not to take parrots as pets….they should be left in the wild.”

Waldorf Education in the CO Colin Price, a Waldorf class teacher for 36 years and currently the Pedagogical Advisor to the Kelowna Waldorf School, provided an educational opportunity for the Rotarians of the Westbank club on June 08, by providing a brief history of Waldorf education and the school. According to Price, Waldorf education is an independent, worldwide educational system developed by Rudolf Steiner. Waldorf education originated in Germany in 1919. Emil Molt, owner of the Waldorf cigarette factory, believed that the children of his workers were not receiving the education they should receive. He sought out Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925), a respected Austrian educator, scientist and philosopher, to develop a new curriculum for his school. There are now twelve schools across Canada and more than 700 schools worldwide, all autonomous, reflecting local geography and culture while sharing the core foundations of curriculum, methods and beliefs.

Price reviewed the development of the Waldorf School Association of Kelowna, which was founded in 1981. The Association offered its first preschool class in 1982, followed by the first grade one class in 1985. Multi-age kindergarten through grade 8 is currently offered.

Some interesting facts…….

The average age of a parrot is 147 years

There are 340 species of parrots, 100 of them are on the endangered list

There are nearly 2 million unwanted parrots in North America

There are over 80 parrots at the Sanctuary

The intellectual level of a parrot is that of a 6 year old child

Parrots understand the concept of zero

Parrots have an extensive vocabulary and can carry on a conversation

Page 8 Planning for the Taste of Westbank The 2009 14th Annual Taste of Westbank scheduled for September 26th will be taking on a new look this year. The Taste of Westbank will be returning to the Westbank Community Hall, after having been required to move to the Mount Boucherie Community Centre last year; and while guests will be able to continue to enjoy tasting the food from the local establishments and to participate in the live and silent auctions, many changes will take place to make the evening based on a theme more entertaining for the guests. All of the proceeds from the 14th Annual Taste of Westbank will be designated to the Water Park which is to be constructed in 2010. The Taste of Westbank Planning Committee has also taken on a new look this year, building on the success of previous years. This year’s committee is being coordinated by Marjolein Lloyd and Sylvia Hermans, with Rotarians chairing six sub- committees which have delegated responsibilities.

Planning Committee Structure Event Coordinators: Marjolein Lloyd and Sylvia Hermans Auction – Linda Edwards Marketing/Media – Sylvia Hermans Entertainment – Marjolein Lloyd Restaurants – Steve Faux Decorations – Jo-Anne Blau Volunteer Coordination – Susan Parsons

2009-10 Executive and Committees

Executive: President – Marjolein Lloyd President-Elect – Rick deJong Past President – Dave Harris Vice-President – Deb Winsby Treasurer – Basil Majdy Secretary – John Pouliot Directors – Troy Grover (2 year term), Linda Edwards (2 year term), Shirley-Anne Weber (2 year term), Sylvia Hermans (1 year term, and Ed Kolybaba (1 year term) Committee Structures: Service Projects Committee Director – Linda Edwards Chair – Linda Edwards Members -- Willie Findlater Millicent Winston David Knowles Adona Dunn Dave Harris Marjolein Lloyd Sylvia Hermans Administration Committee Director – Shirley-Anne Weber Chair – Shirley-Anne Weber Members – Jeannette Mergens Basil Majdy Walter Krampl Ken Lindsay Joe Ganske Foundation/International Service Committee Director – Ed Kolybaba Chair – Garth Penner Coordinators – Shawn Tait (PolioPlus Program)

-- Garth Penner (Foundation) -- Ed Kolybaba (International Projects) -- Jo-Anne Blau (Area 4 Scholarships) -- Susan Parsons (Area 4 Group Study Exchange)

Public Relations Committee Director – Sylvia Hermans Chair – Sylvia Hermans Members – Rick deJong Doug Weber Peter Klein Garth Allmand Steve Faux Membership Committee Director – Troy Grover Chair – Troy Grover Members – Joey Severn Deb Winsby Norma Parker Helmut Foerg John Edwards

Page 9

Progress Continues on Water Park For the past two and one-half years, Marjolein Lloyd and Sylvia Hermans, with the assistance of other Rotarians from time to time, have been working earnestly on the Towne Centre Water Spray Park project. The project is expected to cost $291,658. Following the successful “Poop for the Park” fundraiser last year, the committee moved forward and created a sponsorship and recognition program in an effort to raise even more funds for the park. Recently, the club was fortunate enough to secure a title sponsorship with Okanagan Kid’s Care, in the amount of $60,000. With a few other sponsorships already in place and other donations, including a surprise $500 cheque from the former Kiwanis Club of Westbank, our current total of funds raised is approximately $100,000. Club members were informed that Hermans and Lloyd have applied for a grant that could potentially award the club with up to $100,000. Furthermore, other exciting partnerships are in the works that could possibly help to fund the cost of labour and materials for the plumbing, electrical and concrete work. The committee is also considering applying for a Direct Access grant, essentially a matching grant, through BCLC. Funding from the Rotary District Simplified Grant is also available, but not until the 2010, the year of construction. At the last executive meeting, the idea of holding another fundraiser, during the 2009-10 Rotary year, was discussed. This is something that the Projects Committee of the club would, not only with the title sponsor, but also with the West Kelowna municipality.

Water Spray Park Budget (Oct. 06, 2008)

Expenditures: Water Spray Park Equipment Treated Water System $165,457.60 Installation and Materials Electrical Concrete Plumbing Other 100,000.00 Sponsor Recognition Materials Ten Benches ($15,000) Three Picnic Tables ($7,500) Wall Mounted Sign ($1,000) Aluminum Sign with Pots ($2,450) Sponsor Packages ($250) 26,200.00

Total Project Cost $291,657.60

Revenue: Poop for the Park Fundraiser $ 20,600.00 Title sponsorship 60,000.00 Other Sponsorship Revenue Targets: Four Gateway Signs ($60,000) Ten Benches ($50,000) Three Picnic Tables ($15,000) Eight Name Signs ($8,000) 133,000.00 Other: Grants Club Gaming Funds Taste of Westbank Revenues 78,057.60

Total Projected Revenue $291,657.60

Some Background Information about the Water Park

In July of 2006, the Rotary Club of Westbank Project Committee entertained the idea of a children’s water park in Westbank

In Sept. of 2006, the Committee approached RDCO for support In January of 2008, the Committee presented the project to

the Council of the Westside Municipality and received permission for the use of the land in the Westbank Towne Centre Park

From March to July of 2008, The ‘Poop for the Park’ fundraiser took place raising $21,000.

In February of 2008, Kids Care donated $60,000 and became the Title Sponsor for the Water Park

Page 10

District Applies for Competitive Grant If all things turn out as expected, rotary clubs from District 5060, working together in partnership with the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa East in Ethiopia, will be undertaking a major humanitarian program in the Ankober Woreda in the NE Shewa Zone of Ethiopia commencing in the latter part of 2009. The Ankober Woreda Integrated Program will cost $US150,000 to implement over a three year period. The Program consists of five projects focusing on: (1) $100,000 – to provide clean water in reasonable proximity to schools, public and private dwellings through water well, stream diversion, and water collection units; (2) $25,000 - to construct latrines at school sites through coop organizations and local volunteer labour; (3) $5,000 – to set up efficient oven manufacturing production cooperatives (micro credit) and delivering these energy and tree-saving ovens to local citizens at an affordable cost; (4) $10,000 – to train leaders to launch a reforestation program among rural citizens; and (5) $10,000 – to train leaders to provide guidance and expertise focused at improving agricultural practices which will result in substantial health improvements. The overall program will create self-sustaining long-term benefits for this extremely poor rural population in Ethiopia approaching 100,000 residents. Substantial progress will be made in made in meeting many of the needs which have been identified through a thorough process conducted over the past two years. In fact, several clubs from District 5060, including the

Rotary Club of Westbank, have already been involved in a number of projects in this area in the past and have worked with the Rotary Club of Addis Ababa East as the host partner. The Rotary Clubs of Westbank, Kelowna (Downtown), Kelowna Sunrise, Kalamalka (Vernon), Kamloops Daybreak, Penticton Okanagan, Merritt Sunrise, Lake Country, Oliver, and Kamloops have made a commitment to provide $US45,000 to the Program. District 5060 will match these funds with $US45,000 from DDF, and The Rotary Foundation will be requested to designate $US59,900 to the program. This being a Competitive Matching Grant Application, a decision for approval will not take place until early November, as the Board of Trustees of the Foundation does not review these Competitive Matching Grant applications until their October meeting. The program has been developed by Jeff Harte (Kelowna Sunrise), Gordon Savage (Kelowna) and Ed Kolybaba (Westbank). Additional members of the team who will be working on this program include Tony French (ADG), Roger Perry (PDG), Barb Penner (Kelowna Sunrise) and Ken Laloge (Kelowna). District Seeks People for Exchange Trip to England Rotary Clubs in District 5060 are being asked to nominate Group Study Exchange team members to participate in a cultural and vocational exchange to Southern England, March 22 - April 19, 2010. The Group Study Exchange (GSE) program is designed to foster international understanding and goodwill. A team of five will tour this

area of England, stay with Rotarians, share knowledge with professional counterparts and make presentations about the two countries that are part of District 5060. Team members are provided with air and ground transportation, lodging and meals with Rotarian families of the host district and will follow a structured agenda. The goal of GSE is to offer a vocationally oriented interchange of ideas, customs, and culture. Those chosen are required to attend team training, prepare for public speaking both during the trip and upon return, and to write a summary of their experiences. Ideally, team members will be between the ages of 25 and 40; currently employed for at least two years in any recognized business or profession on a full-time basis; employed full-time in a recognized profession; a citizen of the country in which they reside; in good health; neat in appearance and able to express themselves clearly and logically; of a sound, general educational background; interested in and clearly enthusiastic about their chosen vocation and in possession of outstanding vocational and public speaking skills; open-minded, tolerant, and flexible; comfortable working as part of a team with a schedule that is physically and emotionally demanding; and be available for the duration of the exchange, as well as three week-end orientation sessions. Rotarians are asked to share this opportunity with eligible people in their community and to consider nominating a person through their Rotary club. Detailed information, including applications and the submission date, are available on www.rotary5060.org.

District 5060 News

Page 11

UN Secretary-General Opens 2009 RI Convention

At a special appearance at the opening plenary session of the 2009 RI Convention in Birmingham, England, on 21 June, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon praised Rotarians for their work in advancing social justice.

Speaking to a packed hall, Ban called Rotary the heart and soul of the worldwide polio eradication effort and pledged the UN's continued cooperation and support.

"Rotary's vision of a polio-free world is in sharp focus," the secretary-general said. "I am with you in this campaign. "Now is the time to finish the job. I call on global governments all around the world to help us," he continued. "Together, we can fulfill Rotary's vision and give future generations a polio-free world."

Ban's appearance demonstrates the close ties maintained by Rotary and the UN, which dates back to 1945, when Rotarians helped draft the UN Charter. Ban said his appreciation for Rotary has deepened since he became secretary-general.

"I am deeply convinced the UN can continue to count on you to keep doing your part. One of the hallmarks of this new multi-nationalism is collaboration -- all partners must work together," he said. "And nothing will better convince the world that we can succeed than through completing the effort to eradicate polio."

Ban also asked Rotarians for their help in addressing other global challenges, including climate change, hunger, and a lack of access to energy.

More than 14,900 attendees from 154 countries and geographical areas are

convening in Birmingham for the 100th RI Convention. It is the second RI Convention for Birmingham, which hosted its first in 1984.

Keynote Address at 2009 Convention by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu said Rotary's dedication to peace in the world makes God smile.

During his keynote address on June 18th at the Rotary World Peace Symposium, Tutu shared how he envisions God looking down on His creation and crying when He sees all the bad things His children are doing to each other. But, Tutu said, then God looks again and sees Rotary.

"God begins to smile through His tears, and the sun shines through. God says that is exactly why I created them, for goodness," Tutu said. "You and I are created for goodness. You are helping wipe the tears from God's eyes."

Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient from South Africa, was the keynote speaker at the second Rotary World Peace Symposium in Birmingham, England.

Fighting polio with urgency and hope

The Rotary year we have just begun will be pivotal in determining the course of our Foundation in this, Rotary’s second century of service.

There are new challenges before us – challenges that we must rise to meet in order to keep the promises we have made. The first of those promises, of course, is to eradicate polio. This is our number-one priority as an organization, and it will remain so until the job is done.

Last year, more than 1,600 cases of the disease were identified around the world. This is a great improvement from the worst days of polio epidemics. But it is not good enough, and it will not be good enough until the number is zero. We cannot pause or slacken our efforts. We know all too well what happens when we do not reach every child. We saw it in Nigeria in 2003 and have seen it again in the Horn of Africa.

In March, Rotary approved US$500,000 in emergency grants to UNICEF and the WHO to help contain the outbreak of wild poliovirus that had spread from war-torn South Sudan into parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, and Uganda. This funding allowed for increased immunization activities in the three countries affected by the spread, and separate rounds of immunization have continued in South Sudan to halt the source of the outbreak.

We are optimistic that this outbreak will be contained, and remain confident in the viability of eradication. These recent events serve to highlight the importance of our continued work. It is not enough to merely keep the number of new outbreaks low. We must bring it to zero.

The Rotary Times, published by Rotarian Ed Kolybaba, is a monthly publication of the Rotary Club of Westbank.

Rotary International News

Glen E. Estess Sr., Foundation Trustee Chair