Events

Jimi Meier farms on Sumas Prairie with her husband, Tony, and four children. They live in the flood zone and consequently, were affected by the November flood event. Jimi writes, “We were fortunate that we did not have any flood damage to any buildings, just crops.” 

Hallie Jacobs farms on Sumas Prairie with her husband, Joe, and two children. They live in the flood zone, but were fortunate not to suffer any flood damage.

Jimi and Hallie started the Facebook page Helping Sumas Prairie Farmers, just days after returning home from their own evacuation. The purpose of the site was to start a fundraiser for the purpose of collecting gift cards for those affected by the floods.

The idea caught the attention of many, as they managed to distribute $87,000.00 in cash and gift cards, and well over $55,000.00 in donated items.

Myanmar (Burma) is among one of the poorest countries in the World. There is an absence of clean water, electricity, and internet. Commuting between villages are impassable and unsafe during all seasons, while most travel by foot. Health care is limited and not easily accessible, while averaging 8240 deaths per year. The government has an annual budget allocated to education of 1.2% per year. Because many villages lack school, children often have limited or no access to education, condemning them to the uncertain fate of survival though subsistence farming or, more alarming, to human trafficking.

About the Speaker

Paw K’ Boh is 23 years old and the youngest of six siblings. She was born and raised in a refugee camp on the border of Myanmar and Thailand. In 2007, at the age of 10, she and her family were sponsored by the Canadian government to move to BC. Today, she is a student at theUniversity of the Fraser Valley, and in her last year of pursuing a Bachelor of Child and Youth Care. Her interests: being out in the outdoors, watching sports games, and spending time with family and friends.

Navroop is Senior Marketing Director, World Financial Group (WFG), and Sandeep is an Associate at WFG. Navroop and Sandeep immigrated to Canada in 2018. In India, Sandeep worked as an Assistant Professor at Lovely Professional University, and Navroop managed agricultural land and two gas stations.

After arriving in Canada and navigating some challenging first years as newcomers, they found opportunities that suited their passion and skill sets. Despite all the challenges they faced, they are able to say, “…we were welcomed to Canada with open arms, fair system, and ample room to grow more”.

Navroop founded his own business, World Financial Group, which allowed him to put his skills to use, and the business has thrived. They have joined Rotary out of a sincere desire to “give back” to society. Rotary is familiar to both, as Navroop was a Rotarian in India, and Sandeep too had experience with Rotary in India.

Kelly is Executive Director of Inasmuch Community Society. She is the daughter of two Rotarians; niece of a Rotarian and was niece and granddaughter to long time Rotarians who have passed away. Kelly grew up hearing the slogan of “service before self” and has put this into practice during her 20+ years in the Not-for-Profit sector. Kelly grew up in Abbotsford and loves this community. She is looking is excited about and forward to sharing with the club, about the people she has the joy of serving.

Doris has served this club as president during the  last year. June 30th marks her term-end, so she will give her assessment of this past year's club activities and provide us with a personal challenge as we move into the next year.

Our in-coming president, Deanna, will provide the club with her inaugural address, complete with a personal challenge and laying out her agenda for the coming year.

Hieke Morton is a wife and mom to 4 grown children. She is a highschool Foods teacher and a 'Red Seal' chef.  Hieke has a heart for families struggling with food insecurity and she recently opened the Fraser Valley's first non-profit grocery market.

Nothing robs people of their dignity quite like standing in a line to receive a handout of food that they have no choice or say in. As a parent who struggled to provide for her own children in the past, she knows firsthand the importance of dignity around accessing food. Hieke recently opened a non-profit grocery market called Gathering Markit to address food insecurity in Abbotsford in a way that provides dignity, choice and convenience. Hieke wants to challenge the way we think about food insecurity and all the issues that arise with this difficult reality.

Nurse Next Door has been providing home care services in the Vancouver area for 20 years.  Kristina started this franchise in 2021 as the demand for in-home care increased during the pandemic.  She operates a growing business, with more than 50 caregivers and nurses providing compassionate care to people in Langley and Abbotsford. 

Ken Funk is a member of Rotary International's Rotoplast Board. Over the course of his years as a Rotarian, Ken has been on over 20 Rotoplast missions around the world.

Bio: Barb is a long-time member of the Abbotsford community and has recently joined the Tourism Abbotsford team. You may know Barb from her work with the City of Abbotsford. In her capacity with the City, Barb worked collaboratively with the community on their event plans as well as with film location managers, always striving to find innovative and creative solutions to challenges that support success and happiness. She is well known for not only leading and coordinating special events, but for developing strong partnerships and fostering long-lasting relationships throughout the whole community.

Tourism Abbotsford is a Destination Marketing Organization that delivers tourism marketing on behalf of over 300 marketing partners. Tourism Abbotsford also leads the delivery of Visitor services. As we look out at the local, regional, national and global tourism landscape, we see there is pent-up demand to get out and experience things and to rebuild connections we’ve all be missing the past two years.

"Vineetha is the Education Coordinator at The Center for Epilepsy & Seizure Education in BC, a non-profit organization and a member of the Canadian Epilepsy Alliance. The center provides direct and indirect support for those living with seizure disorders and seek to educate and raise awareness about seizures through interactive presentations to groups. Vineetha has experience working with special needs individuals over the years and now brings her passion to support those with seizures and epilepsy by raising awareness through education."

Bruce Shaw is a barrister, living in the city of Yarra, Victoria, Australia, who practises mainly in employment/discrimination law.  Prior to his career in Law, Bruce worked directly in industrial relations in the building and construction and public transport industries. Bruce has been a Rotarian since 1997.

Bruce will share about how a small Rotary Club on the other side of the world conducts its activities, and how it involves itself in serving the needs of its community.

Karen has worked at Archway Community Services in the Senior Services Department for 25+ years.  She has been the coordinator of the ‘Better at Home’ program for the past 9 years since it began in Abbotsford.

Karen will share about the history of the program, the kinds of services provided, funding sources, and how one would apply for the Better at Home program.

Rhonda Davison is Western Canada Partner Engagement Lead for Food for the Hungry (FH) Canada.

Malnutrition rates across Guatemala are shockingly high. Fifty percent of Guatemalan children under the age of five suffer from delayed growth. Among the indigenous population specifically, 58 percent of children are stunted. Access to clean water is limited. Over 90 percent of Guatemala’s indigenous survive on an income well below the poverty line. Children struggle in school, and parents struggle to see the point of an education when the needs at home are so great. 

FH started operating in Guatemala in 1976. FH Canada was formed in 1994 and very quickly joined in the fight to end poverty for families in Guatemala, especially for those suffering the consequences of civil war and political oppression.

Today, FH Canada is walking with 12 communities in the Quiché region—8 within San Juan Cotzal and 4 within Nebaj.  It has been a joy to see communities move out of stuck and into thriving. To date we have celebrated the graduation of 10 communities since 1994.

Dan Trayler began sharing his love of gardening in Abbotsford in 1986. He is the owner of Homestead Nurseryland and Florist in Abbotsford. Born and raised in Vancouver, gardens and landscape were a part of his early life, working with his parents at their East Vancouver home.

Pursuing a law degree, Dan worked part-time in various garden centers for tuition. It was at that time that he realized his passion for plants and people, which led him to take another career path. He has been working in the garden community in BC for over 41 years.

As a BC certified Nurseryman, he has hosted many radio and television garden shows. He is a frequent gardening columnist for several local publications. Over time, he has become known as the local garden authority.

Besides his passion for gardening, he is an avid photographer and angler, and loves living and working in the beautiful Fraser Valley.

The Archway Urban farming is both a functional farm garden, and teaching space, to engage the community in learning about where our food comes from. The Urban Farm focuses on both Food Security and Food Justice in our community. We believe that engaging community members in the production of their own food can create lasting change to how food is purchased, eaten, and have a wider environmental impact. 

Ron will be presenting an overview/update of our global grant project for Transitions Foundation in Guatemala and future planning. He will also provide a brief overview of Probigua Guatemala (library bus in Antigua, Guatemala).

Fraser Valley Gleaners takes donated produce that would otherwise be thrown away and converts it into dehydrated soup mix to help feed those in need in developing countries around the world.  FV Gleaners is 100% donor-driven with hundreds of volunteer hours contributed each week.  Gleaners is also a ministry to our volunteers who are primarily seniors, providing them with meaningful work in a social setting. 

Dr. Hall will provide a brief history of Fraser Valley Aboriginal Children and Family Services Society and an overview of the services provided. She has insights into the challenges faced by both the Society and the people they serve. She will leave us with suggestions on how local non Aboriginal individuals and groups such as Rotary can make a difference in the people they serve.

Cathy Peters is a former inner city high school teacher raising awareness about "Human sex trafficking, Sexual Exploitation and Child Sex Trafficking", and since 2014 has made 550 presentations to over 20,000 people.  She presents to politicians, police and the public. 

Monika was born into a family with a refugee background and experienced the joys and challenges of growing up in a host-country, and later immigrating to Canada. As a result, Monika learned to appreciate and celebrate people’s diverse cultural differences from an early age. Since 2019, she has been working with Archway Community Services, first as a Youth Worker and then as Program Coordinator, to support and help immigrants and newcomers to Canada thrive in their new home. 

Born in Vancouver in 1952, Richard joined the 15th Field Artillery Regiment, Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery in 1968 as a 16 year old bandsman.  Over the following 42 years of part-time and full-time service, Richard rose through the ranks to Chief Warrant Officer and then commissioned to Captain in 1985 on his appointment as Director of Music.  He also cross-trained into the combat arms working as a signaller, artilleryman, gun tractor driver, artillery detachment commander, parachutist, civil-military cooperation operator, NATO tactical and operational CIMIC instructor, casualty assisting officer and family deployment support coordinator.  Richard was released medically from the Canadian Armed Forces in 2011 as a result of Operational Stress Injuries related to his service.

Dean, her husband Rhino and their 3 children emigrated to Canada from South Africa 32 years ago.  Dean grew up in Zambia and after marrying Rhino lived in Malawi, Namibia and South Africa.  Dean was born into a Rotary family and when Rhino joined Rotary in 1986, he became an active Rotarian until she joined Rotary in 1989.  On arriving in Vancouver both Dean and Rhino joined the Rotary Club of West Vancouver and at present are members of the Rotary Club of Langley Central in District 5050. Her best experience is leading teams of Rotarians, Rotaractors and Interactors to Africa, and seeing how this volunteer experience changes their lives.

Community organizations that are the recipients of our club's Community Service Grant, will provide a brief overview of how these funds are applied in the work each does in our community.