Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast

10/22/2026

Meet Frank Havies: The Rotarian Who Never Says Never

Ask Frank Havies for help with almost anything and you'll likely hear the same answer: "I know someone who can help with this." From a park in the heart of Sechelt to fresh water wells on an island in Honduras, Frank has spent his Rotary life proving that anything is possible. I sat down with Frank to find out what drives him.

What local project are you most proud of?
"Rotary Friendship Park in Sechelt. It really showed the collaboration of individuals, businesses and the community, creating a lasting impact in our community."

Is there a global Rotary effort that matters to you?
"I was very involved in a Rotary Global project drilling wells and bringing fresh, potable water to the island of St. Helene in Honduras."

Finish this sentence for me: I'm in Rotary because...
"It gives me the opportunity to give back to humanity, and to help ensure every child has fresh water, education and health."

What would you tell a friend who's curious about joining?
"Knowing everything that Rotary offers the world, why would you not join Rotary?"

What has Rotary given you personally?
"First, never say never. Anything is possible. Second, as a Rotarian you make friends all over the world in every occupation, so when a task is in front of you, you can say, 'I know someone who can help with this.' And third, friendship, fun and adventure."

Life gets busy. What keeps you coming back?
"Rotary is part of who I am. It gives me peace and well-being."

Anything else you'd love to share?
"Through Rotary friendships and fellowships, anyone has the ability to connect with like-minded people all over the world."

Thank you, Frank, for showing us that a good idea and the right friends can change a town park or a whole island.

Want to meet the people who never say never?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/21/2026

World Polio Day is Oct 24th. Blessed are we to not see Polio in our current lives here in Canada, the came can not be said for the whole world. Afghanistan and Pakistan both still have a few active cases and while this may seem like not a big deal, it is only a plane ride away. The worlds children are not safe and free of the disease as long as there is one child in the world with it. Help us to End Polio Now

A Little Money Raised in Sechelt Can Travel an Awfully Long Way

It's strange to think that an evening in Sechelt can make a difference thousands of kilometres away. But that's one of the things we love about Rotary.

Money raised through local events such as Dad & Me and our Wh**ky Tasting can also help support Rotary's worldwide effort to eradicate polio. We can work on a project down the street and still be connected to something happening on the other side of the planet.

That's Rotary. Local enough to know your neighbour. International enough to know your neighbour doesn't necessarily have to live next door. The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt is enormously proud to serve our own community while remaining part of something much larger. It turns out a small town can have a very long reach.

Want to discover how local Rotary connects with the world?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/21/2026

A Purple Fingertip Is the Proudest Mark a Child Can Wear

It doesn't look like much. A little purple ink on the tip of a small finger. But that mark tells the whole world one simple thing: this child has been vaccinated against polio.

In 2024 alone, 270 million children got that purple fingertip. Since the Global Polio Eradication Initiative began, more than 3 billion children in 122 countries have been protected from this disease.

Rotary has been in this fight from the start, and we're not stopping until the job is done. Behind every purple fingertip is a family that can look to the future with a little more peace of mind.

This Saturday, October 24, is World Polio Day. Take a moment to think about that purple fingertip, and about how close we are to ending polio for good.

Want to be part of the club that's helping finish the job?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/



Image: Rotary International / End Polio Now

10/20/2026

A Little Money Raised in Sechelt Can Travel an Awfully Long Way

It's strange to think that an evening in Sechelt can make a difference thousands of kilometres away. But that's one of the things we love about Rotary.

Money raised through local events such as Dad & Me and our Wh**ky Tasting can also help support Rotary's worldwide effort to eradicate polio. We can work on a project down the street and still be connected to something happening on the other side of the planet.

That's Rotary. Local enough to know your neighbour. International enough to know your neighbour doesn't necessarily have to live next door. The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt is enormously proud to serve our own community while remaining part of something much larger. It turns out a small town can have a very long reach.

Want to discover how local Rotary connects with the world?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/18/2026

Wednesday Lunch Can Teach You So Much About Your Own Town

You can live in Sechelt for years and still discover you don't know half of what is happening here. That's one reason we invite guest speakers to Rotary.

Local organizations, community leaders and people doing interesting work join us and tell us what they're seeing, building, solving and worrying about. Sometimes we leave inspired. Sometimes we discover a project Rotary could help with. Sometimes we simply understand our community a little better than we did before lunch.

The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt believes good service begins with listening, and Wednesdays give us a pretty good excuse to do exactly that. You don't have to be a Rotarian to come and see what we're about.

Curious about Rotary or about what's happening around Sechelt?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/16/2026

Sechelt Runs on Volunteers, Coffee and People Who Said "Sure"

Most community projects begin innocently. Someone says, "I have an idea." Then somebody else says, "Sure, I'll help." Three weeks later they're standing behind a barbecue wearing an apron, wondering how this happened. That's volunteering.

The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt is powered by people who give something incredibly valuable: their time. They set up tables, make phone calls, sell tickets, cook food, find sponsors, move chairs, clean up and do a hundred jobs nobody notices unless they aren't done.

No cape. No parade. Usually no parking spot. Just neighbours helping neighbours. We think that's one of the nicest things about living in Sechelt. There are still plenty of people willing to say, "Sure, I'll help."

Think you might be one of them?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/13/2026

A Wee Dram, a Big Heart, and 21 Years of Making Sechelt a Better Place

There are certain things that make a small town special. The familiar faces at the grocery store. The neighbour who helps without being asked. The local business owner who somehow finds time to support every good cause that comes knocking.

And, apparently, a room full of people sipping wh**ky while bidding enthusiastically against their friends for a weekend getaway.

Welcome to the Rotary Club of the Sunshine Coast's Annual Wh**ky Tasting, returning November 7 for its 21st year.

What began in 2005 as a modest wh**ky-and-beer tasting with about 80 guests has become one of the club's most anticipated fundraising evenings. It's elegant without being stuffy, educational without feeling like school, and just competitive enough to make the live auction wonderfully entertaining.

And year after year, it sells out.

Darcy Long, a longtime Rotarian who has helped guide the event through much of its history, remembers those early days fondly. The live auction was simply whiskies and the Heels, nothing particularly elaborate, and certainly no expectation that two decades later people would still be eagerly waiting to attend.

A bagpiper opens the evening, piping in the featured whiskies, carried by Rotarians and volunteers dressed in tartan sashes. Guests enjoy dinner, friendship, and a guided tasting of five carefully selected whiskies. This year's presenter, Charlene Rooke, is an accomplished spirits educator, writer and international wh**ky judge. British Columbia's own Shelter Point Distillery will also be featured. And for those who don't drink wh**ky, there are thoughtfully prepared mocktails.

The evening simply wouldn't happen without the extraordinary generosity of Sunshine Coast businesses, who donate experiences, gifts and sponsorships. "It's an experience that becomes memorable," Frank Havies explains. "And how do you put a price on that?"

Proceeds give Rotary the flexibility to respond wherever help is needed most. In the early years, much of the money helped build Rotary Friendship Park on Sechelt's waterfront. Today, Rotary supports youth programs at Chatelech Secondary School, student leadership opportunities, local food security initiatives, school buddy benches and international humanitarian projects.

"As long as you've got good projects in front of you, the community comes out full strength to support you," Frank says.

It's not really about wh**ky. It's about belonging.

Slàinte!

The November 7 Wh**ky Tasting is officially SOLD OUT! To join the waiting list, contact Frank Havies at 780-876-0317 or [email protected].

Curious about Rotary? Join us every Wednesday at noon at the Sechelt Seniors Activity Centre. All are welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/13/2026

Behind Almost Every Rotary Project Is a Local Business Saying Yes

There's a moment in almost every Rotary project when somebody asks, "Who's going to pay for that?" Fortunately, Sechelt has an extraordinary collection of businesses and community partners who have answered that question with, "Maybe we can help."

Our sponsors provide money, food, prizes, printing, supplies, services and sometimes the exact thing we didn't realize we needed until Tuesday afternoon. The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt is deeply grateful.

When a local business supports Rotary, that generosity travels. It becomes a dance for families, an opportunity for a student, food for a household, a community project or another small improvement in the place we all call home. That's not just sponsorship. That's neighbour helping neighbour.

Want to work with Rotary to make a difference in Sechelt?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/10/2026

Sometimes Changing the World Begins With a Glass of Water

We turn on the tap in Sechelt and expect water to come out. It's such an ordinary thing that most of us don't give it a second thought, until you imagine life without it.

Rotary's international service reaches into areas such as clean water, sanitation, hygiene, health and education. These are enormous problems, but the solutions often begin with something remarkably ordinary: clean water, a safe school, basic sanitation or someone willing to help.

The Rotary Club of Sunshine Coast Sechelt is proud to belong to a worldwide Rotary family that allows local Rotarians to think beyond our own shoreline. We love serving Sechelt, and we also like knowing that service doesn't have to stop where the highway ends.

Want to learn how a local Rotary club can be part of something worldwide?

Join us every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at the Sechelt Seniors Center. All are Welcome!

https://rotarysunshinecoast.org/

10/06/2026

Thank you to Advantage Dental!

The Rotary Club of the Sunshine Coast is proud to thank Advantage Dental for supporting our upcoming Wh**ky Tasting on November 7. The generosity of local businesses like Advantage Dental helps make events like this possible and allows Rotary to continue supporting worthwhile projects throughout the Sunshine Coast and beyond.

Caring for Sunshine Coast Smiles

Located in Gibsons, Advantage Dental has proudly served the Sunshine Coast community since 2004. Their team focuses on making dentistry friendly, personalized, comfortable, and as stress-free as possible.

Advantage Dental provides comprehensive care including general and preventative dentistry, same-day crowns, implants, cosmetic dentistry, children's dentistry, teeth whitening, clear aligners, and sedation options. Their approach combines advanced dental technology with gentle, personalized care for patients of all ages.

Thank you, Advantage Dental, for supporting Rotary and our Sunshine Coast community!