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This is the weekly bulletin for
The Richmond 
Sunrise Rotary Club 
for January 15th, 2025

Miscellaneous

 
 
Repeat from last week or until no longer relevant or until I delete it or it bears repeating:  
 
 

 

 
 
OUR THURSDAY BREAKFAST MEETING IS ACCESSED THROUGH THE LINK BELOW.
 
 
Rotary Club of Richmond Sunrise is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
 
 
1) Mute your microphone if you aren't already muted. Background noise is distracting. 
2) If you are not engaged in the presentation, turn off your camera. 
3) Chat function should only be used to address the speaker, not for Club member remarks during the presentation
4) Unmute when harassing the Sergeant at Arms or taking your turn during Sergeant at Arms.
5)Sunshine What?
Please direct any questions or concerns to the President or a board member of your choosing and the board will discuss any and all questions or concerns during a board meeting. Also please refer to the members committee anyone who may be interested in attending a meeting or joining the club.
 
 
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
 
When love is infused in our actions we do not stop to question the time or money we are sacrificing. We are inspired to do more, to give more. Love is the motivatin force behind all of Rotary's best work
 
 
 
 
   VISITORS     
 
 

Edmund Luk, Justin Chen, and Anastasia  Hambali all from Merchant Growth. 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND 

CLUB BUSINESS

 

Peters celebration of life is Monday January 19 from 11 - 2 at Beach Grove Golf Club. Members are asked to be there at 11:00 AM to show our support. 

On March 16, 6:00, PM there is a club Fireside at the Palace 6 and all are welcome.

On February 7th there is a RWHN container being loaded for Belize.

Projects committee meeting next Thursday after the breakfast meeting.

 

 
Speaker

 

 

Merchant Growth – Supporting Canada’s Small Businesses

Justin Chen and Edmund Luk spoke to the club about Merchant Growth, a Richmond-founded alternative lender that provides fast, flexible financing to Canadian small businesses, typically up to $800,000. They began by highlighting Rotary’s strong connection to small business and community impact, sharing personal stories of how local businesses and Rotary networks can make a real difference.

Founded in 2009 by Richmond native David Jones, Merchant Growth was created to address a major gap: many viable small businesses struggle to access bank financing due to rigid credit criteria, industry restrictions, or long approval timelines. Fifteen years later, Merchant Growth has deployed capital to 10,000+ businesses across Canada, backed by a mix of friends-and-family investors and a major credit facility with BMO.

Unlike traditional banks, Merchant Growth uses industry-specific data and on-the-ground insights to assess risk—looking beyond credit scores to factors such as location, competition, cash flow patterns, and even Google reviews for restaurants. This allows them to fund businesses that banks often decline, including restaurants, construction trades, retail, e-commerce, auto repair, health and beauty, senior homes, daycares, and healthcare staffing.

The presenters shared real examples of helping local businesses survive and grow—such as enabling a sandwich shop to repay COVID loans, and supporting Fresh Prep in its early growth by financing bulk packaging that significantly reduced costs. A key differentiator is speed: Merchant Growth can often fund deals in 24–48 hours, compared to weeks or months at a bank—critical for seasonal opportunities like building a summer patio.

They also provided insights into current economic trends, noting volatility in trucking and construction, relative strength in essential services, and surprising resilience in luxury retail. Their goal, they emphasized, is to help small businesses through the “awkward teenage phase” between startup and bank eligibility, then ultimately graduate them to traditional financing.

The presentation was well received, particularly by Rotarians who are small business owners themselves, and highlighted Merchant Growth as both a valuable resource and a proud local success story.

 

 
SERGEANT At Arms Tidbits
 

Chewy

Chewy had a gold-star parenting week. He pulled the kids out of school for a spontaneous family day—walks, breakfast, dinner, and quality time all around. Dinner stole the show, especially at Vero Condo on Powell Street, a hyper-local Vancouver gem sourcing almost everything from the Island or Lower Mainland. Bonus fun fact: even their beef tartare comes from a licensed tartare breeder in Abbotsford. Fancy and local!

Debbie M.

Debbie spent the week showing homes in beautiful Belcarra… which is less beautiful when you’re afraid of heights. Narrow roads, steep drop-offs, clients calmly chatting in the car—while Debbie white-knuckled the steering wheel and avoided looking down. After safely dropping off clients, she pulled over to breathe and recover. A successful week, but emotionally exhausting!

Judy

Big news for Judy: after an October flood, renovations are finally starting. The catch? She now has to find somewhere else to live for at least three weeks. Today’s mission: house-hunting—temporary edition.

Margaret

Margaret enjoyed a lovely dinner with friends… and continues to bravely endure her “suffering” of having five more Canucks games still to attend. Truly a hard life.

Chris M.

Chris thought he had nailed Christmas back in October with tickets to see Brian Cox at the Orpheum. Dinner plans were made, excitement was high—until she checked the tickets again. Turns out the show is on January 13, 2027. The gift was excellent… just one years early.

Blair

Blair shared wonderful news: after a long cancer journey filled with chemo—and a very full bucket list including parachuting and the Super Bowl—his brother called to say he’s now cancer-free. A moment of real gratitude and joy for the whole room.

Sam

Sam had a packed but fun week. A hockey tournament at Sun Peaks with the LGBTQ+ hockey league kept him busy—especially as part of the organizing committee. On top of that, interviews with BCIT, The Vancouver Sun, and more meant a whirlwind of hockey publicity. Busy, loud, but very rewarding.

Marylou

Marylou was exhausted after an overnight event but still powered through family time filled with board games. She’s now prepping for a Toronto trip—despite looming snowstorms and nervous emails from Air Canada. She’ll miss next week but promised to make a donation in her absence.

Garth

Garth weighed in on travel, proudly declaring cruise ships superior—no flying, no customs chaos, and fewer indignities. Practical wisdom from a seasoned traveler.

Amanda

Amanda thanked everyone for attending the Gala meeting and gave a shout-out to Freshslice Pizza, where even when she orders something different, they throw in extra cheese just because. She also wrote her Level 2 exam—expecting 250 questions but getting only 50, some of which looked completely unfamiliar. Fingers crossed!

John

John’s renovation saga continues—the contractor thinks it’s done (because the deposit from last May is gone), but the job isn’t. On a brighter note, his daughter’s YouTube channel is thriving: 1.5 million views, 4,000+ subscribers, and earning about $300 a month—mostly from the U.S. and, mysteriously, the Philippines.

Pat

Pat praised John’s hospitality at the board meeting, enjoyed bowling yesterday, and is heading to a CFUW luncheon in North Vancouver—making for a full, social day.

Peachy

Peachy is back and healthy after successful gallbladder surgery. Next up: a two-month trip to the Philippines with Elena and Danny for a dental mission. She’ll be back in March—on a mission with purpose.

Jeanette

Jeanette summed up her week in one word: Rotary. Board meetings, school breakfasts, club meetings—Rotary everywhere, all week long.

Michael

Michael eased back into teaching as more students returned from sickness and vacation—essentially repeating last week all over again. Highlights included Riverside’s best Christmas party ever (held in January), games, prizes, and his six-year-old son Aiden winning musical chairs. He also finally took down Christmas decorations—six hours, three people, and one completely full van later.

Chris P.

Chris celebrated the coming good weather, thanked visiting guests, and appreciated their boots-on-the-ground, solutions-based work. She’ll miss the next two auctions due to conferences—but promised he hasn’t quit (and asked everyone not to rejoice too much).

Melinda

Birthday vibes all around! Ice cream cake for breakfast, dinner plans decided by grandkids (tacos won), and heartfelt thanks for the birthday wishes and presentation. Simple, sweet, and celebratory.

Brian

Brian shared his weekly skiing tradition—rain, thunder, and all. A bargain jacket proved to be more sponge than shell, leading him on a quest for affordable quality. He scored a $280 deal at a hidden shop near Granville. He also plugged a 1920s jazz night and silent film event at the Orpheum—perfect for anyone already dressing up for the auction.

Elena

Elena is deep in prep mode for the Philippines: dental mission logistics, Rotary partnerships, Costco runs (including smoked salmon gifts for diplomats), and coordination with local clubs. She emphasized how powerful international Rotary partnerships are—helping thousands with shared effort.

Sandra

Sandra wrapped up Christmas celebrations in Parksville with family. Despite torrential rain, the three little ones convinced everyone to visit a cheese factory and see the cows—soaking wet but full of laughs. Christmas officially complete.

Bobby

Bobby thanked members for support with funding arrangements and wished Melinda a happy birthday. He’s coming off a busy stretch of meetings and dinners—and warned invoices are coming soon (assuming the internet cooperates).

Debbie T.

Debbie hosted a family birthday fueled by a surprise feast of butter chicken and rice—accidentally picked up late but universally loved, even earning approval from Delhi-connected in-laws. She also shared life with two five-month-old kittens who are determined escape artists, resulting in an early-morning rescue mission involving a black cat and a parked car.

 
 

 

 
 

MEANDERINGS    

 
Beam me up Scotty! According to the January issue of Scientific American tiny worms will leap toward a fruit fly host using static electricity. The worms are roughly the size of a pin point will hurl themselves 25 times their body length to land on the flying insect overhead. Apparently the beating of the flies wings creates enough positive charge to pull a oppositely charged worm to the unlucky host whose flesh will shelter the parasite until dinner time. 
 
YIKES!            Inchworm Drawing at GetDrawings | Free download

 

 
UPCOMING EVENTS
 
 
Third Thursday of every month will be a projects meeting.
 
Friday, May 1st, 2026; Rotary Gala.
 
 
 
 

 TODAY'S CHUCKLEs     

 

 

  •                     Funny Emoji Copy And Paste Template Business Emoji Faces Printable

  • My friends think I'm addicted to brake fluid, but I can stop any time I like.

  •  

  • It says that the venom can kill an elephant, but it doesn't say anything about people, so you should be fine

  •  

  • The grocer asked if I would I like my milk in the bag, but my reply was quite obviously ’No thank you, just leave it in the carton.

  •  

 

 


 

 
 
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Debbie Samsom
January 8
 
Debbie Tablotney
January 13
 
Melinda Newman
January 15
 
Amanda Sinclair
January 31
 
Spouse/Partner Birthdays
Hayley Gordon
January 12
 
Join Date
Danilo Salcedo
January 21, 2016
10 years
 
Larry Thompson
January 23, 2003
23 years
 
Christine Marin
January 29, 2015
11 years
 
Micheal Ghirra
January 30, 2023
3 years