Rotary Club of North Vancouver

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West Vancouver, BC
Rotary Club of North Vancouver

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The Club is best known on the North Shore for The Great Capilano Duck Race which it ran for 12 consec

08/27/2026

An intimate evening in a recording studio listening to new and original songs from the songwriters that wrote them.

07/14/2026

We’re supporting Jayne and the Terry Fox Run in North Vancouver for sure!

“I support the Terry Fox Foundation because I believe in Terry’s mission and have seen firsthand how donations create opportunities for advances in cancer research.” - Jayne, North Vancouver Terry Fox Run Organizer

Join Jayne and communities across Canada for the annual on September 20. ❤️

👉 Register, fundraise, and help finish Terry’s marathon against cancer: terryfox.org

07/12/2026

Martha Ann Lillard, the last known American living in an iron lung, has died at 78 after long COVID and the failure of her aging machine.

Rest in peace 🕊

Lillard contracted polio on her fifth birthday in 1953, just two years before the first effective polio vaccine became widely available in the United States.

Within days, she could no longer breathe or move her arms and legs. Doctors placed her inside an iron lung, a large metal ventilator that used changes in air pressure to expand and contract her chest.

Lillard later regained the ability to walk, but the disease left her with a paralyzed right arm, scoliosis, and only about 25% lung capacity. She continued using the iron lung because modern respirators could not provide the breathing support she needed.

Despite those challenges, Lillard built a creative and compassionate life. She painted, wrote poetry, composed music for the left hand piano, and was remembered for helping people and rescuing abandoned animals.

In later years, post-polio syndrome caused increasing weakness and fatigue. After contracting COVID-19 twice and developing long COVID, she eventually needed the iron lung around the clock.

Keeping the decades-old machine working became increasingly difficult. Some of its parts dated to the 1940s, and her family struggled to find anyone who knew how to repair it. When a tornado caused a power outage last year, her husband kept her breathing through mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until help arrived.

Lillard died on June 26. Her obituary listed long COVID as her cause of death.

Rest peacefully 🕊

📸Credit: Jennings Brown/Gizmodo/Polio Network

06/15/2026

So sad! Neil was a member of our club before he moved to Langley.

With profound sadness, we share the news of the passing of our dear friend and Club member, Neil McDonald, who left us recently.

Neil was more than a member of our Rotary family; he was a beacon of service, generosity, and leadership. His commitment to our Club touched countless lives, and his leadership of the Rotary International Youth Exchange committee for many years helped create opportunities and friendships that have enriched our community and the lives of young people around the world. His legacy in Rotary will endure through the programs he championed, the mentorship he offered, and the standard of service he modeled every day.

Our Club’s thoughts and prayers are with Neil’s family, and all who knew him. With heartfelt condolences and deep gratitude for Neil’s friendship and service.

04/14/2026

END POLIO NOW!

Address

380 Klahanie Court
West Vancouver, BC
V7P3P5

Opening Hours

Monday

7pm - 8pm

Website

http://www.rcnv.ca/

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