In January 2012, a team of 10 Rotarians from Vancouver Island and northwest Washington State were the recipients of an exuberant welcome as they participated in a Rotary Friendship Exchange in the state of Gujarat in northwestern India.  Parksville was represented by Angela Dadoush, Rotary Club of Parksville and Diana and Massey Matsuda, Rotary Club of Parksville AM.  Travelling to the cities of Surat, Baroda, Nadiad, Bhavnagar and Rajkot, team members were billeted with Indian families, observing daily life, customs and family structures in a fashion never possible from a hotel room.

India is a country of total sensory overload – the sights, sounds, smells and tastes are larger than life, the contradictions endless; yet the kindness and generosity of spirit ever present.  The traffic is chaotic … a mass of wagons, cars, buses, brightly decorated trucks, motorbikes, cows, bicycles, stray dogs, horses, rickshaws and the odd camel. But amidst the chaos of honking horns and swirling mass of humanity, there is a certain rhythm, even nonchalance, on the roads … and not a whiff of road rage.

On March 30, 2012, Jacqueline Russell, a member of the Parksville AM Rotary Club, was among nine British Columbians who received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her support of literacy in the province. The award was presented by His Honour the Honourable Steven Point, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, at a ceremony held at Government House.

Jacqueline received her medal for her role in the Lieutenant Governor's Literacy Program, specifically her work as Literacy Coordinator for Rotary District 5020. In this role, she helped partner local Rotary clubs with Penelakut Island and also helped bring the UBC Dental Clinic to the community.