The Ripple Effect: Dragon Boats Bring a Community Together

About this episode

The episode discusses the community impact of the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival and features insights from its director and club president.

In 1996, the Rotary Club of Stratford in Ontario took a more than 2,000-year-old Chinese tradition and turned it into a fundraising event that has raised well over $1 million for the club and its projects. Last year, Craig Thompson directed a documentary called The Ripple Effect that highlights the community impact of the Stratford Rotary Dragon Boat Festival. Chicago journalist Jerome McDonnell sits down with Craig and club president Dan Kane to discuss the festival and its history. Contact action@ballinran.com to screen The Ripple Effect at your club!

People in this episode

Host: Jerome McDonnell

Guests: Craig Thompson, Dan Kane

Topics covered

• community impact
• fundraising
• cultural traditions
• dragon boat festival
• Rotary Club

Keywords

• dragon boats
• fundraising event
• community
• documentary
• Rotary Club
• Stratford
• Chinese tradition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Rotary Club of Stratford, Rotary magazine

Books & works: The Ripple Effect

Places: Ontario

More episodes of Rotary Voices

• Medical Moonshots: Fighting Cervical Cancer with Dr. Richard Godfrey · May 19, 2026 · 35 min
• A Membership Success Story: How This Georgia Club Keeps Growing · April 9, 2026 · 30 min
• Dr. Marc Schulz: Lessons from the World’s Longest Happiness Study · April 1, 2026 · 38 min
• Songwriter David LaMotte: Harmony in Action · March 11, 2026 · 40 min
• A Bride Too Soon · March 2, 2026 · 22 min
• Rashmi Rustagi: A Ray of Light · January 28, 2026 · 28 min