President John rang the meeting to order at 12:25 PM.
Tim Farris and Steve Ban were given thanks for their leadership roles during last week's successful Rotary Friendship Exchange with the Hungarian Rotarians. Also recognized were the following members, for hosting the Hungarian guests: Bill Day, Rick Kaiser,Marty Haines and John Moffat. We showed our visitors the beauty of our surroundings with a whale watching tour, a ferry trip to Friday Harbor, hikes around Artist Point and sailing in Bellingham Bay. They were given a tour of some of our Club's past Major Projects, including the new Lighthouse Mission building, with the medical clinic we funded, and the Boulevard Park renovations.
Guests:
George Halsell introduced our speakers Dr. Jessica Maassen & Stephanie Santiago with Whatcom Audiology
Monty McAllister brought his bride of 61 years, Donna
Ward Naf introduced the new Whatcom Community College President, Justin Guillory
Visiting Rotarian: Oscar Ikinya from Kenya who was a 25 year Rotarian.
Zoom: Jack Westford & Dick Tucker
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Meeting Updates:
September 29th meeting will be at 5:30pm at the Airport Holiday Inn. 5:30 cocktails; meal at 6:00; business and program begin at 6:30. (The Mountain Film Committee will
have a meeting at the same location at 5pm).This meeting will be interesting and worthy of consideration for spouses, who are also warmly invited. For those that pre-reserve, there will be a buffet available for a fee of $30.00. The Guest Speaker is Ambassador Jeffrey Hovenier, former Ambassador to Republic of Kosovo. Hovenier is a diplomat who served for thirty-four years in the US Foreign Service.
The Service Fund Committee is taking applications for Grants.
Please send applications to Nathan Twining or Sandee. Each applicant will need a Rotarian sponsor.
Board Briefs for September 18, 2025
A letter of resignation was received and accepted with regret from Pete Kirkman due to outside commitments.
The December 15th meeting will be an evening meeting including spouses with no speaker. Location to be determined at the next board meeting – October 16, 2025.
Sandee informed the Board that Rotary International has created new recommended Standard By-Laws and Rotary Club Constitution formats. George Halsell and Bob Kuenzel will review those changes and make recommendations. The last time RCOB updated our documents was 2019.
We discussed future meeting locations’ next steps and will poll the full membership by email in the coming weeks. Sandee, John, Mark Knittel and Ward Naf are working on the format of the questions to give the membership the full information to make a decision.
It is time to start the Nominations for the 2026-2027 officers.
Board Members are asked to bring names of members who would be able to join the Nominating Committee to the next Board Meeting, October 16th. 2 members, in good standing, are needed to sit on the committee to join Chairman Steve Ban, John Moffat and Nathan Twining. Also be thinking about suggestions for VP/Program Chairman and 2 Board of Directors to replace Rick Kaiser and Catherine Riordan. Bob Kuenzel & Fred Kaiser remain for 1 more year. Election (if needed) will be December 8th and nominations will need to be announced to the membership by November 17th (3 weeks prior to election)
Nathan Twining, Chairman of the Service Fund Grants Committee is looking for applications. We have $4,000 in the budget.
Next Board meeting will be October 16, 2025 at 4:30 on Zoom
The Dalai Lama’s Cat, Awaken the Kitten Within, by David Michie.
The book is a fictional account about Buddhism
through the lens of a cat and its interactions with people in the neighborhood.
Sue does not recommend reading this book…unless you really love cats or religious discussion. It does, however, answer the question of how we, as “oldsters”, rekindle the wonder of life and get focused. It’s an inspiration about what we should get out of life, and it’s not unlike what Rotary offers us as Rotarians.
NEW MEMBER INDUCTION
Induction of former Rotarian Dr. Justin Guillory, president of WCC, proposed by Kathi Hiyane-Brown, former president of WCC, and Ward Naf.
Kathi introduced Justin, having known him for many years in his past role as president of the Lummi Indian College.
Past-President Del VandeKerk then gave Justin the charge of membership, which was followed by rousing applause from the membership.
We are pleased to induct Justin into the Rotary Club of Bellingham again.
The Success Seminars have now been rescheduled, and are open for registration. As this is to help clubs grow membership and impact, we hope that clubs will consider sponsoring at least two members to attend.
CLICK HERE for details and to register for the November 8 Success Seminar in Mount Vernon/LaConner, WA.
CLICK HERE for details and to register for the November 15 Success Seminar in Surrey, BC.
The two Seminars will be identical, and you can choose the one that is more convenient to you.
The Rotary Success Seminars will emphasize the importance of the Rotary Action Plan and the vital relationship between Membership, Public Image, and The Rotary Foundation in helping clubs grow.
It is a unique, exciting, and fun way to help both new and experienced members become truly engaged in Rotary. Learn new insights to help your members and your club become more vibrant, relevant and attractive to both new potential members and to your current members.
You and your club will develop skills to retain and engage existing members and to grow your club's membership with new members.
Sean Hogan
Director of Leadership Development
Rotary District 5050
Weekly Payment Reminder
VENMO:
@RCOB- Bellingham.
Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532.
CASH / CHECK:
Yes, we still take these and saving on fees is appreciated.
Dr. Jessica Maassen obtained a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders, with a minor in Audiology, at Western Washington University in 2010. She then attended graduate school at the University of Washington, where she received her Doctorate in Audiology in 2014. Additionally, she was awarded the Carrell- Miner Clinical Achievement award for excellence in clinical practice.
Stephanie Santiago received her bachelor's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Western Washington University in 2010, and obtained a Hearing Instrument Specialist degree from Spokane Falls Community College in 2012. Stephanie continues to give back to the community as the board chair for the advisory committee at SFCC.
The question was then asked: Why is it important to get your hearing tested?
Hearing loss often develops gradually, so you may not notice it right away. A hearing test can catch issues early, allowing for timely intervention before the problem worsens. Untreated hearing loss can lead to misunderstandings, frustration, and social withdrawal. Regular hearing tests ensure that you stay connected with others, both personally and professionally. There is a strong link between untreated hearing loss and cognitive decline, including dementia. Keeping your hearing in check can help maintain mental sharpness as you age. Hearing loss can lead to feelings of isolation, anxiety, or depression. Getting your hearing tested and treated helps
support mental and emotional health. If hearing aids are needed, earlier intervention generally leads to better results because your brain adapts more easily when hearing loss is caught early.
You’ll want to consider the following when it comes to Hearing Aids:
• Style
• Battery vs. Rechargeable
• Technology Level
• Bluetooth Compatibility
• App Connectivity
Waterproof/Water Resistant
It’s important to note that when you are fit with new hearing aids it’s your brain that hears, not your ears. Effectively, hearing aids are not RESTORING your hearing, they are AIDING it. Sounds will be different and it will take time for your brain to
adapt to this new information. It's important to wear your hearing aids as much as possible during the day, not just when you think you need them. It may take a few months to get acclimated. And it WILL Get BETTER! In order for your brain to adapt to hearing new sounds, you MUST wear your hearing aids ALL DAY EVERY DAY. If you do this, these sounds will become normal. You will begin to depend on your hearing aids in a good way. Listening effort will also be reduced as you are not putting forth as much effort to hear and understand speech.
Hearing plays a crucial role in maintaining overall health and well-being, especially as we age. It affects:
• Cognitive Health
• Emotional Well-Being
• Communication and Socialization
• Prevention and Treatment
• Physical Health
• Physical Safety
• Hearing and Independence
If you’re getting hearing aids, these are the questions to ask:
• Service- Are adjustments, cleaning, and maintaining your hearing aids covered and for how long?
• Warranties- How long is the repair and loss & damage warranty? What is the cost to repair the hearing aid after the initial warranty expires? Do you have to pay a deductible when filing a loss and damage claim?
• Demo - Try before you BUY!
• Trial periods: WA state minimum is 30 days.
• Do they VERIFY the fitting of the hearing aids?
• Are you connecting with your hearing care provider?
If you’re interested in more information please feel free to follow up with Jessica Maassen and Stephanie Santiago at:
Phone: 360-392-8683
Email: info@whatcomaudiology.com
CLOSING:
President John thanked those members who helped put on the meeting and rang the meeting to adjournment at 1:30pm.
Bob Kuenzel led us to sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame"
RCOB apparel, including polo shirts, dress shirts, vests and hats is now available. These are items that every Club member simply must have in his/her wardrobe! Besides looking great, Club members will be contributing to branding for the RCOB as well as supporting our Club's Foundation, which will receive part of the proceeds.
Click on the button below for the the clothing catalogue, with the Order Form on the last page. Fill out the order form, turn it into Vinson Latimore at a meeting or email a scanned copy to embroidery@choicesscrubs.com.
