The meeting was called to order by President John Moffat promptly at 12:30 from his hideaway in Kona, Hawaii.
Rick Kaiser gave a short history of the official Marine Hymn, noting how it one-upped songs by the Army and Navy. We sang along to the music.
Mike Deihl gave the invocation, again drawing our attention to working for the common good.
George Halsell introduced today’s speaker, Marissa Papetti, owner of Maries Bees in Bellingham.
John reminded us there will be no meeting next week, February 16th, President’s Day Holiday. The next meeting will be on February 23rd, an evening meeting with a speaker, at the Holiday Inn at the Airport at 5:30. Be sure to sign up for a meal before noon on February 13th.
There will be a Board of Directors meeting next Thursday, February 19th at 4:30 on Zoom. Contact Sandee for link if you would like to attend.
Larry Halgren was the Minister of Fun and once again picked on Tom Grimstad, even though he was hiding online. He also targeted Marty Haines, who had lost a bet with his wife. Larry had Marty bid on two dozen red roses he had up his sleive, finally winning with a bid of $51.
GUESTS:
George Halsell introduced today’s speaker, Marissa Papetti, owner of Maries Bees.
Paul Grey introduced Barb Demorest founder of Knitted Knockers and friend Phyllis Kramer
Scott Herman introduced his wife, Jen
Visiting Rotarian: Nicki Artieres, Bellingham Bay
Zoom attendees: John Moffat, Tom Grinstad, Dennis Murphy, Mark Knittel and Loch Trimingham
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Committee reports: John Dunne said he had talked to Bart Hunter from Road 2 Home about volunteer opportunities. Road 2 Home operates Garden View tiny home village for homeless over 55 who are disabled or medically fragile. He said there would be volunteer opportunities to do manual labor, street outreach, mentoring a homeless individual and handing out coffee at the Little Cheerful. Several Rotarians indicated that they would be interested in one or more of those opportunities.
Sue Parsons announced the fund-raising event for Whatcom Early Child Learning Center on February 20, 6:00-8:30 at the Majestic Ballroom, 1027 Forest St. Tickets are $35. Guests will have a selection of four slices of cake from a choice of 50, baked by several bakeries, and a free raffle ticket.
Roland Trenouth reminded us of our 2026 meal-packing event, scheduled for March 14, 2026, at Assumption Gym from 8:45-12:00. The goal is to pack 35,000 meals and raise $12,400 to cover materials costs. This is only possible through the efforts of partners and volunteers like you. The meals packed will be sent to Sierra Leone, providing over 1,000 students with nutritious meals and foundations for their physical and academic health.
We are way behind on the fundraising goal for this year's major project, according to Monty McAllister. He reminded us of the club's expectation that all members contribute annually to the major project and encouraged those who haven't done so to make their donations as soon as possible. Monty McAllister called our attention to obligations we have made to specific club projects. “Get on it.”
Project Purpose:
Skookum Kids is seeking $140,000 to assist with the purchase of three slightly used vans. RCOB would contribute approximately $85,000 of this total with the remainder obtained from designated donors. While currently serving 200+ families each year, acquiring these vehicles will significantly improve Skookum Kids' ability to serve more children and families throughout Whatcom County and Northwest Washington for years to come.
Our donation will enable the organization to replace aging minivans, which are used to transport children to and from appointments, sometimes across the state! Eighty percent of foster children have court-mandated visitations.
Paul Grey, sponsor of the service fund request, introduced Knitted Knockers founder Barb Demorest founder, Demorest
Knitted Knockers was the recipient of a $1000 service grant. Their volunteers have knitted bra inserts for women who have had mastectomies. They have knitted over 1 million Knitted Knockers, which have been distributed free of charge to women in 76 countries.
George introduced today’s speaker, Marissa Papetti, who started her business 9 years ago as a backyard beekeeper. The business has grown to include many other local beekeepers and honey-adjacent products.
Her talk included a hands-on demonstration of honey production and the lives of the bees, which are all females. Each hive has one queen. Marisa had the members out of their seats to touch the hive and taste the raw honey. She noted that the commercial production of honey involves pasteurization, which destroys the nutritional value of honey, and adds corn starch, which prevents the honey from crystallizing. Hornets and yellowjackets are natural predators of hives, stealing the honey. She also noted the unusual reproduction process for bees. The queen attracts males with pheromones but then snips off their genitals to store in abdominal pouches. Ouch! She shared additional tips for daily living around bees, such as leaving meat out instead of swatting at yellow jackets when sitting on the deck.
Maries Bees sells their products at local farmers’ markets and online at mariesbees.com. They deliver orders and have a couple of sales going on now.
She said we could get a discount with the code hpc but there seem to be other discounts available online.
Closing:
President John thanked all who helped make this meeting possible and noted that he would be returning from Kona later this week before he closed today's meeting.
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.
