President Paul Grey opened the meeting by commenting on the photos on the screen from the Community Boating Center barbecue picnic given for the club on August 11. Paul called out CDC Executive Director Bryan Rust, who he was confident will be an excellent director for the CBC. He told the club members that our money would be in good hands with Bryan.
Paul pointed out the food surveys on the tables and asked the members to fill them out to help the Whatcom Community College folks serve us better.
COVID Update:
Steve Ban said the Board asked him to give the club an update on the current status of COVID.
Steve noted that on August 12, Whatcom County was rated in the high-risk category in the state. The current variant is causing almost all the new infections. Steve cautioned that the cumulative effect of multiple infections can cause more complicated and long-term impacts. He urged members to mask while indoors in large groups, including at our meetings (except when eating).
Club and Committee Announcements:
Board Meeting Highlights:
Paul announced that Jennifer Dowd is a proposed new member who is going through the vetting process. A notice has already been sent to members asking for comments. Bacchus Taylor, also from Options High School, has resigned.
Lynda Hinton resigned her RCOB membership. As she was a board member, the board is looking for a new member to take her place. Chip Lauckhart and Peg Larson have also resigned their memberships.
Announcements
Doug Cole is looking for candidates for Community Service grants.
Paul said the club’s budget is in good shape, but we need to work to stay that way. He urged members to continue to contribute to happy bucks and to participate in the raffle.
Golfun: The district Golfun outing will be on Friday, August 26, at Homestead Farms Golf Club. Paul urged that even if you are not a golfer, you can still enjoy the dinner. He said it will be a lot of fun.
Homelessnesss Writing Project:
John Dunne is orchestrating a writing project in the community. The topic is homeless. Beyond that, the foci and format are wide open. There will be a broad spectrum of folks writing, including some homeless folks. Jack Westford is coordinating an attempt to include the writing of RCOB members. To incentivize RCOB members Jack has devised some prizes and recognition for the winning entry. The deadline is August 29.
Guidelines for the Competition
The writing must involve homeless/homelessness as the subject.
The writing can focus on your concerns about homelessness, your impressions of the homeless, an encounter with a homeless person that was particularly touching or disturbing, your thoughts about how to reduce the likelihood that someone would become homeless or what is needed to help people escape from homelessness.
The form of the writing can take on any form: poetry, an essay, a letter to a fictional homeless person, an epitaph or fictional letter to an editor, mayor or city council member, etc.
Your submisssion should be no more than two typed pages in length; brevity is appreciated but required.
The submissions must be received by email to Jack Westford no later than the Rotary meeting on August 29.
Submission will be judged by a three-member panel on the basis of thoughtfulness, clarity and originality.
The winner’s name will be announced at a Rotary meeting, the winning submission published in the Tattler, and the winner receive a free lunch at a Rotary meeting of their choice.
WE HAVE MOVED TO OUR MEETING LOCATION TO WHATCOM COMMUNITY COLLEGE, PAVILION #201 EFFECTIVE AUGUST 1, 2022. HERE ARE THE NEW DIRECTIONS (ONES HANDED OUT LAST WEEK HAVE BEEN REPLACED) PRINTABLE DOCUMENT CLICK HERE
The buildings address is 241 W Kellogg Rd. But this is not where you park. There is no parking off of Kellogg Road. You must enter parking off either Eliza Ave or Cordata Parkway. You are looking for the YELLOW lot (look on light poles for Y2 or Y3).
Enter from Eliza Ave: the driveway between Kellogg Rd and Westerly Rd has a driveway into the campus, follow that about 200 yards until it slopes down, park in the area between the three buildings.
Enter from Cordata Parkway: Just north of the WTA station and Cruisin Coffee before the round about is Orca Lane, take Orca Lane around the first two buildings until you find a large parking lot between three buildings.
Nathan Twining announced the Rotary Golfun Tournament happening on 26 August in Lynden. There is a lunch included and a dinner afterward. Nathan said you don’t have to be a serious golfer to join in. Contact Nathan for details. $125 entry.
You will still receive an email from Sandee each week prior to the Monday 12:30 meeting if you are unable to attend in person (you can start logging in at 12:00 for short socializing) with the link for that privacy-protected meeting. If you have n done so, please download the Zoom app on your computer (you need a camera and microphone on it), iPad or phone. There is no cost to you. If you cannot do either, you can also call in. On the invitation, there are US phone numbers you can call and enter the meeting ID number also indicated on the invitation.
Lunch will be $22 for a buffet meal. We must notify them by Monday at NOON the week prior to the Monday meeting as to the number of members attending. We are sending out meeting "Invites" weekly and members are asked to sign-up ASAP. You can also sign-up by going to the event section of our website at bellinghamrotary.org. If you sign up for a meal at the meeting, you will need to pay the $22 even if you don't wind up attending the meeting after the numbers are turned in. If you plan to attend but not eat, PLEASE indicate that on your sign-up so we don't overorder meals and still make sure there is enough seating.
Four Points also will not collect the payment weekly, so the Club will collect payments prior to the meeting or at the door.
We urge members of the RCOB to set up a Venmo account for ease in payment of Meeting lunches, Happy Bucks, Minister of Fun, Dues or donations to the club. Our account is @RCOB- Bellingham. If you do not have a Venmo account you can set up an account with your computer then download the app. on your phone (just Google "Venmo" and you will find all the information you need) You then attach it to a debit or credit card (a fee on your end) or attach to your checking account at no cost. Payment will be sent di ctly to the RCOB checking account. When you use it for the first time it may ask you the last 4 digits of the RCOB phone number which is 0282. Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532
Other payment options are to bring a check in the correct amount to the meeting made out to RCOB or cash in the exact amount to speed up the payment process. There is also the PayPal option as usual and we are set to take payments at the meeting. We have a QR Code that you scan and simply click to pay thru paypal also.
Website and Phone App instructions:
Here is a tutorial on how to login for the first time. (Click here) Go to belling mrotary.org first. In order to login you need t know your user name and password in your Clubrunner account. The user name is Your first name.Lastname.264 unless you have changed it. Example: Sandra.Lindhout.264 the password is initially set by Clubrunner at 264 unless you have changed it. Sandee can see your Username from her computer but not the password. She can also change your password for you from her computer at your request if you run into problems.
Once you have originally created your User Name and Password you can download the ClubRunner Mobile app on your phone:
Please contact Sandee at 360-734-5532 or rcob@comcast.net if you run into any trouble.
Guests
Members attending on Zoom: Fred Kaiser, Loch Trimingham, Ken Marzocco and Bob Morse
Program:
Steve Ban introduced today’s speaker, Donnell Tanksley, Chief of Police for the City of Blaine. The title of “Tank’s” talk was, “An Unlikely Journey: From Midwest Cockroaches to the Shores of Semiahmoo.” Steve noted that both he and Tank grew up in St. Louis and attended the same high school.
Tank gave his personal history. He was born to a 15-year-old single mother who committed suicide at age 16. He was raised by his then 17-year-old aunt, whom he referred to in his talk as his mom. Tank lived with her and a step-sister in a small, one-bedroom, cockroach-infested apartment. He spent almost all his time in the summers at the community swimming pool, and in the winters at the community center. When Tank was in 8th grade, his mom got a good union job. They were able to move to a new apartment in a better part of town and Tank got his own room. When he was in high school, he got a job in a restaurant busing tables and later waiting on tables, purchasing a bicycle with his earnings to help him get to and from work. With his grandmother’s support, he opened a bank account and eventually saved $2,500, which he used to buy a car.
Tank was always attracted to the military. He joined the U.S. Navy Sea Cadets in 9th grade and the Navy right out of high school. He turned 18 in boot camp, and began his service in Bahrain in 1987 and traveled to many countries. His Navy time was important because it gave him a sense of different cultures and norms in different societies. In 1988 his “mom” died and he had to get his own apartment in neighboring Ferguson, Missouri. He began attending community college.
During this time, a watershed event in his life occurred. One day Tank decided to arrange a day of horseback riding with 8 friends of his. They were in two cars driving in a rural area outside of St. Louis. They were pulled over by the local police, who asked what they were doing there. The police proceeded to call them the “n” word many times, search through their cars for drugs and weapons (finding none) and to mistreat them. It was at that point that Tank decided he would become a police officer. He recognized the good that could be done by a police officer who did their job well, as opposed to the officers he had to deal with that day. He recognized how important it was to have deep respect for humanity and to have empathy for everyone, as well as to be fair and impartial. At the core, being a good police officer was about not being a bad person.
Tank worked in the St. Louis police force for 14 years. In 2014 he came to WWU for an interview and became assistant police chief for 3 years. From 2017 to 2019 he was the head of the Portland State University police. He was then hired as Chief of Police at the City of Blaine.
In response to questions about the school shootings in Texas, Tank noted that planning for an event starts long before the event actually happens. Many conversations have to happen. The police force has to practice responses and have the resources to make the correct responses.
Closing: President Paul said the club would be back in its traditional round table seating when we move to Syre Hall in a few weeks.
