President Del opened the meeting by welcoming us to another beautiful Monday and expressing thanks that we had escaped the storm of the century. He started the meeting a bit early due to the heavy agenda.
Announcements:
President Del is asking all members to bring their cell phones to the meeting next week, as well as the names of 3-5 individuals that you think will make good Rotarians. If you want to get in on the fun please have Facebook loaded on your smart phone when you come to the meeting. We can help with that if you have a problem, so please know your Facebook password.
Members are reminded that the Club is seeking Major Project proposals for next year. Proposals are due by November 15th this year and the committee will conduct interviews with the applicants in January. Since this is the Club’s centennial year, we are seeking projects that will make a significant impact in our community. Major Project criteria and application procedures are available on the website and at the meetings or Click Here If members have questions, contact Peter Theisen, John Griggs, or Sandee Lindhout.
Rotation Day Chairperson Lori Leavitt reports that if anyone who wants to participate in Rotation Day from 12pm to 1:30pm on Nov 21 and has not let her know, they can look for her last email sent Oct 11 or email her directly (She's in the Directory: lori@lorimicheleleavitt.com) or text 360 303 4617 or call that # or her office 360 734 5580 and leave a message.
The Stop Hunger Now meal-packaging project will occur on November 19, 2016 at the St. Luke’s Community Education Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway, Bellingham, beginning at 9:00. Lisa Saar left information on the tables. The goal is to pack 100,000 meals. Members may volunteer or donate by going to http://events.stophungernow.org/BellinghamNov2016.
October 13, 2016 Board Briefs:
The District Rotary Foundation dinner 11/12 is being held at the McIntyre Concert and Event Hall in Mt. Vernon. The District has requested that Clubs donate a gift basket or certificate for $75 to $100 for items to be raffled off and a prize for the best basket with a contribution to the RI Foundation in the Club’s name. Dominique Zervas and Arlie Norman have volunteered to put something together up to $100.00.
Treasurer, John Holtzheimer, reported that there are still 18 outstanding members who have not paid their 7/1/15 dues as of yet. Members are reminded to get their dues in because the Club has already had to pay their Rotary International and District Dues in early July.
Attendance - The board discussed the recent 1st quarter attendance report showing 50 members under 50% attendance. If you study the report and find any errors, please contact Sandee immediately for a correction.
President Del wants to remind members that:
A Rotarian’s interest in the Club’s values as well as the Rotarian’s value to the Club are in direct proportion to contact with fellow Rotarians at Club meetings and/or activities. Currently, attendance at our meetings averages 80% per member.
Members are encouraged to attend (or make-up) at least 50% of the Club’s meetings during any six-month period beginning January 1 and July 1.
Attendance can be maintained by:
Attendance at another Rotary Club’s meeting during the period two weeks prior to the missed Bellingham meeting to two weeks after the meeting. A Rotarian who attends another Rotary club meeting may ask for a make-up card which he/she should send or present to the Club Secretary after returning. Some of the four Rotary Clubs in Bellingham have sign-up sheets that are shared among the Clubs so that the make-up card may not be necessary. A quick email to the Club Secretary to make sure you receive credit is recommended.
Participation in any event declared by the President.
Participation in official Club functions such as Board meetings, social gatherings, committee/project meetings, happy hours, etc.
Participation in any Rotary International/Rotary District function such as the R.I. Convention, the District Conference, a District committee meeting, a District Golf Outing, etc.
If Rotarians are prevented from attending their own Rotary Club meeting, or the meeting of another Club during the prescribed period they should notify the Club Secretary. Excusable reasons are sickness or any circumstance that precludes being able to make it to a meeting.
When a Rotarian expects to be absent for an extended period of time they should apply to the Board of Directors through the Club Secretary for a leave of absence.
Major Project Pledge – The Board wants members to be reminded that Members are expected to support at least one major project aimed at improving the quality of life in the Bellingham area by contributing to the annual RCOB fund campaign. Members are urged to contribute at least $750 - $1000 each year to this project, but if that is not possible during the first years of Club membership, to give as much as possible. Click here for Pledge card
President Del reported that he has vetted 3 gambling companies for the Las Vegas Night event February 11, 2017 at Mt. Baker Theatre and the Board approved hiring West Coast Entertainment. They will bring 14 people plus 1 manager with many different table types, including 7 black jack tables.
Guests of Rotarians:
Teri Treat brought Steve Hettick, COO with Ershig's Sheet Metal
Paula McCandlis introduced Mara Snyder who practices in family law.
Students of the Month:
Bruce MacCormack introduced the father of Bellingham High School Math student Sophia Carpenter, Michael Carpenter.
John Stewart introduced the parents of Sehome High School student Nick Mangan. They are John Mangan and Leslie Adams.
Yvonne Cartwright introduced the mother of Squalicum High School student Christian DeFries, Kim DeFries
Presentations:
Students of the Month
Cathy Buckley introduced the three students of the month in math and the members to present them.
Bruce MacCormack introduced Sophia Carpenter from Bellingham High School. Sophia has taken numerous AP classes and won a number of scholastic awards at the State and local level. She is not just a "geeky" math student, but is interested in poetry, travel, drama and music. After high school graduation, she plans to work for AmeriCorps for a year and then attend MIT or Rochester Institute of Technology, majoring in engineering.
John Stewart introduced Nick Mangan from Sehome High School. John read a letter from Nick’s algebra teacher, in which she said that Nick often went far beyond the assigned questions to posit additional questions, and then proceeded to answer his own questions. Nick plans to attend UW and major in engineering.
Yvonne Cartwright introduced Christian DeFries from Squalicum High School. Christian carries a 3.88 GPA, including many AP classes. He reads fiction and has an interest in video games – both playing and developing. He is also a hurdler on the varsity track team and runs on the cross country team. He has not decided on a college but is considering Central Washington University, University of Washington and Digipen Institute of Technology.
Program:
President Del then introduced Assistant District Governor Bill Gorman, who introduced District Governor Scott Dudley.
Governor Dudley said that it was a pleasure to be able to travel throughout the District and visit the various Clubs. He indicated the most important take-away from his presentation is: “How Rotary changed my life.” When he joined Rotary, he was just a member, but after a few years and some life-changing events, he became a true Rotarian.
His first major project was distributing wheelchairs in Mexico. During the trip he obtained an up-close view of grinding poverty as he went from shack to shack. The recipients of the wheelchairs reacted as if they had won the lottery. Scott’s wife observed that when he returned from Mexico, he was a changed man. He felt as if he had won the lottery himself with all the advantages and conveniences that we take for granted. He decided that we as Rotarians can do more and he personally wanted to do more.
His next trip for Rotary was scheduled for Haiti, which was recovering from a devastating earthquake, but it was canceled due to political unrest. He found himself with an unscheduled week and decided to visit all the Canadian clubs in the District. At one meeting during the Happy and Sad Bucks portion, a member stood up and told of her husband’s recent diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease. After her very moving presentation, Scott immediately offered to donate a kidney. His family members have had a long history of the disease, and Scott, with no second thoughts, made his offer.
A Canadian TV station learned of the donation and made it a major news story. We watched a video of the news feature played on the Canadian TV channel. There seemed to be a certain aura of disbelief that an American would donate a kidney to a Canadian who he met only four days before the surgeries. Scott had to explain more than once his connection with the recipient through Rotary and to describe the goals and missions of Rotary. The surgeries went well for both the donor and recipient, and the recipient is thriving with his new kidney. The waiting time in BC would have been in excess of eight years, during which time the recipient would have been on dialysis. Scott has no regrets and would do it again – except, of course, he only has one kidney left.
Governor Dudley reported that the war on polio is proceeding well, thanks in large part to Rotary. During the past year, there were only 26 new cases reported, and scientists believe that no later than the end of next year, polio will be complete eradicated.
Governor Dudley then presented President Del with his Paul Harris Award plus one. Lisa Saar was unable to be present, but Governor Dudley mentioned her receipt of her first Paul Harris Award. He then asked President Del to recognize some outstanding individuals in the club. President Del recognized Nathan Twining and Sandee Lindhout for their exceptional service to RCOB.
Governor Dudley then urged us to take advantage of offerings by the District. He invited us to attend the District Conference to be held at the Seattle Marriott Waterfront Hotel in May. He promised many waterfront and signature Seattle activities, including the possibility of a Mariners’ game, if the schedule is favorable.
He closed his remarks by stating that we have many choices – where to spend our lunch hours on Monday, which civic clubs to join, etc. He thanked us all for our commitment to Rotary.
Closing Remarks:
President Del reminded Club members that there was to be a meeting with District Governor Scott Dudley and the Board of Directors immediately following the Club meeting.
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