President Paul Grey Rick Kaiser - Music Mike Plenkovich - Invocation Shauna Naf
New Meeting Location Room - Syre Theater at WCC STARTING MONDAY OCTOBER 3, 2022
September 26, 2022
Opening Welcome:
President Paul welcomed us to our 54th in person meeting and 107th virtual meeting with an invitation to the members to walk down the hallway and visit our new space. At the end of the meeting, as promised, the doors to our awaiting new meeting space were opened – revealing round tables for lunch and enjoyable conversations, a stage and a full audio/visual system. It appears to have everything we would need. Quite nice.
CLUB ASSEMBLY - OCTOBER 10, 2022
We were also reminded that, on October 10th, our club will have a “club assembly”. The purpose is to have members communicate what is going well and what we can do to make our club stronger. This is a chance for every member to be heard and we encourage you to attend and participate in the spirit of taking our Club to new heights.
BREAKING NEWS: WE ARE MOVING TO OUR PERMANENTMEETING LOCATION THIS COMING MONDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, SAME BUILDING, SYRE THEATER STRAIGHT IN FROM ENTRANCE. SEE MAPS BELOW...
10/3 Sweet & Sour Chicken, Fried Rice, Sesame Ginger Veggies, Baked Egg Rolls, Garden Salad, Fruit Platter and Lemonade
10/10 Roast Pork Loin with Mustard Herb Crust, Mashed potatoes, variety season veg, Garden Salad, Fruit Platter and Iced Tea
10/17 Chicken Alfredo, Roasted Garlic Green Beans, Bread Sticks, Garden Salad, Fruit Platter and Iced Tea
10/27 Rosemary & Garlic Chicken, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Fall squash, Garden Salad, Fruit Platter and Iced Tea
10/31 Beef Chili, Cornbread, Baked Potatoes, Garden Salad, Fruit Platter and Iced Tea
Bellingham Rotaract's invitation: Bellingham Rotaract's first event of the year! We are working with Maple Alley Inn- a local organization that supports Bellingham's food insecure population- to replace their garden beds before winter weather sets in. This is a high-priority goal for them as these beds are necessary to grow the food they prepare as meals for the community.
They have 11 beds, so the more people that can attend, the more we can complete! We are meeting at their garden, Faith Lutheran Church, 2750 McLeod Rd. at 9am-1pm on October 15th. Light refreshments will be provided. Please let me know if you are interested in attending or if you have any questions. We'd love to have you there!
Contact Lily Storbeck at Bellingham@rotaract.org to register or lstorbeck7@gmail.com
Felicity also noted that the Youth Exchange Committee was seeking students interested in the Rotary Exchange program. An information meeting is scheduled for October 3, 2020. The deadline for students to submit applications is October 20, 2022.
Last week, Mark Knittel, reported receiving an update on the Uganda International Service Project update from Peter Kasango (Click Here) to read the document
EFFECTIVE OCTOBER 3RD WE ARE NOW MOVED TO THE SYRE STUDENT CENTER - SYRE THEATER AT WHATCOM COMMUNITY COLLEGE. HERE ARE THE DIRECTIONS.
The buildings address is 235 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.
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.
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
Andy Day introduced speaker Kait Whiteside with Maxx Higbee Center
Chuck Snyder joined us on Zoom from Arizona
Members attending on Zoom: Scott Wallace, Fred Kaiser, John Moffat, Paula McCandlis, Steve Hager and Bob Morse
Presentations:
The Membership Committee, Chaired by Shauna Naf, has developed a number of resources to assist members with communicating with people in their worlds who may be good potential Rotarians. Those files can be found on our website under For Members on the navigation bar under Club Membership/Process - New Member Files. The links for the pdfs can also be found below and the Recruiting Letter simply downloads from the navigation menu.
Recruiting Letter - copy and paste from this Word Document directly into your email, personalize, edit, and send!
Rotary Interest Brochure - this 3-page general overview brochure pdf is good for sending as an attachment to an email or we have print copies available. (Click Here)
Potential Member Packet - this 8-page RCOB overview can be sent as an email attachment or we have hard copies. (Click Here)
Potential Member Packet with Application - if your potential member is ready for an application, use this version. Includes fees sheet. (Click Here)
Fees - unless you are using the Potential Member Packet with Application, you can include this fees sheet if you are at that point. (Click Here)
Also, we are building our Potential Member email list and if you have potential members, friends, or family who should stay informed about upcoming speakers, service projects, and social events, please send Shauna Naf an email: shaunanaf@gmail.com with their name and email. We will also take their address and phone if you want to share. There is a button we have to click that indicates we have permission to market to them, so please only select those people who are appropriate to send that once monthly email to.
The Membership Committee is here to help! If you have a desire to help the Membership Committee get our Club even stronger, we need committee members also, so be in touch with Shauna.
Program:
Our speaker was Kate Whiteside the Executive Director of the Max Higbee Center (HBC). In 2014, Kate was a Program Manager for the Center and became the Executive Director in 2015.
The HBC was the recipient of our Club’s Major Project and she wanted to report on the outcome of the project and the activities of the Center.
The center serves more than 150 individuals each year and supports over 100 families caring for a son or daughter with a disability. Programs provide opportunities for friendship, the joy of recreation, life-long learning, building life skills and a sense of community.
Kate pointed to a “turning point” for the Center.
In 2018, the center had to implement a waitlist for all programs and services for the first time in his 35 year history due to limited space in its 1600 SF facility on Bay Street. Within months, there were over 50 individuals on the waitlist with no other place to go.
In 2019 Max Higbee Center signed a long-term lease it 1400 North State St. and remodeled the 5000 SF space to create a welcoming functional space to eliminate the growing waiting list. The new location offered a visible and accessible downtown home near the bus station and local businesses. The project will allow the Center to grow and serve the community for the next 25 years or more.
In April 2020, due to Covid, the MHC created zoom programs and a technological library. Zoom activities were offered twice per day, Monday through Saturday and reached over 50 individuals.
In June 2020, the center restarted outdoor one-on-one services for individualized support to members. Staff provided more to 60 hours of services to over 45 individuals.
In April 2021 center re-opened their programs in their new space – financially supported by our Club. This allowed them to deliver diverse, vibrant and inclusive programming well ensuring safety through the pandemic.
Over the last 18 months, during the course of the pandemic, the max Higbee center team provided over 30 orientation meetings to welcome new individuals to the Center’s programs. The space, and program expansion, will allow the Center to bring another 54 individuals off the waiting list in the next 18 months. This success is due, in part, to our Rotary club’s gift.
The increased visibility of the new building has been a contributing factor in the changing finances of the MHC. In 2019, donations consisted of 17% of the Center’s revenues. By 2021, that had increased to 42%.
Kate’s presentation helped remind us of the work that she, her staff and the Center provide to members of our community (and their families) who have disabilities.
Closing:
President Paul thanked members who assisted with the meeting joined us in a tour of our upcoming (and quite nice) new meeting space.
