Rotary Club of Bellingham Tattler - OCTOBER 2, 2023
Tattler Reporter: John Moffat
Tattler Editor: Tom Grinstad
Photographer: Brad Burdick
Brigid Collins Family Support Center -
"Children’s Advocacy Center and our role in Community Health"
Opening Welcome:
President Doug opened the meeting with his quote of the week from Indira Gandhi, “You cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”
President Doug reminded club members of the dedication of Brian Griffin Way on Monday, October 16, at 10:30 a.m., in front of the Fairhaven Library at 1117 12th Street.
Doug raised the question of whether any of the provisions of the prongs of the Rotary 4-way Test should be eliminated. He called on Mike Plenkovich for comment. Mike said definitely not.
The District has awarded the Club a District Citation for our work during the Rotary Year 2022-23, as reported in the Peace Arch Journal. Congratulations to the Club and Past-President Paul Grey.
Guests:
John Moffat introduced our speakers Barb Lupo, Kaelen Grimes and Kait Davis
Scott Herman introduced Shilla Adyero and Dawn-Marie Hanrahan
Visiting Rotarians:
George Halsell - Rotary Club of Twin Falls and recently moved to Ferndale
Donald an Connie Kanfer - Rotary Club of DeLand, Florida - Past President and Governor of District 6970
Members on Zoom: Steve Hager, Loch Trimingham, Catherine Riordan, Steve Ban, Jack Westford, Sandy McIntire and Jose Ledesma
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Committee Announcements: Brad Burdick reminded members that Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner will take place on Saturday, October 14, at 6:00 p.m. There are still openings for 6 people. If anyone hasn’t signed up and wants to go, please contact Brad after the meeting.
Scott Herman introduced Shilla Adyero from Gulu, Uganda, and Dawn-Marie Hanrahan to speak on the Northern Uganda project.
Shilla became a Rotarian eleven years ago following a visit by Kathy Hughes, who was then the president of our club. Kathy had dinner at Shilla’s home and invited Shilla to Bellingham. Shilla came to the United States, spending time in Bellingham studying at WWU and later in Vermont.
Shilla grew up during a time of war in her country. She has a love of books. Kathy gave her $100 (a lot of money in Uganda) to spend on what she wanted. Shilla used the money to buy books for children. She then started Lutino Adunu (Children Loved), which promotes the well-being of children. She said one thing Americans do not appreciate is the number of community libraries in our country where people can read books for free. A local church in Gulu gave her a building which she and others renovated and turned into a children’s library for their community. Although there are 54 languages in Uganda, English is the main one and they have books in English. They also cater to children with disabilities, which Shilla said is very important. They also teach basic financial responsibility to rural women, who are often uneducated but are expected to handle those tasks in their families.
Lutino Adunu will be hosting a dinner auction, “It’s a Novel Night! Building a Library FUN-raiser!” on Friday, October 6, 2023, in Bellingham, Washington. For complete details and to purchase dinner tickets, please click the following link:
We are also thrilled to announce doTERRA’s Healing Hands Foundation will generously match up to $10,000 in donations, so if you are unable to attend the fundraiser but would still like to contribute, please DONATE below to double your dollars:
Building a sustainable community involves empowering every adult and educating every child. Lutino Adunu is in service to meeting this goal. I look forward to hosting you at the event.
Mystery Photo: Larry Halgren
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"Children’s Advocacy Center and our role in Community Health"
John Moffat introduced today’s speakers, Barb Lupo and Kaelen Grimes from Brigid Collins Family Support Center.
This is the first of several updates this year from past recipients of our Major Project Grant. Brigid Collins was the recipient of our Major Project award in the 2012-13 Rotary year.
Barb is a lifelong resident of Bellingham, a longtime downtown business owner and currently the Donor Development officer for Brigid Collins. Kaelen joined Brigid Collins in February of this year after five years at Secret Harbor (an agency in Burlington caring for troubled youth) and is the Director of Development and Communications.
Barb said that Brigid Collins Family Support Center was founded in 1990 and named for Sister Brigid Collins, who had worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham. She was concerned with children who faced danger in their home situations. Brigid Collins addresses the mental and physical needs of all children facing domestic abuse. Their center is located on Garden Street in Bellingham. They also have a satellite office in Skagit County.
Brigid Collins is a nationally recognized advocacy center for children facing domestic abuse or neglect. Children are offered the following services: (1) case management, (2) trauma support, (3) evidence-based therapies, (4) parent coaching for the child’s parent, (5) community education through the “Stewards of Children” video (2-1/2 hours) on how parents should react if they are concerned about their children. Barb said child abuse is on the rise in Whatcom County.
Kaelen presented some recent statistics regarding abused children. In 2022, Brigid Collins served 2532 families, conducted 1437 individual therapy sessions for children and non-offending caregivers, and provided 5000 hours of case management. In 2021, 2078 Whatcom County youth were victims of abuse and neglect. She showed a video of several Brigid Collins staff discussing their work and the clients they serve. They noted the feelings of hopelessness, guilt and shame the children and non-offending parents feel at not being able to stop the abuse.
Barb closed with some general comments about Brigid Collins. The Executive Director is Jenn Lockwood, who could not be here today. She noted that they are part of a “women in non-profit” leadership group which has monthly lunches, tours, etc. They are having a major fundraiser on February 24, 2024. They are also part of the “Stewards of Change,” a grass-roots investment group committed to a 5-year funding drive. They also have the “Safe Kids Succeed Fund,” which is a safety net fund supporting children and families for basic needs that come up, like buying shoes.
Thank you, Barb, and Kaelen for your timely update on BCFSC.
Closing:
President Doug thanked those who helped with the meeting and rang the adjournment bell at 1:30.
John Harris - Music
Mystery photo of the week - answer embedded in Tattler
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.
Northern Uganda Project
