President Peter opened the meeting by noting that he had been studying the agenda beforehand, only to realize that it was for a meeting three weeks out. This tells us two things, both positive: 1) Peter is a self-effacing leader; 2) Sandee is very organized and ahead of the game. President Peter gave encouraging updates on two prior RCOB Major Gift recipients: The construction progresses and they are near move-in at the Opportunity Council’s recovery house in the Lettered Street neighborhood, and WHIMPS has finally started construction in earnest on the expanded and paved parking lot for Mountain Biking on Samish.
Book Review: Doug Cole "The Kindness of Strangers" by Mike McIntyre
Stuck in a job he no longer found fulfilling, journalist Mike McIntyre felt his life was quickly passing him by. So, one day he hit the road to trek from one end of the country to the other with little more than the clothes on his back and without a penny in his pocket. Throughout his travels, he found varying degrees of kindness in strangers from all walks of life – and discovered more about people and values and life on the road in America than he ever thought possible, and what many of us know intuitively and by experience, that sometimes those who give the most are the ones with the least to spare. I first read this in 1996 but revisited it again a few weeks ago, and was reminded of many of the observations I had found so compelling.
Mike’s trip began near his home in San Francisco and he chose Cape Fear, North Carolina as his destination, a symbol for all the fears he knew he had to conquer along the trip. Along the way he was picked up by some rather interesting people, people who took a risk. Some shared fascinating stories, some invited him home for a meal and a place to sleep. Some were quiet and some were generous beyond understanding. Only two seemed to have less than honest intentions.
Several excerpts:
“It dawns on me that so many of the kind strangers I’ve met are women who have suffered great heartache and tragedy. They are fierce survivors. They taught me lessons in perseverance and compassion that will stick with me long after this journey is over.”
“I’ve heard it said that helpfulness in the Midwest is a trait born of necessity. The original homesteaders we so far removed from comfort and convenience they had to rely on one another to get by. It is a trait that has been handed down over generations. It is a sharp contrast to life in San Francisco, where I don’t even know my next-door neighbors. It seems so unnatural the lengths we take to avoid one another.”
“Ever since I left California, folks have been warning me about someplace else. In Montana, they said watch out for the cowboys in Wyoming. In Nebraska, they told me people aren’t nice in Iowa. In Iowa they said I’d find trouble in Missouri. No one ever says anything bad about their own part of the country. Evil in America is always just down the road.”
“Throughout this journey, kind strangers have been telling me how brave I am to be crossing the country with no money. They can’t imagine what I’m doing. The truth is, I can’t imagine what they’re doing. While I’ve been roaming, searching for life, they’ve stayed put and built a life.”
“I envy and admire so many of the people I’ve met on this trip. I’m grateful for their rides, their food, their shelter. But the kindest act of all is when they merely are themselves. It is always a comfort to meet an honest person, and I’m always sad to say good-bye.”
“A friend once said America is hard on the edges and soft in the middle. He may be right. None of this journey has been a cakewalk. But the country was more accommodating in the states between California and North Carolina.”
Mike traveled 4,223 miles, crossed 14 states and got 82 rides, the average ride being about 25 miles. He didn’t spend a penny, but instead relied on the kindness of strangers. He said in closing, “It took giving up money to have the richest experience of my life.”
Club and Committee Announcements
Let's get together to celebrate the holidays!! Here is a wonderful opportunity....
Rotary Wreath Making Social at The Garden Spot Nursery
Sunday, November 14th 11 am.
$50 per person includes one fresh or grape vine wreath and all the bits and pieces to make them beautiful.
We can have up to 20 people for this private event so invite your spouses and family.
We will be outside, so dress warm!
Please send Felicity an email to reserve a spot . Please include your best phone number, and if you want a grapevine wreath (they have to make them up ahead of time).
fd@cf-voice.com Payments will be made directly to The Garden Spot.
Football Pool
Mike Plenkovich announced the football pool winners of the past week, 1st and 2nd quarter, Jennifer Moehl, Jack Mulhern and Nathan Twining. I think these names are very familiar!!. Checks will be held by Sandee until you attend a meeting or mailed at the end of the season. Mike made sure that we didn’t attribute any skill to Nathan, however, since the actually score digits are chosen at random each week. For the rest of us, there was consolation in the fact that UW won.
Here are the details of the RCOB football pool for the benefit of newcomers (and old members who may have forgotten!):
There are 100 squares, costing $20 each, for a total income of $2000. All of the squares have now been purchased. $500 is retained by the club and $1500 is distributed to pool winners (those who come closest to predicting the score after each quarter), as follows:
$20/quarter for all college games and regular season NFL games, $25/quarter for NFL playoff games, and $35/quarter for the Super Bowl.
Volunteer Mentorship Opportunity:
This fall Whatcom Community College is launching its first bachelor of applied science (BAS) in business management degree. This degree is specifically geared for the workforce needs of businesses that make up the majority of Whatcom county's employers. Bellingham Bay Rotary is leading a mentorship program with the college and is asking for volunteers. Mentors will work with students in an Organizational Leadership & Teamwork class in winter quarter 2022. The mentorship program will be approximately 8 weeks long, occurring between January-March 2022. Details about the time, days, and topics would be mutually agreed upon between mentor and student.
If you are willing to participate in this short, vocational service mentorship program, please contact Mike Bate (mikebates9@aol.com<mailto:mikebates9@aol.com>), past-president for Bellingham Bay Rotary or Tresha Dutton(tdutton@whatcom.edu<mailto:tdutton@whatcom.edu>), past-president and current faculty at Whatcom Community College, by the end of September, 2021.
Please also contact President Peter or Sandee if you are interested!
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 not 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 do not have 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. HERE ARE ZOOM INSTRUCTIONS.
Four Points is not requiring a Contract thru 2021 and need only 72 hours to cancel an event. We will continue to evaluate other locations for a permanent location. Lunch will be $22 for a sit down meal. We must notify them by Wednesday at 4:00 pm each week prior to the Monday meeting as to the number of members attending. We are sending out meeting “Invite's” 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 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 has 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 directly 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 can simply click on to pay thru paypal also.
Website and Phone App instructions:
Here is a tutorial on how to login for the first time. (Click here) In order to login you need to know your user name and password in your Clubrunner account. The user name is Yourfirstname.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:
Brian Griffin introduced his wife of 65 years, Marya
Doug Cole introduced our speaker, Debbie Ahl
Dale Rings and Chuck Snyder from Arizona
Other members who were on Zoom: Bob Morse, Robin Halliday, John Dunne, Frank King, Tim Farris and Dennis Williams
Program:
Doug Cole introduced Debbie Ahl. Debbie has spent the vast majority of her career in healthcare, with 10 years in hospital administration / program development and 20 years as a health payer, including 10 years as President / CEO of Sterling Health Plans - a Medicare Advantage company, a sub of the publicly traded Aon Corporation. She spent two additional years as CEO following the acquisition of Sterling by Munich Re, but an extensive travel schedule found her longing for home where she and her husband, Bill Ziels, were raising a blended family of six children. She now serves as the Executive Director of Mount Baker Foundation.
Debbie and her family became partners in the Vertrouwen, a river barge built in the Netherlands in 1908. For much of its nautical life, The Vertrouwen was a 21-meter sail and pole working boat. In 1967, it was converted to a river barge, a key aspect of which was adding 30 tons of ballast (for a total of 60) to lower it in the water and improve stability. Simplicity is the way on the Vertrouwen, as she is a single screw vessel with no thrusters to aid the pilot. In 1991, Marty Haines and Brian Griffin purchased the barge and later on the ownership was transferred to the current partnership. The 12 current partners (including Debbie and her family) have become the longest continuous owners in the Vertrouwen’s 113-year history. In case you are wondering, Vertrouwen (no matter how it is pronounced) translates from Dutch as confidence or faith – good characteristics for anything afloat.
Debbie’s presentation was a visual feast, with great pictures of life aboard (nice kitchen!) and on shore, which is never far away. But it’s not all idling about when barging. Debbie described the rigorous waterway test and licensing requirements, and talked repeatedly about the challenges of managing a wide variety of locks, crossing aqueducts, clearing beneath low bridges, making 90 degree turns, docking or using land anchors, working cooperatively with other boats on the water, etc. Basically, doing whatever is necessary to explore the expansive, amazing network that make up the inland waterways of Western Europe.
The rewards for their efforts are many. Great food and wine, either cooked onboard from locally purchased provisions or at intimate waterside restaurants with the kind of care and character that is hard to find here. A day in the life of the barge could include a junket by bike to the boulangerie, charcuterie, fromagerie, and wine shops featuring wines from “that hillside over there”. There is biking, exploring towns, taking the Mini out to wineries, and generally living the good life offered by the Vertrouwen, their floating home. Mostly it’s about relaxed time with family and friends.
The 12 families in the partnership each get two weeks each barging season, plus more if the schedule is open. When asked how the group decides where to venture, each year the Vertrouwen is parked for the off-season and a final destination is selected for that Summer. The Vertrouwen then goes back and forth between the two. Debbie joked that the barge is well known by lock operators but seems to have different folks on it each time through!
Covid Report:
As the last item of the meeting, Past President Gary Goldfogel gave the Covid update for this week and it was discouraging. Apparently, St. Joes now has 35 patients in the hospital with Covid, a portion of which are in intensive and several in very dire condition. Beyond this week’s numbers, based on recent history it seems our county cannot maintain sustained progress, a concerning trend in itself.
