With an understated (yet commanding) presence, President-elect Paul Grey opened the meeting with the ringing of the bell at 12:30 PM.
Music:
In honor of February being Black History Month, our Rotary Brass played (and numerous members sang) a rousing rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, which is considered the Black National Anthem.
Book Review by Monty McAllister, "You Bet Your Life" by Dr. Paul Offit
This book explores the risks of accessing new medical technology. It was published in September of 2021, so the subject is current. Dr Offit recounts the stories of the early developments of cardiac transplantation, blood transfusion, anesthesia, as well as stories about the introduction of antitoxins and vaccinations against life threatening diseases. He discusses the missteps during the early phases of the technologies that resulted in apprehension about the risk of adopting as well as the risk of not adopting the offered new technology. He emphasizes that not adopting is often the greater risk.
I was exposed to many of these stories in my medical training but either did not listen, did not hear or simply forgot. I found this book refreshed those stories and educated me about the outcomes for treatments that have become routine and even undervalued in this age of medical miracles, with the risks long forgotten.
There is now a new offering, i.e., the Covid vaccine, that is considered by some as still requiring more data about benefits as well as risks.
I recommend this book as not only a review of medical history but as an opportunity to review the assessment of risk versus benefit in medicine.
A good historical example of the ups and downs in assessing risk vs benefit is given by the development and use of Diptheria antitoxin.
Diptheria, a scourge particularly of children, caused the formation of a thick, leathery membrane covering the throat, which led to strangulation and often death. In 1883, an antitoxin was developed and proven effective by Emil von Behring. He received the Nobel Prize for this work.
The antitoxin was made by injecting horses with small amounts of diphtheria toxin, to which they developed antitoxin, which was then collected and separated from whole blood. The horses were routinely tested for tetanus before the serum was collected. In St Louis, the death rate of diptheria dropped from 35 % to 6% with the use of this antitoxin, which was made by the St Louis Department of Health. This antitoxin was also available from 5 pharmaceutical companies.
Long story short, by mistake, some of the locally produced St Louis product happened to contain tetanus and numerous children died of tetanus from the antitoxin. The uproar about the deaths from tetanus in the antitoxin caused a profound drop in use of the product and death rates from diphtheria returned to 30%. The investigation and findings resulted in new regulations and more stringent safety standards. So, this is an example of how a fault in manufacturing and the fear it engendered resulted in a risk benefit analysis temporarily stopping use of a proven antitoxin. In 1940, a diphtheria vaccine was developed and is now routinely given to children and adults.
As many of you Iditarod followers know, that race commemorates the delivery of diphtheria antitoxin from Nenana to Nome, Alaska by dog sled.
Club and Committee Announcements
There will be NO meeting next week, February 21st, due to the President's Day Holiday.
Paul Grey presented an explanation of Student Programs Available thru the District 5050
Rotary Youth Programs. Supporting education is one of the 7 Areas of Focus for Rotary.
More than 775 million people in the world over the age of 15 are illiterate. Rotary’s goal is to strengthen the capacity of communities to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education, and increase adult literacy.
Our club is active in 6 specific Rotary education programs:
RYE -Rotary Youth Exchange: Our club sponsors high school students for an academic year abroad as well as hosting foreign students. We also sponsor students for short term (summer session) international exchanges. Students can find information about this program by going to https://www.youthexchange5050.org/ or contacting Felicity Dye.
YAIL - Youth Adventures in Leadership: This is a weekend leadership camp. We are sponsoring three high school age students this year.
RYLA- Rotary Youth Leadership Awards: An intensive leadership training experience for 18-30 year olds.
Interact: A Rotary club for high school students; Squalicum High School has one.
Rotaract: A Rotary Club specifically for 18-30 year olds; WWU has one.
International Projects Alliance (IPA) – An alliance of 11 local Rotary clubs doing humanitarian work in 28 villages in Copan Ruinas, Honduras. IPA currently sponsors 64 elementary and middle schools, 1700 elementary students, 500 middle and high school students and 25 university students as part of its education programs in Honduras.
It is fair to say that Rotary is walking the talk when it comes to support and education of our youth. But we can always do more, and we should, as active and engaged Rotarians.
Board Briefs February 10, 2022
1. The March 10th Board meeting has been changed to March 17th at 4:30 due to a conflict by Sandee.
2. Resignations from Gail Ridenour due to Covid pressures and growing family and Jamie Vos due to business pressures and expanding out of town, were received and accepted with regret.
3. A resignation was also received and accepted with regret from Frank King for philosophical differences.
4. Susie Thomson rescued us again by updating our Quickbooks program free of charge. Thanks AGAIN Susie!
5. Meeting location discussion: Many members liked the smaller room we used for the 2/1 meeting and Sandee inquired about using it in the future, but it is typically not available on a routine basis.
6. The Service Fund Grant committee is looking for 3 requests at $1,000 each. Please send a one page request; sponsorship must be by a member of the RCOB and the funds must be used for equipment and capital expenses, not wages.
7. Concerns about membership were discussed and will be ongoing,
8. Shauna Naf presented her proposal regarding a new committee, the Hands-On Service Committee. It will be Co-Chaired by Ward Naf and Teri Treat. The Board liked the committee concept, and it will be placed under Community Service. The Hands-On Service Committee would eventually identify up to 10 service projects per year (with the Memorial Park cleanup and Bell Ringing getting us to 12 annually) that can be done in our community. Ideally, these would be in partnership with our former major project recipients, service grant recipients, and the Rotaract Club, with a goal to make our Club more appealing to younger folks, and, coincidentally, get us good press.……more to follow soon.
9. Felicity reported that she is still working on connecting with Rotaract in Bellingham for possible projects.
10. The RCOB has budgeted 3 students for YAIL and will make an announcement at the Monday meeting.
Winners in the football pool for the Super Bowl were: 1st Quarter: Scott Wallace, 2nd Quarter: Jack Mulhern, 3rd Quarter: John Moffat, 4th Quarter: Jack Mulhern, again. So, you all know who to tap for a small loan…
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 now requiring a Contract thru March 2022. 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 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 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) Go to bellinghamrotary.org first. 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:
Del Vandekerk introduced Rotary Brass volunteers Mark Lindenbaum and Doug Robertson
STUDENT RECOGNITION PROGRAM:
Bellingham High School:
Humanities: Isabel Ferris and Mom, Carol Lucero
Options High School:
Humanities: Gavin Soukup and parents Terri and Samuel Soukup
Theater: Henry Steven Huckabay, Mom Tiana Joy and Grandmother Mary Joy
Sehome High School:
Humanities: Lucy Hodson
Theater: Genevieve Compain
Squalicum High School:
Humanities: Alex Brown and Mom Michelle Bowen
Theater: Miranda Slater and parents Tonya Myers and Rob Slater
Other members who were on Zoom: Greg Baker, Dennis Williams, Robin Halliday, Dick Tucker, Jack Westford, Kathi Hiyani-Brown, Larry Halgren, Mike Diehl, Sandy McIntire and Loch Trimingham.
Program: Student Recognition Program in Humanities and Theater
Felicity Dye introduced the Bellingham High students, Isabel Ferris and Adaryn Healy-Mackay.
Isabel received the humanities award. Among her interests is writing. At present, she is the stage manager for the upcoming play Addams Family. The play opens in three weeks. Isabel is interested in sound engineering and computer science, which she plans to study in college.
Adaryn received the performing arts/drama award. She will be playing Morticia in the upcoming play. She has won the soprano section of the regionals and will be going to the state voice competition.
Introductions of the Options High School students were given by Greg Baker. They are Gavin Soukup and Henry Steven Huckabay.
Gavin, the humanities award recipient, is in his third year at Options High. He works part-time at Fred Meyers and excels in theater and engineering.
Henry, the theater award recipient, has overcome football injuries and other challenges while in school. His interests are in math and engineering as well as criminology. He approaches complex social issues with an open mind and engages in class discussions on these topics.
Kathy Hiyane-Brown introduced the Sehome High award recipients, Lucy Hodson
for humanities and Genevieve Compain for theater.
Lucy enjoys literature and is aiming to be a high school English teacher. She would like to leave an impact on her community. Some of her other passions are golfing (captain of the Sehome golf team), kayaking and skiing. She has been accepted into the WWU honors program.
Genevieve has a strong interest in theater, hence the recognition. Other interests run in the vein of film and environmental studies. She is the Vice President of the Drama Club at Sehome. Genevieve has also been initiated as an international thespian. After graduation, she will be pursuing studies in theater and film.
The Squalicum High students, Alex Bowen and Miranda Slater, were introduced by Doug Cole.
Alex, the humanities award winner, also has a strong interest in the theater. Other interests are art, poetry, singing and playing the guitar and ukulele. She is also the President of the
Drama Club and always tries to “be the best I can be”. Alex also promoted the next Squalicum production, Big Fish, a musical about family relationships.
Miranda, the theater award winner, first performed in a show at the tender age of four. From
there, she has gone on to perform in countless shows. Her interests include playing the violin and camping. She is applying to Belmont and Montclair colleges in the East to continue
the study of theater. She performed a short song, Two Men in MyLife from Big Fish. The show plays the first and second weekends of March and all are encouraged to attend.
Final Announcement:
With that, the meeting came to an end: the winning raffle ticket was selected, all participants were thanked, and, at 1:30 PM, Acting-Pres Paul released us into the unsuspecting world as we all stumbled out into the bright rainlight.
