Ward Naf again reminded members of the May 17th Sunnyland Memorial park project and also indicated the committee was looking at a project in Fairhaven.  More information to follow.

 

He also encouraged members consider supporting Bellingham Bay’s Grapes and Gourmet event.  The event is being held on April 19, 2025 from 4- 8 pm at the Hotel Bellwether ballroom. 

 

 

Roland Trenouth requested a $200 donation to the Assumption church for the use of their gym for meal packing, which was approved.

 

The board discussed reaching out to the inactive members to understand why they are not attending meetings.  They will send emails followed by phone calls to these members, asking for their input on how to improve the club.  They agree this outreach is a worthwhile exercise to gather information and potentially improve club engagement.

 

Sandee Lindhout reported a phone call from the Gambling Commission, that they have discovered an error that has been going on for years.  They should not have issued the RCOB a gambling license because we are not a 501c3. The club is a 501c4.  We have had our license for also 30 years.  That means, effective June 30, 2025, we must stop all our 50/50 raffles at meetings.  Nathan Twining will investigate our options.  Shauna mentioned that we could switch to an Auction for MountainFilm.

 

The Rotary Epic Day of Service is May 17^th.  We will be doing the Sunnyland Memorial Day Clean-up in conjunction with the City of Bellingham from 9-12:00. 

 

John reported that Catherine Riordan and he attended the District Grants Training, so the club is fully qualified to apply for any grant.

 

Here is the link to the survey:  https://form.jotform.com/steveban/rcob-member-satisfaction-survey

 

Here is the link for the survey results: https://www.jotform.com/report/25024907410104225

 

Catherine led the discussion stating “Let’s Do Something” quoting Teri Treat.  She suggested we explore what we could do without too much difficulty and immediately and that we should prioritize them.

 

Nathan suggested we prioritize 2-3 items to focus on and make a deadline.

 

The Committee discussed potential venues for our meetings, considering factors such as food availability, accessibility and AV set-up.  Ward Naf’s input would be critical.  They explored the possibility of using a church or synagogue’s social hall, and the idea of ordering sandwiches from a restaurant.  The committee also discussed the need for a venue committee to investigate these options further.  Sandee reminded members that we are allowed to bring food to the WCC location and have it catered.  Cathy Buckley and Sandee Lindhout have agreed to sit on the committee.  An announcement will be made to the membership, looking for a chairman and other members.

 

To start with we will cancel our regular WCC meeting at noon on May 12^th and hold a late afternoon or evening meeting with the location to be determined by the Social Committee, Chaired by Catherine Riordan.  It was suggested we do whatever business is needed and then socialize or hold discussions like the future of the club.  Members will be encouraged to invite guests.

 

Sandee also noted that we have already added to the agenda an area for the membership to make general comments or announcements.

 

Rotary Brass will play twice per month and 1 will be patriotic

 

John Moffat and Catherine Riordan will look at the current meeting format.

Roland Trenouth reported that the Meal packing event, scheduled for April 5th 9:15 - noon at Assumption Church has been fully funded our $12,400 goal.  He offered special thanks to Dave Blair.  The event now has some 94 people who have volunteered.  They are still looking for a few people to help set up for the event in the morning. 

About 10 members are needed to show up early at 7:30 am to help set up.  Contact Roland if you can help with set-up at 360-201-1090 or rstrenouth@comcast.net