President John says a good read is the Paul Harris autobiography, who was the founder of Rotary in 1905.
July 17, 4pm on Zoom will be the RCOB board meeting - welcome to all - get the link from Sandee.
Guests:
Shauna Naf introduced Stephanie Santiago and Jessica Maassen from Whatcom Audiology.
George Halsell introduced our speaker, Logan Hilgers and Dr. Joseph Garcia, Development Director for Whatcom Center for Early Learning. He is a past Rotarian from Ellensburg, Wa. and Paul Harris Fellow.
Marty Haines introduced Gail Ridenour, Executive Director of the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra. Gail was a member of RCOB from 2018-2021 when she left to raise her 2 beautiful daughters.
Club Events and Committee Announcements
We are looking for Website sponsors for the next Rotary year starting July 1st. It is a great opportunity to advertise your business and support Rotary - $350 for the year. Check out the current sponsors on our table tents and website by going to bellinghamrotary.org. Contact Sandee if interested.
President John mentioned that we have updated the RCOB Website under "About Us" to include a copy of our 2019 Vision, Mission & Strategies Statement. Click Here
This Sunday, 20 July, the local chapter of the Vietnam Vets hosts its annual car show. It's free for the public and open from 10 to 2 pm. The hope is to show about 400 cars.
Meeting Updates:
July 21st meeting we will be bringing in Great Harvest Sandwich's, pickle, chips and delicious COOKIE again. Cost is $16.00 and the order must be placed by tomorrow at noon, so please register ASAP. Click Here to sign up for lunch.
July 28th noon meeting is cancelled and we will be holding a noon general meeting Thursday July 31st at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club. We will be served a buffet for $29 so again stay tuned for online signups.This will be another opportunity to try a potential venue for meetings, although we would have to change our meeting days to Thursday as it is not available on Mondays. After trying all the locations, we will put it to a vote to the membership. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
Socials planned:
We have received an invitation from Whatcom Center for Early Learning to thank us for our previous support that has allowed the Blue House at 2001 H Street to be enhanced to better serve our families and children. They would like to invite our members to attend a garden party that will honor our support and show off the results of our gift on July 24th between 5:00pm and 7:00pm
This was our Major Project in 2022-2023 in which we raised $84,217 and have helped on a couple work parties.
Monday Evening - August 25th Potluck at Bookers', 2612 Park St., B'ham 98225 from 5:30-8:00. Aaron & Kelly will provide pulled pork from Aaron's smoker as well as grilled chicken. Everything else is potluck.
We are planning to have some live music from Bellingham High School Musicians and some BHS Show Stopper choir members.
DAVID C. MORSE SR. COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD PRESENTATION FOR 2024-2025
At our Changing of the Guard meeting two weeks ago, three of our Club’s major awards were presented. It is now time to present our fourth and final major award, the David C. Morse, Sr. Community Service Award.
Usually, the presenters of these awards try to avoid identifying the recipient until the climactic ending. However, the identity of this year’s recipient will be obvious when I tell you the reason that he is receiving this award. You see, over the past year or so, a great big beautiful new building has appeared on the corner of Holly and F St. and the person we are honoring is primarily responsible for this. I am, of course, referring to Hans Erchinger-Davis, the executive director of the Lighthouse Mission. Hans also, supervises the Ascent substance abuse recovery program, as well as the Agape House for women.
Hans started working at the Lighthouse Mission in 2006, working his way up the organization over the next 10 years to become associate executive director and then was appointed executive director in 2016. He joined our Rotary club the following year. At the risk of violating a number of HIPAA regulations, I will boast that I had a hand in launching Hans’ successful community service career because I was his pediatrician.
Homelessness continues to be a major problem here in Bellingham and Whatcom County. The new Lighthouse Mission building will greatly enhance the Mission’s ability to meet the needs of homeless people. The new building has space for 300 homeless residents and 75 overnight guests. Even more important than the expanded capacity has been the complete revamping of the programs and services offered. There is now space for 25 people recuperating from illness or injury who require respite care. A new program provides a safe place for homeless people with significant mental health problems, which will accommodate 75. For those who have night jobs, the new building includes 6 private rooms for daytime sleeping. Additionally, the new building includes 6 rooms for parents with children in tow. The Mission also now provides a variety of job training opportunities, including a space for a future café and a donut shop.
So, in recognition of your 19 years of service to our community and especially for making the vastly improved Lighthouse Mission building and programs a reality, I am honored to present to you, Hans, the 2024/25 David C. Morse, Sr. Community Service Award. Congratulations!
Service Fund Grant to Bellingham Symphony Orchestra
Marty Haines presented former member, Gail Ridenour, a Service Fund Grant check for $1,000 to the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra. Gail showed us what the grant was used for: a sheet music storage system. This system bolted to the wall to prevent overturning keeps their repertoire safe and secure.
As a preliminary, Dr. Joseph Garcia introduced “Medi-Sign Course” which is an introductory course in American sign language for medical practitioners. It was a response to fellow soldiers going deaf from a malaria medicine. If you wish to get the course free online and/or support its proliferation, go to:
George Halsell introduced Staff Sargent Logan A. Hilgers ARNG (Retired) introduced Growing Veterans, an organization designed to help connect, grow and heal veterans struggling with PTSD. Their vision is “to end veteran isolation that leads to suicide.” Their mission is “to empower veterans to cultivate purpose and belonging by growing food, community, and each other.” In the last 9 months they provided three visits to suicidal veterans. The organization was founded in 2012 and was a college project turned into reality. They moved from Skagit to Whatcom County in 2018 and expanded with a second farm on Whidbey Island in 2019. Since 2020 Growing Veterans has donated 13,817 organic meals to local foodbanks.
GV delivers “Dirt Therapy,” which is a practice of using farming and hands-on work with soil as a tool for healing, mental well-being, and community connection. It fosters peer support, resilience, and purpose by combining sustainable agriculture with veteran reintegration and mental health awareness.
GV also provides Peer Support Training equipping individuals with the skills to provide meaningful support, foster connection, and promote mental well-being within their communities. The training emphasizes active listening, crisis intervention, and creating an empathetic environment. It helps address a subcategory of PTSD which is “moral injury”, where you’ve been asked to do things that go against your ethics.
Plans for the future include making the harvest rows accessible to wheelchairs so you can still harvest; and then solar panels for the greenhouse for year-round sustainability (Dirt therapy is most important during the gloomy months!). $8k remains to be raised for the accessibility project. You can get involved by volunteering, visiting the site, and donating at https://growingveterans.org/
Closing:
The Prez thanked everyone involved and wished us a good week, rang the bell and we all scrambled for the door.
Rick Kaiser - Music Man
Program Chairman, George Halsell introduced our speaker Logan Hilgers
Guest: Joseph Garcia, EdD
Development Director of Whatcom Center for Early Learning
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.
