Exercise. Get your heart rate going. Preferably in nature.
Embrace а moderated lifestyle with healthy practices.
Keep your social circle exciting and new.
Spend time with people younger than you.
See your doctor regularly, but not obsessively.
Don’t think of yourself as old (other than taking prudent precautions).
Appreciate your cognitive strengths—pattern recognition, crystallized Intelligence, wisdom, accumulated knowledge.
Promote cognitive health through experiential learning: traveling, spending time with grandchildren, and immersing yourself in new activities and situations. Do new things.
Support Rotary in Ukraine
Message from our District Governor for District 5050, Bev Harrington:
My Fellow Rotarians:
As the humanitarian crisis unfolds in Ukraine, we ask "what can we do from so far away?" Here is the most comprehensive information I have received to date.
Financial contributions are easily made online to The Rotary Foundation Disaster Response Fund. A link to view the projects that are already in place is also provided below.
You and I and Rotarians from around the world can make a difference.
All donations made online at Disaster Response Fund | My Rotary, including the use of available district designated funds (DDF), need to be received by April 30, 2022. Grant applications to take advantage of the funds will be available now through June 30, 2022. This will be the main avenue for Rotary Foundation support, but Rotary and Rotaract clubs are also encouraged to create their own responses to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.
In addition to the support provided through the Disaster Response Fund, the Foundation is coordinating with partners and regional leaders, exploring effective solutions to the increased humanitarian needs. You will find a comprehensive list of projects at this link, with the contact details and websites.
Thank you for all that you do to promote peace
Special preparation for the March 14th speaker - Doug Thomas with DiPAK Fish Hatchery. He would like you to study the attached document prior to the meeting. San Juan AREA Sea Life white paper
Club and Committee Announcements
1. President Peter invited us to participate in the Bellingham Electronic Toastmasters Open House at the Makerspace, 1 Bellis Fair Parkway #618, Bellingham (enter thru Dick's Sporting Goods) or on Zoom, March 15th 7-8:30 pm (see below for additional information).
In 2020 Rotary International and Toastmasters International entered into a formal alliance for the benefit of both organizations and their members. In recognition of the alliance, Rotarians are cordially invited to attend the Bellingham Electronic Toastmasters (aka Bellingham Evening Toastmasters) public open house on Tuesday, March 15 from 7-8:30pm. The event is free and open to anyone 18 and older.
Guests are invited to learn more about public speaking and communication and how Toastmasters helps individual self-confidence and personal growth. A typical meeting agenda will be followed, including speeches from members with various levels of experience, evaluations, and Table Topics.
This will be a hybrid meeting with attendance either in-person or online. The in-person meeting will be at Bellingham Makerspace (near Dick’s Sporting Goods) in Bellis Fair Mall (One Bellis Fair Way, #618). The online portion will be on Zoom at: https://bet.toastmastersclubs.org/ For other information, please go to the Bellingham Electronic Toastmasters website at Bellingham Electronic Toastmasters (toastmastersclubs.org)
The Toastmasters look forward to meeting Rotarians and encourage those interested to attend the open house or any of our regular weekly Tuesday evening meetings.
Questions or comments? Please contact Rick Nishi, Immediate Past President, at 425-802-3036, or ricknishi900@gmail.com
2. Reece Carpenter - Bellingham Rotaract President Message: The Bellingham Rotaract Club is teaming up with Stove-Team International to raise $1,000 to supply 10 clean-burning cookstoves for homes in Latin America. The stoves will offer health benefits and will be built within the country. This supports many pillars of Rotary, including improving the health of mothers and children, growing local economies, and saving the environment. If you are familiar with our district's Rotaract work in Guatemala, it is very similar. If you would like more information on the cause, visit the Stove-Team International website at https://www.stoveteam.org/
To encourage donations, they are doing a virtual fundraiser, where donors enter a raffle to win a gift basket of prizes from local businesses. Between now and March 31st, our GoFundMe page will be live and will be our raffle ticket platform. Here is the link to the fundraiser, which can also be found at the end of this message: gofundme.com/f/bham-stoves.
To participate in the raffle, you can buy a ticket by donating a minimum of $20. Additional raffle tickets can be purchased by donating an additional $5. For example, a donation of $20 is one entry. A donation of $50 is 7 entries. Your chance to win one of our amazing prizes, sponsored by local Bellingham businesses, increase with each entry! Prizes include gift cards to local restaurants, an annual membership to the Pickford Theatre, and products from Honey Salon!
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Reece or Lstorbeck7@gmail.com, who is the head of this fundraiser. Your participation in such a great cause would be greatly appreciated!
Special thanks to our sponsors: Pickford Theater, Honey Salon, Pure Bliss Desserts, Fairhaven Runners & Walkers, Community Food Co-Op, and Galos Flame Grilled Chicken.
GoFundMe page link: gofundme.com/f/bham-stoves
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:
Doug Cole introduced our featured speaker, Mike Cohen
Shauna Naf introduced Erica Mallin
Members attending on Zoom: Bob Morse, Corey Chaplin, Mike Diehl, Scott Wallace, Vinson Latimore, Rob Olson, Dick Tucker, Jack Mulhern, Monty McAllister and Nancy Jordan who has been on a leave pursuing additional education. Welcome Back!
Presentations:
President Peter presented a Paul Harris Fellow Plus 8 award (commemorating her gifts totaling $9,000) to Sara Maloney, who received a well-deserved standing ovation. Way to go, Sara!
Program:
Program: Mike Cohen gave an update on activities at the Bellingham Food Bank. Mike gave a snapshot of how things have looked at the Food Bank at different points over time:
Pre-2006: Prior to 2006, the Food Bank was operating out of a dilapidated facility of less than 5,000 square feet in size, and operating with an annual budget under $300,000. The Food Bank relied on donated food. No one was allowed to visit the Food Bank to pick up food more than once a week. There was almost no fresh food. The Food Bank lacked facilities to store it. It frequently ran out of items, especially fresh food. There was a broken door on the freezer. There was no cold storage, and once items were removed from the freezer they could not be kept at a safe temperature. They were also limited in table and floor space.
2006-07: During this period, the Food Bank enlisted support from the community for a new building since it determined that no retrofitting of the existing building would be feasible. The Food Bank focused on what the community needed at that time and in the future. They proposed a $2 Million project, with a 20,000 square food building. With help from the local Rotary clubs and their major gift donations, the goal was reached and the building constructed. They wanted people to have a dignified shopping experience. They did surveys to find out what the community wanted. (More milk and baby food were two responses.) They set up satellite food banks in other areas outside of downtown, like Alderwood, to better serve the community. They hit their 20-year client service goals within 3 years. People were able to walk through the Food Bank like it was a store. Twenty percent of Bellingham residents use the Food Bank. It has disrupted structural racism by making a conscious effort to work with minority groups like the Lummi Nation and farmworkers.
COVID (March 2020): The arrival of COVID meant the Food Bank had to close its doors and rethink how it could communicate with and serve its citizens. The Food Bank went to pre-packaged boxes. Workers built custom boxes for hundreds of people, who lined up outside. Volunteers over age 60 were sent home and were no longer utilized due to COVID concerns. Following the closure of the Food Bank for 2 days to determine how it could best adapt to the new reality, the Food Bank figured out a new distribution model. Workers pre-packed boxes at the rate of 1000 per day. The Food Bank ordered conveyor belts to help speed up the distribution process. It ran into supply chain challenges as it moved away from fresh foods. Shelves at grocery stores were empty, which translated into similar shortages at the Food Bank. It successfully found new sources. Although the Volunteer Center of Whatcom County helped with distributing food, it was not fulfilling work. Choices were down. Handing out pre-packaged boxes meant people were receiving items they did not want and would not use, so much food was wasted. There was little contact with the public. Morale among the employees was low.
Post-vaccine (June 2021): The Food Bank reopened for the public, making the experience as close to shopping at a grocery store as possible. There were no limits on how often a person or family could go to the Food Bank. It was not limited to serving people from Bellingham or Whatcom County. The Food Bank got new vendors who could supply more food. People could take what they needed without limits. The Food Bank doubled the number of hours it was open. There were fewer lines and less crowding. They treated people with more dignity. There was more diversity in the food people could take home, better serving different local communities (e.g., Hispanic, Punjabi, Russians and Ukrainians). Mike said the Food Bank’s future is bright, and that living in a generous community helps a lot. The Food Bank is focusing on communities of color to find out what they need and how they can do things better to expand diversity.
In response to questions, Mike said that 70% of the Food Bank is sponsored by local donations from Bellingham and Whatcom County, and 10-15% from County/City/federal funds. He also mentioned the Small Potatoes Gleaning Project, where volunteers pick 50,000 to 100,000 lbs. of fruit and vegetables each year from local farms in summer and fall for the Food Bank, salvaging food that would otherwise be plowed under by the farmers. Register for volunteering on their website.
Mike said his staff has become fatigued by COVID and has had to make some changes. They have given staff a monthly stipend to assist with mental health well-being, and extra vacation days. They are happy that they have not lost any staff during COVID.
Final Announcement:
President Peter thanked all who helped out with the meeting.
