IPA works primarily in Copan Ruinas, Honduras serving Mayan villages in the area. See the northwest section of the map above. Rotarians fly into San Pedro Sula airport, to the north of Copan.
Opening Welcome:
At precisely 12:30 (+- 10 sec) President Steve Ban boldly rang the club bell. His attention to time accuracy confirms that Steve has a short-wave receiver next to his bed tuned to WWV, National Bureau of Standards station, Fort Collins, CO. It is with a precise time hack that Steve starts his day.
The Paul Harris quote of the week is, “Believe in the power of your dreams and never give up.”
No Meeting next week, February 17th due to the President's Day Holiday
Music:
Bob Kuenzel strummed his guitar and led us in singing the 1962 classic: Blowin’ in the Wind which made Bob Dillon a star.
Guests:
Catherine Riordan introduced our speaker, Marty Pease with IPA Foundation and friend, Liz Smith
Scott Herman introduced Pierce Roberts
Bill Day introduced Ken Swanson
Rick Kaiser introduced Ryan Holden
Members on Zoom: Loch Trimingham, Sue Parsons and John Pedlow
Contact has been received from member Mike Plenkovich who, despite health issues, is totally at peace. He thanks you all for your love and concern. If you want to reach out to Mike, his address is 4503 Wall St., Bellingham 98229, and his phone 360-441-5441
Membership Survey
Steve Ban gave us a reminder about completing the membership satisfaction forms. The response level is currently at 50%.
Felicity Dye shared an appeal from our exchange Ethiopian student Haset who is seeking part-time employment as a babysitter or a helper with domestic chores. Her email is hasmekur000@bellinghamschool.org
Food Packing
Roland Trenouth announced the food packing event 5 April in the Assumption Gymnasium, scheduled 9:15 - noon. We hope to pack 35,000 meals which translates to $12,000 cash to raise.
About 10 members are needed to show up early at 8:00 am to help set up. Contact Roland if you can help with set-up at 360-201-1090 or rstrenouth@comcast.net
Doug Cole presented a book report on The Achilles Trap, a 2024 book by author Steve Coll. The author presents the poignant question: “Is America All Knowing and All Powerful?” He leads the reader through the events that culminated in the 2003 Iraqi war and paints a picture of the demise of the Iraqi dictator as a tragedy of misperceptions – on both sides. In the 1980s war between Iraq and Iran, the USA collaborated with Iraq by sharing intelligence information on Iran. This also led to a string of secret illegal weapon deliveries to Iraq. The US knew Saddam had used chemical weapons in his wars with Iran and the Kurds within Iraq.
The double-dealing on all sides was complex and would return to bite us later. Iraq’s evasiveness during weapons inspection led some to suspect that Saddam was hiding weapons of mass destruction. It may have been more Saddam’s fear of his regime's overthrow. The author claims the CIA knew all along that Saddam had no inventory of nuclear weapons. Iraq’s 1980s nuclear weapons program had been dismantled. Our institutional blindness to the truth is a central focus of the book.
In Doug Cole’s words, “The Achilles Trap untangles the people, ploys of power and geopolitics that led to America’s disastrous war with Iraq.”
Weekly Payment Reminder
VENMO:
@RCOB- Bellingham.
Give Sandee a call if you need help. 360-734-5532.
CASH / CHECK:
Yes, we still take these and saving on fees is appreciated.
Our guest speaker Marty Pease of the LaConner Rotary Club was introduced by Catherine Riordan. Marty is past and incoming president of the LaConner Club and heads the IPA Foundation. Marty Pease introduced us to the International Project Alliance (IPA), a collaboration of Rotary Clubs in the U.S, Canada, and Honduras, focusing their service work in the Copan region of Honduras. This region that Marty describes so well is in western Honduras, near the Guatemalan border. There are extensive Mayan ruins in the ancient Mayan city of Copán, once the Mayan capital during the Classic period of Maya civilization, and now a World Heritage Site.
The Rotary aid and development project at Copán was launched in 2014 by five Rotary clubs. In 2015 the Rotary clubs committed to providing school supplies. Marty described how year by year the relationships with the schools and communities have broadened and deepened.
2015 - Adopt-a-School was expanded to encompass school supplies for grades K-8.
2016 – The project was expanded beyond K-8 and focused on new high schools and their specific needs. This project was called Adopt-a-Dream and responded to needs for school supplies, health care, and a mobile library.
2018 - The IPA activities became US Tax exempt.
2020 - A crisis arose after the hurricanes Eta and Iota devastated the area. Safe water supply became a critical issue.
2021 - IPA introduces Adopt-a-Village which encourages Club bonding and support for specific villages in need.
2022 – IPA President Peter Martin was recognized by Rotary International for his service above self.
Today there are 14 Northwest Washington Rotary Clubs, in five counties, involved in this partnership project.
Specific problems and opportunities for IPA were discussed. Aiding in different foreign cultures is never simple. For example, there is a lack of parent role models who have gone beyond sixth grade, as IPA is introducing and encouraging students to expand opportunities for formal education. Those efforts have been moderately successful as evidenced by increased attendance in and graduation from advanced middle and senior grade levels. A current initiative is to expand access to technical education through transportation programs and a partnership with an excellent school in the region. Weekend programs in Copán are a possibility if this pilot program is a success.
Finally, we were challenged to consider how we could help beyond our club’s involvement. It is suggested you make your inquiries at http://ipafoundation.org. Or contact, Mike Griffin at: adoptadream@ipafoundaton.org. Incidentally, right now there are possible low-cost group travel opportunities to Honduras in November and February. Contact Marty for more information on these.
Closing:
President Steve lifted his hammer and stuck a beautiful tone on his magic bell. Quickly many thoughtful troops set about restoring the room to WCC format. Have you noticed how quickly things get done in cold weather?
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.
BOOK REVIEW
