President Brad Burdick welcomed Club members and thanked those members who were part of the day’s meeting. Don Anderson led the group on "God Bless America."
Announcements:
There will be a New Member Breakfast next Monday, April 27th at 7:00 a.m. at the Best Western Lakeway Inn - Chinuk Restaurant. The speaker will be Cathy Buckley on Scholarships. New members must attend 5 meetings prior to receiving their "blue badge" and all other members are also encouraged to attend. Everyone also receives a make-up. Join the Fun!!!
It's a Boy!! It has been announced that Darlene and Scott Hume are celebrating the birth of their son over the week-end. I am sure more details will follow. Congratulations!!!!!!
ROTARY CRUISE is over half full!!
TheClub will charter the Salish Sea Tour boat and take us out to Sucia Island for a picnic lunch. There are only 40 seats, and we are 1/2 full! First come, first served! The Cruise is set for May 18 and costs $75 per person which includes lunch. Departure time is around 10:00 a.m. Contact Marty Haines or Sandee Lindhout to sign-up.
The District Conference will be held at Tulalip Resort and Casino April 30 – May 3. Registration information is available on our club website or with Sandee. Rotarians age 40 yrs. & younger will receive free admission to the conference.
Each member should have received an e-mail survey from the District or Sandee. Please take a few minutes to complete the e-mail survey. Click here for the link if you did not receive it. The survey ends April 30th.
Board Briefs for April 16, 2015 meeting
The main topic for the Board was led by President-Elect Chuck Snyder in preparation for the up-coming Rotary year starting July 1, 2015. He is very excited to start the planning of our September, 2017 100th Anniversary.
It was also decided that the 2015-2016 Board of Directors meetings will be held on the second Tuesday of each month at 4:30 changing from Thursdays.
New Business:
The Board nominated Chuck Snyder as our voting delegate for the R. I. Convention to Sao Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9
A letter from Glenn Butler requesting his Leave of Absence be extended and a thank you for flowers for Janice Butler was received. Janice is battling medical issues and our love and encouragement go out to her. The Board approved a 6 month extension for a leave to 10/1/2015.
A Leave of Absence request from Stephanie Bowers, due to business pressures, was approved until June 2016.
Bob Trunek, International Service, is requesting the purchase of rotary logo shirts for those traveling to Buffujja in June. (Cost approx $40 each shirt x 4 or 5).The Board approved the expenditure, which will come out of the International Service budget.
Acknowledgements:
Bellingham Technical College (BTC) Foundation yearly report for the Rotary Club of Bellingham Scholarship established February, 2002.Club contributed $15,000 with a match by BTC.
Western Washington University yearly report for Rotary Club of Bellingham Scholarship Endowment established in the Rotary year 1997-1998 with $15,000 matched by WWU
Hailey Shannon, Theatre Student of the Month
Charley Cowgill, Music Student of the Month
Email from Trish Newbold regarding Girl’s Go Tech Workshop
Thank you note from Sadie Steele – March student of the month for Community Service
Thank you note from Dillon Rinauro – March student of the month for community Service
Note from Beyond our Borders
Guests of Rotarians
Margaret Curtis introduced Norman Lanford, Attorney. He has recently moved to Bellingham. Welcome Norman!!
Students of the Month - Most Inspirational
Katherine Deets introduced Savannah Atwell, from Bellingham High School, and her father Paul Atwell
Peter Theisen introduced Lukas Selig, from Sehome High School, and his father Ernie Selig
Jan Marchbanks introduced Morgan Donahue, from Squalicum High School and her parents Andy and Shelly Donahue
Program: Walking the Natche Trace Trail
Author Andra Watkins was introduced by Teri Treat. Andra’s presentation was funny, poignant, and occasionally a little raunchy. Andra became fascinated with the explorers, Lewis and Clark, after reading Undaunted Courage by Stephen Ambrose. That book included many details that were not widely known previously (at least to someone from the South, like Andra). The humanization of the explorers, including some vulgar and coarse details, fascinated Andra. Meriwether Lewis died on the Natchez Trace trail, and mystery has surrounded the circumstances of his death. Andra eventually wrote a novel titled To Live Forever: an Afterlife Journey of Meriwether Lewis. In it, she imagined the ghost of Lewis redeeming himself by helping a young child flee from her mother’s house of ill-repute in New Orleans and travel along the Natchez Trace to reach her father in Nashville.
In order to experience the Natchez Trace, and to promote her book, Andra decided to walk 444 miles of Natchez Trace, exploring and blogging along the way. Her plan was to walk 15 miles per day for 5 weeks, until she arrived in Nashville. She recruited her 80-year-old father to accompany her, by car, and spend evenings together. Her father generally drove her crazy, but she couldn’t find anyone else to do it. At first, he didn’t want to do it either, but once Andra pitched the idea to him as freedom, adventure, and an audience for him, he decided to help.
Andra walked through sleet, hail, tornado warnings, etc. She developed blisters after 3 days. She almost gave up several times. After two weeks of walking, she became ill, and was really ready to quit. She lay down in a field, exhausted, hoping her father would eventually find her. Laying there, she looked up at the sky, and then at her surroundings, and was overcome by the beauty around her. She realized that she had been missing all the amazing and beautiful places, animals, and people she was encountering because she was concentrating on her pain, discomfort, struggles, etc. She became determined to find something amazing in each day. She ended up completing her 444-mile on time, and sold some books along the way.
Andra told the Club that the best thing that happened was the 5 weeks with her dad, and the 3 weeks with her mom (who joined the other two to keep them from killing each other). She is so grateful for the time and the memories. Her memoir, Not Without My Father, chronicles this adventure with her dad and mom.
Andra encouraged all Club members to “make a memory.” She left pledge cards on the tables at the meeting, and encouraged members to fill them out, committing to spending some time with someone that drives them a little crazy, and make great memories. People need to have meaningful adventure with others before it’s too late. She told Club members to turn “I Wish I Had” into “I’m Glad I Did.” Andra credits her two books, and her adventure, to the Stephen Ambrose book, and talked briefly about the importance of reading, and the role that Rotary plays in promoting literacy.
The program was funny, unexpected, and a little coarse, but Members seemed to enjoy it.
Andra then took a few questions from Club members.
Andra brought books to sell after the meeting, with a portion of each sale going to support Rotary’s literacy efforts.
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