Rotary Club of Bellingham Tattler - August 5, 2024
Tattler Reporter: Tom Grinstad
Tattler Editor: Catherine Riordan
Photographer: Del VandeKerk
Heather Flaherty
Chuckanut Health Foundation
Opening Welcome:
President Steve called the meeting to order, or something close to order.
Before he gave his opening remarks, this reporter was asked by immediate past president DougCole to rate the bell ringing (4 of 5, low to high) for the benefit of Tattler readers. President Steve remarked on the wonderful article about Brian Griffin in the Cascadia Daily News. Brian surely gives us a good guide for a remarkable life.
President Steve announced that next week, August 12th, there will be no food available, so please bring your own if you like to eat during meetings. From August 19th through September 23rd there will only be catering available. The canteen will re-open September 30th.
Guests:
Nathan Twining introduced speaker Heather Flaherty with Chuckanut Health Foundation and Elizabeth Boyle.
Mark Knittel introduced visitor Jessica Oravetz
Ward Naf brought Liz Johnson with Whatcom Community College
Members on Zoom: Loch Trimingham, John Moffat and Dennis Williams
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Felicity Dye announced that our outgoing Exchange Student, Dawnlynn Chadwick made it to Mexico and played a video thanking the membership for her badly needed computer. The club raised $790 so that she could buy that computer.
Special Projects Request
Steve, pinch hitting for John Moffat, asked for a club member to sponsor a request from the Whatcom Million Trees Project. Doug jumped to the chance.
UPCOMING SUMMER EVENTS:
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Ward Naf reminded the membership of the volunteer opportunities this week. The one still to come as you read this: working at the Early Childhood Learning Center 2001 H Street from 2-4 Friday, 9 August.
August 9th - Friday
Work Party at WCEL Blue House
2001 H. Street, Bellingham
2:00-4:00 pm
Paint the playhouse in the children's outdoor space.
Shauna Naf presented an idea for a fundraising project for our club. She asked who had heard of the Mountain Film on Tour. Very few had encountered this. It is a tour of documentary films, shorts I believe, that was shown in 124 locations last year. She and Ward have seen the tour for years in Mazama every Labor Day weekend. Shauna gave an outline of what could be expected in fundraising this year (in an initial soft launch) and next year (as an ongoing fundraiser for our club). If we wanted to do this, there are a couple of obstacles to overcome – venue and date/time.
The funds would come from three sources: admission, food sales, and raffle. In Mazama, an inky, dinky town, there are a number of organizations that want to be associated with the festival and serve as sponsors. Shauna emphasized that potential partners already exist here – mountain biking community, Ski to Sea participants, REI, and others. She gave a thumbnail pro forma of the soft opening. The idea was enthusiastically received by the attendees today. She will continue to search for a site and the date/time.
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.
Introduction: Nathan Twining introduced our featured speaker, Heather Flaherty of the Chuckanut Health Foundation. Ms. Flaherty has been the executive director at the foundation for five years. She said this presentation will start as a downer and finish off with a note of hope. She started off with a question, “What do you think it would take to solve our community’s opioid crisis? And what does early learning and childhood have to do with it?”
She queried the club asking what we have been talking about relating to the crisis. After fielding some comments, she managed to incorporate them into the presentation. First, she noted the presence of fentanyl in the community. We’re now in the third wave of opioids in the county. And the danger of fentanyl is that the first pill could be the last. The synthetics like fentanyl have a staggering death rate compared to other opioids. To potential users, it doesn’t look as scary as it is and it is incredibly cheap, less than $3 a pill.
Heather showed statistics that indicated that 76% of criminals sampled committed their first crime before the age of 26. And 43% committed it before the age of 18. Substance use is prevalent in 90% of criminal histories for the 76% who commit crimes prior to the age of 26. As Ms. Flaherty puts it, “If we want to see less crime, and less substance use disorder, we need to invest in our youth and young families in really significant ways.”
She then went on to talk about ACES (adverse childhood experiences) and their relationship to criminal histories. And it turns out the more ACES you have, the more likely you are to be alcoholic, use IV drugs, and attempt suicide. So, the foundation is focusing on attacking the root causes of criminal behavior, which boils down to adverse community environments. The top two reasons that folks become addicted to drugs are childhood trauma or "brain wiring" (brain structures).
Heather shared a slide that succinctly told the story. Keeping us all afloat together involves: preventing deaths (Narcan, good Samaritan laws, etc.); bailing (treatment); fixing the leak (prevention); and building a stronger boat – involving housing, employment, mental health care, and connections.
All Hands Whatcom is the name of the drive the foundation is implementing to address the problem. It involves cross-sector collaboration, community learning and skill building, a fund for direct support to families in recovery, and a signature event – Opioid Summit. The agenda and wish list is extensive and not suited to this short report. But this reporter is sure that it would be willingly shared if requested.
She ended with: Three main takeaways from today:
Fentanyl is wildly dangerous and a scarier drug than we’ve ever seen before.
Top two reasons someone becomes addicted: Brain Wiring and Childhood Trauma.
We can do something about childhood trauma in our community. All Hands Whatcom educates, convenes, advocates, and creates spaces for cross-sector collaboration and learning, to build a comprehensive, human-centered, effective approach and response to the opioid crisis in our community.
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.
Special Presentation
