President John Moffat called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn, Bellingham Airport. Teri Treat gave the invocation using the theme of camaraderie after reflecting on a gathering of good friends.
Guests:
George Halsell introduced our speaker, Natalie Milligan, Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar
Catherine Riordan introduced Gerri Cranston, Member of the White Rock Rotary Club
John Moffat introduced Steve & Diane Woods
Teri Treat introduced visitor, Janiece Moore
Jan Marchbanks introduced Steven and Lyndia Lok
Other Guests introduced: Gail Bove, Leslie Farris, Sandi Halgren, Ann Kaiser, Karen Lerner and Susan Trimingham
Club Events and Committee Announcements
District Events
RYLA 2026 will be held May 28th-May 31st, 2026 at Stillwood Camp & Conference, Lindell Beach, B. C. Registration ends April 30th. The RCOB Foundation has funds to send 1 person age 18-30. Unlock your leadership potential. Contact Sandee Lindhout at rcob@comcast.net if you are interested.
Committee Announcements:
John Moffat thanked the Rotary helpers who participated, along with him, in the Community Boating Center service project last Saturday: Ward Naf, Sue Parsons, Doug Cole, and Monty McAllister. There were also several WWU Rotaract members as well as a few Interact Club members from Squalicum High School. Around a dozen picnic bench sets were sanded down and painted during the event.
Sue Parsons announced that next year's inbound Rotary Exchange Student will be Aurora Tasca, a high school senior from Italy. She will reveal more details about Aurora as they become available.
Exchange Student needs help:
Our Exchange Student from Hungary, Janka, 2 other exchange students and 2 Rotex (former Rotary Exchange Students) want to go to the Olympic Peninsula for a camping trip from May 15-19 but need an adult chaperone to come with them.
This is approved by our Exchange Committee if they find a volunteer. The volunteer would need to be a approved RYE volunteer who has passed a background check so time is of the essence.
Memorial Park Community Work Party Ward Nafannounced our annual work party to clean up the park for Memorial Day, May 9th, 2026 from 9am to 12pm. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER WITH THE CITY
Nominations for RCOB Major Awards: The Executive Committee is asking for nominations for the RCOB Major Awards from the membership, selected by the Club Exec. Committee of Steve Ban, John Moffat, Nathan Twining and George Halsell. The awards are presented at the Changing of the Guard on June 29th. Click here for information and award history. Please send any nominations to Sandee at rcob@comcast.net.
George Halsell welcomed Natalie Milligan, a Meridian High School graduate who became a District 5050 Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in 1995. This program was for college students pursuing an international graduate degree. Natalie described her several-years-long adventure in New Zealand which culminated in master’s degrees in Physical Therapy and Psychology.
Natalie graduated from WSU in 1993, and began her search for an appropriate college after her first graduate school application was not accepted. She started researching the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship Program. This was before much online searching was available, and she had to obtain course catalogs through snail mail for her chosen schools. She was finally accepted at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, studying Biomechanics in the department of Kinesiology. The campus architecture reflects its Scottish heritage, and Natalie compared the pomp and circumstance to that of Hogwarts. With the help of Rotary sponsors there, she became acquainted with the culture, foods, and traditions of the people, which included a strong Maori population. Natalie showed us many photos of the spectacular scenery and geothermal activity there, all of which strongly reminded her of Washington state. She was especially enamored of the varied bird life she found there.
Now a dual citizen, Natalie returned to Washington in 2004 to live the motto Service Above Self. She owns the business 7 Elements, a physical therapy office and wellness spa. She is an active member of Women Sharing Hope, an organization supporting the needs of women and children in Whatcom County, and is a volunteer for the Mt. Baker Ski Patrol. Natalie is very authoritative in her fields of study, and is a great asset to her community.
Closing:
President John Moffat thanked all the Rotarian helpers for this day’s meeting and rang the bell to adjourn at 7:31
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.
