Rotary Club of Bellingham Tattler - MARCH 11, 2024
Tattler Reporter: John Moffat
Tattler Editor: Catherine Riordan
Photographer: Aaron Booker
United Way of Whatcom County - Imagination Library
Kristi Birkeland & Denise Kilcline
Opening Welcome:
President Doug opened the meeting with two quotes from Garrison Keillor and Groucho Marx relating, apropos of today’s program, to the positive influence books have in our lives.
Guests:
Bob Kuenzel introduced his wife, Anne Pollack
John Moffat introduced our speakers from United Way of Whatcom County, Kristi Birkeland and Denise Kilcline.
Members on Zoom: Dick Tucker and Mark Knittel
Club Events and Committee Announcements
Board of Directors
There will be a board of directors meeting on Zoom on Thursday, March 14, at 4:30 p.m. Let Sandee know if you would like to join the meeting.
Member Moment Talks
Doug announced that there are still opportunities for members to give Rotary Moment talks. He encouraged anyone who had not done so to sign up.
District Conference and Assembly
The district conference will be on Saturday, May 4, in Mount Vernon. Come to the meal packing event in the morning and then go to the conference in the afternoon. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
The district assembly will be on Saturday, April 6, in Surrey. Please sign up and the club will pay for you to attend. Register here
Meal Packing
Roland Trenouth asked for volunteers for the meal packing day, May 4, at Assumption School gym. Last year, we packed 37,000 meals with 106 volunteers. Had Rotaract members and other clubs’ volunteers as well. - May 4, 2024
The format for the Conference is family inclusive and the same day as our Meal Packing Event. President Doug is looking for members to register to go down with him later in the day, after the Meal Packing Event. Other options to participate include Friday, May 3rd for Bowling and a meet and greet and Sunday May 5th for a service project at Camp Korey.
Prexy Doug put in a plug for the Memorial Day Parade, encouraging all members to get out there and march. We have a Rotary float, which we escort over the mile-long parade. If you start conditioning now, you will be in shape to even run laps around the float as it careens down the route. That is Saturday May 25.
Committee Reports:
On behalf of the Social Committee, Catherine Riordan reported that there will be a play at the Mount Baker Theatre on April 20 on the life of former Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Interested members are encouraged to seek out tickets as soon as possible as tickets are selling very fast. This link will take you directly to MBT, allowing you to avoid the secondary sellers. Catherine said a pre-performance snack location will be announced in April. If you are interested in attending the pre performance gathering and/or going to the performance, please send Catherine an email.
Catherine also said that the Bellingham Urban Sketchers is having a Show and Tell Event at Dakota Arts on Saturday, March 16, from 10:00 a.m. to Noon. Event is for the public, particularly those potentially interested in this form of art/journalism. The Bellingham group is recognized chapter of the international organization.
On behalf of the Student Exchange Committee, ScottHerman reported that Rotary exchange student J.B. is getting a 4.0 GPA. We will have him back to talk to us soon.
Bob Kuenzel gave a New Member Talk. Bob grew up in the Chicago suburbs with four siblings. He said it was a fairly typical upbringing for those years. The motto of his college was “. . . in the nation’s service.” He has taken that motto to heart and tried to live that thought throughout his life.
After going to law school at Northwestern University in Chicago, he worked 40 years as a corporate lawyer, about half the time for large firms in Los Angeles and San Francisco, and half as a sole practitioner or in a small firm mostly in Ashland, Oregon. After spending several years in Vancouver, B.C., Bob and his wife Anne decided to move to Bellingham, which they did in 2019, and made the permanent break with Ashland when they sold their home there in 2023. They have two grown daughters, Elli in Washington, D.C., and Lia in Bellingham.
Bob’s commitment to community service was really cemented during his time in Ashland. He was on numerous boards, including the Ashland Schools Foundation, the Southern Oregon University Foundation, the Rotary Club of Ashland, the YMCA, and others. He is looking forward to participating in community service in Bellingham.
Bob and Anne are very active politically, particularly in promoting democracy and democratic (small “d”) causes. They have an email list of around 200 people they communicate with regarding these issues.
Among other things, Bob enjoys small dinner parties, good conversation, good books and laughter. He looks forward to getting involved more deeply in Rotary activities in Bellingham.
Mystery Photo: Dennis Williams
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.
Program: John Moffat introduced Kristi Birkeland (President/CEO) and Denise Kilcline (Development and Program Manager) for the United Way of Whatcom County. They gave a presentation on Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library program.
Kristi briefly explained United Way’s mission, which is to focus on local financial stability for families in Whatcom County. She noted that people struggle financially for many reasons, from lack of food, to mental health concerns, and lack of early childhood learning opportunities. The downward spiral of poverty starts early, and children are the youngest victims. This was even more pronounced during the early days of COVID in 2020 and 2021 when learning opportunities were largely eliminated for young children.
Denise explained how Dolly Parton started the Imagination Library program. She thought her father was the smartest person she knew, but he could neither read nor write. To honor him, in 2015 she decided to give books to young people (under age 5) in her home county of Sevier County, Tennessee. Her goal was to get young people reading to improve literacy and help break the poverty cycle. This program expanded beyond that local area to other parts of Tennessee and to other states and now five countries. The program began in Whatcom County in 2022.
The goal of the program is to provide a new book every month (starting with “The Little Engine that Could”) to every child under age five until that child turns five years old. As Dolly says, “You can never get enough books into the hands of enough children.” There are 4359 kids currently receiving books through the program in Whatcom County. There have been 5805 children who have received books since the program started in 2022 (some have reached age 5 and no longer qualify for the program). Over 80,000 books have been mailed to these children. The program is free. The only qualifications are that the child be under age 5 and a resident of Whatcom County. The average cost of a book and mailing it is $2.20 per child per month, making the cost of funding one child $26 per year. There are 11,691 eligible children under age 5 in Whatcom County. The program currently serves 37% of that population. The United Way’s goal is to serve 65%. The United Way is contributing $113,000 per year. The cost of the program is $197,000 per year. The balance is made up of donations.
The United Way is committed to this program. There are many reasons why kids can’t get to the library. Parents may have multiple jobs, they may lack transportation, etc. This program helps kids gain literacy skills, and some non-English speaking parents benefit from the books, also. Some books are bilingual.
Last year, the Rotary Club of Bellingham sponsored 38 kids in Whatcom County to get 12 books a year. One of the impacts this program has is that children show up at kindergarten ready to learn and to get a library card.
The program ended with Doug presenting Kristi and Denise with a $1,000 service grant award. Their photo was taken with “Dolly,” who made a special trip to Bellingham for one of the celebrations.
Closing:
President Doug thanked those who helped with the meeting and rang the adjournment bell at 1:30. Wow is that guy punctual.
Guess Who?
Shauna Naf
Paul Grey - Invocation
John Moffat
Fun and Games-The winner!
Bill Day
Speaker Kristi Birkeland
Speaker Denise Kilcline
Upcoming Social at Mt. Baker Theater - Contact Catherine Riordan about attending and go on line and purchase tickets....
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.
New Member Talk:
