To open the meeting, President-Elect Teri Treat, filling in for President Del VandeKerk, shared an experience of meeting a world-class, female Iron Man athlete several years ago who shared with Teri that she was an athlete in heart, soul and being. Teri then reminded us that Del is asking us to be Rotarians in heart, soul, and in everything we do. She indicated that she is putting the Rotary emblem on her website, business cards, and everywhere that she can, and asked fellow Rotarians to "Think About It."
The opening remarks were followed by Don Anderson accompanying the members singing the "God Bless America." Gary Goldfogel gave the invocation.
Announcements:
Remember that August is Membership Month, and President Del has generously offered a presidential pardon (from fines) for anyone who invites a guest to a meetings for August. He encouraged everyone to invite someone we know to a meeting.
There will be a District 5050 RLI Educational Seminar on September 24, 2016 in Mt. Vernon from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. These are a great way to become better informed about Rotary and are recommended for our Board Members and other leaders in our Club. The club will pay for your registration, simply contact Sandee.
There is an upcoming trip to Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa in October 2016 to participate in a Polio Immunization exercise, attend the 11th annual West Africa Project Fair and engage in a hands-on work project. There is limited space and they expect it to fill up fast.
Trip Dates: October 18 – 26, 2016
Travel to: Port Harcourt, Nigeria, West Africa
Per Person Price:$1,629, double occupancy AIRLINE ACCOMODATIONS ARE NOT INCLUDED.
Program includes: Hotel accommodations, transfers, most meals, polio immunization exercise, hands-on community service field work, West Africa Project Fair registration, special Rotary and fellowship events, sightseeing, etc
We are just over one month away from the first District PR Boot Camp on September 10th. The first session is on PR Marketing and strategic planning and is designed to help your club and members in marketing your events, working with other area clubs and promoting your club and Rotary as we get ready to celebrate the final case of Polio and the 100th anniversary of The Rotary Foundation. The club will pay for anyone who is interested in registering. Notify Sandee and she will direct you.
There are two additional sessions on October 15 for our ClubRunner Program and November 5th for Facebook and Social Media that you can register for also.
Sunrise Rotary Club has extended an invitation for us to accompany them and the Tijuana Rotary Club on a weekend trip to Tijuana and support an elementary school from Friday October 28th returning Monday the 31st. It is within the basic Sunrise Rotary standard of incredible food, site visits and potentially wayyy to much alcohol (they love the tequila) and offer it up often. This is a opportunity to spend a great weekend with the Tijuana club members and do a hands on Rotary Project. Contact Sandee if you are interested.
Guests of Rotarians:
Dewey Desler introduced Sheriff Bill Elfo
Presentations:
Scott Hume was presented a Paul Harris Fellow, the highest recognition for Rotary. Scott was congratulated and thanked for his support for the RI Foundation and the work that is being done as a result of his contributions.
Gary Goldfogel, the day's Minister of Fun, had club members stand to play a heads/tails game, where those who made the wrong guess were asked to be seated. Scott Hume was the last member standing after which he generously donated the booty.
New Member Talk
Andy Day incorporated a delightful slide presentation into his new member talk. Andy grew up in a small town in Wyoming where his parents instilled a love of the mountains and community service into their family life. Andy moved from the Rocky Mountains to the Cascades in 1973. At age 18, he became a volunteer fire fighter and by age 22 he was an employed fire fighter in Bellingham. During his first 15 years, he worked to improve the department and training. He then moved into Emergency Management. Today he is a Battalion Chief.
Andy is a life-long learner who received his BA and attended the Fire Academy during his tenure in Bellingham. Fun is a big part of his life; fun which includes racket sports, biking, sailing on Lake Whatcom, and snow skiing. Andy has a wife and two daughters.
Programs:
Sandy McIntire introduced Paul Gazdik who spoke on the topic, "CERT Team, How to Prepare for the Big One."
CERT is the acronym for Community Emergency Response Team. It is a training program that prepares people to help themselves, family members, and neighbors in the event of a disaster. This training includes preparation, response, recovery and mitigation.
Disaster threats in Whatcom County include earthquake, flooding, severe storms. landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruption, wild fires, and more.
What can we do as citizens to prepare? Create a Preparedness Kit. Initially, 72-hour Preparedness Kits were recommended. Now, 2-week Preparedness Kits are recommended. Preparedness Kits include: one gallon of water per person per day; first aid kit; nonperishable food stuffs; flash light and batteries; emergency tools; gloves; sanitation supplies; copies of important documents; medications; and pet supplies, which he shortened to "pills, pets and purses." Paul also talked about making a family plan, including a communication plan, and learning how to shelter in place.
How can we help? Take the 8-week CERT training program. Map your neighborhood. Get involved with other emergency help organizations such as the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and Search and Rescue.
Paul used a metaphor of a semi-truck stopped at a stop sign. It takes some time for the semi to start moving and then get up to speed. He reminded us that when a disaster hits, it takes the government time to get up to speed. The purpose of the Preparedness Kit and preparedness planning is to address that time lag.
Emergency Preparedness Guides and CERT training are available. For more information, contact Whatcom Unified Emergency Management at 676-6681 or Whatcom CERT at 778-7163 or whatcomcert.org.
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