Presentations:
New members. President Chuck presented Justin Guillory & Lisa Saar with their 4 Way Tests and Membership Certificates as they have finished their membership requirements. Congratulations Justin and Lisa!
Service Grant: Sponsor Jeff Jenkins presented a $1000 check to Sonja Wigard, founder and director of the non-profit Animals as Natural Therapy. Sonja started ANT 16 years ago as a means of helping young people dealing with emotional and relationship issues. This past year they met the needs of over 500 children as well as veterans dealing with PTSD. Horses are used almost exclusively as they are able to mirror human emotions. The funds will be used to place a door on their only covered building, which until now has been open on one side to the northeast winds. Windy Acres, home of ANT, is located at 721 VanWyck Road. They are looking for scholarship funds to assist 40 kids, and for any other financial support for ANT's valuable programming. www.animalsasnaturaltherapy.org
Minister of Fun: Tom Beaumont collected funds from those who have been enjoying a variety of summertime pursuits.
Program: Recreation Northwest and the Recreation Economy in Whatcom County
Todd Elsworth, Executive Director of Recreation Northwest, a local non-profit, and his assistant, April Claxton, shared results of a recent survey they quantifying the economic contribution of outdoor recreation to Whatcom County's economy. Recreated Northwest contracted with Earth Economics, a group based in Tacoma, to generate the report. A Northwest native, Todd established Bellingham Traverse fourteen years ago, when he returned to Bellingham. The Traverse is a multi-stage relay race, which has been described as a “younger, cooler version of Ski to Sea.” More recently, his organization added a Kids Traverse to involve our younger community members. In recent years, the organization has also started organizing and running a couple of different "Adventure Races."
As a non-profit, Recreation Northwest pursues stewardship and promotion of our local recreational assets, such as the maintenance and improvement of the Fairhaven Trail and many other projects. The organization also focuses on education (especially of the value of recreation to the local economy, and of the need to celebrate and protect our local natural resources), and just plain fun. The recently completed economic study found that recreational events in Whatcom County resulted in $705 million in consumer spending, much of this being food and drink, $508 million in business revenue, benefiting 279 businesses and 3,728 employees. The report also attributed an estimated $6-10 billion value to our recreational “resources,” i.e. waterways, trails and natural scenery. Another gaol of Recreation Northwest is to continue to promote Whatcom County as the recreational capital of the Pacific Northwest: “a magical place where recreation, industry, tourism and agriculture are continually improving as they contribute to our amazing community.”
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