International Outreach Update
Mark Knittle gave a presentation about the African Ruggedized Education System (ARES) known as Classroom in a Box. Heavily based in Kenya, this program will reach over 8000 students bringing computer literacy and educational materials like Kahn Academy to the underserved in the area. 4 Clubs started this with donations of $5000 each totaling $20,000. Bellingham, Chilliwack Frasier, Langley Central, and North Delta started the funding. Applying to both Rotary International and Rotary of Canada, we were able to leverage that into a total of $130,000. This will fund 20 schools with the ARES Program which includes one ARES server, 10-20 Notebooks, 1 Projector, and up to 10 Desktops.
New Member Talks
Rob Olson
Rob’s parents were from Berlin, but he grew up in the US, graduating high school in 1982. He applied for the ROTC program, graduating from PLU in 1987 with a Political Science Degree and then going into the military to serve in several branches before going back to school for a law degree. Rob then opened his own private practice in 1996. This led him on a path that included a position as a public defender among other positions but ultimately leading him to his current position at WWU. Rob and his partner Dave have two children David, 26, and Reya, 23. Rob’s personal interests include vacationing in Palm Springs where he and Dave have plenty of recommendations for where to go and where to eat. He also loves martinis and is an avid gamer loving Dungeons and Dragons but because of time constraints with family and careers, he has moved to online gaming.
James Pyles
James was born in England and then moved to South Bend where any kid growing up knew if they were interested in Engineering they would of course go to Purdue. It was there he met his wife, Barb. After graduating and getting married he went to work for Johnson Controls, then Air Liquide which moved him to Seattle. In 1996 he and Barb were looking to start a family and wanted to settle in a great community, choosing Bellingham as their home. After a long career in mechanical engineering he decided to switch careers and pursue his love of financial planning. His son was a Boy Scout who earned Eagle status, and his daughter started her own business at age 14. Now with both in college and an empty nest, James is looking forward to giving back to the community through Rotary.
Eric Richey
"My Favorite Things" is how Eric titled his talk today. Eric is the County Chief Criminal Prosecutor and is making a run for Whatcom County Prosecutor. In this position he has tried cases against Rob Olson, worked closely with Gary Goldfogal, and been in Judge Chuck Snyder’s courtroom. So as for his favorite things. He and his family are very into Harry Potter - so much so that his 4th grade daughter was in a Harry Potter trivia contest at WWU. His son has worn an Oregon shirt everyday for years! This obsession with Oregon is clearly from his Dad who graduated from U of O.
Eric has a passion for the islands here , and his dad was partners on a couple pieces of land on Stuart Island. Eric remembers spending summers exploring the island by rowing his way around the bay and camping at the parks. Once his dad sold the properties, he knew he had to get back to the islands so purchased a cabin on Eliza Island. This has turned out to be a love/hate relationship because of the amount of work it requires. His boat is another love. Steering back to land, Eric has many bikes and really enjoys bicycle riding. His favorite is a Specialized bike. Finally, who could forget the family's favorite thing - Bumble, their very energetic family dog.
President Teri finished up our meeting by wishing everyone a fabulous week, and encouraging everyone to get out and enjoy the sun.
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