Due to the packed agenda, President John Moffat called the meeting to order at a bit early, at 12:25 p.m. Bob Kuenzel accompanied us on guitar as we sang “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” an apt ditty for this beautiful spring day. For his invocation on this Mount St. Helen’s Day, Steve Gray noted that we are nearly through this Rotary year and wished that it would continue to be filled with fulfilling work and satisfying camaraderie. Let’s finish the year strong!
MINISTER OF FUN: Rob Olson used the themes of the month of May and Mother’s Day to build a game of Rotary Feud. We were given credit if we came up with one of the two most popular responses to each question.
HAPPY BUCKS: Donors included John Moffat for his and Karen’s 45th anniversary, Bob Kuenzel one-upping that for his 50th anniversary, Steve Wood celebrating his new membership in our club, Rick Kaiser looking forward to marching in the parade on Saturday, Teri Treat cheering on Rick Kaiser for his selection as Trustee of the Year, and Joseph Garcia celebrating his surviving Mount St. Helen’s eruption with his sled dog team!
GUESTS:
John Moffat introduced his wife, Karen, and cousins, Daniel Seifer from Paris, France, and Michael Seifer from London, England (and a former ambassador to Kosovo).
Sue Parsons introduced WWU Rotaractor, Sarah Leslie, and her dad, Charles Leslie, and grandfather, David Leslie.
Del VandeKerk introduced Jeff Hovenier
Members on Zoom: Aaron Booker, Shauna Naf, Monty McAllister, and Loch Trimingham
Club Events and Committee Announcements
John Moffat announced that there will be no meeting next week due to the Memorial Day holiday. He then provided us with some details of the Board Meeting.
Rotary Club of Bellingham May 14, 2026 Board Briefs
We received a resignation from Paul Shepardson, who is exceedingly busy with his new company. His resignation was accepted with regret.
Memorial Day Parade:
Come march in the Whatcom Memorial Day Parade and show your support of Rotary May 23, 2026. We will meet at a designated location around 11:00 am. The parade begins at noon. Invite your friends, family, and show off your Rotary spirit by wearing your Rotary gear.
Where: The parade starts at the corner of Alabama & Cornwall and continues south on Cornwall in Bellingham. The parade will be on rain or shine, so dress appropriately and wear your Rotary garb.
We do not receive information about where we meet until a couple of days prior to the parade, so please sign up so we can communicate that information to you when received.
There are announcements on the table concerning Janka, our exchange student’s 17th birthday party on June 2nd at Felicity and Curtis Dye’s home. The party will begin at 6:00 p.m. Attendees should bring a side dish. Janka will be preparing Chicken Paprikash. Of course, there will be birthday cake! The club will present her with a gift.
Club Runner
The Clubrunner database is releasing its new NOVA version. Sandee is taking Webinar classes to learn more. Shauna and Mark are looking into the ramifications of switching over, especially for the website and Tattler. Stay tuned.
RCOB Foundation
The RCOB Foundation Board has renewed Teri Treat, President, and Dennis Williams, Treasurer, for three year terms, extending until June 30, 2029.
The RCOB Foundation is planning the June 1st Student Awards to be held in the Syre Theater. Teri will be ordering Pizza and purchasing sodas. The pizza will be ordered for ALL ATTENDEES at no cost to them, as a thank-you to the membership for their support. RCOB will pick up the cost. Please make sure you register to attend the meeting, so we know how much Pizza to order. You have the option of bringing your own lunch if you don't want pizza.
Service Fund Grant
Our last Service Fund Grant of $1,000 was awarded to Computers for People in Need (C4PIN), sponsored by Aaron Booker. They recycle computers and sell them to low-income individuals.
Next board meeting in June 18, 2026 at 4:30 on Zoom
Nominations for RCOB Major Awards
The Executive Committee is soliciting nominations of members, from members, now until June 1. The Executive Committee of Steve Ban, John Moffat, Nathan Twining, and George Halsell will make selections on June 8. Awards will be presented at the Changing of the Guard June 29th.
John Moffat introduced our new member, Steve Wood, and Tim Farris, his sponsor. Both gentlemen have known Steve for more than 25 years, from back in the days when their kids played soccer together. Steve attended Harvey Mudd and UC San Diego, where he worked on his medical studies.
He is a retired gastroenterologist. Tim pointed out that our club has members with incredibly varied career paths and interests.
Book Review by Sue Parsons
Sue Parsons played on the theme our District Governor, Isabelle Martinez-Hayer, used in her talk last week – inclusivity. Having read Beth Anna Margolis's memoir, Paintings of My Life, which is composed of poetry, prose, and watercolors, Sue moved on to discuss other books by individuals with Down Syndrome.
Two books of poetry, by intellectually challenged authors Teresa Murray and Sid Ghosh, contained anything but simplistic rhyme. Ghosh’s works have received critical acclaim. Finally, Sue read More Alike than Different by David Egan, a Special Olympics multi-athlete and inspirational speaker devoted to disability rights. Sue urged us not only to think outside the box when it comes to selecting our reading material, but to consider opening a brand-new box.
George Halsell introduced our guest speaker, Josh Cerretti from the Whatcom Peace and Justice Center (WPJC), who earned a Rotary Scholarship twenty-five years ago! Josh began with a brief history of the ongoing Friday peace vigil at the federal building downtown. It is celebrating its sixtieth anniversary! The WPJC had a Quaker foundation and sustained the peace movement through several war times and many administrations. It is now one of the occupants of the Daylight Building on Bay Street with office hours Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12-4 and by appointment.
The WPJC’s purposes are several: to bolster local movements with resources, guidance, meeting space, and training; and to connect young people to alternative opportunities to military service. In addition, they strive to help people sustain the energy that arises during or right after polarizing events.
They target themes of violence in media and counter them with more peaceful messages. “The Dove”, their monthly email newsletter, highlights what’s going on to promote peace in the community. You can sign up to receive this at WhatcomPJC.org.
The International Day of Peace is normally honored on September 21, but this year it will be celebrated in our community on Sunday, September 20th at Structures Brewing. There will be an info fair and guest speaker. More details will be released as they develop.
The non-partisan WPJC promotes connections, networking, and unity, helping people find common ground.
Closing:
President John Moffat thanked all the Rotarian helpers for this day’s meeting and rang the bell to adjourn at 1:30.
55 Years as Executive Secretary, 5 years working with Brick Carr prior to his retirement as RCOB Secretary for 35 Years
DEL VANDEKERK
28 years of Service
MARK KNITTEL 19 years of Service
RUD BROWNE
19 years of Service
May Birthdays -
Celebrate in Style!
Bernard Bove
Monty McAllister
Aaron Booker
Dennis Williams
Scott Wilson
Kathi Hiyane-Brown
Got Your Rotary Apparel?
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.
