We had a great speaker in our meeting today.  Jeff Heinrichs, a local firefighter, talked about Bellingham and Whatcom professional firefighters efforts with Operation Warm.  Operation Warm is a national non-profit that Bellingham/Whatcom County firefighters have partnered with to provide warm coats to Whatcom County students.  This local group has been able to give out more than 3,500 coats to students in need.
This year the coats will be given out to Custer Elementary students.
 
"In our communities, nearly one in five children live in need. For their families, paying for food, housing, heat, and healthcare takes priority, meaning many children must go without proper weather essentials needed to stay healthy and active."
 
If you feel moved, please take a moment to read more about Operation Warm and their efforts - Website: Operation Warm / Facebook: Operation Warm | Facebook
 
To give to this local outreach use this link to help make an impact at Custer Elementary - www.operationwarm.org/bellingham106
For some families, finding scholarships for their students is even more important right now.  The Mt Baker Rotary club is once again opening the opportunity for students to apply for a one-year scholarship.
Four-year, two-year, technical, vocational, beauty, cosmetology, whichever you choose, this scholarship can help pave the way to the next step.
Students can find the application here on this website, or at their school's career center.
Application must be submitted by April 15th.
 
A couple COVID-19 delays later, it is finally here!
The Mt Baker Rotary auction is usually in the spring, but we all know what happened to our spring.
But now we are back with a new format.  This year we are online, and bidding is open for a week.  It will all culminate with a live stream showing of the live auction items.
Here are the details to get you started...
It was June of 2019 that we broke ground on our biggest community project in the Million Smiles Park.  So many great things have happened, so many people from our community have stepped up to lend a hand, businesses from all over the county have given of their goods or talents.  It has been a humbling experience.  But, an endeavor that we knew as a community we could take on and finish.
It's been along road,and the weather is working in our favor, so we are back at it.  But it is time to play in the sand!
First a big thank you to the Mt Baker Rotary members and community members who helped on Friday (5/29) to get the sand volleyball court finished up.  It looks amazing.  
Here are a few photos of the work and of a job well done.
 
As a club, we are so excited by the many ways that we get to serve our student community.  From scholarships for continuing education and packing backpacks of food for elementary students, to helping to fund building and athletic programs, the list of our involvement in student-centered projects goes on and on.  We feel honored to be a part of each activity.
 
We are loving all the excitement and conversations the new sports park at Bender Fields is getting.  Almost daily we are reminded of how giving and selfless people and business in our community are.  But, I thought we could take a moment and look at the other projects Mt. Baker Rotary has been involved in over the past year.
Mt. Baker Rotary is thrilled to get started on our 2019 Major Project! We're building a Sports Park in the south part of Bender Fields! The park will include climbing boulders,  lighted basketball courts with 6 hoops, picnic seating and beautiful landscaping. It will be a jewel in the community and a great space for people of all ages!

The Mount Baker Rotary club is committed to serving others above ourselves in our local community and internationally. Together with our partners, neighbors, and friends, we’re promoting peace, encouraging dialogue to foster community development, leadership, supporting education, creating opportunities for individuals and communities to thrive in all areas of life. This local project is one that we're very proud of and can't wait to get it off the ground!

Watch the video below to learn more about the project and follow us on Facebook to keep up to date on the project's progress.

Todd W. was our program chair for the day.
Todd introduced John Slagle part of the owners family to make the presentation today.
John told us about how the Technic training center got started and how it has filled a special need in the construction industry. It is a nonprofit organization managed by the Lynden Door family of companies.
Rod Visser is the training and shop manager while David Dunkin is the training administrator.
They finish this past year with 72 students from north county school students. Students can earn a CTE credit for every 130 hours of lab time which is 1 semester.
The students made a special sign for our Rotary club with our name and the Rotary wheel to place in the rotary building.
What a great resource for the students interested in the wood side of the construction industry. Hope we can help them again in the future as we and the Jansen Foundation did in the past by paying for the dust removal equipment.
Find out more about the Technic Training Center.
Our program chair for the day was Paul Kenner. Paul had as his presenter, a good club friend, Jack Louws, our county executive.
Jack has just announced his retirement from the county executive position as of next January.
Jack talked about his successes as executive in the last 7 years, and time as Lynden city mayor before that.  He talked about passage of property tax for emergency medical services and that contracting out for services has worked out well.
Jack is looking forward to retirement and spending time with his family and friends. 
Our students today are from the Meridian School district.  The students were introduced by principal Derrick Forbes.
The student were Dillon, Lindsey and Chad.
President Craig, a graduate of Meridian himself, presented each student a Plaque as well as a small monetary gift.
Our program chairman for the day was Kevin P. Kevin's program presenter was Lynden Mayor Scott Korthuis.
Before Scott spoke president elect Jeff talked more about his proposed major project and how it will figure in with the mayors talk.
Mayor Scott told us the Oxbo story how it went from a small company him and Will started to where it is today a worldwide company.
Mayor Scott stated us off telling us that Peace Health announced today that they are building a new campus in Lynden quite soon. Still looking for a suitable location, not necessarily the land they purchased in west Lynden years ago. Their new campus will bring 35 new jobs to the Lynden area.
Mayor Scott told us about upcoming plans for Lynden and how he is excited about the Rotary clubs plans for the parks and trails in Lynden.
A great program and a lot of good news for Lynden.  

The Mt Baker Rotary Club is excited that we have the opportunity again this year to send two students (from Meridian HS) to Youth Adventures In Leadership.

Throughout the YAIL weekend experience, participants will interact and engage with one another through large group activities, small group activities, and speaker sessions. All activities will be led by experienced youth facilitators who are YAIL Alumni and have a passion for empowering young people.

Salvation Army
The Mt. Baker Rotary Club takes to the doors of the Lynden Safeway to help raise funds for the Salvation Army.
Dick Bedlington reminded me that this year marks the 38th year the club has supported the Salvation Army with bell ringing.
Make this your tradition and come by on December 13th, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM, and drop a donation in the pot. 
Whether it is change from your car that you give the kids to drop in the pot, or check from the bottom of your heart, your donation will serve the needs of the community - what a great Christmas gift.
From 4:00 - 6:00 PM stop in and sing along with the Mt Baker Rotary Carolers - always a treat.  
We had a great time on Nov. 5th helping pack lunches for Open Hands
After a compelling presentation from the volunteers at Open Hands, a few of us took the opportunity to help pack lunches for the needy kids for the upcoming weekend.
The Open Hands program was developed to help ensure that children in our area have access to non-perishable and easy to prepare foods at all times, when other resources are not available, such as on weekends and school holidays.  Open Hands currently serves in the Nooksack and Lynden school districts.
It was an honor to help them, by extending a hand.
 
 

Nepal Orthopedic HospitalNepal Orthopaedic Hospital (NOH) was established in the premises of the Nepal Disabled Association (NDA) at the Khagendra New Life Centre in Jorpati in Kathmandu in August 1998.Its sole intention has been to provide quality orthopedic care, at an affordable price, of which most Nepalese have been deprived.

The water wells in Nigeria are moving forward with a total of 41 wells completed to date and more on their way.
1982-1983,1998-1999,2000-2001,2001-2002,2002-2003,2003-2004,2004-2005,2006-2007,2007-2008,2008-2009,2009-2010
The Million Smiles Playground needed a big push leading up to its spring 2007 construction. Rotary primed the pump with a huge $100,000 gift to prompt others to give.

At the time, club president Frank Mansfield termed it the “perfect project” because of its scope.

“We are able to give back to the community on a big scale,” Mansfield said. “A large segment of the community will be able to make use out of this.”

A delegation of Rotarians went to Oak Harbor to tour a playground already designed by the Leathers & Associates consultants. “We wanted to see what it looks like and if it was worth this much money,” Mansfield said.

Then the discussion in the club was overwhelmingly in favor of going forward.
Construction of the imaginative colorful playground near Fishtrap Creek in the park made extensive use of community labor but still had hard expenses for all the material

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It's time to get the word out about the Rotary Club of Mount Baker
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Club Information
Welcome to our club!
Mount Baker Rotary

Service Above Self

We meet In Person
Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Mt. Baker Rotary Building
1751 Front St.
Mail address: P.O Box 52
Lynden, WA 98264
United States of America
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