Do Good, Have Fun, Make Friends
We meet Wednesdays at 12:00 PM
Hilton Hotel
Hilton Hotel
500 W. 3rd Ave.
Anchorage, AK 99501
United States of America
Anchorage, AK 99501
United States of America
District Site
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Bulletins
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Venue Map
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Mobile Food Pantry
Fairview Recreation CenterDec 14, 2019
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM -
East High Interact Club
Kim Liland's Room @ East HighDec 16, 2019 10:44 AM
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The Polar Express
E Street TheaterDec 17, 2019 5:00 PM
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West High Interact Club
Mr. Rulin's Room (#10) @ West HighDec 18, 2019 10:20 AM
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Muldoon Elementary Reading Program
Contact Rich DysonDec 18, 2019 4:30 PM
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Mobile Food Pantry
Fairview Recreation CenterJan 11, 2020
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM -
Mobile Food Pantry
Fairview Recreation CenterFeb 08, 2020
1:30 PM – 3:00 PM
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December 4th
Our speaker last week was Lise Falscow, President and CEO of The Alaska World Affairs Council. The Alaska World Affairs Council was founded in 1958, and is a focused educational organization dedicated to stimulating interest in world affairs and inspiring its members to be involved in world events.
Lise Falskow
Lise Falskow was born and raised in Alaska and holds a degree in Economics and Accounting from Claremont McKenna College. She worked as a CPA in Seattle, Washington and Zurich, Switzerland. She then helped establish a Financial Analyst Group for the Energy Division of a major oil company in Oslo, Norway. As a dual Norwegian and US Citizen, Lise’s interest in world cultures has taken her to many exciting places, including her return to Anchorage, Alaska where she also serves as the Royal Norwegian Honorary Consul for Alaska.
Lise talked to us about the Alaska World Affairs Council’s programs including luncheon and evening programs that are open to the public; student programing including their annual Academic World Quest competition and their Speed Mentoring event in which Anchorage East Rotarians have participated; and travel and foreign relations programs. A list of upcoming events can be found at: https://www.alaskaworldaffairs.org/events/
Lise also told us about an Alaska World Affairs Council trip to Qatar and shared information about the country, its history, government, economy and culture, including pictures of the development that has occurred in the country since the early 1980’s.
The following information is taken from the U.S. Department of State website:
U.S.-QATAR RELATIONS
The United States established diplomatic relations with Qatar in 1972 following its independence from the United Kingdom in 1971. Bilateral relations are strong, with the United States and Qatar coordinating closely on a wide range of regional and global issues. Qatar has played a constructive financial, political, and military role in addressing regional turmoil, and in partnership with the United States, has contributed to progress, stability, and prosperity in the region. The United States and Qatar also cooperate on security in the Persian Gulf region, notably via hosting the Al-Udeid Air Force Base and CENTCOM Forward Headquarters, and Qatar’s support of North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S. military operations in the region. Qatar is a major staging ground for air operations against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. The United States welcomes thousands of Qataris students to study in the United States every year, and six major U.S. universities have branch campuses in Qatar.
U.S. Assistance to Qatar
The United States provides no development assistance to Qatar.
Bilateral Economic Relations
The United States and Qatar have extensive economic ties. As Qatar’s largest foreign direct investor and its single largest source of imports, the United States has developed a robust trade relationship with Qatar, with over 120 U.S companies operating in country. For example, the United States is one of the major equipment suppliers for Qatar’s oil and gas industry, and U.S. companies have played a significant role in the development of the oil and gas sector and petrochemicals. U.S. exports to Qatar include aircraft, machinery, vehicles, optical and medical instruments, and agricultural products. U.S. imports from Qatar include liquefied natural gas, aluminum, fertilizers, and sulfur. The United States and Qatar signed a trade and investment framework agreement and participate in annual bilateral Strategic Dialogues. Qatar announced a plan to invest $45 billion in the United States, in addition to billions of dollars’ worth of military and aviation contracts.
December 11th
Our speaker this week is Mao Tosi. For years Mao has been very active in working with and advocating for the youth in our community; in particular those at-risk young people in our schools.
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Mao Tosi
Born in American Samoa, Mao moved with his family at age three to San Diego, California, and to Anchorage, Alaska, about a decade later. When his parents returned to San Diego, he stayed in Anchorage with an older brother. Mao attended East Anchorage High School and starred in basketball for the Thunderbirds. After graduation from high school in 1995, Mao received a basketball scholarship to Butler Community College in Kansas, and subsequently a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Idaho, where he excelled as a dual-sport athlete, also playing football. At the 2000 NFL Draft, Mao was selected by the Arizona Cardinals, where he started ten games as a rookie and led the defensive line in tackles. His NFL career ended in 2002 when he was injured during his third season. Mao moved back to Alaska to raise his young family, and in 2006, he began working with at-risk youth in Anchorage, and later founded a non-profit organization, AK PRIDE (Alaskan People Representing Integrity and Diverse Experiences) Youth Programs.
Recently, Mao contacted Past District Governor Brad Gamble and talked with Brad about a program that he is working on developing to partner with the ASD's 21st Century After-School Program. Mao’s program called UP in AK - After School / Summer Initiative, is an extension of his work with AK PRIDE. The goal of the program is to target 8-12 year old students in our Title 1 elementary schools and get them involved in an environment of positive activities to keep them on the right path as they enter into middle school. Mao contacted PDG Brad because he needs community help and support for the program and feels that our Rotary clubs would be a good resource for involvement and partnering. PDG Brad passed on the information to the Anchorage area Presidents and requested that we consider inviting Mao to speak at one of our meetings. At the end of his email, PDG Brad stated: “I promise you will be moved by Mao’s passion for helping our kids.”
Rotary believes good health care is everyone’s right. Yet 400 million people in the world can’t afford or don’t have access to basic health care.
Disease results in misery, pain, and poverty for millions of people worldwide. That’s why treating and preventing disease is so important to us. We lead efforts both large and small.
We set up temporary clinics, blood donation centers, and training facilities in underserved communities struggling with outbreaks and health care access. We design and build infrastructure that allows doctors, patients, and governments to work together.
Rotary members combat diseases like malaria, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, and polio. Prevention is important, which is why we also focus on health education and bringing people routine hearing, vision, and dental care.
We educate and equip communities to stop the spread of life-threatening diseases. Rotary members have hundreds of health projects underway around the world at any given time.
Rotary makes amazing things happen, like:
Providing clean water: Rotary has worked with partners to provide more than 80 percent of Ghana’s people with clean water to fight Guinea worm disease.
Reducing HIV infection: In Liberia, Rotary members are helping women get tested for HIV early in their pregnancies. They used prenatal care to reduce new HIV infections in children by 95 percent over two years.
Ending polio: Rotary members have played a key role in bringing the world to the brink of polio eradication. Their efforts have not only ended polio in 122 countries but also created a system for tackling myriad other health priorities, such as Ebola.
The next National Immunization Day (NID) for India will be January 19, 2020. Fellow Rotarian Diwan Singh has organized two trips for anyone who would like to participate in this life changing experience in helping to eradicate polio worldwide. He also suggested that he could plan a trip in February for regular immunizations not included in the NID. If anyone would like to travel to India in January or February and be a part of this worthwhile project, please contact Rich Dyson at rkdyson@gci.net or 907-830-4858.
Our very own Anne (Tripple A) took Gabi to paint night (thank you Anne!). Turns out Starry night is one of Gabi's favorite paintings. Please remember our favorite foreign friend when you're out and about on the town. Especially in the next two months students can struggle with home sickness. A busy kid is a happy kid! Gabi likes animals, movies and food! Her phone number is 907-205-7181 text seems to be the easiest way to get in touch but she will answer the phone if she's not in school.
We're starting to look for a third host family starting the end of March in the West school zone. Keep Gabi in mind!!
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Community Service Opportunity
Improving literacy has been a goal of Rotary for many years. Gateway Rotary established a reading program at Muldoon Elementary on Wednesdays at 4:30 pm and since we are their sponsoring club, they would like to partner with us. It’s a great hands-on community service activity and is a fun way to interact with the students. If you would like to participate, please contact Rich Dyson at rkdyson@gci.net or 830-4858 for more details.
October 30th Program
Our speaker last week was Ryan Swartwood, UAA Senior Associate Director of Athletics, who talked to us about the UAA athletics program and the ESPN eighth annual Armed Forces Classic which will be staged at the Alaska Airlines Center on Friday, Nov. 8 in a partnership with the Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson military facility.
The men's college basketball doubleheader will be a part of ESPN's Veterans Week initiative and will pit Baylor against Washington and Alaska Anchorage against Coast Guard Academy. Both games will air on ESPN.
Previous Armed Forces Classic games have been played from Ramstein, Germany in 2012 (Connecticut vs. Michigan State), Pyongtaek, South Korea in 2013 (Georgetown vs. Oregon), Aguadilla, Puerto Rico in 2014 (Louisville vs. Minnesota), Honolulu, Hawaii in 2016 (Arizona vs. Michigan State & Indiana vs. Kansas), Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany in 2017 (Texas A&M vs. West Virginia) and Fort Bliss, Texas in 2018 (Texas vs. Arkansas).
The games will be televised on ESPN as part of the network's America's Heroes: A Salute to Our Veterans initiative honoring the men and women who are serving and who have served in the United States military, both at home and abroad.
Ryan recently joined the UAA athletic staff after serving as the Associate Athletic Director for Administration at Cal State Northridge. During his time at Northridge, Ryan managed and supervised the areas of contract administration and the operation of the athletics facilities. He handled oversight of the sports medicine and sports performance areas and was a sport program administrator for multiple programs.
Prior to his time at Northridge, Ryan worked in the compliance office at the University of Oklahoma for three years and was a legal intern with the Oakland Raiders.
Ryan earned a bachelor’s degree in history from San Diego State University, a master’s degree in adult and higher education from the University of Oklahoma and a juris doctorate from Arizona State University.
November 6th Program
This week we are honored to have District Governor Andre’ Layral visiting our club. As part of his club visits, DG Andre’ has been sharing his Rotary story, the Rotary vision of RI and goals established by 2019-2020 President Mark Maloney. He is also sharing details of several D5010 initiatives and projects for our district that are intended to strengthen clubs so they can be more effective in achieving their goals.
District Governor Layral and Club President Charolotte Tharp at President-Elect Training
The following is an excerpt from DG Andre’s October message to members:
In 2017 Rotary adopted the term “DROP TO ZERO”. Check this out: https://www.rotary.org/en/why-zero-matters-polio-eradication .
No place on earth is safe from Polio until the disease is eradicated everywhere. With war and conflict in the world, and many displaced people, this will continue to be a challenge. Recently a case of the Wild Polio Virus was identified in the Philippines, a region that was declared polio-free the past 19 years. Rotary and its partners are so close to eradicating Polio. Rotary has been key to the successful effort to eradicate Polio since 1986. $1.5 billion is needed to finish the job. Your donation will help Rotary reach its fundraising goal in 2019-2020 so that the Gates Foundation can again match what is raised by Rotary.
D5010 was well represented at the Zone Conference in Niagra Falls, Ontario, Canada. Attending were Sheri and DG Andre’ Layral, Terese and DGE Joe Kashi, DGN Cheryl and Marty Metiva, Tonya and PDG Brad Gamble, Gloria and PDG Ted Trueblood, Mike Ferris and Lindsay Knight. We also were joined by Emerging Leader Trinitey Letterman, who was awarded a stipend from D5010 and also from Zone 24/32. Trinity has grown up in a Rotary family. I have great hope for the future of Rotary when I see the passion young leaders bring as members.
One highlight of the 2019 Zone conference was learning that in 2020 there will be two Zone Conferences, one in Anchorage November 19-21, 2020 and the second one in Bermuda on January 14-16, 2021. Another highlight was meeting and hearing from 2020-21 Rotary International President-Elect Holger Knaack. There were many dynamic speakers that kept everyone inspired. One of the conference emphasis areas was Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, an area that all Rotary Districts are being asked to address with members and clubs.
Rotary Cares for Kids
Rotary Cares for Kids has been invited to join The Office of Children's Services at their annual Christmas Party for Foster Children and their families. They need between 5 & 8 volunteer to wrap gifts.
The Party includes pizza and games for the kids while foster parents go "shopping" to choose a gift for each child in their custody. These gifts are then taken to the wrapping area, wrapped and placed in large plastic bags and transported out to cars. Hopefully without notice. :-).
Please join them at the LDS Church, (3111 Brayton Drive, Anchorage) December 19th from 5:30 -7:30.
Polar Express
Community Service Committee Co-Chairs Mark Schmeling and Rich Dyson held a meeting of the of the committee on July 16th .Present were:President Charlotte Tharp, Christian Deykes, Heather Flynn, Gateway Rotary President Ron Fassett, Gateway Rotary Community Service Chair Owen Carey
Community Service Projects from the previous Rotary year were discussed and it was agreed that AER would continue the Mobile Food Pantry, DOT Highway Clean-up, reading at Baxter Elementary, Nordic Ski Association Solstice Tree Tour, Walk for Hope hydration station, Garden Boxes, English Camp, and Community Grants.
Discussion also included participating in the Food Bank of Alaska’s Thanksgiving Blessing in November and the GIFT program in December, however, there was a general sentiment that perhaps these two projects could be supplanted by food basket donations to individual families through the Gateway Rotary tradition at Mountain View and Muldoon Elementary in November and a Senior Giving Tree program in December.
It was proposed that Gateway Rotarians and Anchorage East Rotarians could partner in each other’s reading programs at Baxter and Muldoon Elementary Schools.
Gateway Rotary is also looking into participation with the Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services (RAIS) program in Mountain View by supporting gardening for low income residents.This could be a hands-on project for both Rotary clubs but also some donations are needed to purchase fruit trees.
The next highway clean-up will be scheduled for the end of July according to a message received by Bruce Phelps, however, we have received a request from Jet Blue employees to partner on this project on August 14th.This could be an added clean-up session or in lieu of the July session.
Community Grant applications will be accepted for the Community Service Committee review and selection three times during the Rotary year.The first deadline for submission will be September 30th and members will be asked to spread the word to organizations seeking grants.
The meeting adjourned with an agreement that the next meeting should be in September.
The last day to get the special Early Bird registration ($55 off the regular online rate for each person) is this coming Wednesday, June 5th. This needs to be publicized so that every Club member who plans to attend next year's RI Convention in Honolulu gets in gear and signs up ASAP. Also, be sure to join the Flying Rotarian (IFFR) fellowship, which is free at the moment, to get in on the really good group rate deal at the Convention hotel. More details to follow. https://www.riconvention.org/en/honolulu
Anchorage East Rotary Welcomes Gabi Muniz!!
Our new exchange student Gabi Muniz arrived in Anchorage August 2nd. If you have not yet introduced yourself to Gabi at one of our Club meetings, please do so! She is looking forward to meeting all of us!
Gabi is open for adventures. Her areas of interest include horses, flying, snowboarding (ok, I know this one is a ways out), and movies. Beyond that I repeat my statement that teenagers love to eat, not all activities have to be fancy. Gabi is a funny, intelligent, and enthusiastic young woman. She lives in the West school zone.
Gabi in the scavenger hunt at Orientation demonstrating "Be thankful."
Easy instructions on how to set up your own account on the Rotary International website.
The East High Interact Club is already gearing up for the 2019/ 2020 school year. Teacher advisor Kim Liland and students were presented with next year's banner by President Paul this week. The students represent the future for Rotary International. When we have their meeting dates for next year, we'll reach out for support from our supportive AER members.
It was Election Day at Interact West High on Tuesday this week. A fond farewell to the outgoing board of Seniors and a celebration for our 2019/2020 members! Their understanding of Rotary and its mission was impressive. Volunteers are always welcome, so mark your calendars for the fall!
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President Paul listens as Karen Smith presents a video and information about Rotary and Interact to the East High Interact Club on April 8th.
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The East High Interact Club is growing in numbers! On April 8th, the students heard a presentation on Rotary’s involvement in Hurricane Katrina recovery.
President Paul Paslay and Past-President Jeff Blake attended the West High Interact Club meeting on Tuesday this week where they worked with Interactors to prepare backpacks for homeless students. The backpacks will be distributed by West High School. All told, 16 backpacks were put together.
The photographs below were provided by Michelle Tabler illustrating some of the work that went on during the recent AER visioning session.
As a thank-you to the many Anchorage East Rotarians who have volunteered at Baxter Elementary School in support of their ongoing reading project, the students gave to us this very thoughtful and unique thank-you note. Thank you to President Paul for providing the note.
Our newly inducted East High Interact board has taken on a project within its first week. They are crocheting wool blankets for the Pioneer Home in downtown Anchorage. The board has members joining at lunch and after school to finish the blankets and hoping to deliver them in the coming month. You will see a familiar face, our Exchange Student Adam, as the Communications Director. The group is led by teacher advisor, Kim Liland and it's obvious they have a lot of fun!
The West High Interact Club has decided to support homeless students at West and other places. We thought of the idea of asking Harry Kieling, our past District Governor, to donate some backpacks from the Rotary Cares For Kids program he started while he was DG. During our Feb. 19 meeting, he brought 16 backpacks to the club meeting. Each backpack had some items in them like a blanket and some toiletries. The club members are talking to Target to get gift cards and talking with the school Parent Teacher Student Association for help to supply each backpack with a water bottle and a West High t-shirt.
Juneau bound!
Levi and Pang, both Interact East High School students, are AER's scholarship recipients for RYLA, being held in Juneau, March 7, 2019 through March 10, 2019. They completed their applications, answered questions and were interviewed by Justin Mills and Karen Smith to receive the top honors. Way to go Levi and Pang and we can't wait to hear about your leadership adventures with chaperone Marjorie Poggas.
The Short-term Exchange Program (STEP) through District 5010 application process closes February 28th!
Rotary Short Term Exchange presents opportunities for students to advance their knowledge and world understanding by allowing them to live abroad for a brief time over the summer. Students live with one host family in the destination country for one month in the summer, under the sponsorship of their local Rotary Club. This is a true exchange program because the host brother/sister from abroad will also spend a month with the participating student in his/her home in Alaska during the same summer.
Do you have someone in mind? Click here for more information and application process.
It’s a little early to think about baseball but it’s never too early to think about improving Rotary’s public image in our communities. District 5010 and the Rotary Clubs of Anchorage East, Hillside, International and Russian Jack have combined to enhance Rotary’s image with the local baseball fans. [Rotarians Greg Solomon, Mike Bridges and Carolyn Jones also tossed a little money into the pot and Greg donated his graphic design skills to make this work.] This Rotary partnership cut a great deal with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots summer league college baseball team.
When Mulcahy Stadium opens in May and throughout the summer of 2019, every baseball fan who comes to the park for a high school game, an American Legion game or an Alaska Baseball League game, or any other event, will see an 8’ x 16’ outfield billboard promoting Rotary in the Anchorage community. The contract with the Glacier Pilots also gets us a full-page color ad on the outside back cover of the Pilots baseball program, the Rotary wheel and logo on the reverse side of admission tickets; 54 radio PSAs and promo spots at all the Pilots home games. We will tell the Rotary story from End Polio Now to highlighting local projects of the participating clubs.
And that’s not all! The district and participating clubs will share 300 general admission tickets, 10 season’s passes to all regular Alaska Baseball League games and 4 season box seat tickets. Each participating club may use its share of these tickets as the club chooses: sell/auction them off as a fundraiser, give them away to local students or whatever. And, finally, the district and participating clubs will have the opportunity to host a Rotary Night at the ball park, share in the Split The Pot proceeds, and offer discount ticket/food packages to its members.
This is an amazing partnership with the Anchorage Glacier Pilots. Rotary will be supporting a local nonprofit that showcases future MLB talent; helps develop local baseball talent and provides healthy summer entertainment to the baseball fan and Anchorage community. Not only will Rotary’s public image be enhanced by this partnership, but there are so many ways that the participating clubs can promote fellowship amongst their members and the other participating clubs.
It is a win-win for everyone!
Play ball!
The Communications Committee is encouraging everyone to review your information on Clubrunner and update anything that has changed. If you've changed jobs, retired, moved, changed phone numbers or email addresses, or perhaps you'd like a new photo uploaded, chances are you've got a few things to update. Please take a few minutes and make the necessary changes. If you're not quite sure how to do this, feel free to send clear information to Chris Wolpert and he will be glad to update your Clubrunner information.
Big thanks to fellow Rotarians and their family members who participated in our club’s first year serving at the Nordic Ski Association of Anchorage’s “Solstice Tree Tour.”
President Paul Paslay, Lynn Shaver, Bob Cox, and Karen Smith’s husband Terry and their two teenage daughters (Ashley and Katelyn) served coffee and cocoa with a friendly smile to thousands of event-goers this past Sunday at Kincaid Park. The walking/skiing tour of beautifully decorated trees in the park celebrates the return of longer daylight hours and our community’s fabulous trail system. Money raised helps the NSAA maintain those trails year-round. Anchorage East Rotary provided not only helping hands but also a $1,000 community service grant.
Gloria Kron, Christian Dykes, Sandra Wicks, Bruce Phelps and their families were also seen along the trail. Gloria even had on a Rotary vest! Thanks for participating, Rotarians!
Anchorage East Rotary hosted members of the armed forces who are posted locally during the annual military appreciation lunch held on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The event is a thank you for service members who cannot be with family during the holiday.
Picture 1
Airman First Class Valdes Monijo photographs members of the military guests
enjoying the presentation on various activities available to service
personnel in Alaska.
Picture 2
East Rotary members enjoying lunch with military guests.
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Picture 3
Sgt First Class Adam Schwartz, President Paul Paslay, and Major Amy Slinker
listen to Staff Sgt Jason Schlegal recount his adventures in Alaska.
