Tattler Newsletter May 8, 2017 (May 08, 2017)

May 8, 2017

Opening:

President Del opened today’s meeting with some very useful information for us all.

Unless you want a fuller body with more volume, don’t let shampoo run all over yourself in the shower. To cut through fat, wash instead with Dawn Dishwashing Detergent. Thanks, Del. We will all stick that tidbit away in our “Save” folder.

We then sang the Star Spangled Banner, and Tom Beaumont gave the invocation.

President Del began the serious portion of our meeting by encouraging Rotarians to register their businesses on a Rotarian Networking website that will enable Rotarians to “Do Business With Rotarians”. For more information, talk to Del or John Stewart.

Next on the docket was an update on Polio Plus. Rotary International has been a leader in the effort to eradicate polio worldwide for more than twenty years. When we began, there were 350,000 new cases of polio every year. In 2016 that number was 37. And to date in 2017, there have been only 5 reported cases in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where war has interrupted polio eradication efforts. Del informed us that for every dollar we raise for Polio Plus by the end of this Rotary year (June 26^th), Bill and Melinda Gates will match it 2:1. Our Club’s donations will also go towards earning a Paul Harris Fellowship. We are strongly encouraged to participate at the highest level possible.

Finally, President Del let us know that in the coming weeks we will all be asked about our volunteer activities. Where do you volunteer? How often? How much time is spent? Volunteering is foundational to Rotary, and it will be good to see what we are all up to.

Announcements:

Save the Date for the Rotary Club of Bellingham Centennial Celebration Dinner - September 23, 2017 (click here for additional information)

Rotary shirts are available, in all sizes and in men’s and women’s models. Shirts cost $35 and in the future, Scott Wallace will handle sales.

Sandy McIntire reported that it is time for the annual clean up of the Sunnyland Memorial Park on May 20, 2017 from 10:00 am to 12:00. He would like another six or so volunteers from the club to help in this effort.

Guests of Rotarians:

Dominique Zervas introduced Izaac Burrows with Corion Landscape and Jennifer Moehl with Zervas Group Architects

John Inglis introduced his son Sam

Dewey Desler brought Whatcom County Executive, Jack Louws

Monty McAllister introduced Dan Cybula

Presentations:

Esteemed guest, County Executive Jack Louws, gave a presentation on Sun House, our Club’s Major Project in 2014 in a private/public partnership with the County and Chuckanut Health. The project has been completed, and the results are amazing. $275,000 was spent on a significant renovation of the building, inside and out. Twelve rooms – which are always full - house mentally ill individuals who have been released from jail, or have been taken from the street. Sun House provides critical care services for these people. County Exec Jack thanked RCOB’s leadership from 2014 for a job well done!

Program:

Our own Lisa Saar was provided today’s program, entitled “My Summer Vacation”, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the many places she was stationed while serving 22 years in the U.S. Navy that weren’t all pleasant, but definitely fun and exciting.

Lisa began her military career in 1988 by going to Boot Camp in Orlando, FL (Disney World?) where she learned electronics. In 1989 she was sent to Naples, Italy and lived in a beautiful apartment with a gorgeous view of Mt. Vesuvius and Naples Bay (my summer vacation!). In 1991 she was sent to Holy Loch, Scotland where she was put on a Naval ship responsible for repairing and maintaining submarines. Her experiences included being lowered into empty Trident missile tubes to fix or replace circuit boards damaged by salt water. In 1994 she was sent to La Maddlena, Italy where she applied for an educational program offered by the military. She was one of 25 selected out of a pool of 250 applicants and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing.

Lisa then moved on to Newport, RI where she decided to enter into the Officer Program. In 1997 she did her first tour of duty as a Registered Nurse in Charleston, SC. From 1999-2001 she was sent back to Sicily where she worked 12 hour shifts in the Emergency Room.

Back to the mainland she went, to the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, where she spent most of 2002. In 2002-2003, she was assigned to the hospital ship, USNS Comfort during Iraqi Freedom. The ship sat 5 miles off the coast of Kuwait City, and treated injured troops that were flown in. After that, she once again returned to Bethesda, MD only to head to Guantanemo Bay, Cuba in 2004 to treat “detainees”. Detainees were housed in small cells and given a Koran, a t-shirt, and a pair of pants. She endured some pretty intense experiences at Gitmo, which earned her the nickname among detainees of Big Doctor Donkey “Beach” – Beach not really being Beach.

From Cuba she made her way back to Bethesda, MD, then in 2005 she was sent to Bremerton’s Naval Hospital. But her story did not end there. In 2006 she was deployed to Iraq, where she was stationed in Fallujah, working on battlefield casualties. In her words, this experience was very much like what we viewed on the popular movie/tv show “MASH”. This was one part of her Summer Vacation where she didn’t get a lot of sleep – camel spiders saw to that. During this time Lisa flew missions on Blackhawk helicopters and CH46s and tragically, one of her pilots and a friend, was shot down two weeks before coming home.

In 2007 our intrepid hero (yes, you are a hero), came back to Bremerton. She retired in 2009, and decided to go to Law School, and she did – graduating in 2012.

Lisa now has her own law firm here in Bellingham, and one must wonder if Bellingham summers will be exciting enough for her “Summer Vacation” from now on. Excellent program – thank you for your service, Lisa.