Our program this week is a presentation by the founders of Li'l Hungry Hearts, a non-profit organization that provides Lake Stevens School District school-aged children who are on the National School Lunch Program supplemental food for weekends and holidays. Borne out of a need that educator Tammie Enders saw in her own school five years ago, she shared her concerns with parent Anita Caffee and together they are making a difference in the lives of children here in Lake Stevens.
Contest: Name the location from where the photo at the top of the bulletin and website home page was taken. Be the first to send your guess to the Editor by Friday, March 20th, 7:30 am.
One of the graduation requirements for Lake Stevens High School Seniors is to present their "Culminating Exhibition" before a panel. This exhibition is a celebration of a student's growth and learning while he or she has been in high school. The next two sessions are scheduled for Noon on Friday, March 27th and Noon on Friday, April 3rd. If you would be interested in being a panelist, contact Kim LaFortune at the high school.
Lance grew up in a small town in North Idaho then moved to Spokane and lived there for 17 years before moving to Lake Stevens in 2010. Lance married his lovely wife Carrie and that is what brought him to Lake Stevens, two step kids.
Lance was a single parent of his two sons for 11 years starting in the 1980’s when few fathers had custody of their children. It was the hardest and most meaningful thing he has done in his life. Lance has two grandchildren.
Lance has worked in restaurants, sawmills in N. Idaho and E. Washington for 11 years before moving into the disability realm and non-profits for the past 17 years. For 15 of the 17 years in non-profits he worked for The Arc of Spokane and The Arc of King County. The Arc is an advocacy organization for people with intellectual disabilities and Lance’s role was to organize grassroots legislative advocacy and lobby directly for issues important to people with disabilities. In August of 2013, Lance became the Executive Director of Sherwood Community Services in Lake Stevens. Sherwood provides early intervention services for children birth to 3 years old who have developmental delays, assistive technology services to children and adults that have barriers to communication, and employment support for adults with disabilities who want to work.
Lance explained why he does this meaningful work.
#1. He has a personal connection. His son, Lance Jr., had a near drowning accident in 1990 at the age of 7. He had significant disabilities as a result and lived another 17 years until he passed away at the age of 24. He lived a full live in spite of his disabilities. He attended his neighborhood school and was a member of his brother's baseball teams and sometimes had to be lifted over fences in his wheelchair to attend the games. Lance also shared some personal advocacy he did at the YMCA in Spokane around charging for caregivers to attend with the person with disabilities. In reality, this meant that it cost the person twice as much as a person without disabilities to attend YMCA activities. Their board changed this practice and now allows caregivers to attend with a person without charge.
#2. Equality and justice. Lance believes that all people with disabilities should live a full meaningful life in their communities. He believes it is the role of non-profits like Sherwood to level the playing field for people with disabilities by providing services they need. This is the passion that drives Lance to do the work he does.
Lance shared that he has seen so many success stories of people with disabilities becoming more included in their communities and making significant contributions. Many times it takes just a little support and encouragement to make a huge difference in people’s lives. Lance has met some of the best people through his experience and work and feels very lucky to have had the experiences he has had in his life.
Lance also shared how meaningful it has been to be a part of the Lake Stevens Community and Rotary. As a new member, he hopes to get more involved and support activities of our Rotary Club.
Our Cub Scout Pack will be recognizing two of their own who have earned the highest rank in Cub Scouts, the Arrow of Light Award. A special ceremony is being held on Sunday, March 29th at the Lake Stevens Senior Center. Following that a separate ceremony will be held as these two Scouts will be "Crossing Over" to Boy Scouts. Each Scout will be joining Troops here in Lake Stevens. Rotarians are encouraged to come and join the families and friends of these Scouts as they receive this special recognition.
All members are invited to attend and participate in Board Meetings. The next one is Thursday, March 19th at the New Country Grill. Your input is vital to the success of our Club.
There are some tasks for the wine tasting that need to be filled. Take a look at the signup list at the Event link. Please bring your contributions for the event to the meeting. And, keep selling those tickets!
The Lake Stevens Rotary Club is pleased to announce that the 2015 Rotary Club Scholarships are now being accepted. The applicants must be Seniors at Lake Stevens High School or a member of the Lake Stevens School District Home Link program. The application form is available at the Club website as well as via this link. Questions can be directed to Scholarship Committee Chairman James Monroe.
Members are being asked to sign up for the various tasks that need to be handled for our fundraiser to be successful. Many of you have already taken on some of the tasks. This is an All Hands On Deck event. Everything from Setup to Tear down is still available. Click on this link. You must be logged in to sign up for the tasks. Also, keep selling tickets for the Tasting. This will be great event. Thank you to everyone who has worked hard on preparing for this.
Hunger is a result of poverty. The unemployment rate in Washington state in 2011 was 9.2%, but that figure doesn’t reflect the number of people who are under-employed, the number of those who have given up looking for work, or the overall loss of available jobs in the economy.
