Lake Report (May 31, 2022)

Posted by James Monroe on May 30, 2022

The featured speaker at this week's meeting is our own Kendra Pinkelman. She will talk about Solstice Healing's ecotherapy program. Kendra has been a member of our Club for four and a half years. She is a licensed mental health therapist with a holistic approach to helping people.

My apologies for not getting this out last week. I appreciate your patience. Thank you to everyone who participated in the recent street cleanups throughout town! Next week we start our participation at the Farmer's Market. More information about this will be shared at the meeting.

Members were recently sent information about our annual installation event. Make sure to save the date and register. Bring your significant other

Lastly, get those sponsorships in. Especially if the sponsor wants to be included on this year's Viking Coin Quest raffle tickets.

The link to our YouTube Channel is now available on our website and our weekly bulletins. You can view recent online meetings. If you watch any of them, you can count it as a makeup. Just let our Secretary, Gary O'Rielly know.

PHOTO CONTEST: We do have a winner to the latest photo. A new photo will be introduced soon!

Lake Stevens High School Scholars Awards

Posted by Gary O'Rielly on May 31, 2022

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Pictured above are scholarship recipients with Lance Morehouse, Vocational Committee Chair, Sam Low and Ken Collins, Lake Stevens School District Superintendent, and current Past President of our Club. The Rotary Club of Lake Stevens distributed $26,500 in scholarships to seven awesome high school seniors headed to college and vocational trade school this summer/fall. In memory of Dean Franz, live plants in cedar planters were distributed to each recipient to give to a person who nurtured them during their life.

Special contributors to our scholarship fund were Debe and Derek Franz on behalf of Dean Franz, Dr. Jae Hong, Sam and Mariah Low, Lance and Carrie Morehouse and Loren and Lorna Hole provided major donor contributions to the scholarship fund.

After awarding four scholarships, Lance turned the final three scholarship awards over to Sam Low.

The Rotary Club of Lake Stevens is proud to award these seven candidates with scholarships to the college or vocational scholarship to some awesome high school seniors at Lake Stevens High School.

Roadside Clean Up

Posted by Gary O'Rielly on May 30, 2022

Another roadside cleanup project on Saturday, May 28 was led by Brian Rewis, Chair of the Community Services Committee. This was the second Saturday in a row that Club members were out cleaning up roadsides in Lake Stevens. Last Saturday, Market Street to Davies Beach and this week 16th Street NE and E. Lakeshore Drive downtown area. Pictured, left to right, Chris Vallo, President-Elect, Jim Haugen, Brian Rewis, Gary O'Rielly and Jak Thornton.

District 5050 Recognition

Posted by Gary O'Rielly on May 26, 2022

At the recent District 5050 Conference our Club was recognized for our Club and membership giving to the End Polio Now Campaign and achieving the Club goal for the GolFun Polio Plus commitment.

Bridge Receiving Update

Posted by Gary O'Rielly on May 23, 2022

Tracy Rubestello visited us again to update us on the current activities going on at Bridge Receiving. Tracy has visited our Club in the past around 2018-19. The last time Tracy visited us, Bridge Receiving was a vision, idea, and a concept but now it is a reality. Her father was a Rotarian in the downtown Seattle Club. Bridge Receiving opened in August 2020. Bridge Receiving is a healing start for children entering Foster Care. Children coming into Foster Care for the first time. Bridge Receiving avoids these new Foster Care children going into a hotel or other facilities before going to Foster Care. This is the only facility in the United States with hopes for more being built in the future.

Bridge Receiving receives calls from all over the state asking to take new kids entering the Foster Care system. Tracy referred to Bridge Receiving as a nice happy medium. Bridge Receiving is a 501(c)(3) organization. The longest stay by one of the kids staying at Bridge Receiving was 115 days. The future includes building two more Bridge Receiving facilities in Washington state. The next one will be built in King County.

How to remove a child because of neglect? How do you help struggling families before a child is removed from the home? That is the goal for the parents that Bridge Receiving is working on before a child must enter Foster Care. Bridge Receiving is there to create stability for a child while the family is working through their issues. Bridge Receiving is a tiny house that makes an enormous difference in the lives of these kids.

The average length of stay is 21 days however it depends on the child's situation which can change if they have no other place to stay. There is so much to share from Tracy's presentation. Here is the link to the meeting if you want to get more information on the impact of Bridge Receiving. The link is https://youtu.be/mKqB9tJ3jZk

Bridge Receiving is trying to raise $40,000 for projects that include a new room for a therapist to meet with the children in private. You can give a donation to Bridge Receiving and the video link above will show you how to give directly to them.

Quote of the Week

Posted on Mar 04, 2022