Lake Report (Feb 23, 2016)

Our Rotary Club Meetings are at the Lake Stevens School District Educational Service Center located at 12309 22nd St NE. We start at 7:30 am. There is a robust continental breakfast available beforehand. Visitors are always welcome. Our mailing address is PO Box 908 Lake Stevens, WA 98258.

Apr 08, 2016
Andra Watkins
My 444 Mile Walk of the Natchez Trace

Apr 15, 2016
David Rader
Theodore Roosevelt

Apr 22, 2016
Stephanie Aldridge
Lesser Known Presidents

View entire list

Pack 88 Cub Scout Blue & Gold Banquet

Lake Connor Park

Mar 05, 2016
4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

Community Supper March 2016

Ebenezer Lutheran Church

Mar 17, 2016
4:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Wine & Beer Tasting/Auction Fundraiser

Everett Community College

Apr 29, 2016

Breakfast Sponsors

February 26 - Ken Collins

March 4 - Scott Smith

March 11 - Randy Celori

March 18 - Gary O'Rielly

James Monroe
(If you have any comments or questions, please contact the editor)

Subscribe to Bulletin

Subscribe to our eBulletin and stay up to date on the latest news and events.

Click here to sign up!

This Week's Meeting

Posted by James Monroe on Feb 22, 2016

This week's meeting includes a presentation by Mary Swenson, Interim City Administrator with the City of Lake Stevens. Mary has a long history of working in City Government. She worked for the City of Marysville for many years and was their Administrator for ten years when she retired several years ago.

There is a reception for Police Chief Dan Lorentzen on Friday afternoon at the Lake Stevens Fire Conference Center beginning at 3:30. See related article below.

Our Club is cleaning up North Cove Park and 16th St NE on Saturday morning. Meet at the City Parks Department Offices in the Park behind City Hall at 9 AM.

Contest: Be the first person to correctly identify the location from where the photograph that is at the top of this bulletin and our Club website was taken by 7:30 am Friday, February 26th. NOTE there is a subtle change to the previous photo. Does it help with guessing the location? Send your guess to the Editor.

Cub Scout Pack 88 Blue & Gold Banquet

Posted by James Monroe on Feb 21, 2016

Our Cub Scout Pack is having their annual Blue & Gold Banquet on March 5th. The banquet celebrates the birthday of Scouting in America. Blue and Gold are the colors of Cub Scouting. Our Club sponsors the Pack that primarily serves Glenwood Elementary School. Rotarians are encouraged to attend the Banquet to thank the volunteers that provide the Scouting program to the boys of the Pack. Please let me know if you can come to the banquet. It would be great to have some of our members there besides myself. Thank you!

Farewell Reception for Chief Lorentzen

Posted by James Monroe on Feb 16, 2016

Lunch & Learn Seminars

Posted on Feb 22, 2016

The new Qdoba Restaurant at Frontier Village is hosting two upcoming Lunch & Learn Seminars. Qdoba is providing lunch.

Thursday, February 25th, 12 pm - 1:30 pm: Banking Info Seminar presented by Wells Fargo--

Learn about banking while enjoying a delicious meal.

Monday, February 29th, 11:30 am - 1:00 pm: Chamber of Commerce presented by our own Lake Stevens Chamber of Commerce--

Learn how the local Chamber of Commerce can benefit you, your company and/or organization while enjoying a delicious meal.

The Power of a Volunteer - Guardian Ad Litem

Posted by Gary O'Rielly on Feb 22, 2016

Our guest speaker this past week was Kirsten Jensen Haugen, wife of prominent Rotary member Jim Haugen. Kirsten grew up in Lake Stevens and her father, Dr. Peter Jensen, was a local doctor. Kirsten gave an inspiring talk about her involvement with the Guardian Ad Litem program, and the Power of a Volunteer. As a prelude to her topic, Kirsten gave an overview of the issues facing DSHS, the courts and Judges. Judges need help in determining the outcome during a limited court time for hearings. Basically, judges need unbiased information with common sense recommendations.

In order to change the program and bring some more information before the courts and judges, a program was founded by Judge David Soukup in Seattle because of the concern he had about foster care cases which was supposed to be a temporary placement situation for children but he determined that the courts and judges were not getting enough up-to-date information to make an informed decision concerning the children. Judge Soukup started to think out of the box to make sure a dependent child had his or her best interest presented in court. He decided to bring together a group of volunteers and train them to serve the children in DSHS custody for the time they were in foster care. The program was such a success that it began to spread all over the country. Snohomish County was the second county to use the program in Washington state following Judge Soukup's opening the program in King County. Kirsten is a big part of the program in Snohomish County and has been a dedicated official overseeing volunteers and making sure that they get the proper training. Currently there are over 900 plus programs known as Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) or Voices for children in the United States.

Kirsten shared many stories about foster kids and talked about a child being taken away from its parents under extreme difficult circumstances. If you can't send the kids home, "what are you suppose to do with them?" At any given time, there are 1,500 kids in foster care. There are 220 volunteers in the program with 500-550 kids represented witch is 1/3 to 1/2 of the kids that need representation. Volunteers are charged with assisting and representing children involved in physical, sexual and abusive cases. Child trafficking cases are a growing issue in Snohomish County. Volunteers have to investigate all of the issues involved in the incidents...basically a modern day Columbo. Much more goes into a volunteer's job. The kids are fantastic but face lots of changes in their lives and become really dependent on these volunteers as a friend and supporter. Some volunteers have been part of the program for over 20 years. The volunteers have the most power (child's representative) and sometimes has been tempered.

Finally, Kirsten is a child abuse lawyer. She loves litigation and being in the court room. Positive situation...safe stable surroundings for the child is always upper most in her work. Kirsten, thank you for your work in protecting the children of Snohomish County.

You can now purchase tickets for our Fifth Annual Wine & Beer Tasting Plus Silent Auction Fundraiser. Payment information is done through a secure server. Sign up yourself, your family, your friends, your neighbors, anyone who wants to participate.

Click this link! Once at the site click the Registration link.

The Tasting and Auction is on Friday evening, April 29th at the Jackson Conference Center at Everett Community College. We are looking forward to seeing you there!

If you would like to donate something for the auction please contact Bill Demeroutis.

Quote of the Week - Who Said It?

"It now costs more to amuse a child than it once did to educate his father."

Thought of the Week - Who Said It?

"Primarily Rotary seeks to apply the theory of service to business and community life...This is expressed in the first part of our code of ethics: To consider my vocation worthy and as affording me a distinct opportunity to serve society. He Profits Most Who Serves Best is a less ideal expression, but the suggestion of egoism is removed by the added words Service Above Self."

Mark Your Calendars!

Roadside & Park Cleanup

February 27, 2016 9 am

Thank You to Our 2015 Duck Dash Sponsors!

Roy Robinson

Chevrolet, Subaru & RV's

Allstate - Bill Demeroutis Agency

DeLorm Family Dental

Bell Properties, Inc.

Penway Media

Lake Stevens Implants & Periodontics

Granite Construction

Milestones Kids Dentistry

Lund Orthodontics

Craven Insurance

Coe Family Vision Clinic

Ixtapa Family Restaurant

Tom Thumb Grocery