Hello Rotarians,

 

I am in the beautiful city of Seattle right now, on a short vacation with my family. My daughter Valerie lives here, and it was a good excuse to take off and explore this wonderful place. Believe it or not, I have seen the sun!! Yes, we have been very lucky to be here on sunny days (with little rain so far) with no snow at all! Anyway, I have seen a few things, but there is one that I would like to share with you.

 

A block away from my hotel is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Discovery Center. It is open to the public, and as a Rotarian, I took my family to visit the center. Upon arrival, there’s a greeter who tells you how it works and sends you off to explore. We started by watching an introductory video explaining the Foundation’s mission. The Foundation invests in big ideas to help tackle some of the world’s toughest problems. For each problem, they develop a strategy with goals and ways to measure success. They work with partners that possess the skills and experience needed to get results, providing additional resources, one of them being Rotary International. They call themselves the “Impatient Optimists.” I love this term. Throughout the exhibitions, it really came through. They have a few displays that demonstrate that, while there are great challenges affecting the lives of millions of people around the world, there is progress being made in solving them. There are reasons to be optimistic. Fighting disease is one of the exhibitions and the eradication of Polio is the top priority.

 

I was lucky to be there while they were hosting a temporary display of the iron lung. I have never seen one before in person. They had an accompanying video that demonstrated how the iron lung was operated in the 1940’s and 50’s. Back then, the iron lung was considered one of the most effective and reliable devices for those affected by polio. Here’s a picture of it. If you ever visit Seattle, don’t hesitate to stop by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

 

 

This Wednesday we are hosting Hilary Chermak of the Acadia Family Center. Incoming President Stefanie Joy Muscat will be leading the meeting since I will be traveling back to the east coast that day. I am sure she’s ready to take over!

 

“Don’t just go for the safe projects. Take on the really tough problems.” - Warren Buffett

 

See you on the 26th

 

President Susy