Northwind 10/12/06
Whatcom County North Rotary
Northwind
October 12, 2006
MEETING TO ORDER: The meeting was called to order at 12:35 by President Ken Richardson who led us in the pledge of allegiance. Pete Kremen provided the invocation.
VISITING ROTARIANS: Jim Bliss announced the visiting Rotarians including Larry Ziels and Phil Gibbons; visiting from the Bellingham Rotary Club. Mimi Ferlin; visiting from Bellingham Bay Rotary Club and George Tsakumis from Vancouver.
GUESTS OF ROTARIANS: Jim Bliss introduced his guest Patty Quanz; Tim Villhauer introduced his guest Dick Nolan and Tim Carpenter introduced his guest Elizabeth Barnard.
BIRTHDAYS: Lex Ludtke on the 15th and George Tsakumis on the 16th. Happy Birthday!
RETURNING ROTARIANS: Mary Kanikeberg is back from a trip to Phoenix where she spoke at the National Governor's Conference. It was hot by our standards 107 degrees F.
ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dick Donahue announced the final accounting for the garage sale. We netted about $7,000.
Ken Richardson announced the District Governor is attending and will be our program next week. He would like all members to invite spouses to attend. I have heard from other clubs that the DG is a good speaker and it is worth attending that day. Let's show him we are an "active" club.
Repeat announcement: We are up to 10 positive responses but we need MORE! On October 25th at the Metcalf Hodges Conference Center, (770 E Holly) at 5:30 P.M. we are having a gathering and info-mercial for the Hollinger Micro Lending project in Honduras. Please come and bring friends. We need a head count for the food and wine so RSVP to the website micro_credithonduras@yahoo.com. The web address is on the invitation you all received at home. This is a club sponsored event put on by the World Projects Committee. If you missed the committee meeting you can make it up by coming and bringing friends. You also get makeup credit for attending as well as a more thorough presentation of the project, not to mention good food and wine. Mel is making a donation of $25,000 and we need to match his donation. Please put it on your calendars, bring spouses and friends and please, please RSVP.
NEW MEMBER INDUCTION: Bill Grace inducted three new members today; Patty Quanz, Dick Nolan and Elizabeth Barnard.
Patty Quanz is a Peoples Bank Branch Manager and is a Ferndale native and neighbor of Jim Bliss. Dick Nolan is a long time community member and a realtor at Fairhaven Realty. Elizabeth Barnard is the manger of the local Ben Bridges Jewelry store in the Bellis Fair Mall. She is WWU graduate and found a way to stay.
Bill's induction comments summarized the Rotary International statistics: Founded by Paul Harris 100 years ago, 1.2 MM members, 32,500 clubs in 168 countries. District 5050 is half US and half Canada. Bill reminded the inductees of our attendance requirements and encouraged them to strive for 100% attendance. The motto of Rotary is "Service above self" and we live by the 4-way test. He encouraged the new members to learn it well and to complete the checklist of responsibilities to achieve their permanent badge and put them on notice that they must say 'yes' to requests to serve as Rotarians.
HAPPY BUCKS: Bill Grace was happy for our new members and the success of the Monroe Swap Meet; great weather and good turnout. Marlene Sexton was happy to have her parents (Bob and Audrey Bowman) home and is amazed that after spending three days with her daughters they came home with any money. She was also happy for our three new members. Phil Bratt was happy about a trip to Chicago and thought that because he was near EvanstonIllinois, home of Rotary International that it should count as a makeup. Doug Thomas announced through Lex that he has tickets to the upcoming Cougar game and wants someone, anyone, to have them so there are no empty seats. Roger Lehnert paid bucks for the honor that Mary Kanikeberg had by the invitation to speak at the National Governor's conference. He said she did a great job. Mary was happy about quilts that she and her quilting group sent to Guatemala for kids having surgeries to correct facial deformities with "Operation Smile". The group plans to send 100 with next year's entourage. Brian Finnegan was happy he ran into Hilary Baumstarck in the Salt Lake City airport upon his return from Palm Desert. Hilary gave him a ride home from the airport (assume he means Bellingham) and saved Jody a late night trip to pick him up. Also something about the Husky's and the Trojans, but thankfully I missed it. Dick Langabeer paid a happy buck just to be in sync with his table. Hilary Baumstarck was happy about a trip to Marina Del Rey and the start of another remodel of their new home. They survived the kitchen remodel so must be taking this one room at a time. Rick Staeb had a great trip to Montana, where he spent time hunting with his dad and brothers. Bob Bowman was happy about a 3-day mini-cruise and visiting his granddaughters. The cruise somehow delivered him to Las Vegas (I must have missed something there) and he came home with money. He said it rained the whole time, which is a historical event as it never rains this time of year. Winton Smith was happy because his retired brother spends winters in Costa Rica and wants to take a wheel chair down to donate to needy folks there. Mimi Ferlin offered to donate a wheel chair to take with him. George Tsakumis was happy about a plane that was intending to land in DallasTX but was diverted to San Antonio because of weather. I definitely did not get that whole story. Deb Wiggs was happy to be in town for a few days and seeing people she knew on the street. She has been collecting air miles. Tim Carpenter was happy for our new members and had a complaint about the banners and thinks that Quilting should be an Olympic sport, (you had to be there). Larry Pollet was happy about a trip to WA DC visiting children? And happy he left just ahead of the rain. It rained 9" the day they came home. Greg Thulin was happy his program showed up (late is better than not at all) and a climb of Mt.Saint Helens. He's glad he made it down. Rose Abbaspour is happy about a pending mother-daughter visit next week in Pendleton, where they will look for an opportunity to make up at a Rotary meeting. She was sad to be missing the DG meeting next week. Max Legg was happy to be back. He has been in San Diego where the weather is great. He helped move his mother out of a nursing home into his sister's home. She is 84 and her health has improved enough over the past year that she no longer needs the nursing home. He was also happy about meeting Phil Gibbons, making up today and learning of their common Navy back grounds. He did 2 on-line Rotary meeting make-ups and wants us all to know how easy it is. FINALLY, Tim Villhauer is happy that net membership is up one for the year and encourages us to find more quality Rotarians. Also thinks Mary's quilting comment is a bit sexist. Men quilt too? You all were way too happy today!
FINEMASTER: Larry Pollet had little time (after all those happy bucks) for the fines. He fined our new members a buck, just to welcome them. President Ken Richardson was fined for the "ferry war" and all government employees were fined for being government employees? Gary Tomsic got a special fine for resolving the Blaine airport saga. Then everyone was fined if they had not participated in the following: attended a musical event in the community; attended an athletic event; read a book; traveled outside of WA State or traveled outside of WhatcomCounty.
BANNERS: Deb Wiggs guessed the banners as Columbus Day.
PROGRAM: Greg Thulin introduced our program today. Sean Hogan from the North Delta BC Rotary Club presented a program about RYLA, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and encourages our club to become involved and visit the RYLA camp next June7-10. He had a slide and video presentation depicting what goes on during a RYLA camp. RYLA candidates must be between the ages of 18-25 and family members of Rotarians are eligible. Sean's son will attend this year when he is 20. Sean has observed over the years he has been actively involved with RYLA (since 2001) that there is a much greater benefit to candidates who have been out of the home for a year or two and have some post high school life experience. The reports from all who attend are in the superlative, "life changing event". They learn skills and take experiences with them that they use throughout their lives. There are 50-90 participants at the camps and Sean says they are encouraging more to come as the facility has a capacity of 150. It is held at the ZAJAC Ranch on Stave Lake near Mission BC. Our club can sponsor 2 candidates each year at a cost of $375 per participant. We sent 2 this past spring who will be coming to a meeting soon to talk to us about their experience. A requirement of attending the program is the participants must come back to report about their experiences. The mix of participants is approximately 50% men and 50% women and 50% US and 50% Canadian. Many of the participants volunteer to come back as facilitators because they find the program so valuable. Our club's connection to this year's candidates is through Maria Simon (WWU) and she has gone back for several years as a facilitator. You may remember she did a program for us on her trip to Thailand a few months back. RYLA is looking for volunteer speakers for the June program, so if you know of someone or you are interested in motivational\ inspirational\leadership speaking, contact Sean. Sean said that the Rotarians that become involved with RYLA become RYLA-addicts and he now has great enthusiasm and hope for the future based on the quality of the young people he sees in the program. He encourages us to consider getting involved and to send candidates to the trainings.
DRAWING: Winton Smith drew the seven of hearts, the pot grows.
Editor this week: Julie Johansen