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Vol. 19, No. 13, OCTOBER 3, 2006 |
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| THE FRIDAY PROGRAM: Steve Brilling: Micro-Enterprise — Making a Difference in People’s Lives | Friday Potpourri | Sick Bay Report | Preserve Planet Earth | Rotary First Harvest | Kirkland Downtown Club Charter Night | Walk-a-thon Update: Mark Your Calendars — It’s April 28, 2007! | 2007 District Conference | BBRC Program Update | Exchange Student Follow-Up | Web Fun | |
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Friday's Program:
Elena Howell provided the following invocation attributed to Marianne Williamson: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to be? “You are a child of God. Playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously five other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Corr Pearce introduced visiting Rotarians and guest and led the pledge to the flag. Outside, a cool fog enveloped BBRC members, guests and visiting Rotarians on this Friday morning but inside the Glendale Country Club, the atmosphere was anything but foggy.
The BBRC has also received word that, for the first time ever, BBRC member will lead a GSE team. Our own Sayoko Kuwahara will lead a Group Study Exchange trip to Japan in spring of 2007. The group will be in Japan for a month, totally at Sayoko’s mercy. We can rest assured that all GSE members will be on time for every event and will RSVP well in advance. Congratulations Sayoko! President Jim continued his updates by reminding us that the club leadership plan will be enacted during the 2007-2008 Rotary year. The plan focuses on membership growth, enhancement and support as well as on improving public relations. Implementing these changes will require changes in the BBRC bylaws. These changes will be voted on soon Jim Owens presented a flag from Ruute Austria Rotary Club to President Jim. In what is becoming a trend, Sergeant At Arms Andrew had “nothin',” so we got a pass on emptying our pockets.
Ron Healy then encouraged members to take a friend or invite another club member to join them for the work party, saying it is a good way to get to know members better and increase work party attendance. It also counts as a make-up. President Jim encouraged people to “get out and do it” on October 8th. Walk-a-thon Update: Mark Your Calendars — It’s April 28, 2007!
“We are asking each member to identify 15-25 people who would like to join you for this walk, giving us 2000-3000 people from Rotary sources alone!. We will also accept a check from people who, for whatever reason, choose not to walk.” “The YMCA is a key partner in the event and we will be approaching other groups like the Boys & Girls Club, Sammamish High School and others to participate. “In the spirit of the Army, we’ve 'recruited' volunteers to help with the walk-a-thon,” Hal said. He then handed out an eerily familiar (think raffle) team recruitment list. I think we’ll be hearing a lot more from Hal in the future, so start thinking of your dream team of walkers. It’s never too soon to start planning.
Continuing in the morning’s “stand up-sit down” strategy, Goldfarb asked everyone who has ever brought a speaker to stand and receive thanks. Steve indicated that an exhaustive survey was conducted among all but about eight club members (funny thing is that everyone in the room seemed to be one of the eight) to determine what people want to hear. Steve promised that what we won’t be hearing is district governors, charities asking for money and Rotary rah rah programs. The calendar is booked through the first two weeks of January, but Steve encouraged us to become active in selecting and scheduling great programs for the BBRC meetings. The BBRC exchange student from six years ago, Ta Se Yeung, still keeps in touch with BBRC member Jenny Andrews. Ta reports that he will graduate from university in Thailand this spring with a degree in Engineering. His senior project is titled "Optimization to Reduce Transportation Costs for the Siam City Cement Company” (the big company in Thailand). What an appropriate choice after living for a year in Seattle, the traffic jam capital of the free world. Friday's Program:
The Entrepreneurship Center is part of the Albert School of Business & Economics. The school has three centers of competency: leadership, ethics and entrepreneurship. The Entrepreneurship Center was started in 1990 by Harriet Stephenson and others. The center’s advisory board is broad geographically and professionally and includes “real business people.” The center’s mission is threefold:
Students are the primary stakeholders and we want them to have a good ROI on their education. What sets the Seattle University Entrepreneurship Center apart is:
The micro-enterprise concept was started in India by a professor who wanted to contribute to solving poverty in India. Internationally, small loans of $50-$100 are used to start a business that could move them out of poverty. It may be as simple as buying a cow to produce saleable milk or a sewing machine so a woman can produce garments for sale. Repayment rate is 95-97%, much higher than typical loans. In the United States, the typical micro loan is $500-$1000. These programs are inspirational because they treat people respectfully and allow them to succeed on their own merits.
The center is working to establish a micro-fund to raise $1 million for an endowment that would allow them to take on riskier loans. They are considering using some of these funds to fund their Nicaraguan projects which would provide an ROI that would be reinvested into the fund. The presentation ended with many questions from club members and in honor of his presentation, Rotary First Harvest gets 750 pounds of food. FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: ARE THERE REALLY ANY ANSWERS? Steve "Frick" Goldfarb and Rick "Frack" McManus, along with assorted other frickenfrack, participated in this enlightening email exchange last week after the announcement of the recently established Frequently Asked Questions section on the website:
[At this point, one of the messages was apparently sent to the entire BBRC mailing list — oops — which resulted in responses from the entire frickandfracken group!]
And, that's how it works. We now know why the internet is flooded with fluff.
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10/01
Through a complicated series of “stand up-sit down” exercises, Bob Holert recognized everyone who has worked at Rotary First Harvest and encouraged everyone else to give it a try. Bob then called on Kevin Jewell, who explained the harvest partnership program. Harvest Partners empowers members to make monthly donations to Rotary First Harvest. It provides a stable predictable source of income which allows Rotary to budget for regular expenses and quickly respond to emergency needs. 
Drawing on a previously undetected well of sarcasm, Hal Teel noted the “sadness” people feel about the demise of the raffle and provided an “antidote” for the pain. Keep in mind the number $500 — the number of dollars we are asking each member to bring in for the event. Keep in mind that money alone is not the solution to walk-a-thon success. The second key to success is the number of participants. 
Exchange Student Follow-Up 
