President Jenny Andrews opened the meeting with a rousing “GOOD MORNING, BELLEVUE BREAKFAST CLUB MEMBERS." She also mentioned that Roger Allington had been in the hospital this week and is now home. Jenny requested your thoughts, prayers, cards and emails for Roger as he recovers.
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Reflections on King & Kingdom
I have a dream. I have a drum. I have a past To overcome. I must not let The feeling numb.
Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done, On Earth as In Heaven, In all men and women.
Let justice roll down, Like an everflowing stream, Like a river of love That enlivens the dream. And, as other drums Drive on to that place At different rhythms, Up the difficult trace, We’ll live out the dream, Becoming the race. |
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Invocation, Pledge & Welcome to Visitors
Joe Castleberry
Jonathon Koshar
Greeters Friday were Joe Castleberry and Jonathan Koshar. Joe gave the invocation, a poem he had written, remembering Black History Month and his upbringing in Alabama (see right).
Jonathan Koshar welcomed our visitors. One visiting Rotarian who was met with resounding applause was Frank Young. Bellevue noon club member and faux BBRC member. It was also Frank’s birthday, so Sergeant at Arms David Bolson charged a $50 fine. We’re not sure if the amount reflected Frank’s age, but he was certainly a welcomed visitor in more than one way.
Rotary Foundation Recognitions
The Rotary Foundation provides funding for polio eradication, clean water, literacy and many more worth while project world wide. The membership of the BBRC is deeply involved with hands on effort as well as financial support. Last Friday, the following members received recognition for their support of the Rotary Foundation: Dr. Terry Baker, Kim Shrader, John Martinka, and Ruben Ladlad
Norm Johnson and Kim Shrader, on behalf of the Foundation Committee, presented the Paul Harris pins.
Kim Shrader, Terry Baker, Ruben Ladlad, John Martinka & Norm Johnson
Bellevue 5K Run Walk, Sunday, April 26
Jane Kuechle
We are preparing for a good turnout for this special fund raising event for the benefit of the Kindering Center, and Jane Kuechle distributed postcards to be used to recruit all our friends in this endeavor. She mentioned that next week we will have brochures, and the website will be available for more information and sign-ups.
Chuck Kimbrough distributed lists of local schools, scout troops and other organizations, and encouraged members to sign up for community outreach with an organization to encourage them to participate in the event. It will be important for everyone to get involved in these different ways so that this is a highly successful effort. You will all want to participate and have fun.
There will also be booths available for a $200 sponsorship fee as a way for you to be involved. Chuck provided two forms for member completion: Bellevue 5K Run/Walk Pledge Form and the BBRC Member Fundraising Pledge Form. These are due for completion next week.
Retreat in Leavenworth, March 20-21st
Top left: Curtis Cummings & Elena Howell; Bottom: Margie Burnett; Right:The Chicken!
Members of the Retreat Committee presented a fun skit to encourage everyone to sign up and attend. The Retreat is a time for planning and to set goals for what we want to accomplish next year.
Margie Burnett led the conversation and was quickly interrupted by a menacing guard with a German accent (Curtis Cummings) and his assistant (Elena Howell), who quite forcefully (and with fun) challenged others with infractions. The charges were about luring members to come to Leavenworth for fun at the Retreat.
Ernie Hayden was accused of sending multiple emails of strong encouragement to sign up for the Retreat. Jonathan Koshar was accused of encouraging people to come to play poker. Jane Kuechle was accused of getting people to go shopping in Leavenworth. Norm Johnson was accused of drawing people away to play golf on the beautiful golf course. Steve Vincent was accused of enticing members to go skiing at Stevens Pass. Bob Holert wants to lure you to Leavenworth for nature walks, a Sudoku tournament, and to get to know spouses and friends. Ron Black would make it easy for you to get there with carpooling. And, Margie Burnett, who has been taking dancing lessons, wants you to enjoy the German music and dancing.
Margie Burnett, David Bolson, Ernie Hayden, Jonathan Koshar, Jane Kuechle, Norm Johnson & Steve Vincent
All pled guilty, and their collective sentence was to do the Chicken Dance (the big chicken was Andrew Face – a sterling performance) with the entire audience. So, as the music began, we got a taste of more fun we’ll have together at the Retreat. Please sign up now!
Bob Crosby announced the Freeway Clean-Up on March 7, from 9am-11am, and invited members to come and bring family and friends to participate in this effort to help the freeway look better, but also to look for rare finds along the way. He mentioned that you might find things of importance like a 2008 Husky football signed by Ty Willingham, unmatched and slightly used tire chains, or a 2007 WAMU Annual Report. He also said to remember that, as the Beatles once sang,”All you need is gloves.”
Retreat Golf will be on Friday, March 20th, with a 12:00 noon tee time at The Highlander Golf Club in East Wenatchee. Contact Norm Johnson for sign-up details and directions.
"Growing Consensus on Health Care Reform: What’s In the Wind and What Lies Ahead," Kathleen O’Connor, Founder & CEO of CodeBlueNow!
Health Care reform is first and foremost on our minds and in the news these days. We will focus on this subject with a two-part approach. The first segment was presented at the meeting by Kathleen O’Connor, a nonprofit executive and health care reform advocate with over 30 years of experience in the health care industry.
Kathleen O’Connor, who was introduced by Chris Monger, has served as a for-profit insurance company marketing and sales executive, administrator of a four-state research and demonstration center, and a columnist for The Seattle Times. She is a consumer advocate and Founder and CEO of CodeBlueNow!, a national nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to engaging the public and finding common ground and consensus on key elements of reform. She also served on the Medicare Coverage Advisory Commission and was named Outstanding Alumni of the Year in 2002 by Leadership Tomorrow and the National Community Leadership Association. Most notably, O'Connor was an early member of the Save the Pike Street Market Committee and President of the Fremont Rotary.
O’Connor shared with us that Health Care Reform is not new. There is a history of different ideologies and political failures on the subject. There have been many attempts to reform health care, including: 1932 Committee on the Cost of Medical Care, President Roosevelt dropped it from Social Security, WWII employers offered health insurance in lieu of wages, President Johnson passed Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s, and true bipartisan failures of health care reform, with Presidents Truman, Kennedy, Nixon and Clinton.
CodeBlueNow!, O’Connor’s organization, was formed in 2003 as a national, nonpartisan, coalition-building organization that uses a consensus building approach to health care reform. They ask the people what they want versus leading with specific solutions. They used online surveys to collect data and market research in Washington State and Iowa, with 600 interviews per state to insure statistically valid data. Their mission is to create an economically sustainable health care system that supports the health of all people in the communities where we live.
The data revealed from polling the people of America showed that common ground does exist in what the American Health Care System should be. The following were the primary findings and common ground of their research:
- Accountability with public reporting and outcomes
- Equity with universal coverage and core benefits
- Choice and the ability to use any licensed provider
- Information on costs, benefits and outcomes
- Preferring focus on prevention over high tech cures
- Shared responsibilities with employers, individuals, and government
- Efficiency with enough money if well managed
O’Connor identified the opportunity for reform through a strong consensus on key elements, building on existing system versus a clean sweep, almost everyone is hurting and want change, key groups advocate universal coverage (American Health Insurance Plans and AMA) and revamping of Medicare and Medicaid. The challenge, Kathleen suggested, is making the case for reform that resonates with the public, getting beyond politics as usual, and actually listening to the proposals versus knee-jerk along party lines.
A question raised from the membership was: What is the best health care system in the world today? Her answer was: France.
President Jenny Andrews presented Ms. O’Connor with a donation in her name to the Rotary Polio extermination effort.
HR Helpful Hints
Courtesy of Ernie Hayden
Take the prospective employees you are trying to place and put them in a room with only a table and two chairs. Leave them alone for two hours without any instruction. At the end of that time, go back and see what they are doing:
- If they’ve taken the table apart, put them in Engineering
- I they’re counting the cigarette butts in the ashtray, assign them to Finance
- If they’re waving their arms and talking out loud, send them to Consulting
- If they’re talking to the chairs, Personnel is a good spot for them
- If they’re wearing green sunglasses and need a haircut, IT is their niche
- If the room has a sweaty odor, perhaps they’re destined for the Help Desk
- If they mention what a good price you got for the table and chairs, put them in Purchasing
- If they mention that hardwood furniture does not come from rainforests, Public Relations would suit them well
- If they’re sleeping, they’re Management material
- If they’re writing up the experience, send them to the Technical Writer Team
- If they don’t even look up when you enter the room, assign them to Security
- If they try to tell you it’s not as bad as it looks, send them to Marketing
From Office Solutions Magazine, January 2009
