President Jenny started the meeting enthusiastically welcoming all as the room was packed with visitors and guests.
Chris Rasmussen (a new member and a rising star, according to the Pres) handled the invocation and the pledge.
Chuck Barnes (an old(er) member, according to President Jenny, who deftly avoided his star status) handled the introductions of visiting Rotarians and acknowledged all the guests in the room. Visiting Rotarians included former members Tony Banks (Leavenworth) and Stewart Martin (Seaside). Always good to see old friends.
President Jenny addressed the many guests with a brief background and description of Rotary, its values, principles, and accomplishments. Her information included the fact that Rotary was the world’s first service club and has currently 1.2 million members who all volunteer in a spirit of “service above self.”
Some time was spent on the 20-year history of the Polio Plus program and its ongoing success to eradicate that disease. President Jenny ended her talk with a pitch to the guests to come join the BBRC in our effort to make the world a better place.
If you have a guest who is interested, get them in touch with Rourke O’Brien.
Stewart Martin Secures Grant for "Adopt a Village"
Jenny introduced former BBRCer Stewart Martin who has been working with Monica Ginting of the Jakarta (Indonesia) Jam Bir club. Monica joined Stewart at the podium. Together, they have been working on a project called “Adopt a Village.” Between the two of them, they snagged the largest matching grant from Rotary ever — $91,000. Stewart was always a bright guy.
Monica lived up to her billing as a passionate Rotarian. Among her other achievements, she was a first responder to the Tsunami victims when Indonesia was ravished several years ago. Indonesia is a country of 250 million, of which 37 million, or 25%, live in poverty. Ignore the math and suffice it to say it is a poor country.
A movie was shown of the village that was adopted, Teluk Naga. The proposed project will include water and education, including a new school gymnasium, computer lab, and communication field trips. Monica pointed out that these projects may not seem like much to us but are life changing to the villagers. At the end of the presentation, Rotary flags were exchanged.
Steve Lingenbrink (back from his illness and looking good) attempted to commend the Fellowship Committee on a great job so far. Tim Leahy tried to hijack the group, all of whom were dressed in red, and use them as a salute to our guest speaker, Dino Rossi (R). Tim was quickly subdued and order restored.
It seems the red was a promotion for the upcoming Anniversary Dinner. Steve continued on to praise the Committee for the events they have held: the bike ride in August, the Ballard home BBQ, and the Family Picnic on September 14.
Upcoming events are the Oktoberfest party on September 29, wine tasting at Sadru Kabani’s home on October 16, and the Anniversary Dinner on November 7. The dinner will feature salsa dancing, and all attendees should be wearing red. More information on these events is available on the BBRC calendar, and you can now RSVP online for the Anniversary Dinner.
Kudos to the Fellowship committee for a job well done.
RFH Work Party & Pears For Sale
Ron Healy made a pitch for the Rotary First Harvest work party. He said it was an emergency work party, as they have 50,000 pounds of perishable pears.
First Harvest will be taking orders for these organic Bartlett pears from Wenatchee over the next couple of weeks. A 24-pound box of pears is $25, and $10 of every order will benefit Rotary First Harvest. Orders are due by October 3 and will be delivered on October 21 and 22. You can get an order form from FirstHarvest.org. A great deal for a good cause!
Friday Program:
Dino Rossi, Republican Candidate for Governor
Bill Brooks, a proud member of the BBRC and the Eastside Republican Club, introduced guest speaker Dino Rossi, candidate for Governor. BBRC normally stays out of or above politics, depending on your point of view, but his year it was decided to invite both candidates to speak. Mr. Rossi's opponent, Christine Gregoire, will address the BBRC on October 10.
Mr. Rossi’s bio included the fact that he was begotten by a mother of five married to a father of one, thus becoming the seventh child. They evidently gave up at that point as he was the last child. His father was a school teacher and his mother a beautician. Because of the large family, the budget was tight and powdered milk was the norm.
Mr. Rossi worked his way through Seattle University and started his career as a full commissioned commercial real estate salesman. He was very successful, eventually forming his own company.
Mr. Rossi's remarks were mostly about the need for change and how he would send the State in a new direction. Under current leadership, the State has squandered a record surplus into an almost $3 billion deficit. He cited his record of writing a balanced budget in 2003 as Chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, when the State was in a similar situation.
Mr. Rossi's talk gave his positions on a variety of issues, including: education, public safety, transportation, and fiscal responsibility. Two themes sum up his positions. The first is balancing the budget while prioritizing education and protections for the most vulnerable. The second is that he wants Washington to be “the best place to have a business and the worst place to be a criminal”. He would usher in a government where citizens would be treated as customers as opposed to being treated as nuisances.
Mr. Rossi is a great speaker. Giving his speech without notes, he kept the attention of the audience throughout. Dino Rossi’s positions can be viewed in total at www.dinorossi.com.
Home Depot Scam
Courtesy of John Mix
A heads-up for those men who may be regular Home Depot customers. Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping. Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic. Don't be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends. Here's how the scam works:
Two seriously good looking 20-year-old or so girls come over to your car as you are packing your materials into your vehicle. They both start wiping your windshield with a towel and Windex and they are wearing very skimpy T-shirts. It's almost impossible not to look.
When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say no and, instead, ask you for a ride to McDonalds. You agree and they get in the back of the vehicle. On the way, they start undressing, then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet! I had my wallet stolen July 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th, and the 29th, and again on August 1st, the 4th and twice on the 8th, 16th and the 23rd.
So, tell your friends to be very careful!
By the way, Wal-Mart has wallets on sale for a $1.99 each or 10 for $15.00