Program - Hiking the Pacific Crest Trail

Rich Brickman, sociology instructor at WVC and past Leavenworth City Administrator, showed pictures of his Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) trip last summer.  He hiked the 2658 miles that stretches from Mexico to Canada in 150 days.  He talked about the 29 resupply points along the route, and the magic of the "trail angels" who provided hospitality to the trail hikers.  Some of the hardships and dangers included rattlesnakes, bears, poison plants, water shortages, broken gear, blisters and scrapes from falls, snow, trees, rocks, and slides on the trail, and water crossings.

Announcements

Remember the club Christmas Party at Chateau Faire La Ponte at 6:00 on Sunday, December 13.  Cost is $39 per person, and sign ups will be going around each week.

The District Governor will be honoring an "Unsung Hero" in each club at the district conference in Yakima (May 12-14).  President Wayne would like members to email him a name of the person you would nominate for this award in our club.

Last chance to give Carol Adamson the name of a member you would like to nominate (with their permission) for next year's Board and/or for vice-president.  Elections will be held on Dec. 8.

Paint a bowl for the 2016 Empty Bowl event to raise money for the Central Washington Food Distribution Center.  The bowls are free to paint, and times are Dec. 11 from 3-8, Dec. 12 from 9-2, and Jan. 15 from 3-8 at the Wenatchee Community Center (504 S. Chelan).  You can purchase tickets for the Empty Bowl dinner later in January for $15 and reserve your bowl to use.  Fun for the whole family.

Have you done anything with our exchange student, Mateo?  Taro and family are hosting this quarter, but it is up to all of us to provide hospitality and experiences that will help make his year here one to remember.  Call Taro to schedule a time to take Mateo to coffee, dinner, an out-of-town trip, etc.

Challenge Scholar - Mentor Party

Four of our challenge scholars and their family showed up at Godfathers with several of our club mentors and committee people.  The scholars can really put away the pizza.  Along with the pizza, Joan Wright had some great activities, and explained the mentor program to the families. Joan, Erin McCool, Maggie Nelson, Rani Sampson, and Jim & Carol Adamson participated.  We got lots of good ideas for future activities with our scholars.

TGIF at Pybus

The informal TGIF last Friday was attended by 17 Rotarians and family members.  Let's do this again was echoed throughout the night, so watch for more later.

Program - Ice Age Floods

Brent Cunderla, geologist at the Bureau of Land Management, discussed the history and effects of the ice age glaciation and floods.  In 2009 the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail was created.  The trail follows the routes of floods during the ice age.  Brent showed great maps and pictures of lava flows, glaciers, and flood routes that carved out much of the central Washington landscape.  A one point a 30-mile wide ice dam blocked glacial Lake Missoula for miles to the depth of 2000 feet. When the dam broke, the water was emptied over a few days and flooded north central Washington and washed soil miles south and formed our "scab-lands", coulees, and dry falls.
For more information, check out www.iafi.org (Ice Age Floods Institute).

Club Snags Rotary Foundation Awards Again

Once again our club received prestigious awards from The Rotary Foundation (TRF).  100% of our members donated to TRF, earning our club the Every Rotarian Every Year (EREY) banner.  We also had 100% of our members contribute $100 or more, earning us the 100% Paul Harris Sustaining Member banner.  This year, we were one of only two of the 59 clubs in the district to receive this honor.

Wenatchee Sunrise was also in the top 3 highest per capita annual giving to TRF in our district (clubs with a minimum of $50 per member are eligible).  Way to go Sunrise members!


Carol Adamson was presented a tier-3 membership pin (silver backing) in recognition of her bringing in 3 new members since July, 2014.




ANNOUNCEMENTS

Due to illness in the Masuda family, the TGIF scheduled at Taro's home will be postponed.  Instead, everyone is invited to the brewery at Pybus on Friday at 6:00.  Spouses encouraged to join us.

Voting for next year's officers and Board members will be done in early December.  If you want to run, or want to nominate someone (with their permission), contact Carol Adamson before the end of November.

The continuation of the Rotary garden was discussed. It was determined that we should not continue the garden, but find something else to get members engaged.

Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) Grads

Pictured with District Governor Greg Luring (6th from right) are the instructors and graduates of the last RLI session for the year (south of the border).  Four of the 11 participants were from our club.  Another Saturday session is planned for spring.  This is a great training, and a wonderful way to learn more about other Rotary clubs and Rotarians south of the border.

Challenge Scholar Activities

Mentors and those interested in becoming mentors:

You are invited to a Pizza Party

Sunday, November 22, 2015, 1:30-3:30 pm at Godfather’s Pizza, 1014 North Wenatchee Ave.

Activities Planned…

•Welcome and Introductions

•Warm-up game

•Pizza….J

•Review of Mentee and Mentor Roles

•Mentee Survey

•Pizza…J

•Time for Questions and Answers

Future Mentee/Mentor Activities:

Tuesday, December 22, 2015, 7:00-8:15 am  Scholars to attend Sunrise Rotary Meeting at the Red Lion Hotel.

Friday, January 8, 2016, 2:00-3:00 pm  Attend informational meeting at Wenatchee High School Career Center

Sunday, January 24, 2016, 1:30 arrive and get shoes and bowling ball, 2:00-3:00 pm bowl                                                                          Bowling at Eastmont Lanes, 704 Grant Avenue in East Wenatchee

Awards, New Member, Announcements, Brags & Confessions

Notice:  Next week we meet downstairs at Red Lion

Paul Harris, You Rock(ed)!  And so does Milt Herman, the Utigards (Tom and Shari), and Bertha Goehner. Congratulations to our members who contributed $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation (TRF) to further world peace and understanding.  They are now Paul Harris Fellows.

At right, Bertha gets pinned with a Paul Harris Fellow lapel pin to signify her contribution to TRF.

Milt was recognized with a sapphire studded pin to acknowledge an additional $1000 contributed to TRF over the years..

At left Tom is also presented a sapphire studded Paul Harris Fellow lapel pin in recognition of an additional $1000 contribution. (Yes, I think Tom is checking to see if the gem is real....and it is).  Tom also honored Shari with a $1000 contribution in her name.

Welcome New Club Member, Heidi Black! The women in the Club are especially happy to have Heidi in our group because she is a stylist at Collins Fashion.  With her help we will kill it at the holiday party!

Heidi worked in the auto industry for eight years as a Personal Vehicle Shopper for Jess Ford of Grand Coulee, was the General Manager, Salesman and Finance Manager for Choice Auto Group of Grand Coulee, and worked for the Very Best~ Don Sangster Motors here in Wenatchee.

Jim Adamson, Heidi Black, and Lisa Tidd
share a laugh during Heidi's induction

She was the Underwriting Director for Positive Life Radio for five years.

She is an owner and partner of Black Inc, a family run 5000 acre dry land wheat ranch in Mansfield. Heidi's son Denver and daughter Sheianne are both married and partners of Black Inc.  Because of them she is YaYa to six wonderful Grand Bits (known as grandchildren to most of us)! 

Her newest Passion and Love of her Life is Jack. Jack is a rose grey quarter horse, which is proof that Heidi is actively pursuing her bucket list!

Packing Friendship ... and Lunches.  The Packing Friendship project provides food during the weekends for students of Newbery Elementary School. Look for a sign-up sheet at our next meeting to help pack lunches on Wednesday evenings.

New and Not So New.  At left, Nima, Earl and Shelly get their name tags as new members.  Below Maggie and Joe have their "new member" stickers removed.

B&Cs (Brags and Confessions)  

• PJ is heading off to Jackson Hole on Thursday.  We will see him in the spring.  Have fun and stay safe, PJ!
• Alan Walker has been busy.  Club member Joe Grimes completed his son's senior portrait.  The America's Best Community second round application is in!  Alan submitted a $140,000 grant for early learning programs.  And best news of all is Alan's mom is moving back to Ellensburg from Texas. 
• Jim Huffman is cancer free -- woop woop!
• Jim and Carol Adamson's grandson made the soccer regional championships in Oregon.  And their other grandson scored the only goal in a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to a team that had previously obliterated them.

Veteran's Day Program

The Bunker and Ron Bruno.  Ron Bruno, a former Marine and Army Infantryman, spoke to our Club about an organization he started called The Bunker which serves veterans by helping them apply for veteran services, access durable medical equipment like wheelchairs, build ramps into homes for accessibility, and meet many other needs.  The goal is to provide temporary assistance so veterans can navigate the system.  Ron and the folks who work with him are volunteers.  Everything they provide is donated, they do not accept any government funding.  The Bunker is across the street from the Red Lion.  Stop by and visit or encourage a veteran you know to do so.  Thank you Ron for all you do.

Wayne, on behalf of the Club, presented Ron with a book donated in honor of him and The Bunker to a local library.

November 3, 2015 Program, Announcements, Brags, Confessions

Highway Cleanup.  Thanks to all who helped collect 45 bags of trash over two days of cleanup on our Adopt a Highway adventure!

Wow, we are making a mess out there on those highways. It could have been worse...see picture at right of a California highway.

Mark Your Calendars.  Friday, November 20 at Taro's house 6 pm for TGIF.  Something special is in the works...more to come.

Sunday, December 13 and Chateau Faire Le Pont for our holiday party and white elephant gift exchange.  Start planning now for your white elephant gift.  It's never too early to shop for junky items likely to embarrass the recipient.

Mentor Meeting.  Join Erin McCool for an overview of our high school mentor and Challenge Scholarship programs on November 22.  We need more mentors and this event will give you the information you need to consider it. Time and location to be announced.  Contact Erin or Joan Wright for more information.

Youth Exchange.  Maggie Nelson announced that we have committed to Youth Exchange for 2016. Let Maggie know if you are interested in hosting in 2016.

Leonard Noss Update.  Milt Herman reports Leonard is doing well but staying close to home.  Leonard's son, David, keeps a close eye on him. His scheduled arthroscopic heart valve replacement has been delayed until December due to his surgeon being hit by a cyclist and suffering a broken leg.

Brags & Confessions

• Erin McCool reiterated the sad news of Alcoa's temporary closure.  It is likely to be for a year.  Erin's husband, Paul Hefferman, works at Alcoa.  Let's provide our friends and colleagues at Alcoa with emotional support and any job leads we may come across.
• Craig Robertson turned 45 and paid for it (only financially this time)!
• Matt McColm had a run in with a nun and lost.... Will need more follow up on this one.
• Kevin Love is back from New England and hopes to hang around for a bit before the next adventure

Program:  Family Planning of North Central Washington.  Anita Tuason presented an overview of this 45 year old organization.  It serves a geograhic area of 12,500 square miles and has offices in Wenatchee, Moses Lake, City of Okanogan, Twisp and Mattawa. They primarily serve women by providing health exams; birth control counseling; emergency contraception; pregnancy tests, options and counseling; and HIV testing and treatment.  Family Planning of North Central Washington has 17 staff. Last year they provided 2,829 clinic visits to 1,869 clients, 78% of whom are under 30 adn 68% of whom are at the poverty level or below.


Wayne presented Anita with a certificate and shared with her a book donated in her name to our local library.

Thank you Anita for joining us.






October Rotarian of the Month.  At our October 27th meeting Wayne presented the Rotarian of the Month Award to Kathleen McNalty in recognition of her work on the blog and her efforts, with Alice Thompson, on finding sponsors for the 2016 Bike Ride.