June 22, 2021 Meeting Notes

President Earl Crowe gaveled his last official meeting of his presidency today at 7 am! The Pledge of Allegiance was pledged (PJ) and the invocation was invoked (Chris)!

Announcements

Jim Adamson introduced his guest, Zach Pauw, who was returning for his second meeting and will now be posted! We will learn more about Zach and his wife Alison when we see them at the Change Over Dinner!

Chris McDarment introduced his brother Logan McDarment, who is a major and is getting ready for his next deployment with the US Army soon. A debate ensued as to which brother was the smartest, best looking, tallest...yadda, yadda, yadda...!

Chris and Logan's father, John McDarment, reminded the club about our Change Over Dinner next Tuesday (no meeting that day), June 29th at 6:30 pm at Ridgeline Graphics. If you didn't get on the list of attendees and want to attend, contact John at johnc@ridgelinegraphics.com. John is looking for some volunteers to help set up and clean up. Just show up early or stay late for that! Please attend and help us send Earl off to the land of POOPS (Past Order Of Presidents Society), and welcome Kathleen aboard as the incoming president!

Jackie Rector thanked Earl and Lucy, Craig and Tracey, Carol and Jim, Wayne, Robin, Chris, Jackie and Dan, Taro and Patti, Bill and friend Sylvia, Kelly and Alan for their making the "Take Over the Farmers Market" a success. Other Rotarians assisting with the Market Greeters were Alice Meyer (Wenatchee Rotary Club) and Mabel and Patrick Bodell (Wenatchee Confluence Rotary Club). A huge tub of pet foods was collected from those participating in the Pet Parade. The Humane Society will benefit from that. About 15 dogs of various shapes, colors and varieties made the parade fun. One Moody rabbit made an appearance, lead by its owner Dan Moody! The next pet parade will be October 16th so plan accordingly! Other chances to volunteer at "Take Over the Farmers Market" at Pybus will be these Saturdays: July 17th, Aug. 21st, and Sept. 18th.

Special thanks goes out to Chris McD. who went above and beyond in producing a completely separate blog entry featuring the Stage Kids pre-program event at the Holmbergs' home, the actual Stage Kids-Wizard of Oz performance, (both on Friday) and the "Take Over of the Farmers Market" on Saturday. See the blog called "Happy Father's Day-Weekend Activities". Way to go, Chris!!

Earl said enough volunteers came forth to sell parking places at Town Toyota Center the evening of the 4th of July for the fireworks display; the more the merrier! We will also plan on cleaning up the next day. Happy Independence Day!

Alan Walker, chair of the Bike Ride Committee announced that last week's committee meeting yielded a later-than-usual Apple Century Bike Ride on Saturday, September 25, 2021. We will return to our usual starting and ending point of Walla Walla Point Park. The same route will be followed from Wenatchee out through Leavenworth to Lake Wenatchee and back. The Wenatchee Confluence Rotary Club will be hosting a fundraiser with food trucks in Walla Walla Point Park from 11 am to 9 pm, so our riders will be able to get beer and food there. The Tour De Bloom Bike Race will be the same weekend, but will not interfere with our Apple Century Bike Ride. For more info, go to this link: Apple Century Bike Ride Home  Alan reminded the club that this is an ALL HANDS event. If you have something scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 25th, please change it so you can help out with the Bike Ride!! The next Bike Ride meeting will be next Monday, June 28th, 5 pm at Columbia River Brewery! Any member is invited.

The WSRC Fund Raising Committee will have its next meeting on Thurs. July 1, at 6 pm at Pybus Market. If you're interested in Fund Raising events and happenings, this is the place to be. All club members are welcome to attend. Contact Earl or Pete for more information.

Rotary Moment

Wayne quoted from the Rotary International Constitution regarding the Rule of 85: "A member's absence shall be excused if (1) the sum of the member's age and years of membership in one or more clubs is 85 years or more, (2) the member has been a Rotarian for at least 20 years, (3) the member has notified the club secretary in writing of a desire to be excused from attendance, and (4) the board has approved."

Brags and Confessions

Wayne bragged about taking his wife Karen to Spokane for a couple days to celebrate her birthday. They dined at Anthony's at the Falls for a seafood dinner. It was the first long trip with their new car! A good time was had by all. (A forgotten public brag: During a casino visit in Spokane, Wayne doubled his money; Karen didn't!)

Robin was able to use her nursing skills on Saturday at the Pybus Farmers Market after a woman fell. Mabel Bodell, a Wenatchee Confluence Rotarian and MD, also assisted!

John Schapman missed the Pybus event because of a camping and off-road event at Pot Holes State Park, near Moses Lake. 

PJ confessed to having shown up yesterday (Monday) for the Bike Ride Committee meeting scheduled for NEXT Monday, June 28th. 

Mansour used some mathematical equation, citing Founding Member status, for his Rule of 85 status. He said he submitted his Rule of 85 request during the Nixon administration, so he still travels from Lyons, Oregon, to Wenatchee to attend meetings! What a guy!!

Jackie and Dan have a road trip today. They're headed to Cle Elum, then on to Shelton....oh, with a stop off for a hike on Mt. St. Helens' Harry's Ridge. Will this count toward the 100 unique hikes in a year?!

Program

Earl introduced his wife Joy's Father, David Hardwick, Vocational Manager, at Mission Vista. David is from the Columbus, Ohio area and moved to Wenatchee when his son-in-law Earl was hired as the Deputy Coroner for Chelan County. David attended computer tech classes at Wenatchee Valley College hoping to find a career in computers. His work was interrupted by his starting work at Mission Vista as the Vocational Manager.

Mission Vista was found in Wenatchee in 1972. They are a non-profit organization with a mission to serve Wenatchee area adults with developmental disabilities to achieve fully-lived lives.

Vocational services provides an emphasis on individualized plans, with a goal of bridging the gap between participants looking for employment and the specific needs of individual employers. Participant referrals are made to the vocational department through Washington State Dept. of Social and Health Services, Developmental Disabilities Administration and Dept. of Vocational Rehabilitation.

David introduced Emilio Velah, Executive Director of Mission Vista. Emilio is a former Rotarian from the Bellingham area. He defined his clients at Mission Vista as those with disabilities who are just looking to fit it and make a living and a life! They should be treated with dignity and respect, and we should focus on what they CAN do, not what they CAN'T do. Communications with his clients are critical.  His focus is to fit the right person to the right job. 

David and Emilio took questions.

Q1: Is Mission Vista at full capacity as far as staff members?

A1: They currently have 60 employees and could expand to even more. They have 150 school-aged children with disabilities.

Q2: Where do the student waivers or referrals come from?

A2: Students are given IEPs (Individualized Education Program), a legal document developed for each student who needs special education. The student can also receive a referral from a school or doctor.

David and Emilio also said many of their clients are living in independent living situations. Mission Vista staff may come in to assist with meal preparation, shopping, going to a movie, etc.

Earl said that the Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club would donate a children's book to the Regional Libraries dedicated to them.

Raffle

John Schapman drew Milt Herman's "winning" ticket.

Wayne shows Milt the special, silver marble that would make him the WINNER of $74. But Milt's fingers could not find it in the bag! Better luck next month when the prize will be $74+!

Closing

Earl closed his last meeting at 7:51 am. His closing quote was from Jack Canfield: "Don't worry about failures. Worry about the chances you miss when you don't even try!".