August 24 Meeting Notes

President Kathleen called the meeting to order at 7am; Craig led the pledge and Kathleen provided the invocation.

Recognized a number of Zoomers including visiting Rotarian Linda Evans Parlette.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Please remember to bring your change for change and deposit it in our green cups. Earl will tally and make the combined donation to a charity.

Kathleen thanked all of our members that were able to help with our service projects this month:

• 
  Confluence Health and Serve Wenatchee Valley with their back-to-school backpacks, clothes,
  and other essentials giveaway at Town Toyota Center.
• Farmers Market – gave out frisbees this month and helped vendors and patrons alike.
• Cleaned up around the Habitat for Humanity house and got it ready to prep for sod which will likely be in October. Afterward some went on to help out at Lorraine’s!

Bike ride – Alan reminded us that we’re just 31 days out! Confluence came through as a primary sponsor of the event. Bike ride posters and sponsor pages are still available, see Alan for yours today! Bike ride committee meetings will be Tuesday evening (9/7) and again on 9/14; then the Tuesday morning meeting (9/21) will be all about the ride. Both evening dates are 5pm at the Hilton Garden Inn next to Pybus. We’re getting down to the logistics and your input is vital to make this work.

Craig reminded Challenge Scholar mentors that he needs signed documents back from the mentees that they received the money from the scholarship fund. Don’t make the scholarship program be out of compliance or else we’ll let you be the interviewee during the next audit. Come on, we don’t want be like some defunct Rotary club; name changes are a pain!

The membership committee will have a meeting on 9/14 at Pybus immediately following the regular morning meeting.

John M redid/updated the club brochure and it looks great!

Kathleen finished the announcements (or started the confessions) that she didn’t have director pins at the changeover dinner and wanted to get them out to everyone now.

BRAGS AND CONFESSIONS

Kevin bragged that he celebrated his 43rd anniversary on August 5th and that he also had a birthday party for his 4-year-old grandson which was highlighted by his 3-month-old. Don’t tell the birthday boy!

PJ told us about Wendell (former club president) and his wife Loretta visiting over the weekend. Nice to see friends!

John M bragged that his son was here from San Antonio for the week and then tried to publicly shame his other son. Who does that anyway?

Chris M bragged that he had a great birthday week and that he turned 50 on Friday with his sister-in-law who turned 55 the same day!

Alan said the Chelan fire canceled his plans but that allowed him and Kelly to help at Pybus. They also made 69 pints of salsa, 32 quarts of pasta sauce, meatballs, and more. He brought a jar for PJ since he didn’t help out at the Habitat for Humanity house. Seriously, what is the secret ingredient? How did you come up with the 11 herbs and spices in there?

Kathleen finished it up with her trip to Big Sky country. Tons of hiking and the 50° and rainy days at the end made her feel like she was in Portland again. They had dinner in a yurt and she won a frisbee toss!

PROGRAM

Kathleen introduced Taryn and Sue Harris, owners of SPORT Gymnastics a local club that’s been around for over 20 years. Their program has had regular top finishers at the state and local competition levels. They say it’s fun and they enjoy coaching the kids to their best.

They both had quite a background from working with Olympic and national team gymnasts to holding collegiate swim diving records. Sue also holds a Masters degree from the University of Oregon.

Our house or yours? 

Their philosophy is that kids need to move and laugh. Sue grew up on a farm so she has had that attitude since she was born. Toughness is another word that describes the tenacity needed to complete their current project – transforming three lineage buildings near Pybus into a multi-million dollar area for families and kids as well as two restaurants, one that is on one of the buildings roofs and will include a bar in the evenings.

They’ve traveled around to many trampoline parks in a number of states and have come to the determination that there is nothing quite like what they are trying to do; it’s one-of-a-kind. Taryn is the designer and is working with a team in Vancouver, BC and a local architect. They aren’t under contract with the Port Authority, but hope to be back under contract next week.

The Adventure Zone will be 16,000 sq. ft.; they’ll have trampolines, dodge ball, and lots of fun and safe options. They’re hoping to add a 300’ indoor roller coaster too! The “tag” area will be an obstacle course and people will use a wrist band to “tag” sensors throughout the course. Sensors are worth more or less points depending on where they are located and time will be a factor. There will be a second floor observation deck called the donut and people will be able to climb up and over that and slide back down.

The center building will have four party rooms and a restaurant. The current gym space is only 4,000 sq. ft. and that will expand to over 7,000 sq. ft. They will include a ninja course, batting cages, and sport simulators. There will be things for all ages and some areas will be separated by age. Two fitness rooms will have a different take on exercise including aerial yoga, trampoline classes, and center on making fitness fun. The roof of one building will include a 16,000 sq. ft. roof top restaurant and bar. Once open, they plan to have different themed nights, some for teenagers, some for families, etc. There will be a variety of membership opportunities that will include a two-hour or all-day pass. They’ll offer punch cards and monthly memberships. Truly something for everyone.

Construction will take about a year and permitting has been discouraging, but they remain hopeful that they’ll soon work it all out so that they can get started. They’re currently waiting on finalizing some engineering. They do a golf tournament every year; this year it’s on September 9th. The primary focus of the tournament is to provide money for scholarships and they have over 35 sponsors this year. 

They are still open for investors; contact them for more details see www.sportwenatchee.com! A children's book was selected to be donated to the local library in honor of our program speakers today.

CLOSING

Kathleen thanked Jim & Carol for greeting everyone this morning; PJ for helping set up, Earl for helping break down the meeting space; and Sherrie for the coffee and breakfast service!

Kelly drew Craig’s number which brought an opportunity for the $161 jackpot! Craig tried to get Kevin to take a closer look, but it still wasn't the correct marble. Sadly, he did not go home a winner in our eyes, but he did go home a winner in our hearts! Good try Craig!

Kathleen closed with a reminder that next week’s program is Shiloh Burgess from the Chamber and a quote from Rodney Dangerfield.

“‘Doctor, every morning when I get up and look in the mirror... I feel like throwing up. What's wrong with me?’ He said, ‘I don't know but your eyesight is perfect.’” 

ROTARY FOUNDATION MOMENT

What is a Paul Harris Fellow?

Established in 1957, Paul Harris Fellow recognition is given to individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus, or an approved Foundation grant. Recognition consists of a certificate and pin.

Paul Harris Fellows can also be given on behalf of someone through Foundation Recognition points or through a combination of points and outright donations. Since the creation of the Paul Harris Fellow, over 1.6 million people have become Paul Harris Fellows, including notable figures such as U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

Use the Club Recognition Summary to see your club’s Paul Harris Fellows.

Are you ready to become a Paul Harris Fellow and join your fellow Rotarians in financially supporting The Rotary Foundation? 

Many thanks in advance for sharing with your club members.

Pete Erickson, PDG

District Foundation Committee Chair 2021-2024

perickson@nctv.com