April 4, 2023, Meeting Notes

The meeting was called to order at 7 am by President Robin DeRock.

National Hug a Newsperson Day

Rotary Guests: 

• Janna Hatton - Downtown Club

Guests: 

• Bill Ostheimer (Wayne M's guest)

Announcements

Fran Moment

• Joel covered for her
• She is in Penticton for spring break
• She will be with us until mid-July, so be sure to take her somewhere, or have her over for dinner or coffee.

Exchange Student Program

• Host families are needed - Reach out to Joel
• Milt Herman has been hosting students since 1982. As result he has been able to visit them in New Zealand and he always had a place to stay for free

Carly Sagerser - Current Exchange student from Wenatchee - In Denmark

• Carly sent the following message and provided pictures about her year abroad so far:

Dear Julie, Joel, and Sunrise Rotary, 

I cannot tell you how much I love my life in Denmark. I wish I could just stay here forever. My class and I just got back from our study trip to Club La Santa in Lanzarote in the Canary Islands. In Denmark every class takes a trip out of the country in their second year of gymnasium. Some trips are based around music or economics but ours was a sports trip so we got to swim, play tennis and padel, kayak, bike, hike, etc. It felt like I was home doing all the things I normally enjoy in the summer. I am so glad I was able to experience that with my friends. We have also taken trips to universities in Aalborg and that was really interesting to see how higher education looks in Denmark compared to in the US. 

I have also stayed in contact with all the other exchange students living in Denmark right now and I can’t wait to go on the EuroTour with them.

I also just moved to my last host family! They are such lovely people but it was bittersweet saying goodbye to my mom and dad from my last family. Speaking of families, my parents and siblings are coming to visit this week and I can’t wait to show them around Denmark and the place I call home. 

Thank you all again so so much for making it possible for me to go on exchange, I wouldn’t trade this year for the world:)

 Road Apple Roulette Update - Wayne Massing

• Great booth at Pybus last Saturday
• Special thanks to Kathleen for setting up the booth and coordinating the volunteers
• Over 130 tickets sold
• Total ticket sales at 2,000 so far - There are 5,000 tickets so sell, sell, sell!
• See club calendar for selling opportunities or contact Kathleen to volunteer
• Turn your tickets in to Wayne Massing or Allie Schank or ask them for more

 Volunteers Needed for Wednesday and Thursday Concessions at TTC

• Robin is contacted any time there are opportunities to work when the other club cannot provide all the volunteers needed for an event

Applesox Billets Needed

• Allie mentioned that are still players looking for places to stay for this season
• They are here for about 2 1/2 months
• Host familied get free season tickets and other great benefits
• Reach out to Allie if you are interested

Applesox 50/50 - Kathleen and Allie

• Allie has provided our club with 4 dates to sell tickets to 50/50 raffles
• Kathleen is coordinating the volunteers

Museum Grant - Environment Film - Thursday 7pm at the PAC

• A $20,000 grant allowed the museum to renovate the childrens area
• Milt Herman's daughter painted the mural which will be unveiled that night
• The film will be about Hummingbirds

All Service Club Meeting/Dinner - Carol Adamson - 5/3/23 at 11:30am - $25

• One table has been filled but we are hoping to fill another table for the event
• The guest speaker will be the Apple Blossom Grand Marshal Colonel Sarah (Droz) Babbit 
• Click here to see the Apple Blossom Website for her biography and to purchase tickets to the luncheon

Brags and Confessions

Chris McDarment

• Chris and his family went to a Kraken game last weekend for the first time
• They lost 3-1 but the stadium was very nice and they had fun

Erik Holmberg

• Erik just got back from golf trip
• He got to play Pebble Beach for free
• He then met his wife in San Francisco
• She had been spending time with their son Ben who lives in Isreal
• They traveled to Jordan
• They saw Petra and went hot air ballooning

Robin DeRock

• Robin broke her laptop
• Her orange cat (Bruce) brought in a full grown rabbit through the cat door in their bedroom - they didn't notice until morning (it wasn't good news for the rabbit)

Woody Lotts

• The PAC will be adding an Admin office
• They will be located in the Exchange Building
• They will be 2 floor above Two Rivers Gallery

Program - Pat West Turner - Author - "Skiing Uphill"

Pat West Turner was raised seven and a half mile up the Entiat Valley. Now she lives in East Wenatchee, with her husband of forty-three years, Joe. She attended Wenatchee Valley Community College for two years, then received her B.A. in Special Education from Central Washington University and Fifth Year from the University of California Sacramento with a double major in Social Sciences. Placerville, California was her first teaching assignment then finished her career in the Wenatchee area, after thirty-eight years.

Before her teaching career started, she was in a car accident when she was a senior in high school. She eventually lost her leg because of complications. Her recently published memoir, "Skiing Uphill - A story of Strength and Persistence" outlines and active life regardless of her challenges living on one leg.

She had been active at her local ski area, Mission Ridge, learning to three-track ski in 1966 a year after her car wreck. After a couple of skiing accidents, she finished her time at the Ridge inside scheduling lessons.

She continues to work out a WORX gym as well as taking up wheelchair bowling a couple of years ago.

Her travles include New Zrealand, Tahiti, Mexico, and Hawaii. Pat also enjoys Painting kindness rocks and crocheting book worms. You need to read her book to learn about her up in the air passion.

You can purchase her book on Amazon. Click Here

Pat has spent the last 10 years writing her book. Thanks to the support of Joe and her friends she found the courage to lay herself bare. She shares her greatest successes and her greatest fears openly in her book. She struggled with trying to make the book perfect. She finally realized her best was good enough.

Pat has been an amputee for 55 years. She inspired many amputees with her success as a skier. She won a Silver medal in three-track skiing. This began a long period of loving her hobby and inspiring others with her challenges, showing them that they too could live life to the fullest.

After her skiing career ended, she and her husband took up tandem biking. They rode in the 50-mile event put on by Sunshine Rotary every year. The turn around on the route was at the location of her parents' property.

Pat read part of her story to the club:

Mission Ridge Taunts Me

by Pat West Turner

"Come back Pat, it's a blue bird day, the sun is shining, it's warm, and there's forgiving corduroy snow, your favorite."

    It was a warm, sunny day in March with conditions a skier dreams about after the cold of January when the air sparkles like diamonds, and the hairs in your nose freeze with every breath. Following a more than adequate snowpack, I had taken up a new challenge, skiing with the standard poles instead of the outriggers I was accustomed to using. Due to a previous accident which resulted in the loss of my leg, I started using Canadian crutches known as "outriggers" for balance while skiing on one leg. they have arm bands which hook to me forearms and little short ski tips on the ends of the rods. From metal fatigue, one outrigger broke near the top of chair three. My husband was notified of my location and predicament. Instead of waiting for a replacement, I asked to use my friend's poles. Joe was on the chair bringing me another pair when he saw several ski patrollers attending a skier on the snow. He realized it was me when he saw my red jacket.

    Minutes before, I had cautiously made the first turn. In the soft spring snow, I caught an edge and crashed. When I fell, the end of my stump hit first. Then my pole became trapped under the ski, forcing my shoulder to plow through the snow until I stopped sliding. Face down, bellowing like a wounded animal, I couldn't move.

    Seconds later the urgent call blasted over the Ski Patrollers walkie talkies, "Pat's down. Everyone, Toketie split, NOW"! Within minutes, help arrived. I hurt so badly I couldn't cry but continued making guttural howls. The Patrollers assured me I was going to be okay. Stabilizing my stump and shoulder, they turned me over and attempted to place me in the toboggan. With all the splints and wraps I wouldn't fit on the floor in order to securely strap me in for the ride off the mountain. They all threw their fanny packs with various first aid items on the bottom of the sled. This allowed just enough room on the sides that I fit. Secured, they carefully started the descent off the mountain. Impatient, yes; striving to do better, yes; over-achiever maybe. The challenge I thought I was ready for, I WAS NOT!

    Joe and I had just completed a first aid refresher course and the instructor said more people die from shock than injuries. I knew lying there in the snow, I was going to die.

    By the time we got to the Patrol room at the base of the mountain, the ambulance arrived. Diagnosis in ER; dislocated shoulder and broken femur an inch below the hip on the stump side. Surgery required, months to recover. Complication later as the hip was not set straight, so I lost stabilizing muscles required for walking. Two years later, first day of the season, I crashed again, breaking my pelvis on the stump side.

    Only then did the doctors realize I have severe Osteoporosis for the lack of weight-bearing on the bone. That was an emotional blow. Over the years, I became a strong walker and now the doctors were telling me that didn't matter! They were right, there was never weight-bearing on the bone. When I pulled my stum into the socket, stability was accomplished through tissue containment.

    It was hard enough losing the ability to walk the first time. Now because of the misaligned bone, I wasn't even back to square one; I was below ground zero. Frustration and fear of falling took over. The sport I loved since I was five years old, now scared me. The final year I skied, I skied alone. I didn't want people to see me cry as I rode to the top of chair one, skied down, got on the lift again and cried some more. Fear of injury was so strong, I quit torturing myself and stopped skiing. The end of my skiing career was slow, painful decision.

    Why is the desire to ski so strong in my core>? I enjoyed this sport for over 30 years without injury and now this. "Ok mountain, I know it's not your fault, but you continue to look so enticing." I hate to let this freedom go, but I must. My hear wants to come back, but for once my common sense screams, "NO"!

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The raffle was $377. Glenn King did not win so it will continue to grow.

Next Programs

• 4/11 - Apple Blossum Royalty
• 4/18 - Erica Grissmessen - Regional Alzheimer's Association

Joke: Did you know the man who invented the Ferris Wheel never met the man who invented the Merry-Go-Round?  They traveled in different circles.

Rotary Anniversaries

• Erin McCool:       04/16/2013
• J. Woody Lotts:   04/26/2022
• Ruth Dagg:          04/17/2018
• Mark VanHorne:  04/26/2022