December 19 meeting notes

 ** No meeting next Tuesday (Dec. 26), but we will meet January 2.

We had one guest today, Allie's boyfriend Joel.  Welcome.

Kelly presented Shari, our set-up/coffee person, a gift from club members for the great work she does in having everything ready for our club meetings.

Club elections were held today to select officers and board members for the 2024-25 year.  Results:

President - Rebecca Lyons

Pres-elect - Allie Schank

Secretary - Alan Walker

Treasurer - Earl Crowe

Board members (2-year term) - Wayne Steele and Mark VanHorne

Brags and Confessions

Craig put in $62 for his birthday.

Kelly got to see all 5 grandchildren and her ring finally came.

Chris is going for his Masters in Business Admin.

Wayne M finally received the cell phone he ordered in August.

Becky's niece is coming to celebrate with her.

Kevin's cell phone went black and he lost about everything on it.

Program

Kelly introduced member Alan Walker, Executive Director of Chelan/Douglas Community Action council (CDCAC).  Alan gave some history of the non-profit and explained who they are and what they do for our communities.

CDCAC was formed on Dec. 21, 1965.  The mission of this non-profit is to end poverty by helping people and changing lives.  They serve over 17,000 people and 7000 homes.  CDCAC includes the AmeriCorp program and the Literacy Council.

One big part of CDCAC is food services and the food bank.  They have 20 pantries, including a mobile pantry, and goes through 2 million pounds of food each year.  They get food from donations, food drives, and grocery store products that have to be removed from their shelves.

Another major component is housing.  CDCAC has apartments, low income housing, weatherization, energy assistance, and other housing support programs.

CDCAC is run by a 10-person Board, 29 staff, 5 Americorp, and 361 volunteers.  They have been working out of a 6200 sq. foot building on .17 acres.  They recently purchased a 55,000 sq. foot building on 4 acres for $4.3 million, and are in the process of remodeling the building for $2 million.  The new facility will house the office, food pantry, dry and cold storage, and a commercial kitchen.

CDCAC is also remodeling a house that will house the AmeriCorp people.  The $65,000 came for grants, including a Rotary matching grant.  Some of the work is being done by volunteers, including some Sunrise Rotary members.

After notes

$248 in the raffle pot today will be increased and moved to next week since Kevin failed to pick the special marble after his ticket was drawn (again).

Milt ended the meeting with a joke.  See you all next year.  Merry Christmas.

Thursday Christmas Party

Here a some pictures from Thursday's Christmas party.  Over 50 people were in attendance for the fellowship, food, entertainment, and gift exchange. 

Food catered by Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center culinary arts program. Yummy!

Gifts for the white elephant exchange 

Baskets of goodies raffled off.  $470 was raised for the Grace house kids.

Thanks to Becky for getting all the gifts, gift cards, and making the baskets.

Bill and Sharon provided some great accordion Christmas songs.

The winners of the raffles.

Saturday crafts at Pybus

 Here are some of the pictures from the Sunrise Rotary craft table Saturday at Pybus.

December 12th Notes

The meeting today was run by President Craig Reese. 

Our guest today was our foreign exchange student Laerke.

Announcements

• Carol, Kelly, and Becky reminded everyone that the Christmas party is on December 14th, 50 people were signed up, there's no dress code
• If you signed up for Dancing with the Stars, pay Kelly
• Lark shared a bucket list that included things like bowling, she went skiing for the first time, she has a Christmas party coming up and a trip to Ocean Shores
• Julie announced that the rotary youth exchange group met and had a great meeting
• Mark is partnering with the museum to teach students how to use 3-D printers starting in February or March, he will need volunteers to help
• Earl thanked the volunteers who helped wrap Christmas presents at the Bruce house (Earl, Emma, Kathleen, Milt, Wayne and Chris Steele)
• Kathleen announced that the marketing committee decided to do a kids' craft table at Pybus' day of Christmas on the 16th
• Rebecca said she will continue to bring in treats for breakfast, she is asking for donations for the items such as oatmeal, no need for donations for the baked goods

Brags & Confessions

• Mark, didn't go to the meeting last week, was on the dance cam at the Wild game, saw Bill O. get on the kiss cam!
• Jim & Carol went to Cancun
• Jennifer, visited Florida and enjoyed yoga on the beach and kayaking amongst the alligators
• Allan, went to Bellevue
• Craig, went to Boise to visit his son and his family

Program - Carl and Jay's Classification Talks

• Carl is a food safety manager, specifically for produce
• He lives in Malaga with his wife Kirsten and daughter Colette
• Graduated from high school in California and was in the band
• Got introduced to rotary in high school where he was in the interact club
• Graduated from University of California Davis, studied animal science, was on the livestock judging team, met his wife there
• Started out his career by working at a pistachio plant

• Jay is a designated crisis responder
• His father is in recovery from a sub-dermal hematoma
• Jay was born in 1965
• Was a school counselor in Wenatchee for 22 years
• Navy brat
• Graduated from Olympic high school in Silverdale
• WSU Masters degree in counseling
• Moved to Wenatchee in 1993
• Jim introduced him to Sunrise Rotary, and he was a member before moving to Leavenworth and managing a restaurant there
• He still plays the alphorn on Sundays
• Spent 8 years in navy intelligence
• Has 3 children
• Was a chaplain at the scout jamboree this past summer
• As of January 1st, he'll have 1 year of full designation

 

Mark's raffle ticket was drawn, but he did not pick the winning marble. The raffle pot was up to $231. 

Joke

Allan: My friend David lost his ID, now we call him Dave. 

December 5th Meeting Notes

The meeting today was run by President Craig Reese. 

Our guests today were our foreign exchange student Laerke, and Mike Nicholson, from the East Wenatchee Rotary Club.

Announcements

• Mike Nicholson talked about the Water to Wine, a clean water project that uses the proceeds from wine sales to fundraise for the District 5060 HANWASH water project. You can purchase wine from now to January 31st.
• Kelly sent around the sign-up sheet for the Christmas party on Thursday, Dec. 14th at the Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Cener, 6 pm. 
• Wayne Massing gave updates about the Road Apple Roulette committee meeting. They are working on getting tickets ready by the end of the month
• Earl shared that the Road Apple Roulette committee is thinking about partnering with a non-profit that will receive some of the net profits in return for helping with the event. We got a new sponsor for the event, Chapel of the Valley, thanks to Becky. We are wrapping presents on December 7th at 3 pm at the Bruce House
• Julie announced that the candidates for the youth exchange program are moving on to their final interviews, and our club is sponsoring one student
• Laerke has been having fun getting to know her new host family. She met a Danish Rotarian that lives in Leavenworth and spent some time with her. She is applying for the rotary trips in the Spring.

Brags & Confessions

• Chris spent time with his mother, and she just left for Germany to spend about a month with Chris' brother, his alma mater won the D3 water polo championship
• Rebecca went to PETs in Moses Lake and enjoyed the training
• Earl is obsessed with the Huskies and their latest wins

Program - Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center

• Dave Tosh is the Director of the Wenatchee Valley Senior Activity Center, has been in the position for 10.5 years, and he is an East Wenatchee Rotary Club member

• The slideshow shows the gist of the center, but Dave is also working on multi-generational programs
• They have one of the best senior activity centers in the state.
• They get about 50 new members a month
• They are currently raising funds to expand their current building, and they have already been granted permission from the city
• To get a membership, you need to be at least 50 years old, it costs $35 a year or $50 for a couple.

Wenatchee Sunrise Rotary Club will donate a childen's book to the Pinnacles Prep school in the name of the Wenatchee Valley Senior Center.

 

Kevin Love's raffle ticket was drawn, but he did not pick the winning marble. The raffle pot was up to $220. 

Joke

Carl: I was going to go jogging, but I decided not to. 

Craig: You said that last week. 

Carl: It's a running joke. 

November 22 Meeting Notes

 The meeting today was run by President Craig Reese. 

The guest today was our foreign exchange student Laerke. 

Announcements

• Craig updated the club on where he is at with the international Rotary project in Burundi. Craig and Malachi from the Downtown club are slowly working on it. The club in Gitega, Burundi send their greetings. If you have any ideas for projects in water or women and children's health, contact Craig.
• Craig applauded the club on recent efforts (downtown cleanup, pet parade, etc.). Applause for Rebecca for her work as President Elect. 
• Carol asked for three volunteers to send a Christmas note to Pearl, and she got the volunteers. 
• Becky says to bring cash or checks to the Christmas party. There will be a raffle for gift baskets, and the proceeds will go towards purchasing Valentine's Day gifts for the Grace House. 
• Rebecca wanted to thank people for helping her clean out the old storage unit. 
• Kelly passed around a sign up sheet for a social event followed by seeing Dancing with the Stars at the PAC on January 20th. Contact Kelly to sign up or for more details. 
• Laerke is moving to her next host family soon. She will be living closer to town. Her swim season is done, and the swim team did very well at State. She is now doing Sports Medicine. 

Brags & Confessions

• Kevin's wife, Lynn, has a concert coming up on December 17th at Grace Lutheran Church 
• Wayne Massing attended two High School plays
• Jennifer and her husband bought another house to remodel 
• Craig found out there is a donor willing to help Sister Connection give Christmas Baskets to over 1,000 widows

Rotary Foundation 101

• Jim Adamson gave a very thorough overview of the Rotary Foundation
• There is international and local aid
• The polio fund currently has about $2 million 
• The permanent fund is used for endowments
• The annual fund is the money spent each year on various projects
• Rotary is one of the top foundations in the world
• Small donations can make a difference
• If you give $50, the club will match your donation. That donation will show up on your January invoice
• November is Rotary Foundation month
• Wayne Massing is a new Rotary Foundation Bequest Donor.

Elections

• Elections are coming up on December 19th
• Kathleen is running elections this year
• Two board members' terms are coming up
• Earl is willing to remain Treasurer
• Please send in your nominations

Additional Notes

• Craig wants to make a 5 Year Plan for the club
• It was suggested that action items and due dates be considered
• The 2 fundraising ideas being considered are 3D printing on frosted cookies, and a baseball tournament

Rebecca Lyon's raffle tickets was drawn, but she did not pick the winning marble. The raffle pot was up to $200. 

Mark's joke - I don't understand why my calculator stopped working. It just doesn't add up. 

November 14 Meeting Notes

The meeting today was run by President-elect Rebecca.  

Guests were former member Jordan Carrol and program speaker Erica Moshe.

Announcements

Quarterly invoices are coming out so watch you email. 

Signups are happening for the Dec. 14 Christmas Social.  You can see details by scrolling down to last week's blog.  In addition, we will have music by Bill and Sharon, and Alan Walker will be baking desserts.  We will be raffling off a gift basket with lots of good stuff so bring cash or checkbook.  The proceeds will go to support the Grace House.

Brags & Confessions

Guest Jordan Carrol confessed that he has not been to Rotary for about 9 years (since he moved away from our club).

Glenn bragged that Becky let his dad ride the Veteran's float in the parade.

Alan praised Becky for her organization of the Veteran's Day activities at Pybus.

Kelly will get her bandage/cast off today.

Our club Veteran's were recognized:  Wayne, Bill, Earl, and Becky.

Program

Erica Moshe, founder and executive director of Brave Warrior Project, talked about the project and how it all started.  The purpose is to eliminate barriers for kids with special needs, chronic illnesses, and cancer.  She started the organization so parents wouldn't have to move, or take their kids out of town for services.

It all started when their child was diagnosed with autism.  They spent two years getting a diagnosis, and had many trips to Children's Hospital in Seattle.  They were about ready to move when they decided to try to found a way to get service in this area.

The Brave Warrior Project provides the following services:

• social activities and programs for special needs kids
• respite care and support for parents
• day programs for adults with disabilities
• gas and grocery cards for trips to the Seattle hospitals
• care and activity boxes when kids are at Children's Hospital

The organization raises funds to bring in speakers and services to the Wenatchee Valley.  The social network quickly grew.  They get money through a series of fundraisers and state grants.  They now serve people in a 4-county area, and get over 100 referrals each month.  The staff consists of 2 full-time and 7 part-time workers and lots of volunteers.  Ways you can help are listed below, along with the website and email addresses.

Wayne Steel's raffle ticket was drawn, but not the right marble.  Over $190 in the pot next week.

Next week will be Rotary Foundation 101 and a club assembly.

November 7 meeting notes

The meeting today was led by President-elect Rebecca.  She thanked Allie for bringing muffins, and Glenn for his constant tech support each week.

Guests included Pete VanWell (Wenatchee Rotary), Taro's daughter, Veronica, who is president of the Pinnacles Prep Early Act Club, and Abbey Prieto, an outbound youth exchange finalist who will interview this weekend.

Announcements

Next Tuesday we will meet in the morning as usual, and also have our second-Tuesday-of-the-month social at the Taproom from 5:00-7:00 pm.

The Pet Parade at Pybus last Saturday was a success.  Lots of pets, and a Humane Society dog was adopted.  There was a team of helpers from the WHS Interact Club, and a team from Pinnacles Prep Early Act club.  Thanks to those who helped set up, clean up, and worked at our photo booth.  Marcy, Wayne S, Kathleen, Bill, Kelly & Alan, Jim &Carol, Jennifer & John,  Allie, Earl, Rebecca, and Glenn.

The Downtown cleanup our club did in the month of October got us $2500.  Thanks to Kathleen, Wayne S, Wayne M, Jim & Carol, Alan & Kelly, Milt, Bill, Kevin, Mark, Emma, Earl, Chris, Rebecca, and David.  Scroll down past last week's blog for pictures.

Business After Hours is Nov. 30 from 5-7 at the C/D Community Action Council food bank site (1700 N Wenatchee Ave.).  Our club is a member of the Chamber, so anyone is welcome to attend.  Join for drinks and appetizers, and meet local business people rom our community.

Carol announced that the club Christmas Party will be December 14 from 6-8:30 at the Wenatchee Valley Museum.  A gourmet dinner prepared by the Wenatchee Valley Technical Skills Center culinary arts program will be served (instructor Richard Kitos is a former member of our club).  Cost is $35/person.  A white elephant gift exchange will take place (one gift for each person that wants to participate - $15-$20 max).  BYOB.  Families and guests are welcome.  Sign up sheet will be passed around in coming weeks.  We also encourage everyone to bring non-perishable goods to donate to the CDCAC food bank.  Social Committee (and anyone interested in helping) will meet at the Adamson's home this Sunday (Nov. 12) at 2:00.  Wine will be served.

Our club has donated to the Friends of the Ukraine to help settle refugees in Wenatchee.  One is starting a photography business.  Here is his card of you can support him.

Julie announced that Laerka now has her next two host families.

Our Wenatchee area Rotary Ecology team did a multi-club cleanup and weeding of the pollinator garden.  It is located by the DOT and Apple Commission.  Friday they will be replanting an area of a recent fire.

Thank you cards were read from the Women's resource Center and Sister Connection.  Our club contributed funds to both.

The Festival of Trees is from Dec. 15-19 at the PAC.  Events are held each day.  Check it out.

The Veteran's Day Parade is November 11 starting at Pybus at 11:00 am.  Contact Becky if you would like to ride on the float.

Brags & Confessions

Earl bragged that his soon-too-be grandchild will be a girl, and that the UW won again.

Eric put in $50 for his absences.  He is living up at Lake Chelan much of the time now.  His son, who is working in Israel, had evacuated to Cyprus and then Athens.  He spent some time touring Europe, but is now back to work remotely.  Eric recently had a new grandson.

Wayne told of the passing of a Rotary friend's spouse in Peachland, BC.  He has had a great friendship with Wolfgang and Doris since participating in a "Friendship Exchange" our club did with the Peachland Rotary Club several years ago.  Wayne went to the Celebration of Life service there.

Jim announced the passing of another Peachland Rotarian last month.  Chris Southin was a past-president when Jim was District Governor, and a good friend.

Kathleen confessed that she closed her thumb in the car door.  The stiches are out now.  She is going to the East Coast for awhile to care for her mom.

Stacy's oldest daughter turned 17.  This is Stacy's last quarter of hard college classes.

Alan said he and Kelly went on a road trip to Oregon for a Celebration of Life service.  They also celebrated a grandson's 2nd birthday.

Julie's son ordered a 3-D printer and is working away.  She thanked Mark for the program he did at our club that spawned the idea. 

Program

Since our program couldn't make it today, we had more announcements.

Pete VanWell talked about the Polio Awareness Dinner (scroll down past last week's blog for pictures).  Funds were raised for Polio eradication.  70 members of our district have joined the "Polio Society" by committing $100 a year to the fund.  New society members from our club are (left to right) Carol, Earl, Mark, Rebecca, Wayne M, Kathleen, Mansour, and Pete VanWell (District Polio Chair).  Way to go.

The District Governor's monthly video challenge was shown.  She challenged the clubs to have a Rotary Foundation awareness event this month.

The idea of a future social at the PAC was presented.  The club was supportive, and liked the idea of the Dancing with the Stars program in January.  We will probably have some sort of pre-function at the PAC or close by.  More to come.

Wayne M. gave a report on the Road Apple Roulette.  Tickets will be printed soon, and the selling can begin.  The drawing will be May 4th after the Apple Blossom Grand Parade.

Kathleen's raffle ticket was drawn, but she pulled the wrong marble (darn).  Pot will be over $170 next week.

Wenatchee Wastewater Treatment Plant Tour

Today we met at the Wenatchee Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) at 7:00 am.  Since this was a long tour, we had no other meeting agenda.  Twenty of our members braved the cold and smell to learn about the important process of treating the city's wastewater.

WWTP Supervisor Mike Hodgson drove from Omak this morning to give us the tour.

Jennifer, as well as others, didn't enjoy the smell.

This is what the sludge looks like after it is removed from the wastewater. The product is dried into a "cake" and be applied to agricultural land as a soil conditioner, placed in landfills, or cleanly burned.  

The initial waste comes in through pipes up to 48" in diameter.  The waste goes through a primary treatment (at right), then through a secondary treatment that removes 85-90 percent of the remaining pollutants (tank in photo below).   A final process takes the remaining liquid through an ultraviolet filter and then dumps the water into the Columbia.  The waste water at that point is cleaner than the river water.

 October 24, 2023

The meeting was called to order at 7 am by President Craig Reece

. "Good morning, Sunbeams!"

The Pledge of Allegiance

The Invocation was delivered by Jim Adamson.

October Fund Raiser - Downtown Cleanup - Kathleen/Rebecca

• From 1st to Kittitas
• Final work done!
• Check out the Blog post below this meeting.

Polio Plus Pennies for Polio Booth Every Saturday in October at Pybus

• Pete Van Well covered the Pennies for Polio booth on Saturday Oct 28th.
• Our club was busy with the Pet Parade on Saturday.

Polio Awareness Potluck - Was Held on Tuesday October 24th @ 6pm

        Wenatchee Valley Museum & Cultural Center

• See the Blog post about the dinner below this meeting post.
• 13 members and spouses attended the event.

Pet Parade at Pybus was held on Saturday October 28th

• The parade event was a huge success with over 25 entries for the judging and parade from Pybus to Firehouse Pets on Wenatchee Avenue.
• See the post on the Blog below this meeting post.

Youth Exchange Panel

• Julie Banken will be holding a panel meeting on 12/2 + 12/3 to narrow down the applicants for next year''s Youth Exchange Program

Carol Adamson

• Pearl
• Our club's current exchange student (Pearl) is in Belgium
• She would love to hear from home
• We can each send her a post card
• The card can tell her anything you want to share
• Christmas Party - 12/14
• This year's party will be held at the museum.
• Carol is working with a chef to create the menu
• The Chef from Lulu's has a vocational culinary youth group that will be helping with the meal

Craig - November/December Club Board for next year

• November
• The current Board is taking names looking to be nominated for next year.
• December
• The new board members will be selected for next year.

Next Week's Program - WASTEWATER PLANT TOUR

• There will be NO PYBUS MEETING.
• Please go directly to the Wastewater Plant up the road from PYBUS.

Brags and Confessions

• Erik Holmberg
• Erik is moved to his home in Chelan and they are doing well.
• Erik's son in Israel is safe from the war.
• Craig Reese
• Craig was leading a fundraiser for Sister Connection
• As he started his presentation, he developed a nosebleed.
• I must have helped because he had a successful day.
• John Chapman
• John had an article published about his business.
• "North Central Accountable Community of Health"
• He recently secured the funds for his DEI training
• He also was able to donate 80-90 computers to people who could not afford one themselves.
• His son has joined the Scouts.
• Mansour
• He announced that he is headed south to Arizona in 2 weeks for the winter.

Program - International Marketing Manager - Lindsey Huber

Rebecca Lyon's introduced Lindsey. Lindsey took over Rebecca's position at the WAC when Rebecca retired earlier this year.

Lindsey gave a fantastic and thorough presentation about the challenges facing the WAC and the industry as a whole.

Click here to review the presentation.

[LINDSEY HUBER PROMOTED TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER BY THE WASHINGTON APPLE COMMISSION]

[WENATCHEE, WASHINGTON, APRIL 12, 2023] 

The Washington Apple Commission has announced the promotion of Lindsey Huber to the position of International Marketing Manager. In this new capacity, Huber will be responsible for overseeing promotional marketing activities in over 25 countries on behalf of the 1,260 apple growers in Washington state.

Huber will be taking over the position responsibilities from Rebecca Lyons, who officially announced her retirement at the Washington Apple Commission Board of Directors Meeting in March. According to Lyons, “Lindsey has been an integral part of the WAC marketing team and has the knowledge and experience to take on the challenges and opportunities in the coming seasons.”

Since first joining the Washington Apple Commission in 2015, Huber has served as the International Marketing Specialist. Specifically, she handled the development of international promotions, worked on strategic planning, and assisted in the yearly federal grant application process that is used to help fund Washington apple international activities.  She commented, “We have a great team at WAC, both colleagues and our contractors in international markets, and we all share the same passion for promoting Washington apples to consumers around the world. I’ve learned so much in my time at the Washington Apple Commission, and I look forward to continuing to grow with the organization. I’m thrilled to step into the role of International Marketing Manager and am so excited to see what the future holds.”

Huber has worked in the produce industry for over 20 years including time spent in sales, marketing, purchasing, grower relations, and quality control. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture Business with a minor in International Business and a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus in Marketing, both from Washington State University.

Meanwhile, Communications and Outreach Specialist, Jennie Strong, will be taking on the International Marketing Specialist role. Strong joined the Washington Apple Commission in July of 2022, new to the apple industry, but eager to catch up and earning a spot as a USApple NextGen Fellow for 2023. With a Bachelor’s degree in Communications from Purdue University and a culinary background, Strong has a unique perspective she brings to the Washington Apple Commission team.

“The industry is more expansive than I ever thought. Learning the ropes and getting to know industry leaders and professionals has been amazing and eye-opening,” said Strong. “I feel very fortunate that I’ve had both Lindsey and Rebecca on my side, mentoring me, and I’m so excited to be a part of this next chapter at WAC.”

Raffle

Mark Van Horne missed finding the special marble in the bag, and also missed winning $196! Awwwwwwwwwww!

Pet Parade

 Lots of people with their pets came to Pybus Saturday to enter their pet in the third annual pet parade.  The parade started at the Farmer's Market and ended at Firehouse Pet Shop (which was one of the sponsors along with our club) on Wenatchee Avenue.  Gift cards from Firehouse were given to winners in several categories, including cutest, best costume, biggest personality.  Our club members were assisted with members of the WHS Interact Club and the Pinnacles Prep Earlyact Club (the middle school version of Interact).

Set-up crew

                   WHS Interact members

Pinnacles Prep Earlyact members (and Glenn)