Kathleen welcomed new Wenatchee Rotary Club President Alice Meyer as a guest.
Announcements
The Change-Over Dinner at the Wenatchee Museum and Cultural Center last Tuesday was attended by 44 people. We had lots of great food, and a funny "Roast-Earl" reading by the POOPS (Past Order Of PresidentS). Check out all the dinner happening in the blog just before this one. It's called, surprisingly enough, "June 29, 2021 Change-Over Dinner". (Don't overlook the Rockem Sockem Robots!)
Kathleen said the board voted to bring back the green cups to the tables for your loose change and old, crumbled currency (US only, please). Earl volunteered to count it after each meeting, so knowing how much he likes pennies, drop some in. The money will accumulate over the year and a charity will be selected to receive the donations.
Tired of buying coffee at the meeting and wasting a paper cup? Bring in a real, ceramic mug for coffee and stop throwing away paper cups. Kathleen volunteered to wash them before each meeting for you to use at the meeting! Cups should have a funny saying on it, but keep it clean. There are children in the club audience!
Earl announced that the Fun-d Raising Committee will meet Thurs. July 8th at 6 PM at Pybus. Any club member is invited. Just show up!
The Goathead Warriors are making a come-back to fight that noxious weed, the Goathead! It will be Sat. July 24 at 7 AM. Location is TBD. Stay tuned. This is an easy community project. Sign-up sheets forthcoming, per Jackie and Alan, co-chairs of Community Projects Committee.
Kathleen asked for help for the Sergeant At Arms to give Wayne a bit of a break. All the banners, signs, sign-in sheets, raffle tickets, etc. are set up prior to the meeting, then taken down after the meeting. Wayne has been doing this since he was president in 2015-2016, and would like a break. Sam has volunteered, but we'd like one other so they can take turns. See Prez Kathleen! (Wayne thanks you in advance!!!!)
Alan spoke briefly about the Apple Century Bike Ride on Sat., Sept. 25th along the usual route. Right now we are looking for sponsors. Even $100 sponsors would help out. Ask all the businesses you frequent and get a donation. Next Bike Ride Committee meeting is TBD.
Brags and Confessions
PJ ("Poor Judgement" says PJ) determined it was not possible to walk on air while crossing a garage grating that had no metal grating in it. The plunge produced a sizeable gash and dislocated tooth. After calling all his dental contacts, Erik Holmberg was able to tell him, over the phone, how to put the tooth back in its socket! Watch out!!
Alan jumped right into paying a fine for his not being a greeter this morning. Same goes for wife Kelly. He was late getting to the meeting because of some latent Canucks traveling on to Alberta. Those friends left some dogs for Alan and Kelly to dog-sit, but all the sitters got was a pile of dog hair! There's a golden retriever and husky in that hair ball!
Robin announced that today was THE DAY for her and Richard (THE District 5060 District Gover-nator) to start their District-wide tour. First stops, the booming towns of Sunnyside and Grandview. Bring nose plugs! She also suffered a shoulder injury and has been using CBD on it (cue the drug dog)!
Jackie bragged (again) that they went on a long trip to Glacier National Park in Montana. While hiking, they got a text from a friend who is getting engaged to another Jackie. Wedding in October in NYC!
Taro and wife Patti thought it would be fun to foster 2 new-born kittens (48 hours old). Neither had their eyes open yet, and required bottle feeding every 2-3 hours for 2-3 weeks straight. They are both seeing the rewards of their care for the felines after the kittens opened their eyes! Awwww! Cute!!
Jim Huffman, a Rotary member, revealed the reason for his extended absence. In January, 2020, he was diagnosed with a tumor behind his esophagus and could not swallow. Radiation and chemo-therapy helped shrink the tumor and it was finally removed. However, the bleeding from the surgery wouldn't stop so he went from the ICU to ER back to ICU. He was given a CoVid-19 test and it was positive, so he was put into the CoVid ward. He saw no one's faces with all their PPE gear on. He also could NOT have any visitors. His eye brow hair is growing back, so rationalized his ear and nose hairs should be doing the same! Jim paid a fine for all the Chuck Norris jokes he told in the hospital! Welcome back, Jim!! We missed you!
Program
The team was started in 2018 by Jail Administrator Bill Larson because of all the pot smoke coming from the jail cells. In 2019, additional cameras were installed to monitor prisoner activity in their cells. Drug activity decreased but never stopped. Mail and body scanners helped tip the scales of justice in the correct direction after it was discovered that most of the drugs that end up in the jail are from the mail. With the mail scanners, illicit drugs in the mail headed to the prisoners decrease by 80%.
Kait is a 5 year old Border Collie. Corporal Lewis conducted a demonstration with Kait and she was able to find the shipping box in the room with the drug sample. Her reward? She got to bite into a ball and play for a bit!
The newest drug of choice is Suboxone, a medication that is used to help those addicted to opioids. It can be diluted, then the contents of a letter mailed to a prisoner are soaked in the solution. Personal mail can be opened and examined by jail staff. However, legal letters must be opened in front of a prisoner.
Corporal Lewis is a 4 years veteran of the US Coast Guard where he was also a dog handler and part of a Coast Guard Security Team.
Searches of cell and the grounds around the exercise area are often conducted. Training of the dog is done by Corporal Lewis himself 2-3 times a week. He and Kate are both certified by the state and local law enforcement agencies.
After a dog serves 5-9 years, they are retired and the dog's handler usually adopts the dog. A State Patrol dog usually retires after 7 years.
Chelan County has 3 dogs, plus the 1 in the jail. The State Patrol has 1 dog, and Douglas County has no dogs. Grant County has 4 dogs.
It takes about $1500 to train a drug dog. It takes about $10,000/year to maintain a dog (medical, insurance, etc.). Dog food is usually donated.
Kathleen thanked Corporal Lewis and Kait, and said that our Rotary Club would be donating a Children's book to the Regional Library in their names.
Raffle
Sam showed the club the shape and color of the winning marble.
President Kathleen read the closing quote from John Adams: “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”
Meeting was adjourned at 8 AM.
