We have our two students, Renata from Paraguay and Jacob from Norway preparing to arrive in Tacoma by the end of August in order to enroll at Stadium High School. Youth Exchange needs two host families approved and ready to go by August 1st. 

The application process takes a minimum of two weeks to gain approval as a host family. Each family hosts one of the incoming students for a period of 3 months. Each student will receive a $130 monthly stipend to handle their personal expenses. Rotary Youth Exchange pays for students conferences and arranges travel for them. Our Youth Exchange Officer will assist families with their application process and provide orientation and training to assure your readiness to host.  If you can't do it, perhaps you have a friend or family member that might be interested!

Renata and Jacob are eager to meet their first host family. We will need 3 host families per student for the exchange year. Our wonderful In Bound RYE expert, Diane Tilstra can help you prepare for this engaging experience. You may be surprised to see how easy it is to host a student. Please call Diane at 206-948-8309 or email: mdtilstra@aol.com if you want more information! 

Every eight minutes, the American Red Cross responds to a disaster — the clear majority are home fires. While every fire is different, they commonly leave survivors without life’s necessities. All too often the claim the life of a loved one.

One of the most powerful pieces to home fire safety is a smoke alarm. In fact, working smoke alarms in a home cut the risk of death by half, and having an escape plan further improves the odds of survival. This is why the American Red Cross has implemented the Home Fire Preparedness Campaign/Sound the Alarm event.

Many thanks to club members Donna Haynes, Diane Kelleher, Marty Lough, Veronica Rollins and friends who helped install smoke alarms earlier this spring and for the financial support which supported the purchase of smoke alarms.

Unless written objections are submitted to the Board within 10 days of this posting, the following individual will be invited to membership: 

 

ASSNS: SOC SVC - Youth

Owner

iCallengeLife Group LLC

Sponsor: Mark Anderson

 

 

 

June 28, 2018

 

July 5, 2018

Happy 4^th of July no social !

 

July 12, 2018

9001 S 19^th Street
Tacoma, WA

 

July 19^th, 2018

Camp Goodtimes celebration!

5910 N Waterfront Drive

Tacoma, WA

 

Enjoying the Social at Primo

President Mark called the June 21 meeting of the Rotary Club of Tacoma to order at 12:10 pm in the Rooftop Garden at the Landmark Convention Center.  Rick Oldenburg, Oldenburg and Associates, gave a humorous, yet insightful invocation celebrating summer with kids and work.   Jan Brazzell, Advancement Consulting, led us in ‘America the Beautiful’ and the 4 Way Test.  President Mark thanked Sandi Wollum, Seabury School, for being this week’s meeting sponsor.

Bryan Flint, Metro Parks Foundation, and Jennifer Wedderman, Wedderman Architecture, took the mics around for introducing guests and visiting Rotarians.  Among the visiting Rotarians was a member from the South Kitsap Rotary Club, and former long-time member, Rick Olson, from the Marysville Rotary Club.   Past President Carolyn Weyerick had her Mother as one of her guests. 

Hunter George then came forward to introduce this week’s speakers – Aaron Artman and John Hutchinson to talk about the unique partnership between the Tacoma Rainiers and the Seattle Sounders S2 Club in Tacoma.  First up was Aaron Artman, Tacoma Rainiers President since 2007 who talked about the innovative partnership with the Seattle Sounders that started in 2014-2015 when majority owner of the Sounders Adrian Hannauer, called him to explore a possible move of the Sounders S2 from the Starfire Complex in Tukwila to Tacoma. Aaron said the strength of these 15-16-17 year old soccer players and the Sounders Academy will be the future of U.S. Soccer.  But how do you solve the issue of playing a soccer game on a baseball field when there was  only 5–6 months before launch of the team playing at Cheney Stadium?  An innovative system was developed to remove the pitcher’s mound and insert a shell with grass over it.  The Sounders invested money in Cheney Stadium to make this happen.  He said soccer fans are remarkably different than baseball fans.  They are exploring the building of a soccer specific stadium in the Cheney Stadium area which would also have enough fields for youth soccer in Tacoma and also host regional soccer tournaments .  Aaron liked that you can count on soccer games to be two hours long, unlike a baseball game. Next up to talk was Sounders S2 Coach, John Hutchinson, in his first year.  John is from Australia and also played International Soccer for Malta.  He talked about the team being very young, but with lots of talent and some home grown players, as well as talent from the Sounders Academy teams.  S2 has a 34 game season with 17 home games at Cheney Stadium.  John said he never worries about where the pitcher’s mound or bases are anymore and never checks the grass.  They are building a scouting network with several future stars right here in Tacoma.

Then two new members were introduced to the club as President Mark first called forward Jamie Brooks to introduce Brenda Gasper.  Brenda is a long-time friend, and grew up in Fife, and is responsible for patient relationships and insurance billing at Brooks Dental Studio. She graduated from the University of Washington and also worked for the March of Dimes.  Brenda has been a guest at many previous meetings and is very happy to finally be an ‘official Rotarian’ now.

Next Missy Zenczak came forward to introduce Rick Triggs, the Interim CEO and CFO for the Metropolitan Development Council.  He has worked in the Tacoma area for the past 16 years and got to know Missy when he worked at the Geneva Foundation. MDC is a social service provider in Tacoma.

Sandi Wollum from Seabury School, came forward as the meeting sponsor.  Seabury School was founded in 1989 and is primarily for gifted students and offers extensive programs to the community.

Rusty George, who will be the new chair of the Public Image Committee, announced that club members should expect three surveys in the coming weeks:  one on the website, one on the Newsletter and one on social media.  Then the following service anniversaries were celebrated:  Christine Cason – 18 years; Cap Pearson – 22 years, and John B. Dimmer – 28 years.  Then Donna Haynes came forward to celebrate birthdays.  Only one birthday celebrant was present and that was Stacey Ogle who talked about her trip from a few years ago to review the Phase II Mumbai Water Project and also got to inoculate children with the drops for Polio eradication in India and the profound impact it has had on her.  Also celebrating but not present this week were Linda Kaye Briggs, Jeff Lovely, Julie Foley and Larry Gaffney.

Kirsten Willis, chair of the PGG Committee, came forward to celebrate the efforts of the committee.  Last week’s meeting was sponsored for the PGG Committee by member Peter Comfort.  Kirsten said that 53% of club members supported PGG during this Rotary year and that over $62,000 has been donated to support the works of the Rotary International Foundation, the Tacoma Rotary Foundation, Polio Eradication, and Programs and Projects.

President Mark said that sign up sheets are on the table for Camp Good Times. He said August 2 will be Rotary Night at the Tacoma Rainiers, and that there is waiting list to attend Galleyside next week.  For True Confessions he asked our inbound Exchange Student, Mik from the Czech Republic, to come forward and he thanked everyone for his year with the club and his host families and said he is going back home this coming Monday.  Whitney Grisaffi showed a short clip of her sky diving – brave lady that she is.  Ed Ramos said he was announced as a Distinguished Alumni from Highline College.  Jim and Enid Harris came forward to say they are celebrating their 63^rd year Wedding Anniversary and received a standing ovation.  President Mark asked everyone who is not going to Galleyside to put $5 on the table.  He also urged everyone to get their annual dues in to the Rotary Office no later than June 30.  He welcomed the two new members, thanked our meeting sponsor, and speakers at today’s meeting and said tonight’s social will be at Primo Grill at 2701 6^th Avenue.  He said he was looking forward to next week’s meeting, the last of the 2017-2018 year, as he turns over the gavel to Linda Kaye Briggs. 

As he adjourned the meeting at 1:20, President Mark said to now go out and Live Rotary!