We have our build dates!!! August 18 and 31 and September 15 and 28 and the spaces are filling up fast.(in fact 8-31 is full!) You can use this link to register. This is going to be a wonderful opportunity for us to all work side by side.  If those dates don't work for you there are many other opportunities over the next several weeks to volunteer.  Use this link for a different date.  Here are the members  who  have signed up. Jan Brazzell, Mike Dunbar, Greg Rolsma, Kim Bedier, Marsha Burns, Libby Catalinich, Sally Glover, Michele Johnson, Cindy Niemi, Debbie Regala, Alex Trettin, Tamara Williams, Heather Faverman and Gil Quante. 

We had a successful July repack with volunteers packing almost 5,000 pounds of vegetables.  Let's  double our effort in August with 25 volunteers needed! Please mark your calendar for Saturday, August 25 from 12-230.  We will have sign up sheets on the tables at the meetings or you can contact the office to sign up.  Here's a list of the early volunteers! Marsha Burns, Becky Fontaine, Whitney Grisaffi, Rusty Hersey, Gil Quante, Renata Ramirez and Debbie Regala. 

Our club will host the beer garden and provide entertainment at the Courage ride stop in Eatonville (Pack Forest), August 25^th.  Please contact Co-Chairs Diane Kelleher or Carolyn Weyrick if you are able to help.  We have 3 or 4 hour shifts from noon until 10 PM. We will also have sign up sheets at the upcoming meetings. Here are some of the fun members who have already signed up to help! Mike Dunbar, Linn Larsen, Jeff Lovely, Dane Meyer, Monique Nadeau, Geoff Oakley, Carlyn Roy and Christina Turner.

 

 

The letters requesting support were just mailed 4 weeks ago and what wonderful response we have received, with gifts and pledges of over $37,000. Please let us know if you did not receive a letter. Pledge forms will be available at the meetings in the folders on the tables.  Check out the ever changing

We have our two students, Renata who will arrive  from Paraguay on August 20 and Jacob who will arrive from Norway on August 25! The Youth Exchange Committee continues to work on vetting the 6 host families who are needed for the Exchange. Thanks to this dedicated group of volunteers and club members who make this happen. Please consider inviting the students on your outings while they are with us. 

We need to turn our attention to recruiting Tacoma students to travel abroad, do you know a student? This is an incredible opportunity and should be considered like a $24,000 international scholarship. Contact Marsha Burns or Diane Tilstra for information, or check out the district website at www.rye5020.org. Interviews will take place in September. 

Two transfers were welcomed to the club on August 2. Tamara Williams joins us from Spokane #21. She is new to our area and is looking forward to getting involved.  She has found a new passion in sales after enjoying many years as a hairdresser.  Ryan Wheaton is joining us from the Shelton Skookum Club. He is returning to Pierce Transit as the Executive Director for  Planning and Community Development, after 18 months as the Shelton City Manager. His undergraduate and first Masters degrees were received in Colorado and he received a 2nd Masters in Business from PLU. Please introduce yourself to these great members and invite them to join you on a committee!

 

The Fellowship/Relationship Building Committee invites all members of Tacoma #8 to join them on Thursdays at 5 pm. These socials are a great way to meet some new Rotarians or catch up with old friends. Pandakas, these meetings will fulfill your "social" requirement prior to graduation and, for all members, it’s fun

 

WOW!! Special thanks to DeAnne Hamilton and Sherri Stanton for hosting our first Thursday at 5 at KBTC. We are so fortunate to have this amazing public television station in our community. We received an insiders look at the studio and learned about some of the great upcoming programs they will be airing. I am sure that most members left the meeting with some new knowledge about this community gem!  The meeting was then turned over to the Co-Chairs of our Literacy Committee Susan Barbeau and Sherri Stanton. We learned about the impact we are having through one of the non-profits we support, Reach Out and Read.  This program delivers books to children at well child visits encouraging early reading and interaction between parents and children. The Executive Director Jessica Mortenson and Medical Director Dr. Mary Ann Woodruff explained how we are changing and developing lives by donating books to their program. So, as our Co-Chairs so eloquently explained, it was much easier bringing us to the 10,000 + books that needed to be labeled rather than bringing the books to us. The meeting was adjourned and most members found themselves elbow to elbow delivering on our promise to provide service to others. 

Presidential Picture - Finishing  the last box.

Jim Henderson, Linda Kaye Briggs & Jim Whitacre.

Also there; Mark Anderson, Barry Benson, Mike Dunbar,

Becky Fontaine & Pete Taylor who missed this photo.

Members (and guests) hard at work!

More dedicated Rotarians!