Events

Mrs. Sierra, born and raised in Tacoma, is a Teacher Librarian for Tacoma Public Schools and the advisor for Project Lit Abes, the school's book club and a group of students at Lincoln High School committed to reading good books, discussing the issues they care about and serving the school and members of our Tacoma community.

In the wake of the pandemic, students in the club recognized the need for books by and for kids of color and distributed around 200 books written by BIPOC authors with subjects that reflect BIPOC communities this summer.  The books were distributed to little free libraries, including the Salishan libraries stewarded by Rotary, in Tacoma's East and South end. 

Join the January 21st meeting to learn more about the club's journey in sharing culturally-relevant books, supporting incredible authors and, most of all, celebrating and enjoying books!

To be held the Third Thursday at 11 

Chair : Barry Benson or Fred Matthaei

Zoom

 next meeeting May 5

The Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of Tacoma established the Rotary Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019 to honor a member whose participation over more than twenty years encompasses local and global service activities, as well as financial support of Rotary in Tacoma and Rotary International.  The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award exemplifies the Rotary ideal of "Service Above Self.“  In addition to honoring the individual selected, the Rotary Club of Tacoma makes a financial contribution in the name of the recipient to the nonprofit organization the recipient selects. 

This years award winner is Jim Henderson. Jim retired, in 2013 after 18 years, from The News Tribune. He has been a member of Rotary Club of Tacoma #8 since  August of 1985. He has been active on a number of Committees:  Rotary International Foundation (chaired numerous times); Membership Classification; Auction; Communications; International Services; Scholarship; and Club Counselor to five RI Foundation Ambassadorial Scholars. He has served on the Board of Directors, has been Club Secretary twice! Jim served as Club President in 2002-2003. He also co-chaired our Club’s Centennial Dinner in 2010 and helped with our 110^th Anniversary Celebration. He has served our District as well and  co-chaired a District Conference held in Tacoma. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, an Arthur Wickens Fellow, and a Benefactor to the RI Foundation. We are excited to have Jim become our 3^rd Lifetime Achievement Award winner, following Jim Harris in 2020 and Cap Pearson in 2019.

Christopher Keay has practiced law in Pierce County for over 37 years and has served as a mediator in hundreds of civil law cases.  He is a partner in the firm of Johnson, Graffe, Keay, Moniz & Wick, LLP

Chair - Carol Webster

In this presentation, Tacoma music historian Kim Davenport will share stories of black musicians from Tacoma's past who left an important legacy in our city. Some made Tacoma home while others were merely guests for a time, but all added to the artistic vitality of our community while confronting the realities of discrimination. 

As a musician, teacher, and student of local history, Kim Davenport enjoys researching and sharing stories from Tacoma's history, especially those which focus on music and musicians. She serves as Communications Manager for the Tacoma Historical Society, teaches at both the University of Washington Tacoma and University of Puget Sound, and has published several articles and books about local history. 

Judge Bryan will discuss the federal courts and various issues facing the federal courts and federal judges. 

Judge Bryan, a Bremerton native, has been a trial judge for 51 years, serving the Superior Court in Kitsap County and the United States District Court for Western Washington in Tacoma.  He has held court in 37 different cities from Fairbanks to Tucson, and from Saipan and Guam to Billings.  He was instrumental in converting Tacoma’s Union Station to a United States Courthouse, where the historic portion now bears his name.  Throughout his legal and judicial career, he has taught and written on a variety of legal subjects and has received recognition for leadership, innovation, and professionalism. 

As a Community Engagement Officer for Red Canoe Credit Union, Karissa spends her time and focus on building community and finding ways to inspire healthy culture through a lens of equity and inclusion for all. Fully supported by a credit union that recognizes the value of community investment, she is able to identify need, create resources and build coalition. Her 25 years in the banking industry, has allowed her to navigate the corporate structure serving in many capacities from Branch Management to Project Specialist and Corporate Trainer. Throughout it all, she sparked a passion for empowerment - development of others to achieve in both their professional and personal lives. By giving people tools to incorporate and enhance all aspects of client experience, empathetic leadership and team development structured on a foundation of inclusive practices. Karissa serves on several local boards and assists businesses, non-profits and schools in training, collaboration and working with local leaders to help make our community a better place. Her passion and purpose is always helping others find their own.

Meet the first Friday, unless otherwise posted
Co-Chairs:  Gil Quante and Diane Kelleher

 Zoom Information

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81247883110

Heroic Hospitality doesn't happen by default, it happens by design. Through great vision, communication, and collaboration with team members and customers you serve, you can design a way to show Heroic Hospitality to all for your organization.

Bryan and his family have 8 ANTHEM Coffee shop locations throughout the South Puget Sound area and have been in business since 2006

Clean water is vital to healthy ecosystems and our health, communities, and economy. During this presentation, I will take you on a short journey through Puget Sound using the lens of indicators for Puget Sound recovery to better understand what is happening to our waterways. Thanks to our collaborative reporting with many state and federal agencies, counties and non-governmental organizations, we have results that inform our understanding of key indicators such as for freshwater quality, shellfish, orcas and human wellbeing. From watersheds to the marine waters of Puget Sound, everything is connected. What we do to our environment even seemingly far away from Puget Sound ultimately has an impact on this amazing estuary and the people that live around it.

Nathalie works at the Puget Sound Partnership where she manages the environmental indicators program called the Puget Sound Vital Signs. With the goal of working at the nexus of science and policy, she obtained a PhD in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at the University of Washington where she studied seabird ecology and fisheries management. She was Washington Sea Grant Hershman Fellow with the Washington Department of Ecology where she analyzed state policies in support of the Coastal Management program. She was born and raised in Québec, Canada but has been in the Pacific Northwest for over 20 years. She lives in Tacoma with her “almost 10” year-old daughter, husband, and a menagerie of chickens, guinea pigs and a cat. 

Stephanie Pedersen is the president and editor of The News Tribune. She, along with her husband, Scott, and two kids moved across the country to the Tacoma area in July. While she's a Southern transplant who yells Roll Tide, she prefers Pho and Thai to collard greens or black-eyed peas. When she's not working, you can normally find her at her daughter's gymnastics or her son's baseball games.

She will share with us the qualities that make up a sustainable news company in 2021  Sharing her vision and goals not only for The News Tribune but for our community.

 

We will hear what all Rotarians need to understand and do to ensure we create a safer environment for Rotarians, friends of Rotary and those whom we serve.

Becky Fontaine has been involved with Rotary Youth Programs since 1999. For several years she was active with the Youth Exchange Program but now serves as the District Youth Protection Officer.  In 2006 she was the sole district representative to a conference when Rotary first unveiled the “Youth Abuse & Harassment Policy.  Over the years, Rotary has made several changes that have impacted how districts around the world not only work with youth, but other vulnerable populations.  Professionally, Becky has worked for various non-profit organizations with over 30 years in senior leadership positions. Today, she works for the American Red Cross and recently was deployed to work on the WA and OR wildfires. Throughout her career she has worked with and supported volunteers in diverse roles.