Soundings (4/3/07)

...The District Conference will be held at the Harrison Hot Springs Hotel & Resort from 31 May thru 3 June of 2007 -- our Club will spring for the Registration fee and all you need to do is bring a few bucks for the hotel room. Thus far, President Barry and First Lady Anne will be attending along with Stan & Carrie Dyer. These Conferences are a great way to learn more about Rotary and they are fun, too. Contact Barry for more info;

...District 5050 Club Assembly will be held in Surrey, BC, Canada, at the Kwantlen University College on Saturday 14 April. All Board members, new Rotarians and other dignitaries are encouraged to be there, and once again, the Club will pay for your Registration. Call our President for reservations;

...RYLA nominees are being taken by the Club, and candidates for this event may be related to Rotarians.
RYLA means Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and it is truly one of Rotary's premier programs. Art Runestrand has been involved with RYLA for many years, and he would be able to give you the real skinny on it. You might recall that the Rotarian who is in charge of RYLA for our District, Sean Hogan, spoke at our Club during the first part of March of 2007. Let's do it, folks---another way of creating interest in Rotary thru our Youth. Age limit for RYLA is 18 thru 25---more info to come;

...The next Fireside will be at the home of Barry & Anne Kramer (that is our President, for cryin' out loud!) from 1800 to 2000 hours (aka: 6PM to 8PM). At the Fireside, you will given an up-date on all the pertinent info regarding our Club, the District activities and Rotary International, and should be attended by the Board members as well as any new member who has not attended one of these bashes. Attendance is free---is a Rotary Make-Up and is very much worthwhile. Tell our Membership Chair, Matt Rose that you will be there---PLEASE!!; Oh yes, food will be served;

...Eddie (the Fun Guy) Hansen mentioned that there would be another world famous Golf Tournament (nearly as important as the Masters!?) at Lake Padden Golf and Coffee Place on 15 May (that is a Tuesday, pardnah!), and will replace that meeting date. Sooo, don't show up at Northwood Hall on the 15th---rather, show up at Lake Padden around noon, watch the great golfers from our Club T-Off and just have a great time. Lunch is $10.00 and the entire 'ball of wax' is $40.00 (and that includes a round of golf, lunch and a few ball kicks if you have a problem with the 4-Way Test);

...Donna Edquist & Bob Moles gave a brief up-date on the Clean Water Lunch that will be held on Sunday, 6 May, at the Hotel Bellwether at 1130 hours. There will be great info handed out, a raffle ($25.00 per ticket) fun and lunch --- all for $60.00 per---Donna & Glendine will be selling tickets before and after our Tuesday meetings---we need 100 % to be there;

...Ron Hardesty (aka Past President) said that he is looking for four more golfers (with or without a handicap) to join the Club's golf gang. If you have clubs, just contact Ron and he will sign you up---their first meeting will be the first Wednesday in May, and I think that would be at the Lake Padden Golf and Coffee Shoppe;

...Miss Missy Pham (her name was noted above with the Rotaract Group) has sponsored and is putting together a "Help Save Darfur" Dinner and Auction at the Bellingham Golf & Country Club on Friday, 27 April, 2007.This event is the genius of an High School Senior who is one of our Club's Rotaractors, and proceeds will be donated to the Sudanese refugees who are experiencing genocide in Darfur, Sudan. The cost is $35.00---Call for info and ticket purchase at 510-5752. It certainly would be great if our Club would get behind this event, this cause, and this young lady who has taken on quite a task.

Money Give-away:

Duane Rogge, Boy Scout's Rep (and a Rotarian from the 'Big Momma Club"), gratefully accepted a check for 2 Thou from our coffers, and told us that it would be spent wisely--certainly our Club did another Good Deed with this donation!.

Paul Harris Fellowships:

PDG Rob Martin put on a very interesting and humorous presentation when he Emceed the giving out of four Paul Harris Fellowships along with Certificates and Medallions to four of our members. And those four would be: Denise Bosman, Tonja Myers, Eddie (the fun guy) Hansen and Ed Zech (and Ed gave that PH Fellowship to his wife, Debbie). What a great event-and we all discovered that there was NOT a banker in the group! (you had to be there to understand the significance of that one!).

Bucks in the Bay:

...Ron H. a buck for the Wolverines plus something about the Green Frog Bar and Coffee Emporium where his son does business. And then, another shilling for that young man's new baby;
...Eddie H. two pesos for his trip to the San Juans with his dad;
...Cy L. for the PH Fellowships as well as Sustaining members, because those funds do help in the Clean Water projects throughout the world;
...B. Gorman -some more Mexican centavos for the recent trip to Honduras with his son, and the announcement that he will be running for Mayor of Bellingham--so there!;
...B. Jones offered a dollar or two for the Ohio State mess up on the Basketball court and something about being a grandpa again---Bob, you are still very young for all of that!
...B. Geyer announced that his campaign would be starting in earnest today;
...P. Hageman, some pounds announcing something or another about his mother in law;
...Art R. who said something about his granddaughter Kelly and the National (in swimming, of course!); and that cost him a pretty penny or two!;
And, there were more, but my hand had a cramp and I couldn't write fast enough (you know, at my age most everything will fall apart sooner or later!).

Sergeant at Arms

(Once again, our Judge does it again---& that would be D. Nichols)
...PDG R. Martin was asked to "...Kiss the Badge..", no fine, however!
...Bill & Bill were requested to donate because they were making this Club into a Political Rotary Club by running for office;

...A. Runestrand was hit heavy for the Club being 'double teamed' with his son Kris and himself talking about that female fish that is known as Kelly the Mermaid;
...Cy L.. a few Mortgage Bucks for changing jobs again;
...Anna W. had to 'pay up' for calling a meeting at the Big Fat Fish Company, and then not showing up - --actually, there is some question about the veracity of this fine!;
...Debbie Zech was hit for a couple of silvers because her hubby, Ed, left the meting early without first announcing this infraction;
...Pete R. was asked to donate to the cause because he was sporting evidence of a rotator cuff operation or is that cup?
...President Barry was required to offer up some bucks because he would not pin the PH Fellowship pin on Denise or Tonja -well, what a deal!;
...Then, as a closing, The Judge gave some interesting 2006 headlines that were more than funny---or would that be humorous?

A small addition:

Have you considered being a Paul Harris Fellow -or, a PH Sustaining member. Give it a try, and if you do, you will know that your money has been spent in a very giving manner -a way that will help someone who has not be so fortunate as you or I.

Respectfully submitted,
Stan Dyer