Soundings (7/14/15)

Posted by G. Stowe Talbot 
on Jul 14, 2015
 
Flag Salute & Invocation by Steve Swan
 
Visiting Rotarians: Andy Anderson, Bruce Clawson
 
Guests: Allen Stockbridge, Jennifer Ryan, Bruce Ayers
 
Crab Feed is Thursday evening July 23rd $30/adult, $10/kid at Vartanyan Estate Winery, located at 1628 Huntley Rd, Bellingham, WA 98226.  Payment due at the event.
 
Brewers by the Bay is Sunday July 26th:  Up to 40 Breweries expected. Please buy your tickets, and sign up for volunteer duty (we still need 35 slots filled) !  
 
Short Program: Glen Groenig gave a short summary of last week’s BBRC board meeting.  
 
Reminder Dr. Jim McCallum Memorial Fund:  A Memorial Fund has been created by our club in response to those who have indicated a desire to recognize the memory of our past president, Dr. James McCallum, a long-time Bellingham dentist and board member of BTC.  The funds will go to the Dental Program at Bellingham Technical College to purchase dental equipment there.  Checks should be written to the “Bellingham Bay Rotary Foundation,” and designated for the “Jim McCallum Memorial Fund.”  Gifts to the Fund are tax deductible, and may be mailed to:
Bellingham Bay Rotary Foundation
P.O. Box 1299
Bellingham, WA 98227
 
Bucks in the Bay
  • Bob Moles thanks Terry Brown for great Rotario dinner;
  • Bill Boyd 35 year wedding anniversary;
  • Paul Twedt vacation to Whistler enjoyed downhill mountain biking;
  • Curtis Dye Rotary Exchange committee met (with John Templeton) getting ready for incoming exchange student in August (Giovanni from Italy), also Bill Gorman returning tomorrow from Honduras;
  • Mark Turner was in Eastern WA mountain climbing, visited son, and attending photography conference;
  • Andy Clay reported students in Kenya going to Nationals;
  • Dick Stark enjoyed flying on a vintage B-17 bomber;
  • Scotty thanked Terry and Donnette for Rotario dinner, and a plug plug to get new member applications into the pipeline;
  • Terry Brown thanked everyone who attended his Rotario dinner;
Sergeant at Arms by Glen Groenig
Fashion fines for Curtis Dye, Tony Freelend, and fines for trivia.
 
Program
Curtis Dye introduced Audrey Seaholm (Exec Director) and Patricia Maass (Community Outreach) from WeSNiP program (Whatcom Education Spay and Neuter impact Program).  
  • incorporated and achieved non-profit501(C)3 status in 2008;
  • initially got started by partnering with Pasadoʼs Safe Haven (Monroe, WA) and operating Pasado’s mobile surgical vehicle until 2011;
  • ceased operation of it’s own (Bellingham) clinic in 2013, and now transports its animals to the NOAH Center (Stanwood, WA), which has high-intensity spay and neuter center;
  • focus is now on the Trap-Neuter-Return program for feral cats, and education outreach to rural county population on benefits of spay and neutering;
  • has performed or facilitated over 24,000 surgeries as of 2015.
The situation is really dire out in the county with many systemically poor families unable to take care of and cope their pet and ferrel cat populations. WeSNiP offers free spay/neuter services for needy families.  Ear clipping used as the designation for cats that have been spayed and neutered.  Male cats live better after neutering procedure, and the feral colonies function better after they have all been spay/neutered.  WeSNiP offers a feline recovery center for cats to heal for 48-hours after the surgery before being released (which, by the way, is located in Stowe’s sister’s garage!) 
 
Community impact: since 2008 the Whatcom Humane Society has experienced a dog/cat intake decreased 35%, and a euthanasia decrease of 70%, due in major part to the WeSNiP program.  Because of the program's success, Whatcom County Animal Control can use its resources more effectively, and it also helps the pet owners themselves, and therefore the success just snowballs forward.  Sheriff Bill Elfo praises WeSNiP.  Its annual operating expense is about $250K, and has both volunteer and paid staff.
 
Respectfully submitted, 
Stowe Talbot