Flag Salute & Invocation by Mark Turner
 
Visiting Rotarians:  None

Guests:  ex-member Marla Sanger (her birthday today!)
 
Announcements
Chuck Luttrell said G&G pre-event wine order list will be Emailed out.  Order deadline 22 October.  35 wineries, 123 wines!  Tresha said next week she will present a list of volunteer opportunities for the event.  There will be a shuttle bus running back and forth btw/ Lakeway Hampton Inn and Silver Reef.
 
Board meeting THIS Thursday 4:30pm at Talbot/Barkley office, all are welcome.  Especially board members.
 
Bellingham Bay Rotary Foundation update
Value as of 9/30/13:  $ 227,637
Increase from 12/31/12:  $ 37,839
 
Upcoming programs/speakers:
October 15 will be the District Governor, please attend! 
October 22 Tresha and her Vocational Services committee will present about their work;
 
Bucks in the Bay
  • Bob Moles just returned from Honduras, attended conf in Copan (with US eGn. Consul) thnen visited two schools (one where our banos are), then potential water filter site, then along Nicaraguan border to potential filter sites - stay tuned for photos!
  • Rod Bring for missed meetings on biz, heading to AZ next week;
  • Dean Fulton plug bucks for BTC’s upcoming Gala Auction on October 26, amazing items, great food prepared by the culinary school, see Dean for questions and tix;
  • Eddie H for the sunny weekend, fishing derby in the islands, hockey tix for sale;
  • Donna Edquist thanked Eddie and Mark Turner for Hospice work, inspired by Bob Moles‘ work in Honduras!
  • Marla Sanger great to see everyone again, left Bellingham couple years ago for Peacehealth job in Vancouver, WA, then was moved to Wrangle AK to work at Peacehelth’s hospital there;
  • Bill Geyer grandbaby number 5 on its way, start of the Whatcom Symphony season!
  • Sue Sharpe $100 for foundation, Mike Hammes of Ram Construction was nominated by National Assoc. Philanthropy as small biz of the year!  
  • Dick Stark for two weeks in Cabo!
  • Dennis Archer $ for Foundation, babysat grandson over weekend;
  • Denise Bosman super busy with work as the personnel manager (Natures Path) for all US plants!
 
Sergeant at Arms by Mark Turner
Fines for not sitting at front tables, Sue Sharp and Jim Johnson and Nick for texting, Stan Dyer for sleeping during intro, for producers of serices that you yourself cannot afford, deer hunters, sports and literature news trivia.
 
New Member Talks
 
Celeste Mergens - Husband is Don Mergens and they have six kids.  Celeste is head of the local chapter of Days for Girls International.  She found out about the organization while working in Kenya on school projects.  She was invited to see an orphanage there, and ended up helping them.  She discovered that one of the major health issues there was the lack of money to buy products for feminine hygiene (their periods).  This often resulted in frequent absenses for school or work, and at worst, serious medical issues resulting from unhygenic practices.  Later she discovered that the issue is often the same for poor families even here in the US; choosing between food and feminine hygiene, most poor people choose food.  So, Days for Girls now has a kit they give girls with a washable, reusable feminine hygiene product.  Celeste is excited to be a part of Rotary.
 
Ralph Black - Recent four-week trip with family to Europe.  Been in the community for about 40 years.  30+ years ago, Ralph and his brother started a successful food company called Grannies Gourmet Muffins, and later sold it.  Then they started real estate development and construction business called Alliance Properties.  The company typically buys land, entitles it, builds infrastructure and then sells.  Now, however, they often build out the projects themselves and hold the properties for lease to tenants.  Alliance is the master developer behind the King Mountain urban village project.  Alliance is also hoping to start construction soon on a mixed-use building at Harris and 12th St. in Fairhaven (Terry Brown the architect on it).  The development business has been becoming more and more complicated.  Financing from banks is now really only available to professional developers with a proven track record, and even then financing is hard to secure.  Ralph is looking forward to his life as a Rotarian!
 
Respectfully submitted, 
Stowe Talbot