Homeless youth need places to live, and Associated Ministries is working on that. Plus President Teresa was away, because those cars are not just going to race themselves.
Notes from the June 8 meeting of
The Rotary Club of Clover Park
recorded by Tom McClellan
Deputy President Becky Newton kicked off the meeting right on time, thanking our setup crew of Mike Killen, David Cotant, and Tom Faubion. Scott Adams led us in the pledge to the flag, and David Cotant led us in reciting the 4-Way Test.
Jeannie Hill got us into the right mood of fellowship and service with some inspirational thoughts:
1. I have learned over the years that when one's mind is made up, this diminishes fear. Knowing what must be done does away with fear. - - - Rosa Parks
2. It is never too late to be what you might have been. - - - George Eliot
3. To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time. - - - Leonard Bernstein
We welcomed meeting guests Ian Billingsley (son of Alan, husband of Katelyn), and our guest speaker Sarah McGhinnis.
Future Programs
June 15 Installation Banquet, no noon meeting
June 22 Justice G. Helen Whitener, State Supreme Court
June 29 Randy Black, Lakewood Water District Update
Announcements
Bob Lawrence did a return engagement, or was it an encore, promoting the upcoming CrimeStoppers theater fundraiser on June 23 with the musical Ragtime. Tickets are $30, and you can purchase them by contacting Bob.
Georgene Mellom gave a reminder about supporting the Rotary Foundation, especially since the Rotary fiscal year is winding down. You can sign up on line for automatic donations at https://my.rotary.org/en/donate. You can also donate through our club, by getting a check in to either Georgene or Judi Maier, and noting that it is for the Foundation.
The Installation Banquet is next Wednesday, June 15, at 6PM at the Tacoma Country and Golf Club. The 6PM start is for a no-host bar and ordurvz (which no one really knows how to spell but you know what I mean). Dinner will start around 6:30 PM. Dress for this occasion is “business casual”, as opposed to our past practice of dressing up more. So what does business casual mean? It turns out that the new standards at the TCGC allow for denim, as long as it has no rips or tears, artificial or synthetic. The standard for men is a “collared shirt”. The standard for women is impossible to state, and so your editor won’t even try.
President Teresa Nye was away this week for a “ladies day” at the race track. She reportedly had “a rib out”, and was in negotiations with her chiropractor to come in on his day off to put it back in so that she would not miss race day.
President (Elect)’s Minute
Becky Newton did not travel to Houston for this year’s Rotary Convention, but she did attend virtually, and here are her meeting notes:
Day 1 - Discover new horizons in yourself
Current RI President Shekhar Mehta asked us to consider all that we have discovered and accomplished together
- Rotary membership has been declining the last several years, but made a hard stop last year and is now on the increase.
- Growth is the only evidence of life. The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.
- Environment has become a big focus for RI with multiple projects across the globe
- A new continent, Africa, is now free of Polio
- Polio eradication around the world is a shining example of bringing peace in this world… In comparison to WW1 20 million casualties, 19 million lives saved by ending polio around the world
- Rotary flag now at the top of Mt Everest thanks to Rotarian, Olivier Vriesendorp of Amstelveen – from the province of North Holland, Netherlands
- Rediscovered sustainability and peace by opening new peace centers to help Ukrainians
- Empowering girls; there is no country in the world where girls cannot be helped, healthy hygene products made by girls in Africa is a project born by Rotarians; teaching girls self defense, benches for schools
- Child slavery is unacceptable, yet it continues all over the world.Civilization and slavery cannot exist together.Children have their place in schools with books, papers, pencils, and not tools like guns.
- Hospitals and schools have been built, food and shelter provided, to make a difference in the circle of life so the magic will begin to happen. We are the power and the magic.
- We will be inaugurating the first women president of Rotary International, Jennifer Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada
Day 2 – Discover new horizons in your world
Fun Fact: More countries represented in Rotary (over 200) than there are in the United Nations (193). There are 1.4 million Rotarians worldwide.
Rotary Strategic Action Plan
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
IMPACT: As people in action we make decisions grounded in evidence
REACH: We are inclusive, engaging, compassionate, and ambitious on behalf of the world
ENGAGEMENT: As people of action, we create meaningful relationships across decades and continents
ADAPT: As people of action, we seek new perspectives and new ideas that can strengthen Rotary and create lasting change
This is Rotary’s Action Plan through 2024: to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt.
We are a family within a global network of change makers.
RI is encouraging collaboration with other service groups going forward, and to be more approachable and to view leadership as a mindset, and not an achievement.
Paul Harris: Whatever Rotary means to us, to the world it will be known by the results we achieve.
We coincidentally had a guest Rotarian pop into the meeting, Mark from the Rotary Club of Longview, WA.
He was just at the convention in Houston, and flew back to SEATAC where he was met by relatives who decided that he needed a good meal at Carr’s Restaurant. So he popped into our meeting and shared some of his observations from the Houston convention.
Fun And Fines
Ed Trobaugh gave a quick reminder to all June birthday and anniversary holders to get their contributions in.
Then he noted that President-Elect Becky had ratted on Tho Kraus. That costed Becky $2 for the rat, which was about the City of Lakewood winning recognition for “Excellence in Financial Reporting”. These exploits are detailed in a Suburban Times article at https://thesubtimes.com/2022/06/07/lakewood-recognized-for-excellence-in-financial-reporting/.
Scott Adams confessed to having participated in the West Pierce Fire and Rescue open house, which saw 1500 people visit the district HQ. There was a water balloon toss (which is evidently NOT how the WPFR actually goes about fighting fires). He also noted that they are in a hiring wave now, seeking to bring in applications from 1000 applicants. So far they only have 95, so please spread the word. Ed noted that this blatant advertising was worth $5.
Heidi Wachter joined via Zoom, and noted that her 8th grade twins have matriculated and are headed off to high school, which was apparently worth $50.
Gretchen Allen also Zoomed in from her office, where she was doing double duty because the new assistant she had sought out and hired decided to ghost her on the first day of work. $10.
Ramona Hinton confessed that the tan she was sporting was of the indoor variety. And she also recently attended a different “Lemonade Stand” than the one our club was supporting at Custer Elementary School, because her grandson was doing one at Idlewild Elementary. It was apparently a hoot.
This Week’s Program
Sarah McGhinnis works as a Community Specialist at Associated Ministries, working on their Youth Shared Housing Program. It is an effort to help 17-24 year olds who are experiencing homelessness via transitional housing with members of the community. It is not the same as foster care.
Sarah noted that for every 1 homeless person we see, there are 5 more not seen. Homeless youth can go to Coffee Oasis shelters in Tacoma, and the Beacon Center. Among homeless people generally, 30% are disabled. Among homeless youths, 30-45% are LGBTQ. There are approximately 3000 homeless people in Pierce County.
Someone experiencing homelessness can call 211 to get helpful information.
Associated Ministries merged with Shared Housing Services, and now works with Pierce County and other agencies. Some of the youth they serve have aged out of the foster care system.
Sarah recruits home providers. They match host and youth. Pierce County pays $550 to the home provider. A case manager works with the youth. The housing agreement covers chores, food, guests policy. The burden is less than if one were a foster parent, because the youths are older. Associated Ministries provides the youth with a welcome basket, containing toiletries as a way to get started in the new relationship.
Associated Ministries also operates Adult Shared Housing programs, matching older people needing a room. It involves some rent payment, plus perhaps labor to help the homeowner.
Raffle:
With $296 in the pot, 25 cards in the deck and only one ace remaining, Becky Newton could not draw that one ace.
And Finally…
Almost everyone is familiar with the monument to past great American presidents at Mount Rushmore in South Dakota.
But few people ever get to see what the monument looks like from the North Dakota side.
