At our Aug. 10 Rotary Meeting as Inspiration
Dennis played a YouTube video of “The Peace Arch Song” performed by Terry Kelly. Terry, a blind musician, performed the song in public for the first time at the Hands Across the Border this past Saturday. You can see the video at this link: https://youtu.be/jGCqjLnOgbs?is=Z8woQLS0ZVMZId8M
Dennis and Audrey announced awards our club received at Hands Across the Border:
3rd highest per capita giving to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund
Club Excellence Award
Full retention of Membership
Our Speaker was Dr. Christina Chambreau on the Topic: The value of companion animals
Dr. Christina is a homeopathic veterinarian, author, and speaker who lives in Florida, but spends July and August in Anacortes every year. She asked us to take care of our animals, our children, and ourselves with a more holistic approach that will also decrease stress and, at the same time, make a difference for our planet.
Decrease the environmental cost of buying bags of dog food that have been processed and shipped from all over and instead feed your dog locally sourced meat, fish, vegetables, etc. that you can prepare with your own food. Make sure to get organ meat as well, even if you don’t eat it. Cook and puree the vegetables. The Magic Skagit has everything you need. Just something to consider.
Animals don’t need vaccinations every year or year-round flea medications. It costs lots of money and you want to be careful about the toxins you are giving your pets.
They must have rabies vaccinations every 3 years.
Christina started working in vet clinics when she was 11 and living in Japan. Dogs then often lived into their mid 20s. Cats to 25 or 30. She said, “And holistically treated animals, I see that in all the time.”
Too many people are bit by dogs every year. Read the book: Ask the Dog by Steve Dale. See the Resource list.
Change the idea of Net Zero by 2050 to Climate Restoration. “So, as we think about the environment, we want to think about our footprint. Every time we make a choice for anything, we want to think, how is it affecting the environment?” This is also in line with the Rotary Environmental Committee.
See the Resource list at the end.
Thank you to the VanderSandens for the Rotary Picnic.
The Bakken/Jones scholarship was given to a graduating high school female going into a STEM field.
Rotary Joining anniversary: Martin Howard has been a Rotarian for 19 years as of August 7th!
Car and Boat Show: Patsy thanked our volunteers. LC Kiwanis did their part too. 🙂
Reading Glasses: We’re collecting for the ETTA Project.
CPR Class
Our first CPR class was August 6th for 21 La Conner School District staff members. Chief Woods and newly trained instructor Cole were great! Lori put in a plug for the Rotary’s involvement in this one and in 3 more over the next several months.
Calendar
Our Auction is just around the corner! We have so many great items and packages for you to bid on! Here’s another peek!
Let the Good Times Roll
Annual Harvest Dinner & Auction
Saturday, August 29th, 2026 • 5:30–9:30 PM
Maple Hall • 104 Commercial St, La Conner
Gourmet dinner, preceded by appetizers offered during the silent auction, provided by La Conner Seafood & Prime Rib. Paired with wine provided by Skagit Crest Winery.
$100 per person
Kindly RSVP by August 15th , 2026
Respond by visiting: https://bit.ly/harvestinghope2026 or
Harvesting Hope for Literacy
Historical tradition provides that people gather, celebrate, and share a bountiful harvest with a feast.
On August 29, 2026, the Rotary Club of La Conner will gather to share fellowship, promote peace and understanding, honor one another, and share our prosperity.
All proceeds further the promotion of Rotary education and humanitarian projects.
For Good Times to Happen
We Roll Out These Services
Duane was born and raised in Mount Vernon, Washington, with his brother, Dwight, and sister, Diane. A proud 1966 graduate of Mount Vernon High School, he was honored to be one of six commencement speakers. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in physics from Whitman College in Walla Walla, where he joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and served as social chairman for two years. He later completed a Master of Science degree in physics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Duane’s career took him into the high‑tech world, beginning as a physicist with the Ultek Division of Perkin‑Elmer in Palo Alto, California, where he developed electron‑beam instrumentation. He later spent 30 years with Coates and Welter Instrument Corp. and Nanometrics Inc., and his work on scanning electron microscope design resulted in several patents.
Duane also brought his talents to construction, serving as a project engineer and superintendent for Hagengen Pacific Construction on projects in San Jose, Cupertino, and San Francisco. After retiring, Duane and Mary returned to their Skagit County roots and made their home in Shelter Bay.
Duane’s lifelong love of genealogy led him to serve as president of the Santa Clara County Historical and Genealogical Society. He has also served faithfully as a church deacon and elder. In the local community, he served Sunrise Food Bank as treasurer for several years and continues to care deeply about its mission and the people it serves.
Duane and Mary are blessed with three children, seven grandchildren, and nine great‑grandchildren.
At our July 27, Rotary Meeting, the inspiration was provided by Marty.
Marty encouraged members to take time to journal or meditate and to enjoy a "nature bath"—being present in the beauty around us. She invited everyone to pause, look around, and express gratitude for the natural surroundings we are fortunate to enjoy.
Our guest speakers were from the Skagit County Sheriff's Office.
Chief Chris Baldwin began his career with the Sheriff's Office and was promoted to Sergeant in 2009. In 2019, he became Chief of Field Operations, overseeing the Patrol Bureau along with numerous specialty assignments, including Critical Incident Response and Community Engagement. He also serves on the North Cascades Regional SWAT Team, which serves both Skagit and Island Counties, and works with the Crisis Response Team and the Workplace Violence Prevention Team. Chief Baldwin is currently a candidate for Skagit County Sheriff.
Lieutenant Steven Dills joined the Sheriff's Office in 1996, beginning his career in Corrections before transferring to Patrol in 2000. During his career he has served in Traffic, K-9, and Search & Rescue assignments. He was promoted to Sergeant in 2019, supervising East Precinct operations, and became a Patrol Lieutenant in 2024.
The speakers provided an overview of the Sheriff's Office and its major divisions. Administrative Services handles warrants, court orders, restraining orders, evictions, and other civil process.
The Investigative Services Bureau is responsible for criminal investigations, including general detective work and drug investigations.
The Field Operations Bureau, the department's second-largest division, provides 24-hour patrol coverage throughout the county using four patrol squads assigned to four geographic zones.
La Conner is served as Zone 1. The East Precinct, headquartered in Sedro-Woolley, provides dedicated coverage for eastern Skagit County. The presenters noted that the department remains relatively young due to many retirements and officers relocating out of state in recent years.
The Corrections Bureau is the Sheriff's Office's largest division, operating with an annual budget of approximately $26 million. In addition to managing the county jail, it oversees inmate medical care, booking, transportation, and electronic home monitoring.
Beyond routine patrol responsibilities, many deputies also serve in specialized assignments in addition to their regular duties. These include the regional SWAT team, Traffic and Motorcycle units, the Crisis Response Team, K-9 units for both patrol and narcotics detection, Search & Rescue, Marine Patrol, Animal Control, Crisis Negotiations, and the department's Training Unit.
The Sheriff's Office also operates six patrol boats and recently added two Zodiac boats for flood response. Unmanned Aircraft Systems (drones) are regularly deployed to assist with searches for missing persons and fugitives. Search & Rescue volunteers receive ongoing training from Sheriff's Office personnel and remain an important county resource.
The speakers described the wide variety of calls deputies handle during a typical shift. Mornings often involve domestic violence incidents, DUI investigations, and serving civil paperwork such as evictions and restraining orders. Evening patrols more commonly respond to burglaries and other criminal activity. They emphasized that no two shifts are alike and that deputies must be prepared to respond to a broad range of public safety needs.
Saturday, August 8th: Members are encouraged to attend Hands Across the Border at Peace Arch Park and Heritage Hall in Surrey. Lunch begins at noon.
Tuesday, August 11th: Helping Hands volunteering at 10 AM will take place, and members are encouraged to sign up if they would like to participate.
Members are also asked to continue bringing donated reading glasses to upcoming meetings for the ETTA project.
At our July 20 meeting, the inspiration read by Marty:
Go GET 'EM
Don't wait around hoping someone will give you permission to fall in love with your life. Release the fire that burns inside by treating yourself to an amazing life. Do what feeds your soul. Seriously ponder on Alice Morse Earle's quote; "Yesterday
is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it's called the present." Treasure today, act courageously, and reap the rewards of engaging in life while chasing your aspirations and dreams.
The installation was held at Shawn O’Donnell’s on Sunday, July 19th. Several La Conner Rotarians attended and volunteered at the event. All of us were inspired! Rotary International Director Marty Helman gave a wonderful speech, and Val Tibbits and Bev Harrington were both given special Rotary International awards. The culmination was the dedication of the Peace Pole, which Governor Elect Shawn O’Donnell unveiled just outside the northeast end of the parking lot. It looks great!
My favorite quote of the day was: You can’t declare peace; you have to build it.
Announcements:
We received thank-you notes from scholarship recipients and Hospice.
At our July 13 Meeting Doug provided this inspiration. See Read More for the details.
Besides our speaker, our Guests included Rick Olson, Ginny Dugaw, and John Dugaw
The meeting featured our new District 5050 Governor Kathleen Olson as the main speaker, who discussed creating lasting impact through club collaboration and engagement initiatives. Kathleen shared examples of successful international projects, including a Global Neighbor Project in Lesotho and a water project in Ecuador, emphasizing how simple conversations can lead to meaningful service.
Notice a need, make an impact. Invite one person, engage and act. DG Kathleen’s Engagement initiative will take the place of a District Conference.
As with all our speakers, she signed a book destined for the Honduras mobile library
Other Business
The club discussed upcoming events including the Car and Boat Show on August 1st and the annual picnic on August 3rd at Big Lake, with sign-ups needed for both.
Members were asked to collect reading glasses (strengths 3.5-4.5 and higher) for an Etta project in Bolivia.
Lori read a letter from Brian Hennessy , who proposed starting a US version of the Climate Change Initiative in District 5050. Lori announced plans for a kickoff meeting at North Cascade Institute's fall stewardship weekend to organize a new dedicated group within District 5050.
Marty shared thank you letters from Honduras school YES project.
The meeting also covered auction planning, with Audrey reporting that invitations had been sent and the website was live for table reservations. The committee decided the club should create a "cart of fun" featuring member-donated items like wine, games, and puzzles for the auction.
Birthday, Adam McGarity July 13, who brought and shared carrot cake!
Anniversary Don and Danya Wolf July 13 (30 years) off at Crater Lake to celebrate.
Joining Anniversary Randy Goembel July 10, 2015 (11 years)
Car and Boat Show: Saturday, August 1.
Here’s another sneak peek at one of our live items for our Annual Auction on Saturday, August 29, 2026
Indulge in the Beauty of Napa Valley
WINE. RELAXATION. MEMORIES.
5 NIGHTS FOR 4 NOVEMBER 12-17, 2026
Two One-Bedroom Suites at Vino Bello Resort, Napa, California
ENJOY 2 DAYS OF WINE TOURING
Relax. Explore. Make Memories!
At our club installation on July 6, Marty provided the inspiration.
John Milnor presented Ollie Iverson the Martin Light award.
Marty provided her year-end remarks and thank-you gifts to the outgoing board. Assistant Governor Audrey also presented a gift to Marty of a 4 way test paperweight.
Incoming president, Lori thanked Marty for her year of service as now past president. A backordered gift comes later, but tonight there was Guinness chocolate gluten-free cake.
Davie Lukov is a past AG who was invited to do the official installation,
He welcomed Lori,
and 8 officers were installed (although others were absent this evening):
Marty, John, Danielle, Patsy, Doug, Lori, Don, Adam.
At our June 30, meeting, Adam gave the Inspiration including a quote attributed to Pope Francis:
"Life is of no use if not used to serve others, for life is measured by love."
followed by:
“Rivers do not drink their own water. Trees do not eat their own fruit, the sun does not shine on itself, and flowers do not spread their fragrance for themselves. Living for others is a rule of nature. We are all born to help each other.”
Audrey introduced Scott Thomas, Town Administrator for La Conner. Background shared with the group is in Read More
State of the Town of La Conner
Scott Thomas has served as La Conner's Town Administrator since 2018 (approximately 8 years). He framed his remarks around the town's size relative to its scope of responsibility, and around the Town Council's strategic plan.
Town Size and Staffing
The Town Council adopted a strategic plan roughly four years ago, updated it two years ago, and will update it again at the end of July 2026. Six goal areas were covered:
Economy: An updated comprehensive plan has spurred more affordable housing (small-home apartments, an incoming Habitat for Humanity development). Agricultural support has lagged, but a farmer’s market is being explored with the Port of Skagit, building on the existing Saturday producer’s market. The town is also expanding festival programming (Tulip, Birding, Daffodil festivals) and is piloting a 4th of July street closure/shuttle system alongside the usual parade, fireworks, and concert.
Economic Development Plan: Not yet started independently; the town intends to build on Skagit County’s forthcoming countywide strategy (CEDS).
Public Safety: A new fire boat (replacing an inadequate old one) has meaningfully improved emergency response on the channel. The town coordinates with the County Sheriff and Fire District 15, shares mutual aid with Fire District 13, and has an Emergency Management Commission whose all-hazards plan performed well during last December’s flooding. The recent rapid Winthrop wildfire evacuation was cited as a reminder of local wildfire risk.
Capital Projects: Three major infrastructure projects are underway or looming — a ~$32M wastewater treatment plant replacement (targeting 2031–2032, dependent on grant funding), a $3.4M Channel Drive water line replacement (mostly funded, aiming for completion within a year), and an eventual ~$10M replacement of the aging main supply line from Anacortes (needed within roughly 10 years, timing uncertain).
Staff Talent: The town is midway through a wave of turnover in senior staff; the Finance Director and Town Planner have both already been replaced successfully, with more transitions expected.
Community Engagement: Council continues to encourage resident involvement and thanked the town’s volunteer base for its outsized contribution.
Members asked about several topics, and Thomas responded as follows:
Town revenue comes mainly from property and sales taxes (including destination-based online sales tax), service fees (water, sewer, stormwater, compost), and lodging taxes that fund tourism efforts.
Contracted vs. town staff: Sewer plant operators and law enforcement are contracted services, not direct town employees.
Regional coordination: Search and rescue runs through the County Sheriff’s office; La Conner and Fire District 13 provide mutual aid to each other, and the Port of Swinomish contributes to the town in exchange for fire protection of port facilities, even though the Tribe itself supports District 13.
Ongoing community needs: The Maple Hall sound system remains broken with no fix yet identified; the bike repair station came in well under its original budget. The town is also launching free community CPR training this August (in partnership with Fire District 13 and LC Fire) and is looking to address a local shortage of public AEDs (currently only at the library, Maple Hall, the Retirement Inn, and the school).
Rescue boat: Run by the Fire Department and berthed at the port; response time has dropped from hours to minutes, and it will be patrolling for fire risk on July 4th starting around 4–5 p.m.
Following Q&A, the club's traditional guest gift (having Scott Thomas sign the club's Spanish-language guest book, which supports a partner library in Honduras) was presented.
Club Announcements
The YES team finished their hard work painting the school in El Florido, building the playground and games with the children. And then had fun!!
At our 6/22 meeting, Mike Cook was inspired by the opening of the Obama Library and quoted from a speech given by President Obama in 2015:
“You are America. Unconstrained by habit and convention. Unencumbered by what is, ready to seize what ought to be. For everywhere I this country, there are first steps to be taken, there is new ground to cover, there are more bridges to be crossed. America is not the project of any one person. The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.” That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.”
Also inspiring: Mike and his wife have tickets to visit the Obama Library in October!
Executive Director Carrie Omdahl and Conductor Michael Wheatly
not only verbally highlighted the Skagit Symphony, they gave us a flavor of the symphony with Michael on the violin, Carrie on the clarinet, playing Mozart duets.
Symphony highlights include growing to 80 musicians and:
Art in the Garden Bash and Garden Tour on June 28th https://www.skagitsymphony.com/garden-bash-2026
Fifth- grade orchestra concert for all Skagit County fifth graders in January, which our club supports. This year it will be The British Are Coming!
The 2026-2027 Concert Season: https://www.skagitsymphony.com/
Faces of America
American Reflection
Christmas Past (with our friend Al Call reciting The Night Before Christmas)
The British are Coming-Children’s Concert Dave Johnson will narrate
Mother of Exiles
Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite
Critical Hits-Pops Concert
Stringed instrument instruction in the libraries, including La Conner/Swinomish, to get kids playing since strings are no longer taught in the schools
Adult strings instruction at the La Conner/Swinomish library too!
Scholarship Recipient Isabelle Villard
Isabelle inspired us with her public speaking, leadership, academics, and sports. She was ASB Executive Vice President and participated in leadership all four years. She played volleyball, basketball, and threw discus, javelin, and as part of the state winning La Conner track team. She is executive vice-president of the Associated Student Body and participated in leadership all four years. After high school, she will attend Western Washington University to study early childhood education. Her parents, Shaye Villard and Lucas Villard, attended our meeting.
On June 9, La Conner Rotary awarded scholarships to numerous La Conner High School students
Rosi painting
Sabrina manning a drill
Sabrina putting in bolts to attach the swings
At our 6/15 Club Meeting, our newest member, Candy attended via Zoom. Danielle introduced her, describing their long friendship, Candy’s Rotary history as well as her philanthropy and service. She was enthusiastically welcomed by all.
Lori summarized the process around CPR training. The idea came during the District Assembly. After overhearing the idea of supporting a community CPR training, Lori, Audrey, and Connie brainstormed the idea, then after presenting it to the Board, were directed to talk with the two fire chiefs, Aaron Reinstra and Wood Weiss. Lori and Marty met them. They were enthusiastic, and suggested offering to include the La Conner School District coaches and others in need of recertification as well as community members and local businesses. 3 to 4 hours per class with 2 trainers $600 - $700 per session for about 20 people. An LC Foundation grant will be applied for in July.
Year in review: See attached. Marty presented a succinct report with data showing how we spent funds, provided service to the community and other things we accomplished. Very positive way to end her year!
Auction Advertising will start mid-July. We have big banners for the entrance to town that Patsy, Lori, and Roy found when they cleaned out the storage unit.
Marty covered our expenditures for the year, shown here as a pie chart, and what else did we accomplish:
Club Excellence Award: met 13 goals, actually we met 14/14
100% EREY participation, which is a big deal!
Events: Car and boat show, auction, Santa breakfast, Farmers and Merchants night,
shred-a-thon, tulip parade, planting tulips in the traffic circle
Several field trips, e.g. Didgʷálič , New Use Energy
Started regular social gatherings, e.g. Rex Bistro, Moltobello Ristorante
Participants at the district assembly and conference.
Revised the bylaws to reflect board positions more up to date with our club needs
Did an internal audit of the books
Highly successful fundraising for Lori’s year with the auction and tulip sales
Revived La Conner United: working with other service groups
At our 6/8 meeting Connie gave the inspiration based on advice to graduation seniors, which also applies to all of us:
Be bold, be courageous, be your best. The journey of life brings both challenges and chances. May you snatch the chances and beat the challenges. Never stop growing, exploring, learning, and challenging yourself. Never chase other people’s dreams. You’re unique and so are your aspirations. Be curious and bold as you forge through life, and you’ll never go wrong. Start each day believing in yourself and watch the magic happen. Remember, if opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.
And one funny one: You were always good at surprises! Graduating is your best one yet.
The Duskin twins, Dave and Dale, sold Duck Dash raffle tickets which they encouraged us to buy since their club (Arlington) bought 80 bunches on tulips from Lyanne this year.
Our Speaker, Shawn Howard is Recovery Café Executive Director and gave an excellent presentation about their work addressing substance use, mental health, and homelessness in the community.
Recovery Cafe Skagit, which opened in March 2023, provides a safe space for people in recovery to connect with each other. The cafe operates on a free membership model (must be 18 years old) with requirements including weekly support group attendance and maintaining sobriety while at the facility. The organization serves meals throughout the week using locally sourced food from various community partners, and is staffed entirely by peers in recovery, creating a supportive environment where community members can see recovery in action. We are invited to spend time at the Recovery Café getting to know the people who participate there, and also to bring family or friends who might benefit from the environment.
Shawn highlighted a successful mural project on Stuart Hogue Road that improved the area's appearance and community relations. He shared his personal recovery journey from childhood trauma and addiction, emphasizing the organization's message that everyone is capable of change. The organization's 2025 metrics showed significant growth, with over 11,000 meals served and 175 classes held, and they are preparing to expand services to the local jail for the first time in six years.
Shawn talked about their work with Cascade Job Corps and plans for recovery coach training. He announced that Recovery Cafe received $2 million in state funding to purchase their building, with plans to close the remaining funding gap in the first quarter of 2027. The organization currently has 130 members, up from 65 in 2024, and operates as a certified member of the international Recovery Cafe Network.
Shawn Howard is a member of the Skagit Rotary.
Lisa Versteegh was our other guest
Our auction on August 29th is quickly approaching.
Calendar
Monday, July 6 – Rotary Club of La Conner Installation, 5:30pm, Sign-up with Lori
Saturday, July 19 – District Governor Kathleen Olson’s Installation at Shawn O’Donnell’s, 11:30am Registration required on the District Website.
May 18 Club Meeting Highlights.
Our inspiration was delivered by Roy Anderson. He told us about his German cousins who speak English well compared to his basic German. He stated statistics about Americans having a low rate of second language speakers, while Germans have a high number of people speaking a second language, and many who speak more than two. Then he showed us a video clip demonstrating the problem of not knowing a second language well…
Tulip results
We netted $28,000!
What went well:
Volunteers from other clubs
Dedicated equipment
Fabulous delivery people
Great efforts by our members
What could be better:
Simpler way of doing credit cards since one of the phones didn’t work all the time (better equipment). Update: Keith has already found what we need!
Hours we’re open on the outside of the booth
Try a one-hour shift from 5-6 to see if sales go up
We may need another scheduling system or lessons on how to use Sign-Up Genius more effectively
Get one person to manage the club visits. Update: Audrey volunteered!
Check with clubs before visiting to make sure they want us to sell tulips AND will buy
Sell tulips in Anacortes? Check with the Anacortes Rotary Clubs to make sure they don’t mind.
Volunteer hours
Even though attendance is no longer required, it is still looked at when we apply for grants or awards. Volunteer hours can count for make-ups as well as show our involvement in good works. Attendance and volunteer hours are both recorded in the new Club Runner system, NOVA.
Members should record the hours they volunteer with our club and with other organizations.
Every Rotarian Every Year
Dennis announced that all our club members have participated in EREY which designates a combined $100 to the Annual Fund and/or Polio Plus!
Also, some members are very close to Major Donor status, a lifetime combined giving of $10,000 to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund and/or to Polio Plus.
Auction
Audrey announced the following committee chairs:
Desserts-Tate and Lori
Volunteers-Connie
High School Volunteers-Lori
Decorations and Raffle Bling-Patsy
We will have two raffles: Best of live for $100 and 5050 for $50 or maybe $25.
We have 4 sponsorships so far. Mike Cook will follow up with other potential sponsors.
Our Paul Harris recipient is nearly chosen based on the votes received. If you haven’t voted, DO IT NOW!
A question was raised. Should we honor more people? More discussion to follow.
Ollie won the $195 raffle!
Calendar
Monday, June 1, 5:30pm: Visit Del Gratia Gallery with Deryl Walls followed by dinner at 6:30pm at Seafood and Prime Rib
Tuesday, June 9, 10-12: Helping Hands Volunteering
Thursday, June 11, 5:30pm: Social at The Rex
At our May 11 meeting, the inspiration was provided by Lyanne Gronning, who gave us her Mother’s dictionary. See Read more .. at the end of this.
David Kas explained the reasons the Fork at Skagit Bay changed to Moltobello. With the Bellingham Fork restaurant being sold, they couldn’t keep the Fork name here. That gave David and Nora the opportunity to change course and open an Italian Restaurant. David lived in Italy, speaks Italian, and learned Italian cooking. Our club will be holding our social there on Thursday, 5/14 at 5:30 pm. We decided to take the family-style option, so we each get to sample more food
Since there were no objections, and she has already been approved by the board, Candy Lee is now a member of the Rotary Club of La Conner.
Our club is submitting a grant to provide CPR training for the La Conner/Swinomish community. We were given a chance to take the class with just club members but decided to wait and be part of the community effort. That allows us to interact with people.
Marty, Martin, and Keith took a tour of the Didgwalic wellness center. The center sees 500 people a day! The three Rotarians were very impressed!
ClubRunner, the club's website tool, was updated to NOVA at 8 pm on Monday, 5/11. You are welcome to participate in online training if you wish to do so.
Skagit County Clean Energy Advisory Board 3 seats open to any Skagit County resident
Calendar
Wednesday, May 13, 5:30pm: Scholarship Selection on zoom. Let Connie know if you will be attending.
Thursday, May 14, 5:30pm: Club Social at Molotobello (the old Fork)
Sunday, May 17, 9-3: Camp Korey Volunteer Day
Monday, May 18, 5:00pm: Auction Committee Meeting followed by the club business meeting and board meetings
Saturday, May 23, 9:00am: Volunteers are needed to place flags on graves: at 17666 Valentine Road
Monday, May 25: Memorial Day, No Meeting..Pleasant Ridge Cemetery Memorial Day Celebration, 9am
Monday, June 1: 5th Monday done on the 1st Monday: Visit Del Gratia Gallery with Deryl Walls, followed by dinner at Seafood and Prime Rib
Thursday, June 11: Social at The Rex
Monday, July 6th: Installation
At our May 4, 2026 Rotary meeting, the inspiration was by Doug. Doug noted that on this day in 1987, the Supreme Court ruled that women must be allowed in Rotary. Rotary International fought the admission of women for decades, but finally accepted the ruling. Today, women make up close to 30% of the membership. LC Rotary is 50% women. Besides our speaker, our guests were Wen Lu, Patsy’s guest, and Seaver Milnor (online). Our Speaker: Wen Chen is a staff scientist at the California Institute of Technology, Chen came to the U.S. in 1994 for graduate school and earned a doctorate in biology from the California Institute of Technology in 2000. Since 2012, she has given over 200 presentations about Chinese culture, history, and human rights. She is a member of Amnesty International and coordinates all activities related to China while working as a human rights activist.  In her second appearance at our La Conner Rotary Club, Wen Chen focused on the Cultural History of China. She shared just a very small story about the more than 2000-year history of this very diverse nation (52 different ethnic groups). From the First century, the Emperor emphasized the native Taoist religion, promoting spiritual guidance. Buddhism came from India, 2000 years ago. Cultural influenced by 3 major religions. Tao Chi, which focused on physical and mental health as well as faith still plays an important role in China, as do all the religions. In the 8th century, China was like the US as far as foreigners coming for education. As they came to China, they embraced Chinese culture. 1966 - 76 Maoism - shut down all religions and schooling. Burned ancient objects. Wen described this period as a “Holocaust” - the destruction of historic structures. Mao/Govt. simplified over 2000 characters of their written language to limit anything objectionable to the Communist Message. During those 10 years, a generation was lost because schools were closed, and learning was forbidden. Still persecuting religions. The Bible has been rewritten to match the Communist Doctrine. Falun Gong, a movement striving to elevate their moral character ( over 100 million members), has suffered terrible persecution. Wen Chen ended with information about the Shen Yun movement. The dancers travel throughout the county sharing the elaborate dances that depict dramas of Chinese history - legends, such as the Monkey King Story - based on real history. Dance began as martial arts, which came from Taoism. Very different from Ballet. Every dynasty has different costumes, which are reflected in the dances. Very vibrant color, giant long sleeves to indicate wealth. All 52 ethnic groups, each have their own culture (and dance). All the proceeds from the performances go to support the Shen Yin high school and college in upstate New York. 9 groups of students who perform around the world. 3 months during the winter. Money raised pays tuition and room and board for students. During Covid, they began an online store, clothing, etc. All made in America (couldn’t be made in China ). shenyun.com. for more information.  Upcoming: Club Runner change over to Nova discussed. 6 - 8 are using it. There was discussion about changing now or wait til there is no choice. No decision made. Don Wick picked a blue marble. Mike got $5. Tate got last $5. Pam took out a second mortgage on her house for birthday bucks! Happy Birthday!
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Service Above Self
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
United States of America