Visitors included Rotarian David from the Beaverton club, and Ryan. Ryan said that he covered Rotary meetings for a small newspaper in California when he was in his twenties; now that he is 36, he is interested in joining Rotary!
Our newest short-term exchange student, Gabrielle arrived Saturday from Brazil and is staying at the home of Sara Rumbaugh who went on exchange to Brazil last summer. Our soon-to-be outbound exchange students, Ethan, Evan, and Maggie are hitting the slopes at Anthony Lakes. Ethan and Evan will find out this weekend where they will be going on exchange beginning in August. Exciting times!
The Rotary theme for 2017-18 has been identified by the President Elect as “Rotary; Making a Difference.” The incoming president is concerned about issues of climate change and how it will impact us and future generations, thus the theme.
The Tigard Rotary wine tour has been moved to Sunday, May 7 beginning at around Noon. Please contact Stuart if you need to cancel your reservation.
Jack Schwab announced that the groundbreaking for construction of the addition to the Good Neighbor Center will be held on Wednesday, Feb 15 at 11:00. All are welcome. Please RSVP to Jack if you plan to attend. Contractors are set to begin work on the expansion at the end of the month. On March 6th, the annual storytelling fundraiser for GNC will be held at Broadway Rose Theater. Get your tickets now! Landmark Ford and Tribune Wealth Management are major sponsors.
Rob Musante reminded everyone to sign up for the Paul Harris points raffle that will be held at the end of the month. Everyone who donates to the International Foundation during this fiscal year will be entered into the raffle.
President Bill Monahan talked about the International Rotary theme for the month: Peace and Conflict Prevention. He also talked at length about Rotary values and how they apply to how issues are discussed at weekly meetings. He reminded us that Rotary is non-partisan and apolitical. Club programs are informational and should present both sides of an issue. The Rotary Code of Conduct also states that no corporate action shall be taken on behalf of an issue or candidate. As Rotarians, we should respect each-others’ viewpoints and be careful about the way we engage in discussions about divisive issues. To this end, Tigard Rotary Board recently passed a guideline stating that our club will refrain from taking a position on political issues. We were also reminded that we should consider the audience when telling jokes at club meetings.
Julie Ketchum announced that fundraising for the Guatemala Clean Air Stove project is going well. So far, 30 people, including 28 club members, have pledged $4,100 to purchase 82 stoves! Our club’s goal is to raise $5,000 to purchase 100 stoves. The cost to buy one stove is $150. Each $50 donation will be matched by a Rotary Global Grant and by District 5100. Donations can be made online at tigardrotary.org, or by sending a check to the Tigard Rotary Foundation. Please contact Julie with questions.
Sergeant Conrad Pearson quizzed club members on their knowledge of elephants. Members of the winning table got to put money back into their wallets. The Sergeant has already met his revenue goal for this year and every additional dollar given to his budget is chocolate icing!