Visitors included Assistant District Governor, Jo Krenshaw, Rob Musante’s friend, Rob, and Mike Stone’s daughter, Alison.
Rob reminded everyone to sign up for the Paul Harris Fellow raffle of 500 Paul Harris points. The club does this twice a year, awarding a total of 1000 points to the winner(s). The goal is for every member of our club to donate to the International Foundation every year. Please go online to make your donation, or write a check to the International Foundation and turn it in at the meeting.
President Bill reminded everyone to be thinking about types of social events the club can organize before the end of this fiscal year. We are interested in doing up to 5 events. Email Gina with your ideas.
Carol Van Domelen showed a video from Texas-based non-profit, Helps International detailing information about the O’Neill wood burning stove that is being used in rural Guatemala. The stoves are modular, built on site, and vented outside of dwellings. They provide heat and a cooking surface that requires less wood, less tending, and is free of smoke that causes eye and lung irritation. The stoves are also safer than open fires that have caused burns, particularly to children. They also allow Guatemalan women more time to work and earn money because they don’t have to constantly tend a cooking fire.
Ken VanDomelen obtained a $7000 grant from Rotary International to provide O’Neill stoves to families in the Lake Atitlan area of Guatemala. Carol and Ken are requesting a donation of at least $50 from each club member. Each donation will be matched 2:1 and will purchase one stove ($150 per stove). The grant is open until sometime in March. Checks should be made out to the Tigard Rotary Foundation.
Ken and Carol are leaving January 19 for their annual trip to Guatemala. Their first trip was in 2010 when they adopted 3 children from a Guatemalan orphanage. This is the first year that Ken and Carol will be the only District 5100 Rotarians traveling to Guatemala. They will be hosted by Rotarians in Guatemala City, our partners in the scholarship project in Coatepeque.
Exchange student, Ishu reported that she had a fun holiday break during which she visited OMSI and the Portland Art Museum, went to the movies, and visited the family and friends of her host family. She has started basketball practice and will participate in the game on Saturday. She was also chosen to represent India at the District 5100 Country Fair.
Sergeant Conrad asked everyone to come up with the worst New Year’s Resolution ever in a bid to get their $2 bucks back. The winning story concerned a failed attempt to train a Great Pyrenees dog to participate in a triathlon.