SEEN AND HEARD AT COLLEGE ROTARY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2013
Today’s meeting was led by President, Patty Meritt, who was assisted by the Red Team members.
At the desk were Carol Callahan and Mike Dunton. Vicki Kennebec greeted and Mike Dunton sold 50/50 tickets. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Barb Hompesch, and Cheryl Keepers led the Club in song with the “Alaska Flag Song”.
There were no visiting Rotarians today, but it was wonderful to have a full house of College Rotarians!
Our guests were introduced and included: Dorothy Cruse, wife of club member Don Lynch; Maria Petersen, College Rotary’s exchange student from Denmark; Deborah Dussman, wife of club member Dennis Dussman, who just returned from the Alaska Pioneers’ convention in Juneau; and Kitty Kraft, Vickie Kennebec’s co-worker, who is working on becoming a College Rotarian.
Our Sergeant at Arms, Don Lynch, reminded club members that yesterday was the equinox. Don also extended congratulations to both Jaime Marunde and Jane Lanford who are celebrating anniversaries this week.
Happy Bucks: Patty Merritt is happy that Cindy Wentworth, Barb Hompesch, and Kerynn Fisher were not bear bait during their fall cruise through Denali Park.
Ron Bergh made a quick weekend trip to Valdez this past weekend. The drive down was very sunny and scenic, but Ron experienced blizzard like conditions on the return home. He is happy to have returned with no scratches.
Jim Bradbury also made a similar trip to Valdez, and he is also happy to have returned with no scratches.
Cynthia Steiner ran support for the Equinox Race this past weekend. Her hat is off to Jane Lanford and all of the runners who participated. Cynthia also reminded club members of Fairbanks Drama Association’s 51st season of Laughter and Lunacy that kicked off last weekend with “The Odd Couple”, which will be performed through October 6, 2013. Cynthia distribution FDA brochures, and encouraged everyone to catch a performance this season.
Jane Lanford was happy about the really nice weather on Saturday for the Equinox Race. Her hat is also off to all of the race volunteers. Jane is also happy to have arrived home scratch free after the race, as a moose stepped in front of them on their drive home.
Barb Hompesch is happy her daughter has returned from Oregon. She is also happy her husband has returned from a successful Salcha River trip, and their cabin is closed up for the winter.
Corey Borgeson is happy to have his boat out of the lake. He will be even happier when his car is in the garage.
Glenn Potts is happy he got things closed up on the river before winter arrives.
Dennis Dussman is happy his wife Deborah has been invited to speak at a conference in Australia, as he gets to carry her bags!
Other Announcements: Paul Harris awards will be presented during the October 7th club meeting, during the club visit by Sue Foley, District Governor. Patty Merritt encouraged those members who are close to meeting the Paul Harris threshold to consider making an additional contribution to meet the threshold in time for the Oct 7th meeting. Patty also encourages all club members to consider making a polio plus or foundation contribution at the October 7th club meeting.
There are Rotary hats for sale at the back desk, and are a great conversation starter. Club member, Erik Hulbert, recently wore a Rotary hat while he was on vacation, and ended up meeting 2 Rotarians in another country.
There is a College Rotary Board meeting today from 1 – 2 pm today.
Our program today, The Blood Bank of Alaska, was presented by the Blood Banks CEO, Bob Scanlon, and his associate Telia Rodriguez. Bob provided an overview of the Blood Bank of Alaska, including its history, opportunities for service, and its current capital campaign. Bob also thanked club members who are current blood donors, and encouraged those who aren’t currently donating, to consider doing so. Bob described blood donations as “service to Alaskans from Alaskans, and a gift from the community to the community.” The Blood Bank of Alaska was founded in 1962, is an independent 501(c)(3) organization, and currently serves the largest blood need area in the United States. The Blood Bank of Alaska currently has 100 staff members and processes 24000 units of blood per year. The primary goal of the Blood Bank is to ensure the safety, purity and potency of the blood supply is Alaska. Every unit of blood that is donated undergoes 13 individual tests for blood borne diseases, and each unit can be turned into three blood products; RJB, Plasma, and cryoprecipitate. With a capital campaign currently underway, the Blood Bank of Alaska would like to build an Alaska based blood lab facility in Anchorage with an estimated total cost of $51.5 million. A new facility will allow for quicker and more efficient blood testing and processing. To date, the Blood Bank has received $26 million in funding for its new proposed facility, and additional funding is expected to be raised from tax credits, state grants, service clubs, and the sale of their existing facility. You can support the Blood Bank by donating blood, making a donation to the capital campaign, and telling your family, friends, and co-workers about the Blood Bank and their current capital campaign.
The 50/50 pot of $56 was won by Cindy Wentworth.
Larry Baker closed out the meeting with a “Leave ‘em Laughing” joke: A young executive was leaving the office late one evening when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand. “Listen,” said the CEO, “this is a very sensitive and important document here, and my secretary has gone for the night. Can you make this thing work for me?” “Certainly,” said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button. “Excellent, excellent!” said the CEO, as his paper disappeared inside the machine. “I just need one copy…”
The program for the Club’s September 30, 2013, will be Becca Buckles with the Street Outreach Advocacy Program (SOAP), which College Rotary sponsors.
The meeting was adjourned by Patty Meritt.