Nothing Phony About Spumoni, and Kerri Carries the Meeting!
Meeting Highlights: Aug. 21, 2019
Recorder: David Cotant Editor: Dave Hall Photos: Tom McClellan
*Call to Order 12:30 pm
*Invocation: Jim Hairston
*Salute to the Flag: Scott Coles (Carr’s Chef)
*Visiting Rotarians: none
*Visitors and Guests: Oliver Willis (Fred and Ingrid Willis’s oldest son), Sylvi Estrella, guest of Darryl Owens. Hazel joined Grandpa Alan Billingsley.
*Sunshine Report: Jeannie Hill (also today's greeter) reported that her partner John is due for surgery Thursday.
Memorial for Alice Peeples will be Sept. 29that Mt. View Cemetery. Jeannie will have more information to us soon.
*Signature Project Work Party: South Sound Wildlife Area, Saturday, Aug 24, 9:00 am. Watch for email from Alan for tools to bring and information. Snacks and water will be provided.
*Pool Party after Game Farm Work: Marie Barth’s. 1:30 – 4:00ish. 5015 81stSt. SW.
RSVP: 253-777-8889. Hotdogs, Salad, Chips, Soft Drinks and more will be there. Bring what you would like to drink, and any food you want to share.
*Up Coming Speakers: Tom McClellan advised of the next group of presentations:
August 28 – Ron Banner, Superintendent of Clover Park School District
September 4 – Karen George: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis during WW2. (This was the warship which had delivered the atomic bomb to the island of Tinian in 1945; it was sunk on the return trip, with much of the crew lost.)
September 11 – USO
*President Ellie read a well-written letter from a Clover Park Tech Nursing Student, thanking us for helping her achieve her goal of becoming a nurse, and for helping her daughter to see that education and work is good.
* Membership: Give Marie Barth a name of a “Potential Rotarian” that is not yet a member. Each member needs to think of someone who would be a good Rotarian if only asked.
President Ellie called our attention to August 21 being "National Spumoni Ice Cream Day", providing a brief history of the Italian treat, which evolved into neopolitan ice cream in the USA. We were served tasty cups of the original recipe, in keeping with our President's committment to expand our palates!
*Fun and Fines: General Ed, assisted by Red Badgers Ramona Hinton and Kerri Pedrick, raised big bucks for the club's coffers:
- Wachters collected.
-Birthday: Gen William Harrison (belated) Happy Birthday Gen. Bill
-Anniversary: Jim and Barbra Hairston; 40 Great years. Congratulations
-Ink: Dave Hall re. his trip to Scotland: 7 great courses, got connected with Caddies recognition on 2. He learned that the popular term for the local soft drink Irn Bru ("Iron Brew") is Scottish “Bladder Fluid”.
*Lakewood Film, Art and Book Festival will be Sept. 13, 14 and 15.McGavick Conference Center. Flautist Jeannie Hill will be performing at 6:30 Friday and Saturday, and at 4:00 on Sunday. Bob Lawrence paid for his annual “encouragement” of Jeannie to perform.
*Marie’s "Ratted-on-Rotarians":
- President Ellie: no mention of Foundation Committee Chair (and sister-in-law) Katelyn Billingsley in board agenda.
- John Unfred drove Councilmember Barth around during National Night Out in an old, small, questionable-appearing “Police Car”, which didn't seem fitting for two celebrity officials. John's response: He deferred getting a new vehicle so that others with greater needs could receive upgrades. John is scheduled to get a new SUV Police cruiser soon. (Despite this noble intent, Asst. Chief Unfred got dinged.)
- Teresa Nye : Facebook photos showed her running a ½ marathon with a 21 y/o man who has had a Double Lung Transplant (due to pneumonia) and now is celebrating with the ½ marathon run. Teresa even turned a couple of cartwheels at the halfway point! Congratulation to both.
Today's Speaker: Kerri Pedrick – Director of Communities in Schools (and a CPRC member)
Kerri grew up in Eastern Washington's rural Okanogan County. She attended PLU and graduated in Social Work and Education. She has called Lakewood home for 15 years since graduation from PLU.
Kerri has been working in two fields: Social Work and Education, to bring coordination and cooperation between the two. She has also spent a great deal of her professional life working to prevent Human Trafficking.
As an organization, Communities in Schools (CIS) has been around since the mid-1980s. It started in Lakewood at the same time as the City Incorporation. But, while the city has grown greatly, CIS is still struggling and not well known as a resource for parents. As a mother, Kerri knows that parenting is difficult, and many parents don’t know where to get help, support or where they can turn for guidance. CIS can help.
Currently CIS is active in 4 Clover Park District schools, including CPHS, and Four Heroes Elementary.
Nationally 1.2 million students drop out of the educational system each year. At Clover Park High School, 54% of freshmen are identified to potentially be at risk to not graduate in four years. Graduation rate for CPHS is 84%, due to efforts by the teachers and CIS to recognize who needs help and guidance, and to shepherd them. This positive rate also reflects graduations after five or more years.
When Lakewood incorporated, "America’s Promise" was there to help guide the new city to make certain promises to the children of Lakewood:
1. One on One relationship with a caring adult; or hopefully, more than one.
2. A Safe Place to Learn and Grow.
3. A Healthy Start to live into the Future.
4. Effective Education and Marketable Skills to use upon graduation.
5. A chance to pass on to peers and community the gifts that the student was given.
Communities in Schools is a national organization, which give structure across the communities to be doing similar things, but each local organization structures their programs to the needs of the schools and children with which they are working. And, this must change each year.
Local Focus includes a plan for:
Absenteeism / Attendance
Behavior problems and case management
School needs and adapt to changes
Food and Shelter. CIS provides food for children and works with Caring For Kids, led by Diane Formoso.
* CIS needs community volunteers to:
Mentor: a once a week time with the same student / mentor. 20 mentors needed
Job Shadowing: a single day with a student
Board and Committee members.
Upcoming Event: Soaring into the Future. Soaring-2019.eventbrite.com
October 9, 2019. 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Chambers Creek Park (Pierce Environmental Services Building near Chambers Bay Golf Course).
Raffle: 12 cards in the deck, and two Aces, for a chance at $576.00. Despite being decked out in "Lucky Leprechaun Green", the pot o' gold eluded Dave Hall, as he drew a 5 of Spades.. (The $5.00 consolation prize was pretty cool, as Dave had only spent $2 on raffle tickets!)
