THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES. FOLLOW ME IN MY RAMBLINGS TO MERIDIAN, BOISE METRO, BOISE SUNRISE, BOISE DOWNTOWN AND A PRESENTATION TO BOISE TEACHERS. ALL IN A WEEK'S WORK (FROM 10.4 TO 10.9.10)

THE ROTARY CLUB OF MERIDIAN...WANT TO PLAY A LITTLE BOSSY BINGO? 

Meridian Club President Stephanie Hanchett is flanked by her leadership council.  On the left is Reece Theobold, Mike Peters, Hal Rumsey, Stephanie, Mike Madison and Jerry Mattison.   These are committed Rotarians who have been faithful to the RC of Meridian in flush times and lean.  Thank you, leadership!

The club is working on membership which has slumped in recent years, partly due to the economic downturn.  Go Meridian!



 Here my wife, Carolyn, greets Mike Peters, immediate past president of the Meridian Club.  He jumped in when the then-president left the club last year, providing stability and wisdom for this Rotary group. 

 These are two superb Rotarians, Jerry Mattison and Hal Rumsey with my wife in the middle.  A little story about Hal, please.  He attended the RYLA camp several years ago and ascended the 30-foot pole, as did the teens, and stood on its top!  No, he's not Pole-ish.  He's just super.

The club sponsored five Rylarians this year.  In other words, this small club outdid many of the larger clubs in our district.  Good work!
 

 

 The Meridian Club is known for Bossy Bingo.  Yes, I have bought tickets but have never won anything.  My day is coming!  The proceeds from Bossy Bingo go to the Idaho Foodbank, Women and Children's Alliance, the Treasure Valley Reading Association and the Boys and Girls Club

In his picture the three Amigos pose:  Mark Freeman Reed Hanson and Dave Slonaker left to right

 Last year the club sponsored an essay contest on the 4-Way Test!  Now that's close to my heart.  I told the club that if they participate two things will happen:  1)  they can mark this endeavor on the District 5400 Awards Program contest for the Distinguished Integrity Award, and 2)  I will invite the student who submits the winning entry this year to Sun Valley to read the essay.

 Below, Phil Moran, pastor of the Presbyterian Church, stands by Reece Theobold and a guest from Phil's church on Monday, 10.4.10 when I visited.

YOU CAN GO HOME AGAIN...TO BOISE SUNRISE 

Next up?  My club, the Rotary Club of Boise Sunrise.  A distinguished club.  Serious Rotarians. Community activists.  Ready to serve as President of the United States.  To bring peace to Israel and Palestine.

From front row and left to right:  President Layne Dodson, Tricia Nilsson, secretary (and D5400 secretary), Gene Thurston, Jerry Ramsey.  Second row:  Jim Hogge, assistant governor,  Sharon Maguire, Greg Newberry, Bob Rainville (former World Community Service chair) and Clayn Sonderegger. 

Oh, wait.  I forgot.  These Rotarians are serious...cutups!

Like Greg Newberry who in the picture below entertains Jim Hogge with monkey sounds, as I recall.

And Marti Monk, a member of the District Visioning Adventure team, reacts to one of my jokes.

The RC of Boise Sunrise Rotary knows how to have a good time, but this club also embraces great projects in Marsing (Hope House)  and great fundraisers (Lobsterfest).  Here are pictures of each.

B

Bill Illett of Idaho Stampede participates with Tom Rosenthal, president,

in giving Donna Lee Velvick checks to support Hope House.

In the picture below, World Community Service chair Don Lojek who visited from the RC of Boise Downtown, speaks to BSU Athletic Director Gene Bleymaier, the creator of the blue BSU turf.

Why did my club express relief that I will be on the road visiting clubs on Halloween?  Well, here's the story.  Several years ago, Jan Welch, sergeant-at-arms announced one week before Halloween that anyone coming in a costume the next week would be fine free.  I went to Idaho Youth Ranch, bought a beautiful gown and came in a costume.  Jan was faithful to her word:  I was not fined... that week.  I was fined the following week for causing nausea in the club. 

No justice.

 Thanks RC of Boise Sunrise for being one of the most mirthful and hardworking clubs of our district.


BOISE METRO:  "FROM POLIO TO GUINEA PIGS, WE TOUCH ALL CORNERS OF THE WORLD."

Bret Vaterlaus, DGN, and Charles Weymouth, president, confer during the Boise Metro meeting of 10.5.10 at Stone House.  Both are superb strategic leaders.  Charles Weymouth has gained expertise about taking advantage of District 5400's Visioning Adventure by organizing his club to charge into the future.

As a result of Visioning Adventure, the Boise Metro club  has developed language to explain itself to the community. 

We are an innovative club that puts its time and talent toward community

(globally, nationally and locally).

ATTRIBUTES

We are known as a young, energetic and progressive club.

We boast a wide variety of professions.  Our average age is 45.

We have a continued presence on the district level.

there are guests at every meeting.  We are small enough to be acquainted

yet effective.  Our members compete for positions and wait in line to be

club officers.

ELEVATOR SPEECH

We don't care what country you are form, what religion you

choose or if you are political --  Metro Rotary is the perfect

organization to make the world a better place.

THIS CLUB HAS A WRITTEN MEMBERSHIP PLAN

The young woman with the spectacular hair is Cornelia Sprung, one of the several dynamic female leaders of this club.  (The gentleman to her left is David Gott whose special passion is The Rotary Foundation.)

Yes, Cornelia and her committee (Jack Cafferty, Tyson Wise, Kozi Holley, Kim Emery and Bill Cafferty) have organized the club in a written membership plan!  I emphasize this because we are asking all clubs to create a written plan.  The club plan will be placed on the district website.

Membership today?  32.  Membership in 2015?  60!

 "Our practical and reasonable goal by the end of the current Rotary year is to net 7 new members.  We expect to do this by bringing in 8 new members while only allowing for 1 member to leave.  We'll achieve our goals through the following three areas of focus:  Recruitment, Retention and Orientation."

 Kim Emery and Tom Rosenthal, assistance governor

 Tom Rosenthal and Alan Bosch, past president.  Alan serves as

western coordinator for the Rocky Mountain Leadership Institute. 

 Cahill Jones served as sergeant-at-arms for the club on 10.5.10

 If you have a small club, I advise you to talk to Charles Weymouth about how he has organized his club into a vigorous entity. 

Thanks Boise Metro!

RC OF BOISE DOWNTOWN ... ENERGETIC, ORGANIZED, INFLUENTIAL

If you have not heard President BillAgler lead singing in the RC of Boise Downtown, you haven't heard singing.  Loud, intense and great fun!  That's Bill Agler as a song leader, a post he has had to relinquish to Mark Roby (see picture below) during Bill's presidency.  I watched Bill prepare to lead his club on Thursday, 10.7.10.  Here he writes notes in preparation for his club members.

If Virginia is the "Mother of Presidents," the Boise Club is the "Mother of District Governors" producing 15 governors since the district was created in 1919-20.    Kathleen Simko, DG for 2011-12, will be the 16th president from Boise, quite a record.

I had the privilege of greeting two past district governors, Dick Fields (1999-2000) and Phil Sansotta (1993-94) and Bob Bailey from the Buhl Club on Thursday when I visited the club.  I consider all of these gentlemen my models.

In the picture below, I pose with Kevin Learned, immediate past district governor, and two of his guests.  I enjoyed my year as the understudy to Kevin in 2009-10.  If you want to see a fun video of our gag at the 2010 Sun Valley Conference, do a search on YouTube (enter Kevin Learned + Sun Valley Conference). 

 

Yes, this Club Is Influential
Influential?  Yes, this club influences the community in most positive ways.  Below you will see my "art" shot of Bob McQuade, Ada County Assessor and club secretary, taken at the leadership meeting on 10.6.10.  (Actually, the shot was an accident.)  McQuade and I serve on the Idaho Academic Decathlon Board which sponsors intellectual competition among students in Idaho, a great program.  

Stan Olson, recently retired Boise Superintendent of Schools, is running for State Superintendent of Schools.  In the picture below, he shares laughter at the leadership meeting with John McGuire (Director of Service to People), Bill Agler and Tim Bower (Program Chair).  Stan is the vice president of the club.



Old Man's Club...I Don't Think So

The myth is that the Boise Club is an old man's club, usually passed on as a rumor by old men in other Rotary clubs.  Take a look at the leaders in this picture!  No old men here. 

From l to r:  Torrene Bonner (RYLA), Wendy Shoemaker (Communication Director),

Lisa DeDapper (Director of Club Life) and Adam Feik (Director of Membership) 

Here my wife, Carolyn, poses with James Bidell (The Rotary Foundation education)

 and Todd Fischer (World Community Service).  No old men here.

Organized?  Yes, Indeed

I accompanied various district governors to the Boise club in the past.  What impressed me years ago was how organized this club is...and remains.  Note that I have been able to identify the function of each leadership member, information that Bill Agler gave me.

Ken Howell, chair of The Rotary Foundation financial support, and Bill confer

Marilyn Bickel will follow Bill into the presidency in 2011-12.  Tami Chafin is the immediate past president.

Dick Vandenberg on the left received Kevin Learned's "Unsung Hero" award at the Sun Valley Conference.   What a nice honor for a long-time Rotarian.  Nancy Chinn serves as the executive assistant for Boise (she's a member of Boise Southwest) and Jim Hogge serves as assistant governor.  

Thanks for you good work, Boise!

LET'S END THE WEEK WITH TEACHERS AND COUNSELORS!

This is Robin Hausheer, counselor at Taft Elementary. 

I received an invitation from the Boise Education Association to serve on a panel on Friday to represent community partnerships to Boise teachers and counselors.  The other panelists spoke about the Idaho Human Rights Education Center and the Boise Public Library.

My message?  Rotary clubs are keenly interested in youth.  Rotary International and District 5400 have marvelous opportunities for young people like RYLA, Ambassadorial Scholarships, Interact, World Peace Fellowships, the Dictionary + Ethics Project,  YouTube Contest and Rotaract.

Contact club presidents to determine if their clubs can assist you.

Among other educators, I met with Robin Hausheer, counselor at Taft Elementary, where Boise Sunrise distributes dictionaries, and I have mentored first and third graders the past three years.  Robin, like so many educators, is a wonderful and compassionate woman, a real treasure.

This is a picture of Sunrise Rotarians preparing to pass out dictionaries at Taft.

Patti Richey,Tom Powell, Bill Brudnell, Tricia Nilsson

 Great week.  I think I'll take a nap now.