MEETING RECAP
Sunday, August 14, 2022
By: Mary MarlinAre we in Hawaii?
THE LAKEWOOD KEY
Who knew we weren't in Hawaii??? Our energetic President, Jason Whalen, retrieved his conch shell and a rousing OOOOOO startled the members and brought them to their feet. (So sorry there was not sand to play in!) Jason then looked for Andrew Kruse to give the invocation, but, alas, he was not there so our esteemed Pres. challenged the audience to Make it Great on this Aloha day. He reminded us, too, that next week would be an Aloha Friday with our distinguished District Governor present and that wearing Hawaiian gear would honor his presence. The Pledge was then recited and the meeting was called to order. A thank you was given to the Set-up crew of Tom George, Rob Erb, Wynn Hoffman, James Osundwa, Gary Fulton and Rick Selden. Greg Rediske recorded the fines. Bud Montgomery helped at the Foundation table. Greg Horn wished us luck with the raffle tickets. Phil Eng was busy taking pictures and Mary Marlin was attempting to catch the exciting moments of the meeting.
Several guests were welcomed.... Rotarian John Guardia from Gig Harbor, Utomy McLamb who may be a new member soon, Amelia and Sawyer (darling children of Kendra Riconosciuto), Mobina Russell (sp?) who is a friend of James Osundwa, Hans Bruun (our new Rotary Exchange Student), and Kris Quinn, who is married to Joe Quinn, and who grew up in Denmark and speaks the language. Kris welcomed our new exchange student in his language and kept us listening since none of us speak Danish. Mike and Paula Murtha are currently hosting Hans at their home. Hans was pleased to be at the meeting and appreciated Kris' kind remarks. In a couple of weeks we will hear more from Hans and his experience visiting the US as well as his opportunities to meet new friends, spend time with club members and participate in meet-ups at welcoming homes. Please talk to Gayle Selden about when you might be available for hosting get-togethers. Good fun to come!
Above: Hans with his sponsors and Bob Martin, Youth Exchange Chair
And Puffins were given a welcome back to the club, for sure!
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Done! All is well and no news is good news.... until... Eric was challenged for being appointed the new Board member of the YMCA! He then generously donated $40.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, with a contribution of $40 per person for food. We have 18 signed up so far, but there is still room for a few more golfers. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Pay Joe Quinn for food ASAP so we can give the Adriatic a firm number of “diners.”
Rose Stevens, one of the hardest working members of this club, was then called to the podium to be awarded the Olson Foundation Award of $500 by John Guardia from Gig Harbor Rotary for her excellent contributions to International Projects. This Foundation was established 15 years ago in Gig Harbor and John said they had numerous nominations but Rose's diligence with her committee "created better health for others by promoting water projects, goat projects and lending a helping hand when needed".
Above: Rose Stevens with the Olson Foundation Award
Her other award from our club was the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award. The amazing service work was honored with the "beautiful one year trophy" and her charming picture! The International Committee she chairs is consistently revealing Service Above Self with their efforts and enthusiasm! Rose was honored to receive the award and said as a child she wanted to make a difference in the world. She loves her committee and is excited for the projects that are coming up that will lift villages from poverty and lack of water. Several grants have already been approved with generous money coming for different clubs to impact the progress with bio-gas, water sanitation, and in Nepal cardiac equipment in Kathmandu that will soon be available. Jason mentioned the Steilacoom Park project is working well here, too.
Several Service Above Self opportunities continue to happen. Steve Saalfeld will be bicycling with 100 riders in Leavenworth during the Courage on Aug. 20 and 21 to raise money for Mary Bridge. Steve's goal is to raise $20,000. Check his website if you wish to donate. Phil Eng and Kendra Riconosciuto are planning picnic dinners. Phil donated $20 for Kendra's help. Connie Coleman-Lacadie had a rough patch with Covid several weeks ago but is great now. She even donated $40 and thanked Rose and Mary Horn for helping with the family club members are supporting, when she wasn't able to. She's now learning to eat again. (Jason says he is testing wine to be sure he is able to taste and smell too!) Mary Horn was so appreciative of the club's generous donations of kitchen supplies, barbeque, furniture, food and the beds for all six in the family she and Rose have been helping, not to mention the family's good luck at winning the new car!!
Please Note that Veronica Bronkema has a meeting on August 19th at 6 pm at the Ram Restaurant for new Rotaract members. Please invite new members who would enjoy learning more about Rotaract.
Above: Justice Mary Yu with Anne Enquist
THE PROGRAM:
So with fines out of the way, it was time to learn about our speaker of the day, Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Her program is entitled "The Washington Supreme Court and the Call to Eradicate Racism". Anne Enquist introduced Justice Mary Yu and gave us some interesting facts about her nearly 30 years in the court system. Justice Yu was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014. She served 14 years before that as a trial court judge presiding over a wide variety of criminal, civil and juvenile cases and presided over hundreds of adoptions and other family law matters. Justice Yu has an extensive record both on and off the bench. Here are some facts you may not know. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. Her mother is from Mexico. Her father is from China. She is the first Asian, Latina, and the first LGBTQ member to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. She is the recipient of numerous awards and in 2014 was voted Judge of the Year by the WA State Association of Justice. Her incredible record of working with youth, inspiring others, being the voice of Social Justice and being awarded consistent recognition nearly every year for 20 plus years and more than 30 awards for her excellent work by fellow judges is quite incredible. Four organizations voted her Judge of the Year! Amazing legacy that keeps on coming.
Justice Yu educated us about the challenge of dealing with racism and the ways that she hopes we can eradicate it. Here are some takeaway comments:
"Most people focus on the US Supreme Court with media attention. On the State Supreme Court, we teach the rule of law. We are getting better at defining the rule of law. The question is....What is the state's role? Watch judges because they will decide the quality of your life. (And we still want you to love us as much as possible.) We have nine justices in WA State Supreme Court with three from Pierce County. Seven are women! Three are women of color. Two are from the LGBTQ community. The more diverse the better! We want to get it right. Who we are shapes our views. Compared to many states, we have diverse justices. Note....28 states have no black justices, 29 states have no Latinos, 47 states have no Native American justices, 20 states have no people of color for justices. Here in WA we are the second most cited court in the nation. Other courts in the US are following our jurisprudence. With Black Lives Matter the focus was on the lack of confidence in the judicial system. We understood the concern and the court sent out a letter to the community to help us address the issues. For 12 months the process continued to invite others to help, learn and share ideas. Pre-trial shackling has been addressed. There needs to be a reason to do so. In Spokane the issue of housing discrimination was addressed. A female student from Gonzaga got the attention of the courts. The court system needs to be activist in their decisions. Activists in pursuit of justice. We get better by working together. And having children learn to read and enjoy reading is a definite goal."
Justice Yu mentioned after a question was raised that she was concerned about walking her dog in Seattle with so much violence and crime there. She knows the problems, but it is not an easy issue with health care and drug addiction on the streets. Their court building—the Temple of Justice-- is getting repaired. Judges are working together but don't always have the info needed for sentencing each defendant. Legislators and courts need to work together to solve major issues. Fortunately, Justice Yu has not been personally threatened....in 22 years!!
A generous round of applause showed the appreciation of Justice Yu's work and her willingness to share with our club.
Above: Rick with rec chip
The Drawing: Rick Selden won big bucks!
‘Til next time, Mary Marlin
Above: Hans with his sponsors and Bob Martin, Youth Exchange Chair
And Puffins were given a welcome back to the club, for sure!
The Health and Wellness report by Eric Warn? Done! All is well and no news is good news.... until... Eric was challenged for being appointed the new Board member of the YMCA! He then generously donated $40.
Joe Quinn is heading up the good times on the golf course on September 1 at Oakbrook, with several tee times, with a contribution of $40 per person for food. We have 18 signed up so far, but there is still room for a few more golfers. You do not need to play golf to join us at the Adriatic Grill for a fine meal at about 5:30 p.m. 18-hole players start between about 12:30 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and the 9-holers start about 3:30 p.m. Pay Joe Quinn for food ASAP so we can give the Adriatic a firm number of “diners.”
Rose Stevens, one of the hardest working members of this club, was then called to the podium to be awarded the Olson Foundation Award of $500 by John Guardia from Gig Harbor Rotary for her excellent contributions to International Projects. This Foundation was established 15 years ago in Gig Harbor and John said they had numerous nominations but Rose's diligence with her committee "created better health for others by promoting water projects, goat projects and lending a helping hand when needed".
Above: Rose Stevens with the Olson Foundation Award
Her other award from our club was the Russ Klauser Rotarian of the Year award. The amazing service work was honored with the "beautiful one year trophy" and her charming picture! The International Committee she chairs is consistently revealing Service Above Self with their efforts and enthusiasm! Rose was honored to receive the award and said as a child she wanted to make a difference in the world. She loves her committee and is excited for the projects that are coming up that will lift villages from poverty and lack of water. Several grants have already been approved with generous money coming for different clubs to impact the progress with bio-gas, water sanitation, and in Nepal cardiac equipment in Kathmandu that will soon be available. Jason mentioned the Steilacoom Park project is working well here, too.
Several Service Above Self opportunities continue to happen. Steve Saalfeld will be bicycling with 100 riders in Leavenworth during the Courage on Aug. 20 and 21 to raise money for Mary Bridge. Steve's goal is to raise $20,000. Check his website if you wish to donate. Phil Eng and Kendra Riconosciuto are planning picnic dinners. Phil donated $20 for Kendra's help. Connie Coleman-Lacadie had a rough patch with Covid several weeks ago but is great now. She even donated $40 and thanked Rose and Mary Horn for helping with the family club members are supporting, when she wasn't able to. She's now learning to eat again. (Jason says he is testing wine to be sure he is able to taste and smell too!) Mary Horn was so appreciative of the club's generous donations of kitchen supplies, barbeque, furniture, food and the beds for all six in the family she and Rose have been helping, not to mention the family's good luck at winning the new car!!
Please Note that Veronica Bronkema has a meeting on August 19th at 6 pm at the Ram Restaurant for new Rotaract members. Please invite new members who would enjoy learning more about Rotaract.
Above: Justice Mary Yu with Anne Enquist
THE PROGRAM:
So with fines out of the way, it was time to learn about our speaker of the day, Washington Supreme Court Justice Mary Yu. Her program is entitled "The Washington Supreme Court and the Call to Eradicate Racism". Anne Enquist introduced Justice Mary Yu and gave us some interesting facts about her nearly 30 years in the court system. Justice Yu was appointed to the Washington Supreme Court in 2014. She served 14 years before that as a trial court judge presiding over a wide variety of criminal, civil and juvenile cases and presided over hundreds of adoptions and other family law matters. Justice Yu has an extensive record both on and off the bench. Here are some facts you may not know. She is the first in her family to graduate from college. Her mother is from Mexico. Her father is from China. She is the first Asian, Latina, and the first LGBTQ member to serve on the Washington Supreme Court. She is the recipient of numerous awards and in 2014 was voted Judge of the Year by the WA State Association of Justice. Her incredible record of working with youth, inspiring others, being the voice of Social Justice and being awarded consistent recognition nearly every year for 20 plus years and more than 30 awards for her excellent work by fellow judges is quite incredible. Four organizations voted her Judge of the Year! Amazing legacy that keeps on coming.
Justice Yu educated us about the challenge of dealing with racism and the ways that she hopes we can eradicate it. Here are some takeaway comments:
"Most people focus on the US Supreme Court with media attention. On the State Supreme Court, we teach the rule of law. We are getting better at defining the rule of law. The question is....What is the state's role? Watch judges because they will decide the quality of your life. (And we still want you to love us as much as possible.) We have nine justices in WA State Supreme Court with three from Pierce County. Seven are women! Three are women of color. Two are from the LGBTQ community. The more diverse the better! We want to get it right. Who we are shapes our views. Compared to many states, we have diverse justices. Note....28 states have no black justices, 29 states have no Latinos, 47 states have no Native American justices, 20 states have no people of color for justices. Here in WA we are the second most cited court in the nation. Other courts in the US are following our jurisprudence. With Black Lives Matter the focus was on the lack of confidence in the judicial system. We understood the concern and the court sent out a letter to the community to help us address the issues. For 12 months the process continued to invite others to help, learn and share ideas. Pre-trial shackling has been addressed. There needs to be a reason to do so. In Spokane the issue of housing discrimination was addressed. A female student from Gonzaga got the attention of the courts. The court system needs to be activist in their decisions. Activists in pursuit of justice. We get better by working together. And having children learn to read and enjoy reading is a definite goal."
Justice Yu mentioned after a question was raised that she was concerned about walking her dog in Seattle with so much violence and crime there. She knows the problems, but it is not an easy issue with health care and drug addiction on the streets. Their court building—the Temple of Justice-- is getting repaired. Judges are working together but don't always have the info needed for sentencing each defendant. Legislators and courts need to work together to solve major issues. Fortunately, Justice Yu has not been personally threatened....in 22 years!!
A generous round of applause showed the appreciation of Justice Yu's work and her willingness to share with our club.
Above: Rick with rec chip
The Drawing: Rick Selden won big bucks!
‘Til next time, Mary Marlin
| Upcoming LR events: 8/20-21 The Courage 9/1 Rotary Golf at Oakbrook 9/11-13 Reeder Rotary Roadster Romp to Sun Mountain 12/16 Tom and Jerry Party and President’s Roast |
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