President Kelli Thode started the 12^th meeting of the year and the 5,612^th meeting of the Rotary Club of Everett with the Pledge of Allegiance.

Marybeth Dingledy presented “I am responsible for my own happiness.”

 

Peggy Ray from the Everett-Port Gardner Club announced her club will be meeting Wednesday morning at 7:15AM at the Hotel Indigo starting next month.

Lynsey Gagnon will be inducted as a new member at the beginning of October. Jennifer Hem will be rejoining the Everett Rotary Club this October as well.

 

Kelli Thode had the following announcements:

Heather Barnhart encouraged the club to join the next Blood Drives which are Friday, October 24th and December 22nd. Everett Rotary has participated in 16 blood drives since March of 2022 and collected 429 units of blood.

 

Janice Ellis. September 20-24. Rotary International Friendship Exchange, Guests from Hungary will be in town for four days. We are co-hosting our Hungary guests with the South Everett Mukilteo club and the Lake Stevens club.  Steve and Dru Miller, Heather Barnhart, Greg Tisdel will be their hosts. Please register for any or all of the 3 activities. Sunday: Seattle Sightseeing. Monday: Boeing Future of Flight Museum. Tuesday: Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center and Natural History Preserve. Everett Rotary Club Meeting. Schack Art Center for glass blowing.

 

Janice Ellis. Welcome BBQ for our Rotary Youth Exchange student from Japan, Hakumi Matsumoto. Sunday, October 5 from 2 to 6 at Janice Ellis home. Please register for this event by email to Janice.

 

Membership Dues are due so please make sure to keep current.

 

 

Betsi Baker had a bell ringer from Marc Baker’s motorcycle friend, Jay. The card read, “Life is short, enjoy the ride.”

 

Chrissy Davis had a bell ringer for her birthday and to express her gratitude for the Puget Sound Kidney Centers huge fundraiser that brought in $325,000 and counting with 297 guests. Congratulations!

 

Mark Johnson had 20 happy/sad dollars for his daughters move to Western Washington University.

 

Ed Peterson had 2 happy dollars for the two members who wore their Rotary hats to the meeting. Ed and Walt Greenwood. Ed would like to have all the membership wear their Rotary hats to a meeting.

 

Jim Staniford was a bell ringer for his birthday and he was happy to be back at Rotary.

 

Walt Greenwood shared a quote that reminded him of Marc Baker. “Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intension of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, ‘Wow! What a ride!’”

 

Kari Petrasek had 25 Happy dollars for her trip to Italy and Germany.

 

Kelli Thode had 20 Happy dollars for her trip to Montana to visit her son whose wife is expecting their first baby that is due next Monday. So, we may not see Kelli next meeting.

 

RAFFLE: Ashley Bolden

There was a reminder to donate more prizes to the Raffle Committee.

 

Winner Number 1 – Will McMahan selected Rotary hat, Butterfinger candy and a Pumpkin Spice Candle.

 

Winner Number 2 – Glen Bachman selected Josh red wine and candy.

 

Winner Number 3 – Mark Johnson selected Red Vines licorice and coffee cups.

 

Alex Newman, Executive Director of the American Red Cross presented an informative overview of the many important functions the Red Cross provides to our country and the world. Since 1881, the American Red Cross has been focused on humanitarian relief. The mission of the Red Cross is to prevent and alleviate human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors. More than 90 percent of the Red Cross' staff is made up of volunteers, and over a million people volunteer every year. Around 90 cents of every dollar the Red Cross spends delivers care.

 

The Red Cross impacts lives every day. Nationally over 24,000 people are assisted by the American Red Cross each day. Locally, in 2024, the Red Cross responded to 197 local disasters, provided 1,000 services to active-duty military members, veterans and families, trained almost 14,000 individuals in lifesaving courses, including first aid, CPR and water safety, and deployed 60 volunteers to 30 major disasters over 150 times. The local Red Cross chapter has over 500 volunteers with 3 paid staff members.

 

The American Red Cross' main functions fall into four areas: disaster relief, blood collection, aid to soldiers and victims of war, and community education and outreach.

 

Disaster relief is a major aspect of the Red Cross. Although the primary responsibility for dealing with disasters lies with local, state and federal governments, in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, the needs of victims can easily overwhelm the capabilities of government officials. The impact of the Climate Crisis has created a 70% increase in billion-dollar disasters over the past 10 years. Over 8.5 million people were forced from their homes in the past 10 years. In the past five years more category 4 and 5 hurricanes have made landfall than in the previous 50 years combined. Nearly twice as many relief operations for major disasters are launched now versus a decade ago.

 

When the Red Cross arrives at the scene of a disaster, the first priority is to provide food, water, shelter and medical services. Medical services include first aid as well as treatment for certain ongoing conditions. The Red Cross also provides mental health counseling to disaster victims, volunteers and rescuers. Mental health assistance is vital because anyone involved in a disaster sees and experiences things far beyond their normal lives, and it can be very difficult to deal with these experiences. The Red Cross has specially trained personnel with experience in disaster counseling.

 

Red Cross services also work to help people resume their lives in the wake of a disaster, giving them the tools to sustain themselves. This can include referrals, transportation or occupational tools. Finally, in situations where insurance and government help are not enough, the Red Cross can offer long-term help for rebuilding.

 

The Red Cross collects and maintains about 40% of the United States blood supply from roughly 4 million donors. The Red Cross holds more than 500 blood drives daily at workplaces, schools and their donation centers. They conduct at least 10 tests on each blood unit to ensure is purity. They deliver 6.4 million blood products to about 2,500 hospitals and cancer centers nationwide. The Everett Rotary has conducted 16 blood drives since 2022!

 

In 2003 there were more active state-based armed conflicts than at any point since World War II. Over 100 of 193 UN nations are engaged in armed conflict outside of their borders right now. In times of war, the Red Cross fulfills the original goal of the International Red Cross movement -- to provide aid and comfort to soldiers and victims of war. The Red Cross prepares families for military life by providing briefings to families, holding coping with deployment workshops and assisting with career services for military spouses. They respond during difficult times by verifying emergencies back home, providing access to financial help during difficult times and assisting with crisis intervention. Finally, they help with recovery with medical, family and community support by providing medical and rehabilitative care through hospital volunteers and holding reconnection workshops for adults and children.

 

The Red Cross impacts communities across the U.S. with its health and safety education programs. Through babysitter training courses, lifeguard training, CPR training and certification and HIV/AIDS education, they give people the tools to become lifesavers themselves. In addition, the Red Cross offers Workplace Training Courses in a variety of health and safety areas.

 

Local Red Cross chapters provide a wide range of humanitarian services, including food pantries, senior services, community service programs, homeless shelters and youth groups.

 

Alex invited everyone to attend the Red Cross Heroes Luncheon Fundraiser held December 11.

 

NEXT PROGRAM: Rotary Friendship Exchange: Hungary.

 

Respectfully Submitted,

Photographs Submitted,