April 14, 2014

Meeting of the Rotary Club of Eureka
April 14, 2014

Lunch Menu: Salad bar, ham, roast beef, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rolls, dessert.

Called to order by President Ziggy at12:30 pm.

The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jason Eads.

The Invocation was led by: John Gierek Jr.

Visiting Rotarians
Two visitors from Bishop and Chuck Dominic from Arcata

Guests of Rotarians
None.

Announcements
Fireside signs up sheets are on the table. Please sign up.

Christian Hill is not here today. Since he has the checks for the winners of the March Madness competition, there will be no money presented today.

John Bradley reminded everybody that Backpacks for Kids needs your support to help fund the annual program. Tickets are $50 for the BBQ and dance on Friday, April 25th at 6pm at the Adorni Center.

John McBeth said that Honor Flight is taking off on 4/23. There are openings for 4 veterans and 5 guardians. Veterans travel for free. Guardians pay $1,000. If you know of somebody that is interested in going please contact John, Steve Justus or Gregg Gardiner.

Work Day- Don’t forget this Saturday is clean-up the Mad River day in celebration of Earth Day. The event will start at 8:45, and end around noon. We will meet at Stardough's in Blue Lake to get gloves and instruction on where to go in the morning.

Lisa Slack announced that the Redwood Coast Beer and BBQ Cook-Off is coming up on Saturday, May 31, 2014. The Clarke Museum is teaming up with Redwood Acres to present this fundraiser. To enter the BBQ cook-off (Jason Eads and Carlton this means you!) fill out the online application available on the Clarke Museum web site.

Nancy Dean said that Rotaract will be holding a fundraiser for Backpacks for Kids…. It’s a baseball tournament. Bring canned food for Food for people. More information will be coming.

Nancy Dean introduced Chuck Dominic from Arcata who is going to train all Rotarians present in Youth Protection to meet Rotary requirements. Those not present today will be required to complete the training online.

Chuck explained that the Youth Protection Training was adopted by Rotary in compliance with laws guiding all youth exchange programs. The program is now 10 years old and Rotary International requires that each club receive an official training. Nancy Dean is our club contact. We listened to a short presentation that basically explained if anyone working with youth becomes aware of a problem they should (1) Remove the child from the situation that is causing a problem. (2) Contact Nancy to find out what else do. (3) Do not discuss the situation with others.

Spangler-Howard Raffle: Jim Howard and Paul Brisso.

Guest Speaker
Ziggy introduced Dr. Kim Bauriedel, who has visited Siberia 5 times since 2001. He is going to talk about the differences he has seen between 2001 and his most recent trip in 2013. Ziggy said we keep sending him to Siberia but he keeps coming back!

In 2001 Dr. Kim Bauriedel first visited Siberia as part of a Group Study Exchange. He mentioned that the program has been revised and is now called Vocational Training Teams. It’s a much more focused program. A 4 member VTT team from Russia visited last week and Kim thanked the host families… Joan Davies, Nancy Dean, Lisa Slack (& Kim and his wife), for letting the visitors stay with them. He also provided real Vladivostok T-Shirts to Bruce, Carlton, Alicia and (when he’s there, Dr. O’Brien) in thanks for their participation while the team was in town.

Kim said Rotary didn’t really begin in Russia until about 20 years ago. Over the past 12 years he has seen some significant changes occur. The photos he showed from 2001 to 2013 depicted a significant difference:

Map of Rotary District 2225

Newer, safer apartment buildings are being built. The food supply has increased with large grocery stores being built, many of which carry American food. Apartments for families that were 700 square feet are now being built at 2,000 sq ft. Some single family homes are being built for the wealthy. Dishwashers are being installed in newer construction although culturally there is resistance to using them as many Russians feel that you can get the dishes cleaner by hand washing and they use the dishwasher for the storage of pots and pans. Power is still a problem. Most of their power is fueled by coal which has polluted much of the atmosphere and is a leading cause of lung problems, particularly in children. The life span of an average Russian is 68. Many Russian Orthodox churches are being restored and built (although there isn’t a lot of attendance by anyone under 60 years of age). The average income of a Russian citizen is 25% of a citizen from the United States. A Toyota Highlander in Russia sells for $55,000. Although 55% of the population smokes cigarettes, they are starting to see some no-smoking signs in public areas. Access for disabled individuals is improving. You are starting to see some wheel chair ramps, etc. The average home mortgage interest is 15%.

Programs the Rotary Club of Eureka has participated in the following programs:

Ø Neurological Equipment for Tomsk Children’s Hospital in 2010-2011.

Ø A second grant the following year helped purchase equipment to aid in treatment of kidney issues. It has helped to save many children from having to have surgery.

Ø We helped purchase a tractor for a home that houses many children with disabilities to help with the growing of vegetables

Ø We assisted with the building of a part for kids with disabilities in Krasnoyarsk in 2011-2012.

Ø In 2012-2013 our donation helped an orphanage for kids with Down Syndrome transform a cement covered area into a playground.

Meeting adjourned at 1:30pm.

Respectfully submitted,
Alicia Cox