Licenciado Joseph Thomas, Our Member in Mexico!

The signing the Acta of receiving the title as “Licenciado/licenced” starts a legal process of a couple of months that results in a federal credencial.

The “titulación” gives the legal authority to practice Mexican law at any instance of the three levels of government.

There are only four American Citizens in Mexico now with that ability, and presently, Joseph is the only one known living the Valley of México that has 100,000 Americans living there full time and approximately 2 million in the country.

Joseph has current cases dealing with recovery of American citizenship and other issues impacting American Citizens.

Program: Debbie Moore and Rebecca Jansson, “Won’t YOU Be Our Partner at Work?” February 1, 2024

Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring Debbie Moore and Rebecca Jansson of “Partners for Work.”

The program will be presented in person and on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7:00 a.m.  The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m.  No registration is required, and the program is free.

The in-person meeting will be at the Wedgwood Community Church at 8201 30th Ave NE, Seattle. Doors open at 7:00 a.m. and the program begins at 7:30 a.m.

The meeting will be available via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.  The Zoom line will open shortly after 7:00 a.m.


Rotarians can open doors! Partners for Work (PFW) has been a Rotary District 5030 project since 2008. Rotarians from our district have made connections with businesses that have led to over 140 jobs for adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities.

Our Coordinator, Debbie Moore, connects with Rotarians, clubs, school districts and employment support agencies to identify job opportunities and qualified candidates.

People with disabilities are skilled and capable of working in a variety of jobs in our community yet experience a high rate of unemployment. This is due to their challenge in identifying opportunities and other initial barriers to employment.

Rotarians are often the top people in their companies and play a key networking and leadership role in helping open the door towards paid employment.

Rotarians can play a key networking and leadership role in helping open the door towards employment. This is often as simple as contacting Debbie with an introduction to their own company or that of a colleague.

PFW has a featured seat as a District-level priority and is officially involved in over half of the Rotary clubs in the District. 

The Partners For Work program enlists Rotary members to engage their contacts to help get people with disabilities find employment. PFW works to connect job seekers with resources and support to secure employment.

Debbie Moore was hired as the District 5030 Partners for Work Coordinator in November, 2010. She has been an Issaquah Rotarian for 13 years. She worked for 13 years with the Issaquah School District as the Career Specialist where she assisted young adults with developmental disabilities in their vocational goals. As the Coordinator of our District Project, she enjoys the complexities of working with families, support agencies, school districts and Rotarians while building more inclusive communities. She was raised in Bellevue, graduated from Interlake High School and Washington State University with a Business Degree. She enjoys vacations to sunny locations, hiking, country music, going to the movies and time spent with family and friends.

In her 26th year at Seattle Central, Club Member Rebecca Jansson is Executive Director at Mainstay/SAILS. She finds joy in helping people with disabilities contribute to their community of choice, build relationships, have a sense of competence and feel included. Mainstay assists individuals who often are unable to access the competitive workplace through a pathway of education through college. Rebecca enjoys on fundraising, accreditation process and policy. As part of the Community Employment Alliance, Rebecca works to make a bigger impact in our supported employment systems through advocacy and legislative involvement throughout Washington State. Rebecca started her career focused on assisting individuals who are Deaf and Hard and Hearing navigate employment as a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. She has served other non-profits such as Abused Deaf Women Advocacy Service and Hearing Speech and Deafness Center. Rebecca lives with her husband Roger, two children Elliott and Dahlia, and her Chocolate Lab, Nutella. She is officially the holder of jackets and supplies every weekend for the family at soccer games or skiing weekends.

Program: Andres Huante, UW College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Director, “CAMP Works,” May 9, 2024


Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring Andres Huante, the Director of the University of Washington’s College Assistance Migrant Program.

The program will be presented on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7 a.m.  The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m.  No registration is required, and the program is free.

The meeting will be available via Zoom.  Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.  The Zoom line will open shortly after 7 a.m.


The University of Washington’s (UW) College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) has been working with migrant/seasonal farmworker students for nearly 15 years. This federally funded program supports first-year students’ academic and personal development at UW. CAMP has successfully assisted students from a unique background to finish their first year at UW and graduate promptly.

Andres Huante joined the CAMP team in the Summer of 2015 as the Recruiter and Academic Adviser, and now serves as Director with UW Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity’s Student Success Team. He is from the small town of Lynden, WA, where he has lived the majority of his life until attending the University of Washington (UW) as a Freshman in 2009.

Andres earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in June 2014 and completed his Master of Education from UW in June 2015.

During his leisure time, Andres enjoys eating at new restaurants, attending Husky football games, and spending time with his family and friends.

Andres is excited to be working with CAMP and the Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity to support students who come from a similar background as his own.

Program: Jordan Van Hoozer, “Teen Feed: The Work We Do & the Business of Trust,” January 25, 2024

Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring Jordan Van Hooser of Teen Feed.

The program will be presented on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7 a.m.  The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m.  No registration is required, and the program is free.

The meeting will be available via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.  The Zoom line will open shortly after 7 a.m.


Teen Feed works with the community to offer support to meet basic needs, build strong relationships, and ally with houseless youth as they meet their future off the streets. Jordan Van Hoozer (she/they) has been the Volunteer Services Manager at Teen Feed for 2.5 years. She came to Teen Feed with experience in volunteer management, youth education, and food access. Teen Feed’s dedicated volunteers (such as Sunrise Rotary’s meal team!) and kind, resilient guests continue to inspire her every day, and she is honored to share Teen Feed’s mission and work.

Rotary and WeHeart Seattle Take on a Clean Up

A group of Rotarians takes on a garbage site.

It was hard to comprehend the quantity of garbage and the sad stories that it told.

On Saturday, January 21, 2024, our University Sunrise Rotary Club, along with members of several other clubs (I saw members of the Ballard Club and the Magnolia Club) allied together under the direction of WeHeartSeattle to take on a cleanup of a hill off of Dexter Avenue North. The location was just off the Fremont Bridge.

Some of the garbage, bagged and ready to be picked up.

It was on a hill that was muddy and slippery. It was tough work that lasted several hours.

Frankly, the geography was not huge, but the amount of trash that was picked up was enormous.

The site that Scott Jamieson, Victoria Wenick, and Tom Ranken–when we started.

I worked with Scott Jamieson and Victoria Wenick in a small area. It was a tiny ravine just large enough at one time for very small shelter that might have been a home to one or two people. There was no evidence that anyone had been there for a long time. This picture shows what the site looked like as we began picking up garbage. It doesn’t look like much–and it wasn’t, on the surface–but it turned out to be many layers deeps.

Scott Jamieson and Victoria Wenick of the University Sunrise Club

We filled dozens of garbage bags from this site alone. There may have been a hundred or more wine bottles underneath this. Almost none were broken. They were probably placed to reduce rainwater from entering the shelter or to keep the shelter from being washed down the hill. We worked for several hours on this site.

There were many other volunteers working similar areas.

For the day, our group of 55 people hauled out approximately 10,000 pounds of garbage.

Since 2020, WeHeartSeattle has removed 1,108,700 pounds of trash during 326 trash pickup events. Two hundred people have been helped off the streets, but twelve bodies have been discovered. Rotarians have been an integral part of these efforts since the very first trash pick at Denny Park.

Members of the University Sunrise Rotary Club that took part included President Paul Meehan, Scott Jamieson, Victoria Wenick, Mike Madden, Lincoln Ferris, Andrea Suarez, and myself, Tom Ranken.

WeHeartSeattle is one of the beneficiaries of the annual BIG TASTE fund raiser on March 23, 2024.

“I do this kind of thing because I know that I can’t change the entire world, but I can change small parts of it that make a big difference.  For example, we probably picked up hundreds of drug needles.  If we hadn’t, how long would it be until a young person suffered a serious incident playing in the woods?  We are probably saving lives.” -Tom Ranken

Some of the garbage pulled down the hill and ready for pick-up.
At one point, we found a stash of spent needles. There were a lot more scattered around at the site we worked on.
Andrea Suarez, Founder of WeHeartSeattle and member of the University Sunrise Rotary Club.
Victoria Wenick and Lincoln Ferris wander through the garbage at the end of the day.
We worked a pretty steep hill. We were told that city workers were not permitted to work hills. We suffered no known casualties.
The full group at the end of the event. Fifty-five people participated.

Volunteers Wanted For The Big Taste! March 23

We’re reaching out with some fantastic news and an exciting opportunity for you to make a meaningful impact in our community.

We’re gearing up for The Big Taste event on Saturday, March 23, starting at 5 pm at Hangar 30 in Magnuson Park, located at 6310 NE 74th St, Seattle, WA. This event promises an evening filled with delicious wines and lots of other beverages, great company, and most importantly, a chance to support three incredible organizations: Outdoors for All (Providers of adaptive and therapeutic recreation for children and adults with disabilities), We Heart Seattle (Action-based, boots-on-the-ground movement that organizes trash cleanups in our public spaces and offers resources to those in need), and University Sunrise Rotary Foundation (creates positive, lasting change locally and globally through service, investments in the community, and building close relationships).

To make this event truly special, we need your help! We’re in search of around 100 energetic and enthusiastic volunteers to ensure the smooth running of the evening. Here are some areas where we could use your support:

  1. Registration Team (20 volunteers): Help us sell tickets, check IDs, and provide wristbands from 4 to 7:30 pm.
  2. General Set Up (20+ volunteers): Join us in setting the stage for an amazing event from 11:15 am to 1:30 pm.
  3. Cleanup Crew (20+ volunteers): Assist with bagging up recycling/trash, folding tables/chairs, and more from 7:30 to 9:30 pm.
  4. Greeters & Rotary Info Stations (10+ volunteers): Welcome guests, distribute bottled water, and share general Rotary information from 4:30 to 8:30 pm.
  5. Cashier Station (8 volunteers): Coordinate with bottle valet and registration to make the payment process a breeze from 4:30 to 8:30 pm.
  6. Photo Booth (3 volunteers): assist photographer w/ pictures of guests and signing waivers etc. from 4:30-8:30 pm.

Ready to dive in and be a part of something amazing? Sign up for your preferred role and shift by contacting me at maria@weheartseattle.org .

Your dedication will contribute to the success of the event and, more importantly, support the wonderful causes we’re rallying behind.

Tickets for the event can be obtained at Big Taste Event Registration.

As an added bonus, volunteers that work a 2-hour shift will receive an entry to the event and 5 beverage tasting tickets.

Thank you for considering this opportunity, and we can’t wait to see you at the Big Taste event!

Best Regards,

Maria

Maria McManus, Board Member, We Heart Seattle, 206.475.8141

Program: Dr. Matthew George, Coastal Shellfish Manager, WA Fish and Wildlife, “Using Adaptive Management to Balance Commercial Harvest, Recreational Opportunity, and Sustainability within WA Coastal Shellfisheries,” January 11, 2024

Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring the Coastal Shellfish Manager for Washington Fish and Wildlife, Dr. Matthew George.

The program will be presented on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7:00 a.m.  The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m.  No registration is required, and the program is free.

The meeting will be available via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.  The Zoom line will open shortly after 7:00 a.m.


Dr. Matthew George Will discuss the status of shellfisheries on the Washington coast.

He is the Coastal Shellfish Manager for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife. He received his Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington in 2018. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from Gonzaga. He regularly serves as a reviewer for prestigious journals such as Aquaculture, Scientific Reports, Environmental Science & Technology, BMC Genomics, and Global Change Biology.

Program: University Sunrise Rotary Club Foundation: A Report, January 4, 2024

The program Thursday morning will feature the Board and leadership of our Club’s Foundation. We will report on some big shifts in the Club’s Foundation direction, the grants we have made recently, solicit the Club’s approval of several changes, and ask for your input for our future.

The Foundation’s Board includes:

  • Tom Ranken, Chair
  • Pam Mushen
  • Lincoln Ferris
  • Dave Mushen
  • Stuart Webber

Our Screening Committee, which reviews requests and makes recommendations, consists of:

  • Hal Beals
  • Nancy Bolin
  • Mike Madden

Jeff Mushen serves as our financial advisor and Paul Meehan participates in our discussions as Club President.


Find the PowerPoint slide presentation here.