Our first speaker of the year was Luke Timmerman, biographer of Lee Hood. Many biographers have to rely on archives, old newspapers, relatives, and much more.  Others have the advantage of a living and compliant subject for firsthand information.  Luke Timmerman, in his biography of Lee Hood, entitled “Hood“, enjoyed the latter situation.

Hood’s evolution stemmed from an association with a high school teacher, a Caltech alumnus, who, seeing potential, steered the young man to that institution.  Hood soon made his name in Immunology and in genetics as applied to it. This entailed the DNA sequence and the shuffling of genes to evolve elements of the immune system. Thus arose the Biotech industry, investors therein, and AMGEN, the leading company in the field. Hood sat atop an empire. However, he clashed with the CalTech administration and his colleagues. CalTech discontinued genome research. Hood was ousted.

His next opportunity came at UW, to which he was recruited by Roger Perlmutter and financed by Bill Gates. In  the beginning, it was rosy. Hood brought CalTech recruits, $, prominence to UW. But ultimately he ran into difficulties. The issue was that of Systems Biology, a collaboration with other disciplines. UW did not go for this. He headed the Genome Department, but encountered managerial issues. He was again out on his own.

His contributions to biology are recognized worldwide. His many awards have not included the Nobel Prize. This, according to the author, is tragic.

Fellow University Sunrise Rotarians,

A reminder that we are taking a break for the Holidays this week; there is no breakfast meeting on Thursday. Our regular meetings will resume in 2017 on January 5th. The January Board Meeting will be Wednesday January 11th (delayed a week) and we have our Club Fireside on Friday January 20th.

Debuts & Discoveries Early Bird Tickets
Just a few days left to get your Debuts & Discoveries tickets at the early bird price of $30.00. Visit usrotary.org and click on the Debuts & Discoveries link on the top right.

https://usrotary.org//debuts-and-discoveries/

Hope everyone is have a great Holiday week.

President Jim

One hundred years ago, RI President Arch Klumph proposed an endowment that would “do good in the world.” The Rotary Foundation was born! ~ So… how are we doing in that “doing good” business? In a word, magnificent!

A recent Global Grant Worldwide Report, lists 1,112 Global Grants (min. budget of $30,000) approved in the last 14 months… an average of 17 Global Grants per week, year after year, after year. Imagine what that means! Rotarians around the globe are working wonders every week! Clubs working together accomplish community- based, and sustainable humanitarian projects; assemble and dispatch Volunteer Training Teams and recruit Rotary Peace fellows every week, year after year. Add to that Rotarians’ District Grant projects and Polio Eradication efforts, and you’ve got a magnificent track record of doing good in the world – brought to you by The Rotary Foundation! Be proud of that!

Remember… Every Rotarian Every Year! Use “Rotary Direct” … consider $20/mo.

 

PDG Mike Montgomery, DRFC District 5030

Teen Feed was chosen by our Club as the 2017 Debuts & Discoveries Grant Recipient. A big “Thank you” to all the organizations and their sponsors that submitted applications this year, and the efforts of the Grant Recipient Selection Committee led by Colleen Johnson and Tim Linehan.

 

 

On Monday, October 3, we will be volunteering with TeenFeed–a non-profit organization that provides warm meals, basic needs items, and supportive connections to homeless youth in Seattle. From 5:30-8:30 that evening, we will be at the University Lutheran Church, preparing and serving dinner to the homeless youth.

If you’re interested in joining us, please contact Nancy Bolin or Betsy Conklin, communityservice@usrotary.org

 

Come support our international service partner, TINFA at their annual fundraiser, this week. This year it is a breakfast, on Friday Sept. 30^th starting at 7:15am at the Montlake Community Center 1618 East Calhoun Street, Seattle, WA. One of the teachers from Guatemala, Marleny Sanchez, will join us. She will tell us about the program and we hope to be able to connect through Skype with her classroom in Retahuleu, Guatemala.  

The breakfast is free and a donation is encouraged (any donation level is welcomed). Let Mike Madden know (mikeminseattle@gmail.com) if you can join the University Sunrise table,  Or if you prefer, go to tinfa.org and click on “Sign me up here.”

Bereft of a workable projector, Kristi Martin, Senior Adviser of the Office of Health Reform, reverted solely to verbiage without missing a beat.

She was inspired early, when health coverage was weak and poorly distributed, to get it for those who needed it. To get it off the ground, she worked through several levels up to the federal. An anecdote was given for illustration.

Ultimately health care reform was passed, with Medicare and Medicaid created in 1964. The Consumer Assistance Plan was developed to help individuals contend with denied claims from insurance companies. This struggle resulted in two favorable Supreme Court decisions. The Affordable Care Act, following the Massachusetts model, followed. This is admittedly not perfect, but is a start, creating coverage for 20 million people. In addition, adult children up to age 26 are included under parents’ policies. There is now also free coverage for screening services, benefiting 137 million. Clinical trials have shown that this is economically feasible.

In that partnership has been needed, the YMCA in Seattle and elsewhere has been a logical choice. All of this proactive activity has saved Medicare money. Attention has now targeted the malnourished. Delivery of healthful meals to the home is a program known as Feeding America. Each food box costs $13. People are being empowered to control their health, i.e., in managing cardiovascular and diabetic situations. Trials in Ohio. California, and Texas have proved encouraging. Politics aside, all of this has shown success.

Comment: Is this the forerunner of single-payer universal health care? The other industrialized nations might be consulted on this concept.

 

Dan Newman is leaving in July and Pam Mushen and Sarah Cave are taking over as the Club’s new coordinators with the UW Health Sciences Rotaract Club.

Obstacles to success can be poor eyesight, poor hearing, poor reading skills, and poor nutrition. June 2^nd we heard from those who help lighten these burdens. Janine Kennedy, of Teen Feed, informed us of another dimension in aiding the young and vulnerable. Teen Feed creates a family for those, age 13-25, who have been forced onto the streets.

And here are the facts:

• The incidence of homelessness is rising sharply. An estimated 800-900 kids are sleeping in an insecure location
• Youth of color are a large part of those served.
• Home abuse and addiction are among the major factors causing this homelessness.
• Teen Feed affects their lives in subtle and social ways.
• Kids’ needs, which cannot be directly met, can be referred to places where help is available.
• They can be gotten into housing and into school.
• Too many kids are jailed, some via outdated truancy laws.
• Until recently, the older homeless have looked after the young homeless. The former have been evacuated, leaving the young unprotected.
• Bringing them in is superior to treating them on the streets.
• They sit at tables with mature adult volunteers who can hear their stories and potentially connect them to services.
• Runaways are difficult to deal with. If they come in for help, it is then available to them.
• There is no ID requirement to enter into the system.
• In winter, socks and camping gear are provided.
• When sitting and eating with other adults with their children, sometimes can be beneficial when they see normal relations.
• Because of previous trauma, they are candidates for mental illness. The process can be stopped between 18 and 24.
• Outreach teams include formerly homeless youths. They know where the kids hide.
• Volunteers can sit at a table or organize a meal team. These teams prepare, cook, and serves the kids.
• Allies clean up, share basic needs, and are a source of peer relationships.
• Teen Feed provides IDs and directs the kids to medical care facilities.
• Some of the kids do not want to be found, in that they escaped from foster care and do not want to be sent back to it.
• Outlets from trauma include art and other similar pursuits
• Donors at all levels provide funding and their time.
• There are a few employees, many volunteers.

Comment: Anyone who saves one life has done a heroic deed. Those who save many are truly blessed.