The mission of the Foundation is to enable members to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. The Foundation may fund activities or make direct grants to individuals or organizations and may combine its financial resources with other Rotary clubs and Districts, for the greater good.
The program will be presented by the Board of the Foundation along with members of the Screening Committee. Board members are Tom Ranken (Chair), Stuart Webber (Treasurer/Secretary), Pam Mushen, Dave Mushen, and Lincoln Ferris. Screening Committee Members are Mike Madden, Nancy Bolin, and Hal Beals.
Forts Worden, Flagler, and Casey were developed to prevent enemy incursions into Puget Sound. When were they built, and what became of them?
Michael Bronsdon is a Pacific Northwest native who grew up camping and learning about the natural and human histories of the West. This fed a lifelong interest in history and the outdoors.
Michael earned B.A. (History), and MBA degrees from the University of Washington. His professional career included several years in book publishing, followed by 26 years in the software/technology industry.
Michael relocated to Bainbridge Island (Fletcher Bay neighborhood) in 2021 with his wife Cathy. He appreciates learning and sharing the stories of the communities of Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest.
He volunteers with the Bainbridge History Museum and joined the board earlier this year.
He is a passionate skier and hiker, and also enjoys choral singing, winemaking, photography and travel.
Arpita Dacy is the embodiment of female empowerment, dedication, and perseverance. She believes in leading by example and aims to be a good role model for women and youth through her journey. She is a devoted mother of a 7-year-old daughter, a Senior Tech Leader at Amazon, University of Washington Alumna degreed in Electrical Engineering, Professional Mentor, Motivational and STEM Speaker, Global Beauty Awards Nominee in multiple categories, and the National winner of the most esteemed pageant of Mrs. Universe America 2023-2024 hosted by internationally acclaimed and several award winning non-profit AmPowering. Arpita will be competing in the Mrs. Universe worldwide competition later this year in South Korea representing our WA state and America. Arpita is passionate about community engagement and is actively involved with various organizations to advocate for women’s issues and to promote cultural inclusivity, diversity and equity. She plans to use all her platforms to continue to motivate females to pursue their passions and create a greater impact in society.
As a part of Rotary, our club’s foundation is able to partner with other clubs and districts on local as well as global projects. We participated with 43 other Rotary clubs in this project led by Sheila Hosner of University District Rotary. Here’s part of Sheila’s progress report and some images of the planned health clinic at Bukobero, Uganda as well as a photo of the recent stage of construction.
“We raised a total of $103,677! Forty-three Rotary Clubs in four districts contributed and the project also received two district grants. …I can’t thank everyone enough for their contributions…
Below I have shared two drawings of what the building will look like when it is completed and a picture taken just days ago of where we are now. The construction picture on the right corresponds to the perspective of the bottom drawing. We expect the building completed by June or July 2024.”
Through our participation in international projects with TINFA (Technology and Information for All), the University Sunrise Service Foundation has made connections with community schools and Rotary Clubs in Guatemala. Principal Flori Acabal of Escuela Belen Elementary School reached out to us recently with an urgent request: could we help with repainting the school while the kids are away, during Holy Week (which was the next week)?
We connected with the President of Club Rotario de Retalhuleu and their club agreed to participate. Our foundation rushed approval of this request and Principal Flori was able to buy paint and start the project with teacher and parent volunteers.
Here are a few “Before” photos, of the school:
And some progress photos:
Principal Flori expects to finish repainting by the end of this week, 4/8-4/14. She says the kids will be much more enthusiastic about coming to the school with its fresh colors.
Below please find a link to the signup sheets for the upcoming QFC Food Drives. I included 3 tabs for members to sign up for March 9th, April 13th, and May 18th.
The program will be presented on Zoom only on Thursday morning with the 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.
Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning.The Zoom line will open shortly after 7:00 a.m.
Whether you’re an aviation enthusiast, Seattle history buff, or simply intrigued by tales of human perseverance and innovation, this presentation promises an inspiring and educational experience that will leave you with a newfound appreciation of the golden age of flight and our local aviation heritage. This year commemorates the 100th anniversary of man’s first around the world flight, a race against nations that began and ended for America here at Sand Point Field (now Magnuson Park and NOAA). Our speaker will guide you through the daring exploits of these Army Air Service aviators who embarked on this 175-day journey, defying the limits of early 20th-century technology and pushing the boundaries of human endurance. Through a blend of vivid storytelling and captivating visuals, we will revisit the challenges and triumphs faced by those intrepid individuals who dared to dream of circumnavigating the globe by air.
Our speaker is Elisa Law (MA Museology, University of Washington) is a Seattle-born and raised museologist and public historian. Before she was brought on board as Executive Director and Centennial Coordinator at Friends of Magnuson Park, she built an impressive resume, traveling Indian Country filming documentaries with Project 562, running development projects and becoming an honorary chief on a remote Samoan Island in the Peace Corps and studying the emergence of Buddhist temple museums in Japan. In addition to her current work with Friends, she manages book projects for HistoryLink, a museum renovation for Vashon Heritage Museum and writes grants for the historic Tokeland Hotel. And she is also the mother of a 1-year old.
The connective thread of her background in cultural heritage, education, and project management is a passion for storytelling. Don’t miss her thrilling rendition of the 1924 First World Flight!
Rotary District 5030 is launching the next cohort for RISE (Rotarians Inspired to Succeed and Engage)! We’re encouraging clubs to use this program to attract and engage members by offering advanced leadership training and an experienced member from another club. The program cost is $150 per participant and each club can have up to three members in the program. The deadline for application is Monday, April 1, and the application form is here.
Last fall, we had seventeen members in our pilot session and our exit survey rated the program 4.7 (out of 5) stars. Two-thirds of the participants reported that participating in RISE had already helped them to advance in their career and/or their club.
Testimonal: “I think the RISE program is a valuable tool, both for those early in their professional or Rotary careers with limited leadership experience, and for those later in their careers as a litmus test to reflect on whether one’s leadership habits have been as productive as one hoped.”-Mark Ward, President-Elect, West Seattle Club.
Each club can have up to 3 members per training cohort. There is a Spring session and a fall session.
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.
Mike Pellicciotti (Pelleh-chee-otti) was elected the 24th Treasurer of Washington in 2020. As Washington’s chief financial officer, Mike is dedicated to increasing government transparency, protecting Washington’s financial health, and leading policies that best serve our state’s working families and retirees.
Before being elected State Treasurer, Mike was an assistant attorney general and served North Pierce and South King Counties in the Washington House of Representatives. There he led efforts to increase penalties for corporate crime and get “dark money” out of politics.
As State Treasurer, Mike is leading good government reforms and policy proposals to reduce financial barriers for all Washingtonians. Last year he was selected as a Rodel Fellow, the bipartisan recognition of America’s 24 most promising elected leaders.
He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and received his Master’s in Rural Development as a United States Fulbright Scholar. His law degree is from Gonzaga University. Mike is a lifelong fan of Gonzaga Basketball.
