Anacortes Rotary Club Information
Anacortes

"Many Hands Make Light Work"

We meet In Person
Wednesdays at 12:00 PM
Majestic Inn & Spa
419 Commercial Ave
PO Box 94
Anacortes, WA 98221
United States of America
     
 
Just a note of sincere thanks and gratitude to you all for your hard work and perseverance in making our work party yesterday such a success!  Our yard looks picture perfect and we couldn’t be more thrilled.  Special thanks to Mark Lawrence and Simply Yards, for not only coordinating that coveted “fine, dark mulch”, but also for shoveling all morning to get the job done.  We are truly grateful for our community of hard working Rotarians.
 
Cindy and Tim Garrison
 
(Note:  Cindy & Tim were the proud winners of the A-Team Landscaping prize from last fall's Rotary Roundup fundraiser, and we thank them for their generosity.)
 
     
 
 
 
Approximately 120 Rotarians, friends, and community leaders enjoyed a fantastic evening at Anthony's, hosted by general manager (and future Rotary President!) Kasey Baker.  As in years past, Anthony's donated the entire restaurant, staff, and food while partnering with Rotary to raise funds for many worthy causes in Anacortes. 
 
In 2025, the club will provide support for:  Anacortes Boys & Girls Club, Anacortes Family Center, Anacortes Robotics Club, Anacortes Sister Cities Romania Trip, AHS Digital Media Program, AHS Future Business Leaders of America, AMS Band, AMS Hawk 200 Club, Anacortes Luminary Parade, ASF Ready to Learn Fair, ASD Literacy Night, Cap Sante High School, Cap Sante Rotary Viewpoint Project, College Scholarships, Community Action of Skagit County, Fidalgo Danceworks, Fidalgo Seed Share, Friends of the ACFL, IPA Adopt a Village- Copan, Honduras, IPA Adopt a School- Copan, Honduras, Mt Erie Running Club, Procession of the Species, Pints for Polio, Rachel's Closet, Reading is Fundamental, Skagit County Meals on Wheels, The Salvation Army, Transition Fidalgo and Friends, Wreaths Across America, and more...
 
Click here if you'd like to add your contribution.   
Thursday evening BOTH of Anacortes' Rotary clubs got together at the Rockfish to enjoy each others' company while raising money for Dolly's Imagination Library.  Miss Parton, herself, was kind enough to pose for photos!  More than $1700 was raised to help put a new book into the hands of Anacortes' early readers every month. 
A Rotary tradition that is the perfect prescription for the winter doldrums.  On Friday evening four hosts welcomed their "surprised" guests (you don't know who's going to be there until you show up!) for camaraderie, conversation,  and sumptuous dishes from the four corners of the globe.  Thank yous go out to the Worras, Garrisons, McClintocks, and Hays.
 
 
 
Anacortes' very own "Essential Element" ukulele troupe led our Rotary congregation in holiday favorites and merriment.  Lindy Reno won the ugly sweater contest in a runaway, while Jack Curtis' Celtic-inspired ensemble was voted most festive. And it wouldn't be a celebration without Peggy Flynn heading up a conga line of Christmas clad dancers between the tables and around the Majestic ballroom.  Thanks to Vicki Stasch for putting it all together, and Happy Holidays!
 
 
With Kiwi as our auctioneer, Dan & Rick as emcees, plus music from Sea Level and Pacific Twang,  Anacortes Rotary's cowboys and cowgirls turned out in force to raise lots of gold dust for the Boys & Girls Club,  and mined additional gold nuggets for other worthy causes.  Thanks to the many, many folks who helped create "Rotary at the Ranch" and many more who dug deep for our community the evening was a huge success.  Check out all the fun here.
 
 
Sponsored by Anacortes Sister Cities, our Klapa Vela Luka friends combined two groups of performers and performed in numerous venues during their nine-day stay.  Their official group names are:  1. Klapa F. D. Kumpanija, directed by Janes Vlasic, and 2. Kvartet Portun, directed by Mario Prizmic.  They thoroughly enjoyed the time they spent with our Rotary club. 
 
They performed at Brodniak Hall, for Anacortes High School students, and later for the general public.  They performed at the Slovanian Hall in Tacoma, CroatiaFest at the Seattle Center, at the Anacortes Senior Center, at City Hall, on the streets of downtown Anacortes, aboard the Island Explorer 5, and other spots as well.  In addition, they enjoyed watching an AHS football game, rowing with OARS, touring the popular spots on Fidalgo Island, and visiting the W. T. Preston and the Maritime Museum, where most saw familiar family faces in historical Anacortes photos.
 
The timing of their visit is important, as Anacortes and Vela Luka celebrate the 20th anniversary of their sister cities relationship – September, 2004 to September, 2024.  Rotarian Duane Clark, who is also a charter member of Anacortes Sister Cities, described how this visit was 19 years in the making, and what a fantastic experience it was to at last host his longtime friends in beautiful A-Town.
 

     

Many of us are sponsors for students (kindergarten through university) in schools in various villages surrounding Copan Ruinas, Honduras as part of the IPA project.  It is a remarkable opportunity to support these young village students, helping them to find a path to a better future.

I want to tell you about a university student, for whom I am one of the proud sponsors.  Fanny Giron is in her fifth year of medical school (impossible without IPA support), currently studying at the Roosevelt Hospital in Guatemala City.  She is a remarkable student – smart, articulate, compassionate, and driven, laser focused on her goal.  The updates she sends to me are filled with detailed information about her duties, her fellow students and staff, her family, and the occasional unexpected events that come her way.  Her current medical rotation is with infants.

In her own words, “I deeply love my elective.  I spent a week in the labor and delivery area, and on the first day, I received my first baby, and I loved it!  Then, the following week, I moved to the neonatal intensive care unit.  It’s tough and sad to see the babies in oxygen chambers and intubated, but the care the doctors provide is excellent.  My mentor is the head of the neonatal intensive care department, and he is incredible.  He is so kind to the babies, but also to the parents, the resident doctors, the nurses, and the students.”

“My day starts at 4:20 a.m.  I attend classes with the residents at 6 a.m. and then at 8 a.m. we start the rounds.  The doctor is tough on the residents and also on the intern.  I like to write down all the questions and interesting information he shares; it’s always very useful and straightforward.”

Fanny talks about a bomb threat that caused the evacuation of the hospital.  “Everyone was running around like crazy, and no one was leaving the premises because they didn’t know if it was safe or not.  In the neonatal intensive care unit, where I am, the doctor asked us to leave the hospital as soon as possible, and so we did.”  A small staff remained to care for the babies who could not be moved.  Fortunately, no bomb was found.

Fanny is profoundly grateful for the support she receives.  “Thanks for helping me achieve my dreams, and thank you for getting involved and making such a positive impact on my life.”

I believe there are many more young men and young women in Copan who, like Fanny, are highly motivated, and are sitting on the edge of their chairs, ready to take flight if we continue to provide the support that they need.

 
In preparation for next month's awards to Rotary grant recipients, Grants Committee Chairman Jack Darnton "tests" members on their knowledge of the club's varied grant activities,  including community, vocational, and international causes.  Did you know there were 30 Anacortes Rotary grant beneficiaries during the past year? 
 
Jack also provided insights on the mechanics of fundraising and selecting recipients, highlighting the major spring fundraiser at Anthony's and the upcoming Rodeo Roundup fall fundraiser. Also noteworthy are the hundreds of hands-on hours members devote to directly assisting a number of of the recipients.  Finally,  Jack imparted words of inspiration for the upcoming season and the Cap Sante Overlook project--and extra candy for the quiz winners ;-)

Our members tend to be a motivated bunch, often participating in multiple community organizations.  Club Historian, Duane Clark, is also the Past President and a current board member of the Anacortes Sister Cities Association. This week he and Sister Cities President John Lovric hosted a golf tournament (where the Rotary team continued its improvement!) and provided Wednesday’s lunch program with more than a dozen exchange students and teachers from our Romanian sister city, Comarnic.

Next year, our Romanian friends will host a contingent from Anacortes,  no doubt with a Rotarian or two in the mix.

 
The Rotary Quick and Dirty Boat Building Team of Jeremy Graham, Jerry Ladd, and Ralph Petty constructed a dashing outrigger style boat, decorated in brilliant Rotary blue and gold by Loalynda Bird, Peggy Flynn, and Duane Clark.  Fundraising nails were sold by Stephanie Hamilton and Rick Starr.  Strong overall leadership was provided by Commodore Krista Oicles, who again organized Rotary's team for the annual event.  Graham and Ladd were selected as rowers for the big race competition owing to their youth and swarthy physiques.  At the blast of the starting horn our rowers arched their backs mightily against the sea, and * snap – snap! * in an instant broke both oars!  Undaunted, they plunged hands and arms into water and rowed anyway, turning said ocean into a boiling froth.  It was a herculean effort propelling that boat using only their human limbs while their competitors enjoyed the luxury of oars. One would expect nothing less of a Rotary operation! Our boys persevered when all others would have surely crumpled and finished the race.  Though not a victory in title, the blue and gold received far and away the loudest, most boisterous cheers from the multitude of onlookers. We took third place overall, a fine achievement considering the adversity endured.

While out on a walk last fall, Rotarian Loalynda Bird asked her good friend and fellow Rotarian, Peggy Flynn, for her help to bring the Earth Day Luminary Light Parade to Anacortes. A luminary artist, Loalynda founded the Guemes Parade in 2016. The Parade had grown to capacity over the years and now Loalynda wanted more people and a larger variety of age groups to take the Parade to the next level. An active community volunteer with project management skills, and an avid luminary maker, Peggy agreed.

Their first call was to Rotarian and Chamber of Commerce CEO Jesica Kiser for guidance about dates and logistics. Jesica helped secure the Depot for their preferred date, April 20, 2024.  In conversations with other community leaders, the Procession of the Species was mentioned as another earth-friendly event. Discussions between the organizers led them to conclude that, given the big task of closing Commercial Avenue, it made sense for both the Luminary Parade and the Procession of the Species to take place on the same day. Having joined forces, the next challenge was to resolve the question of timing, given that the Procession is a daytime event and the Luminary Parade happens at nightfall.

The next call was to Rotarian Jordan Hay, Executive Director of the Anacortes Downtown Alliance. Would her organization want to organize a street fair in the time between the Procession and the Luminary Parade? With the streets closed, a street-festival atmosphere could bring additional people downtown on a shoulder season weekend. With Jordan’s characteristic enthusiasm, the event began to take shape.

Operating without any funding, Rotary Grants Committee chair Jack Darnton encouraged the Luminary group to apply for a grant to cover basic necessary expenses. Needing someone with years of experience to manage street closures, Rotarian Jim Poitrus accepted the call and added his wife and fellow Rotarian, Cheryl, to assist with this task. As plans have expanded and grown, Rotarian Don Bird brings his expertise in media and event planning to the team. Rotarian Rick Star’s Rockfish will be setting up a Beer Garden.  Under the guidance of Rotarian and DanceWorks Director Melisa Turnage, a group of young dancers, invited to participate in a Disneyland parade in June, will have the honor of leading the Luminary Parade.

Besides Loalynda and Peggy, other Rotarians have gotten into the spirit by either making their very own, or volunteering to carry, luminaries in the parade. You are likely to see Bonnie Bowers, Jordan Hay, Jesica Kiser, Janette Lione, Marta and Mike McClintock, Sondra Peters, Therese Rudzis, Mary Staley, Rick and Carole Star, and Vicki Stash brightening the evening skies.

With these many seeds having been planted by members of the Anacortes Rotary Club, the First-Ever Anacortes Earth Day Celebration is about to blossom on Saturday, April 20 beginning at 4 pm and ending around 10 pm.  In addition to the Luminary Parade and the Procession of the Species, the Street Fair will feature two live bands, street dancing led by a professional ballroom dance instructor, nearly 20 non-profit organizations featuring earth-friendly exhibits and children’s activities. Downtown shops will have special promotions, and restaurants will offer earth-friendly menus.

Schedule of Events

4:00 Rhythm Studio Dancers

5:00 Procession of the Species

5:45 Music by Anacopper Road

6:45 Music by Pension King and the Dependents

8:00 Luminary Light Parade

A Note from Loalynda & Peggy (pictured below):   "We are more than grateful for the generosity, enthusiasm and energy the Anacortes Rotary Club has brought to this first-ever community event. We simply could not have made this happen without YOU. It truly does take a village . . . and a Rotary Club.  Thank you!"

 

 
Apr 9-  "Skagit Agricultural Tourism", Kristen Keltz, Skagit Tourism Bureau CEO
 
Apr 16-  Centennial Viewpoint Dedication (11:45 @ Anacortes Yacht Club)
 
Apr 23- "Earth Day activities and "Importance of Pollinator Gardens," Virgene Link-New, Master Gardener
 
Apr 30- "News From Copan", International Committee
 
May 7-   Lisa Graham (topic TBA)
 
May 14- "Tuskegee!", Curtis Payne
 
May 21- "Farmyard Chickens: Eggs, Ecology, and Everything in Between", Kevin Meenaghan
 
May 28- "The Great Anacortes Rotary Joke-Off Finale", hosted by Tim Garrison
Club Banner Buddies
 
Club Executives & Directors
President
President Elect
Past President
Treasurer
Secretary
Centennial Project
Club Historian
Club Service Chair
Club Workforce Chair
Community Service Co-Chair
Community Service Co-Chair
Fellowship Chair
Grants Chair
International Service Chair
Membership Chair
Public Relations Chair
Rotary Foundation Chair
Vocational Service Chair
Eco Action Committee
The District Conference is May 2-4 @ Tulalip Casino. A fun way to make new friends and learn more about Rotary.

 Member  Spotlight 

"Into Everything"
 

It seems not a Wednesday lunch goes by without Vicki announcing something new and exciting she is working on for the benefit of Anacortes’ fine citizens. That’s because she is. Coming of age in the sixties, Vicki Stasch was Inspired by John F. Kennedy’s clarion call to “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country”, and she has lived by those famous words ever since.

Vicki first joined Rotary 33 years ago in Visalia, California after being recruited as one the club’s first woman members.  Visalia is located in the heart of the heavily agricultural Central Valley. Assessing her community’s unique needs after a particularly severe winter freeze, Vicki helped inspire Rotary’s sponsoring the county’s ongoing  “Nutrition on the Go”, a specialized farmer’s market run by Foodlink of Tulare County that includes health, nutrition and human services tailored to the local agricultural workforce and their families.  The program was so innovative it actually won a rare, US-focused international grant from Rotary, embracing the Rotary’s (and Vicki’s) philosophy to “think global & act local.”

Here in Anacortes, Vicki currently serves on various boards and in worker-bee capacities at the Anacortes Family Center, Senior Center Foundation,  and  the Anacortes Parks Foundation and volunteers for others including Rotary. She also enjoys working on political campaigns for people and issues that promote the community’s greater good. She likes to mentor others, building upon prior experience in Visalia running her own management consulting practice. She is a Tacoma-native and with partner Dick, a native Californian,  retired to Anacortes in 2011. Vicki loves to tap dance with Fidalgo Dance Works, rows with OARS, hikes regularly, plays ukulele, ballroom dances and is often seen with her cocker spaniel, Gus. 

Vicki and Dick have 5 adult children between them living in California, Texas, and Hawaii. Then there are the 10 grandchildren and two great grands.

While putting together Vicki’s story over coffee at Penguin Books, one of her tap-dancing compatriots stopped by the table and commented “Oh, Vicki knows everybody and is into everything.”  So fitting!

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