Program Archives - 2003

December 2nd at the WAC - Darrell Beetham and Joe Pace of the Millionair Club - The Millionair Club Charity of Seattle has operated in the Seattle community since 1921 with a unique charter of providing Seattle businesses with men and women willing to work to regain their sense of dignity and self worth.  Our speakers this week are Darrell Beetham and Joe Pace, members of this fine organization. 

Darrell Beetham is a past president of the Millionair Club Charity’s Board of Trustees.  He currently directs their Business Partners program enlisting area companies in providing jobs for Seattle’s needy.  He will address the ability of Seattle businesses to both benefit their firms while simultaneously increasing an individual’s dignity through hiring the homeless and the needy of Seattle. 

Joe Pace is a former NBA champion who has spent ten years as a homeless man.  Joe is now off the streets and shares his unique riches-to-rags story with Seattle’s business leaders.  Jobs from local businesses provide that first step up toward becoming a productive member of society.  The Millionaire Club’s founding concept is to provide a hand-up rather than a hand-out to people in need and who genuinely want to work.  Through earning a daily temporary wage, which proves them worthy of a permanent job, they are enabled to reach their goal of becoming independent and self-sufficient.
November 27th at the WAC - Our speaker this week, November 25th, 2003 will be Simon James.  Australian violinist Simon James is a graduate of the Manhattan School of Music. He is currently 2nd assistant concertmaster of the Seattle Symphony, and has also been a member of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra at New York's, Lincoln Center.

Simon has been involved in film score recording since 1978 when he participated in the sound track recording of "The Man from Snowy River". He also performed on other Australian movies such as "Road Warrior", "Gallipoli"," Breaker Morant", "Crocodile Dundee" and many others.  He has established Seattle as a "go to" city for recording Hollywood motion picture scores. Seizing the opportunity to exploit a non A F of M labor situation, he promoted the skills of Seattle's musicians and studios, and gained a significant market share formerly exclusive to LA.

His credits include "Runaway Jury", "Keeping the Faith", "The Sixth Day", "Scary Movie","The Wedding Planner" and many others.   In addition to scoring motion pictures, he has also had wide performance experience. He has toured with Elton John, and appeared with Billy Joel, and has played as soloist with the Seattle Symphony orchestra. On the Bolshoi Ballet's most recent trip to Seattle he performed as guest concertmaster in the critically acclaimed production of "Swan Lake".
November 18th at the WAC - Paul Tucker, CEO of Highline Community Hospital - Hearing about the revolving door shown to today's CEOs is ordinary news. But "ordinary" is not a word anyone who knows him would use to describe our November 18th speaker, Paul Tucker, veteran CEO of Highline Community Hospital. Paul spoke to us in June of 2002 about the need for a national healthcare policy, and it was a very stimulating exchange. Many of you asked that we invite him to return to address us again, and we are fortunate that he has agreed. He will talk with us on Tuesday about "Why Health Care Costs So Much."

Not only has Paul Tucker been Highline's CEO for 25 years, but his principled leadership has been instrumental in Highline continuing to be one of the few community hospitals with early Puget Sound roots that still exists and is flourishing! Highline was recently named by AARP as one of the top 15 hospitals with heart in the United States. You won't want to miss this opportunity to hear from someone who is recognized and revered as a leader in his field. Bring your interested colleagues and guests, and plan to join us November 18th at 7:15am in the Crystal Room of the WAC.
November 11th at the WAC - Margit Rankin, Seattle Arts & Lectures - Writers In The Schools (WITS) an award-winning creative writing and reading program in the Seattle Public Schools. The program brings writers into the classroom to work with teachers and students across the curriculum. The writer-teacher team acts as a catalyst to broaden and inspire students' understanding of human experience and self-expression through reading, writing and performance. Through these activities, WITS turns public schools into communities of readers and writers.
November 4th at the WAC - Jan Knutson, past CEO,  Senior Services of Seattle/King County.  A Seattle 4 Rotarian, Jan began at the agency in May 1999, and she immediately began putting her 28 years of experience in the human services arena to work. One of her early visions for the agency, to develop a strategic plan for growth into the new century, produced a simple and focused mission for the agency: To Support the Independence of Seniors.

She is dedicated to helping each and every older adult celebrate their new stage of life by living as actively and independently as possible.

October 28th at the WAC - Alison Carl, Executive Director, Seattle Works - Seattle Works' mission is to foster in young adults a lifetime commitment to community involvement through innovative volunteer activities and educational opportunities.  Seattle Works is dedicated to building and maintaining a diverse community of young adult volunteers that regularly participate in their communities through volunteering and learning more about important local issues.

By providing a variety of opportunities for our volunteers to engage in community service, we are better able to meet the needs of our growing list of non-profit partners, working to create a deeper connection between the two groups. We encourage you to join us to experience the fun and rewards of getting engaged.
October 21st at the WAC - Ken Weaver, Forest Service and Fire Protection - Ken is the president of Weaver Flowers in Yakima.  Ken will speak to us about "The Stewardship of the American Dream".  Ken lost his son, Devan, while fighting fires in Washington State two years ago.

Ken will explain how the Forest Service prepares its people for fighting fires, and share with us his opinion of how an administration fails to support its crews on the front lines.  Ken will outline some steps that our elected officials, who oversee this government administration, can and are taking to improve the safety of our "loved ones" on the fire lines.

 "It is important to be aware of a balance between Mother Nature and Mankind. While we can never eliminate the risk that fire brings, we must not make matters worse with political bureaucracy.  Ken will share the "love and loss" of his son along with the obvious concerns that exist with our government in protecting our "loved ones".
October 14th at the WAC - Mary Ellen Stone, King County Sexual Assault Center  - “For nearly 30 years, child and adult victims of sexual assault in King County have been served by King County Sexual Assault Resource Center and Harborview Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress.  In partnership with other groups.” they, “advocate for victims and their families and make sure the victim perspective and the victim voice is heard.”

“It is important to be smart and thoughtful about how we handle difficult information.  For example, we now know that sex offenders are not equally dangerous.  The best research shows that many will not reoffend once they have been caught, especially if they are in an aware environment that provides few opportunities to reoffend.  While it is never possible to eliminate all risk, we can learn to match our level of worry to the risk that individual offenders pose.”

“We believe that having knowledge about convicted sex offenders, the nature of sexual assault and prevention strategies is power.  It gives citizens the information they need to protect themselves and their children from specific sex offenders.  But just as important, knowing that sex offenders live among us creates the opportunity for every citizen to be part of the solution to the problem of sexual assault.

Mary Ellen Stone, co-other of the excerpted copy taken from the Seattle P&I of October 5, 2003, will be our speaker on Tuesday October 14, 2003.  She will be giving an overview of the scope and problem of sexual assault, the services provided by King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, and some of the steps members of leadership groups, such as Rotary, can take to combat this serious issue in King County
October 7th at the WAC - Bob Woodruff, Antioch University What are the things you have always wanted to do, but haven't done because you haven't had the time, skill, money or perhaps the courage?

Tuesday's speaker, Bob Woodruff, will talk with us about transitions and reinventing ourselves. He will show us how we can use our dissatisfaction with the status quo, our vision of something better and the taking of a few first steps to counter our own resistance, so that we can be intentional about the changes we make.

Woodruff speaks with credibility. He has had the opportunity to be intentional about his many transitions including multiple paths in line management and human resource development over 30 years at Weyerhaeuser, a vibrant international consulting career, and the past 8 years leading the Organization Systems Renewal master's program at Antioch University. As the recently retired Faculty Chair of the Antioch program, he is undergoing yet another transition in his life and that includes exploring the opportunity to work with newly retired individuals and groups who still want to continue learning.

Woodruff holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Colgate University, a Masters degrees in Business Administration with a focus on Marketing from Northwestern's Kellogg School and in Whole Systems Design and Organization Systems Renewal from Antioch University Seattle.

You won't want to miss this program. It promises to be stimulating and thought provoking, and it could just have lasting ripple effects.

Join us at the WAC in the third floor Crystal Room for coffee at 7:15, breakfast and a program that starts at 7:30. See you there!
September 30th at the WAC - Lloyd David, The Polyclinic - We like to think that the physician we see is "one of the best" in his or her field, but how do we know? Is it because of a recommendation by a trusted family member, friend, colleague or another health professional? Or do we judge the quality of the care by the professional demeanor of our physician, our access to the care, or perhaps the service experience in the office?

Join us on September 30th and hear Lloyd David address the importance of our having access to reliable quality outcome measures for the practices of our physicians, so that we can use the most critical indices for making informed choices about who will provide our health care.  Lloyd David is the Executive Director of The Polyclinic, a multispecialty group located in Seattle. Founded in 1917, the clinic provides nineteen medical specialties and a wide range of diagnostic services, including ambulatory surgery, diagnostic imaging, lab, cardiology diagnostics, etc.

From 1996 to 1998, Mr. David served as president of the Washington Medical Group Alliance, an association of 12 large medical groups across the state. He is currently a trustee of the Washington State Medical Group Management Association. Prior to joining The Polyclinic in 1994, Mr. David served in a variety of administrative roles at Harborview Medical Center where his responsibilities included strategic and facility planning, marketing, community relations, regulatory affairs, safety, security, parking, funding development, organization development and training and volunteer services. He has a BA in government from Harvard University and an MBA from the University of Washington.

 

 September 23rd at the WAC - Dave Sabey, Sabey Corporation - Dave will be speaking to us regarding the proposed advanced cardio institute called “Seattle Heart”.  A joint vision of Swedish Health Services and Mr. Sabey, “Seattle Heart” is the name Swedish officials suggest for this technologically advanced cardio institute that proposes to partner local hospitals and physician groups to establish a world class cardiovascular treatment and research institute on its Providence campus. 

 “The institute will be a powerful magnet for future economic growth, “ said Marcel Loh, chief operating officer of Swedish Medical Center’s Providence campus.  “Already a world leader in cancer care and biotechnology, soon our region will be a world leader in cardiac care.”   Join us this week to hear of the medical and economic benefits that could be achieved for the Puget Sound area with the advent of “Seattle Heart.”  
September 16th at the WAC - IslandWood --- A Unique Vision - Our two speakers this week, Carole Grisham and Peter Newland, will share with Emerald City Rotary the vision of a group of community leaders who have developed IslandWood on some 255 acres on south Bainbridge Island.  Their vision:   To create the nation’s most ambitious outdoor learning center and to serve children from under-represented communities in Puget Sound.

Each school year, IslandWood serves nearly three thousand 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students and their teachers in a 4-day School Overnight Program.  Using the outdoors as a classroom, IslandWood’s experienced naturalists, educators and graduate students offer a unique, hands-on learning experience in the areas of science, emerging technologies, and the arts.  The program is designed to prepare these students to become stewards of their environment and their community, and ultimately the quality of life in Puget Sound. 

September 9th at the WAC - Do take the opportunity of checking out the Harborview Hospital web site, www.washington.edu/medicine/hmc/, before our Tuesday morning meeting and familiarizing yourself with the somewhat unique nature of this nationally acclaimed Medical Center.  The hospital with a view of the beautiful Seattle Harbor is the site of many daily miracles and unfortunate human tragedies.  From ER to medical discovery, come and listen to our speaker this week, Tina Mankowski.

Tina Mankowski has been the director of Community Relations at Harborview Medical Center since 1984.  She oversees media relations, outreach, publications, internal and external communications as well as the marketing efforts of the Medical Center.  Her duties also include oversight of the medical center’s volunteer program, the hospital’s art program as well as interface with the Medical Center’s service league. 

A graduate of the University of Washington, with a degree in communications, Ms Mankowski will present an overview of the services and programs at Harborview, as well as update Rotarians on the latest publicly funded construction projects at Harborview.  Do come and enjoy an hour of Rotary friendship, commitment to the Seattle community, and insight into this joint venture of the University of Washington and King County.  

September 2nd at the WAC - Club Assembly
August 26th at the WAC - Our speaker for this pre-Labor Day meeting will be Metropolitan King County Council member Rob McKenna.  As King, Pierce and Snohomish Country officials craft a plan for regional transportation improvements, they seek involvement from a broad range of citizens and community leaders.  Accompanied by a powerful PowerPoint presentation, Council member McKenna will bring to us the proposals and options for the transportation projects and funding sources now on the table.  These proposals are complex and require a great amount of review, and should present an opportunity for an energetic exchange during Q & A. 

The Regional Transportation Investment District, RTID, plans to assemble a final package to submit to voters in early 2004.  Be sure to come, listen and then let your views be shared with the Club and Council member McKenna.

August 19th at the WAC - Dave Valle, Executive Director of Esperanza.  We all know Dave Valle, former Seattle Mariner player and current color analyst for both Mariner and ESPN broadcasts. However, we have invited Dave to present on a topic far more important than baseball.  Dave is founder and executive director of Esperanza, an internationally recognized non profit organization working in the Dominican Republic, one of the world's poorest countries. Esperanza is exceedingly successful at enabling individuals to become economically self-supporting and stable, at creating new jobs, and at providing opportunities for children to attend school.

Emerald City Rotary has supported the good work of Esperanza for a number of years. Come hear Dave share how our club has made a difference through Esperanza. Be sure to invite a friend or colleague.
August 12th at the WAC - The Rev. Paul Collins, Rector of the historic Trinity Parish Church.  Father  Collins brings to our club the unique perspective of a downtown Seattle pastor, with a local-to-global perspective of the Episcopal Church: its urban presence, its struggle with gay issues, and the church's desire to be both relevant and faithful.  Becoming the tenth rector of Trinity Parish Church in the fall of 1998, he describes himself as an eastern Washington farm kid. He pursued his education at Washington State University and the Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley, California. This was during the "interesting times" of social uproar and the Viet Nam conflict, and Father Collins says the briefly popular pass-fail system helped him immeasurably.

More education followed, in Educational Psychology at the University of Washington, and ten years of working as a "jail bureaucrat." (He likes to say he met his wife, Kathie Deviney, in jail.  Hopefully, he will explain that!)   As a priest, Father Collins has served at five other area parishes.  He remains active in local diocesan affairs and regional and national organizations.  (He also says he has been amply punished for his sins through committee memberships.)

Trinity Parish Church, a beautiful stone building, is located one block east of I-5 at the corner of Eighth and James.  It was originally built in 1889-91, remodeled after a fire in 1903, and is currently undergoing significant repair resulting from the 2001 earthquake. The church building is a registered National Historic Landmark.
August 5th at the WAC - David Otto of ReconsiDer: Forum on Drug Policy, has dealt with the drug issue from many sides, First as a Military Police Officer at Fort Hood Texas; as a Correctional Officer at the Texas Department of Corrections Eastham unit; and on the streets of Miami, Florida where, in conjunction with working as a substance abuse counselor for ten years in the streets and drug dens of that city, he helped pilot the certification process for Certified Criminal Justice Addiction Professionals in Florida.

As Director of the Spring Valley Project, a youth diversion program aimed at reducing juvenile recidivism, Dave’s project created after school tutoring and mentoring programs serving hundreds of kids and families.  As a result of the two years of daily brutality Dave witnessed at the Texas Eastham Unit, he came to this unshakable belief: “No one deserves to be delivered into the brutality and humiliation of the American penal industry for simply possessing or using a prohibited substance.  The drug war is an American Gulag – nothing more – nothing less.”

A Guardian Ad Litem, representing the interest of abused children, Dave currently works as a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Certified Trainer while he is completing his Ph.D in Counseling Psychology.  Do come and listen to the “other side of the story” from a man uniquely qualified to discuss the many issues surrounding our current drug program in the United States.
July 29th at the WAC - Vicky M. Peltzer, Chief, University of Washington Police Department. As Chief of a fully accredited law enforcement agency, she oversees 50 commissioned officers, a 700 acre service area and a population of 62,000. Meet Vicky and assess for yourself: what kind of woman does it take to lead this proud department? Is she the Iron Lady? The Steel Magnolia? The Black Dahlia?

As Chief since August 1999 VIcky has been faced with many challenges, including activism in the Northwest leading to the WTO riots, arson at the Urban Horticulture Center, protecting a range of dignitaries, managing football games with 75,000 screaming Husky fans, a top ten Medical Center and Health Sciences department, and a major research institution. 

Vicky will introduce us to the UW Police department, review homeland security issues, talk about how City and University Policing are different and she will focus on current policing issues in the University community. 

July 22nd at the WAC -  So far this Rotary Year (July to June 2004), we’ve dealt with crime committed with guns (Myrle Carner), faith on the college campus (Rabbi Daniel Bridge), and inspiration within the Rotary Foundation and District 5030; this week we’re going to try our hand at culture!   Our speaker this week will be Jill Rullkoetter, currently The Kayla Skinner Director of Education and Public Programs at the Seattle Art Museum, and a former speaker to our Club.  Her primary topic will be the recent exhibition of the famed “Lansdowne” portrait of George Washington.   Painted in 1796 by Gilbert Stuart, this portrait is considered a national treasure, compared to the Liberty Bell and Declaration of Independence.  Curiously, the portrait remained on foreign soil until received on loan in 1968 to the The National Portrait Gallery, which purchased the painting in the year 2000.

July 15th at the WAC - This week is a great week to attend the Emerald City Rotary Club meeting. Our speaker will be Rotary District 5030 Governor John Jacob Gardiner . . . a Rotarian since 1984.

John came to the Pacific Northwest in 1991 to serve as a professor of leadership and department chair at Seattle University. John completed work toward a Ph.D in leadership at the University of of Florida. He was selected for postdoctoral appointments at the University of Oregon, Stanford University, and Harvard University.

John and his partner, Ande Thollander, both took part in last years Polio Eradication mission to Ethiopia. John has two children: James, who is a junior at Seattle University, and Katharine, a sophomore at Bennington College in Vermont.
July 8th at the WAC -  This week’s speaker is Rabbi Daniel E. Bridge, one of two sons of Seattle 4 Rotarian Herb Bridge and his accomplished wife, Shirley.  Rabbi Dan is the Executive Director of the Hillel Organization at the University of Washington and is currently leading the energetic physical plant expansion program at their site at 4745 17th Avenue, in the heart of the living area at the University.  Ministering to the community, Jewish and non Jewish for over fifteen years, Rabbi Bridge will speak to us of the challenges of university life today. 

Our speaker graduated from the University of Washington majoring in German Language and Microbiology.  He lives with his son Zack in the Queen Anne area while his son Jake is attending the University of California at Santa Cruz. Please be sure to join us Tuesday morning at 7:15 in the Crystal Room for an exceptionally energetic experience.  (And, look to the website, www.hilleluw.org for an interesting insight into the uniqueness of the Jewish campus experience today.)
July 1st at the WAC - We have nothing but good news for this weeks program . . . Myrle has returned!  At least for this Tuesday Mornings meeting.  Currently a program manager for the Department of Justice while also running a program called "FACE" - FireArm Crime Enforcement Coalition of Western Washington, Myrle Carner has kept quite active since his "retirement" as a Detective with the Seattle Police Department.  Some of us remember Emerald City Rotary Member Mryle as the quite amiable Santa around the 25th of December each year.  But, if you want to get reacquainted with Mryle's current activities head out to his temporary abode at Cop Talk Radio, or listen up this Friday evening on CNN Radio News Network, KKNW 1150 AM to hear what the ever so smooth Myrle has to say.  Then, BE SURE to be with us bright and early on Tuesday morning to get caught up on the "Adventures of Myrle."

June 24th at the WAC - Write It Academy - Come and meet the Young Men of Tomorrow from the Thurgood Marshall/ Emerald City Rotary Write It! Program.

June 17th at Crepe de Paris - 5:30 PM to 9:00 PM - Annual Presidents Dinner

June 10th at the WAC Gardening with Ciscoe Morris
We have good news and bad news…The bad news is that caterpillars are everywhere. Why don’t the birds gobble those things up? What purpose do those caterpillars serve? What is the best way to protect my garden? The good news is that we have the foremost gardening authority visiting Rotary next week. King County Master Gardner Cisco Morris will entertain and inform. Put on your thinking caps and come prepared with your best gardening questions. It is sure to be a fun meeting so bring along a guest with a green thumb.
June 3rd at the WAC - Students and teachers from Garfield High will talk about the new mathematics lab - supported by ECRC funds.

May 27th at the WAC - Two years ago Sound Transit inaugurated rail service between Tacoma and Seattle. Since then more than 2 million passengers have taken the train. Marty Minkoff, director of The Sounder  will discuss the Sounders success and its future role in Puget Sound Transit.
May 20th at the WAC - Jay Leon presents the story of Social Venture Partners.    SVP was founded by technology industry leaders with the purpose of building a philanthropic organization using a venture capital model.  SVP looks to partner with not for profit organizations primarily in the areas of childhood development, education and environment.  SVP involvement can include hands on work, management support, strategic planning, legal, marketing or “what ever it takes” to make a project successful.   With a mission that is similar in many ways to our own, perhaps we can learn some “best practices” to make ECR a better organization. 
May 13th at the WAC - Henry Nielson Day - we will honor past ECR member Henry Nielsen by awarding the annual Henry Nielsen educational achievement award. This promises to be one of the highlight meetings of the year. Henry Nielsen day chair is Jim Beley and master of ceremonies for the meeting is past President Tom Burley. Come celebrate with your fellow members next Tuesday and meet this years award winners.
May 6th at the WAC - Karen Bryant,VP of Operations & Anne Donovan, Head Coach Seattle Storm (professional women's basketball). What to Expect from the Storm this Season

April 29th at the WAC -  Last Friday I awoke at 3am wondering if I was dreaming or did I really hear/feel my house shaking?  Sure enough, we had a 4.8 magnitude earthquake with an epicenter on the Olympic Peninsula.  For all of you wondering if you need earthquake insurance, come join us at Rotary on Tuesday morning.  Our guest speaker will be Bill Steele, director of information services, Pacific N.W. Seismograph Network.  "PNSN" operates seismograph stations and locates earthquakes in Washington and Oregon.
April 22nd - Sue Byers, Special Assistant to the Superintendent Seattle Public Schools. "The State of Seattle Public Schools"
April 15th - Richard Andrews, Director, Henry Art Gallery.  The Visual Art of James Turrell

April 8th - Winfried Danke, Executive Director, Prosthetics Outreach Foundation Helping Amputees in Developing Countries To Walk Again    Winfried carries out the mission of POF founder Dr. Earnest Burgess in “Helping the developing world walk again”. For over a decade POF has provided prosthetic relief to victims of war and landmines as well as others who have lost limbs through tragic accidents.

April 1st -  Dick Ryen & Garfield HS students Computers to India Project.  Check it here

March 25 at the WAC - (to be confirmed) Judy Nicastro, Member Seattle City Council (one of the youngest,  brightest, and most controversial Council members)  - TOPIC: Perspective of a Council Member
March 18 at the WAC - Lewis and Clark

March 11 at the WAC - Gary Gannaway, President of First Choice Health, an organization formed by hospitals and physicians in WA to offer large employers a healthcare  provider network. (Gary is a former member of ECRC) - TOPIC: Crisis in the State's Healthcare System

March 4 at the WAC - Fred Taucher, Founder & Chair, Corporate Computer, Inc and officer of  Washington State Holocaust Education Resource Center. - TOPIC: Personal Story of a Holocaust Survivor.  Fred grew up in Berlin during WWII, protected by a high ranking Nazi, but finally arrested and escaped. His story of the war years is gripping. He came to the US in 1946, and with his interest in computers he started a business in the 60's which is now CCI--an "outsourcer" of computer services.
February 25 at the WAC - Rami Grunbaum, Editor and VP for the Puget Sound Business Journal. He will be talking about the Puget Sound business environment--now and in the future.

February 18 at the WAC - David Horsey, Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist for Seattle P-I.

February 11 at the WAC - Bill Grace is founder and executive director of the Center for Ethical Leadership. Bill is an inspirational and sought-after public speaker and trainer with a personal commitment to ethical leadership. The center’s goal is to help promote an inner life of integrity, which shapes individual behavior and enables people to work together for a common good.
February 4 at the WAC - Gerry Kingen, a true entrepreneur in the Marty tradition. At 25 he bought the Red Robin Tavern near the UW and from that location pioneered the gourmet burger and built a 177-chain. His primary focus now as Pres and CEO of Happy Guests International, Inc is Salty's (3 locations) and Funsters Grand Casino. His topic is Washington gaming and the issues of fairness between tribal and private operators.  His website is www.funsters.com
January 28th at the WAC - Christopher Stubbs, professor of Physics and Astronomy.  Christopher will educate our club on his area of expertise "the accelerating universe". I won't pretend to understand or explain what he really does but he used terms like "plasma", "dark matter" and "a mysterious soup of particles" in our earlier discussion. I do know that he spends a great deal of time gazing at distant stars and galaxies.

January 21st at the WAC - Suzanne Griffin - Experiences in Afghanistan especially the educational infrastructure today and a view of the future for it and the country.

January 14th at the WAC  - John Sage, President & Co-Founder, Pura Vida Coffee 

Come join us next Tuesday morning when our guest speaker will be Jon Sage, co-founder of Pura Vida Coffee Company. The origins of Pura Vida goes back to a small coffee shop at Harvard Business School, where John and his partner Chris Dearnley met in 1987.

Chris has a background in ministry and our speaker John worked as a Microsoft marketing executive. The two have combined their skills and now sell coffee on-line with all profits supporting at risk children in Central America.

January 7th at the WAC - District Governor, Rosemary Aragon