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Thursday, November 1, 2018
VOL. NINETY FIVE,  Issue 18
 
Join Us at the Yacht Club!
 
Thomas Kuljam
Veterans Incubator at UWT

Tom emigrated from Thailand at age 7 with his mother and brother. Tom’s mother married a US Air Force service member during the Vietnam War, and moved to the U.S., where they lived in California, Texas, and Oklahoma before putting down roots in Washington.

Immediately following high school graduation, Tom enlisted in the US Air Force and faithfully served his country for 20 years in both active duty and reserves. While in the Air Force, Tom worked as a Hydraulics and Pneudraulics Aircraft technician, specializing in the C-130, C-141, and C-17 aircraft.

While in the reserve, Tom started in his commercial banking career. After 24 years in the commercial banking industry, Tom started multiple businesses including, most recently, an insurance brokerage and business consulting firm. Tom worked mostly for the regional commercial community banks in the Puget Sound Region, helping many local businesses achieve their dreams. He graduated from Washington State University and Western Commercial Lending School (University of Nevada, Reno).

As director of UW Tacoma’s Veterans Incubator for Better Entrepreneurship (VIBE), Kuljam helps veterans in the Puget Sound region realize the potential of the skills they learned in the military to make the business of civilian life just that: business.

“What we do is help veterans transition—making sure they’re trained from a business standpoint so that they can take their military skills and deploy them anywhere in the civilian world.” 

Thanks to everyone who has signed up! If you have not signed up you can use this link to register now! We have to turn in our guaranteed number on Tuesday morning, and we will be paying for that number of members.  Joy will be sending invoices on Monday  to everyone who has signed up. If you pay before Thursday we will have an expedited line for you!  You will see the option to pick a blue button that either says Member or Guest.  If you select Member, you will be taken to a page where you need to enter your ClubRunner login and password, if you select Guest then you have to fill in your name and some additional information.  We do not want the RSVP to be a barrier and every member is always welcome to join us at every meeting, but we need to know that there will be plenty of food, without incurring the kind of expense we have had at the Landmark.  If you go to the home page at rotary8.org and look at upcoming speakers on the left hand side you can click on that meeting and register for the rest of November right now!  Let's take this new journey together, we have amazing speakers coming up!
 
Renata with 2 of her host families
 
 
Our club is so fortunate to have two engaging exchange student this year - Renata Ramirez, from Paraguay, and Jacob Christensen, from Norway.   We have all, but one, of their six host families confirmed.   
We need one wonderful Rotarian to step forward, right now, to host Renata during the 2nd hosting period, which is November 29th through mid-March (this is negotiated with the 3rd host family)     
Renata is a wonderful girl, with good English, a loving heart, and a great sense of humor. She is easy to get along with. Our usual host families are unable to host her during this 2nd hosting period due to their own family and work obligations.  Can you imagine how Renata must feel, not knowing where she will be living in a month?         
To be approved as a host parent you don't have to have kids at home.  Host families come in all forms and shapes.  Young, old, married, single, they all work!  Renata will be attending Stadium High School during the day, but needs a home with a bed, and meals.  Other Rotarians will invite her over for dinner and for outings. 
If you are hesitating because you will have guest or plan to be away during the  2nd hosting period, don’t worry, because many members are willing to take her for shorter amounts of time.   
Being a host family is a heartwarming experience.  Please share your holiday traditions with Renata and find out how she celebrates in Paraguay.
Be the Rotarian who opens his/her home to host Renata. Call Diane Tilstra at (206) 946-8309, if you are interested.
 
Speaking of Youth Exchange - former student  Begaiym Musabekova from Kyrgyzstan will join us at the meeting this week!
WELCOME NEW MEMBER
 
We had the opportunity to welcome Rob Pfarr to the club on October 25. He was introduced by Carlyn Roy.  Rob is opening up a new Allstate Insurance office in Ruston after several years at Amazon.  He keeps himself busy with a variety of sports including Ice Hockey and Tennis.  His wife CiCi is the daughter of a long time past member Robert Klein.  He is looking forward to getting to know you and participating in our activities. Be sure to introduce yourself and welcome Rob to the club the next time you see him.
  
Membership Proposal
Unless written objections are submitted to the Board within 10 days of this posting, the following individuals will be invited to membership: 
 
Bill Duppenthaler
ASSN: SOC SVC - Youth Services
Young Life
Sponsor: Carol Duris
Extending sympathy and warm thoughts to the family of past member Ken Olson(Jan 1989) who recently passed away. 
THURSDAYS AT FIVE
Our next Thursday at 5 is coming up on November 8 and we expect another great crowd.  Check your calendar and use this link to register now! 
Have an International Experience and Volunteer Now
Every year one of the highlights for our Rotary Youth Exchange students is joining with all of the visiting youth, who are being hosted in District 5020, and participating in an adventure to California.  The students from throughout the District gather in Tacoma to spend the night in the homes of our members and then the next morning head to the airport.  Below are the details. 
RYE Students arrive in Tacoma Wednesday, November 7th, spend the night in your home and then are dropped off the following morning of Thursday, the 8th at 7 am.  They return from California on Monday, November 12th at about 9 pm, spend the night with you and you drop off again the following morning Tuesday, November 13th . The location for the transfer of students is Office Depot on Union in Tacoma
Diane Tilstra at mdtilstra@aol.com  is organizing the assignments and will be your contact person, providing you with all of the details you need.  We need 3 - 4 more members to volunteer!
 
EFN REPACK IS COMING
Our next repack is scheduled for Saturday, November 10 from noon until 230.   Please mark your calendar and plan to join us for this rewarding project.  The following members have signed up to help on the 10th; Alex Davis, Julie Foley, Gil Quante, Annie Ramirez, Renata Ramirez, Carol Webster,  Jennifer Wedderman, Amanda Weidman and Jim Whitacre. We will also be volunteering for  two Break Bag Packs on November 17 and December 15.  Help feed children and their families during holidays breaks.   There will be sign up sheets on the tables at the meetings or you can contact Gil Quante or  the office to sign up. 

FALL FIRESIDES

A great time was had by everyone who was able to participate in the Firesides last week and we have received insightful feedback on the questions posed by Linda Kaye.  Appreciation is extended  to our hosts Jeff Albers and Mike Dunbar, Kelly Lane and Maria Harlow, Gil Quante, Jim Whitacre and Cynthia Darland, Evelyn Ryberg and Carol Webster.  Special thanks to organizer extraordinaire Maria Harlow for all of her planning and scheduling efforts!

Volunteer to be a Mentor 
We have been so fortunate to introduce over a dozen new members to the club in the last few months.  In order to help our new members in their assimilation we are developing  an updated list of mentors.  Amanda Weidman has assumed the leadership position for the Pandaka Committee please contact her at amanda.savage22@gmail.com to volunteer to mentor a new member!
MEETING VOLUNTEERS 
 
Reflection -  Gordon Neu
Greeter/Roving Mic - Diane Tilstra
Board Greeter/Roving Mic - Jace Dwinell
National Anthem & 4 Way Test - Barry Benson
Fine Counter -  Robin Echtle
Storywriter - Miriam Barnett
Introduction - Mike Wark
Meeting Sponsor - Jonathan Murray
AV Assistant - Jeff Rounce
Check in Assistant - Cynthia Darland
Check in Assistant - Kirsten Willis
 
WANT TO HELP AT A MEETING?
Please contact Kathi to volunteer 
--Leading the National Anthem & Four Way Test
--Giving the Moment of Reflection
--Assisting with Audio/Visual
--Greeter and Roving Mic
--Sponsoring a meeting
--Check in Assistant
 
All November Birthdays Will Be Celebrated 11-1!
Birthdays This Week 
 
Heather Faverman - Oct 29
Robert Modarelli - Oct 30
Annie Ramirez - Oct 30
Greg Rolsma - Nov 01
Sabrina Ahrens - Nov 02
 
Anniversaries to Celebrate 
 
Ed Danz - 36 years 
Jeff Lovely - 47 years 
Kathryn Nelson - 20 years
Dan Bogart - 4 years 
James Shoemake - 21 years 
Stephen Deal – 2 years 
ROAMERS
 
Michelle Johnson - Lakewood
Upcoming Socials
The Fellowship/Relationship Building Committee invites all members of Tacoma #8 to join them on Thursdays at 5 pm. These socials are a great way to meet some new Rotarians or catch up with old friends. Pandakas, these meetings will fulfill your "social" requirement prior to graduation and, for all members, it’s fun
 
November 1
Cooks Tavern
3201 N 26th Street
Tacoma, WA
 
November 8
Thursdays at 5
Cornerstone Financial Services
Tacoma, WA
 
November 15
Terry’s Office Tavern
3410 N Proctor
Tacoma, WA
December 27 we have a fantastic Rotary evening planned as we will purchase group tickets to attend a performance of Scrooge.  The wonderfully talented cast includes two of our members Libby Catalinich and Chris Serface.  Check your calendar and make plans to join us. Tickets are $17 each, and we will have sign up sheets on the tables at an upcoming meeting. 
 
Reflections from the meeting of October 25 by Kirsten Willis
 
Our last meeting at the Landmark started at precisely 12:00  pm on October 25th, 2018. The Rotary Club of Tacoma #8 meeting was called to order by President Linda Kaye Briggs, with the ringing of the bell.  After welcoming guests to our final Roof Top meeting, Harrison Laird, CBRE, provided the brief invocation after a ten-minute joke. Don’t worry, the joke wasn’t ten minutes, he just kidded that he would deliver a ten-minute invocation...I think he might be a dad!
The lively and perfectly in-tune group was led flawlessly by Carlyn Roy, Tapco in the National Anthem followed by the 4-Way Test. President Linda Kaye thanked Pat Steel for sponsoring the meeting and donating his time to Miriam Barnett, YWCA. We also had the opportunity to sign two cards. One for Rusty Hersey, Superior Linen who is recovering from knee surgery. And one for Jack Warnick whose wife, Lilly, recently passed away.
President Linda Kaye invited visiting Rotarians and guests to be introduced with the help of Jeff Albers, Wilson Albers & Company and Dean Carrell, Pierce County Library Foundation. We welcomed many perspective new members in the audience and even had the joy of seeing former beloved member of our club, Rick Olson! We also enjoyed hearing from our exchange student Renata who shared a bit about her recent trip to Seattle with member Annie Ramirez, Salvation Army.
The following amazing and superb Rotarians celebrated their anniversaries during the meeting: Cynthia Darland, 10 years; Kathi Willis, 27 years; and Jeff Rounce, 30 years. Major applause for each and every one!
Our club was treated to a great presentation by Howard Svigals about the Rotary Foundation or as some club members know it – Rotary International Foundation. He quickly shared about the six focus areas and specifically focused on Disease Prevention and Treatment. Since we would hear about the polio eradication efforts and we just celebrated World Polio Day, Howard shared some specific information about Rotary’s efforts to End Polio Now! Rotarians are challenged to raise $50 million dollars each year to meet the $100 million-dollar match by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. There is also a new 5020 District effort to have each member donate $150 per year to join the Polio Plus Society.
Next, Carlyn Roy, Tapco, introduced our new member Rob Pfarr, from Allstate Insurance. Rob grew up in Eagle River, Alaska, and attended college in Arizona. He moved with his wife, Cici to Old Town, Tacoma. Cici is the daughter of longtime member, Robert Klein. Rob enjoys spending his free time playing competitive ice hockey.
As mentioned earlier, Pat Steel generously sponsored our meeting and donated his time to Miriam Barnett of the YWCA. Miriam reminded everyone that Tacoma has the highest rising rents in the nation which makes permanent housing for YWCA clients a huge barrier to independence. Fortunately, the YWCA is embarking on a capital campaign to raise $23 million dollars to build 54 housing units in the neighborhood and have already raised $17.8 million! Miriam also paid for an announcement to encourage everyone to vote Yes on Prop 1 for the future of the arts in Tacoma which greatly benefit local kids and families. Please vote Yes!
Speaking of voting, President Linda Kaye announced the Rotary 8 Officer Nominating Committee will include appointed members President Linda Kaye – chair, Mike Dunbar, Carolyn Weyrick, Jace Dwinell, and Carol Webster. Elected members are Jim Henderson and Kirsten Willis. If you are interested in serving in an Executive leadership position within the club of President Elect Nominee or Treasurer, please talk to one of these people soon. The Board Nominating Committee includes appointed members President Elect Carol Duris, chair, Brien Elvins, and Greg Rolsma. Elected members are Maria Harlow, Larry Treleven and Christina Turner. If you are interested in serving in a leadership position for the club as one of four new board members, please talk to one of these people soon. The slate of candidates will be presented on November 8th.
[Insert Mission Impossible Theme Music]
Our first Auction Mission Moment featured Kathryn Nelson and the World Community Service Committee. Dollars raised from the annual auction support the amazing works of our committees and benefit our works of service locally and around the globe. In the Spring of 2015 members from our club visited India to see our water project and had the opportunity to participate with giving babies polio drops. This is just one example of how your donations are used to make a difference!
President Linda Kaye invited Jim Henderson to introduce our speaker, Chelsea Minkler from the Gates Foundation. Jim also shared with the club that so far members have pledged over $6,000 this year to the End Polio Now campaign through PGG. Not missing a moment to show off her math skills, Chelsea quickly pointed out that with the Gates 2:1 match we have actually raised $18,000 to end polio!
Now to learn how those donations are making an impact, but first a little history. Bill Gates has been inspired by the leadership of Rotary and in 2007 the Gates Foundation joined the Rotary Partnership to End Polio. There are three main steps to the Polio Program. First, find the virus, next find the children and the final step vaccinate! The three other major components of eradicating polio include engaging political leadership and community members and funding. The most amazing news is that it is working and so far and only 22 cases of Polio have been reported so far this year compared to 30 years ago when it was 90 cases each hour.
Following Chelsea’s presentation, President Linda Kaye thanked her for sharing her insights into the great work of the Gates Foundation and the partnership with Rotary to eradicate polio! We also heard a couple of announcements from Jim Whitacre about the EFN repack signups and the Rotary Friendship Exchange. Then Robin Echtle reminded everyone that we will be meeting at the Yacht Club next week – don’t forget! To wrap up the last meeting at the Landmark President Linda Kaye and the entire audience gave a huge round of applause to the wonderful staff at the Landmark who have taken care of our club for the past 15 years! At 1:05 pm President Linda Kaye rang the bell to Reignite our Rotary!  

 

 

 
 

 

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The Gearshift is a weekly publication to inform you about current happenings in the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8. We meet on Thursday at the Landmark Roof Garden Room, 47 St. Helens Avenue, Tacoma 
Noon - 1:00 pm
The Rotary Office is located at:
47 St. Helens Avenue, Ste. 200
Tacoma, Washington 98402

MAILING ADDRESS:
PO Box 1777
Tacoma, Washington 98401-1777

Phone:  253.473.7723
Fax:  253.473.7838
info@rotary8.org
www.rotary8.org
 
Office Hours
Monday - Friday
8:30 - 5:00
 
Speakers
Nov 08, 2018
Thursday at 5
Nov 15, 2018
Nov 29, 2018
Tacoma Public Utilities
View entire list
Upcoming Events
Executive Committee Meeting
Knapps
Nov 06, 2018
7:00 AM – 8:30 AM
 
Rotary Meeting - Thursdays at 5!
Cornerstone Financial Strategies LLC
Nov 08, 2018
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
 
Projects Committee Meeting
KBTC TV
Nov 09, 2018 8:15 AM
 
Classification Committee Meeting
Rotary office
Nov 13, 2018 11:45 AM
 
Pandaka Committee
Landmark Meeting Room (before lunch)
Nov 15, 2018
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
Cyrus Habib Weekly Meeting Speaker
Nov 15, 2018
11:55 AM – 1:00 PM
 
Jackie Flowers Weekly Meeting Speaker
Eastside Community Center
Nov 29, 2018
11:55 AM – 1:00 PM
 
Jacques Colon Weekly Meeting Speaker
Eastside Community Center
Dec 06, 2018
11:55 AM – 1:00 PM
 
PGG - Foundations
Rotary Office - After Lunch
Dec 06, 2018 1:00 PM
 
Rotary Meeting - Thursdays at 5!
Goodwill
Dec 13, 2018
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
 
Executives & Directors
President
 
President Elect
 
Secretary 2018-2020
 
Treasurer 2017-2019
 
Immediate Past President
 
Board Member 2016-2019
 
Board Member 2016-2019
 
Board Member 2016-2019
 
Board Member 2016-2019
 
Board Member 2017-2020
 
Board member 2017-2020
 
Board member 2017-2020
 
Board Member 2017-2020
 
Board Member 2018-2021
 
Board Member 2018-2021
 
Board member 2018-2021
 
Board Member 2018-2021
 
Tacoma Rotary 8 Foundation Board President
 
Auction Chair
 
Classification Co-Chair
 
Classification Co-Chair
 
Communications Chair
 
Engagement Chair
 
Fellowship Chair
 
Finance Committee Co -Chair
 
Finance Committee Co-Chair
 
Grants Co-Chair
 
Grants Co-Chair
 
Interact Co-Chair
 
Interact Co-Chair
 
Literacy Co-Chair
 
Literacy Co-Chair
 
Membership Recruitment Chair
 
Military Affairs Chair
 
PGG and Foundations Co-Chair
 
PGG and Foundations Co-Chair
 
Program Co-Chair
 
Program Co-Chair
 
Projects Co-Chair
 
Projects Co-Chair
 
Rotaract Chair
 
Rotary Youth Exchange Co-Chair
 
Rotary Youth Exchange Co-Chair
 
Scholarships Co-Chair
 
Scholarship Co-Chair
 
Vocational Services Co-Chair
 
Vocational Service Co-Chair
 
World Community Service Chair
 
Youth Protection Officer
 
Youth Services Chair
 
Fellowship, Leadership and Service Above Self since 1910