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Many of our Clubs are honoring this month’s theme: ECONOMIC AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.

The Bellevue Club helped build the Inspiration Playground, serving area children of all abilities and disabilities. Issaquah has a Grant to provide Leadership training for Central Asians. Seattle #4’s Grant provides housing equipment for homeless youth, Congratulations to the West Seattle Club, who used their District Grant to create the new “Rotary Community Room” at the expanded West Seattle YMCA. This will allow thousands of community members and hundreds of groups each year to have adequate meeting space at low / no cost. Hurrah to these Clubs: Covington, Maple Valley, Auburn, Federal Way, Kent, Kent Sunrise, Enumclaw, White Center, Renton and Des Moines! They have partnered to fund the Elk Run Farm Project, providing organic food year-round to all the local Food Banks. (see photos). Supplementing their staff—of two—are many school children as well as Rotary volunteers. Keep it growing!

Introducing District Service Chairs: Chris Boland: Vocational Service, (the opportunity each Rotarian has to represent the dignity and value of their vocation to other club members.) Paul Lwali: Community Service (a multi-pronged effort to improve the quality of life close to home, and dubbed the “heartbeat of Rotary”) and Derick Pasternak: International Service, (exemplifies our global reach in promoting and understanding.) Contact them with your questions and possible Grants’ needs.

Now let’s talk fellowship: 22 Clubs (80 plus Rotarians, families and guests) met at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum in September! We were treated to tours of the classic vintage boats, complete with photos of

Rotarians and their kids in the Budweiser Griffon cockpit, drinks and snacks. Executive Director David Williams regaled us with

tales of early boat racing, its most important players and how Hydroplane Racing gave birth to major sports in Seattle. He then pointed out that these same Seattle movers and shakers went on to bring together the focus and funds to establish the 1962 World’s fair-- truly showing how the histories of Seattle and boatracing are forever entwined!!

Finally, my thoughts this month turn to the question of what defines a “Life Well Lived”? My fellow District Governor, Vern Nielsen, from Kelowna, B.C. (District 5060), though facing life’s

end, gives all of us a poignant example of “Service Above Self”. A fellow Rotarian, having heard Vern speak to his Club, wrote him a letter. Although rather lengthy, I urge you to take the time to read it.

Articles & Club Ads Send to: carmamckay@gmail.com Deadline: 25th of each month. Submit text in the body of an email or as a Word.doc. Ads need to be in .jpg format.

District 5030 Website

D5030 Facebook Page

District Conference Website

District Conference Registration

District Private LinkedIn Page

DACdb

RI Website

End Polio Website

Rotarian Malaria Partners

Links

The Bridge Deadline

Bo's Message

Rotary International's Special Observance Month Economic and Community Development

October 2016

Bo Darling District Governor

Monthly Newsletter of Rotary District 5030

In this Issue

Pg. 2 Some club visits RI Convention in Atlanta UW / Portland Game

Pg. 3 District Conference Social Media Committee Volunteer at Elk Run Farm

Pg. 4 Youth Service Update

Pg. 5 Polio Update & Events

Pg. 6 Task Force - Homeless Vets Halloween Soiree

Pg. 7 Continued… Article "A Life Well Lived in Service Above Self"

Team Rotary's Connector

Bo Darling, DG

Montlake Bridge

A Life Well Lived in Service Above Self

Vern Nielsen sits in a chair in Kelowna, BC attached to a tube. A cocktail of chemicals winds its way through the tube and into his veins. This cocktail is just one of three such treatments that Vern must take every two weeks. The chemicals are searching out a particularly aggressive form of pancreatic cancer. The survival rate for this disease is about 2% within 12 months. Vern is in month five. I didn’t hear about Vern in a medical journal. He wasn’t on the nightly news. His picture is not on my Facebook feed. Vern was standing in front of my Rotary club. (continued on page 7)

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Rotary's International Convention

This is the first time in 4 years that the RI Convention has been in the US. Hotels are filling up fast, so register and book your room soon. This is a great opportunity to meet Rotarians from around the world. Imagine 40,000 + like minded Rotarians coming together to make the world a better place. Many from our district will be attending… How about YOU?!? Register at: www.riconvention.org

Team Rotary's Connector

DG Club Visits Leave Bo Filled with Pride

Kelly Sanchez and Jody Gough - First Mother-Daughter team in D5030. Kelly joined in 1998, Jody in 1987.

Dr. M. Thiripalraju, Charter President RC Millennium, District 3142, India giving his flag to Redmond President Lem Putnam.

Assistant Governor Jean Withers with 57 year Rotarian Bert Lundh from Magnolia Rotary Club!! Way to go Bert!

President of Rotary Club of Ballard James Raptis with new member Kathleen Linscott. Welcome Kathleen!

Sponsor Walt Zierman, DG Bo Darling and President Annette Grimm welcome new member Attorney and Tri-athlete Blake Hilty! We love athletes in Rotary, you inspire us Blake!

President of Maple Valley Rotary Tom Sutton, District Governor Bo Darling and Sponsor Jim Flynn induct new member, Laura Philpot. Welcome Laura, ps we love your Seattle Seahawks gear! Go Hawks!

Rotary Day at the UW Football Game Sept 17th 69 Rotarians Attended

University District Rotarians take tickets at all UW home football games

as a club fundraiser. The equivalent of minimum wage is donated to

the club's service fund, totaling over $150,000 since they began.

Visit to Elk Run Farm

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Team Rotary's Connector

This extraordinary group of Rotarians from around the district gathered together. What do they have in common? They support and power important social media initiatives in clubs, in our district, and at the district conference! Recognize any of these faces? Next time you see them thank them for their service to their social media team!

Although the teams are composed of many more, the following Rotarians are pictured from left to right: David Levine, CFP, Financial Advisor, Ben Wicks, Sora Moon, District Governor Bo Darling, Jeff Snell, Patti Darling (conspirator/collaborator, partner of Bo Darling), Joseph Montgomery, Corinne Cavanaugh, Norman Lieberman, Mariah Kimpton, Rekha Mathews and Virginia McKenzie (not pictured, taking the photo).

Volunteer at Elk Run Farm Nov. 1st

Don't miss the Celebration

100 Years of the Rotary Foundation 30 Years of Women in Rotary

DISTRICT CONFERENCE

HIGHLIGHTS AND UPDATES

Rotaract Young Professionals Club Projects Dancing Wine Tasting 20+ Breakouts Entertainment Comradeship

Kid's Camp Golfing Tax Free Shopping Interact Club Recognition Community Service Beer Tasting Happy Hour

Portland April 21st - 23rd

Register Today at: www.rotarycon2017.org

Don't Forget about the Hotel - Special rate of $159

Become a sponsor and put you company logo with ours as we celebrate 100 years of the Foundation and 30 years of Women in Rotary. For more information and how to customize Email: rotaryconference2017@frontier.com

Conference MCEE Mark Wright Rotarian and King TV News Anchor

Community Service Project, Friday joint Peace Pole plantings with Portland Rotary

Special Breakout Sessions for Women

Rotary District 5030 Conference - 2017 Social Media Committee

Join the Work Party at Elk Run Farm - November 1st, 9-11am. For our second event of the Zone 25/26 Connecting for Good Tour we'll be getting together for a work party at the new Elk Run Farm. Rotary First Harvest & several clubs in the south end have been working hard over many months to get this urban farm up and running to serve local food banks with fresh produce. Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1596726457290835/

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Team Rotary's Connector

Rotaract Clubs in Action!

With the new school year resuming, our college based Rotaract clubs as well as our community-based clubs are hitting full stride. District 5030 Rotaractors were well represented at the September 10th Rotary First Harvest Work Party. Clubs represented include: Eastside Rotaract, Seattle City, Lake Union and Rotaract Club at UW Bothell. Woodinville Rotary and the Rotaract Club at UW Bothell sponsored the refreshments and enjoyed serving together. Many meals were packed to help serve the community!

Rotary Club of Woodinville and Rotaract Club at UW Bothell joined forces to walk in the "Rotary Parade within a Parade" celebrating 30 years of WRC serving the community. And… many of District 5030 Rotaract members are planning to attend the Big West Conference, October 21st-23rd, at Arizona State University in Tempe. Registration info. is available at www.bigwestrotaract.org. Food/fun costs will be $50.00 per participant and home hosting cost will be $20.00. Rotaract is keeping busy!

Rotary Youth Exchange Now is the season for Rotarians to contact friends, family, neighbors and co-workers to encourage students between 15 and 18 to consider Rotary Youth Exchange in 2017. Applications are due October 15 to the Youth Service Chair or President of your Rotary Club.

Youth Exchange offers two life-changing opportunities. The summer program is a two-month home-to-home exchange between families. Exchanges take place in July and August and students and families have the chance to experience another culture and family life. The long program is an academic year scholarship during which students live with 3 families in the same town and attend the same school. In addition to family and academic life, students have many travel and vacation opportunities.

All of our returning students say that their exchange was the best experience of their young lives and they returned home with greater maturity, confidence and self-esteem.

Please help more young people, the future of Rotary, have this opportunity. If you need more information and assistance, please contact me at 206-849-3226. Yours in Rotary, Hal Beals, Chair of Rotary Youth Exchange.

Rotaract College Recruiting

Aaaand we're back! The new school year at SU is off to a great start! Here's our awesome VP Maddy (left) representing our club at the involvement fair. Thanks to all who came by to learn about the great service opportunities available with Rotaract!

Happy first day of school from all of us at UW Rotaract! Come find at Dawg Daze. — with Morgan Black and Kaitlin Maguire.(Right)

What's Up with District 5030 Youth Service - October 2016

IN THE NEWS

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Team Rotary's Connector

Polio Update by Steve Crane

Country Year-to-Date 2015

2016 2015 Totals

Afghanistan 9 9 20

Pakistan 14 32 54

Nigeria 3 0 0

Global Totals 26 41 74

As shown in the table below, as the high season for polio transmission ends, 3 more cases in Afghanistan, one more in Pakistan and one more in Nigeria have been reported since last month’s report. Rotarians are in critical roles fighting polio in all three countries. Virus transmission is likely to continue into 2017, delaying certification of global eradication until 2020. US Federal funding at the current $228 million annual level will be needed for four more fiscal years.

It is likely that USG polio funding will remain at the current level until after the November elections, when the appropriations for the next fiscal year (FY17) will be settled. The funding Rotary has requested is in the appropriations bills now pending.

For our part, Rotary has just committed $35 million to the eradication campaign for this calendar year. The 2:1 match by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation brings this contribution to $105 million. In 2017, Rotary hopes to raise another $35 million for PolioPlus. Once again, Rotarian’s contributions will be tripled.

Polio cases reported as of September 21 by the Global Polio Eradication Initiative:

Spotlight on Ending Polio Ending a Global Disease:

Finishing the Fight Against Polio

You're Invited to a World Polio Day Event

Thursday, October 27th 5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. FREE

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor’s Center Doors open at 5:30. Program starts at 6.

What does it take to eradicate a disease from the planet? PDG Ezra Teshome, Rep Jim McDermott and Corinne Cavanaugh will join representatives from UNICEF USA and the Gates Foundation for a lively conversation about up-to-the-minute successes in the fight against polio and the lessons they hold about the innovation, collaboration, and the will needed to end polio forever. REGISTER HERE: https://events.gatesfoundation.org/c/express/83b78385-2f6d-41ac-a1b4-d4a45a90cd3c Note: World Polio Day is on 10/24, our event this year is being held a few days later on 10/27.

THE ROTARY CLUB OF LAKE FOREST PARK INVITES YOU, YOUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS TO

JOIN US IN JOY

FOR OUR FOURTH ANNUAL END POLIO FUNDRAISER DINNER

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2016 5 PM TO 10 PM In Partnership With

LAKE FOREST BAR AND GRILL 17535 Ballinger Way NE, Lake Forest Park, WA

20% of all food and drink proceeds will be donated to the End Polio Worldwide Initiative

Tax deductible contributions may also be made online at www.endpolionow.org. or at the dinner Your contribution will be matched 2:1 by the Bill

and Melinda Gates Foundation

Teaming up to End Polio By Chelsie Tripp

Edmonds area restaurants are participating in a "Dining out to Eradicate Polio" event on World Polio Day, Monday, October 24th, 2016.

The clubs participating are the Rotary clubs of Alderwood-Terrace, Lynnwood, Edmonds Daybreakers and Edmonds.

To create awareness for Polio, we are asking that the restaurants use a Rotary/Polio specific coaster for the weekend prior and Monday the 24th. There will be a small donation box present at each restaurant to be placed in a prominent location at check in or on the bar where people can choose to donate that evening. We are of course hoping that the increased Monday attendees will help the restaurants having increased reservations for that Monday and that they will be willing to have 10% of the proceeds for that night go to Polio. That will help us get double matching dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation!

Check the Alderwood Terrace Website for participating restaurants as we get closer to the event. www.alderwoodterracerotary.com

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Team Rotary's Connector

TASK FORCE: REDEEM HOMELESS VETERANS By Ray Coffey

US Volunteer Joint Service Command Commanding General

We recognize, appreciate and honor our US Veterans during special holidays. And they need our attention beyond those holidays. There are many of Homeless US Veterans on the streets of our communities (over 350 of them in King County). We intend to be actively campaigning throughout this Rotary year to form a strong partnership with organizations, public officials, NGOs, Rotarians and those passionate volunteers, men and women, who will stand by our agenda. We will speak out on veterans’ issues and influence public policy to improve the quality of life for US Veterans and their families.

Rotary District 5030 Veteran Affairs Committee is conducting the first roundtable meeting on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at 6:30-8:30 pm at the Shoreline Public Library. (Address: 345 N. E. 175th St. Shoreline, WA 98155).

TASK FORCE: Redeem Homeless Veterans on the streets of our communities, and to walk with the Veterans for their total Recovery, regardless of time.

Veterans served us well. Now more than ever Veterans need our attention and our help! It is extremely important that we keep our movement together, so much must be done to make our vision in reality.

We sincerely invite to this “Kick-Off” meeting all Rotarian-Veterans and Rotarian-Patriots who wish to participate in this new Partnership Task Force. We are excited to see you as a serving representative from your Rotary Club.

We have worked together in good faith to bridge some organizations for this Task Force: King County Public Health Department; Veterans Affairs Office; Office of the King County Executive External Relations Specialist; Operation Military Family Cares (Veterans Re-employment and education Family Support Group); (USN-Ret) Veteran Outreach; WorkSource (R) Disabled Veteran Office; Life Coaches, Authors, Speakers and many more. You will meet leaders and representatives from these organizations at our “Kick-Off” meeting on Wednesday October 5, 2016.

We hope to see many of you at our local and RD-5030 events. For Additional information contact RD-5030 Veteran Affair Committee Chair:

Major General Raymond W. Coffey, USAVR, Shoreline Rotary Club via phone 206-510-8428 and/or email: rwLJ3coffey@gmail.com

There will be a short program from 7-7:40pm featuring Philip Eckhoff, Director of Research at the Institute for Disease Modeling. One of Phillip's key interests is disease transmission mapping - particularly Malaria. He will provide an overview of his work as well as some strategies that he and his team are developing to help groups like Rotarian Malaria Partners be more successful in their work. Click on the logos for more information about these groups.

Facebook event: https://www.facebook.com/events/529426247246057/

EventBrite RSVP: bit.ly/5030halloween

How to Submit Articles, Ads & Pics for Publication in Bridges

We accept articles, Ads and Pictures from District 5030 Rotarians that are of interest to Rotarians throughout our district. Articles should be limited to 300 words, ads should be 1/4 page. The deadline is the 25th of each month. Send to: CarmaMcKay@gmail.com. Due to space limitations, we can not promise to include everything we receive, but we will try.

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Team Rotary's Connector

As a district governor, Vern has spent the last two years preparing to motivate and guide the 60 clubs in Rotary District 5060, which covers parts of Washington State and British Columbia. Some might have thought he wasted those two years of preparing. The news of his cancer should have changed Vern’s plans. In his talk, he joked of trading in his time with Rotary for his bucket list. With the possibility of six months left to live, most people would change their outlook on life. Vern would tell you he has. Rather than looking inward though, he is looking outward. A more egotistical thing might be to take his partner on the trips they never had time for. Spend cash like there’s no tomorrow and reach his end at frantic pace, trying to accomplish all that he had planned to do in the next 30 years in just 6 months. Vern is not that kind of man.

Vern told my Rotary club of his desire to help others. The Rotary International moto is, “Service Above Self.” You only get to be a district governor by embodying this idea. Vern has been involved in multiple successful companies. He has guided numerous non-profit organizations. Traveling the world to help in other countries and contribute to the betterment of mankind is just one of the many reasons Vern was asked to be a District Governor for Rotary. As Vern stood in front of my club, he asked all of us to do our part. The specific ask was very different than I’m used to.

As a Rotarian you are asked to do many things. Raise money for local playgrounds, gather donations for a local food drive, or fight Polio. You see Rotarians care about their fellow humans and seek ways to improve their community. For some clubs this is done on a local scale by giving food to children before the start of the school day so that education instead of hunger can be their focus. For other clubs their community is the world so they start projects like Polio Plus or the United Nations. Little projects.

When Vern Nielsen stands in front of your Rotary club as the District Governor and announces that he has pancreatic cancer and will probably not see the end of his term and then says he has an ask, you expect this to be the mother of all asks. Vern asked us to talk. No back breaking projects, no huge fund raisers, no world unity events. Vern Nielsen asked that we talk with our friends about what we do as Rotarians. You see Vern believes that Rotarians don’t talk enough about what we do. Rotary International partners with some of the largest organizations and non-profits in the world. Rotarians have received millions of dollars from organizations to do the work we do. Tyrants and governors in war torn countries have called cease fires to allow Rotarians to bring aid to their people. Despite all this Rotarians have been a dying breed for the last few decades. Each year there are fewer and fewer Rotarians in every community. Vern Nielsen believes that Rotarians don’t talk enough about what Rotarians do.

All Rotary clubs meet once a week. It can be breakfast, lunch, dinner or even after work drinks that bring them together. Guests are always invited but few come for more than one or two visits. There is a disconnect between the weekly gatherings and the work Rotarians do. It’s difficult to describe how your Rotary club has impacted your community. That’s why Rotarians usually put a seal on their projects. We don’t like to boast and brag about the work we’ve done. When we build a bus stop for those that need shelter, we don’t ask for a thank you. We know that it’s being used because we see the people getting a moments rest from the harsh wind. Rotarians know what the golden gear / wheel or whatever you want to call it

means. Vern believes that it’s not enough for Rotarians to know. He wants our friends to know what that golden gear / wheel or whatever you want to call it means.

It's friends that often help us reach understanding. In the time leading up to Vern’s role as District Governor and before his diagnosis there were many trainings and events to go to. Between one of these a very good friend of his approached him. This friend walked up and said, “So Vern, I hear you’re going to be the grand poohbah of Rotary.” In his telling of the story Vern chuckles, “Well not quite. I’ll be the District Governor.” His friend of numerous years looked at Vern. This friend had watched Vern leave many evenings to volunteer, go to trainings, and fly out of the country all in the name of Rotary. This friend looked at Vern and said, “What is Rotary anyway?” Vern was speechless. His friend didn’t know about the most influential group in Vern’s life. The group that had demanded so much of Vern but provided him with innumerable opportunities to better his community and himself was a foreign word to this friend. This was where Vern began to understand. “I knew in that moment that we Rotarians need to tell others about the good we do. We need to be our own public relations. We need to speak up about what we do. Not so that others will join us, but so that others will know.”

At the end of the District Governors speech I stood and applauded. I applauded for his insight into what we as Rotarians should do to help our communities. How it was our small contributions that could change the world economy or improve the lives of others. I applauded for a man who openly admitted that in in four days the drugs that would be coursing through his body would make him into a different man. A man weak and debilitated. A man unable to carry the burden his title brought with it. A tear came to my eye as well. Before me stood a Rotarian. A member of a small group of individuals who is striving to make his community better. For years I too have called myself a Rotarian. I wondered how many of my friends know what this word means to me. Should I walk into the doctor’s office tomorrow and be informed that I too had stage 4 pancreatic cancer, would I behave like Vern Nielson? The motto of “Service Above Self” is a very nice thing to hang on our meeting wall. Would I be able to live up to that motto if I faced Vern’s choice? I don’t know.

I know that before me on that day stood a man who was happy. He has had a full life that is potentially being cut short by a terrible disease. What else would Vern have accomplished had he been given more time? That thought is not on Vern’s mind. Doctors cannot tell him how many days he has left. The treatments he receives in his chair are meant to make them as numerous as possible. The time he is given by this treatment will be spent doing the thing that means the most to him. Vern will tell others he is a Rotarian. He is the man who built toilets in countries you haven’t heard of so that little girls wouldn’t be embarrassed by their periods and could continue to stay in school. He is the man who helps put jam on toast so students can have a meal before school starts. Vern Nielsen is a Rotarian. His personal motto is the same as every Rotarians, “Service Above Self.”

When Vern’s done taking his medicine he will lie down for a while. To rest, to rejuvenate, and to recuperate before going to his next Rotary meeting. Like all of us, Vern will eventually lie down forever. His time may be sooner than any of us would like. Vern’s family will have seen the good he’s done. His friends will remember the times they shared.

I only got to meet Vern Nielsen once. In the forty minutes he spoke, Vern inspired me. He showed me that a motto can be more than words we put on a wall. I am a Rotarian, just like Vern. We are all lucky to have neighbors like him.

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A Life Well Lived in Service Above Self Submitted with respect by Michael Liddicoat