With the leadership of our newly appointed District Scholarship Chair, Harry Panjer (Comox Rotary Club), we are excited to ask for your assistance in finding suitable candidates who would potentially qualify as Ambassadorial and Peace Scholars. Rotary District 5020 has funds to provide a post-graduate scholarship to an individual who is planning to purse graduate studies in 2019-20 in an area related to the goals of Rotary. The scholarship is for US$ 15,000 and can only be used in a country other than Canada and the USA.
Each applicant for the scholarship must be sponsored by a club in District 5020. Please ask your club members ( announcement, newsletter, emails, etc) to identify possible applicants and bring their attention to the scholarship. Detailed information about the scholarship as well as the application form are available at
This year, the deadline for complete applications is Jan. 15, 2019. With such a short time frame it is imperative that this information get to potential applicants very soon.
The selection of the winning applicant will be done by the D5020 Scholarship Committee in February of 2019. Should you have further questions, please don't hesitate to contact Harry Panjer at 250.650.7675 or harry.panjer@gmail.com
Rotary District 5020 has a remarkable history of commitment to this program which has the ability to transform individual lives and entire communities. We hope to see this tradition continue.
Thank you for your help in supporting this program.
At our Wednesday Club meeting, we were rewarded by a plentitude of speakers. Our primary speakers were Diane Tandy and Tony Fyrqvist, who are in the process of forming a fundraising event to benefit the completion of the Kingston Coffee Oasis. They reminded us of Coffee Oasis's primary mission to serve homeless and at-risk youth. Their mission statement describes it well – “Changing the World for Homeless Youth in One Community After Another.” Coffee Oasis facilities now exist in Bremerton, Port Orchard and Poulsbo. Soon a fourth center will open right here in Kingston in the old Community Center where our Club was “born”. The cost of refurbishment of the property has escalated, including the fire-department-required installation of a sprinkler system. There is a need to raise another $170,000. Rather than organizing a complex fund raising banquet and auction, Diane hopes for something simple to include a “Raise the Paddle” request such as those that have been surprisingly effective for other organizations. The speakers asked if our Club could help organize this event that is tentatively scheduled for early March of 2019. Our club President, Breane, stated that she will discuss the proposition with the club's Board at its December meeting. There will be a fringe benefit for our members when the new center opens. There will be a new place to get a great cup coffee and snacks where we can meet some of the youth who are learning the ‘barista’ and cooking trades!
Up to Your Neck in Styrofoam?
Poulsbo Rotary's Lauri Cloutier
A highly energetic and enthusiastic member of the Poulsbo Rotary Club, Lauri Cloutier, spoke about the planned December 29 “STYRO-Roundup” to help keep those pesky styrofoam blocks and peanuts out of our landfills. This form of plastic cannot be recycled locally. Surprisingly, Styrofoam can be processed into a very useful hard plastic, but only at specific locations. The problem is that Styrofoam is uncompressible and thus an enormous mound of the stuff clutters our landfills.
Event information:
Save your holiday styrofoam packaging and bring it to our first Styrofoam Recycling Collection Event at the Kitsap County Fairgrounds Van Zee Building. Styrofoam will be accepted FREE of charge from county residents for recycling.
Saturday, December 29th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Kitsap residents only, no commercial loads accepted. - Items accepted include packing peanuts, styrofoam block (remove tape or labels), styrofoam food packaging (clean and unstained), styrofoam trays (seperate color from white). - Styrofoam must be clean and dry. - Sort material by type and color. - Limit one car load per household - No trailers or box trucks.
Items NOT Accepted include soft foam, hot tub covers, expanded polyethylene (EPE), sealed foam and foil lined polystyrene/insulation.
Finally, Brooke Huffman, the Executive Director of the Winery Alliance of Bainbridge Island, spoke about the possibility of adding a Wine Trail under DonorTrail. There appears to be support among our members to round out our tipple trails and thus become the only organization with two “Trails”. Brooke is available to provide additional information at brooke@fletcherbaywinery.com.
On November 21st, at our regularly scheduled meeting, we welcomed Deanne Jackson, the Substance Abuse Prevention Coordinator for the Kitsap County Dept. of Human Services.The program known as the Kitsap Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition, is more than a job for Deanne, it is her passion.The Coalition is a partnership of state agencies, counties, schools and local prevention coalitions supporting communities in preventing alcohol and other drug abuse and its negative consequences.One of her favorite quotes by Mark Hyman sums it up:“The power of acommunity to create better health is far greater than any physician, clinic or hospital.”
Deanne discussed the need and importance of educating both youth and adults on underage substance abuse prevention. Some examples included the use of Vapors (an alternative to smoking cigarettes) at schools.Until recently, Vapors were not classified as an illegal substance on school premises. However, thanks to the continued efforts of the coalition and other agencies, by providing resources that included health studies on its dangers, Vapors were finally banned from school premises. Another example and hot topic affecting our youth is the illegal use of prescription drugs.How many of us have had prescribed pain killers from an old injury or an operation and we forgot to discard them? The Coalition teaches that properly disposing of prescription drugs eliminates access by youth and at the same time can protect the environment.
If you would like to learn more or to get involved, the coalition meets on the second Monday of the month at 1:00 p.m. For details on the location of the meetings and any other activities of the coalition, contact Deanne Jackson at 360-337-4878, or by e-mail atdmontgom@co.kitsap.wa.us.
Colleen Carey, the Executive Director of the Kingston Chamber of Commerce probably feels possessed with a sense of déjà vu when she speaks with a group of Kingston Rotarians. It is not just that she grew up in the community and has been a Chamber Executive for seven years. It is not just that she works so closely with many Rotarians on numerous community efforts. It is not even that it might be just another annual presentation at another lunch meeting with a sense that, “Did I already tell them this?” The reality is that Colleen directs a Chamber that is always striving to create new innovative ways to make Kingston interesting for those who live and visit our community. Her efforts are recognized and appreciated.
The numbers tell a part of the story. Carey shared that of the 240 Chamber members, over 50 percent are home-based businesses giving the operation a home-town feel. Despite that, the reality is that five million people a year ride the Washington State Ferries making it the number one tourist attraction in the State. With Kingston being a major location in the system we have opportunities to demonstrate our vitality. Last year, five thousand people visited our visitor center that is a part of the Chamber facility. Carey shared that while some believe visitor centers are obsolete because of smart phones, she believes more visitors are locating and wanting to get local information and perspective on area attractions from visitor center staff. Likewise, the Chamber has successfully applied for and received thirty thousand dollars in Lodging Tax revenue to fund their program.
A large part of the Chamber program involves Kingston area events. There is a long list of events that the Chamber sponsors or co-sponsors. To name just a few, the Kingston Cove Almost Summer Festival, the Fourth of July Festival and Parade, Pie in the Park, and Lights in the Park are all popular with locals and tourists. To assist with planning the Almost Summer Festival and the Fourth of July activities, the Chamber is presently seeking to hire a director. In addition, two contests have been initiated to insure that people thoroughly explore Kingston. One is the Kingston Trivia Game and the other is aimed at those who cannot get enough of Big Rocking Chairs.
Finally, the Chamber recognizes that the whole community’s efforts are needed to make Kingston the interesting and beautiful place it is. The Community Flower Baskets and the Holiday Swags are a wonderful reminder of that. Likewise, the upcoming December 1, Holiday Lighting Festival and activities demonstrate a true community holiday spirit. The Chamber is but a part of what makes Kingston much more than just interesting. But it is a very important part.
Please Welcome our Newest Members to the Kingston-NK Rotary Club!
Lori Buijten (l), Sally Christy, Membership Committee (lc), Mike Norris (rc), Barbara Aston (r)
The Kingston-NK Rotary Club initiated our newest members at our regular club meeting on 11/14/18. Lori Buijten joins our club as Assistant Director Special Education with the North Kitsap School District. Mike Norris, joins us as a retired contractor, fly fisherman and river guide. Barbara Aston, joins us as a retired teacher and volunteer. All three were inducted by our membership chair, Jennifer Carrier and membership co-chair Sally Christy. Don't forget to check out Mike's flashy shoes! Go Hawks!
Silverdale Rotarians Jennifer Strong (l) and Erin Shannon (r) presented their club’s holiday fundraising project to Kingston North Kitsap Rotarians at their October 31 meeting in Kingston.Partnering with Lynch Creek Farm in Shelton, Wa, the Silverdale Club is making it possible for anyone, anywhere to purchase a fresh wreath, centerpiece, or garland for the holidays.20% of all sales go to organizations throughout Kitsap County that support homeless and neglected kids (organizations such as Coffee Oasis and Stand Up for Kids).Most wreath prices range from $45 to $65.Free shipping is included to anywhere in the contiguous U.S.To shop and make purchases, go to:www.RotaryWreaths.com.
Board meeting minutes are sent to all members in a bulk mailing. Should you wish to review a set of minutes you may not have saved, follow these steps to find them online.
Go to our website: Kingston-nkrotary.org
Login.
Next select “Member Area” from the top bar.
Scroll down under “My Clubrunner” and select “View Club Documents”.
Scroll down to the Board Minutes you wish to read.
You may recall the item submitted last year by Treasurer Gale Kirsopp, about Amazon Smile - where you can do your Amazon shopping AND make a contribution to our Rotary Foundation in the process! In case you haven't signed up yet - PLEASE do. Here is the link to set up your "Amazon Smile" account. After that it's just a matter of going to "smile.amazon.com" to do your Amazon shopping and your contribution will be automatic. There is NO extra cost to do this. Amazon is sharing their profit with us!
