The Oct 14 Kingston North Kitsap Rotary speaker was, sadly, unable to attend.  As usual, Club President Walt Elliott filled the void “admirably.”  In fact, he featured a university graduation address by Admiral William McRaven, a retired U.S. Navy four-star.  You see, it was, on Oct 13, the day before, the U.S. Navy celebrated its 245th birthday. The Continental Congress established our Navy in 1775.  McRaven told graduates to make their bed.  A euphemism for doing the right thing, first thing.  “Then when you get home at night, your bed will be made.” McRaven was a Navy Seal.  He told of lessons learned in Seal training, just behind the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego.  The value of teamwork.  Determination.  No surrender.

    After committee reports, members were reminded about the KNK Rotary Satellite Club’s ShareNet fund-raising initiative.  Satellite members have launched a website where donors can give to ShareNet.  Give food items, rental assistance, utilities, and infant care.  Packages of food items have been prepared on the website for purchase for ShareNet.  For example, for $30, seven pounds of fresh produce can be purchased.  $20 delivers cereal and milk.  Rotarians - and everyone in their contact lists - are encouraged to give at:  www.auctria.com/auction/sharenetfundraiser.  

    Doug Hallock, Kingston North Kitsap Rotary’s liaison to the Club’s local scout troop renovation project, reminded members of a work party at the Scout Hall in Kingston.  Members are asked to come Sunday morning, Oct 18, at 9 a.m., to help install insulation board on the interior of the hall.  

    Another date of importance is today, Oct 17, at 3 p.m., for the first ever District 5020-wide, Polio Day event.  Click on: http://d5020.com/POLIOEVENT2020 where you can register easily.  Anchors aweigh. 

October 9 was the second Friday of the month.  That being said, it was free food Friday, otherwise known as the free community meal program sponsored by Kingston Cares. Kingston Cares stages the community meal program the second and third Friday of each month out of the Village Green Community Center in Kingston. The one on the 9th, last Friday, was made possible by the Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Club.  It was staffed by the Satellite Club of KNK Rotary.  One-hundred-sixty lasagna meals were “served” by the Rotarians, led by Satellite Club President David Winn.  Here Winn directs recipients to the pickup point and Satellite Club Member Julie Fox presents a meal to a “two-wheeled” member of our community.

    The Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Satellite Club is leading the way on another, on-going, community program in support of ShareNet, the Food Bank that provides North Kitsap with emergency food provision, screened emergency power and rental assistance, and weekend food backpacks for school children.  All Kingston North Kitsap Club members - and everyone they know - are encouraged to link to a website where they can purchase “packages” of food and other items for ShareNet.  For $30, seven pounds of fresh produce can be purchased.  $20 delivers cereal and milk.  Members are reminded to see David Winn’s email regarding the program, dated Oct 8.  In it is the link to the website where packages may be purchased.

    Two new members of the KNK Rotary Satellite Club were given their red badge materials at the September meeting of the Club.  We welcome new members Brian and Emily Froula. 

    Renovation work is progressing on Kingston’s Troop 555 Scout Hall, a project supported by Kingston North Kitsap Rotary Club, and led by former Eagle Scout and Rotarian Doug Hallock.  A work party Sunday, October 4, included three Rotarians getting their hands dirty.  In action.  They and members of Scout leadership tore out all electrical in the building in preparation for installation of new electrical, insulation, roof support, roof, fireplace insert, and other finishes that will make the 1960’s-era building like new.  Below Doug Hallock and Mark Libby (removing old wiring). 

    At their Oct 7 meeting Kingston North Kitsap Rotarians heard testimonials from two recent Rotary Youth Exchange students, Bailey and Delaney.  Bailey was in England on her exchange, while Delaney, daughter of Rotarian Isaac Anderson, was in Italy.  She said any amount of travel is positive and that “the language was the most fun challenge.”

    The Oct 7 meeting speaker was David Perry, founder of the Practical Ethics Institute on Bainbridge Island.  Perry, a Tacoma native, earned a Ph.D. in ethics at the University of Chicago.  He taught graduate and undergraduate courses for 24 years at Davidson College in North Carolina, and the U.S. Army War College in Pennsylvania.  Perry shared his views on racial tension in America.  He says progress in race relations in our country over the last 200 years is a credible claim.  But we still have a problem.  Implicit bias, when subconsciously, unconsciously, we are biased, and that can affect how we react to others actions.  Perry said Black Lives Matter, as a statement, does not say other lives do not matter.  It says black lives should matter more than they do.  In conclusion, he said racism is not an American problem.  It is a human problem, as we tend to categorize people unconsciously.  

    Before adjournment, members were advised of a potential Club awards ceremony, probably a virtual/in-person hybrid, Oct 21.  More to follow.