Highlights of the meeting of Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2007
 

Our Speaker

   Our speaker this morning was Dr. Hanna Ekstrom, a local home-call veterinarian with a second passion: service to less-privileged folks. After graduating from Cornell U. and before entering vet school, Dr. Ekstrom had an opportunity to do volunteer service among the Navaho Indians. This whetted her appetite for “service above self,” and in addition to her busy practice she has found time to join a group of committed volunteers providing assistance in Central and South America. 

   The parent group is known as “Partners in Health,” an organization founded by Paul Farmer, with the mission of providing medical and surgical health care. Dr. Ekstrom and others have expanded that aid to include veterinary care and advice. In particular, they are working with a village of Miskito Indians in Bilwaskarma, Nicaragua. She has journeyed there several times, utilizing her own funds. 

   Traveling to their chosen village is not for the faint of heart. After an airplane flight to the capital, Managua, they take a commuter plane into the interior, landing on a dirt strip the planes share with local herds of cows. Then it’s a four-hour van ride on to their destination. 

   Life in Bilwaskarma is basic. Bathing and washing of clothes take place in the nearby river. That is also where the livestock come to drink, as do the Indians themselves. The Indians’ main diet staples are beans, corn, and bananas. While there are some cows, pigs and chickens in the village, they are scrawny and free-ranging, which makes them continuously susceptible to predation from the nearby jungle, as well as from the village’s own dogs. All the animals – and the people themselves - are plagued by parasitism and other diseases. 

   Recognizing that it is difficult to make a major impact in all areas, Dr. Ekstrom and her colleague Garth Cummings, a veterinary student, have opted to concentrate on helping the villagers to improve and enlarge their chicken flock. They have committed to teaching healthy husbandry, and even to helping bring in new stock. Dr. Ekstrom gave a humorous description of trekking by foot for six hours toward the Honduran border, “where the best chickens are,” according to locals. They returned trudging through the dead of night, carrying very warm (normal body temp = 104F) chickens through the jungle heat. (They also were accompanied by numerous prayers - and a machete -“just for luck”…) 

   In conjunction with their efforts to raise additional funds for their work, Dr. Ekstrom and Mr. Cummings have developed “Wheels for Change,” a non-profit affiliate of Partners in Health. To date they have raised over $4000. You can visit their website at www.wheelsforchange.org.

Community Service

Susan Webster reported that dictionaries have been delivered to several of the Northshore third-grade classes. This week: Bear Creek and Woodmoor. 

Also: Ron Paul Braun has been named Woodinville’s Citizen of the Year. 

District Conference – May 16-18, 2007

Travel Consultant extraordinaire Art Haines, “filling in for Chris Carnevali,” reports that the Club has secured rooms at the Courtyard by Marriot in Richland, as well as the use of the banquet room at Anthony’s, over-looking the beautiful Columbia River. There are still 11 rooms unspoken for, at $119.00/night. Remember that the Club will pay for your registration for the conference. Also, registering prior to Dec. 31 will mean a savings for the Club. 

Operation Warm

Larry “Mr. Warm” Duffield was still selling $20 chances for a nice evening out, proceeds to benefit the kids by providing more large-size coats for the upcoming Santa’s Breakfast on December 8. 

99^th Rotary International – June 15-18, 2007

…to be held in L.A. This represents an opportunity to go to “a whole other place”…while not going too far from home… 

Laura Topin

Our French exchange student is just that – she opted not to attend this a.m. due to an upcoming German exam. Her host John Abbot reports that Laura is a member of the Woodinville High Falcons b.b. team. There are upcoming games on Dec 12, 27, 28, 29. Let’s get out to a game and cheer her and the Falcons on! 

Birthdays

Only one: Alan Nelson. We sang anyway… 

The Sarge

Nicked yours truly and a whole lot of Huskies…. 

                                                  Respectfully submitted by Alan “Pairo’docs” Marsh.