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June 28th Girdwood Rotarians and members of the community volunteered their time and expertise to clean up and make repairs as needed to our community's playground.  Rakes, hammers, pruning shears, saws and lots of paint brushes accomplished the work with a little TLC & guidance from our hearty volunteers.

This is an annual event where everyone can lend a hand.  Your participation in the playground annual maintenance & improvements is needed and welcome.  Watch for notice of the next fun Playground maintenance and cleanup day in the Turnagain Times and on this web site.  For more entertaining pictures on the playground fun maintenance and cleanup event, check out our Photo Album link to the left.

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On June 26th new Girdwood Rotary member Dr. George Stewart discussed his recent travel to Liberia. That country has seen severe civil war strife in recent years.  About 3.5 million people live there. The following is a current article in a newsletter they publish.

    Greetings;   In December, 2007 we started the Vessel of Hope Fund with the idea of providing assistance in Anchorage and around the world (especially Liberia in West Africa, which has captured our heart) to help improve people’s lives. 

     The Alaska Community Foundation put us in touch with Nate York and his organization Solace International (www.solaceinternational.org). Nate and his associate Simon Okela (a Kenyan) met us in Monrovia in January, 2008. We had the joy of identifying two initial projects.  

     The first is helping to enlarge an elementary school in Kakata, a village around 40 miles from Monrovia. The initial classrooms had been built with local initiative but there was a need for at least 4 more classrooms and a building which would serve as an auditorium and cafeteria as well as a facility which could be rented out for community functions (with the revenue helping to support the school). Despite very heavy rain in March (which washed away part of the original walls) the roofs are now in place and they greeted us with a school meeting in the new auditorium (remember this building did not exist in January when we were there- the walls are almost finished): 

     The second project is in Belle in northeast Liberia. The most notorious prison in West Africa (Belle Yelle) was located there for many years. Nate and his associate Moses Binda (who is from Liberia) are in the process of building a Trade School using masons from Monrovia and local help where possible. To get materials to the village requires walking through the jungle for around 10 hours carrying supplies. Again they were faced with a lot of rain in March which slowed the progress of construction but here’s what has been accomplished in a in a few weeks (note: the bricks must be made by hand):

     We extend our heartfelt thanks to our friends who have donated to our Fund – your dollars are already at work! 

     There is much more to do however – these two projects must be finished- the school at Kakata in time for the fall term and the trade school at Belle by the end of the year (construction will be put on hold during the rainy season). More projects in Liberia are being considered for the future.

     If you feel moved to assist us in these worthy projects you may send a fully tax deductible donation to: 

Alaska Community Foundation (ACF) Vessel of Hope Fund, 400 L Street, Suite 100, Anchorage, AK 99501, or you may donate on line at www.alaskacf.org and click on “Give Online”

The overhead of our fund is 1/5%.  Federal laws prohibits the use of donated funds for our personal expenses so 98.5% of your donations will go to projects (there is a merchant fee of 3% for credit card donations).  For more information please email us

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On June 19th Jim Barnett talked about exploration of the North Pacific and Alaska by Captain Cook. Jim's recently published book is the culmination of over 20 years of travel around the world in pursuit of further information on Captain Cook's search for the northern passage between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The book Captain Cook in the North Pacific and Alaska is a very interesting read and contains drawings from the expeditions which are not usually available or seen by the general public. Members found it interesting that more complete information about Captain Cook's voyages reside in the archives of Australia than those of England.  This is partially because he is considered the "Father of their country" by most Australians.

    Of particular interest for Alaskans were the accuracy of the mapping of Alaska's waters and shorelines done by his cartographers and navigators.  Although not as accurate as today's charting, when you consider he was using a sextant and clock over two hundred years ago, well it's just simply fascinating the accuracy and detail they were able to accomplish.  You'll have to read Jim's book to get the whole story.  It is available at most book stores, including Tidal Wave Books on Fireweed in Anchorage.

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On June 12th David Alexander told us about his experience with the Mayor's Anti-gang and Youth Crime Task Force on which he currently serves.

 

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On June 5th Becky Germain told us about her recent trip to Africa, escorting a group of students from Polaris School in Anchorage, Their travels ranged from the game reserves and towns of the northern part of South Africa to the Cape Town's Table Mountain.  Becky had a large collection of pictures showing the animals of South Africa and the beautiful scenery.

 

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Girdwood School Eighth Grade Student of the Year – TIMES TWO!     Outstanding 8th Grade Student of the Year Selection Committee Kelly Skustad, Dave Robinson and Pieter Vander Hoek were delighted to be faced with the dilemma that two of our Girdwood School students were equally qualified for Girdwood Rotary’s annual Outstanding 8th Grade Student of the Year Award. Although the award is usually given to only one student, an exception was made this year because of the exemplary achievements of these two students.     Eighth grade teacher, Kelly Skustad, had the following to say as she revealed the identities of the awardees at the annual Pancake Breakfast on Tuesday, May 20th:     “This year’s recipient is highly capable, highly motivated, and talented in many areas.  She strives for perfection in her work and is intrinsically motivated to succeed in her education. Her creative talents, and meticulous work produce outstanding projects and presentations.   She ‘s generous with her time and offers to help both in the school community and the Girdwood community. She took the initiative to plan several activities for the school, such as the after-school dance.  She is kind and welcoming to all. This young lady is a delight to have as a student and a classmate.  We are proud to present to you ONE of this year’s Outstanding 8th grade students.   Congratulations, Marina Graham.     Perhaps you caught that…….We had a hard time deciding on just one outstanding 8th grader and Rotary agreed, so…..     Our second recipient is also highly capable, highly motivated, and talented in many areas.  He is a well-rounded individual, being an avid athlete and a strong student. This young man has volunteered his time for several community activities, such as Little Bears’ pancake breakfast.  His happy go lucky attitude is contagious and both teachers and classmates alike enjoy working with him. His people skills will be a great asset to him in high school and beyond.  Not only did he share his talents with us via student council, but he brought his mom along as well.   Our second Outstanding 8th grade student is Dylan Fox.”     Girdwood Rotary is proud to have supported this award for many years.  Ron Burson, Tom Yeager and Jan Hood of the local club were on hand for the announcements and presented the students with gift certificates to Girdwood Books & News as well as the plates bearing their names that will be placed on the plaque in Girdwood School.  In addition to a packed room of students, parents and grandparents, Rotary friends also attending to honor the awardees were Don Johnson, Rebecca Reichlin and Gwen Burson. Note: 8th Grader of the year selection criteria: *School/Community Service *Academic Excellence *Positive Attitude *Participation in the classroom *Participation in extracurricular activities, such as school play, sports *Self motivated learner *Well-rounded student

Girdwood Rotary Club member article is published in Newsweek
MY TURN
Marking Time With a Glacier

As our family grew larger, climate change caused the massive wall of ice to grow smaller.

By Tom Yeager | NEWSWEEK - May 12, 2008 Issue

    It is a bit disconcerting to be old enough to have witnessed changes that were once thought to take longer than a human lifetime. As a youngster, I learned that geologic changes to our planet (with the exception of volcanic eruptions) take place slowly over unfathomably long periods of time. But after living in Alaska for three decades, I have come to realize that volcanic eruptions are not the only geologic processes that can be observed within the span of a person's life. The dramatic melting of nearby Portage Glacier, once a majestic behemoth, has kept pace with the story of our family in Alaska.
    When my wife, Lenore, and I moved to Alaska in the mid-1970s, the awe-inspiring face of Portage Glacier spanned the entire width of Portage Valley. Even the small portion of it that could be seen from ground level was one mile wide. The glacier's sheer vertical face, flanked on both sides by the valley's steep cliffs and punctuated by yawning crevasses and gravity-defying ice pinnacles, towered majestically above the surface of Portage Lake. Back then the glacier could be approached during winter by skiing across the frozen surface of the lake. Oblivious to the several hundred feet of frigid water below our skis, we would glide across the snow-covered ice, through a fairyland of frozen in-place icebergs, to the imposing face of the glacier.
    One of those early ski trips remains particularly memorable. Since I was still a cheechako (that's Alaskan lingo for greenhorn), I had failed to realize that the sporadic forward movement of the glacier could, like a colossal bulldozer, push against the frozen surface of the lake with unimaginable force.
    I had stopped a respectful distance from the towering face of the glacier for a lunch break with our family's first dog, Grindel. She was still a puppy at the time, and her potpourri of bloodlines (which included husky, St. Bernard and German shepherd) made her the quintessential Alaskan mutt. Before we could break out the dog biscuits and gorp, there was a sudden release of the tremendous compressed energy that the forward movement of the glacier had exerted on the lake ice. With a deep-throated sound that was felt as much as heard, the massive slab of ice upon which we rested was thrust forward by the glacier, causing it to ride up and over the ice behind us. Pressure ridges that marked the fractured boundaries of the ice slabs suddenly began to grow upward like miniature mountain ranges. Needless to say, Grindel and I recrossed those pressure ridges with great care on our return trip to terra firma.
    Each summer the glacier would calve off icebergs the size of two-car garages that would drift across the lake and become beached against the near shore. With the onset of winter, and locked in place by lake ice, the icebergs became fancifully shaped play structures, complete with eerie ice-blue caves, secret hiding places and incredibly slippery slides.
    Through the 1990s, as our children, Adam and Elyse, then teenagers, became busy with other things, my most reliable companion on excursions to Portage Glacier became, once again, the canine component of our family. Dena'ina, another Alaskan mutt, took particular joy in these trips, her tail wagging feverishly in the frigid air.
    Now that Lenore and I are empty-nesters, the glacier face has, at least for the moment, come to rest on a recently exposed bedrock perch located up a side valley on the far side of Portage Lake. It has retreated more than a mile since we first made Alaska our home.
    For the time being, the downhill flow of the glacier appears to have reached equilibrium with the amount of ice that continually calves off the glacier's face; the glacier's front edge, therefore, remains at the same place. The massive icebergs that had been spawned while the glacier retreated through the deep waters of Portage Lake have been replaced by much smaller ice shards that, unfortunately, make much less entertaining playground structures.
    Today, when our grown children make their way back home, nostalgic ski trips to the remnants of Portage Glacier have taken on a new significance. Adam and Elyse, having experienced "outside" (that's what Alaskans call the rest of the world), can now accompany their dad across Portage Lake with an enlightened appreciation for their birthplace, and for the uniqueness of growing up as Portage Glacier was growing smaller.
Yeager lives in Girdwood, Alaska.
© 2008

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Message from President Jody Liddicoat April 29, 2008 - Last week's presentation from Nathan Lukes on doing dentistry outside of Danang, Vietnam was great!  He has had lots of experience doing mobile dentistry in rural Alaska but this was his first experience in a developing country, and what really impressed him was the good working ethics of the adults and the excellent manners of his young clients in the school houses!  The program, East Meets West Dentistry was the dream of a retired Army dentist who wants children to like having their teeth worked on as well as teach them good oral hygiene and repair existing problems.
    Due to both a space problem at the Hotel as well as no scheduled speakers, this weeks meeting for May 1 will be cancelled, and the scheduled Club Assembly will be held next week instead.  As most of us are not going to District Conference, we will go ahead and have a meeting on May 8th at the usual time and location.  I am sorry for the short notice but hope all of you will join in on Thursday the 8th, especially all of our new members (who are not at District Conference).
    On  to more membership news.  Last week I read the resignation letter of Jeff and Eileen Demain, who noted that since their leave, they've been unable to make any meetings and have realized they cannot keep their commitment to Rotary.  If anyone want to develop a Friends of Rotary, they have offered to be a part of it.  Also, at last weeks meeting, George McCoy re-introduced George Stewart, who wishes to transfer his membership to Girdwood Rotary.  As soon as he advises his current club, we will be glad to put him officially on our membership list,  So welcome George, and we will be looking forward to your return from Liberia next month so you can tell us about it.
    Lastly, I have picked up the vests and bags for our scheduled May 10 highway cleanup, so let's all meet behind the Tesoro at 9am May 10, and do our part to help in the Girdwood clean up day.  Thanks to all of you for keeping Rotary rolling in town.  Jody

22nd Annual Girdwood Fine Arts Camp Registration Information Phone Registration Begins May 2nd, 2008 Call  783-CAMP (783-2267) In addition to phone registration we will also be set up at summer registration at Girdwood School, tentatively to be held on the evening of May 13th from 7 to 9pm.

Arts Camp was established in 1987 to foster natural artistic talents by providing young people instruction in the craft and techniques of the fine arts.  Our students collaborate with professional artists/instructors who are chosen for their ability to inspire and bring out the best in their students.  The finest quality art materials are used, and our student/teacher ratio is 1:6.      Arts Camp is held during the final week of July and the first week of August in the spectacular setting of Girdwood Valley.  The whole town gets involved in this highly anticipated annual cultural event, which inspires and connects all participants with the high energy of the artistic program.  Parents and towns people are treated to an Exhibition of Students’ Work at the finale on Friday, August 8th, 6:30-9pm.

Girdwood Fine Arts Camp is sponsored by: National Endowment for the Arts, Alaska State Council on the Arts,  Girdwood Center for Visual Arts, Girdwood Forest Fair Committee, Girdwood Rotary, Girdwood 2020, Girdwood Clinic,  and many private donations.  It is a program offered by the Girdwood Art Institute PO Box 1034 Girdwood, AK 99587 Director Contacts: Thalia Wilkinson 783-1965 Sarah Cronk 783-2835 Download our brochure (Adobe .pdf format - 185 kb) (MS Word .doc format - 4.9 mb) Girdwood Rotary Club is not affiliated with Girdwood Fine Arts Camp but does sponsor the camp on an annual basis.

February 6, 2008 - Which  two members were having a good time in Lake Tahoe while the rest of the club was chillin' out in Alaska?  You guessed it.  Club President Jody Liddicoat and Anne Hays (left) are seen enjoying the scenic Lake Tahoe area.  It was no doubt a "Retreat" for the purpose of memorizing Rotary facts and formulating new strategies.

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   September 6, 2007 - Past President David Alexander briefed our group on upcoming meetings (please use the link to the left for the latest on our upcoming meetings) and reminded us of several items and upcoming events.  Girdwood Lions Club has been invited to join us on September 13th when Rosey Fletcher will be speaking to us (Please note that this meeting is in the Meadows Community Center) and also on October 4th when NOAA biologists will be talking about Beluga Whales. Our club pre-winter "Seward Highway Cleanup" will be on Saturday, September 22nd.  We will be meeting behind the Ice Cream Shop at the corner of Alyeska and Seward Highways at 9 am,  Our annual Girdwood Health Fair is on Saturday, October 6th beginning at 9 am. Our club will help set up in the Meadows Community Center for about 2 hours beginning at 3:30 pm on Friday.

    Tyler Robinson, Director of MOA Department of Neighborhoods told us about the Department of Neighborhoods (including Weatherization) and its management of the Municipality’s U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grants. These grants include the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME). The department also receives through its entitlement the Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), which the Department of Health and Human Services manages through its Social Services Division’s Safe City Program.
    Priorities for the HUD entitlements is specified in the 2003 - 2007 Housing and Community Development Consolidated Plan. The Consolidated Plan addresses the Municipality’s goals and strategies for community development, housing, and homeless assistance. The department implements the Consolidated Plan through the Annual Action Plans. The Annual Action Plans identify the specific use of grant funds for projects and activities during the applicable program year.
    In the advancement of affordable housing, the Department of Neighborhoods provides assistance to low/moderate-income families and individuals utilizing HUD's CDBG and HOME Program funds. Eligible families are assisted with purchasing housing, both new and existing, and with the rehabilitation of substandard housing. In the Municipality of Anchorage, the Department of Neighborhoods (DoN) under the Office of Economic and Community Development, is administering many federal and state grants for low income families to meet their housing and other needs. For more information please visit the web site at http://www.muni.org/CDBG/index.cfm

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August 30, 2007 - Cat Rose and Thalia Wilkinson were our guests for the evening. Cat is a friend of CeCe's and Thalia is Director of the Girdwood Fine Arts Camp. 

    John Hickox introduced Thalia Wilkinson by telling us a little bit about her background. The Arts Camp, which is in its 21st year of operation, was started by Tommy O'Malley and others to give the local children exposure to the various art mediums and techniques. The camp has grown considerably with children from outside Girdwood now joining in and many of the former attendees have returned to become teachers and helpers. 

    Thalia showed a video made from photographs by Erik Teela of the participants and activities at the recent Fine Arts Camp. The expressions on their faces of the children as they do their projects is absolute confirmation in itself of the importance and success of the program. A copy of the video can be purchased from the Art Camp. For more information or if you would like to contribute, help or volunteer, please contact Thalia Wilkinson, Tommy O'Malley or Sarah Cronk. The Fine Arts Camp does not yet have a web site so you'll have to contact them at their home numbers - or you may use the Rotary "Contact Us" link above and we will forward the information to them

    Club President Jody Liddicoat has changed the meeting format slightly to allow time for visiting to promote increased fellowship among our members - and hopefully this fellowship time will also make the meetings more fun for everyone, thereby increasing attendance and participation.  Meetings will continue to be called to order at 7 pm but any business and the programs will not commence until about 7:20 or so.

    New (old - as in former) member Hank Hosford was somewhat surprised to hear the announcement that he'd been elected to the Club's Board of Directors.  Although he had just read about his new duties in the Rotarian, he was still digesting that information when it was announced from teh podium. The members congratulated Hank on his new Director position. New member Jennifer Overcast was even more surprised to hear that she was in consideration Chairlady of the Service Committee. She asked for a little time to make a decision on accepting the position.  We had chosen Hank and Jennifer because they both bring a considerable amount of enthusiasm and new ideas to our club.

    Our President Elect position is still vacant.   Our annual meeting this year is on December 6, 2007.  This is the meeting where nomination and election of officers for the term beginning July 1, 2008 takes place in accordance with our Club Constitution and Bylaws. Please consider volunteering your time for these important leadership positions.

    Our Club's semiannual Seward Highway Cleanup is tentatively set for Saturday, September 22 at 10 am.  We will meet in the parking lot behind Coast Pizza at the Tesoro Gas Station "mall."  If there are any changes to this schedule, Jody will send an email to all members.

    Details on upcoming meeting may be found on the "Meeting Speaker" link to the left.  Lions Club members have been invited to several of the meetings that are probably of interest to all who live along the Turnagain.  Rosey Fletcher will be speaking on September 13th about her preparation for competitive snowboarding and the adventures leading up to and following her Olympic medal victory.  On October 4th, Barbara Mahoney and Brad Davis will explain the situation with our Girdwood Beluga Whales and their precipitous population drop.

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August 24, 2007 - Following a scrumptious potluck under the traditional "Alaskan blue tarp" at the Burson's home, Membership Chairman Larry Daniels and Past District Governor Phil Livingston ceremoniously (and sometimes hilariously) inducted and welcomed into our club three new members, Hank Hosford, Jennifer Overcast and Anne Hays.
    Hank, although new to our club, is not new to Rotary. Hank was a member of the New Orleans club some ten years ago.  Hank, his wife Dale Goodwin and their children, moved to Girdwood two years ago. They are currently undergoing and enjoying the labors of a complete remodeling project of their new home here.  Dale says "The Brady Bunch has arrived!"
    Jennifer hails from Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she worked as an Associate Broker for Sotheby's International Realty for 12 years. She will be working in the Girdwood area real estate market with Skip Minder and George McCoy. She brings experience in community service, real estate development and responsible planning. As a graduate of Baylor University, she founded a service organization called "Stepping Out" which matched volunteer students to needed jobs within the community. The jobs ranged from painting trash cans for the city, clearing trails, tutoring children to painting homes of the elderly in the community. Jennifer is looking forward to being involved and giving service to the community through her membership in Girdwood Rotary.  She and her husband Mike live in South Anchorage.
    Anne Hays was born in San Diego CA.  Her father was a Navy pilot, then flew for the FAA and the Naval Reserves. Anne's mother lives in Anchorage. While growing up, Anne lived in Washington, Colorado, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland and California.  She graduated high school in Seattle and then attended Fairhaven College in Bellingham, Washington; and finally resumed her BA studies at George Meany Center for Labor Studies. Anne's employment history includes working as a realtor, cocktail waitress, roofer, trailer factory hand, Chamber of Commerce Executive, State Labor & Commerce Committee Chief of Staff, Political and Communications Director and IBEW Business Agent. She currently owns and has managed Hays Research Group since 2000, an independent public opinion survey research firm.  Anne and her husband Rob, with their three sons, Steve, Zack and Adam make their home here in Girdwood.  She can be classified as an avid skier, having skied 105 days last season.
  Girdwood Rotary welcomes Hank, Jennifer and Anne to our club!!!
For pictures of the induction and the potluck social select "Photo Album" to the left and then select the August 24, 2007 activity.

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August 16, 2007 - US Senator Lisa Murkowski briefed our group on the current climate in and issues before the US Senate and what is likely be accomplished this term thru November, then in January presidential campaigning officially begins and progress will become very slow.  It's a misnomer to consider the "Senate is on vacation" when they are in recess.  She described her summer recess activities and the extensive travels throughout the state and elsewhere to touch base with various communities and constituents.  Additionally, she escorts Congressional and Administration Delegations to educate them and to bolster our states needs on issues before Congress and the Administration. Bottom line - recess is anything but a vacation and there is considerably more free time when the senate is actually in session.
    Senator Murkowski touched briefly on the continued effectiveness of Alaska Delegation given the current investigations and loss of Committee Chairmanships due to the past election and due to Committee Chairman term limits.  She talked about what expectations of people in the state should be given that Senator Stevens is no longer chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee and Congressman Young is no longer chairing the Transportation Committee.  It is likely that allocations to the state will be less because of this reduced influence and ability to monitor funding for Alaska projects.
    The Senator talked about how "Earmarks" work in the Senate.  She explained that the meaning of "Earmark" is a project or request for funding that was not included in proposals submitted by the President and had to be introduced by a Senator or Congressman to provide for or protect their respective constituencies.  Senator Murkowski said that everyone will be working for greater transparency and the funding will be shifted to the various Federal Agencies, who will take a portion of the "earmark" as an agency fee.
    Senator Murkowski senator also discussed what could be expected in the fall session.  There are a number of appropriation bills that need to be passed in order to fund the work of the nation.  She said it would be unlikely that there would be time for them all to be processed in the normal fashion and that what was left over would likely be put together in "omnibus" bills, which she did not like because it means there will be many thousands of pages that will need to be reviewed, amended and understood with minimal time to do it.

    For more information about Senator Lisa Murkowski and the US Senate actions, please go to her web site at http://murkowski.senate.gov/

    Communities in Schools Executive Director, Tom Morgan, reintroduced himself by saying that his degree was in Community Schools but when he read the job description he wasn't wearing his eyeglasses and mistakenly read "Community Schools" instead of "Communities in Schools".

   Tom is the Executive Director of Communities in Schools, a statewide organization whose focus is bringing community input into school curricula and activities.  Retired from the Navy, Tom was previously Community Education director at Adak and he also directed the Armed Forces YMCA operation in Anchorage.  He and his wife Susan are long time Anchorage residents, and, most recently, he has assumed responsibility for bringing the Imagination Library to Alaska.  He hopes Rotary Clubs will take on projects, especially in rural communities.  In summary, a Club can sponsor all the kids in the villages for a reasonable amount- $2,000 in many cases- for one year.  Every child then gets a book each month.  Parents are responsible for signing their own children up.  Everyone is qualified and encouraged to enroll from birth to five years of age.  Tom worked with David and Rich Dyson to create a project in Wainwright last year, the second rural community to adopt the Nashville based program.  Tom is a member of downtown Rotary and Rich is a member at Anchorage East.

    A one-on-one relationship with a caring adult
    A safe place to learn and grow
    A healthy start and a healthy future
    A marketable skill to use upon graduation
    A chance to give back to peers and community
Each year, more than two million young people in 27 states and the District of Columbia have access to services through Communities In Schools. When it comes to helping kids, CIS has a track record with a focus on results, providing access to services for more than 2 million young people on an annual basis. CIS celebrates student success: increased graduation and stay-in-school rates; increased attendance; better academic performance.  They are the largest dropout prevention network in America, forming effective partnerships and creating unique programs with companies like Verizon, Clear Channel, and Morgan Stanley.
    For 30 years, CIS has championed the connection of needed community resources with schools. By bringing caring adults into the schools to address children's unmet needs, CIS provides the link between educators and the community. The result: Teachers are free to teach, and students -- many in jeopardy of dropping out -- finally have the opportunity to focus on learning. For more information on Communities in Schools go to http://www.cisnet.org/intro.html.

    An exciting affiliate program is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. In 1996, Dolly Parton launched an exciting new effort to benefit the children of her home county in east Tennessee. Dolly wanted to foster a love of reading among her county’s preschool children and their families. She wanted children to be excited about books and to feel the magic that books can create. Moreover, she could insure that every child would have books, regardless of their family’s income.
    So she decided to mail a brand new, age appropriate book each month to every child under 5 in Sevier County. With the arrival of every child’s first book, the classic The Little Engine That Could ™, every child could now experience the joy of finding their very own book in their mail box. These moments continue each month until the child turns 5—and in their very last month in the program they receive Look Out Kindergarten Here I Come.
    Needless to say the experience has been a smashing success. So much so that many other communities clamored to provide the Imagination Library to their children. Dolly thought long and hard about it and decided her Foundation should develop a way for other communities to participate. The Foundation asked a blue ribbon panel of experts to select just the right books and secured Penguin Group USA to be the exclusive publisher for the Imagination Library. Moreover a database was built to keep track of the information.
    Consequently, in March of 2000 she stood at the podium of The National Press Club in Washington, D.C. and revealed the plan for other communities to provide the Imagination Library to their children. And as only Dolly can say it, she wanted to “put her money where her mouth is – and with such a big mouth that’s a pretty large sum of money” and provide the books herself to the children of Branson, Missouri and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – communities where her businesses now operate. If other leaders in their communities were willing to do the same, well something big might just happen.  She said “You know what? It did!!
    Here’s how it works: A community must make the program accessible to all preschool children in their area. The community pays for the books and mailing, promotes the program, registers the children, and enters the information into the database. From there The Dollywood Foundation takes over and manages the system to deliver the books to the home. You can find out more of the operational details on other pages in this website – so what are you waiting for! Hundreds of communities are providing books to hundreds of thousands of children.
Inspiration & Imagination
Just a part of the theme of this program is to promote a love of reading and learning; regard for diversity of people, their roles, culture, and environment; promotion of self-esteem and confidence, appreciation of art and aesthetics. Each series of books should contain certain characteristics specific to their age appropriateness.  Click here for more information on Dolly Parton's Imagination Library

 

Click here to view the picture gallery of this meeting 

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August 9, 2007 - Jennifer Payne, Public Involvement Manager for Dowl Engineers did a great presentation on the new overpass project at the Glenn Highway and Bragaw Intersection, explaining the bid and award process and showing plans of the project.  Dowl Engineers will do the planning and engineering and Wilder Construction will make it happen.
    The Glenn-Bragaw Interchange Project is a design-build project. The State of Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) asked designers and builders to work together to come up with an innovative design proposal for a grade-separated interchange of Glenn Highway at the intersection with Bragaw Street. Wilder Construction Company and DOWL Engineers were selected and the preliminary design is complete. The Glenn-Bragaw Interchange Project is expected to be complete in the Fall of 2008.
    Approximately 50,000 vehicles per day travel through the Glenn Highway and Bragaw Street Intersection. There are three westbound lanes, which merge into two near McCarrey Street creating a bottleneck for commuters traveling into Anchorage. The high demand and bottlenecked condition results in severe congestion, delay, and rear-end collisions. Traffic in this area is expected to double in the next 20 years. A grade-separated intersection will allow traffic to continue through the intersection without stopping.
    The new Glenn/Bragaw Interchange will allow three lanes of traffic in each direction on the Glenn Highway to flow under the new raised Bragaw Street. Off ramps on the Glenn Highway for east and west bound Bragaw Street traffic will be added as will a pedestrian underpass.

     And of course, with road construction comes road closures.  The Glenn Highway at Bragaw Street is scheduled to be closed starting Friday, August 17, 2007 at 8 p.m. until Monday, August 20, 2007 at 6 a.m. Traffic heading northbound from Anchorage should take Tudor Road, Northern Lights Boulevard, or DeBarr Road to access the Glenn Highway via Boniface Parkway, Turpin Street or Muldoon Road. Traffic flowing into Anchorage from the Mat-Su Valley should exit off the Glenn Highway at Muldoon Road or Boniface Parkway. During the closure, access to Mountain View Drive and Bragaw Street north of Debarr Road will be limited to local traffic. Drivers should plan for slower drive times during the closure on associated detour routes.

    As with any project of this magnitude, changes will occur.  For the latest updates or just more information please visit the Dowl Engineers web site and select the Client Projects link on the left side menu.

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August 2, 2007 - Carletta Mack, Director of Programs, Covenant House Alaska made a dynamic presentation to our club explaining Covenant House Alaska and its purpose.

    Covenant House Alaska serves homeless and at-risk youth, maintaining an open intake policy which means, no youth is ever turned away. Covenant House Alaska provides an opportunity for youth to leave the streets, find a job, learn valuable life skills, finish school, reunite with families and make steps toward a life filled with confidence, self-sufficiency, and independence.

    Through a relationship of respect and support, the staff and volunteers at Covenant House Alaska give youth a sense of hope and they find the courage to move on to a better place.

 

CRISIS CENTER: 609 F STREET

40 bed residential facility that provides short term shelter, food, clothing, case management, family mediation, health

care services and employment and educational assistance.

Serves youth agesI3-20.

Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

COMMUNITY SERVICES CENTER: 750 W. 5TH AVE.

Drop-in center that provides case management, on-site health care, educational tutoring, testing and referrals, employment assistance, counseling and substance abuse referrals, life skills training, relationship groups, transportation assistance and phone and mail services.

Serves youth 13-20.  

TRANSITIONAL LIVING PROGRAMS:

24 beds for long term residential care designed to help youth transition to independent living and self-sufficiency. Youth can participate in program for 18 months with an additional six to 12 months of aftercare.

RIGHTS OF PASSAGE: 750 W. 5TH AVE.

A 14 bed residential program for homeless youth ages 18-20.

PASSAGE HOUSE:

A 10 bed residential program providing services to young pregnant and parenting women ages 17-20, and their children. 

    Covenant House Alaska is more than a shelter. For many of the youth served, it is a home. Covenant House Alaska serves homeless and at-risk youth ages 13-20. There are no fees for any programs and all services are provided without regard to ethnicity, religious affiliation, gender, and physical challenges.

     When a youth looking for help comes through the doors of Covenant House Alaska, “we do not see problems. We see potential.” Through a relationship of respect

and unconditional support, the staff of Covenant House Alaska gives youth a sense of hope and they find the courage to move on to a better place.

 

    For more information on Covenant House Alaska, please visit their web site at http://covenanthouseak.org/

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August 1, 2007 - Our July 28^th Reggae Fest parking lots were fun and hugely successful, netting around $1500 for the day - and for not too much work.  A giant thanks to Diana Livingston for her idea, to Jeff & Eileen Demain for generously letting us park cars in their lot, to Kim Jones of sourdough Productions for encouraging us to do parking by giving our volunteers passes, to Chuck & Kerry Dorius' for using their lot and their carefully honed parking skills, and to all our hard-working volunteers, especially Ron Burson. Really, without the organizing, the management, the attention to detail and the serious follow-through in every one of these tasks that Ron handled, we could not have pulled this one off so effortlessly.   A big gold star for Ron and my sincere appreciation for all of his talents and energy and willingness to do it all!

    The festival seemed well attended, well-managed and run with loads of security and firm enforcement of policies which always makes it easier to have such events in Girdwood. My hats off to Mr. Jones and Sourdough Production for really following through on everything he said and advertised. The music was great, the crowd a bit strange but mostly happy and the parkers and vendors were busy!

    Also, a big thanks to our rotary friends, including Becky G, Allison, Ashley, Jimmy H, Jeannie S, Cat R, Conrad W, Erin E and Hank H (who will soon be amongst the chosen)  So please feel free to forward this to any friends that helped so they know of our gratitude.  And in advance, Ken, thanks for making the deposit so I didn't have to hide it in the fridge for a week, and to Cece for getting and returning the key for the line striper.  Use the Photo Album page link to the right to view pictures from this and other events our club is involved in.

   We need to have a social in August to celebrate our successes and honor Jeff & Eileen Demain for their continuing contributions so please let me know if anyone can host a Friday or Saturday time in August.

Thanks again to all, and if I forgot anyone or anything, please accept my apologies.... Jody Liddicoat, President

Reggae Fest Parking Lot volunteers:

Friday July 27 Setup duty	Saturday July 28 Non-Rotary Volunteers
·        Ron Burson	·        Erin Eker
·        Larry Daniels	·        Chuck Dorius
·        Hank Hosford	·        Becky Germain
·        Jody Liddicoat	·        Jimmy Henderson
·        CeCe Mendonsa	·        Hank Hosford
·        Ellen Twiname	·        Robin Lovelace
Saturday July 28 Parking Lot Duty	·        Ashley Shipley
·        Ron Burson	·        Cat Rose
·        Larry Daniels	·        Jeannie Sherman
·        Eileen Demain	·        Conrad Wharton
·        Jeff Demain	Sunday July 29 Parking Lot Cleanup Duty
·        Kerry Dorius	·        Ron Burson
·        Ken Hatch	·        Jody Liddicoat
·        Lana Johnson
·        Jody Liddicoat
·        CeCe Mendonsa
·        Ellen Twiname
·        Jen Wingard

 

Future Meetings

·        August 2 Carletta Mack, Deputy Director, Covenant House, on the 4,000 plus homeless youth in Anchorage.

·        August 9 Jennifer Payne, Dowl Engineers, and Dennis Falldorf, Wilder Construction, speaking and showing visuals of the Glenn-Bragaw intersection which will provide a highway overpass

·        August 16 Tom Morgan, Communities in Schools Executive Director, speaking about the Imagination Library efforts sponsored by Rotary in Alaska

·        August 23 Social event on Thursday the 23rd OR Friday the 24th- Exact date TBA

·        August 30 TBA

·        September 6 Tyler Robinson, Director of the MOA Department of Neighborhoods, on planning in individual communities within Anchorage

·        September 13 Rosey Fletcher speaking on preparation for competitive snowboarding and the adventures leading up to and following her medal victory

Announcements:

·        We have the privilege of our Girdwood surroundings as well as serving the community. This week we’ll hear from Carletta Mack on Covenant House’s strong support for children on the street. Service to others is our credo, and Covenant House is steadily at it to relieve the combined physical and psychological stresses faced by homeless youth.

·        Ron has been a wonderful publicist in advertising events, and his organizational work on Forest Fair and Reggae Fest parking is worthy of three cheers and more. Here’s a tip of the hat from everyone to Ron’s excellent messages that make serving in whatever capacity an easier thing to do.

·        Dues are due! Meals, too! Dues are $75 semi-annually ($150 for the year). Meals are $192 for the quarter or coffee is $84 through September 30. Please send to Hugh, 12831 Tracy Way, Anchorage, 99516 or bring to August 26 meeting- Don’t be late, now!

·        Wilf Wilkinson is the new Rotary International President and his theme for this year is “Rotary Shares”

·        Girdwood Rotary is sponsoring one student to the Girdwood Arts Camp.

·        A compilation of Rotary photos in the June Rotarian features one by Jon Deisher of Downtown of a child served by an Alaskan Rotarian during National Immunization Day in India.

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	July 26, 2007 - John Hakala with the U.S Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship, spoke to our club about their apprenticeship programs here in Alaska and throughout the country.  More information on this program can be found at: http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/training/apprenticeship.htm#doltopics. View a PowerPoint Presentation of John Hakala’s report to our club.
	July 19, 2007 - Long time member Jon Domela, who has the highest aggregate age and years of service of any of our club members by a healthy amount and therefore is exempt from attendance requirements, was in town and joined us for the meeting.  Our speaker tonight Charter member Larry Daniels, VP Real Estate Planning & Development for Alyeska Resort on the future plans and progress thus far for the resort. ·       Resort Briefing ·       Hotel improvements – Public area carpeting, Wall coverings, Furniture, Art ·       Restaurants, Early Design phase for “Prince Court” remodel to become a bar and grill.  Designer of the Palomino chain and Glacier Brew House is engaged.  Likely a next summer project. ·       public access increased (can’t remember what this refers to) ·       New Coffee Kiosk/Retail in Hotel. ·       Employee housing – underway in parking lot across from the Hotel.  24 units ·       Winner creek concept plan on schedule for a September submittal to MOA. ·       Mountain ·       Some Ski runs widened, Weir and Denali/von Imhof, Jim’s Branch. ·       Snowmaking major upgrade, more terrain, extended to top of Tram, more capacity. ·       Wired for future lighting ·       A lot of our changes are focused on improved Safety.
	·       Announcements ·       Reggae Fest on July 28 opportunity o      Demain lot will be used for paid parking o      Girdwood Clinic parking lot for handicapped per Kerry after clinic closing o      Volunteers needed to do this – RB to email and request volunteer to establish whether or not we have enough participation to do this fund raising event ·       Commendation to Jeff & Eileen re their commercial lot and the money it has enabled us to raise.  Total is  about 2500 from Forest Fair for just their lot. ·       Charter School in Girdwood status brief by Phil Livingston. ·       Roundhouse Museum status brief by Lana Johnson. ·       Jody and our focus should to be to get new members – invite guests, get new members!!!