On Wednesday, May 16th, the Des Moines Yacht Club hosted the 2012 Dollars for Scholars awards reception.This annual event is the culmination of a process that matches local college-bound students with Des Moines-area organizations that provide scholarships.
 |
| Rotary Club members gather around the two scholarship recipients |
Each year, the Rotary Club of Des Moines participates by selecting a student who is a graduate of Mt. Rainer High School and has demonstrated a commitment to community service. This year, the club chose two very deserving recipients.
 |
Rotarian, Dr. Bonnie Verhunce
and Natasha Batby |
Natasha Batby, of Normandy Park, is graduating this year from Mt. Rainier High School, but has been working on her Associates of Arts degree at Highline Community College over the past two years through the Running Start program. She has been accepted to Oregon State University for the Fall of 2012. Natasha received a check for $1,000 towards her tuition from the Rotary Club of Des Moines.
 |
Molley Alvardo says a
few words |
Molley Alvardo, of Des Moines, graduated from Mt. Rainier in 1993 and is completing her Associates of Arts degree at Highline Community College this summer. She has been accepted to Evergreen State College and will work on her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Education and Social Science. Molley received a check for $1,000 towards her tuition, as well.
For more information about the Rotary Club of Des Moines, please visit our website at www.dmrotary.org.
Photos courtesy of Photograhper Michael Brunk of the Waterland Blog.
 The Rotary Club of Des Moines is seeking community and business sponsors to support the 3rd Annual Poverty Bay Blues & Brews Fest. The festival will take place at the Des Moines Beach Park on Saturday, August 25th and will feature local craft breweries and blues musicians. The club anticipates that this year's event will draw close to 1,000 attendees.
Got Music? Did you know that 75% of the students in the Highline School District are on free and reduced lunches and simply cannot afford to participate in a music program? Research clearly shows that the introduction of music at a young age greatly benefits students academically, especially in the areas of mathematics, science, history and world languages. Giving a child a chance to play a musical instrument provides that child with a richer, fuller, more meaningful life.
That's why the primary beneficiary of the Poverty Bay Blues & Brews Fest is Highline Music4Life. Highline Music4Life, a Rotary inspired project, provides musical instruments to underprivileged students in the Highline School District. Because of this program, students have access to instruments in good working condition, high quality instruction, and supplies necessary to participate in instrumental music programs.
As a sponsor, you can directly impact the lives of students, their families and YOUR community. For as little as $250.00, sponsors can take advantage of the many sponsor benefits associated with helping those that are less fortunate. Your sponsorship is also completely tax deductible through the Rotary Club of Des Moines 501c3 Foundation.
The Rotary Club of Des Moines hopes you will join us in sponsoring this great event and help bring music into a child’s life. For more information about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Dan Johnson, Sponsorship Chair at (206) 914-3104 or dan.johnson@Q.com.
 |
1st Place Winner
Mariah Peterson |
On Wednesday, three Pacific Middle School students were recognized as winners of the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest. Phil Swanberg, a life long educator and an active Rotarian, passed away in 2000. To honor of his work in education and his love for writing, the Rotary Club of Des Moines in 1996 established the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest. This educational project focuses on middle school age children and provides an opportunity for the students to express their views on a variety of topics.
Each year, 8th grade students from Pacific Middle School in Des Moines are invited to enter the contest. Throughout the years, the club has received hundreds of essays from applicants who have written incredible and thoughtful essays which have touched on a number of topics, such as societal issues or personal experiences. The winners are chosen based on their ability to express their views in a clear and concise manner through their writing skills. The winners recieve cash prizes raging from $100 - $250 and have the opportunity to read their essays to the Rotary Club of Des Moines and in front of their peers during a special assembly at Pacific Middle School.
The recipients of this year's award are as follows:
1st Place - Mariah Peterson
2nd Place - Carly Strayer
3rd Place - Olivia Davis
 |
Left to Right: Catherine Carbone-Rogers, Director of Communication and
Community Relations for the Highline School District, Olivia Davis,
Carly Strayer, Mariah Peterson, and Steve Swank, Community Service Chair
for the Rotary Club of Des Moines |
The success of the Phil Swanberg Essay Contest is also directly related to the continued effort and support which the Des Moines Rotary Club receives from the Eighth Grade Language Arts staff at Pacific Middle School. Thank you also to Steve Swank, Community Service Chair, for his committment and efforts to inspire students to write!
For more information about this essay contest, please visit www.dmrotary.org.
Photos courtesy of Lisa Meinecke.
 The Rotary Club of Des Moines would like to take this opportunity to thank all who attended the 8th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival and for helping to make it such a huge success! Over 1,800 people were in attendance at the festival held on March 2-4 at the Landmark Event Center. Through ticket, wine and raffle sales, the club raised $50,000, which will be used to fund local community and international projects during the 2012-13 Rotary calendar year! Past projects funded include the 3rd Grade Dictionary Project, Des Moines Park & Recreation after school programs, Des Moines Food Bank, Highline Community College Scholarships and Rotary First Harvest.
Photos courtesy of Carmen Scott.
SAVE THE DATE!
Saturday, August 25th - Poverty Bay Blues and Brews FestThe Rotary Club of Des Moines invites you to attend the 3rd Annual Poverty Bay Blues and Brews Fest on Saturday, August 25th. Enjoy a sun filled day with local blues together with a variety of fine brews from local breweries. The Festival will be located on the shores of Puget Sound at the Des Moines Beach Park. The hours of the festival are from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Tickets will go on sale in early summer and can be purchased online at Brown Paper Tickets or at Corky Cellars in Des Moines.
The primary beneficiary of the event is the Highline Music4Life program which brings music to youth in our local schools. The program is a collaboration between Highline Public Schools, the Rotary Club of Des Moines and many individuals and businesses, partnering to expand music education for all children in the Highline School District.
We hope to see you there! For more information, please visit www.dmrotary.org.
Who are soon to be the most popular people in Des Moines? The Medleys and the Ruschs. Why? Because the two couples are the big winners of the drawings from the 8th Annual Poverty Bay Wine Festival this last weekend.
Caroline Medley was the lucky winner of the Raffle sponsored by Key Bank (Des Moines Branch) entitling her to $1,000 worth of wine at Corky Cellars. When the Rotary Club of Des Moines placed a call to congratulate her, she was more than a little delighted. "I have never won anything before!", Medley exclaimed, "It was fun to call my husband with the good news!". Caroline and Michael have attended the Poverty Bay Wine Festival since it inception in 2004 and also are huge fans of Corky Cellars.
 |
Ric Jacobson, Owner of Corky Cellars with Raffle Winners,
Caroline and Michael Medley
and their dog, Happy |
Michael Rusch won the drawing for the Nine Liter Wine Bottle of Cabernet from Five Star Cellars of Walla Walla pictured below. When he and his wife, Erika, came to pick up their prize, they were both surprised by the size of the bottle. "Good thing I brought the truck!", Rusch joked. When they pondered out loud what they should do with the large bottle, Corky Cellars' owner, Ric Jacobson wisely responded, "Throw a big party and invite all your friends!"
 |
Erika and Michael Rusch with
Ric Jacobson, owner of Corky Cellars |
Congratulations to our two winners! We hope to see them again next year at the 9th Poverty Bay Wine Festival!
Proceeds from the raffle drawing support the many local and international projects of the Rotary Club of Des Moines. For more information on the Rotary Club of Des Moines, please visit our website at www.dmrotary.org
|
|
