Rotary Club of Bellingham Bay

09/19/2026

This week the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club visited the Twin Sisters Creamery. We got to learn how they make their excellent blue cheese and farmer’s cheese, learn about the business of cheese making, taste samples of their cheese, and have a lot of fun while we were at it. Their shop is a really fun lace to visit in Bellingham. In addition to their own cheese, they also have other local cheeses, a small but well-curated selection of imported cheese, and a variety of other local food products. Plus they are super-nice people!

Blessed are the cheese makers (IYKYK)

09/01/2026

Today at our club meeting we heard from Mike Flood, VP of Communications for the Seahawks. We learned about how the Seahawks live out the values they espouse, including focuses on community, youth, and veterans. These are values we at Rotary can stand behind.

We are all excited for the start of a new NFL season with our Seahawks as defending Super Bowl champions.

Go Hawks!

08/27/2026

This past week we were visited by Don Seitz who told us about the CART fund. We were happy to take up a collection to benefit CART's ongoing Alzheimer's research efforts. We kept one of their blue buckets so that we can regularly collect spare change at our club's lunch meetings.

Where in the world is CART? This week we were introduced to the Rotary Club of Bellingham Bay (Washington) in Rotary District 5050 thanks to Don Seitz! He shared how easy it is to and this club collected $90 in the !

Thank you Don for spreading our message far and wide, even while on vacation!

08/23/2026

A nice video on local news in Togo (in French) about the school that Bellingham Bay Rotary Club helped refurbish. This school will have a lasting impact on the children of Djékotoé.

Djékotoé, village situé à environ 70 km de Lomé, la capitale togola...

08/23/2026

Bellingham Bay Rotary Club funded renovation of a school in Togo. The school is known as a “General Education College” and it is located in Djékotoé Togo, 70 miles from the Togo capital of Lomé. The scope of the project included adding a roof, floor, wall partitions, and doors to an existing school building, as well as providing a well with a solar pump, a water storage tower, and a bathroom.

An opening ceremony on August 15 included several representatives from the Lomé Horizon Rotary Club, and contributions from Bellingham Bay Rotary Club were recognized during the ceremony. The President of the Lomé Horizon club was quoted saying “Rotary is a large family of women and men who, throughout the world, have made a conviction their motto: “Service Above Self.” Serving not from afar, but as close as possible to the real needs of communities.”

Thanks to club member Mike Hammes for making this project happen, and thanks also to club members who contributed funds for this project!

08/20/2026

At this week's lunch meeting we had a very nice presentation from one of our short-term exchange students, Louisa, who spent some time in Normandy, and Madeleine, the French student who hosted Louisa and who is now staying with Louisa's family in Bellingham. Two wonderful students who had excellent stories about cultural exchange between the US and France.

We also got to meet Louisa's parents Dan and Julie. Great students like Louisa don't just fall off of trees, you know!

We exchanged a Bellingham Bay Rotary Club flag for a flag from Madeleine's host Rotary club, Le Havre Oceane

08/12/2026

At today’s lunch meeting we heard from Steve Ban, who is a member of the Rotary Club of Bellingham, as well as our Assistant Governor for District 5050. His mother Noemi Ban, was a survivor of Auschwitz and the holocaust. She was an impassioned speaker about her experience, and a crusader against hate, bigotry, and anti-semitism. Steve is carrying on her work and her tradition. It was a very moving talk, and there were few dry eyes in the room. The most moving part was hearing a quote from Noemi where she said (paraphrasing) that she refused to give in to hate, because hate is mostly harmful to the people doing the hating. Instead, she chose to remain positive and devote her life to promoting tolerance and fighting bigotry.

Thank you, Steve!

08/09/2026

Club members Tim Krell and John Bosche attended a wonderful event today. Hands Across The Border brought together about 100 Rotarians and other members of border communities to the Peace Arch to celebrate peace and friendship between Canada and the US. We sang both national anthems and learned a little history from the Peace Arch historian. Awards were also presented to various clubs and individuals for their work promoting civic engagement, health, peace, climate change resilience, and other worthy projects.

08/04/2026

We had a wonderful group of people for our lunch today, including some visitors from Las Cruces, New Mexico. We also heard about plans for a new skate park from Collin Whalen and Liam Gallagher of the Northwest Skate Collective. It was a fun meeting!

Hope to see you there next week when we hear from Steve Ban about his mother Naomi’s experience as a survivor of Auschwitz and the holocaust. I expect it to be very moving.

05/06/2026

Today the Bellingham Bay Rotary Club heard from Janka, an exchange student here from Hungary, and from Louisa, a local student who will soon be heading to Normandy, France on a short-term exchange. We also heard from Debbie Kiene and Felicity Dye, two superhero youth exchange volunteers. Thanks to all of them for an interesting and informative program!

And who knew that Hungarian sour cream and cottage cheese are so much better than out American versions?!?!