At our Oct. 19 Club Meeting, Pam gave the inspiration by sharing some of our International President Francesco Arezzo’s words on Economic Development:
October is Rotary’s Community Economic Development Month, a time to spotlight our efforts to help communities build thriving, sustainable future. This month’s observance aligns perfectly with the Rotary core value of leadership.
Leadership means empowering people to guide their own progress. That is precisely what Rotary’s economic development projects aim to achieve.
Leadership is not always about being visible. Sometimes it means listening, working collaboratively, and amplifying the voices of others. That approach lies at the heart of Rotary’s philosophy and our lasting impact on economic development.
By building capacity – whether through microcredit groups, vocational training workshops, or entrepreneurship programs – we enable communities to lead their own transformation. When people take ownership of their progress, change becomes sustainable.
Let us lead with good intention and provide support with heart. By nurturing local leadership, we can create opportunities that ripple through communities, empower individuals, families and societies.
Together, we can support economies that work for everyone and enact community development projects that last.
Our Speaker, Michael Boss has a podcast called Tales of the Magic Skagit. He and his wife, Carol were with us to talk about their Iran experiences .
Michael Boss is writing a memoir titled: Our Time in Iran. He read part of it to us and then gave us a how much he and Carol liked living in Iran and the history that led to their 1978 escape.
- What began in 1975 as a brief stopover on an overland journey to India turned into a four-year stay. Mike taught English for the Imperial Iranian Air Force and Carol worked as a school librarian. They built a deep connection with their neighbors, learning Farsi and sharing holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.
- During the time Mike and Carol lived in Iran, all religions were tolerated and lived in harmony.
- They fell in love with Esfahan ("half the world") and lived in its historic Armenian quarter, Jolfa. Mike and Carol traveled extensively, camping with nomadic tribes like the Bakhtiari and exploring neighboring Afghanistan just before major geopolitical shifts.
- In 1978, a peaceful lunch at an Indian restaurant near the U.S. Embassy in Tehran was interrupted when a waiter warned Mike, his pregnant wife Carol, his mother-in-law Velma, and a coworker to flee. A mob shattered the hotel windows, forcing them to navigate the chaotic streets of the Iranian Revolution to find safety at a friend’s house before eventually escaping the country via a Pan Am flight.
- Their story unfolded against decades of rising tension, rooted in the 1953 CIA-backed coup that ousted Prime Minister Mossadegh and reinstated the Shah. While the Shah introduced westernizing socio-economic reforms, his authoritarian rule, the heavy-handed presence of his secret police (SAVAK), and lavish displays of wealth fueled the popular and religious resentment that fueled Ayatollah Khomeini's rise.
Duane Holmes, whom we honored at our August Auction, was a guest.
Thank You Notes from North Cascades Institute and ELC, LC Elementary (Pacific Science Center) and
Britan thanked us for supporting his Eagle Scout Project of building Adirondack chairs for the North Cascades Institute
YES Work Party at Camp Kirby had 10 YES students and another 40 people worked at Camp Kirby this weekend.
Calendar
* Thursday, October 29: Kiwanis Blood Drive at La Conner High School Gym. Make your appointment online. https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/schedules/geo/
* Saturday, November 7, 5-9pm: District 5050 Foundation Dinner at White Rock Community Center.
* Tuesday, November 10, 10am-12pm: Helping Hands Food Bank Volunteering
* Thursday, November 12, Club Social, Place to be announced
* Friday, December 4, 3-6pm: Set up for Santa Breakfast at Maple Hall
* Saturday, December 5: Santa Breakfast
* Monday, December 14, 5:30: La Conner Rotary Christmas Party at Moltobello Restaurante