Eli Creekmore was the inspiration for Ardis Morrow and Poulsbo Rotary's efforts to alleviate the impacts of domestic violence in our community.
Report from Ann Pyles:
January 12, 2019 was magical. On a most glorious day, John Pyles, Ardis J. Morrow, D Rand Hillier & I (Ann Pyles) headed to Two Ravens Studio - a full service art foundry in Tacoma. There we met up with artist, Jeff Oens, Sue Oens, his partner, David, Gale Kirsopp and her partner, John, Brian & Susan Patton. We all came to witness the bronze pouring of the Eli Sculpture. Eli Creekmore was the 3 year old great grand nephew of Ardis Morrow, who was killed by his father in 1985. The Eli Sculpture is dedicated to the memory of his life. All of the funds needed to create the sculpture were donated by private individuals to the Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary Foundation. We are so very grateful to these people who helped bring Eli to life.
Jeff gave us a tour of the foundry while Co-Proprietors, Ed Kroupa & Katrina Taft and staff prepared to show us how a bronze sculpture comes to life. First came the clay Sculpture, then the wax replica. After the wax sculpture was perfect, it was cut into three pieces so that molds could be made & it could be poured successfully.
The foundry had poured the head and torso piece before we arrived, and it has been sandblasted once. We watched the pour of the bottom half of his body, minus one foot, which is still being prepared for the pour. It was exciting to see how well the three individuals doing the pour worked together to make it happen. When all pieces have been poured and sand blasted several times, they will be welded together & the different patinas applied.
It has been quite a journey to get to this point, which began in early 2015 with a search for the best sculptor around to give us the perfect life-sized likeness of little 3 year old Eli. Lisa Stirrett told me about Jeff Oens and the care and skill he had in catching facial nuances in his bronzes. We have been blessed to find and work with him. His patience and sensitivity have been remarkable. And his ability to create such a wonderful likeness of Eli from only a few photos and Ardis's memories has been amazing. Thank You, Jeff, from the bottoms of our hearts. He even solicited and received the donation of a beautiful bolder from Shine Quarry on which Eli will sit. The Eli statue is destined for placement in the to-be-built Rotary Morrow Park on the corner of Noll & Noll in Poulsbo, right next to Morrow Manor (the 8 units of housing for survivors of domestic violence & their children that Poulsbo-North Kitsap Rotary is building).
SAVE THE DATE: From 3-5 pm on February 24, 2019 we will be unveiling the final bronze Eli Sculpture at the Friedman-Oens Gallery at 8897 Three Tree Lane, NE, Bainbridge Island (across from The Barn). Come join us.
PK Maclean was awarded her Paul Harris Fellow plus 6 (ruby), and a beautiful Legacy Award and medallion. These awards, given in the name of Rotary Founder Paul Harris, are for Rotarians who donate a total of $1000 to the Rotary Foundation, the charitable non-profit of Rotary International. PK shared how easy legacy giving is. By including Rotary in her estate plans, she will continue to do good in the world beyond her lifetime. 
Brenda Wall shared that the inspiration for this fundraiser came from Ardis about three years ago, when she asked what Rotary was doing to help girls across the world who miss school due to menstruation. Wendell Verduin had been doing projects through Side by Side South Africa, and their Game-Changer for girls proposal included microloans for women, health classes for girls and training sewists to make washable, reusable menstruation kits so girls could stay in school. Our International Services Committee held their fundraiser at My Girl in Kingston, and although their goal was to raise $5,000, they raised over $53,000 They turned the money over to a Side by Side staff member in South Africa. The sewists are now making 800 kits per month, the mothers and grandmothers often attend the health trainings, and Coca Cola is now ordering from Side by Side in S. Africa, to distribute the kits. In 2019 the International Service Committee wants to secure a global grant, find a donor willing to match funds, and ask to do the highly successful fundraiser again! 
Wendy Hinman, author of 
Dr. DeCamp is a vascular surgeon who strives to provide competent state of the art surgical techniques, He grew up in a small, economically depressed Texas town, far from any population center. He worked on the farm, played sports, and served as a volunteer 911 paramedic. His county had no hospital, nor did the surrounding counties. He was in EMT school and was one of the youngest paramedics in Texas. He carried a dispatch radio all the time and responded to emergency calls, sometimes driving patients 90 minutes in the back of his pickup to a hospital or clinic.
Each new member to our club gives a "classification talk" to tell other members something about his or her life and work. John grew up in a small eastern Oregon town and attended Oregon State. He became a teacher, and his 1st job was in NK schools. He’s been here 28 years: 14 as an agriculture teacher then 8 as assistant principal. He recently became Assistant Director of Assistive Technology (and other duties as assigned). His oldest son, Trevor, is a CKHS grad now working as a game warden. His younger son Evan is in the environmental program at WWU. His wife Christy is a pharmacist at Central Market. 
Donna Pledger presented Dr. Paul Kremer with a check for $2,000 from the International Committee. Dr. Kremer is a corneal surgeon in Silverdale who has worked at a medical clinic in the Dominican Republic performing surgery and providing medical care for immigrants, the poor, and adults and children in need of care. The check from Rotary will go toward the purchase of spectacles to give to children. 
Greg Wheeler retired from the U.S. Navy after 34 years as a boiler technician, saying he had skills he felt like he was responsible for sharing with his community. Since 2010, he has served on the Bremerton City Council, and in 2018 he was elected Mayor of Bremerton. “Everyone just wants an opportunity,” he explained regarding the housing crisis in Bremerton. Mayor Wheeler is ready to change his community by explaining that his position on affordable housing is “moving from [a] political issue, to a moral one.” He presented his many plans for Bremerton now and in the future. He plans to take on a rental assistance program for the underprivileged, incentives for those undergoing displacement, and analyzing the “lost opportunity” of the Wheaton Way corridor. Working with the Department of Community Development (DCD), he hopes to change accessory dwelling unit codes to create more habitable spaces on existing properties, and he hopes to give “more authority to [the] Director for on-sight decisions.” He has also spoken to the DCD about reducing setbacks and the ability to analyze zoning for more living-space opportunites. Along with the housing crisis, Mayor Wheeler plans to implement a program on the Harrison Hospital Campus and the existng site to help the economy by acknowledging the new healthcare and research field emerging in the city. Further informaton can be found on the City of Bremerton Web site at 
Mary Jones has spent her life caring for babies born to alcohol and drug-addicted mothers, most suffering from the effects of withdrawal from birth. Caring for ailing newborns while they survived this withdrawal is the difficult mission that Mary has embraced, and many of these children have stayed in touch as they went on to live healthy, strong lives. But it was a call in 2003, when a social worker told her that one little girl Mary was fostering might have HIV, that propelled her onto her next challenge, where she would go on to change laws and, in her way, change our world. She remembers whispering in this sweet child’s ear, “I will be your voice, and I’m going to do everything I can do correct this wrong.” And that is precisely what she went on to do.
Mike Cloutier and Ardis Morrow presented the new Youth Protection Policy, which asks that all Rotarians take the training. It’s so easy you can do it in your bunny slippers! Mike sent the link in an email, and when you complete the test, you’ll get a BUNNY STICKER of your CHOICE!
Fishline has come a long way of the past 51 years and today Mary and Tom gave us an overview of where they are and what was in store for the future. Today Mary reminded us that Fishline helps in 4 areas – a service center; food; housing, and support services. They have over 30,000 visits in 2017. 1700 households can 1time per year (500-700 new households = 4000 individuals) In NK, the largest group of homeless are older women. Fishline distributed 1 million pounds of food; 600,000 pounds would have gone to the landfill – 300,000 comes from Central Market. Fishline also focuses on Community Gardens and Food Education (cooking and growing). Although Fishline does not want to be in the “housing” business – they do part with multiple providers. NK Fishline also has multiple programs to help children – including tutoring. They also provide support, from clothing donations, to workshops, to connections to therapy providers.
Tom was kind enough to discuss the new building and other recent changes like:
• Support and Strengthen Clubs 
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