Byron Noel is presented by Jessi Mendoza, and is the Operations Coordinator for Unmanned Systems program at Big Bend Community College, in Moses Lake WA. He is a Geographer by trade, with a background in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing. His interest in Unmanned Systems started during his time as a graduate student at South Dakota State University (SDSU), where he was able to bring his love of technology, the outdoors, and education together. After graduation he spearheaded the creation of SDSU’s ‘Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Certificate’ and associated curriculum.
As the Operations Coordinator, Byron is guiding the growth of the unmanned program with a focus on GIS and remote sensing, and how unmanned systems play their role as a data collection tool. Byron brings international and local teaching experience to the program, as well as commercial experience with GIS/remote sensing and unmanned systems through companies such as Climate Corporation/Monsanto.
Byron is currently designing GIS and remote sensing curriculum to integrate into the unmanned program, with a focus on agriculture, construction, emergency services, and law enforcement.
“People get really caught up in the flying aspect of a drone, but ultimately it’s just a tool to be used by traditional industry in traditional jobs. The key to their usefulness is to tie drones into traditional workflows and jobs, and improve on those workflows”.
– Byron Noel, 2018.
Next week - Sports Medicine, with Dale Blair
ROTARY AMBASSADORS
SPONSOR OF THE WEEK
Greeters & Cashiers. Please try to arrive by 11:30 AM.
A simple lunch was catered. The sound system was excellent as was the surprise speaker, Victor Estrada, reformed Los Angeles drug dealer now WRC Resident Coordinator for Bruce Transitional Housing! Introduced by Jane Provo, Victor was inspiring as he related his spellbinding personal testimony of frequent encounters with law enforcement and imprisonments, due to which his daughter was taken from him. He now ministers to homeless people on the street, and others in need. He has been trained in public speaking (without profanity), and has addressed members of the legislature. Hear Victor's presentation. (audio)
WRC Guests, Left to right: Stefanie Maughan (Case Manager for our Permanent Supportive Housing Program), Billy Bilderback (Landlord-Tenant Liaison), Andrey Zemlyanoy (Case Manager for our Bruce Transitional Housing Program), Victor.
Let's call this Carmen's birthday month. We got it wrong last week due to a profile error. So we sang Happy Birthday a few weeks early. Congratulations Carmen! It's the big nine-zero on May 29.
Save the Date! Dawn Davies appealed to all members to support our big Friend-raiser "Wine Down by the Riverside" on July 14th at Warm Springs Inn. This event is part of the preparation for our 2019 Building Communities Auction. Very soon anyone can buy tickets directly from our website, at $35 each.
More later on that and the BBQ, wine, games, fun, and friends.
Brett
Pete
Andy
Joel
Don
Brett Riley informed the club about Interact Club activities, especially the Habitat build on Saturday. He also mentioned that today's venue (Wells Theater, which he arranged for us) is the oldest community-college building in Washington state (but scheduled for demolition next year).
Pete Van Well led a Happy Birthday song for Carmen.
Joel Lhamon saw Jim and Karen Russell at "Guys and Dolls", who send best wishes.
Andy Petro announced the incoming Youth Exchange student, Chloe, from Luxemberg, Belgium. Host families are needed. Valeria was sent home prematurely 2 weeks ago due to a broken rule. He and Don then led the singing of Happy Birthday to RYE student Giorgio.
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Second-Harvest Food - Help needed from Wenatchee Rotarians –
A fun fellowship opportunity awaits 2-3 of our club members. Remember in early April Raz, Ford, and Joe joined members of four other local Rotary clubs in helping on the 2nd Harvest food disbursement. Our club joined with the three other Rotary clubs in our valley, along with a District matching grant, to fund monthly 2nd Harvest visits throughout the spring and summer. Below is a message from Jim Adamson of Sunrise Rotary : "The next food truck event will be Thursday May 17. 10:30 is the earliest anyone should plan on arriving at the Wenatchee Community Center (504 S Chelan Avenue, formerly St Joe's Catholic Church). But certainly by 11:00 as we'll be unloading and bagging full bore. Last time we had no items that needed to be bagged, but that could be very different this next time. So we always try to have about 20 people on deck to get the food ready to distribute by 11:30 or thereabouts.
I hope you can get several volunteers from your club to help out. Things should be over by 2 PM."
Please contact Joe St.Jean by email : joe98801@yahoo.com if you can help or have questions. This activity qualifies as a ‘make up.’
From the head table
Don Myers
Most of us have heard of “six degrees from Kevin Bacon” – the idea that within six steps of relationship everyone can get connected to Kevin Bacon. It’s related to the “it’s a small world” phenomenon. ( I’ve always wondered why Kevin Bacon; why not Bob Hope or Beyonce? It’s beyond me…)
Does it ever seem like in Wenatchee it’s more like three degrees? (Forget about Kevin Bacon.) Last week – me to Mike Magnotti to Victor Estrada, then to Laurel Turner and Jane Provo. When I asked Victor to speak I didn’t know the connection to the Women’s Resource Center, which of course is one of our favorite agencies to support. Say it with me – “it’s a small world”. And how fun to have an entire table of staff from the WRC to cheer Victor on.
The even better connection, of course, was how Victor is linking homeless people of all types to resources that can help and people who care. What passion and dedication he showed us, and what an inspiration to hear how he rose above his own hurdles to move into helping others in the same circumstances. I’m excited to have a conversation with him to see how our church can do more. And Kory Kalahar is excited to have Victor educate Westside kids… yet another circle closed.
It’s all about people. As is Rotary. I’m glad you’re a part of it.
Update from Garry Arseneault on our Haiti Clean Water project. There will be a discussion about our Haiti projects in the District International group lead by Carol Eamer at the direction of incoming DG Sherry Chamberlain. We are starting to get traction within the district. Here are some pictures recently taken in Milot, Haiti of our Sunspring clean water system. Our club has also provided financial support to the medical team traveling to Milot.
I am hopeful we can elevate the Wenatchee Milot, Haiti project to become a district wide effort and to that end I would be willing to lead a District Rotary team to Milot at some point in the future.
The students are featured in Tuesday's Wenatchee World as they worked last weekend on the Habitat for Humanity house that they funded and helped to construct. Wow! What a story. Rufus Woods says, "The students of the Interact Club, Rotary and Habitat For Humanity have collaboratively created something very special for our valley."
End Polio Now/Club 60 - Approximate totals collected:
Goal this Rotary year = $4,000, or $12,000 with Gates Foundation 2-for-1 match (20,040 lives saved). Donations by club members on May 10 = $77.50 thus bringing our total (since July 1) to $3478 or $10,435 with the Gates match, equating to 17,427 lives saved. Reminder - these donations are collected from the table-cups each week except when off site.
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Introduced by Jane Provo, Victor was inspiring as he related his spellbinding personal testimony of frequent encounters with law enforcement and imprisonments, due to which his daughter was taken from him. He now ministers to homeless people on the street, and others in need. He has been trained in public speaking (without profanity), and has addressed members of the legislature. 
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Let's call this Carmen's birthday month. We got it wrong last week due to a profile error. So we sang Happy Birthday a few weeks early. Congratulations Carmen! It's the big nine-zero on May 29..JPG)
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