On Tuesday, October 14, our lunch speaker will be Bill Kowalik, Board Chair from DarkSky Oregon. Bill is a founding board member of DarkSky Oregon (2019). Originally from Pennsylvania, Bill has lived in Virginia, Colorado, California, Western Australia and now resides in Bend. Bill’s lifelong activities include community advocacy, movie-making, woodworking, bicycling and cross-country skiing. Bill has three degrees in the earth sciences and 35 years of industry experience in remote sensing, exploration and technology development.

DarkSky Oregon’s mission is to preserve Oregon’s magnificent dark skies and to diminish light pollution for the health, safety, and well-being of all life.

Every day needs a night. Life on Earth evolved under a regular cycle of dark nights and bright days—a rhythm encoded in the DNA of all living things. We need light at night for human activity, but poorly designed artificial light at night is a wasteful pollutant and has serious impacts on natural ecosystems and on human health.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, October 7, our lunch speaker will be fellow club member Cort Vaughn. Cort will be giving an update on the state of Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio worldwide. Cort Vaughan is a Polio survivor. He and his wife Tonya have two sons and two grandsons. Cort joined the Rotary Club of Greater Bend to help eradicate Polio. He founded the Pints for Polio fundraiser in 2012 to raise money for global Polio eradication and to increase local awareness regarding the need to vaccinate all children according to CDC guidelines. Pints for Polio has raised over $300,000 for the PolioPlus Fund including matching funds from the Gates Foundation.

Cort is Past District 5110 PolioPlus Chair and past Zone 27 End Polio Now Coordinator, covering 10 Districts and nearly 800 Rotary Clubs. Zone 27 includes most of Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, Northern California, and British Columbia.

Cort Vaughan contracted Polio in 1954 during a global pandemic that crippled over 35,000 people each year in the United States, mostly children under the age of 5. Polio paralyzed Cort’s right leg.

Cort and Tonya spent 3 weeks in India in January 2020 on a NID to vaccinate children against polio. They also met with WHO and UNICEF, visited a polio rehabilitation clinic and toured several Rotary projects. Join us in hearing Cort’s inspiring story of growing up with Polio, learning about polio eradication in India, and the Plus in PolioPlus.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, September 23, our lunch speaker will be Josh Burgess, who will be speaking about the Central Oregon Civic Action Project that brings together people from across demographics and political divides to solve problems. Josh Burgess is founder of the Central Oregon Civic Action Project, a public private partnership creating vibrant communities through deliberative democracy. A social impact entrepreneur, board director, and executive coach to startups, governments, and nonprofits, Josh retired as a Colonel from the U.S. Air Force after a career as a special operations advisor, rescue pilot, and international affairs strategist.

He’s Board President for REACT DC, a refugee resettlement nonprofit. He’s also Senior Advisor for U.S. Programs with Democracy Next, Entrepreneur in Residence at Columbia University’s Technology Ventures, and a partner with The Zone, a global leadership advisory firm.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, September 16, our lunch speaker will be Rachael Scdoris-Salerno, who’ll be giving a talk about Mushing in Central Oregon – Running the Iditarod. Rachael Scdoris-Salerno is a four-time competitor in Alaska’s famed 1,000-mile Iditarod dog sled race and a legally blind Paralympic tandem cyclist.

In 2006, she wrote the book No End in Sight: My Life as a Blind Iditarod Racer.

She and her husband, Nick Salerno, own the Oregon Trail of Dreams sled dog tour business on Mt. Bachelor.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, September 9, our lunch speaker will be Ty Rupert, Interim Deschutes County Sheriff.

Note: you MUST sign up for this meeting (including guests) as we’re expecting a fairly large turnout and the Riverhouse needs to plan the meal accordingly.

Sign up for lunch here.

Rupert, a United States Marine Corps veteran, has served in the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) since 2005. As captain of the Detectives and Special Services Division, he supervises detectives, sergeants, lieutenants and volunteer personnel within various units, including Criminal Investigative Units, Search and Rescue, and Emergency Management.

During his 20 years with DCSO, Rupert has gained extensive experience as a reserve officer, patrol officer and detective.

Outside of work, he volunteers with the Sisters Rodeo Association.

This week, we’ll be at the Convention Center, Cascade AJ Room.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, August 19, our lunch speaker will be Dr. Jeremiah Deboever, who’ll be talking to us about the evolving electric power grid and the opportunities and challenges that this industry is facing. Jeremiah is currently a senior technical leader at the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), an international non-profit organization supporting the energy sector in addressing their challenges and enabling more reliable and affordable energy resources.

He is also actively involved with OSU-Cascades, mentoring students, providing guest lectures, and sponsoring senior capstone projects to create the workforce that will be needed with this rapidly evolving industry.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, August 12, our lunch program will be our own member Heidi Wright, who’ll be talking to us about the current and future state of news sources. Heidi is currently the Executive Director of the Independent Newspaper Group (ING), an industry association committed to supporting the continued vitality of independently owned news organizations.

She’s also the president of ForJournalism (FORJ), an organization that’s on the leading edge of journalism advocacy, providing tangible and innovative solutions that work.

Prior to her role at ING, she was the COO of EO Media Group, which published the Bend Bulletin until its acquisition by Carpenter Media Group in 2024.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

Signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, July 22, our lunch program will be a presentation from Dr. James Knox, Professor of Music at Central Oregon Community College, on the Estonian Singing Revolution.

The Estonian Singing Revolution was a powerful nonviolent uprising in which Estonians used mass singing and cultural defiance to reclaim their independence from the Soviet Union between 1987 and 1991. In open defiance of Soviet rule, tens of thousands gathered to sing banned patriotic songs, turning music into a weapon of resistance.

About the Presenter

James W. Knox is an American composer and Professor of Music at Central Oregon Community College, where he leads a dynamic program in choral and vocal studies. Known for his vivid, expressive choral writing, his works have been performed across the U.S. and internationally, including in Europe and Latin America. His compositions—celebrated for their emotional depth and accessibility—are frequently commissioned by collegiate choirs, community ensembles, and international festivals.

Knox has held international appointments in the UK, Estonia, and Italy, collaborating with renowned choirs and conductors. A passionate educator and conductor, he continues to inspire through a career that blends teaching, composing, and artistic collaboration across the globe.

Special location: We’ll be at the Convention Center, Room Cascade G.

Please signup for lunch here.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, July 22, our lunch program will a presentation from Captain Brian Beekman, Investigations Branch Captain with the Bend Police Department.

The Investigations Branch consists of around 45 police department employees that includes detectives, school resource officers, community service officers, traffic enforcement officers, canine teams, drone operators, crime analysis, and the Bend Area Real-Time Information Center. Brian has served in Central Oregon law enforcement for over 25 years.

Brian has a master’s degree in public administration from Portland State University and is a graduate of the Senior Management Institute for Police. He is a lifelong Central Oregonian and a proud parent of three children (Jackson, Natalie, and Laila). Brian is an avid bike commuter and mountain biker.

In his off time, he volunteers with Central Oregon Trail Alliance maintaining our local trails.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.

On Tuesday, July 15, our lunch program will a presentation from Loren Irving about John C. Frémont, a renowned explorer and military officer who led expeditions in the American West, including parts of Oregon and California.

John C. Fremont, also known as “The Pathfinder” made 5 expeditions to little known areas of the American West including Central Oregon and NE Nevada in the 1840’s. In 1843-1844 Fremont along with 24 members of the expedition visited Central Oregon after Mapping the Oregon Trail from Missouri to Oregon. Included was explorer Kit Carson, and a young Native American named Billy Chinook. Over 3 years Loren Irving located all 39 camp sites in Oregon and 32 camp sites in Nevada and photographed them. The program will include a video produced by C-Span regarding Irving’s efforts.

We’ll be in our usual room at the Riverhouse – Deschutes South.

About Loren:

Loren was one of the co-founders of the Family Resource Center of Central Oregon, to help parents care for teens. A photographer, Irving both donated his photographs and engaged area photographers to contribute their works in support of the Center. Irving serves on the organization’s board as director emeritus. He served on the Central Oregon Leadership Council of the Oregon Community Foundation from 1995 to 2008, and also served on the board of trustees of the Children’s Trust Fund of Oregon.

He is a past president of the Greater Bend Rotary club, and was named Bend Citizen of the Year in 1997.

Irving is a 1966 graduate of Oregon State. After fulfilling his military service with the U.S. Army in Vietnam in 1969, and working with Brooks Scanlon, Inc., Irving co-founded a wholesale lumber company, Deschutes Pine Sales in 1974. Irving currently serves on the board of the Deschutes Historical Museum and is the curator of “Finding Fremont, Pathfinder of the West,” an exhibit that traces the 1843 travels of John C. Frémont.

This meeting will both in-person and virtual. We will record the presentation for others who aren’t able to attend at noon.

Join the Zoom Meeting here: RCGB Zoom Link

You can also call in to the meeting at (669) 900-9128 and enter meeting ID: 692 491 9146. If you’re asked, the passcode is 5110.