Rotary Club of Kirkland
Monday, February 3rd Meeting
President John Woodbery called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Dave Aubry led us in the Pledge.
Guests
Sarah Freeman, Lake Washington High School, Student of the Month
Felicity Strzelec, Juanita High School, Student of the Month
Tom Strzelec, Felicity’s father
Visiting Rotarians
Bret Trauscher, Issaquah Rotary
Fernando Martos, Issaquah Rotary
Announcements:
- Sweethearts Dinner is next week, Monday, February 10th – Send your “Love” story pictures to Amy Mutal this week
- Saturday, February 8th is a morning work party at Northwest Harvest/Harvest for Hunger in Kent – Let Dan Bartel know you’re coming, and carpooling is available at 8:00 AM at the Houghton Park & Ride
- No Rotary Meeting on February 17th in honor of Presidents’ Day
- Our program on February 24th is titled “Homeless to Recovery”
- The Shinstrom’s are hosting another fun Bunco evening on March 28th. Dress in your preserved “Woodstock” outfit for a fun evening - sign up or let Steve know you’re attending
- A Vocational tour of Microsoft’s Visual Reality section is in the planning stages for March/April – stay tuned for more details
Young Professional Exchange Program
Bret and Fernando from the Issaquah Club explained how a new exchange program with Japan sends young professionals from the U.S. to Japan, and likewise Japanese professionals come here.This program is for young professionals from ages 21 to 30 years of age.The exchanges last for 9 days.The Issaquah Club is looking for other Clubs to join with them on this program. The goal is to increase interest in the program and eventually expand it to other countries.
Student of the Month
Felicity Strzelec gave the Club a brief overview of her school activities, chess and cross country, and explained her plans to study biology and mathematics in college in order to enter the medical or health field.
Paul Harris Presentation
Don Dix presented Paul Harris pins to Russ and Tricia Stromberg and thanked them for their contribution to help people around the world. Club members gave Russ and Tricia a standing ovation for their continued support of Rotary International.
Program – Better Angels
Christine Cook, Mary Beth Stibbins and Rao Talasila told us about Better Angels and how they bring “red” and “blue” Americans together to better understand the beliefs and experiences of those on the other side. Better Angels conducts workshops and skills training to help people see other people’s viewpoints and to reach common ground. “Polarization” is a real concern, especially after the 2016 Presidential election when Better Angels was formed.
A Better Angels workshop will be held February 22nd at the Holy Spirit Lutheran Church in Kirkland.
The website for Better Angels is “better-angels.org” if you’re interested in getting involved.
Thank you, Christine, Mary Beth and Rao for an informative program.
Adjournment
President John adjourned the meeting at 7:35 PM.
[Scribe for the week: Michael Hunter]