January 25, 2015 Spokesman

Posted by Dave Aubry 
on Feb 01, 2016
 
Rotary Meeting Minutes January 5, 2016
The meeting was called to order by President Rich Bergdahl at 6:30PM.
 George Anderson led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
 Thanks to Rick Walter for manning the front desk and to Diana Lanspa for being our Greeter.
David Mutal shared some thoughts on Inspirational Moments.  He spoke about hunger in Washington State – we have a lot of people on food stamps and who struggle sometimes to put food on the table.  This time of year is a slow time for food bank donations, following the holidays, so that’s one reason we are collecting food and other household items from members tonight, for delivery to Hopelink tomorrow..  “The best way to pursue happiness is to help other people” – George Lucas.
 
Visitors:
Patty Sims introduced her guest, Patty Doherty, who is going into insurance after retiring from Lake Washington High School.  Elizabeth Rusnak introduced our Student of the Month, Makiah Gilmer from Juanita High School, here with his coach Brad Burmester.  Ben Premack introduced his grandmother, and two other guests whose names I missed.  He also introduced Mike Veitenhans, local Director of World Bicycle Relief, who will be our speaker.
 
 Announcements:
  • Bob Cohon thanked everyone for their food bank donations this evening.
  • For the meeting on February 29, we are considering either a bowling party, perhaps with the Downtown Club, or a golf party.
  • Elizabeth Rusnak spoke about Curling Night last week – great fun, but unfortunately Dave Debois’ team did not prevail.  Elizabeth had put together a flyer explaining some of the finer points of the game which enriched the experience for the attendees.
  • The new Evergreen Point Bridge will be open April 2 for a Fun Run, and Fun Bike Ride.  
  • President Rich reminded us of the upcoming District Conference at the end of April – make your reservations early.
  • Eric Olsen announced that the Kirkland Police Department will be having a benefit Golf Tournament for Special Olympics – June 6 at Bear Creek.
  • Scott Becker thanked everyone for their support this past week in his job search.  He also reminded everyone to always RSVP for Rotary events as it is difficult to plan without an accurate count.
  • President Rich read the list of nominees for next year’s Club Board.  We voted to vote next week on shortening the period before the Board vote from 30 to seven days.  The vote was unanimous.
  • Rick Walter collected Happy Dollars – Ernie Norehad recounted that he has largely recovered from the effects of being rear-ended, then told three jokes.
  • President Rich will take any potential new members to lunch, so be sure to call him.
  • The Sounders Coach will be here at the March 7 meeting, possibly with a couple of players.  Bring kids.
  • Our Student of the Month, Makiah Gilmer, spoke to us about some of the personal and academic challenges he has overcome in his life, to the point that he now has a scholarship to attend and play football for Utah State.
Ben Premack introduced our speaker, Mike Veitenhans of World Bicycle Relief.  He showed us a short video and short slide program explaining how his organization distributes basic, sturdy bicycles to mainly African and Asian villagers.  Having a bicycle allows better school attendance and performance, better job performance, and allows farmers a more efficient way to deliver produce to markets.  They also set up supply chains and train mechanics so the bikes can remain in service under demanding conditions.  He showed some data demonstrating the positive influence these bikes can have on people’s lives.
President Rich reminded us that the Kirkland Rotary Foundation Auction is coming up, and that the ‘Amazon Smiles’ program allows one to have a donation go to Kirkland Rotary when making a purchase on Amazon.
 
Next week we will have Sherri from the Kirkland Police Department speaking to us.
 The meeting was adjourned at about 7:45PM.
Respectfully Submitted
Acting Scribe - David Aubry