The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on September 12, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.

President Amy Mutal rang the bell at 6:23 p.m., calling the club meeting to order a bit later than usual due to computer issues.

Doug Evanson led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Jocelyn Ellison*, Doug Evanson, Mekonen Giorgis, Margie Glenn, Brandon Honcoop, Michael Hunter, Isabelle Kalisa, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, and John Storbeck.  *Attended via Zoom.

 

The 2022-2023 Student of the Month program launches in September with the posting of this year's instructions and application. Students from Emerson, Juanita, and Lake Washington high schools are eligible to apply for the Rotary honor. The vocational service committee members, high school principals, and high school contacts were provided this year's application and interview questions for review, and the interview teams are expected to begin interviewing students near the end of September or beginning of October. Do you know a student who should apply to be a Rotary Student of the Month? Might you like to join an interview team? Referrals and questions about the Student of the Month program may be directed to the Rotary Club of Kirkland Vocational Service Committee chair, Mike Hunter.

Club secretary Margie Glenn stepped down from the club secretary position effective September 1, citing significantly increased travel plans for the year including spending the bulk of the winter in Scottsdale, Arizona. Margie recruited two members to fill in temporarily, and the position is open for all club members to consider for election. If you are interested in serving as the club's secretary, please contact club president Amy Mutal by phone, by email, or in person to express your interest. Club officers are elected by the membership, typically after being included in a slate of officers presented by the board of directors. A successor to Margie should be prepared to attend club meetings and board meetings in order to take and report the minutes through the Spokesman.

Attain Housing's Eric Sanford and President Amy Mutal invite Kirkland Rotarians to gather for the Attain Housing Fall Luncheon, "Home is Where the Heart is", on Thursday, September 22, at Overlake Christian Church in Redmond. The doors will open at 11:30 a.m., and the program will conclude at 1 p.m. The Fall Luncheon raises funds to benefit homeless and at-risk families across east King County. The program will feature an update on Attain’s transitional housing and rental assistance programs, volunteer award presentations, and more, and guests will be joined again by host and emcee, Sasha Summer Cousineau. CLICK HERE to register via EventBrite. Registration is free and includes lunch and non-alcoholic beverages, but but Attain Housing does kindly request a minimum $250 donation per attendee.

One of the core projects known to every Rotarian is our organization's world-wide effort to eradicate polio from the face of the Earth. The resurgence of polio in several locations, including New York, has given rise to an urgent call to action by Rotary International, which published a Statement on these recent events and noted that, "The recent detection of the vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 case in New York, USA, and isolates in several environmental samples collected in London are stark reminders that as long as polio exists anywhere, it is a threat everywhere." As our new Rotary year of investment in this signature project unfolds through our commitment to the Rotary International Foundation, Kirkland Rotarians may wish to update themselves on these developments through several mainstream news outlet articles (Bloomberg, U.S. News, New York Times) and opinion piece (Washington Post) published during the month of August. Members wishing to consider directing gifts through the Paul Harris program should contact Rich Bergdahl for additional information and assistance.