The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on November 21, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
Past-president Rick Walter, substituting for President Amy Mutal rang the bell at 6:15 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
John Pruitt led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, David Aubry, Don Dicks, Jocelyn Ellison, Doug Evanson, Mekong Giorgis, Jim Meniketti, Kristin Olson, Rick Ostrander, John Pruitt, Steve Shinstrom, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter. Zoom was not available this evening.
During this month, 23 of 35 active club members responded to a survey regarding the key attributes of weekly club meetings. Twelve questions were posed to club members, and opportunities to offer comments were included.
In summary, although open to more options, club members prefer Mondays to any other day of the week, and prefer dinner meetings rather than breakfast or lunch meetings. Most indicate that neither meals nor adult beverages are a requirement for the meetings, and some noted they prefer meeting closer to downtown Kirkland rather than restricting the club to a place that will serve dinner. Club members' preferred emails were used to send the survey invitation, a reminder email was sent to those who did not respond, and the club president was provided a list of non-responders in order to follow up personally.
The Rotary Club of Kirkland Student of the Month program ramps up in December with two student of the month, one from Emerson High School and one from Juanita High School.
Kylie Wasserman will meet club members on Monday, December 5. Kylie is a caring, compassionate, self-driven student who is committed to her schoolwork. She loves kids and helping people and wants to be able to make a difference in young children's lives and contribute to their development. She currently works at a daycare/preschool as a classroom assistant, and is a competitive dancer whose long, hard hours of practice has been rewarded by awards and recognitions received by her team.
Then on December 12, Rotarians will be introduced to Clementine Nielsen, December Student of the Month from Juanita High School. Clementine hopes to get a B.S. or master’s degree in either chemistry or in statistical analysis to support her main goal of working in a job that positively impacts others. Clementine’s taken many Advanced Placement classes, volunteered with the Rwanda Girls Initiative, and served as president of Period Club at Juanita High School. She led the club to donate feminine hygiene products to Mary's Place, a local women's shelter in Seattle. Clementine is a resilient student and embodies the idea that practice makes progress.
The Rotary Club of Kirkland 2022 Holiday Party will be held this December on the evening of Monday, the 19th, at the St. James Episcopal Church in Kirkland. The event will be catered again this year, and the gift wrapping event will be held concurrently with the holiday party, as was the case last year. The cost per person for dinner is $40, and can be paid when registering on the club's website. Just click the link in the bold print above.
Rotarians are needed to purchase holiday gifts for the 15 families the Rotary Club of Kirkland will support this holiday season. Help is also needed for holiday party set-up and clean-up. Each of the shopping and party help sign-up lists is posted on the club's Calendar. You may click any of the links below to go to that event, and click on the golden box to access the online sign-up sheet. It's easy! Give it a try!
Rotary dues payments were due by Sunday, July 31, 2022. As of November 21, three of 35 active club members have not yet paid dues. Another set of statements was sent on November 1 to club members with outstanding balances. Dues may be paid using the online Dues & Billing System links in the statements emailed to club members. The link is embedded in the bold words "Pay Now" in the body of the document. Online payment does require a credit or debit card. Members may also pay by check through the U.S. Mail.
The club’s board of directors met on Wednesday, November 16, at President Amy Mutal's office. Highlights included discussion of replacements for the club's vocational service chair, secretary, and president-elect. Directors reviewed the results of the club meeting preferences survey, and engaged in further discussion of the treasurer's revised, proposed Rotary Budget for 2022-2023.