The Rotary Club of Kirkland held an in-person meeting at Madison House in Kirkland, with virtual attendance via Zoom. on March 18 2024. Acting President Rich Bergdahl called the meeting to order at 6:22.
Members attending were: David Aubry, Scott Becker, Rich Bergdahl, Michelle Cazeau, Gary Cohn*, Donald Dicks*, Jocelyn Ellison, Monica Fratita*, Rashmi Garimella, Mekonen Giorgis, Brandon Honcoop*, Jim Meniketti, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Daniel Sada Caraveo, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter. *Attended via Zoom.
John Storbeck collected our meal money, and our greeter was Rashmi Garimella.
At 5:30 p.m. on March 21, 2024, President Gary called to order the special, virtual meeting of club membership. In the absence of the steering committee chair, Gary led the discussion of rummage sale preparations.
In attendance: David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Scott Becker, Rich Bergdahl, Michelle Cazeau, Gary Cohn, Don Dicks, Jocelyn Ellison, Monica Fratita, Rashmi Garimella, Margie Glenn, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, John Pruitt, Daniel Sada Caraveo, and Rick Walter. Nancy Khoury was a guest of the club.
Facility: Gary reported that the school staff approved July 13 for the sale, and the reservations for the preceding five days for donations, and Pete has received the approved facility use form with fee calculation from the district office, and John Storbeck has paid the initial invoice which does not include actual extra custodial time or other incidental costs.
Rotary Club of Kirkland's Student of the Month for April will visit with membership the evening of the April 1 meeting. Raahina Ali describes herself as a student who is passionate about computer science, math, and service. Raahina says moving to the U.S. from a rural area in India where women lack education and rights was a significant challenge in her life. She'll discuss with Rotarians how she overcame this challenge and why she counts among her accomplishments volunteering for Math Agency and participating in hackathons and other computer science competitions. Raahina will also discuss her goals of pursuing a degree in computer science, creating innovative solutions for real-world problems using cutting-edge technologies, and inspiring more girls to join the STEM field by being a role model and mentor.
The Scottsdale contingent of the Rotary Club of Kirkland gathered for its second annual surf and turf banquet. Rotarians Gary Cohn, Terry Cole, Margie Glenn, Bob Auslander, and Rick Walter along with spouses Sue Cohn, Michelle Cole, and Stephanie Walter collected again this year at a favorite local restaurant for fellowship and food, and to draw straws for the first member of the group to become a spouse/partner member of the Kirkland club.
The club held eight meetings during the months of January, February, and March 2024. Due to federal holidays and the three-per-month plan, there was only one regular Monday night meeting in each of January and February. There were three regular meetings in March. There was a Valentine Day event in February, and there were two special meetings for the rummage sale, one each in February and March. Overall club attendance for the months were 46%, 45%, and 48% for January, February, and March, respectively. The attendance was from 3% to 6% higher than the past two years for each of the three months in the first calendar quarter. Club membership in the month of March rose to 38 active (including honorary) members.
The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, March 21, 2024 on the Zoom platform. Highlights included holding a second special, virtual meeting of the club for rummage sale planning during the first half an hour of the meeting, action on several proposals, and reports from various officers and committee chairs.
The board approved the president's appointment of a finance committee to support the work of the treasurer and the rummage sale finance team, including naming the new committee's chair, Michelle Cazeau, as assistant treasurer for the remainder of this Rotary year. The board also approved revisions to Appendices A and B of the Bylaws in order to accommodate the Rotary International and District 5030 dues increases. The club's dues did not increase.
Directors reviewed the status of prospective members, approved two for recommendation to the membership (in one case pending completion of the third meeting visit), and agreed to remove non-responding candidates from further consideration. When both are approved, the club will have its first members in the spouse/partner and corporate categories of active membership.
Rotary Club of Kirkland's Student of the Month for April will visit with membership the evening of the April 1 meeting. 
The Scottsdale contingent of the Rotary Club of Kirkland gathered for its second annual surf and turf banquet. Rotarians Gary Cohn, Terry Cole, Margie Glenn, Bob Auslander, and Rick Walter along with spouses Sue Cohn, Michelle Cole, and Stephanie Walter collected again this year at a favorite local restaurant for fellowship and food, and to draw straws for the first member of the group to become a spouse/partner member of the Kirkland club.
The club held eight meetings during the months of January, February, and March 2024. Due to federal holidays and the three-per-month plan, there was only one regular Monday night meeting in each of January and February. There were three regular meetings in March. There was a Valentine Day event in February, and there were two special meetings for the rummage sale, one each in February and March. Overall club attendance for the months were 46%, 45%, and 48% for January, February, and March, respectively. The attendance was from 3% to 6% higher than the past two years for each of the three months in the first calendar quarter. Club membership in the month of March rose to 38 active (including honorary) members.
The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, March 21, 2024 on the Zoom platform. Highlights included holding a second special, virtual meeting of the club for rummage sale planning during the first half an hour of the meeting, action on several proposals, and reports from various officers and committee chairs.
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