December 12, 2011 Spokesman
The meeting was called to order at 6:30 pm by President Brandon Honcoop. The pledge of allegiance was led by Brian Tucker. Pres. Brandon thanked Jerry Campo for greeting and Pat Dye (yours truly) for scribing.
Guests introduced:
· John Wheeler – introduced by Don Dicks. John has lived in the community for 13 years and is considering joining a Rotary club.
· Eric Wilson – guest of Scott Rethke, will be inducted next Monday night as a new member
· Joanne Wright – guest of Bill Woods
· Student of the Month – Matt Young, introduced by Patty Sims
Sanna Grohn was also visiting – came to hear her son’s presentation to the club.Announcements:
· Dave DeBois passed around sign-up sheets for the Christmas gifts for the 3 families we are assisting this year. If anyone wants to deliver gifts and/or cash to him at Banner Bank, please do so before Friday. Volunteers are welcome to help wrap gifts at Banner Bank on Friday.
· Don Dicks gave an update on Rotary International fundraising efforts so far this year. We are at 58% of club membership in participation and have raised more than $10,000. Goal is to reach 100% club participation. Worldwide, more than $193 million has been raised to match the Gates Foundation grant for Polio Plus. Also, more than $107 million has been raised in annual gifts – half of which comes back to the local communities through a grant process.
· Jerry Campo reported that the Holiday Party at Lucia’s was a success and thanked Joanne Primavera and Alice Volpe for their assistance.
Happy Dollars:
· Chuck Brockway spread his magic and many happy dollars were raised from some very happy Rotarians.
· He also auctioned off 2 Passport Unlimited cards for more than $100 each – money to go to the club coffers.
Patti Smith introduced our speaker for the evening: Lucas Grohn, from the Kirkland Boys and Girls Club. He began by thanking Kirkland Rotary for our assistance in building the Teen Room, and for our long term support of the B&G Club activities. He began by giving some background about his life, explaining that as the son of a single mother he had made some poor decisions in his youth, but that the B&G Club had always been there for him and helped him to build character. He said that the Boys and Girls Club becomes a place of role models for young people and often bridges the gap in character-building by providing a safe place in which it is OK to make mistakes, learn from them, and go on to strengthen character. He talked about how the Club is a place to learn creativity. Lucas explained how the Teen Room had helped to change the club, providing a place for teens, taking them off the streets. The room is usually full of about 30 teens on any given day. During the Q&A session that followed he explained that there are a number of volunteer activities available for anyone who wants to tutor young people at the club.
Honey Pot:
· D.V. Hurst had the winning ticket, but walked away with only the $10 consolation prize. The pot continues to grow and is now over $1,117.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:40.