The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a short in-person meeting on December 18, 2023 at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Kirkland, during the annual Holiday Gala and Gift-Wrapping Party.

Members began gathering a little after 5 p.m. to begin wrapping the numerous gifts purchased for the recipient families whose pertinent information was furnished to the club by John Muir Elementary in Kirkland.

 

In attendance were: Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Rich Bergdahl, Michelle Cazeau, Terry Cole, David DeBois, Donald Dicks, Doug Evanson, Rashmi Garimella, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Josephine Shi, Patti Smith, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter.

There were 7 or 8 tables where wrapping was carried out, along with much socializing amongst Rotarians and guests.  Once the wrapping was completed and a few photos were taken to document the event, former President Amy Mutal called us to order for the purpose of voting on the slate of candidates for officers and chairs for the Rotary year 2024-2025.  There was a short discussion after which Don Dicks moved, and David Aubry seconded, that we approve the candidates for office.  There was no discussion, and the slate was unanimously approved.

Rotary Club of Kirkland Student of the Month for January Andy Alkin strives to be outgoing, friendly, caring throughout his daily life, and to get to know many different people in the local community. Andy often volunteers in food drives, park cleanups, and youth camps. He also played on the varsity soccer team all four years of his high school career, and plays in a band and writes original songs.  Andy plans to major in economics in college so he can create new financial mechanisms and applications such as micro-loans and budget planning to help people, especially the underprivileged, to overcome financial challenges.

The club held three meetings during the month of December 2023, two regular Monday night meetings and the annual holiday gift wrapping and dinner meeting. Overall club attendance for the month was 54% for December, an increase of 4% over November was 50%, but a 6% decline when compared to October. Club membership in the month of December stood at 37 active (including honorary) members.

Club attendance for the calendar year has been on a general upswing through most of the year. The overall average attendance for 2023 is 52.8%, an increase of about 12 percentage points compared to calendar year 2022. For the first half of the Rotary year (the Rotary year runs from July to June), the 2023 attendance is up by nearly 15 points, from 30.9% to 54.8%. The club continues to rebound from the pandemic era, with increases in both membership and attendance at meetings.