The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on April 3, 2023 at SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar.
President Amy Mutal called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m.
President Amy Mutal led us in the pledge.
Attending were Pete Anderson, Bob Auslander, Gary Cohn*, Doug Evanson, Rashmi Garimella, Margie Glenn, Brandon Honcoop, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Karin Quirk*, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter. *Attended via Zoom.
Guests:
Our guest this evening was Alan Dias, the speaker for our meeting, who delivered the program via Zoom.
Greeters:
Jim Meniketti manned the front table.
Announcements, Club Business, Committee Reports:
Pete announced that Kamiakin Middle School will be the location for the Rotary Rummage Sale, thanks to the support of the deputy and an associate superintendent. Pete plans to meet with the Kamiakin principal and office manager this week. The gym is large and the facility should serve us very well, even if not centrally located in club’s service area. The building use agreement has not been formalized yet, but should be shortly. Pete also announced that a meeting room has been reserved at Brezza Condominium in downtown Kirkland on the fourth Mondays of this and next month for the Rummage Sale teams to meet for planning. He emphasized that we need to launch the team meetings as soon as possible. Pete also noted that we need to designate chairs for each of the teams, so volunteers are welcome. Pete called out the Rummage Sale team list to remind members of leadership opportunities. Rick Walter volunteered to lead the food team. Rashmi Garimella confirmed she will lead the technology and marketing team. Rick reminded members that everyone in the club makes up the acquisitions team, so please reach out to folks who may have merchandise to donate. The operations team will make arrangements for pick ups the week before the sale. Staff at Lee Johnson may be able to make a couple of box trucks available to support this. Pete and Rick responded to questions and suggestions, reviewing basic elements of the operation.
Rick provided an update on the demise of the Duck Dash. The club sent a letter to the president of GAME, Inc., the company that provides the racing ducks. We are hopeful that the company will reduce the amount they are charging to cancel the contract, as the club did not use as many ducks last year as they are charging this year.
Happy Bucks:
There were no Happy Bucks collected during this meeting.
Program:
President Amy introduced Alan Dias, the speaker for this evening’s meeting, providing a brief description of the program and Alan’s background. The International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians (IFFR) is a worldwide group of Rotarians dedicated to promoting Rotary and aviation as an opportunity for fellowship and service. The Fellowship operates in accordance with Rotary International policy, but is not an agency of, or controlled by Rotary International.
Many IFFR members use their personal airplanes to provide free air transportation for non-emergency medical and other compelling needs. Additionally, events promoting fellowship are held in nearly all the countries in which Flying Rotarians reside. Our speaker, Alan Dias, served as vice president for the Americas in 2020-2022, and is currently a member of the World Membership and Marketing Committee representing the Americas.
Alan described the needs of many of the individuals served by IFFR, people who could not have received medical treatment or other types of services in response to critical needs without the support of this group. Since 1965, the IFFR has grown to over 1,000 Rotarians with a passion for fellowship and service. They need help in getting out the word about this free service to those in need of air transport to meet critical needs. Alan emphasized that IFFR members fly people in need of non-emergency medical services.
The Air Care Alliance is the overarching organization that coordinates among many, many of these volunteer groups, such as Angel Flight West in the Washington State region. ACA has provided a national point of contact since 1990, and also provides support for new organizations that want to get off the ground to provide these services. It is the service provider that determines whether an applicant is qualified to receive the service, based on a few key criteria (e.g., need, ambulatory condition). Angel Flight West is approaching its 40th anniversary, and over 100,000 flights.
ACA’s impact has reached 34,000 free flights, 4,200 passengers served, 16,000 animals rescued, and involves 12,500 pilots; Alan also noted milestones such as 170 conservation partners, 3,250,000 miles flown, and $28 million in pilot and flight value donated.
IFFR transports animals from disaster zones and from centers where they may be euthanized to new homes where they may enjoy a good life. A good example is flying animals out to new homes after they’ve been abandoned after a hurricane or other natural disaster.
There is not much international travel because the private airplanes are non-pressurized and have very few seats (e.g., Alan’s plane is a four-seater). The aircraft are not jets, so not as fast as commercial, and people must be ambulatory … the service is not an air ambulance service.
Alan asks that Rotarians help with getting the word out to organizations whose clients might need this support.
The meeting next week will be online, all on Zoom.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 6:56 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
Gary Cohn, Secretary