December 17, 2012 Spokesman
December 17, 2012 Spokesman
President Patti Smith gaveled the meeting to order at 6:26pm and graciously thanked the scribe, John Pruitt and the greeter, Neil Johnson for their service.
John Pruitt also led the Pledge of Allegiance and D.V. Hurst gave a fine inspirational minute. President Patti introduced a program designed to provide a unique and meaningful way to remember those in Sandy Hook called, “Healing Monument – Brick by Brick.” The project will be discussed further during a January meeting.
Guests included visiting Rotarian Scott East, from the Bellevue Noon Club, and Bill Woods’ guest, Joanne Wright.
Caroling: Bob Webb led us in singing some Holiday Carols…wow, was he brave!!!
Announcements:
· Anne Hamilton thanked members of the Rotary Club of Kirkland who contributed 9 out of the 80 food baskets slated for John Muir Elementary School families. There will be a second delivery scheduled for December 27th. Contact Anne for additional information and to volunteer.
· Elizabeth Rusnak thanked members who helped support our three Christmas/Holiday Families. There are still a few gifts needed for family members. The absolute deadline for gifts or cash contributions is this Wednesday. Contact Elizabeth for additional information.
· Dan Bartel reminded us that Saturday, January 12th is Rotary First Harvest.
· President Patti Smith reported that the budgets for our areas of service have been approved by the Board and will be presented to the club in January.
· Since Alice Volpe [International Service Chair] will be in Hawaii during January, she presented her budget. Her $9,000 budget is allocated with $800 for building huts for families in Northern Uganda, $4,100 to Nepal Children’s Orthopedic Hospital, and $4,100 for an anti-malaria project in Zambia. Alice also reported that the new grant program will encourage more joint participation with several clubs to leverage our dollars.
Scott Rethke presented the following slate of Officers for the Rotary Club of Kirkland fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013:
President: Scott Rethke
President Elect: John Pruitt
Immediate Past President: Patti Smith
Vice President: Rich Bergdahl
Treasurer: Rick Walter
Secretary: Patty Sims
Community Service: David DeBois
International Service: Alice Volpe
Club Service: Jerry Campo
Vocational Service: Eric Olsen
President Patti asked if there were any additional nominations. There were no additional nominations made by the membership. Dan Bartel made a motion to accept the slate of officers; Brandon Honcoop seconded the motion. The membership unanimously approved the slate of officers.
Rick Rekdal gave his Classification Talk. It is indeed refreshing to have another CPA in the club! Rick started his own practice two years ago after working for a national firm for 20 years. His CPA firm is located in downtown Kirkland and employs 15 people. Rick is married with a daughter and two sons. Can you believe we have more CPA’s in the club than attorneys or real estate reps? (editor... Given time they will overtake the bankers!!!)
Happy Dollars: Besides taking care of the Rotary Front Desk, Rick Walters did another fine job of extracting happy dollars.
Program: Terry Cumpton present the program titled, “Medicare – An Open Discussion of the Present and Future.” Ms. Cumpton is Special Assistant, Rural Health Coordinator for Region 10, and is with the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services [HHS].
Ms. Cumpton discussed the Affordable Care Act and the top things for individuals and companies to know about the new health care laws. She presented information on the Affordable Insurance Exchanges and resources for small business so that they can better understand the upcoming health care changes. Ms. Cumpton indicated that many answers to the changes in health care for residents of Washington can be found at the web address www.hca.wa.gov/hbe.
Ms. Cumpton indicated that the HHS has experimented with several programs that saved money and improved the results of health care providers. She also indicated that there are still many issues to be addressed in implementing the Affordable Care Act and that it will take time for all programs to be fully and effectively implemented.
Adjournment: President Patti Smith reminded us that this was the last meeting for the year. She wished us all a happy & safe holiday season and closed the meeting at 7:43pm.
Submitted by scribe for the night, John Pruitt