The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on January 9, 2023 at SOI Restaurant & Bar in the Kirkland Urban.
President Amy Mutal called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m., our first meeting at SOI Restaurant & Bar in the Kirkland Urban. [Before the meeting began, we were moved down to a room on the main floor with fire pits and a bit of a view.]
President Amy Mutal led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were Pete Anderson, David Aubry, David DeBois, Donald Dicks, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, and John Pruitt.
Guests:
This evening’s guests were our speaker, Clark Roberts, and his wife Karrie Sue Roberts and his guide dog Aurelia; the student of the month from Lake Washington High School, Stuart Barry, his father, Jeff Barry, his mother, Ginger Barry, and the high school’s career specialist, Nichole Swanger; the student of the month from Emerson High School, Ally Thompson; Dave Aubry’s wife, Anna Aubry; and former club member Dave Mutal. In addition, Sanjeev Wad, a visiting Rotarian, joined the club from the Rotary Club of Bangalore North in India.
Greeters:
Jim Meniketti manned the front table and greeting was done by Jim, Dave Aubry, Amy Mutal and others. As everyone paid for their own drinks and meals, no money was collected.
Announcements, Club Business, Committee Reports:
President Amy told us that there will be no meeting next week, as it is the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. We will return to SOI Restaurant & Bar on the 23rd. On the 30th, we will discuss new fundraising options, meeting locations, and meeting frequency [President Amy has asked for an all-Zoom club meeting]. President Amy introduced Kia, the manager of SOI Restaurant & Bar, whose father was a Rotarian. She is working with the Club to keep our room expenses at a minimum. We are using the January meetings to evaluate how the venue works for the Club. President Amy mentioned later that the Grape Choice option had very limited space and especially seating, so would allow no room for growth or for events with members’ spouses. She emphasized the importance of the January 30 meeting as we will discuss critical issues for the next year and beyond.
Mr. Wad told us a bit about his Club in India. They have their own building and have been active in eye cataract repair, polio vaccination, and planting trees. They have about 60 members, have Friday dinner meetings, and have been in existence for 56 years. He presented a club pennant to our Club and looks forward to receiving a Rotary Club of Kirkland pennant to take back to Bangalore North.
Happy Bucks:
There were no Happy Bucks collected during this meeting.
Student of the Month:
Student of the Month Ally Thompson from Emerson High School told us a bit about herself. She is learning about Rotary and is pleased to see that Rotary’s mission of service aligns well with her likes and aspirations. She currently does volunteer work within her school. She also downhill skis competitively. She has no definite plans yet but wants to go to college and get a job.
Student of the Month Stuart Berry from Lake Washington High School has really gotten interested in service and community involvement with others. He is involved in the Kirkland Youth Council, which has expanded his horizons and leadership skills. He has learned to plan and organize. For college he is looking at the University of Washington in finance and/or business. He believes businesses can be more involved in social and civic issues. He likes sports, but thinks the business side of sports would be more appropriate going forward. .
Program:
Dave Mutal introduced our speaker, Clark Roberts of Ultimate Vision, a non-profit. The organization is centered on guiding future leaders “to see life through a lens of Compassion, Kindness, and Empathy, embracing their potential to live a life of significance”.
Mr. Clark has been blind since about age 24, from retinitis pigmentosa. This is a genetic disease that causes varying degrees of vision loss, up to total loss. When he was diagnosed, Mr. Clark had a very difficult time accepting the inevitability of the loss of vision. Over time, he learned how to adjust to this circumstance and now operates successfully with the help of his guide dog, his wife, and his ability to use his other senses to partially compensate for his loss of vision.
The central theme of his talk revolved around a number of principles that can apply to all of us as we face the changes and challenges of life. He also discussed how we should behave with another person’s guide dog, as it is critical that the dog not be distracted from its task of helping its person navigate the physical challenges of a world with little or visual cues. He and his wife have also written books, some directed at children, about guide dogs and life with little or no visual acuity. He also gave us some insight on how guide dogs are selected and trained. He is on his sixth dog.
He leads a very active life, bicycling, skiing, etc. Accomplishments are not measured by ability or disability, but by trying. Until one tries something, one cannot know whether one can succeed. A person must also trust others. Once you can do something yourself, it is important to help others do it – as a team. Try-trust – then you are teachable, and you become a part of a team. Then you are transformed, and then you will thrive. Life is a gift – unwrap, cherish, and share!
There were a number of excellent questions from the audience about guide dogs and retinitis pigmentosa [RP]. RP still cannot be totally stopped, but much research is occurring on both U.S. coasts.
President Amy then asked if anyone had any additional announcements.
Dave Aubry recounted our very successful work party last Tuesday at Hopelink’s warehouse in Kirkland. Ten Rotarians and Rotarians by marriage amazed Hopelink personnel with the quantity of food sorted and packed. We are exploring another session at Hopelink.
Joanne Primavera recounted our successful Thanksgiving food drive, and delivery of food boxes to families selected by John Muir Elementary. She also recounted our purchase and delivery of holiday gifts to another John Muir-selected group of families.
Adjournment:
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
Dave Aubry, Acting Scribe