The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on September 26, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
President Amy Mutal rang the bell at 6:15 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
Margie Glenn led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Rashmi Garimella, Margie Glenn, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Kristin Olson, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter.
Guests:
The only guest this evening was Deepti Shankar, the evening's speaker from Attain Housing in Kirkland.
Greeters:
Jim Meniketti manned the front desk; Margie Glenn assisted with greeting attendees.
Announcements, Club Business:
Dave Aubry reminded everyone that the Kirkland Rotary Foundation Social and Auction is coming up, October 22, at St John’s Church on State St. in Kirkland. Dinner and wine or beer or soft drinks – only $10/person plus one item to auction! This is a great deal – and always lots of fun, plus we will make a few thousand for a good cause.
Rick Walter went to the Attain Housing auction where the Club had sponsored a table. Join him October 29 for Pumpkins in the Park benefitting the Kirkland Downtown Association.
President Amy announced that the Duffy Electric Boat outing last Monday was a great success. Good weather and two boats of happy Rotarians and their guests.
Next Monday, the District Governor will not be visiting as she is having eye surgery. We hope to see her December 5. Our speaker next week will be Doug Rough talking about pedestrian routes in Juanita. See the Club’s website for other October speakers.
Happy Bucks:
There were no Happy Bucks this meeting.
Program:
Our speaker this evening is Deepti Shankar, the event specialist at Attain Housing in Kirkland. She thanked Rotary for our past support, and gave us a short rundown on Attain’s mission of providing transition housing for people who are getting back on their feet.
The idea is that stable housing is a necessity for people to stabilize their lives. Attain has been operating 32 years, now with 37 housing units that they manage and maintain. Attain provides a range of services so that clients can move into permanent housing within one year.
The pandemic has negatively impacted attendance and participation at normal public fundraising events. The pandemic and increased costs have also negatively impacted housing availability.
Attain is still doing some of their work in a hybrid manner, but many meetings with clients are in person. More than half of Attain’s clients are people of color.
Adjournment:
President Amy rang the bell at 6:50 p.m. to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted
Dave Aubry, Acting Scribe