The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on August 8, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
President Amy Mutal rang the bell at 6:28 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
Pete Anderson led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Rich Bergdahl, Gary Cohn*, David DeBois, Jocelyn Ellison*, Monica Fratita*, Rashmi Garimella, Mekonen Giorgis, Margie Glenn, Michael Hunter, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Steve Shinstrom, and Rick Walter. *Attended via Zoom.
The Rotary Club of Kirkland's Great Puget Sound Duck Dash 2022 went swimmingly on July 31, amid the excitement of Summerfest at Kirkland's Marina Park. Sixteen Duck Dash contestants won prizes valued at $6,965 after the racing ducks bobbed their way into the home stretch. Preliminary figures indicate the fund raising project raised over $54,000 in sponsorships, donations, and ticket sales, and will net over $38,000 after expenses for community service projects in 2023-2024. Thank you to George Anderson's talent, Rotarians can pop to the Duck Dash photos available on the website, as well as photos from the racing duck branding party at the Lee Johnson Auto Family facility. Thanks are due to the many, many sponsors, those who bought race tickets, and all the volunteers who sold tickets and worked to make the race possible.
The Kirkland Downtown Association's Classic Waterfront Car Show will provide club members an opportunity to promote the work of Rotary in the Kirkland community on Sunday, August 14, 2022. The car show brings in around 10,000 visitors annually, and is touted as one of the best in the region with over 300 cars on display and over 30 vendors. Rick Walter is the club lead on this Rotary promotion activity, scheduled from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Members helping at the Rotary Booth can promote Rotary while spending the afternoon browsing, eating, and talking to owners and restorers, connecting with participants, getting up close to a wide display of classic, antique, muscle, and new high-performance vehicles, and sharing the Rotary story with local businesses involved in the show. Contact Rick Walter to participate in this community activity.
Rotary dues statements were sent to all active members on July 1, 2022, and a reminder statement was emailed on July 15 to all Rotarians with outstanding accounts. Payments were due by Sunday, July 31, 2022. As of August 8, 72% of 36 active club members have paid dues. Dues may be paid using the online Dues & Billing System links in the statements emailed on July 1 and 15. The link is embedded in the bold words "Pay Now" in the body of the document. Online payment does require a credit or debit card. Members may also pay by check through the U.S. Mail. If you need a duplicate invoice mailed, please send a request to Gary Cohn.
Club members attending the August 8, 2022 club meeting assigned themselves to a variety of committees created by the club's board of directors. Nine committees, not including the board, are now active in the club:
Bylaws
Club Service
Community Service
Fund Raising
International Service
Membership
Programs & Speakers
Rotary International Foundation
Vocational Service
Twenty-four of the club's 36 members are now assigned to committees, with only 12 yet to volunteer for a committee. Over a dozen members are serving on more than one committee. Current committee membership may be viewed in the ClubRunner system; assignments appear in each member's profile and may be accessed by selecting "MyClubRunner" and then "MyCommittees".
Effective after the July board meeting, the price for an individual meal at the Courtyard, charged by the club based on the costs of meals, increases from $35 to $40. The price of a Rotary Dinner Ticket rises from $325 to $380. A dinner ticket provides a 5% discount for purchasing 10 meals in advance. Dinner tickets may be purchased using the club's website at Club Dinner Ticket on the home page drop down menu.
The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, July 21, at President Amy Mutal's office. Highlights included another discussion of a budget for the 2022-2023 Rotary year, increasing the amount of scholarship awards, approaches to building the club's membership, and supporting the assignments of the 2022-2023 board. The treasurer’s report was provided in written form, including updates on revenue, expenses, and a revised proposal to begin drawing down charitable funds through increased donations now that the pandemic has receded, and fund raising and community service are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels. Discussion of funding priorities was planned for the club assembly on August 8.