The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on January 23, 2023 at SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar in the Kirkland Urban.
President Amy Mutal called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
President Amy Mutal led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Scott Becker, Gary Cohn*, Terry Cole, David DeBois, Donald Dicks, Jocelyn Ellison, Doug Evanson, James Feek, Rashmi Garimella, Isabelle Kalisa, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, John Storbeck, and Rick Walter. *Attended via Zoom.
Guests:
This evening’s guests were former Rotarians Ernie Norhad and David Mutal, former and prospective Rotarian Karin Quirk, Katie Munoz to present the program, student of the month Ria Mohan, past students of the month Ally Thompson, back for a second visit and Gabriella Vazquez, delayed from an earlier month, family of the student of the month father Sankar Mohan, mother Kasi Lalitha, and brother Rithik Mohan, and Jocelyn Casillas, whose mother is Rotarian Jocelyn Reiter Ellison, and Stephanie Monaghan, English/Social Studies teacher at Emerson accompanying the students of the month.
The January 30, 2023 regular meeting of the club will be conducted in an ALL Zoom format. There are two major items of business for this meeting. The first is the meeting location and frequency of meetings. A proposal will be presented to hold two in-person meetings and one virtual (Zoom) meeting each month, and use the remaining Mondays for special events, such as Bunko, the salmon dinner, and the holiday party. Club members may view the results of the recent meeting structure survey in the club's document reserve. This decision requires a club vote. The second major item of business is a club decision on replacing the Duck Dash with an annual Kirkland Garage Sale. The major fund-raising committee will present a proposal based on months of research and individual conversations with numerous club members. All club members are encouraged to join this meeting, contribute to the discussions, and participate in the votes. The meeting link is on the club's website homepage.
The Rotary Club of Kirkland Student of the Month program continues in February with two students of the month, Elizabeth Orswell from Juanita High School and Elena Ferry from Lake Washington High School.
Elizabeth Orswell is a hardworking, compassionate individual with a strong sense of leadership. She exemplifies these skills in her different communities such as swim team, student government, band, and more. She has a passion for history and was selected as one of 70 students from around the world to attend the National History Academy last summer, and her goal in life is to pass along this passion to others through world travels and becoming a teacher. She plans to go to college on the East Coast and pursue these interests after she graduates in 2024. Her most important contributions have been teaching swim lessons for the children in her neighborhood and organizing a number of outreach programs through her local library and her school's National Honor Society.
On January 3, the Rotary Club of Kirkland held its first hands-on community service event of 2023, and one of the first such events since COVID-19 disrupted everyone's ability to gather and contribute to our community. Ten Rotarians worked from 10 a.m. to past noon sorting and packing packages of donated foodstuffs for distribution to Hopelink's area food banks. Members were so efficient that Hopelink personnel set out several more pallets on which the volunteers could work. Another work date is in the planning stages, perhaps in the evening when even more Rotarians might be able to participate.
Rotarians, our club's 2023 scholarship program has launched. Our vocational service committee will gratefully accept further donations of scholarship funds, and volunteers for scholarship applicant interviews! For 2023, the club’s allocation has been boosted to $15,000. The board of directors approved six scholarships of $2,500 for this year. In addition, we carry over one unclaimed scholarship from last year's awards, and have commitments for four additional, "specialty" scholarships this year, bringing our program total to $28,000. The largest scholarship this year is the business and accounting scholarship at $5,500 co-sponsored by Hutchison & Walter and Rick Walter. Can you sponsor a scholarship this year, or corral a scholarship donation from someone in our community? If so, please get in touch with Gary Cohn.
The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, January 19, at President Amy Mutal's office. Highlights included an in-depth discussion of the club's meeting structure and the feedback from members regarding the first in-person meeting held at SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar, an update from the fund-raising committee on the preparation of a new major fund-raising project for this summer, and an extensive review of the community service options developed by the community service committee.
Click on the image above to read a City University article on the rising cost of higher education and how students access financial aid.
The Rotary Club of Kirkland's snowbirds flocked to Scottsdale between regular club meetings. Bob Auslander and Margie Green, Gary and Sue Cohn, Terry and Michelle Cole, and Rick and Stephanie Walter gathered for some good cheer and, of course, to find suitable golf courses for Rotarians to run wild.
The January 30, 2023 regular meeting of the club will be conducted in an ALL Zoom format. There are two major items of business for this meeting. The first is the meeting location and frequency of meetings. A proposal will be presented to hold two in-person meetings and one virtual (Zoom) meeting each month, and use the remaining Mondays for special events, such as Bunko, the salmon dinner, and the holiday party. Club members may view the results of the recent meeting structure survey in the club's document reserve. This decision requires a club vote. The second major item of business is a club decision on replacing the Duck Dash with an annual Kirkland Garage Sale. The major fund-raising committee will present a proposal based on months of research and individual conversations with numerous club members. 
Elizabeth Orswell
On January 3, the Rotary Club of Kirkland held its first hands-on community service event of 2023, and one of the first such events since COVID-19 disrupted everyone's ability to gather and contribute to our community. Ten Rotarians worked from 10 a.m. to past noon sorting and packing packages of donated foodstuffs for distribution to Hopelink's area food banks. Members were so efficient that Hopelink personnel set out several more pallets on which the volunteers could work. Another work date is in the planning stages, perhaps in the evening when even more Rotarians might be able to participate.
Rotarians, our club's 2023 scholarship program has launched. Our vocational service committee will gratefully accept further donations of scholarship funds, and volunteers for scholarship applicant interviews! For 2023, the club’s allocation has been boosted to $15,000. The board of directors approved six scholarships of $2,500 for this year. In addition, we carry over one unclaimed scholarship from last year's awards, and have commitments for four additional, "specialty" scholarships this year, bringing our program total to $28,000. The largest scholarship this year is the business and accounting scholarship at $5,500 co-sponsored by Hutchison & Walter and Rick Walter. Can you sponsor a scholarship this year, or corral a scholarship donation from someone in our community? If so, please get in touch with 
The club’s board of directors met on Thursday, January 19, at President Amy Mutal's office. Highlights included an in-depth discussion of the club's meeting structure and the feedback from members regarding the first in-person meeting held at SOI Thai Restaurant & Bar, an update from the fund-raising committee on the preparation of a new major fund-raising project for this summer, and an extensive review of the community service options developed by the community service committee.
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