The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a virtual meeting via Zoom on March 11, 2024.

President Gary Cohn called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m.

Attending were Pete Anderson, David Aubry, Rich Bergdahl, Daniel Sada Caraveo, Michelle Cazeau, Gary Cohn, Terry Cole, Donald Dicks, Sandy Ekins (Honorary), Jocelyn Ellison, Monica Fratita, Rashmi Garimella, Isabelle Kalisa, Amy Mutal, Peter Peaquin, Patti Smith, John Storbeck, and Alice Volpe.

Don Dicks led us in the pledge.

Announcements:

We welcomed Daniel Sada as a new member.  He will be inducted at our next in-person meeting on March 18.

There will be a short Rummage Sale Teams meeting at 5:30 p.m. on March 21 via Zoom – it will occur the first half-hour of the board meeting.  Watch for a link via email or find the link in the board meeting calendar item for that day.

Our Great Kirkland Rotary Rummage Sale leadership reports several developments in preparation for the July 13 rummage sale.

 

Kamiakin Middle School staff confirmed this year's dates and the provision of custodial coverage during the week leading up to the Saturday sale. This is good news: having that staff assigned for the summer means the club does not pay for custodial time during the weekday hours.

 

The drop off times have been adjusted to accommodate late afternoon visits, and to reduce from three to two time spans:

The debrief and steering committee analysis and conclusion was that the preview hours on the Friday before the sale were not effective, so the preview has been eliminated. Similarly, the cost of sending unsold furniture, lamps, and Christmas decorations was so high that those categories of donations are eliminated this year.

 

These changes are being made to the rummage sale website and the promotional materials, a final draft of which will be available for the "all teams" meeting on Thursday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. on Zoom.

 

The club is still in need of volunteer commitments to rummage sale teams and team leadership, and to accomplish the highly critical sponsorship goals this year. Visit the Rummage Sale Committee website page to select a team or teams to which you can commit your time and talent.

 

Have suggestions or questions? Contact one of our steering committee members: Pete Anderson, Dave DeBois, Doug Evanson, and Laura Loomis.

Rotary Club of Kirkland's Student of the Month for April will visit with membership the evening of the April 1 meeting. Raahina Ali describes herself as a student who is passionate about computer science, math, and service. Raahina says moving to the U.S. from a rural area in India where women lack education and rights was a significant challenge in her life. She'll discuss with Rotarians how she overcame this challenge and why she counts among her accomplishments volunteering for Math Agency and participating in hackathons and other computer science competitions. Raahina will also discuss her goals of pursuing a degree in computer science, creating innovative solutions for real-world problems using cutting-edge technologies, and inspiring more girls to join the STEM field by being a role model and mentor.