The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting online on October 11, 2021.

President Dave DeBois rang the bell at 6:20 p.m., calling the club meeting to order. The meeting started a few moments late due to some Zoom technical difficulties.

Patti Smith led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attending were George Anderson, David Aubry, Bob Auslander, Gary Cohn, David DeBois, Monica Fratita, Shellie Gehring, Margie Glenn, Brandon Honcoop, Jim Meniketti, Amy Mutal, James Nevers, John Pruitt, Patti Smith, Brian Tucker, Rick Walter, John Woodbery.

Guests:

There were numerous guests this evening: Jeff Hinds, Harry & Preeti Hinds, and Kim & Kelly O’Brien are relatives of the speaker. Sue Cohn is the spouse of Gary Cohn. Jackson Nevers is the brand new son of James Nevers.

Rotary Club of Kirkland Community Service Committee Chair Bella Chaffey announced a revised date and the location for the club's Holiday Gift Wrapping party. Holiday gifting supports John Muir Elementary School families.

 

The holiday gift wrapping party will be Monday, December 20, 2021, and will constitute the club's meeting that Monday. Bella has arranged for the club to meet at the Kirkland Woman's Club at 407 First Street in Kirkland. Details on the event will be available soon.

 

To make your Holiday Gift Donation, go to the Donate page on the website. You can find the link on the home page, at the top in the gold banner. On the donation page, where is says “Please Select Your Donation Designation”, be sure to choose the “Holiday Gift” option from the drop-down menu. On the donation page there are pre-set amounts from which to choose, and the option to fill in your own amount has been re-established on the page. (Please note that the minimum amount for this page is $10 due to bank fraud prevention rules.)

Student of the Month applications starts are running well ahead of the volume in recent years. However, the circumstances facing nearby schools has given rise to the decision to delay the application deadline until Monday, October 18. Thirty-three students have started the application process from Emerson, Juanita, and Lake Washington high schools. Interview teams have already begun interviewing students whose applications are completed. The delay will mean that some of the students will have to "double up" in future meetings, as the October students will be introduced during November and December along with those months' students. Questions about the Student of the Month program may be directed to the Vocational Service Committee chair, Mike Hunter.

Rotary club cost structures have changed necessarily during the past two years as the pandemic has driven many clubs into online meetings and operations. The Rotary Club of Kirkland is no exception, and has taken steps to prepare for both uncertainty in the meeting environment, and the introduction of new generations of tech-oriented members as the club grows again. New organizational supports include implementing ClubRunner's online Dues & Billing system, an online Donation page (both supported by ClubRunner partner Paya Bankcard), the online Event Management module, and the club's own Zoom account to facilitate regular meetings, board meetings, committee meetings, and student interviews.