The Rotary Club of Kirkland held an in-person meeting April 7, 2025, at the Kirkland Eagles Club. Past President Rick Walter presided at this meeting and called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m.
Rick Walter led us in the Pledge; Joanne Primavera led us in the 4-Way Test recitation.
Attending: Cody Baker, Gary Cohn*, Sue Cohn*, Donald Dicks*, Sandy Ekins (Honorary)*, Monica Fratita*, Isabelle Kalisa, Chris Kelly-Storbeck, Kate Koslosky, Jim Meniketti, Rick Ostrander, Rémy Pairault*, Joanne Primavera, Angela Pritchett, John Pruitt, Daniel Sada Caraveo, Patti Smith*, John Storbeck, Alice Volpe, and Rick Walter. *Attended via Zoom.
Guests: The club’s guests this evening were our Rotary Student of the Month for April, from Lake Washington High School, Mabel Wong; Mabel’s mother, Hui Jean Liew; and Joe Longcore, a loan officer with Evergreen Home Loans, a guest of Cody Baker.
Rotary Moment:
Rick Walter presented the Rotary Moment.
Announcements:
Rick Walter announced that the club’s board and the foundation’s board have decided to combine their efforts into the annual Rotary auction as an annual fundraiser, and it will be held Friday, September 12, 2025 at the Kirkland Woman’s Club, with more information coming as tonight’s program. A number of club members tried Prosecco Restaurant & Pizzeria to see if it’s a viable meeting location. The Salmon Bake is scheduled for Aug. 25 at Bob Auslander’s home.
Joanne Primavera announced that in honor of her 25 years as a member of the Rotary Club of Kirkland, she donated $2,500 to the club; $1,000 is for the Youth Services Committee and $1,500 for is for the Membership Committee.
Rotary Student of the Month:
Chris Kelly-Storbeck introduced the Rotary Club of Kirkland's Student of the Month for April, Mabel Wong. Mabel describes herself as a compassionate, understanding, and hardworking student, always striving to help others the best that she can and provide the best service to her community. A challenge Mabel faced is the ability to communicate with people effectively but has since then learned how to understand and talk to people of all ages through her various volunteering and work experiences.
Mabel earned a 4.0 GPA her freshman and sophomore years of high school. She volunteers at EvergreenHealth where she works at the hospital information desk assisting visitors as well as helping to discharge patients. She also volunteers at the Evergreen Health Geriatric Care Clinic where she aids the clinic staff in any way she can. Additionally, she has spent the summer dedicating 100 hours to volunteering at a kids summer camp called Little Medical School where she taught kids from the ages of 4-11.
Mabel plans to go to college and major in a field of Biology or a related field and hopes to one day become a doctor who can make a positive difference in healthcare.
Program:
Cody Baker reported that the board voted not to conduct the super sale this year. The foundation board offered to conduct the annual auction with the club as the major fundraiser. The event is scheduled for Friday, Sept. 12, at the Kirkland Woman’s Club. Rick Ostrander met with the past president of the Bellevue Sunrise Club to learn about their auction, which raises about $70,000 for the year. Cody and Rick described their hopes for the success of the event, and fielded questions from club members.
Next week’s meeting will be on Zoom.
The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Gary Cohn for David Aubry – Acting Scribe