The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting online on May 3, 2021.
Attending were James Nevers, Dave Aubry, Dave DeBois, Joanne Primavera, Rick Ostrander, Dan Bartel, Bill Taylor, Bob & Gail Auslander, Jim Meniketti, Brandon Honcoop, Monica Fratita, Steve Shinstrom, Rich Bergdahl, Margie Glenn, Kristin Olson, Rick Walter, George Anderson, Bella Chaffey, Don Dicks, Gary Cohn, Dwight Olson, and Ken Hollingsworth.
President James Nevers rang the bell at 6:18 p.m.
Steve Brown recited the Pledge.
Guests:
Former club president Steve Brown, now president of a Rotary Club near West Chester, PA; Patti Shinstrom; and Becca Honcoop. We heard some little-known facts about Steve Brown from Dan Bartel, Dwight Olson, Rich Bergdahl, and Brandon Honcoop.
Rotary Business:
Dave DeBois reported that the city of Kirkland has cancelled Summerfest and Oktoberfest this year. [ALREADY?? – BIT EARLY, ISN’T IT?] We are still trying to do the Duck Dash – more to come. Gary Cohn announced that the scholarship interviews are completed. He thanked several people for their contributions, both financial and otherwise. We will award all but two of the scholarships. Student of the Month Robin Ying, in attendance tonight, will receive one of the Rotary Business & Accounting scholarships contributed by Hutchinson & Walter (Rick Walter’s accounting firm), Rick Walter, and Margie Glenn. Ms. Ying thanked everyone for the honor.
Program:
Gary Cohn introduced our speaker, Judge John Olson of Kirkland’s Community Court. He educated us about the whys and wherefores of the recent establishment of the Community Court. The process to establish this court began about 14 months ago – COVID-19 has complicated the process of establishing a new body and new process.
The idea is to try to divert qualified people from the criminal justice system and see if they cannot be steered into a stable and productive life. Evaluation of each candidate is required, as well as active cooperation from each candidate. Candidates must not have a recent felony and violent offenders are also not eligible. Many offenders have issues such as substance abuse, unstable living situations, and difficulty finding employment. These issues must be addressed in order to steer the person away from reoffending and into a more stable and productive life. Various resources can be brought to bear, such as counsellors, assistance in finding housing, and assistance in readying the person for employment.
If the person completes the program, the charge is dismissed [the arrest record remains], and the crime victim must be reimbursed for their loss. If the person does not complete the program, then they are returned to the normal court system for adjudication. Early results appear promising.
As a side note, holding some court procedures on line seems to be working well as it is less disruptive of everyone’s lives.
There were a number of questions from Rotarians.
Student of the Month:
Dan Bartel introduced Robin Ying, a senior and our Student of the Month from Lake Washington HS. She will be graduating with honors and wants to study Business and Environmental Science at the University of California at Berkeley. [Obviously a woman of taste, discrimination, and accomplishment.] She is president of her DECA club in high school. She thanked everyone for selecting her as Student of the Month and for a scholarship.
She has become a fan of Rotary because it is a model where business people can accomplish much in the business world and then come together to solve problems locally and globally. She mentioned our Club’s project on the Cross Kirkland Corridor and Rotary Internationals’ PolioPlus project. She wants to be a businessperson who makes a positive difference.
Participation in DECA helped her overcome shyness and become a more confident, outgoing person. She noted that the pandemic has reinforced the importance of personal contact.
President James invited her to join us when we are back at the Woodmark next month.
We adjourned at about 7:11 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry - Acting Scribe