The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a regular meeting on October 5, 2026, at Prosecco Restaurant and Pizzeria in Kirkland.
The meeting was called to order by President, Jocelyn Ellison at 6:15 P.M.
Attendees: David Aubry, Roger Clarke, Gary Cohn, Theresa Demeter, Don Dicks, Jocelyn Ellison, Brian Granowitz, Kari Haas, Chris Kelly-Storbeck, Rick Ostrander, John Pruitt, John Storbeck, Rick Walter, Wendy Yang
Guests: Erica McCaig, Jocelyn Reiter Casillar, Anna Aubry, Nancy Jorgenson, and Christine Bell.
Roger Clarke led the meeting and led us in a recital of the 4-Way Test.
Jocelyn led us in an enthusiastic round of applause for Chris Kelly-Storbeck and her team for a very enjoyable and successful Gala and Auction. We had about 100 guests who helped us raise the funds that will go a long way towards financing the club’s activities and contributions over the next year.
John Pruitt, President of Kirkland Rotary Foundation, announced that the net proceeds will total about $60,000. The club members then gave Chris Kelly-Storbeck a standing ovation as a token of our appreciation for the efforts of her and her team in making this event such a success. Chris was then presented with the gift of an orchid plant as a small token of our thanks and appreciation.
Feedback regarding the event has been totally positive, and the plan is to do a similar event next year as our primary fundraiser.
The club is a member of the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce; at a recent Chamber meeting, the club won the door prize which will be donated for use as a raffle prize at a future club meeting.
Roger Clarke then called Theresa Demeter up to the front in order to recognize her and club member Cody Baker as having October Birthdays. We all celebrated all club members having birthdays in October.
Roger announced that we are introducing an experimental digital members introduction card which lives on your phone and is designed to provide information to potential members who express an interest in attending their first meeting. This replaces the physical card introduced earlier this year.
Rick Ostrander led us in a quick round of Happy Dollars, revealing that the club contains a number of Happy Rotarians.
Rick Walter spoke about our upcoming provision of a Community Dinner at St John’s Church on November 28th. We will be buying and preparing the food, and serving the meal.
The Warm Coats project is coming up at John Muir Elementary; the program will also be providing shoes. We have been in communication with Alexander Graham Bell Elementary about possible club financial support for that school’s coats program.
Our Holiday Gift Shopping and Gala event is coming together. Because the Club has lost members who used to make substantial contributions to the gift shopping event, we are in need of more funds.
The Halloween Fest and Pumpkin Decorating event at Moss Bay Hall is set for October 12th. Sign up is on the Club’s website – the cost is $10 per person which includes the pumpkin and material to decorate with. Ideas for monthly fun social events starting in January are being solicited – talk to Theresa Demeter.
John Pruitt inducted new Club Member, Kari Haas as a Corporate Member. This means others in her company will also be able to participate in club activities.
President Jocelyn introduced our speaker for the evening, Sadaf Khan of PATH. PATH is an international nonprofit global health organization founded in 1977, with headquarters in Seattle, Washington, with offices and operations in more than 70 countries. Dr. Khan is an Adviser, Primary Health Care Program. Dr. Khan's work at PATH has focused on improving health outcomes for mothers, infants, and children through the introduction and scale-up of innovative technologies and service delivery approaches that strengthen health systems in low- and middle-income countries. She has led efforts to introduce and expand the use of maternal vaccines and currently supports initiatives to deploy novel technologies for environmental surveillance of the poliovirus in Pakistan. Prior to her work in global health, Dr. Khan practiced as both a pediatrician and a primary care physician in Pakistan.
Ms. Khan also spoke about Rotary International’s polio progress over the decades. In 1988 worldwide, there were about 350,000 cases; in 2023 that number was down to 12. Since there is a risk of transmission via sewage, Dr Kahn showed us a “testing hood” on a tripod that is used to filter water.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:25 P.M.
Respectfully Submitted
David Aubry
Acting Scribe