The Rotary Club of Kirkland held an in-person meeting at the Kirkland Eagles Club Monday, October 6, 2025.
Club President Kate Koslosky called the meeting to order 6:16 p.m. She then led us in the Pledge.
Rémy Pairault led us in the 4-Way Test.
Isabelle Kalisa was an extremely persuasive salesperson for the ticket drawing at the end of the meeting.
Rick Walter gave us a Rotary Moment where he brought to our attention some of the wonderful articles in the current issue of the Rotary magazine. He also outlined some of the great things Rotary International Foundation is doing here at home and around the world. He gave us some examples of these accomplishments.
Members Attending: David Aubry, Gary Cohn, Sue Cohn, Terry Cole, Jocelyn Ellison, Rashmi Garimella, Isabelle Kalisa, Kate Koslosky, Jim Meniketti, Rick Ostrander, Rémy Pairault, Angela Pritchett, John Pruitt, Daniel Sada Caraveo, John Storbeck, Pat Swenson, and Rick Walter.
Guests: Guests included prospective members Alesha Kahn, back again and Roger Clarke. Wendy Yan also was present as a guest and potential member.
Announcements:
John Pruitt presented Jim Meneketti with his Paul Harris +4 pin. Everyone applauded Jim’s generosity and commitment.
Program:
John Storbeck introduced our speaker Jeff Molby of Chemoriders. Mr. Molby will be biking around the U.S. for two years, raising money and awareness for cancer research and for programs that connect folks who need to go somewhere for chemotherapy with people who can transport them to their appointment. This issue is fairly widespread and has been addressed by the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery program. However, since the Covid pandemic, there has been a real shortage of drivers.
Chemoriders is an attempt to address this shortage by raising awareness and recruiting more folks to be volunteer on-call drivers. Chemoriders is an official part of the American Cancer Society. So far, Mr. Molby has ridden 16,000 miles, often camping out along the way. Mr. Molby also used the 4-Way Test to emphasize involving everyone in relevant events supporting this effort.
Part of his efforts are directed at creating hope in the world. One way to do this is to urge people to get tested for such things as colon cancer by having a colonoscopy. We can also have our skin regularly looked at for signs of carcinomas, and for melanomas. Both of these test become more important as we age, especially if we have a family history of such things.
He urged us to get involved at whatever level we are comfortable with. It is important to recognize the cancer treatment schedules are rigid in order to be effective.
There were a number of questions from Rotarians; we learned that he typically rides 40-50 miles per day.
Announcements:
Rick Ostrander discussed the financial results from the recent Gala and Auction. We took in about $40,000 and netted about $30,000; he passed out a sheet detailing the income and expenses from the event. The board will make decisions on how to allocate the money.
Rashmi Garimella gave us a brief update on International Service.
Rick Walter briefly discussed Community Service. He noted that Hero House will be having a Gala December 4 and encouraged us to attend. He suggested that the Club might consider sponsoring a table. Community Service can assist in underwriting the cost. More info will be forthcoming.
Bob Auslander will be having surgery soon, October 10, followed by 10-days in the hospital. We are encouraged to send cards.
The St. John’s Community Dinner is coming soon; following the tragic death of Sheila Stanton, our new contact at St. John’s is moving ahead. We will be preparing food.
Holiday Gift Shopping and Wrapping are moving ahead. We are looking for additional funds so we can serve more families. Generous Rotarians have offered to match a significant amount of additional donations. The Holiday Gala and Wrapping Party will be December 15 at St. John’s. Stay tuned for details about shopping and the Gala.
John Storbeck announced that we will again be doing Warm Coats for John Muir kids. He suggested we also consider adding winter hats.
We will also be doing Thanksgiving gift cards to some John Muir families.
Because it was the first in-person meeting of the month, many very generous members brought food items for St John’s food ‘Pantry’.
The ticket drawing produced four lucky winners – Rémy Pairault, Jocelyn Reiter Ellison, Pat Swenson, and Rick Ostrander.
The meeting was adjourned about 7:20 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
David Aubry – Acting Scribe