Rotary

Great to see you this morning! Here is a very meaty recap of the meeting in case you missed it:
Reminder, we will not meet next week. Our next meeting is Tuesday December 1.

We had a spirited visit from the Birthday Queen in her new Birthday Glasses! We are wishing a very happy birthday to Jen Mills (11/16), Erv DeSmet (11/27) and Will Ibershof (11/29)!!

Thanksgiving Food Drive is this Saturday 11/21 from 12-4 at Sumerian Brewing (Thank you Mark Ihrig!). Call/text Sandy at (408) 396-9537 to volunteer and we will send out a volunteer update on Friday with details. We need a few more volunteers for this.

Thank you to the Warm Coats Committee for the detailed update this morning! They made an ask to get a bit more in donations to purchase more coats. To do so by THIS Friday, 1.) email Pat Ford to let her know how much you would like to donate, and 2.) mail a check made out to Woodinville Rotary Charitable Foundation and send to PO BOX 2016, Woodinville 98072. They are still looking for more volunteers, text/call Sandy at (408) 396-9537 to sign up!

We will have a visit from Santa at our Dec 15 zoom meeting! We will be doing a gift exchange (limit $20). You must bring a wrapped gift to my house to drop off, where you will take a wrapped gift to open on Dec 15th. Address is 6020 NE 203rd St, Kenmore 98028. If you cannot come to me, I will gladly come drop and pick up a gift for you.

Thank you Bob, for suggesting that we hear from a few members about what they are grateful for. We appreciated getting to know more about Andy, Erv and Pat. Thank you for sharing your stories of gratitude!

Don’t forget about Rotaract’s Veteran’s wreath event that ends Nov 30th.

Great to see you all on this fine Election Day! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

Our presentation today was from Northshore Interact, made up of high school students in the Northshore SD. The club was chartered in December of 2019 and is growing rapidly thanks to social media and the ease of virtual involvement during COVID. Huge kudos to Carol Lee for helping nurture this group–we are excited to see their impact grow!

No birthdays this week, but thanks to Marilyn for some fun “on this day in history” facts!

Mia Harris shared a month-long fundraiser that Rotaract is doing in honor of Veterans: you can purchase wreaths to be laid on veterans’ graves in December. Make an online wreath purchase today, and our club will volunteer to help lay them in December.

Happy Dollars included shout-outs for Interact, the Rotaract Hoop House at the farm, Pat’s Halloween costume as M from James bond (thanks for donning the wig, Pat!), and an opportunity from Laura Hall to help out the girl scouts with some work on their camp campus in Redmond.

Lastly, we are recruiting volunteers for the Sammamish River planting project next Saturday. We need 8 more people to help at 9am or 11am. It will be a 90 minute project and the weather looks clear! Please email me Allison if you can attend and what shift.

Great to see you all this morning! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

A huge round of applause for our September Rotarian of the Month, Susan Webster! Susan leads by example and took on the personal challenge of writing a grant on behalf of our club. She strives to provide opportunities for involvement for members, and always brings a positive can-do attitude. We appreciate all you do for our club, Susan!

We heard from a few of our members on things they are doing independently to support the environment: Nathaniel (Rotaract) is focusing on clean up events and farm projects; Sandy sources her foods locally and composts; and Roy helps ensure no food goes to waste by getting unwanted food to those who need it.

This week we heard from Lisa Ayrault, Director of FairVote Washington and Marc Miller (board member), a non-partisan, non-profit champion of electoral reforms such as Ranked choice voting. This nonprofit aims to reduce the polarization of voting, and promotes a program to offer a scale of preferences when voting. Ranked choice voting provides voters the opportunity to vote for more than one candidate, ranking them in priority order. It is used in several other states, but is not legal in Washington. It was extremely interesting, and you can check them out at fairvotewa.org.

Here is a recap of today’s meeting in case you missed it.

Welcome to our new member, Luann Ferguson! We are so glad you’ve joined our club and are looking forward to getting to know you.

We heard from our very own and beloved Erv DeSmet as Chair of the District’s Environmental Committee. He shared with us our District’s 3-year plan to support the environment by increasing awareness and providing solutions that we can start today in our daily lives. He emphasized that we don’t need to stop living our lives the way we want to, but rather, we must realign our habits with our desire to enjoy our planet. We will be sharing some of these things in the months to come.

No birthdays this week, but thank you to Marilyn, our Birthday Meister, for the fun “what happened on this date in history” facts!

Happy Dollars included many cheers for Tana’s amazing Oktoberfest last week, kudos to Roy for his outstanding work getting food that would be wasted to those who need it, Andy’s gratitude for fixing a car issue, and cheers from Luann for becoming a member and being able to use Zoom as a cheat sheet for learning names!

Great to see you all this morning! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:
We heard from Rachel Krinsky from Lifewire, which is the largest provider of domestic abuse services in WA state. They provide advocacy, housing services, and prevention services. They serve roughly 4,000 individuals each year, and that number has increased significantly during COVID. They have an upcoming Gala (which Sandy Kallio says is one of the most fun fundraisers she’s ever attended!), the info is to follow! Learn more.

No birthdays this week, but thank you to Marilyn, our Birthday Meister, for the fun trivia!

Happy Dollars included Andy sharing gratitude for his new grandson Owen; Erv for his gratitude on the exciting things happening at the district on environmental support; Allison for gratitude on bonding with her half-brother in a new way; and Pat for exciting energy at the Warm Coats meeting!

Thank you Sandy, for this invocation to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving (yesterday):
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend.

Great to see you all this morning! The shenanigans were lively and it almost felt like a normal Tuesday morning at our in-person meetings. ️ Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

1. We heard from Susan Webster on the “Keep it Cool, Keep it Fresh” Sammamish Valley Farm Refrigeration Project. “Environmental Support” is Rotary’s 7th area of focus, and our club has put together a grant request to fund cold storage for SV farmers. This refrigeration unit will extend the life of perishable produce from the valley, reduce food waste, and help local farms support a local food economy (both by selling their produce and donating gleaned food to local food banks). We should find out the results of our grant request in the next several weeks. A HUGE thank you to Susan for taking the lead on this!
2. A big Happy Birthday to Gary Witsell (10/7)!
3. Happy Dollars included several to Susan Webster for her extensive work on the grant; to Keith Wells for his suggestion of Rotary Neck Tattoos; by guest Larua Hall on her successful completion of chemo for her breast cancer diagnosis; by Allison for a special trip to Colorado to meet her new niece, and by Sandy for the fun Oktoberfest put on by BBRC and Good Time Brewing (Mike Tenhulzen).
4. John Hughes gave us a club history snapshot that around this time in 1986 is when he, Terry Jarvis, and a few other members submitted the request to Charter this club. We are so glad you did!

Dates to make a note of:
10/8: Happy Hour Trivia Night, hosted my Marshall Moon (zoom link to follow) 5:30pm
Next Week: a second food drive for Woodinville Families (details to follow)
10/13: Rotary Oktoberfest lunch at Maltby Cafe, 11am. RSVP’s required, space is limited to 25 and almost full!
10/14: 9am, Environmental Committee meeting (zoom link to follow)
11/7: Mid Sound Fisheries Samm River Planting, time TBD
12/12: Operation Warm Coats, details TBD

Great to see such a big crowd this morning, including a few guests! Here is a recap of the meeting in case you missed it:

• We had a very interesting and informative speaker, Joel Martini, from Seattle’s Cyber Task Force. We learned about who does cyber attacks, why they do it, how they do it, and how you can protect yourself. Thank you Bob for organizing this speaker!
• We heard from Rotaract’s Erin Smith on an organization where she is interning, the Borgen Project. This organization aims to eliminate extreme poverty around the world through advocacy, mobilization, education and sharing the message of global poverty. Check the organization out here at BorgenProject.org. Thank you Erin, for bringing this to our attention!
• Pat Ford shared that Operation Warm Coats is moving forward and slated for December 12! We are working with Northshore Rotary on a no-touch event. Pat will be sending out an email soon to recruit volunteers to help plan and execute the event.
• Happy Birthday to Brittany Gautreau (10/3)!

Happy dollars were shared by Susan Webster, for the new Peace Pole at the Sammamish Valley Grange; by Mike Tenhulzen for the upcoming Oktoberfest in Woodinville (link to register: https://bbrc.net/oktoberfest-2020/); by Erv, in gratitude for Julia Eagen’s help in creating our club’s Peace video; and by Julia for her exciting news that she’s pending on a home purchase!

Dates to make a note of:
10/5: Oktoberfest with Bellevue Breakfast Rotary (in Woodinville, in person)
10/7: 9am, Environmental Committee meeting (zoom)
10/8: Happy Hour Trivia Night (zoom) 5:30pm, led by our very own Marshall Moon!
10/13: Rotary Oktoberfest lunch at Maltby Cafe, 11am. RSVP’s will be required!
12/12: Operation Warm Coats, details TBD

A tradition for over 30 years, Santa and his sleigh brigade visited Woodinville Rotary this morning to spread holiday cheer. Trivia note: The Mayor of Grace handcrafted the well-loved sleigh 30 years ago.

Chief Elf Bronco led the elf team in a white elephant gift exchange and assured that elf mischief was in abundance. Santa and Mrs. Claus teamed up to present each person with a special gift. Festive times filled our last meeting of the year!

President Will inducted new member Mike Tenhulzen to the club. Also in attendance was Mike’s wife & fellow Rotarian Traci with their son Matthew. Welcome to Woodinville Rotary!

It was wonderful having Northshore School District Superintendent Dr. Michelle Reid join us this morning. Her presentation on “Innovations in Education” was informative and inspiring.

With over 23,000 students, the NSD is the 8th largest in the state, and still growing. The skills of innovation include “Play / Passion / Purpose” with the “4 C’s of Communication, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Creative Problem Solving” central to building staff and students as innovators. Stay tuned to more exciting developments in the NSD for the near future.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesdays, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

It was nice welcoming many visitors to our morning meeting! Great seeing Jill and Keenan Dolan from Haiti, local musician Justin Young, and guest speaker Hazel Borden from the Alzheimer’s Association.

Special kudos to UWB Rotaract President Mia and her amazing board for a successful Veterans Peace Dinner last night. Well done!

Raffle sales were high, with an international table of special items courtesy of Bronco and Snapette. Of special note was a customized Bronco handheld sign.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesdays, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Our guest speaker at this morning’s meeting was Diane Brudnicki. Diane has been mentoring kids and young adults with career exploration and assisting her mentees to find the right school and job where they can be successful. Daine was very involved with helping families who were impacted by 9/11.

By spreading her motivation with the youth, she organized artwork produced by the youth to be donated to those families that were victims of 9/11. Diane was able to organize a donation of over 3,000 books to be sent to the victim’s families as well. Thank you for visiting us this morning and speaking to our club.

Today is Election Day! Don’t forget to vote.

A Rotary good morning to everyone! This morning we had educators from The University of Washington- Seattle and Bothell Campuses, Cascadia College, and Northshore School District Superintendent Dr. Reid.

The current president of the University of Washington, Ana Mari Cauce spoke to the club this morning and shared her insights regarding the UW and the role of the education.

Welcome to our all of our guest this morning and we hope to see you all again soon! You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesdays, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

What a morning for the Rotary Club of Woodinville!

We had many special guests this morning including the Land Commissioner for Washington State, Hilary Franz, Ben Sorry representing local river and salmon habitat restoration, and the city of Woodinville council members, Al Taylor and Gary Harris.
Welcome to our all of our guests this morning and we hope to see you all again soon!

Washington State Land Commissioner, Hilary Franz shared with us the projects she has been instrumental with on our public land in Washington State and projects that are in the works. Learn more about these efforts.

On a more light note, a unanimous vote was held this morning to nominate Hilary Franz to serve as Land Commissioner for the Town of Grace. Franz accepted the position for the Town of Grace.

Ben Sorry informs Rotary this morning on the current efforts on river and salmon habitat restoration within our community. Join a restoration project this Saturday, October 26 from 9-12:30 along the Sammamish Rover near the old Red Hook Brewery for restoration work. We look forward to hearing an update from him early next year!

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesdays, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

“Got Cucumbers?” We did this morning, thanks to Mayor Jarvis.

Woodinville Skateboard Challenge Coordinator Pam Miller is ready for the 16th Annual Event this Saturday, August 10 at Rotary Community Park. Grab your family and hit the park to join the fun!

Our guest speaker was Hanna Ekstrom, Founder of Save Their Smiles.

PDG Alex Hopkins led everyone in a heads, tails and neutral game. Parade Master Bill Schink, won the white marble!

Rotary History Moment: This morning we welcomed back Natalie McRoberts, the first woman to join the Rotary Club of Woodinville. Natalie joined our club on May 5, 1987, the day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that Rotary International can admit qualified women into membership. Since 1987, the number of women in Rotary worldwide has surpassed 250,000.

Great seeing you, Natalie, and thank you for inspiring a legacy of service in others.

Read about the History of Women in Rotary.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

President Will kicked off the meeting with announcements and guest introductions.

It was nice having Deputy Mayor Gary Harris, Lucy DeYoung and Kae Peterson of the EvergreenHealth Foundation join us. Kae thanked Woodinville Rotary for our initial support of the Evergreen hospice program. The community is fortunate to have their services in our area.

Parade Master Bill Schink updated everyone on the Woodinville Rotary Parade Brigade plans for August 17. Nancy also reminded everyone about the August 10 Skateboard Challenge. All are encouraged to join the Summer Fun for both Saturdays, wearing your Woodinville Rotary or UW Bothell Rotaract T-shirts.

Mayor Elaine Cook announced that we will be hosting a food drive for the Woodinville Storehouse Foodbank at our weekly meetings for the month of August. Remember to bring canned goods, peanut butter and cereals to add to our bin. Together we can fight hunger!

Our inspiring guest speaker was Lindi Tardif, author of the book “Daughter of Apartheid”. We were honored to hear her story and learn more about her viewpoints on a challenging time in South Africa.

SOA Greg Gratz brought fines and happy dollars to the forefront. President Will ended the meeting on a high note with raffle ticket prizes.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Vice President Marilyn McGill led her first morning meeting and welcomed our many guests. It was great seeing friends Rotarian Bill Schink, Charter member Don Fitzpatrick and Janet Dolan, among other friendly faces.

A special announcement was made by guest Natalie Brogan, a 6th grader at Timbercrest Middle School. Natalie was selected to be part of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundations Children’s Congress in Washington DC in early July to advocate for Type 1 Diabetes research funding. It was nice having Natalie and her dad, Joe Brogan, visit us this morning.

On the speaking agenda:

Nanette McCann, Executive Director and Jenny Black, Animal Behavior Manager of Homeward Pet Adoption Center talked about the work they do as a local no-kill shelter.

Jill and Ryan Dolan of Love a Neighbor in Haiti updated the club on their latest projects. We are thrilled to be able to support their efforts in serving the women and children in Haiti.

Checks were presented to Kevin Stadler of the Woodinville Historical Society and Woodinville Rotarian Cynthia Klever of the Northshore YMCA as part of our Woodinville Rotary Charitable giving.

Another great start to a Tuesday!

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday mornings, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Todays meeting focused on our annual fundraising auction scheduled for Saturday, October 12, 2019 at Bear Creek Country Club. This years event will raise funds to support scholarships for children in India and the Northshore YMCA Summer Camps, as well as other club Peace Projects. Be sure to mark your calendars to attend this years auction with the theme inspired by Rotary International President Barry Rassin: “When you touch a life, you change the future.”

Happy Birthday to Marshall and Ken. Wishing you many more wonderful years ahead!

Special thanks to our “Rotarians at Work Team”: Bronco and Mayor Jarvis for a memorable showing this morning at the front desk and raffle awards.

Remember to join us this Thursday, June 6, from 6-8pm at Brittany Park’s Connections Bistro & Wine Bar for the club’s “Thirsty Thursday Social” ~ All are welcome to attend!

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday mornings, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Today was reserved for a Club Assembly to discuss a number of charitable giving peace projects.

President elect Will Ibershoff and President nominee Allison McGill led an open discussion on causes to consider for this years allocations. Feedback from the members is a valuable part of determining where our funds will go to make a difference in our community.

Fundraising Director Eric Greenwood and Charter Member John Hughes presented an update on the Haiti Peace Project and Peace Pole Project. As PeaceBuilder Director Erv DeSmet summarized, these initiatives will impact peace locally and internationally, which is a major focus of our Rotary District 5030 leadership.

A highly prized raffle prize today: a colorful “man purse” that was presented to Susan Webster by Tom Robinson, with the help of Mayor Jarvis. Nice!

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday mornings, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Guest Speaker Christi Dudzik, from Healing Paws, brought Paddington Bear this morning. As an animal-assisted therapy instructor, Christi and Paddy work as a team in a variety of crisis situations. Thank you for the important work that you do in the community.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday mornings, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.

Good Morning Woodinville Rotary!

It was a full house this morning as we opened with club announcements, then welcomed our special guest speaker: Attorney General of Washington Bob Ferguson.

Bob is Washington’s 18th Attorney General. Since 2013, he has served as Washington state’s chief legal officer, directing an office of nearly 600 attorneys and 600 professional staff. Bob received his J.D. from New York University School of Law in 1995. He earned a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Washington, where he was student body president.

A special Rotary thank you to Bob and all our guests who joined us this morning for an engaging and lively meeting.

You are invited to join us for breakfast on Tuesday mornings, 7am at the Sammamish Grange.