Wednesday, April 22 Socialize @ Noon! 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM RAINER CLUB
Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman
Mark's upbringing in apartheid South Africa instilled in him a desire to use the advantages afforded to him to help tackle injustice and inequality.
In 2000, Mark joined the United Nations, where he was part of the effort to implement the Millennium Development Goals under the leadership of then Secretary-General Kofi Annan. He held multiple positions at the UN over his six-year tenure, including senior advisor for policy and strategic communications in the Office of the Secretary General, and policy director in the Office of the Administrator of the United Nations Development Program.
Mark joined the foundation in 2007 as director of Global Development Policy, Advocacy, and Special Initiatives. Prior to becoming CEO, he served as managing director of Country Offices, president of Global Policy and Advocacy, and chief strategy officer.
Mark holds a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar. He earned his bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Harvard University.
Club member Josh Lieberman invites members to use his discount code to attend an upcoming performance of Giselle at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Running from April 11-19, use code BOARDFRIEND for a 30% discount.
Josh will be attending on the 11th and can give 5-6 members access to the VIP Lounge and backstage tour after if attending.
April marked the start of a new theme for President Jan Levy’s Healthy Communities model with the topic of the month being Global Citizenship. Rotarians gathered on Wednesday, April 1, at the WAC to hear from the Commanding General of Joint Base Lewis-McChord Lieutenant General Matthew McFarlane. McFarlane spoke on the importance of global citizenship within the military, the common aspirations between Rotary and the military, and the importance of leadership as a global citizen.
LTG McFarlane is no stranger to the Pacific Northwest, having spent a summer in the area during his time in ROTC at James Madison University and subsequently returning for three more tours thereafter. “I am, as Jimmy said, in my fourth tour here, so I’m Pacific Northwest familiar,” LTG McFarlane said in opening remarks.
In addition to being tied to the PNW in general, LTG McFarlane shared how the ideals of the US Army and Rotary are both at their core about commitments to shared values, service, resilience, innovation, empathy, and the belief in common good. Further reiterating this point, LTG McFarlane added, “Global Citizenship is not a military idea or a civilian idea, it’s a human idea.” LTG McFarlane also expressed how the Army and communities like Seattle are natural partners in shaping a safer and more connected world.
In his role as Commanding General of JBLM, LTG McFarlane carries the responsibility for soldiers in a region that comprises most of the Asia and Pacific theater. With soldiers in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Colorado, and in Treaty Partner nations he works with those in many different countries, with different languages, and different cultures; but who all share the same common desire for peace. “My mission at Joint Base Lewis-McChord is to deter war,” LTG McFarlane said, “and I can tell you right now, no one wants peace more than a soldier.”
Title IX pioneer and club member Trish Bostrom recently received a certificate designating her "All American" status as a tennis player at the University of Washington. Before Title IX was established, Trish qualified but never received recognition for the achievement.
After a campaign spearheaded by Mary Schutten and including research to verify the qualifications for Trish and other female athletes, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and UW become the first to bestow an All American on a pre-Title IX athlete.
Sunday, April 12th 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM Elk Run Farm
Harvest Against Hunger & Rotary District 5030 Work Party
Rotarians across District 5030 and Harvest Against Hunger helped launch Elk Run Farm in 2015 by raising over $100,000 for the initial infrastructure and securing AmeriCorps members to build it. Elk Run Farm exists solely to provide fresh produce to hunger relief organizations in South King County.
Thursday, April 16th 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Frolik Bar at Motif Hotel
Club Happy Hour Hosted by the Young Rotary Leaders
In an effort to offer more non-ticketed evening and weekend events, our Young Rotary Leaders aged 40 and under would like to invite you to a casual social happy hour at Frolik Bar inside the Motif Hotel. If you are looking for an opportunity to get to know other members outside of the lunch setting, then this event is for you!
Guests are welcome, especially prospective members or companies from the downtown core. If bringing a prospect to this event, please email mary@seattlerotary.org in advance so we can track and follow up.
Saturday, April 25th Time TBD Rotary Boys and Girls Club
Rotary Boys and Girls Club Annual Clean Up Day
Our club established what is now known as the Rotary Boys and Girls Club in the basement of Plymouth Church 1944. The club grew so popular they moved to their own standalone building in 1954, a building funded by member donation dollars and used to this day.
Each year we return in service for an annual clean-up day, tackling tasks such as landscape improvements, kitchen clean outs, painting, and organizing. There is a role for everyone; we hope you “save the date” and join us!
Bellevue Breakfast Club All in for Autism 5K Walk/Run
Calling all Seattle Rotarian walkers, joggers and runners!!
Be part of our SEATTLE ROTARY TEAM for the “All In for Autism” 5K Run/Walk.
Let’s show up TOGETHER for the All In for Autism 5K Run/Walk in downtown Bellevue on Sunday morning, April 26th. The Bellevue Breakfast Rotary Club is sponsoring the event to benefit local organizations that empower children with autism.
Register in advance for our Seattle Rotary team by clicking on the QR code that takes you directly to our team page or click on this link:
Our club members will enjoy exclusive access to the new Cascade PBS headquarters for this special "end of Rotary year" evening event. The evening will feature tours, presentations, and plenty of time to socialize in Cascade's special indoor/outdoor welcoming center space.
Thursday, May 21st 5:00 PM -8:00 PM Hotel Sorrento
Major Donors Pinkham & Skeel/President's Circle Reception
The SRSF Board of Directors and donors to SRSF at the $1,000+ level this Rotary year will receive an invitation to our annual appreciation reception. The evening will feature refreshments and updates from grantee organizations on the impact our donation dollars have made to local and international projects.
Saturday, May 30th Shifts from 10 AM-5 PM Rainier Community Center
Volunteers Needed: Launch Learning Family Carnival
Volunteers are needed for several shifts and roles at this annual event benefitting nonprofit Launch Learning. For more information, please see the volunteer info and email Jessica.ivins@launchlearning.org to sign up to volunteer.
In an effort to better inform membership of the health of the club, we will start posting member additions and resignations after each month's club board meeting.
New Members: Dakota Keene and Zack Glass
Resignations: Carla Fowler, Andrew Rapp, Ravi Keelveedhi, Kari Rallo
We love to see our Rotary members promoting good works in our community and abroad! If you have a project or fundraiser that you are excited about and would like to promote to your fellow club members, please check in with our Club Director, Mary Goldie, before distributing information or invitations through our email roster. We value the privacy of our members’ contact information and can let you know the appropriate ways to reach out to folks in our club. Thank you!!
Rotarians across District 5030 and Harvest Against Hunger helped launch Elk Run Farm in 2015 by raising over $100,000 for the initial infrastructure and securing AmeriCorps members to build it. Elk Run Farm exists solely to provide fresh produce to hunger relief organizations in South King County.
Meets 10:30 am on the second Tuesday of each month via Zoom; please contact Jevon Powell for calendar invite and link.
The mission of the Local Service Committee is two-fold: to coordinate hands-on service activities for club members, and to accept and process grant applications for local service projects and forward those applications to Seattle Rotary Service Foundation for final evaluation and award.
Your Rotary Club of Seattle members 40 and under invite you to a casual happy hour! Get to know your fellow members in a relaxed setting. The group hopes to offer more evening and weekend service and social events in the future, so stay tuned!
Serves to fulfill Rotary's mission of "advancing international understanding, goodwill, and peace." The committee selects projects that positively impact the health, education, and welfare of less advantaged people in other countries, with a particular emphasis on youth. Actively works with clubs in our District and abroad to leverage — via matching grants — the amount of money available for a project. Members get involved through direct knowledge of the project or by volunteering. Prior focuses have included malaria projects in Zambia, Tanzania, and Uganda; microcredit and water projects in India; de-mining projects in Vietnam and Lebanon; AIDS orphan support in South Africa and Ethiopia; education/literacy projects in Nepal, Chile, and Hungary; and more than a decade of wide-ranging projects in Russia.
For more information on this committee, please email info@seattlerotary.org.
New Members get to learn about the Rotary Club of Seattle (RCOS), Seattle Rotary Service Foundation (SRSF), and what it means to be a Rotarian, by doing. With guidance from their Mentor, every step of the way, and support from the Mentor Committee, New Members get to earn their Blue Badge by completing the Blue Badge Checklist. Once the Blue Badge Checklist is completed, the New Member will be announced formally in front of the Club and presented with their Blue Badge.
Join us from 9 AM - 12 PM for a day in service to the Rotary Boys and Girls Club-the club your very own Rotary Club of Seattle helped establish! If wanting to attend, please RSVP at jared.grose@industriousoffice.com.
Apr 26, 2026 8:30 AM - 10:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-07:00)
Join the fun! Register for this 5K run/walk as a member of the Seattle Rotary team. Bellevue Breakfast Rotary is hosting the event in support of local projects helping to empower children with autism. Here is the registration link for Seattle Rotarians: https://runsignup.com/RaceGroups/177622/Groups/2048568
There is a Kids Dash @ 7:50AM; the run/walk starts @ 8:30AM. Dogs are welcome!
These are club membership (not total years of Rotary membership) anniversaries only
1 Year
Roy Wild Rachel Ligtenberg Michael Fors Josh Lieberman
3 Years
Dorothy Echodu
5 Years
Brian Goodwin
Gina Hall
Jenn Gladish
Rachel Smith
6 Years
Dewitt Jensen
8 Years
Nicole Klein
11 Years Jon Scholes
18 Years
Steve Boyd
20 Years
Steve Sundquist
21 Years Linda Cheever
22 Years
Hollie Ellis
Freeman Fong
26 Years
Jean Bateman
33 Years
Michael O'Byrne
39 Years
Bob Parks
42 Years
Jim Burdett
Get Involved
Meet fellow Rotarians and get involved in service. See below for a list of committees. Email the committee chair by clicking on their name. Or, contact Mary Goldie for more information.
4. Invite your connections to a weekly meeting, and let mary@seattlerotary.org know so they may be introduced.
If you don't already have a LinkedIn profile, CLICK HERE to learn how to get started.
SEATTLE 4 ROTARY AUDIO VISUAL SPONSORS
Video of Seattle 4 Rotary Programs are available online thanks to the generous support of our Seattle Rotary Audio Visual Sponsors.
In addition to supporting our club, becoming a Seattle 4 Rotary Audio Visual Sponsor brings many benefits. To learn more, click here, or contact Mary for more details at mary@seattlerotary.org.
Do You Have Any Musical Instruments to Donate to Students in Need?
Music4Life is a non-profit and project of Rotary District 5030 that distributes musical instruments to public school students in need.
We welcome any gently used musical instruments you wish to donate. They can be delivered directly to these local music stores that are now open: American Music in Phinney Ridge and Kennelly Keys Music in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Everett.
Please accompany your instrument with the PDF donation form, linked below.
Our Rotary Cares team is ready to listen and to support you. One of the wonderful things about our club is that you have many friends --you just need to reach out to tap into our amazing network of caring people. Please contact our Rotary Cares Committee Chair to let us know how we can help.
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