Please register today for next week's evening event at Bacovino! Light bites will be offered as well as a cash bar. The evening will feature a presentation from club member Anna Liotta.
The Board of Directors, on February 26, 2025, by unanimous vote, passed a resolution as proposed by the Governance Committee to amend the Bylaws, Article III, Section 8, to create a new officer position titled Vice President of Club Operations. It shall be the responsibility of this Vice President to oversee day-to-day operations of the club, at the specific direction of the Club President. Staff employed by the Rotary Club of Seattle will report directly to the Vice President for Club Operations. Subsequent section of Article III will be renumbered following this section. Other sections of the Bylaws will be amended as needed to provide for this new position.
Pursuant to Article XVII of the Bylaws, this amendment is hereby published to the membership for not less than two weeks, and will be submitted for approval at an upcoming meeting.
Governor Bob Ferguson came to the Seattle Rotary #4 podium at the Motlif Hotel on Wednesday to describe the challenges and opportunities he encountered during his first 50 days in the state’s highest office. “Legislators will go home following the legislative session at the end of April with a balanced budget to fund state government for the next four years,” he said, “and faced with a $15B budget shortfall, coupled with uncertainty of federal funding is making things interesting”.
He began by saying “there’s a lot going on” as his team wrestles with his challenge to reduce the current budget by $4B to chip away at the formidable shortfall. The budget must address housing affordability, homelessness, and public safety among a range of issues. “We need a budget that is balanced and based on actual revenue,” he said, “that will require– tough decisions but we will get there.”
“It was not a recession that has caused the shortfall, it was the state making decisions that have resulted in the shortfall as COVID one-time funding dried up, yet the state continued to back fill as revenues fell short,” he said. “We can no longer assume revenue growth and what the experts say our growth will be, and we will not solve it by raising taxes, so we need to change how we do our budget.”
Congratulations goes to Uplift Northwest for being the $75,000 award recipient!
Please join us for the March 5th lunch meeting to hear from Chief Executive Officer for Uplift Northlift, Gina Hall about how they will put the $75,000 to use.
Year to date, we have achieved 74% or $148,000 of our SRSF Donation Campaign Goal of $200,000. Only 57% of our members have donated so far.
Club Member David Bobanick Slated for Town Hall Panel on Food Systems
There is no good reason for anyone in Seattle – a city with immense wealth and resources – to be hungry. And yet, 1 in 5 neighbors are struggling to access enough food to feed themselves and their families.
Join Rainier Valley Food Bank and a panel of local experts and change makers, as together we explore the root causes of hunger, community-led solutions, and the actions we can each take to build towards a hunger-free Seattle.
March Evening Member Event Featuring Presentation from Anna Liotta
Our March evening event takes us to Pioneer Square and Bacovino for light bites, cash bar, and a presentation from National Speakers Association President (and club member!) Anna Liotta. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased by CLICKING HERE (scroll down to the March 12 event listing).
Saturday, March 15
2 PM
Holgate Church of Christ
Read Seattle Movement Event
As a follow-up to our short program on 1-29-2025, the Seattle Rotary Education Committee is excited to present volunteer opportunities for Rotarians to assist students struggling with reading and math skills. One of the SRSF grants this year supported School Connect WA, which launched the Read Seattle Movement.
We encourage you to consider becoming a mentor to help young learners. On Saturday, March 15th, at 2 PM, the Read Seattle Community Coalition will host a literacy awareness and recruiting event at Holgate Church of Christ, 2600 S. Holgate St. Our goal is to get individuals to sign up to become reading tutors. The Seattle Mayor, Seattle City Council, King County Council, Seattle School Board Members, and other officials have been invited to this vital community event.
Saturday, April 19
Time TBD
Rotary Boys and Girls Club
Rotary Boys and Girls Club Annual Clean-Up Day
We will have additional details soon but until then, save the date and help support "the club that Rotary built"!
Bloodworks is giving away a $3,000 digital gift card this January. Donate blood during National Blood Donor Month and enter to win at www.bloodworksnw.org/win.
Wherever you donate, be sure to let Bloodworks know you are donating with Rotary District 5030 or provide the code “5030” when you arrive to donate to count toward our cumulative impact!
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!!
These are club membership (not total years of Rotary membership) anniversaries only
1 Year
Joanne Miller
Ford Van Winkle
2 Years
Maddy Vonhoff
Garin Wedeking
Ani Black
7 Years
Taylor Shimizu
Bonnie Towne
12 Years
Mark Long
Jimmy Collins
16 Years
William Gates III
19 Years
Candy Lee
AD Vickery
20 Years
Jeff Pritchard
21 Years
Liv Wernecke
Manny Ramos
23 Years
Jim Odom
Skip Rowland
24 Years
Joel Ferrell
25 Years
Einer Handeland
27 Years
John Steckler
33 Years
Laurel James
35 Years
Rich Lacher
47 Years
Fred Weiss
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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