Charter Night Views for April 3 Newsletter

Photo Highlights

Chateau Ste. Michelle's Vice President of Marketing Donna Duncanson received giant 30th anniversary commemorative wine glasses from past presidents Jay Soloff and Max Zellweger

Laina, Egon and Jens Molbak received more than seeds in this handcrafted, floral spectacular denoting their 50th anniversary.

Little Bit's Board chair Lish Whitson and community relations rep Pam Cote had plenty to remember the club's $40,000 donation to the non-profit organizations campaign to expand services to waiting riders.

John Hulbert, representing Banner Bank, received handsome "Seed the Vine" wood plaque from the Prez noting the bank's strong financial support of Rotary fund-raising projects the past 16 years.

Not to be outdone, the club presents a Seed the Vine Award to itself and the Prez exalts members to join in to congratulate one and all !

In an unscripted part of the evening, Newsletter Editor Hugo was presented the Seed the Vine Founders Award by our Prez and past prez Steve Dolan.

Some of the early arriving attendees found their way to Mt. St. Michelle's banquet hall March 27 around 5:30 pm, prayed for it not to “rain on our parade” as dark skies and intermittent showers made some folks reach for their umbrellas. But the weather turned for the better and by social hour, a gala celebration was on its way toward a starry, starry night. Roughly one hundred and thirty people gathered together in a communal festive mood to commemorate a number of anniversaries.

        Chateau Ste. Michelle winery venue was appropriate since this year marks thirty years of presence in the Woodinville area. John Hughes, Woodinville Rotarian and “not ready for prime time” local historian, gave the crowd a walking tour through the winery's development from a local grower to an international brand. He highlighted their generous support of Woodinville Rotary's fundraiser by supplying us with complimentary Eroica wine. This same wine was awarded a 97-point rating by Wine Spectator several years back.
            Some of the guests took time to tour the winery and learned that not only does Ste. Michelle make fine wine, but they also make lots of it. A few years back they celebrated packing their millionth case. As a token of appreciation for their years of community support, the winery’s vice president of marketing, Donna Duncanson, was gifted with two enormous commemorative wine glasses to put on display so that visitors could be made aware that Ste. Michelle's presence is greatly appreciated by the Woodinville community..

         Molbak's, another Woodinville institution, had just cause to be in festive spirit since this year marks its fiftieth anniversary as a cornerstone of Woodinville's culture. Founders Egon and Laina Molbak headed up a table and enjoyed a slide show tour of Molbak’s history. Molbak's remains a family owned and operated business and current chief executive Jens Molbak and his wife Blair Carleton were on hand to enjoy the moment. The Molbak's were presented with a commemorative gift as well, a planter symbolic of all the horticultural goodwill their business has cultivated in Woodinville and points beyond.

          Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center had reason to celebrate as well in that 2006 marked their thirtieth anniversary. While not as well known to the general public, the service they have offered to adults and children with various illnesses has achieved for them a cult status among riders and rider relatives. The therapeutic benefit from riding on a horse in graduated levels of independence strengthens muscle tone and self esteem. Lish Whitson, executive board chair, was present to receive a pony-sized check from Woodinville Rotary. Also present at Little Bit's table were major supporters Mike and Phyllis Dunmire and community relations representative, Pam Cote.

         Banner Bank rounded out the list of Woodinville concerns being congratulated for their influence on our community. This year marks sixteen years of Banner partnership with Woodinville Rotary. Club president Gary Whitsell broke it down this way: the two hundred thousand dollars Banner has contributed to Woodinville Rotary fundraising efforts amounts to over 13 cents on every dollar the club has raised. Rotarians across the globe would envy us for having a partner as supportive as Banner.

           All four of these businesses were selected for this party not simply based on the fact that they have achieved success (as measured by long term survival) in their disciplines. They were chosen because along their path of growth they all took time to “seed the vine” of the community they chose to settle in. Along the way, over the last twenty years, Woodinville Rotary has partnered with them and with city officials to help plant a variety of community seeds. Highlights include the club's involvement in Wilmot Gateway Park, Rotary Community Park, and Rotary Field.

It is impossible to measure the value that a child gets from playing on Wilmot's playground, rolling across the student-designed and Rotary-funded skate park, or taking a cut at a Little League fastball at Rotary Field, but no one can deny that our community is strengthened by each of these facilities.
Other projects Woodinville Rotary has participated in included a book project in Afghanistan, an eye clinic in Pakistan, and two major projects closer to home. The Northshore Scholarship Foundation will be twenty-four years old next year and has dispensed over 1.2 million in scholarship support to students from our community and surrounding areas. Operation Warm, a program developed in Pennsylvania, delivers new warm coats to kids in need during the Christmas Season. This year will mark Woodinville Rotary's fifth year of support for that program.
The applause was generous as the past presidents of Woodinville Rotary and the charter members still active in the club were invited up to take center stage. It was a home run evening carefully planned and executed by Susan Webster, Tana Baumler, Linda Hendrickson, Steve Dolan, Marty Dennis and Chris Boland, and last but not least, John Hughes.

One left the room with a paradoxical sense of both closure and initiation. It seemed as if all the positive energy used to celebrate a storied past was now ready to be redirected and as guests emerged into a star-speckled and rain free evening, I'm sure they all marveled at what vines Woodinville's community partners would seed in the decades ahead.

--- Rick Pisani, Rotary Reporter