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Newsletter for January 30, 2007

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20th Anniversary Charter Celebration - another night to shine!
     Observance of the receipt of our club charter from Rotary International on January 30 of 1987 will be held March 27, 2007 at Chateau Ste. Michelle. There will be no morning meeting on that date. A sign up sheet will be passed around at a future meeting.

     The committee planning this historic evening includes Tana Baumler, Marty Dennis, Steve Dolan, John Hughes and Susan Webster.

     A gourmet dinner will be prepared by the winery's  executive chef. Cost per attendee is $75, chargeable to members' club account.

     In addition to celebrating Woodinville Rotary's 20th anniversary, the club will recognize the 30th anniversary of Little Bit Therapeutic Riding Center and Chateau Ste. Michelle opening in Woodinville and the 50th anniversary of Molbak's. Leaders of those respective programs and businesses will be present.

     Past Presidents not presently active with the club and charter members of our club will also be invited. Six charter members are presently active in the club.

     The event was originally scheduled for January 30 of this year, but storm conditions, snow, power outages and the holidays interfered with properly planning and staging this important community event.

Briefs . . .
     21 Acres, one of our major beneficiaries of Rotary Wine'n Shine 2006, will be invited to the February 27 board meeting to bring the club up to speed on plans for major developments at the site. Woodinville Farmers Market, an integral part of the organization, will operate from the new Woodinville Village in 2007, having been displaced from Woodinville Community Center which is due to get a renovation program under way later this year.

       The last dictionaries were to have been distributed to third graders at Woodmoor elementary school January 25 with a number of volunteers expected.

       Rotary Wine'n Shine co-chairs for 2007 will be president-elect-elect Chris Boland and Greg Riggs. They report that they are in the process of developing the leadership team for this charity fund raiser scheduled for October 6. Signing on for decor and staging is Vicki Puckett and agreeing to head up operations again is Rorry Dunbar.

New member proposals

   The Board has voted to extend invitations of membership to recent guests Kathy Kill and Jerry Cufley.
    This is posted to the membership as required by club policy. Anyone with questions or concerns related to these membership proposals should contact the President or Secretary.

      Kathy is the new Banner Bank branch manager in Woodinville, having been affiliated with Banner Bank in Woodinville since 1997. Her sponsor is Al Marsh.

      Dr. Cufley recently retired from an active practice in emergency medicine at Evergreen Hospital and is a resident of Woodinville. His sponsors are Roy Williams and Rick Pisani.

Chris Carnevali

Chris submits resignation . . . for now
     Past president Chris Carnevali recently submitted the following note of resignation . . . with regrets . . . to President Gary Whitsell. We're hoping Chris will be able to continue her Rotary participation once time again permits.

Dear President Gary and Fellow Rotarians;    It is with a sad heart that I submit my resignation to the club.  Over the nineteen years of being a member of the Woodinville Rotary, I have seen many changes, and I must say all for the better. I was very proud to say I was a member of the Woodinville Rotary because throughout my Travels I never encountered a club that had as much fun and yet was serious about fundraising, and giving back to the community. The meetings have always been upbeat and positive, that one did not mind getting up earlier to attend. 

This does not come easy for me, but I vowed that when I was just using the membership as a “Breakfast Club” and not being involved it was time to quit. If the day comes that I have more time, I would like to return as an ACTIVE member. Until that time, I wish you continued success in all your endeavors.    Sincerely, Chris Carnevali

Club supports Hopelink literacy and housing
     Marilyn Mason-Plunkett, new director, and Julia Walters-Burns of Bothell, chair of the board of directors, received a $3,500 donation to Hopelink's literacy and housing programs. The funds were part of dollars raised at our 2006 Rotary Wine'n Shine last October. 

      Marilyn, active in public agency work in Yakima, succeeds long-time Hopelink supporter and director Doreen Marchione at the head of the human services agency that meets personal needs from Shoreline to Carnation. u  Hopelink turned 35 last fall, having been launched in the Bothell-Woodinville area in 1971 with the help of seed money from Northshore Rotary Club (our sponsor 20 years ago). The duo oversees an annual budget of $43 million with a staff of 300 at six full-service centers and 16 various program sites. It took 1,750 volunteers to serve 50,000 people in need during 2006.

       Woodinville Rotary has contributed over $50,000 to Hopelink.

     Funds raised through "futures" of limited-edition Reckonyard go toward scholarships at the Institute. Williger announced that "futures" for the 2006 vintage will finally become available March 13. Approximately two dozen bottles will be offered. The vineyards was planted on May Day of 2001 and Williger said he and associate viticulturalist Catherine Hinken-Jones have deemed the 2006 fall harvest was the best ever for Grace Town Vineyards.

      DeSmet received a complete tour of the Grace winemaking operation, including the high-tech laboratory.

      Urged to report on his tasting at a meeting of Woodinville Rotary, DeSmet inquired:  "Should I cover in my report the part about being blindfolded during entry into the Reckonyard wine cave and past the laboratory where the chemists were working due to "concerns" about information about the Reckonyard wine making operation being leaked to the public?"

Service Above Self Saturday
     President Gary Whitsell plans to devote considerable time at the January 30 meeting to get members on board for our annual Service Above Self Day at Rotary Community Park on March 10. This is a district wide day in which clubs are encouraged to participate in a community service project. The club has a long standing commitment to stewardship of the Park. Prior to our stewardship day, those who have worked on this project are invited to a city event: 
     The City of Woodinville invites all Rotarians who have contributed their time on the Rotary Community Park boardwalk/trail to attend an upcoming volunteer appreciation: 
   “Thanks S’more” Volunteer Appreciation
             Monday, February 5
    Drop by anytime, 5 to 7:30 pm - City Hall, 1^st floor lobby
     Bring your family and enjoy delicious s’mores and hot cocoa, as our way of saying thanks for your support! 
               Patrick Tefft, Volunteer Coordinator - (425) 877-2289

Rick Pisani
President 2007-08

Truglio takes the conference lead
It's On to Coeur d' Alene April 20-22
     Past president Joe Truglio has recently sent a barrage of information on the upcoming annual district Rotary conference in Coeur d' Alene, Idaho . . . including a registration form and the news that the club will cover $100 of the member's registration fee. As chair of the "On to Idaho" effort, Joe challenges Woodinville to have another strong representation.

       District conference chair Roger Martindill (our past assistant district guv) sent along this info on hotel space: "About two and one-half years ago, we contracted with the Resort for a three-tier rate on guest rooms...Budget, Deluxe, and Premier. The response and registration has been exceptional and we are sold out of all but the Premier rooms. The negotiated rate for these rooms is $249.00 per night vs. the “rack” rate of $350.00. The rooms and the resort are truly wonderful..."

       President and First Babe Whitsell promise a "mother of all social hours" on Friday and Saturday nights at the Woodinville hospitality suite (their room) and Idaho natives Dolan, Johnson and Hughes are working on visas for all those attending from Woodinville.  

Tuesday - March 13
Next "Wine Tasting for Scholarships"
sponsored by the
Grace Town Vineyards and the 
Grace Provisional Rotary Club

        
Join us at the Monte Villa Farmhouse to taste a selection of fine Rhone blends selected by leading viticulturalist Gustav T. Williger and staff. Dinner follows, prepared by Alexa's Catering. Proceeds to club scholarships at the Institute of Viticulture and Enology at Walla Walla Community College. $200 per couple or $100 per person donation. May be charged to club account.

Seating limited to first come, first served. Sign up here.

Wellington third grader
Daniel finds
"awsome" to be
truly awesome, so turn to
. . . page 50

club continues to receive thank you letters
for the new dictionaries; parents call in, too,
amazed at this awesome project.