President Kelli Thode started the 27^th meeting of the year and the 5,627^th meeting of the Rotary Club of Everett with the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

Walt Greenwood sang one of my favorite childhood songs, “I want to be a dog” written by Barry Louis Polisar in 1979. “Being human these days is getting too crazy I just wanna be a hound”.

 

Kari Quaas thought of the day was about coping with the loss of a loved one and the band, Grateful Dead. Inspired by bassist Phil Lesh’s father dying of cancer, Lyricist Robert Hunter wrote “Box of Rain” creating a metaphor for navigating life’s hardships and sharing love.

 

Heather Barnhart introduced Steve Erickson from Sharing Wheels.

 

 

Cassidy Spencer is the owner of Spencer Injury Law specializing in personal injury with emphasis on traumatic brain injury and nursing home neglect. She attended Mount Vernon High School, University of Oregon and Seattle University Law School. She opened her Law office 1.5 years ago at 11400 Airport Rd Suite 200. With her husband, Andrew, and her 1-year-old son, Jackson, they recently enjoyed a trip to Maui. Cassidy is sponsored by Kari Petrasek.

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

President Kelli Thode had the following announcements:

Greg Tisdel reminded the membership about the Strategic Planning Committee meeting scheduled Wednesday, January 21^st from 4:00 to 8PM at Coastal Community Bank, Evergreen Branch. Please RSVP to the Club Runner invite so they can plan accordingly. Everyone is encouraged to participate in shaping our five-year plan for 2026-2030. Dinner will be provided. Be there!

 

Anna Marie Laurence spoke about the two open at-large positions for the Everett Rotary Youth Foundation Board. At the regular club meeting last week, Tammy Dunn brought forward one nomination. That nomination has been amended, and John Olson’s name has been removed from the slate of nominees. The following members have been nominated. Jim Schrader for the trustee board at-large position term ends June 30, 2028, and Liz Stenning for trustee board at-large position term ends June 30, 2029. Tammy Dunn will bring these nominees forward for approval of the membership at the meeting scheduled Tuesday, January 20.

 

Janice Ellis gave an update on our Rotary Youth Exchange student, Hakumi. Hakumi moved into his second host family’s home and is adjusting well. His birthday is January 23 and there is a Sushi Crawl in the planning stages so watch for more information. He is also participating in the Youth Engaged in Service or YES Program and is doing his community service hours at the Everett History Museum and the Everett YMCA. The YES Program group is planning a service project in Guatemala and for a fund raiser they are holding a raffle. Janice suggests buying a few raffle tickets for Hakumi’s birthday present.

 

Kari Petrasek reviewed the plans for the annual Rotary Club of Everett fundraiser. The fundraiser will be held in conjunction with the celebration of our club’s 109th birthday. The event will be held at the Imagine Children’s Museum at 5:30 April 2, 2026. The fundraiser and two hours of fun playing at the Imagine Children’s Museum will be open to the community so bring family, kids, grandkids and friends.

 

Heather Barnhart presented a check from the Local Impact Fund for $1,500 to Steve Erickson for the Sharing Wheels organization. Sharing Wheels rehabilitates used bikes for middle and high school students to have for free after they have been trained on how to ride safely and maintain the bicycle.

 

Larry O’Donnell had a bell ringer in memory of Fred Sjoholm who was a longtime Treasure for the Rotary Club. Fred was instrumental in investing Everett Rotary Youth Foundation funds used for scholarships and he operated a top-rated accounting firm in Everett.

 

Walt Greenwood was happy to support Sharing Wheels and remembers Ron Toppi who started the organization. The bike shop is located at 2531 Broadway.

 

Neil Angst was a bell ringer happy to have his name on the front page of the Everett Herald last Saturday. The article was about health care and the insurance industry. Give it a read.

 

Greg Tisdel was $500 happy for his birthday and to be back at Rotary after spending 5 weeks in California near the location of last year’s Palisades fire. He was amazed by the devastation and the lack of progress of rebuilding the homes and infrastructure. He was also $1,000 happy to help create an endowment for a Rotary Scholarship in Marc Baker’s name. To create an endowment, we need to raise $25,000. Please consider making a donation to the Everett Rotary Youth Foundation in Marc’s name.

 

Cassidy Spencer was a bell ringer happy for her son’s first birthday, her husband’s birthday, and her Mom’s 70^th birthday celebration in Maui.

 

Paul Stoot was happy to be honored to plan the memorial services for Hall of Fame football player Kenny Easley’s celebration of life in Chesapeake, Virgina, and here in Seattle (after they win the Superbowl). He has also been selected to take part in the Celebration of Life of Jackie Bezos who is the mother of Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos.

 

Barb George was a bell ringer in memory of Fred Sjoholm.

 

 

Krissy Davis from the Puget Sound Kidney Center presented an informative talk on chronic kidney disease. Puget Sound Kidney Center is a non-profit organization established in 1981, and with the help of community partners, financial donors and volunteers, Puget Sound Kidney Centers has been the leading provider of social services, nutritional counseling, and dialysis services to those impacted by kidney disease in Snohomish, Skagit, Pierce, Island, King, Kitsap and Jefferson counties in Washington state. Their mission is to enhance the quality of life of those with kidney disease through outstanding dialysis care, education and community support.

 

Currently, they serve around 900 patients with 120,000 dialysis a year in 12 their clinics, at home and in area hospitals. There are three options for dialysis. In-center hemodialysis dialysis: Patients undergo in-center hemodialysis treatments, usually three times a week for about four hours at a time, in one of their twelve dialysis centers in northern Washington state. The second option is home dialysis: Some patients want more flexibility with dialysis. They offer training and support for peritoneal dialysis as well as training and support for home hemodialysis using NxStage technology. The third option is Hospital dialysis: Care is provided at local hospitals with in-patient dialysis services for patients needing dialysis care while in the hospital.

 

One is seven adults have kidney disease, and most do not know it. Certain ethnic groups including African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans are at greater risk.  The best way to monitor your kidney health is to know your GFR score. The Glomerular Filtration Rate is determined by blood tests done at your doctor’s office. A low GFR is an indication there may be trouble. To maintain kidney health, it is important to stay hydrated, eat a diet that is low in sodium which is less than 2300 mg or about a teaspoon, controlling your blood sugar and high blood pressure, and exercise. Also, using medications such as ibuprofen and naproxen wisely as these medications can be damaging to the kidney. Preventative steps to maintain kidney health are to limit smoking and alcohol, maintain a healthy weight, and get regular medical evaluations.

 

RAFFLE: Ashley Bolden

There was a reminder to donate more prizes to the Raffle Committee.

Winner Number 1 - Jim Schrader wine and Jelly Beans.

Winner Number 2 - Michael Kvistad Lifesavers and a small candle.

Winner Number 3 – Will McMahan Rotary hat and large candle.

 

Paul Stoot drew the winning playing cards for the Deck of a Deal fundraiser benefiting Rotary International. Winners whose cards are drawn receive a Paul Harris award.

This year’s winners were Tammy Dunn, Mark Valentine, Kari Quaas and Kari Patrasek. Congratulations and thanks to all who contributed.

 

 

Respectfully Submitted,

 

Photography Submitted,