The USRC Foundation has very kindly set aside funds to match our contributions to a special campaign in L.A. organized by the Rotary District 5280 Charitable Foundation (https://rotary5280.org/page/2025-wildfire-disaster-relief/).
You can be assured that your donation to our Foundation will make a helpful difference. Mail a check to the USRC Foundation at P.O. Box 15131, Seattle, WA 98115 with “L.A. Recovery” on the memo line.
February 3, 2025
Seven of us met Friday afternoon to discuss the planning of a third annual club trip.
We have done a Club trip twice in the last two years and they have been fantastic fun (In fact everyone who has been on past trips is enthusiastic about going again).
Here is what we decided:
The participants in the meeting were Bruce Balick, Steve Barton, Ted Hunter, Scott Jamieson, Mike Madden, Dave Mushen, Pam Mushen, and Tom Ranken.
Possible itinerary:
Day One (Thursday):
Depart Seattle in carpools leaving at 10am. Drive to Walla Walla with stop for lunch. Arrive by 4 pm to check into the hotel. Rendezvous for dinner and wine walk/tasting at 6pm.
Day Two (Friday):
Wineries and breweries in the Walla Walla area. Possible day trip to Clarkston for a Lewis & Clark tour. Visit the Discovery Center, the Interpretative Center, the Nez Pierce Historical Museum, and the Confluence Campsite. Lunch in Lewiston ID (beer available for those 19+!). Leave Walla Walla at 8 am, return by 6 pm. Visit a famous winery for a tour and dinner.
Day 3:(Saturday):
Wine tour to three or four famous wineries in the area, led by Scott Jamieson. May include a venture across the border to Oregon or into the Palouse.
Day Four: (Sunday)
Return to Seattle or continue the L& C trail to Astoria or? (Your own plan. Could include Goldendale for an observatory visit or drive down Columbia Gorge with a stop in Hood River or myriad possibilities).
Are you in??
-Tom
-Tom Ranken | 206.890.8387 | tom@usrotary.org
The mission of the Foundation is to enable members to advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the improvement of health, the support of education and the alleviation of poverty. The Foundation may fund activities or make direct grants to individuals or organizations and may combine its financial resources with other Rotary clubs and Districts, for the greater good.
The program will be presented by the Board of the Foundation along with members of the Screening Committee. Board members are Tom Ranken (Chair), Stuart Webber (Treasurer/Secretary), Pam Mushen, Dave Mushen, and Lincoln Ferris. Screening Committee Members are Mike Madden, Nancy Bolin, and Hal Beals.
Forts Worden, Flagler, and Casey were developed to prevent enemy incursions into Puget Sound. When were they built, and what became of them?
Michael Bronsdon is a Pacific Northwest native who grew up camping and learning about the natural and human histories of the West. This fed a lifelong interest in history and the outdoors.
Michael earned B.A. (History), and MBA degrees from the University of Washington. His professional career included several years in book publishing, followed by 26 years in the software/technology industry.
Michael relocated to Bainbridge Island (Fletcher Bay neighborhood) in 2021 with his wife Cathy. He appreciates learning and sharing the stories of the communities of Bainbridge Island and the Pacific Northwest.
He volunteers with the Bainbridge History Museum and joined the board earlier this year.
He is a passionate skier and hiker, and also enjoys choral singing, winemaking, photography and travel.
Arpita Dacy is the embodiment of female empowerment, dedication, and perseverance. She believes in leading by example and aims to be a good role model for women and youth through her journey. She is a devoted mother of a 7-year-old daughter, a Senior Tech Leader at Amazon, University of Washington Alumna degreed in Electrical Engineering, Professional Mentor, Motivational and STEM Speaker, Global Beauty Awards Nominee in multiple categories, and the National winner of the most esteemed pageant of Mrs. Universe America 2023-2024 hosted by internationally acclaimed and several award winning non-profit AmPowering. Arpita will be competing in the Mrs. Universe worldwide competition later this year in South Korea representing our WA state and America. Arpita is passionate about community engagement and is actively involved with various organizations to advocate for women’s issues and to promote cultural inclusivity, diversity and equity. She plans to use all her platforms to continue to motivate females to pursue their passions and create a greater impact in society.
Rotary District 5030 is launching the next cohort for RISE (Rotarians Inspired to Succeed and Engage)! We’re encouraging clubs to use this program to attract and engage members by offering advanced leadership training and an experienced member from another club. The program cost is $150 per participant and each club can have up to three members in the program. The deadline for application is Monday, April 1, and the application form is here.
Last fall, we had seventeen members in our pilot session and our exit survey rated the program 4.7 (out of 5) stars. Two-thirds of the participants reported that participating in RISE had already helped them to advance in their career and/or their club.
Testimonal: “I think the RISE program is a valuable tool, both for those early in their professional or Rotary careers with limited leadership experience, and for those later in their careers as a litmus test to reflect on whether one’s leadership habits have been as productive as one hoped.”-Mark Ward, President-Elect, West Seattle Club.
Each club can have up to 3 members per training cohort. There is a Spring session and a fall session.
Here Walter’s handout “Practical and Taxwise Estate Planning:”
Walter Impert provides individuals and families with practical advice on how to incorporate their values and goals into a thoughtful and carefully considered estate plan.
Walter is a Partner at Dorsey & Whitney in the Tax, Trusts and Estates practice group. His practice focuses on all aspects of wealth management, including estate planning, business organization and succession planning, charitable organizations, estate and trust administration, and estate and trust litigation.
Walter served as a member of the firm’s Policy Committee (Board of Directors) and serves as a Senior Vice President and Director of the Dorsey & Whitney Trust Company.
Walter received his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), School of Law (J.D., 2002). He was Managing Editor of the UCLA Law Review. His BA was awarded by Occidental College (B.A., Economics, 1996) with College Honors and Department Honors. He is a Phi Beta Kappa member.
His Professional Achievements include:
Walter has been honored as:
Walter can be reached at impert.walter@dorsey.com, (206) 903-2439
Our speaker on Thursday is Heather Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Wellspring Family Services. Wellspring is a complex health and human service agency committed to ending family homelessness for good. Founded in 1892, the organization prevents and ends homelessness for both families and employees through five intertwined programs.
Heather joined Wellspring in 2017 as the interim CFO, and stepped into the CEO role in January of 2018.
Prior to joining Wellspring, Heather was a management consultant with MarketFitz, Inc., where she worked primarily with healthcare, professional service, and non-profit clients. She is a CPA and a Chartered Global Management Accountant, and the author of the book Marketing Management for Non-Marketing Managers: Improving Returns on Marketing Investments.
Heather is a member of Seattle Rotary #4 and has served as the Vice-President of Membership and Sergeant-at-Arms for the club. She has served on over a dozen boards of directors, including Leadership Tomorrow, the Washington Society of CPAs, the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, Girl Scouts of Western Washington, and Northwest Center. She currently serves on the board of Archbright.
Outside of work and community volunteerism, Fitzpatrick enjoys hiking, backpacking, cooking, reading and travel. She lives in Edmonds, Washington, with her husband, her children, and her dog, Riko.
Join the University Sunrise Rotary Club for a program featuring Ken Lee of the Seattle Public Utilities speaking on the topic of “The Ship Canal Water Quality Project: Tunnel Effluent Pump Station & Ballard Conveyance.
The program will be presented in person and on Zoom on Thursday morning with the Zoom line opening at 7:00 a.m. The formal meeting including the program runs from 7:30-8:30 a.m. No registration is required, and the program is free.
The in-person meeting will be at the Wedgwood Community Church at 8201 30th Ave NE, Seattle. Doors open at 7:00 a.m. and the program begins at 7:30 a.m.
The meeting will be available via Zoom. Click here to join the meeting Thursday morning. The Zoom line will open shortly after 7:00 a.m.
Ken Lee is a senior project manager with Seattle Public Utilities.
Born and raised in South Seattle, this lifelong University of Washington Husky has an extensive career in leading infrastructure and transportation improvement projects around the Puget Sound area. As a Project Management Professional and Professional Engineer, Ken’s passion is improving our communities through the wonders of Civil Engineering.
On the weekend you can find Ken, his wife, and 11-year old son exploring (and sometimes re-exploring) new areas of Seattle!