Bellevue Rotary Weekly Bulletin

Here are some of the items on the BRC Calendar for June:

• Rotary Fellowship Month
• Elder Abuse Awareness / Alzheimer Awareness Month For More Information  
• LGBTQIA+ Pride Month For More Information
• June 3rd 10:00 World Community Service Committee Meeting
• June 3rd 12:00 BRC Lunch
• June 5th World Environment Day For More Information
• June 10th 12:00 BRC Lunch
• June 12th 12:15 DEI Committee Meeting
• June 14th Flag Day
• June 15th Father’s Day
• June 17th 12:00 BRC Lunch
• June 18th 8:00 BRC Board Meeting
• June 19th Juneteenth For More Information
• June 19th 21:00 Thirsty Thursday
• June 24th 8:00 BRC Board Meeting
• June 27th Al-Hijra (Islamic New Year)
• June 28th Pride Day 
• June 30th Rotary Citation for Rotary Clubs Award nominations are due

The Calendar includes some committee meetings, service events, and other BRC happenings. If you are a Committee Chair or Event Organizer, you can add your item to the calendar by filling out this form.

Subject: Bellevue Rotary Club’s Presidential Celebration

Hello,

Congrats! We almost made it through a busy year. Time to celebrate and YOU are invited:

Bellevue Rotary Club Presidential Celebration and Transition
When: June 24, Tuesday Evening at 6:00 PM
Where: Woodmark Hotel, Marina Room, Carillon Point, Kirkland WA
Cost: $0.00/Rotarian; $75.00/Guest

Yes, it is that time when we ring in the new President Michael, and try to remember what’s-his-name. I hope this year has been as fun for you as it was for me. You certainly got a lot done in the “service above self” effort. Your success was not only inspiring (as I note every week) but it was foundational for what will be more success in the year to come.

I hope you can join us on the 24th. No Tuesday Lunch Meeting that day.

To do: RSVP to Celia Morant at breaker7000@hotmail.com.

I will also have signup sheets at lunch. We will have a hard cutoff on attendance this year. It is important to RSVP. Thanks for being my inspiration!

Yours in Rotary,

Tom

Thirsty Thursday was a successful event at Arena Sports in Issaquah generously sponsored by our past president David Laub. Pictured here is our Club Administrator Tara Lystad giving video game tips to a bow tieless David Fain.

The next Book Group meeting will be hybrid (in-person and by Zoom) on July 9, 2025, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Back again in our rotation is a Fiction pick; this time it’s “West with Giraffes: A Novel” by Lynda Rutledge.

An emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the heart of Depression-era America.

“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”

Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience he cannot take to his grave.

It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale wheel weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.

Part adventure, part, historical, saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it’s too late.

Jacksonville Florida Times-Union “This is a beautifully written novel that has everything in it. Intrigue, guilt, desperation, redemption and a pair of the most wonderful giraffes to ever be documented. The truly inspiring part of this book is that it is based on true events. Some names have been changed and the story is invented by Rutledge, but it reads like a true biography.”

If you are interested in attending, RSVP to John Campbell to receive the location address and Zoom link, which will be published about a week ahead of the meeting.

What happens when you bring together longtime Rotarians and newer members for a casual coffee chat? More than you might expect.

Recently, four Bellevue Rotary members—Stu Vander Hoek, Dan Seydel, Frank Sosebee Jr., and Jemal Idris—met as part of our club’s Fellowship Coffee initiative. What began as a simple meet-and-greet quickly unfolded into something much deeper: a thoughtful, energizing exchange of stories, insights, and purpose.

The group shared personal journeys into Rotary, lessons from past service, and ideas for the future. Long-standing traditions were explored, and fresh perspectives were welcomed. It was mentorship, networking, and friendship—all in one.

Dan reflected, “Having veteran members take an interest in us is a tremendous privilege—and gives me real hope for the future of our club.”

Stu added, “When each of us had our elbow on the small table, I knew we were in a good place.” He shared how meaningful it was to learn Frank’s story and hear his honest questions about the Rotary experience.

Frank shared, “As a newer member, being invited into such an open and meaningful dialogue gave me real perspective—and a sense of purpose. I left knowing I’m part of something bigger.”

Jemal noted, “These moments are some of the most powerful ways to connect across generations in Rotary. Every time I sit down for one of these conversations, I walk away learning something completely new—and often profound—about a fellow Rotarian. That’s the magic of Rotary fellowship.”

In a world full of busy calendars and digital messages, this gathering was a reminder of what makes Rotary truly unique: the human connection.

In the past few months, several committees have asked to publish club internal content to our website.

As our website is currently targeted to public facing content only, the ability to add club internal content was lacking until now.

We’re pleased to announce that we have a new section of our website dedicated to this.
You can find this section by clicking on “Club Internal” on the member page (see screenshot) of our site or by directly opening: https://bellevuerotary.org/internal/

This section of the website is password protected, we will change the password from time to time and send an update to brc-mbrs@ (and include it in the emailed bulletin as a reminder as well)

The Rotary Club of Bellevue and the Bellevue Rotary Foundation now accept payments via Zelle.  We recently switched our banking relationship in order to reduce operating costs for both the Club and the Foundation, but we need your help!  Another way to reduce our operating costs if for our members to start using Zelle to make Happy Bucks, Fines, Club, and Foundation payments as there are no fees associated with these transactions versus the fees we incur when payments are made via credit card.

See instructions on how to use Zelle to make payments to the Bellevue Rotary here.