Bellevue Rotary Weekly Bulletin

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.

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

This milestone reflects the extraordinary leadership of Rotarian Barbara Lindberg with the Rotary Club of Lynnwood, made possible through the collaboration and support of many clubs and Rotarians across Rotary District 5030. When Rotarians come together, lasting community change happens—and this Center is a powerful example of Service Above Self in action.

Lynnwood Neighborhood Center info: https://www.voaww.org/lnc

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

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.

The next Book Group meeting will be by Zoom on March 11, 2026, from 6:30 to 8:30 PM. Back again in our rotation is a Popular Classic pick; this time it’s The Hobbit by Fredrik J.R.R. Tolkien.

If you aren’t already a Lord of the Rings fan, you will be when you read The Hobbit. Tolkien’s writing is ethereal, his vivid imagery and detailed descriptions fully immersing you in Middle-earth. So go ahead, go on this adventure with Bilbo Baggins as he finds himself roped into a quest to defeat Smaug the dragon and win back the home of his newfound dwarven friends.

“In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.” So begins one of the most beloved and delightful tales in the English language—Tolkien’s prelude to The Lord of the Rings. Set in the imaginary world of Middle-earth, at once a classic myth and a modern fairy tale, The Hobbit is one of literature’s most enduring and well-loved novels.

Bilbo Baggins is a hobbit who enjoys a comfortable, unambitious life, rarely traveling any farther than his pantry or cellar. But his contentment is disturbed when the wizard Gandalf and a company of dwarves arrive on his doorstep one day to whisk him away on an adventure. They have launched a plot to raid the treasure hoard guarded by Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon. Bilbo reluctantly joins their quest, unaware that on his journey to the Lonely Mountain he will encounter both a magic ring and a frightening creature known as Gollum.

“A glorious account of a magnificent adventure, filled with suspense and seasoned with a quiet humor that is irresistible… All those, young or old, who love a fine adventurous tale, beautifully told, will take The Hobbit to their hearts.”—The New York Times Book Review

If you are interested in participating in or learning more about the Book Group, contact Anna Flora, Elaine Heller, Norm Langseth or John Campbell. The Zoom link will be published about a week ahead of the meeting.

Gina and I recently attended a board meeting of the Rotary Club of Patan, who have been partners with Bellevue Rotary Club on numerous Rotary grants, both large and small. One notable collaboration was the Nepal/USA Disability Awareness Campaign, a $330,000 program that ran from 2008 to 2012. This initiative raised awareness about the capabilities of people with disabilities in Nepal. Bellevue Rotary Club was directly partnered with the Rotary Club of Patan to fund and implement the project.

Currently, we are working with the Rotary Club of Patan on phase two of TRIFC’s (www.trifc.org) organic farming program, which will now be located in the charming and scenic hill town of Bandipur. TRIFC has also partnered with RC Patan on a club-to-club program in Nepal, where local Rotary clubs submit project proposals to support their communities, particularly those with disabilities. TRIFC, the Rotary Club of Patan, and our implementing partner here in Nepal, The Ability Development Society of Nepal (ADSoN), match the funds for the selected projects.

We’ve also met a number of past Rotaractors from the Rotary Club of Patan. Rotaract is the youth-arm of Rotary, for people aged 18 – 30. There are 9,000 Rotaract clubs and nearly 120,000 members in 189 countries! Our old Patan Rotaract friends are now in their 40’s, some are in Rotary but all feel that their Rotaract experience enhanced their careers and lives!

During his trip to Nepal, Rob Rose has been engaged in numerous meaningful project and program conversations with Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs. He is pleased to share that, with the support of a Rotarian from the Dillibazar Rotary Club, an international Interact partner/twin-club opportunity has been arranged between the Newport High School Interact Club and the Dillibazar Interact Club.

This partnership marks an exciting step toward strengthening global understanding, youth leadership, and cross-cultural collaboration.

More updates to come as the connections continue to grow!

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

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.

Courtesy of Ludeman Photographic

Courtesy of Ludeman Photographic

Human AI?

Frustration—volcano like, overwhelming
My ever-present AI assistant
So kindly helpful at times
So excruciating dumb as well
Couldn’t even tell
A stanza from a line

That was Ninja though
Called in for only one task
Evaluate my poem:
Not my ready-to-please Copilot—
From Copilot, no words I want
Even though it taunts
With suggested text
. . . (even here with this poem as it does review) . . .
My poems to improve with images galore
Despite assurances of nevermore—
Suggestions for where to enhance;
These words of mine that on this page dance
That is all I repeatedly ask
As I eagerly undertake my creative task

Helpful, blunt critiques desired
Qualify—or lack thereof—Copilot can plainly see
With their assistance
(no, its, not their)
I do agree
And titles, yes titles
Offered abundantly
Copilot’s creativity at its best
Really, I do not jest

But I still rage at the machine—
When, with my simplest request
It will not comply
Human, it is NOT.
Unfortunately I forget
And my muted rage
I continue to display as I type
Can’t I just forget the hype?

Stop—
Think—
Just a tool
Imperfect as it is
Use it for what it can do
And realize that I must do the rest
This value is what I give
Human expression, love, insight, even awareness
For all this, and more, we all live—

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.

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.