Rotary Club of Mill Creek

Our club was so blessed to partner with in Mill Creek to provide and deliver 135 meals to families in need this Thanksgiving! What a great way to start out the day filled with family, friends, thanks and love!

Thank you to Kenny and the team at Tapped Mill Creek for the vision and opportunity!

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to everyone

Our club was blessed earlier this month to have a presentation from Sheila Hosner representing the Bukobero Community Health Centre of Uganda for updates on past and future Rotary Grant projects to assist in the significant need to serve their community. The Rotary Club of Mill Creek has been honored to support their efforts in the past and is happy to continue the partnership with a contribution to their newest service priorities.

To learn more, check out their website at https://bukoberocommunityhealthcentre.org/

As we approach Veterans Day, it is with immense pride and gratitude that we take a moment to honor the veterans within the Rotary Club of Mill Creek. These leaders of our community have not only dedicated themselves to the principles of Rotary but have also served our country with honor and courage.

We are fortunate to count among our members individuals who have demonstrated leadership, resilience, and a spirit of service both in the military and within our community. Their experiences have enriched our club, bringing a unique perspective that adds depth and understanding to our collective efforts.

Let us take a moment to reflect on the contributions of our veterans, not only during their time in uniform but also for the continued dedication they bring to serving our communities through Rotary and beyond.

To our veterans, we say thank you for your bravery, your sacrifice, and your ongoing commitment to making a positive impact in the world.

As we observe Veterans Day, let us not only express our gratitude but also renew our commitment to supporting and uplifting one another.

What a thrill to kick off the new year of Student of the Month celebrations! For the month of October, we recognized students for their outstanding Community Outreach. Please join us in celebrating these four wonderful young ladies:

- Katlyn Cadelina from Jackson High School
- Lauren Fogliani from Archbishop Murphy High School
- Aisha Memon from North Creek High School
- Bridget Higgins from Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center

Each of these inspiring students have volunteered thousands of hours in their communities and are extraordinary leaders for positive change! We are so pleased to celebrate them this month of October!

The Rotary Club of Mill Creek has had an exciting summer so far! At the beginning of July, we celebrated our out-going President, Dave Gunter and welcomed our new President Sid Siegel to the podium! We have continued to make an impact in our community by preparing backpacks for disadvantaged youth in the community so that they can start their school years strong, have continued to donate books to our Little Free Libraries to help promote literacy and we have had a TON OF FUN!

We are so honored to congratulate the Rotary District 5030 Rotarian of the Year, Jeff Brennan! Jeff has not only dedicated his time as the District Foundation chair for years but has been an invaluable resource to our club. He is our Mr. Rotary and we are so pleased to share him with the District. Congratulations Jeff!

What a great showing from the Rotary Club of Mill Creek at the Annual year end celebration tonight! So happy we were able to honor the end of Kae Petersons year as District Governor and be there to witness Jeff Brennan be named Rotarian of the Year! There is no one more deserving!

This past weekend, members of the Rotary Club of Mill Creek joined Rotarians from our local districts to volunteer at Camp Korey to help prepare the grounds for the summer camps starting later this month!

For those unfamiliar, Camp Korey is a place where kids with life-altering medical conditions can just be kids, entirely free of charge. Camp Korey believes that all children should be able to experience both the joys of childhood and the profound, life-changing impact of camp. Every year, thousands of campers and family members gather in a community of people with shared experiences to sing, dance, laugh, grow, and discover their potential in a medically safe and adaptable environment.

We are so happy to support Camp Korey!

This week we were pleased to welcome Juan Carlos Pinto from along with his family. Juan Carlos and his family have long been partners with the Rotary Club of Mill Creek and our international efforts in Guatemala. Having been in British Columbia to watch his daughter graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Science, they came to visit us as well! Juan Carlos has certainly passed along his philanthropic spirit to his daughter who has help to lead fellow students in a Smoke Free home project in Guatemala which has installed hundreds of Eco Stoves in Guatemala to improve the health of residents in the rural areas.

Thank you for coming to share with us! Pictured here with President Dave Gunter for a Rotary flag exchange!

Thank you to the incomparable Brittney A Photography for capturing the fun of our annual auction and thank you to all of our supporters for making it our most successful yet!!!

We need your help! This truck collects 10,000+ pounds of food each week for our various programs. We need a new engine so we can get the truck back on the road. Anything helps! Thank you

hopecreekcf.org

For years the Rotary Club of Mill Creek has taken great joy in supporting the Burned Children Recovery Foundation in their invaluable annual program of Camp Phoenix.

Camp Phoenix provides an opportunity for children recovering from burn injuries to meet other children who share similar feelings and experiences. The weeklong camp gives these children temporary freedom from the everyday frustrations of being burned, a chance to share their stories and to bond with each other. It’s a week full of friendship, sharing, and activities that provide physical and emotional challenges to invoke a feeling of accomplishment no matter how small. Campers and adult burn survivors share their stories and emotions, especially shame and fear, about their recovery. The shame will remain forever, however the fears can be turned into challenges with support of other survivors and by having a new outlook on life. They become a valuable member of the Phoenix family, which helps the children feel more comfortable and in control of their anxieties and panic when receiving negative reactions or when asked what has happened. Most of all, camp is a place to have fun, learn new things, find acceptance and build self esteem.

After including Burned Children Recovery Foundation as one of our Raise the Paddle recipients in our 2022 Annual Auction, President Dave Gunter asked the question - how much does it cost to sponsor a child to attend camp? The answer was $1,500. The Board of the Mill Creek Rotary Foundation allocated $3,000 to sponsor two children for camp and provided our members the opportunity to do so as well. In April, we were able to present Michael and Kathleen Mathis, the Founder of BCRF and his wife and Executive Director, with a check for an additional $13,500 to support children attending camp this year.

You too can sponsor a child next year, either through BCRF directly at https://www.burnedchildrenrecovery.org/donations or through the Rotary Club of Mill Creek.

Thank you for all your wonderful work for the children!

Our final Students of the Month for May 2023 were celebrated for their Academic Excellence on May 10. Each student spoke eloquently about their goals, aspirations and next steps in their lives. As we have every month, our membership was inspired and excited for what the future holds listening to these young adults who are truly the embodiment of future leaders in our community. Please join us in celebrating the accomplishments of:

- Shreya Shaji, from North Creek High School
- Patrick Kenny, from Archbishop Murphy High School
- Carlos Villasenor, from Sno-Isle Skills Center
- Mercy Dada, from Henry M. Jackson High School

Congratulations and we hope to hear from you all soon!

We had a great meeting recently at the Rotary Club of Mill Creek. Leslie McPherson from Victim Support Services spoke to us about their work in the community. Leslie is the Programs Administrator, overseeing direct services, outreach, training, and education. She has been in the victim advocacy field for ten years. VSS has been serving the community for 48 years and provides FREE and confidential services to victims of crime in Snohomish, Island, King, Whatcom, and Skagit counties. Services include crisis intervention, courtroom support and legal advocacy, emergency financial assistance, help with crime victim’s compensation, resources, education and more. If you are a victim of crime, there is help. Go to www.victimsupportservices.org or call (425) 252-6081.

About Us - Victim Support Services Crime victim services for survivors of, arson, assault, attempted homicide, burglary, drunk driving, home invasion, identity theft, missing persons, robbery

In April we welcomed two new members to the Rotary Club of Mill Creek! Both members were sponsored by Lindsay Rucker from Greet Mill Creek and have already made such a wonderful presence in the club! Please welcome:

- Jeff Kyle has been our neighbor for meetings for quite some time as he owns Active Martial Arts located next door to our meeting space in Shawn O'Donnell's

- Dorene Sharpe joins us from Northlight Custom Builders where she does marketing and business development.

Welcome to the club!!

Flashback to our April Students of the Month. With the end of the school year fast approaching, we were able to celebrate our April students throughout April and May. All three of these kids have such bright futures and have used sport to help them excel not only in their chosen athletic feats, but in their social and academic lives as well!

Congratulations to:

- Sylas Williams, Henry M. Jackson High School
- Royce Fleischacker, North Creek High School
- Sean B***n, Archbishop Murphy High School

We had such a blast serving our youth for the City of Mill Creek Eggstravaganza last weekend! Big shout out to our President-Elect, Sid Siegel, for hopping to Easter Bunny duties and making the kids' day!

Thank you also to Geoff and Amanda Flores for spearheading out Kettle Corn booth to bring snacks to the masses!

Mill Creek Rotary is out in full force for the EGGSTRAVAGANZA EGG HUNT! Come get some Kettle Corn from the Rotary Club of Mill Creek, learn some self defense from New member Jeff from , and get an Easter tattoo from the team at with member Lindsay Rucker!

Event from 10:30 to 12:30p at Heatherwood Middle School Sports field!

Happy Easter Weekend to all our friends!

For the month of March, the Mill Creek Rotary Club chose to honor our students of the month for their achievements in Leadership and we were blown away by the impact the four selected students are already making in the lives of their peers today and are going to continue to make in the future. Each of these students unique circumstances have allowed them to not only excel in school, but be a leader and role model for their fellow students and families. The future is bright knowing that these amazing young adults will be leading us!

Congratulations to:
- Ella Klepfer from Henry M. Jackson High School;
- Akirah Johnson from North Creek High School;
- Tory Gunn from Sno-Isle TECH Skills Center; and
- Alishia Nichols from Archbishop Murphy High School.

We feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to honor your hard work!

The Mill Creek Community Food Bank is in need of canned foods! Please keep them in mind the next time you're walking the aisles of the grocery store!

We appreciate the community's continued support of the Mill Creek Community Food Bank!

Back in November, our club participated in Rotary District 5030's first Hunger Strike event to raise money to fight food insecurity in our community. All fundraising by our club from the event was split between Harvest Against Hunger and our chosen local food bank! Mill Creek Rotary was proud to continue our support of the Mill Creek Community Food Bank by selecting them as our local recipient of donations from the event! On February 22, 2023, we were able to present them with a donation of $1,450.00 to support their mission!

Mill Creek Community Food Bank currently serves an average of over 2,000 individuals/600 families each week. Families receive not only dried and canned foods, but also fresh food stables such as produce, eggs, milk and meat. They are always seeking volunteers and donations. Please go to their website for more information on ways you can help!

A long overdue welcome to our newest member, Paige Reid, who joined our club in February 2023! Paige is the latest legacy addition to our club and our first to join under our Corporate Membership! Paige joins on behalf of Tenhulzen Painting & Construction Partners making business and Rotary a family affair! Paige comes to us with great ideas to impact the community in new and innovative ways, as well as a great amount of energy! We are so pleased to make it official after her years of volunteering with us!

Welcome to the Club!

The Rotary Club of Mill Creek would like to recognize our own Past District Governor, Bill McElroy, for becoming a major donor this Rotary year! Bill has been a valued member of our club since December 1998, is a past President and recently served Rotary District 5030 as District Governor. He is the true embodiment of Service Above Self! Thank you, Bill, for your continued commitment to our community!

Happy International Women's Day to our wonderful community! On this special day, we want to honor our February Students of the Month that were recognized at our club on February 8 for their outstanding achievements in the Fine Arts. All three students just happened to be exceptional women in our community.

Congratulations to:

- Skylar Rhim from Henry M. Jackson High School
- Aishwarya Kumaran from North Creek High School
- Makaylla Richa'rd from Archbishop Murphy High School

These three talented women are so inspiring!