Rotary Club of Westlake-Bay Village
Official Meeting Notes & Detailed Proceedings
I. Opening Ceremonies & Guest Welcomes
- Call to Order & Invocation: The meeting was officially opened with a prayer led by Joe.
- Pledge of Allegiance: Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance following traditional Rotary protocols.
- Prospective Member Welcome: The club welcomed Sandy Johansson, a prospective new member who works within the accounting community focusing on payroll and retirement services.
- Member Action: Amy will follow up with Sandy regarding her membership status and next steps.
- Guest Speaker Introduction: The club introduced the morning’s featured speaker, Chris Carpenter, Strategic Analysis Manager at the Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities.
- Board Leadership & Appointments: A formal vote confirmed Lisa as President-Elect for the upcoming term.
II. Executive, Financial & Foundation Business
1. Corlee Foundation & Club Financials
- Account Transition to Schwab:
- Status: Jim is managing the ongoing setup to transition foundation accounts to Charles Schwab.
- Commitment: Jim is tasked with finalizing the Schwab account setup and handling related Rotary finance items before year-end.
- Q3 Investment Committee Updates:
- Commitment: Joe will distribute details regarding the Q3 Investment Committee update meeting and present a full report to the club next month.
- Budget Status: The club reported being approximately three-quarters through its annual budget, leaving remaining capacity for additional community donations.
2. Art Festival Website Modernization Proposal
- Proposal Scope: The club reviewed a $2,250 proposal from the webmaster to modernize the Art Festival website, aiming to improve security, mobile performance, and SEO capabilities.
- Funding Approval: Following debate over whether to use general club funds or the Corlee Fund, the club formally voted and approved giving the Art Fest Committee discretion to fund the website update, incorporating it into the budget as the festival benefits from the improvements.
- Legal & Contract Terms Review:
- Commitment: Send the webmaster's proposal to Patty for review.
- Commitment: Patty will review contract terms in detail—focusing on edit limits and ensuring full domain ownership remains with the club if the vendor relationship ends—and provide feedback to Lisa.
III. Upcoming Events, Walks & Community Projects
1. Alzheimer’s Association Campaign & Cleveland Walk
- Walk Event Details (Saturday, October 13th):
- Registration Opens: 8:30 AM
- Program/Ceremony Start: 9:30 AM
- Walk Start Time: 9:45 AM
- Participant Details: T-shirts should already be delivered to registrants; participants attending the breakfast/ceremony are reminded to bring business cards for door prizes.
- Cleveland Walk District Table (October 17th):
- District Fundraising Update: Local Rotary clubs have raised over $40,000, and District 6600 has reached nearly $415,000 toward its $950,000 total campaign goal.
- Commitment: Terri will contact Pat Hayes (Strongsville Club) to coordinate a district table at the Cleveland Walk on October 17th.
- Commitment: All members are requested to consider volunteering at the Cleveland Walk district table.
2. Annual Sponsorship Appreciation Breakfast & Paul Harris Society
- Event Date: October 30th
- Details: Annual Sponsorship Appreciation Breakfast for the Corlee Foundation.
- Logistics: Attendees are asked to bring business cards for the event door prizes. The club also discussed Paul Harris Society invitations and ongoing donor commitments.
3. Community Health, Youth & International Initiatives
- Diaper Drop Delivery:
- Schedule: The Diaper Drop delivery is scheduled for next week.
- Fellowship: Westlake-Bay will organize a social breakfast/lunch at Grumpy's immediately following the delivery for participating members.
- Ohio Erie Youth Exchange:
- Status: Three Westlake High School students have expressed interest in the Youth Exchange program, though formal applications are not yet complete.
- Commitment: Terri will coordinate with Patrick Kelly to keep the club informed on host family needs and application progress by year-end.
- Tree Planting Event: Terri announced a district tree-planting event with arborists in Aurora scheduled for October 3rd.
- He Cares Ministry (Ethiopia):
- Discussion: The club discussed a financial support request for He Cares Ministry in Ethiopia, which faces a $5,000 annual funding deficit due to inflation.
- Commitment: Westlake-Bay will place a formal discussion and vote regarding funding for the ministry on next week's meeting agenda.
IV. Fundraising & Committee Updates
1. Annual Golf Outing
- Registration Roster: Approximately 26 to 27 foursomes are registered (targeting around 108 total golfers).
2. Annual Rose Sale & Speech Contest
- Rose Sale: Target is set at 250 dozen roses.
- Commitment (All Members): Keep Pat updated on all personal rose commitments and pre-orders.
- Four-Way Speech Contest:
- Commitment (Lisa): Continue as project lead for the Four-Way Speech Contest.
- Commitment (All Members): Consider volunteering to assist or take over leadership of the contest.
3. 2027 Art Festival Committee
- Planning Launch: An October planning meeting will be set to launch 2027 festival logistics and finalize the grounds map early to assist with artist slot assignments.
- Artist Selection: Selection will balance local artist exposure and name recognition; the committee is considering bringing back a past featured artist (e.g., Eileen Dorsey for the 10-year anniversary) or exploring a fiber/yarn artist.
V. District & Administrative Logistics
- Speaker Schedule:
- November 11th: District Governor Visit.
- November 18th: Justin to confirm speaker booking status.
- November 25th: NO MEETING (Thanksgiving Week).