Rotary Club of West Seattle

Our July 21 club luncheon guest speaker is George Washington, the first president of the United States, as portrayed by Vern Frykholm. Mr. Frykholm has made more than 500 appearances throughout Washington state and has been the keynote speaker at various state and regional conferences. His goal is to present early America from President Washington’s viewpoint with as much historical accuracy as possible. His presentations are educational, entertaining, and inspirational. Join us!

Not a member? Visitors are welcome with advance registration. E-mail [email protected] by noon on Sunday if interested in attending. If you wish to be considered for membership, lunch is complimentary; otherwise the cost is $30.

At today's club meeting, West Seattle Rotary member (and treasurer) Greg MacKenzie shared the awesome work that Rotary (our club and others) have done in Guatemala, most recently at Blanca Flor, installing gutters and cisterns for fresh rainwater collection, serving 120 families. The 2026 West Seattle team included (l-r) Gary Walden (West Seattle Rotary), David Snow (Tacoma 8), John Miller (West Seattle volunteer), Dylan Drier (West Seattle High School Interact), and Greg Dirks, Greg MacKenzie and Tom Wise (all three West Seattle Rotary). Check out our international project work online (westseattlerotary.org/projects/). Interested in participating in 2027? Contact International Services Committee Chair Greg Dirks.

A message from Brian Waid about West Seattle Summer Fest this past weekend:

We spoke with an extraordinary number of people, most local but many from out of State or outside the US, who expressed great appreciation for the quality and scope of our community and international projects. We heard from potential members, a mom who told us that she had been Student of the Month in Port Orchard, a couple of young adults who had been beneficiaries of our Christmas Shopping Spree at Sears, Rotarians from other Clubs, new WS residents who knew little about or community, prospective speakers, and descendants of Rotarians. We can't help but be so encouraged by their kind words and respect for the work of Rotary.

Thank you, Brian, and everyone who worked yo out together our booth and staff it!

We look forward to Greg MacKenzie’s presentation on Blanca Flor projects at our club luncheon tomorrow!

Our July 14 club luncheon features a report from Greg MacKenzie on the recent Guatemala service trip. In May 2026, a team of West Seattle Rotary members and friends traveled to Blanca Flor, a village in Guatemala, to help install rainwater retention tanks, guaranteeing clean water for 120 households. Greg led this amazing project, raising the money to purchase supplies in-country (special thanks to The Rotary Foundation at Rotary International for their matching grant), coordinating with community partners at Hands for Peacemaking Foundation, installing tanks on platforms, and supporting a community clinic. Don't miss Greg's presentation!

Not a member? Visitors are welcome with advance registration. E-mail [email protected] by noon on Sunday if interested in attending. If you wish to be considered for membership, lunch is complimentary; otherwise the cost is $30.

Another great West Seattle Summer Fest on the books! Here’s the Blog wrap-up, including a photo of our booth with Gary Potter and our new club president, Stefanie Felix!
https://westseattleblog.com/2026/07/happening-now-west-seattle-summer-fest-2026-day-3/

Thank you, Westside Seattle!

Meet Stefanie Felix, West Seattle Rotary’s new president | Westside Seattle Stefanie Felix is the new President of West Seattle Rotary Club. Sun, 07/12/2026 information from Rotary Club of West Seattle The Rotary Club of West Seattle launched its new year (July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027) at its annual installation banquet on June 30. Amidst a cheering crowd, outgoing presiden...

A message from Rotarian Keith Hughes:

I have had several people stop by the Hall in the last week or so to tell me that they had heard that the Westside Neighbors Shelter had closed and that the building was being sold.
I'm not the best at Public Relations or Marketing Communications, but I'll try to add clarity to the current situation.
Westside Neighbors Shelter was started in the winter of 2018/19 as a Cold Weather Emergency Shelter. We opened in November, when the weather prediction was for overnight temps to be consistently below 40 F. We remained open through the winter and early spring until the weather prediction was for overnight temps to be consistently above 40 degrees, which in 2019 was the first week of April. We operated in that manner through the winter of 2024.
When Spring came in 2025, for lots of good reasons, we decided to try keeping the Morning Warm Up Center - 7 am till 11 am with breakfast - open all year. It was a noble attempt, but the level of volunteers and the level of private contributions did not keep up with expenses of running every day. By December we were out of funds and had to make a strong plea to the Community for funds to keep the Shelter open through the winter.
Many individuals and groups responded to the need and made that possible. As the end of Winter approached, the Board made the hard decision that, due to financial and staffing constraints, we had to return to the Cold Weather Emergency Shelter only.
So, yes, the Shelter is closed right now, as it is Summer. We have every intent to reopen when winter comes back around. We still have lots of concerns about to both the financial and procedural guidelines under which the Shelter will reopen and we are working on those issues during this downtime.

Thanks for staffing our booth at West Seattle Summer Fest, Christopher Gibson!

Happy to participate in West Seattle Summer Fest again this year. Delighted the festival is single-use waste free! Kudos to the organizing committee!

West Seattle Summerfest becomes city’s first fully reusable major festival One of Seattle’s biggest and most beloved summer traditions is back this weekend, but attendees will notice a major, historic change as they order food.

Visit our Rotary Club of West Seattle volunteers this weekend at West Seattle Summer Fest. Stop by our booth at the south end of the California Avenue pedestrian zone to learn about great service projects our club does in our West Seattle neighborhood and around the world. Thanks to Alex Modelski and Brian Waid (pictured here) and other members for volunteering! Summer Fest details: https://westseattlesummerfest.com/