Spokane North Notes
 
A weekly bulletin of the Spokane-North Rotary Club
March 16, 2015
 
Editors: Chuck Rehberg and Sandy Fink
Program Coordinator: Jim Minkler
 
          Fund-raiser update: Key members commented on plans for the club’s big annual fund-raising event, scheduled Thursday, June 4, at The Backyard tavern and restaurant, 1811 W. Broadway.
 
          Continuing the “Dine Out Spokane for Kids” theme,Steve Boharski said he is updating a letter to present to restaurant proprietors to solicit meal package bargains.
 
          Event coordinator Jodi Harland said she has begun to send out requests to potential business sponsors.  She encourages others to do so.
 
          Jon Heideman said “who do you know?” lists have been sent in e-mails to members to provide prospective business and individual donors at the Platinum ($1,000) level, Gold ($500) level and Silver ($250) level.  Letters to sponsors will be co-signed by the individual member supplying the names and by committee chairs Heideman and Brad Stark.  Platinum donors receive six tickets to the June 4 Hawaiian night; Gold sponsors get four tickets, and Silver sponsors get two tickets.
 
Getting to know them…
 
          Despite confirming her appearance late last week, the scheduled speaker did not attend the March 16 luncheon, so President Jon Heideman invited classification talks from members – and started with his own.
 
          He was followed by Alyson Stockton, who noted, that like Jon, she has “a WSU connection” – though Jon attended Washington State University and Alyson attended Wichita State University.  Only one of the two WSU men’s basketball teams is in the NCAA tournament (and it’s not Jon’s).
 
          Jon, who grew up in Seattle, joined the club in December 2009.  He has been an accountant at Chicago-based BDO Seidman’s Spokane office since coming from WSU.
 
          Jon and wife Jennifer have two sons.  Lincoln, named for their favorite president, is a “three-nager” (3 ½ years old), Jon said, and Hudson, named for the famous British Protestant missionary to China James Hudson Taylor, is 8 months old.  Jon said both boys enjoyed the club’s Christmas luncheon program last year.
 
          Alyson, an accounting services associate with Minneapolis-based CliftonLarsonAllen, joined the club last June.  She also has a “three-nager,” daughter Olivia (3 ½ years old) and a sister, Adeline Jane, who is 18 months. 
     
          Alyson said Olivia Kate is named after a grandmother and Adeline’s name is for “noble gift of God.”
 
          Alyson also attended the University of Alabama and said she now follows sports, “so I don’t look like a fool at the Rotary table.”
 
          Husband Dana is an Air Force pilot, “so I get excited about KC135s,” said Alyson, who also served in the Air Force.   She added: “I was in media relations and giving base tours, so the only shots I saw were cheap shots by reporters.”