Christmas the Bhutanese way is a great way to spend an afternoon!

Check out the amazing video about this whole service project/social. Thanks, wonderful Miriam Kramer, RC Millcreek Community Service Chair!

To kick off our partnership, Millcreek Rotarians spent Saturday afternoon December 10 cooking, eating, partying with the Bhutanese refugee community - and a great time was had by all.

What a lot was going on! While the kitchen at the South Salt Lake Columbus Center was brimming with busy cooks, several Rotarians and Hser Ner Moo Welcome Center staff (thanks Raunde Everett!) set up the auditorium. Thanks, Sheila & Mary Gelman, Margareta Vlasic, Laura Rogers, Andrea White, Miriam Kramer, and Judy Zone for your help with this part of the event.
Soon the delicious scents of vegetable curry, a mixed vegetable dish, rice, roti, and chai tea filled the air, and our guests began to arrive. We want to thank the City Academy Interactors, their teacher Amanda Porter, their principal (RC Millcreek member) Sonia Woodbury for their help in bringing hundreds of warm coats and items of winter clothing for the distribution to our refugee friends. RC Millcreek members did their part too, bringing quite a supply. Andrea White got some amazing ski jackets donated from the U.S. ski team!

We want to thank Salt Lake Rotaract Club president Jerika Michel, and other Rotaracters, for helping with check-in and setting up our arts and crafts table for all the kids.

The Westminster Dancers provided some wonderful entertainment and then stayed around to play with all the kids from the refugee and Rotary communities.

Rotary Club of Millcreek members showed up in full force! President Megan Dunn was our emcee, along with her sister Lonna. Linda Book brought husband Bob.

Club Secretary Christine Christine Casper and her husband Darrin (also a member) were there. Marlin Clark helped with the sound system so we could listen to traditional Nepali music. Jason Collier brought the whole fam, as did Club Treasurer Ken Klingler. Sheila and Marty Gelman came for the cooking and stayed for the clean-up! Other members present: Sarah Grant, Kathryn Christiansen, Laura Rogers, Ron Stevens, Ladd Tanner & son, Margareta Vlasic (who brought a fabulous Scandinavian ginger cake!), Julia Wee, John and Judy Zone.

A special shout out to our International Service Chair, Peter Ingle, who brought his boys Gunnar and Anders, who ran the games, including Bingo with prizes. It was great to see Kamala (our incredible liaison with the Bhutanese community) explaining Bingo in Nepalese.

While we cannot thank enough Kamala and all the Bhutanese folks who prepared so much of the food ahead of time, cooked all morning with us, and stayed to enjoy the lunch, we must also thank Miriam Kramer (our Community Service Chair) for spending a huge amount of time organizing, delegating, and generally making the event a success.

Even members who could not be there were an important part of the event. Thanks, Social Chair Annie Nielsen, for the tablecloths, VP Laurie Summers-Pisani for the holiday decorations.

If you missed this event, you missed a great party! And you missed meeting some new friends in the Bhutanese community. Many thanks to Jarna Subedi, Pumpi Khatwodia, Radika Bhatrasai, Dueeka Dhankal, Kamala Bhatersai, Sabitrai Bhatersai, Bishnu Chapiuyam, Sabitra Pondyali, Ganga Adnakari, Tuiisha Subba, Damoduar Bhatterrai, Devi Rizail, Maya Bhattersai, Januka Charnigui, Priam Dhuali, Tuka Subedi, Purna Bhatrasai, Kharka Pudail, Tapash Bastola, Kumar Thurung, Indu Dhual, Denka Poskhal, Tulash Poshkal, Sumitra Lizal, Durga, Umi, Pabi and Ghana Chapigiya. AND your kids. Everyone was -- and had -- so much fun!

Enjoy some more photos of the event:

Jason Collier and Heather Klingler with kids at the arts & crafts table.

We want to thank Utah Rotary Governor Elect Jerry Summerhays for coming to our party with his granddaughter Adri.









Bob Book, John Zone, Marty Gelman enjoy the entertainment.

Gigantic warm clothing distribution!

Significant chopping and cooking.





Prospective member Jennie Ferguson, Ron Stevents, visiting Salt Lake Rotarian Rose Defa, RC Millcreek President Megan Dunn, Laura Rogers, and Marlin Clark.

Thanks Gunnar, Peter, Anders Ingle for the Bingo and other games to entertain our many young partiers!

For at least half those present, this was our very first Invocation in Hindu.

Many beautiful items, handmade by the Bhutanese community, were on sale. Perfect holiday gift shopping!

Rotarians power shop with the chefs of the Bhutanese community for our holiday social

Be sure to join us Saturday Dec. 10, 10am for the cooking show at the Columbus Center 2350 S. 500 E. in the 'Senior Kitchen' where Rotarians will be observing the ladies of the Bhutanese refugee community cook up a holiday feast.

Or join us just for lunch, Noon - 2pm, in the auditorium at the Center when we celebrate the season with 22 members of the Bhutanese community in Salt Lake City. $10 per person.

Seven stalwart Millcreek Rotarians joined in shopping for the food on the evening of December 8 with four of our Nepali chefs. We went to a local Indian market for many exotic items, and then to Smith's for the staples. Thanks to Loralee Barlow, Megan Dunn, Miriam Kramer, Annie Nielsen, Laurie Summers-Pisani, Judy Zone and of course, Kamala and crew for participating in this adventure.

We'll be having yellow vegetarian curry over rice, Nepali salad, bread, and tea. Millcreek Rotarians: You are bringing dessert, don't forget! There will be peanut butter & jelly on Great Harvest bread for the many kids who are coming for the luncheon.

Holiday Service Projects & Social are focus for our December business meeting

After our usual socializing, this meeting at Pyxis Suites courtesy of wonderful RC Millcreek member Kathryn Christiansen (since it is the holidays, Lugano's Loggia is booked for parties), President Megan Dunn opened the meeting with the official announcement of our Charter by Rotary International. Yippee! We're official!

Rotarian Loralee Barlow, who was our Chartering Club Secretary, has to step down from that post. Christine Casper willingly accepted the position, and will finish out this Rotary Year as a Board member, serving in this capacity. Chris is responsible for reporting attendance to the District & RI. Since she cannot be at every meeting, Judy Zone said she would take Minutes and post to the blog (since she knows most everyone), and she will list meeting attendance in each blog.

Vice President Laurie Summers-Pisani and our Social Chair Annie Nielsen must begin work in earnest on our Chartering Dinner, scheduled for Thursday, January 19, 6:15pm at the Cottonwood Country Club. President Megan wants us to have two business meetings in January to prepare, so stay posted as to location: Most likely we will be back at Lugano's Loggia at 5:15pm the 1st and 2nd Thursday of January 5th and 12th.

We have a tentative social scheduled with the Hispano-Latino Club Thursday, January 26 6:15pm, probably at Lugano's Loggia.

Susan Marks reported that RC Millcreek was announced at the Area Four Luncheon (our District has ten areas comprised of 3-6 clubs with an Assistant District Governor assigned to each area. We are in Area 4 with Bev Christy as our fearless ADG leader). Susan remarked that the formation of RC Millcreek has comprised 22% of the District's membership goal of 150 new Rotarians statewide by July 1, 2012. Yay for us. We rock.

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Club members were reminded that QUARTERLY DUES & FEES ($90) are due immediately. Judy Zone explained that though these dues and fees count for January-March 2012, the club needs some cash flow so that members are not footing the bill for our service projects. Treasurer Ken Klingler remarked that we already had a bill from RI for the Rotarian magazine. Contact Ken ken@klingler.com Mail check to RC Millcreek, P.O. Box 590, Sandy, Utah 84091.

If you cannot open your Statements, which are pdfs, click here to do to the Adobe website and download the software you need for free.

Community Service Chair, Miriam Kramer, reviewed our upcoming service projects and holiday social:

Thursday, December 8 5:15pm Contact Miriam miriam@youthlinc.org for location for shopping for groceries with the Bhutanese women.

Saturday, December 10 10am: Cooking class with Bhutanese women at the Columbus Center 2530 S 500 E (South Salt Lake) if you have not rsvped, do so immediately miriam@youthlinc.org

Saturday, December 10 NOON: RC Millcreek Holiday Social with the Bhutanese community at the Columbus Center. Bring your kids, warm winter clothing especially in small adult sizes & kids' sizes, blankets, canned vegies, and cash to buy darling handmade items by the Bhutanese women. Cost of luncheon TBD by cost of groceries divided by attendees at luncheon. Bring some cash for your food, @ $10 p/p

If you have not rsvped, do so immediately megan@xmission.com Evite reminders will be coming again soon, and you can rsvp that way too! Obviously, we need an accurate head count.

Btw, Judy will be bringing mac n cheese for your kids who cannot deal with spicy (but delicious) Bhutanese food. We need desserts, so bring them!

Rotaracters (college Rotary Club) and Interactors (our club at City Academy) will be there to help with games and clothing collection. Thank you!

Our formidable Sergeant at Arms, Dr. John Zone, ended the meeting as per our tradition, with fines.

But first, Kathryn Christiansen explained that Pyxis Suites, her business at 999 Murray Holladay Rd. was shared executive office space, hourly meeting space, and virtual office space all available for rent. There are 46 individual office suites, rented by all variety of small businesses. Many of the virtual offices are online marketing and the like, wanting a Utah business address and services provided by the shared receptionist service.

Fines: Sonia, Paul, Andrea, and Annie were fined $5 for missing the wonderful meeting at Laurie's house. When Annie protested that she couldn't attend because she was in Cabo, her fine was increased to $10.

Many members also kicked in funds to Miriam for groceries for our social on December 10, and of course to Megan to pay for the yummy snacks she bought for our meeting. Thanks, Kathryn, for supplying us with wine for the social part of our business meeting.

In attendance: Darrin Casper, Jason Collier, Kathryn Christiansen, Megan Dunn, Paul Halliday, Peter Ingle, Ken Klingler, Miriam Kramer, Susan Marks, Annie Nielsen, Laura Rogers, Laurie Summers-Pisani, Ladd Tanner, Margareta Vlasic, Andrea White, Sonia Woodbury, John Zone, Judy Zone. Guest (and we hope new member!) Mike Katsanevas.