At out Oct. 26 Club Meeting
Induction : Ollie Iversen, who is Holly’s sponsor and will also be her Rotary Mentor, introduced: HOLLY REDELL WITTE
Holly Redell Witte has been telling stories for decades. She grew up in Brooklyn, before it was cool.
She attended the same schools as her mother with some of the same teachers; it was a stable life. She went off to college where she achieved a double major BA in Theatre and English, and a Fellowship leading to a MA in Communications.
And then off to work, which after twisting and turning she settled on a career in Development, leading to fundraising and public relations teams in New York and Seattle over her many-year career, yes, she is a perfect fit for our Rotary. She was involved in a nationwide early immunization campaign with Roselyn Carter. She was also a freelance journalist for New York newspapers and magazines writing about neighborhoods and quirky people. She still works in those fields along with local interviews on KSVR radio for Skagit Talks.
Her knack for telling stories, which she brought to each job, helped her educate people about giving their time and money to support solutions to help solve problems. She is a keeper.
During that time, she married and had a son, who is now in his fifties, and she says it is still the best thing she ever did. The love of her life and father of the child passed away, and you can imagine how this changed her life. Eventually, 26 years later she married Jim, who was a
friend of theirs, and the two of them went off to the Willamette Valley to start a vineyard grow grapes and make a very lovely Pinot Noir. And of course, with her storytelling background she convinced visitors to buy and enjoy their wine. Jim passed in 2021 and she moved back to Washington.
Finally, she sat down to write fiction, and somehow the Yale Writers Workshop has seen fit to accept her work three times. Also, somehow literary journals and anthologies have seen fit to publish some of her work. Oh, and there have been plenty of rejections also.
You know her in La Conner as the Chair of the Arts Commission and the person who wears cute shoes with pom poms on them. She has them in nine colors. Please join me in accepting Holly Witte into the Rotary Club of La Conner.
Following this introduction, President Lori Buher inducted Holly into the club.
Inspiration
As Rotarians, we are inherently dreamers—we dream of a world without polio, a community where everyone has clean water, and a future built on peace. Langston Hughes reminds us to hold fast to those dreams, because our collective vision is what gives our service wings and keeps our community thriving."
Dreams By Langston Hughes
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
Speaker
David Granger, Certified Financial Planner, is originally from Sandpoint, Idaho and relocated to Washington in 2009 when his family moved closer to relatives. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Western Washington University. After graduating, he joined a finance firm in Bellingham where he developed a client-focused approach to financial planning.
In his personal life, David is engaged to be married in June 2027. He enjoys movies and spending time with his two cats. He also loves challenges, whether diving into complex tabletop games with friends or experimenting with video game development as he learns to code.
Tax and Retirement Guidance
- IRMA (Income Related Monthly Adjustment Amount): Medicare premiums can increase if income exceeds certain tiers; this is based on a two-year look-back period.
- Social Security Taxation: Up to 85% of Social Security benefits can be subject to income tax based on provisional income.
- RMDs (Required Minimum Distributions):
- Start at age 73 (born before 1960) or 75 (born after 1960).
- Failure to take RMDs by the end of the year can result in penalties.
- Inherited IRAs after 2020 generally must be emptied by the end of the 10th year.
- Roth Conversions: Paying taxes now to move funds into a Roth IRA can reduce future RMDs and provide tax-free growth, but over-converting into the maximum tax bracket can be counterproductive.
- Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCD): Approximately $107,000 can be donated tax-free from an IRA to a qualified charity, which also satisfies RMD requirements.
- Washington Estate Tax:
- Applies to estates above $3 million.
- The maximum tax rate was recently lowered from approximately 35% to 20%.
- Gifting Strategy: The IRS allows gifting up to $19,000 per person per year without reporting; 529 plans can now allow unused balances to roll into a Roth IRA for grandchildren.
- Trusts:
- Revocable (Living) Trusts avoid probate and allow control over asset distribution.
- Irrevocable Trusts can remove assets from the taxable estate but cannot be revoked once funded.
Announcements
- La Conner Elementary: The club's support for the Pacific Science Center traveling van was acknowledged; the van is scheduled to visit on a Friday in February.
- Peace Pole: The design is approved and materials are at the sign maker shop; a ceremony will be arranged with the cultural director at the tribe.
- District 5050 Foundation Dinner: Scheduled for November 7th at 5-9 PM in Surrey at White Rock Community Center; registration is available at whiterockrotary.org.
Calendar
- Thursday, October 29: Kiwanis Blood Drive at La Conner High School Gym. Make your appointment online. https://donate.bloodworksnw.org/donor/schedules/geo/
- Saturday, December 5: Santa Breakfast
- Wednesday, January 27, 3-6pm: CPR at La Conner High School Library