Next meeting
Wednesday, April 26, 2023

Wednesday May 3: Santa Rosa Foundation Scholarship Recipients
Wednesday May 10: Story Of Survival And Resilience Hiding From The Nazi’s
Wednesday May 17: Sonoma County Farm Bureau
Wednesday May 24: Rotary Youth Exchange Students
Wednesday May 31: Friendship With a Nuclear Aircraft Captain

Click here for the current calendar (Subject to updates).

UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

“Welcome to the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa where we imagine a world that deserves our best, where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”

Opening

Andrea Geary led the club members in the Pledge of Allegiance, Four-Way Test and delivered her reflection. “Like water which can clearly mirror the sky and the trees only so long as it’s surface is not disturbed, the mind can only reflect the true image of one’s self when it is tranquil and wholly relaxed.”

Visiting Rotarians

There were no visiting Rotarians today.

Guests

Heather Thurber returned today. We can’t wait until Heather completes the membership process.

Amy Miller, Artistic Director for Transcendence Theater Company

Colin Campell Mcadoo, Kids Camp Director, Community Outreach Coordinator Transcendence Theater, and performer

Mallory Schaffner, Marketing Communication Coordinator for Transcendence Theater Company

Sunshine

Sam McMillan has a case of bronchitis and is recuperating at home after a few days in the hospital.

President Kris’s mother is being evaluated for Hospice Care.

Raffle

Pete Lescure conducted the raffle today. Ann Gospe had the lucky number. She received the consolation prize and put it into the Polio Plus Pail as a donation. Dan Balfe was the Second Chance winner.

Craft Talks

Steve Marburger, a former member of the club, is back. Steve is the owner/operator of Pipeline Information Technology.  Steve’s father was an engineer for JBL and worked on the Goldstone Tracking Station during the Apollo mission. Growing up, he wanted nothing to do with computers but had fun climbing around on the tracking station as a kid in Barstow. Steve’s next stop was Santa Fe, New Mexico. He enjoyed all outdoor activities and was on the professional ski patrol skiing avalanche missions. Steve attended the University of Denver and pursued a master’s in human resources.  However, following a computer course, he changed gears and transferred to the University of Colorado, Denver. After graduation, he moved back to Santa Fe and opened his own computer consulting business, which he ran for 20 years. His next move brought him to Santa Rosa, where he started the Pipeline Information Technology company specializing in networking and computer system security. While in Santa Fe, Steve was a member of the Rotary Club for ten years and president. When he came to Santa Rosa, he joined our club. He is happy to be back.

Curt Groniga – Curt’s craft talk consisted of “test driving,” a presentation he will give at three different genealogy conferences in California, Minnesota, and the Netherlands. His presentation is the family history story. He took us back to 1910 in Minnesota, where his grandfather Klaus Groniga, then 42 years old, was taking his son, Curt’s Uncle Lewis, on a walk down the train tracks to the station. Suddenly, his grandfather shoved his seven-year-old son out of harm’s way and was struck and killed by the train. His German-speaking farm family was left behind; Curt’s grandmother and seven children.  His uncle became a drifter over time, and it was in 1940 that the family last saw him, and he was never heard from again. In 1968, Curt’s dad asked him to research Lewis’s missing 28 years of history. Curt promised his dad, at his passing, that he would find Lewis and reunite the family. Finally, in 2021, after several years and much genealogical research, Curt uncovered Lewis’s history. He learned he was headed back to Minnesota when his body was found following a head-on collision just 200 miles from “home” in Minnesota. Curt retrieved his body, took him back to Minnesota, and scattered his ashes on the train tracks where the story began.

Announcements

By-Law Changes – Ann Gospe announced that she received feedback on the email regarding the by-law revisions. As a result, she will slow the process down and clear up any ambiguities.

Giro Bello – Ray Giamopoli announced that we have $10,000 in sponsorships for Giro Bello. He sent an electronic copy of the sponsorship packet in our P-mail yesterday. We have 238 riders registered to date. Robert Pierce announced he has a few director positions open for the ride. Please check Sign up Genius or Robert directly to fill these critical positions.

Programs:

Transcendence Theater Company

TranscendenaceTheater Company performer Colin Mcadoo entertained us with a Chris Stapelton song and played the guitar. Amy Miller, the artistic director, enthusiastically thanked all who have attended their performances in the past and invited us to continue to attend. For information on this year’s season can be found at www.BestNightEver.org. This season’s productions are  “The Beat Goes On,” The Full Monty,” and “An Enchanted Evening.”

Mallory Shaffner, marketing director, encouraged everyone to volunteer or donate. They are working to keep costs down to continue giving back to the community.

Colin Mccado, director of education and outreach, is working to find local performers and staff for their productions within our community. He highlighted the summer camps they hold to encourage and support young people in the performing arts.

Santa Rosa Symphony and More

Susan Nowacki introduced Rotarian Keven Brown. In downtown Santa Rosa, Keven and his wife Jeri own and run one of Sonoma County’s oldest establishments, Corrick’s. While starting as a stationery store over a century ago, their family business now showcases Sonoma County artists in their gallery alongside the broadest array of elegant gifts and stationery in the North Bay.

Keven is the incoming chairman of the Santa Rosa Symphony, having served on the board for over 28 years. He has headed up most committees over the years, from marketing to education and audience development to the President/CEO search committee.

Keven graduated from Pomona College with a Bachelor of Music, emphasizing piano and voice. He later continued his studies in Paris with pianist Emile Naoumoff. Keven is the son of pianist Norma Brown and pianist and conductor Corrick Brown, who helped build the Santa Rosa Symphony to national attention, co-chaired the fundraising to create the Green Music Center, and created the chamber music series at the SRJC.

Keven is a second tenor with Canitamo Sonoma, Sonoma County’s premiere acapella ensemble, a group he helped form in the early ’90s.

He has been active in the arts scene, serving in the Sonoma County Arts Council and partnering with Sonoma County Art Trails and the Sebastopol Center for the Arts since 2000.

He has served as the Santa Rosa Downtown Association’s president and on multiple community boards. In addition, he has been a member of our Rotary Club since the mid 90’s, brought in by Rochelle Fostmeier and Norm Ownes.

Keven’s presentation on the arts in Sonoma County and the importance of supporting the arts in our community by attending events was inspiring. He is a wealth of knowledge and described numerous art groups, events, and ways to get involved.

Performing Arts – For example, he stated that many theater groups exist in Sonoma County. One such company is Cinnabar Theater. It is now 50 years. Continuous support through subscriptions and attendance at individual events is critical as we watch some groups having to disband. For example, SRJC could no longer support SRT. Keven will contact the new SRJC president to see what is necessary to support it for next season.

Visual Arts – Keven also described the visual art events in our county. According to Keven’s research, we have more artists in the community than any other community in the US.

“Art at the Source” is coming up the first week of June, and you can see multiple artists in a single studio or home. In the fall, Sonoma Art Trails, the oldest continuous studio art tour, showcases single artists in their homes or studio. In addition, numerous artists from “Art at the Source” will be hosted at Corrick’s on the first Friday of May and June. Sebastopol Center for the Arts has been essential in providing non-profit support for both “Art at the Source” and “Sonoma Art Trails.” The Sebastopol Center produces, promotes, and presents arts in Sonoma County.

Music – Keven encouraged everyone to get up and go out to enjoy the wealth of music events available in our community. The Santa Rosa Symphony is California’s third-largest and third-oldest symphony.

The Rotary Club of Santa Rosa has a long, storied history with the symphony. In the 20s and 30s, the director’s wife would come to RCSR and play the harp as an example. Chuck Wear’s wife, Ellen as a board member, ran the educational programs. Several club members have served on the symphony board over the years. Currently,  Rotarian Barry Silberg is serving on the board.

The Santa Rosa Symphony spends 45% of the symphony budget on educational efforts. The Simply Strings program exemplifies an exceptional effort to provide young people with quality music instruction in schools. Our club underwrites the Summer Music Academy for youth, where no one is turned away due to a lack of funding. Grassroots support is fundamental in providing these opportunities for youth.

Keven’s message was clear. We must go out and enjoy the many opportunities to support music and the arts in our community to keep it vibrant.

Keven’s passion for the arts is contagious, and he almost forgot to mention Contiamo Sonoma, in which he sings. Contiamo Sonoma is the county’s leading a cappella choral ensemble.

For more information on the arts in Sonoma County, visit some of the following sites.

https://www.srsymphony.org/
https://www.artatthesource.org/
https://www.sonomacountyarttrails.org/
http://cantiamosonoma.org/

Program Slides

No program slides this week

Club Job Openings:

Still need a few bulletin writers. Need a person on the board for Vocational Service Recognition

Additional Pictures:

(Click on the images below to view pictures from this meeting)

USEFUL LINKS

Visit our district at: http://www.rotary5130.org
Check out Rotary International at: http://www.rotary.org
Come see us at: http://rotarymeansbusiness

Governor, District 5130

Secretary

Debi Zaft P.O. Box 505 Santa Rosa, CA 95402

Board of Directors

Kris Anderson – President
Ann Gospe – President Elect
Casey D’Angelo – President Elect Nominee
Ray Giampaoli – Past President
Debi Zaft – Secretary
Karen Ball – Treasurer
Robert Pierce – Sergeant At Arms
Julia Parranto – Club Service- Membership
Andrea Geary – Club Service – Club Meetings
Matthew Henry – Club Service – Fund Raising
Charlie Howard-Gibbon – Club Services – Member Activities
Pete Lescure – Club Service – Records and Outreach
Casey Carter – Member Involvement
Mary Graves Community – Service – Youth
Tim Fawcett – Vocational Service
Scott Bartley – International Service
Paul Hamilton – Foundation Representative

DIGITAL EDITION No. 498 April 19, 2023  EDITOR: Diane Moresi PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Gospe PUBLISHER: Richard Lazovick