Redwood Empire Food Bank – 2nd Wednesday of the month.  The next one is January 10th – 5 PM – 7 PM

SRJC Rotaract Fundraiser – You can make your donations here: Click here to donate

SRJC and Sonoma State Rotaract members support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. If you would like to donate, you can make a donation here.

For more details and additional events, see the Announcements section below.

More socials, projects, & events coming soon!

Rotary Announcements

See the Announcements section below.

Opening Ceremonies:

After President Ann greeted us all, almost half not members of our club, Susan Nowacki led us in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance to the…. Flag?  Where was the flag?  It was missing so we faced the Christmas tree and recited it all the same.  The Four-Way Test went without a hitch.  Susan’s reflection was the story about the frog that went to the bank to get a loan.  You know this one.  It ends in, “It’s a knick-knack, Patty Wack, give the Frog a loan.”

Visiting Rotarians:

Wow!  We had quite the turn out today!  The District Governor, Tom Boylan, and several past District Governors.  They were all here to acknowledge that our very own Jeff Kolin will be our District Governor in three years.  I think it will be for year 2026-2027.  So, who wants to be our club President that year?  Don’t you all speak up!  What an honor to be President the same year as DG Jeff Kolin!  But I digress.  Today we had Past District Governors: Bob Rogers, Jim Flamson, Kathy Flamson, Kevin Eisenberg, Erin Dunn, and Doug Johnson.  We also had Jim O’Grady District Governor Designee, Lieutenant Governor Valerie Hulsey. (see additional pictures below for great pictures of the visiting Rotarians and past District Governors)

Guests:

Peg Rogers, Patty Kolin, Melody Montero, Angie Hatcher, Vicki Groninga, Mel Konrad, Jacob Gospe, Emilie Parranto, Isidora Sarria, Dennis Ball, and Will Tesconi. (see additional pictures below for great pictures of the guests)

Sunshine Report:

Rich Rossi is out with a cold (never fear, Richard Lazowick and Kris Anderson stepped up with our camera phones before Jeff Gospe arrived). Matthew Henry’s wife is home recovering, but it is going to be a long recovery.

Introducing Jeff Kolin, DGN:

DG Tom Boylan officially offered the DG to Jeff Kolin with Patty by his side. Our first club District Governor since Doug Johnson for the year 2020-2021!

Raffle:

Craig Meltzner said there were 6 marbles and $212.00 in the pot.  Robert Pierce had the winning number, but he pulled a yellow marble.  The pot rolls over. Big bucks for next week!

Announcements:

Jeff Gospe gave us the latest update on our current Ukraine funding for generators and other supplies. We have just reached $100,000!

Sam McMillan has a few more lots of lamb and pork to sell from our meat sale.  Please see him for what is available and the price.  If you have not yet picked up your meat, please see him before he eats it!  Sam also gave a brief description of our history of involvement in the Junior Livestock Auction and why we do it.

Message From President Ann

Dear Rotarian,

A couple of weeks ago, I notified the club that Casey D’Angelo (our President-Elect) was actively negotiating with Iron & Vine regarding our 2024 catering contract. We were aware that the price would increase due to increased food and labor costs, but received a pleasant surprise when we learned that our increase is approximately half compared to all other contract increases. They really like our group and want to retain our business.

I intended to announce this at our last meeting on 10/27, but between all the guests and the general hubbub, it did not feel appropriate. Beginning this week, the following meal prices will be in effect:

• Reserved in advance: $33
• Walk-In: $35
• Drink/Dessert only: $12 (these are limited to only 5 max per meeting, meaning our club is responsible for paying the full meal price for anything above 5)

Please also recognize that we are responsible for the meals that we submit for guarantee based on the number of people that say they will be in attendance. This past week, our club ended up having to pay for 10 meals for members that said they would be present, but did not show up. I understand that there are illnesses that occur and other emergencies that arise, but I ask you to also understand that this has a significant impact on our club’s budget. If you decide that it doesn’t fit into your agenda for the week, please consider sending in a check to cover the meal you reserved. I don’t want to return to the policy of “a reservation made, is a reservation paid”.

If you have any questions or concerns about this information, please contact me directly.

Thank you for making the first half of my President year so amazing. It is great to see our membership growing and I look forward to finishing the second half strong.

YIRS,
President Ann

Family Jeopardy, or was it Trivia?

President Ann thought we should try Jeopardy instead of Trivial Pursuit; however, she forgot how Jeopardy was played.  You are supposed to give them the answers and the audience has to answer in the form of the question.  So, it was a bit of a mashup, but she had some fun categories:  Rotary, The Marines, Crooks, World of Religion, Triple Time, Talking About Women, Working Words, etc.  We did not go in table order, so Craig Meltzner volunteered to be a spotter (or maybe referee was more like it. Rules, like trying to answer the question before President Ann finished got you disqualified, and your team lost points.  I fear some teams ended the game with a negative score!  Did you know Jimmy Buffet’s kid’s names?  How about the sons of Noah?  Ugh!  Well, when time was up, Mark Burchill’s table was the winner!  They split a pot of $153.00.  The second-place table was Julia Parranto’s and they won $57.00. Julia gave the money to our three students, Jacob, Isidora and Emilie.  Better luck to all next year!

Program Slides

No program slides this week