Note:  NEW LOCATION
Meeting are now at the Bennett Valley Golf Course

Next meeting
Wednesday, February 22, 2023

Note: We moved – Meetings of the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa will move to the Bennett Valley Golf Club on Wednesday, starting February 22, 2023, at noon. We must place our reservations eight (8) days before the meetings. Attendance will be in-person only, no zoom option or recording.

To be held at Bennett Valley Golf – in-person only.
Wednesday March 1: High School Recognition Program
Wednesday March 8: Girls & Boys Club of Sonoma & Marin
Wednesday March 15: County Supervisor Dist 1
Wednesday March 22: tbd
Wednesday March 29: Paradise Ridge Sculpture Garden

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

UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

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

Watch The Meeting:  Did you miss the meeting?  Here is a link to the recording of last week’s meeting:
(Click here for recording) 
Please note it is available to view until: (2/26/23)
Also, note, this meeting will be the last one recorded.

Opening

Paul Hamilton led the opening ceremony this morning. First, he quoted a few lyrics from an old country song: “Live fast. Love hard and die young.” Then, on reflection, he said, “When we were young, that seemed to be the way to live, but today on reflection, not so much!”

Visiting Rotarians

There were no visiting Rotarians today.

Guests

Steve Olson introduced Elizabeth Quiroz and Lisa Diaz-McQuaid, co-founders of Redemption House. A special welcome goes to Elizabeth, the first recipient of the Hardester Family Scholarship. She transferred from SRJC to SSU with Honors and is working toward a master’s degree from Arizona State.

Elizabeth and Lisa co-founded Redemption House in 2018. Redemption House assists survivors of human trafficking thru peer support groups, clothing for job interviews, resume writing, and assistance applying for jobs. In addition, they provide street outreach, basic education, hygienic supplies, and other resources.

Redemption House has helped nearly 150 women who have experienced forced labor and other forms of exploitation since its inception. Training sessions have also been held for law enforcement, schools, and social service groups.

Ted Wilmsen introduced his wife, Deanie.

Dan Balfe formally introduced Doug Landin, who is awaiting the Board’s vote on his membership.

Doug Johnson introduced Rick Rossi, who found the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa, on our website. He is a Santa Rosa Cycling Club member and has been a SAG driver for Giro Bello.

Sunshine

Major Randy Hartt’s brother passed away recently.

Mark Burchell’s wife is home recovering following knee replacement surgery.

Susan Nowacki fell and injured her ankle and wrist. She is sore but doing fine.

Debi Zaft announced that Chuck Bartley is now living at Villa Capri in Fountaingrove. He is no longer getting emails, but Debi has his address if you would like to send him a note.

Raffle

Bill Hatcher did the honors this week. Guest Elizabeth Quiroz pulled the lucky number but walked away with only the consolation prize. Steve Olson had the Second Chance winning ticket and selected a Scratcher.

Announcements

Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Foundation -The RCSR Foundation is pleased to present a check in the amount of $4,200 from the Foundation Druquer Endowment Fund to Redemption House. The late Catherine Druquer established the fund through her estate plan to serve the local needs of battered and abused people.

Change of Location – President Kris reminded everyone that we would be at the new Bennett Valley facility, Iron and Vine, next week.

Hop-To-It For Hunger – Casey D’Angelo announced that we are leading up to the event on Saturday, March 11, 2023, when we will distribute bags of six craft beers for $50 at the Redwood Empire Food Bank. All proceeds will be donated to REFB. The Redwood Empire Food Bank will be printing the marketing flier next week. Everyone will need to get the word out!

Peace Poles – President-elect Ann Gospe and President Kris attended the Peace Pole dedication this morning at the Caesar Chavez Language Academy. There will be another dedication at Steele Lane School on Friday, February 10, 2023, at 8:30 AM for those who would like to attend.

Board Restructuring – President-elect Ann Gospe gave a brief overview of changes in the Board configuration that will occur at the beginning of her term. She will send an email to members along with the organizational chart. Contact Ann for further information regarding the changes Giro Bello – Robert Pierce announced that we are bringing back the Expo for Giro Bello. We will need an entertainment chair and someone to solicit vendors for the event. Please see Robert as soon as possible if you can volunteer. Everyone should be approaching potential vendors.

Birthdays – Chuck Bartley, Jeanne Levin, and Tony Roehrick have February birthdays.

Super Bowl – Doug Johnson announced that everyone wins with $1000 going to the Ukraine generator project! The “other” winners are Julia Montgomery, president of the Rotary East Club $200.  Sam Macmillian won $300, which he immediately donated back to the Ukraine project. Way to go, Sam! President Kris won $200, which she will keep! And Ivan Escatia from the Rotary East Club won $400 for the final quarter. A big thank you to Doug and Ann Gospe for running the pool to raise additional funds for the Ukraine project.

Dictionaries – Ted announced that time is running out, with just a few more weeks to finish delivery to the schools. He is collecting the extra dictionaries that might be left from completed deliveries.

Program – The Sonoma County YMCA

Mary Graves introduced the Executive Director of the Sonoma County YMCA, Matthew Henry, a member of the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa. Matthew received his BS from Columbia University. He has more than 22 years of experience in non-profit management with a goal of successful leadership with the YMCA to better serve the community. He is married to Andrea and has two children.

The YMCA is an inclusive charitable organization that enriches the community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility. Being healthy more simply means being active. The Y comprises all ages and all walks of life working side-by-side to strengthen the community.

The Sonoma County YMCA was founded in 1954 primarily as a youth organization. Initial programs included Indian Guides, now known as Adventure Guides, and summer camps to serve families.

The YMCA has a history of innovation over the last 175 years. A few of the most notable is that basketball was invented at the Y by James Naismith in 1891. In 1895, a businessman named William Morgan, who was looking for less physical activity invented volleyball.  The list continues with a number of common sports that were invented at various Y’s. Interestingly, the first Father’s Day was celebrated at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington, in 1910.

Today, the Y continues to provide physical activities and has a curriculum that focuses on caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility. The curriculum is built into their programs to teach kids these values as they participate in various Y activities.

The goal of the Y is never to turn anyone away due to the inability to pay. They want to ensure that if someone wants to live a healthy lifestyle no matter their income level, they can do that through the Y.

The Sonoma County Family YMCA and community partners, such as Rotary, provide drowning-prevention classes to hundreds of underserved children annually. Specifically, the goal is to teach every second-grade student in Roseland School District these skills.

In 2019, the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Foundation gave a grant of $10,000 to support this goal. The Y is hoping to expand the program in the next few years.

The Sonoma County YMCA is a strong and healthy non-profit organization with 29 community partners. It gave over $210,000 in financial assistance for swim lessons, child care, sports, and camp experiences. They have between 270-300 employees, making them one of the larger employees in the county.

See the slide show for more information.

Program Slides

Click image for a the slide show / quiz:

Club Job Openings:

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

Additional Pictures:

(Click on images to enlarge)

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. 490 February 15, 2023  EDITOR: Diane Moresi PHOTOGRAPHER: Jeff Gospe PUBLISHER: Richard Lazovick