Redwood Empire Food Bank – 2nd Wednesday of the month.  The next one is February 14th – 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:

Greetings from President Ann. We are the Rotary club that does good in the world. Ginny Cannon led us in the reciting of The Pledge of Allegiance, Four-Way Test and Reflection: “Lean into the good, find the sparkle in the normal. Speak with kindness freely. Let go of labels, see the beauty behind the busy day, greatly. Love others without conditions.  Get caught up in the gift of life today.”   Also, a quote from Socrates,” The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.”

Visiting Rotarians:

Area Governor Marilyn Lira and President Elect for the Rotary Club East/West Emily Rainsford

Guests:

Lisa Treble, Ariel Thomas Urlik and from her office Ali and Michelle

Sunshine Report:

Kim Murphy is healthy and back at the meeting today, but Dewayne has RSV.  Julia Parranto said Rose’s surgery went well on Monday, but they broke her femur! So, 6 weeks of recovery is now 12 weeks.  We all send hugs to Rose and hope she heals quickly!  Unfortunately, Julia had more bad news. Her nephew, Ben, who had a heart transplant some time ago, was to have surgery today, passed away and she is devastated. She really wants to go to France and see her sister, Audrey and family, but she needs to be here for Rose. We all told her to go to France and we will find a way to take care of Rose. Julia would love to see her niece who now speaks pretty good English…with a midwestern accent! Does she say, “Ya sure uffdah” with a Minnesota accent?  You Betcha!  An update on Andrea Henry.  The reason she was hospitalized last month as because She had a mental breakdown.  She did come home but refused treatment. Matthew’s concern for his 12-year-old daughter required them to move out of the home without much of anything.  Matthew, if you are reading this, your Rotary family is here for you. If you need anything, just ask.  In the meantime, we will say our prayers that Andrea gets well.

Raffle:

Only 4 marbles in the bag! $187.00 in the pot! Dan Balfe had the lucky ticket….and he pulled a yellow marble.  The pot rolls over.  Big bucks next week!

Announcements:

Charlie Howard-Gibbon said the Boy Scouts will donate a flag to replace the one that went missing during the holidays. However, rumor has it that Iron and Vine might be getting us a new flag.

The Super Bowl Pool started today.  Half of the proceeds will go to the International Committee for their projects.  52 squares sold today, so better purchase fast! $20.00 a square. See Doug Johnson to purchase.

Nona has some socials in the works for us.  We will be having a Valentine’s Day themed social at Corrick’s in the near future, among other things.

Isidora Sarria, our exchange student, is going to cook a Chilean dinner to raise funds so she can participate in Rotary’s Western Safari Trip at the end of this school year. The dinner will be March 2, 2024, at Ann and Jeff Gospe’s house from 4:00 – 9:00pm. The cost is $75.00 per person or $125.00 per couple.  Seating is limited!  If you would like to attend, RSVP Isidora via text at (707) 909-5620 or email to isidora.sarria8@gmail.com.

The January 25 SCARC dinner is hosted by the Sonoma Springs Club.  It will be held at The Girl and the Fig Private Venue, 21800 Schellville Rd., Sonoma.  Tickets are $60.00, cash or check.  You must RSVP by January 18 to marakahn@gmail.com. There are two choices for dinner, Butternut squash Risotto cake with wilted kale. Delicata squash, and smoked ricotta or chicken with fingerling potatoes and roasted fennel and olive tapenade. Place your order with your reservation. Guest presenters: Transcendence Theatre company on “Transcendence for all. Any questions, check in with Debi Zaft.

Rotary Club of Santa Rosa East/West is having a “Luck o’ the Irish” fundraiser on Saturday, March 9, 2024.  This year proceeds will be going to Ceres Community Project. The event will be at the Friedman Event Center, 4676 Mayette, Avenue, Santa Ros starting at 5:00pm. Sally Tomatoes is preparing dinner. Prizes, games, a hosted bar, live auction and dessert frenzy for $150.00.  Sponsor/Register online at https://luckyirish.cbo.io.

Need a new head shot?  Is your photo in the roster over 20 years old? Well, we have a solution! Robert pierce will be taking photos, before or after our meeting, on January 24, 2024.  There is a small fee, but that money goes to the club.

Casey D’Angelo gave us an update on our district grant for the Rosland Girls and Boys Club.  He is looking for volunteers that can read to the children in about five schools on a regular basis.

Rotarian of the Month:

This month we honor Diane Moresi for all the things she does for our club in the background, quietly working for the benefit of all.  Thanks Diane! Are you sure you do not want to be president of our club? Just checking!  Thanks for covering the bulletin!

Hardister Family Disability Scholarship:

Steve Olson introduced one of the Foundation’s newer scholarship fund, the Hardester Family Disability Scholarship.  Ted and Deanie Wilmsen started this fund in 2019 to honor Deanie’s sister Marianne Hardester who has been disabled since birth in 1940. Her disabilities are attributed to encephalopathy due to a mechanical injury at birth. Cerebral Palsy and lack of control limits Marianne’s ability to articulate words, but she learned to communicate with a limited vocabulary. She participates in an adult day program. Marianne’s strength, wisdom and tenacity continues to amaze her family.  Deanie and Ted strongly believe that all students, regardless of whether they have a disability or not, deserve the opportunity to further their education.  Much progress has been made in the last 80 years, allowing students with disabilities to attend college in record numbers.  The Wilmsen and Hardister families want to encourage and support disabled students.  Bottom line, when you consider donating to our Foundation consider donating to this fund.

Impact Sonoma: Tabacco Nicotine Prevention…today emphasis on vaping.

Ariel Thomas-Urlik is a program planning evaluation analyst with the Sonoma County Department of Health Services.  Her program today was on vaping and smoking and the impact of tobacco-nicotine prevention.

First a little history. Juul was introduced in 2015 with a new nicotine slat formula that was smooth, unlike cigarettes. Vaping is an efficient way to deliver nicotine because there is no waste like a cigarette.  in 2015 1 Juul pod delivered as much nicotine as 2.05 packs of cigarettes.  In 2023 a Flum Pebble at 700 mg delivers the equivalent of 35 packs of cigarettes!  Many people share a pod, but still can go through one in a day.  And these pods are cheap compared to cigarettes, selling from $10.00 to $25.00 depending on brand and size. It is estimated that vaping will add 15.1 billion in medical costs to the healthcare industry. In 2023 local Santa Rosa students admitted: 8% use in seventh grade, 8% in nineth grade, 13% in eleventh grade and thirteen percent of alternative high school students.

But the medical costs are not the only problem.  The empty pods are hazardous and require incineration for proper disposal.  that is not happening. 70 tons end up at the Sonoma County landfill.  They leach out and can start fires.  Many have lithium batteries and are dangerous to transport on an airplane.  Vapes are often sold within 1000 feet of schools.  There is a program called “Kick It California,” a state tobacco quit line for ages 13 years old and up without parent’s permission.  Typically, it takes 14 attempts to quit tobacco before one quits.

Unfortunately, we ran out of time before we could hear about tobacco use and the dental health industry.

Program Slides

No program slides this week.