Author: Envira Gallery

President Steve Klick opened the meeting at 7:15 a.m. by ringing the bell.

Introduction of Guests

Visiting Rotarians:

• Katheryn Maxwell from the Martinsville Indiana club and her Husband Robin Maxwell
• Star Power, Valley of the Moon club (Sonoma, CA),
• Ron Newell, club President, Fullerton South Rotary Club, Fullerton, CA

Guests:

• Abigale Phillips (Robin Phillips daughter),
• Yana Dittrich (sp?), Rotary exchange student,
• Natasha Figaroi (sp?), Rotary out-bound student for next year,
• Jennifer Brandt, Windsor High School project grad representative.

Art Diaz led us in the pledge of allegiance

Pam Moulton gave us inspiration and also led the “song”.  We sang happy birthday to Ken Moulton who turned 75.

President Steve updated the club on the following items:

• Talked about the Windsor Day parade that the club participated in.
• Steve asked Maureen Merrill to give a summary of a social we did which was a play at the Left Edge theatre.  Maureen said the club raised over $600 at the event.
• Steve discussed some upcoming hands-on projects, one of which is Cool Kids camp.  The camp starts June 10^th and we’re looking for Rotarians to help get the camp facility ready.
• Steve asked Allen Christienson to explain the North Bay Met Acadamy (Windsor Oaks) job interview fair, which is 5/29 to 5/31.  Allen also shared that they took students from Windsor Oaks to the Sonoma County jail on a field trip.
• Steve highlighted the birthdays of club members.

Carol Martin led the program for the meeting, which was to discuss the results of the Lobster Feed.  She gave a brief introduction and then introduced Michael Juric, who gave an overview of the results.  Michael highlighted the idea that the Lobster Feed was a celebration of our hard work throughout the year.

Maureen Merrill then discussed the results of a survey that was sent out to the club (for the Lobster Feed).  The general feeling was the event was “very good” and we received many comments on how to enhance the event in the future.  She also mentioned that 70% of the funds raised at the Lobster Feed was from non-Rotarians.

Carol Martin then reviewed the preliminary financial results from the event, which were:

Gross income:                           +/- $109,000

Expenses:                                   +/- $46,000

Net income:                              +/- $63,000

She also explained that we had committed $34,300 to major projects so we had a nice balance remaining for future projects.

President Steve asked the following members to discuss the 3 major projects that we committed to this year:

• Tuesday Night Movies at the Town Green. John Hackenburg discussed our sponsorship and explained that it gives us a good opportunity for P.R. for the club.  He also asked if there was any interest in having a booth before the movies each week to promote our Club, and also there was an opportunity for someone to provide food and beverage.  He said he would pass around a sign-up sheet to see if there was enough interest from the members to support this.  John also discussed another hands-on project and was wondering if there were members who would help.  We will be donating back-packs to a local homeless shelter (this is not one of our 3 major projects).
• Kids-Spree:  John Horton discussed this event which gives underprivileged kids an opportunity to go shopping at Coddingtown Mall.  The kids also get a backpack with school supplies.  The event is Saturday, August 4^th and we are looking for volunteers to be chaperones for the kids.
• Jennifer Brandt from Windsor High School talked about Project Grad, which provides a “safe & sober” party for graduating seniors.  The date is Saturday, June 2^nd and they are looking for volunteers to help with the event.

President Steve concluded the meeting at 8:35 a.m.

OPENING: The meeting was officially opened and called to order by Steve Klick at 7:30am followed by the pledge of allegiance. INSPIRATION: The inspiration was given by Larry Wasem ….wonderful as usual, however, when I attempted to figure out which one he had shared from his “hit list” of 100, I failed. Just know that his “words of wisdom” were well received!! SONG: “God Bless America” was lead by Susan Cole. GUESTS: Paxton Law – classification GRANDSON of Michael Juric Rolly Atkinson – classification “Newspaper Owner” Jana- classification “Exchange Student” Dominic Foppoli – Classification “Vice Mayor” Abigail Resendez – Classification “baby” Joe Herrington, Healdsburg District Hospital Allison Hoover, Classification “Manufacturer” Pam- Classification “Assistant to Dick Bishop” Lee Coates, Classification “Marketing with “At Home Nursing” Olivia Leman Classification ”Management Analyst” Bruce Okrepkie, Classification “Mayor” John Jansons, Classification “Town Manager Donna Legge Classification “ Parks and Recreation Director” ANNOUNCEMENTS

• A special “hello” from Wally and Sandy Krutz, from Colorado
• Michael Juris presented the club with four flags from the clubs in District 1700 (France) he visited while on the Rotary Friendship Exchange.  The Rotary Clubs included Perpignan, Grenada, Balma and Font Romeu. He announced that the French RFE team from District 1700 will be visiting in September 2018 and May 2019.
• Steve Klick reviewed the conference highlights with a focus on the theme of “Dreams Take Flight.” He announced the number of awards that the Windsor Rotary Club which included awards for Youth, Public Relations, Club, Service, Vocational and Community Service. Steve showed a video of some of the highlights from the Transcendence Performance and the Youth Exchange portion of the conference. He made an announcement that Transcendence will be having two evening performances where Rotarians are invited. The two Rotary Nights are June 24th and August 3^rd. He also made note that the Rotary Conference in 2019 will be held in Reno at the Peppermill Casino.
• PROJECT GRAD: Questions were put to the club asking how many members had signed up to volunteer at the Casino night on June 1^st.
• KIDS SUMMER MOVIE SERIES: A check for $12,000 was presented to the Town Council members as part of the Club’s Community Donation. JB Leep, who has spearheaded this project, reviewed the logistics of the movie night events, which will be staring on June 5^th. He reminded the Club members that the activities start at 6:00 pm and end around 9:00pm. He made note that a new piece of literature was being produced on Rotary to share with the community. He indicated that a “looping” y video would be shown before the movie, highlighting Rotary and its activities! JB indicated that he had connected with three companies who would be selling food, which includes “Extreme Pizza, Just Popped up Kettle Corn and Gaga Café. He indicated that the Club would receive $50 from each of the vendors resulting in approximately $1200 for the summer! The Club is looking for Volunteers for the movie series!!

SPEAKER

Joe Harrington, CEO for Healdsburg District Hospital Introduced by Tom Boylan With 35 years in the field of Hospital Administration, Joe came to Sonoma County from Lodi, California. He mentioned that he had originally in 2015, but came out of retirement after “doing all the right things” and returned to work because he was “bored,” and “like other Baby Boomers” “lives to work!” Joe mentioned that he had been a Rotarian, but is not currently in any club! He reviewed his having received a Fellowship to travel abroad and study Hospital Administration, where he was able to choose any destination. He chose Ethiopia where he lived for 6 weeks. He mentioned that while in Ethiopia, he and his wife attended a Rotary Club Luncheon, where, despite the fact that they were the only Non-Ethiopians, they felt welcome. He mentioned that working with the Healdsburg District Hospital has been a change for him, as he has always worked with Private Hospitals. Healdsburg is a public facility. He received the funding differences between the two types of facilities and made note that revenue generally comes from the subacute services that are provided. He indicated that the “outpatient” services are the “bread and butter” of hospitals. Joe reviewed the major services and supports at Healdsburg citing the Emergency Room, where they serve an average of 23 to 24 patients a day, and the “certified” Stroke program who serves up to 6 patients a month. He also reviewed the relationship that the Healdsburg Hospital has to CPMC (in San Francisco) which supports, through SKYPE, diagnosis for stroke victims. He made note that due to the high cost of living in Sonoma County, it has been challenging to review personnel, citing the challenges of the Behavioral Health Clinic who is “overwhelmed” with patient demands. He also made note that at the County level, the competition of Kaiser, Medic-Care/Medicaid, and Aetna, has been significant in keeping some of the rural hospitals open. Of note is the opportunity for Hospitals, like Kaiser, to compete with the insurance plans offered to employees.   He stressed that focus on Wellness Programs is important, however, can run contradictory to the “natural” funding sources for hospitals. Joe reviewed the horrifying events of the October fires on local hospitals, citing the evacuation and closure of two hospitals, and the role of the smaller hospitals in serving the public. He indicated that there was “chaos” with “no internet and no cell service.” He made note that due to concern regarding the safety of the public, that there was a need to evacuate several patients and potential patients to outside the county. Mr. Harrington indicated that the hospital was in “Command Mode” for 10 days and that there was “lots of traffic” in the ER. As a result of this tragedy, Joe mentioned that the “eye-opening “event tapped into several skills, and allowed him to meet people from all over! He admitted that one of the challenges was being able to “calm” the staff, strengthen communication, and to “get the right people in the right place.” When asked about the long-range issues for hospitals, he identified the concerns surrounding a potential earthquake and being “seismically” prepared. He acknowledged that attending to inpatient care facilities would potentially cost $20 – $30 million dollars, however without an inpatient area, there is no need to upgrade. The other area of need is the upgrade of the information systems which is also a multi-million expense. At present, all hospitals are looking for both partners and loans to offset these inevitable costs. Joe reviewed the relationship that hospital statistics of the traffic flow in Healdsburg. He made note that 37% of patients are from Healdsburg, 22% from Cloverdale, 13% from Windsor, and 12% are from “out of town” (tourists). The additional 16% are from various other areas, but not tourists. The meeting ended at 8:30pm, with an announcement for the Next Week’s meeting which will be honoring our Fire and Police. Submitted by Pam Moulton, Scribe for the Day!

Flag Salute:  Jack Hyde

Inspiration:  Maureen Merrill, with a little help from her friends, Pam Moulton and Sue Nelson offered us this rap:

       We knew this thing would be off the HOOK

       The vibe came alive, you had to LOOK

       Music and drinks and food were KILLER

       People, we carried off a THRILLER

       Raisin’ funds to help us SERVE

       Touchin’ lives with style and VERVE

       Kids get genuine shopping SPREES     

       And movies fit for FAMILIES

       Scholarships that keep grads LEARNING

       Job programs encourage EARNING

       Plan A was to raise that serious MONEY

       To write Plan B would have just been FUNNY

       Bein’ a team, smooth as CREAM,

       Stickin’ together like sweat and LEATHER

       Livin the dream that we’d SUCCEED

       A victorious, glorious LOBSTER FEED!

Song: Warin Parker had a short song “Hey, look me over, Lobster up to here.”

Introduction of Visiting Rotarians:

Club	Classification	Name	Notes
Sebastopol	Newspaper Publishing	Rollie Atkinson

Introduction of Guests of Rotarians:

Member	Guest	Notes
Jack Hyde	Janet Hyde	Jack’s wife
Jack Hyde	Jana	Our Youth Exchange student from Switzerland
Craig Curreri	Cecilia Hewlitt	Youth Exchange student
	Tammy Hewlitt	Cecilia’s Mother
Teray	Talon	Her son
Larry Wasem	Abigail	Robin’s new baby

Renee Hyde                                    Mother of our Outbound YE

Announcements:

President Steve announced that our own Cali Calmecac school in Windsor was awarded a $25,000 grant in Category E, which was a nationwide competition.   Thanks to everyone in Rotary who voted for Cali.

Sandy Krutz and Carol Marin encouraged everyone to go on-line and vote for the Rotary International website for a Webby Award.

Warin Parker introduced our last Student of the Month for this year:  Cecilia Hewlitt.  Cecilia made a short and quite effective presentation, letting us know that she was in Nueva School for the Arts.   Started as a performer,  but discovered that she loved being behind the scenes when she served as Stage Manager for the school production of “Peter and the Star Catcher”.   She is planning to attend a 4-year university – either UC Santa Barbara or Emerson College.

President Steve was a little shy about bragging on his wife, Mapi, who won the award for Best Presentation by a group of professional judges at the “Art of Dessert” event last weekend.  Craig Curreri jumped in to help Steve and didn’t have any trouble singing Map’s praises, which were well-deserved.  At our own Lobster Feed, there was a bidding war for a “Mapi’s Cake” between Craig Curreri and Michael Juric.   We learned that Michael was bidding for his son and fiancé for a wedding cake.  Both Craig and Michael gave $25 to their John Lewis just because they are so impressed with Mapi’s cakes!

Michael Juric announced very preliminary numbers for our Lobster Feed earnings:   These are gross numbers – costs still have to be calculated against these gross earnings”

Ticket sales:  $27,000

Live Auction:  $31,500

Silent Auction:  $8,700

Wine Cave:  $5,000

Fund-a-Need for Kidspree to be donated to 20/30 Club:  $18,000 or 120 kids!   Way to go, Rotary Club of Windsor!

President Steve announced that Saturday, May 5 will be the Windsor Day Parade with our big cold air balloon.  Everyone is invited to participate.

Maureen announced a mini-fundraiser:  A private theater evening social to see the play:  “Women in Jeopardy”  All $30 of each ticket sale will go to the WRCF.

President Steve reminds us that the District Conference is May 18-20 at the McClellan AFB in Sacramento.

Wally Krutz announces that Dick Bishop is home now with a home health worker.  He is looking good and in upbeat spirits, especially since Wally and Sandy brought him a lobster from our Lobster Feed!

Bill Bolster reports that he heard from our outbound Youth Exchange student, Emma Hackethorne, in Sweden, and her message was in Swedish!   She sent along a picture of a reindeer and “everything cold” according to Bill.  He encouraged Emma to communicate in the only language Bill claims to barely know – English.

Renee Hyde announces that Wednesday evening (tomorrow) at 6:30 PM will be information night to learn about the Youth Exchange program.   She tells us that if we know anyone who will be 15-1/2 to 18-1/2 years old for the 2019 school year, to encourage them to come to this meeting at Windsor High School audio-visual room, aka the library.

Renee also says she is looking for host families for our Youth Exchange student next year, even though we don’t know yet whether it will be a boy or a girl.   Talk to Renee if you even think you might want to host.   It is a most rewarding time with wonderful kids.

Our Rotary Scholarship committee met last week at Allen Christensen’s AltaPacific Bank:  Allen Christensen, Warin Parker, Bill Bolster, and Michael Juric, the committee, awarded ten (10) scholarships to graduating seniors.  Four scholarships were for $1,500 each and six were for $1,000 each.

Speaker:

JB Leep introduced our speaker for the day, Rollie Atkinson,  of Sonoma West Publishers.

Rollie has worked in newspapers for 43 years, starting as a reporter in his hometown of Frederick, Maryland, before moving to Sonoma County in 1981.

He has worked as sports editor, editor, and general manager and finally as owner and publisher at our local group of weekly newspapers including The Windsor Times, The Healdsburg Tribune, Cloverdale Reveille and Sonoma West Times and News in Sebastopol.  He and his wife have been owners of the parent company, Sonoma West Publishers, since 1995.

Rollie was part of the team that started The Windsor Times in 1987, right around the time the Rotary Club of Windsor started up!  He has a lot of friends in the audience of our Rotary Club.

Rollie began by reading the front page of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat, which was just awarded the Pulitzer Prize for their lucid and tenacious crisis reporting about the October firestorms here in Northern California.

He discussed the many challenges facing newspaper reporting and the statistics regarding lost newspapers and lost jobs.   He talked about a new model for newspapers and reporting, and one he has begun with Sonoma West Publishing:  Direct Public Offerings.   Most of the questions and follow up discussion was centered on DPO’s and this new model.

Rollie’s strong conviction is stated this way:

Local News Matters

Local Readers Matter

Local Ownership Matters

President Steve gaveled us to a close encouraging us to “Do Something Rotarian” today.