Author: Tom Boylan

---

The gathering had a great chat a little earlier than the 7:30 start time when President Maureen Merrill rang the virtual bell. We had 23 online at the start. More to follow.

Energy is the ongoing theme for the club and John Nelson’s photo of a seagull

Pres Maureen shared a quote that is credited to many and essential to our inspiration:

“There is so much good in the worst of us, and so much bad in the best of us, that it ill behooves any of us to find fault with the rest of us.”

Scribe for the day is Tom Boylan

Sign on for next week’s meeting:

To join the meeting (without a password): https://zoom.us/j/5130513051?pwd=clU0T1ljdTRyWm9OMnBPbDZIdGNRUT09

Join meeting 513-051-3051, and use the password if the link doesn’t work: a4wayTest. 

Visiting Rotarian:

Mike Merrill, for one more week is a guest and then he joins our club.

Guests of Rotarians:

Our president introduced today’s speaker, Chris Smith.

Dave Ruprecht sang a little “Song of the South” with a Rotary twist.

---

Announcements:

Happy Birthday to me… and Phil Trowbridge… and my Father in law Mel Montero who turned 96 today.

Sue Nelson got one more round of virtual applause for her role as Rotarian of the Month, the Powerhouse Rotarian.

We heard from President Maureen that the District is awarding $500 to every club to help them out through the COVID-19 crisis.

Heather Cullen gave us a report on the recent food drive and is sharing that there is a continual need and another food drive is in the works. This next drive would allow us to place a box of food in front of our homes and a volunteer will drive by and pick them up. Heather, Barbara McChesney, and Carol Martin got a nod of thanks for what they did to help make this happen for the Windsor Food Pantry. Bill Bolster is asking that we make it a point with every trip to the store, just pick up more for those who have less. We will hear more about it.

A special thank you from Tanya with the Windsor Food Pantry:

So glad Rotary brought us food. We ended serving over 75 families today, many large and people walked up hours after we :closed: and we were able to send them home with food. Kind of a tear moment actually. Our shelves are almost empty, so we will begin shopping and gleaning again.  Let me know when you want to meet me for drop off next week. So much appreciation, not enough words. Tanya

Beth Smith recognized Sandie Krutz and Bev Graham for making her anniversary special with a dinner from Sweet T’s and a candlelit dining table.

Play along!  Maureen is looking for vintage photos of YOU along these themes – send from one category or all, or make one up. Just so it’s “vintage”!

• Grade school  —  2nd grade or thereabouts
• “Awkward age” photo – pre-teen? Last week?
• A prom or other “dress-up” event from your teen years
• Wedding or other romantic event
• Embarrassing incident
• Sport, action or hobby photo

Program:

JB Leep gave an introduction to our speaker, Chris Smith, columnist for the Press Democrat. He started his career with the Press Democrat in 1977 and over time he had the privilege to write several columns, including his current column, which came about after the famed Gaye LeBaron retired from the paper.

Chris let us know we are a great group and thanked us for all we do and that Rotary International does for the world. He took us on a tour of his office and the newsroom at The PD. It was barren where normally they have a bustling team of humanity. He is amazed and proud that the entire PD team has been able to do their work remotely.

We were introduced to his latest column which touched his heart, because it was a story of the heart of a young man as he maneuvers life in a wheelchair, Ben Thornton. Ben had a remarkable life so far while living with a congenital heart problem from birth that made him a paraplegic, but Ben has been fortunate to have faced what would be a major adversity for most and is overcoming his affliction as he has been accepted by the University of Arizona with a full scholarship where he will get to play wheelchair basketball while pursuing his education.

Brett Crozier is another story that Chris had the opportunity to write. He spoke with Brett’s mother and found out that the inspiration for the aircraft carrier came from a movie outing in Santa Rosa when Brett was a junior in High School. That led to his eventual move to the Naval Academy and his successes as a pilot and a leader took him to the role of Commanding officer of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.

Chris shared a view of today’s Press Democrat front page and was proud that the paper has a series of stories that are all locally written. He believes the writing is a testament to the quality of the people working as journalists for the PD. It is an interesting experience for all reporters who have to learn something new with each event that becomes newsworthy, especially calamities.

We learned that this crisis has become a death knoll for print newspapers. There are countless stories of papers going digital in an effort to minimize the cost associated with printing. He shared that we are going to see a greater number of papers moving to online, including the PD which through the crisis has seen numerous online subscriptions.

According to Chris, a community newspaper is essential for people navigating a disaster and the Press Democrat is fully aware of their responsibility to provide answers to keep their readers informed.

In the 1980’s the PD had 100,000 subscribers and today the paper has 32,000. The claim to have to have the paper in their hands is on the wane since most young people have rarely held a paper having been raised in the online world. The staff of the paper are sharing images from their home offices, which makes the five weeks of isolation so far a very strange scene.

The owners of the paper were credited by Chris for saving Sonoma County’s daily paper from a similar fate of other dailies in the country.

So how did he get here? Chris went to San Jose State and made a day trip to Rohnert Park and a visit to Sonoma State College, which appeared to be no more than a concrete box in the middle of a field of cows. On another trip he made the trek to Gualala and spotted a small newspaper and Chris became the reporter for the Independent Coast Reporter. This paper was the transition for Chris to move from Riverside, California to Northern California.

Next week’s speaker will be Steve Herrington, Superintendent of Sonoma County Schools. 

There was a good opportunity to socialize with other early risers who signed on early and a few of us didn’t turn their camera on.

President Maureen Merrill rang the bell at 7:30 and greeted 28 members… but a few more wound up joining along the way. We also went through a few lessons on how to Zoom.

Inspiration was provided by Pres Maureen, “It is a long day, but we will move past today and into tomorrow.”

Scribe for the day was Tom Boylan and photos were provided by the one with a keen eye and a treasure trove of pictures from the past, Sue Nelson.

Rotarian Guests:

Pres Maureen introduced the other past district governor in the house, Mike Merrill

Pres Maureen also welcomed our online speaker PDG Michael Fish with the Ignacio Rotary Club.

Announcements:

Our newest members, Beth Smith, Katherine Hanron, and Matt Rush were introduced.

Our newest grandchild is Amelia Dolores Corcoran, Bill Conklin‘s first grandchild in Colorado!  Daughter Michele and husband are doing great!

Pres Maureen introduced our newest powerhouse of the month, Sue Nelson an independent thinker and someone we all love to work with.

President Elect Bill Bolster took the screen and introduced his upcoming board, including Maureen Merrill as immediate past president, president-elect Pam Moulton, Secretary Leah Hansen, Treasurer Ed Turner, Club Service Chris Landwher, Community Service Glenn Sugden, Youth Service Sandy Krutz, Vocational Service Doug Williams, International Service co-chaired by Ken Moulton & John Hackenburg, Membership Chair Renee Hyde, Foundation Chair John LeCave. At Large members include Alison Huber & Carol Martin.

Pam Moulton enjoyed a virtual birthday. The money she saved on not going out was donated toward the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation.

Bill Arnone got upside down with a pineapple upside down cake provided by his wife Deneene. Bill offered a rounded $66 toward his old age… I mean the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation.

Beth Smith is celebrating a wedding anniversary and her Rotary Daughter Vittoria let us know that her family is doing well in Italy.

Tom Hassur let us know invitations were sent to the high school letting them know we are prepared to provide scholarships. The criteria for our scholarships has changed somewhat this year with a request that students stay in touch with the club and that they allow us to interact over the course of their higher education. Club members are invited to let Tom H. know if they know someone that is a senior in High School and a candidate for a scholarship. We are no longer looking at overall GPA as a qualifier. We are more interested in their improvement

Tom H. Shared some sad news about his daughter Megan’s wedding: My daughter, Megan, was supposed to be married this Saturday, April 11th, to Aaron. With great sadness, they have postponed the marriage until later in the year, due to the COVID-19 virus. Aaron and Megan are very sad at having to postpone the wedding but are looking forward to celebrating their union with family and friends at a future and healthier date. They are currently Sheltered in Place, together with Aaron’s 6-year old son, Grayden, in Santa Rosa.

Reach out to Marie Coakley and help her celebrate her birthday on April 11. Her phone number is (707) 838-2858.

Our dear friend George Johnson has passed away and President Maureen offers the following:

Remembering George Johnston

By Maureen

How rare it is to know a basically reserved, modest person who not only lives large, but can enliven any party through his gregariousness, intelligence, conversation and, well, the glimmer in his eyes.  I wept to hear of his recent death.

 Visually, I most remember and treasure the kilts and the open-hearted smile of our friend and past Rotary Club member George Johnston. He died in March from age-related causes at 86.  George was known for great friendliness, generosity, and his burly Scot accent – if a voice could hug, his did. His admiration for Robert Burns drove him to honor the poet’s birthday week each year by coming to our meetings in full dress kilt.  At any black tie occasion, there was George, fit and trim in full Scottish regalia, worldly in his tux-equivalent, dancing away, and certainly considering himself a freer man than most. I loved that! Having been in two other Rotary clubs, one in Massachusetts and one in Santa Barbara, George joined Windsor Rotary after moving his company, Thermal Technology, to the Airport Business Center.  Immediately upon joining he donated $1000 to The Rotary Foundation and followed that with countless contributions to community projects over the years. 

 I was working with the Business Journal when George first came to this area, and interviewed him on the phone as he was packing his bags. Meanwhile, he’d become a client of Mike’s. Turned out we would become good friends with him and his brilliant wife Alicja for almost three decades. Mike and George bonded over flying, Rotary and scotch.  Alicja is Polish; they kept an apartment in Warsaw, counting that area among their frequent travel destinations. I enjoyed shopping with Alicja, multilingual and equally at ease in Paris, London, or Healdsburg. Of course I quickly emulated her chic European elegance, to the amazement of my friends . . . if only.   

 It would not be too much to say that George was beloved by his employees and helped many of them through tough times, with assistance that went unmentioned unless one learned of it from a  recipient. The two of us had many a friendly political argument, but I do mean friendly! We had fun disagreeing because of George’s humor, perspective and experience. Having come to the U.S. as a young man with a just a few bucks and a slide rule, he appreciated and took full measure of the opportunity that his new country provided. He thrived as an engineer, businessman and community contributor.   

George remained an enthusiastic private pilot well into his later years, also enjoying a good single malt, parties, fine restaurants, and long hikes.  Retirement found him volunteering at Sonoma County airport in the Tourism Information Booth. Little did visitors know that they were being cheerily guided to fine cuisine, parks and wineries by one of our most successful and colorful citizens.

 George and Alicja lost their beautiful Fountaingrove home in the Tubbs fires, and George’s health declined sharply following that tragedy. Mike and I remained in frequent touch. On Mike’s last visit to George in a small care home, not long ago, they had a lively conversation.  George leaves Alicja, two grown sons and several grandchildren, along with a Rotary Club that is forever better for having known him. I will never forget George Johnston. 

---

Pres Maureen let us know that the Board will be meeting every week to stay on top of the crisis we are all working through. Carol Martin let us know there are still opportunities to donate time to the community, either as a volunteer with the Redwood Empire Food Bank, or possibly making phone calls to others in the community that are shuttered in and lonely. If anyone has an idea to offer, please reach out direct to Carol.

Glenn suggested we can buy local business cards to support the future return to normalcy. We will be adding information to the website. What we do in the way of gift cards will be helpful to keeping local businesses around long after the crisis is over.

Alison Huber offered a How To Make a Mask pdf and a suggestion to be sure you have a Merv-13 or higher filter for your home. Disposable mask PDF Here.

---

Program:

PDG Michael Fish, with Rotary Club of Ignacio, who lives with his wife Gina in Santa Rosa. He is a partner of Mike Merrill in the law firm. He shared that it is a lonely time when it comes to seeing his partners in the law firm.

Michael gave us some insight into what Rotary International is doing in the face of COVID19. We all learned that technology is just as frustrating online as it is in our regular meetings. Sonoma County has a COVID19 statistics page.   The link gives an ongoing update for Sonoma County and the World. (https://sonomacounty.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=21a1653b79ba42039ff22bcb85fa5b19)

Rotary International is stepping up to make a difference in the COVID crisis using the infrastructure that RI has been developing for more than 100 years. Many Rotarians are on point for the use of technology to communicate making our organization a leader in understanding how to use this tech to keep communications open.

RI is offering District Grants to provide support to many of those affected by COVID19. Healthcare supplies, disaster response for local and worldwide events. Each District can apply for a grant of more than $100,000 to be used for providing support where it is needed within the District.

The crisis highlights the need for donations to the Rotary Foundation, and designated to help the COVID19 needs. We were informed that COVID19 has supplanted the Polio Plus work for the time being. There are no solutions for polio, no immunizations, no ability to send teams into the communities of the world that are caught in the grips of polio. First and foremost we need to eliminate COVID19.

Rotary International COVID19 link  (https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-clubs-help-fight-covid-19-pandemic)

A special announcement provided by Mike McGovern, Chair of the Rotary International PolioPlus Committee and John Germ, Past Rotary International President and Chair of the Polio Countdown to History Committee.

PolioPlus Responding to the Covid-19 Challenge

A program begun by Rotary is employing thousands of health workers to address the Covid-19 pandemic.  The program is the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) which includes Rotary’s PolioPlus program.   From the earliest days of polio eradication in the Philippines, the generosity and advocacy of Rotarians and our partners has nearly stopped polio, stopped Ebola from becoming an epidemic in Nigeria and now responds to Covid-19.

Over the next four to six months the polio program is offering its tools, workforce and extensive surveillance network to support countries as they respond.  Globally, the polio surveillance network is being trained on Covid case detection, contact tracing, laboratory testing and data management. GPEI is deploying its coordination mechanisms such as emergency operations centers and sharing physical assets like vehicles, computers and mobile phones to combat the pandemic.  In Nigeria, an extensive network of polio communication assets including 20,000 volunteer community mobilizers are working across the country to promote hand-washing to reduce transmission. In Pakistan, polio staff have sensitized more than 6,000 health workers on Covid-19 and repurposed a helpline originally used for polio related calls to also address Covid questions.   The polio surveillance team in Angola is training health care staff on case management of Covid-19. Polio staff in Benin are developing a pandemic preparedness plan for that country. Each day we hear of more deployments of polio staff to address Covid issues in additional countries.

So what about polio itself?  The Polio Oversight Board made the hard decision to pause house to house vaccinations knowing that this may lead to an increase in polio cases. Polio surveillance will continue while also supporting Covid surveillance. The GPEI is working to ensure that once it is safe to do so, countries can be supported to rapidly resume polio immunization campaigns.   We will have a message in every country that vaccines, including the polio vaccine, stop viruses from attacking children and adults. We must seize the moment to let every village understand that the polio vaccine saves lives.

For over 40 years, Rotarians have never wavered in fulfilling our commitment to the children of the world to end polio.  Today, in contributing to PolioPlus we are also addressing this evil Covid-19 pandemic. The goals this year for contributions to PolioPlus have not changed.  The opportunity to do good in the world has only increased. If you or your club have not given to PolioPlus lately, today is the day to do so. All funds donated are matched 2 to 1 by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  If your District has underutilized District Designated Funds, any allocation is matched 6 to 1 by the Rotary Foundation World Fund and the Gates Foundation. And if you want to know more about how Rotary and the GPEI are addressing Covid-19 while not losing focus on eradicating polio, see

Polioeradication.org

endpolio.org

Our first full Zoom Rotary meeting was held March 31 with about 37 attendees.   It’s our intention to return to our usual speakers plan next week.

CLUB SOCIAL FRIDAY EVENING!!!! April 3

Come join your fellow Rotarians for dinner and social time at 6pm – Friday, April 3, virtually.

Dave Culley is opening KC’s on the Green for curbside to-go service on Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 9AM to 3PM.  The idea is to support our local restaurants by ordering dinner from KC’s (838-7800), bringing it home, then signing on to Zoom and sharing dinner together at 6 PM.  It’s fun and keeps us connected. Try it, you’ll like it! And, you will be supporting our community restaurants, which is vital if they are to succeed during this very challenging time.

Our Rotary Zoom account is 513 051 3051. Or, call/text Glenn Sudgen if you need help.

---

President Maureen rang the bell at 7:45 AM, allowing us a little time to be together, chat virtually and solve minor technical issues.  Our future virtual meetings will be consistent with our in-person meetings, starting at 7:30 AM on Tuesday mornings.

Inspirational thought in the form of a question:  How can we find joy in every single day?

Our Powerhouse Rotarian of the Month is Bill Bolster.  Bill just attended PETS – President Elect Training – and reports the following:

“I met really good people and it was a great training.  We met the incoming President of Rotary International. His theme is how to increase membership.  He discussed keeping members excited about Rotary.” Bill will introduce his Board on line at our next meeting.

Carol Martin’s Service Report is that we are looking for ways to be of service in our community.  Redwood Empire Food Bank – needs volunteers both for the warehouse and distribution sites

Warehouse volunteers

We have done this before as a club.  It involves going to the warehouse and helping to bag apples or carrots.  Or assemble boxes for seniors.

Distribution site volunteers

REFB distributes food all over the county to families and seniors.  There are many places that need volunteers.  These volunteers help hand out food & load boxes of groceries into people’s trunks.

REFB is limiting the number of volunteers so that only ten (10) per shift can sign up.  This helps them maintain safe distances between people.

There are no group signups in the current situation.  You must sign up individually.

To sign up, go to the website:  https://refb.volunteerhub.com/

Volunteer opportunities are sorted by date and location.

As a side note, the Windsor Senior Center is about to become a new REFB distribution site.

The REFB Volunteer Coordinator is going to contact me with more information when that happens because that will likely be a good place for us to volunteer.

Here’s an update about REFB warehouse shifts…

*Warehouse Shifts and Location Change*

Good afternoon, Hope you all are doing well and staying healthy! Due to the increase of participants visiting our distribution sites, the Redwood Empire Food Bank is ramping up in production in order to continue feeding our neighbors in need. There are a few changes we will be implementing moving forward with the help of our neighbors over at Sonoma Country Day School. We will be working outside on their basketball courts which will enable us to spread our projects out, allow more volunteers to work at a safe distance apart, and support our need of providing more food to our community. Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, April 1st:  ALL WAREHOUSE SHIFTS WILL BE LOCATED AT SONOMA COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL (4400 Day School Pl, Santa Rosa, CA 95403). Thank you to our close neighbors for hosting us and offering the ability to increase our productivity. Starting on Thursday, April 2nd: SCDS warehouse volunteer shifts will be as follows:  Monday – Friday | 9am-12pm and 1pm-4pm If you are currently signed up for a shift, please note that we will be removing the previous shifts and updating the website to reflect the new shift times above. Please revisit our portal at refb.volunteerhub.com to sign up for a new shift! Thank you for your understanding and flexibility as we navigate these waters together. Apples and Bananas, Liz

Redwood Empire Food Bank, 3990 Brickway Boulevard , Santa Rosa, CA 95403

Powered by VolunteerHub.com

Unsubscribe • Report Spam

Disaster Help – Food Drive Coordinator

Redwood Empire Food Bank | https://refb.org/

Looking for ways to give? Help the Redwood Empire Food Bank collect non-perishable items by becoming a Neighborhood Food Coordinator. It’s as simple as 1-2-3!

1. Connect with your neighbors, friends, family, coworkers, etc. Give them a call or send them a text to let them know you’re collecting food on behalf of the Redwood Empire Food Bank! Our most needed items: -Tuna & Canned Meat -Peanut Butter -Canned Soups, Stews & Chili -Rice and Beans -Cereal -Canned Fruits and Vegetables -Protein Bars
2. Pick up non-perishable donations. Coordinate a time to collect the donations from your network. Please practice social distancing recommendations and have your donors place the bag(s) outside for pick up.
3. Drop donations off at the Redwood Empire Food Bank! Once you’ve collected all your donations, please bring the donations to the Redwood Empire Food Bank for drop off. There are collection bins located at the front and back of the warehouse. 3990 Brickway Blvd., Santa Rosa, California

If you are interested in volunteering, please visit our volunteer portal at https://refb.volunteerhub.com/ At this time, we are accepting small groups of volunteers, but things can change in an instant so feel free to reach out beforehand. If you are sick, or have been around someone who is sick, please do not sign up for a volunteer shift. Thank you!

We are happy to approve community service hours for this project, just be sure to keep track of your time!  Thank you for helping the Redwood Empire Food Bank end hunger

Questions?

Call Carol Martin – 707-403-8200

---

Tuesday we had two trip reports complete with wonderful photos from Rotarians who have been traveling.

Larry Wasem has just returned from a trip to Germany and Portugal.  Larry’s cousin Phillip wed in Germany which gave Larry a chance to further his connection with his German family which he found in 2007.   They live in a town west of Frankfurt call Ingelheim on Rhine. Larry’s family has been involved in wine since 1736. And, his family has a hotel and we saw the photo  evidence of “Wasem Hotel” in this town. Larry’s older cousin is a Rotarian in Germany, allowing Larry another club visit, continuing his perfect attendance in Rotary for a long long time – more than 33 years (a guess by your faithful reporter).  Another lovely photo of the next part of Larry’s trip was of a Rotary monument on the most western point of Europe on the coast of Portugal. No fine for Larry today – he is an amazing Rotarian who gives so much to our Club and to Rotary in general.  We appreciate how much Larry does, quietly and behind the scenes.

JB Leep and Carol Martin just returned from a trip to New Zealand and Australia on “their” little boat – the Celebrity Solstice.  The blockbuster movie, Lord of the Rings, was filmed in New Zealand. The Hobbit town that Peter Jackson, the Director, created is still in place and Carol and JB had a visit there.  They also visited the Valley of Rohan. Another interesting side excursion was to an eco-farm to feed sting rays. And, add a spectacular train ride from Dunedin to Taieri Gorge. The last part of their Celebrity cruise took them into the magnificent Milford Sound.  JB marveled that this huge ship of 120,000 tons did a full circle within the Sound. JB played bingo on the ship and won $150. He also won a big certificate for a future cruise and they booked one! They cruised to Australia from the New Zealand west coast and learned that one of the passengers had coronavirus, so they were pretty much isolated in their Sydney hotel.  Flying from LA to Santa Rosa their airplane was virtually empty! JB celebrated his 70th birthday on coming home from this fantastic trip which they shared with Carol’s two sisters.

Another exciting new adventure for our Club is the induction of three new members: Matt Rush, Catherine Hanron and Beth Smith.

Renee Hyde did a lovely introduction of what Rotary membership has done for her life.  It connected her to people who share her desire to give back to her community and changed her life completely for the better.  Then she virtually “pinned” Matt, Catherine and Beth, who each spoke briefly about their lives and how they arrived here in Windsor.

Bill Bolster sponsored Beth, who he met through Youth Exchange.  Beth is now hosting our in-bound student, Vittoria. Her daughter, Kate, is our exchange student for next year, going to Germany.

Jason Black is the sponsor for Matt Rush, who has been a good friend of his for 10 years.  Matt has played rugby for 25 years and is interested in starting a kid’s cycling club.

Catherine Hanron is already a Rotarian from Hull, Massachusetts, and found us through Windsor Mayor, Dominic Foppoli.

Messages from your fellow Rotarians:

Diane Brabetz tells us that her company is still working and providing care to members of our community.  They need people badly. There is no day care for folks with young kids. And she reminds us – WASH YOUR HANDS!  Wash, wash, wash, and don’t touch your face.

Bill Conklin gives us “the rest of the story” from last week:

Today (March 27) at 3:35 PM Julie and I became grandparents so I wanted to let you know how the story ended( or how it starts). A healthy and happy little girl ! Everybody doing well.
Cheers !

Bill Conklin
Mobile: 707-486-4913

Sandie and Wally Krutz report that they have heard from Jack Hyde back east and he and Janet are doing well.  They are anxious for things to return to normal. Thank you to Sandie and Wally for this report – we appreciate how you stay in touch with members.

Update on Carol and JB – we are…

1. Weeding
2. Walking Quigley in non-park areas – trying to get in 10,000 steps per day
3. More weeding

President Maureen ended our meeting with a moving and beautiful song, “What the World Needs Now is Love, Sweet Love”.  The singers were real people all over the U.S. singing in their home settings. Not celebrities, professionals, or “stars” – just real folks singing for joy.  It was absolutely wonderful and a great way to start our day doing something Rotarian.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

---

Program Notes

President Maureen Merrill started the meeting a little after 7:30 because people were chatting and enjoying a little social time.

We shared a pledge together.

Alison Huber offered a message originally from Eleanor Roosevelt, “Well behaved women rarely make history.”

We gave recognition to JB Leep and sang a Willie Nelson song, “On the road again.”

Photos by the talented Sue Nelson and words pieced together by the struggling scribe Tom Boylan. 

Rotarian Guests:

Alison Huber introduced Catherine Handron who is relocating from her Nantasket-Hull Rotary Club in Massachusetts and eyeing ours as her new home is in Windsor. 

Pres. Maureen introduced Mike Merrill and asked what he had in common with Catherine. The answer is they are both transferring into Windsor Rotary. 

Guests of Rotarians:

Daniel Myers introduced our student of the month/year for Windsor High School’s Arte program, Jared Bednarz. His instructor Ms. Racier was also introduced. 

Your scribe Tom Boylan took a break to introduce Town of Windsor Mayor, Dominic Foppoli and our featured speaker Amy Holter.

Renee Hyde introduced Vittoria Castellani, our amazing exchange student from Italy who happens to be temporarily locked out of Italy.

Beth Smith was introduced by a gracious Rotarian and it was suggested she is curious about where our next outbound student Kate Smith, her daughter, will be going to for her Rotary adventure.

Daniel Meyers introduced our student of the month who Daniel actually considers the student of the year since we only select one student from each of the school’s core programs. Jared was then introduced by his English teacher Miss Racer, his media arts teacher. She let us know that Jared went through a transformation from a shy person to an outgoing leader in service to others. He nearly brought her to tears. 

Jared let us know a few things he wanted to pass along. His Orkin within the Corp has given him an identity. He didn’t initially ask for Arete Media Academy at Windsor High School, but he adapted well and especially enjoyed the way the core opened his world to social interaction.  History and Economics have surprisingly become his favorite subjects. The future looks bright for this student and the rest of the world. He will interact within days to come.  

 Announcements:

Maureen reminded Bill Bolster that he is the powerhouse of the month.

Windsor High mentor program with Sue Nelson hedging our club efforts. Ask her how you can get involved.

Steve Klick let us know that his newest adventure in Rotary is coming soon as he heads to Jalisco Mexico to clean rivers. His professional work as a geologist is going to be analyzing the water problems that are currently looking to take more than a decade to clean. This is a coordinated effort with Rotary Districts in Mexico. He heads to Guadalajara next week and the adventure begins. We look forward to hearing his report on the efforts that he is a key part of. 

To help his cause he is auctioning one of his famous paella feeds, or you can just make a donation to defray his costs which are his own cost.

Kurt Micheler let us know he has been moving into a new home since he lost his in the Tubbs Fire. He also shared that he is participating in St. Baldrick’s hair raising opportunity. His current look of long locks is not trying to join a remake of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, but growing locks to have them cut off and given away to a child with cancer. 

Program:

President Maureen introduced our speaker, Amy Holter, a past president of the Healdsburg 20-30 Club. According to Amy, there are several 20-30 Clubs in Sonoma County. Some clubs are male, or female-only, but hers is a coed club of around 24 people. They are looking to add a few good men.

In comparing the membership of Rotary to 20-30 shows that there are real similarities that tie the two programs together. The benefit of the 20-30 for younger people is that it allows younger people to take on a leadership role and be a part of making the decisions that they make to build a better community.

It turns out that those who age out of the 20-30 are sometimes saddened by the aging process, but they are allowed to attend functions and keep the interaction alive, they just can’t vote. 

The meetings are similar to Rotary, the formalities include the pledge and speakers and fines.

Dominic Foppolli shared what the Santa Rosa men’s 20-30 Club meetings are like, which he feels are more like a fraternity of men. Their club does a lot of international work and members develop a bond with others in the world. He shared some stories about a recent trip to Nicaragua. 

Amy suggested that our international work for developing peace in the world is a common bond between Rotary and 20-30 Clubs. 

Professionally Amy is a recent hire for Catholic Charities. Her past work included working on projects in Africa for clean water and peace. Dominic shared that he was waiting tables when he started in 20-30 at the suggestion of Brian Ling, the old guy. Dominic is not only the Mayor of the Town of Windsor, but he is heavily involved with his brewery, and the family wine business, which includes an operation in the currently closed country of Italy.

We found out that 20-30 was born in Sacramento by a group of young professionals who were rejected by Rotary for being too young. That was 90 years ago and it is apparent that the full circle is closing since Rotary now looks for 20-30 members’ to continue their dedication to service by transitioning into the senior Rotary. Program. 

Healdsburg 20-30 is heavily involved with the Windsor Education and Heather Cullen was quick to point out that they also promote scholarships for thee Windsor Summer Arts program. Dominic shared that his club has multiple projects that are local, including the Kids Spree, which gives underprivileged children an opportunity to go shopping. He also shared that many of the young people who had never fished before getting an opportunity to fish during an annual pilgrimage to Bodega Bay’s trout farm. 

Dominic believes we need to get more involved as volunteers with the KaBoom program, which he credits to 20-30’s efforts. This is a great opportunity to share the love.

Our regular meetings will resume online on March 31; watch for your easy connection info.

---

Inspiration: “You can cut all the flowers but you cannot keep spring from coming.”  Pablo Neruda

Introduction of Our Virtual Newsletter:

Hi, Rotarian Friends,

President Maureen has asked me (Susan Cole) to pull together notes on all of our members and produce a weekly newsletter that will keep us connected virtually both to Rotary and to each other.  In order to do this, please send me via e-mail (susanc8@comcast.net) a short note, or even a sentence, letting us all know how you are handling this “shelter in place” order.  What are you doing daily? Is anyone still at work? Working from home? What is positive for you? What is your greatest challenge?  What do you want your Rotary friends to know about you and yours?

Message from President Maureen:

Next weekly meeting is ONLINE, Tuesday, March 31, at the convenient new time of 7:45 to 8:30 AM.  Each member will receive Zoom instructions, and you need not have a Zoom account in order to join in.

March 24 will be dark for meetings, but please give a call to a fellow Rotarian to keep in touch!

Also, please note our request to send an update on what you are doing during this “shelter in place” and how you are doing with it.

All Rotary gatherings are cancelled until further notice, including SCARC and the District Training Assembly.  The District Conference is postponed, possibly until fall.

For our first virtual newsletter, news from members who are traveling: 

JB Leep and Carol Martin have been traveling and cruising in New Zealand and Australia, and report that it has been a great time!   Now to get home, here is JB’s post:

Hi Friends,

I thought I would give you an update on things, since the situation has changed so radically in the last week or so.

All of us are currently in Sydney, safe and sound, isolated in our hotel rooms. It’s Friday afternoon, 2:00. We have just ordered pizza in through Uber Eats.

A few days ago, the Captain announced that we would not be visiting the last destination on our tours, Eden, Australia, and the national park walking tour there. We got a refund for that day. Australia has stopped all future visits from cruise ships, with some exceptions. And our voyage is the last for Celebrity for at least a month. Many people (300+?) on our ship were going on the next cruise back to Auckland, but got off at our last stop in NZ, Dunedin, and stayed in NZ.

There were no incidents of corona virus to our knowledge on our ship among the 2,300 or so passengers plus crew. The cruise line was scrupulous in their inspections, and there was not much virus going on in New Zealand anyway. But, though we were safe on our ship, the cruise had to end! The Australian government allowed us to tie up in Sydney, but any people staying in Australia had to self-quarantine for 14 days. Anyone leaving for foreign lands could do so but had to hole up waiting for departure. No bridge walk, no opera house!

American canceled all flights a few days ago. Fortunately their partner, Qantas, is still flying till end of March. So we moved our flights up one day, and if all goes well, we will arrive via Alaska Air through LAX (the original plan) at Santa Rosa Airport on Saturday evening.

Australia has been very proactive early in the curve to get people to stay home, but I don’t know that folks are paying 100% attention. There are signs for prevention all over the place. People in some cafes but not many cars. I hear the Qantas flight is half empty.

So, we’re not too worried about our getting back home. All our plans are in place for flights and we will see if they work out!

See you soon! Be safe and wash your hands!

Love,

JB and Carol, Jane and Sally

We received an email this morning that one passenger on our cruise ship (who got off early) tested positive!  So we are now classified as having had ‘close contact’.
Sitting here in Sydney airport waiting to board flight! I’d say about 2% are wearing face masks! Pretty much all overheard conversations revolve around the virus and quarantine situations! We are healthy!

The above is from JB and Carol’s family member

Leslie Lewis and husband, Nirmal, sadly, had to cancel a planned trip to Germany for several family celebrations.

Ken and Pam Moulton have been in Hawaii on the Big Island, staying near Kona.  Ken went deep-sea fishing with great success. They are now safe at home – here is a lovely note from Pam:

“We had no problems leaving Kona!! no masks but reminders for hand sanitizers…on the plane, we wore our masks at the outset but no one else did until we got to the airport (for a while) – on the little park and fly  bus – the bus driver was wearing a mask  and we were using hand sanitizer…Everyone was WONDERFUL and ATTENTIVE and concerned about everyone else!!!

There is no news other than we are finding that, as a community, everyone is looking out for others!!  we live in a very loving and caring community where we have had offers to buy food or other sundries….Our dogs are so happy to have us 24/7 that I worry what is going to happen when the other life kicks in!!

Ken’s fish was a big hit and will carry the both of us through many conversations for a while – the marlin was tasty – and the kid that assisted in pulling that monster in is having it STUFFED (or whatever they do) and shipped to Seattle…in the meantime  we have the story, the memory and the pictures to prove it!!

I loved that Ken said, with a disappointed voice, that he had only caught ONE fish – only to reveal that it was this amazing 177 lb BLUE MARLIN!!

Member and Doctor Rich Mucci offers the following to all of us:

I agree with Steve’s idea to cancel meetings all together.

Here is some info that I just learned although it may have been out there awhile. I think it will reinforce the idea to cancel.

As it turns out almost all the ICU meds used to treat the acute cases of virus are generic. Almost all of them are manufactured in China and India. Given the embargo’s imposed on travel and commerce from China there is likely to be a very bad shortage of medication to treat sick people. We have for so long relied on “On Time” delivery that we, meaning the USA, have no stockpiles of these meds. If for that reason alone we should all take extreme precautions and remain somewhat isolated at home.

Second reason, again having little to do with virulence of the virus, for everyone to stay home.

It turns out children can and do get the virus. However children very rarely get sick from it, in fact most of the time no one even knows they have it. We are closing all the schools. Children will be at home. Over 45% of all nurses are mothers with kids at home. The moms will then have to stay home to take care of the kids. That will create an increasing shortage of nurses again affecting anyone hospitalized for the virus. I’m not sure that plan was thought through with that in mind.

Thirdly the people getting sick are the ones with chronic diseases to start with. That was true in china and will be true here.

With respect to my presentation a few weeks ago we learned that 88% of Americans are metabolically unhealthy.

45% of Americans are obese and 110,000,000 are diabetic or prediabetic, all are serious chronic diseases that could lead to a corona disaster.

For those reasons (and a few more) I have changed my tune and am now becoming much more conservative.

Feel free to forward any or all of this to the club.

Sincerely,

Rich Mucci

On a happier note, March 21 is member Diane Brabetz’ birthday.  We all wish Diane a happy and healthy birthday.

Here’s a note from Diane about Anna Smith, one of the employees in her corporate membership:

Anna and Stan returned last night  from Cancun.  Their granddaughter was married there at a Dreams Resort near us.  They did not have any real issues getting home.  One leg (plane) was canceled but they were put on another flight.

Tell everyone to continue to hand wash, stay at a distance, but overall eat well, hydrate, stay healthy and get some sunshine.  We have to be prudent, avoid risks and crowds but at the same time keep our mental health positive.   Miss you all, 💜

di

(Diane Brabetz, RN CPNP PHN)

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

---

7:30 the bell rang, and President Maureen Merrill asked for a redo on the greeting… It was a momentous moment.

We once again cited the famous 4-way test, with energy.

Susan Cole gave us some inspirational words by ancient philosopher Lao Tzu, “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”

Next came a choral moment with JB Leep leading us in a rousing version of, “All you need is love.”

Images were provided by Sue Nelson and commentary by Tom Boylan. 

Visiting Rotarians

Tom Boylan had an opportunity to introduce Daniel Powers as a visiting Rotarian. Daniel is the President of Petaluma Sunrise and was returning the favor of having President Maureen attend his club last week.

Guests of Rotarians

Bill Bolster introduced Beth Smith, mother of Kate Smith, our outbound student. 

Pam Moulton introduced Vittoria, our resident daughter, from Italy. Pam also shared that Kate is going to Germany for her upcoming year. Kate shared she has plans for a journal so we can keep up with her travels.

Michael Juric introduced our newest corporate member, Brian Williams, principal of Windsor Middle School.

John LeCave introduced Lauren Antoni… for the last time, the associate director of culinary services at Sonoma State University. 

Barbara McChesney, with the Veteran’s Resource Center, was introduced by the fleet-footed Jose Diego.

Announcements

President Maureen asked our newest member, Brian Williams, to step up and be received, and then Michael Juric gave an intro of the School District’s senior administrator. They were joined by Susan Cole, representing the Membership committee. 

Plan to dine at KC’s Grill in downtown Windsor on March 12th.  David Culley is donating 20% of the entire day’s proceeds to promote our very own footloose Jose Diego in his quest to win the Dancing with the Stars and Stripes competition in April. 

Sue Nelson is promoting the “Mini-Fundraiser “ concept to the club. This is where a small group of members get together in smaller events and raise money for the club, including the Left Wing Theater, where your cost for a ticket is donated to the club coffers.

April 28th, we are all going to a drive-through for Tri-Tip Tuesday. Place your orders.

John LeCave introduced the club to the many donors who have given to the Rotary Bequest Society. Glenn Sugden is the first recipient of the level 5 legacy. Glenn offered some insight as to why he is committed to the charity work done by Rotary International. 

Program:

JB began the heritage introductions for our senior members of Windsor Rotary as they graced us with their Craft Talks.

Tom Hassur took the microphone and immediately reconnected with his typical enthusiastic welcome call… and it had nothing to do with the 49ers. Tom was born in 1964 in San Jose, California. His family includes three sisters and two brothers. Tom is the baby, but he shares he is the largest family member. His folks migrated from the East to California in 1930. His father wound up having a career with Borden’s Milk. A far reach from the opportunity to become an enforcer for the mob in New Jersey.

We were reintroduced to Tom’s children and their latest adventures. A musician, teacher, and soon to be a veterinarian. His residences included a short stint in Westwood California, the mountain abode was not conducive to his wife, Brenda’s idea of California living, so he wound up in Windsor, and that is where he honed his craft of glass blowing, which he continues to this day.

Brian Ling brought his whistle and got right into his past. He has born and raised in Santa Rosa and a lifelong resident of the county. He grew up in the Santa Rosa Golf & Country Club, where he spends a lot of time as a member and as the Executive Director of the Sonoma County Alliance. 

We learned that Brian stepped into the family business and met his wife, Debbie, while working out of the area. His work with the family business, Reliance Trailer, was his introduction to the manufacturing business, which became something he enjoyed. The ups and downs were dramatic and then added a recession, and the business came to a close in 2009. This loss was positive for Sonoma County because Brian took the role of Executive Director of Sonoma County Alliance, which meets on the first Wednesday of the month. Make a plan to check it out.

Brian shared the history of Rotary and the development of the Town of Windsor. It would appear that most of the founders were Rotarians, except Brian. The pressure of constant invites by Rotarians finally got him to move away from the 20-30 Club. His father was a long time Rotarian with Santa Rosa West and made a $100 donation towards Brian’s Paul Harris Fellowship. That giving has driven his appreciation for finding ways to promote giving. To aid his ability to recognize those who donate to the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation, he carries the train whistle in honor of our founder John Lewis.

Dennis Wilkinson claimed that the order of speakers was based on the best looking going last. He said he was not going to talk about his business, but he did manage to share a little… like the name of the business, which someone in the club asked for. D&S Awards in Santa Rosa should be a household name since the work they have done over the years can be seen all over the county.

We were told that Dennis was born in 1954 in South Bend, Indiana, close to Notre Dame. His family lived on a farm that had few amenities, but it kept the family close. The early years had the family bouncing around the mid-west, attending numerous schools, which has kept Dennis in touch with many of those he went to school within his early years through High School. 

Dennis spent time as a diesel mechanic who gave him a short time in Texas, Denver, and Sturgis… Denver also gave him a divorce, which led him to Halliburton and an assignment in Abu Dubai, where he lived on a ship and serviced oil wells. This job gave him the ability to travel and explore many of the countries in the Middle East. 

He returned to the States and spent some time as a doorman for a couple of bars, which then sent him off to another contract in the North Sea. There are some bold stories, and you’ll have to bend his ear to learn more about the deck of the ship splitting. 

In 1984 he moved to Sonoma County and went to work for the Geysers, Halliburton again. In 1991 he went to a trade show in Vegas and found his newest calling, a trophy, and engraving business began in his garage and quickly grew to his current location in Santa Rosa, off Piner Avenue. You might also bend an ear with Dennis to learn about his rock & roll connections. President Maureen had to give him the hook because we ran out of time. 

President Maureen gave a shout out to Craig Curreri for handing out dictionaries this afternoon to Windsor third graders.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

---

Upcoming Community Events

Windsor @ Weill Hall on Wed, March 25. Free – Ticket Required. More information available here: https://gmc.sonoma.edu/windsorweill/

Windsor Talent Show on Friday, March 6. $15, doors open at 6:30. More information in the flyers attached in photos.

Heather Cullen is the club contact person: tyrdnhappy@yahoo.com

---

Program Notes

Past President Sue Nelson took the lead and rang the bell at 7:30 in the absence of President Maureen Merrill.

The scribe was asked to lead the pledge of Allegiance.

Susan Cole gave us a “General” message from Marcus Aurelius: “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

Photography was provided by Sandi Krutz, words by Tom Boylan.

Visiting Rotarians:

Arnie Miller, father of our newest member, Lauren Antoni, was in the house.

Guests of Rotarians:

Our other newest member, Barbara McChesney introduced her husband Dave. 

My apologies for stepping away from my keyboard to pass out pamphlets for our speaker. It would appear I missed a few names. 

Leah Hansen just moved into her new home which replaces the devious home that was lost in the 2017 fire. 

Craig Curreri let us know that he handed out dictionaries to third graders last week. JB Leep and Chris Landwher were the assistants.

Renee Hyde, membership chair asked Lauren Antoni and Barbara McChesney to step up and be recognized as our newest members.” Tuesday’s belong to Rotary,” and there was a warm round of applause to welcome them into the club. Our traditional handshake then took place and a few alternative fist bumps. 

Larry Wasem let us know that he had a great visit with his grandson in Houston Texas. Larry suggested there are a lot of grandsons and granddaughters in Houston, although not all his.

Renee Hyde announced she and Paul Peloso just celebrated their 10-year anniversary.

JB Leep shot a shared 74 with his son-in-law at Bennett Valley Golf Course, and there was a hole in one, but not on JB’s part.

Bev Graham let us know that she now has 7 great-grandchildren and another on the way. 

Arnie Miller with Willits Rotary came in to see his daughter Lauren become a member of our club. He is sharing $100 Happy Bucks to recognize her commitment.

April 25th is the Dancing with the Stars and Stripes contest. Be sure to go to the website and vote for Jose Diego, then plan on attending a KC’s American Kitchen fundraiser on March 12, 5 – 7 PM.

Jose had an opportunity to let us know what an impact the dancing opportunity has given him to help raise funds for a worthy cause and the experience it has given him. 

Left Edge Theater is another opportunity to raise funds in March .. 6:30 reception and 7 PM play starts.

A volunteer opportunity came up at Windsor High School Vineyard Academy, Thursday, March 5th and Friday, March 6th. We can meet students and explain who we are and what we do. Learn how you can have an impact on a student and get the Rotary story told by connecting with Sue Nelson for additional info.

Program:

JB Leep gave us an introduction to our speaker, Dr. Anish Shah. Dr. Shah is a practicing psychiatrist in Northern California for 19 years, gaining experience in several behavioral health settings, including Lake County Mental Health, Kaiser Permanente, and Sonoma County Mental Health. He is currently the CEO and Medical Director of Siyan Clinical Corporation (SCC) located in Santa Rosa. 

Dr. Shah gave us a summary of the current state of opioid dependence and the growing problem of opioid addiction. The statistics he shared were staggering as to the number of people that become addicted and the number of persons that lose their lives to opiates. 

According to our speaker, in 1990 pharmaceutical companies started prescribing opiates with a mention that they were not addictive. Prescriptions for opiates grew increasingly over the years and eventually it was thought that the same opiates transitioned to off-label treatments for minor pain and arthritis. Today we know that in fact, opiates do kill.

Opiate addiction is a social problem. 40% of opioid users received their opiates for free from a family member or a friend. People are not aware of the urgency of ending opioid treatment within a short amount of time in order to avoid the addiction associated with the drug. 

Addiction is a disease, not a morality problem. It is a neurobiological illness and our community has a difficult time accepting it. Dr. Shah shared some insight as to what to look for in an individual that might have a problem, including: 

• Excessive amounts used 
• Excessive time spent using/obtaining
• Hazardous use despite health problems
• Missed obligations
• Interference with activities 
• Personal problems 
• Craving or urges to use 
• Unsuccessful attempts to cut down

Look for the symptoms to understand when friends and family are caught in the cycle of addiction.

Great questions from the club members and informative answers followed. 

Dr. Shah’s Powerpoint is available here: Anish Shah MAT Presentation

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

---

Program Notes

Past President Sue Nelson let us know that even though President Maureen Merrill was in the room, but she wasn’t speaking to allow her to recover from a cough. When told she would not be speaking…pause…laughter… and good wishes for a speedy recovery.

John Hackenburg was asked to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Susan Cole gave us the inspiration of Mahatma Ghandi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Itsy Bitsy Spider made its presence known when Carol Martin led a choir of finger puppets recreating the early childhood memories of the song.

Photos were provided by Sandi Krutz, and the words were offered by Tom Boylan.

Rotarian Guests:

JB Leep introduced our speaker and past president of the Sebastopol Rotary, David Schreibman. He also introduced Tom Boag from the same club.

Kathryn Handlen from a Massachusetts Rotary Club is now living in Windsor and happy to be here thanks to Maureen’s invitation

Guests of Rotarians:

Jason Black introduced his lovely school teacher wife, Meghan Black, and the principle of her school, San Miguel Charter Elementary School, Patrick Eagle. 

Aubrey Duke our Student of the Month, and her teacher Kate Fitzgerald were introduced by Daniel Myers.

Diane Brabitz introduced two of her employees, Anna and Joey.

Announcements:

Leah Hansen is the powerhouse Rotarian who recently moved into her newly rebuilt home!

Bev Graham got a shout out for her efforts to get our recent social gathering together on the Town Green.

There are a couple of events promoting the talents of Windsor. Windsor @ Weill Hall on Wed, March 25 and the fabulous Windsor Talent Show on Friday, March 6.  Heather Cullen is the club contact person with all the details. tyrdnhappy@yahoo.com 

A special presentation was made by Carol Martin and Glenn Sugden to award a check totaling $2196.31 to San Miguel Charter Elementary School, because Meghan Black had requested assistance from our club. Meghan teaches at the school and was looking to buy a 3D printer for her Maker Series class. She gave us the rundown on what the first project will be for the students to create, 3D rocket parts. The school principal, Patrick Eagle, thanked the club for allowing children to extend their thinking. Glenn Sugden then let us know how cool Meghan is with developing the Maker Space at the school. We also got a thank you card from the students.

We found out that the Rotary Club of Coronado sent us a check for $14,686 to restore Foothill Park. There will be a presentation ceremony at Foothill Park on Saturday, February 29th at 9 am. Please show up.

Daniel Myers introduced the “Student of the Year” Aubrey Duke and invited Kate Fitzgerald, Aubrey’s English teacher, who also promotes public health to the students. Aubrey is committed to her community and enjoying her time with the Pre-Med core at Windsor High. She let us know she is gravitating toward the psychology of the future. Her efforts have made her more empathetic to those around her and this is leading her down a path of Child Psychology.

According to Aubrey, “I just feel like I am at home in the Pre-Med program.”

Sue Nelson asks us to sign up for the WHS Vineyard Academy program that will allow students a chance to meet us and hear about what we do and or have done, especially as Rotarians.  

Dancing with the Stars and Stripes will have a chance to raise some funds at a club social on March 12th. David Culley, owner of KC’s American Grill will be donating a percentage of the day’s proceeds toward the Stars and Stripes program. The social starts at 5:30, but the food is served all day long.  

On March 26th, Jason Black has us going to the Left Edge Theater for another mini-fundraiser. Details to follow.

Steve Klick welcomed Salvador Rico with the Rotary Club of South Ukiah as a leader in the work to Clean Rivers of the World. Salvador told us that Rotary International is considering supporting the efforts he and a few other Northern California Rotarians started by cleaning the Russian River, and eventually heading into Mexico. He and Rotary have been building connections with other major groups concerned about clean water and rivers specifically. Salvador will be travelling to Washington DC to connect with others looking to create a clean water alliance with agencies outside of Rotary to clean rivers around the world. We are all invited to get behind his efforts. 

Program:

JB let us know that David Schreibman is the co-founder of the Overcoming Obstacles Award (OOA) program with Sebastopol Rotary Club. The OOA program has been around for 10 years and provides support to students who have met challenges beyond the typical high school age student, and overcame those challenges. 

David shared that the award is close to his heart and means enough to him to get up early and share the details of the OOA program with us. We were introduced to many quotes from both Rotarians and students relaying that the program is a life changing event. 

Many of the honorees have overcome major obstacles, not related to higher GPA scores, or their athletic abilities. This program targets high school seniors that made a life decision to change their lives, regardless of the pitfalls they faced. Many of these recipients have faced extreme challenges.

Character and actions to overcome hardships is the premise of the award. Frank Mayhew of the Sebastopol Club was a founded the OOA after a visit to the Rotary Club of Reno where they were honoring students who dealt with special challenges. He and the Sebastopol club made a decision to work with students that are challenged by societal limitations they have faced.

David gave us a picture of what the event day looks like. Students are presented with various speakers, community leaders and adults that have overcome obstacles in their past as well. These talks lead to discussions with the students, who wind up learning that they are not alone when it comes to their problems. Others have gone through the same trials and tribulations and have come out on the better side of life. 

Each student is assigned a mentor for the day to help guide them through the program. A student quote he shared, “No adult has ever shared their teenage obstacles in the past. I thought it was just me that had the problem.”

Every student is given a $200 check and is invited to a lunch, where they can also bring up to two friends to the lunch for support. Each student also receives a $1000 scholarship, and a single student that excels in the interaction receives an additional $1000 scholarship.

This program has taken off with the commitment of the Sebastopol Rotary Club members. David shared that in order to build a program, you need the commitment. We were challenged to consider using the Sebastopol model to build our own OOA for Windsor Rotary. David shared that his club has the materials they can share to help us get this off the ground.

---

Upcoming Community Events

Monday, March 2, Club Board of Directors Meeting, 5:02 – 6:12 PM,  145 Wikiup Drive, Maureen’s office in “south Windsor”.  All members welcome.  Non-directors, please notify Maureen of attendance, in case space adjustments are needed.  Topics: Membership updates, Scholarship, and other signature service programs, club admin activities.

Thursday, March 12, K.C.’s California Grill, Town Green in Windsor.  ALL DAY DINE ‘n DONATE to benefit Veterans Resource Center and the dancing of our member, Jose Diego, in Dancing With the Stars and Stripes (that event is Saturday, April 25).           5 – 7 PM . . . Club Social Reception on KC’s heated patio; come for the friendship, invite friends, and stay for dinner.

Thursday, March 25 Live Play / Theatre Night for Windsor Rotary.  Mini-fundraiser and social.  See Pulitzer Prize-Winning Play, “The Flick”, a NY Times Critics Choice, at Left Edge Theatre, south side of Luther Burbank Center for the Arts.  6:30 PM Reception, 8 PM Showing.  Underwritten by Jason Black, Edward Jones Financial Advisors.  

Saturday, April 11, 8 – 1, District Training Assembly, Finley Center, Santa Rosa.  Also held in Eureka on Saturday, March 21, same time. See www. rotary5130.org.

Tuesday, April 28.  4 – 7 with prep time during the day. TRI-TIP TUESDAYreturns as a mini-fundraiser and service project with the WHS Vineyards Academy. See Carol Martin to get your fork in.

Friday – Saturday, May 15-16 Annual District Conference in beautiful Humboldt County. Reservations are tight, so please secure lodging.  Don’t miss the annual presentation of Youth Exchange Students and the chance to meet up with Rotarians from our 6-county, 47-club district!  It’s our yearly celebration of all that Rotary Clubs do in our communities and in the world.

---

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

---

Flyer for Rotary Golden Gate Relay (GGR) is available as an image in the picture gallery and as a PDF here: GGR Rotary Flier

---

Past President Tom Boylan was handed the mic to lead the meeting in what may or may not have been a spontaneous gesture by President Maureen, who declared that she wished to scribe for a change.  

David Ruprecht led the pledge

Inspiration by Susan Cole:  “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” – John F. Kennedy

Guests:  Justin Wilcock, Matt Rust, Barbara McChesney, Youth Exchange Student Vittoria Castellani, Heather Cullen’s grandson Emmet (whom Heather had to escort out due to toddler interruptions, but we enjoyed meeting him!)

Announcements:

Renee Hyde:  rounding up non-assigned members of the “Power of 3” project, which is all about combining talents over the next couple of months to invite new members to our club.  

Joan Mora announced films to be shown at local venues, about human trafficking.  These are on the following Wednesdays, including 2/5, 6 – 8 at the Finley Center. Ask Joan for more information. 

---

SPEAKER – Esther Lemus, Vice-Mayor of Windsor and Assistant District Attorney for Sonoma County was interviewed by Tom Boylan, who also moderated questions from members. 

Esther shared her cat story, in which her family cat was found in a nice home some 3 months after Kincaid fire – before that family’s daughter was able to take the cat away to college.  Press-Democrat wrote an article, and then a San Francisco reporter came to do a story. Now she’s been advised to start an internet page for him.  

Esther, a graduate of U.C. Berkeley and UCLA Law School, wanted to be a lawyer because of a childhood commitment to justice, which she thinks generated from being the youngest child in her large family. As a child, she found it unfair to have to sit in the back seat. She is now an Assistant District Attorney for Sonoma County, prosecuting various crimes and with a special interest in domestic violence and family justice. 

An early foray into politics centered on an issue of whether gender-neutral restrooms were appropriate for recreation areas.  She also brought her experience as a working mother to bear when advocating the Windsor School Board for a job share option for teachers.  

Tom asked about Bell Village – a private-ownership residential project in downtown Windsor. Esther reports that after several iterations, last year, Windsor was approached by the owner who indicated funding problems, requesting a 2-year extension.  The project is not going up any time soon. 

Tom asked about homelessness . . . Esther commented upon how those experiencing homelessness are counted as “unsheltered” including “couch-surfing” (without permanent housing). There is an official count of 53 in Windsor. Town provided $200K to Interfaith Shelter to assist with that.  Also supported Reach for Home, for those at risk of becoming homeless. Pam Moulton mentions that we have a huge homeless population, but reports that typically before the official counts, there are sweeps of the camps the night before.  Is Windsor properly engaged with this issue? Esther says that in her work at the DA’s office she does a lot of work with the homeless and appreciates the information. 

Diane Brabetz asked about campers on Joe Rodota trail.  How does the “Boise” law apply when people refuse housing? Esther says her understanding is that the obligation is to have the housing option.  

Dennis Wilkinson asked about affordable housing.  Specifically, the difficulties qualifying for affordable housing and also for loans. What is the income threshold for applying for affordable housing?  Esther says qualifications value, depends on the type: for Section 8, for example, requirements are quite stringent. Comments on the difficulty of working people earning enough for housing, whether renting or buying.