Category: 2020 Jan-Jun

The gathering began shortly after 7 AM and there were stories shared of surviving fires and pet acquisitions. President Bill Bolster rang the bell at 7:30. There were 37 in attendance

We have been opening our meeting sharing slides of past “live” meetings. Then we went to a beautiful sunset picture, which unfortunately was due to a fire in the distance. ZOOM master Michael Juric was at the controls.

John Hackenburg led us in a pledge of allegiance

Your Scribe for the day is once again Tom Boylan, and the images are courtesy of Sue Nelson.

Our guest and speaker today is Sonoma County’s 4th District Supervisor, James Gore. Due to his schedule we gave him a chance to speak first, so plan on reading the rest of the story after the first of the story.

Program:

JB Leep introduced our speaker, Supervisor James Gore,  and spent quite a bit of time sharing the Healdsburg native’s history from growing up in the North Bay to his education, and his serving in the Peace Corp where he met his future wife and more than likely opened the door for him to work within the Obama administration, before eventually finding his way home again.  Get the full story here: http://supervisorjamesgore.com/about.php  or here https://www.facebook.com/GoreCountry/

James was kind enough to share a report on the fire’s activities in Sonoma County, offering that it all got out of control so soon due to the lightning strikes and the high winds. We were told to go to either his webpage, or his Facebook to get a better understanding of the fire and what was being done to put it out.

https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/Board-of-Supervisors/District-4/Contact-James-Gore/

or here https://www.facebook.com/GoreCountry/

Although he suggested there is always a need for additional funds to deal with fires, he offered that money alone won’t dissipate the potential for fire, especially in areas where homes are scattered throughout the hills outside of Healdsburg. In these areas James suggested that even with all the vegetation removed from around the homes, the embers are going to set off fires. He did offer that there are programs in place in the county to help offset costs for changing siding and roofs to a more fire tolerant material.

https://sonomacounty.ca.gov/General-Services/Energy-and-Sustainability/Benefits-of-Sustainability/Construction-Hardening/

While we are all struggling at times with technology, the same can be said for Mr. Gore’s home web service, which caused him to leave the meeting several times, but fortunately we have a fire expert in our club. Doug Williams, retired Fire Chief for the Town of Windsor, explained why the fire is lumped in with our neighboring counties fires.

The LNU Fire started in Napa and because they had an incidence control in place, and due to the number of fires caused by the freakish lightening storm, they retained control over the incident. The Walbridge Fire didn’t have the capacity to field another incident control team, so we work together and the numbers that reflect the degree of containment are somewhat skewed since they reflect the entire region.

Doug also suggested that the County could use more fixed wing aircraft and or helicopters to aid in the firefighting efforts, however, the cost for these machines is restrictive, so we have to rely on CAL Fire and other sources.

Doug suggested we visit this site for more info: http://www.alertwildfire.org/northbay

Although fire was the main topic for the day we did try to go to the COVID topic. Supervisor Gore’s perspective is that COVID is much more than the disease itself. The social repercussions and economic situations from mask wearing to supporting the business community pose significant challenges and he asked us to give him feedback on our concerns and suggestions so he can take these into consideration for defining the COVID situation more clearly and then expanding the fight against this pandemic.

Our own Diane Brabetz is now sharing her weekly observations on the COVID problem:

Total Cases – 5212
Deaths -73.     18 last week   (58 from senior facilities)

County positivity rate 10.9%  (State 5.6%)

37% are still in 26-44 year olds

New Cases – Sat 125, Sun 53, Mon 92

Hospitalizations 51

Diane adds, we continue with spread from our senior facilities and community spread.   Much of this is extended family, large social gatherings and travel. Whenever we have people who are in contact with those that they do not live with, there is a risk of transmission. Please encourage your friends to not let their guard down, wear a mask and think twice about travel. Help keep our community safe.

With all that we are seeing and hearing regarding the difficult times for others in Northern California, take time to consider sending a donation to the Rotary District 5130 Disaster Relief Fund. They will work hard to make sure every dollar donated will make a difference in someone’s life! Donations can be made by going to the website, or by mailing a check to:  Ashliegh Diehl, District 5130 Treasurer, 1315 Fourth Street,  Eureka, Ca 95501

Inspiration:

After all the gloom, it was refreshing to get a little inspiration from Susan Cole who shared some inspiring words from John F. Kennedy:

“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”

Rotarian guest:

From Merida, Mexico PDG Igor Peniche

No guests of Rotarians:

Announcements:

We heard that Rich Mucci is departing Sonoma County for Arizona and we had a chance to say goodbye. Rich had been a resident of Sonoma County for more than 45 years and although he is saddened to leave so many connections, he is excited to step into a new phase of his life. Rich gave a great talk on the need for a special diet to control insulin problems and it is attached here: Diet Recommendations Rich Mucci 2001. Safe travels Rich!

August Rotarian of the month… The Board of Directors for Windsor Rotary:

• Bill Bolster –President
• Maureen Merrill –Past President
• Pam Moulton –President Elect
• Leah Hansen –Secretary
• Ed Turner -Treasurer
• Glenn Sugden –Community; President-elect designate
• Carol Martin –Community
• Sandie Krutz –Youth
• Doug Williams –Vocational
• Ken Moulton (John Hackenburg) –International
• Renee Hyde –Membership
• Alison Huber –Director at large

(Did no one notice that I have been listing these folks as the July Rotarians of the month for the past few bulletins?)

Food security is catching on and Heather Cullen shared that we have a new partner in the Windsor Kiwanis Club. They are going to supply people and resources to keep the food flowing to those in need. The drop off locations remains the same. Remember you can send a donation through the Windsorrotary.org website.

Club Clipboard:

We have a need for others in the club to get involved. Please contact Chris Landwher (info@windsorrotary.co)  if you can find the time to spell someone who has been volunteering and is in need for support.

If you sing like a bird, why not get the rest of the flock chirping. We need a volunteer to lead us in a few songs. Here’s a perfect pitch for the pitch perfect, send an email to info@windsorrotary.co and let’s get something to sing about.

If you would like to have a say in how we write about our club meetings, become a scribe. The pay is negotiable and the perks are that no one gets to edit your words. Seriously looking for a volunteer, or two, or three. Let Tom know (info@windsorrotary.co) if you have a want to become a columnist for Rotary. 

The Rotary Club of Windsor needs a Social Media manager. We are looking for someone that can post to a new platform and have our notes appear in several social media. The platform allows you to create posts once a month and set a schedule to appear in Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. This is a guaranteed fun job and the pay will none. Contact Chris Landwher (info@windsorrotary.co)  if you are interested, or just post it online.

Glenn Sugden gave us an update on the Robotics program and the open door policy to allowing others to help mentor young people in their pursuit of tomorrows technology. Contact Glenn, Carol Martin, JB Leep, or Wally Krutz to get onboard. Or shoot an email to Shoot an email to info@windsorrotary.co. 

Finemaster Leslie Lewis decided to take aim at JB Leep and Carol Martin for their performance in the video posted last week. JB offered to spend a little to avoid further review.

Renee Hyde shared what it was like to go on vacation to San Diego. Renee offered to pay a little more toward the John Lewis Fund based on the number of travel hours the trip took.

 John Hackenburg and wife Jean took a trip to the Pacific Northwest and can’t wait to get out on the road for the next trip. John says he is taking donations to get his truck repaired after a non-injury accident on the trip. Leslie let him know it doesn’t work that way.

John LeCave celebrated his and Donna’s 34th wedding anniversary… and their daughter Amanda’s wedding, which John had the opportunity to officiate.  The cost savings associated with a backyard wedding meant he had some spare change to donate to the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation, and the food drive.

Pres Bill shared a caring birthday message sent to him from JB and Carol. Bottom Line … You are old and could have played pool with Jesus. 

Our meeting got off to a little slower start today with 27 members present at the ringing of the bell.

President Maureen Merrill welcomed us and then shared a photo of John Nelson’s seagull.

President Elect Bill Bolster offered some inspiration authored by Charles Swindoll: “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.

Technical advisor for today’s meeting was JB Leep. The scribe for the day was Tom Boylan.

Visiting Rotarians:

Pres Maureen introduced our District Governor Kathy Flamson, who shared that she is governing by Zoom today.

Guests of Rotarians:

Erica Vogel was introduced as our speaker for the day.

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Announcements:

Our newest members were once again recognized for their commitment to Rotary under strange circumstances. Katherine Haron, Beth Smith and Matt Rush are looking at 100% attendance!

April’s Powerhouse Sue Nelson was recognized for her photographic creativity and her devotion to the Club.

Sandie Krutz shared her Youth efforts and asked for volunteers to step up and become Host Parents. She gave the screen to Craig Curreri who shared his experience with hosting. He and Elaine have enjoyed their time with students and suggest that every home would have a great experience.

Sandie says there are three host families and asked us to please consider. There are possible changes to the program due to the Virus, but we are staying the course and awaiting what, if any, changes might come round.

It has been reported that David Culley and his wife Kathy are in their wonderful new home.

1. Marie Coakley enjoyed her birthday phone calls and says we can continue to do random phone calls in the days ahead. According to Sandie, E. Marie is chipper, upbeat and doing fine.

Sandie and Wally are planning and preparing for a “BIG” vegetable garden this year.

Kate Smith is getting ready to head out to Germany. She is working on the language and the various tasks that Rotary requires and her mom Beth says she is raring to go.

We heard from Bill Conklin that his newest family member, Emilia Dolores Corcoran, his granddaughter is doing well in Colorado and Bill and Julie are anxious to get the chance to visit in person. Brian Ling blew the whistle when Bill shared he is making a donation to the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation.

Carol Martin shared some exciting news regarding grants. The club will be making money available to three local organizations, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Windsor Community Alliance, and First Presbyterian Church. Each is going to receive a grant of $2000 to assist their efforts to relieve food needs.

Craig Curreri let us know that another grant was given to Brooks Elementary School so they can build a Rotary Scholar Garden. We are sending $750 towards the scholar garden, similar to what we did for Cali Calmecac Academy.

Sandy shared that Hand sanitizer is free from Barrel Brothers Brewing, you have to call ahead to get an order in, the cost is free. Check them out at their website. (Link: https://www.barrelbrothersbrewing.com/)

Chris Landwher is on the mend and appreciating President Maureen letting us know he is feeling better.

DG Kathy Flamson shared that Rotary has managed to switch gears to combat Covid-19 over Polio when it comes to work in Third-World countries. Polio still has the partnership of Rotary, but the focus has to be on the Pandemic first and then hopefully, we get back to business of eradicating Polio. For more information on the work that Rotary is doing look here. (link: https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-monitors-coronavirus-outbreak)

DG Kathy shared a new effort by the State of California to acquire volunteers to help during the COVID-19 crisis. There is some training required and the place to get a look at what they are trying to do can be found here. (Link: https://volunteersurge.com)

Pegi Ball is asking for Farmers market volunteers to help keep people separated. Connect with her and be prepared to start your Saturday at 8:30 am.

Heather Cullen is planning a food drive and asks that we keep an eye out for additional information.

Bill Bolster asked that we recognize all the effort that Carol Martin has done to find community needs that we can assist with. President Maureen says we should take a walk around 6500 Faught Rd., Bill’s property.

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Program:

Program coordinator JB introduced our speaker Erica Vogel, She is the interim CEO of Community Matters in Santa Rosa. The organization promotes safe schools around the globe, with a high intensity of California Schools. She is a graduate of Spring Harbor University in Michigan, and has a long list of associations she has worked with.

Erica gave some praise to JB for his sharing tech tutoring.

They work with schools to provide a variety of needs for the education of social issues, including safe school ambassadors, a program that sets out to change a schools cultural understanding of topics such as violence, sexual harassment, suicide and threats to schools.

Students are being tasked with becoming the change agents to work within their school to identify potential mistreatment and understand how their actions can help to stop problems before they become extreme.

This is a program with a lot of moving parts, so I suggest you go to their website to learn more. (Link:  https://community-matters.org/)

By the conclusion of today’s meeting we had 33 people signed in. Let’s reach out to others and be sure to let them know they don’t need to have a computer to participate. Anyone with a phone, either smart phone or land line can call in and listen to the meeting.

Socializing stopped for a while at 7:30 when President Maureen Merrill rang the online bell. 28 people were online.

We were once more shown a John Nelson seagull photo and Susan Cole shared Marie Curie’s quote:

Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now it the time to know more.

The scribe for the day was Tom Boylan

No visiting Rotarians:

Guest of Rotarians:

Mark Hanson, our speaker, was introduced.

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Announcements:

Newest members continue to get a shout out by Pres Maureen, including Catherine Hanron, Matt Rush and Beth Smith.

We learned that down the road we are going to have Chris Smith, Press Democrat columnist, as a speaker. Stay tuned.

April Powerhouse Rotarian and photo archivist Sue Nelson was thanked for all she contributes to the Club.

Remembering George Johnson meant sharing photos of men in kilts. Joe Deacon shared a story of sitting with George in a meeting when George offered an airplane engine to the Windsor High School auto shop class. Joe thinks it would be good to know that the engine was repaired and it is the one that George, with his kilt on, used to propel him upward for his last flight.

Bill Conklin’s granddaughter Emilia Dolores was highlighted once more and thanks went to Bill for his donation to the Foundation.

Heather Cullen rolled into the meeting in her pajamas and announced her efforts to get a food drive underway. This effort will add to the pantries of the folks we are supporting. Food drop off times are April 24th, and Sunday April 26th at 5 PM. Drop your donation at 9525 Jessica Drive, or 301 Jensen Lane.

Pres Maureen shared a few debunking pics and asked for a definition of what it means to be debunked. We all had a good laugh looking back at Susan Cole’s festivities and a photo of Bill Arnone in Tahitian drag. We looked back at President Jack Hyde’s debunking, Captain Jack and crew were looking pretty festive and ready to work as extras on a Disney set. We ended the photo memories with a group shot and Pres Maureen’s last debunking at the famed Pink Elephant in Monte Rio. The was a surely looking bunch and we are told there are no photos of Pres Maureen dancing on the bar.

We can thank Sue Nelson for sharing photos from the archive.

Carol Martin gave us a report on community service. Donations that we reported on last week, went to various food projects and now the thank you notices are rolling in from Our Lady of Guadalupe, First Presbyterian Church and Windsor Alliance. Posts promoting our good efforts have been made to the Club Facebook page and you are invited to go there and repost to your own page so that we can let others know the good work Rotary is doing in the community. Spread the good service the club is engaged in. Our money is going a long way to help others.

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Program:

JB Leep provided the introduction of our speaker Matt Hanson, the owner of the Bricoleur Vineyards and Winery in Windsor. Mark is a North Bay native who was raised in Sonoma County. His wife’s grandfather was Carlo Rossi, the famed winemaker. Mark told us he is a fairly recent transplant back to Sonoma County where he and his wife decided they wanted to open a corporate and charitable event center because retirement was too foreign a word for the dynamic couple.

The building that will house the new center is a renovated horse barn. When working for permits with the County government, it became apparent that to have an event center they had to start a winery, due to restrictions offered by the County for the building of an event center.

A cute story of the naming of the winery let us know the name, Bricoleur, is defined as having no plan, and according to Mark, they definitely were flying by the seat of their pants on the project.

A fourth generation member of a winemaking family, Cary Gott took on the role of winemaker for the company. According to Mark, their company has been expanding even though not many others have been undertaking the same aggressive stance for expanding under the current climate for business in the North Bay and beyond. The future has a 40,000 case winery being developed in the next 5 years.

The winery is promoting a variety of boutique wines so that they can promote tasting / pairings in the near future. The photos of the Winery will be all we get to see for a short time due to the current situation, so we will have to make the trek once they get the doors open with the blessing of the powers that keep us healthy. The building did have an opportunity to be used for a family wedding two years ago and the photos looked amazing.

Mark invited the attendees to feel free to wander the property without any intrusion while looking for places to go during the COVID crisis.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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Our first virtual meeting test was held Tuesday, March 24.  About 20 members tuned in through Zoom communications set up by our own fabulous member, Glenn Sudgen.  Huge thanks and virtual hugs go to Glenn from every member of our club for making this possible.

NEXT MEETING, TUES., MAR. 31 AT 7:45AM VIA ZOOM. 

Don’t miss it . . . we are welcoming three new members in our first-ever online inductions:  Catherine Hanron, Matt Rush, Beth Smith.  

Be there or be square.  It’s time for all of us to learn new ways of doing things.  Is it a bit scary? Sure, but that’s what keeps us alive and energetic and young – learning new things.  Glenn even says he will help anyone who needs assistance in getting on line for our meetings. He is available either by phone or e-mail (see below).

Please let us know how you are.  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?

Here’s what we talked about at our first virtual meeting on Tuesday:

Glenn Sudgen:  On-line Zoom meetings are underway.  We can all join this room at any time.  The meetings will be recorded and will be posted by Glenn, so you can catch up on discussions at any time that’s convenient for you.  Chat with other members and have off-line conversations (just like we do in meetings) anytime you want. Glenn suggests you set up your computer where there is light in front of you and a dark background in back of you so you don’t wash out.  You can use the microphone on your computer, but it may not be ideal. The better option is to connect your computer to a Bluetooth and use either a headset or ear buds. Glenn’s contact info is available on our DACdb site and you are welcome to text or call him always.  Here it is:

Glenn Sudgen

Cell (or text msg):  (707) 696-9906

e-mail:  glenn@thirdworkshop.com

Steve Klick is our guru for getting access to DACdb.   You need your Club Number: 24931, and your member number, which is on your Rotarian magazine as well as on DACdb.

President Maureen asks us to think of ways we can continue to be of service to our community.  Carol Martin is our clearinghouse for ideas.

We had quite a discussion about the medical need for masks.  Barbara McChesney and Maureen have both begun making homemade masks with a pocket to put in a filter and wire to mold to the nose.  Sandie Krutz offered elastic in several sizes to whoever needs it. She will put the elastic on the barrel outside her front door at 8800 Starr Road.

Sandie Krutz also suggested that since there will be no 4-H this year, our Club could buy an animal, distribute the meat to the Food Bank and support kids in 4-H.  Maureen mentioned that we did this for years (one of our vintage projects) through former member Ron Carli of American Ag Credit.

Carol Martin says the Redwood Empire Food Bank is especially busy providing lunches for children who are not getting them through the schools which are shut down.  Also, families are greatly in need of food. REFB is in emergency planning mode and needs volunteers to assist in food distribution. This is a hands-on opportunity to serve and they are taking steps to make it safe for everyone with correct social distancing.

Bill Bolster always keeps our spirits up with his amusing and self-deprecating stories.  Ask him about his new electric lawn mower. Bill offers his 30-40 acres in back of his home take walks and get some fresh air.   Bill is at 6500 Faught Road, and his dog, who will greet you, is Hunter.

Proving that someone does read these messages, Bill Conklin offers the following about what is happening in his life during “shelter in place.”

Julie and I are awaiting the arrival of our first grandchild tonight. However because of this” Virus Pandemic ” we will only hear about it through texts and messages and will not be with them in Lakewood CO. Because of the ramping up of the virus at this time we all thought it best to minimize contact with the nuclear family. As I type this out , my daughter Michelle will be checking into the hospital for her delivery. It reminds me of why our Rotary Club is so important to me. Back 32 years ago everybody in the club passed the hat and I had to match it for a savings account for the soon to be mom , our daughter Michelle. Today she is a nurse practitioner in Denver CO and up until a week ago was starting to see the new pandemic develop.
We’re excited and nervous at this time for the new family and keeping ourselves busy at home with a deck cover project for me to complete and my wife is rounding up all the family photos and scanning them into the computer. They go back to the 1930’s. Of course we’re discovering new recipes in the kitchen and volunteering at the REFB.

I’m with Rich Mucci on becoming more conservative with what I do and where I go now days. As a dentist for 29 years I never experienced a situation that completely shut down delivery of dental care in America. It could be this way for quite a while. So everybody – practice prevention in everything you do.

Well wishes to all and stay safe.

Bill Conklin
Mobile: 707-486-4913

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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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.

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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)