Category: 2020 Jan-Jun

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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The main speaker, Diana Curtin, CEO of Community Matters, was unable to speak on “Safe School Environments & Solutions to Bullying” due to feeling under the weather. We hope to welcome her back soon to our future meeting.

Scribe: Jason Black 

OPENING:

The meeting was opened at 7:30 AM by Maureen Merrill. Club recited Rotary’s Rotary 4-way Test.

INSPIRATION:

Susan Cole provided a nice dose of inspiration from a quote by Buddha where he said “what you think, you become. What you feel, you attract, What you imagine, you create”

SONG:

JB Leep led song by Peter Paul & Mary -. If I Had a Hammer. A 1963 hit! Maureen danced around the room, without a hammer in hand, and rang the rotary bell midway through the vocal session…

GUESTS:

No Visiting Rotarians today.

Matt Rush – a friend of Jason Black

Brian Ling introduced Jeff Harrison. Soco resource

Carol Leep introduced our outgoing exchange student Kate Smith and her mother Beth Smith. Heather Cullen introduced Cali Calmecac Language Academy Principal, Sharon Ferrer. Diane Brabetz introduced Joella Olson

Vittoria Castelli, our exchange student from Italy was also in good company with us. Wendy, Student Advisor at Cali Calmecac Elementary School

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Bill Bolster was honored as our PowerHouse Rotarian of the Month in spirit as he was not in attendance in our meeting. Congratulations Bill!

Sue Nelson presented that the Rotary Club of Coronado, California gave a generous $14,686 donation towards restoration efforts of Foothill Regional Park in Windsor. The check was presented on Saturday, February 29th to the Sonoma County Regional Parks, who was in attendance. A thank you card was put together and passed around the room to send to our Coronado Rotary fellows.

Diane Brabtz shared her recent trip to her house in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico. Egor, a former district governor, and his wife were there. They met with Diane and did a videoed interview on the beach around Egor’s journey in Rotary. The interview was going to be published in their Rotary magazine in Mexico. Wes and Diane were part of this video and it was played in the district conference. Diane was inspired by the video and offered to share it with our Windsor group in a future meeting. Pam and Ken and Diane partnered with Diane and Egor in participating in a water project in Playa Del Carmen. Windsor Rotary had presented them with a check to support this important project. Maureen said we are all world citizens and this conveys how we can impact the world with our international connections.

Sharon Ferrer, Principal at Cali Camec Language Academy spoke and said it is hard to find bilingual teachers with teaching credentials to hire at her school. If anyone has a candidate, then let her know. She went on to say that Sonoma State is offering bilingual teaching credential programs. She said there are 4-5 teaching positions open at her school and only 4-5 candidates have applied. She was elated that Rotary dictionary distributions to students are tomorrow. She said her teachers are excited and grateful. Sharon said this is her first time involved with this giving event.

Vittoria Castelli announced she visited her brother’s earlier exchange student family in Pleasanton, CA. She was introduced to the group and participated in some Q & A. She shared her experiences here as an exchange student. Maureen showed a picture on the slide show screen of them all sitting outside by a nice warm fire at night. Vittoria said she was very appreciative of Rotary and the opportunities she has been given. She loves staying with 3 families as it enables her to meet more people with different experiences.

Maureen had our group raise their hands on how many Rotarians in Windsor hosted Exchange Students. There were many in the room raising their hands and several in our group who have hosted several exchange students over the years.

Sandy Krutz said spring break is coming up. Vittoria’s parents were supposed to visit Victoria for Spring Break, but they fell ill and had to cancel the trip. She said Vittoria now has some availability to be entertained by any willing Rotary family who wants to include her on some spring break fun!

Matt Rush, one of our newest guests giving high consideration to join Windsor Rotar, did a craft talk and gave us an introduction of his personal life. He was born in Auckland, New Zealand. His family still lives there, but his brother who lives in Santa Rosa. He said there’s a lot to do in his home country, such as visiting beaches, fishing, surfing, and hiking. He enjoys mountain biking and rugby. Matt said he and his wife, and three children try to get back to New Zealand every 3-4 years to visit family. He has twins (Eva and Noah) and an older son, Nathan. His wife, Jennifer, is a teacher at San Miguel Elementary in Santa Rosa. He lived in Japan for 2 years. He came to America at the age of 24. He’s been married for 20 years. He played Rugby his whole life. He is a partner at Pound Management Inc ,which is a construction and property development firm. They represent owners in higher scale construction projects. They conduct project management, consultation, hiring contractors, and establishing and maintaining construction budgets. At the end of their projects, they help out with the closing process. Matt has been with Pound Management for 13 years. His company is located in the South Bay, East Bay, and Napa Valley. They specialize in building high-end custom homes, underground storage, commercial projects, and multi-family housing developments. Welcome Matt!

Renee talked about the Power of 3 (Inviters, Process Folks, Mentors).  Rene said she has passed out gift cards for those that introduced others to our group, such as Jason Black. She asked us to get into our groups again to brainstorm to think of those who we can invite to our group. Those that come up with someone, Renee asked us to email their name so that she can get the necessary forms to fill out. Orientation would be sent out to our Rotary group and then ultimately approved by the board. She needs to know at what capacity they want to join, such as an individual or corporate membership? She asked that we invite someone new for our breakfast meeting to see if we are a good fit!

Michael Raasch, our Sonoma County Sheriff member, said he is halfway through his masters program in Law Enforcement Leadership.

Joella Olson said she feels a sense of kindness in the room. She expressed her gratitude for Windsor Rotary’s donation to Windsor Middle School.

Maureen led us in a short catching and throwing exercise with a group of 5-6 individuals standing in a circle. 4-5 balls eventually getting caught and thrown to different people in the circle at the same time. Learnings from this exercise are that people can coordinate very quickly by picking up and to keep going. “Wait and chill and not panic”. Team collaboration! The most in sync group included the prized rugby player, Matt Rush!

Diane Brabetz shared her recommendations on lessening panic regarding the CoronaVirus. She emphasized we can’t do enough on hand washing. Wash often and thoroughly. Don’t touch your face. We need to disinfect our cell phone daily. Disinfect with alcohol wipes. If you travel, have disinfecting wipes with you.. Airlines not disinfecting seats, tray tables, or above storage between stops. She said you can get this virus through droplets in our nasal passages and lungs. Rich Muchi chimed in and said most people who die have underlying health issues already. Dianne said it doesn’t do any good for the public to use masks. Health care professionals need them. Shaking hands is not recommended.

Steve Klick will be traveling to Mexico March 20 through 24 with Salvador Rico of South Ukiah Rotary. This trip is honor of World Water Day and will include a river cleanup of the Lerma River that runs from the mountains above Mexico City to Lake Chapala. This is a joint project with our District 5130 and Mexican Districts 4140 and 4170. We will be including Engineers without Borders, of which Steve is a member, and scientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to evaluate long term cleanup goals for the Lerma River.

Steve is looking for sponsors of his trip to help with that Steve will be auctioning off a Paella Party at next week’s meeting. Any money raised beyond the expenses will be donated back into the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation. President Maureen is also requesting assistance from our International Fund.

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Heather Cullen said this Friday, March 6th is the Windsor Talent Show. It starts at 7:00 PM. Tickets are only $15. Lots of prizes. Brian Ling and Sharon’s daughters are participants. The event always packed so get tickets early! There will be a father-daughter magician act. Proceeds provide scholarships for Windsor Performing Arts Academy’s summer music program and pay for the production costs at the public school sights.

Next Rotary Club Social Event is March 12th at KCs grill from 5-7 for Dine/Donate supporting Jose Diego and Rachel Kemiji fundraising for their ballroom dance competition on April 25th, 2020.

Windsor @ Weil community engagement on Wednesday, March 25th at the Green Music Center. Invite for students to see Windsor Middle school, Windsor Highschool, and Cali Calmecac students musical performance on this great stage. You need a Ticket. Can be bought at GMC.SONOMA.EDU/WINDSOR OR CALL 707-664-4246

Thursday, March 26th The Flick by Annie Baker at Windsor Rotary Left Edge Live Theater Night at Luther Burbank Center. Night. 6:30-8:OO PM Social Reception. 8:00 PM Performance.

Benefits Windsor Rotary Community Foundation. $25 per ticket or $180 Donor Tickets for 4 reserved seats + hosted beverages.

On April 15th, Pam Moulton announced Mama Mia! Dress Rehearsal Benefit at the Raven Performing Arts Theatre. This supports HCA, Healdsburg Center For the Arts. Tickets 35 dollars. See Pam if you are interested in attending.

On April 24th, 2020 from 6:30 – 10:00 PM, Santa Rosa Sunrise is hosting Rockin Rendezvous

Go Your Own Way event for $95 at Agatha Furth Center. Fleetwood Mask. Supporting Performing Arts in our Schools. Tickets go to https://srsr.ejoinme.org/RR or call Paul at

707-953-7475

On Saturday, April 25th, 2020 at 7:00 PM, Dancing with the Stars and Stripes fundraising ballroom dance competition at Jackson Theater, Sonoma Country Day School with our very own

Jose Diego and his dancing partner Rachel Kemiji. Tickets $35-$110. Proceeds benefit VRC, Veterans Resource Centers of America. See www.DancingWithTheStarsAndStripes.org

On April 28th, the second annual Tri-Tip Tuesday mini fundraiser partnering with Vineyard Academy. Coordinators Carol M. and Bill C.

Future Chili Cookoff with Steve Klick

Next speaker Amy Holter Active 20-30 Club. Part of our goals for this year is to engage further with these young adults who can partner with us in projects and, we hope, become Rotarians after they “age out” of 20-30.

Parting thought from Maureen Merrill. “Please take good care of your one and only body…it’s what got you here today.”

CLOSING:

The meeting ended at 8:30 AM,

Submitted by Jason Black, Scribe for the day!

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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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

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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

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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

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View the Rotary Contribution Form here.

View the Minutes Board Meeting from February 3rd Here. 

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Flag Salute:  Jason Black

Inspiration:  President Maureen offered this for the February theme:  “All you need is love.” 

Song:  “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles

Introduction of Visiting Rotarians:

Club	Classification	Name	Notes
Hull, Massachusetts	Insurance Agency Owner	Catherine Hanron	She has moved to Windsor and is a friend of Mayor Dominic Foppoli

Introduction of Guests of Rotarians:  

Member	Guest	Notes
Diane Brabetz	Anna Smith and Diane’s son-in-law Joey	Diane announced that she was changing to corporate membership and these two other people in her office would also be attending as part of her corporate membership
Sandy Krutz	Vittoria Castelli	Our Rotary Youth Exchange Daughter
Renee Hyde	Barbara McChesney

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our February “Powerhouse of the Month” is Leah Hansen. President Maureen made a powerful and heartfelt introduction of Leah:  Her quiet love and commitment to our club are consistent. Her heart is BIG.  She shows up all the time but never takes the spotlight. Leah had served as Club Secretary for several years and resumes that role next year.  She and her husband were burned out of their home in the 2017 fires and are just ready to move back into their re-built home. Leah may not always be seen, because she doesn’t like attention, but her work for our club is definitely felt.  Congratulations to the Windsor Rotary Club Powerhouse of the Month, Leah Hansen!

Up on the screen comes a photograph from Orlando, Florida, of our President-elect Bill Bolster, and our Club Director Alison Huber, who are together at a trade show there for HVACR.  Brownie points for any member who can correctly unravel the acronym HVACR.  The meeting members generally failed after the third letter….(Heating Ventilation, Air, Cooling and Refrigeration)

RECOGNITIONS!

• Dave Culley described a recent cruise with his wife on which he might have been found at Key West, Florida, Aruba, Grand Cayman Islands, and more Caribbean ports of call.  Dave is always generous to our club and donated $200 to The Rotary Foundation toward his Paul Harris Fellowship credit.  

• JB Leep announced that today, February 4, was his and Carol Martin’s 30th wedding anniversary!  They are going to dinner tonight at Bollywood Bar & Grill in Santa Rosa to celebrate, along with JB’s son who is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary.  Continuing the theme that the month of February is all about love.  JB offered $30 to his fines.

• Michael Juric went to the Harry Potter double show on Saturday and reports that it was awesome!  It was an amazing theater and stage effects. Even if one wasn’t a Harry Potter fan, it was still an excellent show.  Michael contributed $30 to his fines.

• Heather Cullen reported that the Windsor Talent Show, to be held on Friday, March 6, at 7 PM, is expecting a big turnout.  We have dueling magicians, a 4-year old singer, and lots more talent from the town. It’s a real variety show and the major fundraiser for the Windsor Performing Arts Academy. Both President Maureen and Community Service Chair Carol Martin have served as judges in the past. 

• Tom Hassur (a diehard Raiders fan) teased the roomful of 49ers fans, that it was a GREAT fourth quarter in the Super Bowl.   He insisted that all 49er fans should cough up $20 (or maybe $21!) toward polio eradication. Put your money in the blue cups.

• Dennis Wilkinson spent New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas, just to see what it was like.  It was a zoo! He said he felt very safe because it seemed there was more law enforcement than people on the streets.  President Maureen suggested that police are people, too! Dennis saw a Journey concert while there. He made Brian Ling’s train whistle blow by donating $200 to the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation. 

Thursday, March 26 is a club mini-fundraiser at Left Edge Theater.

Tri-tip Tuesday (also a club fundraiser) is March 28.

New Mission Statement for the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation:

Thanks to Leslie Lewis, Ken Moulton and Pam Moulton for their work, which was adopted by the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation Board at their February 3 meeting:

The mission is the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation is “to support and enhance the community through charitable donations.”  This mission statement is very simple and straightforward and this, along with objectives of the WRCF, was worked on by Ken Moulton, Leslie Lewis and a small team of dedicated members.

Carol Martin, Community Service Chairperson, made a clear, professional and detailed presentation of the WRCF financial report, enclosed here.  She answered questions from the members, also in a very professional manner. One line item on the revenue side which deserved attention: Direct Contact Donation.  A small team of Board members is asking directly for donations from members – in place of our yearly fundraiser dinner. In this manner, we have over $13,500 in direct donations to WRCF, some quite large and all very generous.  This is from only 15 club donors, some of whom wish to remain anonymous.  

Carol has convened a “Project Evaluation Task Force” of any members who want to be involved in looking at requests for funding.   It won’t involve any big meetings, but rather participation in decision-making about how to spend our money. If you want to be a part of this task force, contact Carol Martin.

President Maureen posed these questions to our Club:  How will we be creative in the future? How will we engage with our community?   What new ideas do we have about how to both serve our community and involve it in what we do?

Re-imagining our Scholarships / Educational Grants Programs:

Tom Hassur presented an idea that responded directly to these questions.   He visited with Allen Christensen (who says he misses us all) and Warin Parker to discuss our scholarship program and how we might improve it.  Right now, we cut a check to the student’s college and that’s it. No more contact with our scholarship recipients. The idea for change is to develop ongoing relationships with the kids who receive our scholarships.  We have a lot of talent and wisdom in our club and we could offer valuable assistance to our scholarship recipients in overcoming obstacles in their educational or vocational careers. We could offer ourselves as advisors and mentors to assist them through the educational experience.  We want to nurture the relationships with kids we give scholarships to, so they can have the most success in college. We can help them to achieve their goals and the life story they have built for themselves. We can assist kids early in their high school years and identify those to nurture and mentor.  

One other change we can make is that this year we will try to identify the kids who don’t always apply for scholarships.  Generally, the same ones every year apply to a variety of organizations for scholarships, but some simply don’t know how to do it.   We need to identify kids from each core at the high school, not just those on a path to college, and encourage them to apply for assistance.  This meshes perfectly with our new member Lamar’s (principal at Windsor High School) desire to have every student have an adult mentor and guide.

Rotary cares about every single kid and family, and we can offer a tremendously enriching experience if we expand our scholarship program, not just financially, but by offering our most valuable asset – ourselves.

John LeCave (our Foundation Chair) announced that he wants giving to the Rotary to be easy.   Yes, you can give online, and that really is simple. But if you want to fill out the contribution form and just give it to John, he will finish the process and complete it for you.   Couldn’t be easier – just use the Rotary Contribution Form

Pegi Ball gave a brief summary of our programs for youth.  

1.  RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) is a go this year.  We are accepting applications and will choose students for the week-long camp at Westminster Woods in June.  This is a camp where they develop their leadership skills.
2. Youth Exchange is always satisfying for our club.
3. We need an Interact Club coordinator and a teacher at Windsor High School to re-instate an Interact club at the high school
4. Continuing involvement with the MET Academy.

President Maureen closed with the opening thought:  All You Need is Love.

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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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.

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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.

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CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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

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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. 

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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.   

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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PDF of Meeting Slides: January 21 Rotary Meeting

The meeting got off to a great start at 7:30 with a ringadabell by President Maureen Merrill. 

There was a “Four-Way” recital by everyone.

Martin Luther King Junior’s words stood in for the ailing Susan Cole, who is dealing with the flu. 

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”   Martin Luther King Jr.

After a moment of silence to take in the words of MLK, we had a song sung with enthusiasm… “Wild Thing.”

Photojournalism provided by Sue Nelson –  scribbles by Tom Boylan.

Guest of Rotarians:

Barbara McChesney with Dancing with the Stars and Stripes was introduced by Leslie Lewis.

Matt Rush was introduced by his friend and our member Jason Black. 

Renee Hyde introduced Lauren Anatoli with Sonoma State Culinary services.

Larry Wasem stepped up and introduced our program speaker and former Windsor Rotarian Judge Andy Wick.

Brian Williams, principal of Windsor Middle School was welcomed and introduced by Michael Juric, who then went on to introduce Windsor Town Council member Esther Lemus.

Announcements:

Glenn Sugden got the shout out as Powerhouse Rotarian of the Month.

Fine master and Niner fan Leslie Lewis recruited Pam Moulton to help her find those that were not present at her home for the big game. 

A slew of Rotarians fell prey to her fundraising techniques when she started asking for money from those who failed to read the Windsor Rotary bulletin, and then she targeted those who wound up at Levy Stadium for the playoff game. Shady Bill Bolster was in attendance and offering support to the team. 

If you let a “Niners” fan find those who are not, there are too many names to write in the bulletin. The Super Bowl follow up to the playoff event is to be held at Rene Hyde’s new home. Is it a trick that no one was given the address?

The festive mood turned sour when the finemaster tried to milk $5 from the scribe, but Pegi Ball played an end-around by donating the $5 in recognition for the writer of the club words. Pegi belongs in the Hall of Fame!

Daniel Meyers took the Mic and recognized the Student of the Month, but he credits her with the title Student of the Year, Sabrina Piana Cervantes. Ms. Cervantes is a student at the Axis Academy at Windsor High School. She is a science student with exceptional skills and an interest in Bio-Engineering. Sabrina gave us a limited introduction to her cell studies, which she would like to continue to pursue at the University of Nevada, Reno… or UC Santa Cruz. We are in good hands for the future.

President Maureen shared there is a new theater night coming up at the Left Edge Theater, located at Luther Burbank Center for the Performing Arts, on March 26th at 6:30. Consider your ticket a donation to the club fund.

We are promoting the Tri-Tip Tuesday in March… good eats and more money for the club and the culinary Academy at Windsor High School.

Dancing with the Stars and Stripes is an opportunity to support Jose Diego and his fleet feet.

Program:

President Maureen introduced our speaker Andy Wick, Judge, Sonoma County Superior Court, and a frequent Justice with the State Appellate Court. We learned of his long history and commitment to the creation of the Town of Windsor. He was kind enough to share those beginnings with numerous members of the Windsor Rotary Club.

Judge Wick shared that he was once called upon to consider running for Congressman of the North Coast. He shared that he was wise enough to know that wouldn’t be his calling, so he turned away from political opportunities. After turning down the opportunity to disrupt his life with a run for Congress, he became someone who was easily swayed by John Lewis to become a member of the Founding Fathers, and Mother, of the Town of Windsor.

As a Sonoma County judge, we learned that Andy has presided over more than 18,000 trials. Last year he was delighted to have been asked to become a temporary plaintiff to the Appellate Court of San Francisco. He was given all of a day to make a decision, and after a brief discussion with his wife that night, he took the position the next day. He was sworn in by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court while having a phone conversation. They took no time to bring him on board.

In Andy’s opinion, there is a real need for older white males to support the minorities and show that we can turn back the negativity associated with the past. He was honored to have the opportunity to make a lasting difference in the cases he was assigned. His first case was a difficult one in that he dealt with the trial of a man who was accused of killing a three-year-old. Difficult emotions, but dealt with fairly. His second trial was a major real estate case worthy of millions, and worthy of an appellate court decision.

His tenure with the Appellate Court ended last month and now he is back in his home county of Sonoma. Andy gave our guest and next week’s speaker, Esther Lemus, a compliment for her abilities as a prosecutor. He also shared a story about running into Mike Merrill and our president at a meeting he took with the Governor of California. Interestingly enough he shared that the Governor spent his entire interview time wanting to know about Andy’s childhood. We had an opportunity to see some true emotion on Andy’s part as he recalled his childhood and his time with the Los Angeles Police Department patrolling Compton, a very difficult neighborhood.

While serving as a police officer Andy was swayed by two judges that he ought to pursue law. One of those judges wound up on the California Supreme Court and remains a mentor and friend to Andy today. 

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The following was offered by Rotary District Polio Plus Co-Chair Larry Myers

Attached is the latest financials for POLIO PLUS FUNDRAISING A/0 1.20.20. It details a tremendous increase in contributions since my last report. A total of  $141,186 has been credited to our district POLIO PLUS ACCOUNT. The Gates Foundation will add their 2 for 1 donation of $ 282,372 which means you have been responsible for $ 423,558 since July 1, 2019.

Polio Plus Report

You will notice 2 clubs had a substantial increase in contributions (Santa Rosa Sunrise & Sebastopol). This was due to individual Rotarians in those clubs making a major one-time contribution to saving children’s lives. Also, Calistoga Rotary completed a major fundraiser for POLIO PLUS which is included in this report.

Our top fundraisers are:  Santa Rosa Sunrise $32,248,  Sebastopol $23,267, South Ukiah $20,545, Calistoga $ 8199, Sebastopol Sunrise $ 4307, Crescent City $4219, Fort Bragg $3610,  Santa Rosa $3550, Cloverdale $3514, Southwest Eureka $ 3420, Lakeport $3290, Petaluma $3054, Arcata Sunrise $2878, Napa $2718, Eureka $2392, Willits $2306, Mendocino $2230, Napa Sunrise $1702, Healdsburg $1593, Arcata $1592, Rancho Cotati $1452, Petaluma Sunrise $1392, Valley of the Moon $1102, Mad River $1055, Kelseyville Sunrise $1010, Windsor $966, Fortuna Sunrise $912, Petaluma Valley $ 640, Garberville $595, Santa Rosa East $450, Del Notre Sunrise $ 240, North Napa $200, Rohnert Park-Cotati $190, Glen Ellen-Kenwood $180, Healdsburg Sunrise $ 125, Old Town Eureka $100, Santa Rosa West $90, Fortuna $ 75, Clear Lake $50, Middletown $10.

So far 40 clubs have donated to saving children’s lives since July 1, 2019, leaving 7 clubs with zero donations. I HOPE TO SEE 100% PARTICIPATION IN THE NEAR FUTURE. I am sure we will make 100% of our clubs again this year.

Now an update on our goal of the total eradication of the poliovirus. As I mentioned in a previous report there were 3 highly infectious strains of the poliovirus when we started our initial immunizations in the Philippines almost 45 years ago. Today we are down to one strain. Quite a remarkable accomplishment but we knew that eliminating that final case would be difficult and it has been. Last year I talked about our challenges in Pakistan where we had a dramatic increase in cases. However, we continue to work with our global partners including those in the Muslin communities who have joined with us to establish a road map to reach the goal of total eradication. Last month I detailed the name of those worldwide partners but I am sure you noticed the list is headed by the Gates Foundation and Rotary.

Next month I will spend additional time on our immunization projects but today I primarily wanted to recognize what a tremendous District we have that continues to support our goal of changing lives & saving lives through Polio Plus. You continue to dig deep and so many of you have been with me from the start and will be with me when we reach our goal.

In closing, I want to share an experience that changed my life in the late spring of 1985. I had the honor of being your district governor in 1984-85 and was attending R.I. Convention in Kansas City, Missouri.

That morning at a General Session, we had the honor of listening to Dr. Albert Sabin who had developed the oral polio vaccine we use today. As Dr. Sabin started talking about Rotary (Rotarians) accepting a challenge to eradicate a highly infectious and potentially deadly virus from our planet

I started recalling my trials as a 6-year-old waking up one morning paralyzed. Memories that I had pushed way back in my memory bank likely because it was a difficult time for me.

Waking up that morning in 1946 with my head in a fixed locked position against my chest. The ambulance ride to Los Angeles General Hospital, the spinal tap late that night waking up in award of 20-30 boys most older than me. The Sister Kenny Treatment of scalding hot woolen blankets 8 times a day then therapy to try & move my paralyzed left arm away from my body, trying to straighten my paralyzed left leg.

After a couple of months being transferred to a rehab hospital, a converted WWII Navy hospital near San Pedro where I learned to use a wheelchair and to finally stand up and support myself on parallel bars. I remembered a morning between treatment using my wheelchair to explore wards down the hall & wheeling myself into a ward of iron lungs, not knowing what they were but seeing the heads of children my age and older outside of a cigar-shaped machine that enabled them to breathe.

Spending 1 year in 4 different hospitals and finally being able to go home.

All these memories and more came back to me that day. I actually heard very little of his presentation but it opened a door for me that culminated in a phone call from D.G. Terry Clark asking me to organize a fundraising effort in 2002  which raised $405,000 that year. I thought the task would last until 2005- when we would celebrate the eradication of polio on our 100th anniversary of Rotary. Well, my 3+ year term ending up being 19 years as your chair and now co-chair.

This short term commitment has not only changed my life but helped us join together to save children’s lives around the world.

Well, all of you know I can get carried away & I have done it again this month. We are making a difference in the world we serve, locally in your community, nationally and internationally through supporting the many programs of our Rotary Foundation.

Thank you for all you do each day to make life a little easier for those less fortunate.

Yours in Rotary,

Larry D. Myers, P.D.G., Polio Plus Co-Chair, 5130

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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Rotary began at a cool 7:35 because President Maureen Merrill opted to let a few Rotarians make it through the food line before kicking in the “energy” of the meeting.

Jose Diaz was asked to honor Carl Wiuff with the pledge of allegiance.

Howard Thurman was quoted by Susan Cole, who shared, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go for that. Because what the world need is more people that have come alive.”

Photography by Sue Nelson, words by Tom Boylan

Guests of Rotarians:

Pam Moulton introduced our lovely Italian Exchange Student, Vittoria, to the room.

Renee Hyde introduced Lauren Antoni the Director of the Sonoma State Culinary program.

Announcements:

We are invited to a gathering at Leslie Lewis’s home to celebrate the downing of the Green Bay Packers next Sunday, 3 pm at 1323 Mildred CT., Windsor. Of course, you should plan to bring some appropriate snacks and something to wash down the victory. If you think you can make it, Leslie asks that you text her at (707) 481-1976.

Carol Martin says that March 31st we will be repeating the Tri-Tip Tuesday program. Make plans to eat well. Carol went on to tell us we will be partnering with the Vintners Academy to allow for funding a 501(c)3 program, more details to follow.

Windsor Rotary Community Foundation board members met and made a determination that the fund is going to be able to donate $20,000 toward projects this year. A dream comes true for those who started the program. 

President Maureen introduced the January Rotarian “Powerhouse” of the Month, which went to Glenn Sugden. He received a warm round of applause while he stuck the recognition pin to his shirt.

Maureen provides this list of our past “Powerhouses” for you: 

July: Carol Martin

August: JB Leep

September: Renee Hyde

October: Bill Conklin

November:  Jose Diaz

December: Tom Boylan

Larry Wasem got married in Fairfax, Virginia forty-three years ago and he claimed that the $5 tip to the Justice of the Peace paid off. Larry let us know that he made his annual donation to the Paul Harris Foundation.

Donations for Foothill Park from Coronado Rotary!

We learned that the Rotary Club of Coronado held a fundraiser and decided they would make a $15,000 donation toward rebuilding the Foothill Park. 

Jose Diaz is getting his feet warmed up for the Dancing with the Stars and Stripes competition  April 25. 

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Activities:

New Member Induction:  Brandon Krueger

President Maureen asked Membership Chair Renee Hyde to step up and welcome our newest member Brendan Krueger, Windsor Unified School District Superintendent of Schools. He is our newest corporate member, which allows for him and three colleagues (including member Lamar Collins) to partake in the Windsor Rotary world. Please be sure to welcome Brandon to Windsor Rotary.

Brandon Krueger, Ed.D.

bkrueger@wusd.org

707.837.7701

“Power of 3” Membership Growth Project – 2-month activity!

Renee Hyde was called back up to revisit the membership drive, and Pam Moulton got the first award for her clever relay of a photo of her teammates. She was handed a gift card, which she says she will be sharing with the rest of her team, including JB Leep, Tom Boylan, and … oh yeah, Ken Moulton.

Renee suggests you ought to keep the ball rolling to engage the community to participate. If you don’t have a team, let her know and she can find one for you. 

Presentation Notes – Our Member, Dr. Rich Mucci

JB Leep was formal in introducing Dr. Rich Mucci. Rich spent years in medical school only to advance and become a surgeon providing general vascular and gastric surgery. He brought his talents to Healdsburg and the North Bay in 1976. We found out that Rich also became a Rotary Mentor of none other than JB.

Rich made the mistake of starting his talk by donning a Green Bay Packers hat… After a few catcalls, he went on to tell us about how he started his educational journey to discover the ways his past education should be questioned for all he eventually learned was wrong. 

According to Rich’s research, only 12% of Americans are considered healthy. Over 100,000,000 people in the US are pre-diabetic and caught in the cycle of poor health associated with Insulin resistance, which leads to Metabolic Syndrome. 

We learned that the research into heart disease in the early ’60s was skewed due to the limited reporting of the person considered the major investigator of heart disease. Of 29 countries researched the end results of only seven were shared. 

For all the diets and suggestions on how to get healthy, the world continues to get more obese and that has caused heart disease and cancer to increase among the population dramatically. Rich says that cholesterol is not the culprit, but carbohydrates are a bigger factor. Glycogen is what makes us active, and insulin is the basis for the development of glycogen. 

Low Carb diets showed the best results for those who were diagnosed with pre-diabetes. Within 6 months of starting a low carb diet, most of the participants in the study eliminated their need for additional insulin. His suggestion: Eat only Whole Foods, avoid sugars and starches. Eat within an eight hour period and eat your protein prior to eating your carbs. Use fruit-based oils (olive, avocado, grapeseed) rather than vegetable oils,  which require a high level of chemical processing. 

This was a fascinating program and I would suggest reaching out to Rich to ask him to share some of his slides or to provide additional information. 

He shared a reading list for those who want more information on Metabolic Syndrome and your health:

“The Big Fat Surprise” by Nina Teicholz

“Obesity Code & Diabetes Code, by J.Fung, MD

“Good Calories, Bad Calories,” by Gary Taub

“Lies My Doctor Told Me,” by Ken Berry MD

“The Obesity Epidemic,” by Zoe Harcombe

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For Your Calendar

Tuesday, March 31 

Tri-Tip Tuesday strikes again! Details coming. 

Saturday, April 25 José at Dancing with the Stars and Stripes 

Benefitting Veterans Resource Center, with whom we are planning joint activities centered on their new Veterans Apartments in Windsor.  7 PM at Jackson Theater, Sonoma County Day School off Aviation Blvd. 

May 15-16 – Annual District Conference

President Maureen urges you to plan on this opportunity to celebrate our accomplishments with Rotarians from all over our 6-county district.  The next usually-annual Conference is not planned to be held during 2020-21, it will be in Oct. 2021 instead, so this is our only conference for the next 17 months! 

It is essential that you make lodging reservations NOW!  

Use this link for lodging info, please. Registration info will come from the district.

Calendar

Saturday, June 27 late afternoon/evening — Annual Presidential Debunking.  

CLICK HERE TO SEE DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE LATEST CLUB MEETING

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Rotary began with a ring of the bell and a commemorative Pledge of Allegiance in honor of Carl Wiuff, and we followed with a request by President Maureen Merrill that we share a moment of silence in honor of Carl’s passing just before Christmas.  //www.youtube.com/embed/Pjc-EI_TrQQ?feature=emb_logo

Please visit the following link for a tribute to Carl Wiuff: https://windsorrotary.co/tribute-to-carl-wiuff/ 

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Photos by Sue Nelson, words by Tom Boylan.

Fleet-footed Jose Diego introduced Barbara McChesney with Dancing with the Stars and Stripes.

Renee Hyde introduced Lauren Antoni, the Culinary instructor at Sonoma State University.

Ken Moulton introduced Vittoria, our Exchange daughter from Italy, and the latest to fall into the “CAL Fan” category.

Ed Turner took the microphone to share some moments to remember his friendship of 24 years with Carl Wiuff. He suggested his friendship with Carl was akin to reading a novel where each chapter introduces you to something new. 

We learned that Carl was not so much an avid exercise nut, but was keen on grabbing the free coffee at the health club. Once done with his workout, he would head around the corner to enjoy a cup of coffee with his friend Ed at Airport Business Center and whatever treats that might be on hand.

We also learned that regardless of whether Ed was in the office, Carl made his regular route from the coffee to the treats. He became a regular with the staff, and warm reception was always given.

It was Carl that suggested the Club get behind a project to give the children of Windsor a place to play; the Windsor Skate Park is here today due to the leadership and direction of Carl.

Once the park was in place, Carl worked with Ed to create the “Carl & Ed Fund,” which is the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation, the John Lewis Endowment Fund. Today, we are at over $500K in the fund, and it is allowing the Club to fund projects without disturbing the fund’s reserve.

Cancer poses painful treatments for anyone, and in Carl’s case, Cancer treatments took their toll. We were fortunate to have had him with us at the Christmas party this year. Shortly after that party, he passed. 

Ed invited others to speak of their long-time friend, and Susan Cole shared the story of a “2001 A Skate Odyssey.” Her enthusiasm at the early meetings to build a skate park allowed her to share the idea to buy 500 T-Shirts with the new slogan emblazoned across the shirt. Carl looked at Susan and said she was out of her mind because we would wind up with 400 shirts leftover. The order changed to 50 shirts, but in the process of selling those shirts, she met Greg French, who wound up donating $10K after buying two shirts for his family.

Michael Juric was Carl’s sponsor in the Club. He shared a story of the Pre-President’s Training and how Michael shared stories of Carl’s leadership with incoming presidents and that Carl’s legacy lives on in the stories Michael shared with the future leaders on how to be a great leader, like Carl Wiuff.

Pam Moulton shared that his impact crossed cultures, and Carl made an impression that won’t be lost. 

The Club was shown a pictorial testimony prepared by Sue Nelson depicting Carl’s years with his friends in Rotary. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and we watched a book of memories. Rest in Peace, our friend. 

Our own Jose Diaz is a contestant in this year’s Dancing with the Stars and Stripes on Saturday, April 25th. The ballroom dance contest raises funds for Veteran’s Resource Center, a Veteran’s support network based in Santa Rosa that provides a variety of services from counseling to housing and more. 

Jose shared his reason for joining the program. He has several friends who are Veterans, and several of his friends are heading off to become members of the military. Rachel is his professional dance partner, and together they will be asking for donations toward their efforts. His goal is to raise $5000, and we can do more than buying the ticket, look for opportunities to dine and donate at Charlie’s and other places.

Barbara McChesney gave us more of the program and offered that Jose is the youngest participant in the history of the contest. Dancingwiththestarsandstripes.org will provide you with more info on the event. We were given a demonstration of the dance where Maureen stepped in as a surrogate Rachel. La Bamba filled the room, and amazingly many sang along. Some fancy footwork to be sure was provided by Jose.

Vittoria was recognized for attending a bowl game at Levi Stadium, Cal against Illinois. Maureen asked for a cheer, and we heard her say, “Go Bears!” Ken was happy. 

Michael Juric is celebrating his birthday today, and Steve Klick is giving up the past year and welcoming a New Year next Saturday. In memory of Carl, Steve donated to the Carl & Ed Fund. 

Upcoming programs include an introduction by Rich Mucci to Syndrome X, a metabolic disease that is an epidemic throughout the country. It sounds like a good program for January 14th. Windsor Town Council member Esther Lumes is due the following week, and His Honor Judge Andy Wick will close out the month. Good meetings all. 

George Johnson is currently in an assisted living facility dealing with health problems. If you would like to send him a note, contact his wife Alicia Johnson at 9600 Montez Ct., Windsor, CA 95492.

Renee Hyde is jump-starting the Membership Campaign. A new program is a group of three; she and Maureen have plotted to have Inviters, Process Folks, and Mentors become organized. 

We broke into groups and made a commitment to participate in bringing new members into the Windsor Rotary Club. If you missed the meeting, ask someone how you can participate, or better yet, ask Renee.