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February 11, 2020 - Rotary Forum |
January 28, 2020 - Rotary Forum |
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December 17, 2019 - Rotary Forum |
December 10, 2019 - Rotary Forum |
November 19, 2019 - Rotary Forum |
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September 24, 2019 - Rotary Forum |
Rotary Forum Sept. 10, 2019Speaker- James Snyder- Shell Beach Elementary School Principal In keeping with Education Month our speaker at Tuesday’s meeting was James Snyder, principal at Shell Beach Elementary who talked about some of the things stressed to students and parents. Number one being the need for students to feel safe and secure at school. Be kind, be responsible and be respectful are all keys to students getting the emotional support they need to learn. Announcements Anya Stanley reminded us of the District Governors visit next Tuesday 9/17 at the Curry Ranch. No afternoon meeting on the 17th due to the evening event starting at 5:30. Jeff King talked about great information available to all through the district newsletter and the upcoming district conference 10/4 in Santa Ynez. Recognitions Joel Conn was recognized for $50 in celebration of his and Sarah’s 12th Anniversary. Michael and Ashlea Boyer celebrated their 17th Anniversary and were recognized for $40 and $45 respectively |
Jun 4, 2019-Rotary ForumProgram June 4, 2019: Jean Steel-“HAPPY PEOPLE WIN” By Dick Dannells Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:32 PM that by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Rae Alee Breen for only $15. He then had anyone to come forward were wearing inspirational socks, stockings or leggings. ANNOUNCEMENTS Pres. Scott was pleased to announce that our Club earned the Rotary Citations with honors from our District. He also reported that the final Youth Literacy Books presentations will be held at Branch Elementary today. He reminded us that the Club Demotion Dinner will be held at the San Luis Obispo Country Club on June 25 with our normal Tuesday noon meeting being dark. District Gov. Sandi Schwartz’s Stepped Down banquet will be held on June 29 5- 8 PM in Simi Valley. He and Greg Baker will be presenting $10,000 in scholarships at the Arroyo Grande High School Scholarship this evening beginning at 6:30 PM. At next week’s program we will be hearing from those scholarship winners. FINES: Ashley Boyer and Shannon Bowdey each donated $25 in HappyBucks for the success of Ashlea's third annual social media contest and Shannon Bowdey's new baby granddaughter. Pres. Scott recognized both Darryl Buck and Ed Fish for their Club Anniversaries on June 5, but only assessed Ed with $100 IDs. PROGRAM: Jean Steel-“HAPPY PEOPLE WIN” Pres. Scott presented Jean with a colorful boa, a crown and a wand. Ashley Boyer then introduced Jean who has a Masters Degree in Wellness/Mind/Body health. Jean began by stating how she enjoyed Pres. Scott’s once a month happy sock day, which she plans to introduce to her wellness class. She stated the 6 health requirements for good mind body health wellness: (1) physical; (2) emotional; (3) spiritual; (4) intellectual; (5) environmental; and (6) social. She conducts wellness workshops, keynote speeches and training classes. She’s written 2 books one is entitled “I’d Like To Run Wild.” She helps people with their Why’s, i.e. Why am I here? You should ask yourself what is your purpose in life. She told the story of a person who felt that she was not doing what her purpose in life. So what did she do when she was in her 40s? She went to University of California at Davis and received a veterinary degree in her early 50s. She then quoted from Mark Twain:“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Happiness is very suggestive. For example, she shows a very happy person from England after he won first place for growing the biggest onion; he held the onion like it was his first newborn child. The following 4 ways to relax during the day are: (1) Laughter (She occasionally goes on YouTube to get some laughs watching a popular cat video);(2) Spend 6 minutes reading a book; (3) Set aside a quiet time; (4) Have something to look forward to in your life. She recommends developing an attitude of gratitude.When she was young, her father took her and her 3 sisters to Ethiopia where she developed a love of Africa. Recently she did volunteer work in Uganda. She found herself petting rhinos, coming so close to a guerrilla that it almost touched her, and frolicking with baby elephants. However, her most rewarding experiencewas spending time with the children in the impoverished villages. She learned that 14 of the village children had no money to take a trip to Entebbe at a cost of $62 per child that includes asleeping bag. She along with each member of our club donated sufficient funds so that all of the children could take that trip. THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “Success is failure in progress. ― Albert Einstein “The privilege of a lifetime is to become who you truly are.” ― Carl Jong |
May 28, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM FOR MAY 28, 2019: 4-WAY TEST ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:34 PM with the introduction of guests not directly connected to 4-way essay contest winners and associated adults. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott. had the sad duty to announce the untimely death of Mary Ann Reese’s daughter. Our thoughts and prayers goes out to Mary Ann for her loss. He stated that he and Linda Osty attended the AHC Rising Stars Vocational Scholarship banquet at Allan Hancock College where three recipients each received $2500 scholarships. He also stated that the last Youth Literary Book Presentation for this Rotary year will be held at Branch Elementary this week. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott tried to assess David Archer $40 IDs for his wife Lori’s birthday; but wound up assessing himself since David had the fine-free badge; and he assessed Rae Alee Breen $40 IDs for 6 years of marriage to Dick Dannells. PROGRAM: 4-WAY TEST ESSAY CONTEST WINNERS Keone Vang and Elias Moncrief received second and third place monetary prizes, respectively in the 1st through 3rd Grade category. The first place prize went to third grader Brett Zinke from the Valley View Academy for his essay about using the 4-Way to answer the question should he become an engineer and his answer was yes. In the 4th-6th grade category, third place and second place winners Jonas Herring and Julisa Provence lost out to Nolan Fletcher and his essay on the sportsmanship his friend Steven demonstrated when Steven was intentionally hit in the head with a ball. Nolan from the Branch Elementary 6th Grade used this to illustrate the actions Steven took after being hit met the 4-Way Test. 7th Grader Kannon Beckley and 8th Grader Zoe Lodge came in third and second place to 7th Grader Keylani Ascencio from Judkins Middle School. Her essay showed that her older brother’s character exemplifies the 4-Way Test. The second place prize went to Alexis Seiler in the high school category. 9th Grader Hadley Morgan Davis from the Arroyo Grande High School won the top prize. Hadley used the 4-Way Test in making personal decisions such as when he won cruise tickets for 2. He decided to give them to his parents rather than offend his two best friends by choosing only one of them to go with him on the cruise.[Editor’s note: All of the essays were excellent and all those participated in this program should be congratulated. Each essay followed the guidelines of incorporating every one of the 4-ways of the Test, which are essential to be considered as a top three contender.] DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Martin Luther King, Jr. |
May 21, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM: CLUB MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS ON DIANE SCHIESL AND DARRYL BUCK Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:39 PM with the usual introduction of guests.. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott. announced that on Saturday, May 25 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Blaze Pizza restaurant on 1150 W. Branch Street in Arroyo Grande, a portion of the bill will go to PolioPlus. He stated that he will be attending the AHC Rising Stars Vocational Scholarship banquet at Allan Hancock College this Thursday, May 23 from 6 to 8 PM, with Past President Linda Osty. He also stated that he went to the Youth Literary Book Presentation Ocean View Elementary and will be attending the next presentation at Coastal Christian today along with Shell Beach on Thursday. Eric Mund reported on the Sunday Group 10 Co-Ed Softball Tournament to support PolioPlus Eric emphasized the positive by stating we scored one run as a result of a homerun but the negative is that we lost the game 16 to 1.Past Pres. Jeff King reported that the Pres. Scott Demotion committee meeting will be held immediately after this meeting. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott charged Greg Baker $20 IDs for interrupting him. He also assessed Ed Fish $100 for failing to update his Club Runner bio, and Cliff Nagler $100 IDs for his wife Samantha’s birthday; and finally he recognized Shannon Bowdey for her birthday on May 19 without any assessment. Ashley Boyer donated $20 Happy Bucks for announcement about her son Jack’s fundraiser at the same Blaze Pizza restaurant from 4 to 8 PM on this Thursday, May 30. Jim Lewis donated $25 Happy Bucks pronouncing that Pismo Beach will be successfully concluding the water line under Shell Beach Road by handing out Doc Bernstein’s free ice cream from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 30. PROGRAM: PROGRAM: CLUB MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS ON DIANE SCHIESL AND DARRYL BUCK Diane began by stating that she recently celebrated her first year anniversary with the club. She is presently residing at the Pismo Beach Village while her home is being remodeled. She was born in Upland California and, much to her chagrin because she was leaving her friends, moved in the middle of her third grade to the Central Coast because her father went to work for Vandenberg Air Force Base. She soon began to love this area. Proudest moment was at 19 while employed by Sam Goody Record Store, she was promoted to a managerial position making her the youngest ever reach this position in the company. She was in charge of payroll, hiring and the like. She graduated in 1994 with a 4.0 honors degree. Although some health struggles in the past, she perceives today! She then read a short piece that she wrote, which would like to publish along with other material. Her husband started Procare Janitorial Supplies in Grover Beach in 1997 and were incorporated in 2007. Procare is proud to be one of Buckeye Cleaning Supply Distributors with exclusivity in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Buckeye honored her for obtaining the Lucia Mar’s School District cleaning business. In addition, she shared a few historical pieces from a genealogical family book. And Diane is a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints which plays a very important part of her life. Darryl began by describing Shared Service Alliance, which is a membership organization of a very large number of small companies that gives the Alliance the benefit of being a large corporation by obtaining superior supplier contracts. For example, you can go into Office Depot as a small Corporation and get 5% off your office supplies, however, if you’re a large corporation and buying thousands of dollars worth of supplies you get 22% off your purchases. He is now part of a Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) representing $100 billion of purchasing power. He handed out cards which will enable anyone of us to get a small discount at Office Depot. He also invited anyone owning a small business to become a member of GPO DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “Don’t do what your President does at the podium at times, do what is right.” |
May 7, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM May 7, 2019: Mike Manchak, President and CEO of Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) of San Luis Obispo County-SLO’sEconomic Health” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:36 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge for $45 to David Archer. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott had the Club vote to send Pres. Jack Hardy to the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg,Germany, which vote was subsequently passed unanimously. Steve Curry announced that the Annual Golf Classic at the San Luis Obispo Country Club had more sponsorships than ever. We had the best move in and the best move out. He thanked all those who helped in making this endeavor such a success. There will be a joint board meeting at Steve and Linda Curry’s ranch this Thursday starting at 6 PM. Anya Stanley said that we will be getting ice cream flavors of the month, which will alternate each month between the choice of our Club and of the Arroyo Grande Rotary Club. She also stated that as far as next week’s meeting goes, we should stay in touch via her email on whether or not we will go to a nearby business for a vocational tour. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Connie O’Henley donated $40 Happy Bucks for hunting down and bagging her first turkey and her youngest son’s success in the shot put. Pres. Scott recognized the following members with the amount of the assessment, if any, in parentheses: Diane Schiesl’s May 5 birthday ($25 IDs);.Don Weber’s 86th birthday on May 1 and missing a trivial question ($108 IDs); and Anya Stanley’s May 4 club anniversary. (0) IUDs; and Jeff King’s Club anniversary (0). Finemaster Mark Olson charged the following losers in the trivial quiz: Cliff Nagler $40 IDs, John Traversaro $20 IDs, and Ashlea Boyer $20 IDs. Pres. Scott assessed Jim Lewis $20 IDs for his interruption. PROGRAM: Manchak, President and CEO of Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) of San Luis Obispo County-SLO’s Economic Health” Ashlea Boyer introduced Mike who has a business degree from the USC’s Marshall School of Business. He began by stating that he will cover the local state economy. EVC is a non-profit Corporation that provides business resources to help start and expand SLO County businesses. Specifically, EVC provides economic impact studies/evaluation of industries; business and policy advocacy: countywide economic strategy/industry clusters: business counseling and connections; infrastructure advocacy (airport, workforce, housing, etc.); and access to capital. EVC focuses on 5 clusters of opportunity: energy; building, design and construction; health services, advanced manufacturing, and technology. The main challenges faced by local companies are talent attraction, training, access to capital, facilities and marketing the region. If you go to their dashboard on the Internet at: http://www.sloevc.org/economic-dashboard/,you will find a complete summary of the economic health of the county, which is updated quarterly. The County’s average annual wage of $45,000 in February 2018 February 2019 increased $47,000. The challenges include the high number of underemployed individuals; growth of the economy, jobs and income; and the cost-of-living. However, we are more affordable the Metros, Monterey, and Santa Barbara. The pluses include: a loyal workforce, competitive wages, highest entrepreneurial skills; highest education attainment; and an improved airport. We are faced with the closing of the nuclear power plant in 2025 with a loss of about 1600 jobs and an annual loss of $890 million dollars of revenue. |
Apr 30, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM: Arroyo Grande High School Interact and RYLA Students Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:39 PM with the introduction of all guests over the age of 19. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jenny Dierck announced that all of the Disneyland raffle tickets have been sold. Eric Munn announced that we have 104 sponsors and together with the major sponsors we’ve collected $24,000 for the golf tournament. Ashley Boyer says that were behind in raffle prizes and suggested that those who haven’t got time to find some raffle prizes that they contribute money and she will purchase the prizes. Shelby McLean stated we also need a few more golfers to makeup the 18 teams or a maximum of 144 golfers. She also needs more items for the goodie bags. She observed there will be 4 sponsored holes having alcoholic beverages, one hole having a chair massage and only 4 holes that don’t have any sponsored activities. Karen Zappia circulated a sign-up sheet for volunteers for 2 more timeslots for the car giveaway hole if you make a hole-in-one. Pres. Scott reported that there are still a few seats available for the June 20 Rotary Social Los Angeles-San Francisco Giants game. James Simonaro reported on the kickoff for Make-A-Wish fundraiser. He reported that 11-year-old Simon was involved in making a new ice cream called "Plasma Swirl Crunch" to be sold at Doc's Creamery parlors. Next week’s meeting will feature economic vitality. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott charged Greg Baker, Joel Conn and Karen Zappia $20 IDs, $20 IDs and $5 IDs respectively for interrupting him. He recognized Steve Burnside’s April 8 birthday and his April 23 Rotary birthday. He assessed $108 IDs in recognition of John and Marcia Traversaro’s May 4 wedding anniversary. PROGRAM: Arroyo Grande High School Interact and RYLA Students Ashlea Boyer introduced the following officers of Interact: Cole Martinez-President; Sabrina Kurth-SeniorVP; Devash Sapovadia-,Junior VP; Natalie Hurtado-Sophomore Vice President; Wendy Teodoro-Secondary and Daniel Gomez-Secondary. Cole explained that his duties were mainly communication and representing the Interact at all major social events. Sabrina stated she was in charge of community service. Natalie’s job was to help with the annual Christmas gift giving. Wendy is in charge of the bulletin and handling the 2019-20 election of officers. Daniel’s job as historian is to be in charge of taking pictures. Ashlea then introduced the RYLA students. She stated that we sent a total of 11 to join the 200 other students from around the district. The boys are placed in one of 4 cabins and the girls in one of 11 cabins. The students are divided into 8 color groups each containing 30 to 35 students so that no other group has students of the same high school except 3 of the students from Arroyo Grande High School who had to double up. A typical day starts at 7:30 AM and lights go out at midnight. When asked what they learned or what was most important to them, the responses included: learning to trust others in the 4 member rock-climbing team; the diversity of the group was great; public speaking was a very important feature; learning to feel compassion for others and don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today; dancing was great because nobody was a wallflower as everyone was involved; service to others was emphasized by the outside speakers, and classes were given on becoming involved in service-oriented activities. Ashlea explained that all of the RYLA students were selected on the basis of their applications, which indicated that they were active in Interact. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “Every year I look forward to Interact and RYLA and who are the creme de creme of the Arroyo Grande High School students and the future of our country.” |
Apr 23, 2019-Rotary ForumToday's Program-April 23, 2019: Polio Survivor Jim Lewis Pres. Scott started our meeting with the introduction of 3 guests: Barry and Matthew Vanderkelen, and Diane Diresto. Announcements: Tommy Thompson Memorial Service Sat. 4-27 at New Life Church. All District Social: 6-20-19-Giants at the Dodgers. Golf Tournament 5-6-19; Jenny updated us and shared that we have $21,100 in gross sponsors thus far. Karen mentioned we have 11 hole sponsorships and Erik added that there are 96 Tee sponsors in total. Inspirational Dollars: Shannon Bowdey spun the wheel for her new BMW X2 and was fined $40. Steve Curry was fined $72. for his new Chevy Silverado. Mark Olsen and Joel were fined $20. each for outbursts. President Scott was fined $69. for his birthday on 4-26. Left-Handed Diane Schiesl gets fined $25. for incorrect guess on percentage of left-handed population with Jenny moving on. Jenny and Jeff Smith compete on how many squares of toilet paper the average person uses daily. In case you were wondering? It's 57. John Travasero is fined $25 for an incorrect guess of how many hairs in an eyebrow. Answer: 500! NOT in my eyebrows! Our program:Polio Survivor Jim Lewis: Jim was a coach and teacher before retirement and is a polio survivor. The polio virus has been around for 5,000 years. In 1948, Jim and his younger brother became very sick with severe flu-like symptoms. They had to endure spinal taps at the young ages of 5 and 3. The polio diagnosis came on their parent's 10th wedding anniversary on August 27th 1948. Jim spent 8 weeks in the hospital and had to have extensive therapy to walk again. His younger brother Larry was released sooner. Today, Jim wears braces on his legs and uses a cane to walk. Jim travels the world through Rotary International to eradicate polio. He shared that there are only 9 cases remaining in the world. Those are 6 in Pakistan and 3 in Afghanistan. Poliovirus is highly contagious and can spread from person to person. It is often crippling and can be deadly. The virus only infects humans. Jim is also involved with providing wheel chairs, braces, hand-crank tricycles, correctional surgeries and calipers for those suffering from the damage of the polio virus. Our Pismo Beach-5-Cities Rotary Club has donated $1,500 towards helping eradicating polio. Next weeks program: RYLA and Interact Thank you to our guests. Inspire Thought for the Day by Karen Zappia: "Smile, it's Free Therapy." |
Apr 16, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM April 16, 2019: Past District Gov. John Weiss - “HIGHLIGHTS AS DISTRICT GOVERNOR” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included the Past District Gov. Weiss ANNOUNCEMENTS: Past Pres. Greg Baker reported that the Club Foundation meeting will be held this evening at 6 PM. Past Pres. Michael Boyer gave a synopsis of the successful RYLA event this past weekend. There were 240 attendees that included 10 students that we sponsored and our alternate that was sponsored by the AG Rotary Club. Michael was pleased that Connie O’Henley and Deanie Dotson volunteered as counselors and he encouraged anyone interested to become a counselor for next year’s RYLA. In Karen Zapia’s absence, Steve Curry reported on Saturday’s successful soccer tournament at Tally Fields. Jenny Diercks stated that we raised $105 for charity at the Chipotle restaurant. Jenny also stressed that we need a few more teams to fill up the annual Golf Classic at the San Luis Obispo Country Club on May 6. She also stressed that we need items for the goodie bags. Erik Mund stated we close the deadline for signing up for tee sponsors so sign up today. Ashlea Boyer needs raffle items so that the large majority of those at the golf banquet will go home with a prize. Pres. Scott reminded everyone of Tommy Thompson’s memorial service at the New Life Church on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 11 AM. Shannon Bowdey was honored by the District for her outstanding Club public relations activities. Pres. Scott stated that next week’s meeting will be Polio Survivor Jim Lewis. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Past Pres. Greg and Stacy Baker’s 9th wedding anniversary was recognized with $36 IDs. Linda Osty’s family gathering that included friends from Poland cost her $50 IDs. Steve and Linda Curry’s 36th wedding anniversary was recognized with no fine. John Weiss levied a $25 ID’s on Pres. Scott. PROGRAM: Past District Gov. John Weiss - “HIGHLIGHTS AS DISTRICT GOVERNOR” Ashlea Boyer introduced the PDG with whom she’s had a long social relationship. PDG Weiss mentioned it was a pleasure to have Jeff drive him to the Rotary Zone meeting in Reno. He also recalled the great spread that Steve Curry had available to him on his July 25 Club visit. However since he was going into surgery, all he could have for dinner was ginger ale and 3 cups of green Jell-O and his grandson came up wanting his 4th cup of Jell-O, which of course he gave to him. He joined Rotary in 2011 and became its president soon thereafter. He started attending the Zone Institute 2012 and has not missed one through 2018. He was appointed Dist. Gov. in October 2014 and served from July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2018. His wife Christine accompanied him on 60 of the 72 Club visits during the year. He talked his daughter Jessica, who is a little shy, into attending PRLS that included public speaking. He was very impressed when she got up and gave a 11 minute speech on how he got her to go to PRLS. Attending 72 Club during the year was made easy by his great staff. The Thomas fire was one of his biggest challenges during the year. Another challenge was the massive Montecito mudslide on January 8, 2018. He got a call from the Montecito Club president that morning telling him to postpone his Club visit. He concluded his presentation by showing a number of slides highlighting his fun year. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT ASTROSKY “This Club inspires me.” |
Apr 9, 2019 Rotary-ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM April 9, 2019: Abe Lincoln - “THE SLO NOOR FOUNDATION” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott was saddened to report that Tommy Thompson had passed away and the memorial service will be at the New Life Church on Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 11 AM. Karen Zappia circulated a sign-up sheet for volunteers for this Saturday, April 13’s annual Soccer Tournament at a new location, Tally Fields, 1 mile past Biddle Park toward Lopez Lake. Jenny Dierek requested we buy a meal at the Capote Restaurant on 1229 E. Grand Avenue this Saturday, April 13 from 4 to 8 PM. 33% of the proceeds will be donated to our Club. Michael Boyer announced that the RYLA graduation will take place at 11 AM this coming Sunday, April 14 at Camp Ramah. Jenny Dierek stated that they have 20 golf teams signed up and there are a few more teams available to fill the remaining slots for the May 6 tournament. Erik Mund said we have 75 team sponsors with April 24 as the deadline for sign-up. Shelby McLean is the one to see for the goodie bags items. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Jim Lewis donated 20 Happy Bucks because of Pismo Beach’s success with the Shell Beach Road of many turns like Lombard St. in San Francisco. John Traversaro was asked to spin the wheel for $27 IDs. Don Weber’s poor introduction cost him $50 IDs. Cale Kunkle’s Rotary birthday on April 10 resulted in $50 IDs. Mary Ann Reese and Lucy Silva were each assessed $50 IDs for giving the wrong answers. Pres. Scott announced next week’s program will be Past District Gov. John Weiss. PROGRAM: Abe Lincoln - “SLO THE NOOR FOUNDATION” Ashlea Boyer introduced Abe Lincoln, a Cal Poly graduate, who is the Exec. Director of SLO Noor Foundation. This is a volunteer-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to providing high quality free healthcare (Medical, Dental and Vision) to uninsured adults over 18 or those unable to pay, living within our community. They treated their first patient in 2011 and in March 2019 they saw 600 patients and a total of 28,000 since its inception. Recently they partnered with Dr. Phelan to now provide pre-and postnatal care to their patients. Dr. Phelan is a professor in the Department of Kinesiology at Cal Poly and the director of Cal Poly’s STRIDE Center for Obesity Research. In the question-and-answer period, Abe stated that most of their patients come as a result of word of mouth, although they advertise on Spanish radio and regular radio and TV stations. They operate throughout San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT ASTROSKY “The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideals of service as a basis of worthwhile enterprise.” |
Apr 2, 2019: Rotary ForumToday's Program April 2nd 2019: John Lindsey/PG&E Chief Meteorologist President Scott called the meeting to order and Deenie Dotson gave an invocation & flag salute by Jeff Smith.Guests: Jeremy Wood and his wife Jeanette were visiting from Perth Australia. Jeremy presented our club with a banner from his club in Australia and we reciprocated with a banner from our club. Next, induction of new members Greg Steinberger, Amanda Langworthy, and James Simonaro from Doc Burnstein's.Jan Hensley then was awarded with her blue badge. Connie returns her fine free badge and Cliff Nagler wins the badge for $40.00. Announcements: The PACE Universal Fundraiser-Deepa Willingham is on 4-28-19-tickets are $100.00. Highway Clean-Up Acknowledged by Paul Holden-special thanks to Anya and Daryl Buck. Karen announced the Rotary Soccer Tournament is April 13th at Talley Fields in Arroyo Grande. RYLA camp next week in Ojai starting April 11th. Jenny Dierck: Golf tournament update and urged members to get teams to play. Erik Mund also shared that we have 69 tee sponsors and we are "stagnant" right now as we need to get 100. Deenie and Shannon showed off some fun socks-"Save the Drama for the Llama" and Elephants too!" Inspirational Dollars: Pres. Scott ("Mr. Rotten President.") fined Deenie $50.00 for an outburst. Paul Holden was fined $25.00 for his birthday. Jeff Smith fined $100.00 for his wife Jane's birthday. Cliff Nagler's 13th wedding anniversary resulted in a $65.00 fine.Daryl Buck was fined $50.00 for an interruption. Program: John Lindsey/PG&E Chief Meteorologist (Marine Meteorologist) Connie introduced John who has a weather watch column weekly in the SLO Tribune and is known by many for his presence on social media, and in the radio sharing weather. He was a former Air Crewman in the US Navy.His hero is "Arrhenius" a Swedish physical chemist and physicist. He discussed climate change including receding of the Glaciers in Alaska and warmer temperatures resulting in earlier blooms of cherry blossoms in Japan as one example. Ice melting in areas of the world are causing increases in the depth of the ocean. Sea levels are rising. Extreme weather changes, droughts, increased wild fires and warmer temps. There are many changes happening due to variations in our climate. "Historically temperatures and changes of this magnitude have occurred over thousands of years, not over a few decades. That's why we need energy sources that produce electricity free of greenhouse gases. Nuclear power provides more clean electricity than any other source and helps our state and nation combat climate change. Diablo Power Plant has operated safely since 1985 with its two pressurized water reactors (PWR) units. The two units produce for 18,000 gigawatt hours of clean, carbon-free electricity. John has a passion for clean energy and is able to provide accurate swell and weather forecasts by using many oceanographic instruments that collect data. "We are responsible for climate change."-John Lindsey Next weeks program: The Noor Foundation. Inspirational message: Scott closed with the Rotarian Code of Conduct: "Act with integrity. Deal Fairly. Use professional skills to mentor young people. Avoid adverse behavior." |
Mar 26, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM March 26, 2019: Christy Trupe - “LIFEWATER” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM by having Lucy Silva to come the podium for exchanging her red Rotary badge for a blue one after she had completed all of the necessary steps in 1 ½ months. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott thanked everyone who worked during the Exploratory Work Day last Saturday. Paul Holden was pleased to announce that at last Wednesday’s fundraiser we raised $2500 for PolioPlus. Connie O’Henley asked everyone to turn in their application forms for the May 6 Golf Classic ASAP. Erik Mund reminded everyone to sign the tee sponsor board. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Darrell Buck donated $50 Happy Bucks because of his fully restored 50-year-old Corvette convertible that he purchased and drove today. Lucy Silva’s 20-year-old twin boys majoring in horticulture and architecture, respectively resulted in her donation of $20 Happy Bucks . Andrea Lueker’s and Connie O’Henley’s March 2 and March 28 birthdays, respectively were recognized without fines. Pres. Scott assessed Diane Schiesl $50 IDs for her March 20 Club anniversary and Jack Hardy a total of $65 IDs for disparaging him and for attending the Century 21 Conference. Erik Mund spun the wheel resulting in $50 IDs for his Club anniversary on March 29. Shannon Bowdey’s husband Brad had a birthday on March 21, which did not result in any fine. Paul Holden was assessed $72 IDs because his smart phone went off twice during his announcement of the Highway cleanup and request for volunteers for this coming Saturday at 9 AM at Coco’s. Pres. Scott announced that next Tuesday’s meeting will be on the seasonal rain and when will it stop by John Lindsay, PGE’s Chief Meteorologist. PROGRAM: Christy Trupe - “LIFEWATER” Ashlea Boyer introduced Christy who explained that Lifewater brings clean water, improved health, and hope of the gospel to poor families in rural Africa and Southeast Asia. They go beyond just building wells. Sean Byrnes founded Lifewater 40 years ago on a trip to Mexico when he saw contaminated water the impoverished people were drinking. At present they have selected Ethiopia, Tanzania, Uganda and Cambodia as the countries with villages that have been unreached by the gospel, underserved with sanitary conditions and water and unengaged by any organization or governmental agency or both. Last year they served 161,000 people by teaching families to live under healthy conditions which must include proper: hygiene, use of a personal latrine, storage of water, use of a drying rack and maintenance of a clean living area. Once those 5 conditions have been met, volunteers check on the families through the use of android devices, which transmit the data to San Luis Obispo headquarters. In this high-tech way, they are able to determine, for example, that a village of 322 people contain 55/56 of the families living under healthy conditions. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY LUCY SILVA “A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service,.” Mother Teresa |
Mar 12, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM March 12, 2019: “Community Giving Program” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:40 PM with a large number of of guests including those representing charitable organizations that came to receive donations. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott still needs 2 or 3 volunteers to work in 2 hour shifts at the final Exploratory Work Day this coming Saturday, March 16 from 8 AM to 4 PM. In Paul Holden’s absence, he announced there will be a Highway cleanup on March 30 starting 7 AM at Coco’s for breakfast. He asked for a show of hands for those coming to the board meeting this Thursday at the Arroyo Grande Hospital. Connie O’Henley urged everyone to bring a potential member as a guest to our Club. John Traversaro again circulated the sign-up sheet for the Paul Harris Joint Social in place of the regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 PM at the St. Barnabas Episcopal Church located at 301 Trinity Ave., Arroyo Grande. John needs a few volunteers to help for set up. Jenny Dierek reported that 20 teams have signed up so far for the May 6 Golf Classic. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Happy Bucks were donated by Jenny Dierek ($20) because of her dad’s health improvement and Jan Hensley ($34) for her 34-year-old son’s visit. Pres. Scott recognized Connie O’Henley without fine (she had the fine free) for her and Don’s wedding anniversary on March 11, 1995. Steve Curry and Harlan Silva did not get off so easily as they were assessed $105 IDs each for the 35 years they have been with this Club since its founding in 1984. Mark Olson’s 16 year Club anniversary resulted in a $48 IDs assessment. Mark then took the floor with his Trivial Pursuit questions resulting in the following $20 losers: Lucy Silva, John Traversaro, Don Weber, Jenny Dierek, Cliff Nagler, Diane Schiesl and Rae Breen. PROGRAM: “Community Giving Program” Pres. Scott filled in for Andrea Lueker to preside over the distribution of funds to the following recipients by calling each of the representatives and their sponsors to the podium: Arroyo Grande United Methodist Church Children’s Center Clark Center Association Coastal Christian School El Padrecito Ministries Five Cities Diversity Coalition Five Cities Meals On Wheels Food Bank Coalition Jacks Helping Hand Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers SLO County YMCA SLO Noor Foundation Grover Beach Exploration Station Each representative gave a brief overview of what their respective organizations do for the local community. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “The most health benefits to be is achieved by giving a 20 second hug.” |
Mar 5, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM March 5, 2019: SLO Police Chief Deanna Cantrell- “Today’s Policing” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests and auctioning off the fine-free badge to Connie O’Henley for $40. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott reminded everyone that the Priority #1+ Membership Workshop will be held at 780 Bello Street, Pismo Beach on March 9 with an 8:30 AM check-in. Also he requested 2 or 3 volunteers to work in 2 hour shifts at the final Exploratory Work Day on Saturday, March 16 from 8 AM to 4 PM. Finally, he reminded us of the Paul Harris Joynt Social in place of the regular meeting on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 PM. Steve Curry reported on the May 6 Golf Classic. Erik Mund stated that tee sponsor board still shows that a lot of members haven’t signed up as yet. Connie O’Henley reported that we have 4 fully paid golf team signed up so far. Speaking of golf tournaments, Ed Harris of the Nipomo Club announced their golf tournament is on the Friday, May 3, just before our tournament. Rotary Club of SLO will present their annual Spaghetti Western Fundraising Event on March 23 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Mary Ann Reese donated $10 Happy Bucks. Pres. Scott had Mary Ann Reese spin the wheel because she is such a nice person, which resulted in $24 IDs. He assessed Joel Conn and Steve Burnside $10 IDs each and Steve Curry 50 IDs for interrupting and disparaging him, respectively.. PROGRAM: SLO Police Chief Deanna Cantrell- “Today’s Policing” Ashlea Boyer introduced Deanna who previously was the Assistant Police Chief of Mesa, Arizona. Deanna began by stating that the overall goal of policing is to make lives better. Of course, she says, this is easier said than done. The first goal is to reduce harm by reducing crime and fear of crime. There has been an increase in the number of motor accidents due to the use of smart phones. Goal number two is to increase community engagement. The SLO Police Department has 87 sworn staff, which is not enough for the SLO police to handle so that they need the engagement of the entire community, which includes the other area police departments and the Highway Patrol. She then described the problem that a police officer has when called out when a crime is in progress. The officer arrives on the scene with hightened anxiety with impaired vision and hearing. Consequently when officers see what looks like the flash of a gun they will start pulling the trigger and firing off a number of rounds without even realizing it. Officers can train perfect on the gun range, but when they get out in the field in such a situation it makes it very difficult to hit the targeted chest area. In solving a crime the public believes they have forensic tools such as a shoe print database, which does not exist. In San Luis Obispo finds 70% of the crimes are committed by Latins, 20% by blacks and 10% by whites.. They have a program called Policing Community Together designed to build trust in the community for the police force. She realizes that police forces have some bad officers, which the good officers want off the force. A candidate is given 7 hours of psychological exams as well as polygraphs. A final goal is keeping our officers healthy by strengthening wellness and mindful breathing DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ANYA STANLEY “Loss and hardships are unavoidable in life, however, "how" we deal with our pain is what will make us or break us.” Melanie Willard, Dare to be Raw Pain |
Feb 26, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM February 26, 2019: Kevin Drabinski, SLO Food Bank Director- “Food Bank” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 1236 PM with the usual introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott asked John Traversaro to give an update on the Wednesday, March 20 hot dog social at the St. Barnabas Church in place of our meeting on Tuesday, March 19. John stated that all the Rotary clubs in the area are invited to this meeting. Pres. Scott announced final Expiration Station Work Day is on Saturday, March 16 from 8 AM to 4 PM 4 PM with 3 or 4 volunteers per 2 hour shifts, look for an email from him and Andrea Lueker. He also reported on the Membership Workshop will be held at 780 Bello Street, Pismo Beach on March 9 with an 8:30 AM check-in. He also urged everyone on on next year’s board to attend the District Assembly in Bakersfield on March 16. Please see President-elect Jack Hardy to make arrangements to ride in one of his vehicles. 19 members responded favorably to attend the June 20 Rotary social to see Los Angeles Dodgers play the San Francisco Giants game in Dodgers’ Stadium. Jenny Dierek reported that 3 teams have registered for the May 6 Golf Classic. Erik Mund stated that we have 61 tee sponsor so far. Andrea Lueker reported the results of the Community Giving program and forwarded an email for the dollar amounts that each charitable organization will be receiving this year. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Steve Burnside donated $20 Crappy Bucks because he had mistakenly rubbed the arm of a woman sitting in front of him at a recent concert who was the spitting image of Connie O’Henley. $20 and $100 Happy Bucks were donated by Greg Steinberger and Jim Lewis, respectively. Pres. Scott recognized the following members with the amount of the assessment,, if any in parentheses: Jim Lewis’s February 7 birthday and his Club anniversary on February 18; Darrell Buck’s birthday on February 15; Karen Zappia’s birthday on February 17 ($50 IDs); Ashlea Boyer’s club anniversary on February 24 ($25 ID’s); Don O’Henley’s (Connie’s husband) birthday on February 25 (20 IDs); Richard Hubbard’s (Andrea Lueker’s husband) birthday; Sarah Walker’s (Cale Kunkle’s fiancé) birthday on February 24; and Don Weber’s Club ($10 IUDs). PROGRAM: Kevin Drabinski, SLO Food Bank Director- “Food Bank” Ashlea Boyer introduced Kevin who became the Chief Executive Officer of Food Bank on February 16, 2017. He has a Bachelor’ s Degree from UC Berkeley, a Master’ s in Public Administration from University of San Francisco and a Masters’s in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University, New Orleans. Kevin began by reporting that Food Bank’s new 20,000 square-foot warehouse is located 1180 Kendall Rd. near the San Luis Obispo airport. 1/3 of warehouse is refrigerated. They delivered 4 million pounds, ½ of which was fresh produce to 14,000 households in 2018. They have 27 paid employees, but they depend on the 5000 volunteers. They have a gleaning program. For example, last year when CalPoly’s farm came waterlogged, the volunteers glean the orchard for the fresh fruit. Their motto is no one in the county should go hungry. When the government shut down during last Christmas season, the volunteers fanned out throughout the county to supply food to the furloughed government workers. The homeless are provide food that can be easily consumed such as easy to open jars of peanut butter. Kevin requested that we donate the Food Bank and Pres. Scott stated that since he became president in July each week a small donation goes out to the Food Bank. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY SHANNON BOWDEY “Don’t be pushed around by your fears in your mind. Be led by the dreams in your heart” Roy T. Bennett |
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Feb 12, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM February 8, 2019: Ashlea Boyer- “Community Giving Program” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the introduction of our only guest Jenny Dierek’s daughter McKenzie. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott Pres. announced that a District Training assembly will be held in Bakersfield on March 16 and in Oxnard on March 30. He also announced that the next Rotary Board meeting will be on Thursday, February 21. Ashlea Boyer circulated a sign-up sheet for those interested in going to the Los Angeles Dodger Stadium on June 20 to see the Los Angeles Dodgers play the San Francisco Giants, which is a District 5240 social event. Michael Boyer announced that there will be a District Membership Training Assembly at the Pismo Beach the Veterans Hall on Saturday, March 9. Next week’s program will feature ShelterBox USA. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott auctioned off the IDs-free badge to Steve Curry. Pres. Scott called upon Past. Pres. Mark to assess IDs upon the members. Darrell Buck’s birthday cost him $60 IDs after he spun the wheel. Lee Ann and Dale Liscombe’s wedding anniversary resulted in a fee of $43 IDs. Linda and Ken Osty’s wedding anniversary required her to spin the wheel for a $25 IUDs assessment. Jeff and Jane Smith’s wedding anniversary resulted in a $50 IUD to be paid by Joel Conn and after Jeff spun the wheel. Mark then held his trivia quizzes resulting in $25 IDs being assessed against the following: Diane Schiesl, Connie O’Henley, Deenie Dotson, and Andrea Lueker. PROGRAM: Ashlea Boyer- “Community Giving Program” Ashlea Boyer sat at her laptop and projected Web Page information for each of the following charitable organizations and called upon their sponsors to come forward to present their respective charities: Paul Holden-Arroyo Grande United Methodist Children's Center Ashlea Boyer-Clark Center Association Don Weber -Coastal Christian School Linda Osty-El Padrecito Ministries Michael Boyer-Five Cities Diversity Coalition Dick Dannells-Five Cities Meals on Wheels Jeff King-Food Bank Jenny Dierek filling in for sponsor Karen Zappia-Jacks Helping Hand Andrea Lueker-Point San Luis Lighthouse Keepers Ashlea Boyer filling in for sponsor Sharon Ellis-San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra Joel Conn-SLO County YMCA Ashlea Boyer filling in for sponsor Shannon Bowdey-SLO Noor Foundation Scott Astrosky-South County Family Educational & Cultural Center (Exploration Station) DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY RAE ALEE BREEN “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them.” Dalai Lama XIV |
January 29, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM January 29, 2019: Megan Birney- “Unite to Light” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott welcomed Jules Marsh back from her leave of absence and she proceeded to announce that February 9 from 9 to 11 AM volunteers are needed for a beach cleanup. Jenny Dierek, Chairman of the Golf Committee, stated that her Committee is hard at work on the annual Golf Classic on Monday, May 6, 2019. She pointed out the new tee sponsor board and stated that all sponsors will be able dispense liquor on the golf course as long as they have a member of the Country Club present. Erik Mund stated that each member is expected to bring in 2 sponsors. Jeff King is in charge of corporate sponsors. Jenny urge that that golfers should sign their teams up soon the last two years have been a sellout. Pres. Scott announced that on June 20, 2019, at Los Angeles Dodger Stadium, Rotary District 5240 will be holding its very first district-wide social event and fund raiser. On that date the Los Angeles Dodgers will be playing the San Francisco Giants. He also stated that a District Training assembly will be held in Bakersfield on March 16, 2019. Paul Holden announced a Rotary Foundation event meeting held on Wednesday, March 20, 2019, which will mean the March 19 regular meeting will be dark. Andrea Lueker announced that each sponsor for the Community Giving Program has 2.25 minutes to speak on behalf of the sponsored charity. She will have the electronic voting open before that date and it will close on February 15. Each member will have fake $237 to spend on the charities of their choices. She will also have online information for the volunteers involved in Youth Literacy Program. Jim Lewis’s daughter Gracie came to the podium and gave her pitch to buy Girl Scout cookies and $5 per box. A portion of the profits will be donated to the Armed Services. Our next meeting will be a vocational visit to Doc Burnstein’s Creamery at 971 Huber St., Grover Beach at 12 PM. Lunch will be provided. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott called upon Past. Pres. Mark Olson to assess IDs upon the members. He began with his trivia quizzes resulted in $25 IDs being assessed against the following: Darrell Buck, Erik Mund, Greg Baker, Jack Hardy, Linda Osty and Steve Curry. Jack Hardy spun the wheel and paid $70 IDs for his 22nd club anniversary. PROGRAM: Megan Birney- “Unite to Light” Connie O’Henley introduced Megan who founded Unite to Light, a 401c charity that has as its motto "change a life light the world." Today 1 billion people are without light from electricity. In its place, they use of fire, candles, and kerosene. All these are dangerous pollutants and are expensive. Children under these circumstances have difficulty studying and reading after dark. The solution was to design a solar light, which is clean and affordable. Unite to Light has distributed 110,000 such lights primarily in South Africa where there was a 20 to 30% increase the graduation. Since then they have redesigned the original solar light so that it is completely water resistant and has an improved on and off button with automatic shut off. It’s new lithium battery can be operated for the 8 hours after a full day of sun. This solar light can be purchased for $10. They’ve also designed a solar battery charger which sells for $50. The solar lights are not only for students working at night, but also in disaster relief situations and helping midwives deliver babies in the dark. There are many ways you can help this organization: (1) you can share your story via social media and newsletters; and (2) buy the lights for those in-need people such as a Rotary project, for example, as we have done for the Uganda school children. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY DARRYL BUCK “Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It’s the way in which we ourselves grow and develop. Lose yourself in generous service and every day can be a most unusual, triumphant, and abundantly rewarding day!" |
Jan 22, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM January 22, 2019: Gem Munro- “Amarok Society” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:37 PM by having Past Pres. Jeff King preside over the member induction of Lucy Serpa Silva. Her sponsor Shannon Bowdey had the pleasure of pinning on Lucy’s red badge. Lucy previously was a registered nurse and is now an agent with Keller Williams. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott charged Steve Curry $25 IDs for disrespecting him. Past Pres. Jeff King spun the wheel and paid 40 IDs for his and Sally’s 47th wedding anniversary. Dick Dannells ’ birthday was recognized without any payment of IDs as he had the IDs-free badge. The losers in the trivia quiz were Steve Curry for $25 IDs; John Traversaro for $100 IDs and Darryl Buck for $50 IDs. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott asked a show of hands for those volunteering at the Grover Beach Exploration Station Project work party on this Saturday. Jenny Dierek was the secret greater and selected Ashlea Boyer who pulled Deenie Dotson’s ticket. Deenie proceeded to win the $56 jackpot. Next week’s program is Unite To Light with Megan Birney. PROGRAM: Gem Munro- “Amarok Society” Ashlea Boyer introduced Gem who founded the Amarok Society, a Canadian charity. Support for the Society comes from Rotary Clubs and from royalties received for his book entitled “South Asian Adventures with the Active Poor.” Gem has devoted time in Bangladesh, the poorest of the poor countries and having the worst school system in the world. Bangladesh’s population density is the highest in the world; the density would be equivalent to having the entire population of the world living in California.He and his wife have concentrated on elevating the abject poverty in Bangladesh's largest cities.. They have done this by teaching the mothers in an intensive 5 month course on how to teach English, social studies, health, conflict resolution and birth control to their respective children. The average American has a vocabulary 15,000 words these women had an average vocabulary of 500 words before they started the course. He showed a short video of a trained mother teaching a class of children. Their first lesson was showing the mothers how to hold a pencil and how to move it on paper to form words. He was told that he could never accomplish what he has accomplished. One thing they said that did came to pass was the husband would beat their wives. However after awhile, the husbands sat outside the room where the children were being taught so that they too could be educated. The requirement is that each wife teach at least 5 children and in some cases up to a maximum of 10. Because depression sets in when you have no purpose in life, all the wives were depressed. After they were taught and started teaching children, they had a purpose in life and for the first time were happy. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY JIM LEWIS “Believe in yourself. You are braver than you think, more talented than you know, and capable of more than you imagine.” ― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart |
Jan 15, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM January 15, 2019): Jan Nichols- “5 CITIES HOMELESS COALITION” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM by having Rae Breen come forward to receive her permanent blue badge after completing the necessary steps. He also read letters from Grace Bible Church and St. Pat’ s Outreach respectively thanking us for supporting their party for foster children and for the cash and nonperishable food that were given for admission to Linda Osty's sponsored Christmas movie. He then had guest introductions after being reminded to do so. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDs): Pres. Scott was asked spin the wheel and was charged $25 IDs for having to be reminded of guest introductions. Deenie Dotson donated $30 Crappy Bucks for having a day that nothing went right. Erik Mund paid $35 IDs for his and Lindsay’s 22nd wedding anniversary. Harlan Silver’s birthday cost him a whopping $100 IDs. Connie O’Henley’s 23 years with Rotary cost her $46 IDs. Greg Baker’s 13 years with Rotary cost him $91 IDs. Lee Ann Liscombe’s birthday was recognized without any payment of IDs. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott announced we still need volunteers for the Grover Beach Exploration Station Project work party on Saturday, January 26. He also announced that because of Paul Holden’s knee surgery we are rescheduling the Adopt A Highway cleanup for a date to be announced. PROGRAM: Jan Nichols- “5 CITIES HOMELESS COALITION” Ashlea Boyer introduced Jan Nichols who is the first Executive Director of the Coalition having served that post since 2012. She has had a long history with nonprofit organizations. Jan began by sharing a story of a homeless family with a 3-year-old child named Isaac who were forced to live all summer camping in the dunes. When she finally was able to provide them with a home in the fall, it was with great joy she heard Isaac exclaim when he entered the home, “It has a bathtub.” Just in the last 4 months rents, have increased by 50% in this area. 25 to 40% of the United States homeless population live in California. Communities all over the country are trying to solve the homeless problem. Illness driven bankruptcies have dramatically increased over the year. She has moved 100 families into homes in 2018. It is cheaper in the long run to keep the people from losing their home in the first place. She told one story of a family that had been sleeping in their car and heating their meals with a microwave. When she finally provided housing for them, she got a letter from the family that enclosed a picture of their Thanksgiving dinner. She also told the story of a homeless youth that tried again to get into the detox program after 4 failed treatments. She was all set to send him on his way, but her, but she supervisor intervened. A year later he returned, but she did not recognize him because he had been straight for the past year. He came back to say thanks and to try to get a job with the Coalition. She was sorry that there were none available, but she was so thankful to be able to help him. The Coalition does not have any property, but relies on finding partners such as St. Pat’s Outreach to provide homes for the homeless. They now have a Youth Case Manager to assist with the 18-24-year-olds who are their biggest problem today. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. SCOTT Pismo Beach 5 Cities continues to do inspiring things: by supporting International grants, District-wide assistance and local charities while getting dirty doing so and by keeping our eye on the ball and holding up the long traditions of Driving To Inspire! |
Jan 8, 2019-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM January 8, 2019: Lee Ann Liscombe and Patricia Patel- “THE NEW U.S. TAX CODE” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM and and auctioned off the IDS-free badge to Dick Dannells for $30. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott announced that the board has approved our participation in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program in which we will sponsor Matthew Vanderkelan. His first choice is to go to Japan. Andrea Lueker announced that the work party for the Grover Beach Exploration Station Project has been rescheduled for Saturday, January 26 starting at 8 AM and continuing to between 2 and 4 PM. She also announced that January 11 is the deadline for getting in our Community Giving forms. Soon she will be sending out the forms to the local schools for the Literacy Program. Scott reminded us that the the Cal Poly Women’s, Basketball Annual Polio Fund Day is this Saturday starting at 2 PM with a three-game reception at 1 PM for those that have a $5 ticket. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDS): Deenie Dotson paid $35 IDs for her and Jim’s 35th wedding anniversary. Mary Ann Reis’s 10th Rotary anniversary caused her to spin the wheel for $30 IDs. Michael Boyer’s 17 years with Rotary cost him $25 IDs. Member Vocational Craft Talk Don Weber took the podium and began by stating that 1933 was the year of his birth in Charleston, West Virginia. His family moved to California when he was very young. When he was 4 years old his family moved to Indiana and remained there until he graduated from high school and college. He joined an insurance company for 6 years and worked in sales and service. He decided to go to work for a Chicago insurance company and became a broker handling commercial insurance where he represented the client. He went to Detroit and formed his own company that was subsequently bought out. He then started up a company in Kansas City where he remained for 17 years. His company was purchased in 1990 and he went to San Francisco. He stayed with the purchasing company until he moved to Central Coast in 1995. He is now 85 and is having the best years of his life being retired and only occasionally having to do some consulting. He feels lucky to have found this club PROGRAM: Lee Ann Liscombe and Patricia Patel- “THE NEW U.S. TAX CODE” The new tax code has a sunset clause for 2025. At that time the rates will go back to the 2017 rates of 10%, 15%, 25%, 28% 33%, 35% and 39.6%. The 2018 percentage rates are: 17, 22, 24, 32, 35, 37. There are no more personal and dependent exemptions. There’s a doubling of the standard deduction, which means that more people will not have to itemize their deductions. You will have higher child tax credits. There have been no changes in the alternative minimum tax and not much change in the capital gains taxes. You can deduct the interest on mortgages up to $750,000 debt. Home equity interest is not deductible. The total amount of state and local taxes you can deduct is $10,000. Miscellaneous deductions have a 2% threshold. Under the amended Affordable Care Act, you are no longer penalized if have no medical insurance. There’s no change in rules concerning Roth and ordinary IRA’s. There’s been a major change in the estate and gift taxes as you now can shelter up to a 11.2 million estate. You cannot casualty losses unless they are covered under the Federal Disaster Relief Act. Patricia Patel then proceeded to discuss changes in the corporate tax structure. She stated that the corporate tax rate has dropped to a flat rate of 21%. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY CALE KUNKLE You’ll never enjoy the good things ahead of you if you keep looking at the bad things behind you. |
Nov 20, 2018-Rotary ForumRotary Thanksgiving Program November 20, 2018 Invocation: Greg Baker and Flag Salute: Ashlea Boyer President Scott opened the meeting at approx 12:35 with the introduction of guests. Michael Boyer was fined $42.00 for the late return of his fine-free badge. Announcements included Deenie saying she is available via email or text for make-up info and reports. Linda Osty reminded everyone about the Christmas movie; The "Bishop's Wife." Inspirational Dollars: President Scott forgot his wife's 52nd Birthday and was charged $50.Mark Olsen's Birthday-Fine Free Badge. Jenny Dierck upcoming birthday Nov. 27th will be attending a Justin Timberlake concert with her friends and was fined $10.00. Ashlea & Michael Boyer's son Jack scored a touch down in the Flag Football Super Bowl and his team won the game. Ashlea was fined $25.Cale shared about The Murphy's (who are Honorary Members of the Club) dinner that was auctioned at Summer Sizzle with pictures and a nice presentation of foods. Thanksgiving Program: President Scott shared some traditions of Thanksgiving and sharing a particular story of eating Chinese rice with ketchup!? And dinners over the years with long-time friends from Orcutt Presbyterian Church who have been very kind to him and his family. Shannon shared some family history stories with pictures and the great Italian food they would have. One of the pictures had her ex-boyfriend in it and she divulged that she had a restraining order against him. Wow! Jenny Dierck was born on Thanksgiving Day and celebrated her birthday with her grandfather (who suffered from polio as a child)every year since his birthday was the day after hers. He passed recently so this was the first year she was not going to have that special celebration. Michael Boyer shared that he had his first Thanksgiving in college. He grew up in the Alaskan woods and they would hunt for Ptarmigan every year. (A bird twice the size of a quail.) Every year they hunted and their feast would include whatever they had left in their root cellar. They also enjoyed pickled hard-boiled eggs. Which apparently Jack does not care for. Ashlea Boyer always enjoyed their Pecan Praline Pie and they made little turkeys out of pine cones as a decoration. Ashlea said cranberry sauce was ONLY out of the can and a family member was confused that it existed other than in the can. Michael Boyer makes fresh cranberry. Ashlea grew up in Tahoe and instead of "Black Friday" they had a tree party where her dad would cut down the top of a tall pine tree for their Christmas tree. Deenie had an interesting "prop" she brought to share that one year after the turkey came out of the oven that it had something more than stuffing in it! Her metal sink strainer had accidentally been stuffed in the turkey. A member asked; "Did you still eat the turkey?" Deenie answered; "Yes we did! "Connie was kind enough to share her Grandma B's holiday roll recipe. She said one year they didn't make them and that did not go over well! So, it's a yearly tradition to spend two days making two batches of rolls.(14 cups of flour later!) Drive to Inspire: Erik Mund shared a very sweet animated short film titled "Pip" from "Southeastern Guide Dogs" about an underdog that overcomes her weaknesses and does a heroic act that earns her a position as a guide dog. Great message of perseverance, and positivity. Next Week's Program: SLO Museum of Art-Jeff Al-Mashat |
December 18, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM December 18, 2018 (12-18-18): Vicky Warnock- “PREVENTION AND FLU SHOTS” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:19 PM and thanked Michael Boyer conducting last week’s meeting in his absence. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott announced a last minute club social at the Fair Oaks Theater starting at 7:30 PM this Thursday followed by the movie “The Green Book” at 7:45 PM. He also stated that today will be the last meeting of the year and our next meeting will be on January 8, 2019. He indicated that they are still looking for volunteers now through December 31 to put the last minute touches on Rotary International’s float for the Rose Parade Float Building and to see https://www.rotaryfloat.org/ for further details. In Andrea Lueker’s absence, he reminded us of the Grover Beach Exploration Station Project on Saturday, January 5 and continued on January 26 if the job of putting up the fence has not been completed on the 5th. Finally he reminded us of the Cal Poly Women’s, Basketball Annual Polio Fund Day on January 12 starting at 2 PM. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDS): Paul Holden donated $50 in Happy Bucks for his and Ann’s great two weeks in Hawaii; the first week with his family and the second week on the Waikiki beach with just he and Ann. Pres. Scott voluntarily came forward, spun the wheel and paid $30 IDs for his and Tanya’s 26th wedding anniversary. PROGRAM: Vicky Warnock- “PREVENTION AND FLU SHOTS” Shelby McLean introduced Vicky, who is the Dignity Health Director of Infection. Vicky began by stating that there are three reasons for flu shots: to prevent (1) influenza and related deaths; (2) severe illness; (3) other people from contacting the flu. True influenza, and not stomach flu or a bad cold, has the following symptoms that usually last for 7 days: high fever, headaches, tiredness/weakness, dry cough, sore throat and chills. She urged us always to cover our coughs. For centuries flu has killed millions of people and you can stop influenza before it knocks you out by taking flu shot. It is usually effective for the entire season. However, the more susceptible people, such as babies and people over 65, should get a booster in February. She then went on to discuss shingles, which can be avoided by taking the new shingle shots. Lastly, she talked about Coccidioidomycosis, commonly known as Valley fever, as well as California fever and San Joaquin Valley fever, which is become more prevalent in recent years in San Luis Obispo County. |
Dec 11, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM December 11, 2018: SLO Winds (San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra) In Pres. Scott’s absence Past Pres. Michael Boyer took the podium and opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with the usual introduction of guests. Rae Breen led the flag salute as her last task to enable her to obtain her permanent blue badge. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Shannon Bowdey reminded everyone about the Holiday Party on Thursday, December 13 John and Marcia Traversaro’s home at 1655 Waterview Pl., Nipomo. Anya Stanley reported that the annual shell Beach Holiday Stroll be held on December 14 starting at 5 PM Michael Boyer reported that the Rose Parade Float Building Project will be held from now to December 31; go to https://www.rotaryfloat.org/ . Linda Osty circulated a Christmas card from Paul and Joy Jones who moved to 2053 Thomas Drive, Jackson, CA 95642; they would enjoy hearing from us. She also had everybody stand who either helped with or attended the Christmas movie this past Saturday. David Archer announced that on December 20 there will be a Gingerbread Walk and a Pub Crawl starting on Pomeroy in Pismo Beach and ending at the cigar bar; for further details contact David. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (IDS): Past Pres. Michael assessed Trusha and Niral Patel $39 IDs for their 13th wedding anniversary; Shannon and Bradley Bowdey $27 IDS for their 9th wedding anniversary; and Erik Mund $43 IDS for his 43rd birthday. He also recognized Sharon Ellis for her 21st Club anniversary on November 1. PROGRAM: SLO Winds (San Luis Obispo Wind Orchestra) Jennifer Martin began by asking the difference between their Wind Orchestra and other orchestras; the answer is they have no string instruments. They perform at Cuesta College and on 4 different dates throughout the year and perform at Chamber Concerts featuring small ensembles and more intimate settings. The orchestra played a number of works and then played Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson that included some of the most famous Christmas songs and carols DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARIN ZAPPIA “You cannot have a positive life with a negative mind." |
Dec 4, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM December 4, 2018: Dana Nunley-“Hanukkah Traditions” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Linda Osty is still looking for a couple more volunteers at this Saturday’s Christmas movie.. Karen Zappia announced that today is the last day for collecting CASA gifts at our meeting. Those who have not brought their gifts today should bring them to her office or the CASA office, both in San Luis Obispo no later than this Friday. Ashlea Boyer stated that our Christmas party on Tuesday December 13 from 5:30-8 PM will be potluck and each couple is asked to bring a wrap gift of $20 value for a gift exchange An email will be sent as to what food item we are to bring. Scott reminded us of the January 12 Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Annual PolioPlus day. Andrea Lueker stated that we will be participating in a get down and dirty fence building project at the Grover Beach Expiration Station on 2 different dates January 5th and the 26th. She also stated that the Community Giving grants will be accepting applications for charities with the deadline for submission on January 11. Anya Stanley reported that the Pismo Beach Parklet in front of Joel and Sarah Conn’s veterinary clinic is in need of paperback book donations for it’s free library. Finally, she stated reported that a 238 foot cruise liner will be moored at Port San Luis this weekend. Because this is the first meeting of the month, Pres. Scott showed off his loud stockings and asked members to come forward with similar stockings, leggings, etc. At Least Steve Curry and Rae Breen did come forward with such wearing apparel. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (ID): Dick Dannells donated $5 IDs for his successful trip to Laughlin. Pres. Scott assessed Mark Olson $25 IDs for the poor introduction of the guests at his table. He then auctioned off the ID-free badge to Mark Olson for $25. PROGRAM: Dana Nunley-“Hanukkah Traditions” Dana began by asking us to spell Hanukkah. She pointed out that since Hanukkah began before written language, the spelling came about by phonetics. Another version is spelled Chanuakkah, but Chan is pronounced Han. The reason the 8 days of Hanukkah begins the last days of November to the early days of December of our calendar is it’s based on the Jewish calendar, Kislev. She then asked whether the Jewish people are a race, an ethnicity, a nationality or a religion. Although an argument can be made for each of these terms, ethnicity seems to seem to account for most of the characteristics of the Jewish people. Ethnicity refers to cultural factors such as nationality, culture, language and beliefs. Mattathias led a large-scale Maccabees rebellion against Antiochus, the Greek king that had been killing thousands of Jews. Hanukkah refers to the dedication of the Jewish Temple after this rebellion and is a celebration of this event. The menorah in the Temple was required to burn for 8 nights, but they only enough oil for it to burn for 1 day. Based on a miracle, so the story goes, the menorah burned for the 8 days. Dana then lit the 3 candles in the menorah, representing the first 3 days of Hanukkah. We took part in the celebration by eating traditional Jewish latkes with a trollop of sour cream and applesauce. Later we ate a piece of sweet bread and grape juice after the menorah was lit. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY MICHAEL BOYER “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” Marianne Williamson |
Nov 27, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM November 27, 2018: Jeff Al-Mashat-“SLO Museum of Art ” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the introduction of the only guest, Jeff Al-Mashat. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jeff King is looking for a few more volunteers to support Foster Families and at-risk children at a special county-wide holiday event this Saturday, December 1 from 11 AM to 2 PM. Linda Osty still needs some help during the December 8 Fair Oaks Christmas movie. The price of admission is 2 nonperishable food items that will be distributed by St. Patrick’s or an unwrapped gift that will go to the Boys & Girls Club. Ashlea Boyer is collecting CASA gifts no later than next Tuesday’s meeting. Our Christmas party will be at the home of John and Marcia Traversaro on December 13 not the 8th as stated in an email invitation, from 5:30-8 PM. Paul Holden urged us to go online and make a donation to Polio Plus on this Giving Tuesday. Pres. Scott ordered that the Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Annual PolioPlus day will be held on Saturday, January 12 at 2 PM with a $5 ticket price. They will be playing against UCSB. Paul Holden placed the names of all those that contributed $50 in a hat and drew Cale Kunkle’s name, which entitled him to a $1000 Paul Harris Fellow. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (ID): Mary Ann Reese donated $20 IDs for spilling orange juice at the Phoenix airport that was observed by another fellow Rotarian. Pres. Scott assessed the following IDs: 0 IDs on Mark Olson for his birthday as he had the ID-free badge; and $15 IDs based on a lucky spin-the-wheel for missing Pismo Veteran Day event and for his Mexican cruise with his family. He also congratulated Michael Boyer for his new job as Pres. of Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab. PROGRAM: Jeff Al-Mashat-“SLO Museum of Art ” Ashlea Boyer introduced Jeff who has been working for the past 2 decades in non-profit organizations. He became the Associate Director of the Museum two years ago. Jeff began by stating the Museum exhibits many different kinds of art including paintings that can be augmented my apps on your smart phone. They have about 150 pieces of art in the permanent collection that represents contributions from artists from the Central Coast. They hold hundreds of classes for students and have regular movie film nights. In April they will feature movie “Side By Side” that explains what is happening with films today. AWAKEN {Partnership with County Schools} is a year-long program celebrating art and community expressed through the imaginative creations of our county’s students with student exhibitions being displayed at SLOMA throughout the year. Drawings of Julia Morgan, the chief architect of Hearst Castle, are currently being featured. They are presently undergoing a fundraising campaign to build a brand-new 3-story structure with a basement. During the holidays, they are open 7 days a week from 11 AM to 5 PM and many nights for special events. This Saturday local artists will be on the scene. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY SHANNON BOWDEY “Rotary’s strength lies in sincerity of purpose of its members.” Rotary’s 1921 Annual Convention |
Nov13, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM November 13, 2018: Past District Gov. Wade Nomura -“ District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair ” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included Past District Gov. Wade Nomura. Cliff Nagler sadly reported that the parents of wife Samantha lost everything in the Paradise fire and he donated 100 Crappy Bucks for this tragedy ANNOUNCEMENTS: Paul Holden explained how accumulated Paul Harris points can be used to award a Paul Harris Fellow and then circulated the raffle sign-up sheet for a $50 chance to win $1000 Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Andrea Lueker announced that the Exploration Center in Grover Beach needs help to build a fence during a couple of weekend days. The next Club social will be 5:30 PM on this Thursday, November 15 at the Mason Bar in Arroyo Grande. Linda Osty reminded everyone of the 6th annual Christmas movie entitled “The Bishop’s Wife” on Saturday, December 8 that requires entry either a nonperishable food item or an unwrapped toy.. A representative of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) handed out 40 cards with the names of children and their requested Christmas gifts to be distributed among all members. Next week’s program will be Thanksgiving Traditions. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (ID): Pres. Scott assessed the following IDs: 50 IDs on Jenny and Lee Dierek for their 12th wedding anniversary; $100 IDs on Andrea and Richard Lueker for the 28th wedding anniversary; and $25 IDs on Shelby and Kevin McLean or their 7th wedding anniversary. Deenie Dotson paid $10 for a phone infraction and Jeff King spun the wheel for $94 IDs because he failed to introduce Wade Nomura during guest connections PROGRAM: Past District Gov. Wade Nomura -“ District Rotary Foundation Committee Chair ” Paul Holden introduced PDG Wade Nomura, who was the District Gov. in 2011-12, and is a charter Paul Harris Society member, a Major Donor, level 2 Bequest Society Member, the recipient of the RI “Service Above Self” Award and the RI “Citation for Meritorious Service” Award. Wade began by explaining that he was nominated to the position of Water & Sanitation World Coordinator one of the 6 areas of RI focus. Because of the importance of clean drinking water,, he has traveled to the following countries to implement water projects: Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Chile, and Honduras. He presented a slide presentation showing his participation in many of these countries. He explained that the cadre system begins with an individual club that needs help in writing a grant and then implements the grant. After completion of the project, assistance is given in writing the final report. At the end of his presentation, Pres. Scott honored Wade with a $200 donation toward eradicating polio DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “We are passing our 10th milestone now. May our happiness increase with our usefulness. What Rotary will be 100 years hence, none living can imagine. There is nothing impossible to Rotary now.” Paul Harris |
Nov 6, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM November 6, 2018: Valance Lataisire-“YOFAFO (Youth Focus Africa Foundation) ” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included about to be inducted Rae Alee Breen. Steve Curry took to the podium to do the honors for Rae’s induction and gave a summary of the contributions of many members over the 34 years we have been a Club. After Rae’s induction and her husband Dick Dannells’ unsuccessful attempt at pinning on her Rotary pin, Steve took over. Rae then spoke of why she wanted to become a Rotarian. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott thanked Shelby McLean and the others that helped in putting on a Vocational Visit to Dana Adobe. Jeff King donated $50 Happy Bucks for the wonderful dinner party for Martha Murphy to honor her 80th birthday. Jeff thanked Cale Kunkle the organizer and chef, Cale’s friend Sarah Walker, John and Marsha Traversaro, Lee Ann Liscombe, Shelby McLean, Dick Dannells, and Rae Breen, and Harlan Silva for their participation in this dinner. Last week Pres. Scott awarded Cale a $1000 Rotary Paul Harris Fellow for putting on the Murphy dinner party. To start off the Rotary Foundation month, Paul Holden circulated a raffle sign-up sheet for a $50 chance to win $1000 Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. Pres. Scott announced the next board meeting will be this Thursday at the Arroyo Grande Hospital Annex. Ashlea Boyer stated that the next Club social will be 5:30 PM, Thursday, November 15 at the Mason Bar in Arroyo Grande. Linda Osty circulated a sign-up sheet to help with the 6th annual Christmas movie entitled “The Bishop’s Wife” on Saturday, December 8. Pres. Scott presented a Fund Socks Challenge with his loud socks, but the Club voted to pick Shannon Bowdey in her very bright tights as the Challenge winner. INSPIRATION DOLLARS (ID): Pres. Scott auctioned off the ID-badge to Mark Olson for $35. He then imposed the following IDs: 50 IDs on David and Lori Archer for their 25th wedding anniversary; $75 IDs on Deenie Dotson for her club anniversary and for her husband Jim’s birthday; $100 IDs on Lee Ann Liscombe for her husband Dale’s birthday and $40 IDs on Linda Osty for her 21 years with our Club. PROGRAM: Valance Lataisire-“YOFAFO (Youth Focus Africa Foundation) Before Steve Curry introduced Valance, he stated that his first contact with Valance was when our Club had a project to build a well and pump at Valance’s school, which is still going strong after about 12 years. The next project was to put in solar panels and computers in a second school. Our next project is to put the same thing in another school. We are also starting a micro fund bank to help the mothers of the town start their own small businesses. Valance stated that his overall goal is to make the world a better place. Steve Adams was the president of our Club when Valance made his first trip to the United States and spoke to our Club. Over the years, he has been coming back to present updates on the progress in his community. They now provide schooling to 1140 children a day. Most of the men and children in the town work in the sugar cane fields each making $2/day. This environment does not serve as a good role model for the children that come from families of 4 to 5 without a father in the household in many cases. He is always inspired by the children that rise out of their environment and succeed in school. Some of the kids have to walk 5 miles to school. They have no potential in life if they don’t get a good education. If a student is successful and passes a university test, the government will pay for his tuition. One of the goals is to provide vocational education for those who don’t pass the test. The tuition for primary and high school education is paid for by the parents that can afford it and by the donors that sponsor qualifying students. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY SCOTT ASTROSKY “Rotary is so simple that many people do not understand, and some even misunderstand it. Rotary is not a philosophy…not an all-embracing world point of view which answers every question… and satisfies all the dictates of the heart and mind. Rotary is merely an association of business and professional people united in the ideal of service.” |
Oct 23, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM October 23, 2018: Joel Conn-“ NID EXPERIENCE” Pres. Scott called the meeting to order at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included many of Joel Conn’s family members. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott asked Jack Hardy to report on 10,000 mile Odyssey on his motorcycle Odyssey over a period of 18 days that took him from Washington state to the Florida Keys, which resulted in him having to pay 40 IDs after Jack spun the wheel. He then levied the following ID’s: 30 IDs on Shelby McLean for her 1st year club anniversary; 45 IDs for Erik and Lindsay Mund’s 15th wedding anniversary; 51 IDs on Joel Conn for his 9th IDs year club anniversary (it was originally 0 after Joel made a false spin on the wheel); 46 IDs for Mark and Amanda Olson’s 16th wedding anniversary; and 50 IDs on himself for attending his sister’s 60th birthday party and for being humbled by all the great activities the Club has been engaged in during his first ¼ of the year as Pres. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Shelby McLean announced that next week’s meeting will be at the Dana Adobe in Nipomo for a vocational visit. Ashlea Boyer reported that last week’s successful social at the Sea Venture was attended by 18 members and spouses. PROGRAM: Joel Conn-“ NID (NATIONAL IMMUNIZATION DAY) EXPERIENCE” Joel began by showing a very moving short video with music on how the Rotary Foundation puts a smile on the face of people around the world. He then described how contagious polio is and what a devastating effect it has had on people around the world for more than half a century. Polio is especially contagious to those under 5 years old. Since the vaccination program in began in 1955, the United States became polio free in 1979. The children in India who contact the polio virus remain illiterate for the rest the lives since they are shunned and not allowed to go to school. Rotary began their vaccination program in the Philippines. By 1988, there were 350,000 polio cases a year. Today 80% of the world is polio free with Afghanistan and Pakistan as the only countries in the world that still have wild cases of polio. We are now down to only 19 wild cases and 60 cases resulting from the vaccination. Joel described the 20,000 corrective surgeries done by a local Indian surgeon on deformed polio victims. They become deformed as a result of receiving no exercise after the onslaught of the disease. On first day of the six day NID trip, Joel was in Aligarh, India, a city of about a million, where he attended a giant Polio Rally and parade. He then assisted in the vaccination of 40% of the population selected for vaccination. Each child was given to drops at a cost of $0.10 per dose. On the second day, they went house to house delivering the vaccinations to those on the list. Although as of March 24, 2014 India has been polio free, they must continue vaccinations twice a year to prevent polio from taking hold in India again. Another NID team will be going to India early in 2019. DRIVE TO INSPIRE THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Be who you are and say what you feel because people who mind don’t matter and people who matter don’t mind.” Bernard Baruch |
Oct 16, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM October 16, 2018: Jim Lewis-“THE STATE OF PISMO BEACH” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included Kathy La Martina and Nan Fowler who gave a South County Regional Art Center Project presentation. They are seeking donations to beautify the Center, which benefits 200,000 people per year. Artwork will be placed in front of the entrance featuring a 6 foot Monarch butterfly. They raised $10,000 so far and are seeking to raise an additional $40,000 to fully fund the project.. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott donated $20 in Happy Bucks for his Real Estate agents’ trip to Reno. Diane Schiesel donated $40 Happy Bucks for her son who worked on and was present for the launch of the Space X from Vandenberg Air Force Base.-He then levied the following ID’s: 20 IDs on Karen Zappia for her Las Vegas trip; 30 IDs on Dryl Buck for his and Kathy’s anniversary; 0 spin-the-wheel IDs on Ed Fish for his fishing trip to Catalina Island; 60 IDs on Charla Anderson for her and J. T.’s anniversary; and 35 spin-the-wheel IDs on Greg Baker for his and Stacy’s anniversary. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Connie O’Henley reported that next Monday at 11:55 AM the AG High School Interact Club will be filling Halloween bags for the children. She’s looking for members to come forward to help. If you call her first, she will come out and lead you to room 305. Remember that the next social is on for 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 18 at the Sea Venture in Pismo Beach. Paul Holden reported that the Adopt-a-Highway cleanup team last Saturday included Linda Osty, Anya Stanley and Darrell Buck. PROGRAM: Jim Lewis-“THE STATE OF PISMO BEACH” Shannon Bowdey introduced Jim who needed no introduction. Jim began by stating that Pismo is economically the strongest city in the county. He admitted that the present parking in Pismo is getting harder and harder, but they are taking steps to rectify this in the future with new parking structures. They have repaved the current parking and new stripes. They have provided one-way streets to help the traffic flow. They put in smart parking meters that use a variable pricing structure. You can pay for the parking using a credit card app on your smart phone. They realize that Price Street is the worst street in town and are taking steps to improve it by adding new lighting and safer crosswalks and fixing the street so it will not sink into the ocean. They have spent $100,000’s on water conservation projects. The biggest being the recycle water project with cooperation from the other cities in the area. When the project is completed, all of the wastewater will be recycled. In the pilot plant they were able demonstrate that the recycled water tasted better than the current city water. In fact, the water comes out so pure that minerals have to be added. At present the Lopez reservoir is down to 20% capacity so it is critical to finish projects soon as possible. The old City Hall is being refurbished and the current fire and police departments will be rebuilt. The new firehouse will include housing so that the current mobile housing will be removed. The downtown sidewalks have been revitalized with pavers. The grand opening of the new Pismo Pier will take place this Saturday October 20 during Clam Festival running from Friday, October 19 to Sunday, October 21. The old shack in the middle of the old pier will be replaced by two Airstreams, one of which will be the new visitor’s center. The $8 million pier was under budget and was finished 8 months ahead of schedule. The 8 bathrooms have been replaced with 9 female, 6 male and 6 family bathrooms. They are using solar lighting everywhere they can to save a great deal of money. The Ocean Beach steps have been redone. This city is in the best financial state it has ever been. |
Oct 9, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM October 9, 2018: Melissa James-“ ECONOMIC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:33 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included District Gov. Sandi Schwartz and Kay Pitts, the Chair of the in Bakersfield District Conference. DG Sandi awarded Jeff King the District Appreciation Award for all the help you provided at the Bakersfield District Conference Pres. Scott provided a slideshow of the highlights of this Conference. A few of the highlights included the Montecito Club’s Pines 4 Polio fundraiser on Friday night that raised $8000; Nita Belles, and Founder and Executive Director of Human Trafficking IN OUR BACKYARD; and an End Polio Pajama Run, which included a prize for the best pajamas that was won by Pres. Scott. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott fined himself $20 for failing to introduce Kay Pitts. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced that this Saturday, October 13 the Grover Beach Rotary Club Burgers, Beers and Bands Benefit will be held at ManRock Brewery in Grover Beach. Ashlea announced the next social is on for 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 18 at the Sea Venture in Pismo Beach. Next week’s meeting featuring our Jim Lewis who will provide the program entitled “the State of Pismo Beach. ”Paul Holden asked for volunteers to participate in the 8 AM Adopt-a-Highway cleanup next Saturday October 13 starting with breakfast at Coco’s. PROGRAM: Melissa James-“ ECONOMIC COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT” Melissa is the SLO Chamber’s Director OF Economic Initiatives and Regional Advocacy and has held that position since January 2017. During the past 2 years of her tenure, she found it difficult to build a coalition of the diverse communities in the County. Last August 18, she and a team of civic leaders traveled to Boulder and Denver, Colorado to see what they had done economically after the oil bust back in the 1980s. They formed the Crazy 8 organization to go after what was left of the shambled economy. As result they brought major league baseball and a new airport to the region. Now the entire Denver area is enjoying economic success. When the team returned from Colorado, they formed the SLO County Civility Promise that brought together the communities of Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Arroyo Grande, and Grover Beach. It almost fell apart, but they were finally able to bring in Paso Robles and Atascadero into the fold. One of their goals was to provide a County Animal Shelter. Another was look into the problem of the high cost of housing in the area and provide a regional approach to this problem. They are now moving forward to provide more affordable housing in the county. Their biggest problem has been to deal with the PG&E Diablo Canyon closure and the tremendous economic effect it will have on the County. After many trips to Sacramento by Jim Lewis and others, the city leaders were finally able to reach the Diablo Closure Settlement Agreement that will provide $85 million to be allocated to all the cities in the county. |
Sept 25, 2018-Rotary Forum |
Sept 18, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM September 18, 2018: Kathy Curtis-“FRIENDS OF THE ELEPHANT SEALS” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests and he then stated that our club only had a 19% response to the most recent club survey compared with a 25% response for the District. One of the suggestions that he is now following, is that we go back to the old way of eating first and then introducing guests. Another suggestion is that we have more member spotlights or craft talks as they used to be called. He also stated he was pleased with our new member growth. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott called upon John Traversaro to give us a card board presentation, which entailed showing a board with a large 74 on the upper portion and 74 candles in the lower portion. In keeping with his long tradition, John donated $74 to our Rotary Foundation. Steve Burnside’s failure to up date the ClubRunner resulted in a 40 ID’s spin-the-wheel and an additional 40 ID’s for presidential disrespect. Mark Olson also failed to update ClubRunner, which cost him 40 ID’s . Shannon Bowdey spun the wheel for 40 ID’s in recognition of her 4 years with the Club. Ashlea Boyer donated $25 happy buck box to make an announcement that she is selling raffle tickets to raise money for Jack’s school. ANNOUNCEMENT: Jim Lewis reported that the old Alex’s Barbecue restaurant, which was designated a Pismo Beach historic landmark, was demolished today in violation of the city’s order to only take down the attached lighthouse. Ashlea announced this Thursday’s social will be at the Lido Dolphin Bay in Pismo Beach starting at 5:30 PM. Next week’s meeting will feature Scott Andrews of the SLO Jazz Festival. PROGRAM : Kathy Curtis-“ FRIENDS OF THE ELEPHANT SEALS” Ashlea Boyer introduced Kathy who after obtaining a PhD from UCLA became a clinical physical therapist . After Kathy retired, she joined the Friends of the Elephant Seals and is now on the board of trustees of that organization. They have recently formed a Speakers Bureau, which gets the word out as she is doing at our meeting today. The elephant seal (ES) rookery is located at Point Piedras Blancas, 7.7 miles north of San Simeon and has grown to 25,000 elephant seals along a 6-mile stretch of coastline. The rookery is part of the Central Coast National Monument, which is one of 2 National Monuments. The other monument is the Carrizo Plain. ES are part of the pinniped species that includes harbor seals, sea lions, and fur seals. The ES range from 3000 to 5000 pounds and live from 14 to 16 years. Newborn pups weigh in at 60 pounds and reach 250 to 350 pounds within 28 days. For every pound a pup gains, the mother loses 2 pounds. Each year about 5800 pups are born at this rookery. In late November and early December, the adult males, with their large trunk-like proboscis, arrive at the rookery and fight for dominance. The winner becomes the alpha male over his harem of up to 100 females, which are distinguished by their smaller size and short noses. The battles can be bloody, but seldom are life-threatening. Pregnant females arrive mid-December and form into the alpha males’ harems. Birthing begins when they arrive mid December and ends in early February. In March the last of the females are gone by escaping the alpha males that try to keep them on the beach. Between about April and May, the females return to the beach for molting in which they lose their hair and skin in 32 days. During June through September, first the young males then the mature males come in for their molting. The ES cycle closes in October and November with the return of the juveniles and yearlings after a hazardous 5 to 6 months at sea. During this time by the use of GPS chips pasted to the skin of the ES, they have determined that the ES range extends from Alaska to Baja in the south and as far west as the Hawaiian longitude. ES can hold their breath for more than 100 minutes and dive to a maximum of over a mile in depth to feed primarily on octopuses and squid. THOUGHT FOR DAY BY STEVE BURNSIDE “Some of God’s best truths, like priceless treasures, are hidden in the depths most folks never take the time to search out.” |
Sep 11, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM September 11, 2018: TYLER DONAVAN/TRACY WADSTEIN-“FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests and then gave the sad news that long-term member and Past Pres. Sandy Lubin has resigned effective immediately. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott announced that the monthly board meeting at the Arroyo Grande Hospital will be held this Thursday. Jeff Smith reported a ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place tomorrow for the new Pismo Beach Kompogas unit, which converts waste materials into fertilizer and natural gas that can be used to power the equipment. Steve Curry reported that Tommy Thompson’s operation in Los Angeles was not entirely successful and he will have to undergo additional therapy. Next week’s meeting will feature a spokesman for the elephant seals. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Ashlea and Michael Boyer’s 16th wedding anniversary will be celebrated on a business trip to Sacramento and they were each charged 70 ID’s after spinning the wheel. Anya Stanley’s birthday did not result in any ID’s because Pres. Scott paid her 10 ID’s for mistakenly thinking it was the September 10 birthday of her husband, who put on a surprise party for her. Jack Hardy’s September 4 birthday was celebrated by watching the Dodgers beat the Mets 11 to 4 so he was charged 30 ID’s. Jack added 20 ID’s for the 10,000 mile motorcycle trip (around a track) he will be taking next week. Edwin Fish’s wife Sandi is celebrating her birthday and he was charged 40 spin-the-wheel ID’s. Joel and Sarah Conn are celebrating their 8th wedding anniversary and he had a lucky spin-the-wheel of 0 ID’s. PROGRAM: TYLER DONAVAN/TRACY WADSTEIN-“FIGUEROA MOUNTAIN BREWING” Ashlea introduced Tyler and Stacy by stating that the Brewery started in Los Olivos in 2010 and has grown to a staff of 200 people with 6 taprooms. Stacy was raised in Fresno where she owned a pizza parlor before moving to the Central Coast and going to work for the Cliffs’ Restaurant . She has taken over the restaurant side of Figueroa Mountain Brewery on Grande Avenue, Grover Beach. Tyler began his career by working for a tanning salon from age of 16 to 20 (He stated that wow was that a good job.) He then worked for Pacific Beverage company for 14 years before being employed on the beer side of Figaro. The father and son team of Jim and Jamie Dîetenhofer founded Figueroa Mountain Brewery Company in 2010 in Buelton, which is still their headquarters, by opening their first taproom. They are in the stages of building a completely new headquarters building that will have the capability of producing 110,000 barrels a day including a new canning facility. They have won a total of 145 national awards including one for their Danish Red Lager. They closed the meeting by having those that wish to sample their Figueroa Lite, 101 Blonde, Lizard Mouth and Hoppy Poppy IPA (India Pale Ale). |
Sep 4, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM September 4, 2018: PISMO BEACH ROTARY FOUNDATION PRES. DON WEBER: -“THE FOUNDATION-TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIPS- PISMO FELLOWS” Pres. Scott opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests and then gave the sad news that Frank Montesinos has resigned effective September 1 and thanked him for all of his contribution to the Club these past years. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott auctioned off 2 ID’s-free badge, 1 to Jeff King for $40 and other two Steve Curry for $25. He then assessed 10 ID’s on Cale Kunkle for appearing in a Arroyo Grande Chamber video; and 5 ID’s for failure to update their ClubRunner profiles on Paul Holden, Linda Osty and Connie O’Henley. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Michael Boyer urged every member to make sure that their actual birthdate is included in ClubRunner so that the District has an accurate demographic information on our Club. PROGRAM: PISMO BEACH ROTARY FOUNDATION PRES. DON WEBER: -“THE FOUNDATION-TECHNOLOGY SCHOLARSHIPS- PISMO FELLOWS” Don began by thanking Cliff Nagler who is serving as Communication Director of the Foundation. He stated that the Foundation’s Mission is to better the lives of people by transforming the donor provided assets for a higher purpose such as youth, education and community service and their Commitment as a non-profit 501(c)3 Foundation is to achieve Rotary-centered objectives by raising funds to support charitable programs in our community and elsewhere, with emphasis on youth/scholarships and community projects, impacting lives for years to come. He then turned to Lindy Osty who spoke on the technology scholarships that have been recently awarded and introduced Tony Moises Tirado, one of last year’s scholarship winners, who gave a very heartfelt speech on what the scholarship money meant to him. He recently received an Associate in Science degree with a electronics technology major from Alan Hancock College and is currently employed in the electronics industry. Linda also was pleased to announce that Maria Dowdy has become a Pismo Fellow. Don stated that the Foundation currently has $200,000 and is expected soon to grow to their goal of $250,000 so that 5% each year of the invested capital can be used for scholarships and other charities. Steve Curry then came forward to announce that his cochairman Jenny Dierek of last year’s Annual Golf Tournament, which is the major fundraiser for the Foundation, has agreed to take on the chairmanship this coming year and Steve will simply be available to assist Jenny. Steve asked everyone to put May 6, 2019 on their calendars for next year’s Tournament.. Don concluded that the source of funds for the Foundation in addition to the Tournament are cash donations and becoming a benefactor as a Pismo Fellow. |
Aug 28, 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM August 28, 2018: Jay Conner-“HONOR FLIGHT CENTRAL COAST CALIFORNIA” In the absence of Pres. Scott Astrosky, Past Pres. Don Weber opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests. The first order of business was to present new member Jeff Smith with his permanent blue badge after he completed 5 of the listed tasks. David Archer and Linda Osty donated $25 happy bucks. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Past Pres. Don levied 33 ID’s on Anya Stanley for her and Eamonn’s 29th wedding anniversary; and 53 ID’s for his 53rd anniversary with Jackie; 10 ID’s on Ashlea Boyer, Mark Olson, Shannon Bowdey, Joel Conn and Michael Boyer for failing to give the correct answers to trivial questions. PROGRAM : Jay Conner-“HONOR FLIGHT CENTRAL COAST CALIFORNIA” Ashlea Boyer introduced Jay, who presently is a real estate professional with Century 21 Hometown Realty and is very active in this Honor Flight Regional Center that includes San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties (founded in 2013), which is one out of 134 such Centers nationwide. Jay stated that the 2005 founding of the organization in Springfield Illinois by Earl Morris had as its initial goal to send World War II veterans to the War Memorial in Washington DC at no cost to the veteran or their guardian. Since then they partnered with Honor Air out of Hendersonville North Carolina having similar goals. The current mission of nationwide organization is to honor not only World War II veterans but all of America’s veterans by taking them to Washington D.C. on their “Tour of Honor” and to visit at their respective memorials. A typical Central Coast tour starts on Monday with a commercial flight from San Luis Obispo to Phoenix in a small plane that can hold 22 veterans and 22 guardians along with other staff and from there they fly on in a larger plane to Baltimore Maryland. On Tuesday morning, they will go in a police escorted bus from Baltimore to the War Memorial and Arlington Cemetery and on Wednesday to Annapolis and Fort McHenry. The cost of these tours are $3000 for the veteran and guardian and there always looking for donations continuous work. Time is running out to achieve their goal of having all World War II veterans make the trip before they pass away. They need help in finding veterans in this area. THOUGHT FOR DAY BY DON WEBER “We can’t all be heroes, but we can thank those who are.” This is the shortened version of Will Rogers’ famous quote: “We can’t all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by.” |
Aug 21 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM August 21, 2018: Membership Spotlight Pres. Scott Astrosky opened the meeting at 12:33 PM with the usual introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced the annual fundraiser for Grover Beach Rotary club is the Burgers-Band-Brew at ManRock Brewery in September and he has $50 tickets available. Jack Hardy reported that this year’s Summer Sizzle was a tremendous success in generating $70,000 gross and $42,000 net available for charities. Jim Lewis stated that he has been working on charter schools for the underprivileged for the last few years that have correct had success in having some of the graduates go on to college. Jim also announced that the opening of the Pismo Beach pier will be open during the annual Clam Festival on October 20-21, 9 months ahead of schedule. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott levied 10 ID’s on Paul Holden for wearing sandals during the SLO Brewery tour; 45 spin - the-wheel ID’s each on Shannon Bowdey and Erik Mund for missing the Summer Sizzle fundraiser; 30 ID’s on Ashlea Boyer for her birthday and achieving top 20% in sales from Keller Williams Realty; 20 ID’s each on Jack Hardy and Joel, on their respective wives, Sheila and Sarah, birthdays; and 50 ID’s on Jim Lewis for his and Debra’s August 11 wedding anniversary. PROGRAM : Membership Spotlight Membership Chair Connie O’Henley began by handing out a paper entitled: “Who are you going to give the gift of Rotary?????” It contained 3 lines for potential members we are going to invite to a meeting. It contained ideas for picking candidates: Who you do business with? Who to you see on the golf course, gym , tennis court, bowling alley etc.? Who would you go out to dinner in the last month? Who would you like to have a meal with? It also listed potential member classifications. She went through the steps once a name of a potential member is submitted to the Club for consideration. She then introduced Michael Boyer, the Membership Chair for District 5240 Region 4, to discuss attracting and retaining members. He cited 3 points for attracting new members: (1) Know what Rotarians want; (2) Assess how are you’re doing; (3) Leave with tools you can use. He gave 3 points for members’ value: (1) Friends are contacts; (2) Local impact; (3) Engagement. He stated it is common to state that Rotary has 1.2 million Rotarians in 200 countries to prospective members. More importantly, Rotary is made up of local clubs of business leaders that meet regularly and who get together to know each other. The last couple years we have gotten our name out through the efforts of Shannon Bowdey who established Club website and a Facebook page. Attraction ideas include: new member types, young member committee, satellite clubs, and Roteract. Throughout his discussion, Michael showed short film clips of humorous examples of very unattractive and even hostile behavior of regular members toward an incoming member. Retention is always a problem and we have achieved an average of 84% over the past 5 years. During the past two years, our club has enjoyed a higher retention rate than our District, which lost 500 members out of 3300 members. He stated the core values of Rotary include service, fellowship, diversity, integrity, and leadership. Five keys for retention include: personal induction, skills & passion, engagement, being in the know, and member satisfaction. Our participation during last month’s membership satisfaction survey was only 3%, which is about average for our dist District. Pres. Scott would like to have participation much higher. He closed with a short video on the in Bakersfield District Conference on October 5-6. THOUGHT FOR DAY BY ERIK MUND “Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have” |
Aug 21 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM August 21, 2018: Club Assembly Pres. Scott Astrosky opened the meeting at 12:10 PM with the usual introduction of guests. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott resumed the meeting at 12:32 PM by auctioning off the Inspiration Dollars (ID’s)-free badge to Jenny Dierek for a winning bid of $30. He then proceeded to assess 20 ID’s on Connie O’Henley for vacationing with her family; 10 ID’s on Jack Hardy for not being prompt; 44 ID’s on Charla Anderson for her club anniversary; 40 ID’s on Linda Osty for her birthday and her annual trip to Illinois; 25 ID’s each on Bonnie Mogan and Karen Zappia for the respective anniversaries; and 40 ID’s on Frank Montesinos for his club anniversary. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bonnie Mogan announced we will have a club social at the Marisol Restaurant in the Cliffs Resort this Thursday at 5:30 PM. PROGRAM : Club Assembly Pres. Scott began the Assembly at 12:42 PM and called upon Joel Conn to go over the amendments to the Club By Laws. It was moved, seconded and with a unanimous vote the bylaw amendments were approved. We now have 3 options to become a member of this club: Individual membership, Business membership, and Family membership. He then called on the following Directors of each of the Avenues of Service to come forward and briefly state their respective goals for the year. Community Service Director Andrea Lueker stated: assure the ClubRunner information is correct, and encourage 90% participation by club members in Community Service projects such as AmpSurf, Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival, the Christmas movie, Highway cleanup, annual giving, and the annual community project such as last year’s restoration of the manufactured homes at Tar Springs Ranch. Fund Development Director Jenny Dierek stated: organize some small fundraising events as well as the big Summer Sizzle fundraiser. International Director Steve Curry stated: assure Lima, Peru students will have school lunches and Uganda students will have solar lights. Youth Service Director Karen Zappia stated: oversee the annual soccer tournament, the youth literacy project and Arroyo Grande Interact Club; and find a member willing to liaison with the Rotaract Club. Vocational Service Director: Shelby Mclean stated: work on businesses in the area. Club Service Director: Connie O’Henley stated: work with Vocational Services to have exciting trips. Public Relations Director: Shannon Bowdey was not present, but Pres. Scott stated that her goal is to continue to send our message out to the public. He then thanked Linda Osty, Joel Conn, Anya Stanley, Lee Ann Liscombe and Deenie Dotson who have been so helpful during the first weeks of his administration. In view of the dwindling time remaining, he did not list all of his goals for the year except to say he plans to have a project for the beautification of a local park and to attract new 7 members with a net gain of 5. |
July 24 2018-Rotary ForumTODAY’S PROGRAM July 24, 2018: District Gov. Sandi Schwartz -“The State of District 2540” By Dick Dannells Pres. Scott Astrosky opened the meeting at 12:10 PM my first explaining that someone at P.E.T.S. (Pres. Elect Training Seminar) gave him a Speedo to wear at a regular meeting so he proceeded to wear it by placing it on his head. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott resumed the meeting at 12:37 PM by having the representative of the Los Osos Rotary Club announce their fundraiser September 9 that’s funded by buying raffle tickets at $2 each and 15 for $20. Pres. Scott had good news and bad news; the good news: the Summer Sizzle was a great success and the bad news: Mike Frederick is leaving the Club. Ashlea Boyer asked us to show up at 4:30 PM for the Dist. Gov. barbecue. She reminded us bring sweaters and our own chairs. Shelby Mclean, announced that there will be a vocational visit to the SLO Brewery on August 7. Pres. Scott was pleased to announce that Anya Stanley will be our new Sgt. of Arm. He had Jeff Smith, Jim Lewis as a sponsor and DG Sandi come forward to induct Jeff Smith as our newest member. Jeff is currently employed by Waste Connections. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott had Michael Boyer pay 48 inspirational dollars (ID’s) to celebrate his 40th birthday. He had Cliff Nagler pay 60 ID’s his birthday and a phone infraction. Shelby Mclean’s all hospital business trip to Wisconsin did not result in any ID’s. Jim Lewis’ vacation to the Big Island of Hawaii resulted in 15 ID spin-the-wheel. PROGRAM : District Gov. Sandi Schwartz -“The State of District 2540” Past Pres. Jeff King introduced DG Sandi , who has been a member of the Rotary Club of Bakersfield East since 1994. She served as the club’s President in 2013-14. She began by thanking us for inviting her so soon after our Summer Sizzle fundraiser. She then called upon Jenny Dierek, Cale Kunkle and Karen Zappia to come forward to accept Paul Harris People of Action awards. She pointed out that her classification is home health and hospice and she recently retired after 48 years as an RN in that field. She ran a number of slides of herself including the quote that really represents what Rotary has done for her: “Rotary takes ordinary people and gives them extraordinary opportunities to do more with their lifes than they ever dreamed possible.” Her first most memorable experience after she joined the Rotary club of Bakersfield East was when her fellow Rotarians conducted a search for a missing person who committed suicide. She was pleased that Maria Doudy was in attendance as she has fond memories of Maria and Arnie during the immunization trip to India a number of years ago. Our District has 72 clubs with 3209 members, 20 fewer than last year. Our District is within Group 10, which experienced less than normal loss of members. Barry Rassin, of the Rotary Club of East Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas, is the current President of Rotary International. The biggest challenge for RI, which has 1.2 million members, is the Retention of those members. She then promoted attending the upcoming District Conference in Bakersfield on October 5-6, which guaranteed will be cool. ¶ THOUGHT FOR DAY BY Shelby Mclean “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. Stay hungry, stay stay foolish.” .” |
July 17 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM July 17, 2018: David Archer-“Craft Talk” By Dick Dannells In the absence of Pres. Scott Astrosky, Past Pres. Mark Olson opened the meeting promptly at 12:10 PM with the usual invocation, flag salute, and introduction of guests. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Past Pres. Mark had Katcho Achadjian pay 40 inspirational dollars for a phone infraction. Past Pres. Mark had to pay the same amount for not wearing his Rotary pin. Anya Stanley and Michael Boyer each paid $50 respectively for her trips to Italy and Ireland and his fishing trip to the Yukon in Alaska. Connie O’Henley paid the same amount for her trip to Italy. Paul and Ann Holden’s 24th anniversary and Jack and Sheila Hardy’s 46th anniversary were recognized with $40 inspiration dollars. Jack encouraged the amount be raised to $50 and then presented the inspiration dollars-free badge so the $50 will be paid by Pres. Scott. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced that Tommy Thompson will be in a Los Angeles hospital for an operation to eliminate what’s left of the cancer after his chemotherapy. Connie O’Henley reminded everybody of next week’s regular meeting with the District Gov. and the barbecue at the Curry ranch that will include the Grover Beach, Eco and Arroyo Grande Clubs. An email will be sent for what each member is to bring. Steve reminded everyone to bring a jacket and a folding chair. Jack Hardy had Connie O’Henley give us an update on the Summer Sizzle tickets sales to date. She indicated that between 10 and 15 tickets are unsold as of now and that we should turn in the stubs and money Wednesday but no later than Thursday at the Clark Center ticket office between 12 noon and 6 PM. Karen Zappia reported that all parties who signed up for set up should arrive at the Thousand Hills Ranch gate between 11:30-11:40 AM this Friday. If you come after that time, you have to phone to get the gate opened. She asked all members to stick around after the event to help clean up. Erik Mund and Jenny Dierek have done a fantastic job in getting $14,000 from sponsors. Jeff King is very excited about this year’s live auction items. Because VIP sponsors get a special table, Jenny Dierek will not set up special tables for those VIP’s that she is told will not be attending by the responsible parties. PROGRAM : David Archer-“Craft Talk” David grew up in Evergreen, Colorado outside of Denver. Evergreen’s notoriety came from the fact that it was Hinckley’s home at the time he attempted to assassinate Pres. Reagan. David graduated from Southern California College. After graduating, he joined Northrup’s B 2 stealth bomber project for a year and from there he went into banking. After commuting long distances from his home to a Glendale bank for a year, he joined Bank of America, which was close to his home, for 8 years. He then moved to La Quinta, California where he was in healthcare, formed his own company until the 1987 stock market crash, and joined Edward Jones. He decided to get out of the financial industry entirely by moving to this area to become the CEO of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce. When he was asked why, implied that his wife had a lot to do with his decision, otherwise he would still be working in the financial industry. As the Rotary Club of La Quinta’s president, he went to the New Orleans R I Convention and came back to his club with the inspiration to do a Flock of Flamingos fundraiser. This entails placing plastic flamingos in the yards of the Rotarians that supporters paid to have “Flamingoed,” with a note explaining how a fellow Rotarian paid to have their house “Flamingoed.” If they make the designated donation, the flock will be removed and sent to another Rotarian that they choose. ¶ THOUGHT FOR DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you; listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.” |
Jul 9 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM July 10, 2018: Jim Gregory -“Central Coast Navigator’s in World War II” By Dick Dannells Pres. Scott Astrosky opened the meeting promptly at 12:10 PM with the invocation, flag salute, and introduction of guests including the following Rotary Club Presidents: Paige Chamberlain, of the San Luis Obispo de Tolosa Club, of the 5 Cities Eco Club, Mike Hunstad of the Grover Beach Rotary Club and Dave Nilsen, of the San Luis Obispo Daybreak Club. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Pres. Scott had Paul Holden pay spin-the- wheel inspiration $40 for a phone infraction. He also levied $10 the same dollars on Trusha Patel and Ed Fish for not wearing their Rotary pin. Jeff King was assessed $5 for not knowing a name during introductions. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jack Hardy reminded everyone of the Saturday, July 21 Summer Sizzle fundraiser in a little over 1 ½ weeks. Cliff Nagler reported that he reached a bargain with California Fresh Market for tri-tip at their cost, which amounts to $13.63 per person. Connie O’Henley stated that the next 7 days are critical for all members to get the Summer Sizzle tickets and money into her. If a member wishes to dropped them off at the Clark Center box office between 12 and 6 PM that would greatly a help to her. Ashlea Boyer mentioned that she’s doing away with the big board to keep track of the silent auction winners and will do it by computer. She has about 70 items at present, but she’s hoping that this total would be double by the end next week. The next big event on the July calendar is the District Governor’s visit at the Linda and Steve Curry’s Ranch on Tuesday evening, July 24. There will be a regular Tuesday noon meeting on the same date. Next week’s meeting will be a Club Assembly. PROGRAM : Jim Gregory -“Central Coast Navigator’s in World War II” Ashlea Boyer introduced Jim who retired 3 years ago as a Arroyo Grande High School teacher and in 2010-11 he was the teacher of the year. For some time, he has many of his books published including Patriot Graves; World War II Arroyo Grande; San Luis Obispo County Outlaws; and his latest: Central Coast Navigator’s in World War II. In each of his books, he tries to make the persons in the book more important than the history. He stated that the 96th Infantry Division practiced landing on the beaches in this area before being sent over to the Pacific Theater. Before there was a Hancock College in Santa Maria there was a Hancock Field and just prior to World War II it was used to train military navigation cadets. He then went into the beginnings of airplanes in this area. A plane that rivaled the Wright brothers plane was built in 1910 and was flown in San Luis Obispo. Someone piloting such a plane crashed and died before hundreds of spectators into the San Francisco Bay. Harriet Quimby, originally from this area was the first woman to fly the English Channel. However, about this time the Titanic sank so that her story appeared on the back pages of the London papers. He mentioned that the lubrication system of the P 38 was so sensitive to cold that could not be used in the war against Germany, but saw most of its use in the Pacific. Jim gave the example of a pilot’s guns freezing up, but instead of turning away, he went right after the German Luftwaffe. They turned away because the great reputation of the P 38. Jim then ran a short movie on the Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) and their contribution to the war effort, which was not recognized until 32 years after the war when they were recognized as veterans. He told a number of other stories including the story of the donkey that became a mascot of the division that found it near death on the battlefield, which Jim turned into a children’s book. THOUGHT FOR DAY BY PRES. SCOTT “Man has affinity for his fellowman, regardless of race, creed, or politics, and the greater the variety, the more the zest. All friendliness needs is a sporting chance; it will take care of itself in any company.” — A Road I Have Travelled, THE ROTARIAN, February 1934 |
Jul 3 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM July 3, 2018: Dan Anderson, Pyrotechnician-“4th of July Pismo Beach Fireworks” By Dick Dannells Pres. Scott Astrosky opened his first meeting of the year promptly at 12:10 PM with the invocation by Linda Osty, the flag salute by Shelby McLean and then introduction of guests before breaking bread for lunch. INSPIRATION DOLLARS: Consistent with Rotary International's theme of "Be an Inspiration", Pres. Scott will be incentivizing Club Member opportunities (fines) with Inspiration Dollars. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Scott came back from Rotary International Convention inspired and announced that this year’s Club theme will be “Drive to Inspire.” He also announced that Arroyo Grande/Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce is selling fireworks as a fundraiser and as a member we should try to support their efforts. Rotary International’s goal this year is to increase Interact membership from 250,000 to 500,000. Jack Hardy asked everyone what will happen on Saturday, July 21. Of course, the answer is Summer Sizzle. The next event on the July calendar is the District Governor’s visit at the Linda and Steve Curry’s Ranch on Tuesday evening, July 24. Connie O’Henley stressed that we only have two more weeks to get our ticket money in for all 250 tickets there on sale this year Cale Kunkle stated that we have 16 members that have not brought in their wine. Ashlea Boyer said that we are trailing behind previous years for silent auction items and she will help if needed to pick up the silent auction items. Honorary members John and Martha Murphy are donating a silent auction item. Don Weber will be handling the insurance for the event and Karen Zappia will handle the porta potty rentals. Jeff King is in charge of the live auction and stated that we still need a number of items to round out this year’s items based on last year’s items. Erik Mund stated that we have $10,000 worth of sponsors that is a little behind last year or 67% of our goal. CalFresh Market is supplying the food for Summer Sizzle at their cost. PROGRAM : Dan Anderson, Pyrotechnician-“4th of July Pismo Beach Fireworks” Jim Lewis introduced Dan who was a former Cal Fire Battalion Chief for the South County who retired in 2006 and began helping on fireworks displays in 2007. He was asked to become a Pyrotechnician. After many years of training, in 2011 he became Pismo Beach Pyrotechnician.. He has a staff of 25 people to set up the show. This year is the same as previous shows with 900 3-inch inch mortar shells, 120 4-inch shells in a number of 5-inch shells. Before the event, he and the staff will have a banquet that begins at 2 PM. The truck loaded with fireworks will be carefully driven down Freddie Ln. and fireworks will be set up will around 6:30 PM. Dan will inspect the fireworks and at 8 PM everything will be set to go. Each mortar is hand lit and hand fired. A test firing will happen approximately half hour before the show. The next mortar shell will go off when “And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,” of the Star-Spangled Banner are sung; then about 9:15 PM, the 22 minute show will begin with a bang. |
June 19, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM June 19, 2018: Jody Skendenarian-“ Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened his next to last meeting of the year at 12:10 PM with the invocation by Paul Holden and the flag salute by Don Weber. FINES: Diane and Erik Schiesl’s anniversary was recognized with a $50 spin-the-wheel fine. Greg Baker, Jenny Dierek, Cale Kunkle Shelby McLean and John Traversaro were all fined $50 for being such fine Rotarians throughout the year. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jack Hardy circulated the sign-up sheet for the July 21st Summer Sizzle at the Thousand Hills Ranch. Cale Kunkle reported that the wine collection for this event is lagging behind, so Pres. Jeff will levy fines on all members who haven’t brought in their 2 bottles by next week. Pres. Jeff announced that we received the Gold Club award and the Interact Club also received an award at the recent District Award meeting. He presented Shannon Bowdey her gold pin in recognition for being The Rotarian of the Year. A District Club award was presented to Deenie Dotson and a District Individual Recognition was presented to Michael Boyer. An awards check was presented to Shelby McLean and Ken Dalebout of the Arroyo Grande Hospital Foundation. John Traversaro and Harlan Silva were nominated and unanimously elected for 3-year terms on the Rotary Foundation Board. Paul Holden awarded the third Paul Harris Fellow to Jim Lewis and Major Donor pins to Michael and Ashlea Boyer and Michael and Jeannie Frederick in recognition for donating over $15,000 to Rotary International. Michael Boyer announced that this coming Saturday, June 23 is the date for the the 50 person barbecue that was won at the last year’s Summer Sizzle live auction. Jody Skendenarian-“ Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast” Jody Skenderian holds an M.A. in Political Science from SF State University and a B.A. from CalPoly. She is the CEO of the Girl Scouts of California’s Central Coast serving 10,700 girls from Santa Cruz, San Benito, Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. She began passing out patches to former Girl Scouts that were present at the meeting. She stated that the Girl Scouts stands for building the 3 C’s: courage, confidence in girls. She stated that there is a crisis in women leadership in the country because only 20% women are in that role. The Girl Scouts of America comprise 2.6 member girls from kindergarten to 12th grade with programs that stress leadership development. They are led by some 800,000 volunteers with an emphasis on outdoor experiences, life skills, entrepreneurial ship and Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM). She then went on to topic of the State of Girls in 2017. California ranks 29th in the nation in girl’s health and well-being. At the close of her talk she handed out boxes of Girl Scout cookies to those whose ticket was drawn from the same hat that the 50-50 winner’s ticket was drawn from. |
Jun 5 2018-Rotary ForumPismo Beach Five Cities Rotary Club Meeting Minutes June 5, 2018 Meeting Start Invocation was given by Greg Baker. Flag Salute was given by Connie O’Henley. Guests at the meeting were Tiffany Altara, Mike Bradley, Sandy Fish, Kathy Buck, visiting Rotarian Glenn Shackleford. Recognitions and Club Business Jeff King for his birthday. Dick Dannells for his club anniversary. Fine Free Badges Two fine free badges were sold to John Trevasario and Jack Hardy, respectively. Summer Sizzle Jack Hardy made a brief reminder regarding Summer Sizzle. Joint Board Meeting. Jeff King reminded members there will be a joint board meeting on June 7, 2018 at 6:00 pm at Steve Curry’s house. Demotion Dinner. Club members were reminded that the demotion dinner will be on June 12, 2018 at the SLO Country Club. A spread sheet was passed out for sign ups. District Step Down. The District Step Down program will be on June 16, 2018 in Santa Inez. Jeff King informed club that several members were going and might do some wine tasting on the way home. Who’s driving? Pismo Foundation. A foundation meeting will be held immediately after the club meeting. Golf Windbreakers. Steve Curry passed out windbreakers for those who attended the golf tournament or had ordered one. New Member Inductions Ed Fish, Darryl Buck and David Archer were inducted as members of the club. Program. Our guest speaker was Mike Bradley, CEO of the Mid-State Fair. Mike informed the club that the Mid-State Fair will be held on July 18-29 in Paso Robles. The new slogan is “America’s Favorite Fair.” Mike said that in the past year, 50% of attendees came from more than a 50-mile radius from Paso and many came from out of state. Mike went over the impressive entertainment line-up. The headliners are: Florida Georgia Line on July 18; Pitbull on July 19; Dwight Yoakam on July 20; Eric Church on July 21 (this performance is sold out); Demi Lovato on July 22; comedian Gabriel Iglesia on July 23; Tim McGraw and Faith Hill on July 24; ZZ Top on July 25; Luke Bryan on July 26 (this performance is sold out). The program for July 27 will be announced this Friday. At the Frontier Stage, Kris Kristofferson will give two free performances on July 28. Mike informed the club that the fair will continue to have 4 H events and FFA events. He stated FFA is the largest youth group in the nation with over 700,000 members. In SLO County, there are over 85,000 FFA members. The County Rodeo Finals will be on July 28 and a new event called “Bulls, Pulls and Bikes” will be on July 29. Mike invited all to come to Jimmies Watering Hole which is an outdoor saloon with barn dancing every night. Mike said equestrian events will be at the Paso Robles Pavilion, a 100,000-square foot venue made possible by a gift from the Heritage Foundation. There will also be a Dahlia competition, a Showcase of Cities of which Pismo Beach is a participant, pig races, a trade career fair, lots of critters at Western Wilderness, wine a Mission Square, Farm Alley, Cattlemen and Farmers Day with a great BBQ and a children’s program called Rancho Frontier which allows children to milk a cow. The cows are provided by Cal Poly. As a special treat, Mike gave to the club, two VIP tickets to the Florida Georgia Line Show. Meeting Close. Lee Ann Lipscombe as the secret greeter. There was no winner of the drawing. |
May 29 2018-Rotary ForumPismo Beach Five Cities Rotary Club Meeting Minutes May 29, 2018 Meeting Start Invocation was given by Linda Osty. Flag Salute was given by Joel Conn. Guests at the meeting were Sally King, Jenny Luciano, Ed Fish, Daryl Buck and John Glines. Recognitions Jenny Dierck for her Club anniversary. Mary Ann Reiss for her birthday. Shelby McLean for her birthday. Diane Schiesl for her birthday. Blue Badges Blue Badges were given to Cale Kunkle and Diane Schiesl. Youth Literacy. Jeff informed the club that books will be handed out at St. Pats on May 31, 2018 at 2:00 pm. All rotary members are invited to attend. It is not necessary to sign up in advance. Joint Board Meeting. Jeff King announced there will be a joint board meeting on June 7, 2018. Demotion Dinner. The demotion dinner will be on June 12, 2018 at the SLO Country Club. The cost of the dinner is $50 per person. District Step Down. The District Step Down program will be on June 16, 2018 in Santa Inez. Summer Sizzle. Jack Hardy reminded the club that Summer Sizzle is come up soon and passed out again a spread sheet of assignments. Connie O’Henley passed out the reverse drawing tickets to team leaders. She said the VIP tickets will be ready by next week. Cale Kunkle reported on the 100-bottle wine auction item and the need to step up the donations. John Glines from Central Coast Auctions informed the club that it should focus on the live auction which is the biggest money maker. He suggested auction items that are experience based such as wine tasting trips with a limo, progressive dinners, weekend away trips. Program. Our guest speaker was Jenny Luciano, the CEO of the SLO South County Big Brothers Big Sisters (“BB&BS”). Jenny informed the club that they currently have 400 children matched with an adult mentor. There are 143 children who have requested to be in the program and 184 adults who have volunteered to be mentors. However, they lack the funds needed to make these additional matches. Jenny said they need $1500 to hire staff to make the matches. In this regard, the club gave a check to Jenny as part of the Community Giving Grant program. BB&BS has two programs. One is called the Community based program where children and adults are matched with a one-year commitment. This program is less structured and the participants have flexibility to do projects of mutual interest. The other program is the School based program, where students in elementary school are matched with high school and college students as mentors for the school year. This program is more structured. BB&BS serves children from 5 to 13 years of age. However, a successful match can be extended until the child is self-sufficient, around 25 or 26 years of age. The SLO South County organization was named the Agency of the Year in 2016. Trade/Techno Scholarships. Linda Osty and Karen Zappia informed the club that they attended a dinner at Allan Hancock College last week and awarded three scholarships. The winners will attend a future club meeting. Meeting Close. Steve Burnside as the secret greeter. There was no winner of the drawing. |
May 22, 2018-Rotary ForumPismo Beach Five Cities Rotary Club Meeting Minutes May 22, 2018 Meeting Start Invocation was given by Linda Osty. Flag Salute was given by Karen Zappia. There were numerous guests at the meeting including our District Governor John Weiss, Christine Weiss, Ed Fish, Trusha Patel, Stephanie S, Andy S, Audrey S, Jonathan N., Leanne Nettlestorm and Breanne K. Recognitions Shannon Bowdey was recognized for her Birthday and her vacation in Hawaii. General Announcements Youth Literacy. Andrea Lueker informed the club that there are three dates scheduled for handing out books to third grade students. Tomorrow at Branch Elementary, May 29th at Shell Beach Elementary and June 4 at Harloe Elementary. Andrea invited all rotary members to attend. It is not necessary to sign up in advance. Summer Sizzle. Jack Hardy reminded the club that Summer Sizzle is come up in 60 days. Jeff King asked the club members to provide creative live auction items. He mentioned an idea of a guitar autographed by a celebrity as an example. Cale Kunkle informed members that he will be emailing the forms for wine and reminded members to bring two bottles of wine to the next meeting. We need 100 bottles of wine as a live auction item. Connie O’Henley informed the members that the reverse drawing tickets will be available next Tuesday. Michael Boyer stated he has all the volunteers needed for the BBQ. Ashlea Boyer asked members to bring in items for silent auction. She stated picnic items, gardening items, golf items and electronics are well received. She discouraged members bringing in clothing items as these do not do well. She needs two items from each member with a value of not less than $50.00 or a cash donation for the same amount. Next Meeting. Our guest next week will be Jenny Luciano, the CEO of the SLO South County Big Brothers Big Sisters. Jeff King asked members to invite a friend for this meeting. Presentations New Member Induction. Michael Boyer and John Weiss inducted Trusha Patel as a new member. District Essay Contest Winner. Karen Zappia announced that Breanne K. won the district contest for the Four Way Essay. Vocational Scholarships. Karen Zappia informed the club that this is the 10th year our club has given out vocational scholarships. Stephanie S was given a scholarship as the winner of the Interact Scholarship. Stephanie has been a member of Interact for four years and is the current president. She will graduate this year and plans to study Spanish at Viola University. Johnathan N. was awarded the Best Improved Student Scholarship. Jonathan lost a great deal of school time as a result of an accident and lengthy hospital stay. Jonathan informed the club that he is on track to graduate in two weeks. John Weiss. John shared some thoughts of his term as district governor. He informed the club that he has had some health issues this year but has been given great support from fellow Rotarians. He announced that membership for our district has increased to 3,332. He has visited 85 clubs to date. He is impressed by the amazing projects sponsored by the clubs. He stated he was impressed as to how welcoming the clubs have been, even if it is his first meeting. John encourages members to attend conventions, Interact and Rotaract club meetings, become an active participant in a project and bring a friend to a project. Meeting Close. Diane Schiesl was the secret greeter. Bonnie Morgan’s raffle ticket was drawn. There was no winner today. |
May 15, 2018-Rotary ForPismo Beach Five Cities Rotary Club Meeting Minutes May 15, 2018 Meeting Start Invocation was given by Jim Lewis. Flag Salute was given by Steve Burnside. There were numerous guests at the meeting including Debbie Mitsche, visiting Rotarian from Henderson, NV, Laura Ochoa, visiting Rotarian from San Diego, Alfonso Figueroa, visiting Rotarian from Arroyo Grande, Yvonne Miller, Mary Ann Reiss’ daughter, Melissa Latimer, Eric Danninger, representatives from Womanade Sandy Richardson and Liza Lazzara, representative from Jack’s Helping Hand, Bonnie Burt, David Archer and Mike Keys. Recognitions Charla Anderson was recognized for her Birthday. Andrea Lueker was recognized for her club anniversary. General Announcements Steve Curry informed the club that our club participated in the Nipomo Golf Tournament last Friday and placed 3rd in gross. Our team also won a bottle of wine. Community Giving. Andrea Lueker introduced the last three recipients of grants for this year. They are Womanade. Sandy Richardson and Lisa Lazzara accepted the check. The Clark Center. Ashlea Boyer accepted the check. Jack’s Helping Hand. Bonnie Burt accepted the check. Youth Literacy. Andrea Lueker informed the club that there are four dates scheduled for handing out books to third grade students. Today books will be distributed at Ocean View Elementary School. On Thursday at 11:30, books will be distributed at Coastal Christian School. On Wednesday, May 23 at 11:00 a.m. books will be distributed at Branch Elementary School. On Tuesday, May 29th at 2:00 p.m. books will be distributed at Shell Beach Elementary. Andrea invited all rotary members to attend. It is not necessary to sign up in advance. Golf Tournament Wrap Up. Steve Curry informed the club that this year’s tournament was the most successful ever. We sold out with one extra team. Connie O’Henley provided preliminary numbers of over $50,000 gross and about $24,000 net. Joel introduced two sponsors Melissa Latimer and Eric Danninger. Summer Sizzle. Jack Hardy reminded the club that Summer Sizzle is come up soon. He asked the club members to provide interesting live auction items. Cale Kunkle will be in charge of the 100 bottle of wine auction item. Each member is asked to bring two bottles of good wine starting next week. Jack informed the club there will be changes to the 50-50 raffle. We will be using a computer for the first time. We will have 5 reverse drawing tickets to sell for $125 each and no $25 raffle tickets this year. Connie will hand out the tickets as soon as they are ready for distribution. Jack handed out a list of assignments. Club members were asked if they wanted to change their assignment. No one requested a change. Michael Boyer stated he needed more volunteers for the BBQ. Jenny Dierck and Eric Mund will be co-chairs for sponsors. Ashlea Boyer will be in charge of the silent auction She needs two items from each member with a value of not less than $50.00 or a cash donation for the same amount. Meeting Close. Cale Kunkle was the secret greeter. Charla Anderson’s raffle ticket was drawn. There was no winner today. |
May 8 2018- Rotary ForumPismo Beach Five Cities Rotary Club Meeting Minutes May 8, 2018 Meeting Start Flag Salute was given by Diane Schiesl. Thought for the day given by Jack Hardy. There were numerous guests at the meeting including members of the Grover Beach Rotary Club and parents, teachers, principals, siblings and friends of the winners of the Four-Way Test Essay Contest. Program The winners of the Four-Way Test Essay Contest presented their essays to the club. Each essay demonstrated a superior understanding of the Four-Way Test. In the primary division, first place was awarded to Kirra P. a first-grade student at Branch Elementary School. Second place was awarded to Juliette L. a second-grade student to Ocean View Elementary School. Third place was awarded to McKenna R. a third-grade student at Ocean View Elementary School. In the intermediate division, first place was awarded to Mikayla P. a sixth-grade student at Branch Elementary School. Second place was awarded to Julisa P. a fourth-grade student at Branch Elementary School. Third place was awarded to Nicholas Y. a sixth-grade student at Coastal Christian School. In the middle school division, first place was awarded to Jared H. an eighth-grade student at Coastal Christian School. Second place was awarded to Rachel A. an eighth-grade student at Paulding Middle School. Third place was awarded to Paige E. an eighth-grade student at Paulding Middle School. In the high school division, first place was awarded to Berean K. a ninth-grade student at Coastal Christian School. Second place was awarded to Astrid L. a tenth-grade student at Coastal Christian School. Third place was awarded to Katie M. a twelfth-grade student at Coastal Christian School. |
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April 17, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM April 17 2018: April Lewallen, COO of YMCA SLO County-SLO YMCA AND PROPOSED SOUTH COUNTY YMCA By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:32 PM with the introduction of the numerous guests, many of whom came today to receive donations for their respective charities. Steve Curry reintroduced Tommy Thompson after his leave of absence. FINES: Pres. Jeff stated that we do not have time today to recognize members except to take care of Bonnie Mogan’s November birthday that had somehow fallen between the cracks. He recognized her with a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Andrea Lueker called upon each of the following sponsoring members and the representatives of their respective charities Dick Dannells for the 5-Cities Meals on Wheels; Anya Stanley for CASA; Michael Boyer for the 5 Cities Diversity Coalition; and Andrea Lueker for Point San Luis Obispo Lighthouse. Jim Lewis called representatives from the Waste Connection to come forward and receive our applause and thanks for their sponsorship of our past year charitable events. Michael Boyer came forward to introduce our newest member Steve Burnside, who is the Director of Business Development for Clever Ducks. Steve Curry reported that overall things are going great for the May 7 golf tournament. Erik Mund reported on our tee sponsors; Ashlea Boyer stated we still need more raffle items; Jenny Dierek reported that Waste Connection will be a major golf sponsor; Connie O’Henley reported that she needs to have emails sent to her when you completing registering your team forms even though she will be away on vacation. Linda Osty asked us to bring in more items for the goodie bags. Erik Mund reminded everybody that this Sunday, April 22 the Pitches and Pines for Polio softball tournament will take place at the Pismo Beach baseball diamond. Ashlea Boyer announced that next week we will have a vocational visit to the Thousand Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach, the site this year’s Summer Sizzle. Bonnie Mogan reported that we will have a social this month on April 26 at the Willow Restaurant that took over the former Marie Calender Restaurant in Pismo Beach. PROGRAM: April Lewallen, COO of YMCA SLO County-SLO YMCA AND PROPOSED SOUTH COUNTY YMCA Michael Boyer introduced April was been a Rotarian since the year 2000. She began by stating that the Y has been in San Luis Obispo for over 50 years it’s new motto is Living Our Cause with 4 responsibilities: (1) key programs/new initiatives; (2) YMCA causes; (3) diversity and inclusion; and (4) staff and community engagement. The original YMCA was founded in 1844 as a place for young men working on the railroad who needed a place to hang out and is grown to what it is today to build strong kids, strong families and strong community. He then turns his attention to the fact that the South County is now in the stages of finding a suitable facility of at least 10,000 ft.², preferably 16,000 ft.² their current presence in the South County is the skate park in Grover Beach, the Itty Bitty program which combines 2 to 5-year-olds with her parents, a five Citi’s basketball program childcare before and after school and coming soon soccer. They have a preschool program, vacation in summer camping, and teen programming. The introduced the REACH, which stands for Realistic Education Addressing Condition Health to help the 79% of asthmatic children that can recovered from the disease with movement. |
Apr 10, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM April 10, 2018: Mike Miner-“Camp Arroyo Grande” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:33 PM with the induction of a new member. Steve Curry came forward and invited perspective member Cale Kunkle and his girlfriend Sarah to come forward along with Cale’s sponsor Erik Mund, whereupon he inducted Cale forthwith. Soon after Cale graduated from Cal Poly in 2015, he became a financial advisor with Merrill Lynch ANNOUNCEMENTS: Paul Holden asked for volunteers for this Saturday’s Highway cleanup beginning at 9 AM in Coco’s restaurant. Connie O’Henley announced that Interact is holding a fundraiser at Chipolte restaurant tomorrow, Wednesday, April 11 from 5 to 9 p.m. to raise money for foreign projects. Karen Zappia circulated a sign-up sheet for this Saturday’s soccer tournament from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM at the Mesa Middle School. Jenny Dierek reported on the major sponsors for the golf tournament. Linda Osty still needs items for the goodie bags. Erik Mund reported that we have 80 tee sponsors and urges all members to sign sponsor board if they have not done so already. Connie O’Henley reported that we have 32 teams that have signed up but not all have signed the necessary registration forms. There is still room for 4 more teams. Ashlea Boyer is looking for double the amount of raffle prizes that she has so far. Erik Mund reported that the softball polio fundraiser will be held from 1 to 5 PM on April 22 at the Pismo Beach ball diamond. Jack Hardy announced that the Summer Sizzle will be held at the usual time on Saturday, July 21. Pres. Jeff King announced that as part of the RI's tree planting project for the year, our club will be planning 1 tree per member during the period after the golf tournament from May 8 to June 1. Steve Curry has 60 oak seedlings that will be ready for planting during that period. Don Weber as sponsor presented a check to Tom, the representative from Coastal Christian School in Arroyo Grande. The check be used to purchase IPads for junior high schoolers. PROGRAM: Mike Miner-“Camp Arroyo Grande” The Five Cities Men’s Club was formed in 1996 and has engaged in a number of improvements to Five Cities. When they received a recent financial settlement, they used the funds to enter into a memo of understanding with the city to convert the Methodist camp located on Launa Lane just north of the Arroyo Grande Women’s Club into Camp Arroyo Grande. They were able to reach an agreement for purchasing this property for only $2 .5 million, which if the land had been turned over real estate developers it would’ve gone for many millions of dollars. The existing camp, while run down and will require a tremendous amount of work, it has a swimming pool, a tabernacle and 11 cabins, many of which are badly in need of repair. The Methodist church had been losing money on this camp for many years and was willing to sell camp because Men’s Club's proposed use of the property fell within the purpose for which the land was intended. As Mike said, sometimes it is good to be lucky than to be smart. The Men’s Club will provide such organizations as the Boy Scouts of America and Kern Environmental Education Program environmental education program (KEEP), which have already signed up, with camping facilities. Consequently, for the next year and ½ of the summer thereafter, Camp Arroyo Grande will be filled up. This will enable them to breakeven. |
Apr 3, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM April 3, 2018: Confidential By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:37 PM by making sure everyone signed a copy of the confidentiality agreement that was circulated. He then auctioned off the fine-free badge to Cliff Nagler for $45. FINES: It was a good thing that Cliff won the fine-free badge as he was celebrating both his 12th wedding anniversary with Samantha and his club anniversary. Steve Curry’s picture was in the New Times promoting the annual golf tournament, consequently he was assessed a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. Paul Holden’s April 4 birthday was recognized with a $25 spin-the-wheel fine. As the direct result of a $25 fine, Jack Hardy named Sheila as his wife in the ClubRunner. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Jeff announced that Erik Mund will take over the duties of Jack Hardy as new Sgt. of Arms. Paul Holden announced that the April 7 Rotary Social at Steve and Linda Curry’s ranch has been canceled due to 90% chance of rain on Saturday. He also stated that the Polio Plus campaign has been effective in reducing the incidence of polio to only Afghanistan and Pakistan. Michael Boyer reported that the winner of Summer Sizzle’s 50 person barbecue live auction item is holding the barbecue on Saturday, June 23 and he has asked for volunteers to help make this a success. Steve Curry gave an update on the golf tournament. Erik Mund reported that we have 81 tee sponsors. Ashlea Boyer stated that a few raffle items have come in, but she needs a lot more during this last month before the tournament. Linda Osty needs scores of items for the goodie bags. Erik Mund announced that April 22 is the date for the softball tournament among the Rotary clubs in this area. Tommy Thompson will be celebrating his club anniversary on April 5 and we are encouraged to go on ClubRunner and wish him a happy anniversary. Karen Zappia announced that April 19 will be the annual soccer tournament. Jack Hardy again circulated the Summer Sizzle volunteer sign-up sheet. |
Mar 20, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM March 20, 2018: Ben Fine-“Water, Wastewater and Water Conservation” By Dick Dannells President-elect Scott Astrosky opened the meeting in Pres. Jeff King’s absence at 12:30 PM with Michael Boyer inducting new member Diane Schiesl along with her sponsor Jenny Dierek. Diane and her husband run a janitorial supply company in this area. ANNOUNCEMENTS: President-elect Scott Astrosky announced that our Community Giving has concluded with the results reported in an e-mail sent to all members; Steve Curry will be putting in a request from the District for matching funds for latest Rotary International project; and Connie O’Henley will be working with the Internet Club on their local project. He stated that a short board meeting will be held following this meeting. He also stated that Friday, May 4 Rotary dist. will hold its Foundation Gala at the Santa Maria Radisson starting at 6 PM. Chairman of the May 7 Golf tournament chairman Steve Curry announced we have 27 teams out of the 36 max. Jenny Dierek reported that we have about the same number of major sponsorships that we had last year. Joel Conn has personally brought in 29 out of a total of 75 tee sponsors and explained how easy it is to get tee sponsors by just sending a text message to all your friends. Ashlea Boyer requested that we bring in raffle items to the next Rotary meeting such as a couple bottles of wine and similar items. Linda Osty is looking for more items to fill goodie bags for the tournament. The next Rotary social will be held at Steve and Linda’s ranch from 5 to 6-ish p.m. on Saturday, April 7. Jack Hardy will be providing the entertainment. Appetizers and a barbecue dinner will be served with each member asked to bring a beverage to share. Connie O’Henley announced that the 4-way essay test selection will be made at the Arroyo Grande Hospital board room at 6 PM this Wednesday the March 21st with pizza being provided. Next week March 27 we will have a vocational visit to the Pismo Beach Sanitary District. FINES: President-elect Scott Astrosky fined finemaster Mark Olson $10 for being late. Sgt. of Arms Jack Hardy fined Scott Astrosky for mispronouncing David Bronstein’s name. Mark Olson fined Erik Mund for his 2-year club anniversary. Connie O’Henley’s March 28 birthday and March 11 club anniversary resulted in a $75 fine. Mark fined himself $20 for his club anniversary. Ben Fine-“Water, Wastewater and Water Conservation” Jim Lewis introduced Ben who is the Director of Public Works/City Engineer for Pismo Beach. The following 5 municipalities have joined to form the Regional Groundwater Sustainability Project (RGSP): South San Luis Obispo County Sanitation District, City of Pismo Beach, City of Arroyo Grande, City of Grover Beach and City of Oceano. The severe drought that we have been experiencing the past few years has greatly impacted the local water supply and caused concern for the seawater intrusion. RGSP’s success so far is: to have 50% of the EIR (environmental impact report) completed; to establish a groundwater model; to start phase 1 of the preliminary engineering; to have received a $1.1M award out of the 1.7M earmarked by Prop 1 of the water bond of 2014; and to have received $1.6M matching funds out of the $2M. This grant is to fund test injection wells and update the groundwater model. They will create a new beneficial water resource by building a new regional groundwater facility instead of discharging wastewater into the ocean. The water technology will enable them to a produce drinking-water-quality resource. The new recycled water resource will be injected into the Santa Maria groundwater basin. This project is been called Central Coast Blue. 40% of the existing water demand could be met by Central Coast Blue with a 77% reduction in wastewater discharge to the ocean. His final report was on water conservation. To date the city of Pismo Beach has funded over $100,000 in rebates with the majority of the rebates going toward Cash For Grass, efficiency toilets and commercial urinals (Pismo Beach is the first in the nation to establish a waterless urinal mandate.) A contract has been awarded for the St. Andrews Bluff protection with an anticipated completion date of September 2018. The Sanitation District will handle solids using a state-of-the-art screw press. ¶ THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. ELECT SCOTT ASTROSKY: “Listen in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.” |
March 13, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM March 13, 2018: Taylor Matheson-“Watershed Landscaping” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:30 PM to provide plenty of time for Jack Hardy and the speaker. Jack Hardy reported that the Rotary Board has signed a contract with Thousand¶ Hills Ranch in Pismo Beach as the site of the next Summer Sizzle to be held on July 21. This will enable us to sell more tickets since this venue has more acreage than the Edwards Barn, which had been difficult to find a mutually acceptable date for the event. All members were requested to sign as volunteers for this event on the sheet that was circulated. FINES: The Rotary Forum of March 6, 2018 incorrectly spelled Chuck Nagler and the editor was fined $25. Steve Curry’s club anniversary of March 15, 1984, the date this club was founded, was required to spin the wheel resulting in no fine. Harlan Silva’s club anniversary on March 16, 1984 was recognized with a $34 fine. Jack Hardy and Don Weber failed to update Club Runner which resulted in $40 and $100 spin-the-wheel fines, respectively ANNOUNCEMENTS: Scott Astrosky stated that 6 of his board members received board member training this past Saturday. Michael Boyer said another training session is coming up for those that missed last Saturday. Steve Curry reported that a short golf committee meeting will be held after this meeting. So far 19 teams have signed up for the May 7 tournament. The Pitches & Pints for Polio baseball game fundraiser will be held from 1 to 5 PM on Sunday, April 22. We need somebody with umpire experience and to help with the refreshments and sale of the beer. We also need baseball gloves. Program:Taylor Matheson-“Watershed Landscaping” Ashlea Boyer introduced Taylor who has been in the business of providing drought tolerant landscaping for the past 2 years. His mission is to enable you as a homeowner to spend more time enjoying the outside in your yard listening to the songbirds and watching the butterflies that are attracted to your landscaping while sipping a glass of Chardonnay. He believes in native touch landscaping and the watershed approach. 60% of the municipal water that we use goes toward landscaping. There are 4 main steps to achieving this goal. (1) You want your irrigation water to go into the soil that acts as a sponge not as a brick, which will happen if it’s not properly mulched. So add compost or topsoil to achieve a more healthy soil. (2) Use rainwater as a source of irrigation water. You can provide a 10 foot high by 2 inch thick rain tank along a wall or use an underground tank. (3) Use Pismo Beach native plants in the Five-Cities because require less water. Cool season turf requires 52 inches of water/year to keep growing. 17 inches/year are all that our required for water tolerant native plants and 25 inches/year are needed for plants between grass and water tolerant plants. (4) Use a drip irrigation system so that the flow is in the less than gallons/hour range rather than gallons/minute for above ground sprinkler systems. You can use the latest soil moisture meters and GPS control irrigation systems, which enables you to use your ZIP Code so that it automatically keeps up with the latest weather forecast. One of the specialties is to provide the homeowner with a irrigation audit to determine what is the optimum irrigation system for given budget. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. JEFF KING: "A Rotarian saw a handicap child, and cried out, “why doesn’t someone do something about this?” In a voice from above said—“I did; I created you.” Without going so far as to claim a divine mandate, we can certainly recognize that Rotary has a unique opportunity to be of service to mankind. Through Rotary, we have collectively undertaken a multitude of humanitarian and educational projects." Frank Deaver of the Rotarian Clubb of Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
March 6, 2018- Rotary ForumPROGRAM March 6, 2018: Chuck Negley-“ Pismo Beach Rotary Charitable Foundation” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:41 PM with the usual introduction of guests and by asking for comments on the display boards that the Interact members prepared at this year’s RYLA. FINES: The following members were each fined $50 for not wearing their Rotary pins: Chuck Negley Linda Osty, Karen Zappia and O’Henley. Deenie Dotson was charged $30 to replace her lost Rotary Secretary pin. Andrea Lueker was fined $25 in absentia for not turning in her fine-free badge. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ashlea Boyer reported that next week’s program will feature Ben Fine on current water issues and how to make your home a drought resistant island. The following week Jim Lewis will give a program on Pismo Beach’s recycled water project. Our annual demotion banquet will be held on June 12 because the Rotary International convention will be held the following 2 weeks of June. Pres. Jeff announced that the board meeting will be held this Thursday at the usual time and place. On March 21 there will be a review of the student’s 4-way essays and members were invited to join the party. The contest winners will being invited to accept monetary awards at one of our regular meetings. Steve Curry announced that next week there will be a golf committee meeting Program: " Chuck Negley-“ Pismo Beach Rotary Charitable Foundation” Chuck provided us with a Power Point presentation on this topic. The Foundation’s mission is to better serve the youth and community with emphasis on youth scholarships. Last year the Foundation donated $173,000 to local charities compared with $67,000 in 2010. The goal of the Foundation is to increase investment fund from the current $185,000 to $250,000 by 2020. The income from this fund will be donated to such charities as community projects, Food Bank, and Cuesta College and Lucia Mar.The annual golf tournament is the major contributor to the investment fund, which added $23,000 in 2002-2003 and doubled that amount the last 2 years. Since we have had a maximum of 144 golfers the past 2 years, the major way we can increase our income is to have more sponsors. Another way to increase income is to invite more non-golfers to pay $75 for the banquet. One of the attractions that no other golf tournament has are the photos that Harlan Silva takes of each 4-some and then displays them on their banquet tables. Linda Osty will be sending out e- mail requesting items for tournament goodie bags. Mary Ann Reese became the latest Rotary Fellow with her $1000 donation. She has requested that her donation go to to provide training and technical scholarships. Other ways of donating is to simply provide tax-deductible cash donations. The structure of the Rotary Foundation is to have quarterly meetings of 9 board of directors presided over by President Joel Conn. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA: “The best preparation for tomorrow is to do your best today.” |
Feb 20, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM February 20, 2018: Samantha Watkins-“ Mediation Specialist” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:42 PM with the usual introduction of guests. FINES: Fine master Mark Olson recognized Lynn Osty’s birthday and had Jim Lewis spin the wheel, but then decided to wait until she gets back before fining her. $25 fines were levied on the following who lost the trivial quiz: Charla Anderson, Scott Astrosky, Steve Curry, Dick Dannells, Mary Ann Reese, and Mike Fredericks. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced that 8 teams have signed up with 28 teams to go for the annual golf tournament. Erik Mund announced that 28 out of the 40 tee sponsors that they have so far were provided by Joel Conn. Bonnie Mogan reminded everyone of the Rotary social at the Lido restaurant on Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 PM. The new City Manager will provide the next week’s program entitled “State of Arroyo Grande. ”Andrea Lueker said that the Community Giving votes are in and she’ll provide the results next week. Steve Connie O’ Henley asked for volunteers to help drive 5 to 7 Interact members who want to attend the conference in Oxnard this coming Saturday. Program: " Samantha Watkins-“ Mediation Specialist” Jim Lewis introduced Samantha, who has been a professional mediator since 2003 and has successfully mediated over 400 disputes. Presently she is the director of Creator Mediation of Wilshire Health and Community Services of San Luis Obispo County. She began by listing the types of mediation: (1) Shuttle Mediation where the mediators shuttle between parties in two different rooms. (2) Evaluative Mediation, which is concerned primarily with reaching a deal. (3) Transformative Mediation, which focuses on first repairing the relationship and then resolving the dispute. (4) Facilitative Mediation, which seeks to facilitate the negotiation between the participants. To illustrate a point, she had each of us pick an adjacent partner and pick the leader of the pairing. The leader was then asked to make a fist and the other to open the fist. After much commotion, she asked if anyone was able was able to open the fist without using their hands. At least Jim Lewis responded by saying all he did was ask the leader, “Please open your fist,” and she complied. Samantha used this to illustrate that often the best way to settle something is to ask. She then recited the case of the orange and the three teenage sisters. As the sisters were walking home from school, they discussed the fact that there’s only one orange in the house and they each needed that orange. As they raced home and entered the kitchen shouting back and forth among themselves, the mother of could hear their argument and waiting for them to settle the dispute among themselves. When it started getting louder, she came downstairs, took the orange and a knife and carefully measured and cut the orange so that each sister had exactly half. The one sister grumbled as she squeezed the orange to make orange juice. The other sister shaved the orange skin onto only half of the freshly baked cupcakes and disposed of the pulp and juice. Therefore, neither sister got what she wanted. If the mother had made inquiries, she would have discovered one sister was told by her coach to go home and get a glass of fresh orange juice because she needed vitamin C. The other sister had a friend who had been ill and she promised to make her friend’s favorite cupcakes coated with orange shavings. At the end of the program, Samantha made a couple of brochures available. One promoted a training workshop on Thursday and Friday, March 8th and 9th from 9 AM to 4 PM at 285 South St., suite J in San Luis Obispo entitled “Helping Others And Advocate Changes As They Age.” The other promoted a seminar on April 12th and 13th from 8:30 AM to 4 PM entitled “Elements¶ Of Mediation Training. If interested, call 549-0442. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY JEFF KING: “Friendship was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built and tolerance is the element which holds it together” – My Road To Rotary – Paul Harris |
Feb13, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM February 13, 2018: Jim Lewis-“ Valentines Day’s Newly Wed Game” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:40 PM with the usual introduction of guests. FINES: This week’s fine-master Joel Conn levied a $24 fine on Jim Lewis in recognition of his daughter’s sale of $240 worth of Girl Scout cookies. Jim’s fine was increased to $60 in recognition of his February 7 birthday and his club anniversary. Karen Zappia’s February 17 birthday resulted in a $47 fine, which she says does not represent $1 for every year of her life as she is much younger than that. Lee Ann Liscombe’s 13th of February club anniversary resulted in a $42 fine. Erik Mund’s new puppy cost him a $50 fine. A $20 fine on Jenny Dierek for her advertising picture in New Times. A $20 fine for Katcho Achadjian’s honor of being chosen by the Arroyo Grande and Grover Beach Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors to receive the 2018 Director's Award. Deenie Dotson and Linda Osty chipped in an additional $20 each in recognition of this honor. Jack Hardy and Anya Stanley received $25 fines for missing a trivial quiz question. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry called upon Erik Mund for an update on tee sponsors and Connie O’Henley for an update on major sponsors. Connie stated that Brad Anderson as a major sponsor contributed $2500. Shannon Bowdey announced that a Rotary social will be held at the Lido restaurant on Thursday, February 22 at 5:30 PM. Scott Astrosky spoke briefly of his experience at the District 5240 PETS (Pres. elect training seminar). He mentioned that next year’s theme will “Be An Inspiration. ” Program: Jim Lewis-“ Valentines Day’s Newly Wed Game” Jim Lewis called Don and Connie O’Henley, Joel and Sarah Conn and Jeff and Sally King to come forward as participants in this game. Jim asked the following 10 questions alternating between husband and wife and received answers from the spouse: (1) When did you last give your wife flowers? (2) How does your husband behave to get out of trouble? (3) If your wife could think of anything to get rid of, what would it be? (4) When he leaves the house, what time is it in your house: party time, cleanup time, or naptime? (5) When your wife says honey they’re playing our song, what song is it? (6) If your husband could be a movie star, what would he be? (7) Every wedding has problems, what went wrong with yours? (8) What is the most expensive beauty product he uses? (9) How did your husband express his love for you in the past. (10) What candy bar is your spouse to describe your style of love let’s making? Questions 1 through 8 were worth 5 points points? Question 9 was worth 10 points. Question 10 was worth 20 points. Don and Connie were the winners with a total of 30 points; Sally and Jeff were close behind with a total of 25 points; and Joel and Sarah Conn total of 10 points. |
Feb 6, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM February 6, 2018: John Shoals-“ The State of Grover Beach” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:37 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Andrea Lueker for $40. FINES: No fines were levied this week, but Pres. Jeff has a long list of people who will be fined next week. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced that the brochures have been printed for the annual golf tournament. Connie O’Henley spoke about the major golf tournament sponsors and Erik Mund spoke about the tee sponsors. Steve Schuman of the Five Cities' Eco Club announced that their major fundraiser for the year has a Monopoly game theme and will be held on Saturday, April 21. The winning 3 person team will receive $1000. Pres. Jeff had Andrea Lueker come forward to receive the Rotarian of the Month for her work in handling this year’s community giving. In this connection, she announced that next week will be the last day to vote by allocating your play money among the list of this year’s charities. Pres. Jeff announced there will be a board meeting at the usual time and place this Thursday, February 8. Program: John Shoals-“ The State of Grover Beach” Ashlea Boyer introduced John who is a graduate of CalPoly with a BS degree in city administration and city design. He was elected to the Grover Beach City Council in 2002. He was the first person to be elected Mayor by the voters and retired from the Council in 2012 when his term limit ended. He was reelected to the Grover Beach City Council in 2014. John began his talk by stating that Grover Beach as a 5 Citi Council and a City Manager manager who handles the day-to-day operations and oversees a $15 million budget. John presented a Power Point program that began with their #1 project: Street rehabilitation, which got its big push in 2014 when the voters passed a $48 million bond issue to fix the streets. The first thing they did was to establish the priority of streets to do first. Some of the Street improvements include N. 13th St., South Oak Park, North Oak Park in collaboration with Pismo Beach, Longbranch from 3rd Street to Oak Park and Mentone Avenue. In 2 years 50% of the streets will have been rehabilitated, which is the head of the 5 year schedule for completing all of the streets. Priority has been given to streets having schools. In awarding contracts, priority has been given in to local companies such as Apadaca Paving Company. Along with the Street improvement, utilities such as water mains have been improve. Project #2, which began as early as 2003, is the Grover Beach Lodge located on the 13 empty acre lot adjacent to Pismo Beach Golf Course at the end of Grand Avenue. Three years ago the plans for the Lodge has been approved by the Coastal Commission. The Lodge was originally designed for a 150 room convention hotel, which has been reduced to 144 rooms. Compared to Pismo Beach’s $10 million in annual revenue derived from hotels Grover Beach receives a measly $300,000 per year. This revenue should increased exponentially with completion of the Grover Beach Lodge, the 135 room Holiday Inn and a hotel by Man Rock Brewery, both on El Camino Rd. Project #3 is the the train station, which as been very successful. They are currently redesigning the station so that the buses will be able to drop off passengers on the west side of the tracks. There are contemplating a free trolley to make a loop from the train station to the Pismo Beach hotels and back. Project # 4 is the broadband fiber project, which will bring high-speed Internet to Grover Beach in collaboration with Digital West that that many years ago installed optic cables from North America to Asia. Project # 5 is commercial cannabis, which will help offset the loss of economy with the closing of Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant. Although medical cannabis has been approved for 22 years it was only last year that recreational cannabis has been approved by the voters of California. Grover Beach has been in the forefront of seeking necessary state and county licenses to allow commercial sales of cannabis in the industrial park south of town. The revenue from cannabis sales is expected to add 10% of the budget. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ANYA STANLEY: “Life is sweet with Girl Scout Cookies.” |
Jan 16, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM January 16, 2018: Kevin Nelson, Fire Investigator-“What Does A Fire Investigator Do To Solve Arson Cases?” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:42 PM by asking members what is the most unusual item on their bucket lists. Charla Anderson won the prize of a Steve Curry designed Rotary pin for her bucket item of attending the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky FINES: Pres. Jeff had Paul Holden pay a $60 spin-the-wheel fine for a poor introduction of the guests at his table. Fine master Mark Olson fined Greg Baker $35 and Jack Hardy $30 for their January 17, 2006 and January 21, 1997 respective club anniversaries. He then fined Pres. Jeff for him and Sally’s January 22, 1972 wedding anniversary. Kari Ziegler and Bonnie Mogan were fined $25 each for missing trivial quiz questions. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Mike Frederick asked for volunteers to help starting at 9 AM Saturday, January 20 at Port Huasna Road to wipe down floors and otherwise clean up one of the newly installed double wide mobile homes that is a part of the Fort Hope Foster Care Homes for women who have been subjected to bad elements. Bonnie Mogan announced that our next social will start at 5:30 PM on Wednesday, January 24 at the Inn at the Pier, where we had last week’s Rotary vocational tour. Connie O Henley as Chair of the Membership Committee, circulated looseleaf notebooks that contain comments that have been received based on email surveys. She encouraged us to answer the next survey on February 1. Steve Curry announced May 7, 2018 is the date of the annual golf tournament at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. Jenny Dierek will be the cochair of this event. Steve stated that the proceeds from these tournaments are divided between scholarships and adding to the $190,000 endowment that we hope to grow to $250,000. Pres. Jeff reminded us that the goal of the R I Pres. is to have every Rotarian plant a tree this year. Steve Curry stated that we should look in our yards if we have oak trees to find acorns that are sprouted with two leaves. If so we should transplant them by digging deeply to avoid cutting off their large Kappos, and then keep the transplanted tree moist for distribution to the rest of the members at a later date. We can also plant acorns in earth and keep them moist. Program: Kevin Nelson, Fire Investigator-“What Does A Fire Investigator Do To Solve Arson Cases?” Shelby Nelson introduced her husband Kevin who began by stating that he joined the Arroyo Grande Fire Department in 2001 before 9/11. He became a seasoned fireman in 2003. He joined Cal Fire in 2008 and volunteered to enter the investigation section, which required him to go to the Police Academy at Hancock College in May 2012. He became a fire inspector in Fresno and in 2014 he became a full-time fire investigator. One of the first things you do in a “Wildland Fire Investigation FI-210, Origin and Cause Determination,” is have a pilot fly over the scene to take aerial photographs. With photos in hand, the fire investigator goes on the scene to investigate such things as which side of the rocks contain stains, since the stain shows the direction of fire as it passes over the rocks. He will also look for catalytic converter ceramic cores that shoot out of the exhaust pipes of poorly maintained cars. He passed around such a core. Another investigative tool is to determine the pattern, such as V pattern in grass, which indicates that the fire started at the base of the V. The investor will get down on hands and knees to examine the grass. Since the fire starts very slowly only the base of the grass will be singed. The job of investigator is to exclude arson, lightning, equipment, electrical, and accidental fires. Only about 18% of the fires are actually caused by carelessly thrown cigarettes. In 2016 during the Chimney Fire near Lake Naciomento, a series of small fires were started in the area. After an intense investigation, Kevin apprehended Debra Collins after she ran from a walker. She was subsequently found guilty of arson and incarcerated for number of years. |
Jan 2, 2018-Rotary ForumPROGRAM January 2, 2018: Ticity Wilding, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH) Patient Experience Manager-“AGCH and Flu Shots” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual guest introductions. FINES: Pres. Jeff fined Deenie Dotson for her 34th years of marriage with James on January 1. They got married on that date so they wouldn’t forget, but yesterday they forgot it anyway. She received a $25 spin-the-wheel fine. Sandy and Cindi Lubin will be celebrating their 51 years of marriage on January 7. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Jules Marsh announced that next week we will have a vocational visit to the new Inn at the Pier in downtown Pismo Beach. We are to meet in the lobby no later than 12 noon. We will be served lunch at 12:45 PM in the Inn’s restaurant. You can park at the hotel for a valet parking fee of $6 or find parking on the street. Pres. Jeff received unanimous approval for us to take part in a slow pitch softball fundraiser called Pints & Pitches that will include all of the Rotary clubs in the area. You can play any position you desire as long as you make a donation. He also announced that the Rotary board will meet be on Thursday, January 11. Another sign-up sheet will be circulated to provide meals for Tommy Thompson for another week or so. Program: Ticity Wilding, Arroyo Grande Community Hospital (AGCH) Patient Experience Manager-“ AGCH and Flu Shots” Ticity received her RN degree from Cuesta College 2002 and was fortunate to obtain an internship at the AGCH and has been with the hospital for the past 15 years. The hospital’s mission is to provide hospital care for friends, family and the community and has been providing this service since it was opened to the public in 1962. Since June 1, 2004 when AGCH was acquired by Dignity Health, it has brought in an Acute Rehabilitation Center to provide an intense, accelerated physicthal rehabilitation and a Cancer Program. The hospital has received many awards including a 5-star facility rating, hip, a joint replacement award and best stroke care center rating. AGCH has received high marks directly from the patients and comments through social media. She then spoke of the current high incidence of flu in the area and strongly recommended that those who have not had a flu shot this year to obtain one during this meeting. At least 6 volunteers came forward. She stated that one of the best ways not to spread the virus is to put your entire arm over your mouth when you’re about to cough. She also recommended washing your hands 20 seconds or the time it takes for you to sing “Row Row Row Your Boat” 2 times. If you get the flu, you should not go out in the public until 24 hours after your fever has returned to normal. You should call your family physician if you have shortness of breath and have a temperature of 100-102° F, 99-102 if your normal temperature is 97. A good preventative measure is to take vitamin C or EmergenC if you feel cold or flu coming on. Also get plenty of rest. Blueberries are a great-oxidant. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ANYA STANLEY: “Life is like a cup of coffee – it’s all in how you make it” |
Dec 19, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: December 19, 2017: JAN BITTICK-“SLO WIND ORCHESTRA” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:40 PM by circulating the minutes of a recent board meeting and the treasurer’ s report, which shows a favorable balance sheet as we about to start the new year. He thanked those who volunteered their time last Saturday for the Fort Hope Foster Care Homes that included the following members: Anya Stanley, Paul Holden and Scott Astrosky. He then called on Paul Holden who again circulated the sign-up sheet for the Paul Harris raffle ANNOUNCEMENTS: Ashlea Boyer announced that next week December 26 we will be dark and our next meeting on January 2, 2018, which will relate to the importance of flu shots. There will be someone to administer them for those who have not had a flu shot for this season. Paul Holden requested volunteers for the Highway cleanup on the second Saturday of January 6. Tommy Thompson is doing well with his radiation treatments. Anya Stanley suggested that we invite any of the Thomas fire evacuees still staying at the Pismo Beach Lighthouse be invited to our next meeting. Pres. Jeff asked members to say what they found to be special during the first half of our Club’s Rotary year. FINES Pres. Jeff had Kari Ziegler spin the wheel for obtaining an Orbitz recommendation for her Comfort Market Restaurant menu. She did not have to pay a fine after she spun the wheel. Karen Zappia was asked to pay a $40 spin-the-wheel fine for her Club Med Martinique vacation. In January 2, Pres. Jeff will add to the members’ invoice one half of their pledge minus the sum of their fines to date. PROGRAM: JAN BITTICK-“SLO WIND ORCHESTRA” Ashlea Boyer introduced Jan whose love is classical music. She is currently the Executive Director of the SLO Wind Orchestra, which is not to be confused with the San Luis Obispo Symphony Orchestra. The Wind Orchestra, which was started in 1999, is the first Community Program offered by Cuesta College. It is not a regular college course, but allows talented musicians to audition for a spot on the orchestra, which is entirely made up of 55 volunteer professional musicians. They put on 4 concerts a year at Cuesta. The next concert is March 24 entitled “Viva la France” and the final concert is on June 3 featuring Americana music. In addition to these concerts, they have put on a children’s concert for the last two seasons. In this year’s concert, they bussed in 800 5th graders to 2 concerts, which features pieces that the children have already been exposed to such as the theme from Star Wars. She showed a brief video of this concert that showed the students engaging with the musicians after the concert. They chose them since the public school first offers 5th graders to take up an instrument that is usually provided by the school. They are always looking for donations to support this worthwhile endeavor. THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY BY MARC MUND “Christmas is the spirit of giving without a thought of getting. Merry everything and happy always.” |
Dec 12, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: December 12, 2017: TOM DOBBINS-“COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:36 PM and after the usual guest introductions, he had Paul Holden come forward to discuss the number of ways we can contribute to the RI Foundation. One of them is to sign your name to the raffle list that he circulated, which will add a $50 donation on your monthly invoice. And if your name is drawn from the hat, you will receive a $1000 Paul Harris Fellow. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Linda Osty gave a recap on last Saturday’s “White Christmas” movie, which was attended by 240 people. The donated food was distributed to St. Pat’s outreach and the gifts were distributed to Boys & Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo County. Pres. Jeff thanked those who worked the Saturday before last on the foster care mobile homes at Tar Springs Ranch. They're still looking for volunteers for next Saturday, although the specific work has yet to be determined. He also thanked Deenie Dotson for the wonderful holiday party at her house last week. He asked for a show of hands from those planning to attend this week’s board meeting at the Arroyo Grande Hospital board room at 6 PM. Finally he had Jim Lewis stand for being honored by receiving the National Eagle Scout Association's Outstanding Eagle Scout Award last week. Anya Stanley’s daughter gave birth to Daniel Ernie King in Dublin Ireland. A hat was circulated and she will be matching the $125 raised for her grandson’s savings account. FINES Fine master Mark Olson called upon Scott Astrosky who is celebrating his 25th wedding anniversary with Tanya. His $50 fine will go to Pres. Jeff, because he had purchased Pinot for Polio. In the trivial quiz, Paul Holden and Shannon Bowdey were each fined $20. Anya Stanley celebrated her birthday without a fine since she had the fine- free badge. Joel Conn was fined a total $40 for not answering a question and for shoving during the meal queue. PROGRAM: TOM DOBBINS-“COURT APPOINTED SPECIAL ADVOCATES (CASA) OF SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY” Connie O'Henley introduced Tom who resides in Shell Beach. He began by thanking Rotary for the gifts that will be distributed to the CASA children. CASA takes the best interests of abused and neglected children that have become wards of the court. During the Christmas season abuse and neglect of children increases. Today there are about 500 children, ranging age from birth to 18, in the foster care system. CASA’s mission is to recruit, train and supervise volunteers who give up their time to advocate for these vulnerable children. The ratio of the 150-175 volunteers in the system is 9 to 1 women/men. CASA’s goal is to ensure that every child grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home. 70% of CMC prisoners come from foster care homes, but children from CASA for the most part do not wind up in prison. The reason is that foster care children outside of CASA are only seen by a social worker once a month whereas each CASA volunteer (that requires 30 hours of training) focuses on seeing one child once per week. Their budget has increased $450,000/ year from when they started in the 1970s to $790,000 today. This budget includes 1/3 from grants, 1/3 from fundraisers, and 1/3 from donations. |
Dec 5, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: December 5, 2017: KEVIN BUMEN-“ THE NEW SLO AIRPORT UPDATE” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:40 PM with the usual guest introductions and then held the fine-free badge auction that went to Lee Ann Lescome for $75. He also had Past Pres. Greg Baker recite the 4-way Test and stated that in the upcoming weeks members will be asked to stand and recite the test. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry reported the sad news that Tommy Thompson has been diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing radiation treatments. Because of his incapacitation, Steve circulated a sign-up sheet to provide meals for Tommy throughout the holidays. Sharon Ellis reported that Sandy Lubin is doing better during his cancer treatment. Deenie Dotson again circulated a sign-up sheet for the Christmas party this Thursday, December 7 beginning at 5:30 PM. Jim “Santa Claus” Lewis reminded everyone of this Saturday’s 5th annual Christmas movie “White Christmas” at the Fair Oaks theater. Doors will at 10:30 AM. Linda Osty stated that she still needs a few packers for the canned goods. All the members that attend will be asked to come to the front of the theater before the show starts to pass out raffle prizes for non-Rotarians. A sign-up sheet was circulated for the December 17 Clark Center Christmas sing-a-song song. Connie O Henley and Karen Zappia passed out surveys that had 2 questions (1) What we like about our Rotary Club?; and (2) What changes should be made to make our Club better? PROGRAM: KEVIN BUMEN-“ NEW SLO AIRPORT UPDATE” Ashlea Boyer introduced Kevin who graduated from Cal Polly in 1996, worked for the Truckee Tahoe Airport and has 25+ years as a pilot. Currently he is the Director of the SLO County Regional Airport and President of the California Airport Council. After showing a brief video of the new airport, he gave the statistics that in 2016 the airport had 330,241 passengers and in 2018 they expect 420,000 passengers, or an annual increase of 20%. They tried to add Denver to the the cities they currently serve, but those negotiations fell through. However, they were very pleased to add Seattle via the Alaska Airlines on their new 242 passenger plane. The new airport had 3 major goals: (1) improve passenger experience; (2) provide a 6 gate terminal with 2 jet bridges and multilane TSA checkpoints; and (3) expanded paved parking with no restrictions on where you park except fees of $13/day close to the terminal and $9/day away from the terminal. The meeter/greeter lounge looks over the entire Valley and provides the incoming passenger with a glass jetway to begin the visual experience of the Valley immediately on disembarking. The flooring is stained concrete which provides a smooth surface for all of the modern wheeled luggage. The ticket area is much larger and has 22 miles of cable; both of these features allow for future expansion. The terminal has 2 unique features: (1) an entire wall devoted to an actual wing that had been in service for 20 years and was found in the Mojave Aircraft Reclamation Park and (2) a 747 engine cauling retrofitted as an information booth. The architecture of terminal is designed to be easily modified for future growth. The outdoor breezeway between check-in counters and the secure area, which has a restaurant, also lends itself to future extension. Dallas and Portland, Oregon are destinations that they are in the process of bringing to SLO. |
Nov 28, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: November 28, 2017: Steve Burnardo -“CLEVER DUCKS” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the introduction of guests. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Linda Osty reminded everyone that one week from this Saturday, December 9 is the date of the White Christmas movie at the Fair Oaks Theater in Arroyo Grande. She still needs a few volunteers to deliver the canned goods to those in need. Deenie circulated a sign-up sheet for the Christmas party from 5 to 8 PM on December 7 at Deenie Dotson’s home. It will be a bring your own beverage potluck dinner. Paul Holden presented a Paul Harris Fellow to Donya Conn, Joel’s sister on this last day of Rotary Foundation month. Pres. Jeff presented the Rotarian of the Month to Kari Ziegler and thanked Kari for supplying the spaghetti to 100 people at the Brenda Cressey spaghetti fundraising dinner. Steve Curry reported that the first meeting of the golf committee will be held right after this meeting to plan for the annual golf tournament. FINES: Joel Conn as this week’s finemaster proceeded to fine Dick Dannells and Mark Olson $15 each for what he called brown nosing the fine master. Steve Curry’s fine of $35 was passed through to Joel since Steve had the fine-free badge. Jenny Dierek was fined $1 for each of her 37 years on this planet. John Traversaro was fined $25 for not knowing Jenny’s last name. Kari Ziegler was fined $25 just for being the Rotarian of the Month. Shelby Mclean was fined $33 for her 6 years of marriage to Kevin. For missing trivial quiz questions, Harlan Silva, Mark Olson and Andy Park were fined $20, $25 and $21, respectively. Ashlea Boyer, Connie O’Henley, Karen Zappia and Shannon Bowdey were fined $10 for getting their Rotary publicity photo into the SLO Tribune today. Scott Astrosky was fined $10 for providing bad advice. PROGRAM: Ashlea Boyer introduced Steve who provided uninformative program on how to avoid being hacked. He gave the following 6 tips: (1) Don’t trust the security on a network you do not control such as those provided free at hotels, cafés and airports; (2) Use your own adapter for charging your phone not cords supplied by charging stations; (3) Don’t plug unknown flash drives into computer and use your own security software to scan USB devices before allowing them on your system; (4) Don’t open any link or attachments in messages sent to you that you did not initiate even if it is from someone that you know since a sender can easily be spoofed; (5) use a unique password for each site and a password manager to keep them straight; and (6) Use a two-step authentication for all financial accounts since the second step will stop the hack. THE THOUGHT FOR DAY BY ASHLEA BOYER “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” William Arthur Ward |
Nov 20 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: November 20, 2017: Past DG Clyde Boyer and his wife Vivian Finley-“EXPERIENCES AS DISTRICT GOV. OF DISTRICT 5010” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:33 PM with announcements. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Sharon Ellis announced that Harlan Silva’s father died and his memorial services will be held 2 PM on November 27 the St. Pats Catholic Church. Ashlea Boyer announced that Jim Lewis will be the honored recipient of the National Eagle Scout Association's Outstanding Eagle Scout Award at the Cliffs Resort in Pismo Beach on December 6 at 6 PM. Pres. Jeff asked the members to stand that attended the Brenda Cressey spaghetti fundraising dinner. Paul Holden announced that $1500 was raised at this event. Steve Curry reported that he had been in touch with Paul Jones who is now undergoing cancer treatments and would like to hear from us. A note with his address was circulated to all members. A reminder that Saturday, December 6 is the date of the White Christmas movie at the Fair Oaks Theater in Arroyo Grande. Pres. Jeff he will soon be announcing the date for us to begin painting and putting in carpeting tiles in the mobile homes at Tar Springs Ranch for victims of human trafficking. Past DG Frank Ortiz commended Michael Boyer for being a member of the RI Society whose members pledge $1000 per year to the RI Foundation. Society members represent 7% of members in Rotary and contribute 45% of the total contributions to the Foundation. FINES: Pres. Jeff fined Frank Montesinos $1 for each of his 38 years of marriage with Gloria. Jim Lewis’ Eagle Scout award he is about to receive in a few days prompted him to make a $100 contribution by Ringing the Bell. Deenie Dotson’s interruption of the speaker cost her $25. Ashlea Boyer and Connie O’Henley were fined $20 each for missing the trivial questions. Jim Lewis presented a short program and passed out handouts on the proper wines to serve during the holiday season. Pinot Noir, especially a bottle of Pinot for Polio, is an excellent choice to go with your turkey dinner. A fine bottle of Chardonnay is the next best wine to serve. Our Christmas party will be held from 5 to 8 PM on December 7 at Deenie Dotson’s home. PROGRAM: Past DG Clyde Boyer and his wife Vivian Finley-“EXPERIENCES AS DISTRICT GOV. OF DISTRICT 5010” Michael Boyer introduced his parents, Clyde and Vivian Boyer who are members of the Wasilla Alaska Rotary Club and have a total of 6 children, 24 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren. Clyde stated how he got into Rotary at the age of 40. He rapidly rose from being a member to Pres. to District Gov. of District 5010 in 2006. At the time he was DG, the District extended from the Canadian Yukon, Nome to Ketchikan, Alaska to the Ural Mountains in Eastern Russia. He and Vivian had the audacious task of visiting all 80 clubs in 11 time zones over a distance of 5000 miles. It took them 3 months to cover Alaska and the Yukon and another 3 months to cover Eastern Russia.The neglected and orphaned children of Russia has been a Rotary project for the 25 years since Rotary clubs were formed in Russia. He had Vivian spent time visiting orphanages during their trek across Russia. Interact Clubs are presently very active in Russia, which has the largest number of Interact clubs of any other district in the world. They are the process of reinvigorating Rotary in Russia. About 3 years ago and long after he left as District Gov., Eastern Russia has been split off of District 5010. |
Nov 7, 2017 Rotary ForumPROGRAM November 7, 2017: MARNA LOMBARDI-“ALAN HANCOCK COLLEGE COLLEGE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) PROGRAMS” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:34 PM by calling to order a short business meeting to allow Greg Baker to conduct an election, the results of which voted in Scott Astrosky as the Pres. of the Club for 2018-2019 and Jack Hardy as Pres. Elect for 2019-2020. ANNOUNCEMENTS: A thank you note was received thanking us for monetary gift we presented to Mike Frederick’s new granddaughter. This is the last week to deposit winter coats and jackets in collection boxes at Century 21 on Branch and Bridge Streets, Arroyo Grande (Jack Hardy’s office) and Pismo Beach Vet, 990 Price St. (Joel Conn’s Veterinarian Clinic). Linda Osty announced that at 11 AM on December 9, 2017 the 5th annual Christmas movie “White Christmas” will be held at the Fair Oaks Theatre; admission: non-perishable food item for an unwrapped toy. Connie O’Henley stated that the Arroyo Grande HS Interact Club will sponsor 2 Uganda students. John Traversaro gave the final reminder of the spaghetti dinner and Brenda Cressey’s talk on Monday evening, November 13 at the St. Barnabas Church Hall. The regular Tuesday meeting on November 14 will be dark UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Pres. Jeff reported that there will be a regular meeting on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which will include a program by Clyde Baker, Past Dist. Gov of 5010. FINES: The following members had Club anniversaries: Scott Astrosky (2 years); Linda Osty 20 years) (20); Sharon Ellis (20); and Deenie Dotson (4 years), who had a $40spin-the-wheel fine. The others were fine-free. Michael Boyer was caught speeding on 101 that resulted in a $15 fine. Jack Hardy was fined $20 for for seemingly disrespecting his family during guest introductions. John Traversaro was fined $20 for misspeaking the name of our guest speaker. PROGRAM: MARNA LOMBARDI-“ALAN HANCOCK COLLEGE CAREER TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) PROGRAMS” John Traversaro introduced Marna graduated from CalPoly in 1979 with a degree in public relations. She grew up in Columbus Ohio and is an Ohio State fan. Marna began by thanking Rotary Club of Pismo Beach/Five Cities Foundation for the $2500 donation to support scholarships for 3 students to John Hancock College. She then presented a Power Point program giving the history of the College that began in 1920 with only number 6 students. During World War II from 1939 to 1944, they trained 8400 cadets. The college was named after Capt. G Allen Hancock who was a business and educational leader, a mariner and an organizer of scientific expeditions. In 1954 the present campus was established. There are 3 other campuses that do not include the educational opportunities they provide for the inmates at the Lompoc Federal Prison. A new branch was added in 2005 that was funded by a $180 million bond initiative. They have been named the top 150 community colleges in the United States and graduated 1000 students in 2017. Marna’s specialty is the CTE program that teaches students specific skills they will use on a job such as automotive, manufacturing, and computer business office technology to name just a few. Alan Hancock College graduates with an associate degree have a higher matriculation rate to Cal Poly than Cuesta College. They have a great theater arts program in which there is 100% placement upon graduation. They have started a program called Promise Bulldog Bound in which they have brought in 2000 5th and 6 with their parents for Friday workshops to get them excited about someday going to college. Any local student, who completes their high school education within the Allan Hancock Joint Community College District, can obtain 1 year tuition-free, which is valued at $1200 per student. There is no need for textbooks since they have a loan system or you can use online course material. |
Oct 31, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: Steve Curry and Valence Lutaisire -“YOUTH FOCUS AFRICA FOUNDATION (YOFAFO) AND THE UGANDA SCHOOL” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:39 PM by asking all members to see Andrea Lueker for names of service providers they would like included in our annual Charitable Giving Program. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Paul Holden reported that last week’s 16 bottles of Pinot for Polio were sold on last week’s National Polio Day. John Traversaro is sending around a sign-up form again seeking help on Monday evening, November 13 at the St. Barnabas Church Hall for the Rotary Foundation spaghetti dinner and meeting with the featured speaker TRF Trustee Brenda Cressey. November 14th meeting will be dark because of this event. Shelby McLean announced that the groundbreaking of the Arroyo Grande District Emergency Room will take place from 5 to 7 PM on November 6. Winter coats and jackets donations for the Rotaract Club of SLO’s Coats fundraiser can be deposited in collection boxes at Century 21 (on Branch and Bridge Streets, Arroyo Grande (Jack Hardy’s office) and Pismo Beach Vet, 990 Price St. (Joel Conn’s Veterinarian Clinic). The Club has expressed an interest in a hands-on service project for the year to build two 4-bedroom mobile homes to be located at the Tar Springs Ranch of Pat Loomis these homes will be used for the Human Trafficking program under the jurisdiction and supervision of Dan Dow, SLO’s District Attorney, who spoke to us on this issue on September 19, 2017. FINES: Pres. Jeff asked the following members to spin-the-wheel in recognition of their wearing a Halloween costume: Shelby McLean and Sharon Ellis. They each had a pay fines of $10 times the number of years they have been in Rotary. Since Shelby just joined her fine was only $0.80. Sharon Ellis’ fine was over $100. PROGRAM: Steve Curry and Valence Lutaisire -“YOUTH FOCUS AFRICA FOUNDATION (YOFAFO) AND THE UGANDA SCHOOL” Steve Curry began by showing a few slides and a video clip of the students in the Uganda school that was built under the direction of Valence. Steve explained that Valence graduated from high school at the age of 23 because he did not have sufficient funds to go to school when he was 6 years old. After he finally entered school, he received scholarships through primary and high school and received his degree at the tuition-free Uganda College. Steve then showed pictures of all the Uganda children that are being sponsored by the following members and spouses: Linda and Steve Curry, Jeff and Sally King, Don and Jackie Weber, Karen Zappia, John and Marcia Traversaro, Connie O Henley’s Interact Club, Deenie James Dotson, and Mike Hunsted of the Grover Beach Rotary Club. Steve also passed around letters from the students thanking their Rotary sponsors. Valence began his talk by saying that he started coming to our club 10 years ago to report on the support our club had given to their school and the program for the children’s education. The computer lab powered by solar cells that we recently installed has fulfilled the critical need in the children’s education to bring them up to the 21st century. Our club is currently putting together a grant totaling $37,000 to buy a school bus to transport the children who presently have to walk at least 5 miles per day to and from school. The bus is designed to carry 29; however, the bus is expected to squeeze in 45 students so they can accommodate 90 students per day. Those children that live even further away are housed in apartments having a capacity to sleep 200 children. The students who have the greatest need get the Rotary sponsorships. He stated that in the yearly test given in Uganda, their students were 2nd in their School District. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ERIK MUND: “'Shadows of a thousand years rise again unseen, Voices whisper in the trees, Tonight is Halloween” by Dexter Kozen |
Oct 24 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: PDG of District 5330 Joe Ramos -“2018 ROTARY ROSE PARADE FLOAT” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:39 PM by asking all members during lunch to discuss what charities we would like to support in our annual Charitable Giving Campaign. He also had Shelby Mclean come forward to turn her red badge for a permanent blue badge, which in a short time she earned by accomplishing 5 tasks. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Paul Holden announced that today October 27 is National Polio Day and if you purchase 1 or 3 bottles of Pinot for Polio you will be fine-free for a month or the rest of year, respectively. Our PDG Brenda Cressey is celebrating this Polio Day at Bill Gates’ home. Remember that the November 14th meeting will be dark because Brenda will be the featured speaker on this topic during Monday evening, November 13 at the St. Barnabas Church Hall. Eight other clubs in our area have been invited and we expect many will come. John Traversaro has organized this and is asking for volunteers to help put on this Dinner Meeting, which will include a spaghetti dinner. Linda Osty passed out blank cards to be filled in and sent to victims of the Santa Rosa fires. The SLO Rotaract Club of San Luis Obispo is having their 3rd Annual "Rent-a-Rotaractor Fundraiser" on Saturday November 12 @ 1:30 PM at the San Luis Yacht Club (443 Front St, Avila Beach). All you need do is have surrogate at the meeting to make your bid. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Pres. Jeff reported that during our meeting on November 7th we will vote on the nominations for Pres. Elect for 2019-2020. Steve Curry reported that Valence Lutaisire will lead our meeting on Tuesday, October 31. Pres. Jeff stated that guests are encouraged to come to this meeting and any table without a guest will be fined. Steve also gave a reminder that this Friday from 5:30 to 8:30 PM is the Trunk and Treat event sponsored by the Grover Beach Rotary Club. FINES: The following members having Club anniversaries were Ashlea Boyer (14 years) and Joel Conn (9 years) and were asked to spin-the-wheel resulting in $28 and $25 fines respectively. Pres. Jeff was asked to spin-the-wheel because of his 50-50 pot wedding resulting in a $50 fine PROGRAM: PDG of District 5330 Joe Ramos -“2018 ROTARY ROSE PARADE FLOAT” Michael Boyer introduced Joe, who is currently the chairman of the Rotary Rose Bold Parade Float Committee. Joe began by stating that last year's Rotary float for the Rose Bowl Parade won the Princess Trophy for the most beautiful float less than 35 feet. The Tournament of Roses announced their 2018 Rose Parade theme is “Making a Difference,” which coincidentally is substantially the same as Rotary’s theme for 2017-2018 of “Rotary – Making a Difference.” So the committee had to change from that theme to "Planning the Scenes of Service." They are asking each of the 112 million members across the world to plant one tree by Earth Day 2018. This year’s float is a rabbit with his head on his front paws looking up a 22 foot plum tree. The operator and driver of the float, hidden away in his driver’s seat, has to use a series of levers to raise and lower the tree to meet the maximum height restrictions of 16 feet, 6 inches to be able to go through underpasses. The float contains saplings from the surviving tree of the Hiroshima bombing. He described all of the steps in making the float up to the October 14, 2017 rollout ceremony where they tried to get as many people as possible to be aware of Rotary. Volunteers to participate in the actual parade consist of walkers who have donated at least $6500 and a very a select group of riders. There are numerous ways to donate to the 2018 Rotary Rose Parade Float to pay for the $150,000 cost build this year’s Rotary float that last year drew the attention of over 73 million viewers worldwide. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY SHARON BOWDEY: “A positive attitude might not solve all of your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worthwhile.” |
Oct 17, 2017-Rotary FormPROGRAM: Scott Astrosky and Michael Boyer-“SUMMER SIZZLE REVIEW” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting with the usual introduction of guests. Steve Curry gave a less than his usual flawless introduction so that he immediately went and spun the wheel, which resulted in a $0.00 fine CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff reported that at the last Thursday’s board meeting an excellent treasurer’s report was given indicating $45,000 in the treasury. He also reported that the November 14th meeting will be dark because a special joint meeting with the Grover Beach Rotary Club will be held with Past District Gov. Brenda Cressey speaking on Polio Plus. He stated that all fines will be forgiven if a vacationing member brings back a flag from another Rotary Club. A bucket was passed around to celebrate Michael Frederick’s new granddaughter-Mila Brooks Frederick. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Steve Curry reported that Valence Lutaisire will lead our meeting on Tuesday, October 31. Steve will be taking Valence around to speak to the AG Interact Club and other Rotary Clubs. Connie O’Henley stated that the Interact Club will be putting together Halloween bags the children. Our next social is still on for 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 26 at the Cliff’s Restaurant in Shell Beach. Our speaker for the last Tuesday meeting before Thanksgiving will be Michael Boyer’s father who was the Past District Gov. of the largest Rotary District covering Yukon Territory, Canada; Alaska, USA; Siberia; and Far East Russia. Daniel Bernstein announced that on December 8 his office will be the site of a black-tie “Toys for Tots” event having an admission price of a toy. They hope to fill 3 school buses of toys. In consideration of giving this announcement, he rang Pres. Jeff’s bell, which means he will donate $100 the Club. A $40 per ticket fundraiser serving wines and beer will be held on October 22 from 2 to 5 PM at the SeaCrest Oceanfront Hotel. PROGRAM: Scott Astrosky and Michael Boyer-“SUMMER SIZZLE REVIEW” Scott handed out profit and loss statement that indicated this year’s Summer Sizzle fundraiser netted $35,959.75, which was $3436.51 less than last year’s event. This was not considered to be bad considering last year there was a separate Dinner with Katcho fundraiser that raised $4375 that was included in the last year’s total. Another factor is that we sold about $1000 less raffle tickets than last year. Michael Boyer bar up the subject of the Edwards Barn as a venue. The pros are that rental is only $1000 and the venue provides a fine outdoor setting for holding the silent auction where attendees can mingle. The cons are its rather crowded dining room and the fact that we never know until January whether we will be able to have a Saturday or Sunday date. Non-profit weddings take precedent over charity events such as ours. The zoning laws require them to have no more than 16 events per year. There was one suggestion that we go back to a strictly Santa Maria barbecue with tri-tip, beans, garlic bread and salad as we’ve had in the past. We had a few problems with registration since we had a number of volunteers with no experience. One suggestion is that the number on silent auction paddles be placed with a black marker at the time of registration. Compliments were given to the Keller Williams placemats which included the names of the major sponsors. It was recommended that not the same 2 or 3 seek sponsors every year. |
Oct 10 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: Jordan Carson-“’ VISIT SLO CAL’- SLO COUNTY TOURISM” Pres. Jeff King is back and raring to go. His first order of business was to call upon Michael Boyer along with member sponsor Connie O’Henley to come forward to induct our newest member Shelby McLean of the Arroyo Grande Community Hospital Foundation. Shelby was born in San Joaquin Valley in 1984 and came to the Central Coast at the little girl and as been here ever since. CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff asked us to send our thoughts and prayers to Sandy Lubin who is undergoing cancer treatments and will be taking a 6-month leave of absence. He then asked for comments from those that attended the District Conference last week. The following commented: Michael Boyer stated that we are one of the few districts in the country that has a positive growth; we now have in 3309 members. Steve Curry said there was emphasis on joining projects that are outside of our weekly club meetings to get the word out. Ashlea said our club should be a “yes” and not “no” club. John Traversaro stated that we have not eliminated all aspects of polio around the world as we still have to deal with those recovering from polio across the world. See Connie O’Henley if you wish to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Fund. She also stated the Arroyo Grande High School Interact Club is now back in session with 60 kids. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Steve Curry reminded us of Grover Beach Rotary Club’s fundraiser: Bands, Burgers & Brews at ManRock Brewing Company this Saturday from 12 to 4 PM. Scott Astrosky announced that the Grover Beach Exploratory will hold its $70/ticket fundraiser “Chemistry of Cocktails Momma Mia's Cucina” on Sunday, November 5, 2017 from 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm. Our next social will be at 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 26 at the Cliff’s Restaurant in Shell Beach. Pres. Jeff asked for a show of hands for those coming to the next Rotary board meeting this Thursday. John Traversaro announced a special meeting is planned, subject to board approval, for November 13 featuring Past District Gov. Brenda Cressey on polio fund drive. PROGRAM: Jordan Carson-“’ VISIT SLO CAL’- SLO COUNTY TOURISM” The goal of the new brand VISIT SLO CAL, is to increase awareness of the County around the world and to increase demand of SLO as a county of destination. Because were tucked in between two of the most famous cities in California, SLO County could be overlooked by tourists. There are 3 types of tourists that we are trying to attract: (1) the active adventurer interested in the outdoors that enjoys surfing, beer and wine; (2) mom to the max-the affluent connected people; (3) the cultural class, the educated risk-takers. She then showed a three minute video with a slogan “Life is too beautiful to rush!” The current projects are: (1) earned media/public relations; (2) constant marketing; (3) social media development; (4) a new website; and (5) new market development. We’ve increased staff, hired a new PR firm, and established a brand ambassador program. Since California Highway 1 has been closed there has been a noticeable drop in tourism along the coast from Carmel to Cambria, we’ve started a Crisis Response HWY 1 program to work with Caltrans to find alternate routes. We are working with the SLO airport to promote the new flight destinations to Seattle on Alaska Airlines and Denver on United. You can ship your wine free of charge on Alaska Airlines by becoming a Alaska Airline club member. The new terminal will have an open house this Sunday, October 15 and begin operations on November 1. We are also promoting establishing new flight destination cities such as Dallas. The latest nearly tourism figures show that we had a 12.1 increase over the previous year. She then showed a video called the Year in Review. Tourism in the county is $1.6 billion in revenue. |
Oct 2, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: Heather Muran-“SLO County Wine Association” Pres. Jeff King has come down with pneumonia and Past Pres. Ashlea Boyer took over the meeting. She began extending our thoughts and prayers to Mary Ann Reese whose husband Bert Brunwin passed peacefully at his home on Thursday, September 28. Mary Ann is having a hard time and welcomes emails. The funeral will be held 11 AM this Friday at St. Paul’s Catholic Church on 800 Bello St., Pismo Beach. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Moose Lodge in Pismo Beach starting around 2:30 PM; those that would like to donate hors d’oeuvres for this ceremony, please contact Ashlea after the meeting. CLUB BUSINESS: Rotaract Club of SLO is again having their annual Coats for Kids fundraiser. We are strongly encouraged to bring one or more new or slightly used coats and jackets to our Club's meetings during October. A hat was circulated for Conrad Bowdey, Shannon Bowdey's grandson. The money raised will be matched by Shannon and put in a bank account for Conrad. FINES: Ashlea fined herself $30 for her 14th year anniversary with this Club. Ashlea also fined Greg Baker for his less than stellar guest introduction. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Our next social will be 5:30 PM, Thursday, October 26 at the Cliff’s Restaurant in Shell Beach. Past Pres. Ashlea stated that if you act quickly you might still be able to register for the District Conference at the Ventura Beach Marriott this weekend, October 6-8, 2017. Next week’s meeting will feature Brandon Pringle on SLO tourism. The last regular meeting of the month is on Tuesday, October 31 when members are strongly encouraged to wear costumes. PROGRAM: Heather Muran-“SLO County Wine Association” After graduating from college, Heather came to this area in 2003 and rapidly advancing to her present position as the Exec. director of the SLO County Wine Association their purpose is to promote the central coastal wine industry that Paso Robles and Santa Maria are also included in their sphere of influence. They are also looking to expand into Cambria and Cayucos. This area’s cool climate, volcanic soil and terrain, being only 5 miles to the ocean and long growing season make it a unique and ideal area to grow grapes. Edna Valley was first to the start growing grapes in 1973 and Arroyo Grande Valley followed in 1982. 11% of the counties annual revenue comes from wine and $81 million of tax revenues are added to the County’s tax base. Last year 38,884 tons of wine grapes were harvested. The Harvest on the Coast event will be held on this November 3-5 to celebrate the end of the harvest for our presently includes 34 members from the Edna Valley and Arroyo Grande vineyards. Wineries in winemakers with over 50 wineries and local chefs dishing out delicious food and wine along with live music. Their big fundraiser the 28th Annual Roll out the Barrels Weekend will be held on June 21-23, 2018. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ASHLEA BOYER “The only place where success comes for work is in the dictionary.” |
Sep 26 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM September 26, 2017: Andrea Lueker, Mark Olson & Shannon Bowdey-“Craft Talks” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King was incapacitated with a cold so Pres. Elect Scott Astrosky substituted by opening the meeting at 12:38 PM and Past Pres. Ashlea Boyer continued to lead the rest of the meeting. FINES: Past Pres. Ashlea fined her husband Michael $46 for the last-minute arrangements he made four the Cancún vacation to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary, when the surprise cruise he had planned for the Eastern Caribbean was canceled because of Hurricane Maria. John Traversaro celebrated his 73rd on this planet by also going on a 10 day Cancún vacation during hurricane season because he got the best room rates and the elegant resort was only 50% occupied. He was fined $86 and then turned around and donated $73 to the Rotary Foundation. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Michael Boyer reported on the District Conference October 6-8 at the Ventura Beach Marriott. The last day for registration is this Thursday, September 28. District conferences as opposed to District Assemblies are more to have fun by socializing with other Rotarians and learning about what that entire Rotary is achieving. Andrea Lueker thanked the members that helped at the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival pie eating contest that included Sharon Ellis, Deenie Dotson, Bonnie Mogan, Cliff Nagler, Dick Dannells and Rae Alee Breen. Steve Curry again reminded everyone of the Grover Beach 5 Cities Rotary Club’s fundraiser: Bands, Burgers & Brews at ManRock Brewing Company on October 14 from 12 to 4 PM. He also reminded us of Grover’s annual Halloween Trunk or Treat on October 27 to hand out candies and hotdogs. Pres. Elect Scott Astrosky spoke about the highlights on last Saturday’s Pres. Elect Retreat. He stated that often our Club walks-the-walk, but doesn’t talk-the-talk. We can do better in getting the word out to others of the fine things we do for the community. At the retreat they emphasized that we should have fun at our local Rotary club meetings. He stated that the District 2018-2019 dues will not increase. However, there will be a $2 a year increase in our RI contribution. Program: Andrea Lueker, Mark Olson & Shannon Bowdey-“Craft Talks” Mark Olson, whose childhood nickname was Oly Oxen, has lived in Five Cities his entire life with the exception of spending 4 years getting a degree at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park. Upon graduation he was fortunate enough to obtain a position at Coast National Bank that was taken over by Rabobank. He has now completed his 3 year management training program, which places him in a position for higher positions in the future. However, at the present time he enjoys his position as an analyst for the large institutional loan department because it gives him more time to spend with his wife Amanda, ten-year old Keithan, lovable eight-year-old Corel, who is a non-verbal child in a wheelchair, and three-year-old Camilee. Andrea Lueker, who is a permanent member of the Stuntman Association because of the underwater stunts that she did while they were making the TV show “Rescue 911,” began skiing at the age of 3, but no longer engages in that sport. For the past 3 years she has been engaging in the wicked competition of triathlons. She is now trying to become fluent in Spanish and spent four weeks in Jamaica perfecting her language. At her former Rotary Club that was very musical, they gave her a triangle and asked her to play it at every meeting. She pulled out a helmet that she wears when she’s surfing. She has a passion for candy corn. Shannon Bowdey has selling real estate in her DNA. From her birth and throughout her childhood, her parents were constantly moving the family from one fixer-upper to another in New Orleans. Some of the restored mansions that she lived in were sold for in the thousands are now selling for millions. It was a fantastic environment to grow up in and she showed photos of each of these houses. When she moved to California, she and her former husband opened up a Cajun restaurant in Solvang. When that didn’t work out, she remarried Bradley Bowdey and gave birth to five children. Now she is a broker with the Keller Williams Real Estate team and loves to sell homes. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA: “We are only as strong as we are united and as weak as we are divided” |
Sep 19 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM September 19, 2017: Dan Dow-District Attorney of San Luis Obispo County-“Human Trafficking By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:39 PM by welcoming Anya Stanley back after her recovery from surgery and he then proceeded with the usual introduction of guests. FINES: Pres. Jeff congratulated Jim Lewis for his election to the President of the League of California Cities City Managers Department of California and fined Jim $50. He asked all members to stand and then asked all those who were wearing a Rotary pin to sit down. Jenny Dierck, Lee Ann Liscombe, and Linda Osty were left standing. Jeannie worked at the Highway cleanup and Lee Ann is willing to work at this Saturday’s Arroyo Grande Fall Festival pie eating contest. They could sit down. Linda Osty was still standing and she was fined $15, but Jack Hardy agreed to pay her fine. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Bonnie Mogan reported that this month’s social be at the Sea Venture on Thursday, September 21 at 5:30 PM. Scott Astrosky requested that all committee chairs send him a report on what was good, bad and ugly based on their experience with this year’s Summer Sizzle. He indicated that we netted about $35,000, which was substantially the same as last year. Paul Holden thanked in addition to Jenny Dierck , Scott Astrosky and Frank Montesinos for their participation at the Highway cleanup. After being assured that the parklet was still in good shape, Anya Stanley stated that she will be back attending to the parklet in 2 weeks’ time. Steve Curry announced that Grover Beach 5 Cities Rotary Club’s fundraiser: Bands, Burgers & Brews will be held at ManRock Brewing Company on October 14 from 12 to 4 PM. He continued that that same club will be holding its annual Halloween Trunk or Treat on October 27 to hand out candies and hotdogs. Steve was pleased to present the representatives from the Grover Beach Rotary Club a check for $1000 to be used as their donation to the 1st Tee for Kid’s charity. Finally, he asked us to put May 7, 2018 on our calendars for the next annual golf tournament at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. Program: Dan Dow-District Attorney of San Luis Obispo County-“Human Trafficking Jim Lewis introduced Dan who after his active Army service earned a Bachelor’s Degree at University of California Hayward and then his law degree Santa Clara University School of Law. After serving as a deputy district attorney, he was elected D.A. for San Luis Obispo County in 2014. He started by stating that after mostly conquering the eradication of polio around the world, Rotary International’s next cause is combating human trafficking, i.e. the illegally transporting people typically for the purposes of forced labor or sexual exploitation, and has set up a webpage entitled “RAGAS” (Rotary Action Group Against Slavery). They have determined that over 45 million people as young as 4 around the world are enslaved. The law enforcement agencies have changed their focus and now considering the young women involved in this enslavement are victims and to focus on the real lawbreakers, i.e. the pushers and people that hire the young women. All of the young women have been first victimized by a parent or guardian before they are recruited into such activity. He then reviewed some cases that he is handled that typically include gang members who find that human trafficking is more lucrative than dealing with drugs. They are always on the lookout for those they believe can be enticed into such activities. 2 gang members who had kidnapped and enslaved 2 runaways in San Luis Obispo County were arrested and convicted. Recently they were sentenced to double digit years in prison. He had to apologize to the members of the jury for having them sit through such sordid details in order to reach their guilty verdicts. He encouraged anyone would like to be involved to join a task force having a meeting on September 28 at 9 AM at the District Attorney’s Office in San Luis Obispo. He admitted that it’s hard to spot such activities on our own. If you do see unusual activity that strikes you as a girl in trouble do not hesitate to call a law enforcement agency on your observations |
Sep 3 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM September 5, 2017: Connie O’ Henley- “The Clark Center Association” By Dick Dannells Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:37 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Jack Hardy for $45. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Jeff recommended all members that can possibly attend to register for the District Conference on October 6-8 at the Ventura Beach Marriott. He introduced Barry VanderKelan who announced that the SLO Monday Club is having their annual Home Tours on September 17 with tickets going for $25. Pres. King gave praise to Karen Zappia Andrea Lueker and Ashlea Boyer for the arrangements they made for the wonderful Avila lighthouse tour last week. FINES: Pres. Jeff congratulated Jack Hardy on his birthday. He had Cliff Nagler come forward to spin-the-wheel, which resulted in a $5 times the 7 years he has been with the Club in recognition for Cliff Nagler delaying the lighthouse trolley last week. Karen Zappia requested a show of hands volunteers on the AYSO soccer outing on September 9. Steve Curry also asked for volunteers for AmpSurf on the same day. He stated that there’s enough flexibility in the scheduling that you can volunteer for both. Paul Holden requested volunteers for the Highway 101 cleanup on September 16. Anya Stanley as undergone surgery and there is a need for someone to take her place to water the plants at the Parklet in front of Joe Conn’s veterinarian clinic on Price Street. Donations are coming in for Hurricane Harvey either to our Club or to the District’ Charitable Foundation that is headed by Barry VanderKelan. Barry stated that every bit of money raised will go toward helping those in need. There’s an estimate that will take $130 billion before the areas hit by the Hurricane Harvey will be recovered. Sharon Ellis announced that Charla Anderson has been diagnosed with lung cancer and will be undergoing surgery. She recommended that we send Charla an email with our thoughts and prayers. Program: Connie O’ Henley- “The Clark Center Association” Connie began by giving a brief history of her professional career that started with a management position in the YMCA and then on to Salmon Enhancement when Sandy Lubin in 2006 asked her to come and manage the Clark Center Association. She said she didn’t know anything about show business, but Sandy convinced her that he wanted her for her management skills. The staff would be able to handle the show business. She then gave a brief history of the Clark Center with the initial idea coming from Clifford Clark in 1975. The Lucia Mar School District gave their final okay to launch the project on a corner of their property in 1987. The fundraising began in 1991 and the opening of the Clark Center occurred on 2002. The design of the main auditorium permits the removal of the first rows of seats and a section of the flooring to form an orchestra pit that can handle 25 orchestral pieces. There’s a small studio theater that’s designed for small productions and theater in the round. This past year the Clark Center had 362 rental days with over 10,000 people in attendance. No business offices were included in the initial construction, but that has been rectified by a recent addition. She gave special recognition to the full-time custodian who has done such a fine job keeping the place ship shape. One month ago she was given the responsibility of the entire operation that includes not only the box office, but the education department, facility, management and fundraising. Ashlea Boyer is the president of the Clark Center Foundation. There are five ways to become involved with the Clark Center: (1) volunteering; (2) being a member of a committee s; (3) becoming a member; (4) becoming a sponsor; and (5) attending performances. There are six basic puzzle pieces for putting on a show (1) number of shows per genre; (2) targeted audiences; (3) setting the ticket prices; (4) scheduling; (5) variety of shows; and (6) routing. When the show is in San Francisco on day one and the show is scheduled for Los Angeles on day three. They can plan their route through Arroyo Grande and put on a show on day two at half their regular price. She then presented a video of the this season’ s shows that include: Rita Rudner; An Evening with Roger McGuinn; Tapestry: The Carole King Concert Experience; Permanent Wave: The Motels And Bow Wow Wow featuring Annabelle; Peking Acrobats; ABBA Mania; Jason Petty’s Hank and My Honky-Tonk Heroes; GlobalFEST On the Road: The New Golden Age of Latin Music; Glenn Miller Orchestra; Stunt Dog Experience; The Seldom Seen; Yesterday-The Las Vegas Beetle Show; A Tribute to Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons; and The Best of San Francisco Stand-Up Comedy Competition. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA: “The human has limitations. The human spirit is boundless.” |
Aug 22 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: August 22, 2017: Jeff Buckingham: “Net Neutrality” Pres. Jeff King began the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual guest introductions. CLUB BUSINESS Pres. Jeff had Deenie Dotson come forward to accept this month’s Rotarian of the Month award for all her great work as our Club Secretary. John Traversaro came forward with the new $100 Bell Ringer board, which he prepared in memory of his father who died recently. His father was born in 1925, served in World War II, joined the San Francisco Fire Department in 1949 and retired in 1979. They had a tradition in the fire department that three sets of three bell rings each when a fireman died. He then rang the bell three times and became the first one to sign the board. Scott Astrosky gave the Summer Sizzle wrap-up, which had a net income of $35,400. Andrea Lueker is looking for 6 to 8 volunteers for the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival from 1-ish to 3-ish p.m. on September 23, 2017. FINES Dick Dannells was charged with a 10% luxury tax on his $301 lottery win a few weeks ago. Sandy Lubin became the second person to sign the $100 Bell Ringer board in lieu of a fine on his big Summer Sizzle win. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Karen Zappia reminded everyone of the San Luis Lighthouse tour on Tuesday, August 29 that will include a lunch and transportation from the parking lot to the lighthouse. She urged everyone to sign up today. We are to meet no later than 12 PM at the Old Port San Luis beach near the doggy park where the trolleys are stationed, which will take us to the lighthouse. On September 9, we are having a fundraiser for American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) and a sign-up sheet will be provided on September 4. PROGRAM: Jeff Buckingham: “Net Neutrality” Sandy Lubin introduced Jeff who he has known for a long time. Jeff is the Chief Customer Officer at Digital West Networks Inc., a member of the de Tolosa Rotary Club, and a local rancher. He began his talk by stating that net neutrality has as its basic principle that the Internet traffic of one party has no more priority than that of another party. You don’t pay a fee to see one parties Internet messages. In 2015 the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) ruled that Internet neutrality is the law of the land and classified that high-speed Internet access is a title II communication service, which means that Internet providers are classified as common carriers. These rules apply to both wired and wireless Internet connections. However, recently the FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced a plan to reverse Title II regulations and repeal Internet neutrality. Tens of millions want to keep net neutrality as it stands today. It is AT&T, Verizon and other big communication companies that are pushing for this repeal. Back in the 1980s AT&T had a virtual monopoly on telephone service. The breakup led to a surge of competition by companies such as Call America, which he joined in 1983. He remembers flying back to Washington in the 90s when the AT&T wanted to bypass independent communication companies and he and others were able to restrict AT&T’s bypass plans. He became involved in the Internet when he saw his first Web site in the early 1990s and was so impressed by what he saw that he began to work with CalPoly in this field. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY JOEL CONN: “A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.” |
Aug 15 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: August 15, 2017: Steve and Linda Curry: “Continuation of Uganda Trip” Pres. Jeff King began the meeting at 12:40 PM by asking the members at each table for their comments on Saturday’s Summer Sizzle fundraiser. CLUB BUSINESS: Greg Baker enjoyed the reverse drawing and had a great time. Don Weber thought the food was great and suggested that next year we should think about having it in September. Erik Mund said that next year he will have two drones instead of the one taking the overhead shots. Daniel Bornstein enjoyed his $240 raffle win and had a spin-the-bottle fine of $40. Michael Boyer heard comments from visitors that they really enjoyed the welcoming atmosphere and that the Rooster Creek owner won $240, which he gave back to the Club. Another member stated it was the smoothest running Bar-B-Q ever. Pres. Jeff said that the Rotaract members did a great job and that Kathy Foster spent many hours with her daughter Ashlea Boyer collecting silent auction items and designing the VIP table. Pres. Jeff urged members to thank Jenny Dierck using the ClubRunner email for the over 600 call she made to get silent auction items. He also commented that Scott Astrosky had well organized fundraiser that went on without a hitch in his absence. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS We will tour the San Luis Lighthouse on Tuesday, August 29 without lunch, but will include the price of transportation from the parking lot to the lighthouse. She encouraged members to either pack their own lunch or request one from her at less than our usual lunch price. Bonnie Mogan announced that our next social will be on Thursday 5:30 PM at the Cliff’s Restaurant in Shell Beach. Pres. Jeff King encouraged everybody to come to the District Conference at the Ventura Beach Marriott on October 6-8, 2017. PROGRAM: Steve and Linda Curry: “Continuation of Uganda Trip” Steve Curry began by stating they visited the Jinja, Uganda Hydro-electric plant on the Nile River that supplies all of the elected power for the surrounding area including Valence Lutaisire’s village some 30 miles away. He stated that Valence will be attending our Club around Halloween. It was asked if Valence would be considered to be upper-middle-class. Steve stated that is true and another similar class are the corporate employees. Pres. Idi Amin in the 1970s kicked out the Chinese and Indians that owned thriving businesses in Uganda. This resulted in an impoverished population that greatly improved after Pres. Idi was removed from power. About 80% the population is rural and the remaining 20% live in cities. Those 30 years and younger speak English and children begin learning English when they start school. 90% of the roads are Adobe dirt that becomes Adobe mud when it rains, which they thankfully did not have. Then Steve showed slides that he did not have a chance to finish in last week’s program THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARI ZIEGLER: “What lies behind us, and what lies before us are but tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.” |
Aug 8, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: August 8, 2070: Steve and Linda Curry and Karen Zappia: “Uganda Trip” President Jeff King began the meeting at 12:36 PM with the introduction of the many guests to hear the special program today. CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff He called upon Scott Astrosky to give this coming Saturday’s Summer Sizzle (SS) fundraiser update. Scott turn to Ashlea who stated that we have now 93 auction items valued proposed to sell for $11,000. We have about 20 wine bottles short of the 100 we need for the live auction. Michael Boyer stated that we have 11 live auction items having a value of about $17,000. Every member is responsible for selling 2 SS tickets along with the raffle tickets, 2 bottles of wine, and 2 silent auction items. Connie O’Henley stated that she will not be at SS because she is attending her boys first day of college so all ticket stubs and money should be in her hands by this coming Thursday. Thereafter, Karen Zappia will be taken over this responsibility. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Next week’s program will our best stories about the SS fundraiser. PROGRAM: Steve and Linda Curry and Karen Zappia: “Uganda Trip” Steve Curry began by explaining what our Club has been doing in Uganda for the past 6 years. In our initial project we dug a well so that the villagers avoided having to walk miles to the nearest waterhole. After Valence Lutaisire graduated from college, he came back to his village and built a grammar school. Soon it became apparent to Valence that grammar school graduates had to walk too far to go to high school, so he built one in the village. Our Club joined other clubs to put together a $37000 project to outfit the high school with solar lighting, a computer lab and other improvements. This coming year we are seeking an RI grant for a school bus for the kids that currently spend 3 months in dorms because they live too far from the school. Steve and Karen Zappia proceeded to comment on the slideshow that included slides of the grammar school children, the dorm room, the garden to produce fruit and vegetable for the school kitchen, 5 Dell computers that were donated this year with the 10 in the background that were donated last year, the restroom of a hole in the ground, and the outdoor kitchens. For their meals, the children sit on the floor without a spoon or table. He had a video presentation the kids put together including several dances. They found the weather in the 90s with 90% humidity unbearable, unlike the Ugandans. English is the national language of Uganda and the students are versed in English whereas their parents are not. It takes about $360 for this a student to attend the school and Karen is one of the many Rotarians that are sponsoring students.English is the national language of Uganda and the students are versed in English where is the parents are not. Uganda is about the size of Africa and has a very young population that went from 9.5 million people in 1969 to about 35 million in 2010. One of the food staples is cooked fish which are sold in open markets and dried fish that is used for soups. The cities have some dangerous areas, but out in the villages they felt no danger whatsoever. Steve presented Valence with a Paul Harris fellow. Steve gave each child a $20 bill on a trip to town and most of them bought bread to take home for the families. After their time in the villages, Steve Linda and Karen went went on a safari on the other side of the country. They all agreed that they got more enjoyment out of their visit with the children in the village rather than 2-day safari. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day.” |
Aug 1, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: August 1, 2017: Jim Lewis: “Cruise To Cuba” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:38 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Joel Conn for $50. FINES: Pres. Jeff fined Deenie Dotson and Michael Boyer $39 and $2, respectively for their birthdays. He was lenient in Michael’s case because of Michael’s recent accident. Greg Baker’s birthday was recognized with a $25 spin-the-wheel fine. No birthday fine was levied on Joel Conn for obvious reasons. He did levy a $39 birthday fine on Linda Osty in abstencia due to her being in Poland. CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff and Erik Mund come forward to accept his Rotarians of the month award from Dist. Gov. Weiss and recognition of his corporate sponsorship work. Paul Holden presented Paul Harris Fellows to Owen Schwaezeree and Peter Candela. Scott Astrosky had his various Summer Sizzle (SS) captains report. Sharon Ellis reminded everybody that next week is the last day to hand in our ticket stubs and money. John Traversaro still needs volunteers for Friday evening from 4 to 6 PM, August 11 and Saturday morning, August 12. So far we only have 50 bottles of wine out of the 100 that is needed for the auction. Ashlea Boyer stated that were a little behind in auction items but she expects we will be fine by next our next meeting and to continue to bring these items to her office between 8:30 AM and 5:30 PM. Erik Mund reported we have raised $12,500 in sponsorships with another $1500 in the works. Shannon Bowdey drew the raffle ticket of Dick Dannells, who proceeded to draw the black marble and win $301. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Next week’s program will include Steve Curry and Karen Zappia on their Uganda trip. PROGRAM: Jim Lewis: “Cruise To Cuba” Jim began by explaining he always wanted to go to Cuba, but he had no idea when he signed up for a cruise last year to Cozumel Mexico that the cruise line would substitute Cuba instead. Jim stated that Cuba is the largest island in the Caribbean with 109,884 mi.² and 11 million inhabitants. The main export products are sugar tobacco and coffee. Castro took over and formed the communist government in 1959 and communism is still very much present. He then presented a slide show featuring the following aspects: Cars, Old Town Havana, Signs Of Communism, Social, Food and Art. He had heard and saw some evidence with his own eyes that 75% of all the cars in Cuba were built in the United States in the 1950s. There still running today for the most part with parts made by the Cubans. The tour guide drove him and his family in an elegantly retrofitted Oldsmobile Rocket with plastic seat covers and no child’s seat, which is son really enjoyed. With the last 4 years, entrepreneurs have been allowed to make private income. The 8 hour tour was only $100. This is compared to his former salary as a civil engineer of $40 a month. One of the first sections of Havana that they toured was old town Havana, which is the tourist part of town that has been maintained in pristine shape. This is in direct contrast to other parts of Havana, which are in very poor shape. They passed by Floridita restaurant and bar made famous for its daiquiris and being one of the favourite Havana hangouts of Ernest Hemingway. They also passed 2 of the top hotels in Havana, the Gran Hotel Manzana and Hotel Nacional. One the influential signs of communism were when the cruise ship came into the harbor, they were followed by a destroyer. Presumably this was to make sure that they docketed in the proper port. They came upon a museum in revolution square. When he asked if he could visit the museum, he was told that this museum was only to show the locals how great was revolution. Despite the fact that Cuba is a communist country, religion still flourishes with 70% Catholics, 20% African spirituality and 10% Protestant. |
Jul 27 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: July 25, 2017: District Gov. John Weiss: “Annual Club Visit Remarks” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:38 PM by having guest introductions, which included District Gov. John Weiss, his wife, his parents and other close relatives. CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff requested that we all send him our good wishes on Michael Boyer’s birthday today. Scott Astrosky reported that everything is going swimmingly for the Summer Sizzle (SS) fundraiser. John Traversaro circulated SS sign-up sheets for set ups on Friday evening, August 11 and Saturday morning, August 12, the date of the big event. Sharon Ellis asked us to see her if you need more tickets to sell. Ashlea Boyer needs to know what silent auction items each member plans to donate as soon as possible. You can bring them to her office at Keller Williams, 350 James Way, Suite 130, Pismo Beach. Joel Conn reported that so far we have raised $9000 in sponsorships with another $1000 coming in soon. If you haven’t done so already, bring in 2 bottles of wine per member so we can have 100 bottles to auction at SS. Remember for all those coming to Steve Curry’s ranch for the District Gov. barbecue to bring jackets, chairs and 1 food item per family. Pres. Jeff has instituted a new form of recognition; consequently the first Members of the Month for this month are Club Treas. Lee Ann Liscombe, Bulletin Editor Dick Dannells, and Public Relations Director Shannon Bowdey. Paul Holden gave a few introductory remarks about the Rotary Foundation’s hundredth anniversary and had Connie O’Henley come forward to present Jenny Dierck her first Paul Harris Fellow. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Next week’s program will feature Jim Lewis on his trip to Cuba. The August 8 meeting will include Steve Curry and Karen Zappia on their trip to Uganda. PROGRAM: District Gov. John Weiss: “Annual Club Visit Remarks” Assistant Gov. Melinda Thomas introduced the District Gov. who began by thanking us for the privilege of being here. This year he will be stressing membership, sharing the Rotary experience with others, and Celebrating Rotary, which is his theme for the year. He also mentioned that having fun is another key aspect of being a Rotarian. He thanked the hundreds of friends and well-wishers that responed to the email concerning his abdominal tumor, which is to be removed tomorrow. He mentioned how important it is to visit clubs in other countries. In Rotary, we are on both the receiving and giving ends. We receive when we get together in our socials as we do tonight at the barbecue. We give when we support our community fundraising projects and provide service to our local community and to the world. We should invite non-members to come in to talk about their business as a good means for obtaining new members. Human trafficking is a true tragedy and is the next project that Rotary International will undertake now that our worldwide efforts to eradicate polio are coming to a close. RI’s Group Study Exchange program has included 9000 Rotarians from around the world, so become involved. He called upon Joel Conn to come forward and accept the Paul Harris Service Fellow award for his past great work with Rotary including his phenomenal ability to bring in major sponsors for our fundraisers. We all know the 4 Way Test, but do we know the 3 Way Test: (1) Is it fun? (2) Will it hurt anyone? (3) Will anyone find out? He pointed out that when Rotary started in 1905 with 35, 36, 41 and 43 year old men, respectively, it had a retention problem by 1907. Is it any surprise we have the same problem 110 years later. He recalled a time when he began an Interact club in Morro Bay and and asked the high schoolers to give them their name, only half responded. The next time he met he asked him to give them both their name and their passion. Tey all came forward to share this information, which goes to show they did not consider their name to be that important but were very willing to express their passion. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ASHLEA BOYER “Success is never so interesting as struggle, not even to the successful.” |
Jul 11 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: July 11, 2017: Pres. Jeff King: “A New Year Of Service” Pres. Jeff King opened the meeting at 12:40 PM by announcing that we will be doing things a little differently this year. After guest introductions, he auctioned off the fine-free badge to Cliff Nagler for $45. CLUB BUSINESS: Pres. Jeff indicated that there are 3 methods he will use to raise revenue this year from each member. One will be member recognitions, i.e. birthdays, anniversaries and the like. The 2nd will be fines for member offenses such as missing board meetings. The 3rd will be a $100 charge for Bell Ringers, which will give members the opportunity to come to the podium, to ring the bell and to him 2 minutes of an open mic to promote, for example, (a) their businesses, (b) their children’s fundraisers, or (c) their special events. He then turned to Scott Astrosky for a Summer Sizzle (SS) update. Erik Mund, who is co-chair of SS sponsorships along with Joel Conn, stated that he has raised $3500 so far in major sponsorships. Ashlea Boyer, chair of the SS auction, stated that we need about 100 or more silent auction items, which averages out to 2 items of approximate $50 value per member. Sharon Ellis and Karen Zappia are the co-chairs of SS sales and all members should turn in their tickets and money to either co-chair as soon as possible. Steve Curry spoke on behalf of Paul Holden, chair of the RI Foundation , regarding the 18 Paul Harris Fellows that is our goal for this year. Sandy Lubin is the Club’s membership chair with the assistance of Joel Conn, Sharon Ellis and the entire Club. Charla Anderson is out of commission for a while after having shoulder surgery and welcomes calls. Ashlea Boyer’s mother had an accidental fall at her home and she had great praise for the Arroyo Grande hospital emergency ward’s excellent care of her mother. Pres. Jeff’s wife Sally also suffered an accidental fall at a Fourth of July party that will not require surgery. Bonnie Mogan was newly elected as a trustee on the Rotary Club of Pismo Beach Foundation Board. UPCOMING EVENTS AND MEETINGS Next week’s program on the RI Convention in Atlanta, Georgia will be led by Ashlea and Michael Boyer, Greg Baker and Shannon Bowdey. Bonnie Mogan will be holding a member and spouse social in the near future. The District Gov. is scheduled to meet with us on July 25 for our regular meeting and a pot luck barbecue at Steve Curry’s ranch later that same evening. Karen Zappia and Ashlea Boyer are planning a lighthouse vocational visit in the near future. On August 8, Karen Zappia and Steve Curry will present a program on their recent trip to Uganda. Paul Holden is not set a date for the 101 Highway cleanup. FINES: Pres. Jeff levied the first recognition of $39 to Rae, Dick Dannells’ wife and the first fine of $25 to Scott Astrosky for missing the only board meeting so far this year. PROGRAM: Pres. Jeff: “A New Year Of Service” Pres. Jeff defining BHAG, which stands for Big Hairy Audacious Goal and for our Club this year’s BHAG is membership. This means not only retaining all of our old members but adding new members so that we will enjoy a total of 60 members at the end of the fiscal year. He passed out the club service and pledge commitments for each member. He urged all members if they have not done so to respond to his email survey on club satisfaction. He outlined Ashlea Boyer’s role as Community Service Director, which is to make sure everything is moving smoothly at our meetings and to oversee the room set up by Jack Hardy, the Sgt.-at-Arms including making sure extra equipment is available for the meetings. He stated we will volunteer 2 workdays to designated charities in addition to awarding those funds from the Summer Sizzle fundraiser. He also handed out the roster of our officers and directors and noted there is an open position to head up Fund Raising ¶¶. |
Jun 20 2017-Rotary Forum-ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Greg announced that the next two regular meetings will be dark, making July 11 the next regular meeting. He added that there is an event next Tuesday evening that he has nothing to do with. [It is our annual demotion banquet.] He thanked Terry Fibich and Sharon Ellis for presiding over the past 2 weeks while he was attending Rotary International Conference in Atlanta Georgia. He stated that the Convention was great. He was clearly move by Bill Gates' speech and Gates’ standing ovation and the question and answer session with Jack Nicholas. Bill Gates announced he will continue to provide matching funds so that the last traces of polio can and will be eliminated in the very near future. RI’s new emphasis will be on eliminating human trafficking. Connie O’Henley announced that today an envelope containing inter alia, 4 reverse drawing and 5 raffle Summer Sizzle tickets, was distributed to every member. She explained the procedure for turning in the sold tickets. Deenie Dotson handed out the Perfect Attendance awards. FINES: Pres. Greg, levied fines on the following members to bring them up to date on their respective pledged amounts: Harlan Silva $100, Charla Anderson $50, Roger Erickson $130, Anya Stanley $90, and Kari Ziegler $100. He also tried to levy a $130 makeup pledge on Montisa Lopez Phelan, but unfortunately for Greg, she had the fine-free badge. PROGRAM: Pres. Greg Baker-“Year In Review” Pres. Greg explained what it takes for get one of the 3 Club Awards, bronze, silver and gold, from the District. In connection with the Bronze Club Award, we completed 13 of the at least 4 required goals and met goals for 5 of the 5 avenues of service that include Club, Vocational Community International, and Youth Services; although only 3 are required. Examples of the goals we completed are: (1) public relations activities in regard to Stop Hunger Now and the Annual Foundation Golf Tournament via electronic, broadcast or print media; and (2) participation in our parklet District Grant and Hopeland School Uganda Global Grant projects. In connection with Silver Club Award we completed 12 of the at least 5 required goals the required 4 of 5 avenues of service. Additional examples of the goals that we have completed this year include: (1) Multi--Club community service projects such as the Amp Surf barbecue, soccer tournament and literacy program with Grover Beach Rotary Club; and (2 ) a multi-club international service project. Finally, in the hopes of winning the Gold Club Award, we completed 9 of the required 6 tasks. Other examples of tasks that we have completed this year include: Vocational Service projects such as the visit to Dana Adobe in Nipomo; raising vocational training scholarship funds at the Oceano Melodrama; holding an open house with the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce at the Pismo Lighthouse Suite; our Summer Sizzle fundraiser that raised $40,000 and provided $15,000 that was donated to local charities; our Christmas food drive at the Fair Oaks Theater in Arroyo Grande; this Rotary Forum and our monthly socials; a master PRLS graduate Jeff King; Ashlea Boyer’s participation on the District level and Michael Boyer’s participation on the Zone level; Shannon Bowdey activities as Public Relations Director that included running our Facebook and Twitter accounts; Cliff Nagler’s advertising for our golf tournament on KSPY; Youth Service activities such as the Interact and Rotaract clubs; sponsoring 8 students at RYLA; Michael Boyer’s and Scott Astrosky’s RYLA participation; and 13 new Major Donors, i.e. greater than $10,000 donations, to become RI Bequest Society members. ¶ |
Jun 13 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: June 13, 2017: What We Did On Past or Will Do Future Vacations Past Pres. Terry Fibich opened the meeting at 12:40 PM. On this date in history: the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional rights on June 13, 1966; Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson nominated Solicitor General Thurgood Marshall to become the first black justice of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 13, 1967; the National Baseball Hall of Fame And Museum was dedicated in Cooperstown, New York on June 12, 1939; Pres. Ronald Reagan’s exhorted Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to “tear down this wall!” on June 12, 1987. ANNOUNCEMENTS: John Traversaro reported they raised $600 for Polio Plus at a Trilogy fundraiser. Connie O’Henley was renewed as the treasurer for the Pismo Beach Foundation. Scott Astrosky urged everyone to start bringing in the silent and regular auction items to Ashlea Boyer. FINES: Past Pres. Terry took over as fine master and recognized the birthday of John Traversaro’s wife Marcia and John volunteered to donate $70 to honor this event. Joel Conn volunteered to donate $20 to honor Mark Olson’s wife Amanda on her birthday. Paul Holden has volunteered to take over for Past Pres. Terry as leader of the Highway cleanup. For this job he was fined $30. Past Pres. Terry then proceeded to fine the following members so they are caught up on their respective pledged amounts: Dick Dannells $30, Jack Hardy $55, Scott Astrosky, $170, Andrea Luekar $12, Sandy Lubin $50, Erik Mund $80, Andy Park $60, and Tommy Thompson $65. Connie O Henley volunteered to donate $25 in honor of her youngest son’s high school graduation and acceptance at Humboldt State University. PROGRAM: What We Did On Past or Will Do Future Vacations Past Pres. Terry stated that Jim Lewis could not be here to lead the program today. Harlan Silva was the first to state that he and his 4 sisters will be vacationing in Yosemite this summer. A safari vacation in the past was Dick Dannells’ contribution. Linda Osty recalled a recent get together with all of her relatives in Santa Claus, Indiana. Paul Holden’s trip to Idaho to see the 2017 eclipse on August 21 was his contribution. Scott Astrosky will be going to Palm Springs to celebrate his and his wife’s 26th anniversary in August. Owen Schwaezeree will be getting married in two weeks and vacation in Maui. Speaking of Hawaii, Sandy Lubin will be spending 3 weeks there this September at the island of Kauai. Andrea Luekar was a present to see the Yankees beat the Red Sox in Boston. Bruce Beaudoin’s luggage was sent to Portland Oregon that of Portland Maine on the first leg of his 12 day five state New England Odyssey. Past Pres. Terry loves boating. Accordingly, his 2 most memorable vacations were a week on a rented 43 foot boat that they sailed down a French canal and a week on the Erie Canal going from Rochester to Syracuse, New York THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY OWEN SCHWAEZEREE “The man who tries to chase two hares will get none.” |
Jun 6 2017PROGRAM: June 6, 2017: Scholarship Winners Past Pres. Sharon Ellis opened the meeting at 12:40 PM. On this date in history, the Normandy landings took place on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (termed D-Day). ANNOUNCEMENTS: Terry Fibich thanked Paul Holden, Anya Stanley and prospective member Diana Carruthers for volunteering at his last Highway cleanup this past Saturday morning. Steve Curry reported that this Friday he will be taking off for Uganda and asked that anyone to see him after this meeting that wishes to donate an old computer to the Ugandan students. He also introduced Rudy Uribe, the Pismo Preserve Ranger who was present to thank us for our donations of park benches and a dog park for the Pismo Preserve. Rudy stated that summer shuttle rides will be transporting hikers to the Preserve. Steve stated that the entire project totaled $6000 with $3000 from Paul Harris donations from our Club and the balance from District. Michael Boyer stated that the annual Rotary Foundation Golf Tournament raised the $2500 that each scholarship winner will be awarded today. Jules Cuprys reported she attended the Roteract demotion party last week and is now its Pres. Jules mentioned she has free tickets for the June 20 Royal Blues baseball game and to see her after the meeting if anyone has interest in attending. Scott Astrosky stated that there will be a Summer Sizzle meeting after this meeting. He circulated a sign-up sheet for Summer Sizzle volunteers and expects 100% participation of our Club. FINES: Fine Master Jim Lewis fined Scott Astrosky $50 for sitting at one table and leaving his stuff on another table. He had the following members stand: Andrea Lugar, Dick Dannells, Harlan Silva, Sharon Ellis, O’Henley Lopez Phelan, Sandy Lubin, Anya Stanley and Ashlea Boyer to accept his compliments and a fine of $25 each. He recognized Mike Frederick for his 60th birthday without a fine. PROGRAM: Scholarship Winners Ashlea Boyer had Jessica McGuigan to come forward to accept the Interact scholarship award. Jessica plans to attend the University of Pennsylvania to obtain a degree in public health. Tyree Cochrane was awarded the FFA scholarship award. She will be attending Cal Poly this fall with an animal husbandry major. Two most improved student awards went to Matthew Newton who is going to San Francisco State on his way to becoming a dentist and Garrett Outran will be attending Moorpark College and then Cal Poly to study business administration. Ashlea also introduced Kimi White who won first place in the 4 Way essay contest. She also was read thank you letters from students that were 4 Way essay contest winners. |
May 30 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: May 30, 2017: Pismo Beach Chief of Police Jake Miller and K-9 Ofc. Chris Siglin-“German Shepherd Goose” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:34 PM with his usual this day in history: the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote was passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification on June 4, 1919; the inaugural running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1911; and the Beatles released “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on June 1, 1967. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Terry Fibich asked for volunteers for next Saturday to accompanying him for his last Highway cleanup at 7:30 AM. Andrea Lugar requested volunteers to email her to help distribute the Youth Literacy books to third graders at the last 2 remaining schools. Jeff King announced that we should start bringing two bottles/person of high quality wine to be auctioned off during Summer Sizzle. Pres. Greg asked for a show of hands for those attending the last board meeting of the year at Steve Curry’s ranch. He also stated that next week he will be gone for two weeks to attend the Rotary International Conference in Atlanta Georgia. Sharon Ellis will be taking over next week’s meeting, which Ashlea Boyer announced will be devoted to the scholarship winners.FINES:Pres. Greg fined Dick Dannells $75 for his June 1 wedding anniversary with Rae. He fined Mary Ann Reese and Jeff King $50 and $75, respectively for their birthdays.PROGRAM: Pismo Beach Chief of Police Jake Miller and K-9 Ofc. Chris Siglin-“German Shepherd Goose” Jim Lewis introduced our speakers with Chief of Police Jake Miller who praised Ofc. Chris Siglin for being Ofc. of the Year. Ofc. Chris Siglin introduced Goose who has been on the force since February when he went through 5 weeks of basic training. He is a 3 ½-year-old 100% German Shepherd that takes all of his commands in German and only knows a few English words. The Pismo Beach police have had a K-9 unit since the 1980’ s, but for the past 5 years they have been without such a unit after their previous dog retired. Ofc. Chris has been the agitator while Goose went through training. During such training, Goose would attack without aggressively biting hard on the padded protection. This is in contrast to the Belgian Malinois, which is higher strung and will aggressively attack even during training. This was type of police dog that mauled a Grover Beach man to death. The police department takes their liability responsibilities very seriously and keeps Goose under lock and key at the kennel when it’s not on duty with its handler. Ofc. Chris demonstrated his use of a hand signal to get Goose to bark, because Goose is normally very quiet. Goose has been involved in 2 arrests. Goose located the suspect that ran into the woods after a car chase. The other was an incident on 101 in which the California Highway Patrol could not control a violently drunk individual until Goose came onto the scene. It was estimated that the suspect in that incident came close to being shot if it had not been for Goose. In answer to a question, about 12 police dogs are used by police departments in the area and a considerable number of other dogs are employed by the state park system. Goose will undergo extensive drug training in a few months after they determine whether possession of marijuana will be a crime or not. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA“If you allow people to make more withdrawals than deposits in your life, you will be out of balance and in the negative. Know when to close the account..” |
May 23 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: May 23, 2017: Arroyo Grande High School Interact Officers and RYLA Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:34 PM with his usual this day in history: Babe Ruth smashed 3 homers in his final hurrah for the Boston Braves on May 25, 1935; the first film in the series, Star Wars, was released on May 25, 1977. Sandra Schwartz, District Governor Nominee Designate, had the pleasure of inducting the following into our club: Daniel Bronstein, a doctor in pediatric chiropractic; Jocelyn Baptiste, a nurse that was born and received her training in Haiti; Jenny Dierek, an insurance agent originally from a Bakersfield Rotary Club. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Greg thanked Paul Holden and Steve Curry for the success of the barbecue at Steve’s ranch this past Sunday to honor those that have made provisions in their will or trust to the Rotary Club of Pismo Beach Foundation. Steve stated he will be going to Uganda at the end of next week and would like to hear from those that want to communicate with the Uganda students. He also announced that right after this meeting, we are invited to hike up to the new Rotary bench located on a Pismo Preserve trail. The hike will be led by Rudy Uribe, the Pismo Preserve Ranger. John Traversaro announced that a comedy show dinner will be held at Trilogy Estates to benefit Polio Plus on June 22 at 5:30 PM. Pres. Greg read letters from students to which we have given donations. FINES: Fine master Mark Olson levied $50 fines for the club anniversaries of Sandy Lubin (28 years), Jeff King (3 years with our Club and 10 years in Rotary) and John Traversaro (3 years and 8 years in his last Rotary club). PROGRAM: Arroyo Grande High School Interact Officers and RYLA Connie O’Henley introduced Jessica McGuigan, Pres. of Interact who introduced the Interact officers and ran through the highlights of their year. They included a Bowl-A-Thon, volunteering at the Pismo Pier Stop Hunger Now fundraiser and serving pies at the Pismo Beach during the Vet’s Hall Thanksgiving dinner. The Bowl-A-Thon was to raise money for the Peanut Butter Project to feed kids in Africa suffering from malnutrition. Michael Boyer reported that 267 students from 5 counties went to RYLA this year. The students that we sponsored spoke of the favorite things they learned at RYLA including: being emotionally involved during the program; meeting people that they have never seen before and getting to know them better; learning how to improve themselves and being inspired to get the work done; learning to talk in front of a large group of people without fear; being inspired by speaker Emmanuel who stated that if you have a goal stick to it; learning leadership skills; being surrounded by people that lift you up and getting a better perspective yourself; having an experience was truly amazing and rewarding. Scott Astrosky was very in inspired by the youth that he counseled during RYLA experience. Michael Boyer, who had been a counselor for 7 years, helped out in the RYLA office. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Don’t let success go to your head, nor let failure go to your heart.” |
May16 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: May 14, 2017: Andy Stenson, Lucia Mar Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, “The State of the Lucia Mar School System” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with his usual this day in history: President John Adams moves the capital from Philadelphia to D.C. on May 15, 1800; Randy Johnson was the oldest pitcher in MLB history to throw a perfect game on May 18, 2004; and Los Angeles Lakers rookie “Magic” Johnson stepped in for injured center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and scored 42 points leading the Lakers to a four games-to-two series win over the Philadelphia 76ers on May 16, 1980. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Greg was pleased to welcome back Jeff King who reported that he just submitted to the District our application for Club Awards, which will be presented during the Demotion Banquet on Tuesday evening, June 27. Steve Curry announced that after next week’s meeting we are invited to the Pismo Preserve to dedicate the park benches. Linda Osty reported that $2500 was raised at the recent melodrama performance. These funds will go to trade scholarships next year. Scott Astrosky reported that a Summer Sizzle meeting will be held immediately after this one. Andrea Lueker stated that Youth Literacy Program books will be distributed on May 24 in Branch Elementary School at 10:30 AM to fourth graders and 11 AM to third graders. These books will also be distributed at St. Pats on May 22 at 10:30 AM. Karen Zappia announced a social will be held at the Shell Beach Brew House this Thursday at 5:30 PM. FINES: In the absence of Fine Master Mark Olson, Pres. Greg fined him $50 and took over his responsibilities. He recognized Bruce Beaudoin’s birthday and his trip to Branson Missouri. Shannon Bowdey was fined $50 for her birthday. Roger and Krista Frederickson’s wedding anniversary on May 17, 1997 was recognized without a fine. Frank Montesinos’ new puppy that is part German shepherd, part labrador and part pit bull resulted in a fine of $30 and a bag of dog goodies from Linda Osty. PROGRAM: Andy Stenson, Lucia Mar Assistant Superintendent of Business Services, “The State of the Lucia Mar School System” Andrea Boyer introduced Andy who was promoted to his position in 2015. In addition to running the business department, he also is in charge of the food and transportation. He is a long term resident of this area, has attended local schools and does not plan to go anywhere else. Based on the $8534 per student, Lucia Mar School District ranks at the bottom of the schools in our immediate neighborhood. He attributes this to the relative affluence of this area compared to say San Luis Obispo and Santa Maria, which have a free lunch program for students that qualify. The $170 million bond issue that passed will be used to improve the utilities and replace the portable classrooms with permanent ones. 90% of the $100 million annual budget goes to staff leaving only a small amount for facility repairs. They receive $1.8 million from lottery sales, but it cannot be used for such repairs. The school system has a superior academic growth rate. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.” Dalai Lama XIV |
May 9 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: May 7, 2017: Gordon Jackson, Executive Director, “Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:30 PM with his usual this day in history: V-E Day ending the war in Europe was celebrated on May 8, 1945; Sean Connery starred in his first Bond movie, Dr. No, which was released on May 8, 1963; and President Woodrow Wilson proclaimed the first Mother's Day on May 9, 1914. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Greg reported that the next to last board meeting will be held at Joel Conn’s home at 6 PM this Thursday. Andrea Lueker stated that Youth Literacy Program books will be distributed 9:30 AM May 8 at Christian Coastal Elementary and 10:30 AM May 24th to fourth graders and 11 AM May 24th to third graders at Branch Elementary. Jules Cuprys reported that bags containing essentials for the homeless are ready for distribution by our members. Karen Zappia circulated a sign-up sheet for volunteers for this Saturday’s soccer tournament. Scott Astrosky announced a Summer Sizzle meeting will be held next week. Steve Curry gave a report that the net income for the golf tournament was $22,000, which is about the same as last year. He then thanked all of the following members who were active in making this tournament such a success: Cliff Nagler-local TV ads etc.; Bruce Beaudoin-contact last year sponsors; Jeff King and Owen Schwaegerle-made contacts for next year’s tournament and Summer Sizzle; Erik Mund-obtained $8900 worth of tee sponsors; Karen Zappia-tee activities; Ashlea Boyer-raffle prizes for the drawing; Linda Osty-the goodie bags; Harlan Silva/Linda Curry-team photography; John Traversaro-formed Service Club teams; Shannon Bowdey-took photographs throughout the tournament; Michael Boyer-M C for the dinner program; Dick Dannells-skills contest; Paul Holden-made tee and banners; and Connie O’Henley-created brochure, controlled mailing list, kept track of all teams and individual entries, organized registration, invoiced and recorded payments from 144 golfers and a host of other activities. Steve Curry also circulated thank you letters from the Uganda students that we give financial support FINES: Fine master Mark Olson levied $30 fines for the club anniversaries of Andrea Lugar (1 year), Anya Stanley (3 years) and Jeff King (3 years). Joel Conn was fined $25 for interrupting Mark. In the trivial quiz contest, $30 fines were levied on Erik Mund, Dick Dannells, and Mike Frederick. Mark Olson accepted a fine of $25 for his daughter’s athletic prowess. PROGRAM: Gordon Jackson, Executive Director, “Pismo Beach Conference & Visitors Bureau” Erik Mund introduced Gordon who began by reporting on this Friday’s fundraiser at Dinosaur Cave Park in which our club is participating with Amgen. We will be pouring Pinot for Polio wine. 50% of the wine sales will go to charity. They are preparing for 375 people, but expect from 750-1000. Stage III portion of the Amgen tour will begin at 11 AM on Tuesday and the Surrey bike riders at 11:30 AM. He then listed a number of Pismo Beach events that include the Chapman Estate visits from 11 AM-1 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays and sunset in the garden visits on Fridays from 5 to 7 PM. He also said for us to save the dates of Friday, June 16 through Sunday, June 18 for the Classic Car Show, July 4 at 9 PM for the grand finale of the 4th July celebration, and Oct. 20-22 for the annual Clam Festival. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Come to the soccer tournament this Saturday. It’s going to be a lot of fun.” |
May 2 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: May 2, 2017: John Sorgenfrei, President & Owner, TJA Advertising, “Branding Pismo Beach” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:30 PM with his usual this day in history: Pres. Herbert Hoover dedicated the Empire State Building on May 1, 1931; NASA astronaut Alan Shepard aboard, Mercury Redstone-3, became America's first pilot in space on May 5, 1961; and the Mexican Army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla was on May 5, 1862. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry announced that the golf jackets included in the golfer’s package at yesterday’s very successful golf tournament are on sale for $25. He gave special recognition to Connie O’Henley for the great work she did in making the tournament such a success. Andrea Luegar thanked the volunteers that distributed books to the students of Ocean View and Shell Beach Elementary as part of the Youth Literacy Program. Next Wednesday, books will be distributed at Coastal Christian and on May 24 at Branch Elementary. There is no date as yet for the St. Pats Elementary. Paul Holden drew the name of Linda Osty in the Paul Harris Fellow lottery. He also asked for volunteers to pour Pinot for Polio from either the 6 to 8 PM slot or 8 to 10 at the Amgen Bike Tour soirée on May 12. Ashlea Boyer announced that Kimi White and Selma Rahim were also winners of the District’s Four Way Essay Test contest. Linda Osty announced that there are still tickets available for Friday’s performance of the Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court at the Melodrama. She urged everyone to get there at least by 6:30 PM for the 7 o’clock curtain. Scott Astrosky announced that there will be a meeting to organize the Saturday, May 13 soccer tournament meeting right after this meeting. Jules Cuprys reported that on May 21 from 1 to 3 PM there will be a social media workshop sponsored by Rotaract. She also had three tickets for the May 6 Flavors of SLO at the Jack House and Garden fundraiser, which were auctioned off to Michael Boyer. FINES: Fine master Mark Olson auctioned off the fine-free badge to Lee Ann Liscombe for $40. He levied $50 fines on those having recent wedding anniversaries that included Steve and Linda Curry’s 34th, John and Marcia Traversaro’s 26th, Bruce and Marcia Beaudoin’s 50th and Terry and Kathy Fibich’s 39th. He then had the birthday men stand that included Andy Park who received a $100 fine, Scott Astrosky who got a $51 fine and Don Weber who donated $100 in recognition for his 84th year. In the trivial quiz, Harlan Silva, Sandy Lubin and Connie O’ Henley were eachfined $40. PROGRAM: John Sorgenfrei, President & Owner, TJA Advertising, “Branding Pismo Beach” Jim Lewis introduced John who does the public relations for the Pismo Beach Parks & Recreation Department. John began his talk by stating that the primary brand is Classic California. The web page receives presently 2000 visits per day and 100,000 Facebook fans. The brand captures the nostalgia of growing up in Southern California in the 60’s with a motif of surfing, sand and beach. The sub- brand is Wine & Waves because of Pismo’s close proximity to Edna Valley and the numerous vineyards and wine tasting opportunities. The final sub-brand brand is outdoor activities that include hiking through the Pismo Preserve. He gave examples of Pismo events like the Amgen Bike Tour soirée this coming Saturday, the 1th Annual Taste of Pismo, this past April 25, next year’s Chardonnay wine event that brings people from all over the world, and Pismo’s Jubilee Jazz Festival . He concluded by reporting the opening of the Flagship Restaurant that used to be Steamers, the Oyster Loft at thr pier and the Alex Restaurant, which will be opening soon. He suggested we find out about future events by going on ClassicCalifornia.com and Pismo’s Facebook. |
Apr 25 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: April 25, 2017: Rotary Four Way Essay Contest Winners Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:30 PM with his usual this day in history: the Salk polio vaccine test trials, involving 1.8 million children, began on April 26, 1954; Roger Clemens became the first pitcher to strike out 20 in nine innings on April April 26, 1954. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Steve Curry made his last announcement before the May 1 golf tournament and stated that we need only 3 more golfers to fill out the remaining team. Andrea Lueker named the volunteers for the upcoming distribution of books to third grade students at Ocean View Elementary and Shell Beach Elementary. Scott Astrosky reported that the soccer tournament is scheduled for May 13 and he will be looking for volunteers. PROGRAM: Rotary Four Way Essay Contest Winners Ashlea Boyer introduced the first student to read his 3rd place essay in the high school division: Tyler Malley, a 9th grader at the Coastal Christian School, his teacher Mrs. Limon and his principal, Mr. Hoekman. The next student, Astrid Leighton, a 9th grader from the same school and same teacher read her second place essay relating to the effects of gossip among her classmates. Kimi White, an 11th grader from the Arroyo Grande High School with his teacher, Nicole Powers, and Principal Conan Bowers. Her first place essay was entitled “The Portal to Better Communication.” Eighth grader Sheila Barcenas won 3rd place in the Junior High School division with her essay “4-Way Test.” She is from Judkins Middle School, her teacher is Christina Dwyer and her principal is Ian Penton. Seventh grader Alexis R. Weber-Waltz is from the Coastal Christian and her teacher is Misty Sano. Her essay relating to a child of divorced parents received second place. The first place winner with an essay entitled “The Fair Way” in the Junior High Division went to Jared Holland, a 7th grader at Coastal Christian. His teacher is the same as Alexi. The third place winner in the 4th-6th Elementary School division with an essay entitled “Cursive” was fifth grader Torsten Johnson from Branch Elementary, his teacher Ali Whitaker and his principal Hillery Dixon. The second place in the 4th-6th elementary school division within an essay entitled “Conserving natural resources” went to fifth grader Nicholas York from Coastal Christian, his teacher Breianna Richardson. The winner of the 4th-6th Elementary school division with an essay entitled “the Four-Way Test” was fifth grader Selma Rahim from Ocean View Elementary School, his teacher Rachel Henze, and his principal Sarah Butler. Third place in the 1st-3rd Elementary school division went to third grader Shane Moncrief with an essay entitled “Responsibility” from Ocean View Elementary his teacher Scott Danielson. Linnea Johnson, a third grader from Branch¶ Elementary , teacher Kathy Beacock, and principal Hilary Dixon came in second place in the 1st-3rd Elementary division. The first place winner in that same division from Ocean View Elementary, teacher Elsa Cecchi, went to third grader Mariella Conn with an essay entitled “Four Way Test.” THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Life is 10% of what happens to you and 90% how you react to it.” |
Apr 18 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: April 18, 2017: Dominique Brederson -“Generational Communication” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with his usual this day in history: Jimmy Doolittle led an air raid over Tokyo on April 18, 1942; the great earthquake of San Francisco occurred on April 18, 1906; Apollo 13 returns to earth on April 17, 1970; and the Ford Mustang made its debut of the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadow, New York on April 17, 1964. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Andrea Lueker passed around a sign-up sheet for volunteers to distribute books during the Youth Literacy program. Steve Curry reported that the first Pismo Beach Preserves’ bench is ready for installation and asked for volunteers to help finish the project, which will cost $6000, $3000 from our club’s contributions to the RI Paul Harris funds and the other $3000 from the District. He also announced that a brief golf meeting will be held right after this meeting. Erik Mund said we have over $15,000 from tee sponsors, but he is looking for more from sponsors from last year. Bonnie Mogan has tickets for the banquet after the golf tournament. Ashlea Boyer requested that we bring in more tournament raffle items such as gift cards, bottles of wine and the like. There is still a need for a few more golfers to fill up the remaining one or two team spots. Jules Cuprys is still looking for a few more bottles of wine for Rotaract’s major fundraiser Flavor of SLO on May 5. She also requested help to assemble 300 bags of essentials for the homeless tonight. Harlan Silva had the privilege of bestowing Honorary Memberships on John and Martha Murphy. John is one of the founding charter members of this club in March 1984 and served as its Pres., Sgt. at arms and a number of other positions before he left our club. After a hiatus of a number of years and after his retirement, he returned to our club back in 1997. Martha is a past president as well as heading up numerous committees including the four-way essay test. Sandy Lubin came forward to induct our newest member Jules Cuprys who was awarded her red badge and immediately was then awarded her blue badge as she completed all the necessary steps before today. She then came forward to introduce her fiancée Jennifer who she will be marrying this July. She’s a civil engineer in the Transportation Department. Dominique Brederson -“Generational Communication” Ashlea Boyer introduced Dominique who has a bachelor’s degree and a Master’s degree in communication and is presently in the Communication Department of Cal Poly. She has been a speaker at PETS on this subject. She has found in her studies that Rotarians in general don’t deal with younger members very well. She then proceeded to define each of the generations: the Seniors; the Baby Boomers: Born 1946 to 1964; Generation X: Born 1965 to 1976; Millennials or Gen Y: Born 1977 to 1995; and Gen Z: Born 1996 and later. She had each of us stand when she called out our generation group. She was pleased to note that we have all generations representated except Gen Z. She said one of the biggest misconceptions of seniors is they are unable to change. However they are loyal, ethical and have high standards. They have a hard time taking directions or being led by younger generations. Baby boomers also have high standards and are ethical. Both of the latter generations have low divorce rates. She noted that you need to woo baby boomers. They need to look for connections such as people from the same club or committees. They are slow to adapt and avoid leading millennials. The X generation is independent, entrepreneurial and very hard-working. They came from families where both parents worked and were often children of divorced parents. They lived at a time of increased technology. Their parents experienced downsizing of their workplace. The y communicate by email. The millennials are self-reliant, very competitive, respond to quick text messages and are multitaskers. She says that one of the biggest challenges for Rotarians is to attract millennials and go beyond their 1.2 million members, which has remained the same for the last 18 years. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ASHLEA BOYER “When we strive to do better than we are, everything around us is better too.” |
Apr 11 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: April 11, 2017: Michael Boyer-“Rotary Membership” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting with his usual this day in history: the Titanic set sail from Southampton on her maiden voyage bound for New York on April 10, 1912; Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers on April 10, 1947; and the first recording session of Bill Haley and his Comets yielded "Rock Around the Clock", which became Haley's biggest hit and one of the most important records in rock and roll history session, on April 12, 1954. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Andrea Lueker announced that the Youth Literacy program will begin very soon and she requested at least 3 members sign up to distribute the books to students at each of the primary grade schools in the program. Jules Cuprys announced that Rotaract’s major fundraiser Flavor of SLO is on May 5 with a bottle of wine as your admission. She also requested help to assemble 300 bags of essentials for the homeless next Tuesday, May 18th. Michael Boyer requested volunteers to chauffeur RYLA students to Ojai on Thursday, April 20. Ashlea Boyer requested volunteers to help grade the Four-Way test entries this Wednesday, April 12. Paul Holden again circulated a sign-up sheet for the $50 Paul Harris raffle. Steve Curry announced that there are just a few more spots available for the golf tournament and that a golf meeting will be held right after this meeting. There is just a little over two weeks to go before the May 1 tournament. Ashlea Boyer reminded everyone of the social tomorrow April 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM with wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Pismo Lighthouse Suites. A Rotary board meeting will be held at Deenie Dotson’s home on Thursday evening April 13. FINES: Fine master Jack Hardy fined Andy Park $75 in absentia for his club anniversary. Tommy Thompson’s club anniversary cost him $60. Mike Frederick’s trip to New Orleans cost him $50. John and Marcia Traversaro’s wedding anniversary cost John $75. Paul Holden’s birthday was recognized with a $50 fine. Jeff King’s club anniversary cost him $35. Steve Curry’s April 16 anniversary resulted in a spin-the-wheel fine of $40. Michael Boyer is tapped out for the season, but is $50 fine was assigned to his wife, Ashley Boyer. Michael Boyer-“Rotary Membership” Michael Boyer is the District 5240 Membership Chair for Region 4 and began his presentation with a short video from the Rotary Foundation. He stated that there are four ways to have a strong membership: 1. Membership satisfaction; 2. Fun and engaging meetings; 3. Transparency; and 4. Servant leadership. John Hewko, the General Secretary of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation, has been involved in rebranding Rotary re-framing our message so that the public can get to know us better. Michael gave an example of the importance on a personal level: if you have a Rotary sticker on your automobile and you cut someone off, you can imagine how that person will feel about Rotarians in general. To increase member satisfaction we may want to go back to conducting frequent membership surveys as was done during Michael’s tenure as president. We can invite family and friends to meetings and personalize member introductions. To have more fun and have more enjoyable meetings, we should have informal meetings once or twice a month. We can have social events that include dinners. To produce better transparency, we need to have better communication among members. As far as servant leadership goes, we need to assure what members to do want not what the board wants. We should have discussions on the ideas to engage our members on an ongoing basis and phone calls to members who have not been coming to meetings lately. We may want to bring back the mentor program such as having one member look out for another. Having biographical craft talks is another way of improving communications. We should guard against overloading any particular member so they don’t become overwhelmed and leave the club. Michael ended the program by showing a video that has been tested in Atlanta and will become a mainstream promotional TV video. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Speak in such a way that others love to listen to you. Listen in such a way that others love to speak to you.” |
Apr 4, 2017 Rotary ForumPROGRAM: April 4, 2017: Ben Fine-“Pismo Beach Pier Rehabilitation” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting with his usual this day in history: Martin Luther King was assassinated on April 4, 1968; Congress enacted the modern rule for our flag of thirteen stripes on April 4, 1818; and Microsoft was founded on April 4, 1975. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Paul Holden announced that all those that have donated to the Pismo Beach-Five Cities Rotary Charitable Foundation will be invited to the Curry Ranch for a barbecue on the May 21st. Steve Curry announced that a golf tournament meeting will be held next week. Erik Mund reported on the number of signed up tee sponsors including major donors. Ashlea Boyer announced that a social will be held in combination with the Chamber of Commerce social on April 12 from 5:30 to 7:30 PM with wine and hors d’oeuvres at the Pismo Lighthouse Suites. A fundraiser to benefit ALS , which affects persons from 16 to 83, will be held at Cal Polly on June 29, 2017. FINES: The fine-free badge was auctioned off to Bruce Beaudoin for a winning bid of $50. Fine master Jim Lewis assessed a $50 fine on Cliff Nagler for his 7 years with our club and 11 years of marriage with Samantha. Sharon Ellis and Joel Conn were fined $25 and $10 for interruptions. Charla Anderson, Dick Dannells, Roger Frederickson and Jeff King were each fined $20 in a trivial quiz. PROGRAM: Ben Fine-“Pismo Beach Pier Rehabilitation” Jim Lewis introduced Ben who is the Director of Public Works/City Engineer. He began his talk at 12:30 PM as he had a 1 PM budget meeting at the Pismo Beach City Hall. The Pismo pier is one of 31 piers in California, 29 of which are in the ocean. It is 182 FT. long and varies in width from 32 FT. to 282 FT. During the 2015 maintenance and inspection of the pier, it was determined that the pier was beyond repair and and pier had to be rehabilitated. He proceeded to show slides of the severe damage that has been done done over the years. They sent 5 separate bids for various sections and jobs on and around the pier. On January 17, 2017, a rehabilitation contract was signed and a ground breaking ceremony occurred on February 14.The project included the temporary relocation of the bait shack at the owner’s expense and the information kiosk at the city’s expense. The rehabilitated pier will include a less steep climb to allow greater wheelchair accessibility. He mentioned that one of the bids was for public art, which finalized on the use of rope lights under the pier at $10,000 and a kinetic sculpture at $20,000. They expect the rehabilitation will be complete in 30 months. The public can purchase sections of the pier at the following prices: $2.50/FT. with a $15 minimum, $2 /FT. for 25 to 99 feet, $1.67/FT. for 300 999 feet and $1/FT. for 1000-6999 feet and $0.71 for greater than 7000 feet. He proceeded to auction off Pismo Beach coasters, sections of the pier , and a Pismo shopping bag that raised hundred dollars for our club. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA “Enjoy your week.” |
mar 27 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: March 28, 2017: Steve Curry-“Succulent Gardens” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting with his usual this day in history: March Madness was born on March 27, 1939; John Wooden won the Final Four at the San Diego on March 27, 1975; and the last U.S. troops left Vietnam on March 31, 1973. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Linda Osty reminded everyone of the Pismo Beach 5 Cities Rotary Foundation $40 per person fundraiser on May 5 at the Melodrama featuring Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Paul Holden again circulated the sign-up sheet for members to take part in the $50 raffle to win a Paul Harris Fellow. Membership chair Joel Conn announced that a suggestion box will be placed at the front desk for any complaints we might have. Pres. Greg reminded everyone of the service to be held at Beth David in San Luis Obispo in memory of Joel’s father David Conn. Linda Curry asked that we send our thoughts and prayers to Jack Hardy’s family for the loss of his wife Sheila’s dad. Steve Curry had Erik Mund report that we received a $1200 major golf tournament sponsorship from Rabobank. He also announced that the price of a dinner ticket at the golf banquet has been reduced to $50 for those not playing in the golf tournament, a bargain for such a fine prime rib and halibut dinner. Jeff King invited anyone that would like to come along to the District Training Assembly from 6:45 AM to 12:30 PM in Oxnard California. Don Weber announced that 7 members have made a bequest in their trust or will to the Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation. Forms will be circulated among the members for others to join this worthwhile cause. Scott Astrosky reported on next week’s August 12 Summer Sizzle organizational meeting and asked that we have 100% member participation in this event. Deenie Dotson requested volunteers to prepare a new club display banner that will require sewing in the individual club banners we have collected from around the world. Jim Lewis announced that next week the City Engineer for Pismo Beach will talk on the plans for the Pismo pier. FINES: Fine master Jim Lewis recognized Connie O’Henley for her birthday today with a fine of $50. He fined Ashlea Boyer $10 for accompanying Connie at the ladies get-together in Napa Valley. Mike Frederick’s wife Jeannie was recognized without a fine. Erik Mund donated $100 for his first anniversary with the club. Charla Anderson was fined $15 for not wearing a name tag. Jeff King was fined $25 for looking so fabulous. Frank Montesinos was not fined for making an appropriate remark Paul Holden and Bruce Beaudoin on were fined $50 each for their recent Arizona spring training and golf outing. Michael Boyer and Chuck Nagler were fined $50 and $25 respectively for the fact that South Carolina and Oregon are in the final four. Chuck went to South Carolina and spent many years in Eugene Oregon, home of the the Oregon Ducks, Michael’s alma mater. PROGRAM: Steve Curry-“Succulent Gardens” Jim Lewis introduced Steve who needs no introduction. Steve began by saying his interest in gardening came from his father who had a large vegetable garden when his father was a boy. When Steve outgrew his 10’ x 20’ sandbox, his dad planted a vegetable garden in that space and after two years of vegetables they switched the flowers. To Steve that was a much more interesting use of the space. When Steve moved to Arroyo Grande, he built a planter box along two sides of a chain-link fence and filled them with flowers from flats discarded by the nursery at which his brother worked. Steve soon had a planter box filled with every variety of flowers imaginable. He received his first succulent named hens and chicks from a friend that lived in Cayucos and worked at Hearst Castle. He then began exchanging succulents for the flowers in his planter because by that time keeping it filled with flowers get very expensive as his brother no longer work for the nursery. Besides succulents, one year he planted a quarter of an acre of corn with a sunflower planted at the end of each row of corn. He wound up with 2000 ears that he gave away during Rotary meetings back in the old days when we were at Mclintocks in the late 80s and early 90s. He then turned that quarter acre of corn into sunflowers with all the seeds left over for that year of corn growing. Since then he has concentrated on caring for the succulents in various containers, planters and the like around his yard. Every year he donates succulents to the Summer Sizzle silent auction. He then ended his presentation with a slideshow showing his succulents in his yard and he gave out succulents to each member that rose to give their gardening stories. |
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March 21 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: March 21, 2017: Jim Gregory-“Arroyo Grande Civil War Veterans” Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting with his usual this day in history: Martin Luther King marched from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama on March 21, 1965; Dr. Jonas Salk announced the polio vaccine on March 26, 1953; and Alcatraz prison in San Francisco Bay closed on March 21, 1963. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Linda Osty announced that a Pismo Beach 5 Cities Rotary Foundation $40 per person benefit to fund the new trade scholarship will be held on May 5 at the Melodrama featuring Mark Twain’s Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court. Steve Curry reported that there’s only six weeks to go before the annual golf tournament. All of the major sponsors from last year have renewed. Eric Mund reported that 46 tee sponsors have signed up. Scott Astrosky reported that a Summer Sizzle meeting will be held in two weeks. Andrea Lueker stated that the Youth Literacy Program is well under way. Pres. Greg announced that District Governor Sandy Smith recommended Ginny Derek of Rotary Bakersfield East has an interest in joining our club and she will be attending our meeting next week. Connie O’Henley announced that the Interact club will hold a Bowl-A-Thon fundraiser on Friday, March 31 to raise money for their international project. Sandy Lubin won the raffle prize of $107 after Harlan Silva picked his number out of a hat FINES: Fine master Jim Lewis fined Mark Olson for his March 2 club anniversary. Since Mark has been maxed out on his annual pledge, he agreed to pay a $28 instead of a spin-the-wheel $50 fine. Shannon Bowdey was fined $10 for her birthday. Owen Schwaegerle was fined $10 for being late with his fine being paid by Mark Olson. PROGRAM: Jim Gregory-“Arroyo Grande Civil War Veterans” Jim Lewis introduced Jim as the retired history teacher from the Arroyo Grande High School and Interact advisor. Jim began by holding up a book he recently authored entitled “Patriot’s Graves” and asking the question: What has the Civil War to do with Arroyo Grande? He answered that by stating that a number of Arroyo Grande residents had been veterans from the Civil War. He then named a number of such veterans including Otis Smith, Bela Clinton Ide, Tom Whiteley, and Thomas Hodges. He started the research for his book by investigating headstones in the local cemeteries. He also used ancestry.com, officers’ reports, letters, diaries, and old newspapers, e.g., the Herald Recorder. A most valuable source was a Civil War veteran's diary. Many children under 18 enlisted in the Civil War. One technique they used to avoid lying is writing 18 on slips of paper and putting it in their shoes, thus they were over 18. Approximately 620,000 northern and southern soldiers died as a result of the Civil War. Many of the veterans that came back had what would be termed today posttraumatic syndrome and nobody wanted to hear their wartime stories. He then gave a relevant slide show accompanied by banjo music of the era. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY OWEN SCHWAEGERLE: Linda Osty asked us to keep in mind: “Sgt. 1st Class Robert R. Boniface, 34, of San Luis Obispo who died March 19th, in Logar Province, Afghanistan.” |
Mar 7 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: March 7, 2017: John Lindsay-“Where Did All This Rain Come From?”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:36 PM, with his usual this day in history: Alexander Graham Bell patented the telephone on Mar 07, 1876; Janet Guthrie, the first woman to qualify and compete in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500, was born on March 7, 1938; and heavyweight champion Joe Frazier beat Muhammad Ali in a 15 round unanimous decision on Monday, March 8, 1971.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry reported that 80 golfers are committed for the annual golf tournament and a golf meeting will be held after this meeting; Eric Mund gave an update on his efforts to obtain tee sponsors. Ashlea Boyer reported that today was the first of once a month meetings for a member to draw a number indicating the table at which a member will be seated. This is to better circulate members so they get to know one another better. Scott Astrosky reported that a business tune-up seminar will be held on March 17, 2017 from 9 AM to 4:30 PM at the Avila Lighthouse Suites. Michael Boyer, in his role as Membership Chair, passed out a card explaining Rotary to be given to anyone that you like and those you do not like.
FINES:
Fine master Jim Lewis fined John Traversaro $70 for his wife Marcia’s birthday and for attending his 70th anniversary from kindergarten. Sandy Lubin was fined $25 for failing to answer a trivia quiz question.
PROGRAM: John Lindsay-“Where Did All This Rain Come From?”
Jim Lewis introduced John who got right down to answering the question. It was caused because the normal west to east jetstream split between a polar jetstream to the north and the Pacific jetstream to the south. The latter is what brought the steadiest rivers of rain that he has experienced in his career. All over the Presidents day weekend winds of 70 miles an hour caused a large number of eucalyptus trees to fall across roads in the area, which had to be cleared before the crews could repair the lines. Every single reporting station in the area has received total rainfall for the season that is substantially above the average for this time year. Rocky Butte received over 100 inches. The reservoirs in the area are increasing dramatically with Lopez reservoir going up to 58% of capacity, and Lake Naciomento to 86% after water was released for flood control. Sierra Nevada snowpack is biggest in 22 years with more snow on the way
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY OWEN SCHWAEGERLE:
“Luck is like a bathhouse basin; empty and full, full and empty.” Turkish Proverb.
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Feb 28, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: February 28, 2017: Sommelier & Wine Director, Robin Puricelli -“Wine”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:35 PM, with his usual this day in history: the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped on March 1, 1932; Gone With the Wind opened on February 29, 1940; upon seeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences trophy for the first time, Academy librarian Margaret Herrick remarked that trophy resembled her Uncle Oscar, but the Academy didn’t adopt the nickname officially until 1939; and Mardi Gras 2017 falls on this Tuesday, February 28.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry reported on the annual golf tournament; Linda Osty stated she is working on putting together the goodie bags and raffle prizes and Eric Mund is still looking for tee sponsors. The Rotaract club of San Luis Obispo will hold a fundraiser this Saturday, March 4. Joel Conn, Chairman of the Membership Committee, reported that a steak dinner will be provided to the member that brings in a new member. Steve Curry has donated $1000 to the Paul Harris Fellow. Jeff King reported that in a 3 day period in Bakersfield starting on March 10, a member can obtain all 5 of the PRLS classes.
FINES:
Fine master Jack Hardy fined Owen Schwaegerle, Mark Olson, and Andrea Lueker for for consistently being late to our Rotary meetings. Terry Fibich received a spin-the-wheel fine of $25 for being disrespectful to our president. Mark Olson, Eric Mund, Jim Lewis, and Linda Osty were fined $10 each for not wearing their Rotary pins. Linda Osty was fined $50 for celebrating her husband Ken’s birthday in Las Vegas and for their new Mercedes RV. Paul Holden was fined $25 for a cell phone infraction. Shannon Bowdey was fined $10 for not knowing something that Jack posted on Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, Shannon reported that we now have over 1000 likes on our Facebook page.
PROGRAM: Sommelier & Wine Director, Robin Puricelli -“Wine”
Robin began by stating what terroir is: it is a particular region’s tradition, climate, soil and terrain that affect the taste of wine. There are two wine producing bands on earth. One is in the northern and the other in the southern hemisphere. Wine vines grow best in poor soil, i.e., volcanic and sandy soil in valleys with prevailing winds off the ocean or sea. She then presented a slide presentation of various vineyards around the world and a chart relating alcoholic content, bitter taste, sweet, fat, acid, and salt and pointed out the various relationships between these characteristics. The aromas of wine can include lemon, lime, grapefruit, peach, pear, mango, guava, pineapple, passion fruit, lychee, jasmine, green pepper, tomato etc., etc. She ended by pointing out that during the past drought years some very fine wines were produced because of the stress placed on the vines. She said there is a question how the recent abundance of rain will affect this year’s crop.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARI ZIEGLER:
“You’ve got to get up every morning you with determination if you’re going to go to bed with satisfaction.”
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Jan 31 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: January 31, 2017: Marcia Alter-“How to Laugh”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:35 PM, with his usual this day in history: the 13th amendment to the U. S. Constitution to abolish slavery was ratified on January 31, 1865; Patty Hearst was kidnapped in Berkeley on February 4, 1974; rock and roll musicians Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson were killed in a plane crash near Clear Lake, Iowa on February 3, 1959 on. Anya Stanley had Steve Curry, Jim Lewis and Cliff Nagler come forward as sponsors of SLO Womenade, Boy Scouts of America and Big Brother/Big Sister to hand out checks to Sandy Richardson/Marce Lindvall, President and founder; Carlos Cortez, Executive Director; and Anna Boyd- Bucy, Executive Director, respectively as part of our Community Giving program.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg announced that there will be a short board meeting right after this meeting. Jeff King reported that 2 PERLS sessions will be held in Santa Ynez; one session is entitled “Facilitation” and the other “Leading Without Authority” on Saturday, February 25, 2017. Next week, Jeff will be attending PETS (president elect training seminar). Erik Mund reported that only a few tee sponsors have sent in their $100 and it won’t be long before the annual golf tournament is upon us.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson fined Frank Montesinos $50 for his 74th birthday. In the trivial quiz the following were fined $20: Owen Schwaezeree, Cliff Nagler, Mike Frederick, Bonnie Mogan, Andy Park and Karen Zappia.
PROGRAM: Marcia Alter-“How to Laugh”
Jim Lewis introduced Marcia. But before Marcia began her program, a best joke contest was held between 3 participants to give their best jokes: Ashlea Boyer, Owen Schwaezeree, and Steve Curry. Steve one the prize with a joke about the three stranded men on an island and one of them found a magic lantern. After rubbing the lantern, a genie popped out and said each has one wish. The first one wished he were off the island and poof he was off the island. The second one had the same wish and poof he was off the island. The third one wished his friends were back and poof they were. Marcia then proceeded to give her life story that she was a melancholy and reached the lowest point of her life about 10 years ago. She sold her house, got a new job, bought a new house and went to a class on laughter. After that, she became a certified laughter wellness coach and has been holding classes on laughter ever since. She then has run through the paces of simulated laughter. She explained that even if you think something is funny just the mechanics of force laughter will provide benefits to your well-being.
KAREN ZAPPIA:
“Laughter is a tranquilizer without side effects so take it regularly.
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Jan 24, 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: January 24, 2017: Pres. Greg Baker -“Your Financial Health”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with his usual this day in history: the Wham-O toy company rolled out the first batch of Frisbees on January 23, 1957; the California gold rush started on January 24, 1848; and a World War II Japanese soldier was discovered hiding out on Guam on January 24, 1972. Anya Stanley had Montisa Phelan Lopez, Linda Osty, Scott Astrosky, and Dick Dannells come forward as sponsors of Arroyo Grande Community Hospital, Welcome Home Military Heroes, The Exploration Station and Meals on Wheel, respectively, while checks were handed out as part of our Community Giving program.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg gave the following member updates: Marina Matthews is doing well and hopes to rejoin the club in February; Katcho Achadjian also will soon be returning to regular meetings; John Murphy is doing well and will join us in February to receive his honorary membership; and John Bernard is also doing well and will be returning soon. Steve Curry reported on the progress of golf committee meeting. Shannon Bowdey urged all of us to go on Facebook to add additional friends to our Rotary Facebook so we can reach our goal 1000 friends before Pres. Greg presidency comes to a conclusion. Shannon Bowdey won the raffle prize of $88.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson recognized Dick Dannells for his 82nd birthday on January 23 and Jeff King’s 45th wedding anniversary with Sally.
PROGRAM: Pres. Greg Baker -“Our Financial Health”
Jim Lewis introduced Pres. Greg who is the only expert he could find with sufficient expertise to lead the program on this subject. Pres. Greg began by stating no matter how young you are if you haven’t retired already, you should begin planning for it now. You want to be able to have sufficient funds to be able to travel, spend more time with your family and friends, do volunteer work and get better acquainted with your grandchildren. Picture your retirement journey by looking out for the potential obstacles such as market volatility, inflation, sufficient liquidity, the withdrawal rate, healthcare and unexpected events. Planning for your retirement is somewhat like mountain climbing; you work hard to get to the top and sometimes the dissent is more difficult than the climb. During your climb up the mountain, make smart trades on the stock market, increase your savings, manage your savings, protect your ability to earn by having adequate healthcare, and have a well thought through estate plan. As you near the top you want to enroll in Medicare and to take out Social Security starting as early as age 62 up to 70. He depicted a pyramid in which covering the essentials form the foundation of the pyramid; then a level of ensuring your lifestyle; next is preparing for the unexpected; and finally at the top of the pyramid is leaving a legacy. There are three important considerations for covering your essentials: important deadlines, income sources and stability. Ensuring your lifestyle means you want to have enough funds beyond the essentials in order for you to live the life you want to live. You should have cash to support you for 3 to 6 months. When you retire you should have at least three years’ worth of money market funds, cash, and easily convertible stocks and bonds to cash without penalty. Your investment portfolio should be well-balanced between bonds, growth stocks, etc. Prepare for the unexpected and protect what you own. In addition to Medicare you should consider having supplemental health insurance. Protect the people around you with life insurance and protect against additional risks by having property and casualty insurance. Consider how to pay for long-term care such as self-funding, family, government and insurance. The top of the pyramid is leaving a legacy for your family, friends, and charity, if you don’t it will go to the government.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA:
“You are never a loser until you quite trying.”
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Jan 17 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: January 17, 2017: Kristin Alexander-“Fitness & and Health”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:34 PM, with his usual this day in history: the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, prohibiting the “manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors for beverage purposes,” is ratified on January 16, 1919; the Volkswagen Beetle arrives in the U.S. on January 17, 1949; and Carl "Alfalfa" Switzer of Our Game and Little Rascals was murdered in Mission Hills, California at the age of 36 on January 21, 1959. Pres. Greg presented Owen Schwaezeree with his blue membership badge. Anya Stanley had Don Weber and Sandy Lubin come forward as sponsors of Coastal Christian and the Clark Center respectively, while checks were handed out as part of our Community Giving program.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry stated that his mother passed away on Friday. He also stated that a golf committee meeting will be held immediately after our regular meeting. Connie O’Henley, Eric Mund and Karen Ziegler each gave a brief report on the progress being made on the golf tournament. Michael Boyer reported that 24 RYLA applicants have been submitted of which our club will sponsor 6. He also was also pleased to report that during the past 6 months, he has been working on and was successful in the acquisition of a telephone services company. He also reported that Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation meeting will be held tomorrow January 18 at Linda Osty’s home. Pres. Greg encouraged members to attend the STEPS conference on Saturday January 28 from 9 AM to 3 PM at the Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks. Shannon Bowdey announced that a Rotary social will be held this Thursday at the Shell Beach Brew House.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson fined Shannon Bowdey for her less than stellar introduction. Michael Boyer received a total of $75 in fines for his 15th club anniversary and advertising his acquisition. Connie O Henley and Greg Baker were fined $25 each for their club anniversaries; her 12th and his 7th clubs. In the trivia quiz, the following were fined $20: Charla Anderson, Bruce Beaudoin, Ashlea Boyer, and Dick Dannells.
PROGRAM: Kristin Alexander-“Fitness & and Health”
Jim Lewis introduced Kristin Alexander, a physical fitness trainer at the Avila Bay Athletic Club and Spa. She began by saying she enjoys scrolling down Facebook to see the before and after photos of people who have lost weight. She then related the following 4 stories: story 1 concerns a 45-year-old man who looked like he was 35 when he came in for training. He had read a book called “Great Younger Year” when he was a successful businessman at the age of 35 and realized his priorities were all mixed up. So he changed his ways, got in the physical fitness and now is in the best shape of his life. Story 2: a female client came in who was just out of physical therapy after knee surgery. She too looked much younger than her 83 years and said that fitness had been a part of her whole life. Story 3: when she was running a studio in Pismo a woman came in with her sister Lisa who looked very uncomfortable. Her sister said that she wanted to get in shape and wanted to start with the fitness video called “Insanity”. Lisa made it through the entire video and then continued taking classes until she had dropped 4 to 5 clothing sizes. Story 4: Kristin didn’t think much about physical fitness until she was 30 years old and went to a gym. She felt so good after workouts that she became an instructor and passed a number of physical fitness certifications. At 40 she developed breast cancer, but with chemotherapy and many surgeries she recovered rapidly, and opened her own gymnasium. Kristin is now 47 and never felt better in her life
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA:
“Get out and go work out.”
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Jan 10 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: January 10, 2017: Kristin Huebner-“Why You Want To Vacation In The Five Cities”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:34 PM, with his usual this day in history: Dwight Clark caught the winning touchdown pass thrown by quarterback Joe Montana in the NFC Championship Game against the Dallas Cowboys on January 10, 1982; Apple’s Steve Jobs unveils the iPhone on January 9, 2007; and Joe Namath led his New York Jets against the Baltimore Colts to win the Super Bowl on January 12, 1969.
Anya Stanley had Harlan Silva and John Traversaro come forward as sponsors of Saint Pat’s Outreach and Paws for a Cause while checks were handed out to Katie Hilton and Gil Igleheart, respectively as part of our Community Giving program.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry announced that the Grover Beach Rotary Club is having a Bowl-A-Thon on Saturday, February 18 at the Pismo Beach Bowl to raise money for PolioPlus. He also stated that next week immediately after regular meeting, a golf committee meeting will be held to prepare for the May 1 tournament to provide for $2500 scholarships for deserving students. Pres. Greg stated that a board meeting will be held at the Arroyo Grande Hospital this coming Thursday coordinated by Jeff King. Ashlea Boyer announced a STEPS conference will be held at the California Lutheran Church on January 28 from 9 AM to 3 PM on the subject of human trafficking. She is driving down and asked those interested to let her know if you would like to go with her.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson recognized Harlan Silva’s 61st birthday on January 9 without a fine. Lee Ann Liscombe’s January 11 birthday was recognized with a $50 fine In the trivia quiz the following were fined $20: Mike Kee, Sandy Lubin, Dick Dannells, Bonnie Mogan, and Joel Conn.
PROGRAM: Kristin Huebner-“Why You Want To Vacation In The Five Cities”
Jim Lewis introduced Kristin who is the Tourism Coordinator for the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau. She was born in San Luis Obispo and graduated from Cal Poly in 2012. After a stint at Mine Body, she was hired into her present position 1½ years ago. She began her Power Point presentation that showed all of the free fun activities in the area such as hiking, walking, running on the beach, the pier, the Monarch Butterfly Grove, the Wilmar stairs, Montana de Oro, Bishop Peak, Oso Flaco, Pismo Preserve, Pismo Promenade, Bob Jones trail, and Edna Valley. There is also biking, mountain biking, surfing and body surfing. Non-free activities include kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, and the city recreation camp clinic that includes dancing, judo, karate, tai chi, pickle ball, tennis, yoga, zamba and bouldering (indoor rock climbing). If you wish to contact her, call 773-7034.
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Jan 3 2017-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: January 3, 2017: David Lohman-“Tips for a Longer Healthier Life”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:37 PM, with his usual this day in history: Alaska was admitted as the 49th state of the union on January 3, 1959; President Roosevelt founded the March of Dimes on January 3, 1938; and Nancy Corrigan got her knees smashed on January 6, 1964.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg auctioned off the fine free badge to Harlan Silva for $40. Jim Lewis reviewed the upcoming programs for the rest of the year. Terry Fibich, in Anya Stanley’s absence, stated that the Community Giving donations will be handed out in the coming weeks. Paul Holden announced that Pres. Greg was the winner of the Paul Harris Fellow raffle.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson fined Deenie Dotson a total of $40 for her 33rd wedding anniversary and for making a rude comment. Harlan Silva’s 61st birthday on January 9 resulted in a $41 fine. Sandy Lubin’s 50th wedding anniversary with Cindi cost him $1 for each year of marriage. Joel Conn’s was fined $60 for making San Luis Obispo Tribune’s top ‘10-under-40’ list plus opening a new clinic in Santa Maria. Jeff King was fined for his new BMW X5. In the Trivial Pursuit quiz the following were fined $20: Jim Lewis, Scott Astrosky, Deenie Dotson, Shannon Bowdey, Pres. Greg, Ashley Boyer (which she accepted for her son Jack who failed the quiz question) and Sharon Ellis. Mary Ann Reiss was recognized for joining our club on January 1, 2009 without a fine
PROGRAM: David Lohman-“Tips for a Longer Healthier Life”
Karen Zappia introduced our speaker who has been a practicing chiropractor in Santa Maria for 30 years. He began by relating a story of his asthmatic patient who he gave regular spinal adjustments to help her breathing. One day she came to his office at the age of 78 after suffering a severe beating by the invalid daughter for which she had been carrying after being off her medicine. She told him she could hardly move and she was prepared to go home and die. He asked her to stand on one leg and move the foot on her other leg. He said if you can do that you can continue at home working on returning your movement and all of your limbs. Next thing he knew she was 87, had joined a fitness center and had a whole new lease on life. Yes, it is possible to live to be 100 with the following ifs: eat a proper diet; exercise, i.e. aerobic, lifting weights and stretching; get sufficient sleep; drink water; and get out in the fresh air as often as possible. He also recommends seeing a chiropractor to make sure your spine is adjusted properly. Finally, his word of advice is to believe in something bigger than yourself. He cited Rotary as an example that something that is bigger than yourself.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA:
"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, you haven't truly decided." - Tony Robbins.
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December 20, 2016-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: December 20, 2016: Mike Kee and Jack Hardy-“Christmas Music”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:35 PM, with on this day in history: Elvis Presley was drafted on Dec 20, 1957; George Patton died peacefully on December 21, 1945; Tim Berners Lee created the World Wide Web in December 1990; and it’s the 70th anniversary of “It’s a Wonderful Life”, released to theaters on December 19, 1946.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg handed a Christmas bonus to Taylor on McClintock’s wait staff. He also announced that we will be dark next week to the Tuesday after Christmas. He congratulated Linda Osty for the wonderful organization of the annual Christmas movie. Linda thanked everyone who helped make this year’s movie such a success. Terry Fibich thanked those that helped on the highway cleanup last week that included, but not limited to Paul Holden, Michael Frederick and Greg Baker.
FINES:
Fine master Jim Lewis did not fine Erik Mund for his wife’s birthday as he was the winner of the fine-free badge earlier this month Terry Fibich was a no-show after signing up to work at the Christmas movie fundraiser and had the misfortune of receiving a spin-the-wheel fine of $5 times the 23 years he’s been in Rotary, i.e. $115. Owen Schwaezeree failed to show up as a secret greeter last week and it cost him $10. The following $20 losers in the trivia quiz included Connie O’Henley, Sandy Lubin, Cliff Nagler, Karen Zappia, and Mike Kee.
PROGRAM: Mike Kee and Jack Hardy-“Christmas Music”
Mike and Jack performed a number of Christmas songs that included: Oak Ridge Boys’ “Thank God For Kids”; “Folsom Christmas Blues” written by Mike Kee with help from Johnny Cash; Mark Lowry’s “Mary, Did You Know?”; “It Wasn't His Child”; “Felice Navidad” led by Frank Montesinos; and “Silent Night.”
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December 6 2016-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: December 6, 2016: Cathy Orton-“Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Luis Obispo County”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:38 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: Japan bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; John Lennon was killed on December 8, 1980; and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer performed in public on the December 6, 1949.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry reported that the assembly of the Pismo Preserve benches will be postponed until after the first of the year. He also reminded everyone our annual golf tournament will be on May 1, 2017 and to start signing up sponsors. Paul Holden circulated a sign-up raffle sheet to win a Paul Harris Fellow at $50 each. Jim Lewis handed out forms to enable Pismo Beach City Council to prioritize among the 10 current city goals that we would like to see accomplished within next two years. Anya Stanley is tabulating the Community Giving votes and will have the results next week. Linda Osty along with Jim Lewis wearing his Santa hat reminded everybody of the Saturday, December 17 performance of “Going My Way.” Deenie Dotson urged everyone to come to the Christmas party tomorrow from 6 to 9 PM. Pres. Terry Fibich requested volunteers for the highway cleanup starting at 7:30 AM at Coco’s this Saturday, December 10. There will be a Rotary board meeting at the Arroyo Grande Hospital this Thursday, December 8. Mike Frederick did the honors to induct Owen Schwaezeree, who at 23 is our youngest and first Rotaract member to ever join our club. He is a banker during the day and and a baker at night with his chocolate chip cookie business.
FINES:
Pres. Greg auctioned off the fine-free badge to Eric Mund for $50. Fine master Jim Lewis fined Pres. Greg $10 for not starting the bidding before Jim began fining. Terry Fibich was fined $20 for his club anniversary, another $20 for not remembering his club anniversary, and still another $20 for his birthday. Anya Stanley was fined $10 for a phone infraction. Owen Schwaezeree was fined $5 for not showing up on time to lead the Pledge of Allegiance and Michael Boyer agreed to pay the fine. The following members were fined $25 for not answering trivial pursuit questions: Dick Dannells, Anya Stanley, Jeff King and Lee Ann Liscombe.
PROGRAM: Cathy Orton-“Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of San Luis Obispo County”
Cathy began by thanking us for being so generous last year in providing holiday gifts for the children and she still has a few tags for either a toy for a younger child or a gift card for one who is older.. December 14 is a deadline for turning in the gifts. CASA takes the best interests of abused and neglected children that have become wards of the court. CASA’s mission is to recruit, train and supervise volunteers who give up their time to advocate for these vulnerable children. CASA’s goal is to ensure that every child is able grows up in a safe, nurturing, and permanent home. 70% of California’s prisoners come from foster care homes, but children from CASA for the most part do not wind up in prison. This is because foster care children outside of CASA are only seen by a social worker once a month whereas each CASA volunteer focuses on one child. Terry Fibich spoke on his experience in CASA after he went in training to be a mentor because of the involvement of his wife Linda in the program. If you would like to become a mentor in the program, there’s 30 hours of on-line training and 15 hours in person.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARI ZIEGLER:
“Without courage, wisdom bears no fruit”
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Nov 29 2016- Rotary ForumPROGRAM: November 29 2016: Bruce Beaudoin, Kathy Glenn and Pres. Greg Baker -“Fiduciary Responsibilities and Financial Planning”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:37 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: Jeopardy! Contestant Ken Jennings’record winning streak ended on November 30, 2004; the Grand Old Opry’s first broadcast took place on November 28, 1925; and Michael Jackson’s album Thriller was released on November 30, 1982.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Anya Stanley reminded everybody that the last day for submitting their paper Community Giving paper ballots is today and their on-line ballots on Friday, December 2. Michael Frederick and Bruce Beaudoin volunteered to help Linda Osty during the Saturday, December 17 performance of “Going My Way.” Sharon Ellis reminded everyone that the Christmas party is on Tuesday, December 6 from 6 to 9 PM. Pres. Greg encouraged us to invite potential members to the party as our guests. Karen Zambia reported that a CASA representative will be the speaker for our next week’s meeting on December 6.
FINES:
Pres. Greg. fined Bruce Beaudoin $30 for mispronouncing a guest’s name. Mike Frederick was given a $15 spin-the-wheel fine for his 16th club anniversary on November 28.
PROGRAM: Bruce Beaudoin, Kathy Glenn and Pres. Greg Baker -“Fiduciary Responsibilities and Financial Planning”
Bruce Beaudoin served as MC and began by stating that Roger Frederickson was ill so Bruce went through the slide presentation that Roger provided on the subject of estate planning. Kathy Glenn, one of 600 licensed and bonded fiduciaries in California, explained that her clients may suffer from brain injury, substance abuse or other incapacities that prevent them from being able to handle their financial affairs. She is their advocate as well as for their estate. She administers the estate and assures that the terms of the trust are followed. She reviews the trust periodically while her client is alive and ensures that the trust is funded. She notifies her client’s attorney if an amendment is to be made to the trust or a codicil is to be added to the will. She recommends that a percentage of the trust fund is designated to be distributed rather than a specific amount in case the trust funds upon death are not sufficient. Her duty is to constantly beware of predators to the trust such as those that would use elder abuse or psychological pressure to make unwanted changes to the trust or will. Her responsibility is to oversee the entire asset management of her clients. She ensures that her client’s burial wishes are fulfilled, that the assets are distributed in accordance with the trust and that a final accounting is made. Pres. Greg began the financial portion of the program by displaying a typical investment portfolio triangle in which the apex represents after tax income going into a tax-free fund so that funds can be removed tax-free; the bottom left portion of the triangle represents an after tax income fund that can be removed without paying additional taxes; and the bottom right represents a tax-deferred income fund such as an IRA that is taxed when you withdraw it from your portfolio. You can donate money from your tax-deferred income fund directly to a charity without any tax liability. You can also donate greatly appreciated stock to a charity and deduct the inflated value on your income tax return without having to pay capital gains.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA:
“It's not what you are that holds you back; it's what you think you are
not.”― Denis Waitley”
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Nov 22 2016-Rotary ForumPROGRAM: November 22, 2016: Rotarian Volunteers-“What We Are Thankful For”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:36 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: Thomas Edison, an inventor of over 1000 U. S. Patents, invented the phonograph on November 21, 1887; Pres. Kennedy was assassinated on this day November 22, 1963; and “Rocky” was released in the U. S. on November 21, 1976.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Linda Osty reminded everyone of the Saturday, December 17 performance of “Going My Way” starting at 11 AM and to bring either an unwrapped toy or a nonperishable food item. Pres. Greg , in a place of Anya Stanley who is ill, reminded us to vote on-line for our favorite charities before December 2. He also stood in for Sharon Ellis to make sure we send in our RSVP today for attending the Christmas party on December 6. Next week’s meeting on November 29 will be emceed by Bruce Beaudoin with discussions by Roger Erickson on estate planning, by Kathy Glenn on the duties of a fiduciary and by Pres. Greg on financial planning. Connie O Henley announced that the Arroyo Grande Interact Club will be serving turkey dinners at the Pismo Beach Veterans Hall tomorrow the 23rd.
FINES:
Fine Master Mark Olson fined Shannon Bowdey $25 for her 8th wedding anniversary with Bradley. The $20 losers in the trivial pursuit quiz contest were Cliff Nagler, Roger Frederickson, Joel Conn, Connie O Henley, and Don Weber.
PROGRAM: Rotarian volunteers-“What We Are Thankful For”
Don Weber began began as the first volunteer to give what he was thankful, which is his participation in Rotary. He then reviewed the history of the very first thanksgiving in 1621 in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Linda Osty is thankful for what she has been able to achieve after having a very rough life growing up and for her 36 years of never better life with Ken. Jack Hardy is most thankful for his father JD Hardy who died 11 years ago. His most memorable recollection is when a tattooed man came up to him at his father’s funeral. Jack asked the man how he happened to know his father. The man proceeded to tell Jack that when he was in jail he was listening to his father’s Sunday broadcast and he heard him say that if you need any help please call me. JD went to see that man and after that he completely changed his life around. Dick Dannells is thankful for Rotary and his friendship with Steve Curry who sponsored him for membership in the Oceano Elks Lodge, where he met his wife Rae Alee. Mike Frederick is thankful for his family. Cliff Nagler proposed a toast: all family are friends and all friends are family. Proposed member Owen Schwaezeree is thankful for recently being hired by Robobank after his graduation from Cal Poly this past June. Jeff King read Pres. George Washington’s proclamation of Thanksgiving designating November 26, 1789 as a national day of thanksgiving to recognize the role of providence in creating the new United States. Frank Montesinos is thankful for being sent as a priest from Spain to Texas in 1968 and his decision to remain in the United States in 1972, to enroll in University of Texas, and to become a successful architect. Pres. Greg is thankful for his wife, his children, his 13 grandchildren and his step dad, who adopted Greg. His mother divorced his father who left and was never seen again. He remembers his step dad, who had one drink too many, saying that if God would show up he would stop drinking. Well God must’ve shown up because his stepdad didn’t touch a drop for the rest of his life.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ROGER FREDERICKSON:
“Give thanks for all the opportunities that even our struggles bring.”
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Nov 15 2016-Rotary Forum
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Nov 1, 2016-Rotary forumPROGRAM: November 1, 2016: Cliff Nagler-“the Pismo Beach-5 Cities Rotary Charitable Foundation”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:33 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: Howard Hughes’ spruce goose, after picking up speed on the Long Beach channel facing Cabrillo Beach, lifted off the water and flew for about a mile on November 2, 1947; Boston Red Sox won the World Series by beating Chicago Cubs in October, 1918.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Linda Osty reminded everybody to attend the Saturday, December 17 performance of “Going My Way” and to bring either a unwrapped toy or a nonperishable food item. Jeff King reported that a brief Pinot for Polio meeting will be held after this meeting. Ashlea Boyer announced that the next meeting on November 8 will be a vocational visit to the historic building, Dana Adobe, on 671 S Oakglen Ave, Nipomo. Anya Stanley reported that we have just 10 days to hand in applications for the Community Giving Program. Steve Curry said that the assembly and installation of one park bench will take place in December at the Pismo Preserve. Deenie Dotson announced that the annual Christmas party is on December 6 between 6 and 9 PM at the Edwards Barn in Nipomo. Pres. Greg reported that we received a thank you note for our donations to Paws For a Cause.
FINES:
Fine Master Jim Lewis fined Pres. Greg $25 for not auctioning off the fine-free badge on a timely basis, and subsequently Pres. Greg auctioned off to Scott Astrosky for $50. Scott was about to be fined for wearing a scary clown costume at the Arroyo Grande Halloween party. Mark Olson’s November 3 birthday cost him $39, $1 for each year of his life. Erik Mund was welcomed back from the sickbed without a fine. Jeff King’s stylish clothes cost him a $20 fine. Paul Holden was assessed $10 for not knowing there are 46 clubs in our District that have formed $26.50 clubs. Steve Curry and John Traversaro were each fined $25 for failing to introduce the guests at their table.
PROGRAM: Cliff Nagler-“the Pismo Beach-5 Cities Rotary Charitable Foundation”
Michael Boyer introduced Cliff, a member of the foundation Board of Trustees, who made a beta PowerPoint presentation to be used in future activities to increase the Foundation capital investment fund. The long-term strategy and goal of the Foundation is to increase the current fund from $150,000 to $250,000. This will enable the Foundation to support community projects and local youth through scholarships from the fund income. The total charitable giving from 2000, when the Foundation was founded, to date is $232,179. $25,000 was given this past fiscal year to scholarship and four-way essay contest winners, the reading program, Boys & Girls club, etc. The annual golf classic at the San Luis Obispo country club is the only fundraiser for the Foundation and has brought in $150,000 since its inception in 2003. The total income from the golf tournament from 2009-2010 was $23,000 compared with $46,000 this past year. Cliff pointed out that the tournament for this fiscal year is on May 1, 2017. In addition to the tournament, the Foundation is looking for cash donations, bequests, members becoming a Pismo Fellow at $1000 and naming the Foundation as a beneficiary in your life insurance policy.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY RICHARD BACCIGALUPPI:
“Attitude is the paintbrush of life.”
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Oct 18 2016 Rotary ForumPROGRAM: October 18, 2016: Melissa James -“the Regional Economy”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:32 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake occurred in Northern California on Oct. 17, 1989 at 5:04PM; Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown bringing the American Revolution to a close on Oct. 19, 1791; and Reggie Jackson hit 3 home runs in a row off of three consecutive pitches from three different pitchers on Oct. 18, 1977.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg Baker presented a banner our club received along with 47 out of 72 other clubs at last Saturday’s District 5240 Conference and Gala in Westlake Village honoring the 100 % contributions of our members to PolioPlus this year. Scott Astrosky asked us to buy tickets to support the Grover Beach Exploration Station at the Chemistry of Cocktails Fundraiser on November 6. Deenie Dotson announced our annual Christmas party will held on Tuesday December 6. Linda Osty reported that the annual Christmas movie “Going My Way” will be held on December 16; and presented Mike Kee with a certificate for his past service as a director of the Rotary Foundation. Joel Conn stated we are just $500 short of the $3000 Stop Hunger Now goal and requested we respond to his most recent email and to volunteer to set up at 2 PM and pack 10,000 meals at 3-5PM during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival this Saturday, October 22. At a recent meeting of the past Rotary presidents, Scott Astrosky was nominated as the president elect-elect for 2018-19 and he was then elected by unanimous consent of the members. Terry Fibich reported that a fundraiser at Rooster Creek restaurant in Arroyo Grande will be having a benefit for the Arroyo Grande hospital from 5 to 9 PM this evening. Steve Curry announced the first meeting for the annual golf tournament will be held next Tuesday. Anya Stanley is the Chairperson of the Community Giving Committee that includes Sandy Lubin, Don Weber, Sharon Ellis, Terry Fibich, and Scott Astrosky. Anya reported that the Committee’s proposal to change the program, based on the overwhelming majority of the respondents to a recent survey, was adopted by the Rotary board. The major changes will be that 15 recipients will be awarded $15,000 based on-line voting supplemented by paper ballots. If applications are received for more than 15 recipients, the awards go to those that get the highest amount of money voted per the members. She stated that the date to send out invitations and Community Giving application forms is 10-21; the last date to receive applications is11-11; the date to start voting is 11-18; the last day to vote is12-2; the date to disclose results and allocation of funds is 1-3-17; and the date to distribute funds is between 1-10-17 and 1-31-17.
PROGRAM: Melissa James -“the Regional Economy”
Melissa is the Director of Economic Development for the Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC), a private agency, which is the only county organization focused on how to grow the local economy. EVC divided the county into 6 industrial clusters that include (1) building, designs and construction (over 8600 employees, an average annual salary of 53,000; (2) knowledge and innovation (over 7200, over $57,000); (3) health services (over 14,000, over $54,000); specialized manufacturing (over 3600 and, $54,000); (5) uniquely SLO County-agriculture, wineries, and hotels and the like (over 21,000, over $23,000); and energy (2431, $134,354). She presented SLO’s key economic indicators that included: $13.7 billion 2015 gross regional product ; 4.6% employment rate in August 2016; 95,200 private sector jobs in the third quarter 2015; 286 new business registrations in the fourth quarter 2013; $1.5 billion taxable sales in the fourth quarter 2014; and $39,800 average annual wage in the third 2015.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARI ZIEGLER:
“Don’t wait; the time will never be just right.”
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Oct 11 2016- Rotary ForumPROGRAM October 11, 2016: Ron De Carli, Executive Director SLO Council of Governments-“Self Help County Sales Tax Proposal”
Pres. Greg Baker opened the meeting at 12:36 PM, with his on ‘this date in history’: the Cuban Missile Crisis began on Oct. 14, 1957; Christopher Columbus discovered the Americas on Oct. 14, 1492; Curt Schilling won Game 6 of the 2004 American League on Oct. 19, 2004; and the Everly Brothers’ “Wake Up Little Susie," reached the top spot on Oct. 14, 1957.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg Baker cut the ribbon to symbolize that our club is now a member of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce. SLO Rotaract treasurer Austin Kurner thanked us for our past support and asked us to again support their annual Coats for Kids Drive that collects, at drop off points throughout the County, new and used children’s coats and jackets for those in need. Anya Stanley reported that the Community Giving committee will meet after our meeting today. Pres. Greg asked us to at least come on down to the October 15th banquet festivities at the Hyatt in Westlake Village. Joel Conn is sending out another email on Stop Hunger Now requesting funding and announced we will pack 10,000 meals on Saturday, October 22 during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival. Michael Boyer has announced his candidacy to become the Dist. Gov. for the 2019-20 year along with 5 other candidates. Ashlea Boyer announced that there will be a board meeting this Thursday at the Arroyo Grande hospital. The next Rotary annual convention will be in Atlanta Georgia on June 9 through the 13th.
FINES:
Fine Master Jack Hardy fined himself $25 for not introducing one of the guests at his table. He then fined Charla Anderson $26 for her October 6 wedding anniversary with J. T. Jim Lewis was fined $15 for talking out of turn. Erik Mund was fined $25 for his 13th wedding anniversary with Lindsey. Karen Zappia and Mike Frederick were fined $10 each for not wearing their Rotary pins. Pres. Greg Baker, John Traversaro and Peter Candela were fined $35, $25 and $25, respectively for not wearing their membership badges.
Program: Ron De Carli, Executive Director SLO Council of Governments-“Self Help County Sales Tax Proposal”
Ron started by stating that traffic congestion is going up while gas consumption is going down. This results in less revenue based on the gas tax coming into the treasury. Gas tax revenue 2013-16: 2013: 21 cents/gallon; 2014: 18 cents/gallon; 2015: 12 cents/gallon and 2016: 9.8 cents/gallon of gasoline purchased. It costs $4/yard² for sealing; $25/yd.² for overlaying; $30/ yd.² for filling; and $87/yd.² for reconstructing the roads. Funding is deteriorating; Sacramento has further cut funds for transportation despite the lobbying efforts by cities and counties throughout the state; and there’s an increasing shift to grant funding requiring matching funds. For these and other reasons, major J Self-Help Local Transportation Investment Plan is on the ballot for this November 8 election. It proposes a 1/2 cent sales tax for transportation to fix potholes, repave local streets, relieve traffic congestion; improve street highway and bridge safety; make bike and transit improvements within and between communities, increase senior veterans disabled and student transit; and provide safe routes to school. Ron then passed out a brochure that explains this in greater detail. 25% of the money from this proposal will go to South 101: 17.5 million will go to relieve route 227 congestion. The following safeguards are in place: (1) a nine-year sunset date; (2) protected from state raids; (3) annual in-depth audit and report; and (4) funds not to replace fair share contribution from new development; (5) a 1% administrative expense; and (6) an independent taxpayer oversight committee.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KAREN ZAPPIA: he
“It’s not who you think you are that holds you back; it’s who you think you’re not.”
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Aug 16, 2016-Rotary Forum PROGRAM August 16, 2016: Pismo Beach Police Chief Jake Miller - “Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Greg Baker started the meeting at 12:34 PM, with his usual “What happened on this date in history?” The Woodstock Music Festival in 1969; Elvis Presley died in 1977; and 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting American women the right to vote was ratified in 1920.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Jeff King reported with less than two weeks to go weeks to the Summer Sizzle fundraiser we are still looking for auction items and sponsors. Connie O’Henley reported that less than half of the ticket stubs and money have been turned in and she urged everyone to bring them in at least by next Tuesday’s meeting. Linda Osty is organizing a special dinner to make another few thousand as part of this fundraiser. Ashlea Boyer is asking everyone to make sure there silent-auction items are turned in here at McClintock’s or at her office. Sharon Ellis celebrated her birthday on this date. Don and Jackie Weber have been married 51 years on August 21. Pres. Greg reported that Roger Frederickson requested a leave of absence because he will be in court trying a case for the foreseeable future and will have two give up his position as Director of Youth Services, which is now the new title for Mike Frederick. Jack Hardy announced that his son opens for Trace Adkins at the Pozo saloon on August 21. [It has been announced on the Internet that this show has been canceled due to unforeseen circumstances.]
FINES:
Fine master Jim Lewis fined Mike Frederick $10 for volunteering to accept his new position. Mark Olson was fined $20 for not introducing Chief Miller. Peter Candela was fined $10 for giving an incorrect answer and Jim Lewis fined himself
PROGRAM: Pismo Beach Police Chief Jake Miller – “Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA)”
Jim Lewis introduced Chief Miller who has been with the force for 22 years and Chief for 2 years. He began by thinking of us for giving him the opportunity to speak again to our club. The Department was first accredited 12 years ago before he became a Commander. He recalls that the Department thought that this accreditation process would not be too difficult, but they were mistaken as it took from 2004 to 2007 to receive their accreditation. CALEA was created in 1979 as a result of the civil uprisings of the late 60s and early 70s through the efforts of the law enforcement's major executive associations: International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP); National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE); National Sheriffs' Association (NSA); and the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Accreditation involves a 5 phase process: (1) enrollment; (2) self-assessment; (3) on-site assessment; (4) commission review and decision; and (5) maintain compliance. The department was subjected to nine areas of review: (1) law enforcement; (2) organization; (3) personnel structure; (4) personnel process; (5) law enforcement operation; (6) operation support; (7) traffic organization; (eight) detainer in court related activities; and (9) auxiliary and tech services.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY GREG BAKER:
“Don’t just look for a miracle for yourself; become someone’s miracle a serving others.”
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Aug 9, 2016-Rotary ForumPROGRAM August 9, 2016: Andrea Lueker – “Port San Luis Update”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Greg Baker started the meeting at 12:34 PM, by stated that Gerald Ford became the 38th U.S. president on this date in 1974 and, in the spirit of the Olympics, Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals in August 1936 at the Olympics in Germany.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg announced a board meeting will be held this Thursday, August 11 in the Arroyo Grande Hospital board room. He urged everyone to join the Centurion Club at a cost of $126.50. Jeff King reported there is less than 3 weeks to the Summer Sizzle fundraiser and that Tommy Thompson is donating a purple girls bicycle for the auction and we have one $2500 event sponsor as well as 2 $500 sponsors. See Linda Osty about her plan for us to make another few thousand at this fundraiser. Karen Zappia is taking vacationing Ashlea Boyer’s place as silent-auction coordinator, so see her for any questions on this matter. Steve Curry reported that all those that want to take a hike on the Pismo Preserve meet at the end of Mattie Road.
FINES:
Fine master Jim Lewis fined Jack Hardy $25 for not putting up the American flag and Linda Osty and Eric Mund $20 for not correctly answering the trivia questions. Karen Zappia’s second anniversary was recognized with a $20 assessment. Jim Lewis fined himself $52 for his 14 years of marriage with Debbie. Honorary member Paul Jones fined himself $20 for his 67 years of marriage with Joy. Andrea Lue donated $20 in Crappy Bucks because the Red Sox beat her Angels. Jeff King donated $25 Happy Bucks for the Hoosegow Park in Arroyo Grande that he passes by every day. Sharon Ellis also donated $20 Happy Bucks.
PROGRAM: Andrea Lueker – “Port San Luis Update”
Andrea, who recently became the Harbor Master for the Port San Luis District that includes 68,000 voters, began by presenting a slideshow. The District employs 25 full-time and 20 part-time/seasonal employees (such as lifeguards). It was founded in 1954 and was greatly improved in 1967 by adding acres of landfill that came from dredging. She mentioned that dredging is a continuous process that takes place from January to June. They are responsible for the Avila Bay, Hartford, Cal Poly piers. They allocate $200,000 a year to Hartford pier repairs. Recently a company renovated the old icehouse to package and freeze Pacific hagfish, which has a long, eel-like body, for sending to Japan where it is a great delicacy. They are in the process of a $10-$12 million project to produce an RV and camping site on the Harbor Terrace, presently used for the storage of boats. To find out more about the Port she directed us to go online to view their Facebook page.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARIN ZAPPIA:
“Be the motivator not the distractor.”
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Aug 3, 2016-Rotary forumPROGRAM Aug. 3, 2016: Jim Lewis – “City of Pismo Beach Update”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Greg Baker started the meeting at 12:34 PM by referring to the attack on John F.’s Kennedy’s P T boat during WWII that took place on this date in 1943. He then auctioned off the fine-free badge to Joel Conn.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg announced that he was replacing last year’s President’s Club with the Centurion Club in recognition of the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation plus the $26.50 first contribution to that Foundation. Ashlea Boyer reported that she still looking for 2 silent auction items from each member today or they will be placed on her disapproval list. Pres. Greg reported on a special concert to be held at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara on Friday, November 11, 2016 at 8:00PM in support of the Polio Plus campaign. He encouraged us to sign up to attend this event.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson began by assessing $40 fines on Linda Osty and Pres. Greg for their respective birthdays on August 5 and August 3. Past Pres. Joel Conn was recognized for also having a birthday on August 3. Charla Anderson 20 years and Dick Dannells 25 years with the Club were recognized with $30 and $40 fines, respectively. Peter Candela was assessed $40 for a smartphone infraction. Steve Curry and Frank Montesinos received $30 fines and Sharon Ellis and Lee Ann Liscombe received $20 fines in the usual trivial quiz contest. Mike Frederick and Kari Ziegler received $10 interruption of fine master fines.
PROGRAM: Jim Lewis – “City of Pismo Beach Update”
Jim Lewis began with the community vision, which, in part, is to provide a safe place while maintaining a small beach town character. During the recent budget year of 2015-2016, the city wound up with a $4.1 million surplus and ended with a $12.1 million fund balance. This places them in a position to move forward on prepaid major projects. The occupancy tax for the hotels and resorts rose from 8.6 in 2015 to 9.6% in 2016. Although the occupancy rate as remained about the same, the hotel rates have gone up 6.2%. There was a 16.2% increase in building permits. The goals of the Pismo Beach Council include: (1) conserve and grow the water supply; (2) enhance the downtown parking and circulation; (3) implement the downtown revitalization; (4) construct the Shell Beach streetscape; (5) implement and reuse the old City Hall; and (6) adopt the Shell Beach development standards. Other goals include setting standards for the Chapman Estate; study the feasibility of a new firehouse; getting the Pismo Preserve up and running; helping the downtown; and rebuilding one fourth of the Pismo pier, a $3½ million project. Jim showed slides of the planned city improvements. He reported on the wastewater treatment currently going into the ocean and divert it a tertiary level of treatment. The resulting treated water will supply ½ of the city’s normal water. The city has achieved 24% water conservation for the last year. He then took questions from the floor.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY KARIN ZAPPIA:
“Don’t make excuses; make improvements.”
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July 26, 2016-Rotary ForumPROGRAM July 26, 2016: Michael Boyer – “Club Runner”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Greg Baker started the meeting at 12:39 PM by stating that the U.S. Constitution was ratified 288 years ago.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg again called upon Jeff King to give the Summer Sizzle update. Jeff stated we have obtained Premier Valley Bank as Summer Sizzle’s major sponsor. He gave the good news that Kari Ziegler has organized the food for this event very well and the bad news that we have very few silent auction items at this point. We are asked to fill out a sign-up sheet for such auction items and turn them in next week. Michael Boyer has arranged to have 10 Madonna cakes available for the Summer Sizzle auction at $40-$60. He is asking 10 members to come forward to buy a cake to be auctioned off. Pres. Greg announced that Jack Hardy has agreed to fill in as Sgt. of Arms, the position that John Murphy has served so well during the past two years. Linda Osty , Past Pres. of Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation thanked the following members who served with her on the Foundation board: Michael Boyer, the new Foundation Pres., John Traversaro, Connie O’Henley, Jeff King, Bruce Beaudoin, Paul Jones, Cliff Nagler, Don Weber and Steve Curry. She stated that Jeff King will be leaving the board this term. She also expressed her great appreciation for Paul Jones’ service to this club and the fact that we will really miss him. Paul was then asked by Pres. Greg to come forward to receive an Honorary Membership in of our Club in recognition for his 45 years as a Rotarian. Paul then spoke briefly and stated that he is present with his wife Joy in celebration of their 67th wedding anniversary and that the Rotary tradition will continue with his son who is a member of the Elk Grove Rotary Club. Pres. Greg circulated a thank you letter from the Boy Scouts for the Community Program donation.
FINES:
Pres. Greg called upon Jim Lewis to come forward to act as fine master in the absence of Mark Olson. $50, $60 and $70 birthday fines were charged to Michael Boyer (July 24), Cliff Nagler (July 27) and Deenie Dotson (July 30). Andrea Lueker was fined $50 for insulting Jim Lewis. Scott Astrosky was fined $25 for developing facial hair during his 2 ½ week trip to China for the non-profit One Dream Foundation. Jack Hardy charged Pres. Greg $25 for his president’s membership badge.
PROGRAM: Michael Boyer – “Club Runner”
[Editor’s note: the following report on the program was written by Paul Holden in editor’s absence.]
Club Runner
It is a tool for publishing our newsletter and communicating with each other via its e-mail service. It is also useful to the outside world so they know where and when our Club meets.
Question:
How do we send e-mails?
Answer:
Click on member area tab.
Log into Club Runner (if you don’t know your password, enter your user ID which is your e-mail address, and click on ‘send me my password’ then check your e-mail for your password, if this fails contact Michael to reset your password).
Click on Email Message Center.
Click on Create Email and Follow Steps 1-6
Michael mentioned to find out more information on a Club Member click on Active Member List and click on member of interest. This is a good way to find like a spouses name.
There is a Club Runner mobile app that Michael finds handy for downloading contact info into his phone.
Clicking on the Upcoming Events tab takes you to our Facebook pages and shows our Club’s upcoming events.
RI’s web site is the source of Club Runner’s initial information about club members. Once Deenie Dotson enters new member info into the RI web site it automatically transfers to Club Runner.
On Box.com
Our club now uses this as our document filing system. It allows members and club directors to store documents they create throughout the year into appropriate categories (e.g. Admin. President 2016-2017, International Service 2016-2017). This is no limit to our storage usage for current and historical documentation.
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July 19, 2016 Rotary ForumPROGRAM July 19, 2016: Pres. Greg Baker – “Club Assembly”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Greg Baker started the meeting at 12:30 PM by revealing a few historical events that took place on this date, e.g. the fact that Neil Armstrong’s moonwalk was on July 20, 1969.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Greg called upon Jeff King for a Summer Sizzle update. Jeff stated we are way short of having to 2 bottles of wine per member for the live auction. Ashlea Boyer pleaded with all members to bring in their silent auction items as soon as possible. Pres. Greg also announced that after a brief trial period, McClintock’s has been selected as our permanent home. Pres. Greg was sad to report that John and Martha Murphy have submitted their resignations from the Club. Past Pres. Joel thanked those members that have helped on the installation of the parklet. They included Anya Stanley, Frank Montesinos, Shannon Bowdey, Paul Holden, Sharon Ellis, Dick Dannells and Pres. Greg Baker. Pres. Greg stated that 2017 will be the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Foundation and we will collaborate with other clubs in the area to bring the message of Rotary to the public. He also asked everyone to contribute $26.50 to the Rotary Foundation to equal the amount that was first contributed on June,1917.
FINES:
Pres. Greg called upon fine master Mark Olson to do his thing and proceeded to recognize Dick Dannells’ wife Rae Alee who celebrated her birthday and was pleased to receive $1 for each of her 76 years. Mike and Duskie Kee’s 7th anniversary resulted in a $50 recognition fee. Mary Ann and Herbert Reiss’ 21st anniversary yielded a $40 fine. In his trivia questions, Jack Hardy lost $20 to Steve Curry; Eric Mund lost $25 to past Pres. Joel.
PROGRAM: Pres. Greg Baker – “Club Assembly”
Pres. Greg began by reviewing the upcoming events under the absent Community Service Dir. Montisa Phelan Lopez: the Christmas movie/St. Pat’s Outreach; Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival; Pismo Preserve benches; Community Giving starting in October. He also reported on absent International Service Dir. Paul Holden’s projects: the Uganda solar panels for the schools and similar projects. Rotary Foundation Chair Steve Curry reported on the fact they were able to add an additional $1500 scholarship along with $1500 from the District because of the success at the annual golf tournament last month; he also requested that we have 18 Paul Harris Fellows, 5 benefactors and 1 bequest society member by the end of the year. Pres. Elect Jeff King’s task this year is to keep track of our club’s progress toward earning District and Rotary International awards. Past Pres./Membership Chair Joel reported that our goal is 60 members in three years and at least a net of 3 members this year assuming a 90% retention of existing members. There is a need to improve new member, spouse and family involvement in our Club. Club Service Dir. Karen Zappia has been hard at work obtaining programs for the next few months. Public Relations Chair Shannon Bowdey has obtained 752 Facebook likes with a goal of at least 1000. She will prepare and submit to the San Luis Obispo Tribune a press release on the partlet that will include press coverage for a formal ribbon-cutting. Youth Service Dir. Roger Frederickson will be in charge of the Soccer Tournament and the Youth Literacy book program. Vocational Dir. Ashlea Boyer stated that we will have four vocational visits this year, 1 for each quarter. She also stated that we will join the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce and hold a Chamber fixer this fall.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PRES. GREG:
"Advice From A Tree: Stand tall and proud. Sink your roots into the earth. Be content with your natural beauty. Go out on a limb. Drink plenty of water. Remember your roots. Enjoy the view! " - Ilan Shamir
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June 21 2016-Rotary ForumJune 21, 2016: PROGRAM: Joel Conn – “Service Recognition Awards and a Summary of Our Rotary Year”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the last official meeting of his year at 12:34 PM by having John Traversaro give our Foundation minute. John explained how we can all make a great difference by giving to the Foundation through our wills and trusts are simply by writing a check made out to the Rotary Club of Pismo Beach/5 Cities Foundation.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Karen Zappia $20 for not standing when he was speaking. Scott Astrosky’s $10 fine for not being attentive was paid by Anya Stanley. Karen’s fine was paid by Don Weber. Anya Stanley was fined $50 for her Washington vacation. She was also fined $1 for improperly introducing one of the representatives of a charity.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Jeff King announced that Cliff Nagler and Don Weber were nominated to become members of the Club’s Foundation Board of Directors and were subsequently voted in by unanimous assent. Anya Stanley had the representatives and their sponsors of the following charities to come forward to accept their Community Giving checks: SLO Womanade, Teen Challenge, the YMCA, and and the Boy Scouts of America.
PROGRAM: “Service Recognition Awards and a Summary of Our Rotary Year”
Pres. Joel had each the following Rotarians come forward to accept tokens of appreciation for their service to the Club during the year: Greg Baker, Pres.-Elect, Summer Sizzle and Awards Chairman; Michael Boyer, Past Pres.; Deenie Dotson, Sec.; Lee Ann Liscombe, Treasurer; Harlan Silva, Assistant Treasurer; John Murphy, Sgt. At Arms; Ashlea Boyer, Club Service Director; Montisa Phelan Lopez, Community Service Director; Steve Curry, International and Grants Director; Paul Holden, Paul Harris Chairman; Shannon Bowdey, Public Relations Director; Jeff King, Club Foundation; Connie O Henley, Advisor; Sandy Lubin, Advisor; Martha Murphy, Advisor; Chuck Anders, Club Polling; Bruce Beaudoin , Paul Harris Dinner; Dick Dannells, Bulletin Editor; Sharon Ellis, 50-50 Drawing; Terry Fibich, Highway Cleanup; Paul Jones, Thoughts For The Day; Jim Lewis, vocational Director; Bonnie Morgan, Rotary Socials; Mary Ann Reese, Rotary Socials; Frank Montesinos, Our Parklet; Linda Osty, Christmas Movie; Anya Stanley, Community Giving and Our Parklet; John and Marcia Traversaro, Pinot For Polio; Karen Zappa, Programs; and Jack Hardy, entertainment. Pres. Joel presented a very fine video of photos depicting our accomplishments for the year and received a standing ovation.
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June 14, 2016-Rotary ForumProgram June 14, 2016: PROGRAM: District Governor Nominee 2017-18
John Weiss– “Experiences in South Korea”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began his next to the last meeting at 12:34 PM with the usual guest introductions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Michael Boyer reported that a short demotion meeting will take place immediately after this meeting. Jeff King reported that an August 28 Summer Sizzle meeting will be held after the latter meeting. Sharon Ellis called the representatives accompanied by their sponsors of the following charities to come forward to accept their Community Giving checks: American Legion Cambria Post 432-Welcome Home Military Heroes; American Legion Post Unit 66-Military Parents and Friends; and Jack’s Helping Hands.
FINES:
Fine master Mark Olson held his usual trivial pursuit quiz show resulting in $20 fines for Karen Zambia and Don Weber, $10 fines for Cliff Nagler, Eric Mund and Andrea Lugar. John Traversaro was fined $10 by Pres. Joel for accepting $10 of Don Weber’s fines. Pres. Joel then recognized, without fines, John for his wife’s birthday and for Steve Curry’s 70th birthday.
PROGRAM: PROGRAM: District Governor Nominee 2017-18 John Weiss– “Experiences in South Korea”
Ashley Boyer introduced John who began by presenting a slideshow of his family and then a number of photos taken at the recent Rotary International convention in Seoul, South Korea and while he attended the District Conference in Korea in April. The first S. Korean Rotary club was started in 1927 and now there are over 59,000 members with over 28,000 Paul Harris members. This makes them the fourth largest Rotary club in the world behind the US, India and Japan. He noted that Korea is doing very well economically and his experiences indicate that they are a very generous people. He noted that their Hyundai plant manufactures 6000 cars a day. He met with a past District Gov. of Korea that counts Maria and Arnie Dowdy as good friends and John showed a picture of Maria taken during a trip to South Korea a number of years ago.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“The person that never made a mistake, never made a discovery.”
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Jun 7 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram June 7, 2016: PROGRAM: Michael Boyer – “Rotary International Changes in Image”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:36 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Steve Curry for $50.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel called upon Jeff King to report on Summer Sizzle. Jeff stated that every member is requested to bring 2 nice bottles of wine for the live auction and and to fill out a sign-up sheet with the type and vintage of each of the bottles we donate. Steve Curry reported that he had a great time in Uganda on our Club’s Rotary projects and will present a program on the subject in the coming year after he collates 200 pictures and 5 to 6 hours of movies. Connie O’Henley said that she is sending out formal announcements to Pres. Joel’s demotion on June 28 at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. We will be given the choice of top sirloin, fish and a vegetarian entrée. Pres.-elect Greg Baker stated that the RI Convention in Seoul, South Korea was an awesome event. Sharon Ellis asked the representatives accompanied by their sponsors of the following charities to come forward to accept their checks: Five Cities Meals on Wheels; Restorative Partners and Engineers without Borders.
FINES:
Pres. Joel was fined by Sgt. of Arms John Murphy for not starting with the introduction of guests, even though Pres. Joel explained later that it was to save time by having the representatives of the charities be introduced before the other introductions. Pres. Joel called upon fine master Mark Olson to do the honors and he fined Mike Frederick $1 for each of his 59 years as of June 8. Mark fined Kari Ziegler and Don Weber $10 each for not answering a trivia question.
PROGRAM: PROGRAM: Michael Boyer – “Rotary International Changes in Image”
Michael explained that RI comprises 530 Districts organized within 34 zones and he is working with zones 25 and 26 that include all of California, Arizona, Oregon and parts of Washington and Idaho. RI is in the process of changing their image. One definition of Rotary that has acceptance is “Rotary brings leaders together who step forward to take action on some of the challenges in their communities.” Reasons for joining Rotary include fellowship, ethics, diversity and vocational expertise. There are three key components of this change the image endeavor: (1) What is Rotary’s brand experience? (2) What do words and actions say about your club? (3) How does the community view our club’s brand? The classic Rotary gear wheel contains the “Rotary” that is in such small print that non-Rotarians have no idea what the pin means. The new Rotary logo will contain “Rotary” next to the gear wheel. Also each of the logos will be a single color.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY JEFF KING:
“All things come to those who wait and only what’s left from those that hustle.”
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May 31 2016 Rotary ForumProgram May 31, 2016: PROGRAM: Kendra Aronson – “SLO FARMER’S MARKET COOKBOOK”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests. He then turned to Sandy Lubin for the induction of Beth Raub as our newest member. Beth received a Bachelor’s Degree from Cal Poly in social work and is now the director of the Boys & Girls Club of San Luis Obispo County. On July 7 her club will be holding a Texas Hold’em fundraiser.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel called upon Linda Osty to give our club’s Foundation Moment. She indicated that as a result of the 2016 annual golf classic we raised more money than all the prior years, which means that we can know provide 4 scholarships next year rather than 3. Martha Murphy read a thank you letter from Alexandra, the the scholarship winner of most improved student at Arroyo Grande High School. John Murphy raffled off to next week’s Giant-Dodger baseball game plus a parking ticket for only $50 to John Traversaro. Jim Lewis reported that he had a low turnout on recommendations for next year’s vocational visits. He’ll use the Internet to get more responses. Anya Stanley had representatives from the Canine Program; St. Pat’s Outreach; and Arroyo Grande Hospital come forward to receive their charitable donation checks.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Jeff King one dollar for each of his 67 years as of June 3. He also recognized Dick Dannells for his third wedding anniversary with Rae without a fine. Sandy Lubin was sad to report that his nephew died of a brain aneurysm, but was happy to report that he sold a portion of his business,The Credit Bureau of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties, which he bought from a fellow Rotarian in 1992, and put in $100 Happy Bucks. Michael Boyer put in $100 Happy Bucks.
PROGRAM: Kendra Aronson – “SLO FARMER’S MARKET COOKBOOK”
Ashley Boyer introduced Kendra the writer, photo editor, graphic designer, self-financer using crow funding, publisher, and marketeer of her 196 page cookbook. Although she lacked experience, she made up for in her enthusiasm. Her crowd funding raised $26,714 from 418 backers. $9000 was added from her own funding to cover the $35,000 production cost for the initial printing of 1500 books in 2015. Her second printing of 6000 copies in March 2016 has been sold and she has sold 1700 copies of her third printing. Barnes and Noble in San Luis Obispo has agreed to include her cookbook on the shelves. The books sell for $35 a copy.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Don’t stop laughing because your old, you grow old because you stop laughing.”
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May 24 2016-Rotary ForumProgram May 24, 2016: The Arroyo Grande High School Scholarship Winners
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:36 PM by having Andrea Lugar, who was inducted two weeks ago, to give a brief bio. She is currently the Harbor Master of the San Luis Port.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel called upon Bruce Beaudoin to report on the Paul Harris social at Marcia’s and his home. Bruce and Marcia were given a round of applause for the event that attracted 50 people. Kyle, the president of the San Luis Rotaract club, announced that 100 tickets are available for the June 24 baseball game of the San Luis Blues at the Sinsheimer Stadium. He also announced that a May 31 fundraiser that includes a $20 complete dinner by Tahoe Joe’s at 485 Madonna Rd. for dine-in or take out. Karen Zappia asked us to fill out forms for suggestions on vocational tours for the upcoming Rotary year. A demotion planning party will be held immediately following this meeting. Peter Candela finally was able to turn in his red badge for the permanent blue badge. Anya Stanley had representatives of the following recipients of the Community Giving Program come forward to receive their donations: Big Brother and Big Sister, Restorative Partners and the Clark Center.
FINES:
Pres. Joel asked the following to come forward: Bruce Beaudoin, Shannon Bowdey, Chuck Anders Mary Ann Reese Cliff Nagler, Kari Ziegler, and Montisa Phelan Lopez. All were celebrating birthdays except Cliff, who is celebrating his wife Samantha’s birthday and Montisa, who is celebrating her 23rd wedding anniversary with Leon. He fined Chuck and Cliff $37 each; the remaining group is maxed out on their fines this year. Club anniversaries were recognized including Sandy Lubin for his 17 years, Martha Murphy for 12 years and John Traversaro for 2 years with this club and 10 years with a previous club. Only Martha received a fine in the amount of $30. $10 Happy Bucks were donated by Dick Dannells and Ashley Boyer in connection with the purchase and sale of a house, respectively, and Mary Ann Reese for each of her 2 grandchildren. $20 Happy Bucks were donated by Scott Astrosky for having a good closing last week and Deenie Dotson for the return of her traveling husband. Martha Murphy donated $25 of Sad Bucks for her less than stellar introduction of the scholarship winners.
PROGRAM: The Arroyo Grande High School Scholarship Winners
Martha Murphy introduced the winners of $2500 scholarships. The most improved student scholarships went to Alexandria who is going on to Cuesta College and hopefully will go on to obtain a doctor’s degree in sociology with the goal of becoming a social worker. Lilyann, who came from a family whose father worked three jobs to keep a roof over their heads, is planning to go to University of California at Riverside with the goal to becoming a doctor in pediatrics. The FFA scholarship went to Samantha who is going to Cal Polly with a major in agriculture. The Arroyo Grande High School Interact club scholarship went to Griffin Berlin, who is their past president with a 5.0 academic record. He is going on to Yale.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Enjoy life now-it has an expiration date.”
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May 10 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram May 10, 2016: The 4-Way Test Essay Contest Winners
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:34 PM by having Steve Curry induct a new member Andrea Lueker in a transfer from the Morro Bay Rotary Club.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry announced that due to the overwhelming success of the annual golf tournament, the Foundation will be able to fund 4 scholarships this year. The Paul Harris social will be held on May 22 at Bruce Beaudoin’s home. Pres. Joel announced that a short parklet meeting will be held after this meeting today.
PROGRAM: The 4-Way Test Essay Contest Winners
Martha Murphy introduced each of the 4-Way Test Essay Contest Winners starting with the Arroyo Grande High School winners. Third place went to Lucy Wicksrom for her essay on the subject of story of Major Winters popularized in the book Band of Brothers. Ryan Brennan came in second place with his essay on the subject of literacy. The first place prize went to Kimi White whose essay was entitled “The 4-Test and Me: Creating a Better Community.” The first place winners were Lily Li of Judkins Middle School with an Essay entitled the Four-Way Test of Things We Think, Say or Do;” Mikayla Provence of Branch Elementary with an essay entitled “Life Lessons from Softball Using the 4-Way Test;” and Mariella Conn of Ocean View Elementary with an essay entitled “Rotary 4-Way Test.” In addition to winning first place in the Middle School Division, Mikayla Provence won the District with her essay.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Don’t stop laughing because you are old; you grow old because you stop laughing.”
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May 3 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram May 3, 2016: Marvin Jackmon “Southern California Gas Company Pipeline Project”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:38 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Kari Ziegler for $65.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Martha Murphy and Frank Montesinos $10 each for interruptions. Mark Olson took over as fine master and assessed Lee Ann Liscombe $10 for a cell phone infraction, Karen Zappia for providing this information, and Anya Stanley $20 for her second year with the club. The fine for John Traversaro’s 25th anniversary with Marcia was reduced to zero as he was the first member of the Presidents club. Andy Park’s birthday was recognized with a $25 fine even though he is a member of the Presidents club. Terry Fibich received a $10 fine for noting that Anya Stanley made a mistake on the date of the club anniversary and Anya also received a $10 fine for squealing on the mistake.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry expressed his great appreciation for all those that contributed to the overwhelming success of the annual golf tournament that included Connie O Henley who did so many tasks during the tournament that it would take 8 Rotarians to replace her; Harlan Silva who took photographs of each of the golfers and then had them ready in personal frames for distribution at the end of the tournament; Linda Osty for enthusiasm and support; Jeff King for obtaining the most sponsors ever; Mike Frederick for obtaining the great-looking trophies; Cliff Nagler for his role in obtaining TV advertising; Karen Zappia for putting more sponsors on most of the holes; Ashley for coming through with the great raffle prizes; Anya Stanley for providing the minutes at the committee meetings; Chuck Anders who put together the hole sponsor signs; Paul Felice for putting together the goodie bags; John and Martha Murphy for packing the banquet with Rotarian and gifts; Shannon Bowdey who took the photographs around the course; Michael Boyer who set up the photographs for running continuously throughout the banquet; and Bruce Beaudoin on for his input and leadership. A sign-up sheet was circulated for those that did not receive one of the vests that were handed out at the tournament for the golfers. The Paul Harris dinner will be held on May 22 at Bruce Beaudoin’s home. Anya Stanley reported that there was 76% participation in the community giving program and the results will be announced in an email this afternoon.
PROGRAM: Marvin Jackmon “Southern California Gas Company Pipeline Project” Ashley Boyer introduced Marvin who is the Community Education & Outreach manager. Marvin is a former football player that went to Cal Polyand Cal State Fresno. He then went on to explain what they’re doing by ripping up the local streets, which is to replace the gas pipelines that did not pass the hydrostatic pressure test (putting the pipes under 245,000 pounds pressure) or for which no records exist from 1946 forward. In Atascadero they conducted an 8 miles hydrostatic test. He emphasized that safety is their greatest concern and that they were prompted into reevaluating the pipelines after the gas line explosion in San Bruno. At present, they are working on Price Street and Bello Street in Pismo Beach to get this project done before Memorial Day. This is part of project 5A, which will be completed in 2018. After that they will proceed on the other side of the railroad tracks. Next year they will be working on Ontario Road and San Luis Beach Drive in Avila Beach.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“From birth to 18 a girl needs good parents; from 18-35 she needs good looks; from 35-55 she needs a good personality; and from 55 and older she needs good cash.”
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Apr 26 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram April 26, 2016: RYLA Participants and Arroyo Grande High School Interact Officers “Highlights of Interact for the Year and RYLA Camp”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel began the meeting at 12:39 PM with the usual guest introductions. He fined Chuck Anders $10 for interrupting a guest introduction and then called upon Don Weber to give the Rotary Foundation minute in which Don reiterated the recipients during its past 16 years since it was founded. During that time $673,000 was raised, primarily from our annual golf tournament. High school student scholarships are the main charitable focus of the Foundation.
FINES:
Scott Astrosky’s 50th year on this earth was recognized without a fine. Don Weber’s 83rd birthday only cost him a $20 spin-the-wheel fine, however he turned that fine into $83 of Happy Bucks. Roger Frederickson’s wife’s birthday will be celebrated with the Taste of San Luis Obispo on Saturday afternoon and then a wine limousine tour that evening. Greg Baker paid $10 of Happy Bucks because he forgot that last week, April 19, was Paul Harris’ birthday.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry stated a couple foursomes have dropped out so that we are still at 33 foursomes with room for a couple more. This will still make it the largest tournament in terms of participation and hole sponsors that we’ve ever had. Karen Zambia still needs volunteers for on-site activities. Ashlea Boyer suggested if anyone has any raffle items that she will come and pick them up or else bring a bottle of wine or similar raffle item to the event. Pres. Joel stated that to be sure to come to the next meeting meeting at McClintock’s restaurant. It will feature Marvin Jackman of the Southern California Gas Company to discuss the Central Coast underground pipeline project. He reminded everyone to enter through back dining room and to use the back parking lot. Anya Stanley stated that today is the last day to use paper ballots for the Community Giving Program; you can use the on-line system until April 30. Sharon Ellis reported that on May 16 is the first quarterly dinner party for those that have signed up. Frank Montesinos said that May 5 is the date for the Pismo Beach Parks Parks and Recreation Department to review our partlet plans.
PROGRAM: RYLA Participants and Arroyo Grande High School Interact Officers “Highlights of Interact for the Year and RYLA Camp”
Connie O'Henley introduced the speakers and Michael Boyer spoke about RYLA, which includes 500 youth leadership camps around the world focusing on high school sophomores and juniors in some camps and college students in other camps. Our club sponsored 8 of the 12 students that were speakers today. One of the common themes that all 12 agreed-upon is that RYLA enabled them to meet and become friends with new people and that the program was beyond what they had expected. Other comments included that I learned a lot; it had a great impact on me; it changed my life; I thought it would be a drag but it was not that at all; the speakers were amazing; I went there nervous but changed in a very short time; I found that the people I met had similar goals but that everyone is different; there were great goal-setting seminars; I am a runner and I was afraid I would have to be running alone, but I found I had others and that joined me every morning for my run; and I plan to stay in touch with the friends that I met. The past Interact officers of that included president Griffin Berlin. Some of the projects for the year included volunteering at the Halloween gift drive, the Pismo Beach Veterans Hall Thanksgiving dinner, the Stop Hunger Now charity, and their spring international project of women rights in Malawi Africa.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
John Wooden
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Apr 19 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram April 19, 2016: Shirley Grace “What Is a Rotarian?”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Elect Greg Baker took over the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual guest introductions. He called upon Shirley to pin the permanent member badge on our newest member Eric Mund, who earned it in 11 days.
FINES:
Jim Lewis came forward as fine master and recognized Bruce Beaudoin for his 49 years of marriage with Marcia on May 22nd. He encouraged Bruce to celebrate the event with Happy Bucks and Bruce complied with $100. Harlan Silva was fined $20 for interrupting the fine master. Terry Fibich's 38 years of marriage with Linda was celebrated with $20 Happy Bucks . Cliff and Samantha trip to the big Island of Hawaii was recognized with an $80 fine. Mike Kee added $50 Happy Bucks to welcome home his wife from her recent trip.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel stated that an interim board meeting will be held right after this meeting. Martha Murphy asked all members to stand who helped to judge the 4 Way Test essays. She then circulated a sign-up to judge the scholarship recipients at her home on April 21. The essay winners will be announced during our May 10 meeting. Steve Curry stated we have 34 committed teams for the golf turnament and have room for 2 more foursomes. We still need items to fill the goodie bags. Karen Zambia needs volunteers at various tee locations. Ashlea Boyer reported on the raffle prizes that been turned in, but that we still need more. Pres. Joel reported that we have only one more meeting at Steamers Restaurant and then we will be meeting at McClintock’s restaurant starting on May 3 until the end of his term . Michael Boyer announced that our last Steamers' meeting will feature the RYLA students. Mary Ann Reese reminded everybody that the next Rotary social is tomorrow at the Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach. We are asked to reserve Sunday, May 22nd for the Rotary Foundation social at Bruce Beaudoin’s home. Anya Stanley stated that 20 ballots have been handed in for the Community Giving Program. Terry Fibich wins the $325 raffle prize when Shirley Grace drew his number¶
PROGRAM: Shirley Grace “What Is a Rotarian?”
Shirley is a member and Past President of the Fresno Rotary Club and a past 5230 District Governor for District 5230. She began by asking the question, what is a Rotarian? One of her answers is: one who follows his or her destination. As a young girl, she asked her grandmother to buy her a dress, but instead of buying her a dress she was taught how to use a sewing machine. So fast forward when she was the president of herRotary club she ironically received two grants along with a District and India to provide sewing machines to underprivileged Indian women to provide them a higher standard of living. Over the years she has been involved with providing grant money to seven Indian projects. As District Gov., she again traveled to India to participate in the delivery of 756 wheelchairs to well deserving handicapped individuals. She showed a short video of her recent Indian experience including participating in national immunization day (NID). She then told the story of a Jeffrey that suffered brain damage at birth and went on to make use of of the Rotary House, which allows parents of medically afflicted children to have a few hours of freedom during the day. Jeffrey went on to become prom King. She ended her story by stating that her son Jeffrey recently passed away when she returned from NID. Her final answer to the title question is: (1) be yourself; (2) live the Four Way Test; and (3) give where your passion moves you.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday, but never remembers her age.” Robert Frost
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Apr 12 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram April 12, 2016: Anya Stanley “Revised Community Giving Program”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual guest introductions.
FINES:
Pres. Joel assessed Martha Murphy a $15 spin-the-wheel fine for her slight mistake in introducing the Assistant District Gov. $20 for advertising. Because there was time at the end of the meeting, Pres. Joel called upon past president Mark Olson to serve as fine-master. He fined Jack Hardy $5 and and then fined Scott Astrosky $10 for interruptions and not introducing the guest at his table. Greg Baker was fined $40 for his six year wedding anniversary with Stacy. Tommy Thompson was fined $22 for his 22 years with the club. Steve and Linda’s wedding anniversary was recognized with a $38 fine. Chuck Anders, Shannon Bowdey, Sharon Ellis, and Martha Murphy were fined $10 for failing to answer Mark’s questions. Mike Frederick was fined $10 for a smart phone infraction.
announcements:
Steve Curry gave an update on the golf tournament in which 35 teams are committed, which translates to 140 golfers. Jeff King reported that we have had great success in signing up golf tournament tee sponsors if you’re not playing golf. Paul Felice reported that he will need approximately 150 items to fill the goodie bags. See John Murphy to sign up for a $50 golf banquet ticket. Ashlea Boyer reported on the raffle prizes that been turned in, but that we still need more. Pres. Joel stated that Frank Montesinos submitted the architectural drawings for the parklet to Pismo Beach and we expect construction to begin in May. He also announced that Minor’s hardware gave a generous donation for materials for the parklet. Martha Murphy stated that she got another batch of Four Way Test essays so that in addition to tonight’s 6-9:30 p.m. judging they’ll be another one tomorrow night. She circulated another volunteer sign-up sheet for tomorrow. A SLO Monday Rotary club representative announced that she has tickets for the May 14 Spaghetti Western dinner as one of their major fundraisers. Pres. Joel reported that we have signed a 2 month agreement with McClintock’s restaurant starting this May to serve as our interim meeting place. He also reported that there will be a Rotary board meeting this Thursday night at the Arroyo Grande hospital. Mike Felice took the time for his craft talk to have people to give testimonials of their experience at Minor’s Hardware in exchange for a gift. The next Rotary social will be held at the Oyster Loft in Pismo Beach next Wednesday night as reported by Mary Ann Reese. ¶
PROGRAM: Anya Stanley “Revised Community Giving Program”
Anya began stating the members of her committee include Martha and John Murphy, Chuck Anders, and Scott Astrosky. We now have an anonymous on-line method of voting for the 18 charities turned in by their sponsors. The method, designed by Chuck Anders, works well with smart phones. If you find any glitches using the on-line method, call Chuck. Each Rotary member will be given $326 to allocate to his or her favorite charities. Anya stressed that we use an adding machine after we have allocated this money to make sure that the total adds up to $326 of each member . The last day for voting is April 30. If you do not want to use the on-line voting you simply fill out a ballot filling in the amounts for each of the charities, again making sure the total per member is $326. The total amount of money going to charities this year will be $15,000 that was raised during last year’s Summer Sizzle
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY DICK DANNELLS:
“We live in the greatest country on earth so we should be very thankful.”
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Apr 5 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram April 5, 2016: Steve DeRose and Jim Souza “Building Your Own Talent Pipeline One Student at a Time”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with the auctioning off of the fine-free badge to Cliff Nagler for $50, which enabled him to ward off a recognition fee for his 7th club anniversary.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Ashlea Boyer $20 for advertising. Happy Bucks of $20 were paid in by Paul Holden to celebrate his 65th birthday yesterday, of $20 by Jack Hardy for his grandchild, of $5 for each of Mary Ann Reese’s presence at the meeting and Eddie Aurand’s return from her leave of absence. Jim Lewis had a $20 spin-the-wheel fine for interrupting an announcement.
announcements:
Steve Curry announced that the golf tournament is on schedule with 30 teams committed. Paul Felice reported that Minor’s hardware will supply goodies bags, but we need to have approximately 140 items to fill the bags. Karen Zapia expressed the need for “On Hole” activities. Anya Stanley reported that we have 18 applications for the Community Giving Program, which we will begin to vote on next week. Frank Montesinos gave an update on our Partlet that will be placed in front of Pres. Joel’s business. He will be submitting the drawings to Pismo Beach City Council this Friday and if approved to the Parks & Recreation Department in May. Terry Fibich thanked Frank Montesinos, Mike Frederick and Scott Atrovsky for helping pick up trash along the highway last Saturday morning. Connie O Henley reported that the AGHS Interact Club will be holding a Bowl-a-thon at the Pismo Beach bowling alley from 6 to 8 PM this coming Friday to raise money for their international project. Martha Murphy circulated a sign-up sheet for volunteers for next Tuesday’s Rotary essay contest judging at her home. Paul Holden recognized Don Weber as a major contributor to the Rotary International Foundation. Jeff King reported that we have 54 tee sponsors for the annual golf tournament. John Murphy had the sad news that we will have to move from Steamer’s restaurant at the end of the month because it has been sold by Compass Health. Near-term alternates are the Crow’s Nest at Lighthouse Suites, McClintock’s and Comfort Market.
PROGRAM:
Ashlea Boyer introduced Steve DeRose, the retired head of the Ag Department and football and baseball coach at Arroyo Grande High School, and Jim Souza, a retired Arroyo Grande teacher. They have now been working together on recruiting companies to assist in mentoring students toward either a career or higher education. Steve began expressing appreciation for all of the support Rotary has given to the students of the Arroyo Grande High School over the years. He then showed a short video clip on career technical education (CTE). In the 1980s we had vocational training in the high schools, but that waned in the 1990s. Six years ago it became clear that even college graduates could not find jobs. By 2020 it is a predicted that the average college graduate will face a huge gap between what they learned and what is needed in the workplace. In the new programs that are being implemented, there is an emphasis on identifying the skills necessary for 16 industrial pathways so that the college graduate will be better prepared for the workplace of tomorrow. They are seeking individuals and local businesses to partner with the high schools to provide “work-based learning” opportunities for future employees. They need speakers, opportunities for job shadowing, mentors, internships, externships for teachers, panel judges, people to serve on an advisory committee, and finally volunteers to take part in the summer job fair entitled “Just 1 Program” on May 18 at the Arroyo Grande High School and May 19th at Nipomo High School.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Nothing ruins the truth like stretching it.”
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Mar 29, 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram March 29, 2016: Pat Fenton “Organic Management Renewable Energy Production”
As usual Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with guest introductions and then called upon Sandy Lubin to do the honors in inducting new member Eric Mund, General Manager of the Pismo Lighthouse Suites since August 2007.
announcements:
Paul Jones gave the list of Rotary Foundation board members that include himself, Linda Osty, Michael Boyer, John Traversaro, Connie O’Henley, Bruce Beaudoin, Jeff King, Cliff Nagler and legal advisor Roger Frederickson. Incoming Pres. Greg Baker reminded everyone going to the District Assembly in Oxnard on April 2, to a meet at 5-ish AM in the parking lot of Ameriprise Financial Services, 500 Cypress St., Pismo Beach. Steve Curry announced that the May 2 golf tournament is on schedule with 28 teams committed. Ashley Boyer reported that each member is responsible for bringing a bottle of wine or other golf tournament raffle item within the next 4 weeks. John Murphy asked all non-golfers to join Martha and him at the $50 golf tournament banquet. Anya Stanley read off the list of charitable organizations that have been submitted by their sponsors. She said the deadline for emailing additional organizations is March 31. Terry Fibich reported that this coming Saturday starting at 7:30 AM at Coco’s, volunteers will meet for breakfast and then spend about two hours on the highway cleanup. Sharon Ellis reported that 25 have signed up for quarterly dinners of four couples each.
FINES:
In the middle of the introduction of the guest speaker, Pat Fenton, Steve Curry interrupted to announce that Pat’s company, Waste Connections, is a gold sponsor for the annual golf tournament. This resulted in a Steve Curry $100 spin-the-wheel fine. Pres. Joel levied a $5 fine on all members except one because they left a visiting Rotarian to stand at the end of the buffet line. Andy Park’s Club anniversary was recognized. Cliff Nagler’s 10 years of marriage with Samantha resulted in a $40 spin-the- wheel fine. Sandy Lubin paid $100 dollars Happy Buck’s for his return from Hawaii and to commemorate a long time employee’s death at 56.
PROGRAM: Pat Fenton “Organic Management Renewable Energy Production”
Karen Zappa introduced Pat and Rigo Diaz, who assisted in the presentation of a three minute video on the dry Kompogas fermentation process for converting municipal, industrial and commercial biological waste matter into biogas. The biogas is used to generate electricity and heat and the residual matter from the fermentation process is used as solid and liquid biofertilizer. This system is to be installed adjacent to the Waste Connections facility near the airport. The Waste Connections will supply to the system the waste matter that includes not only yard trimmings, but restaurant food scraps. The impetus for Waste Connections to implement this process is the new California law AB 1826 AB 1826 that requires businesses to separate their food scraps and yard trimmings for composting or anaerobic digestion.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“A teakettle, although it is up to its neck in hot water, it continues to sing.”
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Mar 22, 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram March 23, 2016: Ben Fine “Regional Groundwater Sustainable Project”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:36 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel recognized Shannon Bowdey’s birthday with a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. Connie O’Henley 21st wedding anniversary with Donald and her March 28th birthday resulted in a $40 spin-the-fine that Pres. Joel will pay since she had the fine-free badge. $25 Happy Bucks were paid by Charla Anderson to honor her new great granddaughter and by Mark Olson to honor his adoption of two foster children.
announcements:
John Traversaro used posterboard signs to distinguish between the Rotary International (RI), the Rotary Foundation (TRF), and the Rotary Club of Pismo Beach Five Cities Charitable Foundation (RCPBFCCF), which has the annual classic golf tournament at the San Luis Obispo Country Club on Monday, May 2 as its major fundraiser. The Foundation fund is $135,000 and the goal is to increase it to $250,000 so that the income from the fund will support our annual scholarship donations. We will hear more about the campaign to reach this goal in the coming weeks. Steve Curry spoke of the need to obtain golf tournament sponsors and that Montisa Phelan Lopez has obtained 13 hole sponsors in a very short time by sending emails to friends and contacts she has had through her position at the Arroyo Grande Hospital. Connie O’Henley reported that there is one month of Interact meetings left in the school year and that the eighth Bowlathon will be held in Pismo Beach on April 8 to raise money for their second international project of the year. Recently Michael Boyer attended a 10 hour day conference entitled Rotary Leadership Institute in Chicago. Most of the attendees were past District Gov.’s although he was there because of his role as the Public Image consultant for the West Coast region of RI. Pres. Joel reported on the fact that the Pismo Beach Parklet that our club has submitted has been approved by the Pismo Beach City Council. He thanked the members who have volunteered for the Parklet committee and encouraged other members that have an interest to join the committee.
PROGRAM: Ben Fine “Regional Groundwater Sustainable Project”
Jim Lewis introduced Ben who joined the city in 2008 and became the Pismo Beach City Engineer and Public Works Dir. in 2013. They received a grant to study the recycle water project on April 21, 2015. They considered the following 6 items: (1) secondary 23 recycled water; (2) disinfected tertiary water; (3) full advanced treatment (FAT) for coastal injection or as a saltwater intrusion barrier; (4) FAT inland injection; (5) other surface supplies; and (6) do nothing. The goals include offering some potable water use and to diversify the water supply of Pismo Beach. Currently there are 1200 acre-feet of water lost to the ocean every day. After an economic study of the cost the best option was direct groundwater injection into coastal wells at a cost of $1900 per acre-feet, which is about equivalent to the cost of purchasing the water from the state. To implement this water recycle plan they have to first develop a ground water model, to test an injection well, to begin water quality sampling for reverse osmosis, to develop a process design, and to obtain the necessary permitting. They expect to get an agreement by the end of 2016, to obtain funding, design and permitting by mid-2017 and to begin construction by the end of 2018.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“May your neighbors respect you, your troubles neglect you, the Angels protect you and heaven protects you.” Old Irish Proverb
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Mar 15, 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram March 15, 2016: Pres. Joel “India-NDI (National Immunization Day)”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting a little early at 12:30 PM because he could not fit all he had to say about India in the usual program time.
FINES:
Pres. Elect Greg Baker failed to properly introduce the Past District Gov. resulting in a $60 spin-the-wheel fine. Birthdays of Roger Frederickson and the husband of Shannon Bowdey were recognized. John Murphy gave a solo rendition of the happy birthday song. Steve Curry’s 32 years with the club as a founding member was recognized with a $25 spin-the wheel fine.
announcements:
Incoming Pres. Greg Baker began reported on the District Assembly in Oxnard on April 2, which he urged all incoming board members to attend.
PROGRAM: Pres. Joel “India-NDI (National Immunization Day)”
Two weeks ago Pres. Joel began his journey to India, which he admitted was a trip that was very hard to encapsulate in words. New Delhi and Algarh in the northern part of India where the two cities in which he spent the most time. He then defined polio as being a highly contagious disease that is spread through contaminated water and food and that usually affects the limbs of children under five years old. It is a preventable disease and the only two countries on earth continuing to report cases of polio are Pakistan and Afghanistan, countries, in which it is very difficult for volunteers to work. He witnessed many of the disformed polio victims that had received no rehabilitation or physical therapy after they were struck by the disease, but now are being operated on by new medical procedures. NDI is actually a week of immunizations across the entire country. There have been 2.5 million volunteers over the past 30 years to result in a 99% reduction acrossed the world due to the efforts of Rotary in cooperation with the World Health Organization. His first day in Algarh began with a rally through the city with banners and large crowds of children cheering them on. His first encounter with an immunization was when a woman thrust a one week old baby upon him to receive a drop of the precious immunization dose. The first day they vaccinated 48% of all the children in that town and the next day they went house to house. They would walk into the house with no thought of privacy. The third day was devoted to projects, which included demonstrating how to use an indoor toilet. Pres. Joel told the story of a teacher who donated his entire house except for a small room as a school for needy children that he taught to read. He also used a house across the street for disadvantaged children. In addition he adopted six children. So far 170 million children still need to be vaccinated to keep them from getting polio from neighboring countries such as Afghanistan. As of 24 March 2014 India has been declared polio free.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Never too busy to be thankful.”
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Mar 8 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram March 8, 2016: Dylan Grant “Engineers Without Borders”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel concluded that Sharon Ellis’ guest introduction was not up to par, which resulted in her joining the First Ladies Club for the $200 induction fee. Andy Park also joined the First Ladies Club for not answering a number of questions concerning laundry, which presumably he should know answers to because of his cleaning establishment ownership. Jack Hardy assessed a $35 spin-the-wheel fee for the SLO Tribune article on his trip to India for the NDI (national immunization day). Ashlea Boyer received a spin-the-wheel fine of $50 for not knowing that this day was International Women’s Day. $5, $10 and $25 Happy Bucks were paid respectively to honor the wives of Pres. Joel (Sarah), John Murphy (Martha), and John Travasero (Marcia). $5 Happy Bucks were also paid in by Scott Astrosky, Dick Dannells, Greg Baker, and Pres. Joel.
announcements:
Incoming Pres. Greg Baker reported on the District Assembly in Oxnard on April 2 designed especially for his incoming board members, but all members are invited to attend.
PROGRAM: Dylan Grant “Engineers Without Borders(EDB)”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Dylan who began by presenting a slideshow of the accomplishments of the student chapter of Engineers Without Borders-USA at Cal Poly. It was founded in 2005 by a core group of students dedicated to making a global impact. They work in developing communities to solve systemic problems before a occurrence of a disaster. The EWB members travel to such communities to meet their needs and then leave so they can do it on their own with just occasional help from EDW. Recent projects include designing and constructing bicycle powered maize mill for Mulani, Malawi, Africa; building sand filters to provide clean drinking water for Kumponds, Thailand, building a wastewater system for Sainji, India, and constructing an elementary school and a water distribution system for Cuajachillo, Nicaragua. This fall they hosted 23 presenters from all over the country at a Western Conference of EWB
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“I'm at an age where my back goes out more than I do.” Phyllis Diller
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Feb 9 206 - Rotary ForumProgram February 9, 2016: Drs. David Conn and Cornel Morton “Microaggression”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:35 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Shannon Bowdey for $55.
FINES:
Pres. Joel concluded that Bruce Beaudoin’s guest introduction did not meet acceptable standards, which resulted in a spin-the-wheel fine of $90 ($5/year he has been in Rotary). Charla Anderson’s smartphone alarm cost her a $27 fine.
announcements:
Steve Curry spoke of the work the Rotary Club Foundation that began in the year 2000. Last year $7500 raised at the Foundation’s only fundraiser, the annual Golf Tournament, went for scholarships. He also reminded everyone that the Golf Tournament committee will meet right after this meeting. Anya Stanley stated that the Community Giving program has been modified slightly and that everyone who wishes to sponsor a charity must submit a properly filled out application no later than March 31. Her committee includes Scott Astrosky, Sharon Ellis, Sandy Lubin, John Murphy, Martha Murphy, and Montisa Phelan Lopez. Jim Lewis announced next week’s meeting will be a vocational tour of the Mike Sinor’s winery in Corbett Canyon. Pres. Joel was very pleased report that he is taking part in the National Immunization days in India and will be out from February 15 to the 28th with past president Mark Olson taking over the meetings. He noted that a country must have no cases of polio for five years to be considered polio free. Pakistan and Afghanistan are only two countries in the world that are not polio free.
PROGRAM: Drs. David Conn and Cornel Morton “Microaggression”
Ashlea Boyer introduced our speaker by providing biographies that included the following: Dr. Conn has been a tenured faculty member in environmental policy & planning most recently at Cal Poly where he has held several senior administrative positions. Dr. Morton recently retired from Cal Poly where he served for ten years as Vice President for Student Affairs and three years as Senior Advisor to the President. They began by defining microaggressions as the everyday verbal, nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to target persons based solely upon their marginalized group membership. One example is for you to say “nurse” to a woman walking into your hospital ward and she turns out to be the doctor that I just operated on you. Another is when the department store Santa Claus asks the little boy what he wants Santa to bring him for Christmas and the boy is Jewish. You are engaged in conversation with an African-American man and say him, “When I look at you, I do not see color.” This is denying his identity. An example given an attorney of past microaggressions includes saying all attorneys are crooks and the only good attorney is a dead one. The burning of a cross in a yard next to an Arroyo Grande family that included a black teenage woman was not only an example of micro-aggression, but it resulted in hate crime charges that resulted in prison sentences for those involved.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Time is a dressmaker that specializes in alterations.”
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Jan 12 2016 - Rotary ForumProgram January 12, 2016: Tara Kulikov “Acupuncture and Demonstration”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:35 PM by auctioning off the fine free to harm and sell the for $50.
FINES:
Pres. Joel considered Mike Frederick’s guest introduction less than stellar to warrant a $39 fine. He fined Sandy Lubin $50 for his failure to note that Dr. Sarah Conn had just been introduced. The birthdays of Harlan Silva on January 9 and Lee Ann Liscombe on January 11 were recognized. Sandy and Cindi Lubin’s 49th wedding anniversary was honored with a $49 fine. Greg Baker’s club anniversary was recognized with $50 fine, and he was also fined $25 for not changing his birthdate in the Club Runner. Connie O’Henley’s 20th club anniversary and Michael Boyer’s 10th club anniversary were recognized without a fine.
HAPPY BUCKS:
Pres. Joel put in $5 because of the presence of Paul Felice, who has been absent for some time Happy Bucks. Michael Boyer put in $20 for his new business, Dick Dannells put in $5 for the speedy diagnosis of his wife Rae at the Arroyo Grande Hospital and Linda Osty put in $5 for her new puppy.
announcements:
Michael Boyer announced that he is hosting the next board meeting this Thursday at the Arroyo Grande Hospital. Paul Holden announced that Michael Boyer is the $50 raffle winner of a Paul Harris fellow. Linda Osty said to reserve February 25, 26th and 27th as part of the Polio Plus program with the 26th being devoted to attending the Melodrama in Oceano to see “The 39 Steps.” It is a comedy of the joys and tribulations of a new dog owner.
PROGRAM: Tara Kulikov “Acupuncture and Demonstration”
Karen Zappa introduced Tara who holds a Masters in both Traditional Oriental Medicine and Kinesiology. Tara began by noting that acupuncture began in China thousands of years ago and is now practiced throughout the world primarily to relieve pain. She compared the acupuncture needle to getting a sliver in your finger. Your body’s reaction is to get rid of the sliver and eject it from your finger. As part of the body’s inflammatory response to reject the sliver is to increase the flow of blood. She then turned to displaying acupuncture needle, which is a very small, solid, thin, sharp stainless steel compared with a hypodermic needle, which is much larger and hollow. In the United States acupuncture needles are not reused and come enclosed in plastic. Small needles are used for the hands and larger needles are used for the legs and arm. She then demonstrated the use of acupuncture on herself by placing it in the web between her thumb and forefinger. Then she pointed out that this is one of the three pressure points that we can use on ourselves. The thumb and forefinger web is used to relieve a headache. To relieve stomach distress another pressure point is the hollow portion of the inner leg above your kneecap. In acupuncture you leave the needle in the body from 5 seconds to 30 minutes depending on the severity of the disorder. Electricity and heat can be used as added stimulants. She pointed out that animals are very susceptible to pain relief, for example, arthritic pain with acupuncture. However it must be done under the direction of a veterinarian. She gave a final tip on the use of ginger to relieve indigestion. She now teaches, but does not practice acupuncture. She will give you acupuncture references by emailing her at tkulikov@gmail.com .
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“He who is good at making excuses is usually not good for anything else.”
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Dec 8 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram December 8, 2015: Noreen Martin “Martin Resorts-California Coast Trail Project”
By Dick Dannells
At 12:38 PM, Pres. Joel opened the meeting with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel considered Andy Park’s guest introduction of John Traversaro’s wife simply as Marcia deserved a $40 fine, which John paid because he felt his name was sufficiently difficult for Andy to pronounce. Because of noise coming from the table of Dick Dannells, Steve Curry, Chuck Anders, Paul Holden, Tommy Thompson and Cliff Nagler, Pres. Joel levied a $5 fine on everyone at this table. Greg Steinberger’s smart phone infraction cost him a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. Mike Kee donated $39 Happy Bucks to recognize his wife’s birthday.
announcements:
Linda Osty reported that a large number of members volunteered to help at the Fair Oaks Theater showing of “The Miracle On 34th St.” this coming December 12 at 11 AM. She anticipates that all 288 seats will be filled. John Traversaro reminded everyone of the Pinot for Polio meeting after this meeting. Sharon Ellis announced that there will be no charge for the Edwards Barn holiday party on Wednesday, December 16 starting at 6 PM.
PROGRAM: Noreen Martin “Martin Resorts-California Coast Trail Project”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Noreen by going to her on-line biography, which states that for the last 10 years, she became the Chief Executive Officer of Martin Resorts, a family-owned organization, and which has a number of hotels on the Central Coast. They include the Best Western Shore Lodge and the Lighthouse Pismo Beach and Avila Beach Suites. Noreen began by stating that the resort industry, which affects us all in this area, provides a number of resort entry-level sustaining jobs. She then described the California Coast Trail Project as one of restoration. The Project includes (1)providing bluff top walk ways; (2) utilizing Geo webbing for soil stabilization; (3) ing the bluffs; (4) providing additional access to beach with a new staircase connecting to the Ventana Grill; and (5) providing continuous coast access from Dinosaur Cave Park to the Pismo Beach pier. It will also provide contiguous accessibility to the California Coastal Trail, which is halfway to reaching its goal of a hiking trail along or near the 1200 mile coastline.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Some people put a blessing in any situation.”
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Dec 1 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram December 1, 2015: Kathy Orton “CASA”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:36 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Greg Steinberger for $40.
FINES:
Frank Montesinos was assessed a $30 spin-the-wheel fine by Pres. Joel for not even attempting to introduce a guest at his table. He also fined John Murphy $60 for spilling the beans about Pres. Joel’s purchase of new lighting for our meeting veniue. The amount of the fine was calculated based on what Pres. Joel was expecting to derive from fining those who did not recognize the new lights. Mike Kee was fined $35 for his bald headed humor. This was preceded by an exchange between Pres. Joel and Greg Steinberger concerning bald headedness and Pres. Joel’s attempt to fine members $5 who had a full head of hair. However, this took place before the fine-free badge auction had taken place so all these fines were rescinded. $10 Happy Bucks were donated by Lee Ann Liscomb for her 2016 Honda Pilot. Greg Steinberger donated $50 Happy Bucks for all of the volunteers that showed up to help during the Arroyo Grande Christmas Parade last Sunday. Linda Osty donated $10 Happy Bucks for her new dog. Jim Lewis and Michael Boyer donated the same amount for last Saturday’s victory of USC over UCLA.
announcements:
Linda Osty made her weekly report on the December 12 showing of “The Miracle On 34th St.” with the help of Santa Claus also known as Jim Lewis. Sharon Ellis reminded everyone of the holiday party at the Edwards barn on Wednesday, December 16. Michael Boyer presented a table of colorful bags made by the women of Uganda for sale at $15. John Traversaro announced a Pinot for Polio meeting will be held next Wednesday at 1:35 PM. Terry Fibich was recognized for his 19 years with the Club.
PROGRAM: Kathy Orton “CASA”
Ashley Boyer introduced Kathy, who is the director of CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), a non-profit organization. Kathy began by stating that chances are if you see kids milling around the streets of San Luis Obispo there probably foster care kids. As the name implies, abused children, ranging from less than 1 to 18, appointed by a judge, are placed under the supervision of the CASA staff and volunteers. Presently there are 550 children in this program with 30% coming from San Luis Obispo County. Each volunteer takes one of the children, does an investigation and then meets with the child for about 1 ½ hours per week to establish a mentor-friend relationship. Rudy Bachmann, a volunteer, came to the podium to speak of his experiences with a teenager that he has mentored for the last year and a half. During that time, he has seen a tremendous progress his visits have made. They usually have lunch or go on an outing such fishing. The important part of every meeting is to just listen to his friend. Kathy closed by passing out tags containing the name of a child and the gift the CASA child would like to receive for Christmas. All of the tags that she brought were taken by the club members with instructions to purchase the designated gift and bring it back to the club next week for distribution by CASA.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“The smallest deed is bigger than the greatest intention.”
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Nov 24 2015-Rotary forumProgram November 24, 2015: Sandy Lubin “The Present State of the Economy”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel considered the guest introductions by Anya Stanley and Mary Ann Reese warranted a $20 spin-the-bottle fine from Anya and accepted Mary Ann’s a $200 contribution to join the Pres.’s Club. John Murphy was fined $20 for his indiscretion about not wanting to hear Martha Murphy. Shannon Bowdy’s 6 year marriage to Bradley cost her a $30 spin-the-wheel fine. Frank Montesinos’s anniversary did not result in any additional fine since that was taken care of earlier. Roger Frederickson volunteered to be fined $37.50 since he forgot last Saturday’s highway cleanup. Sandy Lubin was fined $50 for his November birthday. Linda Osty was fined $40.30 for advertising in the Clark Center for the Performing Arts men’s room. Terry Fibich was fined 1 cent, which he had found during the highway cleanup and donating the additional $.10 that he found to the PolioPlus campaign.
announcements:
Terry Fibich reported that Paul Holden, John and Martha Murphy and Chuck Anders were the volunteers for the highway cleanup. Pres. Joel paid $20 for the new “Service Above Self” T shirt designed by the Arroyo Grande High School Interact Club that Connie of Henley brought to the meeting. Linda Osty again reported on “The Miracle On 34th St.” to be shown on December 12 at 11 AM at the Fair Oaks Theater for either a non-perishable food item or an unwrapped toy. Paul Holden announced that our Club is number 1 out of 72 Rotary clubs in raising $4500 for the the PolioPlus campaign. Ashlea announced that next week’s meeting we will have a CASA speaker to explain how we can help specific children or families in need.
PROGRAM: Sandy Lubin “The Present State of the Economy”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Sandy by saying in effect that he needs no introduction. Sandy began by stating that the US economy is better than it was two years ago and it is getting better. In California while farm labor is down because of the drought, retail, tourism, and manufacturing are up. Across the country 271,000 jobs have been added for U3 unemployment rate of 5% and U6 unemployment rate of 9.8% that includes everyone marginally attached to the labor force such as part-time employees who don’t want a full-time job. Even those these numbers seem to be favorable, the consumer confidence in October fell to 90.4 from 99.9 in September, which is believed to be attributed to the lack of confidence in the war on terrorism. Strawberrys took over the number one agricultural crop in the county. El Niño will certainly help agriculture in the short range. However, it will take a lot more than one year of plentiful rain to eliminate the six-year drought. Locally, sales are up with retail doing very well. 1500 new homes for the year, but only 296 new housing units were built in the county. There is a declining inventory of homes on the market with on increasing number of people looking for homes. If the Feds. raises interest rates, it will increase the housing costs but he did not believe it will have a drastic effect on the housing market. He expects full employment by November 2016, which will end the recession that began about 7 years ago. Another indication of the stronger economy is that mergers and acquisitions are increasing. The three major credit bureaus are attempting to contract the industry by acquiring the smaller companies. He has seen an increase in collectible debts in his Credit Bureau.
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Nov 17 2015-Rotary forumProgram November 17, 2015: Linda Sanpei “Cows on Parade”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel has recovered from strep throat and was back in action by opening the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Sgt. of Armes John Murphy fined Pres. Joel 10 hours of community service for advertising. Scott Astrosky was imposed with the $15 spin-the-wheel fine and then was fined $50 for his wife Tanya’s birthday. John Bernard’s second year with the club was recognized without fine. Martha Murphy, who has the fine-free badge, was recognized for her November 15 birthday with the happy birthday song. Steve Curry donated $16.50, the price of a bale of hay, to Happy Buck’s because his fields now show evidence of green grass.
announcements:
Pres. Joel called upon Steve Curry to do the honors in inducting into our club Peter Candela, CEO of the Pismo Beach Chamber of Commerce. Joining him at the podium was his sponsor Greg Baker. Greg, in his capacity as president of the Pismo Beach Foundation, reported that the foundation is applying $6000 to go to a worthwhile project for the coming year. He is asking all members to provide him with suggestions for a local project. Mary Ann Reese reminded everyone of the social at Wooly’s Bar and Restaurant this Wednesday, starting at at 5 PM. Linda Osty Osty continued to report on “The Miracle On 34th St.” to be shown on December 12 at 11 AM at the Fair Oaks Theater. Terry Fibich received a number of volunteers for the highway cleanup on this Saturday, November 21. John Weiss, Rotary District Gov. Elect and member of the Morro Bay Rotary Club, announced that a two-hour Rotary membership seminar will be held at the Embassy suites in San Luis Obispo this Saturday. Steve Curry reported that we received thank thank you cards from AmpSurf, Military Parents Of Central Coast and Welcome Home Military Heroes. He also reported that the board voted to support two children with computers in Uganda with money that was raised when Roger Frederickson who was to have been deployed to Afghanistan.
PROGRAM: Linda Sanpei “Cows on Parade”
Michael Boyer introduced Linda, who was in charge of this past summer’s Chardonnay Symposium and is now promoting Cows on Parade, which sponsors life-size acrylic cow sculptures that are painted and then sold at auction to benefit local charities. It began in 1998 in Zürich Switzerland and has now spread throughout the world. The cows will be placed at various locations around the San Luis Obispo County from September 2016 to April 2017. When they are auctioned off they go from $1000s to as high as $147,000 for one beautifully painted cow. She ran a raffle of a 4 to 5 inch painted cow replica that was won by Jeff King. During the entire meeting there was a video presentation of the past painted cows.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Kindness is difficult to give away; it just keeps on coming back.”
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Nov 10 2015-Rotary forumProgram November 10, 2015: Debbie Dugan “Thanksgiving Turkey Tips”
By Dick Dannells
Past Presidents Ashley and Michael Boyer took over the meeting in the absence of Pres. Joel who is out with a bout of strep throat. We wish him a speedy return.
FINES:
Charla and J. T. Anderson celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary that resulted in a $50 fine. Sandy Lubin’s trip to Kawai, Hawaii cost him a $35 spin-the wheel fine.
announcements:
Mary Ann Reese announced that this month’s social is at Wooly’s Bar and Restaurant by the pier in Pismo Beach on Wednesday, November 19 at 5 PM and the annual Holiday Party will be held at the Edwards Barn on Wednesday, December 16. Michael Boyer announced that a Rotary Board meeting will be held at the Arroyo Grande Community Hospital starting at 6 PM hosted by Paul Holden. Ashlea Boyer took over the meeting and called Paul Holden to the podium to present Jim Lewis a $1000 Paul Harris fellow award. Greg Steinberger requested volunteers to work at the Pismo Beach Christmas Parade on Saturday, November 28. Tom Zirk of the Atascadero Rotary came forward to sell wine raffle tickets to benefit local charities. Linda Osty announced that the third annual Christmas movie, “The Miracle On 34th St.” will be held on December 12 at 11 AM at the Fair Oaks Theater in Arroyo Grande for the low price of one or more nonperishable food items to be donated to those in need. Terry Fibich announced that there will be a Highway cleanup on November 21
PROGRAM: November 10, 2015: Debbie Dugan “Thanksgiving Turkey Tips”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Debbie, who has trained in the Cordon Bleu in Paris and London, La Varenne in Burgundy, France and Avignonesi Culinary Center and Tenuta de Capezzana in the Tuscany region of Italy, the Emilia-Romangna region of Northern Italy, and most recently Southern Italy. She has guest lectured at Cal Poly Food Science and Nutrition Department, and taught "Catering and Special Events" at Allen Hancock Junior College. She created the Children's Summer Cooking Camps through the San Luis Obispo Adult Education Program and has continued the program at her own facility. She started her turkey tip discussion with the fact that with a couple local grocery stores going out of business customers are going to have fewer stores and less chance for bargains when buying a turkey for this Thanksgiving. We are a young country especially when compared to France, London and Italy. Therefore, she believes it is important to maintain Thanksgiving in the traditional way with turkey and stuffing. She pointed out that a fresh turkey is not the best choice over a frozen turkey since the latter is immediately frozen and a fresh turkey may be stored at temperatures above freezing for days before you actually purchase it. The best choice is an organic frozen turkey from Trader Joe’s, Costco or Whole Foods. She prefers roasting two smaller turkeys as opposed to one large turkey. She recommends cooking at 325°, out of the bag, for 18 minutes per pound. If you do stuff the turkey it will require more time and more chance for bacteria to circulate. Therefore, cooking them separately is the preferred option especially if you’re worried about calories, but she added who worries about calories at Thanksgiving.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
The rich person is not one that possesses much, but gives much.
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Nov 3 2015-Rotary forumProgram November 3, 2015: Brenda Cressey “Rotary International Foundation”
By Dick Dannells
Acting Pres. Steve Curry began meeting at 12:35 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Martha Murphy for $35.
FINES:
Acting Pres. Steve had a number of Rotarians stand to answer questions relating to and in recognition of the fact that November is RI Foundation month. Jack Hardy was fined a total of $65 for not answering a question and for advertising. Bruce Beaudoin, Bonnie Mogan, Karen Zappia and Scott Astrosky were fined $25, $40, and $20, respectively for not answering his questions. He also took the opportunity of fining Katcho Achadjian $100.
announcements:
This year’s holiday party will be on Wednesday, December 16 at the Edwards Barn in Nipomo. The RI Foundation is not to be confused with the Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation that sponsors the annual golf tournament to raise funds for scholarships and to establish a permanent fund that presently has investments totaling $125,000. Paul Holden rose to present Kevin Drabinski, Senior Field Representative for Katcho Achadjian, with a Paul Harris Fellow. Paul went on to add that there are numerous ways to contribute to the RI Foundation from an outright gift of $1000 to joining a team at $250 year and by putting loose change in a Ball jar that he will make available to you. $1000 will result in 5100 polio immunizations. Since its inception in 1988, PolioPlus campaign has immunized over 2.5 billion children in more than 200 countries using 20 million volunteers.
PROGRAM: Brenda Cressey “Rotary International Foundation”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Brenda, former 5240 District Gov. and who presently is the Endowment/Major Gift Adviser for RI Zone 26 that encompasses one half of California from San Francisco - south, all of Arizona and parts of Nevada (including Las Vegas). Brenda first thanked our club for the past support to the PolioPlus campaign that has been near and dear to her heart since she joined Rotary in 1989. It was the major reason she joined Rotary in the first place. She stated that Pakistan and Afghanistan now are the only two countries that continue to have new polio cases. Over the years she has heard so many stories of what RI funds have meant in people’s lives. One story Brenda related was a blonde, blue-eyed seven-year-old who contacted polio and as adult when she heard her husband talking about the campaign she devoted part of her life to this cause including going to India on its first National Immunization Day. This woman continues to make a difference. She also related the story of a young man who came through the crowd with his grandfather on his back and placed his grandfather on one of the donated wheelchairs. It is just part of the magic that you can accomplish by supporting Foundation.
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Oct 27 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram: October 27, 2015- Superintendent of the Luca Mar School District Dr. Raynee Daley
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel had Scott Astrosky spin the wheel for $10 fine for not mentioning Boy Scouts’ CEO Carlos Cortez’s Rotary affiliation. Scott had to spin the wheel again for a $10 fine because of his failure to properly introduce Dr. Sarah Conn. Tommy Thompson’s birthday and the return of his lost sunglasses cost him $100. Lee Ann Liscombe’s husband had a birthday and it cost her $80. Club anniversaries for Linda Osty and Sharon Ellis cost them $18 and $81, respectively. The Oak Ridge Boys were recently inducted into Country Music Hall of Fame and because Jack Hardy played with that band in the early days, Pres. Joel had Jack spin the wheel for an $80 fine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel congratulated Kari Ziegler for hosting the Club Social last Wednesday at her Comfort Market Restaurant. The Pres. of the San Luis Obispo Rotaract Club announced that their club is holding a fundraiser starting at 2 PM on Saturday, November 7 in which their members will offer personal services, such as dog sitting, tree trimming/yardwork, party set up/cleanup, to the highest bidder. Michael Boyer asked members who can place in their office windows stickers promoting Rotary. Connie O’Henley reported on last week’s Interact meeting in which they celebrated the way they conducted themselves in running our meeting last week. Pres. Joel reported that Brendan Reitsma’s mother had passed away, which will slightly delay his return to our club. Brendan had been on a leave of absence because of his mother’s illness.
Program- Superintendent of the Luca Mar School District Dr. Raynee Daley
Karen Zapia introduced Raynee who had spent her previous years in Merced where she advanced in the Administration Department of the Merced Union High School. She moved to Central Coast 5 years ago to take over as Deputy Superintendent. She was very enthusiastic about what she had heard about the Lucia Mar School District with its innovative programs such as the New Tech High. She has been a Rotarian for a while in Merced and many of her family members were Rotarians including her uncle who was a former District Gov. She stated that the Lucia Mar School District has 10,600 students in 18 schools. High School graduates go on to prestigious schools such as Harvard, Stanford and MIT. During the past year she has worked hard with her cabinet to rebuild the teachers’ faith and trust in the system after their threatened strike was settled last April. The teachers now are encouraged to wear a pin showing their support for the recent changes in the system. The Administration is listening to their concerns with teacher compensation being high on the list. The Administration is taking what they learn and processing the information to correct what was perceived as to be past wrongs. A significant portion of the state revenue of $12 million is now controlled locally rather than being dictated by the state.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"The person who travels light causes the least baggage.” .
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Oct 20 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram: October 20, 2015-“Arroyo Grande High School Interact Club”
By Dick Dannells
The officers of the Interact Club were present to handle the entire meeting with Interact Pres. Griffin Berlin opening the meeting at 12:36 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Interact Pres. Griffin was told that all the fines collected at this meeting would go to the Interact Club. He did not fine Ashley Boyer, who mis-introduced the guests at her table as RYLA instead of Interact members. He started to fine Don Weber $20 for mis-introducing his name, but was told that a more appropriate fine would be $40. With that, he really took over the fining process by having Charla Anderson spin-the-wheel for a fine of $50 when her smart phone went off. He then had everybody stand who was not wearing Rotary pin and charged them $20 including Linda Osty, Montisa Lopez Phelan, Greg Steinberger, Ashley Boyer, and John Bernard. He levied a $40 spin-the-wheel fine for the 80th birthday of Deenie Dotson’s husband Jim. He used Chuck and Thea Anders’ 19th wedding anniversary to increase Interact’s treasury by $80. He then coerced Pres. Joel to join Joel’s own President Club for $200. Michael Boyer was assessed a $150 spin-the-fine ($10 for the 15 years he’s been with the club) because he did not stand when addressing the Interact Pres. Another spin-the-fine of $80 for Paul Holden’s club anniversary. Greg Steinberger’s one-year anniversary only cost him $25 and Scott Astrosky’s first year anniversary cost him a $10 spin-the-wheel fine. Finally , some voluntary Happy Bucks were added with $25 for Mike Kee’s remembrance of his father’s death in 2007, he'd be 97 now; $22 for Pres. Joel’s happiness that Frank Montesinos is back after a long illness; and $50 by Linda Osty and by Michael Boyer, respectively. The fines for the day totaled $1000 that will be donated to Interact for them to carry out their charitable projects for the year.
announcements:
Sharon Ellis volunteered to head the Family of Rotary that sends out happy birthday cards and other such cards to members. Pres. Joel had a video running during the meeting of the “Stop Hunger Now” project that took place last Saturday. He had all the volunteers stand that participated in that endeavor. Jeff King will be holding a Pinot for Polio wine tasting party at his home as soon as he is available, but it will not be on October 24, World Polio Day. Denise Summer talked about their organization that started in October 2001 and continues today to support veterans and their families. They started with 150 and are now down to 10 families. They send care packages to vets overseas. They get up early to welcome home incoming veterans at airports, train, and bus stations. Each returning veteran receives an American flag imprinted with “Welcome Home,” and goodie bags containing, e.g., vouchers for their favorite restaurant. They also send off veterans going to Washington DC to see the Veterans Memorial. This Saturday from 1:30 to 2:30 PM you can dress up your dog or other animal in a Halloween costume and take them to Pres. Joel and Sarah’s Pismo Beach Veterinary Clinic. There will be a club social at Comfort Market tomorrow starting at 5 PM. Next week’s program will be the new Superintendent of the Luca Mar School District- Dr. Raynee Daley.
PROGRAM: “Arroyo Grande High School Interact Club”
Interact Pres. Griffin began by explaining that Interact, a service club for 14 to 18 -year-olds, is one of nine structured programs that Rotary International maintains to help local clubs and districts. Interact clubs are sponsored by individual Rotary clubs, and we sponsor his club. They presently have an active membership of 30, but 40 to 50 people show up each week for a pizza lunch and socializing. Each year, they complete at least two community service projects, one of which furthers international understanding and goodwill. Through these efforts, they develop leadership skills and personal integrity, demonstrate and respect for others, understanding the value of individual responsibility and hard work, and advance international understanding and goodwill. He then introduced their officers that included senior vice president, Junior VP, sophomore vice president, secretary, treasurer and historian. One of the first community projects of the year will be stuffing Halloween bags on October 20 for the Prado homeless shelter.
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Oct 13 2015 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began meeting at 12:35 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Paul Holden $50 for his less than stellar guest introduction. Mike Frederick’s son got married last Saturday and received an $88 recognition fee. Karen Zappia spun the wheel and received no fine for her wedding anniversary. Cliff Nagler was fined $36 for not properly responding to Pres. Joel’s question. Mark Olson was fined $27 for his 13th wedding anniversary with Amanda. Scott Astrosky put in $25 of Happy Bucks because of his upcoming insurance conference.
announcements:
Michael Boyer circulated a sign-up sheet for the “Stop Hunger Now” project during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival on October 17 from 4 to 7 PM. Pres. Joel showed a short video on the project and reported that $1000 have been raised so far in their campaign. Linda Osty reported that the third annual Christmastime movie will be “Miracle on 34th St.” Linda also announced that two PRLS seminars will be held in November. The first on Saturday, November 14th at the Embassy Suites SLO from 8am to 4pm and the second on Saturday, November 19th at the Santa Maria Inn from 6pm to 9pm. Jeff King will be holding a Pinot for Polio wine tasting party at his house on Saturday, October 24. Paul Holden showed a slide show on the Stop Polio Now campaign and stated that $1000 will provided to one volunteer out of the $3000 required to travel to India to help in this campaign. Terry Fibich spoke of his experience when he went to assist the Indian government in eradicating polio.
PROGRAM: Mike de Milo “Water Conservation”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Mike who has lived in San Luis Obispo since 1978. Mike started by concentrating on 4 aspects: Water 101, Ordinances, Water Conservation, and Rebate. 97% of the Earth’s water is not drinkable leaving 3% freshwater that is. Of this only 0.05% is actually usable without water treatment. 80% of the water is used by agriculture and the remaining 20% is for urban usage. 61% of Pismo Beach’s water comes from the Lopez reservoir, which is at 31% capacity and the remaining 30% is from ground water. 55% of the water is used in landscaping, 30% for the bathroom, 10% laundry and 5% in the kitchen. During the past three months, Pismo Beach’s water reduction ranged from 24 to 28%. Water Conservation Representative Madeline Musgrove answered questions on Pismo Beach’s water conservation efforts and the fact that Pismo Beach does not plan to increase water rates despite the fact that as water usage goes down, water revenues must necessary go down also.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“It is easier to write someone off than it is to pick someone up."
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Oct 6 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram October 6, 2015: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began meeting at 12:33 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Bruce Beaudoin for $50.
FINES:
Kari Ziegler and Bruce Beaudoin received spin-the-wheel fines of $40 and $98, respectively for their 1 year and 18 years with the Club. Kari also added Happy Bucks to draw attention to a very important operation for her four-year-old friend that is undergoing a procedure to see if any residual cancer is left in her body. Paul Holden contributed some Happy Buck’s for his trip to Michigan where he attended a U of M football game.
ANNOUCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel reminded us of the “Stop Hunger Now” project during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival on October 17 from 4 to 7 PM. He asked for some volunteers to sign-up to help set up at 2 PM. The rest of the volunteers are asked to come by 4 PM to join the assembly line to package 10,000 meals. Steve Curry introduced Valence Lothaire from a Uganda Rotary Club. Valence spoke of the $38,000 RI grant to put in water pumps, solar panels, and a computer lab for their school that has an enrollment of over 600. Valence thanked us for our generosity in supporting the school that he worked so hard to establish in his native village. Bonnie Mogan drew the black marble and won the raffle jackpot of $120. Paul Toms III sent a thank you note for our honoring his father with the Service Above Self Award.
PROGRAM: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Jim Gregory who was raised in Arroyo Grande Valley and taught history for 30 years; first at Mission Prep and the last 19 years at Arroyo Grande High School. He showed a 10 minute video, which began by depicting the fact that the Japanese Emperor that took over in 1867 with the goal to modernize Japan raised taxes so high that over 300,000 of their people were dispossessed with many settling in Arroyo Grande Valley to farm. His book is being published January 11, 2016 and will be available on Amazon.com and at the Arroyo Grande Historical Society. The book contains numerous stories of the Japanese Americans he got to know during his years growing up in this area. Due to their hard work, they prospered, but were again disossessed after Pearl Harbor. They returned from the war without the hostility that was imparted upon them from internment camps such as Gila River internment camp located in the middle of the desert Southwest of Phoenix Arizona. When they returned the only place that they could sleep were in the homes of kindhearted Arroyo Grande families that took them in because the public accommodations were not open to them.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Everybody has a load to carry some let it weigh them down and others use it to build muscles."
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Sep 29 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram September 29, 2015-CJ Silas “Her Life to This Point”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests and then put the spotlight on Harlan Silva.
Harlan was at first reluctant to do a spotlight because he had done one back when this club started, but agreed because only two members today were present at his first bio. He was born and has lived in this area his entire life; so in that sense he claims his life has been in a rut. He has been employed by California Fine Wire for the past 45 years. After graduating from Arroyo Grande High School, he first worked for them in the stock room and then when the female office manager left the company, he took over her job. He attended Cuesta College to become proficient in bookkeeping and learned how to program a mainframe IBM computer. He was one day short of being a charter member of this club. He has been treasurer, secretary and president of this club during 1999-2000. After his presidency, he became very active in the District, first as Brenda Cressey’s assistant and then the same position for Arnie Dowdy. Although he accepted that job, it was with the understanding that he would only help in the registration of District events. As a result of his work with the District he has traveled 1/2 way around the world. His most recent accomplishment has been losing 90 pounds in about one year.
announcements:
Pres. Joel reported that our club has a new project- “Stop Hunger Now.” During the Pismo Beach Clam Festival on October 17 from from 4 to 7 PM, volunteers from our club will be running a food preparation assembly line to package 10,000 meals to be sent throughout the world where hunger is a major issue such as in Syria. Michael Boyer rose to speak on his emails to all of us to be in turn be forwarded to all of our friends requesting that they too donate just $10 to fund this project. $0.29 buys one packaged meal. He also reported that Frank Montesinos has been ill and is recovering. Lee Ann Lescombe reported our participation in the pie eating contest for the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival last Saturday went very well and the video that she took of the event was shown during the meeting. Mary Ann Reese invited everyone to our monthly social tomorrow at Lido-Dolphin Bay at 5 PM, September 30. Anya Stanley stated that a Rotary lady’s golf group will be meeting this afternoon. Kyle Thomas of Rotoract reported on the “Coats for Kids” benefit in which their club is collecting used coats to be cleaned and distributed locally to needy families. Sean Schuur thanked everyone for their participation at last Saturday’s AnpSurf barbecue. He also is selling tickets to the Nipomo’s reverse drawing fundraiser.
PROGRAM: CJ Silas “Her Life to This Point”
Ashlea Boyer introduced CJ Silas, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She went to USC and graduated from Syracuse University with a BS Degree in Broadcast Journalism. In her early years, she was a minor league announcer. Even before graduating from Syracuse, she worked for ESPN. She moved back to the West Coast for ESPN. In 1986 she covered the OJ Simpson Trial. In 1996, she worked on her first sports talk show.She left the West Coast and headed back East for her own night, which her a full time gig with CBS SportsLine radio in Fort Lauderdale. She headed back to Seattle to do weekends at KJR Sports Radio and a morning show on KJR-FM. She then moved to the Central Coast of California where she volunteered for the American Red Cross during the Hurricane Katrina. Most recently she was a fill-in talk show host for national ESPN Radio and did a show on a local ESPN Radio affiliate. Presently she is the Cal Poly men's baseball team announcer and does the Radio and TV play-by-play voice for Allan Hancock College Football. In her spare time, she plays roller derby with CAL SK8 Roller Derby.
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Sep 8 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram September 8, 2015: Dick Dannells-"Africa"
By Dick Dannells
The opening bell was rung at 12:37 PM by Pres. Joel with the usual introduction of guests and he then put the first of two spotlights on Chuck Anders, who grew up on a farm in Iowa near Aplington, a town at that time of 800 and has hardly grown in 55 years since he left. He went to Iowa State where he got a degree in aeronautical engineering just after we landed on the moon. During the space race of the 60s a large number of students went into aeronautical engineering, so that when he graduated and got a job at the Iowa Department of Transportation, he felt lucky to use his engineering skills on the job. He progressed from Iowa, to Minnesota and to Arizona with jobs of increasing responsibility. He then went into the private sector as a consultant. His late wife was an executive so that at the time they enjoyed a very comfortable existence and suddenly she was gone. He reevaluated his life and decided friends and helping others was much more important than material possessions. He remarried Thea and decided to move to Arroyo Grande, where his wife operates Gentle Touch Pet Training and he continues consulting doing a lot of California transportation projects.
The second spotlight was on Lee Ann Liscombe, who was born in Woodside California and then moved to Santa Cruz on a large spread so that her fondest memories were horse riding. She went to Santa Barbara for college and continued her education at Cuesta College and then Cal Poly where she majored in business administration/accounting. She worked for a CPA company in 1985 and and then went into partnership in her own CPA firm. Although her husband has retired she continues her accounting practice. She has two sons who live in New York, which means that most of their travel is to see them. She and her husband plan to do a lot more traveling when she does retire.
FINES:
Pres. Joel contributed $10 to the treasury in recognition of Cliff Nagler addressing him as Dr. Pres. Next Steve Curry’s less than stellar introduction of guests Rae Alee Breen cost him $20. Deenie Dotson’s bigmouth cost her $20. Michael and Ashley Boyer’s September 14, 2002 wedding anniversary resulted in a $25 spin-the-wheel fine. September 12 is the wedding anniversary of Sarah and Pres. Joel so he fined his wife
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel showed a short video extolling the pleasures of Bakersfield during the Dist. Conference starting on Friday, October 2 through Sunday, October 4. Jim Lewis reminded everyone that the first vocational visit of the year will be next Tuesday, September 15 at the new facilities of the Arroyo Grande Police Department. Michael Boyer reported that the combined barbecue with Grover Beach and the Echo club will be held at the Steve Curry Ranch will be held on September 22. Steve Curry announced that from 11 to 1 PM this Saturday, September 12, AmpSurf will be holding a barbecue at the Pismo Beach pier.
Dick Dannells-"Africa"
Dick began with a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation of him and his wife’s trip to sub-Saharan Africa. He stated that the trip was organized by Outdoor Adventure Travel in cooperation with Wilderness Safaris that provided a unique Safari experience. The first part of the trip was four separate safaris; 2 in Botswana, 1 in Zambia and 1 in Zimbabwe. They not only viewed all of wildlife that the guides could find, but continually interacted with the local populations. All of the excellent meals included the guides and other staff. The guides emphasized the importance of conservation of the wildlife against poachers. They have adopted a shoot to kill and no questions asked policy if they see a poacher out in the bush. All of the rhinos had been moved into well protected game reserves. Although elephant population is still large, they have been declining at an alarming rate due to poaching for their ivory. He stated that a portion of money of each trip goes to their protection and that safaris are a very important source of the income for the local population.
The second part of the trip included Cape Town and Johannesburg, South Africa.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL TOMS:
“When we judge others by their worst faults, we judge ourselves by our best intentions.”
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Aug 25 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram August 25, 2015: Peter K. Kardel CEO/CTO “Clever Ducks-Computer Network Services Company”
By Dick Dannells
Past Pres. Martha Murphy filled in for the missing Pres. Joel and opened the meeting at 12:38 PM. After the usual introductions, she placed the Rotary spotlight on Sandy Lubin. He took the podium to relate that he was born in LA to Lithuanian parents and raised there. Some of his most memorable experiences as a youth were the family gatherings at Balboa Island. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Pepperdine University. After school he joined the Navy after which took a teller’s job and has remained a finance professional ever since. He has been President/CEO of both State and Nationally chartered independent Banks. In 1992 he purchased the Credit Bureau from a fellow Rotarian, Jim Schiller. He met Cindi and teamed up to with her to form a dancing team in the 60s. They have been married for 48 years and have two married children and six grandchildren.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Past Pres. Martha called Betsy Kaiser of the Monday SLO Rotary Club to the podium to announce that their annual fundraiser “Holding Homes Distinction” will be held on September 20 from 11 AM to 5 PM, which now is all within the city of San Luis Obispo. Tickets for this event are $25. Ashlea Boyer announced that the annual District Gov. barbecue at Steve Curry’s ranch will be held on the evening of September 22. Michael Boyer circulated a sign-up sheet for this event. Past Pres. Martha announced that for the past 2 weeks in a row no new polio cases have been detected in the world. She also reported that People’s Kitchen received the food that was left over from our Summer Sizzle event. Jim Lewis reported that the next and first vocational tour of the new Rotary year will take place on September 15 at the rebuilt Arroyo Grande Police Station.
FINES:
Ashlea Boyer celebrated an August 23 birthday without receiving a fine. Paul Jones was not so lucky for his 86th birthday coming up this Saturday, but chose to join the $200 Pres.’s Club rather than pay a $43 fine.
Peter K. Kardel “Clever Ducks-Computer Network Services Company”
Peter is a Cal Poly alum and the CEO/CTO of Clever Ducks. His wife is a member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and cofounder of this company. Peter started off by pointing out that Nieman Marcus, Anthony Blue Cross, Sony, Target, Home Depot, and eBay have all been recently hacked as well as the IRS and the US Office of Personnel Management. Hacking has turned to be a very lucrative business and the information hackers gain from such activities results in millions of income. Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev made $30 million after 30 days of hacking and is on the FBI’s most wanted list. Peter recommends that all businesses use a password manager such as Last Pass that has: (1) encryption method protection; (2) cloud accessibility; (3) two-factor authentication; and (4) a DR (disaster recovery) plan. He also recommends purchasing a self-encryption thumb drive.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Be thankful to those people you know so well and love you so much.” |
Copy of Aug 25 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram August 25, 2015: Peter K. Kardel CEO/CTO “Clever Ducks-Computer Network Services Company”
By Dick Dannells
Past Pres. Martha Murphy filled in for the missing Pres. Joel and opened the meeting at 12:38 PM. After the usual introductions, she placed the Rotary spotlight on Sandy Lubin. He took the podium to relate that he was born in LA to Lithuanian parents and raised there. Some of his most memorable experiences as a youth were the family gatherings at Balboa Island. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Pepperdine University. After school he joined the Navy after which took a teller’s job and has remained a finance professional ever since. He has been President/CEO of both State and Nationally chartered independent Banks. In 1992 he purchased the Credit Bureau from a fellow Rotarian, Jim Schiller. He met Cindi and teamed up to with her to form a dancing team in the 60s. They have been married for 48 years and have two married children and six grandchildren.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Past Pres. Martha called Betsy Kaiser of the Monday SLO Rotary Club to the podium to announce that their annual fundraiser “Holding Homes Distinction” will be held on September 20 from 11 AM to 5 PM, which now is all within the city of San Luis Obispo. Tickets for this event are $25. Ashlea Boyer announced that the annual District Gov. barbecue at Steve Curry’s ranch will be held on the evening of September 22. Michael Boyer circulated a sign-up sheet for this event. Past Pres. Martha announced that for the past 2 weeks in a row no new polio cases have been detected in the world. She also reported that People’s Kitchen received the food that was left over from our Summer Sizzle event. Jim Lewis reported that the next and first vocational tour of the new Rotary year will take place on September 15 at the rebuilt Arroyo Grande Police Station.
FINES:
Ashlea Boyer celebrated an August 23 birthday without receiving a fine. Paul Jones was not so lucky for his 86th birthday coming up this Saturday, but chose to join the $200 Pres.’s Club rather than pay a $43 fine.
Peter K. Kardel “Clever Ducks-Computer Network Services Company”
Peter is a Cal Poly alum and the CEO/CTO of Clever Ducks. His wife is a member of the Rotary Club of San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and cofounder of this company. Peter started off by pointing out that Nieman Marcus, Anthony Blue Cross, Sony, Target, Home Depot, and eBay have all been recently hacked as well as the IRS and the US Office of Personnel Management. Hacking has turned to be a very lucrative business and the information hackers gain from such activities results in millions of income. Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev made $30 million after 30 days of hacking and is on the FBI’s most wanted list. Peter recommends that all businesses use a password manager such as Last Pass that has: (1) encryption method protection; (2) cloud accessibility; (3) two-factor authentication; and (4) a DR (disaster recovery) plan. He also recommends purchasing a self-encryption thumb drive.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Be thankful to those people you know so well and love you so much.” |
Aug 18 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram August 18, 2015: John Lindsay-“Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM and put the spotlight on Martha Murphy. She was born in Bakersfield, California and lived on a cotton farm in Buttonwillow. She moved to San Luis Obispo when she was in elementary school. She graduated from Mission High and went on to Cal Poly to obtain B.S. and M.S. degrees. Her first job was in Wasco teaching primary and middle school. She then obtained an MS degree in administration and held the position of principal in 2 Five Cities’ schools. She worked her way up to become the Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction (the same job that her husband John held when she first met him). She retired from the position in 2001. This is her 25th anniversary year with John and during the early years of marriage John lived in Barstow (when he was the Superintendent of the San Bernardino County school system) and she remained at their home in the Central Coast. She had a very interesting experience 10 years ago as a Red Cross volunteer after the Katrina earthquake. Her most memorable experience in last few years was as the president of this Club. She enjoys traveling and and has enjoyed all of her years in Rotary. Presently she is an Asst. District Gov.
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined Dick Dannells $10 for not naming Martha Murphy as the Rotarian being spotlighted today. Steve Curry was fined $40 for insulting Pres. Joel. Don Weber celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary with Jackie on August 22 and spun the wheel resulting in a fine of $10 each for everyone at his table that was not wearing a Rotary pin. This included Anya Stanley and Charla Anderson who joined the Pres.’s Club rather than pay the $10 fine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel announced that there will be a board meeting at the Arroyo Grande Hospital this coming Thursday at 6 PM. Greg Baker received a warm round of applause for his handling of the Summer Sizzle fundraiser this past Saturday. We grossed about $48,000 and early estimates are that we will be able to donate about the same amount to charities this year as we did last year even though we sold fewer tickets. Greg especially thanked Chuck Anders and Kari Ziegler for food; John Traversero for facilities; Michael and Ashlea Boyer for auction; Charla Anderson Lee Ann Liscombe for registration; Mary Ann Reese, Bonnie Mogan, and Sharon Ellis for the 50-50 raffle; Greg Steinberger for ice cream; Jeff King for sponsorships; and Cliff Nagler and Connie O Henley for the ticket sales. Mary Ann Reese announced tomorrow’s club social at the Mason Bar on Branch Street in Arroyo Grande. John Murphy announced that there will be a $2 increase in the cost of the weekly meal and that some weeks we will not be served a desert. Andy Park was fortunate enough to pull the black marble and win the $41 jackpot.
Program- John Lindsay-“Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant”
Deeni Dotson introduced our John who is the Plant’s meteorologist. He traced the history of the plant that goes back to the 1960s when the Nipomo dunes was first considered and then rejected after Sierra Club objections. It was then decided to construct the plant on its present location. Construction was started in 1968 and completed in 1973, but a new fault was discovered a few miles offshore from the plant, which required adding new structural support. During the 1982-83 period protesters outside the plant site were arrested. Unit 1 finally went into operation in 1985 and unit 2 in 1986. After this 3 Mile Island nuclear plant disaster in Pennsylvania, all the personnel underwent 400 hours of additional training. The Plant uses 1.7 million gallons of Pacific Ocean water per minute with the outflow 18°F warmer than inflow. In 2014 renewable energy makes up 20% of the total energy with renewables increasing to 50% in 2030. Renewables include large-scale solar plants, ocean energy, wind, small hydroelectric, biomass, geothermal and fuel cells. Most of the renewable energy mix is located in California. Because of this variety of renewables, California requires a smarter electrical grid. There are 100 nuclear plants in the United States with only 2 in California. The Plant pays $920 million in taxes that goes to the city of San Luis Obispo, supports the San Luis Coastal School District. He then answered a question on the upcoming rainy season. He stated that because of a blob of hot water off the Oregon coast and a possible Omega block, there is only a 50-50% chance of having a greater than average rainy season despite the fact that we’re presently in a strong El Niño situation.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"God does the impossible. The possible we are required to do ourselves” |
Aug 11 2015 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began the meeting at 12:40 PM with a new season of spotlighting club members by featuring Dick Dannells. He was born in Chicago in 1935 and moved many times so he developed a love of travel. After chemical engineering degree, he joined Chevron and moved to California where he met his late wife Diane. She gave birth to Mark and Brent. He received a law degree and went to work as a corporate patent attorney for 25 years. He took an early retirement, moved to Pismo Beach in1991, and went into private practice for the past 25 years. Two years ago he married Rae Alee Breen, who also loves to travel. They recently returned from an Ultimate Africa Safari trip. He has greatly enjoyed his past 24 years with this Club
FINES:
Pres. Joel fined each member $10 who was not sitting at the Pres.'s table. Terry Fibich donated $10 in Happy Bucks to honor Charla Anderson, who has returned after recovering from shoulder surgery. Ashley Boyer donated $50 in Happy Bucks for the Keller Williams award she will receive in Austin, Texas next week Jim Lewis joined the $200 Presidents Club in recognition of his 13 years of marriage with Debbie. Sarah Conn was fined $40 for her birthday of 30+ years. Frank Montesinos did not properly indicate his anniversary date in My Clubrunner and agreed to join the $200 Pres.'s club.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Greg Baker announced there will be a final Summer Sizzle wrap up meeting at the close of this meeting. Ashlea Boyer, Michael Boyer and Connie O Henley made respective pleas to bring: silent auction items, 2 bottles per member, and the remaining tickets and checks to Connie's office no later than this Thursday.
PROGRAM: Brian Lloyd and Connie O Henley -"Clark Center for the Performing Arts and the 2015 -2016 Season”
Connie introduced Brian, the marketing director for the Center, and had him take the floor. He gave a brief history of the Clark Center, which began as a 1975 idea in Clifford Clark's mind. The Lucia Mar Unified School District approved the project in 1987; a fundraiser in 1990 raised $1.75 million, with groundbreaking ceremonies in February 2001, and the grand opening on May 2002. Connie then took the podium and gave a rundown on the physical plant, the organization chart and the details of how she and her staff book the season with a large variety of programs. She has to oversee the pricing, scheduling, routing, target audience, number of shows/genre and the variety of the shows. She also has to fit in any exciting late additions that come to her attention, which causes Brian problems. She then presented a 10 min. video of the upcoming season which includes Jim Messina; Let's Hang On-a Tribute to Frankie Valli; Best of Doo Wop; Riders In The Sky; The Kingston Trio;' Til Death Do Us Part-Late Nite Catechism; The Special Consensus; The Peking Acrobats; Celtic Nights; The McCarthy Years; Hooking Up With Second City; Queen Machine; Best of The S F International Stand-up Comedy Competition; The Motown Experience; and Rockin' at The Beach.
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Aug 4 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram August 4, 2015: Steve Kragenbrink-“Woods Humane Society”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Jeff King for $50.
FINES:
The following have or are about to celebrate their birthdays: John Bernard, Greg Baker, Pres. Joel, Linda Osty and Deenie Dotson and were each fined $34, except Pres. Joel who received a $50 spin-the-wheel fine. Paul Felice was fined $40 for missing the last few meetings. Club anniversaries of Chuck Anders, Dick Dannells and Bonnie Mogan were recognized with $33 fines.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Greg Baker urged everyone to “make him look good” by selling all of their tickets, bringing in 2 silent auction prizes and 2 bottles of wine. Ashlea Boyer circulated forms to indicate what silent auction items each member is bringing. Michael Boyer also stressed why it is important for each member donate the wine, which produced almost $1000 last year. Anya Stanley announced that she is forming a Rotary ladies golf team that will hopefully participate in next year’s Rotary golf tournament. She is arranging for the services of a local golf professional. Pres. Joel fined her $64 for this announcement, which seemed to discriminate against the 2/3 majority of the Club. Kari Ziegler made a winning bid of $25 for 2 tickets for “Man of La Mancha” that Pres. Joel donated to the Club. Paul Holden came forward with an oversize piggy bank to collect dollars and other loose change for the PolioPlus campaign to eradicate polio from the last two countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Program- Steve Kragenbrink-“Woods Humane Society”
Ashley Boyer introduced our speaker, Steve who is the Director of Marketing and Community Programs for the Society. It focuses on ending “petlessness” in families and to have them adopt animals into their loving homes. The Society has been in the community for 60 years and is now better able to handle animals they receive for here in the Tri-County as well as San Bernardino, Kern and Fresno counties. Their spay/neuter center is operated by a full-time veterinarian and handles 40+ surgeries per day. When an animal comes into the Society, it is first given a health screening and, if it passes, it then goes through medication and surgical procedures to prepare the animal for adoption, which is their top priority. More people are now turning to them when they need of a pet. Their plans are to increase the facility and to expand the present housing for cats. They have found that indoor cats are spooked by overcrowded conditions. At present, they are spending $75 per animal per day. As they are a non-profit organization, they depend on fundraisers. He mentioned 2 that are coming up soon: the Macaroni and Cheese Festival on Saturday, August 15 and the Brews & Bites Festival on September 12.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"People who accomplish things that count are too busy to count their accomplishments.” .
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Jul 28 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram July 28, 2015: Rudy Xavier-“Lifelong Learners of the Central Coast”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Michael Boyer celebrated his 45th birthday and just returned from a 16 state, 6200 mile Odyssey. Instead of paying a fine, he was encouraged to join the Pres.’s Club with a $200 donation. Ashlea Boyer who was on the same trip, but her $20 fine was paid for by Pres. Joel, apparently because she has the fine-free badge. Similarly, Roger Frederickson joined this Club to avoid a fine. Cliff Nagler was fined a dollar for each year of his 66 years of life.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry reported on last Wednesday’s Special Olympics barbecue that included 50 coaches and 50 participants from the United Arab Emirates. Afterward, they all went down to the beach, gathered round a bonfire, ate S’mores (graham crackers, marshmallows & chocolate) and played volleyball. Greg Baker pointed out there’s only 2 ½ weeks to go before Summer Sizzle so get out and sell the last of the tickets. John Traversaro stated we still need volunteers for setting up and cleanup. He also passed around a sign-up sheet for the Pinot for Polio fundraising campaign. By donating to this cause, you obtain a case of high quality wine. Past Pres. Michael Boyer reported that Nigeria is now polio free. Because of this fact, Jack Hardy and Joel Conn donated $10 in Happy Buck’s to PolioPlus campaign. He also discussed that live auction items are needed for Summer Sizzle. Paul Holden gave out a Paul Harris Fellow to Jim Lewis.
Program- Rudy Xavier-“Lifelong Learners of the Central Coast”
Rudy is the chairman of this organization whose stated mission is “to provide enriching educational, personal growth, and cultural opportunities for and by an active volunteer community of retired and other mature adults.” He has a BA in Premed and MS degrees in Psychology and Computer Science. He believes his organization at least slows down the onslaught of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. He appreciates what Rotary does in over 31,000 clubs found in 166 countries. He pointed out we now have 6 separate generations in the U. S., broken down as follows: the Greatest Generation (1910-1925), aged 90-105; Silent Generation (1923-1944), 71-92; Baby Boomer Generation (1945- 1964), 51-70; Generation X (1961-1981), 34-54; Millennials (1975-1995), 20-40; and Generation Z 1995-2015, 0-20. From this, he concludes that increasing an number of people will be faced with Alzheimer’s or some form of dementia in the coming years. His organization has been helping seniors maintain their cognitive skills, which has been shown to at least slow the progression of dementia. Examples of the courses they offer range from 21st-century powers, Pismo Beach geology walks, introduction to silk painting, and the ins and outs of being an air-traffic controller
.THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY BRUCE BEAUDOIN:
"Knowledge tempered by experience is wisdom.” .
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Jul 21 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram July 21, 2015: Melanie Angeles – “Zoo to You”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting of at 12:37 PM by explaining that he has been a communication with our guest speaker and that she is on her way with a few exotic animals.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mark Olson announced that tomorrow, Wednesday, July 22 from 5:30 to 9 PM, we are encouraged to come down to the end of 4th Street, adjacent Fin’s Restaurant, for the United Arab Emirates Special Olympic athletes’ barbecue and beach bonfire. The Arroyo Grande Rotary Club is offering $20 raffle tickets for a chance to win a Harley-Davidson motorcycle at a raffle drawing to be held on August 22, 2015 at the Santa Maria Harley Davidson. Greg Baker urged all members to sign up to work on the August 15 Summer Sizzle. Connie O Henley stated that 38 Summer Sizzle tickets have been turned so far. Jeff King encoraged all teams to come up with 2 Summer Sizzle sponsors in the next few short weeks. A question came up as to the meaning of PolioPlus that Rotary launched in 1985. The following is a quote from the R I official webpage: “the “plus” signaled the belief that the polio eradication effort would increase immunizations against five other diseases prevalent in children: measles, tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, and tetanus.” Steve Curry won the auction for a Japanese print, supposedly translated to mean 'Pismo Beach/5 Cities Rotary Club', with a winning bid of $60. Jerry Brewer, a former member of this club and now a member of the Novolato, Mexico Rotary Club, exchanged his club’s flag for one of ours.
Program- Melanie Angeles – “Zoo to You”
Melanie is the CEO of Zoo to You, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates injured animals. She began by explaining that they have presently over 350 non-releasable mammals and raptors. For example, they have a bald eagle that had been injured and couldn’t be returned to the wild. They will take such raptors in for life as well as injured raccoons, foxes and other local mammals. They also take in animals that have been maintained as pets, often illegally such as alligators, monkeys and the like. They also have former pets that have grown too large to handle, such as pythons. A number of their animals have appeared on Jack Hanna's Animal Adventures and also on the David Letterman show. She then proceeded to bring out one at a time the following animals: a three banded Amarillo from Brazil that rolls into a solid ball and that was mistaken for cantaloupe when someone tried to smuggle it through customs at the LAX airport; a fruit eating kinkajou, also known as a honey bear, also from Brazil; and an endangered black-and-white ruffed lemur from Madagascar that also loves fruit. The latter has a long bushy tail, but not as commonly believed, a prehensile tail. The tail is used to attract the opposite sex. She stated that on July 25 through the 29th Zoo to You will be at the Paso Robles Midstate Fair.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"The tongue has no bones, but it is strong enough to break a heart. So be careful what you say.” .
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Jul 14 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram July 14, 2015: Brad Brechwald, Wallace Group and Leonard Grant, RRM Design Group-“Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) Workforce Housing Survey”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests. Prior to the opening of the meeting, he requested that all members sit at an assigned table based on this team number assigned to them by Jeff King in order to discuss list local businesses that would be willing to purchase $500 Summer Sizzle sponsorships.
FINES:
A $10 assessment will be added to every member of the club’s invoice as a tribute to Roger Frederickson, who is being deployed to Afghanistan. Kari Ziegler’s name was mispronounced by Sharon Ellis, which cost her $20 and Cliff Nagler was assessed the same amount for the return of his lost fountain pen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel announced that the first social of the year will be held at 5:30 PM tomorrow at Marisol Restaurant in Pismo Beach. He stated John Murphy has been appointed the Rotary-Steamers Restaurant official coordinator to handle criticisms that any member has regarding the food and the like. He indicated that a short board meeting will take place immediately following this meeting. Monteisa Phelan Lopez requested the help to 12-15 volunteers on Wednesday, July 22 for the 5:30 PM barbecue to honor the Special Olympic athletes from the United Arab Emirates. It will take place in the area adjacent Fin’s restaurant at the end of Fourth Street in Pismo Beach. Greg Baker stated that everything was going according to plan for the August 15 Summer Sizzle fundraiser. Greg asked for a response of how many have sold all of their tickets and was encouraged by the showing and urged the others to sell all of the remaining unsold tickets. Sean Schuur, a former member of our club, rose to encourage volunteers to come out and help the 12 noon Ampsurf barbecue hamburger luncheon on September 12. Paul Holden took the podium to bestow Paul Harris Fellows on Monteisa Phelan Lopez and John Bernard. He also placed Mason jars for us to take home and fill with our dollars with all proceeds going to the Polio Plus campaign to eradicate polio by 2018 and with matching 2 to 1 grants from the Bill and Melissa Gates Foundation. He stated that for as little as $21 a month you can join a team to get a $1000 Paul Harris Fellow in no more than four years. John Bernard, Terry Fibich and Mark Olson all joined Pres. Joel’s Pres.’s Club for $250, $200, and $200 respectively. By a unanimous voice vote, our club will support Michael Boyer’s campaign to be a District 5240 Gov. of District 5240.
Program-“ Economic Vitality Corporation (EVC) Workforce Housing Survey”
To understand the housing needs and housing preferences of those in San Luis Obispo County workforce, a September 2013 countywide Economic Strategy Project was launched and an online survey was taken of employees and employers throughout our local economy. A few of the questions asked in that survey and analysis of the 437 responses received were as follows:
(1) In your opinion, how easy or difficult is it to find safe, decent, suitable and affordable housing for the average person or family in San Luis Obispo County? About 50% of the employees and employers indicated it was somewhat difficult and 38% of the employees and 32% of the employers said it was very difficult.
(2) If you were to make a change to your housing in the future, how acceptable would each of the following housing types/settings be to you and your household? 97% of employees stated they wish to live in single family detached dwellings; only about 54% of the employees indicated multi-family; and about the same for mixed property residences.
(3) Which of the following best describes the type of residence you are currently living in? 70% of the employees stated they live in single detached family home and 21% in multi-family homes.
Based on the results of this survey a May 2014 housing summit was held that included about 50 housing stakeholders in the county. They defined the problem and focused on what can be done to remove business barriers to providing more affordable housing and generally to support the production of lower-cost housing for the future workforce in the county.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"An original investor in Apple sold his $800 share in 1976. That share is now worth $58 billion. |
July 7 2014 - Rotary ForumProgram July 7, 2015: Pres. Joel Conn-“Some Highlights RI Annual Convention in São Paulo Brazil and What We Are Going to Do This New Rotary Year”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel opened his inaugural meeting of this new Rotary year at 12:38 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to John and Martha Murphy for $120.
FINES:
Pres. Joel levied $10 fines on the member Rotarians at 3 out of the 5 tables for failing to have any to guests at their table. He levied a $25 fine on Dick Dannells for failing to introduce his wife Sarah Conn.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel gave a short video promoting the District Conference to be held on October 3- October 4 in Bakersfield. He then called Greg Baker to the podium to remind everyone that the Summer Sizzle fundraiser will be held on Saturday, August 15. Greg reported that a meeting would be held immediately after this meeting and circulated a sign-up sheet for volunteers to work at this event. Lee Ann Liscombe would appreciate it if anyone found a clipboard at the demotion banquet to let her know. Roger Frederickson announced that he is being deployed to Iraq at the end of September and received a standing ovation for his upcoming service. Jack Hardy presented Pres. Joel with his new Rotary Bell, which he had failed to take home after the demotion banquet. Jack had him spin the wheel indicating a $50 fine. John Traversaro and his wife Marcia reported on that the Pinot for Polio fundraising campaign was going very well and a number of cases of this wine were sold at the recent District Event. They hope that every member will buy at least one case and distribute the bottles among their wine drinking friends and acquaintances.
Program-“Some Highlights RI Annual Convention in São Paulo Brazil”
Pres. Joel began by showing a 10 minute multimedia presentation of him and Sarah’s experiences at the convention and his trip to Rio de Janeiro. He was particularly struck with the poverty in the Santa Marta District of Rio having a population between 300,000 and 400,000 people. The drug lords live at the top of the mountain with lofty views of the ocean and Christ the Redeemer (statue) so that when the police try to make raids on them, their lookouts living below send out warnings.
Program -“What We Are Going to Do This New Rotary Year”
He stated that this year we will our fine record in the District. Some of the goals for the year include: working on small projects in Pismo Beach such as public parklets, of which San Francisco is 43 (Community Services, Monteisa Phelan Lopez); obtaining large sponsorships for Summer Sizzle (Fund Development, Jeff King); 18 Paul Harris Fellows (International Service, Paul Holden); 1 District grant and 1 world grant (Foundation Grants, Steve Curry); net gain of six members (Membership, Michael Boyer); have interesting and engaging programs (Programs, Kari Ziegler); obtain 1000 Facebook likes on our home Facebook page (Public-Relations, Shannon Bowdey); create a database for visitors and a follow-up (Secretary, Deenie Dotson); 3 to 4 vocational visit (vocational services, Cliff Nagler); and continued engagement with RYLA, Interact, and Rotaract (Youth Service, Mark Olson, Michael Boyer and Connie O’Henley). He would like to set up a Crowdsourced Site for fundraising on the social network. He has established the President’s Club with minimum donations of $200. He also started a Happy Buck program. Jack and Sheila’s 43rd anniversary was the first $100 Happy Buck donation and Mike Kee’s sixth anniversary with Lisa resulted in $60 Happy Buck donation. John Traversaro was the first member of the President’s Club with a $500 donation in which he received a bottle of Caipirinha, the Brazilian drink Pres. Joel took back from Brazil. We then raised our paper cups containing a small amount of this drink for a toast for the presidents new year.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY MARK OLSON:
"The 4th of July has come and passed, now go in peace.”
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Jun 22 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram June 22, 2015: Member Awards
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened his last official meeting of the Rotary year at 12:40 PM with the usual guest introductions.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Connie O’Henley reviewed what was in each of our Summer Sizzle packets. This year we could not reserve a larger than you than the Edwards Barn in Nipomo. Consequently, the number of tickets available for sale has been reduced and consequently the forecasted amount that goes to our charitable giving campaign has been reduced. To somewhat offset this reduced amount, each packet includes 5 raffle tickets at a cost of $25 each that all members are required to either sell or purchase. John Murphy reminded us not to come to Steamers next Tuesday at noon, but to be present at 5:30 PM at the San Luis Obispo Country Club for the Michael Boyer demotion banquet. Ashlea Boyer announced that Bruce Beaudoin and John Traversaro have been nominated to the Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation and they were duly elected by unanimous vote. Cliff Nagler and Steve Curry have been elected to this board by Rotary Club board. Pres. Michael called a short interim board meeting at today’s meeting to discuss the Pinot for Polio project. He congratulated Steve Adams for his wedding anniversary with Rose. He also showed an inspirational 2 minute video on the Rotary Foundation.
Program June 22, 2015: Member Awards
Pres. Michael began the award presentation by naming Past Pres. Linda Osty, who was not present at this meeting, to emphasize how much she helped him get off to such a good start this Rotary year. He is looking forward to serving with incoming Pres. Joel Conn. Harlan Silva was lauded for his at least 7 years as treasurer and Harlan will assist Lee Ann Liscombe, this coming year’s new treasurer. Deenie Dotson has done a marvelous job past year as secretary. John Murphy has been the past Sgt. of Arms for as long as Pres. Michael can remember and does an outstanding job that includes making sure everything is set up for our meetings every week. Ashlea Boyer, President of the Pismo Beach Rotary Foundation and Club Service Director, has been a great assistance to him during the year. Martha Murphy was lauded for work as Vocational Service Director, Paul Holden for is Rotary Foundation work, Steve Curry for his work in obtaining grants. Charla Anderson was praised for her work as Membership Chair. Cliff Nagler did an outstanding job as Vocational Service Director. He also thanked his advisers that included Mike Frederick, Sandy Lubin, Connie O’Henley and Don Weber. Other members that stood out during this past year included Terry Fibich for his work as highway cleanup chairman, Scott Astrosky for his work as RYLA counselor, Jay Bond for his work as the liaison with Rotary Interact, Bruce Beaudoin for holding the Rotary Foundation social, Jack Hardy for being the fine-master extraordinaire, Dick Dannells for his work as bulletin editor, Jim Lewis for organizing the vocational visits, Mary Giambalvo for her work on Rotary scholarships, and Paul Jones for his weekly Thought for the Day. Those members that have over 20 years of perfect attendance include: Steve Curry (21), Harlan Silva (21), Terry Fibich (21), Sandy Lubin (22) and Paul Jones (44). Finally, Pres. Michael announced the resignations of John Rubatzky and Cheryl Vines
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Before borrowing money from a friend, decide whether you need the money or the friend.” .
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Jun 16 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram June 16, 2015: “Member Spotlights for Jay Bond, Mary Ann Reese, and Mike Kee”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:40 PM and put the first member spotlight on
Jay Bond, who was born on August 22, 1955 in Santa Maria and has been a lifelong resident of parents that came to California in 1927, His dad left his mother when he was only 2 and she married his stepfather when he was four years old. He has only seen the father on two occasions once 17 years ago and last February. He went to Harloe Elementary school and graduated from Arroyo Grande High School. He got a job as a Jaguar dealer in San Luis Obispo and at the age of 20 he went to Hancock where he got his associate degree. He then went to Florida and got a Master’s degree in Internet marketing, which has been of great help to him. After a period time at Keller Williams Realty Company, he recently went to work for a Bakersfield company. He lives in Arroyo Grande and was recently engaged to be married. He has been with our Club for two years where he has been very active.
Mary Ann Reese was born of Italian immigrant parents in upstate New York where she enjoyed winter activities when she was very young. Her dad, with only a third grade education rose to become a manager of a paper company where he invented the process for making two-ply toilet paper. Her mom had an eighth grade education and knew the importance of schooling so that when Mary Ann was rejected as being too young for kindergarten, the next year she enrolled her in first grade, which made her first two years of school very difficult. Her first job was in a paper company where she worked in the CEO’s office and in the finance and sales departments. Her mother took her to California where she met her first husband and took a job in Human Resources. She received her AA from Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga and her Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the University of Redlands. During her 27 year human resources career, she met and married Bert in 1995. In 1994, he moved to Pismo Beach and has not looked back. She got interested in politics immediately and became Pismo Beach’s first elected mayor in 2004 and has been on the Pismo Beach City Council for more than 15 years.
Mike Kee is a native Californian born on January 6, 1948 to parents who came to California from Oklahoma and Texas during the dust bowl of the 30’s and settled as migrant workers in the Valley. He was born in Napa, but in one and half years he moved to Lodi and then to a rural area near Riverside. He remembers the fun he had playing in the barns and in the fields. He has fond memories of his high school athletics where he was a two sport letterman (baseball and basketball) and played baseball in college. And at 67, he still plays in a local adult baseball (hardball) league. He graduated from California Baptist University with honors. His first job after college was as a cost accountant for Bank of America in 1972. He has held numerous positions over the years at several banks including President, CEO of a community bank in Santa Maria for 3 years. He has held various other positions over the years including Executive Vice-President and Chief Credit Officer, Regional Vice President, and Senior Vice President of Lending. He is currently with Coast National Bank. Besides athletics, a second primary interest is music. He has played in a number of San Luis Obispo Little theater productions as Roy Orbison, Frank Sinatra, Elton John and other leading roles. He still plays in a rock and pop band.
Montisa Phelan Lopez was “born yesterday” 45 years ago in California and traces her ancestry back six generations to 1840. She grew up in Arroyo Grande during the school year and on an 8000 acre ranch near San Simeon in the summer where she worked on the family business of cattle ranching and farming. She still lives in Arroyo Grande with her husband, Leon Lopez of 22 years and their three children, a 20-year-old daughter, on 18-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. She has been the Vice President of Philanthropy for the Arroyo Grande Community Hospital Foundation since 2006.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Jim Lewis reported on last week’s successful vocational visit at the Arroyo Grande hospital as the last vocational visit for the year. Pres. Michael reminded us of our last social for the year tomorrow, June 17, at Rosa's Italian restaurant starting at 5:00 PM. Greg Baker reported that the Rotary foundation golf tournament may just a little under $15,000 which will go to scholarships for three of standing Arroyo Grande high school students. Greg also reported that the Summer Sizzle meeting will take place after this meeting. Steve Curry announced that Grover Beach is being re-branded as a Wednesday noontime club on July 1 at Rosa's. He invited everyone that can possibly attend to do so on that date. Assistant to the District Gov. Sandy Nichols reported that the literacy book giveaway was a financial success because of the job Burdine Printing’s of the books.
FINES:
Jeff King turned another year older and recently returned from a 4000 mile US driving tour that included Wichita, Kansas. For these 2 events, he was given an $80 spin-the-wheel fine.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Be patient. I won’t keep you very long.” Elizabeth Taylor."
“If you don’t know where you are going any road will take you there.”
Lewis Carroll
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Jun 2 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram June 2, 2015: Roger Ridley -“Ulysses S. Grant”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:41 PM and auctioned off the fine-free badge to Bruce Beaudoin for $60.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Volunteers are needed for Wednesday, June 3 at 2 PM to help with the last third-grade book giveaway. Greg Baker reported that six vocational teams have been organized to find $500 sponsors for this summer’s Summer Sizzle. Paul Holden reported that the Paul Harris Fellow affair on Sunday at the home of Bruce and Marcia Beaudoin went very well. He wished to thank in addition to Bruce, Sharon Ellis, and Ashley Boyer. Linda Osty asked all those on Linda her committee to meet after this meeting. Steve Adams thanked us for our past support and for bestowing on him honorary membership in the club and for our support of the Uganda project. He had hand tags for sale at $50 each to raise money for the Uganda villagers. Terry Fibich reported that June 13 at 7:30 AM will be the usual breakfast at Coco’s followed by highway cleanup. Jay Bond reported that the SLO Interact club will hold its demotion dinner this Saturday at the Avila Beach yacht club. Jim Lewis reminded everyone that next week meeting will be held at the Arroyo Grande hospital as the last vocational visit for the year. He asked us to please use the Fair Oaks Street for parking. Steve Curry announced that the joint board meeting will be held on June 18 at his home starting at 6 PM. He also thanked those who helped with Grover Beach Rotary’s track meet. Ashlea Boyer reported that the last social for the year will be held on June 17 at Rosa’s starting at 5:30 PM.
FINES:
Bruce Beaudoin 70th birthday was recognized without a fine as he is over the limit. Connie O’ Henley was fined $100 for texting Ashley Boyer during the meeting.
PROGRAM-Roger Ridley -“Ulysses S. Grant”
Roger began by stating that in his opinion Grant was the greatest general of the Civil War. He was born on April 27, 1822 with the name of Hiram Ulysses Grant. He hated his first name and and substituted it for Ulysses and added a middle initial S so that he was known as US Grant. He graduated 21 out of 39s in the West Point class of 1843. After a four year courtship, he married Julia Dent in 1848. After graduation, he fought in the Seminole Indian war and then on to the Mexican war. In 1854 he was promoted to captain and soon thereafter he resigned his commission until he volunteered during the beginning of the Civil War and became a Col. in charge of a volunteer regiment. Within a very short time he was promoted to Brig. Gen. upon the recommendation of Pres. Lincoln took note of his victories in the West while Gen. McClellan in the East seem to be going nowhere. In 1864 Grant became only the second Lieut. Gen. after Washington. On April 9, 1865, Lee surrenders to Grant in the McLean House, Appomattox, Virginia to end the war.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking yourself less." |
Apr 28 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram April 28 2015: Arroyo Grande High School Interact Members and RYLA Attendees
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Doug McMillan’s restaurant advertising during guest introductions cost him a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. With a room full of guests, the only guest-less table included Linda Osty, Greg Baker, Charla Anderson, Frank Montesinos and Mary Giambalvo, which cost a $20 per person fine. Lee Ann Liscombe was fined for a belated 39th wedding anniversary resulting in an $80 spin-the-wheel fine. In recognition of editing this bulletin for the past many years and in anticipation of his travels beginning next week, Dick Dannells was fined $100. Steve and Linda Curry’s recent 32nd wedding anniversary cost Steve $64. Karen Zappia was zapped for a $20 spin-the-wheel fine for turning in her red badge for the blue one.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mark Olson announced the annual middle school soccer tournament will be held on May 16 with the usual soccer artwork, ad-backed shirts going for the usual $50 price. Pres. Michael congratulated Ashlea Boyer for heading up last week’s special meeting at the Pismo Beach Veterans Memorial Hall. Ashlea asked all those helped in this endeavor to stand. She made a special mention of Kari Ziegler and her chef that produced a fine lunch for well over 100. She also reported that raffle items are still needed for the golf tournament on May 4. Bruce Beaudoin rose to urge everyone that golfers are still needed for this tournament. Connie O Henley requested she needs help at the check-in desk from 9 to 11 AM. John Murphy, returning from back surgery, announced that Martha has $50 tickets for the golf tournament dinner. Joel Conn reported that this month’s board meeting will be held at the AG Hospital this week on the 30th.
PROGRAM: Arroyo Grande High School Interact Members and RYLA Attendees
Connie O Henley stated that the last meeting of the Interact club, which the largest club in Arroyo Grande High School,was held on Monday because it is very hard to focus on Interact activities during the last two month of the school year. She mentioned that our club offsets some of the cost of the pizza that is delivered during the weekly meetings, since they occur during the regular lunch hour. Connie first introduced the members that had gone to the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp in Ojai. The following are a few of their comments: It was great. She loved it. It was the best experience in her life. The diversity of the group took her out of her own bubble. She learned so much about herself. It created a safe and comfortable environment. She realized that she was among the brightest students of the three neighboring counties. Now she wants to go out and make a difference in the world. It was not what she had expected. Connie then introduced the officers for the past year; all except one have spent their entire four years in the Club. The treasurer spoke of her enjoyment of her years in Interact and her RYLA experience. The historian spoke of her experiences doing the webpage. One of the co-presidents stated that she had the time of her life. The other co-president had similar experiences. The secretary loved helping the community and the Junior VP enjoyed working on international projects. The two international projects for the year included helping bring clean water where none is found and contributing to providing orphanages in Asia and Haiti. They have been involved in many local projects including the annual Pismo Beach Thanksgiving dinner at the Veterans Memorial Hall.
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Apr 21 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram April 21, 2015: Carolyn Jones, Past Trustee Rotary Foundation - “The Children of Russia”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened this special meeting at 12:37 PM in the Pismo Beach Veterans Hall. We were joined by many members of the other local Rotary clubs to hear Carolyn. Prior to the program, Rotary moments were presented by former Morro Bay Rotary club president John Weiss and former District Gov. Deepa Willingham. Another special guest at this meeting was former District Gov. 5010, Clyde Boyer, and father of Pres. Michael and personal friend of Carolyn. Clyde was chosen to draw Cliff Nagler’s winning raffle ticket to the tune of $219
PROGRAM: Carolyn Jones, Past Trustee Rotary Foundation - “The Children of Russia”
Carolyn graduated from Stanford University with distinction and received her LL.B. from Yale Law School. She joined the Rotary Club of Anchorage East in 1987 and was District 5010 Gov. from 1997-1998 On 1 July 2005, Carolyn began a four-year term as a Trustee on the Board of Directors of the Rotary Foundation. Carolyn has traveled to Russia 28 times in her service to Rotary and has made the neglected and orphaned children of Russia her special program. Her involvement begins over 17 years ago during her first visit to Russia as a Rotary volunteer. While District Gov., she visited the newly formed Rotary clubs in her District. During this first visit, she was invited to an orphanage that included children who had lived near a nuclear power plant and were suffering from radioactive poisoning. When she returned to her District, she raised $5000 to at least save five lives with chemotherapy. Subsequently 30 districts raised $600,000 to help these Russian children. Many of the kids were thought to be too, using the politically incorrect term, retarded. Part of this money was to start a head start program in which these children learned such things as sewing, personal health, how to use computers, and even how to play baseball and golf. She recognizes that the problem of neglected children in Russia is immense with 29,000 children labeled as mentally retarded and 130,000 homeless children in Moscow alone. Critics have said she has been putting a Band-Aid on the problem. She does look at it that way and believes at least you can make a difference by saving a few. In her PowerPoint presentation, she gave photographic examples of the children at the time they began their help and where the children are today.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Tough seas make good sailors." |
Apr 14 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram April 14, 2015: Jeri Roberts -“Pacific Wildlife Care Outreach”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:15 PM by immediately calling Anya Stanley to the podium to introduce our speaker.
PROGRAM:
Jeri’s group is dedicated to the rescue of injured wildlife and education of the public about living with wildlife in their area. Although they treat mostly birds, they do receive an occasional sea life creature. They depend primarily on donations from the public, but received a federal grant recently that enabled them to hire a veterinarian specializing in wildlife. Their group started in the 70’s. Jeri had asked Pres. Michael to give her presentation before our normal lunch because the wild life specimen that she had in a closed cage required quiet. She reached in with her gloved hand and removed from the cage a very rare, long eared owl tethered to her arm. The owl was noticeably agitated at first. Finally, when she had it calmed down, 2 ear-like protrudances arose on its head, which is the reason for its name. In fact, it actually has one ear on one side of its body and one ear on a lower part of its body so that it is able to triangulate sound. It mainly hunts on mice and insects. It is very rare and the one that she used in her demonstration was rescued by their group with two broken wings. After it healed, it was nonreturnable to the wild because it could only fly a few feet off the ground making it very vulnerable to predators. The females are one third larger than the males, sequentially lay their eggs, and set on them for 30 days until the chicks are hatched. During this time the males must bring in 2 to 3 mice a night.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael reminded everyone that next week’s meeting will be held at the Pismo Beach Vet Center that features Carolyn Jones, Past Trustee Rotary Foundation, as our guest speaker. All of the local clubs are invited and the attendance is expected to be between 100-180 people. The annual Paul Harris Fellow event will be held at Bruce Beaudoin’s on Tuesday evening, May 31. Linda Osty reported that the Hoosegow Park has been completed and the grand opening will be on April 25. Pres. Michael reported that we have a new committee called The Pinot for Polio and the first meeting will be after this meeting. Montisa Phelan Lopez was called forward to hand Lynn Dorland of the Breast Cancer Fund at Arroyo Grande Hospital with a check from our Community Giving Program. Martha Murphy announced that this evening at 5 PM, she and a few volunteers will be grading the Four-Way Essays. She also stated that her husband John is recovering from back surgery and has a $50 ticket for the golf tournament banquet at the San Luis Obispo Country Club. She encouraged others to buy banquet tickets and enjoy the open bar and dinner, which includes prime rib and or halibut. Ashlea Boyer took the podium to plea for much-needed raffle items which are due now. Greg Baker and Mark Olson made their pitch for golf tee sponsors for this tournament.
Spotlight on Mike Frederick
Mike was born in 1978 in the Yorba Linda-Fullerton area. His dad taught agriculture and had a family owned business raising and selling livestock. He graduated from Cal Poly in 1978 with a degree in horticulture. He went into the family business of growing and selling Christmas trees while attending Cal Poly and continued in that business for a number of years after graduating. He moved to this area in 1993 after the Southern California property was sold. He continues to be involved in managing the residential, commercial and industrial properties owned by he and his family. He and his wife of 36 years, Jeannie, have two daughters and a son. Erin who is an OR nurse at French Hospital, Brianne who is a kindergarten teacher at Dorothia Lang Elementary School, and Andrew who currently works for REC Solar in San Luis Obispo.
His motto is “Live within your means.”
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"An understanding word is salve for the fasting soul." |
Apr 7 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram April 7 2015: Spotlights on Jeff King, Kari Ziegler Anya Stanley
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual introductions that included District Gov. Loretta Butts who was here to present an award to past Pres. Linda Osty for our club’s contribution to the Polio Plus campaign. She also commented that fact that in the last six months we have gained four or five new members.
FINES:
Mary Giambalvo finished a half a marathon over the Berkeley Grizzly Peak terrain and received an $80 spin-the-wheel fine. Greg Steinberger exchanged his old red badge for his blue one and received a $100 spin the wheel fine. Steve Curry was fined $20 for having to be right.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
John Traversaro reported that the golf tournament on May 4 is almost on us. Bruce Beaudoin emphasized that every member should encourage any golfer they know to sign up. Cliff Nagler reported that two weeks before the tournament KSBY will feature TV advertising. Paul Holden again passed around the Paul Harris Fellow lottery sign-up sheet.
PROGRAM: Spotlights on Jeff King, Kari Ziegler Anya Stanley
Spotlight on Jeff King: Jeff was born in Fresno on June 3, 1949 and during his growing up years his dad took him on a 37 state odyssey. He graduated from high school in 1969 and went on to California State University, Fresno. Jeff’s dad was an architect, so when Jeff graduated with a degree in construction engineering, they formed a company with is dad doing the designing and Jeff headed up the construction crew building the houses. Since he divided the profits with his dad, he has not received a paycheck since June 1, 1972. He married his wife Sally in 1972 and in 1992 they adopted two children who are produced 2 grandchildren that they are now in the process of spoiling. He loves to travel and he recently passed his FAA written exam and now is in the process of obtaining his instrument rating.
Spotlight on Kari Ziegler: Kari was born in San Luis Obispo, but was soon adopted and spent her growing up years on the East Coast. Her dad had a job as the CFO of a trading firm so they didn’t have dinner until he got home between 8 and 8:30 PM. She went to Taylor University in Upland, Indiana and became a software designer for 17 years. Her grandmother taught her to cook and she developed a great interest cooking. She left software design to open Gather Wine Bar in Arroyo Grande Village. After four years, her lease ran out so she opened Comfort Market on 116 East Branch St. late in 2013. It is open from 9:30 AM to 3 PM and from 5 to 9 PM for dinner.
Spotlight on Anya Stanley: She was born in Sparta, Wisconsin and because her dad was in the Marine Corps they moved every couple of years while she was a child. She received a BS from San Diego State University and a JD degree in 1972 from Syracuse University in 1975. When she got out of law school at the head of her class, all the law firms that she applied to were not hiring. She got her start by going down to the courthouse every day and observing the trial attorneys in action. A judge asked her what she was doing there. After she told him, he said we have a case for you and the rest is history. She practiced law in Los Angeles for 38 years and is now a partner with the law firm of Gibbs, Giden, Locher, Turner, Senet & Wittbrodt LLP.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
"Nothing is so disappointing as finding out you are excellent at doing something that doesn't need to be done." |
Mar 31 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram March 31, 2015: Chief Jake Miller- “Pismo Beach Police Department”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:40 PM with the usual introduction of guests and selling of the fine-free badge to Bruce Beaudoin for $75.
FINES:
Harlan Silva’s photo from yesteryear cost him a $50 spin-the-wheel fine. The club anniversaries of Andy Park and Mike Kee resulted in spin-the-wheel fines of $100 and $80, respectively. Ashley Boyer was fined a spin-the-wheel fine of $60 for interrupting the president. Her table mates that included Mark Olson, Shannon Bowdy, Bonnie Mogan, Mary Giambalvo, and Paul Felice were fined $15 for being at her table.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Mark Olson announced that the Children’s Literacy Program will begin next week. Pres. Michael reported that starting on 5 PM, Wednesday, April 15 we will be having our monthly social. Martha Murphy announced that April 10 will be the end of the four-way test entries and essay judging will begin during the week of April 14.
PROGRAM: Chief Jake Miller- “Pismo Beach Police Department”
Jim Lewis introduced Jake who has passed through every rank in the Pismo Beach Police Department. Jim appointed him Chief in 2014 after the retirement of Police Chief Jeff Norton. Jake went from Cal Poly to the police academy and has been in law enforcement his entire adult life. When he took over the department, 2 other senior officers had retired, which meant he had to scramble to bring experienced talent from the outside. One was a former California Highway Patrol officer who would now be doing real police work, he joked. Jake gave a slideshow presentation of the nuts and bolts of the Department. Out of the 22 other sworn officers, there are 2 commanders, 5 sergeants, 2 corporals, and 13 police officers. Other positions making up the Department include a communication services operator, a support services supervisor in charge of administration, communication, the investigative Bureau and the records Bureau, and 8 dispatchers. A sergeant, a corporal and an officer are assigned on a 12 hour weekday shift and another officer is added for the weekend day shift. A sergeant and three officers are assigned for every 12 hour night shift throughout the week. The Operation Division handles a whole host of activities including: traffic, citations, arrests, AOA (assist other agencies), patrol covers, investigations, vacation check (let them know you’re on vacation and your house will be monitored on a daily basis), records, traffic control, street closures, command post, hostage situation, barricade situation, high risk apprehension, high risk one service, special patrols, civil disturbances and other high-level threats. With the current budget of over $5 million, last year they made 9221 calls, 10,601 officer assists, 2305 incidents, 1285 arrests and closed 179 cases. They are proud to have initiated the “My Cop" program where the same officer is assigned to a specific area working with citizens to identify and solve problems in a non-traditional manner. In March 2014, a panel of commissioners from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA voted unanimously to award the Pismo Beach Police Department its 3rd National Accreditation.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Never a weak bone when your backbone is your other bone.”
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Mar 24 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram March 24, 2015: Leon Lopez- “Horse Racing”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:41 PM with a spotlight on Mark Olson. Mark was born on November 3, 1977 in San Luis Obispo and raised in Arroyo Grande. He played in for Paulding Middle School at our Rotary clubs annual soccer tournament in 1991. He graduated from Sonoma State University. He held various jobs before going to work in his present position. For example, he ran a small rebate business in high school and worked for a couple years at a Katcho service station and in 1998 at Scolari’s Grocery store when he took third place in the United States grocery store bagging competition. He now works for Coast National Bank where he is a Vice President in the Commercial Lending Department. He met Amanda as a freshman in high school and has been married to her for 13 years. They have 2, 5 and 8 year-old children. His hobbies include travel, golf and poker. On his bucket list is to travel to all 50 states in the Union.
FINES:
Connie O'Henley’s birthday cost her a $50 spin-the- wheel recognition fee.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Representatives from Shell Beach Improvement Group, Valley View Academy and San Luis Obispo County Runaways (whose mission is to keep runaway, homeless and at-risk youth safe and off the streets) were handed checks from the respective sponsors, Anya Stanley, Cheryl Vines and Joel Conn.
Greg Baker announced that the first Summer Sizzle fundraising meeting will be held immediately after this meeting. Joel Conn announced that the second Rotary District conference will be held in Oxnard this Saturday. Our regular meeting on Tuesday, April 21, from 12 to 1:30 PM will be held at the Pismo Beach Veterans Memorial building that will have Carolyn Jones, Past Trustee Rotary Foundation, as our guest speaker. All of the Rotary clubs in the Five Cities have been invited. A raffle sheet was passed around with a chance to win a Paul Harris Fellow for $50 per entry. The winner will be announced at the Paul Harris event at Bruce Beaudoin’s home during the evening of April 21.
PROGRAM: Leon Lopez- “Horse Racing”
Montisa Phelan Lopez introduced her’s husband Leon who basically has been engaged in horse race betting most of his life. When he was only 14 years old, his father took him to the races and had him place a $5 bet on a couple of horses that brought him $400 in winnings. From that point on he was hooked. When he was still in grade school, he had the reputation for picking winners and for every winning prediction he was given a tip. For example, on one winning horse that paid $47,000 in winnings he got a $100 tip. In high school, he began studying racing forms. When he turned 18 and was old enough to place his own bets, he would go to the satellite racing facility in Santa Maria where he won $60,000 on one great winning day. It was a superfecta that would’ve won him half of the $400,000 price, but the horse he predicted to come in first was disqualified. He only specializes in betting at Hollywood Park, Santa Anita and Del Mar racetracks. He commented on the difficulty horses have in attempting to win the Triple Crown which hasn’t been achieved since Affirmed won in 1978. One of the major difficulties is that the third race is on Belmont’s one and half mile track and the horses are running against fresh horses that haven’t entered the previous two races. Second only to the Kentucky Derby, the Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita gives an opportunity for horses from all over the world to compete at various ages and on various tracks, such as dirt, turf, and all weather.
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Mar 10 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram March 10, 2015: Mike Sinor- “Winemaking Trends in Wine”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:38 PM with the usual introduction of guests.
FINES:
Sandy Lubin failed to introduce a guest at his table that cost him $20. Terry Fibich stated that Pres. Michael signed up, but did not show for last week’s highway cleanup resulting in a $50 spin-the-wheel fine. Mark Olson’s 14 year club anniversary resulted in a spin-the-wheel fine of $0.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Rrepresentatives from four charities were sequentially asked to step to the podium to receive their Community Giving checks from respective charity sponsors. Linda Osty handed a check to Janice Summers from Military Parents of the Central Coast that assists families of servicemen. Board President Anita Shower received a check to further the work of the Grover Beach Exploration Center. Paul Jones gave out a check to Dawn Cormier; Dir. of Teen Challenge. Dick Dannells gave out a check to Board President Richard Strachan of Meals on Wheels for the Five Cities.
Jim Lewis announced that next week’s meeting will begin at the Arroyo Grande Historical Museum behind the Rotary bandshell followed by lunch at Rooster Creek. Pres. Michael reported that four-way essay test forms are now available; the next Rotary social will be on Wednesday, March 18 at the Rooster Creek; and the Rotary board meeting will be held on the following day at the Arroyo Grande Hospital. Mike Frederick reported that to complete the Hoosegow Park requires one more work day this coming Saturday starting at 8 AM to do some finishing landscaping. Greg Baker reported that the first Summer Sizzle fundraiser meeting will be held today.
PROGRAM: Mike Sinor- “Winemaking Trends in Wine”
Jim Lewis introduced Mike who began with his background. He grew up in Visalia where he helped his dad in the junk business and soon learned to love the coast (anything to get out of work in his dad’s business). He graduated from Visalia high school in 1988 with a 1.9 grade point average. Consequently he spent a few years in a community college before he entered Cal Poly where he graduated with a teaching teaching degree. Instead of teaching, he began learning the winemaking business by going to work for Corbett Canyon winery in SLO. He is now recognized as one of the Central Coast’s highest-rated winemakers. In 2006, he joined Ancient Peaks Winery in Avila Beach, where he is the Director of Winemaking. He commented on the present water situation in California and related his experience in 2001 business trip to the winemaking region of Western Australia. Here the lack of water is a way of life and they have adjusted quite well. For example, at the wineries he visited, rainwater is collected by everyone from the president on down. He believes that the wine business is going well and notes that this area’s agricultural products includes not only has grapes but a lot of other crops that gives us stability. He noted that for a few years strawberries even knocked out grapes as the number one crop. He stated that Edna Valley Winery is now owned by Gallo, which is evidence that this area is getting well known for its winemaking. In answer to a question, are there too many vineyards in this area, he stated that not in his opinion because of the high quality of our grapes, they are shipped out to high end wineries in Napa and other regions.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Think ahead. It was not raining when Noah built the ark.”
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Feb 24 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram for ebruary 24, 2015-Karry Nau – Arroyo Grande Community Hospital’s Acute Care Center ¶
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael opened the meeting at 12:35 PM and put the spotlight on Joel Conn who hails from Blacksburg Virginia. After his father became the Vice Provost at Cal Poly, the whole family moved to San Luis Obispo much to Joel’s delight. He received his BS degree in Biology in 2002 from Cal Poly and his doctorate from the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2006. His first job took him to Sebastopol where he treated a lot of self-medicated dogs and bought a home in Santa Rosa. He met Sarah in college at the time she was going with his best friend. Four years later they got married. In 2009, while on a trip to visit his parents in San Luis Obispo, he made an offer on a home in Pismo Beach. This was accepted and he then found an office a half-mile uphill from his home. He joined our club in 2010. Joel presented a slide show of his life during his oral presentation.
FINES:
Mike Frederick’s new truck cost him a $15 fine. Doug McMillan celebrates his seven years with the club and Ashley Boyer has been a member for the past 12 years. Each was not fined as they are over their limit. Don Weber’s 19 years with our club was celebrated with a spin-the-fine of $100.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Linda Osty announced that on March 25 at 11 AM, a movie entitled “Halfway Home” will be shown free of charge at the Fair Oaks Theater. This movie is a documentary of troops that come home with disabilities. Greg Baker was the secret greeter and picked Mary Giambalvo to draw the winning ticket and coincidentally she drew her own ticket. She then proceeded to pull the black marble for the $181 jackpot. How lucky can you get?
PROGRAM: Karry Nau – Arroyo Grande Community Hospital’s Acute Care Center
Montisa Phelan-Lopez introduced Karry who began by stating that the Acute Care Center has recently increased from 14 beds to 24. They provide in-patient care for patients from the Twin Cities down to Marion Hospital. They care for about 40 to 45 patients per month with strokes as the most common neurological disorder. But they also take major multiple trauma, orthopedic, and pulmonary patients. They can provide bedside dialysis. A doctor comes on site every day and they have one registered nurse for every five patients. The average stay is between 10 and 12 days after which 80% can go home. A patient that requires at least 24 hours of rehabilitation and is able to take three hours of therapy per day can be accepted into the Center. In 2013, of the 513 admissions they had 530 outages because of carryover from patients admitted in 2012. She gave an illustration of a motorcycle accident patient who was near death and was able to walk out of there Center in 45 days. Mike Frederick spoke up during the question-and-answer period and stated that his dad had been a patient and his recovery was a great success.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Your life and mine shall be valued not by what we take, but what we give.”
Edgar Allen
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Feb 17 2015 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Past Pres. Ashlea Boyer, filling in for traveling Pres. Michael, opened the meeting at 12:372 PM and asked Steve Curry to do the induction honors for our newest member Roger Fredrickson, who was sponsored and mentored by absent Pres. Michael.
FINES:
Past Pres. Ashlea fined Pres. Michael for missing this important ceremony. She then proceeded to recognize the following birthdays: Karen Zappia, who received a $70 spin-the-wheel fine and Anya Stanley who received a $90 fine for her birthday and anniversary. Linda Osty will pay a $70 fine for her and Ken’s 34th wedding anniversary on Valentine’s Day and for her new RV. Mary Giambalvo and Kari Ziegler were assessed $40 for their new blue membership badges. Charter members John Murphy, Steve Curry and Harlan Silva were fined $80 each in recognition of March 1984 founding of this club.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Martha Murphy introduced the head of the Catholic outreach program, Katie Hilton, to receive a community giving check. Charla Anderson presented a community giving check to the executive director of the New Life Preschool of Pismo Beach. Joel Conn will be going into PETS (president elect training seminar) this weekend. Bruce Beaudoin reminded us of the May 4 annual Rotary Foundation Golf Classic at the SLO Country Club and Paul Holden announced that a golf tournament meeting will be held today
PROGRAM: Judith Bean – AG GB Chamber of Commerce
Montisa Phelan-Lopez introduced Judith Bean, who is also a member of the Grover Beach Rotary. Grover Beach and Arroyo Grande Chambers merged a couple years ago to be a more effective organization with now just under 500 members. They have owners from mom and pop stores to the Arroyo Grande Hospital. They conduct skills workshops such as the one on February 18 on a better vision for the community. Two events that they run each year include the Stone Soup Music Faire Festival and Expo 50+. A few years ago they sponsored a trip to China, last year they had a wonderful Portugal trip and this year they have a trip to cruise down the Danube River. These trips are great fundraiserS since $500/person for each trip goes back into the Chamber treasury.
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Feb 10 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram for February 10, 2015-Michael Manchak - “Economic Vitality Forecast” ¶
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer opened the meeting at 12:32 PM and called upon Montesa Phelan-Lopez to introduce our speaker who had to leave early.
PROGRAM: Michael Manchak - “Economic Vitality Forecast”
Michael is the head of EVC, i.e., Economic Vitality Corporation, a nonprofit SLO Corp. that provides economic development services and business resources throughout the County. He began by stating that the infrastructure of the U.S.is the systemic issue of the day. SLO’s spotlight is on tourism that takes up 66% of the private sector. The county had a 2013 gross domestic product of $12 billion. Agriculture, government and education comprise the other major employers; 11% are self-employed, 19% are government employees, and 56% are employed by corporations having 1 to 4 employees. The challenge is to attract employees outside of the region, which has a deficiency of the number and types of industries. The median income is lower than the rest of California. This challenge becomes increasingly evident when you consider that the county has the highest cost of living, one of the least affordable housing, and healthcare benefits less than the neighboring counties. He emphasized the importance of SLO County Airport which is doing better than its neighboring small airports. There is currently an effort to try to obtain flights to Denver and more flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles. EVC did a work force housing assessment and found that 58% of the housing in the county has between 1 and 2 people and 79% of the employees were college graduates. 88% said it was very difficult or somewhat difficult to find housing. 97% preferred single-family dwellings that are the traditional detached houses with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and a two-car garage within a 30 minute drive from work. The industry in this area is challenged to find a solution to this problem.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Karen Bolger of Jack’s Helping Hands (assists special children with unmet physical, mental and medical needs within SLO), sponsored by Chuck Anders, received a community giving check. Also receiving such checks were YMCA of SLO and George Moran of the SLO Vet’s Center sponsored by Linda Osty. Kyle Anderson of the SLO Rotaract club would like to meet any of our members having employees in the 18 to 30 age range. Paul Jones came forward to present a eulogy for Paul Toms who passed away on Saturday, February 7 at the age of 90. Paul moved from Boston at the age of 75 in 1994. Paul Jones introduced him to Rotary and he became a member on February 15, 2000. He often spoke to us on the philosophy of Rotary. A memorial service will be held in the Grace Bible Church sanctuary at 2 PM on Wednesday, February 11. Paul will be sorely missed by our club.
THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Remember the guy that gave up? Nobody else has."
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Feb 3 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram for February 3, 2015-Jim Lewis, City Manager of Pismo Beach-" The State of the City of Pismo Beach"
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer opened the meeting at 12:40 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Jim Lewis for $60. He then shined the spotlight on Steve Curry to give his bio. In 1946 Steve was born in San Francisco and soon moved to Reseda where he spent his youth. His father, who was into Little League League, got him interested in sports at an early age. He was very active in the YMCA program starting with Indian Guides and then active in the largest Hi Y club in the world where he became a swimming instructor. He went to Pierce College where he obtained an AA degree and and then went to Northridge until he was drafted in 1967. During college, he ran a business selling flowers on freeway off ramps that enabled him to earn $250 per week when the minimum wage was a $1.25/hr. He also got involved in rugby and played through a good part of his life. In fact, he may have played a little too much rugby since he’s had recent knee and hip surgery as a result of rugby injuries not to mention the numerous broken noses. He spent 13 months in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. When he got out of the Army, he started a retail leather goods store and added a line of wholesale belt buckles. He sold that business in 1975 and moved to his present ranch outside of Arroyo Grande. He continued designing and making belt buckles and and sold that business in 1993 after he became the second largest belt buckle seller in the world. After living with Linda for 11 years, he found they were compatible so they got married in 1983. In 1989 he began a screen printing business called Wet Dog Design, which he continued until 2013. Now he spends most of his time landscaping his ranch; tending to his four cows, one horse and a dog; playing golf; and being very active in Rotary.
FINES:
Kari Ziegler was fined $50 for advertising the fact that she’s adding dinner to the Comfort Market in the village of Arroyo Grande. Jim Lewis received a spin-the-wheel fine of $35 for promoting his daughter’s Girl Scout cookie campaign.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Leeann Liscombe came to the podium to describe the benefits of PERLS (Potential Rotary Leadership Seminars) starting with the basic class and continuing with the master classes. Pres. Michael wished a happy birthday to honorary member Marie Dowdy. Sponsor Cliff Nagler called Madge Morningstar, Program Director of Big Brother Big Sisters of SLO County, to accept a community giving check. John Traversaro came forward to discuss the highlights of the big Rotary Paul Harris Fellow GALA held at the Pres. Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley.
PROGRAM: Jim Lewis, City Manager of Pismo Beach-" The State of the City of Pismo Beach"
Jim began by saying that Pismo Beach is on a roll with a good city Council having significant vision, continued tourism growth, financial strength that is growing and a top 5% in the country police force. This past year the city received over $8 million in occupancy fees and increased sales tax revenues so that the income exceeded budget. On the other hand, the expenses came in below budget. With the passage this fall of the sales tax by 71% of the voters, $4 million will be spent on the streets in the city, Shell Beach drainage and pier improvements. The Pismo Preserve overlooking the City Hall will be available to the public soon. Renovation of downtown Pismo, in the planning stage, is a second top priority. It will include the Inn at the Pier and Pier Plaza. The top priority is reclamation of water from the water treatment plant.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Aspire to inspire before you expire."
Eugene Bell, Jr.
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Jan 13 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram for January 13, 2015 January 7, Brent Christianson “Collaborating Across the Generations”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:42 PM by stating that he has not been levying enough fines in the first half of his year, but has promised to catch up and fined Linda for just showing up. Shannon Bowdey’s bio was spotlighted this week. She was born and spent the first 10 years in New Orleans. She graduated with a degree in restaurant management and real estate. Her favorite subject was history and she has a goal of getting a master’s degree in that subject. When she moved to this area she and her first husband ran a Cajun restaurant for about two years. She has subsequently remarried to Brad Bowdey, a teacher and coach of the Arroyo Grande high school soccer team, who was present to receive a community giving check. She is presently engaged in real estate and loves her job.
FINES:
Bonnie Mogan turned in her temporary name badge in for her blue badge in exchange for a $30 assessment. Harlan Silva celebrated his 59th birthday last Friday and made a $80-spin-the-wheel contribution. Frank Montesinos volunteered that he has a new granddaughter these he is very proud of, although he would’ve rather had a grandson. For this statement he was subjected to a $100 fine
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
On January 27, we will meet at Marisol at the Cliffs Resort and be conducted on a vocational visit of the behind the scenes of this resort. Martha Murphy reminded us of the S T E P S conference at the Cal Lutheran University campus on Saturday, January 31st. Mike Frederick asked for volunteers for the hoosegow renovation this coming Saturday devoted to finishing the landscaping and Saturday, January 24 starting at 9 AM devoted to painting the hoosegow, weather permitting. Pres. Michael explained that they are still looking into improving the lighting in our meeting place and hope to have it resolved very soon. Two community charities were given checks, the A.G.H.S. Boys Soccer sponsored by Shannon Bowdey and Raising Readers sponsored by Deenie Dotson. Raising Readers is a program that in the past year has supported 200 families in the Nipomo and Oceano whose preschool, English learning children have never had much access to books.
Program: Brent Christianson “Collaborating Across the Generations”
Leeann Liscombe introduced Brent, who is a management consultant and founder of Christensen Business Advisory. He spends a lot of time with the clients emphasizing the quality of conversations between colleagues. At no time the present era, have 4 generations of employees been working in the same environment. The baby boomers, born between 1946 and 1964, and some of the employees born before that have not retired yet. The 40 million Gen Xers, 1965 – 1981 are sandwiched between the 70 million baby boomers and the 80 million millennial’s, 1982 – 2005, making up the fourth generation of the present labor force. Each generation is shaped by the events of their childhood. The baby boomers value competition, hard work. They understand the importance of body language, teamwork, success, and communicating in an open direct style. The Gen Xers were growing up during the time that many of their parents were either unemployed or under employed because of the recession. They experienced the PC revolution and the fall of the Berlin wall. They were the latchkey kids that value independence. They like short sound bites with a minimum of bureaucracy. The millennial’s experienced 9/11, the explosion of the Internet and Wi-Fi. They were the children of helicopter and snowplow parents, the type that hovered over their children and plowed the way to remove all obstacles in their children’s path. They value autonomy, diversity and positive reinforcement. By that time they enter the labor force, they have experienced 10,000 video games, 200,000 emails and text messages, 20,000 hours watching TV, 10,000 hours on their cell phone, and less than 5000 hours reading. Don’t talk down to them you, but use action words with lots of two-way feedback. They need structure and stability. While they have been spoiled they will be the most advanced technologically savvy employees ever. The above generalities are only used make a point. While only 44% of millennial’s have 3 to 5 years of corporate experience, they have experienced a more rapid rise into leadership positions than any workers in the history. As employers it is important to understand the generational differences and the quality of communication within your company.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Paul Jones
"The first to help you are the ones that know what it's like to fall down."
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Jan 7 2015 - Rotary ForumProgram for January 7, 2015 January 7, Pres. Michael Boyer-“State of the Club”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:37 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge and by presenting Shannon Bowdey with her blue membership badge that came with a $30 assessment fee.
FINES:
Because Pres. Michael was appointed Assistant Rotary Image Coordinator for RI’s zones 25 and 26 where he will assist 1000 clubs with local marketing, Jack Hardy asked him to spin the wheel resulting in a $20 fine. Pres. Michael assessed Ashley Boyer $100 for her recent trip (along with Michael) to Cancun and a new Chevy Tahoe.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Bruce Beaudoin reported that the next golf tournament meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 20 after Paul Holden comes back from his vacation in Brazil. Steve Curry asked Sandy Richardson, Womenade President, to come to the podium to receive a charitable giving check for this worthwhile organization. She pointed out that they donate items, time, and money to meet essential needs of families in the area with 100% of the donated monies going to such worthwhile needs. Don Weber asked Judy Bolin to come forward to receive a check on behalf of Captives Hearts. This charity provides practical and spiritual training to rehabilitate broken men and women and prepares them to return to their families and communities without addictive behaviors. Martha Murphy announced that a STEPS (Steps to Eliminate Poverty Sustainably) conference will be in Thousand Oaks on the Cal Lutheran University campus on Saturday, January 31st. A Rotary Board meeting will be held at Joel Conn’s home this coming Thursday. Jim Lewis reported that the next vocational visit will be to a Pismo Beach resort hotel to get the nitty-gritty on running such a place.
Program: Pres. Michael Boyer-“State of the Club”
With 25 meetings left in our Rotary year, Pres. Michael reviewed where we have been and where we are going. He has focused on his membership satisfaction surveys-so far we are running in the 80’s%. The projects so far in the year have been Summer Sizzle headed by Joel Conn that resulted in income slightly exceeding expectations and expenditures slightly below for net profit of $28,566; and the Hoosegow Park renovation project headed by Mike Frederick’s that is almost completed with just a few more plantings and painting of the building. Other projects included manning the Arroyo Grande Harvest Festival pie eating contest; providing a shade structure on St. Patrick’s school playground for which Steve Curry will design a plaque; visiting to the Pismo Beach water treatment plant organized by Martha Murphy and Jim Lewis; helping at the annual Christmas Parade; bringing Christmas gifts to toys for tots ; attending our Christmas social and party; and participating in the Christmas movie with the price of admission being canned goods and other food items for the less fortunate. Our budget looks strong with income on track with our budget and expenses slightly below. For the rest of the year we can expect: 5 to 10 new member spotlights in addition to the 15 spotlights so far this year; 5 more social events; a membership increase as well to hold onto our net growth of 7 new members so far with Roger Fredrickson in the hopper; 9 mentors have been assigned to continue our mentor program; informal socials; charitable giving; scholarships; “R Y L A; district midterms; P E T S (presidential elect training); District assembly; children literacy program; four way essay tests; youth soccer tournament; annual Rotary Foundation golf tournament; and the demotion party.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Paul Jones
“Growing older is moving 2 steps forward, two steps back and a lot of steps on egg shells.”
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Dec 9 2014 - Rotary ForumProgram for December 9, 2014, Effie McDermitt –“Francis Judkins, Former Superintendent of Schools and a Bit of Pismo Beach History”
By Dick Dannells
FINES:
Since Pres. Michael went pretty heavy on fines last week, this week he only assessed two spin-the-wheel fines: one of $20 to Jay Bond for his first year club anniversary and the other of $40 to Kari Ziegler for her vacation to Boston, where it snowed.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Judith Dunlore dressed in an 1850s Christmas outfit announced that Sunday, December 21 at 4 PM at the Clark Center a Christmas And Holiday Sing-Along will be presented that includes the Village Carolers directed by Judith Dunlore and the Arroyo Grande High School Choir. Connie O'Henley reported that the Interact Club will be having a Christmas party this coming Friday and Christmas caroling this coming Monday, December 15. Charla Anderson announced that the Ho Ho Ho Rotary Christmas Party will be held this Sunday, Dec 14, 2014 at 6:00 PM at the Fosters’ home, 271 Reed Court, Pismo Beach. Jeff King passed a sign-up sheet for volunteers to help with this party. Mike Frederick’s stated that the Hoosegow painting party originally scheduled for this Saturday will be postponed until January due to inclement weather. A Rotary Board meeting will be held at the Arroyo Grande Hospital this Thursday. Paul Holden stated there are four spots left on the sign-up sheet to enter the $50 lottery for a $1000 Rotary Fellow. Martha Murphy had the honor to induct a new club member, Mary Giambalvo, sponsored by Connie O’ Henley.
Program: Effie McDermitt –“Francis Judkins, Superintendent of Schools and a Bit of Pismo Beach History”
Lee Ann Liscombe introduced Effie who began by holding up a book she wrote entitled “Images of America-Pismo Beach”, which contains a number of photos of the early history of this city. The primary focus of her talk was Francis Judkins that the Judkins Middle School was named after. Francis was born in 1892 and died in Pismo Beach in 1959. She was the daughter of Irish saloon keepers Olin and Annie Covan and lived at Sycamore Mineral Springs for a couple of years. She began teaching at Pismo School in 1921 rising to principal and then superintendent of the school system. Mary’s talk was illustrated by a number of photographs from her book.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Paul Jones
“Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll be able to enjoy it a second time."
Dalai Lama
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Dec 2 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:39 PM with the usual introduction of guests and the auctioning off of the fine-free badge.
FINES:
Pres. Michael, back from his trip to Mexico, was assessed a $40 spin-the-wheel fine after a unanimous vote of the members. He was in a fining mood by fining everyone of a table of all male members $10 a piece that included: Steve Curry, Mike Kee, Cliff Nagler, Greg Baker, and Don Weber. He presented Connie O Henley a beautiful bouquet for stepping in for him the previous week and then assessed her with a fine of $50. Don Weber’s off-the-cuff remark cost him $15 and then when he complained about his fine assessed an additional $60. Terry Fibich celebrated his 18th year with our club with a $70 fine. Jeff King received his private pilot’s license and it cost him $100. Deenie Dotson’s trip to Tennessee cost her a $40 spin-the-wheel fine. Scott Astrosky turned in his temporary membership badge for a blue one to the tune of $40.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry announced that Paul Holden and Bruce Beaudoin have volunteered to be co-chairman for the May 4, 2015 annual Rotary foundation golf tournament at the SLO Country Club. Steve asked all members to begin thinking about encouraging golfers sign up so that we can fill the course with golfers for the first time. Linda Osty announced that the second annual Christmas movie, The Shop Around the Corner starring Jimmy Stewart, will be shown at the Fair Oaks Theater on Saturday, December 20, 2014 at 11am. Dan Bronstein circulated a flyer on the “Healthy Families, Healthy Future” symposium on December 7 from 4 PM to 6 PM at the Arroyo Grande High School.
Program: Nancy Douglas –“Handwriting Analysis Made Easy”
Lee Ann Liscombe introduced Nancy who began by explaining the services that she provides. Her does handwriting analysis for employment screening, of historical family documents for genealogical research, for relationship compatibility, and for wellness assessment. She then asked us to write, with pen and paper she provided, the following paragraph “I agree that the purpose of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise.” She had us turn the paper over and write our full signature. We were then asked to analyze our own handwriting by using certain guidelines while taking into account the three zones in writing, i.e., the upper, middle and lower zones. The f’s are examples of letters that extend into the upper zone, the p’s exemplify letters that extend into the lower zone, and the other letters are in the middle zone. If your upper zone strokes are perpendicular to the line, you are tenacious and determined. If you are putting extraneous dots in your writing, you are writing under stress. If your "lower case "d" has a loop, you are sensitive. Extroverts have large writing and introverts have small. Large spaces between your words indicate you wish solitude. Angular writing indicates that you are an intellectual. If you write legibly you’re a “What you see is what you get” type of person. How you cross your t’s indicates how high you set your goals. If the bar is high in the “t”, you have high goals and if it’s low you have low goals. If the lower zone of a “y” forms a wavy line to the left you’re guilty of something.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY by Paul Jones
Every day is a Gift, that's why they call it the Present.
Author: Unknown
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Nov 25 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
FINES:
Past Pres. Connie fined Chuck Anders $20 for his poor introduction of guests. Mark Olson, Bonnie Mogan and fine-free badge holder Martha Murphy were fined $50, $29 and $0, respectively for their November birthdays. Sandy Lubin received a spin-the-wheel fine of $40 for his November birthday, trip to Hawaii, and poker winnings. Montisa Phelan Lopez was fined $20 for her 10 years of service with the Arroyo Grande hospital. Frank Montesinos was fined a dollar for each of the years of his marriage to Ira.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Paul Holden awarded Paul Harris Fellows to Terry Fibich’s wife Linda Fibich, Joel Conn’s parents, David and Judith Conn, and Martha and John Murphy’s family member. Greg Steinberger announced that he is looking for volunteers for the annual Arroyo Grande Christmas Parade starting at 5 PM on November 29. Joel Conn gave the announcement for Dan Bronstein regarding the December 7 program at the Arroyo Grande High School from 4 to 6 PM on nutrition and prevention of diabetes.
Ken and Linda Osty’s Trip to Poland”
Lee Ann Liscombe introduced “Never Better” Linda Osty, who presented a slide presentation of their trip. They traveled from Kraków in the south, Warsaw in the center, and Gdansk in the north Baltic Sea. They even appeared on Polish television. Everywhere they went they were given free apples because Russia’s Pres. Putin placed an embargo on purchasing produce from Poland as a result of its support of the Ukraine. They also noticed a lot of senior citizens out on the streets selling various goods because they are not provided with pensions. They visited the Kraków ghetto, one of the many ghettos in Poland in which thousands of Jews were killed outright or put to death in one of the many concentrations camps. One of which, Auschwitz, they went through. They toured the oldest salt mine in the world, the Royal Castle in Warsaw, the oldest town in Poland, and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising Museum. They visited two English-speaking Rotary clubs on their trip. Linda stated that it was her best vacation ever and invited us to add Poland to our vacation plans.
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Nov 11 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:42 PM with the usual member spotlight that featured Eddie Aurand who began life in Lewistown, Pennsylvania. Her favorite subject in high school was band and she went on to join the Penn State marching band and study architecture. She decided to move to California to continue her education and enrolled in the Santa Barbara Community College. She then entered Cal Poly where she obtained a degree in structural engineering. In 1989 when she graduated, she found no jobs in her field for women so she went to Martin & Martin in Las Vegas, a known civil engineering firm, where she became its first female engineer. Visiting Rome is on her bucket list and her son is her greatest achievement.
FINES:
Pres. Michael fined Martha Murphy $10, but had to pay it since she had the fine-free badge, which he sold her last week. Ashlea Boyer, Bonnie Mogan, and Karen Zappia took a cruise on Norwegian Cruise Lines’ Getaway, its newest and each received $40 spin-the-wheel fines.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry had the honor to re-induct Paul Felice, who was sponsored by Pres. Michael, as our newest member. Next Tuesday we will meet at the Pismo Beach water treatment plant for our vocational visit and Martha Murphy asked everyone that is coming to choose a sandwich listed on the sign-up sheet. Paul Holden again took the podium during this Rotary Foundation month to explain how many ways this club has to become a Paul Harris Fellow, which includes paying a $1000, joining a team and paying $250 per month for four years, having a predetermined amount added to your monthly Rotary bill, and collecting your loose change in a jar and bringing it in when the jar is full. Paul will supply the jar.
Robert Huffer –“Central Coast Veterans Cemetery Foundation (CCVCF)”
Lee Ann Liscombe introduced Robert, who is on the Board of Directors for the CCVCF. Robert stated that in 1991 this organization began with a concept of providing a cemetery in Marina, the site of old Fort Ord, for veterans and its perpetual upkeep and maintenance. Presently, the closest veterans’ cemetery is in Bakersfield. Otherwise, one must use one of the other 6 existing veterans’ cemeteries much further away. A military presence has existed in the Central Coast since before California became a state in 1849. There are now 22 million living veterans including around 3 million in California, the largest in the Union. They have finally raised the necessary funds for the cemetery project and will begin breaking ground in 2015. In about a year, a columbarium will be available to house 800 to 1200 niches for urns. Above ground burials will follow with an expected 11,000 burial sites within 20 years. They are looking for volunteers/expertise, contributors, referrals, service through business and attending one of the CCVCF meetings.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“"There is no victory at bargain basement prices." - Dwight D. Eisenhower
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Nov 4 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:45 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Martha Murphy for $60.
FINES:
Pres. Michael congratulated Jay Bond for doing such a fine job in the community giving campaign, but fined him $30, his first fine of the year. Club anniversaries were celebrated with a $10 fine on Harlan Silva and $30 fines on each of Linda Osty and Sharon Ellis who joined the club on the same day. Jack Hardy fined Pres. Michael $40 for not starting out the meeting with introduction of guests. Steve Curry was fined a spin-the-wheel fine of $20 for his less than stellar introduction. Michael Frederick’s new truck cost him a $70 fine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael announced that as a result of many complaints on the lighting in our meeting room, it is been agreed with both the Arroyo Grande Rotary club and the restaurant management for a three-way split to cover the cost of a new LED or a little over $600 apiece. Anya Stanley was called to the podium to exchange her red name badge for a permanent blue badge for a fee of $50. Greg Baker announced that his 13th grandchild arrived and he donated $30, and then Don Weber donated $50, John Traversaro gave $40, Doug McMillan also gave $40, and Mike Frederick gave $20. Paul Holden took the podium and presented a fine introduction to those that were receiving Paul Harris Fellow awards that included one to the late son of John and Martha Murphy and one to Cindy Doll, a friend of Linda Osty. Cheryl Vines reported that next Wednesday, November 19 we will have our monthly social at the Sea Venture restaurant.
John Lindsay - “What Will This Rain Season Bring?”
Lee Ann Liscombe introduced John, who is the current public relations officer and meteorologist for PG&E at Diablo Canyon power plant for the past 18 years. Prior to that he spent 24 years in the U.S. Navy where part of his duties were to handle the weather forecasting. A short answer to the question the question posed by the program title is he believes that this year will produce more rain than average and he gave a number of reasons for this conclusion. First of all we have just ended the driest weather year since records began in 1870. It is rare that three very dry years are followed by another very dry year. The Arctic has been warming up for the past three years causing the jet stream to stay in one place. This caused the jet stream to stay far to the north and not allow storms to dip down to California. This past year has been the warmest in California’s history and since warm air tends to hold more moisture, an atmospheric River can occur such as the one that happened in 1861 when it rained so hard that the whole Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley flooded and Sacramento had to be moved to San Francisco. Over hundred inches of rain fell in this region that year. The sea temperatures play a large part in rainfall. For example, the average sea water temperature was 66.22°F in 1997, an El Niño year, when this area received over 40 inches of rain. Now the average sea water temperature is 67.36°F. On average an El Niño year will produce 112% above average rainfall. Such a condition is expected in the next one to two months he also reported that the current readings of the Pacific decadal oscillation also indicate we are in for an El Niño year. He ended by answering a question that global warming is indeed upon us in his professional opinion.
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Oct 27, 2014-Rotary ForumProgram for October 27, 2014:Dr. Jim Brescia - “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:43 PM by called on Paul Holden to give his personal biography. Paul was born in Toledo Ohio to a mother in the field of education and a corporate attorney father who came up with the name of the Hummer SUV’s and trucks. Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ohio University, married a girlfriend from college, later remarried Anne and has two children. He received computer training in Ukiah California where he went from a keypunch system to the Internet. Two and half years ago he retired, came to the Central Coast and joined our club. He joined Rotary for the first time in December 1999 with the Central Ukiah Rotary Club upon the recommendation of his father and was as president in 2008. His hobbies include golf, travel and bridge.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a total spin-the- wheel fines of $72 on John and Martha Murphy for their three-week trip that included a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. Tommy Thompson celebrated his birthday today without a fine, but Joel Conn was fined $20 for starting the happy birthday song without being prompted to do so.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael announced that today is the last day to make our Community Giving preference known. He also said he called Paul Toms, who at the age of 91 wants to remain a member of our Rotary club, and stated for us to join him visit Paul after next week’s meeting. Steve Curry reported on getting approval for an improvement to St. Patrick’s school as our major funded local project for the year.
Dr. Jim Brescia “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
Eddie Aurand introduced Jim, who as superintendent, reports directly to the governor’s office. He reported on the current state of public education in the county. There are only about 30,000 public school children out of a population less than 300,000 due to the aging population. 42% of the state general fund goes in the K – 12 education and, if you include community colleges and state universities, it is up to about 50%. It takes about $20 million to support education in this county and is its largest employer. Lucia Mar has the largest student population of 10,000 followed by San Luis Obispo with about 7500 students. From 2001 to 2011 there’s been a decline in these numbers with a slight increase in the 2011 – 2013. Hispanics make the largest minority of the students. The latest overall academic achievement of the county’s students based on standardized test is 822 out of 1000 compared with 600 for the state average. He enumerated the following that are needed in order to close the gap in performance: (1) high expectation for all students; (2) quality teachers for all students; (3) universal preschool; (4) on going professional development for the staff; (5) school principals as institutional leaders; and (6) early intervention in kindergarten.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton
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Oct 27, 2014-Rotary ForumProgram for October 27, 2014:Dr. Jim Brescia - “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:43 PM by called on Paul Holden to give his personal biography. Paul was born in Toledo Ohio to a mother in the field of education and a corporate attorney father who came up with the name of the Hummer SUV’s and trucks. Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ohio University, married a girlfriend from college, later remarried Anne and has two children. He received computer training in Ukiah California where he went from a keypunch system to the Internet. Two and half years ago he retired, came to the Central Coast and joined our club. He joined Rotary for the first time in December 1999 with the Central Ukiah Rotary Club upon the recommendation of his father and was as president in 2008. His hobbies include golf, travel and bridge.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a total spin-the- wheel fines of $72 on John and Martha Murphy for their three-week trip that included a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. Tommy Thompson celebrated his birthday today without a fine, but Joel Conn was fined $20 for starting the happy birthday song without being prompted to do so.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael announced that today is the last day to make our Community Giving preference known. He also said he called Paul Toms, who at the age of 91 wants to remain a member of our Rotary club, and stated for us to join him visit Paul after next week’s meeting. Steve Curry reported on getting approval for an improvement to St. Patrick’s school as our major funded local project for the year.
Dr. Jim Brescia “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
Eddie Aurand introduced Jim, who as superintendent, reports directly to the governor’s office. He reported on the current state of public education in the county. There are only about 30,000 public school children out of a population less than 300,000 due to the aging population. 42% of the state general fund goes in the K – 12 education and, if you include community colleges and state universities, it is up to about 50%. It takes about $20 million to support education in this county and is its largest employer. Lucia Mar has the largest student population of 10,000 followed by San Luis Obispo with about 7500 students. From 2001 to 2011 there’s been a decline in these numbers with a slight increase in the 2011 – 2013. Hispanics make the largest minority of the students. The latest overall academic achievement of the county’s students based on standardized test is 822 out of 1000 compared with 600 for the state average. He enumerated the following that are needed in order to close the gap in performance: (1) high expectation for all students; (2) quality teachers for all students; (3) universal preschool; (4) on going professional development for the staff; (5) school principals as institutional leaders; and (6) early intervention in kindergarten.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton
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Oct 27, 2014-Rotary ForumProgram for October 27, 2014:Dr. Jim Brescia - “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:43 PM by called on Paul Holden to give his personal biography. Paul was born in Toledo Ohio to a mother in the field of education and a corporate attorney father who came up with the name of the Hummer SUV’s and trucks. Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the Ohio University, married a girlfriend from college, later remarried Anne and has two children. He received computer training in Ukiah California where he went from a keypunch system to the Internet. Two and half years ago he retired, came to the Central Coast and joined our club. He joined Rotary for the first time in December 1999 with the Central Ukiah Rotary Club upon the recommendation of his father and was as president in 2008. His hobbies include golf, travel and bridge.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a total spin-the- wheel fines of $72 on John and Martha Murphy for their three-week trip that included a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea. Tommy Thompson celebrated his birthday today without a fine, but Joel Conn was fined $20 for starting the happy birthday song without being prompted to do so.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael announced that today is the last day to make our Community Giving preference known. He also said he called Paul Toms, who at the age of 91 wants to remain a member of our Rotary club, and stated for us to join him visit Paul after next week’s meeting. Steve Curry reported on getting approval for an improvement to St. Patrick’s school as our major funded local project for the year.
Dr. Jim Brescia “Superintendent of San Luis Obispo County School Districts”
Eddie Aurand introduced Jim, who as superintendent, reports directly to the governor’s office. He reported on the current state of public education in the county. There are only about 30,000 public school children out of a population less than 300,000 due to the aging population. 42% of the state general fund goes in the K – 12 education and, if you include community colleges and state universities, it is up to about 50%. It takes about $20 million to support education in this county and is its largest employer. Lucia Mar has the largest student population of 10,000 followed by San Luis Obispo with about 7500 students. From 2001 to 2011 there’s been a decline in these numbers with a slight increase in the 2011 – 2013. Hispanics make the largest minority of the students. The latest overall academic achievement of the county’s students based on standardized test is 822 out of 1000 compared with 600 for the state average. He enumerated the following that are needed in order to close the gap in performance: (1) high expectation for all students; (2) quality teachers for all students; (3) universal preschool; (4) on going professional development for the staff; (5) school principals as institutional leaders; and (6) early intervention in kindergarten.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Don’t get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.” — Dolly Parton
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Oct 21, 2014-Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:43 PM in the Steamers banquet room with the usual introduction of guests. Ashlea Boyer was called to the podium to induct two new members, Greg Steinberger, owner of Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab, sponsored by Chuck Anders, and Scott Astrosky, the insurance broker that took over Linda Osty’s insurance, sponsored by Linda Osty.
FINES:
After the opening bell, Pres. Michael fined everybody in the room five dollars for not being responsive to this bell and Harlan Silva $100 for objecting. Only one table in the room was served ice cream that included Ashlea Boyer, Shannon Bowdey, Doug McMillan, Don Weber and Bonnie Morgan. All but one was fined $30, and Don was fined $50 for objecting. Surprisingly, Steve Curry flubbed an introduction and was fined $20. Joel Conn received a $20 advertising assessment. Chuck and Teah Anders are celebrating their 18th wedding anniversary and Chuck chose to spin the wheel and to clear the dishes from his table rather than pay a $50 fine.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Greg Baker was unanimously nominated to be the 2016 – 2017 president of the club. Jay Bond requested that coats and jackets for deserving children are being collected at various stores in the Five Cities including Minor’s Hardware. A thank you card was circulated from the Big Brothers/Big Sisters organization.
Lieut. Col. David Kramer-“Helicopter Support of Troops in Afghanistan”
Eddie Aurand introduced Lt. Col. David Kramer, who was born in Moline Illinois and is a 1992 West Point graduate. He began by showing a video of some of his tour of duty in Afghanistan including some R & R in Italy. He then began his talk, which he has given to a number of Rotary clubs including his dad’s Rotary club. On June 30, 2010 he took over the command of a battalion of 300 troops for a few months with the 101st airborne division and a number of months with the first cavalry division. The main purpose of his battalion was to provide helicopter support for the ground forces in Afghanistan. He began to bond with his men by using humor, which included having them throw pies at his face. Another bonding experience was white water rafting down some rapids with a few of his men. He had extensive experience in Iraq flying Apache attack helicopters so when he got a chance he would fly such support helicopters as the Blackhawk to more closely identify with the pilots in his battalion. The helicopters were designed to fly at low elevation, but in Afghanistan there often were required to fly at 10,000 feet, which greatly reduced their efficiency. Another thing he learned to lift morale is to take a lot of pictures of his troops. During his R & R in Italy with his wife, unfortunately two of his men were killed. In his absence, they were able to carry off this loss with the polish that he expected of his men.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY ASHLEA BOYER:
“It is better to light a single candle than to curse the darkness.”
Confucius
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Oct 14 2014-Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:43 PM in the temporary meeting place of the main dining hall of our new location in the Steamers banquet room.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a $20 fine on Paul Jones for mistaking our speaker for being the wife of another guest. He then dropped a $65 fine to cover the balance of Mark Olson’s yearly fines for being married 12 years to Amanda. Joel Conn chose to spin the wheel resulting in a $40 fine for his five years of marriage with Sarah.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Connie O’Henley was unanimously voted onto the board of the Pismo Beach Foundation. After Pres. Michael determined that everyone had a stash of $250 money with his picture on it, he asked us to vote with this money that totaled $15,000 for our favorite charity. We are to place the funny money according to our preference in one or more of the 24 paper bags representing each of the charities at the conclusion of the meeting. He also reminded us that next week’s meeting features guest speaker Lieut. Kramer who served in the Iraq war.
Trudy Jarrett-“Arroyo Grande Public Art (AGPA)”
Trudy is the chairwoman of AGPA and began by first defining public art as works of art in any media staged in the public view, usually outside and accessible to all. AGPA is a 501C organization that has as its goal to beautify public open spaces and to promote the entire community by pulling them together in open conversation. The first AGPA project is a mural on the Robert's Restaurant building on the corner of Mason and W. Branch. The mural was just completed in the middle of July and features early agricultural scenes and the importance of the railroad to agriculture. AGPA brought the 2014 Best Water Management award to Arroyo Grande of all the 180 cities in the country that belong to the America in Bloom 501C organization, which has the broad goal of beautifying cities across America. (Editor’s note: Arroyo Grande was the overall 2011 America in Bloom winner for cities having a population between 15,001 and 25,000.) A major fundraiser for AGPA occurs on November 21 when about two dozen colorful fiberglass roasters go up for auction.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.”
—Anonymous
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Sep 30 2014Program for Sept. 30, 2014 - Karen Bowden and 3 Destination Imagination (D I) Students
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:45 PM and after the usual introductions, and in recognition that this is our last day at Ventana Grill, he called Sharon Ellis to come forward. She presented Miguel with a card signed by all of us and a monetary gift in recognition of all he has done for us as our waiter during these past 15 years we have come to this location for our meetings.
Jim Lewis was called to the podium in the continuing Know-Your-Members’ series. Jim was born in Torrance California on February 7, 1975. He was a very energetic boy, whose teacher had to tie him to a chair to keep him from being so active. He was not athletic, so he played the clarinet in his high school marching band and went into scouting in a big way by becoming an Eagle Scout in 1994 and the Western region’s representative to the Order of the Arrow ceremony. He was president of his high school senior class and was chosen by Toyota Corporation to visit Japan. When it came time for him to go to college, his parents did not have the $450 tuition money so his church took up an offering to allow him to go. After graduation, he went onto Syracuse University on a scholarship to obtain a Master’s degree in public service. He and his wife Debbie have two children and moved to this area in 2004.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a $20 fine on Steve Curry for what started out to be passing off an introduction, but then paid the fine with a fake $20 bill. This was accepted since he went on to made the introduction anyway. Pres. Michael was fined $20 for not calling on the table that included the guest.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Our next meeting on Oct. 7 will be at our new home of Steamers Restaurant. Jay Bond stated that our community giving forms must be in before this date, which is the day sponsors will promote their favorite charity.
Program- Karen Bowden and 3 Destination Imagination (D I) Students
Eddie Aurand introduced Karen and a team of 3 D I students. Karen explained that D I brings project-based learning to third, fourth and fifth graders in school systems throughout the world. D I builds participating students’ creativity, problem solving, and teamwork in enjoyable and meaningful ways. They learn geometry, algebra and ancient studies among other subjects while carrying out imaginative projects before an audience. One of the team’s projects last year involved designing a radiant cooling suit to withstand average temperatures of 118°F with 90% humidity, These conditions are found in the Crystal Cave in the Naica Mine of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, a working mine that is best known for its extraordinary selenite crystals. Without protection from such extreme heat, the miners would not be able to withstand such an environment for more than five minutes. Another project of the team’s projects involved using rock salt with t ice to make ice cream instead of ordinary ice alone, which just melted and did not produce ice cream. Last year they took first place in California and 25th place in the global competition against teams from around the world including, inter alia, China, Turkey and Japan. They showed a short video of the demonstration of their Crystal Cave project at this competition. Karen then asked for three Rotary volunteers, which included Pres. Michael, Sharon Zappia and Jim Lewis to form a team in competiton against the D I team. Using materials that were handed to them, each of the teams built a tower that held a balloon on the top. After all the results were added up, it was a tie.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“You can’t change where you came from. You can change where you are going.”
—Anonymous |
Sep 23 2014 - Rotary ForumProgram for September 23, 2014- Nathan Emmons and Drama Students-NH S Theater Company
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:38 PM and after the usual introductions, he skipped directly to the program as Nathan and the students had to get back to the Nipomo High School. After they left, Greg Baker took the podium in the continuing Know-Your-Members’ series. Greg was born in Hanford California, moved to Porterville and then to Idaho where he felt like Opie from the Andy Griffith show. He was a very active Boy Scout and is most memorable scouting experience was to attend the National Jubilee in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. He first visited and saw the sights of Washington DC and Philadelphia. The opening speaker at the jamboree was Pres. Lyndon Johnson. His most boring job when he was growing up was when his dad, through adoption, promoted him to operating the weed whacking machine. His biological father left him what he was a young boy and after a long search at age 42 he met him at a motel. It was the most emotional experience of his life. Later he did get to meet his step brothers and sisters. Greg, like Ron Howard, has come a long way since his Opie days. His greatest achievement was leaving a steady job to go into business for himself, a financial planner. He believes it was important for him to establish a relationship with God.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a $20 fine on John Murphy for making a snide remark, but no fine for his September 23 birthday. Instead when Martha Murphy had us join in the H B song, Pres. Michael fined her $70. Abby Silverstone was fined $70 for his seven-year club anniversary. Sandy Lubin received a $40 spent fine for speaking without being spoken to.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Sharon Ellis came forward as past president of this club to perform the induction of two members, Shannon Bowdery and Kari Ziegler, who is returning to the club and was sponsored by Ashlea Boyer. Connie O Henley sponsored Shannon for membership. Next meeting will be our last at Ventana Grill and thereafter we will be at our new home of Steamers Restaurant. Jay Bond again reminded everyone to get their community giving forms no later than the next meeting. Connie O’Henley reported that the Interact Club at the Arroyo Grande High School will now be meeting at 11:55 AM in room 308.
Program: Nathan Emmons and Drama Students-NH S Theater Company
Nathan Emmons is the new Theatre teacher and Director of Nipomo High School and had six of his drama students recite a portion of their respective parts from the first theater production,“The Musical Comedy Murder of 1940”, a hilarious murder mystery, to be held beginning on October 25 and continuing on October 31/November. The students will perform five other shows throughout the season including a Greek tragedy, which will be held in the small theater of the Clark Center.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent.” |
Sep 16 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:42 PM with the usual introduction of guests that included Kari Ziegler, who invited us to her Comfort Market for our monthly Rotary social tomorrow at 5:30 PM. Also included in the introductions was Julie Tizzano, the current president of the Eco Rotary club, who invited us to attend that club’s Surplus Social fundraiser on September 23 at the Pismo Dune Senior Park clubhouse from 6 to 8 PM. She is looking for donations of unique auction items.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied a $70 no-spin fine on Eddie Aurand to celebrate her birthday. Jack Hardy called upon Michael to pay a $24 fine for his 12th wedding anniversary with Ashlea.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
The biggest announcement of the day was the fact that September is the last month we will be meeting at Ventana Grill and starting in October we will be our new home Steamers Restaurant. The selection committee included John Murphy, Paul Holden, Montissa Lopez, Doug McMillan and Chuck Anders Pres. Elect Joel Conn attended last weekend’s president elect seminar. Jay Bond reminded everyone to get their community giving forms as soon as possible.
Program for September 16, 2014-Steve Adams –“What Is Going On In Uganda”
Steve Adams returned to Uganda with Kayli, his teenage daughter number two, to visit the same Rotary clubs he visited when, back in the mid-2000’s, he took teenage daughter number one, during his tenure as president of this club. He was able to see the progress these clubs had made on projects we sponsored with the local clubs since his first visit. One of the clubs that he visited is the Kampala (the largest city and capital of Uganda) West Rotary Club. The first project we cosponsored was to provide a science lab for a local school. We also sponsored a water harvesting project. When Steve and his daughter arrived at the school, they were given a big show in appreciation of what we’ve done in the past. They visited Valence, who spoke in to our Rotary last year and learned of the progress made on the micro loan program that provides no collateral loans to teams of four individuals, that allow each of the members of the team to help pay off the loan. Steve presented a PowerPoint presentation of his trip that included a 7 hour trip to a game preserve.
THOUGHT FOR THE
“When taking a shower, use Dawn detergent, it removes fat that is otherwise difficult to remove.”
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Sep 9 2014 Rotary ForumProgram for September 9, 2014- RaChell Jahn-“Torchell Mind and Body Weight Loss and Wellness Center ”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:41 PM with Ashlea Boyer’s bio. Ashlea was born in Lake Tahoe, California at a time father her was an officer at a California Highway Patrol outpost. She has no siblings and moved here to the Five Cities when she was very young and continued living here as a student throughout her primary and secondary school years. She remembers that the best principal she ever had with Martha Murphy. Her fondness memories are with her parents and growing up in this area where she was able to walk to school. Upon graduation from Arroyo Grande High School, she went onto U. C. Santa Barbara, where she graduated with honors in 1995. She took a job in Los Angeles with one of the only three West Coast publishing companies. Her most memorable experience at a publisher was working for one of the many subsidiaries of Larry Flynt Publications, which included the vast majority of the type of magazines that did not make Larry Flynt well-known. All of her assignments were with those majority magazines. Her worst and most difficult assignment was one year of firing people at one of his subsidiaries that was being sold. After she worked on Black Magazine, ironically she met Michael and got married in 2002. One of the articles in that magazine dealt with the demographics that blacks from the age of 25 to 40 spent the most money in the U.S. This statistic became evident when she met Michael for he was wearing a $1200 pair of shoes. (Pres. Michael now wears flip-flops, which he held up for all to see.) She was living in Portland Oregon where she met Michael and was a reporter that had the terrible task of writing an article of all of the business people from Portland that were trapped in the Twin Towers as they came down. Michael got a job in the Five Cities and when she went to join him there, she found that he purchased a home through her mother’s real estate office. She has been working in that office ever since.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied spin-the-wheel fines on birthday celebrators Jack Hardy and Cheryl Vines to the tune of $50 and $40, respectively. Cheryl is also celebrating her second year in our Rotary club. Joel and Sarah Conn , who was present at the meeting, celebrated their second anniversary last Friday and he will pay a $40 spent-the-wheel fine. Ashlea Boyer’s 12th wedding anniversary with Pres. Michael cost her a no spin-the wheel fine of $70 .
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Terry Fibich reported on the September 6 highway cleanup, but was disappointed that not all of those that volunteered showed up. Martha Murphy reported in Steve Curry’s absence that the AmpSurf barbecue was a great success. Pres. Michael reported that the community giving will begin on October 7 and that all members that want to sponsor a charity should have filled and turned in an application should form attached to Jacek Bond’s recent email. Sandy Lubin won the $40 jackpot in our weekly raffle.
RaChell Jahn-“Torchell Mind And Body Weight Loss And Wellness Center ”
Chuck Anders began by stating that RaChell, who is an RN and a nutritionist, was instrumental in enabled him to lose 35 pounds in a short period of time. He now feels 10 years younger. RaChell began by showing a number of film clips showing the very negative effects of sugar, which is now recognized to be toxic, and other harmful foodstuffs, and what steps you can take to lessen these foodstuffs in your diet. A woman should consume no more than 25 g of sugar per day and 25 g for men. The life expectancy of children at the present rate of food consumption will mean that their parents will outlive them. One out of every three children will become diabetic before they are 16 and fatty liver disease is the new silent health problem.
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September 2, 2014By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:37 PM with the usual member bios that featured Cliff Nagler. Cliff is from Brooklyn, New York and spent some time in Belle Harbor Queens, coincidentally, that was struck both by an Airbus in 2001 and hurricane Sandy in 2012. He and his family then moved to Montauk Long Island, about 25 miles east of Manhattan. He had a wonderful childhood during the post-WWII era, playing a number of sports including football and lacrosse. After failing the physical that prevented him from accepting his appointment to West Point, he went to and graduated from the University of South Carolina. After graduation, he moved to Carpentaria, where he worked for a time in the agribusiness. He then, drove up the coast to Eugene Oregon and worked as a newsroom anchor and a rock and roll DJ. In 1984 he went to a recording studio and worked on a number of assignments. He went to work for Fox in sales even though he wanted to be in the more creative job of producing commercials. Thereafter he began became the general manager of KSBY, but lost the job in the recession of 2007 so in 2008 he started his own production of commercials business. His greatest accomplishments are his two sons.
FINES:
Pres. Michael levied fines on Steve Adams and Andy Park to the tune of $60 for a poor introduction and $40 for no introduction, respectively. Don Weber celebrated his 49th wedding anniversary with Jackie and at 81 he is doing very well. He spun the wheel and only received a $20 fine. Mark Olson’s trip to Oregon cost him $50 after he spun the wheel.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Steve Curry reminded us of the AmpSurf Association hamburger barbecue at the Pismo Pier this coming Sunday, 7 September from 11 AM to 1 PM. Terry Fibich called for volunteers for the September 6 highway cleanup, starting with a Coco’s breakfast at 7:30 AM. Pres. Michael reported that the October 3-5 district conference will honor veterans.
PROGRAM: Greg Steinberger–“Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab”
Chuck Anders introduced our speaker Greg Steinberger, who is the founder of Doc Burnstein’s Ice Cream Lab that opened in August 2003 in the same location that Burnardo’z Candy Kitchen & Ice Cream Parlor had occupied since the mid 1980’s. Greg opened new Ice Cream Labs in Orcutt in 2012 and in San Luis Obispo in 2014. He took part in the hundredth anniversary celebration of San Luis Obispo by making a 100 inch diameter ice cream sandwich. He started donating 1 pint of ice cream for every pint a blood donor provides. In 2005, he donated all the sales in one day to help baby Austyn and although she died at 1 ½ years old, she started him on what is now part of his business, i.e. that of giving back to the community. As a result of this interest in donating a part of his proceeds to charitable causes, he became a California Beneficial C-Corporation this protects the Board of Directors from disgruntled shareholders’ lawsuits that could otherwise bring actions when the profits are not used, for example, to pay stock dividends.
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Aug 19 2014 - Rotary forumProgram for August 19, 2014- Joy Danley –“ The Next Step Retreat Helping Human Trafficking Survivors Become Whole Again”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:40 PM with the usual introduction of guests. In his continuing efforts for us to get to know each other better, Pres. Michael called Frank Montesinos to the podium. Frank was born in Burgás, Spain. His most painful memory was being sent to seminary at the age of 14 to become a Catholic priest. He knew he would not be able to return until he completed his studies. In 1966, he was ordained at the very young age, for a priest, of 23. He was then sent to a Catholic parish in Texas. As his English was so bad he was sent to a Michigan school for six months, but he came back knowing a lot more swear words than words to give a simple prayer in English. In 1972, he could no longer face the loneliness, and told his Bishop that he must leave the priesthood. He obtained a Master’s degree in architecture in 1979 and went to work for Bechtel in California. He was invited to join the San Clemente Rotary club in 1981and became its president in 1986. He formed a spinoff morning club in 1994 where his proudest moment was initiating a project to help problem children. He moved to the Five Cities in 2004 where he set up his architectural practice and joined our club.
FINES:
Pres. Michael fined Eddie Aurand $20 for giving a poor introduction. Abbey Silverstone's birthday cost him $40 after he spun the wheel. Jonathan Rubatzky’s birthday fine was $70. Pres. Michael failed to check to see who had the fine-free badge and wound up paying his wife's $80 birthday fine. It just wasn't his day, as Sgt. of Arms Murphy charged him another $80 because his cell phone went off during the invocation. Paul Jones’ 65 wonderful years of marriage to Joy cost him one dollar for each of his years of marriage. Eddie Aurand’s snide remark cost her a fine of $32.50.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Cheryl Vines announced that we would have a social at the Cliffs Resort starting at 5 PM on Wednesday, August 20. Joel Conn reported that we had 300 people in attendance at the Summer Sizzle and, although the final numbers are not in yet, our gross revenues were approximately $51,000. Michael Frederick's daughter gave birth to his newest grandchild. Linda Osty presented our club with a club banner obtained during a recent trip.
PROGRAM: Joy Danley –“ The Next Step Retreat Helping Human Trafficking Survivors Become Whole Again”
Joy received a Master’s degree at Cal Poly and became a teacher for 13 years. She is now a physical therapist at Kennedy which she practices trigger point therapy. To demonstrate her skills, she asked for a volunteer and Joel Conn came forward with a painful right shoulder. After applying her trigger point pressure on his shoulder. She had him raise his right arm and he was able to withstand the pressure she put on it. She asked him to raise his left arm and he was not able to withstand the same amount of pressure. She then talked about her current project of hosting a human trafficking survivors' retreat on the central coast called the Next Step on September 18-21, 2014. She has partnered with a local survivor and advocate, Carissa Phelps, the author a recent book entitled, “Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets One Helping Hand at a Time.”
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice.”
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July 29 2014 - Rotary forumProgram for July 29, 2014– George Moran-"The VA Center of San Luis Obispo County"
By Dick Dannells
Acting Pres. John Murphy, who stood in for business traveling Pres. Michael Boyer, began the meeting at 12:36 PM by highlighting another fellow Rotarian, Doug McMillan. Although both of Doug’s parents were born in Italy, he derives his last name from his father's Scottish roots. He was very active in soccer in college and continues to devote much of his spare time on this sport. He left Bakersfield College in his senior year to join his family's Rosa's Restaurant in Pismo Beach in 1988. He is proud to say that the restaurant has enjoyed "some" success in the past 28 years in Pismo Beach. He got married 16 years ago and has two children Nicholas and Briana. He finally convinced his wife to go from soccer mom to help manage his soccer team. His motto in life is "Be nice".
FINES:
Kathee Glenn's birthday resulted in a $60 fine when she spun the wheel, which also cost all of her table mates $10 that included Eddie Aurand, Cheryl Vines, Deenie Dotson, Steve Curry and Charla Anderson. Joel Conn's birthday cost him $60. Greg Baker's fine for his birthday was $30 and the members at his table paid $10 eachthat included Jonathan Rubatzky, Sharon Ellis, Bruce Beaudoin and Jeff King. Charla Anderson had a club anniversary to the tune of $65.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Acting Pres. John August 16 made a number of announcements including the board meeting on August 9, the District Gov.'s visit on August 12, Summer Sizzle on August 16, and the 5-6 PM social on August 20. Joel Conn reported that with only two weeks left before Summer Sizzle all members should turn in their money for the ticket sales as soon as possible. Cliff Nagler, who is taking over this week for Connie O Henley said that less than a third of the ticket money has been turned in. Greg Baker, who is heading up the District Governor's visit, reported that it will be held again Steve Curry’s ranch beginning at 5:30 PM and to bring sweaters and chairs. Cheryl Vines reported that the next social will be held at Marisol’s at the Cliff’s Resort.
PROGRAM: George Moran-"The VA Center of San Luis Obispo County"
Kathee Glenn introduced George Moran is the Veteran Outreach Specialist of the Vet Center. It was formed in 1979 and has been performing services for combat veterans that need help they do not get at the Veterans Administration. In 1995, the service was extended to all war zones and to those that experienced military sexual harassment/assault while on active duty. Veterans returning from active combat have been committing suicide at an alarming rate of two suicides per minute. 70% of the marriages of such veterans windup divorced. There are 30 Vet’s Centers in California and 300 in the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Only people that you should get even with are those who have helped you.”
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July 22 2014 - Rotary ForumProgram for July 22, 2014– Connie O Henley -"Clark Center for the Performing Arts and the 2014-2015 Season "
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael Boyer began the meeting at 12:40 PM by calling for the usual introductions. He continued highlighting club members by featuring Don Weber who was born in West Virginia in 1933 and move more times than most people do in a lifetime before he left home for college. After college he had a meteoric rise in the insurance industry and became the CEO of an insurance company that was headquartered in Kansas City. After he sold his interest in the company, he moved to San Francisco and then on to Pismo Beach where he joined our club on February 27, 1996, coincidentally that's the same date in 1985 that he joined Rotary for the first time.
FINES:
He fined Mark Olson $40 for giving a poor introduction. Bruce Beaudoin, Abbey Silverstone, Kathee Glenn, Jack Hardy, Martha Murphy, Paul Olson, Mike Kee and John Traversaro were fined $20 each for not having a guest at their table. Sandy Lubin and Jonathan Rubatzky were respectively fined $20 and $40 for giving a snide remark and for advertising Kari Ziegler’s new eatery in Arroyo Grande. Brendan Reitsma was fined $40 for his vacation. Cliff Nagler and Pres. Michael Boyer were respectively fined $40 and $44 for their birthdays. Pres. Michael fined John Murphy $40 for leading a happy birthday song for him.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Michael presented Bruce Beaudoin with a pin for bringing in a new member. Ashlea Boyer spoke of the need to get our silent auction items and two bottles of wine for each member. in as soon as possible for the August 16 Summer Sizzle. Place August 12 on your calendar for the District Gov.'s visit. Greg Baker is the chair of this event and circulated a list of those that are planning to attend.
Connie gave a brief history of the Clark Center, which began as an idea in 1975 in Clifford Clark's mind. The Lucia Mar Unified School District approved the project in 1987, a fundraiser began in 1990, construction began in 1999, and the grand opening was held on May 10, 2002. Connie gave a rundown on the physical plant, the organization chart and the details of how she and her staff book the season with a large variety of programs. She has to oversee the pricing, scheduling, routing, target audience, number of shows/genre and the variety of the shows. She also has to fit in any exciting late additions that come to her attention. She then presented a 10 min. video of the upcoming season which includes Glenn Miller, Eddie Money, Winter Dance Party, Peaking Acrobats, the Lonesome River Band, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Late Night Catechism, Tribute To Elvis Presley, the Swinging Cowboys, the Best of San Francisco Standup Comedy, Arlo Guthrie, Sing-a Long-a Grease, and Abba-Mania.
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Jul 08, 2014 - Rotary ForumBy Dick Dannells
Pres. Michael began at 12:40 PM by referring to the screen, which showed a bio of a Rotarian, who happened to be John Murphy. John then came forward to fill in more details of his life from his birth in Chicago, Illinois, his graduation from Elmhurst College with a degree in chemistry, and his teaching career in Milwaukee Wisconsin where he had his own TV chemistry show. He stated that after the Russian Sputnik launch into orbit on October 4, 1957, he was in the forefront of those teaching math and science, which courses were greatly emphasized after this launch. He came out to the Lucia Mar school district in 1981 and continued his education at Cal Poly where he received a Master Degree in Political Science in 1981. He was one of the charter members of this club, which was formed in March 1984. In 1989 he moved to the high desert to become Superintendent of Schools for San Bernardino County. He moved back to the Central Coast in 1980 after the retired and resumed membership in this club. One of the highlights of his life is his July 1990 marriage to Martha in the Rose Victorian Inn.
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DEMOTION DINNER -- JUNE 24, 2014 -- SLO COUNTRY CLUBNew Venue: San Luis Obispo Country Club. 5:30 Start. Paul Harris Awards! |
June 17 2014- Rotary ForumProgram for June 17, 2014–Annual Recognitions By Dick Dannells Pres. Linda Osty opened her last meeting of the year at 12:32 PM and called upon Summer Sizzle Coordinator Connie O Henley to hand to the following Team Captains the packets of tickets for distribution among all members: Mike Frederick, Steve Curry, Montisa Phelan-Lopez, John Murphy, Cliff Nagler and Chuck Anders. Pres. Linda called Steve Lewis to come forward to turning in his temporary red membership badge he received six months ago at his induction for his permanent blue one. She also showed a video of highlights of the past Rotary year. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Linda Osty announced that next Tuesday starting at 5:30 PM we will be having the annual demotion banquet to be held this year at the San Luis Obispo Country Club and that this meeting room will be dark. PROGRAM: Annual Recognitions Pres. Linda called upon Lee Ann Liscombe and Kathy Glenn to help her hand out the various certificates and awards to the following: Charla Anderson and Montisa Phelan-Lopez for sharing the Sec. position, Ashlea Boyer for Past Pres., Mark Olson for New Generations, Sean Schuur for International, Steve Curry for Foundation and Grants, John Murphy for Sgt. at Arms, and Paul Jones for Membership Chairman. She then took a break and called upon Paul to recognize all those who sponsored at least one member this year. They included Ashlea Boyer, Greg Baker, Mary Ann Reiss, Terry Fibich, Paul Jones, Michael Boyer and Pres. Linda, who brought in three members. She then continued with the recognitions: Cliff Nagler for public relations Martha Murphy and Sandy Lubin for Club Advisers, Connie O Henley for Interact, Eddie Aurand for a Family of Rotary, Terry Fibich for Highway Cleanup, Greg Baker for the annual Rotary Foundation Golf Tournament, Jay Bond for Community Giving, Michael Frederick for Arroyo Grande's Hoosegow Park renovation, and Jack Hardy for fine-master. Awards for perfect attendance went to Eddie Aurand (1 year), Charla Anderson (2 years), Mary Ann Reiss (3 years), Joel Conn and Chuck Anders (four years), Michael Boyer and Ashlea Boyer (8 years), Sean Schuur and Linda Osty (8 years), Martha Murphy and John Murphy (10 years), Connie O Henley and Bruce Beaudoin (17 years), Dick Dannells (9 years), Harlan Silva, Terry Fibich and Steve Curry (20 years), Sandy Lubin (21 years) and Paul Jones (43 years). FINES: After giving the recognitions, Pres. Linda called upon fine-master Jack Hardy to dole out the last fines of the year. Chuck Anders and Deenie Dotson were fined $82 and $50, respectively for not watching Pres. Linda's last fireside chat. Chuck Anders was also fined $50 for a cell phone infraction. Michael Frederick was fined $25 for reminding Steve Curry to go get his fine-free-badge as it was his birthday last week. $50 was the fine to recognize Paul Holden's daughter's wedding. Paul Jones was fined $45 for only bringing in one member this year. Lee Ann Liscombe was fined $80 to round out her fines for the year. John Traversaro was the big winner of $187 of the 50-50 raffle. THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES: “Swearing is the product of trying to forcibly express yourself." |
June 10 2014-Rotary ForumProgram for June 10, 2014– Charitable Giving Distributions By Dick Dannells Promptly at 12:30 PM, Pres. Linda Osty opened the next-to-last meeting of her year and immediately began collecting some catch-up fines. FINES: She first began by fining John Murphy $25 for a poor introduction and Martha Murphy $10 for delivering to her a Historical Society brochure. She then turned to fine-master Jack Hardy who really began to rake the fines into the treasury. Cliff Nagler got a picture in the San Luis Obispo Tribune and for this he was fined $20. He then fined the following Rotarians $120, $100, $150, $150, $25, $43 and $25 respectively: John Bernard, Charla Anderson, Deenie Dotson, Paul Holden, Mark Olson, Cheryl Vines, and Joel Conn. The respective birthdays of Mike Frederick and Montisa Phelan-Lopez resulted in fines of $10 and $100. Montisa was fined an additional $100 for her anniversary and the singing of the happy anniversary song. Steve Curry was not fined for his 68th birthday in two days, because he is the fine-free badge. Dick Dannells was fined $3 for his first wedding anniversary with Rae Alee Breen. Eddie Aurand's club anniversary cost her $15. Frank Montesinos was fined $85 for not knowing his club anniversary. Finally, Jack Hardy was fined $25 by Pres. Linda for not bringing her a gift from his recent trip. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Linda Osty announced that Saturday, June 26 will be the commemoration of Arnie Dowdy's bench at the 10th St. Grover Beach Park. PROGRAM: Charitable Giving Distributions Jay Bond resumed the distribution of the remaining funds raised during last year's Summer Sizzle. He called upon each of the respective sponsors to come forward to present the checks, in most cases to representatives of each of the charities. Included in this week's giveaway were: Martha Murphy for Saint Patrick's Outreach School, Sean Schuur for People's Kitchen, Kathy Glenn for the Exploration Station, Eddie Aurand for Destination Imagination, Paul Jones for the Tri-County Teen Challenge, Jim Lewis for the Los Padres Boy Scouts of America Troop, Linda Osty for the Military Parents and Friends of The Central Coast, Charla Anderson for the YMCA, Deenie Dotson for the Raising a Reader program, Michael Boyer for St. Pat's Catholic Church, Montisa Phelan-Lopez for Arroyo Grande Hospital Breast Cancer research, Doug McMillan for the Central Coast Condors THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES: “It is good to be wise, but it is wise to be good. ".
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June 3 2014- Rotary ForumProgram for June 3, 2014–Rotary Scholarship Winners By Dick Dannells Pres. Linda Osty opened the meeting at 12:30 PM and began by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Steve Curry for $40. FINES: As it is the end of the Rotary year and fine master Jack Hardy was not present, Pres. Linda was in a fining mode. She began by fining Greg Baker $25 for a bad introduction. Then she levied $25 fines on each of the following Rotarians for not knowing the answers to practically impossible questions: Chuck Andrews, Charla Anderson, Deenie Dotson, Sharon Ellis, Paul Holden, Montisa Phelan-Lopez, Harlan Silva, Abby Silverstone, Brendan Reitsma, and Tommy Thompson. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Pres. Linda Osty announced that Steve Curry is a Rotarian of the month. New member Anye Stanley and Dick Dannells presented gifts to Pres. Linda from their recent travels PROGRAM: Rotary Scholarship Winners Joel Conn came forward to present this year's Rotary scholarship winners: Aiysha Mahmood was awarded the Interact Scholarship. She has been in Interact for 2 years and is currently serving as the Senior Vice President. She is also active in the Speech and Debate Club, Key Club, National Honors Society, Water Polo and Swimming, as well as spending many hundreds of hours of community service. She has done this while maintaining over a 4.0 GPA and plans to attend CalPoly in the fall. Brittany Schiro is the FFA scholarship winner. She has not only taken on a rigorous course load including AP classes, but has also pursued her love of animals by working as a horseback riding instructor, groomer, a kennel technician. In particular, she has spent the last 18 months working with autistic children, helping them to cope with their disease by learning to ride horses. She will be attending Sonoma State University in the fall, with a major in Biology. Travis Jamerson received the most improved student scholarship. Travis is an extraordinary individual and in his 4 years of high school, he has completely turned his life around. It all began with his love for Taekwondo and soon he began to extend that discipline into other parts of his life, taking control not only of his temper and academics, but also his diet and health. In the process he lost over 100 pounds. He is also an accomplished musician, and his band has played many gigs throughout the year as well as founding a music club on campus. He has a love of neuroscience and is pursuing a degree in psychology at Cuesta College in the fall. Joel Conn then presented a video of a portion of a speech given at a president- elect PEPS course. |