July 19, 2016 Rotary Forum

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.

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 100^th 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.

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 7^th anniversary resulted in a $50 recognition fee. Mary Ann and Herbert Reiss’ 21^st anniversary yielded a $40 fine. In his trivia questions, Jack Hardy lost $20 to Steve Curry; Eric Mund lost $25 to past Pres. Joel.

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.

"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