Meeting Recap December 8, 2015
Posted by Mark Huffman
on Dec 10, 2015
President Dave Cohen opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking Larry Booth (Frank M. Booth) for donating the wine for the wine reception, thanking Aaron French (Zanker Road Resource Management) for the introductory musical interlude, and audio/visual director JD Dannenfelser (JD Enterprises) for his efforts.
Mik Miklaus (Integrity Mortgage) then mounted the podium to offer The Thought for the Day, a fascinating historical summary of the Pony Express in honor of the inaugural Pony Express Marathon of which we were to hear much more about later in the meeting.
The gathered were then treated to an ROTC honor guard from Luther Burbank High School led by Commander Tom Jones, USN retired, followed by a boisterous rendition of the Star Spangled Banner led by Dick Osen and John McIntyre (Mercy Foundation).
President Dave then introduced the head table: Pony Express Marathon (PEM) co-Chairs Bob Daly (Financial Network Wealth Advisors) and Gabriel Gendron (Lyon Real Estate), PEM consultant Rebecca Gordon of Flash Race Consultants, PEM beneficiary Stephanie Midthun of Courage Worldwide, and PEM beneficiary Kevin Cameron of Alpha K9.
It was then Annual Meeting time at which point President Dave invited Past-President Susan Sheridan to the podium to announce the candidate for President-elect-elect for the 2017-2018 term. After some tantalizing hints that went completely over your reporter’s head, it was revealed to be . . . John Lemmon (Knox, Lemmon & Anapolsky). After a boisterous and decisive voice vote in the affirmative, it was a done deal. And for those of you who have not written an update to the Club’s history recently, John’s nomination is historic: he will be the first third-generation president in the Club’s history. John’s grandfather Judge Dal M. Lemmon was the Club’s president for the 1930-1931 term, and John’s father, John Vincent Lemmon, was president for the 1959-1960 term. How proud indeed they would be.
After a few efficiently delivered announcements, President Dave yielded the floor to our Pony Express Marathon co-chairs Bob Daly and Gabriel Gendron. What followed was a comprehensive and exciting introduction to what will without doubt be wonderful complement to the fall’s Centennial Bicycle Ride. It will include full marathon, half-marathon, four person relay and 5K options, as well as a Kid’s Play Run. It will include a two day Expo on April 29 and 30, a Finish Line Festival as well as a Rotary Village installation.
Bob and Gabriel then displayed an impressive chart indicating all of the volunteers and their various capacities. Your reporter counted 36 different volunteers involved, so clearly we are witnessing a massive and awe inspiring effort.
Then, they did a roll call of sponsors already on board for the effort: Kaiser Permanente, Coldwell Banker, Yolo Brewing, Raley’s, Wells Fargo Bank, Solis Financial Strategies Group, Wells Fargo Mortgage, Runyon Saltzman Einhorn, Sacramento Magazine, iHeart Radio, Intercare Holdings, Dick James & Associates, Headwaters Construction, Sensible Driver, Cal CPA Association, Golden Pacific Bank, State Farm, Professional in Workers Compensation, Ed Melia CPA, Innovative Solutions, Macro-Pro, Crumley & Associates and Scott-Naake Paper Company.
Bob and Gabriel then introduced Stephanie Midthun of Courage Worldwide, one of the organizations selected by President Dave to be a beneficiary of the PEM event. Courage Worldwide provides places of refuge and recovery for children rescued from the child sex trafficking trade, of which Sacramento has sadly become a hub. Founded by CEO Jenny Williamson, the first Courage Houses was opened in 2011 in Northern California and Tanzania.
The second beneficiary selected by President Dave is Alpha K9 led by its founder and CEO Kevin Cameron. Kevin is a highly decorated six tour combat veteran who has honorably served his country for nearly 14 years. Kevin’s military service included serving as part of the Military Working Dog Program. He was wounded in combat and honorably discharged in 2011 at which point he opened the doors of Alpha K9.
Kevin began with a number: 22. That is the number of veterans who commit suicide every day in the United States. Most are suffering from untreated post-traumatic stress disorder that interferes with their family and working lives, and often leaves them isolated. To demonstrate what life is like for these vets, Kevin presented a video that depicted with great clarity the terror so many of our vets live with every day. It also showed what a lifeline a trained dog can be. The reason is that vets with PTSD are instinctively aware of their surroundings, a habit that was essential to survival when in a war zone but one that is disruptive to civilian life. Dogs are helpful because they are even more intuitively aware of their surroundings than people are, having superior eyesight, hearing and smell. With a dog at his side he can rest assured that if a threat were to come the dog would know about it well before the vet would. Dogs also can detect stress in humans and when a vet is undergoing a stressful episode provide affection and comfort to calm him down.
Kevin said for profit companies offer these dogs for $50,000 a piece, something most vets cannot afford though many desperately need them. Kevin is working to train dogs for these purposes for far less.
Another organization working to help vets who are struggling is 22 Too Many, a reference to the number of vets who commit suicide each day. A Veteran Suicide Prevention Organization, it encourages vets contemplating suicide to contact the organization to be paired with other veterans willing to be a lifeline. At the meeting, 22 flags were displayed on the back of the stage, and they were offered to anyone willing to donate $500 to the cause. By the time the dust settled 24 were sold. “Good on ya Rotary”.
With that, President Dave dismissed everyone wishing them a good week!