Meeting Recap - May 10, 2016
Posted by Linda Geery
on May 13, 2016
Appreciation and gratitude was the theme for the day as we recognized the efforts of hundreds of volunteers, which made the inaugural Pony Express Marathon (PEM) an overwhelming success.
President Dave thanked Don Ellwanger (Sperry Van Ness) for hosting the wine reception, Sulaf Al Ajeeli, Kevin Williams (KVIE), Aaron French (Zanker Recycling) and John Dannenfelser (JD Enterprises) for the music and AV support, Bob Miller (First US Community Credit Union), and Bob Daly (Financial Network Wealth Advisors) for meeting set-up.
President Dave shared with the Club the passing of Oleta Lambert and requested a moment of silence in her honor. Her service will take place on Tuesday, May 24th at 11:00 AM at the Fremont Presbyterian Church, 5770 Carlson Drive, Sacramento 95819. President Dave also asked that we keep John Kelly and his family in your thoughts and prayers as John’s wife Lynn passed away on April 28th.
Kathe Nathan (The Merchants National Bank) shared the Thought for the Day, which emphasized the power of 1, how impactful we can be when we chose to say yes and get involved. This theme epitomized those involved in leading the PEM Committee.
John McIntyre (Mercy Foundation) announced guests, visiting Rotarians and potential members, which included District Governor Glenn Fong, PDG Bob Deering and DG Elect Barbara Tracy.
Barbara Thompson (Sky Ridge Ranch) was the meeting sponsor. Sky Ridge Ranch offers equine assisted therapy as well as leadership retreats. Additionally, they have a wonderful facility for special events.
President Dave reminded those in attendance that the goal of acknowledgement was to emphasize appreciation! President Dave thanked:
Rebecca Gordon for her countless hours devoted to our event, she went above and beyond to ensure its success.
Bob Daly, co-chair - President Dave indicated that Bob was enthusiastic from the beginning, giving more than 110% to the event for more than a year.
Gabriel Gendron (Lyon Real Estate), co-chair - President Dave thanked him for his tireless commitment, keeping track of details and tasks, so devoted that he didn’t even mention that Sunday, May 1st was his birthday. President Dave presented him with a belated Birthday cake.
In honor of their dedication, President Dave presented Rebecca, Bob and Gabriel with a Paul Harris Fellow, along with PEM medals.
Rebecca Gordon thanked President Dave for being visionary! Bob Daly shared that he was proud to be a part of our Club where members give so generously of their time, talent and treasure. Gabriel Gendron also thanked the Club and shared that he was in awe of the undertaking. The committee has received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community and runners.
Some of our members participated in the run, including: Bob Miller (his first marathon), Jeff VonKaenel (News & Review), Heidi Hershenhouse (Land IQ) and Dr. Barbara Arnold (MD).
Alpha K-9 thanked the Club; also they introduced D.D., a beautiful Belgian Malinois puppy. She was named D.D. in honor or Dave and Diann Cohen (Macro-Pro)!
Randy Seevers thanked the Club and shared that “Running for Rhett” was the official training group for the event. More than 2,000 kids trained for the event, with 1,400 completing the 5k additionally, 600 of their parents came along. All students were awarded a medal at the finish line.
Randy shared that one student, Wyatt, wasn’t able to run on May 1st. Wyatt was so upset that his mother took him to the race course at O’Dark-thirty on Tuesday morning so that he could finish what he’d started. Wyatt was at our meeting on Tuesday and was welcomed to the podium, where Randy presented him with his medal and he received a standing ovation from those in attendance.
A big thank you to our sponsors: Kaiser Permanente, Coldwell Banker, Teichert Construction, Flash Race Management, Moran Associates, Raley’s, Wells Fargo, Barbara Arnold, MD, Toshiba Carriers, Runyon-Salzaman-Einhorn, iHeart Radio, the City of Sacramento Police Department, Yolo Brewing Co., Solis Financial Strategies, YMCA, Ruland’s Used Office Furniture, Cohen-Durrett, LLP, California Moving Systems, Scott Naake Paper Co., Spare Time Clubs, National Pony Express.
A big thank you the Rotary Clubs of: Arden Arcade, Granite Bay, Historic Folsom, Midtown, Loomis, Greenhaven Pocket, Marysville, Roseville, Passport and Laguna Sunrise, we appreciate your support!
A big thank you to our committee:
Norm Marshall (Headwaters Construction), and Doug Crumley (Crumley & Associates, Ameriprise Financial), Course Leads
Steve Romeo (Central Valley Community Bank), John Lemmon (Knox, Lemmon & Anapolsky) and Scott Gordon, Operations and Logistics
John Wood (McGee & Thielen Insurance Brokers), Tanya Kravchek (Children’s Receiving Home of Sacramento), Kathleen Smith (Runyon Saltzman Einhorn), Allice Delehart and Matt Z’berg, Communications
Lisa Au, Finish Line Festivities
Tim Matthias ((WMB Architects), Laura Heinz (Stanford Youth Solutions), PEM Expo
Chuck Brasfield (Golden Empire Council, Boy Scouts of America) and Kathe Nathan, Volunteer Coordinator
Kelly Moran (Moran & Associates), Program
Jan Stohr (Nonprofit resource Center), Grants
Katrina Salazar (CCPOA), Treasurer
Randy Seevers, Training
Diann Cohen, Sponsorship
Walter Dahl (Dahl Law), Announcer
JD Dannenfelser, Sound
LaToya, Ema, Cindy and Sulaf, our outstanding office staff.
Finally, Bob and Gabriel thanked Rosie and Kelley for their support at home and with the event.
Upcoming Events:
Yosemite Hike, Saturday, May 14th, last call for sign-up
District Conference is coming up quickly – May 19-20
Mark your calendars, Son’s Day – June 14th.
Finally, President Dave acknowledged our own Katrina Salazar and her lovely picture on the current issue of the CalCPA Magazine. Katrina was recently named President of the California Board of Accountancy. Katrina donated $250 to our Foundation as well as $100 in recognition of her son’s academic achievements.