District Governor Sandi Sava showed up with her bike at Tuesday’s meeting sporting her Sac Century cycling shirt, hat and bicycle shorts, all ready for the upcoming event on Oct. 7. “Good day Sacramento!” she cheered. “How happy I am to be riding next week in your Century Challenge. I love it!”
President John Lemon (Knox, Lemmon and Anapolsky, LLP) introduced Sava (Meissner, Joseph and Palley law firm), who joined the Sacramento Breakfast Club in 1996, is a Paul Harris Fellow + 8, a major donor who also travels the world and has a passion for shoes. Lemmon offered up a pair of very dirty and enormous sneakers as a gift, which was declined.
DG Sava timed her official visit to our club in recognition of the big bike trek through the Delta wine region. The event will raise money for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento and the Volunteers of America. A bicycle enthusiast, DG Sava even rode in the first Sac Century four years ago in the rain.
Not only will she be riding, but she has enticed two of 17 Zone Directors for Rotary International to join her. John Matthews, from the Rotary Club of Mercer Island (WA) and another district director will be participating in our cycling excursion that starts and ends on Capitol Mall.
She began her visit on a humorous note. On screen was a portrait of Paul Harris saying in a cartoon bubble: “Please show DG some respect. OK?”
Rotary International President Ian Riseley of Australia has chosen as his theme for this year: “Rotary: Making a Difference,” portrayed visually by a circle of what look like popsicle sticks of different colors to depict people of all races joining together to improve the world. A vegetarian who grows his own food, Riseley is asking each Rotarian to plant a tree, to contribute to sustainable growth, to promote peace and to increase the membership of women.
It has been 30 years since women were admitted to Rotary in 1987. DG Sava asked if anyone was a member then and what they thought about it. Mik Miklaus (Integrity Mortgage) volunteered that women have been good members and that eliminating ashtrays might have been more controversial.
DG Sava asked if anyone could guess her district theme and Mike Bullington (Pacific Advisors), who also played the piano to welcome members, correctly guessed her theme is two wheels of a bicycle. Printed along the back Rotary wheel are the words “Reflect Back,” and printed on the front wheel is “Embrace the Future.”
Reflecting back, she noted that our club was the first chartered in our district on Feb. 1, 1914 with 300 members. Our most senior members are Bob Cole from 1951 and Mead Kibbey from 1953. The longest standing female member is Elfrena Foord (Foord, Van Bruggen and Pajak Financial Services) since 1988. The newest member is Laurie Rood (Benefits Done Right Insurance Agency) since July 25, 2017. One family has a fourth generation as a member of the club. Sergeant-At-Arms Callee Setzer (Setzer Forest Products) teared up when she responded: “It’s very important for me to carry on the tradition.”
Answering questions, DG Sava said one of her jobs is to supervise the district staff, which includes several of our members including Skip Lawrence (Dentistry retired) as district award chair, Club Manager LaToya Wong on the district conference committee, PP Fred Teichert (Teichert Foundation) as district chair for Finance Advisory Committee and Nancy Teichert (Writer) who is co-chair of the Literacy Committee.
Rotary continues to distribute dictionaries to students but some are moving toward digital literacy aids. Dave Veden (Rotary Club of Natomas) said his club is donating headphones children can use with their laptops.
DG Sava, who loves her beautiful high heels, gave up buying shoes during her governorship to spend her money to support “The Shoe that Grows,” a shoe that flexes five sizes so the children can use them for years. She made that decision after learning that some children miss school because they do not have shoes, and some children must share shoes with their siblings. “How can I get kids to school?” she reflected. “Think about shoes.”
At Tuesday’s meeting, the wine reception was sponsored by Julie Sherry (Watson Companies, Inc.). Greeters included PE Diane Woodruff, Leigh White (KTXL TV Fox 40) and Kevin Williams (KVIE Public Television).
Meeting sponsor Ted White (Sacramento Delta Property Management) donated his time to Jay Lowden (YMCA of Superior California), who said Y summer camps were expanded this year to include the Power Scholars program, which has improved the achievement gap among lower-income children.
.JPG)
In announcements, Joe Grant (Vantage Points LLC) asked for volunteers to host Brown Bag lunches. The Rotary Foundation dinner is Oct. 28. Becki Roberts (Central Valley Community Bank) asked for participation in Daughters Day on Dec. 19 and announced a trip to Costa Rica from Feb. 24 to Mar. 4 to visit the Peace Corps Eye Glass program. Dick Osen offered tickets to the Kings game on Dec. 10, at which the club’s own quartet, the Four-Way Test, will be performing the national anthem. PP Susan Sheridan said volunteers are still needed for the Sac Century trek.
In boasts, Miklaus donated $500 as a thank you for birthday wishes and his introduction to the club in 1979. Jeff Setzer (Setzer Forest Products) gave $67 in honor of Miklaus’ real age and $33 for an earlier birthday. Dick Noonan (California State Railroad Museum) gave $100 in honor of his father and shared a photo of his dad in Paris in WWI in 1917. PP Dan McVeigh (Downey Brand LLP) donated $250 for the completion of his home renovations.