Reported By: Mike Bullington
The January 23 meeting of the 104th term of the Rotary Club of Sacramento began at precisely 12:15pm with President John Lemmon of Knox, Lemmon & Anapolsky, LLP ringing the bell and establishing order in the room. He thanked cardiac surgeon, Dr. Forrest Junod for hosting the wine reception, evidently cognizant of the beverage’s contribution to heart health. President John also thanked Michael Bullington of Pacific Advisors LLC for effectively channeling Duke Ellington on the piano. Our greeters were acknowledged: Don Ellwanger of Sperry Van Ness, Ted Grebitus of Grebitus Jewelers, and Tim Maurice of UC Davis Health System.
Steve Heath of Capitol Health Network provided a “Thought for the Day”.
Sergeant-At-Arms Callee Setzer of Setzer Forest Products recognized guests Frank Gontarski, guest of Wes Yee and Valarie Piotrowski, guest of Rita Gibson of Rita Gibson Insurance & Investment Services Inc. The Club also recognized prospective members Gerry Dabi and Chris Boessenecker of Golden Pacific Bank who had been invited by Virginia Varela of Golden Pacific Bank.
Judy Payne (Real Estate Forum) graciously donated her three minutes to Alice Sauro of the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera, who announced the lineup for its 4th season. It will feature a sumptuous feast of Beethoven in two parts – the 5th and 6th symphonies and the 4th piano concerto – Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D major, perhaps the most sublime contribution to violin virtuosity ever written, and Verdi’s Rigoletto. Alice reported that there have been no empty seats at this year’s performances. Wow!
President John took us back to 1960, when he showed us pictures of his dad and fellow Rotarians Eddie Mulligan and Glenn Lawlor aboard one of two refitted Navy boats. Those “new boats were our Club’s major donation in 1960 and allowed countless Boy Scouts to more conveniently reach BSA Camp Harvey West at the far end of the lake.
At the request of our District Governor, President John also presented a slide depicting the Object of Rotary and reviewed its four main goals.
Club Announcements:
- The next Fireside Chat will be held at Jim Craig’s place on February 8.
- Todd Koolakian (Sacramento Children’s Home) reported that the first round of our Club’s youth Speech Competition will happen on January 31 at 4pm at the Sacramento Children’s Home and invited all interested members to attend.
- Our District’s annual conference will take place from May 11-13 at the Hyatt Regency in Incline Village.
Tim Maurice of UC Davis Health Systems and John McIntyre of Mercy Foundation were recognized for their cameos in Comstocks and celebrated their moments in the limelight by effectively saying, “Let’s Build Something Together” with their wallets. Thank you, gentlemen!
Which finally brings us to the day’s featured speakers, our Club’s travelling Rotarian ambassadors to countries in need.
First up was Past President Wes Yee (Yee Dental Care), who got us up close and personal with citizens of Jamaica who need dental care. Wes presented an overview of the important dental and wellness work these Rotary trips provide in underserved areas. Although the Club’s next service trip to Jamaica is already full, interested members should consider signing up for the 2020 trip. Wes stressed that health care expertise is not a requirement for interested Rotarians.
Becki Roberts (Central Valley Community Bank) and Heidi Hershenhouse (Land IQ, LLC) detailed their trip to Costa Rica to advance literacy. For only $3,400, our Club was able to build a library and stock it with books. Perhaps the most touching photo of the presentation was one showing Heidi being mobbed on the floor by appreciative students.
Clayton Lee (C.K.L. Trust) reviewed the details of 10 projects, many aimed at providing a source of clean water to villagers) sponsored by our Rotary club around the world. These included Cambodia, Honduras (orphan care), Uganda, Liberia, Jamaica (breadfruit), Ethiopia, Nepal (literacy) and Pakistan (nutrition). Clayton also acknowledged David DeRoos’ (CityGate Associates) work in Nepal, explaining that learning English is the key for many in underdeveloped countries to escape the cycle of poverty. Tour jobs pay comparatively well. Finally, Clayton explained how donations are matched by Rotary by anywhere from 3.5 to 10 times, creating an impact far beyond the generosity of local clubs. Clayton emphasized that these service trips can be ‘life-changing” for the club members who serve, and encouraged everyone to join the effort.
Sergeant-At-Arms Callee Setzer announced that the featured speaker at our meeting next week will be Mike Pereira, the former VP of Officiating for the NFL and the current rules analyst for Fox Sports. Mike will discuss some of his experiences as a referee for the National Football League and update us on his “Battlefields to Ball Fields” project. All of this should be an appropriate leadup to the big event the following Sunday.