The governor was at this week’s Rotary meeting – no, not that one – our 5180 District Governor, Steve Turner, who dropped in to see the goings on at “The Big Club” and to share his view from the DG’s perch.
As usual, The Big Club didn’t disappoint, as we had plenty to show the Guvna and his right-hand man, our very own Assistant District Governor Todd Koolakian.
President Bobby Reed called forth Past Everything (President, Assistant District Governor, District Governor) Fred Teichert, who delivered the Thought of the Day, and then turned the mic over to Sarge-at-Arms Jamie (she won by a) Furlong for the visitor introductions.
Fred was then back at the mic as the Sponsor of the Day, donating his “$350 and 3” to Ginger Rutland (former Sacramento Bee writer and daughter of past club member Bill Rutland), whose play “When We Were Colored” will be showing at the Guild Theater in Oak Park from November 8th thru the 24th, so jot that on your calendar.
Prez Bobby then introduced us to our newest Rotarian on planet Earth, Dr. Craig Alpha, a dentist who performs oral surgeries which are almost unpronounceable, with or without novocaine. Welcome to the club, Craig!
Next up were Jamie and Sarah Hodge, stepping in admirably for Past Prez Susan Sheridan, to report on the success of this year’s Sac Century, which featured over 1,000 riders, an admirable score of Rotarian volunteers and donors, and about $191,465 in gross revenue. The net proceeds to the Sacramento Children’s Home Crisis Nursery will put a twinkle in ADG Todd Koolakian’s eye.
Club Announcements
Theater Nights – ADG Todd advised the next two Rotary Theater Nights are scheduled – Hamilton on January 16th, and the Tina Turner Musical on March 6th. See Todd for details and to secure tickets.
Hiking Club – Join Past Prez Jim Leet this Saturday (October 19th, 9:30 a.m.) for the inaugural Rotary Hike - an enjoyable 3-mile walk around the UC Davis Arboretum. Contact Jim for details.
Loaves & Fishes – Virigina Wade is looking for 9-10 more Rotarians to volunteer at Loaves & Fishes on October 31st, so drop her a line if you’d like to lend a hand.
After some conversation time, Bobby welcomed to the podium District Governor Steve Turner, who outlined Rotary International’s goals for the current year and his own district-level goals. Along with pitching this year’s District Conference in Disneyland (April 12, 2025 at the top of the Matterhorn), DG Turner acknowledged the club for all of our community work – from the Sac Century, to our support of the Ralph Richardson center via Golf 4 Kids, to our Dictionary literacy project, to our renowned international water project efforts.
Then, in an acknowledgment so well deserved, DG Turner bestowed upon Sarah Hodge a Sacramento Rotary Star award. Congratulations, Sarah!
Along the way, President Bobby thanked greeters Laurie Wright, Ed Wright, and Nikki Wardlaw, meeting photographer Past Prez Diane Woodruff, and the Pulse reporter, yours unruly, John Wood.
Next week’s speaker will be Todd Dunivant, President and General Manager of the Sacramento Republic FC, so stretch before the meeting, just in case Todd decides to hold tryouts during the wine reception. Click here to RSVP.
If we needed a reminder that the lazy days of summer are over, we got it at our meeting. Elections are near and mayoral candidates Dr. Flojaune Cofer and Assemblyman Kevin McCarty quickly explained the challenges. As they say, all politics is local, but more about that later.
Looking ahead to the club’s huge public undertaking this weekend, the Sacramento Century Challenge biking fundraiser, Rick Davis presented a lighthearted thought for the day on biking, concluding that “cycling is a culture, a community, a passion and a way of life.”
Meeting sponsor Jim Relles explained that a local business is challenging, even for the third generation running Relles Florist in its 78th year. On October 16, that anniversary will be celebrated with free flowers given away at its store at 2400 J Street. Customers will get two bouquets, one to enjoy and one for giving someone else. “We’re making two people happy,” he said.
A new member was inducted! Mohammed Al Azzawi, the son of our own Sulaf Al Ajeeli, is Business Development Executive with Patricio Systems LLC, which provides businesses with project management and IT staffing. Welcome, Mohammed!
The club welcomed representatives from our Golf4Kids beneficiaries – Ralph Richardson Center, the Transitions program at Sacramento State, and Luther Burbank High School. President Bobby presented a ceremonial $45,000 check representing the fundraiser proceeds. “Hello friends,” said one student. Another teared up with excitement. With a big smile, one student said, “I am very special to be here.”
Club Announcements
Sac Century – more volunteers are needed to work at the bike valet area, said PP Susan Sheridan and event “co-pilot” Paul Keefer.
Dictionary distribution – Justino Santana is looking for volunteers to deliver dictionaries to third grade students.
Hiking Club – PP Jim Leet announced his first club hike on October 19 at the UC Davis Arboretum and encouraged signups.
Brown Bag Day – Tom Bacon, rocking a cool coach headband, and Steve Huffman, resplendent in a bald wig and phony beard, had fun pretending to be President Bobby while encouraging members to sign up for Brown Bag Day on October 8.
Now, back to politics. PP Kevin Smith-Fagan served as moderator for the forum with mayoral candidates Dr. Flojaune Cofer and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty. Dr. Cofer is an epidemiologist and public health advocate who has dedicated her career to improving health outcomes and advancing social justice. She has led public health initiatives in California and has served on a number of governmental boards related to climate change, transportation, and public safety. Her opponent Kevin McCarty, representing the state’s 7th assembly district, has been a dedicated public servant for Sacramento since 2004. A former city councilman, McCarty serves as the chair of the Assembly public safety committee and has been an advocate for education, housing, and public safety reforms.
Asked about revitalizing downtown, McCarty said many empty state office buildings need to be sold and developed as affordable housing. 45 percent of downtown buildings are owned by the state, which pays no property taxes, and many employees now working remotely are not returning onsite to those offices. If the University of California had a downtown campus, it would lure young people to move there.
Cofer said Sacramento State University could turn downtown buildings into a residential campus and new nightlife could be generated with a creative economy featuring music and entertainment. Downtown has always been a challenge, she noted, and Cofer said she wants to manage its future, not its decline.
On addressing homelessness: Cofer said homelessness is Sacramento’s number one problem. She was startled by a homeless person in her own backyard. “Where can people go?” she asked. Many cycle through emergency rooms and jails, incurring high expenditures for our police and fire departments. While serving as chair of the Measure U Committee, she urged city leaders to devote that tax revenue to address homelessness. Short and long term housing options need to be developed with streamlining how the city government works on these issues.
McCarty said homelessness was the reason he decided to run for mayor. Children are not safe walking home, business owners suffer and the homeless people themselves are in danger. “It’s not safe for anyone,” with people camping on the streets. He said he’d ask for an audit of the city’s budget on how money is being spent and how more efforts can be made to work with Sacramento County, which has more resources.
When asked about how young professionals can afford Sacramento’s housing prices, McCarty said music, sports events and great food are key aspirations for the next generation to revive downtown. Reforms to city permitting are needed to quicken converting office space to housing space.
Cofer said the city needs to look at what jobs will be needed in the future with problems like climate change to address. Some young people want to learn trades, while others want to be four-year college graduates. The city needs to create an environment that diversifies our economy, and tenant protection programs can help people avoid evictions.
As an outsider to elected politics, Dr. Cofer promised to use her executive leadership experience to set performance goals for the city’s department leaders. The mayor is responsible to make sure goals are set and met. “All the pieces are here in Sacramento,” she said, referring to puzzles. “Now is the time to assemble the picture.”
With his time on the city council and state assembly, McCarty said he has learned that candidates promise a lot, but they need to be able to work with others as team players. He said he helped crack down on illegal gun dealers by working with law enforcement and got hundreds of guns off the street. Citing his experience, he said “You don’t do this alone,” and “I know how to get things done.”
In closing statements, Cofer said she is optimistic the city can do a better job addressing problems despite a mayor having little authority and budget money. Her work on community health improvement plans, especially during Covid, has prepared her to energize people. “The crisis is getting worse,” she said about homelessness. “We need new leadership in Sacramento.”
McCarty said he knows Sacramento is a great place to serve because he’s done it for years. His experience means he knows how to get the results that voters expect from a new mayor. “We have a lot of challenges,” he said. “I’m ready to roll up my sleeves.”
Greeters at the door included Lee McBay, Clayton Lee and Virginia Wade. Photography was provided by the dependable John Swentowsky. Megan Laurie provided the wine reception.
With no meeting next week because of the Sac Century event, our next luncheon will be on October 15 featuring District Governor Steve Turner.
And don’t forget the Sac Century cycling event this Saturday, September 28!
Photography Courtesy of John Swentowsky of Swentowsky Photography.
“Surround yourself with good people, treat them right, and make everyone successful.”
We were honored to welcome guest speaker Dale Carlsen, founder and former CEO of Sleep Train as well as the founder of the Ticket to Dream Foundation. Carlsen, the son of a Rotarian, was interviewed by Chair of the Day Elfrena Foord, and he shared some of the values and key lessons that guided him to personal and professional success.
In honor of Mr. Carlsen’s presence, Bryan Murray’s Thought for the Day was on the importance of sleep with tips on how to achieve it.
Josh Pelz, freshly minted head of the meeting sponsor committee, promoted meeting sponsorship as a great way to introduce Rotarians to good work being done by yourself or others while supporting the club! You read that right: sponsorship is a great opportunity to promote your business and how other Rotarians can work with you, and if you’re so inspired you can always donate your time to a nonprofit you support! For $350 you get three minutes to talk about whatever you want. A bunch of Rotarians signed up instantly – Jim Relles, PP Walter Dahl, Bryan Murray, Ted White, Maggie Hopkins, April Javist, Rick Davis, Bradley Schmidt, Paul Keefer. Thank you!
The Sac Century is Upon Us! (What are YOU doing next weekend?)
With just a week to go, your help is deeply needed in the following critical tasks:
Unloading the truck from 3-6pm Saturday afternoon
Unloading the truck from 10-12 on Sunday
Serving as the volunteer at the SABA (Sac Area Bicycle Advocates) Bike Valet
Housekeeping during the post-race festival (could probably use more volunteers but big thanks to Megan Laurie, Bryan Murray, PP Peter Dannenfelser and Elfrena Foord for stepping up in the moment).
Please contact the club if you can help out.
Put Me In, Coach!
Dave McKie celebrated a milestone birthday. Jim Leet celebrated his 35th wedding anniversary, sharing one insight that his younger self learned the hard way: never give your wife a formal performance review. Eric Solis honored his daughters’ college successes.
Club Announcements
International Day of Peace – District 5180 is honoring the United Nations’ official Day of Peace this weekend with a speaker series on peace studies at CalExpo. Learn more here.
Dave Higdon’s memorial – the gathering will take place next Wednesday, September 25, 4pm at the Scottish Rite Temple.
Brown Bag Day – will be Tuesday, October 8 – the list of participating locations has gone out, so please sign up!
Hiking – PP Jim Leet is looking to create hiking outings for Rotarians. Interested in being part of deciding where and when? Please contact Jim.
Dictionaries – April Javist reminded everyone that a signup sheet for dictionary distribution with the Sacramento Literacy Project went out earlier this week.Volunteers will help provide 3rd graders in under-resourced schools with a free dictionary. Where possible, please sign up for slots where one person has already committed to attending. The sign up form is here.
The club welcomed visiting Rotarian Ndudi Osakwe from the Rotary Club of Jerusalem, who is traveling to promote “Africa is Emerging,” his new book about why Africa represents a valuable new business market.
Dale Carlsen: A culture of philanthropy is the key to success
Dale Carlsen founded Sleep Train Mattresses in 1984 and built it into a 300-store chain. He credited annual employee meetings as key to their successful culture. At these retreats, he would say, “Ask yourself, ‘what is the company that, if it existed today, would put us out of business? And then, let’s go become that company.’”
At the 2010 annual meeting, Carlsen unveiled an employee stock ownership plan, allowing all employees to have an ownership stake (about 25% in total) in the company. Over the next four years, the company’s valuation increased by 800 percent, due greatly to the energy and enthusiasm generated by employee ownership.
In 2014, Carlsen exited Sleep Train and invested the proceeds into a new passion, launching the charitable foundation Ticket to Dream to transform the lives of children in foster care. Today Ticket to Dream has boosted more than 200,000 youth. Carlsen and his wife remain on the board to this day.
With a higher number of people working from home, Dale said building a corporate culture of philanthropy is an essential tool to motivate employees – it shows that the company cares about others and invites everyone to ask, “How do we give back?”
President Bobby thanked several Rotarians who powered the meeting. The wine sponsor was Golden Pacific Bank, a division of SoFi Bank, with Latif Yusufi and Ali Hunt pouring libations. Our greeters were Doug Stephenson, Jeff Stone, Elke von Schlosser and Bruce Hester. Our photographer was Jim Henderson, and Megan Wygant was Pulse reporter.
Next week, mayoral candidates Dr. Flo Cofer and Assemblymember Kevin McCarty will join us for a candidate forum. See you then!
