Spring was in the air at ye olde Rotary meeting this week, as that smoothest of orators, Past President Todd Koolakian, filled in for El Presidente, Bobby Reed, who was off camping with a bunch of 6th graders in Sly Park (if you can’t understand Bobby’s slang at next week’s meeting, blame the kids).
Past Prez Todd kicked things off with an acknowledgment of this week’s meeting crew -- Jay (now where did I put that Grammy) King, Dee Johnson, and Moira Doherty as greeters, and a trio of Johns (Swentowsky, Goralka and Wood) as Photographer, Wine Sponsor, and Pulse Reporter.
Next up was Gabe Gendron, who gave us a meditative Thought of the Day (reports of Rotarians falling asleep during this relaxing part of the meeting were mostly exaggerated), and then it was over to Sarge-at-Arms, Jamie (she won by a) Furlong, for the weekly intros.
Another of our members vaulted into the rarified air of Rotary this week, as a Sacramento Rotary Fellowship was awarded to the most deserving Virginia Wade (for you newer Rotarians, a Sacramento Rotary Fellowship is the highest honor that our club bestows to a member).
John Swentowsky provided the intro, sharing some nuggets, such as Virginia being a former model for Weinstocks, and meeting her long-time partner (and now husband), Ed, at the community mailbox on their street (try pulling that off on e-mail). Congratulations, Virginia, for an honor most deserved.
Kathy Herrfeldt was the Sponsor of the Day, donating her $350 to the club, and her 3 minutes to Sophie Moeller of Achieve Tahoe, which is a favorite charity of Kathy’s. And that’s a reminder, fellow Rotarians – if you want to benefit the club and highlight a favorite charity of yours, become a Sponsor of the Day, and donate your time to your favored cause. Eddie Mulligans, Paul Harris’s, and Lee-Phairs are vital, yet only a Sponsor of the Day benefits the club budget directly.
It’s a busy time at Rotary for the next fortnight, with our next Rotary Networking night on March 20th, a Service Day planting a Pollinator Garden at Kildeer Farms in West Sacramento (courtesy of a Rotary Grant that Jamie Furlong obtained for the club – well done, Jamie!) on March 22nd, and a hike (more like a walk) with Jim Leet in Folsom on March 23rd. See the Rotary calendar online for details (and by the time you’ve read this, Jay King will have already hosted our latest Fireside on March 12th – thanks, Jay!).
With Opening Day a few weeks away, Kathy Herrfeldt announced that she’s planning a club outing at a River Cats game and will schedule the date when she has about 20 committed Rotarians. Contact Kathy for details and to express your interest.
Chair of the Day Steve Brandenburger stepped forth to introduce our guest speaker, Kulvinder Singh, who shared with us some history of the Sikh people, and the relevance of California (particularly Northern California) in their history in the United States.
The first Sikhs arrived in the U.S. around 1906, and now number in the hundreds of thousands, with over half living in California, particularly Yuba City and Marysville, where approximately 10% of the population is Sikh. It was an interesting look into the culture of our Sikh neighbors.
John Swentowsky won this week’s “Rock Star” award for his prowess with the mic (with Jamie Furlong earning an honorable mention), and next week’s speaker will feature a return visit from Kelly Brothers, who will talk with us about the economy, investments, and (with St. Patrick’s Day just passed), no doubt a good Irish joke or five.
Plan to attend next week, and if you can’t be good between now and then, be discreet (that’s the 5th element of the 4-Way Test that just never caught on).
The meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 25th, has been moved to Thursday, March 27th. Please update your calendars.
John Wood
Photos courtesy of John Swentowsky
