Thought of the Day - Jim Fritzsche told us about his rare experience in Meridan Texas, population 1345, during the eclipse of the sun, when the air cooled enough to change the dewpoint and the clouds dispersed, the corona blazed and gifted them with a red dot prominence. The sunset was at 360 degrees, the planets were out, and it was profoundly quiet.
Introductions of Visiting Rotarians and Guests - our speaker Major Rio Rey, and colleagues of Carroll Dudley: Heather Story, and Cheryl Ciraulo.
Tax & Accounting Minute - Because the IRS can't hire anywhere near their goal of 86,000 new employees as discussed last week, they've changed focus, deciding to increase auditing people who make $200,000 or less, which makes sense, since that is most of us.
News - Congratulations are in order! We have been officially approved as of April 4th as the new Rotary Club of American River CA USA by Rotary International.
Happy Dollars - Major Rio Rey's son at age 18 is graduating, leaving one remaining child in high school. All three kids have summer jobs. Amy Ruggles was happy that Jim's hair was green, the symbol that we reached our goal for the Salvation Army last December. Jim Fritzsche was happy that he learned about hail in Texas, watching the other drivers leave the roadway to hide under shrubs and bridges.
Speaker - Introduced by Bill Watson, we enjoyed an enthusiastic presentation by Major Rio Rey of the Sacramento Salvation Army. Bill said the Salvation Army is the Army that Fights with Kindness. They offer the three S's: Soup, Soap, and Salvation. For 50 years, the Rotary Club of East Sacramento has had someone on the advisory board of the Salvation Army. Major Rey gave a short personal history, talking about his family, places they lived, and his experience as a youth and young adult that paved his way toward his service with the Army. He served for over two decades in several towns in California, Colorado, and Alaska and calls it "a wonderful adventure." What do they do here in Sacramento? They have three shelters to help homeless people transition into jobs and permanent housing. They offer emergency help including rental assistance, utilities assistance, and hotel vouchers. A day care has room for 70 children, and their after-school program serves children K-8 from 3-6pm. In their basketball program staffed by volunteer coaches, they have 120 kids ages 5-15. They call it "books before baskets" understanding that children might shun the help of a tutor, but if homework has to be completed before basketball, they're all in. Major Ray said, "Gangs grow when kids don't have healthy things to do" so there's a real focus on healthy activities. Of course, the Salvation Army is known for its Christmas drive, providing food and toys to families. They also provide Emergency Disaster Services. When Major Rey was in Santa Rosa, the Tubbs Fire wiped out so many homes that the Salvation Army provided 83,000 meals for 39 days straight. Afterward, with $1 million in donations remaining, they continued to support affected families over the next two years to get settled. The Salvation Army is in 130 countries. It works in coordination with other nonprofits including the Food Bank,VOA, Sacramento Steps Forward, and Goodwill. This next year, our club will be rehabilitating the playground in the day care area. At Christmas time, our club raised $12,402 for the Salvation Army, passing our goal of $10,000, which is why Jim had to dye his hair green today.
Raffle - Carroll Dudley won the Dick Taylor Chocolate
Finished at 1:07
Attendance: (18) Carroll Dudley, Jim Fritzsche, Hanns Haesslein, Dick Hall, Allison Hamaker, Tim Hayes, Kipp Johnson, Dave Jones, Bill Loscotoff, Keith McBride, Maria Mengotti, Amy Ruggles, Jim Shaw, Randy Smith, Bill Watson, Major Rio Rey, Heather Story, and Cheryl Ciraulo.
Calendar
4/13 District 5180 Potluck BBQ Picnic at Elk Grove Regional Park noon to 4
4/17 Speaker: Dr. Rich Wampler - An Inventor's Journey
4/23 Tuesday night joint meeting with Carmichael Rotary - Alan Gallaway, "Autism in the Workforce"
5/1 Speaker: Police Chief Kathy Lester - Security in Sacramento
5/17-19 District Conference in Reno NV at the Grand Sierra Resort
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