President Christine Jensen welcomed the scholarship students and their families, school administrators, and club members to the Rotary Club of Arden Arcade's annual Scholarship luncheon at Del Paso Country Club. She thanked everyone for coming.
Pledge:
Rachel Hock
The Prez asked Rachel Hock to lead the pledge to our flag.
She then asked Bruce Stimson to provide the invocation.
Invocation:
Bruce Stimson
Bruce provided an appropriate invocation in honor of the occasion:
Today we celebrate the incredible youth of our community. Some we will meet for the first time today and others we will be saying goodbye to after five years as they embark on the next great adventure in their lives. They all have impressed us over the years and we know the future will be in good hands as they move through life. We are not going to say goodbye to the seniors, but see-you-later, in hopes that they will come back for a visit or join our Rotary Club in the future. In the mean time, may they continue to grow in knowledge and share their experiences and life lessons with the rest of the world. Amen
Taking Care of Business
President Christine announced that the Club Board approved the membership application for Emmet Swarat and, baring any objections from the club members, Emmet will be inducted at the May 27th meeting.
While on the subject of induction, the Prez asked District Governor, Steve Turner and today's inductee, Joelle Fondale, to come forward.
District Governor, Steve Turner, asked Joelle to stand next to the club's bell, the bell that is used to open and close the club's meetings and special events. It is fitting to have you stand near the bell as this is the opening of your experience with the Rotary Club of Arden Arcade.
DG Steve noted that he gets to tease Joelle twice as this process will be continued on at our next club meeting. However, this induction is for the benefit of the students to see what is involved in becoming a member of our Rotary Club.
DG Steve, continued sharing that he does background investigations for a living and he we know quite a bit about you. We don't have the ability to show, via PowerPoint, some of the amazing things we dug up about you. Please tell us about you running history. Joelle noted that she had been heavily involved in Triathlons for a very long time. She started running late in life. During her 40's and 50's she did five Iron-man triathlons and 25 half-Iron mans. A full Iron Man is a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run marathon. She noted that she is not an athlete... but she does believe that if you want to do something, you can do it. She is really good at eating while moving forward.
DG Steve asked her to share about her family. Joelle shared that she has two children, a daughter that is 30 and a son that is 28. Her daughter is expecting in November. Joelle is engaged to be married and will become an instant grandmother by marriage by her son and daughter in-laws. DG Steve asked her about any practical jokes she has plaid in her life. Joelle noted that she has not played any. She does not play practical jokes...
DG Steve launched into the more formal portion of the induction by noting that Service Above Self is the principle model of Rotary that conveys our philosophy of unselfish volunteer service. When you come to Rotary, you have to check your coat of self interest at the door. Until you do, you will not get to your sleeves to roll them up and get to the work of Rotary. He then welcomed Joelle to Rotary and provided her with a Governor's Rotary Pin and the welcome information packet, along with her red name badge with the designation of Real Estate Broker.
DG Steve shared the process she will travel to become a blue badge member that involves working with Sergeant At Arms, Al Cady.
This is not Joelle's first experience with Rotary. She is coming in as the daughter of our long-time Rotary member Roy Vogel.
Scholarship Presentations
Prez Christine was pleased to introduce the Scholarship Chair, John Gabriel, to preside over the scholarship presentations.
John welcomed everyone to the scholarship program. He shared that this program has been going on since 1987 when the club president asked the club to come up with a scholarship program that was different than most and reached a different demographic than the usual college scholarship program. He wanted to see where the money was going and not just hand it out to college students and not see them again. John shared that he was the Principal of Arcade Middle School
and he thought that it would be great to award the scholarships to the 8th grade students and follow them up through high school awarding the students $250 for each year and $500 for their Senior Year, awarding them the total $1,500 scholarship at the completion of their senior year.
Today's scholarship program will start with the Seniors and works its way down to the 8th grade students. Each student provides highlights of the past academic year. Only the senior student are given more than 2 minutes to share. The 8th grade students are not asked to speak. Their middle school principal will do the introduction and provide the reason they have been selected for the scholarship. They will be asked to speak when they are Freshmen.
Elena Carissimi
Senior
St. Ignatius Middle School
Rio Americano HS
Vincente Diaz
Senior
Arden Middle School
Rio Americano HS
Itzel Bucio Reyna
Senior
Arcade Middle School
Mira Loma HS
Emery Meinzer
Junior
Arden Middle School
El Camino HS
Chance Murdock
Junior
Arcade Middle School
El Camino HS
Danielle Payant
Junior
St. Igntius Middle School
St. Francis HS
Emanuel Haunte Aldrete
Sophomore
Arden Middle School
El Camino HS
Jett Doel
Sophomore
Arcade Middle School
Mira Loma HS
Owen Hartono
Sophomore
St. Ignatius School
Jesuit HS
Isai Cornejo
Freshman
Arcade Middle School
El Camino HS
Nora Seevers
Freshman
Arden Middle School
El Camino HS
Riley Wood
Freshman
St, Ignatius School
St. Francis HS
Teresa Cummings
Principal
Arden Middle School
Principal,
Teresa Cummings
and
Hannah Holladay
Arden Middle School
Hannah Holladay
8th Grade
Arden Middle School
Patty Lane
Principal
St. Ignatius Middle School
Principal, Patty Lane
and
Madeline Clough
St. Ignatius Middle School
Madeline Clough
8th Grade
St. Ignatius Middle School
Phillip Tateishi
Principal
Arcade Middle School
Principal, Phillip Tateishi
and
Rachel Woolse
St. Ignatius Middle School
Rachel Woolsey
8th Grade
Arcade Middle School
The Newsletter Editor is experimenting with AI generated summaries of the meetings in hopes of working himself out of a position. The following was the result of one of the AI summary efforts:
The Rotary Club of Arden Arcade held a meeting featuring the Pledge of Allegiance, invocation, and club business focused on membership. The club unanimously approved new member Emmett Swarat and inducted Joelle Fondale, who shared her background including her athletic accomplishments and family life. Joelle received a Rotary pin and was introduced to the club's traditions and support system for new members.
The meeting also highlighted the club’s scholarship program, which has been running since 1987, supporting local students from 8th grade through high school with incremental scholarship awards culminating in $1,500 for seniors. The program aims to connect with and support students and their families, emphasizing Rotary’s commitment to community service and youth development.
Numerous high school students from various grades shared their personal journeys, achievements, and future aspirations. Seniors expressed gratitude for scholarships, highlighting their volunteer work, academic excellence, sports participation, leadership roles, and plans for higher education in fields such as environmental management, civil engineering, and healthcare. Juniors discuss balancing academics with extracurricular activities, (the secret word is extracurricular) community service, and career goals like firefighting. Sophomores and freshmen showcase their involvement in school clubs, sports, community service, and leadership positions, emphasizing personal growth and resilience through challenges like injuries and academic pressures. Several students reflected on their cultural identities and the impact of their service on their communities. The event also introduces new students recognized for leadership, academic excellence, and community involvement.
The Rotary Club's ongoing support and programs like Youth Exchange are highlighted as vital contributors to student development. Overall, the event celebrates the dedication, leadership, and diverse talents of these young individuals, underscoring the Rotary Club's mission of service above self.
President Jensen rang the bell and closed the meeting at about 1:30 P.M. thanking everyone for attending and extoling them to go "Share the Magic of Rotary."
Respectfully (more or less) submitted by,
Mike Grace
Reporter, Photographer and Editor
Hellen Weight
Ombudsman and Content Supervisor
DISCLAIMER - Some of the information provided in some of the articles, and possibly included in some of the "quotes" from club members, may have been a fabrication of a demented mind. It is up to you to determine fact from fiction. Individuals objecting to all or any part herein, are encouraged to go to Hellen Weight to lodge a formal complaint.
Club Information
Service Above Self
Tuesdays at 12:00 PM
Piatti
571 Pavilions Lane
Arden-Arcade, CA 95825 United States of America
.png)
