President Robert Olmstead III started the meeting at 12:00. He welcomed everyone to the best damn Rotary Club in Arden Arcade. He noted that this was his 29th meeting. He asked Emily Ballus to start the meeting with the pledge of allegiance. Big Al, formerly known as Al Frumkin, to delineate him from Little Al, or Sergeant at Arms Al Cady... take your pick, was asked to provide words of wisdom for the day.
Secret Word
The Prez asked for the secret word and Todd Eichman was quick to respond. He knew that the word was "Avotre." He also knew that it was used last week for the French Toast, celebrating the champaign graciously donated by Christine Jensen.
Introduction of Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Steve Turner was delighted to introduced his sister, Nicki Anderson. She is visiting Steve from Indiana, taking a break from her job of making sure Subarus are built properly and safely. You might want to check the manufacture date of any Subaru you purchase to make sure it was not built during the week of February 20th.
Announcements and Other Fun Stuff
The Board did approve Eddie Morlet for membership. He will be inducted to the club on Charter Night.
The Board also approved Tom King for membership. He will too will be inducted to the club on Charter Night.
Charter Night
Matt Ross reminded everyone that Charter Night will be/was held on Friday, February 24th at the Del Paso Country Club. District Attorney, Thien Ho, was the guest speaker for the evening. As the bulletin editor was not present, he guesses that the event started 6:00 ish with most members taking advantage of the no-host-bar while enjoying the lively sounds of jazz performed by the Rio Jazz Band. The dinner probably followed at about 7:00 ish. One of the highlights of the meeting was the induction ceremony for Eddie Morlet and Tom King, assuming both were present. We are plesed to have them as new members of our club.
What's in a Name?
Little Al, (it is hard to call a guy that is 6'1" tall, little) so the Prez renamed him Handsome Al... (as opposed to Ugly AL? I'm not sure that was any better) Handsom Al commended Big Al, on the proper spelling of his name, Allan. The name is Celtic in origin and means "handsome" (so both Als are handsome and we are back to Little Al. Little Al should have stopped right then but he went on to proclaim both Als as the prettiest members of the club which elicited a groan from many of the members.
Handsome Al, Little Al, Sergeant at Arms Al, Al the Enforcer, went on to report that many of the items that were donated to Rotary for sale have been sold and the profits are going to the club's foundation. The remaining items for sale include a Toro Lawn Mower, Bosch Hammer Drill (Steve Turner quickly called dibs on the drill), Rigid miter saw, Ryobi circular saw, two Craftsman radial arm saws. See the Enforcer Al if you or someone you know would like to purchase any of these tools. Fulton El Camino RPD purchased the Billygoat vacuum and a sump pump. Win/win!
It's Now Official
Big Al Frumkin and Lisa Keller were called to the front of the room to officially receive their Rotary Welcome Packets complete with their red badges. Big Al got a red badge? I hope not. He was in Rotary before badges were invented.
Poker Tournament
Tom Goode reported that he was happy NOT to be the chair of the tournament this year. He thanked all the club members that agreed to be sponsors this year. We still need sponsorships as well as players. Tom challenged all club members to get at least one person to sign up to play. He thanked Walmart for being a $16,000 sponsor this year. Tom recieved a very quizical, and at the same time disaproving look, from the person tasked with soliciting the donations, as the $16,000 was higher than the actual
Bill now if you have a suggestion. The teachers mentioned that they always know when we deliver the dictionaries because all of the 3rd grade students are walking down the halls hunched over from the weight of their backpacks.
$14,000 commitment. The Prez, in an attempt to deflect the scorn of surrounding the embellishment, noted that Tom is a financial advisor and likes to round up.
We are going to be selling tickets for a 50/50 drawing. Last year's winner took home about $3,100. He thanked Niello BMW for providing the venue for the event and for donating money rather that the use of a car for a year. He suggested everyone go buy a new BMW from them as a way to express our gratitude.
This is an all-hands-on deck premier fundraiser event. Please make sure all sponsors sign up their players as soon as possible. Spectators are welcome. Volunteers are needed. Registration for the event will be closed 24 hours prior to the event to limit the number of "Steve's Friends" attending. (This snide comment was in reference to the uninvited guest last year that later that night was allegedly involved in a murder that took place in the Target parking lot. The person was ushered from the building by Steve and was not a friend of his... at least that is what he claimed.) Please go to the website to register your players and claim your sponsorships: AllinForArdenArcade.com Doing this early helps in the planning of the event.
Rotary Tree House?
Rotary is teaming up with the Sacramento Tree Foundation to plant three trees on Saturday, January 25th. Lisa Asperger knew all about this and was able to bail out Tim Cahill when the Prez asked him about the event. Tim thanked Lisa for staying on top of these things. Handsome Al #1 let Tim know that his jackhammer will be available to help with the planting as he will need it.
Off-site Lunch, CA State Library
Our next off-site lunch at the State Library for April 11. The exact time and duration of the lunch has not been finalized. A sign up sheet will be passed around towards the end of this month. You will not want to miss this opportunity to see the rare documents that few people ever get to see. Lunch will be provided in library cafeteria. Guests are welcome to attend.
What's in a Name? Part II
"Point of order" was how Michael Caplan started his rebuttle/correction to the assertion made by Handsome Al #1 that the correct Celtic spelling of "Allan" was "Alan." Evidently, Michael spelled his son's name with one "L" and was feeling threatened that he might have made a error. Michael claimed that the double "L" form was a secondary spelling. It appears, through my extensive search of the internet, that the form Allan is used mainly in Scotland and North America. In England, the given names Allan and Allen are considerably less popular than Alan. However, in America all three are
generally about the same in popularity. However, if you would like to read an amusing take on the subject please chack out this article.
Youth Exchange. He is now the inbound chair for the Rotary District and will most likely be the treasurer for NAYEN. It was an unbelievable experience. One of the speakers boldly stated that if every 17-year-old kid went on a youth exchange there would be no wars.
Scholarship Lunch
The Prez noted we will be returning to Del Paso Country Club for the Scholarship Lunch this year. It will be held on Tuesday, May 9th. The hat will be passed in early April and weekly thereafter to help defray the cost of the lunches for about 35 guests; students, parents and educators. This is a great meeting, a fun time. We need a good turnout to show the sudents our support. We would like club members at every table. Please plan to attend.
Dictionary Delivery Update
Bill Hambrick reported that dictionaries were delivered to Dyer Kelly Elementary school. He thanked President Rob for his help in delivering them to the students.
They are hearing more and more about the value of the Dictionaries, especially in the schools with high percentages of Afghan children. The parents are also using them. The next delivery will be to the Thomas Edison Elementary School on Thursday, March 2nd. at 10:30. We are looking for additional schools to deliver to. Please let
Bell Ringers
Happy Bucks
Sad Bucks
Steve Turner
Steve rang the bell 2 TIMES because he was happy
#1 that his sister was visiting and
#2 that his daughter, Audrey, becomes a teenager this week. Please note sympathy and bottles of wine are graciously being accepted and stored away as he gears up for the teen years.
Bruce Stimson
Bruce rang the bell because he returned from a very informative meeting last Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in Washington D.C. with 1,250 of his best friends at the North American Youth Exchange Network (NAYEN.) Bruce went on to report that, while it was a "North American" event, people from all over the world were in attendance. Additionally, the current and future Rotary International Presidents and the Ukrainian Ambassador were speakers for the event. Bruce is now fully recharged for
Todd Eichman
Todd had happy bucks for his trip to Asia for a few weeks and to be back with the club now.
Big Al (Handsome Al #2)Frumkin
Al had Happy and Sad Bucks because he and Lisa could not attend last weeks Valentine's Day meeting. However, he was very happy to be able to spend the day around the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel and in the town for 24 hours.
Guest Speaker, Greg Cotta
Bell Ringers
Happy Bucks
Sad Bucks ...
...Continued
Handsome Al #1 offered up a 2X Bell ringer...
#1 because "Michael Caplan doesn't know what the blank he is talking about! So I'm giving $100 because I'm right."
#2 for being invited to a Super Bowl party hosted by Big Al and Lisa. during the party Big Al was in such a good mood, and because Handsome Al #1 was in such a good, wine-induced mood, that he told Handsome Al #2 that if he sang to Lisa at a meeting, he would pay $100. It was at this point that HA#2 gracefully walked across the room and sang to Lisa "Oh, my love, my darling, I hunger for your touch....." Speaking of touch, it was very touching. Nicely done HA#2. The secret word is "touching."
Greg Cotta was asked to fill in for Tim Kebervaz, Owner of an A/V Company and Corporate Consultantthe originally scheduled guest speaker. Unfortunately, Tim came down with Covid and could not make it. Greg noted that the last eighteen months have been some of the busiest in his life. Charter night marks a year an a half for him in Rotary. He is very impressed with the quality of the professionalism in our club and agrees that this is the club to be in. Torary for Grag was a nobrainer. It teaches a person how to schedule your time and give back to the community in ways that are effective and good. It is helpful to join with people that
already know what they are doing rather than try to figure it out yourself.
Greg updated the club on the water fountain project that was paid for by a grant from our club to be installed at the building that houses his business. He met with the manager of the building and found out that the general contractor hired to do the installation claimed that there was asbestos in the wall and refused to do the installation until the asbestos was abated. Greg will be looking into this further to see what can be done and by whom. It is a priority for them and they want to make sure it is in and operable before summer.
Effie Yeaw Tortoise Enclosure
The Effie Yeaw Tortoise Enclosure project is going well and is visually looking like he had envisioned it. The nature center is very excited about the progress. The lids for the enclosure have become very intricate to meet the safety requirements of the center. They need to have special locking mechanisms and hydraulics to ensure the lids are safe and don't come down on people. They do have a second tortoise, Einstein, that will keep Cowboy Sparkles company. Einstein is bigger and healthier and may be the primary occupant of the enclosure.
Seasons Coffee
Seasons Coffee is very successful right now. He is extremely busy. He has gone from one to nine employees in 12 weak. He is learning about the generation that is younger than him. He grew up with Baby Boomer parents, has older Gen-X siblings, a Gen-Y sibling and he is a millennial. The generation behind him are "different." The 22-year-olds he is interviewing now have the work experience formally found in 16-year-olds. The pandemic may play some part in this but not the entirety of it. He has found the necessity of being very specific about work task instructions with lots of details as common sense and experience are in short supply. These workers are well intentioned, they care about health and the world. They have different work ethics. When he asks each one their minimum and maximum number of hours they would like to work per week, not one has said more than 40. They are interested in other things and most likely living at home.
Greg calls his experience in starting Seasons Coffee his masters in business. Trial and error and learning while doing. He did learn that the permitting process is hurry-up-and-wait. He did not have gray hairs when he started. He did find out that he started his project about two years earlier than he should have as he was underfunded when he started and things cost more when you can't take advantage of purchasing power. He recommends staying employed while you start your new business to keep funds flowing and to do both jobs until you reach the point you cannot function in that mode any longer. Make sure you know who your clients are and have a good work plan in place before you start your business.
The Prez thanked Greg for his work with the tortoise enclosure and bringing us up to date on his business.
Future Events
February 28th, 2023: Frank LaRosa & Scott Marsh, Sacramento Area Sports Commentators
March 7th, 2023: Gem Munro, Amarok Society Co-Founder
March 14th, 2023: Clay Nutting, Owner Canon East & Franquette Restaurants
***We have held several Off-Site Lunches at Canon.***
March 21st, 2023: Kelli Sequest & Alex Byrne, Sacramento County-Department of Waste Management & Recycling
March 25th, 2023: Poler Tournament, Niello BMW
March 28th, 2023: DARK, Week after the Poker Tournament
April 11th, 2023: ***OFF SITE LUNCH***, CA State Library/Historical Documents Tour
May 9th, 2023: Annual Rotary Scholarship Lunch, Del Paso Country Club
President Robert Olmstead III thanked everyone for coming and rang the club bell closing the meeting at 1:06 p.m.
Respectfully (more or less) submitted by,
Mike Grace
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