October 28, Rotary Lunch Meeting (Nov. 03, 2025)

October 28, 2025

Rotary Club of Arden Arcade

Lunch Meeting

President Matt Ross Presiding

President Matt Ross rang the bell and welcomed everyone to

the best gosh darn Rotary club in all the world.

Pledge: Bruce Stimson

The President asked Bruce Stimson to lead the pledge to our flag.

He then asked Al Cady to give the thought of the day.

Invocation: Al Cady

President Ross lead the recitation of the Four-Way test.

... and Guests!

Elizabeth (Izzy) Morales

Bruce Stimson introduced a potential Rotary Youth Exchange Student, Elizabeth (Izzy) Morales and her mother, Jena Smith

Jena Smith

Maryam Saadatjou

Guest Speakers

from the local

Search & Rescue Team

Maryam

Saadatjou

Patrick

Alessandri

Patrick Alessandri

Show Me the Money!

PDG Steve Turner- Happy & Sad Bucks

Steve has happy bucks for the great time he had at Zone. Zone was in Albuquerque this year and he got to meet some of the new District Governors. He helped them with some of their speech prep and some classes.

One of the roles as the immediate past District Governor is you help out at Zone as sergeant arms. He filled Al's role as Sergeant At Arms for five days as the chief sergeant for the event. And there were 24 of them in their class that all stepped up as Sergeant at Arms. They had a great time. It can be a hard job sometimes when you keep getting asked the same crazy questions

and the same stuff. Al has, for the last two years, been one of the Sergeant at Arms at Pets, now called Pels, for our district and about eight other districts. Steve had a great time with that.

The "Sad" portion of his offering is that we are getting hoodwinked by one of our new members, Mr. Emmett, who took the good old chair there in the back so he could see everything. So Steve learned a little lesson from Mr. Mr. Emmett.

Rob Olmstead - Bell Ringer

Rob is ringing the bell for two very good reasons:

First, is in recognition for all the hard work that Bill Hambrick and Al Cady did on this last weekend's project. Without those two, none of that would have happened. It was a pleasure to be a part of it.

Secondly, his son played in a game called Soccer, Steve, and he had two hat tricks. For you Steve, that means he scored six goals.

Christine Jensen - Happy Bucks

Christine is doing Happy Bucks because she has no money left because she just came back from a fabulous, amazing vacation to two countries she never thought she would go to. First, Budapest in Hungary. It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. So friendly. She did the hot baths and then followed that up in Prague, which they are famous for their beer spas...

which is interesting. She didn't know anything about beer spas before she got there, but of course she had to do a beer-spa, drinking it all in. (The secret word is beer-spa) It was fabulous. She highly recommend it, especially going in the fall. The weather and the colors, it was just a perfect fall vacation. Anyway, she's back... And Bruce is so glad, as we all are.

Jenny Davini - Bell Ringer

Jenny was gone for two weeks also. But one of them was getting past that last tax deadline, which she is happy to be passed. And the other reason she was gone, is she went to visit her daughter in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with her other daughter. They had a great vacation.

Al Cady - Happy Bucks

Al is giving happy bucks because he successfully talked Alicia into buying her snow and ice tires before it snowed. (She was most likely "tired" of hearing him talk about it.)

Lisa Asperger,

Fast as ever with her hand,

She knew the secret word

"Adrenaline"

This Secret Word was based upon Linda Bigler's

Member Minute

where she proclaimed herself to be an adrenaline junkie.

Lisa had a choice of beer or honeycomb.

Lisa chose the honeycomb provided by our server and beekeeper, Lisa.

It is local honey made by

Arden Arcade Bees.

The Prez:

Inquisitor

It's Fine By Me

It's NOT a Trivial Matter!

Steve Turner was presented with the opportunity to save the entire room from being fined, by answering one question... What was last Week's Secret Word?

PDG Turner knew that

the word was

"Talladega."

Not only did he not have to pay a fine, but he made all Rotarians fine-free for the entire day.

Inquisitee

PDG Turner

American River Work Day

Rotarians from Arden Arcade, Point West and the Passport Club were present. Even our Interact and the Youth Exchange Students participated.

Downed wood was mercilessly attacked by a chainsaw wielding Rob Olmstead. Emmett Swarat was breaking everything he could get his hands on. There was a repair team following him around fixing what could be fixed. Brandon Stoakley was thanked for keeping an eye on Ryan Driffell.

Bill Hambrick did a great job organizing the event. He thanked everyone that participated. He had hoped for 20 people to participate, he got 50... nicely done! Bill shared that the American River Parkway Foundation was overjoyed with the amount of work that was done. Unfortunately, the light rain made painting the benches impossible. That will have to be done at a later time Bill gave a shout out to Bruce, noting that he still smelled of BBQ smoke.

Christine Jensen noted that the Rio and Aspire students have social media and they have posted videos of the day on Instagram, thanking us for the opportunity to work that day. Check it out and "follow" them.

News You Should Use!

Pints and Previews at the B Street Theater

Lydia Wytrzes has arranged for an evening at the B Street Theater, Pints and Previews at the Sofia. The doors open at 6:30 and the play starts at 7:00. The evening is sold out. A complementary beer or non-alcoholic beverage is included in the price but you must stay after the play concludes to provide feedback to get it. This should be a great evening for our club.

District 5180 Foundation Dinner

The Prez announced that we have paid for three tables, one more than last year, for the District's Foundation Dinner on November 8th. There is room for two more people. It is a fun evening that focuses on the great work Rotary is doing locally and around the world. The event is free for our members and $85 for guests. Please let the Prez know if you are interested in attending.

Holiday Party

Please place the Holiday party on your calendar for December 13th at 6:00 pm. More information to follow.

Rotary House Cleanup

Tim Cahill shared that Our day for yard work at the Rotary House is November 8th. The Rotary House is a house that our district, specifically seven of our clubs, got together and built this house to benefit primarily children, who are going through UC Davis or Shriners and are severely ill. Their families get the place to live in for free while the kids are going through treatment. The number of clubs supporting this house is now up to eight or nine. Each club takes turns working on the house on a rotating basis.

Last Saturday, Lisa and Tim were there, along with many other clubs, because there was a transition between people that and there had to be a cleanup inside. Thankfully, the people that left it, left it in beautiful condition. So, we didn't have that much to do. But it is a ongoing project and we have a nominal fee every year that all clubs pay. And we have fundraisers and things of that, that sort to help cover the cost of operations. So, it's one of the things that our club has been invested in for many, many years.

November 8th, is our day to work around the house, and we work in the morning, early enough that you still can make the foundation dinner. You'll have plenty of time to get cleaned up to go.

Poker Tournament Meeting

Tom Goode noted that next week after lunch, we'll be having our first of many Rotary Club Poker

Tournament meetings. This coming spring will be the 15th poker tournament that our club has held.

It's a very important fundraiser for us. If you would like to participate in any way, we'd love to have you.

Christine Jensen shared that the John Skinner Band is doing a little thing just to help support the veterans. She is sharing this because we've worked with Susan Skinner in the past. Susan works with Carmichael Times and she's covered our club a lot and done some great photos of our group.

Brandon Stoakley, Come on down!

Brandon Stoakley

I work for Mission Oaks Parks and Rec. But I wanted to just tell a few stories of growing up just about me. When I was growing up, my dad worked for Maloof Sports and Entertainment, which oversaw the Kings at Arco Arena. My dad was the shipping receipt manager. I thought it was the greatest job in the world. Because, anything that came into the building during the day, he took and had to distribute to the Kings, to food and beverage, to wherever. So he got to interact with everybody and he knew everybody. But then, in the evenings, he was off at 5 o'clock, and we got to go to every event we could possibly think of. Being in shipping and receiving, he knew all of the guys for the concerts and everything. So we used to get free tickets to everything.

Two of my favorite stories that I have growing up from that is that Ringling Brothers and Bayley used to come into town all the time. And I mean all the time. Like every other month, they seemed like they were there. Well, underneath Arco arena was what was called the Clown Tunnel. So this is a secret tunnel, basically, that ran from inside Arco all the way to this baseball field that's just outside of the arena where they wanted to create a major league team. At one point, the Maloofs wanted to bring in a major league team there. Well, that was called the Clown Tunnel because the clowns used to get dressed up, face paint everything in that tunnel and they used to write their names on it. Well, one day I happened to be there with my dad. I can't remember why we were out of school, but it was like 7 am, so he dropped me in his office. I was snoozing, still sleeping. He always I had the one rule if I wandered, just don't go outside the building. So he comes back to his office about 9 o'clock and I'm gone, just completely gone. I was about six or so then. And so he calls his friend of security and they look on the cameras and they see me wandering into the clown tunnel. And so they wander on over there and sure enough, I'm sitting there and I made friends with some of the clowns and I have a full face of face paint on and I am just hanging out with the clowns. And later that night at the show, they brought me out onto to the stage where the clowns are. And I got to participate. So that was amazing.

My other favorite story from that was when the Lakers were in town playing against the Kings. We hate the Lakers. Whenever I had the chance to go with him to work, I'd go. And this happened to be when the Lakers were in town. This is when Kobe and Shaq were playing together. His dad's office was next to the loading dock and that was next to a huge corridor that led to the kitchen where Chef Gary was. He was the main chef at the time. He would make everything for the entire arena. And so I'd sit out on a chair out in front of his office when the teams would come back and forth from practice before the games. And sure enough, here comes the Lakers. So I'm sitting there and I would boo them and they loved it because they would always laugh at me because I was about seven at this time. So I'd sit there and boo them. And they'd laugh and, well, here comes Shaq. And all of a sudden I turn around, I turn back and he's gone. And I'm like, that's weird. He couldn't walk that fast. And I see him down the corridor, and they had just baked fresh baked cookies, like, racks of them. So he's over there, and he grabs two full racks of cookies. And they were two huge sheets of cookies. And he starts walking to the bus, and I'm, like, freaking out. Like, I don't know what to do. He just stole cookies. Those are not his. Those are ours. So I run over to the kitchen. I'm like, Chef Gary, Chef Gary, what do we do? And he turns to me, he's like, hold on, I'll radio your dad. So he radios my dad and security, and they all start whispering and start laughing. And they turn to me and they're like, well, why don't you go on the bus and get him? And I'm like, what? And they're like, security says, you need to go grab them. I'm like, are you kidding me? So I walk over there, and the security's there, like, yo, you need to go. So I'm sitting there and I'm shaking, and I walk past all the team, and there's Kobe in the back with his headphones on, a hoodie on. And I walk up to a Shaq and I say "excuse me, excuse me, Mr. Shaq, you can't have those cookies." And he's like, here, here, hold on. And he opens his duffel bag and he dumps all the cookies in, hands me the two racks, and then he grabs, like, not even joking, like, 10 cookies. And it looked like he was holding just like two Oreos and hands them to me. And he's like, here you go, son. And so I'm like, okay. So I walk off, and security's everywhere. All the team trainers are sitting there laughing their heads off as I'm walking down the steps with two empty trays. So, yeah, growing up, it was amazing. Shaq was known to steal a lot of stuff. So he took a Coke bottle shaped recycle bins, my dad saw him take it. The next day we were watching, I think it was MTV Cribs. And sure enough, it was sitting in his back room in one of his offices.

It was a great time growing up and seeing all kinds of stuff. My dad doesn't work there anymore. Unfortunately, when the Maloofs lost the team or were about to lose the team, they kind of cleaned house with a lot of staff, and they outsourced my dad's job. But it was amazing. We still get some concert tickets from some of his buddies. I've been to, I think at the right now, 87 concerts just from my dad working there alone.

As seen through of the Editor and Stenote.AI

Partrick Alessandri is the current president of the board of directors for Sacramento Sheriff's SAR. He is a certified search director and ground searcher. Patrick shared that the Sacramento County Sheriff's Search and Rescue Unit, was founded in the early 1990s as a mounted posse, the unit has evolved to include ground and canine search teams, currently comprising around 50 certified volunteer members. They respond to missing persons cases, including vulnerable populations such as those with Alzheimer's or special needs, and assist neighboring counties through mutual aid. Volunteers supply their own costly gear and training, contributing around 10 hours monthly to maintain certifications. The unit uses advanced tools like GPS, mapping software (D4H and CalTopo), and coordinates with the Sheriff's Office for efficient search management.

They also handle challenging tasks like body recovery in hazardous conditions, exemplified by their work after the Paradise fire. Despite their vital service, the unit faces financial challenges, including fixed costs for subscriptions and loss of their command vehicle, relying heavily on community support and fundraising. He also touched on the integration of new technologies such as drones and AI in search operations. The diverse volunteer backgrounds and the unit’s commitment to safety and effective response underscore their importance.

## Certification and Training

- All search technicians hold Type 1 or Type 2 certification from North American Search and Rescue (NASAR).

- Members supply their own gear, costing over $1,500 per person.

- Members pay for their own training including CPR, first aid, and specialized courses like burned remains recognition.

- Expected to maintain physical fitness: Type 2 certification requires covering 8 miles with a 20-pound pack in 2.5 hours.

- Average commitment is about 10 hours per month in meetings and training.

## Equipment and Tools

- Members use personal vehicles, often driving thousands of miles yearly for missions.

- Use of specialized software and technology:

- D4H: Search and personnel management (subscription service).

- CalTopo: Topographic mapping and search area planning (subscription service).

- GPS, map and compass, and Sheriff's Everbridge callout system.

- Recent acquisition includes a 20-foot collapsible telescopic radio mast to extend communication range.

- SAR operates under the Sheriff's Special Operations Bureau; scuba diving teams are separate.

- Training levels:

- Type 1: Flatlands, shorter hikes.

- Type 2: Includes moderate elevation and low angle rope work.

- Type 3 & 4: High angle rope rescue, cliff operations (more common in mountain counties).

Types of Searches

- Most common: Alzheimer's or special needs individuals who walk away from caregivers.

- Search process involves:

1. Initial report and 911 call.

2. Deputies search local area.

3. Missing person detective requests SAR support.

4. SAR coordinator and tactical dispatch set up command post and plan search.

5. Teams are assembled and deployed to likely areas.

6. Search conducted via process of elimination and grid/contour patterns.

### Canine Units

- Two types of search dogs:

- Trailing dogs: follow specific scent trails.

- Area dogs: detect any human scent in a large area.

### Mutual Aid and Coverage

- Respond to emergencies in Sacramento and neighboring counties (El Dorado, Contra Costa, Butte).

- Available 24/7, all year and in all weather conditions.

### Body Recovery

- Known as "Delta Bravos" in radio communication.

- SAR assists in locating deceased individuals when law enforcement lacks resources.

- Example: Paradise fire burn scar search for remains in difficult terrain.

- Use of grid searches to systematically cover large areas.

## Use of Technology and Innovations

- Sheriff's office has a drone unit used in some search operations.

- Communication challenges due to flat terrain; radio mast helps extend range.

- Interest in tethered drones for extended communication and sensor deployment.

- Example drone search for lost hunting dog using FLIR thermal imaging at night.

## Safety Protocols

- Rule: No fewer than two members go anywhere for safety.

Maryam Saadatjou has been a Volunteer for about two years and helps with fundraising and support.

- SAR relies heavily on community support for funding and equipment.

- All volunteer organization with limited resources.

- Fixed costs include subscriptions to D4H and CalTopo, and 501(c)(3) fees.

- Incidental costs cover printing flyers, maps, and supplies like bottled water.

- Loss of command vehicle (old ambulance) has forced operating incident command centers from vehicle tailgates.

Volunteers come from diverse backgrounds: retired analysts, investment professionals, housewives, mechanics, tow truck operators.

- Recruitment mainly through word-of-mouth and occasional job fairs.

- New volunteers often attracted by seeing SAR members in action.

- Appreciation for SAR's work and community safety impact.

- Cards available for contact information.

- Rotary club donates $25 to Polio Plus in honor of speakers.

- Emphasis on community involvement and support for SAR.

The Prez thanked Patrick and Maryam for an informative presentation. He then presented them with a Certificate showing that $25 donation was made in their names to End Polio now.

Matt then thanked everyone for coming and adjourned the meeting by ringing the bell and closing the meeting at 1:00 P.M.

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.