SHORT Program: Will you be joining us for Much Ado About Nothing on Wednesday, August 5th? Before the curtain rises, get a behind-the-scenes look at how a classic play goes from page to stage. You'll hear from the company's dramaturg — who will walk us through the plot, the themes, and the fascinating journey of bringing Shakespeare to life.
MAIN Program: Fellowship
Aug 6:
Meghan French
We will hear a brief update from a past beneficiary: Skills of Life Cafe. Our speaker will present on the BirchBark Foundation's work in the Central Coast and how they help families across Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito Counties keep beloved pets with the people who love them. She will talk about how emergency veterinary financial assistance, pet loss grief support, and community partnerships are preserving the human-animal bond.
Aug 13:
SHORT: From Mountains to Sea
MAIN: TBD
SHORT Program: We will hear a brief update from a past beneficiary: From Mountains to Sea.
Our Rotarian of the Month for July is still immediate past president Dave Price. Dave did a magnificent job as pres this past year, bringing in a different level of enthusiasm, laughter and fun to the role - his debunking is coming up.
Member Birthdays
Tiffany Wise West 7/2
Dave Culver 7/3
Rick Hofstetter 7/6
Rob Morse 7/9
Jen Karno 7/10
Matt Bergdahl 7/14
Camilla Boolootian 7/18
Janet Souza 7/22
Tom Hart 43 yrs
Karen Gosling 19 yrs
Matt Rohan 11 yrs
Nancy Connelly 1 yr
Kenzie DeCicco 1 yr
Cassie Caaborn 1 yr
Club Happenings and Other News
Upcoming Community Service
-- Lisa Krigsman & Others --
Sign-up for all community service events on the sign-up sheet, unless otherwise noted. Make sure to click correct tab at the bottom.
Rotarian's assisting at United Ways - Stuff the Bus!
Saturday, August 1, 2026
10 am - 1 pm
Kaiser Permanente Area
The County Office of Education estimates that over 2,700 K-12 students are currently experiencing homelessness or extreme hardship in Santa Cruz County. This year's Stuff The Bus aims to fill over 2,500 backpacks with new school supplies for each student in time for the upcoming school year! JOIN US and send students back to school with the tools they need to succeed as we promote learning, encourage positive self-esteem, and ensure youth stay in school.
Coastal Restoration at Pelton and West Cliff with Groundswell Coastal Ecology
Monday , August 10, 2026
10 am - 12 pm
Details TBD! But we did this lots last year and you know it will, at the minimum, involve planting plants and pulling weeds!
Gleaning - Help Second Harvest Food Bank Santa Cruz County rescue fresh produce!
Join President Tiffany on Saturday, August 15th July 25 Sign up here in advance
Upcoming Socials & Other Dates
-- Deb Dutra, Tiffany Wise-West & Others --
Debunk Dave Potluck
Saturday, August 1st at 4:00 PM
Theme: Hawaiian (wear your island best!)
Potluck Sign-Up at this Link:
Come celebrate ex-President Dave and the high energy and amazing Rotary spirit he brought to each and every meeting. Multiple emails have gone out about this.
Rotary Area 9 Night at Santa Cruz Shakespeare
Join in fellowship on August 5, 2026 to view a performance of Much Ado about Nothing! We will start with a potluck at reserved tables in the picnic area overlooking the Monterey Bay. Purchase discounted tickets for the August 5, 7 pm performance, using the discount code ROTARY26 for a 20% discount.
Parking options:
- Call the box office to purchase a parking pass ahead of time: $12 with a credit card
- Show up at the gate with $10 in cash
- Carpools of 4 people (or more) are free
For the potluck please arrive by 5:30 pm and bring a dish type that corresponds with the first letter of your last name. BYOB and drinks. Bring your own plates / cups / serviceware to make the meal as waste free as possible!
A–F: Main dishes / proteins
G–L: Salads and vegetable sides
M–R: Appetizers and finger foods
S–Z: Desserts
First Friday Art Tour Social
Kara Capaldo is having a show at Silver Mountain/Bottle Jack wine tasting room on the Westside for the month of August. For the First Friday Art Tour on August 7th she will be having a reception, from 4-7pm - our club is invited to attend. She will get more details as it gets closer. And everyone needs to buy their own wine. They have a small tasting room (20 or so people inside), but an outdoor patio also. It’s close to New Leaf on Swift.
Board Service Mixer
-- Hilary Bryant --
Join Community Foundation Santa Cruz County for our annual board service mixer! Guests will learn more about putting their experience and skills to work for the benefit of our community, while board members of nonprofit partners share about their board vacancies and other volunteer opportunities.
Local nonprofits and their board members in attendance will offer testimonials on the rewards and value of giving back through board service. Kevin Heuer, our Director of Engagement & Impact, will share information and resources for community members looking to join a board.
Intended audience: current nonprofit board members, community members interested in board service, nonprofit executive directors (if accompanied by a trustee)
Vocational Committee: Interested in mentoring a Rotoractor? Please take the new UCSC Rotaract Club's survey. If you are retired, answer the questions based on your profession you retired from. You will be hearing more about mentoring opportunities for Rotoractors and Interactors in the coming months!
Share (1) your talents, skills, and passion (2) whether you might be willing to record your "Rotary Why" video and (3) whether you have fruit trees we can pick for Second Harvest by clicking here.
Interested in contributing your input to the recent "Mentimeter" survey asking for input on speakers, songs, apparel choices and more that Tiffany conducted in real time at the July 16 meeting? Please answer the 7 quick questions at this link. Tiffany will share results with more responses again in an upcoming meeting. Here are what 44 club members said in response to the question, "What one word describes your experience in the Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary Club?"
