Writing a Play at Lunch...and Other Ways to Stay Creative and Engaged During a Pandemic
Ed Giron is an accomplished actor, voice-over actor, published playwright, master of ceremonies, and radio host of the weekly program, "Community Matters," on KZSB, AM 1290.
"Hollywood High is where I first learned to call the stage home. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I am an accomplished playwright, voice-over artist, and stage actor. My best therapy is on a horse, and I have competed in showjumping and judged a number of jumper shows. Divorced but happy, I find the joy of performing and creating awareness through art my true calling."
We’re going back for a second round of volunteering with the Salvation Army. Those who participated in the first event were unanimous in declaring it a very satisfying service project, so if you have time please consider joining us.
We'll be packing food for delivery to local families in need. Some tasks require heavy lifting, but there are less strenuous jobs that can be performed sitting down.
We scheduled on Tuesday, October 13th. Each session is 3 hours long. Click on your preferred option for details and to sign up.
There are ongoing opportunities to volunteer at our local food bank, with shifts available for driving/delivery, sorting and packing in both the south and north county.
I’d be thrilled if every member of the Club joined our campaign to end polio around the world. Participation is easy and rewarding, and Rotary’s new fundraising platform, RaiseforRotary, ensures that all donations are credited directly to The Rotary Foundation’s Polio Fund. Check it out by clicking on the Club’s Team page at: https://raise.rotary.org/Kati-Buehler/challenge1
To make a direct donation to our team click on the Donate Now button.
Or create your own fundraising page by clicking on "Join the team and create your fundraising page" link.
Note: To make sure your donation is properly recorded, use the email address associated with your Rotary International account.
For more information on the polio project including details on the special event on World Polio Day go to the Get Involved pageof our club website.
A quick story about the Power of Rotary ...
I received an email last week from a British Rotarian, Darren Hands, President of his Club in Plimpton, England, asking if he might join us for our Astronomy talk on Oct 6th. Stunned, I asked him, "How did you ever learn about this?" He said a friend had mentioned that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were moving to Montecito--and wondered if they had already joined a local Rotary Club—so he checked to see and found our club!
While the royals haven’t joined yet (perhaps in the future?), I so look forward to Darren Hands joining us via Zoom. One advantage of virtual meetings!
A Final Reminder: Due to a 5th Tuesday in September, we have two consecutive weekly meetings (Sept 29 and Oct 6) with fabulous speakers. And our newest member, Sam Tabbara, will be inducted on Oct 6th.
See you Tuesday,
Beach Cleanup & Social
The starting lineup.
We had record turnout for the clean-up and social at Leadbetter Beach.
Sam Tabbara, our new applicant for Corporate membership, brought three of his co-workers from U.S. Bank to help in the effort. They were joined by junior volunteers Sole and Lola (who are becoming regular fixtures on the service scene) and club members Gary Hopkins, Jeff Kerns, Karen Hickman, Tony Morris, Liz Westwick, Bernadette Bagley, Cathy Cash & Bruce McRoy, Jason & Anita Blakemore, and Kati & Peter Buehler. Read more to see all the photos before, during, and after clean-up.
Our Rotary year is off to a great start!
Let’s take a moment to reflect on first quarter highlights and the strategic goals they support.
Vibrant Meetings & Events
We've had excellent speakers at all seven virtual meetings, including a visit by District Governor Deb Linden who presented four Paul Harris awards and two District awards to members of our club. Consider inviting a friend to one of our upcoming meetings. It’s a great way to introduce them to Rotary.
Anita & Liz organized seven worthwhile service projects and fun socials: Habitat for Humanity Restore Clean-Out, Care4Paws pet food packaging (twice), Salvation Army food pantry assistance, Masked Masquerade Social, and two Beach Cleanups/Socials
Getting the Word Out
We’ve established a steady drumbeat of news from the Rotary Club of Montecito with four press releases and a radio interview in local media including the Santa Barbara News Press, Montecito Journal, Noozhawk, EdHat, SB Independent and VOICE Magazine.
Topics included the announcement of Kati as President for 2020/21, our most recent SBCC scholarships and other Rotary activities, announcement of our 2020 community grants program, and Kati’s radio interview on 1290AM Community Matters with host Ed Giron (who’ll be speaking at the club meeting on Sept 29th).
Special thanks to Jennifer Goddard for preparing the press releases and President Kati for her tireless efforts to promote the contributions of Rotary in our community.
Growing the Club
We inducted three new members this quarter under the Family Membership program. Welcome again to Jason Blakemore, Peter Buehler and Bruce McRoy. And our first application for Corporate Membership, Sam Tabbatha of Union Bank has been approved by the board and submitted to the general membership for review.
And members donated $610 in Happy Bucks this quarter in support of future club projects.
Congratulations to all for a highly production first quarter. Looking forward to continued success in Q2!
The Club Foundation Board approved the transfer of individual and Foundation funds originally intended for the Congo Peace School global grant to the Nyantende Hospital in Bukava, Congo. The Nyantende Hospital is located in the same Congo community as the Peace School which is currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the region.
Approval was based on the hospital’s immediate, critical need for medical supplies and protective equipment to fight the pandemic in a community that our Club has been involved with for the past 10 years, helping rebuild their infrastructure through various projects after civil wars devastated this gateway from Rwanda into Congo.
A total of $9,800 was collected & disbursed through our club's foundation - $3,900 directly from Club Foundation funds, $3,400 from individual member donations, and $2,500 from donations by three additional Rotary Clubs in District 5240. Global Grants Chair Harlan Green reported that another $4,000 was raised by several other Rotary Clubs including the original sponsor Club in the Congo.
Jennifer Jones, of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2022-23.
We meet the 1st & 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 12:00 PM.
