President Jim Lisi kicked off the meeting by welcoming our visiting Rotarians and guests. A warm Santa Barbara North welcome to Dave (a former rotarian of Dunedin, FL), Jim’s wife Kim, and Kim's friend Rose Davis, a recently retired county restaurant inspector.
We also took a moment to sing a hearty Happy Birthday to Phil Palmquist and Dennis Waid!
Thoughts & Prayers: Please keep John Holehouse in your thoughts. John was recently in a severe bicycle accident resulting in broken ribs and a broken scapula. After a couple of days in the ICU, he was moved to Cottage Rehab. We are wishing him a very speedy recovery! If you have some free time, consider swinging by to visit him and break up the boredom of rehab.
🚀 Looking Ahead: Club Assembly with PE Tim Hardy
President-Elect Tim Hardy led an energetic Club Assembly to prepare us for the upcoming Rotary year, unveiling a fresh new club banner and setting the tone with a classic twist: "Ask not what Rotary can do for you, but what you can do for Rotary."
The Big Push: Membership, Membership, Membership! Tim has set an ambitious but achievable goal: a net increase of 10 new members next year. His strategy for recruitment? Don't just ask people to join- engage with them. Find out who they are, ask about their interests, and invite them to speak or attend a meeting. Let's do what it takes to make every guest feel seen and valued!
Stepping Up to Serve: To make this year a success, we need all hands on deck to fill our board and committee chair positions.
Open Roles: We are still actively looking to fill the roles of Treasurer, Vocational Service, Youth Director, and Sergeant at Arms. Please consider lending your talents to the club!
Mental Health Initiative: Tim also announced that a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has been officially signed for our upcoming mental health project partnering with Hope Refuge and Olive Crest. More details to come as we launch this vital community project!
📅 Upcoming Events & Dates to Remember
May 7th (Thursday): Joint meeting with the University Club and Santa Barbara Club at the University Club. The speaker will be from Whittier Trust, discussing the US Consumer and new economy investments.
May 10th (Sunday): Concert featuring Rotary Peace Fellow, Diego.
May 13th (Wednesday): Rotary Peace Fellow Diego will be joining us as our meeting speaker.
May 14th (Thursday, 4:00 PM - 6:30 PM): Mary Kay Ash Foundation 30th Anniversary event supporting women affected by cancer and domestic violence. Hosted at Marti and Gil’s home.
Goleta Rotary Golf Tournament (Monday, May 18th): Volunteers are needed for 3-hour shifts (10:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 2:30 PM). Connect with the Goleta Rotary if you can help out!
RYLA Update: Donna Eyman reported that the RYLA camp for four sponsored high school students was a massive success!
💵 Mega Bucks
We had a lot to celebrate this month!
Phil Palmquist threw in Mega Bucks in honor of his niece, Megan, who was named the Ventura Chamber of Commerce Young Professional of the Year!
Jackie is celebrating her 20th anniversary!
Marty contributed a Mega Buck to celebrate hosting a Sunrise Rotary Japanese exchange student. Gil had a megabuck for his 45th year wedding anniversary!
Roberto celebrated his 74th birthday with a fantastic lunch.
Tom was a proud husband this week as his wife, Cass, was featured on the front page of the Santa Barbara News-Press. They also recently hosted a potential candidate for California Lieutenant Governor at their home.
President Jim celebrated his 25th wedding anniversary with Kim!
🕵️ Member Spotlight: Two Truths and a Lie
Mike Bergquist took the hot seat this week! Can you guess the lie?
He had his appendix out at age 20 in San Jose, Costa Rica.
He shot a 75 on an 18-hole golf course.
He was the Student Body President of Christian Brothers High School at age 16.
