With us last week was PDG Helene Kalfuss of Palm Springs Rotary. Helene is our District Global Grants Chair and has years of experience with the workings of the Rotary Foundation. When a donation is made to the Rotary Foundation, the funds are invested and the investment interest is what is used to fund Foundation projects around the world. The original principal is returned to the Rotary district after three years and that money comes back to local Rotary clubs as district designated funds. Those funds can then be contributed to additional Rotary projects to get even more mileage from a donation. Helene told us about international projects she has visited where Foundation money is used to provide low cost artificial limbs to people who could otherwise never afford them. Artificial arms cost as little as $50 and, although low tech, allow disabled people to function. Helene also talked about a project in India which trains the blind to work in call centers. This is one of several projects our Palms To Pines Foundation is considering helping to fund. Also last week, we learned we’re still waiting for an accounting of how the Tour de Palm Springs Beer Garden went and our Happy Dollars this month will go to the Rotary Foundation in memory of former P2P member and District 5330 Governor Ken Roberts. Jerry Kress had a 50-50 chance to pull an Ace and take home $83 but he only managed a $7 win. If we pull your ticket this week you’re an automatic winner!We meet Wednesdays, 7:30 am
COCO'S BAKERY RESTAURANT
78375 Varner Road
PALM DESERT, CA 92211 USA
President
President Elect
Immediate Past President
Secretary
Treasurer
Sergeant at Arms
Club Service
Programs
Rafflemaster
Webmaster
Community Service
International Service Chair
New Generations Director
New Generations Director
Club Bulletin
Vocational Service Chair
Vocational Service Chair
The Rotary Foundation
Membership
Bulletin Subscribe
Palms to Pines Rotary Club
Palm Desert’s Morning Club
Palm Desert's Palms to Pines is a unique and fun Rotary Club. We invite you to visit us and share the experience. We emphasize the fellowship that is a vital part of the Rotary experience and it is the First Objective of Rotary. Our motto is "Service above Self".
Rotary is a volunteer organization of 1.2 million business and professional leaders who have committed to give back to their communities and the world through "Service Above Self".
Palms to Pines Rotary Club is part of one of the oldest and largest service organizations in the world. We invite you to come and join the fun of weekly fellowship, the joy of contributing to our local community and the excitement of lending a hand to people. The projects undertaken over the years have been many and varied. Drawing from a base of experience within the business community Palms to Pines Rotary club has been able to have an influence that reaches around the world.
With us last week was PDG Helene Kalfuss of Palm Springs Rotary. Helene is our District Global Grants Chair and has years of experience with the workings of the Rotary Foundation. When a donation is made to the Rotary Foundation, the funds are invested and the investment interest is what is used to fund Foundation projects around the world. The original principal is returned to the Rotary district after three years and that money comes back to local Rotary clubs as district designated funds. Those funds can then be contributed to additional Rotary projects to get even more mileage from a donation. Helene told us about international projects she has visited where Foundation money is used to provide low cost artificial limbs to people who could otherwise never afford them. Artificial arms cost as little as $50 and, although low tech, allow disabled people to function. Helene also talked about a project in India which trains the blind to work in call centers. This is one of several projects our Palms To Pines Foundation is considering helping to fund. Also last week, we learned we’re still waiting for an accounting of how the Tour de Palm Springs Beer Garden went and our Happy Dollars this month will go to the Rotary Foundation in memory of former P2P member and District 5330 Governor Ken Roberts. Jerry Kress had a 50-50 chance to pull an Ace and take home $83 but he only managed a $7 win. If we pull your ticket this week you’re an automatic winner!
Did you know one of our members used to work for former 49er great Joe Montana? Did you know another member never met her father until she was two and a half? You would have known all of this and more had you been with us last week and played our Truth or Lies game. Jim Brock won a tie breaker over new member Kamryn Hafer in our contest to identify the true statements each attendee provided. Pres.-Elect Kelli Cox filled in for MIA Pres. Margaret Claggett for the day. Also last week, Sojourner Harry Helliesen was back with us for his annual two month winter visit. Harry, from Yakima, Washington, reports he has 52 years of perfect Rotary attendance and has been making up with us at Palms To Pines for the past 22 winters. If that weren’t enough, Harry also reported that Wednesday (February 5) was his 85th birthday! Thank you for making Palms To Pines your winter home, Harry. You’re a great addition to our club! Jim Brock presented Harry with a Rotary coffee mug filled with candy to recognize his birthday and perfect attendance and then Harry pulled his own number in the great Rotary Raffle and collected $20 when he drew a Queen. When you’re HOT you’re HOT! Buy Raffle tickets this week…..only Aces and sevens are left! Finally last week, we learned about an upcoming Bowling Tournament fundraiser planning by Indio Rotary on Thursday, March 26 at Fantasy Springs. More information to come!
Last week we heard from Arthur Kimbell with the Riverside County Department of Education. Arthur heads up a number of alternative education programs for students who have been expelled or who are incarcerated in the Juvenile Hall in Indio. The goal of all of the programs is to get students back into regular classrooms or to provide them with skills so they can become productive in society. Several of the community schools he oversees offer hospitality industry training. Also last week, Martin Kubelik was honored with his sixth Paul Harris Fellow and we had the pleasure of inducting our newest Rotarian, Kamryn Hafer. Kamryn is a client services associate for Anchor Wealth Management. Welcome to Palms To Pines, Kamryn!
Last week we heard from Herb Claggett about his Habitat For Humanity trip to Guatemala. Herb was one of 14 volunteers who helped Mayans complete two outhouses, seven stoves and start a house. He shared lots of photos of the trip. Habitat has helped 29 million people in the US and 70 other countries and will be building two homes in Indio this year. Thanks, Herb, for a great program!With us last week was Angela Allen, Development Manager for Olive Crest. This organization has helped families for 47 years and has been active here in the Coachella Valley since 2001. Olive Crest offers an alternative to the foster care system. Also last week, we introduced our new and improved Rotary Raffle. Not only will we have our usual 50-50 raffle but we’ll also have a second raffle item for another lucky winner. Prospective member Kamryn Hafer won a Rotary coffee mug filled with candy and Pres. Margaret Claggett drew a queen in the 50-50 raffle and took home $20. Our Rotarian of the Week (Jerry Kress this week) is responsible for providing the second raffle prize.
Last week we heard from Elizabeth Kimbell of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The organization is promoting a Students of the Year fundraising campaign where local high school students form teams to raise funds. Also last week, we learned that we are planning an outing to FIND Food Bank to pack food for distribution on Wednesday, February 5. Complete details coming soon!
Last week we heard from Alexis Ortega, director of community engagement for the LGBT Community Center of the Desert. The Center is located in Palm Springs and had a modest beginning in the early 2000s. It has since grown into a full service center with a variety of activities, classes, social events and a weekly food bank for the LGBT community. It currently has a $2 million annual budget. Alexis is a Palm Springs native and has worked in LGBT causes for over 10 years. Also last week, we held our annual meeting and elected officers for the 2020-21 Rotary year. Congratulations to Kelli Cox, President-Elect, and to Dana Tarnow, President-Elect Nominee. The club also approved updates to our club Bylaws. Finally, Lillian Roberts, who faithfully purchases $5 worth of raffle tickets each week, was the lucky Rotary Raffle winner and took home $6.
Palms To Pines Rotary held its annual Holiday Party last Wednesday, December 11, at the Vue Restaurant at the Indian Wells Golf Resort. Although we were small in numbers, we were big in fun and fellowship. We enjoyed a great dinner and a fun gift exchange. Thanks you Dana Tarnow for organizing this fun evening! More photos of the fun can be found in the Photo Album.Last week we heard from Michael Rosenkrantz from the Desert Ability Center. The Center will be holding its Ability Festival this Saturday at Palm Desert’s Civic Center Park. The 8th annual Festival will feature more than 40 exhibitors and will include demonstrations of over 25 adaptive sports led by paralympic and adaptive sports coaches. The festival runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and the Desert Ability Center is seeking volunteers to help throughout the event. If you’re interested in volunteering, please talk with Pres. Margaret. Also last week, we heard about a fundraising activity we will participate in as part of the Tour de Palm Springs on Feb. 6 and 7. We’ll be working in their Beer and Wine Garden and we’ll also sell raffle tickets. We’ll have more information after the holidays. Finally last week, Pres. Margaret was our lucky raffle winner and took home $10 from her $3 ticket purchase.
Our donated picnic table was officially dedicated last week when Xavier College Prep dedicated an outdoor dining space called The Colonnade. The area has been planted in grass and provides a shady outdoor lunch space for Xavier students. Palms to Pines and the Rotary clubs of Indio and Indian Wells donated tables and seven other tables were donated by the Xavier classes of 2017 and 2019. The space is packed with students during lunch, according to Xavier officials
Debbie Espinosa, CEO and president of FIND Food Bank, was our speaker last week. FIND is a regional food bank serving over 85,000 individuals each month in eastern Riverside, southern San Bernardino and Imperial counties. FIND provides food to just about every major food distribution organization in the Coachella Valley. Also last week, we learned that our blood drive netted 18 pints of blood and Jerry Kress was a $10 Rotary Raffle winner.
Dana Crosby, a principal in SC Capital Advisors, an independent wealth management practice in Rancho Mirage, spoke to us last week about his experiences as a navigator onboard a KC-135 Air Force Stratotanker. Dana served in the late 1980s and early 1990s and brought along photos of his aircraft refueling such iconic planes as the SR-71 Blackbird and the F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighter. The KC-135 is a military version of the Boeing 707 and, even though it is a Cold War era airplane (versions of the plane has been flying for over 60 years), is still in service today. Thanks, Dana, for an interesting program! Also last week, we learned we’ll be having a club Holiday Party and President Margaret Claggett was the lucky winner of $8 in the great Rotary Raffle. Buy tickets this week!Last week Kim Hardee told us a bit about Icon Presentations, her and husband John’s local audio visual company. They have filled audio visual needs for local organizations since 1991 and their largest annual project is the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Also last week, Pres. Margaret reminded us of upcoming events including our blood drive (see below) on November 18 and the Xavier College Prep Colonnade dedication on November 26. Palms To Pines Rotary joined two other clubs to provide lunch tables for the colonnade project. Charles Riggs, who plays trombone with the Desert Winds Freedom Band, told us about the band’s 2019-2020 season. Their fall concert, All Gershwin!, is scheduled for November 23 at the Jewish Community Center in Palm Springs. Richard Karp was a lucky $4 winner in the Rotary Raffle
Our own Lillian Roberts shared photos of a trip to Alaska. Lillian visited Bristol Bay Sportfishing and Adventure Lodge located in the Bristol Bay-Iliamna area approximately 190 miles southwest of Anchorage. The area is the largest natural salmon spawning grounds in the world and that brings the bears out in force! Lillian shared plenty of bear photos and also photos of some of the other abundant wildlife in the area. Bristol Bay looks like a wonderful area for not only photography but also world class fishing. Thank you Lillian….we always enjoy your photography programs! Also last week, we welcomed back Sojourner Ray Leaycraft of Estes Park, Colorado. Ray will be with us for a month and then return to the desert after the holidays. Member Jack Cottrell returned from a trip to Oklahoma and brought a gift of sand plum jelly to Pres. Margaret. Sergeant-at-arms Kelli Cox collected Happy Dollars which will be dedicated to Find Food Bank this month. Kay “I Never Win” Van Zandt was our Rotary Raffle Winner. She drew an Ace and generously donated her $33 in winnings to our Find Food Bank collection.
Last week, Laura Ahmed, Cathedral City Rotary President and our district’s PolioPlus chair, was with us to provide a polio eradication update as part of our World Polio Day efforts. Laura was active in our End Polio Now projection effort and we thank her for that! Also last week, Rick Gross again introduced his Rotary Dine Around project where small groups of Rotarians gather for dinner monthly. More information this week!
Scientist, farmer, innovator, Rotarian
A plainsman with a PhD, Bob Quinn uses his 4,000-acre Montana spread as a laboratory to revive an ancient grain, rethink agricultural practices, and reinvigorate rural communities
Exodus
Since 2015, more than 4 million people have fled an economically devastated Venezuela. Tracking the stories of three who left puts faces on that staggering statistic.
More than a library
After the genocide of 1994, Rotarians led a successful campaign to build Rwanda’s first public library.
International delegation of Rotary leaders visits Pakistan in support of polio eradication
International delegation of Rotary leaders visits Pakistan in support of polio eradicationMeetings with Prime Minister Imran Khan, Minister of Health Zafar Mirza and other
Our world: Halfway around the world in 36 days
Our WorldHalfway around the world in 36