Co-presidents in 2021-22 for the Interact Club of St. Isabella
Our speakers on August 11, Lily Rubio and Zela-Lee Flores, served as co-presidents in 2021-22 for the Interact Club of St. Isabella, a community-based club in Terra Linda, and are now entering freshmen at Marin Catholic High School. After facing an 18-month hiatus due to Covid, Lily and Zela-Lee took the initiative to restart a dormant club with the help of their faculty advisor. The biggest challenges they faced weren’t finding eager new members; but remembering and rekindling those traditions that made the club as successful as it had been pre-pandemic. This is their inspiring story.
Art, Katharine, and Matthew Give Their Craft Talks!
We had 3 very special speakers for our August 4, 2022 meeting; “new” Sunrise members Art King, Katharine Anderson, and Matthew Crooks. They each had an important topic; themselves!
Art King first joined Sunrise in 1989 and served as president from 1997-1998 (he even has the plaque and gavel to prove it!). He also served as treasurer (he’s an accountant so of course he volunteered for this job). Art gave us the top 10 things you probably don’t know about him. He was born in San Francisco and was the 5th child of 5 in his family; he married his high school sweetheart in 1971 (and they are still married!); they have 2 daughters and 3 grandchildren; he’s a duck (University of Oregon), as are his 2 daughters; he and his wife have lived in San Jose, Eugene, Vancouver, Santa Rosa, San Francisco, and now back in Santa Rosa; he has worked as an accountant for Moss, Adams for 35 years (who does that these days?) in Eugene, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Santa Rosa; he’s been a Rotarian in Santa Rosa, Seattle, Tahoe City and Truckee; and he’s a runner, golfer, hiker, and now an owner of a 3-acre property!
Katharine Anderson is a long-time member of the Sunrise family (Randy Seelye’s spouse) but finally decided to make it official and join the club! Katharine grew up in Baltimore, started college at Claremont, took some time off to work for an architect in San Francisco, and transferred to the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a joint master’s degree in Architecture and Landscape Architecture. She returned to San Francisco, eventually met Randy, and moved to Santa Rosa. Katharine has worked on some amazing projects in her architectural career, including the Primate Discovery Center, a new visual arts center at UC Santa Cruz, the Rachel Carson College at Santa Cruz, a renovation at U.C. Davis, and San Francisco Day School. She has also worked on a variety of projects in the North Bay, including performing arts centers, campuses in various schools, and on winery projects. Over the years she’s learned digital architectural skills, which opened up her ability to work from home. She now does lots of consulting from home, often on residential projects, including Tubbs Fire rebuilds. She has also recently worked on projects involving the Southeast Greenway. She and Randy spend a lot of time with grandchildren, playing music together, and travelling.
Matthew Crooks has been married for almost 14 years. They have two children, a 7-year-old-girl and a 5-year-old boy. They live in a home they recently purchased in Bennett Valley. Matthew was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and grew up in Glasgow. He recommends Glasgow; it’s a great city with great restaurants and night life. Matthew played soccer as a kid and almost signed as a professional but injured his leg just before signing and his dreams of glory were over. He studied accountancy, which is just as much fun as it sounds! Matthew started working for some large firms working with 401k plans. He later moved on to smaller companies and worked on self-directed IRA plans. In 2006, he attended the World Cup in Germany and met his wife, who was born and bred in Sonoma County! They got married and moved to the U.K., where they had their children. His wife decided they should move to California, which he agreed to do despite the fact that we have funny accents and drive on the wrong side of the road. Matthew is now a financial advisor for Edward Jones. Matthew loves Edward Jones; it’s great to get up in the morning and help people, kind of like being in Rotary! Matthew has two young kids, so doesn’t get out much these days, but he loves to hike, explore, play golf (poorly, like the rest of us), and cook.
Many thanks for these very helpful and well thought-out craft talks. Sunrise is lucky to have you!
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
The new freshman class of 2026 and their '25, '24, and '23 upper-classmates will begin a new year at Elsie Allen High School this month in continuing pursuit of their graduation and career requirements as well as other activities essential to their student experience and success.
Sunrise Rotary is an ongoing partner dedicated to supporting Elsie Allen students in all their academic, extracurricularand service enterprises. We also encourage individual member support in obtaining essential back-to-school supplies for students and teachers through a Supply Drive for specific items.
The link below, will take you to the school's foundation website where you will find a user-friendly portal for selecting and sponsoring supplies most in demand. Convenient delivery to the school and students also is available. Your support in making this Supply Drive successful will go a long way to promote student success in upcoming studies and activities.
Rich Randolph and Merle Hayes are available to answer any questions you my have and provide any further information you may require. Rich, Merle and all who have worked with Elsie Allen students over past years also extend sincere thankson behalf of the students whose education and wellbeing will be enhanced by your generous gifts.
As my two sons were climbing into the back seat of our car, Eric, five, yelled, “I call the left side!” That didn’t sit well with Ron, four. “No, I want the left side!” “I want the left side!” “No, I want the left side!” Intervening, I said, “Since Eric is older, he can have the left side.” “Thanks, Dad!” said Eric. “Which side is left?” —Josh Weston
We’ve all taken our own path to become a member of Rotary. Some of you joined because your father was a Rotarian. Some of us signed up because an employer tapped us on the shoulder and asked us to attend a meeting. Others became members only after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling made it possible. Yet each of us entered through one mechanism — an invitation.
An invitation that unlocks our imaginations and allows us to know that everything and anything is possible. Each one of us has that same opportunity — the honor to extend an invitation.
It is awe-inspiring to imagine how we can look out across our communities and identify our future leaders. It’s often tempting to attract people who are exactly like us. It’s a special form of ingenuity to consider how people who are seemingly very different can, in fact, share our values and have some of those same talents, just waiting to be unleashed.
It’s time for Rotary to take our next step in advancing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) across our organization.
Embracing an experience where people feel included is more than just making our membership numbers more diverse. It’s about making our meetings and events places where we can speak openly and honestly with each other, where our members feel welcome and safe. This means removing barriers for entry and opening doors for inclusion. Our values remain our strength — and our commitment to excellence requires us to maintain high standards for our members as well.
I believe we are all committed and determined to advancing DEI across Rotary. This is rooted in the deepest traditions of our organization, and it will ensure that we remain vibrant and relevant for decades to come.
A few years ago, our Rotary Board set the ambitious goal of increasing the share of female members to 30 percent by 2023. We have less than a year to go, but I believe we can meet and exceed this target.
We need Rotary leaders to rise from every continent, culture, and creed. We need young members and young thinkers to take on larger roles and responsibilities. We need to listen to new Rotary members just as keenly, and with as much respect, as those with many years of membership.
During our recent convention in Houston, we heard from astronauts about their journeys into space. We reflected upon a time in the 1960s when U.S. President John F. Kennedy urged the world to dream, with his declaration that we would “go to the moon [and do] other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”
Fully committing Rotary to DEI and meeting our ambitious membership targets may seem as unlikely as a moon shot. But I know that when people of action are committed to a big goal, we make it worth every ounce of our energy.
During my travels, Rotary often comes up in conversation. Most people associate us with local projects and fundraisers — which is great — but few know what a global force Rotary is. It’s easier to understand this aspect of Rotary through an example, such as how Rotary responded to the devastating bushfires in Australia in late 2019 and early 2020.
The result of extreme drought, global warming, and adverse weather conditions, the fires caused catastrophic damage. The need for help was obvious and substantial.
No stranger to forest fires themselves, Canadian Rotarians knew the best way to help was through The Rotary Foundation. They were soon joined by Rotary clubs and districts in other countries and Taiwan, resulting in three Foundation global grants totaling $280,000 to support the economic recovery of farmers affected by these fires.
One farmer wrote a letter of thanks on behalf of the remote communities we helped, saying they “were in disbelief that Rotary clubs from other countries would step up and help our relatively small farming region” and adding that “they were very grateful and honored to be considered worthy of such aid.”
Friends, this is the kind of impact your Foundation has every single day around the world and why it deserves the support of all Rotary members.
The most significant projects done in Rotary’s name are those accomplished through The Rotary Foundation. The list goes on and on. Think of the impact of our polio eradication efforts, our peace education programs, and our Programs of Scale grants. All these efforts to make the world a better place emanate from our Foundation.
The Foundation also impacts our club experience, membership, partnerships, and so much more. The more visibility and impact we have through Foundation projects, the more people want to be part of what we are doing as partners or as members. Everybody wins.
To me, Rotary and its Foundation are inseparable — you can’t have one without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. I love the friendship and fellowship and projects I experience as a member of the Rotary Club of Sandringham, Australia; but I am also thrilled to be part of a global movement that is changing the lives of countless people through The Rotary Foundation.
Remember that other side of the Rotary coin and support your Foundation. By doing so, you will also be supporting your fellow members who are bringing to life the projects our world truly needs.
RI President Jennifer Jones crosses Canada from coast to coast to coast
By Geoff Johnson
Jennifer Jones began her term as Rotary International’s 2022-23 president in the midst of her Imagine Rotary Canada Tour, traveling coast to coast to coast to draw attention to the positive and lasting impact that Rotary clubs have in their communities.
"The Canada tour was awesome because it brought together different demographics," she said. "Every stop was representative of all ages, all cultures. The Rotary family was so excited to be together, to be in person, and showcase what they were doing. There were incredible, incredible things that people planned."
Organized around several hubs, the tour started on 17 June with an excursion through Yukon and the Northwest Territories, brushing up against the Beaufort Sea, an arm of the Arctic Ocean and one of Canada's three coasts. From there, it visited Jones' home city of Windsor, Ontario, and then the nation's capital, Ottawa. It next moved to St. John's on the Atlantic Ocean before heading west through Quebec City, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver before reaching Victoria on the Pacific Ocean.
A few hiccups prevented Jones and her husband, Nick Krayacich, from linking up with the tour for its first few days. Luckily, past RI Vice President Valarie Wafer and her husband, Mark, as well as past RI Director Bryn Styles, and his wife, Randy, were able to step in.
"The thing you never forget is how people make you feel — and we were treated so well as we traveled across the country," Mark Wafer said.
Mark Wafer said being able to celebrate Canada's National Indigenous Peoples Day in Inuvik, Northwest Territories, was the highlight of the trip. Jones also talked about how meaningful it was, later in the trip, to hear how clubs are involved in the effort to build and revitalize relationships among Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians.
"Engaging with First Nations and Indigenous people was an element of every one of the stops," Jones said, recalling an encounter with Bruce Starlight, a Tsuut'ina elder, in Calgary. "To be able to sit and learn from each other, to talk, to ask questions. That was a big part for me personally: the ability to learn how Rotary fits in and what clubs are doing to move forward with truth and reconciliation."
In Windsor, Jones got to see members of her home club, the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, as well as the new Imagine Rotary Trail with its 40 freshly planted magnolia trees. From there, the tour progressed to Ottawa, Canada's capital. It was there that on 1 July — which is also the Canada Day holiday — Jones fittingly began her tenure as RI president. Here and at other stops, Jones met with elected officials.
"Tons of government people came out along the way," Jones recalled. "We met senators and lieutenant governors and [members of Parliament]. It was an opportunity to thank our country for supporting Rotary's polio eradication efforts."
The next stop brought Jones to the Atlantic coast and St. John's, the capital of Newfoundland and Labrador, where she met with members of the newly created District 7815 and the tour members put their feet in the Atlantic.
In Quebec City, Jones greeted Rotary members from seven districts in Canada, the United States, and Africa at an evening reception.
A whirlwind of events in Toronto showcased the combined efforts of four districts. The day began with a watershed cleanup in the middle of a torrential downpour.
"We were not only cleaning up the beach, but cleaning off ourselves in the rain," said hub chair Michele Guy.
Rotary members in Winnipeg featured projects underway in their city and throughout District 5500 via social media and a 67-minute online video.
In Calgary, where the tour participants met with First Nations leaders, there were also comic moments. In the middle of the Calgary Stampede parade, Jones' white convertible broke down and the occupants got out to push the car.
"Twenty seconds later it started up again, but the picture on the TV news that night was us pushing the car," said Jones. "Which kind of looked like maybe it was supposed to happen. We'll go with that."
In Edmonton, events unfolded around Fort Edmonton Park, a legacy project of four Rotary clubs that was launched nearly 50 years ago. Attendees planted trees, participated in an Indigenous Peoples Experience, and later joined hands and took part in a singalong of John Lennon's "Imagine." The unofficial song of Jones' presidential year was this time dedicated to the people of Ukraine. The following day brought a visit to a peace garden in Vancouver, a beach cleanup a few miles north of the U.S.-Canada border, and a reading event at the Aboriginal Mother Centre.
Finally, on 11 July in Victoria, Jones and her group dipped their toes in the Pacific.
For Jones, the moment recalled the journey of Terry Fox, a Canadian athlete who had cancer. He set off from St. John's in 1980 intending to run all the way to Victoria. He couldn't complete the journey, but monuments to his effort stand in both St. John's and Victoria.
"It was one of the most poignant moments of the tour," Jones said, "with everyone talking about what his run signified and the hope he gave to people."
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