Suzanne Smith has been the Executive Director since 1997. She reports to the Board of Directors and manages the two countywide agencies and a staff of eleven. Suzanne has overall responsibilities for securing and coordinating regional, state and federal funding for projects and programs related to transportation and climate change; managing the Measure M sales tax; overseeing long range planning related to transportation, housing, jobs, and climate change; and collaborating with partner agencies and the public on policy priorities.
Prior to joining the SCTA, Suzanne was the District Director for State Assembly Member Valerie Brown. In that capacity, she focused on such policy issues as transportation, education, and local government. Suzanne received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of California at San Diego. While at UCSD she also studied urban planning. Suzanne received her Master of Arts degree in Public Administration from the University of San Francisco.
Suzanne will update us on "The State of Transpiortation Funding and Where We Go From Here"
~~~ to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness that is!!! Mark Twain penned these wise words to the value of travel and discovery well over a century ago and Service in Rotary continues to demonstrate this truth.
Jim Becker, Rancho Cotati Rotarian, traveller, international consultant on several health and education development projects brought his 25 year experience into focus on his recent visit to South Korea for the 2016 Rotary International Convention.
Jim also serves on the board of Global Offsite Care , a tele-medicine provider and has coordinated installations worldwide.
Jim emphasized the tremendous value of meeting other Rotarians from around the world and creating Beneficial Friendships which become creative relationships lasting lifetimes.
The stark demarcation zone between North and South Korea were a contrast to the Fellowship and Peace building partnerships originating through Rotary International. Heartbeat International is one such venture providing life saving and sustaining pacemaker implants in medically underserved areas.
Rotary is Serving Humanity, in the words of Rotary International President John Germ, for his 2016-2017 Theme.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pros Warren Smith and Jack Strange submit 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 and Ross! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
Posted by Merle Hayes, Rich Randolph on May 22, 2017
Foster the Future: Build Peace
These ten enthusiastic young teens are among the twenty-one local youth who organized this past weekend's Hope and Peace Celebration as part of their NewGen Program.
Two years operating, the NewGen group began as a vision of local Rotarian Doug Johnson of Santa Rosa Downtown Club. He envisioned every high school student learning skills and strategies to promote peace. With the help of a Rotary Global Grant, Johnson and Rotary Peace Fellow Patricia Shafer linked students from Tandil Argentina and Santa Rosa.
The Celebration featured success stories of three inspiring projects: Fostering Peace, Humanizing Homelessness and Planting Roots of Peace.
Attending were students from Elsie Allen, Roseland Prep and Roseland University Prep. Two familiar faces to Sunrise Rotary are John and Logan, President Merle's grandsons and Elsie Allen Interactors.
NewGen Peacebuilders are an action group of Rotary Peace Fellowship. For more information on these forward acting ambassadors, visit http://www.rotarianactiongroupforpeace.org
Mike Kelly is back from San Diego. However, Mrs. Kelly is on the road again. Mike's wife sent word from Florida that she may be considering Cuba....???
Todd Reed, Garden Coordinator, teaches kids how to eat out of the garden
Sunrise Garden Project Chair Max Childs presents Garden Coordinator, Todd Reed, with a check for $3,000 to support the ongoing work of Vicki's Garden at Steele Lane Elementary School -- one of the oldest and dearest service projects of the Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Club. Reed reported that working in the garden has helped students to learn about and enjoy eating the salads they produce.
Max advised that a garden work party is being planned to give Sunrisers an opportunity to be part of this ongoing program and see its success firsthand.
Posted by Warren Smith Rich Randolph on May 22, 2017
Falling . . .
Above, L-R Rick Lewis and Jim Moir allow fellow trekker and photographer Warren Smith to document arrival at Alamere Falls in the Pt. Reyes National Monument last Sunday. The moderate hike was inconsequential to these seasoned steppers.
With a 450 foot elevation gain over the 4.5 mile trail, lunch was welcome at the falls. Alamere descends 30-35 feet from the cliff to the beach, and this year's rain provided ample downfall.
Ask Jim, Warren or Olin for more details, and check out the Hiker's Itinerary on the Club Home page.
Upon the bank of a river, while fishing in Alaska, Sunrise Golden Hammer and Plumber, LeRoy Carlenzoli -- also known for his hunting and fishing expeditions -- and his lovely wife Carol, were surprised by an Alaskan Brown Bear, while asleep in their tent. LeRoy, always on the alert for an appropriate bribe for the Rotary president, promptly sprang forth to capture the bear and bring it back as a trophy for President Merle.
The man with the pan, Kent Seegmiller prowls breakfast tables panhandling for recognition gifts from birthday, anniversary and high-five members, surrenders his catch to club treasurer Steve Heron.
But what is this? An IOU? Is there an interest charge on that, Steve?
- Is is because he is celebrating a special birthday?
- Or could it be pure delight upon receiving a gift of cookies from President Merle?
- Ahh... It is most certainly because he has 80 plus golfers recruited for the upcoming 28th Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Club Annual Charity Golf Tournament to be held on Friday, June 9, 2017 at the Oakmont Golf Club.
Sponsors, tee signs, and volunteers are still being sought. And more golfers and foursomes are also welcome. Contact Golf Chair Steve Zwick or Bulletin Editor Max Bridges for up to date information.
One of the above hockey stars often appears on the news, pictured in juxtaposition with the President and his advisors. The other pictured player is seen each Thursday morning photographing another president as she presides over her many duties. Both are prominent on the ice in senior hockey competition, but have never faced off with each other.
Linked through sister cities, Rotarians save newborns in Brazil
A mother is in labor, and she’s frightened. Her baby isn’t due for three months. The closest hospital is 30 miles away, and although she makes it there in time, the baby is born weighing barely 2 pounds.
And there’s another problem.
The hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit has only seven incubators, and all are in use, so the baby must be transferred to another hospital to receive the critical care he needs. If he survives the transfer, his parents will need to find a way to make trips to that hospital for months.
Many new mothers were facing similar situations at Dr. Leopoldo Bevilacqua Regional Hospital, a state-run facility in Brazil’s Ribeira Valley. Lack of equipment meant some of the hospital’s most vulnerable newborns had to be transferred, which was a factor in São Paulo state’s high infant mortality rate.
“There are two realities here: people who can pay for a private hospital and those who can’t,” says Lina Shimizu, who spearheaded the project for the Rotary Club of Registro-Ouro, Brazil. Those who can’t, she says, often have to travel long distances to get to a state-run hospital such as Leopoldo Bevilacqua, which serves 24 towns.
By adding five incubators to the NICU, the hospital nearly doubled the number of babies its nurses and doctors can care for.
By partnering on a Rotary Foundation global grant with two clubs in Nakatsugawa, Japan, Brazilian Rotarians raised $172,500. They funded equipment including five incubators for the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), which nearly doubled the hospital’s capacity to care for fragile newborns. In 2013, 129 babies were admitted to the NICU; since the completion of the project, the hospital has been able to care for about 220 babies per year.
Other equipment provided through the grant included five ventilators, a bilirubin meter, three heated cribs, five vital-sign monitors, and a super LED microprocessed phototherapy unit to treat babies with jaundice. The grant also funded the cost of publicity to inform residents about prenatal care workshops conducted by area health workers. The publicity campaign aimed to reach mothers in remote areas who may not know what services are available to them or about the importance of prenatal care and breast-feeding.
This global grant marked a turning point for Rotarians in Nakatsugawa, who had stopped contributing to international projects after experiencing difficulties on a past grant. The difference this time was in the relationship between the cities of Registro and Nakatsugawa, which established a “sister city” affiliation in 1980.
“This was initially a project of another Brazilian club, but they spent five years trying to find a partner and funding,” Shimizu says. “We were able to implement it in three years because of our sister city relationship.”
Rotarians from both cities meet regularly to foster their friendships, alternating between Brazil and Japan, and because of their close relationship, the Japanese Rotarians felt confident that their financial contributions to the project would be managed well. In addition, Shimizu, who is of Japanese descent and speaks fluent Japanese, helped build trust and effective communication.
A group of Japanese Rotarians visited the NICU after the project was completed. “After 37 years,” says Mitsuo Hara, a member of the Rotary Club of Nakatsugawa, “there’s a friendship and bond between Rotary members of both countries.”