Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong is the Music Director of the Eugene Symphony in Oregon, and the Santa Rosa Symphony, performing at the Green Music Center in Northern California. The press has described him as a “fast rising talent in the music world” with “the real gift” and recognized his dynamic performances, fresh programming, deep commitment to commissioning and performing new music as well as to community outreach. Mr. Lecce-Chong has appeared with orchestras around the world including the San Francisco Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Seattle Symphony, National Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, Toronto Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Hong Kong Philharmonic and collaborated with top soloists including Renée Fleming and Itzhak Perlman.
In spring 2019, Mr. Lecce-Chong debuted in subscription concerts with the San Francisco Symphony. The San Francisco Chronicle called his conducting “first rate” praising the “vitality and brilliance of the music-making he drew from members of the San Francisco Symphony.” Other recent subscription debuts include the Seattle Symphony, Colorado Symphony, Louisville Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic and Xi’An Symphony Orchestra. Mr. Lecce-Chong’s also returned to conduct the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, Milwaukee and San Diego Symphony. In 2019, he also debuted with the New York Philharmonic as part of the legendary Young People’s Concert Series. The 2020-2021 season will mark his subscription debuts with the Utah and the North Carolina Symphonies.
In the past season, heavily impacted by the pandemic, Mr. Lecce-Chong created and led a series of virtual performances with both the Santa Rosa and the Eugene Symphony. The full season of performances was streamed for free to thousands of enthusiastic viewers around the world. In addition, the Santa Rosa Symphony reached over two million households in the Bay Area through its “Santa Rosa Symphony Presents” TV broadcasts. Mr. Lecce-Chong embraced the digital format, using interviews with members of the ensembles, guest artists, and composers to overcome the challenges of connecting with audiences not physically present in the concert hall. The programming included over 20 works by living composers, including a groundbreaking partnership with the renowned Ellen Taaffe Zwilich – a project which will culminate in a recording of her music by the Santa Rosa Symphony to be commercially released in 2022.
Keisuke Kogi and Toru Minami from Kagoshima Japan Invite Sunrisers to the 60th Anniversary of Kagoshima West Rotary Club!
Our speakers for June 16, 2022, were Keisuke Kogi and Toru Minami with greetings, gifts, and an invitation from Kagoshima, Japan. Keisuke and Toru are both long-time advocates for our Santa Rosa -Kagoshima Student Exchange Program (SRKSEP) and have been Sunrise Rotary SRKSEP partners for many years. The main purpose of their visit is to invite us to the Kagoshima West Rotary Club’s 60th anniversary celebration on April 8, 2023. Keisuke and Toru brought a variety of gifts, including radishes (Diakon) grown in the Sakurajima volcano near Kagoshima (world’s largest radishes), a club banner, and special gifts to President Jennifer, President Elect Jack, Del Raby, and SRKSEP chairperson Shauna Lorenzen. They also brought gifts from the Mayor of Kagoshima and the Governor of Kagoshima Prefecture! And, Toru promised to give us a tour of a 7,000 year-old Cedar tree if we visit them and stay for 30 days!
Toru is a member and Past President of Kagoshima West Rotary Club and the current Committee Chairman for the 60-year Kagoshima West anniversary celebration. He runs a private school in Kagoshima that teaches Japanese culture and language in Japanese and English. Toru described the importance of dialogue. For over 2,000 years Japanese people have believed that every tree, plant, and other living thing can listen and speak to us. He noted that on Sunday Steve took him to see a Redwood tree, and he was able to listen to it and speak to it. Dialogue is important, and Rotarians have a special responsibility to speak and listen to others in different cultures. The best way to do that is to have exchange programs such as SRKSEP.
Keisuke Kogi is also a Rotarian and has been a big part of our partnership with Kagoshima over the years. He showed us a short but memorable video of Kagoshima and a variety of photos of his past visits to Santa Rosa and some of our visits to Kagoshima, including a 1989 photo of current and former Sunrisers in front of the Round Barn, and photos of Steve Amend, Bob and Katherine Scott, Del in 2004 at Keisuke’s home, Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary’s 25th Anniversary, a 2016 SRKSEP visit to Kagoshima, a picture of Nagasawa Park in Santa Rosa in 2009, and a photo of Jack and Eloise in June 4 2019.
Keisuke and Toru left us with an important message: See you in Kagoshima in April 2023! Thank you both for visiting and speaking with us.
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!
On June 21st the sun moves from spontaneous, vivacious Gemini, to nurturing, loving Cancer. Astrologists are predicting that the first part of Cancer season, which commences on the Summer Solstice will be full of playful energy. We will be compelled to connect with our loved ones and strive to build our self-confidence. If you haven't had the opportunity to follow through on your New Year's resolution, June 21st will give you that much needed second chance. We are now entering a season where we get to reset and recharge. It's not a coincidence that Cancer season occurs in midsummer. Take advantage of relaxing on the beach or by the swimming pool with your favorite book. There will be an increased desire to stay home, create a sacred space for you to relax, and enjoy Sonoma County's warm summer days and cool evenings.
This time of the year is for you to realize you have three precious homes: the planet, the structure you live in, and your physical body. Once we connect with all three of these domiciles, we will feel much more at ease. Cancer season is a time for us to settle into what home feels like to us, whether that is a person, place, or thing. It's all about feeling safe, secure, and relaxed.
Our intuitions will be operating at a high frequency as well. This is the perfect time to go with your gut instinct--listen closely to your inner voice. This will also be a nostalgic time for many people. Lean into those memories, and if they are particularly painful, allow yourself to grieve. This will be a beautiful time to heal past wounds. Remember, you do not have to speak to the person who hurt you in order to forgive him or her.
Things are going to shake up once we hit the middle of July. Expect to see more activism, huge technological advancements, and personal liberation. Prepare for more content for next generation's history books to occur in the middle of July.
What feels like home to you? As a collective, what movement do you hope evolves in mid-July?
This last Saturday, at Paradise Ridge Winery, there was a special "Tea Ceremony" commemorating Kanaye Nagasawa as well as the progress of the special Tea Tree plantings (in the vineyards at Paradise Ridge) for the Wakamatsu Tea & Silk Colony; Attending from Sunrise was Steve and Kathleen Amend and Dave and Shauna Lorenzen.
Take a few moments to watch the presentation made by Steve Amend at the wonderful event.
Click on the picture to a link in YouTube for the video!
Posted by Steve Amend and Dan Lambert on Jun 21, 2022
Rotary is responding to the crisis in Ukraine.
As a result of a recent Ukraine relief presentation which I gave with the help of Jeff Gospe of Santa Rosa Rotary, our Cherkasy Rotary Relief Committee raised $20,000 from Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary ($10K from the club and $10K from the members).
This following article was forwarded to me by Joan Germeshausen and I thought all of our membership should see it.
Within a day of Russian troops entering Ukraine in February, Rotary clubs in the Czech Republic and Slovakia were using their connections to gain access to a strategic railway hub that has allowed them to shuttle critical supplies into Ukraine and help refugees get out.
The city of Košice, Slovakia, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the border with Ukraine, is home to a rail terminus where east meets west. For decades, the terminus has received trains carrying raw materials out of Ukraine along wide-gauge rail lines. The cargo is then transferred onto train cars that run on the standard-gauge rail lines used elsewhere in Europe. A number of multinational shipping companies use the hub. Rotary members realized quickly that they needed to be able to use it as well. Martin Pitorák, president of the Rotary Club of Košice, is a former vice president of U.S. Steel Košice, which uses the hub. He and Michal Sláma, president of the Rotary Club of Pardubice, Czech Republic, were among Rotary members who were able to negotiate access. "We acted very quickly," says Monika Kočiová, a member of the Rotaract and Rotary clubs of Košice. "We were making arrangements while others were still knocking at the door." The hub is important because Ukraine's extensive rail network, one of the largest in the world, serves parts of the country that are difficult to reach by truck. Rotary was the first humanitarian organization to get permission to use the rail hub for relief supplies, Kočiová says, and clubs have sent trains full of medical supplies, nonperishable food, and hygiene products across the border. The Slovak government and the European Union have since designated the hub as a primary pathway for sending supplies by rail into Ukraine. Supplies that arrive in Košice are unloaded and sorted by Rotary volunteers into warehouses before being moved into Ukraine. The Rotary and Rotaract clubs have also used more than 60 trucks and buses to carry 740 tons of supplies into the western Ukrainian region of Uzhhorod, just across the border. From there, they are distributed to locations around the country. "It is great to see the power of Rotary at work in this time of need," says Pitorák. "In addition to supplies, financial support is coming in from many parts of the world."
Railway Helps
In addition to the use of the wide-gauge rail network, the Rotary and Rotaract clubs are part of an initiative called Railway Helps. Started by the owner of Gepard Express, a Czech passenger transportation company, Railway Helps is using passenger trains to bring supplies into Ukraine and refugees out. So far, the initiative has brought more than 500 tons of supplies into Chop, a town in the Uzhhorod region. Trains returned to the city of Pardubice carrying more than 5,500 Ukrainian refugees. Rotary members have helped raise funds, which have come from a variety of sources including a public fundraiser, district funding, and a contribution by the owner of Gepard Express. The participating railways have also absorbed significant costs and other organizations have waived fees. Sláma continues to seek additional funds for Railway Helps, which is currently sending trains through Poland to Mostyska. The plan is to eventually build a waiting room and passenger station at Mostyska to speed up the flow of supplies and assist refugees leaving Ukraine.
Working with others
Coordinating with other entities has been crucial to the success of the efforts. The Rotary and Rotaract clubs have been working with Ukrainian government officials, including members of parliament, diplomats, and regional governors, as well as with hospitals in the cities of Kharkiv, Cherkasy, Uzhhorod, and Mukachevo. Kočiová and Ivana Lengová, both members of the International Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals, oversee the purchase of medical supplies and the processing of medical equipment donated by companies in Europe. Lengová, a member of the Rotary Club of Košice Classic, helped secured equipment worth more than $730,000 from Siemens Slovakia, including four mobile imaging units and three mobile X-ray units. "Because the fellowship includes members who work at Ukrainian hospitals, we have been able to react very quickly to changing needs," Kočiová notes. The clubs are also in regular contact with officials and volunteers at several Slovak-Ukrainian border crossings, coordinating accommodations and transportation for refugees. Just four days after the war began, Kočiová spent time at the border. "You could feel a lot of pain and see tears," she says. "The refugees are broken, but they are very strong and proud. They were not asking for anything. Even the small children were not complaining." Kočiová was away from home on a business trip when the war began, but when contacted by a Ukrainian friend and fellow Rotaractor, she arranged for her to stay at her home. "I arrived home a day later and saw her with just one small backpack containing all she had," Kočiová says. "She is a high-level manager. Her mom was escaping along another route, and her sister yet another, and they were planning to meet up in Switzerland. When you imagine yourself in that situation, it becomes very real.
Rotary International and disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, announce three-year partnership renewal
Humanitarian alliance supports people who lose homes to conflict and disaster
Partnership enables ShelterBox and Rotary to support more people, in more places, in more ways
7 June 2022 - HOUSTON, Texas -- Rotary International and the disaster relief charity, ShelterBox, today announced a three-year partnership renewal that will help the organization support more people, in more places, in more ways.
ShelterBox was founded by the Rotary Club of Helston-Lizard in 2000, forming a special humanitarian alliance has made a tangible difference to the lives of people around the world. Based in the U.K. and with offices around the world, ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to people who have lost their homes to conflict and disaster.
With growing collaboration with Rotary members and clubs across the globe, ShelterBox became Rotary’s official project partner in disaster relief in 2012. The partnership has helped transform ShelterBox into an internationally recognized disaster relief charity, together supporting more families when they need it most.
“Rotary has been beside us on our journey from day one and we are reminded of the significance of the partnership each time we mobilize,” said ShelterBox Chief Executive Sanj Srikanthan. “What began as a local connection with one Cornish Rotary Club has led to an extraordinary international movement that has provided emergency shelter to millions of people around the world.”
The official partnership has been renewed for another three years. The agreement will be announced at the annual Rotary International Convention, this year hosted in the USA, where ShelterBox chief executive Sanj Srikanthan will give a keynote speech to more than 10,000 Rotary members.
“Rotary members are involved in ShelterBox as volunteers, staff or response team members. Our responses can stretch us logistically and often it’s the Rotary network that help us navigate the import challenges that delay our lifesaving aid or provide us with warehousing space while we wait to distribute shelter kits,” Srikanthan added. “Rotary members also help ShelterBox response teams make vital community contacts and reach disaster-affected families in remote areas who might otherwise go without.”
Most recently, in addition to their own significant response to the Ukraine crisis, Rotary members have supported ShelterBox’s relief effort. Using their networks in Poland, Moldova and Ukraine, Rotary members have provided invaluable situational awareness and connections enabling ShelterBox to provide aid to those in need.
The charity is providing mattresses to people in collective centres; tarpaulins, rope, tools, and other essentials to help people living in damaged buildings; in addition to supporting women and children fleeing into Moldova.
The Rotary partnership often gives ShelterBox the flexibility and scale to respond in fast changing emergencies, including in the Philippines after Typhoon Rai made landfall in December 2021.
The Philippines is ravaged so often by tropical storms that ShelterBox has adapted the way it works - pre-positioning aid in the country with a team on the ground ready to go when the next disaster strikes. With the help of the Rotary Club of Cebu, ShelterBox provided emergency shelter aid to 100,000 people in the aftermath of the super typhoon.
“Rotary is a global network whose members make a lasting difference in their communities – and worldwide. We are people of action, which is why our disaster relief partnership extends far beyond financial support,” said Rotary International General Secretary and CEO John Hewko. “Rotary clubs worldwide offer valuable, practical assistance to help ShelterBox reach more families fleeing disaster or conflict.”
Hewko added: “In Haiti last year, the Rotary Club of Les Cayes provided situational updates and helped ShelterBox understand local context so they could start work sooner. In Honduras, the Rotary Club of San Pedro Sula, helped to find the communities where ShelterBox could make the biggest difference following Hurricanes Iota and Eta. They unloaded shipping containers, travelled to remote communities to distribute aid, and delivered shelter training.”
ShelterBox has a global network of 14 affiliates, who raise funds and awareness worldwide, that evolved from Rotary relationships.
“Rotary and ShelterBox will continue to collaborate, better supporting communities in need by improving preparedness, and prepositioning aid in areas prone to disaster,” Hewko said.
The renewal of the partnership comes at a decisive time against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the impact it has had on communities worldwide. But that crisis will be dwarfed by the impact of a changing climate in the years ahead, with ShelterBox research highlighting how 167 million homes could be lost to climate change in the next 20 years.
Flooding will be a leading cause of weather-related disaster, warming oceans will bring heavier rain to places that can’t cope with it, and other parts of the world will face ever more deadly droughts like the one East Africa is currently confronting.
To better meet the needs of the people who need support, ShelterBox is continuously evolving to find durable solutions. It no longer provides aid only in boxes, instead providing combinations of aid, packaged in a variety of ways to make a tangible difference.
A tarpaulin is the difference between a family staying dry in their makeshift home or not. Solar lights help families spend time together when electricity supply is impacted. A mosquito net helps families worry less about their children’s health in areas known to have malaria or dengue fever. Cash empowers local communities to hire skilled labour or buy the materials they need to rebuild their houses.
ShelterBox currently has teams working to support communities in Ukraine, Yemen, Burkina Faso, Mozambique, the Philippines, Syria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Haiti, and Nigeria.
About ShelterBox
ShelterBox provides emergency shelter and other essential items to families who have lost their homes to disasters. With operational headquarters in Cornwall, the charity also has 14 affiliate organisations worldwide. The charity has been Rotary International’s project partner in disaster relief since 2012. ShelterBox has supported more than 2 million people since it was founded in 2000. www.shelterbox.org.
About Rotary International
Rotary brings together a global network of volunteer leaders dedicated to tackling the world’s most pressing humanitarian challenges. Rotary connects 1.4 million members of more than 46,000 Rotary and Rotaract clubs in over 200 countries and geographical areas. Their work improves lives at both the local and international levels, from those in need in their own communities to working toward a polio-free world. See www.rotary.org
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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