Our hike for April will be at Glen Oaks Ranch in Glen Ellen. This is very special hike on land owned by the Sonoma Land Trust and not open to the public. A Sonoma Land Trust staff member will be guiding us through the mid-19th Century history of the property and on the hike to a dramatic vista point overlooking the Sonoma Valley. Also, we will tour some of the work projects done by our Club. Details are below.
Rating
This is a MODERATE walk on an established trail. We gain 400 feet in elevation over two miles to a dramatic vista point for views of a wide swath of the Sonoma Valley. Total hike length is about four miles up and down.
Dog Friendly
No. Because this is a wildlife corridor, no dogs are allowed.
Organizer
Marty Behr -- 206-391-3427 for more information
Date, Time & Directions: Sunday, April 19 9a-Noon.
13255 Sonoma Hwy. From Santa Rosa, turn left into the ranch road just past the stoplight at Glen Ellen. Optional lunch at local Kenwood Restaurant afterward.
Bring
Good walking shoes. Water. Walking sticks. Hat and sunblock. Invite family, friends and prospective members to this special hike.
Volunteer opportunities are available for Levi's Gran Fondo, a large organized bike ride. The main one we like to do as a group is "Bag Check Dropoff" from 6-9am, and details for that are below. "Event Tear Down @ Start Line" (8:30-10:30am) is another one we have done as a group (don't worry about the time overlap - you can easily do both!). This year I personally have signed up for bothe the "Bag Check Dropoff" and the "Finish Line Traffic Control @ Windsor Rd." (9-11am) which gave me a good dose of adrelaline last year and I am excited to try it again. So...
If you want to join, sign up for the following:
(required) "Bag Check Dropoff" (6-9am)
(optional) "Event Tear Down @ Start Line" (8:30-10:30am)
(optional) "Finish Line Traffic Control @ Windsor Rd." (9-11am)
To register and sign up for these and many more please click HERE. You will need a login, but it is pretty straightforward, even if you forgot your password from last time (like I did!)
Thanks and hope to see you there!
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DETAILS for "Bag Check Dropoff" (6-9am)
Shift Location: Please report to volunteer central right outside the Huerta Gym, facing the office door. Huerta Gymnasium | 9291 Old Redwood Hwy Suite 200, Windsor, CA 95492
Shift Description: Volunteers will assist with checking in and out riders' bags. Drop-off and Pick-up occur inside the Huerta Gymnasium. Volunteers for this position need to be able to lift and carry 20 pounds.
PARKING: A separate parking area designated for volunteers and staff will be located in the northwest corner above the Town Green, near the Sheriff's Office.
DO NOT PARK ON SHERIFF MARKED SPOTS (shown in red on the map). No pass needed, but make sure you move the barricades back after you pull in. This is Staff, Volunteer, VIP parking, NO PARTICIPANTS.
Kevin Hilgers, President of Rotary Fellowship for Home Exchange
Our guest speaker for April 2, 2026 was Kevin Hilgers, Past District Governor, District 5370. Kevin has been a Rotarian since 1997. He is currently a member of the Victoria, BC, Harborside club. Kevin worked for many years as a radio show host in Western Canada. He is also an entrepreneur with rental properties in Victoria. Kevin is currently the president of Rotary Fellowship for Home Exchange, which was the topic of his presentation.
Rotary Fellowships are international groups that share a common passion; a fun way to make friends around the world, explore hobbies or professions, and enhance your Rotary experience. Take a look at Rotary.org/fellowships to see over 100 fellowships (including beer, whiskey. and curling fellowships). The Rotary Fellowship for Home Exchange allows Rotarians interested in home exchange to meet each other, talk about interesting home exchange experiences, and exchange information. The benefits of home exchange include maximizing your travel budget, experiencing community with locals in other areas around the world, contributing to a more sustainable world, and developing friendships using a trusted way to share homes. The Fellowship partners with People Like Us (PLU) to facilitate home exchange. PLU connects members with thousands of like-minded people to exchange homes with and provides the option of filtering to other Rotarians. Its website allows you to search for homes by destination and filter for specific types of home, number of bedrooms, and suitability for children and pets. PLU also helps you list your own home, reach out for exchange partners, learn how to get to know your exchange partner, discovery how to do simultaneous or “non” simultaneous exchanges, and develop best practices for peace of mind and confidence. One of Kevin’s best practices is to set up a Zoom meeting in advance of the visit with people whose homes he will be visiting or with people who will be visiting his home; he always gets to know them before the exchange takes place.
Kevin related a wonderful experience he and his wife had while doing an exchange in a home in the Netherlands. Cycling is big there and the owners had e-bikes and allowed Kevin and his wife to use them. The owner recommended that they bike to his hometown 14 km away. He told Kevin that the Canadian army had liberated his hometown towards the end of World War 2 and that Canadian soldiers stayed in that home for a time. It was a moving experience for both Kevin and owner. As Kevin said, this is the type of experience you can’t have on the 18th floor of a hotel in downtown San Diego.
Many thanks to Kevin for the excellent presentation. We hope you have many great exchanging experiences!
Sunriser Krisrtne Burns does her part to reduce food bills as she volunteers in preparing bag loads of soup, sauce, cereal and other non-perishables for daily distribution at F.I.S.H.'s 1710 Sebastopol Road warehouse.
Feeding over two thousand people per month, people who need a s t r e t c h in their food budget, F.I.S.H. offers the leverage of volunteer labor and volume purchasing power to reduce strained food budgets.
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Paul O Rear Sunrise F.I.S.H. Coordinator flanks Jennifer, F.I.S.H. Executive Direrctor who points out her recent palate size peanut butter purchase. A super goober source of protein, the noble nut product is a coveted commodity. Jennifer knows nutritional metrics well and is in charge of locating sources of nutrient dense foods. When asked about "in kind" versus monetary donations, Jennifer is grateful for both, yet added F.I.S.H. can buy up to four times as much food as a donation of two jars of retail bought peanut butter. Something to consider in how to support this organization.
Community volunteer Kit Hayden braved the early morning cool as he parses out eggs into half dozen packs. Eggs are a welcome protein rich source. Not a single one cracked on site!
On the right, Steve Herron and Director Jennifer discuss perishable storage logistics. Steve serves as a driver and bay distribution area volunteer. Code dates are noted and respected.
These images reflect just one morning's activity to prepare for the daily weekday two hour distribution window. Other volunteers were busy with other assignments and a cohort from Becoming Independent was dividing forty pound bags of potatoes.
Whether your contribution is time or food or financial, you can be sure that it is reducing food insecurity and providing many many Sonoma County residents a more energetic day and restful night.
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!
Not long ago, in a small health center in the village of Aaye in southwest Nigeria, a woman arrived in labor carrying twins. The facility was short-staffed. The nurse midwife in charge was not present.
A community health worker stepped forward. She had participated in Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, a Rotary Foundation Programs of Scale initiative. And though she was not formally trained as a midwife, she was equipped with essential emergency obstetric skills.
Hours later, both babies had been delivered, one at the health center and the other at a general hospital, where the mother had been referred after complications were quickly identified. The newborns and their mother were alive and safe.
Women around the world face similar circumstances every day — moments when the difference between life and loss depends on well-trained medical staff and reliable systems and procedures.
Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria exists to increase the chances that those moments end in hope. By strengthening health systems and training frontline workers, this program helps communities protect mothers and children even when circumstances are difficult.
This work reflects the very heart of Rotary service. Service is not only what we do when conditions are ideal. It is what we do when systems are strained, resources are limited, and the need is urgent. It is the commitment to prepare people before a crisis arrives and to stand with communities when it does.
Maternal and child health is not an abstract goal. It is deeply personal. It is a mother who survives childbirth. It is a newborn who takes a first breath. It is a family that remains whole because someone was trained, ready, and cared enough to act. Rotary understands that service means investing in people and systems long before they are tested.
Programs like Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria show what is possible when Rotary brings together local knowledge, global partnerships, and sustainable solutions. By working alongside health professionals and local leaders, Rotary helps ensure that lifesaving care does not depend on luck or location.
The story of the mother and her twins is at its core a story of service. It is a reminder that Rotary’s impact is measured in human moments when people step forward to help others in their most vulnerable hours.
When we Unite for Good, service becomes more than an ideal. It becomes a lifeline for families, a source of strength for communities, and a promise that Rotary will continue to go wherever help is needed most.
You can find all prior "RI President's Messages" at this LINK
Rotary’s environment area of focus offers clubs and districts the chance to make a truly lasting impact in their communities.
One possibility is through the Community Action for Fresh Water partnership between Rotary and the United Nations Environment Programme, which launched the initiative in 2024 to protect, restore, and better manage freshwater resources worldwide.
Through the program, Rotary and Rotaract clubs identify a local body of water — a river, a lake, wetlands, or groundwater — and commit to its long-term protection and restoration. Members can draw on UNEP’s technical expertise.
Salvador Rico, a member of the Rotary Club of South Ukiah, California, and a technical adviser to the partnership, tells us more:
The partnership is deeply personal to me.
My passion for clean rivers comes from a painful family experience during my childhood in Mexico: We believe my older sister died of polio she contracted from swimming in a polluted river there. Unsafe water is not an abstract environmental issue; it is a matter of life, health, and dignity for families and communities.
This experience drives my work as a member of The Rotary Foundation Cadre of Technical Advisers, where I ensure Rotary members have access to proven technical knowledge so their global grant-supported projects deliver lasting impact through permanent, scalable solutions.
Today, Community Action for Fresh Water supports Rotary clubs globally by providing a shared platform to upload projects, learn from other clubs, and access technical and financial support through global grants and club-to-club collaboration.
The impact became tangible in 2024, when the environmental chair of District 4170 in Mexico shared a critical challenge: Small, family-owned textile factories were polluting the upper Lerma River watershed. Rotarians lacked clear solutions. Through the freshwater partnership, I connected them with UNEP experts who provided guidance on bioremediation strategies. That collaboration led to a global grant application and, we hope, cleaner water for this community.
The partnership among Rotary clubs, family-owned textile companies, and government authorities ensures shared responsibility and long-term stewardship.
Look around your community — I bet you’ll find a body of water in need of protection. The Rotary Foundation can support your project through Community Action for Fresh Water and a global grant.
You can find all prior "Messages from the Foundation Trustee Chair" at this LINK
Within hours of deadly floods and landslides that struck Mexico in October, Rotary members were responding. In hard-hit Poza Rica, Rotary and Rotaract members brought residents to safety, plowed mud-laden streets, and moved house to house to clean properties. The effort was supported by clubs throughout District 4185 and by neighboring districts and others abroad. The Rotary Club of Poza Rica joined the nonprofit Planet Water Foundation to install four water towers and a water block in the neediest area and deliver purified water elsewhere. The club also coordinated with World Central Kitchen to provide hot meals. Still, “we desperately need help to get back on our feet and return to our normal lives,” says club member Pepe Badillo. “The houses were a total loss. Everything was destroyed, from a single plate to the bedrooms on the second floor.”
Canada
Members of the Rotary Club of Kelowna in British Columbia placed 220 crosses personalized with the details of fallen soldiers in a Remembrance Day tradition the club has co-led with the Okanagan Military Museum Society since 2018. The Field of Crosses is accessible for 10 days beginning 2 November. Rotarians’ “dedication extends to coordinating lighting, ceremonies, and educational programs produced by the museum that connect the community, especially students, with the stories behind the names,” says Club President Robin Smith. The project strikes a personal chord: “We have a number of members who have served with our military,” Smith says, “and this allows us to honor them and the hundreds of others from the Kelowna community who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.”
This story originally appeared in the April 2026 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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Glen Oaks Ranch
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Within hours of deadly floods and landslides that struck Mexico in October, Rotary members were responding. In hard-hit Poza Rica, Rotary and Rotaract members brought residents to safety, plowed mud-laden streets, and moved house to house to clean properties. The effort was supported by clubs throughout District 4185 and by neighboring districts and others abroad. The Rotary Club of Poza Rica joined the nonprofit 
Members of the Rotary Club of Kelowna in British Columbia placed 220 crosses personalized with the details of fallen soldiers in a Remembrance Day tradition the club has co-led with the Okanagan Military Museum Society since 2018. The Field of Crosses is accessible for 10 days beginning 2 November. Rotarians’ “dedication extends to coordinating lighting, ceremonies, and educational programs produced by the museum that connect the community, especially students, with the stories behind the names,” says Club President Robin Smith. The project strikes a personal chord: “We have a number of members who have served with our military,” Smith says, “and this allows us to honor them and the hundreds of others from the Kelowna community who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country.”