Chris has 22 years of experience in planning for alternative fuels and has led or contributed to more than 50 public charging and fleet transition plans nationwide. She participates in committees and steering teams for freight electrification, EV regulations, and electric school bus deployment. Chris is working with Sonoma County on a regional EV deployment plan. She’s a member of the Mighty Rotary Club of West Sacramento.
Greg Sitter, Senior Manager of Natural Resources and Projects, Conservation Corps North Bay
Our guest speaker for December 11, 2025 was Greg Sitter, Senior Manager of Natural Resources for the Conservation Corps North Bay (CCNB). Greg is from France and worked as a Green Building Engineer for the international nonprofit ATD Fourth World when he transferred with ATD to New Orleans. He moved to Sonoma County in 2017 and started a career focusing on natural resources management, including designing and installing school gardens and working as an arborist at a local tree company. He joined the CCNB in 2020.
The CCNB is a non-profit working to develop youth and conserve natural resource for a resilient, sustainable, and equitable community in Sonoma and Marin counties. CCNB offers paid job training programs to young adults in two programs; Natural Resources and Zero Waste. In the Natural Resources program, trainees maintain miles of trails and restore hundreds of acres of habitat every year, often in local regional parks. Greg himself heads 11 crews currently working on 11 projects. Last year these crews reduced fire fuel on 730 acres of public and private land, restored and maintained 59 miles of creek, and restored 166 acres of natural habitat. The Zero Waste program includes 15-20 young people working on the recovery and recycling of e-waste, tires, mattresses, and carpet. Last year they handled 600,000 pounds of e-waste and diverted 8,200 tires from landfills!
The program hires and trains young adults and offers them an opportunity to learn a skill, earn work-based certifications, and access job opportunities. Most are from a low-income background and are unemployed. Nearly half do not have high school diplomas. The majority are Hispanic. CCNB partners with a Marin County high school to offer courses and testing for high school diplomas to corpsmembers who are interested. The skill-based certifications include woodchipper operation, carpentry, restoration, forklift, and many others. The program is also a conduit to other careers, such as firefighting and construction. CCNB provides a career pathways program to support corpsmembers success, including individualized case management, job skills workshops, certifications, and connection to employers. 75% of corpsmembers are employed or in school and earn an average of $22.62 per hour after leaving CCNB.
Thank you, Greg, for the enlightening presentation. Your efforts to tackle natural resources degradation and the employment of young adults are greatly appreciated!
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!
UN Charter was signed by 50 nations in 1945 and Rotary was There!
On December 11, 2025, the Rotary UN 80th Anniversary Event was held at the War Memorial Opera Building where UN Charter was signed by 50 nations in 1945, with eleven Rotarians as consultants.
The Blue Room where the luncheon was served.
Francesco Arezzo - International President of Rotary got his photo taken with our Past President, Harry Coffey.
Panel of dignitaries speaking in the same auditorium where actual 1945 UN signing took place.
Closing remarks by 2025-26 Rotary International President, Francesco Arezzo.
Several Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary members, Lori Rodriques - Marty Behr - Bonnie Landers- Rich and Betsy Randolph-Harry Coffey all attended this historic celebration. There were several breakout sessions where topics as Clean Water Conservation and Youth Leadership models and many other topics. In all - about 1,000 Rotarians from all corners of Northern California and all the 5100 numbered districts were mentioned many times, including our own 5130!
Forget Me Not Farm Needed a Service and SRSR Rotary Was There!
Rob Sanville ran a very quick work crew at Forget Me Not Farms on Saturday.
Jim Brencic, Richard Ziegler, Eric Johnston, and his wife, Susan, all came and helped spread some gravel. It took less than 15 minutes, so he didn't even get a picture! This is the first time for some of these folks to do service for the club.
A wealthy Arab Sheik was admitted to hospital for heart surgery, but prior to the surgery, the doctors needed to store his type of blood in case the need arose. As the gentleman had a rare type of blood, it couldn't be found locally, so, the call went out.Finally a Scotsman was located who had a similar blood type. The Scot willingly donated his blood for the Arab.After the surgery, the Arab sent the Scotsman in appreciation for giving his blood: a new BMW, 5 carats of diamonds, and fifty thousand dollars. A couple of days later, once again, the Arab had to go through a corrective surgery. The hospital telephoned the Scotsman who was more than happy to donate more of his blood again. After the second surgery, the Arab sent the Scotsman a thank-you card and a box of Black Magic chocolates. The Scotsman was shocked that the Arab did not reciprocate his kind gesture as he had before. He phoned the Arab and asked him: "I thought you would be generous again, that you would give me another BMW, diamonds and money ... but you only gave me a thank-you card and a box of chocolates." To this the Arab replied: "Aye, laddie, but I have Scottish blood in ma veins now."
What started in 2016 as a casual dinner among friends has grown into an annual gala in Cape Town to raise money to help end polio. “We thought we’d raise some funds while enjoying a meal together. As the idea grew, I brought my Rotaract club on board,” explains Rex IP Omameh, today a joint member of the Rotaract and Rotary clubs of Blouberg. At the 2024 gala, about 100 revelers enjoyed the paparazzi treatment as they strolled the red carpet. The party, attended by local luminaries, guests, and members of District 9350 Rotaract and Rotary clubs, raised money for Rotary’s polio eradication efforts as well as a Rotaractor trip to Uganda to participate in a polio vaccination campaign. “Each year we see more people, especially young people, becoming passionate about polio awareness through this event,” Omameh says. This year’s celebration, which was scheduled for 8 November, is branded as Africa Unite: A Gala for Peace and Polio.
Mauritius
Putting “happiness” in your club’s name is one way to set the agenda. “From the beginning, our mission was clear: Every initiative we undertake must contribute meaningfully to the emotional wellness of our beneficiaries,” says Syam V.D. Mudhoo, a past president of the Rotary Club of Helvetia Happiness. The club even has an enforcer of ebullience of sorts called a director of happiness. That officer oversees such initiatives as “mindfulness moments” and “spontaneous laughter yoga.” Social “FriYAYs,” held monthly and open to guests, loosen the traditional meeting structure by including games and icebreakers “to surprise, delight, and recharge,” Mudhoo says. “We also know that true impact begins within.” Hence the effort members put into ensuring they are in good spirits themselves. “It’s a lifeline.”
y originally appeared in the December 2025 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
.png)
What started in 2016 as a casual dinner among friends has grown into an annual gala in Cape Town to raise money to help end polio. “We thought we’d raise some funds while enjoying a meal together. As the idea grew, I brought my Rotaract club on board,” explains Rex IP Omameh, today a joint member of the Rotaract and Rotary clubs of Blouberg. At the 2024 gala, about 100 revelers enjoyed the paparazzi treatment as they strolled the red carpet. The party, attended by local luminaries, guests, and members of District 9350 Rotaract and Rotary clubs, raised money for Rotary’s polio eradication efforts as well as a Rotaractor trip to Uganda to participate in a polio vaccination campaign. “Each year we see more people, especially young people, becoming passionate about polio awareness through this event,” Omameh says. This year’s celebration, which was scheduled for 8 November, is branded as Africa Unite: A Gala for Peace and Polio.
Putting “happiness” in your club’s name is one way to set the agenda. “From the beginning, our mission was clear: Every initiative we undertake must contribute meaningfully to the emotional wellness of our beneficiaries,” says Syam V.D. Mudhoo, a past president of the Rotary Club of Helvetia Happiness. The club even has an enforcer of ebullience of sorts called a director of happiness. That officer oversees such initiatives as “mindfulness moments” and “spontaneous laughter yoga.” Social “FriYAYs,” held monthly and open to guests, loosen the traditional meeting structure by including games and icebreakers “to surprise, delight, and recharge,” Mudhoo says. “We also know that true impact begins within.” Hence the effort members put into ensuring they are in good spirits themselves. “It’s a lifeline.”