Owner of Gerard's Paella y Tapas Restaurant in Santa Rosa
Gerard Nebesky is currently the owner of Paella y Tapas Restaurant (and catering) on the corner of 4th and E Streets in Santa Rosa, formerly Arrrgoni's.
In 1990, Gerard opened the Bohemian Cafe in Occidental, turning out wood-fired pizzas as well as sushi and Thai food.
In 2001 Gerard was ready for more variety, so he sold the business and set up a coffee cart in Petaluma's Telecom Valley.
In 2004, Gerard took his first trip to Spain where he was introduced to paella. In Gerard's experience, paella became a guaranteed way to "bring people together." News of Gerard's paella grew through word of mouth, and he was soon invited to cook at wineries and other small public events. It wasn't long before celebrities started calling.
Today, Gerard's catering business does some 200 events annually, from house parties to Coachella, from Iron Man to Maker Faire.
Bridgette DeShields, Santa Rosa Cycling Club, Speaks to Sunrise
Our speaker for Thursday, January 24, was Bridgette DeShields, President of the Santa Rosa Cycling Club (SRCC). Bridgette gave us a dynamic overview of SRCC, what it does, what it stands for, and how it helps shape our community. The Club has 1,500 members and is a “huge social group.” The Club has various riding categories; from slow to very fast, so members can always ride with their peer group. The Club provides programs for ride leaders, general bicycle safety, and advocates helping its members become ambassadors on the road. It is also a 501(c)(4), a tax-exempt social welfare organization. In addition to its riding operations, the Club takes an active role in the community. In the past 10 years the Club has donated $350,000 for the support of community projects. Its major fundraiser is “Wine Country Century,” which is set for May 4, 2019 (hint - they need lots of volunteers!). SRCC’s projects have included work with the Sonoma County Regional Parks, the Southeast Greenway, the Sonoma Valley Trail, the SMART trail, and has an important alliance with the Sonoma County Bicycle Coalition. Great job Bridgette, you packed a ton of information into your 25 minutes, and we appreciate it. Remember, “ride to eat and eat to ride!”
Marc described the development of Chess for Kids with the assistance of the Berkeley Chess School and his daughter in 2007. The end result is now an after school entertainment program in elementary schools. The also provide Chess Tournaments in both Napa and Sonoma Counties and are present at the Santa Rosa Wednesday Market.
The have now taught Chess to more than 10,000 students.
Their emphasis is on Learning Skills and Good Sportsmanship!
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, as well as Club Public Relations-Image Director 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!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
What is it that kept Mike Kelly and Ross Andress active, full and productive lives so willing to engage so much of their time and talent in Rotary?
When did you see Mike and Ross in their full stride, wide smile, enthusiastic mode?
Where were Mike and Ross most happy?
For over 40 years Mike and Ross created, developed and promoted Goodwill and Better Friendships, exercised high ethical standards and advanced international understanding through their professions, club activities and community leadership. Both Mike and Ross career's included Real Estate, requiring specialized knowledge and a level of trust and integrity in a highly competitive market.
Both Mike and Ross valued life-long learning, not only in vocation but avocation as well. Ross was a master smoker of fish, meat and veggies. As a jeweler, his bling brought "yes" to many a proposal, and his fine craftsmanship in custom pen production is unmatched. Mike could have produced his own sport fishing network. Fish in fresh and saltwater fled when Mike's gear was near. It wouldn't surprise me if scores of schools of them are conspiring their own celebration of Mike's new basecamp. Watch out honeybees!
Mike's successor may not be as kind, especially when it comes to payback for stinging the hand that feeds them. For these two men, Service Above Self did not come across as a sacrifice: They loved to give of themselves.
They made salads for homeless, scones for Interactors, and visiting friends! Drove hundreds of miles showing off Sonoma County, inspiring youth, by example, that he who serves most, gains most. Even if my wager at the County Fair horse races didn't win, place or show, my time around Mike and the fans he attracted was a trifecta bonus. For all of who delivered packages to Valley of the Moon Children's Shelter with Elsie Allen Interactors, the echo of discovering the joy in giving continues to resonate.
These are just a few of my recollections of only ten years with Ross and Mike, and you! For those of you with longer history, share the memories! Let Lou Ann and Stacy know how their husband enriched, touched inspired you. Surprise each other with a tale or two of times together. Their response to the opportunity afforded them upon joining Sunrise expresses everything Rotary hopes to inspire: Service, Fellowship, Fun, Generosity, Leadership.
Why? it's obvious Mike and Ross wanted to give of themselves.
When we didn't see Ross and Mike in full swing, they were asleep.
Where these two men are known, everyone is happy!
Cheers for these two who have left us without a shadow of doubt about lives lived well. Lives whose legacies are something for the Front Page!
Thank You Letter from Hiroshima Center Rotary Club
January 30, 2019
Dear President: Rich Randolph
Secretary: Mike Kelly
Members of Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Club
All the members of Hiroshima Center Rotary would like to thank all the members of Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary club for the large amount of support and attention for the causes and the victims of the Hiroshima Water flood which occurred in July 2018.
On behalf of Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Club and at the occasion of our Foundations 40th anniversary November 28, we presented in person to the governor of Hiroshima Prefecture, 1,000,000 Japanese Yen in addition to the amounts from Taichung West Rotary club, our sister club and Hiroshima Center Rotary Club. This money will maintain the river wall construction and road infrastructure. Additionally the rest of your donation: 3,883, 798 Japanese Yen has been donated on December 21 by the way of Chugoku News Paper Agency, directly for victims of the water flood.
Just a day of heavy rain robbed many lives of the calm, peaceful ordinary life from our citizens. However, due to great assistance including your warm and irreplaceable offer are helping to make local victims advance their steps to recovery. There are still some disaster areas which remain and we pray for their life recoveries together with your thoughts.
In the nearby Santa Rosa area we hear of many fires disasters often cause serious damage too. In recovering from those natural disasters we hope we can stand strong together to do good things. Thanking you again for the warmest sympathy for our Hiroshima flood victims.
Return engagement: This club caters to residents of the expansive district covering parts of Ontario, Nunavut, Quebec, and New York state. Founded by a past district governor, the Rotary Club of District 7040 Passport has successfully appealed to former Rotarians, inviting them to re-engage in Rotary. The club meets online, but members can attend meetings of clubs anywhere in the district to count toward their meeting commitment. Several members hold district leadership positions, proving that e-clubs are fully engaged in the life of Rotary.
Club innovation: The club meets via video conference call. During these calls, members update one another on their personal service projects. For the rest of their Rotary service, members participate in the community service projects, fellowship events, fundraisers, and meetings hosted by any of the clubs in District 7040.
Club members find opportunities to get together for service and friendship.
Ariane Carriere, past governor of District 7040, wanted to form a Rotary club for people who could not manage weekly in-person meetings. To find prospective members, she sought out former Rotarians. “The district governor wanted to be sure that we would not be raiding other clubs for members. I absolutely agreed,” she says. “I went in the district database and found members who had resigned. It was easy to reach out to inactive members. There were about 1,200. I sent everybody a message.” That effort yielded about 100 potential members.
“When we started up, we had 20 members who had resigned from other clubs, and we had six brand-new Rotarians. I was the only one who was active in another club and transferred over,” Carriere says. Eight days after driving across the U.S.-Canadian border to mail the charter application for expedited delivery, she received approval for the club from Rotary International.
Members attend meetings of Rotary clubs that are convenient to them as makeup meetings, and individual volunteerism also counts toward makeups. When it comes to service, they follow their personal interests. “If someone is interested in something, you need to go with that,” Carriere says, adding that one snowbird member is a devoted volunteer at a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Florida, where she spends part of the year. Another club member is interested in Little Free Libraries, the free book exchanges people put up in public places. Members often inspire one another with their reports of their service work. “After our meetings, I am so energized by the ideas that people have that I’m beside myself,” says Carriere.
Some former Rotarians returning to the Rotary fold have been tapped for district roles: Chris Cochrane is the district public relations chair, and Jacinthe Paillé is the district’s promoter for the Rotary International Convention in Hamburg.
Paillé, who has been a member of six clubs over the past 20 years, says she has found a home in the e-club. “The Passport club is a club like any other,” says Paillé, who teaches English as a second language at Collège André-Grasset, a community college in Montreal. “I’ve had people ask me, ‘What’s your real club?’ It is my real club. I’m a full Rotarian. I just don’t get to see my fellow club members every week for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.”
If it turns out that Passport members miss the camaraderie of clubs that meet in person, Carriere says she doesn’t mind seeing them move to another club. “We just had it happen with one member, who said, ‘I really enjoyed the time I was here, but I’m now finding I would like to be a member of a club I have been visiting quite a bit.’ It’s an easy transfer.”
In my travels over the past year, I've visited many strong, vibrant clubs and districts that are transforming their communities. When I attend their meetings, I can feel the energy. When I meet their members, I can see they are people of action. And when I look at their communities, I can recognize the impact of their work.
I've also visited communities with Rotary clubs that were hardly more than social clubs. It shouldn't ever be that way. Fortunately, there's a simple approach that I believe can help revitalize any club.
I'd like to challenge every Rotary club to come up with at least one high-impact service project. Each club already has the potential, the resources, to make it happen. It has the power to change people's lives — completely.
It doesn't take millions of dollars. One of the most transformational projects I've been a part of involved providing a Jeep to a group of midwives in Haiti. We had asked the midwives what we could do for them, and they told us they needed a way to reach expectant mothers in a remote part of the country. We supplied a Jeep, painted it pink, and put the Rotary logo on it. Three years later, we went back to see how they were doing. They were excited by the outcomes: They told us that the mortality rate for mothers and infants in that region had dropped by 50 percent.
That's what I call transformational service.
But Jeeps don't last forever, and after eight years on the road, that vehicle was on its last legs. So we bought a pink Land Cruiser. It's still on the road, allowing the midwives to provide prenatal care to women in that remote region.
What makes a project transformational? It doesn't have to involve a lot of money, but it has to reach people and have a major impact in the community. That is the key, and that is where careful planning and thorough research come in. So do your research. Leverage your resources. Seek partnerships that can increase your impact. And then take action.
Of course, service is only part of what a strong club must offer. It must also have good speakers, provide leadership development, involve Rotaract and Interact, and bring value to its members and reasons to participate in Rotary events.
If your club is transformational and well-organized, everything else will follow. Members will be engaged, and new members will be eager to join you. Fundraising will be easier: People love to give when they see how their money is making a difference and when they know the organization is accountable. Your club will be vibrant, relevant, and alive — and it will Be the Inspiration to those within its ranks as well as to the community it serves.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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