Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary Reflects on Another Great Year 

President Jack led his final meeting last Thursday June 29th .  Franchetti's was a full house for this assembly style meeting.  Members reflected on another successful and robust year in Rotary.  

Some of the many highlights of the year were our service projects, Elise Allen Interact,  an incredibly successful fundraiser, community grants, membership, a dynamic social calendar, engaging speakers, and our contributions to the Foundation.  

Leroy the Golden Hammer confirmed that his fulltime job is servicing the multiple properties at the Women's Recovery Services, SAY, the Living Room, Forget Me Not Farm, and that just names a few.  We are not sure he has time these days to sleep.  2022-2023 was a powerful year in participating in impactful service projects ranging from The Redwood Empire Food Bank, Forget Me Not Farm, creek clean-ups, lunch for a job fair for the homeless, Guerneville Winter Shelter dinners, and so much more!

Peter Hoberg and Paul O'Rear spearheaded our environmental service projects for this year with gusto.  From a vegetarian recipe book, field trips to film premiers and sustainable energy plants to inviting dynamic speakers who educated the club on the magnitude of climate change they did it with passion and grace.  Their persistence and passion led to a District 5130 award this May. 

We celebrated the return of Elsie Allen Interact.  The club has bounced back and is stronger than ever after the pandemic.  Merle Hayes recounted the quiet dedication of her students.  At the end of the year, Merle was tempted to go ziplining with her teenage fan club, but abstained. 

It was lovely to talk about all of our social events.  Changes of venue were also quite popular throughout the year.  Landmark and the Air Museum were highlights.  Valentine's Day with the Flo Masters and an opulent Christmas party at the Kenwood Depot took our club by storm. 

President Jack did a wonderful job recognizing our dedicated board of directors.  Each director received a classy fountain pen. 

Also, members with perfect attendance were celebrated.  Del Raby leads the pack with 62 years of perfect attendance.  

The best was saved for the last: Rotarian of the Year.  President Jack had many Rotarians in mind who went above and beyond this year.  He made his choice based on someone who takes the Four Way Test to heart.  This Rotarian is involved in every aspect of our club and has contributed countless hours of service, mentorship, inspiration, and pure dedication to our club.  

It was a true honor to announce Past District Governor Del Raby as Rotarian of the year!! 

Thank you to President Jack leading our dynamic club with another successful year!  

Click HERE for a limited time recording of Jack's final meeting of his Presidential year.

And, HERE for Peter Hoberg's slide show of Warren Smith's photos throughout the year (click the PLAY button).

Happy Dollars

Jennifer Adams - Returned from the land down under toting souvenir poisonous creatures for President Jack like Jelly Snakes and Vegemite.  She also gifted a pocket square and reciprocating flag from the Melbourne Rotary Club (pictured above).

Mark Campbell - was elated to share that he and Julie bought a house in Oakmont - Happy Home, Mark!

Del Raby - "I would say, it was an EXCELLENT year!"

Sad Dollars

Steve and Rob - let us know that Flo Floriani will need to be away from Rotary for a bit while he is dealing with melanoma cancer located in his eye behind his retina.  There is an amazing treatment available and Don says he will be fine. We will think healing thoughts.

1. There are 20 people in an empty, square room. Each person has full sight of the entire room and everyone in it without turning his head or body, or moving in any way (other than the eyes). Where can you place an apple so that all but one person can see it?

2. How can you take 2 from 5 and leave 4?

Answers to last week's brain teasers:

1. Turn me on my side and I am everything. Cut me in half and I am nothing. What am I? 

A) The number eight.

2. They fill me up and you empty me, almost every day; if you raise my arm, I work the opposite way. What am I?

A) A mailbox.

R. Gordon R. McInally

President 2023-24

July 2023

Even as we face new and serious challenges, Rotary takes care of its members and those we serve, works to build lasting peace, and embeds belonging and inclusion in everything we do. That is why I am asking everyone in Rotary to Create Hope in the World.

This year, we’re prioritizing projects to support mental health. This effort is deeply personal to me. I know what it’s like to see someone suffer in silence. I have also witnessed the power of personal connections, the value of discussing emotional and mental well-being, and the lifesaving impact of preventive care and treatment.

Research shows that performing acts of kindness is an effective step any of us can take to protect our well-being. And by building peace within, we become more capable of bringing peace to the world.

Building peace is the essence of Rotary. Many of our service projects foster the conditions for Positive Peace. We work tirelessly to overcome barriers and create new connections. This year, we’ll promote virtual international exchanges for members to strengthen those vital connections.

Peace isn’t a dream, and it’s not passive. It’s the result of working hard, earning trust, and having open conversations that may be difficult. Peace must be waged persistently — and bravely. Everything we do across our areas of focus has the potential to foster the hope that can make peace possible.

The spirit of connection and purpose should inspire every Rotary member. When club leaders focus on offering an excellent club experience, we retain more members and attract more prospective members. We must make our clubs as welcoming and as engaging as we can.

Our goal is to create a sense of belonging, from our club meetings to our service activities. We need to continue creating inclusive, welcoming environments where everyone can be their authentic selves. All people of action need to be able to imagine a place for themselves in Rotary — it’s up to us to ensure they can do so.

Over the next year, I will be putting a focus on continuing our journey in diversity, equity, and inclusion — ensuring that Rotary reflects the communities we serve and continues to take significant steps toward accessing the full range of human talents and experiences, so that we can better serve humanity. And we will continue to empower women and girls by helping them unlock the potential already within them. 

As we begin this journey together, I take inspiration from Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns, who in the 18th century spoke of all the world becoming kin, promoting “sense and worth, over all the earth.” This has long been my call to action, and I share it now with you. 

Let us build peace within and spread it freely. Let us create belonging and imagine the future of Rotary afresh. Let us work together joyously and Create Hope in the World.

Barry Rassin

Trustee Chair 2023-24

July 2023

I love Rotary for many reasons, perhaps most of all for the impact we make when we work together. There is really no other group like us.

In the last five years, The Rotary Foundation has helped 100 million beneficiaries. That is staggering.

But the need is great. There are countless more we could be reaching and supporting right now if we had the resources. We could reach twice as many in the next five years. And your fellow Rotaractors and Rotarians are ready to help. They're hungry for more grants to help more people who need us.

That's why, this year, The Rotary Foundation Trustees have set an ambitious goal for giving of $500 million, our highest ever.

This breaks down to $150 million for the Annual Fund to help fund grants and $50 million for polio eradication, to be matched by $100 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. For the Endowment Fund and our future, we are targeting $60 million in outright giving and $80 million in commitments, totaling $140 million. And we want to collect $60 million in other contributions, such as direct giving, cash for global grants, and Disaster Response Fund donations.

To make this happen, we need all of you — each and every Rotarian and Rotaractor.

Did you know that over 80 percent of Rotary members make no contributions to PolioPlus, or that over 60 percent make no donation at all to The Rotary Foundation? For an organization of 1.4 million members, that means that nearly 1 million of us are not contributing each year.

Imagine the tremendous difference it would make if each of those 1 million could contribute just $25 a year. That would be $25 million we wouldn't need to raise from our best donors.

We can all give something. That's why I am asking each of you to set a goal to give what you can to The Rotary Foundation this year.

Never have we set such an audacious goal, but I believe that you, who make up Rotary, always respond to a challenge, especially when you see the difference we can make with those funds. We are part of an audacious organization, one that dreams big and makes our dreams a reality.

Let's think bigger and differently this year, so we can meet our goal and do more to Create Hope in the World. In this way, we will make the Rotary year ahead an unforgettable one, not just for ourselves, but most importantly, for those whose lives we will soon touch.