Algeo "Che" Casul is a 7th generation rancher in Bodega, Ca born and raised on the same ranch his great great great great grandfather settled in 1850 on his mother's side, and is a first generation on the mainland Puerto Rican on his father's. After receiving his BA in History Che started working in public service in 2008 managing dual diagnosis rehabilitation housing for troubled youth. In 2013 Che received his MPA with a focus in nonprofit management. Che went on to manage vocational programs for the most severe and persistently mentally ill in his community and then managed programs for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Most recently Che has led The Center for Social and Environmental Stewardship whose main programs consist of juvenile justice programming and hands on paid vocational rehabilitation programs for at risk youth. In the two years of leading The Center Che has built out the variety of program offerings and has doubled the organizations budget.
In his free time Che sits on the Sonoma County Coast Municipal Advisory Council where he stepped down in January as the chair representing 50 miles of Sonoma County’s Coastal Zone, maintains his family’s livestock and vineyard infrastructure, and pursues his passions of spearfishing, sea kayak angling, and mushroom hunting.
District Governor Doug Johnson Discusses This Year's Theme "Rotary Opens Opportunities"
The keynote speaker for our program on September 17, 2020 was District 5130’s District Governor, Doug Johnson. Doug was making his annual pilgrimage through the clubs in the District and stopped by for a lively discussion with Sunrise about goals, opportunities, and attitudes! Doug started his discussion with his reflections on the International Assembly, which took place 8 months ago in San Diego. The Assembly was the last meeting/training event for the new crop of District Governors from around the globe. Doug received a view of what it is like to be a Rotarian if different places. The incoming RI President, Holger Knaack of the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenberg-Molln, Germany, introduced the secret 2020-2021 Rotary presidential theme “Rotary Opens Opportunities.” He emphasized that Rotary creates opportunities for all of us to improve our lives and the lives of others. He emphasized that we should all embrace change so that Rotary can expand and thrive. Doug told us that the theme for this year will emphasize action, adaptability, nimbleness, flexibility, and evolution. We want to evolve into a better, more strategic, and more diverse group!
This message was delivered to the group at the Assembly in January, just weeks before the international pandemic struck! We are in turbulent times, but Rotary’s Core Values (Four-Way Test, Object of Rotary, and Avenues of Service) can provide us with answers to questions about how we can proceed. As Doug says, stay close to family, call and talk to people, collaborate, and improvise, and keep our core values intact. Doug recalled an example from the Apollo 13 mission: “don’t tell me what’s wrong, tell me what’s working!” In other words, our mission has not changed, we just need to figure out other ways to accomplish our goals.
Doug commended our club on our innovative approach and dedication to solving problems in different ways. He reminded us that we were one of the District’s leaders in setting up Zoom meetings very early, before some clubs even started thinking about getting back together.
Doug also reminded us that although Rotary has an international structure, the work happens at the club level; the work gets done by the clubs, including innovation, diversification, and taking on the key issues in our society. Doug also complemented us on our interest in social justice and gave us some thoughts on how others in District 5130 are approaching these issues.
Doug, thank you for joining us and reminding us about how we can focus on key Rotary messages and ideas to approach the many problems we face. Doug’s message was that Rotary opens opportunities for all of us to improve ourselves and our communities. Well done, Doug, and keep up the good work.
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!
Randy Seeyle along with District Governor, Doug Johnson presented Paul Harris Fellowships to Layna Conner (Eloise Tweeten's granddaughter), Olivia Smith (Warren's granddaughter) and President Elect Nominee Roy Johnston.
Olivia gets her plaque with Grandpa, Warren Smith, stamped both on the front and on the upper left corner.
We welcomed Layna Connor to our meeting in Eloise's square.
She was name a Paul Harris Fellow and turns six on the 30th!
A duck waddles into a bar and asks the bar tender if they have any flies on the menu. The bartender quips, "We don't serve flies." The duck leaves. The next day, the duck waddles in and asks the bar tender, "Do you serve flies." The bartender, a little perturbed this time, says "we don't serve flies!" The duck leaves and comes back the following day and, of course asks the bar tender if they serve flies. The bartender fumes, "We don't serve ducks or flies and if you ask me again, I will nail your beak to the bar!" The duck leaves and returns the next day. He asks the bar tender, "do you have any nails?" The bar tender says "No!" Then the duck quacks "do you have any flies?!"
Lisa Hunter spent 12 years in Rotaract, joining several clubs as she moved around England. She also served on Rotary International’s Rotaract Committee and as chair of Rotaract in Great Britain and Ireland. When she turned 30 in October 2011, she knew it was time to move on from Rotaract. “But I still wanted to be involved in the Rotary family,” she says. “I’d given so much to it in the past and fundamentally believe in everything Rotary does and achieves.”
The problem was that Hunter and her other friends in Rotaract couldn’t find a club that fit their lifestyles. Hunter gathered the group in her home in Maidenhead, about 30 miles west of London, to compile a list of reasons that none of them, despite their enthusiasm for Rotary, had yet joined a Rotary club. It was a familiar litany: high costs, inconvenient meeting times, unreasonable demands on young professionals with new careers and families. “This clearly showed there were issues that had to be addressed,” says Hunter. “So we talked about what we would want from Rotary — and the Rotary Club of Maidenhead Bridge came to be.”
The eight-year-old club meets twice a month on Sundays in a local coffee shop. “This fits in with the style of our club,” Hunter says. “It’s relaxed and open to all, plus caffeine is needed on a Sunday morning. The meetings themselves are very informal: no toasts, no grace, not even a roll call. And you won’t see any jackets and ties.” Children are welcome, including Hunter’s nine-year-old daughter, who has attended every club meeting and event.
“Our club is very hands-on,” Hunter says. “We focus on community needs and how we can roll up our sleeves to help. We are keen to be seen doing things, showing Rotarians in action and shouting about it at the same time. This fits in with the fact that our members do not have large amounts of disposable income. It’s much easier to donate our time rather than hand over cash.”
“We find local leaders coming to our club and asking us to help them, which is wonderful.”
The club has nearly 50 members and continues to grow. “We attract members via our website and online marketing through Facebook, Twitter, Meetup.com, and Instagram,” Hunter says. “Our posts are engaging and motivating, and, most importantly, they show our club in action.” Members also work to establish and maintain relationships with local leaders in government and business. “They help us to promote our events and give us access to resources. We have proved ourselves as reliable and professional event organizers, and now we find those local leaders coming to our club and asking us to help them, which is wonderful.”
The club’s first project, an Easter Family Fun Day in 2012, attracted 250 people and has become its signature annual event. The residents of Maidenhead appreciate that it is a free children’s activity that promotes healthy lifestyles, Hunter says. “It’s also a great event for the children of our members to help out at and put their ideas into play.”
The club sets an annual goal of providing 1,700 hours of volunteer work — though last year, it surpassed the 2,400-hour mark. Among other things, it works with a local food bank, helping collect food donations each week. It has also boosted the profile of the food bank and other local charities through a program called (no kidding) Pimp My Community. “It’s a great hands-on project that our members are passionate about,” says Hunter. Members donate their time and expertise to help these organizations improve their branding, marketing, events, and websites, thereby elevating their impact.
“We’ve enjoyed pushing the boundaries of Rotary, changing opinions on what people think Rotary is and what a ‘normal’ Rotarian looks like,” Hunter says. “I hope that other clubs consider sponsoring the formation of new Rotary clubs to attract younger people. And I want to see former Rotaractors take the lead to form new clubs. Be persistent and create change. Rotary really can be whatever you want it to be.”
• Interested in starting a new club or learning more about ways to connect through Rotary? Visit rotary.org/start-club.
• Illustration by Sjoerd Van Leeuwen
• This story originally appeared in the August 2020 issue of The Rotarian magazine.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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