The legendary Appalachian Trail runs 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine. It is the most difficult and most renowned long-distance hiking trail in the world. Bill Stauber, from the Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise, struck out on this trail with his son, Pete, in early 2015 and hiked it from beginning to end, pledging a dollar-a-mile to Polio Plus in the process.

Bill will join us on July 13^th with his tales of hiking for months and months, the people he met, the sights he saw, where he stayed, what he ate, and best of all pictures of areas most of us will never see!

There are nicknames for hikers on the AT and special spots that are the hikers favorites! sit back with Bill and pretend you just hiked 2,200 miles!

2017-2018 Sunrise President Doug Shureen, the 31st in succession for the Club accepts and begins the guarding of his gavel.

Vowing to cross the finish line of the  Club's 5-plus year march toward a Global Grant to build and equip the Sabalos Nicaraguan Surgical Center, replace Club focus on the next big project, and apply the Club's visioning foresight to the future, Doug introduced his new slate of Directors and thanked those stepping aside.

Now Past President, Merle Hayes happily passes the gavel to Doug.

Doug begins duties with birthday and anniversary recognitions!!

Merle takes comfort in her emeritus status!

Peter Hoberg, another emeritus president and now Club Secretary, speaks of his upcoming bike ride for polio and invites sponsors for the District-wide event.

Raising her hand as if being sworn into office Jennifer Adams announces her new Blue Badge status.  Jennifer is perhaps the youngest new board member and brings welcome new perspective.  Beside her two to the left is Club Administrator Brian Rondon then Public Relations Jack Strange.  Opposite are Paul O Rear Membership Director and spouse Penny Millar, Treasurer.
 

GO FOR IT DOUG AND BOARD!!!

On a regular basis, our resident photo pros Warren Smith and 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 and Ross! Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!

Additional photos may be found on the SR Sunrise Facebook Page.

District 5130 is staging a 6 day bicycle ride, from one end of our district to the other called Pedal 4 Polio. A dedicated cadre of Rotarian bike riders will ride from Crescent City to Petaluma and solicit pledges for their rides.

Donors can make their checks out to "The Rotary Foundation", in the memo section put "PolioPlus", and give the checks to Randy Seelye.

Additional information may be found on the District Web Site at:

http://www.rotary5130.org/

Ian H. S. Riseley

President 2017-18

There are as many reasons to come to Rotary as there are Rotarians – maybe even a few more. But each of us has stayed in Rotary because it adds something to our own lives. Through Rotary, we are Making a Difference in the world; and the more involved we become, the more of a difference Rotary makes to each of us. Rotary challenges us to become better people: to become ambitious in the ways that matter, to strive for higher goals, and to incorporate Service Above Self into our daily lives.

What kind of difference Rotary clubs and individual Rotarians make through their service will always be their own decision. As an organization, we are guided by the three strategic priorities our Board has set in our strategic plan: to support and strengthen our clubs, to focus and increase our humanitarian service, and to enhance Rotary's public image and awareness.

In the year ahead, our clubs will have the support of a greatly augmented array of online tools, including a refreshed Rotary.org, a simplified Rotary Foundation grant application process, an improved My Rotary experience, and a rebuilt Rotary Club Central. As we look to strengthen our clubs, two specific challenges stand out in our membership: our gender balance and our average age. To keep our clubs strong, we need to build a membership that reflects the communities we serve and that will continue to develop knowledgeable leaders for generations to come.

For many years, one idea has stood at the heart of all our service: sustainability. Sustainable service means our work continues to have a positive impact long after Rotary's direct involvement has ended. We don't dig wells and walk away; we make sure communities can maintain and repair those wells. If we build a clinic, we make sure that clinic has a way to keep running without ongoing support from us. And when it comes to polio, we aren't working to contain it; we're working to end it.

Eradicating polio is the ultimate in sustainable service. It is an investment that will yield not just a long-lasting but a permanent benefit, on a global scale. It is and must remain our No. 1 priority until the job is done.

For 112 years, Rotary has made a difference to more lives, in more ways, than we can ever count or will ever know. Today, each of us bears a torch, its flame lit by Paul Harris, that has been passed forward from generation to generation, in Rotary: Making a Difference.

Paul A. Netzel

Trustee Chair 2017-18

The Foundation and the power of an idea

It seems like yesterday that I was 26 and a brand-new member of Rotary. When I missed my third meeting and failed to do a makeup, my sponsor sat me down and for the first time really explained the values of Rotary. I took his words to heart and haven't missed a makeup since. Now, 49 years later, almost to the day – as a proud member of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles (LA5) – I am honored and humbled to serve as chair of the Trustees of The Rotary Foundation this year.

The Foundation started with a simple idea: to do good in the world. One hundred years later, we know the story of what happened – as we have learned during this year's celebration of the Foundation's centennial.

During those years, Rotarians have raised and invested more than $4.1 billion in thousands of programs, projects, and scholarships. In short, the Foundation is a living history of the power of one idea. A Rotarian shares an idea with his or her club, and – with the help of grant money from the Foundation – amazing things happen.

This is an exciting time to be a Rotarian. It's the first year of The Rotary Foundation's second century, and we are on the verge of participating in one of the most amazing accomplishments in human history: the eradication of polio. Thirty-two years ago, PolioPlus began and served as a catalyst that engaged Rotarians and partners worldwide. Today polio is on track to become the second disease eradicated in human history. CNBC, a leading global media outlet, recently ranked The Rotary Foundation third on its list of the "Top 10 Charities Changing the World."

In the coming months I look forward to discussing our Foundation goals for the next year and beyond. Share your thoughts with me at paul.netzel@rotary.org. Ask yourself, "What can I do to help tackle an issue that's near and dear to me?" How will you engage the Foundation to help you? Remember, all it takes is one person with an idea – along with a great organization – and those timeless Rotary values I learned way back when. It seems like yesterday.