I have been volunteering in my community since I was a teenager and believe in giving back to the community in which I live. At 16, I became a volunteer fire fighter and did so off and on for over 16 years. In my early 20’s I volunteered for the Cetacean Society and taught classes on grey whales and led whale watching tours out of Newport Beach. I raised money for Orange County Fund for Environmental Defense for groups such as Audubon’s Starr Ranch. I have also spoken in front of the California Coastal Commission twice about environmental issues facing California's coast and in 2005 became good friends with Peter Douglas, Executive Director of the California Coastal Commission until his passing in 2012. When I lived on the Smith River in northern California, I volunteered at the Marine Mammal Center in Crescent City and took care of marine mammals. I also did fish counts for Smith River Alliance and bird counts in the Tolawa Dunes State Park at the mouth of the Smith River.
Kevin Munroe, Executive Director of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation
Our Speaker for last Thursday was Kevin Munroe, Executive Director of the Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation. Kevin gave us a unique presentation by focusing on a single, but important, Laguna health marker, the dragonfly. Now all Sunrisers know the difference between a dragonfly and a damselfly!! (Hints – the damselfly’s eyes do not touch each other and at rest the damselfly’s wings are closed while the dragonfly’s are separated). Both are members of the insect order “Odonata.” Both are ancient and existed in much the same form before the dinosaurs ruled the earth!
Also, who knew that the bulk of a dragonfly’s life is spent as larvae beneath the surface of water? It’s true, and it is also why dragonflies tell us a lot about the health of a water system. If the water is not healthy the larvae does not live to become a full-fledged dragonfly. So, a water system with lots of dragonflies is likely to be a healthy and well managed system. Dragonflies are good news for the Laguna de Santa Rosa!
Kevin also gave us a general and helpful overview of the size and breadth of the Laguna’s watershed. In fact, water deposited anywhere within the 250-square-mile watershed, virtually all of Sonoma County, will probably find its way into the Laguna. The Laguna drains the entire Santa Rosa plain, including Windsor, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, Cotati, Sebastopol and Forestville. It is the most biologically diverse habitat in Sonoma County. The Laguna’s main channel is 22 miles long and drains into the Russian River!
In other words, the Laguna de Santa Rosa is one of Sonoma County's most important assets and needs to be cared for and nurtured. The Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation is dedicated to ensuring that the Laguna survives and flourishes. Thank you Kevin for your dedication to enhancing the Laguna and for speaking with us! Great job!
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith 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!
And with pen in one hand, (my trusty lefty) this president of world's greatest Rotary Club gratefully accepted the gavel in his right with heartfelt thanks to Past President Kent Seegmiller for standing in during my recovery. Kent led Sunrise with gusto and set a pace matched by all to help me focus on gaining wind in my sails. Max Bridges edited my column kindly, in addition to his usual deadline meeting roles.
Sunrise' strength of succession and support of members is the best any leader can hope for! In so many ways you all let Betsy and me know you were available and making our uncertain period confident that Sunrise warmth and brightness never dimmed.
Whether a health issue, or last year's natural disaster, our diverse talents, resources and overarching commitment to Service Above Self has woven us together in a quilt of Kevlar resilience.
Let's get together this Saturday at Penny and Paul's and celebrate Sunrise!!
Sunrise Rotarians were warmly greeted by official greeter Marina Cachet, accompanied by a snowman, Santa, and a comfy couch upon which to snuggle and out the next 28 days until Christmas. Pancakes topped with apples in syrup and whipped cream added a sweet touch to the usually sumptuous breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit, biscuits, OJ and coffee. Now is the time to invite prospective members to a festive Holiday breakfast!
It's traditional that the first Rotarian magazine of the Rotary year carries a profile of the incoming RI president and his or her family. I've always read those profiles with interest, never giving much thought to the possibility that one day, I might be the one bringing a writer from the magazine to my Rotary club meeting! I have never liked a lot of attention, and the idea of having my picture on the magazine cover made me a bit uncomfortable. But when I saw the photo the editors chose, I smiled. Because the star of that picture definitely isn't me, or even my wife, Esther. It's the flock of flamingos, none of which could care less about Rotary, all strutting past us in the same direction. All of them — except one.
I couldn't think of a more appropriate image to reflect the message I want to convey to Rotarians. That one flamingo, going the other way, represents so much of what we need to do in Rotary. That flamingo knows everyone's going one way. She sees it. But she also sees that maybe the path they're on isn't the best path. Maybe, just maybe, there's a better path over there, and she wants to get a good look before she goes marching on with her friends. And if, when she does stop and look, that new path does seem better, she'll call the rest of the crew to come over and check it out with her. And maybe, just maybe, they'll all choose that better path together.
Change is hard. And the longer we've been going one way, the more friends we have with us, the harder it is to be the one who turns around and does it differently. But change — not change for its own sake, but careful, considered, goal-directed change — is essential for any organization that wants to evolve, stay relevant, and move forward in the right direction.
So take a look at that picture, but don't look at me. I'm not the one that cover's about. That cover is about the flamingo. It's about having the curiosity, the courage, and the conviction to look at different paths that might be better — whether you're out for a stroll on a beautiful Bahamas morning, or helping chart the course for our organization.
For many of us, December is a time of reflection about the year that is about to end. We think about the things we resolved to do and compare that with what we actually got done. Many times we surprise ourselves when we realize we achieved even more than we had hoped. We also start thinking about the new year and, with the best of intentions, commit ourselves to even greater accomplishments.
It is a time when our thoughts turn to the things that are important to us — and nothing is as important as family. We are grateful for those we love and for those who love us. For Rotarians, that encompasses a large number of people around the world, because our concept of family includes not only our immediate relatives but also those many friends we have made over the years sharing Rotary. Each of us is much like a stone thrown into a pond, creating many ripples. When our ripples intersect with the ripples of our family and friends, we truly have an impact on our world.
We also think about the organizations that are important to us and that exist because of our generosity as well as the generosity of others. We voluntarily support these organizations and generously contribute our time, talent, and treasure to further their work and make our world a better place for all. And through this work, our family gets even larger.
Our family and our impact continue to grow each year through our commitment to and support of our Rotary Foundation. Working together creates a synergy that allows one person to truly make a difference. And when we all work together and commit ourselves to a cause, there is no limit to what we can accomplish. In that process we are bound together and become an even more close-knit family.
So at this special time of year, as you reflect on your family and the good things in your life, think about your Rotary legacy. Now is the time to make your lasting commitment so that the important work of our Foundation will continue in perpetuity.
When contractor Douglas Gardner, a member of the Rotary Club of Chandler-Horizon in Arizona, heard about the flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, he wanted to help people rebuild. He contacted Amy Hinchman of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands, Texas, and they developed a plan.
They put together a furniture drive for people whose homes had been flooded. Then, through Woodlands connections, they learned about Terrie Stelter, a veteran who had volunteered after Hurricane Katrina. Stelter — who is a full-time caregiver to her mother; to her sister, who has multiple sclerosis; and to a five-year-old daughter — had seen water rise to waist level in her house, rendering it uninhabitable.
Gardner and Hinchman decided to rebuild Stelter’s home and raised $43,000 from their clubs as well as the Rotary clubs of Tempe South, Arizona, and Lakeway/Lake Travis, Texas.
The two met for the first time in November 2017, when Gardner flew to Houston to survey Stelter’s house and figure out what materials would be needed. He came up with a big shopping list: 2,100 square feet of flooring; 800 feet of baseboard and door trim; two new toilets; two bathroom sinks; kitchen cabinets; a stove and microwave; dozens of sheets of wallboard; exterior siding; and new furniture.
In January, Gardner and four fellow Rotarians from Arizona traveled to Texas, where they were joined by Woodlands Rotarians and their friends. For 11 days, the building site hummed with activity. “The only time I took off was for church on Sunday morning,” says Gardner. “There were volunteers on site every day, and we just had a great time. The camaraderie of the two clubs was so terrific.”
The volunteers worked through temperatures ranging from the teens to the 80s — “we went from gloves and earmuffs to sweating through our T-shirts,” Hinchman says — and though some lacked experience, none lacked enthusiasm.
“Our club president came to help,” Hinchman says. “He said, ‘I’m not good at anything.’ So we had him paint closets, where mistakes don’t count. And for those who didn’t have the time or the skills to volunteer, we set up a registry at Bed Bath & Beyond so they could give that way. Things like this make me proud to be part of Rotary.
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