Tom is a Financial Advisor at Edward Jones and a Past President of Santa Rosa East Rotary. He also is a co-founder of the Rotary/Kiwanis Tribute to Veterans and a longtime fundraiser for the "Every 15 Minutes" program.

Tom and Andrea have two grown children,  four grand kids and one grand dog.

His presentation will be:

"my return to Vietnam after 50 years"

(the healing is pretty much complete)

We held a “Change of Venue” meeting this week at Landmark Vineyards in Kenwood. We socialized and relaxed after work beneath beautiful and peaceful old oaks in Landmark’s patio area. We were treated to amazing snacks and an assortment of fine Landmark wines. Our own President Elect, Jennifer Adams, gave a brief explanation of the wines served. Jennifer also served the wine with her customary grace, cheerfulness and wit!

President Marty made a few brief remarks (just to make sure it counted as a meeting!) and asked for an introduction to all of the spouses-significant others present. 

At the risk of forgetting one or more spouse-significant other, we welcomed these devoted partners to the meeting: Carolyn’s George Reese, soon-to-be member (we hope) Mary Banks, Sandy Batarseh, Ginny Behr, Dee Dee Bridges, Joanne Eakin, Molly Hoberg, Barbara Johnston, Ardys Jones, Betsy Randolph, Rebecca Johnson-Riel, Katharine Anderson, and Terry Stark. Former member Dick Perman and his wife also joined us!

Thanks to all of these wonderful partners for sharing their time with us, and thanks to everyone who helped on this project. It was a great way to pass some time with members and guests. Let’s have more of these! By the way, Jennifer reminded us that Landmark also has a tasting room at the old Hop Kiln Winery on Westside Road.

When Leroy Carlenzoli's GMC shows up, weeds wilt:  They know their bloom  doom is near.  Leroy and Rich Randolph descend on SOS' HQ last week and proceeded to catch up on trimming and weeding.  

Here is a before and after these two weed whackers swooped in.

The actual desired plants reappear after thinning out the wild roots.

It was a good workout!  Leroy and Rich punched out before noon with full yard-waste bin and sense of satisfaction.  Weeds wept.

Illustration by Viktor Miller Gausa

Anabella Palacios grew up in Argentina. Through Rotary, she has had the opportunity to learn through travel. In 1998, she spent a year in Istanbul as a Youth Exchange student. In 2008, she visited the Rotary clubs of North Carolina on a Group Study Exchange. She returned to North Carolina as a 2009-11 Rotary Peace Fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Now an economic development consultant for the World Bank in Washington, D.C., Palacios has continued her globe-trotting studies on a voyage to Antarctica. On 31 December, Palacios and 89 other women from 26 countries embarked on three weeks of study and exploration aboard the ice-strengthened polar vessel MV Ushuaia. The trip was organized by the women’s leadership initiative Homeward Bound.

THE ROTARIAN: How did you get involved in this trip, and what was its aim?

PALACIOS: I met a lady who told me, “I’m going to Antarctica at the end of the year.” I was like, “Regular people go there?” It had been a dream of mine. So I started fundraising, and in a month, I had raised 40 percent of my target.

Homeward Bound sees that there is a need to empower women in order to save the planet. How can we bring women from all over the world together to create a movement? It’s so important to increase the visibility of women working in science.

I’ve heard a lot of backlash about: “Why is this program for women? We need to work with men.” I agree, but we need to empower more women to be strong and act as examples. There are still so many barriers. Until the 1960s, Antarctica was a research station for men only. To me, that is crazy.

“Economic development and environmental issues have to be worked on together.” — Anabella Palacios

TR: How did you prepare?

PALACIOS: Training took a year. We had sessions about communication, leadership, presentation skills — all these topics that help you gain confidence and create change. And then it culminated with the trip. That’s the first time we all met face to face. The ship left from Argentina, and we met there for two days beforehand, so we had the opportunity to talk before we all got seasick.

TR: What did you do once you reached Antarctica?

PALACIOS: In the mornings, we worked together on projects. In the afternoons, we got to see the continent. Antarctica is like a big laboratory where you can see the effects of climate change. One of the penguin species we saw, the Adélie penguin, is in danger of extinction. You can see the retreat of the glaciers, and you can talk to people who are at the forefront of climate research.

TR: What does your experience with Rotary have in common with your experience in Antarctica?

PALACIOS: Being a peace fellow is about being true to your values. Leaders know what their values are, and every day they try to do something connected to them. I’m still reflecting on the lessons I learned from the Antarctica trip, but I definitely stepped off that ship with a lot more self-knowledge.

I also learned about leadership styles. Sometimes people think a leader has to be perfect and know all the answers, and that’s not quite human. We need leaders who make mistakes, laugh about them, and move on.

This trip helped me to focus on what I want to do in the long term. I always thought that economic development was just about erasing poverty, but now I think that economic development and environmental issues have to be worked on together.

— ANNE FORD

• This story originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of The Rotarian magazine.

Mark Daniel Maloney

President 2019-20

Here in the United States, another summer is winding down. And for the Maloney family, every summer ends with a return to my hometown of Ridgway, Illinois, for the annual Popcorn Day festival, where I am honored to serve as the “Popcorn King,” the master of ceremonies for the day’s events. 

Regardless of the season, every family has its own traditions. I would like to suggest a new one for yours: Find an opportunity to introduce your family to Rotary. One of my family’s traditions is to take our daughters and grandsons to the Rotary International Convention. The 2020 convention in Honolulu will be a wonderful way to introduce your children and grandchildren to the internationality of Rotary. We are planning many family-oriented events for everyone to enjoy.

Any time is a fabulous time to bring family members on a Rotary service project or to a fundraising event. But perhaps you have not seen many family-friendly events at your club. That is precisely why one of my top priorities this year is to make most Rotary events welcoming to family members.

We must foster a culture where Rotary does not compete with family, but complements it. We should never expect our members to choose between the two. That means being realistic in our expectations, considerate in our scheduling, and welcoming of children at Rotary events on every level.

Often, the young professionals that Rotary needs to attract in order to remain a dynamic 21st-century service organization are the very people who have the greatest family responsibilities. We must not keep these prospective young members away from their families by holding events on evenings and weekends at which their children are not welcome.

For too long, we have closed the doors of many Rotary events to children and sometimes even spouses. What wasted opportunities these are! Every chance we have to pass on the gift of Rotary to young people is one we must take if we are going to grow Rotary and ensure that the next generation is fully engaged in our mission.

So let us open our doors and do it in a fun way, with opportunities that make our children and grandchildren want to learn more about Interact, Rotaract, and Rotary membership. Start small if you must — perhaps by holding some of your meetings at more family-friendly times — but think about how you can continue these kinds of events for years to come.

Bringing children to Rotary events is not just fun; it also exposes them to the world! Make this a memorable year for your family — and an unforgettable year for the ever-expanding family of Rotary as Rotary Connects the World.