Codie Welsh, Manager of Volunteers and Grief Services at Providence at Home/Compassus Hospice of Sonoma County
At our regular meeting on November 6, 2025, Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary welcomed our speaker, Codie Welsh, Manager of Volunteer & Grief Services at Providence at Home with Compassus. Codie has a BA in Communications from UCSB and has been with Providence at Home/Compassus Hospice of Sonoma County (and its predecessors) for over 20 years. She loves working with and supporting others while leading the hospice’s community programs. One of Codie’s goals is to help educate the public about hospice programs.
Hospice is a form of palliative care that gained momentum in the 1970s. There are now over 5,000 hospice programs in the U.S. Local hospice programs currently serve approximately 240 people daily in Sonoma County. Providence Hospice began as Petaluma Hospice in 1977 and came to Santa Rosa Memorial in the 1990’s. Hospice care provides comprehensive support for patients and families during end-of-life situations. The hospice team usually includes nurses, therapists, grief counselors, spiritual care, home health aides, primary doctors, social workers, and volunteers who provide comprehensive support to patients and families. Codie recommended early referrals to hospice services rather than waiting until the final days of life, noting that with proper support, patients can sometimes experience extended lifespans and improved quality of life. People have choices of hospice programs. Hospice programs are typically covered under Medicare and follow the Medicare model, with in-network providers. Volunteers play a crucial role in hospice services, typically committing 2-3 hours weekly and serving in different capacities. The Providence foundation's fundraising efforts help provide additional support for patients and families who have financial needs. The organization also hosts community education events and participates in local gatherings, including an upcoming event on December 6th in Railroad Square.
One of Codie’s missions is dispelling myths regarding hospice. Codie mentioned that some believe that hospice will shorten lives. Incorrect; hospice provides comfort and counseling and neither hastens nor postpones death. A patient does not need to be at risk of imminent death; a prognosis of death within six months qualifies one for hospice services. Hospice is not assisted suicide; all necessary medical care, CPR, and medication directly related to the prognosis can be provided. Patients do not need a doctor’s referral. Hospice programs’ goals are to provide 24/7 support, help people live the best they can, and provide support to the patient and family.
Thank you so much, Codie, for the helpful program and explanation of hospice programs.
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of Codie's presentation.
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!
November's Sunrise Hike - Point Reyes at Tomales Point Elk Preserve
Joining the hike was, Dan, Warren, Marty, Phyllis (Marty’s sister-in-law), Eric Goodman (guest of Marty, and previous speaker to our club), Jessica Dominguez, Richard Ziegler, and Richard’s wife (Clarinda Ziegler)
On Saturday, November 8th, Beautiful weather and impressive elk herds welcomed the group on the Tomales Point hike.
Surprisingly warm weather made for a very enjoyable hike, and the group stopped about 2 1/2 miles in to enjoy lunch on the top of a hill overlooking the Pacific Ocean, Bodega Bay, and the quaint town of Dillon Beach.
On the way back home, the group stopped at the local market in Point Reyes to enjoy some of the wildly popular Water Buffalo Soft Serve.
November 14, Friday marks the 21st Annual Veterans Tribute luncheon.
Organized and sponsored by Santa Rosa Kiwanis and Rotary Club member and their business this year the event resumes at the
Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building.
Purchase your two tickets from Ralph Harryman or Rich Randolph. Invite a Veteran or donate one ticket. Your attendance shows support to our Armed Forces Veterans!
Colonel Misty, Zelk Air National Guard Physician and combat veteran of Iraq and currently Medical Director at Spring Lake Village is our keynote speaker.
Sunrise members are asked to purchase two tickets: one for yourself and one for a veteran. Cash or check are accepted, checks need be payable to Santa Rosa Sunrise Rotary, memo Veterans Luncheon.
An elderly looking gentleman, (mid-nineties) very well dressed, hair well-groomed, great looking suit, flower in his lapel, smelling slightly of a good aftershave, presenting a well-looked-after image, walks into an upscale cocktail lounge.
Seated at the bar is an elderly looking lady.
The gentleman walks over, sits alongside her, orders a drink, takes a sip, turns to her, and says, “So tell me, do I come here often?”
This November, as we celebrate The Rotary Foundation, I invite you to consider not only what we give but why we give. The Foundation is more than a fund for projects. It is the beating heart of our promise that service, rooted in trust and friendship, can create lasting change.
Our Action Plan calls us to increase our impact, and the Foundation is how we make this vision real. Since 1988, Rotary and our partners have immunized nearly 3 billion children against polio. We have committed more than $2.6 billion to this cause, and last year alone we directed $146 million toward the final push for eradication. These numbers are significant, but the true impact is not in statistics — it is in the lives of children who will never again fear polio. It is in the hope restored to families and the peace built in communities once defined by disease.
But polio is only one story among many. Each year, Rotary Peace Centers train new generations of leaders who will transform conflict into dialogue and division into understanding. In 2023-24, nearly 100 new fellows began their studies, continuing a legacy of more than 1,800 peacebuilders from over 140 countries. When we invest in them, we are planting seeds of peace that will bear fruit for decades to come.
The Foundation also touches lives through district and global grants, supporting projects large and small. A clean water well for a rural community, scholarships for young professionals, medical care in the wake of disaster — these are not temporary gestures, but steps toward dignity, resilience, and opportunity. This is how Rotary service becomes lasting impact. And when natural disasters strike, our Foundation allows Rotary to act quickly with disaster response grants.
Our Foundation is not about what we can do alone but what we can do together. Each contribution, no matter its size, joins with others to create a collective act of faith in humanity and in the future.
The last mile of any great journey is always the hardest. We see this in our final steps toward ending polio, in our work for peace, and in every project that seeks to lift people out of despair. Yet every time we give, we declare that our work will continue regardless of the challenge.
This November, let us give with gratitude, with joy, and with hope. Through our Foundation, we Unite for Good, and in doing so, we leave behind not only projects but a legacy of peace, trust, and Service Above Self.
You can find all prior "RI President's Messages" at this LINK
Many of you will remember the theme I chose as RI president in 2020-21: Rotary Opens Opportunities. I remain passionate about these opportunities and I know you do too.
As we celebrate Rotary Foundation Month, let’s reflect on the many ways the Foundation makes the world better. Rotary is extraordinary, and the Foundation amplifies that impact.
I encourage all of you — in Rotary and Rotaract clubs — to discover this for yourselves. Go beyond the local level and engage with The Rotary Foundation globally. You can partner with clubs to boost literacy in Guatemala or fight malaria in Zambia. You can make a difference with clean water initiatives reaching millions or maternal health programs saving lives across continents.
It doesn’t stop there. Through major impact projects like Programs of Scale, we’re pursuing bold initiatives that push Rotary’s potential to create lasting change further. Greater impact and greater visibility: this is our path forward.
Many of you have asked about the status of Rotary’s biggest impact project in history — our long-term commitment to polio eradication. Recently, RI President Francesco Arezzo, International PolioPlus Committee Chair Michael McGovern, and I met with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the army leadership of Pakistan. Everyone is fully committed to eradicating polio once and for all. We were absolutely convinced by the work of Pakistan’s emergency operations centers, where experts plan and coordinate vaccination.
While some governments scale back support for polio eradication, Rotary remains committed to its pledge to raise $50 million again this year. This meeting reaffirmed our unwavering commitment to finishing this historic mission.
What excites me most is seeing how each of us can make a real difference through our Foundation. I urge everyone — especially newcomers to Rotary — to explore these opportunities. Find your passion among our areas of focus and discover projects to support, especially through global grants.
We members fund, sustain, and deliver these projects. That’s why the Foundation consistently earns top ratings from Charity Navigator. If you don’t want to lead a project, you can still be part of the Foundation through annual support.
Our fundraising goal for 2025-26 is an ambitious $500 million. Your gift this month will create countless opportunities.
We have incredible opportunities before us, and the impact we achieve together through The Rotary Foundation is exponential. The proof is undeniable.
You can find all prior "Messages from the Foundation Trustee Chair" at this LINK
A talent showcase held by the Rotary Club of Carpinteria in California has raised more than $325,000 since 2009. The club has used the funds for service projects, including purchasing about 300 musical instruments for children and awarding around 100 college scholarships. A sellout for the 16th straight year, April’s showcase presented a range of entertainers, including dancers, musicians, storytellers, comedians, and jugglers. “All of our members play a role in one way or another” in organizing the show, says Club President David Powdrell. “‘Find what brings you joy and get involved’ is our motto.” Several participants over the years have gone on to become professional entertainers, including Will Breman, who found success on the television series The Voice, and magician Mark Collier.
Canada
When leaders at the Rotary Club of St. Thomas in Ontario noticed a lack of engagement, the club adapted by adjusting its schedule to allow more time for service. The result has been astonishing, with an energized mission and growing interest by prospective members, says Barbara Warnock, immediate past president of the club. “Meeting every week was a deterrent to new members, and we felt that we needed to have more active participation in local projects,” says Warnock. The club now meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, with the other Wednesdays designated for volunteering at two local organizations: Grace Café, a street mission and soup kitchen, and Harvest Hands, which collects and distributes edible foodstuffs that would ordinarily have been discarded. “Our Rotarians have embraced this work to contribute to feeding those in need,” Warnock says.
This story originally appeared in the November 2025 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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A talent showcase held by the Rotary Club of Carpinteria in California has raised more than $325,000 since 2009. The club has used the funds for service projects, including purchasing about 300 musical instruments for children and awarding around 100 college scholarships. A sellout for the 16th straight year, April’s showcase presented a range of entertainers, including dancers, musicians, storytellers, comedians, and jugglers. “All of our members play a role in one way or another” in organizing the show, says Club President David Powdrell. “‘Find what brings you joy and get involved’ is our motto.” Several participants over the years have gone on to become professional entertainers, including Will Breman, who found success on the television series The Voice, and magician Mark Collier.
When leaders at the Rotary Club of St. Thomas in Ontario noticed a lack of engagement, the club adapted by adjusting its schedule to allow more time for service. The result has been astonishing, with an energized mission and growing interest by prospective members, says Barbara Warnock, immediate past president of the club. “Meeting every week was a deterrent to new members, and we felt that we needed to have more active participation in local projects,” says Warnock. The club now meets the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month, with the other Wednesdays designated for volunteering at two local organizations: