Patrick lives in Oakmont and works across the Wine Country building community networks with Sonoma and Napa Firewise communities and landowners. Patrick has pioneered industry breakthroughs in broadband, mobile, and IoT networks at Oracle and resources ventures.
Veteran's Tribute Celebration on November 7, 2024, with Special Guest Speaker Captain Brett Crozier, USN (ret.)
Our regular meeting for November 7, 2024, was moved to 11:30 a.m. at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, for the Santa Rosa Veteran’s Tribute celebration along with several hundred Rotarians, Kiwanis, veterans, and others. This was the first joint Veteran’s Day celebration since the pandemic! The Keynote Speaker was Captain Brett Crozier, USN (ret). The tribute included music from the Elsie Allen High marching band, the Pledge of Allegiance led by 100-year-old Army veteran Ted Moneymaker, the national anthem by Crystal McDougall-Purdy, invocations by Reverend Emily Stockert (Two Rock Valley Presbyterian Church), an introduction to Capt. Crozier by Congressman Mike Thompson (US Army vet.), and bagpipes, trumpets, and a color guard. It was a jam-packed and moving agenda.
Brett Crozier is a 1988 graduate of Santa Rosa High. He attended the U.S. Naval Academy, followed by a 30-year career in the Navy. He was a helicopter pilot, transferred to become a fighter pilot, and rose through the Navy’s ranks to eventually take command of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. Congressman Mike Thompson’s introduction gave us a glimpse of some of the veteran’s problems he and Congress have wrestled with over the years. Capt. Crozier also spoke about the problems facing veterans, as evidenced by higher than normal suicide rates and a recent increase in veteran homelessness, with approximately 35,000 veterans homeless in the U.S. on any given night. Veterans have historically faced conditions that the rest of us have never faced, including very serious and often under-diagnosed PTSD from their service in war zones. Brett told us that even though he was on active duty, he did not fully appreciate the true physical and emotional cost paid by veterans until he started working with veteran’s organizations when he was stationed in San Diego. He continues working on veterans issues.
In his talk, Captain Crozier did not mention the fact that his Naval career essentially ended when an outbreak of Covid-19 on the ship infected 25% of the 4,800 sailors. He sent an email to his superiors seeking help, but his plea was leaked to the media and embarrassed the Navy and administration.
The celebration and tribute were a rousing success. It brought out many veterans of all ages, was well-attended by Rotarians and Kiwanis; highlighted Sunrise’s own favorite high school, Elsie Allen; gave us some great historical background; highlighted ongoing problems faced by veterans as a result of their service; showed us again the easy and often comical rivalry between the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps., and Coast Guard; and gave us an opportunity to praise these American heroes and thank them for their service and sacrifice. It was a great return to an honored annual event, and we look forward to doing it again every year!
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!
Resuming after a four-year hiatus the annual Santa Rosa Kiwanis and Rotary clubs continued their tradition of providing tribute to Armed Forces Veterans.
Where is everyone? Taken the day before, setting up for the sold-out event took collaboration of men and women from Oakmont Kiwanis, Santa Rosa East-West and Sunrise Rotary clubs to dress tables and display recruiting posters to greet the anticipated 440+ guests.
Here's everyone!
Introduced by Congressman Mike Thompson, Keynote speaker Retired United States Navy Captain Brett Crozier addressed the post enlistment needs of veterans for healthcare, support for family members whose lives are impacted by deployment and extended absence. The Captain and Congressman highlighted ongoing Veteran advocacy legislatively and locally.
The opening ceremony was punctuated by Elsie Allen Marching Band and the Pledge of Allegiance robustly led by World War II Army Centenarian Ted Moneymaker of Sebastopol.
In case you missed it, the program includes a QR code for the band.
Support for our Veterans come deeply throughout the community. Sharon Root shared her plan to present Captain Crozier her Battle of Midway 75th anniversary commemorative coin. It was issued to honor Veterans of the war turning battle of Midway. The list of sponsors below is long.
The luncheon concluded as the Sonoma County Sheriffs Color Guard retired the Colors and echoing trumpeters blew Taps.
One of Rotary’s greatest strengths is the ability of our members to come together to create lasting change, and The Rotary Foundation helps us transform dreams of change into reality.
From eradicating polio to building peace, much of the work we do around the world would not be possible without our continued support of our Foundation.
The cause of peace is especially important to me, and one of the most effective ways we build peace is our Rotary Peace Fellowship — a product of The Rotary Foundation. The program helps current and aspiring peace and development professionals around the world learn how to prevent and how to end conflict.
Thanks to a $15.5 million gift from the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation, we can continue supporting peacebuilders in more regions with the next Rotary Peace Center, at Bahçeşehir University in Istanbul.
Opening yet another peace center is a monumental achievement that we will celebrate at the 2025 Rotary Presidential Peace Conference in Istanbul.
The three-day conference 20-22 February will highlight the many ways our family of Rotary advocates for peace. Keynote speakers, panel discussions, and breakout sessions will allow us to share ideas about building peace and foster meaningful conversations about promoting peace everywhere.
Registration for the Presidential Peace Conference is open. I hope to see you there, but if you can’t make it, our Foundation offers so many ways to change the world for the better. November is Rotary Foundation Month, a great time to get to know your Foundation better and pursue causes that appeal to you.
Global grants support large international activities with sustainable, measurable outcomes in Rotary’s areas of focus. By working together to respond to pressing community needs, clubs and districts strengthen their global partnerships.
District grants fund small-scale, short-term activities that address needs in your community and in communities abroad. Each district chooses which activities it will fund with these grants.
Our Foundation can even help you support our wonderful youth programs, including Rotary Youth Exchange, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Interact.
Your gifts to our Foundation also make Programs of Scale possible. These are long-term projects that seek to solve otherwise intractable problems.
To ensure these good works continue beyond our lifetimes, it is up to us to reach our ambitious Rotary Endowment goal of $2.025 billion by 30 June 2025.
TheMagic of Rotary does not appear out of nowhere. We create the magic with every new member inducted, every project completed, and every dollar donated to our Foundation.
Please join me in supporting The Rotary Foundation, and together, we will change the world for the better.
You can find all prior "RI President's Messages" at this LINK
There are as many reasons to join Rotary as there are members. Most join for experiences — new friendships, expanding professional circles, or putting Service Above Self into action to create impact.
Rotary delivers on all of these, often simultaneously. Through our Rotary Foundation, Rotary also has a knack for offering unexpected experiences and new opportunities that open doors and change lives.
I learned this firsthand at age 30 when I served as president of the Rotary Club of Decatur, Alabama. That year, my wife and I sought out the chance to try something new: attending the 1985 Rotary International Convention in Kansas City, Missouri. There, we witnessed the dawn of PolioPlus and met members from different backgrounds, realizing we were part of a global family.
Later that year, I learned that a Rotary Group Study Exchange team from Nigeria was scheduled to visit Alabama, but Decatur was not on the agenda. After making a few calls, we soon welcomed the Nigerian team into our home. It was an incredible and unexpected experience.
Before the group departed, the team leader recommended me to lead the six-member team from Alabama that would visit Nigeria the following year, which I did. There, I met people whose lives had been impacted by polio, including several family members of our hosts. I learned that polio reaches its victims across borders, economies, and religions.
That Foundation program — Group Study Exchange — opened my eyes to what Rotary is and what it can do. Taking part in the exchange set me on a path for new friendships and opportunities to serve on multiple continents.
Just as The Rotary Foundation has enriched my Rotary life, it can do the same for you. This month, during Rotary Foundation Month, I invite you to explore new Foundation experiences.
Look for ways you and your club can support Foundation-led efforts like polio eradication, disaster response, or the Rotary Peace Centers. Get involved in global grant or district grant projects. And if you have never had the experience of giving to our Foundation, I invite you to join other Rotary members as a Foundation donor. Your support will mean the world to both Rotary members who want to help and to the individuals and communities who need it.
The Rotary Foundation is not a place or a building. It is an experience, one that lives in our hearts and hands as we do good in the world. The Rotary Foundation is all of us.
You can find all prior "Messages from the Foundation Trustee Chair" at this LINK
The Rotary Club of Guatemala La Reforma’s Upcycling Art Festival featured whimsical sculptures and paintings created with cast-off materials such as paper and cardboard, wood scraps, glass, plastics, metal, rubber, and electronic waste. Like many countries, Guatemala struggles with solid waste management, notes Esther Brol, a past club president who pioneered the event in 2023. “Pushing artists out of their comfort zone by challenging them to create works of art from waste has generated wonderful results,” including raising funds for club projects and The Rotary Foundation, she says. The club partnered with the Rotaract Club of Guatemala La Reforma and the Rotary Club of Los Altos Quetzaltenango to organize the three-week exposition and sale that concluded 5 June.
Canada
The annual Concert to Feed the Need has raised nearly $90,000 since 2018 to offer meals in the Durham region in Ontario, through a network of food banks, meal and snack programs, shelters, and other social service providers. Feed Ontario reports an increase of 47 percent in the number of employed people using food banks since 2018. “With the rising cost of food and the impact of the pandemic still being felt, food bank use is soaring,” says Joe Solway, a member of the Rotary Club of Bowmanville, which initiated the event. Members of six other Rotary clubs also sell sponsorships and tickets and promote the show, an eclectic mix of pop, folk, country, rock, blues, gospel, “and maybe this year some opera,” Solway says. Media attention surrounding the concert and its acclaimed performers helped it yield nearly $23,000 in 2023. The 2024 event will take place on 8 December.
This story originally appeared in the November 2024 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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The Rotary Club of Guatemala La Reforma’s Upcycling Art Festival featured whimsical sculptures and paintings created with cast-off materials such as paper and cardboard, wood scraps, glass, plastics, metal, rubber, and electronic waste. Like many countries, Guatemala struggles with solid waste management, notes Esther Brol, a past club president who pioneered the event in 2023. “Pushing artists out of their comfort zone by challenging them to create works of art from waste has generated wonderful results,” including raising funds for club projects and 
The annual Concert to Feed the Need has raised nearly $90,000 since 2018 to offer meals in the Durham region in Ontario, through a network of food banks, meal and snack programs, shelters, and other social service providers.