Santa Rosa Rotary Joint Cherkasy, Ukraine relief project
After college Dan served as an officer in the US Navy in Newfoundland and on Treasure Island. An IT consulting job in Venezuela broadened his interests in meeting people of different cultures and global politics. The MBA program at The University of Texas developed his programming skills leading to a job at Santa Rosa’s Optical Coating Laboratories.
In 1977 he left OCLI to start his own computer programming business. Multiple iterations of this continued until 2011. The recessionary business climate convinced him it was time to get out leading to his encore career in solar sales with a fortuitous connection from Peter Hoberg.
Dan was the driving force to co-found the SRKSEP student exchange with Kagoshima, Japan in 1987.
With Sunrise Rotary, Dan went on eyeglass projects to Guatemala and Western Samoa and with Seeds of Learning traveled to El Salvador on school building projects.
Captains John Cregan (SRPD) and Scott Westrope (SRFD) Discuss Measure O Renewal
Our speakers for Thursday, June 2, 2022, were Chief Scott Westrope, Santa Rosa Fire Department, and Chief John Cregan, Santa Rosa Police Department. Their topic was the upcoming vote in 2025 regarding renewing Measure O, the 1/4 cent sales tax approved by the voters in November 2004. This measure will sunset in 2025 unless reauthorized by 2/3 of Santa Rosa voters.Measure O has provided dedicated funding for public safety and violence prevention programs. Authorized expenditures from Measure O funds include SRPD spending on patrol, traffic control, gang enforcement, school resource services, and bicycle patrol. SRFD can use Measure O funds for hiring firefighters and paramedics, the construction or relocation of fire stations, and purchasing specialized equipment. These funds are especially important to the SRFD when you consider the importance of emergency response personnel and equipment in key population centers so that 911 services can maintain emergency response time. The FD has also used these funds to rebuild and improve fire stations. SRPD has used Measure O funds to provide increased patrol services, respond to local emergencies, conduct enhanced traffic enforcement, and increased downtown police visibility. The PD also uses these funds for funding violence prevention partnerships with over 50 organizations that focus on strengthening youth and families and creating safe neighborhoods.
What happens if Measure O is not renewed? Public safety agencies will lose approximately $10 million in annual funding, resulting in lay-offs, closing down neighborhood fire stations, and much slower 911 response times. Many of the programs the agencies use for gang prevention and school resource services, will likely cease to exist or be far less effective. In other words, the loss of Measure O funds could be a public safety nightmare!
Thank you, Captains, for getting ahead of this problem. We appreciate your bringing us this important message. By the way, Captain Cregan spoke to us on March 24, 2022, and the summary of his presentation is in the bulletin for the following week. He's a repeat offender!
Click HERE to view a recording of the captain's presentation. It is avaiable for a limited time.
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!
Do you recall Nelson Mandela dying in prison and his funeral being televised? Or do you recall him being exonerated and becoming president of South Africa? Enter the Mandela Effect: this is where a large collective of people believe an event happened, but in reality, that event never occurred.
This name refers to the mass false memory of Mandela dying in prison in the 1980s when he actually passed in 2013. Today the term Mandela Effect is used to describe a false memory, but even though it is false it is real in the minds of many people. A couple of other examples of these misconceptions are people believing that Looney Tunes is spelled Looney Toons, and that Curious George has a tail.
So how can a large group of people independently come up with the same incorrect memory? U.K. Experimental Psychology Professor, Tim Hollins believes that one of the reasons this phenomenon occurs is due to "gist memory." Gist memory is when someone has the general knowledge of a subject but does not have a grasp of the specifics. For instance, people are going to remember Curious George with a tail, because, monkeys in real life have tails. Hollins does not believe that the Mandela Effect is a product of a parallel universe. He thinks it is rubbish, and there are people too stubborn to admit they are wrong.
However, there are folks who are adamant that the Mandela Effect is a sign of a parallel universe. Fiona Broome, is the person who came up with the term "Mandela Effect". She vehemently believes that Mandela's death in person was a clear event even though it never occurred in this reality. Her explanation points to several popular theories that the Mandela Effect occurs when our realities interact with other realities or a parallel universe. These theories are based on quantum physics and string theory. These forms of thought are beyond my threshold of understanding, but they are fascinating and still not entirely proven by math or science. A controversial theory like the string theory certainly has a sexy vibe to it.
Do you believe that the Mandela Effect could be evidence of a parallel universe? Or do you hold the notion that our memories are fallible? I'm looking forward to a lively discussion of this topic over a delightful al fresco dinner. Who wants to join me?
Preparations began 24 hours ahead! President Jen cracked eggs while Art King, Ken Petro and Rich Randolph set table and chairs for the 200 graduating seniors soon to assemble for breakfast.
Merle Hayes cut fruit, her daughter Kathy spearheaded the event normally coordinated by a graduation-night group of parents and volunteers. This year Sunrise stepped up prep, set up, cook and clean up for the near 200 2022 Lobos graduates.
Carolyn Anderson and Sunrise alum Noel Glab assisted , along with Penny Millar whose scrambled egg skill is legend!
Paul O Rear brought makin' bacon to a new level. Olin Leasher set sausages in precise order and doneness.
Pancakes were rolling off the Lion's Club rotating grill. In 30 minutes, 200 hungry exstatic seniors ate, reminisced and expressed thanks to the volunteers
Peter Hoberg topped hot chocolate, pancakes or fruit with whipped cream.
Raffle prizes included iTunes and Target gift cards and two students walked away with new Chrome pads.
Kudos to everyone for a marathon job of slicing, setting and overall SERVING ABOVE SELF!!!
For a high school dance, the head boy asked out the girl he liked. To get flowers for her, he had to stand in a line outside the florist for an hour. To make things worse, he had to wait another hour in a line outside the tuxedo shop. Finally, he goes to the dance with the girl. The girl wanted to have some apple punch so the boy went to get it, but to his surprise, there was no punch line.
You have lived up to every challenge, including to grow more, do more, and Rotary has grown in a way that we haven’t in many years. This year saw life-changing new projects across all areas of focus, as we took up important work at the highest level — with UNICEF, the Commonwealth, and global leaders. Our efforts opened opportunities to empower girls, improve the environment, and advance literacy and health.
I want to thank each of you for your proactive service. I also want to thank the wonderful Rotary staff for ensuring that we can work with care for our fellow human beings, with peace in our hearts.
Personally, this has been an extremely enriching year for Rashi and me. We’ve met with thousands of Rotarians and been inspired by their great work around the world. We were also able to showcase Rotary’s work at the highest level, meeting with heads of state, leaders, and bureaucrats and offering to work with them to show that Rotary cares and brings peace in this world. With our swan song, Rashi and I wish you the very best as you Serve to Change Lives.
“Time can be an ally or an enemy,” author Zig Ziglar once wrote. “What it becomes depends entirely upon you, your goals, and your determination to use every available minute.”
Every June, as we wind down another year in Rotary, I ask myself if we have used the past 365 days well. To answer, let’s look at what we have accomplished.
Cases in the remaining wild-polio endemic countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, are at their lowest level in history. Challenges to global eradication remain and our work is not yet finished, but we are making encouraging progress, which wouldn’t be possible without your support.
Rotary needs to raise $50 million each year for polio eradication, and doing so during a pandemic is no easy task. But Rotary clubs adapt quickly. When in-person events weren’t possible, many clubs successfully raised funds online.
We hit another memorable mark during Giving Tuesday in November, when The Rotary Foundation got a boost by raising $1.2 million. We reached out to more current and prospective donors than ever before — almost 500,000 members across 40 countries. Some of our most engaged clubs were located in the Bahamas, India, Singapore, Taiwan, and the United States. We thank all of those members who made Giving Tuesday a success.
Due to travel restrictions this year, Rotary representatives couldn’t visit potential host universities as part of our ongoing effort to establish our next Rotary Peace Center in the Middle East or North Africa. But nothing stands in the way of our pursuit of peace; plans are still on for the Rotary Presidential Conference in Houston, 3-4 June, which will focus on peace, and I look forward to being there.
This year, Rotary made another contribution in our commitment to peace, approving more than 1,000 global, district, and disaster response grants to fulfill the needs of thousands around the world. For until hungry people are fed, families have access to clean water, and children everywhere are educated, we won’t truly have peace in the world.
We have used our time well this year, but our work is never complete. We always need and welcome more Rotary and Rotaract members who bring their hands, minds, and gifts so that Rotary-led Foundation projects will create lasting change for those who need it most.
As we approach 1 July, let us heed Ziglar’s words, remembering that how we spend the next 365 days largely depends on us and our determination to reach our goals. So let us do the best we can with the time we have been given, today. And let us begin again, every day.
Rotary set to Discover New Horizons at its convention in Houston
The Rotary International Convention is always an exciting event that brings together members from around the world in a vibrant display of Rotary’s global diversity — the core of our strength. This year, the anticipation and sense of celebration are even more intense.
After holding two conventions virtually because of COVID-19, Rotary’s global member network will again gather in person and Discover New Horizons in Houston, Texas, USA, 4-8 June. The 2022 convention will be our first to combine virtual and in-person elements.
This is Houston’s third convention. It also hosted the Rotary world in 1914 and 1972.
Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta urged members to attend the general sessions to find new horizons in themselves, in their communities, and around the world.
“You will hear a fascinating lineup of speakers discuss the various ways that Rotary and our allies Serve to Change Lives,” he said. He also encouraged people to visit the House of Friendship, the ultimate destination for Rotary members to find the resources they need to make an impact.
The gathering will transform the George R. Brown Convention Center into an energized hub and cultural mosaic as Rotary’s people of action discuss how they serve their communities, learn from experts, gain inspiration from notable speakers, and connect with friends.
Participants will have vital conversations about global issues like eradicating polio, promoting peace, reducing pollution, helping refugees, preventing disease, and advancing literacy.
The convention will once again illustrate that Rotary is stronger when we are all more connected.
Convention highlights
World-class speakers will include:
Retired U.S. General Charlie Duke, an astronaut in the Apollo missions
Orion Jean, 2021 TIME Boy of the Year; Founder, Race to Kindness
Dr. Hamid Jafari, director of polio eradication for the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean region
Gingger Shankar, a filmmaker, musician, and activist
Anbita Nadine Siregar, a founder of Generation Girl
People who can’t attend in person can take part in the virtual convention, which will include livestreamed general sessions and select breakout sessions, as well as a virtual House of Friendship. We’ve built on our previous experience with convention apps and used what we’ve learned about online meetings in the past two years to create a hybrid experience that will keep people connected. Recordings will be available through 31 August.
The Rotary Presidential Conference Houston: Serve to Bring Peace, 3-4 June, will focus on our work to create more peaceful and resilient societies. It’s the last of seven presidential conferences around the world this Rotary year and offers a chance to network with Rotary’s peacebuilding community.
The House of Friendship is the perfect place to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones. Learn from others, share ideas, and motivate each other to keep creating lasting change.
Attendees in Houston can enjoy events organized by local clubs, learn about the city, and see how members are making meaningful changes all over the world.
In-person attendees can reduce their carbon impact and help protect the environment (Rotary’s latest area of focus) by downloading a special version of the Footprint app to track their efforts to offset the release of carbon dioxide through a Host Organization Committee project.
At the 2023 convention booth, you can register for the convention in Melbourne at a special reduced rate, book accommodations, and buy tickets to special events. Learn what Melbourne offers visitors and chat with staff and local members.
Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Sunrise - Founded June 30, 1986
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