Rotary Meeting 12-18-18
President Sandi Krutz opened the meeting at 7:30 ish.
Pledge was led by Warin Parker (welcome back).
Inspiration was offered by Tom Hassur, who opened with a quote from George Carlin and closed on a Hopkins quote.
Scribe of note: Tom Boylan
Our songstress was somewhere other than here when we broke into a verse or two of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
Guests of Rotarians:
Jack Hyde introduced his lovely first lady, Janet Hyde.
Mike Raasch was a proud father introducing his two daughters, Lexie & Shelby.
Abigail walked in, which was a first according to Robin Resendez.
Santa aka Dick Bishop and his elf aka Pam.
(This pause was presented by a very tardy PowerPoint)
Announcements:
We came back just in time for Warrin Parker to come back. He is in great shape and back to work too.
Michael Juric says imagine what you can do if you knew you couldn’t fail. That was the perfect introduction to John LeCave, who introduced Tom Boylan’s post card for attracting sponsors to our annual gala on April 6th.
John let us know that we don’t need a committee, but rather a committee of all. If you have someone you can call on and discuss sponsorship opportunities… Just do it. If you need to hand off your connection to the pros, both John LeCave and Craig Curreri are the go to pros to close the deal.
Pegi Ball gave us a report on the annual Bell Manor luncheon. A great time was had by all 57 seniors who participated. Pegi added a thank you for all the support for her family who lost their homes in Paradise.
Jack Hyde has sheltered so many of our props over the years and an amazing group of volunteers under the leadership of Maureen Merrill and Wally Krutz led the band of jolly Rotarians as they leaned out the storage and relocated to a space that was offered byGlenda Sales.
Maureen is promoting an adult play that is coming up in Santa Rosa… Titled: Sex with Strangers. It is a weird title, but a fun play and an opportunity to have a fun social with other Rotarians.
Carol Martin let us know that there are many opportunities to do good things. So President Sandy took the opportunity to hand Carol her Paul Harris Fellowship.
Recognitions (Fines):
Karen Ricketts was tasked as the fine aster for the meeting and she showed great tact in her endeavor.
Bill Conklin was the first to be recognized for his adventures and his stash of golf tees… That cost him a bit.
Mike Raasch was called out for being a parent that could coax his daughters to wake up early while on vacation and accompany him to Rotary.
Glenda Sales copped to her turning a new leaf in the age department (as a gentleman I will not disclose she is 50) and she made a donation to John Lewis.
Chris Landwher is paying his fines for the new used Toyota he is sporting.
Pam Moulton went away on a Rotoplast journey to India and had an overwhelming trip that she is going to share with us at a later date. She brought Ganesha… For president Sandy. There is a connection between the goddess and Sandy. Chris Brannan, a Rotarian from Fortuna, was on the trip and planned his moves perfectly with a special proposal to his now fiancé Michelle.
Dennis Wilkensen can’t recall that he actually celebrated his birthday a month ago. Brian Ling suggested a $5 per day since his birthday would be appropriate… He made a smaller donation to John Lewis so that he could have Karen move to the next victim.
Pegi Ball donated on behalf of Jack and Janet Hyde’s anniversary.
Bill Bolster threw out a special thank you to all the bell ringers that managed to bring in the holiday spirit through the many donations they collected. He also sported a shiny new skirt.
Program (Craft Talks):
We had a craft talk of Alison Huber. She went big with a declaration of her love of the Yankees and the Giants… The New York variety. Alison is a Chico (party school) grad who was born and raised in Syracuse, New York.
Alison works for a filtration group that makes the world a better place for people. They provide healthier options through the four divisions her company offers. Her indoor filtration division is credited for keeping people… even in Vegas… healthier for the air the breathe.
Alison also loves her coworkers… Robots. She gave us a visual of her filters, which has helped the company to grow dramatically in the number of workers they employ and their worldwide distribution of their products.
When responding to the question of “Why Rotary?” She shared her first introduction to Rotary was at our Lobster Feed, where she met Bill Bolster, and the rest is history. Alison is thinking we are a perfect fit for her since we are gregarious and fun and doing good things.
Mike Raasch (no middle name) decided to pay his fines before he started his speech. He is one of twelve kids and grew up in Los Angeles facing some tough times in his earliest years. His decision to get into law enforcement was due in large part to the giving of the LA police force that took care of the underprivileged kids each year.
Mike also gives credit to his teachers and his coaches that helped him understand the importance of focusing on his future. He played baseball and football through his school days and went on to play baseball for Los Angeles Junior College before being recruited to play for Sonoma State University. He played baseball and football while majoring in Criminal Justice. When he graduated he found it tough to get a job, so he did a variety of jobs while attending the Police academy.
His first law enforcement gig was with the Sausalito PD, and then he made the transition to the Sonoma Sheriffs Department. His career has made a lot of turns,including his time as a detective. His goal is to be around for another promotion, which ideally would be Cheif of the Windsor Police… He was politically correct and let us know this would be after our current Chief Carlos Basurto retires.
Mike is an athlete and although he isn’t training for a triathlon these days, he can be found working out in the local gyms and in cross fit training. His other muscle game is in fixing his 65 Mustang… A muscle car.
He introduced his family photo with his daughters and his wife, Stacey. Great sense of humor and proud to be a Rotarian.
We closed the morning with a generous donation to our weekly server, Rick.
Merry Christmas to all… and to all a good night!