Blood Drive
Another great Blood Drive -
Thank you Lew for organizing and Rotarians & friends for helping & donating
Stories
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March SocialMarch fun social at Bushfire Kitchen  |
Rotary & Club NewsVisitor's Day was a huge success with over 12 guests to see the great work that Rotary and our club does One of the highlights was inducting Charles Koll as a new member - the third generation of Kolls as Rotarians!! Proud dad, Malcolm pinned him, Paul as Membership Chair read the induction, and President Susan handed him his red badge, and then the club gave him a standing ovation.  We were also pleased to learn that Joe Kuhn and the Hilton will be joining us as Corporate Members. Welcome all!!! Herb connected us with Chikondi Dyson in Malawi who we are helping attend college and got an update on his activities  Vicky showed a video and updated us on the status of the Rotary Foundation's End Polio Now campaign and reminded us of their pledge of $50MM pledge toward this goal, which is matched 2x1 by the Gates Foundation. Herb shared that they have also made 300,000 grants totaling $15MM to Ukraine  John van Cleef, the CEO of the Community Resource Center and Encinitas Rotarian, was our speaker today and updated us on the long range plans of this wonderful non-profit that started as a bread truck in 1979. Susan showed some old photos of our 15+ year support of the CRC, including the Holiday Food Baskets program   Di, as Community Service Chair, presented John two checks from our club: $500 for their Capital Campaign and $1000 for their Mental Health program. President Susan thanked him for being our speaker by presenting him with a certificate showing our support of OEF in El Salvador with the emphasis on children's education, health, and development  We hope we will see all our guests at our social next Thursday, 3/16 at Bushfire Kitchen in Del Mar starting at 5:30, which will take the place of Friday's meeting. Also mark your calendars for the 7-Way Meeting on April 19 at the Hilton |
Happy Holi & International Women's Day  |
Rotary & Club NewsIt was a great day as Susan recognized George for all the wonderful things he has done for Rotary, his family, the community, and the world  We faced a beautiful picture of San Diego & snow capped mountains from 1989 - which it looks like today after our recent storms, as Steve reviewed Rotaries 7 areas of focus: Peacebuilding, Disease Prevention, Sanitation, Child Health, Education, Economic Development, & Environment  And it was nice to see Sibylle with Kevin, Charles Koll back for his 4th time, and Dereck, a visitor from Atlanta. Patricia and Susan gave huge accolades to Barbara, Barbara (Fish), and Molly for taking all the items from our locker. Let Susan know if you can store 4 bins of lobsterfest items. And thank you to Bill & Suzanne who will host the demotion party on June 11  Patricia gave a touching update on Shelter Box and showed the major countries where they are helping the 85 million people who are displaced due to violence or turmoil in the world: Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Pakistan, Mozambique Molly reminded everyone that next Friday's meeting will be a membership day, so invite your friends, colleagues, acquaintances to hear John Van Cleef, CEO of the CRC  Di clarified that Rotarians at Work Day will be on April 29 from 9-1 which we will be doing with the Solana Beach Eco Club and Encinitas Rotary We had a great update on happenings in Solana Beach from Lesa Heebner, Mayor, which could also be viewed live on facebook. SB is the 2nd smallest region in the area with 3.4sq miles and faces the same issues as Del Mar - affordable housing and issues with multi-property dwellings. The third phase of the $7MM government grant Corridor Improvement Project is underway to make street more user-friendly and safe. Susan let Lesa know that we will be making a donation in her name for speaking with us, to OEF, a non-profit we support in El Salvador that focuses on children's health and education.  And some were fortunate to hear Kevin's beautiful playing as we left the Hilton for the day  |
Rotary & Club NewsIt was great to have Area 4 Presidents & Governors with us today  Our Invocation from Suchandra, who is back from India after 4 months  We were also happy to have back Judy Hunt from Colorado, Charles Koll from Viewpoint for the 3rd time in anticipation of becoming a new member; Leif Halgrim with mom Charlotte, and Don Wells with Just in Time for Foster Youth, who we presented a check to for $6488.97 as one of our LobsterFest Major Beneficiaries. This is the 20th Anniversary for Just in Time, and we have been one of their main supporters from the beginning.  Let Susan, Malcolm or Patricia know if you are interested in any of items from our locker as we clean out  A fun time was had at our social last Thursday at Bushfire. The next will be Thursday, March 16  Joe Kuhn, General Manager of the Hilton where we meet, gave a fun talk about his life in the hotel industry where he started as a housekeeper and rose to regional manager. He considers himself an Innkeeper - taking care of guests, employees, and owners, and works under the management style of Fun, Fair, and Firm. The Hilton is part of Aimbridge Hospitality, the largest franchise hotel industry in the world.  Susan was proud to present Joe with our OEF certificate showing our support for needy children in El Salvador  |
Rotary & Club NewsWe had a great turnout today - a reflection of the great job Susan is doing as President  We welcomed visitors Mark Hennenfent, Barbara's guest Lola, Charles Koll from Viewpoint Brewery, and Evan Bridgham from Country Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer's office who mentioned the $500/month rental subsidy for qualifying seniors (contact their office for more info)
 NEWS FLASH - LOVE FOR UKRAINIANS NOW CHANGED TO ONE EVENT: DINNER 6:30-9:30 FOR $120/pp Vicky shared a Rotary Foundation video and highlighted the seven areas of focus  Susan recognized Di Shimkus with an Imagine Rotary pin in recognition of all the great work she does with Community Service for our club, her work, and her personal life  Social at Bushfire Kitchen next Thursday, 2/16 from 5:30-7:00 and dark on Friday Nature Walk led by Di after our 2/24 meeting Patricia invited Rotarians to an upcoming Shelterbox online event on 2/28 at 9:00am which will give a briefing on their humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine  Our speaker today, Chris Khoury, MD has been recognized for his many environmental contributions by the State of California, County of San Diego, Cities of San Diego & Escondido, and the San Dieguito River Park. He shared that the climate crisis is real and as Jonas Salk said "We have no greater responsibility than to strive to be good ancestors". Visit https://citizensclimatelobby.org for more information.  Susan presented Dr. Khoury with our OEF Certificate showing our help to children in El Salvador |
Solana Beach Living |
Rotary & Club NewsSusan spent a wonderful week with her mom in Arizona Patricia encouraged everyone to get a heart workup to catch any blocked arteries like she had  Beverly was the high bidder at $75 for a Rotary/Ukraine pin that Bill supplied  Malcolm is off to PETS this weekend along with Steve, reviewing duties as President-Elect THANK YOU!!   There is one day left to donate to the Kitty McGee Memorial Fund in honor of our long time friend and supporter. We have raised $540 to date  Herb reported that we have raised $4100 ($2300 from club members + $1800 from our international budget) for our project to help kids in El Salvador through OEF, which will be matched by Ildiko.  Click on this link to watch a video of some of their activities: https://youtu.be/6byI_FPdLiE The next blood drive will be March 18 Susan & Barbara attended the membership workshop on zoom last Saturday, which focused on attracting young professionals. When looking for new members, remember how much Rotary has done for you and pass on that opportunity to others so they can also benefit  We were happy to have the Mayor of Del Mar, Tracey Martinez speak with us this morning. This female, Latino, nurse has been on the City Council for three years and will be serving in this rotating term as mayor for one year. She feels that one of the most difficult tasks ahead is meeting the affordable housing requirements and dealing with ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) and SP9 expansion issues. On a happier note, the City will receive $300 million to do an environment study on moving the train tracks off the bluff. Susan presented Tracey with our OEF certificate that the above video highlights of our activities in El Salvador  |
Nature Collective WalkThank you Di on leading us on a wonderful walk through the San Elijo Lagoon in honor of our $5000 District Grant to the Nature Collective  |
Rotary & Club NewsVicky started with a John Wesley invocation  Welcome to visitors Tessa, who represented the U.S. in snowboarding at the Olympics in China; Judy, a Rotarian who divides her time between Del Mar & Colorado; Mauer, who we're always glad to see with Charlotte; and Luis Carranza, District Governor Nominee Designate Happy Rotarians included:
Di shared that we will be giving Feeding San Diego $500 from Community Service funds, and will be helping again at afternoon shifts to sort food. Also, the Mental Health programs at the CRC will be receiving $1000 from the CS budget. Di helped count and interview the homeless in North County last week Kevin & Nicole reported that the Model UN training went well with 39 teams, two which we are sponsoring from Casa de Amistad who will be representing South Korea & India Patricia reminded us that the 3rd Thursday of each month will be a social at Bushfire Kitchen in lieu of the Friday meeting Malcom reminded us that today is  And on a lighter note, they celebrate Ginuary all month in the UK We were honored to have Dr. Michael Mantell as our speaker today. He is a world renowned behavior science expert and author, well known for his book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff PS: It's All Small Stuff." He praised Paul Harris for starting in 1905 an organization that puts Service, and Others Above Self and reminded us that the link is what you think; space is power; your emotions are your responsibility; and its important to incorporate acceptance and flexibility in ones thinking. As he quoted from Voltaire: "Life is a wreck, but we must learn to sing in our lifeboat" Malcolm, as Acting President, presented him our certificate that shows our support of OEF in El Salvador  |
Bushfire SocialAnother fun social at Bushfire Kitchen in Del Mar President Susan leading the toast to good friends & family    |
Rotary & Club NewsWe wish Herb a speedy recovery from Covid A new banner greeted members as they entered the meeting room  Steve reminded us that Arch Klumph started the Society named after him in 1927 to recognize donors who have contributed $250,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation. Recent new members Susan & Mark Hennenfent will be going next March to the Rotary International headquarters in Evanston, Illinois to watch as their portrait is placed in the Arch Klumph Society Gallery. Vicky shared a touching Foundation video and awarded Jan her Paul Harris +3 pin (with 3 rubies) in recognition of her contributions to the Rotary Foundation  Susan encouraged all to attend The Membership Seminar - How to attract & engage with young professionals which will be via zoom next Saturday, 1/21 from 9-10:30am. We are all part of Membership, and need to grow our club or join Kevin & Nicole at the Model UN training session the same day - 8:00am-1:00pm, Del Mar City Hall. They also need Advisors for the Model UN students Patricia invited all to see the King Tut immersive experience at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on February 2 at 11:30 before heading over to Viewpoint for lunch Di shared that Feeding San Diego desperately needs volunteers to help sort to keep their vital operation functional. She will be heading up more work parties and encouraged members to contact them directly for other times to assist We are looking for additional donations to reach our goal of $2200 continue our work helping children in El Salvador through OEF. Let Herb or Susan know if you'd like to contribute.  Nicole Mione-Green, club member and Executive Director of Casa de Amistad shared with us how their volunteers and mentors help young people form developmental relationships, which change their lives. These relationships help them discover who they are, cultivates abilities to be successful and thrive, and learn how to engage with and contribute to the world around them.  After a wonderful presentation, Susan presented Nicole with our certificate showing our support for OEF in El Salvador  |
Rotary & Club NewsArt quoted Shakespeare in his invocation: Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none We are so glad Patricia went for an angiogram and wish her a quick recovery from the 4 stents they put in!! Best Wishes to Malcolm & Venesse on their 39th Anniversary & to Bill for his upcoming 76th Birthday Happy travelers over the holidays were Charlotte for a trip to Puerto Vallarta with family; Art to Mexico, Alaska, & DC to see his son's new home; Jon to Chicago to spend with his grandkids, daughter, & wife Nicole shared the following comic about superhero Rotarians that her husband found  Welcome to Rotarian Judy Hunt who was visiting from Colorado Jan showing off the Imagine Rotary pin given her by Susan in recognition of her work on our website and press releases  We were proud to present Casa de Amistad a check for $7364 as one of our LobsterFest major beneficiaries  It was with great sadness that we learned that long time friend and supporter, Kitty McGee passed away on December 27. She provided countless hours of her time and brilliant graphic arts/marketing talents in support of our club and our fundraisers - Boccefest and Lobsterfest. A site for donations in honor of Kitty has been set up through the Rotary Foundation. Click below if you'd like to contribute  After much analysis, Treasurer Charlotte presented two options going forward for dues (club, district, international) which will be charged to all whether present at meetings or not: Option 1: $206/qtr to include coffee but no breakfast Options 2: $245/qtr with full access to the hotel breakfast buffet  Let her know your choice if you did not complete a ballot Our own Di Shimkus (founder of Everyday Mindfulness who has been practicing & teaching mindfulness for over 40 years), started our new year with mindfulness practices for every day. We learned that due to neuroplasticity the brain can be changed for the better and that the first 3 thoughts of the day can determine what kind of day you will have.  "The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live wisely and compassionately in the present moment" |
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year |
Wreaths Across AmericaRotarians place wreaths on the graves of our fallen heroes for the holidays to remember & honor them in conjunction with Wreaths Across America  Charlotte Jones, Mauer and Leif Halgrim; Suzanne & Bill Sutton (not pictured) |
CRC/Casa de Amistad  |
Casa de Amistad PartyMore pictures from the Casa de Amistad Party Enjoying holiday crafts & Santa  |
Happy Hanukkah |
Rotary & Club NewsThe last meeting of the year brought out a great turnout: - It was nice to see Phil in person - Art showed up & was fined for his long hair - Molly was back after Covid  The Suttons & Butler have the same wedding anniversary on the 27th This would have been George & Lou's 72 Anniversary Bill gave happy dollars for his & Suzanne's 52nd (or is that 53?, to which Suzanne responded: It's been real!!) Paul almost forgot to contribute for his & Mary's 44th, but he came through Molly was happy for Riley's 4th Birthday!!!! Ken was fined for his ugly Christmas sweater that appeared in Newsbits as part of Surfers United Jan was $76 happy for her 12/17 Birthday Congratulations to Patricia who was recognized by Susan for all her great work with our socials And we learned of upcoming socials at Bushfire Kitchen the 3rd Thursday of each month through March  Barbara Berkovich gave her Who Am I: She is a professor at USD with a PHD in Medical Data Records and has a son who lives in Beijing, a daughter, and a dog named Ruben  Malcolm generously gave everyone a Charles Koll Jewelry Works Holiday Ornament, which they will engrave for free if you stop by their store in Sorrento Valley  Our speaker, Don Kent, President & CEO of Hubbs-Seaworld Research gave a fascinating talk about how this non-profit scientific research organization is committed to conserving and renewing marine life to ensure a healthier planet. Happy Holidays - See you in 2023 |
Holiday Party for Casa de AmistadSo much fun at the Holiday Extravaganza we threw for Casa de Amistad Families - tamales, holiday crafts, hot chocolate, Santa, gifts, & love Thank you Fosters & Suttons for sponsoring & everyone who contributed & helped  |
Feeding San Diego for CRCHelping At Feeding San Diego for CRC Families  Susan kept count as we reached the goal of 270 bags each of kiwi & onions  Bag cutters Al, Di, & Charlotte  Working the kiwi: Sandy, Bill, Suzanne, Barbara, & Jan Onion baggers: Mark, Kevin, Vicky, Paul, & Lew   |
Rotary & Club NewsPresident Susan recognized Suzanne Sutton for all she does for the club as Secretary & Social Co-Chair  Carl Nettelton, founder of OpenOceans Global, brought copies of ArcNews for Venky that featured his grandson, Karen Chakravarthy Vicky reminded members to make their contribution to The Rotary Foundation Annual Fund by the end of the year for a tax reduction Kevin shared that Model UN has picked two resolutions to discuss: space security and food insecurity Contact Charlotte if you're interested in helping with Wreaths Across America on 12/17 George presented our wonderful Hilton staff with a thank you donation from the club for all they do to make our meetings run smoothly  Chris Kelly spoke with us about the San Diego Seniors Foundation programs, one of the many non-profits his philanthropic family has been involved with. The need is great as there were 405,000 seniors in San Diego County over 65 in 2000, and it is expected to swell to 950,000 by 2030. Currently only 3% of charitable dollars go to helping seniors. Susan presented Chris with our OEF Certificate showing our help to the needy of all ages in El Salvador  |
Holiday PartyThe Holiday Party at the home of Jon & Barbara Fish started the season with great fun, food, and fellowship and social divas Patricia & Suzanne had members competing in the Christmas trivia contest Happy Holidays & thank you to all  |
Rotary & Club News Charlotte reminded us to give thanks for the light We were sorry to hear that Sandy has the flu, Molly has Covid, and Venky broke his wrist. Happy Rotarians were Susan for a wonderful trip to Hawaii where she swam with the manta rays & watched Mauna Loa erupt; Charles for a great trip with grandkids to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, & sale of his home; Steve for a fun trip to Cabo where he played pickleball To give the Hilton a good count, Susan would like to know by noon on Wednesday of each week if you cannot attend the Friday meeting  Patricia in her Christmas attire reminded members of the Holiday Party at the Fish's on Sunday, 12/4, at 5:00 - byob Our most critical area of focus this year is membership. Paul reiterated our goal of 38 members by the end of the fiscal year. Look for 1st responders in December - police, fire fighters, paramedics Check Upcoming Events for Food Sorting & Casa de Amistad Holiday Extravaganza which will now be in two shifts Wreaths Across America will be on 12/17 this year. Sign up directly with them We were reminded of the wonderful services provided by Interfaith Shelter Network in conjunction with local congregations and community partners to provide shelter, transitional housing, & homelessness assistance. We learned from Joe Zilvinskis that the non-profit has been around 36 years and counts on its 4000 volunteers & 8 staff to provide their guests a safe, caring environment. ISN also has a transitional living program for domestic violence victims.   |
Namma Beach, Namma Chennai  |
Nova Spero  |
ThanksgivingHappy Thanksgiving  No meeting on Friday, 11/25 |
Rotary & Club NewsAs Presiding President-Elect Malcolm so succinctly said in the invocation: To Friends, Fellowship, and The Opportunity to Serve (We loved his day-glo gavel, but don't ask him why an angel is at the top of a Christmas tree, and remind him he cannot fine a non-member such as Kirk)  Best Wishes for a Wonderful 92nd Birthday to our Korean War Hero, George Sousa, on the 23rd  Vicky reminded members to go to Rotary.org and give to the Foundation's Annual Fund on Giving Tuesday, 11/29 Be sure to sign up on the Feeding San Diego website for our food sorting on 12/9 - click on the link under Upcoming Events Youth Chair, Nicole read another letter from a happy LEAD participant and brought a wreath with numbers identifying families to support for Casa de Amistad Holiday Gift Drive. Gifts can be dropped off from 9-12pm on 12/15 at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church on Stevens Avenue  Dave Oates from Club 33 who helped launch the District Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce during Steve Weitzen's term as Governor, gave a great update on the Task Force's activities. He included what to look for in victims, the breakdown of the $70,000 Global Grant that we contributed to, and how they are working with schools to train teachers and focus on prevention. Malcolm presented him with our OEF Certificate that shows our help with kids in El Salvador  |
Newsbits/Namma Beach, Namma Chennai |
Rotary & Club News/Veterans Day
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Rotary & Club NewsWelcome to Luis Carranza who was with us today and who was recently named District 5340 Governor for 2025-2026 And Warm Birthday Wishes to Beverly Liberman  We also welcomed Angela Aguirre, Rojan Krishnan, and Connor Chung from Canyon Crest Academy who with the non-profit Nova Spero (New Hope) help refugee kids in City Heights with friendship, tutoring, and mentoring to help them on their way to a successful education and life. Patricia identified the group after Susan sent out a plea to find and recognize people doing good in our communities  President Susan presented each with our Distinguished Student Service Citation and an "Imagine Rotary" pin  Charlotte gave the final numbers for LobsterFest 2022  Gross Income - $61,985 Expenses - $24,665 Net Profit - $37,320 Great Job!!! All funds go to charities with 40% to our two major beneficiaries - Just in Time for Foster Youth and Casa de Amistad; 5% to our Foundation fund, and the rest split with our service areas - Community Service, International, and Youth Social Diva Patricia wore her Holiday Sweater to promote our Holiday Party on Sunday, 12/4, from 5-7pm at the home of Barbara & Jon Fish, and to give members time to polish up on their holiday trivia Vicky passed the Polio Jar to focus attention on the importance of eradicating this disease  Di announced our commitment to help at Feeding San Diego on 12/9 from 12-2pm to pack produce that will be given out at the CRC Holiday Baskets Event the next day We also will be sponsoring the Casa de Amistad Holiday Party on 12/13 from 4-7pm. Charles & Alicia and Bill & Suzanne will match up to $1000 in donations from club members to help with this event  Jon introduced our speaker, Maren Kavanagh, Community Education Coordinator with I love a Clean San Diego. Their mission is to create zero waste lifestyles and zero litter throughout San Diego County. Through education and action they are dedicated to empowering every person to be leaders in conservation and waste-free living in order to protect and improve our health and environment. Susan presented Maren with our OEF speaker certificate and explained how we are making lives better for the less fortunate in El Salvador |
Rotary & Club News/Blood Drive/District ConferenceIt's been a busy weekend starting with our meeting on Friday where President-Elect Malcolm Koll presided in Susan's absence, and was fined by Steve for a bad joke Happy dollars came for Paul's giant leap with Reality Changers' Over the Edge and Di's leading us on a great walk through San Elijo Lagoon for World World Day; Charles reminded us that the CRC truck has the DMSB Rotary logo on it; and Venky shared info on our $4800 District Grant in Chennai, India for beach cleanup and education  Manuel Camargo updated us on the decommissioning of SONGS power plant which should be done in 2028. He encouraged members to join the Action for Spent Fuel Solutions, a new coalition to advocate for solutions Lew organized another successful Blood Drive on Saturday, where we had a lot of walk-ups give blood  Thank you to those who helped: Mark, Bill, Suzanne, Herb, Jan, & Beverly and especially to those who gave blood : Sandi, Malcolm, Jon, Ken, Charles, and Di's husband Al  Susan was busy at the District Conference which consisted of morning/afternoon business sessions and then the Foundation Gala in the evening. The evening activities began with talented Aerialists on the outside patio during cocktail hour and lots of Rotarians in fun costumes to admire  We then headed indoors where we were treated to a performance by the Carlsbad HS Lancers Dancers  which was enjoyed by Susan & Mark Hennenfent, Steve & Ava Weitzen, Beverly & Herb Liberman, and Jan Parsons. Herb, Bev, and Jan had fun with Rotaract members from San Diego State University where they all shared "Rambo's" wig   Chuck started the formal meeting introducing speakers for The Foundation and recognized Susan and Mark as the Newest Arch Klumph Society members for their large donation. He then changed into Superman (super hero that he is) before recognizing Steve as Past DG who never got a live conference due to covid precautions and declared costume winners   Rotarians closed the celebration by dancing to the great music of Matt Heineke & Crown Town Music  |
Happy DiwaliHappy Diwali May your life be full of light and love  |
Over the EdgeThe Butler Did It - went Over the Edge in style for Reality Changers with family & friends cheering on his cheeky form     Reality Changers' CEO Tamara Craver was on hand, along with his admirers, to congratulate Paul on a job well done |
End Polio Now WalkWalking to End Polio Now in honor of World Polio Day 10/24 and enjoying a docent led tour with The Nature Collective through San Elijo Lagoon  where we saw lots of native plants and local birds including an egret and a blue heron catching fish  |
Rotary & Club NewsIt was wonderful to have distinguished District 5340 guests with us this morning: DG Chuck Pretto, DG Elect Don Fipps, and Major Gifts director John Teish, who was our speaker The highlight of the meeting was recognition of Susan & Mark Hennenfent as new Arch Klumph Society Members (meaning they have contributed at least $250,000 to The Rotary Foundation) Congratulations & Thank You  And Happy Birthday to Susan on the 24th which she shares with World Polio Day Happy Rotarians also included Steve for his 3rd granddaughter, Charles for his recent move, Ken for the Clubs support of his 100 Wave Challenge (see his fabulous shirt below), Paul for his upcoming rappel, Jan for Paul's upcoming rappel, Herb for Kevin's wedding party, and Charlotte for joining her mother in Vegas for a John Mayer (oops - John Legend) concert  Register for the fabulous District Conference on the 30th at the Hilton - Be there or be square (and fined $10) Steve was fined by President Susan for signing up under the SB Eco Club Chuck also recognized Phil on zoom with a Paul Harris +2 pin for his contributions to The Rotary Foundation  Look forward to seeing everyone at our End Polio Now Walk at The Nature Collective tomorrow, 10/22 2710 Manchester Ave, Cardiff  John gave an impassioned talk about the Rotary Foundation and ways we can fulfill Rotary's Vision Statement to unite people and create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves  Susan presented him with our OEF support certificate and explained how we have used Global Grant funds to help make a better life for the needy in El Salvador  |
Over the EdgeCome cheer Paul on as he goes Over the Edge for Reality Changers Sunday, 10/23 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego 1 Market Place, San Diego His window to rappel is between 9:00-10:00am and he will be wearing his traditional Butler's outfit of white shirt, black pants, and bow tie  And help him raise funds to prepare youth to become first-generation college graduates and agents of change by clinking on the link below. Donate today to help students achieve their dreams and help The Butler go Over The Edge  |
Rotary SocialA fun evening at Bushfire Kitchen thank you to our social divas Patricia & Suzanne And it was wonderful to meet Meera's cousin Malini Srinivasan, Past President of the Mysore East Rotary Club, India, who we were able to exchange flags with  |
Indigenous Peoples DayHappy Indigenous Peoples Day Let us remember our history with compassion and understanding  |
Rotary & Club NewsCongratulations and Welcome to our newest member Barbara Berkovitz who Susan presented with her new Red Badge, Rotary pin, and Member Certificate  Barbara is a professor at USD, has her PHD in Medical Data Records, and lives between Susan & Bill & Suzanne. She joins 1.2MM Rotarians in 33,000 clubs in 200 countries who share in friendship and service We wish Susheela well in her upcoming knee surgery in 2 1/2 weeks, after years of delays It was good to have Jon back after an Oceana Cruise from Montreal to New York; Charles has two 10x10 pop-ups for anyone interested; and Bill was happy for such warm comradery at the LobsterFest wrap-up meeting Sign-up with Lew for the Blood Drive on 10/29  Charlotte asked members to watch for upcoming quarterly billings and requested payment by credit card if possible to make accounting easier. And let her know if you have any outstanding LobsterFest expenses for reimbursement. Susan recognized Charlotte for all the hard work she has done with LobsterFest and as Treasurer.  She also asked members to watch for people in our community who are doing outstanding service so we can invite them and their family & friends to our club to honor them As Foundation Chair, Vicky announced the upcoming walk To End Polio Now in Honor of 10/24 World Polio Day. The walk will be at the Nature Collective on 10/22 from 9:00-12:00 with lunch after. Let her know if you need a red End Polio Now t-shirt Di with Community Service took pledges and encouraged support for Ken's 100 Wave Challenge (with the help of daughter Issie) on Saturday 10/8 to help Boys to Men, and awarded a $50 Flemings gift card to Charlotte who won the raffle. Upcoming events may include baskets for the CRC if the club approves and Feeding San Diego food sorting.  Club member Suchandra Brahma, Psychiatrist in Pharmacology, born in Fargo, ND, and founder of A View in Calcutta, India, gave a touching and informational talk and video of the work her non-profit does in providing treatment and rehabilitation to medically handicapped, homeless women in India. We have done a Global Grant to help in her work and everyone was grateful to see the good they are doing.  Susan presented Suchandra with a well deserved Service Above Self Award |
Honor Flight San DiegoRotarians & friends give a warm welcome to Vietnam Veterans returning from their Honor Flight to Washington DC Veterans finally receive the welcome home they deserved  Susan Hennenfent, George Sousa (former Honor Flight recipient for the Korean War), Mark Hennenfent, Maria Moujaes, Jan Parsons |
Rotary & Club News We had many guests today starting with Dawn Van Siclen, Rotary Asst. Governor Area 6, Carlsbad; our speaker & Rancho Santa Fe Rotarian Amy Scruggs; El Presidente of DMSB Rotary Susan Hennenfent, and Past Dist. Governor and member of our club, Steve Weitzen Dawn also is the Chair of the District Conference & Foundation Gala on October 29 at the Del Mar Hilton. Sign up at the District website  Also joining us today was former DMSB Rotary Pres., Kirk "the great" Collins; Malcolm's cousin Dave and brother Peter from South Africa, here for Charles' upcoming wedding; and Chris Dinofia from Movement Mortgage, who works with Paul  The other great news regarding Malcolm, is that he is our new President Elect That means he will be our President for the Rotary year 2023-2024 (his 2nd time in this position)  THANK YOU MALCOLM!!! It was good to have Venky back in person after his successful knee surgery and Kevin after his recent marriage in Switzerland and honeymoon in The Cook Islands. Susan shared that OEF in El Salvador received a $20K grant from Women's Empowerment International, partly based on all the projects we have done with them And a WARM WELCOME to our newest member Barbara Berkovitz, who will receive her Red Badge next week in a formal presentation Susan, Mark, Bill, and Suzanne recently cleaned out our storage locker at Smart Self Storage. If members can store our canopies in their garages, we could clear the locker and save $1000/year. Let Susan know if you can help. Herb took one growler that Bill brought in (but he has more) and extra pens went to Casa de Amistad. Malcolm is in charge is finding a new home for the bocce equipment, and Patricia volunteered to help.  Charles displayed pictures and clippings from club activities over the years, that he hopes can find a new home (he is cleaning out his in anticipation of his move to La Costa Glen) Herb shared a picture of Chikondi Dyson, the student in Malawi that we are supporting to attend the University of Malawi for 4 years and Lew announced our next Blood Drive on October 29  Our speaker, Amy Scruggs is not only an accomplished country music singer but an expert in digital marketing and media coaching. She shared how important it is to communicate effectively and gave tips on how to tell The Rotary Story. We then were treated to a video of her latest hit "What if all goes right"  |
SD Foundation PicnicSharing our Rotary Story at the Del Mar Foundation Community Picnic at Powerhouse Park  Thank you Lew, Charles, Sandy, Patricia, Suzanne, Bill, Jan & Paul |
Rotary & Club NewsEveryone was happy to reflect on our wonderful LobsterFest last week where 100% of club members participated. Charlotte updated us on current gross numbers which total aprox. $62,000, but are not yet final:  $33,750 sponsorships, $3,750 individual tickets, $8,000 donations, $3000 raffle tickets, $13,584 auction Happy Birthday to Susheela for her Monday birthday  Patricia announced a change in venue for our October social on the 13th to Bush Fire in Del Mar instead of the Hilton and Paul reminded us to focus on Education/teachers which is the classification for the month. The Holiday party will be 12/4. We got a wonderful presentation on our local geology and formation of our mountain ranges from Mike Thacker, who is a Senior Staff R&D Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Carlsbad. Though his knowledge in geology is self taught, it has served him well as a member of the Board of Trustees for the San Diego Archaelogical Center since 2017   President Susan presented Mike with a speakers certificate showing our support for OEF in El Salvador |
LobsterFest       |
LobsterFest 2022Another fabulous LobsterFest Thank you everyone who participated and contributed Casa de Amistad helped at the registration table; hosts & hostesses welcomed all; we had lobsters helping with raffle and auction items; and while guests seemed to enjoy the tequila tasting, our fabulous guitarist James Clarkston attracted the ladies       We then sat down on the beautifully decorated patio and enjoyed a wonderful lobster tail dinner, baja style           President Susan & LobsterFest Chair Vicky thanked everyone for their help and recognized our distinguished Veterans, and our Major Beneficiaries from Casa de Amistad and Just In Time for Foster Youth. Herb then proceeded to auction off tonight's paintings by artist Heather Roddy    Everyone enjoyed the music of Hot Rocks San Diego, and danced the night away   Clink the link below for full set of pictures: |
Rotary & Club News One day til LobsterFest 2022 Di helping Sandy with the lobster hat  Bill gave Steve a Rotary hat signed by Bob Marley (is it the truth?). The real one is available on our LobsterFest Auction site,  President Susan was seen and captured by The Del Mar Times supporting Del Mar Rotary's Sunset Soiree - and no, she is not married to our former DMSB Rotary President Kirk Collins, but to the wonderful Mark Hennenfent on the left  We were honored to have District Governor Chuck Pretto with us today, who handed out two Paul Harris Fellowship Awards: a PH+6 pin to Art and a PH+5 one to Vicky. Congratulations - well done!!  Chuck talked about how he joined Rotary to fill up his Rolodex but learned the true power of Rotary when he housed a Rotary foreign exchange student and learned how Rotary can create lasting changes in ourselves and the community. A top priority is adolescent mental health, and he has started a 5340 Mental Health Action Group along with Vista Hill and Rady Children's Hospital. Another goal is to put 30 Peace Polls in high schools throughout the county, for which Rotary International President Jennifer Jones will come and dedicate. Let's make it happen!! He ended by handing out the new Rotary pin which tells who we are.  |
Rotary & Club News Counting down to LobsterFest on the 17th - this is the week that matters!! 
Susan updated us on the $9K District Grant we did with OEF in El Salvador, that helped change the lives of fifty-nine children living in extreme poverty. Dinorah & Dinorah joined us on zoom from El Salvador and shared a video they made with the children, showing us how the funds were used  Happy Rotarians were: Patricia for 36 days of hiking in Europe; Charlotte for their new tortoise; Bill because he only has a stuffed one; Paul as he met Katie's Rotary foreign exchange student; Ken for each year of Queen Elizabeth's rein Malcolm did a fabulous job when fine-master Steve had him recite the 4-Way Test; Susan held the wheel as he spun to see how much Molly would pay in his place  Contact Paul to sign up to help at the Del Mar Foundation Community Picnic on 9/25 from 1:00-5:00 at Power House Park. This is a good opportunity to share Rotary and attract new members (as is LobsterFest) Our speaker today was Yigal Adato who shared his experience as a leadership coach to help each person be more successful in business and life  |
LobsterFest 2022  |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy Rotarians included Jan for her church's upcoming 90th White Elephant sale; Molly for Riley's 1st day of a 2nd year of school; Charlotte for Leif's 1st day of 7th grade; Vicky for the fun Powerhouse Park concert; Bill for a great trip to the Canadian Rockies with Suzanne; Di for upcoming silent retreat; Charles (happy & sad) to report he & Alicia will be selling their home and moving to La Costa Glen; Steve for a wonderful Rotary meeting where he was honored with his picture on a cake & members paid homage to his Jewish heritage  It was great to have Nicole back from sabbatical and she updated us on activities with Casa de Amistad: they are very excited to be one of our major LobsterFest beneficiaries; they are meeting in person again after two years of being virtual due to the pandemic; they are extending activities to La Costa; and they are adding kindergarten & college prep assistance  LobsterFest Update: We are currently at $37,525 in sponsorships; we need to encourage bidding on our online auction (Charlotte confirmed the trips with Travel Pledge are great); Di thanked everyone for their raffle restaurant support and Paul helped pick our $200 raffle donation winner which, appropriately, was Vicky!! Sandra Scheller, curator of the "RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust" museum in Chula Vista (which was named after her mother), shared pictures saved in a trunk by her mother and touching stories of survivors who live in southern San Diego County. Bill, as presiding president today, presented her with our OEF certificate for speaking.  |
Newsbits: LobsterFest 2022  |
Rotary & Club NewsWe had another great turnout of visitors to hear 3rd generation San Diegan & County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer update us on what she and other representatives are doing about homelessness, the train tracks, human trafficking, rotating in/out of jails, vaccinations, and more  Charles' daughter Laura Robinson joined us, as did Paul's granddaughter Zulima Butler Litsey, Di's friends Kelly McCormack and Bill Paxton, Barbara Berkovich for the 3rd time, and Rosy from Casa de Amistad Happy $$s came from Charlotte on her upcoming 18th wedding anniversary; Venky for 11 family members visiting; Nicole for swimming with the manta rays; George for his trip to Washing DC; and Jan for Malcolm & Charles Koll Jewelers fixing her dad's ski trophy from 1936 that she brought back from Seattle  Vicky presented Sushandra her first Paul Harris Fellow award for donating $1000 to The Rotary Foundation, and Art on zoom his PH+6 pin (a ruby) for donating over $7000 to The Foundation. Thank you & well done!!  Susan thanked everyone for helping with Casa de Amistad Back to School Registration & Math Festival (but fined herself for not wearing Rotary attire). We helped over 200 children & families with backpacks, school supplies, snacks/beverages, games, and books donated in loving memory of Patricia Case's son, Dan.  Sushandra talked about her non-profit in India, A View, that helps women who have mental heath issues, and auctioned off 3 beautiful quilts that they made  |
Rotary & Club NewsWe had a great turnout for Visitor's Day, which included Catalina Beltran from Casa de Amistad, Ivan Chavez and Ryan Mancera from Just in Time, former Rotarian Kirk Collins, Susan's neighbor Barbara Berkovich, Paul's CPA Louis Tommasino, Lisa from Dan McAllister's office, David Opperman, Malcom's cousin visiting from So. Africa, and Mark Hennenfent on zoom   We had two birthdays last week - Paul turned 67 and Art hit 68. Happy Birthday to both!! Other happy Rotarians were Charles for a clean bill of health, Steve for 97 years with his father-in-law who just passed away; Charlotte for a trip to Sequoia National Park; Suzanne for surviving 3 days at Disneyland with 4 grandkids; Vicky, for a wonderful trip to the Flathead Lake area of Montana, and Jan for her 6600 mile road trip, where she got a chance to visit with Trish in her beautiful "new" digs (grandmother's former home) in San Luis Obispo  Di with Community Service reminded us of the Casa de Amistad event this Thursday, 8/18, to bring gift cards for our LobsterFest raffle & to enter our drawing, and shared that we will be doing a $5K District Grant with the Nature Collective. Herb with International informed us that the Board approved funds to help a student in Malawi with tuition and board. Paul filling in as Social Chair passed around a signup for the concert in Powerhouse Park on 8/23. Vicky as LobsterFest Chair said we are at 52% of goal from sponsorships to date. Every member should bring in a sponsorship, raffle gift card, and auction item. The online auction will go live on 8/17.  Bryan and Ivan with Just in Time updated us on their activities out in the community during Covid helping over 1200 youth. 98% of their funding is from non-governmental entities. Dan McAllister, San Diego County Tax Collector gave an informative, often humorous talk about how the County uses the $14.5B investment pool serving 200 agencies including schools districts (42), fire, and water. SD has a 99.1% collection rate, was the 1st county to use recycled paper for it's bills, uses public feedback to simplify & make clear the bills (which Charlotte said are the best of any county), and decided again using a penguin (Taxi) as a mascot (the county owns the zoo). Susan presented Dan with our new speaker certificate that shows our support of OEF in El Salvador.   And this just in from Switzerland on the wedding today of Rotarian Kevin Cahill & Sibylle Sticher, and attended by Patricia Case. Congratulations!! You all look fabulous!  |
Coastal Farm TourRotarians enjoyed a nice tour of the Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas, we learned about sustainable farming, how the farm supports the local community and purchased fresh vegetables at the "Pay what you Can" Farm stand.     |
Loyal SoccerRotarians cheer on the Loyal soccer team, who gave to our LobsterFest auction last year. It was a fun night, even though they lost. Thanks for arranging, Charles.   |
Rotary & Club NewsSusan kicked off her first meeting showing the new banner Imagine, that represents the seven areas of service around the circle. Rotary International's 1st woman President Jennifer Jones, wants us to imagine all the ways we can make a difference to transform the world  Susan then introduced our new Officers & Chairs President: Susan Hennenfent Past President/Foundation/Fund Raising: Vicky Mallett VP: Bill Sutton Treasurer: Charlotte Jones Secretary: Suzanne Sutton Community Service: Di Shimkus International: Herb Liberman Youth: Nicole Mione-Green Membership: Paul Butler & Molly Fleming Programs: Jon Fish, Sandy LeVine, Lew Williamson Public Relations: Jan Parsons Sergeant-At-Arms: George Sousa Care Bear: Bev Liberman Vicky gave happy dollars for her retirement and was fined for no longer being President; Charlotte joined us from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with family. Vicky also updated us on LobsterFest which now has open online sponsorships with $11,000 committed. The goal this year is $84,000 with 30% reached by August 1. Molly gave Sandy LeVine his blue badge today, as he has fulfilled all his requirements with the help of his mentor, Herb Liberman  Matt Wechter, Dep. Public Defender for SD County, joined us to explain how the Homeless Court at Stand Down helps veterans & families clear fines and tickets. Sign up with Bill to hand out water for Stand Down on July 29-31 It was so nice to have Ildiko Tesak from El Salvador with us today who said even though she is not always with us in person, we are always in her heart. She updated us on the current harsh and difficult situation in El Salvador  Laura Mello, Rotarian & 3rd generation San Diegan, who is the Director of Gift Planning at Rady's Children Hospital, talked with us about how strategic planning uses wealth instead of income to help one's charity of choice |
Rotary at the PadresAnother fun night at the Padres Susan & Mark joined other District 5340 Rotarians  |
Happy 4th of July |
Governor's Dinner 2022The Governor's Dinner with a sold out crowd wrapped up a successful year We are so proud of our own Susan Hennenfent who was presented a People of Action Award by Outgoing District Governor Dan Gensler, before being sworn in as our new Club President    A lovely evening was enjoyed by Paul, Mark, Susan, Jan, Steve, Beverly, Herb, (and missing from this picture) Bill, Charles & Alicia, and Vicky |
Demotion PartyThank you to our hosts, Alicia & Charles, for a wonderful Demotion Party, and to the planners, Patricia & Suzanne  After drinks and dinner, members Herb, Bill , and Charles thanked Vicky for a fabulous year and shared how successful & fun her LobsterFest idea proved to be as our new fundraiser   Then the roasting began with the lobster theme relevant all night. Patricia presented Vicky with a stuffed lobster to cuddle and lobster sandals  Susan then surprised Vicky with a giant lobster that she could bring to the next LobsterFest and/or use in the pool  Kevin and Sibylle passed out champagne and Patricia led us in a toast to Vicky and the club  Vicky took to heart the warning to keep her remarks brief, before thanking her Board for a great, successful year and honoring Beverly and Herb as Rotarians of the Year  She did a stalwart job of holding on to her gavel all year, but unfortunately it disappeared at the Demotion Party. Bill felt sorry for her and so gave up his last golden gavel  Just as she despaired of not having a gavel to pass on to Incoming President, Susan, Kevin came rushing out with a pot - could it be a gavel lobster pot? Yes!!!!  The evening was saved and Vicky presented George with patriotic beads to thank him for his service to the Country and to us for his years as Sergeant at Arms. And then the real celebration began!!!  |
Rotary & Club News Happy Rotarians included George for having his two sons, Jim & Bill, with us today; Susheela for Venky's successful knee surgery; Lew for his and Sue's 51st Wedding Anniversary on Sunday; Jon for his 78th Birthday on Sunday George Kamau Karuku, President-Elect of the Ruiru-Nairobi Rotary Club is visiting from Kenya where we are doing a global grant for an orphanage called Praisegate  Paul, in his last duties as Foundation Chair, presented Lew with his Paul Harris plus 3 pin for contributions over $4000 to the Foundation. He also reported we are again at 100% for donations by all members thus fulfilling the goal of EREY: Every Rotarian Every Year  Bob Brewer, Special Ops Ranger shot down during the Vietnam War, talked about the Vietnam Veteran; gave us a chronological history that led up to our involvement in Vietnam; and shared the disillusionment with the war as it progressed due to lies told to the public by the government. He encouraged everyone to visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC and remember the National Vietnam War Veterans Day each year on March 29. As he said, the best words a returning vet can hear is "Welcome Home".  |
Rotary at Petco ParkWe had a great day at Petco Park with Del Mar Rotarians - especially since the Padres beat the Diamondbacks 10-4   |
Rotary & Club News We signed cards that Bill got for 14 graduates of Solutions for Change which included a $50 gift card. Congratulations for a job well done!!  Suzanne gave happy $$s for her Birthday today; Paul gave for having his granddaughter with them; Molly is happy they will be doing a family road trip to Tahoe; Herb was happy the Warriors won another NBA Championship; Vicky gave funds for her wonderful trip to Spain The Del Mar Rotary sent us a thank you for the use of our popups at their Chili & Quackers event Vicky led our Celebration of Service with our LobsterFest video where we netted $28,000 to fund our projects throughout the year; and Herb with International shared a slide presentation about our $9000 grant in El Salvador to help needy children  Other presenters included Jon as Treasurer who shared that after giving away $49,000, we still have $106,530 on deposit; Paul as Foundation Chair reported we have given $379,366 to the Rotary Foundation over the life of our club; Di, Bill, and Charles reported for Community Service and reminded of some of the events/organizations we helped: Feeding San Diego, SD Blood Bank, Nature Collective, SD Food Bank, CRC, Hope Without Boundaries, Casa de Amistad, Stand Down/Veterans Village, Solutions for Change; and Kevin shared our Youth contributions to Model UN and Cristo Rey scholarship  We remembered Lou Oberman for all his contributions to Rotary & Veterans, and Herb suggested naming the LobsterFest Auction in his honor as he was the one who introduced us to Travel Pledge A big thank you went out to Jon who is stepping down as Treasurer after 12 years and Paul who is leaving his post of Foundation Chair after 6 years We ended the meeting with a fine to Sandy from Vicky for meeting his last blue badge requirement by being at the board meeting on zoom (but they never saw his face); and Malcolm fining Charlotte for making us all tired watching her on the treadmill; Nicole for her & Peter's 15th Anniversary; and Venky for his and Meera's 52nd Anniversary. He shared Venky singing a love song to Meera (click on link below to hear)  Thank you Vicky and club members for a great year |
Rotary & Club News Steve reported on the Convention in Houston which he attended, along with 10,000-11,000 other Rotarians - half the number of previous attendees with Asia & Europe underrepresented. One of the largest breakout sessions was on human trafficking with many countries interested in finding ways to prevent it. He also reported over $50 million have been raised by Rotary to eradicate polio Join Kevin & Patricia in donating new or slightly used shoes for Nova Ukraine all of June  Malcolm generously gave many more than six 6-packs of specially crafted Lager for Ukraine which Viewpoint created to raise funds to help the people of Ukraine, but they went fast  Happy Rotarians were Charles who attended his school reunion & for Loyal Soccer Team tickets supporting last year's LobsterFest; Charlotte for Lief's graduation from 4th grade; Paul for his trip to Arizona to visit mom and son; Jan for the opportunity to join Parkland school shooting survivors' March For Our Lives in San Diego tomorrow at the Admin Building from 10:00-12:00 (join her at the Nobel Trolley Station at 9:00am if you'd like to participate)  and we surprised Suzanne a week early with a birthday card signed by club members for her June 17 Birthday Di shared our long term commitment to The Nature Collective where we & the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club will be doing a District Grant, before introducing Jennifer Bright, Associate Director and Elayna Flanders, Volunteer Director. Jennifer updated us on the completion of their lagoon restoration project and Elayna talked about various volunteer opportunities.  Bill, acting President today, gave them our Joshua Orphan Care certificate along with a six pack of Lager for Ukraine  |
Rotary & Club NewsGeorge started us off with a Patriotic "Proud to be an American" video in honor of Memorial Day    Happy Birthday to Charlotte on her birthday today Happy dollars came from Venky for a wonderful trip to India to visit family, Art for a great trip with Ildiko to Nova Scotia to see rock formations and the highest tide swings; George for son Rick visiting us today, Bill for his and Suzanne's fabulous trip to Morocco, Susan for the Hilton parking meter machine; Ken for his and Bebe's 18th Anniversary on the 22nd Bill reminded us of Stand Down which will be July 29-31, where we will again hand out water. Bring used clothes next Friday for needy Veterans which Bill will deliver Bring shoes for Nova Ukraine that Kevin will collect, which are bought and donated to needy countries with the proceeds given to help Ukraine (And Viewpoint will give a 6-pack of its special brew to the first 6 donors)  Charlotte updated us on LobsterFest, September 17, 5-8
 Susan presented the Slate of Officers for next year that the Board approved and we voted on We need a Program Director (to be divided by 3 people for 3 months starting in October), and help with zoom so we can continue with hybrid meetings In lieu of a speaker, Trish talked about the program  which allows participants to experience the San Dieguito River Valley, to follow its path from mountain to sea, to encounter plant, animal and human inhabitants, and to connect to the River Valley with heart and mind |
Memorial Day 2022 |
Celebrating our PartnersCelebrating with Casa de Amistad at the Future Leaders Scholarship Celebration, Class of 2022 where we gave $1200 for College-Ready Baskets, which was matched by a generous Rotarian   and supporting Opera for Kids as they performed The Enchanted Tail at a free concert in Balboa Park  |
RAW Day  |
Rotary & Club NewsWe continue to pray for peace in Ukraine  Happy Rotarians included Jon for a wonderful trip to Amsterdam, Belgium, & Berlin; Patricia for a successful play directed by her grand-daughter; Trish for a spectacular hike in Morrow Bay, Herb for a fun trip to Sun River, Oregon; Paul for avoiding a $19,500 IRS penalty; Jan for Trish's recommendation of Dr. Bronner's Magic Balm  We enjoyed learning more about Sandy as he gave his Who Am I: he is a native San Diegan, graduated from SDSU and UCSD grad school; job offer from Westgate to become Human Resources Asst. Mgr, then Manager kept him from travelling to Europe after college; then on to SDG&E in HR, software sales for 15 years before following his passion for stocks 12 yrs ago when he became a money manager. He's lived in Del Mar for 26 years and married 3 years ago  Patricia reminded us of Upcoming Events: Thursday night meeting/social, Demotion Party, Padres Game, Coastal Farms Tour (see dates under Upcoming Events) We will be donating $1200 for College-Ready Baskets for Casa de Amistad (more info to come from the Community Service Committee) La Jolla Golden Triangle Foundation will be matching our $6000 for Ukraine Paul shared a Rotary Foundation video that made us all feel good Dr. Michael Remson, President & CEO of San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, talked with us about how this organization (which was started 76 years ago) provides cradle to college music programs with a vision of enriching lives through music. They have partnered with Rotary International Youth Exchange for 18 years to form an International Youth Symphony MusiCamp with multiple performances in July of each year.  |
30 Anniversary Party   |
Rotary & Club NewsGoodbye, Good Luck & Thank You Phil as you ride off into the sunset of retirement Bill presented him with a card signed by all, a box of popcorn, chocolates, & champagne to send him on his way  Even though Herb & Beverly were in Oregon (using a LobsterFest auction item), Herb was able to fine members for not wearing pins and not sharing a recent anniversary (he caught Susan, Ken, and Vicky (who just celebrated her 14th year with Farmers) $6000 has been donated by club members and friends to help the victims in Ukraine, and we hope it can be matched LobsterFest is set for September 17 with our flamenco guitarist, James Clarkston back along with Trish and Hot Rocks San Diego. Bill & Suzanne are again sponsoring a table for active military and sponsorship for a retired military table is available Our own Steve Weitzen updated us on efforts to eradicate human trafficking in San Diego which include education and awareness. This $32 billion industry includes organ, slave labor, and sex trafficking. Visit our district website at rotary5340.org for more information  |
Rotarians At Work Day 2022 (RAW)Thank you Di for organizing a great Rotarians At Work Day We joined the Nature Collective at the Stonebridge Trail head of the San Elijo Lagoon  Volunteers led us on an informative hike, identifying native plants before we began our work of pulling invasive ones  Native plants include the California poppy, cobweb thistle, and white sage   While carrying out our bags and supplies we came across a woodrat nest  before heading to San Dieguito County Park for a quick lunch from Goodonya and more non-native plant pulling   |
Rotary & Club News"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have" Jim Rohn
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Feeding San Diego & Shelter Box  |
30th Anniversary PartyThank you Patricia & Suzanne for planning a fabulous 30th Anniversary Party and to everyone who helped make it a very special night Mary Butler did a fabulous job on table decorations, and with the help of Bill, Jan, Patricia, Paul, Suzanne, and Trish, a beautiful venue & night awaited Rotarians & friends at Powerhouse Park  The western theme was apparent in attire as guests enjoyed drinks & appetizers on the patio with the music from Hot Rocks San Diego playing in the background  Kevin, the club's 1st President (when he had more hair), was the MC; Marty Peters from the Del Mar Club (of which were were spun off) congratulated him and presented Steve with a Has Been badge  President Vicky talked about all the wonderful projects we did in El Salvador and our trips there, which were acknowledged by Ildiko Tesak who was here for the festivities; Malcolm explained how our Bocce Ball Fundraisers & Tournaments came about; and Mary was recognized for her beautiful decorations  Zoe Swift from Terra Lawson-Remer's Office with The San Diego County Board of Supervisors honored us with a Proclamation naming April 24, 2022 DMSB Rotary 30th Anniversary Day  We were treated to a fabulous sunset which everyone enjoyed, including Dwight Worden, Major of Del Mar and two visiting foreign exchange students staying with Kevin & Sibylle, Andrea from Bordeaux, France and Joelle from Schaffhausen, Switzerland   And then Rotarians and guests moved inside for a fabulous tri tip & chicken barbeque with all the fixings catered by Bekker's    The Powerhouse Clubhouse balcony provided a good overview of the room....  and as Hot Rocks San Diego resumed play, (and a few die-hards let our handy volunteer bartender Rodger Price, long time friend of Sandy, continue to pour)....  everyone took to the floor and enjoyed dancing the night away (click on video link below)  Thanks to Bill, Charles, Jan and Patricia for all the photos |
Shelter Box Hero Award |
7-Way Meeting  |
Passover/Easter/Spring  |
Lou ObermanRest in peace, Lou - a beloved member of our club since 1996  |
Rotary & Club News We had a great turnout for Visitors Day with 7 guests joining us to learn more about Rotary and to hear District Attorney Summer Stephan give an update on her office's efforts to pursue justice, prevent crimes, support victims, and fight homelessness across SD County  It was great having George & Phil back; Charles was happy for his birthday & a trip to his 60th high school reunion; Steve was happy for his & Ava's 36th Anniversary; Di gave happy $s for her & Al's upcoming 41st Anniversary; Bill was happy to play in the Operation Game On Golf Tournament along with son Andy, and PDG Steve, where George was their putting coach  We will be dark the next two Fridays with our next meeting the 7-Way on April 20th at noon Patricia & Nicole had a wonderful time at Casa de Amistad's 20th Anniversary Gala & Fundraiser on April 2  And thanks to Kevin, Nicole, and Bill who helped make Model UN another successful event with over 100 students participating from 17 schools and Casa de Amistad  |
Feeding San DiegoHelping Feeding San Diego help others    |
Rotary & Club NewsMolly reminded us to plant seeds of love to make a better world  It was wonderful to have Phil back (though a little hoarse); Jan recalled her retirement 11 years ago today (& it was no April Fool's joke); Paul was happy to have Mary Beth back after batching it for a week; Susheela was happy to spend time with her sister from India showing her the Bay area; Susan was happy to encounter Kitty on Mark's birthday and joined her for a lovely evening; Bill anticipated being happy after Model UN; Di is anxiously awaiting her son's marriage in 3 weeks  Sandy avoided another fine by uploading his picture to club runner; but Fine Master Bill fined members for not wearing their Rotary pins, and Kevin, Jon, and Molly for not acknowledging recent birthdays of spouses/spouses to be Susan reminded everyone of our Visitors Day next week with District Attorney Summer Stephan which will be in person only - not hybrid Check the calendar for other upcoming events. Patricia confirmed a Coastal Farms Tour on July 17  People should know that we're a pet friendly club as shown by Beverly and Tootsie We enjoyed hearing about The Enchanted Tail and Opera 4 Kids from founders & renowned opera singers Bernardo Bermudez and Victoria Robertson, who will again be highlighted at the 7-Way Meeting on April 20   |
Rotary & Club NewsWe continue to pray for peace in Ukraine  It was with heavy hearts that we said good-by & honored Lou today as he joins other Rotarians in the sky - he will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered 
It was fun to see Mauer on zoom as Charlotte gave 12 Happy $$ for his 12th birthday today A big thank you to Bill for getting the Rotary Wheel from George, so Jan could use it as today's Fine Master. The wheel was generous to the club as it landed on 16, 16, 17, & 22. Donors were
  (note the age of the wheel as our name included "Sunrise") Bob Nascenzi, CEO & founder of Cristo Rey High School San Diego joined us on zoom along with Camila Tirado who Vicky presented with a $2000 scholarship Zoe Swift, a fellow with The Office of SD County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, also joined us in person
Our speaker, Jim Mendelson, Foreman of the SD County 2021-2022 Grand Jury shared many fascinating facts about this organization made up of volunteers. Their mission is to represent the citizens of San Diego County by investigating, evaluating and reporting on the actions of local government and special districts. Common denominators with Rotarians & the Grand Jury is its Service Above Self and Is It The Truth.  |
District Assembly & Blood DriveWe had a great turnout for District Assembly and latest Blood Drive on March 19 - thank you to everyone who attended and helped   |
Rotary & Club NewsWe continue to pray for the people of Ukraine  and our love goes out to Patricia whose son left this earthly life suddenly, and for Lou who is in hospice  We were happy to hear that Kevin is doing nicely after hip replacement surgery; Phil is doing well (but a bit behind) full recovery from pneumonia/Covid; George continues to improve after his knee surgery; Venky has retired after 50 years with General Atomic; Di's son picked up his marriage license for an April 22 wedding; Paul was happy to see long time friend Armand here as our speaker; Bill showed off the sweatshirt he bought on our Wolf Education Project visit  Venky (who forgot he was temporary fine-master) fined himself and Steve, just because he could. Jan is fine-master next week and she loves to raise money for the club, so watch out Susan reminded us of Visitors Day on April 8 when we will have District Attorney Summer Stephan here as our speaker. Ask guests and give their names to her or Molly We learned much from Armand Olvera, a volunteer for 13 years with the San Diego Police Department's Retired Senior Volunteer Program, started in 1992. A walkie talkie is the only "weapon" they carry, but Armand's seal training (he was with Seal Team 1) serves him well. Qualifications to become a volunteer include being 50 yrs or older, semi or fully retired, valid CA driver's license, available at least 3 days/month  They encourage ride-a-longs for anyone interested and Bill asked about raising funds for much needed vehicle replacements. President Mallett presented Armand our Joshua Orphan Care Center certificate and explained all the wonderful things they do in Malawi, Africa, which we support  |
Holi |
Blood Drive  |
Happy St. Patrick's Day |
Wolf Project & Nature Center  |
Wolf Education Project & Santa Ysabel Nature CenterThank you Patricia for organizing a fabulous visit to the Wolf Education Project and Santa Ysabel Nature Center      |
Rotary & Club NewsAlong with Herb, we pray for peace in Ukraine  The Board approved sending $1000 to Shelter box for Ukraine and $1000 to the District's efforts through Romania for Ukraine, all from excess Community Service funds We wish Sandy a Happy 66th Birthday next week, and a Happy 94th to Paul's mother. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Lou who is recovering from multiple surgeries and will be taking a 6mo leave from Rotary. Nicole thanked Bill for his mentorship for Model UN students, and shared that we will again be giving Camila Tirado a $2000 scholarship to attend Cristo Rey San Diego High School Di encouraged everyone to sign up for Feeding San Diego on April 5 and confirmed we will be helping the Nature Collective for Rotarians at Work Day on April 30 Paul presented four Paul Harris Fellowships to Charlotte (PH+1), Patricia (PH+2), Di (her first), and Bill (PH+3). Congratulations and thank you to all!  Anne Middleton, Executive Director of EcoLife Conservation shared how they are helping humans and nature prosper together by making more fuel efficient stoves, creating biosphere reserves, and building aquaponic facilities    |
Shelter Box Responding to Ukraine Crisis“ShelterBox is deploying a response team to the region to begin assessing the humanitarian needs related to the displacement crisis in Ukraine, including the emergency shelter needs for refugees. The team from ShelterBox includes highly-trained security, safety, and logistics personnel, who will coordinate with other humanitarian agencies to understand the gaps in emergency shelter and what are the household aid items that will be needed over the weeks and months to come.” - Kerri Murray, ShelterBox USA Preside |
Blood Drive |
Rotary & Club NewsKevin reminded us to open our arms and our hearts to the people of Ukraine  and Patricia pointed out what a great job Shelter Box does in helping with humanitarian relief  Happy $$ went for having George back home and Venky in person at the meeting, and it was great to have Mauer with us again. Malcolm joined us after missing 3 months due to cataract surgery/ closing his store in Fashion Valley/starting construction on new store in Sorrento Valley (for twice the budget & half the speed) /selling home in Del Mar/buying compound in Encinitas for his family (WHEW!)  Kevin explained how Model UN is a simulation of the actual UN with high school students becoming ambassadors for "their" countries & representing their political views on selected resolutions. All are welcome to visit the sessions on April 2 & 3 35 members & guests will be visiting the Wolf Education Center on March 12 (great job Patricia). Let Patricia know by April 1 if you will be attending the Anniversary Party on April 23. The Board has been deputized to help with the party Join Vicky, Susan, Di, Suzanne, Herb, Sandi, & Steve at District Assembly on March 19 and/or sign up to help with/give blood at our Blood Drive the same day Other news includes Vicky selling her home, Susan & Mark recommending riding the new trolley line to downtown, Lou is doing well and has been moved to the Aviara Rehab facility, Phil still has pneumonia but has reduced oxygen needed and will be back on March 16 Dr. Steven Dowdy gave a fascinating and high-level talk on the research his team is doing which focuses on the development and delivery of siRNA and ASO therapeutics to treat cancer. Less than 1% of RNA therapeutics get into cells as opposed to 30%-70% of viruses   Vicky "presented" Dr. Dowdy with our Joshua Orphan Care Center (who we support) Certificate for speaking  |
Rotary & Club NewsPaul reminded us that Rotarians are peacekeepers  It was great to have Phil join us on zoom (with a little help from his oxygen tube) and George again from his rehab bed We have another walking wounded and learned that Venky will have knee surgery the end of March Di & Ken helped count the homeless in Encinitas as part of a county wide effort Our $40K Global Grant for Praise Gate is signed off by all and sent to RI for approval See our Upcoming Events column for service projects & socials Model UN has been moved to Del Mar City Hall on April 2 & 3 Vicky announced we will have a 2nd Annual LobsterFest in September that she will chair and invited members to help  Deb Martin, CEO & Executive Director for ElderHelp talked with us about all the wonderful things they are doing to help the elderly stay in their homes. See www.elderhelpofsandiego.org for more info  Vicky presented Deb with our certificate from Joshua Orphan Care Center in Malawi Africa that we support and explained how they house, school, and feed over 1000 children a day  |
Rotary & Club News A cloud still hangs over the club as we learned that Phil has Covid and pneumonia and is on oxygen 24/7, trying to get his numbers up. We're all praying for a complete recovery!! Susan ran the meeting and was recognized as a new Paul Harris Society Member by District Governor Dan Gensler who presented her with a certificate and a pin by District Foundation Treasurer James Morrison. She has committed to making a $1000 donation each year to The Rotary Foundation - thank you, Susan!!  Dan also inducted our newest member, Sandy Levine, who joined us on zoom. Welcome Sandy!  And Past DG Steve Weitzen presented Nicole Mione-Green her Blue Badge as she has met all of the requirements. Congratulations Nicole!  Many happy dollars went for having George at the meeting on zoom from his rehab bed and for the caregivers and physical therapists who are helping him  Javier Guerrero, President & CEO of Coastal Roots Farm and Kesha Spoor, Director of Philanthropy, shared how this 22 acre farm in Encinitas practices sustainable farming and shares their harvest with communities that lack access to healthy food, inspired by Jewish wisdom and agricultural traditions. We can't wait to visit and help on the farm!  Susan presented Kesha our Joshua Orphan Care Center certificate as a thank you for speaking  |
Food Bank  |
Rotary & Club NewsA reminder from Trish:  Happy Rotarians included Vicky for a great day of golf; Nicole for being covid free; Ken for a great food bank night; Charlotte for her new niece Coco; and for our left-handers: Bill, Herb, Lew, & Steve; and especially Charles who brought this picture of a good-looking Captain George and son Bill, on his way to recovery from knee-cap surgery  Sandy Levine was approved as a new member at the Wednesday Board Meeting and will be given his Red Badge at the next meeting - IN PERSON at the Hilton on 2/18. Come and welcome him!! And hopefully we can present Nicole with her Blue Badge which she has earned by completing all the requirements. We had a great Club Assembly focusing on Membership which Vicky began by reminding us that Rotary has been around 116 years, is in 200 countries, and has over 1.2 million members. Susan then gave a great power point emphasizing the importance of bringing in new members and reminding everyone of the goal: EACH ONE BRING ONE   We then broke into groups to discuss further ideas to grow our club led by Vicky, Paul, Molly, and Susan. Ideas included:
Next Perspective Membership Day will be April 8 with District Attorney Summer Stephan as our guest speaker |
San Diego Food BankThank you Rotarians & Friends (and Di who organized) for lifting 8000 pounds of food, filling 655 bags, and providing 6823 future meals for those in need at the San Diego Food Bank    |
Rotary & Club News It feels like there's a dark cloud over the club....George fell and shattered his knee-cap, Lou is in the hospital for his lungs, Nicole has Covid along with her son, and Phil's mother passed away - best wishes to all. As Bill said, we should all feel lucky and grateful to be here!! (Amen) Good news from Patricia who is thankful to everyone after her successful surgery; Di celebrated a birthday on 2/2/22 and is full of love; Paul is back from Scottsdale where they packed up his mom after 55 years in the same place; Ken had a fun ride with his pilot-brother; Venky is happy to see his grandson join us & receive recognition from our speaker; Sandy is getting ready to start his red badge requirements as a new member; Beverly is taking on the position of Care Bear; we will again do hybrid meetings starting February 18. Paul shared the attached video on The Rotary Foundation, which Charles highlighted as one of the leading foundations for usefulness and management. https://youtu.be/vvvt_8CC9F4 . Please make your Annual Fund donations by the end of May.  Susan encouraged members to sign up for District Training Assembly on March 19 at Liberty Station, as a way for current and new members to learn more about Rotary. And she shared that her #1 goal in 2022-2023 will be to get new members. Our fabulous speaker today was Carl Nettleton, writer, speaker, water expert and founder of Open Oceans Global -www.openoceans.org who shared fascinating facts of where most of the plastic comes from (rivers), where it ends up (coastlines & beaches), and who is the largest polluter (the Philippines), and what we can do about it.   And we were all proud to see how Venky's grandson was recognized for the work they are doing in India to fight pollution.  |
Rotary & Club NewsUpdates on/from members:
Happy Dollars came from:
 Colin Khoury with the San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Garden) showed how it has come a long way from its founding in 1970. This 37 acre urban oasis in Encinitas has more than 5000 plant species and varieties, including 300 plants that are only found at SDBG. Click on the link below to see more pictures of the 15 gardens they maintain that represent different regions of the world.   https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j6FV6BNeVCPKkWF16VCHDYt-q-4q0aZw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106599683195805803500&rtpof=true&sd=true |
Rotary & Club NewsPaul reminded us to be grateful for each other & Rotary and to be mindful of those in need - to provide food for the hungry; heal the wounds of hatred with love; comfort those in sorrow; and bring peace to those living in areas of unrest. We so enjoyed seeing Finn, our youngest Rotarian,  were so sorry to hear Charlotte is in quarantine after Mauer & Leif tested positive for Covid, and wish Patricia well on her rotator cuff surgery today. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help her over the next several weeks. Molly was happy to have a new nanny start Monday; Charlotte passed her 3rd & final EA (Enrolled Agent) exam; Venky was happy to be back home from India; Charles & Alicia had a wonderful trip to Paso Robles wine country; Art likes Charles' beard & is off to skiing in Park City; Vicky is in Mexico, and Nicole was happy Lisa Montes could join us It was agreed we should continue on zoom into February with no "soft date" yet set for our hybrid meetings We will be sending the money gathered for outreach in India to Project Peanut Butter, as we are not able to send the funds to India as planned The Grant for Praise Gate is on hold as Venky, the "premier commander," gathers more info for the Kenya DG Lisa Montes from La Colonia Community Foundation informed us of ways they are helping youth and those with food insecurity in La Colonia Eden Gardens. She is a 4th generation Eden Gardens resident - the 1st neighborhood in Solana Beach founded by Mexican Americans who moved here to help in the agricultural area & citrus groves  Father Garrett Galvin from the Franciscan School of Theology at USD spoke with us on their mission and commitment to social justice. They prepare men & women in theological education that allows them to focus in solidarity with those on the margins of society with the realization that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Unfortunately we could not see his slide presentation as USD was undergoing a blackout.  |
Rotary & Club NewsNicole's impromptu invocation was the prayer she recites to her kids each day as they head out: May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you, wherever He may send you. May He guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. May He bring you home rejoicing at the wonders He has shown you. May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.  We are again meeting on zoom through January due to the rapid Omicron spread. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Trish who got caught. We enjoyed seeing Vicky who gave happy $$ to be back; Jan in her Girl Scout sash in honor of our speaker; Kevin in his scarf as he can't afford heat with inflation; Ken with his sheared finger tip growing back; Paul with his grandkids frog art on the wall; & Lou and Patricia who both will be undergoing surgery soon (Lou for heart issues/Patricia for rotator cuff) Patricia is doing a great job on socials (see Upcoming Events and register). She needs a volunteer for our demotion party in June, and help with our April 23 western-themed Anniversary party. Herb will be riding in on a horse and Ken will be showcasing his lasso skills. Ken showed the Community Service Plan for the rest of the year and Di reminded members to register for upcoming food sorting nights on the website. Stay tuned for more info on RAW Day involving the CRC. She also encouraged Rotarians to join her & the CRC on 2/24 at 3:45am for a homeless survey. Nicole shared that Model UN training will begin next weekend. Liz Sheahan, Chief Advancement Officer for the Girl Scouts of America, joined us again on zoom to update us on current activities and remind of us all the skills they help young women achieve.  The famous cookie sale will run from January 30 - March 8 and will again include Operation Thin Mint (which began in San Diego) and has sent over 3MM cookies to service members overseas. Liz encouraged Rotarians to promote scouting and interact with the girls when purchasing cookies  |
Rotary & Club NewsPaul started the New Year with the following Invocation As the Calendar turns and another new year begins, Let us be thankful for our Rotary friends and the changes our service can bring. Let us rise to the challenges given Let us aim to give more to the cause Let us continue to make the world better Even if no one gives us applause. Bill led the meeting as Vicky had jury duty; Venky joined us from India; everyone congratulated Lou on starting his 90th year; Paul celebrated his & Mary's 43rd Anniversary; Patricia was happy to be house sitting with Herbie cat; Art was happy to walk along the lagoon with a beer in hand from Viewpoint; and Happy Birthday wishes to Bill on his January 11 birthday It was good to see Sandy Levine again who is meeting with Molly & Susan to learn steps to becoming a red-badge member Herb updated us on the Praise Gate Grant in Kenya, which is awaiting signatures The 6-Way meeting has been postponed until April, and we will be meeting on zoom only for two weeks. Sign up under Upcoming Events for our February 8 SD Food Bank Distribution, our March 12 Wolf Center trip, and our April 23 30th Anniversary Party Let George or Bill know if you'd like to contribute to Honor Flight Paul reminded Rotarians to make their Annual Fund contributions to The Rotary Foundation Kevin informed us that climate change will be one of the resolutions debated at Model UN which will take place April 2 & 3 We learned how Project Peanut Butter seeks to advance the treatment of severe malnutrition in children in the poorest countries of Africa (Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Ghana) in the talk given by former DG Marilyn Sanderson, who joined us on zoom from Palm Springs. Visit www.projectpeanutbutter.org for more information or to make a donation.  Bill presented Marilyn with a virtual Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate and ended the meeting with his blue gavel (which he will paint pink to hand over to Vicky)  |
Helping Others  |
Happy New Year 2022 |
Happy Holidays |
Tecate Houses FurnishingsOur $1200 for furnishings & household items for the 6 homes we helped build in Tecate were well spent   |
Casa de AmistadRotarians helping Casa de Amistad families - Thank you everyone who contributed  |
Wreaths Across AmericaThank you to everyone who helped lay a wreath on a veteran's headstone in Miramar National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America Day - it was a touching experience  |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy Dollars came from Jan who was Queen for the Day as it was her birthday, and was thrilled to be serenaded by Opera stars Bernardo Bermudez and Victoria Robertson with Opera4Kids as they sang Happy Birthday;  Susheela was happy to be able to visit family over the holidays; Molly was happy for her best real estate year ever & for Riley's upcoming 3rd birthday; and Trish was happy for a large donation to the SD River Valley Conservancy We also heard that Lou is having a big birthday on the 28th - Happy Birthday Lou!! As Youth Chair, Nicole reported that Casa de Amistad kids will make up two teams for Model UN in April. Please sign up to join Bill as an advisor. She also reminded members to drop off gifts for Casa families by Monday It was a hard choice, but Patricia beat Herb & Phil for ugly holiday sweater champion!!!  As District Annual Fund Liaison, Susan reminded everyone to make their contribution to The Rotary Foundation for 2021-2022  Walter Lam spoke to us on how the non-profit he started, Alliance for African Assistance, is not only helping refugees from Uganda and Kenya, but refugees from around the world, including most recently a large influx from Afghanistan. He is especially proud of the hospital Rotary helped build in Atiak, Uganda and was very pleased to receive our speaker certificate which shows our support of the Joshua Orphan Care Center in Malawi, Africa  |
Rotary & Club NewsWelcome again to Sandy Levine, on his 3rd visit to our club in anticipation of joining Happy Dollars from Molly on her dad's heart doing so well; Charles for a great Holiday Party; Venky for his family off to India; Nicole for a great holiday gathering at Viewpoint; Malcolm for double projected sales at his store closing & upcoming purchase of 1-1/2 acre compound in Encinitas for his family; and Happy Birthday dollars for Vicky's upcoming Birthday on the 15th and getting her cast off;  Herb was happy to visit Mami and her new husband in San Francisco with Bev and her son;  Susan was happy for her, Mark, Ken, and Bebe's participation in building 7 homes in Tecate with the District. We gave $1000 to help furnish the homes Steve presented the club with another Foundation Banner for our contributions to Polio Plus  And we presented a check to Dawn Wensel of Reality Changers for $9,724 from LobsterFest  Thank you to Bev who has done a great job of getting speakers as we transition to Trish heading this endeavor. We are funding $2500 for Honor Flight for Vets to Washington DC next year, and invite others to contribute to reach our goal of $3750 See Upcoming Events for our February 8 date at San Diego Food Bank and sign up Rotarian and author, Stephen Tako, creator of award-winning anti-bullying books and films for children, gave us helpful information on how to write a book and leave a legacy. We also learned the fun trivia fact that at 15 and 6'7" tall, he won best dancer on roller skates   Vicky ended the meeting with The Four Way Test, and thanked this Rotary Family for the great work done to date. Bill will Acting President next week and encouraged everyone to wear ugly holiday sweaters |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy members included Patricia for the beautiful Hilton decorations; Paul for a wonderful Thanksgiving/Mary's birthday celebration/and moving his mother into a retirement home; Lew for his son's new job; Vicky for Malcolm's magic on her grandmother's wedding ring; and Steve for Paul's great work as our Foundation Chair as he presented us with two banners for 2020-2021: one for EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) and average $100 with 100% participation. Paul reminded everyone to go online to make this year's contribution.  Ron Kohl talked about a Rotary Foundation cruise next year and encouraged members to sign up  Members who neglected to bring Toys for Tots included Ken who Patricia made hop around the room; Molly who confessed to a guilty pleasure of watching dateline; and Susheela who had to walk like a zombie Visit Charles Koll Jewellers in Fashion Valley for spectacular savings as Malcolm & Richard prepare to close the store and move to a new location in Sorrento Valley (stay tuned for more info) Jason Kuiper from the Wolf Education Project joined us on zoom from Julian along with Miigwan, the wolf. Their mission is to increase public awareness and understanding as to the true nature of wolves and the critial role they play in maintaining ecological balance in our environment.  We're all excited for our January 29 field trip to the Center which Patricia has arranged (where Jason said we can hug the wolves & puppies), followed by lunch & a tour of the new nature center nearby. Let Vicky know of other fun places to visit in the future |
Holiday PartyThank you Patricia & Suzanne for organizing a wonderful Holiday Party and to Vicky for hosting in her beautiful home We had delicious food and broke into teams after dinner for a fun game of holiday trivia pursuit     |
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Rotary & Club NewsIt was a full house for Visitors Day - thank you Di, Linda, Malcolm, and Suchandra for bringing guests, and thank you Phil for the new room layout  Molly's invocation invoked Rotary's Four Way Test and reminded us of our commitment to help others  Patricia surprised George with cupcakes and a bag of cards from members for his 91st Birthday, and his heartfelt thanks to his Rotary friends brought a tear to many an eye  We were happy to present Don Wells with Just in Time for Foster Youth a check of $9522 as one of our major beneficiaries from LobsterFest  Suchandra & Herb shared information about the Global Grant we did in India for mentally ill homeless women, and Nicole gave members & guests an opportunity to pick a Casa de Amistad family to help grant their wishes for a Happy Holiday - all 10 families were grabbed  Mark your calenders for our 30th Anniversary party in 2022 on the day of our founding - April 23. Patricia has secured Powerhouse Park Community Center where we'll dress casual and enjoy good food, music, and each others company Andrea Compton, Superintendent of the Cabrillo National Monument, told us the history of the monument that was formed in 1913 under the Department of the Army. She began her national park service career here in 2002 and returned in 2016 after taking a position as head of Resources Management at Joshua Tree National Park. Activities at Cabrillo include exploring the tide pools and we learned that they have one of the largest bee colonies in the country.  |
Community ServiceThank you Lou for coordinating Rotarians at a modified Stand Down and for the members who helped give out water at Veterans Village of San Diego  Beverly, Herb, Suchandra, Jon, Jan, Lou, Charles, and Bill (not shown) And to our head elf, Di, who organized a great crew of Rotarians for the CRC Holiday Baskets Sorting   Nicole, Patricia, Kevin, Jon, Mark, Susan, Jan, Bill, Charlotte, Paul, Trish, Charles, & Alicia, with Di in front  |
Rotary & Club NewsJon's invocation went something like this: "All things in life, including you, are in an imperfect state of flux, so strive not for perfection, but for excellence instead." Susan stepped in for Malcolm and fined Trish for trying to auction off her Viewpoint mug at River Fest and then remembered she already gave it to someone Rotarians supporting San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy River Fest last Sunday   Proclamation naming November 7, 2021 Trish Boaz Day by the County of San Diego  We had a furry friend visit our meeting this morning via zoom  Patricia shared this Shelter Box video with an update on how they are helping after the earthquake in Haiti  Remember our Visitors Day next week and let Molly know if you are inviting someone to join us San Diego Parks Foundation Founder and Chair, Marcella Bothwell talked with us about the Foundation and the state of our parks in San Diego. Since Covid, their programs focused on providing free WiFi in recreations centers, free meals for kids in communities of concern, Come Play Outside programs, and city wide tree planting. Vicky presented her with our Joshua Orphan Care School Certificate for speaking.  |
Veterans Day |
Visitors Day  |
Rotary & Club News Happy Rotarians included: Susan for mountain biking in Sedona; Bill for a fabulous Tahiti trip with Suzanne; Phil for the $80 Breeder Cup valet parking visitors; Paul for his 6yr old granddaughter( one of the first her age) who got the covid vaccine; Ken for all the upcoming Community Service events; for Suchandra being with us today; Trish who announced her retirement & move to San Luis Obispo at the end of the year Lew updated us on another successful Blood Drive where 25 units of blood were donated Molly reminded us of Visitors Day - 2 weeks from today on 11/19 - invite all your friends & neighbors Di has room with her non-profit, Everyday Mindfulness, for the CRC Distribution Day on 12/4. Contact her if you're interested. Malcolm recognized Ken for his 15th and Jan for her 25th Anniversary with the Club this month, and fined everyone else Patricia shared the wonderful video below about Wreaths Across America which we will be doing on 12/18  Sherriff Bill Gore, Rotarian, San Diego native, former Asst. Director of the FBI, and Meritorious Executive Award recipient from the President of the United States, talked with us on his 51 years of public service. One of the biggest issues facing the community & the nation is dealing with mental health issues. Major accomplishments include spearheading the creation of the Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, the Homeless Assisted Resource Team, and the Mobile Crisis Response Team, all who work together with unusual cooperation and collaboration.  |
Blood Drive Thank you Lew & Rotarians for another successful Blood Drive   |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy Halloween!! We arrived at the Hilton to these fun creations created by the staff  And words of wisdom from Patricia "to review our checkbooks, our hearts, and indeed, the registers of our lives with honesty as we consider our priorities and our opportunity to help others" There were a lot of Happy $$ for the great job Paul did in covering for Vicky and for World Polio Day; from Molly for a fun trip to Big Bear; from Paul for his 3.4MM home sale & for the $775 raised to End Polio Now that increased to $5000 with District & Gates match Jon reported final LobsterFest figures: a whopping $76,700 in Revenue with Profit of $50,475 - Great job!!!!! Steve shared that we will be partnering for a $70,000 Global Grant with District 4100 in Baja Herb informed us that $9K is on its way to El Salvador to help children with health & education needs And Happy Birthday Wishes to Beverly for her upcoming birthday and to Scott for whom Charlotte paid a fine  Our speaker, Marj Cole, former District Governor and in her 3rd year as Foundation Chair, brought us up to date on the Rotary Foundation and our contributions: We have 27 Paul Harris Fellows (have given $1000 or more); 3 members are part of the Bequest Society (have included The Foundation in their Estate Planning; 3 members are Major Donors (have given over $10,000 to The Foundation); the Club has donated $11,000 to the annual Fund with an average of $378 for a total of $400,000. Rotarians on the west coast can become a Polio Plus Society Member by donating $100/yr to Polio Plus. The Rotary Foundation has one of the highest non-profit ratings as 91% of its funds go philanthropic endeavors   |
LobsterFest Thank You |
World Polio Day 2021  |
World Polio Day 2021Thank you Paul for arranging our fun activities for World Polio Day 2021 starting with the District walk in Balboa Park, followed by our Club Walk along the coast, and ending at Viewpoint for lunch and drinks. It was a fun time for all for this worthy cause!!    |
Rotary & Club News We welcomed District Guests, Susie Callahan, Chief Asst. Gov.; Sandy Pugliese, Newsbits Editor & Area Asst. Gov.; & Luis Carranza, Area Asst. Gov.  Steve received two heart-felt books: a collection of tributes that Susie put together & Sandy's book of Steve's Sunday Morning Musings commemorating the wonderful year of Steve's 2020-2021 District Governorship Paul was President-for-the-day in Vicky's absense, and reminded everyone about the End Polio Now activities on Sunday. Steve proclaimed him the best Foundation Chair in the District.  Visit our Upcoming Events & register for the CRC Holiday Baskets and Stand Down by clicking on the event. Bring clothes (new or worn) for Vets to the next two meetings and Lou will deliver them to Veterans Village on 11/5 Our speaker today, Fari Moni, Rotarian from the La Jolla Golden Triangle Club and a member of San Diego/Jalalabad Sister Cities Foundation brought us up to date on activities in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Things are not good and she is heartbroken over the difficulties there. The government would like to see the computer center reopen, which the team will not do until the high school is open to girls. Money is being raised to help the 34 members of the team in Jalalabad with food and necessities, and Janice Kurth is leading the local Rotary effort to help Afghan refugees in San Diego. Contact Fari or Janice to help.  |
Octoberfest 2021Vielen Dank to Susan & Mark for a fabulous Octoberfest with brats & all the German trimmings from Tip Top Market, Vienna Lager from Viewpoint, and a beautiful night on their terrace  |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy Fall  We continue with hybrid meetings. Please see our Upcoming Events & mark your calendars  Kevin's invocation reminded us to focus on being quick to listen and slow to speak; melding our differences, creating unity; highlighting integrity, emphasizing service to others Happy Rotarians included Charles for enjoying fall leaves while hiking WV & Tennessee trails with daughter & family; Susan for upcoming birthday on the 24th (the same day as our End Polio Now Walk); Charlotte for 5 new clients; Steve for having Robert Brewer with us today; Ken for mother's successful move to SD & upcoming birthday; Paul for Alzheimer's walk tomorrow with Bev & Herb George & Bill welcoming Vets back from their Honor Flight last week  Robert Brewer, Jr. talked with us about his 25 months as US Attorney for the Southern District of California, one of four Federal Districts in California. It took him 2 years to be approved by the White House, the US Senate, and the Dept. of Justice. He emphasized the high ethical character of the assistant US attorneys he appointed, and was very proud to reorganize the Criminal Division to include Violent Crimes & Human Trafficing (VC & HT), at the urging of Steve. Highlights of his term are shown below:  As a thank you for speaking, Vicky presented Brewer our Joshua Orphan Care School certificate where we help with school supplies & desks in Malawi, Africa  |
LobsterFest 2021 VideoLobsterFest 2021 Video by North Gilman Photography Click link below:  |
Rotary & Club NewsHappy $s: $50 from Phil in celebation of his & Cynthia's Anniversary where they ate at Born & Raised, and also for his son staying in San Diego; $25 from Steve for Chuck joining us today and for his 2nd grandchild; $30 from Bill for over 3000 people welcoming back our veterans from honor flight and the marines from Afghanistan to Camp Pendleton Calendar Items: - Octoberfest: Saturday, 10/16, 4-8pm at Susan & Marks - World Polio Day: Sunday, 10/24; District Walk, 7am (https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=584e104a-898e-463b-8ac3-a1cb5ca478d2) 11:00am, Club Walk starting at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar; Lunch after at Viewpoint Brewery; Donate to Rotary.org - San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy River Fest: 11/7, 4-7pm, Del Mar Hilton (https://paybee.io/@sdrvc2020@34) - Visitors Day: Friday, 11/19. We will have a speaker from Cabrillo National Monument. Invite all your friends and neighbors - Tecate home building: 12/4  Paul shared an eradicating polio video emphasizing We're Not Done Yet! District Governor Elect, Chuck Pretto was our speaker today and shared many fascinating facts about Kobey's Swap Meet - San Diego's biggest outdoor market. Started by his father-in-law, Monte Kobey in 1976, it is a family affair with Chuck, his wife Kimberly, son Anthony, & brother Joseph on the management team. At Anthony's urging it has expanded to become America's largest outdoor sneaker & vintage clothing swap meet, earning 30% of its income from sneaker sales and attracking over 13,000 people who pay over $1200 per pair. Chuck offered free space for Rotary and Roteract events.   |
Rotary & Club News
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LobsterFest 2021, more photosPhotos by Noah Gilman Photography     |
Rotary & Club News Bill presented flowers to Vicky and Charlotte for the great job they did with LobsterFest (and brought a bottle of wine for Phil) Everyone agreed it was a wonderful event and fundraiser - numbers to come! Condolences to Di for the passing of her father-in law; Congratulations to Molly on her 5th wedding anniversary (she was here at the Hilton exactly 5 yrs ago); Jan was happy that she won the Reality Changers Over the Edge auction item where she will get to rappel down the side of a 30-story building (which we will make into a social); Susan was happy for a fabulous sailing day; and we were all happy to have with us Dan Gensler, current District Governor and his Chief Aid, Don Fipps  Dan shared with us that he joined Rotary a decade ago to grow his business but quickly learned that this is the most successful organization to eliminate human suffering by focusing on compassion, charity, and service. Dan is passionate about humanitarian causes both here and abroad and chaired the Millions for Hope fundraising drive in 2015 that raised over $30 million in bequests and donations to The Rotary Foundation. He was inspired by Sister Ethel who left Ireland in 1972 for South Africa to help fight apartheid, where he has gone many years to distribute shoes and help the poor. And he has also been involved with Limbs of Freedom in Ensenada, Mexico where Rotary helps build prosthetics for the needy. He encouraged everyone to following RI President Mehtas lead to grow Rotary - each one-bring one; each one-keep one. |
LobsterFest 2021    ...and the rest of the story that was cut... Over 250 people attended the event Including Premier Sponsor Foster & Friends, and VIP sponsors Northstar Financial Management, Inc., The Sutton Family, PSRS, Charles Koll Jewellers, and Ergos. Youth from Just In Time and Reality Changers helped with set up, the raffle, and auction. When Premier Sponsor Alicia & Charles Foster were asked why they supported LobsterFest they shared that they feel very fortunate in life and want to express their gratitude by helping others. “We think that DMSB Rotary does a great job of helping people in need through well-chosen nonprofits, and especially for underserved kids and their families. We believe that improved education and mentoring can be the key to helping them overcome their and their parents’ lack of education, their views of potential opportunities, and other obstacles”. DMSB Rotary President and LobsterFest Chair Vicky Mallett thanked her committee and said, “I am thrilled to have such enthusiastic support from our Community and our Club members for LobsterFest. The event raises funds to support our Club Programs and major beneficiaries, while providing a fun, social gathering in a beautiful setting.” Mallett ended by saying she hopes LobsterFest will be an annual fundraiser for the Club for years to come. |
LobsterFest 2021Thank you Vicky for imagining and chairing a wonderful LobsterFest, and to Linda for running a great opportunity drawing  Invitees arrived at the check-in table manned by Rotarians Weilynn, Suzanne, & Patricia and Just In Time for Foster Youth, one who came as a lobster and enticed guests to purchase opportunity tickets for local restaurants  They were then directed to the VIP tequila tasting run by Carlsbads CaliFino Tequila and to our auction area, overseen by Charlotte, Mauer, and Herb    Guests enjoyed the Spanish guitar music of James Clarkston as they sipped marqaritas, wine, or beer from Viewpoint Brewing Co., and found their tables in the courtyard of the Del Mar Hilton    Artist Heather Roddy invited guests to add to the painting she was doing for our live auction before a dinner of lobster tacos and all the trimmings, baja style    President Mallett thanked everyone for their hard work, and MC Steve Weitzen introduced our military dignitaries and the Leaders of Just In Time For Foster Youth, Dianne Cox & Don Wells, and Reality Changers Management, Tamara Craver and Dawn Wensel. Then everyone sat back to listen and dance to the music of Hot Rocks San Diego with Trish at the mic  It was a great evening, enjoyed by all in a magical setting on a beautiful night! |
Rotary & Club MeetingVicky began the meeting with the following quote and thanked all her LobsterFest committee members for the fabulous job they have done. We are expecting about 260 people, and have raised over $12,000 in the online auction to date  Happy Dollars included Happy Birthday wishes for Susheela & Nicole; a $1000 check to the SD Foundation from Charles' friend; Charlotte for her auction intern Mauer, who joined us today; Patricia for a night at the fabulous Shell; Jan for a fun impromptu gathering at Viewpoint where Malcolm supplied beer & munchies; Ken for surviving his 1st week at his new Seattle job; Bill for Phil & all his hard work; Andy for a very memorable 9/11 rememberance ceremony at Di's where as they reflected on those who died, a new life was being born by a participant on zoom Charlotte won this special shirt as part of the We Are Baack drawing  Patricia as fine master again caught members lacking in knowledge about our members as three could not identify Susan as our President Elect. Paul escaped a fine by identifying Jan as Public Relations/Media Chair Susan shared with us the beautiful booklet done by and about the women in A View, the non-profit in India started by our member Suchandra, to help & empower women with mental illness. She also showed us the fine quilts available in the LobsterFest auction that were made by these women   Visit aviewforwomen.org for more information Susan also raved about the District Conference that she, Mark, Vicky, Beverly, and Herb attended and shared a video of Steve Brown's presentation on current happenings in Afghanistan. The future of the schools they built and support is uncertain, as there is a financial crisis right now. They are also helping with visas for eligible Afghans who assisted them. He reminded Rotarians that the programs they funded were not sustainable without our help, but the capacity building they did in education and internet skills will be long lasting and very worthwhile.  LobsterFest Here We Come - tomorrow, Saturday, 9/18, 5-8pm  |
LobsterFest Raffle |
Rotary & Club News Steve led us in prayer as we reflected on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11
We all celebrated our newest Blue Badge Member, Trish, as Susan shared the steps taken to reach this goal and presented her with her new badge. Susan reminded us to invite friends and associates to Rotary - Trish came from a long-time Rotary family, but no one had asked her to join until now. We are happy she did - Congratulations Trish!!!  Anil Srivatsa, who is an active Rotarian & has chartered two clubs, gave a passionate talk via zoom on the gift of life - organ donations. He has visited 44 countries and given over 550 talks championing the cause of Organ Donation with a goal of reaching a million donors with his message of compassion and fighting fear with love. He encouraged Rotarians to start Rotary Action Groups for Organ Donations. See the video he shared by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/hE8Gx8k9JFw or visiting the GOLA Foundation on Facebook  Nicole collected $200 from members to send to Anil's Go Fund Me page to help cover gas as he travels the world |
Rotary & Club NewsHealing wishes to Lew who broke his collarbone from an electric bike fall and to Beverly as she recovers from tremors as a result of her fall; best wishes to Ken who will be starting a new job with the Seattle company Arzeda  We have 54 items in our auction with $2030 raised to date. Send the following link to all you friends and colleagues & bid early and bid often: Thank you to our Premier LobsterFest Sponsor and to our libation providers:  We Are Baack winners were Molly who got her Sees candy from last week and Jon who won a $20 gift certificate from Diesel Book Store in Del Mar Highlands Town Center We enjoyed meeting and hearing from Tasha Matthews, Civic/Faith Specialist with Just In Time for Foster Youth. You are welcome any time!  And we got to congratulate Di again on being our newest blue badge member. Susan went over the transition requirements and Patricia shared how much she enjoyed being Di's mentor and how inspired she was working with her. Both Trish and Nicole are almost there too. How about Andy?????????  Susan Day from the Burn Institute gave an informative, fact-filled talk on all the wonderful things they do to provide fire prevention and burn survivor support. And we learned she was grateful to Rotary for RYLA, which her daughteer attended a few years ago   |
LobsterFest AuctionGetting Herb and wine baskets ready for LobsterFest auction...oops... only wine!!!  |
Rotary & Club NewsTodays invocation  Charles was finemaster today and did not fine $50/each: Herb for Beverly's black eyes and Jan for her quick & consistent website postings; and lots of happy $$s were given to have George back We were sad to learn that Radia has resigned, but understand with a new little one, and that Suchandra has been working in San Jose & Monterey, and will soon be leaving for India again - we miss you in person! Venky reported that according to Steve Brown, the Taliban control of Afganistan will not affect the school they built in Jalalabad where they educate boys and girls, or Nangarhar University. We hope that is true and continues. See interview below:  President Vicky wielded her gavel today and warned she will levy a heavy fine if it is stolen before LobsterFest  29 days to LobsterFest
Seth Tilly, a member of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club, spoke to us today about the changing technology and regulatory landscape of residential solar power, to help with making informed decisions about solar power for your home. Due to a power glitch, we lost connection during his talk, so feel free to email him at seth@sandiegocountysolar.com with any questions or for more information (and congratulations on your new baby)  |
LobsterFest  |
Rotary & Club News The LobsterFest Committee has done a great job!! We are still taking donations and need auction items, and contact Vicky if you have a sponsor or need more seats We wish George a speedy recovery from a brief hospital visit; Beverly successful surgery for a detached retina after a fall; and Happy upcoming Birthdays to Paul and Trish Charlotte won a Starbucks gift card and Reeses peanut butter cups (for which Vicky was reluctent to part) in our "We are Baack" drawing We are very excited that Nicole will be the Youth Services Chair, and know she will do a fabulous job!! And congratulations to Di who received her Blue Badge in record time - way to go!!!  Dawn Wensel, President of Reality Changers was our speaker today and updated us on what they have been doing during the pandemic. You can help them by volunteering as a tudor or mentor: www.realitychangers.org  |
Rotary & Club News As part of her invocation, Trish encouraged members to share Love Notes with others Venky won a gift certificate from San Clemente Pier Fisherman's Restaurant as part of the "We are Baack" campaign We had a lobster visit us today in the form of Linda, to promote our September 18 LobsterFest. Let her know restaurants you would like her to contact for auction items.  Get your reservations in soon for rooms at the Hilton as there are only 5 reduced-rate rooms left for the 18th. If you're inviting more than 8 friends, Phil can accommodate tables of 10 or 12. Herb asked members to visit other Rotary clubs to share our event. And Andy's & Phil's double teaming secured the tequila commitment from CaliFino Tequila: www.califino.com  Venky's grandson Karan talked with us about NBNA - Namma Beach Namma Chennai (Our Beach Our Chennai) and the wonderful work this non-profit is doing to raise awareness of and clean up beaches in India: www.reciprocityfoundation.in  Our speaker Chase Harr joined us from the top of Wildcat Mountain, New Hampshire to talk about Shelter Box and his goal to raise over $100,000 as he scales 1400 ft peaks throughout the country: www.ShelterBoxUSA.org/SecondSummits   In closing, we learned how Casa de Amistad is partnering with Reality Changers to meet the needs of 9-11 graders and older students through their college prep program. Mark your calendars for a fun picnic social on August 22, 2-4pm; sign up for Trish's San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Friendraiser on August 12 at Viewpoint; and attend the District Membership Seminar on zoom on August 14, 9-10:30am. |
Rotary & Club News It was great to see Nicole in person who was our greeter today and picked the "We Are Baack" ticket for macarons from Le Parfait Paris. Vicky's name was drawn but she graciously abstained, and Malcolm was the lucky winner Paul, in his cleaning out to move, shared a brochure he found of the Rotary Youth Exchange in Germany from 1999, which his daughter, Katie attended  Andy showed his new LobsterFest shirt with the colors of Mexico (or "watermelon" as Trish said & fined him), and gave a colorful one made by a friend's company to Phil  Trish also fined members who didn't bring a bottle of wine for our LobsterFest auction, but we did collect a nice selection  And we got to see some of the pictures at the Hilton which will be part of our auction through Bidding for Good. Vicky informed us that individuals can be part of the tequila tasting for an additional $105, and members can split a table sponsorship  Our speakers today, Caulene Bussard and Lucy Njuguna, joined us on zoom from Canada and Kenya. They shared the wonderful work Praise Gate Orphanage does to help, feed, and house former street children, orphans, and abandoned babies near Nairobi, Kenya. We are doing a Global Grant of $30,000 to assist them with water and solar needs for a new facility they are building.  |
Rotary & Club News Mami joined us before taking a new job as counselor at an International School in San Francisco and was made an Honorary Paul Harris Fellow for all her help with Youth, Cristo Rey San Diego, and scholarships last year Di was center stage today as she was the greeter, gave the invocation, invited two guests, and did her Who Am I (and finished the last of her Blue Badge requirements). From the Chicago area, she is a life-long practitioner of mindfulness, and loves being named after the Goddess Diana who was the protector of women and children. Rotary fits her well as service and community are daily aspirations (and she gave blood for the first time as part of our blood drive).   Trish won cookies from Batch & Box as part of our "We are Baack" promotion. And she showed us Rotary pins that her 96 year old mother gave her that were gifts from or belonged to her Rotarian father - a Rotary wheel surrounded by a heart, a "small" PH pin, and a 35 & 40 year pin.  Malcolm shared a promotional video that Venky made to be considered for entertainment for our LobsterFest (open link below to watch)  Vicky reminded us that LobsterFest is only 67 days away and we only have commitments of $16,000. Everyone needs to get busy with sponsorships and auction items. Our auction theme is leisure activities, and Linda suggested making up baskets of wine for the in-person auction. Trish is finemaster next week and said she will fine anyone who doesn't bring a bottle.  Bill Payne, CEO of Second Chance, was our speaker today and we were very impressed to learn that they provided 3.1 tons of fruit & vegetables as part of their outreach to the Encanto community last year. Visit www.secondchanceprogram.org for more information.   As a thank you for speaking, Vicky provided Bill with our Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate where we will make a donation in his name |
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Eid al-AdhaEid Mubarak Happy Eid al-Adha  |
Rotary & Club News Past President Bill started off the meeting in Vicky's well-deserved absence as she vacations in Hawaii. He proudly displayed Herb's golden gavel lent to him, along with 1 of the 25 gavels he bought when president after his was stolen at his first meeting (he says he didn't know our tradition) Happy Birthday to Molly who gave $21 for her birthday on the 21st (and still looks 21) and $9 for the great news that her dad is able to put off heart surgery as his numbers look good A Salt & Straw gift certificate went to Lew in our "We Are Baack" drawing - a two-week winner (better buy a lottery ticket!) Phil deserves an award for the outstanding job he is doing with half his regular staff!! He is looking forward to today & race season as the crowd of happy drinkers are less demanding  Paul, as Foundation Chair, was happy to present next level Paul Harris Awards to Herb, PH+3, Steve, PH+6, and Lew, PH+2  The LobsterFest Committee is hard at work: Andy reminded us that personal relationships are the most successful to bring in sponsors; Bill & George are working on getting two tables for the military; and Herb asked for help with auction items. Charles reminded us that the purpose of LobsterFest is to raise funds to make a difference in someone's life!! Please join the LobsterFest Committee this Thursday, 7/22 at 5:00 at the Suttons Mami will be at the meeting next week before leaving for San Francisco, so come to say goodby and wish her well Our speaker, Karen Jongeward, told us about the wonderful volunteer program Crisis Intervention, that the San Diego Police Department began in 1987 to help individuals in the community during times of crisis. They provide immediate short-term emotional and logistical support to victims, witnesses, and other effected individuals who have experienced traumatic or potentially traumatic incidents. We are proud that our new member Trish, volunteers with them. For more information contact Officer Denise Mills at drmills@pd.sandiego.gov or by phone at 619-733-9352.  And Bill presented Karen with an actual (as oppossed to a virtual) Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate where we make a donation in honor of our speakers |
Governor's Dinner & Celebration   |
Bastille DayHappy Bastille Day  |
LobsterFest  |
Rotary & Club NewsIts a new dawn, its a new day... and Vicky started us on a new year, building on a strong foundation!!  Along with Kevin's inspirational invocation:  To encourage members to attend in person, Vicky started a "We Are Baack" drawing each week of gift cards and small gifts with the grand prize a $100 gift certificate - so come live, and come often!! Members helped our coffers by being happy: Charles for Maggie, their new Lab puppie; Venky for his 1st in-person meeting; Lew for his birthday; Molly for Riley's 1st week of school; Bill for graduating from cardiac rehab center; Di for being able to get on zoom in Santa Barbara parking lot; Linda presenting Herb with a deck of cards; Herb for zoom working & thanking everyone for their help last year Congratulations to our latest Paul Harris Award recipient, Phil on his PH+1   Charlotte shared the LobsterFest website which is up and running: dmsblobsterfest.com  And we ended the meeting with a wonderful speaker - Captain Jennifer Swain from The Salvation Army San Diego Adult Rehabilitation Center. She gave touching examples of how they work with body, mind, and soul to help those afflicted with addictions, and we learned where the phrase "fell off the wagon" came from.  |
Happy 4th of July |
Governor's DinnerOver 400 attended the Governor's Dinner in-person or on zoom   We were very proud (especially his Granddaughter Andrea) to have George lead us in The Pledge of Allegiance  Steve thanked everyone for the wonderful job we did all year and expressed how proud he was to be District Governor and a member of Rotary. Among his many awards given, one was a beautiful crystal and pins to Susan & Mark for being a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation   And as Herb turned over the Home Club Banner to the Coronado Rotary, he passed off his Demotion Party wig to Steve  And Rotary Year 2020-2021 was a wrap!! |
Herb's Demotion PartyThank you Bill & Suzanne for hosting a wonderful Demotion Party & Patricia for being the fabulous Master of Ceremonies  Kevin started the activities with a history of the gavel being stolen that started with his Presidency 29 years ago, and then the Random Acts of Kindness began after a scrumptious meal  Bill presented Herb with the golden gavel for a job well done without one for the last few months; Vicky gave Herb a new shirt to replace the blue Rotary one worn at most meetings; Art, as chief physician, presented Herb with a bag of food (pickeled herring, spam, kippers, vienna sausage, etc.) to supplant all the breakfasts Herb missed running the meetings; Herb admired the watch given him by Phil (which Malcolm engraved) as a reminder of meetings starting late even though Herb was at the Hilton by 6:30; after Molly presented a wig for Herb in memory of all the comments about hair this year; Patricia gave Herb a picture showing his gavel travelling the world; Charlotte was overjoyed to unload all the auction paraphenalia to Herb as new auction chair  And at long last, Herb recovered his gavel with the help of Tootsie II, given him by Jan and passed it on to Vicky as incoming President before the end of the night     Herb gave out lots of trophies & awards but none more worthy than to his wife, Beverly, who has done an outstanding job at Program Chair - and love was in the air for the whole Liberman family   We toasted Steve as he received this District Governor pin from Herb, so beautifully designed & crafted by Malcolm & Charles Koll Jewellers (yes we want to see the pin AND YOU, Steve)  And we ended the lovely evening celebrating two other milestones - Jon's 77th Birthday and Kevin & Sibylle's engagement which was recently made official |
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 And we heard that Di has some competition for 
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Hope without BoundariesDel Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/Solana Beach Sun  |
Just in TimeThank you Just in Time for a wonderful evening of food and drink at the Sky Deck grand opening. We had a blast!!  |
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 Leslie shared how grateful they, and all the needy families they support across the border, are for our continued assistance since the founding of HwB in 2008 
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Rotary Night at the PadresA fun time was had at the Padres game last night with fellow Rotarians, but would have been better if the home team had won - although Chicago natives Di and Al were very happy!!  Al, Di, Patricia, Steve, Jan, Susan, Chuck, Mark |
Piedras Pintadas Trail HikeTrish leading the group on a 4.6-mile hike at Lake Hodges (often steep & rocky). The Piedras Pintadas Trail is part of the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, of which she is the Executive Director.  Mark, Art, Trish, Susan, Charlotte, Alicia, Charles, Patricia   Jackets come off as the day warms up  And celebrating after with refreshing brews and delicious food at Karl Strauss in 4S Ranch |
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 DG Steve, Membership Co-Chair Susan, Linda, and Mentor Ken.
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Memorial Day 2021 Beverly & Herb watch as George & others are honored this Memorial Day on the Midway in recognition of WWII & Korean War Veterans. |
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DG Steve WeitzenDel Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/ Solana Beach Sun  |
Cristo Rey San Diego High SchoolAndy & Molly were very impressed with the study & work program at Cristo Rey San Diego High School which they visited, where we are giving a scholarship for Camila Tirado  |
Rotary & Club NewsWords of Wisdom from our own District Governor, Steve Weitzen on his official Home Club Visit
 
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Rotarians At Work DayDel Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/ Solana Beach Sun  |
Soul Swap Meet Jan & Patricia visited Soul Swap Meet as suggested by former speaker Shawn McClondon, founder of the Sister Cities Project, and got ideas for a fun social activity. Malcolm will be happy to know Viewpoint Brewery was packed (socially distanced, of course) on this beautiful Saturday. |
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Cinco de Mayo Social A fun time was had by all at our Cinco de Mayo Social at the Hilton Thank you Patricia & Phil     |
Rotary & Club News1st Club Assembly of the Year
 Some member small acts included: Venky-feeding a parking meter that was expired; over 50-person half days at vaccine site as highlighted by Charles; Paul-Knights of Columbus cemetary clean-up; Bill acknowledging Alicia for books on eating healthy; Di-setting up free horseback riding lessons for Klohie (daughter of Lived Experiences founder Oscar Ortega)
 
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Blood Drive More pictures of Rotarians helping garner 31 blood donations at our 2nd Blood Drive: Herb, Lew Wiliamson, Bev, Ken Barrett & daughter Issie, Vicky. Lew, Tootsie, Herb, Bev, Vicky, Paul, Ken. Not pictured: Charles Foster, Molly Fleming, Mark & Susan Hennenfent, and George Sousa. (Sorry if I missed anyone) |
Rotarians At Work DayDMSB Rotarians help Oceanside Rotary Club at Rotarians at Work (RAW) Day with food drive and bingo to assist Lived Experiences   Diana Shimkus & Charles Foster in back row. Diana, Lived Experiences founder Oscar Ortega & daughter Klohie, and Andy Laub. Beverly, Herb, and Tootsie. Diana & Oscar with donated food. A great time was had by all and much food and funds were collected, including $300 from our Community Service budget. (Thanks to Andy & Charles for the pictures & info). Word has it that Diana was the big winner at bingo (and a known "bingo hustler" in Oceanside). She graciously donated her winnings to Oscar's non-profit and he claimed that she was "Legit" - a good thing!!  |
Rotary & Club NewsWhat a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood.....at Rotary!!
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Blood DriveThank you to everyone who gave blood & helped at our recent Blood Drive  Herb Liberman, Vicky Mallett, Beverly Liberman, Jon Fish; Paul Butler; Suzanne Sutton, Lou Oberman, Bill Sutton, Jon Fish |
Rotary & Club News2nd Hybrid Meeting  District Governor Steve presents the Home Club Banner to President Herb and the zoom & socailly-distanced, in-person members |
Rotary & Club News1st Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting It was so wonderful to be with each other again!!!  Thank you Sarah (aka Vanna White) for orchestrating, Herb for running, Phil for yummy omelette bar, Andy as a great Greeter, and George for having our badges ready as usual
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HappinessHappy Passover, Happy Holi, Happy Easter, Happy Spring!!!!  |
Del Mar Times, Carmel Valley News, Solana Beach Sun |
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Covid Vaccination SiteKudos to the Rotarians who helped at the Del Mar Covid Vaccination site today  Suzanne Sutton, Susan Hennenfent, Jan Parsons, Alicia & Charles Foster, Charlotte Jones And congratulations to Susan & Mark Hennenfent who received their 2nd shot  |
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Casa de Amistad School SuppliesDel Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/Solana Beach Sun
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Casa de Amistad school suppliesCasa de Amistad School Supplies Distribution We were happy to watch cars arrive with students to receive bags of school supplies provided by Community Service funds & member donations  Lew, Charles, Herb, Nicole (Exec. Director of Casa de Amistad), Beverly, Jan, Patricia And then we enjoyed a brew & bite at Viewpoint where Paul presented Lew with his Paul Harris pin & certificate; we were awed by the snow-capped mountains, and were glad George & Art could join us - all maskless as we've had our two covid vaccines!  |
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Rotary HighlightedThank you Molly for highlighting Rotary in Solana Beach Living   |
Helping Children in El SalvadorWe are happy to be working with OEF in El Salvador to support 5 children ages birth to 3 years in an initial education program. See below to learn more about the children and their families.    |
Blood DriveClick the link to sign up for our next Blood Drive:  |
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Helping in India |
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Mark your calendars and stay tuned for our new exciting fundraiser 
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Anti-Human Trafficking |
Rotary & Club News Susan Cabon joined on zoom from England to update us on Joshua Orphan and Community Care Malawi - an organization formed in 2002 to help children orphaned by HIV/AIDS near Blantyre, Malawi. They have since grown to provide community based childcare centers (CBCCs) in over 30 villages, providing meals, health care, and education for thousands of children. Click on the link below to watch two videos of their work. We have supported Joshua Orphan Care School in recognition of our speakers since 2009, when Kirk Collins visited Malawi with Rotary to deliver all-terrain wheelchairs to the disabled, and discovered the great need to help with school supplies and desks. It was nice having Kirk & Glenda join us today from Berkeley.  Venky also updated us on a Global Grant we did in India to help train and establish businesses for handicapped men & women.  Stay tuned for our next blood drive on April 17, and projects to help Hope Without Boundaries and Casa de Amistad |
Rotary & Club NewsIt was nice to see Luis Carranza, Asst/Area Governor from Rancho Santa Fe Lots of Happy Dollars were shared by members:
Paul comfirmed that 12/30 members have made their annual Foundation donation, and shared a Foundation video:   Lew will head up another blood drive in April Vicky, Susan, & Herb attended the District Membership Seminar & shared some ideas:
Nicholas Domingo, a Rotarian & Co-Executive Director of Call To Inspire and Captain Encouragement, spoke to us on how he went from a bullied youngster, to an angry athelete, and after a brain aneurysm, to a superhero helping to inspire children in K - 3rd Grades. He also inspired us! "Our goal is to perpetuate positive change in the world, starting by and giving our children the tools to break the cycle of violence that is inherent in our society and the media. We need to use the world’s unprecedented inter-connectivity to wake up the new generations, and finally trade our apathy and isolation for the love and kindness of a more positive humankind. " Due to the pandemic, they pivoted from school assemblies to the online space developing video content, youtube tv series, and games. For more information go to https://calltoinspire.com/  |
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 Vicky, Radia, Jan, & Lou celebrating Birthdays; Suchandra (and Ray) an Anniversary  Bill & Suzanne for their 51st Wedding Anniversary
 Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays  |
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 (though that may be passe)  |
CRC Holiday Baskets |
Rotary & Club News Herb thanked Susan for being the "Best Handler" and keeping him on his toes  Jan finished a 1000 piece puzzle she bought because it had an Amala-like cat in antlers. This prompted the idea of a Rotary Puzzle Exchange Bill learned at Stand Down that a "Small Act" of helping even one is a success We were all saddened to learn of the passing of Charlotte's dad and Venky's sister. Our thoughts and prayers are with them But we were thrilled to learn that Radia will be adding a baby girl to her family We were honored to have District Attorney Summer Stephan talk with us this morning about sex trafficing in San Diego and what is being done to prevent it. She emphasized how excited she is that this is a priority for Rotary, as Rotarians are doers. For more information, click on this link: https://www.sandiegotpc.org    |
CRC Holiday Baskets7 Rotary Elves Fill 100 Boxes as Part of a Revised CRC Holiday Baskets Thank You for Helping!  Molly, Beverly, Susan, Herb / Jon, Suzanne, Bill |
Stand Down 2020 |
Thanksgiving 2020Wishing Everyone a Happy, Healthy, Safe Thanksgiving  |
George Sousa Turns 90Surprising our Beloved George on his 90th Birthday  Secretly lining up outside George's house; Son Rick & Great-Grandson Lance lure George out with a ruse; Charles presents George with a sign saying Happy 90th George!! DMSB Rotary Loves You! Bill has champagne (or course); and we all toast this patriot and hero. Click on the attached video to see great pictures of George that his family put together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywr4zp-d9pE&feature=youtu.be   Ken, Mary, Kevin, Paul, George, Patricia, Jan, Charles & Alicia, Jon, Suzanne & Bill |
Stand Down 2020Thank you Rotarians & Friends for helping our homeless Vets at this years scaled-down Stand Down, and thank you Lou for organizing  Bill, Beverly, Suzanne, Herb / Lou, Bill, Sibylle, Kevin   |
The Rotary FoundationCongratulations from The Rotary Foundation for a job well done!  |
Rotary & Club NewsWe had so much fun at the Tuesday evening meeting/social with our "hat night", as evidenced by the picture below (thank you Susan). Paul also switched into a cowboy hat & sombrero  Our speaker, David Bennett, General Director of San Diego Opera wasn't quite sure what was going on, but enjoyed our antics before updating us on what is happening with the Opera since his arrival in 2015, when the community insisted opera remain in San Diego after a near-death experience. The mission of the SD Opera is:
During this pandemic the Opera has postponed performances, but not cancelled them, and have continued their online music education and patron engagements. They staged the first drive-in opera in the country, La Boheme, which drew 3000 people and was a huge success as attested to by Suzanne & Bill and Jan.  And thank you, Patricia, for arranging an interesting social Friday night with Portaleza from the La Jolla Playhouse - an unusual, trippy experience. The happy hour after with you, Bill & Suzanne, Charles & Alicia, and Susan & Mark was a wonderful way to end the week! Even Amala wanted to get in on the fun!  |
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Rotary Foundation Seminar139 Rotarians attended the 2020 Rotary Foundation Seminar on zoom  Charlotte put together a great presentation of our El Salvador Grant that was highlighted   And we were presented with two Foundation Banners (for 100% giving with $100 average & 100% giving with $100 per capita) and an End Polio Now Certificate for contributing at least $1500  |
Rotary & Club News Lew shared Blood Drive Facts:
Malcolm continued his fun videos sharing Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun, in honor of all the female Rotary members in our club. Jan led the singing with Susan, Patricia, Radia, & Molly  Followed by the guys in drag - Bill leading Art, Kevin, Ken, and Lou in singing  Stand Down will be November 22 from 9-4 with 4 shifts of 2 Rotarians; drive-by cancelled CRC Holiday Baskets will be December 3, 9-11 to fill boxes with non-food items Nasr updated the club on International projects Our speaker today was the brilliant Vic Wintriss who taked about 5G and how this 5th Generation Broadband will be used to provide customized connectivity for a wide-variety of uses in billions of connected devices. We saw how a huge computer has evolved into slim towers that do not pose a health risk.  And we learned that Vic is most proud of starting The League of Amazing Programmers, a non-profit that teaches Java programming to 400 low income & needy kids in grades 5-12 who go on to become professional programmers in high demand by major corporations, and earning 6 figure incomes  |
Halloween Blood Drive Thank you to everyone who used their Superpowers to Give Blood & Save Lives. And thank you to Lew & Rotarians who helped make the blood drive a huge success.  Suzanne & Jon; Lew & Lou; Jan, Suzanne, & Herb  Molly, Lew, Ken, & Charles; Susan & Mark; Suzanne, Lew, & Jan; Bill & Molly |
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Our speaker today was our very own DG, Steve Weitzen, doing an informal update - the man of many hats: 
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Thank You BocceFest2020 Sponsors |
End Polio Now Three More Rotarians Walk to End Polio Now - Charlotte Jones and Beverly & Herb Liberman |
Blood Drive Click on the following link to sign up to give blood: |
Blood DriveHalloween Blood Drive  |
World Polio Day 2020Rotarians Walk to End Polio Now on World Polio Day 2020  Foundation Chair & walk leader Paul Butler (after recent knee surgery) with family members: wife Mary, grand daughters Zulima (5) & Sonora (2), daughter & fellow Rotarian Katie Butler Litsey, along with Charles Foster.   Bill & Suzanne Sutton, Jan Parsons, Paul Butler, Patricia Case, Susan & Mark Hennenfent, Kevin Cahill & Sibylle Steiner. |
Rotary & Club News
 
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End Polio Now |
Rotary & Club News
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Blood DriveHelp work the event, give blood, and encourage others to do likewise  |
Our District Governor Speaks  |
Rotary & Club News
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Coastal Roots FarmToday we learned about this 17 acre farm in Encinitas that practices regenerative agriculture, teaches the importance of land stewardship, and shares their bounty with those in need. They use farming and food as a way to teach about Jewish tradition and to make the world a more just and sustainable place.  |
Rotary & Club News Malcolm shared a video of Herb encouraging everyone to vote!!  He also showed how Ken didn't hurt his head practicing for an upcoming Boys to Men 100-Wave Challenge, but was shooting a movie with DG Steve & Molly.
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Center for Employment Opportunities  We learned from Robert Smith, Director for CEO, how they help people previously incarcerated avoid recidivism and find meaningful work to become contributing members of society |
Rotary & Club News
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Rise Up Industries Our speaker today was Joe Gilbreath, Founder & Executive Director of Rise Up Industries, a nonprofit that focuses on gang prevention , intervention, and post detention reentry. Their business model is based on Homeboy Industries which is illustrated in a wonderful book "Tattoos on the Heart", about and by Gregory Boyle and his mission that shows the power of boundless compassion. |
BocceFest 2020 Celebration |
BocceFest WebinarWonderful BocceFest Celebration Highlights our Sponsors & Beneficiaries  The Power behind our Celebration: Charles Foster, BocceFest 2020 Chair & Celebration Creator; Patricia Case, Director; Ken Barrett, Camerman; Phil Campanelli & Molly Fleming, Moderators.  Moderators Molly & Phil opened the evening by thanking our donors for their generosity and explaining the three areas of service their support will impact: - Homelessness - Families in Need - Youth at Risk.  President Herb also thanked our Sponsors for their support during this non-tournament & beer festival year due to Covid-19, and expressed his hope that we will continue play in 2021. (Rotarian Paul Butler; Sponsor, Dan Phelan, Pacific SW Realty & Rotarian Charles Foster; DMSB's 1st President Kevin Cahill; President Herb Liberman; Rotarian Malcolm Koll; Sponsors Costa & Mary Arabatzis from Ziziki's (at The Sky Deck, Del Mar); Jeff Brown, from Sponsor Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy). Donations are still being accepted. Just click on the "Donate" button at the top of this page. All donations would be greatly appreciated. The highlight of the evening was showcasing our wonderful Bocce Beneficiaries who we work with and support. Continue reading... |
BocceFest Celebration TeamHuge Kudos & Thank You to the BocceFest Celebration of Giving Team WELL DONE!!!  L-R: Molly Fleming, Phil Campanelli; Charles Foster, Ken Barrett, Paul Butler, Patricia Case, Herb Liberman, George Sousa, Steve Todoruk |
BocceFest 2020 |
BocceFest Celebration |
