New Year is here!

The New Year is tomorrow as I write this.

Maybe it is just me, but when I think of how things are going, I tend to think of the frustrations first. But when I take a step back, I see a lot to be excited about going forward.

We threw a great Holiday Dinner party on Christmas Day. Lots of happy people at the event, many of them were the volunteers serving food with a big smile. I got to talk to several of the people eating the delicious food we served and there was a variety of people there - one person was homeless, there was a whole table of people from Burbank senior housing, there was a table of family members that looked to be three generations. One volunteer said it was her fourth year and now this event is her Christmas tradition. We had people from four different Rotary clubs there helping out. Thanks to Kathy Rogers, Bill Sauber, Michael McGlothlin, Bruce Campbell and many others. Linda Sinkay captured many photos which can be seen on the club Facebook page.

A whole new year ahead of us means the possibility of new thinking about how we want to do things. Scary and exciting possibilities.

Our new members are a big part of the excitement for me because they bring new capacity to the club. I am especially hopeful about our communication online getting a boost.

Hope you have a marvelous New Year.

Homecoming meeting was great

Every year we invite former members back to reconnect with the club. Linda Sinkay started this tradition and it was really good to see some old friends come back for a visit. Senator Mike McGuire was speaker and his presentation was engaging and informative. He touched on everything from potholes to pot!

What is next?

Last week we heard from a farmer about how he started a group that provides mutual support for people doing agriculture. He is a very engaging speaker. I wonder what our next program will be.

Last week was a great week for members being recognized. I thought that would be hard to beat and it is, but this week our club was recognized for its extraordinary generosity last year. Our whole district has bragging rights in part because of us. That feels good.

Cool programs

We heard about Jasper O'Farrell last Wednesday. Great person, and Arthur, our presenter, had an impressive command of not only Jasper but his ancestry in Ireland. I hadn't realized before that Analy was an old kingdom in Ireland where Jasper's ancesters hailed from.

Next wee we get to hear about cinematography. I am looking forward to that!

First Friday at Joe Gaz' home was a fabulous event. Good folks, good food, good vibes. Gorgeous weather, too.

Cajun did Well, Got first installment on hearing about Bill Sauber's big hike

Sebastopol Sunrise held its annual Cajun Zydeco Festival last Saturday on September 12. We had a good crowd that enjoyed wonderful music, delicious food, shopped our vendors' offerings and had a good time. Check out our Facebook pages for Wine Country Cajun. We raised money for projects that benefit our communities, both local and international.

For example our club with partners built the stage in Ives Park where the festival was held. It was a good hands on project and many theatrical and musical events have made use of the stage.

We regularly feed people, help kids learn to read, learn to swim and enrich arts, science and athletic facilities. Brook Haven Middle School has a "make" classroom thanks to our Rotary club. The list of local projects is long and varied.

On the international side we have projects in Asia, Africa, and South and Central America, so we touch lives all over the world. Clean water, microcredit and promoting sustainable agriculture are big interests. We work with partner organizations to make sure our donations are well spent and we often visit projects. It is a great feeling to see a plaque acknowledging our contribution on a project in Thailand or Mexico or other country. Rotary does a lot of magic around the world and we are glad to part of it.

At our meeting today on Sep 16, Bill Sauber shared a look at the equipment he used while hiking the Appalachian Trail this year. He spoke about the adventure and the experience which was not totally exciting every day as the trip wore on. But it was well worth it, especially now that he is home. He said he especially missed his wife. Glad you are back, Bill and I look forward to the next installment of the story.

Rotary is Happening

I went to a picnic with both Rotary clubs today (Sunday). Great food, good conversation. Even better, the exchange students who just arrived were at the picnic, too. Next weekend the Vocational Training Team arrives here from Nigeria to learn about telemedicine. There is a lot going on.

The program this week is about being on Everest when the earthquake hit in Nepal. Bound to be interesting. Invite a friend.

Members informed about broad range of club activities

Several members go to speak about club projects close to their heart and when we put them all together it is quite a list. This is an active club!

The Gravenstein Fair is coming up on August 9 and 10. It supports the Farm Trails and is a favorite of mine. The Tour d'Organics is on August 9 and brings together healthy eating (my favorite part) bicycle riding. The Tour supports the Sebastopol Community and Culture Center and several members help with that event. If you want to help, contact Charlie Judson and he will connect you.

Michael McGlothlin has launched an initiative to revitalize our Guys Can Cook, Too event. I can't wait to find out what the "new and improved" event will be like.

We will continue our inquiry into other ways to raise funds to support projects and grants.

Terry Kelley will lead the next club meeting while President Mikel is away.

We learned about Laguna wastewater on Wednesday

Denise Cadman was the program on Wed, July 15. She shared a lot of information about how recycled water is being used to raise food and to make steam to generate electricity at the Geysers. Her clear and engaging manner had us all asking questions.

And I got a selfie with her! Very nice. We will be sharing that on our Facebook page.

First board meeting of new Rotary Year

We had a lot of good, lively discussion. Good energy in the room. In fact it was Scott's living room! He and Jayne are enjoying their new digs which they found through their Rotary network.

We talked budget and strategy for our club's future which is looking mighty good because we have so many smart people who care and show up to help steer the ship.

Web Site make over

Bruce Campbell spoke about the website makeover at our board meeting last night. It is in process and off to a good start. Wayne Wieseler is the one who designed our now look and feel and it is very handsome. This blog is a new capability Wayne helped us to set up and it is a welcome development. We have more people engaged in providing "content expertise" meaning they know what information should be up on our site and what we no longer need.

Our calendar is being updated and more information will be there soon as we engage more people in posting what they know.

Brian Bauer is leading the club in expanding our web presence beyond the website and Facebook. We are launching a selfie contest later this week that will be fun and help us to gather content for our website.which will remain the centerpiece of our web presence.

First Meeting of the Year - July 1

Things seemed to go well at the meeting this morning. My wife and  some friends attended. I got to give an award to my friend Mona Khanna for her humanitarian work in India and for her active contributions to Sonoma County communities.

The club got to hear about several new things each avenue of service and the club will be doing this year. I think we are in for a great year together. The board is up to a lot of new things.

I got a cake and the club sang Happy Birthday because my birthday is coming up this weekend.

Next week we get to hear from the people who fly the rescue helicopter for the Sheriff's office. I am a fan of aviation, so this will be a treat. If you know someone who likes helicopters or the work that Henry 1 does, invite them to the meeting on July 8.

So it Begins!

President Ken Brandt is now Immediate Past President Ken because he had his debunking event at Subud Hall in Sebastopol. I am now the proud bearer of the President pin.

I will do everything I can to have everyone in the Rotary Club of Sebastopol Sunrise have a great Rotary year!

Next up is the first meeting of the year on Wednesday, July 1. I will talk about the year to come and present a Paul Harris. Others will have their say about what they are doing that is new or different in the new year.

I hope to see you there.