UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

More socials, projects, & events coming soon!

Rotaract Fund Raiser
If anyone would like to donate money to GRA (Global Rotaract Alumni Club) they can donate the money on the GOSC site and include a note that it is for GRA. This would help us tremendously to continue growing as a club and be able to conduct larger scale projects. Here is the donation link: Donate Now – Global Offsite Care

Opening The Meeting

Rotary Recap – August 13, 2025

“I Gotta Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas was blasting as President Julia kicked things off. That feeling? Definitely not subtle. But hey, it worked. We were up. We were energized. We were mildly confused. Let’s roll!

Pledge / 4-Way Test / Opening Thought

Ann Gospe stepped in with opening duties and dropped some heartfelt realness, reflecting on the start of a new school year and calling for us to rededicate ourselves—to Rotary, to service, and especially to our Rotary Youth Exchange students, who were being honored at a Saturday social. I do know our Exchange Student got a membership to the Y so the rest of you have to step up your game.

Guests & Visiting Rotarians

No visiting Rotarians this week (apparently we’ve scared them off with our dance moves and outdated music references)*.

Guests included:

• Linda Balfe (Dan’s better half)
• Katherine, a retired Kaiser doctor and dog-walking enthusiast (introduced by Patty Kolin)
• Our speakers, Ernesto Olivares and Danielle Ronshausen, were introduced by Susan Nowacki.

Sunshine Report

Ginny was out (legitimately), but in excellent news: everyone is fine! No surgeries, injuries, or mystery viruses this week. Now let’s see if we can make it two weeks in a row!

Opportunity Drawing

Fred Levin ran the drawing. There were 6 yellow marbles and 1 blue, and $118 up for grabs.

Fred had Linda Balfe draw the number, and—shockingly—it wasn’t mine. It wasn’t even close. It was like I bought tickets for a completely different raffle in a completely different time zone.

Diane Moresi had her number called and pulled a yellow marble, winning $10, which she promptly dumped into the Polio Pail, because she’s a hero.

Joke of the Day

Michael Morse shared another questionable bedtime story disguised as a joke. This one involved a long romantic buildup and ended with:

“I found the remote.”

We laughed. We cringed. We all checked to make sure our kids weren’t listening.

August Birthdays

Keven Brown celebrated the August babies—Sam, Heather, and Bill—with cake (probably) and Corrick’s gift cards (definitely). The club broke into a heartfelt (and slightly off-key) rendition of “Happy Birthday.” Grammy-worthy it was not, but full of love.

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition

Doug Landin invited Gary Nichols up front to honor him for achieving Paul Harris Fellow Plus 1 status. That means more bling on his pin and more generosity in his heart. Nice work, Gary!

3×3 Challenge

President Julia laid down a challenge:

Do 3 simple things for 3 fellow members this month to strengthen club connections:

1. Check In – Call or message someone you haven’t seen.
2. Invite – Ask someone to an event (like a social or lunch).
3. Appreciate – Give someone a shout-out for being awesome.

Bonus points if you do all three before the end of the meeting. (Just kidding… but not really.)

Welcome Back: Tavo Guillen

Julia reintroduced Tavo Guillen, a past president and all-around Rotary rock star, with a deeply impressive résumé, including:

• Over 40 years of leadership in court systems across California
• Roles with USAID and State Department projects in Latin America and Afghanistan
• A strong record of justice reform, community building, and mentoring future leaders (like Julia!)

Welcome back, Tavo! We’ve missed you. And now we expect you to lead something… soon.

Announcements

• Linda Balfe shared her breast cancer journey and made a powerful plea to listen to your body. She encouraged mammograms even after age 75, because—spoiler alert—cancer doesn’t care about your birthdate. Her courage and openness were truly inspiring.
• Ray Giampaoli reminded us to bring canned protein for the food drive: tuna, chicken, chili, Spam (if you must). Goal: 15,000 cans!
• Ray also announced the Veteran’s Tribute on November 14th. Buy a ticket ($20), and sponsor a veteran while you’re at it.
• Sam McMillan is organizing tables for the 4H Foundation fundraiser at Saralee and Richard’s Grove on August 23. See him if you want in.
• Scott—last seen when the iPhone 5 was hot—made a rare appearance and was promptly asked if he’s a guest or a member. He donated $100 to the Rotary Foundation to buy his way back into the club’s good graces.
• There will be a social at Iron & Vine on Monday, August 18 at 5:00pm. Julia says Wednesday night is too rowdy (translation: we’re old).

Speakers: Ernesto Olivares & Danielle Ronshausen

We got a deep dive into the Santa Rosa Violence Prevention Partnership, an amazing, comprehensive program aimed at reducing gang violence, supporting at-risk youth, and strengthening community engagement.

Highlights included:

• 

  Ernesto Olivares

  Ernesto, former police officer and city council member, gave a powerful history of Santa Rosa’s gang challenges and how Measure O helped shift from an enforcement-only mindset to a community-based, preventative approach.

• 

  Danielle Ronshausen

  Danielle, the program manager, walked us through current efforts including:

  • Safe Campus Intervention Programs (responding to school violence before it escalates)
  • Youth Empowerment Groups for middle schoolers (focused on communication, self-esteem, and staying out of trouble)
  • Tattoo removal, culinary job training, and partnerships with groups like CHOPS and the Conservation Corps
  • Workforce development (because, as Father Greg Boyle says, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”)
  • Crisis response teams who meet victims and their families where they are—literally, like at the hospital
  • Partnerships with 50+ organizations and growing

This is one of those programs that doesn’t just talk about solutions—it delivers. Big thanks to Susan Nowacki for bringing in these inspiring speakers.

Closing Notes

Between remote-control jokes, breast cancer awareness, raffled marbles, and a master class in violence prevention, this meeting had it all.

We danced to Three Dog Night, discussed crime prevention strategies, and still had time to argue about whether the social should be on a Monday or a Wednesday. (It’s Monday. Mark your calendars.)

See you next time—and don’t forget your canned protein and your courage.

 

*Publisher’s note to the writer: Hey, I like the outdated music!

CREDITS