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:

Your bulletin editor, Kris Anderson, is back. Thank you to Matthew Henry for filling in for me while I was doing the Paris to Prague vacation. The familiar Black-Eyed Peas greeted us, as usual, and I must say, the place was hoppin’ today! Lots of guests from all over the world! Ann Gospe led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four/Five Way Test.  Her Reflection “reflected” that Bronwyn Grundstrom was here today to talk about her school year in Chile. Rotary Youth Exchange has morphed from a student exchange program to becoming “ambassadors of peace” as they live and study in the countries they visit for nine months.

Visiting Rotarians:

Mikel Cook from Sebastopol Sunrise

Guests of Rotarians:

Bronwyn Grundstrom, Elaine Meltzner, Major Mereri, Mary Fricker, Lucia Caballo Hidalgo, Dominic D’Orazi, James Major

Sunshine Report:

Nothing to report today. Yay!

50/50 Drawing:

$134 in the pot!  Only 4 marbles! Gary Nichols number was pulled, but did he pull out the blue marble?  No!  Pot rolls over with 3 marbles and more money next week…or rather November 19. No meeting next week!

Joke of the Week – Fred Levin:

A Rotarian walks out to the street after his meeting and catches a taxi just going by. “Perfect timing, just like Frank.” says the cabbie.

“Who?” says the Rotarian.

“Frank Feldman. He is a guy who does everything right all the time. Like my coming along just when you needed a cab. Things like that happen to Frank Feldman all the time.”

The Rotarian says, “There are always a few clouds over everybody.”

The cabbie says, “Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the grand slam in tennis. He could have been a golf pro. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star. You should have heard him play the piano! He was an amazing guy!”

The Rotarian says, “Sounds like he was really something special!”

The cabbie says, “Frank had a memory like a computer. He remembered everybody’s birthday. He knew what wine to order with what foods, and which fork to eat with. He could fix anything.  He did everything right”

The Rotarian is amazed, “What a guy!”

The cabbie added, “Frank knew the quickest ways to get through traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me. I always get stuck in traffic. He really knew how to treat women and make them feel good. He would never correct an answer even if you were wrong. His clothes were immaculate; shoes always polished. He was the perfect man, never made a mistake. No one could measure up to Frank”

The Rotarian asked, “How did you meet him?”

The cabbie replied, “I never actually met Frank. He died and I married his wife.”

Rotarian of the Month:

That would be our secretary, Debi Zaft! Congratulations, Debi!

Announcements:

No meeting next week! Instead, we will be at the Veteran’s Memorial Building on Friday, November 14 for the Santa Rosa Veteran’s Tribute, 11:30 to 1:30.  Best to be there about 11:00 to get a good seat. If you have NOT bought a ticket, contact Ray Giampaoli ASAP. No tickets can be purchased on the day of the event. For those who are not familiar with this event, this is a joint event of all Santa Rosa Rotary Clubs and all Santa Rosa Kiwanis Clubs. We have been putting this program every year (COVID exceptions) since… Forever!

Social at Corrick’s on Friday!

By the time you get this newsletter on Monday, this event will have already happened. But it was at Corrick’s, and we had a wonderful time! Everyone had saved their birthday gift card to buy something for the holidays.  The food was yummy; we had the best wines and the people who attended were marvelous!

November Birthdays:

Holy cow! We have a bunch of them! Diane Moresi, Dan Balfe, Scott Bartley, Donna Koslosky, Fred Levin, Susan Nowacki, Dan Wright, and Julia Parranto.  Happy birthday to you all!

The Zimbabwe Telemedicine Project – a new Global Grant

Gary Nichols introduced Major Mereri from Zimbabwe. He gave us a presentation of the new global grant that our club, and others, is putting together for three rural hospitals in Zimbabwe.

Mission: Improve health care outcomes.

Vision: The three rural hospitals will have real time access to specialized maternal and childcare consultants.

Key Partners: Rotary Club of Santa Rosa, Harare CBD Rotary Club as the host club, Global Offsite Care, and courage of Hope Foundation

Key Metrics: Antenatal care, reduced cesarian sections, decreased maternal mortality, and decreased perinatal mortality.

Budget: $150,000 comprised of $46,154 from the Santa Rosa Rotary and its partners, $57,692 from District Designated Funds and $46,154 from the Rotary Foundation World Fund.

Timeline: November 2025 is the funding launch! Grant submission in January 2026, Launch April 2026

Conclusion: With Rotary support, rural mothers in Zimbabwe will gain access to life-saving care, clinicians will have tools and training, and babies will have a healthier start in life.

Bronwyn Grundstrom and her 2024-2025 Rotary Youth Exchange Experience in Chile

Another person whose life has been changed forever by being a Rotary Youth Exchange student. Bronwyn had three host families while she was there. The second family was her favorite. She told us about a misunderstanding from one of her host families. She understood that they were going to “pick her up” at the bus stop at 4:00. She ended up waiting for 4 hours but made a new friend for life and she waited to be picked up.  As we have heard before, you must get “comfortable being uncomfortable.”

She learned Spanish, took history classes and participated in many cultural events. She learned to ride horses. On some weekends she went with other exchange students from around the world to see the local sites and more of Chile.  It is a very family-oriented culture. We heard this before from Lucia and other students that have gone to South America.

Unlike American schools, they were in class from 7:30am to 4:00pm. They wore school uniforms.  She showed us slides from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Patagonia and Atacama. Each of these trips had such a different climate/environment.

Now that she is back home, she is a junior in high school. She races hydroplane boats for fun! She is a member of the American Power Boat Association.

 

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