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:

Nate – led us in the Pledge/Four-Way Test and the Reflection

President Julia Greeted us and asked, “Who is leading us in the Pledge/Four-Way Test and the Reflection?” It appears that nobody was assigned, therefore she asked Nate Zaft to do it (He needs to do it anyway to get his Blue Badge).  Since he was not prepared, he did not have anything ready for his Reflection. President Julia asked him to talk about something of which he is grateful. Nate said that after coming to Rotary meetings for 35 years; participating in all kinds of events with his mom, Debi, he can finally be a Rotarian.  Rumor has it that the board will be voting on him next month.  Heck, he has probably done almost everything he needs to do to get his Blue Badge already!

Guests: 

Mel Konrad and Nate Zaft

Sunshine Report:

Sadly, we have lost another long-term Rotarian.  Barry Silberg broke his hip on December 24 and passed away on December 28. Here is what Steve Olson had to say about Barry:

Ginny had some very bad news to report this week.

“I’m sure you were as shocked as I was today hearing the news of Barry Silberg’s passing on December 28, 2025, at the age of 83. Barry joined our club in 1970 and has been a staunch supporter of many Rotary programs, not the least of which was Rotaplast where he surgically repaired the cleft palates of dozens of disadvantaged kids. Barry’s involvement in regular club activities was intermittent prior to his retirement due to the heavy demands of his medical practice. Even though he didn’t win any attendance awards, there was never a question about his dedication to the ideals of Rotary and support for the underserved community.
If you would like to make a memorial gift to honor Barry, please join me in contributing to the “Legends Fund” at the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Foundation, PO Box 1513, Santa Rosa, CA. 95402.”

Cecil Humes is finally out of the hospital where he has been fighting for about 3 months for his Type 1 diabetes.  They had to amputate part of his leg. He will be up and walking soon.

50/50 Drawing:

Eric Butterfield ran the drawing today. There were three marbles and $77.00 in the pot. Peter Holewinski’s ticket was drawn and he won!

Joke of the Week with Michael Moore:

A dog had been deaf and blind for many years. When she started to suffer painful tumors, it was time to put her down. When the father explained this to his seven-year-old son, the boy asked if Poochy would go to Heaven. The father said he thought she would, and that in Dog Heaven, she would be healthy again and able to do her favorite thing: chasing squirrels.

The boy thought about that for a minute, then said, “So dog heaven must be the same as squirrel hell.”

Announcements:

1. The “Book of Why” will be here on January 21 to be picked up for school delivery. Please sign up for two schools, asked Casey D’Angelo.
2. Ray Giampaoli announced that the Giro Bello is open for the 2026 ride! Already we have 30 riders.

President Julia is asking that every member actively seek to bring at least one sponsor onboard for our annual club fundraiser. Sponsorship is critical to the success of Giro Bello and, ultimately, to the impact our club can make in the year ahead.

Patty presents the new Giro Bello Sponsorship Package

The good news: Patty Kolin and Scott Bartley have completely revamped the sponsorship package, making it very simple to obtain, explain, and complete. The process is streamlined, clear, and much easier than in past years.

With the collective effort of all members, we have a real opportunity to make this our strongest sponsorship year yet. Doing so will set our incoming president, Peter, up for success with a larger budget to support the club’s goals and service projects.

Please consider who in your network might be a good fit and take that extra step to ask. Every sponsorship matters, and together we can make a meaningful difference.

Thank you for your continued commitment to Rotary and to one another.

3. The SCARC meeting this month is on January 29 at the SOMO Event Center, 1100 Valley House Drive, Rohnert Park. The meal includes appetizers, a dinner buffet, and dessert. A full no-host bar is available. The cost of the dinner is $60.00. Heidi Kuhn, founder of Roots of Peace will be the guest speaker. To register, contact Wulff Reinhold at (707)508-5819 or wreinholdmpa@gmail.com.
4. The Russian River Rotary Club is having a crab feed on January 24, 4:30 to 8:30pm. It will be at the Friedman Center in Santa Rosa. Senator Mike McGuire will be the auctioneer for the live auction. See the Rotary District 5130 website for details and to buy tickets.
5. The Petaluma Rotary Club is having their crab feed on Friday, February 20. It will be at the Petaluma Veteran’s Building. 5:30 reception and 6:30 dinner. $115 includes two drink tickets. They will have a special live auction.
6. Polio update: The world has gone 13 weeks without a wild polio case!

Caramels Anyone?

Debi Zaft brought in some of her famous caramels to raffle off. Scott Bartley got them for $60.00.

Newest Member

Trivia!

President Julia hosted our annual, though this time inane, trivia!

We were divided into five teams. President Julia found a trivia game that had questions about inane things, mostly from 2012 –2015. We were all pretty good about not tipping off the tables with our own right/wrong answers. The captains for the tables were: Kris Anderson, Mark Burchill, Patty Kolin, Wes Daniels, and Scott Bartley. There was a lot of groaning due to the weird questions (they weren’t weird if you knew the answer). In the end, Wes Daniels team #4 beat Kris Anderson’s team #1 in a double playoff. $165.00 will be split between the members of the winning team.

Club Pictures

Kicking the year off right. Our first meeting of 2026 !!

Kicking the year off right. Our first meeting of 2026 !!

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