UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

Socials, Meetings, & Events:

Giro Bello – June 27, 2026

March 23, 2026 – 3:15 pm – Foundation Board Meeting @ Andersen, Zeigler (Mtgs are 4th Monday the month)
April 7, 2026 – 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Rotary Board Meeting @YMCA (Mtgs are 1st Tuesday the month)
April 9, 2026 – 7:00 pm – Rotary International’s Club Meeting  @ Jim Green’s house (Mtgs are 2nd Thursday of the month)
April 10, 2026 – Elsie Allen High School – Fundraiser – See Sam McMillan for more information. (click here for flyer)
April 27, 2026 – 3:15 pm – Foundation Board Meeting @ Andersen, Zeigler (Mtgs are 4th Monday the month)
May 16, 2026 – RYE Celebration & Epic Day of Service
June 27, 2026 – Giro Bello – Register or Volunteer now (See Flyer)

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

Rotary Club of Santa Rosa
March 18, 2026

Opening The Meeting:

Rose & Julia kick-off the meeting

As is the norm, we got our Black-Eyed Peas intro before President Julia welcomed us. 

Rose Frances led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and the Four/Five Way Test. Today’s Reflection was a reading of Wordsworth’s poem on daffodils with the suggestion that maybe we should plant a bunch of them next Fall.  

Guests: 

Malia Nichols, but next week she is going to become a member of our club…so she really isn’t a guest anymore.   But we did have our guest speaker, Jeff Quackenbush, as a “true visitor.” 

Sunshine Report: 

All things are sunny, but people did ask about Steve Marburger. So, Steve, if you are reading this, just know you have a bunch of people who care about you! 

50/50 Drawing: 

Craig Meltzner said we have 7 marbles in the bag and about $82.00 in the pot. Michael Moore’s number was pulled, but he did not pull out the blue marble from the bag. More money for the future winner! 

Michael Moore and the Joke of the Week: 

Michael’s Dirty (shirt) joke

One day a man decided to wash his sweatshirt. Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to his wife, “What setting do I use on the washing machine?” 

“It depends,” she replied. “What does it say on your shirt?” 

He yelled back, “University of Oklahoma.” 

Volunteers for the Santa Rosa Cycling Club: 

President Julia brought up that the Far West Fest (District Conference) is the same weekend as the Santa Rosa Cycling Club’s ride.  She has asked that those who are not going to the Far West Fest (District Conference) please volunteer for the Cycling Club. 

Giro Bello Sponsor Update: 

Patty on getting sponsors for the Giro Bello

Patty Kolin is working hard at getting sponsors for our Giro Bello. Many businesses cannot donate this year. She has also found that most businesses make decisions on donations in the fall before the new year.  Next year she will start in October.  The Santa Rosa Chamber of Commerce and Sonoma County Tourism will advertise our event! 

Kids-R-Us: 

Elsie Allen High School is having a fund raiser on April 10, 2026.  See Sam McMillan for more information. (click here for flyer)

Rick Allen & Richard Lazovick said the SRJC Rotaract Club made and distributed sandwiches to the homeless. 

Video: Does Climate Change Follow the Four Way Test? 

Is it the truth? We always have climate, but it is getting more intense. 

Is it fair to all concerned?  The countries that do the worst polluting have the worst problems.  

Will it build good will and better friendships?  

It is interesting that China, Brazil, Pakistan, and Texas are doing more wind and solar power, therefore building goodwill and better friendships.  

Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Yes! It is expensive, but the consequences are more expensive. Talking about it makes it real: people care. Love for the next generation gives us the power to act. 

Jeff Quackenbush on the State of the Wine Industry in the North Bay 

Jeff Quackenbush – interactive editor and staff reporter for The Press Democrat and North Bay Business Journal

Jeff Quackenbush is the interactive editor and staff reporter for The Press Democrat and North Bay Business Journal. Today he is here to discuss the issues in the wine industry, which is facing more years of pain before there is a recovery. 

In total, the North Coast and California wine crops dropped between 2024 and 2025 by 13% in the North Coast and 15.9% for the whole state. He did not talk about all the “whys” but it was noticeable that the fires we have had certainly destroyed vineyards and reduced crops due to smoke taint. Covid also affected restaurants and hotels, therefore the wine industry. He did not talk about people drinking less or drinking other beverages, but that has affected the price of grapes. The graphs show that the wine industry always has ups and downs in production and sales on an annual basis, but noticeably more down this time. 

Those wineries that have long term contracts with distributors have weathered the problems thus far, but when those contracts end, they will likely go down in value. Vineyard owners may “mothball” some vineyards, hoping for a better market in years to come. Others will pull out vineyards. 

Cabernet, chardonnay, and sauvignon blanc showed a lot of growth over the last 20 years. Some say a rebound will come in 2027. Others say it won’t happen until 2030. 

Cheers? 

Special Election

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