UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

Socials, Meetings, & Events:

Giro Bello – June 27, 2026

May 31 – time tbd – Party at Gospe’s for Our RYE student Lucia
June 2, 2026 – 4:00 pm – 5:30 pm – Rotary Board Meeting @YMCA (Mtgs are 1st Tuesday the month)
June 8, 2026 – 3:15 pm – (NOTE: Special Consolidated May/June date) Foundation Board Meeting @ Andersen, Zeigler (Mtgs are 4th Monday the month) – 
June 11, 2026 – 7:00 pm – Rotary International’s Club Meeting  @ Jim Green’s house (Mtgs are 2nd Thursday of the month)
June 27, 2026 – Giro Bello – Register or Volunteer now (See Flyer)
July 25, 2026 – time tbd – Julia Debunking and Social @ Jim Green’s House

Upcoming District/International Events:

June 13 – 17, 2026 – Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Taiwan
May 7-9, 2027 – SAVE THE DATE! Lakeside Jam at Konocti Harbor Resort

Check back for new socials and events

Flyers:

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
May 13, 2026

Opening The Meeting:

Nate Zaft helps kickoff the meeting

The meeting started 15 minutes early today due to a last minute presentation about the Festival of Friendship (formerly the Festival of Brotherhood).  Anyway, that meant no Black-Eyed Peas today!

Nate Zaft led us in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and Four-Way Test. He did not know he was supposed to do this today, so your bulletin editor suggested he consult Ai for a Reflection….Eureka!  “It is not the major things we do, but the small things.  We may not hit our goal, but we do not give up.”   (or something like that).

Visiting Rotarians:

Maria Lemus from Rancho Cotati and Miriam Holh, former Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Paraguay.

Visitors:

Pam Butterfield and Jon Baltzdorff

Sunshine Report:

Ann Gospe is out of commission. She fractured her fibula, but the main issue is the damage to the ligament and the separation of the ankle.  She had to have surgery.

50/50 Drawing:

Nate helps Sam with today’s 50-50 drawing

Sam McMillan ran the drawing this week. We had $111 in the pot and 7 marbles in the bag. Nate Zaft had his number called, but he pulled out a yellow marble.  Oh well! More money and one less marble for next week.

Michael Moore and the Joke of the Week:

Michael asked if we remembered the joke from a couple of weeks ago where the man was asked to read the fabric content of his tee shirt and he said “Notre Dame.”  Yeah, that guy is back in this week’s joke.

A man walked into a shoe store and tried on a pair of shoes. “How do they feel?” asked the sales clerk.

“Well…they feel a bit tight.” replied the man.

The clerk bent down and looked at the shoes and the man’s feet. “Try pulling the tongue out.” offered to the clerk.

“They sthill feelth a bith tight.” he replied.

Festival of Friends:

David Mark Raymond would have been here today to report on the Festival of Friends, but he could not. He sent Miriam Hohl to fill in. Miriam, as previously mentioned, is a Rotary Youth Exchange student who went to Paraguay 2024-2025. She is now in Rotaract and a Rotex member.

Exchange student Mariam presents her Festival of Friendship Recap

This Festival has been going on for many years between Districts 5130 and 4140 as a project fair for joint projects in Mexico. There were 28 projects presented and 13 will be funded. Miriam spoke of two projects they are funding: 1. Training 10 women to help with medical care in Tepic Paraiso and 2. Taekwondo Lessons to keep kids off the streets in Tlaquepaque San Pedro.  The kids must commit for three years, and they do community service.

We are all invited to participate in the Festival of Friends.  It allows you to build international connections, support people worldwide, make a difference in countless lives, and build long lasting friendships with Rotarians in both districts.  See David Mark Raymond for more information.

Nate Zaft’s Craft Talk:

Nate has been coming to our Rotary Club meetings since he was five years old in 1995.  He went back east for a few years and was trained to be a medical practice manager.  He came back to California and found his calling in long term care and nursing. His goal is to become a community leader.

Paul Harris Squares Winners:

Debi presented the Paul Harris Squares winners

Besides the Paul Harris $1000 award, we also had lots of cookies, wine and Rotary tchotchkes. The various winners all went back into the drawing for the Paul Harris Award.

The winners were:  Julia Parranto. Tavo Guillen, Jim Green, Ray Giampaoli (2), Dan Balfe (2), Debi Zaft, Ted Wilmson, Nate Zaft (2), Debi Zaft (2), Steve Olson, Jeff Kolin, Michael Tonjum (3), Craig Meltzer (3), Pete Lescure, and Richard Lazovick.

The Paul Harris Fellow Award went to……………………Michael Tonjum!

Announcements:

1. Patty Kolin said our sponsor pledges are up to $35,920!
2. We have 321 registered riders for the Giro Bello!
3. The Debunking of President Julia is now scheduled for Saturday, July 25, 2026, at Jim Green’s home. It will start at 4:00 p.m. Jim plans on BBQing spareribs. The price is going to be around $25.00. Be prepared to bring side dishes and be prepared to laugh and have a good time!
4. We have swag bags for Giro Bello this year. Patty showed us the coupon for free skating at Snoopy’s Home Ice.
5. Michael Tonjum will be in charge of the Giro Bello Expo. We are asking all sponsors if they would like a booth.
6. District 5130 offers $750 mental health grants. Our club decided to participate, and we are giving $750 to Soul Yoga.

Today’s Speaker, Dr. Jon Batzdorff, CPO of Prosthetika

Jon – CPO of Prosthetik

Prosethetika is an organization the Dr Batzdorff and John Morales started to help developing countries, and countries with conflict, the ability to provide their people with artificial limbs. Prosthetika was started in 2005, and they have done projects in Mexico, Armenia, Hati, Bolivia, Ecuador, Turkey, Russia, Lithuania, Tanzania, Guyana and Ukraine. Every country needs this service, but not every country has the resources to do it.

People lose limbs because of disease, motor vehicle accidents, social/domestic violence, natural disasters, war, and birth defects. The goal is to give amputees maximum independence and cosmetic restoration.

It takes a lot of training to do prosthetics. Each person is unique. A mold needs to be made for attaching the artificial limb. There is socket fabrication, assembling, and aligning the components. Then there is fitting and adjusting. Finally, user training on how to use their new leg or arm.

USEFUL LINKS