UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

Upcoming District/International Events:

June 13 – 17, 2026 – Rotary International Convention in Taipei, Taiwan
May 7-9, 2027 – SAVE THE DATE! – Jeff’s District Conference & Lakeside Jam @ Konocti Harbor Resort (Click here for flyer)

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 20, 2026

 

Opening The Meeting:

President Elect Peter Holewinski had a practice session today.  President Julia let him run the meeting (and he did very well!).  Rose Frances led us in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four/Five Way Test. Her Reflection had two quotes; one from Rumi and the other from Martin Luther King.

Rumi –
“Show me your hands—not the polished ones, but the ones with soil in their lines, the ones that have carried water to a thirst you did not name. Show me the palms that have lifted another’s burden without weighing the cost, that have mended torn cloth and torn hearts with the same quiet patience. Service is not a crown but a river—it runs through you, wearing away the stone of self until only the current remains. Let your hands be the prayer that never ends, the open door through which love walks into the world.”

Martin Luther King –
“Love is the only force that can change an enemy to a friend.”

Visiting Rotarians:

Margarite Padovani from the Napa Club – District Public Image Chair

Guests:

Duke Vam, who received one of our scholarships in 2013. He went on to graduate from Cornell and is now teaching nurses at Santa Rosa Junior College.  Give that man an application to join our club!

Peg Melkin – our guest speaker

Sunshine Report:

Ann Gospe was here today with her lovely cast and scooter. She had an unfortunate fall at Tomales High School.  But she is on some good pain medication so little can slow her down!

50/50 Drawing:

Matthew Henry ran the drawing today. We had 6 marbles and $129 in the pot. Ted Wilmsen had the ticket, but he did not pull the blue marble. Better luck next week!

Michael Moore and the Joke of the Week:

During a visit to a mental hospital, a visitor asked the director what the criterion was which defined whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

“Well,” said the director, “we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub.”

“Oh, I understand,” said the visitor. “A normal person would use the bucket because it’s bigger than the spoon or the teacup.”

“Actually,” said the director, “a normal person would just pull the plug. So, tell me, do you want a room with an east view or a west view?”

Nate Zaft Gets His Blue Badge!

Nate came to his first meeting in 1995 when his mom joined the club. Nate was five years old at the time.  Over the years Nate has visited many times. He officially joined us in January this year.  It is believed that he had completed all his red badge requirements before he became a member except going to a board meeting, being a greeter and doing his craft talk. Now he is officially a full-blooded Rotarian!  We are so lucky to have him.

Announcements:

1. Malia Nichols is encouraging all of us to join “A Simple Gesture” as a donor or a driver (or both) in Santa Rosa. However, if you live in Windsor, Rohnert Park or Cotati, you also can sign up to participate. The Rohnert Park-Cotati and Windsor Clubs are also participating, and you will be assigned to your appropriate area. This is a program that has eliminated hunger in many areas where they
   

   President Julia

   operate. Need to know more? Talk to Malia. President Julia added, “Wouldn’t it be great in the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa became known as the organization that eliminated hunger in our town?”

2. Ann Gospe says our participation in Rotary Youth Exchange is going to be a little different next year. We will not have a student for the school year. We will have two students who will be here in the winter and will need some places to live for two – four weeks. Can you house them during that time? They will not be attending school.
3. Ann Gospe announced that our current exchange student, Lucia Carballo Hidalgo, was selected as Peace Ambassador of the Year for this year’s Rotary Youth Exchange cohort. What a great honor!
4. Ann Gospe announced Lucia’s farewell party. It will be Saturday, May 31^st at 3:00pm until the cows come home. Please bring heavy appetizers and drinks to share. Please RSVP to Ann at rotaryann5130@gmail.com  (click here for party flyer)
5. Ann Gospe announced that the Rotary Youth Exchange is looking for more people to join the committee.
6. Petaluma Rotary Club is having a Wiffle Ball Tournament on May 30^th at the ballpark at Lucchesi Park. They need some volunteers to help. In turn, they will help us with the Giro Bello! Can you help?

Doug Landin and the current Paul Harris Awards:

Today he handed out new pins to Andrea Geary, Kris Anderson, and Diane Moresi.  Andrea and Kris are now +5 and Diane is +7.  You too can be a multi–Paul Harris Fellow.  With Rotary Direct you can sign up for as little as $10.00 a month.  By donating $83.34 you would be achieving a new Paul Harris Fellow level every year.  See Doug Landin for details.

Jeff Kolin, Ann Gospe and Kristine Redko Visit Rotary International Headquarters:

Jeff says he has been trying to get to Evanston for some time.  Some things they learned about:

Rotary Voices: This is a podcast with, so far, 82 episodes on all kinds of Rotary subjects. Check it out!

Service Project Center: Do you need inspiration for a service project? This site is on the Rotary International Website.

Plowshare: This is a public service announcement through Plowshare. Unsold advertisement time is donated to non-profits. Yes, the ads might be broadcast in the middle of the night, but people are always watching television 24 hours a day.

Are you going to Chicago?  Make an appointment for a tour or attend a special class.

While they were there, the 16-story building was quite empty of people.  That is because they were off all around the world doing service.  There is a great museum with a statue of Paul Harris that you can shake his hand. You can ring the original bell that was used to start meetings. How about talking to the media guy who runs all the media for Rotary? Jeff amd Ann brought back a banner from One Rotary Center.

Peg Melnik and Wine Education on Cruise Ships:

Peg came back to visit. The last time she was here she was just finishing up many years of wine reporting for the Press Democrat.  She is an award-winning writer, who has earned numerous accolades. She worked for the Press Democrat for 25 years. She now does wine education lectures on Ama and Oceania Cruise Lines. She has been doing these lectures for two decades. As she has said before wine can be drunk in blue jeans or evening attire, or this time, “Wine can be Groucho Marx or Black Tie.”  She has a new website for us to check out wineriddler.com.

She talked a lot about champaign, sparkling wine, prosecco…BUBBLY! For a lot of famous people, this was their go-to-drink: Winston Churchill, Coco Chanel, Frank Sinatra, Oscar Wilde and Napoleon Bonaparte to name a few.

Your palate is a great learner. Sipping a rioja will bring back memories of a café in the shadow of the Sagrada Familia. A Greek wine will bring back memories of drinking wine in view of the Acropolis (editor’s note; probably not Retsina). If wine makes us cheery, than sparkling wines is the confetti on top! Seriously, we are not drinking enough bubbly! You win $50 in the lottery, the moon is full, the chocolate cake you baked is perfect… celebrate with champagne! It will improve your Joi de Vive (joy of life).

There will be a Atlantic Wine Trail Cruise with Peg, Dustin Valette and Anthony Beckman April 24 – May 4, 2027, from Lisbon, Portugal to London (see the flier).

Peg’s favorite meal is a hamburger with Pinot Noir.  Is there much zinfandel in Europe. Yes, in Croatia.  After analyzing zinfandel’s DNA, they found it most likely came from Croatia.

Paul Hamilton remarked that chickens were fed the skins of the crushed grapes and it improved their immune systems…maybe better than antibiotics?  Certainly, more natural!

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