Stories

Thank you to everyone who came and supported this event, we cannot wait to see you next year for the Second Annual Capitola-Aptos Rotary Kentucky Derby Party Fundraiser on Saturday, May 4, 2024!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW!

The Hub | May 25th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our May 26 meeting was dinner at the Fairfield Inn in Capitola, our speaker was Supervisor Zach Friend and we had three of our seven scholarship recipients in attendance!

We had about 25 members in person, none on zoom, five guests and three of our scholarship recipients. We had to borrow chairs from the lounge and napkins from the restrooms. We had far too much macaroni salad, but that sweet potato casserole (AKA the Vegan tofu meal that everyone thought was for them, not just the vegan eaters!!) was a big hit and the chicken with optional barbecue sauce was delicious

Remember that there is no bar there so we are relying on members to bring wine! Several of us did but not enough-we ran out of wine too: that’s bordering on inexcusable, especially since there’s no corkage fee (unlike the notorious rule at one of our other venues).

Music was provided by an illustrious trio. Members could be forgiven for mistaking their voice for the Kingston Trio or the Three Tenors while their rock ‘n’ roll evoked memories of rock god trios like Cream or Emerson, Lake and Palmer. But it was our very own Al DeCamara, Sam Nigh and Rich McAdams, performing under the moniker of Under the Influence. Which might explain Al's exuberance as detective.

By now, most everyone knows of the tragic death of our dear Suzi Hamlin, killed by a drunk driver, crossing the road in Virginia in the middle of Rich and Suzi’s cross country vacation. Co-PE Pam flew back to help Rich. Rotarians have been sending him our heartfelt condolences. Despite the unimaginable grief and shock, Rich took the time to send thanks for our support and for the camaraderie and compassion of Rotary that has been shown to him.

Prior to the start of the meeting, Laura led us in observing a moment of silence in memory of Suzi and in support of Rich.

Two of our three new red badges were in attendance, Rich McAdams, and Lisa Harvey-Duren.

Our three scholarship recipients in attendance were Olivia Harris from Soquel HS and Samantha French and Jordi Martinez from Aptos HS.

Michele brought her friend Gayle Pitman, VP of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success at Hartnell College.

Eric brought his friend David and David's daughter. The daughter is Samatha French, one of our Scholarship recipients.

Michele announced that Sip for Second Harvest is June 25 from 1-4 pm at Seascape Golf club.

Our next Membership Monday Happy Hour is at Cantine at 5:30 to 7:00 on June 5th.

Our second May meeting was at dinner at the Fairfield by Marriott in Capitola.
We had about 25 attendees in person and 3 on zoom. The catered food got good reviews. Several people remembered to bring wine and we could use
more next time.

We have tentatively admitted 3 new members, including Claire McAdams’ husband Rich, or as he is formally known, the Honorable Justice Richard McAdams. He was the youngest Superior Court Judge in California and served in Santa Cruz County for 30 years before being appointed to the court of appeals.

Our club now has 3 lawyers, a judge, and the son of one of the most prominent lawyers in the Bay Area. An unfortunate demographic?
The jury is still out (sorry).
Fortunately our 2 other new members are not in the legal profession. Jack Hunt is an ‘almost retired’ mechanical engineer. Lisa Harvey-Duren, wife of member Paul Duren, is a patient advocate and advisor for pharmaceutical companies.

Kendra ran the meeting with her usual exuberance.
Sam and Al were absent and the welcome song appeared lost until Kelly lead an impromptu a cappella version, and his signature baritone. Kelly had a lot of energy in this meeting, much like he had behind the bar at the Derby party.

The Inaugural Derby party raised over $5000. We had more than 50 attendees. It was a bit disappointing that only 13 of them were members. Everyone had a great time, good venue, pleasant, and as always, it was for a good cause. We hope to have much better club turnout next year.

Eric picked the winning horse, rumors that he can retire on that are unconfirmed.

The winner of the ladies hat contest was Michele‘s neighbor. And it cost $3000. Just saying

Co president in waiting Lowry discussed the survey that will be going to the members regarding meetings.

Kendra reminded everyone of Saturday’s car seat drive

In Dr. Art's absence Craig has a thought for the day : we should make our passwords “incorrect“. Makes great sense

Deposed president, Ken was the detective. There were a number of questions about Rotary History and unrelated historical events that occurred on May 11.

Kelly correctly answered: what actor starred in Casablanca, the big sleep , and the Maltese falcon? Humphrey Bogart

He also correctly answered: who married Lauren Bacall, won an Oscar for the African Queen, and died in 1957?
Also, Humphrey Bogart
The problem is that the question posed was: who was the first Rotarian to walk on the moon? Twice because it seemed he didn’t hear it the first time.

Our guest speaker was Sophia Shwierzke of Central Coast Community Energy.
She gave a PowerPoint on her company that purchases alternative energy from various sources in California and Arizona and sells it to PG&E customers for less than PG&E charges.
Their rates are about 18% less for residential customers

Rick asked why California energy prices were so much higher than other states. She did not know. Per the state of Nebraska, which has the cheapest energy in the country, California energy costs are more expensive than every state except Hawaii, Washington, about 80% above the national average.

Rick also asked if the high prices were because California is a one-party state.

Your author has been a California attorney for 35 years and has not seen the law limiting us to one party. Is that per year, per household? Does it apply to nonprofit corporations?
Without admitting anything, your author might be a serial offender – we have birthday parties, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, parties, football parties, pool parties and I’d better stop there. I will ask the rest of the clubs legal brain-trust to make sure we are not running a-foul of the one party rule.

Laura pointed out to our guest speaker that actually some of the power sources on the map on her PowerPoint were in Arizona, and Nevada, not California. That type of tactful, cross examination, might warrant admission into the legal brain-trust.

The debunking of Kendra and Laura will be July 25 at the Watsonville yacht club, otherwise known as Michele Bassi’s residence. Start time will be 5–5 thirtyish. More details to follow.

5/17/23 || Last call for Car & Booster Seat drop off!

Posted on May 17, 2023

If you got our email address on Saturday to arrange a later porch drop off of booster & car seats, we need them by mid afternoon TODAY! Please get in touch with us right now if you were one of the people we were talking to!!

May 13th County Wide Car Seat Drive!

Posted by Kendra Cleary

The Hub || April 20th, 2023

Our April 20 meeting was at Seascape.
We had about 20 attendees in person and Sue, Becky and Nelson on Zoom

We had no musicians, so no opening songs.

Very nice to see Stan Abraham in person - that should happen more often

Dr Art gave the thought for the day: Righteous indignation is just jealousy with a halo!

Ken related a story from a client, upon visiting a clinic in a town in New Zealand, saw a plaque honoring Dr. Art Dover of Santa Cruz, California for stemming a local epidemic. Years later, Dr Art cured the same client of a parasitic infection that no other doctors had been able to diagnose, let alone!

We were graced with the presence of Paul's wife Lisa who is a new prospective member. Lisa is a pharmacy rep. She also attended our last Membership Monday at Cantine. Lisa impressed everyone and by consensus will be a great addition to the club.

Lowry brought a prospective member too-Jack Hunt, a retired engineer. Jack was also at the Membership Monday and has a fascinating background. He would also be a great member.

Kendra reminded everyone of the May 6 Kentucky Derby party. We were treated to suggestions for hats via from Kendra and Laura. It was hard not to believe we were not at Paris Fashion Week. Until Laura modeled the St. Patrick's Day hat.....

Remember to bring wine to tonight's meeting at Fairfield. To clarify- 2 bottles to donate to the Derby party-not to drink....

Win hosted the pickleball tournament for which Matt Weinstein was the successfull bidder at the Willy Roast and auction. Lowry and Laura rant the event. Matt, his wife Eileen, and six others attended. By all accounts it was a great success.

The Area 7 social is May 9 at Kaiser arena in downtown Santa Cruz- tickets are $5 at the door.

Laura and Nelson provided more information on District Governor Savita's Independence Through Hygienes project in India and Africa. Feminine hygiene products are generally unavailable to impoverished girls/young women who miss school during their cycle and eventually drop out, limiting their life choices. The club is making a $1,000 donation.

The Detective was Rich
He chose golf and SIRS as his topics- clearly catering to a select audience but geographically appropriate. We learned that SIRS stands for something generic like Seniors in Retirement but that other than playing golf they serve no function, so that's 2 strikes. Rich, Doug, Lowry and Stan are members

Our guest speaker was veterinarian Marianne Burtch the founder of Birchbark Foundation. Birchbark is a non-profit corporation that provides donated/discounted vet services for people and families who can't afford expensive procedures for pets when the pets are important to their owner's health and peace of mind.

The Foundation arranges 24-hour hospital services for domestic animals with the goal of providing the necessary treatment to reunite the pets with their loved ones. They work with veterinarians in the community to give discounts for their services and Birchbark pays 50% of the remaining bill. They have frank discussions with pet owners to make sure there is a good prognosis for the pets or, if not, the need for euthanasia. Birchbark also provides grief support and educational webinars on pet care, emergency preparedness and preventable conditions. One of the biggest conditions they face is urinary tract infections in un-spayed females.

Dr. Burtch noted the increased emotional reliance on pets during the severe parts of the Covid epidemic and how important the human-pet bond is. She also said what we pet-lovers know- our pets provide unconditional love and are not judgmental.

Birchbark saved its first pet in 2013. That animal lived another ten years-just recently passing away. The Foundation subsidizes emergency services for several pets every week, 32 so far this year.

Dr. Burtch showed a touching video about Birchbark's services. We had some audio problems but the visuals alone were moving. To see it with sound, click here.
BTW- Dr. Burtch is also a Stanford grad...

See everyone at Fairfield TONIGHT, not today. $20 fine for anyone caught going to the wrong place and/or the wrong time.

Buy your Derby Party tickets!!

The Hub || April 13th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Fellow Cap-Ap Rotarians:

Our April 13 lunch meeting was at the Fairfield Inn.
Those of you who haven't been yet should check it out to see how you think it compares with other venues.
It's on 41st Ave, about 1/2 mile past the Capitola Mall. We have a large, well- lit dedicated room, functioning wifi and cell service. But no bar...
The a/c functions well, a bit too well at one point as the board meeting turned glacial for a few minutes. But that was resolved.

Lunch was deli sandwiches catered by Garden Deli.

Co-Pres Kendra ran the meeting.

We had about 20 members and a few on zoom including Secretary Nelson, Mardi and Doug D.

Dr. Art provided the thought and joke of the day: It is risky to speak to the press they might report it

Al did the welcome song a la Herbie Hancock on his portable keyboard.
Konstantin chimed in on glass percussion.

Announcements:
Please bring two bottles of wine (~ $20 each value) to Kendra this meeting as we will be using them at Kentucky Derby Fundraiser as game prizes.
Please use the Eventbrite Link to purchase your Derby party tickets today! There are quarter page fliers that Kendra can print and get you to hand out to your friends and neighbors and dog walker! Invite your kids and their friends, literally everyone you KNOW!

Derby Party Sponsorships: $500 sponsorship gets you Public Recognition including your logo on event materials, being mentioned at the event, your logo being used on all our social media channels (fb, IG, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube) along with on our club website. Please contact CPOM Kendra at kcleary.rotary@gmail.com to sign up.

Huge Thanks to our current Derby sponsors:
Costello Wealth Strategies
Penrose, Chun & Gorman
Aptos Travel Medicine
1st Capital Bank

May 6th Kentucky Derby Sponsorship Opportunity

There are still sponsorships available, contact kcleary.rotary@gmail.com for more details or to confirm your interest!

We want to thank our Sponsors who have already committed to this event!

May 6th Kentucky Derby Party Ticket Link

Posted by Kendra Cleary

Get your tickets TODAY via Eventbrite!

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kentucky-derby-party-hosted-by-capitola-aptos-rotary-tickets-595423075447

The Hub || April 6th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our April 6 meeting was at the Seascape Golf Clubhouse

We had 23 attendees in person and 2 on zoom- Becky and Sue

Co-President Kendra presided

Dr Art gave the thought for the day: It talking was more important than listening we would have 2 mouths and 1 ear

Visiting Rotarians were
Dave Culver and Tom McCullough from Sunrise

We also had a neophyte potential Rotarian- recently retired Jack Hunt

Al led us in the Welcome song
And made references to his Portuguese heritage

Pam and Mardi managed to be the only women sitting at tables with 6 men
Where are our women members????

Becky celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary- of course she looks like she must have been a teenage bride- her husband has lived a charmed life
Rich is going on a months- long road trip circling the US with his dog- we expect many Rotary flags

The Hub March 22nd, 2023 || UCSC Field Trip for ‘22-‘23 Piatt Scholar, Kevin Weatherwax

Our 3/22 meeting was a field trip to UCSC to celebrate the award of the Piatt Scholarship and honor Kevin Weatherwax, this year's recipient in the Baskin Engineering Building lab/office where he and his colleagues work.

Our Rotary crew pictured with Kevin, Dean Biehl, Almut, Kevin's Mentor Kate Ringland, and the other UCSC Foundation staff

We had about 22 club attendees in person Sue on Zoom and about 8 folks from UCSC.
We were hosted by Graduate School Dean Dr. Peter Biehl and Almut Wulf (who both visited us last year for the presentation) and Advising Professor Kate Ringland.
One of our guides/chaperones/bouncers (needed as Al was in attendance today) was Alexandria Leckliter who was in RotarAct and, as importantly, her dad was a gymnastics coach.

Special memories for Trish who is a UCSC alum.

Parking was like Scouts on a scavenger hunt though we were eventually directed to the Core 4 parking garage where Almut had reserved spots for us. Found out the hard way that the parking lots identified on the on-line maps as "no-permit required" are only "no-permit required" after 4pm....

Once we navigated our way (or were rescued) we were led to the lab where Kevin and some of the other students who work in his department gave summaries of their projects aimed at assisting neurodivergent people. They call their workplace "the Misfit Lab." It was clear from just the brief statements the younger students gave that they were brilliant but they managed to translate the techno-lingo so we could understand it.

Perhaps the most discussed subject was the 2 foot high robot in the room who looks like a non-flying version of EVA from Wall-e. We were also continually scanned and colorized images of us projected onto a screen as part of the team's ongoing studies of human movement that is being used to help robots interact with humans in public. We were assured that our DNA was not being replicated for insertion into our roboticized replacement clones.

There was a keyboard for Al and Sam brought his ukelele and led us in the Welcome Song and the 4 Way test song. The UCSC folks all said they loved the music. They were not just being polite.

Kentucky Derby Party || BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!

Posted by Kendra Cleary

March 2023 Storms & Flooding Response || Rotary in Action

Posted on Mar 24, 2023

CPOM Kendra here: “I want to make it abundantly clear we are not writing this page and it's contents to merely toot our own horn. We do want to acknowledge the Rotarians in our club who heard the call for help & showed up to do the work that was needed by our neighbors and community.

But also The Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's Board of Directors feels that transparency in what we do in our community, both during the good times and the bad is necessary.

Since the community at large donates to our efforts (both via direct donations for specific projects and with support of our fundraising events like the Beer Booth and Pickleball Tournament) for the work we do in "Y/OUR Community" we want to be very clear on the activities we do and support, both monetarily and via our physical labor/boots on the ground approach.”

Special Storm Cleanup Edition of The Hub

March 2023

Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023

Location: Watsonville Fairgrounds Shelter

Once we heard about the Pajaro Levee Break Co-Presidents Laura & Kendra headed out to the Fairgrounds to see if they had any immediate needs. A list of items they needed was going around, but from our club's experience in the '89 earthquake there was such an immediate response that the needs were changing by the hour. So we headed out to meet the Shelter Coordinator on site and see what they needed that we could look them in the eye and say "we'll be right back with XYZ." We met the On-Site Shelter Coordinator who was fantastic, they needed new Blankets, towels and washcloths, and men's & women's underwear. But they could not accept the items until tomorrow as they didn't have the room to store anything since it was a Sunday late afternoon. They had volunteers coming first thing Monday to sort through and organize all the donations. Armed with a donated 20% off Kohl's Coupon and $7 in Kohl's Cash, we headed to Kohl's and Ross to see what we could get.

We spent $460 and got 9 blankets, 12 bath towels, 12 washcloths, 11 packages of men's underwear, 8 packages of women's underwear, and $30 in Kohl's Cash which was used later in the week to buy 12 pairs of Under Armor Compression Crew Socks.

Unfortunately by late Monday Morning the Fairgrounds had sorted and had no more room to accept anything.

Date: Monday, March 13, 2023

Location: Cabrillo College Shelter

So on Monday Lunchtime as soon as we heard that the Cabrillo College Shelter would be opening at 5pm we decided to head down with our purchased items and see if that was what they needed.

Pictured on this table are the men's and women's underwear we had purchased the day prior!

We met the On-Site Coordinators, Georgina and Jessika, and they needed the blankets and towels and underwear! We gave them our phone numbers and said we had a budget to fill any immediate needs and to not hesitate to call us if there was something that came up that was needed.

Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Location: Coral St. Clinic & Cabrillo College Shelter

On Tuesday Afternoon we heard from Georgina, they needed someone to transport a few evacuated houseless people (who had lived on the San Lorenzo Levee are that was flooded) from the Coral St. Clinic to the Cabrillo Shelter in a van.

Since we did not have a van, and we needed a van since some of our riders had mobility issues and they all had all their possessions with them, the club rented a minivan from Enterprise (Shout out to Enterprise on Ocean who gave us a 10% discount on the rental!) and we did three round trips to transport people to the Cabrillo Shelter.

After our last transport, we talked to the On-Site Coordinator of the day (they are assigned in 12 hour shifts) and they had a family arrive from Pajaro---we had seen them walk in as we walked in some of the people we had brought from Coral St.

Laura (L) walking in one of our transportee's, Andrew (middle), along with a Twin Lakes Soup Kitchen Volunteer (R) we met at the Shelter.

The family had toddlers in diapers but there were not diapers in the sizes they needed at the Cabrillo Shelter--only newborn size diapers. So a translator and Co-Pres Laura headed over to see if there was anything else they needed since we were going to get diapers and to confirm the diaper size they needed. They explained they left so quickly the father only had the clothes he was wearing and asked if we knew of any clothes he could get. And they needed Size 5 & 6 Diapers.

So off to Costco we went and we got Sizes 4, 5 & 6 diapers (since we didn't see size 4 in the shelter inventory). We also got two boxes of wipes.

We got 1800 wipes and 798 diapers in three sizes!

On our way back to Cabrillo with the diapers and wipes we called two of our members who were about the same size as the Pajaro father, and asked if they had any clothes in good condition they could donate. They did and we want to shout out to IPP Ken and Rotarian Sam who stepped up and provided bags of clothes for this gentleman.

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Location: Second Harvest Food Bank

On the way to our Second Harvest Food Bank food sorting shift Co-Pres Kendra dropped off some of the donated clothes from IPP Ken, and checked in with the shelter's immediate needs.

Then four of our club's Rotarians, CPOM Kendra, Eric, Co-PE Lowry and Nelson, arrived at Second Harvest Food Bank for a volunteer food sorting shift.

They boxed 4,000 lbs. of Oranges, and 8,000 lbs. (which was 208 cartons) of Grapefruits!

The Rotary crew's pre-shift photo!

Lowry and Eric with the big barrel of oranges we were filling the boxes from.

Nelson with the Oranges Box!

Nelson and Lowry.

Eric stacking Orange filled boxes!

Nelson filling bags of Grapefruits.

Lowry filling the bags with Grapefruits.

Our little crew at the end of our shift!

#RotariansInAction #RotariansAtWork

As usual Dr. Art did his weekly volunteer shift at Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes, and CPOM Kendra had a discussion with Executive Director Ashley about the needs their organization will have in the coming months, as they serve the displaced migrant community during this tragedy. They are preparing for the next few months as it will be a time of grave food insecurity among the evacuated & displaced population because the crops that they should be harvesting and getting paid for their work to do, they will not be (due to the flooded fields), so in addition to losing their homes and belongings, the steady work they count on will also not be there in the quantity it usually is.

The cleanup from this set of storms and the levee break will take months if not years to fix the reverberations throughout the community. This is project will not be a sprint; it will be a marathon. And we Rotary Clubs are working together and have committed to being HERE and doing our part long after everyone else’s initial surge of help and attention is long gone.

Capitola-Aptos Rotary is supporting Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes both with volunteer time and with funding, and we encourage you to do so also.

https://www.pvloavesandfishes.org/

Additionally our club has set aside at minimum of $4000 to go directly to Storm & Flood Disaster Relief, our only contingent on the money is that our club has to be involved in a project, we will not just be making a blind donation to another group in our area who is collecting money. We are requiring what we call "boots on the ground" involvement by some of our Rotarians. If you would like to add to our storm and flooding disaster relief funds, we will add them to our money and spend them the same way we are spending our own money, you can donate via PayPal or Venmo.

(I want to mention that we are a PayPal Certified Charity, which assures you of our integrity and also significantly reduces any transaction fee's that are usually associated with giving funds electronically.)

Save The Date! Car Seat Drive || Spring 2023

Posted by Kendra Cleary on Mar 18, 2023

To learn more about our Car Seat Drives, visit this link where we wrote about our December 2022 plan!

https://capitolaaptosrotary.org/Stories/rotary-car-seat-(-booster-seat)-drive!-dec-10th-11th

And visit our Facebook Photos to see the pictures from our event!

The Hub February 16th, 2023 || Rep. Panetta Visit

Posted by Ken Gorman

Members:

Apologies for the late Hubs- emergency motions filed by opposing counsel in 2 cases and a sick wife and paralegal (2 different women but equal goddesses) have impeded progress. All are well and justice prevailed.

Rep. Jimmy Panetta pictured with Club Co-Presidents Kendra Cleary & Laura Grinder

Our February 16, 2023 lunch meeting was at Seascape. We had 31 members and guests attend. We were in the little room due to Seascape Construction. Our Speaker was our Congressman Jimmy Panetta, who absolutely noticed and commented on the smallness of the room we were in. No luck convincing him that our group size had increased and fill the room better!!

The Hub March 2nd, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Fellow Rotarians:

Our March 3 meeting was held via zoom only because of covid concerns.
Turnout was small- 15 stalwart members, no guests.
The meeting was also short because we had no guest speaker.

Co-Prez Kendra was flush with excitement at her joke of the day:
Why were lawyers created?
So that toilet plungers would have something to look down on.

Laura reminded us that International Women's Day is 3/19. Please sign up to carpool to the Rotary International event in San Jose.
Last year there were 120 attendees, about 1/3 were non-Rotarians.

The Hub || First Rotary Dinner Meeting! || February 23rd, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Dear Rotarians,

Our February 23 meeting was at the beautiful Episcopal Church of St. John in Seacliff. Thanks to Win and Nelson for making the arrangements.

25 members and a few guests attended.

Food was brought in by Rotary Owned Catering business Busy Bee's Cafe & Catering and served buffet via buffet- as was a generous assortment of wine. No corkage fee.
No jokes about changing water into it please.

Busy Bee's Chef Ty pictured with Co Prez Kendra, and the lovely buffet we were served! Feb 23rd's menu was Meat Loaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Salad and those amazing rolls we have all come to adore!!

The Hub February 2nd, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our 2/2/23 lunch meeting was at the Fairfield Inn on 41^st Ave. in Capitola-a few hundred yards West of the Capitola Mall.

Informal poll shows the attendees generally liked the room. Busy Bee's catered the meal. Michele the co-owner is a member of Santa Cruz Rotary and also catered deposed-President Ken’s debunking, informal food reviews were also mostly positive and Michelle came by at the end of our meeting to introduce herself and thank us for the business! The owner of the Fairfield Inn is a fan of Rotary--believes in and supports our mission and seems eager to accommodate us--a marked change from indifference/annoyance.
The board is soliciting further input on the location, venue amenities, parking, food, attitude….
Nelson sent out a schedule of the next several meetings- make sure to read it and to NOT show up someplace where you are the only attendee.
And please RSVP!

The Hub January 26th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our January 26, 2023 lunch was at Seascape. Remember, our February 2 lunch is at the Fairfield Inn on 41st Ave. in Capitola. Do not go to Seascape at noon unless you want to avoid all of us AND get a $20 fine.

We had 18 attendees in person and 4 on zoom.

Kendra ran the meeting with her usual charisma and organization- impeded only by a new microphone system that randomly disconnected and announced the disconnection in a Lauren Bacall-esque sultry near-whisper that seems more appropriate for pay for view R rated movies than the wholesomeness of our meetings.

Kendra's announcement: PLEASE respond to her emailed RSVPs

Dr Art's thought for the day: Don’t argue with a fool in public because people might confuse the two of you. (Has he been to court lately?)

January 2023 Storm Cleanup || Rotary In Action

Posted by Ken Gorman

But also The Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's Board of Directors feels that transparency in what we do in our community, both during the good times and the bad is necessary.

Special Storm Cleanup Edition of The Hub

January 26, 2023

Date: Saturday, January 21, 2023

Location: Aptos Hills and Soquel Village

CPOM Kendra did a fabulous job organizing teams for our volunteer cleanup work. Unfortunately she out-organized the volunteer center which waited until late Friday-early Saturday to assign us and instead of cleaning up the beach or a creek 7 of us ended up at a private residence in the Aptos Hills owned by a 66 year old woman. Her driveway was flooded by a seasonal stream that dumped tons of mud and debris and moved her large wood she about 50 feet off its foundation. The driveway was passable and the rest of the work required a bulldozer, not shovels and wheelbarrows, but the stalwart Rotarians moved mud and debris to widen the path for an hour or so and achieved as much as we could by hand. Kendra has some before and after photos. Some irony in that the owner asked for assistance in part because of her age and Kendra was the only one of us who doesn't have an AARP card.

Our second job of the day that The Volunteer Center assigned to us was in Soquel, near the Soquel Creek and homes on Soquel Wharf Road that were flooded/mudded out.

Kendra, Eric and Bert volunteered shoveling out mud from the residences. The more mud we shoveled the more mud appeared!

Date: Sunday, January 22, 2023

Location: Capitola Village

Sunday our small but mighty group of 5 club members joined a swarm of volunteers to clean up Capitola Village and move mountains of washed ashore trees, limbs, fence posts, decking, and in general storm debris. The volunteer descended upon the chaos like an army of ants among huge amounts of interlinked pick up sticks. We filled a humorous "green organic" dumpster to the top. While this was a great accomplishment, looking at the beach there is still lots to be done. Watch for more information about the ongoing efforts that are needed and our opportunities to help.

The Volunteering Storm Clean Up Team are real Troopers! Everyone was very busy working this weekend. Thanks to all our Rotarians who gathered together to help the community, Kendra, Ken, Eric, Laura, Dr Art and Grandson Noah, Lowry, Kelly, Becky, Becky's Husband Ed, Julie, Nelson, Paul and Rotarian Bert, you guys rock!

CPOM Kendra again:
“At the January Board Meeting club our club has pledged $4000 to go directly to our Emergency Storm Fund, but one thing we have learned from living through the ‘89 quake and the‘95 Levee breach and the ‘98 El Niño, is that cleanup will be a marathon not a sprint.
The only stipulation the board put on the committed funds is that it needs to be spent on or in conjunction with a project where we Rotarians are “boots on the ground” involved, we will not just be cutting a check to another organization and hoping they use the funds for storm response.”

March 2023 Edit:

If you like the work we are doing on the ground here in Santa Cruz County and want to support us by adding to our Storm Fund, you can donate via PayPal at this link:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=EWX6GUJPCMMFA

or via Venmo or PayPal through this QR code. (On Venmo please put with the payment that you want the money added to our Storm or Flood Relief fund.)

The Hub January 19th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our January 19, 2023 lunch meeting was at Seascape. The auspiciousness of the occasion was accented by a flyover by 3 Osprey heli-planes followed by a helicopter gunship and Marine One. They all would have joined us for lunch but we would have gone over our 25 person lunch allotment.

We had about 20 attendees in person plus 4 on zoom.

Dave was there in person- nice to see him again in person especially with his charming granddaughter-guest Ashleigh. Also nice to have Trish back and Jimmy K made it too. Good to have the full contingent of club lawyers.

Al did a very hip welcome song on his keyboard a la Herbie Hancock. Rumor is that Sam is working on a Hendrix-styled rendition of the 4 Way Test song. Think Purple Haze/Rotary.

Co-President Kendra ran the meeting and had a few announcements. Secret one- the reconnaissance team for an alternate venue was very pleased with the Fairfield Inn on 41st Ave.- working on a test run there soon. Watch this space and your e-mail inbox.

Kendra also relayed that we had over- volunteered for storm-related cleanup. The City of Capitola couldn't handle all of us, State Parks said they would only allow Rangers to help. So Kendra gave her contact info to the Volunteer Center and told us to stand by. More on that adventure below.

Thought of the day Dr Art: mask up and join for cleanup.

Dr Art was also the Detective. He asked several of the members to tell us how the storms had changed their lives. Most of us reported nearly no effects, but Co-prez Laura had enough happen to make up for that: long power outages, trees down, road blocked and a tornado (Auntie Em!! Are we in Kansas?)

Trish told about all the damage she saw at the beach.

Our guest speaker was Kent Benedict MD, a friend of Dr. Art's. He gave a talk and power point (slide show of the 21st century) on a 37 day pilgrimage hike that he and his wife Paula took over the Pyrenees in Southern France into Spain and over the Galicios Camino de Santiago and eventually to the Spanish Coast.

The Hub January 5th, 2023

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our 2023 Inaugural lunch meeting was 1/5/23 at Seascape.

15 intrepid members braved wind and rain to attend in person and 13 of them braved the lunch (kidding?)

4 members attended by zoom. The rest of y'all best have notes from PG&E that you were without power or equally convincing excuses for not at least zooming lest 'ye be fined (Assuming a Sgt at Arms attends)...(your reporter had a deposition all day 1/12/23 and you don't want to know).

Konstantin attended in full storm regalia which even matched- a tribute to his European stylishness.

Sam led us in the Welcome Song and 4 Way test song.

Mardi zoomed us a presentation about the Christmas gifts to the Watsonville Nursing Center- it was touching to hear and see how grateful the seniors were and how much small things meant to them.
Mardi also presented a rousing montage of photos of Capitola Aptos Rotary's Greatest Hits of 2022 Video here

None of the Red Badgers, which will not excuse them from fines nor giving their requisite autobiographies.

But as an additional affront, since they all whimped out in their debut we had no program. Co-President Kendra filled the time nicely. We won First Place in the Community Groups Division for our Christmas Lights exhibit at the County Fair!!! Congrats to all who planned, set-up, maintained and took down! Video here.

The car seat drive organized by our club and Area 7 Presidents in conjunction with Baja Bridges had 30 seats and 6 bases collected from our drop off sites, and the local Rotary total was 80 seats, eight additional bases and one stroller. There will be another round of donations in the Spring. ( No, past-prez Ken does not need a booster seat for our lunches.....) More pictures here.

What is Happening in January 2023?

Posted by Mardi Padilla

We started a New Year wishing you all the best and we invite you to share Rotary with a friend.

Our Club's Monthly Happy Hour is this January 11th, meeting starts 5pm at Cantine Wine Pub located at 8050 Soquel Drive, Aptos CA 95003. We invite you to get together socially for a casual talk with new members. Red Badge Wednesday Happy Hour also give potential Rotary members/curious lurkers(!) a chance to ask questions about what Rotary is! Also what's a "red badge" or a "blue badge" in Rotary mean? Or what's a "Paul Harris"? We will divulge all of those Rotary secrets!

Next Monday January 23rd get ready for the Rotary Community Service Social Event

Meet with us at the Hideout 9051 Soquel Dr, Aptos at 5:30pm. Please join us to meet Capitola-Aptos Rotary members and learn about our community projects. Enjoy no-host beverages at the Hideout Cocktails and Dining. We will be at the table in the back. We've served Santa Cruz County for 58years, providing opportunities for connection, community service and leadership. We are part of Rotary International, a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders and problem solvers where people unite and take action. All are welcome to attend, for more information see www.capitolaaptosrotary.org or contact co-president elect lowry.fenton@gmail.com

Incoming news came last week from our Co-President elect Lowry Fenton who visited the Rotary Club Budapest-City, District 1911-Hungary. Welcome back Lowry and thank you for sharing your traveling journey with us.

Curious about Capitola-Aptos Rotary?

Hello! 👋🏼

Did you see our (winning!) exhibit at the Santa Cruz Co. Fair Holiday Lights? Or maybe our sign in Aptos, & that's why you are visiting our website? Well, WELCOME!!!

We are Capitola-Aptos Rotary!

We are a non profit organization of like minded community leaders who want to have fellowship and be of service.

Our club was chartered in 1965 as the Rotary of Mid County, and we became Rotary of Capitola-Aptos in the 1980's. We are part of Rotary International's District 5170 (https://rotarydistrict5170.org/), Area 7 (which is all seven of the Santa Cruz County Rotary Clubs!).

The programs that we are most proud of are as follows:

1. Community Grants

The open application period is usually in Fall and local non-profits complete an application telling us about their organization and what they would be doing with the money if they are chosen.

On Dec. 8, 2022 we gave out our most recent year's Community Grants. We gave out over $18,000 to this year's twelve non-profit recipients! The 2022 focus that our club board & grant committee identified as top priority were food insecurity, mental health, children's issues and protection for parents & children (domestic violence).

In 2022 our Grant Recipient organizations were:

For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay https://www.forkidsfoundationmontereybay.org/
Grey Bears  https://greybears.org/
Monarch Services https://www.monarchscc.org/
Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes  https://www.pvloavesandfishes.org/
Safe Schools Project  https://safeschoolsproject.org/
Santa Cruz Symphony  https://santacruzsymphony.org/classical-music-classrooms
Veterans Memorial Building:  https://www.veteranshall.org/revised-home-page/
Volunteer Center, Literacy Project:  https://scvolunteercenter.org/programs/literacy-program/
Siena House  https://www.sienahouse.org/what-we-do
Teen Kitchen Project  https://teenkitchenproject.org/about-us/
Walnut Avenue Center http://www.wafwc.org/whoweare
Your Future Is Our Business  https://yfiob.org/about-us/
Meals on Wheels of Santa Cruz County https://communitybridges.org/mealsonwheels/

To support our Community Grants Program, our members pay annual and quarterly dues, weekly meeting fees, and this is in addition to any annual donations our members make. We also hold a few events annually that raise more money to fund Grants. 💸💰💸

🍻🎆 4th of July Beer Booth: 🎇🍻 After the Aptos World's Shortest Parade we sell beer & hard seltzers in the Aptos Village Party in the Park. So every time you see us after the 4th of July parade buy an extra beer & leave a tip, since all the funds we raise support your local community!

🍽️🎤Annual Dinner & Roast:🍽️🎤 in the late fall we hold a gala where a local community member is roasted at a gourmet plated dinner.

🏓🎾 Pickleball Tournament:🎾🏓 2022 was our inaugural pickleball tournament and the event went so well we'll be holding our 2nd annual Pickleball in the Park Tournament in September 2023.

🐎🌹Kentucky Derby Party: 🌹🐎 In 2023 we'll be holding our inaugural Kentucky Derby Party! Stay tuned for more details but put May 6, 2023 on your calendar!

For the 2023 Derby event tickets are NOW on sale! Buy your ticket here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/595423075447

We have also fundraised and funded some very special large projects over the last decade alone!

2. High School Scholarships

We give about $6000 annually to students who are graduating from Aptos & Soquel High Schools. To receive these scholarships students apply & write an essay, then once they are chosen they must come visit one of our club meetings to meet us & tell us about themselves & their plans! They also must provide proof of enrollment & grades to Treasurer Julie for a check to be cut, which goes directly to their institution of higher education.

We also have a special scholarship called the John Fisher Scholarship---in honor of Past District Governor, RotaCare Bay Area Founder and our dear Rotarian Emeritus, John Fisher (1922-2020).

John is in the center, seated, in the blue blazer. Here he is pictured with fellow Rotarians at his 95th birthday celebration in 2017.

A little about our dear John:

John was active in Rotary for over 60 years, achieving perfect attendance for decades! John served as Club President in Cupertino (1966-67) and again for the Capitola/Aptos Club (1981-82). In 1988-89 he was named as District Governor of 5170. John was a founding member of the RotaCare Free Clinics, providing no-cost medical treatment to the uninsured and working poor in the Bay Area, including Santa Cruz. RotaCare was a vision John brought to reality. John served as an active member of the RotaCare Bay Area Board of Directors from its inception. In 2019 he was honored with the RotaCare Lifetime Volunteer Award for his 30 years of service.
In 2000, John was a recipient of the KSBW distinguished Jefferson Award presented to those who have exhibited outstanding service to their community as a volunteer. He traveled to Washington, D.C. to receive this award in the chambers of the U.S. Supreme Court.

We established the John Fisher Scholarship after John's passing and locally graduating high school students from Aptos & Soquel High Schools who are going to be attending Cabrillo College.

3. Piatt (pronounced Pie-IT) Endowment at UCSC

Capitola-Aptos Rotarian Henry Piatt and his wife Vera were children of Mid-America. Vera was born in Iowa in 1907 and Henry, in Missouri. In the late 1920's Henry was traveling the world with the U.S. Navy when he was stricken with Tuberculosis and
hospitalized for treatment in a CO military facility. Vera was a nurse in that hospital. They fell in love, Vera resigned her commission and after Henry's recovery began their lifelong marriage, which brought them to Sacramento.
Henry's business relationships led him to his first Rotary Club where he thrived in the "Service Above Self" philosophy. After relocating to Aptos, he became a member of The Rotary Club of Soquel in 1965, and remained a member until his death in 1984. His personable soft-spoken manner combined with vision & common sense made him a popular Rotarian and accounted for his long service as Club Secretary where he guided many Club Presidents during the 70's & 80's. Henry's vision of a Club Foundation to extend its capabilities to serve the community came to fruition, and in 1986 Vera established the Piatt Trust, which culminated in the Graduate Fellowship as it exists today. Vera passed on in 2007.

When asked why a graduate fellowship? Henry replied "I want to fund our community's best and brightest!"

Henry and Vera Piatt Fellowship is for Graduate Studies in the STEM Disciplines. The Piatt Fellowship provides a single award annually of $15,000 to a graduate of a Santa Cruz County Public High School who is pursuing a graduate degree at UC Santa Cruz in one of the science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM) disciplines during the academic year following their application. 🧬🔬🧫🧪🔭

The Henry and Vera Piatt Fellows are:

Kevin Weatherwax, Ringland Lab (2022-2023)

Megan Durham, Brooks Lab (2021-2022)

John Wenger, Johnstone Lab (2020-2021)

Veronica Urabe (2019-2020)

Alexey Munishkin (2018-2019)

Chad Townsend (2017-2018)

Keelan Guiley, Rubin Lab (2016-2017)

Christopher Deming, Chen Lab (2015-2016)

Kenji Kurita, Linington Lab (2014-2015)

Susanna "Susy" Honig (2013-2014)

4. Adopt-A-Beach and Quarterly Beach Cleanups: Rio Del Mar State Beach 🚮🚭🪣🚯♻️

We partnered with Save Our Shores (SOS) and have adopted Rio Del Mar State Beach in Aptos! Prior to the storm of January 2023 we even had a sign!

Adopting a beach means we do quarterly beach clean ups at our designated location.

What is a Rotary Meeting?

Want to know what to expect?!

Speech Contest 2023 launched today!

Posted by Lowry Fenton

[[For Immediate Release: Dec. 1, 2022]]

Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's Youth Speech Contest to be held March 9th, 2023

LOCATION: Parish Hall of The Episcopal Church of St. John's

(125 Canterbury Dr. Aptos, CA 95003)

Happy Hour starts at 4:45pm

Dinner Served at 5pm

Speeches start at 5:15pm, Program concludes at 7pm.

RSVP for a dinner ticket to the event is required (this is so we have enough food!)

RSVP to kcleary.rotary(at)gmail.com by Sunday Evening, March 5, 2023.

Busy Bee's Catering will be doing our meal. The menu is Chicken Cacciatore, Polenta, Vegetable and those Rolls we all love! Meal ticket is $35/pp. See PayPal link below to pay in advance.

Richard D. King Speech Competition Theme:

Imagine Rotary - the future of a global network of 1.4 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Imagine Rotary Info:

Video

Rotary International President Jennifer Jones wants members to imagine the possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world.

https://www.rotary.org/en/jennifer-jones-imagines-rotary-fulfilling-big-dreams

Form to Apply:

Speech Contest 2023 Application Form

Last day to submit participant applications is February 17th, 2023

Rotary Capitola Aptos Club, gives $25 award to all students making a speech after they enter.

Rotary Car Seat (& Booster Seat) Drive! Dec 10th & 11th

Posted by Kendra Cleary

Do you have a car seat sitting in your shed or garage that is unused (and perhaps expired too) and you find it collecting dust year after year?!

Well Rotary has the solution! The Rotary District 5170 Area 7 Clubs (which are the clubs of Santa Cruz County) are doing a car seat drive this weekend (12/10 & 12/11)!

We are partnering with Baja Bridges to get the car seats down to---and distributed among---areas of Baja (Mulegé and Santa Rosalia during this drive) where the mortality rate of children in automobile accidents is high.

Local fire houses in Baja are rolling out safety programs educating about the importance of car seats and booster seats (similar education programs to those done in the US in the 1970's and 1980's). Now that there is interest, the next problem being experienced is there aren't car seats available for the fire personnel to give out. Fire personnel are asking for more car seats to be brought down for them to distribute among their communities. That's where we come in!

Attached is information with four of our drop off locations.

We cannot wait to see you and accept your cleaned/all parts included and working car seats next weekend, December 10th & 11th!

The Hub October 20th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our October 20th lunch at Seascape had 27 attendees in person.

Pledge Follies. Seascape’s American flag also attended, so we did not have to salute a virtual flag. Co-President Laura Grinder virtually missed seeing the real flag but recovered and did a great job leading the meeting.

Attendance, Visiting Rotarians, and Guests. Al De Camara led us in the Welcome song on keyboard. Jimmy Kutch made it in person and is looking great! Likewise, nice to see Pam Goodman and Trish Glassey in person. Visiting Rotarians Anders Per and Constantin Gehriger again provided their European sophistication. Nelson Crandall claimed that his guest Barbara Meyer has been a friend of Nelson’s wife for 60 years; not so sure Nelson, they both look way too young for that. Michele Bassi brought her guest banking buddy Alicia Kretsch from Santa Cruz Community Credit Union. Your author remembers the days when bankers all looked like Milburn Drysdale (Beverly Hillbillies) pictured below.

The Hub October 13th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our October 13 lunch was attended by 28 in person attendees plus Mardi Padilla and Jimmy Kutch on Zoom.
CPOM Laura Grinder ran the meeting with pizzaz and efficiency.

Our Speaker for 10/13/22 was local social media and "Aptosia" Celebrity, Native Animal Rescue's own Amy RedFeather!!! (the "other" CPOM [Kendra] has been REALLY looking forward to this meeting!!)

But first, the other bidzzzness:

Strings and Keys:

Sam and Al de Camara rocked the Welcome Song and the 4 Way Test song; good to have the band back together.
Al brought his smaller keyboard, but size doesn't matter as much as performance and Al's piano sounded way better than the Seascape upright, which is still in absentia (with the flag). It is also free.

Guest and Visitors:

Laura brought her long time friend Mary Bevernick as a first time guest.

Perennial visiting Rotarian Anders Pers is in town for a while to escape the Swedish winters. And it is nice to have Bill Gray back from his yacht club-living in Washington.

Honorary member Yvette Brooks also made it in person, adding to the ambiance.

Sue Lawson’s friend and our RYE alumni Celine Jolly honored us again with her presence, all the way from France; she still likes us enough to spend time here!

Also nice to see Eric Costello in person, setting the fashion trend with his suit and tie.

The Hub October 6th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Dear Members (and other interested readers):
Our October 6 meeting was at Seascape (that isn't going to be news for awhile).

We had 27 attendees in person and Jimmy K on zoom

CO-Prez Laura hosted

Sue Lawson's former French exchange student Celine returned after 8 years. Celine was a sophomore at AHS in 2014 and is now a landscape engineer, traveling the world before starting work. C'est un femme charmante. Unclear why she is not a Rotarian with all of our positive influence.

Rotarian Sue Lawson with her Rotary Youth Exchange daughter Celine! Celine was our exchange student 8-9 years ago. She is from Angé, France. It’s been so wonderful to have Celine joining us again!

Mel Defe, executive director of Siena House was our Speaker on 10/6/22

The Hub September 29th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our September 29 lunch at Seascape was attended by 23 folks in person and Jimmy Kutch and Sue Lawson on zoom.
Anders was in attendance- great to see him, Konstantin was also with us again
Lori Teller brought Dave, Sam brought his lovely wife, Dagmar's mom graced us with her presence.

Co-President Kendra led the proceedings and festivities.

Sam led us in the Welcome Song with a rousing guitar variation and the 4 way Test song, augmented by Kelly's chorus from Running Bear.

Sam also told a short joke that was both misogynistic and accurate.

Kendra reported that the Chamber Showcase was a great success- we had a booth at the 10th hole and great participation. Kudos to Doug Deaver for all the work he put into it.

The Hub September 15th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman on Sep 15, 2022

Our September 15 lunch meeting was at Seascape, which is noteworthy because owing to a recent conflagration alternate venues are in short supply.
We had 22 members in person, Jimmy and Sue on zoom.

Kendra presided and has glided into the role with far more class and ease than her predecessor (says the IPP, not referring to previous CPOM!).

Dr. Art, consensus nominee for Man of the Year (write-in for Man of the Decade) gave the thought for the day: to do well in old age we have to start early. Not sure what that means but your author started drinking at 16 and hopes that counts.

It was also Dr Art's anniversary, so much to celebrate.

The Hub August 18th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman, edited by Nelson Crandall

Our August 18 meeting at Seascape had 22 in person and 2 zoom attendees.

Great Big Welcome Back to Jimmy Kutch!!! Congrats on being well enough to join us- always a better event with Jimmy K there. Also nice to see Marie at lunch again – we are hoping she can convince her daughter to join.

Kendra Cleary and Jimmy Kutch; Marie Mosely.

Sam led us in the Welcome Song and 4 Way Test song and we got a taste of Kelly's oompa oompa beat.

Dr. Art provided a thought for the day that paraphrased Steven Hawking, who said, “Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet.” Dr. Art’s version left his audience deep in thought.

It was CPOM Laura's birthday and Sam led us in the Birthday song- happy 54th Madam Co-President. Happy Birthday Laura!!!

The Hub August 11th, 2022

Posted by Nelson Crandall

Written By Club Secretary, Nelson Crandall,

Pre-Meeting. Setting up Zoom for the Club meeting at Seascape is like a box of chocolates. I never know what I’m going to find. Will there be a piano? Will there be an American flag? Will the flagpole be larger than the flag itself? Will there be an extension cord? Will there be something to prevent the cord from becoming a tripping hazard? Will there be a table for the projector? The treat this week was two upside tables instead of a flag. The creativity is amazing.

Call to Order. CPOM Laura Grinder presided over the August 9 Club meeting. (CPOM stands for “Co-President of the Month.”) Laura started what I hope is a new tradition – acknowledging three members who joined us on Zoom.

Thought of the Day. Dr. Art Dover paraphrased Dr. Martin Luther King, who said, “it is cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself by his own bootstraps.”

Thank You Note. Nelson Crandall shared a lovely thank you note from our scholarship recipient, Celeste Ferreira.

Keith's Celebration of Life. Al De Camara announced that Keith Medeiros's celebration of life will be held at Keith's home on Saturday, August 27.

Jacob's Heart School Supply Drive. Julie Lambert announced that last week Club members generously pledged $ 1,000 to be matched by the Capitola-Aptos Rotary Foundation for Jacob's Heart. Julie asked that anyone who had not yet made good on their pledge to pay Julie in cash or by check or to pay Michele Bassi by Venmo.

The Hub August 4th, 2022 || Field Trip to Second Harvest Food Bank

Posted by Nelson Crandall

Field Trip to Second Harvest Food Bank

On August 4th, 19 Club members met at the Second Harvest Food Bank in Watsonville. About 8 of us carpooled. In attendance were Co-Presidents Laura Grinder and Kendra Cleary, Co-Presidents Elect Pam Goodman and Lowry Fenton, Michele Bassi, Craig Bagley, Nelson Crandall, Eric Costello, Al De Camara, Win Fernald, Trish Glassy, Dagmar Leguillon, Mardi Padilla, Julie Lambert, Sam Nigh, Anissa Novak, Becky Peters, Kate Southerland, and Matt Wetstein.

We gathered in the front patio, enjoying the pleasant weather and beautiful tile wall. Julie pointed out her family’s tile, but it’s not in the picture

Sandra, Pam, Win, Laura, Craig, Mardi, and Eric.

A sign in sheet was circulating as we arrived. We learned later that as part of its food security protocols, everyone who enters the warehouse must sign in and sign out.

The first announcement was that everyone who had parked on the concrete next door was illegally parked. Five of us immediately scampered off to move our cars.

Chief Development Officer Suzanne Willis, seen below left thinking “Is he really a Rotarian?”, gave us a tour with a nifty headset and belt-worn speaker to ensure everyone could hear. Brand new CEO Erica Padilla-Chavez tagged along to make us feel important.

First stop was the warehouse, piled high with canned goods on palate racks. They didn’t have palate racks in 1989, leaving them a lot to pick up when the shaking stopped.

Left to right, Suzanne, Julie, Laura, Sandra, Lowry, Trish, Win, Michele, Anissa, Craig.

Left to right, Craig, Kate, Trish, Al, Dagmar, Erica, Sam, Sandra, Matt, Suzanne.

The biggest question on everyone’s mind was, “What is lezinine?” but no one had the nerve to ask out loud. Instead, we learned that Second Harvest acts as a distribution hub rather than as a distribution point. Second Harvest provides food to dozens of organizations that distribute food directly to consumers.

From there we moved to a narrow hallway with a 50-year timeline. Who knew that Second Harvest, the nation’s second food bank, was inspired by the Santa Cruz branch of the Black Panthers who were participating the Black Panthers’ nationwide Free Breakfast for School Children Program?

From that narrow hall we moved to the shipping and receiving room and its labor-saving loading docks. Before the loading docks were built, it took half an hour or longer to unload a truck. Now, it takes five minutes.

This painting adorns the wall of the shipping and receiving room, along with a warning from the voice of experience:

From there we passed a capacious freezer with a padded roll-up door that opens and closes in the flash an eye; too fast for the camera to capture. With the door open, everyone with exposed skin below the knees could feel the cold air flowing out of the freezer. Next to it was an equally impressive cooler.

One of our resident vegans, Dagmar, ironically asked if Second Harvest handled meat. Dagmar, why would you want to know? Yes, Second Harvest handles meat. But not normally turkeys. Who has room for multiple frozen turkeys? (Al said that Sam did, but Sam denied it.) Frozen chickens are about as large as people can handle. Most of the meat is canned and comes through the Department of Agriculture.

Next stop was another cooler stocked with strawberries and watermelons, among other things. In answer to questions, we learned that before the pandemic, Second Harvest served around 50,000 persons, roughly 20% of the county’s population. At the height of the pandemic, that figure soared to 100,000 and presently is about 85,000.

We also learned that much of Second Harvest’s offerings includes local fresh fruits and vegetables. Sometimes it is produce that isn’t pretty enough for the retail trade; sometimes it is produce that is too ripe to survive a round trip to a Central Valley distribution center before returns to local shelves.

Food that is not good enough for humans is distributed as animal feed, unless there are too many berries. Animals can stand only so many berries. Food not good enough for animals goes to the composing facility in Seaside.

All the food Second Harvest distributes is given away for free. Well, almost. Sometimes a non-profit needs a food that Second Harvest does not have in stock, such as peanut butter. In that case, Second Harvest will use its buying power to purchase the item at a deeply discounted price with the non-profit contributing a small portion of the purchase price.

After the tour we lunched on deli sandwiches and water in the employee picnic area. The meeting ended promptly on time, with everyone both spiritually and physically sated.

Reminder! Upcoming Field Trip on Thursday August 4th to Second Harvest

Posted by Mardi Padilla

Field Trip!!!

Please join us for a field trip to Second Harvest today Thursday August 4th, 2022.

If you would like to carpool can meet at Seascape Golf at 11:35am or meet at Second Harvest at noon.

August 2022 RSVP Form Link

Posted by Kendra Cleary

Here is the link for August 2022 Meeting's RSVP Form!

Please indicate your plans for that Thursday's meeting by the Sunday Evening prior as we have to get a count into Seascape!!

https://forms.gle/3DY3qQnzhc5yQJYa7

The Hub July 21, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Attendance. Our July 21 lunch meeting at Seascape was attended by 20 members and 2 guests in person, 4 members on Zoom, and our guest speaker.

Guests. Our guests were attorney Shelli Strohle, whom we hope to see as a member soon; and Marie Moseley's daughter Michelle, who has recently returned here from Texas. Michelle was president of Interact at Aptos HS.

Happy New Year! The peaceful transition of power is complete: Co-President Kendra hosted and, of course, ran the meeting seamlessly...pretty much..., especially impressive because she had just headed her first Board meeting and timed it perfectly. Co-Prez Laura was sick and attended on Zoom.

Professor Carrie Partch on Circadian Rhythms. Our guest speaker was Carrie Partch PhD, a biochemist at UCSC, who spoke and presented a power point on Circadian rhythms. (Not to be confused with cicadas, the 17 year locusts....Rich.)

The Hub June 30th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our June 30 lunch was at Seascape. We had 22 attendees in person, none on zoom but it is recorded.

Ralph Miljanich visited us from Santa Cruz Rotary

Justin Deng was Bill Witmer’s guest. Justin’s daughter is an Aptos HS recipient of our scholarship this year. He is recently retired…whatever that word means.

Rick Klevins attended his first meeting after the board approved his application.

Al led us in the Welcome Song on his keyboard.

The Hub June 23rd, 2022 || Field Trip to Cliff Crest B&B

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our June 23 meeting had a special venue- the garden court of Constantine’s bed and breakfast, Cliff Crest just a few blocks from the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. The weather was perfect as was the ambience on the grass under the trees.

Special thanks to Constantine and his charming wife Adrianna for their accommodation, Kendra and Anissa for their extra efforts in setting it up and coordinating lunch=deli sandwiches that were perfect for the picnic lunch.

Al brought his keyboard and provided some relaxing mood music then led us in the Welcome Song.

Al reported that Bill Westin is in room C 107 at Dominican Oaks

He welcomes visitors but it’s best to be there at 10am or 2pm.

Keith is at home. He also accepts visitors but tires easily, so visits should be short and coordinated in advance.

Constantine told the joke of the day- quite funny but not fit for print

Ken was the detective and tested the lunchers’ ability to discern real Rotary fundraisers from fictitious ones. Hilarity ensued.

Constantine was our guest speaker and gave a presentation on the history of the house from its original construction and ownership to his purchase of it and his transition from chemical engineer to eminent hotelier.

Constantine and Adrianna led the guests on tours of the mansion that they have decorated beautifully. It certainly is a charming property in a great locale with extraordinary owners.

President Ken’s debunking was at the Santa Cruz Yacht Club building on June 27. Hilarity ensued in no small part to the endless supply of material. The humiliators were of course very funny but appeared to have pulled their punches. There has been no confirmation of the rumor that legal action was dangled as a threat.

This Thursday’s meeting will be at Seascape at noon. The board meeting will precede it starting at 1045am.

Reminder that the 4^th of July celebration is on Monday….July 4^th….at Aptos Village Park. All who have not signed up to help- shame on you but seek salvation by attending the fair and spending lots of money at the Capitola Aptos Rotary beer and hard cider booth.

6/23/22 Rotary Meeting Field Trip Details

Hybrid Meeting Announcement for 6/23 Rotary:

Due to the scheduled field trip and logistics, we will NOT be doing a hybrid Zoom meeting on Thursday, June 23rd.

Please join us at Cliff Crest Bed & Breakfast,
407 Cliff St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060
There is plenty of onsite parking behind the main house, and we will convene at Konstantin’s B&B at noon! See you all there.

NOTE Re: Lunch that day: If you have not gotten a Sandwich order to Kendra [[ kcleary(dot)rotary(at)gmail.com ]] by the morning of Weds 6/22, please bring a bag lunch for yourself to the meeting!

The Hub June 2nd, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our June 2 meeting was at Seascape. We had 23 attendees in person and 2 on Zoom

Michele announced the signups for our beer and hard seltzer booth at the July 4^th festival in Aptos Village Park and passed around a signup sheet. We need Many more volunteers for the shifts which run 4 hours.

President Ken’s debunking is set for June 27 starting 5 pm at the Santa Cruz Yacht club

The committee to nominate the 2023-2024 President(s) elect is meeting and talking to nominees.

Dr Art announced that Loaves and fishes has asked for help in its food drives the week before thanksgiving and week before Christmas. He is going to the Rotary international convention on Houston in July

Sam soloed leading the Welcome song and 4 way test song

Sue Detective. She asked members to park about:
Where they grew up and what brought them to California

Joni : came here to get away from Winters in Iowa though she is still fond of the Hawkeye star

Anissa came here from Endicott NY and got a job at KDON

Bee came here from South Carolina for college, did nursing school back in South Carolina then returned here asap

Kelly is from Seattle. His family moved to Colorado and decided to move here while spending Winter in San Diego

Laura grew up near Detroit where her family of 9 kids lived in a log cabin and owned an orchard. Visiting an uncle in LA motivated the move to CA.

Win is from Maine and still loves the state except in Winter

Trish was born in Honolulu when her dad was in the service. She was Raised in the SoCal mountains, came North for UCSC and stayed

Dave born and raised in Nevada. He came To California for college and officer school. Nice to see him back- he is doing well

Dr Art was raised in Chicago and came here because it was too cold to ride his motorcycle

Our guest speaker was Alexis Carr

The subject of her presentation was sustainable wine

The Hub April 28th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our April 28 meeting was in the Tap Room at Michael's on Main. We had about 25 Rotarians plus our guest speaker on site and 2 zoom attendees.
For the non-attendees- the Tap Room is very well lit and airy, high ceiling with a piano that is not subject to random confiscation by the management and a bar.
The walk from the buffet in another room is about the same as at Seascape.
Our guests were Constantine and Anders . Supervisor Manu Koenig guested from Seascape, unclear as to why he didn't get the memo and attended the meeting physically in his supervisorial district from a venue in Zach Friend's district.

Julie and Lowry reminded all that the Pickle Ball tournament/fundraiser at Willowbrook Park is on May 22. The suggested donation is $45 whether participating or not. We are also offering sponsorships for $250. We are working on the logistics for food and beverages. Reminder- no alcohol allowed.

The Hub April 21, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our April 20, 2022 meeting was a bit lightly attended- 18 people in person, 3 on Zoom.

Sam soloed on guitar and led us through the Welcome Song and 4-Way test song.

He repeated his double duty by also being the Joker- reading a few more unfortunately worded but real Church announcements – examples- “At the evening service tonight the sermon topic will be, “What is Hell?” come early and listen to our choir practice.” “Irving B and Jessie C were married on October 24 in the Church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.” “The 8^th graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 pm. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.” Reminds your author, who got his degree in journalism, of some fabulously amiss headlines: “China may be using sea to hide submarines”; “Bodies Found at Morgue”; “Feds Raid Gun Shop, Discover Weapons”; “Tiger Woods plays with own balls, Nike says. “

Constantine was our only non-speaker guest- noted that he has a better attendance records than most of our members.

Keith invited folks to show up a bit early to the Cinco de Mayo party at his house this Sunday May 1st to help set up. As an incentive- he promised that the bar will be open by then.

Bill Witmer announced that we reached 100% member contribution to the Rotary Foundation- we are one of the few clubs to do that. Thanks to all the members and to Bill for his powers of subtle persuasion and thinly veiled threats.

Graham announced that several new members have not been formally inducted via their presentation to the club and receipt of their red badges. If you are one of those folks please contact Ken or Graham.

Kendra reminded everyone that this Thursday’s meeting (April 26) AND next Thursday’s meeting (May 5) will both be at Michael’s On Main in Soquel, regular start times. If you don’t know where that is- WTH have you been? In-person attendance is strongly urged since we will evaluating moving our meetings to Michael’s.

Detective Win asked questions and provided informative information about Easter, including the origins of the Easter Bunny and colored eggs, and some disturbing statistics on the number of jelly beans and peeps Americans eat at Easter.

Dean Peter Biehl, Co-PE Kendra Cleary, Almut Wolf with UCSC Foundation Relations, Piatt Fellow Megan Durham, and President Ken Gorman

Our guest speaker was Megan Durham, our 2021-2022 Piatt Scholarship recipient. She is a 28 year old UCSC student who was born and raised here. She spoke and presented a slide show on her research which involves detecting cancer-causing mutations. She does DNA sequencing to locate cell mutations at splice sites where the exons are skipped, called incorrect RNA splice sites. Cells that skip the exons in the DNA/RNA sequencing are suspect for cancer-causing. She grows cells and observes their viability- cancer-causing cells survive much longer than normal cells. Her research has confirmed her theory and located specific mutations that in turn can be treated with currently-available medications.

Her research is specific to lung cancer cells. There are 2.1 million lung cancer cases reported worldwide each year, 1.8 million are eventually fatal.

The Hub April 14th, 2022

Our April 14 meeting was attended by 22 people in person and 3 on zoom

Announcements: the Club's Cinco de May on Uno de Mayo is at Keith's house- parking is tight, bring a dish to share. Guests are welcome and encouraged. If you haven’t signed up please do so asap so Keith can plan accordingly.

The club Pickle ball fundraising tournament will be at Willowbrook Park on May 22 from 9-5. The donation is $45. We get the courts and adjacent parts of the park so it will be a great day even for the non-players and of course a nice revenue raiser for our charities. Leashed pets are allowed.

We will be selling beer and probably hard seltzer and wine at the 4th of July party in Aptos Park. We will need volunteers to help set up, serve/pour and break down.

Lowry reported that he visited the Kingston NY Rotary and exchanged banners with them. He had one of theirs but no other proof of his story, which is suspect given the photo attached.
For Revolutionary War buffs- the British burned Kingston in retaliation/anger over the battle of Saratoga.

Michele announced that there will be a fundraising opportunity for the roast of Willy Elliot-McCrea, the retiring CEO of Second Harvest, probably in the Fall.

After a brief pause to get in tune, Sam and Al led rousing versions of the Welcome Song and the 4 Way Test.

Sam's Jokes of the Day were readings of several actual announcements sent out by Church service groups with unintentionally funny word juxtaposition that made the messages mean something quite different than the authors intended. Lack of editing.....

Graham did a great job as Detective with educational and entertaining questions with differing degrees of relationship to Easter, including references to Peter Rabbit and Beatrix Potter, the Killer Rabbit in Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Alice and Wonderland's White Rabbit.

President Ken presented Al DeCamara and Bill Gray with their Paul Harris certificates and pins.

Rod Dirdiron was our guest speaker, via Zoom.

The Hub April 7th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our April 7 meeting at Seascape had 28 attendees in person and 3 on zoom.

Constantine was a non-surprise guest and during the pre-meeting social got chatted up into having an event at his Bed and Breakfast which is near the Boardwalk- looks like that will be in June.

Al keyboarded us in the Welcome Song I n his inimitable style, but- we miss Sam’s accompanying guitar.

Dr. Art’s thought for the day hit home- “You know your age when you sit on the floor and can’t get up”

Announcements: Keith reminded everyone that his Cinco de Mayo party is on Uno de Mayo at his house. Every event at Keith’s house is a great time. He passed around the signup sheet. Guests are welcome and encouraged. Parking is tight so car-pooling is encouraged.

Dagmar reported on the beach cleanup- a comparatively small turnout was attributed to the 9am start time (usually 10 am) so the next one will start at 10 am. The small but mighty crew picked up 17 lbs. of trash including over 150 cigarette butts and a bunch of recyclables. The event saw the debut of Rotary capes which appear to confer superhero powers on the wearers. Michele and Kunha looked like Supergirl and Wonder Woman.

Win announced the non-denominational concert at his church which is raising money for Ukraine.

Dr. Art was honored with a Paul Harris Award certificate recognizing his incredibly generous donations.

He then was the detective and asked members to name a Black author and/or a book written by a Black author. The club members did pretty well- Oprah, the Obamas, Dr. King, James Baldwin, and a few members knew authors and books that Dr. Art didn’t know about.

Don’t even want to mention Rich’s answer… accurate but…..

Our guest was Jack Brown who spoke on behalf of Yes on Greenway. Jack had a slide show and an oral presentation and took questions from the members, and there was some discussion among the members. Hoyles Rules were not strictly followed.

The Hub March 31st, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our meeting on March 31 had 30 in-person attendees and a few more on zoom.
Constantin was there and we also welcomed back Anders from Sweden

Al and Sam rocked the Welcome song and 4 way test- Al brought a keyboard which sounded great. Unnamed sources report that someone in our club asked someone at Seascape that the piano not be brought in? if anyone knows about this please contact Pres. Ken.

The lyrics to the 4 way test are being shown on the screen and the chorus remains a bit uncertain. The consensus is that we will sing the letters I-N-T-L.

Dr Art gave another timely thought for the day: people who complain about the high cost of gasoline should look at the Seascape parking lot (overflowing-there was a convention.)

Julie was the detective and the topic was the Oscars. Slapping instead of fines was determined to violate the 4 way test.
The questions avoided the mundane and predicatables like Best Actor, Best Picture, Most Supplicant to Hollywood.
A few more memorables- Walt Disney won the most Oscars; John Williams has been nominated for 52 and won 5; Cinderella won the award for best picture before the "Best Animated" category was created; and the award for Best Juvenile Performance did not depend on gender.
One trend to Julie's questions- the answers to true/false's were almost all false- something to bear in mind for her next stint.

Dagmar gave the final push for the Beach Cleanup at Rio Del Mar which again was well-attended. The volunteers wore Rotary capes and apparently got to choose their own super-power while serving the common good.

Our guest speaker was Aisha Chavres who spoke about Ramadan. Her presentation and slide show were very informative and educational. Aisha is very involved in local charities and services and, like her friend Anissa, is engaging and fun. She confessed a big affinity for caffeine, which is related to one of Annisa's liquid affinities....

The Hub March 24th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

We had our second in-awhile in-person meeting at Seascape on March 24.

Kudos to President elect Kendra for filling in for President in-trial prep purgatory Ken.

We had 2 visiting Rotarians:

Debbie Kline from Sunnyvale Rotary promoted their golf tournament fundraiser which benefits a bunch of worthy programs. (see attached for details). There was a certain irony because some of our golf-addict members have been getting their 18 hole fix instead of attending our meetings. Debbie said that they are looking to get sponsors for holes to honor Rotarians who have passed away. (No, they are not burying people on the golf course).

Cynthia from Los Altos Club was promoting the Big Brothers Big Sisters Santa Cruz County Bowl A Thon April 23-24 (see attached). Stan Abrams is an admitted bowler- anyone else?

We had 2 guests.

Jeff Ursino, a former member of our club who moved to a Monterey club brought Raul Palicio. He is the new Manager for Mechanics Bank in Capitola.

Our adopted son Constantine was with us and shared that we are his favorite club to visit… bet he says that to all the clubs.

Sam’s thought for the day…..knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit…wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. Genius!!

Membership Monday is coming back…no details yet….but keep on the lookout for an email. Suggestions for itinerary and location must involve humor and alcohol.

It was Mardi’s birthday….we did a terrible job of singing to her.

Uno De Mayo at Keiths!!!!! May 1^st at 4:00….please bring a dish to share. Please RSVP to Keith on his home phone….yes, people still have those…

831-662-0520. If he doesn’t answer….please let a message with name and number of people joining.

PLEASE CAR POOL!!!!

Beach Cleanup at Rio del Mar this Saturday morning April 2. !!! Dagmar has sent an email- please register and attend-great fun and a great purpose.

Nelson was detective…lots of history related facts that we all failed at….

Our Speaker was Matt Ferrel from No Way Greenway.

The Hub February 24th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our February 24 meeting was by zoom and was well attended for zoom-only.

Thursday’s lunch is our Speech contest - also only zoom. March 10 will likely be zoom as well, though after that we will probably be able to return to in-person lunches at Seascape.

The Hub February 17th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Dear Members:

Our February 17 zoom meeting had about 20 attendees.

Dr. Art combined his thought for the day and joke, maybe he should publish his words of wisdom?

Dr. Art also contributed $50,000 in our club’s name to Willowbrook Park- incredibly generous! Thank you Dr. Art! We hope to have a photo shoot for it by the time you get this.

Matt was the designated detective but had to go out of town so he prepared a funny and educational set of questions in a Price is Right format that combined Olympics and Rotary. Very creative Matt! Trish read handled the proceeding and it was great fun.

Becky announced that the 18 warming bundles our members donated were distributed to the homeless in downtown Santa Cruz. Thanks to Becky for putting that together and to all the members who contributed.

The speech contest is March 3. Thanks to Lowry and Dough for all their work in setting it up.

Tomorrow’s lunch will be on line and it is likely that so will the March 3 speech contest. While we are hoping to resume in-person and hybrid meetings asap the health/safety situation still weighs against it. Though the face mask mandates have been lifted face masks are still recommended and, more significantly, the covid infection numbers are not significantly dropping yet. In the area president’s meeting the club presidents said 4 of their clubs were zoom only, 2 were hybrid.

There was much discussion in that meeting about trying to find alternate sites for lunches and the other clubs have had the same experiences we have- very few places can accommodate that many people in a private room; lack of parking and lunch and room fees that are the same or higher than the current arrangements.

The Hub February 10th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Attendance. Our February 10 meeting was well attended for Zoom – 21 Rotarians plus our speaker.

Warming Kits. Becky announced that she is assembling “warming kits” for unhoused people in Santa Cruz. She is doing this in cooperation with Downtown Streets, the nonprofit that was the subject of our October 21 presentation by Jocelyn Curran. Around 18 members have contributed to the effort. The kits were distributed on Wednesday.

Our Little Rituals. Dr. Art again combined his thought for the day and joke: "A pretty face is not a passport, it is a visa that runs out fast." Kate was the detective. She questioned the members’ knowledge of dates and events in February. Her repertoire was limited a bit by last week’s Valentine’s Day questions, but she did a great job of educating us and raising money through fines.

Guest Speaker Robin Nardello. Our speaker was Robin Nardello, Community Relations Manager for New Leaf Markets and New Seasons Markets.

The Hub January 27th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Dear Club Members:

Our January 27 zoom meeting was comparatively well attended. Thanks to Al for his efforts on/as the Sunshine committee. Nice to see Dr. Art and Keith on zoom. We could use a few more folks reaching out to some of our zoom-hindered members and offering assistance.

The Hub January 20th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our 3rd meeting of the year on January 20 was zoom attended by about 20 Rotarians.

Lowry announced that our speech contest will be March 3 at Seascape and will be hybrid. Doug worked out a deal with Seascape where attendees can order off the menu. The District contest will be March 8.

Tonga and Capitola Aptos Rotary Club

Posted by David Campbell on Jan 19, 2022

A little history of Tonga and Capitola Aptos Rotary Club

By David Campbell

Last weekend Santa Cruz appeared on our TV news coverage of the tsunami that was triggered by a volcanic eruption in Tonga. The coverage included a story about the tsunami hitting the Santa Cruz marina. This prompted me to contact our webmaster Mardi Padilla with just a bit of Capitola-Aptos Rotary history that you might find interesting which connects our Capitola Aptos Rotary Club with Tonga.

The Hub January 13th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our second meeting of 2022 was also our club assembly. We met via zoom and had about 20 attendees. It was especially nice to see Claire and Rich McAdams (I still reflexively call him “Your Honor”).

Keeping with the theme of the assembly Detective Karen crafted a series of questions about Rotary and its history. One of the highlights was Rotary’s long reluctance to admit women and our club’s role in breaking that barrier

The District mailed Paul Harris awards to Bill Gray, Jimmy Kutch, Sam Knight and Pres. Ken. Since we don’t know when we will be able to present them in person let’s give a virtual thank you.

Because of the Club Assembly we did not have a guest speaker. Several members gave presentations.

The Hub January 7th, 2022

Posted by Ken Gorman

Lowry has been moving forward with the speech contest and advising the contestants that the Feb. 17 date may not be in person and may be postponed. Other clubs have gone to zoom competitions which remains an option. Lowry and Doug D are weighing various factors including what the contestants want to do.

The nominated detective was unable to attend by Zoom so Trish donated $50 in fines which Al matched. Much thanks to them both.

Michele announced that we needed to take down our holiday display, apparently ours was the last one standing. We are taking the position that it was last one up because it was the best. A crew of volunteers met at the fairgrounds, blessed with fair weather, and removed the display. Kelly, Lowry, Al. Julie, Trish, Art, Kendra, Michele, Laura and her granddaughter took down the holiday lights- also blessed by Michele bringing burritos and champagne.

Kendra announced that we got a donation of great stuff so “Wait ‘Til Next year!” (Those of you who followed OLD baseball will recognize the motto of the old Brooklyn Dodgers fans.)

Our speaker was Laina Holzman, PhD.

The Hub December 16th, 2021

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our December 16 meeting- the last of 2021, had a great turnout and was much fun. We will not have meetings 12/23 or 12/30.

The Hub December 2nd, 2021

Posted by Ken Gorman

This week’s lunch at Seascape was highlighted by the return of: the piano, the 4 way test banner, the Rotary International Banner, Scott and Al. Sam and Al led us in a rocking rendition of Jingle Bells, the Welcome Song and the 4 Way Test Song….the latter still being tweaked a bit but all sounding great with full instrumentation.

Nelson handled the zoom solo- quite a task. Moving the screen to the darker side of the room was helpful for the video. A cordless mike would also be a boon but we are making progress. Former Prez Michele B looked great on zoom in her recovery mode.

Our Holiday Lights display is fabulous and we actually got published- hopefully this year the judges will agree that our display is the best. There was a brief issue because of some dead batteries over the weekend but Kendra and team pulled it together. Everyone should go see the display at the fairgrounds and encourage their friends, family and anyone else.

We will meet for lunch This Thursday and the following Thursday at Seascape but then skip two weeks and will not meet on 12/23 or 12/30. We are not having a Holiday Party because of covid but if folks want to consider an informal get together email Pres. Ken and we can see what we can pull together.

The Hub November 18th, 2021

Posted by Ken Gorman

We were back at Seascape with a nearly full house!

Without Sam or Al we forwent (?) the opening songs, though there is a groundswell for Kelly to a capella at least one of them. He may be the only member who knows the lyrics to the 4 Way Test song and he can stay in key without an instrument.

There was no joke of the day. President Ken suggests that folks come prepared with one in case Sam can’t make it and/or his Joke App isn’t working. Dagmar? We know you have a comic genre already.

Sue announced that the Santa Cruz Symphony Home Tour will be virtual this year, with catalogs available at the Jade Street. For more info see Home Tour

Kendra showed photos of our club's entry in the Holiday Lights, and reminded us that tickets need to be purchased in advance (holiday lights tickets.) She recommends the walking option (because it facilitates the drinking option?)

Please send in your donations to the district's wheelchair drive by December 15 - make checks payable to the Capitola Aptos Rotary Foundation.

The Hub November 4th, 2021

Posted by Nelson Crandall

Guest Speaker Dr. Robin McFarland

At our November 4th meeting, Cabrillo College faculty member Dr. Robin McFarland gave a fascinating presentation on the most peculiar of topics: naked mole rats.

Which of these words is most off-putting? Naked? Rat? Naked rat? Are there naked more rats in Santa Cruz? What could we expect from this odd subject matter?

The Hub October 28th, 2021 || DG Visit

Posted by Ken Gorman

Our return to in-person meetings was a huge success!

Over 35 members and several guest Rotarians. The piano is gone so Sam soloed on electric guitar leading us in the Welcome Song followed by The 4- Way Test song. The lyrics to the Welcome song have returned to “Read about it in the Hub” which everyone seems to remember. The 4 Way test lyrics remain elusive to some/many/most. As its most enthusiastic supporter Kelly is nominated as the member to contact for lyrical clarity. And given his strong and pitch-perfect performance thereof, he’s a good person to sit near to cover for inability to carry a tune.

Sam also told a very successful joke of the day and Dr. Art had a poignant thought to share.

Kendra and Nelson set up the Zoom attendance though we may have only had one person on zoom- Trish. Kendra bought a much improved sound system which worked well. The zoom link is on line and very easy to connect to.

The Hub October 21st, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Lowry Fenton

Courtesy of Lowry Fenton, cub reporter of this week!

The big news:

In person starts again next Thursday at Seascape. Kendra reported 30 people plan to attend – see below for how to RSVP20 participants

Dress yoga pants are not an oxymoron – see Michele or Kendra for details.

Ken reported avoiding accidents both to and from his trip to Danville. Unclear whether he bought a lottery ticket later that day to ride his good luck.

Some teasing and compliments about Lowry’s* golf game (*your first time cub reporter).

Announcements

Kendra announced that RSVP's for next Thursday 28 October in person meetings should go to her via email; for November we'll go back to the google form. Remember that you can edit the google form; input TBD for your unsure dates, and then update the form later as you know more about your schedule

Michele said that we will be setting up the Holiday lights booth November 13 – she will send an email soon with details. If you can help that day, please let team leader Anissa know; also donations or loans of outdoor holiday décor are welcome to make this year’s booth even bigger and brighter.

Just in time for Halloween – costume ideas

Pam was the detective - best costume was the topic:

- Pam: a shower - with hulu hoop, scrub brush and shower curtain. Pam got some attention at the bar that evening

- Michele adorned her sweats with cereal boxes with knives - 'serial killer'.

--- (Pam suggested replacing with blue dyed tampons – ‘Picasso’s Blue Period’;)

- Rich – His mom made a spiderman costume that fell apart, but he kept trick or treating

- Becky – and husband dressed like octogenarians, and got respectful service at the liquor store.

- Win - dressed his 8 month up like a lobster, and his son carried her in a lobster bucket

- Nelson - went to a law firm costume party with long hair wig, a pot and a lid. ‘Want grass – I can sell you a lid?’

- Kendra - martini, (see photo if Mardi can pull that from the deck)

- Laura - pumpkin patch

- Kelly wore Norwegian* lederhosen (*with a fjord logo?).

- Trish RBG with black gown that served as judge robes.

Jocelyn Curran spoke on the Downtown Streets Team (‘DST’)

The Hub October 14th, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Matthew Wetstein

Hub Cub Notes. Courtesy of Matthew Wetstein

Just before the start of the meeting, Kendra said there were rumors that the Club will have a Holiday Display at the Fairgrounds again this year – but the rumors are not true that Matt Wetstein will be there every night in a Santa suit yelling “Ho Ho Ho – go to Cabrillo!”

The Hub September 30th, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Mardi Padilla

This week zoom got us together after playing hide and seek with many of us before getting logged in, we had the participation of; Ken Gorman, David Andrews, Win Fernald, Kendra Cleary, Arthur Dover, Laura Grinder, Trish Glassey, Anissa Novak, Craig Bagley, Nelson Crandall, Kelly Nesheim, Dagmar Leguillon, Graham Stokes, Jeff Ursino, Rich Hamlin, Bill Witmer and Mardi Padilla.

Rich started us with his taxi service adventure for Pam and Karen that included missing his exit as well as enjoying the view around San Mateo

Congratulations to Ken and his family welcoming a new son in law! Lots of happiness to the newlyweds!

Jeff he has been very busy, we sure missed him but he is happy to be back with us! Welcome back Jeff!

Guest:

Ryder Spires, invited by Mardi Padilla. Ryder enjoyed the meeting and has fun memories when participated at the last beach clean up of our Club at Rio del Mar

The Hub September 23rd, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Matt Wetstein

We had few people attending the meeting this week, starting with Dave Andrews, Nelson Crandall, Anissa, Wen, Craig, Matt, Lowry, Sandra, Rich, Jim, Julie, Trish, Laura, Kelly and Sue, thanks for joining.

The Hub September 16th, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Ken Gorman

About 20 people attended our September 16th zoom lunch meeting.

Welcome New member Lowry Fenton!!!! Another Stanford alum! For those not paying attention, athletes from Lowry’s alma mater won 24 Olympic medals in Tokyo- 23 by women….a guy won a bronze in fencing.

Michele Bassi passed along a reminder all about this Friday’s 2d Harvest food distribution at the fairgrounds 830 am-1 pm: we hope to have a strong turnout.

The Hub September 14th, 2021

Posted by Matthew Wetstein

Hub Cub Notes

Just before the start of the meeting, Kendra said there were rumors that the Club will have a Holiday Display at the Fairgrounds again this year – but the rumors are not true that Matt Wetstein will be there every night in a Santa suit yelling “Ho Ho Ho – go to Cabrillo!”

Michelle Bassi says her new job at First Capital is good. She said she was anxious to get to work after meeting all the staff. She was clearly not attending the zoom meeting from the office, based on the screenshot that features wine glasses behind her. Next to the Garden Deli…a lunch joint that even served Al DeCamara in the ‘90s.

Speaking of Al, he reported that his son Matthew and a few others at SFSU will be at Chase Center for a concert as backup singers for Joel Walsh and the Eagles on October 20.

Dave Andrews showcased a beautiful sunrise photo from Yosemite

Laura reported on the board meeting and timing of the meeting. Speaker of the day – was told that we’d start at 12 noon. Visit until 12:15, Club business and announcements until 12:30, then have the guest speaker.

Art Dover led the Pledge.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Michelle – announced that Holiday Lights will be bigger and better and longer. $100 for a 10x10 booth. We’d like to do it, but we need decorative elves and new items for the display. Theme will be Santa, sleighs, and X-mas trees. Friday Nov. 12 to Monday Nov. 15 set up dates. Anissa – volunteered to be the head decorator.

Michelle – second announcement – Meals on Wheels is looking for a new location. In negotiations for the old Aldo’s on Branciforte. The building has a bunch of restaurant equipment. Big Hibachi Tables are an example. The equipment can be purchased and used by anyone if they’ll haul it away.

Anissa reported that the Walnut Avenue Family and Women’s Center online auction – closes Sunday at noon.

Art reported that Maintenance staff at County Parks needs someone to water new plantings at Hidden Beach. Folks suggested that Doug Deaver would be a good choice.

Kendra – results of survey for face to face meetings. Next week still be on zoom, but on October 28, we will be back at Seascape Golf Course. That day will be the District Governor’s visit.

Win – Grant awards will be after the first of the calendar year instead of November. Win will let applicants know. We will reconvene for consideration in January and make awards in March.

Bill Wittmer – announced that the Rotary Foundation campaign. The contribtions can be sent to Bill in care of the Rotary Foundation.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

from Art Dover – What is more surreal than a nose?

DETECTIVE DUTIES
Sue was the Detective for the day…the theme was history. It included facts and trivia around presidents,
and other prominent politicians and artists. Art – nailed Thelonious Monk as a pianist, Nelson knew
when bar codes got introduced in grocery stores.
Anissa introduced Tracy McKenna and Colin Clark, of Ecology Action. Colin gave a quick presentation to
the The organization was founded in 1970 as a student run recycling center in Santa Cruz. In 2002 they
started doing energy efficiency work for local governments. The firm is based in downtown Santa Cruz
sharing the old Sentinel building with Cruzio. Community Programs focuses on sustainable
transportation programs and electrification of the transportation sector. Ratio Institute focuses on
sustainable practices in the food retail sector. TAPER focuses on energy efficiency work to help cut
emissions in businesses, replacing lights, refrigeration, HVAC systems and pairing customers up with
energy efficiency rebates.
The session closed with Q&A with Colin. An interesting fact – if Eco Action takes you out to lunch, the
firm will not buy red meat.

Colin Clark of Ecology Action

The Hub September 9th, 2021 on Zoom

Posted by Ken Gorman

The September 9 virtual meeting was attended by 17 people via Zoom. President Elect Kendra presided as President Ken was allegedly doing something court-y. All indications are that it was a great improvement and a coup might be beneficial.

Mardi gets a gold star for attending from Peru. Al gets a star for leaving early. Julie would get a fine for leaving early but it might end up in President’s Ken’s bill.

The Hub September 2nd

Our September 2d meeting was all Zoom as we observe the protocols set out by the County and medical professionals. We had about 25 attendees. Guests included Soquel High scholarship recipient Jennifer Rocha, Joni Stokes and (technically) Lowry Fenton.

The welcome song was not attempted. As past efforts showed, Zoom only plays one voice at a time so when 25 people sing the result was a jumbled series of single voices each getting in a few words while the yellow box highlights jumped around the screen like the beginning of Hollywood Squares. Maybe we can have a solo act and everyone else lip syncs? I sound better that way….

There were no announcements because President Ken forgot to mention that Second Harvest is still looking for volunteers for food distribution at the fairgrounds from 830-1 this Friday, as well as Sept. 24. Sign up on line or contact Ken or Michele Bassi.

We received an invitation from the District to participate in raising funds for wheelchairs. The club has donated in the past, and Doug Deaver went to Mexico a few years ago to participate in the actual presentation of the wheelchairs to some of the recipients. All who spoke about it said it is a worthy cause. More information about it will be forthcoming.

Detective Dagmar educated us all with a timely set of questions about Labor Day. Not as entertaining as her wiener-themed queries but well-researched.

Our speaker was Michelle Frampton, who was introduced by Anissa. Michelle spoke and showed a video about BirchBark, a non-profit organization founded by veterinarian Merrianne Burtch in 2013. The goal of the organization is to promote the bond between humans and animals. There are 31 participating veterinary partners in Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Benito Counties.

BirchBark provides 3 services. First, it provides financial support for people/families faced with unaffordable vet services whose pets have treatable conditions. Those in need apply for financial assistance which generally takes 2-3 hours. If approved, Birch Bark pays 50%, the family pays 20%, and the other vets contribute 30%. This allows the pets to receive the services to heal them when otherwise the tragic alternative would be euthanasia.

Second, BirchBark provide grief counseling and support for people who have lost their pets.

Third, BirchBark offers education to people in holistic and proactive ways to be the best caregivers and advocates for their pets.

Michelle said that due to the pandemic and fires the need for BirchBark’s services has doubled.

BirchBark is entirely funded by donations.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the next meeting, which will also be via Zoom.

Rotary Grants 2021

The 2021-22 Community Grant Application is now open. The deadline to submit a grant application is September 30, 2021. The following link provides the cover letter, grant application, and scoring matrix that will be used to evaluate the application.

https://clubrunner.blob.core.windows.net/00000004237/en-ca/files/homepage/application-due-sep-30-2021/21-22grant-letter-and-application.pdf

To the Grants Committee,

The Grants Committee will meet this Thursday at 11:00 AM via ZOOM to launch the Grants Program for this year. We will use the club ZOOM link and pass code for that meeting. While we are ready to receive applications, the Board needs to close the 2020/2021 year and let us know how much money we have for grant awards. The next regular board meeting should be on September 9^th.

ZOOM Meeting Instructions:
In order to keep everyone safe during this pandemic we are having our Grants Committee meeting this Thursdays, starting at 11:00am.
Join The Zoom Meeting here!

https://zoom.us/j/92435906567?pwd=MGU4bDZaYU9hWkRqVTY0SjVWVXJnQT09

Meeting ID: 924 3590 6567
Passcode: 996521
One tap mobile
+16699009128,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (San Jose)
+13462487799,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (Houston

The Hub August 26th

The Hub

Meeting of August 26, 2021

By Nelson Crandall

Featured Presentation: Dr. Julie Macecevic, of Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center.

Dr. Julie Macecevic (Anissa’s boss!) was the featured speaker. A summary of her presentation appears below.

Dr. Macecevic on Zoom and a snip from the Walnut Ave. web page

Back to Zoom ☹

In light of rising infection rates and the pending indoor mask mandate, we returned to Zoom-only participation. Twenty club members participated, with Bill Witmer disguising his appearance with the pseudonym “iPhone.” Back to Zoom meant no club song. Darn it. Sam Nigh was looking forward to teaching us to sing the Four Way Test song!

Thought of the Day, courtesy of Art Deaver.

Your body is not a temple, it is an amusement park! Enjoy the ride.

Mardi the Detective.

Mardi Padilla asked for volunteers to tell the club the name and breed of their favorite dog in recognition of National Dog Day. Can you match the dog with the owner? Answers below.

Owner	Name and Breed of Dog
Anissa Novak	Abby, a golden lab
Becky Peters	Charlie
Julie Lambert	Coco, a schnauzer – peke mix
Laura Grinder	Heidi, a dachshund
Mardi Padilla	Max and Hans, dachshunds
Michele Bassi	May Blossom, a basset hound
Rich Hamlin	Solo, a collie
Win Fernald’s granddaughter Cora	Zach, a German shepherd

In recognition of National Toilet Paper Day, Mardi fined herself and confessed that she hoarded TP when shelter-in-place began, but only Laura Grinder joined her as a co-confessor. No one else could find any TP for sale! Mardi also fined Kelly Nesheim and Nelson Crandall in recognition of their 56^th and 37^th anniversaries on the 28^th and 25^th of August, respectively. And by popular demand, Rich Hamlin was fined $20 for practicing his golf stroke while Mardi was talking.

Featured Presentation

Our guest speaker, Dr. Julie Macecevic, gave an inspiring and eye-opening talk on how Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center offers education and advocacy services to break the cycle of poverty in the Santa Cruz area.

These statistics Dr. Macecevic cited stand out:

1. Domestic Violence is Widespread.

40% of child abuse victims report domestic violence in the home.
Domestic violence is a major precursor to child fatalities from abuse or neglect.
Santa Cruz law enforcement report 5,000 domestic violence-related calls annually.
Research on the rate at which domestic violence is NOT reported leads to the conclusion that on average, there are 23 instances of domestic violence in Santa Cruz County each day.

2. The Financial Cost of Preschool. In 33 states and the District of Columbia, the annual cost of infant daycare is greater than the cost of in-state tuition at a four-year college.

3. The Benefit of Preschool to the Child. Research shows that children who attend preschool are more likely:

to complete high school without suspension;
to never be suspended, addicted, or arrested; and
to be employed full-time or self-employed.

Walnut Avenue offers comprehensive preventative and therapeutic services to families at risk for, or surviving, domestic violence.

Walnut Avenue’s Early Education Center helps children ages 0-5 to be socially and emotionally ready to enter the K-12 school system while allowing their parents to focus on their career or get advanced skills training.

Thank you, Walnut Avenue, for helping to give these children privileges and opportunities most of us can take for granted!

Answers to quiz: A5 B8 C6 D2 E3 F7 G4 H1

Honoring Bob Curtis

By Nelson Crandall

Bob Curtis with his granddaughter, Monique.

Robert (Bob) Curtis recently terminated his membership in our club after almost 40 years due to failing health.

Bob joined our club at age 46 on April 27, 1983, with the classification of Appraiser Services. Bob’s wife of 50+ years, Klo Ann, remembers Thursdays as one of the best days of week for Bob. He would come home with news about the speakers and the other members, always getting a lot out of the meetings. When traveling, Bob kept up his attendance by visiting other clubs. He would talk about Rotary with anyone.

Club members think of Bob as a steady, quiet, warm presence. Dave Andrews, who worked with Bob professionally (Dave was a loan officer for a bank), had confidence in Bob’s appraisal skills and used his services on many occasions. Dave enjoys comparing reading lists with Bob, who is particularly interested in U.S. history. Bob always asks about Dave’s backpacking adventures.

Bob similarly asks about Craig Bagley’s work as an architect. At Rotary meetings they would often reminisce about their lives before moving to Silicon Valley and then upgrading to our paradise by the sea.

When active, Bob especially enjoyed Rotary’s service projects, including working the 4th of July beer booths, selling tickets at the Laguna Seca car races, helping on beach cleanup days, judging the Rotary speech contests, and setting up for fundraisers.

Bob considers Rotary to be a big part of what made him who he is. Bob maintained his Rotary membership for years after health issues prevented him from participating actively.

Bob, the entire club, including those of us who never got to know you, wish you well and thank you for your years of service. Our community and the world are better places because of it.

The Hub August 19th

Once again we had a hybrid meeting with approximately 25 people in person (masked unless eating) and about ten Zooming in.

Julie Lambert brought two visiting Rotarian (very active members of the Carmichael club) friends and fellow Oregon State Beavers—Vicky and Jay Boatwright. They are here camping at Sunset Beach and from all appearances they are none the worse for wear even though they have been ‘roughing it’.

Excellent news! Lowry Fenton has filled out an application to join our club. More to follow…

Bill Witmer is our Foundation chair. He will be spending the next few months asking club members for their Rotary International Foundation contribution. It is time to make your RI contribution so let’s make it easy for Bill. Make your checks out to Rotary Foundation and mail or give to Bill. John Fisher (RIP) always encouraged double sustainer amount of $200 but do what you can.

Julie Lambert was our detective and asked questions related to college in honor of the Boatwright’s attendance. A little known fact: only 41% of the student population actually graduate in 4 years! The average student debt after 4 years of college is a whooping $29,900.00

No welcome song but we did sing a delightful Happy Birthday to our future club President, Laura Grinder.

Dagmar Leguillon announced the September 18th Coastal Clean-up Day. Anyone can volunteer. Just go to the beach and clean. There will be NO club clean-up on that day.

Win Fernald announced he is starting the grants process by having all applications in by the end of September. The grants application will be on Capitola Aptos Rotary.org for downloading. Our grants program will be November 11th.

Dr. Art is cautioning everyone regarding the rapid spread of the Delta variant. The next day the county announced required masking while indoors. The long and the short of it is that we are going back to Zoom meetings for the foreseeable future. It was so nice seeing everyone in person but we need to stay safe. Use N95 or KN95 masks as they provide the best protection.

Thought for the day by Dr. Art: “Don’t ask what you can do for your country, ask what’s for lunch”.

Our speaker was Larry Mabrey, who once was a circus ringmaster but is now Managing Director of the Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival which is running now and until August 29th. (Photo). Larry has been a theatre professional for over 35 years in cities across the US. Previously he was Executive Director of Circus Flora in St. Louis, MO, Executive Director of West Virginia Public Theatre and was the co-founder and producing artistic director of Avalon Theatre Company. A California native, Larry returned to the state last year when he joined Santa Cruz Shakespeare as managing director one month before the pandemic.

Larry summarized the plays they produced this season which included an adaption of King Richard and Agitator, a play about Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas. He explained the covid precautions taken for live performances. These performances take place at the outdoors Audrey Stanley Grove near DeLaveaga Golf Course. They ran with half capacity (200 instead of 425 seats) and had sold out crowds. Masks are encouraged.

Larry described all the many wonderful services they are providing on-line and to children. I encourage you to go on their website to get all the glorious details. wwwsantacruzshakespeare.com. Consider becoming a member!

Pam Goodman

Club Hub Cub

The Hub August 12th

Last week’s meeting was attended by about 24 members in person and a few folks on zoom. Kendra, Nelson and Mardi ran the show like a Hollywood crew; it’s only a matter of time before they will be nominated for Oscars. There are still some problems with the audio but that is being worked on- the board authorized the purchase of a good microphone.

Lowry Fenton was our guest that we hope decided to join our club!

Dr. Dover gave a brief reminder that the delta variant is causing covid surges even in highly vaccinated countries so we must, at a minimum, continue to wear masks except when eating and observe social distancing where possible, even in the close confines of our Seascape dining room.

Other clubs in Santa Cruz County are doing hybrid meetings. Silicon Valley and other Bay Area clubs where there are mask mandates are returning to zoom only.

Sam again led the Welcome Song soloing on guitar, this time with a rock and roll rendition that would have made Chuck Berry jealous.

Michele Bassi and Bill Witmer presented a Paul Harris award to Sgt at Arms Craig Bagley for his charitable contributions. This was Craig’s 4^th Paul Harris award. Bill reminded us that the Paul Harris foundation was started with $27 in 1916 and since has raised billions for the fight against polio.

Dagmar gave a cheerful recap of the Beach Cleanup, including a count of the debris club members picked up and the camaraderie of trash collectors. She also disparaged the club President by suggesting that his large haul of recyclables was stolen. Not so. Age and decrepitude notwithstanding, and assisted by his daughters 2 intrepid dogs, your President risked life or at least dignity by retrieving cans and bottles from the treacherous bluff slope. Hold your applause, it’s part of the job description. Next time he will wear the Rotary flag as a cape.

Dagmar also needs a co-chair to help her on the membership committee, volunteers are encouraged to contact her or President Ken.

Rich was the Detective: true or false: he asked true or false questions about events that occurred in August, going back centuries? The worst question/answer was whether Eugene Diesel got the patent for the diesel engine in August 1898 the answer- false, it was his brother, Rudolf. Seriously? $5 Rich. A better question would have been whether Rudolf Diesel ran his engine on peanut oil at the 1900 Paris World’s fair…..

President Ken asked for volunteers at Second Harvest’s food giveaways at the County Fairgrounds. They are 9am-1pm on August 20, September 10, and September 24. Michele Bassi added that the giveaways are drive-up so covid exposure is minimal. Please contact Ken if you are available and interested.

Stan Abraham attended his third meeting in a row and felt compelled to explain his thrice blessing of our Rotary congregation with his presence by sort of accurately recounting the uh, inducements (threats is too strong a word) made against him by President Ken during an attorney-client privileged conversation…..

Thanks to Pam and Dr Art for joining efforts to write about the Speaker!

Our speaker today was Dr. Tanyss Munro. Dr. Munro and her husband Gem co-founded the Amarok Society which expands educational opportunities for children and their mothers. They began in Canada with disadvantaged persons, and she spoke to us today about her work
in Bangladesh – a chronically impoverished country wedged between eastern India and Myanmar, below Nepal.

Most of the world’s population growth occurs in Asia. Bangladesh is a very over-populated, Islamic majority country that suffers regular flooding from snow melt in the Himalayas and tropical storms that go north from the Bay of Bengal. The capital Dhaka suffers from severe
crowding, infectious diseases, malnutrition, and year-round heat with chronic air pollution.
The Amarok Society is working to educate children in the megaslums of Dhaka, where children have little opportunity to receive an education. Dr. Munro explained how the Society developed a new model of education to help break the cycles of illiteracy and poverty, and
concurrently empower women and girls to overcome generational and cultural oppression including child marriage, child labour, sex trafficking and opposition to education for girls and women.
Her talk was entitled “Making the world worthy of children.” The goal is teaching mothers to teach the world through their children. One in 3 children is illiterate. Amarok provides “shadow education” after-school teaching by mothers who are recruited to teach them.

Amorak’s “Mothers of Intention” projects train mothers to be teachers. Each teacher then teaches 25 students in her neighborhood. The children receive co-ed education, which they never would experience in the public schools in Dhaka. They are taught human rights, peace, and tolerance. The results demonstrate changes in literacy, attitudes and greater age at marriage. Many young children go forward to high school and college and have improved opportunities for employment. Many contribute to their neighborhoods to pass along what they have learned to younger generations.

The program has also resulted in shifts of cultural and institutional opposition to education for girls and women. In Amarok’s programs, mothers are the teachers and girls and boys are taught in the same classes. Men and boys are now pleased that women and girls are
receiving an education. Many Rotary clubs support the work of this phenomenal and inspiring organization.

Ms. Munro was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work.

Photo of Dr Tanyss Munro

Dr. Art Dover won the raffle!. He did not audibly announce his intentions of spending it, but he sure will be having fun

Perhaps heeding Kelly’s diplomatic inquiries, Seascape actually prepared more food than we ate- there was 8 inches of pork roast and a few lbs of mashed potatoes left.

Hunter, the very nice young man who has been serving us, said that he could not provide to go boxes because the law prohibits that for banquets; they can’t even donate it. President Ken checked with his cousin the catering manager and she confirmed. Julie Lambert “McGyvered” her way around that by stacking the plate she had left at Keith’s house and walking out the back door . Apparently it’ s OK if people bring their own to go boxes but we should be discreet about it.

Per Kendra: Please remember that if you have marked "TBD" as your answer for a meeting date, edit your form with your updated "yes or no" answer. If no update is made your TBD will be counted as a "no" and Seascape will not prepare a meal for you.

We have only two more weeks of the August RSVP Form and then a new link will be provided for September.

Rotary to the Rescue

Rotary to the Rescue!

We learned to our embarrassment last week that we sent scholarship recipient Alexandria Quintero an unsigned check! Tuition was due in a couple of days, so we arranged to deliver a replacement check by hand at a mutually convenient location. Our club member sent Alexandria a selfie so she would know who to look for. In return, Alexandria sent the below selfie of herself holding a model of the Scion cube car she was in. Clever girl! Love that photo!

The Hub August 5th

Meeting of August 5th

By Pam Goodman

This was a one of a kind experimental meeting that required all hands on deck to put it in place. Our first ever ‘hybrid’ meeting—in person or on Zoom and it worked famously, especially with help from Kendra, Nelson, Ken and his able assistant, Hilary who is far beyond capable.

(Nelson Crandall setting up)

A visiting Rotarian from Los Gatos morning club, Sanjay Khandelwal was checking us out as he now works from home near the summit. Let’s hope he was impressed!

Our Friend Marie Moseley was with us as well, her first visit since March 2020!

Craig Bagley, our Sargent at Arms, was the first one to the meeting as in his words ”I wanted to make sure the meeting was going to run smoothly”. It did indeed, Craig. Thanks for your dedication!

Trisha Glassey brought Edie Stein to our meeting via Zoom. Edie is a Soquel High School and took time took time from her leadership orientation at school today to talk to us about the RYLA experience this summer. The program was "Leading with LUV" for Location, Unlearning and Learning, and Vision and Voice. When asked about the location theme, she said it was about being a better leader by finding happiness and peace by going to locations you love.

Dr. Art did not have a thought for the day as he “left it at home”.

Sam told a very familiar joke (video) then proceeded to play a rip-roaring rendition of the Welcome Song.

(Sam and the Welcome Song)

Anissa Novak entertained us as detective, grilling us on little known Olympic factoids.

Dagmar Leguillon announced this Saturday’s Beach Cleanup at Rio Del Mar beach. August 7th at 10 am so be there or be square (or at least missed).

Our presentation was titled ‘Health and Home: Building Wellness in the Heart of Live Oak’. The speakers were Leslie Connor, CEO of Santa Cruz Community Health and Laura Marcus, CEO of Dientes Community Dental Care. These are two very smart and capable individuals who (along with MidPen housing) have been the driving force behind plans to build a unique housing facility on Capitola Rd in Live Oak. This site is breaking ground soon and will have 57 affordable housing units, a health center and dental facility. Therefore, comprehensive, integrated healthcare will be available for up to 10,000 patients including pediatrics, optometry and behavioral health to name just a few of the services. The clinics will be built first then the housing. The entire project should be completed by 2023.

The best news is that we all have the ability to participate in funding this project as there is a $500,000 Challenge Match issued by Carol Fuller in honor of Cynthia Mathews.

It was so exciting to hear of this most innovative and inclusive project. We were all so very impressed by the vision of our speakers and the tenacity it took to make this project happen.

Dientes, Santa Cruz Community Health, and MidPen Housing are partnering to create 1500 Capitola Road, a vibrant 3.7-acre health and housing complex in the heart of Live Oak. This crucial first step toward increasing access to healthcare and affordable housing in Santa Cruz County will provide healthcare for up to 10,000 patients, along with affordable housing for 157 people.

(Left to right, Leslie Conner and Laura Marcus)

An announcement/discussion point was made at the end of our meeting that due to Delta Variant, Rotarian's RSVP's are needed more than ever so the board can identify two things; a ) Will members feel comfortable attending in person meetings at Seascape and b ) if they are, we need an updated head count since we need 15 confirmed, RSVP'd Rotarians by Sunday night in order to have the meeting as a hybrid and not go to Zoom Only.

To accomplish this update you can either email Kendra and/or Ken, OR go into the Google Form and update your answers to reflect whether your opinion has changed on in person attendance, and then add to the comments whether you feel comfortable still attending as an in-person at the "hybrid meeting" or whether you will go Zoom, due to health concerns.

For whom would like to join us on Zoom Thursday at 12:00pm:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/92435906567?pwd=MGU4bDZaYU9hWkRqVTY0SjVWVXJnQT09

Meeting ID: 924 3590 6567

Passcode: 996521

One tap mobile

+16699009128,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (San Jose)

+13462487799,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (Houston)

See you next Thursday!

Pam Goodman

Hub Cub

Thursday August 5th - Hybrid meeting

Dear Friends of Our Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club

In order to keep everyone safe during this pandemic we are having a hybrid meeting tomorrow Thursday August 5th starting at 12:15pm. Below you will find the link and password to log in as well as the meeting ID and number in case you would like to call it in.

For whom are attending the meeting in person at Seascape Golf and Country Club (610 Club House Dr, Aptos) please bring a mask, practice social distance and enjoy your time with us and your lunch.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/92435906567?pwd=MGU4bDZaYU9hWkRqVTY0SjVWVXJnQT09

Meeting ID: 924 3590 6567

Passcode: 996521

One tap mobile

+16699009128,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (San Jose)

+13462487799,,92435906567#,,,,*996521# US (Houston)

We look forward to see you and let's have a great time!

The Hub July 29, 2021

The Hub

Meeting of July 29, 2021

By Nelson Crandall

Featured Presentation: Cabrillo College Name Change

The featured speaker for the meeting was club member Matt Wetstein, President of Cabrillo College. Matt was joined in his presentation by Governing Board members Adam Spickler and Christina Cuevas. Cabrillo Assistant Superintendent/VP Instruction Paul de la Cerda was also in the audience. A summary of their presentation appears below.

Left to Right: Cabrillo College Asst. Superintendent/VP Instruction Paul de la Cerda, Governing Board members Adam Spickler and Christina Cuevas, and club member and Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein.

Introduction of Visitors

Following the pledge of allegiance, President Ken called for visiting Rotarians to introduce themselves. In addition to perennial visitor Constantin Gehriger, we welcomed Santa Cruz Rotarian Larry Wallerstein. Matt Wetstein introduced his three colleagues from Cabrillo College, Dr. Art Dover introduced his grandson, Noah, and Dave Watkins introduced his frequent guest, Sebastian.

Left to right: Visiting Rotarian Larry Wallerstein, Dr Art's grandson Noah, Dave Watkins's guest, Sebastian Lopez.

Club Song

For the first time since March 2020, Al DeCamera and Sam Nigh led the club in a rousing rendition of the Club song. So enthusiastic was the crowd that they reprised the final chorus twice following inspired instrumental improvisations.

Al DeCamera and Sam Nigh leading a rousing rendition of the club song.

The fun was especially unexpected because Seacliff had said they would no longer provide use of their piano, forcing Al to lug his keyboard and amps to the meeting. After months of frustrating attempts to sing the club song on Zoom, our first in-person meeting last week had to settle for an anemic acapella version when Al didn’t have what he needed to set up.

Chaminade Aug. 15 Brunch & Silent Auction Tix Auction Benefitting Walnut Ave. Center.

At Immediate Past President Michele’s request, guest Adam Spickler presented the club with two tickets to the August 15 fundraising brunch and silent auction for the Walnut Avenue Family & Women’s Center, which our club is sponsoring. Michele asked Al to auction the tickets to the members on the spot, and Al rose to the occasion, raising $140. For more information about the event, go to wafwc.org

Featured Joke, courtesy of President Ken.

A lexicology professor was explaining to his students that in many languages, a double negative remains a negative. In other languages, a double negative is a positive. In no language, however, is a double positive a negative. To which a voice in the back responded, “Yeah, right.”

Introduction of the Board.

President Ken introduced most of the new Board members in addition to himself: Immediate Past President Michele Bassi, Co-Presidents Elect Kendra Cleary and Laura Grinder, Secretary Nelson Crandall, Treasurer Julie Lambert, Membership Chair Dagmar Leguillon, Rotary Foundation Chair Bill Witmer, Club Foundation Chair Al DeCamera, Service Projects Chair Art Dover, Grants Chair Win Fernald, Public Image Chair Mardi Padilla, and Sergeant-at-Arms Craig Bagley.

Ken especially recognized Mardi for her work on upgrading the club website and encouraged everyone to visit it.

Al the Detective.

Demonstrating his flexibility once again, Al handed out fines to the following people with the following excuses for Al’s being unprepared: President Ken for his self-deprecating humor, Nelson for his off-key rendition of For She’s A Jolly Good Fellow at Michele’s nondebunking, Kelly for abandoning Nelson in that attempt, Craig for something having to do with badges, Trish for her 11 p.m. reminder that Ken had detective duty, Sam for enjoying himself camping in the Trinity Alps, and Dave Watkins for complaining about the chipper under his window in the property Al’s firm manages.

Home for a Lost Hat.

The previous week, Keith brought in a hat left at his house on the occasion of the nondebunking, but no one claimed it. This week, Becky was able to claim it and is happily reunited with it. Becky, write your name in the hat!

Becky Peters claimed her lost hat!

Featured Presentation: Opening Acts

Before getting onto the subject of changing the name of Cabrillo College, Cabrillo President Mat Wetstein discussed the college’s response to COVID-19 and the ongoing housing shortage.

COVID-19 Impact on Enrollment. Last year, only 20% of the college’s courses were in-person. The college hopes to increase that to 50% in the fall and be back to normal (whatever that may mean) in the spring. Following the lead of the UC and State College systems, vaccinations will be required, with limited exceptions upon good cause shown. Matt observed that the inability to meet in-person disproportionately affected the poor, Hispanics, and residents of the south county, leading to a 25% drop in enrollment last year.

COVID-19 Impact on Health. Matt reported that only 12 faculty and staff were infected with COVID-19 last year, which he attributed to strict implementation of protective guidelines. Most of the infections were attributed to non-campus exposures. Of the college’s 10,000 students, the campus health center administered 226 COVID-19 tests, 45 of which were positive.

Federal and State Financial Relief. The college has received $16 million in federal relief. The bulk of it will be spent on equipment, including computers for faculty and students and upgraded HVAC systems better able to keep classroom air pathogen free. $2.7 million will be used for direct student aid in the form of relieving students of $700,000 in accumulated debt for defaulted registration fees that prevent them from continuing their education and direct unrestricted grants of between $1,000 and $1,500 each. Matt observed that the cost of equipment upgrades is rising as multiple institutions compete for the same scarce resources.

Housing. Last year, 22% of the college’s students report that they were homeless or getting by without a settled housing situation. This budget year, the state has set $2 billion aside for community college housing. The college has started to study the feasibility of erecting student and faculty housing on campus. It hopes to complete the study this school year.

Featured Presentation: Name Change.

Christina Cuevas reported that the college’s governing board was presented with petition from 100 members of the college community asking to change the name from Cabrillo because of the history of its namesake. Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo is best known for his explorations of the west coast of North America on behalf of the Spanish Empire. His critics allege that he amassed the wealth needed to undertake these explorations by exploiting indigenous South Americans as slave laborers and sex workers, and that the consequences of such exploitation manifest themselves as generational poverty to this day.

In response to the petition, the governing board appointed Adam and her to a subcommittee to develop a process to explore the name change. They created an advisory taskforce of stakeholders to assist in the process, which met from October 2020 through June 2021. Relying on the work of other educational institutions named for slaveholders and other alleged perpetrators of human misery, the subcommittee and task force generated a set of guidelines the investigation process will follow, with key values being a methodology that is inclusive and educational in approach. More information is available at https://www.cabrillo.edu/governing-board/name-exploration-subcommittee

Following the adoption of the guidelines, the college has offered a series of educational events focusing on Juan Cabrillo the man, the persons and process that led to naming the college after him, and criticism of Cabrillo. Facilitated by Zoom attendance, the audience was polled before and after the presentations. In all the presentations, the percentage of persons favoring a name change rose as a result of the presentation. In one case, the percentage rose from 25% to 51%.

The next step will be a series of meetings in which the public will be invited to express their views, followed by a recommendation.

Matt did not address the question of how the cost of a name change will be weighed against the perceived benefit of ceasing to honor Cabrillo and the perceived harm of continuing to honor Cabrillo. This question also was not raised in the 10 minutes of Q&A following the presentation. Most of the audience questions focused on the fairness of judging a 16^th century personage by 21^st century morality. In response, Matt paraphrased the philosophy of 18^th century philosopher Emmanuel Kant: The ill treatment of a human being is always wrong and should always be condemned.

How would YOU apply the 4-way test to this controversy?

Tequila Tasting!

To purchase tickets for Tequila Tasting....please find the link in Upcoming Events!

Hope to Zoom with you then!!

Meeting canceled

Please note! Meetings on March 12th and March 19th are canceled due to corona virus warnings! If further meeting cancellations are planned, the news will be posted here also. Stay home and stay safe!

DDaVinci's knots

Announcements and Reminders

May 29^th is the official date for the Capitola Aptos Rotary annual fund raiser. We will roast the man and woman of the year and have a live and silent auction. It will benefit Meals on Wheels, as well as Cabrillo College and Grey Bears. Make your reservations soon!

Meals on Wheels will be having a Ride Along so you can see how meals are delivered on March 16^th thru 20^th (or you can assist on site at Live Oak Senior Center). Michelle has sent around a sign-up sheet to participate in this event.

Beach cleanup dates are April 4^th, June 6^th and August 1^st (the first Saturday in each of those months) at Rio del Mar beach at 10 am.

The area speech contest is on March 5^th at the county office of education at 3:30. Come an support our club winner!

The business showcase is tentatively scheduled for April 15^th. We will get a table to promote our club. Doug will send us around a sign-up sheet.

Dr. Art spoke to us about the corona virus. It’s not an airborne illness it’s passed on by touch; therefore handwashing is crucial. He says it will be very contagious.

Sandra says we only got two RYLA applications; however If there is a last minute applicant we might take them. High school sophomores and juniors are eligible.

There will be four scholarships for Cabrillo College . they will be named the Capitola Aptos John Fisher scholarships. We are taking applicants now for all four scholarships.

Monday night at 5:30 is membership Monday here at Aptos Seascape. Join us to socialize with potential new members.

Finally, Doug announced the death of Ron Derby, one of our most faithful members. Among other contributions, he was famous for his “Thoughts for the Day” and his always insightful comments on current issues. We will miss you Ron!

Our speaker today, was an author who wrote a book entitled Leonardo’s Knots, Caroline Cocciardi. She detected a knot pattern on Mona Lisa’s dress which reveals something significant about Leonardo da Vinci the man.

engineering abroad

Announcements and Reminders

May 29^th is the official date for the Capitola Aptos Rotary annual fund raiser. We will roast the man and woman of the year and have a live and silent auction. It will benefit Meals on Wheels, as well as a scholarship at Cabrillo College and Grey Bears. Make your reservations soon!

Meals on Wheels will be having a Ride Along so you can see how meals are delivered (or you can assist on site at Live Oak Senior Center). Michelle has sent around a sign-up sheet to participate in this event.

Michele announced that Digital Nest was awarded the James Irvine Award, the most prestigious non-profit award in the state of California. She also announced many March events. The area speech contest is march 5 3:30-5:30 at the county office of education. There is a mixer at the Kaiser Area March 10 5”30-7:30. $5.00 a person.

Beach cleanup dates are April 4^th June 6^th and August 1^st (the first Saturday in each of those months) at Rio del Mar beach at 10 am.

Sign up For Meals On Wheels on March 16^th thru 20^th to go out to deliver meals or go to Live Oak Senior Center and serve meals there.

Bill gave out Paul Harris fellowship awards today to Sandi and Stan Abraham.

Our speakers today, Yuritzi Barranco and Brandon Farria were from the Cabrillo College Engineering Abroad program.They spoke about their trip to Costa Rica. The purpose of the trip was to clean the river but they also worked on the permaculture farm.

ucsc farm

Announcements and Reminders

May 29^th is the official date for the Capitola Aptos Rotary annual fund raiser. We will roast the man and woman of the year and have a live and silent auction. It will benefit Meals on Wheels, as well as a scholarship at Cabrillo College and Grey Bears. Make your reservations soon!

Hariharan Ramesh, our district governor visited us today and spoke about the mission of Rotary, emphasizing role of the Foundation. Capitola Aptos Rotary is part of district 5170 and Mr. Ramesh said our district is the highest contributor of any district in the country to the Rotary Foundation (over 7 million dollars!)

He also awarded three Paul Harris Fellowships to Kate Sutherland, Thomasjohn Wells Miller and Burt Lemke. Congratulations to all of you!

Our speaker today was Dr. Stacy Philpott who is the Director of the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at UCSC. She spoke to us about the farm and the organic farming revolution.

speech contest

Announcements and Reminders

May 29^th is the official date for the Capitola Aptos Rotary annual fund raiser. We will roast the man and woman of the year and have a live and silent auction. It will benefit Meals on Wheels, as well as a scholarship at Cabrillo College and Grey Bears. Make your reservations soon!

Bill spoke about Rotary Foundation which has now raised over 7 billion dollars around the world. There are only three more people left for our own club to bring our giving up to 100% participation.

Dr. Art got a chance to view some international service projects in Mexico, Africa and South America at a District Meeting last week. If you would like more information on any of these, see Dr. Art.

Meals on Wheels will be having a Ride Along so you can see how meals are delivered (or you can assist on site at Live Oak Senior Center). Michelle will send around a sign-up sheet next week to participate in this event.

Second Harvest annual fundraiser is March 5^th. We have been offered a table honoring our Rotary Club for our contribution. There are three seats left for the dinner. If you are interested in going see Michele.

Today was the area speech contest. A total of eleven students from Soquel and Aptos High school competed in the contest. They all spoke on the theme “Rotary Connects the World”. They were judged on adherence to the theme, vocal delivery, integration of the four way test and overall effectiveness. The winner will go on to compete in the district speech contest on the 5^th of March.

The contestants included: Roxanne Harris, Olivia Harris, Stuart Norse, Mia Beatty, Emily Marshall Niswonger, Jocelyn Castillo, Kai Gavin, Michael Murray, Maddie Fiona, Andrew Morrisey and Celia Ruiz.

The winners of the contest were: First place ($200) Emily Marshall Niswonger; 2^nd place ($1000: Andrew Morrisey; 3^rd place ($50) Jocelyn Castillo

Cabrillo bond

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

Please note: Next week's meeting, the area speech contest, has been moved. It will be at Severinos/Seacliff Inn. We have the room from 11:30 to 2:00. (Lunch will be $30 but since Rich has already invoiced $10 it will be an additional $20. Rich will not be present to run credit cards, so please bring a check or cash.

Every first Monday is membership Monday. Come and have a drink and bring potential new members. Every second Tuesday is for new red badgers. These are both at 5:30 to 7:00 PM and are at Aptos Seascape.

We are planning on a Rotary Week for Meals on Wheels delivery. Sign up to deliver meals or work at the site (at Live Oak Senior Center) that day.

Josh Selig from Jimmy Panetta’s office spoke to us today about current issues and measures in congress including dates for future town halls. They are working on making age discrimination illegal, road repairs, and mitigating potential flood damage from the Pajaro River Watershed.

Scott also spoke to us briefly about measure V for Soquel Elementary School District which is a parcel tax. It needs a two thirds majority and would add $96 per parcel for 6 years. It would largely go to teacher’s salaries.

May 29^th will be our major fundraiser. We need both live and silent auction items, wine and help with sponsorships. Also we will have our wine wheelbarrow so bring two bottles to contribute. Tickets will be $150 and the major benefactor will be Meals on Wheels.

On March 5^th at Hotel Paradox there will be the Second Harvest dinner. We are being offered an award and we will be given a table for 10. Let Michelle know if you are interested in going.

Dr. Art passed around information on a Rotary trip to Ethiopia sponsored by the Contra Costa club.

Matt spoke to us about measure R, a bond measure for Cabrillo College. Included are infrastructure and technology improvements, as deferred maintenance is a real problem on a 60 year old campus. A new science building, renovation of the library and student services buildings are also on the agenda. It will be a 30 year bond.

recycling

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Sandi announced that we will be accepting applications for RYLA. If you know any Sophomores or Juniors who might be eligible please let Sandi know.

Our beloved John Fisher, member of Capitola Aptos Rotary for many years and inspiration for the RotaCare free clinic passed away on Tuesday. Among other honors he received the Jefferson award as a distinguished volunteer in the Monterey Bay Area.

Al gave us a foundation report. Some of the Campbell funds have been distributed. Bill also mentioned that we still need 121 people for our 1005 participation.

Dr Art announced that we all need to get our flu shots! Talk to him about getting your shot if you haven’t done it this season. It is not too late!

Today our speaker spoke about local Recycling efforts. Christina Horvath from Santa Cruz County Department of Public Works gave us an update on recycling efforts in the county as well as new laws that will affect the way we recycle in the coming years.

Community Grants

Capitola Aptos Rotary celebrated the work of 20 community organizations in our awards ceremony on December 12.

The awards supported a wide variety of projects in education, the environment, social services and the arts.

Over $20,000 in grants were distributed to the following successful applicants:

1. Cabrillo Engineering Abroad

Digital Nest

For Kids Foundation

Friends of SC Libraries

Gravity Water

Grey Bears

Helping Hands

Kid Power

Learn to Discover

Mid County Homeless Coalition

O'Neill Sea Odyssey

Pajaro Valley Loaves and Fishes

Safe Schools Project

Santa Cruz City Schools

Seymour Marine Center

Teen Kitchen

You Are Enough Yoga Project

Santa Cruz Symphony

Save our Shores

Shared Adventures

christmas

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Dec 08, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Every first Monday is membership Monday. Come and have a drink and bring potential new members. Every second Tuesday is for new red badgers 5:30 to 7:00 PM. Both of these are at Aptos Seascape.

Our community grant award day will be next week, December 12^th at 12:00. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

December the 8^th (this Sunday) is Keith’s annual Christmas party! It is at his house at 4:00.

Remember we are dark on the 26^th of December and on the 2nd of January.

Sandi announced that we will be accepting applications for RYLA. If you know any Sophomores or Juniors who might be eligible please let Sandi know.

This week we were entertained by the music of Sam Nigh and Higher Ground. They sang Christmas songs and gospel music. We sang along and good holiday time was had by all!

biomedical engineering

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 22, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

On the first Monday of every month from 5:30 to 7:00 the club will have social gatherings here. It is a chance to introduce new friends and prospective members to our club! The next one is December 5^th!

The “Second Badge Tuesday” for new red badgers will be held on the Dr. second Tuesday of every month. 5:30 to 7:00 PM

Our community grant award day had been postponed. It will be December 12^th at 12:00. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

December the 8^th is Keith’s annual Christmas party. It is at his house at 4:00. A sign up list will go around in the next few weeks.

Remember next week is Thanksgiving and we are dark!

Veterans memorial hall courtyard renovation project is being sponsored by Santa Cruz rotary club. You can donate a brick by going to www.santacruzrotary.com

Our speaker today was Dr. David L. Bernick with two of his students Marcella Mirabelli and Liana Beld (see above) . His address was on biomolecular engineering and he discussed ways that synthetic biology enables social change. They just came back from Boston where they won a silver medal for their work.

annual club

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 09, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The “Second Badge Tuesday” for new red badgers will be held on the second Tuesday of every month. 5:30 to 7:00 PM

Our community grant award day has been postponed. It will be December 12^th at 12:00. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

December the 8^th is Keith’s annual Christmas party. It is at his house at 4:00. A sign up list will go around in the next few weeks.

Sunday Nov 17^th is our next beach clean-up. This one will be at Rio del Mar at 1:00 in the afternoon, not in the AM as we have traditionally done. Brings gloves and a bucket if you can and wear tour Rotary t-shirts!

Our next meeting, November 14^th, the club is taking a field trip to Second Harvest Food Bank in Watsonville. Our regular board meeting will be held at the Clubhouse, however, at 11:00.

Today the club held our annual club assembly. Several cnotable activitie especially reflect the work of Rotary in our community and the world.

Local foundation scholarships The Piatt fellowship is awarded each year to a local student who is a graduate student at UCSC. We also fund scholarships for RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) and six to eight scholarships per year to students graduating from both Aptos and Soquel High Schools. This year we are beginning to discuss expanding our scholarship efforts to include Cabrillo College.

Community grants This year we will award 20 grants to non profit community agencies who are involved in a number of efforts on our community . this includes programs for youth, older adults, the arts, the environment , education and social services for the homeless.

Rotary International Foundation: Rotary worldwide has been instrumental in the defeat of polio world wide. November is the month of our campaign and each member is encouraged to give so that we have 100% participation. Half our donations come back to us in the form of DDF or district designated funds which we have used for local and international projects, including this past year a water project with Santa Cruz Sunrise Club, RotaCare, our local free health clinic and Rising International, to prevent human trafficking.

Jeopardy

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 31, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The second badge Tuesday for new red badgers will be held on second Tuesday of every month. 5:30 to 7:00.

Our community grant award day will be December 5^th. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

December the 8^th is Keith’s annual Christmas party. It is at his house at 4:00. A sign up list will go around in the next few weeks.

Nov 17^th is our next beach clean-up. This one will be at Rio del Mar in the afternoon, not in the AM as we have traditionally done.

On November 14th the club is taking a field trip to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Veronica Udura our Piatt fellow spoke to us today. She is originally from Watsonville. She is pursuing a PhD degree in molecular biology. Her work focuses on ways that might eventually help to treat cancer.

Ron Morris from PG and E spoke to us about the power outages. There are tiers 1 2 and 3. 2 and 3 are the most at risk areas due to being heavily wooded. He said PG & E cannot be responsible for fires in our area. They look at wind direction and humidity levels and fire threat and then look at our circuits. We are fed from two places: Moss Landing and another feed that comes up over the mountains into the Green Valley substation. We have Rio del Mar sub, the Rob Roy sub (by Aptos High) and Paul Sweet sub by Dominican. In this last outage we had 22 circuits affected that had to be looked at once they ended the outages.

Leslie Frates, well-known Bay area Jeopardy winner was our featured speaker today.

museum

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 24, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The second badge Tuesday for new red badgers will be hfweld on second Tuesday of every month. 5:30 to 7:00.

Our community grant award day will be December 5^th. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

Today is world polio day. We received news that wild polio virus type 3e has been eradicated worldwide. Our goal is for every Rotarian to contribute to the cause of eradicating remaining types of polio and the campaign will begin in two weeks.

December the 8^th is Keith’s annual Christmas party. It is at his house at 4:00. A sign up list will go around in the next few weeks.

Board meeting next week Oct 31^st (Halloween!) at 11:00. Feel free to come in costume!

Nov 17^th is our next beach clean-up. This one will be at Rio del Mar in the afternoon, not in the AM as we have traditionally done.

On November 14th the club is taking a field trip to Second Harvest Food Bank.

Patrice Keet, Founder of the Museum of Discovery (MOD) and Rhiannon Crain, Interim Executive Director were our speakers today. The Museum is in the Capitola Mall and has been serving children in the area for five years.

gravity water

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 06, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Congratulations to Pam Goodman and Matt Wetstein who won Aptos Chamber of Commerce woman and man of the year. The dinner to honor them will be Oct 25^th. Tickets will be $85 or $105 for the Rotary Table. See Doug or Michele or their website to sign up.

Starting in October, on the first Monday of every month from 5:30 to 7:00 we will have social gatherings here. It is a chance to introduce new friends and prospective members to our club!

The second badge Tuesday for new red badgers will be held on second Tuesday of every month. 5:30 to 7:00.

The second harvest barrel warp will be held at Second Harvest in Watsonville on Saturday Oct 12^th in the morning.

Our community grant award day will be December 5^th. All are welcome to help us celebrate the many good things being done in our community.

Art will have senior flu shots at the end of the month. He also spoke about the Indian polio campaign at taj mahal the third thru the fifth of January. See him for more information.

Danny Wright is a local Santa Cruz person who decided a few years ago to address the problem of millions of people who lack clean drinking water. He spoke to us today about his new organization Gravity Water.

red badges

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 27, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application is due! It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^stso submit now! The awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

Dagmar announced that beach clean-up day attracted 25 people on Saturday the 21^st. Ryan took photos of the day and they appeared in this month’s issue of the Aptos Times! There will be another clean-up in November.

Pam thanked us all for our support for the Alzheimer’s walk. It raised over $20,000!

Starting in October, on the first Monday of every month from 5:30 to 7:00 we will have social gatherings here. It is a chance to introduce new friends and prospective members to our club!

Constantine announced the Sunrise Rotary bicycle trip next Saturday. There will be a welcome party from 11:00 to 1:00 for the riders. For details go to Sunrise Rotary website.

Today were our Red Badge talks for Dagmar and Jeff. (above) These talks give us a chance to find out something about our newest members.

new radio

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 06, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application has now been posted. It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^st and the awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

We have scheduled Monday Sept 16^th 4:00 at Aptos Seascape to assemble kits for Rising International. These are “safety bracelets” in Rotary colors with information on human trafficking.

Sunday September 15^th is the summer fun party at Keith’s at 2:00. To RSVP, sign up at a meeting.

Dagmar announced Sept 21^st will be our next beach clean-up at Rio del Mar beach. We did a great job last time picking up 25 lbs of trash which included a large amount of microplastics.

Rachel Goodman was our speaker today. She spoke about community public radio. KSQD 90.7 is the new station she has helped to establish in here. Their motto is ‘many voices one station’.

destress your children

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 23, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application has now been posted. It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^st and the awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz Yacht Club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We have scheduled Monday Sept 16^th 4:00 at Aptos Seascape to assemble kits for Rising International. These are “safety bracelets” in Rotary colors with information on human trafficking.

Sunday September 15^th is the summer fun party at Keith’s at 2:00. To RSVP, sign up at a meeting.

Dagmar announced Sept 21^st will be our next beach clean-up at Rio del Mar beach. We did a great job last time picking up 25 lbs of trash which included a large amount of microplastics.

Congratulations to Pam Goodman and Matt Wetstein who won Aptos Chamber of Commerce man and woman of the year. The dinner to honor them will be Oct 25^th. Tickets will be $85 or $105. See Doug to sign up.

Sienna House will be having a dinner and auction on October 5^th. See Michele for tickets.

The Piatt fellow Veronica Urabe has been chosen for this year. She is from Watsonville High and Cabrillo and UCSC and getting her PhD in Cell and Molecular Biology. She will come and speak to us later this year.

The speaker today was Alayna Hale. A retired teacher, she spoke to us about how to reduce stress and empower your children.

team rubicon

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 16, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application has now been posted. It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^st and the awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz Yacht Club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We have scheduled Monday Sept 16^th 4:00 at Aptos Seascape to assemble kits for Rising International. These are “safety bracelets” in Rotary colors with information on human trafficking.

Sunday September 15^th is the summer fun party at Keith’s at 2:00. To RSVP, sign up at a meeting.

Dagmar announced Sept 21^st will be our next beach clean-up at Rio del Mar beach. We did a great job last time picking up 25 libs of trash which included a large amount of microplastics.

Michele talked about the ‘Sleeves Up’ Rotary sponsored blood drive campaign. Look at your e-mail for more information.

Our speaker today was Adam Peterson from Team Rubicon which provides disaster relief both here in the U.S. and around the world. It has over 800 veteran volunteers.

water warriors

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 06, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application has now been posted. It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^st and the awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz Yacht Club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We have scheduled Tues Sept 17^th 4:00 at Aptos Seascape to assemble kits for Rising International. These are ”safety bracelets” with information on human trafficking.

Sunday September 15^th is the summer fun party at Keith’s at 2:00. To RSVP, sign up at a meeting.

Dagmar announced Sept 20^th will be our next beach clean up at Rio del Mar beach. We did a great job last time picking up 25 libs of trash which included a large amount of microplastics.

Al introduced Jim Zenner from Santa Cruz Rotary Club. He spoke to us about their trips to Kenya and India this past year, where they administered polio vaccines and did Rotary ‘water warriors’ projects which involve installation of clean water systems. There will be a trip to Guatemala this next January.

medication assisted treatment

Posted on Jul 29, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Our community grants application has now been posted. It can be downloaded from this website. The deadline for submission is October 1^st and the awards ceremony will be December 5^th.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz Yacht Club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We have scheduled Tues Sept 17^th 4:00 at Aptos Seascape to assemble kits for Rising International. These are ”safety bracelets” with information on human trafficking.

Matthew Morse our scholarship from recipient from Aptos High received his award today. He is going to Gonzaga university where he will major in business and environmental studies.

Dagmar announced this Saturday July 27th is the beach clean-up. Meet right in front of the Rio Café (sometimes called Rio Flats) beach. There is free parking and there will be refreshments! Wear your sunscreen and closed toe shoes.

Sunday September 15^th is the summer fun party at Keith’s at 2:00. To RSVP , sign up at a meeting

Danny Contreras director of the Medication Assisted Treatment Program for Santa Cruz county was speaker today. He spoke about their program which includes 3 clinics, two in Santa Cruz and one in Watsonville.

Uganda

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 01, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The club has changed the schedule for our community grants awards this year. We are currently planning to post the on line application in mid -July.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz yacht club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We will be having our fundraiser at Aptos Park on the 4^th of July beginning after the parade. See Al to sign up to help in the booth, with set up or clean up, or by taking cash and checking ID’s.

Ryan and Aaron Bettencourt two of our three Aptos scholarship recipients were here to share with us their plans for the future. Aaron is entering the honors program at Cabrillo to study computer science and Ryan will go the University of Nevada as a pre-med student.

Dr. Art received an award from Rotary International for donating $50,000 to the Polio Plus Program. We have six major donors in our club which is quite exceptional compared to other clubs in our district and around the world.

Second Harvest received its check from our fundraiser today. Suzanne Willis accepted the check for Second Harvest. She thanked us for our support which will fund over 75000 meals and reminded us that Oct 12^th is the holiday food drive barrel wrap.

Peggy Pollard was here today to speak to the club about a Rotary International project in Uganda which was supported by the DDF funds of this club.

brain exercise

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 20, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The club has changed the schedule for our community grants awards this year. We are currently planning to post the on line application in mid -July.

The debunking of the president is rescheduled for Thursday August 29^th at Santa Cruz Yacht Club at 5:30. We will be dark for the regular meeting that day.

We will be having our fundraiser at Aptos Park on the 4^th of July beginning after the parade. See Al to sign up to help in the booth with set up or clean up, or by taking cash and checking ID’s.

Saturday June 29^th will be Rotary Day at Derby Girls. if you buy your tickets online, still sign up and let us know you will be attending. Tickets and information at Santacruzderbygirls.org

June 27^th is the RYLA barbecue at Mission Springs. All are welcome.

Dr. Beth Finch, a neuroscientist and experienced researcher, spoke to us today about Lifestyle Factors in Healthy Brain Aging. She is from Durham, North Carolina and received her PhD from Harvard.

2nd district supervisor

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The club has changed the schedule for our community grants awards this year. We are currently planning to post the on line application in mid -July.

The debunking of the president has been postponed. It will be rescheduled as an evening event later in the summer.

We will be having our fundraiser at Aptos Park on the 4^th of July beginning after the parade. See Al to sign up to help in the booth, with set up or clean up or by taking cash and checking ID’s.

Dagmar gave us an update on our participation in Save our Shores. We will again participate in the beach clean-up this year and our kick-off clean up will probably be in July or August.

Saturday June 29^th will be Rotary Day at Derby Girls. if you buy your tickets online, still sign up and let us know you will be attending. Tickets and information at Santacruzderbygirls.org

June 27^th is the RYLA barbecue at Mission Springs. All are welcome.

Our speaker today was Zach Friend, our 2^nd district supervisor and an honorary member of the club. His talk emphasized housing, traffic and income gaps in our county.

Habitat for Humanity

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 07, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The club has changed the schedule for our community grants awards this year. We will delay the grant awards until fall of 2019 so that we can determine the exact amount of funds we have to distribute. Watch this site for more information.

The debunking of the president will take place at a brunch at 12:00 on June 30^th at the Santa Cruz Yacht club. Save the date!

We will be having our fundraiser at Aptos Park on the 4^th of July beginning after the parade. See Al to sign up to help in the booth, with set up or clean up or by taking cash and checking ID’s.

We will again participate in the beach clean-up this year. Save the third Saturday in September!

Matt announced that Saturday June 29^th will be rotary day at Derby Girls. if you buy your tickets online, still sign up and let us know you will be attending. Tickets and information at Santacruzderbygirls.org

All Rotary club members are invited to a party at Lifespan 600 Frederick St next Thursday on June 13^th 1:00-4:00. Pam and Becky are celebrating the sale of the business and their won retirement. Come and widh them congratulations!

Sandy announced June 27^th is the RYLA barbecue at Mission Springs. She said we should all go and have a wonderful experience!

Kristin Fabos, our speaker today, is the director or Marketing and Communications at Cabrillo College. She has been in this position since 2010. She spoke to us about her volunteer work in Cambodia that involved building a house for a family as part of the Global Village Arm of Habitat for Humanity.

our libraries

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 01, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The debunking of the president will take place at a brunch at 12:00 on June 30^th at the Santa Cruz Yacht club. Save the date!

We will again be having our fundraiser at Aptos Park on the 4^th of July beginning after the parade. See Al to sign up to help in the booth or with set up or clean up, or by taking cash and checking ID’s.

We will again participate in the beach clean-up this year. Save the third Saturday in September!

Susan Nemitz and Cindy Jackson from the library system were both here at the club to speak to us today. They were both active in getting measure S passed and are bringing our libraries up to date with these funds. We voted for 67 million dollars for the libraries to be modernized and rebuilt. However, it is not enough to do what they need to do and now they are raising funds for each separate project.

oneill surf

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 27, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Rachel Kippen was our speaker today. She is the newly appointed director for O’Neill Sea Odyssey and she spoke on the importance of diversity in environmental issues and plastic pollution in the ocean, especially focusing on Monterey Bay. She has worked as a marine science educator for some years in various sites around California but is originally from Hawaii.

us census

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 17, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Win announced the district conference will be May 18 and 19^th at the U.S.S Hornet in Alameda. Go to www.rotarydistrict5170.org to register.

Doug announced we will be giving three scholarships to Aptos High School and three to Soquel High School seniors to be awarded at a ceremony for graduating seniors. Congratulations to all recipients!

The meeting today began with Josh Sellers, Congressman Panetta’s local congressional aide spoke to us today about what is going on in congress. The Climate Action Now act is one of the bills that the congressman sponsored and has passed in the House.It holds the president responsible for upholding the Paris Accords.

Our speakers today, Tory Del Fevero and Christina Granados are partnership specialists with the United States Census Bureau. They spoke about the importance of participating in the 2020 census.

opera at ucsc

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 09, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Win announced the district conference will be May 18 and 19^th at the U.S.S Hornet in Alameda. Go to www.rotarydistrict5170.org to register.

The fundraiser was a huge success raising approximately $40,000 for Second Harvest and our community grants. Thanks to all of you who worked so hard to make it a success. (P.S. If you have made a pledge or need to pay for a silent auction item remember to turn the money into Michele as soon as you can!)

Doug announced we will be giving three scholarships to Aptos High School and three to Soquel High School seniors. Congratulations to all recipients!

Sheila Willey was our speaker today. She is the artistic director of opera at UCSC. She also appears with Santa Cruz Chamber Players and other local groups and has sung diverse roles throughout the Bay area. She is currently preparing the Pirates of Penzance which is opening May 30^th.

UCSC Fellow

Posted on May 03, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Win announced the district conference will be May 18 and 19^th at the U.S.S Hornet in Alameda. Go to www.rotarydistrict5170.org to register.

Keith announced that his party on Cinco de Mayo will be on a cold day so dress warmly. There is not a lot of parking: carpool if you can.

Sandy introduced Alexy Munishkin who is the Piatt fellow for this year and a graduate of SCHS and UCSC. He spoke about safe navigation of autonomous vehicle (or self-driving vehicles!).

Dr Paul Hoffman

Today's program was Dr. Paul Hoffman - Understanding and Using Medical Marijuana

Announcements:

Sending healthy and positive thoughts to President Pam!

Cinco De Mayo party at Keith's house...make sure you RSVP

Roast of John Laird - Fundraiser benefiting Second Harvest Food Bank and other local charities. - April 26th. Sign up online under events on our website or Second Harvest's website. We are still looking for Sponsors and silent auction items. Our live auction looks fantastic!

community bridges

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 25, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

We will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th to benefit Second Harvest. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining. Save the date and plan to attend.

Our Polio Plus campaign begins on the first of March and runs thru April 30^th. The goal is for every Rotarian to donate $50. This will be matched on a 2:1 basis by the Gates foundation.

April 6^th is the district training assembly from 8-2 at the Biltmore hotel in Santa Clara. See Doug for more information.

April 14^th is the Lacy J. Dalton concert at Roaring Camp in Felton. It begins at 1:00 and ends at 5:00. Tickets will be available on line thru the Scotts Valley Rotary website. There is a rumor that if come you will see our own Thomasjohn on the bass!!

speech contest

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 14, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

We will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th to benefit Second Harvest. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining. Save the date and plan to attend.

Wed Feb 20^th from 4:00 to 7:00 will be Aptos area Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase. We will have a booth there. If you signed up to help, please be there.

Our Polio Plus campaign begins on the first of March and runs thru April 30^th. The goal is for every Rotarian to donate $50. This will be matched on a 2:1 basis by the Gates foundation.

April 6^th is the district training assembly from 8-2 at the Biltmore hotel in Santa Clara. See Pam for more information.

The Area 7 speech contest will be Mar 6^th at SLV high school at 3:30 in the afternoon. Come and support our winner Holden Barker!

Mar 15^th is Rotary Day at the Warriors. A link will be posted on the Santa Cruz Rotary website for ticket purchase. .

Today was our area speech contest. Participants included: from Soquel High School Annie Nigh, Sophie Nigh, Stuart Morse, Maddie Piona, Roxie Harris, Aliya Ware, and Stella Gordon and from Aptos High: Emily Marschall Niswonger and Holden Barker. The winners were: third place ($50) Maddy Piona, second place $(100) Annie Nye and first place ($200) Holden Barker.Congratulations to all participants for a job well done!

Uganda safari

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 01, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Michelle reminded us that we will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining.

February 14^th will be the speech contest for high school seniors in the area. ] Please come early that day, no later than noon. We may have as many as 10 contestants so we will need every minute! If you are a volunteer, come a bit earlier.

There will also be a board meeting on the 14^th. Because of the speech contest it will begin at 10:30 and end promptly at 11:30.

Wed Feb 20^th from 4:00 to 7:00 will be Aptos area Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase. We will have a booth there. You can sign up to help with Doug Deaver.

Our speaker today was Peggy Pollard who spoke to us about the Rotary safari to Kasese Uganda. It is part of a Rotary Global Grant for clean water. The trip is planned to be this April from the 1st – 15^th.

cell phone assessment

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 25, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Michelle reminded us that we will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining.

February 14^th will be the speech contest for high school seniors in the area. Save the date! Doug will send around a sign-up sheet to assist.

There will be a meeting of the club foundation on Jan 31st at 11:00. That same day there will also be a meting of the community grant committee at 10:00 AM. All are welcome to come.

Wed Feb 20^th from 4:00 to 7:00 will be Aptos area Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase. We will have a booth there. You can sign up to help with Doug Deaver.

Our speaker today was Nima Jafarian. He is the co-founder of ACI research labs. He has over 10 years of experience in R and D and multiple graduate degrees. He spoke today about a new method of cognitive assessment that he has developed recently that can be accessed by your cell phone.

palliative care

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 17, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Michelle reminded us that we will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining.

February 14^th will be the speech contest for high school seniors in the area. Save the date! Doug will send around a sign-up sheet to assist.

The Aptos Times will be doing an article on RotaCare. Look for it!

There will be a meeting of the club foundation on Jan 31st at 11:00. That same day there will also be a meting of the community grant committee at 10:00 AM. All are welcome to come.

Wed Feb 20^th from 4:00 to 7:00 will be Aptos area Chamber of Commerce Business Showcase. We will have a booth there. You can sign up to help with Doug Deaver.

Margaret Putnam-Pite, LCSW was our speaker today (pictured at right above). She has spent many years in the field of palliative care (which includes hospice) and has now opened a private practice in this field. The goal of her practice is improving quality of life for those affected by a life-threatening illness.

Vietnam

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 10, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Michelle reminded us that we will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining.

Today was Keith’s 93 birthday! We wish him a lovely day!

February 14^th will be the speech contest for high school seniors in the area. Save the date!

The Aptos Times will be doing an article on RotaCare. Look for it!

Brenda announced that Rising International could use help with bookkeeping. It you can help, speak to Carmel Jud at (831-429-RISE)

Today’s speaker was Lew Jennings (on the right above) author of 19 minutes to live: Helicopter combat in Vietnam, a memoir of his years there. The title refers to the average time to live for a helicopter pilot in the worst days of the war. Lew flew over 700 combat missions. He gave us a review of the use of helicopters in warfare as well gripping stories of life on the battlefield.

Kaiser Permanente

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 05, 2019

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Next week there will be a board meeting at 11:00. Among other items we will be discussing community grants and the fundraiser.

Michelle announced that we will be having our major fundraiser April 26^th. It will be a roast of John Laird. It should be very entertaining.

Our speaker today, Rick Bar, (pictured above with past president Pam Goodman) is the area director for account management from Kaiser Permanente. He has several advanced degrees including one in international business administration and is on the board of directors of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.

Rising International

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Dec 21, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Dr. Art announced we will have another weed pulling day. He will send out details in e-mail.

Craig Matthews today received his blue badge.

William Gray received his Paul Harris-plus-Four pin today. Congratulations Bill!

We received our DDF award today! Approximately half of the money will go to Rotacare and half to Rising International. This is a cooperative project and you will hear more about our contributions of time and labor in the future.

Next week (December 27^th) is dark! See you in two weeks (Jan 3rd). Happy holidays to all!

Carmel Judd spoke to us today about Rising International (on the right above with supportive club member Kendra Cleary). It began 20 years ago focusing internationally on human trafficking , then tackled human trafficking here in our own community.

new members

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Dec 07, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Remember your Rotary Foundation pledges are due! You can pay up till December 15th. See John Fisher.

Dr. Art announced we will have another weed pulling day. He will send out details.

The regularly scheduled board meeting is cancelled next week, December 13^th . We will meet as usual on the second Thursday in January.

Today three new (red badge) members presented to us sharing their lives and backgrounds. They were:

**Marie Moseley**

**Michael Herlevi**

**Dave Dematteus**

Michael was born in Guam. He lived in Washington and went to Pacific Lutheran University and

went into the Army through ROTC. He worked for Pfizer for many years. He is now a financial advisor for

Edward Jones. He has one son and loves golf!

Marie Moseley is a teacher who has taught reading and cross cultural classes here in Aptos and

in Alaska and Germany among other places. She had unusual pets including two tarantulas. She told us many

interesting stories about her travels including a trip to Katmandu and one to Kenya. She likes

photography and is learning to play the ukulele.

Dave has lived pretty much his whole life in the bay area. He is a transfer from the Los Altos club.

He went to UC Berkeley where he studied accounting. He did public accounting and was a

specialist in real estate accounting and then moved on to commercial real estate. He has two

daughters and granddaughters and enjoys water sports.

red badge talk

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 29, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

Keith reminded us that the annual Christmas party will be December 2^nd at his house at 4:00.

Remember your Rotary Foundation pledges are due in November but you can pay up till December 15th. See John Fisher.

Dr. Art announced we will have another weed pulling day. He will send out details.

Taylor Brevis from Congressman Panetta’s office gave us a legislative update. She said the Congressman is focused on the farm bill. She also spoke about his focus on the need to have a budget and not a government shutdown. In the new session, they will renew the voting rights act. The first piece of legislation will be on conflict of interest laws. It will focus on reining in dark money in politics. Other issues to be addressed in the new session will be lowering prescription drug prices, immigration reform and environmental protection.

We had two red badge speakers today. The first was Trish Glassey. She was born in Hawaii then moved to California. She did undergraduate work at UCSC and graduate work at Univ of Michigan and worked in politics and program analysis for many years, among them as an aide for Leon Panetta! Welcome Trish!

Matt Wetstein , our second red badger, also worked in politics as an aide for Paul Simon. His dissertation was on abortion politics in the U.S and it turned into a book on abortion rates in the U.S., one of the first studies to look at all fifty states. He is in his ninth month as President of Cabrillo College and loves it and loves being here. Welcome Matt!

cycling across america

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 16, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

Keith announced that the annual Christmas party will be December 2^nd at his house at 4:00. Please sign up on the sign-up sheet and indicate how many in your party.

Remember your Rotary Foundation pledges are due in November. See John Fisher to pay.

Sandy introduced our Piatt fellow from UCSC, Alexey Munishkin. He is a post grad student in the field of electrical and computer engineering department. He is studying programming related to robotics and automation and how to incorporate safety and time efficiency into areas such as air traffic control and automotive guidance systems.

Remember next week is dark for Thanksgiving!

Chris Figureida was here today to speak about Cycle for the Heart, a program of Heluna Health, part of the American Heart Association. He described for us his first cross country ride.

rehab facility

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 09, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

Keith announced that the annual Christmas party will be December 2^nd at his house at 4:00. Please sign up and indicate how many of you are coming.

Kate announced that the symphony league’s big fundraiser home tour will be December 1^st and 2^nd. See her for tickets….

Next Thursday is the Foundation Board Meeting at 11:00.

Remember your Rotary Foundation pledges are due in November. See John Fisher to pay.

Next Thursday November 15^th there is a fundraiser for Rising International at the tech museum in San Jose. A special price for Rotarians has been set at $125. If you wish to go see Pam or Doug.

Our speakers today were Cynthia Chase and Sgt. Karen Wells from the re-entry and rehabilitation Rountree facility in Watsonville. The new facility was opened in July of this year. The facility is funded by AB 109 and SB 1022 for “prison realignment”.

Cabrillo College

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 02, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

This Saturday November 3^rdthe club will be doing weeding at the The Farm Park in Soquel, a project for the restoration of Native Plants. The park is up from Soquel Drive (near Fairway). Go north on Harden, then to the right on Tee. This will replace our usual beach clean-up.

There is a club board meeting on November 8^th at 11:00. All are welcome. We will be hearing a presentation about the Capitola library.

Keith announced that the annual Christmas party will be December 2^nd at his house. Please sign up on the sign-up sheet and indicate how many you of you are coming.

Kate announced that the home tour will be December 1^st and 2^nd for th symphony league’s big fundraiser. See her for tickets….

Today our club heard a presentation from two political science professors from Cabrillo College. Cabrillo President Matt Wetstein introduced Rory 0’Brien and Nick Rowell from the Department of Political Sciences. Dr. O’Brien focuses on forces in American politics and served two terms as faculty president. Dr. Rowell teaches courses on comparative government and has a research focus on Latin American politics.

Beach and Boardwalk

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 26, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

We will be doing weeding at the The Farm Park in Soquel, a project for the restoration of Native Plants. The park is up from Soquel Drive (near Fairway). Go north on Harden, then to the right on Tee. It will be Saturday November 3 at 9:00 AM. This will replace our usual beach clean-up.

Today the club was welcomed at the Seaside company where Wes Walker gave us a presentation about the Seaside company and the security division and the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

district governor

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 12, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

The dedication for Leo’s Haven will be Oct 13^th. The address is 1975 Chanticleer Ave and the festivities will take place from 10:00 to 2:00. If you signed up to help set up please arrive by 8:30.

We will be doing weeding at the The Farm Park in Soquel, a project for the restoration of Native Plants. The park is up from Soquel Drive (near Fairway): north on Harden, then to the right on Tee. It will be Saturday November 3 at 9:00 AM. This will replace our usual beach clean-up.

Friday Oct 26^th will be the date for the dinner honoring our own Michelle Bassi, this year’s Woman of the Year. Make checks out to Aptos Seascape for $85 and give them to Doug to reserve our table.

Our district governor Tim Lundell was our speaker today. He was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, and came to California in 1972 to attend law school at Santa Clara University, and to start a law practice which continues today.

mystery writing

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 05, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERs

The dedication for Leo’s Haven will be Oct 13^th. The address is 1975 Chanticleer Ave from 1 and the festivities will take place from 10:00 to 2:00

The District Governor’s visit is scheduled for Oct 11^th. We will meet in the big room that day.

Sandie will be honored by the Volunteer Center for a "Be the Difference" award at a luncheon at the Coconut Grove on Wed, Oct 24, 11:30. If interested in going see Pam.

Remember to turn in your Rotary Foundation Pledge Cards to John Fisher in the next two weeks! We would like to have them turned in before the district governors visit!

Peggy Townsend was our speaker today. She writes for UCSC and is a former Sentinel journalist. She is currently a mystery writer and spoke to us today about her career transition. The title of her first book is See Her Run.

libraries

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 27, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Come and participate in the Sunrise Rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th or help with clean-up on Saturday October 6^th. The dedication itself will be at the park at 1975 Chanticleer on October 13^th from 10:00 to 2:00

We will be doing weeding at the The Farm Park in Soquel, a project for the restoration of native plants. The park is up from Soquel Drive ,north on Harden, right on Tee. It will be Saturday November 3 at 9:00 AM. This will replace our usual beach clean-up.

Avenues of Service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00-9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information.

The District Governor’s visit is scheduled for Oct 11^th. We will meet in the big room that day.

Sandie will be honored by the Volunteer Center for a "Be the Difference" award at a luncheon at the Coconut Grove on Wed, Oct 24, 11:30. If interested in going see Pam.

Dr. Art will be bringing flu vaccine the next few weeks for those both over and under 65.

Sept 29^th will be the Freedom and Watsonville Rotary Clubs Burrito Bash at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. There will be great food and entertainment. Go and support our neighbor clubs!

Remember to turn in your Rotary Foundation Pledge Cards to John Fisher in the next two weeks! We would like to have them turned in before the district governor's visit!

Cindy Jackson spoke to us today about the state of the libraries. She is on the Friends of the Library board at the La Selva Beach branch .

Assemblyman Mark stone

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 21, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Come and participate in the Sunrise Rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th or sign up with Doug to help with clean-up on Saturday October 6^th. The dedication itself will be at the park at 1975 Chanticleer on October 13^th from 10:00 to 2:00

Avenues of Service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00-9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information.

The District Governor’s visit is scheduled for Oct 11^th. We will meet in the big room that day.

Dr Art will be bringing flu vaccine the next few weeks for those both over and under 65.

Sept 29^th will be the Freedom and Watsonville Rotary Clubs Burrito Bash at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. There will be great food and entertainment. Go and support our neighbor clubs!

Remember to turn in your Rotary Foundation Pledge Cards to John Fisher in the next two weeks! We would like to have them turned in before the district governor's visit.

Assemblyman Mark Stone, the assemblyman for District 29 which includes Santa Cruz Count was our speaker today (On the right in photo above). He is in his third term. He is the chair of the judiciary committee and on several other committees including banking and finance.

aptos fire chief

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 14, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Come and participate in the Sunrise rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th or help with clean-up the week before the dedication on October 13^th. Clean-up day will be Saturday October 6^th.

Avenues of Service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00-9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information.

The District Governor’s visit is scheduled for Oct 11^th. We will meet in the big room that day.

Dr Art will be bringing flu vaccine the next few week for those both over and under 65.

Sept 29^th will be the Freedom and Watsonville Rotary Clubs Burrito Bash at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. There will be great food and entertainment. Go and support our neighbor clubs!

Aaron Lowe, the new fire chief for the Aptos/La Selva Fire Protection District was our speaker today. He is from Chico and is a 24 year veteran of the Fire Service. He has also served as a member of the U.S. Forest Service’s incident management team

walnut ave women and family center

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 07, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Come and participate in the Sunrise rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th or help with clean-up the week before the dedication on October 13^th. Sign up with Doug. More details later.

Avenues of Service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00-9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information.

The District Governor’s visit is scheduled for Oct 11^th. We will meet in the big room that day.

Friday Oct 26^th will be the date for the dinner honoring our own Michelle Bassi, this year’s Woman of the Year. Save the date!

Dr Art will be bringing flu vaccine next week for those both over and under 65.

Sept 29^th will be the Freedom and Watsonville Rotary Clubs Burrito Bash at the Santa Cruz Fairgrounds. There will be great food and entertainment. Go and support our neighbor clubs!

Dr. Julie Macecevic from the Walnut Ave Family and Women’s Center was our speaker today (pictured above with Anissa Novak). Julie is a clinical psychologist who has had years of counseling experience with women and youth. She spent 27 months as a peace corps volunteer in Morocco.

Metavivor

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 24, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d’oeuvre to share if you wish!

Save Aug 30^th for Win’s debunking. It will begin around 5:30 at Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Cost is $40 at the door. Please note: The club itself will be dark that day.

Come and participate in the sunrise rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th or help with clean-up the week before the dedication on October 13^th. See Doug for more details.

There will be an Area 7 Rotary mixer will be on Oct 9^th from 5:00-7:00. There is a $5.00 fee for hors d’oeuvre and drinks. This event is just for Rotary members to get to know each other in our area.

Avenues of Service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00-9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information.

Kent benedict spoke to us about a scholarship fund set up in the name of our dearly missed Dr. Stan Hajduk. To donate go to keck.usc.edu/giving/classof1968.

Friday Oct 26^th will be the dinner for our own Michelle Bassi, this year’s woman of the year. Save the date!

Dian Corneliussen from Metavivor came to speak to us today about creating awareness for metastatic breast cancer. She is a local person who retired from the air force, after working on cases of people who did not return from Vietnam.

Kidpower

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 17, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite to share if you wish!

Save Aug 30^th for Win’s debunking. It will begin around 5:00 at Santa Cruz Yacht Club. Note: The club itself will be dark that day.

Saturday August 18th Cabrillo Stage has set aside seats for The Producers for SIRS and CAP Rotary for the 2pm matinee. If you are interested in joining us tickets are $40 each and can be ordered by calling Cabrillo Stage at (831) 479-6154.

Saturday August 25th the Derby Girls will be playing at the Santa Cruz City Auditorium at 6:45pm. General Admission tickets are $17 each and they will help coordinate a section for us. Call the box office at 831-420-5260.

Come and participate in the sunrise rotary bike ride event for Leo’s Haven on Saturday Sept 29^th. They need our help with volunteers or you can ride and raise money. See Doug for more details.

Avenues of service will be on Oct 4th from 4:00- 9:00. The club will pay the fee of $49.50 if you wish to go. See Pam for more information

Story

Our speaker today was Irene Van Der Zande from Kidpower, a non-profit which focuses on personal safety for kids, teens adults and seniors.

RYLA

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 10, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d’oeuvre to share if you wish!

Our incoming president Michelle Bassi and our Rotacare MD Dr Chandra are both on the ballot for people of the year. Please vote! The voting deadline is Aug 13^th at 5:00 PM and you can vote on a paper ballot or electronically at www.aptoschamber.com.

Save Aug 30^th for Win’s debunking. It will begin around 5:30 at Santa Cruz Yacht Club.

Becky Peters announced the annual memory walk to benefit Alzheimer’s Association will be Sept 22^nd at Seascape Park. If you want to walk with our team, sign up with Becky or you can simply donate any amount.

Rod announced the celebration of the 40^th anniversary of Save our Shores at the Monterey Bay Aquarium with Congressman Jimmy Panetta. It is Saturday Sept 22^nd at 6:00 PM. Cost is $175. Tickets are available at saveourshores.org/toast

Today our own Sandy and Doug spoke to us about the RYLA experience. They covered the history of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, which emphasizes learning leadership qualities and skills. It began in 1959 in Australia. The first year in our district was 1983 and we have gone on from there. It now costs about $600 for each student and we are allowed to send 4 kids per year; two from Soquel High and two from Aptos High.

Aging with Joy

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 03, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The next will be a board meeting at 11:00 next Thursday (Aug 9^th) at Aptos Seascape. All members are welcome to attend.

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d’oeuvre to share if you wish!

Our incoming president Michelle Bassi and our Rotacare MD Dr. Chandra are both on the ballot for people of the year. Please vote! The voting deadline is Aug 13^th at 5:00 PM and you can vote on a paper ballot or electronically www.aptos chamber.com.

Walnut Ave Women’s Center gave us a sponsorship ticket for their fundraising brunch on Sunday Aug 12^th. Let Pam or Michelle know if you wish to go.

Save Aug 30^th for Win’s debunking. It will begin around 5:30 at Santa Cruz Yacht Club.

Saturday August 25th the Derby Girls will be playing at the Santa Cruz City Auditorium at 6:45pm. General Admission ticket ($17 each) and they will help coordinate a section for us. call the box office at 831-420-5260).

Our speaker today was Cathy Cress, MSW. A graduate of UC Berkeley, she is an author and editor of the Handbook of Geriatric Care Management. She spoke today about the quality of life and bringing back joy as we age.

United Way

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 26, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

The next board meeting will be on Aug 9th at Aptos Seascape.

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d’oeuvre to share if you wish!

Santa Cruz Sunrise Club has a project to bring water to Uganda and their trip will be in January. If interested let Dr. Art know. He also is a good source of information on all Rotary International projects. These will be e-mailed out as we receive them.

Doug announced that Aptos Chamber of Commerce will be hosting Jimmy Panetta on Tuesday Aug 14^th at 11:50 Best Western Seacliff.

Our incoming president Michelle Bassi and our RotaCare MD, Dr. Chandra, are both on the ballot for people of the year. Please vote! The voting deadline is Aug 13^th at 5:00 PM and you can vote on a paper ballot or electronically www.aptos chamber.com.

Walnut Ave Women’s Center gave us a sponsorship ticket for their fundraising lunch on Sunday Aug 12^th. Let Pam or Michelle know if you wish to go.

Save Aug 30^th for Win’s debunking. Location will be announced later.

Keisha Frost, the Chief Executive Officer from United Way was our speaker for the day. She is a University of Washington graduate who qualified for the 1996 Olympics! She came here in 2012 and was promoted to CEO of United Way this year.

wings

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 20, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

There will be a board meeting on July 26^th at 11:15 at Aptos Seascape.

Win’s debunking has been rescheduled for August. Watch the website for the final date.

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d’ouvre to share if you wish!

Amber Lennon, one our scholarship recipients, received her check today. She spent her summer in Hawaii where she worked on a farm where to make fresh fruits and vegetables available to the Native Hawaiian community. She just graduated from Soquel High and is now going to UC Berkeley.

Dr. Art announced Santa Cruz Sunrise Club has a project to bring water to Uganda and their trip will be in January. If interested let Dr. Art know.

Jill Castagnola was our speaker for the day. She is from Wings, an organization that serves the homeless. She is an Aptos resident who taught at Chico state.

Kurdish bicycle

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 13, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Win shared with us several thank you letters from our community grant recipients.

Walnut Ave Women’s Center has offered us a free ticket to their fundraiser which is August 12^th at Chaminade as a thank you for club support. If you are interested in going see Pam.

There will be a board meeting on July 26^th at 11:00 at Aptos Seascape. There are two potential openings on the board for the 2018-2019 year; if you wish to serve see Pam.

Win’s debunking has been rescheduled for August. Watch the website for the final date.

Keith’s annual summer party will be Sunday August 26^th at 3:00. There will be games and refreshments. Bring your favorite hors d'oeuvre to share if you wish!

Alesa Lightbourne, the author of The Kurdish Bike, a novel about Northern Iraq was our speaker today. Her book has won two international gold medals. Alesa is a UCSC graduate and local professor and has taught all over the world.

fellowship recipient

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 21, 2018

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

We are passing around a sign-up sheet for people to work in the Rotary booth on the fourth of July (at the world’s shortest parade!). Other than our major fundraiser, this is our only money raising effort. See Tim for more information

Richard thanked the club for their efforts on his behalf but he can no longer run the beach clean-up so he is interested in finding someone to take over. Al volunteered so go out and support him!

Win shared with us several thank you letters from our community grant recipients.

We also welcomed Matt Wetstein and Victoria Lewis, both of Cabrillo College, as new members of the club.

Win’s debunking has been postponed. It will be held later in July.

Sandra announced that the RYLA barbecue will be June the 28^th at Mission Springs. See Sandra if you wish to share a ride or you can just show up. There is plenty of food.

Story

Sandra Wallace introduced our guest today, Chad Townsend, a doctoral student in bio-engineering at UCSC who is the recipient of our Rotary fellowship. He was a graduate of SLV high school before going to UCSC.

action against hunger

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS

Today we honored the recipients of our Rotary scholarships Marisol Hernandez, Joshua Michener and Ethan Abelard (see photos below).

We will be passing around a sign-up sheet for people to work in the Rotary booth on the fourth of July (at the world’s shortest parade!).

O’Neill’s Sea Odyssey will be having a celebration next Sunday the 24^th at Cowell beach and dedicating the Circle loop to Jack O’Neill. They need volunteers to help. if you can help see Michelle.

Dr. Art spoke to us about international service. He would like to hear from anyone who would like to be involved in an international projects. One is a polio project in India. Project fairs also provide another opportunity.

Win’s debunking is in two weeks here at Aptos Seascape, Thurs the 28^th at noon.

Sandra announced that the RYLA barbecue will be that same night (the 28^th) at Mission Springs. See Sandra if you wish to share a ride or you can just show up. There is plenty of food.

Our speaker today was Jeremy Loader from Rise Against Hunger which is collaborating to end hunger. He is a local person and joined Rise Against Hunger in April of this year as program manager for the central coast.

community grants awarded

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 09, 2018

Today was a special day for Capitola Aptos Rotary. We awarded grants totaling $18,000 to selected community groups and agencies. Awardees are pictured below. Each agency made a short presentation about the work they do in the community. They are as follows:

Cabrillo College Engineering Abroad Program 10 delegates will go abroad

to install water systems in Guatemala.This year will be a special challenge

because they are only ten miles from the volcano!

Dientes Community Dental Care serves over 10,000 patients a year

with dental care for low income and uninsured patients.

Their annual event funds free care for seniors and kids especially.

Digital Nest . is a workforce development center in Watsonville

and Salinas preparing 18-24 preparing them for r full time jobs.

40 youth have already achieved paying jobs or internships.

For Kids Foundation Monterey Bay – they offer $ for critical needs

of youth from birth to 20 years old.

They operate across three counties.

Grey Bears -promotes activity and social connections for hundreds

of people in Santa Cruz County .They glean food, about 500,000 lbs a year,

that they deliver to seniors. They also do computer refurbishing.

Helping Hands provides home repair, balance training classes

and other services for older adults and people with health care needs.

meals on wheels

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 31, 2018

Today we awarded a check for $28,403 to Lisa Berkowitz, our local director of Meals on Wheels. She spoke about one driver who even though he is a diabetic is devoted to Meals on Wheels and drives for the organization. She stressed that our grant will keep the program running in difficult times.

Wes Hobbs Chair of the District Rotary Foundation presented an award to Dr. Art Dover for his contribution to Polio Plus. Mr. Hobbs reviewed for us how the money raised is being used. Polio has been virtually eliminated in all but two countries (Pakistan and Afghanistan) and even they have only 8 cases. They noted Rotary is making a huge impact in the world (with the help of Dr. Dover!)

We reviewed the procedures for awarding our community grants and the recipients of these awards. They include programs such as Dientes, Second Harvest, Walnut Family and Women’s Center and the Volunteer Center Helping Hands Home Repair and Literacy Programs. Next week (June 7^th) we will be having our awards ceremony for the recipients. If you are one of our recipient organizations, be sure to attend. It is a wonderful day and a chance to meet other awardees, and network!

Telephonic Museum

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 27, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

The theme for this year’s Rotary district 5170 conference is Celebrate the Past: Create the Future. It is June 1-3 at San Jose State University. You can register online at events.rotarydistrict5170.org.

Watsonville Rotary is holding a Maine Lobster Feast on Saturday June 9 2018. Tickets are $100.00. The event will be held at 5:30 at the Harvest Building on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Dr. Art Dover was named Medical Hero by the American Red Cross! If you are interested in attending his awards breakfast at Twin Lakes on June 15^th let Al know.

Remember to track your volunteer hours in the community! We will begin collecting those soon.

Today the club went off site to view the spectacular JKL American Museum of Telephony in Soquel. It has the most remarkable collection of telephones throughout the ages as well as phone booths, a library, and videos reflecting the history of the telephone. It is a non-profit organization and admission is free!

The tour was led by the owner John K. LaRue and two other colleagues who between them have many years of experience working with telephone utilities both here and abroad. We all learned many things that we hadn’t known before such as the number of colors phones have come in over the years, and the history of the development of the technology.

The museum welcomes visits by the public but by invitation only. Children must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to ask to be invited to visit contact Mr. LaRue at 831-948-2127 or john@jklmuseum.com.

Telephone Museum

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 24, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Watsonville Rotary is holding a Maine Lobster Feast on Saturday June 9 2018. Tickets are $100.00. The event will be held at 5:30 at the Harvest Building on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Dr. Art Dover was named Medical Hero by the American Red Cross! If you are interested in attending his awards breakfast at Twin Lakes on June 15^th let Al know.

Remember to track your volunteer hours in the community! We will begin collecting those soon.

Derby Girls

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 18, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

On May 24^th we are going off site to the Museum of Telephony off Rodeo Gulch Rd. Sign up with Pam Goodman and specify your lunch if you plan to go. Meet at Beverly’s on 41^st Ave at noon to carpool.

The theme for this year’s district conference is Celebrate the Past: Create the Future. It is June 1-3 at San Jose State University. You can register online at events.rotarydistrict5170.org.

Watsonville Rotary is holding a Maine Lobster Feast on Saturday June 9 2018. Tickets are $100.00. The event will be held at 5:30 at the Harvest Building on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Dr. Art Dover was named Medical Hero by the American Red Cross! If you are interested in attending his awards breakfast at Twin Lakes on June 15^th let Al know.

The annual Bob Swenson memorial golf tournament will be held on June 1^st at Seascape Golf Club. Cost is $160.

Get the word out about RotaCare! Fliers are available from Brenda.

Win has Pollworker applications if you wish to work on election day in June. This is a fundraiser for the club.

Remember to track your volunteer hours in the community! We will begin collecting those soon.

Today we had the Santa Cruz Derby Girls here. They’re a non-profit group celebrating their 10^th year in our community. Eileen Hill is the executive director of the group. Jenny Olson and Megan Alpine were also part of the presentation. (It should be noted that all girls have their derby names as well).

Music in May

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on May 10, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

On May 24^th we are going off site to the Museum of Telephony off Rodeo Gulch Rd. Sign up with Pam Goodman and specify your lunch if you plan to go.

The theme for this year’s district conference is Celebrate the Past: Create the Future. It is June 1-3 at San Jose State University. You can register online at events.rotarydistrict5170.org.

The club received an application from Victoria Lewis of Cabrillo College to join the club. Her application was approved by the board. If there are comments on the application let Doug Deaver know.

If you wish to be a pollworker for the June elections and donate your fee as part of our fundraising efforts, applications are available here or call (831) 454-2060.

Watsonville Rotary is holding a Maine Lobster Feast on Saturday June 9 2018. Tickets are $100.00. The event will be held at 5:30 at the Harvest Building on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.

Dr. Art Dover was named Medical Hero by the American Red Cross! If you are interested in attending his awards breakfast at Twin Lakes on June 15^th let Al know

Today we had the pleasure of hearing violinist Rebecca Jackson. She is a founding member of Music in May (see below) . She has performed in many marginalized communities around the world, including refugee camps. She is co-founder of Sound Impact and a graduate of Julliard and UCSC.

Congressman Panetta

Announcements and Reminders

Soquel Interact Club will have their annual golf tournament May llth. For more information google Soquel High School Fund /Annual Golf Tournament.

The 2018 district conference is June 1^st 2^nd and 3^rd in San Jose. You can sign up at the district website.

Next week there is a board meeting at 11:00.

On May 24^th we will not be meeting here. We are going off site to the Museum of Telephony off Rodeo Gulch Rd. Sign up to go.

Our speaker today was Congressman Jimmy Panetta from the 20^th Congressional District. He serves on the Ag Committee and its Nutrition and Horticultural research subcommittees as well as the House Armed Services Committee. He is the co-founder of the National Security Task Force and served on the board of the National Marine Sanctuary.

Congressman Panetta spoke about the level of confusion in the federal government at this point including things being said and things being tweeted, both substantiated and unsubstantiated. He said it can get confusing and it truly is an unprecedented time.

Botswana

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Apr 26, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

The Scotts Valley club announced on Saturday April 28^ththey will hold their fundraiser.^.Lacy J. Dalton will be singing! Tickets are $40.00. You can get them at www.lacyjdalton.brownpapertickets.com.

Soquel Interact Club will have their annual golf tournament May llth. For more information google Soquel High School Fund /Annual Golf Tournament.

Three blue badges were distributed today to William Gray, Roy Morter and Dave Dematteis. Welcome to the club!

Kelly announced that his year's debunking for Win Fernald will be at June 28^th here in Aptos at the Seascape golf club at lunch. The RYLA dinner will be that evening.

Our speakers today were Michelle and Alex Bell. They spoke about their trip to Botswana Africa in November 2016.

African Safari

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Apr 12, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Remember our major fundraiser tomorrow, Friday April 13^th! A roast for Bruce McPherson will be the highlight. Come and bring your guest(s) and prepare to bid on our silent auctions items. It should be a wonderful night!

The community grant application deadline has passed. Applications will be reviewed by the end of May and our June 7^th meeting will be with the awardees.

The Scotts Valley club announced that they now meet at the Hilton on Monday at 12:15. On Saturday April 28^ththey will hold their fundraiser.^.Lacy J. Dalton will be singing! Tickets are $40.00. You can get them at www.lacyjdalton.brownpapertickets.com.

Soquel Interact Club will have their annual golf tournament May llth. For more information google Soquel High School Fund /Annual Golf Tournament.

Our speaker today was Doug Brown with his wife Maria, the photographer who took many of the beautiful pictures we saw today. He spoke about his experiences on the Ntaba African safari.

New President of Cabrillo

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Apr 06, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Our application for community grants has been posted. It is on the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th. Please note: The application must be downloaded and filled out off-line then e-mailed in.

Remember our major fundraiser April 13^th! A roast for Bruce McPherson will be the highlight! Tickets are $150. Think about business sponsorships (which come with free tickets!) and possible silent auction items! And bring a bottle of wine for our wine wheelbarrow.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies (sanders and drop cloths especially) and volunteers! If you want to add your name to the list see Craig.

Rotarian of the week is Michelle for all her hard work on the major fundraiser.

Next week is a board meeting at 11:00. The week after is a foundation meeting at the same time.John Fisher announced that we still need $50 from every member for donations for Polio Plus. Contributions will be matched.

Our speaker today was Dr. Matthew Wetstein, the new president of Cabrillo College. He has a political science doctorate and started his career as a political science professor. He is the author of a number of articles. He first shared with us a little of his personal background . He comes to us from the central valley, (Stockton), after bring born in the Midwest, (East St. Louis Illinois). Then he went on to speak about Cabrillo. It currently serves 12000 students in its two sites. Sixty percent (60%) of the students are women. One in five of the students is the first in the family to attend college.

learning from adventure

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Mar 29, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Our application for community grants has been posted. It is on the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

Please note: The application must be downloaded and filled out off-line then e-mailed in.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies (sanders and drop cloths especially) and volunteers! If you want to add your name to the list see Craig.

Bee announced that we have two winners in the annual Santa Cruz “Best of” survey. Lifespan was runner-up for best senior services and Kyle was runner up for best financial planner.

John Fisher announced that we need to make a $50 donation to the foundation for 100% club participation.

The Soquel High Interactors are having a fundraiser at DeLaveaga Golf Club on May 11^th. It is $120 per golfer.

Our speaker today was Dr. David Smith, an accomplished athlete, author and adventurer as well as a marathon swimmer and creator of the NBC show ‘Survival of the Fittest’. He spoke about testing physical and psychological limits and the importance of getting out of one’s comfort zone.

Veteran's Services

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Mar 22, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

Remember our major fundraiser April 13^th, a roast for Bruce McPherson. Tickets are $150. Think about business sponsorships (which come with free tickets!) and possible silent auction items! And bring a bottle of wine for our wine wheelbarrow.

Second Harvest needs volunteers next Saturday (March 24^th) to help with food sorting.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies (sanders and drop cloths especially) and volunteers! In the same vein, the Rotarian of the week is Craig Matthews for taking on this big job. If you want to add your name to the list see Craig.

John Fisher announced the Rotary Foundation was honoring Bill Witmer for his contributions.

Dean Kaufman, a Veterans Services Officer from our local Veteran’s Service Office (VS0) at 846 Front Street spoke to use today about Veteran's Benefits.

Mr Kaufman began by stressing that veterans are part of all of our lives. He first described the four branches of the VA: healthcare, financial benefits (such as the GI bill), cemeteries, and the vet center. Ours is one of the best VA’s (in Livermore) in the country due to an association with Stanford. Two other nearby clinics are Monterey and San Jose. Vets must have an honorable discharge to be eligible for this service. No computer system links them all together. However, our VSO is a county office, not affiliated with the federal VA.

free apps

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Mar 08, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies and volunteers! To sign up, see Win.

We had two visitors today from the Aptos Chamber of Commerce who are doing a project getting their members to identify where they appear and we were featured today! See us on their website!

Doug announced that Jamie Walton from Aptos High won the area speech contest (as Doug said she smoked ‘em!). Now she goes on to the regional contest. Go Jamie!

Our speaker today was our own Doug Deaver ! He highlighted websites and phone apps, many of which are free, that we might find helpful.

Want to avoid robocalls? NOMOROBO is an app that makes robo calls only ring once. Similarly, HIYA is a phone app that tells you who’s calling even if you don’t have a record of them.

ice cream

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Mar 05, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the top right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

Remember our major fundraiser April 13^th, a roast for Bruce McPherson. Tickets are $150. Think about business sponsorships (which comes with free tickets!) and possible silent auction items! And bring a bottle of wine for our wine wheelbarrow.

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) applications are due. Awardees go to Mission Springs for a 5 day leadership camp. High school sophomores and juniors are eligible. If you know of someone who could be eligible get an application from Sandy.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies and volunteers! To sign up, see Win.

Doug introduced two Interact members who spoke to us about what is happening at Soquel High. They spoke about their RYLA experience and the Fall Leadership Conference. They also did fundraisers such as gift wrapping and beach clean-up. Ahead is the Polar Plunge!

Our speaker today was Amy Ettinger, a writer who grew up in Silicon Valley. She has written about travel, parenting, health and food and these articles have been published in the New York Times as well as other publications. Today she spoke to us about her book Sweet Spot which is all about ice cream!

services for the homeless

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 22, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the bottom right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

Rotary Night at the Warriors is March 2^nd. Go to their website and enter Rotary Night Warriors Santa Cruz and the info will come up. Tickets are $41.

Remember our major fundraiser April 13^th, a roast for Bruce McPherson. Tickets are $150. Save the date!

RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) applications are due. Awardees go to Mission Springs for a 5 day leadership camp. High school sophomore and juniors are eligible. If you know of someone who could be eligible get an application from Sandy.

Kids Foundation of Monterey Bay is auctioning off an electric bike on Apr 21^st. Raffle tickets are $10 each. See Sandy for tickets.

The area speech contest is March 3^rd at SLV. Go and support our winner, Jamie Walton.

April 7^th is our workday at the Homeless Services Center. We need supplies and volunteers! To sign up, see Win.

Our speaker today was from the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center. Phil Kramer, seen above with Pam Goodman, is the executive director. He comes from a high-tech background but mid-career decided instead to focus on non-profits in our community.

speech contest

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 15, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the bottom right corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

Rotary night at the warriors is March 2^nd. Go to their website and put in Rotary Night Warriors Santa Cruz and the info will come up. Tickets are $41.

Michelle reminded us that the major fundraiser will be Friday April 13^th. The committee decided it will be two-part fundraiser for our community grants and Meals on Wheels. Meetings of the fundraiser committee will be on the first and third Thursdays at 11:00. All are welcome to come.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business Showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. We will be setting up starting at around 3:00 if you wish to help. If you have old Rotarian magazines bring them and we’ll hand them out.

Pam Goodman announced that in the month of March we have great speakers lined up. One speaker will share his experience about being in an internment camp, another will tell us about the effect of sports on society and we will be introduced to the new president of Cabrillo College. Come and bring a guest!

Sandy announced that RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) applications are due. Awardees go to Mission Springs for a 5 day leadership camp and our club pays their way. High school sophomore and juniors are eligible. If you know of someone who could be eligible get an application from Sandy.

Win gave us an update on our Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center project. It is scheduled to take place probably on April 7^th,, but it may take more than one day. All Rotary clubs will participate and our club is responsible for painting tables and benches.

UCSC Rotaract will have a fundraisers for Jacob’s Heart and Digital Nest . The date is February 24 12-4 at UCSC Arboretum. Tickets are $30.

Santa Cruz Sunrise Rotary will have their annual fundraiser Saturday April 21^st 2-5 PM. It is a wine tasting at the Tannery on 1060 River St. This program benefits the Santa Cruz al Salvador program which provides clean water and sanitation. For more info go to www.wine2water2018.eventbrite.com.

Save the date for the Watsonville Rotary Maine lobster fest. It is $100 on June 9^th at 5:30 at the harvest building on the Santa Cruz county fairgrounds.

Today was the chapter speech contest. Talented students from area high schools (Soquel and Aptos) competed for scholarships, speaking on a variety of topics, but all incorporating the Rotary 4 way test. The third place ($50) winner was Katherine Walton, The second place winner ($100) was Annie Nye and the first place winner ($200) was Jamie Walton. Winners will compete in the area contest in April and those winners will go on to the district contest.

emergency preparedness

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 08, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the right hand corner of our home page. Please e-mail applications in by April 13^th.

The club speech contest is next week. We will meet in the big room.

Rotary night at the warriors is March 2^nd. Go to their website and put in Rotary Night Warriors Santa Cruz and the info will come up. Tickets are $41.

Michelle announced that the major fundraiser will be Friday April 13^th. The committee decided it will be two-part fundraiser for our community grants and Meals on Wheels. Meetings of the fundraiser committee will be on the first and third Thursdays at 11:00. All are welcome to come.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business Showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. We will be setting up starting at around 3:00 if you wish to help.

Our speaker today was Mary Edmund who is the executive director from CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams). It is based on the theory of neighbors helping neighbors. It is run by the CERT Auxiliary, a local non-profit. Our branch is associated with the Aptos La Selva Fire District.

Aging in Place

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Feb 02, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the bottom right corner of our home page. Please e-mail in applications by April 13^th.

John Fisher awarded Karen her five star Paul Harris Pin!

There will be a board meeting next week at 11:00.

Rotary night at the warriors is March 2^nd. Go to their website and put in Rotary Night Warriors Santa Cruz and the info will come up. Tickets are $41.

Michelle announced that the major fundraiser will be Friday April 13^th. The committee decided it will be two part fundraiser for our community grants and Meals on Wheels. Meetings will be on the first and third Thursday at 11:00.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business Showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. Doug has a volunteer sign-up sheet to help promote Rotary that night.

Jessica Bukowinski, outreach coordinator for Village Santa Cruz was our speaker today. They are a network of Santa Cruz County residents who are working to support aging in place by providing asocial connections, intergenerational interaction and practical assistance.

Bird atlas

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 25, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Please note: The online application for community grants has been posted. It is downloadable from the bottom right corner of our home page.

Please return your application via email by April 13th.’

John awarded Michelle Bassi a Polio Plus pin for her contributions.

If we have eligible contestants, the speech contest will be held February 15^th. Sign up to help with judging, scoring or greeting.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business Showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. Doug has a volunteer sign-up sheet to help promote Rotary that night.

RYLA applications are out now. Get them from Sandra if you know of students who are eligible (freshman, sophomores or juniors in high school).

June 23-27^th is the international convention this year in Toronto.

Our three speakers today were from the Santa Cruz County Bird Club. Stephanie Singer is a board member. Lisa, the president of the bird club was the second presenter. Third, was Alex Rinkert who conducts bird research and habitat restoration and has led more than 200 birding trips.

grand jury

Posted on Jan 18, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Rotary Warrior night will be March 2^nd. Find it on the internet by putting in Rotary Warriors Santa Cruz for tickets.

The speech (the club only) contest will be February 15^th. Sign up to help with judging, scoring or greeting.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business Showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. Doug has a volunteer sign-up sheet to help promote Rotary that night.

RYLA applications will go out later this month. Get them from Sandra if you know of students who are eligible (freshman, sophomores or juniors in high school).

The Rotaract club is holding its 2^nd annual large scale fundraiser on February 24th which will support Jacobs Heart and Digital Nest. It will be from 12-4 at the UCSC arboretum. For more information or tickets go to rotaractfair.eventbrite.com. They also have individuals available for tasks around your house as another fundraiser.

Applications will be on the website for community grants by the end of January. April 13^th will be date to turn in the applications.

Taylor spoke to us about happenings at Congressman Panetta’s office and what their actions have been this past year. He has been working on issues such as health care, immigration and preventing oil drilling off our coast.

John Fry was our speaker today. He has an MBA and a PhD and has a construction group CDN Crocker Frye. He has many years of community service and is currently developing Founder’s Markets neighborhood grocery stores. He has just completed a year of service on the grand jury and spoke to us about that today.

voter registration

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jan 11, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Next Thursday the 18^th is the Foundation Board Meeting at 11:00.

Michelle announced that Friday April 13^th will be the date for roasting Bruce McPherson. The first fundraising meeting is to determine whether we will focus on one non-profit or fund our ongoing community programs

Our club will be helping to paint and/or refinish benches and tables at the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center in the upcoming year. Stay tuned for more details.

Rotarians of the week are the Pam and Bee for putting together our programs!

Rotary Warrior night will be March 2^nd. Find it on the internet by putting in Rotary Warriors Santa Cruz for tickets.

The speech (the club only) contest will be February 15^th. Sign up to help with judging, scoring or greeting.

Wednesday Feb 21^st will be the Business showcase in Aptos. The event is held here at Aptos Seascape from 4-7. Doug has a volunteer sign-up sheet to help promote Rotary that night.

CASA Friends luncheon will be February 7^th.

RYLA applications will go out later this month. Get them from Sandra if you know of students who are eligible (freshman, sophomores or juniors in high school).

Paul Harris plus foundation pin went to Brenda Mee today.

Our speaker today was Gail Pellerin, pictured above with Bee Peters. She is Santa Cruz County Registrar of Voters. She manages all the elections conducted in the county and does civil marriages and voter registration as well as many other responsibilities. She covered a number of new laws concerning voting as well as what is upcoming in the two 2018 elections.

digital nest

Posted on Jan 05, 2018

Announcements and Reminders

Next Thursday the 11^th is the board meeting at 11:00 and the following Thursday is the foundation board meeting.

John Fisher announced that Richard is the recipient of his second thousand dollar pin.

Win spoke about the President’s dinner. He told us there were only 20 new cases of polio last year.. a huge accomplishment for Rotary International. We are also going to start tracking our volunteer hours.

Our club will be helping to paint the Santa Cruz Homeless Services Center in the upcoming year. Stay tuned for more details.

Dr. Art announced that the flu epidemic has come to California and it is still possible to get a flu shot.

Sandra reminded us the RYLA applications will be out soon. Let her know if you are aware of Soquel and Aptos high school kids who might be interested.

Jacob Martinez from Digital Nest was our speaker today. They have recently added a second center and are now in Salinas as well as Watsonville. 1700 kids have now participated in their program since its inception 3 years ago. This is one of the projects funded by Capitol Aptos Rotary through our community grants program.

higher ground

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Dec 14, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

The Rotary International dinner for our district is on January 3^rd. It is $90 and is at 6:00 at the Double Tree Inn in San Jose. See Win to sign up.

UCSC Rotaract students are fundraising for Digital Nest and Jacobs Heart. We are invited to join with them to help raise money for these two causes. They will keep us informed as to time and place.

There will be a memorial for Anne McCallum on December 22^ndfrom at her home on 225 Waughs street.

Thomas John went to the Interact club and reported back on their activities. They are doing a coat drive a food drive and a Christmas gift wrap to raise money.

Michelle reminded us of our major fundraiser which will be at the end of April or beginning of May. Live auction funds will go to community grants for their disbursement. The fundraiser itself will support one organization to be selected.

Today the club was thrilled to have the Higher Ground quartet playing to get us into the Christmas spirit. They played Christmas songs and southern gospel music. See our Facebook link for the live performance!

Marine whale sanctuary

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 30, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Jo announced there is a party on December 10^th at 8:00 in Whole Foods Capitola.

Laura and Doug are our Rotarians of the week for getting our grant requests in and accepted!

The Rotary International dinner for our district is on January 3^rd. It is $125 and is at 6:00 at the Double Tree Inn in San Jose. See Win to sign up.

For board members, remember the board meeting on the 14^th.

Keith’s party is on the 10^th. Please share a ride if you can.

UCSC Rotaract students are fundraising for Digital Nest and Jacobs Heart. We are invited to join with them to help raise money for these two causes. They will keep us informed as to time and place.

Taylor Brevis from Jimmy Panetta’s office updated us on the news from Washington.

Marine biologist Doris Welch from Sanctuary Cruises was our speaker today. They do whale watching trips on the Monterey Bay. She began her work at Long Marine Lab but left to do sanctuary cruises.

Malawi outreach

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 16, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Aptos and Soquel Interact are doing a beach cleanup on Nov 18^th Seascape Beach at 9:15 by the trestle. We are strongly urged to go! In case of rain, people are still planning to go.

Doug announced that Scotts Valley Rotary is putting together a fundraiser for Leo’s Haven (a Johnny Cash tribute band) Friday Dec 1^st.

Keith reminded us of his annual Christmas party on the first Sunday of December (the 3^rd). No need to bring anything but do RSVP to Keith.

Whole Foods is having a Holiday by the Sea. Charge is 2.00 and the $$ will go to Second Harvest. It will be Dec 10^th at 8-10 PM.

Doug announced that our DDF allocation is $2000 RotaCare and $3000 to Leo’s Haven. We need some active Rotary involvement for these funds.

Kate announced the Symphony Home Tour. Tickets are $40 each. There is also a launch party for $25. Kate is offering a buy-one-get-one-free-deal on those!

We are dark next week! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Paddy Brady was our speaker today. He is from His to Offer (H2O) African outreach. He is 3^rd generation Santa Cruz and worked in NASA and the Air Force and Lockheed.

Red Badge Talk

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Nov 04, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Aptos and Soquel Interact are doing a beach cleanup on Nov 18^th. We are strongly invited.

Doug announced that Scotts Valley Rotary is putting together a fundraiser for Leo’s Haven (a Johnny Cash tribute band) Friday Dec 1^st.

John Fisher awarded Eric a Paul Harris plus 3 pin today He also reminded us we all need to make a donation to the rotary foundation! For every $25 we contribute to the foundation, we get a chance at a free trip to Toronto next year.

Keith reminded us of his annual Christmas party. First Sunday of December as always. No need to bring anything but do RSVP to Keith.

Rotaract is raising money for Digital Nest and Jacob’s Heart. See Al if this is something you would like to help with.

Dominican Hospital Foundation has a presidential luncheon on Dec 17^th with a silent auction and a gala on the 18^th. If interested see Win.

Homeless services center needs things done to it. A number of clubs thinking about doing a special project there for a couple of days.. maybe a work project. More info to come.

We had an absent speaker today (unavoidable flat tire!) so Thomasjohn Wells Miller bravely volunteered on the spot to give his very entertaining Red Badge talk today.

Jewel Theatre

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 26, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

The Aptos Chamber dinner honoring our own Doug Deaver as man of the year will be Oct 27^th at Aptos Seascape.

Eric reminded us about the joint shoe project with Catalina Rotary where shoes that ‘grow’ go to kids in Mexico. Let Eric know if you’re interested and wish to contribute.

Art reported back from Seattle for World Polio Day. This year only 12 cases of polio in the world remain.The Campaign has prevented 16 million children from being crippled. Pakistan and Afghanistan remain target areas.

Aptos and Soquel Interact are doing a beach cleanup on Nov 18^th.We are strongly invited.

Doug announced that Scotts Valley Rotary is putting together a fundraiser for Leo’s Haven (a Johnny Cash tribute band) Friday Dec 1^st.

The Jewel Theater artistic director Julie James spoke (and sang!) to us today. Founded in 2005 as a non-profit, the theater is located at the River Street Salz Tannery Arts Center. They are now the resident theater company at Colligan Theater where they opened in 2015.

grow a better earth

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 12, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Pam Goodman reminded us of the Aptos Chamber dinner honoring our own Doug Deaver as man of the year. It will be Oct 27^th at Aptos Seascape. Ticket cost is $85.

Dr. Art will be providing flu shots to club members during October. For a shot, stay after the meeting.

John Fisher announced that the Rotary Foundation is 100 yrs old this year. Every Rotarian should make a contribution this year small or large to support our Annual World Polio Plus day.

Pam Goodman awarded a basket from the Alzheimer’s Fundraiser to Lynette Cleland.

Eric announced a fundraiser for kids who don’t have shoes from Catalina Island Rotary. The shoes which grow with the child will be delivered to Ensenada in January. If you would like to contribute see Eric. The cost of the shoes is around $13.

Win announced a New Zealand tour. See him and he’ll get you the info.

Win announced a program called “Not in our Town” at Semper Recital Theater at Cabrillo College Oct 26^th at 7:00 to discuss resolving anti-immigration differences in our community.

Rob introduced Jessica Ridgeway. In 2007 she received an MS in Environmental and Natural Resources from the University of Vermont. She helped to found Farm Discovery at Live Earth in 2008. They run nine different programs for students throughout the year about growing food, including a summer camp, an immersion program that includes a sleepover and an art camp. The goal is to improve consumption habits.

dumping dams

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Oct 05, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Becky Peters reminded us of the Aptos Chamber dinner honoring our own Doug Deaver as man of the year. It will be Oct 27^th at Aptos Seascape. Ticket cost is $85.

October 7^th at 7:30 am will be the annual second harvest barrel wrap. Contact Doug Deaver for more information.

Dr. Art will be providing flu shots to club members during October. For a shot, stay after the meeting.

Club congratulations to Dr. Art Dover (see above) on receiving the major donor level 3 award, the first one in our club from the major gift officer for Zone 26. We also found that our club has contributed over $500,000 to polio plus!

Today Amy East, Ph.D. (pictured above) spoke to us talk dam removal. She is with USGS, providing earth science information to the public. Her specialty is in rivers. Entitled Dam and Blast, she spoke about watersheds and restoring rivers by removing dams.

Americans go camping

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 28, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Pam Goodman reminded us of the Aptos Chamber dinner honoring our own Doug Deaver as man of the year. It will be Oct 27^th at Aptos Seascape. Ticket cost is $85.

The UCSC founder dinner will be this month with J Herman Blake as the honored guest. See Michelle for more info.

October 7^th at 7:30 am will be the annual second harvest barrel wrap. Sign up with Doug.

Dr. Art will be providing flu shots to club members during October. For a shot, stay after the meeting.

Pam Goodman introduced our speaker today. His name is Dan White and he is the author of a book entitled Under the Stars on America’s love affair with camping. Reviewed as the definitive book on camping in America, he also wrote The Cactus Eaters.

Tsunamis

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 21, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Rich announced that the beach clean-up went well. Ten people participated and picked up many bags of trash!

Eric is organizing a series of Rotary fund-raising dinners focusing on wild game and needs to have a count by this Friday. Sign up now if you wish to be on the invitation list.

Pam Goodman reminded us of the Aptos Chamber dinner honoring our own Doug Deaver as man of the year. It will be Oct 27^th at Aptos Seascape. Ticket cost is $85.

Pam Arnsberger announced that Oct 18^th is the Senior Solution Summit. See her if you are interested in addressing senior issues and she will provide you with the registration information. Cost is $20 to cover the cost of lunch.

Our speaker today was Dr. Bruce Jaffe from UCSC. He spoke about near shore hydrodynamics with an emphasis on catastrophic events. He began by asking us about the highest Tsunami event which was in Alaska in 1958. The most deadly tsunami was in Indonesia where over 220,000 people were killed. The oldest tsunami that we know of happened 60 million years ago and helped to wipe out the dinosaurs.

'green' burials

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 14, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

The beach clean-up is on this Saturday Sept 16^th.It will be at 9:00 AM at Beer Can Beach. Rich will be there is his red Prius to meet you.

Doug Deaver announced that this Friday Sept 15^th there will be a flash mob at Rancho del Mar food mall. Go there to support our local businesses! There will be other events around this issue so stay tuned!

There will be a dinner at Aptos Chamber of Commerce honoring Doug Deaver’s election as Man of the Year. The dinner will be Oct 27^th and tickets are $85. The event will be at Aptos Seascape. See Pam Goodman to get a ticket.

Our speaker today was Holly Blue Hawkins. She is from the Integral Thanatology Institute and is a counselor who does needs assessments and referrals and focuses on end of life issues. Today she spoke to us about Natural Deathcare Advocacy and ‘green’ burials.

Autism family network

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Sep 08, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Keith announced there will be cocktails Sept 8th at his house at 4:00.

Pam announced there is a lifespan open house at 600 Frederick St. from 11:00 -3:00 also today Friday Sept 8^th.

Bee announced that she represented our club at the Abbott square opening and met people from different clubs. She said it is a fun place to go!

Our speaker today was Gabby Johnson who spoke about the Autism Family Network. She is the assistant director, but also a teacher and has been a teacher for many years. The AFN began 5 years ago and they offer programs from pre-school to middle school level.

Siena House Maternal Care

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 31, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

August 31^st

Doug announced that Rancho del Mar shop owners have been given 30 days notice to vacate their premises during the new owners planned redecorating phase. This seems to make it unlikely that many of the smaller businesses can liquidate during that period of time and survive the period of redecoration.

We welcomed Thomasjohn Wellsmiller as a new member to our club today. He is an entrepreneur and musician.

Our speaker today was Rebecca Hurdis from Siena House Maternity Home of Santa Cruz County, one of the community agencies that our club supports. She has been the executive director of Siena House for the past three years and before that taught at colleges in the area.Siena House is a residential program supporting and empowering pregnant women. It was founded in 2000 by local caring individuals who in the spirit of God’s love envisioned a safe residential environment for pregnant women in need.

Siena House

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 31, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

August 31^st

We welcomed Thomasjohn Wellsmiller as a new member to our club today. He is an entrepreneur and musician.

Berlin Airlift

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 24, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

August 24^th

CASA’s Imagine Event will be Sunday September 10^th. We have two $150 tickets available to our members for free! If you wish to go, speak to Michelle.

September 2^nd is the Rotary Abbott Square event. It is at 5:30. If you can help set up or take down, please sign up on the sheet.

RotaCare thanked the club for a $3802 donation for last year. Remember those RotaCare buckets!

The Diversity Center fundraiser will be on Oct 21^st. If interested see Michelle.

Dr. Art said he will be offering flu vaccines in October.

Bee introduced our speaker, Gisela Zebroski, an author who survived the Soviet Union invasion into Latvia. Her family fled west to Germany in 1945 where her father was killed in battle and the family fled to Austria. She emigrated to California with her husband where she graduated from college. She is the author ofThe Baroness and Mephisto Waltz.

new teacher Induction

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 17, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Doug announced the Cabrillo Women’s Foundation luncheon will be Friday September 15th. Tickets are $100 and funds go to an emergency fund to help women students who might otherwise drop out of school.

CASA’s Imagine Event will be Sunday September 10^th. We have two $150 tickets available to our members for free! If you wish to go, speak to Michelle.

This Saturday is the Membership event for Rotary in Pleasanton. See Win if you wish to go.

Cindy Balthaser was our speaker today. She has been a teacher for over 40 years. She is the former director of the SC/SVNTP (Santa Cruz/ Silicon Valley New Teacher Project).

A visit from the District Governor

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 10, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

A special welcome to Bill Witmer who is joining our club!

Come on Saturday, September 16^th to the Beer Can Beach Clean-up at 9:00.

A Rotary membership program will be offered a week from Saturday in Pleasanton. Let Win know if you would like to go.

Rotary Avenues of Service is coming up October 5^th at the Santa Clara Biltmore at 5:00.

Kate reported back from the library meeting. There will be an event where the friends of the library will encourage people to read a selected book and share it with children. She will keep us informed of future events.

Today was our meeting with the district governor, Orrin Mahoney. The area governor, Donna Maurello, also accompanied him. He worked for many years at Hewlett Packard as a mechanical engineer and served on the city council and finally as Mayor of Cupertino. He has a real commitment to international service and has been on many Rotary Service trips.

He spoke about a number of Rotary District 5170 issues and opportunities including international service, membership and fundraising.

RYLA and new members

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Aug 04, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

August 3rd

Next week August 10^th is our meeting with the district governor. Board members please come at 10:30. (note: we will be in our regular room)

September 16^th will be the Beer Can beach clean-up at 9:00.

The Aptos Library asked us about participation in a program where people to read books and discuss them with kids. To find out more or if you want to participate, you should attend the food and wine reception on Aug 9^th 5-7 at the library on Soquel Drive.

Two of our RYLA participants, Matt DeCamera and Izzi Pryce, shared with us their RYLA experience (see photo above). They were divided into 6 families with about 30 people to a family. They participated in workshops including service, band and choir, speech and debate entertainment health and wellness and sports and fitness. Their families put on a performance and planted succulents around the campus. They also worked on a project to help underprivileged women, one about mental health and appreciating themselves. The both stressed that it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Two red badge members, Kyle Sharp and Craig Matthews, also shared their stories with us today.

safe schools

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 20, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Our district governor will be here August 10^th. There will be an early board meeting that same day at 10:30.

Keith’s house tomorrow (July 21) will be the setting for a cocktail party at 4:00. All are invited! Bring munchies if you wish!

Win announced that there will be a club assembly on the 27^th and a possible Facebook training.

Pam Goodman reminded us that the Walk for Alzheimer’s is September 23^rd. You can donate here at our club.

Bee introduced our speakers today. They were Rob Darrow, Director of Research and Ron Indra, Executive Director from the Safe Schools Project. Established in 2004, it now reaches out to the 40,000 k-12 students in our local school districts.

childhood nutrition

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jul 13, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Our district governor will be here August 10^th. There will be an early board meeting that same day at 10:30.

The 4^th of July World’s Shortest Parade Capitola Aptos Rotary Beer Booth was very busy. Tim says we netted $4552 (including tips)!

Keith announced that a week from tomorrow (July 21^st) at 4:00 PM there will be a happy hour at his house.

Pam announced that the Walk to End Alzheimer’s will be the third weekend in September. She sent around the sign-up to walk and/or make donations to benefit the Alzheimer’s Association.

Win announced that there will be a club assembly on the 27^th and a possible Facebook training.

Karen Haralsan from Nourishing Generations spoke to use today about Linking Communities to Reverse the Rising Trend of Childhood Obesity and Diabetes. She is a certified diabetes educator and holistic nutritionist.

diversity center

Posted by Pamela Arnsberger on Jun 29, 2017

Announcements and Reminders

Our district governor will be here August 10^th. Save the date!

Two of our rotary scholarship winners visited us today! One is going to the University of Santa Clara and one is going to UC Berkeley. Congratulations and best wishes to both of these young women as they move towards the future!

John Fisher reminded us to give checks to him for polio plus in order for them to be matched.

The club awarded a check for $70,000 to Leo's Haven, an accessible park, today. Oliver (center below) said it will help him because his wheelchair won't get stuck on the curb anymore!

Story

Sharon Pappo from the Diversity Center of Santa Cruz County was our speaker today. She is a graduate of UCSC and Berkeley. Founded in 1989,the Diversity Center is the hub of the LGBT community here.