UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

More socials, projects, & events coming soon!

Rotaract Fund Raiser
If anyone would like to donate money to GRA (Global Rotaract Alumni Club) they can donate the money on the GOSC site and include a note that it is for GRA. This would help us tremendously to continue growing as a club and be able to conduct larger scale projects. Here is the donation link: Donate Now – Global Offsite Care

Opening The Meeting

“Welcome to the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa where the Magic of Rotary happens as we do good in our community/world and have fun doing it!” says our President Casey D’Angelo.

Ann Gospe led us in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four/Five Way Test. Her Reflection today was about Rotary as an antidote for the loneliness and isolation that one in three adults suffer. Maybe they need a purpose?  We have five core values, 5 areas of service and seven areas of focus.  So go on out there and invite people to our meetings. We may be the answer to their loneliness as they find community and purpose.

Visiting Rotarians:

Dave Del Monte

Guests:

Dede Del Monte

Sunshine Report:

While Julia Parranto and Rose Frances are on vacation in Germany, Rose developed a bleeding ulcer.  She’s OK and the vacation goes on!  Robby Fouts, who broke his arm badly a couple of weeks ago, is getting better.  He hopes to be back at our meeting as soon as next week.  Keven Brown said his dad had kidney stone surgery and is doing fine.

50/50 Drawing:

Awe! Back to 10 marbles and $33.00 in the pot. Heather Thurber’s ticket was the winner for the opportunity to try for the blue marble, but she got a yellow.  The pot rolls over to next week.

Paul Harris Award:

This week Doug Landin announced that new member, Gary Nichols, has reached his first level Paul Harris Award.  Thank you, Gary, for helping Rotary do its good work in our community and the world!

April Birthdays:

Wow!  We have seven members with birthdays in April and all were here except one (Patty Kolin).  So, we sang to Ginny Cannon, Rich Rossi, Richard Lazovick, Andrea Geary, Debi Zaft and Curt Groninga.

New Member Induction:

Today we inducted Donna Koslosky into our club.  She was introduced to us by Ginny Cannon. She lives in Petaluma and works as a Cruise planner. Since she lives in Petaluma, Ginny suggested that she check out the Petaluma clubs. However, she liked us best!

Announcements:

1. Giro Bello needs riders and sponsors. Pass the word!
2. Jeff Gospe gave us a little bit more detail on our $800,000+ that has been raised for Ukraine.
   

   3-Year Summary of Ukraine Rotary Relief Efforts

3. Nona reminded us about the Good-Bye party for Karen and Dennis Ball on Thursday.
4. Ann Gospe says SignUp Genius has been updated. Especially we need someone to oversee packing the trucks before the event.
5. We need volunteers to help promote the Giro Bello at the Wine Country Century bike ride on May 2 and 3.
6. 

   SCARC Flyer

   The next SCARC meeting is April 24, 6:00 – 8:30pm at Chops Teen Center. Santa Rosa Sunrise is this month’s sponsor.

7. REMEMBER! No meeting on Wednesday, April 30, at noon.  Instead, we will have a social event at Shone Farm from 5:30 to 7:00pm.
8. District Assembly was a success! We had 13 members attend, the most of any club.  We had classes on all kinds of subjects from running a good meeting, public speaking, our environmental causes, membership development, etc. Plan on attending next year’s meeting on Saturday, April 4, 2026.  Our own, Jeff Kolin, is in charge so you know it is going to be fun, entertaining, and educational.
9. President Casey was leaving right after today’s meeting to go on an African Safari where his daughter is getting married! Sgt-at-Arms, Robert Pierce cannot wait for Casey to come back so that he can fine him. Casey, bring back something to auction instead!  While he is gone, Ray Giampaoli will be running the meeting on April 16 and Kris Anderson will run the meeting on April 23.
10. The District Conference is on May 2 and 3 in Fortuna. A few are going to go.

Recognitions:

Peter Holewinski’s middle son had his first child, born in Seattle. The proud grandfather donated $100 to the club.

Susan Nowacki went on a three-week cruise to Tasmania, Australia, and New Zealand. She donated $101 to the club.

Today’s guest speaker was former member Dave Del Monte on his adventure of Running with the Bulls in Spain.

Dave was a member of our club from 1982 to 2000 when he moved back to New York City and joined the Rotary Club of New York (I remember him telling us it cost $45.00 for their lunch!).  He was president of the New York Club 2010-2011. He served as District Governor for District 7230 from 2014-2015. He met his wife Dede in New York, and they have been married 22 years.

Dave says he was intrigued by the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and it became a goal to run with the bulls.  So off they went in 2019.

The running of the bulls began in the 14th century when the farmers transported their cattle to market. People started watching and somehow running with the bulls began. Ernest Hemenway made it famous in his 1926 book “The Sun Also Rises.” Today bull running is just one element of the Fiesta de San Fermin, Pamplona’s first Bishop and patron saint. The bull running starts every year on July 6 and ends on July 14. Some facts about the route:

The route is 875 meters (half a mile)

The bulls are kept in a corral the night before

The bulls cross a buffer zone to where the runners wait at Calle Santo Domingo. They proceed across Plaza Consistorial to Calle Mercaderes (which ends at La Curva aka Deadman’s Curve). Then it is down Calle Estafeta to the arena.

It only takes the bulls three minutes to run the route.

Registration is not required to run. Each day 12 –15 bulls are released; six are trained fighting bulls and six are oxen with bells on to urge the fighting bulls on. At the back are three sweeper bulls that pick up any bulls that straggle and urge them to the arena.

The bulls do not want to hurt anyone. They will try to run around or jump over people in their way.  Only 16 people have ever been killed in the seven centuries.

Dave said it as an “Oh SHOOT” moment when he realized the bulls were coming. It is crowded and difficult to run. Hs continued, “Suddenly the runners in front stopped, but the runners behind did not.: He was packed tight with all the runners around him. At that moment he looked left just in time to see the backs of two bulls as they passed.  And just like that, the run was over. The most exciting four seconds of his life were over! (here is a copy of Dave’s presentation – The Most 4 Second Of My Life)

Extra Pictures

CREDITS