Giro Bello

–> The Giro Bello is just around the corner! June 29, 2024.  Register to reserve your spot for one of the most scenic and fun bike rides on the West Coast – Now with a new start and finish, the Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa.  Click here for more info and to register.

–> The Giro Bello Bike Ride, our major fundraiser for the year, is happening soon. We need all hands on deck to make this event work. Please click on the link below and sign up to help. Ask family and friends to work alongside you. Find multiple times and ways that you can participate. Together we can make this a successful event!

The areas that are in greatest need of help are:

• Route marking
• Site set-up
• Registration
• Truck drivers
• Equipment trailer driver
• SAG
• Lunch stop

–> Please sign up to volunteer for the Giro Bello HERE

UPCOMING SOCIALS & PROJECTS & EVENTS  

For pictures and descriptions of previous socials and other events click here.

For more details and additional events, see the Announcements section below.

More socials, projects, & events coming soon!

Opening

“Greetings Rotary Club of Santa Rosa where we do good in our world and have fun doing it!” said Past President Ray Giampaoli, filling in for President Ann who is in Texas…we think.

Jim Green led us in the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four –Way Test.  His Reflection was several humorous sayings.  Here are a couple of them:

If I agreed with you, then we would both be wrong.

A clear conscious is a sign of a fuzzy mind.

Guests:

Chris Kughn from Buckelew  Programs

Opportunity Drawing….da raffle:

Heather Thurber was in charge today.  She did not know how many marbles, but the pot was $34.00.  After calling out the number, Heather realized it was her number!  She called on Laura Stephens to verify the number and hold the bag as she pulled out a marble.  Darn! It was yellow.  The pot rolls over and next week there will be more money and maybe we will know how many marbles are in the bag.

Announcements:

1. President Ann’s debunking is on Wednesday June 26 AT HER HOME, 5:30PM. There will be no 12:00 meeting that day.  The theme is Jimmy Buffet, so where your favorite Hawaiian shirt and don’t forget your parrot, if you have one. The cost is $35.00 per person or $60.00 per couple.  It is being catered by Sonoma County Catering Service. Bring a friend! Karen Ball asks that we pay in advance so we have the correct amount of people for the catering.
2. So sad about Steve Reuter! His celebration of life will be on Sunday, June 23^rd at Paradise Ridge Winery from 11:00am to 2:00pm. Please let President Ann know if you are going. She is doing the head count for Lee Ann.
3. Steve Olson gave his monthly educational moment on the Rotary Club of Santa Rosa Foundation’s scholarship funds. Today he talked about the “President’s Scholarship” and the “Director’s Scholarship.” These two scholarships are awarded to the top two SRJC transfer students regardless of their major. These two scholarships were established many years ago to accept scholarship contributions not intended for any named funds. Major contributors to the fund over the years include Woody Mikesell, Wally Lowry and Cathy Vicini. The top person gets the President’s Scholarship of $3000.  The runner up gets the Director’s Scholarship of $2500. Please contact Steve Olson at [email protected] for further details.
4. Charlie Howard-Gibbon reminded us that tonight was the second Wednesday of the month so we Rotarians are scheduled for working at the Redwood Empire Food Bank (Update: Kris Anderson, Ray Giampaoli, Robert Pierce, Dan Landin, Sam McMillian, Rita McMillian, Ted Wilmsen and Charlie Howard-Gibbon were out there to bag plums and carrots. Ugh carrots! However, the plums weren’t the best so the carrot baggers probably got the better deal. Also, Denise, who is always there for us has left.  Robert saw her working at Walmart in Windsor.  We will miss her!). Put July 10 on your calendar for our next appointed duty, 5:00 – 7:00pm.
5. VOLUNTEERS: The Giro Bello needs volunteers for just about everything. If you have friends/family who are going to work, but not in SignUp Genius, please let Heather Thurber know who they are and what they are going to do so the we know where we truly have jobs to be filled.
6. Giro Bello Sponsors: We are up to $27,000.  Keep asking!

Auction:

Kris Anderson was just at convention and saw a band called the Red Hot Chili Pipers (that’s what you get when your International President is Scottish). She bought one of their CDs to have Past President Ray auction off.  Ray does the best auctioneering! Kris suggested $25.00, but Ray got Craig Meltzner up to $75.00!  Before the end of the meeting, it was $100.00!

Recognitions AKA Finable Offences:

President Ray fined Mary Graves $10.00 for interrupting

Craig Meltzner increased his giving from $75 for the CD up to $100

Doug Landin gave $75 for his grandson’s graduation

Laura Stephens’s daughter is moving to Oklahoma so she donated $1000

Robert Pierce reported his twin grandkids graduated too (he snuck that one in for no money, clever guy!)

As long as we are mentioning graduates Marcus Stephens and Isidora Sarria both graduated.  Susan Nowacki donated $100 each.

Sam McMillan had a grandson graduate from junior high and he donated $300

Nicole Le’s son graduated junior high also. He was the only kid in a class of 40 to get all A’s. Nicole donated $75.

Chris Kughn from the Buckelew Programs

Buckelew Programs servicing Somona, Marin, Lake, Napa and Mendocino Counties was started in 1970 in Marin County.  Their areas of impact are suicide prevention, recovery, service navigation, supportive housing and counseling. In 2023 they provided over 3000 with direct services, 700 clients in substance abuse programs, 500+ clients in need of supportive housing, 2000+ therapeutic counseling sessions. 8000+ connected through education, training and outreach activities and 15,000 calls to their suicide and crisis hotline as part of the 988 national network.

They offer five different substance use treatment and sober living environments.

44% of their funding comes from the counties they service. The remainder comes from federal, state, client fees and charitable giving.

The challenges that they are facing are not unlike any nonprofit: CalAIM payment reforms to internal processing, recruiting and housing costs.

There has been an uptick in symptom acuity since the pandemic.  Overdoses are a leading cause of death in local communities. Fentanyl use in Sonoma County is the third highest cause of death.

They operate the 988 hotline in Sonoma, Lake and Mendocino Counties.  98% of all calls get resolved on the phone.  They took over the Athena House last year. The Gallagher family bought the property for them. 70% of the people running the program are former clients.  They will be reopening the Orenda Center for drug detoxification this September.  They run the Sonoma County InResponse  program which keeps law officers out of mental health crises. They are taking over Tamayo Village from SAY.

Someone asked the question, “What happens if they do not graduate and get sober?” Chris told the story about a plumber who came out to fix a leak. He said it was the 24^th time in rehab when it finally sunk in and he got sober.

Additional Pictures: