Woodland Rotary - The Rotary Club of Woodland Website

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Rotary Theme 2024-25

Stephanie Urchick, 2024-25 Rotary International President

https://www.rotary.org/en/stephanie-urchick-celebrates-magic-rotary

Daniel Geraldi, 2024-25 Governor,

Rotary District 5160

VIEW VIDEO HERE DG Welcome letter

January 14th Meeting

Assisted by President Bob Nakken, Club members today voted unanimously to set Yolo Farm to Fork and Woodland Healthcare Foundation as the beneficiary organizations for antipated proceeds from the Club's 2025 Dinner Auction scheduled for Saturday, April 26 at Veloscity Island Park. The specific projects to be funded are:

YOLO FARM TO FORK – Up to $11,000 for construction of two large instructional gazebos for the outdoor edible gardens at Beamer Elementary and Gibson Elementary schools. Currently the gardens are not shaded and have no seating. Materials will be procured from local suppliers, individuals and firms for the construction. The structures will provide an outdoor classroom (shaded with seating) for teachers, staff, volunteers and students to learn about outdoor gardening. Construction is planned to be completed by August 2025. This is the first priority for Auction proceed funding.

WOODLAND HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION – The balance of 2025 Dinner Auction proceeds, up to $38,387, would be used to complete the purchase of state-of-the-art surgical tool to assist in orthopedic surgeries. The equipment is radio-graphic camera technology (x-ray machine) called the C-Arm (due to its shape) and is used in spinal, hip, knee and other orthopedic surgeries. Woodland Healthcare already has 4 C-Arms, but with demand for use all are in operation creating 30-minute or longer delays in some surgeries. The new machine will have updated technology including the ability to capture precise measurements and a map for surgeons to use. The new machine captures 3-D imaging allowing surgeons to view a multi plane image. The machine allows for precise confirmation and analysis of structures not currently available with the existing machines. The total cost of this C-Arm is $399,467, and the Foundation has assembled all but the requested amount, $38,387.

President Bob emphasized funding of these proposals depends on achieving the proceeds.

Chuck Maltese oversaw today’s Recognition, asking respondents to provide either your resolutions for the new year, holiday travel stories, or recommendations on ‘what do we need in Woodland? Chuck volunteered his personal resolution was to lose 10lbs in the new year, and shared he now has only 14lbs left to go! Don Huff III and Dave Molinaro both had a fun trip to Texas over the holidays to hunt for sandhill cranes. Unfortunately, the cranes never got the memo and weren’t there to hunt. Dave did enjoy a diner they found in Littlefield TX, otherwise they never left their lodgings. Ann Taylor had a full house over the holidays including her sons and their families, which she housed for three days. She was delighted, and happy when they left. Christian Sherrill thinks Woodland needs a good Italian restaurant; an idea supported by a few others. Ernie ‘Redskin’ Hodges was happy his Washington Commanders were the only victorious visiting team in this past weekend’s NFL playoff games.

Martha Michel, President of the Folklorico Latino de Woodland, was our guest program speaker today giving us an overview of their organization. More about Folkloric Latino de Woodland can be found at its website: http://www.folkloricolatinodewoodland.org/

January 7th Meeting

President Bob Nakken welcomed a good turnout (nearly 40 attendees) to our first meeting of 2025. President Bob inducted two new members to the Club today. Gregg Kowes (left), Manager, Woodland-Davis Pest Control (sponsored by Brian Dwyer), and Joe Cadelago, Public Sector Services Manager, Waste Management (sponsored by Mark Ullrich). If you haven't already done so, please introduce yourself to these new members.

Wendy Casas-Raviotta introduced her guest today, Linda Pillard. Familiar Woodland Sunrise Rotarians Don Sharp and Byron MacConnell also joined us today.

Lori Ross reported the Club will be presenting kindergarten & 1st graders at Gibson School with gifts of children's books at 8:30am on Thursday, January 23, as discussed in a November 12, 2024 presentation by author Leticia Ordaz to the Club. Lori is looking for 5-6 members to join her that day for the presentation. Contact Lori beforehand at 530 867-1900 if you can do so. The Woodland Rotary Endowment contributed $2,000 from its Community Fund to purchase 130 children's books from Cieleto Lindo Books for this project.

Jim McGibbon was pleased to report the 2019 project, which our Woodland Rotary Club co-sponsored, to aid medically underserved patients in northern Nicaragua has finally succeeded by graduating its first graduating classes of dentists and optometrists in December 2024 after 3 years of supervised training of local high school graduates by faculty members of the University of Managua. Later this year, the first class of 2025 family doctors will graduate from their 4-year courses.The UNICAM, (or 'University in the Country' ), created near Tuma-La Dalia in this region by this project will continue to produce graduates in all three specialties.

Yvette Roy took charge of today's Recognition, fining everyone who was NOT awake to ring in the New Year, and asking several questions about the history of our Club. David Pinto enjoyed a great family trip to Tenerife, Spain and Marrakech, Morocco over the holidays. He also celebrated a his 33rd wedding anniversary with wife Rebecca on Jan 4, and his 62nd birthday ('Old' Delhi, India) on Jan 5. Barbara Sonin was happy she visited her three children and 7 grand children over the holidays. Kevin Haarberg gave us greetings from former Club member and Past President Charlie Rayl. Peter Holmes 'rang the bell' in celebration of his 'Medicare' birthday (Fresno CA) on Jan 6.

Our own Shawn Seyk was our program speaker today, giving us an look at 'What is Bitcoin?'.

Rotary Youth Exchange Students

Gather in Sacramento

District 5160 Inbound Youth Exchange Coordinator Dan Stroski reported current year exchange students for Districts 5160 and 5180 met in Sacramento this past weekend to attend an orientation with their new host families. Social events included visiting the local ice skating rink and taking in the musical 'Elf' at the UC Davis Pavillion.

Winery Tour

A wine tasting package with luxury motorhome transporation to the Rendez-vous Winery in Clarksburg, donated by Dan Stroski, was sold at the Club's 2024 Dinner Auction. Over the past weekend Kevin & Lorie Haarberg, Tom & Gail Schwarzgruber and Laurie & Kim Haarberg got the magic carpet ride from Dan and enjoyed their tasting.

Welcome Our New Member -

Linda Walsh

Linda Walsh, sponsored by Ann Taylor, was installed as a new member of the Club on October 8, 2024 by President Bob Nakken. At our request, Linda provided the following bio. If you haven't already done so, please take a moment to introduce yourself to Linda when you meet and welcome her to the Club.

My family and I have been Yolo County residents since the late 1960s. Our first home in Yolo County was located in the almond orchards of Esparto, then in Davis, and we finally settled in Woodland. We enjoy our life in Woodland, particularly seeing and taking part in changes in the city and surrounding area over the years near Main Street where we live.

I spent my younger years traveling the globe with my parents as my dad was in the Army. We were stationed in Europe, Panama, Japan and several army bases in the States. We had the good fortune to see and learn about other cultures, history, art and language. In 1988 I received a Bachelor of Sciences degree, and in 1990 a Master of Public Administration degree. Both were from the College of Professional Studies at the University of San Francisco.

I was employed in the 80s by health insurance providers, health data processors in the vastly changing scene of pricing, health service delivery, health insurance, and mergers of health plans in Northern California. I served as health services Contracts Manager on a consulting basis for Sutter Health, whose offices were in Rancho Cordova at the time. I worked for Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). CSC was under contract with the California Department of Health Services (DHS) to manage the billing, customer and provider services, printing and distribution of policies and procedures according to the Medicaid contract.

Initially, as Manager of Provider Relations, I managed a very large group of employees who communicated with Medicaid health care providers to resolve problems and explain policies. Later I managed the printing and distribution department which produced and shipped many printed policies and procedures documents. This was a delightful assignment where I learned about printing presses and, more importantly, the interesting people who staffed that department.

Later in my employment as Proposal Developer, I was responsible for writing the Human Resources, Member and Provider Relations portions of Requests for Proposals (RFPs) with the goal of winning both the Medical and Dental RFPs from the CA Department of Health Services. These opportunities required analysis of complex rules and procedures in the RFPs, late hours, and weekend work during initial proposal development. Just before the proposal submission, we worked all night and went home at 7am.

All of my positions gave me the opportunity to interact and negotiate with healthcare professionals, DHS staff, and customers throughout Northern California. My interests have always been on the human side of studies and motivational learning.

Since 2008 I have been a self-employed artist. I paint portraits of people, animals, landscapes and still Life in oil. I show my work and accept commissions.

News From Club Polio Warrior Mark Ullrich:

2024 is now in the books. Here’s where we stand:
Officially reported WPV1 and cVDPV cases as of 31 December 2024
Wild poliovirus (WPV)
· Total global WPV1 cases in 2023: 12

· Total global WPV1 cases in 2024: 92 (compared with 12 for the same period in 2023)

Variant (Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus) (cVDPV) cases
· Total global cVDPV cases in 2023: 528

· Total global cVDPV cases in 2024: 252 (compared with 447 for the same period in 2023)

Looking back at the first half of our Rotary year:

?Thank you to these clubs in our District that have contributed at least $1,500 to the PolioPlus Fund (December is still being processed, so this can only go up!):

Berkeley
Brentwood
Chico
Concord
Danville San Ramon
Davis
Fairfield-Suisun
Lamorinda Sunrise
Moraga
Pleasant Hill
Richmond
Rossmoor
Vacaville
Walnut Creek
Woodland

Woodland Sunrise

Overall, all clubs have contributed over $85,000, which is 3% higher than this time last year.

More information about Rotary's End Polio Now can be found at its website: https://www.endpolio.org/

Here you can sign up to receive the End Polio Now newsletter.

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