Woodland Rotary - The Rotary Club of Woodland Website

President Tabb Randolph rang the bell to open the Club's first in-person meeting since March 10, 2020 just before restrictions on gatherings were imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Though some of the arrangements at the Hotel Woodland were a little different, over 50 people attended the session either in-person or over the Zoom feed provided. It was a great day!

Six new Club members who have joined during the pandemic were introduced and presented with their badges. (from the left, Brian Dwyer, Yvette Roy, Derrek Kaff, Dena Lawrence, Jayne Williams and Eric Sharp.)

President Tabb and Assistant District Governor Woody Fridae introduced the Club members who have joined Rotary's Polio Plus Society (pledging to donate at least $100 annually toward Polio Plus) and presented them with certificates of their membership. The group was led by our Club's Polio Plus Warrior Gary Wirth.

Club members who achieved milestones in their donations to the Rotary Foundation this past year were recognized with Paul Harris pins by ADG Woody Fridae. Among those present were

Blair Voelz, Don Huff Jr., Tabb Randolph and Tim Pettit.

Jim Nolan led a very productive Recognition session today. Christian Sherrill will celebrate 17 years of marriage with Holidae on May 9. Peter Holmes was so happy NOT to be on Zoom, he rang the bell three times! Karl Diekman enjoyed a weekend in Carmel so much he rang the bell five times! Yvette Roy was happy to be bringing her daughter home from college in Portland. Derrek Kaff was happy his daughter turned 21 and didn't get arrested!

Woodland High School

Scoreboard Installed!

President-elect Dan Stroski reports the new scoreboard at Woodland High School's Stadium was installed on April 29th. This $71,181 investment in our community is the result of two years of fundraising efforts by our Club along with a $9300 District 5160 grant and financial support by the Woodland Sunrise and Luna Vista clubs.

View Dan's closing report to the District on this project.

April 27th Meeting

Presiding over maybe his last all-Zoom meeting, President Tabb Randolph repeated the Club plans to hold its first in-person meeting in more than a year at the Hotel Woodland next Tuesday, May 4th. Masks must be worn to enter the building and can be removed when seated to eat lunch. A buffet lunch by Cracchiolos will be served at $18/person. Smaller conference style tables will be used that seat no more than 3 people. Tabb says plans are the meeting will also be broadcast on Zoom for those who cannot attend in person. Lunch will be available near Noon; as usual, the meeting will begin at 12:15pm and concluded by 1:15pm.

Dick Hoppin was happy about the birth of his first GREAT granddaughter Riley. Bob Nakken celebrated his 69th birthday today! Derrek Kaff enjoyed a meeting of law enforcement leaders at the FBI Academy in Quantico VA recently. Now that tax season is over Lisa Martinez is looking forward to a vacation in Hawaii.

Brad Miller of Woodland Sunrise Rotary (pictured above) introduced our guest speakers today, Lars Anderson (Board member, Tuleyome; pictured lower right) and Larry Greene (Davis Sunrise Rotary), who gave us a presentation on Woodland Regional Park and the involvement local Rotary Clubs anticipate on the project.

Meet our New Member - Derrek Kaff

Derrek Kaff was inducted as a new member of Club member on April 13, 2021. He is the Police Chief of the City of Woodland. Derrek provided us with the following bio at our request. Take a moment to introduce yourself to Derrek when you meet

and welcome him to the Club.

Derrek was born in Granada Hills, California and grew up around the greater Los Angeles area. He has a Bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University in Sociology and is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and Quantico Law Enforcement Executive Development program. Derrek and his wife Patty have been married for 26 years and have two adult children in college. Personal hobbies include golf, fly fishing, surfing and hiking.

Derrek started his career in law enforcement over 25 years ago with the Los Angeles Police Department. After he and Patty started their family they decided to get out of Los Angeles. Derrek started with the Woodland Police Department in 2000 as a Patrol Officer. Over the next several years he rose through the ranks and was appointed as the Chief of Police in October of 2019. Outside of work Derrek has worked with United Way for many years and is passionate about improving literacy, reducing poverty and environmental issues.

April 16th Social

at the Hotel Woodland

A great mix of members and spouses enjoyed an afternoon social gathering in the Hotel Woodland courtyard to 'see and be seen' at the Club's first in-person event of the year.

Woodland Rotary Supports

United Way's Imagination Library

Lori Ross, Rotarian and Yolo County Director for United Way California Capital Region reports Woodland's three Rotary clubs have pledged $10,000 to support Dolly Parton's Imagination Library program, a nationwide effort, here in Woodland. Several Noon Club Rotarians have already donated over $1,800 personally which has been matched with an additional $1,700 by the Woodland Rotary Endowment.

Every Woodland family can enroll their baby in this program. They will receive a brand new book delivered right to their home every month free of charge until the child is 5 years old.

To register a child for the Imagination Library program go to:

https://imaginationlibrary.com

To make a donation to the Imagination Library in Yolo County go to

https://donate.imaginationLibrary.com

Select 'I would like to make a donation to a specific Imagination Library affiliate'; then' under 'Affiliate Codes' select 'CA - YOLOCA - Yolo County'. Then fill in your information and select 'Proceed to Payment'.

Or you can mail a check, payable to 'United Way California Capital Region', to 716 Main Street, Suite B, Woodland CA 95695. Please note 'Imagination Library" in the memo.

For more information contact Lori Ross.

Club Dinner & Auction -

A Big Success!!

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS, DONORS, PRESIDENT-ELECT DAN STROSKI AND HIS COMMITTEE!!

Event pictures can be viewed in the Photo Gallery.

THANK YOU TO OUR 2021 SPONSORS!!!

Silver Sponsors ($1,000)

Dignity Health

Ernie Hodges & Roger Kohlmeier

Edward Jones - Kevin Haarberg, Craig Miyamoto, Jen Ward,

and Brian Dwyer

Gardner, Janes, Nakken, Hugo & Nolan - David Janes, Robert Nakken

and Jim Nolan

Matchbook Wine Co. - John & Lane Giguiere

Wilkinson International - Terry Wilkinson

Van Beurden Insurance Services - Aniek Ramsay

Bronze Sponsors ($500)

Akin Ranch - Dick Akin

Helene Dorris

Ullrich Delevati CPAs - Mark Ullrich & Tony Delevati

Wraith, Scarlett & Randolph Insurance Services, Inc. - Tabb Randolph

Yolo Federal Credit Union - Janee Rawlings

Business Card Sponsors ($250)

Scott & Sheila Johnston

Tack Warehouse

Valley Ag Loans - Peter Holmes

Club Officers Elected

Immediate Past President Tony Delevati conducted a voice vote election of Club members at the Feb 2nd meeting for 2021-22 Club Officers and Board of Directors positions effective July 1, 2021. Elected unanimously were:

President-elect - Shawn Seyk

(will serve as President 2022-23)

Treasurer - Marcus Ullrich

Assistant Treasurer - Tom Schwarzgruber

Secretary - Alan Flory

Board of Directors (July 2020-June 2022) -

Gary Bunch, Carl Rodegerdts and Blair Voelz

Board of Directors (July 2021-June 2023)

David Pinto, Jayne Williams and Eric Sharp

Based on the election last year, Dan Stroski will serve as

Club President for 2021-22.

What Does Rotary Do?

We improve people's lives, locally and globally, through service.

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Polio Plus Update

from Gary Wirth

Rotary District 5160 has decided more emphasis must be placed on our efforts to eliminate Polio right now. At this time the only two countries containing active Polio viruses are Afghanistan and Pakistan. The Polio virus has been mutating making it all the more difficult to keep ahead of the spread. We’re getting closer - just 3 weeks ago there had been no new cases for the previous 3 weeks. However, since that time a couple more cases have been reported in each country. To help stay on top of this outbreak a new modified vaccine has been developed to attack this “wild” form of the Polio Virus.

To focus member attention on the severity of the need, District 5160 has founded the PolioPlus Society and encourages all members who want to play a bigger part in the battle against this terrible disease, to join up. To join the Society you must simply pledge to donate $100 per year to the Rotary Foundation's Polio Plus program. These donations also count towards your Paul Harris status with Rotary. Those interested please contact Gary Wirth for the form and proper methodology to guide the donation to your target. Tel/text: 530 662-3429; email:gfwirth@sbcglobal.net

Rotary Calgary Nicaragua Project

This project involves establishing a UNICAM or “University in the Country” in the Nicaraguan municipality of Tuma-La Dalia (located approximately 100 miles northeast of Nicaragua’s capital of Managua) to train local high school graduates to become qualified dentists, optometrists, and family doctors and provide care for a medically underserved population of approximately 300,000 people. The training duration will be 5 years for dentists and optometrists and 6 years for family doctors, and result in providing 30 physicians, 15 dentists, and 15 optometrists. University of Managua faculty members will provide training for these students, all of whom are from this region, and most of whom are likely to remain after graduation.

Due to problems associated with the COVID pandemic, the starting date was delayed from February 2020 until July 2020. This project’s model is considered so successful and its sustainability so likely that 3 more UNICAM training programs are already being planned for this region. Responding to a request for additional funding from the International Host Rotary Club of Calgary (Canada), the Rotary Club of Woodland made a contribution and solicited additional financial support from other Rotary clubs in our area, as well as several individual donors. We collected a total of $5000 USD which has been forwarded to the Rotary Club of Calgary. This sum will allow purchase of badly needed teaching equipment. The total funding for this global grant project is $212,399.

At a recent Club meeting, Board member Jim McGibbon

gave a verbal update on our Club’s efforts in this Rotary project.

This is a written version of that report.

Kenya WASH Project

At their October 2020 meeting, our Club’s Board of Directors approved Club participation in the Kenya WASH project to improve Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at the Karen C Primary School in Karen, Kenya. This is a Rotary Global Grant proposal sponsored by the Rotary Club of Karen (Karen, Kenya; http://rotaryclubofkaren.org/ Rotary District 9212) to make improvements needed at the Karen C Primary School in Karen which serves 1200 students, 50 teachers and a community of 500 residents by installing water storage tanks, plumbing, wash stations, modern toilets, and training students and teachers and otherwise creating a communitywide awareness on hygiene, water usage and sanitation.

Karen is a suburb of Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city. Karen Blixen, the author of the colonial memoir ‘Out of Africa’ owned a farm where much of the suburb now stands. While we in this country take clean water for granted, in Karen water is a precious necessity and scarce. Facilities at this school are basic & aging, and include urinal and pit latrines.

The project consists of two phases: Phase One involves putting up large, steel water storage tanks, connecting plumbing to and from tanks, and portable washing facilities. Phase Two buys new toilets and sinks, the buildings to house them, as well as a large capacity septic tank. Phase One costs total approximately $40,000, while Phase Two costs are estimated at $75,000.

Our Club’s approval includes agreeing to serve as the international sponsor for Phase One of the project and to contribute a maximum of $5,000 in a Phase One local match once the District & Global Grants are approved. Remaining Phase One funding is expected from the Rotary Club of Karen - $5,000 in a local match; Rotary Foundation Global Grant funding (applied for by both clubs) - $20,000; and District 5160 Designated Funds - $10,000. In addition to funding, our Club will also provide oversight, monitoring and managing the Global Grant and reporting the project progress to all involved. A Committee including Blair Voelz (chair), President Tabb Randolph, Karl Diekman, Tom Schwarzgruber, Gary Wirth and Jayne Williams will oversee the Club’s involvement in this project.

Update: Blair Voelz reported on April 20th that all funding for the first phase of the Kenya WASH project is now in place. The next steps involve Phase One equipment purchasing and construction starting. Work is expected to be completed this year.

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