Woodland Rotary - Photos - Annual

NOTE: TO SHOW THE MOST RECENT STORIES ON TOP OF THIS PAGE, STORIES ARE LISTED HERE IN REVERSE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (MOST RECENT ON TOP, EARLIER DATES BELOW).

Woodland High School Interact Club, sponsored by Noon Rotary, participated in this years Christmas Tree Lighting in Downtown Woodland.

Last Saturday Aniek Ramsay was married to her longtime boyfriend Curtiss Pflager in what she described as a beautiful, intimate ceremony and celebration with family and friends. She is now known as Aniek Pflager.

President-elect Shawn Seyk enjoys getting to know people, and was happy he had the opportunity to have lunch with Frank Gardner and Roy Holmes before they passed. Gary Bunch led Recognition today and shared a story about our guest speaker, Skip Davies, when Skip threw him around like a rag doll when he was in 7th grade. Barbara Sonin was happy she had a nice Thanksgiving this year with her daughter. Carl Rodegerdts is happy his 24 and 22 year old grandchildren call him once a week to talk.

Roger Kohlmeier was happy his wife Judy is doing well after hip replacement surgery, and the 49ers won. Mark Ullrich was happy he received a very special Christmas card from his granddaughter where she read a story. Chuck Maltese shared he tells his grandchildren and great grandchildren the Three Wise Men are named Moe, Larry & Curly. Steve Venables got to pay a $20 fine for his phone going off during last week's meeting.

Former Woodland Mayor and City Council member Skip Davies was our guest speaker today, giving us a talk on the City's plans to develop three new fields for girls fastpitch softball. Land for the fields has been identified. Overall project costs are estimated at $930,000 and $450,000 has already been raised.

President Dan Stroski got today's meeting going with a reminder this was the 80th Anniversary of the attack at Pearl Harbor. Bob Nakken 'rang the bell' for his daughter Alyssa's recent wedding at Peacock Gap in San Rafael.

Christian Sherrill acknowledged he will be celebrating his 45th birthday on Dec 13 (San Leandro). Tabb Randolph introduced his guest Drew Smythe from Wraith Scarlett & Randolph. Jayne Williams introduced her guest L.C. Cunningham, Mentor and Board Member with All Leaders Must Serve. Tom LaBrie couldn't believe he drew a free lunch.

Following recent football victories over UC Davis and Sacramento State, Kevin Haarberg 'rang the bell' in pride for his alma matter South Dakota State Jackrabbits. Jim Taylor 'rang the bell' for his 90th birthday coming up on Dec 13. Don Huff III was happy to get some water in his rice fields with help from the California Rice Commission. Responding to a Recognition question from Chuck Maltese, Mark Ullrich mentioned the line dancing skills he and wife Audrie have developed.

Our own PDG Karl Diekman was today's program speaker, giving us a presentation on his October '21 visit to Karen, Kenya to attend the dedication of Phase One improvements on the Kenya WASH project the Club has been working on and supporting.

Welcomed by Noon Club President Dan Stroski and Sunrise Club President Robyn Bea Truitt Drivon, nearly 80 members and guests from the three Woodland Rotary Clubs attended a Holiday Party at the Hotel Woodland on Friday, December 4. Many thanks to Marie Galbo who lead the effort from our Club to make this event successful! More pictures from the event can be viewed in the Photo Gallery.

President Dan Stroski led another well attended meeting today. He apologized for underestimating the number of members who would attend during Thanksgiving week. Jim McGibbon returned to lead us with President Dan in singing Rotary Grace.

Guests today included Susie McGibbon, introduced by her husband Jim. Mike Chandler introduced two guests: prospective new member Gina Bravo along with Tom Gregory who is visiting from Colorado .

Jim Nolan took the Recognition helm today, asking questions about Thanksgiving. Kevin Haarberg fessed up to his 67th birthday tomorrow, Nov 24 (Yankton SD). Karl Diekman will celebrate his 72nd birthday on Dec 2 (Steubenville OH). Jayne Williams gave an update on our Interact Club at Woodland High School who are busy conducting a canned food drive. Aniek Ramsey will also celebrate a birthday Dec 2 'about 20 years after Karl' (Fresno). President-elect Shawn Seyk 'rang the bell' in honor of his girls soccer team that did very well this year. Yvette Roy will celebrate a birthday 'around 60' on Nov 28 (Woodland).

Stepping up at the last minute, our own Derrek Kaff, Chief of the Woodland Police Department, gave us a program on 'sUAS (small Unmanned Aircraft Systems) (aka 'Drones') and the Future of Law Enforcement'. He gave us a first look at a drone program the Woodland Police Department expects to implement in in the community in 2022. Two YouTube videos Derrek attempted to show us during his presentation can be viewed at:

With the benefit of a nice turkey lunch, President Dan Stroski presided over a good size crowd at today's meeting.

President Dan presents the membership badge of the late Roy Holmes to Roy's daughter Marjorie Brown and son Dan Holmes who joined us today.

Mike Chandler introduced his guest today, Gina Bravo, RN, Interim Woodland Memorial Hospital President & CEO. Bob Nakken fessed up to his wedding anniversary with wife Gaye back on Oct 21 when they were both out sick with a 'mild' case of COVID. Mark Ullrich was in charge of Recognition today; happy about the SF 49ers win on Monday night, and asking veterans in the Club to tell us about their service.

Marie Galbo says the Woodland Rotary Clubs of Woodland will hold a Christmas Meeting on 4pm-6pm Friday, December 3 at the Hotel Woodland. $25 per person provides an appetizer buffet; no host beer, wine & soft drinks; and dessert. Signups and payment need to be made by the Club's November 23rd meeting. Make checks payable to 'Woodland Rotary Club'.

Veterans Don Huff Jr, Jim Taylor, Tom LaBrie and Gary Wegener told us about their military service, as did (not pictured) Steve Venables, Karl Diekman, Mark Ullrich & Dan Stroski.

Rob Beggs, Chief Engineer, Brown and Caldwell, Davis, and National Vice-chair of the Conservative Caucus of the Citizens Climate Lobby, was our guest speaker today, providing us with a presentation on 'Climate Change - Science, Solutions and Current Happenings.' Thank you to Derrek Kaff for introducing our speaker. More about the Citizens Climate Lobby and its Yolo County chapter can be seen on their websites: www.citizensclimatelobby.org and www.yoloccl.org

The Rotary Club of Woodland is accepting applications for a Community Based Project to be funded by the proceeds of our 2022 Annual Auction. The auction will take place on February 19th, 2022 at the California Agriculture History Museum in Woodland CA. If you are involved with or know a group that could benefit from this fundraiser, please fill out the Donation Request Form linked below and send to, or contact, President-elect Shawn Seyk via email at shawnseyk@yahoo.com . Completed donation forms will be accepted through December 31, 2021. Selection of the 2022 Auction beneficiary (or beneficiaries) is anticipated in early January 2022.

Long time Woodland Rotarian Roy Holmes passed away over the weekend, just short of his 96th birthday. An active and respected Club member, Roy annually offered his son Dan's beautiful photography to support the Club Auction. Roy's wife Mary Jo and daughter Marjorie frequently attended Club events including Roy's August 13, 2019 presentation about his participation in the Honor Flight #20 to Washington DC earlier in the year with his youngest son Jim. Roy also enjoyed participating in Woodland Kids Read (a United Way program supported by Rotary) in which he received thank you letters from the children he read to. Roy received his 6th Paul Harris pin in 2019 in recognition of his significant financial contributions to the Rotary Foundation.

Born & raised in Clarksburg, Roy joined the US Army Air Corp in the last years of WWII. He married Mary Jo (Leask) in 1948 and together they raised five children, who have produced five grand children and six great grandchildren. Roy worked in farming, farm management and real estate. Among many interests, Roy's primary hobby was flying radio controlled model airplanes. Mary Jo passed away in 2020 after 71 years of marriage to Roy.

We’re in November 2021 and we have wonderful news to report on a few important points. The Wild Polio virus has still only struck two individuals during the year. One each in Pakistan and Afghanistan, with both of those recorded in the first month of the year. We are defeating this terrible disease and need to keep our vigilance and immunization in high gear for the near future. Nineteen (19) members of the Woodland Noon Rotary club have committed to the fight against Polio by becoming members of the Polio Plus Society, with 2 more members in the process of joining. We have had our first two women members join our group and look forward to recognizing at least 5 new Society members at a meeting in the near future.

As our Club Polio Warrior, I encourage all Woodland Rotary members to give strong consideration to joining the Society before the end of 2021 by donating $100 to the cause and committing to the future until Polio is declared defeated. This is easily done by giving a check to Tom Schwarzgruber in the name of Polio Plus and filling out a very simple form. You get credit for a write-off donation to the Foundation, credit for Paul Harris Foundation, credit for fighting a terrible disease, and satisfaction of knowing you are helping our Club increase our Society Membership numbers. Thank you for your consideration.

Blair Voelz reported our Club's Kenya WASH Phase Two project has received approval for $26,000 in District 5160 Designated Funds, which is an important step toward receiving Global Grant funding from the Rotary Foundation. Our local match for the project is now $15,000. While other Woodland Rotary Club's are being asked to co-sponsor, and decisions by our Club and the Woodland Rotary Endowment for financial support have not yet been made, Blair is currently seeking contributions from individual members to meet the local match. At the meeting Karl Diekman, Les Engelmann, and Tabb Randolph joined Blair in each pledging $1,000. Additional contributions were also pledged. Blair will be keeping track of these on his chart.

Tony Delevati was happy to be back attending after a two month absence; too much work!! Clyde Brooker was in charge of Recognition today, asking how some common phrases got their start. President-elect Shawn Seyk enjoyed a family vacation to Key West FL recently. Don Huff III was happy about starting a Waterfowl program funded by the California Rice Commission and the California Waterfowl Association at his farm.

Peter Holmes was one of Clyde Brooker's victims, and had no clue where the phrase 'bringing home the bacon' came from. David Moreno, Assistant Deputy for Supervisor Gary Sandy was a guest with us today. Despite help from Mike Chandler, Tabb Randolph managed to draw a free lunch from today's pot .

Gary Sandy, Yolo County Supervisor for District 3, was our guest speaker today, providing us with an extensive update on a broad range of issues currently facing Yolo County. District 3 covers most of the City of Woodland.

President Dan Stroski led a well attended meeting today. Dan also presided over Recognition today with questions about Thanksgiving.

Membership Chairman David Pinto reminded us of our current membership drive and the need to bring some guests/prospective new members to Club meetings. David highlighted the December 7th meeting, with Karl Diekman giving a program about his experience with the Kenya WASH project, as an excellent opportunity to invite a guest. Blair Voelz continued recent profiles by members telling the story on how & why they joined the Club. A friend once told Blair the worst part of retiring was missing people. Blair joined the Club to be with people!

Since it was Nick Roncoroni's 42nd birthday today, he 'rang the bell' and got the full 'Happy Birthday' song treatment! Mike Chandler 'rang the bell' in celebration of his 25th wedding anniversary with wife Randi today! Don Huff III celebrated his 67th birthday on Oct 23. Scott Johnston will celebrate his 68th birthday on Oct 30. Offering up a $50 fine payment, Scott also announced he will be gone the next six months as he and wife Sheila winter in their new Palm Desert CA home.

Jessica Fern, Senior Director Training and Development, and National Leadership Speaker, FPI Residential Property Management was our guest speaker today. Appearing virtually on Zoom following an introduction by Lori Ross, Jessica gave a presentation on 'Living with Einstein - Adult ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)'.

The Rotary Club of Woodland has been participating in the Kenya WASH project since October ’20 to improve water supply, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) at two schools in Karen, Kenya (Africa). This is a Rotary Global Grant effort sponsored by the Rotary Club of Karen. The project is a coordinated effort to make needed improvements at the Karen C Primary School, serving 1300 students, 50 teachers (established in 1958), and the adjacent Karen C Girls Secondary (high school) school (established in 2011) with enrollment of 600 students. Phase One of the project, which installed two large capacity water tanks and hand washing stations for students, was completed in August ’21 at a cost of $40,000. Our Club contributed $5,000 toward Phase One.

Photos from Phase One of the project can be viewed in our Photo Gallery.

Kenya is located on the east coast of Africa. Karen, Kenya is a suburb of Kenya’s capitol city Nairobi. Photos below show children from both Karen schools.

Sanitation conditions at the Karen C schools today are terrible, and would be considered unacceptable for any similar facilities in the United States. As photos below show, pit latrines are in use.

Phase Two is ready to start and club support is needed to move forward. Club Kenya WASH Chair Blair Voelz indicates Phase Two seeks to build a new, modern facility at the primary school with flush toilets, fix up the existing bathroom at the secondary school, and install a septic system serving both schools. These improvements will be a major step forward in sanitation for the children and staff of both schools.

The budget for Phase Two is $80,000. Funding would again come largely from a Rotary Global Grant and a District 5160 match. Our Club, as international sponsor, will need to raise approximately $10,000. The RC of Karen is expected to raise the same amount.

Photos shown below show facilities similar to the ones we wish to build. They were built for another WASH Project in Nairobi.

Club President Dan Stroski reports contributions from the Club and/or the Woodland Endowment for Phase Two have not yet been determined. However, he indicates interested members may now make personal contributions toward Phase Two themselves. Any amount you can donate will go a long way to reaching the Club’s $10K responsibility for the project.

Members wishing to make a donation toward Phase Two of the Kenya WASH project can do so by check made out to ‘Woodland Rotary Endowment’ with a note indicating ‘Kenya WASH Phase Two’. The check should be mailed to P.O. Box 31 Woodland CA 95776 c/o Assistant Club Treasurer Tom Schwarzgruber. Or, contributions can be made via PayPal or your credit card on the Club’s website.

Nice to know some things just don't change. Rotary Gracers Steve Venables, President Dan Stroski and Marc Faye did their thing again today. The familiar faces of Gary Bunch, Carl Rodegerdts, and Secretary Aniek Ramsay were together again at the back table.

Tom & Gail Schwarzgruber just returned from a vacation trip to the Northeast, visiting several states, as a surprise for Tom's 70th birthday. Yvette & Craig Roy joined the Schwarzgrubers on their trip and celebrated Craig's 60th birthday there as well. Gary Bunch, who led today's Recognition, just returned from a two week trip with wife Kathy to Ardmore OK to help her father move into a new home. Tabb & Nancy Randolph also enjoyed a recent trip to the Carolinas where lots of golf was played.

Don Huff Jr. told the sad story of a huge, 246 year old oak tree in front of his home on Casa Linda Drive that had to be taken down recently. Mark Ullrich was happy to be reminded of his 15th wedding anniversary with wife Audre (Yolo Fliers) coming up on Oct 21. Lisa Martinez enjoyed the Club's Oct 2nd trip to the SF Giants game. Derrek Kaff was extremely grateful for the nurses that took exceptional care of his mother-in-law who was discharged from the hospital recently, and Derek was especially appreciative and thankful for all healthcare workers doing the important work they do every day.

Yolo County Agriculture Commissioner Humberto Izquierdo was our guest speaker today, giving us a presentation on his department's responsibilities and challenges. More information about the Yolo County Agriculture Department can be found at their website.?

Our own PDG Karl Diekman was on hand October 13, 2021 in Karen, Kenya as the water storage and hand washing stations improvements in Phase One of the Kenya WASH program at the Karen C Primary School were dedicated.

President Dan Stroski was at the helm again today. He presented a short video by Rotary International President 2021-22 Shektar Mehta and a Thank You to the Club from some of the students at the Karen C Primary School in Karen, Kenya in response to the recent completion of Phase One of the Kenya WASH Project which brought water storage and hand washing stations to the school.

President-elect Shawn Seyk is looking ideas on what to raise money for during the upcoming Club Dinner Auction next Spring. Contact Shawn with any thoughts you may have. Derrek Kaff is celebrating a birthday on Oct 15. Don Huff III was happy about his successful rice harvest and thanked Blair Voelz for a suggestion on when to get it done.

Chuck Maltese and Carl Rodegerdts talked about how and why they joined Rotary. Clyde Brooker managed to draw a free lunch.

At the 2019 Sunrise Club Salmon BBQ Auction Gary Wegener purchased a Bruce Watts flight to the coast. Gary reported he and wife Joanie enjoyed the flight/visit to Little River near Mendocino last week, and thought Bruce did a 'masterful' job in landing back at Woodland Watts Airport in gusty (up to 35mph) winds this past Monday.

Patrick Blacklock, Executive Director of the Rural Counties Representatives of California (and until 8 months ago, County Administrative Officer of Yolo County) was our guest speaker today giving us a program about RCRC and its services.

President Dan Stroski presented Marie Galbo with flowers and thanks from the Club for great work in organizing last Saturday's trip to the SF Giants game.

Tim Pettit will celebrate his 77th birthday tomorrow, Oct 6 (Auburn CA). With the pot at $225 and 25 cards to select from, Kevin Haarberg was delighted to draw a free lunch. Tom Schwarzgruber will celebrate a birthday on Oct 11 (Woodland). Tom was also happy about a meal he & Gail recently enjoyed with other members at Matchbook Winery; an auction purchase from a couple of years ago.

Membership Chair David Pinto started a series of member statements about how they joined Rotary. He explained that Aniek Ramsay got him interested in joining our Club to learn more about the community. Marc Faye talked about his 62 years of 100% attendance in Rotary. Karl Diekman said he first joined Rotary in 1982, and was invited to join our Club by Don Huff III.

Blair Voelz was happy he has harvested his grapes and rice, and is now starting harvesting his olives. Jayne Williams was happy 14 Woodland High School students returned to participate in the Interact Club this past week. Seth Wurzel 'rang the bell' explaining ten years ago yesterday was initiated into the Club. While Duane Ewing brought him in, George Berretoni did all the recruiting. Bob Nakken was happy the SF Giants won the National League's Western Division on Sunday and was also happy for his daughter Alyssa. Lori Ross was reminded about her 19th wedding anniversary with husband Art on Oct 11.

Jamaica Lambie was our guest speaker today, speaking about his work in supporting Rotarian Rob DeCou in the Uberman 2021, the World's Most Challengin Ultra-Marathon.

Woodland Rotary took over 50 members, spouses & guests on a bus trip Saturday, October 2, 2021 to see the Giants game against the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Though the Giants couldn't win the National League's Western Division today, it was still a great outing. Many thanks to Marie Galbo for organizing this event! To view more pictures from this event go to the Photo Gallery.

President Dan Stroski presents Blair Voelz with a check for $885, the amount he won in last week's 50-50 raffle when he drew the joker. Blair then really 'rang the bell' by pledging to donate $1,000 to the Club's Kenya WASH project. We had a good crowd on hand to greet our District Governor today.

Christian Sherrill was relieved his son played football for Woodland Christian this weekend and didn't get hurt. President Dan was $20 happy that his foreign exchange student Yasmina from Germany will be visiting them this Christmas. Wendy Casas-Raviotta (and her neighbors) was happy she and her husband were making progress on the landscaping of their front yard. Derrek Kaff was happy about the success of a local event honoring disabled veterans this past weekend.

Carl Rodegerdts will celebrate his 85th birthday on Sep 22 (Woodland). President-elect Shawn Seyk likes the SF Giants chances if they can win the Western Division of the National League. Clyde Brooker is looking forward to his 74th birthday on Sep 29 (Loma Linda CA). Bob Nakken rang the bell for the recent birth of his second grandchild, Asher.

2021-22 Rotary District 5160 Governor Kathy Suvia was our speaker today. She was joined by area Assistant District Governor Woody Fridae (Winters). Governor Kathy, who is from the Rotary Club of Mt. Shasta City, gave us a presentation on all the activities District 5160 is undertaking. She also presented Immediate Past President Tabb Randolph with the 'Back to the Future' award for his work in guiding the Club during the difficult times of last year.

A big THANK YOU!!! to Tom & Gail Schwarzgruber who opened up their beautiful backyard to us for a special BBQ dinner meeting. With the pot at $885 Blair Voelz drew the joker from 3 remaining cards to win our 50-50 raffle. David Shepard, Woodland Police Deparment Canine Officer and his dog 'Chase', were our guests this evening demonstrating Chase's ability to find drugs and take down suspects.

President Dan Stroski led a well attended meeting today. Tom Schwarzgruber reminded us next Tuesday's (Sep 14) Club meeting will be an evening session beginning at 5:30pm in his backyard: 6:15pm dinner ($20/person); 7pm Woodland PD K9 Officer David Shepard and 'Chase' will be the program. Spouses are encouraged to attend. Sign up with Tom.

Derrek Kaff introduced his guest today, Woodland Fire Chief Eric Zane. Brian Dwyer was happy his nephew got safely through his start at quarterback for Sacramento City College this weekend. Visiting Rotarian Bob Hulbert (Woodland Sunrise) joined us today and talked about the Walk to End Alzheimer's happening 10am, Saturday, Oct 2, at the Californian (see story under 'Announcements'). Chuck Moore told us about his 64th birthday on Sep 6, and the success of the FFA Livestock Auction that took place at the Yolo County Fairgrounds last month.

Don Huff III led Recognition today with questions about this date in history. President-elect Shawn Seyk was presented with his official Club badge showing his new title. With the pot at $838 and just 4 cards left, Lisa Martinez got herself a free lunch.

Immediate Past President Tabb Randolph enjoyed his annual fishing trip to Alaska (Excursion Inlet) recently where he caught a 76 lbs halibut. Eric Sharp 'rang the bell' reporting he also enjoyed a recent salmon fishing in Alaska, but also last Friday he retired after 42 years in the financial management business.

Howard Scott, as our guest speaker today. Dee gave us a presentation on the Honor Flight program which provides veterans tours to Washington DC to visit the national military memorials honoring their service to the nation.

Chuck Moore reported the FFA Auction held at the Fairgrounds in August grossed over $330,000 exclusive of the $64,000 raised for the Joe Gates Memorial Scholarship fund. There were only 108 lots sold (approximately 2/3rds of a normal year), but it was the highest dollar amount since he has been involved with the sale. The Auction supports FFA young people from around Yolo County and has been supported by members of our Club over the years.

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 1300 students, 50 teachers (established in 1958) and an adjacent girls high school with enrollment of 600 students (established in 2011) 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, President-elect Dan Stroski, Karl Diekman, Tom Schwarzgruber, Gary Wirth and Jayne Williams will oversee the Club’s involvement in this project.

UPDATE: Blair Voelz reports Phase 1 of the Kenya WASH project will be complete August 31, 2021. Due to limited access to the local well, it is critically important that during the school's turn to use the well, they store as much water as possible. So, the primary improvement of Phase 1 has been the installation of a tower mounted 5000 gallon tank, and a 10,000 gallon ground level tank. The tanks are made with panels with an embossed design. The panels were hauled up to the towers, then bolted together and sealed; ingeniously avoiding the need for a crane to lift a tank and welders for assembly, just nuts & bolts. Phase 1 also includes hand washing stations for kids. See the related pictures below.

Phase 2 work is expected to include to constructing toilets for boys and girls, and address wastewater disposal.

President Dan Stroski led us again today with a good sized group in attendance. Face mask wearing during meetings has been good, but the Zoom meetings have been a problem. President Dan cannot lead the in-person meetings while also being the Zoom guru. Any volunteers to help with the Zoom meetings??? President Dan was also happy to announce he was trying to sell his RV.

Don Huff Jr returned and 'rang the bell' in memory of Alan Flory, his friend for 60 years. Mark Ullrich was happy about a recent family trip to Hawaii. With the pot at $766 and 6 cards left, Steve Venables found a free lunch. Kevin Haarberg took the Recognition helm today with questions about how long wars have lasted through history.

Reminded about is 57th wedding anniversary with wife Muffy coming up Sep 5, Dick Hoppin 'rang the bell' and explained they were married in Menlo Park and spent their first wedding night at the Alta Mira Hotel in Sausalito. Les Engelmann was warned about his 53rd wedding anniversary (Joliet IL) with wife Gail coming up Sep 7. Shawn Seyk reported he and wife Brenda spent their 22nd wedding anniversary (Aug 21, Ryde Hotel in the Delta) checking their son into Montana State University in Bozeman.

Don Huff III was happy he and his family safely evacuated from their Lake Tahoe vacation home due to the Caldor Fire. George Burger was happy all his almonds have come off his trees and tomorrow was the start of dove season. Blair Voelz 'rang the bell' in announcing Phase 1 of the Kenya WASH project has been completed; and thanked the committee members who have worked on the project, as well as those who have donated financially to the effort.

Jonathon Raven, Chief Deputy Assistant, Yolo County District Attorney's Office, was our guest speaker today, providing a close look into Yolo Commons, a data transparency portal into local criminal justice. Jonathon was assisted by his colleague Ryan Cousins. President Dan Stroski introduced Jonathon, his former boss at the DA's Office.

President Dan Stroski informed the Club that long time Club Secretary Alan Flory passed away on Monday, August 25 at the age of 89. Alan was a member of the Rotary Club of Woodland for many years. Alan had worked professionally with the California State Board of Equalization before being elected Yolo County Assessor in 1986. Alan was equally active in the community serving as Woodland Community College's representative on the Yuba Community College Board of Trustees for 12 years. He also served the Woodland Methodist Church, Woodland Food Closet, Yolo Land Trust, Yolo County Historical Society, Woodland Clinic Foundation, Communicare Health Centers, Yolo County Fair and other non-profit organizations. In 2011 Alan was recognized with a Community Service Award from the City of Woodland. Alan was also an avid San Francisco Giants fan, regularly attending their spring training in Arizona. He will be missed.

Services will be private and for the immediate family only. The Club stood at its meeting Tuesday and toasted Alan for the wonderful Rotarian and friend he was.

President Dan Stroski attempted to prove he can still sing Rotary Grace wearing a face mask. Marie Galbo was happy to announce the Club's bus trip to the SF Giants game on Saturday, October 2 is sold out!! Local veteran Johnny Newsom was Steve Venables guest today. Marc Faye presented the Club with a plaque with an original coin cup used by the Club in its early days to collect member fines.

Nick Roncoroni was happy his kids are back at school! David Pinto was happy he traveled to Toronto, earlier this month soon after it was allowed for US citizens to enter Canada, to visit his 97 year old mother who he had not been able to see during the pandemic. Derrek Kaff shared a story that he had attended the 2019 FBI National Academy which trains law enforcement leaders from the US and its partner countries from around the world. During the 10 week training Derrek built a friendship with Khalid Afzal from the Afghanistan National Directorate of Security. Last week Derrek said Khalid contacted members of their Academy class asking for assistance in getting himself, wife & three small children out of Afghanistan. With the cooperation and coordination of various Federal agencies and US military units, Khalid and his family obtained Special Immigrant Visas as he had worked with the US military throughout his career. Yesterday, Derrek was overjoyed to received a selfie of Khalid & family walking up the tail ramp of a US military plane as they departed Kabul. Khalid and his family are now safely out of Afghanistan. Tim Pettit was given early warning on his 18th wedding anniversary with wife Nadine (Murphys CA).

Our own Steve Venables was our program speaker today, telling us about his writing and specifically about his recent book, 'Woodland and Its Colorful Characters'.

President Dan Stroski was back in charge today. Dan apologized for his absence last week as unexpected bad weather forced the cancellation of his flight back home. Foundation Chair Tom Schwarzgruber presented Gary Wegener with his Paul Harris +6 pin in recognition for his significant contributions to the Rotary Foundation. Jim Nolan celebrated his 71st birthday (Balbriggan, County Dublin, Ireland) today and the Club serenaded him with "Happy Birthday' .

Several guests wereb with us today. Tim Pettit introduced his son, Andrew Pettit; Derrek Kaff introduced Charlotte Beal; and Jayne Williams introduced Erin Ramachandran.

Mark Ullrich was back behind the podium today, this time leading Recognition and asking several questions about winners in the recent Olympic games. Blair Voelz reported Phase 1 of the Kenya WASH project is set to be completed August 20th, and discussions about Phase 2 of the project are now underway. Karl Diekman 'rang the bell' in support of Gary Wirth's Paul Harris Society efforts within the Club. Marie Galbo reported 48 people have signed up for the Club's trip to see the SF Giants game on October 2. President Dan said that any remaining seats for this trip available after this week will be offered to other Woodland Rotary Clubs.

Freshly back from a fly fishing trip to Idaho, Scott Johnston was warned about his 47th anniversary with wife Sheila (Red Bluff) coming up on August 24th. Tabb Randolph 'rang the bell' for his daughter Paige's recent graduation from Penn State University. Also, Tabb 'rang the bell' a second time in memory of friends who died in a recent private airplane crash in Truckee. President Dan Stroski announced that Club Secretary Alan Flory recently asked ( for personal reasons) to be relieved of his role as Secretary, and that Aniek Ramsay has agreed to take on the role as Club Secretary. With the pot a $741 and just 7 cards remaining, Marc Faye managed to draw a free lunch!

Ismael Hernandez, Woodland High School social science teacher, who also has a background with the Yolo County Sheriff's office, was our guest speaker today, giving us a presentation on Student Engagement and the classes he teaches under the Criminal Justice Pathway in the Career Technical Education Program. Thanks to Derrek Kaff for arranging and introducing this program.

Who is our Club President again??? For the second week in a row Past President Mark Ullrich took charge of the meeting because President Dan's flight home from Chicago was cancelled due to bad weather. Rotary Foundation Chair Tom Schwarzgruber presented Tony Delevati with his Paul Harris +5 pin and Scott Johnston with his Paul Harris +8 pin today in recognition of their tremendous financial support of the Foundation. Fifteen year member Ken Nordgren took in his last Club meeting today as he has recently retired from US Bank, sold his home, and is moving to Kauai. Ken said he has posted his new address on the membership directory of the Club's website in hopes that Club members might contact him when visiting the island. Ken and wife Diana Harvey were great supporters of the Club and will be missed. He even left some bottle of wine for the Club to sell at its next dinner auction.

Marie Galbo is still looking for members and guests interested in attending the 1pm SF Giants game at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Saturday, October 2nd (against the San Diego Padres). Contact Marie as soon as possible if interested. Recognition Chair Gary Bunch was the fining officer today. Gary is looking for new members to serve of the Recognition Committee; contact Gary if interested. Don Huff III said even though the Yolo County Fair is not running this year, the FFA Auction is still set to be held on Saturday, August 21 at the Fairgrounds. Contact Don if you want to help financially support the FFA Auction this year. Aniek Ramsay is taking names of members interested in either planning or taking part in a Club effort to conduct a BBQ on October 17th as part of the City of Woodland's 150th Anniversary celebration.

With the pot at $705 and 8 cards left, Tom LaBrie managed to draw a free lunch. Gary Bunch gave Kevin Haarberg a photograph of Kevin riding in a sports car with former Club member John Fendrich. Kevin said the picture was taken during the time when he was Club President (2003-04), and that John had been very helpful during to the Club. Barbara Sonin told Gary Bunch that her business is doing well these days.

Bob Jehn, Chair/Outbound Coordinator, and Kylee Mebust, Rotex Advisor, of Rotary District 5160's Youth Exchange Program, were our guest speakers today, providing us with a presentation on Rotary Youth Exchange and how interested Rotary clubs can participate. Bob is a Rotarian with the Burney/Fall River Club and Kylee is a former Youth Exchange student from Rocklin who joined us today via Zoom. They were joined by visiting Rotarians and fellow Youth Exchange Program leaders: Treasurer Lynn Jepsen (Woodland Sunrise), and School Liaisons Bob Puppenga (top) and David Murphy (both Davis Sunrise).

Past President Mark Ullrich presided over today's meeting as President Dan Stroski was out of state visiting his son & family. We had a light, socially distanced crowd today.

Marie Galbo is organizing the Club's bus trip to see the SF Giants game with the San Diego Padres at Oracle Park in San Francisco on Saturday, October 2nd (1pm game time). Marie says we have about 34 people signed up and the bus holds 55, so more signups are welcome. Contact Marie as soon as possible if interested! Gary Bunch was really happy about cheesecake being served for today's dessert! Chuck Maltese was happy because on his way to today's meeting he personally saw an 'idiot' driver actually getting pulled over by the police. Scott Johnston, who has been absent for several weeks, returned to the Recognition helm today, but struggled to name several members as he imposed fines on them. Hmmm.

Tony Delevati managed to draw a free lunch today. We were joined by visiting Rotarians Byron MacConnell (above; Woodland Sunrise) and Cecil Padilla (Winters) today.

President-elect and Scholarship Coordinator Shawn Seyk was our program speaker today giving us an update on Woodland Rotary Endowment's Scholarship program. Shawn invited three students - (from left to right) Thai Nguyen (Pioneer HS 2018), Allan Almacen (Pioneer HS 2020), and Dylan Fullerton (Woodland HS 2020) - each of whom have received our scholarship, to join us today and share some insight about themselves, their studies and their plans. Great program Shawn!

Foundation Chair Tom Schwarzgruber presents Chuck Moore with his Paul Harris +6 pin from the Rotary Foundation. Thank you Chuck for your tremendous support of Rotary!

President Dan Stroski, along with Marc Faye and Steve Venables are taking Rotary Grace to a whole new level!

Jayne Williams and her husband celebrated her 35th wedding anniversary with some vacation time recently in Mexico and at Donner Lake. Kevin Haarberg and wife Lorie are celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary today (Woodland) and Kevin 'rang the bell'. Clyde Brooker was in charge of Recognition today with a wide range of questions. With the pot at $655 and 10 cards left, Marc Faye managed to draw a free lunch.

Michelle Vermette, Juvenile Services Supervisor with the Yolo County Probation Department was our guest speaker today giving us an overview of the responsibilities of and services provided to the 62 juveniles currently under Probation Supervision countywide. Among her comments, Michelle pointed out Yolo County is currently seeking community input on ideas on how to best use the County's underutilized Juvenile Hall. A virtual meeting to gather community input will be held 6pm Wednesday, August 11, on Zoom. For more information about this effort, and to register to participate visit:

Michelle was standing in for Chief Probation Officer Dan Fruchtenicht who was unable to join us today. Thank you Derrek Kaff for bringing this important program to the Club.

UPDATE: Blair Voelz reports Phase 1 of the Kenya WASH project is nearing completion. Due to limited access to the local well, it is critically important that during the school's turn to use the well, they store as much water as possible. So, the primary improvement of Phase 1 has been the installation of a tower mounted 5000 gallon tank, and a 10,000 gallon ground level tank. The tanks are made with panels with an embossed design. The panels were hauled up to the towers, then bolted together and sealed; ingeniously avoiding the need for a crane to lift a tank and welders for assembly, just nuts & bolts. Phase 1 also includes hand washing stations for kids. See the related pictures below.

Phase 1 should be completed in August. Phase 2 work is expected to include to constructing toilets for boys and girls, and address wastewater disposal.

President Dan Stroski announced a $2500 award from the George Berrettoni Scholarship has been made to Ethan Horowitz of Woodland CA. George Berretoni was a long time Woodland Rotarian, a past Club President, and was very active in the Boy Scouts of America. This scholarship was established in 2018 in George's honor following his passing. This is the first award of the Berretoni Scholarship.

Ethan Horowitz, an Eagle Scout himself from Troup 464, graduated from the Da Vinci Charter Academy with a 3.5 cumulative GPA. Ethan plans to attend Colorado State University in the fall where he will seek a degree in mechanical engineering. Ethan was on hand at the Club's July 20th meeting to receive the award from President-elect Shawn Seyk.

President Dan said "Rotary always wants to contribute to both our community and other various international projects; all with the intent of helping to make this world a better place to live." It is anticipated that future Berrettoni Scholarship awards will be made annually.

our inaugural George Berrottoni scholarship winner, Ethan Horowitz. George would be proud to be assisting him

Marie gave an update on the planned outting to see the SF Giants, Saturday, Oct 2nd.

It is a full day event (9 to 7), but sure to be packed with fun. Price $75-$95 depending on the number going.

Blair gave a wrapup of the Kenya WASH project and it was noted there will likely be a follow-on project for restroom facilities.

Recognition was provided by Jim Nolan, and was primarily happy time comments from happy Rotarians. Thank you Jim, you bring out the best in us.

And thanks to Chief Kaff for an excellent introduction on our two guest speakers, his executive assistant Trista Kennedy and her husband, Sam Kennedy from the Fire Department. The Chief also made a pitch for the Civilian Police Academy, starting in September. Contact PD if interested.

The City of Woodland Special Needs Alert Program (SNAP) was initiated and is maintained by Sam and Trista Kennedy of the Fire and Police departments respectively, patterned after a successfuly program on the east coast. SNAP assists First Responders (Police and Fire) to be more responsive during emergencies to residents of the City of Woodland with special needs.

Woodland is fortunate to have such dedicated and high caliber employees. Thank you.

President Dan Stroski took the reins on his year in office today. Displaying the new Rotary theme logo for 2021-22 on the front of his podium, Dan then teamed with Marc Faye to get us going on Rotary Grace. Later, President-elect Shawn Seyk let us know the 2022 Club Dinner Auction is tentatively set for Saturday, February 19, 2022 at the California Ag History Museum and he is interested in ideas on where the proceeds from this event should be spent.

Leading Recognition today, Gary Bunch asked Dena Lawrence to explain the tattoes on her legs. She says it reminds her that 'no matter where I go, I will never be lost'. David Pinto and wife Rebecca enjoyed a recent trip to New York and West Virginia as they visited their daughter (near Central Park) and hiked in two National Parks. Tom LaBrie couldn't find the joker in today's raffle.

Tony Delevati rang the bell for his 40th wedding anniversary with wife Margie coming up on July 18. Social Chair Marie Galbo talked about the Club's plan a bus trip to the SF Giants game at Oracle Park on Saturday, October 2 (San Diego). Immediate Past President Tabb Randolph received praise for his work as President and a Florida tee shirt from President Dan Stroski. Ken Nordgren signaled he has only three Club meetings remaining before he and wife Diane Harvey move to Kauai.

Don Huff III rang the bell for a special gathering his family enjoyed in Lake Tahoe over July 4th. Jim Nolan rang the bell for the birth of his second grandchild. Jim McGibbon offered Roy Holmes a ride to today's meeting, but Roy was not feeling up to it. Jim says Roy would welcome calls from members who wish to talk with him (Roy's phone number is available in the directory on the members page of this site).