The Club survived without me and my Mumbles for two weeks, and many thanks to Community Service Chair Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and PE Eleanor Kenitzer for covering my vacation. We had a great cruise, but it’s good to be back with my Rotary friends!
Last week’s meeting was our first effort at integrating Committe Meetings into a Club meeting with the committee meetings substituting for a program. This allowed us to devote some time to our committees without putting another appointment in your calendar. The Community Service Committee led by Cathy Wilcox-Barnes seemed to have the best turn-out, with productive meetings for Membership and Youth as well. Thanks to all who joined in and contributed. If you are not signed up for a Committee yet, pick one and talk to the Chair. In addition to Cathy, they are Dixie Redfearn (Club Service/PR), Carolyn Inglis (International Service/Foundation), Walt Stickel & Austin Farrar (Membership), and Laura Crookston (Youth/Vocational).
The non-program portions of the meeting featured the usual camaraderie and good humor. In a first, I managed to ring in a meeting with the Club Bell ("Lucy") and ring out the meeting, too. The Reverend David Fluke had some "splainen to do" (as Lucy would say) regarding his role in an attempted bell-napping during last week’s meeting. We heard touching news about a Club connection to one of the 8 American military members killed in a recent explosion in Afghanistan, and Kim Stewart shared the news of a young relative’s decision to join the Marines in this time of war. While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan can seem far removed from our daily lives, they do have an impact here at home.
Mark your calendars for the Area 4 Foundation Dinner on November 14th at the Nevada City Elks Lodge. The speaker will be local Rotaractor Sol Henson, who is midway through a year-long visit to the Batwa Pygmies in Bwindi, where he is working on water and sanitation programs. It will be an interesting program and a good opportunity for networking and fellowship with Rotarians from all the area clubs. If you are working on a Paul Harris for this year (and, we hope you are!), we can recognize you at the dinner if your get your funds in before the event. Write your check to Rotary International and get it to pP Bob Buhlis, our Foundation Chair. Talk to pP Bob about making your reservations for dinner, too. We have to give a final headcount on October 31.
Also on tap (so to speak) is our Club’s new fundraiser – a Wine-Tasting led by local wine broker David Luce. It is slated for November 12th at the Trolley Junction Restaurant from 5:30 to 7:45. It will feature interesting wine, tasty hors d’hoeuvres, good company, and an opportunity to get a good price on wine you’ve tasted. Moreover, you can get your Rotary fix for the day because our Club meeting is moved from that Thursday to the Foundation Dinner on the 14th. Tickets are $20 a person and we must limit the event to 40 people, so sign up soon. Treasurer Ellen Davis and Derek Poppell can take your RSVP. Our thanks to them for leading this new effort to raise funds for the Club and its scholarship programs!
In the vein of heart-warming, hands-on service, the annual Rock Creek Barbeque is coming up. Our Club organizes a barbeque lunch for paired special-needs and gifted & talented students from Nevada City schools. It’s slated for October 27th and we need folks to help set up, cook the food, and serve it. If you can help, contact pP John Hensley, who chairs the event. Thanks, John!
Our next program is brought to us on by Robin Milam. The CEO of California Organics, Chris Kayser, will give us an update on his growing and innovative organic grocery business. See you Thursday!
