Nevada City Rotary has been partnering with Rotary Club of Los Barriles, Cabo del Este on special projects our of Los Barriles since April 2015 with the exception of 2021-2022 because of COVID. Fond memories run deep. This story shares reflections from several of the 2023 team.
Take Charge! Recycle Lithium-Ion Batteries Responsibly.
Rotary Clubs of Western Nevada County and Redwood Materials are co-hosting our second community Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling collection in the parking lot of the Nevada County Rood Center from 10:00am - 2:00pm on Saturday April 15, 2023.
The public can drop off Lithium-ion rechargeable devices and batteries for recycling by Redwood Materials, a company that recycles the minerals and uses them to make new rechargeable batteries. Eligible items include cellphones, tablets, laptops, electric toothbrushes, e-shavers, vapes, wireless headphones, Bluetooth speakers, power tool batteries, video game controllers, etc.
Our team is back from Los Barriles for our club’s 7th International project with the Rotary Club of Los Barriles, Cabo del Este. A cadre of Rotarians - including 49er, family, and friends participated this year.
Our return to Los Barriles for our health screenings of school kids was a real delight. The main focus of our trip this year after three years of absence -- thanks to Covid -- was an all-out intensive: screening over 350 school kids in two days. Nevada City Rotary delivered several hundred sets of eyeglasses which were distributed during the clinics.
As of April 13, we are moving to TJ’s Roadhouse – formerly home to Lefty’s Grill at the bottom of Broad Street in Nevada City for 2nd and 4th Thursday 12:15pm lunch meetings.
We will be meeting in the front room adjacent to Sacramento Street. TJ's staff will work with our Club each week to choose 3 entrees to be offered for lunch. Members and guests will need to RSVP and specify their menu selection by noon on Wednesday, the day before our lunch meeting. The online RSVP process will be setup on our website similar to what we have used for Bistro 221. The cost will be $25 per person inclusive of tax and gratuity with a 15 person minimum.
Nevada City Rotary has pledged $1,000 toward a District Global Grant to fund the cost of providing MOBILE CLINICS to Ukraine.
Each Clinic will cost $42,500. The unit cost covers the initial stocking and training of staff. After that the Mobile Clinic is owned by the regional hospital and it’s the Ukrainian hospital’s responsibility to maintain and resupply the unit.
The 49er Breakfast Rotary Club of Nevada City will be hosting the Rotary District 5190 Area 4 Annual Community Awards. The event originally scheduled for April 2 is being postponed until later this Spring. Watch for updates soon.
Nevada County businesses, individuals, and volunteers that exemplify the 4-Way Test, Service Above Self, and Personal/Business Ethics will be recognized. Awards presented this year include:
Lowell Robinson Business of the Year
Citizen of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Lynn Skrukrud is serving as Nevada City Rotary’s Award Committee member to participate in the selection of awardees. Clubs are being asked to submit one nominee for each category. For more details on awards…
While we look forward to an inspiring keynote with Rotary International Director Vicki Puliz, due to unpredictable weather this week,our Area 4 Foundation Dinner has been postponed. We will update everyone as soon as the new date is confirmed.
A long-time Rotary member from the Rotary Club of Sparks and our own District 5190, Vicki is a vibrant energizer and engaging speaker. Our Foundation Dinner will be a special time to welcome RID Vicki to our Area and celebrate our contributions to The Rotary Foundation and Paul Harris Fellow achievements.
PLEASE NOTE - Due to snow, Sunday's Young Musicians Concert has been canceled.
Baraka Anderson, a 10th grader at Sierra Academy (SAEL) is the Rotary winner of the $200 first prize. For his video entry, he played Shumann’s quite difficult piece “Fantasiestucke.”
For this virtual contest conducted jointly by Area 4 Rotary and Music in the Mountains, all entries were judged by professional musicians, and a critique of each performance has been sent to all who competed.
A live Showcase Concert had been planned—the first post pandemic—but had to be cancelled twice because of our epic snowstorm and further weather concerns. And also because the young musician winners were not all available for later dates.
Baraka will compete at the D5190 music competition April 29 at Harrah’s in Stateline, Nevada. You can watch his video entry at the Baraka Anderson performance.
A big thank you to Gayle Denney who is our Club and Area Rotary representative coordinating with Music in the Mountains.
You are invited to learn more about Bright Futures For Youth (BFFY)’s life-changing program and the future of the NEO Youth Center and how it will help youth:
Tuesday, March 14, 2-3:30pm
200 Litton Drive, Grass Valley
Note the cafe area we are funding with other local clubs and a Rotary D5190 grant.
Sometimes words are not enough, and that's how we feel about the donation from the Rotary Clubs in Nevada County that came together and donated $40,000 to the new NEO Youth Center under construction at Bright Futures for Youth on Litton Hill. The donation will specifically support the NEO Cafe portion of the NEO Youth Center (food is arguably the best way to connect with children and young adults).
So much appreciation to the Rotary Club of Grass Valley, Rotary Club of Grass Valley South, Rotary Club of Nevada City and 49er Breakfast Rotary Club for coming together to change so many lives. If you know a Rotary member, please give them a hug and thank them for their commitment to the community and supporting our efforts.
From Jennifer Litton, Executive Director and the BFFY (including NEO) team
Four local Rotary Clubs are proud to partner with Bright Futures for Youth (BFFY) to build what will be called the Rotary Café in the new NEO Youth Center. The Grass Valley, 49er Breakfast, Grass Valley South, and Nevada City Rotary Clubs each contributed $2,500. District 5190 matched the $10,000 Club balance with a $12,500 grant plus almost $2,500 in District Bonus Dollar contributions for a total grant of $25,000 (with some rounding).
In addition to the District Grant, Grass Valley Rotary contributed $15,000 in honor of late Club member Mike Johnson. The Clubs presented a check representing the $40,000 donation to Executive Director Jennifer Singer and NEO Program Director Halli Ellis-Edwards at Grass Valley Rotary's regular meeting on Monday January 23, 2023.
A small cadre of Nevada City Rotarians took advantage of the mid-January sunshine to do a bit of cleanup and replenish blubs planted in Penzance Park. Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, Tom Ryan, Chris Newsom, Walt Stickel, Tom and Robin Milam planted over 200 daffodils, hyacinths, and crocuses.
It is a tradition we enjoy as a time for camaraderie , digging in the dirt, and enjoying Cathy’s cookies! And of course it has a history ...
Throughout the 2022-2023 Rotary year, Nevada City Rotary has been enjoying a monthly viewing of the Project Drawdown Climate Change 101 series. Project Drawdown states:
Climate Solutions 101 is the world’s first major educational effort focused solely on solutions. Rather than rehashing well-known climate challenges, Project Drawdown centers game-changing climate action based on its own rigorous scientific research and analysis. This course, presented in video units and in-depth conversations, combines Project Drawdown’s trusted resources with the expertise of several inspiring voices from around the world. Climate solutions become attainable with increased access to free, science-based educational resources, elevated public discourse, and tangible examples of real-world action. Continue your climate solutions journey, today.
For information on the individual videos in the six-part series as well as related diagrams Chris has been sharing, click the read more button.
Always a fun evening when the ACME Robotics Inc team comes to wow our club with their knowledge, creativity, and mastery of robotics. The team showed off this year's robot and talked about the many facets of designing, building and maintaining a fully functional competitive robot. Creativity abounds as they describe designing and creating critical parts via a 3D printer.
Nevada County's premier award-winning high school robotics team has been successfully competing in the FIRST Tech Challenge since 2014. Nevada City Rotary is proud to be an ongoing sponsor of the ACME Robotics team.
Our Nevada City Rotary Nominating Committee proposed a slate of Presidents-Elect, Officers, and Directors for 2023-2024. The incoming Board of Directors was approved by a unanimous vote of all members present at our regular Club Social Meeting on January 5, 2023.
A big thank you and congratulations to our new Board of Directors who will assume office on July 1, 2023.
Officers
(Executive Committee)
Presidents
Karen McDonald (Administrative) July - October
Cathy Wilcox-Barnes November - February
Doug McDonald March - June
President-Elect
Doug McDonald
Secretary
Robin Milam
Treasurer
Tom Ryan
Past-Co-Presidents
Carolyn Feuille
Chris Newsom
Directors
Club Service
Giudita (Judy) Soldavini
Community Service
Dan Foss
Environmental Sustainability
Chris Newsom
International Service
Carolyn Feuille
Membership
Dennis Geare
Public Image
Walt Stickel
Rotary Foundation
Lynda Guthrie
Vocational Service
Nicole Dillard
Youth Service
Louise Johnson
Nancy Kemp will continue with Programs and Ken Ching will service as Sergeant At Arms.
And a special thank you to our Nominating Committee: Doug McDonald, Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, Dennis Geare, Carolyn Feuille and Chris Newsom.
Hope this message finds you well recovered from last night's partying! Aunt Ida asked me to send along a little message from her. She said she hitched a ride over to Colfax and is on her way to Elko to bring some Rotary Christmas cheer, but she wanted us to know she really appreciated the invitation and the warm welcome and festivities last night.
She asked me to give a shout out to some key members of our Club and also wanted to tell us our club is a great example of what a Rotary family looks like: people from all walks of life, coming together as friends to have fun and celebrate Rotary and what Rotary can do around the world. She said, "after all, I am RI's World Goodwill Ambassador, so I should know!"
Please Join us for a Holiday Potluck where we will share Festive Food and Good Cheer!
Wear your Holiday finest (elegant, ugly, funny, whatever) and bring a LOW COST ($5 max)gift to share!
Thursday, December 15, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. ~ At The Wheelhouse (Five-Mile House)
Cost: $10.00 per person and No Host Cash Bar Please NO BYOB!
A big thanks to Cathy and Judy ~ They know how to throw a fun and festive party! Come prepared to celebrate!
If you have not done so, please RSVP to Cathy Wilcox-Barnes at 2cwb@sbcglobal.net or (530) 265-2155 to sign up for the Potluck. Check out the smorgasbord for Nevada City Rotary's Most Delicious Potluck Dinner!To see who is bringing what dish,
Nevada City Rotary has a long tradition of serving as Bell Ringers for the Salvation Army. It is a tradition shared by Rotarians throughout our community and across the United States during the holiday season. Our Club's favorite spot is in front of SPD Nevada City. Temperatures dropped to make for a cold but dry day on Tuesday December 13 for our teams of bell ringers.
A big thank you to Walt Stickel for coordinating with the Salvation Army and organizing our crews! Thanks to Gayle, Walt, Tom, Susy, Doug, Dennis, Nancy and Cathy for your good cheer ringing to collect monies on behalf of the Salvation Army and our community.
A big thank you to our volunteers who willfill stockings with gifts on December 7 or transport 250 stockings from the Cinderella Project to Bright Futures on December 8 for distribution. Enjoy the gratitude expressed by Bright Futures for Youth:
I am sending a heartfelt “Thank you” to you and your members for supporting our Rocking Stocking project this year. Your efforts to stuff the stockings and help with transport made it possible to put smiles on many, many children this Christmas. We look forward to working with you in 2023!
MENSTRUAL HYGIENE KIT PROJECT STARTING UP December 14!
The Rotary Clubs of Nevada City and the Rotary Club of Nevada City 49er Breakfast are sponsoring a Sewing Circle comprised of local Rotary women and their friends to create Menstrual Hygiene Kits to be delivered to girls & women in Chiapas, Mexico.
The first “working” meeting of the Menstrual Hygiene Kit (MHK) Sewing Circle will meet on Wednesday, December 14 from 10am-12 noon at Wolf Creek Lodge to help us learn to use a Serger (Overlock) sewing machine.
For further information, please contact Lynda Guthrie, Nevada City Rotarian, at 707-236-0220 or by email at guthrie.lynda@gmail.com.
When the Afghanistan government collapsed in August 2021, thousands of Afghan individuals and families went into hiding. Many of the individuals had been collaborating with the US and other nations in the building of a more stable regime, and were consequently facing retribution from the Taliban.
In 2022, two organizations, EVAC and Operation Snow Leopard (OSL), formed to help these people, and a local individual with ties to both approached the Rotary Club of Grass Valley South for help with funding and coordination of resources. All Rotary clubs in Western Nevada County (Rotary Club of Grass Valley South, Rotary Club of Grass Valley, Nevada City 49er Rotary Club, Nevada City Rotary Club, Rotary Club of Penn Valley), and two more in District 5190 (Rotary Club of Reno and Rotary Club of Truckee), collaborated on a grant to support the efforts of these organizations. Two significant individual donations from community members also empowered this work.
Thanks to this generosity of our greater community, over 150 at-risk Afghan allies benefited from a wide range of support, including food, shelter, internet services, medical resources, and assistance in the procurement of passport and immigration documents.
Numbers are still being crunched so we don't have a final bottom line yet, but we do know, people were having a great time meeting and greeting; the chef tastings by The Ham Stand were scrumptious and creative; our restaurant raffle excelled; Pacific Auction Company brought a variety of art, jewelry, historical and sports memorabilia, travel experiences and more for the auctions; and Peace Lutheran Fellowship Center was a perfect venue for Hungry Games II.
Our Fund A Need campaign to support our broad range of Youth Projects stands at $7,750 and it is still open to anyone who wants to contribute. Just raise your hand on Thursday or send a message to Co-Presidents Chris and Carolyn or treasurer Tom Ryan. We would love to get to an even $8,000 or more! Many, many thanks to the generosity of those who have donated. Our Fund A Need donations ranged from $2,500 by Chris and Carolyn to $100 by a number of participants, including several $1,000 and $500 donations.
What a treat to have members of our new Interact Club helping setup, direct traffic, tear down and generally anything they were asked to do and to have a NEO student and a former RYLA student sharing their experiences. A great reminder about why we put so much time and energy into Hungry Games II!
YES IT IS TIME for second helpings! Bring your friends and join us next Sunday November 13, 4-8pm ...
A fun-filled evening with friends tasting, toasting, bidding on exclusive auction items, and trying your luck at a 1-in-100 odds-friendly chance to win a $1,200 package of certificates from 12 favorite local restaurants. All proceeds will support youth and community projects sponsored by Nevada City Rotary.
This year's Raffle Restaurants include:
Cirinos at Main Street ~ Alloro Cucina Italiana ~ Bistro 221 ~ Sopa Thai Cuisine ~ Tofanelli's Gold Country Bistro ~ Twelve 28 Kitchen ~ Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Co. ~ Golden Gate Saloon at the Holbrooke ~ Alexander’s Station Steakhouse ~ Casa Las Katerinas ~ Lola’s at The National ~ Sushi Q
Contact a Nevada City Rotarian to purchase raffle and/or event tickets:
Raffle tickets for our Winner Take All $1,200 restaurant package are $100 and include entry for 1 person.
Event tickets are $25 in advance; $35 at the door. Event tickets are also sold at Harmony Books in Nevada City and Bookseller in Grass Valley.
Rotarians needing tickets to sell, contact Gayle Denney at ggdenney@gmail.com.
Club members who have not signed up for a role putting on our scrumptious Hungry Games II event, we need your support! Please contact Carolyn at cfeuille@espritgloballearning.com.
Have we tickled your taste buds? Get your tickets today!
Need flyers or donation forms? Click the following links:
On Thursday Oct 27, Club members were moved by Michael Stone's insights on the impact of personal and societal trauma on each of us. Michael addresses trauma with empathy from his own personal experience and his years coaching individuals and in group settings. Pointing out that trauma is not the event but the way our minds and bodies react to traumatic events, Michael shared ways to handle and continually heal from the trauma we harbor in our bodies.
At our October Board meeting, our Club Board approved the updated Bylaws and Club Constitution as submitted and recommended approval by the Club at large.
On Thursday October 20, Club members approved the revised Bylaws at our regular Social meeting. If you have questions or recommendations, please contact Robin via reply to the Rotario email.
Click to view our revised Club Bylaws and Nevada City Rotary Club Constitution.
Nevada City Rotary was proud to recognize Nicole McNeely with its 2022-23 Community Vocational Service Award.
The plaque, presented by Gayle Denney, states that the award was presented to Nicole McNeely in honor of and with sincere appreciation for your strong leadership of The Nevada County Food Bank exemplifying the ideals and aspirations of Rotary’s 4-Way Test of the things we think, say, and do.
As Executive Director, Nicole has led the Food Bank through significant growth and strategically addressing critical community needs through the COVID pandemic. In July, the Food Bank of Nevada County received its largest funding grant ever, a one-million dollar award from the California Department of Social Services. The grant will help expand its capacity to feed community members faced with food insecurity. The expansion includes purchasing a new warehouse unit next to their existing location along with food handling equipment and a commercial baler to compress recyclable materials.
This Thursday October 20, Nevada City Rotary is moving its 1st and 3rd Thursday social gatherings to Round Table Pizza at 686 Sutton Way, near Staples in the Brunswick basin.
The site has a number of advantages: the staff will reserve the meeting room in the back for our club only, without conditions, on those two days of the month; we can use the room for free; the room is quite spacious, has plenty of tables and chairs, and there is plenty of parking outdoors. You can purchase your choice of beverages (wine, beer, & sodas) and food (pizza, appetizers, & generous salad bar.)
We encourage you to arrive 10 -15 minutes early if you plan to order pizza or other foods!
Oct. 20 - First visit at Round Table Pizza
Oct. 27- Return for lunch at Bistro 211 (Please RSVP)
Join us each Thursday for fun gatherings and informative meetings!
Nevada City Rotarians hosted an End Polio Now Walk-About downtown Nevada City on Saturday, October 22nd in celebration of World Polio Day. Concurrent wt\ith the Nevada City Farmers Market on Union Street, we set up an End Polio Now table in front of the Firehouse Museum next to Treats as we have done in recent years.
Wearing End Polio Now T-Shirts, members took turns on a walk-about down Broad Street and through the market (mindful that solicitation in the Marketis strictly prohibited) while others staffed the table.
Big thanks to Judy Soldavini, Carolyn Feuille, Paul Boch, Walt Stickel, Tom Ryan, Ken Ching, Tom Milam, Cathy Wilcox-Barnes, and Robin Milam for representing our club and of course, to Cathy for her every delicious cookies for both Rotarians and those who stopped by our table.
Each summer Rotary Youth Leadership Awakening (RYLA) offers an intense, transformative experience for High School students from across Northern California and Nevada. Nevada City Rotary was proud to host Jason Lehman from Ghidotti Early College High School and Jessica Lake from Nevada Union at Camp RYLA (III) this summer.
Alison Lehman joined us for lunch with her son Jason when he spoke to our club about his RYLA experience.
Jason Lehman pictured with Co-President Chris Newsom and Alison Lehman, CEO, Nevada County.
Under the leadership of Science Teacher Byron Bird, the new Interact Club at Sierra Academy of Expeditionary Learning is off to a fast start this term.
A former Interactor himself, Byron contacted Tom Ryan to report that the students have held several organizing meetings and are preparing to apply for their new Interact Club charter through Rotary International. The organizing students aren't waiting for an official charter to launch service projects. On Saturday September 17, Tom and Cathy joined the Interact students and Byron at a work project packing food boxes for Interfaith Ministries.
At our September board meeting, our Club Board approved a motion for Nevada City Rotary to sponsor the Sierra Academy Interact Club. Watch this space as updates unfold!
Nevada City Rotary and PDG Doug McDonald were proud to induct Chief Dan Foss as the newest member of Nevada City Rotary at our Thursday Social meeting on September 15! Dan joined the Rotary Club of Madera in 2019. Dan shared a snippet about why he became a Rotarian because of the pivotal role Rotary played in the launch and expansion of OLIVE to create a safe house for young girls who are victims of sex trafficking. We will learn more when he is speaker for our November 3 meeting.
We are delighted to WELCOME Chief Dan to our Club and our Community, along with his wife Lisa and their 16-year-old daughter Vivian!
On behalf of Past President Shekhar Mehta and Past District Governor Anita Daniels;
Congratulations! The Rotary Club of Nevada City has earned the Rotary Citation, the most significant award a Rotary club can achieve, for 2021-22. During a year that was challenging for many Rotarians around the world, your club demonstrated a commitment to achieve their goals, which ultimately helps strengthen Rotary and shape our future.
Nevada City Rotary was one of eleven Clubs in District 5190 to achieve the 2021-2022 Rotary Citation awarded by PRIP Mehta.
Nevada County Health and Human Services is again offering a free drive through flu shot clinic on Tuesday October 4, 2022. We have a special relationship supporting these flu clinics. As in past years, Nevada City Rotary volunteers will assist with morning setup as well check-in and traffic control during the clinic. Chris is coordinating volunteers and has information on how to register to volunteer.
Nevada City Rotary enjoyed a fun and relaxing 1st Thursday Social at The National with our own Karen McDonald as keynote facilitator! Karen delighted Rotarians with both our own hands-on REGL experiences and her personal stories of what led her to teaching, Rotary, and head cheerleader for Mount Saint MaryAcademy students who are headed to REGL.
Dennis, Tom, Doug and Cathy engaged in a "low ropes" exercise as Karen coaches and talks about "her kids" who will be participating in REGL this month. Obviously a proud teacher at Mt St Mary, Karen spoke about each individual student and her expectations of what they will gain from their upcoming REGL camp experience. She is an inspiration clearly to her students and to all of us!
Nevada City Rotary was delighted to extend a warm welcome to Rotary Global Scholar, Evani Radiya-Dixit and her parents on Thursday August 25. Evani presented an inspiring overview of her year in Cambridge conducting research at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge as a Rotary Global Scholar. Her focus was the ethical use of facial recognition technologies.
Evani reaffirmed that her research aligns with Rotary's work in peacebuilding and conflict prevention by revealing the risks and harms of facial recognition and by informing tech policy in a manner that mitigates discrimination and promotes peace.
Pictured with Evani and her parents are District Grants chair Bill Boon and the Nevada City Rotary Global Scholarship Committee Co-President Carolyn Feuille, Treasure/PP Tom Ryan and PP Tom Milam.
Congratulations Lyazzat and the Rotary Club of Astana, Kazakhstan
The August 2022 edition of Rotary Magazine includes story of the Club's Inclusive Playground Project!
The Rotary Club of Astana in late 2018 inaugurated its first inclusive playground in a country sorely in need of such opportunities. Named Kunshyaq, or “Sunshine,” the playground has specialized swings, ramps, merry-go-rounds, and other equipment to accommodate children with and without disabilities and instill values of tolerance and empathy. While the municipal council of the capital city, now called Nur-Sultan, donated the land, Rotary members in Astana, led by Past President Lyazzat Alshinova, generated about $55,000 from club members, other District 2430 clubs, embassies and other organizations, and proceeds from an art auction and ball. The playground is such a hit that the club, composed of Kazakhstanis and expatriates, raised funds for a second one in the capital.
As a 2021 Rotary Global Grant Scholar, I spent nine months in the beautiful and quaint city of Cambridge, England, where a warm day felt like California in winter. There, I conducted research at the Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy at the University of Cambridge.
Over the past year, I have greatly enjoyed my time with the Grass Valley and Nevada City Rotary clubs. I cherish the inquisitive questions of members about my research and the tradition of happy/sad bucks! I also appreciate joining dinners with the Cambridge Sawston club and learning about members’ diverse life paths.
Nevada City Rotary had a delightful visit with DG Jeff Gabriel for our first Thursday Lunch at Bistro 221. It was a fun and inspiring meeting!
DG Jeff opened talking about Rotary International and RIP Jennifer Jones' theme "Imagine Rotary" and highlighted the meaning of the design elements in the this year's Rotary theme logo. He went on to expand on his own D5190 "Together we are one" logo.
And such a good sport, he stepped in as our Jokester of the Week with some fun jokes about trees!
Take a look around Nevada City Rotary's new website!
Poke around! Check out Stories under News & Updates and Causes We Support under About Us to refresh memories and learn more about what our Club is up to. Many more nuggets through out. Have fun. Nothing will bite you!
Also remember to RSVPfor each of our 2nd & 4th Thursday lunch meetings at Bistro 221.
This Thursday August 11, DG Jeff and Jane Gabriel join us at our first lunch meeting at Bistro 221 Restaurant. We are delighted to welcome Jeff for his first District Governor visit with our Club early in our Rotary year!
Join other District Rotarians for a training event that was designed for YOU!!
Cathy Wilcox-Barnes still needs a few more Rotarians to serve as SAAto help direct people to breakouts between the main session and probably, since it's at Truckee Meadows College again, to help with serving lunch. All SAA will be able to attend whatever sessions they plan to attend so it's just at the start and in-between sessions (and maybe lunch). If anyone is willing to help out, please contact Cathy right away.
Nevada City Rotary is pleased to welcome our new City Manager as guest speaker for our first 5:30pm social at The National Exchange Hotel Thursday August 4, 2022.
Sean Grayson was appointed as the City Manager is Nevada City in February of 2022 bring his public service career full circle, returning home.
Sean was raised in Nevada City and was a valedictorian graduate of Nevada Union High School. As a high school athlete Sean was drawn to the team sport aspect of the fire service and entered public service employment more than 27 years ago as a firefighter paramedic. Sean has had assignments in both operational and administrative capacities, including serving in essentially every rank in the fire service, culminating with his appointment as Fire Chief in the City of Rialto.
The Area 4 Rotary Clubs are partnering to fill backpacks with school supplies for 1st - 5th graders. Together we filled at least 30 backpacks! The non-profit Community Beyond Violence (CBV formerly Domestic Violence Coalition) is organizing this activity for children of the CBV clients.
Our Club is filling packs for students with requested school supplies. Items the school kids need include:
#2 pencils, pens, crayons, erasers
notebooks and other paper, lined/ruled paper
rulers, paper folders, glue sticks
blunt tip scissors, box for pencils and pens
2-pocket folders, coloring books
Lindy Beatie, our Area Assistant Governor and President of Penn Valley Rotary, picked up our donations with a back pack on July 28. For more details, contact co-president Carolyn: cfeuille@espritgloballearning.com(link sends e-mail)
The Nevada City Children's Festival is back after a two-year hiatus! Over 2,500 children of all ages took to Pioneer Park for two sessions on Friday. A big thank you to Nancy Kemp, Gayle Denney, Sandy and Walt Stickel, Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and anyone else who were involved with this year's festival.
Planning is a year round affair for Nancy and the event team leads! Congrats and thank you for keeping this event alive for our community! The little one working on a butterfly with her daddy is Dave and Gayle's granddaughter Sybil!
We, Queen Chris and Queen Carolyn, are excited about our co-presidency for the 2022-2023 Rotary year! We honor the rich traditions of club presidents and plan to shake things up with a few new activities, based on our most important goals.
At the leadership retreat with the Board and club officers on June 20, we agreed on these goals as important and urgent:
Increase and enliven our membership
Put on a lucrative fundraiser
Find an appealing location for club meetings with food service and make social meetings more fun & livelier.
Nevada City Rotary took the lead to partner with Trex Company, Inc. to recycle stretchable plastics that Waste Management will not accept. The public response has been amazing! In less than 9 months we collected over 4,000 lbs -- 2 tons of plastics.
Envirnomental Sustainability Committee Chair Chris Newsom says "Clearly this plastics recycling collection is one our community wants to support!" People are collecting plastics at home and bringing in bags to put in at 10 commercial and residential sites around Nevada City and Grass Valley. Club volunteers empty the bins and deliver them to SaveMart grocery in Grass Valley. SaveMart has graciously agreed to add the collected plastics to their collections which are trucked to a location in central California for distribution to Trex. The stretchable plastic then becomes material for the productions of Trex decking, furniture and other products. The Club received a Trex bench made of recycle plastics that will be installed with a Rotary label in Nevada City. We are partnering with Grass Valley Rotary during the second 6 month cycle and they will also receive a Trex bench.
Rotary International President-elect Jennifer Jones wants members to imagine the possibilities in the change they can make to transform the world.
Jones, a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada, revealed the 2022-23 presidential theme, Imagine Rotary, as she urged people to dream big and harness their connections and the power of Rotary to turn those dreams into reality.Your browser does not support the video tag.
“Imagine, a world that deserves our best,” Jones told incoming district governors on 20 January, “where we get up each day knowing that we can make a difference.”
As a Rotary International Global Peace Scholar, Evani Radiya-Dixit is conducting research on policymaking for facial recognition technology. Advised by Professor Gina Neff, Evani is a Visiting Researcher at Minderoo Centre for Technology and Democracy, at the University of Cambridge. Evani completed her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University. Previously, she worked on machine learning projects at Nvidia and Google. Her research work has been published at the International Conference on Machine Learning, the Stanford Public Interest Technology Lab, and the think tank New America. With her interest in public service, Evani recently worked at the U.S. federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and served as a data privacy strategist for a California City Council. She also served as a Teaching Assistant for Computer Science courses and taught in Bogotá through Stanford CS Bridge. The Rotary Club of Cambridge Sawston is her in country host Club. Nevada City Rotary is her sponsoring Club with support from Grass Valley Rotary.
Local farms across Western Nevada County are moving into the height of the fresh summer produce growing season. Thanks to a matching grant from Rotary District 5190, the Rotary Club of Nevada City has provided 1,100 servings of fresh vegetables to the Food Bank of Nevada County. A variety of fresh produce was purchased from three local farms including First Rain Farm (Nevada City), Starbright Acres Family Farm (Grass Valley) and Feeding Crane Farm (Penn Valley). the farm fresh organic produce is being distributed in food boxes that are delivered to family homes and seniors each week as well as in bag lunches for children. Each box of food is designed to provide a healthy balance of supplemental food for a week including substantial protein, grains, vegetables, and fruit. The fresh produce followed a donation of 1,800 cans of veggies.
Since 2015 delegation from the Rotary Club of Nevada City has traveled to Baja California, Mexico to partner with Los Barriles Cabo Este Rotary Club. One year our focus was on the small communities around Los Barriles, where young elementary and high school students live in albergues, or dormitories, during the week.Their homes are too far from school for a daily commute over the dusty roads that crisscross the area. While the children were home for the weekend, the two Clubs worked together to scrub, scrape, and repaint the boy's dorm at La Ribera Albergue. Bright, fresh colors were chosen by the students for their weekday home. Once the paint had dried and the rooms detailed, the Clubs hung matching curtains throughout. Years before the Club had sponsored a local Rotary Club of San Jose Los Cabos, Mexico south of Los Barriless. We provided wheelchairs and other medical assistance and are happy to have renewed our partnership with Baja CA del Sur.
Nevada City Rotary hosted a drive-through Canned Food Drive to support Nevada County Food Bank on Saturday February 13 2021. During the drive through, we raised over 1,100 lbs of food for the Food Bank of Nevada County! Thank you to all our community members who so generously dropped off non-perishable food in quantities ranging from single cans and bags to full trunk loads! The food will meet the urgent needs of our community during the extended pandemic.
The Club used the occasion to draw our winning Restaurant Raffle ticket. And the WINNER IS ROTARY SCHOLAR COURTNEY ANDES_MCCULLOUGH!
A big thank you to Dave's Auto Repair at 747 Zion St in Nevada City 7 Hills District for use of his facility!
Nevada City Rotary is happy to have an "on call" relationship with Nevada County Health and Human Services to assist with preventive health clinics for flu shots and pediatric COVID shots.
Partnering with the Rotary Clubs of Western Nevada County and Redwood Materials, Nevada City Rotary co-hosted a Rotary Day of Service with a drive-through collection to recycle lithium-ion battery products.
Redwood Materials is creating a circular supply chain for lithium-ion batteries. The company is working side by side with the Rotary Clubs offer convenient locations for community members to recycle their lithium-ion batteries. The Clubs set up multiple drive through collection lanes at Litton Engineering. During the day, the clubs collected household items that contain a rechargeable (lithium-ion) battery. This included old cell phones, electric toothbrushes, hair clippers, electric shavers, laptops, power tools, Bluetooth speakers, video game controllers, wireless headphones, and more! The event in April 2022 is planned to be repeated in Spring of 2023.
Kelly Dokimos, and Jacque Dokimos Paye accept the Community Vocational Service Award from Gail Denny of Nevada City Rotary.
Dokimos Family Pharmacy provided free COVID vaccinations for walk-in customers at the peak of the pandemic. This was a terrific contribution to the community, since scheduling vaccinations was difficult at that time which was the Summer of 2021. As a result, Our club awarded the owners our first annual Community Service Award.
In August 2020, the Jones Fire raged through the South Yuba River Canyon up Jones Ridge devastating lands and buildings in its path. The Woolman campus was hit hard. The fire destroyed the garden buildings and the gardens. Now Woolman is looking to rebuild and replant. In celebration of Rotary's new Protecting the Environment focus, Nevada City Rotary decided to initiate an environmental project for Earth Day and Rotarians At Work Day 2021.
The Club partnered with a local farmer Malaika Bishop of BluebirdFarm to help in replanting parts of the garden, restoring fencing and repairing green houses and hoop houses. Supporting local healthy farms is critical to ensuring food security and a healthy environment for our community. In an all-hands project to celebrate Earth Day and Rotarians at Work Day, the Club was digging in the dirt together planting native pollinator plants, repairing irrigation lines, cleaning the garden and orchard in an effort to rebuild our community and help restore food sustainability.
Rotary Clubs of Western Nevada County (CA, USA) honored first responders and essential workers of our community.
The five D5190 Area 4 Rotary Clubs partnered with local organizations and agencies for a community wide Rotary Honors People of Action event. The awards event was held on Sunday, March 27, 2022 at the Miner’s Foundry Cultural Center. Community leaders were asked to select 2 members of their organization to represent first responders and essential workers who have who supported our community selflessly during the last two years of COVID, wildfires and storms our community has endured. Honorees included, Police, Fire, Health Care, Grocery and School workers from across Western Nevada County in the Sierra Foothills of California. Participating organizations included Grass Valley Police, Nevada County Sheriff, CAL Trans, local school districts, local fire districts, CAL Fire, Sierra Nevada Memorial Hospital, BriarPatch Food Co-Op, SPD Markets, SaveMart, Grass Valley Ladies Relief Society, and local food banks. A night filled with gratitude and community pride.
Girls Who Codeis a global movement to change the game for girls in technology. Nevada City Rotary launched a Girls Who Code program to help young girls in our local community discover their own aptitude. The intention was to create one Club of young girls ages 6-12 in order to to close the gender gap in computer science by teaching girls about programming, web design, mobile development and robotics.
Why? In 1995, 37% of computer scientists were women. Today, it’s only 24%. The percent will continue to decline if we do nothing. We know that the biggest drop off of girls in computer science is between the ages of 13 and 17.
Since 2017-18 the program has been meeting at Seven Hills Middle School under the direction of Leslie May, 7 Hills Teacher. With the COVID pandemic, the program was suspended. We are hoping to reconvene the program in 2022 or 2023.
During the early days of the COVID pandemic, Nevada City Rotary moved in to action looking for ways to help keep our community safe. We partnered with a group of sewers who call themselves “Mask Warriors Unite” to host a series of Free COVID Mask Give Away drive through events. Masks were donated by Nevada County Mask Warriors, Zips Face Masks, and Nevada City Rotarians.
One of the most heart-warming and memorable Nevada City Rotary projects is carried out in partnership with Seven Hills Middle School and the Nevada County Adaptive Education program. Over the years, we have moved locations at the preference of school leadership. Our most recent events have been field days at the ball field at Seven Hills, Western Gateway Park, and Lions Park. Before that we visited Empire State Mine and the Rock Creek Nature Trail.
The students from the Leadership Class and the Adaptive Ed program become buddies for the day. Always a very fun, special day for all! What a delight it is to experience the Seven Hills and Union Hill Leadership and Adaptive Education students buddying together around the lake to fish, play frisbee golf or other field games and make HUGE bubbles.
Starting at Broad Street off ramp across Deer Creek from Lefty's Grill, a small public nature trail called "The Miner’s Trail" meanders along the creek and under the Highway 49 overpass. The trail, offers a short walk along Deer Creek near the downtown Nevada City historic district.
Nevada City Rotary built the trail in partnership with the City of Nevada City in 1998. The Club planted trees, created rock benches and printed guides to the trail and posted access signage at the trailhead. A quiet way to enjoy a bit of nature while downtown.
Nevada City Rotary was proud to have hosted our Pulled Pork and Shredded Chicken booth on Treat Street as our annual community service fundraiser literally for decades. Treat Street, is and has been, about community. Lined with non-profit organizations of all sort, Treat Street continues to support our community in a significant way.
For years, the Club had a booth across Treat Street from the current location until a tree fell and crushed it. In 1984 the Club built a new booth. At that time Rotarians were selling Pepper Bellies with Chili.
Five young, enterprising entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan spent a very full week September 25 - October 3, 2015 in Northern California hosted by Nevada City Rotary. The Kazakh delegates included small business owners, directors of private and public entrepreneur service agencies, a cultural facilitator and an interpreter.
From this delegation, grew a Twin Club partnership with the Rotary Club of Astana and a very special friendship exchange when Carolyn Feuille, International Service Chair visted Kazakhstan and Club President Lyassat visited Nevada City Rotary.
In partnership with local area clubs and matched by a district grant, Rotarians restored and improved the Heritage Garden at the historic North Star House, designed by architect Julia Morgan. Under the direction of Grass Valley South Rotarian Adam Weiss of Weiss Landscaping, Rotarians installed sprinklers, rock work, pathways, and garden gates. Before planting we tilled soil and compost to create a vibrant community garden space.
District Governor Berta Pickett and President Tom Ryan admire the garden gate before the garden's dedication.
Nevada City Rotary partnered with Nevada County Land Trust to build the Noel Carter Loop Trail in memory of Noel. The beautifully wooded trail is an extension of the Orene Wetherall Trail in the Woodpecker Preserve on Banner Mountain and completes the loop section. The trail was dedicated on May 11, 2013 and is maintained by Nevada County Land Trust (now Bear Yuba Land Trust) who owns the preserve.
Noel was a longtime member of Nevada City Rotary and served faithfully as our Club Treasurer for more than ten years. During the Nevada County Fair, Noel set aside several nights, always including Saturday night, to help staff our booth. Because of his prominence in the community, along with his "gift of gab," he knew most of the people at the fair in those years, and many came by the booth to say hello. Noel resigned from Rotary in 1998 upon his retirement so he could travel the West Coast and Mexico with his family.
Noel passed away after a tragic accident in December 2009. Sometime after that, Bank of America donated $10,000 per Noel’s will to Nevada City Rotary. It is fitting that The Noel Carter Loop Trail is dedicated in memory of a Rotarian who lived life to the fullest and always celebrated the outdoors.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
This is how Rotary responded to the influenza pandemic that began in 1918 and came in three waves, lasting more than a year.
The Rotary Club of Berkeley, California, USA, meets in John Hinkel Park during the 1918 flu pandemic.
Photo by Edwin J. McCullagh, 1931-32 club president. Courtesy of the Rotary Club of Berkeley.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
During World War II, Rotary informed and educated members about the formation of the United Nations and the importance of planning for peace. Materials such as the booklet “From Here On!” and articles in The Rotarian helped members understand the UN before it was formally established and follow its work after its charter.
Many countries were fighting the war when the term “United Nations” was first used officially in the 1942 “Declaration by United Nations.” The 26 nations that signed it pledged to uphold the ideals expressed by the United States and the United Kingdom the previous year of the common principles “on which they based their hopes for a better future for the world.”
We will be meeting in the front room adjacent to Sacramento Street. TJ's staff will work with our Club each week to choose 3 entrees to be offered for lunch. Members and guests will need to RSVP and specify their menu selection by noon on Wednesday, the day before our lunch meeting. The online RSVP process will be setup on our website similar to what we have used for Bistro 221. The cost will be $25 per person inclusive of tax and gratuity with a 15 person minimum.
While we look forward to an inspiring keynote with Rotary International Director Vicki Puliz, due to unpredictable weather this week, our Area 4 Foundation Dinner has been postponed. We will update everyone as soon as the new date is confirmed. 
Hope this message finds you well recovered from last night's partying! Aunt Ida asked me to send along a little message from her. She said she hitched a ride over to Colfax and is on her way to Elko to bring some Rotary Christmas cheer, but she wanted us to know she really appreciated the invitation and the warm welcome and festivities last night.
MENSTRUAL HYGIENE KIT PROJECT STARTING UP December 14!
Nevada City Rotary and PDG Doug McDonald were proud to induct Chief Dan Foss as the newest member of Nevada City Rotary at our Thursday Social meeting on September 15! Dan joined the Rotary Club of Madera in 2019. Dan shared a snippet about why he became a Rotarian because of the pivotal role Rotary played in the launch and expansion of OLIVE to create a safe house for young girls who are victims of sex trafficking. We will learn more when he is speaker for our November 3 meeting.
Nevada County Health and Human Services is again offering a free drive through flu shot clinic on Tuesday October 4, 2022. We have a special relationship supporting these flu clinics. As in past years, Nevada City Rotary volunteers will assist with morning setup as well check-in and traffic control during the clinic. Chris is coordinating volunteers and has information on how to register to volunteer. 
Nevada City Rotary had a delightful visit with DG Jeff Gabriel for our first Thursday Lunch at Bistro 221. It was a fun and inspiring meeting!
Nevada City Rotary is pleased to welcome our new City Manager as guest speaker for our first 5:30pm social at The National Exchange Hotel Thursday August 4, 2022.
School Supplies to Fill Backpacks for Children
The Nevada City Children's Festival is back after a two-year hiatus! Over 2,500 children of all ages took to Pioneer Park for two sessions on Friday. A big thank you to Nancy Kemp, Gayle Denney, Sandy and Walt Stickel, Cathy Wilcox-Barnes and anyone else who were involved with this year's festival. 
Greetings to all our fellow Rotarians:
Nevada City Rotary took the lead to partner with Trex Company, Inc. to recycle stretchable plastics that Waste Management will not accept. The public response has been amazing! In less than 9 months we collected over 4,000 lbs -- 2 tons of plastics. 
Local farms across Western Nevada County are moving into the height of the fresh summer produce growing season. Thanks to a matching grant from Rotary District 5190, the Rotary Club of Nevada City has provided 1,100 servings of fresh vegetables to the Food Bank of Nevada County. A variety of fresh produce was purchased from three local farms including First Rain Farm (Nevada City), Starbright Acres Family Farm (Grass Valley) and Feeding Crane Farm (Penn Valley). the farm fresh organic produce is being distributed in food boxes that are delivered to family homes and seniors each week as well as in bag lunches for children. Each box of food is designed to provide a healthy balance of supplemental food for a week including substantial protein, grains, vegetables, and fruit. The fresh produce followed a donation of 1,800 cans of veggies.
Since 2015 delegation from the Rotary Club of Nevada City has traveled to Baja California, Mexico to partner with Los Barriles Cabo Este Rotary Club. One year our focus was on the small communities around Los Barriles, where young elementary and high school students live in albergues, or dormitories, during the week.Their homes are too far from school for a daily commute over the dusty roads that crisscross the area. While the children were home for the weekend, the two Clubs worked together to scrub, scrape, and repaint the boy's dorm at La Ribera Albergue. Bright, fresh colors were chosen by the students for their weekday home. Once the paint had dried and the rooms detailed, the Clubs hung matching curtains throughout. Years before the Club had sponsored a local Rotary Club of San Jose Los Cabos, Mexico south of Los Barriless. We provided wheelchairs and other medical assistance and are happy to have renewed our partnership with Baja CA del Sur.
Nevada City Rotary hosted a drive-through Canned Food Drive to support Nevada County Food Bank on Saturday February 13 2021. During the drive through, we raised over 1,100 lbs of food for the Food Bank of Nevada County! Thank you to all our community members who so generously dropped off non-perishable food in quantities ranging from single cans and bags to full trunk loads! The food will meet the urgent needs of our community during the extended pandemic.
s and pediatric COVID shots. 
Partnering with the Rotary Clubs of Western Nevada County and Redwood Materials, Nevada City Rotary co-hosted a Rotary Day of Service with a drive-through collection to recycle lithium-ion battery products.
In August 2020, the Jones Fire raged through the South Yuba River Canyon up Jones Ridge devastating lands and buildings in its path. The Woolman campus was hit hard. The fire destroyed the garden buildings and the gardens. Now Woolman is looking to rebuild and replant. In celebration of Rotary's new Protecting the Environment focus, Nevada City Rotary decided to initiate an environmental project for Earth Day and Rotarians At Work Day 2021.
Rotary Clubs of Western Nevada County (CA, USA) honored first responders and essential workers of our community.
Starting at Broad Street off ramp across Deer Creek from Lefty's Grill, a small public nature trail called "The Miner’s Trail" meanders along the creek and under the Highway 49 overpass. The trail, offers a short walk along Deer Creek near the downtown Nevada City historic district.
Nevada City Rotary was proud to have hosted our Pulled Pork and Shredded Chicken booth on Treat Street as our annual community service fundraiser literally for decades. Treat Street, is and has been, about community. Lined with non-profit organizations of all sort, Treat Street continues to support our community in a significant way.
In partnership with local area clubs and matched by a district grant, Rotarians restored and improved the Heritage Garden at the historic North Star House, designed by architect Julia Morgan. Under the direction of Grass Valley South Rotarian Adam Weiss of Weiss Landscaping, Rotarians installed sprinklers, rock work, pathways, and garden gates. Before planting we tilled soil and compost to create a vibrant community garden space.
An estimated 500 million people worldwide became infected. Many cities closed theaters and cinemas, and placed restrictions on public gatherings. Rotary clubs adjusted their activities while also helping the sick.
Rotary and the United Nations have a shared history of working toward peace and addressing humanitarian issues around the world.
