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Santa Rosa West
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Santa Rosa West
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President Bill Gittins opened the 1,259th meeting with welcoming remarks following the Thanksgiving holidays.
Joe Perez led us in the pledge of allegiance. Dr. Carl Anderson gave the invocation, emphasizing the importance of charity and service as we enter the Christmas season. John Palmer introduced and warmly welcomed twelve visiting Rotarians.
Christmas Party: Chris Rosell asked us to bring checkbooks to our next meeting to pay for the Christmas Party Brunch at Mixx Restaurant on Sunday, December 15. The cost is $32.00 per person.
Bell-Ringers: Bell ringing at Coddingtown is scheduled next Saturday, December 7. There are still a few sign-ups needed for the 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. time slots.
No Evening Meeting: President Bill announced that the December 16 meeting will not be an evening meeting as originally scheduled, but instead will be a regular noon meeting.
Crab Feed: Mark Decker reported on the planning progress for the crab feed on February 1. There are competitive community events that same night, and so everyone is urged to pick up tickets from Mark now and sell them ASAP. The cost is $30.00 per person. Phil Talamantes also urged everyone to sign up donation offerings for the silent auction to be held at the crab feed.
Board Meeting: President Bill announced that the Board will meet on Tuesday, December 10 at the Bank of the West in the Marlow Shopping Center at noon. Red Badge members who have not yet attended a Board meeting are encouraged to attend.
First Night: Chuck Baker reminded us about the up-coming First Night on New Year's Eve in downtown Santa Rosa. This is a non-alcoholic community function and is family oriented. Entry buttons are required. Some volunteers are needed for this event, so please contact Chuck to sign up.
AIDS Foundation: John Voyles, President of the Sonoma County AIDS Foundation and a member of the Sunrise Club, announced that a raffle will be held next Sunday, December 8. First prize is an all-expense-paid Mexican Holiday Cruise. He has raffle tickets available at $5.00 each. The proceeds are helping to create the Sonoma County AIDS Foundation Endowment Fund. If you missed buying a raffle ticket at the meeting, call 544-1215.
Rotary Foundation Contributions: Chuck Stark was warmly applauded for his very successful efforts in heading this year's Rotary Foundation contributions. The goal was $65.00 per member average. We achieved a $73.00 per member average. Well done, Chuck.
Blue Badge Awarded: President Bill presented a Blue Badge to Jim Hinton, although it almost didn't happen. Jim was caught short with only $1.00 in his wallet, and his IOU credit for the other $4.00 was questionable. Fortunately, Mike Mullins was kind enough to loan $5.00 to Jim to pay for the badge. With all the clout that Mike has as District Attorney, he said he was certain that the loan will be repaid.
Tom Skinner was fined $25.00 for his recent luxury suite Caribbean cruise. He claimed it was a "working trip" and all he did was work, but this explanation didn't sell.
Michael Arendt (left) was fined $10.00 for the photograph of and article in "Partners" about his wife, Sherry, the new Executive Director of the Sonoma County Roundtable.
Mary Petersen, an esteemed and frequent visitor from the Windsor Club, was not fined, but she was asked to inform her little-seen husband, Dick Petersen, about his $25.00 fine. Mary explained that Dick is working on Mondays in the tasting room at Kendall-Jackson and couldn't get away very often from his pouring (and tasting?) duties.
Mary Farha was first congratulated, and then fined $20.00, for her new association as the High School Program Director at Empire College. She gives career lectures and resume-writing skills to high school students.
Patsy Barnes was unable to escape a $25.00 fine when she explained how beautiful southern Italy was in the Fall, even though before doing so she presented President Bill with a flag from the Rotary Club of Formia/Gaeta. Even doing her make-ups in Italy didn't help her.
Rich Standard failed to draw the black marble. Bill Imboden held the winning raffle ticket and donated the $20.00 prize to the Scholarship Fund.
Arne Carston introduced our guest speaker, Billy Gianquinto, a teacher at Santa Rosa Middle School. He has been a teacher for 26 years. He is also a Pac 10 basketball referee, a world-class duck caller, and a wildlife expert.
Billy spoke about wildlife problems existing in Sonoma County. Steelhead, salmon and shad no longer inhabit the Russian River. Rock cod are severely depleted and salmon are in short supply. Wild pig and wild deer are vanishing while predators such as mountain lions, coyotes, and sea lions are proliferating. He lamented that appropriate wildlife management is hampered by federal laws, unlawful hunting and fishing, and sympathy groups.
He also spoke about the incentive and reward program instituted at Santa Rosa Middle School for grade point improvements in excess of 0.5. The students there have responded enthusiastically and successfully.
This week's Bulletin was written by Jim Hinton.
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