Capitola-Aptos Rotary would love to meet you! Come to one of our meetings, and see what we are about. 
Visit our Calendar (link in above menu!) to learn 
about all our upcoming meetings & events!
 
We meet for lunch meetings on the 1st & 3rd Thursday's (at noon, at the Seascape Golf Course in Aptos) and for dinner meetings on the 2nd & 4th Thursday's (Happy Hour at 4:45pm, Dinner served at 5:30pm and Meeting from 6-7pm, at Fairfield Inn & Suites By Marriott at 1255 41st Ave in Capitola).
On the 5th Thursday of the month (when those occur) we volunteer! 
**Please check the club calendar to confirm our meeting place, time and speaker, and to determine if an advance RSVP is Required!** 
Home Page Stories
 
Our September 7 meeting was lunch at Seascape.  We had 16 members in person and two on zoom.  Folks:  let’s try to get more people attending in person.  If you need help with transportation or zoom please  ask. One of the strengths of rotary is development of friendships and teamwork.  The in person meetings are the best way to develop and maintain those.
 
There was a dearth of music- no Al, Sam Welcome Song or 4 way test song.  In fact we didn’t even have a bell.  Ken offered to have his bell rung but since none of the attendees were his clients there were no takers.

Pam brought guest Bob Gloye.  They went to junior high together.  Bob is retired and a member of the Almaden Valley Rotary.

Dr Art had the thought of the day: Righteous indignation is jealousy with a halo

Rich’s humor was telling an anecdote and having members guess the jokester- Bill knew it was Rodney Dangerfield who said he joined AA with the caveat,  “I still drink, but do it using a different name”
 
The county fair starts Wednesday and we have some members participating so let’s get out there and show support.  Laura’s baked goods will be on display Saturday morning
 
We’re looking to reschedule the beach cleanup
 
We’re going to be sponsoring pumpkin painting in late October – no kids with knives.  Details to develop. 
 
December 9 will be the next Wine Wander in Aptos – a good opportunity to raise money and drink wine- doesn’t get much better than that.

Dr Art was the Detective.  He subject was the month of October.  We learned that October is Cat month, blueberry popsicle month, self-improvement month, whole grains month and Hispanic International Dancing month.  To show our support we will be having a self-improvement day where we will be learning Spanish dancing with a meal made from whole grains followed by dessert of blueberry popsicles.  The cats were invited but declined saying they are already perfect and will scratch anyone who tries to make them dance.
 
Our guest speaker was Brenda Birrell of the Global Uplift Project.  Brenda has degrees in physics and education from Cambridge.  She was a pioneering woman in Silicon Valley tech but moved to education as a counselor at Los Altos HS in 2007.  They generated the idea of raising money for beneficial projects via many small donations by starting with getting donations from kids in high school.  The program has been a great success.  It raises funds for projects like schools, wells, birthing centers and sewing centers in poor countries. Kenya, Nepal, Cameroon, Nicaragua, Indonesia and Tanzania.  Rotary clubs helped fund the projects in Kenya, Indonesia and Nicaragua.

Brenda spoke about the Save A Girl Project which provides washable sanitary pads and accessories so menstruating girls aren’t kept home from school or embarrassed.   She noted that misconceptions about menstruation also contribute to young girls becoming very young mothers or forced to marry- the project seeks to end those.
 
 
 
The Second Annual Pickleball Tournament hosted by Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's registration  link is live on Eventbrite! 
 
 
ALL proceeds raised from this event benefit our local non profits and youth scholarship programs as well as the Cabrillo College Veterans. 
 
 
 Want to see the fun we had at the 2022 Pickleball Tournament? Watch the video on our YouTube via this link:  https://youtu.be/3XFsEdG2vWI
Or on our TikTok or Instagram! 
 
 
Dear fellow Rotarians:

Our August 24 meeting was at the Fairfield Inn at 5pm.
We had 20 ish attendees. 
 


Pam ran the meeting with her usual panache.

Since this next meeting happens on the 5th Thursday of the month there is no meeting- it is a service day.  We are helping at Second Harvest at 10 am, Aug 31st, 2023.

Anissa brought guest JM Brown, chief of staff to Bruce McPherson- great guy with lots of insights and sense of humor
 


Nelson brought his sister Tracy who is charming and also got the hair and looks in the family.
 


President Pam repeated that we need more attendees at the meeting- Hey- NON ATTENDEES: WTH? (WTH means What The Heck?!)  a big part of Rotary is camaraderie, as well as participation in our events.  Start showing up!!!

Dr Art had the thought for the day : if at first don’t succeed don’t tell anyone.

Long-ago deposed Prez. Ken is hosting a hike through Nisene Marks forest this Saturday September 2nd.  Meet at his house at 365 Danube drive by 10 am if you want to go.  Hike will be about 3 miles, 90 minutes.  A hill or two and the trails are getting a little dusty so wear shoes/sneakers with a good tread.  There will be a rehydration meeting on Ken's front lawn starting 11:30-noonish.  Folks are welcome to attend that even if they miss the hike.  Guests are welcome.
If the weather cooperates Ken will also open his pool. Beverages are free but all Rotarian attendees are expected to donate to Rotary.

Our next beach cleanup is September 9th

Pickleball clinic is at Win's September 10th.  See him or Lowry for details.

Mardi spoke about a school in Africa that she is helping fund raise for. The Event is held September 23rd at Common Roots Farms 11am to 3pm.


Lowry said there will be an event on 10/28 for the reveal of the playground design for the new Jade Street park- pumpkin painting? maybe a Rotary booth?

He also reminded us that signups for all the events are being sent on line.

Mardi was the detective. She ransomed Ken’s wallet back to him. 

Our guest speaker was Doron Comerchero from Food What. He is from the Bronx but is a Mets fan.

 
 
 
Our August 17 meeting featured a panel of elected officials discussing Government / Community Organization Partnerships.
 
Capitola City Council Member Yvette Brooks started by describing the Jade Street project, which includes a Universally Accessible Playground. Universally accessible playgrounds give access to children of all abilities, encouraging them to break social barriers and play together.  
The City of Capitola has allocated $475,000 towards the project, and County Parks Friends will lead community fundraising of an additional $1,000,000.   Capitola - Aptos Rotary plans to work together with other Santa Cruz County Rotary Clubs to contribute to the fundraising campaign, similar to what we did for LEO's Haven in Live Oak.
 
 
 
Cupertino Mayor and Rotary District 5170 Governor Hung Wei spoke about her experiences with similar projects in both local government and Rotary.   Key to success is getting the entire community involved, as everyone will benefit from the playground as a gathering place for residents and visitors.
 
 
 
Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend worked on LEO’s Haven with Tricia Wiltshire Potts.  Zach said that community member collaboration with government works best when everyone agrees on the need, and then works together to explore and find the right solution.
 
Club members Paul and Lisa Duren spoke about the inclusivity, development and social benefits of UA playground, drawing on their experience as parents of a differently abled child. While their daughter Kayla has passed away, this project will benefit children and their families like Kayla. DG Hung Wei was moved, and contributed $1000 to kick off our fundraising drive! Thanks Hung
 
Other community members attending included Tricia Wiltshire Potts from County Park Friends, Rotary Assistant Governor Kristin Fabos, Karen and John HIbble from the Aptos Chamber of Commerce, Steve Bennett and Sylvia Hernandez from Freedom Rotary, Richard Emigh from Surf City Kiwanis, Past District Governor Ron Sekkel, and Sam Storey, former Capitola Mayor.   These and the other guests got to hear all members sing the club welcome song, accompanied by video of Sam and Rich McAdams.
 
DG Hung Wei recognized Dr. Art Dover for his Paul Harris Society membership and substantial history of contributions and service projects for Rotary.    
 
We also photographed Hung with all Red Badge members.
 
 
 
The Club's next meeting is  a dinner meeting on Thursday 8/24 5pm at the Fairfield Marriott - we’ll learn about the FoodWhat?! youth program. 
So we have enough food provided by our caterer, Busy Bee's, please register at https://portal.clubrunner.ca/4237/Event/food-what-----youth-organic-farming-and-food-program
 
 
 
Our August 3 meeting was lunch at Seascape
We had a low turnout- only few attendees in person and none on zoom
Are the rest of you on vacation? Still hungover from debunking?
 

Lowry multi tasked- running the meeting and doing the tech since Nelson was elsewhere- well done though Mr. co-President

Welcome back Dave DeMatteis! It had been about 2 years?
Dave said he'd been over the hill(geographically) and had some health issues but he looks great and still has that resonant baritone voice like a classic radio announcer.

Nice to see Mardi in person
Anissa looked very patriotic in her red white and blue outfit
Our only guest was our speaker

Dr Art's thought for the day was a quote about the strength of a nation not being based on the stature of its leaders but the stature of the millions of mediocre people who strive to make it excel

Rich told the daily joke: this one was about how kids learn that drinking whiskey will prevent worms

Lowry played a video of Lisa speaking about her daughter to announce the good news that the design of the all access park in Capitola was accepted!
Aug 31st  is our service day at Second Harvest

Our next beach cleanup is Sept 9th
Which is also the weekend of the Capitola art and wine festival

The efforts to support the bookclub for kleptomaniacs has failed because they took everything literally

Matt was the detective and the topic was dogs in recognition of dog days
Among other things we learned:
Collie was the most popular breed in 1905
Only 77 million dogs in the USA

Matt is looking forward to not being dogged (sorry) about the Cabrillo name change after the vote next week.
Solution proposed by us- Wetstein U.  All in favor?
 
 
Continuing on the dog theme, our Guest speakers was Melissa Wolf of UnchainedMelissa gave a presentation about her non profit organization which has local  disadvantaged and at risk youth train abandoned dogs as mutual therapy.  After an 8 work interactive program the dogs are fostered out to welcoming families.  The kids are coping with disabilities, abuse, addiction, incarcerated parents or combinations of those.  The dogs have been abandoned or returned to shelters.  The kids and dogs share past experiences of abuse and abandonment and so there is a natural empathy.  Also, unlike humans, dogs are honest about their emotions, loyal and non-judgmental,

Shelters are overflowing now as there was a surge people not being able/willing to cope with dogs after taking them in during covid.  90% of the dogs in the program are adopted. 

Melissa said that many of the kids are skeptical of their future- they expect to die young, not have opportunity.  Maybe helping dog can change that- the kids report  feel better about future

The program got a resounding endorsement from director of Monterey county youth probation.

They are trying to expand into jails Santa Cruz and to hire a therapist for the kids.


A wonderful program- Melissa offered an invitation to anyone who wants to attend the next graduation ceremony but warns to bring tissues.

Michele B won the lottery but...she was taking her boy to college so no winner.
 
Membership Monday was Aug 7th at  Cantine and it was fun! We had Laura, Michele, Bill, Art, Sandie, Mardi and Pam who brought her guest Tarah-let's cheer for her to join us too! 
 
Guess Who: Trivia photos taken last week for detective/fundraising:
 
 
Our next meeting is at Fairfleld Inn.
 
 
 
 
 
Our July 20 meeting was at Seascape.  For those of you who showed up someplace on July 27- we had no meeting because we had the debunking at Michele's house.... We had 25 attendees

One of our guests was Lexus Castrejon, our scholarship recipient from Aptos HS.  She is going to SFSU to study criminal justice and forensic pathology.


Michele brought her guest Erica Padilla Chavez who we would like to have as a member
Mindy Pedaler joined us along with our guest speaker Andrea Hart from Cabrillo Stage/Drama
Mindy gave a thank you speech to Rotary for supporting her magician's troupe when she was a kid-and she made a $20 donation.

Dr Art's thought for the day:
Freedom is a fragile thing and never more than one generation away

Sam provided the joke: before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes.  That way when you criticize them you will be a mile away and they won't have any shoes. 
Truly the Rotarian spirit

Sam led in the Welcome Song- Rocking it on guitar and with his Elvis-like voice
 
Trivia photos taken last week for detective/fundraising:
Guess the legs
Guess the hat
Guess the head
Where is Nelson’s Sports Bar?  Only 2 people have correctly answered before
 

Announcements:
Membership Monday is August 7
We need volunteers for committees for service projects
District 5170 has started a Climate Action Project and a solar panel project needs members/volunteers

Rich was the joker- his R rated joke about a Freudian slip was funny but your author is not going to write it
 


Our guest speaker was Andrea Hart, the artistic director at Cabrillo Stage.  She gave a great presentation on the ongoing showing of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Completely unbiased- Matt says it was great.  Also unbiased and raving about it- Michele and pretty much everyone else who has seen it.

Andrea took us through the production from deciding on what play to put on through the development of the sets (fabulous), costumes, assembly of the cast and choir, rehearsals and a few teasing trailers.
 Mindy said it is the best choir she ever heard in her 30+ years.
The set is 3 stories.  Its construction has been overseen by Skip Epperson who has trained generations of students, many of whom are now professionals but come back to help here.  That shows.

Sue won the lottery!  Unfortunately, just ours, not the $978 million power ball.

The debunking at Michele's was fabulous- perfect weather, great tributes and playful fun about Kendra and Laura, fabulous food, questionable alcoholic beverages (but no shortage) and the awesome accommodations at Michele and Dean's place.
 


See everyone today at Seascape!!!
 
 
 
 
Our July 13th meeting was in the evening at the Fairfield Inn.
We had  22 attendees in person and 2 on zoom

Pam and Lowry ran their first meeting as co-presidents effortlessly-meant in the good way-not lack of effort

There were several announcements about our participation in recent projects/events- the July 4 beer and wine pour; the Aptos Wine wander and the Rio del Mar beach cleanup, and our service day at Loaves and Fishes.

We had no musicians so no music.

Michele announced the fund raising Pedal for Rising International and Monarch Fundraising which we have supported in their efforts against sex trafficking and a fundraising effort for Ukrainian refugees

Michele's guest was Erica, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank…she is joining…as soon as she get a house in SC County – and her offer was accepted while we were in our meeting….so we are on our way!!

Tricia Potts guest was Heather who is a nurse focusing on helping kids who have experienced drug problems, abuse and other trauma, and she is also a life coach.  Let's push to get her to join!.

Ken reminded members about the debunking which is Tuesday 7/25 at Michele's house at 133 Cutter Drive on the lake in Watsonville.  $65 per ticket, food and beverages and entertainment included as we honor and perhaps tease our just-past co-presidents Laura and Kendra and thank them for their service.
Lowry has sent out an e-vite, please RSVP, it’s very easy

Paul was the Detective- 2 meetings in a row!
Members did fairly well with the questions.  Those of us who did not know the answers learned, among other things:

The new President of Rotary International is Gordon McNally and this year's theme is "Create Hope in the World."

We also learned about key calendar events to plan our lives around: National Whistleblower Day; National daiquiri day; Lollipop day; and Gran Mariner day

Our guest speaker was Tricia Wiltshire who spearheaded the construction of the inclusive playground at Leo's Haven.  She said she was just a mom with a kid with needs and no experience in fundraising but obviously great determination.  She spoke and had a slide show about her new project which is to build a universal playground at Jade Street park.  There's a million dollar fundraising effort including the city of Capitola and non-profits.  She said this project is moving much faster than Leo's Haven.
 


 
 
 
 
Our June 22 meeting was dinner at the Fairfield Inn.
We had about 24 attendees in person, Michele B and Mardi on Zoom
 


Dave brought Jessica as his guest-

It was Julie’s 37th birthday and she was serenaded with an a capella Happy Birthday Cookies

Kendra lead the meeting with her usual and irrepressible exuberance. This was her last time leading the meeting for at least this term of her co-presidency as there is a regime change starting this week- Lowry and Pam are taking over as Co-Presidents

Kendra announce that we will be co-sponsoring the Aptos Wine Wander on July 1, with Santa Cruz Mountain Winegrowers Assoc. It is in Aptos village and costs $50 to attend.
We get 20 per cent of net profit from the event. Attendees will get to visit and taste at 14-17 wineries/businesses.
We will have a table there-ostensibly to provide information about our club but also perhaps to sleep under after 14-17 wine samples!
We need afternoon volunteers.

We are once again celebrating the spirit of the USA by plying Fourth of July celebrants at Aptos Village Park with beer and making money off their thirst and inebriation. We may still need a few volunteers.

We are also doing a Beach cleanup 7/5 at Rio del Mar beach, Dagmar is unavailable so Lowry is coordinating.
There is (unfortunately) likely to be much trash to pick up following the July 4 holiday. Meet at 10am on Weds July 5th at RDM Beach.

Dr. Art provided 2 thoughts  of the day: No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot; and Kindness is a virtue the deaf can hear and blind can see.

Another big event: the Debunking of Kendra and Laura is 7/25 at Michele’s estate/yacht club starting at 5 pm.  It will be catered.  Alcohol will be provided by members are also encouraged to BYOB.  Ticket prices are being worked out.  It is doubtless going to be much fun though there is much less to material to tease Kendra and Laura about then there was for Ken last year...
Still, anyone who wants a chance at the microphone please contact Ken.

 
 
Our June 15, 2023 meeting was a lunch at Seascape Golf Course, and we covered a very important topic: Scammers and Scams. 
 
 
*Sept 2023 Update* 
 
60 Minutes recently had a segment on scam/frauds that are commonly happening, please watch this video to learn about frequently used scams so you can protect yourself AGAINST this. 
 
 
 
 
 
The entire June talk our club had was recorded as well, and the link is available to view on YouTube!  Please watch this so you do not become a victim of these horrible, morally corrupt scammers.
 
 
 
A portion of the proceeds support the Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's Grants Program through our Club's Foundation! 
 
To get more details or to purchase your ticket ($45 if purchased before 6/15!) visit this link! 
 
 

Join us in the heart of Aptos for an afternoon of wine tasting. Discover local Santa Cruz Mountains wineries, while strolling through Aptos Village businesses. The Wine Wander is a partnership with the Capitola-Aptos Rotary, Wines of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Aptos Village Businesses.

Tickets are $45 before June 1, $50 after June 15

Participating Wineries: 
Aptos Vineyard
Bargetto Winery
Big Basin Vineyards
Doon to Earth
El Vaquero Winery
Integrity Wines
Kings Mountain Vineyard
La Vida Bella Vineyard
Left Bend Winery
Lester Estate Wines
Sante Arcangeli Family Wines
Silver Mountain Vineyards
Villa del Monte
Windy Oaks Estate Vineyards & Winery

Participating Businesses:
Aptos Vineyards Tasting Room
Betty Burgers
CaliCoastal Boutique
Cantine Winepub
Caroline’s Thrift Shop
Doon to Earth Tasting Lounge
Magnolia Fine Gifts & Gallery
New Leaf Community Market
Sante Arcangeli Tasting Lounge
Sarah’s European Skin Care

 
Our June 1 lunch meeting was at Seascape 
We had 27 attendees in person and two on zoom
 
To celebrate the month Kelly and Doug wore shorts.  The rest of us are still cold. The shorts were a great contrast to Eric’s suit.  Our club embraces a variety.
 
Sam, Al  and ( his Honor) Rich , “Under the Influence,” did fabulous versions of the Welcome Song and 4 Way test song.
 
Other great bands with three word names are known by catchy initials: CCR, BTO, ELO…Maybe not this band, “ And now, Capitola, Aptos Rotary proudly gives you: UTI!!!”
 
Dave brought his granddaughter Leighanna
 
Anissa sent her friend Jess Kile as a prospective member.  Jess is a pediatric oncology nurse at Stanford and lives in Aptos
Let’s do what we can to convince her to be a member
 
 
Dr. Art’s thought for the day: don’t speak to the press, they are likely to report what you said.
 
Ken's joke of the day is too long for the brevity required for the Hub.
 
Since June has five Thursdays, the last Thursday will be a service day.  We will not have a club meeting that day, but all members are encouraged to volunteer at Loaves and fishes in Watsonville, starting at 11 AM. Probably going to 1-130

 
 
 
LINK to download photos from the 2023 Derby Party Fundraiser! 
 
 
All photos were taken by our amazing photographer (and Rotarian!) Mardi Padilla of Marmi Photography! 
 
 
And a HUGE Thank you to our event sponsors: 
 
 
 
Costello Wealth Strategies: 
Aptos Travel Clinic:
Penrose, Chun & Gorman Law Offices
Bay Federal Credit Union
Fast Eddy's Billiards
1st Capital Bank:
Franklin Templeton Investments:
 
 
Our In-Kind considerations to make this event a success were provided by:
 
Specialized Helicopters
Marmi Photography
Integrity Wines
 
 
And donations made that were used in our raffle and as contest prizes were donated by:
Revelry Coolers
Cantine Winepub
Trader Joe's Capitola
 
 
Thank you to everyone who came and supported this event, we cannot wait to see you next year for the Second Annual Capitola-Aptos Rotary Kentucky Derby Party Fundraiser on Saturday, May 4, 2024! 
 
MARK YOUR CALENDARS NOW! 
Our May 26 meeting was  dinner at the Fairfield Inn in Capitola, our speaker was Supervisor Zach Friend and we had three of our seven scholarship recipients in attendance! 
We had about 25 members in person, none on zoom, five guests and three of our scholarship recipients.  We had to borrow chairs from the lounge and napkins from the restrooms. We had far too much macaroni salad, but that sweet potato casserole (AKA the Vegan tofu meal that everyone thought was for them, not just the vegan eaters!!) was a big hit and the chicken with optional barbecue sauce was delicious

Remember that there is no bar there so we are relying on members to bring wine!  Several of us did but not enough-we ran out of wine too: that’s bordering on inexcusable, especially since there’s no corkage fee (unlike the notorious rule at one of our other venues).
 


Music was provided by an illustrious trio.  Members could be forgiven for mistaking their voice for the Kingston Trio or the Three Tenors while their rock ‘n’ roll evoked memories of rock god trios like  Cream or Emerson, Lake and Palmer.  But it was our very own Al DeCamara, Sam Nigh and Rich McAdams, performing under the moniker of Under the Influence. Which might explain Al's exuberance as detective. 

By now, most everyone knows of the tragic death of our dear Suzi Hamlin, killed by a drunk driver, crossing the road in Virginia in the middle of Rich and Suzi’s cross country vacation.  Co-PE Pam flew back to help Rich. Rotarians have been sending him our heartfelt condolences.  Despite the unimaginable grief and shock, Rich took the time to send thanks for our support and for the camaraderie and compassion of Rotary that has been shown to him.

Prior to the start of the meeting, Laura led us in observing a moment of silence in memory of Suzi and in support of Rich.

Two of our three new red badges were in attendance, Rich McAdams, and Lisa Harvey-Duren.

Our three scholarship recipients in attendance were Olivia Harris from Soquel HS and Samantha French and Jordi Martinez from Aptos HS.


Michele brought her friend Gayle Pitman, VP of Institutional Equity, Effectiveness and Success at Hartnell College.

Eric brought his friend David and David's daughter. The daughter is Samatha French, one of our Scholarship recipients. 

Michele announced that Sip for Second Harvest is June 25 from 1-4 pm at Seascape Golf club.

Our next Membership Monday Happy Hour is at Cantine at  5:30 to 7:00 on June 5th.

 
 
Our second May meeting was at dinner at the Fairfield by Marriott in Capitola.
We had about 25 attendees in person and 3 on zoom. The catered food got good reviews. Several people remembered to bring wine and we could use
more next time.

We have tentatively admitted 3 new members, including Claire McAdams’ husband Rich, or as he is formally known, the Honorable Justice Richard McAdams. He was the youngest Superior Court Judge in California and served in Santa Cruz County for 30 years before being appointed to the court of appeals.

Our club now has 3 lawyers, a judge, and the son of one of the most prominent lawyers in the Bay Area. An unfortunate demographic?
The jury is still out (sorry).
Fortunately our 2 other new members are not in the legal profession.    Jack Hunt is an ‘almost retired’ mechanical engineer.   Lisa Harvey-Duren, wife of member Paul Duren, is a patient advocate and advisor for pharmaceutical companies.

Kendra ran the meeting with her usual exuberance.
Sam and Al were absent and the welcome song appeared lost until Kelly lead an impromptu a cappella version, and his signature baritone. Kelly had a lot of energy in this meeting, much like he had behind the bar at the Derby party.

The Inaugural Derby party raised over $5000.   We had more than 50 attendees.  It was a bit disappointing that only 13 of them were members.  Everyone had a great time, good venue, pleasant, and as always, it was for a good cause.  We hope to have much better club turnout next year.

Eric picked the winning horse, rumors that he can retire on that are unconfirmed.

The winner of the ladies hat contest was Michele‘s neighbor. And it cost $3000. Just saying
 
 


Co president in waiting Lowry discussed the survey that will be going to the members regarding meetings.

Kendra reminded everyone of Saturday’s car seat drive

In Dr. Art's absence Craig has a thought for the day : we should make our passwords “incorrect“. Makes great sense

Deposed president, Ken was the detective. There were a number of questions about Rotary History and unrelated historical events that occurred on May 11.

Kelly correctly answered: what actor starred in Casablanca, the big sleep , and the Maltese falcon? Humphrey Bogart

He also correctly answered: who married Lauren Bacall, won an Oscar for the African Queen, and died in 1957?
Also, Humphrey Bogart
The problem is that the question posed was: who was the first Rotarian to walk on the moon? Twice because it seemed he didn’t hear it the first time.

Our guest speaker was Sophia Shwierzke of  Central Coast Community Energy.
She gave a PowerPoint on her company that purchases alternative energy from various sources in California and Arizona and sells it to PG&E customers for less than PG&E charges.
Their rates are about 18% less for residential customers

Rick asked why California energy prices were so much higher than other states. She did not know. Per the state of Nebraska, which has the cheapest energy in the country, California energy costs are more expensive than every state except Hawaii, Washington, about 80% above the national average.

Rick also asked if the high prices were because California is a one-party state.
Your author has been a California attorney for 35 years and has not seen the law limiting us to one party.  Is that per year, per household? Does it apply to nonprofit corporations?
Without admitting anything, your author might be a serial offender – we have birthday parties, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, parties, football parties, pool parties and I’d better stop there.  I will ask the rest of the clubs legal brain-trust to make sure we are not running a-foul of the one party rule.

Laura pointed out to our guest speaker that actually some of the power sources on the map on her PowerPoint were in Arizona, and Nevada, not California. That type of tactful, cross examination, might warrant admission into the legal brain-trust.

The debunking of Kendra and Laura will be July 25  at the Watsonville yacht club, otherwise known as Michele Bassi’s residence. Start time will be 5–5 thirtyish. More details to follow.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Our April 20 meeting was at Seascape.
We had about 20 attendees in person and Sue, Becky and Nelson  on Zoom

We had no musicians, so no opening songs.

Very nice to see Stan Abraham in person - that should happen more often

Dr Art gave the thought for the day: Righteous indignation is just jealousy with a halo!

Ken related a story from a client, upon visiting a clinic in a town in New Zealand, saw a plaque honoring Dr. Art Dover of Santa Cruz, California for stemming a local epidemic. Years later, Dr Art cured the same client of a parasitic infection that no other doctors had been able to diagnose, let alone!

We were graced with the presence of Paul's wife Lisa who is a new prospective member.  Lisa is a pharmacy rep.  She also attended our last Membership Monday at Cantine.  Lisa impressed everyone and by consensus will be a great addition to the club.

Lowry brought a prospective member too-Jack Hunt, a retired engineer.  Jack was also at the Membership Monday and has a fascinating background.  He would also be a great member.

Kendra reminded everyone of the May 6 Kentucky Derby party.  We were treated to suggestions for hats via from Kendra and Laura.   It was hard not to believe we were not at Paris Fashion Week. Until Laura modeled the St. Patrick's Day hat.....

Remember to bring wine to tonight's meeting at Fairfield.  To clarify- 2 bottles to donate to the Derby party-not to drink....

Win hosted the pickleball tournament for which Matt Weinstein was the successfull bidder at the Willy Roast and auction. Lowry and Laura rant the event. Matt, his wife Eileen, and six others attended. By all accounts it was a great success.

The Area 7 social is May 9 at Kaiser arena in downtown Santa Cruz- tickets are $5 at the door.

Laura and Nelson provided more information on District Governor Savita's Independence Through Hygienes project in India and Africa. Feminine hygiene products are generally unavailable to impoverished girls/young women who miss school during their cycle and eventually drop out, limiting their life choices. The club is making a $1,000 donation.

The Detective was Rich
He chose golf and SIRS as his topics- clearly catering to a select audience but geographically appropriate. We learned that SIRS stands for something generic like Seniors in Retirement but that other than playing golf they serve no function, so that's 2 strikes.  Rich, Doug, Lowry and Stan are members

Our guest speaker was veterinarian Marianne Burtch the founder of Birchbark Foundation.  Birchbark is a non-profit corporation that provides donated/discounted vet services for people and families who can't afford expensive procedures for pets when the pets are important to their owner's health and peace of mind.

The Foundation arranges 24-hour hospital services for domestic animals with the goal of providing the necessary treatment to reunite the pets with their loved ones.  They work with veterinarians in the community to give discounts for their services and Birchbark pays 50% of the remaining bill.  They have frank discussions with pet owners to make sure there is a good prognosis for the pets or, if not, the need for euthanasia.  Birchbark also provides grief support and educational webinars on pet care, emergency preparedness and preventable conditions.  One of the biggest conditions they face is urinary tract infections in un-spayed females.

Dr. Burtch noted the increased emotional reliance on pets during the severe parts of the Covid epidemic and how important the human-pet bond is.  She also said what we pet-lovers know- our pets provide unconditional love and are not judgmental.

Birchbark saved its first pet in 2013. That animal lived another ten years-just recently passing away.  The Foundation subsidizes emergency services for several pets every week, 32 so far this year.

Dr. Burtch showed a touching video about Birchbark's services.  We had some audio problems but the visuals alone were moving. To see it with sound, click here
BTW- Dr. Burtch is also a Stanford grad...

See everyone at Fairfield TONIGHT, not today. $20 fine for anyone caught going to the wrong place and/or the wrong time.

Buy your Derby Party tickets!!
 
 
 
Fellow Cap-Ap Rotarians:

Our April 13 lunch meeting was at the Fairfield Inn.
Those of you who haven't been yet should check it out to see how you think it compares with other venues.
It's on 41st Ave, about 1/2 mile past the Capitola Mall.  We have a large, well- lit dedicated room, functioning wifi and cell service.  But no bar...
The a/c functions well, a bit too well at one point as the board meeting turned glacial for a few minutes. But that was resolved.

Lunch was deli sandwiches catered by Garden Deli.

Co-Pres Kendra ran the meeting.

We had about 20 members and a few on zoom including Secretary Nelson, Mardi and Doug D.

Dr. Art provided the thought and joke of the day:  It is risky to speak to the press they might report it

Al did the welcome song a la Herbie Hancock on his portable keyboard.
Konstantin chimed in on glass percussion.
Announcements: 
Please bring two bottles of wine (~ $20 each value) to Kendra this meeting as we will be using them at Kentucky Derby Fundraiser as game prizes. 
Please use the Eventbrite Link to purchase your Derby party tickets today! There are quarter page fliers that Kendra can print and get you to hand out to your friends and neighbors and dog walker! Invite your kids and their friends, literally everyone you KNOW! 
Derby Party Sponsorships: $500 sponsorship gets you Public Recognition including your logo on event materials, being mentioned at the event, your logo being used on all our social media channels (fb, IG, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube) along with on our club website. Please contact CPOM Kendra at kcleary.rotary@gmail.com to sign up. 
 
Huge Thanks to our current Derby sponsors
Costello Wealth Strategies
Penrose, Chun & Gorman
Aptos Travel Medicine
1st Capital Bank 
 
 
Our April 6 meeting was at the Seascape Golf Clubhouse
 

 We  had 23 attendees in person and 2 on zoom- Becky and Sue

Co-President Kendra presided

Dr Art gave the thought for the day:  It talking was more important than listening we would have 2 mouths and 1 ear

Visiting Rotarians were
Dave Culver and Tom McCullough from Sunrise

We also had a neophyte potential Rotarian- recently retired Jack Hunt 

Al led us in the Welcome song
And made references to his Portuguese heritage

Pam and Mardi managed to be the only women sitting at tables with 6 men
Where are our women members????

Becky celebrated her 40th wedding anniversary- of course she looks like she must have been a teenage bride- her husband has lived a charmed life
Rich is going on a months- long road trip circling the US with his dog- we expect many Rotary flags

 

 
Our 3/22 meeting was a field trip to UCSC to celebrate the award of the Piatt Scholarship and honor Kevin Weatherwax,  this year's recipient in the Baskin Engineering Building lab/office where he and his colleagues work.
 
 
Our Rotary crew pictured with Kevin, Dean Biehl, Almut, Kevin's Mentor Kate Ringland, and the other UCSC Foundation staff

We had about 22 club attendees in person Sue on Zoom and about 8 folks from UCSC.
We were hosted by  Graduate School Dean Dr.  Peter Biehl and Almut Wulf (who both visited us last year for the presentation) and Advising Professor Kate Ringland.
One of our guides/chaperones/bouncers (needed as Al was in attendance today) was Alexandria Leckliter who was in RotarAct and, as importantly, her dad was a gymnastics coach.

Special memories for Trish who is a UCSC alum.

Parking was like Scouts on a scavenger hunt though we were eventually directed to the Core 4 parking garage where Almut had reserved spots for us.  Found out the hard way that  the parking lots identified on the on-line maps as "no-permit required"  are only "no-permit required" after 4pm....


Once we navigated our way (or were rescued) we were led to the lab where Kevin and some of the other students who work in his department gave summaries of their projects aimed at assisting neurodivergent people.  They call their workplace "the Misfit Lab."  It was clear from just the brief statements the younger students gave that they were brilliant but they managed to translate the techno-lingo  so we could understand it.
 


  Perhaps the most discussed subject was the 2 foot high robot in the room who looks like a non-flying version of EVA from Wall-e.   We were also continually scanned and colorized images of us projected onto a screen as part of the team's ongoing studies of human movement that is being used to help robots interact with humans in public.  We were assured that our DNA was not being replicated for insertion into our roboticized replacement clones.

There was a keyboard for Al and Sam brought his ukelele and led us in the Welcome Song and the 4 Way test song.  The UCSC folks all said they loved the music.  They were not just being polite.
 
CPOM Kendra here: “I want to make it abundantly clear we are not writing this page and it's contents to merely toot our own horn. We do want to acknowledge the Rotarians in our club who heard the call for help & showed up to do the work that was needed by our neighbors and community.
But also The Capitola-Aptos Rotary Club's Board of Directors feels that transparency in what we do in our community, both during the good times and the bad is necessary.
Since the community at large donates to our efforts (both via direct donations for specific projects and with support of our fundraising events like the Beer Booth and Pickleball Tournament) for the work we do in "Y/OUR Community" we want to be very clear on the activities we do and support, both monetarily and via our physical labor/boots on the ground approach.” 
 
Special Storm Cleanup Edition of The Hub
March 2023
 
 
Date: Sunday, March 12, 2023
Location:  Watsonville Fairgrounds Shelter
 
Once we heard about the Pajaro Levee Break Co-Presidents Laura &  Kendra headed out to the Fairgrounds to see if they had any immediate needs. A list of items they needed was going around, but from our club's experience in the '89 earthquake there was such an immediate response that the needs were changing by the hour.  So we headed out to meet the Shelter Coordinator on site and see what they needed that we could look them in the eye and say "we'll be right back with XYZ."  We met the On-Site Shelter Coordinator who was fantastic, they needed new Blankets, towels and washcloths, and men's & women's underwear. But they could not accept the items until tomorrow as they didn't have the room to store anything since it was a Sunday late afternoon. They had volunteers coming first thing Monday to sort through and organize all the donations. Armed with a donated 20% off Kohl's Coupon and $7 in Kohl's Cash, we headed to Kohl's and Ross to see what we could get. 
 
 
 
We spent $460 and got 9 blankets, 12 bath towels, 12 washcloths, 11 packages of men's underwear, 8 packages of women's underwear, and $30 in Kohl's Cash which was used later in the week to buy 12 pairs of Under Armor Compression Crew Socks. 
 
Unfortunately by late Monday Morning the Fairgrounds had sorted and had no more room to accept anything. 
 
 
Date: Monday, March 13, 2023
Location:  Cabrillo College Shelter
 
So on Monday Lunchtime as soon as we heard that the Cabrillo College Shelter would be opening at 5pm we decided to head down with our purchased items and see if that was what they needed.
 
 
 

Pictured on this table are the men's and women's underwear we had purchased the day prior! 
 
We met the On-Site Coordinators, Georgina and Jessika, and they needed the blankets and towels and underwear! We gave them our phone numbers and said we had a budget to fill any immediate needs and to not hesitate to call us if there was something that came up that was needed.
 
 
Date: Tuesday, March 14, 2023
Location:  Coral St. Clinic & Cabrillo College Shelter
 
On Tuesday Afternoon we heard from Georgina, they needed someone to transport a few evacuated houseless people (who had lived on the San Lorenzo Levee are that was flooded) from the Coral St. Clinic to the Cabrillo Shelter in a van.
 
 
 
 
Since we did not have a van, and we needed a van since some of our riders had mobility issues and they all had all their possessions with them, the club rented a minivan from Enterprise (Shout out to Enterprise on Ocean who gave us a 10% discount on the rental!) and we did three round trips to transport people to the Cabrillo Shelter. 
After our last transport, we talked to the On-Site Coordinator of the day (they are assigned in 12 hour shifts) and they had a family arrive from Pajaro---we had seen them walk in as we walked in some of the people we had brought from Coral St. 
 
Laura (L) walking in one of our transportee's, Andrew (middle), along with a Twin Lakes Soup Kitchen Volunteer (R) we met at the Shelter.
 
 
 
The family had toddlers in diapers but there were not diapers in the sizes they needed at the Cabrillo Shelter--only newborn size diapers. So a translator and Co-Pres Laura headed over to see if there was anything else they needed since we were going to get diapers and to confirm the diaper size they needed. They explained they left so quickly the father only had the clothes he was wearing and asked if we knew of any clothes he could get. And they needed Size 5 & 6 Diapers. 
So off to Costco we went and we got Sizes 4, 5 & 6 diapers (since we didn't see size 4 in the shelter inventory). We also got two boxes of wipes. 
 
 
 
 
We got 1800 wipes and 798 diapers in three sizes!
 
On our way back to Cabrillo with the diapers and wipes we called two of our members who were about the same size as the Pajaro father, and asked if they had any clothes in good condition they could donate. They did and we want to shout out to IPP Ken and Rotarian Sam who stepped up and provided bags of clothes for this gentleman. 
 
 
 
 
Date:  Wednesday, March 15, 2023
Location:  Second Harvest Food Bank
 
On the way to our Second Harvest Food Bank food sorting shift Co-Pres Kendra dropped off some of the donated clothes from IPP Ken, and checked in with the shelter's immediate needs. 
Then four of our club's Rotarians, CPOM Kendra, Eric, Co-PE Lowry and Nelson, arrived at Second Harvest Food Bank for a volunteer food sorting shift. 
They boxed 4,000 lbs. of Oranges, and 8,000 lbs. (which was 208 cartons) of Grapefruits!
 
The Rotary crew's pre-shift photo!
Lowry and Eric with the big barrel of oranges we were filling the boxes from.
Nelson with the Oranges Box! 
Nelson and Lowry. 
Eric stacking Orange filled boxes! 
Nelson filling bags of Grapefruits. 
Lowry filling the bags with Grapefruits. 
Our little crew at the end of our shift! 
#RotariansInAction #RotariansAtWork
 
 
 
 
As usual Dr. Art did his weekly volunteer shift at Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes, and CPOM Kendra had a discussion with Executive Director Ashley about the needs their organization will have in the coming months, as they serve the displaced migrant community during this tragedy. They are preparing for the next few months as it will be a time of grave food insecurity among the evacuated & displaced population because the crops that they should be harvesting and getting paid for their work to do, they will not be (due to the flooded fields), so in addition to losing their homes and belongings, the steady work they count on will also not be there in the quantity it usually is. 

The cleanup from this set of storms and the levee break will take months if not years to fix the reverberations throughout the community. This is project will not be a sprint; it will be a marathon.  And we Rotary Clubs are working together and have committed to being HERE and doing our part long after everyone else’s initial surge of help and attention is long gone.  
 
Capitola-Aptos Rotary is supporting Pajaro Valley Loaves & Fishes both with volunteer time and with funding, and we encourage you to do so also. 
 
Additionally our club has set aside at minimum of $4000 to go directly to Storm & Flood Disaster Relief, our only contingent on the money is that our club has to be involved in a project, we will not just be making a blind donation to another group in our area who is collecting money. We are requiring what we call "boots on the ground" involvement by some of our Rotarians. If you would like to add to our storm and flooding disaster relief funds, we will add them to our money and spend them the same way we are spending our own money, you can donate via PayPal or Venmo. 
 
 
(I want to mention that we are a PayPal Certified Charity, which assures you of our integrity and also significantly reduces any transaction fee's that are usually associated with giving funds electronically.)
 
 
Club Officers
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Upcoming Events
Hybrid Meetings:
 

In order to keep everyone safe in this post-pandemic world, we are having hybrid meetings for all our regular Rotary club meetings, we meet at either noon or 6pm, check the calendar to determine if it's a Lunch or Dinner Meeting!

Join us in person at: ((Check the Club Calendar for location!!))

Join our Zoom Meeting HERE:


https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85672887390?pwd=WmtST0haZGl0WHk5RUZERm4zNkU5Zz09

 
Meeting ID:
856 7288 7390
Passcode: 5170
 
(Exception: We do NOT usually Zoom from our scheduled Field Trips, as it's too difficult to set up the webcam, microphones, etc. as we are touring a facility!)
Speakers
Dinner @ Fairfield: Brian and Jamey King
Sep 28, 2023 4:45 PM
Mountains to Sea
Lunch @ Seascape: Kristen Brown
Oct 05, 2023 12:00 PM
Currently Vice Mayor of Capitola; She’s running for County Supervisor to replace Zach
dinner: Assemblymember Dawn Addis
Oct 12, 2023
State of our district
Lunch @ Seascape: Orrin Mahoney
Oct 19, 2023 12:00 PM
Annual Fund Toolkit
Dinner @ Fairfield: Meghan French
Oct 26, 2023 4:45 PM
Siena House
Lunch @ Seascape: Brian Lockwood/Marcus Mendiola
Nov 02, 2023 12:00 PM
College Lake Project
Dinner @ Fairfield: Nelson Crandall
Nov 09, 2023 4:45 PM
Harper’s Ferry
Lunch @ Seascape: Gerry Jensen of RACK
Nov 16, 2023 12:00 PM
Random Acts of Capitola Kindness
Lunch @ Seascape: Murry Schekman
Dec 07, 2023 12:00 PM
Pajaro Valley School District update
Dinner @ Fairfield: John MacMillan
Dec 14, 2023 4:45 PM
UC Santa Cruz's Vice Chancellor of the Office of Research
Dinner at Fairfield Kim DeSerpa
Jan 11, 2024
Kimberly DeSerpa
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