Stories

This Meeting, Sep-28-2023: Kathy Haven, El Dorado Community Foundation

This meeting is at the Cameron Park Denny's at 3446 Coach Ln, Cameron Park, CA 95682. Not at the Country Club!

Kathy Haven serves as the Community Impact Officer at the El Dorado Community Foundation, where she holds multiple roles, including Grants and Scholarship Manager, Education Coordinator, and Impact Officer. With a tenure of three and a half years at the Foundation, Kathy brings a wealth of experience to her position.

Residing in the picturesque Lake Tahoe area for over a quarter-century, Kathy initially arrived at age 22 to pursue a career in teaching mathematics and science. After nearly a decade in the classroom, she chose to devote her time to raising her family, consisting of three teenagers and her husband. During this period, she actively engaged in the non-profit sector through volunteering, further deepening her commitment to community betterment.

When the opportunity arose for her to rejoin the workforce, the EDCF proved to be an ideal fit. Kathy primarily works remotely, making an occasional trip to Placerville as required. The EDCF serves as an umbrella organization for over 300 funds, all dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for residents, non-profits, and the general well-being of El Dorado County’s various communities.

In recent years, the Foundation has expanded its efforts by offering educational and nonprofit betterment opportunities for both community members and fellow non-profits within the county. Today, Kathy will provide insights into some of these new opportunities designed to benefit non-profits and community members alike.

Last Meeting, Sep-21-2023: Colette Thiel and Amber Jaurequi, Homes for Heroes Program

Last Thursday we learned about the local chapter of a national organization called Homes for Heroes, which has been formed by a partnership of Colette Thiel and Amber Jaurequi. The mission of National Home for Heroes, which was developed after the 9/11 disaster, is "to provide extraordinary savings to heroes who provide extraordinary services to our nation and its communities every day" and its focus is providing savings in the sometimes difficult and expensive home buying process. In their presentation, Collette, a realtor with Thiel Real Estate and Property Management, and Amber, a mortgage broker with Geneva Financial explained how the local chapter works through their partnership.

Homes for Heroes targets a wide variety of community “heroes” to help realize savings in home purchase. Persons (or relatives) in the Military in any capacity, Law Enforcement, Fire Service personnel and EMT’s, Healthcare and Education are all eligible to apply for the program. In fact, when research is done, a large population of people can qualify according to Collette who indicated that she and Amber have some “leeway” in determining qualifications of applicants.

The program for home purchasers works in a simple and generous fashion. First a percentage of the home loan is rebated to the buyer from Geneva Financial. Secondly, an additional rebate is provided directly to the buyer by Collette who takes her contribution from the commission she earns from the home sale. Using this formula, the national Homes for Heroes organization has rebated over $116,000,000 to American home buyers since 2002. Colette and Amber gave examples from their experience in El Dorado County. Recently a county family received $5,700 in rebates and was able to purchase a washer, dryer, television and some furniture for their new home. The average savings for buyers in El Dorado County is between $4,500 and $5,000 per home purchase. Given the rise in the cost of homes in the county due to higher interest rates and a low inventory of homes for sale the savings provided by this program are significant for buyers.

The local chapter’s work here and the national work being done by Homes for Heroes can be characterized as a win-win experience for the home buyers who use this process according to the presenters. To learn more, members were invited to go to the local websites, 530Heroes.com or 916Heroes.com. Collette is easy to contact as she is also the President of the Shingle Springs-Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce. We are thankful to Collette and Amber for informing us of the work of their unique organization.

Last Meeting: Feb-23-2023: Canceled

The last meeting was canceled due to snowy, inclement weather.

Award Presentations and Auction

With DG Jeff Gabriel here to assist, President Don and other members presented new member badges, awards and recognitions for generosity and good works. At the conclusion to this story, there are links to slideshows to show the festivities. In order of the program:

Tom Elken receives the Quiet Rotarian award
Steve Long receives the Heart of Service award
Andre Pichly (CP CSD GM) and Rene Villanueva (Astute Wealth Management) receive their Red Badges and were greeted as new Rotary Club of Cameron Park members.
Janet Yarbrough, Suzy O'Neal, Laurie Edwards, Gary Clarke, and Rich Grieco receive PolioPlus Society recognition.
Gary Clarke, Janet Yarbrough, and Gary Gall receive Paul Harris Fellow awards.

Ben Young won the bidding to hold the #2 Shovel -- in honor of Art Cort -- plaque until the next time it is auctioned, with a very generous bid of $1000 for the Rotary Foundation.

The slide show of pictures and captions for this meeting, and especially for the Award Ceremony is at this Photo Album on our website. Click on "Start Sideshow" or on individual pictures. For a more entertaining video slide show, with background music, please see Laurie Edwards' creation on the Vimeo site.

EDC Fair Wine Booth

Come and visit us at the Rotary Club of Cameron Park Wine Booth at the EDC Fair now through Sunday night! We are serving local wine from Crystal Basin Cellars to raise funds for our community service projects. We're just a couple of doors down from the famous 20-30 club tacos... Hope to see you there!

Last Week: May-19-2022: PDG Wyn Spiller, Standing Together - Disaster Response at Home and Around the World

PDG Wyn Spiller talked to us about disaster response locally and around the world, including the district's fire response, Ukraine and a new district grant funded project focused on support and rescue of Afghan families left behind following the collapse of the government and exit of U.S. military in 2021.

Wyn first refreshed our memory about the Rotary Foundation and our district's version of that. The vision of a Rotary Foundations was first described by Arch Klumph at the 1917 International Convention where he said: “It seems eminently proper that we should accept endowments for the purpose of doing good in the world.” Wyn described our District 5190 Community Foundation, a 501c3 entity, which became a fire relief fund, among other purposes.

Last year 15 fires burned within our district boundaries. A Disaster Relief group was formed at the district level that gave $500 gift cards to individuals or businesses -- a total of $119,000 to date. Members have opened homes to people and their animals. When each gift card is given, we hear the stories of the survivors. The Greenville club has worked tirelessly at fire relief to aid their town which was hit hard by the Dixie fire. John Banks, President of the Rotary Club, has been tirelessly for fire victims including working hard to find people that need the gift cards.

Rotarians around the world have stepped up to assist the more then 6.2M have fled Ukraine.

Last Meeting, Feb-10-2022: Don Fuller and The Rotary Foundation

Don Fuller is President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park. Don is also the 2021-2022 club chair for the Rotary Foundation. In that role he promotes awareness of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and its international and local reach to do good. The TRF chair also helps to increase awareness of Rotary’s leadership role in eradicating Polio.

Don designed a fun-filled program of education, popcorn to eat during two films (TRF Videos), proselytizing for contributions, and a Trivia Contest at the end, to see if we were paying attention. Don explained the difference between TRF and our Community Foundation; if you weren't at the meeting, so sorry that you missed his elegant explanation that, once and for all, settled that age-old question. The Rotary Foundation, part of Rotary International, transforms your gifts into service projects that change lives both close to home and around the world. Our Community Foundation is devoted to local projects and acting as a tax-deductible structure for other local organizations.

Don provided an easy way for each member to donate to the foundation by handing out a slip of green paper to each attendee; the member could write their name and an amount to donate and hand it to our treasurer, Janet Yarbrough, who will take care of the billing.

In the quiz at the end, Laurie Edwards was the winner by getting every question right, and Joe Ryan and Ann Eckert tied for 2nd Place. Laurie won some nice toffees from Don and Linda's business and Joe and Ann got to fight over a bottle of Scandanavian Aquavit.

Next Meeting: Feb-10-2022, Don Fuller - Rotary Foundation

Don Fuller is President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park. He retired in 2020 after 48 years in the electrical industry with Westinghouse and the California Independent System Operator managing the high-voltage grid. He enjoys golf, woodworking, hiking, and photography, including aerial photography. With his wife, Linda, they operate a business that makes and sells English toffee, and she also runs a flower business. Both are Oregon State graduates (Go Beavers!)

Don is also the 2021-2022 club chair for the Rotary Foundation. In that role he promotes awareness of The Rotary Foundation (TRF) and its international and local reach to do good. The TRF chair also helps to increase awareness of Rotary’s leadership role in eradicating Polio.

Don promises an informative and fun program on the Rotary Foundation filled with a movie and popcorn, and a contest with prizes.

James Webb Space Telescope Presentation and Launch

On December 11, there was a presentation about the impending launch of the James Webb Space Telescope near the Community Observatory (at Building L of the EDC Office of Education) by Tim Pinkney, a NASA ambassador. In case you missed it, at this YouTube link you can see a recording of that presentation.

The launch itself, delayed until Christmas day (4:20am Pacific Time), was announced by this NASA press release. There is also an in-depth NASA video distributed on YouTube that describes the telescope in detail and shows the rocket getting into position and the launch, which occurs at about the 1 hour 22 minute point in the over two-hour-long video, which also shows the progress of the flight. This is a world-wide effort to increase our understanding of the universe.

December 9 - Christmas Dinner and Auction

Please join us for our Annual Christmas Dinner and Auction this Thursday at the CP Country Club beginning with registration at 5:30 pm at the Club. We will have a lavish buffet, raffle prizes and a live auction. We will have the Ponderosa High School Choir in their first public performance since COVID! Chair Dave Sargent and his committee have created a beautiful event and we have 20 event sponsorships from club members. Mike Dugan will serve as the MC and auctioneer. (bring your credit cards and check book!).

The theme of the dinner and auction will be "Fellowship - Service- Renewal" to celebrate our return to a new normalcy!

New Member, Cathy Dugan

Membership Chair Anne Eckert and President Mike presented a red badge to new member Cathy Dugan, Mike's wife. Cathy is a retired hospice nurse. She is interested in community service projects and in scholarships for home health care workers. She is also an AKC dog show judge. She wants to continue to serve her community.

Veterans Day Observance: Joe Ryan

Joe Ryan told us something about his service career in the Navy aboard diesel submarines. He also marched in a Veterans Day parade in Folsom wearing his submariner vest. The veterans in attendance and honored at this meeting are, from left: Bill Ettlich, Doug Bisbee, Bob Dorr, Steve Long, Rich Grieco, and Joe Ryan.

Last Speaker, Oct-07-2021: Kermit Jones, MD, Candidate for Congress

Our speaker on October 7th was Dr. Kermit Jones, a candidate for the 4th Congressional district. He is an internal medicine physician and also a lawyer. He was deployed as a flight surgeon for the Navy in Iraq, and was a FDA regulatory attorney and White House fellow during the Obama administration. He has served on the front line of the COVID pandemic for 18 months and will concentrate his talk on health issues and the pandemic.

Dr. Kermit told us of his youth on a small farm in Michigan and the inspiration that his mother provided in going to nursing school and becoming a nurse. A major reason that he is running for Congress is that he believes that our healthcare system is a mess because Healthcare executives and members of Congress are not doing their jobs. We don't need a healthcare systems where CEOs are making $18M per year. But he is not in favor of the government taking over healthcare systems. Since over 70% of new doctors become specialists, he believes that we need to provide incentives for med students to take up general practice and to serve in a rural area for at least 7 years to receive their incentive.

A club member asked how would he or should we convince people to take one of the COVID vaccines. He said we should ask "Who in their lives do they care about? Do it to protect them." If they worry that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are based on medical technoloogy that is too new, tell them that the Johnson and Johnson vaccine is based on 25-year-old technology.

Another member asked about the illegal immigration problem at the southern border. Dr. Kermit mentioned that he worked next to migrant workers on his family farm when growing up. His thoughts on this issue included: 1) we do need a hard border and that we need to understand who is coming across the border for security reasons, 2) we can't deport 12M undocumented people, we need a pathway to work privileges; and 3) we need a Congress who takes the problem seriously, noting that both Obama's and Trump's administration, even when they controlled both houses of Congress, failed to act on the issue.

Dr. Kermit was an engaging speaker, and President Mike is working on getting Congressman Tom McClintock to speak to us, whether in person or on Zoom.

Cameron Park Rotarians Deliver Pallet of Clothing to a Church

On Thursday, October 29th , Cameron Park Rotary donated a pallet, including 221 pairs of pants, to Green Valley Community Church to be distributed to homeless people. The clothes were divided among the programs for the homeless of Green Valley Community Church, Job’s Shelter of the Sierra, Project Room Key and Federated Church including the Nomadic Shelter. These groups provide clothing to the homeless and very needy. Within Cameron Park Rotary, this project was initiated by Joe Ryan who was also our contact with a major supplier, managed by Dick Franks, and the clothing was delivered by Steve Long and Richard Grieco.

Last Week, Sep-24-2020: Dave S. and Anne E.; Club Foundation Update

To get a full replay of this program please click on this link to the FaceBook Live recording of the meeting and slide the round progress marker to the 21:20 point for the introduction.

Past Presidents Dave Sargent and Anne Eckert delivered an update on the Club Foundation including the Darol Rasmussen Grant. Dave called the meeting of the Cameron Park Rotary Club Community Foundation to order. He reminded us that the CPRC Community Foundation is made up of all the members of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park. Dave provided background on the reason for the Community Foundation and the relationship of it to the Darol Rasmussen Fund.

In order to conduct business, a quorum of 20 members is required, but there were only 17 in attendance. Jim Buckley suggested and Dave agreed that the members at the meeting could vote, but then an email to the other members would be used to get their votes on acceptance of the last minutes and for the slate of members up for consideration as members of the 2021 Board of Directors: Dave Sargent (3 yr. term); Ben Foulk (2 yr.); Gary Gall (2 yr.) Dave Tavernetti (3 yr.). The 17 members at the meeting unanimously voted in favor of all four of these candidates. We are looking for 3 additional votes via e-mail to complete this vote. This email was sent out by Jim Buckley on behalf of Board Secretary Anne Eckert. Please reply and indicate your votes if you have not already.

Donation to Channel 2 & Gary Campbell

Gary Campbell, is Board Vice President and Director of Programming and Development with Sierra Community Access Television: Comcast Channel 2. This public access channel provides a wide variety of programs chronicling community events in El Dorado County. Since he regularly features our Club events, as well as short segments highlighting our Club, the Club, represented by PP and Foundation Chair, Bill Hughes, made a donation of $500 to Gary on behalf of Channel 2 at our last meeting.

Bill Hughes receives Paul Harris Fellowship Award

A surprised Past-President and current Rotary Foundation Chair Bill Hughes was presented with his fifth Paul Harris award by President-Elect Mike Dugan. Congratulations, and thank you for your generosity, Bill!

Channel 2 Video about Bicycle Program

Bill Hughes introduced and showed a 6-minute video from Channel 2 describing the CP Rotary Club's Bicycle Project, a talk by Warden Rick Hill of Folsom State Prison and an introduction of the two inmates who are now refurbishing the bikes. The video gave frequent credit to our club and the role we play in getting working bicycles to groups and individuals who really need them -- as the title of the video puts it, transforming "Junk to Joy." Gary Campbell of Channel 2 and our own Laurie Edwards provided the camera work, and Bill Hughes provided research material for the video. For those that missed it, the video is also available on this link to YouTube.

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition for Sabrina Ho

Bill Hughes presented Paul Harris Fellow recognition, Level 3, to member Sabrina Ho. The members gave a standing ovation to Sabrina for her generosity.

Channel 2 Video: Entertainment from Two weeks Ago

In our Dec. 12 meeting, Jolynne Alger, choir director for Ponderosa High School, introduced her two talented daughters, Tori and Sadie, to sing Christmas and pop songs to us. A link to the Christmas carol entertainment is here: Channel 2 YouTube video .

World Polio Day

October 24th was World Polio Day and our club marked the day as follows: 1) Dave Sargent recounted his experience of a few years ago when he traveled to India with fellow Rotarians to assist and witness the delivery of the vaccine to vulnerable children. He said that it was very moving to be at the front lines representing so many who have given so much to make the anti-polio campaign a reality. 2) Bill Hughes also spoke in his Polio+ shirt about the articles in the Rotarian magazine describing the impact of the disease in the lives of five Rotarians. He reminded us that Rotary's End Polio program started in 1979 in the Philippines. He also auctioned off a box of chocolates with the proceeds going to Polio+. The bidding, starting at $100 was spirited and won by Ulla Petersen at $300. Bill also described a form that will help members make one-time or ongoing gifts to the Rotary Polio+ project.

Red Badge Ceremony for Suzy O'Neal

Membership chair Anne Eckert presented Suzy with her Red Badge and other membership materials (right). Suzy was accompanied by her parents, Ian and Sally Marshall, for the presentation. Suzy eagerly accepted and is promising that she will advance quickly to blue badge status.

Gift Presentation to Jess

Jess, our server at CPCC for our Thursday lunches is moving on. She will attend Folsom Lake College, and then a 4-year college to get a degree in hospitality management. The club wishes her well, and President Dave presented her with a token of our esteem in the form of a monetary gift.

Rotary Club of Cameron Park Bicycle Give Program

Posted by James Buckley

The Cameron Park Rotary Club bicycle project involves picking up discarded bikes each month at the dump (El Dorado Waste Management saves the bikes for us), and taking them to Folsom Prison for refurbishing by an inmate. Once refurbished, the bicycles are given to adults and children in need. Past recipients have been veterans, school children, Camp Fire victims and the homeless. Our latest recipient to receive a bicycle was Lamonte, who is currently unemployed but going to community college to learn a new trade. His bicycle was his main source of transportation until a couple of days before he and Rotarian Laurie Edwards met. Sadly, a thief stripped his bicycle and he could no longer ride. Today, Laurie met Lemonte at the Light Rail Station to deliver his bike. We wish you could have seen happy and excited he was to receive his new wheels. He is very appreciative of CP Rotary and the program.

DG Recognizes Matt Lopez With Blue Badge Presentation

Matt Lopez was recognized by Governor Randy with the Blue Badge presentation, signifying his full membership in the Club. Matt, a former Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Portola, shared a few words about how his prior Rotary experiences have shown him the value of Rotary International and the impact it has on this world. Matt's full understanding of the meaning or Rotary assures that he will be an important and valuable member of this club for years to come.

Last Week, August 1, 2019: Mitchell Mark

Mitchell Mark, CEO of Math Fluency Now, a former university instructor and 3^rd grade teacher, described his approach to teaching math to youngsters. He explained that from birth children are taught to count and, therefore could solve simple math problems, e.g. 5 + 7 = 12. However, by the time they reach 3^rd grade, math problems become more complex and many kids lose interest because of the difficulty.

Mitch developed an approach (Math Facts Mad Dash) which makes learning math more like a game, appealing to kids’ competitive spirit. The game is designed to wean students from counting and engage them in learning facts. The emphasis is on concentration and staying focused. They start by setting goals, for example, “I can run from my desk to a designated point and answer the problem in X number of seconds. Others will then want to perform the task quicker. Competition can be within a classroom, between classes, between schools, etc. He believes this approach will work for kids between ages 3 and 12. Participants are provided study guides.

Fluency is a combination of understanding and repetition. Teachers send study packages home with the students so they can learn the formulas, set goals and practice the exercise. A form entitled “Three ways to empower children” was distributed to us and we were encouraged to get involved in helping children to succeed in math.

Last Week, July 25, 2019: Bill Hughes

Bill Hughes presented two things to us at the last meeting: 1) a Career Commitment Discovery Tool named "Draw Your Dream!" and 2) a presentation "Putting 'Them' to Work." Both were about Bill's work over the years to help reduce the prison recidivism rate and make productive members of society out of ex-cons.

Several Rotarians drew the picture of their dream, only it wasn't too stressful, typically something about the kind of vacations they wanted to take when retired. For parolees, the folks that wrote up a complete plan did better in finding a job and were favorites of their parole officer.

The "Putting "Them" to Work" talk started with a lot of interesting statistics on the state of California's prison system (state, couty and local) and about the foster home system (often before prison) and the parole system afterwards. The current recidivism rate of 62% -- percent of released prisoners that will return at least once in 3 years -- seems bad, but when Bill started working in this field, the rate was at 78%, so these kinds of programs have made progress. Some of the things which can change the return flow of parolees back to prison are:

Learning how to set goals
Provide real resources upon release, including funds for transitional housing
Start effective job search on the Inside, including real job search tools and practice
Provide peer counseling on the Outside
Practice role playing in resume workshops

Thanks to Bill for a fact-filled and moving presentation on ways to try to break the revolving door problem with our ex-offender population.

Last Week, May 23, 2019: Sheriff John D'Agostini

Sheriff John D'Agostini gave us an update on the under-construction Law Enforcement Center, and on other law enforcement issues in the county. Our sheriff was dressed in khaki for the meeting since he had just been re-certified for hanging on a rope from a helicopter to allow him to participate in search and rescue operations if needed.

The presentation was kicked off with a three minute video produced by Channel 2 to provide a visual feel for the construction progress of the new Law Enforcement building. The old law enforcement facility has a roof that leaks like a sieve, and discussions about a new building were started in 1984, so this need has been felt for quite a while. The new main building of the 5-building complex should be open and ready for business on Sep-01-2019. The new jail will have 469 beds available.

The crime rate is stable in the Sheriff's jurisdiction. There are pockets of crime, but the sheriff's office uses effective technology to deploy extra deputies to hot zones. With a staff of 386 employees, there are 40 vacancies that are currently being recruited for, so hiring is a current challenge. Pay is an issue in attracting and retaining deputies and other employees. Three dispatchers recently left the department because they could go to Folsom and get a 15% raise. The Senate bill 8392, which would change the conditions under which potentially deadly force could be use from situations where the officer believes it to be "reasonable" to where force is considered "necessary", is another potential factor that could make recruitment and retention more difficult. However, some new compromise language may be gaining momentum which would be less onerous on the peace officer than the original language in the proposed bill.

There were several questions including about the efficacy of the STAR (Sheriff's Task force of Active Retirees) and Neighborhood Watch. Sheriff D'Agostini agreed that these programs are effective, especially if the citizen volunteers remain active and follow the guidelines of the program.

Primer on ClubRunner and how to get a Login ID

Jim Buckley and Vickie Christensen presented a quick overview on our Club website which uses ClubRunner software to provide it's functionality. They also described how you can access several of these capabilities on your smartphone by installing the ClubRunner app (It's icon is a white "CR" on a blue background). If you don't have a login to our https://www.cameronparkrotary.org/ website or are not able make full use of the smartphone app, you can contact Jim Buckley to provide you with your login name and an initial password.

Some capabilities of our website can be accessed without logging in, such as seeing recent Gear Up newsletters to see who is the upcoming speaker and where the upcoming meeting will be held. With a login, you can use the Club Directory function or the smartphone app to quickly get the contact information of other members, or send an e-mail to all or a large number of members without much effort. You can also look at your own contact info and correct it if there are any errors or outdated information.

Please contact Jim Buckley about getting a login, he is eager to assist you!

Last Meeting, May-02-2019—Don Ashton, El Dorado County Govt. Update

Don Ashton, the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) from El Dorado County provided us with an update on the accomplishments, challenges and economic developments in the county. Don and his wife live in Cool and have raised foster children. Some of the challenges in running the county are budgetary. The county gets most of its funding from the state, but most of that money has to be spent according to state laws or guidelines. Recent accomplishments of the County include: making upgrades to properties so that the county is no longer under an ADA Consent Decree; renovating county buildings for earthquake and other safety issues; building a very large new public safety facility for the Sheriff's Department; building a new juvenile hall; put a 3-year IT Strategic Plan in place; secured $2M in grants to help the homeless; and by mid-2017 having all department head positions filled. Economic developments included reducing the vacancy rate in the El Dorado Hills Business Park from 26% to 13% and some hotels and IT companies are moving to the county soon. What's New items included: having to deal with legal recreational cannabis sales; vegetation management to prevent wildfires, state housing requirements, a new voting HW/SW system, and the use of Voting Centers instead of polling places. One big issue on the horizon is $350 million in unfunded pension liabilities.

Paul Harris Fellow Presentations

President Tiffany and Jim Buckley presented Tom Elken with his first Paul Harris Fellow plaque and pin. Ulla Peterson was presented with her fifth Paul Harris Fellow award and was given a pin with 4 gems attached to it.

Blue Badge Ceremonies

Membership chairperson, Anne Eckert represented the Club in presenting three members with their Blue Badges. These were all honorary memberships as part of corporate memberships. As part of Guthrie and Ellerman, a Professional Law Corporation, Kim Strand and Jennifer Fung received their blue badges. Jana Ellerman said a few nice words of introduction about both of them. Hal Young, part of Astute Wealth Management, was introduced by his son Ben. We're thrilled to have three new Blue Badge members in the club.

Last Meeting Nov. 22nd - Fellowship with President Tiffany

President Tiffany encouraged members to come up to the small Christmas tree on the table and take a child's name with their gift-wish so they could fulfill that wish. Members who picked up tags should bring their gifts for the children to the December 13th meeting which will be at the Cameron Park CSD.

There were 2-3 "snow" balls at each table, and we were encouraged to pass them around until signaled to stop. Then Tiffany walked around the room and asked a "get-to-know-you" question to people holding a ball. Good fun.

Mike Dugan asked members to think of ideas for how to celebrate and/or commemorate the 50th anniversary of Cameron Park Rotary Club which occurs on June 29th, 2019.

Jordan's Blue Badge Ceremony

Jordan Triveri was (finally) awarded her Blue badge by Membership Chair Anne Eckert and her mother, President Tiffany. Jordan told us what made Rotary membership important to her.

Next Meeting, October 11th - Roger Hassler

Roger Hassler will share his experiences from his recent trip to Mongolia

Last Meeting -- CP Rotary Community Foundation Meeting

Dave Sargent also presided over the annual meeting of the Cameron Park Rotary Community Foundation. Secretary Anne Eckert declared there to be a quorum for the meeting and took the minutes. Dave asked for volunteers for the vacant board member position. Ben Foulk volunteered and was nominated as a candidate for that position; the members will vote on his nomination in the Aug. 30th meeting. Further details about this annual meeting will be in the secretary's minutes.

Last Meeting -- Dave Sargent: Scholarship Presentation

Dave Sargent presided over a description of the CP Rotary Club Scholarship Committee process and presentation of a scholarship to Rebecca Labad (pictured). Jana Ellerman, Past-President Ann and Dave interviewed three students and chose Rebecca Labad (see previous story) to be the recipient of a Club scholarship and submitted an application to the District to consider Rebecca for a District 5190 scholarship. The District approved that request, enabling a potential scholarship of $3,000 over one academic year. Dave presented Rebecca with a check for $1,500 to assist her towards her college degree. [The second half of the scholarship will be awarded in the Spring when she provides proof of enrollment for that semester.] Rebecca has been accepted to Redlands University in Redlands, CA, where she aspires to a math or computer science major and will run on the track team (having also won an athletic scholarship). We wish her well and continued success at University of Redlands.

Hal Young's Induction

Past-President and membership chair Ann Eckert inducted new corporate member Hal Young into Rotary Club of Cameron Park. Hal talked about his 23 grandkids and his successful career and volunteer life. Hal started his career as a teacher at a school where Bob Edwards was Principal. Later he founded a financial services firm which became Brecek and Young Advisers which eventually grew to 400 financial advisers and 50 employees. Hal also founded Worldwide Child Relief which focuses on Nicaragua. Hal is still active in hardball baseball at the senior level.

Induction of Jordan Triveri

Jordan Triveri was inducted to red badge membership in CP Rotary by President Tiffany (her mom) and DG Tina. Jordan has already been very active with the club, already serving as Program Chair, and worked on last year's Casino night fund raiser. Jordan was warmly welcomed to the Club.

Basket Auctions for Polio Plus

As a fund-raiser for Polio Plus, DG Tina and her husband Brian are progressively accepting gift baskets from one club and auctioning them off at the next club they visit. They brought a sleigh-shaped basket from the 49er Club at Grass Valley that included several wine bottles, BBQ tools, cookies and nuts. Collaborative bids were encouraged, so Roger Hassler started the bidding at $100 and said that the basket should be used by President Tiffany for gifts and other club purposes. An unofficial tally of the contributors to the Cameron Park bid for the basket (and towards Polio Plus) is as follows: Jim Buckley $200; Jana Ellerman $200; Bob Clarke $200; Roger Hassler $100; Ulla Peterson $100; Bill Ettlich $100; Tom Elken $100; Mike Dugan $100; Dick Franks $100; Bob Dorr $100 -- for a total of $1300.

The basket put together by CPR (shown at left) included a large number of wine bottles and was very heavy. Of Jana's $200 bid on the 49er club basket, $100 was to encourage ADG Vickie to go to the Placerville meeting that evening and encourage high bidding since the club that raises the most money with their basket will get some seating at at table with motivational speaker (and former SF Giant pitcher) Dave Dravecky at next Spring's 4-Way-Fest conference.

Quiet Rotarian Award #2

DG Tina presented the next Quiet Rotarian award to Ulla Peterson for her many contributions to the club which include: frequent service at the front desk at our regular meetings and at community fund-raising projects like Wine at Town Center, serving as bartender at Casino Night, providing Cut Stemware to the Silent auction and participation in several community service projects.

Quiet Rotarian Award #1

DG Tina presented the first Quiet Rotarian award to Bill Ettlich for his many contributions to the club which include: serving as Secretary for the Board, keeping the club bylaws up to date, and serving as a resource on the bylaws; work on Club Runner, frequent service at the front desk, participation in several community service projects.

MVP Award

In keeping with the "Knock it out of the Park" theme in the district this year, an MVP Award was presented by DG Tina to Jim Buckley for contributions including: serving the demanding Club Treasurer role, including designing a superior financial report that made it easy to understand the club's financial position; serving on the Scholarship committee; and assisting with the preparation of grants.

President Tiffany and new Board preview 2018/19 Rotary Year

President Tiffany welcomed us to the new 2018-2019 Rotary year. In an effort to reach out to some prospective members who cannot make lunch meetings, for a 3-month trial, we will have a breakfast meeting (7:30-9:00 am, also at the Country Club) on the 3rd Thursday of the month, and three lunch meetings per month at the usual time. On months that have 5 Thursdays, the fifth Thursday meeting will be held at a member's home or out in the community. This will be done for a three-month trial, starting in September. At that point, we will evaluate if the change has been a success or disappointment, and adjust accordingly.

At this point, President Tiffany introduced the new Board of Directors and asked them to present some of their goals for the new year. Anne Eckert is the new Membership Chair and thanked Mike Dugan for his excellent work in the previous year. Anne mentioned that precise goals are still being formulated, but that a goal of approximately 50 total members seemed realistic. Also, Anne was interested in scheduling more fireside chats with new members than we have been doing. Dave Crofut is President-Elect, and will primarily serve in a back-up role to the President. Dick Franks is the new Treasurer and is primarily interested in keeping us financially sound.

Anne gets her Past President Pin

President Tiffany thanked Anne Eckert for her 2017-2018 service as president and presented her with a newly minted Past President pin. Anne quipped that "Past President Anne" had a nice ring to it, sparking these chuckles.

Last Week (June 21, 2018) -- Club Celebration

The Club's Celebration of the past year's successes and President Anne's term was held at Don and Linda Fuller's home in Shingle Springs.

President Anne had a list of every member of our club with the contributions each had made over the past year and proceeded to thank each of those present individually for their contributions. Due to their special circumstances, Chuck LePere and Laurie Edwards' contibutions were acknowledged even though they were not in attendence.

For more pictures of the event and the full list of acknowledgements for those present click on "Read more".

Past President Anne's Message

Dear Fellow Rotarians and Friends,

I wanted to take this opportunity to express a few thoughts and observations from my year as President of your Club for 2017/2018.

I'm not sure about you, but this year has gone by very quickly – much faster than I had ever expected, and I am thinking most of you feel the same way. Of course, none of us knew how differently this year would turn out from the way it started. President Scott took over for Past President Ben in July, held his first board meeting with his new board and presided over a few weekly meetings before things changed in rapid fashion. We sincerely hope Scott and his family are doing well and have adjusted to their new lives in New Mexico.

When I first heard about the Board forming a search committee to find someone who could take over for Scott, truth be told, I almost raised my hand at that very meeting when the announcement was made. However, being the cautious (retired) banker as you know me to be, I decided to think about it privately, and also to discuss it with my husband and confident, George. Frankly, I had toyed with the idea of some day being President again, but I didn't envision such an event happening until many years into retirement, not 7 months into it (!) Thankfully, George was fully on board with the idea.

Last Week (June 14): Dwayne Beggs, SNUBA

Dwayne Beggs, one of the early pioneers of SNUBA International Inc., spoke to the Club about exploring the underwater world by snorkeling with their latest product. SNUBA is the perfect cross between snorkeling and scuba diving.

The world-wide company, headquartered here in Shingle Springs, just off Durock Rd., has provided recreational surface equipment as well as partially submerged vessels since 1985 at resorts throughout the world. The idea originated in a ski shop in Soda Springs by Michael Stafford. Michael had the idea to develop a “short ski” (an innovation that made it easier to learn to ski) for diving. Already leaders in the water transportation industry, Michael contacted his brother Patrick, CEO of Sea Shuttle Systems. The rest is history.

Next Week (June 21, 2018) Club Celebration at Don & Linda Fuller’s Home

A Club Celebration of the past year's successes and President Anne's term will be held at Don and Linda Fuller's home in Shingle Springs, 5:30-7:30 pm.

Last Week ( June 7):
Mike Dugan, Internet Scam

Mike pointed out that nearly all of us are exposed to the internet (social media, email, websites, etc) and pointed out that meant we are exposed to internet scams. You’ve undoubtedly heard of the Nigerian prince who has millions of dollars in US banks and will split it with you if you’ll just go get it after you first send him a few thousand dollars. Versions of that are still going around, the key phase is something like “I give you a bunch of money if first you’ll give me some of yours”.

Mike was a victim of something he called a “legal scam”, rather than being strictly an internet scam, but which couldn’t have a happened without the internet. His company has had a website for many years and has posted lots of pictures, mostly of dogs and their owners. He also posted one of the Wounded Warrior pictures which he got from some internet site. He was contacted by a law firm that informed him that he didn’t have a license that that picture but could buy a license for $1500.

Leo Pacheco Receives Blue Badge

Sponsor Dave Crofut and President Anne Eckert together with Membership Chair Mike Dugan congratulate Leo Pacheco on receiving his Blue Badge. Leo is one of an expected 20 new members this year. Leo is a loan officer at Land Home Financial Services.

Sean Cox Receives Red Badge
Badge

Membership Chair Mike Dugan congratulates Sean Cox on receiving his Red Badge as a new inductee, one of an expected 20 new members this year. Steve Long, Sean's sponsor, approves. Sean is minister at Faith Episcopal Church in Cameron Park.

Last Week (June 2 , 2018) Wine at Town Center

Hordes of people, barrels of wine, overflowing food and much music; that was the 23rd Annual Rotary

Wine at Town Center in El Dorado Hills on Sunday, June 2.

Where's ART?

Too many Cameron Park Rotary members to mention attended to partake of the festivities. But first, they had to set up tables, schlep musical instruments for the band, get organized to register guests, check IDs and issue wrist bands. After 10 hours, for some, everything had to be taken down and packed away for next time. Cameron Park Chair for the event was Dick Franks. Well done, everyone!

This Meeting (June 7), Mike Dugan, "The Latest Internet Scam"

Cameron Park Rotary’s Mike Dugan has a word or two of warning for fellow Rotarians at this week’s luncheon meeting. The meeting will be held at the Cameron Park Community Center.

“If you are on the Internet, use social networking, have a web page or a Facebook page, there's now a new "scam" that can cost you money no matter how careful you think you have been.

“I thought I was experienced and savvy enough to not worry about these things; I was wrong and it cost me $1,200! There have been many changes on the Internet; it's a good time to be prepared.”

The issues revolve around claims of copyright violation, mainly of images posted to sites by unsuspecting web users. Persons or entities purporting to own the copyrights demand immediate payment to avoid expensive, irksome lawsuits.

Mike will cover some of the things you can look for, and steps you might take to protect yourself.

Last Week's Goal Setting Discussions

Past President Bill Hughes and President Anne Eckert introduced the strategic planning exercise that he and President-Elect Tiffany Triveri designed for the members attending the meeting. Each table was given a topic on a Focus Sheet which included a set of questions and ideas to tickle our imaginations. The topics on the Focus Sheets were: Club Membership, International Projects, Vocational, Club Service, Youth Service and Public Image. After the 20 minutes of discussion at each table, a spokesperson for each table presented the ideas generated which were also recorded on the focus sheets. Although the sheets were collected by Bill, some of the brainstorming ideas were:

Club Membership: Back to some Rotary history: Go after managers or owners of businesses;
Talk to prospects about service clubs and Rotary International (the elevator speech) as part of inviting him/her to a meeting; Continue to aim for more diversity of membership; and maintain a schedule of community events / meetings that the Ambassadors should attend.
International Projects: Should we take on a project this year, or use the year to research what to do for future years?
Attend 1-2 project fairs; Develop a long-term relationship with a foreign city/region to serve as the basis for multiple projects; Identify 1-2 members with a real inclination and ability to take on or lead international projects.
Vocational: Ideas a) high school career day participation, b) Creating a club roster with each member’s current or former vocation, and c) reviving the Salvation Army “ring the bell” project that Bill Gallant used to be involved with.
Youth Service: This group decided to postpone their report until next week
Public Image: Continue our ambassador program; Be sure to maintain the quality of our previous local projects such as the Shingle Springs soccer field and sign, the observatory and amphitheatre, Rasmussen Park, etc.; Be sure to have a big, public celebration in 2019 of the 50^th anniversary of the Cameron Park Rotary Club.
Club Service: Try to bump up attendance at the meetings, perhaps with a weekly message from the President, having some weekly meetings at members homes with the meal as a potluck; Hosting a cub scout pack (Vickie will research more about what that entails); Restart an Interact club hosted by CPR.

Next Week (May 10, 2018) - Goal Planning for 2018--19

Tiffany Triveri and Bill Hughes will lead a goal planning session for Cameron Park Rotary's 2018--19 Calendar Year. Be a part of the programs and projects for our next year.

Ken Bryant Gets His Blue Badge

President Anne Eckert and Mike Dugan congratulated Ken Bryant (center) on earning his Blue Badge. Ken had really hit the ground running, being involved in Wine at Town Cener, doing the Gear Up, and being a Rotary Ambassador.

Last Week -- Penne Usher, Editor of the Mountain Democrat

Penne Usher is the Editor for the Mountain Democrat newspaper. Penne joined the Democrat last year and hit the ground running. Her focus is community journalism. She enjoys telling stories that focus on the community.

Penne's rich background in journalism includes the Albuquerque Journal and several community newspapers. She graduated from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Journalism with a minor in Criminal Justice. Her focus is "bringing more people, more photos, more personality profiles, more focus on the community and shorter stories."

Besides the Mountain Democrat, the company publishes the Georgetown Gazette and many magazines targeted for specific audiences. The Mountain Democrat is designed to print local news and to reflect the local community and its views. Besides the news, it features local interest articles such as one about a man who races “jalopies” and another who manufactures bows and arrows.

The Mountain Democrat is published Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, with breaking news available on the website. It has about 9000 weekly subscribers, a number that has been about the same for years. About 60% of its print subscribers are 55 and older, while about 60% of its on-line readers are younger than 55.

Penne reads all the letters that people to write to the editor and selects the ones to be printed in the paper. She urged us to keep the letters short, as long ones won’t get published.

Rotarians featured in Wine At Town Center Video!

20180602 WTC EVENT _CHANNEL 2 from Laurie Edwards on Vimeo.

Be sure to click on the title of this story to watch a video advertising our Wine at Town Center fund raiser. It was produced by Laurie Edwards, and it features Rotarians from Cameron Park and El Dorado Hills.

Next Week (May 3, 2018)-- Penne Usher
Editor for the Mountain Democrat

Last week - Community Showcase and Luau

Last week's meeting was a joint Chamber Mixer and Showcase Luau proudly hosted by the Cameron Park CSD, Rotary Club of Cameron Park, the Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce, Channel 2 Sierra Access Television and the Cameron Park Community Foundation. This fun evening event featured a community job fair, numerous non-profits and businesses, music, food and beverages, raffle prizes, a cash drawing and performances by the Valley Ukelele Society and CSD Hula Classes. The Cub Scouts brought their pinewood derby track. Cameron Park Thunder, designed and built by Chuck LePere, raced for the first time (by Mark Scott) alongside Past President's Vickie Christensen's derby car. Based on the race results, it is anticipated both will be faster than lighting for the District Conference competition. At the event, Janelle Horne became the newest Cameron Park Rotary Club member to claim her Blue Badge for completing all requisite orientation activities. Janelle quickly became involved in committee work, in addition to serving at the front desk, being a greeter and providing Words of Wisdom. She gave a rousing speech about Rotary!

Last Meeting-- Community Showcase

Last week's meeting was a joint Chamber Mixer and Showcase Luau proudly hosted by the Cameron Park CSD, Rotary Club of Cameron Park, the Shingle Springs/Cameron Park Chamber of Commerce, Channel 2 Sierra Access Television and the Cameron Park Community Foundation. This fun evening event featured a community job fair, numerous non-profits and businesses, music, food and beverages, raffle prizes, a cash drawing and performances by the Valley Ukelele Society and CSD Hula Classes. The Cub Scouts brought their pinewood derby track. Cameron Park Thunder, designed and built by Chuck LePere raced for the first time (by Mark Scott) alongside Past President's Vickie Christensen's derby car. Based on the race results, it is anticipated both will be faster than lighting for the District Conference competition. At the event, Janelle Horne became the newest Cameron Park Rotary Club member to claim her Blue Badge for completing all requisite orientation activities. Janelle quickly became involved in committee work, in addition to serving at the front desk, being a greeter and providing Words of Wisdom. She gave a rousing speech about Rotary!

Blue Badge for Tom Elken

Tom Elken received his Blue Badge after 5 months of completing all the activity requirements. He was congratulated by Mike Dugan, running the meeting as a stand in for President Anne, and Tom's sponsor, Jim Webb.

April 5, 2018: Music Contest

Pictured above are Team Coach Santiago Sabado, Vincent, Andrew (accompanist for Russell), Jacob M, Jacob L, Russell, and Kyla (accompanist for Jacob M).

The Youth Instrumental Music Contest is one of our favorite meetings each year where high school students demonstrate their talent and love for music. All the contestants did very well. First prize of $250 went to Vincent, second prize of $150 went to Russell, and Runner up prizes of $100 went to Jacob M and Jacob L.

Vincent and Lindsay, who won our speech contest on March 19th, will compete in the Area 6 music and speech contest which will be held at the Episcopal Church in Placerville on April 22nd.

Rotarians at Work

On Tuesday, March 27th while the rest of the club was transporting bicycles, Jim Buckley put out a plea to the general membership to help paint the new railing and gunite seats in the Sky Theater. The Rotary Club of Cameron Park got the job done with assistance from several docents and members Dave Sargent, Jim Buckley, Art Cort, Ulla Peterson, Dick Franks, and Bill Gallant. Pictured are our "Rotarians at Work" in the newly painted Sky Theater, and "Beagle Bob" Edwards (a driving force in the development of the entire Observatory project) in front of the completed Solar Dome.

Next Meeting -- Speech Contest
March 15, 2018

The program will be our annual Ponderosa High School speech contest. This year's topic is "Rotary is making a Difference. What about Me?". Speeches are to be 5 to 7 minutes in length and are judged on content, delivery and language (grammar, pronunciation, appropriateness).

Every year we get some excellent speeches.

Area 6 Foundation Dinner
March 8, 2018

The Area 6 Rotary Clubs ( Pollock Pines-Camino, Placerville, Cameron Park and Georgetown Divide) Foundaton Dinner was held at the Apple Mountain Golf Resort in Camino.

Internationally recognized educator Mutiu Fagbayi, of Lagos, Nigeria, was the guest speaker. Fagbayi is the President and CEO of the Oakland-based Performance Fact, Inc., which concentrates on education research and development of strategic planning for school improvement. He has founded agencies in Nigeria and the United States in support of education and clean water. His presentation included his observations of Foundation efforts in Nigeria and ways to use communications technology to increase the way we work with clubs in other countries.

The Sierra Ridge Middle School Music Department provided entertainment for the event.

District Governor Doug McDonald talked about the connectedness, accomplishments, and growing involvement of Rotary International.

Click "Read more ..." to see more pictures from the event.

Next Meeting--(March 8, 2018) Area 6 Foundation Dinner

Internationally recognized educator Mutiu Fagbayi, of Lagos, Nigeria, will be the guest speaker March 8 at the Area 6 Foundation Dinner at Apple Mountain Golf Resort, in Camino. [ Note: There will be no luncheon meeting this Thursday].

Fagbayi is the President and CEO of the Oakland-based Performance Fact, Inc., which concentrates on education research and development of strategic planning for school improvement. He has founded agencies in Nigeria and the United States in support of education and clean water. His presentation will include his observations of Foundation efforts in Nigeria.

The Sierra Ridge Middle School Music Department will provide entertainment for the event.

Rotary Clubs in Area 6 are Cameron Park, Georgetown Divide, Placerville and Pollock Pines-Camino.

Roaring 20's Monte Carlo Night

First of all, kudos to PE Tiffany Triveri and crew for their efforts in organizing and spearheading the Roaring 20’s Monte Carlo night to raise funds for our academic and vocational scholarships! Mike Dugan and Bill Hughes also did a wonderful job with the Rotary information booth that not only listed but showed the locations of our service projects on a map. Everyone seemed to have a good time, and the raffle prizes were great. Hopefully, we can make this an annual fun-raiser that grows each year.

Please click on "Read more" for a 3 minute music slideshow video of the fun night produced by Laurie Edwards.

Last Meeting
Laurie Edwards, My Amazon Adventure

Club member Laurie Edwards went on an exciting Amazon adventure in the Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve in northeastern Ecuador near the Colombia border approximately 3 years ago. The remote eco-lodge where she stayed is accessible only by canoe. Laurie shared with us photos of the diversified flora and fauna in the rainforest, including a 10' anaconda snake, a 3-toed sloth, a poison dart frog, and 9' long caimans. She said canoeing on the waterways was much more fun and exciting than the jungle cruise at Disneyland. The difficult hikes in the jungle often resulted in Laurie and her group getting stuck in deep mud that resembled quicksand. They also visited a small Indian community and the head shaman of the region.

Last Meeting
Local Projects

Past President Joe Ryan spoke about our on-going local projects:

The bicycle program: Each month about 50-60 old bicycles are collected by El Dorado Disposal, taken to the prison by club members, refurbished by a dedicated inmate, and then distributed by Cameron Park Rotarians and Moose to children and the homeless. The program has been ongoing since the late 1980’s and has distributed many thousands of bicycles.

The Community Observatory: The observatory, which has two (a 17” and a 14”) reflecting telescopes plus the outdoor Arthur Cort Sky Theater, was donated by Cameron Park Rotary and opened in 2006.
Our club remains involved in the project. We built a small building to house a remote Solar Imaging telescope. It was completed 2017 and is awaiting installation of the telescope by the observatory docents. In 2018 we will expand the seating of the Sky Theater and install additional safety railings.

Every year

Cameron Park Rotary awards six or seven $2,000 academic scholarships to graduating Ponderosa High School students.
The Cameron Park Rotary Community Foundation awards vocational grants for the Darol Rasmussen Endowment Fund.
We distribute dictionaries to 3^rd graders in our county.

Last Meeting
International Projects

Past District Governor Roger Hassler began by reminding us of the many local projects the club has done and then telling us why he is so passionate about international projects. Like many of us who have traveled in developing countries, he has seen the effects of poverty and undue government control on the people who live there.

Roger reminded us that Bill Gates has stated numerous times that assisting people to have better lives has made this world a better place and a safer place to live. Our world has less dictators than ever before, we have less conflicts than ever before; yes we do see too many conflicts with groups like ISIS, the Taliban, and Boko Haram but their influence is becoming smaller, again because of help from organizations like Rotary. Remember that world peace is one of Rotary's major goals.

Our club has done some outstanding work in support that goal around the world. The medical boat and water projects in the Philippines and the building of shelters fro indigenous people in Costa Rica are prime examples of what our club has done with the support of matching grants from the Rotary Foundation.

When we donate to the Rotary Foundation we are making progress to remove the need to send our sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters overseas to combat those who would enslave others.

Roger told us why he is so passionate about water projects and sanitation projects. When DK Lee was the Rotary International President we learned that 25,000 kids under the age of 5 die each day because of waterborne disease and dehydration. We know that in certain areas girls cannot go to school because it is their job to fetch the water that the family needs, some times traveling up to five miles twice a day with the burden of heavy containers of water. We also know that young girls will miss days at school because they do not have the proper sanitation and privacy to tend to their monthly cycle. Finally, we all have heard, even been warned, that our need for water will eventually lead to more conflict than the world has ever known. That is why Roger believes that the more we can do to solve these problems, the more we are doing to obtain the goal of world peace.

Now about the plans for this Rotary year: We had planned to start a project earlier by supporting the Rotary Club in Jaco, Costa Rica, with a Zika prevention program providing mosquito nets to prevent this infestation. Just as we were getting ready to submit the grant the Costa Rican government took over the project, ending that as a club project.

So now Roger is working with the president of the same club on a potential project to build restroom blocks near the beach to improve tourism and sanitation in this area. Of course, this is a community development project, which has a water and sanitation element.

One of the best things about international efforts is the opportunity for our club members to visit these sites and be involved with the project. He is working with the Jaco club to perhaps establish a Rotary Exchange where some of our club members would travel to and be hosted by the Jaco club and then we would return the favor by hosting their club members when we return home.

Last Meeting
On-going Local Projects

Past President Joe Ryan spoke about our on-going local projects:

The bicycle program: Each month about 50-60 old bicycles collected by El Dorado Disposal, taken to the prison by club members, refurbished by a dedicated inmate, taken to be distributed by Cameron Park Rotarians and Moose Lodge members to children and the homeless. The program has been ongoing since the late 1980’s and has distributed many thousands of bicycles.
The Community Observatory: The observatory which has two (a 17” and a 14”) reflecting telescopes plus the outdoor Arthur Cort Sky Theater, was donated by Cameron Park Rotary and opened in 2006.
Our club remains involved in the project. We built a small building to house a remote Solar Imaging telescope. It was completed 2017 and is awaiting installation of the telescope by the observatory docents. In 2018 we will expand the seating of the Sky Theater and install additional safety railings.

Every year

Cameron Park Rotary awards six or seven $2,000 academic scholarships to graduating Ponderosa High School students
The Cameron Park Rotary Community Foundation awards vocational grants for the Darol Rasmussen Endowment Fund.
We distribute dictionaries to 3^rd graders in our county.

Next Meeting
Annie Winters, Progress House

Progress House, Inc. was established in 1973 as a place where a variety of addictions can be identified and treated. They respond to the increasing numbers of residents who have addiction issues that are interfering with their quality of life and ability to contend with the issues facing them in their daily encounters.

Annie Winter, Human Resources Coordinator for Progress House, faces those increasing numbers on a daily basis. She has the responsibility for maintaining 24 hour/7day per week staffing for six-in- house facilities in El Dorado County with a total count of 80 beds. She is truly the face of Progress House whose mission "is to provide quality comprehensive services for persons and communities whose lives have been affected by addiction. We accomplish this by providing a complete continuum of comprehensive, evidence based services including detoxification, residential, outpatient treatment and transitional living."

Annie will be sharing the frightening varieties of addiction in our El Dorado County communities, as well as the epidemic of addiction that is facing the nation.

Last Meeting
Brian James, El Dorado Transit

Brian James, Planning and Marketing Manager for El Dorado Transit, provided an overview and insight to the operations, current and new routes, and plans for the future. Brian has been with EDT for two years arriving from a business and marketing background. He had a great start, having graduated locally from Oakridge High School.

El Dorado Transit began service in 1975 primarily serving seniors and persons with disabilities in the Placerville area. Public transit was added in 1980 with commuter routes being added in 1988. This county service began with six-busses growing to the sixty-vehicles today and serving over 400,000 rides annually employing 80 workers ranging from front-office staff and administration to drivers and maintenance crews.

Last Meeting
Brian James - El Dorado Transit

EDT's Demand Service includes Dial-a-Ride, Sac-Med (providing non-emergency medical transportation to Sacramento), ADA Complimentary Service, Adult-Day-Care and MORE (service to persons with disabilities working with the MORE training agency). Service also includes Local Fixed Routes (such as Cameron Park/El Dorado Hills: Route 40/70), Commuter Routes to Light Rail and Sacramento and transfer to Folsom Stage Lines, Sacramento Regional Transit and AMTRAK.

Next Meeting
Brian James - El Dorado Transit

Since 1998, Brian has had increasing management responsibilities, specializing in improving operational efficiency, employee productivity and sales revenue. Industry experience includes transit, construction, manufacturing and medical fields. He participated in regional and global operational efforts, including opening and organizing offices in Asia Pacific. Specific experience includes making direct hiring decisions, collaborating directly with factories and manufacturing representatives for product development, and expanding marketing operations for various companies.

Last Meeting
Gary Campbell -- Channel 2

Last week's guest speaker, Gary Campbell, is Board Vice President and Director of Programming and Development with Sierra Community Access Television: Comcast Channel 2. This public access channel provides a wide variety of programs chronicling community events in El Dorado County. Gary and his team of videographers share video coverage of events such as Show n' Shine, the El Dorado County World Wide Gold Panning, Coloma Days, the Annual Downtown Placerville Christmas Parade, the Annual Cameron Park Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and our own CP Rotary Community Resources Showcase Event. He regularly features our Club events, as well as short segments highlighting our Club.

Gary shared the beginnings of Channel 2 as a Public Access channel and how that differs from Public Broadcast channels, how programming is developed and its public access through cable (58,000 subscribers in El Dorado County), U-Tube, e-mail and subscription. Sierra Community Access Television is a true communications resource for El Dorado County.

Next Meeting January 11, 2018 - Gary Campbell

This week's guest speaker, Gary Campbell, is Board Vice President and Director of Programming and Development with Sierra Community Access Television: Comcast Channel 2. This public access channel provides a wide variety of programs chronicling community events in El Dorado County. Gary and his team of videographers share video coverage of events such as Show n' Shine, the El Dorado County World Wide Gold Panning, Coloma Days , the Annual Downtown Placerville Christmas Parade, the Annual Cameron Park Community Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony and our own CP Rotary Community Resources Showcase Event. He regularly features our Club events, as well as short segments highlighting our Club.

Gary will share the beginnings of Channel 2, how it differs from standard television, how programming is developed and its public access through cable (58,000 subscribers in El Dorado County), U-Tube, e-mail and subscription. Sierra Community Access Television is a true communications resource for El Dorado County.

Announcements

President Anne Schultz Eckert and PE Tiffany Triveri Reminded members that Roaring 20’s fund raiser is planned for February 23, 2018. Tickets will be $30 for individuals and $50 per couple to include dinner and gaming. A committee meeting was held immediately after last week’s Club meeting.

President Anne announced that a Club assembly is scheduled for February 1, 2018.

Steve Long Reports that Jim Bowen, former Cameron Park Rotarian Former member, passed away peacefully on December 29. 2017. Jim was 95 years old.

Next Meeting (January 4)
Diane Wilkinson Catering

We have a very special program for our first meeting of 2018. Diane Wilkinson, our caterer for special events and luncheons outside of the Country Club, is a food lover and expert. She has been catering for over 14 years and serves a diversity of clientele. If Diane is not in her kitchen working on a new recipe, she is out in her 1/4 acre, all-organic garden planting and picking for dishes. She resides in her lovely foothill Placerville home.

Diane has taken off with expert advice and training from food professionals Jacques Pépin and Paula Wolfert. Additionally, she has taken wine studies with Darrell Corti, Hall of Fame vintner, and David Berkley who started David Berkley’s Fine Foods. Since her formal training, she has expanded and grown, especially as an early proponent for green catering. A self- proclaimed locavore, Diane despises waste and loves local and organic!

Diane has been a supporter of our Rotary Club. Most recently, she prepared a delicious meal for the luncheon honoring Rotarian Mike Collom who passed away, and also contributed $1,000 to the CP Rotary Community Foundation designated to the Rasmussen Fund.

Last Meeting - Remembering Mike Collom

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Last Meeting
Christmas Party and Auction

Please click on this link to view a music slide show of our party: https://vimeo.com/246920841

We are indebted to Christmas Dinner and Auction committee chair Dave Sargent and members President Anne, PE Tiffany Triveri, Mike Dugan, Ulla Petersen, Gundi Hielscher, Sandra LeBaugh, Ben Young, Roger Hassler, Chuck LePere, Jim Webb, and Vickie Christensen-McClain for their hard work in making this year's party fun and successful. Mike Dugan did an outstanding job as emcee and auctioneer, as well as PE Tiffany who was our fun Vanna White during the auction. Consensus of those in attendance is that it was a wonderful evening. We are very appreciative of our Rotarians and guests for the fellowship and contributions. Preliminary reports indicate we raised approximately $11,000, which will allow us to continue our good works.

Last Meeting

Cassandra Berry and Helen Justice- Medicare 2018

Cassandra provided very important information about Medicare benefits and new chip cards that will replace the previous Medicare cards listing social security numbers. It is anticipated there will be new billing issues due to changes required for physician coding starting in January. It is very important for recipients not to give their identity information over the phone to scammers pretending to be from Medicare. It is also vital for recipients to review their plans annually as benefits change. Helen talked about her endless efforts to educate and assist seniors, veterans, widows and their families with benefits. Many are unaware of eligible benefits.

Christmas Party and Auction

Dave Sargent, Chair of Christmas Party and Auction

Dave Sargent and his committee have worked very hard to make this year's party a fun social and successful fund raiser for our club. Ulla Petersen and Sandra LeBaugh have done an outstanding job collecting items and organizing our entire silent auction. Mike Dugan will be an extraordinary emcee and auctioneer, and we are looking forward to an exciting performance by the Ponderosa High School Jazz Ensemble! Thank you Dave and your committee for your hard work, and club members for obtaining donations or providing items for our auction. With an expected 104 persons in attendance, this will be one of best dinners ever! The annual Christmas Party and Auction is our club's 2nd largest fund raiser.

Future Meetings

Date	Presenter	Subject	Contact Info	Location
11/23/2017	Thanksgiving: Club Dark	------------------------------------------------------	----------------------------------	-----------
11/30/2017	Cassandra Barry	MediCare 2018	Tiffany Triveri	CPCC

12/02/2017	CPCSD Christmas Tree Dedication/Lighting	Rotary/CSD/Chamber Christmas Tree	Bill Hughes	CPCSD
12/05/2017	Rotary Board Meeting		President Anne	Bel Air
12/07/2017	Club Christmas Dinner/Auction	Ponderosa HS Jazz Band	Dave Sargent	CPCC
12/14/2017	Special Luncheon Honoring Rotarian Mike Collum	Ponderosa HS Jazz Band	Bill Hughes	CPCSD
12/21/2017	Family Emergency Preparation	Sheryl Lindroos: Errands & More Senior Concierges, LLC	Vickie/Bill: Video	CPCC
12/28/2017	Christmas: Club Dark	------------------------------------------------------	-----------------------------------	----------

Happy New Year: 2018
01/02/2018	Rotary Board Meeting			BelAir
01/04/2018	Jennifer Marsteen	UCDavis Healthcare System	Anne Eckert Referral	CPCC
01/11/2018	Gary Campbell	Access Channel 2	Bill Hughes	CPCC
01/18/2018		El Dorado Waste Management		CPCC
01/25/2018	Brian Long	El Dorado Transit	Bill Hughes PowerPoint	CPCC
02/01/2018
02/06/2018	Rotary Board Meeting		President Anne	BelAir
02/08/2018	Annie Winter	Progress House	Bill Hughes PowerPoint	CPCC
02/15/2018
02/22/2018
02/23/2018	Casino Night	Fun Raiser	PE Tiffany	CPCSD
03/01/2018

Happy (or Unhappy) Bucks

Roger Hassler – $73 for wife Angie’s birthday.

Steve Long – $13 for wife Judy’s birthday.

Bob Dorr – $50 to the Rotary Foundation for his 2 new knees.

Tom Elken – $20 because Intel’s stock is going up.

Doug Bisbee – $50 because his most recent real estate project in Stockton was profitable.

Laurie Edwards – $10 for her birthday and recent vacation.

Jim Webb – $5 because their granddaughter, Catherine, who attends Boston University will join them for Thanksgiving.

Bob Clarke – $10 for their grand daughter’s birthday.

Meeting Responsibilities

Upcoming Words of Wisdom/Greeter Assignments

November 30, 2017 - Words of Wisdom by Roger Hassler; the Greeter will be Steve Long; and TBA will be at the front desk
December 14, 2017 - Words of Wisdom by Bill Hughes; the Greeter will be Tiffany Triveri; and Mike Dugan will be at the front desk
January 11, 2018 - Words of Wisdom by Chuck Le Pere; the Greeter will be Dave Sargent; and Janelle Horne will be at the front desk
January 18, 2018 - Words of Wisdom by Tom Elken; the Greeter will be Bob Clarke; and Dick Franks will be at the front desk
January 25, 2018 - Words of Wisdom by TBA; the Greeter will be Jim Webb; and TBA will be at the front desk
February 1, 2018 - Words of Wisdom by TBA; the Greeter will be Janelle Horne; and TBA will be at the front desk
February 8, 2018 - Words of Wisdom by TBA; the Greeter will be Tom Elken; and TBA will be at the front desk

Helping people with disabilities make their own music

Music has been an important part of leading an ordinary life for students at the Music School for Children With Disabilities in Honor of Paul Harris in Lublin, Poland. Founded by Rotary members, the school serves 20 students with various disabilities, including Down syndrome, autism, and visual impairments. The Rotary Club of Lublin-Centrum-Maria Curie-Sklodowska has provided funding with help from Rotary Foundation Matching Grants and the Henryk Wieniawski Musical Society, which houses the school.

After their son Mateusz was born with underdeveloped eyes, Mariusz and Joanna Kania looked for ways to help him be active. When he showed an aptitude for music, they looked for a teacher and were thrilled to find the Paul Harris music school.

Finding Safe Haven

For years, Angalia Bianca had slept in abandoned buildings throughout Chicago. She stole. She did drugs. She spent time in and out of jail for forgery, theft, trespassing, and possession of narcotics. But after she landed in prison for the seventh time, something changed -- Bianca knew she wanted a better life. She just didn’t know how to make it happen.

After serving her time, Bianca sought help from a local homeless organization, A Safe Haven, and moved to its shelter in the Rogers Park neighborhood. Bianca followed the program closely -- she attended all the required meetings, passed drug tests, and volunteered at every opportunity.

Saving lives in Ghana

What is it like taking a large team to Africa? It has probably been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. In mid February, I began leading Rotary members from all over the East Coast of the United States through Ghana. I’ve tried to give the team a warm Ghanaian welcome like I’ve received on my earlier trips. A large trip is a real blessing because each person sees Ghana and our work in a different way.

A highlight for the team was greeting the chief of Sagadugu. The team got excited about buying goats and food for children in the villages where I support eight churches. It was good to see the pastors of most of the eight churches, and I had to explain that we were just passing through on our way to Bolgatanga.

India celebrates three years without polio

Throughout India and around the world, Rotary clubs are celebrating a major milestone: India has gone three years without a new case of polio. The last reported case was a two-year-old girl in West Bengal on 13 January 2011. To mark this historic triumph, Rotary clubs illuminated landmarks and iconic structures throughout the country with four simple but powerful words, "India is polio free."

The three-year achievement sets the stage for polio-free certification of the entire Southeast Asia region by the World Health Organization. The Indian government also plans to convene a polio summit in February to commemorate this victory in the global effort to eradicate polio.

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