Posted on Oct 27, 2017

Hello Rotarians,

Rotary-July 7-2017-1527.jpg Fellow members of the WGRC (World’s Greatest Rotary Club):

Wow! Nearly five months on the job AND I’M STILL STANDING! Gene Zambetti’s impeachment efforts are going nowhere! The more I look around, the luckier I feel to be associated with the WGRC (World’s Greatest Rotary Club).

What makes us great? Our members! Case in point:

BRUCE HODGINS has scored a coup! He’s arranged for internationally acclaimed artist JUDY COLLINS to give a concert for us on January 19! The proceeds will benefit our charitable work, including completion of a security wall for our favorite orphanage in Mexico. How cool is that??

Our SARATOGA ROTARY CHARITABLE FOUNDATION sent $5,000 to a club in McAllen, Texas, to help with flood recovery efforts. Thank you, GORDON CASE and those great people who serve on the SRCF board!

When not traveling back and forth to India and Nigeria, our own SANGITA SESHADRI staged a CARE and COMFORT event where we packed goodie bags for our troops (and I hope she will forgive me for calling her Shinku!). And she’s planning for a wonderful BREAKFAST with SANTA event at Washington School in December. Her hubby SESH RAMASWAMI is leading the effort to bring much-needed sanitation stations to schools in India and Nigeria.

WES TOY, while planning for a bigger and better ART SHOW is also working to procure computers for a school in Caconde, Brazil. Obrigado, Wes!

And thanks to TERRIE CREAMER for kicking off our annual TRF fundraising drive. I’m happy to report that our entire Board of Directors has pledged so far. It would be great if every Saratoga Rotarian would give, even if it’s the minimum of $25. I’d love it if we could join the “EREY” club (Every Rotarian Every Year).

BOB BOHN’S Fellowship Committee has arranged some fun and exciting events, including a Halloween party at Carol Woodard’s house October 27, and a deluxe holiday dinner at La Rinconada Country Club December 14. (I heard they scored another coup when they were able to book the world’s greatest British Invasion band for the event!)

Isn’t it great to have fun while doing good? Perhaps you know other people who feel the same way. If so, invite them to a meeting and introduce them to big DAN SCHNEIDER, our membership chair. Our club has lost several beloved and valuable members over the last two years, and we’d really like to replace them with new up-and-coming community leaders. So, as Phil Young used to say “Get off your ASK, and ASK someone to a Rotary meeting!”

Who’s the perfect candidate for Saratoga Rotary? People like you!  Smart, compassionate, involved, active, successful, fun-loving, with a desire to give back to the community and the world.

Here’s another reason we’re lucky (in addition to living in the greatest valley in the greatest state in the greatest country in the world):  As organizations go, we’re unique. Sure there are other charitable NGOs. But among them, who has more members, more experience, more international cooperation, and more funds to put to work solving humanitarian problems around the world? And how many of them have TGIFs??

NOEL CROSS, are you working on your jump shot? I hope so, because I am! So are Rick Waltonsmith, Dan Schneider, Chuck Page, Debby Rice, Brad Mouroux, Thomas Machado, Fabrice Rockich, and others I intend to recruit! Because the First Annual Rotary HORSE tournament is happening December 10 at West Valley College to benefit the Saratoga Rotary Charitable Foundation. Soon these participants will ask you to pledge money for every basket they make! Pledge generously! Have confidence that you’re backing the right “HORSE”.

And thanks, Richard Hanke, for your wonderful newsletters. And thanks Maria Guldner for taking more pictures than Ansel Adams every dreamed of! When will your digital camera run out of film?

That’s all for now, you bunch of do-gooders.

 

-Dave