Welcome to the Saratoga Rotary 2025-26 year. It’s my honor to have been chosen as your President this year and I will do my best to make this an exciting and successful one. A huge thanks goes out to Chuck and all the previous Presidents who have made our club the vigorous and successful club that it is today. I’m also very appreciative of my new board members and am looking forward to working with them this year.
As many of you heard, we had some last-minute changes at Rotary International with Francesco Arezzo, a member of the Rotary Club of Ragusa, Italy being recently chosen as President due to the unexpected resignation of RI President-elect Mário César Martins de Camargo on 8 June. Our theme for the year, though, will remain Unite for Good, which calls on Rotary members to be a force for unity in a world increasingly divided by politics, geography, and ideology. Through service projects, Rotary brings together people of every background — across races, religions, and professions — in a shared mission to do good in their communities, which is something that our club has excelled at and I’m looking forward to continuing this year.
Our first meeting will be at the Community Center on July 11, and I look forward to seeing you there. We have scheduled Brian Copeland as our speaker that day, he is an award-winning actor, comedian, author, playwright, television and radio talk show host based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He will share stories of some of the celebrities he has met, as well as his time working for KTVU and on several other local and national networks. This is just the beginning as we work to further improve our lunches.
Spicing up our lunches is just one part of my effort to bring more energy into the club. I also want to raise our visibility in the community, through being at more community events and doing more service projects. This includes working with West Valley College to start a Rotaract club this year. I’ve also met with several other newly installed Presidents that are interested in doing joint projects with us. Most importantly, both the city of Saratoga and our club are celebrating our 70th anniversary this year, so we have started discussions on how to recognize these achievements (let me know if you have ideas and/or want to help).
Lastly, I just want to remind everyone to fill out the survey we sent about your thoughts on our club. You can access it here, bit.ly/4kllu6t, or with the QR code below. There is so much that we can do to make this an even better club, but we need to know what you want to see to ensure we continue to meet your needs. Or you can reach out to me directly and let me know your thoughts.
On June 12th at 6 pm Maria Guldner organized a 100th Birthday celebration for Marilyn White at "The Villas of Saratoga". Few Rotarians along with the White family joined the celebrations. White family appreciated this sweet gesture from Saratoga Rotarians.
Dear Rotarians,
On behalf of the family of Marilyn White, please accept this donation of $500 to SRCF. Your participation in her 100th Birthday party was so appreciated. Seeing photos of so many of you holding onto her hands brought tears to our eyes. The speeches and memories shared were so special. A special thanks to Maria Guldner for organizing it.
You are a tremendous asset to Saratoga and have been for almost 70 years. Looking at your current web site, it is truly amazing at the number of projects you are involved in. Your impact locally and around the world is fantastic.
Former Saratoga Rotary President Wally Currey passes at 102.
Long-time Saratoga Rotarians were saddened to hear of the March 8 passing of former President Wally Currey at the age of 102 in El Dorado Hills.
Raised on a farm in Appleton, MN, Wally received his BS degree from The University of Maryland before choosing a 24-year career in the military, serving in Korea and The Pacific.
The biggest thing that’s ever happened to North America – and almost no one knows about it.
I’m going to guess that you’ve never heard of the Manson Crater, near the small town of Manson in Northwest Iowa. Don’t feel bad. Not even many Iowans have. But it’s the site of the biggest thing that ever happened on the North American continent – ever! Some time in the very ancient past, a meteor about a mile and a half across slammed into the earth at three times the speed of sound. The resulting devastation is difficult to imagine, but it would have affected the entire planet. The impact left a hole three miles deep and 20 miles across. It would have dwarfed the Grand Canyon.
It is time for our annual Back-to-School backpack drive for Family Giving Tree.
The gift of a supply-filled backpack assures that children from families struggling financially in our community begin school with the tools necessary to engage in their learning, do their homework, and succeed. Please visit the Family Giving Tree website to learn more about their work- Home.
This year we are having a virtual drive. Family Giving Tree buys in bulk, so our dollars go twice as far. There are many options from single complete backpacks to proving backpacks to a whole classroom and anywhere in between! Please click here to donate: backpacksmiles.org/saratogarotary.
The Saratoga Rotary Book Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month from 7:00pm - 8:00pm at Verna Wong's house. All club members and their significant others are welcome. If you are interested in attending a book club meeting, be sure to let Verna know at vrnwng2@gmail.com by the Monday before the Wednesday evening meeting.
Our next book club meeting will be on Wednesday, July 2. We will be discussing The Island of Sea Women, by Lisa See. Bella Mahoney will be facilitating the discussion.
On June 12th at 6 pm Maria Guldner organized a 100th Birthday celebration for Marilyn White at "The Villas of Saratoga". Few Rotarians along with the White family joined the celebrations. White family appreciated this sweet gesture from Saratoga Rotarians.
It is time for our annual Back-to-School backpack drive for Family Giving Tree.
