2023                                       Calendar for Durham Rotary
A u g u s t			1	2	3	4	5
	6	7	8 Meeting Air Spray Onsite Visit (Ravi Saip)	9	10	11	12
	13	14	15 No Meeting	16	17	18	19
	20	21	22 Meeting Tipsy Tuesday Social Hours at The Selland's (Diana Selland)	23	24	25	26
	27	28	29 Meeting Clair Roberts 5160 DG Visit Location TBA (Glenn Pulliam)	30	31
S e p t e m b e r						1	2
	3	4	5 No Meeting	6	7	8	9
	10	11	12 DHF Planning at the Durham Community Park (Glenn Pulliam)	13	14	15	16 DHF Setup at the Durham Community Park (Glenn Pulliam)
	17 Harvest Festival at Durham Community Park	18	19 No Meeting	20	21	22	23
	24	25	26 Meeting TBD (Steve Heithecker)	27	28	29	20

 

The Meeting Opening   The meeting was called to order by President Elect Peggi Koehler at the Air Spray located at the Chico, Municipal Airport.  It is President Glenn’s wedding anniversary so he thought he should do something with his wife.  That was probably a good idea.   She asked Daryle Polk, to lead the pledge, which he did.  Jim Patterson was late to the meeting so Ravi Saip presented the invocation.  Following that Larry Bradley to lead us in singing “America”.

FUTURE MEETINGS: Meetings will be at the location noted, at 6:00 pm.

August 22nd will be a Tipsy Tuesday.  Located at the home of Diana Selland.   August 29th:  District Governor visit, at BCCC   September 12th:  Harvest Festival Planning at Durham Park.   September 17th:  Harvest Festival at the Durham Park.   September 26th:  Steve Heithecker at BCCC   October 10th.  Eric Hoiland will present the program at  ????

 

 

Announcements

 

Regarding the Harvest Festival, Phil Price announced that he has inventoried the storage shed and determined what he needs to buy for the Festival.  So, please do not take any paper plates, plastic silverware, table clothes or anything else from the storage shed, that is used for the Harvest Festival, between last week and the Festival.  If you do, tell him so he can replace it.

 

The Sheriff’s Department is trying to collect money to rehabilitate the Captain Bob so it can be used for the Harvest Festival and other events next year.  We have contributed $5,000 toward that rehabilitation.

 

The sponsor letters are out.

 

Past car show participants are being sent cards with QR codes that they can use to get on our web site to fill out registration forms.  Speaking of our web page, this is what is on it:

Sunday, September 17, 2023
In the beautiful tree-covered grassy Durham Community Park, Durham-Dayton Highway

Car Show & Shine    Arts and Craft Fair
and
 Pancake  Breakfast,   BBQ,   Live Music,  Antique Farm Equipment Show,    Lots of Kids Activities

     Members of the Durham Rotary Club are very excited that the 2023 Durham Harvest Festival will be bigger and better than ever. Funds raised from the event go back into the Durham Community for scholarships and local projects.  

     We anticipate that Festival highlights will be similar to last year.  From 7 to 11 a.m. the popular pancake breakfast will be  cooked and served by Rotary members. Then at 11 a.m. lunch starts with hot dogs, tri tip sandwich, and beverages.

     At 9 a.m. the Arts and Crafts Fair will begin, with artisans selling their wares until 4 p.m.  We expect around 40 participants this year with many talented artisans returning year after year.  Arts and Craft Fair application.

     The unique Car Show & Shine is a feast for the eyes with its display of antique cars, trucks, custom cars and muscle cars.  Because of space limitations, the car show will be limited to 200 cars.  There will be no pre-registration.  A $20 entrance fee will be collected onsite.  The car show begins at 9 a.m.  For participants, the tree covered park is great for for settling in with your friends in a group setting. The Festival is a great family event with activities for all ages.

     The restored tractors and engines are a very popular part of the day’s events.  As in the past, the engines will be restored and operating.  

     Other feature this year will include MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT by Chico Community Concert Band.

     Durham Rotary invites any Durham Organizations who would like to participate in the festival to contact them.  If you have a possible activity to raise funds for your group, Rotary would like to hear from you to discuss how you can participate.  Contact Larry Bradley at (530) 864-0795 or email lbsalmonds@gmail.com. 

Introduction of Visitors.

 

There were no visitors (Sharon Robertson is not really a visitor any more).

Recognitions

 

K. R. Robertson was recognized (but not monetarily) for his birthday.  He was presented with a birthday cake and a flower arrangement.  He is our oldest member, being somewhere in his mid-upper nineties

Next Meeting

.

Membership

Bring guests who you think you can interest in becoming a member.  Think of business owners or managers to bring.  Your dinner and your guest’s dinner will be paid for by the Club.  Also, bring a guest to one of our occasional social gatherings

Go to the following Rotary International web site for information on membership development:  https://my.rotary.org/en/learning-reference/learn-topic/membership .  From this website there is access to membership development and other related information.

Tonight’s Meeting Program

 

Tonight’s program was Ravi Saip talking about the history of Air Spray.  Basically, he and some other former employees of Areo Union, which had collapsed, tried to interest other companies in joining with them to develop the fire fighting planes they had ideas for.  Finally, a Canadian company came to their rescue and Air Spray was born. 

 

He also talked about the retardant tanks they have developed.

 

 

 

 

He spoke about the Fire Boss plane they have developed which scoops water into a tank in the plane, in front of the pilot.  He didn’t have one to show us, because they are all on fires up north.

 

And about a larger retardant plane they are developing.

 

 

 

The Rotary Foundation Donations

You can make a difference in this world by helping people in need. Your gift can do some great things, from supplying filters that clean people’s drinking water to empowering local entrepreneurs to grow through business development training.

The Rotary Foundation will use your gift to fund the life-changing work of Rotary members who provide sustainable solutions to their communities’ most pressing needs. But we need help from people like you who will take action and give the gift of Rotary to make these projects possible.

When every Rotarian gives every year, no challenge is too great for us to make a difference. The minimum gift to The Rotary Foundation is $25.00.   An annual $100.00 gift is a sustaining member.  Once your donations accumulate to $1,000 you become a Paul Harris Fellow.

 

If you have any questions ask Steve Heithecker.

It is possible to learn more about The Rotary Foundation on the Rotary web site. 

Your gift can be made online or by sending Jessica Thorpe a check made out to The Rotary Foundation to Durham Rotary, P.O. Box 383, Durham, California 95958.

Must Be Present to Win Drawing:

 

Bruce Norlie won the Must Be Present To Win drawing.  He was present to win an Air Spray hat.

 

Conclusion

Peggi then closed the meeting, I think.  Actually, the meeting ended in the hanger and sort of faded away.

________________________________________________________________

From District 5160 Governor

TO: ALL District 5160 Rotarians

I know that many of you are eager to help our Maui Rotary family so I am sharing this information from Ted Faigle, the District Governor Elect for District 5000, about how we can support our Maui Rotary family…I know that more information will be forthcoming as we move forward but for those of you who want to respond now, this is the best way to do so.

 

Today has been a tragic day for our families and friends on the Island of Maui. The fires across the island have changed lives forever. Truly devastating. Our sympathy, thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted.

Rotary members are people of action, and we can take immediate action. As we come together to recover and rebuild, we need to support each other. We need to Create Hope for Maui.

Through our Hawai’i Rotary District 5000 Foundation, a relief fund has been established. Foundation President Dave Hamil and Treasurer Sharon Amano will handle all donations.
 

A committee will be organized shortly to find the greatest needs for distribution of monies. A single fund will be the most helpful over time to provide the most significant benefits.

Please consider donating to this special fund using the link or QR code.
https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Claire

Claire Sammon Roberts
Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise
District Governor 2023-2024
Rotary District 5160
clairerotary5160@gmail.com
Cell: 925-788-5240

____________________________________________________________________________________

From Rotary International

 

Called by a cause: Rotary Club of Mental Health & Wellness

By Dinah Eng

Over the years, whenever Maribel Khoury-Shaar’s Rotarian husband suggested she join Rotary, the busy doctor declined. But when she learned that a Rotary club dedicated to mental health and wellness was forming, she jumped on board.

It came at just the right time for the primary care physician. After the pandemic started, most of her patients were anxious and depressed, and she was getting burnt out as a health care provider. “This club reinvigorated my life because I was around like-minded people who wanted to do the right thing,” says Khoury-Shaar, president of the Rotary Club of Mental Health & Wellness in District 5280, which covers parts of Los Angeles County in California. The club meets online and welcomes members to join from anywhere in the world. Its current members include professionals in the mental health field and others who hold the issue close to their hearts.

The club, chartered last May during Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., is one of the first cause-based Rotary clubs to focus on mental health and wellness and was the idea of Guity Javid, the 2021-22 governor of District 5280. It’s one of a growing number of cause-based clubs around the world.

The Rotary Club of Mental Health & Wellness is one of a growing number of cause-based clubs around the world. Its members include (top row, from left): Judith Verduzco and Maribel Khoury-Shaar; and (bottom row, from left): Guity Javid and Marisol Chianello.

Frank Ishman

The year before Javid's term, the district had already chartered one cause-based club, District 5280 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking. Javid identified three other causes that were personal priorities and helped launch these clubs: Mental Health & Wellness, Rotarians for Environmental Action, and Rotarians in Service for Equality (R.I.S.E.), which focuses on LGBTQ+ concerns.

"I was pleasantly surprised at the number of Rotary spouses who might never have joined Rotary, but for these causes," Javid says. "We also attracted younger members. Mental health has been a huge crisis during the pandemic. People were isolated, and many turned to alcohol and drugs to cope." Eliminating the stigma associated with mental health is a priority, she adds.

Mental health and especially the issues of depression, anxiety, and suicide have caught the attention of Rotarians worldwide. In addition to the new club, there is a Rotary Action Group on Mental Health Initiatives as well as a partnership between Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland and the nonprofit Bipolar UK.

While the Mental Health & Wellness club is relatively new, members have launched notable initiatives, including an effort to award $5,000 in scholarships annually to students pursuing graduate-level work on mental health. Members assembled and distributed coping kits containing stuffed animals, supportive cards, and other items to children with burn injuries. And they promoted mental health and wellness among school-age children through the Inspiring Kindness initiative, a collaboration with other clubs, schools, and the Alex Montoya Foundation.

Another priority is serving military veterans, including by helping refurbish an American Legion post in Glendale, California.

Club member Marisol Chianello, an attorney in Glendale, became the point person for that project. She joined the club because she's dealt with mental health issues herself and wanted to create resources for others, she says. Her husband is a Gulf War veteran, and when one of his friends told her about the American Legion post's challenges, she immediately wanted to help.

"Half of the space had to be rented out for income to survive," Chianello says. "The other half was used for storage and was filled with uniforms, medals, and military memorabilia. With support from other district clubs, we cleaned it up and reopened the space." The location now has a space where veterans can seek calm and, eventually, referrals to resources to improve their mental health. Chianello says the American Legion is working with the club to determine how Rotary can help maintain the site.

Club President-elect Judith Verduzco, a therapist in Glendale, was also drawn to join because of the club's focus. Like Khoury-Shaar, Verduzco has a Rotarian husband who encouraged her to become a member.

In addition to building on projects underway, Verduzco says her focus will be on suicide prevention and partnering with organizations that provide mental health services and promote awareness of the issue. "As a clinician, I encourage my clients to call 988 in the event of a crisis," she says, referring to the national Suicide and Crisis Lifeline modeled on the 911 system and launched last year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of suicides in the United States increased 4 percent from 2020 to 2021, after declines in 2019 and 2020. "My vision is to call attention to the magnitude of the problem," Verduzco says.

She is interested in research on community gardening's mental health benefits. She plans to collaborate with other cause-based clubs and cities in Los Angeles County to create what are known as tranquility gardens, to try to provide peace and hope to underserved communities.

"We've done a lot in a short period of time," Verduzco says. "We meet virtually twice a month, but outside of that, I want to create opportunities for fellowship and service. Mental health affects everyone, and this club is a great way to get friends involved so that we can stay connected while doing good."

This story originally appeared in the April 2023 issue of Rotary magazine.