Celebrating His 90th

South Sacramento Rotary joined with Al Franks in celebrating his 90th birthday in October. Pictured above, Al enjoys his birthday surprise as fellow Rotarians wish him the best for his net year. Al is an avid golfer and is happy that his golf score frequently is lower than his age.

Celebrating Another Winner

At a recent meeting, South Sacramento Rotary honored another student from Luther Burbank High School as its Student of the Month. Pictured above are Rotarian Jocelyn Yap (left) and October winner Vyvy Tran.

Celebrating the Rotary Foundation

South Sacramento Rotary focused on the Rotary Foundation at a recent meeting. On the left, Kathy Clemens (right) of the Roseville Club and a member of the District 5180 Foundation Committee recognizes Dave Lambros and Barbara Tracy as new members of the Paul Harris Society. In the center, Dave's wife Jocelyn Yap presents Dave with his Paul Harris + 6 pin. At the right, Jim Simmons presents a check from the club foundation to Gianina Frazee from the Boy Scouts of America.

Rotarians Help "Paint the Town"

The threat of rain didn't keep South Sacramento Rotarians from participating in the annual "Paint the Town." Working with CSUS student volunteers, they began early in the morning, and by the time the rains came, they had prepped the front yard and installed sod, planted a flower garden, removed a broken window, and built most of a fence at a home in the Fruitridge area of South Sacramento. Determined to finish, the fence builders ignored the rain and made sure the fence was complete before packing up for the day. Pictured from left to right in the picture at the left are J. R. Springer, Barbara Tracy, Krysia Falltrick, Barry Hogan, Anne Hasbrook, Jim Tracy, and Michael DiGrazia. Ed and Edie Trujillo joined the group for part of the morning. Also pictured above are Krysia and Michael working on the fence and J.R, who had experience working with glass, removing the window.

DG Inducts New Member

District Governor Bill Short inducted South Sacramento's newest member, Scott Rogalski, into the club at his recent DG visit. Pictured above from left to right are Michael DiGrazia, Membership Chair; Craig Stevenson, Club President; Scott; and District Governor Bill Short. Scott is the Business Banking Officer from Lodi to Sacramento for Farmers and Merchants Bank.

Helping Out at St. John's Shelter

South Sacramento Rotary members helped out at St. John's Shelter on August 23. Volunteers were used in the kitchen and in the clothing area where they sorted clothes and other household items. President Craig climbed up a ladder and worked on top of the cabinetry while the rest of us prayed for his safety! Pictured below in starting at the top right and moving clockwise are Liz Long, Craig Stevenson, Dave Lambros and Jocelyn Yap, and JR Springer. Jim and Barbara Tracy also helped out.

Reaching Out to Others Who Have a Passion for Service

What a fun Saturday evening! Rotarian Nancy Coben opened her home on Greenhaven Lake to club members and others they thought might like to join them. The food was great; the company, enjoyable. Members participated in a short program and shared informally about their own Rotary experiences.

Sharing RYLA Experiences

South Sacramento sent three students to RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camp this summer, and August 1 was their day to visit the club and share their experiences. Pictured from left to right are Gabriel Santos, Phoenix Daniels, and Kamira Johnson. All three were enthusiastic about their experience, talked about personal growth that had taken place during the camp, and shared their plans for the future. Club members were impressed with their openness and their enthusiasm.

Celebrating JR's Year

South Sacramento's annual "Demotion" Dinner was held on Tuesday, June 18 at the Pheasant Club in West Sacramento. Members celebrated JR Springer's successful year and crowned him King JR. In the picture above, Past President Dave Lambros (left picture on the right) congratulates JR. On the right, JR is seen thanking John Wochnick with a Paul Harris Award. For years, John has taken on the responsibility of preparing the room for meetings, often arriving over an hour early to make sure all pieces are in place.

Supporting Sacramento Area Programs

One of the most enjoyable meetings of the year is the one where South Sacramento Rotary distributes the proceeds from its crab feed. This year, dollars were given to the following non-profit organizations, all of which reach out to help those in need: ShelterBox USA, NorCal Camp Grizzly, Sacramento City College for scholarships, the YMCA, St. John's Shelter for Women and Children, the Moral Values Program, Luther Burbank High School for scholarships, the Boy Scouts, the Girl Scouts, Loaves and Fishes Mustard Seed School, SSIP Food Closet, Very Special Arts "I Can Do That!", Sacramento Children's Home TAP Program, Ba of Life, Next Move (formerly Sac Are Emergency Housing), Music Partners in Health Care, Camellia Juniors Orchestra, Horses Healing Heroes, and the Sacramento Guitar Society. Representatives from these organizations who could attend the meeting are pictured above. One of the side benefits of this year's meeting was the opportunity to network. Many representatives found others in the group with whom they could collaborate on future projects and spent some time after the meeting discussing possibilities.

Dara Lee Joins South Sacramento Rotary

Dave Wilson (left) and President JR Springer (right) welcomed newest member Dara Lee into the membership of South Sacramento Rotary. Dara is looking forward to being actively involved in club activities and projects.

Another Paul Harris for Jim

Jim Connick (left) was presented with his 4th Paul Harris Award at a recent meeting. Shown above is President JR Springer presenting Jim with his newest recognition pin.

Welcome Barry and Margaret!

 

South Sacramento recently welcomed two new members who are passionate about serving others. Pictured on the far left is Barry Hogan, who transferred his membership to South Sacramento from Point West in March. He is welcomed by President JR Springer. On the right, Al Franks welcomes Margaret Tan into membership at our May 2 meeting and presents her with her Rotarian pin.

South Sacramento Rotarians at Work

Five South Sacramento Rotarians participated in Rotarians at Work Day on April 27 by helping clean up the Camp Fire Girl Site at River Bend Park. Pictured from left to right are Krysia Falltrick, Michael DiGrazia, Ed Trujillo, Jim Tracy, and Anne Hasbrook.

Those Great Students Just Keep Coming!

Once again South Sacramento Rotary recognized a Luther Burbank student for his academic success as well as contributions to the school. Juan de Dios Gomez, a senior at Luther Burbank, has been accepted a numerous colleges and plans eventually to apply to med school.

 

Reading at John Bidwell--What Fun!

We don't know who had more fun on March 21--the kids or the readers--but South Sacramento and Pocket Greenhaven Rotarians and their friends were full of comments about how much they had enjoyed their time in classrooms at John Bidwell Elementary School. They added that this activity was definitely one they wanted to do again. Members visited classrooms where they read to students and talked about how important reading was in their own lives. Of course, the kids had plenty to share themselves which just became "the icing on the cake."

Five Top Students Compete in Speech Contest

On Thursday, March 14, five students representing Inderkum and Luther Burbank High Schools competed in the first round of the annual Rotary Speech Contest. The topic of each speech was this year's Rotary theme, "Peace Through Service." Pictured from left to right above are Simran Cheema, Inderkum (third place); Daniel Montemayor, Inderkum (second place); Jackson Mathews Inderkum (first place); Mariana Campos, Inderkum; and Heiu Le, Luther Burbank. Jackson now will compete in the semifinals which will be held at SMUD on April 11.

Recognizing More Talented Students

Pictured above are South Sacramento Rotary's Students of the Month for February (Angie Sandoval on the far right) and March (Cameron Do, second from left). Cameron plans to go into engineering and is anxiously awaiting letters from those colleges where he has applied, He has his fingers crossed for Harvard. Angie is looking forward to a career in criminal justice or family and marriage counseling and plans to attend a junior college and transfer leter. Pictured with the students are Luther Burbank counselor Leticia Gallardo (left) and South Sacramento Rotary Chair Andrea Picot (second from right).

Recognizing Multiple Students

South Sacramento Rotary recognized three Luther Burbank High School students at its January 31 meeting. Pictured above from left to right are counselor Alejandro Corona; Rotary Student of the Month Chair Andrea Meisner; Neil Manodom, November Student of the Month; Cassandra Paz, January Student of the Month; and Jacky Thao, December Student of the Month. All three students were recognized for their academic achievement as well as their contributions outside the classroom.

Rotarians Have Fun

Rotarians enjoy each others' company, and South Sacramento Rotary is no exception. Members gathered after work on January 17 at Track 7 to check out their brews and enjoy the conversation.

Giving Dictionaries to Third Graders

Several South Sacramento Rotarians came together on January 17 to deliver dictionaries to third graders at Fruitridge and Bret Harte Elementary Schools. Presenting the dictionaries is always a lot of fun because the kids get very excited when they start exploring the pages and looking at the beautiful pictures. Three more mornings of deliveries are scheduled.

Another Paul Harris

Jocelyn Yap celebrates with her husband, Dave Lambros, and he received another Paul Harris Award. The day--January 3--also marked our first meeting in our new place.