Dear Rotarians,
We were pleased to have Elena Wason from Natun as our speaker last week. As a reminder, our club has faithfully assisted with their projects in Guatemala since 2014. Their mission has evolved in its focus over time, but it still remains under the umbrella of supporting and equipping the native indigenous population of Guatemala to thrive in a culture that is often stacked against them. Please note there will be another group of our Rotarians heading down there from February 27th - March 7th. If you’d like more information on the trip please reach out to either Don Jack or Bill Dutton. It’s a great opportunity to serve in an international context while getting to know better your fellow Rotarians.
Speaking of Bill Dutton, he was awarded a new Paul Harris pin for his significant financial contributions to the Paul Harris Foundation during his many years in Rotary. Well done, Bill!
In addition, Craig Prentice provided us a short update on RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) where our club traditionally sponsors two high schoolers from Dos Pueblos to attend a weekend training program. He’s done a wonderful job of getting his arms around the program this past year and we’ll be looking for two new participants in the coming months. Please reach out to him if you have any particular candidates that come to mind. Lastly, I initiated a “Getting To Know You…” segment as a means of introducing some of our newer members to the club. We had the privilege of hearing from Nate Grotenhuis as he shared about growing up in a large family with a severely brain-injured sister that has significantly shaped his own journey, his involvement as the Campaign Manager for Randy Rowse, and his current role as Executive Director of ArtLabbe Gallery and Foundation, which works with neurodivergent adults and children in helping them express themselves through art and music.
Please note that our next meeting will be a Mayoral Debate guided by own Jim Armstrong that is set for Thursday, October 15, at the Santa Barbara Club. Please put out the word, and invite guests. Members will be charged our normal fee of $40, but guests will be charged $50. Lunch will be provided of course.
Regards,
Dan Aldrich