When our Rotary year started, President Brenda let her imagination run wild. She presented to the Board of Directors a set of 16 goals [hyperlink here] – with six pages of ways to meet those goals! She challenged each of the Board members to set goals for their role, which most of them did. Imagining such a long list of goals set a high bar for the club. If you missed the Club Assembly last week, here is the Reader’s Digest version of President Brenda’s 10-page summary of our 2022/23 accomplishments: Way to go Steinbeckians!

Board Debate Results in Improved Club Operations
The club now has a funding request form, and a donation policy, for those seeking club funds. After 3 months of heated Board debate on how to set it up, the Club website now has a form that provides an easy way for for nonprofits, groups and individuals to request funding, and a policy that sets the club’s funding priorities. The club also updated its bylaws, an exercise that was also not without extensive Board debate and revisions.

[Practically] Award-Winning Newsletter
The weekly Club email became a weekly Club newsletter. A secret team working behind the scenes each week provides this visually appealing summary of our past activities and upcoming speakers and events. We now know that this team is Pres Brenda, Pres-Elect Robert, and Secretary Becky. They have created a weekly masterpiece that our club can confidently claim is the best newsletter in the Rotary District. Kudos!

More “Likeable” Social Media
President Brenda kicked it up a notch by posting more and more photos on Facebook to let the community know about our club activities, projects, donations and community events. As a result, we doubled the likes and the followers on our Facebook page. No joke.

New Stinking Badges
After 42 years, the Steinbeck Rotary Club will have new name badges! Some of the badges truly look that old. The new badges are sharp, easy to read, and reflect Club members’ names as listed in the DACdb (sorry Kimber, it’s too late to change your name). So if you’re wondering what Vic Davis’ middle name is, come to the club meeting on July 5, because it will be on his name badge.

The Club Becomes Fashionable
At the meeting, President Brenda modeled the new Club shirts. Please note that they are “polo” shirts and not “T-Shirts” as mentioned in Corlett’s flip chart video. Members are eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the new club vest. Fashionistas have already ordered these hot off the runway; eager wannabes should get their orders in soon with Kathy Bozzo.

Brenda Now Drinks Beer
To raise money, we are still pouring beer everywhere but mostly at the Sea Otter Classic. We also poured beer at a new event, the Fall Round-Up, thanks to an invitation from Jeanne’s son Ryan Scarr. Pres. Brenda’s husband Tony thanked the Club for teaching Brenda to drink beer. We also raised money by selling our homemade desserts, which everyone already knew how to eat.

Less Beer Than Usual
Our big fundraising event, Steinbeck’s Home Brew Fest was cancelled this year. The team is working hard on a new beer fundraiser, scheduled for September 24. Mark your calendars to volunteer!

Rotary Fellow and Gal-o-ship
As we celebrate our accomplishments, we must also remember the fun we had at so many social events with our gal and fellow Rotarians. At the Halloween bowling and pizza night we learned that you should always have Lawrence on your team because he is a champion bowler. At our Christmas dinner, we enjoyed the company of our Everett Alvarez Interact and ASB students, and won a lot of raffle prizes. Our 40th Club Anniversary party was worth the two-year wait – thank you Jeanne for organizing this event that welcomed many past members back for a visit, and saw a rare appearance of Mr. Hale. Our Sea Otter Classic volunteer appreciation event was another great success. Pres. Brenda’s kick out was a lot of fun, even though Jeanne and Vic could not attend.

The financial accomplishments that I thought would be boring, but in fact stimulated pointed questions from Past Prezina Regina and as usual, heated discussion ensued…

Streamlined Invoicing
The club now uses the Rotary District And Club Database (DACdb) billing program for invoicing members. If you click your photo in the DACdb, it will take you to your profile. There, on the left side, you can select “Financial Statement” to see all our invoices. You can then view and print each invoice – wow! Many thanks to President Brenda for discovering this program and to Treasurer Martha for implementing this program. Now there is no reason not to learn how to use the DACdb.

New Accounting Program
Treasurer Martha has also invested many hours of her time shifting the club operating (and soon Foundation) accounts from QuickBooks to the DACdb system. The new system is a significant improvement in that it is tailored to Rotary club operations. Many thanks to Martha for this hard work!

Updated Club Budgeting
The budgets team of Pres. Brenda, Treasurer Martha, Secretary Becky and random club member Debbie updated the categories and line items in the Club Operating and Foundation budgets at the start of the year. These budgets were utilized extensively to guide the Board in its spending decisions, and served as the basis for creating the proposed 2023/24 budget. Pres-Elect Robert found the 2023/24 budget creation process “more interesting than I expected”. Overall, the Club has a sound fund balance in both its Operating and Foundation accounts. Prezina may join the Board to confirm this assertion.

Wow! We Helped A Lot of People
While this year our $18,000 in fundraising income was not as high as past years, savings from prior years allowed us to give a nearly $47,000 to scholarships, education, community and international projects. The list of people and organizations we helped is mind-boggling!

Locally, we gave funding for:

  • Multiple Scholarships.

  • Top 100 recognition dinner for EAHS.

  • Students of the Month for EAHS.

  • EAHS Interact sponsored projects.

  • EAHS ASB activities.

  • A tutoring scholarship to Sylvan Learning.

  • Provided funding for a local family whose home burned down.

  • Monterey County Food Bank.

  • Christmas gifts for 5 local families through a EAHS program.

  • Sponsored Christmas in Closter Park for a second year.

  • Provided funding for haircuts for kids in need.

  • Supported the Gil Basketball Academy.

  • Supported the Salinas Sports Hall of Fame

  • Provided a few Fremont Elementary School classes with much needed school supplies including cases for their Chromebooks.

  • Leukemia & Lymphoma Cancer Society (via Hartnell Rotaract)

  • Sponsored household goods, hotel rooms, diapers and mattresses for evacuees of the Pajaro flood.

Internationally we funded:

  • Menstrual products and education for girls in rural Mexico

  • Medical equipment for Ukranians.

  • Relief and supplies for Turkish earthquake victims

  • Clean water for rural residents in El Salvador.

  • Donated to Hurricane Ian victims

  • Gave to the Rotary Walk/Run/Ride Event to End Polio.

Rotary Foundation Donations Were Up, Too
The generosity of our members was not only directed to the many local and international projects above, but also is reflected in our donations to the Rotary Foundation. We not only created three new Paul Harris Fellows, we also had many members recognized for second, third and higher donation levels. Why do our club members give to the Rotary Foundation? Answers range from “to make a difference in the world” to “because Lee asked me to” (thank you, Rick Moore). Whatever the reason, our club donations to the Rotary Foundation not only exceeded Pres. Brenda’s goal of $5,000, it reached $8,615 total – and the highest per capita giving in the last 5 years. Thank you to our inspirational Foundation Chair Lee, and thank you everyone who upped their donations.

Sounds like an Award-Winning Club to Me….
In recognition of these amazing accomplishments, and due to extensive data-entry by Pres. Brenda in Rotary Club Central, the Steinbeck Rotary Club won the Rotary Citation. Formerly more impressively entitled the Presidential Citation, this Rotary International award recognizes excellence across a range of club accomplishments. The last time in memory that we won this award was under Pres. Kathy Bozzo, in 2013/14.

Most Importantly, We Won the Salvation Army Kettle Challenge – Again!
Due to the hours of participation by nearly every one club members, families and friends - most particularly by President Brenda, and her trusty assistant Lawrence - we won the kettle challenge by raising over $3,000! Many thanks to those of you who stuffed the kettle with $20 bills – whatever we’ve got to give to win, it’s worth it to the people that the Salvation Army serves.

As Jeanne Prunty Davis noted in her touching speech at the club meeting, Robert, you have big shoes to fill next year. But we know you can do it - because we’re all going to help out. Just like we did this year. Go Steinbeck Rotary!

Debbie Hale
District Governor & Steinbeck Rotarian
Rotary District 5230