RB Sunrise Rotary Announces Meeting Speakers for November, 2012

The RB Sunrise Rotary Club has announced the following lineup of speakers for November, 2012. Their meetings are a MUST for anyone interested in camaraderie, community, and business insight. The schedule includes:

·         November 6       Bill Brelza of the Salvation Army focuses on the upcoming holiday season and helping those most in need.

·         November 13     Paul Gorman, International Events chair for the RB Sunrise Rotary, discusses the club’s efforts at helping those most in need in Mexico. 

·         November 20     Club is dark for Thanksgiving

·         November 27     Ron Sekeel of New Generations talks about hands across time – helping those who will be most in need tomorrow.

The meetings start promptly at 7:15 am at the Country Club of Rancho Bernardo, 12280 Greens East Road, San Diego, CA 92128. Speakers begin their presentations at 8:00 am. Members of the public are invited to attend these meetings at no charge if staying for just the speaker. A $15 fee will be charged to those staying for breakfast.

The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary club itself can be found online at www.rbsunrise.org.

Feeding people with a club

The board of the RB Sunrise Rotary has agreed to help Interfaith Community Services by hosting a hole at the first annual mini golf for good, being held September 2 in Poway, CA. Come visit the wackiest, wildest mini golf course to ever hit San Diego County and help feed the hungry and house the homeless...all for less than you'd spend going to the movies.  www.minigolfforgood.org

RB Sunrise Rotary Initiates Jeanne MacLaren

San Diego’s newest resident has joined the RB Sunrise Rotary Club.

Jeanne MacLaren, who moved here after spending 27 years in Scotts Valley, is a retired speech language pathologist who willingly swapped the mercurial weather patterns of central California for the steady sunshine of Rancho Bernardo.

“Jeanne is an amazing woman and we’re thrilled to have her with us,” said club president Rick Coburn as she was inducted at a recent breakfast meeting. He cited her lifetime of professional and personal accomplishments, including 16 years of previous Rotary experience, participation as a member of the board of trustees for the Santa Cruz County Office of Education, involvement with community cultural councils, and an active role in countless non-profit and educational boards of directors.

Added RB Sunrise Rotary Membership Chair Karen Mortimer; “Jeanne MacLaren has won an embarrassment of awards and commendations over the past 30 years, and she brings a wealth of experience, talent, and ability with her. It seems if there’s a place to help the community, Jeanne can be expected to be there. Knowing that, it’s no surprise that she joined our dynamic club as a way to help her get plugged into the happenings in her new home.”

“Rotary has been my base for so long that there wasn’t any question about my joining once I’d moved,” says Jeanne. “As I began exploring San Diego I attended several Rotary meetings and found the RB Sunrise club to be refreshingly dynamic. These are people who genuinely enjoy each other. They have fun, even as they look for ways to help people in need.”

You’ll find Jeanne MacLaren and the other 50+ business and community leaders in the RB Sunrise Rotary meeting for breakfast every Tuesday at 7am at the RB Country Club on Greens East Road in RB. Professionals from throughout the region considering membership in the club are invited to attend for a free breakfast and some of the finest camaraderie to be found in north county.

More information about the RB Sunrise Rotary can be found online at http://www.rbsunrise.org/.
Meet the newest RB Sunrise Rotarian – Jeanne MacLaren

RB Sunrise Rotary Catches Kids Being Good

Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary played “Gotcha” with three students from Painted Rock Elementary School at this past week’s breakfast.

The students were honored at the club’s semi-annual “Service Above Self” awards.“He took his lunch period to help me with my homework’ is typical of the kinds of things these kids do” read Rotary project coordinator Mike Miller from a list of recommended winners submitted by the students’ peers.

“Your good deeds in daily life do not go unrecognized.” Miller continued. “Because though virtue may be its own reward, getting the occasional public pat on the back doesn’t hurt either.”

All winning students receive a Certificate of Achievement and a gift certificate to a local merchant, donated by the RB Sunrise Rotary.“These kids are our future, and they need to know that the community at-large appreciates when they’re helping make the world around them a nicer place to live,” said club -president Rick Coburn.

Added Rotary president-elect Paul Sullivan “We run this program twice each year to help kids throughout RB understand their good deeds are like dropping a rock in a pond. These certificates and gifts are just part of the ripple effect.”

Kids caught doing good deeds (from L to R) Kylie Kim, Karli Gigstad and Catherine Johnson stand with RB Sunrise Rotarian Mike Miller.

RB Sunrise Rotary Initiates New Member

The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary this morning welcomed computer consultant Wayne Hamburger as their newest member.

Hamburger owns Computer Software Consultants, Inc. in Poway, providing technical support and part-time IT-department services to small business to help them minimize overhead.
The New York City native graduated from MIT in 1976 with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science. After a couple of years working at the MIT Francis Bitter National Magnet Lab on magnetic containment systems for fusion reactors, Wayne left the northeast in search of warmer climes. He’s lived in San Diego since 1978, and has two grown children who frequently cause the buttons on his vest to pop off.

“I’ve long respected and admired the work done by Rotary International” he says of his reasons for joining the organization. “Here is a group of over a million professionals around the world who are willing to give up their time, their talent, and their money to improve the lives of those around them. It’s amazing, and I want to be part of that scene. I want to give back to the community like they do, and look forward to finding opportunities to serve and to make new friends.”

“The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary is a fun group with something for everyone. I came to a few meetings and saw these were people who could enjoy each others’ company, even as they were seeking ways to make the world a better place. They appealed to the character in me, even as they connected with the altruistic side of my personality.”

Hamburger also observes how he’ll have a good deal of extra time over the next few months, making this a great point in his life to get involved with Rotary. “The love of my life is a CPA” he smiles “and this is her busy season. Since I don’t expect to see much of her for the next few months, we both figured this would be a great way to avoid getting into trouble.”

Besides his lady friend, Hamburger’s passion is developing custom software for small businesses, both on the desktop and on the web.

You’ll find Wayne Hamburger and the other 50+ business and community leaders in the RB Sunrise Rotary meeting for breakfast every Tuesday at 7am at the RB Country Club on Greens East Road in RB. Professionals from throughout the region considering membership in the club are invited to attend for a free breakfast and some of the finest camaraderie to be found in north county.

More information about the RB Sunrise Rotary can be found online at http://www.rbsunrise.org/.

Meet the newest RB Sunrise Rotarian – Wayne Hamburger

RB Sunrise Rotary Selects Abraxas Student of the Month

As part of its ongoing partnership with Abraxas High School, the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club announced their Student Of The Month award for January 2012 at this morning’s breakfast meeting.

The presentation to Derek Hudgins was made by teacher Bill Palmer and Rotarian Joseph Giamanco.

“Derek is a poster child for all the good things that come from an education at Abraxas High School,” explained Palmer to the room of 50+ professionals. “He’s been aggressively pursuing an education, understands how important it is to his future, and will actually be graduating three months ahead of the rest of his class.”

“Derek also plans to attend college, then go into the US Air Force,” his teacher proudly announced.

Said Mr. Hudgins; “Abraxas is an amazing school that lets students work at their own speed. I’m treated well there, and have really had a chance to improve my life.”

Joining in the conversation, Rotarian Joe Giamanco also noted how Abraxas has successfully cut dropout rates by fifty percent. “Obviously they’re doing something right over there.”

As a reward for his hard work, Derek received a gift certificate and an award in honor of his achievement from the RB Sunrise Rotary.

More information about Abraxas High School is available at www.powayusd.com/PUSDAHS/. The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary club can be found online at http://www.rbsunrise.org/.
From Left to Right – Abraxas student Derek Hudgins, teacher Bill Palmer, and Rotarian Joe Giamanco at the breakfast honoring Derek’s academic accomplishments.

RB Sunrise Rotary Meeting a Taxing Affair...

San Diego County Treasurer/Tax Collector Dan McAllister joined us this morning to explain all the fun ways our money is being collected, new technologies on the horizon, and how to use "Dan's Law" to get your property re-assessed in a timely manner.

Joe Giamanco Gets Paul Harris

Joe Giamanco had a pleasant surprise at today's meeting as Carl Kruse announced Joe's being named as a Paul Harris award recipient. The Paul Harris award is given when $1,000 is contributed to the Rotary Foundation by a community leader or in their name. And though Joe hadn't yet earned enough points to qualify for the award on his own, his hard work in helping to improve the world around him apparently impressed others, who contributed points in his name.

Service Above Self Awards

Olivia Tai, Ayden Baldwin and Katherine Resko joined us at the RB Sunrise Rotary Club to be recognized for providing service above self and being caught doing nice things for others. Each received a certificate and gift card from the club - presented here by Rotarian Mike Miller.

Our board of directors - 2011/2012

Congratulations to the new board of directors, scheduled to be sworn in on July 1 when President Elect Rick Coburn takes over at the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Club.

Shown from left are Kendra Jeffcoat, Joe Giamanco, Jim Dunny, Carl Kruse, Jim Stewart, Karen Mortimer, Nasrin Barbee, Paul Gorman, and PE Rick Coburn.

Service Above Self Awards

At this morning's meeting we had the Service Above Self Awards. Fifth graders are awarded a certificate and gift card because one or more of their peers caught them doing good things.

Today's award-winners were (from left to right) Taylor Mitchell, Kendal Ellenbeck, and Emily Ligas. They joined Rotarian Mike Miller (blue vest), who supervises the project.

Appearing in native garb at this morning's meeting were past president Kendra Jeffcoat and her husband Jay - both recently returned from American Samoa, where Kendra spent a week teaching.They were our featured speakers, taking the club on a journey of discovery about this fascinating Pacific island/American protectorate. A fine time was had by all.

And despite the fact that he's a member of Kiwanis, Jay is a good guy who lets us poke fun at him. He's also got GREAT legs!

AAUW sends girls to science camp

Irene Dunny of the AAUW (American Association of University Women) and wife of RB Sunrise Rotarian Jim Dunny receives a donation of $750 from Joseph Giamanco to help cover the costs for sending a teenager to science and math camp for a week over the summer. This is the third year when the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary has sponsored a child to go to this camp.

Meet Jonathan Zabrocki - owner of Zabrocki Realty Group and the newest member of the Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary. This morning he was welcomed into our club by Membership Chair Jana Markley (Center), past president Carl Kruse (Right), and a standing ovation from the other 63 members of RB Sunrise.

Lloyd Trilling Gets Third Paul Harris

Lloyd Trilling has earned his third Paul Harris award. Wow! This guy is really something! Not only is he generous and active in the RB Sunrise Rotary Club, but Lloyd is also one of the main guys putting together RYLA every year. This morning he announced that almost 300 high school juniors will be attending RYLA (The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) in Idyllwild, CA this coming weekend. Great stuff! Craig Brown presents Lloyd with his third Paul Harris pin.

$5,000 Grand Prize Reverse Opportunity Drawing

It’s that time again! My Rotary club is selling tickets to our annual Fun Raiser. We will sell only 180 tickets for $100 each. On Saturday May 7 we will have a nice dinner and pull the tickets one at a time. The last ticket drawn wins a $5,000 cash prize. This event raises money that supports our charitable work in the community, and besides you could win $5,000! Did I tell you the grand prize is $5,000 in CASH?! If you are interested in buying a ticket and/or attending the dinner, let me know and I’ll get you set up. And If you can’t attend the dinner, I will arrange for you to have a representative for the drawing.

Paul Harris Number 3

Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary Executive Secretary Jim Dunny received his two-stone Paul Harris award at this morning's meeting. Said fellow Rotarian Craig Brown of Rancho Financial as he presented the pin, "Jim achieved his Paul Harris one-stone pin through the course of his normal giving to the Rotary Foundation. However, when the Foundation offered a recent promotion offering to match your contribution dollar for dollar, Jim jumped at the opportunity and donated $500. The resulting $1,000 in his account gave him the pin with two stones." Well done, Jim. The results of your generosity will be felt around the world.

4-way speech contest - sub-regionals

Six (count 'em, six!) high schoolers joined us for breakfast at the sub-regional 4-way speech contest. Listening to these kids is enough to restore faith and make you believe the next generation really DOES give a damn! Great stuff.

Jon Shea Made Scouting Liaison for RB Sunrise Rotary Club

This morning, Jon Shea got the RB Sunrise Rotary monkey award for not monkeying around and taking charge as the liaison to the scouting community for the club.

Rotary Club of Rancho Bernardo (Sunrise) has spent the past several years sponsoring four area troops representing the Daisies (Troop 8235); Brownies (Troop 8453); Cub Scouts (Pack 627) and Boy Scouts (Troop 688). “We’re proud to support these four Scout Troops.” says Shea, a partner in Shea Realty. He noted ; “The principles of leadership and service embodied by scouting are right in line with Rotary’s own commitment to service above self.”

RB Sunrise Rotary adds Three Paul Harris Fellows

The Rancho Bernardo Sunrise Rotary club has added another three Paul Harris Fellows to its ranks, and they're doing it BIG!

The Paul Harris Fellowship Award is one of the highest honors Rotary can bestow upon an individual. Recipients are typically Rotarians, professionals and community leaders who are recognized for their outstanding contributions to those around them.

The honor and recognition accompanies a donation of $1,000 or more in the name of the recipient to Rotary International’s Paul Harris Fund in support of Rotary’s world-wide programs.

At this past Tuesday morning’s breakfast meeting, the club honored:

• Past President Mark Berdan
• Past President Kendra Jeffcoat
• Realtor Sue Herndon

At the ceremony, past club president Carl Kruse observed, “Today’s event is particularly exciting. In addition to being the largest group to ever receive Paul Harris Fellowships at one time for our club, we’re also very pleased to honor Kendra's reaching the Double Fellowship level and Sue's achievement of the Triple Fellowship level.

Since its inception, the Paul Harris Foundation has been dedicated to doing good for those who may not be able to help themselves. The first grant in 1930 provided seed money for what became the Easter Seals Foundation.

“We can only hope our efforts here today also have that kind of positive result.” said Kruse.

The 65 business and community leaders in the RB Sunrise Rotary meet for breakfast every Tuesday at 7am at the RB Country Club on Greens East Road in RB. Professionals from throughout the region are invited to attend for some of the finest camaraderie to be found in north county, and prospective members are always welcome.

More information about the RB Sunrise Rotary can be found online at http://www.rbsunrise.org/.
Left to Right - RB Sunrise Rotarians Craig Brown, Carl Kruse, Kendra Jeffcoat, Mark Berdan, and Sue Herndon