Memorial Day was born after the Civil War, when families would take a day to tend and decorate the graves of Confederate soldiers. It soon spread to the North, and became known as Decoration Day. Eventually, it became a national holiday to honor all American military veterans who gave up their homes, their families, their very lives -- everything they had, or ever dreamed of having – all in sacrifice for their country. And just how many have made that ultimate sacrifice? Brace yourself:
From the Revolutionary War to the War of 1812, the Civil War and Spanish American war, World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, and all the other wars, police actions and rescue missions since 1776, over one million, three hundred and eight thousand Americans have died in uniform.
Imagine if all those soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen could come back to life for a Memorial Day parade. Picture them marching past in rows of ten, each row taking just 10 seconds to pass. That parade would stretch on and on, row after row, 360 rows per hour, for hour after hour, 24 hours a day, for over 15 straight days. That is the enormity of the military casualties America has experienced since 1776. That doesn’t even include the millions more who sacrificed their limbs, their sight, their peace of mind, and the best years of their lives, all for us.
Today's military members, like those before them, risk their lives to protect the cherished American principles of freedom, liberty, equality, democracy, fighting tyranny and defending the weak. Previous generations guarded these bedrock principles so that they could be passed down to us. It is now our sacred duty to preserve them for future generations.
Fellow Rotarians,
I want to thank Fred Donati for updating our club on his plans for next year. I believe that Fred will do a great job leading our club in these very uncertain times.
Today is Memorial Day and we do need to remember and honor all those brave soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have given the ultimate sacrifice for our freedoms. We can all enjoy our backyard barbecues today, but we should all take a minute to reflect on the real importance of this day.
Tomorrow Scott Dunn has arranged a very timely speaker for us. Joe Dunn, a workers comp expert, will be speaking on the Corona Virus and Workers Comp. This would be a good program to invite a prospective member to watch.
Thanks for all you do for Rotary,
YIRS,
Cynthia
May 26 Noontime Rotary Meeting
Tue, May 26, 2020 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM (PDT)
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This Week's Meeting
Joe Dunn
The Corona Virus and Workers Comp
Last Week's Meeting
Gill T. Azell
Classification: Defense Attorney
President Cynthia called the meeting to order at 12:10 PM. Those in attendance were President Cynthia, Ron Nanning, Fred Donati, Carlie Engel, Erin Krier, Scott Dunn, Tom Ross, Tom Allen, Jessa Brooks, Susan Rees, Tom Martinez, Fred Pratt, Lynda Gantt, Heather Weare, Virginia Perry Souza, Alli Borja, Jaime Stoddard, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and John Henning.
Lynda Gantt delivered the Invocation and Carlie Engel led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Our program was President Elect Fred Donati discussing plans for next Rotary year, which begins on July 1st. Safety is his number one concern regarding resuming regular meetings. He does not want to rush into having regular meetings and risk having someone get ill. Let’s face it, most of our members are in the “most vulnerable” category. For the rest of the calendar year there will be no attendance requirement. We will continue to have online meetings for a while and he encouraged those not in attendance to try to set aside the 12 to 1 PM hour to get on your computer or tablet and attend our online meetings. The Rotary International President has spoken at several club online meetings. This would be unheard-of if clubs were having regular meetings.
President Cynthia will not be having a regular Step Down Dinner in June as has been our custom. Perhaps things will open up and we can have one to celebrate her year as President in July or August. She is fine with that, just as long as she gets to leave her office at the end of June.
When things open up, our club meetings may look different. President Elect Fred feels that we need to change in order to attract new members. He had several possibilities. We might meet in a park where it would be easier to socially distance from each other. We could meet at the Santa Maria Inn on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays and have a virtual meeting on the other Tuesdays, or maybe do a club service project on one of the Tuesdays. Membership growth is a priority and we need to do different activities and have fun doing them. All members who do not have fun will be fined heavily.
He would like to continue to give dictionaries to the 3rd graders, but at this point he is unsure if the schools are going to have regular classes in the fall or do online learning.
We will still raise money to give away to non-profits, but we may need to do it in a different way. Our fundraiser is still up in the air. He is unsure if businesses will be willing to sponsor events with so many businesses being closed during the shutdown. If we were able to get sponsors, would people be willing to come to an event and spend money on auction items? He has been in contact with a virtual auction company. This company did the Luis Oasis virtual auction. Normally they charge $3000 for their services, but if we sign up in May they will only charge $1200. We would still be able to get a refund even if we had to cancel at the last minute, He is not going to give up the November date with the Elks at this time.
Traditionally we have had the wine raffle in May, but we did not have one this year because of the pandemic. He would like to have one in September this year.
Susan Rees suggested that we have “associate members” like the Evening Club, which are less expensive and have less commitments as a way to increase membership among younger people.
Heather Weare said that no one has resigned as a result of the CORONA-19 pandemic.
Finemaster Ken Dally was out to make some money for the club.
He did recognize Jim Talbott for his 20 years of marriage, and we are keeping him in our thoughts and prayers.
Tom Martinez has been in the club for 34 years. Ken rounded up his assessment to $35.
Ken congratulated Heather Weare for her recognition from the Governor. He then extricated $10 from her wallet for “stalking” Ken at the Home Depot.
John Henning was congratulated for the article that was in the Santa Maria Sun regarding how residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities are coping with the lock down. He was assessed $35. Since Lynda Gantt agreed with him, she was also fined $35.
Next week we will have Workers Comp Expert Joe Dunn talk about Corona virus and Workers Comp.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Maricopa Update
Maricopa has been a "hot spot" for the Corona virus since this whole thing started. Last week the mayor spoke to the city council about getting things going in the right direction. "We tried the self quarantine thing, and that didn't work. Then we tried the social distancing thing, and that didn't work. Then we tried wearing masks, and that didn't work. This is our new plan. We are asking all women in Maricopa to have their breast implants removed. That is the only way we are going to "flatten the curve."
UPCOMING EVENTS & GUEST SPEAKERS
May 26th...Online Meeting - Joe Dunn, The Corona Virus and Workers Comp
June 2nd ... Online Meeting with Susan Rees
June 9th ... Online Meeting with Ken Dally
June 16th ... Online Meeting with John Henning
June 23rd ... Online Meeting with Scott Dunn
AND......REMEMBER, EXCITING Program Speakers:
1) Help keep member attendance UP,
2) Attract and engage NEW MEMBERS,
3) Make the difference between...
IF YOU HAVE AN IDEA FOR A GREAT PROGRAM SPEAKER, CONTACT EITHER
PROGRAM CO-CHAIR, BOB FRIAS or SCOTT DUNN.
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