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Welcome to Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club!

The Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club (CHNR) welcomes Rotarians and other visitors to its Monday meetings. The club meets at the Holiday Inn (Bressi Ranch at Innovation Drive) the 2nd and 4th Mondays each month. A buffet lunch with salads and hot entrees is open at noon, with the business meeting beginning at 12:20 pm. Please check this page for scheduling or the website for specifics: carlsbadhinoonrotary.org.

The Club, chartered in February 1980, has 52 members. The membership is very active and committed to the Rotary principle of "Service Above Self." The club sponsors an energetic Interact Club at Carlsbad High School and each year sends both facilitators and students to the annual RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award) conference for high school juniors and the Rotary LEAD symposium for eighth graders.

Additionally, CHNR also supports our Carlsbad students via the AVID program at Carlsbad High School with a business and ethics conference and initiates a scholarship raffle to raise funds for college and trade school scholarships, a literacy project and book fair at Jefferson Elementary School, Junior Achievement and What Grown-Ups Do For Work, music instruction and a competition for middle school students, an essay contest for middle school students and a speech contest focusing on the Rotary Four-Way Test for high school students. Yes, we have a major focus on our young people.

CHNR members provide extensive community: once a month at Brother Benno's to serve breakfast to the homeless; once a month to the North County Food Bank; and a massive 20,000 food packaging event to assist the Food Bank. Additionally, the club provides financial support (resulting from our fundraising events) and personal service to a variety of nonprofit organizations in Carlsbad affecting youth programs, food insecurity, homelessness and seniors. A club committee also deals with international service projects supporting water projects, school rehabilitation, mental health, refugee assistance and equipment.

We are People of Action.

During the 2025-2026 Rotary year, club members provided over 2,400 hours of volunteer service to the local and international communities. Completing 50 projects, club members assisted:

1. Food insecurity - 24 projects for 555 hours delivering, packaging, serving, or organizing food products for the needy.

2. Schools - for elementary schools the club provided a book fair for 500 students; for middle schools provided speakers to open eyes to What Grown-Ups Do For Work on a routine basis throughout the year and taught the Junior Achievement curriculum; for high school students coordinated the Interact Club at Carlsbad High School, created two competitions (speech and music); designed and implemented an AVID conference, raised $52,000 for scholarships for college and trade school students; and analyzed and interviewed students for those scholarship awards.

3. Seniors and Families: designed and implemented Oktoberfest #43 together with the Carlsbad Rotary to raise $20,000 for Carlsbad projects; and bought gifts for 14 needy families during the holidays.

5. International: Bought desks for a school in Kenya, Africa; provided funds for gardens at three schools in Cape Town, South Africa; provided funds for solar energy generation and wastewater treatment in Poland; distributed funds for food supplies and music therapy for mental health of PTSD refugees at a peace shelter in Ukraine; helped rehabilitate a school in El Salvador; helped fund gifts and special needs supplies for disabled children in Tijuana, Mexico; continued work on a water project in Kibera, Uganda; and helped the club's CHS Interact Club gather and ship books to schools in Africa.

Making a difference is important to each member of Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club . . . if YOU want to make a difference too . . . come JOIN US. For further information look at carlsbadhinoonrotary.org for membership information. CHNR meets the 2nd and 4th Mondays of the month at the Holiday Inn, Bressi Ranch, at noon. Lunch is $34. Come check us out . . . you'll like what you see.

Hi-Jinx Bulletin of 8.24.26 Mtg

Posted on Aug. 24, 2026

NEXT MEETING:

Monday, Sept. 14, 2026

Holiday Inn / Bressi Ranch

Volume 10, Issue 5

Reporter: Yvonne Finocchiaro

Photographers: Nancy Starling

and Beth Garrow

Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary

President Kori Dolkas

President Kori Dolkas opened the meeting, George Sullivan led the Pledge, and guests were introduced. Rocco Ciesco offered Words of Inspiration. Guests introduced included Rotary District 5340 Governor Jeb Bakke and Assistant Governor Roy Meenes.

CHNR President Kori Dolkas and District 5340 Governor Jeb Bakke

KEY HI-NOON DATES

• Sept. 1 - Fundraiser Comm. Meeting

• Sept. 14 - CHNR Board Meeting

• Sept. 14 - Regular Monday Meeting

• Sept. 9 – Brother Benno’s Food Service

• Sept. 17 – North County Food Bank

• Sept. 28 – Regular Monday Meeting

MONDAY CLUB MEETINGS are now the second and fourth Mondays of the month, at the Holiday Inn in Bressi Ranch, beginning at noon. Casual meet-up events may be scheduled for the remaining Mondays.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Fundraiser Committee: Pres Kori said the first meeting of this committee was very successful. Ideas were plentiful, for both major and minor fundraising ideas. The next meeting is Sept. 1, 5pm at MyPoint Credit Union, Carlsbad. All members are welcome.
Mark Stenoien asked members to consider joining the Community Service Committee.
The next CHNR Board Meeting will be Sept. 14 at 10:30 am at MyPoint Credit Union in Carlsbad.
Pres. Kori is seeking a Programs director. Programs have been scheduled though mid-November, and program ideas may be forwarded to her, BUT having someone take over this coordination would be important.
Pres. Kori also showcased the Rotary District Conference to be held in Chicago, May 3-7, 2027. There is an early-bird special. Two days will be spent in the RI headquarters, along with social events.
New Badges: Bob Stonebrook is taking signups for new Rotary name badges, updated with new RI logo, in a rectangular shape with a magnetic strip on the back instead of a pin. Contact Stonebrook soon if interested: 760-281-3242.

COMMUNITY SERVICE

• Brother Benno's Food Service, Wed., Sept 9: Contact Paul Kartzke to sign up: prkartzke@gmail.com

• North County Food Bank, Thur., Sept. 17, 1-4pm: Contact Mark Stenoien to sign up: mark.stenoien@gmail.com

Wendy Wiegand, Paul Kartzke, Beth Garrow, Velyn Anderson and Bob Garrow at the North County Food Band Aug. 20, along with a couple of other volunteers.

Velyn Anderson and Paul Kartzke at the Food Bank.

YOUTH SERVICE

Bob Kreisberg met the new principal at Aviara Oaks Middle School, who is “all in” regarding our youth programs.A

INTERNATIONAL SERVICE

Rick Huenefeld reported on the activity to rehabilitate the school lunch room in El Salvador via the Rotary Club of Santa Ana.

AWARDS

Past-President Jim Brubaker recognized Christian Chapman, who was not able to attend the Demotion Dinner, for his leadership with Vocational Service, which included the AVID conference and the Scholarship Committee, and presented Mark Stenoien with his corrected 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award.
After Pres. Kori identified the goals/activities required each year to be honored as a Club of Excellence, District Governor Jeb Bakke presented CHNR Past-President Jim Brubaker with the Club Excellence Certificate for RY 2025-26. Bakke also presented the district's Polio Plus Award to Beth Garrow, who had not been able to attend the district dinner.
Pres. Kori presented the Rotarian of the Month Award for July 2026 to Velyn Anderson and to Bob Stonebrook for August 2026.

Jim Brubaker and 2025-26 Vocational Service Director Christian Chapman

Jim Brubaker and 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Bob Stenoien

Kori Dolkas presents 2025-26 RY President Jim Brubaker with the Club Excellence Award

District Governor Jeb Bakke, Beth Garrow and Kori Dolkas after Bakke presented the district’s Polio Plus award to Garrow

Kori Dolkas with Velyn Anderson, July Rotarian of the Month

Kori Dolkas with Bob Stonebrook, August Rotarian of the Month

ROTO ROOTER – Yvonne Finocchiaro

Christian Chapman highlighted his recent wedding held at Monserrat Winery in Fallbrook.
Rocco Ciesco championed the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation Grants Ceremony on Sept. 3, 5:30 pm at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center.

Finocchairo’s signature “One Fact We Don’t Know About You” game revealed:

• Tom Applegate’s backyard is a national nature preserve;

• Kori Dolkas went skydiving on her 18th birthday;

• Josh Rytz’s first name is Hans, and he was born in Switzerland;

• George Sullivan said he evolved from stud muffin, to bran muffin to muffin top;

• Maureen Taylor’s grandfather built a home out of a Sears/Roebuck catalog from a pattern.

Tom Applegate, Kori Dolkas, Josh Rytz, George Sullivan and Maureen Taylor hold placards while Roto-Rooter Yvonne Finocchiaro asked club members to figure out which placard goes with each of them. Photo is before all the placards were correctly located.

PROGRAM

Jeb Bakke, District Governor

Rotary District 5340

Dist. Gov. Jeb Bakke

Introduced by Bob Stonebrook, DG Jeb Bakke initially thanked the membership for its generosity of time and service to Rotary and said he had a District Governor’s Certificate to present to an “unsung hero” of our club. Pres. Kori provided the description and appreciation of the honoree: Past-President Yvonne Finocchiarao, saying her continuing and valuable “invisible roles showcase her dedication to this club, and she’s made an immeasurable impact on our club.”

Kori Dolkas, Yvonne Finocchiaro and Jeb Bakke

Bakke then identified four personal stories from his life and his recognition of the “Rotary Moments” that came therefrom:

As a young Rotarian with a young family, he had difficulty with the financial aspect of Rotary. His club put together a fund to help bridge that gap “and it made me a Rotarian for life.”
He was president of his club during COVID, and his board and the club's past presidents rallied around him. The club did considerable service work in coordination with 28 other clubs and two districts, which showed him the effect of collaboration.
He participated in Rotary’s Thousand Smiles surgeries for dental work/cleft palates in Mexico where he met a nurse who smiled broadly . . . and who had been a patient 20 years prior. This service changes people’s lives.
RB Sunrise Rotary has a holiday party each year. As he was wrapping the children’s gifts . . . few took them for themselves; rather, they were for other family members.“You just can’t pay for that kind of feeling!”

NEXT MEETING: Sept. 14

Carlsbad Unified School District Update

Superintendent Dr. Andrea Norman

at Bressi Ranch Holiday Inn

KORI DOLKAS, PRESIDENT

NANCY STARLING, ROTARIAN OF THE YEAR

MARK STENOIEN, ROOKIE OF THE YEAR

BOB STONEBROOK, KULCHIN SERVICE AWARD

BETH GARROW - DISTRICT POLIO PLUS AWARD

Service Above Self

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