Hi-Jinx Bulletin of March 20, 2023 Mtg

Welcome:  President-elect Jeff Segall welcomed all to the meeting, including those members attending via Zoom. George Sullivan led the pledge, and Gloria Foote shared Words. Velyn Anderson shared a Four-Way Test Rotary Test Moment: how she reminded a restaurant to bill her for her son’s rehearsal dinner after nothing showed up on her credit card. “It was the right thing to do,” she said, as per the Four-Way Test.

 

 

 

With not much time left, the scholarship raffle is about $21,000 short of our $50,000 goal. JoAnn Ross reported that as of this meeting, $38,865 has been raised. She thanked Nancy Starling and her team who attended the Sage Creek High School Music Competion last week and sold more than 700 tickets, and Bob Kreisberg for his amazing individual ticket sales efforts. Next week's meeting is the final one for turning in your ticket stubs and money. You are the key to how many scholarships we can give this year. The winning tickets will be drawn at the April 3 meeting. JoAnn Ross: 760-652-5385; Nancy Starling: 760-438-7444.

 

• District Training Assembly will take place Sat., March 25, at the Liberty Station Conference Center in the Pt. Loma area. This offers valuable information for any Rotarian, but especially new members. For more information, contact Jeff Segall, jeffsegall@me.com.

• Guidelines for those who have volunteered for the AVID Seminar on March 31 will be emailed soon.

• The Bud Carroll Celebration of Life, remembering our longtime member, will be Sat., April 29, at 3pm at the Green Dragon on Paseo del Norte, across from Tip Top Meats. Gloria Foote is seeking photos of him from members. Email them to her soon: glofoote46@gmail.com

• Our May 15 meeting will feature a Foundation 101 program: Everything you didn’t know about the Rotary Foundation and the club foundation. What they do, how they operate, and how your donations are used. If you have specific questions, send them to Jeff Segall (jeffsegall@me.com) so the presenters can answer them during the presentation.

 

• Rotarians At Work Day: This year, we wll be building a special public reflection area at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center in honor of former Carlsbad Mayor Matt Hall. The project will take place from 8am-noon Sat., April 29 at the Discovery Center, in conjunction with members of the Carlsbad Rotary Club (evening). Lunch and fellowship will follow.

 

• The City of Carlsbad is seeking 14 Rotary volunteers to help with its Easter Eggstravaganza in Poinsettia Park, 9:30am-1:30pm Sat., April 8. Volunteers are needed to help with check-in, and in the cookie decorating, face painting and bunny photo ares and at the spin wheel. Volunteers do NOT need to be finger-printed for this event. Contact Velyn Anderson.

 

 

 

Ray Green shared that the Mexico House Build on March 18 was another CHNR success story, with approximately 15 volunteers who took part in the Project Mercy project in Mexico on March 18. Many other club members contributed to the project with goods and/or donations. This year’s recipients of the CHNR house were a young couple and their six-yar-old son.

 

• CHNR 12th annual Bocce Ball Tournament: April 1 at Magee Park: 11:30 for setup, noon for burgers and dogs (bring your own drinks, desserts to share and chairs). The tournament begins at 12:30pm.

• Danny Quisenberry is making arrangements for a social event at the Ventana restaurant in Escondido on April 13, from 5-9pm. Three live bands will be featured, and there will be a $20 per-person fee.

• Pickleball Party & Social: 3pm, Sat., May 6. Come to play or see how it’s played, followed by a social hour at Beth Garrow’s home. Maureen Taylor to email particulars, including location.

• The final Pizza Challenge gathering and Dine-Arounds for this Rotary year will be in May. Information to come.

 

Wendy Wiegand began with photos that needed explanations:

Julie Walker said the first photo was of her and Jeff with their ’92 Toyota Supra, entered in the Best 80s-90s division at a car show in San Marcos last weekend. No trophy this time: beat out by a massive Buick Roadmaster. Mike Metts said the snow photos were of their cabin in Big Bear, before and after he and Cindy had to clear a trail to the door. Velyn Anderson said the photo of all those cute kids were her 20 grandchildren, before #21 was born a few weeks ago.

 

 

Maureen Simons was pictured in full St. Patrick’s Day attire, at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center, where she prepared 60 pounds of corned beef for an Irish dinner. There  also was a photo of Samantha Richter with the six loaves of soda bread she had baked after Simons shared the recipe.

 

Yvonne Finocchiaro was asked if she recalled what she was doing on March 16, 1985. She said she and Carm had a Celebrate Spring Garden Party for his family and hers and a lot of friends—and after introducing everyone to everyone else, she and Carm got married.

 

Jeff Segall was asked what he would be doing this March 26: celebrating his wife’s birthday, but he was not yet willing to share where. Viveka Kjellgren also was asked about March 26: She and Per will be celebrating 40 years, but doing so with friends in Texas.

 

Wiegand wanted to know what Rocco Ciesco, Jani Jackson, Josh Rytz, Marilou dela Rosa and Ray Green have in common this month: Rotary anniversaries, in order: 5 yrs, 3 yrs, 14 yrs, 1 yr and 3 yrs.

  

Maureen Simons introduced Hyatt, who began gave a bit of history of the Irish in America. When the Irish, came to this country and settled on the east coast, they were not well-respected or well-treated, primarily because there were so many, were poor and their Catholic faith was not all that common here. That changed when gold was discovered in California. The Irish began migrating west, where they were better received—as fellow migrants.

 

Hyatt said the Irish have been a part of San Diego history for some 200 years, with a number of Irish organzations active in San Diego, including his organization: the Irish Congress of Southern California.  It’s  a 100% volunteeer group, and it’s primary mission is to promote appreciation and knowledge of Irish history and culture, including organizing San Diego’s annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade & Festival. The first parade was held in 1981.

 

This year’s parade was held March 11, and included dignitaries from Ireland, floats, Irish music and dancing groups, equestrian units, Irish setters, antique cars and more. The winners of the Smiling Irishman and Miss Colleen contests were honored, and a daylong Irish festival was held in Balboa Park.

All done by volunteers, Hyatt said, noting that work for next year’s parade and festival will begin in June.

 

There are many other Irish organizations and groups in San Diego, he said, including one of the most well known, the House of Ireland in Balboa Park, the Irish Outreach Center, Irish American Bar Association, San Diego Firefighters Emerald Society, San Diego Law Enforcement Emerald Society, and more.