President Kori Dolkas opened the meeting, George Sullivan led the Pledge, Kori had Words of Inspiration by Ann Frank, we sang the Star Spangled Banner, and Ana Maria Fernandez visiting from the Tijuana club was introduced.
Kori then inducted Tim Evanson, our latest new member. Welcome Tim.
KEY HI-NOON DATES
• Oct. 5 – *Regular Monday Meeting + Board Meeting
• Oct. 14 – Brother Benno’s Food Service
- Oct. 15 – North County Food Bank
- Oct. 16 - Texas Holdem Poker Party 5PM - Mark Stenoien
- Oct. 22 - Halloween Happy Hr 5PM - Wendy Wiegand
- Oct. 23 - Rotary Cup - 6PM La Costa Canyon HS
• Oct. 26 – Regular Monday Meeting
* This CHNR meeting changed to first Monday
MONDAY CLUB MEETINGS are normally the second and fourth Mondays of the month, at the Holiday Inn in Bressi Ranch, beginning at noon. However, our first meeting in October, above, will be Oct. 5, the 1st Monday. Casual meet-up events may be scheduled for the remaining Mondays.
PLEASE SUPPORT OUR NEW FUNDRAISER
for our many 2026-2027 service projects!
(Remember, no more Oktoberfest)
Recently, at our club meeting, we launched a small fundraiser that is a fun and easy way to support our club’s many projects. It's called Football Mania and involves selling e-tickets that will give buyers a chance to win cash prizes during the final 10 weeks of the current NFL football season. You don’t have to know about football to play or have to watch football to play; you don’t even have to like football to play! The online program randomly generates the teams on your card (see below) and tracks everything for you. If you win after each week’s games, you will be notified. You also can track it online.
It's a lot like getting multiple bingo cards, one for each week remaining in the 2026 NFL season, with 3 teams listed for each week via random selection. As in bingo, you hope for winners, but this will be based on your 3 teams’ total scores each week. You will have 3 new teams each week, as indicated by the date on your card. The e-program keeps track of everything.
For each $20 e-card, $14 comes back to the club to support our programs. Participants can purchase as many e-cards as they like. The more e-cards, the more chances to win! Members have already begun to buy e-cards . . . Yay . Bob Stonebrook has emailed the information for obtaining tickets and for sharing with your family and friends or contact him at bob@aesynergy.com
Kori reminded the members that the Golden Envelope fund raiser is underway. Funds can be donated by check or directly on the CHNRC website.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Pres. Kori is still seeking a programs director. Programs have been scheduled though December, BUT she really needs assistance with this for the rest of the 2026-27 Rotary year.
Thank you to Richard Weston and his wife, Maria, for offering to host our annual Christmas Party in their home on Dec. 12.
YOUTH SERVICE
Jefferson Christmas Shopping: Wendy Wiegand said this shopping project for Jefferson Elementary families in need is being expanded this year. We will be helping 20 families, and this year will include a festive delivery event for the families that will include Santa.
She will need shoppers and wrappers, plus a team to deliver gifts to the school event on Dec. 16. Each shopper will receive wish lists from a family and shop on their own schedule. Shoppers can wrap their gifts or bring the gifts to a planned wrapping party.
Anyone who wishes to actually adopt one or more of these families is invited to do so, covering the family’s shopping costs themselves instead of using club project funds. Wiegand has emailed details for this program that will begin in November.
CHS Interact Club: Mary Fritz-Wilson is looking for additional assistance with this club of dynamic and service-minded high-school students. Our Interact club had several successful service projects last year, and the students have some great ideas for this year.
What Grown-ups Do for Work: Bob Kreisberg is seeking members, including retired members, to speak to CHS middle school students this school year on a date of the speaker’s choosing. Speakers share their career-path stories with the students, a program that has proved to be very popular with the students.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Brother Benno's Food Service, Wed., Oct 14:
Use SignUp Genius to sign up, or contact Tom Applegate or Paul Kartzke with questions: prkartzke@gmail.com
• North County Food Bank, Thur., Oct. 15, 1-4pm:
Contact Mark Stenoien to sign up: mark.stenoien@gmail.com
• Advance notice: Harvest Food Packing, Mon, Feb. 8, 2027. This is the meeting where we pack 20,000 meals in about an hour, with the help of family and friends.
TRESURER’S REPORT
Viveka Kjellgren advised that Club Runner has been updated with a new platform. Members are advised to go to the Members section and check their personal profile information, particularly email and street addresses to ensure they are valid. In addition, 2nd Quarter invoices will be issued in the next couple of weeks.
ROTO ROOTER – Mary Fritz-Wilson
Mary’s format consisted of requesting the members to tell the club what is currently going on in their lives. Some of the answers were:
Mary - new home with major renovations.
Kori - many SD attraction are free for kids in October.
Wendy - major celebration of Lisa Rodman’s birthday in Julian, including archery and axe throwing.
Velyn - granddaughter Kaitlin cross country race.
Beth - big halloween surprise for grandson.
PROGRAM
We Belong Institute
Aly Vrendenburgh
Mental Health/Suicide Prevention
Aly began the program by telling us that she herself attempted suicide at age 14 and was saved by her mother who happened to come into her bedroom in time to save her life. One of her best friends unfortunately was not so lucky. She has passionately devoted her life to research and application to help people feel that they belong and that they are not a burden. She has written a book “Out of Focus” on the subject and believes that her personal efforts at helping have saved nearly 300 individuals from ending their lives. Statistics show that globally 150 individuals die every hour due to mental health crisis. The motto for We Belong Institute is See, Share, Sustain. Diligently following these steps with a depressed individual is key to saving them. Activities include:
After school programs to deal with belonging/community
Community events to promote connection.
Cell phone detox camp. A phone-free retreat.
A major push is to generate support for a licensed clinician in all CA middle schools. If you want to sign the petition, go to CaliforniaCANTWait.com. To directly contact the We Belong Institute, go to Contact@webelonginstitute.org
NEXT MEETING: Oct. 5
Note: This is a first-Monday meeting
Instead of the normal second Monday
PROGRAM:
CA Alliance Against Trafficking
at Bressi Ranch Holiday Inn