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CHNR Reminders Posted on Apr 13, 2026 POLIO PLUS PIGGY Got spare change? Drop it into the Purple Piggy bank at each meeting, and the total funds will be sent to Rotary International's End Polio Now campaign at end of this Rotary year. ROTARY ELEVATOR PITCH Share Rotary with others! Here is an example: We are a group of your neighbors and professionals who want to make the world a better place. We put food in kids' tummies, shoes on their feet and books in their hands. We feed seniors and homeless, and deliver it with a smile. We provide Christmas gifts for families, do improvement projects in our community, and provide clean water to communities without. We provide shelter for war widows in The Ukraine, support youth behavioral health at home and abroad, and send youth to leadership camps. Last year, we raised $42,000 for scholarships, and we are going to eliminate polio from the world. And we have fun doing it! We are your premier non-governmental, non-political action group in the world. There are 1.4 million Rotarians worldwide, and we are people of action. We would love to have you join us at a meeting.	CHNR Reminders	Julie Walker	2026-04-13 07:00:00Z	0
Hi-Jinx Bulletin-Apr. 13, 2026 Mtg Posted on Apr 13, 2026 *NEXT MEETING:* *Monday, April 27, 2026* *Holiday Inn / Bressi Ranch* Volume 9, Issue 33 Reporter: Julie Walker Photographers: Nancy Starling and Velyn Anderson Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary President Jim Brubaker President Jim Brubaker opened the meeting, Julie Walker led the Pledge, guests were introduced, and Pres. Jim led singing of the welcome song, accompanied by Ed Rouquette on spoons. KEY HI-NOON DATES (More details in the text below) • Apr 16 - North County Food Bank • Apr 18 - Music Competition Finals • Apr 21 - AVID Conference • Apr 23 - Happy Hour/Huenefelds • Apr 25 - Rotary/NAMIWalks San Diego • Apr 27 - MTG-Scholarship Drawing • May 6 - Happy Hour/Finocchiaros • May 13 - Brother Benno’s Food Svc • May 16 - Rty Epic Day of Service • May 25 - DARK/Memorial Day • Jun 27 - Demotion Dinner MONDAY MTG DATES Our next regular Monday meetings will be April 27 *(Scholarship Drawing), May 4, May 18, June 1 and June 15, all at the Holiday Inn in Bressi Ranch. Pres. Jim* will send details prior to each. RSVPs are requested, to keep our lunch costs down. SOCIAL EVENT DATES • Happy Hour: Apr. 23, 4:30-6:30pm, Rick Huenefeld’s home • Club Social: May 6, 4:30-6:30pm, Yvonne Finocchiaro’s home SCHOLARSHIP FUNDRAISER: $5,000 to GOAL As of Monday’s meeting, our scholarship fundraiser raffle had raised $45,160, ever so near our goal of $50,000 for Carlsbad students’ college, vocational and trade school scholarships: Tickets are $20 each, or 6 for $100. Time is short, with the drawing to be held at our Apr. 27 meeting. Top prize is $5,000; 2nd prize: $2,500; 3rd prize: a gift basket valued at $1,000. Please sell or buy your tickets and bring final ticket stubs and money to CHNR’s April 27 meeting. Christian Chapman, chair of the club’s Scholarship Committee, said the committee will begin interviewing the 30 applicants this week. RI’s EPIC DAY of SERVICE: May 16 Bob Stonebrook said CHNR’s project this day will be trail improvement and maintenance in Hosp Grove Park, with CHNR organizing this as a community project. He welcomes volunteers to help him plan and organize this activity: Bob@aesynergy.com To sign up: https://www.epicdayofservice/united-states-5340-carlsbad-hi-noon/projects/hosp-grove-park-east-maintenance-event-1cfa870af MEMBERSHIP PUSH: HELP Pres.-elect Kori Dolkas and her membership committee met recently to discuss ways to boost membership, including involvement with chamber and city events, and they established sub-committees. At Monday’s meeting, she stressed that all CHNR members are on the membership committee. Please invite potential members to club meetings and/or events. ANNOUNCEMENTS • CHNR 2026-27 Board Opening: Pres.-elect Kori is looking for her Club Service Director for the coming Rotary year that begins Jul. 1. Contact her for info: kdolkas@mypointcu.com • Treasurer Vivkea Kjellgren has emailed invoices for fourth-quarter dues. • Mark Stenoien is recovering from hip replacement surgery. • Tijuana Rotary Fundraiser: Tijuana Rotary has invited CHNR members to its Paella Among Friends fundraiser, raising money for hearing aids for local children. Contact him for info: brutwo@outlook.com • April birthdays were recognized at the meeting: Julie Walker and Maureen Taylor on Apr. 5 and Maureen Simons, Apr. 17. COMMUNITY SERVICE • North County Food Bank, Thur, Apr. 16, 1-4pm. Beth Garrow has sent sign-up information for this monthly club service activity. Advance signup is required. Contact: Garrow at 630-207-6979. Members helping at Brother Benno’s Apr. 8 from left: Ray Jacobus, Tommy Hersant, Julie Gibbs, Helen Wells, Paul Kartzke and Tom Applegate • NAMIWalks SD: Our Rotary District 5340 is again supporting this fundraising walk for mental illness programs. Rotarians are invited to participate: Sat. Apr. 25, 7-11am at NTC Park at Liberty Station. Contact Bob Stonebrook, bob@aesynergy.com, to sign up or go to www.namiwalks.org/sandiego • “Rotarians at Work Day” Photos / Mar. 28 Members did handiwork projects for Hospice of the North Coast on Rotarians at Work Day, Mar. 28. Above, the crew that painted parking lot stripes and signage: standing from left: Tom Applegate, Beth Garrow, Tom Garrow, Tommy Hersant and Bob Stenoien. Another CHNR crew painted a deck and deck chairs. YOUTH SERVICES • District Student Music Competition Finals, Apr. 18 at the Dove Library, in the auditorium. Bob Kreisberg invites all to attend the finals, featuring eight student musicians, starting at 1pm. He also needs help at 12:30 to set up for the event and to sell scholarship raffle tickets. Bob@OpusProductivity.com • AVID Conference, Apr. 21: Christian Chapman needs a few members to help set up for this event at the Carlsbad Woman’s Club. He said 65 local students will be attending this conference. He will send info via SignUp Genius. • What Grown-ups Do for Work: Kreisberg also is looking for more speakers willing to share their experiences and knowledge in their own field with local students. Bob@OpusProductivity.com CHNR FOUNDATION UPDATE Mark Ealy Mark Ealy shared that our CHNR Foundation portfolio is doing well, with a 12.5% return for 2025, and still on the uptick in 2026. He said it is a diversifed portfolio that did well in all areas. “Diversification is a simple tool for reducing risk and increasing returns,” he said. Investment balance is approximately $480,000. The club takes 4% of the investment balance annually for its charitable giving each year. Ealy talked about ways to contribute to the fund that can offer tax benefits to the donor, such as Donor Advised Funds and Qualified Charitable Distributions. CLUB SOCIALS Wendy Wiegand thanked Kathy and Phil Urbina for hosting the Happy Hour on Apr. 9. The next socials will be an Apr. 23 Happy Hour at Rick Huenefeld’s home and a May 6 Club Social hosted by Yvonne Finocchiaro. Wiegand is looking for someone to host the next Poker Party. Contact her for info: wendy@wendywiegand.com PROGRAM How to Unlock the Power of Human Connection Speaker/Author: Larry Kesslin Larry Kesslin Author Larry Kesslin, a former CHNR member, has written “The Joy Molecule,” sharing the simple but powerful idea that joy comes from knowing what you are, who you are and why you are. Joy is not something to chase, but something to live. Most people, he said, spend their lives trying to succeed, impress and keep up, but deep down, what they are really searching for is joy. Kesslin has traveled the world, including Africa, and spent time with many people who have a whole lot less than Americans have, yet they have found joy. He said a Harvard study indicates that for the good life, the number one measurement of happiness is a deep human connection. He wrote this book to share the stories of people who have found joy despite discouraging circumstances—as a way to show “we are more than what we are.” When you know what you are, who you are and why you are, Kesslin said, and when you understand the difference between needs and wants, you find joy and happiness. Joy isn’t about perfect circumstances, but about clear alignment. “Attachement to circumstances is the hardest thing in life,” he said. Kesslin, who said he donates 50% of the proceeds from his book sales to the Challenged Athletes Foundation and the Boys to Men program, shared his Five Lessons to Joy: • Circumstance does not define my joy • My work needs to matter • My identity and ego kill my joy • Persistence, perseverance and patience • What is enough? NEXT MEETING: April 27 at Bressi Ranch Holiday Inn Scholarship Fundraiser Drawing	Hi-Jinx Bulletin-Apr. 13, 2026 Mtg	Julie Walker	2026-04-13 07:00:00Z	0
Welcome to Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club 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) two Mondays per 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 58 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. The club sponsors Oktoberfest a Family Fall Festival--Oktoberfest 2025 is Number 42 and will be held on September 20 at The Strawberry Fields in Carlsbad. It includes German food, German music, costume contests, games and a beer garden. Check out the website for event specifics: www.RotaryOktoberfest.org. This event has been designed and implemented since its inception by BOTH Rotary Clubs in Carlsbad: Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary and Carlsbad Rotary. Proceeds from Oktoberfest are shared with Carlsbad charities and used by each club for its many local community service projects. Additionally, CHNR also supports our Carlsbad students via the AVID program at Carlsbad High School with a business and ethics conference plus 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. CHNR members provide extensive community: service every weekday, all year, through meal delivery to seniors; once a month to 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) to a variety of nonprofit organizations in Carlsbad assisting food insecurity, the homeless, Solutions for Change, the Carlsbad Educational Foundation, Hospice of the North Coast, Casa de Amparo, the North County Food Bank, the Veterans Association of North County, La Posada, Stand Up for Kids, the Carlsbad Boys and Girls Club. We are People of Action. During the 2024-2025 Rotary year, club members provided over 5,400 hours of volunteer service to the local and international communities. Through over 60 projects club members provided: 1. Food insecurity - 24 projects for 1,308 hours delivering, packaging, serving, or organizing food products for the needy. 2. Schools - for elementary schools built/gave away 40 bikes and 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 $45,500 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 #42 with the Carlsbad Rotary to raise $117,575 for Carlsbad projects; bought gifts for 14 needy families during the holidays repaired elements of two seniors' homes. 4. Environmental: Worked at the Buena Vista Lagoon Nature Center to clear trails and separate wood pulp from debris for 107 hours. 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 Mondays, noon, at the Westin Hotel (above the Flower Fields); buffet lunch is $25. Come check us out . . . you'll like what you see. Read more...	Welcome to Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club	Yvonne Finocchiaro	2025-01-06 08:00:00Z	0
AVID Seminars AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) is a college prep program targeting students who will be first generation college attendees in their families. Students and parents make a commitment to participate in the program for all four years of high school by choosing to take the AVID Class as an elective all four years of high school. The AVID class supports students in succeeding in challenging academic programs using peer coaching strategies and study skills designed to support student learning and achievement. Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club (CHNR) began their support of the AVID program in 2008. Working with other Rotary Clubs, a Conference was put together for Senior AVID students from Carlsbad, Oceanside, El Camino and Vista High Schools. Students joined Rotarians for breakfast and panel presentations from Rotarians and representatives from potential career areas. The next year, CHNR decided to focus on Carlsbad High students. The Club invited the Junior and Senior AVID students and followed this format until 2013. At that point, the event was renamed the AVID Seminar and the focus was changed to engage the students in an interaction with successful Rotarians and successful former AVID students. Rotarians became facilitators during Breakfast and talked to students about their goals and shared their struggles and successes. Then, in smaller groups, selected Rotarians and former AVID students shared their experience and offered ideas for building success in life through a small-group format. A debrief of the small group work and a keynote presentation on a specific leadership skill closed the seminar. A highlight of the event is the recognition of the top Senior AVID Students by their teachers. March 22, 2019 marked the Twelfth Seminar. This year Hi-Noon Rotary reached out to Sage Creek High School to involve their AVID Juniors and Seniors. There were 44 students from Carlsbad High and 24 from Sage Creek. The 68 students were supported by their teachers, school and district administrators, counselors and 20 Rotarians. To support the student experience, the Club began to collect “Words of Advice” from members in 2016. A group of students created a set of questions that were then asked of all members of the club. The responses were recorded and presented to the students. The documents are used as reference materials in the AVID classes and have documented the variety of experiences that Rotarians bring to our Club. Each year the students select a different set of questions to ask the members. April 3, 2020 was to be our 13^th AVID Seminar. Unfortunately, 13 did not end up to be our lucky number. Along with many other activities, this event was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic and a wonderful experience for students and our members was lost. However, we did continue to recognize the Top 5 AVID Seniors for 2020 from each school. Their pictures are attached as are several years of pictures of the Top 5 and group pictures from past events. We want to take a moment and express our deep appreciation to the AVID Teachers on each campus. They are: Jeff Spanier and Laurie Britton at Carlsbad High School; and Aida Salah and Allison Williams at Sage Creek High School. For 2021 we are going to move forward to the 14^th Seminar! Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club Top 5 AVID Seniors Class of 2020 Carlsbad High School Analaura Flores Makella Nordquist Jasmyn Lemus Christen Opp Bianca Herrera Sage Creek High School Angelica Venancio Cavaughn Higgs Destini Perkins Hayat Sherif Roxana Dominguez The Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary Club would like to thank the following people for their continued support of the AVID Program: AVID Teachers, Jeff Spanier, Laurie Britton, Aida Salah and Allison Williams, Principals, Dr. Brian Brockett and Jesse Schuveiller, Superintendent, Dr. Ben Churchill, the District Leadership Team, and the Carlsbad Unified School District Board of Trustees	AVID Seminars	Ken Clark	2020-10-13 07:00:00Z	0