Kiwanis of the Valleys
Holiday spirit was very much alive within the club during recent events! Members once again helped set up the S.V. Ed Foundation Christmas tree lot on Scotts Valley Dr.
On December 5, club president Dr. John A. Stevens assumed his Santa Claus identity and passed out dozens of gifts the club purchased for the Big Brothers and Big Sisters annual holiday lunch at Shadowbrook. The “little’s” were overcome with joy. Kiwanis affiliated youth members happily acted as Santa’s trusty elves.
On December 12, several members pitched in at a workday for the new Scotts Valley performing arts theater that is under construction at the site of the old roller rink.
The club is taking the rest of December off to recuperate from our recently held highly successful Christmas party. Regular meetings will resume on Jan 6. Kiwanis meets 7 a.m. every Wednesday morning at Bruno’s BBQ. The second Wednesday of each month is an evening meeting at Bruno’s at 6:30 p.m. We invite you to join us. Visit our website: www.kiwanisofthevalleys.org/
Exchange Club of Scotts Valley
The Exchange Club of Scotts Wishes Everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year.
We are happy to be working with Gateway Bible Church this year for our Christmas Giving Project. We will be putting together a Gift package with 100’s of dollars of gift certificates for a local Family of 5.
Please join us at our next regular meeting Wednesday, January 27 5:30 p.m. at Bruno’s. Mayor Dene Bustichi will be speaking about the state of Scotts Valley.
Scotts Valley Rotary
Scotts Valley Rotary had a busy December.
We heard from Jackie Nunez at The Last Plastic Straw. Their mission is to educate the public about the absurdity of single use plastic, its effects on our health, our environment, and our oceans. They aim to eliminate from the source, the use of single use plastic.
Check out their website to find out about one simple act that you can do to help- http://thelastplasticstraw.org
Carol Childers spoke to us about Meals on Wheels for Santa Cruz County, which is part of the Community Bridges family of programs. Their mission is – Enhancing lives through healthy meals and friendly human contact. Nurturing elders at one of five dining sites, or meals delivered to the home. Our club is looking at getting more involved with Meals on Wheels and Interacters, and hopefully another club or two. Stay tuned for more info.
We were honored to have Rotary District 5170 Governor, Susan Valenta speak to our club this month. She received a warm welcome from Scotts Valley Club President Tony Giannotti, Assistant Governor, Cheryl Rebottaro, Rotaract past President Jessie Case, and club members.
Our Club was recognized by the Rotary Foundation for our financial support of the End Polio Now: Make History Today Campaign. Go Scotts Valley Rotary!
Rotary Club of the San Lorenzo Valley
The Rotary Club of SLV is pleased to announce the induction of two new members, Brenda Holmes and Bill Jurgens. Brenda is the Executive Director of Mountain Parks Foundation and Bill has recently retired from Intel. Both members were honored during a visit from Rotary District Governor, Susan Valenta, and Club President, Mike Holton.
In preparation for the holidays, SLV Rotarians spearheaded a food drive to benefit local families, sponsored five local students on a holiday shopping trip, collected dozens of new socks for MCR clients, and donated funds to support a special Rotary friend struggling with a serious illness.
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” If you would like to make a difference in our community and work on international projects as well, we encourage you to be our guest for breakfast at the Mt. Hermon Conference Center any Wednesday morning from 7:15 – 8:30 a.m. Additional membership information and a list of upcoming speakers can be found on our website http://slvrotaryclub.org/.
The Valley Women’s Club
Only a few weeks ago, in late October, the Valley Women’s Club held the Hammer-Marcum Award honoring Jim Rapoza and Hallie Greene for their many contributions to the well-being of our community. Both honorees underscore the interests and concerns that epitomize the San Lorenzo Valley community. Hallie represents its neighbors-helping-neighbors ideal, the importance of involvement and support of the local community, promoting local businesses, and supporting non-profit organizations. Jim epitomizes the vital importance of individuals providing public service to assure good governance, expanding opportunities for children through education and for at-risk young people, and promoting stewardship of our watershed. We were honored to have Congresswoman, Anna Eshoo, at the event to present congratulations from the US Congress and to announce that the US Flag was raised over the Capital in honor of the event. Our State Senator, Bill Monning, and our State Assembly Member, Mark Stone, were also there with meaningful congratulations, as was our 5th District Supervisor, Bruce McPherson.
Then the tragic death on December 14 of Tai (Talitha) Stills, a past recipient of the Hammer-Marcum Award, reminded us all to cherish our family and friends and those who do so much for our community. Tai provided so much to our community through her activism in environmental issues, her work with non-profit organizations and her love of music. We will miss her joy in the beauty of the world and in friends and family. We honor her memory and are grateful to have known her.
Earlier this month, the 16th Annual Environmental Town Hall, where our local Assembly Member comes to discuss State legislation and actions that affect us locally, was held at Felton Community Hall. Assembly Member Mark Stone spoke in a forthright manner about how things work in Sacramento and of the accomplishments and disappointments of the past year. The audience asked interesting questions for Mark to discuss, and there were fascinating exhibits from the County Environmental Health Department, the Resource Conservation District, the Loch Lomond Reservoir, the Regional Transportation District, the Coastal Watershed Conservancy, and our Environmental Committee for the SLV.
Check out the website for the Redwood Mountain Faire! Applications are available for local bands who want to perform, for artists and crafters, for non-profits who want booths or want to be considered as a grant recipient.
Best wishes for a meaningful and wonderful New Year.
Submitted by Jim Melehan