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Club Meeting - November 6, 2019
At our regular club meeting on November 6, 2019, Mr. Josh Dhanes from the Kern County Veterans' Services spoke about his time in the military and his military training. He gave us an insight into the services and advocacy that is provided to our Kern County Veterans and their families. Those services are not limited to just Veterans in the Bakersfield area, but they provide services throughout our vast County. They often try to meet with Veterans in the far reaches of our County rather than making them travel to Bakersfield. They try real hard to explain to all Veterans the benefits that they are entitled to and why they are not entitled to certain benefits under the law.
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Centennial Interactors Busy Making a Difference
Centennial Interact Club members, sponsored and mentored by our club, have been busy giving their time to different events around town. They have supported the annual American Heart Association 5K run, our local schools and making our FOX Theater shine even brighter.
 
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Club Meeting on October 30, 2019
Before the start of our meeting, everyone who showed up early to the meeting pitched in and we put together over 40 birthday bags to give to the Bakersfield Homeless Center. They will give those bags to families with children who have birthdays coming up. Donna Bell gave the inspirational moment by using Audrey Hepburn quotes. It was obvious to everyone that Donna is a huge Audrey Hepburn fan. Number of Centennial Interact Club members joined us. Angelina, one of their Co-Service Project Directors, presented to our club and asked us to help them ring the Salvation Army Bells for the holidays. President Nancy's coworker, Mr. Ron Dill, CPA, was one of our presenters. He talked about what a traditional CPA firm does. They have over 50 employees and thousands of clients some of which are international clients. According to Mr. Dill, security and privacy is a major issue in their industry. Our own Donna Bell of Walter Mortensen Insurance insurance agency was another presenter. Donna has 40 years of experience in the insurance industry. The other presenter was our own, Denise Thomas, who admitted that she passed the first two CPA tests, but never went back to finish the last two. She considers herself an accountant, just not a Certified Public Accountant. For those of us who were in the Breakfast Rotary Club, we remember Denise being the club's accountant and she has done the same for our Club for years now. Finally, Amy and Cecil talked about the sponsorship packages for our fundraiser and, as usual, they did it in a very entertaining fashion.
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Club Meeting on October 23, 2019
On October 23, 2019, Anselmo was walking around before our meeting and asking for donations from everyone for a great cause, Polio Eradication Campaign, while coloring every donors’ pinky fingers with a purple pen. On October 24th, World Polio Day, Past Governor, Sandi Schwartz, was schedule to be on her stationary bike going no where for 100 miles. Our club donated $659 to Sandi’s ride. Amy and Cecil talked about our foundation's annual fundraiser. Amy did an amazing job getting our members to commit to getting people or companies to purchase a sponsorship to our event. Steve Gibbs talked about his job with the District as the Rotary District Youth Protection Officer. Steve is the initial contact person for any complaints about adult treatment of children in our District. 
 
Our program was Mr. Mike McCoy, Executive Director of Kern County Museum, who spoke about lessons he learned from his parents and lessons he tried to teach to his own children. His willingness to say "yes" to opportunities that were presented to him has led him from being a teacher to being a photo journalist in West Africa to meeting his wife and moving back to Kern County. The Board at the Museum has nine people on it and one of them has to be a Superintendent of School who is Mike. The Museum has 14 employees. According to Mike, the Museum has failed to represent four major groups in Kern County, the Basque community, the Veterans, American Indians and the Bakersfield sounds. He and the Board members are aiming to change that real soon.
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Our Pinkie Fingers Got Painted Purple For a Great Cause
At our regular meeting on October 23, 2019, our club members donated over $650 toward Rotary PolioPlus in support of our Past District Governor, Sandi Schwartz's "Ride To No-Where" fundraiser. She was going to ride 100 miles on her stationery bicycle on Thursday, October 24, 2019, to raise awareness of Rotary's campaign to eradicate polio around the world and in memory of Rotarians who have died while helping in the effort to immunize people around the world. Every member and guest in attendance painted their pinkie finger with purple to show support for the Rotary PolioPlus eradication efforts and to commemorate their donations to the campaign.
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Club Meeting on October 16, 2019
We held our regular club meeting at The Mark restaurant. Our speaker was Michael Turnipseed, whom some of us know from the Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club days. Mike is with Kern County Taxpayers Association. He gave a brief overview of the “disruptive” qualities of the organization and how the members help bring about “more accountable, effective, efficient, and reliable government.” He attributes much of the success of the organization to the dedicated and intelligent members of the organization’s Board. He then welcomed questions from club members including one about efforts to solve the problem of the homelessness of people in our community.
Stephen Penner, the Music Director of the Shafter Symphony Orchestra, gave a short talk about the partnership between the Shafter Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Dance Center and the fund-raising campaign he is leading to have a live orchestra play for the local Nutcracker Ballet.
We had several visitors with us including Guy Veach, a member of the Florence, Oregon club and his friend, Judy, who were on the last leg of a 36 day cross country motorhome trip. We also had Sandy Fosters’ friends, Robert and Nina, visiting from Scottsdale, AZ.  Ashli Diaz joined us also again.
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2019 District 5240 Conference
Our President, Nancy Pollard, attended the 2019 District 5240 Conference this past weekend in Santa Ynez, California. Here is a picture of Nancy and other Bakersfield Presidents with their club flags about to walk in the District 5240 Parade of Clubs.
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Club Social at Portrait of A Warrior Gallery
We held our monthly club social event on Wednesday, October 9, 2019, by meeting at the Portrait of A Warrior Gallery on Eye Street in Bakersfield. We were given a very informative tour by Ms. Lili March. This Gallery has so many moving and touching things about it. But, the most moving part was seeing these hand-painted portrait of each soldier who has died since 911 and reading about their lives and who they were and the families that they left behind. If you didn't know the human toll that a war can have on a person or a family, you knew it when you read these individual soldier's stories and the families that they have left behind to deal with a loss of a loved one. To say this was a moving and somber event is an understatement. After being moved by this Gallery, we all walked across the street to Sandrini's and enjoyed dinner, drinks and each other's company. Mr. Robin Paggi (aka Pat Paggi) and Mr. Amy Smith (aka Zane Smith) also joined us.
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BCSD Partners in Education Breakfast
On Friday, October 4, 2019 morning, Robin, Amy, and Nancy attended the Bakersfield City School District Partners in Education Breakfast as guests of Mt. Vernon Elementary School principal, Mrs. Xochitl Prieto. The District, which is the largest elementary school district in California, has expanded its after school programs; students at all of the schools have the opportunity to attend the STEAM Academy classes that are offered during expanded school hours. Later at the school, Mrs. Prieto gave an overview of the Mt. Vernon Elementary School new expanded after school program and provided information about the classes they will have for the students. She also conducted a tour of the school and invited guests to step into some classrooms for a few minutes to see teachers and students in action---teaching, coaching, and learning.
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Meeting Responsibilities
Inspirational Moment
Zaragoza, Vince
 
Flag Salute
Palmer, Margaret
 
Visitors / Guests
Smith, Amy
 
Greeter
Azemika, Tracy
 
Ambassador
Azemika, Tony
 
Executives & Directors
President
 
President-Elect
 
President Elect Nominee
 
Immediate Past President
 
Secretary
 
Treasurer
 
International Serv
 
Community Service
 
Vocational Service
 
Youth Service
 
Membership
 
Awards Chair
 
The Rotary Foundation
 
Web Master
 
Club Bulletin Editor
 
Peace Chair
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
Birthdays & Anniversaries
Member Birthdays
Sam Hammoudeh
March 24
 
Join Date
Vince Zaragoza
March 7, 2018
6 years
 
Amy Smith
March 24, 2010
14 years
 
AREA MEETINGS

Tuesday @ 12 Noon 
Bakersfield North

at the Petroleum Club

Wednesday @ 12 Noon
Bakersfield West
at the Stockdale Country Club

Wednesday @ 6:45 AM 
Bakersfield Breakfast

at the Petroleum Club

Thursday @ 12 Noon
Bakersfield Downtown
at the Bakersfield Museum of Art

Friday @ 12 Noon 
Bakersfield East

at Bakersfield Museum of Art

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