The Prez Sez

Going For The Gold

lsrpresident — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 19:05:21 +0000

Lodi Sunrise Rotary President Ralph Cesena Jr and 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton

At last week’s meeting we had the priviledge of hosting 2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Stephanie Brown-Trafton as the guest speaker at our weekly meeting. The first thing that you can’t help but notice about Stephanie is that she is tall .. 6’4″ tall to be exact! When she stood next to our member Tom McCauley, it reminded me of a scene from Lord Of The Rings .. but I digress….

Stephanie shared with us her Olympic experiences (2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing), and her plans to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London. She also shared with us many of the souvenirs she has collected from her trip to the Athens and Beijing Olympics. This included passing around her gold medal for everyone to touch and feel! The medal was gold, with a white Jade insert on one side.

The weekend before speaking to our club on May 27th, 2009, Stephanie added another milestone to her impressive resume by making the fifth longest discus throw ever by an American woman at the Pacific Association Championships of USA Track & Field.

Her throw of 217 feet, two inches beat Suzy Powell-Roos, a three-time Olympian who set the American record of 222 feet in 2007. The throw was Stephanie’s a personal best by one inch, and is the top mark in the world this season.

Stephanie was asked about how her 212 foot, 5-inch Olympic winning throw stacked up against the world record, which is 252 feet 0 inches and was set in 1988 by East German Gabriele Reinsch, long suspected of being a byproduct of that country’s steroid campaign. It is a record that will be difficult to break in today’s anti-doping environment.

This past weekend (May 30th, 31st) Stephanie again won her event at the Reebok Grand Prix in New York by hurling the discuss 209 feet, 10 inches – the longest throw of the competition.

The club and Stephanie intend to start the “Make Dreams Real” scholarship for young female atheletes, sometime in Fall of 2009. The mother of Past President Mike Sinclair made the first contribution of $20!

Rotary Does Rock!

lsrpresident — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:54:03 +0000

The first time I can remember being bitten by the “music bug” was as a small child, watching my grandfather perform at the San Joaquin County Fair as part of a Dixieland Jazz Band. He and his band mates were dressed alike, wearing slacks with red and white stripped “barbershop quartet” style vests. Their small group of musicians consisted of a drummer (who was wheeled around on a rolling platform), and a small PA system that my grandfather rigged up to run off of a car battery. They wandered the fairgrounds entertaining the masses.

As I grew older, I was able to travel with him when he volunteered to perform for inmates at Deul Vocational Institute in Tracy .. at retirement homes .. and for other worthy causes.

I was the bass player in my high school jazz band at St. Mary’s High School in Stockton. During High School I formed a band with fellow students, and our first paying “gig” was for an event at the Stockton Chinese Society. After graudation, I formed a band called “Agent” and played at many venues throughout California including such legendary watering holes as The Brick Works (Stockton), II Stud (Lodi), Humps Bar & Grille (Stockton), Geno’s (Lodi), The Rooster Tail (Lodi), John Sherman’s (Lodi), and many others long since gone. I have been a lifelong musician.

One of the first things I thought of after becoming the President of Lodi Sunrise Rotary Club, was that I wanted to use my passion for music as a catalyst to do good deeds in the community. The result?

Rotary Rocks!

Rotary Rocks! is a music-themed series of events that are put on to benefit local non profit organizations, and other Rotary International projects. Our first Pilot event was held in August 2008 at Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi. Oak Ridge poured wine, the Vine Dawgz performed music, and Alebrije’s Mexican Bistro provided the food! The event attracted 75 people and raised $400 for the World Of Wonders Science Museum, without spending any money on advertising.

With our feet wet, we were ready to take the second Rotary Rocks! event to the next level. The SECOND event is scheduled for Saturday, September 29th (Thanksgiving Weekend) and is being hosted by Steve and Bo Diede (Diede Construction).

There are currently NINE wineries committed to pour complimentary wine including Oak Ridge Winery, Michael David, D’Art, Borra Vineyards, Overboard Wine Company, Barsetti Vineyards, Stama Winery and Peltier Station Winery. There will be appetizers, water and soda available as well.

The Vine Dawgz return for a second engagement – and that is where my music background intersects with Rotary. I am a Rotary Club President. I am a bass and keyboard player. I am a vocalist.

I haven’t met many Rotarians that are rock musicians. I think it is fairly unique. Dustin Taunton (next year’s president of our club) is also a bass player – and will perform with the Vine Dawgz at the next Rotary Rocks!

So for the first time, when someone asks me “What do you think of Rotary?”, I can reply (in all sincerity) that “Rotary Rocks!”. And when Dustin and I are performing together, it is literally true!

Remembering 9/11 By The Numbers

lsrpresident — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:14:20 +0000

Remembering September 11^th by the numbers

As citizens of the United States, we should all take a moment this Thursday (September 11^th) to remember the attacks of 2001 that killed so many of our fellow American citizens who were – like most of us each morning – at work, preparing for another day.

On Thursday, put aside your political differences, ideological knit picking, and your philosophical ideals and .. just remember.

Like those in New York, I was just preparing to head out the door for my daily commute when the events began to unfold on CNN. Initially, the commentators weren’t speculating much on a terrorist attack, but instead pondering how a plane could have strayed into the first tower. But as they debated the issue, another plane suddenly loomed into view and crashed – right before our very eyes – into the second tower.

At that moment, I remember shouting out that we were under attack. That terrorists had just killed many thousands of our citizens. And that, as we all know, was just the beginning. The beginning not only of a very long day, but of many things yet to come.

As you read this, my brother in law – Captain Justin Agostine, Commander A-Company, 40^thEngineering Batallion – is doing his third tour in of duty in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq. He is a native of Fredonia, New York. His wife (my sister) and his two children (my neice and nephew) anxiously await his safe return in Germany. On August 26^th Justin lost one of his men and very close friend – combat engineer Carlo Alfonso – to an Improvised Explosive Device in Baghdad’s Sadr City. Two more of his men are currently at Walter Reed military hospital, recovering from loss of their legs during that attack.

Nothing more dramatically reminds me of the magnitude of that day’s events – September 11^th, 2001 – than simply reviewing the numbers. I hope these facts remind everyone of just how significant that day was, how far we have come in recovering, and how brave our soldiers are in keeping those terrorists at bay – in a land far from our homes in Lodi, California.

1	The number of 9/11 hijackers that were from Lebanon
2	The number of NYFD paramedics that died during rescue operations on 9/11 The number of 9/11 hijackers that were from United Arab Emirates
8	The number of private sector paramedics and EMT’s that died on 9/11
15	The number of 9/11 hijackers that were Saudi Arabian
19	The number of terrorists that initiated the 9/11 attacks
23	The number of NYPD officers that died on 9/11
24	The number of people listed as missing and presumed dead, for whom no remains were ever found after the 9/11 attacks
27	The number of Al Qaeda operatives that attempted to infiltrate the US prior to the 9/11 attacks
37	The number of NY Port Authority officers that died on 9/11
40	The number of passengers and crew killed trying to take control of United flight 93
55	The number of military personnel killed in the 9/11 attacks (all at the Pentagon)
56	The number of minutes that the South Tower (2 WTC) burned before collapsing
59	The number of passengers and crew killed when United flight 175 crashed into the South tower of the WTC The number of passengers and crew killed when American Airlines flight 77 was crashed into the Pentagon
88	The number of passengers and crew killed when American Airlines flight 11 was crashed into the North tower of the WTC
90	The number of countries that lost citizens in the 9/11 attacks
102	The number of minutes that the North Tower (1 WTC) burned before collapsing
110	The number of floors in the Twin Towersof the WTC
125	The number of people killed at the Pentagon when American Airlines flight 77 crashed into the building
175	The number of Aon Corporation employees that died in the North Towerof 1 WTC
200	The number of people that lept to their deaths from the WTC
246	The total number of passengers and crew that died onboard aircraft on 9/11
295	The number of Marsh, Inc. employees that died on impact of United Flight 11 into the North Towerof 1 WTC
341	The number of fire fighters that died during fire suppression efforts
411	The number of emergency workers that died attempting rescue and fire suppression efforts
600	The number of people who were on a floor ABOVE the area of impact, who died in the South Towerof the WTC The number of Al Qaeda members arrested and handed over to the US by Pakistan after the 9/11 attacks
658	The number of Cantor Fitzgerald employees that were killed in the North Tower WTC 1
684	The number of points the DJIA fell when it reopened on September 17^th, 2001 – the first day of business after 9/11 – the single largest 1-day point decline in its history
757	The type of Boeing aircraft hijacked by the 9/11 terrorists
1,366	The number of people who were on a floor ABOVE the area of impact, who died in the North Towerof the WTC
1,369	The number of points the DJIA lost in the week following 9/11 – the single largest points loss in a week
1,600	The total number of victims whose remains were identifiable after the WTC attacks
1,727	The height, in feet, of the former WTC towers
1,776	The height, in feet, of the new Freedom Towerbeing built at the site of the WTC
2,603	The total number of people killed in the Twin Towersof the WTC
2,974	The total number of people killed on 9/11 (excluding the hijackers)
7,000	The number of FBI special agents involved in investigating the 9/11 attacks
10,000	The number of unidentified bone and tissue fragments that have not been matched to any of the identified dead of 9/11
18,000	The number of small businesses destroyed or dis-placed after the 9/11 attacks
80,000	The number of Arab and Muslim immigrants fingerprinted after the 9/11 attacks under the 1940 “Alien Registration Act”
430,000	The number of lost job months attributed to the 9/11 attacks
500,000	The estimated cost to Al Qaeda, in dollars, spent in pulling off of the 9/11 attacks
3.2 Million	The square footage of office space damaged or destroyed by the 9/11 attacks
2.8 Billion	The estimated amount of lost wages in the three months following the 9/11 attacks
11.2 Billion	The dollar amount of immediate assistance granted to New York city after the 9/11 attacks
27.3 Billion	The amount, in dollars, that the NY city gross domestic product decreased in the fifteen months following 9/11
1.4 Trillion	The value amount, in dollars, that the stock markets lost in the week following 9/11

Ralph Cesena Jr.

President, Lodi Sunrise Rotary Club

Reference Links:

Numeric Facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/9/11_attack

Bio and Photo: Captain Justin T. Agostine

http://www.1ad.army.mil/2ndBde/40th%20Eng/aco/aco_CO.htm

Earthquake Company pays tribute to fallen soldier (Carlo Alfonso)

http://www.blackanthem.com/News/Military_News_1/Earthquake-company-pays-tribute-to-fellow-Soldier-during-ceremony18470.shtml

http://www.1ad.army.mil/Story/sept08/tribute.htm

Spokane Soldier Killed In Iraq

http://www.spokesmanreview.com/breaking/story.asp?ID=16410

One Sixth

lsrpresident — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:38:14 +0000

Wednesday saw the final meeting of August come and go, which represents completion of 1/6th of my Rotary Year as president. Time is flying by.

In the past month we have accomplished a lot of things including putting on the first Rotary Rocks! event at Oak Ridge Winery! Another event, scheduled for November 1st, is in the final planning stages.

I have been able to re-draft the club bylaws, draft a formal attendance policy, put the finishing touches on the draft club Membership process and policy, and created a new Member Application to support the membership policy and process.

Looking back on the Strategic Vision Plan I had for the club, I have accomplished more than I realized in the first two months of my tenure. I am optomistic that I can accomplish all the goals I set forth by the end of this Rotary year.

Probably the most exciting thing about the past few weeks is the number of membership leads (THREE) that have been directed to us via the Club Website. I guess the re-design of our website has gone a long way in making it easier for people to find us, easier for people to learn about what we do, and effective at creating a desire for website visitors to take the next step. If all goes well, in the next few weeks, we could have two new club members who were referred by the WEB! Great stuff!

At yesterday’s meeting we had a lot of fun. McCauley was again recognized for not having a badge on, although his recognition was smaller because he was able to answer THREE insurance industry questions correctly! I was shocked.

We had several guests visit the club including Luis Maldonado of Diede Construction (2nd meeting), Michelle Madsen (4th meeting – and she submitted her member application), and Carolyn Denero (1st meeting).

DeGrande’s Cafe provided breakfast – an egg casserole, potatoes and fruit!

Our guest speaker was San Joaquin County Supervisor Ken Vogel who spoke on a variety of topics including the Peripheral Canal initiative and how it would impact our area. He stated that the state was considering formation of a Delta Water Management agency in helping to forward their plans to build the canal. Very interesting speaker.

I still don’t have the club bell back, and my badge is still missing. McCauley is the lead suspect on both counts.

Now we move into the “second sixth” of the Rotary year!

Conditional Forgiveness

lsrpresident — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:14:31 +0000

As some of you already know, I try to send weekly emails out to our club members who miss weekly meetings. For those of you that don’t know, here is the email that was sent out this week. Since missing the Governor’s Visit is particularly heinous, its a bit harsher than usual .. but you’ll get the gist.

Hi, guys

Welcome to my weekly “special email” that is sent to our club members that miss the weekly meeting. J Here is what you missed on Wednesday:

DISTRICT GOVERNOR’S VISIT

We hosted District Governor Janine McClanahan. She gave us an overview of her plans for the district, then met with the board after the meeting. We shared some great ideas, and updated her on OUR PLANS for this year.

THE BAD NEWS

There is a new Sheriff in town ….. The District Governor’s Visit meeting is always MANDATORY for all club members. You guys can expect SPECIAL RECOGNITION at next week’s meeting. Turnout was good, but would have been better had you been there!

THE POTENTIALLY GOOD NEWS

Despite the fact that I’m disappointed that you missed the mandatory meeting on Thursday – and despite what Tom McCauley might tell you – I am a benevolent leader who IS WILLING TO FORGIVE AND FORGET!!!!! About the only time I’m not-so-benevolent is WHEN you don’t wear your badge…. Speaking of which … I had a very special badge made up just for Tom to wear at the Governor’s Visit. I’ll have to save that for another time… but I digress…..

If you would like to get back in my good graces for missing the District Governor’s meeting, here is your mission, should you decide to accept it.

Know that it isn’t easy, but given the Governor’s Visit is very important – it SHOULDN’T BE EASY! If you choose NOT to accept it, please bring your checkbook to the next meeting.

Here are the two tasks you must perform by 7am next Wednesday:

Task #1 – Do A Makeup Meeting at one of the following clubs, and…..

· make 20 copies of the attached ROTARY ROCKS flyer

· do a make-up at one of the following Rotary Clubs

· promote Rotary Rocks at their meeting by asking for a moment to mention the event / date, and passing out flyers

FRIDAY – 7:00am : Galt Sunrise at Estrellita High School

12 Noon : Stockton East at Elkhorn Golf & Country Club

12 Noon : Galt Rotary at Papa’s Pizza

MONDAY - 12 Noon : Lodi Tokay Rotary at Lodi Elks Lodge

TUESDAY – 7:00am Stockton Sunrise at Brookside Country Club

12:00 Noon: North Stockton at Brookside Country Club

Task #2 – Bring A Guest To Next Week’s Meeting who is not a family member (potential club member candidate)

If you accomplish your mission by performing BOTH TASKS before 7am next Wednesday, you will avoid the VERY HARSH recognition that you have coming to you! J That recognition may include (but is not limited to) financial penalty, public humiliation, shaving cream and/or eggs on your car, and/or being designated as next year’s “Membership Director” or “Club Secretary”!

This email will self destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck!

President Ralph

Rotary Rocks!

lsrpresident — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:52:42 +0000

We are trying something new this year that is getting some traction within District 5220 … Rotary Rocks!

Rotary Rocks! was first conceptualized as a way that I could use my love of music, and musical talent, to expose more people in Lodi to Rotary – and to attract potential new members.

Because we are a morning Rotary Club, it can sometimes be difficult to get prospective members in to the club because of the time, and the lack of motivation many people have (to try new things) early in the morning.

The basic concept behind Rotary Rocks! is to give YOU, the members of our club, and EASIER WAY to bring people you would consider as prospective members – CLOSER to Rotary and our club, giving you an opportunity to talk about Rotary and therefore get them interested!

I see this event as a TOOL that we can use to grow the club, far beyond any growth we have achieved in the past. It only takes a little effort from each of us!

So sell those tickets and bring your proceeds to next weeks meeting! Our goal is to sell 75 tickets by July 24th!

Week Two, and I Haven’t Quit Yet! :)

lsrpresident — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 03:01:02 +0000

Well, my second meeting as LSR President is over, and I haven’t quit yet! But the meeting did leave me wondering … where is the club bell? Which also caused me to reminisce about last year’s Bell Adventure!

Today marked the first meeting at our new location – Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi, CA. The food was catered by DeGrande’s Cafe and featured Apple Amaretto French Toast, flavorful egg casserole, and fruit skewers – all of which I really enjoyed.

The “pious” past president “Chuck” delivered the moving invocation and John Bates led the pledge. “And to the Republicans for which it stands” was noticeably absent, given Bob Gross was out of town.

Tom McCauley, who once again refused to wear his badge, was “recognized” for his insolence. And then his further dialogue on the issue resulted in his “recognition” being doubled. One has to wonder if he will ever learn. He did, however, lecture me on the past history of the club and recognitions in general – higlighting that Rotary clubs require funds to operate. I, of course, siezed on that and pointed out that his recognition amount classified as “fundraising” in my book.

We had two visitors to the club, both considering membership. Rajesh “Raj” Patti, proprietor of American Custom Guards in Lodi (a private security firm), and Nick Karavidas- General Manager at Oak Ridge Winery. In the coming weeks we hope they will visit us again, and work with Membership Director Dustin Taunton in getting through the membership qualification process, leading to club membership!

With everything on my agenda today, I neglected to mention an interesting Rotary fact… The R.I. Ambassadorial Scholarship program is one of the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship programs. Last year there were 737 ambassadorial scholars from 70 different countries. They studied and served as ambassadors in over 60 countries. We are priviledged to sponsor one of next year’s scholars – Kate Casey – from Lodi.

Next week we will be implementing a “Greeter” for our club meeting. The first assigned LUCKY ROTARIAN will be Mike McCarthy. I figured he has a daughter in Europe on Youth Exchange right now, so he’s probably looking for something to do in the mornings. The “greeter” will be responsible for introducing himself to all club members as they arrive, and helping introduce guests and visiting Rotarians to the club membership during breakfast. It is a great way for new members to get to know everyone in the club, and meet some of our other area Rotarians and potential members. The Club Calendar will have assignments for each week’s “greeter” position.

In our “Good News Moments” segment, Tom McCauley very proudly proclaimed his love for wife Gwen in sharing with the club their wedding anniversary. HIs heartfelt proclaimation earned him a “pass” on further recognition. I shared with the club that my oldest son Alex was, at that very moment, on a plane bound for Philadelphia en route to Milan, Italy as one of our club’s Rotary Youth Exchange Students.

In the “club business” segment, I highlighted my conversations with Chancellor Place (our former meeting location) and how much I expressed our gratitude to them for hosting us for several years. They will be missed. We will be missed.

There will be a test next week on the Rotarian magazine. Don’t forget to study.

District Governor Janine McClanahan will visit the club on Wed, July 23rd. She has offered to meet with the board following our morning meeting (for about an hour), or later on in the evening. An email will go out asking board members to state their preference.

I will be in Philadelphia for our Wed July 30th meeting, entertaining our Youth Exchange Student from Italy (Carlo Andres). Both Carlo and my son Alex will be at the August 6th meeting. Past President Chippy will preside in my absence.

Dustin announced he will have a new membership drive ready to be put in place next week. Stay tuned for that!

I asked Steve Reeves, our Sergeant at Arms, to provide me with a weekly “recognition status” so that I can publish a “Recognition Leader Meter”. Phil correctly pointed out that, thus far, Tom McCauley is the hands down leader in that department.

Nicole (programs) announced her “your turn to find the speakers” assignments which are:

Sept (Bradley), Oct (Gary), Nov (Bob), Dec (Tom), Jan (TBD), Feb (Dustin). This information will be added to the club calendar as soon as Nicole emails it to me.

Our guest speaker was Cathy Cockayne from the California Department of Transportation “Adopt A Highway” program. She lavished praise on the club for doing such a great job keeping our stretch of highway 99 clean! She asked if anyone had found anything interesting, and I opted to keep that information to myself. On another note, the DVD that was given to me by Gary Duncan works great!

Parting Shots …. John Bates reminded everyone to donate blood, I announced that next week’s program will be on “Amplification Equipment”, and I left everyone with this final thought….

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Anthropologist Margaret Mead

I spent the rest of the day conducting meetings around organizing the planned August 9th”Rotary Rocks!” event at Oak Ridge Winery. I first met with Kim Rudow at Oak Ridge to discuss how best to include “wine tasting” withthe event pass, and we agreed on “wine tasting tickets”. Next I met with Dustin to discuss the proposal for the event, withthe goal of emailing the proposal to the board at the end of this evening. Lastly I met with Gary DeGrande- the man responsible for catering this morning’s breakfast – to discuss his catering the Appetizers for the event. All three meetings were very productive! Gary gave me TWO LEADS on clients of his that are interested in joining Rotary. I have made initial contact with both, and hope to follow up with them tomorrow.

Lastly, I stopped into the office of a fellow club member who is no longer in our club. He has been considering a return, and I hope to convince him to join us again! Stay tuned!

One Down, Forty Nine To Go!

lsrpresident — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:58:14 +0000

Here it is, the morning of July 4th and I found a few minutes to create this blog and contribute my first comment. Hopefully this will become at least a weekly habit, and I hope to use this blog to keep track of all the great happenings during my year as Rotary President.

My first Rotary Meeting of the year has been completed and it is actually nice to finally get started! I guess after 13 years in Rotary it is finally my time to lead, and I intend to make the most of it. With leadership comes great responsibility, and I hope to set an example for those that follow.

Wednesday’s meeting (July 2nd) started out with the realization that – yes – the BELL IS MISSING! We then proceeded with our usual invocation and pledge of allegiance (which always features one member’s version which includes “and to the Republicans, for which it stands….”. After the pledge, everyone remained standing while I asked those who had attended last week’s Kickout Dinner to sit down .. then asked those who worked the Highway Cleanup project to sit down, which left one lone Rotarian (Bob Wood) standing - and he was promptly “recognized”. Nothing like starting out the year by generating some revenue!

Tom McCauley refused to wear his badge, so I recalled for him a scene from “Rocky IV” in which the “bad guy” (Ivan Drago) tells our hero Rocky Balboa – with a thick Russian accent … “I must break you”. And with that, the “breaking” began with yet another recognition.

Various club business was discussed. The first announcement was that our club has a new meeting location .. Oak Ridge Winery in Lodi! Our first NEW MEMBER of the year (Sean Treloar) was inducted nto the club! My PowerPoint presentation outlining the vision for the 2008-09 Rotary year followed. It included a bullet item highlighting that we have an Ambassadorial Scholar candidate in Kate Casey, a graduate of Tokay High School in Lodi. Kate took a few minutes to introduce herself and talk about her desire to be a Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholar!

At the conclusion of the meeting there was a short and impromptu board meeting, at which the board members in attendance unanimously voted to sponsor Kate as our FIRST Ambassadorial Scholar!

I pointed out that after being President for ONE DAY, we had already accomplished the following:

Found a new location for our weekly meetings at Oak Ridge Winery
Pledged $1,000 a year (for the next three years) to the Polio Plus $300 Million matching grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Inducted the first of what I hope will be THIRTEEN NEW MEMBERS this year
Approved the club’s first Ambassadorial Scholar

One meeting down, about forty-nine to go!