I am really proud of being a Breakfast Rotarian. I mean really, how many places can you go every Wednesday morning to put on a Rotary badge, be greeted by many friends, community active muckety-mucks, have liv
e entertainment, have a fine breakfast then get to do it all over again the following week. I am grateful for my membership, and I know you are too! In this week’s Beacon you are going to read some fantastic things about our club including a visit from District 5240 Governor Dana Moldovan, so stay tuned for some good news!
e entertainment, have a fine breakfast then get to do it all over again the following week. I am grateful for my membership, and I know you are too! In this week’s Beacon you are going to read some fantastic things about our club including a visit from District 5240 Governor Dana Moldovan, so stay tuned for some good news!No Breakfas
t Rotary meeting would be complete without an invocation from our very own smilin’ Teresa Ramos-Alvarez, followed by Carol Smith leading us in song. Carol led us in one of her go-to’s, “The Four Way Test song.”
t Rotary meeting would be complete without an invocation from our very own smilin’ Teresa Ramos-Alvarez, followed by Carol Smith leading us in song. Carol led us in one of her go-to’s, “The Four Way Test song.”While greeters Willie Gordon and Dennis Scott were counting all the big bucks they were able to wrestle away from members for the raffle, Past President Cheryl Scott was thinking long and hard about how many visiting Rotarians we had. Answer that Cheryl gave was “zero”. But you know what, we again had guests, which in the opinion of our leadership, shows you members are doing a super job inviting guests each and every week! Cheryl invited Melissa Morris who is the Vice President of Reserves at California Resources Corp.; Karen Bonanno introduced us to her guest, Cameron Butler of Bakersfield Patios and Rain Gutters.
**Our Speaker**
Past President Queen Jackie Maxwell introduced our featured speaker District 5240 Governor Dana Moldovan. Gov. Moldovan comes to us from the Rotary Club of Westlake Village. She has been a Rotarian since 2002. The Romanian-born governor is also a P
epperdine University graduate with a degree in computer engineering. With a passion for enhancing the lives of young children, Gov. Moldovan created the non-profit Children’s Skills for Life. A program that provides young children with mentoring and resources to equip them to meeting life obstacles head on so they learn how to achieve and retain a path of success and achievement. Her sense of children being “A Responsibility for All”, and her long-term commitment to Rotary, it is our honor to welcome Dana to our club.
epperdine University graduate with a degree in computer engineering. With a passion for enhancing the lives of young children, Gov. Moldovan created the non-profit Children’s Skills for Life. A program that provides young children with mentoring and resources to equip them to meeting life obstacles head on so they learn how to achieve and retain a path of success and achievement. Her sense of children being “A Responsibility for All”, and her long-term commitment to Rotary, it is our honor to welcome Dana to our club.Gov. Moldovan opened by recognizing our club’s 40th anniversary to the district. A certificate of achievement was proudly accepted by President Jeff Haynes. Gov. Moldovan followed the recognition by establishing initiatives that she felt were most suited to each and every Rotary Club in the district given very unprecedented times that were forced upon us due to COVID interference. Firstly, and of no consequence, Gov. Moldovan told us that our motto “Service Above Self” remains as a center-point to the mission of District 5240.
Speaking of service, Gov. Moldovan acknowledged that all that is being done in the district could not succeed if it were not for a strong cast. The supporting cast she is referring to is from our own club which includes Past President Jackie Maxwell and Past President Kay Pitts who hold positions of district Executive Assistant Governor and Secretary respectfully. That is awesome stuff ladies! Thank you for your dedication.
To further that vision, Gov. Moldovan asked the question, Who We Are? Her viewpoint is to highlight ideals such as Fellowship, Being Something Bigger than Ourselves, and Embracing Multiple Causes. Gov. Moldovan displayed a visual of what Rotary membership appears to others through the depiction of an Iceberg! Yes, we all know most of what lays below the waterline. It is beneath the waterline that the bulk of good work is being performed locally and world-wide in Rotary. On the surface, club fellowship and community service are just part and parcel to a much bigger societal role, including seeding new clubs, increasing membership, and contributing to The Rotary Foundation. Gov. Moldovan says we as share-holders i
n Rotary have the potential to participate in this grander broad scale role which brings greater rewards.
n Rotary have the potential to participate in this grander broad scale role which brings greater rewards.Setting strategic priorities is essential according to Gov. Moldovan to advance the Rotary’s momentum. She recommends exploring ways our Rotary clubs can demonstrate our ability to adapt to changes in a society that has had to re-brand how they conduct business through Rotary. An example of this would be to embrace technology as a means of engagement with other community partners. She told us that use of technology can help us expand our reach and impact sectors of the community that have not adequately absorbed the good works of Rotary. Dana asked of us “are we building a new normal in Rotary?” Recent events that have changed the world are beyond our control, and even affect how we run our clubs and events, so it is up to us how we re-brand. Gov. Moldovan reminds us that Rotary has survived several world events such as world wars, major court decisions, and even a pandemic. She said Rotary has weathered those storms and it will continue to move forward.
Gov. Moldovan said participation in exciting upcoming events and a focused emphasis will be embraced by all Rotary members. From a virtual Rotary Convention last year to an in-person convention slated for Houston, Texas, 2022 will be the hub of good things to come. Dana announced that the District 5240 Conference will be held at the Santa Barbara Beachfront Hilton January 28th through 30th 2022. Protecting the Environment is an addition to the other six causes. Rotary has committed to finding ways to contribute to keeping our planet healthy. According to Gov. Moldovan we are going to examine what we have done well and become creative in becoming more adaptive and innovative in changing times. Primary on Gov. Moldovan list of “to do’s” is boosting club membership and encouraging your annual donations to The Rotary Foundation. She is bound and determined to get our district membership numbers back up to 3000. To achieve that will take every one of us thinking outside of the box. RI President Shekhar Mehta slogans - Each One Bring One and Each One Keep One, clearly support Gov. Moldovan’s pursuit of increased membership.
At the conclusion of Gov. Moldovan presentation, she surprised the tarnation out of Past President Denise Haynes when she presented Denise with a special service award for Inspiration and Dedication to service. A touched Denise accepted the well-deserved award with humble gratitude. Way to go Denise! I’m sure glad Denise belongs to us!
Thank you Data for visiting us and sharing the uplifting excitement about our District 5240. Oh yes, “The Gov.” suggested we visit the district’s newly revamped easy to use website at https://rotarydistrict5240.org/
**Announcements**
The one and only Mindy Wilmot is so pleased with the progress of Bakersfield College’s Peace Garden she took the podium to share the goings on. She displayed photos for all of to see what a little planning and landscape can do to showcase how the Peace Garden display looks like just outside of the BC campus library. I must say that recent publicity that the Peace Garden has received, now leave room for plans to expand the project to other areas of the campus and community. Mindy tells us that Cheryl Scott has also been instrumental in bringing the Peace Garden to fruition. As many of our membership knows, the Peace Garden grew with the support of your local Rotary Clubs. A slogan is inscribed on the pole landmark. Like the thousands of other poles around the world, this one features the phrase "May Peace Prevail on Earth" in multiple languages (this one is in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Tagalog). A great idea that embodies 
tenants of item #4 of The Objects of Rotary. Yes, Mindy and Cheryl, you should be proud. Job well done!
tenants of item #4 of The Objects of Rotary. Yes, Mindy and Cheryl, you should be proud. Job well done!I never had the pleasure of being a member of Breakfast Rotary back when President Don Trybul mastered the gavel during the 2000-2001 term. Don shared with us that when he was president, he was most fond of the amount of local talent which was matched with international support. That’s great! Never had the opportunity to make acquaintance with Don, but I’ll bet he would sure be proud our club and our members today!
Denise Haynes is calling all hands and feet on deck for Wine, Place and Show. She encourages one and all to promote the event, and not to just to other local Rotarians, but to any and all friends and associates you know who will enjoy fine food wine, a “lively” live auction, raffle prizes and a little competitive fun. Denise is asking us to visit our club website for all the details about ticket purchase and event sponsorship. Let’s make this easy, BBRC.ORG
Denise is seeking wine donations for our Stable Door Wine drawing and volunteers to help in one of many tasks at hand on the evening of the event. William Gordon is the volunteer coordinator, so pay him a visit and ask to sign up to help for an hour or so during the event.
Beacon Clue is what is the phrase on the Peace Pole at Bakersfield College.
*Happy Spots*
Past President Dave 
Spalinger became a grandpa again. A cute little baby girl who was aptly named Hazel Joy blessed Dave’s family. The parents and young family who reside in Colorado Springs are at home healthy and happy. And according to Dave, he now has his “little nut”.
Spalinger became a grandpa again. A cute little baby girl who was aptly named Hazel Joy blessed Dave’s family. The parents and young family who reside in Colorado Springs are at home healthy and happy. And according to Dave, he now has his “little nut”.I am pretty sure that if Past President Mike O’Doherty had not been such a smash in the banking world he would have been a professional golfer, or at least a darn good caddy. Mike shared that in a golf tournament he played in last week benefiting a local non-profit that one of his teammates sunk a long chip which gave his team a birdy. I am sure that there were other birdies that Mike’s team reeled in last week, but that one was special! Fellow BBRC member Jeff Bell joined Mike in the day of fun and frolic.
BC Foundation Director Cheryl Scott had stayed in her seat pretty well most of the meeting, for a change, waiting for her turn. And she got it! She announced the BC energy education program secured a $2 million on-going gift from the fine representatives from Valley Strong Credit Union. This gift will not only change how BC delivers its energy curriculum to the program’s students, it will enable students to pass valuable lessons on to those they serve in their vocational field of choice. Exciting news in deed.
I am pretty sure that our Songstress Carol Smith is happy that our greeters William and Dennis did such a good job this morning. Lucky lady held the winning ticket for $51 buck-a-roos!
In Rotary,
Frank Wooldridge
Beacon Writer