Wednesday May 4th, 2005

Reniero – we wish you the best with Rotary in Newport!
We will miss you dearly!

President’s Message: Today was Reniero’s last day as a member of our Rotary Club, and what an impact he has had on this club. He was one of the Charter members and has been in rotary for 14 years. Some of his recruits for this club are Luis & Carolina Chacon, Jessika Martinez, Steve Hernandez, Don Morrin and Rick Marshall and that in itself shows he impact he has had. In celebration of the many contributions Reniero has made to our club, several members brought presents for him to send him off in a proper way.
Miriam Tenant gave Reniero a tripled boxed photo album where he can keep some of the memories -- and never forget us. Don Morrin gave him a super power high charged spot light so he can always find his way back to us. Jessika, who may have become a Lion had it not been for Reniero, gave him something close to her heart for him to remember her by: a bottle of wine. Luis thanked Reniero for bringing him into Rotary and in a sense providing a new home and circle of friends after Luis’s army days. The camaraderie and friendships of Rotary has meant the world to Luis. He also commented on the successes that Reniero has made for himself both in business and in his personal life. Reniero is a self made successful business man, who is giving back to the community in many ways. Carolina told us that Reniero is very popular in the West Covina Chamber, especially with the women. It seems he is not only great looking and a sharp dresser, but also smells really good!!! Carolina and Luis then presented Reniero with a pair of gold Rotary Cufflinks. A beautiful present. Friends forever!
It seems Reniero has also made some friends with the local law enforcement agencies. Chief Frank and Cdr.Mark Tedesco, on behalf of the West Covina Police Department, presented Reniero with his very own Swat Team Pin, Swat Team T-shirt and Coffee mug, with Reniero’s name on them. These items are only issued to official members of the Swat Team and they had to get special permission to have the items made for Reniero. A great honor in deed. Now Reniero can speed through West Covina all he wants. He just has to remember to wear the T-shirt, with the pin & have the coffee mug firmly planted on the dash board.
Reniero thanked all the members of our club. Rotary has been a big part of his life for the last 14 years and he knows he is going to miss this club. He has transferred to the Sunrise Club in Newport, but does not think anything can ever replicate what we have here. Some things are very special in a person’s life. Getting married, having children are some of the most important things in life. However, for Reniero, Rotary has provided some of the moments he is most proud of and is very, very glad to have been a part of this Rotary Club.

The Mold has Spoken: It seems the mold has finally come forward and named a certain club member who did not greet the mold. Rick Marshall wasn’t too happy, but did spin the wheel.
Community Day at the Fair: The LA County Fair has invited us to participate in a Parade during the Community Day at the fair on Sept. 30, 2005. This will be a great PR opportunity for the club and we will get 20 free passes for the fair for the members participating.

Officers: The District Assembly was very successful. The theme for next year is: Service Above Self, and the incoming officers are ready for the task. It seems some incriminating photos of the club members attending a very somber, serious luncheon at Assembly may come back to haunt certain club members in the future.

Member news: Reniero will host an open house at his new business office in Irvine Sept 17th from noon till 4pm, and all are welcome. And there are several clubs in the neighborhood if we choose to party on afterwards. Chief Wills did raise some concerns what would happen if a bunch of riff rafts from West Covina went all the way down to Uptown Irvine, and advised us to be careful during the trip.
Stepping Stones is having their annual Tea and Fashion Show May 21st. Please call Kathy Benton for more info.

Every Rotarian Every Year: Jessika reported that we do not yet have 100% participation in the RI Foundation goal of a donation from all club members of $100 each. Still 2 months left to make that donation.
Scholarship Dinner: Alex Rodriquez and his committee have already received all the applications and they are ready to pick the scholarship winners. The dinner is tentatively set for May 26th. More info will be provided next week.
50/50 Raffle: The raffle was won by yours truly, but unfortunately I didn’t draw the right card.

Program: Dave Harris provided some nice entertainment for the day. We played Jenka. The loosing team, the team that made the tower fall over, had to pay a fine as determined by spinning the wheel. It seems we are all incredible good at this game, and it went on and on and on without the tower tilting over. I haven’t seen so many adults so into a game before. The room was a fire with anticipating and team strategy. Finally Don got his piece out, but in the excitement of having removed the piece, a celebratory toss in the air turned into a disaster as he dropped the piece on top of the tower and the whole thing fell over. Actually a fitting end for a very fun day.

Calendar:
May 7: 2:30 -5:30 PM Group Study Exchange BBQ
May 11: 7:10 AM Breakfast Meeting: Kris Kelso, YMCA
May 18: 7:10 AM Breakfast Meeting: Speaker from the AQMD
May 19-22: District Conference – Laughlin, NV, not too late to register Click her: District Conference
May 25: 7:10 AM Breakfast Meeting: Amanda Tured, YWCA Wings
June 18-22: 2005 RI Convention, McCormick Place, Chicago, click here for more information
July 23: 5:00 PM Club's Throughout Party
Sept 30: LA County Fair Community Day
Oct 29: Red Ribbon Rally, West Covina High School