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We will be meeting on the 1st, 2nd and 4th Tues of each month. Starting in August on the 3rd Tues of each month we will have a "Rotary Bump Night" at a local restaurant.

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Morro Bay Harbor Dept. - On Site Exploration

We held our first "On Site Exploration" at the Morro Bay Harbor Department where Harbor Director Eric Endersby gave us an outstanding presentation. As part of the event we met at Dockside Too and shared a meal with Rotary friends for part of Eric's presentation. Eric did an outstanding job competing for our attention among the screeching seagulls. We then walked over to the Harbor Patrol dock where Eric finished his presentation with some fun harbor stories.

We also gained a new member with Eric signing back up as a RCMB member and John Weiss presenting him with a Rotary Pin. Welcome back Eric!

On Site Explorations are held when five Tuesdays occur within any month. This only occurs four times this Rotary year. The next On Site Explorations for our Club will be on November 30, 2021, March 29, 2022, and May 30, 2022. Don't miss out on these fun events!

Morro Bay High School Scholarships

Five Morro Bay High School graduates are headed to college this Fall with the help of scholarships they received from the Rotary Club of Morro Bay Foundation. Scholarship Committee Chair, Mike Pond, announced that a total of $10,000 was awarded to five winners. These awards are based on academic performance, financial need, extracurricular activities and community involvement. The 2021 winners are Sage Clokey, Kaylee Garcia, Jacob Miller, Margaret Muff and Kelby Plotkin. Thanks to successful fundraising and donations the Rotary Club of Morro Bay Foundation continues to support outstanding students. The Club also contributed to the MBHS Senior Tribute and Awards Night.

Sheriff Ian Parkinson - Guest Speaker

Sheriff /Coroner Ian Parkinson was our guest speaker this past Tuesday. He gave us an update both good and bad of what was going on in our County. Thank you Sheriff Parkinson for taking time out of your busy schedule to visit our Club and keep us updated.

Sheriff Parkinson was presented a Rotary challenge coin exemplifying our "Service Above Self" motto and the four way test of the things we think, say, and do!

Drive Thru BBQ September 15th

Click here to purchase tickets through our Givsum website

Drive Thru BBQ Tickets

SLO Botanical Garden Speaker

Chenda Lor who is the Director, of the SLO Botanical Gardens was our Guest Speaker last Tuesday. SLO Botanical Gardens is a nonprofit dedicated to preserving our relationship with the nature that surrounds us. Join us next Tuesday (August 10th) when our Speaker will be non other than San Luis Obispo County Sheriff / Coroner Ian Parkinson. You don't want to miss this meeting.

Kicking Off Our 2021/22 Rotary Year

Welcome to the 2021-22 Rotary year! I want to take a moment to thank Past President Jeff Jones and his BOD for leading us through a year like we have never experienced before and hope to never experience again. Thank you to all who helped us not only survive but thrive this past year. I’m really looking forward to serving as your president and working with each of you to make our Club even stronger than it already is. This will truly be a year of opportunities, challenges, and new experiences as we navigate our way out of the pandemic and back to normal life.

Our goal is to start the year with in person lunch meetings and social events which I believe we are all ready for after more than a year of isolation. I want to encourage you to join your fellow club members and attend meetings, socials and community projects throughout the upcoming year. Our meeting locations may change at the start of the year due to impacts from the pandemic. Keep checking this website and your emails for updates on meeting locations and our new "Rotary Bump Nights." Rotary International’s theme for the 2021-22 year is “Serve To Change Lives.” I think that fits well with our long standing motto “Service Above Self.” Rotary International has also launched a campaign “People of Action” to help identify what Rotarians are truly all about.

I know we are all looking forward to a fun, productive, and rewarding year being "People of Action." By working together with our fellow Rotarians we will make a difference locally and globally. We will be dark the first two weeks of July, however we will be having a Step Down/Social event on July 16^th at 3:00pm (keep an eye out for more information on this event) and our first in person noon meeting will be held at Morro Bay High School on Tuesday, July 20, 2021. See you all there!

Service Above Self,

Tim Olivas

The Changes That Come in June

The month of June is here and with it is anticipation of sun and fun at beach. Well, in Morro Bay, the sun might be somewhat fleeting. Another thing that comes with this time of the year is the anticipation of the new and exciting upcoming Rotary Year. President Elect Tim officially takes the helm on July 1st and the upcoming Rotary Year promises to be exciting.

In preparation for his year as our President, Tim is conducting a quick survey that will be circulated in the first week of June. Please take 8-10 minutes or so to complete this survey, as it will help President Tim and his Board of Directors tailor what we do as a Club with our member's ideas. One huge change that is coming is the return to in-person meetings and all of the fun that they bring.

Personally, I thank you all for your support as your President for the past 16 months. Together, we've navigated our Club through this past year that was so different from the past due to Covid-19. Overall, our membership remained strong! We participated in 12 projects; including distributing Hand Sanitizer to MB businesses, raised money with our first annual Ducky Derby and two Rotary BBQs, donated more than $10,000 in support of lifeline projects and awarded $10,000 in scholarships to MB High School seniors. Working together, we've really made a difference!

So, get ready to re-engage and participate in person during this new Rotary year! I'm looking to seeing everyone work with President Tim, as we head into what will be a fun, exciting, active and wonderful year; continuing to make a difference in our community and the world.

Yours in Rotary,

Jeff

Second RC Morro Bay BBQ a Success!

Once again, perfect weather and an energetic crew made for another great Rotary Drive-through BBQ. Tri-tips were grilled to perfection, the bread toasted and buttered, and salads and beans packaged; everyone who purchased the 110 (or so) meals drove off with a smile and a wave!

The BBQ Crew was headed by Pete Zotovich who again did an outstanding job coordinating the event. We couldn't have pulled this off without the help of many of our Club's members. Thanks to the Morro Bay Police Volunteers who provided traffic control and check-in for the event. Also, big thanks to Jude Long for coordination of our marketing and promotions and to Tim Olivas for setting up the GivSum account.

Our community supporters included: Carla Wixom who provided salad and beans and her restaurant, Carla's Country Kitchen, which was a great facility for a drive-through BBQ. Dean Sullivan owner of Estero Bay News donated large ad space in two editions, Tom Hay (Hay Printing) donated printing support, and John Spencer (Spencer's Market) provided bags to package the take-away in.

Ken Casida

Ken Casida
July 27, 1943 – February 7, 2021

I am sorry to announce that our long-time member and friend Ken Casida passed away today after a brief illness.

Ken first joined Rotary as a Charter member of the Rotary Club of Visalia. He served as Club President (1992-93) and was a seven-time Paul Harris Fellow. We were fortunate when Ken and Elsie moved to Morro Bay; soon becoming Morro Bay Rotary Club members in April 2013. He was a generous Rotarian, giving his time to serve on our Board of Directors and club projects.

Ken was born in Coffeyville, Kansas and came to California in 1964 with the USS Navy. After the Navy, he decided to become a mortician and graduated from mortuary school in 1967 in Los Angeles. He worked for Forest Lawn-Cypress for 5 1/2 years moving to Visalia Ca, in 1973, where he worked for Hadley Funeral Chapel until 2000. He then owned and operated a gravestone business for 10 years.

Ken’s first wife died in 2008 and in 2010 he married Elsie Hurst.

Please keep Ken, his wife Elsie and their family in your thoughts and prayers. Elsie is currently in Visalia, surrounded by her family.

Dale Reddell

Dale Reddell
October 14, 1939 – February 2, 2021

I am sorry to announce that our long-time member Dale Reddell passed away after battling cancer.

Dale joined the Morro Bay Rotary Club in January 1986. He was a generous Rotarian, including annually sponsoring $250 towards trophies for our Central Coast Classic Golf Tournament.

Dale was elected Mayor of the City of Morro Bay in November 1986 and was committed to community service and involvement.

In addition to being a Rotarian, Dale was a long-time Morro Bay Police Department Community Volunteer (MBPV) serving from the first Volunteer Academy in 1996 until he retired in 2017. During his tenure he was instrumental in fundraising for the City’s Police Department’s K-9 purchase and served as the treasurer for the MBPV organization.

Dale was a prominent Morro Bay contractor and realtor, partnering with his brother Dan at Bayshore Reality.

Please keep Dale, his wife Billie, sons Randy and Rusty, his two grandchildren and three great-grandchildren in your thoughts and prayers.

Community Projects

RCMB Community Projects

Members understood the value and need for hand sanitizing to protect both employees and customers of Morro Bay’s essential businesses. To date they have delivered more than 250 bottles to businesses throughout Morro Bay. In addition, members have committed individually to support local restaurants during especially during the Club's Zoom Socials on "Take-Out-Tuesdays"

Past-President Dan Costley accepted the call from Rotarian MB Fire Chief Steve Knuckles to coordinate Rotarian volunteers for the City of Morro Bay's CARES program. Rotarians assisted by delivering prescriptions and making daily welfare check phone calls to the homebound.

Several members have also participated in a Club-sponsored blood drive