At Rotary meetings and other social events, our members share ideas, make plans, have fun, hear from the community, and catch up with friends during club programs that fuel the impact we make. The following is a sampling of recent meetings.
One of our featured speakers was fellow Rotarian Bob Mutchler. Bob is a polio survivor and has written a book entitled “From Iron Lung to Iron Butt”, Bob delighted us with his humor and quick wit as he told about his first-hand experience on just how life-altering polio can be. Bob contracted polio when he was only 9 months old and would spend much of his time in an iron lung over the next few years. When diagnosed as an adult with Post-Polio Syndrome, Bob wasn’t content to just sit back and wait for further symptoms to develop. Bob went out and purchased a motorcycle and proceeded to put 7 thousand miles on it over the next few days! After discovering he had a passion for riding, he set a goal for himself to visit all U.S. capitals in the lower 48 states…all within one month! He turned his adventure into a ride to bring awareness and raise funds for Polio Plus, one of Rotary's major initiatives.
As he was giving the ‘two magic drops’ to a small girl in Ghana, her brother came and thanked Bob for giving his sister the chance to lead a polio-free life. Crippled from polio, this 12-year-old boy maintained a positive attitude, despite his deformities and his difficult life. The memory of that interaction still inspires Bob Mutcher today, as he pursues his mission to help bring an end to polio, despite his circumstances. For more pictures from the meeting,
click here.
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At another meeting, we enjoyed hearing the story of Tim "Otter" Pinkney. With both his mom and dad being pilots, it’s no wonder that he was behind the controls of an airplane on his 5th birthday…and he’s been flying ever since! Commander Pinkney, USN (ret.) told some amazing stories of being on the U.S.S. Enterprise, the evacuation in Saigon at the end of the Vietnam conflict, and more.
Although Pinkney retired in 1990 after serving as Commanding Officer of the Electronic Warfare Squadron Three Zero Nine (VAQ-309) known as the Axemen, he is still active in the aeronautics and space flight industry, currently serving as a Solar System Ambassador at the Aerospace Museum of California in Sacramento. He shared his excitement for the upcoming launch on Dec. 22, 2021 of the James Webb Space Telescope – the largest, most powerful, and complex space telescope that has ever launched into space!
At one meeting, we featured inactive Rotarian Bob Weygandt, our county supervisor. Bob updated club members on important initiatives and progress being made in Placer county.
At the same meeting, we presented the result of our members and friends donating to raise money for fire support in Rotary District 5190, the area to our east. Art and Joanne laughed about having to write over an old fake check since someone had prepared the previous one with a permanent marker. Thank you to all that supported this fundraiser.
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Each year, we always enjoy the visit from our Rotary District 5180 governor. District Governor Desiree Wilson spoke and updated us on all the latest in Rotary, both locally and internationally. She described how Rotary’s priorities are to increase our impact, expand our reach, enhance participant engagement, and increase our ability to adapt. Locally, in District 5180, goals include growing our membership and increasing member engagement, increasing our Foundation giving, and developing a leadership training program.
Desiree praised our club for our service to our community and our participation in several programs including Fire Relief, RYLA, Blood Drive, and ShelterBox. Desiree announced Bill Cook as our Club’s very own Superhero for this efforts and service, especially related to community blood drives.
One of Desiree's passions it to end polio. We presented Desiree with a check for $2,000 to support her upcoming Bike Ride to End Polio at the Tour de Tucson..
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Service Above Self
Lincoln, CA 95648
United States of America