Escondido Sunrise Rotary; Meeting to Serve our Community in Person
and “Valley Center Rodeo with
Glynna Hoekstra”
January 25, 2024
**I apologize that is late,
hope you enjoy**
As we all try to conduct our professional pursuits in new ways, it’s appropriate to remind ourselves of who we are as a Serving Organization… Our accomplishments, our fellowship and the reminder of our many successes is valuable as we seek new opportunities to serve…
We met again in person at the Chamber of Commerce… Great to enjoy the fellowship again and see all your smiling faces…
As a Club, we honored our nation with a salute to our Flag led by Brian Murphy and an invocation was offered by past President Jack Anderson….
Guests & Visitors:
Glynna Hoekstra – Board member with Valley Center Stampede Rodeo (aka Mark Hoekstra’s better half)
Billy Wagner – President of the Stampede Rodeo
Madison Wagner – Former Valley Center Rodeo Queen & Miss Rodeo of California
Ken Sharrar – John Paul the Great School
James Crowell – John Paul the Great School
Special Occasions:
Happy Birthday to:
No birthdays this week
Happy Rotary Anniversary to:
Bob Burson has been with our club for 15 years on 1/28
High 5 and Announcements:
Past President Jeff Johnson brought gifts to President Mark brought back gifts from his trip to Pismo Beach
Brian Murphy thanked everyone that made it to the Woodworking Show that had 72 pieces of his own work on display, 500 people were in attendance. He is also very appreciative of ESR’s sponsorship for the event
Ken Sharrar talked about the upcoming event to benefit John Paul the Great with a movie called “O, Brawling Love” which will be on Friday, 2/2 at 7pm at The Ritz Theater on Grand, please see the flyer
It was announced that George Beitner’s sweet wife Erin has been diagnosed with breast cancer. We will be lifting Erin and the whole family up during this difficulty time.
Past President Barry Baker’s momma is 103 years old and in hospice. Her wish was for the whole family to go see a play up where she lives and of course it came to pass
Past President Rich Aeling talked about the upcoming “Love Escondido” which is a project to clean up Escondido. On 2/3 from 8am – 10am ESR is going to use this event as our annual work day. They need about 10 volunteers for 2 or 3 hours to meet at Washington Park to clean up the bike trail
Rotarians Having Fun…..
Upcoming Calendar Events:
Program:
Representatives from the Valley Center (VC) Rodeo, Glynna Hoekstra, Bill Wagner, and Madison Wagner came with information on the upcoming May 24-25, 2024 rodeo. Their goal was to reach out to the community seeking sponsorships, volunteers, and attendees to increase attendance and revenue.
Glynna shared that the VC Rodeo is facing new challenges as the VC Western Days are no longer partnering with the VC Rodeo. The Western Days event, that includes the annual VC Parade, is now partnering with the VC Rotary Club. This has negatively impacted the VC Rodeo as volunteers and sponsorship opportunities have lessened. She shared the following statistics on rodeo attendance:
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2019 - 5,094 attendees
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2020/2021 – Covid
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2022 – 6,664 attendees
As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, the VC Rodeo provides scholarships to students that actively participate in equestrian clubs, FFA, or any activities that exemplify California’s heritage which was found on horseback. The scholarships are available to students from 7 years old to 26 years old. Currently, they are finding it challenging to connect with local schools to partner with.
Madison Wagner shared how being a recipient of scholarships through the VC Rodeo has offered many opportunities. Madison received her first scholarship after receiving the crown of VC Stampede Rodeo Queen. She has since attended CSUSM and completed her PHD in chemistry.
Bill Wagner, President of the VS Stampede Rodeo, asked that Rotarians consider volunteering, sponsoring, and just come out with their families to have a fun day at the rodeo. Since separating from the VC Rotary Club, it has been a challenge for them getting enough volunteers to help with jobs ranging from selling tickets to setting up the fencing.
He also asked that we support keeping the rodeo alive by emailing San Diego Councilman Lee, urging him to allow the rodeo to continue. Currently, Lee is pushing to close all rodeos in the county due to unsubstantiated and unfounded animal cruelty claims.
Keeping the rodeo alive is keeping the heritage of California alive for future generations. They have made it their mission to continue growing their outreach to educate and gain support from the public to continue the tradition and keep it alive in Valley Center.
Opportunity Drawing….
We have a whopping $109 in the pot today with $21 for lunch…Congratulations Mike O’Malley, he chose lunch and Brian Murphy wasn’t so lucky today
Next Week’s Meeting:
Closing: President Mark Maus announced that we will be meeting again next week on Thursday the 1st at 7:30am and we will be enjoying our monthly breakfast fellowship meeting with food provided by our very own Deanna Smith. See you at The Escondido Chamber of Commerce on Thursday!!
Thanks for Attending Today’s Meeting….
Support for our Escondido Community …
Our great community and the success of its businesses is all of our responsibilities… Support the businesses that are doing all they can to survive this trying economy…….
The ‘Giving Arch’ on Grand Avenue and Centre City Parkway reminds us that Escondido is a caring, giving community…
To all; be safe and be well…. God Bless those men and women that carry the load at our medical facilities, and God Bless our first responders… May our governmental leaders be wise, thoughtful and smart as they navigate these times that have been difficult…..
The meetings will be technically managed by Past President Richard Agnew… Thanks for that Richard… And, Richard is prepared to support all of our attempts at joining the on-line meetings if needed….
SEE YOU SOON…… In Person … Next meeting; February 1st, at 7:30 AM
Check President Mark’s email for the reminder…
