NEXT MEETING:
Monday, Sept. 14, 2026
Holiday Inn / Bressi Ranch
Volume 10, Issue 5
Reporter: Yvonne Finocchiaro
Photographers: Nancy Starling
and Beth Garrow
Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary
President Kori Dolkas
President Kori Dolkas opened the meeting, George Sullivan led the Pledge, and guests were introduced. Rocco Ciesco offered Words of Inspiration. Guests introduced included Rotary District 5340 Governor Jeb Bakke and Assistant Governor Roy Meenes.
CHNR President Kori Dolkas and District 5340 Governor Jeb Bakke
KEY HI-NOON DATES
• Sept. 1 - Fundraiser Comm. Meeting
• Sept. 14 - CHNR Board Meeting
• Sept. 14 - Regular Monday Meeting
• Sept. 9 – Brother Benno’s Food Service
• Sept. 17 – North County Food Bank
• Sept. 28 – Regular Monday Meeting
MONDAY CLUB MEETINGS are now the second and fourth Mondays of the month, at the Holiday Inn in Bressi Ranch, beginning at noon. Casual meet-up events may be scheduled for the remaining Mondays.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
- Fundraiser Committee: Pres Kori said the first meeting of this committee was very successful. Ideas were plentiful, for both major and minor fundraising ideas. The next meeting is Sept. 1, 5pm at MyPoint Credit Union, Carlsbad. All members are welcome.
- Mark Stenoien asked members to consider joining the Community Service Committee.
- The next CHNR Board Meeting will be Sept. 14 at 10:30 am at MyPoint Credit Union in Carlsbad.
- Pres. Kori is seeking a Programs director. Programs have been scheduled though mid-November, and program ideas may be forwarded to her, BUT having someone take over this coordination would be important.
- Pres. Kori also showcased the Rotary District Conference to be held in Chicago, May 3-7, 2027. There is an early-bird special. Two days will be spent in the RI headquarters, along with social events.
- New Badges: Bob Stonebrook is taking signups for new Rotary name badges, updated with new RI logo, in a rectangular shape with a magnetic strip on the back instead of a pin. Contact Stonebrook soon if interested: 760-281-3242.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
• Brother Benno's Food Service, Wed., Sept 9: Contact Paul Kartzke to sign up: prkartzke@gmail.com
• North County Food Bank, Thur., Sept. 17, 1-4pm: Contact Mark Stenoien to sign up: mark.stenoien@gmail.com
Wendy Wiegand, Paul Kartzke, Beth Garrow, Velyn Anderson and Bob Garrow at the North County Food Band Aug. 20, along with a couple of other volunteers.
Velyn Anderson and Paul Kartzke at the Food Bank.
YOUTH SERVICE
- Bob Kreisberg met the new principal at Aviara Oaks Middle School, who is “all in” regarding our youth programs.A
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE
- Rick Huenefeld reported on the activity to rehabilitate the school lunch room in El Salvador via the Rotary Club of Santa Ana.
AWARDS
- Past-President Jim Brubaker recognized Christian Chapman, who was not able to attend the Demotion Dinner, for his leadership with Vocational Service, which included the AVID conference and the Scholarship Committee, and presented Mark Stenoien with his corrected 2025-26 Rookie of the Year award.
- After Pres. Kori identified the goals/activities required each year to be honored as a Club of Excellence, District Governor Jeb Bakke presented CHNR Past-President Jim Brubaker with the Club Excellence Certificate for RY 2025-26. Bakke also presented the district's Polio Plus Award to Beth Garrow, who had not been able to attend the district dinner.
- Pres. Kori presented the Rotarian of the Month Award for July 2026 to Velyn Anderson and to Bob Stonebrook for August 2026.
Jim Brubaker and 2025-26 Vocational Service Director Christian Chapman
Jim Brubaker and 2025-26 Rookie of the Year Bob Stenoien
Kori Dolkas presents 2025-26 RY President Jim Brubaker with the Club Excellence Award
District Governor Jeb Bakke, Beth Garrow and Kori Dolkas after Bakke presented the district’s Polio Plus award to Garrow
Kori Dolkas with Velyn Anderson, July Rotarian of the Month
Kori Dolkas with Bob Stonebrook, August Rotarian of the Month
ROTO ROOTER – Yvonne Finocchiaro
- Christian Chapman highlighted his recent wedding held at Monserrat Winery in Fallbrook.
- Rocco Ciesco championed the Carlsbad Charitable Foundation Grants Ceremony on Sept. 3, 5:30 pm at the Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center.
Finocchairo’s signature “One Fact We Don’t Know About You” game revealed:
• Tom Applegate’s backyard is a national nature preserve;
• Kori Dolkas went skydiving on her 18th birthday;
• Josh Rytz’s first name is Hans, and he was born in Switzerland;
• George Sullivan said he evolved from stud muffin, to bran muffin to muffin top;
• Maureen Taylor’s grandfather built a home out of a Sears/Roebuck catalog from a pattern.
Tom Applegate, Kori Dolkas, Josh Rytz, George Sullivan and Maureen Taylor hold placards while Roto-Rooter Yvonne Finocchiaro asked club members to figure out which placard goes with each of them. Photo is before all the placards were correctly located.
PROGRAM
Jeb Bakke, District Governor
Rotary District 5340
Dist. Gov. Jeb Bakke
Introduced by Bob Stonebrook, DG Jeb Bakke initially thanked the membership for its generosity of time and service to Rotary and said he had a District Governor’s Certificate to present to an “unsung hero” of our club. Pres. Kori provided the description and appreciation of the honoree: Past-President Yvonne Finocchiarao, saying her continuing and valuable “invisible roles showcase her dedication to this club, and she’s made an immeasurable impact on our club.”
Kori Dolkas, Yvonne Finocchiaro and Jeb Bakke
Bakke then identified four personal stories from his life and his recognition of the “Rotary Moments” that came therefrom:
- As a young Rotarian with a young family, he had difficulty with the financial aspect of Rotary. His club put together a fund to help bridge that gap “and it made me a Rotarian for life.”
- He was president of his club during COVID, and his board and the club's past presidents rallied around him. The club did considerable service work in coordination with 28 other clubs and two districts, which showed him the effect of collaboration.
- He participated in Rotary’s Thousand Smiles surgeries for dental work/cleft palates in Mexico where he met a nurse who smiled broadly . . . and who had been a patient 20 years prior. This service changes people’s lives.
- RB Sunrise Rotary has a holiday party each year. As he was wrapping the children’s gifts . . . few took them for themselves; rather, they were for other family members.“You just can’t pay for that kind of feeling!”
NEXT MEETING: Sept. 14
Carlsbad Unified School District Update
Superintendent Dr. Andrea Norman
at Bressi Ranch Holiday Inn