Rotary Club of Concord-Diablo – We meet weekly on Wednesdays via Zoom

Concord High’s Sports Ticket Booth has been rebuilt!

Earlier this year, Concord High Sports Ticket Booth was the target of arsonists and was burned down. In July, Concord-Diablo Rotary was approached by recent high-school graduate Matthew Ware regarding his Eagle Scout Project, which was to fundraise $3500 for supplies in order to physically rebuild the booth. Matthew had tasked himself this project to not only earn his next ranking but to also leave a lasting imprint on his local community before he left for college. Once we heard Matthew’s inspiring story and plan, we were in! We were honored to be part of this group of volunteers and non-profits, who came together to help make Matthew’s vision a reality. As of this month, we are happy to announce that the ticket booth stands tall again and Matthew has been awarded the highly regarded Eagle Scout Rank. Great job Matthew, we wish you the best on your next chapter at UC San Diego!

COVID-19: A People of Action

As people of action, Rotary members find ways to respond to COVID-19, and to help people affected by it. The Rotary Club of Concord Diablo has been busy with their Gleaning Project during the Shelter in Place order while practicing social distancing and wearing masks and gloves. What is Gleaning? Concord residents with fruit trees that need to be harvested contact the Rotary Club of Concord Diablo to go to their residence, harvest the fruit and deliver it to a local food bank, charity or food pantry.

As of April 4, 2020, Rotary members harvested 910 pounds of oranges, lemons, and grapefruit. At the peak of SIP (4/4/20 – 4/22/20), 1,189 pounds of fruit was picked, picked up and delivered to the Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano County. That is a total of 2,099 pounds of fruit or over 1 ton or the weight of a small car. The majority of the harvest taking place in April.

The Food Bank is an essential service as one in eight residents turn to the Food Bank annually. During these challenging times, there has been a dramatic increase in the need for food for families and the elderly. The Food Bank services the Bay Area to the Oregon and Nevada borders.

Thank you to our Rotary members for all their hard work during this time of crisis!!

Please email gleaning@cdrotary.com if you have fruit that needs to be picked or would like to volunteer.

Rotary Superheroes!

There was much to celebrate on Saturday, October 19, 2019 at the Clarion Hotel! Chartered in 1979, the Rotary Club of Concord-Diablo celebrated our 40 year anniversary. Over the past 40 years, the Club has donated tens of thousands of dollars to local needs as well as international projects.

Locally, we tend to focus on programs that benefit youth and those who are in disadvantaged circumstances. Please check out our Club History page to see what the Club has done the past 40 years! http://cdrotary.org/our-club/club-history/

Superhero Rotary Pins given to first 40 attendees!

Rotary Moments ~ We had the pleasure of hearing from our past, current and future presidents throughout the evening:

1993 – 1994 Past President, Joe Bechelli
2000-2001/2016-2017 Past President, Beri Kasper
2003-2004 Past President, Erin McGregor
2006-2007 Past President, Matt Chan
2007-2008 Past President, Greg Grassi
2008-2009 Past President, Kathy Lafferty
2018-2019 Past President, Edi Birsan
2019-2020 President, Patricia Ramirez
2020-2021 President Elect, Rocky Gernhardt

Music playlist by Rico Ramirez ~ Thank you Rico for the time and care you put in the playlist for the night. He made sure we had the hits from the last 40 years beginning in 1979 when our Club was established.

Thank you to all our supporters who donated items for our Silent Auction!

4 Tickets to the November 23rd Cal vs. Stanford Game
Lunch or Dinner with Former Concord Mayor and City Councilman, Edi Birsan at Brasas do Brazil
Lady Beri’s Private Cellar Collection (6 bottles of wine)
Raymond’s Wine Basket
Greg’s Bay Area Tour by private plan for two people
Diablo Creek Golf Adventure

Rotary Superhero Costume Contest Winner!

Our Superhero Costume Contest winner was Jim Ross, husband of Rotarian Brigitte Ross, who won by unanimous decision. Jim won a $100 gift certificate to Prima Restaurant in Walnut Creek.

Thank you to all our Rotarians, Rotarians from other Clubs, Past Presidents, friends and family for attending. Rotary has a way of bringing out the hero in all of us!

40 Year Anniversary Celebration!

We have all grown up with fictional superheroes such as Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, etc. Real superheroes can be hard to find. But look no further! Your local Rotary Club is the easiest place to find modern day superheroes and you can be one too.

The difference is no secret identity or lone wolf mentality. There are over 1.2 million Rotary members around the world in over 200 countries. Rotary International has formed a global network of professional leaders, all volunteering their time and talents to serve their communities and the world. It is much easier to make a difference together than alone.

You don’t need a cape or a secret identity to be a modern day superhero but it sure would be fun and now is your opportunity. Calling all Superheroes! Rotarians, family and guests are invited.

The Rotary Club of Concord Diablo is proud and excited to celebrate our 40th Anniversary and we invite you to celebrate with us.