Events

Donald Laird hails from Sonoma County, growing up in the lower Russian River area and graduating from Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University with a degree in Computer Science. He recently retired after 30 years as a full-time instructor in the Computer Studies Department at SRJC. There he created the Social Media, 3D Printing, and Drone Studies programs. Since retiring he launched Sky Perspective Photos, a drone services business providing drone photography and videography, as well as large-scale mapping.

Chair:  Les Crawford

Co-Chairs:  Kathy Schwartz, Mike Ferguson

Fun, food and a tour of a working saw mill.  Be there or be square!!!  Price:   TBD

Deborah Ramelli leads Ceres’ fundraising and communications teams. After a successful career in retail management and merchandise planning at Macy’s/Federated Department Stores, her personal interest in health and yoga led her to a vocation of teaching yoga, wellness and nutrition education at companies around the Bay Area, studios, and retreat centers.

Deborah’s first experience with Ceres was as a volunteer, drawn to the organization’s values which were a good match with her own: mentoring youth, strengthening community connections, and supporting people with healthy food. Her role has grown and evolved along with Ceres’ organizational growth and impact, starting as a Development Associate in 2011, then progressing to Fund Development and Communications Manager followed by Communications Director before assuming her current position in 2021. Deborah is a member of Ceres’ Leadership Team and Staff Policy Workgroup. She has played key roles in Ceres’ response to disasters including wildfires and COVID-19, representing Ceres on the Marin County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and the Sonoma County Community Organizations Active in Disaster (COAD). She is a member of the Communications and Development committees of the national Food is Medicine Coalition, and of the Communications Committee of the California Food is Medicine Coalition.

Volunteers need to help prep on Friday, October 10 for the Lobster Bash on Saturday, October 11, 2025 at 5pm at Friedman's Event Center.

Richard Petersen's Fundraiser.

Lobster, Live Music, Live Auction, Silent Auction, great appetizers, great fun!!

Rob Schwenker, a decade-long veteran in business and non-profit leadership, has spearheaded growth for various organizations. He’s run a media company, founded marketing and software development firms, and chaired non-profit boards. As an Executive Director, he understands the importance of private sector accomplishments for public good and the challenges of balancing administrative responsibilities with mission-based stewardship.

He’s a proud Dad, public policy and civics nerd, news junkie, podcast consumer, fitness enthusiast, and avid sports fan, Rob brings a unique blend of expertise and passion to his roles.

Stephanie, the Executive Director of the Robert Ferguson Observatory, will share about the Observatory's Mission to provide educational programs about science and astronomy for students, the public, and in support of educators.

Regular club meeting from 12:15pm to 12:45pm.

Then we will head out to arrive at our volunteer projects by 1:00pm.  Four community projects include:

Ceres Sebastopol Garden

Sebastopol Area Senior Center

Adopt-a-Road clean-up (Mill Station from Hwy 116 to Ferguson Rd))

Occidental Road property clean-up

Wishing family, friends, and Rotary members a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving!

Billy Daniels, Jr. will share his new book with us:

“That Old Black Magic” by Jack Pearce Daniels with Bruce Daniels and Billy Daniels, Jr. Billy and his brothers wrote this book about their Dad, Billy Daniels, Sr.

“Adopted Yorkshireman discovers at 40 years old the true identity of his father; Billy Daniels the legendary American singer who had passed away seven years before Jack’s mother’s revelation. That Old Black Magic is a journey of self-discovery, a riveting story of finding his father’s widow and new brothers and sisters and a first family meeting in Las Vegas. And a meeting with a brother serving a life sentence in a California Prison. A book that honours the enduring strength of family and the human spirit. That Old Black Magic is a tribute to the ageless power of storytelling and the enduring bonds of kindred.”

Dr. Garcia will provide an overview of Santa Rosa Junior College’s mission, impact, and priorities, highlighting how SRJC serves more than 22,000 students each year and remains deeply connected to the evolving needs of the community. The presentation will also outline SRJC’s strategic direction, its role in preparing our local workforce, and the importance of community partnerships in shaping the college’s future.

Maraline “Mimi” Mazzetti Olson grew up in New York. When she came to Sonoma County, she noted the lack of ice cream parlors, and set about to fix that situation. On October 28, 1995, she opened Screamin’ Mimi’s, and has been at it ever since. Finding the perfect location in Sebastopol, making hand made ice cream with new and exciting flavors and the help of her entire family, she has parlayed 30 years into a successful business.

Zeke Guzman has dedicated his life to advocating for farmworkers and their families, a commitment shaped by his own experience as a migrant seasonal farmworker. Mentored at age 17 by George Ortiz, he went on to spend more than 40 years in workforce development with organizations such as the California Human Development Corporation, La Cooperativa Campesina de California, and the Association of Farmworker Opportunity Programs, helping farmworkers gain training and stable employment.

Zeke founded La Familia Sana during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading vaccination efforts in Cloverdale that were recognized by The Washington Post, and in 2022 launched Jardin del Pueblo - Community Farm, which has expanded from one to five gardens and produced over 43,000 pounds of food in 2024, and over 100,000 pounds in 2025.

For more than 40 years, Zeke has also served with Latinos Unidos del Condado de Sonoma, where he is now President and Volunteer Executive Director, continuing its mission to provide scholarships, cultural programming, and community support for the Latinx community.

Cynthi Stefenoni was born at Santa Rosa General Hospital in July, 1949 and family lore has it that she was brought home to Sebastopol in a shoe box! She spent her first two years on 17 acres on Lone Pine Road, the next 2-1/2 years on Florence Avenue and then the family moved to almost 3 acres of apples on Robinson Road.

Cynthi grew up in the self-sufficient town of Sebastopol where Main Street provided everything a family needed for the day-to-day and many car dealerships, apple dryers, canneries and packing houses who ringed the exterior completed the picture. She attended Park Side (twice: K-2 and 7-8), BrookHaven (3-6) and Analy. She was on the student council in Junior High, a member of Sebastopol’s first GATE class and a 3 year member of the A Cappella choir at Analy. She sat on the Sonoma County Youth Council and was a member of the World Affairs Club, head Varsity cheerleader her senior year and a student reporter for area newspapers. She loved politics, books, baseball, writing poetry and family. And then there was music. Her poetry became song lyrics and she started writing songs and singing harmonies with her family of four as soon as her mother taught her the harmony to ‘The First Noel’. Music became her passion. She majored in it at SRJC and UC Santa Cruz and continued her education in vocal performance at BYU.

From 1971-1976, Cynthi was Company Manager of Sun Company LTD, a summer stock musical theater company for youth. At the end of 7 weeks of intense rehearsal and training, young people from throughout Sonoma County played to sold out houses for two weekends. Many of Sonoma County’s thespians started as part of Sun Company where lifelong friendships were forged.

Although her career path led her all over the US as an assistant director and producer whose credits included episodic television, children’s programming, movies of the week and independent features (credits available on Imdb), her first love was musical theater and live event production. Her live event production credits include the mega-productions “LIVE AID”, “Hands Across America” and “The Soviet American Peace Child Tour”. She currently produces reunions for The Rohna Survivors Memorial Association (TRSMA) with her sister. TRSMA serves families of WWII servicemen whose stories were suppressed for 50 years and are only now coming to light.

Cynthi has been a member of the Sebastopol Center for the Arts since 2009 where she has served on and as President of the Board of Directors, and volunteered on the Performing Arts Committee, the Literary Arts Committee and devoted countless hours to the Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival (SDFF). She was integral in getting SDFF qualified as an Academy® Qualifying film festival in 2020 and was Festival Producer from 2014-2025. She has taught at the San Francisco Digital Film School and the American Film Institute in Los Angeles. She has been a member of the Directors Guild of America since 1987 and a member of the Rotary Club of Sebastopol since 2023.

Rachel Jeffreis grew up in Southern California before coming up to Sonoma County to attend college at SSU. She quickly fell in love with the diversity and beauty of this community and has been here for the past 10 years post-college. After eight years in the wine industry and hospitality management, Rachel transitioned to nonprofit program management. She was drawn to Habitat’s mission and the ability to work in a community-centered organization who’s goal is to strengthen the wellbeing of our county.

9878 Mill Station Rd., Sebastopol

Contact Cindy Carter 408-431-7820 or cindycarterflamm@yahoo.com

"Jose Guzman is the Community Engagement Manager at Gold Ridge Resource Conservation District, where he has been working for the past two years. In his role, he focuses on communications, outreach, and building relationships with landowners, partners, and community members around local conservation efforts. His presentation will provide an overview of Gold Ridge RCD’s work in the area, highlighting how local conservation projects support healthy watersheds, working lands, and resilient communities, and how community partnerships play a key role in that work."

The K-3 Proficiency Project is a significant initiative aimed at improving reading proficiency among students in kindergarten through third grade.  It is a two year commitment that focuses on professional development and data-driven instruction to ensure every student is on track to proficiency by the end of 3rd grade.

The project is a partnership between K-3 Innovation, a nonprofit orgranization, and public schools, supported by the Sonoma County Vintners Foundation. The program utilizes one-to-one devices to provide interactive reading programs and adaptive technology tailored to each student, fostering relationships among students, teachers, administrators, parents, philanthropic investors, and community members.  The K-3 Proficiency Project has shown success in closing the student performance gap and is designed to be inclusive and meet every learner where they are. 

A Petaluma native, Ashley Tatman has been the K-3 Proficiency Project Manager for the past 3 years.  With a Master’s Degree in Education and Administration, Ashley has more than 19 years of experience in education. As a former elementary school teacher, instructional coach and administrator, Ashley brings a well-rounded perspective to her work. She understands the importance of looking at data, differentiating instruction to meet student needs, as well as the increasing demands that teachers face every day in the classroom. Ashley’s depth of knowledge of the inner workings of a school, along with her collaborative approach to team work, are invaluable assets to our team. 

Toni Beal is an accomplished educator and administrator with over 35 years of experience in California’s public school system. She served as Superintendent of the West Sonoma County Union High School District from 2018 to 2022, and Superintendent of Two Rock Union Elementary from 2015 to 2018. She served as Principal of Kenilworth Junior High and Marin Oaks High. She also has valuable district experience in curriculum development and leadership coaching. Prior to her leadership roles, she was a teacher and counselor in area middle and high schools.  Most recently, Toni transitioned into independent consulting, offering expertise in superintendent/administrative coaching, grant writing and strategic planning.  She is currently the Executive Director at K3Innovation.

Katie Davis has been with the Sebastopol Area Senior Center since 2017. Working in senior services over the years, Katie is a passionate and dedicated leader with a deep commitment to enhancing the lives of older adults. She has played an instrumental role in expanding senior programs, services, and initiatives at the Center.

Katie holds her Master's degree in Public Administration/Nonprofit Management from Sonoma State University and a Bachelor of Arts in English Communications.