The motto of the Rotary, a group of 100 local residents and businesses working to improve their community of Sonoma, is ‘service above self.’ Local clubs have a great history of contributing to worthy causes, but the response to the October wildfires has been truly remarkable.
Between donations of cash, food, dry goods and more, Rotary has raised and distributed about $1,000,000 to people affected by the disaster.
The effort included support for members of the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department, 37 in all, who lost their homes. Each received $5,000 from funds raised by Rotary Club of Sonoma Valley and Rotary Club of Sonoma Sunrise.
“The fires were devastating,” said Marck Zuehlsdorff, president of the Sonoma Valley club. “The $185,000 reflects not just our desire to help the first responders, but the respect our entire community has for them.”
Marck Zuehlsdorff and Tony Moll, president of the soon-to-be-chartered Sunrise club presented the checks totaling $185,000 to Bret Sackett, police chief of Sonoma, and others representing those in the department who were displaced by the fires.
“These first responders served heroically during the fires, even as the fires destroyed their own homes and their own families were in peril,” said Zuehlsdorff. “They still continue showing up to work today as they sort out their own living situations. We hope the $5,000 they each receive reduces their challenges at least a bit.”
The funds were part of some $600,000 raised through the group’s Sonoma Strong website, which was created just after the fires broke out, explained Moll. “Besides checks like these to first responders, we have also provided fire victims with packages of $500 worth of gift cards to local retailers.”
Ron Lawson, a Rotarian who facilitated the Rotary’s collection/distribution center, which handled about 50 tons of dry goods, food, clothing, pet supplies, and more during and after the fire, explained that the gift cards didn’t just help people who lost their homes.
“Local merchants took a big hit because of the fires,” he said. “The gift cards helped us get money into their cash registers to jumpstart the local economy.”
Rotary contributions included an invaluable amount of volunteer time.
In addition to the $600,000 raised and distributed by the clubs, Rotarian Mara Kahn coordinated members and other volunteers who assembled 200 kitchen kits—pots, pans, knives and more, which are valued at $750 each—for distribution to those who lost their homes.
Rotarians Scott Murray, at left, and Don Ryndak, far right, provide kitchen kits to Jamie Lloyd (c), principal of Woodland Star Charter School, who was picking the kits up for three of his teachers who lost their homes.
Club members coordinated distributing about 12,000 meals to first responders during the fires. Working with Rotarians and members of Sonoma’s Moose Lodge a few days after the fires started, Rotarian Gayle Arrowood organized buying and distributing meals for 300 families in the Springs area.
Rotarians Rich Lee and Diane Mercer oversaw the volunteer staffing of a popup store on Verano Avenue and Highway 12, which supplied free food and dry goods for victims from all around the valley. Additionally, club members created and distributed 100 survival kits to homeless affected by the fires.
“Rotarians in Sonoma Valley raised and distributed about $1,000,000—between donations of cash, food, dry goods and more—to people affected by October’s wildfires,” said Moll. “Much of that came from the generosity of people and businesses in our own community, but we also received money and other donations from practically every state in the country.”
Added Zuehlsdorff, “Whether it’s money or that one hot meal to someone in time of need, Rotary is about service above self. And I know for certain both clubs in Sonoma are filled with people who are proud to be a Rotarian.”
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