I would like to thank those of you that were able to attend the Zoom meeting on Friday and for showing your support for our amazing President-Elect Chandra! We had Devi Pillai, Kim Douglas, Rischi Paul Sharma, Caroline Swift, John Veytia, Mike Gerard, Bill Nguyen, Jan Park and Marilyn Crary all on the Zoom which was awesome! I love that our Rotarians are always ready to jump in to help out wherever they are needed with great attitudes and smiles for all!

My sister and I were on our way to DC to attend my nephew's graduation ceremony and never made it! We were stuck in Dallas for 4 days during the snowstorm where even the airport was shut down! We tried to get a flight home every day and were finally able to fly home on Saturday evening! We had quite the adventure and did our best to stay positive and enjoy our time together! We both felt blessed to have each other during that time and ended up meeting some amazing people that were also stranded! There was a 24-hour diner with great food that was just across the parking lot but due to the extreme weather conditions, we had to bundle up and wear our snow gear just to get there! Needless to say, we were able to eat really well and we stopped crying after two days to enjoy the time we had together! Oh, and my remarkable nephew sang on FaceTime for us to practice before he went on stage for his graduation ceremony which was a special treat and made everything so much better! I just love my little family!

Speaking of family, I would like to remind Rotarians to please keep our dear friend Vito Ferlauto in your thoughts and prayers. A card was sent to him on behalf of our Rotary Club to let him know we are thinking of him and are praying for continued healing and strength.

Chandra did a great job conducting the Zoom meeting and I would like to give her a huge shout out for handling everything like a boss! Rischi Paul led the Pledge of Allegiance and John made everyone laugh with his always memorable humor! Chandra provided an inspirational quote from author Dannion Brinkley, a survivor of three near death experiences! Mike provided additional inspiration with a short story about the value of money!

Rischi Paul did an amazing job as Sergeant-At-Arms and asked everyone to express their gratitude for something that happened over this past week! Devi mentioned her ongoing house remodel and John was happy with the view from his home! Chandra was relieved to have her tax return completed and thanked Marilyn for all her hard work with our Club's financial statements and tax return! Mike was happy to have attended his first Military Support Committee meeting and Kim Douglas was happy to finally be feeling better these days! Marilyn announced her birthday this month and was happy about the great weather! Caroline Swift was grateful for those folks that wish to get out and travel! Jan was happy about some recent growth in her business and talked about her upcoming Valentine's Day pet photo project planned for 2/12 at Wild's Pet Store! Bill was happy to be putting two of his five children through college, so far, debt free!

Due to circumstances beyond their control, Mark Montgomery and Kristin Epperson were unable to provide their presentations. Although there was not a presentation, the group conversation eventually led to Rischi Paul and Devi providing the group with their "financial forecast" for 2022, which was very well received!

And to end a great meeting, Chandra led Rotarians in the 4-Way Test!

As you all know, due to the surge in COVID cases in Orange County, and in an effort to make sure all of our members stay healthy and safe, Friday's meeting will also be held via Zoom. This will give members the opportunity to stay safe at home or at their office while the COVID numbers hopefully start to decrease. We are hoping to resume in-person meetings on Friday, February 18th at noon at Fratello's!

Please follow the link below to join our Rotary meeting this Friday, February 11th at noon to hear our own Kristin Epperson give her Craft Talk and presentation on FODEMA, a new group we are sponsoring in Malawi, Africa!

Meeting ID: 867 2955 5984

Passcode: 361725

Your Rotary Club thanks you for your support and for continuing to volunteer for this amazing organization!

Serving To Change Lives,

Eileen Gomez

2021-22 President

Rotary Club of Laguna Niguel

Love is in the air and Valentine's Day is right around the corner! Wishing you all a wonderful time celebrating all that is dear to you and makes your heart happy!

Kristin Epperson

Meeting ID: 867 2955 5984

Passcode: 361725

Next week's Craft Talk will be provided by our own Past President and current Programs Chairman Mark Montgomery! He will be giving us a presentation about his recent service trips to both Africa and Panama!

We'll be back at Fratello's on Friday, February 18th for Mark's presentation! Hope to see you then!

This year, our club has paid to sponsor up to three junior high school students for Camp RYLA. Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is all about Rotarians working with youth in leadership development. It is an intensive training/experiential program for students in District 5320 who are chosen for their potential leadership abilities. RYLA provides a memorable opportunity to learn, grow, have fun, make new friends, and gain a new and improved focus. Students participate in an all-expense paid event running from April 26 to May 1, 2022: