Rotary Club of Pleasanton North

Pleasanton North Rotary (PNR), at the time of its founding in 1987, was the largest Rotary club ever chartered west of the Mississippi River. The Club's present membership includes 65 active professionals, business owners, executives, managers, and community leaders who represent a cross-section of the Tri-Valley community.

PNR has, over the past twenty years, participated in and funded many community service programs which have addressed concerns such as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment in the Tri-Valley community and throughout the world. Over the years, PNR has engaged in such projects as construction of 7 units of affordable housing in Pleasanton, renovating and improving residences in an aging facility for seniors, in a shelter for battered women and children and in homes for developmentally disabled persons in the Tri Valley.

Rotary Commons

On the International front PNR has sustained the Club's signature international project, "Wheelchairs" by purchasing and delivering over three thousand wheelchairs to Pleasanton's Sister City, Tulancingo, Mexico, and to countries in Central and South America. PNR has funded two water purification systems that provided clean water for 2,000 victims of the Tsunami in Sri Lanka, provided food, shelter, and education for street orphan children in Vietnam, and not only helped to equip the operating room at a burn center in Chile, but has also adopted many children who are burn victims and paid for their treatment.

PNR has also joined with Books for a Better World and established two libraries in poverty stricken areas of Central America. Among other International humanitarian projects, our club members have delivered backpacks filled with school supplies to 70 orphans at the El Oasis Orphanage in Mexico, and also for the past two Christmases delivered much needed clothing and Christmas gifts. We also donated an ambulance to the City of Villahermosa, Mexico.

Among the local projects that Pleasanton North Rotary is proud of in the past year were our "Keeping our Children Safe project, wherein we provided free finger-printing of children in Pleasanton; providing meals to homeless veterans at the bi-annual East Bay Stand Down; assuming much of the responsibility for setting up Camp Arroyo in anticipation of the Taylor Foundations' annual fundraiser; erected a new fence for City subsidized housing at Kottinger Place and served a barbeque lunch for its residents; sponsored our 10th annual Sweetheart's Valentine's Dinner for the residents of Pleasanton Gardens; undertook major renovation, painting, construction and repairs at the school aged mothers' school, known as Horizon; assisted the City of Pleasanton at the annual Hometown Parade; contributed funding to the Surtec Adopt-A-Family Food Delivery during the Christmas holidays and then went on deliveries of food and gifts to families in need; donated an ambulance to Pleasanton Valley Care Hospital so that patients traveling between the two campuses in Pleasanton and Livermore would do so at a greatly reduced cost; and supported Keystone Adult Learning Center by sponsoring their annual Senior Ball for special needs young adults. The Club has also given substantial financial support to the Hope Hospice program.

PNR has also provided innovative training opportunities and mentoring of young leaders in the past year by hosting an Interact Club at Foothill High School, a civic club for high school students. In addition to supporting our Interact Club, we regularly recognize outstanding students with our Student of the Month program. Additionally, through our PNR Foundation we annually give four scholarships to deserving students who have found the time to contribute to their school and their community. Moreover, PNR has annually sent three to four high school juniors to the Rotary leadership camp during the summer through its Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA). Our Club also has recognized and honored City of Pleasanton employees who have exemplified high ethical standards and outstanding service to the citizens of the City of Pleasanton.

To fund these local and worldwide projects, the Club annually has raised over the years more than a half million dollars through its' annual event "CABARET", which is a well-known and well- attended fundraiser a with a black tie dinner/dance, both a silent and voice auction and great entertainment.

In a time of serious need, Pleasanton North Rotary set up an extensive blood drive for a member's son who needed extra blood for an upcoming bone marrow transplant.

Though the Club is serious about serving humanity, the club membership provides opportunity for networking that allows club members to meet periodically and enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. And while our club members regularly experience the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community, we also enjoy the opportunity for camaraderie with other members. In the past, PNR has arranged bowling nights, Halloween parties, concerts in the park, culinary events, wine tasting outings, Holiday parties, Cinco de Mayo celebrations, our annual Charter night celebration and many new member welcome/orientation parties for its members.

Club members and ambulance donated to Mexico

Pleasanton North Rotary Club is truly an organization of successful professionals. Team building, fundraising, public speaking, planning, organization, and communication are just some of the leadership skills that club members can exercise and enhance. The Club invites anyone interested in making a difference in the community and the world while having fun to visit its website, www.pnr-rotary.org, as well as to attend its weekly meeting on Fridays at 12:25 p.m. at the Pleasanton Hilton.

Pleasanton North Rotary Club Supports Our Military

In addition to its many community service projects and various international undertakings, Pleasanton North Rotary has set aside some very special time for projects dedicated to the support of our troops and of our veterans.

Since 2000 PNR has participated in the biannual event known as East Bay Stand Down. This event brings homeless veterans off the streets to an encampment of safety. These men and women are given shelter, new clothes, warm, nutritional meals, and medical, dental and legal services. They also are afforded the opportunity to attend NA or AA, to participate in transitional housing, to find jobs and to also receive psychological counseling and spiritual support.

If one is at the opening of a Stand Down, you would notice that many of the participants arrive in a desperate condition. Street life has been hard on them and they have forgotten that they once were honored to have served our country. Their eyes are downcast, shoulders slumped forward and they tend to shuffle, rather than walk. Within a day or two, a noticeable, almost miraculous transformation has occurred. Now they fall in outside their tents. Their squad leader starts the cadence count as they march across the grounds to a meal. And you note that their heads are held high, their eyes alert and forward, their chests out and you can see by their faces that they now remember that they are veterans of the United States of American and once again they march with pride.

Pleasanton North Rotary is proud to have been a financial sponsor of this event since 2002 and also a volunteer-participant as our members and along with some members of the other Valley Rotary Clubs, have prepared and served dinners for all the veterans and the other volunteers at the event.

For the past two years, PNR has also worked with Operation SAM, as our members have, each year, packed and shipped 200 boxes of "goodies from home" to then be sent to the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan so that they would have a better Christmas and know that someone from home is thinking of them. And to add a special touch to our offerings, we include Christmas cards written by club members and cards from local school children. Our club members swell with a sense of pride and accomplishment when we receive letters back from the troops expressing their appreciation.

PNR has also supported the Blue Star moms and provided hundreds of pairs of warm socks and a variety of sweet treats that they delivered to the troops.

Recently, at the request of the City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton North Rotary was asked to assist in the rededication of our Veterans Building. Originally built for $38,000 in 1933, the City totally refurbished and updated the building while, for the most part, maintaining its’ original look and character. PNR members undertook a variety of tasks, from checking in and seating VIPS and honored guests, to helping elderly veterans from their cars and to their seats, to monitoring traffic and being tour guides. Over 500 people attended the event, and after the formal ceremonies were completed, the entire crowd was invited to have, what else for this great American event? apple pie and ice cream, served by members of PNR.

Pleasanton North Rotary continues its commitment to support our troops and veterans as we are now preparing to join with Pleasanton Military Families program and again send “Christmas boxes from home" to our troops abroad. These packages will go to troops from Pleasanton and the Valley, or to those troops who generally receive nothing from home.

PNR Heads Out On Another Wheelchair Delivery…

Embarking on its third international trip this year, members of the Pleasanton North Rotary club spent 6 days in Peru delivering wheelchairs as part of their continuing International Service working with the Wheelchair Foundation.

After earlier trips this year to Villahermosa, Mexico, and Juigalpa, Nicaragua, Peru was next on the list for wheelchairs. Pleasanton North Rotary members Bill Wheeler, Don Routh, Josh Routh and Jerry Pentin helped to deliver over 260 chairs in the Peruvian cities of Piura, Catacaos and Sullana.

Although visiting a country as beautiful as Peru is enticing, when delivering wheelchairs the visit is usually to less traveled areas and in more cases than not, extremely poor environments. Although that was the case with the Peru delivery, the Peruvian hosts were wonderful and each member of the team enjoyed the hospitality and of course, the knowledge that for 260 handicapped individuals and their care-givers, a difference was made.

Many times on these types of international wheelchair deliveries, the team are faced with an individual who hasn’t been selected for a chair or was missed altogether… or the team identifies as "really-in-need". Such was the case of Augusto, a man the team met in Lima, the Peruvian capital. Don and Josh Routh had struck up a conversation with Augusto, much of which centered on the poor condition of his wheelchair.

Although no promises were made, Don and Josh told Augusto they’d do what they could to get him a new chair. The problem with "finding" a chair while on these delivery missions is that normally each and every chair is accounted for, long before the team arrives to do the deliveries; but in this case an extra chair was located in Piura, then flown down with the team on its return to Lima prior to leaving the country… and at about 11 at night on the steps of the Lima Sheraton, Augusto had his new chair.

Service above self is the motto of Rotary International, and through the hard work of the Pleasanton North Rotary Club and members like Don & Josh Routh… people in need such as Augusto are given hope… it may not seem like much, but it is.

That's what it's all about!