Fellow Rotarians,

Since today is 9/11 I thought it would be the perfect day to kick off our annual Blood Drive.  Take a moment to reflect on how much blood was needed that day and how many lives were saved by people just like you who had decided to become blood donors.  What most people don’t know is only 38% of the country’s population is eligible to give blood.  Moreover, all in all only 10% of our country gives blood.  If you are one of the 38% lucky enough to qualify then giving blood is certainly a Rotarian thing to do.

Randy Friedman has graciously volunteered to once again run our Club’s Blood Drive and I’m excited to tell you about what he’s put together for your incentive!  Randy made an arrangement with previous speaker Sedna Coffee Roasters to produce a special bag of “Rotary Club Blood Donor Coffee”.  It tastes much better than it sounds!  The coffee is Sedna’s Premium Blend and you will receive a one pound bag whenever you give blood.  In addition, Randy will donate $20 into the pot for you which means not only do you get delicious coffee and participate in our Club’s activities… but you get to SPIN THE WHEEL!

So what are you waiting for?  Get out there and give blood!  I hope that Randy has to do a second run of our special coffee!  Just let Randy or I know when you’ve given blood and it will be announced at the next meeting you attend.

By the way, the sponsor for this year’s Rotary District Conference is BloodSource, tying all of this together!

Just be sure to put Arden Arcade Rotary Club as your affiliation when you give blood.  Let’s make sure our Club has a good showing and make sure you don’t have to buy coffee for a while!

Also: Happy Friday! If you were unable to attend this week’s lunch meeting you missed a doozy.  Lou Stanfill, former US national team member and Executive Director of Nor Cal Rugby, spoke to US about his experiences playing rugby all over the world.  As the ED of Nor Cal Rugby he now works with different programs all over Northern California making sure kids are not only learning the sport, but also being taught the values that go along with it.  Lou & I have been friends since 14 and each time he referred to me as Tommy the smiles in the crowd got a little bit bigger! J

Only 2 weeks left before the window for our Fall Grant closes.  Please send interested parties to www.ardenarcaderotary.org to apply!

Next week we are having an offsite lunch meeting at JJ Pfister Distillery.  The address is 9819 Business Park Dr Sacramento CA 95827.  We will be doing a tour and tasting to go along with our lunch.  Feel free to invite a guest that could potentially be a member for the club!

Have a great weekend!!

Yours in Rotary,

Thomas J. Goode