Service above self

Welcome to Freedom Rotary!

Garden Party Fundraiser

October 21, 2023

Hello and welcome to Freedom Rotary. My name is Steve and I am Freedom Rotary’s President for the 2023- 2024 Rotary year. I have lived and/or worked in South County for 16 years and feel very attached to this wonderful community. Before becoming this club’s president, I was membership chair for the past 2 years.

Our immediate Past President, Trina Coffman-Gomez set the bar pretty high this past year where, with her at the helm, not only did our club break records for recruitment, we also gave a lot back to both our local community, as well as Internationally in a variety of ways.

We stepped up to assistΒ Ukraine with an awesome local concert, as well as assisting Pajaro flood victims locally with donations of gift cards,Β mattresses and furniture. Though we never know whatΒ lies ahead in the coming year, we learned this past year we are ready to jump in and assistΒ when needed.

We will continue withΒ our annual projects including collaborating with our not-for-profit partners starting with a backpack give away with Salvation Army in our downtown plaza,Β while continuing to provide mealΒ assistance at Loaves and Fishes. I have additional new projects in the works so stay tuned here to see what comes next!

Our 2nd annual Uncorked Corralitos wine/beer walk event is scheduled for October 21st with proceeds going to local nonprofits. We are also looking to launch our 1st annual Poker fundraiser in the first part of 2024!

Yes, we have fun! And we do so all while raising money to support those in need in our community and abroad.

If you would like to learn more about theΒ district’s fastest growing Rotary club, please join us at one of our lunch or dinner gatherings. We have dinner at El Vaquero Winery on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 5:15 and lunch is served at 12:15 in the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Ag History Museum on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month.

Thank you,

Steve

Our meetings are on Tuesdays –

  • 1st and 3rd Tuesdays, we meet at 5:15pm for snacks and some great wine at El Vaquero Winery located at 2906 Freedom Blvd in Corralitos
  • 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month we meet for 12:15pm lunch at the Agricultural History Project located on the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
  • If there is a 5th Tuesday in a month, we use that as an opportunity to have a vocational visit in our community

Associate Members of Freedom Rotary

Aloke Mukherjee: Computer Analyst, ATSA Corp
Amy Lundquist:Β Senior Product Manager, Apellis Pharmaceuticals
Annabelle Rodriguez: Cabrillo College
Ashley Bridges: Executive Director, Loaves and Fishes
Barry Notollli: Real Estate Investor
Brian Lockwood: General Manager, Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency
Bob Prikazsky: Owner, El Vaquero Winery
Brent Henderson:Β Supply Demand Planner, Apple Computer
Braulio Salgado:Β Loan officer, Prime Home Loans
Casey Clark: Residential Care Manager
Dan Carrillo: Owner, Pajaro Valley Printing
Dana Sales: Realtor
Debashis Roy Chowdhury:Β Software Engineer
Doug Feinsod: Owner, Santa Cruz Vintage Cycles
Evgenia Mirfild:Β Boy Scouts of America
Gloria Garing: Retired, Administrator, Cabrillo College
Gonzalo Fernandez:Β Agent, New York Life
Irma Freeman:Β AVP Portfolio Manager, Santa Cruz County Bank
Jeannie Kegebein: Executive Director, Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds Foundation
Jorge Zamora: Chief of Police, Watsonville
Keith Redfield: Retired Tech Manager
Kirk Schmidt: Agriculture Consultant
Loren Morse: Realtor, eXp Realty
Lourdes Espinola:Β Realtor, Tierra Real Estate
Maria Nene Rodriguez-Castillo: Community Action Board
Martha Denny: E.A, President and CEO of a2i Accounting + Consulting Services.
Martha Vega: Teacher. Pajaro Valley High School
Martin Guerrero: CEO, Mas Mac McDonald’s
Mike Johnson, Director for Pajaro Valley Shelter Services
Nayeli Mercado: Corps Officer, Salvation Army
Patsy Gasca: Disaster Program Manager, American Red Cross
Paz Padilla: Director of Program Impact, Community Action Board
Ron Sandidge: Project Director, Snazzy Productions
Rose Wood: Owner, Rose Wood Realty
Ruben Munoz: Manager, Watsonville Branch Bay Federal Credit Union
Sandy Petznick: Retired, Human Resources, Salud Para La Gente
Shaz Roth: CEO, Pajaro Valley Chamber of Commerce & Agriculture
Stephanie Layne: Bookkeeper, Evans Management Services
Steve Bennett: Director of Operations & Advertising, Santa Cruz Sentinel
Suzanne Redfield: RetiredΒ RN
Suzi Merriam: Community Development Director, City of Watsonville
Sylvia Hernandez:Β Retired
Tom Sprague: President, T L Sprague & Co
Tina Chavez: Corporate and Community Engagement Manager, Second Harvest Food Bank
Trina Coffman-Gomez: Owner, Integrity Lending
Yesenia Medina: Director of Administrative Services, Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission

What would it take to change the world?

Rotary InternationalΒ is the world’s first service club organization, with more thanΒ 1.2 million membersΒ inΒ 33,000 clubsΒ worldwide. Rotary club members are volunteers who work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, provide education and job training, promote peace, and eradicate polio under the mottoΒ Service Above Self.Β