We welcomed home to MBSR our friend and former Rotarian Dave DesRochers on September 30th. Dave is the Founder & CEO of the 1st & Goal Project Inc. non-profit 501(c)(3) helps people achieve their highest levels of personal and economic independence by equipping them with the skills and connecting them to the right opportunities. This non-profit organization is designed specifically to help former athletes, military veterans, and others successfully navigate difficult life transitions.
Dave is also part of Ambassadors of Compassion. He serves as a director for this nationwide youth organization, which focuses on providing mental health, emotional resiliency, and trauma-recovery tools to students in public schools and colleges.
Dave has taken his "Service Above Self" to great levels as he does so much for kids, Vets, former NFL players and beyond.

One of the most profound privileges of being a Rotarian is the unspoken global passport that comes with your membership pin. No matter where you travel on Earth, you are never truly a stranger; you are simply a member of a global family waiting to be welcomed home.
We experienced this beautiful truth firsthand at our recent meeting when we were joined by a surprise guest, Mafine, from the Rotary Club Abidjan Horizon in Côte d’Ivoire, Africa. She traveled alongside her son, Karim who lives locally, bringing the vibrant spirit of her home club to ours.
Moments like these remind us that guests from all over the world are not just visitors—they are the very heartbeat of Rotary. With 1.2 million Rotarians in the world, and over 45,000 clubs across the globe, you can walk into a meeting in any country, span any distance or culture, and immediately find yourself wrapped in the warm embrace of our shared values and fellowship. We are incredibly grateful to Mafine and Karim for sharing coming to our Rotary Club meeting and reminding us how beautifully small our world becomes through the gift of Rotary.

September 23rd our speakers Mary Rozatti and Daniel Summers spoke to us from The Automobile Club of Southern California, San Clemente branch, about the exciting world of travel that awaits us! So many destinations and so little time. Get ready to pack your bags!

Wonderful moments at our Rotary meeting today! ⚙️📖We were delighted to spend time with Mitch Katz and his wife, Linda, pictured here alongside our Co-presidents Anita Houston and Hayden Macurda.

While many people collect stamps, coins, or baseball cards, Mitch’s passion lies in the intricate world of mechanical watches. Mitch has been on a 25-year watch-collecting journey. Following a distinguished career as a physician, he turned his precision and dedication toward horology, (the scientific study of time measurement and the art or craft of making timekeeping devices like clocks and watches) and authorship. Each individual piece Mitch owns evokes special memories. Some call it insanity, others passion, in either event collecting is something we all do and derive pleasure from.

Mitch has authored several fascinating books on the subject, including his beautifully crafted title, "Time on My Hands." Thank you, Mitch for sharing your incredible journey and passion with our Rotary family!

Thank you to our hosts, Jamie Jessel and his lovely wife Kirsten, for inviting us all to a French wine tasting at Total Wine & More in Lake Forest on September 1st. Are Somalier, Amanda shared about French wines which are celebrated worldwide for their unparalleled elegance, deep complexity, and the unique way the express the distinct soil and traditions of regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.

We had a great turnout for our exclusive wine tasting where we explored these legendary flavors first hand! Thank you Jamie for your French pronunciation, it would be a faux pas to mispronounce anything either before or after we had a sip!

Now that we have had our master class in balance and flavor, we can turn any meal into an unforgettable occasion!