Home Page | Rotary Club of Placerville

Kurt Raffetto

Do you want to be a part of something big? Do you want to make a difference in Placerville and around the globe? If you answered "YES" then Rotary is for you.

Rotary needs you. And you need Rotary.

Rotary builds leaders that make things happen. Through fellowship we build connections throughout the community and our lives.

Our service projects address community needs such as the new Rotary Park Batting Cage, Downtown benches, metal art along Highway 50, Paradise Fire Fundraiser, Fairgrounds clean-up and more.
Our weekly programs are informative and dynamic including local musicians, the El Dorado Arts Council, Heritage Flyers, local political leaders, King Fire reforestation, and local candidates for office.
Our events are always fun (Lobster on the River, Bon Voyage Ball).

Talk to a Rotarian or just join us. Members start gathering at 5:30 and meetings start at 6:15pm at The Smith Flat House, Placerville. If we aren't there, we are working to make Placerville a better place. Check the speaker list to the right to find out who is coming or where we are working.

Hope to see you at Rotary!

Kurt Raffetto

2018-2021 President

Be a Part of Something Great!

Service Above Self

We meet Thursdays at 6:15 PM
Smith Flat House

2021 Smith Flat Road
Placerville, CA 95667
United States of America

Email:

placervillerotary@gmail.com

District Site

Bulletins

Venue Map

Lobster on the River 2021

SAVE THE DATE

The Rotary Club of Placerville is hosting our annual Lobster on the River fundraiser on Saturday, September 11th, 2021 at Henningsen Lotus Park on the beautiful American River. We will have food trucks, live music, cash bar, and raffle items. This is our big fundraiser for the year so make plans to attend.

District Newsletter

The Rotary Club of Placerville was featured prominently in the District 5190 January Newsletter. We were recognized for our beautification efforts around Placerville. Big thanks to Assistant Governor Vickie Christensen for showing off our work! Here is the link to the newsletter: District 5190 January Newsletter.

Placerville Earns Rotary Citation

The Rotary Club of Placerville earned the Rotary Citation for club year 2019-2020. The citation is the most significant award a Rotary club can earn from Rotary International. The citation is earned by setting and achieving a variety of goals for the given club year. Goals include increasing club membership, developing sustainable service projects, giving to The Rotary Foundation, and building awareness of Rotary in our community. This is the second year in a row that the Rotary Club of Placerville has earned this award.

Service Club Service Day at the Fair

The Rotary Club of Placerville is putting together a service day at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. The event will take place on Saturday, 19 September from 8am until 5pm. In addition to the four Rotary Clubs on the western slope of El Dorado County, we have invited the Kiwanis Club of Placerville, the Active 20-30 Club, Placerville Soroptimists, and the Mother Lode Lions. If you are a member of a service club and would like to help out, please contact us! The fair has been hit hard by the Covid crisis and have many projects. Most involve cleaning garden beds, pruning, and weed eating. More info to come.

First Ever Virtual Meeting

The Rotary Club of Placerville hosted their first ever virtual meeting in the 76 year history of the club on Thursday, April 9th. Twenty-three members and guests joined on "Go to Meeting" to hear words from Supervisor-elect Wendy Thomas on the COVID-19 crises and the future of El Dorado County. Supervisor-elect Thomas also updated us on her husband's, City of Placerville Vice-mayor Dennis Thomas, recent bout with the coronavirus. In addition to members of the Placerville club, we were joined by our Area 6 Assistant Governor, the assistant governor of Area 5 from District 5190, and two other members of the Rotary Club of Cameron Park. The club will continue this format every other week.

COVID19 Update

The Rotary Club of Placerville is complying with state and local directives and canceling all activities for the foreseeable future. Our first virtual meeting using the GoToMeeting platform is on April 9th. More log-in information will be distributed via email.

Rotary Speech and Music Contests

The Rotary Clubs of Placerville and Pollock Pines-Camino will be hosting their annual Speech and Music contests in March. Speech will take place on Thursday, March 26th at 6:15 at the Smith Flat House in Placerville. The Music contest will take place on Sunday, March 29th at 2pm at the Smith Flat House. The theme for the 2020 District 5190 Speech contest is: "Making Connections as We Create Lasting Change". More information is available for both contests to the right under Homepage Download files.

Helping Our Heroes

The Rotary Club of Placerville is sponsoring a fundraising pasta dinner for El Dorado County First Responders at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds on Friday, December 27th from 4 to 8pm. Proceeds will benefit EDSO, PPD, CHP, and El Dorado County Fire. No tickets are required. This is a donation only event. Give what you can to help out benevolent agencies such as the El Dorado County Sheriff's Posse.

World Polio Day 2019

Posted by Kurt Raffetto on Oct 21, 2019

October 24th, 2019 is World Polio Day. This is a day to remind everyone that polio is still out there as a crippling disease. It is also a day to remind folks that through Rotary's efforts, we are "this close" to eradicating polio from the face of the earth. Africa is about to be declared polio free! The Rotary Club of Placerville will be getting a special update on polio from past district governor and current district Polio Plus chair, Dave Bianchi. This occurs at our regular meeting on Thursday, 24 October at the Smith Flat House. We gather at 5:30 and the meeting starts at 6:15.

More information on combating polio can be found at www.endpolio.org.

Studio 81 Fundraiser

The Rotary Club of Placerville is supporting El Dorado High School's Drama department (Studio 81) on 10 October. Studio 81 is trying to raise funds for new lighting for their on campus theater. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased at www.studio81arts.com.

Rotary Park Batting Cage

Posted by Kurt Raffetto

The Rotary Club of Placerville just installed a batting cage at Placerville's Rotary Park. While the club did the leg work, it was a collaborative effort with Hangtown Little League, the City of Placerville, and the great community we live in.

History of the Rotary Club of Placerville

Ever wonder who put in the "Welcome to Placerville" sign and flagpoles? How about all those oleander plants at the fairgrounds? How did Rotary Park come about? How about that basketball court at Benham Park? Follow the link to read about some of the great things the Rotary Club of Placerville has done in the past to make our community better.

Placerville Rotary Community Service History

Posted by Kurt Raffetto

The Rotary Club of Placerville has a 75 year history of doing good in the world and doing good in Placerville. The linked article is a brief synopsis of the many projects taken on by our club. It is from a few years ago so does not include the beautiful metal sculptures along Highway 50, the refurbishment of the caboose at Spring St, or our fundraiser for the victims of the Camp Fire.

Fundraiser Check Presentation

Posted on Dec 07, 2018

Placerville Rotary Club President Kurt Raffetto traveled to Chico on Thursday with Ron Thompson and Gordon Vicini to present a check to the Paradise Rotary Club for $100,000. Accepting the check on behalf of the Paradise Club was President Brian Gray. Over 90 percent of the Paradise Club members were directly impacted by the fire. The presentation was met with profuse thanks and applause.

The check was a result of the Rotary Club Pasta Feed Fundraiser held on November 25^th at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds. Placerville and El Dorado County citizens stepped up in a big way to help their neighbors to the north. Donations came in from as far away as Idaho and Arizona. Donations from the event totaled $91,000 with the Placerville Club making up the difference to reach $100,000.

The Paradise Club will use 100 percent of the funds to benefit those impacted by the fires. While no specific plans are currently underway, the Placerville Rotary Club will keep in touch and find out how our generous communities’ dollars are spent.

The Rotary Club of Placerville would like to again thank the generous contributors, volunteers, and corporate sponsors that made this fundraiser possible and such a tremendous success. For those still wishing to contribute, funds may be made out to The Rotary Club of Placerville and sent to PO Box 488, Placerville, CA 95667.

Camp Fire Fundraiser Event

Posted by Kurt Raffetto

The citizens of El Dorado County (and beyond) stepped up to our donation effort for the victims of the Camp Fire in Paradise and surrounding Butte County. Over $88,000 has been donated to the cause. We expect this to increase in the days ahead. The funds will be awarded to Rotary District 5160 and the Rotary Club of Paradise in the near future. Presentation dates are currently being coordinated. Donations are still coming in and we hope to have all collected by 6 December. Thank you so much to Gordon Vicini and crew for the wonderful food. The farms and ranches of the Apple Hill Growers for the delicious desserts and wineries of the El Dorado Winery Association for the adult beverages. Barsotti Family Juice Company took care of the crowd with non-alcoholic juices and some great hard cider. Thanks, too, to Red Hawk casino for the water for our crowd of nearly 1,500 people. If you couldn't attend but still want to contribute, you may mail a check to The Rotary Club of Placerville, PO Box 488, Placerville, CA. 95667. Thank you!

Lobster on the River 2018

Thank you to all for making our Lobster on the River event a great success. It was great seeing Hangtown Little League families, fellow Rotarians, and the community at large supporting our effort to put in a batting cage at Rotary Park. We netted over $9,000 for the project and are well on our way to getting the batting cage installed.

Joe Stancil

Posted on Jul 13, 2018