Stories

The Rotary Club of Placerville set up a hot cider booth at Placerville's annual Christmas Tree lighting on Friday, November 29th.  Thanks to the generosity of the Barsotti Juice Company and Starbucks, the club was able to provide hot cider and coffee at no charge to those who needed to warm up on the chilly evening.  Many recipients did voluntarily donate to the club, and many heard about the other good works we do in the community. This outreach is just one of the many things the Rotary Club of Placerville does for our town.

Welcome District Governor Dennis Geare as he takes the reins of District 5190 for the 2024-2025 Rotary year. Congratulations to Rotary Club of Placerville President Scott Smith as he begins his year too!

The Rotary Club of Placerville is hosting our first ever "Rotary in the Vineyard" at Saureel Vineyards.  Join us Sunday, September 22, 2024, from 4 to 9 pm for a gourmet dinner, fine wine, and live music.  Proceeds from the event will benefit Union Mine & El Dorado High School Scholarships, CASA El Dorado, Trees for Troops, Coats for Kids, Community Improvements & much more. Check out our Facebook or Instagram pages for more information.  Tickets are available on Eventbrite (Rotary in the Vineyard Tickets, Sun, Sep 22, 2024 at 4:00 PM | Eventbrite) or in person at: the Office of Terrie Prod'hon, CPA, 768 Pleasant Valley Road, Suite 300, Diamond Springs, CA or The Paint Spot, 1303 Broadway, Placerville, CA.

Shadowridge Ranch, June 8, 2024, 5-10pm.  Food provided by Old Town Grill, entertainment provided by Song and Dance.  Raffle, music, food and more.  Ticket info at https://www.placervillerotary.org or on EventBrite.  Tickets are $60.00 per person or $500 for a VIP Table of 8 (includes 2 bottles of wine & a strip of raffle tickets--BEST VALUE!)

The Rotary Club of Placerville was formed on May 8, 1944.  The club was sponsored by the Rotary Club of Sacramento. The Club will be celebrating our 80th year with a gala event at the Sequoia Mansion in Placerville.  The club previously held meetings at that location when it was the Elks Lodge and later the Bee-Bennett House.  The gala takes place on Saturday, April 20th at 6pm.  If you were affiliated with the Rotary Club of Placerville and would like to attend, please reach out to club secretary, Kim Smith.  

The Rotary Club of Placerville is proud to announce that one of their own, Area Governor Kurt Raffetto, has been selected by the District 5190 Nomination Committee to be the District Governor for Rotary Year 2026-2027.

Recruitment for the EDC Civil Grand Jury begins in March through mid May.  Applications for the 2024/2025 term can be found at www.edcgov,us/grandjury.

Rotarians and family members spent the morning at Wakamatsu Farms in the Gold Hill area of El Dorado County clearing around the memorial to Joan Barsotti.  Joan is the late wife of Placerville Rotarian Gael Barsotti.  Joan was instrumental in telling the history of the Wakamatsu area through her book, "Okei-San:  The Girl from Wakamatsu".  

The Rotary Club of Placerville discovered the need for a few essential items that could help the most vulnerable in our population.  This project was done in coordination with Marshall Medical Center's coordinator of care for vulnerable populations.

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.

 

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.

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.

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.   

 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.

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. 

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.

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.

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!

The Placerville Community has lost an icon.  Joe Stancil passed away recently but left a legacy of making the community a better place.