Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific

Third Thursday in July

Please join us on July 21st for Third Thursday, a series of professional development talks and networking opportunities presented by the Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific. This month features a briefing on current real estate values and trends by Monterey County Assessor Steve Vagnini.

The past three years has seen steady declines in most segments of the Monterey County real estate market. Vagnini and his staff have been living in the eye of that storm the entire time, determining fair property valuations.

Some people – real estate professionals who live on commissions, sellers who want the best price and local governments that need tax dollars – have an interest in keep valuations high. Other – taxpayers and home buyers – want to keep their bills low. Vagnini’s team has to balance the competing interests and arrive at decisions that are fair and faithful to the facts. Vagnini will share that experience and expertise at our next Third Thursday program.

The event begins at 5:15 p.m. Thursday, July 21, 2011, at the Casa Munras Hotel, 700 Munras Avenue, in downtown Monterey. The program lasts an hour, but everyone is welcome to stay afterwards for more informal networking and relaxation.

February 2012 Update: FYI, we no longer meet at Casa Munras. Please check the side bar to the right for our current location.

You can follow our Third Thursday series, and other events, on Meetup.com/Monterey-Pacific-Rotary and on our Monterey-Pacific-Rotary Facebook page.

New Year, New Networking and Service Opportunities

The Rotary year starts in July, and we’re celebrating it with Christmas in July, a service project at Dorothy’s Place in Salinas. This local organization has been serving the homeless and other marginalized populations in Monterey County for nearly 30 years. We help out by collecting new, useful items and turning it all into a summer gift exchange.

Working together on projects that make our community a better place to live is a great way to meet people and build trust. That’s the essence of Rotary. In the coming months, we’ll be cleaning up the Recreation Trail in Monterey, working to fight hunger throughout the area and getting together for fun and fellowship.

We’re committed to helping local students. Two college scholarships and hundreds of dictionaries and thesauruses were presented to students at several Seaside schools by the Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific recently.

Amitesh Kumar, Monterey Pacific Rotarian Geoff Cook and Jennaliz Blanco at the formal presentation of the scholarships.

Amitesh Kumar and Jennaliz Blanco, graduating seniors at Seaside High School, received $500 scholarships to help support their higher education goals next school year. Both Amitesh and Jennaliz are pursuing careers in medicine.

Third grade students at Del Rey Woods, George Marshall and Ord Terrace elementary schools in Seaside received either a dictionary or, in some cases, a thesaurus. The hardback books were given to them personally, and will be theirs to keep as they continue their education for many years. The Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific has been presenting books to Seaside third graders since 2007.

We also sponsor the Interact Club of Seaside High School, and partner with them throughout the year on service projects.

Our club meets Thursday evenings at 5:15 p.m. at the Casa Munras Hotel, 700 Munras Avenue in downtown Monterey. Once a month, we present Third Thursday (see sidebar), a series of professional development talks and networking opportunities. Speakers cover a wide range of topics, with the goal of delivering actionable ideas and information to the Monterey Peninsula business community.

As a chartered club of Rotary International, the Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific is part of a world wide network of business, professional and government leaders, working together toward the common goal of a better world. In our local district, there are 3,000 Rotarians from every type of organization, business and profession. Membership in one club connects you to every club. Find out more about how Rotary serves our community and the world, by visiting one of our meetings or events, or by going to www.rotary.org.

Speed Networking Mixer Connects Local Businesses

How many local business people can you exchange quick “elevator pitches” in less than an hour? Dozens, as it turns out. In June, The Rotary Club of Monterey Pacific sponsored a speed networking mixer as part of its Third Thursday series of professional programs.

A broad range of local business people sat down one-on-one, exchanged business cards, gave each other brief summaries of what they do and why they do it well, made a quick assessment of future business opportunities and moved on to the next person. This quick and entertaining business development opportunity was shared by Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike.