The Pulse for the Week of January 19th, 2026

This week’s meeting carried a simple theme that kept showing up in different ways: keep learning, keep showing up, keep giving.

Past President Thom Gilbert offered a Thought for the Day that fit perfectly with Rotary’s focus and our speaker’s theme. He called it the “three L’s”: life, law, learning. Thom defined lifelong learning as an ongoing, voluntary, self-motivated pursuit of learning, tied to social inclusion, active citizenship, and personal development. Learning does not stop, he said, it just changes shape.

Nancy Teichert was honored with the club’s highest award, Sacramento Rotary Fellow, with the big reveal coming from presenter Elfrena Foord. Elfrena highlighted Nancy’s grit, curiosity, and remarkable journalism career, including work that once earned her reporting team a Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. She also shared a few unforgettable moments from Nancy’s career that captured her fearlessness, plus a final note of gratitude for Nancy’s club service by connecting Rotary to outstanding programs, speakers, and community leaders.

Meeting sponsor PP Thom Gilbert donated his time to Deanna Hanson, president of the Renaissance Society. Based at Sacramento State, the Renaissance Society serves primarily retirees and Sacramentans aged 50+ with intellectually stimulating courses and presentations. The Renaissance Society has about 1,800 members and is entering its 40th year. Since 1993, it has awarded over $290,000 in scholarships to Sacramento State students and supports the college food pantry for students experiencing food insecurity. She encouraged any seasoned person with a passion for learning and a desire for community connection to explore the new spring course list and consider joining.

President Kerry Wood saluted the club’s birthday boys and girls – John Wood, Matt Page, Ed Melia, Shirlee Tully, Brooks Cutter, John Goralka, and President-elect Paul Keefer.

So much “beautiful music” was made this week through generous gifts to the club. Ann Solomon donated $50 to Nancy Teichert’s Eddie Mulligan, with a nod to Indiana University, Nancy’s alma mater. Nancy donated $1,000 to her own Eddie Mulligan, sharing gratitude for the club and the friendships built over the years. Kathy Herrfeldt donated $50 to her Eddie Mulligan in honor of the Renaissance Society, plus $50 to Dan Fenocchio’s Eddie Mulligan to thank him for a referral. Rhonda Poppen donated $100 to LaToya Wong’s Eddie Mulligan in appreciation for all LaToya does for the club, plus $50 to Michelle See’s Eddie Mulligan for correctly naming the day’s intro song. Monster Laundry owners and members Michelle See and Craig Taylor celebrated two years in business, and each donated $100 to their respective Eddie Mulligans.

Club Announcements:

Community Grants: The cycle is open and the deadline is January 31. Apply through the club website.
District Conference: Lake Tahoe, May 1 to May 3
Jean Runyon Award: Nominations open this week with a 30-day window
Rotary Theater Night: Moulin Rouge, Thursday February 5 at 7:30 PM
Loaves & Fishes volunteer needs for Thursday, January 29: Two more for the 7:30am shift and four more for the lunch shift
Toy Drive impact: Over 2,000 families served and thousands of kids reached
Flash mob: Yes, it happened. Macarena energy was strong
CapRadio partnership: Two promotional spots are currently running to help generate interest in the club.

Getting to Know Your Fellow Rotarians

Robyn DeLong highlighted Steve Faryabi with a spotlight that was both entertaining and deeply moving. She opened with a couple of stories from Steve’s investigations career, then shifted into the heart of his story. Born in Afghanistan and shaped by war and displacement, Steve pursued education through persistence and built a pattern that kept repeating: he sees a gap, and he steps in. Robyn shared how Steve helped organize blood donations when bombings created urgent need, and how he later founded the Humanity Welfare Organization to help children stay in school with uniforms, supplies, food, and support for families.

Bruce Hester highlighted Clayton Lee. Clayton has been a Rotarian 46 years and a club member since 1994. Bruce shared Clayton’s entrepreneurial journey, including major industrial projects and early relationship-building in China when the door first opened for business connections. Then Bruce focused on Clayton’s purpose-driven work through Rotary: bringing clean water to disadvantaged communities. The club’s International Service Committee, on which Clayton serves, began with a small Rotary grant in Cambodia in 2012, expanded to Ethiopia, and later partnered with World Vision to scale impact with long-term training and maintenance. To date, Clayton and fellow ISC member John Phair have helped ISC complete nine water projects in Africa and Central America, with a goal of reaching one million people with clean water. Bruce recounted Clayton’s helicopter wedding proposal that turned into 48 years of marriage, seven children, and 18 grandkids.

Nancy Teichert introduced featured speaker Scott Syphax, the Emmy Award-winning host and producer of Studio Sacramento on PBS KVIE. She noted his work in board governance training and strategic planning, and his role as CEO and Chairman of the Nehemiah Community Foundation, including the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program, now in its 16th year.

Scott shared three “Giving Laws” through stories of leaders whose lives expanded because they gave what they had, then watched it multiply through community.