Events

Please join us at The Rotary Club of Reno Holiday party! We are having a coat drive for the children living at OUR Place. If you want to bring a coat, see the newsletter for sizes.

• The event begins with lunch from 11:30 to noon, so plan to arrive at least 30 minutes before our usual time.

• Spouses, potential members, and other guests are welcome.

• We'll have three fun games plus an ugly holiday sweater or sweatshirt contest with monetary prizes for winners. 

• And we'll have the usual exchange of gifts. You know, open one/steal one. To participate, bring a wrapped gift valued at $25-$30.

Miss Diana’s music career started from the age of 2 learning ballet and tap and absorbing the music from her father’s orchestra rehearsals and performances in San Francisco.  She began piano at the age of 4 and violin from the age of 12.  She always sang (her first solo performance was at the age of 5 before parents and children from her elementary school). She auditioned before the great teacher and Operatic star, Frederick Jagel, who accepted her as his student.  Within 2 years she became a regional finalist for the Metropolitan Opera Auditions.  Miss Diana has performed in Operas, Musical Theatre, and concerts and has also produced and directed various shows.  Miss Diana performed for Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s 20^th Anniversary on the Supreme Court in New York City and was the soloist for the International Music Concert in Bern, Switzerland. She has produced and directed and teaches voice, violin, acting, and piano to children for more than 7 years.  She has a B.A. degree in Humanities and a J.D. in law; had a law firm in Silicon Valley for 20 years and then founded and developed for profit companies for another 20 years.  For more than 30 years Diana has helped children with special needs in literacy programs as well as using music to engage and enhance their well-being. Diana has focused on helping children with autism for the last five years and has had a great deal of success in improving their development utilizing the performing arts as tools.

David D. Spitzer has practiced in Northern Nevada for over 40 years in both criminal and civil law. In addition to practicing in criminal law and working to design and establish the Second Judicial District Court’s Drug Court and other Diversion Courts in the 1990s and early 2000s, he has been the supervising attorney in the Adult Guardianship unit at Northern Nevada Legal Aid since 2013. In November of 2024, he was appointed the Executive Director of Northern Nevada Legal Aid (formerly Washoe Legal Services).

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Valieria Koss is a nonprofit leader and advocate dedicated to advancing equity, opportunity, and systems change for young people with lived experience in foster care. She brings extensive experience in public policy, program development, and cross-sector collaboration to her work at the RennerVation Foundation, where she focuses on building innovative pathways that support youth and young adults in achieving stability and independence.

Valieria holds a Bachelor’s degree from UCSD and a Master of Public Policy from Pepperdine University, grounding her work in data-informed decision-making and community-centered policy solutions. Her academic background informs her commitment to creating trauma-informed, youth-centered programs that address gaps in access, education, and economic mobility.

She is actively involved in the Junior League of Reno and is a proud member of Delta Gamma, where she continues to support leadership development, service, and philanthropy within the community.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Kurt Mische, President and CEO of PBS Reno, and Nancy Maldonado, Vice President of Education at PBS Reno, will give us a presentation about the 2026 PBS Reno Writers Contest.

The annual PBS Reno Writers Contest, part of PBS Reno Curiosity Classroom, invites local students in kindergarten through third grade to submit their own illustrated stories. 

The PBS Reno Writers Contest is a local contest designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The Writers Contest encourages children in grades K-3 to celebrate the power of creating stories and illustrations by submitting their own original pieces. Each year, thousands of northern Nevada children participate in the PBS Reno Writers Contest, building their creative voices, and developing critical reading and writing skills.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Dr. Ron Aryel is a pediatrician and disaster medicine  who, along with his wife Stacey Knobler, ran a joint practice in Reno that saw difficult, complex cases. His practice won awards from Senator Dean Heller, the City of Reno, the City of Kansas City, MO, Drexel University College of Medicine, Immunize Nevada, the CDC and the American Cancer Society for outstanding medical care and outstanding community service; he was cited twice by Disaster Medical Assistance Teams for outstanding care and leadership and collaborated on biosurveillance/WMD projects with the US Marine Corp. CBIRF team and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority Police Department.

Dr. Aryel co-led the development of the COVID Risk Meter and Predictive Tool used by Northern Nevada Public Health.

Dr. Aryel was a key contributor to RODS, the United States’ first automated bioterror warning system (used in Washoe County) and co-conceived of the National Retail Data Monitor. President George W. Bush personally visited the RODS laboratory. Dr. Aryel cowrote and coedited the first textbook used by Ph.D. graduate programs in biosurveillance. 

Dr. Aryel has an M.D. from Drexel University, an M.B.A. from University of South Florida and is a life member of the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.

Every Mind Matters is a 501-c-3 non-profit that serves Northern Nevada. It offers Fellowships to students of high potential who suffer from poverty, often chaotic social backgrounds not conducive to learning or sometimes even economic survival.  Through our program, thus far 100% of Fellows graduate from the University of Nevada and either begin a professional career or win admission to graduate school.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Pick up Writer's Contest materials at PBS Reno and deliver to local elementary schools. Need 2 volunteers. Check in upon arrival at the front desk. Nancy Maldonado is the contact name.

Who: Rotary Club of Reno Rotarian and Co-Chair of International Service Committee - Colburn Shindell, colburn1@me.com, 775-813-6419 - contact me if you are interested.

What: Rotary Club of Reno International Service Project: Menstrual Hygiene Kit Manufacture from $10,000 Funding from Committee budget, Distribution, Days for Girls Programming as needed, distribute at least 1000 kits

Where: Based out of Buhoma, in SW Uganda near Bwindi Impenetrable Forest - visit and distribute kits at 5-10 primary schools 

When: February 23-27 (Colburn is in Buhoma 2/14-3/8 so there is some flexibility in your visit)

Transportation: Flights to Entebbe, Uganda, (EBB) onward to Kihihi air strip (KHX) by Aerolink Airlines, Bwindi Community Hospital transport or hired transport depending on numbers of interested individuals. Roads to many of the schools are rough and not maintained - anything can come up - weather, livestock, mechanical that might/will make this a fluid experience which requires patience, safety, and a sense of humor and a positive respect for our hosts and anyone we meet - children, teachers, administrators, leaders, roadside vendors, etc.

Add Ons: Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park can be easily arranged, Gorilla tracking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest NP, Chimpanzee tracking in Kibale Forest NP. Visit Rotarian Sarah in Bugori, Uganda in the far east of the country which is another menstrual hygiene education hub with Days for Girls. I am available to help you create a fulfilling itinerary in many locations throughout the African continent.

Sierra Valley Grange is the home of the longest running and BEST Cowboy Poetry event in California.  It started in 1986 and is second only to Elko, NV.  Over the years we have had the best poets and singers from the around the country perform in our beautiful hall, built in 1934.

The Sierra Valley Grange will present Gary Allegretto, Tony Argento and Richard Elloyan with Steve Wade.

We will travel by bus from Reno to Vinton, California for dinner and the show, and then return to Reno.

Our bus will depart Reno at 5:00 pm and return approximately 10:00 pm. Dinner is included. Cost is $50.00 per person.