Fred Groverman DVM

Thirty years ago veterinarian Fred Groverman helped found the Sonoma County 4-H Foundation as a means of expanding opportunities for youth dressed in uniforms of white shirts and green cloth hats.

Fred Groverman is a founding member and board member of the 4-H Foundation. His present effort is to get more Latino youths into 4-H. Today, as the foundation president, the 78-year-old Groverman has taken on a new effort: to encourage more Latino youth to join 4-H “I’m giving back because it worked very good for my children,” Groverman said.

The efforts to increase 4-H’s diversity are fledgling. But Groverman, a Petaluma resident, is credited with pushing to give more young people the opportunity to learn about leadership and agriculture. “Fred’s just been an incredible individual,” said county Supervisor Efren Carrillo. “What’s he’s done is he’s really reached out to various leaders in the Latino community.”

Groverman, 78, recently suffered the loss of his wife of 54 years. Patricia Groverman died March 5 at the age of 74. The couple have been described as the epitome of volunteer leadership in the farm community. In 2006 the county Farm Bureau inducted the Grovermans into its Agriculture Hall of Fame. A Petaluma native, Petaluma High grad and graduate of the UC Davis veterinary school, Fred Groverman’s involvement in the community has gone far beyond his veterinary practice. His past titles include Petaluma Hospital District president, Waugh school board member and county fair board member. He continues to raise Shropshire sheep, which have been on his family’s ranch since 1934, as well as to judge the breed in shows.

But the Grovermans’ legacy will certainly include 4-H. They volunteered when their four children went through the program. Patricia Groverman served a quarter century as coordinator for the Sonoma-Marin Replacement Heifer Project, which gave 4-H youth the chance to raise and show dairy cows.

And Fred Groverman has been on the 4-H Foundation board for all its 30 years. The group helps raise funds and provides grants to the local clubs. And with the help of developer Hugh Codding, the foundation in 1994 built a facility in Rohnert Park for 4-H meetings and other gatherings. “Fred is tireless,” said Stephanie Larson, county director of the UC Cooperative Extension. “He has dedicated a good portion of his life to educating youth.” Susan Hansen, the foundation’s executive director, said “You can’t think of 4-H in Sonoma County without Dr. Fred Groverman. When there’s a need or an important event, he’s always been there for the program and the kids.” While 4-H is often associated with showing lambs, hogs and other animals at the county fair, individual clubs can take on a variety of projects, from gardening to web design. Its boosters said the organization is really about developing young people. “We can teach these kids to be leaders in their community, no matter what project they’re in,” said Larson. Groverman said he hopes 4-H in the years ahead will reflect the great diversity of the county’s youth.“It gives them a direction to go to be successful,” he said. “It seems to me we don’t have enough organizations like that.”

A wealthy Santa Rosa widow who had a soft spot in her heart for 4-H kids, cows and agriculture left a sizeable bequest that launched the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County.

 Today, the 4-H Foundation, a non-profit corporation established in 1982, is the community’s primary financial vehicle for supporting, promoting and enhancing the Sonoma County 4-H program.

It was the late Rosalie C. Rohr’s large and unexpected bequest in 1981 that brought community leaders together to begin discussions that would eventually lead to establishment of the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County. Mrs. Rohr, the widow of Santa Rosa physician Dr. Silas M. Rohr, died on Nov. 15, 1978, at the age of 101 following a long and colorful life as a Santa Rosa socialite and philanthropist.

Throughout her life Mrs. Rohr supported agricultural youth organizations in Sonoma County. Additionally, she annually presented cash awards to the top Guernsey cattle breeders in the junior show at the Sonoma County Fair.

The Rohr estate, valued at $1 million at the time of her death, was left in a trust administered by Wells Fargo Bank. Mrs. Rohr’s will stipulated that the annual income from the trust was to be divided equally among four beneficiaries including the Sonoma County 4-H program. The other beneficiaries were the Sonoma County FFA program and two scholarships, one for Santa Rosa agriculture students at U.C. Davis and the other a music scholarship at the University of the Pacific in Stockton.

 It was estimated that the annual income from the Rohr trust would be $15,000 to  $17,000 for each of the four beneficiaries. Because the Sonoma County 4-H Foundation did not exist at the time, the money from the Rohr estate was to be held by the California 4-H Foundation, specifically to foster 4-H activities in Sonoma County.

4-H supporters believed Sonoma County 4-H needed its own foundation to receive the annual income from the Rohr trust and other bequests in the future. Members of the initial committee were Shirley Dempel, Harriet Polansky, Bob Sisson, Coston Crouse and Jim Groom. The committee met for more than a year to lay the groundwork for the foundation, which would became the legal entity to hold, administer and distribute charitable contributions directed to the Sonoma County 4-H program.

Mrs. Rohr’s generous bequest was the first but not the last to benefit Sonoma County 4-H Club members.

 The 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County is excited to announce that we recently received a generous donation of  $10,000 for scholarship funds from the Grainger Community Grant Program.  These scholarship funds will be available to Sonoma County residents pursuing a career in Agriculture or Agri-Business. They must be entering or attending a college or trade school. Wallace Wong, Branch Manager of the Grainger store in Rohnert Park, made the scholarship donation as part of Grainger’s commitment to the communities where it does business. He said many of Grainger’s customers in Sonoma County are wineries and agricultrural businesses. The scholarships are a way for Grainger to give back to the Sonoma County compainies that have been its loyal customers over the last four decades.

About W.W. Grainger, Inc.:
W.W. Grainger, Inc. (NYSE: GWW), with 2008 sales of $6.9 billion, is the leading broad line supplier of facilities maintenance products serving businesses and institutions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, China and Panama. Through a highly integrated network including more than 600 branches, 18 distribution centers and multiple Web sites, Grainger’s employees help customers get the job done.

Sam McMillan, a longtime director of the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County who quietly devotes hours and hours of his time to 4-H and the community, is the 2011 recipient of the Shining Star Award.

The Shining Star Award, given by the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County, recognizes a person who has made significant contributions to the 4-H Foundation and 4-H Club work. Fellow directors on the 4-H Foundation board praise Sam as the Foundation’s unsung hero because he is always there to help and always gets the job done. He does it all without drawing attention to himself, quietly doing whatever needs to be done to advance 4-H Club work and assist the 4-H Foundation.

“Sam truly is the 4-H Foundation’s shining star. He has been a very dedicated, hard-working board member on the 4-H Foundation for many years. Sam can always be counted on to spend countless hours helping with our fund raising events and the management of the 4-H Center,”  said Shirley Dempel, a founding director of the 4-H Foundation and the recipient of  last year’s Shining Star Award.

Sam was a member of the 4-H and his children were 4-H Club members as well. He grew up on his family’s Santa Rosa poultry farm where he raised Hampshire sheep and Duroc hogs as his farm projects.  He has been a director of the 4-H Foundation since 1999.

The Shining Star Award will be presented at the 4-H Foundation’s annual barbecue on Sept. 17 at Richard’ Grove in Windsor.

Shirley Dempel’s life has been defined by 4-H. She was a 4-H Club member, a 4-H parent, 4-H leader and for the last 40 years an advocate and mentor for the 4-H program and 4-H club members. Shirley is one of the co-founders of the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County and remains one of the 4-H program’s most ardent supporters. Following a large bequest to Sonoma County 4-H in 1981, Shirley determined the need to establish a non-profit foundation as the financial vehicle for supporting, promoting and enhancing the Sonoma County 4-H program. The 4-H Foundation was established in 1982 thanks to Shirley’s vision and hard work. Shirley was seated on the foundation’s board of directors and continues to serve as a director of the 4-H Foundation today.  She is the Foundation’s longest serving director and, of course, the foundation’s institutional memory. Shirley knows all and is regularly called upon for historic facts related to the 4-H foundation and 4-H Club work.

Shirley also played a key role in bringing forces together for the construction of the Sonoma County 4-H Center, which was completed in 1994. Shirley worked tirelessly with the late Hugh Codding, the legendary developer who donated the land for the 4-H Center and then agreed to have his crew build it at cost plus 5 percent. Shirley has donated thousands and thousands of hours to the betterment of 4-H in Sonoma County and we are all grateful for the contributions that have benefitted generations of 4-H’ers and their families.

Title: BBQ Fundraiser at Saralee’s Vineyard and Richards Grove
Location: Saralee’s Vineyard and Richards Grove 3-8pm

Description: Save the Date- Saturday, September 15, 2012

This BBQ will be a chance for all of the 4-H community to come together and raise money for the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County. It will include a silent and live auction along with a BBQ and lots of fun activites!!  You won’t want to miss it!!

Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you for your continued support,

Susan Hansen
Executive Director
4-H Foundation of Sonoma County
(707) 239-3920

Start Time: 8:00
Date: 2010-03-27
End Time: 11:30

Alice M. Reeves Basch

Alice Mae started elementary school in Bloomfield, but then transferred to Dunham School. She attended Petaluma Junior High School and Petaluma High School, where she graduated in 1944. Alice Mae entered the Cadet Nurse Corps Program at Santa Rosa Junior College. The program was supervised by the United States Public Health Service to train nurses during World War II. Alice Mae graduated in 1947 and became a Registered Nurse. She then attended San Jose State where she met her future husband, George Reeves, of Napa.

Alice Mae and George married in 1950 and moved back to Petaluma to live and work on the family ranch. The ranch was full of character, with 1,500 acres of sheep, turkeys, canyons, draws, and every kind of terrain for hiking, horseback riding, and exploring. Alice Mae rode her horse all over the ranch while she was growing up.

Son Chuck was born in 1951 and son Ken in 1954. The ranch was a perfect place for the boys to grow up in the 1950’s. Alice Mae began her nursing career at Petaluma General Hospital and worked there from 1951 to 1963. About 1962, her parents sold the ranch, retired and moved to Sebastopol. Alice Mae, George, Chuck, and Ken moved to a smaller ranch on Valley Ford Road where the family continued to raise sheep and turkeys. George died in 1971, but the ranch continued operation. After George’s death, Alice Mae worked at El Rose Medical from 1972 to 1978.

Alice Mae remarried in 1978 and moved to town with her husband, Henry Basch. Although she took great pride in her RN status she retired from nursing to enjoy a life of travel and activities with Hank. They traveled to Russia, Greece, Canada, and all over the US. After Hank died, Alice Mae continued to travel to Ireland and Scandinavia with her high school friend, Beverly Lane.

Alice Mae always enjoyed an active social life. She grew up with Roblar 4-H, Rainbow Girls, and the Rebekah Lodge. As an adult she attended the same exercise class for over 20 years. She kept herself busy with the Petaluma Women’s Club, the Hospital Auxiliary, the X-Red Hats Grape Dames, and the Classics. When she wasn’t at a social event, she was probably shopping.

Alice Mae is survived by her sister, Wilma Steinbeck, now of Georgia; survived by son Chuck, wife Nancy, and their children Meghan and Zack (fiancée Ashley); son Ken and children Kendra (Casey) Roy, Jackie (Rich) Rottman; and great-grandchildren Colton Roy, Avery and Caydence Rottman. Survived by nieces and nephews of the DeMarta family; predeceased by Brad DeMarta; survived by cousins of the Steinbeck and Kirkland families; survived by members of the extended Reeves and Basch families; survived by many treasured life-long friends.

A Memorial Service will be held on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 11:30 a.m. at PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, 850 Keokuk St., Petaluma. Memorial contribution may be sent to the Faith Presbyterian Church, 190 Arlen Dr., Rohnert Park 94928; the 4-H Foundation of Sonoma County, P.O. Box 1283, Rohnert Park, CA 94927; or Hospice of Petaluma, 416 Payran St., Petaluma, CA 94952.

State Fashion Review 2009

In this project, you will learn how to construct your own clothing and other items.  Learn about sewing techniques, sewing tools, how to use a sewing machine and Serger, and how to select and use fabrics and patterns. You will experience a sense of mastery for knowing how to make high quality clothes and garments.  You will also learn about textiles, measuring, cool fashions, wardrobe wizardry, how to make a zippered pencil case, how to make a fanny pack or book bag, polar fleece construction, how to properly care for clothes, creative design, wise consumerism, accessorizing, recycling, how to start your own business, and a whole lot more.  Horse accessories include: hay bag, horse grooming mitt, and horse halter and bridle bag. You must complete a minimum of seven activities each in each level to complete the project, and you must participate in at least three additional learning experiences per level (such as giving a demonstration, participating in a fashion revue, going on a tour, or exhibiting at the fair)

Liberty Beekeeping – Where children can learn to be calm around bees! This project provides children with simple, easy to read literature to begin with. They learn why honey bees live in the colony, what the life cycles of the queen, the workers and the drone are. They learn the parts and functions of the bees and also the hive they live in. A good beginning project is building a bee hive. The parts can be ordered from several bee supply stores on line or locate a nearby store that carries them. The Liberty 4-H beekeeper group in Sonoma County, California, learned how to build the boxes and wire the frames in their first two meetings. Some of the 4-H children ordered bees and some relied on the leaders’ swarm catching skills. Learning the difference between caring for the two different colonies was their next lesson.