Camaraderie Makes All the Difference

Are you in your 20s or 30s and looking for a way to get involved in your community? Then you may want to check out Petaluma Active 20-30, a service club that recently formed and is recruiting new members.

Its goal is simple: raise money to support local youth charities and a have a lot of fun in the process.

“It’s a good way to make friends and meet like-minded people,” says club president Wade Call, a 38-year-old whose amiable nature could put anyone at ease. “You join for the social reasons and then find out all the good it’s doing for the community.”

Recently, the club raised $500 in its downtown pub crawl, funds that will help sponsor KidSpree, an annual event held when members take needy kids shopping for back to school clothes and school supplies at Kohl’s. The day includes breakfast for the families and haircuts for kids.

With only 11 current members, the Petaluma chapter is still gathering momentum. Their aim is to expand membership to critical mass so they have enough people to put together a large fundraiser. One idea Call has is create an event that pays homage to Petaluma’s former wrist-wrestling championships.

“It would be fun to bring that heritage back,” he says. “Give us another year or two and we’ll be there.”

Active 20-30's first chapter was originally established in Sacramento in 1922 as a service organization similar to rotary. The club founders saw the need for more young adults, ages 20-39, to get involved.

Petaluma’s earliest chapter emerged before WWII, but closed several times since. Its most recent charter began in August 2009 after Evan Hershey, immediate past president of the national organization, suggested Call start up the club again.

“Some of my dad’s best friends are from Santa Rosa Active 20-30,” says Call, who also got his start there when he was looking for leadership opportunities after college. 

He emphasizes that it’s not a professional networking group, though a lot of business relationships do get established.

Finishing his second term as president this July, Call jokes that he’ll be put out to pasture when his membership expires in one year. But he’ll still remain involved because a strong alumni base is important for sponsorship.

“I wouldn’t even know how to find other Petaluma alumni,” he admits.

One exception is Harry Friedman of Friedman’s Home Improvement, who gave Call a scrapbook from his days as president of the Petaluma club in the mid-1950s when they helped fund a new hospital.

Call's dream is to follow in those footsteps and make a difference with a major, long-lasting project.

For now, the club focuses on smaller ways to make an impact. They landscaped in December and formed a team at the recent day.

“To make a difference, that’s why we’re here,” says Call. “You could get involved by yourself, but doing it this way is a lot more fun."

Petaluma Active 20-30 meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m. at . Social time is at 6:30 p.m., followed by reports from the club officer’ and a guest speaker—usually from a nonprofit or child-related organization.  Annual dues are $190.

The following is list of upcoming events:

Thursday, April 20th:  Triple Meeting (Petaluma, Healdsburg & North Bay):  This is a general meeting between three clubs at the Bear Republic in Healdsburg.

End of April/Beginning of May:  20-30 Softball Team  Join a team and play softball in the league. Duration: 12 weeks.  Cost is $45 per player.

May 11 – Tara Firma Farms private tour. Time: TBA (most likely will be 6pm or 6:30pm) 

June 3: Gilligan’s Island Golf Tournament at Foxtail.  Non-players are welcome at a reduced rate and costumes are encouraged! 

For more information, visit the club's website.