News Tags: Civic Thursdays

President Dudley Thompson welcomed Rotarians and Guests to the 5,375th meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland. As we are meeting remotely President Dudley invited guests to enter their names in the chatbox so that they could be introduced later in the meeting. 

In recognition of the upcoming Presidents’ Day Holiday, Assistant District Governor and Oakland Rotarian Joe Goralka was invited to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance and share the Thought for the Day. Before doing so Joe shared that today was a very special day for him as it is his wife, Martha’s, birthday as well as their anniversary. Happy Birthday Martha and Happy Anniversary to Joe and Martha!

Joe expressed that in honor of Presidents’ Day he found a few quotes from former presidents as well as a couple of quotes on gratitude in honor of our upcoming gala celebration “In the Mood for Gratitude”.

For Presidents’ Day:

From Theodore Roosevelt – “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

From Abraham Lincoln – “This is a world of compensations: and he who would be no slave, must consent to have not slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.”

From John F. Kennedy – “If not us, who? If not now, when?”

For our upcoming Gala:

From Michelle Obama – “We learned about gratitude and humility that so many people had a hand in our success.”

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen was very happy he had two visiting Rotarians to introduce! Martha Goralka, Past President, Rotary Club of Delta Antioch and Richard Swart, President of the San Francisco/Chinatown Rotary Club.

Sandeep Rajbhandari, founder of Local Foodz Cali Inc., sponsored today’s meeting. Sandeep founded the company in 2014 with one employee and now has grown the business to include 15 employees. He has a goal of taking his company national. Using a holistic approach, he provides fresh, healthy foods that are tasty and quick to prepare.

 President Dudley provided some Club updates:

1. We will continue to meet remotely until March 10th. Hopefully, we can join at the California Ballroom beginning on the 10th.

2. Sunday, February 27th, Past President Robert Kidd will lead a hike through Wildcat Canyon. Register through the Club website.

3. The Oakland Marathon, planned for March 20th, will provide an opportunity for Oakland Rotarians to help people the hydration stations. More information will be available on the Club website.

4. The Rotary District 5170 is sponsoring an International Women’s Day event on March 13th. Register through the District 5170 website.

5. The San Francisco/Chinatown Rotary Club donated 600 pocket alarms for distribution to Asian Americans. Rotarians will be recruited to help distribute. More information will be coming.

6. Finally, the District Blood Drive is ongoing. Please let Jesse Bowdle know if you have given blood

Nancy Williams, the birthday celebrant and social media diva reminded Rotarians that the screening of the documentary, Evolutionary Blues, showcasing West Oakland’s music legacy is only one week away. Tickets are still available for the February 24th event at Grand Lake Theatre. Doors open at 6 pm, show begins at 7 pm. Shout out to Ruth Stroup for purchasing 60 tickets for middle school students at Edna Brewer Middle School. Kudos also to David Kersten for interviewing Cheryl Fabio, documentarian, and posting it on our Facebook page. Group tickets for more than 10 are available by contacting Jesse Bowdle..

Steve Nicholls introduced our speaker of the day, Mitchell Schwarzer. Mr. Schwarzer is a writer whose most recent book, Hella town, focuses on Oakland and discusses what has happened in Oakland and the circumstances and reasons behind the developments. Mr. Schwarzer shared that the goal of his book was to provided deeper context and perspective of Oakland’s history to allow readers to understand and develop curiosity about where they live and develop responsibility for their surroundings. Hella town focuses on the modern history of Oakland, from 1890 through the Great Recession in 2009.

Oakland had tremendous growth up until the early 1960s due in part to the transcontinental railroad and the development of urban neighborhoods. The decline began in the mid-late 1960s until Jerry Brown became mayor. Three major changes that took place that underscored the decline: 1) government began to take responsibility for city making and planning including building freeway systems, 2) the shift of demography with the migration of Black and Asian populations to the west, 3) shift in the city’s reliance on an industrial economy with the decline of shipyards, the relocation of auto factories and closure of the canning industry.

The San Francisco Bay Council was developed with major business leaders who saw the need for a plan for a deindustrialized economy. They could see that rail transportation would be taken over by freeways and congestion would become an issue. There would be a need for a BART-like system. They also recognized the shift from a blue-collar workforce to the new “office economy”.  San Francisco immediately took actions to develop a business district while Oakland didn’t take action until later. A plan was eventually developed, the Metropolitan Oakland Area Plan, which tried to copy much of what had worked in San Francisco. However, the plan had some major flaws with attempting to sanitize the downtown, not just the edges as in San Francisco, but an 18-block area from 11th Street to where I-980 is now located. The plan included a downtown mall and private businesses. Also included in the plan was a middle-income development of urban renewal with mixed demographics. However, many of the white residents fled the city for the suburbs. So, while the leaders had tremendous prescience in recognizing the economic changes were coming, they did not realize Oakland would not draw folks as San Francisco had. These decisions have implications including the housing inequities we see today.

President Dudley thanked him for his presentation and honored him with a contribution to the ESRAG.

Nancy Williams rang the bell for Ruth Stroup. Joe Goralka, Jack McAboy, Alex Poulsen, Bob Breecker, Ces Butner, Karen Friedman, Rick Draper, Jim and Linda Boessenecker, Ruth Stroup, Jean Rains, Mary Rudser, Joycie Mack, Lois Corrin, David Douglas, Stephanie Casenza, Jason Wizelman, Tom Limon, Sandeepa Nayak, Isaac Kos-Read, Ed Jellen, Dudley Thompson, Peter Sherris, Robert Kidd, Georgia Richardson, Ralph Sklar and Wil Hobbs rang the bell for Elida Scola.

Click here to watch Mitchell Schwarzer video segment.

Missed our meeting, but interested in checking out the next one? Click below to learn more. https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar

#serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,374th Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. He announced we will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the month of February

Mary Ray Brophy followed up last week’s speaker topic with her Thought for the Day from the new mission statement issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service: “USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and responsibility with fairness, integrity and respect for all we serve…The United States is and will remain a welcoming nation that embraces people from across the world…And, when we offer refuge to those in need of protection, we are living up to our nation’s highest ideals.”

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen introduced Assistant District Governor Dianne Dorn, a member of the San Leandro Rotary Club, Cynthia Dorsey of the Newark Rotary Club and guest of Carolyn Watson, Ken Richardson’s guest, Paul Pervere, a retired accounting professional and brother of member Maude Pervere and Mary Geong’s guest, Vivian Chen. In addition, there were many guests of our speakers.

Saroni-Lena Summer Internships:

Janice Brickley gave a brief report on the great success of last year’s first-ever summer internship program for Saroni-Lena scholars. She invited members with active businesses or nonprofit organizations to consider participating in the 2022 Summer Internship Program. A commitment includes providing the student with at least six weeks of meaningful learning for a minimum of 20 hours per week at a $15/hour pay rate minimum. Contact Janice at janicembrickley@gmail.com for further details.

Gala Sponsors Needed:

Jennie Hunsberger provided an overview of the various April 28th Gala sponsorships and related benefits, including a new sponsorship level of $10,000 that is still available. Among the many benefits at this level is a promise by President Dudley to immediately shave his beard! In addition to other monetary sponsorship levels, the Gala Committee is also seeking in-kind gifts for the auction such as time at vacation homes, tickets to events, wine and more. Email your offer or send questions to http://rotarygala2022.com

Carbon Footprint Survey:

Environment Committee member Stewart Epstein thanked members who have completed the carbon footprint survey and announced there was still time to get it done. Rotarians who complete the survey will be entered into two separate drawings to win a “Winery Tasting for Four People” at his Brooklyn West Winery in Oakland.  (Don’t worry, your individual scores are your own!) Take the survey here: http://Coolclimate.berkeley.edu . Then provide your individual results to Jesse Bowdle at execadmin@oakland-rotary.org or Joel Parrott at jjparrott83@gmail.com .

This meeting during Black History Month was a very special one as Rotarians were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the “color of ballet.” The presentation featured an esteemed panel of experts introduced by Georgia Richardson and moderated by self-proclaimed “dance mom” Carolyn Watson. Collectively the panel’s experience spans at least a half-dozen esteemed dance companies from coast to coast. Each panelist shared their experience firsthand as a person of color committed to a dance career.

Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, a former first-generation principal ballerina with the Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH), talked about her early professional ballet career in Colorado where she was the only black person in an all-white company. Her dance career grew at DTH, taking her all over the world to dance for large audiences as well as for kings, queens and U.S. Presidents. Eventually, she would become a resident of Oakland. Here Karlya would cross paths and generations to mentor young Oakland resident Angela Watson.

Angela first began studying dance under the tutelage of another of the day’s panelist, Reginald Ray-Savage, Artistic Director at the Oakland School for the Arts. Reginald’s remarks at the meeting focused on his early career experience as well as his current teaching method. He insists that each student adhere to a very strict standard of training like that required by some of the best choreographers and ballet masters. It’s the same method he was expected to master as a professional dancer with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and other troupes in Chicago before moving to the Bay Area in the 1990s.

In her young career Angela Watson has danced the principal role of Clara in San Francisco Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and was the only African American student accepted to the Ballet School’s Advanced Preprofessional Level. Already Angela has received a national Young Arts Foundation Award for her accomplishments in ballet. Yet she began her ballet training only in her pre-teen years, unlike others who begin as children. Angela is currently in the San Francisco Ballet Student Training Program. She stressed the importance of motivation, setting and keeping focused on goals, not getting distracted and working very hard. While she has sometimes been the first person of color in a group, thus making it difficult to share her experience and bond with others like her, it is getting a little better. She believes it is important to share her values for success with those who come behind her. Overall, all panelists agreed that the future for dancers of color appeared brighter than in any prior decades, but still has a way to go in achieving equity.

Studying ballet can be expensive because it involves not only training, but travel and attending performances of other companies even it if means buying a ticket for a top row balcony seat. To help fund these needs, contributions to Pathways can be made by texting the word YOUTH to 707070 or by visiting their website https://www.pledge.to/YOUTH.

President Dudley began to adjourn the meeting until he was advised of three bellringers online. Ces Butner, Lois Corrin and Georgia Richardson rang the bell for Angela Watson.

Click here to watch Angela Watson video segment.

Missed our meeting, but interested in checking out the next one? Click below to learn more. https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar

#serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,373rd Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. He opened the meeting with Gung Hoy Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year to everyone. President Dudley announced we will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the month of February.

Edward Brail’s thought for the day included many well-known quotes from Abraham Lincoln. One we can all live by is “It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years”.

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen introduced Cheryl Fabio, Director of Evolutionary Blues, and guest of Allison Bliss. He also introduced Ken Richardson’s guest, Paul Pervere, a retired accounting professional and brother of member Maude Pervere. Assistant District Governor Dianne Dorn, a member of the San Leandro Rotary, also attended.

Lunar New Year: If you’ve ever wondered about Lunar New Year, President-Elect Mary Geong gave us an excellent presentation on the traditions associated with Lunar New Year. Gung Hay Fat Choy means may you be happy and prosperous. Lunar New Year is the most important celebration in the Asian community. 2022 is the year of the Tiger. Red is traditionally worn during this celebration. Crisp bills are given in red envelopes. Oranges and Tangerines are in abundance during this celebration and represent prosperity. You will see many beautiful Red Calendars during the Lunar New Year. Three lucky people received calendars as a gift from Mary. They were Pete Noonan, Debo Sarkar and Cynthia Harris. Due to Covid restrictions, we could not have our Rotary Lunar New Year Dinner in a restaurant so to-go Bento boxes were available for Rotarians to order and pick-up.

Evolutionary Blues Film – February 24: Georgia Richardson and Nancy Williams are working on our program for Black History Month. On February 24th join fellow Rotarians at the Grand Lake Theatre for a streaming of Evolutionary Blues. 30 performing artists will be highlighted in the film. Proof of vaccination will be required for entry. Tickets are $14. This is a family-friendly event and the public is welcome. Please share our Rotary Facebook page highlighting this event on your social media.

Richmond to Castro Valley Epic Hike: Robert Kidd and the High Adventure Committee have a series of hikes planned that will take us from Richmond to Castro Valley. The first one is on February 27th and goes to Wildcat Canyon. This will be followed by a hike in Tilden Park in April, Redwood Park in June and Lake Chabot in August. Mark your calendars!

Rotary Golf Tournament – February 15: The Rotary Golf Tournament is just around the corner. It will be at Sequoyah Country Club on February 15th. You can sign up on the website, there are a few spots left.

International Women’s Day – March 13: Celebrate International Women’s Day with Rotary District 5170 on March 13th.

Rotary District 5170 Conference – April 22 – 24: The District Conference is April 22- April 24. There will be three days of interesting speakers. It takes place at the Blackhawk Museum and the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. Sign up on the District website.

Red Cross Blood Drive: The Red Cross is in need of blood donations. Giving is easy – you can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App and join the “Rotary District 5170” Team. If you are not app-happy, you can also call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 and make an appointment. Let Jesse Bowdle know you have donated.

Environment Committee Carbon Footprint Survey: The Environment Committee is conducting a survey to determine the club’s carbon footprint. Take the survey at https://coolclimate.org/calculator and then email your results to Committee Chair Joel Parrott at jjparrott83@gmail.com. Results are measured by each individual’s zip code.

Mary Geong introduced Jean Pfaelzer, Professor of American Studies and Asian Studies at the University of Delaware and author of “The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans.” Jean traced the history of Chinese Americans in the Pacific Northwest and California and offered insight into their challenging experiences. Jean noted that the City of San Francisco and many other cities have offered apologies for the discrimination and violence to which the Chinese community was subjected.

Linda Chew rang the bell for Mary Geong. Lois Corrin rang the bell twice, once for Mary Geong and once for Cheryl Fabio.

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:30 pm reminding us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!

Click here to watch Jean Pfaelzer video segment.

Missed our meeting, but interested in checking out the next one? Click below to learn more. https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar

#serviceaboveself #rotaryinternational #rotaryclubofoakland #rotaryopensopportunities