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Rotary Club of Oakland Civic Luncheon Meeting, May 13, 2021

Ces Butner, President of Rotary Club of Oakland

Call to Order – Ces Butner

Live, from the California Ballroom, President Ces Butner called the 5,339th Civic Thursday meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland to order at 12:30 p.m. A crowd of five joined Pres. Ces in the ballroom along with the usual large crowd on Zoom for the second hybrid test meeting.

Isaac Kos-Read

Thought for the Day – Isaac Kos-Read

Issac Kos-Read, joined by his mother Diana Kos, read his original poem about mothers.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President Ed Jellen introduced visiting San Leandro Rotarian Dianne Dorn and Issac Kos-Read's guests, Diana Kos and Antwan Adams. 

Erika Aristizabel - member of the Nuevo Medellin, Colombia Rotary Club

Medellin Colombia International Service Trip Report

Karen Friedman introduced Erika Aristizabel, a member of the Nuevo Medellin, Colombia Rotary Club. Erika has been visiting the U.S. and joined the meeting from San Francisco.She is an attorney and a criminal court judge. 

Michael Bruck reminded the audience about the annual Oakland Rotary international service trip to Medellin, Colombia. The trip itinerary includes hands-on service projects, meetings with local Rotarians, touring, Colombian food, and salsa dancing. The next trip is planned for spring, 2022.

Erika spoke about the special relationship between the Nuevo Medellin and Oakland Rotary Clubs, thanked Oakland members for supporting her club's projects which have had a positive impact on many lives, and invited everyone to visit Medellin.

 

Salvation Army Presentation

Major James Sullivan thanked the club for its hard work with the Oakland homeless population. Club members recently packed and helped distribute 1,000 hygiene kits. The Salvation Army continues to serve mobile meals to the homeless in Oakland. He presented a certificate of appreciation and a Salvation Army coffee mug to President Ces.

Piedmont Living Magazine Features Gail Uilkema

Piedmont Living Magazine Features Gail Uilkema

President Ces shared the cover of this month's Piedmont Living Magazine which features Oakland Rotary member Gail Uilkema on the cover. The article about Gail included a reference to her long-time membership in the Oakland Rotary Club. Gail rang the bell in honor of the Piedmont Living article. Karen Friedman, Dudley Thompson and Ruth Stroup rang the bell in Gail's honor.

High Adventure Hike Update

Past President Robert Kidd announced that the May 16th Mt. Diablo hike has been postponed. It will be rescheduled for a later date.

Debo Sarkar

Business Development Speaker on May 20th

Jesse Schmidt invited everyone to the Business Development Committee speaker series presentation on May 20th at 5:00 p.m. Member Debo Sarkar will talk about inflation. The Zoom event is free and you may sign up here at https://bit.ly/ORCspeakerseriesmay.

Casino Night Virtual Auction & Raffle

Casino Night Virtual Auction & Raffle – May 22

Kathleen Sims reminded all members to buy tickets to the annual gala on May 22nd, 6:00-9:00 p.m. The evening will include casino games, entertainment, magic, a guest chef, a guest mixologist, and live and silent auctions.  You can secure your tickets here at https://www.biddingowl.com/OaklandRotaryEndowment. Also, be sure to purchase your wine cellar raffle tickets for an opportunity to win at least 20 bottles of wine. You can purchase your raffle tickets by emailing executive administrator Jesse Bowdle at execadmin@oakland-rotary.org or calling him at 925-207-2370.

Speaker for the Day – Reshma Saujani

Julayne Virgil introduced Reshma Saujani, the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code and founder of Marshall Plan for Moms. Reshma spoke from her home in New York City.

Over 2 million women left the workforce last year. Thirty years of progress was erased in 9 months. Women of color are leaving the workforce at twice the rate of white women. The reasons included lack of affordable and reliable childcare and the permanent elimination of jobs. This fact caused her to ask "where is the Marshall Plan for Moms?" (editor's note: the Marshall Plan provided financial aid from the U.S. to help Europe rebuild after WWII). 

The Marshall Plan for Moms calls for:

  • Direct cash payments to moms who have had their paid labor replaced by unpaid labor at home
  • Passage of paid family leave, affordable childcare, and pay equity policies
  • Retraining programs for moms who lost jobs
  • Plans to reopen schools 

Reshma made these additional comments:

  • 30 years of progress for women in joining the labor force was lost last year
  • Other countries have social safety nets but the U.S. only has moms
  • Hybrid work arrangements will have a negative impact on mothers - they will perform household labor along with their employment obligations
  • Businesses should offer and encourage paid leave so that dads can be equal partners at home - showing up at home should be a corporate value
  • There is a pay gap between mothers and fathers
  • Childcare for children and the elderly should be subsidized
  •  There should be universal pre-Kindergarten.

After a round of in-person and virtual applause, President Ces thanked Reshma for her presentation.

Click here to view Reshma Saujani video segment.

Bellringers

Suzie Yokomizo announced the following bellringers:

Gail Uilkema rang the bell in honor of the Piedmont Living article. 

Karen Friedman, Dudley Thompson and Ruth Stroup rang the bell in honor of Gail Uilkema.

Joycie Mack rang the bell in honor of her mother, Eagnay Mack, and all mothers.

Adjournment

President Ces adjourned the meeting stating "that's the way it went at the 5,339th meeting on May 13, 2021 at the third oldest Rotary Club in the world."

Birthday Greetings

Happy Birthday! Celebrating between May 18 and 25 are:

18 – Pat Riley

19 – Ed McFarlan

     – Mike Taylor

20 – Bob Spencer

22 – Abel Guillen

24 – Sean Callum

25 – Wayne Goodroe

Membership Anniversaries through May 18 through 31

Thank you for your years of service to the Rotary Club of Oakland and the community!

  • Rick Draper – 21 years
  • Julie Fox  - 18 years
  • Debra Barnes – 13 years
  • John Dolby – 9 years
  • Tom Duryea – 4 years
  • Kerry Hamill – 3 years
  • Lewis Griggs – 2 years
  • Adam Sbeta – 2 years
Bruce Quan

Next Meeting, Thursday, May 20 – Bruce Quan – “Bitter Roots” Five Generations of a Chinese American Family in America.

John Claassen announced our speaker will be Bruce Quan. Bruce attended Skyline High School and then UC Berkeley where he was student body president in 1972.

His family has been rooted in Oakland since 1905 when his great great grandfather founded the Pacific Coast Cannery in west Oakland in 1905. It was the largest employer in Oakland by 1910. The family originally arrived in America in 1850 but moved to Oakland after the 1906 earthquake. He will share some history of Oakland from the perspective of his family.

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