Oakland Rotary News

Past President Ken Richardson led everyone in reciting the Vision Statement: Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasing change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Past President Ed Jellen welcomed guests of President Ces: his wife Teresa and daughters Andrea and Raquel, and his sisters Loretta Butner, Bonita Butner, Nina Butner and Dani Dwyer.

President Ces had several numbered boxes to open as each past president made a presentation.  The boxes, of course were from Ces’s  Speakeasy Brewery, but the contents were not beer!

Past President Sean Marx presented the contents of Box #1, a pin identifying Ces as Past-President of Rotary Club of Oakland for 2020-2021.

Past President Linda Chew presented the contents of Box #2, Ces’s Past President Badge. She noted that Ces has been at the very center of everything Rotary, presiding at innumerable Zoom meetings, Cocktail Parties and Board Meetings at which Rotarians have clamored to receive his warm humor and sage insights. She warned him that fame can be fleeting and those same Rotarians may quickly forget who he was. His new badge will identify him at meetings as Ces Butner, PAST President of the Rotary Club of Oakland 2020-2021.

Past President Charlie Adams invited Ces to reach into Box #3. There he found a plaque and gavel to commemorate his year as President for his relentless effort to bring law and order to the Rotary “herd of cats” at weekly meetings.

Past President Iris Brody Lopez, zooming in from Peoria, Arizona, Past President Gudrun Dybdal, zooming in from Truckee, California, and Past President Carla Betts, zooming in from the wilds of Piedmont, California, presented the following items to President Ces:

Carla noted that in a usual year, Rotarians would have traveled widely and brought back banners from the clubs they visited. Gudrun asked Ces to open Box #4. In it he found banners from the First Five Rotary Clubs (Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle and Los Angeles). She observed that usually Rotarians travel the world and bring back banners from exotic places such as Paris, Antigua or Kathmandu.

Iris asked Ces to reach into Box #5. It was there he found the gift of appreciation from the Club: a certificate to play the famed golf course at Pebble Beach in Monterey.

Past President Michael Bruck introduced a video tribute from Danny Wan, Executive Director of the Port of Oakland.  Mr. Wan congratulated Ces on an impressive year as Rotary President while describing the outstanding years of service Ces has brought to the community as a Board Member and President of the Port of Oakland.

Past President Mary Rudser introduced a video tribute from Congressmember Barbara Lee.  Ms. Lee, spoke of the long association she has had working with Ces to serve the Oakland community, and congratulated him for his year of service as Oakland Rotary President.

Past President Lorna Padia Markus introduced a video from Oakland Mayor Libby Shaaf who presented a proclamation naming June 24, 2021 as Ces Butner Day in Oakland.  She noted that she first met Ces when she was interviewing for a job in local government, and when asked who she voted for in the mayoral contest, she said Ces – even though he lost to Jerry Brown for whom she eventually worked.

Past President David Stein summarized the many accomplished made during President Ces’s year as President. Here are some highlights.

Among them was the formation of a task force to develop a Village for Homeless Families.  The task force has done design work, built partnerships and worked to identify an appropriate site for this multi-year project.

Community Service Committee contributed over $60,000 to nine local non-profits to provide food for those most in need, including the homeless.

Determined to strengthen existing relationships and build new connections, the Karl Stucki World Community Service Committee funded eight Global Grants and eight Cash Grants on four continents.

Pres. Ces asked the Club to look at ourselves and our Club to make sure our actions matched our words. By unanimous board vote, the Club launched a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee to build on our commitments to end racism and support social justice.

Speakers at the weekly Civic Thursday meetings zoomed in from around the world, and we were able to have a joint meeting with the four other oldest Clubs (Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and Los Angeles) at which the speaker was Jennifer Jones from Canada, who will become Rotary International’s first female president in 2022-2023.

KinderPrep Committee provided gift cards to teachers for needed supplies. Instead of the in-classroom volunteers and field trips, Virtual Learning Kits were given to over 500 students. The Friends of Oakland Public Schools Libraries received $25,000 to create a virtual library with TK-age reading materials.

Saroni-Lena Scholarship Committee provided scholarships and mentors for ten new students and continued to support 50 ongoing students.

Four students competed in the virtual Speech Contest including two for whom English is a second language. Students were provided Rotary mentors for the first time to coach them about speaking skills.

In a banner year for Oakland Rotary Endowment, approximately $230,000 was raised: $40,000 plus from bellringers, $130,000 from the Campaign and $60,000 from the Virtual Gala.

The Rotary Foundation Committee had a year like no other – a record $170,000 in contributions, more than doubling our previous year. We became the Top club in Rotary District 5170 and met President Ces’s $50,000 participation challenge.

President Ces has been named the recipient of the Richard D. King Award from District 5170, bestowed on the Rotarian who makes the greatest personal commitment to the programs of the Rotary Foundation.

Our latest signature project in Oakland, a mural titled “The Embrace” celebrating peace and diversity was unveiled at the Broadway entrance to Jack London Square in June.  It is a joint project with the Oakland Uptown and Piedmont-Montclair Rotary clubs.