Oakland Rotary News

Suzie Yokomizo subtly reminded President Dudley that he had skipped over introductions. President Dudley promptly corrected his mistake and invited Past President and Past District Governor, Ed Jellen, to introduce any visiting Rotarians. Ed was pleased to introduce John Bernard, a past president of the Newark Rotary Club, and a retired school superintendent. Sandeepa Nayak introduced Julia Moll, guest of Sam Miller, joining via zoom. President Dudley then sheepishly admitted that he had been advised by multiple past presidents to tape the agenda to the podium so that no one runs off with it, but then he shared that if you do that you still have to read it!

Returning to club business, Pres. Dudley announced that through July we will still be required to have a vaccination to attend in-person meetings. However, we will no longer need to register for each meeting. Future protocols will be determined as the public health situation evolves.

In lieu of the traditional speaker of the day, President Dudley introduced six of our esteemed Committee Chairpersons to speak about each of their committees. Prior to sharing their committee information Dudley asked each committee chairperson to respond to two questions; why did you join Rotary and why have you stayed? The answers to the questions, while different for each person, shared common themes. Many joined Rotary to learn more about Oakland, establish business connections, and become involved in the community. Most have stayed for their original reasons PLUS they stressed the opportunity to develop long-term relationships and make an impact locally and internationally.

• Membership Coordinator Keith Uriarte provides oversight to all of the committees working on membership. His goal is to strengthen outreach in the community and leverage members as ambassadors for Rotary. He asked that all members reach out to friends and invite them to join us at a lunch meeting. Additionally, if you know someone who has been less engaged with Rotary, invite them to an activity or to a committee meeting.
• Membership Recruitment Chair David Kersten is recruiting for an active membership recruitment committee. The goal is to grow the club from 275 members to 400 members within the next few years. Look for information on a Recruitment Event in September.
• Public Image & Communications Co-Chair Isaac Kos-Read walked us through the multiple types of media that Rotary is present on. The committee has the overall responsibility of promoting and managing the Rotary brand. The committee wants to promote what Rotarians and other committees are doing. They can always use additional committee members such as people who enjoy photographing events, those who like to play with graphics, writers who are looking for a medium to share their skill, and those with website experience.
• Audio-Visual Committee Co-Chairs Jack Iles and Sandeepa Nayak are seeking folks who are interested in working with them to ensure that live streaming and zoom are available at every meeting. They need some technical people as well as those who are social and could host the zoom portion of the weekly meeting.
• Community Service Committee Chair David Kittner shared the three areas the committee works in.
  • 1) Raising money for Feed the Hungry and determining which organizations receive the money,
  • 2) Administering grants to local community organizations to increase their capacity,
  • 3) Organizing Service Days for Oakland Rotarians to participate in. The first one is scheduled for July 31st at the PAL camp. Daniel Cheng is organizing. David encouraged members to check out the committee as there is always lots to do.
• Karl F. Stucki World Community Service Co-Chair Barbara Beery found her passion in world community service and is honored to serve as co-chair. The committee is charged with determining which global grant service projects ORC will support. She invited Rotarians to join the July 20th WCS meeting to learn more about the committee’s focus. Barbara also announced that the District Governor’s project is to raise funds for wheelchairs to be distributed in Mexico. Stay tuned for information on how you could attend the distribution in Mexico.
• High Adventure Committee Co-Chair Mark Rosen is an avid fan of ensuring that members have opportunities to enhance their club experience. From cycling, mountain climbing, whale watching, hiking and too many more to name, the High Adventure plans outings to meet members’ interests. He encouraged members to check out the Rotary Calendar for upcoming events. A reminder that the A’s/Yankees game in late August still has tickets available.

President Dudley thanked the committee chairs and announced that the remaining committee chairs will be invited to present as the year goes forward.

Alex Poulsen rang the bell to honor William Sherer and Dave Anderson.

Sandeepa Nayak rang the bell in honor of the Photo Contest winning caption.

Joycie Mack rang the bell for Isaac Kos-Read, winner of the Photo Contest caption.

Isaac Kos-Read rang the bell twice: once for Sandeepa Nayak for posting a great photo and caption, and Dudley Thompson, for trailblazing the incredibly hard hybrid meeting world.

President Dudley thanked the Committee Chairs for their enlightening presentations and all of the members who took part in the day’s meeting. He reminded us that we serve to help others as he rang the bell at 1:27 pm and adjourned the meeting.

Happy Birthday! Celebrating between July 21 and 31 are:

21 – Wendy Howard

24 – Jerry Wendt

27 – Tara McGuinness

30 – Julie Fox

30 – Mel Madunezim

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

• Linda Chew – 25 years
• Ralph Sklar – 25 years
• Ed Jellen – 24 years
• C J Hirschfield – 18 years
• John Claassen – 17 years
• Lorie Alemania – 14 years
• Rod Hughes – 13 years
• Mike Mowery – 12 years
• Mark Lipsett – 8 years
• Kim Cohn – 7 years
• Barbara Leslie – 7 years
• Jim Boessenecker – 5 years
• Nancy O’Malley – 5 years
• Shonda Scott – 5 years
• Suzie Yokomizo – 3 years
• Mel Madunezim – 2 years
• Pam Claassen – 1 year
• Tommy Edwards – 1 year
• Lou Rigali – 1 year