News Tags: The Rotary Foundation Drive Begins November 2020!!!!

President-elect Dudley Thompson announced an upcoming member poll and reasons for it. Dudley recounted our own club’s past efforts on climate change and protecting the environment via expert speakers and one-off club projects. Now club leadership wishes to poll the membership in order to better focus our future on club service. Noting that Rotary International recently added a seventh pillar of strategic international impact, that of Protecting the Environment, it is a good time to poll. He asked everyone to complete the survey ASAP which will also help inform our direction on our next First Five Club Meeting on April 22, Earth Day, and any joint environmental projects we might also undertake.

peech Contest Committee Co-Chair Alex Kaffka began the speech contest by explaining the format consistent with Rotary content rules. He noted a number of club members were involved in making this contest happen and they would be introduced later in the program. Four student contestants from different area high Schools would each have up to five minutes to present their speech and interpretation of the 2021 Speech Contest Topic. Rotary Creates Opportunities. Then the judges, consisting of club members who were not contest committee members, would take two minutes after each speaker to evaluate the merits of the presentation. The winner will be announced at the end of all four speeches. Until then, contestant identities were kept anonymous by the assignment of Speaker A, B, C and D titles.

Leading off the presentations was Speaker A who presented a compelling case for the value of social media to make a positive impact throughout the world. By way of example, she shared her work to form a Teens for Healthcare Instagram group to expose youth to future healthcare careers via presentations from current professionals. She now has 3,000 Instagram followers throughout the world and a growing interest in the healthcare field. She explained that teamwork was vital to delivering good health care in the ER and the OR, and that teamworld is also learned through involvement with Rotary. 

Speaker B spoke eloquently about Rotary’s Four-Way Test and gave examples of how following each principle had impacted her own life working with others. The examples were vivid and positive and she also pointed out what negative things could happen if these points were not followed in our relationships with others.

Speaker C emphasizes the opportunity Rotary creates in designing leaders who are on the right side of morality and why this is important, citing examples of what happens when morality in his opinion is missing on the world stage. He also described ways that his engagement in Rotary as an Interact member for four years has developed his own leadership and engagement in service to his community, and to his fellow students including his becoming Class President. 

Speaker D focused on the importance of good communication, an opportunity that Rotary fosters in the world by overcoming language barriers where they exist and achieving great things collectively. She recounted her move to the US at age 10 and having to learn a new language in a new culture. She wishes to incorporate this experience into a career as a speech interpreter in healthcare and other venues so that fair and equitable treatment is given to all.

All of the presentations remained within the allotted five minutes, Ginni Ring the Contest Timer announced. She was aided in the proceedings by Jim Boessenecker serving as the Contest Teller. Later we learned about their professional qualifications to be involved with the contest, with Ginni coming from a 25-year career in youth and family advocacy, while now-retired Jim made plenty of speeches during his 25-year executive career at Chevron.

The Speech Contest added a new dimension for the first time. This year students were mentored by various Rotarians over 6 weeks of practice and training. Mentor Riza Hernandez shared the value of her experience and encouraged others to come forward.

With the judges’ important role, we learned about their qualifications. Garrett Riegg is a semi-retired former trial attorney and now a current substitute teacher. Kerry Hamill is the retired former Assistant General Manager of BART. Garrett Anderson is a pastor and also an attorney. Melvis Madunezim is a motivational speaker and an English Language Teacher. Stephanie Casenza is a public relations and fundraising professional for a well-known nonprofit.

Finally, a winner was chosen, and it was Speaker C now revealed to be Alvin Wang, a student at Mission San Jose High School. Committee Co-chair Barbara Beery announced that he will receive $100 and will advance to the next round in the Area Rotary Speech Contest. Also introduced and thanked for their participation were Mya Nguyen from Alameda High School as Speaker A; Grace Tan of Oakland Charter School as Speaker B and Peiwen Lin of American Indian Model School as Speaker D. A virtual and much-deserved round of applause was given to all!

Click here to watch the entire speech contest.

Co-chairs Alex and Barbara acknowledged and thanked all Speech Contest Committee members for their work including Debo Sarkar, Riza Hernandez, C J Hirschfield and Greg Annis.

Abel Guillen led us in the Pledge of Allegiance in honor of Presidents’ Day and shared this timely quote from Barack Obama: “Democracy doesn’t work if we constantly demonize each other. For progress to happen, we have to listen to each other, see ourselves in each other, fight for our principles but also fight to find common ground no matter how elusive that may seem.”

President Elect-Mary Geong wished us Gung Hay Fat Choy or Gong Xi Fa Cai – “May you be Happy and Prosperous”. The lunar new year is the longest and most important celebration in Asia, with over 1.5 billion people across the globe celebrating the new year in China, Vietnam, Korea and Singapore for two weeks. The Chinese year 4719, the Year of the Ox begins on February 12, 2021. The Chinese use the lunar calendar with 13 months, which is why the lunar new year changes every year.

Mary also shared a folktale about how the signs of the Zodiac were chosen. The animals had a water race, and the hardworking ox was in the lead with a rat close by- the rat asked the good-natured ox for a ride on its back but then at the last second, the ungrateful rat jumped off onto land to cross the finish line first. The ox came in 2nd, the tiger was 3rd and so it went and the happy go lucky pig took his place as last and the Chinese Zodiac and its 12 signs were born.

At Chinese New Year celebrations people wear red clothes, decorate with poems on red paper, and give children and single people crisp lucky money in red envelopes. Red symbolizes fire and good luck, which according to legend, can drive away bad luck. The fireworks that shower the festivities also drive away evil spirits. Due to COVID-19, there will be no Chinese New Year parade this year, but the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of San Francisco has commissioned 11 life sized statues of ox to celebrate the Year of the Ox. They are located around the city of San Francisco with one at the Oakland Airport.

In keeping with the celebration of Chinese New Year, our club will have Tea and Cooking with the President on February 18 from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. and a special guest will teach us to cook spiced prawns and brew a cup of tea. A list of the ingredients will be posted in advance.

In reflecting on President Joe Biden’s recent environmental administrative actions, Stephen Murphy shared quotes from Van Jones, author of “Green Economy,” about how building such an economy will lift all boats in a green wave benefiting us all, and the polar bears too.

Interact Committee Chair Greg Annis shared the good news that the Skyline Interact Club, once under our sponsorship decades ago, had returned to us again this year. He introduced club representatives Yene Chan, Sabrina Woodsum and Instructor/Sponsor Donna Salonga who each gave us highlights of their recent community service project. After they connected with an Interact Club in Nepal recently, Skyline Interact members decided to raise funds in support of that club’s Gravity Water Project.  Skyline Interact members launched a fundraising project to help bring the project to life, raising $1,500 of their $2,500 goal so far.  They had a successful “Walk for Water” walkathon to create awareness about the 3-mile trek currently undertaken by Nepal school children, a burden which took time away from school attendance and studies.  Greg noted that Skyline’s project work was very much in keeping with both Rotary International’s focus on clean water and that of our club’s Karl Stucki World Community Service Committee. A number of our members wholeheartedly agreed, using the meeting’s chat room to spontaneously pledge funds toward Skyline’s goal.  Bravo to this next generation of Rotarians doing good deeds already!

Co-chairs Phil Bennett and Renia Webb reported that several projects have been supported by our club’s WCS. Approved projects include donating $1,000 to provide 1,000 solar-charging units to a community in Beirut, Lebanon as well as $1,000 to a Food Program serving Honduran families.  Additionally, the committee has partnered with a club on the Peninsula to support children in Cambodia with a joint gift of $4,000, working with former District Governor James Brickley.

Before concluding their report, Renia congratulated the Skyline Interact Club for their fantastic work on a world community service project.

Phil also thanked all club members who contributed to the Rotary International Campaign this year and its chairs, Leeann Alameda and Joe Goralka who worked so hard toward Pres. Ces’s challenge, itself a most generous amount.  We have raised a record amount and are at 95% of club participation.

Pat Williams shared two quotes from Martin Luther King Jr.:

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

"Not everybody can be famous but everybody can be great because greatness is determined by service. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love."

Winter Williams, a true Renaissance woman, introduced us to her business, Family Dog Walkers. When she joined Rotary two and a half years ago, she was a business banker and music promoter. At the time, dog walking and boarding was a side interest.  She spoke of how important pets are in our lives. We need levity and furry faces in our lives especially now as we shelter in place.  She also reminded us that dogs, as well as humans, can get stressed during the pandemic.  With her love of music, she has put together a playlist, nearly 2 hours in length.  Winter can be reached at www.familydogwalkers.com