MEETING OF NOVEMBER 16, 2000
By Carew McFall
We were greeted by the waiters of the PNG (Partners for New Generations) Cafe. This smiling crew, all wearing white aprons, were TRACIE MURRAY, JOANNA MEDIN, LOIS ADAMS, KRIS CASTO, NANCY TRAFICANTI, and LEM SUMMEY--headed up by Hostess CINDY LUEDTKE, and Chef BOB ADAMS. They handed out clever menus and applications to join Partners for New Generations.
President GINNY LEAR asked DICK HASENPFLUG to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. MIKE SCHNEIDER, who commented, "I'm one of the few lawyers not in Florida right now."--led us in singing "Smile". Past President BOO BUE's thought for the day was gratitude for the many volunteers of Partners for New Generations and for their good work.
We gave a standing ovation to four new members-LUCY RASMUSSEN of Stanford Medical Center (sponsor, MARLENE COWAN), SHELLY POTVIN, of Seville Fine Homes and Estates (sponsor, MARGE BRUNO), ROB HOLDEN President of the Bank of Los Altos (sponsor, BOB ADAMS), and DAMON SCHECHTER, a product manager (sponsor, JOHN SLYVESTER). Outstanding!
JOHN MOSS reminded us of the LA/LAH Community Awards Luncheon at 11:45 December 1, catered by Chef Chu at the LA Youth Center (at City Hall) which will honor some of the people we know well. Checks for $20 per person, made out to Volunteer Awards Committee, should be sent to P. O. Box 1851, Los Altos, CA 94023. You will get your tickets at the door.
JEAN NEWTON authored an e-mail earlier this week that said that part of the commemoration of World Aids Day will be the showing of the Los Altos Story on Access AT&T Cable Channel 26 Dec. 1 @ 6 and 8 PM, KMVT Mountain View Cable Channel 6 Dec. 1 @ 7 PM, TCI Cable Channel 15 San Jose Dec. 1 @ 6:30 PM, AT&T Cable San Francisco Channel 27 Nov. 30 @ 6 PM and Dec. 1 @ 8 PM, KTEH TV Channel 11 San Jose Dec. 30 @ 1:30 PM.
JANE REED, who is probably responsible for the beautiful invitations we received, reminded us of our Holiday Party, Wednesday December 6, 6:30-10, at the Jesuit Retreat House, 300 Manressa way, Los Altos, off University Avenue (thanks to Bill Rewak) featuring an elegant cocktail buffet by chef Armen Sujohn, formerly of the Olympic Club and music by Bill Hockett "The Trio Plus One" and an open bar. Make checks out to LAREF (not LARC) for $30 per person and send them to JULIE ROSE at LA Chamber of Commerce, 321 University Avenue, Los Altos, CA 94022. Please carpool as parking is limited.
Flu shots may be available at the next meeting on Nov. 30, according to BEN MCGANN. Come to the meeting at 11:30 a.m. if you would like a flu shot. Donations to the Rotocare Clinic would be appreciated.
Tom Myers, executive director of Community Service Agency, serving Mountain View, Los Altos and Los Altos Hills, thanked us for much help. They distribute holiday bags of groceries plus certificates for a ham, turkey or chicken to the homeless, the poor and the elderly today through Wednesday for Thanksgiving and later for Christmas and Hanukah. They would be grateful for your bag of groceries brought to or checks mailed to CSA, 204 Stierlin Road, Mountain View, CA 94043. They also greatly welcome volunteers that will help with these efforts.
President elect FIROOZ GHAFFARI has delivered our new Rotary Handbooks that even includes our newest members. Pick yours up at the next meeting, November 30.
PAT MILLAR announced that Rotary International sent a $12,000 check to us for our Village Bank in Honduras, near San Pedro Sula. $2,500 of that was a gift from past president MEL KAHN. Small loans will be made to locals, mainly women, for small businesses. This proved successful at our Village Bank at Tacaton, Guatemala that was visited by past presidents DICK DUHRING, ROY LAVE, and BOB ADAMS and their wives in 1996.
BUD OLIVER introduced Odd Hanseen of the Valle Interoceanico Rotary Club of Quito, Ecuador, who met with some of our World Community committee members after the meeting. Hanseen is helping farmers in Ecuador raise outstanding crops on small parcels through organoponics. He and BUD are associated with Children of the Andes. If you want to give $100 per year to a specific child of your choice there, contact BUD. It will go farther and do more good than you imagine.
President GINNY auctioned off tickets to the Stanford-USF basketball game for $60 to MONA ARMISTEAD and to the San Jose Symphony for $20 to BRUCE CANN. These tickets were all contributed to LARC by DENNIS YOUNG.
CINDY LUEDTKE, the hostess of the PNG Cafe, opened our program on Partners for New Generations by introducing our guest of honor, Ruth Lundquist, the wife of our late member BOB LUNDQUIST, got a standing ovation. She told us how doubtful BOB was in volunteering to help very young students learn to read better, and how he loved doing it so much that she selected PNG for the money BOB left for charity in his will. Our thanks to a gracious lady.
The chef of the PNG Cafe BOB ADAMS appeared in his apron and huge chef's hat and noted that in 2005 there will be 1.5 million more youths 10-17 years old in California than in 1999. Many of them need the help of tutors and mentors and coaches. Please volunteer for this important work! High school superintendent RICH FISCHER told of a young student, whose father had only attended a Mexican school through the third grade. Neither parent spoke English, but through the help of tutors and mentors here this young man now has a significant job with a local newspaper. Try to give several hours a month to this program!
Nancy Nordland told of the success of our volunteers at Santa Rita Elementary in helping students to read better. Our PNG menu had a good picture of BOB LUNDQUIST doing this. Nancy said this early help is so important!
Sue Nelson and Dick Hanavan spoke of the need for tutors for middle school students. Many hispanic students have no books or magazines and perhaps no English is spoken in their homes. You can benefit from a close relationship with one of them--and it can continue for years.
Another activity of PNG is Child Advocates. Judy Loizeaux said that each year some 19,000 children are abused in Santa Clara County. Many are taken away from their parents and a child advocate helps them as a friend and getting them proper treatment by courts. Another speaker, Gloria Thompson, spoke passionately and gratefully about the help of a child advocate for her two granddaughters. It turned a chaotic situation for her into a progressive one. One granddaughter has just been chosen homecoming queen at her high school and the other is a successful freshman in high school.
At the end CINDY turned us over to her waiters to sign up Partners for New Generations volunteers. The PNG Cafe fed us well. Thanks for a great and an effective program!
President's MessageFive stars to Chef Bob, M.C. Cindy Luedtke, and the entire PNG Café staff. Thank you for a very creative and informative program. And to Ruth Lundquist, brava! for your inspirational words in memory of Bob. We value your continuing participation in this child-centered program he loved so much.
Thanks to everyone who brought food and grocery store certificates for the CSA Holiday Sharing program. It has all been delivered and gratefully received. We will continue to collect food, pajamas, and toys at the November 30 meeting and the December 6 Holiday Party. Rotary Gives Thanks!
Our Rotary Foundation drive continues. Many of you have already made your contributions. Thank you. We hope that each member will support, in whatever amount you choose, this organization which has such positive world wide impact. The two projects we heard about today, the Honduras Village Bank and the Ecuador Organoponic Garden Project, are sterling examples of the value of the return on our individual gifts used collectively.
November 30 will be another incredible meeting, honoring the ten years of effort and success of the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project, and looking forward to how we can continue to assist in the education of people on the issue of HIV/AIDS prevention. We look forward to seeing you there.
Many thanks to Firooz Ghaffari for the new Rotary Directory, Please pick yours up at the next meeting. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!. Ginny
Programs
November
Nov. 23 - Thanksgiving
Nov. 30 - World AIDS Day - Flu shots may be availableDecember
Dec. 6 - Holiday party
Dec. 7 - Wes Wenhardt, VP of the Tech Museum
Dec. 14 - Susan Hammer
Dec. 21 - LA Main Street Singers
Dec. 28 - No meetingJanuary
Jan. 4 - Chris Bischoff, Founder of Eastside Prep High School
Jan 11 - Allan Frumkin, Why Rotary?
Jan 18 - Deborah Wilder - Raising the Reader
Jan. 25 - Club AssemblyFebruary
Feb. 1 - Judge Len Edwards, Helping One child At a Time
Feb. 8 - Steve Westly, eBay, Sr. VP
Feb. 15 - Suzanne Kushner - Successful Brand Management - Moving Toward a Customer-Concentric Focus
Feb. 22 - John Giovanola, Hansen Cement Mfg.March
March 1- Suzanne Pari, Author
March 8 - Marlene Cowan, The Donner Party"Information in this newsletter is intended for the exclusive use of the members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos to facilitate the work of the club and to promote club fellowship. It is not to be used for any commercial or outside, unrelated, non-profit purposes. No publication of material in this newsletter should occur without the express permission of the club President or the Editor of the Rotator."
Copyright 2000 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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