Los Altos Rotary Club

Rotator for October 13th, 2005


 
  Writer: Katie Nutter
Photographer: Mike Harrigan
Editor:  Cindy Luedtke

Next Week's Program: 
20 October - (EOC) Michael Picchetti - Partners in Service; speaker from Chile  
 

Upcoming Events:

October 20th:  Avenues of Service Workshop BBQ 5:30 - 9:00 PM Hayward

November 3rd:  a Sante!

 

See our Calendar  for all of the important dates.

 

 

Neighboring Club meetings (makeups)

 

To our Website

 

To District 5170

 

The meeting was called to order at 12:17 p.m. by LARC President MARLENE COWAN.

MARGE BRUNO led the Pledge of Allegiance,  SETH MANNING led the club through a “Zippity-doo-da” song, and BAIDRA MURPHY   provided the thought for the day.  As usual, Sergeant-at-Arms JOHN HAMBLIN, had prepared the room for the meeting and ushered it along deftly.

President-elect SAM PESNER asked for the introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians.  MARGE BRUNO   introduced visitors from Bassano del Grappa, Italy, a future sister city of Los Altos.  Banners were presented. 

Los Altos Town Crier editor Bruce Barton and a photographer were also visitors.  Visiting Rotarians included:  Donald I. Zenan of Sonoma (classification: jewelry); Manju Puri of Sunnyvale (classification:  occupational therapist), Victor Reid of San Jose (classification:  investment management); Jim Varner of Pearl Harbor (classification: personal development); (ex-Los Altos Rotarian) Jim Conway of Rancho Mirage; C.S. Ramachandran of Madras (classification:  general surgery); Larry Southwick of Ameherst, N.Y. (classification:  economist), who is assistant governor of Region 7090; Roger Bolgard of Monterey (classification:  attorney); Jim Walker of Cupertino (classification: property management); and Dave Charleson of Palo Alto. 

Announcements from the membership were as follows:

  • IRENE PRESTON and DAN O’DONNELL encouraged members to sign up to deliver dinners to the RotaCare Clinic in Mountain View.  A sign-up sheet was circulated.
  • MIKE HARRIGAN said that the “Red Badgers” are selling beautiful Los Altos Commemorative calendars for $10.  A contribution from the Los Altos Town Crier, the calendars’ proceeds will go to disaster relief.

  Redbadgers AMELIA HO and GIGI CARTER with their best sales face on. 

  • KAILAS CHIDAMBARAM announced that there were still some tickets for the Coaniquem Burn Clinic event - See calendar.
  • JOAN ROSSELLE encouraged LARC members to attend the A Sante benefit on November 3.  Proceeds go to fund the RotaCare Clinic. (Tickets being sold before and after the meeting:)

President MARLENE COWAN made the following announcements:

  • Avenues of Service will be held in Hayward on Thursday, October 20, from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.  Thursday, October 13 as the last day for sign ups. 
  • Media Day is Wednesday, October 19 from 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. at the Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave.  All community-based organizations and non-profit agencies can learn how to earn press coverage of their activities.  R.S.V.P. to Joanne Byrne at mediaday@losaltoscf.org
  • Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day is Friday, November 4 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Jose.  (Victoria Emmons nominated LARC last year for the Outstanding Philianthropic Organization award.)  This year, the same  award will go to Menlo Park Presbyterian Church (where several LARC’ers attend).   Rambus, Inc., employer of LARC Red Badger Victor Echevarria, is also an award recipient.  Luncheon tickets are $70.  To procure one, see MARLENE COWAN, VICTORIA EMMONS, or go to the website for the Association of Fundraising Professionals- Silicon Valley Chapter at afpsv.org.
  • Of the twenty people that signed up for the October 7 wine tasting, only six actually showed up.  Way to go?
  • The Donner Party hike was a great success, with 11 attendees.  Thanks to Roy Jones and Rick Glaze for their part in the festivities.
  • Wondering what to do about disasters in Pakistan and Central America?  Frank Devlyn, Past President of Rotary International, recommends working through the following district governors.  For Pakistan they are:  Muhammad Faiz, Shakil Hasan Ansari, and Aziz Memon.  For Central America, contact District 4250 Governor HECTOR GUILLERMO GUILLEN and District 4240 Governor FABIO CARBALLO.
  • The club’s attendance level is only 66 percent – hardly stellar.  A club with an attendance of less than 60 percent is not in good standing.  Members who can’t make it to a meeting and who go to another Rotary as a make up are encouraged to send their make-up slips to John Cordoza, LARC secretary.  That way, LARC gets credited for their attendance.
  • District cabinet meetings take place the first Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. in the Doubletree Hotel, San Jose.  All are invited to attend.  It’s a great way to earn make-up credit or complete a Red Badge check list.
  • A new LARC fundraising policy has been voted on by the LARC Board of Directors, with the goal of ensuring that members don’t feel pressured to give too often.  There are three basic guidelines:  1) Any possible fundraisers (beyond the already-established Fine Art Show, A Sante, and Red Badge Auction), must be approved by the Board before it can go into effect.  2) The request should be in writing, describing the event and the recipient of the funds.  3)  Expenses and revenues – not just net proceeds – must be submitted for accounting purposes, so that the club may maintain its 501c3 or c6 status.
  • A new monument in Washington D.C. honors Paul Harris

    Rotary Founder Paul Harris is among 20 Americans recognized in a new U.S. national monument honoring pioneers in service.

    The "Extra Mile -- Points of Light Volunteer Pathway," a series of bronze markers, was unveiled along a one-mile stretch of downtown Washington, DC, several blocks east of the White House. The monument honors and tells the stories of selfless Americans who turned their dreams of helping others into great movements that have created enduring change.

    Former U.S. President George Bush dedicated the monument 14 October.  To view Paul Harris’ marker and learn about other honorees, go to the website:http://www.extramile.us/

     
  • Sue Dodson, wife of Reverend Dodson, was killed in a single-car accident on Monday, October 10, in Aptos.  Services will be held on Friday, October 21, at Los Altos United Methodist Church, at 2:00 p.m.

 

ALLART LIGTENBERG   briefed the club on his recent visit to Indonesia, where he was able to see the boats that LARC funded for the people of Banda Aceh through our Tsunami Relief Project.  He brought us a model of the boat and Rotary flags from Indonesia and Bali, as well as showing us a video that had a close-up of a plaque in a boat that said, “Working Together in Friendship, Rotary Club of Los Altos, July 2005.”   It was very gratifying for club members to see such a vivid example of “Service Above Self.”

SAM PESNER introduced our program for the day.  With Election Day drawing nearer, the day’s program focused on candidates for office.  Six candidates for the Los Altos School Board spoke to the club,   describing their backgrounds, their reasons for running and their aspirations for the school district.  Voters will select three of the candidates.  Those who spoke were:  Mark Goines

FRANCIS LAPOLL

David Luskin ,

David Pefley

David Struther

and

Kitty (Katherine) Uhler 

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