This Thursday's Program: 

(EOC) - GSE Outgoing to Japan - Harry Abbott
 

Upcoming Events:

2/28 WCS:  Northern Trust, Third St. 8:00 - 9:30 AM

3/2•• LAREF:  2570 W. El Camino Real Suite 400 MTV  5:15 PM

3/9  Richard Adrouny, MD - Colon Cancer

See our Calendar for all of the important dates.

To see Neighboring Club meetings go to Clubs

To our Website

To District 5170

President’s Corner 
What important event occurred on Feb. 23?  On Feb. 23, 1905?  Of course, it was the formation of the first Rotary Club by Paul Harris, “an attorney who wished to recapture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth,” to quote the Rotary website www.rotary.org.

That fellowship is warmly rekindled each Thursday at our Club meetings. We miss the friends who are absent and hope to encourage all to make Rotary a priority. We’re all entered in our new contest--“The March Lunch Bunch”. Members who attend 100% of the March lunch meetings will have a chance at winning a free lunch when we draw three lucky names from a hat on April 6.  Make-ups don’t count for this contest—we want to see you at Club meetings!

-President Marlene

BEGINNINGS (We were a little out of sync at the start today, but after all, we were celebrating a 101^st birthday!)

MIKE HARRIGAN, who was wandering the lobby out of ear shot of the opening bell, led us in the Pledge once he was located.  The Thought of the Day preceded the songfest (Was JOHN SYLVESTER wandering the halls as well?) with KATIE NUTTER offering a quote from soccer player BRANDI CHASTAIN (remembered for tearing off her uniform top upon scoring the winning goal of the World Championships).  BRANDI had inadvertently scored a goal for her opponents in that championship game, only to fortunately score the winning goal for the American women’s team.  Her quote, “It’s not the mistake that is important, but what you do after the mistake that counts.”  Considering her point of reference, it is so true.

Then, we found JOHN SYLVESTER in good voice after all and joined him in a rousing “You Are My Sunshine.” 

SAM PESNER introduced Rotarians from Foster City, Saratoga and Sonoma, then guests who were predominantly spouses and relatives of our members including a return visit by MEL KAHN’S Auntie BEA from Seattle, who is ninety-four years young.

ANNOUNCEMENTS AND PRONOUNCEMENTS (now we’re back on schedule)

Pres. MARLENE reminded us that Rotary is 101 years old reviewed some of the accomplishments of our own club as part of Rotary’s history including:

• $50,000 to the RotaCare Free Clinic at El Camino Hospital
• Recently winning an award as Outstanding Philanthropic Organization (thanks to an entry prepared by VICTORIA EMMONS).
• Accomplishing two tsunami relief effort projects (two water purification units and replacement of fifteen fishing boats destroyed by nature)
• Upcoming Red Badge Auction to raise money for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts
• Announcement of local projects for our club including the painting of the Bus Barn Theater, a media day, high school student career day and not so local projects through our World Community Service Committee funded by LAREF

BELLA BERLLY asked the assembled members if they would be interested in a wine and cheese social event on March 17^th.  After receiving a rousing no show of hands, the question was changed to beer and chips, then Irish whiskey, but the response seemed too slight to plan an event around.

BELLA also presented the club with the club banner of a new club in Mexico that she has been instrumental in helping get under way – the first international meeting she has attended.  Based upon her experience, she would recommend the experience to anyone who hasn’t yet done it (was that helping start another club or visiting a foreign club?).

DAVID SMITH announced that the World Community Service Committee has money to spend having been granted $14,500 by LAREF and parlayed that into $36,000+.  If you have any ideas for matching grants, please let a committee member know (individual retirement plans are not eligible, however, even if you plan to move overseas!).

Pres. MARLENE announced the following items:
Our three incoming club directors for 2006-08 are JOHN HAMBLIN, MARLIS MCALLISTER and CINDY WEYMSS.    Congratulations to each new board member and a tremendous THANK YOU for taking on the responsibility for benefit of our club and our members.  The three received a standing ovation from the membership. 

The League of Women Voters, along with the Los Altos and Mountain View Rotary Clubs, invite anyone interested to meet with our elected officials on Sunday, Feb. 26^th   from 2-4 p.m. at the City Hall Rotunda in Mountain View.  Members of the local city councils, county board, local and county education boards, El Camino Hospital, and local water district boards will be there for questions and sharing of ideas and priorities. 

The next District 5170 monthly cabinet meeting is to be held March 1^st beginning at 6 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose.  Dim sum chicken will be served for $25.  If you wish to attend, contact DICK HATCH by Feb 24^th by phone (510) 612-7288 or e-mail dhoweenterprises@yahoo.com to confirm attendance (whether or not you plan to eat the dinner). 

Reminder:  A soccer coach is still desperately needed for a team without a coach at Alta Vista High School for the spring season.  Can anyone help?  See HERB MARSHALL or MARLENE if you can lend a needed hand.

A beautiful Celebration of Life was held last Sunday for DAN NYBERG, son of PAUL NYBERG, who passed away after a long battle with cancer at the terribly early age of 47.  In keeping with our support of Relay for Life, the fundraiser for the American Cancer Society, the NYBERG family asks that memorial gifts be made to the Daniel Nyberg Relay for Life Memorial Fund. , American Cancer Society, 747 Camden Avenue, Campbell, CA 95008.  You may further stipulate that your gift be forwarded to either the Town Crier relay team or the Los Altos Rotary relay team in support of this year’s 24-hour relay in June.

Attendance figures are improving and Pres. MARLENE recognized fifteen members who have 100% attendance since July 1^st (members ADAMS, COWAN, DUHRING, LAVE, LEAR, LIGHTENBERG, LISTON, LOCONTE, LUEDTKE, LYNCH, MANNING, MCALLISTER, MURPHY, NUTTER, PAYNE, PESNER, PROCHNOW, RIDDELL, SHEPHERD, TOMANEK, and WHIPPLE.  To further encourage attendance, the club is holding a “March Lunch Bunch” whereby anyone physically attending all five club meetings in March will be eligible for a drawing for one of three (what else than) a free lunch to reward them for attending.  Who ever said there is no such thing as a free lunch?

MEMBER NEWS

COETA CHAMBERS   petitioned for a 16-minute talk (her logic was JIM REYNOLDS talked for eight minutes at a previous meeting and COETA is at lest twice his age!).  She was from a family that migrated from Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl of the Depression to Washington State and managed to forage a living doing anything that could be done for even meager wages.  COETA began to learn more about our country from being the state bicycling champion for six years running.  Although her parents never went to college, they encouraged COETA to seek higher education and she chose Stanford.   Taking her parents’ advice that one can achieve whatever one puts one’s mind to, she not only completed Stanford undergraduate studies (working for the first time in her life to help put herself through school), succeeded in several jobs after college, but ,eventually completed law school and passed the bar exam.  Pres. MARLENE rose to indicate COETA’S time had expired at the five minute mark.  Hopefully, she will have time in the future to fill in the blanks. 

DAN O’DONNELL,  in today’s role of recognition guru, matched wits with DICK HENNING with assistance from NANCY SIMON.  The only ones fined today were DAN O’DONNELL (self-inflicted) for turning 75 years old, DICK HENNING for greeting NANCY with two consecutive weeks of fining after recently joining the club and BUD OLIVER, for fifty years of marriage to ANN.   It appears ANN was trying some youthful tricks on the ski slop and ended up rearranging some bones in her body.  We wish ANN good luck on a speedy recovery.

THE MAIN STORY
Nowhere near ready for retirement, our own JEAN NEWTON FRAGUGLIA provided an informative presentation on considerations upon planning for retirement, more specifically, retirement living.  JEAN owns her own Public Relations firm in Los Altos and works for the Forum in Cupertino for community outreach as well as marketing and public relations and she quickly displayed her knowledge of the topic.   She related to Pres. MARLENE’S theme of exploring other cultures by stating that for most of us, retirement living is a different life style.  Often, though, we enter retirement without proper preparation and make choices without doing our homework.  There are a myriad of choices to be made and without careful consideration, the happiness and sense of well being we anticipate or desire may not be realized. 

In times past, many of us would not have lived long enough to worry about retirement or weren’t financially sound enough to even retire at all.  Luckily things are gradually changing.  First off, we’re living longer thanks to medical technology.  Second, there are the “baby boomers” that are fast approaching retirement age that comprise a larger percentage of our total population than in past generations. 

What are the major considerations?
> Financial Impact (reduced income vs. high cost of health care)
> Location (hard to leave network of family and friends)
> Socialization (each of us has a different level of need)
>Health Care (availability and completeness of a health plan or care plan)

Options for retirees / seniors

Ø      Move in with your children (how happy will they be with that decision?).  This works in some societies, but doesn’t work often in America. 
Ø      Stay in your present home (carry me out in a wooden box).  Often, the home and grounds become difficult or impossible to keep up with, causing loss of value.
Ø      Downsize (move to something more manageable, but more cramped style).  A more manageable home, but you have to give up a lot of belongings and you may face isolation when unable to drive, care for self.
Ø      Move to an adult retirement community.  This may work well for active seniors in teams of  an active life-style, but there is little or no health care
Ø      Assisted Living / Residential Care Home.  This would increase socialization and peace of mind, but the costs are often prohibitive.

JEAN pleaded with anyone approaching a decision on retirement living to thoroughly do the homework before making a decision about the rest of our lives.  Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRC’s) that provide independent living, assisted living and nursing care, are not for everyone, but are a viable option for many.  Things to research include:

Ø      Location (a) close to family and friends, (b) urban, suburban or rural setting (c) need for access to shopping, recreation, and / or medical infrastructure

Ø      Governance – What type of organization runs it (religious, hotel management, service organization, or residents)?  How long has it been in business and what has its financial track record been?

Ø      Financial Plan – All CCR’s have an entry or buy in fee and monthly fees.  Some communities do not return any of the entry fee, others return a portion of the fee, and some offer a return of the fee plus a share in the appreciation of equity. 

Ø      Continuing care plan.  Is there a wellness center on site? Is temporary or longer-term assisted living available on site?  Is there a higher level care facility or hospital on site or affiliated?

Ø      Lifestyle and Activities.  Retirement homes are often described as a cruise ship that doesn’t go anywhere.  There are a myriad of activities available to pick and choose from.  Many have a program director, offer tours and group travel.  Others have many varied interests in clubs or active committees for involvement.  Fitness programs and classes are very important for anyone other than the infirmed. 

Ø      Amenities and Services.  Housekeeping (how often and to what extent), transportation (especially as we lose our abilities to drive independently), parking, utilities included or individually paid, security, grounds and not least, the quality of the food and the dining arrangement (does it promote socialization?). 

The Forum in Cupertino is an example of an equity ownership plan where the initial investment is returned to you or your heirs, plus one-half of any appreciation earned over time. There are an increasing number of equity ownership retirement communities gradually being built around the country, but the waiting lists are growing.  There are restrictions as well.  Many won’t accept you until age sixty, but won’t accept you if you’re older than 82.  Most require a health assessment with those not deemed healthy enough are turned away, their choices restricted to higher cost options. 

In summary, JEAN urged folks to begin their research before reaching retirement age and certainly before one’s health begins to deteriorate.  If you procrastinate, the options may dwindle drastically and the costs may escalate.  However, for many of us, retirement communities that meet our needs and expectations provide an active, independent and carefree lifestyle; allows both spouses to retire, provides many new friendships and provides tremendous peace of mind and security.  They are definitely worth considering.  Procrastination isn’t our ally since our health or other circumstances can dictate our future if we don’t decide for ourselves.  Also, consult your accountant, attorney, banker and financial advisor before making your final decisions. 

Thank you, JEAN, for your very informative talk.  Many of us are either facing, or will be facing soon, retirement and retirement living decisions (or have parents that need to make these decisions soon).   In banking, I have seen a number of couples move away for retirement, only to return (or try to) realizing that they hadn’t done their homework.  If you’re considering another area, manage to stay there without obligation for a time to determine if it is really right for you.  Some like being away (or near) family and some don’t.  Some like the heat of the desert, others like cooler climates. 

If you didn’t take the handout, here are some resources JEAN identified:

• Where to Live: A Housing Guide for Older Adults
  Avenidas / New Roads for Older Adults
  450 Bryant Street, Palo Alto, CA 94303
  (650) 326-5362, Ext. 433
  www.avenidas.org

• New Lifestyles: The Source for Seniors
  Guide to senior residences in San Francisco Bay Area
  (800) 869-9549
  www.NewLifestyles.com

• Alternatives for Seniors
  Housing checklist and information about different communities
  (888) 533-4636
  www.AlternativesforSeniors.com

• Council on Aging Silicon Valley
  Senior services directory for the area
  (800) 510-2020
  www.scccoa.org