Next Week's Program: 
Brad Howard - RI Foundation

Upcoming Events:
 

TUESDAY, October 25th:  WCS: Northern Trust, Third Street  8:00 - 9:30 AM
 

Thursday, November 3rd:
• Karen Fox - Health Care in Russia

• LAREF:  2570 W. El Camino Real Suite 400 Mountain View. 5:00 pm

• A Sante' function at the Historic Del Monte building in Sunnyvale
See flyer

See our calendar for all of the important dates.

To see Neighboring Club meetings go to Clubs

To our Website

To District 5170

A SANTÉ!, A SANTÉ! A SANTÉ!  We have an A Santé theme for this week’s Rotator, to remind everyone that the big wine tasting and auction is coming up THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 (less than 2 weeks) AND to remind everyone that RotaCare IS our centennial project.  This announcement comes before the meeting report, because before we entered the meeting this week, we met TRACIE MURRAY outside at the A Santé table, looking to get every member to sign up to come (or at least support) this major fund raiser for our RotaCare clinic.

President Marlene chimed the meeting to order at 12:20.  MATT Cabot led the Pledge of Allegiance. 

 This month’s songmeister,  PAUL NYBERG led the club in “My Country Tis of Thee.”

KENDRA GJERSETH  answered the call to give the thought(s) for the day.  In keeping with her work in greeting cards, KENDRA had a few inspirational thoughts that hadn’t yet made it to the cards. From Dolly Parton: “If you want to have a rainbow, you have to put up with the rain.”  From another observer; “Hard Work brings out the essence of people; some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.”

President-Elect SAM PESNER took the mike to introduce visiting Rotarians.  We had Past District Governor Jim Walker and John Giovanola from Cupertino, and Walt D’Ardenne from Almaden Valley.  But they were all outdistanced by Rolf Peeler in Banking, from Solothurn Switzerland.  We had only two guests, PAUL NYBERG’s lovely wife, LIz and his daughter, a gulf war veteran, now a wife and mother visiting us from Atlanta.

The club then took advantage of 10 minutes of fellowship (during which I pumped Rolf Peeler for some Swiss banking secrets, but he admonished me that that would not be fair to all concerned).

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 

MIKE CABOT announced that the Alta Vista Interact Chapter was looking for a liaison with the club; any one wishing to help should contact MIKE.

JULIE ROSE announced that the 15th Annual Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Luncheon is coming up on November 2.  It will be at the Crown Plaza Cabana in Palo Alto, and will feature Charles M. Geschke, co-founder and Chairman of Adobe Systems.  Club members can sign up at the “member discount” price.

A SANTÉ!, A SANTÉ! A SANTÉ!  The co-leader of the event, SHOSHANNA ZIMMERMAN, took the podium and first reminded everyone what a fantastic facility we had at the RotaCare Clinic, and the wonderful volunteers that help there.  Mostly, she reminded us all of the large number of low-income people who get needed medical care there every day.  Then she announced (you guessed it) the A SANTÉ evening coming up November 3 at the historic Del Monte building in Sunnyvale.  For only $50 you get  wonderful wine-testing, gourmet food provided by local restaurants, a silent and live auction, AND, of course a commemorative glass.  SHOSHANNA and TRACIE have a good turn-out from the club, but they would like to get the turnout up to the “fantastic” level.

BEN McGANN announced that the club will be administering flu shots before our next meeting   Come at 11:30 to get your flu shot. A $25 donation made payable RotaCare would be appropriate. 

KIMBERLY COPHER reminded us that the Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) will take place on two Saturdays in November; 11/5 and 11/12 from 9-3.  After the disaster in New Orleans, and the huge earthquake in Pakistan, it is good to remember that it not only “could” happen here, it WILL happen here.  It’s just a matter of time, and we should be prepared (as all old Boy Scouts know).  Contact Kimberly or SHELLY POTVIN to sign up.

MIKE HARRIGAN announced that the Red Badgers were selling Los Altos Community Calendars, and that all proceeds were going to disaster relief.  SETH MANNING announced the Red Badgers were meeting after the meeting to work on the project.

MARLENE took the podium to announce that a monument to PAUL HARRIS had been erected in Washington DC.  He was one of 20 Americans honored at a monument entitled, The “Extra Mile – Points of Light Volunteer Pathway.”  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 US President, George Bush, dedicated the monument on October 14. To view Paul Harris’ marker and learn about other honorees, visit www.extramile.us.  Thanks to Ginny Lear for this information.

MARLENE also announced The Mikado light opera will be performed by Stanford Savoyards. The Nov. 20 Sunday matinee performance at Dinkelspeil Auditorium on Stanford Campus will be followed by a dinner sponsored by District 5170 for our 6 clubs in area 10. Because this is a recruitment event where you can invite potential new members, the District will contribute to the cost of dinner.

MARLENE announced the Texas Hold’em Tournament – Saturday night Nov. 5, a  fundraiser sponsored by Milpitas Rotary. Details and ticket orders at www.rotaryholdem.com.

MARLENE also announced the following REMINDERS:

REMINDER: Interact Fall Leadership Conference – Advisors and Interact members from each school should attend. This Sunday, Oct. 23 at Milpitas High School 8:00 – 1:00 pm. They anticipate 600 participants.

REMINDER: Silicon Valley Philanthropy Day – Fri, Nov. 4, Fairmont Hotel, San Jose. $70. See Marlene or Victoria for luncheon ticket information or go online at www.afpsv.org.

CERT class Nov. 5 & 12. Sign up on clipboard on Thursday. Contact: SHELLY POTVIN.

Join CERT - 'Community Emergency Response Team'. Come learn how to be prepared for an emergency. Learn what to do to help your family, neighbors, customers, friends and your fellow man.

This class if for Rotarians & their family members. Check your calendars now for availability. Only 30 open seats. You need not live in Los Altos.
 
NOVEMBER 5th &12th. Two Saturdays from 9 - 3.   Lunch is provided.
 
Please bring your check for $90 per person (made out to LAPD). This includes a back pack filled with important life saving tools.

Last Wednesday night was the Avenues of Service evening in Hayward.  We had 6 attendees.

Left to right: Roland Payne, Allart Ligtenberg, Cindy Luedtke, Jack Higgins, Marlene Cowan, Sam Pesner (Asssitant District Governor Don MacKenzie in background).

 FINES and “RECOGNITION”

PAST PRESIDENT CINDY LUEDTKE   took the mike to recognize a few members.  SAM PESNER promptly paid $20 to have the club sing Happy Birthday to SAM HARDING (Sam’s only 20?)

MONA ARMISTEAD paid $50 to announce the arrival of her new grandson.

Then it was recognition for A SANTÉ!, A SANTÉ! A SANTÉ!  First, TRACIE MURRAY paid $10 to announce the event again, besides paying her fine with wine to be donated to the event.  CINDY let KIMBERLY COPHER off with a $10 fine, because KIMBERLY hasn’t been fined yet this year, but knew that A SANTÉ supports the RotaCare Clinic.  MARGE SANTOS also got off for $10 by knowing where RotaCare is (downstairs at the YMCA building at El Camino hospital, for those who haven’t visited yet).  MIKE SPENCE had to pay $15 for not knowing that our own MEL KAHN is president of Bay Area RotaCare.  MATT CABOT got off easy by knowing that the founding club of RotaCare was Mountain View.  Newest Member, COETA CHAMBERS, recognized IRENE PRESTON as the person who organizes food delivery every Monday and Wednesday for the RotaCare volunteers.   Cindy was a bit harsh to still fine her $15.00 since she didn’t know her name yet.  New member JIM REYNOLDS volunteered to pay $50 to help RotaCare, because MEL is his landlord at 3rd and Main.  He can’t quite figure out why, whenever he mentions Mel’s name, he hears snears and giggles.   Several members expressed sympathy for Jim’s plight.  Joan BYRNE got off for just $10 for knowing (after half a dozen prior announcements) that A SANTÉ is November 3.  (The finemeister union is investigating CINDY for lobbing a softball here).

ROY LAVE then put in $100 to join the Explorer’s Club (In keeping with the theme, ROY is a great supporter of A SANTÉ, and wants to see us all there).

SERVICE ABOVE SELF AWARDS

President MARLENE honored AL Ligtenberg for his wonderful work in traveling to Indonesia to check into the work on our club’s Tsunami Boat Project (as well as his other work in the region).  MARLENE also honored  JEAN MORDO, for his work in setting up and coordinating the Bus Barn evening for the club.  KATIE NUTTER was given her second award (in absentia) for putting together the progressive dinner.  Congratulations, KATIE!

THE WEEKLY PROGRAM

Past District Governor  Jim Walker took the mike to remind us that District 5170 sponsors Partners in Service, to bring Rotarians from other countries to our clubs to discuss projects that Rotary supports overseas. 

Today, our guest was   Michaek Picchetti, a Cupertino native who has been working in Chile for over 20 years.   He is involved with two major Rotary projects in the region.   First, Michael gave us a brief overview of Chile; the California of South America.  It has a temperate climate much like our own, and is a long (2700 miles) and narrow (150 miles) country hugging the ocean coast.

The first project he discussed is the COANIQUEM Burn Center.  Due to the large use of outdoor fires in many countries, hundreds of children in Chile suffer severe burns every year.  The burn center provides treatment facilities and training facilities for locals in 19 cities throughout Central and South America.  They have set up many prevention programs, and with Rotary’s help, opened a new center in Chile in 2003, that has treated over 900 children in two years.

The other project was the building of a new, state-of-the-art, 14-bed Intensive Care Unit at a hospital in Chile to provide heart disease treatment for children.  Rotary started this with $10,000, then another $5000, then $10,000 from District 5170.  Rotary International matched this with another $25,000, and this got the ball rolling.  Private foundations, and then governmental agencies got on the bandwagon, and the project eventually raised $405,000 (all from a small amount of Rotary seed money).  This built a whole new 5th floor for the hospital, comparable to the facilities seen at Stanford.  It has 28 new staff people, and now saves over 120 lives a year; children who will now live, thanks to Rotary and the work of so many people in Chile.  Thank you, Michael.

President MARLENE ended a meeting a bit early at 1:25, and reminded everyone to keep Service Above Self, as you explore other cultures this week.

Webmaster's Note:  In my absence, STEVE GRUBER did a fine job (as he always does) in publishing the Rotator while I soaked up the rain in Hana.  Thanks, STEVE.

Also a few of the following pictures came up while I was gone, or nearly gone and I thought I would put them in here now:

These are from the progressive dinner held on September 24th:

Correction:  The commemorative calendars the Redbadgers are selling as a fundraiser were a gift from the Los Altos Cultural Association, not the Town Crier as was reported in last week's Rotator.