Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show August 14th, 2008

President SETH MANNING chimed the meeting to order promptly at 12:15 p.m.  Arriving Rotarians were greeted (after dutifully paying admission) by CINDY LUEDTKE, and red-badger LOU WELLMEIER.
 
SANDY BOZICH led the Pledge of Allegiance and red badger TIM BYRD gave a simple thought for the day, culled from his nine-year old son: “let’s get started.”  Songmeister JOHN SYLVESTER led us in “I’m Looking Over a Four-Leaf Clover.”  Since our hard-working President Elect TRACIE MURRAY was working hard elsewhere, President SETH called on visiting Rotarians and guests.  On a slow-summer day, we had no visiting Rotarians, and Tim’s nine-year old son was our sole but still very special guest.
 
GET WELL SOON TO TWO OF OUR OWN
During the meeting, Club members were notified that two of our club family are ailing with cancer.  MARGE BRUNO told us that SETH’s wife Marilynn is in the hospital having a malignant tumor removed from her leg.  MARY PROCHNOW also let us know that JOANNE BYRNE is in the hospital with breast cancer.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to both.
 
NEW TO BLUE
JOHN CARDOZA stepped up to announce that KIM COPHER was finally being promoted from red-badger to blue-badger.  KIM is one of our most active members, working on Camp RYLA, the Relay for Life, and serving as liaison to Interact.  To the chagrin of KIM’s sponsor, SHELLY POTVIN, JOHN SYLVESTER made the comment that KIM had broken his record for longest time getting from red to blue.  KIM was probably too busy with those other dozen Rotary projects to drop by a directors meeting.
 KIM then took the opportunity to mention our club’s support of Camp RYLA, and that sponsored two campers from Los Altos High and two from Mountain View High.  The two RYLA participants from Mountain View were on hand to express their appreciation for sponsoring them and described the benefits of the camp.
 

RED BADGE PROJECT
Red Badger BILL BALSON announced that the red badge project for this year will be to create a living memorial at the Bullis School Library, to our lost, long-time Rotarians, LEE LYNCH and BILLY RUSSELL.  The official Kick-Off of their project begins with the social event hosted by red-badger GREG DABB scheduled for next Thursday, August 21 in the courtyard at 161 San Antonio.
 
ANNOUNCEMENTS
President SETH announced that we need volunteers for the Los Altos Rotary Club booth at the Los Altos Community picnic, which will run from 1-3 p.m. on September 7.  A signup sheet got lost in circulation, so plenty of help is still needed for this short Sunday event.
 
SETH also announced that the Board had voted to print up a new member handbook, which will return to the format of including tons of information.  Everyone who had the wrong year for their birthday will be allowed to correct it, and we are hoping to see the return of the picture of DAN DUTTON in a tie, which graced the handbook for about 30 years.
 
KENDRA GJERSETH announced that the Relay for Life was still taking donations up through the end of the month.  The Relay took in over $300,000 in Los Altos, and our club added $5,350 of that total.  KENDRA pointed out that this was pretty good, considering that we almost did not have a team at all.  KENDRA thanked her co-captain KATHY BERRY for stepping up to cover the team when needed.
 
TEN-MINUTE TALK
That was the cue for KATHY BERRY to step up and give her 10-minute talk.  KATHY grew up in the heartland of Nebraska, where her dad actually was a lineman for the county (and he drove the main road).  A seminal influence was her grandmother, who was a teacher.  She did not have a credential, but she could teach as long as she was working on a credential.  So, she started college at age 50 and kept at it for years.  She graduated at 60 and taught until she was 80.  KATHY came to California at 15, and started college later at San Jose State.  But her folks moved back home, and KATHY had to get by here by living with some folks and acting as nanny for their children
 
KATHY’s first job was in Sacramento with State Senator Alan Alquist.  She enjoyed the political life for a bit, but decided to attend Santa Clara Law School at night.  After she completed the four-year program, she went to work with the Warburton firm, doing insurance defense (defending defendants in lawsuits who have insurance).  This area of law did not excite her, so she moved on to doing real estate law for the County of Santa Clara.  In the County Counsel office, she worked on acquisitions and dispositions of real property for the county.  This involved parks, freeways, libraries, jails etc.  She has since moved on to do the same thing for the City of Sunnyvale, which is in the process of largely rebuilding its downtown.
 
She has lived in Los Altos all these years.  Her marriage ended, but she delights in both of her daughters.  Her daughter Emily is such a strong student, that she will be starting medical school this fall.  Her other daughter, Ann, suffers from a disability, but KATHY expressed her appreciation for the many services for disabled students in our community.  As a result, Ann recently graduated from high school.   KATHY is also sponsoring a student from China who is attending Stanford.  Apparently, there is some sporting event going on in China that is distracting the poor lass.
 
KATHY closed with three important lessons she has learned; (1) it is not as important to succeed as it is to try; (2) most folks are doing the best they can, cut them a break, and (3) there are times that you need the support of your community.
 
NOT SO FINE FINING
JERRY MOISON returned to the podium as the finemiester everyone loves, because it never costs them much money.  He begged for help from anyone who could volunteer some “recognition.”  STEVE SHEPHERD bailed him out a bit, by admitting that last week he fined everyone else for their anniversaries, but missed his own.  For 37 years of wedded bliss, Steve volunteered $37.  This was a high point for JERRY.  Next, SAM PESNER volunteered to fine LARRY CHU for his comments last week on the sartorial splendor of denim shorts.  With two prime targets in his sights, JERRY squeezed out 10 bucks.  He doubled that by mercilessly wringing another $10 from MARLENE COWAN, when she announced that she was no longer homeless, now that she had just bought a home in Foster City.  When GEORGE STAFFORD announced that his son had the fastest two and three-year old pacing ponies, JERRY browbeat poor GEORGE by asking “What do you think that’s worth?”  (JERRY, its’ horseracing, “the sport of kings;” get a ransom here). CINDY WEMYSS mentioned that her nine-year old son had made the All-Star team, and the Town Crier.  JERRY gratefully accepted the $9 she offered.  MARY PROCHNOW jumped up to volunteer $20 for her 20th birthday (times 2?).  Then JERRY pulled out the big guns, asking questions culled from the latest issue of Rotarian Magazine.  Gentleman Joe Corral ponied up $25 after he got the question right, but JERRY let bar-denizen JACK KELLY off with $20 when he got one wrong.  SHELLY POTVIN and DAVE SMITH were also targeted by JERRY, and got off easy.  Finally, JOHN CARDOZA graciously responded to the query, “how much do you want to pay?” by saying he’d put in $40.  Tears of gratitude welled in JERRY’s eyes, and then he had to step down.
 
Unbeknownst to JERRY, the mythical CHUCK HESS was in attendance today, and quietly joined the President’s Club by dropping a $100 check in KENDRA’s duck bucket at the end of the meeting.
 
WEEKLY PROGRAM
MARY PROCHNOW stepped up to introduce this week’s speaker, Maureen Wadiak, Associate Director of the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills.
Ms. Wadiak noted that CSA puts over $2 million into our communities each year through several programs.  The main program is the Emergency Assistance plan, which helps residents who are hit by sudden job loss, sickness or other problems that stop their income, and threaten them with loss of home or other necessities.  CSA provides emergency financial assistance to try to help them keep their housing.  The program has been very successful; over 87% of the people who receive this assistance are able to weather the storm and stay in their homes.  CSA also runs a food and nutrition center, which also educates on child health and fitness.  CSA also provides a broad spectrum of services for Seniors.  This includes special senior nutrition programs, and guidance for seniors on navigating the services of Medicare and Medi-Cal.  CSA provides case management for seniors, to help them pursue options to remain independently living at home, rather than moving to a nursing home.  One popular new program for Seniors is the fall-prevention program.  Simple falls in the home account for a huge number of injuries to Seniors, and are a major reason for trips to the emergency room.  Over half of the users of this program are over 80; when a simple fall can have dangerous results.  CSA educates seniors on ways to make their homes safer, and remove the main causes of falls (such as throw rugs).  CSA produces a home fall-prevention checklist.
 
After Ms. Wadiak fielded a series of questions, President SETH chimed the meeting to close at 1:25.

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