Rotator eNewsletter

Los Altos Rotary Club

Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show

June 18, 2009

Writer: Steve Yarbrough - Photographer: Jerry Tomanek - Editor: Cindy Luedtke

This Thursday's Program: Jun 25 2009 John Moss
President Seth's Kick Out

Dear Faithful Readers,
Please excuse my tardy writing of the Rotator this week. It is late Sunday and I have just begun the process. I have a good reason, though. The Summer Solstice fell on Sunday this year. Every Summer Solstice calls me to the Lost Coast of California for an annual reunion of old cold surfers. This year was no exception. It was the 44th year of our ritual gathering to surf the wild waves of Shelter Cove. About 60 of us made it, some coming from as far as Portland, Oregon and Torrance, California. The surf was, well, wet. But it was the cause of my delay.
– Steve Yarbrough

It was a semi-sweltering not-yet-summer day on June 18, 2009, the penultimate Rotary meeting for current Rotary President SETH MANNING. After next week he will become part of the long and glorious history of the Los Altos Rotary Club and will join the illustrious list of presidents past; quite an honor, to be sure.

But to whom has the honor been bestowed?
Seth will claim it was he.
We shall claim it was we.
Certainly, it was our pleasure to have him lead our abode.

At the appointed time, DAN O’DONNELL led us in the pledge, followed by a snappy America led by JOHN SYLVESTER. Greeters were VAL CARPENTER, MIKE ABRAMS and BONNIE BURDETT. WYATT ALLEN was ably assisted at the cashier by Kim Allen and Greg Allen, who looked suspiciously like children.

DAVE CASAS presented the thought for the day from Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Our President-Elect TRACIE MURRAY is in Birmingham, England, sipping tea at the Rotary International convention. So, President Seth introduced visiting Rotarians and guests, of which there were many.

Kathy Berry, PP Wyatt Allen, Mike Abrams, Mary Marley and Matt Cabot

President Seth presented the following Rotarians with Service Above Self Awards for outstanding work this year: KATHY BERRY, MATT CABOT, MIKE ABRAMS, MARY MARLEY, and WYATT ALLEN.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
KENDRA GJERSETH reminded everyone that this weekend was the Relay for Life and asked for volunteers to be in the dunking booth. PAT HYLAND stepped up to the plate, as it were. She’s such a good sport! LARRY CHU may have accepted, but he said he would have to check with his wife.
WYATT ALLEN was the $50 bidder on a wine package. Here are some pics from the Relay of Life taken by JERRY TOMANEK and KENDRA GJERSETH:

Past President JOHN MOSS introduced Jennifer, Ashley, Jackie and a yet to be born grandson!
STEVE SHEPHERD advised everyone that Bob Armistead, MONA’s husband, actually played better than all the Rotarian golfers at the Rotary tournament by shooting an 81. But since he is only the spouse of a Rotarian, he will not be listed on the perpetual trophy. Rotarian BOB RAYL took top honors with an 83.
LOU WELMEIER and DAVE BERONIO took yellow ball honors.
FRANK VERLOT announced that the World Community Service committee will meet for lunch at Chef Chu’s on June 23. Everyone, especially red badgers, is invited to participate.
JOHN MOSS reminded everyone that next week is the Kickout meeting followed on Friday with the glorious dinner that the Los Altos Country Club.
JACK HEIDMILLER asked for volunteers to work at the Chef Chu’s food booth during the Los Altos Art and Wine festival on July 11-12. Your help is needed. Sign up for shift!

From an email from PP DICK HENNING:

Want an all-expense paid trip to one of the world's most dynamic and fascinating countries while sharing and exchanging your professional experiences with others?
District 5170 is looking for a Rotarian of any age with leadership and travel experience to lead our District's 2009-1010 Group Study Exchange (GSE) team to Brazil.
The team will go to Brazil May 3 to June 5, 2010.
Applicants must be Rotarians and must apply by July 31, 2009.

Please contact Dick Henning if interested.

10-MINUTE TALK

HEINZ HOLZAPFEL, 55, is a red badger who has joined Los Altos Rotary this year. He was born in a small town west of Munich, Germany, in a home constructed in the 13th century. The home had five-foot high ceilings, which weren’t a problem when he was a young boy.

Heinz obtained a degree in physics and engineering from University of Munich and started a career in electrical engineering with Siemens. In 1985 he relocated to New York City with Siemens to develop random access memory. With the same company, in 1995, he moved to the Bay Area and developed hard drives and DVDs.

He eventually left the corporate world to start his own company. In 2002 it went IPO. Heinz then started a second new business developing software models for processors. This company was acquired by another firm, but Heinz stayed on as chief operating officer in Boston. Last December he was named CEO of the Green Company in Palo Alto, making bio-degradable products.

Heinz has four children who live with their mother in Germany. He and his wife live in Palo Alto and love to travel. His wife’s son recently presented them with their first grandchild. Heinz loves photography and looks forward to meeting new friends in Rotary. Welcome Heinz!

FINE TIMES

BAIDRA MURPHY raised the final funds for our club by calling on MATT CABOT, SCOTT CHASE, HEINZ HOLZAPFEL, BILL PALMER, LOU WELLMEIER, STEVE SHEPHERD, NANCY SIMON, JOHN MCALLISTER, MIKE SPENCE, JOANNE KAVALARIS, LEW FRASER, KENDRA GJERSETH, and STEVE POMEROY. She also collected the club IOUs. Nice job Baidra!

PROGRAM

SANDIE WHIPPLE introduced speakers Julia Shepardson and Colleen Higa of Catholic Charities. Julia works with refugee resettlement and Colleen works with refugee foster care programs. Both women described the plight of refugees seeking assistance through their programs.

Ms. Shepardson said refugees are often forced to flee their country of origin due to their race, religion, ethnicity or affiliation with a particular group. Catholic Charities maintains two centers for recovery of refugees who have been tortured. The group provides assistance for refugees admitted to the U.S. without families or any close friends to assist them.

There are currently about 14 million refugees in the world. This figure does not include persons who have been displaced within their country of origin. The U.S. has a long history of helping to resettle refugees from around the world. The federal government provides $900 to resettle a refugee after entry. Agencies that resettle refugees rely on donations and volunteers to fill the gap.

Many refugees entering the country now are from Bhutan. They have become refugees because of persecution by the Burmese government against the Nepalese.

Catholic Charities, notwithstanding its name, is not a religious organization. It provides cash and housing to refugees entering the U.S. It forms partnerships with other non-government organizations to resettle displaced persons and seeks out individuals who will take in refugees or help find them a job.

Our own PE TRACIE MURRAY provided a job to a refugee through this program.

Colleen Higa works with the group’s refugee foster care program. This provides a temporary home for refugee children. She has worked for the past 17 years at Catholic Charities. She said when she first started, many refugees children were from Vietnam, now many are victims of torture from Burma.

A typical case, she explained, involved finding a family for two Burmese girls who had been hiding in the jungle in Burma avoiding soldiers. She said she must have families lined up in advance to take in the children, or she must refuse them help. Several families in the Los Altos area have taken in children. Tracy Weiss signed up to take one girl, but ended up accepting four children.

Ms. Higa said the kids that come here make it because they are resilient. They also become successful and productive once they arrive here due to that resilience, she said. A typical refugee foster child is between 15-16 years old. Two thirds are boys. They can stay in foster care until age 18-19. Catholic Charities provides family support and just asks that foster parents act as mom and dad to these children, she said.

Thanks to Julia and Colleen for the work they do!

– SLY

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