Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show April 29 2010

While the air was a bit chilly, a warm welcoming committee greeted LARC members, Visiting Rotarians (there was one) and guests.  The committee consisted of, KURT HUEG,  BONNIE BURDETT and CATHY BERRY 

President TRACIE MURRAY started the meeting with her reprise of Robin Williams' famous "Good Morning Viet Nam!"

Visiting Rotarians and PRESIDENT TRACIE MURRAY mentioned that last Wednesday 4/28/10 was the first joint mixer hosted by both LARC and Los Altos Kiwanis Clubs.  Our two service clubs teamed up with the Los Altos History Museum to hold a very very successful Mixer for the Los Altos Chamber of Commerce. 

The History Museum provided the facility, Rotary provided the wine, and both Kiwanis and Rotary procured the food.  Food donations were made by Panini’s, Chef Chu’s, Los Altos Bakery, and Cedar Crest. It is estimated that there were over 200 guests at the Mixer that night.  JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT was the grand prize cash winner at $200!

Guests were greeted and introduced.  President Tracie asked how many attended the District Conference.  It seems that everyone who did attend received an award from the District, except our own President.  Like PP DICK HENNING, her reward will come if she lives as long as DICK has lived. 

Dr. HENNING received a Service Above Self Award, as (one of) his recognitions for his service to the District over the years.  Rarer than hen's teeth, his reward was one of about 150 given throughout the world (That's .01% for you math people). We all should live so long.

Not to be out done, ALLART LIGTENBERG  received the District 5170  award for Excellence in International Fellowship for his work around the globe, particularly in Nepal . Allart's display of solar cooking also won second place in the House of Friendship display at the district conference.

DISTRICT CONFERENCE

NEW MEMBER
Membership Chair JOHN CARDOZA introduced us to the newest member of the club, TED SORENSON who was sponsored by MIKE ABRAMS.  Since Mike was not there to tell us about Ted, John did a fine job.  As is the custom, Ted was welcomed into the club with a standing ovation. 

• JOHN SYLVESTER reminded us about the monthly LARC social at COETA CHAMBER'S house on Friday night. These wine and cheese events are a good way to get to know other LARC members in a social environment.  Most of us seem to have a habit of sitting at the same table, lunch after lunch, so it is difficult to get to know the other 160 members of our club.  From my experience, 90% of the club is worth knowing a lot better than saying "Hi" in the 'Get-Your-Badge-And-Pay-Your-Money" line.  So a monthly LARC social is the ideal place.  Of course, you could just jump from table to table at lunch, but quite often you would be interrupted by President Tracie ringing that dang bell.
• PP SETH MANNING announced that there will be a meeting of anyone interested in kicking out President Tracie (at the appropriate time) after next week’s (May 6) meeting.  For you new people, that was not sedition, but rather an annual affair to make way for the incoming president, Dennis Young, in July.   As immediate Past President, SETH is Chair of this much anticipated affair and can use your help.  So if you are interested, seek him out next week, or email him indicating your interest.
• KENDRA GJERSETH was selling art show shirts again.  Not that the graphics art business was in the dumps, these are shirts that are made to make you stand out at the art show as part of LARC and a helping hand.  From what I can tell from my shirt, they seem to run REALLY big.  I ordered an XL to cover my aging body, and the sleeves came down almost to my wrists, so be careful.  Kendra is ordering another batch so if you want one and didn't get in on the first round, send her an email or see her next week. 
• JEAN  MORDO announced that we will be selling raffle tickets soon. The tickets will sell for $5.00 individually or five for $20.00 and there are some fabulous trip prizes to be won.  Proceed from this project will go to our WCS project in Haiti.  Each Rotarian is expected to sell tickets to their friends and neighbors.  In addition, tickets will be sold at the Art Show.  If all tickets are sold, it is estimated we can make $12,000 clear profit.
• HERB MARSHALL, ever mindful of staffing the Art Show mentioned that there were still 30 positions unmanned (er, unpersoned?) out of 450 jobs.  While that sounds good, and it certainly is, 30 important jobs need to be filled so that nothing is left out, and people who visit our fundraiser have a good time and are well taken care of.  Herb passed around a clipboard, but you can also go to the website HERE and look for positions that are empty, and sign up.  Everyone is expected to do at least 2 jobs.  Some are doing 3, 4, 5 and even 9 jobs .  Remember Rotary's motto, “Service Above Self” and take on an extra shift or two if you are able.
• Visiting Rotarian, PDG* Carolyn Schuetz Baysdorfer, from Alameda Rotary Club, told us that the Legislative Committee of Rotary International is in the process of creating a new Avenue of Service;  New Generations. Does anyone know what the current Avenues of Service are?  This may be a good question for our Fine Master to ask in the future.  The truth is, since so much of our Rotary focus is on youth, it is appropriate to have its own designation, as opposed to being part of Community Service.  The Los Altos Rotary Club has had a Youth and Vocation Director all along, so we’re ahead of the game, and this concept fits right in with our Club structure. *PDG is short for Past District Governor, so a really big deal.
• RANDY GARD, one of the 45 members of our Golf Tournament Committee reminded us about the annual golf tournament on my birthday June 4th.  I appreciate the celebration but as I have been told, "It's not about me."  We do this thing every year, bang the ball around, loose it, find someone else's ball, and talk a good should've, would've, could've.  The golf thing is followed by a delightful dinner, the requisite awards and again fellowship.  Following dinner, is a not-so-cut-throat rendition of Texas Hold ‘em.  If you are not a golfer, skip the shenanigans and go directly to the dinner/poker thing; very appropriate.  Sign up on the clipboard going around at the meetings.
• PP SAM PESNER mentioned that post cards were available on the table exiting the meeting or at his office for the next week or so.  People should take those to hand out to people you know.
• Fearless Red-Badge leader, ABBY AHRENS cautioned us to bring our wallets next week because Mother's Day is coming up and the Red Badgers, being the opportunists that they are, are planning on having another auction.  Proceeds of the Red-Badge project will go to help spruce up our meeting hall.  Their last auction was quite well received.  With the guilt of other's day looming, this one this coming Thursday should be a humdinger.

FINEMASTER

KURT HUEG, while greeted like a guillotine operator, actually put a smile on our face as he deftly snuck his hand in our pockets.

• JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT paid a 25% tax on the $200 he won at the Rotary / Kiwanis mixer.  There is a real temptation to mention something about Obama, but I will refrain.
• RANDY GARD was charged $20 because the 4 Way Test Banner fell during his announcement.  It may or may not say something about his veracity.  Its hard to tell, because it fell during the speaker's comments as well.  Read into it what you will.
• ALLART LIGTENBERG had a $50 story, and boy did he get his money's worth.  BTW, at the risk of hacking off KURT, he should notice that Allart's last name does not have an H in it. It is LIG, as in big, or gig, not LIGHT as in well, light.
• JERRY TOMANEK, an over- achiever, paid $41 for the fact that there was still fire in the furnace, celebrating his 41st wedding anniversary.
• JEAN MORDO, another over-achiever and under-achiever (Kurt's words, not mine) PAUL NYBERG got into a great and lively debate, but I didn't hear the cash register ring.  Well, I guess it did ring for $40 for one, and $10 for the other, but I couldn't keep track of who did what to whom.  The whole rift was something about publishing an unauthorized photograph in the travel section. How much is a camel ride worth?
• All was going well until PP LARRY MADSEN stood up and made a great impersonation, of PP DAN DUTTON.   Again, I didn't hear the cash register ring, but we heard all about his granddaughter.  And rightly so; quite an impressive young lady in College Swimming.  She must have gotten her impressiveness from her grandmother. 
  I will summarize the filibuster and save you 10 - 15 minutes of your life:  1st in the nation in 50 yard freestyle, 3rd place nationally in, I don't know, 1,600 meter?  This thing was so long, even JOHN SINES couldn't sleep through it all.  It was so long that President Tracie had to get up twice.  Where is the hook when we need it?
• KIM COPHER honored her late mother-in-law with a hundred dollars to the Relay for Life for cancer research.
• PP DON HULL explained why he didn't wear his tu-tu, or was it his fairy wand to Chef Chu's the other night.  Don't ask.

PROGRAM
MICHAEL STADLEN introduced Martin Eichner from LAMP (Los Altos Mediation Program).  LAMP is a non-governmental group that facilitates disputes between individuals.  It deals with:

• Neighbor to neighbor
• Landlord and tenant
• Workplace
• Parent and teen
• Roommates

Mr. Eichner described, while as an attorney, he felt that all parties involved in the traditional "I'll sue you" mentality, got beaten up.  No one was a winner.  He felt, and feels that the solution is mediation where individuals decide on a mutual solution.  He said that the mediator facilitates that goal, whereas an arbitrator decides the outcome.

He said that the mediation program, a program of the Los Altos Community Foundation was the "best kept secret" in town.  He feels that the program is underutilized.  Currently, about 30 cases a year go to mediation in Los Altos/Los Altos Hills
Do you think the ratio of attorneys in the club to mediators has anything to do with this?  Actually no one asked that question, but I did think of it.  We have a surprising number of members involved in the LAMP program:  PP ROY LAVE (naturally), MIKE ABRAMS, SHELLY POTVIN, MICHAEL STADLEN to name some, not all, I am sure.  I flunked shorthand. Well, it looks like I use shorthand, but that is just because of all my computer keyboard use, my penmanship has gone to pot.
I have Mr. Eichner's power point presentation on the web HERE in case you missed it.  You will have to provide your own sound though.

WHY DOES IT WORK?

• Confidential
• Volunteer
• Neutral
• Effective
• Fast, convenient and FREE

For more information give Ric Rudman (a good friend of mine)  a call at 650-949-5267 or email them at mediate4lamp@projsen.org or visit them online at: www.housing.org