Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show May 9, 2013

Greeting Rotarians and guests today were ROY LAVE, JULIE ROSE and DICK HENNING. Around the corner JOHN CARDOZA was taking in the green chips and sorting them by denomination.

Looking around you could see there was a different atmosphere compared to regular Rotary meetings. There were young people scattered around the room reviewing acquaintances among their many PNG community members here for their recognition luncheon.

On each table were a cold meal consisting of salads, chicken slices and hard-boiled eggs.  Even with the absence of hot meals, every person seated ate to their delight and waited for the meeting to start.

President JOHN SYLVESTER welcomed the PNG recognition program and explained the day’s agenda. Red Badger MARK ROGGE provided a short inspiration message and STEVE POMEROY had us all stand and sing “Home on the Range,” the same song played at the end of the University of Kansas football games where seldom is heard a discouraging word.

PE JACK KELLY introduced Paul Reinhart of Mountain View Rotary as the only visiting Rotarian while Rotarians with guests were: MARK ROGGE, BOB ADAMS, and KENDRA GJERSETH.

Partners For New Generations

PNG chair DAVE SNOW started the day’s program with a short introduction for Partners for New Generations. The program was started in 1995 from a Rotary project by BOB ADAMS and today the program places about 120 volunteer tutors and mentors. The organization has a working board of 18 members, 5 part-time coordinators and numerous volunteers. 

DAVE was proud in stating PNG is community based and supported with a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization that proudly stands with other local organizations helping the MVLA school district.

Co-chair SALLY MEADOWS wearing different hats because of absences represented Linda Echols who organizes the PNG elementary tours in the school district. SALLY then introduced mentors involved in the different levels of school tutoring.

One of Linda’s tutors, Carolina Henckels, is a tutor at Castro Elementary and commented she has been volunteering all her life.  To Caroline, tutoring starts with people and becomes inspiring by the teacher. Just being there is exciting. “Children recognize what you are doing for them. They look at you and pay attention,” Carolina said.

DAN HOLDEN is the PNG coordinator for Middle School Tutors. “No one wants to be a middle school tutor,” DAN comments. “But this is the age when the child’s mind starts to develop.” At the present time we have 30 volunteers working with us in the middle schools.

Dr. Lee Shahinian is a tutor at Graham Middle School. As a mentor she helps pupils with their homework. Lee highly recommends the tutoring experience. She suggested people in the audience should talk to PNG folks and join them because they will enjoy the experience. 

At this point in the program, SALLY introduced mentor coordinators Linda Waud, Claudia Hevel and Carole Dorskhind.  Their responsibility is to bring people together by matching the student and the mentor. To do this they have many group events. Experience has taught them very few matches go astray.

The highlight of the program that brought stand-up applause was Mountain View Police Officer Ron Cooper who has been in the mentoring program a long time. With him was his mentee Isaac Herrera.

Cooper explained the hard choices he made for Isaac giving him a break when Isaac was involved with two other boys at the time. One a murderer and the other involved in drugs but Cooper never gave up on him. He acted as a second father and was there when Isaac needed him.

BARRY GROVES, Superintendent of the MVLAH School District is also a mentor for the last 7 years after BOB ADAMS asked him to join PNG.

“I love PNG,” GROVES said.  “There is much more happiness as a giver than a taker.” Groves discussed two mentees who had made bad choices but are now making contributions to the community.

“Kids do appreciate us because they have no other role models in their life. I now have two mentees. And when I get into tough school problems I take out a small personal card a mentee sent me years ago. It reads: ‘Thank You for pressuring me.’ ”

DAVE SNOW closed the meeting and remarked there are a lot of things going on at PNG. Our mission is to help our local kids.

We need an improving process in securing grants and donation of funds to make us more sustainable in the long term. To help funding, at each table was an envelope to donate to PNG. DAVE said if you have a skill and like to give back, pick up a brochure and contact us.

Return to Regular Rotary meeting

President JOHN SYLVESTER returned to Rotarian agenda at 1:08 meeting time and turned it over to RANDY GARD to induct a new member in the Los Altos Rotary Club: MIKE KING.

Before the traditional standing ovation by the club for new members, RANDY provided background information of Mike’s hospital experience in numerous community hospital situations.

Sponsored by PP BOB ADAMS, MIKE is the CFO of El Camino Hospital.  MIKE is married with four children and one grandchild. He has been a member of three previous Rotary Clubs over the past 15 years because of his changing business locations. 

Announcements:

PE JACK KELLY requested when attending meetings at First Republic Bank, please keep the back door closed. With the numerous bank robberies in the vicinity lately, First Republic employees are concerned and are asking us to be alerted on keeping the door closed.

PAUL SCHUTZ said we would have the U.S. Marine Corp raise the flag for the art show.

CAROL GARSTEN is requesting help to volunteer the Rotary table at the Farmer’s Market.

FRANK ELMER is looking for more bodies to help at the Art Show. Several slots are still vacant and need occupancy.

JEAN MORDO is asking for more ticket sales for the Art Show. ”All you have to do is bring back the stubs and the money, says MORDO.”

STEVE SHEPHERD and JERRY MOISON provided more humor for the advancing golf tournament.  “It takes a village to run a golf event,” a helpful jokester said. Four clubs are coming to the golf tournament June 7, to play golf and non-golfers are also invited to the Shoreline Course.

Fining for Green Money

With a little more than a month left in the current administration, the desire is having every Rotarian to become a member of the President’s Club so MIKE ABRAMS used his charm with foolish questions that had impossible answers.

The following members either became a member of the President Club or were closer to their Rotarian dream.

FRANK ELMER, ROLAND PAYNE, CHUCK LINDAUER, JARRETT FISHPAW, DICK BLANDING, HARN SOPER and JOE EYRE

PRESIDENT JOHN called the meeting over at 1:27 p.m. with his usual advice for the day.

NEXT WEEK'S PROGRAM

Phil Rose - LARC Scholarship Program and Recipients