President Rhonda Poppen (Grant Writing | GRANTdog) welcomed members and a number of guests and visiting Rotarians to the meeting. She presented a series of photographs submitted by Club members who attended the recent Rotary International Convention in Hamburg, Germany. Stephanie Schmautz (Elder Care and Senior Services | The Carlisle) reported that the convention was a wonderful experience, and noted that many Club members are still in Europe, having added post-convention trips. Rhonda urged members to begin thinking about next year’s convention, slated for June 6-10, 2020 in Honolulu. Earlybird registration, with substantial discounts, closes soon. Check the Rotary International website for registration details, and hotel deals.
President-Elect Casey Blair (Financial Services: Private Trading | Feis Options) then announced a number of upcoming events:
- June 11: Homeless Prenatal Program Diaper Bag Assembly. On June 11 at 6:00 PM, members are invited to meet at Hoogasian Flowers on Seventh Street to assemble 40 diaper bags for expectant mothers, plus another 20 doula bags.
- June 13: Homeless Prenatal Program Baby Showers. The diaper bags will be distributed to expectant mothers at two baby showers at the HPP offices on Potrero Avenue. The morning shower (10:30 AM) is for Spanish-speaking mothers, the afternoon shower (1:00 PM) for English-speaking moms. Volunteers are needed to assist with the bag distribution, and to serve lunch to the expectant mothers.
- June 13: Twilight Golf. Join Club members for a quick nine holes of golf at Harding Park. Tee time is 4:15 PM.
- June 17: Dinner at The ARC. Serve dinner and socialize with clients of the ARC from 5:30 –7:30 PM.
- June 18: Regular Club luncheon meeting. The special theme will be “De-bunking President Rhonda”.
- June 22: Celebration Picnic in Honor of President Rhonda. Sunnyside Playground, Bernal Heights, from 11:00 AM—2:00 PM. Food, fun and games for the whole family. Join the festivities and honor President Rhonda for a great year. Bring food/beverages to share!
- June 23: Heroes’ Voices present A Soldier’s Journey. Held at the beautiful Calvary Presbyterian Church at Fillmore & Jackson in San Francisco, this popular event begins at 3:00 PM. An afternoon of poetry and music exploring a variety of perspectives on war, peace, and the impacts on soldiers before, during and after battle. Volunteers are needed to help with the event (donations of wine are needed, too)!
- June 25 and July 2: There will be no luncheon meeting on Tuesday, June 25 (last Tuesday of the month) nor on July 2 due to the Fourth of July holiday.
- July 9: First luncheon meeting under the leadership of President-Elect Casey Blair.
- July 29: Club social at SPARK Food Park, Mission Bay, 6:00 PM. Food trucks, beverages, bonfire, music and socializing with fellow Club members.
Luis Moran (Real Estate: Sales | Coldwell Banker ) spoke about Rotary’s commitment to vocational services and working together with fellow Rotarians for mutual support and benefit. He told how he had represented President Rhonda and her husband Bill (Banking: Management | MUFG Union Bank) in the purchase of a new home, and then listed their former home for sale. He utilized the professional services of several other Club members in successfully marketing and selling the home. Janet Krahling (Real Estate: Sales | Compass) provided a second set of eyes and provided valuable input to help present the unit in its best light. Steven (Real Estate: Sales | Coldwell Banker) and Kelly Minchen (Real Estate: Sales | Coldwell Banker) represented the buyer. They were very transparent and kept everyone updated as the deal progressed. Luis noted that he was impressed by the level of professionalism and integrity they brought to the transaction. Luis noted that this highlighted for him how valuable trusted Rotarians can be in our professional careers.
President Rhonda then honored three Club members with Paul Harris Fellowships as recognition for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International (TRF):- Tom Briody (Elder Care and Senior Services | Institute on Aging): PHF+4.
- Tom Brunner (Nonprofit Management | Glaucoma Research Foundation): PHF+8.
- Kevin Leong (Development | University of San Francisco): PHF+4.
Thanks to each of you for your continued support and generosity!
Those making a “Twenty for $20” donation included:
- Jianying Chen (Healthcare: Acupuncture|American Institute of Zhizzhen Therapy and New Qigong), who donated in honor of his upcoming wedding.
- Peter Logan (Law: Insurance | Peter Logan Law Offices) who recently returned from a visit to Chicago, where he grew up. Peter met his first cousin for the very first time, and noted that the family genes must be strong, as the cousin is 86 years old.
- Bebo White (Education: University | Retired) donated in honor of his younger son, who operates a nonprofit dedicated to stopping illegal deforestation in the rain forest. The nonprofit recently received a grant from Google, and is a finalist for a Rolex Foundation grant. The Rolex grant is awarded in part on the results of a popular vote. Voting closes soon: Bebo has forms with voting instructions if you wish to support his son’s efforts, or you can contact Bebo directly for more information.
- Lily Muldoon (Healthcare: Physician | University of California, San Francisco) is celebrating several major milestones. Today she is graduating from her emergency room residency at San Francisco General Hospital. She is celebrating with her mother (a Rotarian from Boulder, Colorado), who is attending today’s lunch. Lily will remain in the Bay Area as a physician in the ER at San Francisco General and at a clinic in Bernal Heights. She is also continuing to work on a medical mission to Kenya scheduled for November 26-December 2 of this year, focusing on AIDS education. That mission is co-sponsored by our Club. More volunteers (both medical and non-medical) are needed for the mission. If you are interested in helping on the mission, contact Lily.
- Luis Moran donated in recognition of the role Rotary can play in our professional careers, and in honor of the Rotarians who worked with him in the recent Poppen real estate transaction.
Today’s speaker is our own Club member, Adrienne Cool (Education: University | San Francisco State University). A native of New York City, Adrienne earned her undergraduate degree at Yale University, with a doctorate from Harvard. Since 1996 she has served as Professor of Physics and Astronomy at San Francisco State University, where she also serves as Director of the Observatory & Planetarium.
Adrienne noted that humans have long been fascinated by astronomy, and have tried to make sense of what is out in the universe since the dawn of recorded history. She presented a series of fascinating photographs of the planets and stars, including photographs taken by the Hubble Telescope. The photos illustrated that we live in a galaxy which is but one of millions of galaxies in the universe. She then presented a brief explanation of so-called “black holes” and gravity waves.Adrienne noted that graduates of San Francisco State’s physics and astronomy programs serve as teachers in many schools throughout the Bay Area, as well as facilities such as Morrison Planetarium, the Academy of Science and elsewhere. She added that over one third of the undergraduate and graduate degrees in physics and astronomy awarded this year by SFSU went to women.
President Rhonda thanked Adrienne for her presentation, and added that Adrienne had recently organized a very interesting private tour of the observatory and planetarium for Club members. In gratitude, the Club has made a $300 donation to the SFSU Observatory & Planetarium.
The raffle prize, some special candy, was won by Paul Robertson, a guest at today’s lunch.
Photos by Peter Logan and Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration
Edited by Scott Plakun (Management Consulting | The Plakun Group)