Posted by John Mathers on Apr 08, 2019
On Thursday evening April 4, a number of Rotary Clubs from San Francisco and Oakland put on an event focused on entrepreneurs called the People of Action - Impact Series. Held at a wonderful Market Street venue provided by Wells Fargo, the evening was a great success, not only for the networking amongst attendees, both Rotarian and non-Rotarian, but for the experience of listening to entrepreneurs dedicated to supporting communities and our environment.
 
The three speakers were both informative and passionate:
 
  • Jeff Kirschner, Litterati, shared the formation of his organization that tracks litter through an app and has had huge impacts on cities all over the world.
  • Erna Grasz, Asante Africa Foundation, left her systems engineering leadership role to help women in central Africa get an education and prosper in their communities.
  • Neil D’Souza, Zaya Learning Labs, took time off from his engineering job to volunteer in Mongolia and ended up developing a technology that delivers internet access to support education in predominantly rural areas of Asia.
All three shared their experience of starting and growing a business that supports people and our planet, pointing to the importance of commitment in today’s highly competitive and for-profit world. The audience left with the experience that each of us has the ability to make a difference but that it requires persistence and the support of our colleagues, friends and family. It was memorable evening.

Thanks to Danielle Lallement for organizing and making this event possible, along with a team of San Francisco and Oakland Rotarians.
 
 
Photos by Gene Duffy and Ron Gin