September 2017 Highlights

Rotarian of the Month: President John named Luis Moran (Real Estate Sales; Coldwell Banker) as Rotarian of the Month for August. Luis has been dedicated to our Club for quite some time, but especially so since July, when he became Club Secretary. Of course, the main duties of Secretary have to do with the Board and being sure that all decisions and actions are recorded for review and accountability. In addition, Luis has been carefully tracking all the incoming mail, which can be considerable, and parsing it out to various responsible parties. Through it all, he has been a positive influence and participant in every activity for the Club and the Board.

 

Member Moment: After growing up in Eastern Washington, Casey Blair (Foreign Equity Trading; Feis Options) went off to NYC for college and then followed that with a job on the trading floor in Chicago. After 7 years as an options trader on the heart-stopping Chicago Board of Trade, he set his sights west and settled in San Francisco in 2000. A brief stint on the Pacific Coast Options Exchange and a couple years in Singapore led him to starting his own trading firm from his glamorous laundry room in North Beach. He is married to his lovely wife Nicola, who was visiting from Hamburg when he met her at the Union Street fair. They have two energetic daughters, Leyna (6) and Emmy (1 1/2). In our Club, Casey has served on the Board as Director of Club Service and Treasurer. Currently, he is Treasurer of RYLA and on the RYLA Steering Committee. Casey is also on the Board of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation.

 

More Great Programs: Tallia Hart is the first female, minority, young head of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. She generously shared her experience of being abandoned in Vietnam and growing up in Colorado, making her way to San Francisco after running Chambers in San Rafael and Irvine. After an energetic talk, it is clear that Tallia is pro-business but also sees San Francisco as independent of any pressure that will reduce the opportunities inherent in our special business environment.

 

Bob Deering, Past District Governor 5180, introduced Ashlie Bryant and the incredible work she is doing to educate the public and reintegrate people who have been trafficked. The problem is huge and the work that Bob and Ashlie are undertaking is valuable and important. The stories of children and young adults who have been enslaved are both sad and compelling in the face of today’s world.

 

District Governor Ron Gin challenged us to think about what RI President Ian Riseley's 2017-18 theme, Rotary: Making a Difference means to us as individuals, as members of the second oldest Rotary Club in the world, and as part of District 5150. He reviewed several of the many ways our Club has made a difference: our members include the founders of Rotaplast, Rotavision, Alliance for Smiles, Roots of Peace, and other organizations; we have given thousands of dictionaries and hundreds of bicycles to school children; we have served thousands of Thanksgiving meals to clients of The Arc; several of our members have served as District Governors and as President of Rotary International; and more.

 

Paul Harris Fellows:President John and President-elect Rhonda recognized JT Forbus (Accounting Services; Bogdan & Frasco) and Elisabeth Whitney (Non-Profit Management) on their first Paul Harris Fellowships.

 

Service Above Self: In late August, over 60 Rotarians from the District including members of our Club met at Balboa High School to plant 500 trees in that neighborhood. The following month, Club members, friends, and Interactors volunteered very early in the morning to welcome walkers at the registration desk at the Alzheimer's Walk. Other members and friends stuffed diaper bags for expectant mothers and the Homeless Prenatal Program, and then attended the two baby showers.