In the 1960s, Robert Heinlein popularized the expression TANSTAAFL – “there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch”. In other words, everything has a cost, even those things for which you don’t pay. Having just finished another year of volunteering at The ARC San Francisco to serve Thanksgiving meals to The ARC’s developmentally disabled clients, that point was made abundantly clear. Everyone involved in this endeavor paid a price of some kind: the prep work before the event; the coordination work of the staff at The ARC; the Rotarians and friends who found time to help in a variety of ways; and those being served who had to find a way to get there.
When you think about it, TANSTAAFL can apply to almost everything involved in Rotary. Every Rotary club meeting has its costs – not the dollar costs but the costs associated with making a meeting happen – from planning the agenda to cleaning up after the meeting. Every project the club does has a wide variety of costs. There is an overall cost in the day-to-day management of the club. Countless telephone calls, subcommittee meetings, board meetings, and many other activities happen behind-the-scenes.
The Thanksgiving holiday always reminds me to make an extra effort to acknowledge those around me who have enriched my life and the lives of others. To all my Rotary family, thank you for the things you have done to help achieve the goals of Rotary and make this world a better place. I know the things you do come at a cost. The time, talents, and treasures that you give to promote the good works of our club are given because you had a choice – a choice to live by the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self”.
All club members are encouraged to attend the annual Holiday Party at the Westin Saint Francis on December 13, always the most festive and fun-filled luncheon of the year. Many members bring family, friends, and business associates to celebrate the season with us.
It's also important for members to attend so we can have a quorum for the brief Annual Meeting, where we will elect new board members and our 2018-19 club president.
Tickets, with your choice of menu, are $85 only through November 30. On December 1, the price goes up to $99 with chicken as the only available menu choice.
November musical theme: In honor of Veterans Day, Club Song Master Rick Harrell (Veterans Outreach; Heroes' Voices) sang “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” to introduce our first meeting of the month.
Rotarian of the Month: President David recognized Immediate Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle) as October Rotarian of the Month. A successful club needs the active support of its members to accomplish its goals. This support often involves activities that are not seen by many members. In October, Stephanie was instrumental in coordinating Rotary’s successful involvement in the Italian Heritage Parade. She has taken the initiative to make sure that Rotary meetings run smoothly by assisting with greeting functions as members arrived for luncheons. Her enthusiastic desire to volunteer to do things for the club merits recognition as Rotarian of the month for October.
District 5150 Rotarian of the Month: Belated congratulations to Dan Joraanstad (Retail Brokerage; Retired) for being named District 5150 Rotarian of the Month for July. Check out his recognition on the district website.
Cable Car Caroling: On behalf of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, Casey Blair (Finance; Feis Options) presented a check for $10,000 to Tom Briody (Elder Care; Institute on Aging) to support The Institute on Aging's annual Cable Car Caroling event, where hundreds of volunteers join together to bring some holiday cheer to isolated seniors in San Francisco. All club members — and family and friends — are welcome to join in the fun on December 3.
More Great Programs: Sue Rokaw, member of the Fishermans Wharf club and director of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Jackson LaBelle, an alumnus of the 2016 RYLA camp offered a unique presentation about the transformative nature of this leadership experience. Sue outlined some program innovations that help participants learn about their personality strengths and weaknesses, develop leadership skills, and discover the bigger world of Rotary. Jackson gave a moving personal perspective on the impact of the camp. A victim of bullying for many years, Jackson arrived at camp with a sense of fear and mistrust of others. His camp experience transformed his perception of those around him, he gained a new feeling of belonging and purpose, found a new family with his fellow RYLA campers, developed a dedication to promoting RYLA to give this experience to other high school students, and is working to start an Interact club at Archbishop Riordan High School.
SFPD Captain Joseph McFadden gave us insights on current issues in policing in the San Francisco Police Department. He discussed implementation of the use of body cameras by the SFPD.
Larry Jacobson encouraged us to think about the non-financial aspects of planning for retirement. How are we going to give meaning to our lives during our retirement years? To fill the void left when we retire from full-time employment, we need to plan how to balance the various elements of our life: recreation, travel/exploring/learning, social relationships, family, developing new interests.
Club Social: Rotarians and their friends enjoyed a great evening of pizza and fellowship at Palio d'Asti on November 16.
Thanksgiving Luncheon at The Arc: Thank you to everyone who helped cook and serve a wonderful Thanksgiving lunch to hundreds of clients of The Arc San Francisco and The Salvation Army.
What do you say when someone asks about your Rotary pin? And do you always wear a Rotary pin? Wearing your pin invites others to ask you about Rotary. Please wear it all the time.
In thinking about what you would say when someone asks, consider some of the samples below. These are for your use as starting points for you to create your own statement. The goal is to be comfortable with stating the meaning of Rotary in your own words, from your own perspective.
Think to yourself: This person just asked me what my pin is about …. What do I say?
We are a leadership organization that comes together to do good deeds –and we stay together for the friendships.
Rotary to me is about building peace in the world that is sorely in need of peacemakers.
Rotary is about doing good in the world
At Rotary we are having fun building a better tomorrow.
Our motto is: Service above self.
Living and giving large.
Our club never gives up on kids. Join us in doing good and feeling good.
Join leaders, exchange ideas, take action.
Being the change you want to see in the world.
Where good deeds are done and we have fun.
Rotary is an organization of leaders and professionals.
Join in at the service opportunity where club members and guests will stuff diaper bags with the supplies new moms need to help care for their babies. The bags will be distributed to pregnant women involved in Prenatal Classes at the Homeless Prenatal P.roject. Afterwards, we'll walk down the block to Mars Bar and Restaurant for food, fellowship, and fun.
Join us at one or both of the Baby Showers at the Homeless Prenatal Program where we will give expectant mothers diaper bags filled with supplies. The party for Spanish speakers starts at 10:30, the party for English speakers starts at 12:30.
Cable Car Caroling is the Institute on Aging’s annual special event that brings holiday cheer through Christmas carols to isolated seniors across San Francisco at assisted living centers, skilled nursing facilities and individual homes. Last year, over 300 guests traveled on motorized cable cars visiting over 700 seniors. Two cable cars are available for Rotarians to enjoy and participate in the festivities.
Assembly Member David Chiu will give us his view of the "State of the District".
In November 2014, David Chiu was elected to the California State Legislature, the first Asian American to represent the 17th Assembly District, which encompasses eastern San Francisco. During David's first year, he served as Assistant Speaker pro tempore. in his second year, he serves as Chair of the Assembly Housing & Community Development Committee, and sits on the following legislative committees: Budget, Judiciary, Local Government and Health. In 2015, Governor Jerry Brown signed 11 bills that David authored in his freshman year. Before joining the State Assembly, David served as President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for six years.
Join your fellow Rotarians and some of San Francisco's finest celebrities -- media personalities, bell ringing champs, costumed characters, local bands and much more -- as you ring bells, spread holiday cheer, and raise awareness for The Salvation Army at the 35th annual Celebrity Bell Ringing event.
We continue our longstanding tradition of a festive holiday luncheon with a special event at the Westin Saint Francis Hotel, across Union Square from our regular location.
Rotarian of the Month: President David recognized Immediate Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle) as October Rotarian of the Month. A successful club needs the active support of its members to accomplish its goals. This support often involves activities that are not seen by many members. In October, Stephanie was instrumental in coordinating Rotary’s successful involvement in the Italian Heritage Parade. She has taken the initiative to make sure that Rotary meetings run smoothly by assisting with greeting functions as members arrived for luncheons. Her enthusiastic desire to volunteer to do things for the club merits recognition as Rotarian of the month for October.
Cable Car Caroling: On behalf of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, Casey Blair (Finance; Feis Options) presented a check for $10,000 to Tom Briody (Elder Care; Institute on Aging) to support The Institute on Aging's annual Cable Car Caroling event, where hundreds of volunteers join together to bring some holiday cheer to isolated seniors in San Francisco. All club members — and family and friends — are welcome to join in the fun on 
More Great Programs: Sue Rokaw, member of the Fishermans Wharf club and director of the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), and Jackson LaBelle, an alumnus of the 2016 RYLA camp offered a unique presentation about the transformative nature of this leadership experience. Sue outlined some program innovations that help participants learn about their personality strengths and weaknesses, develop leadership skills, and discover the bigger world of Rotary. Jackson gave a moving personal perspective on the impact of the camp. A victim of bullying for many years, Jackson arrived at camp with a sense of fear and mistrust of others. His camp experience transformed his perception of those around him, he gained a new feeling of belonging and purpose, found a new family with his fellow RYLA campers, developed a dedication to promoting RYLA to give this experience to other high school students, and is working to start an Interact club at Archbishop Riordan High School.
Club Social: Rotarians and their friends enjoyed a great evening of pizza and fellowship at Palio d'Asti on November 16.
Join in at the service opportunity where club members and guests will stuff diaper bags with the supplies new moms need to help care for their babies. The bags will be distributed to pregnant women involved in Prenatal Classes at the Homeless Prenatal P.roject. Afterwards, we'll walk down the block to Mars Bar and Restaurant for food, fellowship, and fun.
Join us at one or both of the Baby Showers at the Homeless Prenatal Program where we will give expectant mothers diaper bags filled with supplies. The party for Spanish speakers starts at 10:30, the party for English speakers starts at 12:30.
Assembly Member David Chiu will give us his view of the "State of the District". 
Join your fellow Rotarians and some of San Francisco's finest celebrities -- media personalities, bell ringing champs, costumed characters, local bands and much more -- as you ring bells, spread holiday cheer, and raise awareness for The Salvation Army at the 35th annual Celebrity Bell Ringing event.
We continue our longstanding tradition of a festive holiday luncheon with a special event at the Westin Saint Francis Hotel, across Union Square from our regular location.