“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Fredrick Douglass
The week of October 31 through November 6, 2016 is World Interact Week. This is an opportunity to reflect upon the positive impact that Rotary has on youth. The resources we offer youth through our time, talents, and donations create the foundation for the Rotary leaders of tomorrow. Whether you know it or not, there is a person out there somewhere who has benefited because of your involvement in Rotary.
I have seen that time and again in my own life. Let me explain. I like my name, David Alan Dye. I particularly like my initials, DAD. Over time and as I became more involved in youth programs and mentoring youth, my initials took on a more personal meaning to me. To me, DAD reflected the role of a father – a guide and mentor. I have been working with youth in one way or another for nearly 40 years now. As a college professor, I guided individuals involved in making life choices. As a den leader, Cubmaster and Scoutmaster, I helped guide young boys through the important developmental years between the ages seven and 17. Through Rotary, I have organized career day programs, advised Interact clubs, helped to guide the Interact program for Rotary District 5150, and managed the District 5150 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program.
At some point in this process, this devotion to youth and youth programs became a personal passion. It has given meaning to my life. I look back now and am unable to count the number of lives I have influenced. Many of the youth who have benefited from what I have done do not even know the influence that I had in their lives. And that’s fine. The important thing for me is that I know. 10 years ago, I helped a father and his young son find a Cub Scout unit in San Francisco. I kept informed of the boy’s progress as he finished Cub Scouts and joined Boy Scouts. Last January, I was invited to attend a dinner honoring the CEO of AT&T, Randall L. Stephenson, now the president of the Boy Scouts of America. During the program, an Eagle Scout was asked to talk about how scouting had molded his life. That scout was the same young boy that I helped get into scouting 10 years before.
About four years ago I began mentoring a shy young girl who was involved in the Galileo Interact club. Over that time, I saw her blossom into a confident young woman. Both directly and indirectly I was involved in enabling her to benefit from the opportunities Rotary offers through Interact, RYLA, and Youth Exchange. Whether she is aware of it or not, I know that I helped pave her way to success through the letter of recommendation I wrote, the scholarship that I helped her receive, the suggestion I gave to another Rotarian to offer her an opportunity. Now I am proud to see her giving back to youth through her involvement in Rotaract and as a staff member and promoter of RYLA.
These are just two examples of youth who prospered from things that I did even though they are not aware of all that I did to help them. I’m sure there are many other youth who have benefited in some way because of some contribution I made. As I mentioned at the beginning, the same is true for each of you. The next time you see that former Interact student, or Rotaractor, or RYLA camper who was supported by the time, talents, and resources of the Rotary club of San Francisco remember that you had some part in their success.
October musical theme: In honor of the start of autumn, our song master Rick Harrell ;(Veterans Outreach; Heroes' Voices), accompanied by our resident piano man, Dan Joraanstad ;(Retail Brokerage; Retired), serenaded us with Autumn Leaves.
Rotarians of the Month:President David recognized Sacha Joshi (Nimbus Systems) as September's Rotarian of the Month. Although Sacha has only been a member of our club for four months, he has enthusiastically jumped in to become a very engaged Rotarian. Even during his first month of membership, he offered to help with the greeting and check in process at meetings and has faithfully assisted in that at every meeting that he could attend. In addition, he has participated in district trainings including the Foundation Training held last summer.
Recognitions: The celebrations continue! President-Elect John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) donated once to share his excitement at learning Urdu to prepare for a visit from the parents of Aamir, the man his daughter Lara is about to marry, and again to celebrate a wonderful visit of those parents from India. Past President John Hoch (Estate and Business Planning; Retired) was delighted to announce that he and Elissa had survived a major home remodeling project. Clif Thomas (Tax Accounting; Clifton S. Thomas CPA) donated in appreciation of the fact that his home in the Carolinas survived Hurricane Matthew.
Dictionary Project: Our Dictionary Project leader, Mark Calender (Insurance Broker; Calender-Robinson), solicited sponsorships for the dictionaries will we soon deliver to third-graders. An overwhelming response from the membership resulted in the donation of $3000, sponsoring 286 dictionaries. Two people were particularly important in helping us reach the $3000 level: Alan Herzog (Stocks and Bonds; Wells Fargo Advisors) offered to match the cost of 50 books if other Rotarians paid for them - they did and he matched. Cecile Chiquette (Certified Public Accounting - Regional; Retired) added another $357 to raise the total to $3000. Other club members who donated dictionaries included John Bishop (Wellington Capital Advisors), Emily Borland (Architecture; Emily Borland Specifications), David Dye (Management Consultant), Jim Emerson (Retired Clergy; Presbyterian), Tim Hornbecker (Human Resources - Employment and Housing; The Arc of Alameda County), Dan Joraanstad, Heidi Kuhn (International Media; Roots of Peace), Kevin Leong (Institutional Fundraising; University of San Francisco), Esther Lerner (Attorney at Law; Lerner-Poole), Peter Logan (Attorney; Peter Logan Law Offices), Lynn Luckow (LikeMinded.org), John Mathers, Don Parachini (Law Practice - Finance; Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick), Jim Patrick (Stationery; Patrick & Co.), Scott Plakun (IT Consulting; The Plakun Group), Jean Schore (Marketing Consultant; Schore Marketing Associates), and Anita Stangl (Nonprofit Management; Alliance for Smiles).
Grants from the San Francisco Rotary Foundation: Foundation Vice President Tim Hornbecker presented a $5,000 check to Emily Borland for the Homeless Prenatal Project (HPP) to provide women with diaper bags filled with necessary supplies at the end of a series of prenatal classes. Foundation Board Member Dan Joraanstad presented a $10,000 check to Samara Dun, Chief Development Officer of Larkin Street Youth Services. Larkin Street provide services to youth between the ages of 18 and 21 who have nowhere else to go.
Colant Scholar: Kimberly Maas, a University of San Francisco student who has been awarded a scholarship from the Scharleen and Ernest Colant Fund (managed by the San Francisco Rotary Foundation), gave a brief presentation to our club. Kimberly is an executive MBA candidate in her first year at USF. She graduated from UC Santa Cruz with dual bachelor degrees in Theater and Literature. A 2005 Phi Beta Kappa graduate, Kimberly has spent her professional career in the arts and nonprofit sector. She is currently the vice president of development at the Commonwealth Club.
Italian Heritage Parade: Rotary was well represented at this year’s Italian Heritage Parade with over 150 Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and friends carrying the flags of countries that are home to Rotary Clubs.
New Dues Structure: The Board of Directors of the Rotary Club of San Francisco has approved a new dues structure effective immediately. When two spouses or household partners both join the club, the dues for both will equal 125% of a single member’s dues.
Speakers: Dan Henroid of UCSF gave us some insights into the process of designing the new UCSF Mission Bay Hospital, which incorporated robotic technology to improve the patient experience. Henroid described how R2D2-ike robots were designed and developed to deliver food to patients, remove trash, provide surgical instruments to doctors, and carry medications in biometrically-locked containers to healthcare workers. John Rothmann of KGO radio gave us some insights about the current political scene. In addition to some observations about the 2016 presidential election, Rothmann gave an historical perspective about how this presidential election season compares with past elections. Jamis MacNevin, owner of Buck’s of Woodside, provided us with an entertaining and educational introduction to the life of one of the most interesting but least-well known characters in San Francisco history, James Lick.
Like many famous dyslexics (Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, Tom Hanks, Steve Jobs, for example), President-Elect John Mathers overcame a learning disability to have a successful career. Born on Long Island, he grew up in the Boston area and at age 8 was sent to a special school in Newport, RI, because “they thought I was slow.” He lived with his grandparents and attended first and second grade in the morning and third grade in the afternoon.
“I learned very quickly and methodically to read without reading word for word and got to 700 words per minute,” he says. “I was also sent to secretarial school at 10 and learned to type.” He says he still reverses words and letters when he’s tired and “without spell-check, I would be awash in problems.”
John was accepted at Harvard, where his brother was a student, and Dartmouth, his father’s alma mater, but decided to forge his own path and accepted a partial hockey scholarship to Hobart in upstate New York, where he graduated in American history and English, but “mostly I traveled and had fun. I was not a serious student.”
After working in New York City for Benton & Bowles, the third largest ad agency in the world, on international brands including P&G, John earned a master’s degree in educational administration at the University of Vermont. A job with the Vermont Department of Education brought him to California to do a study of alternative schools, then he moved on to a job with a construction company building pre-fab houses.
A chance encounter at a cocktail party in Marin started John on his current career path when Margot Fraser, founder of Birkenstock, became his first consulting client. Other clients have included major banks, and John says he “helped Swenson’s Ice Cream out of Chapter 11.” He spent five years with Bank of America as vice president for strategy with the division doing human resourced payroll, then went back to consulting with big businesses.
“I work with the executive team on issues of growth, how to expand faster and to build a more effective team,” he says, some of the same principles he’s using in his work with Rotary District 5150. After two years as youth services chair, John volunteered to work with the D5150 leadership team on organizational development, with an eye toward more effectively supporting clubs. A study last year identified some issues around membership and club leadership, particularly the challenge of consistency year-over-year rather than focusing on a single year.
“It’s a 21st-century problem, not a problem Rotary grew up with, figuring out what holds a club together and builds commitment and, once that commitment is made, to stick to it,” John says. “We have to find a new way to build consistency year-over-year and get that commitment.”
To that end, John meets with President David Dye and Past President Stephanie Schmautz every Monday morning to address issues of managing the Club long-term. “Rather than looking at ‘my year,’ I’ve been given the opportunity to foster and support key outcomes and strategies that the Club, the Board members, have agreed upon,” he says. “What do we want to get to, what do we all want to achieve? It’s a wonderful problem to be dealing with.”
John joined the Club in 2010 and will serve as President in 2016-17.
I'm delighted to report that many members have jumped into our Contest for Kona, where you are awarded points for activities that help attract and retain members. For example, you get 25 points when a guest of yours becomes a new member; you get 8 points when you participate in an outside event (like the recent Alzheimer's Walk) or when you volunteer as a Mentor or Connector.
The member with the most points on June 30, 2017 wins a week's stay in Harold Hoogasian's condo on the Big Island. The condo is in a quiet and contemplative resort....the perfect place to get away from it all. So if you're looking for free lodging in a beautiful Hawaian resort think about what neighbor or friend or work colleague you can invite to come with you to Rotary. And consider expanding your volunteer time with the Club.
Laine Hendricks is currently in the lead since Major Raymond, a visitor she brought has become a member. Stephanie Schmautz and Casey Blair are close behind, with many other members just getting on the scoreboard.
Learn about the wide range of services and products offered by your fellow Rotarians from our club and from all the clubs in our district. You'll be a more well educated consumer and a great referral source for your fellow Rotarians.
Join hosts Hanna Loyola and Peter Logan at the pot-luck friendship dinner they are co-sponsoring at Hanna's home near Glen Park. This dinner is open to Club members and their significant others — but there's only room for 10, so sign up now!
The Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program, RYLA, is now in its 32nd year. Started by the Rotary Club of San Francisco as Camp Enterprise, RYLA is now a district-wide program offering a three day leadership experience each spring to over 100 high school students.
Come and enjoy lunch while viewing videos of the 2016 RYLA camp experience and learning about how this program has changed lives.
As part of the Connecting for Good Tour being led by young professional Rotarians on the West Coast, we'll be partnering with LinkedIn, Global Shapers, MEDA, YearUp, and others to provide soft skill career training to underserved young adults. Please join us, either as a volunteer, or as a support for the event. We will have a reception at the end of the evening, and would love Rotary support for the young adults in this process.
Captain Joseph P. McFadden, Commanding Officer of the Ingleside Police Station, will discuss his work and expertise in combating human trafficking in the Bay Area. He will also discuss current events regarding policing of the homeless as well as some of the concerns (and solutions) that the SFPD have regarding recent protests over what is considered to be the proper use of force. Join us for this timely presentation.
Award-winning author Larry Jacobson will describe how to make a meaningful and fulfilling transition from career to retirement. Larry is a non-financial retirement coach who works with people from all walks of life. This talk is for you if you've ever wondered what you are going to do with your time after you retire.
Club #2 is sponsoring an evening of fun and friendship with free pizza and a cash bar at Palio d'Asti in the Financial District. Join your fellow Rotarians for some great food and drink.
The annual Thanksgiving Luncheon at The Arc of San Francisco is one of our most popular service projects. Come early to help prepare and serve lunch to hundreds of clients of The Arc: all people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. And stay long enough to enjoy that same lunch with your fellow Rotarians. This is the only Thanksgiving celebration for many of the people we serve that day. And they are most appreciative.
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.
Grants from the San Francisco Rotary Foundation: Foundation Vice President Tim Hornbecker presented a $5,000 check to Emily Borland for the Homeless Prenatal Project (HPP) to provide women with diaper bags filled with necessary supplies at the end of a series of prenatal classes. Foundation Board Member Dan Joraanstad presented a $10,000 check to Samara Dun, Chief Development Officer of Larkin Street Youth Services. Larkin Street provide services to youth between the ages of 18 and 21 who have nowhere else to go.
Italian Heritage Parade: Rotary was well represented at this year’s Italian Heritage Parade with over 150 Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and friends carrying the flags of countries that are home to Rotary Clubs.
Like many famous dyslexics (Albert Einstein, Agatha Christie, Tom Hanks, Steve Jobs, for example), President-Elect John Mathers overcame a learning disability to have a successful career. Born on Long Island, he grew up in the Boston area and at age 8 was sent to a special school in Newport, RI, because “they thought I was slow.” He lived with his grandparents and attended first and second grade in the morning and third grade in the afternoon.
Learn about the wide range of services and products offered by your fellow Rotarians from our club and from all the clubs in our district. You'll be a more well educated consumer and a great referral source for your fellow Rotarians.
Join hosts Hanna Loyola and Peter Logan at the pot-luck friendship dinner they are co-sponsoring at Hanna's home near Glen Park. This dinner is open to Club members and their significant others — but there's only room for 10, so sign up now! 
As part of the Connecting for Good Tour being led by young professional Rotarians on the West Coast, we'll be partnering with LinkedIn, Global Shapers, MEDA, YearUp, and others to provide soft skill career training to underserved young adults. Please join us, either as a volunteer, or as a support for the event. We will have a reception at the end of the evening, and would love Rotary support for the young adults in this process.
Captain Joseph P. McFadden, Commanding Officer of the Ingleside Police Station, will discuss his work and expertise in combating human trafficking in the Bay Area. He will also discuss current events regarding policing of the homeless as well as some of the concerns (and solutions) that the SFPD have regarding recent protests over what is considered to be the proper use of force. Join us for this timely presentation.
Award-winning author Larry Jacobson will describe how to make a meaningful and fulfilling transition from career to retirement. Larry is a non-financial retirement coach who works with people from all walks of life. This talk is for you if you've ever wondered what you are going to do with your time after you retire.
Club #2 is sponsoring an evening of fun and friendship with free pizza and a cash bar at Palio d'Asti in the Financial District. Join your fellow Rotarians for some great food and drink.
The annual Thanksgiving Luncheon at The Arc of San Francisco is one of our most popular service projects. Come early to help prepare and serve lunch to hundreds of clients of The Arc: all people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. And stay long enough to enjoy that same lunch with your fellow Rotarians. This is the only Thanksgiving celebration for many of the people we serve that day. And they are most appreciative.
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.