Our club has had an incredible run of guest speakers who have helped inform, educate and even entertain us. From Alex Montoya of A-MOtivational Communications, to James A. Floros, the San Diego Food Bank's President/Chief Executive Officer, to Edith Sanchez Cruz of Big Brothers Big Sisters, each of our guest presenters has left a powerful impression upon our members and guests. Club member Susan Kaplan also stepped into the speaker’s role as she shared an update on the Watoto Wema
Centre, a foster home in Kenya that our club has supported with District matching grants. In recent years, our club has funded the purchase of an oven for the home’s bakery program. The teenagers who age out of the school lack job training skills. The oven bakery program provides skills training. We've also supported other orphanage needs, and look to grow our partnership. Susan brought this partnership opportunity to our club after having spent time at the foster home herself. With a "can-do" nature, youthful spirit (she reminds us she is our youngest member) and ability to keep members well fed at meetings, Susan Kaplan is October's Rotarian of the Month.
Part of expanding our outreach includes sharing Rotary activities and causes with the local community. Chula Vista Elementary School District employees supported Rotary’s End Polio Now campaign in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Eastlake and the Rotary Club of Chula Vista Sunrise. We raised nearly $700 from an employee BBQ and potluck lunch in advance of World Polio Day. Polio seems a distant memory in the United States. Younger generations may know little if anything about the disease. Yet, for much of the developing world, polio was a very real threat until recently. Today, two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. We were proud to collaborate with our sister club, and help bring awareness to the local community about the fight to end polio once and for all.