President’s letter April 4, 2020
Thank you to those who attended our first formal SD Coastal Rotary Zoom meeting. I was humbled again by my computer so thank you also for your patience. This will get better and it will certainly be great fodder for the promote/ demote party. I have decided to set up a new (non-recurring) meeting for each week with password for security reasons. I will send a reminder email out each Tuesday with the link to the meeting. For the month of April, I would like to continue our Zoom ‘Lemons to Lemonade’ theme and I’d like your help with each meeting. After requests, I’m going back to our old time format at Leucadia Pizza- with a twist. Please try to make the meetings if possible.
- 6-6:15pm – please use the Zoom link provided in your reminder email (I will send on Tuesdays) to access the meeting. It takes a few minutes to admit everyone to the meeting, make sure Wi-Fi connections, sound and light are good, etc. I prefer having your video on so that I can actually see you, but I completely understand if you would rather not. I was going to just open the gate to all attendees at the first of each meeting, but my IT guy (John) says that there are nefarious people out there ready to enter to steal info from our computers and others dropping Zoombombs – you can look that one up. I will admit you one by one. Text me (619-985-2999) if you are having problems entering. So starting at 6pm, feel free to enter, set up, get your dinner and drinks, come back and chat for a few minutes, just like Leucadia.
- 6:30pm- our regular meeting starts- hopefully without digital interruptions. During this time, it would be great if you guys could mute your feed (lower left corner) to reduce noise. Unmute for things like Happy Bucks. In order to give me written feedback, you can use chat button at the middle bottom of the page. I’m also going to try to add a few features allowing us to vote or ‘clap’. We can go over this briefly before the meeting.
- Please note that, on advice of counsel (Ashley), we will not be recording our meeting – so feel free to speak. Anything of importance will be summarized in our weekly newsletter or sent in private email.
- 7:30pm – I will do my best to end the formal meetings at this time. However, I will stick around the meeting for a few minutes if you want to talk. I’ll send notice if I need board members to stay around.
Next meeting, April 8 @ 6pm – Lemons to Lemonade 2 – Rotary club assembly – please attend if at all possible.
This meeting is to discuss some matters of immediate importance and a few ideas to grow the club going forward.
How can we best adapt and stay connected as a club during a pandemic? It may be here for a while.
- Zoom meetings are a great option – but we need to talk about security concerns. Can we use Zoom to attract new people (Meetup, old/new friends)? Connect with other Rotarians (district and beyond)? bring in better speakers?
- We plan to go back to Leucadia Pizza for live meetings…. eventually. How can we help Leucadia Pizza now?
- This month we will focus on the pandemic impact. What do you most want to hear about in May-June?
- Financial hardship is a possibility for any of us right now. Please talk with me if dues become an issue.
How can we best contribute to our community right now? Now is the time to give back.
New Grant Options. We have a healthy foundation right now. I don’t want to run it dry, but let’s give big.
- COVID Grants - $250 matching funds available immediately for anything related to COVID 19 such as food or shelter insecurity, personal protective equipment, education. This means $500 is available now for what we want to do. I’d like to make a decision at the meeting and get the grant written.
- District Grants – these are normally started in August but for this one time, we can use money now and it will be reimbursed through next year’s grant. We could actually enlarge the $500 we get for a COVID grant with money from the district grant.
- Global Grant - This could be written anytime for almost any amount that we think we can raise. Just a thought: as hard as the US has been hit by the pandemic, developing countries are in much worse shape and could use any help.
Here are 2 ideas for charities we can donate to that will double our money for you to look at and consider:
- Two Encinitas Rotary clubs are each donating $250 for the Covid-19 district matching grant of $250, to help the Community Resource Center (https://crcncc.org/). The CRC is on the front line to fight hunger, homelessness and domestic violence; all of these challenges have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 crisis. If any of your clubs are able to donate $250, we can secure additional $250 amounts from the district for the CRC as well.
- Feeding San Diego is offering a ‘double your impact’ matching gifts for donations up to $1 million..
New ideas for volunteering. Rotarians at Work Day is April 25. What can we do?
One option is to each volunteer doing something separately, then post photos and videos on website, twitter and Facebook on April 25: SD Coastal Rotary Club comes together separately. We could promote our club while encouraging others to volunteer for the community safely.
- Feeding America – they are taking volunteers but you need to register and stick with strict distancing rules. Here’s the link: https://feedingsandiego.org/coronavirus-volunteer
- San Diego Food Bank - sandiegofoodbank.org or 858-863-5125 or jbode@sandiegofoodbank.org
- Meals on wheels – they also want you to register - www.mealsonwheelsamerica.org.
- Serving seniors - (619) 487-0605 or elle.leidy@servingseniors.org.
- Blood donation – the US is suffering a severe blood shortage right now. https://www.mysdbb.org/#/ScheduleAppointment
- Fostering animals through SD Humane Society https://www.sdhumane.org/support-us/volunteer/foster/
- I know of other organizations too!
- Join or form your own neighborhood help program through Nextdoor
- wellness checks on seniors
- Grocery/ necessities ‘shop and drop’ program
- Dog walker program for those who cannot get out
- Host your own food drive by posting neighborhood signs to drop off food in a box on your porch on their next walk around the block. Items most needed: peanut better, cereal, oatmeal, pasta and sauce, healthy snacks. Be sure to state where the food is going and when. This same idea could be used to provide clothes, shoes, toiletries, books, cloth masks to homeless shelters.
Please think about grant ideas and volunteering over the next week and bring your best ideas to the meeting. Thanks.
Meeting April 15- Lemons to Lemonade 3 –How do we adapt and grow professionally during this time?
How can our businesses adapt to meet new demands and challenges presented?
- Financial challenges/planning
- Work from home challenges
- Small business challenges
- Using the new government business loans
- Advertising
- Insurance
- Legal issues (bankruptcy, handling estates)
- Real estate investment (renting, landlord issues, mortgages)
- Other investments (stocks, bonds, materials)
- Education
What businesses will thrive and which will completely change? Bring your thoughts?
I’d like everyone to participate. If you have expertise in these areas, have advice, have suggestions for good speakers, would you contact me this week. Would anyone volunteer to run this meeting?
Meeting April 22 - Lemons to Lemonade 4 – How do we grow personally during this time?
By this date, we will have been weeks into our quarantine. What have we learned? Here’s some things to think about: Have you re-examined your priorities in life? How have you stayed healthy physically and emotionally? What has kept you sane? Or not? Have you experienced ‘decision fatigue’. How have you learned to stay in touch with family and friends? Have you taken up any new hobbies? What would be your recommendation to others in the future? While I would love everyone’s participation, I’m also looking for an exceptional inspirational speaker. Please send me your ideas for speakers. Note this will be a Zoom meeting so they could be anywhere in the world as long as they are willing to join us.
Meeting April 29 – Lemons to Lemonade House Party
This will be an experiment. We share a dinner and conversation online. I’m looking for suggestions to make it really fun. Thankfully, Craig has offered to set this up. Yeah! Please send Craig your ideas. Here are some:
- Food: We all order dinner from Leucadia Pizza to give them business.
- Theme: Lemons – lemon flavored drinks and desserts
- Dress: What to try out our superhero outfits? Wear only lemon yellow? Other ideas?
- Fun: Craig has ideas for online games. Should we have a ‘best drink’ contest?
