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Brian Rusch, Rotary Opens Opportunities

Brian has managed organizations for Nobel laureates Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama, taking the knowledge they have imparted to him and created programs to inspire youth on their own explorations of ethics, and that reshape conversations on peace, equality and forgiveness.

He has worked on projects in India with Kailash Satayarthi and sits on the board of Leymah Gbowee's U.S organization. He was the founding executive director of the Human Thread Foundation, an organization with a mission to educate the public and drive awareness about human dignity and human trafficking. In addition, Brian was a co-creator of The Ubuntu Lab, an organization created to facilitate a better public understanding of our common humanity. He regularly consults with NGOs, governments, corporations and celebrities to help them strategize on how to best optimize their platforms to be change makers for good.

Brian was a Rotary Youth Exchange Student to Brazil and became a Rotarian in his 20s when he joined the Rotary Club of Hollywood, California. He helped to create the Rotary Club of San Francisco - Castro, Rotary's first LGBT-cultured club, and is currently the charter president of the Rotary Club for Global Action, an e-club based in District 5150 with membership from countries around the world including some countries where Rotary is not currently allowed to establish an in-country presence.

Dr. Sakeena Ali: The Peace Corp

Dr. Sakeena Ali is an educator and a lifelong learner. Her goals are to empower those in need and help others reach their highest potential.

She has been working the education field for 20+ years and has experience with all ages and backgrounds. Her experience working with international students in the US inspires her to continue to learn about others. Her background studying abroad, working in the US and overseas, and visiting 30+ countries brings a unique perspective to her work.

Dr. Ali received her Ed.D. in educational leadership from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, where her research focused on building professional learning communities within educational organizations to better achievements of students, faculty and staff.

Growing up with immigrant parents who began their life adventures by moving across the globe gave Dr. Ali the enthusiasm to embrace all that life has to offer. She earned a B.A. in human development and history, with a minor in education, at UC San Diego, where she studied abroad on Semester at Sea. She met people from around the world and learned about their cultures. After graduating, she continued to work internationally, teaching English language skills to cruise ship workers. She subsequently served in Peace Corps Ukraine and completed a TESOL Master’s International degree through American University. Shortly after serving she was an English language fellow in Turkey for two years. She has presented at many English Language Teaching (ELT) conferences and facilitated workshops in the US and abroad.

Dr. Ali’s love for people and cultures around the world brought her back to Peace Corps, where she helps others gain the opportunity to see and better understand the world they live in. In October 2017, she began as a field- based recruiter for the Los Angeles area, including Santa Barbara and Ventura County. In this role, she presents Peace Corps opportunities through class talks, panel discussions, information sessions, and other events in order to encourage those who have a passion to serve disadvantaged communities abroad. She also meets with individuals to help them through the application process and at times acts as a career mentor. Additionally, she works as a staging facilitator, preparing departing volunteers for an extraordinary two years of service abroad.

Peace Corps and Rotary International have common values and have been working together for years. Today we are going to learn more about the Peace Corps as well as how Rotary members and Return Peace Corps volunteers can work together in supporting sustainable projects in communities of need abroad. Dr. Sakeena Ali is a return Peace Corps volunteer and she will share about her experiences in the Peace Corps as well as discuss the Partnership between Rotary and Peace Corps.

Eduardo Hernandez, Santa Cristina Coffee

Eduardo has lived in Vienna, Austria since 2007. Before joining the family coffee business in 2013, he was a career diplomat for El Salvador.

Eduardo is the founder and managing director at Santa Cristina Specialty Coffees. He told us that SANTA CRISTINA GmbH is a family-owned business established in Austria in 2014, to directly import and supply their specialty coffees from El Salvador. They are dedicated to making a positive social and environmental impact at coffee origins through the establishment of direct trade relationships in Europe.

Their Mission is to provide the highest quality green coffees in Europe for a collaborative, steady and positive impact to coffee communities at Origin, keeping social and environmental sustainability at heart.

The company is based in Austria for its great business infrastructure, in support of the booming coffee culture in the region, and to offer easy access to quality coffee for roasters and coffee shop owners throughout Europe.

We thoroughly enjoyed Eduardo’s presentation and will be expecting his Uncle Mike (aka Miguel Hernandez) to treat us to a sip of Eduardo’s specialty coffee when we finally get to meet again in person.

The 5 Wins of Solar Energy

James Kennedy is the Founder, President, and CEO of Beach Cities Solar Consulting LLC, with Global Corporate Headquarters based in San Juan Puerto Rico and remote offices in cities throughout the state of California. Beach Cities Solar Consulting LLC is an education based solar consulting firm that works with homeowners, business owners, and corporations to provide them with turnkey solutions to go solar, save money, and become energy independent. James has consulted on over 100 commercial and residential solar installations throughout California, New Mexico, New York, and Puerto Rico. James splits his time between Puerto Rico and Manhattan Beach and cares deeply about protecting the environment for future generations and getting America off fossil fuels for good. James is the Vice President of the San Juan Rotary Club and recently published Solar Energy Secrets For Homeowners (available on Amazon). He is giving a complimentary copy of his book to all of our club’s Rotarians.

Cambria Rotary Peace Committee

Dr. Joe, filling in for Chairperson, Paula Porter who was without electricity at the time, thanked the club for the opportunity to do a presentation about the Peace Committee. Joe said they are taking baby steps and getting their stride this year and part of that is to have programs where we have discussion topics. In the interest of predictability in this time when so much is unpredictable he gave us an overview of what we will be doing. First we watched a short video about peace. You can watch this excellent video at:

https://youtu.be/6vuXEvhua1A .

We then broke into groups to answer the following question: During the past week, what are some ways you have worked to create peace within yourself and/or with others. After each group met, one person was selected to share one of those peace cultivating practices with the rest of the club. After all the groups have shared, we reflected on some common themes that emerged.

Group 1: Kate Perry shared that her mom died September 17th and theirs was a less than ideal relationship. She has been struggling with what will never be when it comes to that relationship. There is no small thing when it comes to being mindful about yourself and cultivating peace and being at peace.

Group 2: Janet Meyers said that their group talked about the need for patience. Patience is so important to having peace in your life. We all find ourselves in situations where we lose our patience but we have a choice to be patient or not. To be respectful or not. To be kind or not kind. Being aware of that consciousness is very important.

Group 3: Otis Archie talked about the importance of listening. By listening, people are being heard and by being heard, stress is relieved.

Group 4: Julie Jenkins discussed the need to take personal responsibility for ourselves or where we are. While we have no control over what the other person is doing, we have control over what we are doing. Also, cancelling out some of the voices that come out through Facebook and other social media and instead finding your own worth.

Joe finished by reflecting on the one theme he picked up on and that is “Slow down”. Paula added that peace really is an inside job.

Joel Sheets, SLO Land Conservancy

Joel Sheets joined The Land Conservancy Board in 2019. He is a retired scientist who moved to San Luis Obispo with his family in 2014. He earned a Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from the University of California, Irvine, CA. He spent over 30 years working for Dow AgroSciences, having various research roles as Research Leader in the Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department.

He has authored/co-authored over 25 patents, over 40 external peer reviewed publications and book chapters, and over 200 proprietary internal research reports in the area of Agricultural Biochemistry. His primary research interests are in the application of insecticidal proteins in agriculture. He is a board member of the San Luis Obispo Rotary Club and currently enjoys many outdoor activities including hiking, biking, sailing and touring.

The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County works cooperatively with both landowners and government agencies to find positive, mutually beneficial solutions. Our goal is to help prevent poorly planned development, protect drinking water sources, restore wildlife habitat and promote family farmlands and ranches.

Since 1984, we have permanently conserved over 24,000 acres of land in San Luis Obispo County. With your support, we’ll ensure that San Luis Obispo County has wild natural areas, productive family farms and ranches, clean fresh water, and stunning landscapes forever.

See PowerPoint presentation attached to this email for more details about Joel’s very interesting presentation especially about plans to preserve ranchland in the North Coast.

Soren Christensen , Winemaker, Hearst Ranch Winery

Soren Christensen became Hearst Ranch Winery’s winemaker in 2014. His expertise hails from working with some of the best vineyards in Paso Robles. While at Hope Family Winery, he worked on the winemaking team crafting Cabernet-based wines for Treana and Liberty School and later worked with the Rhône-variety based Alta Colina Vineyard.

Hearst Ranch Winery owners, Jim and Debby Saunders are in a partnership with Steve and Barbara Hearst. The main tasting room is in San Simeon but they also have a second one in Paso.

Soren first met longtime grape grower Jim Saunders some 20 years ago, when he was tasked with sampling grapes prior to the 2000 harvest. The fledgling cellar-hand became fast friends with the Saunders, who was selling his grapes to top wineries at that point. “Jim offered insight and expertise that I took to heart, so it was an easy decision to join his team,” Christensen said. “Making wine worthy of carrying the Hearst name is no small task. I am honored to join their team and will strive to exceed expectations as I embark on this new journey.

Soren told us that a new food purveyor, Field to Table, has just signed on to provide food at the San Simeon tasting room.

Dennis Frahmann, Cambria Film Festival

Dennis Frahmann is a journalist, writer and award-winning marketer who grew up in small farming and resort towns in Wisconsin and now lives in the small seaside town of Cambria, California. He holds a B.A. from Ripon College in English and philosophy, and a masters in journalism from Columbia University. After an initial stint as a restaurant reviewer and reporter for Mpls. St. Paul Magazine, Frahmann worked in marketing for a variety of high-tech companies, including Control Data, Xerox, and Sage. He is currently Director of the Cambria Film Festival.

Dennis told us that, when they started out, our goal was to create a film festival that celebrated our community and our shared love of film from around the world. That remains our mission. Admittedly, no one can predict with confidence what the world might look like in February of 2021, but we know one thing. If the Cambria Film Festival wants to host another wonderful year of outstanding films, we need to start now. It takes a full year to plan and execute. That’s why we’re sharing our thinking with our entire community of filmgoers, volunteers, screeners, and sponsors. We are committed to moving forward with our plans for a film festival dedicated to romance, romantic comedies and the complexities of love on February 4-7, 2021. We believe it will be good for our town and for all of us. With that in mind, we already put out a call for films on FilmFreeway.com. If you know filmmakers who may be interested, let them know about our festival and encourage them to submit. Screeners, get ready. In about 30 days, we anticipate asking you once more to start your watching engines. We hope life is closer to normal by then, but that you can still give us your time. Volunteers, we’ll keep you informed on our progress. We’re looking at new ways to make your experience even better, and we plan to host a special session for key roles in mid-summer. Passholders and sponsors, please keep the Festival in your thoughts and plans. Just know that your enthusiasm and support during our first three years resulted in reserves sufficient, even in these financially perilous times, to allow us to host a fourth year, even if we need to scale it back. Meanwhile, we will use our Facebook and Twitter pages to share weekly film recommendations. We plan to showcase films at the Cambria Center for the Arts on July 29 and October 21. And we’re exploring options for testing a virtual film festival later this summer. If all goes well, this will provide an alternative way to view some of our Festival films next February. In February 2021, we hope our Festival will be one of many reasons why locals and out-of-towners will want to spend time on this beautiful coast and celebrate that theme that motivates our programming . . . love is in the air. To give you a taste of that, I am happy to share our poster design for the 2021 Festival.

Coast Union High School Interact Club
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We were so pleased to have the officers of this year’s Interact Club join us. Presidents Jasmine Peña and Sami Fabila; Vice Presidents Viviaña Nunez; Secretary Crystal Fabela and, Social Media Director Caiden Kennedy. Treasurer Violet Wills was unable to join us.

Each of the Interact students told us why they wanted to be involved in Interact (see their presentation attached to this email).

We were told that during the week of November 2-6, the students will be celebrating World of Interact in a rather creative way.

Member Monday (11/2) and they will introduce the officers to the student body and encourage everyone to join.

Take Action Tuesday (11/3) they will be encouraging the community to take action by voting, participating in projects that benefit the community such as community clean up.

Around the World Wednesday (11/4) our local Interact club will be connecting with a club from another area (country) via video.

Thankful Thursday (11/5) they will be showing appreciation to their advisors (but don’t tell them It is a surprise).

Fundraise Friday: Interactors will be selling baked good on campus.

We were also reminded of their Fun Run/Walk Fundraiser. For more information on how you can participate or donate, go to https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Cambria/InteractFunRunWalkCambriatoSantaBarbara

2020-21 District 5240 Governor Deb Linden

Asst. DG Jane Howard told us that it is an honor to introduce Deb who was with the Sheriff’s Dept. for 18 years before being hired as SLO Police Chief in 2003. She served until 2011.

Deb asked us to take a minute to imagine what our community would be like without our Rotary Club. What would have happened if we didn’t provide scholarships, food for families in need, volleyballs for kids whose volleyball camp was cancelled, etc. Please know you are so relevant and important to the community during these difficult times.

Our focus this year is Rotary Opens Opportunities, selected long before COVID. We are being challenged to find opportunities despite what everyone is facing. Check out RI’s video at https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Rotary+International+video+%22What+we+see%22&docid=607995961547360068&mid=E8E94660AA081FD017F0E8E94660AA081FD017F0&view=detail&FORM=VIRE.

Our District-wide focus. Membership is a priority. Look for opportunities for new clubs. We can create satellite clubs that meet at different times and places; cause-based clubs; clubs that cater to different demographics. Do you have any ideas for opportunities for new kinds of clubs. We need to keep in touch with members who are not attending meetings to keep them engaged. Continue doing community service projects to keep members involved.

The second focus is the Rotary Brand. To quote Maya Angelou: “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel”. This is true of our club meetings. Getting word out about our club through social media is important.

Deb also reminded us that we are still working to eradicate Polio. One of the speakers at this year’s conference is a man who was raised by a mother in an iron lung due to polio. She told us that he has an amazing and uplifting story and encouraged everyone to attend the virtual conference to hear him speak. You can check out the agenda for the entire conference at https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pcdtsu2729ayfn/Agenda%20for%20Website%202020.pdf?dl=0

Finally, DG Deb reminded us of a quote by Charles Dickens, “No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of another”.

Deb then presented the District 5240 People of Action Award to Linda Sherman for her tireless and selfless service.

SLO Integrated Waste Management

Mike di Milo is the Education Coordinator and holds a Bachelor of Science from Cal Poly in

Natural Resources Management. He leads field trips and is involved in coordinating all of

the recycling education program activities for the IWMA. Mike has over twenty years of

experience in developing and administering school education programs. Mike, along with

his staff do 900 recycling programs to both children and adults throughout the county.

This was a very interesting presentation and we all learned a few things we did not know

such as food scraps can be turned into compost and electricity if we put them in our green bins. (See the

flyer attached to this email for more info).

For more information about the county’s waste management program, go to: https://www.iwma.com/

Rudy Westervelt, PDG Peace Conference

On January 17 & 18, 2020, Rotary brought peacemakers together from around the world to Southern California. The World Peace Conference was held at the Ontario Convention Center. Rudy Westervelt, Chair of Rotary World Peace Conference 2020, and his team of Rotarians from eight Rotary Districts dedicated two years to produce this conference.

“The mission of the Rotary World Peace Conference 2020 is to bring together experts with solutions to major issues that are occurring in our personal lives, homes, schools, businesses and communities, not just in Southern California, but around the world. We are inviting leaders from health care, academia, government, public safety, religions, business, and communities to meet together to share the solutions presented by experts. The format will allow for action plans to be developed such that real and measurable actions can be undertaken when attendees return home.”

Vietnam The end of the air war 1971-1972

Craig Collins is a retired USAF officer and also a retired pilot of Continental Airlines. He came from a military family, his father retiring after 28 years of active USAF service. Craig attended the US Air Force Academy, graduated and was commissioned in June 1969. He completed pilot training in July 1970 and follow-on F-4 training in July 1971. His first operational assignment was at Da Nang Air Base, Republic of Viet Nam, where he flew 222 combat missions and amassed 379 combat flying hours in the F-4 from Jul 1971-July 1972. His post Viet Nam assignments were at Homestead AFB, FL and Nellis AFB, NV. He separated from active duty in Oct 1978 and began flying commercially for Continental Airlines. He was furloughed in October 1980 and re-entered the military as an F-4 pilot in the Air Force Reserve and later as an F-16 pilot with the same unit in Austin, TX. In 1985 he was recalled from his furlough with Continental and continued his airline career until his mandatory age 60 retirement in 2006. He simultaneously continued his Air Force Reserve career until his retirement in June 2007, having served in the military for 36 years.

Commander Justin Nelson, SLO County Sheriff’s Office

Commander Nelson is a 21 year veteran of the SLO County Sheriff’s Department and is currently assigned to

the Sheriff’s Coast Station which covers from Ragged Point to Avila Beach. However, today is his last day in

that position and he will be moving to the Professional Standards Department which is similar to Internal

Affairs.

Commander Nelson told us that, in August, Sheriff’s dispatch received 520 calls from the Cambria and San

Simeon area. These calls can range from a report of a car accident, which is responded to by CHP or need for

medical assistance. During August there were 29 calls for disturbances, 4 burglaries and 7 theft calls. One of

the theft calls was for a pair of shoes stolen off a front porch. The shoes were recovered and the outlaw

apprehended! Interesting fact: burglary is committed when something is stolen from a locked car, business

or residence while it is considered theft if the car, business or residence is locked.

Cmdr. Nelson cautioned us to be careful of scams. Never give your credit card or personal information to

anyone over the phone. No government agency will ever request this over a phone call. And, never comply

with a request for gift cards to settle a debt or to purchase anything over the phone. He also said to be

careful when using a credit card machine to purchase gas or to take money out. Crooks are installing

“skimmers” in ATM machines so they can steal your credit card information and your password. Always grab

the credit card holder and shake it a bit. If it is a skimmer, you will know it if it moves.

Growing Cyber Security Threats You Must Protect Against NOW

Scott was born and raised in Santa Barbara, California and when he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his dog, hobbies such as Amateur (Ham) Radio and photography, many outdoor activities and giving back to the local and international community through his involvement with the Rotary Club of Goleta Noontime, where he has been a member since 2013 and served as club President in 2016-17. He is a member of the Paul Harris Society, is a Multiple Paul Harris Fellow (PHF), Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation and Bequest Society Member. Scott served as Rotary District 5240 Communications Director in 2015-16 and was awarded "The Quiet Rotarian Award". He served as Assistant Governor for the Rotary clubs in Goleta, Santa Barbara, Montecito and Carpinteria area in 2017-18, Rotary International District 5240 Chief Oper-ating Officer in 2018-19 and currently serves as Rotary Zone 26 Assistant Public Image Coordinator (ARPIC), Rotary District 5240 Administrator, PRLS Director and member of the Board of Directors for the Rotary Dis-trict 5240 Charitable Foundation. In 2022-23, Scott will serve as Rotary District 5240 Governor. He has also served on several local non-profit boards over the past 20 years.

Scott gave us some great information about how to avoid being a sitting duck to cybercriminals! You can see his entire presentation at https://www.synergyinc.net/rotary-cybersecurity-resources/

RYLA by Darrin Arrasmith

Each year, thousands of young people take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program worldwide. Young people are chosen for their leadership potential to attend an all-expenses-paid camp to discuss leadership skills and to learn those skills through practice. Rotary clubs and districts select participants and facilitate the event’s curriculum.

RYLA aims to:

Provide an effective training experience for selected youth and potential leaders;
Encourage leadership of youth by youth;
Encourage youth to make a difference in their communities through volunteer work and social responsibility; and
Demonstrate Rotary’s respect and concern for youth.

Being a Rotary President

Dick Cameron introduced our speaker, Jeff Jones who is the current President of Morro Bay Rotary. Dick told us that Jeff has been with the club since 1996 and is a 7 times Paul Harris Fellow.

Jeff told us that it is a challenge to get someone to take on the job of President. The President makes a difference in the club, the community and the world. He/she must be willing to take a risk, build trust and teamwork by encouraging every member of the club to participate. Some of the requirements include:

Gumby Management Style Ability to Network with other Clubs

Plan & Organize Be Decisive

Be Creative Keep Things Fun

It all comes down to “Service Above Self.

If you are interested, there is a lot of information on the role of a Rotary Club President on Rotary.org:

https://my.rotary.org/en/learning-reference/learn-role/president

ADAPTABILITY: Rotary Now-Pivot Point or End Point – Brad Howard

Aside from being Bruce Howard’s cousin, Brad is a Past District Governor of District 5170
(California’s Silicon Valley), and a past member of the Board of Directors of Rotary International
for the 2015-17 Rotary years. He just completed serving a three-year term as Chairman of Rotary’s Communication Committee. In addition, was also a member of the 2020 Rotary Virtual Convention committee.

The eradication of polio has been a significant part of Brad’s Rotary experience. He served 10 years as the Zone 26 End Polio Now Coordinator, and has led 34 Rotarian groups, comprised of over 1,600 people, to participate in polio national immunization days in sub-Saharan, West Africa and India.

Brad told us that, in order to remain relevant, clubs need to evolve. Now that we are not limited to holding our meetings within four walls, we should work to get great speakers and invite the community to join us. Our most essential quality is our members.

While we don’t have the ability to tape our Zoom meetings, you can hear Bruce’s talk at the 2020 Virtual Convention on this exact topic at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hIBF04gxmLI&feature=youtu.be . Our District Governor, Deb Linden, also recently sent out an interesting link about Clubs Made to Order. You can read that at https:// www.rotary.org/en/clubs-made-to-order?fbclid=IwAR2eLVYy2w6pqwQ-SofJMIAzqG97tIiuhLunaSHOqNM4tWWAcqBNmbRO6sQ

Impacts of the Pandemic on People [Individuals and the Community]: How do they relate to peace?
By Joe Morrow

Everything we do as Rotarians to improve the human condition in the global community builds peace. When you feed the hungry, improve educational opportunities for everyone or help create a climate for community economic development you are building peace. When you see injustices and assist in removing them, you are building peace. When you work to improve the environment around us, you are building peace. When you reach out a hand to people you don’t know and who will not know you, you are building peace.

Rotary Club of Cambria - Peacebuilder Committee:

Chair: Paula Porter, LMFT
Members: Otis Archie, Julie Jenkins, Joseph Morrow, Janet Myers, and Kate Perry

Joe explained how when we experience trauma, as we are currently with COVID, we go through stages that eventually result in our feeling at peace.

Gary Eberle, Eberle Winery

EBERLE WINERY was not Gary Eberle’s first venture when he arrived in Paso Robles. After finishing his work at U.C. Davis, Eberle moved to Paso Robles and began his career by co-founding the Estrella River Winery in 1973 (now Meridian Vineyards & Winery). After several successful years at Estrella River, Eberle refocused his attention and desire to produce premium, small production wines. Moving only a few miles towards down- town Paso Robles, Eberle soon started his own prestigious label which debuted officially with release of Eberle’s flagship wine, the 1979 Cabernet Sauvignon.

When asked about his policy of giving veterans a 40% discount, he explained that, after a football injury that curtailed his career with the Detroit Lions, he decided to join the Marines. He was turned down because he failed the physical. Seeing the way veterans returning from Viet Nam were treated, he decided he wanted to do something to show they were appreciated. He has also extended that policy to law enforcement.

Today, as guests arrive to visit the Eberle tasting room and take guided tours, they are greeted by Gary’s two standard poodles, appropriately named Roussanne and Sangiovese, as well as the famous bronze Porcelino (Wild Boar) statue, a replica of the original in Florence, Italy. And, after 35 years of fine winemaking, the Eberle logo remains the designated ‘small wild boar,’

the literal translation of the German name ‘Eberle’ into English.

Exercises We Can Do At Home

Jane Howard told that, as we age, it becomes more and more difficult to do everyday things. After 30, we begin to lose muscle mass and loss of muscle mass results in lower

metabolism. Jane told us that she has a Facebook page where she demonstrates the exercises she showed us today. Here is the link: https://www.facebook.com/search/top? q=personal%20training%20by%20jane%20howard .

These photos are not the best but, hopefully, when you look at the Face- book page, these will help you to recognize the exercises Jane was showing us.

National Immunization Day

Bruce Howard told us about National Immunization Days around the world. Rotarians are hosted by local Rotary Clubs and spend a week going house to house to immunize every child.

You can see Bruce’s Power Point presentation as well as his bullet points in the links attached to this email. Thanks for a great presentation.

If you are interested in donating to Rotary’s Polio Plus fund, see the form on the next page. Monthly tax deductible do- nations of as little as $5 can be made to help rid the world of this awful disease.

These photos were posted on District 5240’s Facebook page on July 23rd. This week almost 800,000 children in Pakistan were vaccinated against #polio! Vaccination is going ahead with strict observance of #COVID19 infection prevention & control measures.

Thousand Smiles Foundation

Today, Bob Chalfa told us about Thousand Smiles founded in 1985 by members of National City and Chula Vista Rotary to provide free dental
and surgical care for children from financially challenged families in Mexico. Specializing in those having cleft lip and palate disorders. To read more about this amazing project and to find out how you can help by donating time or money, check out the link attached to this email or go to:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0q6pinjwdlnqmk4/AAD310yJ4vTHThaLx73hFav6a?dl=

Dr. Sylvia Whitlock

We were honored to have as our speaker, Sylvia Whitlock, the first woman president in Rotary. Sylvia entertained and amazed us with facts and personal anecdotes while sharing a fascinating glimpse into the journey to allow women in Rotary. She detailed the circumstances of the case as women struggled to attain equal rights, her role in the

process, conversations with participants and onlookers, and the benefits she has gained personally through her own membership.

“I am proud to be a member of Rotary. I have met several International Presidents and had the chance to talk with them about our club. I do not know of a better vehicle through which to serve mankind.”

PRESENTATION: President Mary Ann

Almost Past President Mary Ann told us that, when she started her journey as President, her passion was the eradication of Polio. We just recently heard that Africa is now Polio free! She said she has been inspired by the hard work and dedication and thanked everyone for making this the Best Rotary Club in the World!

She acknowledged everyone who served on the Foundation Board and those on the Club Board.

Special thanks went out to the chairs and members of the various Avenues of Service: Christel Chesney, Club Service; Miguel Sandoval, Community Service; Cynthia Woodruff-Neer, Youth Service; Gerry Porter, International Service and Laudon Rowen, Vocational Service.

Also recognized were Julie Jenkins who did an amazing job with Awards; PE Nominee Patty Griffin for her work as Grants Chair; Nancy McKarney for a great job as Membership Chair and Otis Archie for Public Relations.

Mary Ann also thanked Sgt-At-Arms Andrew Boyd-Goodrich for getting our meeting going; Otis Archie for the weekly invocations; Donna Crocker for providing so many interesting programs; Nancy Carr for all the personal notes she sent out for Family of Rotary; Julia Rice for organizing our lunches each week; PP Mike Griffin for being the Neal Jensen Cheerleader; Fine Master Rick Low for the humorous way he made sure all pledges were paid; PP Sheriff Dick Cameron for making sure everyone wears their pin and, Bob Putney for all his work as Polio & TRF Chair and Club Executive Secretary.

President Mary Ann then presented an Above & Beyond pin to Linda Sherman, Cynthia Woodruff-Neer and Sue Robinson.

Mary Ann acknowledged the amazing job Miguel Sandoval has done organizing and carrying out the community food program that has helped so many of our local residents impacted by COVID-19 layoffs. In recognition of his efforts, Miguel was named Rotarian of the Year and presented with a Paul Harris pin. Congratulations Miguel.

Our Prez then told us that she would be taking some time during future meeting to acknowledge other club members.

2020 Scholarship Winners

We were thrilled to be joined by 6 of the 9 students who were each awarded $1,000 scholarships by our club. The students told us about their future plans. David Amodei will be attending Cuesta before transferring to a 4 year university in pursuit of a BS in Business/ Hospitality Management; Fiona Cloward will be attending UC Davis where she has not yet declared but said her goal is to help people; Angelique Gutierrez will be going to Cal Poly to study Ag Science; Alondra Mercado will be at Fresno State studying Sociology. Julian Crocker told us that Alondra was also the recipient of the Richard J. Weyhrich Leadership Scholarship given to students who demonstrate exceptional leadership potential; Emma Sison will attend UC Davis studying Animal Science with an eye on Veterinary Medicine; and, Julie Vazquez plans to take a gap year to spend a year in Bosnia living with a Muslim Family to better understand their traditions (depending on the status of COVID-19). She then plans to attend UC Riverside majoring in Global Studies. Julie spend part of her junior year in Japan as an exchange student and now speaks Japanese! Additional scholarship recipients, Ellie Kennedy, Riley Volz and Luis Mercado were not able to attend our meeting.

As Principal Scott Ferguson said, “We can’t wait to see where life takes you”. Counselor Mary Stenbeck, who previously taught most of these students in 7th grade, tearfully told them how proud she was of them. Justin Gish, who taught many of them in 4th grade, told them he was amazed at what they have accomplished. Cynthia Woodruff-Neer explained the Rotary Wheel to the students and reminded them to be a “cog”.

In case you have any doubt that small schools like Coast can provide a first-class education, these students will prove you wrong. We wish them all the best.

Tanna Tartaglia, 4-Way Test Essay Winner

Youth Services Chair Cynthia Woodruff-Neer introduced Whit Donaldson, 7th Grade Language Arts Teacher and Leslie Roper, Middle School Librarian and thanked them for their support for this year’s essay contest. There were obviously challenges since the students were participating in distance learning but, with the help of both Whit and Leslie, the deadline was met and some excellent essays were turned in. Mr. Donaldson thanked Rotary for all their support.

Cynthia then introduced Tanna Tartaglia who not only won our club’s 4-Way Test Essay contest but also won 1st place for
middle school in District 5240 which consists of 72 clubs!

Bob Kasper added that Tanna came to the Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser and put $100 in the donation box! A future Rotarian perhaps?? A big shout out to Tanna.

Bob Putney, CERT: Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Bob told us that CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) was started by Los Angeles Fire Department in 1985 to educate volunteers about disaster preparedness for the hazards that may impact their area and trains them in basic disaster response skills, such as fire safety, light search and rescue, team organization, and disaster medical operations. CERT offers a consistent, nationwide approach to volunteer training and organization that professional responders can rely on during disaster situations, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks.

Cambria Emergency Response Team was started in 2001 and, to date, 297 residents have been trained. Today we have 146 com- munity members active. Another 40 members are maintaining their skills to help themselves and family members and neighbors. Paso Robles just started their CERT and our CERT is helping them.

After the horrific fires in Paradise and other areas of California, CERT has been actively involved in the creation of evacuation pre- planning and support so community members can escape in the event of a fire. They are also working on an early warning system

that should be an improvement over the current reverse 911 system. And, they have created the R-U-O-K pro- gram (see page 5 of this newsletter).

A copy of the Power Point Presentation that Bob showed is attached to the email sent with this news- letter.

Thank you Bob for updating us on this very important service in our community. We are so lucky to have so many dedicated volunteers working to keep us safe.

Dr. Joe—Coping Skills for Dealing with COVID19

ppy Easter, Happy Passover... and happy one more day without killing your housemate or neighbor! I think if this goes on much longer rather than asking for a lifting of the social distancing requirement we’ll be asking to have it extended – to no closer than 100 ft!

I am doing very well – and I am grateful to the Dept. of State Hospitals for taking such good care of us so we can take care of others.

Aims of today’s program – Increase our resilience by strengthening our immune system holistically

Get us moving
Help us to relax
And To be inspired – I think we all need some of that right now.

1) Get us moving

During this time, we need to move! The circulatory system needs help getting rid of what needs to go! And we can help that by drinking plenty of fluids, eating nutritious foods, taking supplements, and getting our heart pumping!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mCWanhT8Dk&app=desktop

Heaven has a special place for nurses, teachers, and social workers... and so many others that take care of us. Re- member to say thank you... a box of donuts doesn’t hurt either!

2) Help us to Relax
The fight-flight-or freeze response redirects vital resources away from the immune system, as it should for

20-45 min., but not for weeks, months, or years. (see yoga nidra handout)

3) And to be inspired
We can be angry and disappointed and sad about things that aren’t happening – and that is okay. But we can

also be part of the solution by helping out and by letting others know they are not alone.

We can start replacing the time we spend listening to all the bad news, and instead start spreading the news that we are here to help.

We can wake up with a sense of purpose – to help.

We can do what needs to be done to help those in need get through this to see another day – and get back to dancing, laughing, and back to being all they can be.

We are all experiencing stress in some way from this experience. We can honor that reality, and be grateful for what we do have, and set our sadness aside to help others.

...and in so doing, we will start to see our little town blues begin to melt away.

With all that said, I want to finish with sharing the song that has lifted us up so many times, and one that reflects the strength of the human spirit, perhaps better than anything or anyone else, as evidenced by 9-11, and that is the strength, the intelligence, the endurance, the resilience of our brothers and sisters in the big apple. ...and right now, all the places that are being hardest hit by COVID-19. Let them be an inspiration of what we all can endure and how we can all come together to help one another, not as male, female, or transgender, not as black, white, brown or yellow, not as Christian, Jew, Muslim or Buddhist, not as Republican, Democrat, Inde- pendent, Communist, or Socialist, not as old, or young, healthy or infirmed; but as human beings helping one an- other to get through this. Be well.

Trip to India and the Piyali Learning Center

Last month, Bruce & Jane Howard and Christel Chesney spent a couple of weeks at the Piyali Learning Center in the rural village of Piyali Junction outside Kolkata. Jane told us that Deepa Biswas grew up in Calcutta in a fairly
affluent family. She would see children begging and asked why. She vowed, after college she would come back and help. When Bruce and Jane first met Deepa in 2004, she told them she was starting a school in Piyali for girls who
had no access to education. She partnered with the Rotary Club of Calcutta and started with just 20 girls.

In 2010, Deepa was able to secure a new property that was much larger but it was on a swamp. They brought in dirt to fill in the swamp and built a wall around the property to pro- tect the girls. The new school is a far cry from the original one and includes an organic garden, chicken coop, and a vo- cational training center for the mothers of the students. Our club helped build a sewer plant so the school has flush toi- lets and we currently support 6 girls. The cost of sponsoring a girl for an entire year is only $375. To sponsor a mother to attend vocational training, the cost for a year is $175. Checks can be mailed to PACE Universal 1 North Calle Cesar Chavez, Suite 102, Santa Barbara, CA 93103

Jane was very proud to tell us that, after her father’s death, her mom donated money to the school and there is now a classroom named in his honor. Christel told us that she had never seen such poverty and filth that she saw while traveling from the hotel to . the school. They were only 40 miles away but it took
them 2 hours to travel the 40 miles. She said the first 3 days, her heart was broken. They were staying in a 5 star hotel sur- rounded by poverty. There were vegetable carts covered with flies, a pond filled with algae where women were washing clothes and doing dishes while a man was bathing and another urinating in the pond. They visited homes that were hovels with dirt floors, no electricity or plumbing. The school, in contrast, was an oasis. The girls in India have dreams and aspirations but, by the time they reach 4th grade, they are pulled out of school to help with chores. Every 9 minutes a child in India disappears.

Bruce told us about a visit to Mahavir Seva Sadan, a Vocational Training Center in Kolkata. They provide prosthetics for those who need them because of lost limbs or birth defects, eye care and support and training for Cerebral Palsy vic- tims. This is a project that the local Rotary Club supports.

You can learn more about the Piyali Learning Center at

http://paceuniversal.com/

Pacific Coast Wildlife Care

Marcelle Bakula, who has been volunteering since 2007, gave us a brief history of the or- ganization. Pacific Wildlife Care (PWC) was founded in 1986 in reaction to the Apex Hou- ston oil spill that brought a number of oiled pelicans to the beaches of San Luis Obispo County. Since that time we have grown from a small group of dedicated home rehabilita- tors into a successful non-profit organization with a well-equipped rehabilitation center, a full-time wildlife veterinarian, a small paid staff, and over 200 volunteers. In addition to the Rehabilitation Center, which is open every day of the year, we maintain a Hotline that the public can call to report distressed wildlife (injured, sick, orphaned) and to receive infor- mation about our local wildlife. PWC's mission is to support San Luis Obispo County wildlife through rehabilitation and educational outreach.

PWC has built onto their current location over the years but they have maxed out. So they recently purchased 10 acres of land where they hope to build a state of the art facility within the next 5-10 years to house the 2,000 to 3,000 animals they take in each year. They are currently looking for sources of funding to help reach that goal.

Kelly Vandenheuvel told us that 36 years ago she heard a call to help injured wildlife. She has been caring for injured and orphaned wildlife on her ranch as a volunteer for PWC ever since. Kelly introduced us to Alice, a grey horned owl that was injured as a baby.
Due to her injuries, she is unable to be returned to the wild so she lives on Kelly’s ranch and serves as a Wildlife Ambassador. While
Alice looks quite large, she actually only weighs 3 pounds due to the fact that her bones are hollow, allowing her to fly. One of the goals of the Wildlife Ambassador Program is to teach children that wild animals are not pets and should not be treated as such. She cautions against petting any wild animals. Alice did entertain us with a number of “Hoots” during the presentation. She was probably asking how she could become a Rotarian!

HEATHER MARKHAM, INFANT ESSENTIALS

Donna Crocker told us that Heather began Infant Essentials in 2013. The organization provides items for homeless and low income families. Heather is a Cambrian, a member of University Women, was named a Hands On Hero by First Five and a Hometown Hero by KSBY.

The development of Infant Essentials was a journey I began in 2012, Heather explained, when she drove past a homeless couple here in Cambria, holding a sign "looking for work, food, money". She was caught off guard when she noticed that there was a baby in a stroller behind the couple. It happened to be her daughter Gwen's First Birthday and she was coming home from the grocery store having bought food for our 15 person family celebration dinner. she felt guilty for having all of the wonderful things that we have been blessed with, but also felt helpless because what could she offer them that would make a difference in their lives? She ran home and grabbed some baby snacks from our cupboard and brought them along with $20 to the couple. They were very thankful, but Heather didn't feel any

better.

Heather said that she embraced the moment and finally put her Community Health Degree back to work and began a needs assessment. She discovered pretty quickly that diapers are in high demand amongst the homeless community. Neither the Food Stamps nor WIC programs offer diapers or diaper discounts, and none of our shelters or day centers here in SLO have the ability to store or distribute goods like diapers. Having found this information she established a non-profit organization called Infant Essentials. The goal is to provide necessary comforts to homeless and low income infants 0-3 years old.

Heather received requests for diapers, pull ups, car seats, strollers, etc. from 14 agencies around the county that have identified families in need on the North Coast. There are currently 700 homeless diaper-aged children in SLO County. In addition to the homeless population, organizations such as RISE and Stand Strong contact Infant Essentials when they identify women with infants escaping violence.

Heather thanked us for the diapers and other items we donated at our meeting.

You can learn more about Heather’s work or make a donation at https:// www.infantessentials.org/ We were please to announce to Heather that our Community Service Committee voted to make a donation to Infant Essentials and Bob Kasper invited her back to accept a “Big Check” (along with an actual one).

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Cambria!

Welcome to the BEST Rotary Club in the world!
You can email us at cambriarotaryclub AT gmail.com

Service Above Self

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Cambria / San Simeon, CA
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