Apparently there are a few Rotarians who need to be reminded of the Four Way Test because there was a lot of lying going on at Friday’s meeting.

Once again, the amazing duo of Tim & Nancy Carr produced four very strange items and four of Cambria Rotary’s best (Bob Kasper, Ron Perry, Kate Perry and Rick Auricchio) were tasked with properly identifying each item. The rest of us had to decide which of the four contestants was telling the truth (not that any of them could be trusted, mind you). After a few wise cracks from the peanut gallery the true purpose of each item was exposed. Just one more example of “If it Ain’t Fun, it Ain’t Rotary”.

RYLA GRADUATES

Cambria Rotary Club RYLA coordinator Jane Howard began with a brief overview: RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. CUHS Counselor Cheryl Seay helps with student selection, alerting students to application deadlines and arranging interview dates and times. Most students are juniors when they apply and attend. This year there were 5 juniors and 1 sophomore from Coast Union H.S. RYLA is conducted for 4 days at Camp Yomah in Ojai. Cristel Chesney, Laudon Rowen and Elaine Beckham drove the students to and from the camp. Jane praised the leadership of the camp: Darin Arrasmith is the chairperson and our own Nancy McKarney is his very capable administrator. Jane brought Tim Carr up to the podium to be recognized as the 2018 Most Outstanding RYLA

Counselor. About 250 attended RYLA this spring, April 19-22. Five RYLA graduates attended the Rotary luncheon. Student Testimonies about RYLA:

ZACK AZEVEDO---He was worried about a specific student ending up in his cabin. As it turned out, this particular student was a terrific person and lots of fun.

TORI EHLERS---She learned that 20 seconds of confidence such as smiling to someone can be life changing. In her Diversity class she learned that everyone was unique, and she learned how to reach out to fellow students.

FIONA CLOWARD---She learned that it was physically impossible to complete the obstacles of the Ropes Course without relying on, and having trust in, your fellow students. She learned that it was important to take the time to listen to other students’ stories. And she learned not to give up on her

dreams.

CESAR HERNANDEZ---He felt shy about mixing with new people at first. He tried to hang out with his friends the first day. But by the evening of the first day he found himself bonding with some new friends on his color team and in his cabin. He learned from Camp Director Darin to “take off your cool card” and be yourself. Cesar especially enjoyed the goal setting class and will use the notes he wrote in his binder. He concluded that the four days of RYLA were the best time of his life.

EMMA SISON—Emma said she could describe RYLA in one word---REFRESHING Emma admitted that she started at camp with a bad attitude. At first she worried that no one she knew was on her color team or in her cabin. But then she bonded with two new friends who are still in communication. She was sad to return home from RYLA, but realized a responsibility to share this inspirational experience with those who did not attend. She felt that the RYLA experience can bring out your “inner leader”.

Congratulations to the 2018 RYLA Graduates!

Jay (with Pat manning the video) told us about how they have travelled 15 different countries in their Model A. In 1999, the Burbank’s went to Baja and met up with a group of Model A enthusiasts that enjoyed travelling the world in their antique cars. It sounded like fun, and we know Pat & Jay are always in the market for fun, so they signed on.

Their first trip, in 2001, was to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Lichtenstein and Italy. There were over 50 cars on their tour. On September 11, while in Germany, they heard of the terrorist attacks but, realizing there was no way they would be able to get a plane ride home, decided to continue on their trip. They were approached numerous times throughout the trip by Europeans wanting to express their sympathy to this group of Americans.

In 2003, 24 cars, all driven by veterans, travelled through France and Monaco. They put a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier in Normandy. When they arrived in Monaco, the parking area outside the casino had been reserved for their 24 cars.

2004 found them in Australia where they drove Nullarbor Plan, 1500 miles of desert. At one point, they drove 90 miles without turning the steering wheel. While in Cape Leevwin, the most south-westerly mainland point of Australia, between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, the price of gas was $9 per gallon!

In 2008, the group toured 5 provinces of Canada and in 2012, toured Canada and the Pacific Northwest . 2013 brought them on a drive along the Lincoln Highway and in 2014, on a tour

of Utah’s National Parks. Lest you think all this travelling wore these two out, in 2017, they made a trip to Spain and Portugal and then decided to embark on a trip through Gold Rush country.

Thank you to Pat & Jay for a very interesting and fun presentation.

Roger Robinson shared information he received from the PETS conference he attended in February. Some of the key points:

•   In an attempt to better explain what Rotary is all about RI has come up with a new “elevator
  speech” that can be used the next time someone asks you “what is Rotary?: “We’re a
  leadership organization of local business, professional and civic leaders. We meet regularly, get to know each other, form friendships, and through that, we’re able to get things done in this community”.

•   More people join Rotary for friendship and local impact than any other reason.

•   Rotary’s #1 priority is membership! Without members there is no Rotary. Clubs may now offer associate, corporate (business), family or other types of membership and our club will be looking into a number of options to increase our membership, integrating new members into the club and providing training where needed.

•   RI also recommends forming committees (rather than assigning just a single person) for Service, Membership, Publicity, TRF, Grants and Awards, joining Avenues of Service, which already has committees.

•   When Avenues of Service makes a donation or participates in an activity, it is important that a photo be taken (when possible) and that photo be posted on the District website, social media, etc.

•   RI also recommends varying our meetings. Some suggestions include, rather than having a speaker every week, alternate the speakers with a vocational talk, a Rotary information session and committee updates. It was also suggested that, for months with 5 Fridays, have an evening social hour at a local bar or restaurant and encourage everyone to bring a guest.

•   Council on Legislation: Some changes announced are: Attendance: Clubs can relax or tighten rules on attendance; Rule of 85: Rotarians can be excused from attendance if the combined total of years of membership plus age equals 85, with years of membership total at least 20. Fees: Clubs can relax/tighten admission fees. RI dues may increase annually; Meetings: a minimum of 2 are required each month and the club can decide where and when; Magazines: 2 Rotarians living at the same address can request just one copy of the Rotarian Magazine.

Otis Archie introduced our speaker, Lu Chi Fa. “We’re talking inspiration and this man is an inspiration”.

Double Luck is the story of a boy named Lu Chi Fa who was born in China. When he was three years old, both his parents died, leaving him one thing: his name, which means "new beginning." For an orphan passed from relative to relative, and even sold into slavery, the name "new beginning" was most appropriate.

Lu Chi Fa does not remember the name of the Communist chief who paid five hundred pounds of rice for me. He was middle-aged and had recently married for the first me. His new wife had a twenty-year-old son. Communist Father reasoned that his stepson was too old for him to train, but I was a very small boy, and in his eyes, I was still trainable. Little Chi Fa would make an obedient son. Communist Father said his stepson was Number One Son and I was Number Two Son. We made him twice lucky. That was how I got my new name, Shang Shii, which means "double luck”.

When Chi Fa was a little boy and called out for help, no one answered. He promised himself then and there, that if ever he were successful he would do something to help others. Now that his memoirs have been published, he is keeping that promise. Copies of Double Luck are sold in his restaurant, at book signings, and online. Revenue from sales have been given to the Morro Bay and Atascadero libraries in California for their children's programs. Additional contributions have been made to the Morro Bay Library to renovate their children's room and to Cal Poly (in San Luis Obispo) for student scholarships.

You can purchase copies of Double Luck: Memoirs of a Chinese Orphan at Amazon.com. Or at Lu Chi Fa’s business, The Co ee Pot Restaurant which is located at 1001 Front Street (on the Embarcadero) in Morro Bay, California 93442. Hours: 7am-2pm

DG John Weiss introduced our speaker, Deepa Willingham, a naturalized citizen of the United States, who was born and brought up in Calcutta, India where she obtained her primary and secondary education under the stewardship of Mother Teresa, who was her teacher, undergraduate degree at the University of Calcutta and came to the United States in 1964 to pursue graduate degrees. She is an active Rotarian and she is the Founder/Chair of PACE Universal. Through PACE Universal and the Piyali Learning Center (PLC) she is
meticulously “selling” the concept of allowing girls to be educated instead of being married in early childhood or being sent to work, or being sold for sex trade. Through her efforts and use of personal resources she is determined to make PLC a poverty eradication proto-type model that others can duplicate to heal a hurting planet. John named her “Trouble Maker” and Jane Howard lovingly refers to her as OCIW (one crazy Indian woman).

Deepa painted a troubling picture for us but, thanks to her work, we also saw hope in that picture. She explained that the planet is in trouble. There are 7.5 billion people in the world and by 2050 there will be 10 billion. One in five of them will be illiterate unless something is done. Poverty cannot lead to peace. More people in the world have cell phones than have toilets. 62 million girls are not allowed to go to school. 2 million children die in armed conflicts. 300,000 children in the United States are at risk. There are between 20 and 30 million slaves in the world. 60% of the world’s hungry are woman. Every 7 seconds a young girl becomes a child bride. Educating women adds 12 trillion dollars to the economy.

Piyali Learning Center, which was founded by Deepa in 2003, is a fully equipped and environmentally sustainable school for more than 200 girls ranging from nursery to 12th grade. Each student receives a state-approved academic education, books and supplies, uniforms, breakfast and lunch, hygiene kits, medical care and life skills training. On this three-acre site, girls have access to computer labs and large classrooms where they study subjects from math and English to dance. Many students face danger at home. So we created Safe Abode for Education (SAFE), which provides on-campus housing for girls at high risk of abuse, exploitation or being sold. SAFE allows them to complete their education while living a life free from fear. For a donation of $375 a year, girls receive 2 meals a day and an education.

Sadly, explained Deepa, young girls in both San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties are also at risk of human trafficking. She is currently working on creating safe houses in our county. Deepa and PACE Universal, whose mission is to end trafficking and abject poverty through education, particularly of girls and women, will be holding a fundraiser, Bollywood Night 2.0, on April 29. For more information, go to: htpp://paceuniversal.org/wp-content/ uploads/2018/02/Bollywood-Night-2.0-Invita on.2018-op mized.pdf

To view the video Deepa showed us of some of the girls at Piyali Learning Center, go to: h ps://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3j8ztlRH9lQ&feature=youtu.be . Considering these girls are from a rural community in India where girls tend to their families, work as laborers or domestic servants, endure abuse, including being trafficked or married off as children, this video will inspire you.

“We know that if you can get girls into schools and keep them there, you can change the course of a nation.”
~ Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan.

Dr. Joe gave a fascinating presentation about some ancient teachings that remain relevant to maintaining balance in our lives. He reminded us of some lessons learned over thousands of years regarding the importance of:

• Feeling safe

• Experiencing passion and creativity

• Using our energy carefully

• Living from the heart

• Healthy communication

• Gaining and utilizing wisdom

• Clearing the mind

• And perhaps leave us with a reminder to pause and be in awe of this thing called life – and all that it offers

Bob Kasper stepped up to be the auctioneer for the Interact Bake Sale. John Ehlers bought a strawberry cake for $150 and donated it back to sell again. Otis re-gifted a chocolate and vanilla cake he had bought for $100. Chris Cameron and Cynthia Neer joined together to purchase a cake with lots of candy for $150. Laudon Rowan bought a cake for $110. Michael O’Sullivan bought a Mexican chocolate cake for $200. Joan Broadhurst bought an orange cake for $210. Miguel Sandoval bought a vanilla and chocolate cake for $120. Socorro Simons bought a $400 chocolate strawberry cake which she donated to O s. The top buyer of the day was Christel Chesney who bought a carrot cake for $450 and four cupcakes for $100.0 each. Gerry Porter reported that over $3500 was earned for the Interact Club from this bake sale.

Barbara Burns introduced today’s speaker: “Gem Munro has devoted his life and career to
improving educa onal opportuni es for disadvantaged people across Canada and abroad. Pursuit
of this objective carried him into residence in unfortunate communities across most of Canada. He
is presently Director of Amarok Society, a registered Canadian charity that provides education
programs to the very poor in Bangladesh and Pakistan. As well, Gem is an author and artist
whose current book (which he has here today) is a bestselling collection of stories about some of
the extraordinary people he’s come to know in the slums of Bangladesh. (Sale of his book is a
major fundraiser for Amarok Society.) For their work, Gem and his wife, Dr. Tanyss Munro, were recipients of Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medals.”

Mr. Munro gave a powerful presentation to the club about how we can reach and teach 70 million children too poor for school. He explained that 1 in 3 children have no chance of getting an education. Amarok Society believes that, if you teach a child, you teach a child. If you teach a father, he uses his new knowledge to gain a livelihood outside the home. But if you teach a mother, you teach a family. The Society has schools in the worst slums of Bangladesh where they teach mothers how to read, write, think. They start off by showing the mothers, who have had zero education, how to hold a pencil. Each woman in the school has to teach 5 children everything they have learned and they do it enthusiastically. Even some of the men, who are normally against women getting an education, can be found outside the huts, listening in while their wives teach their children.

Gem Munro’s book, South Asian Adventures with the Active Poor., Can be found at http://amaroksociety.org/wordpress/products/ htt pamaroksociety-orgwordpress201112191gembook/ or by going to AmarokSociety.org and clicking 'South Asian Adventures' under the 'Giftgem munro

s' tab. Proceeds from sale of the book go to help fund the work of Mr. Munro and the Amarok Society.

A note of interest: There are 52 Rotary clubs in Dacca, the largest city in Bangladesh.

Barbara Burns introduced our speaker, Dan Dow, District Attorney of San Luis Obispo County. Our County District She told us that Dan is also a proud Rotarian of the San Luis Obispo Club.

Dan made sure Sheri Dick saw that he was wearing his Rotary pin. Dan spoke about the subject
of human trafficking in our county, as well as reviewing this globally (46 million are enslaved!).
Rotary International has established an on-line site with informa on, called Rotary Action Group About Slavery: www.RAGAS.online. The FBI says that slavery is the fastest growing crime, especially in California and even here in SLO County. The average age for sex slavery is 16, with children even younger than 12 being trafficked by gangs. Dan reported that it is very lucrative and that there is a demand in our county, a major, major issue here. Also, labor trafficking is happening here. Law enforcement has been educated about this since 2014 and now Rotary is involved, with our District Governor John Weiss supportive.