The Greatest Zoom Rotary Club in the World: Santa Clara 

Meeting Recap: July 16, 2020

Mike Sellers, President and Zoom Coordinator

Bob Ricks, Humble Scribe for the Leadership

Speaker:  Dr. Stella Kemp 

SCUSD Superintendent

RECOGNITIONS & HAPPENINGS

• Sept 3, 2015- Susan Valenta, our District Governor’s visit to the Rotary Club of Santa Clara
• Next Board Meeting, September 16, 2015 at Mariani’s Restaurant, Santa Clara
• Santa Clara Art & Wine 2015
  September 19, 20
• October 3 and 10, 2015 Steps for Success school events
• October 20 to 26, 2015 Ireland trip
• Dec 03, 2015 Speech Contest
• Dec 10, 2015 Christmas for Kids

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

6/30/2015

Last Week’s Meeting. It was all about the BBQ at last week’s meeting which was held on the grounds of Central Park in the new BBQ Bistro. Set up for the SVBBQ Championships was in its second day and the area was starting to fill up with the Pro- Teams. Those helping with set up took a short break to have lunch and get the final details from Joe Sweeney and his crew of Frank Walsh, Nick Strait, Lizzy Baron, and Gerry Kosko. Gerry had his band of employees from Suhr Risk Services helping with the setup which added to the fun. Their contributions and willingness to help with the event is deserving of a big thank you.

And what an event it was. By 4:00 PM on Friday everything was in place and ready to go. Bay Area Builders constructed and assembled what has to be the longest bar I have ever seen. The Beer Garden tent, the biggest we have ever had, was ready to handle hundreds of visitors, the BBQ Bistro took on a special look, the food and other venders were in place, the BBQ teams offering samples had their pits going, and the smell of BBQ filled the park. Then for two days people enjoyed the event with Club members and other volunteers working several shifts to make sure everyone was served, parking was available, the BBQ judges were taken care of, the sampling teams were paid, and all of the other tasks associated with sponsoring the event were handled. We could not do this without the support of the club members, the volunteers, and off course our partners, the Parks and Recreation Department for the City of Santa Clara who, incidentally, won the Mayor’s Cup in the Backyard Competition.

Hats off to all of you who helped make this the best SVBBQ event to date. What a way to end the Rotary year.

Polio Plus. At the insistence for many attendees small tip jars appeared in the tent and beer booth. Tips collected in the Margareta area are going Polio Plus ($677)

This Weeks Meeting. For this week, it is the traditional debunking of the outgoing president. Past president Lou Ann Alexander is hosting the meeting. This is your chance to get some digs in so take advantage of it. If for some unknown reason I miss the meeting I want to thank each and every one of our members for your support and the incredible things you do that make this the Greatest Rotary Club in the World.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 July 2, 2015, The Debunking of Past President Rainbolt

 July 9, 2015, The beginning of Andy Ratermann’s term and the 2015-2016 Rotary year.

District Events:

 July 15, 2015 Roast & Toast DG Ed Jellen, Saratoga Springs

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

6/24/2015

Last Week’s Meeting. Dan Haifley the Executive Director of the O’Neil Sea Odyssey was last week’s speaker. The O’Neil Sea Odyssey is a non-profit organization founded by wet suit innovator Jack O’Neil. The Sea Odyssey organization is dedicated to the education and discovery of the marine habitat and the relationship between the living sea and the environment. The program is structure for youth in the 4th-6th grade who attend free but must earn their way by designing and performing a project to benefit their community. The program is carried out on a 65 ft catamaran sailing on Monterey Bay. Dan pointed out several statistics that this classroom setting enhances learning and retention by the students. Over 80,000 students have attended the program since it started. To learn more about the O’Neil Sea Odyssey go to www.oneillseaodyssey.org.

Rotary International Conference. Andy Ratermann returned after attending Rotary’s International Conference in San Palo, Brazil. He said he felt like he attended two conferences as he spent the second week in Rio along with 18,000 other Rotarians. Was it worthwhile for the soon to be President? Yes says Andy.

Polio Plus. If you have not done so already don’t forget to submit your Polio Plus pledge either by writing a check to Rotary International of by going on-line at Rotary.org. If you do it by check please give it to Ted Morehead or Miles Barber. Remember, your contribution counts toward your Paul Harris and also counts toward the Clubs 2014-2015 giving goals.

Newest Club Member. Tracy Wingrove was inducted as the Club’s newest member. Tracy is the Executive Director of the Santa Clara Library Foundation and is sponsored by Maria Daane who previously held that position. Tracy has a history of community service, is married to husband Jim and they have a daughter who will be a senior at Fremont High School and a son who will be a freshman at Fremont High School. Welcome to the Club Tracy.

With Tracy’s induction, twelve outstanding members have joined the Club over this Rotary year. Quite a class!

This Weeks Meeting. Well it is just around the corner, the fourth annual Silicon Valley BBQ Championships kicks off this Friday and ends on Saturday. The effort and planning that has gone into this signature event will make it the best ever. Hats off to the BBQ committee and all of those who have helped plan and organize this event. This week’s meeting will be about the BBQ and will be held at Central Park. If at all possible wear some work type clothes as set up will still be in progress and help is needed.

Oh, One More Thing. Bring a bag of lemons to the meeting on Thursday for the homemade lemonade booth.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Club meeting at Central Park June 25,2015

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 26-27

 July 2, 2015, The Debunking of Past President Rainbolt

 July 9, 2015, The beginning of Andy Ratermann’s term and the 2015-2016 Rotary year.

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

 July 15, 2015 Roast & Toast DG Ed Jellen, Saratoga Springs

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

6/16/2015

Last Week’s Meeting. Tim Richie, President of the Tech Museum of Innovation, gave us an update on all of the activities that the Museum supports. The Tech Museum is not what you might think of as a typical Museum. From their Tech Awards Program that annually recognizes innovators from around the world who develop and apply technology to improve the human condition to the Summer Camps for youth aspiring to be Scientists, Engineers and Innovators the Tech Museum is a very active and inspiring place for all visitors.

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

Tim covered the many other programs the Tech provides including the Tech Challenge for student between grades 5 -12, the Family, Math & Engineering bilingual classes, the Girl Scouts program, and the Tech Sleepovers that offer classes and STEM activities. All in all the Tech Museum of innovation is not your father’s typical museum. For more information about the Tech, check out www.tech.org.

Easy Perez. Easy says hello to everyone. He has entered his second round of Chemotherapy and has 5-6 months left. He and his doctors feel that they have removed all of the effected tissue and the Chemo program is to make sure. He says he will try to come by on a Thursday sometime depending on how he feels.

Bob Gustky. Bob, an avid golfer, volunteered that he shot his age in a recent round. He shot an 89 and fined himself $89. Congratulations Bob.

Mission City Community Fund Grant. Margaret Demorest submitted a grant application to the Mission City Community Fund to support our Christmas for Kids Program. On June 11 at the annual Recognition BBQ the Rotary Club of Santa Clara received a $4000 grant. Thank you to Margaret for submitting and receiving the grant request.

Polio Plus. If you have not done so already don’t forget to submit your Polio Plus pledge either by writing a check to Rotary International of by going on-line at Rotary.org. If you do it by check please give it to Ted Morehead. Remember, your contribution counts toward your Paul Harris and also counts toward the Clubs 2014-2015 giving goals.

Silicon Valley BBQ Championships. The BBQ committee held the final planning meeting this week. Everything is coming together for the 4th Annual SVBBQ Championships. If you have not signed up for at least two shifts please do so by contacting Margaret Demorest or Elizabeth Mayo. Make sure you plan to attend the June 25th meeting at Central Park for a review of the assignments, tasks, and to help with the final set-up.

This Weeks Meeting. We will be at the Bay Club for this week’s meeting and Dan Haifley of the O’Neil Sea Odyssey will be the guest speaker. Dan is the Executive Director of the O’Neil Sea Odyssey which is a non-profit organization founded by wet suit innovator Jack O’Neil. The organization provides a hands-on educational experience to encourage the protection and preservation of our living sea and communities.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Board Meeting June 17, 6:30 PM, Holders Country Inn 6:30 PM-8:00 PM

 Club meeting at Central Park June 25,2015

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 26-27

 July 2, 2015, The Debunking of Past President Rainbolt

 July 9, 2015, The beginning of Andy Ratermann’s term and the 2015-2016 Rotary year.

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

 July 15, 2015 Roast & Toast DG Ed Jellen, Saratoga Springs

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

6/10/2015

Last Week’s Meeting. Ted Keech hosted last week’s annual recognition of the Club’s Past Presidents. Many of the Past Presidents were in attendance and Ted acknowledged each with a couple of exceptions. He forgot to mention Bob Gustke tenure and some felt he should have included John Bertolotti as the president of RIM and for his one and only day serving as the Club President. The contributions from our Past Presidents have defiantly helped make the Club what it today. Ted had comments about several Past Presidents which were entertaining to say the least and reminded our members of the Club’s colorful history. Thanks Ted for hosting one of the Club’s favorite meetings.

Dan Holder verified that it was no rumor that he failed to tell his wife Anna that he accepted the President Elect position until several months after the selection. He even tried to keep Anna from learning about it at the annual Valentine dinner by telling others not to bring it up. But alas someone did accidently let the word out and Dan was had.

Polio Plus. If you have not done so already don’t forget to submit your Polio Plus pledge either by writing a check to Rotary International of by going on-line at Rotary.org. If you do it by check please give it to Ted Morehead.

Silicon Valley BBQ Championships. In a little more than two weeks the 4th Annual SVBBQ Championships takes place. Many members have been involved in the planning for the Clubs largest fundraiser. Soon it will be time to implement and all club members need to make every effort to support this event by signing up for at least two shifts. This event allows us to do the things that make us a vibrant Club. Let’s recognize the BBQ committee’s hard work by filling available shift slots on the signup sheet that will be up at this week’s meeting. Yes, life’s events sometimes get in the way of helping so if you are not able to volunteer asked a friend or neighbor to stand if for you. Volunteering is what Rotarians do. It will be fun, it will be rewarding, and you will learn more about your fellow Rotarians -I guarantee it.

This Weeks Meeting. We are returning to the Bay Club for this week’s meeting featuring Tim Richie as our guest speaker. Tim is the President of the Tech Museum and will be sharing plans and doings at the Museum. The Tech Museum is a local treasure so doesn’t miss the opportunity to learn more about it at the meeting.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Board Meeting June 17, 6:30 PM, Holders Country Inn 6:30 PM-8:00 PM

 Club meeting at Central Park June 25,2015

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 26-27

 July 2, 2015, The Debunking of Past President Rainbolt

 July 9, 2015, The beginning Andy Ratermann’s term and the 2015-2016 Rotary year.

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

 July 15, 2015 Roast & Toast DG Ed Jellen, Saratoga Springs

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

6/3/2015

Last week’s meeting was an opportunity to view antique automobiles at John Bertolotti’s facility. What an amazing collection of early 1900’s automobiles from several manufacturers whose names don’t exist today. John led the tour providing a history lesson on the automobile, the industry, the manufactures, and their use in the early 20th century. He also spoke of the need to replace the horse as a means of transportation-especially in large cities like New York where millions of pounds and millions of gallons of waste had to be cleared from the streets daily. John’s detailed knowledge of each of the automobiles in the collation is impressive to say the least. Thank you to John for hosting the meeting.

Don’t forget to submit your Polio Plus pledge either by check to Rotary International of by going on-line at Rotary.org. If you do it by check please give it to Ted Morehead.

This week’s meeting will, once again, not be at the Bay Club. The meeting will be at the Santa Clara Elks Club located at 1620 Martin Ave in Santa Clara. This is the annual Past Presidents BBQ where we honor our Club’s Past Presidents as well as roast a few of them. Ted Keech leads the event and it is expected to be as entertaining as ever. This is one of my favorite meetings of the year so I encourage you to attend.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Board Meeting June 17, 6:30 PM, Holders Country Inn

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 26-27

 July 2, 2015, The Debunking of Past President Rainbolt

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

 July 15, 2015 Roast & Toast DG Ed Jellen, Saratoga Springs

Other Events

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention- São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

5/27/2015

Gene Bleymaeir, Director of Intercollegiate Athletics at San Jose State was the speaker at last week’s meeting. Gene spoke about the many successes San Jose State Athletic programs has enjoyed over the years. He also covered plans for improvements and additions to the athletic facilities at the University. The plan covers the next few years and requires mostly private donations to implement.

An Ipad mini was auctioned off with the funds raised going to Rotary International’s Polio-Plus program. Larry Fargher was the high bidder at $500. Several members pledged donations for Polio Plus and after the initial sign-up over $5,000 has been pledged. For those that are making a donation there are two ways to handle it - you can make a check out to Rotary International and give it to Ted Moorhead or you can go to Rotary.org and select the GIVE button. This will allow you to select "I WANT TO SUPPORT A POLIO FREE WORLD". From there you can login using your ClubRunner login, follow the instructions, and make your donation. After a few days you will receive and e-mail acknowledgement for your donation to keep for your tax records.

The BBQ committee provided an update on this year’s Silicon Valley BBQ Championships which is only one month away. A large volunteer signup sheet was posted and members are asked to sign up for at least two shifts over the two day event. Contact Margaret Demorest or Elizabeth Mayo for more volunteer information.

The employees of Lorenzo Rios’s company raised funds for the Club to purchase another Shelter Box in response to the Nepal earthquake. Lorenzo also reported that Easy Perez is doing well and has started his treatments following the discovery and removal of a malignant tumor.

This week’s meeting will not be at the Bay Club. The meeting will be at John Bertolotti’s facility in Santa Clara. The address for the facility will be sent in a separate e-mail. Lunch will be catered by Armadillo Willy’s. Please let me if you are bringing a guest and did not note it on last week’s sign-up sheet.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 26-27

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

Other Events

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention- São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

5/20/2015

The Club’s Polio Plus campaign kicked-off at last week’s meeting as our own Suds Jain was the speaker. Suds shared his story as a victim of the disease and treatments he endured as a child. He also provided information on the origins of polio which dates back several centuries, it’s occurrence in the United States, the efforts to develop vaccines that prevent the disease, and the eradication campaigns that started in the late 1930’s. Rotary International has played a huge role to eradicate Polio globally through the Polio Plus campaign. In 2013 there were 416 Polio cases reported all of them located in three countries: Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Nigeria where it has been difficult to vaccinate all children.

Suds will be manning the information booth at this year’s BBQ where donations to Polo Plus will be accepted. It is estimated that it will cost $5.5 billion to complete the eradication of the disease globally but would save $40-$50 billion over the next 20 years.

At the meeting John Keane the Chairman of ShelterBiox USA spoke briefly about the shelter boxes and thanked the Club for the generous donation of funds following member contributions in support of relief efforts resulting from the Nepal earthquake.

Easy Perez is doing much better following removal of a cancerous tumor. The doctors feel they removed all of the cancerous tissue but Easy will be on chemotherapy for the next several weeks. We all wish Easy the best and please keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

This year’s Scholarship Recipients were presented at last week’s meeting. Two students from Santa Clara High, one student from Wilcox High, and one student from New Valley High will each receive a $2000 scholarship award for each year they are attending college for up to four years. The students typically attend a community college for the first two years.

Next week the meeting will be held at John Bertolotti’s warehouse not at the Bay Club. John will give us a tour of his antique auto collection. If you haven’t already done so, please let us know if you are bringing a guest as space is limited. Directions will be forthcoming. Also remember that the following week (June 4th) the meeting will be held at the Elks club as it is the Past President BBQ. Ted Keech is the MC for this event and he said he will be covering the great Past Presidents of the Club. More information will follow.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Joint Board Meeting May 20th

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

 Rotary U May 21,2015 India Community Center 525 Los Coches St., Milpitas, CA 95035 from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM

Other Events

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention- São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

5/13/2015

The Club was dark last week as it was bocce ball night at Campo di Bocce. John Bertolotti was the team organizer and did is usual great job at setting up competitive teams. Thanks John for organizing this annual event and keeping my record clean- zero wins.

Prior to Bocce Ball week the former mayor of San Jose, Chuck Reed, was our speaker. The Mayor spoke about the issues facing cities like San Jose and Santa Clara on the unsustainable raising costs and liabilities to fund public employee pensions and health benefits. He also outlined steps needs to start containing those future liabilities.

Also at that meeting, Suresh Ojha was inducted as the newest member of the Club. Suresh was born in Nepal where a devastating earthquake stuck on April 25. He has family living there and is involved in establishing communication facilities in the country and supporting relief efforts. He spoke of the needs of the country’s citizens who have been displaced by earthquake. The Rotary Club of Santa Clara responded with member donations to purchase Shelter Boxes that can be deployed to the country that will provide basic needs. The Boxes provide people with shelter tents, stoves for cooking and warmth, and other daily essentials. Members donated $4000 and the Club matched $2000 for the purchase of the Shelter Boxes. Marguerite Padovani put together a Press Release about Suresh and the Club donations to help the country. The release was distributed to various news media and appeared in Sal Pizarro San Jose Mercury column on May 10. Here is the link http://www.mercurynews.com/sal-pizarro/ci_28080818/pizarro-willow-glen-trestle-gets-another-shot-at

A BBQ committee meeting was held on May 11. Things are moving along, there are still tables available for the Bistro and there is the need for volunteers. More will be covered at this week’s meeting

This week’s speaker is our own Suds Jain. Suds will be talking about polio and the efforts by Rotary International to eliminate the disease. Suds has experienced polio first hand and this will kick off our Polio Plus Campaign.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign & Polio Plus Campaign– on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus- On going

Other Events

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention- São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

4/28/2015

President Elect Andy Ratermann took the speaker podium last week to talk about Ireland and our Sister Club in Limerick. Andy has been to Ireland several times and on a few occasions has visited our Sister Club. He shared the possibility of doing a joint international project with the Limerick Club. He also provided some details about an event he wants to do during his term. The event is a Santa Clara Rotary member trip to Ireland. There would be something for everyone including golf, sampling of Irish Sprits, and general sightseeing. He is looking for some feedback if members would support such a trip so please let him know if you have an interest. The trip would take place in the Fall.

The Silicon Valley BBQ Championships event is less than 2 months away (June 26 & 27) so planning activities are in full swing. This event is our major fund raiser for the year and will be bigger than the previous year. A major addition this year is the BBQ Bistro which is a separate area where tables can be purchased and patrons are served food and drink in a comfortable, tented setting. There are still tables available and since this is another source of revenue for the Club we want to make sure we sell each one. Brochures are available describing the Bistro. Contact Miles Baber with any sales possibilities you may have.

The hours for the BBQ are extended to 10:00 PM on Friday night and there are some excellent bands scheduled to perform. Additionally, the Club will have booths for BBQ corn, Lemonade and Baked Potatoes. With the extended hours, the addition of the Bistro, the Club’s food booths, and the margarita, beer and wine tent, guess what? We need a lot of volunteer’s for this year’s event. We need every member of the Club to help and I encourage you to enlist your family members and friends to spend some time volunteering at Central Park. In the following weeks more information about volunteering will be available.

If you have not signed up for Bocce Ball yet please let John Bertolotti know by May 6

th. The event is May 8th Club will be Dark on that day.

We have a special speaker this week and his name is Chuck Reed. In case you don’t recognize the name, he is the past mayor of San Jose. He served as mayor for 8 years (2007-2014) and had to deal with the impact of 2008-2009 financial crises. Mr. Reed will be speaking about coping with the retirement expenses for public employees. This is a great time to invite a guest to the meeting.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Bocce Ball May 7

th, Campo di Bocce, Los Gatos

o

No host beverages 6:30 PM

o

Dinner 7:00 PM

o

Bocce 8:00-10:00

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Polio Plus

Other Events

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

4/22/2015

Last week’s meeting was Throw Back Thursday with past President Jan Eric Nordmo leading the meeting. Thanks Jan. I hear Bevis & Butthead were featured.

The speaker was John Ifcher, Assistant Professor of Economics at Santa Clara University. His topic was about Tax Credits and Happiness. Since I wasn’t at the meeting I don’t have any tidbits to pass along.

For the Club’s Red Badgers, a Blue Badge Progress board was displayed. The board shows the tasks needed to get a Blue Badge. Our membership chair Bob Ricks proposed it and Joe Sweeney made the board. I am not sure there was an explanation about the purpose of the board but that will be covered this week.

The District conference took place last weekend. I hope you all attended at least one session. Our own Andy Ratermann led the Friday evening pledge covering for the missing president who was probably being held captive in Area 51. Thanks Andy.

Jan Eric played a very important role at the conference for the Saturday evening dinner. He was responsible for keeping tabs on the entertainers as they dressed and prepared for their act. If you saw some photos posted on Facebook you can understand why Jan had a tough assignment.

This week’s speaker is none other than our own speaker chair, Andy Ratermann. Andy has been instrumental in establishing a sister club in Ireland and has made a few trips to the land of the Irish. So, not surprising, he will be talking about Ireland and the possibilities of doing more with our sister club in Limerick.

See you on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

Other Events



Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA



WPA, Women of Purpose and Action, Red Carpet Fund Raiser, April 28, 3260 The Alameda, Santa Clara. To register www.womenofpurposeandaction.com. See Lidia Blair for more details.

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

4/15/2015

Dr. Melina Uncapher, CEO and cofounder of the Institute for Applied Neuroscience which is a science-for-good non-profit organization was last week’s speaker. Dr. Uncapher started her talk off by sharing that she has been in two serious automobile accidents as a result of other driver’s texting while they when driving. Based on her research she likened it to being under the influence of alcohol in terms of one’s ability to safely operate a vehicle. The Institute is currently partnering with various school districts to share what they are learning about how student learn and better ways to teach. Dr. Uncapher and the Institute are involved in several different applications of their neuroscience research to everyday problems. I you want to learn more I suggest you Google her or go to the Institute’s web site at

www.appliedneuro.org/about.html .

There was a short update on the BBQ activities that are taking place. Miles Barber reported that a lot of work has been going on behind the scene with respect to the addition of the BBQ Bistro this year. Sales of tables have been very good but there are still some spots available. The BBQ committee is gearing up to present to the club, among other things, the volunteer needs for this year’s event.

Lidia Blair is in the process of forming the Steps for Success committee and identifying the activaties for this event which takes place in the fall.

Don’t forget to sign up for the District 5170 conference taking place this week from April 17-19. You can sign up at by visiting the District 5170 website (http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Home.aspx?accountid=50083

This week’s speaker comes from the Leavey School of Business at Santa Clara University. John Ifcher, Assistant Professor of Economics, has published papers on among other topics, the effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit on happiness. That sounds pretty interesting.

Don’t miss this week’s meeting, there will be a surprise or two.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

 Board Meeting April 15, 2015, 6:30 PM. Holders Country Inn

 SC Rotary Foundation Board Meeting, April 20, 6:00 PM, Anton Morec

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

Other Events



Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA



WPA, Women of Purpose and Action, Red Carpet Fund Raiser, April 28, 3260 The Alameda, Santa Clara. To register www.womenofpurposeandaction.com. See Lidia Blair for more details.

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

4/8/2015

Don’t you wish you had a rotating stick or even and rotating stick with a light on it when you are roasting Marshmallows? Well Jim Rogers, CEO of Kampgrounds of America (KOA), has both available at the KOA locations. Jim was last week’s speaker and demonstrated both devices along with giving us a firsthand account of his experience appearing on an episode of the TV show "Undercover Boss". He showed clips from the broadcast and spoke about the preparation that took place in developing the episode and filming at the various locations he visited for the show. Jim sprinkled a lot of humor in his presentation but also talked about how in his business, like Rotary, is based on"Service Above Self". Our Program Director, Andy Ratermann, hit another one out of the park with his speaker selection.

The induction of three new members took place last week and it was quite an induction. I don’t know if three new members have even been inducted at the same time in the Club but it seem to confuse the President as he couldn’t keep the names straight. Jerry Marsalli, Fred Ahlstrom, and Lou Mariani are our newest members. Make sure you take the time to introduce yourself when you get a chance.

This week’s speaker is Dr. Melina Uncapher, CEO and cofounder of the Institute for Applied Neuroscience which is a science-for-good non-profit organization. She partners with educators throughout California to design, implement and assess education innovations that are grounded in the science of learning. Yet another interesting speaker and topic for our meeting.

Don’t forget to sign up for the District 5170 conference taking place next week from April 17-19. You can sign up at by visiting the District 5170 website (http://www.clubrunner.ca/Portal/Home.aspx?accountid=50083

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

 Board Meeting April 15, 2015, 6:30 PM. Holders Country Inn

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

Other Events



The Wall that Heels- Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial , April 9-12, 2015, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno

 Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

3/24/2015

Last week’s meeting covered more about the recent ELC program. Miles Barber and Colleen Noll talked about this year’s conference and several recent ELC graduates from the local high schools were invited to the meeting along with School Administrators. The students shared their overall ELC experience talking about the products they came up with, the friendships they made, and what they felt they learned.

Given the recent disaster from Tropical Cyclone Pam were winds reached 200 mph and left thousands of people without shelter in the islands of Vanuatu, Rotary International has started deploying Shelter Boxes to the region. Our Club purchased a Shelter Box earlier in the year and some members made donations towards the purchase of another box. Thanks to recent long vacations to exotic places by Stewart Cusimano and Harbir Bhatia, they graciously donated their fines toward the purchase of the next Shelter Box. Who knows, maybe this week we will obtain the funds to complete the purchase. So let me know of any finable activates by your fellow members.

After last week’s meeting three new potential members attended Rotary Information and were recommended to the Board for membership. The Board approved their applications and we are now awaiting approval by the Club Members. An e-mail was sent earlier for the members to comment on the applicants. The three applicants are: Jerry Marsalli, Lou Mariani, and Fred Ahlstrom.

This week’s speaker is Linda Lyon. Linda is the executive Director of the March of Dimes. She will provide some insights on the activities of the March of Dimes and maybe offer some background on this historical organization.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

Other Events



The Wall that Heels- Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial , April 9-12, 2015, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno

 Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

3/17/2015

I am sure all of you missed last week’s meeting, or you should have since there was no meeting. We were dark for the Enterprise Leadership Conference that took place starting Wednesday 3/11 and ending on Friday 3/13/15. This was the 2

nd ELC South Bay conference and it went extremely well. Our partners, the Rotary Clubs of Mt View and Milpitas, helped guide 60 high school juniors thru three days of instruction resulting in ten new products defined and ten new companies formed. The three Co Chairs, Colleen Noll, Miles Barber, and Phil Dolan, put together a fabulous venue of speakers, kept the program moving, and made it fun for the students. Several Club members participated as RTAs, speakers and/or judges which added to the success of the program. ECL Silicon Valley West consisting of the Rotary Clubs of Saratoga, Sunnyvale, Campbell, Los Altos & Cupertino held their program at the same time resulting in 120 High School Juniors at the Asilomar Conference Center. Quite a growth story considering six years ago we started with 48 students and four clubs and have expanded to 120 students and eight clubs in 2015.

Prior to our last week we had Jeff Rosen, District Attorney for Santa Clara County, as the speaker. He talked about how his office is trying to build bridges between the various communities in the County and what some of the major crime issues are for Santa Clara County. Surprisingly, Human Trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation is a real issue in the County

This week’s meeting will be about the recent Enterprise Leadership Conference. High School Representatives from Santa Clara High, Wilcox High, Mission Middle College, Wilson, New Valley, and St Lawrence are invited to the meeting along with students from those schools.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Board Meeting, March 18, 6:30 PM, Holders Country Inn on Saratoga Ave.

 Silicon Valley BBQ Championships June 27-28

District Events: 

TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

Other Events

The Wall that Heels- Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial , April 9-12, 2015, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno

 Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

3/5/2015

Our speaker last week was Dr Hi-Dong Chai. Dr. Chai was born in Korea and educated in the United States with a PhD in Engineering. While he has established himself as an authority in his field with numerous inventions and publications he told the story of his life living under four different political systems- Imperialist Japan, Communist North Korea, Democratic South Korea, and the United States of America. Most of his story was told via an entertaining, but serious, cartoon created by Dr. Chai’s son. At the end of the meeting Dr. Chai made available several free copies of his book

Shattered by the Wars which tells the story of what happened to his family during WW II under Japan and during the Korean War. A touching talk pointing out the many differences living under various political systems.

Larry Fargher returned from what seemed like several months in Hawaii. What did he do while there? From his balcony on the beach he observed 101 whales and was fined appropriately.

Sales of sponsorships and BBQ Bistro tables are off to a good start for the SVBBQ Championships. Miles Barber and Susan Lucas reported on the progress and offered their help to anyone that needs to close a sponsorship. Still a ways to go to fill all of the sponsorships and Bistro tables so if you know of possible organizations that could be a sponsor and/or a purchaser of a table, please make the connection.

ELC South Bay will hold two student/parent orientation sessions this week at Mission College. The first session is March 3

rd and the second in one March 5th. The conference is March 11-13 and we will be dark on March 12. Please feel free to attend the opening session on March 11 at Mission College.

This week’s speaker is Jeff Rosen who is the District Attorney for Santa Clara County. Mr. Rosen will be speaking, among other topics, about the activities of the County’s DA’s office. This week is a good opportunity to invite a guest to hear Mr. Rosen speak.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 ELC Orientation Sessions, March 3 and March 5 at Mission College 7:00 PM

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Cabinet Meeting, March 4, 2015 6:30 PM Embassy Suites- Milpitas. Dinner offered at $35 or event fee at $5

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Other Events



The Wall that Heels- Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial , April 9-12, 2015, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno

 Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA

 Maria Daane Library going-away-party:

Pedro's on Freedom Circle in Santa Clara on March 4th from 4 pm to 7 pm

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

2/26/2015

How did your Oscar predictions turn out? Last week’s speaker, Brain Adams, provided some of his predictions and gave some insightful information about the Academy Awards. Brian is a member of the Academy so is allowed to vote on nominations in certain areas. He spoke about what is involved in the nomination process and, if nominated, what the film companies do to bring home the Oscar. He then had a little fun by involving some members in a game of Academy Award Trivia. Brian was a very entertaining speaker and help shed some light on what happens to get a category nomination and what it takes to win in that category.

Pal Alesetty gave his Red Badge talk which was likewise entertaining. If you missed it you might want to ask Pal to share some of the details when you see him.

There was a board meeting prior to last weeks’ meeting where several donation request were approved including a donations to the Northwest YMCA, Operation Surf which works to rehabilitate active duty military who have been wounded, and the Wall that Heels which is a traveling version of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that will be in the Bay Area April 9-12, 2015emorial.

The Board also approved two donations to the Starting Arts program. One is to provide art instruction to children receiving cancer treatment at Kaiser Hospital in Santa Clara. The second one, which will start this fall, is targeted toward providing art instruction for children attending a Title 1 school in Santa Clara. Ann Watts is the Executive Director of Starting Art and she gave a brief overview of the program at the meeting describing the value of art instruction to youth at an early age.

A reminder that if you plan to attend the Tribute to Joan Marwitz’s it will be held at St. Clare’s Church in Santa Clara (941 Lexington, Santa Clara, 95050) at 10:00AM on the morning of Thursday, February 26

th (http://www.stclareparish.org/ ).

This week’s speaker is Dr. Hi-Dong Chai. Dr Chai was born in Korea and educated in the United States with a PhD in Engineering. While he has established himself as an authority in his field with numerous inventions and publications he has a story to tell about his own life. Dr. Chai will share his life experiences under four political systems- Imperialist Japan, Communist North Korea, Democratic South Korea, and the United States of America.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 ELC Orientation Sessions, March 3 and March 5 at Mission College 7:00 PM

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Cabinet Meeting, March 4, 2015 6:30 PM Embassy Suites- Milpitas. Dinner offered at $35 or event fee at $5

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Other Events



The Wall that Heels- Traveling Vietnam Veterans Memorial , April 9-12, 2015, Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno

 Operation Surf, April 21-27, 2015, Santa Cruz, CA

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

2/19/2015

As most of you are aware by now Walt Marwitz’s wife, Joan, pass away this past Monday. Joan attended many of the Rotary social functions and was well known and liked within the Club. She had been on a program to fight the cancer but time ran out. She will be missed and our condolences, thoughts and prayers go out to the Marwitz family. When we learn more about the service we will pass that information on.

Last week’s meeting was an inspiration to us all as Ashley Wong, the Interact District 5170 Area 11 Director, gave an emotional talk about Interact, the projects they engaged in and the impact they make. Ashley shared what Interact has done for her and how important it is in her life. As a senior in High School she amazed us all with her abilities, passion and her speech was met with a standing ovation from the Club. She reminded us all why we support Interact Clubs. Thank you to Margaret Demorest, our Interact Advisor, for exposing Ashley to the Club. She is a talented student who will make an impact on people’s lives.

It is crunch time for ELC as teams are being finalized and preparations are underway for the Orientation Sessions to be held on March 3 and March 5. Thanks to Daniel Peck, Mission College will be the site for the Orientation Sessions and the first half day of the Conference. ELC takes place March 11-13 with two ELC groups holding the conference on the same dates. Six years ago the Rotary Clubs of Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Campbell and Saratoga started off with 48 students. At this year’s event there will be 120 students and 8 Clubs involved in the conference.

ArLyne Diamond was inducted as the newest member at last week’s meeting. ArLyne has been active in the community for several years and has her own consulting company. Her designation is Leadership and O-D Consultant. Be sure to take the time to introduce yourself to ArLyne.

President Elect Andy Ratermann pulled out all of the stops for this year’s Valentine Dinner. Great food, great wine, great gifts, great decorations, and great entertainment. Opera singer Michael Taylor (husband of our own Susan Lucas Taylor) got some of the Rotary men to sing along and his version of The Phantom of the Opera’s "Music of the Night" was captivating. If Andy’s Valentine Dinner is any indication of his year as President, we are in for a great ride. Thanks to all of those who helped put this event on- Diamond Mike, Deb York, Colleen Noll, Gary Citti, Susan Lucas, Jim Landis, the staff at Justin’s and the staff from Black Ridge Vineyards.

It is Academy Award season and this week we have Brian Adams to share his predictions with us. Brian is VP of Marketing/Communication at Bellarmine College Prep and knows a bit about movies and the Academy. So be sure to attend this week’s meeting to see how your predictions compare.

See you all on Thursday.

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

2/12/2015

Keith Blackey is help establish the first Rotary Club in Kabul, Afghanistan and was last week’s guest speaker. Keith has been active in Rotary and Boy Scouts for many years. The unique thing about Keith is that he has severed in various military war zones and has made great strides in establishing Boy Scout troops as well as a Rotary Club in areas you would not expect. In Iraq he was instrumental in setting Boy Scout troops despite the ongoing civil unrest in that country. Likewise in Afghanistan he was able to lay the ground work and overcome the obstacles associated with the development of a Boy Scout network in that war torn country. He told the stories of what they had to do to avoid the Taliban and keep the Scouts safe. Similarly he was instrumental in establishing the fist Rotary Club in Afghanistan where once again they had to be concerned about the Taliban. Keith’s talk was very enlightening about what it takes to establish such organizations in countries with unstable political systems. Hope you all enjoyed it.

With ELC about one month away, the committee is hard at work putting the final touches on the program. Students have been selected, speaker assigned, and RTA’s given their teams. THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR A COUPLE OF MORE RTAs. YES, IT IS A THREE DAY COMMITMENT BUT YOU WILL FIND IT REWARDING AND BEST OF ALL, IT IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE YOUR KNOWLEDGE WITH YOUNG STUDENTS WHO MAY BECOME FUTURE ENTREPRENEURS. Please see Phil Dolan if you feel you can commit to this outstanding program.

The BBQ committee kicked off the program to sell tables at this year event. They have all of the material you need to promote the event and sign up organizations. They will even accompany you on a prospect visit to help close the deal. Please be thinking about who might be purchasers of tables and see Susan Lucas Taylor, Miles Barber, or Joe Sweeney for any help. This effort has the potential to significantly add revenue for our Club and Foundation that will allow us to expand our charitable activities locally and internationally.

This week’s speaker is Ashley Wong, Interact District 5170 Area 11 Director. Ashley is a student at Wilcox High School and will be speaking about Interacts within the Santa Clara Unified School District and other Interact activities happening in Area 11. Please plan to attend the meeting to hear about the great things our Interact Clubs are doing.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justin’s hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

Last week we had the pleasure of having the President of Symphony Silicon Valley, Andrew Bales speak. Andrew gave a little history of Symphony Silicon Valley and how they have managed keep it viable from a financial standpoint as well as attracting and keeping local first class musicians. Symphony Silicon Valley was born from the ashes of the San Jose Symphony. They have flourished based on an innovative business model that is market driven, financially conservative and has the flexibility to match its programming to its support base. Their home is the restored California Theater in downtown San Jose. You can check out the upcoming performances at http://www.symphonysiliconvalley.org/.

Scott Ngai was inducted into the Club as our newest member. Scott is a Pediatric Dentist with a practice in Santa Clara. Mike Pearce is his sponsor. Stop by and say hello to Scott when you get a chance.

ELC has selected students and assigned them to teams. Each of the 10 Teams has two RTAs. The RTAs will be contacting the students this week to verify that they can attend the conference. Each student must attend, with a parent or guardian, one of two orientation sessions to be held at Mission College. A lot is going on with the ELC committee over the next month. Contact Phil Dolan or Colleen Noll to see where you may participate.

This week’s speaker is Keith Blackey. Keith is the founder of the Kabul Rotary Club in Afghanistan. Kabul is the largest city in Afghanistan. I am sure Keith has quite the story to tell. Don’t miss it

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justin’s hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Cabinet Meeting Feb. 4

th, 2015, 6:30 PM, Embassy Suites-Milpitas. Presidents Elects, Presidents & Red Badgers Welcome. See Steve for more information

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

1/28/2015

We were all pleasantly surprised at last week’s meeting to see the return of Mike Moul after being out for more than four months. Mike you look great and we are so glad to have you back.

Chris Cavanaugh, last week’s speaker, is a former Olympic swimmer having won Gold Medals in the 1984 Summer Olympics. Chris shared his story of what it took for him to achieve at the highest level in his sport and what he learned along the way. Supportive parents, athletic abilities, competitive spirit, and a lot of self motivation all contributed. An occasional defeat didn’t hurt either. Lessons learned from his Olympic journey are applicable to many facets of life and Chris has utilized those skills to help others achieve their goals.

Chris regularly speaks before charitable organization and participates in many charitable swimming events. He brought with him his Gold Metals and shared them and other artifacts with the Club.

The Rotary Foundation (TRF) giving continues with Jan. 31, 2015 being the deadline for counting contributions that are returned to the Club for their use in the 2015-2016 Rotary year. To date our Club is under our goal of 100% participation with only 35% of the members making a contribution and total contributions at only 77% of goal. If you haven’t yet contributed please consider doing so before the end of the month. As the "Greatest Rotary Club In the World", we can do better. You will still have a chance to contribute after the end of the month as our Polio Drive will start soon.

ELC is really heating up. RTA training and student selections have taken place and RTA’s will soon be contacting their Teams. Be sure and speak with Phil Dolan or Colleen Noll to see where you can help.

This week’s speaker comes to us via our own Ann Watts. Andrew Bales, President of Symphony Silicon Valley, will be talking about the Symphony’s plans, events and status. About time we had a little culture in the Club.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justin’s hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Cabinet Meeting Feb. 4

th, 2015, 6:30 PM, Embassy Suites-Milpitas. Presidents Elects, Presidents & Red Badgers Welcome. See Steve for more information

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

1/22/2015

Steve Fisher of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority gave a presentation on the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project that is proposed for sections of El Camino Real from Palo Alto to

Santa Clara. The project proposal has been in the works since 2010 and is entering the engineering and construction phase.

The purpose of the Project is to improve transit product efficiency, cost effectiveness and provide a competitive option to auto travel. The plan calls for dedicated bus lanes as well as some mixed use lanes (bus and auto). Dedicated bus lanes would be set up on the El Camino in Santa Clara. The project is expected to improve ridership along the El Camino and reduce bus transit times.

The project will also improve the aesthetics of the El Camino. Included in this message is an attachment containing the slides presented at the meeting.

Miles Barber was the Emergency Throw Back Thursday Past President for the meeting. Thanks Miles for stepping in on such short notice. I understand he kept his reputation as the king of the presidential fines.

Our Speaker this week is Chris Cavanaugh. Chris will be speaking about his Olympic Journey which has provided him with a platform to help youth, adults, and leaders. Chris is the winner of multiple Olympic Medals in swimming. Chris is also a wealth manager with Morgan Stanley and possess many other skills. We are looking forward to Chris’s talk.

COMING UP….

Club events:

TRF Campaign – on going

 Board Meeting Jan 21, 2015- Holders Country Inn, 6:30-8:30 PM

 Jan 21 & 22 ELC RTA Training at St. Lawrence Academy 6:00 PM- 7:00 PM

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justins hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events:

 International Convention-

São Paulo, Brazil, June 6-9 2015

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

1/15/2015

We will get back to our "normal" type of meeting following last week’s Club Assembly.

Lizzy Barron received her Blue Badge at last week’s meeting after completing, in possible record time, her Red Badge Requirements. Congratulations Lizzy!

The BBQ committee kicked off the 2015 Silicon Valley BBQ Championship Competition event with detailed presentations on what will be new and different for this year’s event. Miles Barber described the new "Garden of BBQ" where tables will be available for purchase and patrons will not pay for food or drink. Miles is spearheading the campaign to sell the tables. This has the potential to significantly increase event revenue. More information will be coming out about the table sales.

Other changes and additions for this year’s BBQ:

- Longer hours on Friday night

- Larger stage

- More areas with Pop-Ups

- Incentives for the Pro Teams to offer more people’s choice

- Increased prize money

- Space for more Pro Teams

- One large ten where beer, margaritas (over ice no machine this year) & wine served

- No watermelon this year but we will have BBQ corn and lemonade

- It is planned that non-food Venders will be managed by a third party

This year’s event, our fourth, will be the biggest yet and we will need all hands on deck to help in the planning and execution. Please see committee members for areas where you can help. Expect at least monthly progress updates.

Phil Dolan gave us an ELC 2015 update. This year we are taking 60 students (10 teams) to Asilomar. Applications have been turned it and team selection will start soon. We have a critical need for Rotary Teaching Assistants (RTA’s). There are 2 RTA’s per team so we need 20 Rotarians from the three clubs to help. There will be a RTA training session on 1/21 and 1/22 from 6:00-7:00 PM at Saint Lawrence Academy. Please plan to attend one of the sessions if you are a new RTA and if you have done it before. Talk to Phil if you have questions.

Steve Fisher of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority will be this week speaker. This is your chance to get the latest news on transportation programs and projects taking place in the valley. Maybe we will hear plans for reducing commute times for Valley residents. This will be an interesting and informative meeting.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Blood Drive at John Mlnarik office- Jan 14 10:00 AM-2:00 PM

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justins hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC RTA Training Jan 21 & Jan 22 6-7:00 PM at St Lawrence Academy- Check with Phil Dolan

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

1/6/2015

Happy New Year Everyone!

We ended the year with the Club’s Annual Holiday Dinner which I hope everyone attending found enjoyable. A big thanks to Erich Smith and Heather Knight along with the Hilton Staff for providing an excellent meal, to Jim Landes and Jennifer Flippen for the BRV wines and tastings, to Dan Holder for arranging the entertainment, to Joe and Linda Sweeny for managing the check-in, and to Diamond Mike for the special gifts a few attendees won. Ken Rowell provided the inspiration and did what you would expect him to do—made it fun and led the Club in singing Silent Night.

Keeping with tradition for the Holiday Dinner, Bob Ricks, Chairman of the 2016-2017 President Selection Committee introduce Miten Marfatia as the President Elect-Elect. Also introduce were Maria Daane and Tressa Williams to serve a two year term on the board of directors staring July 1, 2015. Congratulations to all of you.

Chief Mike Sellers arranged for the Club and five other local service organizations to participate in the 49er Toy Drive prior to the game on Dec. 20

th. Volunteers were asked to roam the parking lots seeking cash and toy donations. Combined, the six groups raised over $6,000. The funds were divided between the six organizations and the Clubs portion will go towards next year’s Christmas for Kids. Thanks to Pastor Bill and wife Sheila, Mario Bouza, Miten Marfatia, Frank Walsh, Harbir Bhatia plus friend, and I plus friend for working the lots. It was fun and, thanks to Chief Sellers, it looks like this will be an annual event for the Club.

This week’s meeting, the first for 2015, will be a Club Assembly. We will get updates on ELC 2015 and BBQ 2015 among other items. A great chance to ask questions, offer suggestions and listen to our members as we map out some of the events over the next six months.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone as we start the New Year. I can hardly wait.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Feb. 14, 2015—Valentine Dinner at Justins hosted by President Elect Andy Ratermann

 ELC – March 11-13, 2015

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 District Conference- April 17-19, 2015

 Far West PETS- March 6-8, 2015

Rotary International Events:

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

12/16/14

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Despite the stormy conditions our annual Christmas for Kids went off without a hitch last Thursday. The Royal Coach buses braved the rain and as the kids got off the buses umbrellas kept them dry as they walked into Stevens Creek Lexus. The Interactors helped them to their tables where they got busy making Christmas cards for the drivers and a few get well cards for Mike Moul. Holders Country Inn delivered the lunch that was served to the kids by Members and the Interact students. A lot of questions from the kids about Santa arriving and how he would stay dry on the trip. Not to worry, Santa rolled in with the top up on his Lexus convertible. The top came down and our jolly Santa was ho hoing all the way to his chair. The 150 kids received a new coat and a bag of toys. One wrapped toy was in each bag and the kids were asked to put that one under the tree and wait until Christmas day. Not sure if that really worked.

A big thanks to all of those who helped make this a memorable day for the kids. Lots of Photos were taken and the TV Channel for the City and Santa Clara Unified School District recorded the event. Also recorded but yet to be released were a few Rotarians dancing to some Christmas Music. A sight to behold, it may go viral.

The Club’s Holiday Dinner is this week (12/18/14) at the Hilton in Santa Clara for those who have signed up. The event starts at 6:00 PM, some entertainment at 7:00 PM, and dinner around 7:30PM. There will be some announcements and a couple of other surprises.

Want an easy and painless way to contribute to our Club’s Foundation? Anton Morec has the answer. Anton has set up an

SC Rotary Foundation Amazon Smile Account that will send 0.05% of the cost of anything you purchase on Amazon to our Foundation. Go to: http://smile.amazon.com/ and select Santa Clara Rotary Foundation as your designated charity.

Our next meeting at the Bay Club will be Jan. 8 and is a Club Assembly or, basically the State of the Union for the Rotary Club of Santa Clara

See you at the Holiday Party on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Dec 18: Our Holiday Dinner at the Santa Clara Hilton.

 Jan 8, 2015 Club Assembly at the Bay Club. Please let me know if you have something to bring up at the meeting.

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

Rotary International Events:

12/10/14

At last week’s meeting we hosted our annual Speech Contest. Four students from Santa Clara and Wilcox high schools were given 5 minutes to speak about "Light up Rotary". All of the speeches were excellent. The students had done their homework and presented their topics with facts and passion. The contest was attended by parents, school teachers and the Principals from each of the high schools. Prize money was increased this year to $300 for first place, $200 for second, and $100 for third. The first place contestant will move on in the competition.

At the meeting, two more outstanding members were inducted into the Club. Harbir Bhatia and Suds Jain bring a lot of service experience to the club and we look forward to their participation and contributions. Be sure to take the opportunity to get to know our newest members.

Remember, this week is Christmas for Kids at Stevens Creek Lexus. A "Big Storm" is headed our way but as Sandy Allen said, "Rain or Snow it’s a go" for the event. If you didn’t attend the "Gift Wrapping" party on Wednesday evening you missed a fun event. Instead of the usual filling bags with toys, the bags were already filled and one present from each bag was gift wrapped by those who attended. Great idea that will no doubt stick.

Invitation are out for the Club’s Holiday Dinner on 18 Dec followed by an e-mail blast. If you haven’t contacted me and are planning on attending please respond by Dec. 12. The Hilton needs a meal count. The event will have a surprise or two. Don’t miss it.

Want an easy and painless way to contribute to our Club’s Foundation? Anton Morec has the answer. Anton has set up an

SC Rotary Foundation Amazon Smile Account that will send 0.05% of the cost of anything you purchase on Amazon to our Foundation. Go to: http://smile.amazon.com/ and select Santa Clara Rotary Foundation as your designated charity.

Our next meeting at the Bay Club will be Jan. 8 and is a Club Assembly or, basically the State of the Union for the Rotary Club of Santa Clara

See you at Christmas of Kids on Thursday.

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

12/2/14

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Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday there was no meeting last week. I hope you all had an enjoyable, restful, and thankful few days. Yes the 49ers lost to their main rival, my Cougars were beaten by the Huskies in the Apple Cup, and I know Michigan fans were not pleased with the outcome of their game with Ohio State. It was rivalry week for a lot of college teams so I hope your team did well.

This week’s meeting is a special one for the Club as we host our annual Speech Contest. Students from our local high schools compete with the winner advancing to the next round. The contest allows students to test and improve their speaking abilities while in front of a group of adults and we always seem to be surprised by how well they do. The meeting will be attended by the student’s parents, school teachers/administrators, and the panel of judges. Let’s show our support for our local students.

Invitation went out for the Clubs Holiday Dinner on 18 Dec and an e-mail blast will go shortly for those that might not keep their Clubrunner address up to date. Please respond by e-mail or call me if you plan to attend.

Want an easy and painless way to contribute to our Club’s Foundation? Anton Morec has the answer. Anton has set up an

SC Rotary Foundation Amazon Smile Account that will send 0.05% of the cost of anything you purchase on Amazon to our Foundation. Go to: http://smile.amazon.com/ and select Santa Clara Rotary Foundation as your designated charity.

This will be the last meeting at the Bay Club for the calendar year. The following week is Christmas for Kids at Lexus of Stevens Creek and on Dec. 18 the Holiday dinner will be at the Hilton in Santa Clara. We will be Dark for the last two weeks of December.

See you at Thursday’s meeting.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Dec 4: Speech Contest

 Dec. 9: Wrapping party 5:30 PM at Eastern Furniture, Santa Clara

 Dec. 11: Christmas for Kids at Lexus of Stevens Creek

 Dec 18: Our Holiday Dinner at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited.

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Mexican Project Safari – Sign up

See

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5170//HTML/231985//WheeledAdventuresMonterrey2015.pdf

for details.

Rotary International Events:

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

11/25/14

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Last week we were treated to an excellent talk by Phil Gonsalves, Associate Superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District. Phil started off by handing out some math problems to members and guests asking them how they would arrive at the answers. He then went on to describe several ways to solve the problems and how the different methods worked for different students. It doesn’t have to be the old borrow, cancel, and carry method that a lot of us may have learned but never really understood. Phil is on loan to the SCUSD to help bring Common Core State Standard in Mathematics to the district in an effort to improve math proficiency and real understanding of the subject.

Larry Marsalli was presented a check of $2026 in support of his family’s annual Thanksgiving dinner for those that may not have a traditional Thanksgiving meal. This was the largest donation the club has raised for this event. The best part, all of the donations were voluntary since we passed the hat. Once again the generosity the club continually demonstrates is outstanding. Thank you all for helping those less fortunate.

Lizzy Baron is well on her way to earning her Blue Badge following her Red Badge talk. Great talk complete with photos and many insights about who she is and why she joined Rotary.

Please note we are dark this week for Thanksgiving. You all have your special traditions for this holiday so enjoy and give thanks. I would also ask that you turn your thoughts and prayers to Mike Moul. Mike is still battling an infection and had to return to the Hospital this past Monday.

Invitations are about to be sent out for our annual Holiday Dinner. I hope you are all able to attend.

Have a great Thanksgiving and we will see you all at the Dec. 4

th meeting.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 November 27: We are Dark for Thanksgiving

 Dec 4: Speech Contest

 Dec. 9: Wrapping party 5:30 PM at Eastern Furniture, Santa Clara

 Dec. 11: Christmas for Kids at Lexus of Stevens Creek

 Save the Date: Our holiday meeting will be the evening of Dec. 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited. More information to come.

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Mexican Project Safari – Sign up

See

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5170//HTML/231985//WheeledAdventuresMonterrey2015.pdf

for details.

Rotary International Events:

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

11/18/14

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It was Throw-Back- Thursday last week with Past President Bob Ricks running the meeting since, according to Bob, I was attending and important educational convention in the Evergreen State. Thanks Bob for taking the gavel. I am sure you had as much fun as I always do.

Last week’s speaker was Brad Mattson, current CEO of Silva Power. Brad made his case that relying on traditional sources there will not be enough energy available to meet future US and Global needs. The clean solution to this problem is tapping the endless supply of solar power. While solar power usage is growing it currently represents only a small percentage of our overall energy production. Brad also argued that the U.S. can be a major player in the expansion of solar power usage through advances in solar technology. Specifically, he spoke about the production of solar panels using Thin Film Technology as opposed to the Silicon Based technologies currently used. Thin Film based solar panels will be more effective in the creation of electricity than those based on silicon and can be produced in the U.S. at cost that are completive with China’s production of silicon based panels.

This week’s speaker is Phil Gonsalves, Associate Superintendent of the Santa Clara Unified School District. Phil will be discussing the Common Core State Standards in Mathematics. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is the largest-ever attempt in the United States to set unified expectations for what students in kindergarten through 12th grade should know and be able to do in each grade in preparation for college and the workforce.

At this week’s meeting we expect to hear a red badge speech, an update on ELC, and the presentation of the Club’s donation to the Marsalli Thanksgiving Dinner event. This will be the last meeting before the Thanksgiving break. Could this week’s lunch be a classic Thanksgiving meal? Probably. See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Board Meeting" November 19, 6:30 PM. Holders Country Inn

 November 27: We are Dark for Thanksgiving

 Dec 4: Speech Contest

 Dec. 9: Wrapping party 5:30 PM at Eastern Furniture, Santa Clara

 Dec. 11: Christmas for Kids at Lexus of Stevens Creek

 Save the Date: Our holiday meeting will be the evening of Dec. 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited. More information to come.

District Events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Mexican Project Safari – Sign up

See

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5170//HTML/231985//WheeledAdventuresMonterrey2015.pdf

for details.

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

11/04/14

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It is November so that means elections and politics and we had the perfect speaker at last week’s meeting. Dan Schnur, the Executive Direct of the Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California, was the guest speaker. Don is no stranger to our club as he has accepted our invitation to speak on several occasions. At this meeting he spoke about the electorate and how basically each party, Democrat and Republican, can count on about 40 % of their respective backers voting the party line. That leaves roughly 20% of the electorate that are "salvageable" and he likes to say. This 20% are the independents and undecided that campaigns’ focus on. He also pointed out that female voters rule since they are the group that generally decides the winners. Many other points were brought out about elections and how they are decided. It was a very informative meeting and hopefully we can get Mr. Schnur back sometime next year. Given the credentials of Mr. Schnur, many members took the opportunity to invite guests to the meeting. Thank you for doing so.

Karen Suty is now the newest member of the Rotary Club of Santa Clara. She was inducted at last week’s meeting and brings our current membership to 90. Karen’s sponsor is Phil Dolan so you might guess that she is in the education field. She is a Bay Area Native having graduated from San Jose State and obtained a Masters in Education Administration from Santa Clara University. Karen has spent over thirty years is education and is the Principal of St. Justin School in Santa Clara. She is a great addition to the club so take the opportunity to welcome her.

Rotary Means Business (RMB) is a networking group for Rotarians. This group has monthly gathering. If you have an interest please see the attached flyer.

The Christmas for Kids committee is in full swing. The event will be held at noon on Dec 11 at Lexus of Steven Creek and replaces our normal meeting place. Please see Elizabeth Mayo for volunteer opportunities.

The Clubs Holiday Evening Dinner will take place on Dec 18

th at the Santa Clara Hilton. Save the date, more details to come.

Our speaker this week is our own Bob Ricks. As we approach Veterans Day our thoughts go out to the men and woman who have served our country. Bob, as a Veteran, will give a personal account of his visit to the Normandy beaches. Yet another not to be missed Club meeting.

See you all at this Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 November 27: We are Dark for Thanksgiving

 Save the Date: Our holiday meeting will be the evening of Dec. 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited. More information to come.

District Events:

 TRF Campaign – on going

 Rotary Means Business Meeting: Nov. 6 sees attached flyer for details

 Mexican Project Safari – Sign up See

http://www.clubrunner.ca/Data/5170//HTML/231985//WheeledAdventuresMonterrey2015.pdf

for details.

Rotary International Events:



Nov. 3-9: Rotary Interact Week

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

10/28/14

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District 5170’s Partners in Rotary program brought us Lindsay Ford and his wife Allison as last week’s speaker. Lindsay and his wife currently live in Norfolk Island, Australia where he is a member of the Island’s Rotary Club in District 9910. Lindsay spoke about Rotary International projects he has been involved in and the impact The Rotary Foundation (TRF) has had on education, health, clean water, and sanitation for people living in impoverished areas. His message was about the importance of donations to TRF, the difference those donations make, and the image they project about Rotary that the community needs to know about. The slides he showed of children with severe physical disorders and how, through TRF, surgeries were performed that put smiles on faces and pride for all Rotarians.

This week’s speaker is one we have had several times over the past few years. Dan Schnur of the Jesse Unruh Institute of Politics at the University of Southern California will give us a glimpse of the political scene in the State of California and Nationally. Dan is very knowledgeable about politics and is a superb speaker. This is defiantly a meeting to invite potential members to as they will not be disappointed. So please, invite someone you feel would be a great Santa Clara Rotarian to this week’s meeting.

See you all at this Thursday’s meeting.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Save the Date: Our holiday meeting will be the evening of Dec. 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited. More information to come.

District Events:

Rotary International Events:



October- Vocational Month (Celebrate & share your vocation)

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

10/20/14

District Governor Club visits always seem to be special. DG Ed Jellen’s visit this past week was no exception. Over the past few years a project has been identified by the incoming district club presidents that would benefit the local community. This year’s presidents picked donating school supplies to schools in a clubs area. Mike Sellers with some help from Stan Rose asked School Principals in the SCUSD what additional supplies they may need to get through the school year. Seventeen schools responded. The Club, as usual, stepped up and raised about $2800. Mike and Pastor Bill purchased the supplies at good prices with the help from our Wal-Mart members Ryan Plesha and Karina Arvizu. About ten Principals attended the meeting and the supplies were distributed to the schools after the meeting. Truly a Rotary moment with the Principal expressing their gratitude.

Recognitions pins were also handed out by DG Ed Jellen based on member donations to The Rotary Foundation this rotary year. Participation to date has been outstanding. There were 27 Double Sustainers, 7 Super Sustainers, and 4 Paul Harris Fellows. And we aren’t done yet. Paul Harris Fellow pins were also handed for donations from the previous rotary year.

Another highlight of the meeting was DG Ed Jellen’s talk how he came into Rotary, how he almost quit, and the event that turned him into a lifelong Rotarian. The meeting really ended on a very high note.

Avenues of Service took place on 15 Oct. About twenty Club members attended and were treated to an outstanding presentation by former Santa Clara Rotarian Rushton Hurley. Andy came through but we may have to rethink the duties of the PE for this event.

This week’s speaker is brought to us by the District’s Partners in Rotary. Lindsay Ford of the Rotary Club of Norfolk Island, Australia is the speaker. Lindsay was recently introduced by a Rotary Institute Conference Chairman, as the most Passionate Rotarian he had ever met, Lindsay tells the story of Rotary, maybe not the Rotary you see, the Rotary you don’t know, the Rotary the community needs to hear about. Yet another meeting not to be missed.

See you all at this Thursday’s meeting.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Board of Directors Meeting Oct. 22, Holders Country Inn, 6:30 PM

 Save the Date: Our holiday meeting will be the evening of Dec. 18, 2014 at the Santa Clara Hilton. Members, Spouses and Friends are all invited. More information to come.

District Events:

Rotary International Events:



October- Vocational Month (Celebrate & share your vocation)

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

10/13/14

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It is election time again and Measure H in on the ballot for those living in the Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) boundaries. Mark Allgire and Michal Healy of the SCUSD were last week’s speakers and they presented the district’s case for putting the measure on the ballot. The Measure proposes issuing bonds in the amount of $419,000,000. Funds from the bond sale can only be used for infrastructure and development and cannot be used for such items and salaries. The North First street area of San Jose in actually within the Santa Clara Unified School District so as this area continues to be developed there is a need upgrade facilities to support the growing population of students. The text of the Measure explicitly defines the areas where the funds would be used. The use of the funds to add air conditioning to classrooms sparked a lively exchange among the members. To pass , the Measure needs a 55% majority vote.

The last day of Steps for Success 2014 was completed on Oct. 11. The event was held at Scott Lane and George Main elementary schools. We ran out of some shoe sizes but will deliver the proper shoes to those students this week. Thanks to all of you who helped and a special thanks to Lidia and her committee for another successful year. I trust you all had fun and are ready to help next year. And, yes Miles does have shoes for bunny ears.

This is a busy week for our club with the District 5170 Avenues of Service being held on October 15 at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose from 5:30 PM- 9:00 PM. If you pre-registered, your meal will be paid by the Club. President Elect Andy Ratermann will be your favorite person at the gathering and former Santa Clara Rotarian, and current ELC speake,r Ruston Hurley will give the keynote address.

For this week’s meeting, District Governor Ed Jellen is visiting the Club and is the speaker. The meeting will be marked by the presentation of School Supplies to principals of the SCUSD. We are expecting approximately 10 representatives in attend the meeting. They will receive the supplies purchased using the funds the Club raised. Additionally, Club members will be recognized for their donations to The Rotary Foundation. Let’s show our support for the District Governor by attending the meeting at the Greatest Rotary Club in the World.

See you all on Wednesday at the Avenues of Service and at Thursday’s meeting.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Board of Directors Meeting Oct. 22, Holders Country Inn

District Events:



Avenues of Service: Oct 15. Doubletree Hotel, San Jose. Bring your unique auto.

Rotary International Events:



October- Vocational Month (Celebrate & share your vocation)

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

10/7/14

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Kevin Matheny of KGO/KSFO was the speaker at last week meeting. He provided some perspective on the evolution of Radio Broadcasting stations over the past several decades. A major change took place when rules governing the ownership of Radio stations were modified following the enactment of the Telecommunication Act of 1996 which deregulated ownership of radio stations. Prior to this Act there were limitations on how many radio stations one person or an organization could own. With deregulation there is basically no restriction on the number of stations a company or individual can own for both Radio and TV. The result has been a consolidation of ownership to a handful of large media companies.

Police Chief Mike Sellars, working with Pastor Bill Schultz, is in the process of finalizing purchase of School Supplies to be handed over to Santa Clara School representatives at the District Governors’ Club visit on October 16, 2014. Last year for the District Governors’ visit we presented undergarments to Santa Clara’ Bill Wilson Center. It is a recent development that during the District 5170 Governors’ Club visits donations are given to non profits in the local area in lieu of gifts to the DG’s spouse. This year the District’s Club Presidents voted to make donations of school supplies. To date our Club has raised over $2600 for this project.

Please remember that The Rotary Foundation (TRF) drive for 2014-2015 is underway. Make your donation check out to Rotary International and either mail them to the Santa Clara Rotary Club, P. O. Box 111, Santa Clara, CA 95052 or bring the check to a meeting and give it to Ted Moorhead, myself or Miles Barber. Donations are tax deductable. Let’s achieve 100% participation this year.

This past Saturday, Oct 4, the first day for Steps to Success 2014 was held at Montague and Briarwood elementary schools. Shoes and books were passed to students. Thanks to all of the Club Members and Interacters who spent their Saturday morning helping at the schools. This Saturday, Oct. 11, Steps will be held and George Main and Scott Lane schools. Please check your e-mail or with Lidia Blair for the times you have signed up to work a shift.

This week we will hear from two members of the Santa Clara Unified School District. Michal Healy and Mark Allgire will present information on Measure H which is on the Nov. 4 ballot. The Measure is to provide infrastructure funding to support future growth of the Santa Clara Unified School District. This will be a very informative meeting.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Steps to Success: Oct. 11, 2014

 District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supplies Donations to Governor Ed.

 Board of Directors Meeting Oct. 22, Holders Country Inn

District Events:



Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details

 Avenues of Service: Oct 15. Doubletree Hotel, San Jose. Bring your unique auto.

Rotary International Events:



October- Vocational Month (Celebrate & share your vocation)

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

Ever wonder if any of those stars we see at night might be similar to Earth? Puragra Guha Thakurta, also known as Raja, an Astronomer with the University of California Santa Cruz was last week’s special guest speaker and he tried to shed some light what is happening out there in deep space. Actually, he described events that took place millions of light years ago as it has taken that long for light from distant galaxies to reach Earth’s observation telescopes. The Hubble telescope, launched into orbit around Earth in 1990, has been a main source for gathering data used to study distant galaxies, determine the age of the universe (about 13-14 billion years old), and support theories about how stars and planets are formed. Raja presented, in layman’s terms, how galaxies form and evolve as well as what cosmic events must take place to potentially create an earthlike planet.

Police Chief Mike Sellars reported on funds raised for purchase of classroom supplies for schools in the Santa Clara Unified School District. To date over $2500 has been raised. Congratulations to all of you for your contributions. The presentation of the gifts will be on October 16, 2014 as part of District Governor Ed Jellen’s Club visit.

Please remember that The Rotary Foundation (TRF) drive for 2014-2015 is underway. Make your donation check out to Rotary International and either mail them to the Santa Clara Rotary Club, P. O. Box 111, Santa Clara, CA 95052 or bring the check to a meeting and give it to Ted Moorhead, myself or Miles Barber. Donations are tax deductable. The "Greatest Rotary Club in the World" should have no problem achieving 100% participation.

This week we will get an update on what is happening in Santa Clara as the city’s Mayor, the Honorable Jamie Mathews, will the speaker. This is your chance to be enlightened regarding the state and future of the city of Santa Clara.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:



TRF Campaign – on going

 Steps to Success: Oct. 4 & Oct. 11, 2014

 District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supply Donations to Governor Ed.

District Events:

Fall Leadership Conference, Sept 28, Independence High

 Charter Night: Oct 4th. Ming’s in Palo Alto 6:00 PM, $50 per person. Go to http://goo.gl/vW1xK4 to purchase tickets

 Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details

 Avenues of Service: Oct 15. Doubletree Hotel, San Jose. Bring your unique auto.

Rotary International Events:

 September-New Generations Month

 October- Vocational Month

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

Last week’s meeting was on the 13th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York, and Washington D.C. In New York, hijacked passenger jets crash into both towers of the World Trade Center. Both towers collapsed a short time after the attacks. Our guest speaker, Michael Harding was in one of those towers at the time of the attacks. Michael, the partner of our own Colleen Noll, told the story of his own survival and the survival of others on that day. He covered the events he experience from the crash of the aircraft on the first tower followed by the second, his survival from the collapse of the first tower, his trek to a nearby office building where he new many of the workers and the efforts to get those workers back to their families and homes. It was an experience he will obviously never forget and feels strongly that this country must always remember.

Dan Holder read a letter he had written to the Club following the 9/11 attacks sharing the decision made by the Club to go forward with the annual Art & Wine event. The proceeds from the event that year were delivered to the family of Danny Suhr, the first firefighter to die from the attack. The donation was presented in New York by Ted Keech, Anton Morec, George Delucchi and Steve Duffy. Our thanks to you Dan for keeping those moments alive within the Club.

Stan Rose made a case for continued donations to raise funds for classroom supplies. This is in support of the District Governor’s visit on 16 Oct.

The Santa Clara Art and Wine festival was held this past weekend. Proceeds from the sale of Chinese Chicken Salad and Pulled Pork Sandwiches will go to students in the Santa Clara Unified School District. Thanks to Denies Donahue and Mario Bouza along with all those who showed up to work a shift in the booth. Also thanks to Dave DeLozier for his knowledge of the rules associated with the booth set-up.

For this week’s meeting we are in for a Galactic treat. Puragra Guha Thakurta an Astronomer with the University of California Santa Cruz will share with us what is happening outside our word. Don’t miss this one.

See you all on Thursday

COMING UP….

Club events:

Steps to Success: Oct. 4 & Oct. 11, 2014

 District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supply Donations to Governor Ed.

District Events:

Rotary Day At the A’s: Sept 20, 2014

 Fall Leadership Conference, Sept 28, Independence High



Charter Night: Oct 4th. Ming’s in Palo Alto 6:00 PM, $50 per person. Go to http://goo.gl/vW1xK4 to purchase tickets

 Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details

 Avenues of Service: Oct 15. Doubletree Hotel, San Jose. Bring your unique auto.

Rotary International Events:

 September-New Generations Month

 October- Vocational Month

Rotary Club of Santa Clara

Message From President Steve Rainbolt

Weekly Club News Update!

Thought you knew everything about Santa Clara County statics and government? Last week’s speaker, County Supervisor Mike Wasserman laid out some facts that few probably knew. Superior Wasserman dazzled us with facts about the county from the 2014 estimated population (1.9 Million), to the number of languages spoken in the county (more than 100), to the percentage of property taxes paid to Santa Clara County that go to fund county services (18%). He spoke of the many services the county has the responsibly to provide including over 700 miles of road maintenance. One issue that he is very proud of is helping to facilitate the Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail Route. The route is marked with special signs that will take you on a 28 mile tour of the wineries in the Moran Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy wineries. The trail is closer, maybe better, and defiantly less costly than a trip to Napa Valley. Visit www.santaclarawines.com to learn more about the trail.

Supervisor Wasserman publishes a monthly newsletter covering happenings in the county. The newsletter can be found at www.supervisorwasserman.com.

Nick Streit summarized what he, Miles Barber, Tim Ford, Joe Sweeney & Gary Citti discover from their visit to Reno’s "Best in the West BBQ Cook Off" –over 500,000 people and it’s all about the food. I sense some beneficial changes coming to our 2015 event. Thank you all for taking the time to learn how we can grow and make our event even better.

The Santa Clara Art and Wine festival is coming up this weekend. If you haven’t signed up please do so at this week’s meeting or check with Denise Donahue or Mario Bouza. This year we are doing Chinese Chicken salad and Pulled Pork Sandwiches.

Police Chief Mike Seller kicked off our drive for getting classroom supplies as part of the District Governors’ visit on 16 Oct. Mike did a great job auctioning of a Dwight Clark autographed 49er football fetching $500 from Mike Moul’s winning bid. Thanks Mike, thanks to those that have pledge a donation to date, and thanks to Lou Ann Alexander for providing the football.

This week’s meeting falls on a historical day, 9/11. Our speaker comes via Colleen Noll and is one we welcome back. Mike Harding was in New York on that day and will offer a firsthand account of what he observed.

See you all on Thursday.

COMING UP….

Club events:

Santa Clara Art & Wine Sept 13-14, 2014

 Steps to Success: Oct. 4 & Oct. 11, 2014

 District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supply Donations to Governor Ed.

District Events:

Club Trainer Workshop: Sept 13, Los Gatos Lodge. See Steve R. for Details

 Rotary Day At the A’s: Sept 20, 2014

 Fall Leadership Conference, Sept 28, Independence High



Charter Night: Oct 4th. Ming’s in Palo Alto 6:00 PM, $50 per person. Go to http://goo.gl/vW1xK4 to purchase tickets

 Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details

 Avenues of Service: Oct 15. Doubletree Hotel, San Jose. Bring your unique auto.

Rotary International Events:

 September-New Generations Month

 October- Vocational Month

• Santa Clara Art & Wine Sept 13-14, 2014
• Steps to Success: Oct. 4 & Oct. 11, 2014
• District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supply Donations to Governor Ed.

• District Cabinet Meeting: Sept 3, 2015 Doubletree Hotel, San Jose
• Club Trainer Workshop: Sept 13, Los Gatos Lodge. See Steve R. for Details
• Rotary Day At the A’s: Sept 20, 2014
• Charter Night: Oct 4^th.  More Details to come
• Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details
• Avenues of Service: Oct 15.  Doubletree Hotel, San Jose.

• September-New Generations Month
• October- Vocational Month

• Santa Clara Art & Wine Sept 13-14, 2014
• Steps to Success: Oct. 4 & Oct. 11, 2014
• District Governor’s Visit. Oct. 16. Present School Supply Donations to Governor Ed.

• District Cabinet Meeting: Sept 3, 2015 Doubletree Hotel, San Jose
• Club Trainer Workshop: Sept 13, Los Gatos Lodge. See Steve R. for Details
• Rotary Day At the A’s: Sept 20, 2014
• Charter Night: Oct 4^th.  More Details to come
• Partners in Rotary: Oct. 11-24. See Steve R. for details
• Avenues of Service: Oct 15.  Doubletree Hotel, San Jose.