Weekly Recap
President Bill Kelly
September 30, 2021
We enjoyed the company of a couple of visiting Rotarians at our meeting. John Mlnarik joined us from the Omaha West Club, and our guest speaker, Raju Chamarthi, from the Rotary Club of Silicon Valley Andhra. During the meeting, attendees signed up for the November 7 Earthquakes Soccer event, and learned more about the upcoming Relay for Life events scheduled for this upcoming weekend.
Meeting Highlights
Pledge: This week, the Pledge was led by Rotarian Lou Mariani. Thanks, Lou for starting our meeting.
Inspiration: This week, our inspiration came from Past President, Lou Ann Alexander, who shared her appreciation for Rotary allowing an individual to be part of something bigger than themselves. Through our many activities, we help our community in big ways. She shared a quote: “Many small people, in many small places, doing many small things, can alter the face of the earth.” Very true, Lou Ann. Thanks for sharing this inspiration with us this week.
Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Rotary Anniversaries: There were no birthdays or Rotary anniversaries of note this week, however, there are a couple of personal anniversaries being celebrated. Frank and Cynthia Walsh celebrated their anniversary on September 28, and, and Deb York and Marcelo San Martin celebrated on September 30. Congratulations!
We Care: No new reports from Don Skinner this week.
Upcoming events:
Relay for Life event, is October 1st and 2nd.
The Parade of Champions is October 9th.
Rose Academies benefit golf tournament October 16th.
Steps for Success is scheduled on Friday October 29, which is Halloween weekend.
Rotary Day at the Earthquakes is November 7.
President’s Report:
The American Cancer Society, Relay for Life Santa Clara, occurs on Saturday October 2nd from 9am to 2 pm. Please feel free to join the effort by walking around Townsend field to honor those affected by cancer. On October 1, the Relay for Life is sponsoring a Luminaria event, in which you can participate. You can dedicate a candle to a loved one. These candles will be on display at the Franklin Mall in front of the Post Office on Friday evening October 1. The Club is donating $1,500 to the Relay, but individuals can offer additional support if desired. See their website for more details. Our parade planning team is meeting on Friday, October 1, to start assembling the float. Walt Marwitz is leading this effort, which will involve displaying an inflatable Rotary wheel on a 16-foot trailer. Thanks go to Walt for leading the effort, for Colleen for allowing us to store the float at her warehouse, and to the rest of the volunteers for assisting in the effort.
The Rose Academies benefit golf tournament is scheduled for October 16th at Spring Valley golf course. If you would like to sign up and golf in the tournament or learn more about their organization, visit their website.
We are having a Rotary social event on November 7th at the San Jose Earthquakes match against FC Dallas. This event is open to Rotarians and their guests and includes a tailgate event before the game. Please contact Bill Kelly to sign up for the event. Parking passes are also available for purchase. See signup sheet below for more details. The Earthquakes are looking to reduce the cost by a few dollars per ticket. Please sign up by Sunday October 3rd if you would like a game ticket.
Keynote Speaker:
Our guest speaker was Raju Chamarthi, Provost and Chief Academic Officer at Silicon Andhra ManaBadi, a nonprofit educational endeavor. Raju outlined the activities in which his organization is involved, including enhancing educational opportunities in Indian arts and languages worldwide. The university he helped organize was recently accredited and has evolved from its humble beginnings in 2007 to now reach students in 35 states in the US and 12 countries with over 9,000 students. He described his organization’s newest efforts to expand to a large campus in San Joaquin County. They are looking to have the campus built within 5-7 years. The presentation was very informative and positive.
Our guest speaker next week will be Keith Blackey, who has been working in Afghanistan and Iraq, setting up new Rotary clubs and youth Scouting units. He just returned from Afghanistan, and will be an exciting and informative speaker at our club meeting on a topic at the forefront of international news. Keith has been doing this work for decades and is a tremendously accomplished Rotarian. You won’t want to miss this meeting.
See everyone next Thursday, October 7th at the American Legion Hall, or online via Zoom.