Weekly Recap
President Bill Kelly
August 19, 2021
The Show Must Go On!
Over this last week, our meeting planning team was working diligently to ensure that we had a noteworthy speaker, and that our audio/visual systems were ready to go. Thanks again to Andy for securing our speaker, The Honorable Alex Lee, State Assemblymember for District 25. Our technology, however, continued to surprise us. Our main computer, decided to update its operating system, starting at 11:15 and ending around 1:15, which took it out of commission for the duration of the meeting. Ah, the benefits of technology! Thanks to Larry Kaiser, we were able to run the meeting successfully from the podium and a single laptop. Thanks, Larry.
It was good to see visiting Rotarian Bob Ricks join us from the Lakeway/Lake Travis club in Texas. Thanks for sharing your charming wit with us this week, Bob.
Meeting Highlights
Pledge: Our newest member, Bassam Musaffar led us in the pledge this week. Thanks, Bassam. You will find that there are many opportunities to lead in our club, even when accepting a last-minute assignment like this one.
Inspiration: This week, Patti Smith stepped up to the lectern to deliver an inspiring message, simply reminding us the power of staying positive in light of all that is going on around us these days. Focusing on positive messages, and sharing time with those who share a positive outlook can be helpful to us all. Thanks, Patti.
Birthdays: Happy Birthday to a few of our fellow Rotarians: Miles Barber enjoyed his special day on August 15th, while Gary Citti allowed us to celebrate his 70th birthday with him at the meeting. Mike Sellers was so touched that he enthusiastically led the group in the singing of “Happy Birthday”! Birthday wishes also go to Andy Ratermann, who celebrates his birthday on Saturday, August 21.
Anniversaries: There were no anniversaries celebrated this week.
Rotary Anniversaries: Congrats to Mike Moul who joined our club on August 20th. (23 years ago). He started his Rotary membership in the Santa Clara West Club. Mike commented on the “air of excitement” that fills his home on this occasion. Happy Rotary Anniversary, Mike.
We Care: No new reports from Don Skinner this week.
Upcoming events:
“Celebrate Santa Clara”, will be held this weekend on Saturday August 21st.
Steps for Success was originally scheduled to occur in late September. Youth Services Director Dan Winter is working with the School District and advised that the new date is October 29th, which is Halloween weekend. You’ll want to join in the exciting event.
The Parade of Champions is scheduled for October 9th. Ana Vargas-Smith briefed the club on the event, which occurs 6 weeks from now. This 85th anniversary of our Rotary Club is worth celebrating, and the parade offers a chance to highlight our club’s impact in the community.
President’s Report:
Scholarship update: As you know, the Rotary Foundation provides scholarships for several high school students each year. Once the scholarship is awarded, we often do not receive feedback on how the student progresses over their academic endeavors. Rotarian Miten Marfatia passed along an email he received from scholarship awardee, Lhovella Cyndy Manangan, who expressed her gratitude for the Rotary scholarship. Lhovella is on pace to graduate from San Francisco State University in the spring of 2022, thanks in part to our scholarship. That’s good news, and another success story in our community.
“Celebrate Santa Clara” occurs Saturday. We’re excited to serve the public in a community event for the first time since 2019. Nick Streit is leading the effort, with significant support from our members. We look forward to a successful weekend event.
If you haven’t been available to volunteer for the Celebrate Santa Clara event, other volunteer opportunities exist. The Parade of Champions is scheduled for October 9th, and the Steps for Success event is October 29th. Please consider volunteering for these events.
Keynote Speaker:
Andy Ratermann introduced our keynote speaker, the Honorable Alex Lee, State Assemblymember representing District 25, which includes the city of Santa Clara. Assemblymember Lee is one of the youngest ever to be elected as representative in Sacramento, being elected at the young age of 25.
Mr. Lee described his background and experiences living here in Silicon Valley. He touched on a variety of issues during his presentation including, the availability of housing in the Bay Area, jobs, and the future of the region. A lively Q&A session followed, where he was asked about government involvement in housing production, the increasing intensity and duration of wildfires, and about the future of the valley post-pandemic. He acknowledged the challenges we face here in Silicon Valley and in California, and let us know the specific legislation he is supporting to address some of these issues.
Next week our speaker is Maynard Robinson, who will explain how the P3 aircraft saved the west coast. If you have lived around the south bay in the 1970s through the early 1990s, you may have seen P3 aircraft flying over Highway 101 on their final approach into Navy Air Station Moffett Field in Mountain View. His presentation will shed light on the valuable mission of these planes and how they kept our country safe.
See everyone next Thursday, August 26th, at the American Legion Hall or online.