Weekly Recap
President Bill Kelly
August 26, 2021
It was nice to have an in-person speaker today, and for a change, our inspiration delivered via Zoom. It is truly a hybrid meeting when every Rotarian can contribute to the weekly meeting, whether in-person at our lunch venue, or on the computer via our online platform.
Today we gained some insights into cold war military operations, through the experiences of our guest speaker, Maynard Robinson. We were also able to recap the recent Celebrate Santa Clara event, held last Saturday August 21st.
Meeting Highlights
Pledge: This time, the Pledge was led by the President himself, which happens on occasion.
Inspiration: This week, Anton Morec gave an inspiring message by providing a list of key habits we can develop to lead a healthy, happy life. These include:
1. Smile 5. Avoid negativity and negative people
2. Be kind 6. Make peace with yourself
3. Don’t give up 7. Take care of both your body and mind
4. Don’t compete with each other
Nice words of wisdom, Anton. Thanks!
Birthdays: Happy Birthday wishes this week go to Tim Ford, who is celebrating his birthday tomorrow on August 27th. According to Tim, his weekend birthday plans will be fun.
Anniversaries: There were no anniversaries celebrated this week.
Rotary Anniversaries: Congrats to a few Rotarians this week. Anton Morec celebrated his 19th anniversary on August 22nd. Larry Kaiser has been with the club for 4 years, as he celebrated his anniversary on August 24. Nick Streit celebrated the longest tenure of our Rotarians this week, as he has been a member of our club for 38 years as of August 25.
We Care: No new reports from Don Skinner this week.
Upcoming events:
The Parade of Champions is scheduled for October 9th. The 85th anniversary of our Rotary Club is worth celebrating, and the parade offers a chance to highlight our club’s impact in the community. The parade will be viewed by a large crowd in downtown Santa Clara, as well as on streaming video. The parade will be rebroadcast on the City’s media channels to gain even further exposure. We need helpers as we design our float for the event. We’re looking for creativity, and/or some muscle to help build the float. Please contact Bill Kelly to sign up for the team.
Steps for Success is scheduled on Friday October 29, which is Halloween weekend. Youth Services Director Dan Winter is working with the School District to plan the event. You’ll want to join in the exciting Foundation event. Look for sign-up opportunities soon.
President’s Report:
“Celebrate Santa Clara” was held last Saturday, August 21. We’re proud to have served in a community festival for the first time since 2019. The objective of the event from the City’s perspective was to provide an opportunity to celebrate community resilience from the events of the past year, and to allow local nonprofit organizations, like the Rotary Foundation, to make some money and get back out in the community.
The event was successful in a variety of ways:
The estimated revenue for the Foundation is approximately $4,700
The Rotary Club members who assisted, were able to fully staff the event while showing our support for the community – just like we have done in the past.
City staff members were able to rely on our club as partners during this festival, which can only build support for future events.
At the conclusion of the event, Parks and Rec Director Jim Teixeria expressed to me his appreciation to the Rotary Club and Foundation for being reliable partners, and for our assistance in making the event a positive experience for the public.
The following Rotarians contributed to the success of the 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:
Easy Perez provided a detailed list of accomplishments of our keynote speaker today, who was Maynard Robinson, an experienced pilot of the famous P3 Orion aircraft, This aircraft was based locally at Moffett Naval Air Station from the 1970s to the mid 1990s.
Maynard used his PowerPoint presentation and discussion to showcase the performance statistics and operating limitations of the P3 aircraft. He also listed the many countries in which the aircraft operates around the world. He is a wonderful storyteller, and weaved his own personal experiences into his story, which added to his presentation. He used a world map to help describe for us the mission of aircraft during the cold war here the United States, and its role in protecting our allies around the world. We learned how the aircraft added to our national defense capabilities during the time Maynard served in our military.
Next week our speaker is Ziem Nguyen Neubert, Executive Director of YMCA Project Cornerstone. The topic she will discuss is education of our youth, specifically, the role adults play in supporting youth so that they can grow up feeling valued, respected, and known.
If you have an interest in the education of our youth, then you will want to make sure to hear her presentation.
See everyone next Thursday, September 1st, at the American Legion Hall or online.