Weekly Recap
President Bill Kelly
September 2, 2021
It was nice to have another in-person speaker yesterday, as well as a visiting Rotarian from Texas. Bob Ricks joined us from the Lakewayl/Lake Travis Rotary Club, which I understand is considered by some to be, The Greatest Rotary Club in Texas. Nice to see you today, Bob.
At the meeting, we gained some knowledge about educating our youth, and how important it is for our young students to have adult support during their formative years. We even looked back in time to when we were kids, to reminisce about the occasions when adults helped us become successful.
Meeting Highlights
Pledge: This time, the Pledge was led by Rotarian Joe Hart. Thanks Joe for helping kick off our meeting on a positive note.
Inspiration: This week, our colorful inspiration was presented by Mike Moul, via Zoom. Mike shared some very unique and inspirational quotes from Groucho Marx, one of the most noted comedian-philosophers of the day. A couple of favorites included:
“Those are my principles, and if you don’t like them… well, I have others.”
“I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose which it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it.”
Nice words of wisdom, Mike. Thanks!
Birthdays: No birthdays to celebrate this week. Early September must not have been a popular time to be born for our Rotarians.
Anniversaries: Congratulations to Gary and Linda Citti, who celebrated their 40th anniversary this week on August 29th. Congratulations, you two!
Rotary Anniversaries: There were no Club anniversaries to celebrate this week.
We Care: No new reports from Don Skinner this week.
Upcoming events:
The Parade of Champions is scheduled for October 9th.
Steps for Success is scheduled on Friday October 29, which is Halloween weekend. Youth Services Director Dan Winter attended a meeting with the School District this week. The event is moving forward, according to Dan. Dan will request sign-ups soon.
The next Board meeting will occur next week. Agenda and monthly reports to be sent to the Board for review prior to the meeting.
President’s Report:
Parade of Champions October 9 volunteer opportunities exist to help prepare for the big event. 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. 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. Yesterday a group of Rotarians met on Zoom to review our participation in the 2019 parade, and will identify needs for this year’s event.
The 113th Annual Rotary International Convention is scheduled June 4-8, 2022. Over 20,000 attendees from around the world will descend upon Houston, Texas for this event. In the past, several Rotarians from our club have attended the RI Convention. You may want to consider booking your hotel soon, as they will fill up as the convention gets closer. To see more information, visit the RI website.
The September 16 meeting will have a special format. Our guest speaker will deliver an abbreviated presentation due to her limited availability. After lunch, Rotarians have been invited to enjoy dessert at Larry Fargher’s home to help him celebrate his 89th birthday. You are cordially invited to drive by and say hello, or park your car and visit for a while. More information will be sent via a birthday e-vite.
We welcomed back to our club, Satish Ullal, a longtime, former Santa Clara Rotarian. Sponsor, Andy Ratermann, provided Satish with his blue badge and re-introduced him to the club. Welcome back, Satish!
A short video on the benefits of the JW House was presented at the club meeting. This charity provides much needed support to families that are supporting a loved one during critical medical care at the adjacent Kaiser Hospital. Please contact Tom Brown to sign up for a shift to help provide a meal to those in need.
Keynote Speaker:
Ken Rowell provided an enthusiastic and uplifting introduction of our guest speaker, Ziem Nguyen Neubert, Executive Director of YMCA Project Cornerstone. Ziem is an accomplished educator and program manager. She began her presentation by sharing her heartwarming story of emigrating as a child from Viet Nam, and how caring adults helped her feel valued and respected here in America. Supporting children became her life’s work.
The audience was asked to complete a worksheet in which we identified a time in our childhood when we experienced positive adult support. We then reflected on how valuable that support was in shaping our lives. Ziem also encouraged our Rotary Club to continue with our youth support programs in our community to help make a positive difference in the lives of those we serve.
Our guest speaker next week will be Dr. Sarah Tuberty, who will tell her journey of adaptation and understanding of the disability experience. Dr. Tuberty did not let her disability dissuade her from pursuing a successful life. She is an internationally trained aerialist with an emphasis on adaptive aerial arts, incorporating disability into her performances to help rewrite the narrative we have on disability. You will definitely want to hear her compelling and uplifting story.
See everyone next Thursday, September 1st, at the American Legion Hall or online.