Posted by Suguna Alluri
on Oct 26, 2015
Welcome Brian!
New Member Induction - Welcome to our newest member Brian Wheatley who was inducted into the club by President Robbie and sponsored by Charlie. We wish Brian well, and hope he will make many wonderful memories working with us in serving the community. Brian is a Political Science major from UCLA, has been a teacher is San Jose for many years and is currently serving as President of Evergreen Elementary Teachers Association. Brian will introduce himself formally in one of the future club meets.
Dear Sara was recognized and commended for sponsoring Charlie Wasser, and for her work with our Rotary for the past many years.
Speaker Cindy Chavez - Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez held us spell bound as she talked about Human Trafficking happening rampantly in our very own backyard - in the High Tech Corridor from Oakland to San Francisco to San Jose. Apart from working with various other county departments like VTA, Bay Area Air Quality, Children and Family Services, Cindy has dedicated her time and resources in working with Human Traffickers and has been instrumental in bringing several of them to Justice. Wage theft, Sex Trafficking, Prostitution and Child abuse leave victims traumatized, disoriented and unable to reach out for help because they are terrified of losing food, housing, visas etc. and also the inability to speak English puts them at a disadvantage. A Trained Task Force comprised of Several Service groups such as Police, Bus Drivers, Fire Fighters, Teachers, Health Care Workers and Watch Dog Communities help the victims by being aware, identifying, and reporting such crimes to law enforcement and government officials. Setting up Zoning Laws, Health Checks, Certification for Design and Permits of various hot spots like Massage Parlors, Bikini Bars and even Shopping Malls are some of the other measures taken up to control the problem. Cindy recommends that we as Rotarians can best help by attending a training session. President Robbie has promised to bring together a few local Rotary Clubs for one big Training Session.
Guests - A local Author Ann Bridges was present at our meet this week. Her new book "Private Offerings" gives us an insider view to Silicon Valley. She has been working with Evergreen College to help students fund projects to help them be more involved with writing and publishing locally to give back to their own neighborhoods. For those of us who are interested, she is having a session with the college on November 4, 2015.
We also had Sergio Jimerez who is running for Council Member for District 2. He is currently the President of Oak Grove Neighborhood Association and is very involved with organizing neighborhood cleanups, and has one every Saturday in different communities. Please visit his Facebook page for more information.
Sunday Friends - President Robbie, Charlie, Ruth, Debbie, Marissa, Suguna, and our newest Rotary member Brian and his lovely spouse Danielle, along with our District 2 Council Member Ash Kiara had the chance to participate in the scheduled tour of Sunday Friends. It is indeed the "The Best Kept Secret in San Jose" and we definitely came back with something to think about. We interacted with the founder, the executive director and some of the volunteers and were amazed with the precision work of the organization. Apart from taking care of education of entire families, every detail of putting together an emotionally, mentally and financially sound family is taken care of. It would be a great place for our Rotarians and especially our interactors to volunteer their time or resources at. They have an event - the Holiday Shopping Spree coming up on November 13 and 20, 2015 for which we have been requested to volunteer. If interested, please contact one of us who have attended the tour or visit their website.
Upcoming Speaker - One of the biggest mysteries ever - Social Security...Our guest speaker Gus Liu will unravel the puzzle for us. Be sure to be there and get an insight into our lives ahead.
Also this week Crab Feed and Christmas Party Planning...That should be a lot of fun! So once again we expect a full house!
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