(The following narrative is a continuation of a series of how a member was introduced to Rotary and subsequent memories. If you would like Rotary to be part of your life's story, please contact Joyce Cave at caveclan@yahoo.com.)

Shiraz Zack-Kanga

Member Since December 15, 2014

February, 2021

It is unbelievable it has been six years since I joined Rotary. Time has gone by so quickly as I have enjoyed every event and meeting I shared with my fellow Rotarians. Mark Watson, my son’s Scoutmaster, introduced me. During the first three meetings I attended, I was very impressed by the Club’s playground projects. As I deeply care about the environment and pollution, this project resonated with me as it meant reusing a playground about to be discarded and instead turned into a like-new play structure for children in underserved schools in Mexico. The decision to join Rotary was an easy one for me. Who can refuse a great lunch buffet with kindred spirits while learning about local and world issues and working to solve them too?

One of the other things I enjoy about Rotary is our speakers. I learn something new at every meeting. We have had impressive speakers from around the world discussing diverse topics as animals in Africa to cancer survivors to our prison system. Also learning about the great work done by other nonprofits is very inspiring and informative.

Above all, the greatest gift of Rotary is meeting like-minded people. Rotary is a family of caring individuals that puts "service above self". We recognize this in the moist eyes of our members when listening to our young Interactors or a success story from one of our Club’s many recipients. It is also seen as we work together to cook for community events all day under inclement conditions as people are pushing heavy carts, cooking, washing pots, and cleaning the kitchen until late evening. There are no complaints about their body pain, just a smile and a satisfied look in their eyes at all we achieved together.

Connecting and getting to know my fellow Rotarians happened when I started volunteering for our events and fundraisers. I enjoyed working in the Rotary booth as we sold food and drinks at Holi Festival, Diwali Festival, Concerts in the Park, and the Foster City Arts & Wine Festivals. It is deeply satisfying to work together towards a common goal, when we cook, serve, and sell to raise funds for our community projects.

Throughout my years in Rotary, I have learned much from fellow Rotarians when I served on committees. Many Rotarians have helped me along the way. Bob Mike, helped me see the value of his detailed charts and organization during Holi events when we served over a thousand drinks. Cyndy Simms is a great resource and is always there to advise on Rotary policies, rules, district designated funds, and global grants. We also had a wonderful time at Stanford when we attended the Rotary Peace Fellowship conference.

Our District-level meetings and classes are invaluable. RI service meetings at the District level are a good place to meet other Rotarians and learn about their global projects. Cyndy and I also volunteered and worked with the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) camp. It was uplifting to observe the transformation and sense of achievement of the teenagers.

I served on the Club’s Board as the International Service Chair. During this time I learned much about the many amazing Global Grant projects. While our Club has contributed and supported projects by other Clubs, my great joy was starting and managing our own Global Grant. Mark Watson was our Club President at the time, and he supported a Global Grant for E-Learning Centers in partnership with another Rotary Club in India. It took a long time to get approval to work within the stringent guidelines and requirements set by RI. Our first project was not accepted, so we had to work with a non-profit and a Rotary Club in India on a different idea. We eventually got our project funded and approved by training teachers and providing kits and software to rural schools in India. Another small contribution to the Club was designing and printing our annual Club Directory.

I feel lucky to have had Elaine Pitts as my mentor when I first joined. She made it a point to sit next to me for lunch and started my Rotary journey with the Membership Committee. Elaine never ceased to amaze me with her passion and grit. Like her, in life and in Rotary, I hope to work and serve my community until my last day here.