On September 11, 2001, Todd Shea found himself running toward ground zero. He had no business being there. A singer-songwriter with a record deal, Shea should have been prepping for a gig at CBGB, one of New York City's most iconic venues. Instead he was using his band's van to bring food, water, and supplies to first responders.
After five grueling days amid the rubble of the Twin Towers, Shea decided to sacrifice his musical career, and dedicate his life to disaster relief.
"Seeing the suffering in New York opened my eyes to what other people around the world are going through every day,"...
Maya Ajmera founded the Global Fund for Children in 1993 to provide seed money to community-based organizations that help at-risk children across the world. Since then, GFC has awarded more than $32 million in grants to over 600 organizations in 80 countries, improving the lives of millions of children – from educating AIDS orphans in Uganda to conducting so-called curbside classrooms for waste pickers in Cambodia.
"Education is the key to getting human beings out of poverty," says Ajmera, whose studies at St. Xavier's College in Mumbai were sponsored by the Rotary Club of China Lake in...
Dennis Ogbe grips the discus in his right hand. He swings his arm and twists at the waist as far to the right as he can. With one move he snaps back, letting the saucer fly. Upper-body strength is important for any discus thrower, but for Ogbe, a Paralympian, it’s everything.
At age three, Ogbe contracted malaria, and while receiving treatment at a clinic near his home in rural Nigeria, he became infected with the poliovirus. Paralyzed from the waist down, he was sent home in the arms of his mother.
He credits his physical rehabilitation to a harsh form of therapy – the taunts of the other...
In Tamil Nadu, India, two doctors, both members of the Rotary Club of Srirangam, discovered an alarming trend in the remote city outskirts of Trichy, women dying of breast cancer.
Drs. K. Govindaraj and K.N. Srinivasan knew that much of the death and suffering could be avoided, and both were motivated by their personal experiences with the disease. Govindaraj watched his mother die of breast cancer a decade earlier, and helped found the Dr. K. Shantha Breast Cancer Foundation in her memory. Srinivasan, an oncologist, witnessed unprecedented growth in the number of younger patients coming to...
In the first month of my stay in Dakar, Senegal, as a Rotary Scholar, a friend gave me a piece of helpful advice. “Buy a wedding ring,” she said. I had already learned that as a young American woman in a Muslim country, I attracted a certain kind of attention. But a ring?
My friend nodded. “That way everyone will leave you alone.”
With my thumb I felt for the empty space on my left ring finger -- a place that, even now, I sometimes touch and worry where my ring has gone. I removed my wedding band on the one-year anniversary of my marriage, eight months after my husband, Miles, was killed in...
Lori Simpson gave us a "State of Plumas County" overview on January 13, 2014.
Oakley Sims also told us of his grand stay in Quincy as an exchange student from Ballarat Australia. He is pictured here with Suzan Leonhardt, Youth Services Director.
Donna Wood and Dwight Pierson were our Rotary Club's guest readers in the Kindergarten classes at Quincy Elementary School. Two volunteers are needed for the next reading session scheduled at 11:00 a.m., Thursday, February 6, 2014. Rotary Members read one or two books provided by our Rotary Club. It is a great opportunity to visit our school system and to encourage the importance of learning how to read.
Mike Flanigan, Rick Leonhardt, John Sheehan, and Julie Hochrein have volunteered to help with the Quincy Elementary School Spelling Bee scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m., Friday, January 24, 2014. They will help select the words, pronouce, and use words in a sentence to aid children participating in the Spelling Bee. If you have that afternoon free, it would be a great opportunity to support the school system.
2014 Labor Law Update - Joelle Breazier
2014 Labor Law Update
Joelle Breazier from Alliance for Workforce Development, Inc. where she works as part of the Business & Career Network presented our program for Monday, January 6. The network is active in Butte, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas and Sierra Counties and serves those seeking employment or who want to improve their career opportunities. They also serve employers looking for trained and skilled employees for their businesses and offer targeted training for business employees. Joelle is a new business representative with the Network
Joelle came specifically to invite Rotary members to learn more about the 2014 California labor law changes that affect California businesses at the 2014 Labor Law Update seminar scheduled for January 16 from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. There is a charge of $39 per person. The seminar will update businesses on the laws affecting wage and hours, discrimination and retaliation protections, immigrant protections, leaves and benefits, background checks, workers compensation and much more. She invites you to come and find out about what changes in the law might apply to your business. You may register by calling Joelle at 283-1606.
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