Rose’s Ruminations

WOW – September began with a BANG! On September 7, we inducted our second member of the year Padma Magadala.  Padma attended the meeting with her mother and daughter – three generations of Magadala women. It was a great induction and very moving for me as Padma thanked her mother for the years and time spent preparing Padma to dance in India for Rotary Project Celebrations; it brought an awareness of Rotary to Padma at a very young age. Welcome Padma – as Padma said, she has come full circle, and we look forward to your Rotary journey. Today is the DAY – The HOT, HOT, HOT Chili Pepper Challenge. Our own Daren Young challenged all in the club to GET to the web site and donate or a Hot Chili could be in your future. That could come in the form of a Hot vodka shot or a chili pepper filled with Tequila following Sophia Ahmad’s Tequila Kick Off.   Following the fining of PP Tony and his beautiful wife PFL Heather Boudames for 25 years of marriage, Harry took over the Podium. Harry prepared an historical look at Niles Rotary by involving several Rotarians asking the question “What does Rotary mean to me?” This will be a 4 part series meant to look at Niles Rotary’s history, purpose, and character.  Thank you Rick King, Sam Forbes, Sandi Pantages, Craig Steckler, and Gary Basrai for sharing not only why they joined Rotary but why they stay. I had to smile, with Family by Choice being my motto this year, most everyone mentioned that Niles Rotary has become their extended family.   Thank you Harry – it was a GREAT program with heartfelt passionate speakers, and we really look forward to part 2.

IT’s that time of year again –My favorite thing about this time of year is it’s time for all things Pumpkin!!! My second favorite thing about this time of year is it’s time to bust out the Ghost House. Niles Rotarians partnered with the Candle Lighters again to begin the 49^th year of the Candle Lighters Ghost house in Fremont. Great Ghost House memories back 49 years ago as I got to be one of the witches riding on the float with a really scary play house that looked haunted and huge papier-mâché vultures that I helped my mom and Joan Massey construct. Thirteen Rotarians added to the energetic group of volunteers from our community to throw open the doors, unpack the big trucks, construct the kitchen, put up fencing and took the beginning props into the house as the Ghost House imaginators shift into high gear. Thank you to our own Jeff Schinkel for inviting us yet again to assist with his project. A BIG shout out to Dana and Rick Jones, Audrey Kearns and grandsons, PP Sandi and Dick Pantages, PP Lisa and Dirk Lorenz, Steven Springer and his son Nick, Margo Hood, PP Chuck Canada, and Gael Stewart. Not only did we get a lot done we had fun doing it! Some needed more Advil than others but the TO DO List was all checked off. See you all on November 4 for tear down!

On to the 2^nd meeting of September – I must admit I was very excited about our speaker. He was Mitty Chang. The meeting began with a couple of recognitions. First the Rotarian of the Month for August was named. Chuck Canada got the pin for his tireless work on the Membership Development Committee, and keeping our Mentoring Committee happy, personal, focused, relational, and so relevant! Chuck – your commitment to the committee is one reason we are growing, and is a HUGE part of club family member retention. It’s all about how you make people feel, and Chuck your leadership exemplifies that! Thank you from the whole club! Next our own Aziz Akbari asked to buy back an article recognizing him for the Alameda County Water District Transparency Certificate of Excellence. Transparency in Government is a passion of Aziz – congratulations on making your passion a reality for the ACWD. We are excited about your accomplishments and what the future holds for you.

Some fining began with anniversaries. Angus and Annie for 19 years of happiness and Paul Parhiala for his Birthday and Anniversary; Paul reported that next year will be a big year for him as he celebrates his 50^th Anniversary and his 75^th Birthday – take notes PE Brian Cha Ching!   Although both men are very happily married, Angus never did remember what he did for his anniversary, and it took Paul about 5 minutes to remember – a sign of the times I am afraid.

Our own RIPP Rick King introduced Mitty Chang. Mitty gave a very passionate talk about the future of Rotary encouraging inclusion, embracing change, and calling everyone to be Dragon Slayers!! Mitty, you are an amazing young man with a very relevant message that should be heard and embraced by all clubs. I am happy to report that Niles Rotary is on the move and investigating some changes that will make our club stronger with millennials as our target.

If you were not at the club meeting, Daren’s Chili Pepper Challenge video with Audrey Kearns is a must see on Facebook.

This year the Area 3 Presidents are attending each other’s meetings together. August 30 we attended the Fremont Club at Spin a Yarn and on the 21^st of Sept we all attended the FUN club at the Crowne Plaza. It is really fun to see other Rotarians and see the personality of each club. I am really enjoying these meetings – great idea Jim Bell.

THE DISTRICT GOVENOR’S Visit – District 5170 Governor Orrin Mahoney attended our club on September 21, 2017. We met for an hour and a half before the club meeting discussing the many successes of Niles Rotary. Our membership is on the rise with active outreach to young professionals, with a solid membership team and mentoring program; our RI giving is up; and we were proud to review the outcome of the 2017 Reverse Raffle. We have a Niles Rotarian sponsored Area 3 Global grant, along with several idea for International Service including reaching out to the Peace Corps. We covered Community Service projects as well as the necessity to keep our social media presence current and relevant, which we do so well. We had 5 Rotarians at the Membership Seminar, and we have a minimum of 20 Rotarians attending the Avenues of Service meeting on October 5.  Our club meeting began with Richard King introducing Orrin to the club. Orrin and Rick King both handed out our Paul Harris pins and certificates. Congratulations Brad Louie, Kathy Laidlaw, Richard Lucero, Larry Bowen, and Raj Salwan (our 12th Paul Harris Society Member, which is a $1000 contribution to the Rotary Foundation every year).

Oh MY, it’s the last meeting of the 1st quarter – time flies! We began by introducing our visiting Rotarians who included Mike and Sunny from the Rotary Club of Anchorage South, Alaska who had bid and won our Rotary Exchange at their fundraiser. Welcome to Sunny California. Paul Iannacconi took the mike and honored Mary Florio as our newest Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations Mary and thank you for your generosity. Next Raj Salwan was honored for becoming a Grand Donor to the RI Foundation. Thank you Raj! Our program for the day was the PRASAD Project, with board member Thomas Korula and executive director Dr. Cecilia Escarra. They are a nonprofit organization committed to improving the quality of life of economically disadvantaged people around the world. This includes India, several other countries and dental care in New York. It was a fascinating presentation.

This month also began the planning for our Millennial Outreach with Sophia Ahmad leading the charge with Aziz Akbari, Maggie Chambers, Chuck Canada, and assorted Membership Committee members. I cannot wait to attend the first get together. I was also honored to be included in the Bet Paying off of PP Angus as he threw the Haggispalooza Dinner. It was a great evening, and I must say a very special thank you to Annie, Angus, Tobey, and Cosmos for including Randy and me even though we weren’t a part of the bet. ONE of the perks of being President! The Haggis was GREAT – never thought I’d say that but it was! Color me very happy!!!

Roll and Stroll this weekend – detail on that next month.

 

Rose’s Ruminations – August in Review

August 3, 2017 – Month 2 – only 10 left!! But who’s counting? During May and June of this year Paul Andrus and I put together my first Survey Monkey. We had 57 responses from the club – over half the members responded! I took a minute at the club meeting to review the results of the Survey Monkey. (See slides and comments further on in the Pinion). Our program this afternoon was Paul Andrus reviewing our Web Site and informing club members how and what they can do on our site. Paul also had forms available for you to customize your log in information. If you were not at the club, shoot him an email or catch him at a meeting. He can make access to Club Runner through the Web Site really easy.

Following a relaxing Friendship Friday hosted by the Kearns (thank you Audrey and Mike for opening your home and yard), it was off to Angus’s first social of the year. On Saturday night Rotarians attended Star Struck Theater’s play Footloose. About 20-28 club members enjoyed a lovely dinner at Gael Stewart’s Mission Coffee and then met with a few additional Rotarians at the Smith Center for the play. Reports are that the play was great as always but the fellowship at all three events was the highlight.

Monday August 7 was our quarterly mentoring meeting hosted in the lovely home of Geeta Kadambi. Thank you so much for hosting, Geeta. A great group of committee members, mentors and mentees gather for a bonding evening of good wine, good food, good fellowship, and great club information shared with all. The Membership Development Committee is on a roll and starting the year strong. Thank you all especially for making this a priority and for your many hours of work to make membership development happen.

Our Club Assembly was on August 10 – What do you do when MOST of your Board blow off Club Assembly? (Not really – they all had solid reasons they could not attend). You STAY CALM with one of the funniest people I know – PP Angus. Angus and I wore many hats as we sped through everyone’s goals with MY GOAL met – Club Assembly in one meeting. The main goals reviewed were Membership (9 new Rotarians), Rotary Foundation Goals ($18,000), continued strong relationships with our Interactors and Rotaractors, diverse speakers, and hands on with the Sight Now International project. (Editor’s note: I plan to have the PowerPoint slides from the Club Assembly in a future Pinion).

The August 17 meeting was an agenda packed meeting. Chief Rich Lucero gave his highly anticipated icebreaker – thank you Rich for all you bring to our club, and it was so much fun hearing about your beautiful family and meeting your AMAZING wife. Right on the heels of Rich’s icebreaker we exchanged not 1 but 2 Red Badges for Blue. That was Rich’s last to do on his Red Badge list, and Martin Herter’s badge had been waiting for a week or so. Both were given their Blues and the club celebrated them in song.

The BIG announcement was that the 17^th marks the beginning of 11 weeks of animated announcements about the Hot Chili Pepper Challenge by our spirited Daren Young. A new aspect was added to this year’s challenge. Last year we could eat a hot chili pepper or take a shot of hot chili vodka. This year our Hot Vodka connoisseur Margaret Thornberry found??? Are you ready??? Hot Chili Tequila – WHO KNEW that even existed? Well, it was not wasted as Daren and Margo Hood took the first official shots of Hot Tequila, and the Challenge is off and running. Daren’s challenge to the club is that EVERYONE donates – the goal is to raise $40,000.00 that will be split among 8 LOCAL charities. Niles Rotary’s recipient will be Life ElderCare. WE can do this!! We enjoyed a great program about Successful Aging. Our speaker was Penny Vittoria from Acacia Creek. She was very interesting, and gave information we all could use. Primarily – be Positive, seek socialization – MOVE, any exercise – Spiritual – Seek Balance through your church, meditation or quiet time, and last but not least use your Brain – read, brain games. Great information for us all, no matter what age. Thank you Penny!

We swooped into the weekend with a District Membership Conference that was the best I have ever been to with Branding being a main topic. Niles Rotary was very present at this meeting with 5 Rotarians in attendance. Thank you to Chuck Canada, Rick Hood, Sophia Ahmad, and Maggie Guilbeaux-Chambers for giving up your Saturday morning. It should be noted that as they were discussing the value of the Web, three sites were highlighted and our site was one. Very proud that our membership team is so far ahead of most clubs, but we came back with some more great ideas.

On the same day another group of our Niles Rotarians was hard at work building a fence for LEAF. This project was headed by Manuel Franco and Paul Andrus. Ten Rotarians were present to assist in various jobs but most of all to get the fence up. They spent collectively about 55.5 hours in the hot noon day sun. Thank you Manuel, Rich Godfrey, Paul Andrus, Steve Cho, Jeff Schinkel, Almos Adorjan, and Rakesh Sharma. We also had some non-Rotarians join the group – Guillermo Martinez, Bill Magoon and Steve Legraffe; it’s always great working with folks with likeminded hearts.

On August 24, the Family Fun Meeting kicked off on a high note as we inducted our first Niles Rotarian of the year. Linda Anderson and her husband Curtis were called to the podium – we all got to meet Curtis and hear a little about Linda and her family. I am her sponsor and have known her to be a leader and a giver with a special heart for kids. I have told her for years she should join Rotary. I’m so excited for you all to get to know her better. Congratulations Linda – welcome to our club. Linda is the Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Fremont Unified School District – Curtis is a professional photographer. Following Linda’s induction, I named my July Rotarian of the month – Paul Iannaccone – for his amazing work with the Rotary Foundation giving. Paul is one with Evanston and our District, and we are reaping the benefits. He is cleaning up, organizing, and most important, teaching us about the Rotary Foundation and our giving opportunities.

Thank you Paul for your hours of hard work and commitment to our club. Paul awarded a Paul Harris Plus 2 pin to Rich Godfrey, a Plus 3 pin to Rosemary Ashley, and a Plus 4 pin to Sandra Young. The rest of the meeting was dedicated to ice breaker candy fun games and fun fining using random facts. There was a lot of laughing either because people were having fun or everyone was on a sugar high!

To keep the fun going a large group of Rotarians met at the home of Gary & Jean Basrai for Fellowship Friday on August 25. As usual it was a pleasant evening for all that attended.

Welcome Teacher Day on August 22 began with 40 grade school students in line before 9:00 AM. Students came from all the schools in Fremont to receive a flower to give their teacher on the first day of school. The Partners Project launched last year by District 5170’s Governor Jeff Orth was completed. Mission San Jose Rotary Club’s Past President Ruth Wenzel, Linda Anderson from FUSD, Cabrillo School Principal David Thornley, Mayor Lily Mei and I were on hand to formally present the FUSD and 5 schools with book selections made by Jeff Orth’s wife. Each 5^th grader will get a book of their own to take home. The schools include Durham, Cabrillo, Blacow, Brier and Grimmer. A formal presentation was filmed; Rose and Ruth will work with the principals at these schools to formally distribute the books at school assemblies. Of course on hand to facilitate the day were the Niles Rotary shining stars Dirk and Lisa Lorenz, as well as many Niles Rotary volunteers to check in the students and give them their flowers. We saw a consistent flow of about 1,400 children all very excited with their flowers and their first day of school. Teachers also stopped in to pick up donated school supplies for their rooms.

The last meeting of the month was coupled with my favorite Rotary project, Feed the Hungry. We had a great meeting that began with an icebreaker from our new soon-to-be Blue Badger Maggie Guilbeaux-Chambers. Maggie has quite a story and has spent most of her career in healthcare along with her husband at Washington Hospital. Maggie had completed her Food Handlers Certificate, so she joined us at Feed the Hungry and completed her last TO DO on her Red Badge list. Good Job Maggie! PRIP Richard King was on hand as we honored Mary Lynn Pelican and Paul Andrus as Paul Harris Society members, as well as an already Paul Harris Society member Sam Forbes with his first Paul Harris. Our speaker was Dr. Gari Browning President/Superintendent of the Ohlone Community College District. She gave us a very interesting view of where Ohlone has been and its amazing growth and great expectations for the future.

Following the meeting a group of us headed over to the Centerville Free Dining room to prepare and serve dinner to the hungry residents of Fremont. Thank you Orlando Tavares, Mary Contois , and Maggie Guilbeaux-Chambers for your help with pre dinner prep and dinner service. We were joined for dinner service by Stephen Allen, Terri Landon, Sandi Pantages Sophia Ahmad, Martin Herter, Rakesh Sharma, Steve Cho, Kimberly McFarland, Merna Morse, Mary Lynn Pelican; at the door was John Dutra, and taking the census was Margo Hood. Thank you all for your service – we served 134 people over 225 meals.

Well that’s all folks – On we go to our 3rd Rotary Month!

Fondly

Rose