We race for charity - Annual Rotary Great Race

We award college scholarships

We mentor youth - Annual Rotary Enterprise Leadership Conference

We crack crab to raise funds for local and international grants - Annual Rotary Crab Fest

We volunteer in our community

We have fun together

We celebrate 100 years of service in the community

“Together, we see a world where people unite & take action to create lasting change -

across the globe, in our communities, & in ourselves.”

Follow & tag us on social media: @losgatosrotary

Meeting Notes from October 27, 2026

Visiting Guests

Larry Reynolds, Vancouver, Canada. Visiting his family in Los Gatos.

Larry’s grandson is the starting center on the Los Gatos Varsity Football team. Go Cats!

Inspiration

Angel Rampy: What is the most famous Halloween song?

It was written and produced in 1982 by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones which included 62 musicians and 22 singers and sold a staggering 70 million copies. The most famous song during Halloween is “Thriller” from the “Thriller” album.

The production, time and energy that went into Thriller is very similar to what the Rotary Club does throughout the year. It takes a “village” to support all the Rotary projects we oversee and manage.

Remembrance of Dave Downing

Dave was a good friend, a kind person and someone who cared for all. Dave was the President of the Los Gatos Rotary Club 2005-2006. Dave was instrumental in helping to build a house and called on 50-60 volunteers (friends) to make this come together.

Rosary Service: November 3rd, 6:00pm at the Darling Fisher Chapel of Hills, Los Gatos.
Funeral: November 4th, 11:00am at Santa Teresa Catholic Church, 794 Calero Ave, San Jose

Announcements

Great Race Update from Martha

The “Great Race” was a huge success and exceeded last year’s numbers. The Great Race generated $64,492 in revenues, with net proceeds totaling $37,685, a total of $12,562 dedicated to scholarships and $25,123 toward Charities. A big shout out to Mike Norcia-Co-Chair, Lisa, the marketing team, (Suzy and Sara), Patti for sponsorships, the Rotary volunteers and participants who made the Great Race a winning formula.

Wine Basket Auction

Sold to Dan Synder for $300.00. These proceeds will go toward Avis’s program to combat underage sex trafficking in Vietnam. Gift basket from Joesph George Wines.

Rotary Foundation Pledges

Marty Fishman presented the Rotary YTD foundation pledges for 2026-2027. The total, to date, is $52,774 from 95 donors. We are looking for 100% participation, if possible, from our membership, and even a pledge of $25.00 will make a difference. Thank You!

Meeting Notes from October 20, 2026

Visiting Guests

Mohammad Salman - Rotary member club Islamabad (Metropolitan) District 3272 Pakistan - There was an exchange of flags
Dave Yick
Nidhi Sahae - Receiving her Red Badge today
Kristen Hayden - speaker
Melissa Watkins - Girls on the Run

Inspiration

Angel Rampy - To Be Present - Engage all of your senses to the entire meeting by putting your phones away and be present.

Red Badge Presentation

Red Badge presentation by Jeff Blum to Nidhi Sahae.

Special Presentation by Melissa Watkins

A non-profit organization called Girls on the Run of Silicon Valley - Showing young girls 3rd-8th grade that running can build confidence, build physical strength and confidence. It’s an after school program and will be celebrating 25 years next year. Los Gatos Rotary is a Sponsor.

World Polio Day

Oct 24th - We are so close to ending Polio in the world. Our foundation has raised $47,000 so far this year but only 1/12 of our members have contributed. EREY is our goal: Every Rotarian Every Year! Please donate at least $25 so we can “Pull a Marty Fishman” and get every club member to give something, for the FIRST time ever.

Meeting Notes from October 13, 2026

Visitors/Guests

Seb Frey introduced the guest speaker, Robin Shepherd, Brain Health and Dementia (Susan & Charles Berghoff Foundation)
Robin introduced her 2 guests, Charles Berghoff and Bonnie Broderrick.
Jeff Blum introduced Netty, soon to get her red badge.

Inspiration

Anna Maria Valenzuela shared the following:

Martin Luther King said “everybody can be great, because anybody can serve” You don’t have to have a college degree to serve…you only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love. As a real estate agent she feels great to serve. In Rotary, we touch lives with kindness and come together to serve the community. We don’t have to wait for a special moment.

Club News/What our Club has done Lately

Rotary participation in the following:

Grateful Garment Lunch (Oct 10)
Rise Against Hunger (Oct 11)

Upcoming Events

(see Lissa and Rachelle’s emails for details)

Hunger at Home (Oct 19 & 26)
JW House Dinner (Oct 20)
Campbell Rotary - classical trio benefit concert
First Tuesday Social at Patti van der Burg’s house (Nov 3)
Blood drive
NUMU art exhibit titled “Community Ignition: Partnership and Artmaking in the Disability Arts Community. Group exhibit opens Oct 16, 2026 - March 21, 2027
Polio Plus Drive
Presidents Brunch: Will be held on 12/6, at Cinnabar Hills Golf Club from 10:30 a.m.

Meeting Notes from September 29, 2026

Vice President Ryan Rosenberg called the meeting to order at 12:30.

Carol Goedde led the pledge of allegiance.

For the first time in forever, we had no visiting Rotarians and no other visitors.

Inspiration

Suzanne Boxer-Gassman
Suzanne brought us a poem from her book club by Mary Oliver about worry, particularly all of the things we worry about that are completely outside of our control. The message was simple: worrying accomplishes very little. It’s better to focus our attention on the things we enjoy and can actually do something about.

Los Gatos Rotary Great Race

Lisa Cheskin reviewed the Great Race and recognized the very large group of Rotarians who helped make it happen, including on the executive committee: Patti Van der Berg, Martha Sterne, Mike Norcia, Karen Briones, Suzy Deline and many others. Randy was also thanked for the photographs.

The result: almost 450 participants and a really terrific community event.

Lisa also recognized all of the Rotarians who met the challenge of bringing at least three people to the race. She then drew the winner of a free CrabFest ticket raffle. Winner: Andrew Howard!

Upcoming Activities

As always, check the President’s weekly email for details, but there is plenty coming up.

Santa Cruz Shakespeare is on the calendar, with an available discount for Rotarians.
First Tuesday Social at Enoteca on October 6 from 5:30–7:30, including happy hour.
November’s First Tuesday will be at Patti’s.

If you’re looking for a chance to volunteer, check Lissa’s email. There are six(!) different service opportunities coming up in October. If you haven’t raised your hand in a while, now is a great time to do so.

Blue Badge Bio

Shailaja Venkatsubramanyan

Shailaja was born in Mumbai, the youngest of five children, and completed her early education there. She told us how to pronounce her name (really, just like it is written), but she is happy with Shai.

Shai came to the United States and earned a master’s degree in Accounting Information Systems from Virginia Tech, followed by a Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona in Tucson. She also learned during this time that American College Football does not have a goalie.

Her academic career included serving on the faculty of Tulane’s MBA program and later San José State. She received tenure in 2010 and took early retirement in 2019 so she could spend more time with her family. Her two children are now at the University of Washington.

Along the way, Shailaja also gave us a very funny account of her adventures, or perhaps misadventures, with automobiles. She mentioned at least three.

Since retiring, she has devoted considerable time to volunteer activities, including serving on the Community Health and Senior Services commission in Los Gatos.

She closed with advice from her mother that has clearly stayed with her: give to others without expecting anything in return; true joy comes from doing that. Very Rotarian-compatible!

October 2026

We meet most Tuesdays, 12:00-1:30PM at
Shir Hadash
20 Cherry Blossom Lane
Los Gatos CA 95032

First Tuesday
Home of Patti and Erik van der Burg

Nov. 03, 2026
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
First Tuesday
The Home of John and Devonne Pensor

Dec. 01, 2026
5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.