Events

Margaret Smith is a long-time resident of Los Gatos and owner of Domus, the iconic kitchen and home accessories store that re-opened in downtown Los Gatos in Fall of 2023. Prior to Domus, Margaret was a business attorney with her own law practice in Los Altos, California.  She is the recipient of a number of business awards, both local and national. Margaret was selected as the Business Person of the Year by the Los Gatos Chamber, the Woman Business Owner of the Year by the San Jose Business Journal, and was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame as the result of her leadership as the National President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, an organization representing the 10 million women- owned businesses in the United States. Margaret is credited with negotiating the first Women’s Entrepreneur Loan Fund with Wells Fargo Bank which established a $1 Billion loan fund for US women entrepreneurs. Within a few short years, the loan fund grew and, as of 2022, the Fund had loaned over $59 Billion to women-owned businesses.  Margaret is a graduate of George Washington University and received her law degree from Santa Clara University. She is the proud grandmother of four grandchildren who all attended Los Gatos schools. She is also a Los Gatos Rotarian!
 

Our featured guest speaker will be longtime Los Gatos resident and Local Historian, Alan Feinberg. Alan is the founder of the LOST Gatos Project - a campaign to remember and preserve our unique town history before it’s “lost” forever. He is also the developer of the free mobile app “Discover LOST Gatos” which offers self-guided walking tours of our historic downtown with content that has been carefully researched for historical accuracy. Alan also writes a monthly history feature for the Los Gatan. He will join us to share some of his favorite stories about our town’s amazing history.

It is an enduring mystery whether Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962. It is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found―only their makeshift raft. Our guest speaker, Mike Lynch co-authored a book with the escapees' nephew, Ken Widner, in which they present compelling evidence that Morris and the Anglin uncles did in fact survive. Join us for this account of a fascinating slice of Bay Area history.

Join our CrabFest Committee to learn about all things CrabFest coming up on Saturday, February 1st. This is our club's biggest fundraiser of the year and we hope that the 2025 event will be the biggest ever! At this club meeting, we will be bringing some of the items in the fabulous auction that you can win that day! You'll learn about the CrabFest event night schedule, registering to bid, using the auction "win-it-now" option and even "otto bidding". Don't miss it!

Dr. Jennifer Zumarraga, MD., is the Medical Director, Adolescent Psychiatry, Scrivner Center for Mental Health & Addiction Services at El Camino Health. She has a decade of experience in working with children of all ages with mental health issues. She started out in research at the National Institute of Mental Health working with youth with ADHD. She continued her training at the University of Rochester and the University of Southern California. Dr. Zumarraga was involved in the formation of the ASPIRE program for teens at El Camino Health in response to the glaring shortage of services for adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders and the lack of resources for their families. 

The ASPIRE Program at El Camino Health has been transforming lives in the Los Gatos community since 2010 by providing specialized care for middle schoolers, teens, and young adults facing depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions. This presentation will explore the impact of mental health conditions on our youth and how innovative treatment programs can be a critical resource.  

Dr. Zumarraga will be joined by Sam Kotmel who is an ASPIRE graduate. The program changed Sam's life and taught her vital skills that she uses on a daily basis. She has a bachelors degree from Otis College of Art and Design and is currently applying to go back to school to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. 

In this in-meeting service project, we will make birthday cards for seniors who are clients of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI). PVI's mission is to enable seniors to age in place by empowering them to lead independent lives, engage with their communities, and continue to get the most out of life. Joining us from PVI will be Stephanie Stephanie Figeira, Director of Nutrition Services. She has over 12 years of experience in holistic nutrition and is committed to helping seniors achieve healthy longevity through mindful eating and wellness practices. 

Each year, Rotary District 5170 sponsors a high school speech contest. Participating contestants will speak on a predetermined Rotary theme. Each Club holds a contest and judges select the 1sr, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. The Club 1st place finisher advances to the Area contest. The winner of the Area contest goes on to compete in the Regional speech contest.  The top two finishers in the Regional advance to the District Final Speech Contest. Join us for the Los Gatos club-level contest on Tuesday, February 25th!