Meeting was called to order by Lisa Norcia Cheskin. Nicholas will return next week.
Pledge was led by Ramon Ward.
Inspiration was given by Jamie Hekkelman. The story was about a baby camel asking questions of its mother. The moral of the story is skills, knowledge, abilities and experiences are only useful if you are at the right place.
We didn’t hear the song for this week but it was Nicholas’ suggestion of “And It’s Still Alright” by Nathaniel Rateliff. Nicholas discovered this album during the pandemic. He recommends the entire album and suggests you turn it up loud. If you want to hear all the songs from this year go to the spotify play list, click here.
No guests this week.
Member spotlight this week is Tonya McQuade. Tonya is one of a few honorary members we have. This is the thirtieth year Tonya has been the Interact advisor at LGHS. Tonya brings together young people to develop leadership skills while discovering Service Above Self. Thank you, Tonya, for all you do.
New Members:
Our newest red badge, Sue Heller, was introduced by Suzanne Boxer-Gassman. Sue and Suzanne grew up together in Denver. Just by chance they both ended up in LG. Sue was a physical trainer before she retired. Welcome Sue! We’re looking forward to getting to know you.
Anjana Bose received her blue badge today from her sponsor Jamie. The two met before Jamie joined Rotary, but their first conversation was about Rotary since Jamie had just returned from Viet Nam. As Jamie put it, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Ramon Ware did his red badge bio today. It was done as a video and was very enjoyable to watch. Ramon learned a lot about his family from the book Talladega Days: Race, Rural Life, and Memories of a Forgotten Legend and KKK Survivor. Ramon is from a small town in Alabama where half the people are University of Alabama fans the other half are Auburn fans. Ramon didn’t tell us where he falls on this. He played football in high school and was part of the team that won the state championship during his freshman year. Football taught him about leadership and being part of a team. After high school Ramon attended the Air Force Academy graduating in 1989. He trained as a pilot and was part of special ops. After the Air Force he worked for various corporations including several in the wine industry where he specialized in supply chain. He is married he and his wife Elaine have six children. During the pandemic he decided to make a switch and has become a growth coach. Ramon is looking forward to getting involved in the community. We enjoyed getting to know you, Ramon!
Announcements:
Marty Fishman announced that the focus for October is Polio Plus. October 24 is World Polio Day. Polio eradication has been a focus of Rotary since 1979 when we started by vaccinating 6 million children in the Philippines. Africa has been declared free of wild polio virus. Now only Afghanistan and Pakistan have cases. In addition to fighting polio in these two countries we will need to keep working to prevent mutations and flare ups around the world. The Polio Plus fundraiser will take place in October.
Rachelle Lopp is heading up Rebuilding Together this year. It will be held on October 23rd, the home is in Campbell. No special skills necessary, we are just painting this year. Look for an email with all the information. Signups close this Saturday! Terri Trotter and Erin Hartnett are helping as volunteer coordinators.
Mike Norcia reminded us that the fall fundraiser is Oct. 8 at Cinelux theaters in Campbell. The movie is No Time to Die. Tickets are $40 now and go to $50 on September 28. Let Tina Orsi Hartigan know how many tickets you’d like. We will be in 3 theaters at 70-75% capacity. This fundraiser benefits Mobile Medical Clinic Stanford Hospital which provides medical care to uninsured and underinsured people by going into the community. Previously, they focused on children and teens but during the pandemic they broadened their mission to care for the entire family. Bill Wilson Center will also be a beneficiary. We’ll hear more about them next week. If you can’t join us on the 8th, you can donate tickets, just let Tina know. Click here to buy tickets online!
Marlon Smith announced birthdays and Don McCleve played Happy Birthday for our September birthday celebrants.
20 for 20
Jeffrey Blum had a lot to celebrate this week. His partner Lisa arranged a surprise retirement party for him last Saturday at the Wine Cellar. The fact that he had NO idea makes him wonder how many people pulled a fast one on him during his years practicing law. His older daughter had her 2nd son, Ethan. He was very small, but big enough that he didn’t have to go into the NICU. Mother and baby are both healthy. Also, he is going to New York in a few days to visit his other daughter. He gave $50 each to scholarships and charity funds. Congratulations Jeffery!
Program: Quarterly breakout sessions for committee meetings.
Next week:
Nicholas returns. Our speaker is Kate McQueen speaking on The Prison Journalism Project.