Sporting Events and Anti-Trafficking Efforts in 2026
MEETING FOR THE WEEK OF Feb. 9, 2026
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: Sporting Events and Anti-Trafficking Efforts in 2026
Speaker: Sharan Dhanoa
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Greetings Members, Rotarians, Friends and Guests:
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WEEKLY FUNNY WITH SHAGS
We believe laughter is an important part of life, and we should all make time to laugh a little. This segment of our meeting is meant to tickle you just enough. These funnies are curated by member Steven "Shags" Shagrin!
I told my wife I was going to make a bike out of spaghetti.
She couldn't believe it when I rode pasta.
Inspiration
How often do you think about clean water? In this story from Malawi, you'll see the difference a reliable supply of clean water makes for a health center in the Zomba district.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Feeling Fritzed Out?
How Our Brains React to Burnout
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PROGRAM: Sporting Events and Anti-Trafficking Efforts in 2026
SPEAKER: Sharan Dhanoa
We bring you a new program every week on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education and how they contribute to service to others.
2026 will see three major sporting events in Santa Clara County, the NFL Super Bowl, NCAA March Madness, and FIFA World Cup. There has been attention to the issue of human trafficking at sporting events, and the FIFA World Cup in Qatar brought the realities of labor exploitation to the international stage. Learn about what data tells us about sporting events, trafficking, and exploitation.
Santa Clara County hosted Super Bowl 50 in 2016 and a regional workgroup, No Traffick Ahead was created to provide a regional, comprehensive response to trafficking. There were accomplishments and lessons learned as it relates to messaging, law enforcement, outreach, and services. No Traffick Ahead is organizing once again, utilizing a social leverage model, to provide a comprehensive approach to human trafficking and human rights violations for the events. This includes making sure visitors to the Bay Area and community members can recognize trafficking and know how to get help or report harm.
Our speaker, Sharan Dhanoa, is Director for the South Bay Coalition to End Human Trafficking. She facilitates collaboration amongst over thirty-five member agencies. In May 2014, she began facilitating the largest multi-county workgroup in the Bay Area, No Traffick Ahead, which is unifying efforts in eight counties in order to effectuate collective impact across sectors. Prior to joining the Coalition, Sharan worked with women trafficked into sexual exploitation in Calcutta, India, by aiding their development through economic empowerment. She started her career in crime research, has worked in crime surveillance, and in an emergency psychiatric facility.
Sharan holds a Master’s degree in Criminology from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University School of Law. Sharan was named 2015 Abolitionist of the Year for Advocacy by the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking, received the Unsung Hero Award by the County of Santa Clara Valley in 2015, and was awarded the South Asian Bar Association's Community Impact Award in 2016.
Members and guests, please welcome Sharan Dhanoa!
To learn more, go to:
https://www.southbayendtrafficking.org
To learn more about the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, go to:
http://rotary.cool
Our Three Podcast Series
Our main program speakers are available as podcasts in addition to YouTube videos! Each week, they are available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, as well as many other platforms.
Our weekly podcast is now called:
Inspiring People - Stories of Innovation and Service
Inspiring Solutions for a Better World
Our original podcast, featuring some of the best of our previous speakers, is still available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms.
Inspiring Women: Celebrating Trailblazers
Our newest podcast celebrates trailblazing women. It is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and many other platforms.
UPCOMING PROGRAM RECORDING SCHEDULE
All of our guest speakers and programs are recorded live online over Zoom video conference. We welcome members and guests to join us in one of these upcoming recordings. Recordings are approximately 30 minutes long and are subject to change without notice.
Our online video conference room link for these recordings is always http://zoom.siliconvalleyrotary.com/. You are welcome to join us! Please note the timezone listed for all recordings is US Pacific Time (San Francisco, California, USA).
If you can’t join the live recording, please send your questions for an upcoming speaker to programs@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
THE ATTENDANCE SURVEY
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done.
We have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
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