Meeting for the Week of Mar. 9th, 2015
Greetingsfrom President Rushton Hurley
Welcome to the meeting of the week of March 9th, 2015! At the moment of writing this, I'm in Raleigh, North Carolina, listening to the irrepressibly energetic Kevin Honeycutt talk about cutting young people loose to creatively explore their possibilities for themselves and all of us.Moments ago he said, "I love technology, but without relationships, it doesn't mean anything."One of the challenges of being in an eclub is that it's easy to be very, very anonymous. Personally, I believe life is way too short not to spend it with wildly cool people. This club, as it happens, is loaded with fascinating folks, some of whom are leaving presents (in the form of comments at the end of meeting) for the group, and some of whom are gearing up to leave those presents.Share your thoughts, your interests, and your stories. Life is way too short to do otherwise.Guests, we welcome your comments, as well, and ask that you consider contributing the cost of a meal to the service projects our club is putting in motion. While we do not yet have our online payment system in place (we got closer over the last week!), you are welcome to mail a check made out to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley to our treasurer: ℅ Allen Thompson, 13500 Cascade Ct., Bakersfield CA 93314.
Try Something New
As stories go, they typically require having done something. Doing something typically requires having made a decision. What might you decide to do to seed your next story?This video is a short TED Talk from 2011 by Matt Cutts, an engineer at Google. He advocates trying something new for 30 days. He did, and this is his story.
Happenings
Helping Kids in Danger of Alcohol Addiction
If not busy the evening of Wednesday, March 25th, join President Rushton at a dinner and auction supporting Justin's House, a program for kids who have become or are in danger of becoming abusers of alcohol. The goal is to catch these young people before they cross over to addiction and head down the sad and unhealthy path a lifelong struggle with this powerful substance can create. This is a new charity having its first fundraiser in Santa Clara, and Rushton hopes a group of us will join together for some social time and a good cause! Tickets are $35; contact Rushton (rushton@gmail.com) to join in.
Charter and KayaksOn Sunday, March 29th, our club will gather to celebrate its official beginning, with District Governor Ed Jellen presenting our charter to us. The event will be at the Alviso Yacht Club, where Secretary Dean McCully and his wife, Lisa Bickford (our liaison to the Rotary Club of Sunnyvale), have a large collection of kayaks. Come in the afternoon for some kayak time, and stay for dinner to celebrate our club's launch! More details to follow, but you can send early questions to Secretary Dean McCully (dean@dmccully.com).
Service Survey
Each week, we hope you have something to report in terms of the service you do in your community. Did you volunteer for a nonprofit? Spend some time tutoring at a school? Work on plans for a program you'll present in our club? Take part in a club committee meeting? If so, please let us know about it via this survey.
The World of Rotary
International Women's Day
Last Sunday (March 8th) was International Women's Day, and Rotary chose to highlight the work of eight Rotarian women making a difference in the lives of others, and two of the eight are from California:Fary MoiniSan Diego, California, USARotary Club of La Jolla Golden TriangleOver the last 10 years, Moini has taken 19 trips to Afghanistan to work on projects ranging from school construction to setting up computer labs. Her fellow Rotary members called her "inspirational" in her involvement in the building of a school in Jalalabad, and in helping to provide neonatal and midwife training for medical professionals. Deepa WillinghamSolvang, California, USARotary Club of Santa Ynez Valley Willingham is founder and chair of PACE Universal (Promise of Assurance to Children Everywhere), a nonprofit organization that educates girls in the world's poorest areas and works to prevent child trafficking. Working with Rotary clubs around the world, the center she formed provides education, microloans, health care, clean water and sanitation, and community infrastructure. "Together, we have created a site that is affecting the lives of 30,000 to 40,000 people," Willingham says.
Click here to read about all eight, and share these stories with any who might find them inspiring.
The Power of Images
Lake ShastaThis week we have another share from Member Keith Marsh. Called "Houseboat on Lake Shasta", he describes it this way: "Every year a group of 5-7 guys (some Rotarians) rent a luxury houseboat on Lake Shasta in the spring for a 5 day fishing trip. It's about a 4-5 hour drive from the Bay Area." Beautiful! It turns out this photo has been featured on the Marin Realtor website for the past year.
Sharing Thoughts
Selected Comments from Last WeekThis week we had our first visitor from the United Kingdom, Martin Brocklebank, and it turns out he's in an eclub, too! From Martin (by email):I am impressed with what you are doing – I was put on to your site by a colleague in the UK who is editor of the national Rotary magazine. I am a Rotarian who started the Rotary eClub of East Anglia in the UK which is the third eClub in our Country. We chartered with 33 founder members on 19th May 2014.Members, keep sharing the word about our club, and let's get guests from all the continents over the coming weeks!
from member Chris Cochrane (California):Shags, you are the youngest looking person with 55 years of Rotary exposure! A lifetime of Rotary and your enthusiasm hasn't waned. You are an inspiration to all of us.
from member Heather Shaw (California):Wow. I was feeling pretty proud of my six week's of membership in Rotary but I guess Shags has me beat. It was amazing to learn all he has been up to with Rotary. I continue to impressed about all the projects that Rotary is involved in, and I look forward to being a part of them.
from member Rushton Hurley (California):Shags, the stories are great, and I found particularly compelling the story of your grandfather's club moving their meeting to the hospital so he could continue his perfect attendance. Of course, with the information technology-infused world what it is now, and online clubs like ours doing what we do, no one need ever miss 100% attendance again.John, I look forward to hearing about your adventures in Guatemala!
from member Art Taylor California (California):Rotary, for sure, can change the lives of Rotarians' families, as you have demonstrated. I know it has changed mine, but not to this extent. I have visited some of the links and have seen enough to know that I will come back when I have time to see more. Thanks for a great Rotary program.
from member Yvonne Kwan (California):Wonderful stories, Shags! I always love hearing about people's Rotary moments -- that point when you not only discover Rotary but also make the decision to stay and commit yourself to it. Perfect attendance is quite a feat -- your dedication to Rotary is truly inspiring!Huge congrats to Chris! What an amazing honor, and what an even greater honor it is to have you in our club!
from member Meg Taylor (California):It was great to hear about Shags' impressive Rotary experience. Shags, I imagine that your family has made some sacrifices here and there so that you can keep your 100 percent attendance record. I'm reminded that when Art and I honeymooned in Victoria, B.C., Canada, he did a makeup at a very large club (there were about 200 people attending that day). When he introduced himself and said that we were honeymooning, 200 people roared. Some suggested that I should divorce him for dragging me to a Rotary meeting during our honeymoon. But if you can't lick 'em, join 'em. So, I've joined Rotary (again). And I hope we can return to that club in Victoria to tell those folks how meaningful the experience has been. I'm psyched to serve with all of you.
This Week's Program
This week's program is by François Tessier, a friend of member Chris Cochrane. François is a Canadian living in Montreal, and a practitioner in alternative medicine (as it is often called in the West). He is also someone who saw a need and is acting upon it, which fits in nicely with the rest of this week's meeting.In the recording below, Chris will introduce François. As always, once done, please fill out the survey to let us know you attended, and leave a comment to share with the group.
To learn more about the Ayubowan Project and Clinic, visit the developing website of the nonprofit.
I Attended!
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