Lavender's Power to Improve Communities
Meeting for the week of April 25th to May 1st, 2016
This Meeting's Highlights
Program: Lavender's Power to Improve CommunitiesSpeaker: Marcelle du Plessis
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our meeting!Each Monday our week's meeting is posted early in the morning, U.S. Pacific Time. These meetings are designed so that you can read and watch what we post anytime during the week. The entire meeting takes about 45 minutes to complete, with the video conference recording of the program being the bulk of the time.Note that you can easily read this meeting with your favorite device, so feel free to take our meeting on the go with you; read it while on public transit, waiting in line for coffee, or even at the park! Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
Welcome Members & Guests!
Message from our Club President
Welcome to this week's meeting of the greatest Rotary eclub in Silicon Valley!"Wait," you say. "Aren't you the only eclub in Silicon Valley?"To which I respond, "Why quibble with numerical oddities? In the geographic area described, we are #1 in every category. The lack of competition is immaterial.":)And in terms of numerical oddities, our club set its own record for engaging in cool activities last weekend with the Young Professionals gig our president-elect made happen on Friday, the chili cookoff effort supporting Justin's House (a project to help teens battling substance abuse and addiction) at which two of our members cooked for honors, and the walk at Stanford to raise money to support suicide prevention efforts where two of our members got in lots and lots of steps.To all our members who took part in these events, thank you for putting your time and energy into great causes. When we dedicate ourselves to fostering opportunities and helping others, everyone comes in first!Rotarian guests, we ask that you consider contributing something - whatever for you is the regular cost of a Rotary meal, perhaps - to the efforts of our club. Please choose one of the options below:
Send via our secure Happy Dollars form.
Send via PayPal.
Send via Google Wallet* to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com
Send via check to the mailing address, below.
* To pay via Google Wallet, you'll need to log in to your account to donate.Those of you who prefer a more traditional approach can mail a check made out to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley to our treasurer: ℅ Allen Thompson, 13500 Cascade Ct., Bakersfield CA 93314.Non-Rotarian guests, there is no need for a donation from you. As we see it, your job is to simply enjoy what you read and watch, though at the end we do ask that you let us know you were here and also leave a comment letting us know what you think. This club is loaded with folks who love sharing ideas, and we look forward to your sharing yours! While you're at it, please let others know about our site.
Yours in service,
Rushton Hurley,
President
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
They say a picture says a thousand words. Every week we try to bring you a picture that we think will inspire you a thousand times.
Friday of last week (April 22nd) was Earth Day. Only a handful of folks have seen Earth from space, but the pictures they have taken have been seen by billions. Probably the most famous of these is a shot taken in December of 1968 by astronaut Bill Anders named Earthrise. It has been called by one nature photographer, "the most influential environmental photograph ever taken."
Earthrise by NASA (Apollo 8) (Public Domain)
The Power of Ideas
Every week we share a thought that we think will make our members and guests think in new ways. This week's is from an anonymous source, but one for which many might find a personal connection.
What worries you masters you.- Unknown
What intrigues me is how some people find ways to see what worries others, come up with a clever way of addressing their needs, and allow those folks to bring mastery from out of worry.You'll get a much clearer sense of what I mean by that in this week's program by Marcelle du Plessis!
The Power of Science
Because Rotarians have done so much to eradicate polio from the planet, those involved with the effort have spent plenty of time thinking about issues like transporting vaccines. Last year, a 16-year-old in the U.S. state of Maryland was recognized for his thoughts on transporting vaccines, and the reason why is captured in this video about this Google Science Fair winner.
While Rotary isn't mentioned in the video, I think we can all be proud of our work, which frames the story above!
Our Events & Projects
We hold our meetings online, but we hold regular service projects and social events in the Silicon Valley every month! This section is updated every week with our upcoming events. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here. Also be sure to join our Meetup Group!
Recap of Recent Past Events:
This past Friday, April 22, 2016 we co-hosted with the Rotary Club of Oakland 3 a Rotary Networking Hour in Oakland, California!
Engineered by our president-elect, Mitty, in conjunction with Henning Matthews and Winnie Anderson of the Oakland 3 Rotary Club, our club co-hosted the first quarterly Rotary Networking Hour in the bay area! This Friday night networking event, held at Parliament bar in Downtown Oakland, brought together over 60 guests, business leaders, and Rotarians from across the bay area!
We even had a visiting Rotarian from Ireland, Tim, who found the event on Eventbrite and stopped by as part of his roadtrip across the west coast! District Governor Susan and her husband Tom were also in attendance.
We're also excited to report that out of the 60 who attended, only a third of them were Rotarians! Many of the folks who visited found out more about Rotary, and just had a great time! Club members Mitty Chang, Stephen Zhou, and Shags Shagrin were out there representing our club well! Special thanks to Mitty Chang, Henning Matthews, and Winnie Anderson for co-organizing everything, and to Parliament for donating their entire venue for the event!
Thanks to everyone who came out! We hope to see more of you out for our next quarterly bay area networking mixer! We are considering the next one for the end of July, possibly in San Francisco. Details about our next mixer coming soon!
Here are some photos from the event:
This past Sunday, April 24, 2016 we had our Chili Cookoff for Justin's House Service Project in, Santa Clara, California!
Our eclub was well represented at the Justin's House Chili Cookoff, hosted at the Elk's Club in Santa Clara. Members Heather Shaw and Gene Tognetti, along with teammates Karen Larson (recipe author and chief gastronomist) plus Lincoln High School student Matthew Leal were a team that was a well-oiled machine.
Results (if they win in any category) reported later!
From left to right, that's Matt Leal, Heather Shaw, Karen Larson, and Gene Tognetti. That's a Manchester United Football Club shirt on Matt, by the way.
This past Sunday, April 24, 2016 we also had a Walk for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stanford, California!
From member Hardeep, who was at this event: "The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention hosts many Out of the Darkness Walks throughout each year to spread awareness for suicide. I decided a week ago to participate in the one at Stanford, and wanted to fundraise for the AFSP, in honor of the loved ones I lost in September. In a week, I raised $330 to go towards the cause. At the event, member Andrew and friend (and former UCI Rotaractor) Kenny walked with me. We heard from a few speakers who were specialists in the field of suicidology, Stanford students, and suicide loss survivors. We wore honor beads around our necks to represent our support, and walked alongside many others who also had ties to the cause. It was a great event overall, and hopefully a good start towards reducing the stigma against mental health and continuing the fight against suicide.
Here are a couple of photos from the event:
Upcoming Events:
Did you miss our past events? Come join us for any of our upcoming events! Guests, you are welcome too!All times are in U.S. Pacific Time (San Francisco or Silicon Valley time, that is)!Saturday, May 7 from 9am-12pm: Food Sorting Service Project at Second Harvest Food Bank in San Jose, CA
On Saturday, May 7, from 9 AM to 12 PM – Come join us for a morning of sorting food at Second Harvest Food Bank! We will be at the Cypress Center in San Jose. This event will be capped at 5 people, with priority going to those whom we haven’t seen out at an event yet. Members interested can RSVP with Andrew Taw (service@siliconvalleyrotary.com) or on Meetup.
RSVP/Registration for this service project is now OPEN! Confirmations of attendees will be finalized no later than Saturday, April 30th.
RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
Wednesday, May 11 from 5pm-7pm: Mock Interviews Service Project at Game Theory Academy in Oakland, CA
On Wednesday, May 11, 2016 from 5pm to 7pm – Come join us to provide mock job interviews for low-income and at-risk youth in Oakland! Game Theory Academy provides financial literacy and career readiness services for youth between 15 and 22 years old. As a part of their Crash Course in Job Readiness, we'll be joining GTA to help coach them through the very nerve-wracking process of being in an interview. This event is in the GTA office at 337 17th St, #214, Oakland, CA 94612. If you would like to join, please RSVP with Andrew at service@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
RSVP on Meetup by clicking here.
For Our Members: Min-e-Grants
Min-e-Grants are service grants of up to $250 that are available for our paid members only. These miniature grants are available for our members to use for local community service projects such as school renovations, community park improvements, and partnership opportunities with other local groups.
Support a good cause with a Min-e-Grant! The club will consider suggestions from our members to support a good cause with a donation. To do so, the member should make a case through our Min-e-Grant process, identifying a third party (another Rotary club, perhaps) which will match what our club donates to an appropriate cause.Sound intriguing? If so, read the rules, gather what’s needed, and make something happen!
Rotary eClub of Silicon Vally Min-e-Grants
The World of Rotary
We are part of the Rotary International family, with over 1.2 million members in over 180 countries around the world. Rotary’s reach is global. Here we tell our members and guests about Rotary’s initiatives and events.
Normally in this section, we share the stories of Rotary's efforts around the world, recent news from HQ in Evanston, and/or a video about the work of our 1.2-million-member organization.This week, though, we focus on the service of others, and the work our club did to help tell those stories.In partnership with the educational nonprofit President Rushton runs, NextVista.org, students near and far were challenged to research charities in their communities, interview volunteers, and create short videos telling the stories of these efforts. The finalists were shared with the club two weeks ago, and our members reviewed the set and voted on winners. This week we announce the two winning videos!From central Texas, a group from Lake Travis Middle School (John Kuentz, teacher) got to know Mobile Loaves and Fishes, an organization that gets food to the homeless in the greater Austin community.And from our own San Francisco Bay Area, two students from Serra High School in San Mateo (Dr. Alena Reyes, teacher) traveled all the way to Salinas to tell the story of Loaves and Fishes and the good they do for the homeless there.It was pure coincidence that the winners have similar names, but a look across the strong set of finalists does suggest that these two were the legitimate standouts. Kudos to all our members who took time to review the videos and vote, and bigger kudos to the students for their work; nicely done!
For Our Members: Service Survey
This section is dedicated for our members to report to us what service projects they have participated in recently. We love giving shoutouts to our members for the good work and the impact they’ve made in their local communities.
In the first full meeting of each month, we share what our members have been up to in terms of service to others, no matter the scale. We believe that acts of kindness, small and large, can inspire us to find more ways to be gifts to those in need.So what have you been up to? Whatever it is, please tell us via this link:
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Next week, we'll share the info from April, and I hope something from you will set cool things in motion for others!
Happy Dollars
Happy Dollars is the segment of our meeting where anyone can choose to make a voluntary donation to tell us a short story about something good that has happened to them this past week. Maybe someone paid for your coffee, gave you a ride somewhere, or you got a job promotion.
Similar to our Service Survey, we offer members and guests the opportunity to toss a few dollars into The Good Karma Jar (a secure system, it is) and tell about something cool they have seen, heard, or done.Celebrate the accomplishments of yourself or others, send a shout-out to a friend, or summarize your outlook on the world in a sentence or two. Whatever it is, we'll be intrigued to share it!member Brian Liddicoat ($15)Mt Madonna School just finished our annual Summit for the Planet 10k. It's all about feeling green and making the world a better place, etc. But I like to go for the great food trucks and hanging out with the other parents. Plus, the local bird rescue shelter brings owls to pet. How cool is that?
Birthdays
For a second week in a row, we have a member to celebrate! Tuesday the 26th is the birthday of member Gene Tognetti of Chili Cookoff fame!Gene, on your birthday in 1564, William Shakespeare was baptized. As there is no agreed-upon date for his birth, this is one of the days people choose to celebrate The Bard. We'll add our own little bit of fun for this day by sharing some of Shakespeare's work in The Tidbit.
The Tidbit and A Little Humor
For each meeting, we create or find a short video that helps you with some slice of technology or anything else as a way to learn something new. We call this our Tidbit. This week, we combine The Tidbit and the Humor sections by introducing you to The Shakespearean Insult Generator.
Really. Anyone who doesn't like that we're doing this can go to the page to see what is thought of your objection.Check this out:
To find your own insulting gems, go to: http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/
Selected Comments from Last Week
Every week we share a number of the comments that came in from last week's meeting, enjoying the chance to review members' and guests' thoughts on the program or other components of the meeting that caught the eyes of our members and guests.
Last week's program from Katia Gomez inspired many of us to wonder how we might tap our own energy to make a difference, and the comments were glowing!
Member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA)If I could take a photo from the cockpit of a plane, I think I would head for Venezuela and Angel Falls, the tallest waterfall in the world.
Katia, thank you for sharing the amazing work of E2E! You epitomize the positive impact that a person can make if they just take the time to address a need that they see.
Oh, and... I was going to tell a sodium and hydrogen pun. But NaH. (:
Member Tzviatko Chiderov (Nairobi, Kenya)Katia, awesome program! Thanks for all that you do. Mitty, I'm grateful for the opportunity I got to attend the Rotary District 9212 Conference in Addis Ababa a week ago. I had a chance to meet some incredible Rotarians and once again see the global reach of our organization. Happy birthday @ Chris Cochrane!
Guest Randy Damewood (Tennessee, USA)What I think Katia shows is the power that one person can bring to a problem or a cause. It is inspiring to see this work done in a place that the rest of the world either does not know exists or does not want to remember that it exists. Katia, thank you for the program but more for your work with those kids!
Member Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan)Katia, you've done so much for someone so young! I love that E2E is not simply educating, but also community building and empowering local youths to give back, share their knowledge, and work to develop their communities. It's proven that educated women improve local economies due to the variety of spinoff effects that education brings.
I love the VR stuff. We've just announced to our Google Educator Group members a picnic / VR event in May with Google Cardboard and YouTube 360 videos. Going to be fun! If I was a pilot I'd film the night view of Japan's Kanto Plain from orbit, in the space shuttle. (technically, it counts as a plane, right!!??!!) As for the future, we're going to see a lot of people helped by 3D printing technology.
What did Richard III say when a planning proposal was submitted for building a car park? "Over my dead body."
Happy Birthday Chris!
Guest Cecelia Babkirk (California, USA)Mitty, thanks for your message and for encouraging everyone to be grateful. How quickly we forget how much we have to be grateful for! Katia, it's always great to see the progress that you and E2E are making in Honduras - I hope to make the trip to see your work one day soon. Seeing young people like both of you getting their hands around the problems of the world gives me hope for our future and I'm grateful for that! Thanks for the funnies, everyone, and have a great week!
Member Linda Diekman (Illinois, USA)Amazing work, Katia! You're an inspiration to the rest of us tackling such a significant problem with significant results. After listening to Katia, I'm especially grateful for the presence of our public school system in the US. Many are critical of the system, and I'm not saying folks shouldn't be, but that we have a system is important. As for the photo to take out of a cockpit, I'd love to see Grand Canyon photos. Not that I want to take them, mind you! Not with my fear of heights! Have a good week, everyone!
Member Rushton Hurley (California, USA)Katia, that's great work you're doing with Educate2Envision. I hope we can learn more about how they see the world and their possibilities going forward!
Mitty, that's a lot of things you've asked us to do. Here I go: I'm connecting from Santa Clara, and grateful for the ability to connect with people anywhere. If I could take a picture from the cockpit of a plane, I'd want it to be over some historically magical place, like Machu Picchu. I think technology will allow us to leave behind the rows of desks and create places that foster active, inspirational, and individualized learning. I'm intrigued by the COL decisions, and hope to explore more detail on them sometime soon. As for adding to that list of jokes, how about this? "A man threw a milk bottle at me today. How 'dairy'?" Ha ha ha ha.
Finally, happy birthday to Chris!
Member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada)Love the Tidbit; always find out something nifty. Thanks for the birthday kudos!
Member Hardeep Singh (California, USA)Love the Tidbit this week. Tried some out on Google- that was fun! Also, thanks to our fellow Rotarians who have donated to my fundraiser (for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention) that was sent out via email. :)
Members, you might wonder how these are selected. The answer is, "It depends." When there is tons of other content in the meeting, we tend to pick fewer of the previous week's comments to share. Comments that touch on some personal connection or hope tend to rise to the top, as well as those that speak directly to pieces of a meeting. Additionally, as the content for each week's meeting is usually finalized Saturday or early Sunday, our Sunday night attenders' comments less frequently make it into the mix. However, they have the advantage of having already read what everyone else offered up.As with everything we do, if you have any suggestions for us, please let us know. We welcome ideas from both members and guests, and hope to continually improve our weekly attempts to inspire you!
The Program
Each week we bring to you someone, somewhere, who is finding a way to make the world a better place. We think that using online video conferencing tools gives us the chance, and perhaps the responsibility, to share stories as broadly as possible, seeking ways to improve communities through a variety of innovative ideas.
To the program, we've arrived! One aspect of our meetings is that we connect with interesting people no matter where they are to tell us of their work to foster opportunities related to innovation, entrepreneurship, and education.
This week's speaker, Marcelle du Plessis, is another who seems to check off all three of these boxes. Member Richard Knaggs in Cape Town connected us with Marcelle, and will do the introduction in the recording.
Marcelle will introduce us to the enterprise Lavender in Lavender Hill, covering its history, its social aim, the products that are produced, the healing benefits of the products, the product producers who benefit from the company, education sessions hosted in the community of Lavender Hill for education, and upliftment and the Lavender Ambassadors program.It all started in a community called Lavender Hill, Cape Town. Known for its gangs, violence, crime and joblessness, there was no lavender and no hill. Working at an NPO in the community, founder Marcelle du Plessis saw the great need for skills training, job creation, and entrepreneurial empowerment, not only in Lavender Hill, but in the entire Cape Town. This is how the enterprise Lavender in Lavender Hill was born. Lavender in Lavender Hill produces all-natural ingredient lavender home, body, and food products with a social aim - to support job creation and entrepreneurial empowerment in the Lavender Hill community and surrounding Cape Town areas. For this reason they mainly work with community and underprivileged producers, small enterprises, entrepreneurs, and companies that support job creation and empowerment.Marcelle du Plessis runs Lavender in Lavender Hill part time while making a difference in many other areas of the world. Her passion for entrepreneurship is coupled with a deep passion for animal welfare, a large problem in South Africa. To address this problem she works as the fundraising and communications manager for the Mdzanadna Animal Clinic in Khayelitsha, a township with over one million people. The clinic provides veterinary services and education to up to 1000 pets and their human companions per month.
Members and guests, welcome this graduate of Parklands College and our speaker this week, Marcelle du Plessis!
Links:Take a moment to learn more about Lavender Hill and the Mdzanadna Animal Clinic.
Our Upcoming Programs
Week of May 2nd: Christian Clifford - Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and LegacyWeek of May 9th: Shags Shagrin - Understanding Your Relationship with Money
You’re Almost Done! One last thing: The Attendance Survey..
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting. You have two last things to do before you’re done. First, we have a very short attendance survey below for you to fill out to record your attendance.
Visiting Rotarians, this is how you can get an email receipt to pass along to your club’s secretary as proof that you’ve attended our meeting if you need it for makeups.Non-Rotarian Guests, we would love to see who is dropping by our meetings! This part is optional for you though.More importantly, for all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment below in our comments area below. Tell us how you enjoyed the program. Ask this week’s speaker any questions you might have. Or just stop by and say hello and tell us where you’re from!
