The Value of Storytelling
MEETING FOR THE WEEK OF MAY 1, 2023
This Meeting at a Glance:
Program: The Value of Storytelling
Speaker: Josh Nichols and Rick Loughery
Is this your first time to visit us? If so, welcome to our weekly online meeting! To complete our meeting, please continue reading from here to the bottom of this page. 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 60 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. Please also make sure to complete the attendance form at the bottom and leave a comment. Enjoy!
To properly attend this meeting, please:
Read and watch the content below in its entirety.
Complete the attendance survey.
Everyone is also encouraged to leave a comment in the Disqus section at the bottom of the page.
Message from our President
Dear fellow members,
As we delve into the beautiful month of May, I want to take a moment to reflect on the importance of the Rotary Four-way test. As Rotarians, we are all familiar with this test and its importance in guiding our actions as members of this amazing organization. However, the Four-way test is not just a tool for us to use within Rotary, but also in our personal lives. Personally, I have found the Four-way test to be a guiding principle in making decisions and interacting with others. It has helped me to cultivate honesty, fairness, and goodwill in my personal relationships, and I encourage all of you to consider how you can apply the Four-way test in your own lives.
Speaking of positive impact, last month, we celebrated the 4th edition of the International e-RYLA, of which our club was a co-organizer for the second time. It was amazing to see the support we received from Rotaract Clubs and other Rotary Clubs. This year's theme was environment and sustainability, and we enjoyed listening to speakers on a variety of topics, from light pollution to sustainable investments. A special thanks goes to our very own member, Martina, who played a key role as the co-founder and promoter of the event!
Additionally, our club has always been passionate about supporting Relay for Life, an event where we come together as a community to support those battling cancer, remember those we've lost, and raise funds for research and educational programs. This year was no exception, as our members participated with donations and joined a group at Townsend Field in Santa Clara on the afternoon of Saturday, April 29th. A big thank-you to Rushton and the ReCSV Relay for Life Team for their efforts. Stay tuned for a report from Rushton, detailing our accomplishments and recognizing those who participated.
Finally, we hosted a fun online social featuring virtual tours from places around the world, such as Kyoto, Japan, Washington, D.C., and Nuremberg, Germany. It was an interesting experience, and I would like to express my gratitude to Alexandra and the other "virtual tour guides" (Rushton and Cal) for making this event possible! It was a wonderful reminder of the diverse and interconnected world we live in, and I believe it brought us closer as an eClub.
As we continue to navigate the challenges and successes of our Rotary journey, our club will continue to focus on impactful initiatives, such as our healthcare project, online socials, and more.
Thank you all for your dedication and commitment to our eClub. I am honored to be a part of this incredible community, and I look forward to seeing what we can achieve together in the coming months.
Yours in Rotary,
Angelica Marotta, PhD
President 2022-2023 Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
Rotary International District 5170
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!
My New Restaurant!!
I've opened a restaurant called: "Peace And Quiet..."
Kids meals: Only $150.
INSPIRATION
Every week we share a short video highlighting innovation, education, entrepreneurship, or whatever we think might inspire you to see the world in new ways.
A central piece of who we are as a club is the focus on sharing stories of those who make the world better. In this video from the PBS Brief but Spectacular series, teacher Peter Kahn relates how life-changing this focus can be for young people.
LEARN SOMETHING NEW
Back to Some Cool Food Hacks
I really like the ones about the butter and the cheese! And the parchment paper tips are great.
Club News
Our Recent On-Line Social
How amazing it is that the members of our club are spread all over the globe! On Sunday, April 23rd, we gathered together to exchange stories about our favorite places in the world. Three of us shared presentations: Rushton presented Kyoto in Japan, Cal Washington DC, and Alexandra Nuremberg in Germany. Everyone present talked about places that were special to them, as well. It was a perfect occasion not only to meet fellow club members, but also to learn about other cultures, traditions and food, of course.
District 5170 Conference, Computer History Museum, Mountain View CA, Saturday, April 29, 2023
Several eClub Rotarians joined 500 Rotarians in participating in the Rotary District 5170 Conference held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California!
The theme was, “Imagine Your Impact.”
Rotary’s theme in 2023-2024 is "Create Hope in the World."
Please mark your calendar for District 5170's Conference at the Hayes Mansion in San Jose, California from April 26 – April 28, 2024.
eClub Rotarians that attended: Lisa Akselrad, Maxi Bustos, Mitty Chang, Phil Dean, and Terri Schinkel.
SERVICE REPORT
Tell us about service you’ve done recently in your community.
Click here to fill out The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
ROTARY SERVICE PROJECT OPPORTUNITY IN MEXICO
Charter member Keith Marsh is organizing a Rotary project to Project Amigo in October for the “Day of the Dead” (Dia de los Muertos). The week-long trip to Cofradia, Mexico will include Rotary Service in the areas of International Service, Youth Service and Fellowship. It will also include cultural and travel photography of the festivities surrounding Day of the Dead. Space is limited. Click below to download the .pdf for more details and visit the Project Amigo website at: https://www.projectamigo.org/ Contact Keith or leave a comment below if you are interested in attending.
HAPPY DOLLARS: Do Good by Sharing Something Good
Each week we ask our members to share stories with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal of this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each fellow members and guests, while giving back to a good cause.
Happy dollars is an opportunity to share something positive that has happened in your life whether it is personal or business. Think of it as your opportunity to brag a little, but also put a little bit into a karma jar. The money donated through happy dollars is put to charitable use, and the message that you leave for happy dollars will be posted in our online meeting the following week for the entire week for folks to see! (Pending that it’s appropriate!)
Here are the happy dollars contributions from last week!
This section is usually updated in the early hours of Saturday, so contributions made over the weekend may not be listed here.
Rory Olsen made a $20 donation.
I have had a very busy, exciting and interesting week. The weather has fluctuated from the mid eighties to the mid fifties at night. We also have had some work done our house. The cats and my wife have been exhausted.
PROGRAM: The Value of Storytelling
SPEAKER: Josh Nichols and Rick Loughery
Every week we bring to you a new program on innovation, entrepreneurship, and education, and how those contribute to service to others.
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley seeks to explore perspectives on service from across the world. The views of the speakers in our programs are their own, and unless stated otherwise, are not necessarily reflective of the views of our eClub nor Rotary International.
If you have an idea for a cool speaker, please feel free to reach out to them directly or submit THIS FORM so our Program Committee can contact them!
This is a story about how Rick Loughery from GoPro and Josh Nichols from CrossBraining met each other in Palau while Josh's students were searching for MIA's with Project Recover. Rick was on assignment making a documentary about the project. The two soon learned that the one thing they had in common was telling stories with video. Rick learned that CrossBraining was developing an app where learners teach back the skills they learned with video technology. Rick's love of video, storytelling, and entrepreneurship made him a perfect fit to mentor Josh, and Rick eventually joined CrossBraining's Board.
Josh Nichols is founder and CEO of CrossBraining. He was kicked out of elementary school. To him, school was the thing you had to put up with in between tinkering with motors and building things in his garage. Despite that perspective, Josh went on to get a full-ride scholarship to play basketball at the University of Minnesota. This is where he realized that he might be able to teach the way he wanted to be taught. Josh believes that we learn by doing, so he brought that way of learning to his classroom. After being nominated for Michigan's Teacher of the Year and appointed by the Governor to the MiSTEM Advisory Board, he wanted a way to bring asynchronous skilled trade education to every learner. Josh is married to his wife Angie who is a 5th grade teacher and they have two grown children. CrossBraining is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Rick Loughery currently serves as GoPro's Vice President of Global Marketing and Communications overseeing GoPro's brand and product marketing initiatives, communications as well as international marketing. He started working with GoPro at the end of 2009 and joined full time as the 13th employee in early 2010. During his time at GoPro, he has worked closely with teams to build and execute marketing programs that helped GoPro become one of the top brands in the outdoors sports and consumer technology industries. He has been at the forefront of the emergence of key shifts in marketing communications from user-generated content and social media, to the evolution of earned media from traditional public relations, to influencer marketing.
Prior to joining GoPro, Rick spent 13 years in Silicon Valley working with various technology companies both in-house and at agencies. He co-founded Three-Forty Communications, based in San Francisco, where he worked with early-stage technology companies, such as Yelp, and also helped launch Fitbit. The success of Three-Forty led to an acquisition by Dig Communications (now Olson Engage). Rick now works out of GoPro's San Diego office and is raising three awesome kids in Carlsbad.
Members and guests, please welcome Josh Nichols and Rick Loughery!
To learn more, watch:
https://youtu.be/O-zSujH2bWQ
https://youtu.be/Hdh17YPiJGw
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.
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. If you think you may want to join our eClub at some point in the future, we would strongly recommend you fill out the attendance form as it will improve your chances of success for your membership application.
For all members and guests — we strongly recommend and ask that you leave a comment 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!
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