Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and Legacy
This Meeting's HighlightsProgram: Saint Junipero Serra: Making Sense of the History and LegacySpeaker: Christian CliffordMeeting for the week of May 2nd to May 8th, 2016Is 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
Hello, members and guests! It is always good to share some Rotary with the world, and we do this 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at our club.Last weekend I was talking with my mother, who lives in a small town in southern Arkansas. She mentioned to me that Ralph Weiser, a 60-year Rotarian, had passed away earlier in the week at the age of 91.It makes sense to me to mention and honor Ralph here, because one of the reasons we join Rotary is to be inspired by people like him. He spent many decades as an advocate for exploring innovative opportunities for people with disabilities - people like his daughter, and people like my brother.In addition to the work Ralph did guiding the board of Magnolia Specialized Services (35 years as the board chair) to provide all sorts of programming for those with disabilities, he was active in its many efforts. One line from the obituary captures it well: "He volunteered for every Special Olympics event for over 30 years, [and] as recently as three weeks ago, where he served as scorekeeper!"Rotary is an organization of amazing women and men around the world who have truly dedicated themselves to making life better for others. In being part of Rotary now, we seek to inspire others as people like Ralph have inspired us.Ralph, rest in peace.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!Yours in service,
Rushton Hurley, PresidentRotary 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.
This week, President Rushton shares a couple of images from his recent trip to Sweden to speak at a conference there."I found the city absolutely beautiful, and particularly enjoyed the history that seems to exude from the architecture.""While walking near Kungsträdgården (don't ask me to pronounce that), I happened upon a park full of cherry blossom trees in bloom. As you can guess, I was one of many people standing under them taking pictures!"
The Power of Ideas
Every week we share a thought that we think will make our members and guests think in new ways.
We enjoy sharing thought-provoking quotes in these meetings, and have this one to share this week:Master your choices, or become the slave of their consequences.- Michael RawlsOne take on this idea is reflected in the video, below.
What You Desire
Here's a video shared by member Lisa Highfill that revolves around a short talk by the British philosopher Alan Watts. Before watching it, you might go back to the quote above as a nice point of departure for the thoughts you'll hear next.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agbsQbMi7x0
Members in the News
In the May issue of The Rotarian Magazine, you'll find two of our members mentioned!First, there is a strong article about millennials, and one of the three interviewees is our own Yvonne Kwan. Read what she had to say in your copy or on this page on Rotary's site. We should also send a nice shout-out to Jermaine Ee of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles, who is another one of the interviewees, and spoke to our club about the Tournament of Roses Parade last October.Second, Camera Czar Keith Marsh had a picture chosen to publish, which you can find on p20. They don't seem to have this online yet, but we'll point you to it as soon as we know where it is! Kudos, Keith!
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!
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)!
Events This Week!
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.
Events Next Week!
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.
Looking Ahead
Fellowship with the Rotary Club of Cupertino
One of the most supportive clubs in our district of our efforts as an eclub is the Rotary Club of Cupertino, and there are a pair of upcoming activities to which our members are invited. Anyone interested in connecting with them about either item should send an email to President Rushton (president@siliconvalleyrotary.com) so he can connect you with the proper person in Cupertino.
First, they have a strong book club, and just had a great meeting in April about The Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain. The book for the next meeting (May 23rd) is Deak Wake: The Crossing of the Lusitania" by Erik Larson.
Second, on June 25th, they will have a fellowship at the Earthquakes vs LA Galaxy match taking place at Stanford Stadium. Here's a fan guide to the rivalry!
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.
District Conference
Every year our Rotary district (the greater San Francisco bay area and Silicon Valley) comes together for an annual District Conference. This year it was this past weekend (April 29-May 1) at the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. Over 1,200 people attended the three day gathering of Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and community partners. We're thrilled to have our Rotary eClub represented by some of our members including Rushton Hurley, Yvonne Kwan, and Mitty Chang. One of the highlights of the conference was the four past Rotary International World Presidents that were in attendance, and the keynote speakers! Next year's District Conference will be May 6-7, 2017 in Santa Cruz, California! We hope to see you there next year!
Ending Polio
You've heard plenty in our meetings about Rotary's efforts to rid the world of polio. Below is a new video from Rotary that seeks to convey this story in a different way; tell us in your comment what you think of the approach.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pW_QWf26-8
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.
For the first week of each month, we share what has come in via our Service Survey - moments of service to others, large or small, which we do and within which we hope to inspire our colleagues to see opportunities. Over the last month…
- Andrew Taw volunteered to set up for an event where students learned about the state legislature and the power of civic engagement. He also solicited for donations and walked for an event with Out of the Darkness, an organization focused on suicide prevention.
- Manju Ramachandran volunteered a 14 hour shift to coordinate the largest BollywoodDance Competition in the Bay, Youthsava, where over 900 kids performed through the day!
- Catherine Liu visited Golden Gate Park with other fellows from eClub to do some habitat restoration. "It was fun and a nice workout."
- Keith Marsh went to Cuba to install a water purification system. He reports the trip was more successful than they'd imagined it would be!
- Tzviatko Chiderov helped launch the Young African MBAs chapter in Nairobi by organizing a networking event of 100+ people. It was very well received, and as an additional benefit (and because the event happened on World Health Day) we were able to raise money for a health clinic in the Kibera slum through a partnership we formed with the venue which hosted us!
- Heather Shaw had a busy month, picking fruit with Village Harvest, speaking at a middle school about healthy posture in an age of technology, and worked the chili effort with member Gene Tognetti at the Justin's House Chili Cookoff.
- Martin Fox did pro-bono consulting and nonprofit board guidance and some very interesting pro-bono meetings with elite nonprofit ski organizations to help them develop a merger strategy.
- Linda Diekman sponsored our school Coding Club winter session for 150 4th and 5th graders.
- John Lozano led a training for three young adults (and their families) in preparation for their summer CISV (Children's International Summer Village) program in Brasilia, Brazil. The three-week program will focus on sustainable development. The USA delegation will join nine other countries as they learn leadership skills, facilitate group projects, and learn more about the local community.
- Chris Cochrane helped young people (under age 21) learn to create video as part of a film festival.
- Rushton Hurley walked as part of, and helped with the final cleanup for, the Santa Clara Relay for Life event benefitting the American Cancer Society.
Great stuff, everyone! What have you been up to over the last week? Let us know via the link below.
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
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.
Our members and guests are always welcome to share a bit of good news, and while at it, to toss one or more dollars into the Good Karma Jar to help the efforts of our club. Join in!member Brian Liddicoat ($15)Happy that we're getting an extra dollop of rain today down here in Santa Cruz. Water! Falling From the Sky!!member Mahmood Khan ($15)Polio eradication drive.[wufoo username="mightymitty" formhash="z1axxwbk1v5i25o" autoresize="true" height="598" header="show" ssl="true"]
Birthdays
For the third week in a row, we have a member birthday to celebrate - woohoo!Member John Lozano's birthday is this Friday, the 6th. John, you may not have known that the first mechanically frozen ice rink opened on your birthday in 1844. Called the "Glaciarium," part of the marketing pitch encouraged all interested in "the graceful and manly pastime of skating." Awesome!
Interior of the Glaciarium in 1876 (public domain)
The Tidbit
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.
Some of our more-veteran-than-millennial members may have some VHS video tapes sitting around and you'd just love to have a digital version of that sweet recording of your nephew sticking his entire face in his birthday cake.CNET's How To group put out a video several years ago which explains how to handle such a situation, and we share it here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udwPo6vLfSUEven though this is from 2012, the quoted price of about $80 is still correct for the model the guy shows. Another one specifically for Windows comes in at just $33.A Little HumorSome people from outside the San Francisco Bay Area assume that everyone here is hyper-cerebral and/or perpetually focused on being politically correct. In an effort to insult absolutely everyone with a single joke, and to therefore surprise these people who don't understand the diversity of views of our community, we share this one from The Guardian:
How many people of a certain demographic does it take to perform a specified task? It takes a finite number: one person to perform the task and an additional number to act in a manner stereotypical of the group to which they belong.
A fine reminder why we call this section, A Little Humor. Emphasis on "Little."
Selected Comments from Last Week
Wouldn't it be interesting to know what everyone found interesting and/or meaningful for a meeting you attend? We believe so, and that's how our meetings work - we ask every member and guest to leave a comment, both to enrich discussion and to allow us to get to know each other all the better.
Here are a number of last week's comments celebrating that meeting and the program of Marcelle du Plessis on Lavender’s Power to Improve Communities:Member Paul Mosso (California, USA):
Marcelle, I enjoyed your presentation, and loved learning how the program empowers women to improve themselves. The idea of the healing that happens economically and physically is great to hear about! I love these type of programs for the sustainability of the individual, and how it is raising the community around them.
I liked the two videos that helped the homeless with non-traditional soup kitchens; good to see. Very inspirational that it is being driven through younger people.
Happy Birthday Gene!
Member Brian Liddicoat (California, USA):
As a lawyer, I represent several California nurseries who also grow lavender and make lavender oil. So, even if we are technically competitors, I salute you as a fellow member of the "lavender family": doing good in full-color purple!
Member Mark Dohn (Michigan, USA):
Thank you Marcelle! We have been using lavender in our household for our daughter who has a sensory integration disorder. When she was younger, she would carry a small bag of lavender with her to smell when she became stressed. It has worked wonders. Thank you for sharing how you are empowering people to become successful and improve the local community.
Member Richard Knaggs (Cape Town, South Africa):
Great football shirt Matt. :-) I have forwarded the Shakespeare insult page to my English teachers, thanks Rushton. Happy Birthday, Gene Tognetti. Marcel is an amazing woman and I am proud to know her.
Member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA):
Marcelle, thank you for sharing the wonders of lavender and what you're doing for Lavender Hill; I definitely have a new perspective of the flower! It's also great that one of your passions is animal welfare! I have such a soft spot for animals (especially dogs) and am blown away by how many pets and human companions you serve each month.
Shout out to the Justin's House Chili Cook-Off crew for their punny chili name. Here's a chili-related joke: What does a nosy pepper do? Get jalapeño business! Cue the knee slaps.
Member Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan):
Marcelle, this is a great initiative! I as well had no idea there were so many uses for lavender, but you're taking it to greater heights with the social and economic benefits your company is providing your community. I love the idea (and name) of the Lavender Ambassadors, and the kind of training you're giving to people!
An iconic photograph indeed! I love the Google Science Fair vid. I always share these in my teaching networks.
The Program
This week, our program centers on an important figure in California history, Junipero Serra. Our speaker, Christian Clifford, is a teacher at the high school in San Mateo which carries Serra's name, and his research has focused on the many ways Serra has been and is being viewed.
Clifford will present the first saint canonized on American soil in a clear and concise way. Going beyond the standard biography and drawing from many disciplines, Clifford paints a vivid picture of Serra during his time and through the years. The presentation is built from the work for his book, written with Catholic high school students, parents, and religious educators in mind. However, all who are interested in the man Pope Francis called the "Evangelizer of the West" will deepen their understanding of this amazing Catholic Hispanic.Christian Clifford is a graduate of Serra High School in San Mateo, California, and has been teaching there for fifteen years. When he was a student, he does not recall learning much about the school's namesake. When he returned as a teacher, the Theology Department had an entire unit devoted to Serra, used as an introduction to the school's charism. He thought it would be a good idea to learn more about then Blessed Serra, so he went on a 5-year pilgrimage to get to know him, eventually visiting all 21 missions. He would fall in love with Serraʼs story of sacrifice and determination.Clifford received a B.A. in Social Science and his teaching credential from the University of Great Falls (Montana), and his M.A. in Catholic School Teaching with an emphasis in Religious Education from the University of San Francisco, Institute of Catholic Educational Leadership. He has been a teacher in the schools of the Archdiocese of San Francisco since 1997. At one time or another he has taught Church History, World History, U.S. History, and California History to students in grades 6-12. He has published in Catholic San Francisco magazine and in California Teacher. He is the 2010 recipient of the AFTCN Best Single Publication Award for "Identity and Meaning" and appeared on The Busted Halo Show with Father Dave Dwyer on Sirius Satellite Radio in September of 2015.Members and guests of the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley, please welcome Christian Clifford!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QfvmaIf7UALinks:Christian Clifford is the author of Saint Junípero Serra: Making Sense of the History and Legacy, and coming soon from Vesuvius Press, Who Was Saint Junípero Serra? For more information, visit www.SaintSerraBook.com.
Our Upcoming Programs
- Week of May 9th: Shags Shagrin: Understanding Your Relationship with Money
- Week of May 16th: Ben Schumaker: The Memory Project - Portraits of Kindness
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![wufoo username="mightymitty" formhash="m1218j9o0kwja2v" autoresize="true" height="645" header="show" ssl="true"]
