Something Special
This Meeting's Highlights
Program: Something SpecialSpeaker: Rushton HurleyMeeting for the week of June 27th to July 3rd, 2016
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, members and guests, to the last meeting of the 2015-2016 Rotary year! I frequently do searches to find images that can help with presentations I give, and early last week one stood out for me as I thought about this week's meeting:
The kindness of strangers by Ed Yourdon from Flickr (CC by-nc-sa 2.0)
I like this picture for all sorts of reasons. The person who took it shares the story of the moment (see the link in the credit for the full details), and includes this:
"I took three or four pictures of this man as he navigated slowly across 66th Street on Central Park West (just behind where this picture was taken), stopping every few feet to catch his breath."
"Seeing his condition, a very nice couple approached him and asked if they could help walk him to the bus-stop, which was about twenty feet further ahead (indeed, you can see the approaching bus in the background). They helped him onto the bus, and then walked away…"
I certainly like that two people took time to help someone in need.I also like that the picture includes the woman on the right reacting to the good deed.Additionally, the story of the deed is shared in and with a picture, which made its way via a search to me, and via this meeting from me to you.The moral of the story is probably obvious. The little kindnesses we do ripple well beyond those helped at the moment. They influence others to share stories and perhaps perform acts of kindness themselves.We are getting ready to change to a new Rotary year, but what is important to us as Rotarians will never change. As President Ravindran has reminded us: we are a gift to the world.Make sure this week to act on that gift, and in so doing, you'll inspire others.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,
President
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
We face change daily. Sometimes, we even take a moment to look for the beauty in the change from the night to the morning. As we prepare for a new Rotary year, let's take time to look anew for the beauty in our possibilities.
First Light by Don McCullough from Flickr (CC by-nc 2.0)
The Power of Ideas
Sharing quotes is something we do to get ourselves past the often mundane concerns of the moment in order to see ahead to what we can do when we put forth the effort. The Illinois writer and philosopher Elbert Hubbard captured this thought, along with the spirit that we seem to find everywhere in Silicon Valley, in a challengingly straightforward sentence:
The world is moving so fast that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it.- Elbert Hubbard
Is there anything you've recently convinced yourself you can't do? If so, it may be time to give whatever it is a try in order to interrupt whatever inside of you couldn't see the larger picture.
The Power of Invention
You may not immediately know who Ernő Rubik is, but you are almost assuredly familiar with that for which he is most famous. In this video, a piece by Google folks honoring Rubik, there are some powerful suggestions about who will be pushing progress in the future, and what we might do to help.
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:
Club potluck - July 16th
It's time to celebrate the passing of the torch, and do so with tons of good food! On Saturday, July 16th, we will descend on (soon-to-be Past) President Rushton's home for food and fellowship. Additionally, we'll be giving a big "Go get 'em!" to President-Elect Mitty, who will have taken the reins on July 1st. Please mark off some or all of 4 PM to 7 PM that evening. You can let us know you'll be there with either a note to Rushton (rushton@gmail.com) or on the Meetup page.
Help Homeless Veterans Service - July 29th
Join us in Richmond, CA on July 29th in a little painting and hammering for the grand reopening of the center for the Veteran's Resource Program which provides a clean, safe living environment for veterans who may be homeless, formerly incarcerated, or returning home from the military. They also provide services like employment placement and assistance with higher education. Let's get together and swing a paintbrush or stroke a hammer (or perhaps the other way around)! If you're interested, let us know on this Meetup page, where there's more info.
Second Harvest Food Bank Service - August 20th
On Saturday, August 20, 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. Members who went in May said this was an event we absolutely had to do again, so here we are! Members interested can RSVP with Andrew Taw (service@siliconvalleyrotary.com) or on Meetup.
More kudos for the Camera CzarKeith's winning photo taken at Crater Lake became "Facebook Famous" last week! Enjoy the Rotary International post here.
The World of Rotary
Every week we bring to you a little snapshot of what’s going on in the world of Rotary.
No LimitWhat do Rotarians do? This short video captures our efforts and outlook:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rlo8DWZFrgDistrict NewsletterAs you know, there are all kinds of good things happening locally with committed Rotarians all over the San Francisco Bay Area. You can find the June district newsletter from Governor Susan here, with her reflections on the year, a cool message from District Vocational Service Chair Jim Gibson, some good numbers about our collected effort to support The Rotary Foundation, and more!Teens InspireThe Rotary International President's theme this year was, "Be a Gift to the World." This theme not only guides discussions about Rotary's possibilities, it also serves as the point of departure for the annual district speech contest for high schoolers.Over 280 students across our district entered this year's contest, and the four finalists shared their speeches at the district conference. Those talks are available for you to see on YouTube, and if you are up for having some teens inspire you, then feel free to watch the 20-minute video via this link.
For Our Members
This section is dedicated for reminders to our members and 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.
Dues are Due!
Members, this is the last week to pay your dues on time. Starting in July, you'll get notes checking to see how things are going, so please help us by getting your dues paid promptly!
Service Survey
Next week (the red, white, and blue week of July 4th), we'll do our usual sharing of what members have reported via the Service Survey, linked below.Please share what you've been up to, as it allows us to get to know each other better in the process!
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley Service Survey
Happy Dollars
Each week we ask our members to share news with the club and toss in a few dollars to support our efforts. The primary goal for this section is to provide a fun way of getting to know each other.
As this is the last meeting of President Rushton's year, please consider a contributing a donation and message!member Rushton Hurley ($20)Jazzed to put the club in the good hands of President-elect Mitty!
Birthdays
Monday of this week is the birthday of two of our members: Heather Shaw and François Tessier! We gave them a shout-out last week, and will add this gem we pull out from time to time:
The Tidbit
Our Tidbit section is designed to help you learn some technology or other trick to help you out in some way.
President Rushton ends the year with a friendly tidbit about his work which, as he puts it, is designed to "save the world from ignorance, one creative video at a time." His site, NextVista.org, has a free library of over 1800 short, educational videos by and for teachers and students everywhere.A quick look over the site will make it clear a Rotary perspective put it in motion. There are creative educational videos for students needing help with challenging concepts, videos about different parts of the world to allow for greater understanding of our neighbors near and far, and videos that celebrate the joy and meaning that come from helping others.In this tidbit, he'll introduce you to the Seeing Service collection, which is filled largely with videos made by students telling about those who work to improve their communities and help those in need:
You can go after a little inspiration by going directly to the finalists of the service contests using this link.
A Little Humor
We make an attempt to get our members and guests to smile each week with a joke of some kind. There are times we succeed, and perhaps it happens as often as we get folks to groan.
As we're moving into a new year, the humor committee opted for this thought from TravelJokes.net:
Facing some difficult winds, the pilot managed to land the plane safely, but ended up hitting the runway really hard. The airline had a policy requiring the pilot to stand at the door while passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying with us." In light of the bad landing, he had a hard time looking the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a snarky comment.
Finally everyone had gotten off except for one little old lady, walking with a cane, who asked, "Sonny, mind if I ask you a question?"
"Why no, ma'am," said the pilot. "What is it?"
The little old lady said: "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
We hope all of you who fly get the chance to sit next to such a lady on your next trip.
Selected Comments from Last Week
The Disqus section of each meeting is an ongoing conversation: a chance to learn how the diverse and cool membership of this club sees what is shared in the meeting and program. We love to see our guests chime in, too!
Here's a selection of comments from last week's meeting with the program by Doug McNeil on Lighting for Literacy:
Guest Matthew Seales (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands)I found the Lighting for Literacy very interesting; it is always great to learn more about the ways we do good for our communities! I am a visitor from the Rotaract Club of Grand Cayman. Shout-out to your members Yvonne and Mitty for introducing me to your club.
Member Brian Liddicoat (California, USA)This is a GREAT project for Interactors. For those of us Rotary parents with kids looking to combine STEM with helping the world, this is a genius combination. THANK YOU.Now, one tiny piece of constructive criticism: the next time you use the phrase "improvised, adapted, overcame," I want you to do it the way Clint Eastwood did it in Heartbreak Ridge. Sorry, couldn't resist.
Member Paul Mosso (California, USA)Doug, thank you for sharing. You have created a great avenue for service. It truly provides such an important commodity that we take for granted. This is a great reminder on how fortunate we are to have easy access to so many things, including light.Happy birthday to Heather and François, I hope you enjoy your day!
Guest Raquel Juncal (Costa Rica)An excellent strategy to mobilize skills and competencies that are not regarded as alien or juxtaposed to the learning process, but complementary to our commitment to improve the quality of life of less fortunate communities. Amazing project!member Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan)This is a great reminder of how resources (and yet another one we take for granted - electricity!) dramatically improve access to learning, health, etc. It's excellent that you're not only spreading the word and educating American youths, but empowering people / youths in the communities you work with. Another reminder is how far we still need to go to reach the MDGs.Love the learning to cycle video!
Member Linda Dieman (Illinois, USA)Amazing effort! I love the inclusion of so many students in the process. Loved the inspirational message from the young bike rider in the video. Made my day!
Member Rushton Hurley (California, USA)Doug, I love seeing what you and the students are making happen, and am excited to see how you might make this evolve in the coming year or two! Kudos to Rotaractors for the work they are doing with the elderly in Ukraine, too.guest Tony Tng (Rotary Club of Pandan Valley, Singapore)Great website, and interesting projects you guys are doing.
Member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada)Another excellent presentation. Love the Tidbit...I learn something new every program.
The Program
Each week, we bring you stories of service from people all over the world. In addition to those we can find doing interesting things in the realms of innovation, entrepreneurship, and education, we also ask our members to do programs in order to introduce themselves to the club and share a bit about why they are Rotarians.
This week, the last week of the 2015-2016 Rotary year, our (as of July 1st) Immediate Past President Rushton Hurley will tell a little about his work and how he sees our club and its possibilities.
Rushton has been a Japanese language teacher, principal of an online school, and a successful social benefit entrepreneur. He is the executive director of the educational nonprofit Next Vista for Learning, and keynotes at conferences around the world on affordable and innovative technology, the power of digital media, and the perspectives and experiences of professionals in an ever-changing world.Rushton has been a Rotarian since the spring of 2004, but when his work schedule changed in the fall of 2008, he joined one of the early online clubs, The Rotary eClub of the Southwest USA, based in Phoenix. He served as its president from April 1, 2013, through June 30, 2014 (yes, he started that one early, too).In the summer of 2014, Rushton met with several people in Santa Clara to look at the possibility of starting an eclub based in Silicon Valley. There had been an attempt to start one several years before, but they had run into difficulty getting the required number of people to sign up for launching a club. The group asked Rushton if he would be willing to lead the effort, and as he was the only one with experience as president of an eclub, he agreed to do so.Over the following months, the group gathered the required number of people and launched the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley on January 26, 2015.Rushton tells us in this talk about the journey of the last seventeen months, sharing along the way some of the magic of this talented and fun group of members who believe in technology's power to, as he describes, "serve the business of service."
Members and guests, please welcome Rushton Hurley.
You can learn more about Rushton's nonprofit, Next Vista for Learning, at its website.
Upcoming Programs
Week of July 4th: President Mitty Chang - First Meeting of the New Rotary Year!
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!
