From Aid to Africa to Made in Africa
This Meeting's Highlights
Program: From Aid to Africa to Made in AfricaSpeaker: Stefan Louw
Meeting for the week of September 7th to 14th, 2015
Greetings
Welcome
from President Rushton HurleyIn the air again, I am. Even at 30,000 feet, though, the world is one in which I can type up my welcome to you for joining the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley for our weekly dose of innovation, entrepreneurship, and education!This week I presented to the teachers of the school district of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota. Not only did they turn out to be a very cool group of folks, but I had time along the way to have a wonderful visit with friends in Minneapolis I hadn't seen in fifteen years.If you have a good friend you haven't talked with in a while, this may be the week to do so. Drop an email or pick up the phone and say hello. Will it really make that much of a dent in your time?This may also be the week to volunteer an hour at your local library, homeless shelter, or similar. You'll be reminded of the important bits of our lives, and may encourage a person who desperately needs someone to take a moment to do so. Will it really make that much of a dent in your time?Rotarian guests, we ask that you contribute whatever for you is the regular cost of a Rotary meal to the efforts of our club. Please choose one of the options below:Send via our secure Happy Dollars form.Send via Google Wallet to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.comSend via PayPal to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.comTo pay via Google Wallet or PayPal, you'll need to log in to your account with those companies.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, you are certainly welcome to help us out, too! Even a small amount can help us make something good happen for someone in need.
The Power of Images
from Camera Czar Keith Marsh"In honor of the renaming of Mt McKinley to Denali, I have another photo of the mountain from my trip last year. This was taken from Stony Dome Overlook."
The Power of an Idea
from Elbert Hubbard, a 19th century American writer and philosopher"To escape criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing."
Seeing the World
As we are kicking off a supplies drive for a middle school, it seems appropriate to hear the story of a courageous middle schooler from Easterbrook Discovery School, where member John Lozano teaches.Two years ago, John asked the students in one of his classes to make videos telling how they see the world. One young man, Michael, had always known he saw the world differently from his peers, though he didn't know the reason. When he talked with his mother about the assignment, she decided it was time to tell him why.And we'll let him tell you.
You can find this video by John and Michael at the following link (feel free to share it!): http://nextvista.org/my-name-is-michael
Paper, Pens, and More
Members, pay special attention to the info below about the school supplies drive we're doing this month. You'll find more info in the What We Do section, below!Reams by Paw Paw from Flickr (CC BY SA)
Happenings
What We Do
School Supplies Drive
This week we start our effort to help member Heather Shaw and her team gather school supplies for teachers and needy students at Buchser Middle School in Santa Clara. There are several ways you can help, and we'll be passing out plenty of kudos to those who do two or all three!
1) Drop by Nova Chiropractic on Saturday, October 3rd, and drop off a ream of paper, or a set of white board markers, or something similar (see below). There will be plenty of fun for all (with extras for those who bring a donation) - ice cream, chair massages, backpack safety demos, prize wheels, nutritional testing, blood sugar screenings (before the ice cream, of course) and raffle drawings with prizes donated by local businesses (thanks to ideas from our members and guests from the program Heather did!).
2) Donate to the cause. The money raised will allow the school to purchase needed materials not gathered through physical donations. Use the secure Happy Dollars form below, or send a check to Treasurer Allen using the info above - either way, let us know in the comments what the donation is for.
3) Reach out to your contacts via email, social media, and phone to get them to do one or both of the two items above.
Here's the list of items the school is hoping for: white copy paper, glue sticks, dry erase markers, pens/pencils, binder paper, dry erase boards, calculators, colored pencils, construction paper, small scissors, Kleenex, composition notebooks, index cards, highlighters, electric pencil sharpener, sharpies, paper towels, disinfectant cleaning wipes, graph paper, art supplies, 5-subject notebooks
This is our fall local service shindig, so let's get everyone on board to make it happen!
Coastal Cleanup and Rocktoberfest
Member Art Taylor spotted two cool opportunities in the coming weeks for those looking for a chance to get out and serve.
First, the annual Coastal Cleanup Day put on by the Creek Connections Action Group is on Saturday, September 19th, at sites across the Bay Area. "Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants, sturdy shoes, gloves and sunscreen. Please bring your own pick-up sticks and water bottle. All youth under 18 need supervision and transportation to get to cleanup sites."
Learn more about specific locations at their website.
Second, you can support the Children's Health Council via their gig on Saturday, October 17th. You and your close buddies can go to Woodside for the annual Rocktoberfest, which includes, as they put it, "great beer, wine, food and dancing to the amazing sounds of PopRocks."
They'll need a number of volunteers, so if you want to help make it happen, here's the set-o-needs:
EVENT SET-UP: Saturday, October 17th from 10:00am-2:00pm
Set-up volunteers will assist with preparing for the event, including: decorating, hanging signage, setting up party rentals, marking parking areas and doing whatever it takes to get the arena ready for the evening.
EVENT: Saturday, October 17th from 5:00-10:30pm
General volunteers will be assigned to any of the following areas: registration/check-in, food or beverage service, VIP lounge area, raffle ticket sales, silent auction, fund-a-need or wherever there is need.
EVENT CLEAN-UP: Sunday, October 18th from 9:00-11:00am
Clean-up volunteers will assist with cleaning up the outdoor covered arena after the event, including: taking down decorations/signage, breaking down party rentals, trash disposal/recycling, and doing whatever it takes to get the area cleaned up.
Things to know about volunteering:
* Must be 21 years or older* Need to be able to stay for the entire duration of shift* Volunteers assignments may require standing or walking/moving around* Venue is outdoors at an equine facilitated therapy center* Breakfast, lunch or dinner (depending on shift) will be served to volunteers prior to shift
For all questions, more information or to sign up to volunteer contact Sydnee Brooks at sbrooks@chconline.org or 650.617.3818.
Find out more at the Children's Health Council and this cool gig at their website.
Last Friday's Fun
Seven of us (members Andrew Taw, Mark Dohn, Mitty Chang, Rushton Hurley, and Shags Shagrin, along with prospective members Luis Perez and Nate Gildart) gathered online using Google Hangouts Friday afternoon of last week to trade ideas and enjoy some good laughs. The defining conversation was on what constitutes a good doughnut experience, and where such experiences can be had. Shout-outs to Psycho Donuts in the Bay Area and Gourdough's Doughnuts in Austin, Texas, were made.
Psycho Donuts by mayko from Flickr (CC BY NC SA)
While a doughnut conversation may sound a little odd for a Rotary gathering, the point is that the group had a lot of fun getting to know each other. We'll do more of these, so stay tuned, and join in when they happen!
Upcoming Socials
Look forward to more socials coming up for our September and October calendar dates! If you have any suggestions for socials in the Silicon Valley / Bay Area, please leave us a comment in the Disqus section at the end of this meeting.
The World of Rotary
Polio Immunization and West Africa Project Fair
It appears a group of Rotarians will be going to West Africa in November both to participate in an immunization effort and to attend a project fair put together by Rotarians from fifteen countries in that region. Click here for the full tour info shared by the company organizing this excursion.
Immunization Efforts in Nepal
Sujan Pradhan of the Rotary Club of Kakarvitta, Jhapa, Nepal, tells about members of his club hitting the road in June to inspect immunization booths on the border of Nepal and India. Read about it in the Rotary Blog, which has this and many more stories of Rotarians doing good in the world.
Seoul Convention
It isn't too early to begin thinking about next summer's Rotary International Convention in Seoul, South Korea. The RI Convention is a chance to experience how amazingly international our organization is, and to be inspired by the good being done around the world. Next year's gathering will be May 28th-June 1st, and you can learn more at the convention website.
Service Survey
It's that time when we celebrate what folks have been up to on the service front! If you're one of the several folks in the club who has yet to report something in the survey, let this be the encouragement to make it happen!
Over the last month, Heather Shaw contacted businesses for support in preparation for the school supplies drive, François Tessier worked on logistics for his humanitarian project in Sri Lanka (the Ayubowan Project), Martin Fox mentored young entrepreneurs, Rushton Hurley mentored teachers, Hardeep Singh joined other Rotary and Rotaract Clubs in District 5320 to clean up 600+ pounds of trash in the Newport Back Bay in Orange County (while kayaking!), and Paul Mosso is the Chair of the Rotary Liaison Committee for the Rotaractors and helps mentor the Rotaract District Committee.
We know more of you did great things, but didn't put it in the survey! You can fix that by filling out the Service Survey now. Good on ya!
Happy Dollars
I'd like to think we all have great moments each week, and I particularly like when we share them with the club! What's been cool for you? Feel free to throw a dollar or two into the club hat for our efforts and share what's up.member Martin Fox ($20)I'm full of gratitude after spending three amazing days at a wilderness retreat with a group of inspired game changers.
Sharings
Birthdays
Happy Birthday, Martin
Member Martin Fox has a birthday coming up on the 16th, and like the three-quarters of the club who are older than 29, he'll be 29."The 16th isn't part of this week," you say."This way, we'll have all the nice well-wishes for the week when his birthday does happen," I reply.Martin, it was on your birthday in 1620 that the pilgrims set sail from England to start the Plymouth Colony in the "new world." Great job carrying on the tradition by being one of the seven members who set sail from the Rotary eClub of the Southwest USA to help start the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley! (The others, for those keeping score, are Treasurer Allen Thompson, PR Chair Chris Cochrane, Membership Chair Shags Shagrin, President Rushton Hurley, Camera Czar Keith Marsh, and All-around Good Guy Andrew Knaack.)
The Tidbit
Tab Navigation
This week, we look at keyboard shortcuts for moving among tabs in the Chrome browser. Much, and possibly all, of this applies to Firefox, as well.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3b4smNa1lI
A Little Humor
from Allen ThompsonHow to tell the difference between a chemist and a plumber: Ask each to say "unionized".
Selected Comments from Last Week
Every week our members and guests are introduced to some fascinating person helping make something cool happen in his or her community. Our programs are a point of pride for us, as we can reach around the world to find inspiring stories to share.Given our online format, we can also share our thoughts about what we read and watch. After the program below, the meeting ends with your opportunity to leave an impression, a compliment, an idea, or whatever you wish. We look forward to what you have to say, so make sure not to turn and walk away silently!Last week's meeting with the program by Paul Mesarcik in Cape Town, along with a moving video that I didn't even know one of our members was responsible for, and still more goodies, prompted plenty of great thoughts. Here's a sampling:
Guest Barbara Shannon (Rotary Club of Morgan Hill, California, USA)I was mesmerized! The father/daughter hip hop, the quick Google calendar tip, the conversation about how one person created a device to save millions, your connection with the Solar Puff (we saw on Shark Tank)... And all viewed between 4 and 6 am! I immediately went back to view the previous week's work which is also meaningful to me as I have a practice empowering very bright and creative children who have fallen through the cracks due to undiagnosed or misdiagnosed (usually) auditory and/or visual processing inefficiencies that become disabilities because most schools are not geared to taking on the strengthening of these issues as well as the efforts for creatively teaching/mentoring/coaching. In addition, as I provide so much pro bono work, I am thrilled with the eClub's mantra that includes a focus on education. Thanks, again!
Member Martin Fox (Utah, USA)The father/daughter recital video brought tears to my eyes - loved starting out the week with that kind of moving and inspiring messaging. Loved the video on Women in Rotary. I can't imagine Rotary without women.Great presentation, Paul. Your Lumkani device is the definition of game changing. The fact the leadership team was busy putting out a fire one day after installation is a brilliant story. Good for you.
Member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada)Thanks for sharing the Quaker Canada video. It is one of a series my team and I created at Quaker's request. This footage and other images have also been edited to 30 seconds versions as TV commercials. [Chris, I didn't even know this was your work - too cool!]Rushton, the photo of the group with you in the bottom at the social ... I didn't realize you are a fan of Martin Short's character : Ed Grimley. Great imitation! (LMAO). Love the tech tip. Great work, Paul.
Guest Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan)Thanks for sharing Paul. Lumkani's approach is excellent. You've found a problem / need and employed technology and community in order to make it happen. The networked warning system is a clever idea. That you're looking forward to developing other emergencies services, and as you said, to underrepresented communities, is brilliant work.
Member Keith Marsh (California, USA)We had a great time at the Irish Monkey Cellar Winery on Saturday. Good wines and fellowship. Thanks to Mitty and Shags for arranging the wine tasting venue and providing the paella. It is good to see so many young professionals coming into Rotary. We need their ideas and energy. Thanks to Paul for his program on the Lumkani fire detection program.
Member Allen Thompson (California, USA)The Lumkani idea is brilliant. Perhaps I misunderstood, but using the internet for data collection and using RF to spread the alarm to all units within 60 meters is so simple that it's brilliant. This is an idea that needs to spread quickly.I was too late with my comments last week and I suspect no one saw them. They included a bit about the Wind Wolves Preserve just south of Bakersfield nestled against the mountains that lie between here and Los Angeles. It's a large area owned by The Wildlands Conservancy and available every day for hiking, biking, bird watching, and generally escaping the rigors of urban life. It's also a favorite for school field trips. We took our three kids with us (our kids have four legs - the animals have two legs!) and today we just barely scratched the surface. We'll be back for more!!
Member Catherine Liu (California, USA)Sorry that I missed the social event. I loved the joke of the week. I will for sure use it in different events. Also I like the conversation in the beginning of the program as well. It is tricky to use technology for sure.
Member François Tessier (Quebec, Canada)What a brilliant idea!!! Congratulations Paul, and Rushton, you are lucky to be able to go in Cape Town! Thanks for the Quaker video as well - great video!!
Member Andrew Taw (California, USA)I wish I could've joined in digging into that gorgeous paella! And thank you, Paul, for your presentation! It's a brilliant device!
Guest Tzviatko Chiderov (California, USA)This is my first meeting with the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley and I'm impressed by the way this is all set up. So easy, helpful, fun and informative.I really enjoyed Paul's presentation. Such a creative and innovative use of technology to save lives - well done. I particularly like the approach Lumkani has taken to learn from the communities that they wanted to serve, analyze the feedback, and adjust their idea to make it the best it can be.
Member Shags Shagrin (California, USA)Ditto all the other comments, and I was so delighted to get the social at Irish Monkey Cellars together. I love being a wine club member there and have helped to press the grapes and bottle the wine. Soon I will get to help with a crush of the fresh grapes from harvest. Every bottle is handmade, and it's great to have had my hands on some of them. Great program, too, and I loved the humorous contribution. Got a good laugh from that!
Member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA)Paul, thank you for sharing this phenomenal project! The concept is so simple, but the impact is so powerful. I love how you've incorporated technology to create this life-saving device. Keep up the awesome work!
Member Paul Mosso (California, USA)Paul, thank you for sharing your work with us. I was shocked that that many individuals lived in informal settlements in South Africa, and furthermore shocked that that many people live in informal settlements throughout the world. Your device definitely fits a great need to the community; I am glad that people like you are committed to such programs in the world and are making sure a progressive change for human society.
The Program
We return to South Africa for the second week in a row to celebrate innovative approaches to improving communities, and member Richard Knaags is to be thanked for connecting us to both Paul and this week's speaker, Stefan Louw.Stefan is the director of Innovate South Africa, an organization that seeks to inspire and empower local youth innovation. He co-founded the organization in 2013 which now runs several programs involving grassroots innovation, design thinking and web development training. Stefan has an Engineering degree from the University of Cape Town in Mechatronics [this gets explained in the recording]. He is currently writing his Masters dissertation through the Energy Research Centre at UCT on how to enable grassroots innovation in developing countries. His passion lies in unlocking talent in young people, education, problem-solving and sustainable development. Stefan enjoys surfing, rock climbing and meeting new people; activities which Cape Town offers in abundance.Stefan starts with the question, "What does it take to go from 'aid in Africa' to 'made in Africa'?" Innovate the Cape (www.innovatethecape.org) is a program that seeks to answer this question by empowering young innovators in under-resourced areas in Cape Town. The program is run by a group of young and passionate volunteers who believe that the youth of Cape Town are capable of solving the problems that they see in their communities. Youth with bright ideas are selected to receive seed funding, mentors and attend design thinking workshops to help them implement their solutions. This talk tells the stories of our inspirational young innovators and speaks about the value of grassroots innovation in a developing context.
You can learn more about Innovate South Africa by visiting their website and looking over the presentation slides.More good links:Inspiring storiesLuthando's storyFundraising campaign
