Why I Became a Rotarian
This Meeting's Highlights
Program: Stephen ZhouSpeaker: Why I Became a RotarianMeeting for the week of October 19th to October 25th, 2015
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!
Greetings
Message from the President
Welcome! This week I'm writing to you from home, which is a nice shift after a whole lot of being away just recently.Shane Cotter and Kathryn Wilson of Architectural Farm describe home this way: "It is defined by memories, contents, and people as much as it is by physical form. It is an evolving idea that continues to change as memories and inhabitants come and go. For a home to function well it needs the basics of threshold, sanctuary, space-to-be, and space-to-share."Many would suggest that home is a place of relative comfort, as well. Comfort can free us from pressing concerns to think creatively of our possibilities, but too much comfort may prevent us from acting on possibilities that are within our reach.I hope that home for you is a place where you are comfortable enough to be creative, but also that place where you are challenged to use your talents and energies to make a difference. If it isn't, I hope now is when you begin crafting what is needed to make it so.Thank you for joining us in our Rotary home this week! We hope you will find it both comfortable in those ideas you share with our members and guests, and challenging for bringing out the best in who you can be.Rotarian guests, we ask that you consider contributing something – perhaps what is for you is the regular cost of a Rotary meal, or just any other amount you might be willing to donate. Donations will go directly to power the efforts of our Rotary club. Here are some of the many options you have to complete a donation:
Send via our secure Happy Dollars form.
Send via Google Wallet to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com
Send via PayPal to: ecsv.rotary@gmail.com
Send a check via snail mail (see below for instructions)
To 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 if you would like! Even a small amount can help us make something good happen for someone in need.
Yours in service,
Rushton Hurley,
President
Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley
The Power of Images
We believe that there is power in imagery, and that great photos can inspire in its own unique way. Every week we feature a powerful photo to inspire you.
Many of us who make our homes in Silicon Valley, if asked to imagine something iconic about the Bay Area, would likely choose the Golden Gate Bridge. Here's a shot of the bridge by Thomas Hawk, a talented photographer who licenses many of this pictures under Creative Commons, which means we can use them legally, provided we do so with a proper citation.
Swim Until You Can't See Land by Thomas Hawk from Flickr
Nice work, Thomas!
The Power of Ideas
Sometimes one good idea is all the power you need to get the engine of creativity moving. We would like to share with you one good idea to help you power your week.
As Rotarians, we value our members' ability to do what is needed to make things happen. We are people of both vision and action, and this quote captures that idea well, particularly as we discuss realizing possibilities.The death of a dream is the day that you stop believing in the work it takes to get there.- Chris Burkmenn
A Vision of The Near Horizon
Over the last six to eight years, companies have embraced media technologies in order to better tell the stories of what they hope to make part of our futures. Corning Glass made a splash several years ago with its vision of what's to come.Here's "A Day Made of Glass"
Events & Projects
This section of our meeting is where you learn about both recent and upcoming events and projects our club has going on. We welcome guests to all of our events and service projects listed here.
What We Do: Upcoming Events
Butte and Valley Fire
Rotarians wanting to help the individuals, families, and firefighters for both the Butte and Valley Fire are encouraged by our district to donate to the Red Cross or Salvation Army.
The Red Cross is actively helping victims of the Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties and the Valley Fire in Lake and Napa counties. They are asking for just cash donations at this time. People can help by donating to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS, or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations to Disaster Relief will be used to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small.
The Salvation Army uses 100% of disaster donations in support of local disaster relief operations. To give, go to salar.my/northerncaliforniawildfires or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY (1-800-725-2769) and designate “Northern California Fires.” Donations by mail may be designated “Northern California Fires” and sent to:The Salvation ArmyPO Box 348000Sacramento, CA 95834 USA
For the Salvation Army, monetary funds are most needed at this time. In-kind donations are not currently being accepted outside the disaster area. However, these gifts are vitally important to your local Salvation Army. To give items locally, visit www.SATruck.com or call 1-800-SA-TRUCK.
San Mateo Rotary’s Annual 5K Fun Run on Sunday, October 25
(This coming Sunday!) The Rotary Club of San Mateo is hosting its annual 5K/10k Fun Run on Sunday, October 25, 2015 at Seal Point Park (1901 J Hart Clinton Dr, San Mateo, CA 94401). A few of our club members are planning on participating. Anyone else interested in participating, please comment in the Disqus section, and we can plan on meeting up at the Fun Run, and afterwards for lunch. All proceeds benefit a local scholarship for at-risk kids. Registration includes a T-shirt.
You can register for the 5k/10k Fun Run via their Active.com page here.
"Meet a Canadian!" Social on Saturday, November 7
On November 7th, member Chris Cochrane from Ontario (Canada) is going to be in the Bay Area, and we're gathering to spend time with him and each other. This will be a potluck at President Rushton's house in Santa Clara, and we'd love to have you join in! Watch for more info via email, and feel free to let us know in the comments if you'll be there.
Canadian Flag by Mark Blevis from Flickr
Pre-Thanksgiving Lunch Potluck on Sunday, November 22 in Livermore
President-Elect Mitty asks us to put Sunday, November 22nd, on our calendars. We'll have a joint Rotaract alumni and eClub pre-Thanksgiving potluck wine social at a winery in Livermore. Details coming soon.
The World of Rotary
We are part of the Rotary International family with over 1.2 million members in over 180 countries in the world. Rotary’s reach is global. Here are some Rotary initiatives and events we think we should know about.
Friday of this week is World Polio Day, and as Rotary has put three decades into helping eradicate this horrific disease, it's time to finish the job:
You can donate to Rotary's efforts on this front at EndPolio.org.
Service Survey
One piece of being a Rotarian is finding ways – both big and small – to help others. Our members report the good deeds they do and the good efforts in which they participate, not in order to brag, but to remind us of the many possibilities there are for using what we have for those in need.
If you've helped make something good happen in the last week or two, we'd love to hear about it! What our members do and share can inspire those who attend, and keeping a chain of goodness going may not be any harder than passing along a little news in our Service Survey.
Happy Dollars
Every week we offer the opportunity for guests and members to express their gratitude for something good that has happened to them this past week. Think of this like a digital karma jar.
Members, if you haven't reported any good news in a while, you're due! Share something fun, and please toss in a little donation to the club's efforts while you're at it.
Birthdays
As I mentioned last week, there are no birthdays left this month following the four we had all at once two weeks ago. Coming up next month, though, are the birthdays for Keith Marsh, Linda Tangren, and Allen Thompson. Have you started working on my challenge to prepare a haiku for them? :)
The Tidbit
Every week, we feature a new tech tid bit or life hack to make your life more convenient.
Have you ever received an alarming call suggesting that you have a major problem? I got one this week, and a little searching made a big difference in how I thought about it.
A Little Humor
We feature a little bit of humor every week because we believe laughter is sometimes the best medicine, and we just want to brighten your day!
The home theme this week takes a different turn in this joke from SunnySkyz.com:
A burglar broke into a home.
He heard a soft voice say, "Jesus is watching you." Thinking it was his imagination, he continued his search.
Again, he hears: "Jesus is watching you."
He turned his flashlight around and saw a parrot in a cage.
He asked the parrot if he was the one talking. The parrot said, "Yes." So he asked the parrot his name, and the parrot replied, "Moses."
The burglar asked, "What kind of people would name a parrot Moses?"
The parrot replied, "The same kind of people who would name their pit bull Jesus."
May your encounters with pit bulls be uplifting.
Selected Comments from Last Week
Each week we invite all who attend to leave a comment about what they see and read in our meetings. Last week's program from Jermaine Ee about the Tournament of Roses Parade generated plenty of fun comments, several of which are below:
from member Mark Dohn (Michigan, USA)Having lived in the area and attended the Rose Parade any times, I have always been impressed by their organization. Now I'm even more impressed! Loved it when Jermaine showed us around! The power of video!
from member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada)Earlier this year (2015) our Treasurer, Allen Thompson, and I were asked to be National Advisors to the Rotary Rose Parade Float Committee. The result...we have in-club direct connections to Rotary's participation via its float. After the 2015 Parade, KTLA asked me to help them create some nifty wrinkles to their coverage of the 2016 Parade. I've been in constant contact and this mission will be complete later this month. I'm requesting for Rotary to get primo coverage during the 2016 Parade. So encouraging to see how the Tournament of Roses keeps its participation fresh and relevant by constantly adding new faces with fresh ideas. Jermaine, keep up the enthusiasm and great work!
from member Manju Ramachandran (California, USA)I loved the tour and the history lesson of the Wrigley House! Thanks for sharing!! How do nonprofits from other areas participate? It's been a dream of mine for many years to come watch the Rose Parade. Hopefully in the next 10 years. [Jermaine's response: Manju, talking about the Tournament of Roses is a good reminder for myself just how special this is. I had to study up before the presentation :) As a Rotarian, you can sign up at www.rotaryfloat.org to help decorate the float. Let me know when you come to Southern California!]
from member Martin Fox (Utah, USA)Loved the inspirational video. Compassion, kindness, and inspired sportsmanship goes a long way in building bridges across countries, cultures, races, and religions :-) Thanks for the insider look at the Rose Bowl organization.
from member Yvonne Kwan (California, USA)The article "Using Design Thinking to Eradicate Poverty Creation" is definitely thought-provoking. It reminds me of my sociology courses that always urged us to ask the "why" instead of the "how". We always talk about the "war on poverty," but the points that Martin, Jason, and Joe bring up question whether or not that's the right frame of mind to have. I love it.
Jermaine, always a pleasure to watch you present! :) Thanks for the great tour and tidbits about Tournament of Roses. I'll make it down to a Rose Parade one of these years!
from member Keith Marsh (California, USA)In 1997 when I was President of my terra club, I worked on the Rotary float. Golfer Chi Chi Rodrigues was the Grand Marshall. It was a great experience. Thanks to Jermaine for providing this program.
from guest Tzviatko Chiderov (California, USA)Thanks for a great presentation Jermaine! It must be such an honor to be a part of this great tradition. Also, I appreciate you giving us a private video tour :) Lisa, what a near tidbit! I had no idea we could do that! And this week's inspirational video is one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing Jim! People are good.
from guest Rory Olsen (Texas, USA)Thank you for another interesting program
Whether or not you see your comment in the following week's meeting, make sure to leave something every week. Many of our members use those comments to learn more about the folks with whom they share their Rotary experience!
The Program
This week, we get to know one of our own a little better! Many of you know Stephen as the guy who reaches out by phone when the club is gearing up for a social or service activity. Today, you'll learn why he joined the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley and what he sees as its strengths for millennials.
Stephen was born and raised in Oakland, here in the Bay Area, and graduated two years ago from University of California, Davis. He is building a practice in the Financial Services industry.
You’re Almost Done! The Attendance Survey..
Thanks for reading and watching this week’s meeting! You just have two last things to do before you’re done with this meeting. 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 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 DISQUS comments area. 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!
