Afghanistan: 12 Years and 20 Visits Later
This Meeting's Highlights Program: Afghanistan: 12 Years and 20 Visits LaterSpeaker: Budd MacKenzieMeeting for the week of November 2nd to November 8th, 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! Most of this week I am in Connecticut to work with teachers at a school district in the southern part of the state, and was very pleased when writing to note that it will be quite a bit warmer than it might have been for this time of year.Nicer weather means getting time to get out and look around a bit, and I love finding spots that inspire me. On a trip to this area a couple of years ago, I visited the Mark Twain House in Hartford. It was late morning and I was hungry, so I only planned to spend an hour or so there. However, the info and exhibits were so interesting that I stayed until the mid-afternoon, leaving jazzed about the ideas the visit had inspired.
Mark Twain House by CMTexas from Flickr (CC by-nc-sa)
Intriguing ideas and fascinating history are a big part of this week's program, and I hope you leave jazzed about some new ideas, too!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! 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.
Photo from member Keith MarshHere is another photo I took last week in New York City. It is of Engine Company #18 in Greenwich Village. No special photo techniques here except some cropping and straightening. I love the colors of the new paint job with the painter and ladders still in the image. This classic urban fire house is only a few miles from the 911 site, so I am sure they were involved in the rescue.
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.
This week's program highlights the persistence of one who has worked to improve the lives of children in Afghanistan, and to that work, we share these three quotes:It's not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.- Albert Einstein
Fall seven times and stand up eight.- Japanese Proverb
Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."- Mary Anne Radmacher
Thanks go to Jayson Demers and this post at inc.com for collecting the above quotes.
Rallying Around
I believe that you can't accomplish anything meaningful without encountering misunderstanding and/or opposition. People get worried when someone acts on the belief that things can be better, and then complain that nothing needs to change and criticize the person trying to make an improvement.Sometimes, though, there are those who lash out simply because it is easier to ridicule rather than defend. This story is about how the students at one school stepped up to support one who had been the target of petty ridicule. Enjoy and share.
Thanks go to Eric Plett of Serra High School for sharing that video with me.
Member Survey
Next week, all members will receive an email with a survey about how we're doing as a club, what you like and don't like about the meetings, etc. If you have suggestions on items that should be included in the survey, feel free to send them to president@siliconvalleyrotary.com.
New Members
We are growing, and it is our pleasure this week to bring two new members into our club!
Members, you will remember the emails with Nate's and Tzviatko's bios from several weeks ago, but I have asked them to share with everyone their reasons for seeking to be part of Rotary and this eclub.
Nate Gildart"I'm Nate Gildart, hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, but a permanent resident of Japan, living here since 1997. I'm thrilled to join the club, as I have family members who are or were Rotarians. In particular, the eClub format is perfect for my career, schedule and lifestyle. Moreover, I've been enjoying learning about the variety of service projects each week. I am truly inspired by people working for the forces of good. As a member I'm keen to learn each week, but also build community through service and education (I'm an international school History Teacher and Instructional Technology Coach). I hope my contributions to the club are worthwhile, and I'm excited to get to know people better over the coming weeks and months. If you ever swing by Tokyo, please get in touch!"
Tzviatko Chiderov"Hello everyone! I'm so happy to be a member of the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley! I currently live in Los Angeles, although I was born in Bulgaria and spent most of the past fifteen years in Chicago. I will be moving again at the end of the year, so the eClub format works perfectly for me. I was a Rotarian for a time in Chicago, before I moved to Europe for graduate school a little over a year ago. Now that I have completed my degree, I am excited to rejoin the Rotary family. I am a Regional Field Director for the ONE Campaign, a grassroots advocacy organization dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. I work with volunteer leaders, and partners to build awareness and political support for life-saving international development programs, funded by the US government. I look forward to getting to know everyone, and to contributing to our Rotary club."
Nate and Tzviatko, our board and our members have approved your application and we welcome you both into our club. As you have learned in the application process and from the content of our meetings, we expect you to share your ideas, contribute your time to worthy causes, support projects of this club and The Rotary Foundation, attend weekly and participate actively, and encourage all those who are working to improve communities around the world.Let our club's focus on education, entrepreneurship, and innovation inform your thinking about possibilities for what you do.Know that the members of this club are here to support you and work with you.And finally, keep Rotary's Four-Way Test in your heart.The Four-Way Test of the things we think, say or do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
You are now part of an organization of over 1.2 million women and men in over 34,000 clubs around the world. Our motto is Service Above Self, our members are glad you are with us, and our belief is that you will help us make great things happen!
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.
Upcoming Events:
"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! If you haven't already RSVP'd to his email, do so ASAP.
World Peace Concert on November 14
Member Hardeep Singh (no longer the newest member of the club!) noticed this posting about an upcoming Rotary World Peace Concert in San Francisco on November 14th featuring Brett Dennen and Crystal Bowersox. This celebration of peace, awareness and exceptional music will take place in the newly renovated Herbst Theater, the site where the United Nations charter was signed in 1945. To learn more and get tickets, see the Facebook page for the concert.
Supporting Rotaract
The Rotaract Club of Silicon Valley is holding a fundraiser to support its international water project in India: The PAANI Project. On November 19th at 6:30 PM at ISO Beer in San José, those donating $30 will have the opportunity to try six kinds of poke (Hawaiian raw fish salad) paired with six kind of beers. For more information, please click here. Tickets can only be bought in advance at: https://squareup.com/market/svrotaract
Pre-Thanksgiving Potluck with Rotaract Alumni on Sun., Nov. 22 in Livermore
Our eclub has been invited to join the Big West Rotaract Alumni Association at their quarterly Rotaract alumni networking event. This particular gig is a pre-Thanksgiving themed potluck at the award-winning Steven Kent Winery in Livermore, California. The purpose of the event is to bring together Rotaract alumni and Rotarians to celebrate the friendships and the memories being in the Rotary/Rotaract family has provided.
– Event Address: Steven Kent Winery, 5443 Tesla Rd Livermore, CA 94550– When: Sunday, November 22, 2015 from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM– Who: Open to all Rotarians, Rotaractors, Rotaract alumni, and guests– Cost: $0 cash price. (Free!) In lieu of money, the hosts are asking that guests bring a dish to contribute for the potluck! (Wine tasting is separate; bring money if you want to do that!)
Shed a Little Light
Toward the end of June, we had Alice Chun of Solight present to the club about the SolarPuff. In the spirit of sharing good news about their efforts, their product "was recently selected by the United Nations Office of the Secretary General and also the United Nations Foundation to represent the light initiative for Youth Action 2015, Sustainable Development Goals, and the importance of sustainable hygienic solar light for education, for knowledge, for a brighter future." How cool is that?
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.
In a post on Rotary's blog, entrepreneur Cynthia Salim describes how her experiences with Rotarians helped her see a path that led to creating Citizen's Mark, a clothing company. She noticed the lack of options "for professional wear for women on the rise - that space between newly minted professional and seasoned executive." Find the full story of this remarkable young woman at Rotary's blog.And yes, I have reached out to see if she might be interested in doing a preparation for our club!
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.
We gather what folks have been up to in the world of service each month to share and inspire, and we hope you'll share what you've been doing using the link below!In October, we had a bumper crop of service activities from our members:
Heather Shaw ran the School Supply Drive we all contributed to for Buchser Middle School, and volunteered at Rocktoberfest!
Richard Knaags noticed two women by the side of the road whose car had run out of gas, so helped them set up a hazard triangle, get gas, and get back on their way safely.
Martin Fox served on a local nonprofit board and did pro-bono mentoring of young entrepreneurs.
John Lozano participated in a board meeting for the local chapter of CISV (the international children's leadership program he told us about in March), reporting to the board about his recent trip to Italy (summer 2015). They discussed planning for the next program cycle, and then the group voted him in as President of the local chapter. Cool! Additionally, he organized a Halloween activity for the CISV San Francisco chapter. The kids had a evening of fun Halloween activities (pumpkin carving, games, making decorations) - a fun event for both young adults and their parents.
François Tessier put in countless hours preparing logistics for the Ayubowan project, the humanitarian health care for needy in Sri Lanka he told us about, also in March.
Keith Marsh spent time doing board service with Marin Ventures, which serves the developmentally disabled adult community in Marin County.
Chris Cochrane worked with less fortunate youth about the value of a dream and taking action with others to achieve it. The young video-makers must approach and convince a local business or person to fund their vision so they can make a video. Once their idea is funded, Chris mentors on how to create their vision using video and he provides access to resources. Resources needed (like camera rentals) must be paid, but he pre-arranges with suppliers to do so on a much reduced scale. The youth have found a great way to express themselves in a positive way and to generate funds for themselves and their future projects, and more than six teams of youth (2-4 to a team) have been successful. At least one of the final youth videos are shown at a local movie theatre before the start of every film, giving the youth something to promote and movie-goers something done locally to watch. As the youth videos include sponsor info, they act as a free commercial which is now generating more businesses willing to fund future youth videos. It's a win/win for all concerned!
Lisa Highfill planned and ran the first TriValley EdCamp, a free unconference for Bay Area teachers to connect and learn from each other.
Mitty Chang did preparation, setup, and assistance the day before the annual Interact District 5170 Fall Leadership Conference (FLC), as well as volunteer support on the day of the event. FLC had over 4,300 high school students this year! Wow! Record breaking, and on a Sunday too!
Deepali Mehrotra volunteered at Second Harvest Food Bank to sort fruit cans, put labels on them and pack them in boxes. They packed a total of 3300 cans in two hours.
Manju Ramachandran volunteered at the Aga Khan Walk at Baylands Park, put in time at a USOC event, and devoted dozens of hours to prepare for and run a Silent Auction Fundraiser at the Sapna Elementary School.
Catherine Liu mentored a young man in China who couldn't graduate from college and therefore couldn't find a good job. She has helped him learn about educational opportunities here in the United States, and helped him build his confidence back.
Yvonne Kwan helped Interactors set up and facilitate their service session of creating survival sacks for the homeless at their Fall Leadership Conference.
Andrew Taw spent a great morning with fellow eCSV members doing a leisurely 5k walk to fundraise for education!
Rushton Hurley ran a workshop for participants of the TechWomen program from Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia at the Krause Center for Innovation at Foothill College.
Wow - we rock! I think there are even more activities that simply didn't get reported, but now's your chance!
The Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley 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.
Here are what people were happy about from last week:new member Tzviatko Chiderov ($10)I'm very happy to be a part of the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!member Martin Fox ($15)Grateful for the inspired game changers I work with around the planet. They are making a massive difference during their time on the planet.
Have a reason to be happy? Share it with us through the form below. (Donation information is after you hit submit!)
Birthdays
This Thursday is member Keith Marsh's birthday, and I'm looking for loads of well-wishes in the comments! Keith, so you know, on November 5th just eight years ago, Google released the Android mobile OS. A rather cool connection, given that we just had a speaker from Google last week!
The Tidbit
Every week, we feature a new tech tid bit or life hack to make your life more convenient.
Did you know you can undo sending a message in Gmail?
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!
We take a brief break from the rest of this meeting to share a sign that caught our attention.
Funny Sign by tenioman from Flickr
Save the animals.
Selected Comments from Last Week
We always welcome hearing from members and guests, and ask that you share your thoughts about the meeting and program. Each week, we share some number of comments from the previous week, and here are several from last week.
Guest Mel Trindade (Brazil)Thank you for the lovely meeting! I am really surprised how an online meeting can be so refreshing! I just loved the topics discussed and the message in the "The Power of Words" video really makes me think about how we connect ourselves and how our words will impact the world. I'm an English enthusiastic and like doing my daily "English reading" about various subjects! For sure I'll be back to attend another meeting! =)
Member Manju Ramachandran (California, USA)Abby, thank you for sharing!! I want to do what you are doing! I love the fact that your programs encourage people with no tech skills to get involved. Although I have been leading PTA's and education non profits in many areas of social change, I myself find that it's hard to push Tech/STEM in the classroom because teachers and most moms like me who have the time to follow through on implementation don't know about the tech resources or we feel "stupid" since most of us don't understand how it all works so we end encouraging kids to enter traditional career paths. Can we bring a club to the India Community Center in Milpitas? There is opportunity for change, and I'd love to get involved somehow.
Member Chris Cochrane (Ontario, Canada)Love the Tidbit. But somehow if I used our kitchen microwave to create a soap monster, my better-half would not appreciate the fine art of creation. Thanks Abby. May the Great Google continue in all its efforts to support Computer Science. Liz and I are looking forward to meeting many Americans on Nov 7.
Member Nate Gildart (Tokyo, Japan)Thank you Abby! I'm completely jazzed! I teach at an international girls school in Tokyo and by coincidence I'll be taking 50 MS-HS kids to the Tokyo Google Office for Google's Mind The Gap program. It ends with a Scratch workshop. (I'll add, too, that it's brilliant to see women engineers from countries like India and Bangladesh - they truly do inspire our students) Now that you've introduced us to CS First I'll be asking for a brief introduction to that for our students, and passing it along to our admin team, as we're often looking to improve our after school activity options; a CS club would be just awesome! I'll be looking into the RISE awards as well. We do a lot of service work through the school and I'm wondering how we can leverage our students to be more involved with our sister schools in the Philippines, Vietnam, and East Timor. Thanks for sharing your "story". That was super!
Member Rushton Hurley (California, USA)Great stuff, Abby - it's exciting to see how Silicon Valley is working to excite the imagination of young people everywhere!
The Program
Many of you may have seen or read Charlie Wilson's War. The book by George Crile (a long-time producer of the CBS show 60 Minutes) explores how Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson worked to provide the CIA hundreds of millions of dollars to fund the resistance to the Soviet Union in Afghanistan in the 1980s.Like any war, the conflict in Afghanistan had profound ramifications on communities, leveling all sorts of infrastructure, including schools, hospitals, and more.This week's speaker, Budd MacKenzie, learned about efforts in the 2000s to help build and support schools in rural Afghan communities, and over the last twelve years he has devoted an immense amount of his time and resources to help with those efforts through the organization he founded, Trust in Education.You are welcome to visit the Trust in Education website to learn more about their work, and we are proud to have Budd share his story with us today.
Learn more about Trust in Education and read Budd MacKenzie's bio in more detail on the TIE website.
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!
