What We Do at Upward Bound
This Meeting's Highlights
Program: What We Do at Upward BoundSpeaker: Andrew TawMeeting for the week of November 9th to November 15th, 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 to the Rotary eClub of Silicon Valley!Last Saturday night we had a potluck celebrating the visit of Chris and Liz Cochrane from Canada, proving yet again that (a) our members from everywhere are fascinating folks, and (b) my adage that life is too short not to spend it around wildly cool people. Members who live far away, let us know when you're in town so we can similarly celebrate you!Fellowship in our eclub happens a variety of ways, from potlucks, to socials around the Bay Area, to service activities such as the Coastal Cleanup, to talking with each other before and after the program recordings, to sharing ideas in our meetings. We are starting to do more online ones, so watch for those opportunities, too!These events all allow us to share our community and interests with others, as well. In addition to Liz Cochrane, guests Quierra, Nassim, and Nadia joined us at the potluck, and all agreed these folks are so cool we should invite them to give the club a look.I let them know that the right place to start is our meetings, and that if they find that what we share and do is inspiring to them, to let us know, and we'll get the process going! If you're thinking you might want to invite someone to join in our eClub fun, feel free to point them to our current meeting and our Join page. We welcome anyone that fits the bill described with a heart for making a difference locally and globally.Rotarian guests, we ask that you consider contributing something – perhaps what 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 MarshOur Camera Czar Keith has a wonderful eye for detail and angles, and this shot he got in Death Valley a few years ago is a great example."This photo was taken in 2008 at the 'Race Track' in Death Valley. It is a remote, dry lake bed where these rocks mysteriously travel across the mud flats in random directions. Apparently, no one has ever seen the rocks move or know how they move. The rocks range in size from 3-4 inches in width up to about a foot. It is suspected that they fall from the hillside and then skid across the mud flat when it rains and the mud becomes very slippery. Why they change direction is a puzzle."
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.
"What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like."- Saint Augustine
Veterans Day Remembrance
Member Chris Cochrane and his team put together this video as part of a series on Canadian history that speaks powerfully to why we celebrate Veterans Day
You can see other videos in this series at the Historica Canada site.
Tossing Out Kudos
There are all kinds of things members are doing to help this club live up to its name. Last week I read an email from President-elect Mitty in a discussion about possibilities for getting more people aware of our club and meetings, and was downright jazzed by the ideas he put forward. That's just one example among many, too.There are also comparatively quiet victories that come from doing such things as attending every meeting, and I'd like to take a moment to toss out some kudos to those members who have perfect attendance (attended every week, as well as attending most weeks, but having made up any missed meetings appropriately) since the beginning of July.Kudos of Coolness and Attendance Wonderfulness to:
Allen Thompson
Chris Cochrane
François Tessier
Gene Tognetti
Hardeep Singh
Keith Marsh
Mark Dohn
Mitty Chang
Paul Mosso
Richard Knaags
Rushton Hurley
Shags Shagrin
Stephen Zhou
Yvonne Kwan
I'll add our two new members, Nate Gildart and Tzviatko Chiderov to that group, as well. Even though they've only been formal members for a couple of weeks, they've been attending perfectly for more than two months each! If you think your name should be up there, but isn't, write to me (president@siliconvalleyrotary.com), and we'll take a look at that together.
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.
* * *Recent Events Recap:
Potluck Recap!Watch for pictures next week from last Saturday's Meet-a-Canadian potluck!
* * *
Upcoming Events: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!)
Why Justin's House Exists
Last spring, our eclub took part in its first collective service effort - helping another charity, Justin's House, with its inaugural fundraiser. We gathered items for the silent auction, bought a table at the event, and a third of us were able to join in that evening. Justin's House is an effort to help teens battling addiction, and they have made a lot of progress this year getting the infrastructure needed to launch. You can follow what they are doing at their site, and learn the story of the type of young person the program is working to help by clicking here to read Adrianna's Story, from their September postings.
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.
Those who have been in Rotary for decades have seen year in and year out the good done by The Rotary Foundation. For all the stories, though, it's hard to do better than simply seeing the faces of those helped.
We are hoping that every member will make a donation to The Rotary Foundation this year. How big it is isn't the issue; what matters is that we help extend the good ever further. If you haven't done so since July 1st, why not now? Here's the page on Rotary's site for making a donation - please give it a visit!
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.
While it's hard to imagine doing better than last week's epic report of our individual service activities from October, I suspect that if folks who haven't been paying close attention to this section of the meeting start telling their stories, we could take it to another level.What have you done to help others or improve your communities? Please let us know via the survey linked below!
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.
While you're at it, you probably can think of some good news! Maybe you have something to celebrate, like members Rushton and Hardeep, or perhaps you have a word of honor for someone dear, like guest Steven. Let us know!
Here are what people were happy about from last week:
From member Rushton Hurley ($5)I'm home for two weeks, and I think it's great so many of our members are keeping their attendance at 100%!From member Hardeep Singh ($10)Happy to welcome new members!
From guest Steven Lloyd (Rotary Club of Niles) ($15)In memory of Helen Rodriguez. [Helen was Steven's aunt, and was recently diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. She passed away soon after, and our thoughts go out to the family.]
Have a reason to be happy? Share it with us through the form below.(Donation information is after you hit submit!)
Birthdays
No birthdays this week, though Linda Tangren and Allen Thompson, you're on our radar for next week!
The Tidbit
Every week, we feature a new tech tid bit or life hack to make your life more convenient.
Member Yvonne Kwan introduces us this week to a great site for sharing articles and blog posts and similar without the extras.
Great share! Find the highlighted site at PrintFriendly.com.
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!
This week's presenter does many things to help young people, and here's a young person that may need some clarification.Teacher: "Little Johnny, give me a sentence using the word, 'geometry.'
"Little Johnny: "A little acorn grew and grew until it finally awoke one day and said, 'Gee, I'm a tree.'"Wood you like me to leaf more jokes like that one in future meetings? Ha ha ha. (I should add, "ha" is the Japanese word for "leaf." Really. I'm not trying to feuille you.)Not too funny, that. 8^)
Selected Comments from Last Week
One of the most interesting pieces of our eclub is the chance we have to learn how every other member thinks about what we read, hear, and do. Each week, we ask everyone who attends to share their thoughts, and at the end of this meeting we hope you will, too!
Here are some of the comments from last week's meeting with the program by Budd MacKenzie on the work his organization, Trust in Education, is doing in Afghanistan:
Member François Tessier (Quebec, Canada)What an amazingly inspiring presentation! Thank you, Budd; I am myself about "to take the plane" and go to help needy people and share. Your presentation is absolutely a great inspiration to me. I hope that in 10 years I will be able to achieve the same level of achievement as you have. THANK YOU VERY MUCH! Oh...Congratulation and welcome to our new members. And I was about to send an email to Rushton to thank you for the TIDBIT. But I unsent it...HAHAHAHAHA
Member Keith Marsh (California, USA)Thanks to Budd for a great presentation. I agree that more Rotarians should get involved with these rewarding international projects. I have been blessed to have attended work projects in Mexico (Project Amigo), Chile (Operation Tooth Fairy) and India (Polio Plus). Next April, my wife and I will be going on a water project to Cuba with H2Open Doors.
Member Andrew Taw (California, USA)Thank you for your presentation Budd! It's a great reminder how adaptation can make great things happen with small changes like the solar cooker. Not only is smoke inhalation an issue, but many children also accidentally fall into the open flame because it's placed inside the home. Not to mention it's also good for the environment and doesn't expend local resources to run!
Member Gene Tognetti (California, USA)Wow - I loved your story, Budd! Lots of takeaways but two key ones for me - adding 'fun' to the school (in the form of swings, etc.) is so important and often neglected, and the notion that, often, education is the solution to many of society's ills. I commend you and all the folks who assist you in your mission, and thanks for sharing with us!
Member Heather Shaw (California, USA)Great presentation! I was stunned at how inexpensive building the school was and for that small investment the impact is great - I can see how this has been life-changing for you. Very inspiring!
Member John Lozano (California, USA)Budd, thank you for a great presentation. I would agree with you about getting off the bleachers and out into the world. I am heading to Guatemala for Thanksgiving week and doing some volunteer work while I am there. We will have to connect to compare stories as I believe there are several parallels in social norms in these poverty stricken countries. I can hear your passion for the valuable work you are doing. Keep it going!
Member Mahmood Khan (California, USA)A great program to enable education and freedom - for all children. Thank you Budd.
The Program
This week we turn to member Andrew Taw for a program about Upward Bound, which helps high school students succeed in college. Along the way we get to know one of our own!Andrew Taw describes himself as an educator, poet, and father, as well as an amateur cook, astronomer, and (mediocre) billiards enthusiast. He has been in the education field for almost ten years and has loved just about every moment that was fueled by coffee (which was most of the time). He currently serves as the Program Coordinator for Upward Bound hosted by Holy Names University based in the beautiful city of Oakland.Members, welcome Andrew!
Learn more about Holy Names University Upward Bound Project.
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!
