ALEX THE GREAT HAS ARRIVED  | | Mark has the first word in the new era |
Whether James A. Michener, or Mark Larks for that matter, had the ascension of Prez Alex Arnold in mind for this Thought for the Day is perhaps debatable, but it might fit the occasion: "Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today, because if you enjoy it today you can do it again tomorrow." Did Alex enjoy it, and will he be back tomorrow or maybe next week? He apparently wanted to change the stern ways of Past Prez Peeks by eschewing The Bell. He found that the noise level didn't drop a whole lot under this new method.  | | A peaceful changing of the guard |
He tried to change the rigid agenda ways of the Past Prez by losing all of his own notes for this 1st meeting, no doubt to encourage spontaneity. The jury is still out on this one. But the Past Prez was obviously enjoying himself, relishing a long and relaxed breakfast. GUESTS Rotarians: Debi Roessler, Moraga, back for another Asst Gov'ship Troy Feddersen, president, Lafayette Club Alicia Cragholm, Lafayette Club, among others Other: Kevin Cragholm, protecting Alicia Jim Newport, home care Jim Kendall from Motorama, been here before Tracy Tomkovicz, speaker Amy Breshears, speaker's helpful intern UNCEREMONIOUSLY DUMPED AT A MAGNIFICENT EVENT  | | It was pretty slick, huh Thomas? |
You won't have Thomas Peeks to kick around any more. But some folks sure took advantage when they had the chance. Although Chez Waal was magnificent, some low blows were struck. Nobody should have to sit through an insulting song performed by our non-singing club. Yolanda probably is still trying to unscramble Brad Davis's diatribe toward her, and what exactly was the oath that she took. And then there was Cecil B. DeFillinger. There is no point in trying to recount the cinematic masterpiece to which Thomas was subjected. If you  | | This one deserves an RI Oscar!!! |
haven't seen one of Paul's epics, you've missed a rare treat - so long as it isn't directed at you. All, except perhaps the aforementioned two Peekses, were delighted at the proceeding. It came out at today's meeting, however, that we did not entirely avoid low-lifes. John Fazel was asked to take a bag of our Demotion garbage away from the Waal household. He made an outrageous 50 cent profit recycling it. His attempt to pacify by offering to donate the 50 cents to the Endowment failed pathetically. THINGS HAPPENING TO KICK OFF THE NEW YEAR  | | Paul & Cal ogling the sapphires |
Paul Bettleheim, who's been there and done that on just about everything, gained another sapphire on his Paul Harris hardware collection. True to his first name, Dr. B has faithfully supported the worldwide projects along with everything else. Don't want to suggest there's a rivalry between the Rotary International Foundation and the Lamorinda Sunrise Endowment, but if there is, Paul has a nice conflict of interest, being president of the Endowment. Charlie Franklin is a happy man. He celebrated his and Terry's 51st anniversary, he's at the point where he remembers only the good things, and he got off with $20 instead of $1/year. Chuck Yeager had a similar occasion, but he didn't reveal much. At least a dinner reservation was made, but it was postponed. Flowers and a card for Mariam, and a $20 IOU for the Club. Joe Bettencourt became a member 2 years ago. He WAS assessed $1/year, which in his case wasn't too bad.  | | Brad does pupkins too! |
Brad Davis joined 22 years ago. He was more loquacious than all the above honorees put together. Went from 2 cars being stolen from his chauffeur to the meeting all those years ago, to his current rotator cuff, to bringing the painter of Tom Black's house to the next TGITLFOTM (at Brad's, believe it or not), to the 100% graduation rate of the Garden Park Apartment kids. Maybe his technique worked and bamboozled the rookie Prez, for any recognition amount seemed to get lost in the shuffle. Speaking of Garden Park Apartments, Ernie Furtado reminded of an Eagle Scout BBQ at that venue. It took place the same evening, so this publication doesn't help a whole lot, but hopefully was a great event. Krysten Laine has started her countdown to next year, only 360 days to go. She'd very much like comments/suggestions while the Gala/Motorama is still fresh in our minds. Lamorinda Weekly and Orinda News both played up the 3/4 Century Club event big time. Lamorinda Weekly also wrote up the Motorama. Our thanks to these inspiring local presses. WATER WATER EVERYWHERE, BUT NOT THAT MANY DROPS TO DRINK After a rather remarkable introduction by Buddy Burke, who mentioned a marriage of peas & carrots, Pino the Vespa, and the "awl" business, Tracy Tomkovicz took the stage.  | | Tracy is multi-talented for sure |
Our club had the honor of Tracy's very first presentation to a Rotary club. It certainly won't be the last, because her business and passion are Project Water Hope, and she got wind of the fact that Rotary is pretty doggoned interested in the topic these days. She and her husband formed the organization WaterHope in 2004. As will appear, it has taken up a good deal of her life since, and one would think it might be a full time endeavor. Maybe so, but she also is majority owner and CEO of S&S, the 2nd largest woman owned business in the East Bay, a national industrial distribution business to the big guys (Shell Oil, United Airlines, etc.). She sees synergy with Rotary in addressing water projects in developing countries, which would involve local NGOs also. Pretty important stuff. We can't live for more than 4 days without water. Therefore everyone drinks whatever is available, often leading to health problems. 3.5 million people die per year from water-related causes. There have been more of these deaths than from all wars combined. It is said that World War III may be over water. But the problem isn't really the scarcity, it's the lack of access. The greatest impact is on women and children because they have to gather the water, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, and walk many miles to do it. WaterHope was started by family and friends. Every penny donated goes to save lives. Although the organization is relatively new, it has developed some firm principles. One is to maintain control of the money at all times. Another is to rely on intelligence in the country to make decisions such as whether to drill or whether ground water is too contaminated. WaterHope's first project was through the Carmelites in Uganda, and it since has worked with many local NPOs and NGOs on various projects.. Still another is to reach culturally appropriate solutions. For example, in Laos, where water spreads typhoid and dries up in May, they refused drilling because of the people and the evil spirits buried there. A pipeline through Engineers Without Borders hopefully will be the solution. Projects include installation of water filtration systems, and wells and collection systems. These are best put in close to schools so the kids do not have to miss school trekking for water.  | | Fund Raisers? We know a lot about that. |
And then there are fundraisers. They are creative. "Walk the Walk Jerry Carry" is a 5K walk at Heather Farms where the participants carry Jerry cans (water containers, luckily empty) for the 5K event, emulating what a kid typically goes through to get water. This will happen on July 16th. The fundraisers can also be pretty high-end. "Wine to Water - The Dinner" originated in Napa. Golfer Craig Stadler joined WaterHope at about the time he moved from the regular to the Championship PGA tour. He was later joined by other pros such as Scott Simpson and Jay Haas, all of whom participate big time. The prizes are also big for golf nuts, such as tickets to the Masters and rounds with these pros. The Dinner follows the Schwab Cup tour event, although the Tour has complicated the logistics by recently moving the tournament from Napa to Harding Park in SF. In response to some cross-examination by our merciless members, Tracy emphasized that they absolutely won't do bribes, and that future maintenance of an installation is regarded os extremely important (rather than leaving it to fall apart after completion). Maintenance is helped by getting locals to vote to buy in to the project, training them, and keeping the equipment simple. Tracy is starting to get grant applications that are too big for WaterHope to handle on its own, and hopes Rotary might be interested in partnering on future projects. She might be even more interested upon being told that Al Sevilla (who she said looks like her dad who also had a guide dog) is a District water guru. CALENDAR Fri, 7/8, 7am, Postino - Project Second Chance Tue, 7/12, 7am - Board Meeting, Orinda BH&G conference room Fri, 7/15, 7 am, Postino - Loaves & Fishes Fri, 7/22, 7 am, Postino - Cameron Shearer, Travel The Continent Fri, 7/29, 7 am, Postino - Can You Canoe? Fri, 7/29, 5:30 pm - TGITLFOTM, Brad Davis paint job exposed | 
