THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Mark Roberts filled in for the absent Mike Edwards, advising us that, if we argue well, we'll always win. Every husband on the planet knows that's not true, Mark.

VISITING ROTARIANS

Leander Hauri - Came in a Livermore Rotarian, left a Lamorinda Sunrise Rotarian

Larry Sly - Concord

John Sherry - Lafayette

Dino Ribbla - Lafayette

Mike Heller - Lafayette

Ann Stevenson - Lafayette

Alicia Cragholm - Lafayette (are you detecting a pattern yet?)

Luis Alcon - Concord

Dan Garnett - Orinda (here for the Kevin Croak seating)

GUESTS OF OTHER PERSUASIONS

Kress Hauri - Leander's Dearly Beloved, here to see what all the fuss is about

Kevin Cragholm - Somebody get him a red badge, already

Mariam Worsham - Chuck Yeager's SO

Krysten Cowell - Shilling for Town Hall Theater (more on that below) which is always okay with us

Susan Captain - dragged forcibly by Paul Fillinger from the Art & Wine Festival (he was in the midst of his duties as the wine booth inspector)

Sal Captain - ditto (Paul's stronger than he looks)

By the way, Susan Captain is President of the Lamorinda Wine Growers Association. She and Sal will be telling us about their organization and the truly odd reason why it is of such recent vintage on December 2. (This reporter suspects that this crew will be far more interested in sampling product than in a history lesson.)

BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS GOODIES

Rotary appreciates your generosity Paul

Paul Bettelheim had the good sense to remember Bryn's birthday and the good grace to confess their previously-unannounced anniversary (unannounced to us, not to each other). Speaking of good grace, Paul gave $50 to the Club and $100 to the LSR Endowment.

Thomas Peeks had $20 worth of birthday dinner and gifts. Not $19 worth. Not $21 worth.

There is a whole slew of LSR folks who have been ducking their B&A "recognitions," but their time will come. That includes you, Dave Watson.

LEANDER SWITCHES FROM BLUE TO RED

Hays Englehart welcomes Leander to his new membership in LSR by exchanging his Livermore Blue Badge for a more stylish Red Badge. How lucky is that? We suspect he will move along rather quickly in the rookie qualifications. Glad to have Leander and Kress in their new Rotary home!  

SPEND AN EVENING WITH PICASSO, EINSTEIN AND . . . GEORGE CHAFFEY?

Town Hall Theater stalwart Krysten Cowell came by to invite us all to "Rotary Night" at Lafayette's own Town Hall Theater on October 13 to see "Picasso and the Lapin Agile" (that's pronounced "luh-PANN aw-ZHEEL" for us non-French-speaking heathens). This Steve Martin-written play centers around a humorous and thought-provoking fictional conversation between Pablo and Albert in the early 20th Century. You can get a special price on your tickets by using the code word "Rotary" when you call (925-283-1557), go online (www.townhalltheater.com) or come to the box office (corner of School Street and Moraga Road, Lafayette).  

And why the reference to George Chaffey in this item's headline? Because Carol and he are big supporters of local theater, of course. But you knew that.

ART WAS CONSUMED, WINE WAS DISPLAYED . . . OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Double thanks, Mike!

Mike Heller stopped by to thank Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary for our assistance at the recent Lafayette Art & Wine Festival. As you know, budget cutbacks meant the City of Lafayette could not provide its usual level of assistance. The Chamber of Commerce asked us and the Lafayette Noon Club (also known as "Them") to step up and fill in the gap by helping with the labor the City usually provides when government coffers are more cofferish. According to Mike, LSR came up aces. Way to go, folks. And thanks Mike, for your efforts and for letting us know.

MIKE HELLER JUST DOESN'T KNOW WHEN TO LEAVE WELL ENOUGH ALONE

Showing up to say nice things about us and the Art & Wine Festival wasn't enough for Mike Heller. He also invited us all to come to his Oktoberfest celebration at Chez Heller on Pleasant Hill Road on Sunday, October 2. Give him a holler if you'd like to go.

THEY'RE RUSSIAN, THEY'RE REALTORS, AND THEY'RE COMING HERE

Jim's a researcher too?

We used to help host Russian bakers as they toured the area learning about stuff that would help their businesses back home. Now we're helping host Russian realtors, here on the same mission. According to Jim Marrgraff, there is a lot that American realtors can teach them. You know, advanced techniques such as binding written contracts, disclosure requirements, actually holding title to a property before you try to sell it, stuff like that. According to Jim's research, buying and selling real estate in Russia is pretty much a "caveat emptor" arrangement with about as many rules as in the knife fight in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid."

There will be a welcoming party on Saturday, October 1, from 4-7 pm. The Russians will be our program on October 7. (This is always a fun meeting, so bring a guest.) Then there will be a bon voyage soiree on Saturday, October 15. Contact Jim for details.

HE'S DON REICHERT, HE'S RETIRED, AND HE'S GOING THERE

Banner champion rolls on!

Don Reichert is going to Bangkok. The one in Thailand. Gwen is tagging along, which is to be expected. But Alicia "I'm a Member of the Noon Club But You Guys Are So Much More Fun" Cragholm, will be there at the same time, which is somewhat less expected. (I am assuming that hubby Kevin will be there as well, but I did not hear confirmation of that.) But wait, there's more; another Lafayette Club Member will also be there at the same time. According to Don, all said folks are planning to get together while there, probably to crash, I mean make up, at a Bangkok area Rotary Club.

In a related note, Rotary International reports that every Rotary Club in Thailand has submitted an urgent joint request for permission to suspend all meetings and other activities until all Lamorinda denizens are safely out of Asia.

INSTEAD OF US GOING TO COMMON HOPE, COMMON HOPE IS COMING TO US (SORT OF)

There will be a gathering of Common Hope supporters on Saturday, October 1 in Berkeley. You should be there.

As many, and perhaps most, of you know, Lamorinda Sunrise has been involved with Common Hope since the days it was known as the Godchild Project. By whichever name, it is a very successful project in a poor area of Guatemala. Common Hope began as, and still primarily is, aimed at giving children an education so they can escape the cycle of subsistence farming and the resultant poverty that has kept untold generations of their families trapped. The program has expanded to far more than just running a school, but everything it does has evolved from and aims to reinforce its educational mission.

For example, kids can't learn if their teeth are rotting and painful or if they are chronically sick. Thus there are dental and medical facilities. Also, kids can't learn if they have no decent shelter. So, Common Hope builds homes for the families, homes that we would regard as painfully inadequate but look like the Taj Mahal to them. But these homes are not just given out - the families have to earn them through "sweat equity," a set number of hours of work on behalf of the project.

Over the last 12 or so years, Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary has sent at least four teams to Guatemala to help build these homes for families who have completed their sweat equity requirements. Past President Bob Schwein led at least two such missions, and Past President Skip McCowan led the most recent such trip.

And yes, Common Hope works. It is turning out high school graduates every year in a region where such a thing was virtually unheard of. At least one MD got their educational start at the Common Hope school. This is a program that is making a real difference by giving kids a real chance to succeed. It is a chance they and their parents are working hard and enthusiastically to take full advantage of.

Skip knows first-hand

Skip rose today to let us know that Common Hope's Director of Program Development, Renato Westby, and its Executive Director, Shari Blindt, will be at the First Congregational Church of Berkeley on October 1st (yes, Steve Ware, that's a Saturday) from 4:00 to 6:00 pm to talk about Common Hope's new School Partnership Program and to give an update on the latest plans for this great program.

The church is at 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley. That's two blocks south of the UC campus, a block and a half west of Telegraph, and two and a half blocks east of Shattuck. A $10 donation at the door is suggested. If you want more details, call Skip or e-mail Common Hope at norcalfriends@us.commonhope.org. 

DOING BETTER, THANKS

Hurry back, John

John Linneman's heart ablation procedure went well, and he went home feeling great. The next day, he wasn't feeling so great and had to get checked out again. Jim Marrgraff reports that that hiccup appears to be behind John, though, and he is home and feeling better. John sent his thanks for the card via Jim. There is no report on whether John is back to testing the patience of Saint Constance, although here's guessing that that never really stopped.

Glad you are on the mend, John. And Connie, if you need to get out of the house, you're welcome to join us for breakfast even if John can't make it. Actually, you're welcome to join us for breakfast especially if John can't make it.

YOU COULD JUST GIVE THEM A REALLY TOUGH TEST EVERY FRIDAY AND DUCK OUT FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF, DAVE

Early morning chef? Amazing!

We won't be seeing Dave Isenberg at our Friday meetings for a while. That's because his chef-teaching duties this semester include teaching a class that starts at 6:00 am. Every day.

Dave assures us that he is not leaving our warm embrace, and he will be at TGITLFOTMs and work projects whenever possible (which is a very good thing), but don't expect him to be here critiquing breakfast until sometime around the holidays.

CANOE-HUCKSTERING FOR FUN AND (NON)PROFIT

These folks are good!

Those guys who built The Canoe are truly shameless - and I mean that in the best, nicest way possible. They brought the canoe to the Art & Wine Festival and walked away with $5,120 in raffle ticket sales. They are closing in on $10,000 in total sales.

Ron Brown hailed efforts by Spike Speicher, John Fazel, Hays Englehart and Jim Marggraff from LSR. Alicia Cragholm and John Sherry from the Noon Club also did yeoman duty during the two day period.  

Spike turned blue!

Spike reported that the people at the Art & Wine Festival loved the canoe - many simply could not resist the urge to touch the canoe and run their hands along its incredibly smooth, artistically superb finish. (Alex quietly slipped him a blue badge at the conclusion of his comments).

Pat Flaharty reported that by the time you read this, the canoe will have been at the Moraga Pear Harvest Festival and in front of Diablo Foods. (In fact, those of you who actually pay attention to e-mails from fellow LSR Members already know that those two events were also a big success.)

This reporter can confirm from first-hand observation that the canoe is not just an attention-grabber and not just a source of funds for the Lafayette Reservoir permanent event stage, our HOME Team, and other worthy projects. It is a great membership recruiting tool. While folks are buying raffle tickets, they are also expressing interest in Rotary and are getting "come get a free breakfast" card. So we can expect to see some new faces coming to our door.

Here's a hint - if you see a new face, introduce yourself and make-em feel at home. They just may be our next new Member and the source of the Next Big Idea for Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary or for Rotary International. Hey, the person who had the idea that became Polio Plus was a potential member coming to his or her first-ever meeting at some point.

HOME TEAM VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The next HOME Team date is Saturday, October 1. We still need volunteers, as we have about 10 folks lined up who need our help. Hays Englehart has been e-mailing up a storm trying to get you to sign up. It'll take about half a day (meet at 8:30 at Gary Fulcher's Man Cave, done by noon, give or take) and you'll feel good about yourself and Lamorinda Sunrise well into the week. So how about e-mailing Hays right now and signing up?

PROGRAM: PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES NEED EXERCISE, TOO

Anita King is a former Lamorinda Sunrise Rotarian who is now a Rossmoor Rotarian. Today, she brought John Rice, also a Rossmoor Rotarian, to talk about a simple idea: Getting special needs folks the exercise they need but far too often don't get.

Alex  thanks Anita and John for great program

To address this need, the Rossmoor Club has come up with a simple idea. That being to create video programs on a DVD disc that can be used in rest homes, skilled nursing facilities and senior day care centers, by individuals or their parents or care givers - anywhere there are disabled people and a DVD player. (Anita reports that experience shows that DVD disc players are a far more user-friendly technology for the target population than VCR tapes and players.)

It is a simple idea, although the development of the DVD has been a bit more complex. First, the exercise program had to be developed. This requires research and testing of what types of exercise these folks can and want to do. That requires a certain amount of trial and error. This issue has been worked through with the assistance of experts and through field testing.

There is no question that there is a need. The target population have disproportionate rates of mobility issues, obesity issues and, as a result, life span issues. Put simply, they get less exercise than the rest of the population, but they need it just as much as anyone else does.

In a way, the thinking here is exactly the same as the thinking behind Polio Plus. Just as there was and remains polio vaccine, there is now a way to involve more disabled people in an exercise program: Rotarians organizing and providing the boots on the ground to get this distributed.

And that is where we come in. Anita and John will be presenting this project at the upcoming District 5160 Conference. They are seeking Clubs and Rotarians who want in on the proverbial ground floor. Folks who can help pay for the DVDs and help get them into the hands of those who can use them.

Now for the "enlightened self-interest" part. This program can be tied in to our HOME Team concept. It can bring increased recognition to Rotary. And not only can it improve the quality of life for the target population, it can also reduce their health care costs. Since many of these people receive their health care through MediCare or other government-run programs, that means lower taxpayer costs. In short, everyone wins.

Want more info? Want to help out? Contact Anita, John and the rest of the team at (925) 286-8801, at rrcweb@gmail.com, or check out their website at http://rossmoor.rotary5160.org/special-fitness. One of the features on the website is a 15 minute explanatory video which will likely tell you what you want to know.

Want to contribute financially? Make your tax-deducible check out to "Rossmoor Rotary" and mail it to Rossmoor Rotary, P.O. Box 2177, Walnut Creek, CA 94595. Write "Special Fitness Project" on the check - the Tax ID No. Is 68-0048178.)

John and Anita, this is a great idea. Many thanks for sharing it with us this morning.