August 9, 2013

             Reporter: Cal Lee     Editor: Ron Brown         Photographer: Leander Hauri                   

President:  Hays Englehart 2013 - 2014          


RIGHT AT HOME   

Thus sayeth the Alex

 Maya Angelou, via Alex Arnold:

Criticism is cheap and easy.  Doing something about it is costly and difficult.  If you don't like something, change it.  If you can't change it, change your attitude.  Don't complain.

 

GUESTS

 

 Rotarians: Jose Avelar, old friend and Asst      Governor for another year, Orinda

 John Sherry, even older friend,

 

 Others:  Becky Jenkins, speaker extraordinaire

WHAT'S UP

You joker you

 

Prez Hays pretended to be Chris Laszcz-Davis, but no one was fooled.  It seems that on Friday August 16th, from 4:00 until dark, there's a Lamorinda Community Picnic at the Moraga Commons.  One of Chris's biggest life missions at present is to bring the Lamorinda community together by means of joint events, even getting those stubborn Rotarians to talk to each other.  It's BYOB.  Rob Roy will be there.  Bring your family, and wear your Rotary regalia in case you get the urge to volunteer to help with the event.

John has many ways to beat you

Other people go from walking to walkers.  John Fazel has gone from running across states to biking across states.  His home state of Iowa was his latest victim.  This is the oldest such event in the U.S. and calls for from 50 to 85 miles per day.  Who should show up but Lance Armstrong, getting a friendly reception except for when John passed him at Mile 380 in John's hometown.  When they got to Dallas Center, John discovered Rotarians from around the world selling kebabs.  He got not only a banner but also a free makeup, even though he wasn't wearing his pin.

 

District Assembly August 24th in Vacaville, 8 to 12.  Members, especially newer ones, of course are encouraged to attend and enjoy.

 

John Sherry, Lafayette nooner, threw down the gauntlet by announcing that it's time again for the Rossmoor Annual Golf Classic on August 26th.  Our resident pros, Rick Ashburn and Thomas Peeks, have forms for anyone who wishes to join a team that, like Tiger Woods, is heavily favored.

Leander, Mr. HOME Team

Leander Hauri brought us up to speed on the Home Team.  On July 26th they made 14 visits, assisted by five other clubs.  John Kallio earned beaucoup brownie points by keeping his nose to the grindstone until 4:00.  (Hays said that will not be tolerated in the future.)  Next big day is September 28th.

 

In a daring and exciting move, Prez Hays has moved Board Meetings from 7 a.m. to 6 P.M.  The first of these will be this Tuesday, 8/13.  The place has not changed - Better Homes office, 51 Moraga Way, Orinda, aka Fazel's Folly.  Hays is a taskmaster - meeting strictly limited to 1.5 hours, and no wine during.  (He's not such a taskmaster on the last point before or after the meeting.)

 

Buddy's well organized

And finally, Buddy Burke, ever the creative one, reminded that this month's TGITLFOTM will be at the CalShakes Theater on August 30th.  If you don't have tickets yet, you are almost out of luck, but you may get lucky.  Contact Buddy, who will probably send you to the online link for orders.  A vote was taken as to whether we bring our own food or invest in the box lunches there for $10 (which, in fact, is a bargain).  The vote was unanimous for the investment.  However, we do bring our own wine. 

ROB ROY KEEPS ON SAILING

Big events are a big deal

Ron Brown and his crew have done a fabulous job lining up events to show off our pride and joy and to sell raffle tickets while we're at it.  Every member is not just requested, but is REQUIRED, on pain of whatever punishments the Scots in Rob Roy's time would have meted out, to sign up to help expose Rob Roy at an event.  Signup sheets were passed around, but there's a long way to go.  Everyone has an incentive, which is to avoid the long and sometimes dreary work of putting on a Gala. 

 

The events where Rob Roy will show up which are confirmed so far are:

 

 8/15   Lamorinda Community Picnic (the first item in "What's Up", above)

 8/31 - 9/1 Scottish Highland Games in Pleasanton

 9/7     Alamo Music Festival

 9/8     Berkeley Solano Stroll

 9/21-22    Lafayette Arts & Wines

 10/18-20 District 5160 Conference, Chico

 10/27   Lamorinda Reservoir Run

 

The Prez gave another example of how one thing leads to another in this organization.  Alamo Music Festival was added to the list because its chairman was at the last Home Team event and, after a little convincing, signed on.

Every $20 adds up

The exposure has already started.  Pat Flaharty reported that last Saturday the big Lamorinda Swim Meet was held at the Campolindo pool.  Rob Roy decided to check out the scene and got lots of attention plus $660 worth of tickets sold. Total of $1,100 taken in so far.

 

Did we point out that signing up for at least one event is a requirement for continued existence?

OTHER ACTIVITIES                     

 

Either Walter Nelson was late or he kept a low profile or the Prez was wandering, because Birthdays & Anniversaries didn't happen at their usual priority time.  They also were not very remunerative this week.

Okay Gillett, pay up

Gillett Johnson was vulnerable to a buck a year, but was so eager not to talk about the occasion that he volunteered to fork up $2 a year.  Being the young guy that he is, this wasn't very expensive.

 

Don Jenkins, even more eagerly, seized on this theme when accused of the first anniversary of his joinder of the club.  He actually paid his $1 in cash.

 

Ron Melvin hasn't yet celebrated Judy's birthday because she's in LA visiting Grandma.  The celebration will start tonight.  Ron paid a $40 IOU, the fair market value of which is uncertain.

Joe looks after folks very well

 

Prez Hays is delivering on his promise to have a VOCATIONAL MINUTE.  The celebrity this time was JOE BETTENCOURT, who barely won the race against the 60-second clock.  During that time he revealed that he's been in the interim health care business since 1966, which furnishes support services at home, matches employers and employees, handles long-term care insurance and disability needs, and offers 150 caregivers, all checked, bonded and insured.

 

Pope Alex won the White Ball.  Religion pays.

 

HERE'S SOMEONE WHO WALKS THE WALK

Calm down now Don

It was unusual to see Don Jenkins' knees shaking when going up to the podium.  But then, he had never introduced his bride as a speaker before.  He may have received a passing grade.

 

Don informed us that Linda Becky Jenkins completed the University of Florida RN program in 1962, became an RN in California and worked in public health and school nursing.  But her real passion is childbirth education.  She has published a book on the subject which sold 25,000 copies including 5,000 in Spanish.  She also has delivered a number of offspring of our very own members. 

Becky knows whereof she speaks

Talk about Service above Self,  Becky goes a bit beyond talk.  She's been to Guatemala  11 times on various projects including cataracts, Rotoplast, and the Common Hope project   which our past presiden,t Bob Schwein, was instrumental in organizing. Don and Becky have started over 20 matching grant projects. 

 

Becky explained that El Salvador is a very small country southeast of Guatemala.  She showed a number of pictures illustrating the town of Talinque and the activities. 

 

One picture getting attention was of women and children walking to get their water supply, jugs on top of the head.  (The jugs looked like terra cotta but were actually plastic.)  Rotary is doing a few things to rectify that situation.

 

Other pictures included the armed "guards" defending against violence (a jarring note against the backdrop of a magnificent cathedral).  A house construction project was shown; the house will be painted by RotarAct kids.  Also shown was Becky's friend, Fernando, who visited us before Becky's departure to show the backpack project, to which we then contributed.  There was a backpack distribution photo, as well as one of repairing school desks.

Sense another project coming up?

A large Canadian Rotary team was there the whole time performing no end of services, particularly relating to water, health, and education.  Becky worked with them a good deal, admired them greatly, and hopes that joint projects will develop here in the same way.  (Spanish speaking ability not required.)

 

The Project Fair, consisting of many booths for three days, matched grant responses, some potential and some established. 

 

Becky said Guatemala is a wonderful place to visit which she highly recommends.  But she was happy to have this very worthwhile El Salvador experience also, and feels that the work there is invaluable.

CALENDAR

Tuesday 8/13 6PM - Board Meeting, BHG Orinda
Friday, 8/16 7AM - Jeopardy!
Friday 8/23 7AM- Public Speaking made easy
Friday 8/30 7AM - Mini Exposures
Friday 8/30 5PM - TGITLFOTM at Cal Shakes

Friday 9/6 - 7AM - Debra Saunders, SF Chronicle
Tuesday 9/10 6PM- Board Meeting
Friday 9/13 7AM - BART, inside scoop
Friday 9/27 TGITLFOTM, Chuck Bove 
Saturday 9/28. 8AM - HOME Team, Gary's shop

Friday 10/4 7AM - Club Assembly
Tuesday 10/8 6PM - Board Meeting
Friday 10/18 - District 6150 Adventure, Chico
Friday 10/25 5:30 PM - TGITLFOTM, leander Hauri

Saturday 11/23 8AM - Home Team, Gary's shop
  
Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary Links

Lamorinda Sunrise Web Site

Lamorindan Archives


ADDITIONAL PHOTOS OF THIS AND OTHER LSR EVENTS MAY BE FOUND AT WWW.LSR.SMUGMUG.COM. SHOULD BE YOU SMITTEN BY A PARTICULAR IMAGE, PRINTS MAY BE ORDERED FROM THIS WEBSITE. (THE QUALITY IS EXCELLENT.).
Contact Us

Rotary Club of Lamorinda Sunrise
PO Box 1491
Lafayette, California 94549
www.lamorindasunrise.org
E-Mail Us