President Chris “Top Gun” Gallagher opened our meeting by 1) being much closer to his camera than we are used to and 2) reminding us his year’s Rotary International President is Holger Knaack from the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, and our theme is Rotary Opens Opportunities. The expectation is for Rotarians to create opportunities that strengthen their leadership, help put service ideas into action, and improve the lives of those in need.
Greeter, Vera Packard, started with a quote, which was the ending of the poem recited by poet Amanda Gorman on Inauguration Day –
“For there is always light,
If only we're brave enough to see it
If only we're brave enough to be it.”
WELCOME GUESTS
Interact student Kaitlyn Perry and Teohn Conner from EATSports Foundation joined the meeting.
John Tatum also received an honorable mention as an attending “guest”.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Past President, Colette Lay, introduced guest Teohn Conner, who was the recipient of a SRR grant.
EAT Sports Foundation is focused on providing resources, opportunities, and relief to At-Risk athletes and underprivileged families in underserved parts of our communities. The grant will be used to sponsor ten kids for a two day, three hour camp program. More information about EATSports can be found on their website: https://www.eatsportsfoundation.org/
Karen McNamara provided an update on our sponsored student, Genson, who lives in Zacualpa, Guatemala. He is part of the Amigos de Guatemala program which focuses on providing financial support and opportunities for all young people in Latin America to receive and complete their primary and high school education, and help provide access to good medical care. While public school is free in Guatemala, supplies are not. As a result, many children are unable to continue their education beyond primary school. This is especially true for boys, who often go work in the fields to help make money for the family. Genson is extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue his education with the help of the San Ramon Rotary grant, and expresses his gratitude by sending several letters per year.
On January 28th,Priya Jhingan will participate in a panel hosted by East Bay Rotaract, along with to other Rotarians who work in the “tech world”. The focus will be on networking and how to find opportunities.
Hermann Welm, while not in attendance, made it known to all SRR members via email the previous day that January 21st is National Squirrel Appreciation Day. For those members who “replied all” to that email, it seemed that “number 8” was the unanimous winner.
GOOD TIMES/ GOOD NEWS / RECOGNITIONS
Cheri Braga shared that her daughter, Alexandra, was bestowed by Golf Digest the “Greatest Teacher in Golf” award for 2021. This announcement led to many members inquiring if Alexandra, currently residing in Colorado, might be returning to California in the future. Good news for those that require her services – she plans to return in late 2021!
Steve Wilcox was recognized by President Top Gun for his new Shangri-La in Blackhawk. Mr. Wilcox did not offer much in further detail on his new home.
Ana Dominguez had a birthday on November 25th. At first unable to recall what happened that long ago, she then remembered that they went to dinner and she caught a cold.
Jake Brown had a birthday on January 5th. Mr. Brown enjoyed a nice steak from The Brass Door.
Spouse of Barry Toby, Cindy, had a birthday on December 23rd. It was reported that they ate Japanese take-out to celebrate.
Spouse of Vera Packard, Mark, had a birthday on January 1st. No celebration on the day, but they did a joint birthday celebration last November with a trip to Sun Valley, Idaho.
PROGRAM
President Elect Terry Koehne 2021-2022 Board Presentation
PE Terry Koehne started by saying how excited he is to be able to take on the role of President after 10 years of membership with San Ramon Rotary. He then presented the list of board members for 2021-2022, along with some very nice comments for each one.
Terry Koehne – President
Carolyn Degnan – President-Elect
Colette Lay – Secretary
Geoff Disch – Treasurer
Julie McKinney – Sergeant at Arms
Norbert Walz – Member at Large
Karen McNamara – Community Service
Patti Hennigan – Vocational Service
Gary Sloan – Youth Service
Kathy Gailey – International Service
Vera Packard – Public Relations
Carolyn Degnan – Club Administrator
Chris Gayler – Membership
Priya Jhingan – Innovation Director
Chris Gallagher – Past President
RAFFLE:
Gary Sloan assisted in the raffle this week, as this scribe cannot simultaneously coordinate the raffle, and he did an excellent job. The winner was Geoff Disch, but alas he only pulled a blue marble. Only 16 marbles left, and the chances to pull white is increasing. PLAY BIG!
The meeting was adjourned early at a specific time not recorded.
Respectfully submitted,
Julie McKinney, Scribe
