By: Hermann Welm
President Kathy Gailey, “The African Queen,” called the meeting to order, advising that the R.I. President is John F. Germ and his theme for the year is “Rotary Serving Humanity.”
Our Greeter did not make an appearance, so PP Gary Sloan offered the following Thought of the Day, “There is no such thing as a failed experiment, only experiments with unexpected outcomes.” By Richard Buckminster Fuller.
The Queen then led us in the Salute to the Flag, and this Scribe, aided by PP Don Jones, led the group in singing of “God Bless America!”
Visiting Rotarians: Mary Whipple, of the Danville Sycamore Club.
Other Visitors:
Nevin Miller, who is seriously looking at becoming a Rotarian, accompanied Mary Whipple. Zachary Gayler, Chris’ son, and our two speakers from the AHA, Alexis Padilla and Beth Miller.
The Medicine Man and his Jokes: Oooooh how I miss them!
Rotary Moments. That which was to replace the Medicine man’s jokes, were MIA!
Announcements:
PP Gary Sloan once again reminded all that the President’s Inauguration Party will be held at his home on August 27th , starting at 5:30 with dinner beginning at 6:00 pm. The cost per person will be $20.00.
The next Board Meeting will be held August 18th, at 10:30 am. Our District Governor, Fred Collingnon, will be in attendance.
Good News/Fine Free: None
Recognitions: Birthdays happened, or will happen, to Jerry Marrs, This Scribe, Michelle Riopelle, and an anniversary will be celebrated by Walt and Cheryl Trembley (in France!).
Program:
Alexis Padilla, from the American Heart Association, spoke about the significant impact that heart disease and strokes have on the population. One of every three adults will experience either, or both, in their lifetimes! She also stated that 80 percent of these incidents are preventable. The AHA has a goal of reducing the frequency of these incidents by 20 percent by the year 2020.
Some of the ways that this will be achieved is by educating the public about the risk factors associated with them; 90,000 people in the Bay Area have been trained in these to date. Also, 50 hospitals have now been named as “Fit-Friendly.”
Some of the ways to combat heart disease is (1) to be active a minimum of 150 minutes per week; (2) to limit salt intake to 2,300 mg per day; (3) to choose restaurants wisely, particularly as to the salt content of their foods; and (4) avoid consuming sweet drinks.
CPR training is also being stepped up since this procedure is the most effective way of limiting the damage done when an incident occurs. Thirty-one states now require that CPR be taught in high schools, however, California is not one of them. Only two school districts in California require this: San Francisco and San Ramon Valley!
Beth Miller next talked about the San Ramon Valley Heart Walk, to be held October 2, starting at 8:30 am, at Bishop Ranch 8. You can sign up for three different teams at:
www.heartwalkbayarea.kintera.org/SanRamonRotaryClub
www.heartwalkbayarea.kintera.org/TeamHarvey2016
The “Top Heart Walkers,” those raising $1,000 or more, will also get some special treatment in the VIP tent.
Soooo, all are encouraged to sign up with one of the above three teams, or to form your own! More details on www.HeartWalkBay Area.org.
Rotary’s Silent Auction for Education
Jerry Marrs had each of the Teams sit at a separate table and asked them to volunteer to “cover” two local shopping centers, soliciting raffle items from the retailers in that center. He and Colette Lay -- she playing the role of a receptionist at a local restaurant -- demonstrated just how easy it is to make the “ask!. Also mentioned was that restaurant managers are typically very busy during meal hours, so it is far better to reach them during the relative slow hour of 10:00 or 10:30 am.
Raffle: This poor, overworked Scribe could not stay to see who won which raffle prize, and frankly couldn’t care less because he did not purchase any tickets!
Next Week:
The next meeting will be with District Governor Fred Collingnon.
