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call Colette Lay at (925)325-1611
Weekly Program
Zoom Notes for June 11, 2020
Lady Grizzly (Colette Lay) muted us to order.  After acknowledging the Uberfuhrer of Rotary, Mark Daniel Maloney, she introduced the Greeter Mike Conklin.  He led the Flag Salute and offered a Thought for the Day: “When I was young I was impressed by really smart people; after I grew older, I was impressed by just people.” Mike shared that his oldest son just joined Rotary in Fort Eustis, Virginia. His second son is waiting to ship out with his family to Korea, having just been made a Sergeant Major in the Army (a big deal!) His third son works as a trauma technician at Mt. Eden Hospital. Sentinels of Freedom continues doing well.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Just a reminder: Join us for Happy Hour on Zoom, Tuesdays at 5:00 p.m. Send photos of your activities to Ana Dominguez, assuming they are legal. Rotary offers online classes; Colette is finishing one on how to run a non-profit. This month we will be contributing our lunch money to Primo’s which will be feeding people in care facilities throughout San Ramon.
June Is Fellowship Month: Rotary offers a variety of interest groups who get together electronically and share ideas and experiences.  They are organized around vocations, sports, hobbies, recreation and Rotary history and culture.  The 80 different groups can be accessed and explored at www.rotray.org/fellowships.  Check it out.
 
 
Presentation: Naim Katiby was our presenter today.  He was born and educated in Afghanistan, earning his medical degree in 1981. Dr katiby also practiced in USA as a board certified family physician for more than twenty years. As a doctor he served in India, Iran and Pakistan as well as Afghanistan, being board-certified twice.  He has one daughter and two sons.
He showed a film about his work over the years in Afghanistan.  He titled the film “Service When Life Is Not a Straight Line.” It focuses on his involvement with FADA – the Foundation for Aid and Development for Afghanistan.  Their work is centered in Herat City, the second largest city in the country after the capital, Kabul.  Herat is located in the western part of the country, nearest Iran and Turkmenistan.  Its people speak several different languages –Farsi, Pashtun, Hindi and Tajik. (By the way, Urdu and Farsi are written in the same way.)
 
Although FADA began in 1994, because of unsafe conditions in the country, it did not do its first project until 2001 when it helped construct a school in the village of Qall I Sapheed.  Naim held a conversation with a village elder (“the Sheriff”) about the building and its operation.  The school proudly bears a banner honoring the San Ramon Rotary for its help.  Other projects are as follows:
2003: Distribution of water and food
2004: Distribution of backpacks to school children. (Packs were made in Herat.)
2007:  Equipping a medical clinic
2008: A mountain ambulance for use by the clinic
2009: Backpacks and stationery for students. (San Ramon Rotary supplied $2500 toward the project.)
2010: Medical supplies and services
2014: Research on the problems facing Herat’s people
2016: Services for planning, teaching and publications
2019: Publication of a book, “Addiction,” written by Naim.  FADA provided food,   showers and clothes for 100 addicts in Herat on Eid.
2020: Plans for a center for the treatment of addicts in Herat. (There are about 2   million addicts in Afghanistan.  As a group they are despised and forgotten     in the country. The most prevalent drugs are opioids and crystal meth. Many addicts in Herat got hooked when they went to Iran as workers and took  drugs to increase performance.)
The film was well done but unfortunately presented without its sound track.  It is available from Naim online (katiby@gmail.com).  It featured powerful scenes of food and clothing distribution, featuring a television producer from Herat.  The music was melodious and moving. And Naim really is good at rustling kids for the camera.
Mike Conklin observed that Afghanistan is rife with conflict between tribal governments and a struggling central government.  The US has spent more than one trillion dollars on the defense and development of the country.  Naim offered that the US and Afghanistan are closely linked. Pakistan, which has received billions of dollars in aid from the US, works against our interests and supports the Taliban and recently supplied them with drones. This correspondent notes that individuals in this club are actively involved in projects around the world: Kathy Gailey, Mark Hornstra, Ana Dominguez, Dennis Garrison, Karen McNamara and Naim Katiby among others.  Their involvement and experience bring credit to us all.
 
Afterthoughts: Karen shared another letter from our student in Guatemala, who continues to ask for God’s blessing on us. 
Vera Packard thanks Priya for her recent interview online. 
Guy Greco and Mary have sold their house and are looking for new quarters in the area. Anyone have a vacant garage?
The meeting ended with the gong and general unmuting.
 
 
 
 
Speakers
Jun 18, 2020
Jun 25, 2020
End of Year Wrap Up
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Upcoming Events
Rotary Virtual International Convention
Jun 20, 2020 – Jun 26, 2020
 
San Ramon Park Clean-up - POSTPONED
Boone Acres Park
Jun 20, 2020
9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
 
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