We have very exciting things coming up in May – things so exciting that you will not want to miss them.
On May 2 we will celebrate our Club's attainment of a new level of achievement in the Rotary world. The recognition will include surprise speakers and awards presentations. Over 30 Paul Harris Fellowship awards will be presented to members. Be sure to come for the fellowship and stay for the celebration!
May 16 is our Club Assembly. If you care about the continued success of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, you need to come to this meeting. Do you have an idea for a project or event that you would like for the Club to do? This is your opportunity to share it. Have you ever thought “I have an idea about … [Fill in the blank – suggesting great speakers, organizing social events, running service projects, helping with weekly Club meetings, promoting the awareness of Rotary]”? Then come to this meeting to tell us.
The key to the success of the Rotary Club of San Francisco is the engagement of every member of the Club. The opportunities for engagement are part of the origin and the core values of Rotary: service and giving back to the community, networking and building better relationships, being part of an organization that makes the world a better place, connecting personally with other members through social and service activities, and, in the process of doing all of these things, having fun.
April Music and Poetry: In recognition of spring, songmaster Rick Harrell (Veterans Outreach; Heroes' Voices) sang a beautiful rendition of “April Comes She Will”. At our April 11 and 18 meetings, Rick recited moving poems submitted to the Heroes' Voices National Veterans Poetry Contest.
Rotarian of the Month: President David recognized Emily Borland (Architecture; Emily Borland Specifications) as March Rotarian of the Month. Emily has been an active and faithful member of the community service committee. Her insight and contributions to that committee are extremely valuable. In addition, she has worked to help the Club maintain a focus on helping needy women and children.
Presentations: John Rothmann returned to our Club to give us some up-to-date insights on Donald Trump’s first few months as President. He discussed some of the major initiatives attempted by Congress and supported by the President, and broader issues relating to the problems faced by the Republican Party due to a shift in the demographics of American voters.
José Cisneros, the Treasurer for the City and County of San Francisco, talked about city operations and what it takes to manage a $9 billion budget.
Jessa Carmack, Miss California 2016, noted that the Miss California/Miss America program has changed dramatically from its beginnings in 1921 as a simple bathing beauty contest designed to attract late-season tourists to Atlantic City. Today it is one of the largest scholarship programs in the United States, awarding over $500,000 in scholarships last year alone. Her participation in the pageant covered all of the costs of completing her studies at San Jose State University.
Twilight Golf: Past President Tim Hornbecker (Human Resources - Employment and Housing; The Arc of Alameda County) presented the awards for last year’s twilight golf tournament. He first presented a special trophy to Past President John Hoch (Estate and Business Planning; Retired) for placing second in the tournament. Bal Raj Capur (Project Development & Investment; The BTI Group) came in third. The perpetual club trophy remains with the Rotary Club of San Francisco because Tim won first prize.
Generous Rotarians: President David presented a $100 check from Gene Lee (Consulting; Technical Management; Retired), a member of our Club for 41 years who will be turning 90 this summer. On a recent visit from President David, Gene wanted to make sure he contributed to Rotary Service. President-Elect John Mathers (Management Consultanting; eVo Associates) rang the bell for $100 in appreciation of Jean Schore (Marketing Consultant; Schore Marketing Associates), who is about to move to Eugene, Oregon; he was quickly joined by Greg Gutting (Associations - Salvation Army; The Salvation Army), who also pledged $100 in appreciation and recognition of Jean.
Social Gathering Thanks to President-Elect-Nominee Rhonda Poppen (Grant Writer; GRANTdog) for putting together a gathering at Rusty's Southern, her favorite Carolina-style barbecue hangout.
Chartering Ceremony for USF Rotaract: On April 1, we celebrated the chartering of the Rotaract Club of the University of San Francisco. Rotaract is a Rotary-related service organization for young adults ages 18 to 30. This Rotaract Club is jointly sponsored by our Club #2 and the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown. Thanks to the support and leadership from our members including Past President Anita Stangl (Non-profit Management; Alliance for Smiles), Kevin Leong (Institutional Fundraising; University of San Francisco), and Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle).
Sad News: Our April 18 Luncheon meeting opened with a moment of silence in memory of Greg Gutting's father, who passed away suddenly. We send our condolences to Greg and his family.
Presentations from the San Francisco Rotary Foundation: Past President John Hoch presented a check for $10,000 to support Roots of Peace and its program to help farmers grow pepper crops on former minefields in Vietnam. Past President Anita Stangl presented President David with a check for $5,000 for Emergency Services Day.
NEW and Prospective Members! Especially for new or prospective members, we have a couple of events coming up that will be of interest to you.
The first of four sessions for new and prospective members was held on April 18 immediately after the Rotary luncheon. I provided an overview of Rotary basics and answered questions about the Blue Badge process. The other three sessions will be held on May 16, June 20, and July 18, and each session will be taught by a different person to provide a diverse background and view point. New members should try to attend at least one session.
On May 10, I will be hosting a gathering of new and prospective members to meet and greet at my home near West Portal, starting at 6 PM. We'll be offering drinks and light fare. There is lots of parking, and public transportation via MUNI or BART is nearby. The event is informal and mostly a way to get better acquainted with a few of the officers and members of the Club. Guests are welcome. The address will be provided when you RSVP (Member RSVP | Guest RSVP).
Kathryn McCall didn’t waste any time after joining the Rotary Club of San Francisco in July 2016; a mere six months later, she agreed to fill an unexpired term on the Club’s Board as Vice President of Community Service. She says her goal “is to create a more focused approach. It seems that we have many, many great projects, but no clear focus area.”
Kathryn came to Rotary naturally, as her grandfather was a Rotarian in Texas and her uncle is a current District Governor in Texas and has served multiple terms as his club’s president.
“I knew it was very important to my uncle,” she says, “and it was a way to honor and respect the memory of my grandfather, who died before I was born, by continuing the tradition of Rotary.”
In addition to her service on the Board, Kathryn is part of the team that staffs the registration desk at the weekly lunch meetings. Because she loves to read, she says she looks forward to getting involved in the Dictionary Project.
“I like the people,” she says of Rotary, “the friendliness and how welcoming people are.”
Kathryn was born in Newport Beach and grew up in Mission Viejo. She majored in business administration at USC and worked for an advertising agency after graduation, then taught English to business executives in Japan for two years.
After earning a law degree at California Western School of Law in San Diego, Kathryn moved to San Francisco in 1996 and worked for a year and a half for the U.S. Immigration and Nationalization Service (now I.C.E.). After two years at the firm of Jackson & Wallace, she spent 15 years with Carr & Ferrell in Menlo Park, representing small companies, start-ups, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs with corporate governance, debt and equity finance, mergers and acquisitions. Then it was back to San Francisco in 2014, where she is doing the same work for Sideman & Bancroft.
Kathryn lives in Duboce Park and has a niece at UC San Diego and a nephew at CSU Long Beach. Her parents live in Paso Robles. She is a runner, has completed three marathons and usually runs one or two half-marathons a year.
Enjoy cocktails and appetizers at this unique location run by the Long Now Foundation, dedicated to fostering long-range thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years. Our evening will include a private tour of the on-site museum. Don't miss the opportunity to enjoy creative cocktails and bar bites while we ponder how to communicate with the future.
Our May 2 meeting will start with some special awards and presentations to celebrate an important Club achievement. Then Ben Davis, founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Illuminate will take us on an exploration of the future of San Francisco. Illuminate’s next project is Lightrail, a two-mile art installation reflecting the movement of people on the street and BART and MUNI underground by sending beams of colorful LED lights up and down Market Street.
We expect a large crowd for this special event, so you must RSVP to make sure there will be a seat for you. Please plan to arrive promptly: President David will be ringing the bell to start the meeting at noon.
The District Conference is an annual meeting of clubs across the district to celebrate the year's accomplishments under the leadership of District Governor Jeri Fujimoto. All members are encouraged to attend, especially members who are moving into leadership positions. This year's Conference is made up of different events in Marin (dinner May 5), San Francisco (lunch May 6), and San Mateo (dinner May 6, brunch May 7) counties. Club members are encouraged to attend one, a few, or all of these meetings.
Martha Ryan, who spoke to us last year about the Homeless Prenatal Program that she founded, will talk about the Community Health Worker Training Program. This program prepares women, including many former HPP clients, for meaningful employment in career fields that provide a path to financial security.
All members -- and especially new and prospective members -- are encouraged to attend this informal meet-and-greet at the home of Membership VP Dan Joraanstad, near San Francisco's West Portal. Address provided to everyone who RSVPs.
The time has come for us to create the 110th edition of the Rotary Club of San Francisco. At this meeting we will take a step back to discuss our mission and objectives, and think about adjustments we might make as we move ahead. Please and make your voice heard as we move into the future: we need your ideas and your input!
Everyone who has joined the club since July, 2016 is encouraged to attend this training, which will focus on what to expect from Rotary. The training will begin right after the regular luncheon meeting and last about 30 minutes. Everyone is welcome!
Strategist for Reputation X and president of the Rotary Club of Mill Valley, Kent Campbell, explores the origins of fake news, how it is created, who creates it, and how to spot bogus online content. He will take us on a stroll through the dark side of the web where stolen identities, online viruses, and imaginary people can be bought and sold.
Presentations: John Rothmann returned to our Club to give us some up-to-date insights on Donald Trump’s first few months as President. He discussed some of the major initiatives attempted by Congress and supported by the President, and broader issues relating to the problems faced by the Republican Party due to a shift in the demographics of American voters.
Twilight Golf: Past President Tim Hornbecker (Human Resources - Employment and Housing; The Arc of Alameda County) presented the awards for last year’s twilight golf tournament. He first presented a special trophy to Past President John Hoch (Estate and Business Planning; Retired) for placing second in the tournament. Bal Raj Capur (Project Development & Investment; The BTI Group) came in third. The perpetual club trophy remains with the Rotary Club of San Francisco because Tim won first prize.
Social Gathering Thanks to President-Elect-Nominee Rhonda Poppen (Grant Writer; GRANTdog) for putting together a gathering at Rusty's Southern, her favorite Carolina-style barbecue hangout.
Chartering Ceremony for USF Rotaract: On April 1, we celebrated the chartering of the Rotaract Club of the University of San Francisco. Rotaract is a Rotary-related service organization for young adults ages 18 to 30. This Rotaract Club is jointly sponsored by our Club #2 and the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown. Thanks to the support and leadership from our members including Past President Anita Stangl (Non-profit Management; Alliance for Smiles), Kevin Leong (Institutional Fundraising; University of San Francisco), and Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle).
NEW and Prospective Members! Especially for new or prospective members, we have a couple of events coming up that will be of interest to you.
Kathryn McCall didn’t waste any time after joining the Rotary Club of San Francisco in July 2016; a mere six months later, she agreed to fill an unexpired term on the Club’s Board as Vice President of Community Service. She says her goal “is to create a more focused approach. It seems that we have many, many great projects, but no clear focus area.”
All members -- and especially new and prospective members -- are encouraged to attend this informal meet-and-greet at the home of Membership VP Dan Joraanstad, near San Francisco's West Portal. Address provided to everyone who RSVPs.
