My apologies
What do Tahoe, Yosemite, and Sierra have in common? In addition to being geographic locations in California, they are the names of 3 of the radiation machines at the Oyster Point Cancer Treatment Center run by Kaiser Permanente. In the month prior to starting my year as president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, I went there every day to get radiated by the machine called Tahoe. Aside from taking some time out of each day, the experience was not unpleasant or difficult. The difficulties came after the radiation treatment ended. In addition to a trip to the emergency room and unplanned doctor visits, the side effects of the radiation and medications take their toll on my ability to function at my best.
The timing of this is terrible. I was told of the side effects prior to the treatments. Some have not been as bad as expected and some are worse. Fortunately, I have had great support from members in the club. Stephanie Schmautz, John Mathers, Scott Plakun, Rhonda Poppen and others have been a big help. I feel frustrated in not being able to do as much as I want. I do not respond as quickly as I would like to member’s needs and requests. And I do not feel as prepared as I should be all the time. I see the flaws in some of the meetings and club activities. I see avoidable flaws in some of the meetings and club activities. Hopefully, they have not been as obvious to others as they have been to me.
So, I want to apologize in advance. My prostate cancer is treatable and the success rate for treating it is high. However, I do not expect things to change for me soon. So, if you see me doing things at the last minute, or I have not responded properly or quickly to you, or if have completely forgotten to do something that I said I would do, please do not hesitate to let me know.
Raise the bar
We have a lot of great activities coming up in the next few months. And I want to see us raise the bar and accomplish more than we did the year before. Here are a few things coming up in the next 2 months where we have the opportunity to attain success:
Membership – we have a challenging goal: 220 members by 2020. It’s an effort we need to pursue every day. And beyond finding new members, we need to be sure we are engaging current members. Everyone is part of the membership committee. Find something that you can do – however small. Even making a phone call to member we have not seen lately makes a big difference. Check with Dan Joraanstad and his membership team to learn what you can do to help.
Foundation Gala – October 8: this is our opportunity to honor our members who have served Rotary for 25 years or more. More information and tickets are available here.
Italian Heritage Parade – October 9: last year Rotary had a big presence. This year we need your help to make it even bigger. We want to be the biggest parade entry. We want the public to see Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors carry every one of the 200+ flags that represent countries with Rotary clubs. Get more information here.
Dictionary project – each year we give hundreds of dictionaries to third-graders. Be a sponsor by donating the cost of one, two, or more dictionaries. Help us prepare the books for delivery (date TBD). Be part of a team who delivers those books. Seeing the faces of third-graders as they realize that the book you give them is one that they get to keep and take home is priceless. Let us know if you are interested.
Thanksgiving at the ARC – November 22: each year we serve food to hundreds of people, some of whom would not have a Thanksgiving meal otherwise. Even if you’re not able to come early to help, please come for a free meal and to enjoy the fellowship. More information.
Homeless Prenatal Project – November 29: this is a new project. We will be filling diaper bags with essentials for homeless mothers. More information.
Cable Car Caroling – December 3: this is a project we began supporting last year. Ride in a trolley to visit the elderly living alone or in assisted living facilities to bring them a little holiday cheer. More information.
Holiday party – December 13: this fun annual event takes a lot of work to put together. The more people who are involved, the more successful it will be. Additionally, this is our club’s annual meeting where we elect our Board of Directors for the coming year. We need you there to have a quorum.
I know this is a lot. And not everyone can be involved in everything. Things do not happen by themselves. We have to choose to act. Find your passion and act on it.
Trading Places: To the surprise of members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, the September 6, 2016 meeting was called to order by Melissa Cross, president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Evening. Some months ago President David and President Melissa agreed to swap roles of presiding over their club’s meetings on or around each other’s birthday. On October 12, David will preside over the SF Evening club’s meeting.
Musical theme: In honor of Labor Day, Rick Harrell (Veterans Outreach; Heroes' Voices), our resident minstrel, led everyone in singing The Banana Boat Song (Day-O).
Rotarians of the Month:President David recognized Rotarians of the Month for of July and August.
Dan Joraanstad (Retail Brokerage; Retired). In addition to his responsibilities as our club's Vice President of Membership, has worked hard at organizing several Rotary social gatherings. In June and July he hosted multi-club mixers. In the past year his commitment to Rotary has expanded through his efforts to promote multi-club social and service opportunities.
Rhonda Poppen (Independent Grant Consultant; GRANTdog). Rhonda performs many behind-the-scenes jobs for the club. In addition to serving as club Secretary, Rhonda regularly volunteers beyond her immediate responsibilities. She routinely staffs the member greeting table. She has been instrumental in developing a better club service management system. In the area of membership, she has assumed a key role in member retention.
Rotaplast Grant: On behalf of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, Alan Herzog (Stocks and Bonds; Wells Fargo Advisors) presented a check for $10,000 to Rotaplast International to help fund their next mission to the Philippines. Rotaplast Executive Director Donna-Lee Rubin accepted the check on behalf of Rotaplast.
Homeless Prenatal Project: Our Family Outreach Committee is starting a new program in partnership with the Homeless Prenatal Project (HPP). HPP helps with healthcare, counseling, prenatal classes, job searches, and housing. They also support pregnant women with gifts of diapers bags of supplies, given to them at the end of a series of prenatal classes. With a grant from the San Francisco Rotary foundation, our club will support the work of the HPP and Martha Ryan, its founder, by shopping for supplies & stuffing diaper bags. We will gather at the end of November for an assembly party, and we will attend Baby Showers at Homeless Prenatal on Tuesday, November 30. More details will be available here as they become available.
Speakers at our Meetings:
Our own President-Elect John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) told us about the work he has been doing with our district leadership in the past year to assess how District 5150 can better serve the clubs.
Martha Ryan spoke about the Homeless Prenatal Project which he started 30 years ago. She gave a moving presentation of the impact her project has made on the lives of the homeless in San Francisco.
Frank Yoke, our club's Vice President of Development, and PDG Phyllis Nusz (Business Service - Fund Raising; PJ Enterprises, and our club's Foundation chair) talked about our club’s 2016-2017 goal to raise $50,000 for The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International (TRF). Phyllis noted that the total TRF giving by members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco amounts to almost $2,000,000, enough to make a significant difference in the world. Rhonda Poppen spoke eloquently of what it means to her to support the good work of Rotary.
Rick King, 2001-2002 Rotary International President, reminded us of the presidential theme for his year was “Mankind is our Business”. He illustrated this by relating personal experiences of the people he’s met around the world. He described how Rotary has changed lives. He told the story of a trip he took to West Africa. In the landlocked nation of Burkina Faso, he described the joy a woman and her children experienced in learning that the concrete one room building will become their home and that they would no longer need to live in a grass hut. He also related stories about the dedication and hard work of Rotarians that he has met in his travels.
New members: We are delighted to welcome these new members to the Rotary Club of San Francisco!
Elisabeth Whitney is the CEO of Rotacare, a free clinic delivering health services to the needy started over 25 years ago by Rotarians. Elizabeth has never been a member of a Rotary club, and she is enthusiastic to dive in! Elisabeth was born in Nairobi, Kenya and speaks Swahili as her first language. Elizabeth has a 12 year old son, William, and lives in the Crocker Amazon. Her mentor is Anita Stangl (Nonprofit Management; Alliance for Smiles).
Lynn Luckow is the CEO and Co-founder of LikeMinded.org, whose purpose is to assist nonprofits in raising funds via social media. Lynn is a graduate of the University of North Dakota where he and Dan Joraanstad were good friends and fraternity brothers. Lynn has been the CEO of Jossey-Bass, a distinguished publishing house. More recently, Lynn was CEO of Craigslist Foundation. He lives on Post Street near the Olympic Club. He is most interested in working with us on Community Development. Lynn speaks German and is an art collector and photographer. Lynn was sponsored by Dan and his mentor is Eric Schmautz (Banking-Business; Wells Fargo Bank).
Major Raymond Erickson King comes to us by way of the Rotary Club of West Seattle. He has recently moved to San Francisco in his work as Executive Director of the Salvation Army's Kroc Center, which provides facilities, programs and services that encourage positive life-changing experiences for children and adults. He is originally from Oregon and he and his wife Jennifer live in Daly City. Maj. Raymond plays the cornet and is a baritone. His sponsor is Laine Hendricks (Non Profit - Public Relations; County of Marin).
Paul Harris Fellows: Over the past few months, several members have earned additional Paul Harris Fellowship recognitions for their continued support of The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International (TRF). Thank you to Tom Brunner (Healthcare - Non-Profit; Glaucoma Research Foundation), John Mathers, Rhonda Poppen, Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle), and Lisa Stark (Video Production) for your generosity and for your commitment to Rotary.
Celebrations and Recognitions: The tradition of giving to Rotary to celebrate significant events and achievements continues to grow: Immediate Past President Stephanie Schmautz made a token donation in celebration of Randy Katz (Finance: Mergers & Acquisitions; Business Team) appearing at a meeting for the first time in a long while, which inspired a matching donation from Dan Joraanstad, which inspired Randy to give $100. Stephanie also gave $16 in celebration of the 16th annual gathering of high school friends, Past President Eric Schmautz donated $17 in recognition of his 17 month old daughter (who was included in a photo in the September issue of Rotarian magazine along with her mother). On a sadder note, John Dracup (Civil & Environmental Engineering; University of California) donated because he is leaving our club soon to move back to Southern California. John Mathers recognized on a recent trip to Mount Shasta that camping and hiking are not things he is likely to continue doing. President David celebrated being around for more than 6 decades. Esther Lerner (Attorney at Law; Lerner-Poole) celebrated the wedding anniversary of Andi Valo-Espina (Custom Tailoring; Andrea-E-Soci). Other celebrating donors included Emily Borland (Architecture; Emily Borland Specifications), Donna-Lee Ruben, Heidi Kuhn (International Media; Roots of Peace), Tom Briody (Elder Care; Institute on Aging), and Past President Jim Bradley (Insurance Agencies -- Property; CAL Insurance).
Alzheimer’s Walk: On the morning of September 17, over 80 Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors volunteered to support the Alzheimer’s Walk of San Francisco. Many thanks to the members and friends in our club who spent part of their weekend to support this event, including Jim Bradley, Cecile Chiquette (Certified Public Accounting - Regional; Retired), David Dye and Dora Dye, JT Forbus (Tax Accounting; Bogdan & Frasc), Dan Joraanstad and Bob Hermann, Peter Logan (Attorney; Peter Logan Law Offices), John Mathers, Rhonda Poppen, Anita Stangl, and Suzanne Seltzer. Special thanks to Dan Joraanstad for all his efforts in working with the Alzheimer’s Association coordinate Rotary participation. We were supported by Rotarians from the Rotary clubs of Chinatown, South San Francisco, and San Carlos (represented by DG Jeri. In addition we had 55 Interactors from Lowell High School, George Washington High School, Galileo High School, and El Camino High School (South San Francisco).
Over the past few years our club has tried a few different annual fund raising efforts. While each has been successful in its own way, we have not created the momentum that stamps the event as “SF2” for our members and for San Francisco. The three critical elements of a successful event for our club seem to be:
Fun/fellowship.
Fundraising.
Awareness within and outside the club.
Recognizing that putting on any event requires time and effort, creating an ongoing, successful, expanding annual event demands extra effort the first time out. With all of this in mind, the Board and most of the members have been willing to consider a special annual fundraising event called the Gold Miners Ball. The elements of this first event in April 2017 include:
Barbary Coast of 1850s theme with people coming in costume.
Venue that is transformed into the Rotary Gold Mine, the Barbary Coast Saloon and the Miners Hall.
Food and drink of the era.
Saloon environment with faux gambling and various vignettes acted out for the guests.
Music and performances on stage with a brief Mark Twain auction of gold fever items.
Dancing to a classic 1850s band as well as a special Miners line dance.
Promotion across Rotary and San Francisco via articles, social media, presentations and flash mobs.
There will be a number of opportunities to participate as we get this effort underway. Each group involved will be focused on fun and fundraising, with the emphasis on the first. A successful event will create momentum for our club and be a touchstone in San Francisco’s social calendar.
All members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco should have received an envelope via snail mail with tickets for the raffle to held at the Annual Foundation Gala on October 8.
You need not be present to win - but your tickets must be returned to Phyllis no later than October 1. So whether or not you plan to attend the gala, use the pre-addressed, pre-stamped envelope you received to send in your check and your tickets now!
I'm excited to announce The Contest for Kona, a competition designed to help inspire you to do the things that lead to membership growth. You'll be awarded points each time you:
Bring a prospective member as a guest to a luncheon meeting.
4 points
Serve as a mentor to a new member.
8 points
Serve as a Rotary Connector.
8 points
Contact a prospective member for the Membership Committee.
2 points
Contact a new member for the Membership Committee.
2 points
Help at check-in or check-out desk at a Rotary luncheon or other club event.
8 points
Participate in a Club Service Project, such as the recent Alzheimer's Walk.
8 points
Sponsor a new member.
25 points
The member who gathers the most points will win a tranquil, week-long stay in a condo in beautiful Kona, Hawaii! Thank you to Harold Hoogsian for his generosity in making his spectacular Hawaiian condo available to our club.
Many members are already doing these things ... All you have to do to win is to do more of them!
Please be sure to report your accomplishments to me so I can record your points on the official tally sheet. We'll announce the winner early in our next Rotary year, which begins July 1, 2017.
Watch for more details, coming soon... and good luck!
Another amazing club member! Although she has been a member for awhile, Susanna Seltzer may not be known to some in the club. Growing up in New Mexico, Susanna was a Rotary Exchange student to Belgium in 1991 and took her degree in International Law from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, specializing in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. As a Rotary Scholar in Strasbourg, France, she studied European Union Law and Economics, Human Rights Law, Development Economics and WTO Negotiations. As if this wasn’t enough skill development, Susanna’s love of foreign lands has led to fluency in English, Spanish, French, as well as some skill with Italian and Arabic. In Washington, DC, she has been working in the international policy field. Susanna was spokesperson for the Qatar Embassy helping them present themselves to this country and helping US-based diplomats, academics and business people interface with Qatar. As part of the job, Susanna created a magazine and various communications that focused on the modernization of Qatar.
Susanna has a son, Jacob, who is a professional ballet student in his mid-teens (level 7 for those who know ballet). After strenuous tryouts he was accepted at the ballet school here in San Francisco, which led to their decision to move here. As Susanna put it, the prime for boys as dancers starts when they are 18 to 20, so missing the opportunity to have Jacob in this program was not going to happen. Moving was only part of the change required. Due to Jacob’s training schedule, he has no time for formal school, so Susanna is home-schooling him. Susanna has also started a consulting service to provide communications and strategy for individuals, government, NGOs and non-profit groups. Additionally, she shares her experience and resources with parents on home schooling. (www.kingmakersolutions.com).
But Susanna is also a dancer, songwriter and singer. In her spare time (where does she find it?), she writes songs, (a project originally inspired by her son), and has a webpage where they can be found (https://www.reverbnation.com/susannajoy). A visit to the site is well worth the time.
Inspired by the example of Rotarians of her home District 552, her home Rotary club and especially her sponsor, Shelby Phillips III, Susanna helped start a Rotaract Club in DC. So it was natural for her to look to Rotary for a club in San Francisco that would give her an outlet for her strong service orientation. She has jumped in with both feet, participating with Interact and various other projects, including the ARC, RYLA, caroling and Larkin Street. As she has more time (she is just finishing a difficult schedule of multiple projects at work) she will seek to participate in more community and international projects.
Susanna is a fascinating individual with a wonderful background, and as she has time and the opportunities are available, will join in even more club social and service events.
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing. September 29 (Note Date Change!), October 6.
Dan Henroid, UCSF Medical Center's Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Services, will tell us how the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is using technology — including interactive tablet computers and robots — to personalize and enhance the patient's hospital experience. You’ll see how UCSF is using robots to deliver meals and supplies, take out the trash, and much more!
FINAL OUTING! Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing.
Get all gussied up in your best 1920’s attire and join us for a ROARING 20’S ROTARY FOUNDATION EVENT that includes a champagne reception, an elegant dinner, wine, a fabulous musical cabaret show, and a raffle. This special event honors Rotarians with 25 or more years of Rotary Service.
Help us make Rotary's float be the largest float in the whole parade! We need hundreds of marchers to represent Rotary and carry the more than 200 flags of the countries and geographic territories that are part of the Rotary World. Those who prefer can ride in style in a motorized cable car and throw candy to the crowd. All Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors are invited and all are encouraged to bring family and friends for this fun event.
KKSF radio talk show host John F. Rothmann will share his thoughts about the 2016 political season. John has been called "a scholar of modern Republicanism" and is known "for his unique insights." A lecturer and consultant on American politics and the presidency, John has authored books about the rise of radical Islam, Harold Stassen, and Jews in America. This talk by a renowned public figure is guaranteed to be interesting and thought-provoking.
As the owner of Buck's restaurant in Woodside, Jamis MacNiven has become one of Silicon Valley's most iconic figures. With customers ranging from heads of states to tech titans, Jamis has been witness to his fair share of Silicon Valley hotshots launching the latest new thing. Come and hear Jamis give us some history and some predictions about the future of Silicon Valley.
Our own President-Elect John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) told us about the work he has been doing with our district leadership in the past year to assess how District 5150 can better serve the clubs. 
Celebrations and Recognitions: The tradition of giving to Rotary to celebrate significant events and achievements continues to grow: Immediate Past President Stephanie Schmautz made a token donation in celebration of Randy Katz (Finance: Mergers & Acquisitions; Business Team) appearing at a meeting for the first time in a long while, which inspired a matching donation from Dan Joraanstad, which inspired Randy to give $100. Stephanie also gave $16 in celebration of the 16th annual gathering of high school friends, Past President Eric Schmautz donated $17 in recognition of his 17 month old daughter (who was included in a photo in the September issue of Rotarian magazine along with her mother). On a sadder note, John Dracup (Civil & Environmental Engineering; University of California) donated because he is leaving our club soon to move back to Southern California. John Mathers recognized on a recent trip to Mount Shasta that camping and hiking are not things he is likely to continue doing. President David celebrated being around for more than 6 decades. Esther Lerner (Attorney at Law; Lerner-Poole) celebrated the wedding anniversary of Andi Valo-Espina (Custom Tailoring; Andrea-E-Soci). Other celebrating donors included Emily Borland (Architecture; Emily Borland Specifications), Donna-Lee Ruben, Heidi Kuhn (International Media; Roots of Peace), Tom Briody (Elder Care; Institute on Aging), and Past President Jim Bradley (Insurance Agencies -- Property; CAL Insurance).
Alzheimer’s Walk: On the morning of September 17, over 80 Rotarians, Rotaractors, and Interactors volunteered to support the Alzheimer’s Walk of San Francisco. Many thanks to the members and friends in our club who spent part of their weekend to support this event, including Jim Bradley, Cecile Chiquette (Certified Public Accounting - Regional; Retired), David Dye and Dora Dye, JT Forbus (Tax Accounting; Bogdan & Frasc), Dan Joraanstad and Bob Hermann, Peter Logan (Attorney; Peter Logan Law Offices), John Mathers, Rhonda Poppen, Anita Stangl, and Suzanne Seltzer. Special thanks to Dan Joraanstad for all his efforts in working with the Alzheimer’s Association coordinate Rotary participation. We were supported by Rotarians from the Rotary clubs of Chinatown, South San Francisco, and San Carlos (represented by DG Jeri. In addition we had 55 Interactors from Lowell High School, George Washington High School, Galileo High School, and El Camino High School (South San Francisco).
Recognizing that putting on any event requires time and effort, creating an ongoing, successful, expanding annual event demands extra effort the first time out. With all of this in mind, the Board and most of the members have been willing to consider a special annual fundraising event called the Gold Miners Ball. The elements of this first event in April 2017 include:
The member who gathers the most points will win a tranquil, week-long stay in a condo in beautiful Kona, Hawaii! Thank you to Harold Hoogsian for his generosity in making his spectacular Hawaiian condo available to our club.
Another amazing club member! Although she has been a member for awhile, Susanna Seltzer may not be known to some in the club. Growing up in New Mexico, Susanna was a Rotary Exchange student to Belgium in 1991 and took her degree in International Law from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, specializing in the Middle East and Eastern Europe. As a Rotary Scholar in Strasbourg, France, she studied European Union Law and Economics, Human Rights Law, Development Economics and WTO Negotiations. As if this wasn’t enough skill development, Susanna’s love of foreign lands has led to fluency in English, Spanish, French, as well as some skill with Italian and Arabic. In Washington, DC, she has been working in the international policy field. Susanna was spokesperson for the Qatar Embassy helping them present themselves to this country and helping US-based diplomats, academics and business people interface with Qatar. As part of the job, Susanna created a magazine and various communications that focused on the modernization of Qatar. 
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing. September 29
Dan Henroid, UCSF Medical Center's Director of the Department of Nutrition and Food Services, will tell us how the UCSF Medical Center at Mission Bay is using technology — including interactive tablet computers and robots — to personalize and enhance the patient's hospital experience. You’ll see how UCSF is using robots to deliver meals and supplies, take out the trash, and much more!
Get all gussied up in your best 1920’s attire and join us for a ROARING 20’S ROTARY FOUNDATION EVENT that includes a champagne reception, an elegant dinner, wine, a fabulous musical cabaret show, and a raffle. This special event honors Rotarians with 25 or more years of Rotary Service.
Help us make Rotary's float be the largest float in the whole parade! We need hundreds of marchers to represent Rotary and carry the more than 200 flags of the countries and geographic territories that are part of the Rotary World. Those who prefer can ride in style in a motorized cable car and throw candy to the crowd. All Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors are invited and all are encouraged to bring family and friends for this fun event.
KKSF radio talk show host John F. Rothmann will share his thoughts about the 2016 political season. John has been called "a scholar of modern Republicanism" and is known "for his unique insights." A lecturer and consultant on American politics and the presidency, John has authored books about the rise of radical Islam, Harold Stassen, and Jews in America. This talk by a renowned public figure is guaranteed to be interesting and thought-provoking.
As the owner of Buck's restaurant in Woodside, Jamis MacNiven has become one of Silicon Valley's most iconic figures. With customers ranging from heads of states to tech titans, Jamis has been witness to his fair share of Silicon Valley hotshots launching the latest new thing. Come and hear Jamis give us some history and some predictions about the future of Silicon Valley.