President Cary Koh began the meeting and reminded us that our June 5^th lunch meeting will be held jointly with the Lions club in their lair down the block and this year’s Annual Burlingame Club Gold Tournament will be held on September 30^th at the beautiful Green Hills CC so start waxing your putters. The house was really packed waiting for the hounds.

 

Jay Miller answered the call of duty with his invocational deep thoughts of the day. Today’s inspiration? Why it’s a book called “A President’s Hat”. This book playfully chronicles the adventures of former President of France, Francios Mitterrand’s hat that he left on a train. Somehow, Jay brilliantly tied this seemingly random story into a Rotary life lesson. It’s what Jay does, people.

 

 

Jim Shypertt shared his Sunshine report. The great news was that no one was down for the count this week. He did, however, advise us that the Rotary Club of SFO was no longer cleared for liftoff because they are, in fact, no more. Jennifer Pence then led a lightening round of “name your first job, your worst job and your best job”. A handful of brave souls shared their employment stories including Mark Johnson, Lisa Goldman, Cary Koh and today’s intrepid High Gear reporter, yours truly.

 

 

 

Dennis Zell made a rare appearance along with a visiting Rotarian. Mike Peterson from the San Mateo Club joined our lunch bunch. A colleague of Cary, Stephanie Hsu, dropped in as did the sister of former member, Alexia Kruttschnitt.

 

 

 

Our crack Program Committee delivered another gem. Former Burlingame Police Officer Sgt. and County SWAT member Jeff Downs, from Urban Paws and his lovable furry sidekick, Taco shared their story with us. Well technically, Jeff did most of the talking because Taco is a dog and dogs don’t even have opposable thumbs let alone the ability to express themselves through the modern English language. I mean Taco was really good, but he ain’t THAT good. Taco did, however, made up for this disappointing shortcoming with his utter cuteness.

Jeff served our community as a peace officer since 1995 and, after being involved in a fatal officer-involved shooting, things went down. Since that time, Jeff worked as a SF Giants groundskeeper and as a private security guy working with explosive detection canine handler. Jeff’s now running with the SF Urban Paws pack as its Director of Fundraising and Donor Relations. This local 501 (c)(3) non-profit foundation matches needy vets or first responders who suffer from PTS or mobility limitations with a suitable working support hound. It takes about 18 months and costs $25k to train these dogs and they are always appreciative of any donations. The result is a lifelong bond and an ever-present service and emotional companion for folks who need it most. Jeff and Taco’s presentation prompted a whole lot of questions from our curious pack of lovable Rotarians.

 

 

President Cary then adjourned the meeting and we all trotted back to work. Or home. Or wherever we all go after our meetings.