President Jerry Winges was back from his trip to Rotary International World Headquarters in Chicago. He opened the meeting by asking longtime member Bonnie Bertetta to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Invocation
This was followed by an inspirational Thought of the Day presented by Sandy Kaur. Her topic centered around lessons that shape us. Sandy shared reminisces of her early childhood in India. Her grandmother had the greatest impact and was her hero. She told Sandy, while seeing her working on a piece of embroidery, “you know, you can always pay someone to do this.”
Then she told her that her time would be better spent educating herself, reading and preparing, so that one day she could recognize and pursue opportunities. Today, as a business owner, Sandy realizes she was teaching her delegation.
Sometimes wisdom is knowing where your time and abilities can create the greatest value. Her invocation is one of gratitude for the people who raised us, and for the lessons they taught us without knowing they were teaching.
Guests and Visitors
There were many guests and visitors. Lauren Kelly. principal of BHS, was there for her third visit. She then introduced two guests. Amy Mishra, parent group president and Isha Chitteti, a member of the Interact Club. Joining us was DG YaHui Chen, and also Sheila Canzian from the San Mateo Rotary Club.
Announcements
There are a number of District events coming up. To kick off The Rotary Foundation effort for EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) there will be an event at the San Francisco Zoo on Saturday, November 7th
DG YaHui gave us a preview of this year’s District Conference which will be held in San Francisco. More information to come.
Our fall fundraiser at TopGolf is fast approaching. We will begin collecting bottles of wine, valued at $50 or more, for our raffle baskets.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are just a click away. This fundraiser will help us continue to fund our college scholarships as well as other community giving. Even if you cannot attend the event, please consider a donation. it will be a fun social gathering with food and drink.
Paul Watermulder gave a brief report on the 5 days he spent in Mexico City, getting to know Rotarians in District 4170, which covers Mexico City, 19 million people, and it just belongs to this wonderful, experience. They have projects we are going to share in the work and in the funding with them, we hope.
Jennifer Pence reminded folks of the upcoming AVID Career Fair. She will be sending around a sign-u sheet for volunteers who can share ther career experiences to interested BHS students.
President Jerry then asked if anyone would like to share some news and donate some Happy Dollars to the club. Jesús Nava announced that his son, who just started his 3rd year at law school at the University of Washington, has been hired by Washington County to be a
a public defender.
Marilyn Orr offered to join Jerry’s President’s Club after returning from a trip through Nova Scotia. A couple of photos verified the vacation.
Jennifer Pence interviewed Rotarian Lisa Kiesselbach. Lisa is a relatively new member of our Club but was previously with the SFO Rotary Club. Lisa is the CEO of PalCare here in Burlingame.
Program:
San Mateo Rotarian Sheila Canzian introduced District Governor YuHui Chen. YuHui is a member of Menlo Park Rotary and our DG for Rotary Year 26/27.
She shared her personal experiences including a service project in Uganda that demonstrated the real-world impact of Rotary's work, particularly in providing clean water access to communities. YuHui reviewed some of the District 5150 service projects that have occurred. She sited this year’s RI President Yinka Babalola from Nigeria who is focused on Rotary's mission and impact, highlighting the organization's growth.
She then outlined four key focus areas for the year: growing Rotary membership, serving together, expanding reach through partnerships, and building the feature of Rotary through leadership development and training programs.
YuHui asked two Burlingame Rotarians to come forward to answer What is Your Why? Bobba Venkatadri and Marilyn Orr shared why Rotary is important to them.
To memorialize her visit, she asked us all to come forward so she could get a group shot.
A Dramatic Bank Robbery and Murder in Burlingame History
Nearly 25 years ago, Burlingame was shaken by a brazen bank robbery and murder. Join the Burlingame Rotary Club as retired Police Chief Jack Van Etten recounts the crime, investigation, and pursuit that led to some of San Mateo County’s longest prison sentences.
Don’t miss this gripping behind-the-scenes account from the man who led the investigation.
