The meeting commenced with President Doug asking Bret Johnson to lead the recital of the Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed by Fritz Brauner delivering an invocation. His presentation focused on the book "Mattering" by Jennifer Wallins, exploring how the concept of feeling valued and having opportunities to contribute aligns with Rotary's mission of service.
Visitors:
The meeting included welcoming visiting Rotarian Meg Fiones from the Rotary Club of San Bruno. Sandy Kaur joined us for her second visit. New member Oliver Brown was also present.
New Rotary Club Member Induction
Membership chair Al Royse welcomed OliverBrown as a new member of our Rotary Club. JonnieDukes, his sponsor, related how he knew Oliver. Al outlined the organization's objectives and expectations for new members, including completing specific tasks within the first six months. Oliver expressed gratitude for the opportunity to join and shared how he learned about the club through a conversation at Sapore Italiano. He mentioned being impressed by the club's community impact and educational opportunities, including a speaker's recommendation for an AI course at Stanford.
Paul Harris Awards Recognitions
Meg Fiones, District Foundation rep, presented Paul Harris Fellow awards and recognized members who achieved Paul Harris Society status. Marilyn Orr and Fritz Brauner received Paul Harris Fellow awards with five blue sapphires each, indicating cumulative contributions of $6,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Bobba Venkatadri, Jerry Winges and Bill Tiedeman were recognized as Paul Harris Society members, having pledged to contribute $1,000 or more annually to the Foundation.
Announcements
Bobba Venkatadri reported that our fifth Global Grant has completed the full review process and is awaiting final approval next week for two tribal girls' schools in India, totaling $450,000 in funding. The club received significant contributions from multiple districts and clubs, including a $50,000 donation from the Rose Stone Foundation.
Christine Krolik announced thar the board approved a paver installation at the new Burlingame Town Square with a $20,000 allocation from the service fund. It will feature the Club's logo and "Service above Self" inscription.
Jennifer Pence also announced upcoming speakers and meetings, including a program committee meeting to discuss speaker formats and potential off-site events.
Burlingame's Trivia Quiz Session
Jeff Krolik led a trivia contest covering topics including generational cohorts, movie roles, professions, historical events, and Supreme Court information. The winner was Bret Johnson.
Program
Anna Pulido from the Peninsula Health Care District introduced Kelsie Cajka, Operations Director, of Blue Zones. The District adopted this Community Assessment Initiative, which launched eight months ago in partnership with Blue Zones, to help communities achieve optimal health through prevention and early intervention. Kelsie, explained the organization's research into five Blue Zones areas where people live significantly longer, outlining the Power 9 principles including move naturally, have purpose, downshift, eat wisely, and maintain social connections.
The presentation continued with an explanation of Blue Zones' life radius model, which focuses on transforming communities through environment improvements and social connections within a 5-10 mile radius of where people live and work.
Kelsie presented Blue Zones' approach to community well-being, which focuses on the three P's: people, places, and policy. She discussed specific examples of healthy changes in grocery stores and described their partnership with Gallup to measure well-being through five elements: sense of purpose, social connections, financial well-being, community, and physical health. The team is currently in an assessment phase called IGNITE, where they are researching the community's landscape and well-being through various methods including document review and Gallup well-being snapshots. They plan to return in 60-90 days with findings and opportunities, emphasizing that Blue Zones only partners with communities that invite them in, and would potentially hire local staff if the community decides to move forward.
Kelsie then discussed workplace well-being initiatives, noting how remote work has impacted social connections and the evolution of community engagement activities. She explained Blue Zones' work with local governments, schools, and worksites to create well-being hubs and implement policies supporting wellness. The discussion also covered how Blue Zones partners with organizations like Rotary to foster volunteerism and community involvement, though no specific corporate wellness partnerships were mentioned.
Regenerating Nature, Communities, and Local Economies through Systems Change
Former Burlingame Rotarian Matt Biggar will present on his new book Connected to Place: Regenerating Nature, Communities, and Local Economies Through Systems Change . Distilling lessons from a thirty-year career in the social sector, Matt offers a practical guide to creating conditions for societal transformation. He presents a vision that reconnects people to the places where they live and shows us how we can get there. Connected to Place has been featured in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. More information at: www.connectedtoplace.com
