Pledge of Allegiance: Assistant Governor Adele Della Santina lead the pledge
Thought for the Day: Fritz Brauner inspired us with numerous quotes – here are some selected ones:
"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it" -Albert Einstein
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are." -John Wooden
"Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something." -Plato
Visitors:
Our Assistant Governor Adele Della Santina from the Rotary Club of Belmont & Redwood Shores
Marcus Arellano, Director of Youth Services, Merced Sunrise Rotary joined us. He happened to be downstairs and found out our club was meeting upstairs—he was very impressed with our program and what we do!
Announcements:
The upcoming Topgolf event fundraising efforts are going well. Jeff Krolik and Jennifer Pence reported that sponsorships are progressing well with $10,000 already committed, and they encouraged members to help secure more sponsorships and ticket sales. They also mentioned that items for auction baskets are being collected, with wine bottles and gift certificates being particularly welcome. The event website is now live for ticket purchases and sponsorships. The event will take place November 2, from 4 to 7 PM and is $150 per ticket. This will be a really fun event for you and your friends or family, no golf experience required! Will include a buffet dinner, auction and fellowship having fun shooting golf balls to targets below on the range.
A Rotary 5150 district event supporting the Foundation was announced for October 11th at Treasure Island, featuring a meal and Blue Angels show during Fleet Week. More information and sign-ups are on the website.
The Foundation Committee, consisting of Fritz Brauner, Bret Johnson, Al Royse and Chair Bobba Venkatadri presented a comprehensive program on the importance of contributing to the Rotary Foundation. They outlined the committee's objectives, which include increasing awareness of the Rotary Foundation, strengthening financial sustainability, and increasing funding. They emphasized the Foundation's relevance, effectiveness, and efficiency in addressing global issues like polio eradication and vaccination programs, highlighted the Foundation's high rating for spending effectiveness and its critical role in filling gaps left by decreased federal support for such programs.
EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) encourages Rotary Clubs to reach 100% participation from every member of every Club to donate at least $25 a year to the Foundation to count toward the 100% goal (a suggested donation of $250 is encouraged but any amount is welcome!) A slide show explained how District Designated Funds (DDF) come back to each club every year after being invested for 3 years and allow us to use these funds to get additional matching grant money for our local and international projects. Bret Johnson noted that the club is running slightly behind its DDF (District Designated Fund) average and emphasized the importance of raising awareness and taking action to improve this. He suggested several ways to increase our DDF allocation by encouraging consistent annual donations to the Foundation by every member.
Although the Friday deadline has passed for this year’s EREY push, it is more important for our Club to increase its donations for the next year. It is easy to contribute through the RI website.
Tribal Girls School Projects in India
Jerry Winges and Charlene Drummer updated and thanked the membership for their participation in our 3 successful educational projects aimed at empowering girls through computer labs and STEM facilities. The third project at Busarajupalle is winding up construction and installation and is set to be completed and dedicated in December. Bobba Venkatadri and Bob Doerr will attend the Dedication the first week of December. The Board approved using $3,000 of our available $6,200 DDF funds for our next India project, digitalization of two additional Tribal Girl’s schools in India which will improve the lives another 2,000 girls. Our $3,000 along with $15,000 from the local India Club, is a good start to raising the $250,000 goal. We also intend to raise an additional $200,000 through private donations and Dr. Reddy labs for supporting infrastructure projects.
Jerry Winges announced the selection of our Club’s winning a coveted spot to present our India project at the Zone 26/27 Convention “Shark Tank” in Albuquerque New Mexico October 22-25. The Zone represents the western United States and parts of Canada and includes 30 Districts and over 1500 Clubs! There were 13 competitive applications -- the two other clubs selected were from Texas and Washington state. This will allow us to “market” our project to those many clubs that have District Designated Funds (DDF) funds and no place to spend them, and it puts us on the map. Bobba Venkatadri and Paul Watermulder will attend and represent our Club—others on the International Committee would have loved to attend but have prior travel commitments.
Program:
Our Own Nimisha Melag was our speaker. She shared her personal experience of moving to California during the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to significant changes in her life and work. She discussed her background in banking and finance, emphasizing the importance of data and research in her career. Nimisha highlighted the emotional challenges of transitions and the role of trusted professionals in navigating such changes. She also reflected on the impact of COVID-19 on daily life and work routines, comparing the predictability of pre-pandemic times to the uncertainty that followed.
Nimisha presented a slide show and discussed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the real estate market, highlighting how lockdowns led to increased demand for technology products and a surge in home prices in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. She noted that while the market has since cooled, prices remain above pre-COVID levels. She also addressed current market challenges, including rising home insurance rates, stricter lending norms, and the need for home upgrades and electrification to meet buyer preferences and government incentives.
Nimisha shared her journey of joining our Rotary club after meeting Bobba, and her experience in our India Tribal Girls projects. She praised the Club’s efforts in helping the poorest of the poor in her native country. The conversation ended with a moving story. As a child she had a playmate who contracted polio and was unable to join in their games; the child told her that her mother did not get her a polio shot. This is a personal testimonial about the importance of polio vaccines, and she sees what Rotary has done to eliminate the disease throughout the globe. Thanks Nimisha for an engaging program!
Come learn about - and taste - how aging wine in French Oak vs. Hungarian Oak vs. American Oak barrels affects both flavor and cost. Ron will share insights from his multiple decades in the wine business with a focus on cooperage.
