President Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) called our Club's monthly Evening Meeting at MoMo's to order and shared the agenda.
Welcome to Our Guests
Our guests this evening were Onur Bayindir, Basil Burnstein, and Roza Erdemli. Welcome!
New Paul Harris Fellows
Paul Harris (1868-1947) founded the first Rotary Club in Chicago in 1905, hoping to bring some of what he treasured from his rural Vermont upbringing to the big city. Rotary would not exist without his vision of a group of business professionals who helped each other by helping others. For each $1,000 donated to The Rotary Foundation, a person can become a Paul Harris Fellow. Our Club was proud to award a Paul Harris Fellowship to:
- Eric Orantes (Transportation | Retired), and
- Yana Sharma (Software Sales | IBM).
Eric joined our Club in June 2025, and you can find him volunteering at almost every Service Project that our Club offers. Yana joined our Club in June 2024 and will become our Club's Vice President of Community Service on July 1, 2026. Thank you and congratulations to both!
Milestones
President Frank congratulated Past President Anita Stangl (Medical Services | Alliance for Smiles) on her recent birthday and sent a heartfelt farewell to Rick Harrell (Arts Therapy | Heroes' Voices) who is moving out of California. See full story here. 
2026-2027 Grant Process
Grant season has begun. Contact President-Elect Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) to apply:
Upcoming Events
- Check the Club's calendar for all upcoming meetings and events.
- District Assembly: The District Assembly will be held on March 21, 2026; registration is now open. This annual assembly provides a great deal of training and planning for the Rotary Year that begins on July 1, 2026. All Club members are invited, and all Club leaders are strongly encouraged to attend. Our Club will pay for the registration of Club members. See here for more information about the assembly and the District T-Shirt.
- Literacy Program and Lending Library: Katherine Au of the Salvation Army spoke at our January 13, 2026 Luncheon regarding this Program. If you would like to help with this project, please contact Katherine Au.
- Emergency Services Day: Save the evening of April 23, 2026 when once again, the Rotary Club of San Francisco will proudly honor the outstanding men and women who keep our City safe — the heroes of the Fire Department, Police Department, Sheriff’s Office, and Coast Guard. Registration is now open.
Guest Speaker
President Frank introduced this evening's speaker — Matt Valdez, who is Vice President and Deputy General Counsel of the San Francisco Giants. Matt talked about the International Player Development work that his organization does. He talked about the upcoming baseball season and the new players. Following his presentation, Matt answered questions from the audience. President Frank thanked Matt Valdez and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in Matt's name.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:30 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
President Frank thanked this evening's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Lisa Stark (Communications & Media) for serving as photographer; Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) and Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) for serving as greeters; and Ann Daugherty (Financial Services: Private Trading | IBN Financial Services) for doing registration.