President Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) rang the Rotary bell at 6:32 PM and called to order our Club's monthly Evening Meeting at MoMo's. He shared a personal memory: a photo of a dory boat that he had seen while visiting Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
This evening's Visiting Rotarians were Betsy Chafcouloff, Lisa DeZordo, Janet Leiva, Greg Scott, and Maggie Snyder from the Rotary Club of San Francisco Castro. Our guests were Maria Barrera, Janessa Bowen, Will Conkling, Noam Gad Weiser, Howard Hill, Maxcine Jones, Belinda Racklin, Benjamin Santos, Eric Thongrak, Jaclyn Thongrak, and Sedinam Worlanyo. We were also glad to see Donna Duensing (Education: Seminary | Retired) visiting us from the Midwest.
Jessica Hansen
President Bob congratulated Jessica Hansen (Nonprofit Management | Alliance for Smiles) for becoming a finalist in the Women Changing the World 2025 Awards. Jessica is a finalist in this category:
WOMAN IN HEALTH AWARDAida Oakdon
Angela Counsel
Anita Vita
Dr Vanessa Atienza-Hipolito
Jayne Shaw
Jessica Hansen
Lauren Hunter
Parminder Banwait
Parvina Mirakhmedova
Ruby Sibal
Jessica is also part of another event to honor Women's History Month on March 16, 2025 at 2 PM. Click here for tickets.
Paul Harris Recognitions
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. The following were awarded their Paul Harris pins this evening:
- Daniel DeSanto (Nonprofit Administration | Rotaplast International) — PHF+1.
- Brian Lan (Investor Relations | Meta) — PHF.
- La Carre Ivy (Retired) — PHF.
Update from Rotaplast
Rotaplast was born in our Club in 1993. Daniel DeSanto talked about the mission and the recent missions of Rotaplast. He expressed appreciation for the partnership between Rotaplast and our Club.
RYLA Road Show
President Bob has been visiting other Rotary clubs in District 5150 to raise awareness and funding for RYLA; he reported on his progress to date.
Local/Global Rotary Invitations
President Bob shared the following Rotary invitations:
New Member Inducted
President Bob invited Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) to lead the induction of our newest member. Dan introduced La'Juan Payne (Business Growth and Development | Odabi Inc.) and presented to La'Juan a copy of our Club's one hundred anniversary book as well as other new member materials. La'Juan had been a member of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles and looks forward to co-teaching financial literacy at the upcoming RYLA camp. Immediate Past President Sunny Singh (Financial Services: Advising | PK Wealth Management) is La'Juan's mentor. Members of our Club welcomed La'Juan and committed to support him in his Rotary journey.
La'Juan Payne, President Bob Hermann, and Immediate Past President Sunny Singh
Upcoming Events
Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
Environmental Project Funded
Club Members Caitlyn Eller (Public Sector Consulting | Booz Allen Hamilton) and Yana Sharma (Software Sales | IBM) secured a $1,000 grant from Rotary District 5150 for an exciting environmental project. The project will be in collaboration with the Rotary Club of San Francisco Castro who also secured a $1,000 grant from Rotary District 5150. This hands-on, educational event will explore the vital role of insects in our ecosystem. Participants will build and paint insect houses. Stay tuned for more details.
Spin the Wheel
This evening's lucky door prize winner was Dora Dye.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:26 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
President Bob talked about the gratitude cards used at RYLA and thanked this evening's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Peter Logan (Law: Insurance | Peter Logan Law Offices) for serving as photographer; Dan Joraanstad for serving as greeter; Vice President of PR and Communications Dan Davies (Information Technology: Consulting | Zipline International) for social media; and Jennifer Braschayko (Strategic Negotiations | Google) and Dora Dye for doing check-in at MoMo's.