President Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) rang the Rotary bell at 12:17 PM and began today's meeting at the Anzu Restaurant in the Hotel Nikko. He welcomed those online and those attending in person. President Bob talked about the number five in the five rings of the Olympic symbol and the five practices of exemplary leadership taught at the recent RYLA camp. He also shared today's agenda.
Thought of the Day
Anita Stangl (Medical Services | Alliance for Smiles) read today's Thought of the Day by Maria Shriver: "The simple gift of friendship is within all of our hands." We were all grateful that Anita had recovered from being sick and returned to join us.
In Memoriam
Today's audience observed a moment of silence in memory of 1993-1994 Past President Robert Wilhelm (whose passing was announced two weeks ago) and 2017-2018 Past President John Mathers (who passed away a year ago).
New Members Inducted
President Bob invited Vice President of Membership Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) to lead the induction of new members. Margaret introduced David Folk (Banking: Management | JPMorganChase); Milo Hanke (Financial Services: Advising | Hanke & Co. Wealth Management, LLC); and Kayla Trunecek (Staff Development | FTI Delta). Each candidate told the audience about their background and their interest in Rotary. President Bob led the induction ceremony, and Margaret handed out the new member badges and gifts. Welcome to David, Milo, and Kayla!
David Folk, Milo Hanke, Kayla Trunecek, and Margaret Miley
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Today's Visiting Rotarians were John Dean from the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown, Robin Graham from Manchester, England, and Rhonda Poppen from the Rotary Club of Sacramento. Our guests were Kevin Angeles, Edric Garcia, Karen Kam, Katelyn Lew, Munkhbaatar Begzjav, Katie Schmautz, Molly Schmautz, and Michelle Tran. Our speaker was Fred Lee.
President Bob Hermann and Robin Graham
Update from the San Francisco Rotary Foundation (SFRF)
President Bob introduced Christopher Wiseman. Christopher announced that he became SFRF President as of July 1, 2024 and presented the following facts about the Foundation:
- Established in 1959.
- Endowment of over $5,000,000.
- Supports Club projects.
- Distributes over $200,000 annually.
- All board members are members of the Rotary Club of San Francisco.
- Supported by Club members and friends of the Club.
New Donation Campaign
President Bob launched our Club's newest donation campaign: the Gifts of Giving - Returns Guaranteed. Questions should be directed to Vice President of Development Maureen O'Shea (Governmental Relations | Retired).
2023-2024 Presidential Citation
11 out of 45 Rotary clubs in Rotary District 5150 earned the 2023-2024 Presidential Citation from Rotary International. Our Club was one of the 11 winning clubs. Immediate Past District Governor Laine Hendricks (Public Relations and Marketing | County of Marin) surprised Immediate Past President Sunny Singh (Financial Services: Advising | PK Wealth Management) by presenting to him our Club's Presidential Citation.
Sunny Singh, Rick Harrell, and Laine Hendricks
Heroes' Voices
Rick Harrell (Arts Therapy | Heroes' Voices) invited us to attend a recital featuring a celebration of America's most beloved songs. See here for details. Rick is also looking for a few volunteer Rotarians to help out at this event on August 25.
The Life of Our Club
- President Bob gave an update on our Club's first evening meeting on July 25, 2024. See full story here.
- President Bob thanked Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) for being the Club Champion behind our recent Club Visioning.
Youth Excellence in Service Above Self (YESS) Scholarship Winners
Vice President of Youth Development Todd St Vrain (Education: Administration | University of Melbourne) presented the criteria for these scholarships: Candidates must be active on either the George Washington or Lowell High School Interact club and/or be RYLA alumni or facilitators who are current or recent high school/college students. The scholarships recognize excellence in service and support current or future education or student loan debt.
Todd introduced this year's winners:
Name | Category | Amount |
Ashley Seto | RYLA
| $1,600
|
Edric Garcia | Interact | $1,600 |
Jillian (Andie) Wong | Interact | $1,600
|
Kainoa Parker | RYLA | $1,600 |
Karen Kam | RYLA | $2,200 |
Katelyn Lew | Interact | $1,600 |
Kevin Angeles | RYLA | $2,200 |
Livia Wang | RYLA
| $1,600 |
Makaela Patron | RYLA | $1,600 |
Meagan To | Interact
| $1,600 |
Mingma Sherpa | Interact | $1,600 |
Myla Brignardello | RYLA | $1,600 |
Ronan Felton-Priestner | RYLA | $1,600 |
In attendance today were Kevin Angeles, Edric Garcia, Karen Kam, and Katelyn Lew, who each spoke briefly to express their appreciation for the scholarship.
Dora Dye, David Dye, John Dean, Bob Hermann, Sunny Singh, Edric Garcia, Katelyn Lew, Karen Kam, Mary Liu, Todd St Vrain, and Lynn Luckow
Rotary Youth Leadership Academy (RYLA)
Todd St Vrain also talked about the RYLA Camp that ended on August 2, 2024. Members from our Club who made the 2024 Camp a huge success were:
This was the largest RYLA Camp in our history. More information on the recent RYLA Camp will be published in the August 18, 2024 issue of Grindings. In the meantime, please enjoy these photos taken at the Camp and showing all the fun and learning that took place.
Upcoming Events
Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
Environmental Project
Rotary District 5150 is inviting Rotarians and their clubs to submit an initiative focused on environmental sustainability. Click here for details and application. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2024.
Guest Speaker
Speakers Committee Chair Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) introduced today's speaker - Fred Lee. Fred invited the audience to explore meta thinking (thinking about thinking) and amazed us with the magnetic fingers challenge and the fork bending. President Bob thanked Fred Lee and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in Fred's name.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
President Bob thanked today's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Jim Patrick (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) for serving as photographer; Allan Herzog (Financial Services: Advising | Wells Fargo Advisors) for managing the microphone; Kirt Burdick of the Academy of Art University for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Scott Plakun (Management Consulting | The Plakun Group) for serving as Zoom Host; David Dye (Management Consulting | Retired), Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tim Hornbecker (Nonprofit Management | Retired, The Arc CA), and Clifford Phillips (The Arc San Francisco) for serving as greeters; and Gary Dales (Accounting | Fly Leasing) and Christopher Wiseman for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.