President Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) welcomed everyone on Zoom or in person at the Hotel Nikko.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Today's Visiting Rotarians were Joyce Bartel from the Rotary Club of Belmont-Redwood Shores and her husband, Jerome Burnstein; Lisa De Zordo from the Rotary Club of San Francisco Castro; Adele Della Santina from the Rotary Club of Belmont-Redwood Shores; Fatima Hernandez Alatorre from the Rotary Club of Stockton (on Zoom); James Horsman from the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill in Washington, DC; Patricia Player Maxwell from the Rotary Club of Belmont-Redwood Shores; and Stephen Rainaldi from the Rotary Club of Millbrae. Our guests were Onur Bayindir, Roza Erdemli, Arlene Gordon, Marie Koerper, Katrina Rill, Pat Sabatini, Mark Salazar, and Rae Sansa. Today's speaker was the Honorable Jackie Speier. Welcome to all!
Rotary's February Theme
This month Rotary International recognizes Peacebuilding and Conflict Prevention:
Member Recognitions
- President Frank saluted all of the Rotarians in our Club who have participated in international missions.
- President Frank congratulated Tom Brunner (Non-Profit Management | Glaucoma Research Foundation) and Nancy Graydon (Development | Glaucoma Research Foundation) for the recent successful Glaucoma Research Foundation Gala that raised $500,000.
- President Frank recognized Ann Daugherty (Financial Services: Private Trading | IBN Financial Services) for her role in the recent performance of Beethoven by The Fillmore Orchestra and Choir.
Sad News
We learned with great sadness that Nikki Hoogasian had passed away after a long illness. She was the wife of our friend and Past President Harold Hoogasian (Retail: Florist | Hoogasian Flowers). Keep Harold and his family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.
February 2026 Rotarian of the Month
Congratulations to Merve Yasavur (Information Technology: Computer Science | Self-employed) who was honored as Rotarian of the Month for February 2026. She has been a member of our Club since 2023. Merve is the one to thank for the selection of films and putting on the Rotary DEI Film Festival.
2026-2027 Grant Process
President-Elect Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) has launched the 2026-2027 Grant Process:
Recent and Upcoming Club Activities
President Frank shared the following activities:
- Super Bowl Pool and Party: Jim Patrick (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) invited us all to the Super Bowl Party on February 8, 2026 and to play the Super Bowl Pool. See here for details.
- District Assembly: Registration for the District Assembly to be held on March 21, 2026 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.
- Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
Guest Speaker
President Frank introduced today's speaker — the Honorable Jackie Speier. She is a former U.S. Congresswoman for California’s 14th district, where she served from 2008 to 2023. Before that, she served on the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, the California State Assembly and the California Senate, bringing her total time in public service to over 40 years. Ms. Speier discussed our self-government and offered her views on events occurring in the world. The audience gave Ms. Speier a standing ovation, and President Frank thanked the Honorable Jackie Speier and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in her name.
Meeting Volunteers
President Frank thanked today's meeting volunteers: Dora Dye (Education | San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) for serving as scribe; Lisa Stark Communications & Media) for serving as photographer; Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) for managing the microphone; Kirt Burdick for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Margaret Miley, Ozan Yasavur, and Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) for serving as greeters; and Ann Daugherty for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.