President Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) welcomed everyone on Zoom or in person at the Hotel Nikko.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Our Visiting Rotarians were Aruna Sharma from the Rotary Club of Shimla Hill Queens in India and Clifford Thomas, a former member of our Club and now with the Rotary Club of Beaufort in South Carolina. Our guests were Janet Gallaway, Elaine Hom, Michelle Jong, Parikshit Sharma, Rita Arjune Sharma, Robert Wearing, and Sandra Wong. Today's speaker was John Wong. Welcome to all!
First Mother's Day
The United States just celebrated Mother's Day. Today, President Frank saluted all mothers and provided some history on the First Mother's Day in 1908.
Rotary Flag Exchange
President Frank exchanged Rotary flags with Aruna Sharma from the Rotary Club of Shimla Hill Queens in India.
Member Recognition
Congratulations to Vice President of Youth Development Stellie Kim (Psychology | City and County of San Francisco) for winning the Rising Star Award from the City and County of San Francisco.
New Member Inducted
Vice President of Membership Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) joined President Frank to induct Basil Bernstein (Physician | Retired). Basil is a former member of the Rotary Club of Palm Springs Sunup and is "dedicated to the education of youth and across the life spectrum." His mentor is Past District 5150 Governor and Past President of our Club Peter Lagarias (Law: Franchise | Retired). Rotarians in today's audience pledged to support Dr. Basil Bernstein on his Rotary journey with our Club, and he is looking forward to joining our Membership Committee. Please welcome Basil when you see him at our meetings and events.
PDG Peter Lagarias, Margaret Miley, Basil Bernstein, and President Frank
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 Yana Sharma (Software Sales | IBM).
Rotaplast: Its History and Mission
Daniel DeSanto (Nonprofit Administration | Rotaplast International) gave a presentation on Rotaplast, a global, humanitarian non-profit organization founded by our Club. He discussed the following topics:
To learn more and/or participate, see the information below.
Recent and Upcoming Club Activities
Bike Build: Emily Borland (Engineering, Architecture, and Construction | Emily Borland Specifications) joined us via Zoom to talk about leading this year's outstanding Bike Build on April 18, 2026. See full story here.
San Francisco Giants Game: On May 8, 2026, Club members, Visiting Rotarians, friends, and family enjoyed a fun Friday evening of fellowship and baseball between the San Francisco Giants and the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Giants won! See photos here.
Leadership San Francisco
Here is an exciting opportunity through our partnership with the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce:
Joint Meeting with the Rotary Club of Oakland: On May 21, 2026, there will be a joint meeting with the Rotary Club of Oakland. The meeting is in person in Oakland. If you are attending, please let President Frank know by or before 3 PM on May 18, 2026.
Salvation Army's Kroc Center Family Reading Awards
The Salvation Army invites our Club to attend the Annual Reading Awards Celebration on May 21, 2026 at 4:30 PM at the Kroc Center, 240 Turk Street, San Francisco, CA 94102. The Rotary Club of San Francisco is proud to have supported this after-school literacy program for the past two years. If you can attend to celebrate this success with the Salvation Army, please contact Frank Yoke.
Recognition Dinner for President Frank Yoke
Registration is now open for a special evening and dinner with outgoing President Frank Yoke.
Check the Club's calendar for additional meetings and events.
2027 District 5150 Conference
Registration is now open for the 2027 District 5150 Conference. Click here to register early.
Guest Speaker
Past President Mary Liu (Real Estate: Sales | JM Real Estate Group, Inc.) traveled to China with Friends of Roots to uncover her ancestry. She introduced today's speaker — John Wong with Friends of Roots. John shared personal and participant stories from the Roots program. From there, he provided historical context, explaining why many Chinese American families trace their origins to Guangdong. John also shared practical lessons for Rotarians, emphasizing how exploring one’s heritage can build empathy, deepen cultural awareness, and strengthen international fellowship. President Frank thanked John Wong and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in John Wong's 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; Kirt Burdick for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Ruth Wenzel (Registered Nurse | Retired) for managing the microphone; and Margaret Miley and Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Retired, Frank M. Booth, Inc.) for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.