President Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) started the meeting promptly at 12:15 PM. It was fun having a full house! President Bob shared that his new hip was working well and that he was able to walk two miles over the weekend without assistance.
Academy of Art Fashion Show
Honorary Member Dr. Elisa Stephens (Education Management | Academy of Art University) had invited our Club to the Academy of Art Fashion Show. President Bob shared photos from the Show. Fashion is art, and the students made the most out of unconventional fabrics and styles.
Today's Guests
Heidi Kühn (Peace Building | Roots of Peace) introduced her guest — Dixon Wright. Sue Robbins (Nonprofit Administration | Catholic Charities SF) introduced her intern — Luisa Reina. Our guest was Eric Orantes. Our speaker was Inika Mehra who introduced her brother — Rashid Mehra.
Rotary Makes a Difference
Dan Joraanstad (Financial Services: Advising | Retired) saw his neighbor, former San Francisco Supervisor Norman Yee, walking by and wearing a hat that read "Nepal" on the brim. President Bob and Dan connected Mr. Yee with Wendy Shew (Nonprofit Administration | Building Education), and they raised $10,000 to finish building the sixth school in rural Nepal! Once again, Rotary made a difference in the world.
Thought of the Day
Emily Borland (Engineering, Architecture, and Construction | Emily Borland Specifications) read today's Thought of the Day by Sir Winston Churchill: "We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give." This Thought defines our service to others as Rotarians.
New Paul Harris Fellow
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. Congratulations to Past President and Incoming District 5150 Chief of Staff JT Forbus (Accounting | SD Mayer) who received his PHF + 2 pin.
Rotarian of the Month
Robin Azevedo (Retail: Mattresses | Retired, McRoskey Mattress Company) was honored as Rotarian of the Month for May 2025. Robin joined our Club on July 2, 2004, participates in many of the service projects, is an active member of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, is a star member on the Speakers Committee, and often serves as scribe. Robin fully deserves this recognition. Congratulations, and thank you, Robin!
Upcoming Events
- Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
- Yana Sharma (Software Sales | IBM) announced the Buzz on Bugs service project on June 21, 2025. Click here for more information.
- Ticket sales for District 5150's Rotary Day at the San Francisco Giants closed on May 7, 2025.
- Stay tuned for more information on the District's Pennies to Polio Campaign.
Update on 2025 Visioning Forward Project
Dan Joraanstad presented a progress report on the 2025 Visioning Forward Project. The themes include friendship, fun, service, social impact, diversity, equity, inclusion, adaptability, and leadership. The goals include more global projects, more community outreach, an increase in member engagement, and more giving.
Table Talk
Dan Joraanstad presented a progress report on the 2025 Visioning Forward Project. The themes include friendship, fun, service, social impact, diversity, equity, inclusion, adaptability, and leadership. The goals include more global projects, more community outreach, an increase in member engagement, and more giving.
Table Talk
The audience had 10 minutes of free time to chat among themselves and about the Warriors.
Guest Speaker
Todd St Vrain (Education: Administration | University of Melbourne) introduced today's speaker — Inika Mehra. Inika is the 2025 Miss San Francisco and the founder of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Alliance — a nonprofit advancing education, equity, and integrative care for women with PCOS. When she was seven years old, she grew a beard. She asked us to imagine the humiliation and trauma that she had to bear at the age of seven. After a 10-year journey to find and conquer the root causes of PCOS, her early life challenge became her lifelong passion and her desire to share her knowledge of holistic care to ease the struggle of others. This experience combined with her completion of a degree in Health Management at UC Irvine led her to understand that neuroplasticity — harnessing the brain's capacity to rewire and reorganize — can reduce the stress level and start the journey toward a better state of being. Now at the age of 22, Inika has developed the knowledge and passion to improve the world with a holistic approach to health care.
President Bob thanked Inika Mehra and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in her name.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
It takes a small, volunteer army to put on a meeting, and all of the following were recognized for their help in making the "If it's Tuesday, it's time for Rotary!" efficient and enjoyable: Cecile Chiquette (Accounting | Retired) for serving as volunteer coordinator; Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Retired, Frank M. Booth, Inc.) for serving as scribe; Jim Patrick (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) for serving as photographer; JT Forbus for managing the microphone; Kirt Burdick of the Academy of Art University for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Tim Hornbecker (Nonprofit Management | Retired, The Arc CA) and Clifford Phillips (The Arc San Francisco) for serving as greeters; Dan Davies (Information Technology: Consulting | Matrix Comsec) for social media; and Robin Azevedo for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.
