President Sunny Singh (Financial Services: Advising | PK Wealth Management) called today's e-meeting to order at 12:15 PM.
Visiting Rotarian and Guests
Today's Visiting Rotarian was Chrissy Moses who is a member of the Rotary Club of Los Angeles. Today's guests were Malik Seneferu and Tammy McNaught.
Birthdays
President Sunny Singh recognized the Rotary Club of San Francisco on its 115th birthday and expressed how proud he is to be a part of our Club. President Sunny also congratulated Emily Borland (Engineering, Architecture, and Construction | Emily Borland Specifications) on her birthday today! Those present sang Happy Birthday to Emily.
October 2023 Rotarian of the Month President Sunny announced that James Patrick III (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) is the Rotarian of the Month for October 2023. Jim has been an active member of our Club since November 1, 1975. He was our President in 1984-1985 and remains active to this day, serving as our Rotary Foundation Chair. You will find Jim at almost every one of our meetings, often serving as photographer and friend to all. Congratulations and thank you to Jim!
National Men’s Health Awareness Month
November is National Men’s Health Awareness Month and with it come efforts to create a defense for men’s health. President Sunny grew a mustache to promote this awareness.
Past Events
President Sunny showed a video on our recent past events: the Blue Angels Viewing Party, the Fashion Show, the Walk to End Alzheimer's, Family House service project, the Diwali meal and film, and meeting PRIP Jennifer Jones in Oakland.
Club Events for Rotarians
Thanksgiving at The Arc San Francisco: PDG Eric Schmautz (Banking: Management | Retired) gave an update on this event that we have hosted for the past 15 years. Once again, we will gather to provide a Thanksgiving feast for participants at The Arc SF who are food insecure. We partner with the Salvation Army Harbor Light. If you are volunteering, please arrive at The Arc on November 21 by 10:45 AM. Volunteers are still needed.
Check the Club's calendar for upcoming Committee meetings and service projects.
Ukraine Response Fund: Frank Yoke (Development | Frank Yoke Consulting) shared that the crisis in the Ukraine is still continuing and is now in its 630th day (as of November 14, 2023). Please contact Frank Yoke if you would like to donate to help ease the suffering in the Ukraine. Allan Herzog (Financial Services: Advising | Wells Fargo Advisors) will match contributions up to $10,000 if made by December 31, 2023.
It is time to register for the Holiday Party and Annual Meeting. On December 1, the price for individual tickets will go up. We also need at least 45 Club members to attend in order to have a quorum for our Annual Meeting. Register for the Holiday Party and Annual Meeting here.
Member Moment
Today we met Bridget Mahoney (Nonprofit Administration | Catholic Charities SF) who joined our Club in July 2023 as one of the corporate members of Catholic Charities. She lives in Cow Hollow and earned a BA in History and Political Science from Sonoma State University and a Master of Public Affairs from the University of San Francisco. Before Catholic Charities, Bridget worked in public affairs consulting, real estate/property management, and retail merchandising. She ran for California State Assembly in 2020. An interesting fact about Bridget is that she is president of the Auxiliary for the Order of Malta Western Association (a Catholic organization dedicated to serving the poor and the sick) and makes an annual pilgrimage to Lourdes, France to take terminally ill individuals and care for them for 10 days.Grant Presentation
President Sunny Singh introduced Chrissy Moses from the Rotary Club of Los Angeles to discuss the First Five Rotary Clubs' Cervical Cancer Prevention Project. This Project is a collaboration among the Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Los Angeles Rotary Clubs with the Los Angeles Club taking the lead. The First Five Clubs have partnered with the Rotary Club of Urbari in Bolivia, because Bolivia has a high rate of cervical cancer. To date, two educational workshops led by PINCC have been held for 1,000 women, and the initial investment of $35,000 has been used to purchase medical equipment for the testing. Those who test positive for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) will undergo treatment. President Sunny on behalf of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation presented a $5,000 check to support this Project.DEI Moment
Malik Seneferu joined to discuss Kwaanza and its origins. The celebration was begun after the 1965 Watts Riots when principles of Kwaanza were used to bring the Watts community together. Malik shared the founding principles of Kwaanza that are based on leaving things better than they were found. These principles are:- Umoja (Unity)
- Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
- Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
- Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
- Nia (Purpose)
- Kuumba (Creativity)
- Imani (Faith).
Each day a candle is lit to highlight the principle of that day. There are also activities, such as reciting the sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, reciting original poetry, African drumming, and sharing a meal of African diaspora-inspired foods.
Share Your Good News ($20 for Twenty Seconds)
Here are today's donors:
- Hana Xu Wang (Financial Services: Advising | Wang Wealth Advisors, LLC) donated to support the Walk to End Alzheimer's.
- Anita Stangl (Medical Services | Alliance for Smiles) donated to celebrate Jessica Hansen and Alliance for Smiles' 100th surgical mission.
Guest Speakers
President Sunny introduced today's featured speaker - Jessica Hansen (Nonprofit Management | Alliance for Smiles). Jessica introduced Paul Vazquez (Nonprofit Administration | Alliance for Smiles). Paul discussed the history of Alliance of Smiles and ended at the 99th surgical mission. Jessica reported on the 100th mission in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Their presentations included photos of the children and families whose lives were changed for the better following the surgery. Jessica identified amazing volunteers who had helped Alliance for Smiles to serve the children. She thanked the Academy of Art for the many ways that they have assisted Alliance for Smiles. Photos that were shared during the presentation were taken by Boris Sandoval of the Academy of Art.President Sunny thanked Jessica and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in her name.
The meeting concluded at 1:30 PM.
Thank You
Thank you to Frank Yoke for serving as the scribe today.