Stories

DMSB Rotary partners with Care N Share Toy Drive at the Del Mar County Fair

Posted on Apr 07, 2024

Care N'Share Toy Drive coming up at the Del Mar County Fair

For 15 years the Torrey Pines Rotary Club has been collecting toys at the San Diego County Fair Since its inception, The Care ‘n Share Toy Drive has collected and distributed over 110,000 toys to children in need.

Thanks to generous donations from the San Diego community, the Care 'n Share Toy Drive has distributed over 110,000 new & gently used stuffed animals to help put smiles on the faces of sick children in the region and to comfort those in need. Hospital Infantil de las Californias shared how these toys are especially helpful for children facing surgeries, as their attention is directed toward the new toy awaiting them at the end of the procedure.

This year, it’s partnering with our DMSB Rotary Club. Sign up instructions are here:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ap7HFKxOc5ds8dRQBXmyac5Qd_yvBcpZ9QsWZ6lxHh4/edit

Rotary Environmental Solutions Summit

Posted on Mar 15, 2024

Environmental Solutions Summit May 19, 2024 10-3p

More details at: https://d5340environment.wixsite.com/solutions-summit

Research Update on Clinical Use of Mushrooms

Posted on Mar 15, 2024

Our very own Di Shimkus, LCSW Founding Teacher of Everyday Mindfulness, updated the club on the history and recent research related to psychoactive mushrooms. She explained how a decades-long ban on research has ended, and that some states are beginning to approve the use of psilocybin under medical supervision for the treatment of depression.

Viewpoint Brewery Tour

Posted on Mar 08, 2024

The club meeting this week was hosted by Viewpoint Brewery - just a mile up the road near the Del Mar Race Track. Members met at 7:00 AM for an early morning tour by the Brew Master.

District 5340 project with Just in Time for Foster Youth!

Posted on Mar 02, 2024

Our Club Members joined with the District 5340 Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force project to support the First Homes event by Just in Time for Foster Youth!

During this event 6 young adults who have aged out of the Foster System moved into their first homes. Volunteers helped with the shopping for furniture and household items from the Just In Time Warehouse as well as the physical move-in.

Just In Time for Foster Youth First Homes Event Mar 2, 2024

Generate Hope

Posted on Mar 01, 2024

Annie Rodriguez, MSW

GenerateHope Executive Director

Annie Rodriguez is a servant leader who joined the GenerateHope team in 2019 to work with human trafficking survivors. Annie is a native San Diegan who is deeply invested in the community and demonstrates this through her passion for leading quality programs. Annie is an active member of Rotary Club 33 and is on the Board of the San Diego Women’s Foundation. Annie gave us a presentation about their group homes in California and Colorado, and described the very personalized and years-long care that women receive through their program. Women in her program were the recipients of the Care Packages the club assembled during the February 2 meeting.

Rotary Legacy Giving

Posted by Barbara Berkovich on Feb 09, 2024

Paul Butler introduced Laura Mello from the Rotary Foundation. Her presentation, Major Gifts, Major Impact, outlined ways that we have a voice in how Endowment Fund contributions can be channeled to our most important goals and causes.

Who is Monica Stuck?

Posted on Feb 09, 2024

Monica Stuck shared a great Who Am I presentation called "Discovering My Identity" Unveiling My Mission. She shared some great slides that really showed off her experience and talents. She showcased Hilton events she's led to build team spirit with events that are both fun, and provide community service. We're so glad to have you on our team, Monica!

Generate Hope - Care bags

Posted on Feb 02, 2024

During our February 2 meeting, our club filled 100 care bags for the women at Generate Hope. They serve sex trafficking victims by offering a real way out. GenerateHope is a faith-based organization providing long-term, comprehensive programs to women who have been sexually trafficked, so that they are able to reintegrate into society and walk powerfully into their futures.

Beverly and Patricia show the contents of one of the bags. The Hilton donated tooth brushes, soap and shampoo and snacks and water were added as well. Rotary members wrote individualized care messages, and words of encouragement.

Coast to Crest Trail Updates

Posted on Jan 26, 2024

Chris Khoury returned to give us an update on the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy project to create a 71 mile Coast to Crest Trail that stretches from near the Race Track in Del Mar to Volcan Mountain near Julian. Our own Susan and Mark Hennenfent have been very involved in the conservancy for years, and lead annual hikes on the trail.

Mark and Susan Hennenfent with Chris Khoury

Club Welcomes Ryan Green

Posted on Nov 17, 2023

Paul Butler (L) and Ken Barrett (C), welcome new member Ryan Green (R) with a red badge. Paul brings a wealth of experience as a third generation Rotarian, and we look forward to getting to know him better.
Below, Joe Kuhn, Hilton Hotel Manager received his full-member badge with the club logo. Joe has been an active participant in our club for the past year, and we're happy to recognize his ongoing commitment to Rotary.

Joe Kuhn

The History of Diamond

Posted on Nov 10, 2023

Our Club President gave a fascinating history of the diamond trade beginning in the 4th Century right up to the recent era of manufactured diamonds. Malcom grew up in South Africa during the time of the De Beers diamond monopoly. He shared many interesting facts about famous stones, diamond mines, and the process of diamond production. He also pointed out that we are just a few miles away from the Gemologists Institute of America (GIA) which developed our current diamond grading system. We hope Malcom will follow-on with Part 2 at a future date.

Welcome to our Latest New Member

Posted on Nov 03, 2023

DMSB The Rotary Club welcomed Andrea Williams as a new member! She is a real estate agent at Coldwell Banker Realty Del Mar and a 25 year resident of Solana Beach. She and her husband Dean I raised two children here and feel very fortunate to live in such an amazing community. Andrea has been involved in various charitable organizations that serve both our local community and the San Diego area, including providing weekly tutoring for ESL students, 6 years with The Crohns and Colitis Foundation and work with fundraising for Ukrainian refugees.

Lobsterfest Success!

Posted on Oct 15, 2023

Our major fundraiser for the year had a sell-out crowd, and was a huge success! Vicky Mallett, Lobsterfest Chair, rallied, cajoled, and motivated our club to deliver a night of music, tequila tasting, fine wine tasting, silent auction and raffle to support our beneficiaries. Casa de Amistad and Just in Time for Foster Youth both provided volunteers and speakers for the event, and we thank them for their efforts. Special Kudos to Joe, Yolanda, and the banquet staff at the Del Mar Hilton. Guests raved about the Baja Lobster dinner Charles Koll provided the Viewpoint Tasting cart – always a great hit. It was a night to remember, and we met all of our fundraising goals thanks to all the sponsors, donors, volunteers and shoppers!

North County +Box Nutrition Program

Posted on Oct 13, 2023

Greg McGuire , the Director of Strategic Partnerships for +BOX (https://www.plus-box.org/) introduced us to his grass roots efforts to bring healthful food to North County elementary students and their families. Greg started this service which helps deliver perishable fruits and vegetables from local farmers and foodbanks to families who are “Nutrition Insecure”. He explained that many of the traditional food banks provide an excess of carbohydrates in the form of shelf stable food. The fresh food provides recipients with more variety, vitamins, and joy around the table.

The program packages the food in plain boxes, and passes them out to families in need through a school-led referral system. The organization seeks to make it as easy as possible for families to pick up the produce in a manner that is sensitive to the social stigma that may cause hesitation by families who could truly benefit.

Greg works to form strong, lasting, mutually-beneficial partnerships with other nonprofits, government agencies, and change-making stakeholders. In addition to his role at +Box, he is Co-Chair of the North County Food Policy Council.
Using his leadership positions in multiple organizations, Greg champions immediate action and the pursuit of wider, systemic change.

Beyond the scope of nonprofits, Greg enjoys the natural spaces of California (Yosemite being his favorite), spending time with his fiancée and their dog. He was born in Texas and still enjoys rooting for his hometown (Dallas) sports teams. His parents provided him with examples and opportunities through scouting and other activities to love nature and serve others. These two values have become the pillars of his life, helping to guide his learning and professional careers. Greg has now lived in California for more than a decade and graduated from the University of San Diego with a Master’s of Nonprofit Leadership and Management, strengthening the foundation for a career in youth and family services and environmental stewardship.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 29, 2023

ONLY 2 WEEKS BEFORE OUR GREAT FEST!!

Final week for sponsor signup, and remember to bid on our fabulous auction items

Please give Suzanne guest names

Charles Koll, Community Service Co-Chair, (shown below with club donations of tennis shoes and jeans), talked about all the good work Showers of Blessings does and their partners for the homeless community. Showers of Blessings is a remarkable program with a mission to extend a helping hand to homeless men, women, and children in San Diego by providing showers, clean clothes, socks, and toiletries with a welcome and smile.

See below to sign up to give blood for our Socktober Blood Drive, and let Lew Williamson know when you can help.

Bill Kerlin, Managing Director of North Coast Repertory Theater spoke to us about their current season and the wonderful job this professional "local" theatre has done for the past 42 years providing world-class, quality productions. He helped it grow from being fiscally underwater in 2011 when he joined NCR, to a profitable 1.2MM budget, thanks to loyal subscribers and donors. North Coast Rep also has a theatre school and provides scholarships for students.

Visit https://northcoastrep.org for more information or tickets

Sharp Neuroscientists Discuss Alzheimer Breakthroughs

Posted on Aug 04, 2023

Mark Dobrina (L) and Esteban Gonzales (C) are shown with Club President, Malcom Koll following their presentation on the work of the Sharp Neurocognitive Research Center. They are running a drug trial for people with early stage Alzheimers. This work impacts the club directly as one of our members is enrolled in the trial, and has seen the benefits first-hand.

Visit the Sharp Neurocognitive Research Center website

Here is a list of Sharp clinical trials in San Diego.

Community Service at Adaptive Sports and Recreation Camp

Posted on Jul 28, 2023

Vicky, Monica, Joe, Patricia and two of Di's friends had a wonderful experience serving lunch to 60 kids, ages 4-18 finishing their last day at Adaptive Sports and Recreation Camp. They set up and served lunch to attendees, their "buddies" and other volunteers. It was a remarkably rewarding time. I have asked the coordinator to let us know early for 2024 so that more of you can participate. You will LOVE the interaction with the kids.

Joe served Pita and Tzatziki. He convinced kids to try this as he knew they "would love it." I think he could have convinced them to try escargot.

Veteran's Village of San Diego Stand Down Event

Posted on Jul 21, 2023

VVSD STAND DOWN is a 3-day outdoor event designed to guide homeless veterans, and those at risk of homelessness, to services that rapidly remove barriers caused by medical, legal, mental health, and substance use concerns.

We are grateful for the 100+ agencies and over 3,000 volunteers who have offered personalized care to each veteran.

Thank you all (& any others I have forgotten to include) for supporting the Club effort at the Water Tent @ VVSD Stand Down 2023.

We "did good and served others" so, as Malcolm would say, you should move your "Rotary 4-Way Test Coin" to the other pocket.

Top Left: Charles Foster, Bill Sutton, Steve Weitzen Bottom Left: Jon Fish, Charles Fost Bottom Right: Bill Sutton, Jan Parsons, Suzanne Sutton, Charles Koll	Also Volunteered: Vicky Mallett & Barbara Berkovich Ken Barrett & Paul Butler Kevin & Sibylle Cahill Sandy LeVine Charlotte Jones Molly Fleming Mark & Susan Hennenfent Kirk Collins

July 7 Meeting Opens the new Rotary Theme

Posted on Jul 11, 2023

A New Rotary Year... A New Rotary Theme, and some thoughts from Rotary International President Gordon R. McInally.

Our own Del Mar Solana Beach club president, Malcom Koll, kicked off the first meeting of the year by having members think about the the types of projects that will grow the impact of our club and offer Hope to our community.

1. Will the project break a negative cycle?

2. Is our involvement short term?

3. Will our impact last well past our involvement?

4. Will it encourage involvement from the community?

5. Will the person or people we help feel the need to help others.

Vicky Mallett presented the LobsterFest goal of $36,500 for the 2023-24 year. This is the club's major fundraiser, and supports the local and international project supported by the club. Costs have definitely gone up this year, so we'll need everyone's support to meet the goal.

Our latest new member, Robyn Bailis (second from right) was pinned by Paul Butler, Di Shimkus, and Molly Fleming.

Governors Dinner

Posted on Jun 26, 2023

What a wonderful night at the Governors Dinner

Over 400 Rotarians celebrated this year's accomplishments (thank you President Susan)

and inducted our next President, thank you for stepping up once and future king Malcolm

After his induction, Malcolm got in the Rotary spirit of his new position

A great time was had by all

Herb & Bev Liberman, Joe Kuhn, Paul Butler, Patricia Case, Suzanne & Bill Sutton, Malcolm & Vanesse Koll, Mark & Susan Hennenfent, Jan Parsons, Hilary & Charles Koll, Vicky Mallett, Barbara Berkovich

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 23, 2023

Happy 52nd Wedding Anniversary to Lew & Sue on Monday

Our last meeting of the 2022-2023 fiscal year was jam-packed, even without a speaker!!

We started with Paul awarding Barbara her blue badge, after completing all the red badge requirements including visiting another Rotary club, inviting a guest to a meeting, doing a Who Am I, and attending a Board meeting

We then heard from Shaurya Bairaria from Canyon Crest Academy who started Tennis Without Borders. His goal is to teach 8-13 yr old refugees from around the world tennis, so they can experience the same joy that he gets from the sport. Susan awarded him her last Distinguished Student Service Certificate

Matt Wechter, lead attorney for Standown's Homeless Court, shared how they are able to quickly remove warrants that serve as barriers for recovery for homeless vets, and showed us the hats that Bill orders each year that are a huge hit with the attorneys

Leslie and Paul (Vanna White) Sagar updated us on all the good work they have done with Hope Without Boundaries in Tijuana since 2008 for the poorest of the poor. Susan and Herb presented them with a check for $2500 to assist with school uniforms, backpacks, and food

Herb also updated us on our donations to OEF in El Salvador to help needy children & families

Charles Koll gave a loving tribute to all those close to him who have helped him along his road in life as part of his Who Am I. He recognized his family, colleagues, and Rotarians Susan & Mark Hennenfent and Kirk Collins who helped get Viewpoint Brewery off the ground and operational

And finally we heard from Edmar and Yaretzi who were two of our Model UN students this year who displayed the confidence and poise they gained by working with others and speaking at the event

We ended with a standing ovation for President Susan as she completed a great year - and that's a wrap

George Sousa Honored

Posted on Jun 20, 2023

We're so proud of our George Sousa who is being honored in South Korea for the many lives he saved during the Korean War

Celebration of Service

Posted on Jun 16, 2023

Kevin shared the following quotes for our invocation today as we celebrate the impact our club has had on the lives of local and global neighbors. As he said, let us continue throwing our beam and changing the world.

Happy Birthday to Suzanne who celebrates her special day tomorrow and Happy 53rd Anniversary to Meera & Venky!!

President Susan started our festivities by reminding us who Rotary is

(go to our Facebook page to watch the live video)

Vicky, in her multiple hats as Immediate Past President, LobsterFest Chair, and Foundation Chair, reminded members that we raised $35,320 at LobsterFest to share with our Major Beneficiaries Just in Time for Foster Youth and Casa de Amistad and other service organizations/projects. We added 5 new Paul Harris Society Members and had 100% EREY participation

Nicole as New Generation (Youth) Chair shared that we spent $5800 helping Casa de Amistad, Model UN and sent students to LEAD and RYLA for the first time since the pandemic

Herb, as International Chair, thanked Venky, Suchandra, and Steve for their help with projects in the countries of El Salvador, Mexico, Malawi, and India

Here Suchandra showed our next project teaching organic farming, and told about the $35,551 grant we did helping the homeless, mentally ill women in India where they were able to add more staff for vocational training & therapy and grew from 10 to 25 beds

Di, as Chair of Community Service (or the heart of Rotary as she says as we get directly involved), with the help of Bill, Lew, and Ken reminded us of the $5000 sent to the Nature Collective, $1000 sent to CRC for mental health initiatives and $500 for their general fund, besides helping over 700 families with food through Feeding San Diego

Bill, Lew, Sandy, and Jon helped with Programs this year and we learned so much in the following categories

Patricia on behalf of her and Suzanne as Social Chairs reviewed the 8 fun socials we did and were pleased with attendance with a minimum of 20 people for each

President Susan then thanked all the members of the club who are active behind the scenes and reminded us of the generosity of club members

She then rang the bell for the last time as President, and wrapped up the year

Rotary at the Padres

Posted on Jun 13, 2023

It was a great Rotary night at the Padres as they rallied right from the start and beat the Guardians 6 - 3

Jan Parsons, Susan & Mark Hennenfent, and Andy & Cole Sutton enjoyed the game

Demotion Party

Posted on Jun 11, 2023

Thank you Suttons for hosting a fun demotion Party; Patricia & Suzanne for organizing; and Kevin for being Master of Ceremony

Festivities began on the patio with a charcuterie board before moving inside for a dinner of kabobs

Bill told how he has no more gold gavels to give away before Ken and Charlotte eloquently praised Susan for a colorful year (see her beautiful, colorful paintings below), her steadfastness and calm demeanor, and innovations as President (including using Facebook Live, slides for meetings, and new name badges). They presented her on behalf of the club with an artist's apron and her picture signed by members

But where is the gavel to pass on to the next president? Kevin came through again, with a bucket of iced Veuve Clicquot hiding the wrapped original gavel

Malcolm then took the hot seat while Susan, Patricia, and Kevin departed upstairs and then we saw Queen Susan make her appearance with the gavel on a royal cushion, led by queen consort Patricia. But wait!!! Susan is not carrying the REAL gavel!!! Court Jester Kevin then appeared with the answer

In true Shakespearean fashion, he offered Malcolm the real gavel if he could answer two clues correctly. Unfortunately Malcolm failed, but he graciously produced the gavel so the night was saved. Susan then gave Malcolm his Presidents pin, and Kevin was awarded the framed original Club Charter as our first President

The once and future King was now official and Susan gave her heartfelt thanks to club members for making this a fabulous year!!

We then all enjoyed a special cake and Patricia's pound cake & strawberry shortbread

THE CAKE SAYS IT ALL - THANK YOU, SUSAN, FOR A WONDERFUL YEAR!!!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 09, 2023

We welcomed and enjoyed hearing from the Casa de Amistad students who were inspired by attending RYLA or LEADS

Ariana, Ali, Janidy, and Daniel

Felix gave his Who Am I, and though he just joined Rotary, we feel he has always been a Rotarian at heart as his life goal is to give back and make a difference in peoples' lives

Thanks to Di and to Joe Kuhn, our members & Hilton GM, who organized our last Community Service event of packaging care bags for victims of human trafficking served through SafeHouse.

Jeff Moore of Exotic Succulents in Solana Beach, and author of five books, gave a colorful presentation of these plants and how to care for them. We learned that all cacti are succulents but not all succulents are cacti. And yes, Jeff does consult on an informal basis.

Be sure to invite guests to next weeks Celebration of Service!!

Bushfire Social

Posted on May 11, 2023

Everyone had too much fun to take pictures but a good time was had by all

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 05, 2023

Two member were honored this morning:

Lew Williamson by Vicky Mallett for his Rotary Foundation donations achieving a PH+4

and Susan Hennenfent awarded Charles Foster an Imagine Rotary pin for all his contributions to Rotary and our club over the years, saying he is a mentor to her and many other members

THANK YOU BOTH - WELL DONE!!

We were all impressed that Susan & Mark Hennenfent got to meet one on one with Rotary International President Jennifer Jones as part of their recognition of being new Arch Klumph Society members. She said its been an exhilarating and exhausting year!

The Casa de Amistad Gala was a wonderful night and Nicole thanked Charles and Viewpoint who supplied free beer for the event.

Di was the big winner of the Carlsbad Rotary raffle winning $2500 on a $100 donation (it helps to be generous) and Judy Hunt who often visits us when in town from her Colorado Rotary presented us with her club flag

Herb reported on our $9200 Grant to OEF in El Salvador and recognized Ildiko Tesak for her large contribution. We also send another $1000 per year in recognition of our speakers, as shown in the photo below when President Susan presented one to our member and speaker, Barbara Berkovich who spoke on ChatGPT and AI

RAW Day

Posted on May 04, 2023

Rotarians At Work Day

Posted on Apr 29, 2023

We were joined by Solana Beach Eco Rotary & Encinitas Rotary for Rotarians At Work Day 2023

at the Nature Collective planting new growth in the La Orilla Restoration Site & weeding non-native plants in San Dieguito Park

Orientation by Nature Collective staff & volunteers

La Orilla Restoration site where we planted over 40 new shrubs

Weeding in San Dieguito Park to get rid of non-native plants

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 28, 2023

HAPPY 31st ANNIVERSARY TO US

DMSB Rotary spun off from the Del Mar Rotary Club on April 24, 1992

Best Wishes to all our members with Birthdays next week:

Patricia on April 30, Kevin on May 1, and Steve on May 2 along with a Happy 32nd Anniversary with Ava last week

Happy Birthday, Anniversary with Alicia, and Rotary Anniversary all in April to Charles Foster

And Happy Club Anniversary to Charlotte who joined us in April, 6 years ago

James Morrison, Paul Harris Foundation Society Coordinator for District 5340, helped us induct Vicky Mallett and Di Shimkus as new Paul Harris Society members, with a commitment of contributing $1000/year to the Rotary Foundation

President Susan Hennenfent, Vicky Mallett, Steve Weitzen, Di Shimkus, James Morrison

Steve and Susan welcomed Di as a Paul Harris Society Member (she contributed $1000 to the Rotary Foundation both this year and last) and next level pins for contributing another $1000 to the Foundation to members Kevin Cahill (PH+6, receiving a pin with a ruby); Charlotte Jones (PH+2); Herb Liberman (PH+4); and Beverly Liberman (PH+2)

They have helped DMSB Rotary contribute over $389,000 to the Rotary Foundation

Well done and thank you!!

Calendar Items:

Rotarians At Work Day, tomorrow 4/29

Club Social, May 11

Feeding San Diego, May 16

Our speaker today was Pam Maher, a Research Professor in the Cellular Neurobiology Laboratory at the Salk Institute. Her research focus and talk was on Alzheimer's disease and factors that can contribute to the disease. She emphasized paying attention to the lifestyle factors which we can control.

President Susan presented Pam with our OEF certificate and explained how we are helping the children in El Salvador with health, education, and nutritional needs and have been involved with this organization for over 15 years

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 19, 2023

7-WAY Luncheon Meeting with Area 4 Rotary Clubs

Del Mar-Solana Beach, Del Mar, Rancho Santa Fe., Encinitas, Encinitas Coastal, San Diego Downtown Evening, Solana Beach Eco

DMSB Members George Sousa, Susan Hennenfent, Malcolm Koll, Jon Fish, Jan Parsons, Vicky Mallett, Ken Barrett, Molly Fleming, Paul Butler, and former member Radia Hunter

Our own Korean War Hero George Sousa

led the flag salute

Jordan Harrison, Rotarian & Vice President of Community Impact & Partnership for Reality Changers, was our keynote speaker and gave a motivational talk on the impact of Rotary & Rotarians. Paulette Britton, RSF President was Host and presented Dylan Stolba a comfort bear for her 4-Way Test Speech on mental health.

Then each Club President gave an overview of their club's activities and priorities. Here is Susan talking about our community involvement with Stand Down and Blood Drives

And we ended the afternoon happy to see other dedicated Rotarians and feeling good

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 14, 2023

It was a great day in Rotary as we inducted three new members - Felix Singh, brought to us by Elena of the Santee Rotary club; and Monica Stuck and Yolanda Silva with the Hilton Corporate Membership, joining Joe Kuhn. WELCOME!!

Congratulations to Art on his new home purchase, with Paul's help, and Vicky's help with insurance; and to Barbara on her closing of Double B Ranch in the Columbia River Gorge area

Welcome back to Venky who went to Iceland to see the Northern Lights and to Susan who was visiting Rotary Headquarters in Evanston, IL and her sister in Michigan

Here she is "shaking the hand" of founder Paul Harris and with Mark and 4 Past RI Presidents

Charlotte enjoyed lunch at Viewpoint Brewery with friends visiting from Norway after a fun hike; Nicole was grateful for apple Care after her phone landed in the water; and we were happy to hear that Patricia has an ablation scheduled next week to relieve back pain

Vicky reminded members to contribute to Rotary International Annual Fund by April 30 and shared pictures from our first project in El Salvador as a result of funds available through a Foundation Grant - building a school and vocational center.

And where we continue to help 15 years later

Vicky was recognized by Susan with an Imagine Rotary pin for all her contributions to the club

Art is our new auctioneer extraordinaire as he collected $360 for 3 Ukraine Rotary pins - thank you Venky, Jan & Herb

Please visit our Upcoming Events for more information and to signup for Feeding San Diego and Rotarians At Work Day and our 7-Way Meeting on April 19 (we will be dark on the 21st)

Jordan Karney Chaim, an art historian and Curator for the Institute of Contemporary Art San Diego, gave an interesting, informative talk about this institution that is in Balboa Park and Encinitas. Their mission is to present experimental art and learning with a mission to question everything - and their focus next year will be on the interface of art and science using human data. They also have a sculpture trail overlooking the San Elijo Lagoon that is inspired by the coastal landscape. A good time to visit ICS North will be on April 29 at Casa de Amistad Gala

President Susan presenting Jordan with our OEF certificate for speaking with us today

Model UN 2023

Posted on Apr 02, 2023

Congratulations to Nicole Mione-Green & Kevin Cahill on another fabulous Model UN at Del Mar City Hall

and to the students with Casa de Amistad who did a great job representing So. Korea & India

Students and supporters from our club

Nicole, Alex, George, Edmar, Yaretzi, Jan, and Kevin

(Yadira missing from picture)

Edmar and Alex presenting positions on space debris

Rotary & Club News

It was great to have Felix back with us today and Joe Kuhn and Monica Stuck from the Hilton,

as we welcomed Joe as a new Corporate Member

As Membership Co-Chairs Molly Fleming and Paul Butler made the induction and pinned him, all joined President-Elect Malcom Koll in congratulating him on joining the other 1.2MM Rotarians who do good in the world

We wish Susan & Mark Hennenfent a great trip to Rotary Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois where they are being honored as Arch Klumph Society members and recognized as Rotary Foundation's highest level of donors

Malcolm wished Herb & Beverly a Happy Anniversary on the 23rd, but was not sure which one it is as different dates are showing in Club Runner under their profiles. He also shared that there are many more changes than his first time as President, such as more acronyms and 7 areas of service instead of 4. He will be focusing on Anti- Human Trafficking during his term.

Thank you to Di, Herb, Malcolm, Charles K, & Barbara for attending the District Training last Saturday

Herb shared a request from Glenda Collins with Friends of Joshua to help with funds for Malawi, Africa after the devastation done by the

recent cyclone

Vicky asked that all donation to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund (EREY) be made by April 30. It can be in amount amount above $25, and the suggested donation is $250

Nicole offered 10% off for tickets to Casa de Amistad's Celebration on April 29th, which Malcolm quickly grabbed by purchasing a table for 10

Paula Claussen and Doug Hoffman spoke to us today about Project Mercy Baja and the wonderful work their non-profit does for the impoverished in Eastern Tijuana. Not only do they build solid and secure houses for those in need, but they are also building schools, supporting children's education, providing needed food and water, and helping with sanitation. Before they left, the club presented them with $255 collected at the meeting.

Malcolm presented Paula with our OEF Certificate for speaking with us today, which shows our help to needy in El Salvador

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 24, 2023

Our Korean War Hero & 10 Year Rotarian George Sousa drew a crowd of over 15 guests to hear him talk about his Korean War experience and watch an interview of him when he was in Washington DC as part of Honor Flight San Diego

Here he is with some of his family and friends who were there - Stacey Halboth with Honor Flight San Diego, friend and Snowboard Olympian Tessa, sons Jim and Bill with their wives

George was 21 when he was drafted into the Army 2nd Infantry Division & headed to Korea, leaving behind a wife of 2 months, pregnant with their first son. He is the only survivor of the tank attack on Heartbreak Ridge for which he won a purple heart.

Please click on link below to see the touching interview

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIT1i6SleXY

Here, Stacey Halboth, who accompanied George on his Honor Flight, holds a newspaper article of George in the local paper upon his return from the war

George wants everyone to remember that this was a real war where over 36,000 Americans died; he is very proud of his unit saying the 2nd Infantry Division is 2nd to none; and wants people to remember to thank Veterans for the sacrifices they made for our country. All gave George a standing ovation (Pictured here: Akilah Templeton, CEO of Veterans Village; Alicia Foster, Jon Fish, Monica Stuck, Human Resources with the Hilton; Nancy Starling, Carlsbad Rotary; Charles Foster, Joe Kuhn, Hilton General Manager; and Suzanne Sutton)

Acting President/President Elect Malcolm Koll presenting George our certificate showing our commitment and work with OEF and the children of El Salvador

On a lighter note, Malcolm showed George dancing to the music in a Korean "Gangnam Style" video

Other Rotary news included Di Shimkus reminding members of the Nature Collective walk next Thursday, 3/30 at 9:00am & Rotarians at Work Day there on April 29; Paul Butler, Membership Chair sharing Susan's goal of going from 29 to 34 members; Sushandra Brahma updating us on the $32K Global Grant on organic farming that we are doing with her non-profit in Calcutta, India; and Nicole Mione-Green, Youth Chair, asking for funds to purchase business attire for our students who will be participating in Model UN on April 1 & 2.

Blood Drive

Posted on Mar 18, 2023

Another great Blood Drive -

Thank you Lew for organizing and Rotarians & friends for helping & donating

March Social

March fun social at Bushfire Kitchen

Rotary & Club News

Visitor's Day was a huge success with over 12 guests to see the great work that Rotary and our club does

One of the highlights was inducting Charles Koll as a new member - the third generation of Kolls as Rotarians!! Proud dad, Malcolm pinned him, Paul as Membership Chair read the induction, and President Susan handed him his red badge, and then the club gave him a standing ovation.

We were also pleased to learn that Joe Kuhn and the Hilton will be joining us as Corporate Members. Welcome all!!!

Herb connected us with Chikondi Dyson in Malawi who we are helping attend college and got an update on his activities

Vicky showed a video and updated us on the status of the Rotary Foundation's End Polio Now campaign and reminded us of their pledge of $50MM pledge toward this goal, which is matched 2x1 by the Gates Foundation. Herb shared that they have also made 300,000 grants totaling $15MM to Ukraine

John van Cleef, the CEO of the Community Resource Center and Encinitas Rotarian, was our speaker today and updated us on the long range plans of this wonderful non-profit that started as a bread truck in 1979. Susan showed some old photos of our 15+ year support of the CRC, including the Holiday Food Baskets program

Di, as Community Service Chair, presented John two checks from our club: $500 for their Capital Campaign and $1000 for their Mental Health program. President Susan thanked him for being our speaker by presenting him with a certificate showing our support of OEF in El Salvador with the emphasis on children's education, health, and development

We hope we will see all our guests at our social next Thursday, 3/16 at Bushfire Kitchen in Del Mar starting at 5:30, which will take the place of Friday's meeting. Also mark your calendars for the 7-Way Meeting on April 19 at the Hilton

Happy Holi & International Women's Day

Posted on Mar 08, 2023

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 03, 2023

It was a great day as Susan recognized George for all the wonderful things he has done for Rotary, his family, the community, and the world

We faced a beautiful picture of San Diego & snow capped mountains from 1989 - which it looks like today after our recent storms, as Steve reviewed Rotaries 7 areas of focus: Peacebuilding, Disease Prevention, Sanitation, Child Health, Education, Economic Development, & Environment

And it was nice to see Sibylle with Kevin, Charles Koll back for his 4th time, and Jerry, a visitor from Atlanta. Patricia and Susan gave huge accolades to Barbara, Barbara (Fish), and Molly for taking all the items from our locker. Let Susan know if you can store 4 bins of lobsterfest items. And thank you to Bill & Suzanne who will host the demotion party on June 11

Patricia gave a touching update on Shelter Box and showed the major countries where they are helping the 85 million people who are displaced due to violence or turmoil in the world: Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, Pakistan, Mozambique

Molly reminded everyone that next Friday's meeting will be a membership day, so invite your friends, colleagues, acquaintances to hear John Van Cleef, CEO of the CRC

Di clarified that Rotarians at Work Day will be on April 29 from 9-1 which we will be doing with the Solana Beach Eco Club and Encinitas Rotary

We had a great update on happenings in Solana Beach from Lesa Heebner, Mayor, which could also be viewed live on facebook. SB is the 2nd smallest region in the area with 3.4sq miles and faces the same issues as Del Mar - affordable housing and issues with multi-property dwellings. The third phase of the $7MM government grant Corridor Improvement Project is underway to make street more user-friendly and safe. Susan let Lesa know that we will be making a donation in her name for speaking with us, to OEF, a non-profit we support in El Salvador that focuses on children's health and education.

And some were fortunate to hear Kevin's beautiful playing as we left the Hilton for the day

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 24, 2023

It was great to have Area 4 Presidents & Governors with us today

Our Invocation from Suchandra, who is back from India after 4 months

We were also happy to have back Judy Hunt from Colorado, Charles Koll from Viewpoint for the 3rd time in anticipation of becoming a new member; Leif Halgrim with mom Charlotte, and Don Wells with Just in Time for Foster Youth, who we presented a check to for $6488.97 as one of our LobsterFest Major Beneficiaries. This is the 20th Anniversary for Just in Time, and we have been one of their main supporters from the beginning.

Let Susan, Malcolm or Patricia know if you are interested in any of items from our locker as we clean out

A fun time was had at our social last Thursday at Bushfire. The next will be Thursday, March 16

Joe Kuhn, General Manager of the Hilton where we meet, gave a fun talk about his life in the hotel industry where he started as a housekeeper and rose to regional manager. He considers himself an Innkeeper - taking care of guests, employees, and owners, and works under the management style of Fun, Fair, and Firm. The Hilton is part of Aimbridge Hospitality, the largest franchise hotel industry in the world.

Susan was proud to present Joe with our OEF certificate showing our support for needy children in El Salvador

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 10, 2023

We had a great turnout today - a reflection of the great job Susan is doing as President

We welcomed visitors Mark Hennenfent, Barbara's guest Lola, Charles Koll from Viewpoint Brewery, and Evan Bridgham from Country Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer's office who mentioned the $500/month rental subsidy for qualifying seniors (contact their office for more info)

Paul proudly attended the swearing in by Governor Newsom last week of daughter Katie Butler as the Deputy Director of Hazardous Waste Management with a staff of over 300 people - Congratulations!!!!
Art was able to visit with his son Brandon who was home from his job in the Capital Hill office of Sarah Jacobs
Happy Birthday to Molly's Finn who turns 3 next week
Nicole shared that Casa de Amistad has raised over $9K for one of their families affected by the earthquake in Turkey
Charles invited all to the fundraising event at Viewpoint for local Ukrainians who have been displaced by the ongoing war

NEWS FLASH - LOVE FOR UKRAINIANS NOW CHANGED TO ONE EVENT:

DINNER 6:30-9:30 FOR $120/pp

Vicky shared a Rotary Foundation video and highlighted the seven areas of focus

Susan recognized Di Shimkus with an Imagine Rotary pin in recognition of all the great work she does with Community Service for our club, her work, and her personal life

Social at Bushfire Kitchen next Thursday, 2/16 from 5:30-7:00 and dark on Friday

Nature Walk led by Di after our 2/24 meeting

Patricia invited Rotarians to an upcoming Shelterbox online event on 2/28 at 9:00am which will give a briefing on their humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine

Our speaker today, Chris Khoury, MD has been recognized for his many environmental contributions by the State of California, County of San Diego, Cities of San Diego & Escondido, and the San Dieguito River Park. He shared that the climate crisis is real and as Jonas Salk said "We have no greater responsibility than to strive to be good ancestors". Visit https://citizensclimatelobby.org for more information.

Susan presented Dr. Khoury with our OEF Certificate showing our help to children in El Salvador

Solana Beach Living

Posted on Feb 04, 2023

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 03, 2023

Susan spent a wonderful week with her mom in Arizona

Patricia encouraged everyone to get a heart workup to catch any blocked arteries like she had

Beverly was the high bidder at $75 for a Rotary/Ukraine pin that Bill supplied

Malcolm is off to PETS this weekend along with Steve, reviewing duties as President-Elect

THANK YOU!!

There is one day left to donate to the Kitty McGee Memorial Fund in honor of our long time friend and supporter. We have raised $540 to date

Herb reported that we have raised $4100 ($2300 from club members + $1800 from our international budget) for our project to help kids in El Salvador through OEF, which will be matched by Ildiko.

Click on this link to watch a video of some of their activities: https://youtu.be/6byI_FPdLiE

The next blood drive will be March 18

Susan & Barbara attended the membership workshop on zoom last Saturday, which focused on attracting young professionals. When looking for new members, remember how much Rotary has done for you and pass on that opportunity to others so they can also benefit

We were happy to have the Mayor of Del Mar, Tracey Martinez speak with us this morning. This female, Latino, nurse has been on the City Council for three years and will be serving in this rotating term as mayor for one year. She feels that one of the most difficult tasks ahead is meeting the affordable housing requirements and dealing with ADU (Accessory Dwelling Unit) and SP9 expansion issues. On a happier note, the City will receive $300 million to do an environment study on moving the train tracks off the bluff.

Susan presented Tracey with our OEF certificate that the above video highlights of our activities in El Salvador

Nature Collective Walk

Posted on Jan 28, 2023

Thank you Di on leading us on a wonderful walk

through the San Elijo Lagoon in honor of our $5000 District Grant to the Nature Collective

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 27, 2023

Vicky started with a John Wesley invocation

Welcome to visitors Tessa, who represented the U.S. in snowboarding at the Olympics in China; Judy, a Rotarian who divides her time between Del Mar & Colorado; Mauer, who we're always glad to see with Charlotte; and Luis Carranza, District Governor Nominee Designate

Happy Rotarians included:

Paul who with George & Bill attended the ceremony of retired Navy Capt. Royce Williams who was awarded the Navy Cross for his exploits during the Korean War
Barbara who shared with other Rotarians her wine tasting event won at LobsterFest
Herb & Beverly for a great trip to Egypt, Paris, and Normandy
Charlotte for Lief's 11th birthday
George for his invitation to visit Korea with grateful Korean war survivors

Di shared that we will be giving Feeding San Diego $500 from Community Service funds, and will be helping again at afternoon shifts to sort food. Also, the Mental Health programs at the CRC will be receiving $1000 from the CS budget. Di helped count and interview the homeless in North County last week

Kevin & Nicole reported that the Model UN training went well with 39 teams, two which we are sponsoring from Casa de Amistad who will be representing South Korea & India

Patricia reminded us that the 3rd Thursday of each month will be a social at Bushfire Kitchen in lieu of the Friday meeting

Malcom reminded us that today is

And on a lighter note, they celebrate Ginuary all month in the UK

We were honored to have Dr. Michael Mantell as our speaker today. He is a world renowned behavior science expert and author, well known for his book "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff PS: It's All Small Stuff." He praised Paul Harris for starting in 1905 an organization that puts Service, and Others Above Self and reminded us that the link is what you think; space is power; your emotions are your responsibility; and its important to incorporate acceptance and flexibility in ones thinking. As he quoted from Voltaire: "Life is a wreck, but we must learn to sing in our lifeboat"

Malcolm, as Acting President, presented him our certificate that shows our support of OEF in El Salvador

Bushfire Social

Posted on Jan 20, 2023

Another fun social at Bushfire Kitchen in Del Mar

President Susan leading the toast to good friends & family

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 06, 2023

Art quoted Shakespeare in his invocation:

Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none

We are so glad Patricia went for an angiogram and wish her a quick recovery from the 4 stents they put in!!

Best Wishes to Malcolm & Venesse on their 39th Anniversary & to Bill for his upcoming 76th Birthday

Happy travelers over the holidays were Charlotte for a trip to Puerto Vallarta with family; Art to Mexico, Alaska, & DC to see his son's new home; Jon to Chicago to spend with his grandkids, daughter, & wife

Nicole shared the following comic about superhero Rotarians that her husband found

Welcome to Rotarian Judy Hunt who was visiting from Colorado

Jan showing off the Imagine Rotary pin given her by Susan in recognition of her work on our website and press releases

We were proud to present Casa de Amistad a check for $7364 as one of our LobsterFest major beneficiaries

It was with great sadness that we learned that long time friend and supporter, Kitty McGee passed away on December 27.

She provided countless hours of her time and brilliant graphic arts/marketing talents in support of our club and our fundraisers - Boccefest and Lobsterfest. A site for donations in honor of Kitty has been set up through the Rotary Foundation. Click below if you'd like to contribute

https://raise.rotary.org/KittyMcGee/memorial

After much analysis, Treasurer Charlotte presented two options going forward for dues (club, district, international) which will be charged to all whether present at meetings or not:

Option 1: $206/qtr to include coffee but no breakfast

Options 2: $245/qtr with full access to the hotel breakfast buffet

Let her know your choice if you did not complete a ballot

Our own Di Shimkus (founder of Everyday Mindfulness who has been practicing & teaching mindfulness for over 40 years), started our new year with mindfulness practices for every day. We learned that due to neuroplasticity the brain can be changed for the better and that the first 3 thoughts of the day can determine what kind of day you will have.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live wisely and compassionately in the present moment"

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Posted on Dec 24, 2022

Wreaths Across America

Posted on Dec 23, 2022

Rotarians place wreaths on the graves of our fallen heroes for the holidays to remember & honor them

in conjunction with Wreaths Across America

Charlotte Jones, Mauer and Leif Halgrim; Suzanne & Bill Sutton (not pictured)

CRC/Casa de Amistad

Posted on Dec 22, 2022

Casa de Amistad Party

Posted on Dec 20, 2022

More pictures from the Casa de Amistad Party

Enjoying holiday crafts & Santa

Happy Hanukkah

Posted on Dec 19, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 16, 2022

The last meeting of the year brought out a great turnout:

- It was nice to see Phil in person - Art showed up & was fined for his long hair - Molly was back after Covid

The Suttons & Butler have the same wedding anniversary on the 27th

This would have been George & Lou's 72 Anniversary

Bill gave happy dollars for his & Suzanne's 52nd (or is that 53?, to which Suzanne responded: It's been real!!)

Paul almost forgot to contribute for his & Mary's 44th, but he came through

Molly was happy for Riley's 4th Birthday!!!!

Ken was fined for his ugly Christmas sweater that appeared in Newsbits as part of Surfers United

Jan was $76 happy for her 12/17 Birthday

Congratulations to Patricia who was recognized by Susan for all her great work with our socials

And we learned of upcoming socials at Bushfire Kitchen the 3rd Thursday of each month through March

Barbara Berkovich gave her Who Am I: She is a professor at USD with a PHD in Medical Data Records and has a son who lives in Beijing, a daughter, and a dog named Ruben

Malcolm generously gave everyone a Charles Koll Jewelry Works Holiday Ornament, which they will engrave for free if you stop by their store in Sorrento Valley

Our speaker, Don Kent, President & CEO of Hubbs-Seaworld Research gave a fascinating talk about how this non-profit scientific research organization is committed to conserving and renewing marine life to ensure a healthier planet.

Happy Holidays - See you in 2023

Holiday Party for Casa de Amistad

Posted on Dec 14, 2022

So much fun at the Holiday Extravaganza we threw for Casa de Amistad Families -

tamales, holiday crafts, hot chocolate, Santa, gifts, & love

Thank you Fosters & Suttons for sponsoring & everyone who contributed & helped

Feeding San Diego for CRC

Posted on Dec 10, 2022

Helping At Feeding San Diego for CRC Families

Susan kept count as we reached the goal of 270 bags each of kiwi & onions

Bag cutters Al, Di, & Charlotte

Working the kiwi: Sandy, Bill, Suzanne, Barbara, & Jan

Onion baggers: Mark, Kevin, Vicky, Paul, & Lew

Holiday Party

Posted on Dec 07, 2022

The Holiday Party at the home of Jon & Barbara Fish started the season with great fun, food, and fellowship

and social divas Patricia & Suzanne had members competing in the Christmas trivia contest

Happy Holidays & thank you to all

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 02, 2022

Charlotte reminded us to give thanks for the light

We were sorry to hear that Sandy has the flu, Molly has Covid, and Venky broke his wrist. Happy Rotarians were Susan for a wonderful trip to Hawaii where she swam with the manta rays & watched Mauna Loa erupt; Charles for a great trip with grandkids to Machu Picchu, the Galapagos, & sale of his home; Steve for a fun trip to Cabo where he played pickleball

To give the Hilton a good count, Susan would like to know by noon on Wednesday of each week if you cannot attend the Friday meeting

Patricia in her Christmas attire reminded members of the Holiday Party at the Fish's on Sunday, 12/4, at 5:00 - byob

Our most critical area of focus this year is membership. Paul reiterated our goal of 38 members by the end of the fiscal year. Look for 1st responders in December - police, fire fighters, paramedics

Check Upcoming Events for Food Sorting & Casa de Amistad Holiday Extravaganza which will now be in two shifts

Wreaths Across America will be on 12/17 this year. Sign up directly with them

We were reminded of the wonderful services provided by Interfaith Shelter Network in conjunction with local congregations and community partners to provide shelter, transitional housing, & homelessness assistance. We learned from Joe Zilvinskis that the non-profit has been around 36 years and counts on its 4000 volunteers & 8 staff to provide their guests a safe, caring environment. ISN also has a transitional living program for domestic violence victims.

Namma Beach, Namma Chennai

Posted on Dec 01, 2022

Nova Spero

Thanksgiving

Posted on Nov 23, 2022

Happy Thanksgiving

No meeting on Friday, 11/25

Rotary & Club News

As Presiding President-Elect Malcolm so succinctly said in the invocation:

To Friends, Fellowship, and The Opportunity to Serve

(We loved his day-glo gavel, but don't ask him why an angel is at the top of a Christmas tree, and remind him he cannot fine a non-member such as Kirk)

Best Wishes for a Wonderful 92nd Birthday to our Korean War Hero, George Sousa, on the 23rd

Vicky reminded members to go to Rotary.org and give to the Foundation's Annual Fund on Giving Tuesday, 11/29

Be sure to sign up on the Feeding San Diego website for our food sorting on 12/9 - click on the link under Upcoming Events

Youth Chair, Nicole read another letter from a happy LEAD participant and brought a wreath with numbers identifying families to support for Casa de Amistad Holiday Gift Drive. Gifts can be dropped off from 9-12pm on 12/15 at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church on Stevens Avenue

Dave Oates from Club 33 who helped launch the District Anti-Human Trafficking Taskforce during Steve Weitzen's term as Governor, gave a great update on the Task Force's activities. He included what to look for in victims, the breakdown of the $70,000 Global Grant that we contributed to, and how they are working with schools to train teachers and focus on prevention.

Malcolm presented him with our OEF Certificate that shows our help with kids in El Salvador

Newsbits/Namma Beach, Namma Chennai

Posted on Nov 13, 2022

See full article at: https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/arcnews/a-global-approach-to-preventing-plastic-from-reaching-the-ocean

Rotary & Club News/Veterans Day
Veterans Day

Posted on Nov 11, 2022

Happy Veterans Day

We began a great Veterans Day listening to God Bless the USA song by Veterans

We also had a table honoring some of our own with items from Bill Sutton, George Sousa, and Paul Butler

and enjoyed seeing George in his decorated jacket and Charlotte in her grandfather's Navy uniform & dixie cup

And fittingly, our speaker today was Akilah Templeton, CEO & President of Veterans Village of San Diego who updated us on their work in helping veterans with temporary housing, drug treatment, employment services, health issues, and financial assistance. We learned there are over 240,000 veterans in San Diego and over 100,000 active duty military here.

Auctioneer extraordinaire, Keven Cahill auctioned items left over from LobsterFest with proceeds going toward our Polio Eradication campaign. $150 was raised from gift certificates for men's & cowboy clothing, massage/fitness, hair cuts, and a great picnic basket won by Di Shimkus

Nicole read a letter from one of the two middle-schoolers we sent to the LEAD (Leadership, Ethics, Aspirations & Determinations) conference with nothing but praise and gratitude for the experience

Di encouraged everyone to sign up under Upcoming Events for our CRC food sorting and Casa de Amistad party. She also shared that we will be giving $500 toward an Honor Flight veteran. Please contact George Sousa if you would like to contribute to the $2500 fee

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 04, 2022

Welcome to Luis Carranza who was with us today and who was recently named District 5340 Governor for 2025-2026

And Warm Birthday Wishes to Beverly Liberman

We also welcomed Angela Aguirre, Rojan Krishnan, and Connor Chung from Canyon Crest Academy who with the non-profit Nova Spero (New Hope) help refugee kids in City Heights with friendship, tutoring, and mentoring to help them on their way to a successful education and life.

Patricia identified the group after Susan sent out a plea to find and recognize people doing good in our communities

President Susan presented each with our Distinguished Student Service Citation and an "Imagine Rotary" pin

Charlotte gave the final numbers for LobsterFest 2022

Gross Income - $61,985

Expenses - $24,665

Net Profit - $37,320

Great Job!!! All funds go to charities with 40% to our two major beneficiaries - Just in Time for Foster Youth and Casa de Amistad; 5% to our Foundation fund, and the rest split with our service areas - Community Service, International, and Youth

Social Diva Patricia wore her Holiday Sweater to promote our Holiday Party on Sunday, 12/4, from 5-7pm at the home of Barbara & Jon Fish, and to give members time to polish up on their holiday trivia

Vicky passed the Polio Jar to focus attention on the importance of eradicating this disease

Di announced our commitment to help at Feeding San Diego on 12/9 from 12-2pm to pack produce that will be given out at the CRC Holiday Baskets Event the next day

We also will be sponsoring the Casa de Amistad Holiday Party on 12/13 from 4-7pm. Charles & Alicia and Bill & Suzanne will match up to $1000 in donations from club members to help with this event

Jon introduced our speaker, Maren Kavanagh, Community Education Coordinator with I love a Clean San Diego.

Their mission is to create zero waste lifestyles and zero litter throughout San Diego County. Through education and action they are dedicated to empowering every person to be leaders in conservation and waste-free living in order to protect and improve our health and environment.

Susan presented Maren with our OEF speaker certificate and explained how we are making lives better for the less fortunate in El Salvador

Rotary & Club News/Blood Drive/District Conference

Posted on Oct 30, 2022

It's been a busy weekend starting with our meeting on Friday where President-Elect Malcolm Koll presided in Susan's absence, and was fined by Steve for a bad joke

Happy dollars came for Paul's giant leap with Reality Changers' Over the Edge and Di's leading us on a great walk through San Elijo Lagoon for World World Day; Charles reminded us that the CRC truck has the DMSB Rotary logo on it; and Venky shared info on our $4800 District Grant in Chennai, India for beach cleanup and education

Manuel Camargo updated us on the decommissioning of SONGS power plant which should be done in 2028. He encouraged members to join the Action for Spent Fuel Solutions, a new coalition to advocate for solutions

Lew organized another successful Blood Drive on Saturday, where we had a lot of walk-ups give blood

Thank you to those who helped: Mark, Bill, Suzanne, Herb, Jan, & Beverly and especially to those who gave blood : Sandi, Malcolm, Jon,

Ken, Charles, and Di's husband Al

Susan was busy at the District Conference which consisted of morning/afternoon business sessions and then the Foundation Gala in the evening. The evening activities began with talented Aerialists on the outside patio during cocktail hour and lots of Rotarians in fun costumes to admire

We then headed indoors where we were treated to a performance by the Carlsbad HS Lancers Dancers

which was enjoyed by Susan & Mark Hennenfent, Steve & Ava Weitzen, Beverly & Herb Liberman, and Jan Parsons. Herb, Bev, and Jan had fun with Rotaract members from San Diego State University where they all shared "Rambo's" wig

Chuck started the formal meeting introducing speakers for The Foundation and recognized Susan and Mark as the Newest Arch Klumph Society members for their large donation. He then changed into Superman (super hero that he is) before recognizing Steve as Past DG who never got a live conference due to covid precautions and declared costume winners

Rotarians closed the celebration by dancing to the great music of Matt Heineke & Crown Town Music

Happy Diwali

Posted on Oct 24, 2022

Happy Diwali

May your life be full of light and love

Over the Edge

Posted on Oct 23, 2022

The Butler Did It - went Over the Edge in style for Reality Changers

with family & friends cheering on his cheeky form

Reality Changers' CEO Tamara Craver was on hand, along with his admirers, to congratulate Paul on a job well done

End Polio Now Walk

Posted on Oct 22, 2022

Walking to End Polio Now

in honor of World Polio Day 10/24

and enjoying a docent led tour with The Nature Collective

through San Elijo Lagoon

where we saw lots of native plants and local birds

including an egret and a blue heron catching fish

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 21, 2022

It was wonderful to have distinguished District 5340 guests with us this morning: DG Chuck Pretto, DG Elect Don Fipps, and Major Gifts director John Teish, who was our speaker

The highlight of the meeting was recognition of

Susan & Mark Hennenfent as new Arch Klumph Society Members

(meaning they have contributed at least $250,000 to The Rotary Foundation)

Congratulations & Thank You

And Happy Birthday to Susan on the 24th which she shares with World Polio Day

Happy Rotarians also included Steve for his 3rd granddaughter, Charles for his recent move, Ken for the Clubs support of his 100 Wave Challenge (see his fabulous shirt below), Paul for his upcoming rappel, Jan for Paul's upcoming rappel, Herb for Kevin's wedding party, and Charlotte for joining her mother in Vegas for a John Mayer (oops - John Legend) concert

Steve was fined by President Susan for signing up under the SB Eco Club

Chuck also recognized Phil on zoom with a Paul Harris +2 pin for his contributions to The Rotary Foundation

Look forward to seeing everyone at our End Polio Now Walk at The Nature Collective tomorrow, 10/22

2710 Manchester Ave, Cardiff

John gave an impassioned talk about the Rotary Foundation and ways we can fulfill Rotary's Vision Statement to unite people and create lasting change - across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves

Susan presented him with our OEF support certificate and explained how we have used Global Grant funds to help make a better life for the needy in El Salvador

Over the Edge

Posted on Oct 17, 2022

Come cheer Paul on as he goes Over the Edge for Reality Changers

Sunday, 10/23 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, San Diego

1 Market Place, San Diego

His window to rappel is between 9:00-10:00am

and he will be wearing his traditional Butler's outfit of white shirt, black pants, and bow tie

And help him raise funds to prepare youth to become first-generation college graduates and agents of change by clinking on the link below. Donate today to help students achieve their dreams and help The Butler go Over The Edge

https://give.realitychangers.org/fundraiser/4235871

Rotary Social

Posted on Oct 14, 2022

A fun evening at Bushfire Kitchen

thank you to our social divas Patricia & Suzanne

And it was wonderful to meet Meera's cousin Malini Srinivasan, Past President of the Mysore East Rotary Club, India, who we were able to exchange flags with

Indigenous Peoples Day

Posted on Oct 10, 2022

Happy Indigenous Peoples Day

Let us remember our history with compassion and understanding

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 07, 2022

Congratulations and Welcome to our newest member

Barbara Berkovitz

who Susan presented with her new Red Badge, Rotary pin, and Member Certificate

Barbara is a professor at USD, has her PHD in Medical Data Records, and lives between Susan & Bill & Suzanne.

She joins 1.2MM Rotarians in 33,000 clubs in 200 countries who share in friendship and service

We wish Susheela well in her upcoming knee surgery in 2 1/2 weeks, after years of delays

It was good to have Jon back after an Oceana Cruise from Montreal to New York; Charles has two 10x10 pop-ups for anyone interested; and Bill was happy for such warm comradery at the LobsterFest wrap-up meeting

Sign-up with Lew for the Blood Drive on 10/29

Charlotte asked members to watch for upcoming quarterly billings and requested payment by credit card if possible to make accounting easier. And let her know if you have any outstanding LobsterFest expenses for reimbursement.

Susan recognized Charlotte for all the hard work she has done with LobsterFest and as Treasurer.

She also asked members to watch for people in our community who are doing outstanding service so we can invite them and their family & friends to our club to honor them

As Foundation Chair, Vicky announced the upcoming walk To End Polio Now in Honor of 10/24 World Polio Day. The walk will be at the Nature Collective on 10/22 from 9:00-12:00 with lunch after. Let her know if you need a red End Polio Now t-shirt

Di with Community Service took pledges and encouraged support for Ken's 100 Wave Challenge (with the help of daughter Issie) on Saturday 10/8 to help Boys to Men, and awarded a $50 Flemings gift card to Charlotte who won the raffle. Upcoming events may include baskets for the CRC if the club approves and Feeding San Diego food sorting.

Club member Suchandra Brahma, Psychiatrist in Pharmacology, born in Fargo, ND, and founder of A View in Calcutta, India, gave a touching and informational talk and video of the work her non-profit does in providing treatment and rehabilitation to medically handicapped, homeless women in India. We have done a Global Grant to help in her work and everyone was grateful to see the good they are doing.

Susan presented Suchandra with a well deserved Service Above Self Award

Honor Flight San Diego

Posted on Oct 02, 2022

Rotarians & friends give a warm welcome to

Vietnam Veterans

returning from their Honor Flight to Washington DC

Veterans finally receive the welcome home they deserved

Susan Hennenfent, George Sousa (former Honor Flight recipient for the Korean War), Mark Hennenfent, Maria Moujaes, Jan Parsons

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 30, 2022

We had many guests today starting with Dawn Van Siclen, Rotary Asst. Governor Area 6, Carlsbad; our speaker & Rancho Santa Fe Rotarian Amy Scruggs; El Presidente of DMSB Rotary Susan Hennenfent, and Past Dist. Governor and member of our club, Steve Weitzen

Dawn also is the Chair of the District Conference & Foundation Gala on October 29 at the Del Mar Hilton. Sign up at the District website

Also joining us today was former DMSB Rotary Pres., Kirk "the great" Collins; Malcolm's cousin Dave and brother Peter from South Africa, here for Charles' upcoming wedding; and Chris Dinofia from Movement Mortgage, who works with Paul

The other great news regarding Malcolm, is that he is our new President Elect

That means he will be our President for the Rotary year 2023-2024 (his 2nd time in this position)

THANK YOU MALCOLM!!!

It was good to have Venky back in person after his successful knee surgery and Kevin after his recent marriage in Switzerland and honeymoon in The Cook Islands. Susan shared that OEF in El Salvador received a $20K grant from Women's Empowerment International, partly based on all the projects we have done with them

And a WARM WELCOME to our newest member Barbara Berkovitz, who will receive her Red Badge next week in a formal presentation

Susan, Mark, Bill, and Suzanne recently cleaned out our storage locker at Smart Self Storage. If members can store our canopies in their garages, we could clear the locker and save $1000/year. Let Susan know if you can help. Herb took one growler that Bill brought in (but he has more) and extra pens went to Casa de Amistad. Malcolm is in charge is finding a new home for the bocce equipment, and Patricia volunteered to help.

Charles displayed pictures and clippings from club activities over the years, that he hopes can find a new home (he is cleaning out his in anticipation of his move to La Costa Glen)

Herb shared a picture of Chikondi Dyson, the student in Malawi that we are supporting to attend the University of Malawi for 4 years and Lew announced our next Blood Drive on October 29

Our speaker, Amy Scruggs is not only an accomplished country music singer but an expert in digital marketing and media coaching. She shared how important it is to communicate effectively and gave tips on how to tell The Rotary Story. We then were treated to a video of her latest hit "What if all goes right"

SD Foundation Picnic

Posted on Sep 25, 2022

Sharing our Rotary Story at the Del Mar Foundation Community Picnic at Powerhouse Park

Thank you Lew, Charles, Sandy, Patricia, Suzanne, Bill, Jan & Paul

Rotary & Club News

Everyone was happy to reflect on our wonderful LobsterFest last week where 100% of club members participated.

Charlotte updated us on current gross numbers which total aprox. $62,000, but are not yet final:

$33,750 sponsorships, $3,750 individual tickets, $8,000 donations, $3000 raffle tickets, $13,584 auction

Happy Birthday to Susheela for her Monday birthday

Patricia announced a change in venue for our October social on the 13th to Bush Fire in Del Mar instead of the Hilton and Paul reminded us to focus on Education/teachers which is the classification for the month. The Holiday party will be 12/4.

We got a wonderful presentation on our local geology and formation of our mountain ranges from Mike Thacker, who is a Senior Staff R&D Scientist at Thermo Fisher Scientific in Carlsbad. Though his knowledge in geology is self taught, it has served him well as a member of the Board of Trustees for the San Diego Archaelogical Center since 2017

President Susan presented Mike with a speakers certificate showing our support for OEF in El Salvador

LobsterFest

Posted on Sep 22, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 16, 2022

One day til LobsterFest 2022

Di helping Sandy with the lobster hat

Bill gave Steve a Rotary hat signed by Bob Marley (is it the truth?). The real one is available on our LobsterFest Auction site,

https://www.biddingforgood.com/auction/auctionhome.action?auctionId=341699980

President Susan was seen and captured by The Del Mar Times supporting Del Mar Rotary's Sunset Soiree - and no, she is not married to our former DMSB Rotary President Kirk Collins, but to the wonderful Mark Hennenfent on the left

We were honored to have District Governor Chuck Pretto with us today, who handed out two Paul Harris Fellowship Awards: a PH+6 pin to Art and a PH+5 one to Vicky. Congratulations - well done!!

Chuck talked about how he joined Rotary to fill up his Rolodex but learned the true power of Rotary when he housed a Rotary foreign exchange student and learned how Rotary can create lasting changes in ourselves and the community. A top priority is adolescent mental health, and he has started a 5340 Mental Health Action Group along with Vista Hill and Rady Children's Hospital. Another goal is to put 30 Peace Polls in high schools throughout the county, for which Rotary International President Jennifer Jones will come and dedicate. Let's make it happen!! He ended by handing out the new Rotary pin which tells who we are.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 09, 2022

Counting down to LobsterFest on the 17th - this is the week that matters!!

We're now over $40,000 revenue
The article in the paper got attention and Vicky helped two people register
Charles' friend has donated $1000
Jon signed up for another table
Venky donated $500 since he cannot be with us
Monday is the cutoff as we need to give the Hilton a count
Check out more auction items

Susan updated us on the $9K District Grant we did with OEF in El Salvador, that helped change the lives of fifty-nine children living in extreme poverty. Dinorah & Dinorah joined us on zoom from El Salvador and shared a video they made with the children, showing us how the funds were used

Happy Rotarians were: Patricia for 36 days of hiking in Europe; Charlotte for their new tortoise; Bill because he only has a stuffed one; Paul as he met Katie's Rotary foreign exchange student; Ken for each year of Queen Elizabeth's rein

Malcolm did a fabulous job when fine-master Steve had him recite the 4-Way Test; Susan held the wheel as he spun to see how much Molly would pay in his place

Contact Paul to sign up to help at the Del Mar Foundation Community Picnic on 9/25 from 1:00-5:00 at Power House Park. This is a good opportunity to share Rotary and attract new members (as is LobsterFest)

Our speaker today was Yigal Adato who shared his experience as a leadership coach to help each person be more successful in business and life

LobsterFest 2022

Posted on Sep 01, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 26, 2022

Happy Rotarians included Jan for her church's upcoming 90th White Elephant sale; Molly for Riley's 1st day of a 2nd year of school; Charlotte for Leif's 1st day of 7th grade; Vicky for the fun Powerhouse Park concert; Bill for a great trip to the Canadian Rockies with Suzanne; Di for upcoming silent retreat; Charles (happy & sad) to report he & Alicia will be selling their home and moving to La Costa Glen; Steve for a wonderful Rotary meeting where he was honored with his picture on a cake & members paid homage to his Jewish heritage

It was great to have Nicole back from sabbatical and she updated us on activities with Casa de Amistad: they are very excited to be one of our major LobsterFest beneficiaries; they are meeting in person again after two years of being virtual due to the pandemic; they are extending activities to La Costa; and they are adding kindergarten & college prep assistance

LobsterFest Update: We are currently at $37,525 in sponsorships; we need to encourage bidding on our online auction (Charlotte confirmed the trips with Travel Pledge are great); Di thanked everyone for their raffle restaurant support and Paul helped pick our $200 raffle donation winner which, appropriately, was Vicky!!

Sandra Scheller, curator of the "RUTH: Remember Us The Holocaust" museum in Chula Vista (which was named after her mother), shared pictures saved in a trunk by her mother and touching stories of survivors who live in southern San Diego County. Bill, as presiding president today, presented her with our OEF certificate for speaking.

Newsbits: LobsterFest 2022

Posted on Aug 21, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 19, 2022

We had another great turnout of visitors to hear 3rd generation San Diegan & County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer update us on what she and other representatives are doing about homelessness, the train tracks, human trafficking, rotating in/out of jails, vaccinations, and more

Charles' daughter Laura Robinson joined us, as did Paul's granddaughter Zulima Butler Litsey, Di's friends Kelly McCormack and Bill Paxton, Barbara Berkovich for the 3rd time, and Rosy from Casa de Amistad

Happy $$s came from Charlotte on her upcoming 18th wedding anniversary; Venky for 11 family members visiting; Nicole for swimming with the manta rays; George for his trip to Washing DC; and Jan for Malcolm & Charles Koll Jewelers fixing her dad's ski trophy from 1936 that she brought back from Seattle

Vicky presented Sushandra her first Paul Harris Fellow award for donating $1000 to The Rotary Foundation, and Art on zoom his PH+6 pin (a ruby) for donating over $7000 to The Foundation. Thank you & well done!!

Susan thanked everyone for helping with Casa de Amistad Back to School Registration & Math Festival (but fined herself for not wearing Rotary attire). We helped over 200 children & families with backpacks, school supplies, snacks/beverages, games, and books donated in loving memory of Patricia Case's son, Dan.

Sushandra talked about her non-profit in India, A View, that helps women who have mental heath issues, and auctioned off 3 beautiful quilts that they made

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 12, 2022

We had a great turnout for Visitor's Day, which included Catalina Beltran from Casa de Amistad, Ivan Chavez and Ryan Mancera from Just in Time, former Rotarian Kirk Collins, Susan's neighbor Barbara Berkovich, Paul's CPA Louis Tommasino, Lisa from Dan McAllister's office, David Opperman, Malcom's cousin visiting from So. Africa, and Mark Hennenfent on zoom

We had two birthdays last week - Paul turned 67 and Art hit 68. Happy Birthday to both!!

Other happy Rotarians were Charles for a clean bill of health, Steve for 97 years with his father-in-law who just passed away; Charlotte for a trip to Sequoia National Park; Suzanne for surviving 3 days at Disneyland with 4 grandkids; Vicky, for a wonderful trip to the Flathead Lake area of Montana, and Jan for her 6600 mile road trip, where she got a chance to visit with Trish in her beautiful "new" digs (grandmother's former home) in San Luis Obispo

Di with Community Service reminded us of the Casa de Amistad event this Thursday, 8/18, to bring gift cards for our LobsterFest raffle & to enter our drawing, and shared that we will be doing a $5K District Grant with the Nature Collective. Herb with International informed us that the Board approved funds to help a student in Malawi with tuition and board. Paul filling in as Social Chair passed around a signup for the concert in Powerhouse Park on 8/23. Vicky as LobsterFest Chair said we are at 52% of goal from sponsorships to date. Every member should bring in a sponsorship, raffle gift card, and auction item. The online auction will go live on 8/17.

Bryan and Ivan with Just in Time updated us on their activities out in the community during Covid helping over 1200 youth. 98% of their funding is from non-governmental entities.

Dan McAllister, San Diego County Tax Collector gave an informative, often humorous talk about how the County uses the $14.5B investment pool serving 200 agencies including schools districts (42), fire, and water. SD has a 99.1% collection rate, was the 1st county to use recycled paper for it's bills, uses public feedback to simplify & make clear the bills (which Charlotte said are the best of any county), and decided again using a penguin (Taxi) as a mascot (the county owns the zoo).

Susan presented Dan with our new speaker certificate that shows our support of OEF in El Salvador.

And this just in from Switzerland on the wedding today of Rotarian Kevin Cahill & Sibylle Sticher, and attended by Patricia Case. Congratulations!! You all look fabulous!

Coastal Farm Tour

Posted on Jul 17, 2022

Rotarians enjoyed a nice tour of the Coastal Roots Farm in Encinitas, we learned about sustainable farming, how the farm supports the local community and purchased fresh vegetables at the "Pay what you Can" Farm stand.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jul 08, 2022

Susan kicked off her first meeting showing the new banner Imagine, that represents the seven areas of service around the circle. Rotary International's 1st woman President Jennifer Jones, wants us to imagine all the ways we can make a difference to transform the world

Susan then introduced our new Officers & Chairs

President: Susan Hennenfent

Past President/Foundation/Fund Raising: Vicky Mallett

VP: Bill Sutton

Treasurer: Charlotte Jones

Secretary: Suzanne Sutton

Community Service: Di Shimkus

International: Herb Liberman

Youth: Nicole Mione-Green

Membership: Paul Butler & Molly Fleming

Programs: Jon Fish, Sandy LeVine, Lew Williamson

Public Relations: Jan Parsons

Sergeant-At-Arms: George Sousa

Care Bear: Bev Liberman

Vicky gave happy dollars for her retirement and was fined for no longer being President; Charlotte joined us from Coeur d'Alene, Idaho with family. Vicky also updated us on LobsterFest which now has open online sponsorships with $11,000 committed. The goal this year is $84,000 with 30% reached by August 1.

Molly gave Sandy LeVine his blue badge today, as he has fulfilled all his requirements with the help of his mentor, Herb Liberman

Matt Wechter, Dep. Public Defender for SD County, joined us to explain how the Homeless Court at Stand Down helps veterans & families clear fines and tickets. Sign up with Bill to hand out water for Stand Down on July 29-31

It was so nice to have Ildiko Tesak from El Salvador with us today who said even though she is not always with us in person, we are always in her heart. She updated us on the current harsh and difficult situation in El Salvador

Laura Mello, Rotarian & 3rd generation San Diegan, who is the Director of Gift Planning at Rady's Children Hospital, talked with us about how strategic planning uses wealth instead of income to help one's charity of choice

Rotary at the Padres

Posted on Jul 05, 2022

Another fun night at the Padres

Susan & Mark joined other District 5340 Rotarians

Happy 4th of July

Posted on Jul 04, 2022

Governor's Dinner 2022

Posted on Jun 30, 2022

The Governor's Dinner with a sold out crowd wrapped up a successful year

We are so proud of our own Susan Hennenfent who was presented a People of Action Award by Outgoing District Governor Dan Gensler, before being sworn in as our new Club President

A lovely evening was enjoyed by Paul, Mark, Susan, Jan, Steve, Beverly, Herb, (and missing from this picture) Bill, Charles & Alicia, and Vicky

Rotary & Club News

Happy Rotarians included George for having his two sons, Jim & Bill, with us today; Susheela for Venky's successful knee surgery; Lew for his and Sue's 51st Wedding Anniversary on Sunday; Jon for his 78th Birthday on Sunday

George Kamau Karuku, President-Elect of the Ruiru-Nairobi Rotary Club is visiting from Kenya where we are doing a global grant for an orphanage called Praisegate

Paul, in his last duties as Foundation Chair, presented Lew with his Paul Harris plus 3 pin for contributions over $4000 to the Foundation. He also reported we are again at 100% for donations by all members thus fulfilling the goal of EREY: Every Rotarian Every Year

Bob Brewer, Special Ops Ranger shot down during the Vietnam War, talked about the Vietnam Veteran; gave us a chronological history that led up to our involvement in Vietnam; and shared the disillusionment with the war as it progressed due to lies told to the public by the government. He encouraged everyone to visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC and remember the National Vietnam War Veterans Day each year on March 29. As he said, the best words a returning vet can hear is "Welcome Home".

Rotary at Petco Park

Posted on Jun 22, 2022

We had a great day at Petco Park with Del Mar Rotarians

- especially since the Padres beat the Diamondbacks 10-4

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 17, 2022

We signed cards that Bill got for 14 graduates of Solutions for Change which included a $50 gift card. Congratulations for a job well done!!

Suzanne gave happy $$s for her Birthday today; Paul gave for having his granddaughter with them; Molly is happy they will be doing a family road trip to Tahoe; Herb was happy the Warriors won another NBA Championship; Vicky gave funds for her wonderful trip to Spain

The Del Mar Rotary sent us a thank you for the use of our popups at their Chili & Quackers event

Vicky led our Celebration of Service with our LobsterFest video where we netted $28,000 to fund our projects throughout the year; and Herb with International shared a slide presentation about our $9000 grant in El Salvador to help needy children

Other presenters included Jon as Treasurer who shared that after giving away $49,000, we still have $106,530 on deposit; Paul as Foundation Chair reported we have given $379,366 to the Rotary Foundation over the life of our club; Di, Bill, and Charles reported for Community Service and reminded of some of the events/organizations we helped: Feeding San Diego, SD Blood Bank, Nature Collective, SD Food Bank, CRC, Hope Without Boundaries, Casa de Amistad, Stand Down/Veterans Village, Solutions for Change; and Kevin shared our Youth contributions to Model UN and Cristo Rey scholarship

We remembered Lou Oberman for all his contributions to Rotary & Veterans, and Herb suggested naming the LobsterFest Auction in his honor as he was the one who introduced us to Travel Pledge

A big thank you went out to Jon who is stepping down as Treasurer after 12 years and Paul who is leaving his post of Foundation Chair after 6 years

We ended the meeting with a fine to Sandy from Vicky for meeting his last blue badge requirement by being at the board meeting on zoom (but they never saw his face); and Malcolm fining Charlotte for making us all tired watching her on the treadmill; Nicole for her & Peter's 15th Anniversary; and Venky for his and Meera's 52nd Anniversary. He shared Venky singing a love song to Meera (click on link below to hear)

https://apis.mail.aol.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-HLIkBv9YmePvSiTYcmg81DgU1oziPTM1LKLNKHogDthfp-P3M3R0caMugFCXRIhRGH4nkLovJSeSm65J69qU1w/messages/@.id==AJrh1l0PjzrwYqyqaAHJCCTZCC0/content/parts/@.id==2/refresh?appid=aolwebmail&ymreqid=a4b12814-1391-165d-302c-5a0f82012b00

Thank you Vicky and club members for a great year

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 10, 2022

Steve reported on the Convention in Houston which he attended, along with 10,000-11,000 other Rotarians - half the number of previous attendees with Asia & Europe underrepresented. One of the largest breakout sessions was on human trafficking with many countries interested in finding ways to prevent it. He also reported over $50 million have been raised by Rotary to eradicate polio

Join Kevin & Patricia in donating new or slightly used shoes for Nova Ukraine all of June

Malcolm generously gave many more than six 6-packs of specially crafted Lager for Ukraine which Viewpoint created to raise funds to help the people of Ukraine, but they went fast

Happy Rotarians were Charles who attended his school reunion & for Loyal Soccer Team tickets supporting last year's LobsterFest; Charlotte for Lief's graduation from 4th grade; Paul for his trip to Arizona to visit mom and son; Jan for the opportunity to join Parkland school shooting survivors' March For Our Lives in San Diego tomorrow at the Admin Building from 10:00-12:00 (join her at the Nobel Trolley Station at 9:00am if you'd like to participate)

and we surprised Suzanne a week early with a birthday card signed by club members for her June 17 Birthday

Di shared our long term commitment to The Nature Collective where we & the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club will be doing a District Grant, before introducing Jennifer Bright, Associate Director and Elayna Flanders, Volunteer Director. Jennifer updated us on the completion of their lagoon restoration project and Elayna talked about various volunteer opportunities.

Bill, acting President today, gave them our Joshua Orphan Care certificate along with a six pack of Lager for Ukraine

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 03, 2022

George started us off with a Patriotic "Proud to be an American" video in honor of Memorial Day

Happy Birthday to Charlotte on her birthday today

Happy dollars came from Venky for a wonderful trip to India to visit family, Art for a great trip with Ildiko to Nova Scotia to see rock formations and the highest tide swings; George for son Rick visiting us today, Bill for his and Suzanne's fabulous trip to Morocco, Susan for the Hilton parking meter machine; Ken for his and Bebe's 18th Anniversary on the 22nd

Bill reminded us of Stand Down which will be July 29-31, where we will again hand out water. Bring used clothes next Friday for needy Veterans which Bill will deliver

Bring shoes for Nova Ukraine that Kevin will collect, which are bought and donated to needy countries with the proceeds given to help Ukraine (And Viewpoint will give a 6-pack of its special brew to the first 6 donors)

Charlotte updated us on LobsterFest, September 17, 5-8

Thank you to Foster & Friends who will be a Premier Sponsor, and to CaliFino & Viewpoint who will provide libations
Website is up and will go live for sponsorships shortly which include: Presidential Premier - $6200; Premier - $5000'; VIP - $1500; Friends (table of 8) - $1250, Individual - $150
We are promising a plated lobster tail dinner
Major beneficiaries are Just In Time for Foster Youth & Casa de Amistad

Susan presented the Slate of Officers for next year that the Board approved and we voted on

We need a Program Director (to be divided by 3 people for 3 months starting in October), and help with zoom so we can continue with hybrid meetings

In lieu of a speaker, Trish talked about the program

which allows participants to experience the San Dieguito River Valley, to follow its path from mountain to sea, to encounter plant, animal and human inhabitants, and to connect to the River Valley with heart and mind

Memorial Day 2022

Posted on May 30, 2022

Celebrating our Partners

Posted on May 27, 2022

Celebrating with Casa de Amistad at the Future Leaders Scholarship Celebration, Class of 2022

where we gave $1200 for College-Ready Baskets, which was matched by a generous Rotarian

and supporting Opera for Kids as they performed The Enchanted Tail at a free concert in Balboa Park

RAW Day

Posted on May 19, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 13, 2022

We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine

Happy Rotarians included Jon for a wonderful trip to Amsterdam, Belgium, & Berlin; Patricia for a successful play directed by her grand-daughter; Trish for a spectacular hike in Morrow Bay, Herb for a fun trip to Sun River, Oregon; Paul for avoiding a $19,500 IRS penalty; Jan for Trish's recommendation of Dr. Bronner's Magic Balm

We enjoyed learning more about Sandy as he gave his Who Am I: he is a native San Diegan, graduated from SDSU and UCSD grad school; job offer from Westgate to become Human Resources Asst. Mgr, then Manager kept him from travelling to Europe after college; then on to SDG&E in HR, software sales for 15 years before following his passion for stocks 12 yrs ago when he became a money manager. He's lived in Del Mar for 26 years and married 3 years ago

Patricia reminded us of Upcoming Events: Thursday night meeting/social, Demotion Party, Padres Game, Coastal Farms Tour (see dates under Upcoming Events)

We will be donating $1200 for College-Ready Baskets for Casa de Amistad (more info to come from the Community Service Committee)

La Jolla Golden Triangle Foundation will be matching our $6000 for Ukraine

Paul shared a Rotary Foundation video that made us all feel good

Dr. Michael Remson, President & CEO of San Diego Youth Symphony and Conservatory, talked with us about how this organization (which was started 76 years ago) provides cradle to college music programs with a vision of enriching lives through music. They have partnered with Rotary International Youth Exchange for 18 years to form an International Youth Symphony MusiCamp with multiple performances in July of each year.

30 Anniversary Party

Posted on May 12, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 06, 2022

Goodbye, Good Luck & Thank You Phil as you ride off into the sunset of retirement

Bill presented him with a card signed by all, a box of popcorn, chocolates, & champagne to send him on his way

Even though Herb & Beverly were in Oregon (using a LobsterFest auction item), Herb was able to fine members for not wearing pins and not sharing a recent anniversary (he caught Susan, Ken, and Vicky (who just celebrated her 14th year with Farmers)

$6000 has been donated by club members and friends to help the victims in Ukraine, and we hope it can be matched

LobsterFest is set for September 17 with our flamenco guitarist, James Clarkston back along with Trish and Hot Rocks San Diego. Bill & Suzanne are again sponsoring a table for active military and sponsorship for a retired military table is available

Our own Steve Weitzen updated us on efforts to eradicate human trafficking in San Diego which include education and awareness. This $32 billion industry includes organ, slave labor, and sex trafficking. Visit our district website at rotary5340.org for more information

Rotarians At Work Day 2022 (RAW)

Posted on Apr 30, 2022

Thank you Di for organizing a great Rotarians At Work Day

We joined the Nature Collective at the Stonebridge Trail head of the San Elijo Lagoon

Volunteers led us on an informative hike, identifying native plants before we began our work of pulling invasive ones

Native plants include the California poppy, cobweb thistle, and white sage

While carrying out our bags and supplies we came across a woodrat nest

before heading to San Dieguito County Park for a quick lunch from Goodonya and more non-native plant pulling

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 29, 2022

"Only by giving are you able to receive more than you already have" Jim Rohn

Happy Jubilee Birthday to Patricia on the 30th, followed by Kevin's Birthday on the 1st, and Steve's on the 2nd. Best Wishes to all!
All happy dollars went to helping the people of Ukraine, with many given for a wonderful 30th Anniversary Party
It was good to see Suchandra on zoom from India
As Shelter Box Ambassador, Patricia received a solar-powered lantern

Congratulations to Phil on his upcoming retirement with next Friday being his last day with us in person, and move to San Luis Obispo in July (close to Trish)
Best wishes to Nicole who received a well earned, three month, all paid Clare Rose Sabbatical through the Fieldstone Leadership Network. Corey Ford, Casa de Amistad Program Coordinator will be filling in for her at Rotary

Kudos to Di who Paul presented with a Paul Harris Fellow Award. 15 of 29 have contributed this year to the annual fund; please do so by the end of May

Please confirm participation in the Aqua Farm tour to Patricia
Vicky announced the 2nd Annual LobsterFest will be on September 17. Mark your calendars & let her know if you'd like to help with the planning
Our speaker, Christine Garde Denning with CouldYou?, which started in Mozambique, has devoted her life to caring for the poor and especially women. 500 million women globally experience menstrual poverty every month, which could be alleviated by the CouldYou?Cup, which is cost effective, environmentally friendly, long lasting, and efficient.

Feeding San Diego & Shelter Box

Posted on Apr 28, 2022

30th Anniversary Party

Posted on Apr 23, 2022

Thank you Patricia & Suzanne for planning a fabulous 30th Anniversary Party and to everyone who helped make it a very special night

Mary Butler did a fabulous job on table decorations, and with the help of Bill, Jan, Patricia, Paul, Suzanne, and Trish, a beautiful venue & night awaited Rotarians & friends at Powerhouse Park

The western theme was apparent in attire as guests enjoyed drinks & appetizers on the patio with the music from Hot Rocks San Diego playing in the background

Kevin, the club's 1st President (when he had more hair), was the MC; Marty Peters from the Del Mar Club (of which were were spun off) congratulated him and presented Steve with a Has Been badge

President Vicky talked about all the wonderful projects we did in El Salvador and our trips there, which were acknowledged by Ildiko Tesak who was here for the festivities; Malcolm explained how our Bocce Ball Fundraisers & Tournaments came about; and Mary was recognized for her beautiful decorations

Zoe Swift from Terra Lawson-Remer's Office with The San Diego County Board of Supervisors honored us with a Proclamation naming April 24, 2022 DMSB Rotary 30th Anniversary Day

We were treated to a fabulous sunset which everyone enjoyed, including Dwight Worden, Major of Del Mar and two visiting foreign exchange students staying with Kevin & Sibylle, Andrea from Bordeaux, France and Joelle from Schaffhausen, Switzerland

And then Rotarians and guests moved inside for a fabulous tri tip & chicken barbeque with all the fixings catered by Bekker's

The Powerhouse Clubhouse balcony provided a good overview of the room....

and as Hot Rocks San Diego resumed play, (and a few die-hards let our handy volunteer bartender Rodger Price, long time friend of Sandy, continue to pour)....

everyone took to the floor and enjoyed dancing the night away (click on video link below)

https://apis.mail.aol.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-HLIkBv9YmePvSiTYcmg81DgU1oziPTM1LKLNKHogDthfp-P3M3R0caMugFCXRIhRGH4nkLovJSeSm65J69qU1w/messages/@.id==ANR38JBiq2eLYmiolA8m6KsJf5I/content/parts/@.id==2/refresh?appid=aolwebmail&ymreqid=a4b12814-1391-165d-302c-5a029c018f00

Thanks to Bill, Charles, Jan and Patricia for all the photos

Shelter Box Hero Award

Posted on Apr 21, 2022

7-Way Meeting

Passover/Easter/Spring

Posted on Apr 16, 2022

Lou Oberman

Posted on Apr 12, 2022

Rest in peace, Lou - a beloved member of our club since 1996

Rotary & Club News

We had a great turnout for Visitors Day with 7 guests joining us to learn more about Rotary and to hear District Attorney Summer Stephan give an update on her office's efforts to pursue justice, prevent crimes, support victims, and fight homelessness across SD County

It was great having George & Phil back;

Charles was happy for his birthday & a trip to his 60th high school reunion; Steve was happy for his & Ava's 36th Anniversary; Di gave happy $s for her & Al's upcoming 41st Anniversary; Bill was happy to play in the Operation Game On Golf Tournament along with son Andy, and PDG Steve, where George was their putting coach

We will be dark the next two Fridays with our next meeting the 7-Way on April 20th at noon

Patricia & Nicole had a wonderful time at Casa de Amistad's 20th Anniversary Gala & Fundraiser on April 2

And thanks to Kevin, Nicole, and Bill who helped make Model UN another successful event with over 100 students participating from 17 schools and Casa de Amistad

Feeding San Diego

Posted on Apr 05, 2022

Helping Feeding San Diego help others

Rotary & Club News

Molly reminded us to plant seeds of love to make a better world

It was wonderful to have Phil back (though a little hoarse); Jan recalled her retirement 11 years ago today (& it was no April Fool's joke); Paul was happy to have Mary Beth back after batching it for a week; Susheela was happy to spend time with her sister from India showing her the Bay area; Susan was happy to encounter Kitty on Mark's birthday and joined her for a lovely evening; Bill anticipated being happy after Model UN; Di is anxiously awaiting her son's marriage in 3 weeks

Sandy avoided another fine by uploading his picture to club runner; but Fine Master Bill fined members for not wearing their Rotary pins, and Kevin, Jon, and Molly for not acknowledging recent birthdays of spouses/spouses to be

Susan reminded everyone of our Visitors Day next week with District Attorney Summer Stephan which will be in person only - not hybrid

Check the calendar for other upcoming events. Patricia confirmed a Coastal Farms Tour on July 17

People should know that we're a pet friendly club as shown by Beverly and Tootsie

We enjoyed hearing about The Enchanted Tail and Opera 4 Kids from founders & renowned opera singers Bernardo Bermudez and Victoria Robertson, who will again be highlighted at the 7-Way Meeting on April 20

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 25, 2022

We continue to pray for peace in Ukraine

It was with heavy hearts that we said good-by & honored Lou today as he joins other Rotarians in the sky - he will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered

Vicky began by remembering his smile and wry humor, and reminded us that he seldom missed a meeting in his 40+ years in Rotary
Steve remembered many golf outings with Lou, along with his love of Stand Down
Paul thought of their military background and Lou's dedication to being the best ref at Bocce
Herb recalled his love of Rotary and golf (Lou has asked that donations in his honor be made to our club)
Kevin enlightened us to Lou's inventive soul with patents involving golf
Bill thought of their mutual Marine background and how active Lou was with the Marine Aircraft Museum at Miramar
Ken shared that Lou was responsible for bringing him into Rotary, and reminded us to thank those who have made a difference in our lives while we still can

It was fun to see Mauer on zoom as Charlotte gave 12 Happy $$ for his 12th birthday today

A big thank you to Bill for getting the Rotary Wheel from George, so Jan could use it as today's Fine Master. The wheel was generous to the club as it landed on 16, 16, 17, & 22. Donors were

Sandy for not uploading his picture to club runner
Kevin for keeping his surgery secret
Venky for not remembering the play Jan told him to see (Bhangin It at the La Jolla Playhouse about Indian music & dance)
Jon for scheduling his upcoming trip to Europe at the time of our anniversary party

(note the age of the wheel as our name included "Sunrise")

Bob Nascenzi, CEO & founder of Cristo Rey High School San Diego joined us on zoom along with Camila Tirado who Vicky presented with a $2000 scholarship

Zoe Swift, a fellow with The Office of SD County Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer, also joined us in person

Lew shared that the blood drive raised 37 units of blood, with 6 new donors (saving 111 lives)
Di reminded us of Feeding SD on April 5 that will serve over 600 families
Model UN is next weekend & RAW Day on April 30 will be at the Nature Collective
Paul reminded everyone to make their annual fund contribution to the Rotary Foundation (we need 17-18 more to donate to reach our goal of 100% participation)
Steve talked about the Power of Rotary in sending money and humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Our speaker, Jim Mendelson, Foreman of the SD County 2021-2022 Grand Jury shared many fascinating facts about this organization made up of volunteers. Their mission is to represent the citizens of San Diego County by investigating, evaluating and reporting on the actions of local government and special districts. Common denominators with Rotarians & the Grand Jury is its Service Above Self and Is It The Truth.

District Assembly & Blood Drive

Posted on Mar 20, 2022

We had a great turnout for District Assembly and latest Blood Drive on March 19 - thank you to everyone who attended and helped

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 18, 2022

We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine

and our love goes out to Patricia whose son left this earthly life suddenly, and for Lou who is in hospice

We were happy to hear that Kevin is doing nicely after hip replacement surgery; Phil is doing well (but a bit behind) full recovery from pneumonia/Covid; George continues to improve after his knee surgery; Venky has retired after 50 years with General Atomic; Di's son picked up his marriage license for an April 22 wedding; Paul was happy to see long time friend Armand here as our speaker; Bill showed off the sweatshirt he bought on our Wolf Education Project visit

Venky (who forgot he was temporary fine-master) fined himself and Steve, just because he could. Jan is fine-master next week and she loves to raise money for the club, so watch out

Susan reminded us of Visitors Day on April 8 when we will have District Attorney Summer Stephan here as our speaker. Ask guests and give their names to her or Molly

We learned much from Armand Olvera, a volunteer for 13 years with the San Diego Police Department's Retired Senior Volunteer Program, started in 1992. A walkie talkie is the only "weapon" they carry, but Armand's seal training (he was with Seal Team 1) serves him well. Qualifications to become a volunteer include being 50 yrs or older, semi or fully retired, valid CA driver's license, available at least 3 days/month

They encourage ride-a-longs for anyone interested and Bill asked about raising funds for much needed vehicle replacements. President Mallett presented Armand our Joshua Orphan Care Center certificate and explained all the wonderful things they do in Malawi, Africa, which we support

Holi

Posted on Mar 18, 2022

Blood Drive

Posted on Mar 17, 2022

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Posted on Mar 17, 2022

Wolf Project & Nature Center

Posted on Mar 17, 2022

Wolf Education Project & Santa Ysabel Nature Center

Posted on Mar 13, 2022

Thank you Patricia for organizing a fabulous visit to the Wolf Education Project

and Santa Ysabel Nature Center

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 11, 2022

Along with Herb, we pray for peace in Ukraine

The Board approved sending $1000 to Shelter box for Ukraine and $1000 to the District's efforts through Romania for Ukraine, all from excess Community Service funds

We wish Sandy a Happy 66th Birthday next week, and a Happy 94th to Paul's mother.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to Lou who is recovering from multiple surgeries and will be taking a 6mo leave from Rotary.

Nicole thanked Bill for his mentorship for Model UN students,

and shared that we will again be giving Camila Tirado a $2000 scholarship to attend Cristo Rey San Diego High School

Di encouraged everyone to sign up for Feeding San Diego on April 5

and confirmed we will be helping the Nature Collective for Rotarians at Work Day on April 30

Paul presented four Paul Harris Fellowships to Charlotte (PH+1), Patricia (PH+2), Di (her first), and Bill (PH+3).

Congratulations and thank you to all!

Anne Middleton, Executive Director of EcoLife Conservation shared how they are helping humans and nature prosper together by making more fuel efficient stoves, creating biosphere reserves, and building aquaponic facilities

Shelter Box Responding to Ukraine Crisis

Posted by Patricia Case on Mar 05, 2022

“ShelterBox is deploying a response team to the region to begin assessing the humanitarian needs related to the displacement crisis in Ukraine, including the emergency shelter needs for refugees. The team from ShelterBox includes highly-trained security, safety, and logistics personnel, who will coordinate with other humanitarian agencies to understand the gaps in emergency shelter and what are the household aid items that will be needed over the weeks and months to come.”

- Kerri Murray, ShelterBox USA Preside

Blood Drive

Posted on Mar 04, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 04, 2022

Kevin reminded us to open our arms and our hearts to the people of Ukraine

and Patricia pointed out what a great job Shelter Box does in helping with humanitarian relief

Happy $$ went for having George back home and Venky in person at the meeting, and it was great to have Mauer with us again.

Malcolm joined us after missing 3 months due to cataract surgery/ closing his store in Fashion Valley/starting construction on new store in Sorrento Valley (for twice the budget & half the speed) /selling home in Del Mar/buying compound in Encinitas for his family

(WHEW!)

Kevin explained how Model UN is a simulation of the actual UN with high school students becoming ambassadors for "their" countries & representing their political views on selected resolutions. All are welcome to visit the sessions on April 2 & 3

35 members & guests will be visiting the Wolf Education Center on March 12 (great job Patricia).

Let Patricia know by April 1 if you will be attending the Anniversary Party on April 23. The Board has been deputized to help with the party

Join Vicky, Susan, Di, Suzanne, Herb, Sandi, & Steve at District Assembly on March 19 and/or sign up to help with/give blood at our Blood Drive the same day

Other news includes Vicky selling her home, Susan & Mark recommending riding the new trolley line to downtown, Lou is doing well and has been moved to the Aviara Rehab facility, Phil still has pneumonia but has reduced oxygen needed and will be back on March 16

Dr. Steven Dowdy gave a fascinating and high-level talk on the research his team is doing which focuses on the development and delivery of siRNA and ASO therapeutics to treat cancer. Less than 1% of RNA therapeutics get into cells as opposed to 30%-70% of viruses

Vicky "presented" Dr. Dowdy with our Joshua Orphan Care Center (who we support) Certificate for speaking

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 25, 2022

Paul reminded us that Rotarians are peacekeepers

It was great to have Phil join us on zoom (with a little help from his oxygen tube) and George again from his rehab bed

We have another walking wounded and learned that Venky will have knee surgery the end of March

Di & Ken helped count the homeless in Encinitas as part of a county wide effort

Our $40K Global Grant for Praise Gate is signed off by all and sent to RI for approval

See our Upcoming Events column for service projects & socials

Model UN has been moved to Del Mar City Hall on April 2 & 3

Vicky announced we will have a 2nd Annual LobsterFest in September that she will chair and invited members to help

Deb Martin, CEO & Executive Director for ElderHelp talked with us about all the wonderful things they are doing to help the elderly stay in their homes. See www.elderhelpofsandiego.org for more info

Vicky presented Deb with our certificate from Joshua Orphan Care Center in Malawi Africa that we support and explained how they house, school, and feed over 1000 children a day

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 18, 2022

A cloud still hangs over the club as we learned that Phil has Covid and pneumonia and is on oxygen 24/7, trying to get his numbers up. We're all praying for a complete recovery!!

Susan ran the meeting and was recognized as a new Paul Harris Society Member by District Governor Dan Gensler who presented her with a certificate and a pin by District Foundation Treasurer James Morrison. She has committed to making a $1000 donation each year to The Rotary Foundation - thank you, Susan!!

Dan also inducted our newest member, Sandy Levine, who joined us on zoom. Welcome Sandy!

And Past DG Steve Weitzen presented Nicole Mione-Green her Blue Badge as she has met all of the requirements. Congratulations Nicole!

Many happy dollars went for having George at the meeting on zoom from his rehab bed and for the caregivers and physical therapists who are helping him

Javier Guerrero, President & CEO of Coastal Roots Farm and Kesha Spoor, Director of Philanthropy, shared how this 22 acre farm in Encinitas practices sustainable farming and shares their harvest with communities that lack access to healthy food, inspired by Jewish wisdom and agricultural traditions. We can't wait to visit and help on the farm!

Susan presented Kesha our Joshua Orphan Care Center certificate as a thank you for speaking

Food Bank

Posted on Feb 17, 2022

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 11, 2022

A reminder from Trish:

Happy Rotarians included Vicky for a great day of golf; Nicole for being covid free; Ken for a great food bank night; Charlotte for her new niece Coco; and for our left-handers: Bill, Herb, Lew, & Steve; and especially Charles who brought this picture of a good-looking Captain George and son Bill, on his way to recovery from knee-cap surgery

Sandy Levine was approved as a new member at the Wednesday Board Meeting and will be given his Red Badge at the next meeting - IN PERSON at the Hilton on 2/18. Come and welcome him!! And hopefully we can present Nicole with her Blue Badge which she has earned by completing all the requirements.

We had a great Club Assembly focusing on Membership which Vicky began by reminding us that Rotary has been around 116 years, is in 200 countries, and has over 1.2 million members.

Susan then gave a great power point emphasizing the importance of bringing in new members and reminding everyone of the goal:

EACH ONE BRING ONE

We then broke into groups to discuss further ideas to grow our club led by Vicky, Paul, Molly, and Susan. Ideas included:

ASK
Focus on businesses using corporate memberships, church groups, friends, friends' grown children, and spouse memberships
Focus on stewardship and invite potential members to service projects
Remember 62 is the new 40
Set aside time to focus on this
Have socials every other month at the Hilton to get to know perspective members and they us

Next Perspective Membership Day will be April 8 with District Attorney Summer Stephan as our guest speaker

San Diego Food Bank

Posted on Feb 09, 2022

Thank you Rotarians & Friends (and Di who organized) for lifting 8000 pounds of food, filling 655 bags, and providing 6823 future meals for those in need at the San Diego Food Bank

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 04, 2022

It feels like there's a dark cloud over the club....George fell and shattered his knee-cap, Lou is in the hospital for his lungs, Nicole has Covid along with her son, and Phil's mother passed away - best wishes to all. As Bill said, we should all feel lucky and grateful to be here!! (Amen)

Good news from Patricia who is thankful to everyone after her successful surgery; Di celebrated a birthday on 2/2/22 and is full of love; Paul is back from Scottsdale where they packed up his mom after 55 years in the same place; Ken had a fun ride with his pilot-brother; Venky is happy to see his grandson join us & receive recognition from our speaker; Sandy is getting ready to start his red badge requirements as a new member; Beverly is taking on the position of Care Bear; we will again do hybrid meetings starting February 18.

Paul shared the attached video on The Rotary Foundation, which Charles highlighted as one of the leading foundations for usefulness and management. https://youtu.be/vvvt_8CC9F4 . Please make your Annual Fund donations by the end of May.

Susan encouraged members to sign up for District Training Assembly on March 19 at Liberty Station, as a way for current and new members to learn more about Rotary. And she shared that her #1 goal in 2022-2023 will be to get new members.

Our fabulous speaker today was Carl Nettleton, writer, speaker, water expert and founder of Open Oceans Global -www.openoceans.org who shared fascinating facts of where most of the plastic comes from (rivers), where it ends up (coastlines & beaches), and who is the largest polluter (the Philippines), and what we can do about it.

And we were all proud to see how Venky's grandson was recognized for the work they are doing in India to fight pollution.

Rotary & Club News

Updates on/from members:

Susheela's knee replacement surgery is scheduled for 2/23 after a two year delay - she welcomes words of encouragement
Lou is having drainage from his lungs today - we wish him the best
And best wishes to Phil's mother who is in hospice & turned 92; who he cares for 24/7
Susan is off to Pre-PETS this Saturday with PETS scheduled for 2/24-2/25 in LA
Trish's band, Hot Rocks San Diego, will play at our Anniversary Party. Patricia & Suzanne will shortly be sampling a recommended caterer's barbeque (let them know if you'd like to join them)
Art is in Sayulita for his son's 2/19 wedding
Model UN training was last Saturday in preparation for April 2 & 3 with over 100 students attending virtually. One of the topics discussed was the possible Russian invasion of Ukraine

Happy Dollars came from:

Trish who had a clear chest x-ray after covid
Molly for their new nanny who the kids love and visit from her Rhode Island in-laws
Charlotte whose kids are back in school after covid and for Leif turning 10
Patricia for her successful surgery and all the kindness & generosity of club members
Charles for Patricia's successful surgery & hopefully Susheela's upcoming one

Colin Khoury with the San Diego Botanic Garden (formerly Quail Botanical Garden) showed how it has come a long way from its founding in 1970. This 37 acre urban oasis in Encinitas has more than 5000 plant species and varieties, including 300 plants that are only found at SDBG. Click on the link below to see more pictures of the 15 gardens they maintain that represent different regions of the world.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j6FV6BNeVCPKkWF16VCHDYt-q-4q0aZw/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=106599683195805803500&rtpof=true&sd=true

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 21, 2022

Paul reminded us to be grateful for each other & Rotary and to be mindful of those in need - to provide food for the hungry; heal the wounds of hatred with love; comfort those in sorrow; and bring peace to those living in areas of unrest.

We so enjoyed seeing Finn, our youngest Rotarian,

were so sorry to hear Charlotte is in quarantine after Mauer & Leif tested positive for Covid, and wish Patricia well on her rotator cuff surgery today. Thank you to everyone who has signed up to help her over the next several weeks.

Molly was happy to have a new nanny start Monday; Charlotte passed her 3rd & final EA (Enrolled Agent) exam; Venky was happy to be back home from India; Charles & Alicia had a wonderful trip to Paso Robles wine country; Art likes Charles' beard & is off to skiing in Park City; Vicky is in Mexico, and Nicole was happy Lisa Montes could join us

It was agreed we should continue on zoom into February with no "soft date" yet set for our hybrid meetings

We will be sending the money gathered for outreach in India to Project Peanut Butter, as we are not able to send the funds to India as planned

The Grant for Praise Gate is on hold as Venky, the "premier commander," gathers more info for the Kenya DG

Lisa Montes from La Colonia Community Foundation informed us of ways they are helping youth and those with food insecurity in La Colonia Eden Gardens. She is a 4th generation Eden Gardens resident - the 1st neighborhood in Solana Beach founded by Mexican Americans who moved here to help in the agricultural area & citrus groves

Father Garrett Galvin from the Franciscan School of Theology at USD spoke with us on their mission and commitment to social justice. They prepare men & women in theological education that allows them to focus in solidarity with those on the margins of society with the realization that we are all created in the image and likeness of God. Unfortunately we could not see his slide presentation as USD was undergoing a blackout.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 14, 2022

Nicole's impromptu invocation was the prayer she recites to her kids each day as they head out:

May the peace of the Lord Christ go with you,

wherever He may send you.

May He guide you through the wilderness,

protect you through the storm.

May He bring you home rejoicing

at the wonders He has shown you.

May He bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.

We are again meeting on zoom through January due to the rapid Omicron spread. Best wishes for a speedy recovery to Trish who got caught. We enjoyed seeing Vicky who gave happy $$ to be back; Jan in her Girl Scout sash in honor of our speaker; Kevin in his scarf as he can't afford heat with inflation; Ken with his sheared finger tip growing back; Paul with his grandkids frog art on the wall; & Lou and Patricia who both will be undergoing surgery soon (Lou for heart issues/Patricia for rotator cuff)

Patricia is doing a great job on socials (see Upcoming Events and register). She needs a volunteer for our demotion party in June, and help with our April 23 western-themed Anniversary party. Herb will be riding in on a horse and Ken will be showcasing his lasso skills.

Ken showed the Community Service Plan for the rest of the year and Di reminded members to register for upcoming food sorting nights on the website. Stay tuned for more info on RAW Day involving the CRC. She also encouraged Rotarians to join her & the CRC on 2/24 at 3:45am for a homeless survey.

Nicole shared that Model UN training will begin next weekend.

Liz Sheahan, Chief Advancement Officer for the Girl Scouts of America, joined us again on zoom to update us on current activities and remind of us all the skills they help young women achieve.

The famous cookie sale will run from January 30 - March 8 and will again include Operation Thin Mint (which began in San Diego) and has sent over 3MM cookies to service members overseas. Liz encouraged Rotarians to promote scouting and interact with the girls when purchasing cookies

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 07, 2022

Paul started the New Year with the following Invocation

As the Calendar turns and another new year begins,

Let us be thankful for our Rotary friends and the changes our service can bring.

Let us rise to the challenges given

Let us aim to give more to the cause

Let us continue to make the world better

Even if no one gives us applause.

Bill led the meeting as Vicky had jury duty; Venky joined us from India; everyone congratulated Lou on starting his 90th year; Paul celebrated his & Mary's 43rd Anniversary; Patricia was happy to be house sitting with Herbie cat; Art was happy to walk along the lagoon with a beer in hand from Viewpoint; and Happy Birthday wishes to Bill on his January 11 birthday

It was good to see Sandy Levine again who is meeting with Molly & Susan to learn steps to becoming a red-badge member

Herb updated us on the Praise Gate Grant in Kenya, which is awaiting signatures

The 6-Way meeting has been postponed until April, and we will be meeting on zoom only for two weeks. Sign up under Upcoming Events for our February 8 SD Food Bank Distribution, our March 12 Wolf Center trip, and our April 23 30th Anniversary Party

Let George or Bill know if you'd like to contribute to Honor Flight

Paul reminded Rotarians to make their Annual Fund contributions to The Rotary Foundation

Kevin informed us that climate change will be one of the resolutions debated at Model UN which will take place April 2 & 3

We learned how Project Peanut Butter seeks to advance the treatment of severe malnutrition in children in the poorest countries of Africa (Malawi, Sierra Leone, and Ghana) in the talk given by former DG Marilyn Sanderson, who joined us on zoom from Palm Springs. Visit www.projectpeanutbutter.org for more information or to make a donation.

Bill presented Marilyn with a virtual Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate and ended the meeting with his blue gavel (which he will paint pink to hand over to Vicky)

Helping Others

Posted on Jan 06, 2022

Happy New Year 2022

Posted on Jan 01, 2022

Happy Holidays

Posted on Dec 24, 2021

Tecate Houses Furnishings

Posted on Dec 22, 2021

Our $1200 for furnishings & household items for the 6 homes we helped build in Tecate were well spent

Casa de Amistad

Posted on Dec 21, 2021

Rotarians helping Casa de Amistad families - Thank you everyone who contributed

Wreaths Across America

Posted on Dec 18, 2021

Thank you to everyone who helped lay a wreath on a veteran's headstone in Miramar National Cemetery for Wreaths Across America Day - it was a touching experience

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 18, 2021

Happy Dollars came from Jan who was Queen for the Day as it was her birthday, and was thrilled to be serenaded by Opera stars Bernardo Bermudez and Victoria Robertson with Opera4Kids as they sang Happy Birthday;

Susheela was happy to be able to visit family over the holidays; Molly was happy for her best real estate year ever & for Riley's upcoming 3rd birthday; and Trish was happy for a large donation to the SD River Valley Conservancy

We also heard that Lou is having a big birthday on the 28th - Happy Birthday Lou!!

As Youth Chair, Nicole reported that Casa de Amistad kids will make up two teams for Model UN in April. Please sign up to join Bill as an advisor. She also reminded members to drop off gifts for Casa families by Monday

It was a hard choice, but Patricia beat Herb & Phil for ugly holiday sweater champion!!!

As District Annual Fund Liaison, Susan reminded everyone to make their contribution to The Rotary Foundation for 2021-2022

Walter Lam spoke to us on how the non-profit he started, Alliance for African Assistance, is not only helping refugees from Uganda and Kenya, but refugees from around the world, including most recently a large influx from Afghanistan. He is especially proud of the hospital Rotary helped build in Atiak, Uganda and was very pleased to receive our speaker certificate which shows our support of the Joshua Orphan Care Center in Malawi, Africa

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 12, 2021

Welcome again to Sandy Levine, on his 3rd visit to our club in anticipation of joining

Happy Dollars from Molly on her dad's heart doing so well; Charles for a great Holiday Party; Venky for his family off to India; Nicole for a great holiday gathering at Viewpoint; Malcolm for double projected sales at his store closing & upcoming purchase of 1-1/2 acre compound in Encinitas for his family; and Happy Birthday dollars for Vicky's upcoming Birthday on the 15th and getting her cast off;

Herb was happy to visit Mami and her new husband in San Francisco with Bev and her son;

Susan was happy for her, Mark, Ken, and Bebe's participation in building 7 homes in Tecate with the District. We gave $1000 to help furnish the homes

Steve presented the club with another Foundation Banner for our contributions to Polio Plus

And we presented a check to Dawn Wensel of Reality Changers for $9,724 from LobsterFest

Thank you to Bev who has done a great job of getting speakers as we transition to Trish heading this endeavor.

We are funding $2500 for Honor Flight for Vets to Washington DC next year, and invite others to contribute to reach our goal of $3750

See Upcoming Events for our February 8 date at San Diego Food Bank and sign up

Rotarian and author, Stephen Tako, creator of award-winning anti-bullying books and films for children, gave us helpful information on how to write a book and leave a legacy. We also learned the fun trivia fact that at 15 and 6'7" tall, he won best dancer on roller skates

Vicky ended the meeting with The Four Way Test, and thanked this Rotary Family for the great work done to date. Bill will Acting President next week and encouraged everyone to wear ugly holiday sweaters

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 07, 2021

Happy members included Patricia for the beautiful Hilton decorations; Paul for a wonderful Thanksgiving/Mary's birthday celebration/and moving his mother into a retirement home; Lew for his son's new job; Vicky for Malcolm's magic on her grandmother's wedding ring; and Steve for Paul's great work as our Foundation Chair as he presented us with two banners for 2020-2021: one for EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) and average $100 with 100% participation. Paul reminded everyone to go online to make this year's contribution.

Ron Kohl talked about a Rotary Foundation cruise next year and encouraged members to sign up

Members who neglected to bring Toys for Tots included Ken who Patricia made hop around the room; Molly who confessed to a guilty pleasure of watching dateline; and Susheela who had to walk like a zombie

Visit Charles Koll Jewellers in Fashion Valley for spectacular savings as Malcolm & Richard prepare to close the store and move to a new location in Sorrento Valley (stay tuned for more info)

Jason Kuiper from the Wolf Education Project joined us on zoom from Julian along with Miigwan, the wolf. Their mission is to increase public awareness and understanding as to the true nature of wolves and the critial role they play in maintaining ecological balance in our environment.

We're all excited for our January 29 field trip to the Center which Patricia has arranged (where Jason said we can hug the wolves & puppies), followed by lunch & a tour of the new nature center nearby. Let Vicky know of other fun places to visit in the future

Holiday Party

Posted on Dec 07, 2021

Thank you Patricia & Suzanne for organizing a wonderful Holiday Party and to Vicky for hosting in her beautiful home

We had delicious food and broke into teams after dinner for a fun game of holiday trivia pursuit

Thanksgiving 2021

Posted on Nov 25, 2021

Happy Thanksgiving

Community Service

Posted by Jan Parsons on Nov 25, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 19, 2021

It was a full house for Visitors Day - thank you Di, Linda, Malcolm, and Suchandra for bringing guests, and thank you Phil for the new room layout

Molly's invocation invoked Rotary's Four Way Test and reminded us of our commitment to help others

Patricia surprised George with cupcakes and a bag of cards from members for his 91st Birthday, and his heartfelt thanks to his Rotary friends brought a tear to many an eye

We were happy to present Don Wells with Just in Time for Foster Youth a check of $9522 as one of our major beneficiaries from LobsterFest

Suchandra & Herb shared information about the Global Grant we did in India for mentally ill homeless women, and Nicole gave members & guests an opportunity to pick a Casa de Amistad family to help grant their wishes for a Happy Holiday - all 10 families were grabbed

Mark your calenders for our 30th Anniversary party in 2022 on the day of our founding - April 23. Patricia has secured Powerhouse Park Community Center where we'll dress casual and enjoy good food, music, and each others company

Andrea Compton, Superintendent of the Cabrillo National Monument, told us the history of the monument that was formed in 1913 under the Department of the Army. She began her national park service career here in 2002 and returned in 2016 after taking a position as head of Resources Management at Joshua Tree National Park. Activities at Cabrillo include exploring the tide pools and we learned that they have one of the largest bee colonies in the country.

Community Service

Posted on Nov 18, 2021

Thank you Lou for coordinating Rotarians at a modified Stand Down and for the members who helped give out water at Veterans Village of San Diego

Beverly, Herb, Suchandra, Jon, Jan, Lou, Charles, and Bill (not shown)

And to our head elf, Di, who organized a great crew of Rotarians for the CRC Holiday Baskets Sorting

Nicole, Patricia, Kevin, Jon, Mark, Susan, Jan, Bill, Charlotte, Paul, Trish, Charles, & Alicia, with Di in front

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 12, 2021

Jon's invocation went something like this:

"All things in life, including you, are in an imperfect state of flux, so strive not for perfection, but for excellence instead."

Susan stepped in for Malcolm and fined Trish for trying to auction off her Viewpoint mug at River Fest and then remembered she already gave it to someone

Rotarians supporting San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy River Fest last Sunday

Proclamation naming November 7, 2021 Trish Boaz Day by the County of San Diego

We had a furry friend visit our meeting this morning via zoom

Patricia shared this Shelter Box video with an update on how they are helping after the earthquake in Haiti

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noqV7qjPo6I

Remember our Visitors Day next week and let Molly know if you are inviting someone to join us

San Diego Parks Foundation Founder and Chair, Marcella Bothwell talked with us about the Foundation and the state of our parks in San Diego. Since Covid, their programs focused on providing free WiFi in recreations centers, free meals for kids in communities of concern, Come Play Outside programs, and city wide tree planting. Vicky presented her with our Joshua Orphan Care School Certificate for speaking.

Veterans Day

Posted on Nov 11, 2021

Visitors Day

Posted on Nov 11, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 05, 2021

Happy Rotarians included: Susan for mountain biking in Sedona; Bill for a fabulous Tahiti trip with Suzanne; Phil for the $80 Breeder Cup valet parking visitors; Paul for his 6yr old granddaughter( one of the first her age) who got the covid vaccine; Ken for all the upcoming Community Service events; for Suchandra being with us today; Trish who announced her retirement & move to San Luis Obispo at the end of the year

Lew updated us on another successful Blood Drive where 25 units of blood were donated

Molly reminded us of Visitors Day - 2 weeks from today on 11/19 - invite all your friends & neighbors

Di has room with her non-profit, Everyday Mindfulness, for the CRC Distribution Day on 12/4. Contact her if you're interested.

Malcolm recognized Ken for his 15th and Jan for her 25th Anniversary with the Club this month, and fined everyone else

Patricia shared the wonderful video below about Wreaths Across America which we will be doing on 12/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_-EW6a_VAs

Sherriff Bill Gore, Rotarian, San Diego native, former Asst. Director of the FBI, and Meritorious Executive Award recipient from the President of the United States, talked with us on his 51 years of public service. One of the biggest issues facing the community & the nation is dealing with mental health issues. Major accomplishments include spearheading the creation of the Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center, the Homeless Assisted Resource Team, and the Mobile Crisis Response Team, all who work together with unusual cooperation and collaboration.

Blood Drive

Posted on Oct 30, 2021

Thank you Lew & Rotarians for another successful Blood Drive

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 29, 2021

Happy Halloween!!

We arrived at the Hilton to these fun creations created by the staff

And words of wisdom from Patricia "to review our checkbooks, our hearts, and indeed, the registers of our lives with honesty as we consider our priorities and our opportunity to help others"

There were a lot of Happy $$ for the great job Paul did in covering for Vicky and for World Polio Day; from Molly for a fun trip to Big Bear; from Paul for his 3.4MM home sale & for the $775 raised to End Polio Now that increased to $5000 with District & Gates match

Jon reported final LobsterFest figures: a whopping $76,700 in Revenue with Profit of $50,475 - Great job!!!!!

Steve shared that we will be partnering for a $70,000 Global Grant with District 4100 in Baja

Herb informed us that $9K is on its way to El Salvador to help children with health & education needs

And Happy Birthday Wishes to Beverly for her upcoming birthday and to Scott for whom Charlotte paid a fine

Our speaker, Marj Cole, former District Governor and in her 3rd year as Foundation Chair, brought us up to date on the Rotary Foundation and our contributions: We have 27 Paul Harris Fellows (have given $1000 or more); 3 members are part of the Bequest Society (have included The Foundation in their Estate Planning; 3 members are Major Donors (have given over $10,000 to The Foundation); the Club has donated $11,000 to the annual Fund with an average of $378 for a total of $400,000. Rotarians on the west coast can become a Polio Plus Society Member by donating $100/yr to Polio Plus. The Rotary Foundation has one of the highest non-profit ratings as 91% of its funds go philanthropic endeavors

LobsterFest Thank You

Posted on Oct 28, 2021

World Polio Day 2021

Posted by Jan Parsons on Oct 28, 2021

World Polio Day 2021

Posted on Oct 24, 2021

Thank you Paul for arranging our fun activities for World Polio Day 2021

starting with the District walk in Balboa Park, followed by our Club Walk along the coast, and ending at Viewpoint for lunch and drinks. It was a fun time for all for this worthy cause!!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 22, 2021

We welcomed District Guests, Susie Callahan, Chief Asst. Gov.; Sandy Pugliese, Newsbits Editor & Area Asst. Gov.; & Luis Carranza, Area Asst. Gov.

Steve received two heart-felt books: a collection of tributes that Susie put together & Sandy's book of Steve's Sunday Morning Musings commemorating the wonderful year of Steve's 2020-2021 District Governorship

Paul was President-for-the-day in Vicky's absense, and reminded everyone about the End Polio Now activities on Sunday. Steve proclaimed him the best Foundation Chair in the District.

Visit our Upcoming Events & register for the CRC Holiday Baskets and Stand Down by clicking on the event. Bring clothes (new or worn) for Vets to the next two meetings and Lou will deliver them to Veterans Village on 11/5

Our speaker today, Fari Moni, Rotarian from the La Jolla Golden Triangle Club and a member of San Diego/Jalalabad Sister Cities Foundation brought us up to date on activities in Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover. Things are not good and she is heartbroken over the difficulties there. The government would like to see the computer center reopen, which the team will not do until the high school is open to girls. Money is being raised to help the 34 members of the team in Jalalabad with food and necessities, and Janice Kurth is leading the local Rotary effort to help Afghan refugees in San Diego. Contact Fari or Janice to help.

Octoberfest 2021

Posted on Oct 17, 2021

Vielen Dank to Susan & Mark for a fabulous Octoberfest

with brats & all the German trimmings from Tip Top Market, Vienna Lager from Viewpoint,

and a beautiful night on their terrace

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 15, 2021

Happy Fall

We continue with hybrid meetings. Please see our Upcoming Events & mark your calendars

Kevin's invocation reminded us to focus on being quick to listen and slow to speak; melding our differences, creating unity; highlighting integrity, emphasizing service to others

Happy Rotarians included Charles for enjoying fall leaves while hiking WV & Tennessee trails with daughter & family; Susan for upcoming birthday on the 24th (the same day as our End Polio Now Walk); Charlotte for 5 new clients; Steve for having Robert Brewer with us today; Ken for mother's successful move to SD & upcoming birthday; Paul for Alzheimer's walk tomorrow with Bev & Herb

George & Bill welcoming Vets back from their Honor Flight last week

Robert Brewer, Jr. talked with us about his 25 months as US Attorney for the Southern District of California, one of four Federal Districts in California. It took him 2 years to be approved by the White House, the US Senate, and the Dept. of Justice. He emphasized the high ethical character of the assistant US attorneys he appointed, and was very proud to reorganize the Criminal Division to include Violent Crimes & Human Trafficing (VC & HT), at the urging of Steve. Highlights of his term are shown below:

As a thank you for speaking, Vicky presented Brewer our Joshua Orphan Care School certificate where we help with school supplies & desks in Malawi, Africa

LobsterFest 2021 Video

Posted on Oct 09, 2021

LobsterFest 2021 Video by North Gilman Photography

Click link below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1afaPX-UqQDwAiwB8xGs3EbP8Ah5lcDIF/view?usp=sharing

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 08, 2021

Happy $s: $50 from Phil in celebation of his & Cynthia's Anniversary where they ate at Born & Raised, and also for his son staying in San Diego; $25 from Steve for Chuck joining us today and for his 2nd grandchild; $30 from Bill for over 3000 people welcoming back our veterans from honor flight and the marines from Afghanistan to Camp Pendleton

Calendar Items:

- Octoberfest: Saturday, 10/16, 4-8pm at Susan & Marks

- World Polio Day: Sunday, 10/24; District Walk, 7am (https://www.crsadmin.com/EventPortal/Registrations/PublicFill/EventPublicFill.aspx?evtid=584e104a-898e-463b-8ac3-a1cb5ca478d2 )

11:00am, Club Walk starting at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar; Lunch after at Viewpoint Brewery; Donate to Rotary.org

- San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy River Fest: 11/7, 4-7pm, Del Mar Hilton (https://paybee.io/@sdrvc2020@34)

- Visitors Day: Friday, 11/19. We will have a speaker from Cabrillo National Monument. Invite all your friends and neighbors

- Tecate home building: 12/4

Paul shared an eradicating polio video emphasizing We're Not Done Yet!

District Governor Elect, Chuck Pretto was our speaker today and shared many fascinating facts about Kobey's Swap Meet - San Diego's biggest outdoor market. Started by his father-in-law, Monte Kobey in 1976, it is a family affair with Chuck, his wife Kimberly, son Anthony, & brother Joseph on the management team. At Anthony's urging it has expanded to become America's largest outdoor sneaker & vintage clothing swap meet, earning 30% of its income from sneaker sales and attracking over 13,000 people who pay over $1200 per pair. Chuck offered free space for Rotary and Roteract events.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 01, 2021

Trish started the meeting with inspiring quotes from Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, Albert Schweitzer, and Mother Teresa, who said "The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace".
Condolences to Vicky who broke her wrist in a fall & came in a sling
Happy Dollars: George for his son Jim speaking today & restart of honor flights; Patricia for ESP/San Dieguito River Valley Conservatory; Malcolm for new fiber laser that he hasn't figured out yet; Charlotte for passing her latest financial services test; Di for all the heartfelt wishes & cards; Herb for having Bev at the meeting & Venky's efforts on the Global Grant; Andy for his son's upcoming wedding where he'll only have to dress from the waist up since it is on zoom

Thank you to Venky who couldn't make LobsterFest so donated $1000 instead
Vicky shared upcoming District Events:
- Oct. 5 - Del Mar Rotary Sunset Soiree, 5:30-8:30, Del Mar Plaza (let's reciprocate their support of our LobsterFest)
- Oct 21 - Membership mixer, 6-8pm, Agua Hedionda Lagoon Discovery Center, Carlsbad
- Dec 4 - House building in Tecate with overnight stay
Holiday Party will be Dec 5 at Vickys - more info to come
Membership: Susan reminded us to talk about Rotary and invite new members
International: District Grant for El Salvador is approved and awaiting funds; Global Grant for Kenya orphanage has been written and is awaiting amount of host Rotary funding
Community Service: Committee will meet week of Oct 14; Contact Lew to help with the Oct 30 Blood Drive

LobsterFest: Numbers are not final, but Vicky shared that Total Pledged reached $62,000!!!!!!!! including a net of $17,738 from the auction and $2000 from the raffle. Vicky thanked everyone for their help (not just her committee). Wrap up meeting was last week, but let her know if you have any suggestions/comments, and let Herb know if anyone hasn't received their Travel Pledge certificate
Our fascinating, informative Speaker today was Jim Sousa, Director of GS Fisheries Inc. and 4th generation of family tuna fishermen. The U.S. tuna industry started in 1912 when Portuguese fishermen arrived (including Jim's Great Grandfather in 1918) and grew steadily until 1984 when our canneries closed. Boats grew from 125ft long to over 300ft and from holding 250 tons of tuna to 1500 tons. As Jim said, the boats were made out of wood and the men were made out of steel (this is the 2nd most dangerous business behind lumbering).

LobsterFest 2021, more photos

Posted on Sep 28, 2021

Photos by Noah Gilman Photography

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 24, 2021

Bill presented flowers to Vicky and Charlotte for the great job they did with LobsterFest (and brought a bottle of wine for Phil)

Everyone agreed it was a wonderful event and fundraiser - numbers to come!

Condolences to Di for the passing of her father-in law; Congratulations to Molly on her 5th wedding anniversary (she was here at the Hilton exactly 5 yrs ago); Jan was happy that she won the Reality Changers Over the Edge auction item where she will get to rappel down the side of a 30-story building (which we will make into a social); Susan was happy for a fabulous sailing day; and we were all happy to have with us Dan Gensler, current District Governor and his Chief Aid, Don Fipps

Dan shared with us that he joined Rotary a decade ago to grow his business but quickly learned that this is the most successful organization to eliminate human suffering by focusing on compassion, charity, and service. Dan is passionate about humanitarian causes both here and abroad and chaired the Millions for Hope fundraising drive in 2015 that raised over $30 million in bequests and donations to The Rotary Foundation. He was inspired by Sister Ethel who left Ireland in 1972 for South Africa to help fight apartheid, where he has gone many years to distribute shoes and help the poor. And he has also been involved with Limbs of Freedom in Ensenada, Mexico where Rotary helps build prosthetics for the needy. He encouraged everyone to following RI President Mehtas lead to grow Rotary - each one-bring one; each one-keep one.

LobsterFest 2021

Posted by Jan Parsons on Sep 23, 2021

...and the rest of the story that was cut...

Over 250 people attended the event Including Premier Sponsor Foster & Friends, and VIP sponsors Northstar Financial Management, Inc., The Sutton Family, PSRS, Charles Koll Jewellers, and Ergos. Youth from Just In Time and Reality Changers helped with set up, the raffle, and auction. When Premier Sponsor Alicia & Charles Foster were asked why they supported LobsterFest they shared that they feel very fortunate in life and want to express their gratitude by helping others. “We think that DMSB Rotary does a great job of helping people in need through well-chosen nonprofits, and especially for underserved kids and their families. We believe that improved education and mentoring can be the key to helping them overcome their and their parents’ lack of education, their views of potential opportunities, and other obstacles”.

DMSB Rotary President and LobsterFest Chair Vicky Mallett thanked her committee and said, “I am thrilled to have such enthusiastic support from our Community and our Club members for LobsterFest. The event raises funds to support our Club Programs and major beneficiaries, while providing a fun, social gathering in a beautiful setting.” Mallett ended by saying she hopes LobsterFest will be an annual fundraiser for the Club for years to come.

LobsterFest 2021

Posted on Sep 20, 2021

Thank you Vicky for imagining and chairing a wonderful LobsterFest, and to Linda for running a great opportunity drawing

Invitees arrived at the check-in table manned by Rotarians Weilynn, Suzanne, & Patricia and Just In Time for Foster Youth, one who came as a lobster and enticed guests to purchase opportunity tickets for local restaurants

They were then directed to the VIP tequila tasting run by Carlsbads CaliFino Tequila and to our auction area, overseen by Charlotte, Mauer, and Herb

Guests enjoyed the Spanish guitar music of James Clarkston as they sipped marqaritas, wine, or beer from Viewpoint Brewing Co., and found their tables in the courtyard of the Del Mar Hilton

https://youtube.com/shorts/Qc8PyIzKVAo?feature=share

Artist Heather Roddy invited guests to add to the painting she was doing for our live auction before a dinner of lobster tacos and all the trimmings, baja style

President Mallett thanked everyone for their hard work, and MC Steve Weitzen introduced our military dignitaries and the Leaders of Just In Time For Foster Youth, Dianne Cox & Don Wells, and Reality Changers Management, Tamara Craver and Dawn Wensel. Then everyone sat back to listen and dance to the music of Hot Rocks San Diego with Trish at the mic

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It was a great evening, enjoyed by all in a magical setting on a beautiful night!

Rotary & Club Meeting

Posted on Sep 17, 2021

Vicky began the meeting with the following quote and thanked all her LobsterFest committee members for the fabulous job they have done. We are expecting about 260 people, and have raised over $12,000 in the online auction to date

Happy Dollars included Happy Birthday wishes for Susheela & Nicole; a $1000 check to the SD Foundation from Charles' friend; Charlotte for her auction intern Mauer, who joined us today; Patricia for a night at the fabulous Shell; Jan for a fun impromptu gathering at Viewpoint where Malcolm supplied beer & munchies; Ken for surviving his 1st week at his new Seattle job; Bill for Phil & all his hard work; Andy for a very memorable 9/11 rememberance ceremony at Di's where as they reflected on those who died, a new life was being born by a participant on zoom

Charlotte won this special shirt as part of the We Are Baack drawing

Patricia as fine master again caught members lacking in knowledge about our members as three could not identify Susan as our President Elect. Paul escaped a fine by identifying Jan as Public Relations/Media Chair

Susan shared with us the beautiful booklet done by and about the women in A View, the non-profit in India started by our member Suchandra, to help & empower women with mental illness. She also showed us the fine quilts available in the LobsterFest auction that were made by these women

Visit aviewforwomen.org for more information

Susan also raved about the District Conference that she, Mark, Vicky, Beverly, and Herb attended and shared a video of Steve Brown's presentation on current happenings in Afghanistan. The future of the schools they built and support is uncertain, as there is a financial crisis right now. They are also helping with visas for eligible Afghans who assisted them. He reminded Rotarians that the programs they funded were not sustainable without our help, but the capacity building they did in education and internet skills will be long lasting and very worthwhile.

LobsterFest Here We Come - tomorrow, Saturday, 9/18, 5-8pm

LobsterFest Raffle

Posted on Sep 14, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 10, 2021

Steve led us in prayer as we reflected on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Malcolm invited all to come to Viewpoint on Monday from 3-6pm when a film crew will be taping; Susan rightfully bragged about a 33 mile bike ride she & Mark did; Charlotte was happy for her & Scott's 17th Wedding Anniversary; Trish will be celecrating her mothers 97th birthday on the 13th; and Bill showed us the centerpieces that will be on two LobersterFest tables reserved for the military

Paul, as todays Fine Master, showed that members are not paying attention as three of our Rotarians on zoom could not name our current Club Secretary - Suzanne!!!!! But Susheela avoided a fine by giving the correct date for LobsterFest - next Saturday, Sept. 18!!!! Lew gave our next blood drive date as October 30. Jon again won the We Are Baack raffle - Batch & Box cookies.
Vicky shared that LobsterFest is currently at $42K gross plus $6K in auction proceeds. She is confident that we can reach $54K gross with everyone's help in promoting the auction and raffle. Linda has $100 gift certificates for the raffle from the Brigantine, Jake's, the Poseidon, Keis, the Fish Market, Pacific Coast Grill, In & Out, Patagonia Store, and Seaside Market, so encourage LobsterFest participants to bring cash or a credit card!!

We all celebrated our newest Blue Badge Member, Trish, as Susan shared the steps taken to reach this goal and presented her with her new badge. Susan reminded us to invite friends and associates to Rotary - Trish came from a long-time Rotary family, but no one had asked her to join until now. We are happy she did - Congratulations Trish!!!

Anil Srivatsa, who is an active Rotarian & has chartered two clubs, gave a passionate talk via zoom on the gift of life - organ donations. He has visited 44 countries and given over 550 talks championing the cause of Organ Donation with a goal of reaching a million donors with his message of compassion and fighting fear with love. He encouraged Rotarians to start Rotary Action Groups for Organ Donations. See the video he shared by clicking on the following link: https://youtu.be/hE8Gx8k9JFw or visiting the GOLA Foundation on Facebook

Nicole collected $200 from members to send to Anil's Go Fund Me page to help cover gas as he travels the world

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 27, 2021

Healing wishes to Lew who broke his collarbone from an electric bike fall and to Beverly as she recovers from tremors as a result of her fall; best wishes to Ken who will be starting a new job with the Seattle company Arzeda

We have 54 items in our auction with $2030 raised to date. Send the following link to all you friends and colleagues & bid early and bid often:

https://www.biddingforgood.com/dmsbrotary

Thank you to our Premier LobsterFest Sponsor and to our libation providers:

We Are Baack winners were Molly who got her Sees candy from last week and Jon who won a $20 gift certificate from Diesel Book Store in Del Mar Highlands Town Center

We enjoyed meeting and hearing from Tasha Matthews, Civic/Faith Specialist with Just In Time for Foster Youth. You are welcome any time!

And we got to congratulate Di again on being our newest blue badge member. Susan went over the transition requirements and Patricia shared how much she enjoyed being Di's mentor and how inspired she was working with her. Both Trish and Nicole are almost there too. How about Andy?????????

Susan Day from the Burn Institute gave an informative, fact-filled talk on all the wonderful things they do to provide fire prevention and burn survivor support. And we learned she was grateful to Rotary for RYLA, which her daughteer attended a few years ago

LobsterFest Auction

Posted on Aug 21, 2021

Getting Herb and wine baskets ready for LobsterFest auction...oops... only wine!!!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 20, 2021

Todays invocation

Charles was finemaster today and did not fine $50/each: Herb for Beverly's black eyes and Jan for her quick & consistent website postings; and lots of happy $$s were given to have George back

We were sad to learn that Radia has resigned, but understand with a new little one, and that Suchandra has been working in San Jose & Monterey, and will soon be leaving for India again - we miss you in person!

Venky reported that according to Steve Brown, the Taliban control of Afganistan will not affect the school they built in Jalalabad where they educate boys and girls, or Nangarhar University. We hope that is true and continues. See interview below:

https://fox5sandiego.com/news/world-news/group-funding-education-in-afghanistan-cautiously-optimistic-amid-taliban-takeover/

President Vicky wielded her gavel today and warned she will levy a heavy fine if it is stolen before LobsterFest

29 days to LobsterFest

Artist Heather Roddy will not only have a painting in our online auction, but she will be painting the night of LobsterFest. The painting will be sold during a live auction with Herb as auctioneer extraordinaire; and Steve will be the masterful Master of Ceremony for the night

Charlotte has done a fabulous job with our LobsterFest website (click link in menu line or donate button to give), and we will now have Spanish guitar music during cocktails. Let Suzanne know names of guests and any alternative food choices; and Vicky know if you have extra seats available so we can accommodate Rotary friends who would like to support us

Seth Tilly, a member of the Solana Beach Eco Rotary Club, spoke to us today about the changing technology and regulatory landscape of residential solar power, to help with making informed decisions about solar power for your home. Due to a power glitch, we lost connection during his talk, so feel free to email him at seth@sandiegocountysolar.com with any questions or for more information (and congratulations on your new baby)

LobsterFest

Posted by Jan Parsons on Aug 16, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 13, 2021

The LobsterFest Committee has done a great job!! We are still taking donations and need auction items, and contact Vicky if you have a sponsor or need more seats

We wish George a speedy recovery from a brief hospital visit; Beverly successful surgery for a detached retina after a fall; and Happy upcoming Birthdays to Paul and Trish

Charlotte won a Starbucks gift card and Reeses peanut butter cups (for which Vicky was reluctent to part) in our "We are Baack" drawing

We are very excited that Nicole will be the Youth Services Chair, and know she will do a fabulous job!!

And congratulations to Di who received her Blue Badge in record time - way to go!!!

Dawn Wensel, President of Reality Changers was our speaker today and updated us on what they have been doing during the pandemic. You can help them by volunteering as a tudor or mentor: www.realitychangers.org

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 06, 2021

As part of her invocation, Trish encouraged members to share Love Notes with others

Venky won a gift certificate from San Clemente Pier Fisherman's Restaurant as part of the "We are Baack" campaign

We had a lobster visit us today in the form of Linda, to promote our September 18 LobsterFest. Let her know restaurants you would like her to contact for auction items.

Get your reservations in soon for rooms at the Hilton as there are only 5 reduced-rate rooms left for the 18th. If you're inviting more than 8 friends, Phil can accommodate tables of 10 or 12. Herb asked members to visit other Rotary clubs to share our event. And Andy's & Phil's double teaming secured the tequila commitment from CaliFino Tequila: www.califino.com

Venky's grandson Karan talked with us about NBNA - Namma Beach Namma Chennai (Our Beach Our Chennai) and the wonderful work this non-profit is doing to raise awareness of and clean up beaches in India: www.reciprocityfoundation.in

Our speaker Chase Harr joined us from the top of Wildcat Mountain, New Hampshire to talk about Shelter Box and his goal to raise over $100,000 as he scales 1400 ft peaks throughout the country: www.ShelterBoxUSA.org/SecondSummits

In closing, we learned how Casa de Amistad is partnering with Reality Changers to meet the needs of 9-11 graders and older students through their college prep program. Mark your calendars for a fun picnic social on August 22, 2-4pm; sign up for Trish's San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy Friendraiser on August 12 at Viewpoint; and attend the District Membership Seminar on zoom on August 14, 9-10:30am.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jul 30, 2021

It was great to see Nicole in person who was our greeter today and picked the "We Are Baack" ticket for macarons from Le Parfait Paris. Vicky's name was drawn but she graciously abstained, and Malcolm was the lucky winner

Paul, in his cleaning out to move, shared a brochure he found of the Rotary Youth Exchange in Germany from 1999, which his daughter, Katie attended

Andy showed his new LobsterFest shirt with the colors of Mexico (or "watermelon" as Trish said & fined him), and gave a colorful one made by a friend's company to Phil

Trish also fined members who didn't bring a bottle of wine for our LobsterFest auction, but we did collect a nice selection

And we got to see some of the pictures at the Hilton which will be part of our auction through Bidding for Good. Vicky informed us that individuals can be part of the tequila tasting for an additional $105, and members can split a table sponsorship

Our speakers today, Caulene Bussard and Lucy Njuguna, joined us on zoom from Canada and Kenya. They shared the wonderful work Praise Gate Orphanage does to help, feed, and house former street children, orphans, and abandoned babies near Nairobi, Kenya. We are doing a Global Grant of $30,000 to assist them with water and solar needs for a new facility they are building.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jul 23, 2021

Mami joined us before taking a new job as counselor at an International School in San Francisco and was made an Honorary Paul Harris Fellow for all her help with Youth, Cristo Rey San Diego, and scholarships last year

Di was center stage today as she was the greeter, gave the invocation, invited two guests, and did her Who Am I (and finished the last of her Blue Badge requirements). From the Chicago area, she is a life-long practitioner of mindfulness, and loves being named after the Goddess Diana who was the protector of women and children. Rotary fits her well as service and community are daily aspirations (and she gave blood for the first time as part of our blood drive).

Trish won cookies from Batch & Box as part of our "We are Baack" promotion. And she showed us Rotary pins that her 96 year old mother gave her that were gifts from or belonged to her Rotarian father - a Rotary wheel surrounded by a heart, a "small" PH pin, and a 35 & 40 year pin.

Malcolm shared a promotional video that Venky made to be considered for entertainment for our LobsterFest (open link below to watch)

https://apis.mail.aol.com/ws/v3/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-HLIkBv9YmePvSiTYcmg81DgU1oziPTM1LKLNKHogDthfp-P3M3R0caMugFCXRIhRGH4nkLovJSeSm65J69qU1w/messages/@.id==AKyynAZQ8fAjYPrUtQxcEKTQ5vo/content/parts/@.id==2/refresh?appid=aolwebmail&ymreqid=a4b12814-1391-165d-302c-5a004701b000

Vicky reminded us that LobsterFest is only 67 days away and we only have commitments of $16,000. Everyone needs to get busy with sponsorships and auction items. Our auction theme is leisure activities, and Linda suggested making up baskets of wine for the in-person auction. Trish is finemaster next week and said she will fine anyone who doesn't bring a bottle.

Bill Payne, CEO of Second Chance, was our speaker today and we were very impressed to learn that they provided 3.1 tons of fruit & vegetables as part of their outreach to the Encanto community last year. Visit www.secondchanceprogram.org for more information.

As a thank you for speaking, Vicky provided Bill with our Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate where we will make a donation in his name

LobsterFest

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 22, 2021

Eid al-Adha

Posted on Jul 20, 2021

Eid Mubarak

Happy Eid al-Adha

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jul 16, 2021

Past President Bill started off the meeting in Vicky's well-deserved absence as she vacations in Hawaii. He proudly displayed Herb's golden gavel lent to him, along with 1 of the 25 gavels he bought when president after his was stolen at his first meeting (he says he didn't know our tradition)

Happy Birthday to Molly who gave $21 for her birthday on the 21st (and still looks 21) and $9 for the great news that her dad is able to put off heart surgery as his numbers look good

A Salt & Straw gift certificate went to Lew in our "We Are Baack" drawing - a two-week winner (better buy a lottery ticket!)

Phil deserves an award for the outstanding job he is doing with half his regular staff!! He is looking forward to today & race season as the crowd of happy drinkers are less demanding

Paul, as Foundation Chair, was happy to present next level Paul Harris Awards to Herb, PH+3, Steve, PH+6, and Lew, PH+2

The LobsterFest Committee is hard at work: Andy reminded us that personal relationships are the most successful to bring in sponsors; Bill & George are working on getting two tables for the military; and Herb asked for help with auction items. Charles reminded us that the purpose of LobsterFest is to raise funds to make a difference in someone's life!! Please join the LobsterFest Committee this Thursday, 7/22 at 5:00 at the Suttons

Mami will be at the meeting next week before leaving for San Francisco, so come to say goodby and wish her well

Our speaker, Karen Jongeward, told us about the wonderful volunteer program Crisis Intervention, that the San Diego Police Department began in 1987 to help individuals in the community during times of crisis. They provide immediate short-term emotional and logistical support to victims, witnesses, and other effected individuals who have experienced traumatic or potentially traumatic incidents. We are proud that our new member Trish, volunteers with them. For more information contact Officer Denise Mills at drmills@pd.sandiego.gov or by phone at 619-733-9352.

And Bill presented Karen with an actual (as oppossed to a virtual) Joshua Orphan Care Center Certificate where we make a donation in honor of our speakers

Governor's Dinner & Celebration

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 15, 2021

Bastille Day

Posted on Jul 14, 2021

Happy Bastille Day

LobsterFest

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 11, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jul 09, 2021

Its a new dawn, its a new day... and Vicky started us on a new year, building on a strong foundation!!

Along with Kevin's inspirational invocation:

To encourage members to attend in person, Vicky started a "We Are Baack" drawing each week of gift cards and small gifts with the grand prize a $100 gift certificate - so come live, and come often!!

Members helped our coffers by being happy: Charles for Maggie, their new Lab puppie; Venky for his 1st in-person meeting; Lew for his birthday; Molly for Riley's 1st week of school; Bill for graduating from cardiac rehab center; Di for being able to get on zoom in Santa Barbara parking lot; Linda presenting Herb with a deck of cards; Herb for zoom working & thanking everyone for their help last year

Congratulations to our latest Paul Harris Award recipient, Phil on his PH+1

Charlotte shared the LobsterFest website which is up and running: dmsblobsterfest.com

And we ended the meeting with a wonderful speaker - Captain Jennifer Swain from The Salvation Army San Diego Adult Rehabilitation Center. She gave touching examples of how they work with body, mind, and soul to help those afflicted with addictions, and we learned where the phrase "fell off the wagon" came from.

Happy 4th of July

Posted on Jul 02, 2021

Governor's Dinner

Posted on Jun 29, 2021

Over 400 attended the Governor's Dinner in-person or on zoom

We were very proud (especially his Granddaughter Andrea) to have George lead us in The Pledge of Allegiance

Steve thanked everyone for the wonderful job we did all year and expressed how proud he was to be District Governor and a member of Rotary. Among his many awards given, one was a beautiful crystal and pins to Susan & Mark for being a Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation

And as Herb turned over the Home Club Banner to the Coronado Rotary, he passed off his Demotion Party wig to Steve

And Rotary Year 2020-2021 was a wrap!!

Herb's Demotion Party

Posted on Jun 27, 2021

Thank you Bill & Suzanne for hosting a wonderful Demotion Party & Patricia for being the fabulous Master of Ceremonies

Kevin started the activities with a history of the gavel being stolen that started with his Presidency 29 years ago, and then the Random Acts of Kindness began after a scrumptious meal

Bill presented Herb with the golden gavel for a job well done without one for the last few months; Vicky gave Herb a new shirt to replace the blue Rotary one worn at most meetings; Art, as chief physician, presented Herb with a bag of food (pickeled herring, spam, kippers, vienna sausage, etc.) to supplant all the breakfasts Herb missed running the meetings; Herb admired the watch given him by Phil (which Malcolm engraved) as a reminder of meetings starting late even though Herb was at the Hilton by 6:30; after Molly presented a wig for Herb in memory of all the comments about hair this year; Patricia gave Herb a picture showing his gavel travelling the world; Charlotte was overjoyed to unload all the auction paraphenalia to Herb as new auction chair

And at long last, Herb recovered his gavel with the help of Tootsie II, given him by Jan and passed it on to Vicky as incoming President before the end of the night

Herb gave out lots of trophies & awards but none more worthy than to his wife, Beverly, who has done an outstanding job at Program Chair - and love was in the air for the whole Liberman family

We toasted Steve as he received this District Governor pin from Herb, so beautifully designed & crafted by Malcolm & Charles Koll Jewellers (yes we want to see the pin AND YOU, Steve)

And we ended the lovely evening celebrating two other milestones - Jon's 77th Birthday and Kevin & Sibylle's engagement which was recently made official

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 25, 2021

Herb's last meeting as President and Celebration of Service - as he would say: SHOW TIME! He gave out "Stanley Cup" trophies or award pins to his handlers (Jan, Susan, Patricia, Sarah), and to committee chairs for a job well done in a difficult year

Malcolm informed us he will be the Fine-Master Delegator, with a different member playing the role of Fine-Master each week starting alphabetically with Ken. Goal is to fine a minimum of $25/week or make up the difference
Vicky confirmed that hybrid meetings will continue but as Molly said "we miss your face" (and the rest of you)! Let Herb know if you can help with setting up meetings Friday mornings
BocceFest: All agreed with Bill that our "non-event" that raised over $40,000 was our biggest accomplishment of the year and gave a big shout-out to Charles for coordinating
The Rotary Foundation: Paul shared that we hit $10,521 in annual giving and $17,400 overall, with an average of $7,700 over the last 4 years, and per capita of $363 (the District average is $170). Great job for hitting the 100% EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) goal again this year!
Membership: Vicky & Susan did a great job of bringing in 6 new members this year (Andy, Diana, Linda, Nicole, Trish, and Weilynn)

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 18, 2021

Herb started us off celebrating Juneteenth - the new federal holiday recognizing the end of slavery in 1865
He warned everyone to wear a Rotary pin next week or expect a fine
Happy Anniversary to Lew & Sue celebrating their 50th; Phil & Cynthia their 32nd; Nicole & Peter, and Venky & Meera and Happy Birthday wishes to Jon, Charlotte, Suzanne, and Suchandra, who Malcolm highlighted along with Herb in the attached video:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/walking_on_sunshine/03ec28b0-a116-4ffd-a0b3-1db26ea1633a

DG Steve presented George and Vicky their Paul Harris +4 pins, Malcolm his PH+6, and Susan a Major Donor Crystal Award & pin, which will be officially presented to her and Mark at the Governor's Dinner on June 28. Well done all!!

Trish gave a great Who Am I and we learned that she is very competitive (having grown up with 7 siblings), trees are part of her DNA, she loves nature, national parks, her job, and family & relationships are key in her life

And we heard that Di has some competition for

Solana Beach Mayor, Lesa Heebner was our speaker today and she updated us on traffic flow plans, housing issues, and the challenges of meeting affordable housing requirements in an affluent coastal community

Hope without Boundaries

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jun 17, 2021

Del Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/Solana Beach Sun

Just in Time

Posted on Jun 16, 2021

Thank you Just in Time for a wonderful evening of food and drink at the Sky Deck grand opening. We had a blast!!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 11, 2021

Hot off the press - not Maine nor East Coast, but a Baja Style LobsterFest celebration on September 18, 5-8pm on the back patio of the Del Mar Hilton with music, dancing, special VIP tequila tasting, and yummy lobster with all the trimmings
Congratulations to Nicole's daughter who is turning 12 and was named student of the year
Di was happy for Cubs win on Rotary at the Padres night and for Rotarians accepting their cheering without judgement; next Rotary/Padres Night on July 12 - let Herb know if you can join him and Beverly
Molly's Small Act was encouraging neighbors to celebrate their kind mailman's birthday with cards, which they all did
Demotion Party on June 26 will cost $39/pp. Deadline to rsvp to Patricia & order vegetarian meal is 6/18
Charles, as part of the Community Service Committee, presented a $1500 check to Paul & Leslie Sagar of Hope without Boundaries to buy school supplies and food for kids attending the Carretes Learning Center in Tijuana, Mexico

Leslie shared how grateful they, and all the needy families they support across the border, are for our continued assistance since the founding of HwB in 2008

https://dl-mail.aolmail.com/ws/download/mailboxes/@.id==VjN-HLIkBv9YmePvSiTYcmg81DgU1oziPTM1LKLNKHogDthfp-P3M3R0caMugFCXRIhRGH4nkLovJSeSm65J69qU1w/messages/@.id==AMV3bohJhvU7YMO-7gG9UBMMkos/content/parts/@.id==2/raw?appid=aolwebmail&ymreqid=a4b12814-1391-165d-302c-5a0149010d00&token=zitEzqOML3j84e6ealFTT5U7-km5qEQF52lp7AcCuBaLB06Xia5sUZ20te2WZkl8kUp2Ucvkha2hoUci7oHnGV-n4_czdHRxoy6AUJdEiFEYfieQui8lJ5Kbrknr2pTX

And our speaker today, fellow Rotarian Matt Kurth, who has been in the clinical research & pharmaceutical world for more than 20 years, gave a very informative talk on how Covid-19 vaccines were developed so fast and yet are highly effective and safe. He ended with encouraging everyone to get vaccinated and to trust science.

Rotary Night at the Padres

Posted on Jun 09, 2021

A fun time was had at the Padres game last night with fellow Rotarians, but would have been better if the home team had won - although Chicago natives Di and Al were very happy!!

Al, Di, Patricia, Steve, Jan, Susan, Chuck, Mark

Piedras Pintadas Trail Hike

Posted on Jun 05, 2021

Trish leading the group on a 4.6-mile hike at Lake Hodges (often steep & rocky). The Piedras Pintadas Trail is part of the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy, of which she is the Executive Director.

Mark, Art, Trish, Susan, Charlotte, Alicia, Charles, Patricia

Jackets come off as the day warms up

And celebrating after with refreshing brews and delicious food at Karl Strauss in 4S Ranch

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jun 04, 2021

Welcome to our newest member, Linda Saville, a former Rotarian & Club President in Laguna Beach.

DG Steve, Membership Co-Chair Susan, Linda, and Mentor Ken.

We were entertained by a video about Steve, based on the song On & On, Down in "La Jolla" (click on link below)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehbEMiXkKi8

We learned more about red-badger Nicole from her Who Am I and her lifelong dedication to helping youth & people with disabilities
And then we were treated to an Empower Party hosted by Dianne Cox and Don Wells from Just In Time for Foster Youth, where we received a great swag bag and watched a touching presentation where JIT staff & participants made a music video of Keep Holding On. And we heard moving testimonials from former foster youth on how much JIT has made a difference in their lives as they transitioned to life on their own and the love they receive from them, their volunteers, and contributors.
Diane and Don gratiously invited all Rotarians to join Just In Time for a complimentary evening of food and drink at the Grand Opening of the Sky Deck in the Del Mar Highlands Shopping Plaza on Tuesday, June 15. Let Paul know if you will be able to attend.

Memorial Day 2021

Posted on May 31, 2021

Beverly & Herb watch as George & others are honored this Memorial Day on the Midway in recognition of WWII & Korean War Veterans.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 21, 2021

Members were happy to be travelling again - Charles to Hawaii, Susheela to the Bay Area to see family; Bill for Suzanne's successful cataract surgery; Susan for the 100,000th car pass through the covid vaccination site; Ken for his 17th Anniversary & for our zoom meetings as he was in Telluride
Welcome to Bill Paxton, a guest of Di as she quickly fulfills her blue badge requirements
Anniversary Congratulations to Ken & Bebe and Susan & Mark which Malcolm helped memorialize (click link below), and Happy 63rd Birthday to him for his May 22 birthday (which he didn't share in a video)

https://e.getjibjab.com/c2/225:1ce5c77a7441134bf063aad1f54bcb6f:d210520:5b9075989dadbb3b3b062780:1621563028627/5ffd026c?

https://e.getjibjab.com/c2/225:1ce5c77a7441134bf063aad1f54bcb6f:d210520:5b9075989dadbb3b3b062780:1621560323844/f625bab2?

It's official - Vicky was voted in as our new President for 2021-2022, as were her Board & Committee Heads:
- President Elect: Susan Hennenfent
- VP: Bill Sutton
- Secretary: Suzanne Sutton
- Treasurer: Jon Fish
- International: Herb Liberman
- Community Service: Ken Barrett
- Foundation: Paul Butler
- Membership: Molly Fleming & Susan Hennenfent
- Fundraising: Andy Laub
- Youth: Mami Takahara
- Programs: Beverly Liberman
- Socials: Patricia Case & Suzanne Sutton
- Website/PR: Jan Parsons
- Social Media/PR: Molly Fleming
- Fine Master: open
We will be sending over $7000 to a hospital in India to help people who have covid and no health insurance. Members gratiously donated over $2000 which the club matched along with another $3000.

George brought tears to many for his Small Act of hugging a woman who asked for it after seeing him & another Korean War Vet in their military jackets & sharing with them her thanks as she lost her husband in that war
John Dobkens gave a very informative talk on the San Onofre Decommissioning Project and shared that they will again be restarting walking tours of the site this summer

DG Steve Weitzen

Posted by Jan Parsons on May 20, 2021

Del Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/

Solana Beach Sun

Cristo Rey San Diego High School

Posted on May 15, 2021

Andy & Molly were very impressed with the study & work program at Cristo Rey San Diego High School which they visited, where we are giving a scholarship for Camila Tirado

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 15, 2021

Words of Wisdom from our own District Governor, Steve Weitzen on his official Home Club Visit

Many Rotary dignitaries attended our meeting in honor of DG Steve's talk. Members were ready to greet visitors and we started with a congratulatory mimosa toast. Steve told how an angel brought him to Rotary, but any member can go from red-badger to club president to DG, as he did. He encouraged all Rotarians to continue to be warm and welcoming. Why we continue as Rotarians is because we want to change the world in service to others. He talked about the insidious evil in our country of human trafficking: organ, slave labor, and sex and the reason he instigated a $50K global grant to fight it. He ended with the reminder that Rotary opens opportunities to repair the world - to heal ourselves. Marty Peters ended the meeting with a "has been" sticker that he attached to Steve's badge.

President Herb shared Malcolm's video in honor of Steve (see link below)

https://e.getjibjab.com/c2/225:f2d3a6b0cbb601c8e6181f28b9fd0725:d210512:58938ddaf46e7ee974b773b6:1620874333425/6f43a56c?

Love is in the air as happy dollars were given by Art for the announcement of son Brandon's upcoming wedding at his place in Sayulita, Mexico and Di whose son proposed to his beloved on her & Al's 40th Wedding Anniversary

And congratulations to Mami on her May 15 graduation

Rotarians At Work Day

Posted by Jan Parsons on May 13, 2021

Del Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/

Solana Beach Sun

Soul Swap Meet

Posted on May 08, 2021

Jan & Patricia visited Soul Swap Meet as suggested by former speaker Shawn McClondon, founder of the Sister Cities Project, and got ideas for a fun social activity. Malcolm will be happy to know Viewpoint Brewery was packed (socially distanced, of course) on this beautiful Saturday.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 07, 2021

Charles let Nicole know that there were extra vaccines available yesterday & many of her Casa de Amistad families were able to get a shot
Happy 40th Aniversary to Di and husband Al
Prayers go out to former Rotarian Sanjiv whose parents are in the hospital in India with Covid-19
We will be dark the Fridays before Memorial Day, 5/28 and 7/2 for 4th of July Holiday
Malcolm sent out a Happy Mother's Day message:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/when_you_met_mom/84ab91d4-da95-4fb2-9aa3-152adfac6ab9?recipient_token=cd71c2db-f7f8-4350-9791-b6dbb4fb33ea

And congratulated Di and Nicole (two of our new red-badgers) for posting their pictures to their profiles on clubrunner:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/push_it/7a97d29f-2c42-4fd9-8769-45a66cec9b11?recipient_token=44a93681-510b-4559-9b9b-95e0bbd6c787

Suzanne Veta, Training Manager for Tender Loving Canines (part of Guide Dogs of America) gave a wonderful talk showing the four program areas where these service dogs transform the lives of individuals: Veterans (helping with PTSD), Autism, Facility (schools, hospitals, court appearances), and Prison Training. As one of the inmates said "these dogs teach you to love" - a win, win, win - for the dog, the trainer, and the recipients

After the meeting Jan met with Nicole and was able to "pin" her

Cinco de Mayo Social

Posted on May 05, 2021

A fun time was had by all at our Cinco de Mayo Social at the Hilton

Thank you Patricia & Phil

Rotary & Club News

Posted on May 02, 2021

1st Club Assembly of the Year

Jan gave the invocation below and ended with Be Love

We started with a Small Acts of Kindness video about the NY Waldorf-Astoria Hotel & it's first manager George C. Boldt

Some member small acts included: Venky-feeding a parking meter that was expired; over 50-person half days at vaccine site as highlighted by Charles; Paul-Knights of Columbus cemetary clean-up; Bill acknowledging Alicia for books on eating healthy; Di-setting up free horseback riding lessons for Klohie (daughter of Lived Experiences founder Oscar Ortega)

And we welcomed our newest member, Caterina Hunter born 4/1/21 to proud mom & Rotarian Radia & husband Sean

Malcolm shared fun videos for birthdays: Patricia's Friday 4/30, Kevin's 5/1, and Steve's 5/2:

https://e.getjibjab.com/c2/225:1ce5c77a7441134bf063aad1f54bcb6f:d210429:5b9075989dadbb3b3b062780

https://e.getjibjab.com/c2/225:f2d3a6b0cbb601c8e6181f28b9fd0725:d210429:5b9075989dadbb3b3b062780

Members want to continue zoom & hybrid meetings as they are efficient and easy to join, especially when away. Huge thanks to Sarah for all her work on setting up the hybrids, and Patricia for her continued zoom assistance

Patricia reminded us of Cinco de Mayo social on the Hilton patio on 5/5 from 5-7pm; May 10 visit to Cristo Rey HS at 11:00 with Andy & Di; June 5 hike with Trish, and June 26 demotion party at the Suttons - more info to come

Committee Reports highlighting accomplishments to date included:

Blood Drive

Posted on Apr 26, 2021

More pictures of Rotarians helping garner 31 blood donations at our 2nd Blood Drive: Herb, Lew Wiliamson, Bev, Ken Barrett & daughter Issie, Vicky. Lew, Tootsie, Herb, Bev, Vicky, Paul, Ken. Not pictured: Charles Foster, Molly Fleming, Mark & Susan Hennenfent, and George Sousa. (Sorry if I missed anyone)

Rotarians At Work Day

Posted on Apr 25, 2021

DMSB Rotarians help Oceanside Rotary Club at Rotarians at Work (RAW) Day

with food drive and bingo to assist Lived Experiences

Diana Shimkus & Charles Foster in back row.

Diana, Lived Experiences founder Oscar Ortega & daughter Klohie, and Andy Laub. Beverly, Herb, and Tootsie. Diana & Oscar with donated food. A great time was had by all and much food and funds were collected, including $300 from our Community Service budget. (Thanks to Andy & Charles for the pictures & info).

Word has it that Diana was the big winner at bingo (and a known "bingo hustler" in Oceanside). She graciously donated her winnings to Oscar's non-profit and he claimed that she was "Legit" - a good thing!!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 23, 2021

What a Wonderful Day in the Neighborhood.....at Rotary!!

HAPPY 29th ANNIVERSARY TO US!! DMSB Rotary was spun off from the Del Mar Club on April 24, 1992, as testified by 1st President & current member Kevin Cahill
Charlotte & Molly joined us on zoom from their cars in line to get their covid vaccines
Camila Tirado, our Cristo Rey High School scholarship recipient joined us on zoom, along with Sean Green from Pontem Path
Rotarians & friends Andy, Alicia, Charles, Diana, Klaus, Lorelei, Mark, Molly, Sanjiv, & Susan helped yesterday at the DM vaccine superstation where Scripps gave a record 6000 shots (more than at Dodger Stadium as Andy pointed out)
DG Steve started with the induction of FOUR new members, 3 on zoom and Trish in person where her mentor Susan pinned her. Welcome Diana "Di" Shimkus, Director of EveryDay Mindfulness; Nicole Mione Green, Exec. Director of Casa de Amistad; Trish Boaz, Exec. Director of San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy; and Weilynn Chiang, Product Development Business Owner. WELCOME ALL!!!

Steve then had the honor of presenting Sarah Taylor with her first Paul Harris Fellow Award & pin, and gave Bill & Suzanne their PH+2 pins. Then came another surprise when Herb presented Steve with his PH+5 pin. CONGRATULATIONS!!

Marissa Kennerson, author of the podcast Age Thoughtfully, spoke about her mission to help individuals age with intention & vibrancy

Susan & Vicky shared the new Baja LobsterFest mailer & encouraged members to sign up to help with planning

Patricia reminded us of the Cinco de Mayo social at the Hilton on 5/5 from 5-7, and to mark calendars for the Demotion Party on June 26
And we ended the meeting with a sad note from Herb that his gavel was stolen (it has been seen out partying with our BocceFest visors)

Blood Drive

Posted on Apr 18, 2021

Thank you to everyone who gave blood & helped at our recent Blood Drive

Herb Liberman, Vicky Mallett, Beverly Liberman, Jon Fish; Paul Butler; Suzanne Sutton, Lou Oberman, Bill Sutton, Jon Fish

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 18, 2021

2nd Hybrid Meeting

District Governor Steve presents the Home Club Banner to President Herb and the zoom & socailly-distanced, in-person members

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Apr 09, 2021

1st Hybrid Zoom & In-Person Meeting

It was so wonderful to be with each other again!!!

Thank you Sarah (aka Vanna White) for orchestrating, Herb for running, Phil for yummy omelette bar, Andy as a great Greeter, and George for having our badges ready as usual

Happy Birthday to Charles who gave $77 in its honor and welcome to George's new 8 year old rescue lab, Carly

Malcolm should be fined for asking if being at the meeting in-person and on zoom counts as a make-up
Phil shared with us the DM Hilton's new dinner menu that will be available starting Monday, 4/12

Our speaker, Bob Nascenzi, told how Cristo Rey San Diego High School's mission is to educate young people of limited economic means to become prepared for life with faith, purpose, & service. They provice a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, integrated with a relevant work study experience and community service.

Happiness

Happy Passover, Happy Holi, Happy Easter, Happy Spring!!!!

Del Mar Times, Carmel Valley News, Solana Beach Sun

Posted by Jan Parsons on Apr 01, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 26, 2021

Venky's invocation showed gratitude for our scientists for giving us new hope, freedom, and joy with covid vaccines

It was wonderful to see back Diana, Trish, & Nicole for the 3rd time, Dave Allen, Weilyan Chiang, & Cathi Shipright all the way from Truro England (a childhood friend of Nigel & Rotarian whose club meets in the headquarters of Shelter Box)
Small Acts of Kindness were shared by Herb who helped Beverly's sister with her smoke alarm battery; Paul who called 911 for a man he found on the sidewalk with a broken leg; Patricia for finding a tutor for a La Costa family; Beverly who sent money to a man in Kenya; George who received a card from Alicia; Nicole who was grateful for the Rotarians who helped with the vaccinations of her staff at Del Mar yesterday. Click here to register for the future: https://www.rotaryonlineservices.com/events/scripps
Congratulations to Herb & Beverly on their 30th Wedding Anniversary; Venky on his 100th (he said) Birthday; Barbara Fish on her 75th Birthday, & to Charlotte's oldest who turned 11.
We are dark next Friday, April 2, for Good Friday and April 9 will be a hybrid in-person/zoom meeting
Sarah Robinson, Director of Development for ShelterBox USA gave a wonderful talk on the incredible impact ShelterBox has made on displaced families around the globe. Visit www.ShelterBoxUSA.org to learn more & see how you can help

Covid Vaccination Site

Posted by Jan Parsons on Mar 25, 2021

Kudos to the Rotarians who helped at the Del Mar Covid Vaccination site today

Suzanne Sutton, Susan Hennenfent, Jan Parsons, Alicia & Charles Foster, Charlotte Jones

And congratulations to Susan & Mark Hennenfent who received their 2nd shot

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 20, 2021

We were moved by the song Proud to Be an American that began our meeting today
Many members were happy & shared Small Acts centered around being with friends & family again and helping neighbors
Pres. Herb, Beverly, Jan, Susan, Charles, Andy, & Charlotte have all signed up to help at the Del Mar Vaccine site - more are needed
Six visitors are interested in joining our club - Herb's goal is to have the most new members in his year as President. The draw - good speakers & ASK!
Paul requested Annual Foundation Contributions be in by May 31 and Lew needs workers for the April 17 Blood Drive
Thank you Art for picking up the tab at Viewpoint last Friday. Other members' dollars totalling $235 will go to the Community Service budget
Del Mar Rotarian, Author, & Scholarship Originator Scott MacDonald gave an informative talk about the problems and issues with student debt.

Casa de Amistad School Supplies

Posted by Jan Parsons on Mar 18, 2021

Del Mar Times/Carmel Valley News/Solana Beach Sun

Click on the following for a short video: Video.mov (8.9 MB)

Casa de Amistad school supplies

Posted on Mar 13, 2021

Casa de Amistad School Supplies Distribution

We were happy to watch cars arrive with students to receive bags of school supplies provided by Community Service funds & member donations

Lew, Charles, Herb, Nicole (Exec. Director of Casa de Amistad), Beverly, Jan, Patricia

And then we enjoyed a brew & bite at Viewpoint where Paul presented Lew with his Paul Harris pin & certificate; we were awed by the snow-capped mountains, and were glad George & Art could join us - all maskless as we've had our two covid vaccines!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 12, 2021

It was wonderful to see returning guests Diane Shimkus, Nicole Mione-Green, & Trish Boaz from our successful Visitors Day
Bill will be taking Sees candy to his followup checkup for the wonderful care he received during/after his surgery
Happy 5th Anniversary to Sean & Radia (who is on temporary leave from Rotary expecting their 2nd child)
Paul shared a short video from The Rotary Foundation:

18 members volunteered to help on Thursday mornings at the Del Mar Fairgronds Covid Vaccination site. More info to follow
April 19 will be our 1st hybrid in-person & zoom meeting, which Sarah is coordinating
Vicky gets 10 gold stars for surviving10 hours on zoom at PETS but left invigorated and enthusiastic. Membership is the main focus next year
Malcom shared a video for St. Patricik's Day with our Governor, President & banker which can be viewed with the following link (disregard any political implications): https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/leprechaun_bailout/6153709c-a02c-4c5d-a4e0-1c948a6e04a1?recipient_token=3ca3cc91-8a29-461b-8819-64c611690c4e

Ken announced a Sister Cities Project Virtual Cultural Tour via zoom on Saturday, March 27 from 12-1:30. This can be a great way for us to form a partnership with & support local, underserved communities in SD County. Register at: https://zoom.us/meeting/ register/ tJ0udu2vpjwpGtNz3fjScWO6dtq22Y Im1zDS

Please let Herb know if you have any suggestions for Global Grants next year

In 1992, our speaker Vitaliy Bezrodnov came to the U.S. on a cultural exchange program from Kazakhstan and formed the Moscow Nights music group that toured the country. In 1995 he attended a Rotary Club meeting that changed his life and he became the youngest member of the Lakewood Rotary in Ohio. He was inspired to form the Rotary Children's Fund, an international cultural exchange program to allow young artists & musicians to come here to share their culture and talent and to learn about our country. We enjoyed his enthusiam & would love to see a group visit us some day.

Rotary Highlighted

Posted on Mar 11, 2021

Thank you Molly for highlighting Rotary in Solana Beach Living

Helping Children in El Salvador

Posted on Mar 09, 2021

We are happy to be working with OEF in El Salvador to support 5 children ages birth to 3 years in an initial education program. See below to learn more about the children and their families.

Blood Drive

Posted on Mar 09, 2021

Click the link to sign up for our next Blood Drive:

https://www.mysdbb.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/68719

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Mar 05, 2021

What a wonderful Visitors Day we had - thank you Susan & Vicky for organizing and Patricia for facilitating. We had 18 guests join us to learn about Rotary and hear our great speaker, Trish Boaz, CEO of the San Dieguito River Valley Conservancy. We look forward to seeing them again!
Herb shared some Rotary facts: founded in 1905 in Chicago; 35,000 clubs in the world with 1.2 milliion Rotarians; broken into 500 Districts, 60 clubs in our District of San Diego/Imperial County; focus has been eradication of polio in the world; we are bound by the 4-Way Test - Is it the TRUTH - Is it FAIR to all concerned - Will it build GOODWILL & BETTER FRIENDSHIPS - Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned
Vicky then shared some club info: We were founded on April 17, 1992; we are small & mighty with a heart for service and feel like a family; we are known for our International Projects & Bocce Tournament; we actively support Just in Time for Foster Youth, Reality Changers, Veteran's Village, Solutions for Change, Hope Without Boundaries, along with many projects in El Salvador and India
Our next Blood Drive will be Saturday, April 17, from 9:00-2:30 at the Lomas Santa Fe Plaza
Distribution for the school supplies we provided for Casa de Amistad supported students will be a drive-by on Friday, March 12 from 3:00-5:00 at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church
Trish Boaz has over 25 years of experience in conservation and environmental protection and coordinated the County's acquisition of over 7,100 acres of open space lands. She updated us about the San Dieguito Watershed, Lagoon Pond & River Path Del Mar, Coastal Crest Trail, San Dieguito Lagoon, & Multi-Sensory River Path Trail Del Mar. And it was nice to learn that her father was a Rotarian and Rotary played a huge part in her life.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 27, 2021

Herb's mantra for the week: BUY COOKIES & BRING GUESTS (for the 3/5 Visitors Day Meeting)

Kendall & Megan joined us from the Rancho Bernardo Girl Scouts to offer cookies for sale. Click on https://digitalcookie.girlscouts.org/scout/troop2054-623 to help them, your sweet tooth, and the military
Many Happy Dollars went to wish Bill well after a succesful triple-bypass surgery
Paul has a new daughter-in-law as son Paul Jr. just got married
Molly is taking the kids on their first outing - to the zoo
Congratulations to Lew Williamson for receiving his first Paul Harris Fellow Award

Acts Of Kindness included Beverly for getting a computer for a student in Kenya; Charles who bought donuts for the RN who gave Alicia & him his second shot; Herb for helping a women whose grocery bags broke; & Vicky for checking up on a man recently discharged from the hospital
Steve reminded us that Tuesday was Rotary's 116th Birthday
We will be giving $1260 toward a project in El Salvador to help children up to 3yrs old to provide nutrition, education, and family support
Our speaker today was Shawn McClondon who founded the Sister Cities Project to partner affluent white communities with underserved minority communities to build new relationships and deepen cultural understanding and support. Currently, two partnerships have been formed: Solana Beach & Southeast San Diego, and Encinitas & City Heights. Rotarians showed a strong interest in participating.

Helping in India

Posted by Jan Parsons on Feb 18, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 18, 2021

Patricia played a video on Random Acts of Kindness, showing that one small act a day can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression for the giver and recipient. Click here: https://youtu.be/O9UByLyOjBM

You can now register to give blood for our April 17 Blood Drive at: sandiegobloodbank.org/donate
Join the Fireside Chat on Thursday, 2/25 at 7:00pm on zoom to acquaint new members with Rotary Basics
Herb mentioned a possible Global Grant next year with a Kenyan Rotary club to help with a new facility for Praise Gate Orphanage
Our speaker tonight, Gail Young, explained and showed how it is very important to stay hydrated and drink water that is highly alkaline as oppossed to acidic. She uses a Kangen Water System

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 12, 2021

Herb's invocation focused on returning to normal as more & more Rotarians and the public get vaccinated
Molly helped in that effort for an elderly couple; we heard of Rotarians helping Rotarians (Mark for the Suttons & Charles for George), and Paul stopped his bike ride when he saw a Small Act waiting for his help
We are very happy that Ildiko is doing better after a rough 3 wks with Covid, and wish her continued improvement. And a huge thanks to Art who has been a major contributor to her care

Mark your calendars and stay tuned for our new exciting fundraiser

Four Paul Harris Fellow awards were given by the club in recognition of time, talent, and/or treasures: Honorary Member & Youth Chair, Mami Takahara; 1st time award to new member Sarah Taylor; PH+3 for Vicky Mallett; and Bocce Premier Sponosr Steve Todoruk

Paul Greenwood was our fabulous speaker today. Intrigued by America after watching Easy Rider, he moved from England to San Diego after meeting & marrying a native, and spent 25 years as a Deputy District Attorney - 22 of those in charge of a new area: Elder Abuse. He retired 3 yrs ago but continues to do webinars on scams - #1 being romance scams for seniors. Other scams to watch out for include the 45-55 yr. old son living at home with widowed mother, unemployed, lazy, & addicted to drugs or alcohol; care givers; contractors (home repair workers, carpet cleaners, termite fumigators), and phone scams. He emphasized the importance (especially during this pandemic) of staying in daily contact with loved ones & the elderly

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Feb 05, 2021

Small Acts: Herb related the story of the 88 yr old veteran who was given his high school diploma after 70 years due to the interruption of the Korean War. Susan shared giving a bouquet of flowers to her mother's neighbor, a nurse practioner, who is helping everyone during the pandemic

Malcom honored Lou with a video on his 40th Anniversary with Rotary. Lou mentioned that Rotary was just starting the polio eradication campaign when he joined. Clink on the link to watch: https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/happy_zombie_versary/275de2bf-c4f4-489d-8838-2dea5ca8640e?

Nicole Mione-Green, program director with Casa de Amistad updated us on how they are matching volunteers and students online to provide mentoring and tutoring services during the stay-at-home order. We will be helping them with $3700 for school supplies for 160 kids. Let Charles know if you'd like to donate to this project.

Paul presented Suzanne & Bill their Paul Harris +2 pins, for their continued contributions to the Rotary Foundation

Vicky announced we will host a visitors day at the March 5 meeting, when Trish Boaz, CEO of the San Dieguito River Valley Conservatory, will be our guest speaker. Invite friends, community leaders, and business associates to join us for an inspiring talk. Send Patricia guest info on March 3 or 4, so she can send them our zoom link

Our speaker today was Nick Gulion, a Rotary Scholarship recipient who went on to Yale Law School and was a White House Intern before founding Recover, a Del Mar based organization working to make addiction treatment effective, accessible, and affordable to everone who needs it.

Anti-Human Trafficking

Posted on Feb 04, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 29, 2021

Susan Cabon joined on zoom from England to update us on Joshua Orphan and Community Care Malawi - an organization formed in 2002 to help children orphaned by HIV/AIDS near Blantyre, Malawi. They have since grown to provide community based childcare centers (CBCCs) in over 30 villages, providing meals, health care, and education for thousands of children. Click on the link below to watch two videos of their work.

https://youtu.be/cIZRrZK2dEk

We have supported Joshua Orphan Care School in recognition of our speakers since 2009, when Kirk Collins visited Malawi with Rotary to deliver all-terrain wheelchairs to the disabled, and discovered the great need to help with school supplies and desks. It was nice having Kirk & Glenda join us today from Berkeley.

Venky also updated us on a Global Grant we did in India to help train and establish businesses for handicapped men & women.

Stay tuned for our next blood drive on April 17, and projects to help Hope Without Boundaries and Casa de Amistad

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 16, 2021

It was nice to see Luis Carranza, Asst/Area Governor from Rancho Santa Fe

Lots of Happy Dollars were shared by members:

Paul for his & Mary's 42nd Wedding Anniversary on the 27th (the same date as Bill & Suzanne)
Susan for her 8th grandneice/nephew in 3 years, & able to schedule a vaccine shot for her mom
Charlotte sad/happy that her "baby" Lief is turning 9
US Citizenship for Charles' & Venky's cleaning ladies, & new baby boy for Nicole, former Rotary exchange student of Charles
Bill to see his friend & best man of 51yrs, and Luis glad to see Bill who was club president the same year as he
Steve for all his club connections over the week
George for Patricia's help on the computer & especially for the huge plate of cookies she brought

Paul comfirmed that 12/30 members have made their annual Foundation donation, and shared a Foundation video:

253) DOING GOOD: ROTARY'S SIX AREAS OF FOCUS - YouTube

Lew will head up another blood drive in April

Vicky, Susan, & Herb attended the District Membership Seminar & shared some ideas:

Reach out to alumni in good standing and set up a structure to accommodate them
Engage new members to learn more about Rotary
Get high-powered speakers from around the world to draw potential members

Nicholas Domingo, a Rotarian & Co-Executive Director of Call To Inspire and Captain Encouragement, spoke to us on how he went from a bullied youngster, to an angry athelete, and after a brain aneurysm, to a superhero helping to inspire children in K - 3rd Grades. He also inspired us!

"Our goal is to perpetuate positive change in the world, starting by and giving our children the tools to break the cycle of violence that is inherent in our society and the media. We need to use the world’s unprecedented inter-connectivity to wake up the new generations, and finally trade our apathy and isolation for the love and kindness of a more positive humankind. "

Due to the pandemic, they pivoted from school assemblies to the online space developing video content, youtube tv series, and games. For more information go to https://calltoinspire.com/

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Jan 11, 2021

Let Herb know if you would like to join the Fundraising Meeting at 3:00 on 1/11 to discuss plans for next year
Steve thanked Venky for all the hard work on getting the Anti-Human Trafficing Grant approved & ready for funding
We were very sorry to learn from Meera that her father passed away, a month shy of his 100th birthday
Patricia asked for social ideas & suggested an online cooking class, and another theatre night in March
Kevin reported Model UN is in full swing with 56 teams and will take place on March 27 & 28 via zoom
Susan reminded members that we need $100/per capita to the Foundation Annual Fund to support our future District & Global Grants
Speaker Robert De Maio let us know how CaptionCall is helping the hearing impaired by supplying & training users, at no cost, how to use a special amplified phone that transcribes the call. Vicky shared how this was a huge help in communicating with her father who had dementia & lived out of state

2021

Posted on Jan 01, 2021

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 20, 2020

Our last meeting of the year was festive and fun. Patricia and Charlotte won best outfit with Charles close behind. It was nice to have former member Sanjiv join us

Malcolm was happy to miss the meeting since it meant he was with clients, but sent two videos highlighting December Birthdays & Anniversaries

Vicky, Radia, Jan, & Lou celebrating Birthdays; Suchandra (and Ray) an Anniversary

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/all_about_that_bass_birthday/eef81357-8372-4382-85f1-fbbedf2d50d8

Bill & Suzanne for their 51st Wedding Anniversary

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/like-its-christmas-jonas-brothers-starring-you-ecard/8b374a3e-8d09-468e-a524-1e4f896bb1e6

Rotarians are performing many Acts of Kindness including Bill & Suzanne putting wreaths on Veterans' graves in Greenwood Cemetary; Andy working with our former speaker from The League of Amazing Programmers to teach the children in Nepal; and Susheela cooking & delivering food for neighbors who have Covid-19

David Ellenstein, Artistic Director of North Coast Reportoary Theatre, talked about his family's life in theatre, how he's enjoyed his 18 yrs. at NCR (which is in its 39th Season), how he'd like to move to a larger space (which is currently only in the talking phase), and about the two current shows that were filmed for viewing - A Christmas Carol (traditional but with a twist) and The Iliad (an anti-war piece). NCR is one of the busiest theatres during this pandemic & is receiving wide recognition and praise throughout the country

And Patricia put together a fabulous, fun Game Night on Saturday that kept Bill, Suzanne, Beverly, Herb, Mark, Susan, Jan, & her happy and entertained. Games included Taboo, Scattergories, Who Am I, Holiday Trivia, and the favorite, a Scavenger Hunt. Thank you Patricia!

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays

Rotary & Club News

Paul's invocation focused on this Season of Light

And George led in a minute of silence to remember those lost in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941

Many Happy Dollars were given for Sagittarius Birthdays, including Ken's 13 year old daughter, Charles' sister, and Susheela's daughter
We were sorry to learn George's 15 yr old dog had to be put down
Paul & Herb's Small Act of Kindness was support for Reality Changers speech contest participants
Molly encountered an Act of Kindness when she ran out of gas
We will be giving a $2000 scholarship for a high school student through Potem Path
Please join the committee in January who will be looking into Bocce 2021 or other fundraiser(s)
Kudos to Susan who suggested including Rotary International for Giving Tuesday, which raised over $24,000
And a round of applause for the generosity of our members who donated $1500 to buy holiday gift cards for our servers & helpers at The Del Mar Hilton who we have missed seeing these many months
We will be matching recognition points for all donations to the Rotary Foundation this year as part of EREY
Remember to support The DM Hilton & Viewpoint Brewery with takeout during this latest lockdown

And don't forget the evening social/meeting next Thursday evening and our Holiday/Game Night on Saturday, 12/19. Wear your ugly Holiday sweaters and/or hats

(though that may be passe)

CRC Holiday Baskets

Posted by Jan Parsons on Dec 10, 2020

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Dec 04, 2020

Herb thanked Susan for being the "Best Handler" and keeping him on his toes

Jan finished a 1000 piece puzzle she bought because it had an Amala-like cat in antlers. This prompted the idea of a Rotary Puzzle Exchange

Bill learned at Stand Down that a "Small Act" of helping even one is a success

We were all saddened to learn of the passing of Charlotte's dad and Venky's sister. Our thoughts and prayers are with them

But we were thrilled to learn that Radia will be adding a baby girl to her family

We were honored to have District Attorney Summer Stephan talk with us this morning about sex trafficing in San Diego and what is being done to prevent it. She emphasized how excited she is that this is a priority for Rotary, as Rotarians are doers. For more information, click on this link: https://www.sandiegotpc.org

CRC Holiday Baskets

Posted on Dec 03, 2020

7 Rotary Elves Fill 100 Boxes as Part of a Revised CRC Holiday Baskets

Thank You for Helping!

Molly, Beverly, Susan, Herb / Jon, Suzanne, Bill

Stand Down 2020

Posted on Nov 27, 2020

Thanksgiving 2020

Posted on Nov 25, 2020

Wishing Everyone a Happy, Healthy, Safe Thanksgiving

George Sousa Turns 90

Posted on Nov 24, 2020

Surprising our Beloved George on his 90th Birthday

Secretly lining up outside George's house; Son Rick & Great-Grandson Lance lure George out with a ruse; Charles presents George with a sign saying Happy 90th George!! DMSB Rotary Loves You! Bill has champagne (or course); and we all toast this patriot and hero. Click on the attached video to see great pictures of George that his family put together: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywr4zp-d9pE&feature=youtu.be

Ken, Mary, Kevin, Paul, George, Patricia, Jan, Charles & Alicia, Jon, Suzanne & Bill

Stand Down 2020

Posted on Nov 23, 2020

Thank you Rotarians & Friends for helping our homeless Vets at this years scaled-down Stand Down, and thank you Lou for organizing

Bill, Beverly, Suzanne, Herb / Lou, Bill, Sibylle, Kevin

The Rotary Foundation

Posted on Nov 21, 2020

Congratulations from The Rotary Foundation for a job well done!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 17, 2020

We had so much fun at the Tuesday evening meeting/social with our "hat night", as evidenced by the picture below (thank you Susan). Paul also switched into a cowboy hat & sombrero

Our speaker, David Bennett, General Director of San Diego Opera wasn't quite sure what was going on, but enjoyed our antics before updating us on what is happening with the Opera since his arrival in 2015, when the community insisted opera remain in San Diego after a near-death experience. The mission of the SD Opera is:

to deliver exceptional vocal performances in an exciting way
to create accessible programs for diverse audiences
focus on community engagement and the transformative power of live performances

During this pandemic the Opera has postponed performances, but not cancelled them, and have continued their online music education and patron engagements. They staged the first drive-in opera in the country, La Boheme, which drew 3000 people and was a huge success as attested to by Suzanne & Bill and Jan.

And thank you, Patricia, for arranging an interesting social Friday night with Portaleza from the La Jolla Playhouse - an unusual, trippy experience. The happy hour after with you, Bill & Suzanne, Charles & Alicia, and Susan & Mark was a wonderful way to end the week! Even Amala wanted to get in on the fun!

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Nov 13, 2020

Susheela wished everyone Happy Diwali tomorrow in this Festival of Light symbolizing the spiritual victory of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.
Congratulations to DG Steve on the birth of his first granddaughter, Noa
Let Lou know if you can help with Stand Down on 11/22
We will try to have a hybrid in-person/zoom meeting on 12/4. Details are being worked out
Another $250 has been donated for Bocce bringing the total to $43K, with a net of $38K. Thanks to members who contributed over half of these funds

Vicky suggested we have some fun at our 11/17 evening/social meeting by wearing funny hats & come dressed around the Fall/Thanksgiving theme

Sean Green talked how Pontem Path is a bridge program for first generation college-bound & low income parochial school students to prepare them, and assist with scholarships if necessary, to be successful at USD or other Catholic Universities

Rotary Foundation Seminar

Posted on Nov 07, 2020

139 Rotarians attended the 2020 Rotary Foundation Seminar on zoom

Charlotte put together a great presentation of our El Salvador Grant that was highlighted

And we were presented with two Foundation Banners (for 100% giving with $100 average & 100% giving with $100 per capita) and an End Polio Now Certificate for contributing at least $1500

Rotary & Club News

Lew shared Blood Drive Facts:

38 people filled 40 available spots
31 units of blood were give
6 members & 1 spouse gave blood
13 Rotarians & 1 spouse participated
20 donors were contacted by the blood bank,10 were Rotary contacts, 2 saw our flyers
The next drive will be April 2021

Malcolm continued his fun videos sharing Cyndi Lauper's Girls Just Want to Have Fun, in honor of all the female Rotary members in our club. Jan led the singing with Susan, Patricia, Radia, & Molly

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/girls_just_wanna_have_fun/d6146338-8f83-4713-bbc4-5191bf103912?recipient_token=a257d465-e0f6-479f-8faf-607b683e30d0

Followed by the guys in drag - Bill leading Art, Kevin, Ken, and Lou in singing

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/girls_just_wanna_have_fun/b43a5422-394d-4fb6-b7a6-276a216f9015?recipient_token=a45bddde-122d-46ce-8141-3cdb7ac0ce3e

Stand Down will be November 22 from 9-4 with 4 shifts of 2 Rotarians; drive-by cancelled

CRC Holiday Baskets will be December 3, 9-11 to fill boxes with non-food items

Nasr updated the club on International projects

Our speaker today was the brilliant Vic Wintriss who taked about 5G and how this 5th Generation Broadband will be used to provide customized connectivity for a wide-variety of uses in billions of connected devices. We saw how a huge computer has evolved into slim towers that do not pose a health risk.

And we learned that Vic is most proud of starting The League of Amazing Programmers, a non-profit that teaches Java programming to 400 low income & needy kids in grades 5-12 who go on to become professional programmers in high demand by major corporations, and earning 6 figure incomes

Halloween Blood Drive

Posted on Nov 02, 2020

Thank you to everyone who used their Superpowers to Give Blood & Save Lives.

And thank you to Lew & Rotarians who helped make the blood drive a huge success.

Suzanne & Jon; Lew & Lou; Jan, Suzanne, & Herb

Molly, Lew, Ken, & Charles; Susan & Mark; Suzanne, Lew, & Jan; Bill & Molly

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 30, 2020

One of the highlights of the meeting was inducting Andy Laub into Rotary, the newest of 1.2 million Rotarians throughout the world. Welcome, Andy! He will soon receive his welcome package & pin and will meet with Phil, his club mentor.

Susan will be ordering new club polo shirts. Let her know if you need one - they are free for new members and $20+ for current members or family.
Malcolm continued his fun videos, the first for Beverly's Birthday on November 3. (Video links have been added to all past photos so you can click on them & laugh again)

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/yoga_birthday/02ce4bff-5739-4661-91d2-31ade9da4fcf?recipient_token=6babc09b-ebb6-479d-9b84-9a514d3d4963

We then saw two Halloween themed videos: the Addams Family staring Kevin, Lou, Charlotte, Jan, & Art

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/the_addams_family/26275184-5ffa-4d6b-989c-e51b05fad58e?recipient_token=ff792405-1827-48b3-bb86-1bf23fb26fd0

And Herb leading Vicky, Nasr, Bill, and Beverly in the Monster Mash:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/monster_mash/74ad8c32-8556-47aa-b733-a92a1287faed?recipient_token=a16e1a67-c617-48c6-93ca-23da58cff6ca

Herb, Vicky, & Phil will meet at the Hilton on Friday, 11/6 at 11am to look at ways to hold in-person meetings. Everyone is invited to join them.
November is Foundation Month and the Annual Foundation Seminar will be on zoom on Saturday, 11/7, 9-11am. Charlotte will be highlighting our Global Grant to El Salvadorian families. Everyone is encouraged to attend what is always a touching program
The BocceFest2020 Celebration of Giving Video is done & the link is here on our homepage, in the top right corner
Bill wants visitors to our zoom meetings to know that we stand for the Pledge, so be sure to wear pants

Our speaker today was our very own DG, Steve Weitzen, doing an informal update - the man of many hats:

Steve joined Rotary & our club in 2006 and laid low for 7 years until 2013 when he became our President. He had so much fun being President & doing his weekly recaps that he decided to get even more involved & became the Assistant Governor to 6 coastal clubs for 3 years. Next was Chief Assistant Governor of 16 clubs, and then on to becoming District Governor in his second try.

Thank You BocceFest2020 Sponsors

Posted on Oct 29, 2020

End Polio Now

Posted on Oct 28, 2020

Three More Rotarians Walk to End Polio Now - Charlotte Jones and Beverly & Herb Liberman

Blood Drive

Posted on Oct 27, 2020

Click on the following link to sign up to give blood:

https://www.mysdbb.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/44178

Blood Drive

Posted on Oct 27, 2020

Halloween Blood Drive

World Polio Day 2020

Posted on Oct 25, 2020

Rotarians Walk to End Polio Now on World Polio Day 2020

Foundation Chair & walk leader Paul Butler (after recent knee surgery) with family members: wife Mary, grand daughters Zulima (5) & Sonora (2), daughter & fellow Rotarian Katie Butler Litsey, along with Charles Foster.

Bill & Suzanne Sutton, Jan Parsons, Paul Butler, Patricia Case, Susan & Mark Hennenfent, Kevin Cahill & Sibylle Steiner.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 22, 2020

President Herb's participation in the Alzheimer's Walk that he, Beverly, their daughter, son-in-law, Andy, Lew, & Paul did, raised over $450,000. Well done. He also shared that he thinks we need an astrologer to help guide the club. So far, his Small Acts of Kindness campaign has resulted in Rotarians sharing over 30 stories.

We learned from Malcolm that Patricia is soooo over 2020:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/f-2020-avenue-beat-starring-you-clip/08c18aa4-9765-427e-8ef5-259296767c2e?recipient_token=0ad4ee7b-b4e2-4fcd-8afd-cbb903b11af1

And that Andy, Venky, Radia, Charles, and Phil share in that feeling, as evidenced by singing and dancing to I Will Survive, while wishing everyone:

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/i_will_survive/961566bf-d507-412f-8bfe-fc5131d33ddc?recipient_token=85456590-1fd6-4264-9d43-eb15a428abab

Herb & Beverly showed off their End Polio Now shirts, and Charlotte modeled her End Polio Now mask - all getting ready for the walk on 10/24, World Polio Day
Our speaker today was Kim McNeil with Oltre Fit (www.oltrefit.com) who explained how they look at a layered approach to fitness, using progressive strength, flexibility, mindfulness, & nutrition strategies to "Build Bodies that Last".

End Polio Now

Posted by Jan Parsons on Oct 22, 2020

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 16, 2020

Patricia is selling BocceFest Celebration of Giving hats & visors for $20 that Bill was kind enough to purchase for the club

Malcolm continues to amuse us with his videos: Lew highlighted with the song Bleeding Love in honor of his chairing the October 31 Blood Drive

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/bleeding-love-leona-lewis-starring-you-ecard/08e1959d-ebdd-4b81-8808-7877915c15e4?recipient_token=7d6e4e43-dec0-42a2-99e1-05fcec96a788&utm_campaign=tx_recipient_notification&utm_term=&utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email

Wishing Susan an early Happy Birthday for her October 24 celebration. Looking Good!!

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/birthday-anne-marie-birthday-starring-you-ecard/df9f27bb-58d7-4619-96aa-0aeb7a9833bc?recipient_token=c76e1c5f-17d3-4e4c-a2cb-43a9ac3a3eff&utm_campaign=tx_recipient_notification&utm_term=&utm_source=cordial&utm_medium=email

Paul encouraged everyone to sign up for the End Polio Now Walk being promoted by the Pacific Beach Rotaract Club on Saturday, October 24 and anytime during the following week. Register at www.pacificbeachrotaract.org, order shirts, shoes, or masks, and join us at 8:45am on the 24th at Powerhouse Park in Del Mar. Currently signed up: President Herb, First Lady Beverly, Sir Charles, Venky Octogenarian, Charlotte & Kids, Patricia the Party Girl, Jan Webmaster, and Paul with Bionic Knee.

Barbara Khozam was our speaker talking about Zapping Negativity & Igniting Yourself and Your Life.

Joke of the Day from Charlotte: What does a blueberry and chicken have in common? Both are blue, except the chicken.

Blood Drive

Posted on Oct 15, 2020

Help work the event, give blood, and encourage others to do likewise

Our District Governor Speaks

Posted on Oct 11, 2020

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 09, 2020

Suzanne began the meeting with the following words of wisdom:

On a lighter note, we learned from Malcolm that Paul originally hurt his knee weightlifting at the XXIX Mount Olympus Games :

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/mount_olympus_male_weightlifting/3eddb13f-c5b1-4acf-9f1a-8ab984e8c4bc

With his daughter's help, Ken rode 104 waves for the 100-Wave Boys to Men Surfing Challenge
DG Steve has inducted 15 new Rotarians this year & shared the District has approved 86 grants
World Polio Day is October 24 in honor of Jonas Salk's Birthday. Watch for more info about a Polio Day Walk
La Portaleza virtual Theatre Night is Friday, 11/13 at 6:00; 7:00 zoom Happy Hour & Discussion
Blood Drive is Saturday, 10/31, 11:30-5:00. Lew will be sending out a sign-up

Coastal Roots Farm

Posted on Oct 09, 2020

Today we learned about this 17 acre farm in Encinitas that practices regenerative agriculture, teaches the importance of land stewardship, and shares their bounty with those in need. They use farming and food as a way to teach about Jewish tradition and to make the world a more just and sustainable place.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Oct 02, 2020

Malcolm shared a video of Herb encouraging everyone to vote!!

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/go-vote-starring-you-clip/ab799d98-d385-44aa-9367-06e9a0ba49b0?recipient_token=81121197-490f-467b-a493-ddcfe4af1305

He also showed how Ken didn't hurt his head practicing for an upcoming Boys to Men 100-Wave Challenge, but was shooting a movie with DG Steve & Molly.

https://www.jibjab.com/view/make/sounds_familiar_films_jowls/93fa92f6-a0bb-42db-87f1-e66a02d7ebd7?recipient_token=fa11d2fe-9edb-4e74-8483-71a27cb04eaf

On a more serious note, Venky shared the President's Citation certificate we received as one of 26 clubs (out of 60+) in recognition of our accomplishments last year.

Center for Employment Opportunities

Posted on Oct 02, 2020

We learned from Robert Smith, Director for CEO, how they help people previously incarcerated avoid recidivism and find meaningful work to become contributing members of society

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 25, 2020

*Meet JJ Measer, a Carlsbad High Senior and our fabulous BocceFest 2020 videographer
Lee and Emily from Seoul, South Korea joined us on zoom today
BocceFest 2020 has raised over $41,000 to date, and todays meeting added another $987 from happy dollars
We will be holding a Halloween Blood Drive on 10/31 and handing out water at a one day drive-by/walk-thru Stand Down on 11/22

Rise Up Industries

Posted on Sep 25, 2020

Our speaker today was Joe Gilbreath, Founder & Executive Director of Rise Up Industries, a nonprofit that focuses on gang prevention , intervention, and post detention reentry. Their business model is based on Homeboy Industries which is illustrated in a wonderful book "Tattoos on the Heart", about and by Gregory Boyle and his mission that shows the power of boundless compassion.

BocceFest 2020 Celebration

Posted by Jan Parsons on Sep 25, 2020

BocceFest Webinar

Posted by Jan Parsons on Sep 17, 2020

Wonderful BocceFest Celebration Highlights our Sponsors & Beneficiaries

The Power behind our Celebration: Charles Foster, BocceFest 2020 Chair & Celebration Creator; Patricia Case, Director; Ken Barrett, Camerman; Phil Campanelli & Molly Fleming, Moderators.

Moderators Molly & Phil opened the evening by thanking our donors for their generosity and explaining the three areas of service their support will impact: - Homelessness - Families in Need - Youth at Risk.

President Herb also thanked our Sponsors for their support during this non-tournament & beer festival year due to Covid-19, and expressed his hope that we will continue play in 2021. (Rotarian Paul Butler; Sponsor, Dan Phelan, Pacific SW Realty & Rotarian Charles Foster; DMSB's 1st President Kevin Cahill; President Herb Liberman; Rotarian Malcolm Koll; Sponsors Costa & Mary Arabatzis from Ziziki's (at The Sky Deck, Del Mar); Jeff Brown, from Sponsor Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy).

Donations are still being accepted. Just click on the "Donate" button at the top of this page. All donations would be greatly appreciated.

The highlight of the evening was showcasing our wonderful Bocce Beneficiaries who we work with and support. Continue reading...

3 Comments

BocceFest Celebration Team

Posted on Sep 16, 2020

Huge Kudos & Thank You to the BocceFest Celebration of Giving Team

WELL DONE!!!

L-R: Molly Fleming, Phil Campanelli; Charles Foster, Ken Barrett, Paul Butler, Patricia Case, Herb Liberman, George Sousa, Steve Todoruk

BocceFest 2020

BocceFest Celebration

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 11, 2020

We began the meeting today, on the 19th Anniversary of the 9/11/01 terrorist attacks, with a prayer and solemn bell ringing
We learned that DG Steve is collecting emails for his Governor's library and working with Rotary District 4100 in Baja California to form future projects
BocceFest Celebration of Giving is at $37,850 in pledges and members are challenged to reach 100% participation to bring us to the magical number of $40,000. Donations can be made here on our website
Beverly requested members email her to sign up for the invocation
Welcome to returning guests Alex Jack, Andy Laub, and Eric Meehan. Meeting on zoom is an easy way to introduce Rotary to newcomers
Paul played a video about The Rotary Foundation highlighting how:

Urban Street Angels

Posted on Sep 11, 2020

We had an angel with us today - Eric Lovett, Founder & Executive Director of Urban Street Angels, talked about how he started this non-profit 7 years ago to help tackle youth homelessness in San Diego.

BocceFest Celebration of Giving

Posted by Jan Parsons on Sep 10, 2020

OEF Recognition

Posted on Sep 09, 2020

BocceFest Celebration of Giving

Click below to register for

BocceFest Celebration of Giving

on September 15 at 5:30 p.m.

https://dmsbrotary.com/event/copy-of-boccefest-celebration-of-giving/

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Sep 04, 2020

Africa is now polio free. That leaves only two countries with polio - Afghanistan & Pakistan
Our auction today led by Charles raised $1660! Well done
Only 11 members have signed up for the BocceFest Celebration of Giving. *Go to Upcoming Events & register
Dinorah & her mother Emma visited from El Salvador today & thanked us for helping poor families in their country. We helped with supplying food boxes for those in need and 25 families with 50 chickens and grain to raise for food and eggs to eat and sell
Our speaker today was Larry Ray Hardin who has spent 30 years in law enforcement including the DEA & INS

BocceFest 2020 Sponsors

Thank you to Our Generous BocceFest 2020 Sponsors

$42,752 pledged as of 9/26/20

Premier Sponsors

VIP Sponsors

Foster & Friends

Sutton Family

Venky & Friends

The Williamson Family

Major Sponsors

JP & A

The Kiffman Family

Beverly & Herb Liberman

Law Offices of Steven Weitzen

Court Sponsors

Cyndy Cheek & Phil Campanelli

Community Resource Center

FSI Wealth Management

Gaspar Doctors of Physical Therapy

The Ghoniem Family

Hennenfent Family

Kirk & Glenda Collins

Lifetime Financial Advisors, Inc

Molly Fleming Realty

Narayanan Family

Sold! The Butler Did It!

$olutions 4 $eniors, Inc

Vicky Mallett Insurance Agency

Ziziki's at Sky Deck

This list will be updated as new sponsors are added

*last update, 9/26/2020

Beach Cities Solar Consulting

Posted on Aug 28, 2020

James Kennedy, San Juan Rotary Club member and President & CEO of Beach Cities Solar Consulting, LLC was our speaker today. His firm is an education-based consulting firm that works with homeowners, business owners, and corporations to provide them with turnkey solutions to go solar, save money, and become energy independent.

Paul Harris Fellow Recognition

Posted on Aug 28, 2020

Art Mendoza Receives Paul Harris Fellow Recognition, PH+5

Paul Butler hands out next level Paul Harris pins to Jon & Art at Viewpoint Brewery social gathering in Del Mar.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 28, 2020

Bocce 2020 is cancelled but not the celebration. *Click on the BocceFest Celebration of Giving in the Upcoming Events box on the left to register for this virtual, dynamic, fun evening on Sept. 15 to highlight our donors & beneficiaries
Patricia gave a touching invocation this morning in honor of Martin Luther King Jr's March on Washington 57 years ago highlighting compassion and generosity
DG Steve reported he is inducting a lot of new members to clubs and is focusing on diversity, equality, and inclusion
President Herb will be polling members to see their thoughts about meeting again in person
Paul reported Vicky is the first member to contribute to the Foundation for this fiscal year

Mami Takahara

Posted by Jan Parsons on Aug 20, 2020

Web-site contest

Posted on Aug 18, 2020

For club members only: look for five asterisks (*), this one does not count, in stories since Herb's presidency began. Keep visiting our home page and reading stories to find the asterisks. There are only two stories with asterisks so far. Once you see five, email jan@dmsbrotary.com to win a bottle of Wiens Amour de L'Orange Sparkling Wine. The fifth email Jan receives will win the wine. (One of her favorites; not available in stores)

New Blue Badgers

Posted by Jan Parsons on Aug 18, 2020

Three Rotarians complete their blue badge requirements - Congratulations Lew Williamson, Sarah Taylor, and Nasr Ghoniem.

Lew is a retired Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon
Sarah is a Property Manager for Smart Self Storage
Nasr is a UCLA Professor in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Peace Corps

Posted on Aug 18, 2020

Sue Sherry spoke from the heart about her experience with the Peace Corps in Honduras

Some of the takeaways from Sue's touching talk:

"This is the toughest job you will ever love"
"I learned more than I taught"
"After this amazing experience the greatest thing about coming out of the Peace Corps was Gratitude"
"...the poorer the country the more humble and giving"

The Peace Corps is a service opportunity for motivated changemakers to immerse themselves in a community abroad, working side by side with local leaders to tackle the most pressing challenges of our generation.

Impromptu Social

Posted by Jan Parsons on Aug 15, 2020

Impromptu social at the Hilton with masks & social distancing, celebrating Paul's birthday and handing out Paul Harris pins.

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 14, 2020

Charles reported that sponsors have committed over $30,000 to this year's non-BocceFest, to be celebrated Tuesday evening, September 15
Videos & testimonials from sponsors & beneficiaries should be submitted to Patricia by August 28
Thank you to our two Premier Sponsors so far, Merrill Lynch & Steve Todoruk
We now accept credit card donations on our website. *See Donate button in the blue menu above

The Well Path

Posted on Aug 14, 2020

Marjorie Saylor from The Well Path was our speaker today and touched our hearts. She gave a moving testimonial of how, seven years ago, her 11 month-old daughter gave her the inspiration to seek help in breaking out of the abusive and trafficked life she had been living since age 15. What The Well Path does to help women is highlighted below.

We are currently putting together a District Grant to help The Well Path to meet women's emergency needs, and encourage members to help with in-person mentoring and coaching when the pandemic allows.

Venky

Posted on Aug 10, 2020

It's Official - Venky is the newest member of the Past Presidents Club

To see other Past Presidents, Click on Information in the Blue Tool - Bar Menu, then About our Club, then Club Past Presidents

Rotary & Club News

Posted on Aug 09, 2020

$1.8 Billion has been donated to end polio over 30 years. The world is polio free except for Afghanistan, Nigeria, & Pakistan
Welcome to our zoom meeting, guests Savanna Tafish, Andy Laub and Eric Meehan. Keep joining us!
Jennifer Jones of Windsor-Roseland, Canada is the 1st female to be nominated for Rotary International President for 2022-2023
The District Membership Seminar will be held on zoom on Saturday, August 15 from 9:00-10:30
BocceFest Celebration of Giving - name submitted & won by President Herb for our event on September 15 via zoom from 5:30-6:30

Helping Families in El Salvador

Posted by Jan Parsons

Girl Scouts

Posted on Aug 07, 2020

Liz Sheahan, Girl Scouts San Diego's marketing and communications executive, was our speaker today. There are 23,000 Girl Scouts and 11,300 volunteers in San Diego County.

Girl Scouts have proved to be a mighty force in the world today. The Girl Scout law focuses on what Rotary is all about: "I will do my best ot be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout."

They focus on four pillars:

Entrepreneurship
Operation Thin Mints
STEM
Life Skills

Paul shared that his daughter Katie was a gold level Girl Scout and Charles & Alicia have been active supporters of the Girl Scouts and their programs.

More Paul Harris Fellow Awards

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 31, 2020

Four More Rotarians Receive the next level Paul Harris Award

Radia Hunter received her Paul Harris +1, Charlotte Jones also received her PH+1, Jon Fish received his PH+3, and Steve Weitzen received his PH+4. A Paul Harris Fellow is recognized for the substantial financial commitment they make to the Rotary Foundation. A gold pin is given for those who contribute $1000, and then a blue sapphire is added for each additional $1000. Thank you all for your generous contributions.

Conscious Capitalism

Posted on Jul 31, 2020

"Conscious Capitalism - Investing With Your Values To Improve Environmental, Social, and Financial Returns"

This was the talk Scott Smith gave today as explained by the slide below.

And these are other things we can do

Alzheimer's San Diego

Posted on Jul 27, 2020

Michelle Van Hoff, Director of Development at Alzheimer's San Diego, gave a touching talk on July 21 at our evening meeting on this terrible disease that is the 3rd leading cause of death in San Diego County. It touched members' hearts as many Rotarians have experienced dementia and alzheimers in loved ones. The charts here show how Alzheimer's San Diego is helping those in need during this pandemic and how we can help. President Herb is calling for all Rotarians to join his ARMY for ALZ & sign up to walk in October. *Sign up today.

Paul Harris Fellow

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 24, 2020

Three Rotarians Receive Next Level Paul Harris Fellow Pins

President Herb Liberman and Foundation Chair Paul Butler presented three members with the next level Paul Harris Fellow pins (all done virtually). Ken Barrett received his Paul Harris + 1 which is a pin with 1 sapphire, Paul Butler received his Paul Harris + 3 pin with 3 sapphires, and Jan Parsons received her Paul Harris + 7 pin with 2 rubies. The Paul Harris Fellow program was established to recognize individuals who contribute $1000 + to the Rotary Foundation . Well done!

OUR VERY OWN!!

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jul 20, 2020

Passing the Banner

Finding the "I" in Team

Jimmy Karam, retired Naval Officer and current Mental Performance Consultant, works with youth to help them on their life-long path of discovering who they are and how they fit in

Incoming President Herb Liberman holds first virtual meeting

DMSB Demotion Party 2020

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY HOLDS “FUN” VIRTUAL DEMOTION PARTY!!

zoom

This is how we're now meeting - via zoom!

See info at left and join us for great comradery & speakers

Celebration of Service 2019-2020

Posted by Susheela Narayanan

DMSB Rotary Virtual Celebration of Service 2019-2020

DMSB Rotary Grants $25,000 for Coronavirus Needs

Posted by Susheela Narayanan & Bill Sutton

The following was published in the Del Mar Times, Solana Beach Sun, & Carmel Valley News on April 17, 2020

Participants at BocceFest 2019. Bocce events each year helped to build a reserve for unexpected emergencies.

Del Mar–Solana Beach Rotary Grants $25,000 to Five Nonprofits

Serving San Diegans Most In Need Due to the Coronavirus

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary recently donated $25,000, split equally, to five nonprofits at the forefront of serving the needs of those most hurt by the coronavirus outbreak in San Diego County. An additional $1,250 is being sought for the same five nonprofits via matching grants from our local Rotary District’s reserves.

Girls on the Run

Posted by Susheela

Why should girls participate in running? Read more to find out....

From the Gate of the Jail to the Door of the Church

From the Gate of the Jail to the Door of the Church

Dianne Crawford talks membership

The world needs more Rotarians, says Dianne Crawford

test test

Posted by Susheela Narayanan

XXXXX

San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station

Posted by Susheela Narayanan

DMSB Rotary began the new year with an informative talk by Mr. Torgen Johnson about the future of the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

Johnson holds two Masters’ degrees in Urban Planning in addition to a professional degree in Architecture. Since 2013 he has organized eight public forums titled “Fukushima – Ongoing Lessons” in San Diego, New York, Boston and Japan featuring the former prime minister of Japan – Naoto Kan – and other regulatory leaders and industry experts.

"Pure Water San Diego Program" by Tiffany Ngo

Today we saw that the Hilton was decorated everywhere for Christmas holidays. Our usual meeting room was all decked up since Phil mentioned that that room is used for screening movies and for hotel guests to come and relax.

Herb appointed Bill as the "Aid de Camp" to help him with things that he forgets as part of the President's duties. He was acting President since Venky is on vacation. He announced that the club will be DARK on Dec 27, 2019 and that our next meeting will be Jan 3, 2020.

Herb also announced our new member Sarah Taylor and Charles presented her with the new member badge and advice about membership advantages.

Today Patricia had the last day of toys collection drive and this week the punishment was for Art Mendoza. He had to sing a Christmas tune :-).

Today's 1-minute talk was by Sanjiv and he presented some points on the history of Rotary.

> Over 33,000 Rotary clubs in 200+ countries

> Two official mottoes of Rotary

Service Above Self
One Profits Most Who Serves Best

> Dedicated to six areas of focus

Promoting peace
Fighting disease
Providing clean water & hygiene
Saving mothers & children
Supporting education
Growing local economies

> Saw couple of interesting news items on the Rotary site —

> In May 2014, Guinness World Record recognized Rotary for the “The World’s Biggest Commercial” photo awareness award since Rotary had enlisted 177 celebrity participants for the global effort to eradicate polio.

> A couple from India (Mr. Ravishankar Dakoju, and his wife, Paola), recently donated US$14.7 million to the Rotary Foundation.

## "Pure Water San Diego Program" by Tiffany Ngo

Our speaker today was Tiffany Ngo, who is a consultant and community outreach specialist for the City of San Diego Public Utilities Department. In her current role, she works on the education and outreach program for Pure Water San Diego, the City’s phased, multi-year program to provide San Diego with a safe, reliable and sustainable water supply.

She has been part of the consultant team for the City of San Diego’s Pure Water Program since 2016, where she provides strategic counsel and implements community outreach tactics to engage diverse stakeholders and maintain public support as Phase 1 of the program nears construction.

Tiffany is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara, where she majored in environmental studies with a minor in spatial science.

She talked about how earthquakes can cut off water supply and hence the need for programs to store pure water.. Imported water used to cost $400 /acre foot and that now costs $1,300!

There are 5 ways to deal with water shortage -

Conservation
Desalination
Ground water development
Recycled water development
Pure water development

As an example, she said that the Torrey Pines Golf course uses re-cycled water to maintain part of the lawns. She said that a DEMO facility with a small 1 million gallon capacity has been built and has gone through some 50,000 lab tests to verify water purity. The water comes out as "too" pure and so they have to add back some impurities to make it safe to drink for humans. There are 5 steps to purification and it takes about 2 days. The phase-1 plan is to build the Morena Pump Station, which will be a trench-less construction.

At the end, DMSB Club President-elect Herb Liberman presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

=============

DMSB Holiday Party

Posted by Susheela Narayanan

Del Mar - Solana Beach Rotary celebrated the holiday season with friendship and camaraderie over a holiday dinner party at the Cosmopolitan Hotel in Old Town on December 8th. Drinks and jokes flowed as festively dressed members partook of a tasty feast served in the outside patio festooned with twinkling holiday lights.

"FBI in U.S. Embassies" by Allen Vitkosky

Herb announced that he is the President-Elect and that Vicky will be next president after Herb and Kevin Cahill will be his fine master.

Paul announced that our DMSB club received the 100% participation EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) award.

Bill Sutton displayed the CRC certificate of appreciation for helping with the holiday baskets and distributions. DMSB members sorted about 7.5 tons of bananas by removing them out of plastic bags so it can breathe properly and prevent them for rotting.

Patricia had some fun penalizing members that did not turn in any toys for the Military Toy Drive. This time it was Kevin Cahill's turn for a punishment. Please watch this brief fun video of Kevin trying to balance himself on one foot for 30 seconds :-).

Charles Foster presented his 1-minute talk about Rotary history. He mentioned that Rotary International's headquarters is in Evanston, Illinois and it has 6 international offices located in India, Europe/Africa, Brazil, Australia, Tokyo and Korea.

## "FBI in U.S. Embassies" by Allen Vitkosky

Today's speaker Allen Vitkosky has some very interesting facts and stories about the FBI operations at U.S. Embassies across the world. He has been with FBI for over 30 years and the past 3 years he has been in the Legal Attache (Legat) department in the international arena. He was posted in Riga, Latvia for the past 3 years, which is located across the Baltic Sea from Sweden.

There are 90 Legat locations overall and 27 sub-offices. Each location is manned by just 4 people. There are 353 FBI employees overseas out of a total of 35,000 employees and 13,000 are agents.

Bogata, Columbia was the location for the first FBI agent in 1940. EuroPol is where agencies of different countries exchange intelligence information and InterPol is just a reporting agency for information for and from all countries. He also talked about the major case of "Scan4You" that helped malware developers attack American businesses using malware.

At the end, DMSB Club President Venky Venkatesh presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

================

"San Diego Blood Bank" by David Wellis

We had many members today to listen to David Wellis from the San Diego Blood Bank and to celebrate George Sousa's 89th birthday!

Paul kicked off the meeting by showing a video on Polio's progress and how it has impacted lives.

Polio Video: Click here

Then everyone had a fun time celebrating George' birthday with a cake that Bill & Suzanne decorated and brought in.

Patricia had some fun with punishments for people who did not bring gifts for the Toy drive :-).

Following that we had the 1-minute Rotary talk by Jon Fish.

Following George's party, Venky showed a video that the past Indian Ambassador to the United States had created to honor South Asian musicians from various countries. This can be viewed below.

South Asian Music Video: Click here

## "San Diego Blood Bank" by David Wellis

David is a cell biologist with over 25 years of experience in the life science industry and currently serves as the CEO of the San Diego Blood Bank. David joined SDBB following his tenure at a variety of companies that developed antibody therapeutics and tools for biomedical research, diagnostic and applied markets, including Illumina and GenVault. David received his B.S. from UC Irvine, an M.S. and Ph.D. from Emory University, postdoctoral training at Tufts University and UC Berkeley, and business training at Leavey Business School of Santa Clara University and Haas Business School at UC Berkeley. David serves on the Executive Committees of the Altman Clinical and Translational Research Institute at UC San Diego, and the All of Us Research Program at the National Institutes of Health. He also holds board and committee roles in several national blood bank organizations and local biotechnology companies.

He said that the blood bank is a local San Diego organization but it has regional and national reach. The relationships with Jonas Salk helps with lots of research work on blood. He said that a person loses about 600 calories when you donate blood. All the blood collected comes to the central office every day where it is processed until 2:30 pm and then gets distributed. They deliver blood to over 75 locations each week.

They are part of a National Donor Club called "Be The Match". This program saved a child's life 15 years ago. Last match was sent to Texas Children Hospital recently. They also participate & promote many community events with Padres, Comic Con and Chargers Drive where they setup blood mobiles to collect blood. They collect over 3,500 pints over a 3-day event. Turns out that Los Angeles & Orange County do not have blood banks and San Diego supplies to them.

They also started a Mother's Milk Bank where moms bring breast milk in coolers. They collected milk in 1 day that San Jose did in a year!

The average cost of collecting a pint of blood is $50, which includes the cost of needles, supplies, testing, etc. They currently have 7 blood mobiles, each costing $750,000. They need 3 more.

=============

"Villa de Vida" by Ms. Hunter Christian

Posted by Susheela Narayanan on Nov 15, 2019

On Friday November 15, 2019, DMSB Rotary hosted Ms. Hunter Christian, the executive director of Villa de Vida, a non-profit organization committed to empowering developmentally disabled adults to live life fully, by providing them affordable housing and support services that would allow them to live independently.

Mercy Housing, CA (MHC) is a California based, non-profit housing development corporation with the mission of creating stable, vibrant and healthy communities since 1981. It currently serves over 17, 300 residents in 142 affordable communities throughout the state. It is committed to the philosophy that all residents deserve respect, dignity and a place to call home. MHC and Villa de Vida, Inc. are partnering to develop Via de Vida Poway, a two-story 54-unit affordable housing development serving adults with developmental disabilities who are capable of independent living. The development will be located on Poway Housing Authority property at the corner of Oak Knoll Road and Poway Road in Poway, CA.

Supportive services will be self-directed by each resident.

The on-site Resident services Coordinator will help residents access funding and supportive services that they require to successfully live independently.

Most residents will receive Supported Living Services (SLS) as well as other publicly funded services like MediCal, mental health services and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS).

Villa de Vida is projected to be 100% completed by Fall 2020 with 100% occupancy by Fall 2021.

To learn more please visit www.mercyhousing.org and www.villadevida.org.

=============

"Refuge for Women" by Dan DeSaegher

Posted by Susheela Narayanan on Nov 08, 2019

We had a smaller audience since many members were traveling but the speaker and George Sousa made the event very interesting and fun.

Herb started off with his talk on Rotary History and events. Then we had Suchandra describe what the global grant will provide for her organization in India.

Then we had George present a wonderful video on veterans to celebrate the upcoming Veteran's Day weekend.

## "Refuge for Women" by Dan DeSaegher

DMSB Rotary hosted Dan DeSaegher, Developmental Director for Refuge for Women, who spoke about the sensitive topic of sex trafficking in San Diego. Today Refuge successfully operates homes in five states, and the sixth home is being planned for right here in Southern California.

Trafficking is modern day slavery, conducted by force, fraud and coercion. California is #1 on the FBI list for trafficking of American girls and boys, with San Diego being on the top ten of all U S cities engaging in a trade that generates $810 million in annual revenue. 80% of victims are US born and 85% of traffickers in California are related to San Diego gangs. The most common age of trafficked youth is 14 – 16 years. There are 3400 – 5200 victims every year. Traffickers prey on vulnerable youth that are mostly abandoned or ignored by society so they become easy victims.

Dan’s program called “Refuge for Women” provides safe houses for the recovery and rehabilitation of these trafficked victims. Right now, there are about 178 safe houses in America, providing about 600 beds for a population of about one million victims. The surprising statistic is that about 70% of rescued women do not return to the sex trade! So, the need for safe houses is great.

In Phase II of rehabilitation, called Healing, the rescued women are taught life skills training, goal setting, educational opportunities, financial intelligence and job placement. In Phase III they are offered Guided Independence – they get transitional housing and given more counseling in order to re-integrate with society and a more normal life.

He concluded by saying that his goal was to raise funds and resources to expand access to safe houses all over the country but also specifically in San Diego.

Finally, George had one more surprise for all -- his special Teddy Bear singing the song "Proud To Be An American" :-).

=================

"Urban Corps’ Dual Focus Program" by Meghan Reed

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 01, 2019

Herb was the "Acting" President today (despite being very sick) since President Venky was not present.

Today we had Paul Butler deliver his 1-minute talk about why he joined Rotary. He was inspired when his daughter won a $10,000 Rotary scholarship and later became President at her Rotary club. He said it took an army to convince him to become President of the club and also really enjoyed his visit to the International Convention in Birmingham, England. He said that Rotary has done a lot for his family.

We also had the opportunity to listen to a wonderful testimony from Kirk Collins about his Rotary involvement and the project he worked on in Malawi. It involved donating 46 wheel chairs from our club and sending school supplies to a school in Malawi. Our club still sends $2,000 every year for school supplies. Charles Foster visited him in the Bay area and recorded his testimony.

## "Urban Corps’ Dual Focus Program" by Meghan Reed

Meghan, an Arkansas native, moved to San Diego earlier this year. Her background lies in nonprofit work and literary writing. She is the Development Coordinator at Urban Corps, writing foundational and corporation grants. In addition, she also takes care of the organizations’ marketing needs. She started her talk with a video about Urban Corps' program and some stories about some of the graduates from their program. That was very touching to see the hard work the participants go through. Urban Corps was started 30 years ago on July 20, 1989.

Their program trains disadvantaged children to get an education and work and stay positive and out of trouble. Many work at various Urban Corp programs. Incarcerated people get a second chance through job training. Urban Corps helps them with securing necessary certificates, driver license, etc. They run a Charter School so the students can get a proper high school degree.

Some of the jobs that they do involve painting public walls to get rid of graffiti. Their statistics shows that the students have painted walls with cumulative area that equals about 2000 Qualcomm stadiums!

They have about 220 students (ages 18-26 years) active in schools at a time and over 400 graduate annually. They have multiple campuses in San Diego. Their signature program is called Corps-To-Career that runs an internship program whereby they recruit employers who are willing to employ Corps graduates as an intern with the goal of becoming an employee after the intern period is over. Their Charter School currently has over 200 Corps members in the program.

At the end, DMSB Club Acting President Herb Liberman presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

=================

DMSB Oktoberfest Party

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 29, 2019

The Oktoberfest Social party at the Viewpoint Brewing Restaurant was wonderful. We had over 30 people attend along with 5-7 guests. Our youngest Rotarian Riley was also there to enjoy the beer :-). Kudos to Patricia for planning this so nicely. She even made up the ramp in her wheelchair :-). Here are few pictures from the event ...

================

"Embracing Diversity and Inclusion" by Taryell Simmons

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 25, 2019

Since many were on travel the audience was a bit light. We had Kevin Cahill give his 1-Minute Rotary talk and fielded some questions. Apparently someone picked him to be President during his first year and he just dived in. He encouraged members to be involved with District events where you meet wonderful people. One of the questions was, "how was DMSB club created?". Kevin said it was primarily because the Del Mar club was reaching 100 people and they wanted to keep it small. Hence many members that wanted a breakfast club joined together to form DMSB.

## "Embracing Diversity and Inclusion" by Taryell Simmons

Taryell Simmons is a Foodie, Entrepreneur, community activist, workforce consultant, and HR trainer recognized as one of the most prominent voices for diversity and inclusion in the workforce. He is the Co-Founder of EvoGrant, Workforce Development Specialist at SAGE business & Education and a Founding Member of the San Diego Tech Hub. For the past five years, Taryell has helped create and develop workforce programs like "CONNECT2Careers" to help young people in underserved communities get living wage jobs.

Taryell believes that successful careers come from being connected to one's strengths, abilities, skills, and passion. This is why he has dedicated his career to exposing people to opportunities that will help them figure out paths to combine their talents with a career they love. Taryell is a RISE Urban Leadership Institute graduate.

He talked about how older generation people deride the younger generation kids by saying "Back in the days ..." and that just irritates the younger kids always :-). When he worked in HR on the east coast the popular phrase was "snitches get stitches". However, on the west coast it is the opposite - "see something, say something".

He clarified that diversity and inclusion is not just the color of people but there are many other aspects, such as, culture. religion, etc. The new generation likes people to earn their respect and not force any values upon them.

Taryell along with 2 other co-founders created "Culture Cocina" where the mission is to create space for breaking bread while learning about the history of the community through art and food. They conduct tours of different areas of San Diego and mingle with different cultures.

Finally he mentioned a story about his childhood. He was smart but labeled as "ADD" (Attention Deficit Disorder) and so his teachers kept him away from many activities. However, there was an older white Jewish person that saw some potential in Taryell and helped him to go through college and he got his Masters degree. So, he keeps advising young kids and adults to never give up.

==============

"Mental Illness and Suicide" by Dave Jones

Posted by Charles Foster on Oct 18, 2019

"Mental Illness and Suicide" by Dave Jones

On Oct. 18, Dave Jones spoke to DMSB Rotary about mental illness and suicide. He got our attention by telling us that his father killed his mother and subsequently committed suicide, and that his grandfather also committed suicide.

Dave has no formal training but, with a family history of mental illness, was triggered into action by the news about a young man in north county killing his grandmother with a hammer and his investigation into this event. Dave has now spoken to about 16 Rotary and Kiwanis clubs and will soon speak to an Optimist club and to any other organizations that would like him to speak.

Dave’s intent is to inform the public about mental illness and that it is treatable, and to help reframe the public’s understanding of it. He mentioned troubling statistics, including that middle-aged white men have the highest suicide rate, and over 50% of prisoners have some degree of mental illness and often receive little or no treatment. He added that middle-aged white women have highest rate of depression issues and suicide attempts.

He also spoke of a lack of understanding that mental illness is a disease of the brain, with the stigma it carries, that mental illness is something that those afflicted with it can overcome, if only they tried harder. Recognizing that those with brain cancer or colon cancer don’t face a stigma, Dave used the description, Cancer of the Mind, as a way to differentiate between a disease and personal choice.

Later Dave described events such as his father killing his mother as being caused by mental -illness-caused confusion or even love, not by anger or selfishness. With proper recognition of mental illness as a disease, openness to discussions of it in its many forms, and proper treatment, Dave believes that we can get to zero suicides.

===========

Dr. Shawn Carlson's LabRats Education Program

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 11, 2019

We had our honorary member Heinz Hoenecke give a quick update about his global programs. We also had few other guests. Paul gave an update about the Foundation and reminded everyone about the 46th Annual Foundation Seminar on November 9, 2019.

Jan Parsons gave her 1-minute talk about why she joined Rotary and how she appreciates the friendships built through Rotary. Following that Ken gave a quick update on the BocceFest final numbers and that the Thank You notes were sent out to all players.

## Dr. Shawn Carlson's LabRats Education Program:

Dr. Shawn Carlson is a physicist and an educator who works to make the scientific process less mystifying and more comprehensible to nonscientists. Carlson is the executive director of the Society for Amateur Scientists and an adjunct professor in physics at San Diego State University. He has authored and edited a number of CD-ROMs that explore core concepts in physics and problem-solving techniques.

Shawn Carlson received a B.S. (1981) from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. (1989) from the University of California, Los Angeles.

In 1994, Carlson founded the Society for Amateur Scientists, which identifies opportunities for curious amateurs to investigate important, but as yet unsolved, scientific questions and to provide a forum for the organization of amateur research projects. As author of the “Amateur Scientist” column for the Scientific American, Carlson features innovative and inexpensive designs for equipment and experiments that amateurs can use to explore current research questions. Finally, he moved to San Diego and then in 2016 he started the Lab Rats program (https://sdlabrats.org/) so kids can be part of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics) program.

He says that once kids get to the 8th grade their interest in science plummets. Hence it is crucial to get them excited about STEM and at an early stage. He therefore starts kids at LabRats from 5th grade all the way to 8th grade. He incorporates 3 spheres of engagements - Self, Custodial and Social engagement. Key aspects of the LabRats program are:

Create groups for girls and boys to engage in projects with their own peers
He believes in small classrooms with 1-on-1 engagement and not 1 teacher lecturing a class of 30 kids.
Character development is one of the KEY focus
The program is taught by science experts that have a Masters and PhD degrees
Their STEAM center is in Encinitas at the Boys & Girls Club
They now also have a Mobile STEAM bus so they can go to the schools and create programs on-site for the kids

He showed everyone a special tool (a unique rock millions of years old) used by people in the early days as a multi-purpose tool. The artifact we brought was a 500,000 year old Acheulian biface created by the Neanderthal people in Southern France. He said there are only 103 such stones in the world and he has 3 of them that he received from France.

His colleague Ryan Merrill, Director of Education, who teaches at LabRats demonstrated a device that creates a certain static electric field through a human's body and one can see the hair stand up. Our club's Vice President Vicky Mallet volunteered to be the subject.

Dr. Carlson indicated that they are planning a big campus to grow the program. Currently they have about 600+ students go through their programs and it costs on average about $10 per student.

===========

BocceFest Pics and updates

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 04, 2019

BocceFest San Diego event turned out to be a grand success with the help pf all the members. The unofficial count is that we had over 300 people show up at the event.

As always we had the Del Mar and Solana Beach Mayors kick-off the event. Below are some random pics from the event. Enjoy!

In the end we had a very exciting Finals round that lasted a long time. And the day ended with a whole bunch or hot-air balloons taking off from the field nearby :-). A beautiful sight!

## BocceFest Meeting Updates:

The Bocce management team provided some initial updates (not final yet) on the results of the fund-raising as follows:

Unofficial count says that over 300 people attended the event.

Sponsorships collected was about $57,000 (last year was $52,000). This was primarily due to the 3rd Premier Sponsor this year.

Donations = $500

Auction = $8,300

Raffe = $2,000

Beer sales = $4,000 (Nickels + Sales)

Independent Teams = $1,600

Registered Teams = 124, which means at least 248 people on the field playing Bocce Ball!

Bill gave his 1-minute talk on why he joined Rotary.

Finally we had a grand presentation by Charlotte - THE GOLDEN BOCCIES :-). She came up with some creative awards for each member that provided some unique experiences at the event. Herb announced that the biggest GOLDEN BOCCE award goes to Charlotte for her tireless efforts in marketing, organization and Auction setup :-).

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"From Undercover Cop To Chief of Police" by Shelley Zimmerman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 13, 2019

We had a strong audience today with many guests, who came to hear San Diego's past Chief of Police Shelley Zimmerman.

Then we had Ken and Molly talk about the progress on Bocce sponsor levels and it looks like the funds have reached almost $52K. Malcolm confirmed that 11 breweries signed up for the beer competition, which will be held at the Hilton Del Mar on Sunday Sep 15, 2019.

Radia gave a brief summary on Youth Services and mentioned that Model UN is going to be on March 28/29, 2020.

We then had Bev Liberman give her quick 1-minute talk on what inspired her to be a Rotarian.

### "From Undercover Cop To Chief of Police" by Shelley Zimmerman

Shelley Zimmerman joined National University in January of 2019 as a Chancellor appointed professor focusing on public safety and leadership.

Prior to this appointment Chief Shelley Zimmerman was hired by the San Diego Police Department in October of 1982. She was promoted to Chief of Police on March 4, 2014 and retired on March 2, 2018 after an illustrious thirty-five-year career. She was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is a graduate of The Ohio State University, with a degree in Criminal Justice. She is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy, FBINA #241.

During Chief Zimmerman’s tenure as Chief (2014-2018) San Diego experienced historic low crime rates, including the lowest homicide rate per capita of any of the largest cities in the country. In 2017, the City of San Diego had the lowest overall crime in the past 49 years and was named the safest large city in America.

Chief Zimmerman received numerous awards and citations throughout her career which included; the San Diego Press Club Headliner of the year award for her undercover work and the San Diego Police Foundation Women in Blue Award for her commitment to making San Diego one of the safest large cities in the United States.

She once had the opportunity to hold the Olympic torch when some part of the LA Olympics 1984 was held in San Diego. Another interesting story she mentioned was about how she worked as a prostitute to catch pimps and prevent other issues. Once a car pulled up and she could see that it was a 16-year old kid driving. She made a judgement call and let that kid go after giving him some solid advice. 15 years later she get a call and it turned out that it was that same kids, who had turned around and became a doctor with 2 kids. That was a very touching and rewarding moment for the Chief.

She was under-cover cop for many years and in case she did a school drug bust by getting into Patrick Henry school as a student. She somehow talked her way into the school without any transcripts! She later arrested 73 people. Her leadership skills as Chief of Police is bound by some of the principles listed above, which enables a culture of excellence in her department. She encourages all employees to talk about bad news directly with her. Her desk had this sign clearly displayed - "Bad News Welcomed Here" :-). The San Diego Police Dept. was the first one in the country to implement body cameras. Her success is tied to relationships that she builds with the community.

Chief Zimmerman is an avid sports fan and often participates in athletic charity fundraisers, such as, the Challenge Athlete's Foundation.

In the end, DMSB Club President Venky Venkatesh presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Toilets for Life in Uganda" by Zubaire Bakubye

Posted by Susheela Narayanan on Sep 06, 2019

On 9/6/2019 Zubaire Bakubye, a Rotarian from East Riverside Rotary Club in District 5330 and CEO of ISEAC (Integrated Science & Education for African Communities), gave an interesting presentation to DMSB Rotary on the urgent topic of “Toilets for Life in Uganda”.

Born and raised in rural Africa during a time of social strife and civil war in Uganda, Zubaire witnessed firsthand the social and economic challenges faced by people in developing communities without access to clean water and health care. After moving to the US to get his BA and MA in California he uses his education and access to resources to support his passion of empowering native communities to achieve literacy and education that would create further economic opportunities. He has worked with the Center for Nonprofit Advancement to develop program models and systems that would be able to access resources for further economic and infrastructure development in Uganda.

In a graphic PPT Zubaire pointed out that the United Nations had a goal in place that promised adequate, equitable access to water, sanitation and hygiene to all people everywhere by 2030. It promised a world in which extreme poverty would be eliminated and no matter where you lived you would have enough food to eat, clean water to drink, a safe, private place to relieve yourself and soap and water to wash with. The biggest problem facing the world today is lack of access to water and sanitation. These were some of the staggering statistics he presented: over 650 million people have no access to clean water /over 2.3 billion don’t have access to a safe private toilet/ diarrhea is 1 of the 3 most common killers of children and young women globally/ 58% of childhood deaths could be prevented by clean water, sanitation and good hygiene.

80.9% of the population in Uganda has no access to safe toilet systems – they defecate in bushes or plastic polythene bags, empty buildings and structures, in rivers and other water ways, or in pit-latrines. Unmonitored fecal disposal causes health hazards to the population through contamination of food and water. There is an urgent need to transform these primitive systems to safe, septic toilet systems. Zubaire is actively seeking help and collaboration from Rotary groups and other non-profit organizations to help him achieve these goals.

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"San Diego Zoo & Wild Animal Park" by Rick Schwartz

Posted by Susheela Narayanan on Aug 23, 2019

Rick Schwartz, San Diego Global Ambassador, gave an interesting talk to DMSB Rotary on August 23, 2019. A wild life expert and former Senior Zoo Keeper since 2000, Rick is also the co-host of San Diego Zoo Kids and Production Coordinator for the new Animal Planet series: “The Zoo San Diego”.

As Ambassador Rick has travelled around the world to far flung places such as Botswana, the Galapagos Islands, Australia and Kenya in the name of conservation. Schwartz shares his passion for conservation by making appearances in many well-known local and national television stations and shows around the country. As Senior Keeper at San Diego Zoo Global, Schwartz has been responsible for the care of many different species of birds, mammals and reptiles. He has also been deeply involved in innovative scientific programs seeking to protect and preserve endangered species that might otherwise be on the verge of extinction, such as the Great Northern White Rhino.

Schwartz continues to share his passion for animals as a part-time Instructor at Moorpark College’s Exotic Animal Training and Management Program. Drawing from his years of experience Schwartz teaches Wildlife Education to future generations of keepers and conservationists.

In the end DMSB Club Past President Charles Foster presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"THINK LIKE A DOG!!" by Scott MacDonald

"THINK LIKE A DOG!!" says Scott MacDonald. Huh? What does that mean? And is that even possible?

Read full story below to find out more......

DMSB Rotary Blood Drive

Posted by Charles Foster & Sanjiv on Aug 11, 2019

DEL MAR – SOLANA BEACH ROTARY HOSTS SUCCESSFUL BLOOD DRIVE

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club successfully hosted its first ever blood drive for the San Diego Blood Bank several weekends ago and exceeded the donations goal by 50%. Forty-eight donors and Rotarians participated to support the bloodmobile parked in Solana Beach’s Lomas Santa Fe Plaza just off I-5 on Sunday, August 11^th. Many Rotarians donated blood or helped process donors, and many did both. DMSB Rotary and the San Diego Blood Bank are already in the planning stages for additional blood drives at this Solana Beach location, which can easily serve coastal San Diego donors.

As learned from the San Diego Blood Bank, “Blood is Medicine.” Every year, more than 100,000 patients of all ages and backgrounds are recipients of donated blood provided by the San Diego Blood Bank. These patients struggle with life-threatening medical conditions that include cancer and other blood disorders, severe burns, organ transplants, trauma, emergency surgeries, childbirth complications and more. One thing they all have in common is their need for donated blood to stay alive. There is no substitute.

The Blood Bank and DMSB Rotary thank all who did give blood and those who will give in the future. Giving blood is one volunteer activity good people can do to save and enhance lives, and it only takes an hour. Though not well known, one donor can help save the lives of up to 3 people. For more information about the San Diego Blood Bank, see https://www.sandiegobloodbank.org.

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary helps make our communities better for all, both near and far. While doing so, its members develop new business relationships, leadership skills and friendships that can last a lifetime. DMSB Rotary meets most Fridays for breakfast at the Hilton Del Mar. One can learn more by visiting www.DMSBRotary.com

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"Three Key Questions to Thrive in Business and Life" by Jamie Marvin

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 09, 2019

We had a guest Kevin Popovich talk about his role in helping companies with new ideas and marketing statistics. He is known as "The Idea Guy". Then we had Herb Liberman give his 1-minute talk about why he joined Rotary and his contribution to various charities, such as, the Kawanis club, Kenya schools, etc.

Jamie is a beach photographer and speaker committed to bringing peace and joy to the world through art, smiles and connection. She is the founder of the Smile Soul Bright movement and lives locally in Carlsbad. She is a Toastmaster speaker and trains people on speech presentations.

Her talk was about three key questions to thrive in life.

What am I looking for?
What is the truth?
What do I want the outcome to be?

She talked about how the stress of lies leads to health issues, such as, back pain, headaches, etc. Whether it is in personal life or business, speaking the truth always keeps the stress low.

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"Homeless in San Diego" by Kelsey Martinez

Posted by Charles Foster and Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 02, 2019

Kelsey Martinez, Outreach Coordinator for the Interfaith Shelter Network, spoke to us about their emphasis on helping situationally homeless families. As compared to chronically homeless families, the situationally homeless have only recently become homeless and, with some help, can be expected to move out of homelessness in less than a year.

The Interfaith Shelter Network involves over 120 congregations of all denominations county-wide in a Rotational Shelter program. About 70 of the congregations host the program in their facilities for two or four weeks a year and the remainder serve in a valuable support role.

The homeless are sheltered where there are no shelters and receive the understanding and support of congregations when, previously, all they knew was fear and uncertainty. Congregations benefit by getting to know homeless individuals personally. The mutual sharing of stories is beneficial to both.

Case management is the key to success for our guests, and they are only sent to congregations in the Network after being screened by an area social service agency to assure there will be no active drug, alcohol or mental health problems.

This is a practical, manageable way to serve others. Congregations usually host the program for two weeks once a year. Normally, only 12 guests at a time stay in the congregation facilities. At the end of two weeks, the whole operation — cots and guests — rotates to another area congregation. Guests can stay up to eight weeks in the Network. The average stay is just under six (6) weeks.

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Visit by District Governor Marta Knight

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 26, 2019

On July 26, 2019 Rotary District Governor for San Diego region Marta Knight gave an inspirational talk to motivate all members. Assistant Governor Susie Callahan introduced Marta Knight. Marta is a member of the Chula Vista Sunrise club. She was born and raised in Tijuana, Mexico. Her father is a member of the TJ club for 41 years. She has 4 children and 2 grand children.

Marta recognized few members. She gave a "Club Hero" pin to George Sousa for his outstanding dedication to the club.

She also gave the Rotarian of the Month pin to Charles Foster and a Past-President pin to Ken Barrett. She also gave a "To Be D.G." golden gavel to Steve since he will be District Governor soon.

Steve Weitzen then gave his 1-minute Rotary talk. He had fun at the District Governor conference and heard stories from other District Governors. He has had 20 Rotary Presidents visit his house. Rotary has enriched his life and many long-lasting relationships built.

Marta then talked about her "AHA" moment. She was at the LA Convention Center for Rotary International conference and the Rotary President said, "Rotary lets ordinary people do extraordinary things". Her father also gave her lots of inspiration. He would use the 4-way test to settle arguments between his kids. Many members of her family are Rotarians and that was a huge inspiration for her.

She said she had an opportunity to visit a school in Ecuador and she was thrilled to see the joy in the kids' faces when they saw pencil sharpeners that she donated to the school.

In the end, Marta mentioned that she was once the Queen of Tijuana Rotary and District 4100. She also talked about her visits to Ecuador prisons where 13-17 year old kids were kept. She sat and had lunch with them. It was very touching.

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"Operation Hope" by Cindy Taylor

Posted by Susheela Narayanan on Jul 19, 2019

Who/what is Operation Hope? Where is it located? What is their mission and who do they serve?

Read the full story below to find out more about this enterprising non-profit organization.

"Very Few Proud Women in the U.S. Marine Corps" by Col. Marianne Waldrop

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 12, 2019

We had a large group today and lots of guests since it was Venky's FIRST day as President of our club :-). He had invited 8 of his family members plus 3 close friends!

Following that Paul Butler presented a Paul Harris Fellow pin to a long-time supporter of our club's Bocce event - Dan Phelan of Pacific Southwest Realty.

Other updates were as follows:

We had a new member Rita Albert, who transferred from the Rancho Santa Fe club.
Malcolm reminded members about the $2.00 fine for not wearing the Rotary pin.
Bill reported that over 5500 chilled bottled water was distributed by our members at the StandDown event.
We also had a scout candidate Ken come with his father to give a quick 5-minute presentation about his work with scouts. He said he camped about 250 miles, did Eagle Scout camping at Filmont, trekked 80 miles and went up 12,000 feet.
Charlotte and Molly announced that they have about $11,400 registered sponsors so far.

## "Very Few Proud Women in the U.S. Marine Corps" by Col. Marianne Waldrop

Marianne Waldrop is the youngest of four children from a U.S. Marine Corps family and was born and raised on the east coast. In 1987, she graduated from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a BA in Math and in 1989, she graduated with an MS in Computer Science from Naval Post graduate School in Monterey, CA. Subsequent to graduation, she served as a project manager for Marine Corps signals intelligence systems. After this tour, Marianne resigned her commission to work in the information technology industry in San Diego; however, this venture in “corporate America” was short-lived (2 years) due to her recall from the reserves for post-9-11 intelligence operations in support of U.S. Central Command, MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida. She retired in 2011 and earned a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies from Univ. of San Diego in May 2016.

She was deployed to Bahrain, South Africa and Kuwait and she worked in the Intelligence department. She was a very proud marine and the daughter of a marine. She was born in Quantico, VA. She was in the Marines from 1987-2011. They were the only Father-Daughter combo in the Marines at that time.

She said she had to take SAT seven times to go to Navy. Then went to join Navy ROTC. She retired as Colonel and then later went to SDSU to do her PhD in Leadership to understand why women in leadership roles were so few in the Military.

Her research showed that the common traits among men & women leaders were that they focused on 3 areas - Structure, Culture and Agency. The Agency co-relates with Actions, Decisions and Personal traits. She learnt that in 1970 the first woman was promoted to Brigadier General.

Some interesting statistics were as follows:

1918 - first woman enlisted in the Marine
1978 - first woman in USMC was appointed Brigadier General (Col. Margaret Brewer)
1985 - first woman (Gail Reals) competitively selected to Brigadier General role.

In the end DMSB Club President Venky Venkatesh presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

==================

Celebration of Service

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 28, 2019

This was a special day celebrating the year of service by our Rotary club. Our club's President Ken Barrett was demoted last week.

Jon Fish was celebrating his 75th birthday and he was also awarded the Rotarian of the Month pin.

Malcolm announced new club rule that there will be $2.00 fine if anyone forgets to wear the Rotary pin.

Paul also awarded a Paul Harris Fellow award to a long-time supporter and sponsor of the Bocce Ball tournaments - Scott Simms of Bank of America.

## Celebration of Service

We kicked off the celebrations with a UNIQUE video introduction by our demoted President Ken since he was forced to go an a anniversary trip with his wife. His joke was that he better go with his wife rather than pay a divorce attorney

. He had planned an amazing video delivery of his talk well-timed (except for few minor glitches) with other Rotarians' talks.

Herb's spiel on Global and District grants.

Paul Butler's update on the Foundation.

Charlotte's updates on the various charity organizations that received our funds

Charles Foster delivering his update on the progress and planning of BocceFest and the goals.

Charles update on the Public Relation efforts.

The meeting ended with a final "Thank You" club by Ken via his remote delivery

================

Governor's Dinner

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 27, 2019

Some pictures from the Governor's Dinner sent by Jan Parsons.

=================

“In pursuit of Nuclear Technology for 21st Century" by Puja Gupta

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 21, 2019

The meeting started off with Kevin and Phil being presented their new Paul Harris Fellow (PHF) awards by Paul and Ken. This is Phil's first PHF award and Kevin's fifth.

## “In pursuit of Nuclear Technology for 21st Century" by Puja Gupta

Puja delivered a very interesting talk about her research and some details about the Nuclear Technology in the 21st century. She is smart with a very dynamic personality. She also showed interest in joining our club as a regular member since she lives in Del Mar.

The slides above are self-explanatory and describes her points.

In the end DMSB Club interim President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Highlights of City of Del Mar" by Mayor Dave Druker

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 14, 2019

We had a new baby Rotarian in today :-). Molly brought her daughter Riley and she was so cute in that stroller :-).

Charlotte was happy that her son Mauer was graduating 4th grade.

Venky was celebrating his 49th anniversary this week.

Charles reminded everyone that the blood drive was finalized for August 11th at the Von's parking lot off Lomas Santa Fe.

# "Highlights of City of Del Mar" by Mayor Dave Druker

Dave Druker has been on the Del Mar City Council from 1996 through 2008 and 2016 to present. He has been Mayor four times. Dave has lived in Del Mar since 1986. His wife Kristen is a retired History teacher at The Bishop's School and Culver City High School. They have two adult children and one grandson. Both Dave and Kristen graduated from USC. Dave has a BA in Match and an MS in Counseling. Dave works at DataSkill, a software development company that uses artificial intelligence to facilitate international trade finance.

He said Del Mar's boundary is from Jimmy Durante Blvd. to Crest Canyon and that Del Mar has 4000 residents. He has been Mayor 4 times, no staff and he spends about 40 hours each month. Del Mar split off from San Diego county about 60 years ago - primarily to avoid giving development rights to San Diego county. The city's budget is $10M per year and $8M of that is from property taxes. The city gets about 13% of that property tax. City has no ability to control anything at the Fair since state owns the property.

The major issues that the city has been facing are; 1) short-term rentals and 2) sea-level rise leading to bluff erosions. The tracks are not actually impacting the bluff since the train vibrations dissipate horizontally.

Street Scape is the new project to allow sidewalk cafes. This should be ready by end of July 2019. He has lived in Del Mar for 32 years, married for 48 years and works at Dataskill.

In the end DMSB Club interim President Venky Venkatesh presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Juveniles and Adult Probation Population for next 5 years" by Gonzalo Mendez

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 07, 2019

Ken announced that the next BocceFest meeting will be at the Sutton's home on Sat June 8, 2019 at 10 am.

The Beer committee is pushing for a Gold Tap award to one brewery to increase participation.

We had a guest today - Matt Walker, Public Defender, who took over from Steve Binder. He gave quick updates on the veterans' Stand Down event coming up soon on June 28, 29 and 30. He indicated that out of the 8,102 homeless people about half of them get the needed support. At StandDown they get legal help, medical, dental, eye care, showers, etc. The Public Defender's office also does Homeless Courts once a month with the help of about 60 volunteers.

## "Juveniles and Adult Probation Population for next 5 years" by Gonzalo Mendez

Gonzalo Mendez grew up as an immigrant. His father was invited to the U.S. and later his brother went to the state penitentiary and they lived in the rough neighborhood of south east San Diego. He once went to the El Centro prison to meet his brother, who advised him to become a lawyer. At 19 Gonzalo volunteered in the Probation Department and he was sent to some bad areas. He soon got used to it. He worked hard and went to SDSU and paid for his college by working at various restaurants. He graduated with no college debt!

His first job was at Campo where there were 250 juvenile youths. In the first 6 months he was ready to quit. He had to sleep with roaches. But he pulled through and in 1995 he was promoted to Correctional Deputy Probation Officer (CDPO) and soon after that in 1997 he was promoted to Deputy Probation Officer and then in 1999 he became a Senior Probation Officer (SrPO). In 2001 he was promoted to a Supervising Probation Officer (SPO) and finally in 2012 he became the Division Chief! When he was a supervisor his brother died in a car accident after being hit by a drunk driver. That was a very disturbing moment for him and the family.

The probation officer has several tasks as shown above. He found jobs for many of the juvenile kids and changed their lives for ever. In the past 7-8 years he has helped reduce juveniles in San Diego by almost 70%. He is very proud of his team.

He created Collaborative Courts and helps to get felons into a rehab program that pays 90 days of living expenses and gived them financial literacy education so that they can go out and work and be financially responsible. They also have a human trafficking task force that prevents kids from getting lured into prostitution, etc.

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"Eliminating Pain & Chronic Fatigue" by Dr. Alan Blum; Global Grant #1861779 update by Sanjiv Prabhakaran

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 31, 2019

We had a guest (Chuck) today all the way from Arizona from the Via Verde Club.

Charles reminded members about the Demotion Party for Ken Barrett on Sunday June 23, 2019 at 5 pm.

Steve reminded all that the District Governor's dinner is on June 27, 2019.

Ken awarded the Rotarian Member of the Month awards to Charlotte Jones and Sanjiv Prabhakaran for their work on the web sites and Bocce planning.

## Global Grant for Paraplegic/Quadriplegic clinic update by Sanjiv Prabhakaran

Sanjiv provided a final update on the completion of the global grant project # 1861779. Below slides will provide the details.

The training center

The quadriplegic beneficiary (Ajay) getting the special chin-operated automatic chair.

## "Eliminating Pain & Chronic Fatigue" by Dr. Alan Blum

Dr. Alan M. Blum has been a practicing chiropractor in San Diego for over 40 years and has been studying kinesiological muscle testing techniques for over 30 years. A national speaker, he has invented or innovated several groundbreaking kinesiological muscle testing techniques and has taught many of those techniques at the Total Body Modification Research Seminars.

Dr. Blum’s greatest joy is helping to heal people. Experiencing firsthand severe stress and severe chronic fatigue, he spent years looking for solutions and created some groundbreaking techniques to heal others and teach them how to have more energy, combining chiropractic practices. The chart below shows the various areas of the spine and how it controls various aches in our body.

He talked about instantly correcting the energy inside the body. He uses a technique called Total Body Modification (TBM), which is similar to acupuncture. A chiropractor works form brain down through the spine to the legs. The body has electric signals that pass through every cell in the body. By re-charging these cells the pain can be minimized. He says that most tissues can be regenerated but some tissues are slower.

We had several volunteers that stepped up to get a quick massage from Dr. Blum. Paul Butler, Herb Liberman and Bev Liberman all had a good dose of his techniques for some instant rejuvenation :-).

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"San Diego Fair Update" by Fred Schenk + Steve's Paul Harris Society

Posted by Susheela Narayanan & Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 17, 2019

Scott Carr, past District Governor was there to award Steve Weitzen with the Paul Harris Society certificate.

###

"San Diego Fair Update" by Fred Schenk

The speaker today was Mr. Fred Schenk, who has been the Chair of Operations at the San Diego County Fair from 2007 – the present. This year the fair will run from May 31 – July 4, closed Mondays and Tuesdays in June.

The San Diego County Fair, which began in 1880 with the aim of bringing SD County farmers together to share ideas, compete for the best pies and citrus fruits and challenge each other to horse races, continues to celebrate agriculture and community pride. It simply wouldn’t be summer in San Diego without this iconic fair, which is one of the top five fairs in the United States and Canada, drawing more than 1.6 million visitors annually.

Fred talked about some of the highlights of 2018 which included three beverage festivals of wine, beer and distilled spirits. There will be nine stages for entertainment, including the grand stand stage for the main entertainment. The theme of the fair will be peace, love and livestock. Every Wednesday afternoon talent from the fifty-year-old Woodstock festival will be featured. There is a 20-minute presentation of fireworks held every year.

The theme of the 2019 fair is going to be OZ-some. Presented by Albertsons|Vons, this year’s County Fair invites guests to skip down the yellow brick road and enter into an “Oz-some” world inspired by L. Frank Baum’s classic tale, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.”

Visitors will journey to the Emerald City, meeting magical new friends along the way. Channel your inner courage in our whirlwind of carnival rides. Expand your brain by immersing yourself in creative and educational exhibits. Warm your heart creating new memories with your friends and family. With all of the adventures you’ll encounter, you’ll discover, “There’s no place like the Fair.”

The “Oz-some” lineup for the Toyota Summer Concert Series will feature 27 night of entertainment on the Corona Grandstand Stage. Notables such as Smokey Robinson, Neil Sedaka, KC and the Sunshine Band, Pitbull, Credence Clearwater and others will cater to every musical taste. Sundays will be especially dedicated to music that caters to the Hispanic market, and will include musicians that cater to various age groups.

Eating is a major San Diego County Fair activity, with more than 100 food booths, several sit-down restaurants, and food-and-beverage events. On Thursdays from noon to 5:00PM, food vendors offer a small portion of one of their featured foods for $3.00. Great for small appetites, or for grazing your way through the Fair. Sometime in May, there will be a Food Map showing where to find those delicious Fair treats, both the ones you’ve come to love, and some new ones, too!

At the conclusion of the meeting Fred handed out complimentary fair tickets to all the Rotary members in attendance, which were well received. For more fair information go to: https://sdfair.com/.

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"Financial Market Update" by Clyde Chandler of Fidelity

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 10, 2019

Steve Weitzen was very happy since it was his 66th birthday. He was also sad since his close friend Lori was the victim of the Poway Synagogue shooting.

Steve also announced that the Director of the San Diego Fair Fred Schenk will be coming next week to give us the update on this year's theme and also distribute few tickets.

Charlotte announced that the new Bocce website is up and can be viewed at www.BocceFestSD.com.

###

"Financial Market Update" by Clyde Chandler of Fidelity

Clyde has been in the financial field for over 20 years and currently he is a Senior VP at Fidelity Investments in Carmel Valley and deals with hi-net worth clients. Clyde has a BS in Economics and has many certification in wealth strategy, financial planning and has passed Series 6,9,10, 63 & 65 exams. Clyde enjoys running, surfing, coaching soccer, and spending time with his family. Clyde has been a staunch supporter of our Bocce Ball fund raising events for several years and this year he has graciously agreed to be the $5k primary sponsor.

Clyde talked about the various types of investments and how the markets are reacting. They provide 3 types of strategies --

Secular (10-30 years) that covers sectors, such as, Energy, etc. This category goes up and down over many years.

Business Cycle (1-10 years) - this sector goes through growth, stagnation and recession.

Tactical (1-12 months) - this is for the day to day stuff.

He indicated that the economic growth is directly tied to labor and productivity. Output is the measure of the economy's success.

Japan has had no economic growth for 30 years due to the aging population.

His prediction was that the Feds might lower the interest rates.

The above slide shows the signs of recession - high labor costs, negative rate of return, profits declining. He says that 2 years of negative rate of return is an indication of a future recession.

His advice to all is that the ration of stocks to bonds is usually 60 to 40 for basic investors but then age also plays a big factor. For example a 25 year old investor will be recommended 90% in stocks since he/she can bear some risks.

His final point was that earnings per share drives the stock price and that in turn drives up the economy. He said that some companies buy back their shares but that unfortunately does not grow the company.

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DMSB Social - Cinco de Mayo party at Casa Sol y Mar

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 05, 2019

We had a wonderful social gathering at the Casa Sol y Mar in Carmel Valley in the Del Mar Highlands Mall. We had 13 people attend the event with friends and family members. You can see more photos and a video of a wonderful dance at the link below. George was all ready to dance too :-).

Pictures link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/t2Q4sA72w16UGpsNA

Enjoy!

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The Coin-Up Story by Leena Patidar

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 03, 2019

We started off with some quick announcements by various members --

Patricia reminded all about the social gathering at Casa Sol y Mar on Sunday at 3:30 pm.
Bill announced that Stand Down starts on June 28, 2019 and ends on June 30, 2019. He had sign-up sheets passed around.
Charlotte talked about a new plan for Bocce to move forward with requesting the beneficiaries to help promote the event. She encouraged members to bring in more sponsors.
Charlotte said that she is hoping to have the new site ready by May 13, 2019 unless there are any critical issues.

## The Coin-Up Story by Leena Patidar

Leena is a CFO by trade and the Managing Director at Ascent Private Capital Management. She was born and raised in Chicago, but her parents took her to India often to visit their grandparents and relatives. Every time, she could not bear the thought of the children and infants that were on the streets and so vulnerable. She felt they were put in circumstances that nobody deserves, especially the innocent. So she knew one day that she would want to come back and help protect them by getting them off the streets, providing medical care, education, clothing and giving them a chance to survive in a better environment.

Over the years she noticed how charities like Ronald McDonald House, March of Dimes, and Salvation Army have all collected millions of dollars in spare change each year. However, as we move towards a cashless society, that loose change is no longer available. So, Leena came up with a new way to donate and her entrepreneurial drive led to a very creative company called Coin Up. She had to fight with Apple to accept her donation app for over 3 months before they finally agreed to approve the first donation app on Apple store. Apple used to reject Donation apps due to several fraudulent apps.

The idea is to donate your “loose change” from a credit or debit card transaction to one of your favorite charities. Coin Up makes it really easy to do and to manage your total donations including setting monthly limits. Coin Up now has over 300 charities to choose from, including ones that support orphanages in India and around the world. The app won the San Diego 2017 Athena Pinnacle Award.

In the end DMSB Club interim President Vicky Mallett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Serving Dinner for the Solutions For Change Families

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 27, 2019

We had a large group of members and spouses and children volunteer to serve dinner to the families at the Vista location of Solutions For Change. Enjoy the photos below ...

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Bocce Planning & Action Meeting

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 26, 2019

We started the meeting with some updates from members' trips.

1. Susan H. went on a trip to the Sea of Cortez and had lots of fun.

2. Charlotte and family just returned from a trip to the Galapagos Islands.

3. Suchandra just returned from India and will be in San Diego for about 6 months.

4. Phil was excited since he said there will be some 3000-4000 people registering at the hotel for the La Jolla Half Marathon.

## BOCCE MEETING:

Today's meeting was dedicated to the planning and updates on the Bocce event. Malcolm stressed on the fact that we need get closer to the $100K revenue. He had a tentative plan for a new layout for the field that keeps the auction items & beer vendors inside the big tent and the VIP canopies along the border of the tent so they can keep ordering beer. He said that the local Brewers' Guild has sanctioned our BocceFest event. The beers are all donated and so no cost to the club. He had invited Dick Stevens from the Eco-Encinitas club to learn some ideas from him. He gave some very good ideas of how to involve other charity organizations to help.

Then we had Charlotte give an update about her marketing strategy.

And, finally Molly spoke about the sponsorship plans.

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"Children's Picture Books" by Scott Sussman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 12, 2019

# MISCELLANEOUS TOPICS:

Diane Huckabee announced that she just got her 2nd grandson!
Steve Weitzen announced it was his 33rd anniversary!
Ken Barrett was celebrating his 50th birthday!
Herb showed pictures of devastating floods in Malawi that destroyed many homes.
Ken showed the club a video about education and healthcare in Uganda -- video link.

# "Children's Picture Books" by Scott Sussman

Today's speaker, Scott Sussman, was born in Fountain Valley, California in 1971 and currently divides his time between California and Italy. His children’s picture books include Silly the Seed, Weird the Beard, Lerky the Handturkey, the Mark and the Molecule Maker trilogy, and Fred and the Monster, which was an Independent Publisher Award Winner, 2015. He has also written a middle grade novel, The Shining Adventures of Shelpa McStorm, and is currently working on more middle grade novels. When not reading or writing, Scott enjoys playing the harmonica and traveling with his wife.

He became a school substitute teacher and later moved to Israel and settled into a unique type of settlement (commune) known as KIBBUTZ. The residents of these communes shared everything and worked as members of that community. While there, he studied Hebrew and started to write. One day he wrote on a blank paper "Lovely Flower in a Red Rose Sky" and gradually the words just started to flow.

The time he was in Israel he witnessed the Prime Minister getting assassinated and many people getting killed. From there he went to Santiago in South America and wrote more books there. After that the next 13 years he was in Rome, Italy. He learned the language and taught English to teenagers and older people. There he met his wife Francesca in 2006. She had a big job with company car, etc. When they decided to move back to USA in Sep 2016 it was a tough decision. They settled in Carlsbad. He makes a living by selling autographed books. Many of the club members purchased several books from him.

His favorite quote is by a Japanese author -- "When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing".

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""Providing assistance to child & family support with a clean diet with nutritional beneficial foods" by Crystal Hilsley

Posted by Susheela Narayanan & Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 05, 2019

Today we had a surprise visit by Alicia Foster to celebrate Charles' 75th birthday. Alicia said that over the years it has been tough to find a gift for Charles and so this time she gave him a $10,000 check that he can spend on Rotary in any manner he wishes! Everyone was thrilled at her gesture.

## ""Providing assistance to child & family support with a clean diet with nutritional beneficial foods" by Crystal Hilsley

Members attended an informative talk by Crystal Hilsley, a Child Food Advisor who specializes in transitioning families to eating a clean diet with nutritionally beneficial foods as a daily reality. Crystal’s unique and highly effective approach involves participation from the whole family, schools and recreational clubs. According to Crystal one in eight children are on the Autism spectrum and one in three children is predicted to be obese. Sugar is the main ingredient in 80% of the food we buy and consume. Crystal described how most of the treats brought by parents to after school games and sports involved empty calories and high levels of food dyes and sugar, such as in donuts, cookies, cupcakes with enormous amounts of artificially dyed cream frosting and even artificially dyed Gatorade. Apples, oranges, cheese and crackers, healthy nutrition bars and plain water would be much better substitutes, but many parents need to be educated about these alternatives.

Crystal also talked about how so many elementary school children cannot sit still in class and focus on the teacher’s instructions because of all the extra sugar and chemicals that they consume in popular foods. They also suffer from dehydration. Sometimes simply drinking a glass of water helps them to calm down.

Crystal created a program called Crystal Clear Kids to emphasize the importance of looking carefully at food labels before buying foods with chemicals and dyes in them that can adversely affect children’s’ moods. Many inner city and low income neighborhoods have become “food deserts” – where only highly processed, convenience foods like donuts and hot dogs are available instead of fresh produce and healthy foods. The program aims to educate parents and children about how chemical dyes, food coloring and unhealthy foods can create cravings and affect children’s chromosomes.

Crystal has partnered with Dr. Brian Alman at Kaiser Permanente to create a company called TruSage International that teaches parents and children how to relieve stress naturally through healthy means such as coloring, drawing, yoga, swimming and other physical activities. She is available to give talks and workshops to schools, clubs and other community groups to spread the message of making wise choices in foods, which will help heal bodies and minds in a natural way.

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District Training Assembly Meeting of 2019

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 01, 2019

This event is held once a year and all members, especially red badgers, are encouraged to attend. They offer various training sessions for club chairs to learn more about their roles and how to become more effective leaders. This year we had Jan Parsons, Venky Venkatesh and Beverly Liberman attend the events. Steve Weitzen was also there in funny costumes :-).

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"Finding Peace in a noisy world" by Orlando Javien; New Rotary flag & Rotary scholar

Posted by Susheela Narayanan & Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 29, 2019

## Miscellaneous Topics:

Steve talked about “adopting” a Rotary scholar – it was unanimously approved by the members.

Charlotte send around a reminder sign-up sheet for Rotarians at Work day on April 27^th at Solutions For Change. Members will prepare and serve food to about 20 – 30 people at Solutions for Change.

Patricia sent a reminder about the Rotary Cook-out at San Dieguito Park on April 7^th.

Venky Venkatesh, who took over the President’s gavel today, brought and displayed the new Rotary flag.

## "Finding Peace in a noisy world" by Orlando Javien Jr.:

Orlando Javien Jr. is the man of many hats. By day he is a bookkeeper, tax preparer and domestic engineer. By night he is a religious education teacher, inspirational speaker, and author of “Stop Googling Yourself." He opened with a funny story about a boy living on a farm who, one day, dumped a despised “Porta-potty” into the river, unfortunately, while his dad was in the potty

! He went on to talk about the different noises in his life and how he learned to find peace.

Noise #1: His first example was about the noise of pride, a story about his refusing to take care of the dirty dishes because “it was not his turn to do them”. After almost precipitating a fight over this between himself and his wife, he realized that he needed to get rid of his pride. The lesson was that one should put in 100% effort but with 0% expectation in return.

Noise #2: Another time he volunteered to teach a group of children in his daughter’s class. He felt pretty pleased with what he did until he asked his daughter for validation and to his surprise she replied: “Dad you talk too much”. So the second noise in his life was his own voice! One day when his wife came home tired and upset because she had had a long day and had had nothing to eat, he rushed in with suggestions about what she could do next time. When, to his surprise, his wife became even more upset, he realized that again he was talking too much. What she needed at that moment was a hug of empathy, rather than a quick fix or lecture about what to do next time.

Noise #3: The most touching example was when he came home from work one day, very tired, and refused to play with his young son. Being exhausted he sent the child to his room. Later, he was very moved when the child came to him with money from his piggy bank and offered to pay his dad his hourly wage if he would take some time to play with him.

Noise #4: The noise of “addiction” was the last one he mentioned. He admitted that he had been addicted to pornography but had eventually been able to give it up.

He concluded by discussing the biggest problem of all in our society – the addiction to technology and social media. He has put filters on his phones and computers to protect his family from the “noise” of technology. It was a good reminder to the rest of us to be more heedful of the “noises” in our own environment.

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"Berlin before, during and after the Wall and the Berlin Crisis 1960-61"; Paul Harris award; Funny fines by Malcolm Koll

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 22, 2019

We had a surprise guest that Herb brought in - their dog Tootsie! She was really cute and friendly. She made sure she smelled everyone :-). Also, Malcolm pointed out during the "Fines" session that Herb and Bev listed two different anniversary dates :-) and gave Herb a fine for that!

Bill announced that Stand Down event will be on June 28, 29 and 30 at the same location as past years. He added that May 10th is the clothing drive.

Charlotte mentioned that the Rotarians At Work day will be on Sat Apr 27, 2019 at Solutions For Change and the plan is to make and serve dinner between 4 and 7 pm.

Ken and Paul then announced another Paul Harris Fellow award. This time it was for Sanjiv Prabhakaran for his work with the website blogs and Bocce web site design, development and management.

## "Berlin before, during and after the Wall and the Berlin Crisis 1960-61";

Roger Liles was stationed in Turkey and Germany for 5 years as a USAF Signals Officer and stayed in Europe for 8 years. As a military electronics officer for 40 years, Roger's main function was to translate engineering jargon to understandable English and communicate to the senior officers of the US Government in written and verbal form.

In the 1990s he began taking novel writing classes at UCLA, and writing for pleasure. Now retired, he spends full time writing. He is author of THE BERLIN TUNNEL—A COLD WAR THRILLER, first released in Oct 2018 and became #13 on the Amazon Best Seller List for New Releases in Historical Mystery, Thriller and Suspense Fiction and has sold of 1000 copies.

He mentioned about how Churchill talked about the Iron Curtain. He said that during the Berlin airlift there were 275,000 airlift missions and 2.3 million tons of food delivered between 24jun48 to 12may49.

The Berlin Wall was about 94 miles around Berlin. About 200,000 people per year moved to the west. They had 81 checkpoints built in 1961 to control the flow of people. The wall was closed on August 13, 1961 and within a month the American Checkpoint "Charlie" was built.

There were times when people attending church would cut through barbed wire fence and escape to the West. Checkpoint Charlie became a symbol of the Cold War, representing the separation of East and West. Soviet and American tanks briefly faced each other at the location during the Berlin crisis of 1961. That was almost the start of World War III, but fortunately the Russian tanks did not do anything catastrophic.

The wall remained closed for 28 years and many families were separated for all those years. About 560,000 people escaped during those years. Roger wrote a wonderful book (The Berlin Tunnel) with all these historic details and old pictures. The book's cover was designed by an artist in New Zealand and the tag line "A Cold War Thriller" was suggested to him. He received 4.6 out of 5 stars and the book became #13 on Amazon's Best Seller List. The Berlin Tunnel was a joint spy operation between the CIA & Britain's MI6 called Operation Gold to enter into Russian zone and listen-in on communications. The Allied Museum has a presentation of this Berlin Spy Tunnel.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Tracking Your Inner Maverick: From Wall Street to the Plains of Africa" by Fred Krakowiak; Paul Harris Fellow awards

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 15, 2019

Paul Butler & Ken Barrett awarded few Paul Harris Fellow awards/pics to few folks that contributed extensively last year towards the Bocce event and other areas.

The awards were given to Charlotte Jones, Molly Fleming and Kitty McGee. Congratulations to all of them from the club.

Following that Charlotte announced that Rotarians Work Day at Solutions For Change will be on Saturday April 27, 2019 and the exact schedule and type of work will be announced next week.

Then Charlotte & Ken presented the $2,000 check to YMCA for Youth Camp Scholarships and Tom accepted the award on behalf of YMCA Youth Camp.

Molly announced Bocce already has THREE premier sponsors onboard for this year (Capital One from Patricia, Merrill Lynch from Jan & one more).

## "Tracking Your Inner Maverick: From Wall Street to the Plains of Africa" by Fred Krakowiak

Fred Krakowiak presented "Tracking your Inner Maverick" discussing giving up Wall Street for guiding safaris in Africa & being an artist.

He has some amazing artwork shown above and a book that he has published - "The Artist's Safari: Capturing Africa with Pens, Lens and Paintbrush". Available for purchase at Barnes & Noble.

xxxx

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Empowering Youth as Future Leaders of Change" by Sarah Heirendt + Zubair from Riverside Rotary

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 08, 2019

Yesterday (Mar 7, 2019) many members attended the VIP ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newly launched Capital One Cafe in the re-modeled Westfield mall in UTC. Our club Rotarian Patricia Case, who works there was responsible for this opening.

We had some announcements by Ken on Bocce planning updates and suggested all members to look at who they brought in as Bocce sponsors in the past and start talking to them for this year. Charlotte had a printout for each member showing their sponsors and took a survey.

Patricia & Charlotte announced few events coming up soon --

Cookout Social on Sunday April 7, 2019 from 1-4 pm at the San Dieguito park.
Rotarians at Work on Saturday April 27, 2019. Options are still to be finalized.

Then we had Zubair Bakubye from East Riverside Rotary club drop-by to share some updates and request for help with some of hte proejcts he does in Uganda. DMSB had supported him and his club in the past on some projects.

# "Empowering Youth as Future Leaders of Change" by Sarah Heirendt

As San Diego Site Director for Hands of peace (HoP), Sarah Heirendt (pronounced Hi-rent) is responsible for overseeing the annual three-week summer program that brings together 50 Israeli, Palestinian and American youth right here in Carlsbad, and other year-round projects that take place in the San Diego area. This includes community education and outreach, participant and volunteer recruitment, alumni engagement and event planning as well as coordination and execution of the many details that go into the summer program.

Sarah served as the San Diego Assistant Program Director in 2016 as well as one of the leadership training facilitators. She received her BA from Vanguard University in Cultural Anthropology and her MS from George Mason University in Conflict Resolution. She has worked for multiple non-profits specializing in community development. While studying and traveling abroad, her interest in the Middle East peace process developed firsthand when she volunteered at a refugee camp near Nablus in the West Bank.

She said that the organization was founded in Chicago since the founder lives there. Sarah brought a guest Darling Kittoe, who was visiting from their Chicago office. They have a location in San Diego and one in the middle-east. The students in the program are usually between 15-17 years old and they go through 6 phases of HoP program. They train students on cross-culture, other religions, dialogues, etc. They also have a shorter summer program that is for 3 weeks. The teams come from Israel and Palestine. They currently have about 300 "Host" families that help to provide living space and about 200+ volunteers to manage the operations during those program sessions. They have to be careful about showing the pictures of kids on their website due to security concerns for these kids and their families. Many of their student stories can be seen here.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"How to communicate your way to success" by Noushin Dunkelman; Just In Time check; "My 3 Things" by Bill Sutton

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 01, 2019

We had a good audience today along with guests from Just In Time (Nathan) and out of town visitor. Susan presented the check for $8,777.60 to Nathan from Just In Time (JIT). Nathan then gave a short talk about their appreciation of being a major beneficiary during the BocceFest event. He mentioned that being a foster child himself he truly understands the value of organizations, such as, JIT. He also announced that he is getting married next year!

In the end we took a group picture of all club members with the JIT check.

We also had a new "baby member" Riley (courtesy Molly Fleming)

Patricia announced that the membership social event is scheduled for April 9, 2019 from 5-7 pm at the Hilton itself.

Sanjiv was designated by Malcolm as the Fine Master for the day and he fined people who were not aware of what the "Rule of 85" meant. In addition there were about 8 members that got fined $2 for an overall attendance of less than 60%.

###

Bill Sutton's "My 3 Things in Life"

This was the last session on "My 3 Things". Bill talked about how his family did everything together, went on camping trips in their tine VW '57 Beetle and they would drive up to Bishop that has pretty winding and steep roads and they would cheer each time the Beetle made it up there

. He graduated from UCLA, got accepted to law school but he declined and joined the Marine Corps.

He was Assistant Professor for some time, then met Suzanne in a methodist church. He got married on a Dec 27th just 3 days after getting drafted into the military and soon after marriage he had to leave. He got deployed to Israel, Damascus, Jordan and swam "on" the dead sea. Later in life he joined Loyola Law school in LA.

###

"How to communicate your way to success" by Noushin Dunkelman

Noushin Dunkelman, founder and president of MaxSynergy Consulting, graduated from UCSD with a degree in bio-mechanical engineering. She has over 30 years of product development, management, team building and coaching experience in small to midsize companies. After years of working on the technical side, 5 years ago she decided to refocus her career in helping companies with their organizational challenges.

At MaxSynergy Consulting, she works with companies to find out their internal problems and provide custom practical solutions that meet each company’s needs such as improved communications, develop and implement new skills and tools and train them on actionable feedback to create accountability. She also coaches experienced executives and new managers to further develop their leadership skills.

She talked about the tactical aspects of communication and that the key reasons why people communicate are to problem-solve and exchange ideas. Relationship provides better communication and how listening is a very key aspect of proper communication. She says that humans have 2 ears and 1 mount and so focus more on "listening" . One key fact she stressed on was the primary misunderstanding people have about giving feedback. People feel that the person providing the feedback has control over the change they seek in others. That is not true at all. The change can happen only if the person receiving the feedback takes action to make that change. The person giving the feedback must be very clear about the reasons for that feedback and that makes for a far better communication.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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“Integrated Healthcare” by Pouya Afshar; George Sousa at Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter and Suzanne Sutton’s “My 3 Things"

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 22, 2019

1. George Sousa and Animal Shelter at Camp Pendleton and Patricia’s Social announcement

Few girls from R. Roger Rowe School decided to collect donations for the Camp Pendleton Animal Shelter and they donated $700 worth of supplies. George Sousa, whose honor flight trip was also sponsored by the students from same school helped to deliver the supplies. You can read the full article at this Rancho Santa Fe Review link.

https://www.ranchosantafereview.com/news/local-news/sd-cm-rsf-pendleton-project-20190211-htmlstory.html

Then we had Patricia make her announcement about the club Social event coming up on March 17th at the Hilton with some song and dance :-).

Jon Fish announced that the BocceFest date has been fixed for Sunday September 29, 2019. Ken also showed a video about why Rotary is fun and how people get engaged in it. He then awarded the Rotarian of the Month award to Malcolm.

2. “My 3 Things” by Suzanne Sutton

Suzanne talked about her early childhood days and how she enjoyed horseback riding.

She talked about her fun experience at a boarding school in Switzerland and how she made lots of friends there. She had no emails or phones at that time and the communication back home was via Airmail envelopes. Those were the fun days :-). She later attended a 50th reunion event at a villa in Tuscany and she was afraid she would recognize anyone.

As part of Bill’s military career they moved 11 times and that was pretty challenging for them.

2. “Integrated Healthcare” by Pouya Afshar

Dr. Pouya Afshar is board certified in internal medicine, hospice and palliative medicine, and venous and lymphatic medicine. Since 2010 he has served as an assistant clinical professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego. He works in different levels of healthcare in an effort to provide continuity of care for all his patients.

As an acute care physician, Dr. Afshar has served as a hospitalist at UCSD Thornton, UCSD Hillcrest, Scripps Mercy Hospital, and the VA San Diego Hospital. A pioneer in transitional care medicine, Dr. Afshar is a medical director for several skilled nursing facilities, where he manages patients’ post-hospitalization during their short-term rehabilitation.

Dr. Afshar founded Integrated Healthcare Alliance (IHA) in 2015, where his primary care physicians lead a multidisciplinary team that delivers in-home medical care.

Outside of medicine, Dr. Afshar is married and is a proud father of 4 children, including 2 newborn twin boys. He is an avid soccer player, former personal trainer, and completed 14 marathons, including two trips as a qualifying runner for the Boston Marathon.

He was accompanied by his intern Dr. Samantha Spilman. Dr. Afshar said that he started the company with personal funds with the core focus to reduce the healthcare costs for senior citizens. He has seen all the wastes happening at emergency centers and hospitals and wanted to change that.

He showed some statistics about how air crashes went down significantly over the past 40 years due to automation and high-end technology. Similarly, he is predicting that self-driving cars will eventually reduce car accidents since the human emotions will be out of the equation. He talked about how the top 2 causes for human deaths in U.S. are heart diseases and cancer. But the 3rd most common cause it seems are MEDICAL ERRROS - almost 250,000 deaths each year! He also mentioned that the U.S. is dead last when it comes to overall healthcare satisfaction.

He compared how patients in the past had lot more access to talk to doctors compare to today’s practice. It seems people go to emergency care just to get refills for prescriptions and the staff there will send the patient to all kinds of tests to eliminate various issues and then after 12 hours send them back with just a prescription refill. Sometimes this could be $15,000 worth of tests for no reason!

IHA’s goal is to provide chronic care by visiting patients at their home and avoid emergency visits as much as possible. They use a technology process called “STAT” to securely transmit patient vital stats to a physician or their call center. They designed a personalized medical alert device (similar to the Life Alert system) and this device is essentially a cell phone and a GPS tracker with built-in speaker and microphone to carry a conversation with the care center or family members.

They did some benchmarks by comparing hospital costs and found that they can save almost 27% of the costs. They are also working with a local company called Tealium to bring data analytics to improve their care model. Currently they are SD based and have about 6000 patients. They partner with about two-thirds of the skilled nursing facilities in the San Diego county to get all their patients.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Jim Bettencourt of the California Highway Patrol; Molly Fleming's "My 3 Things"; Check for Reality Changers

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 15, 2019

$8,755 Check Presentation to Jacqueline Guan for Reality Changers

Jacqueline Guan of Reality Changers attended the meeting to thank DMSB Rotary for its recent $8,755 donation to Reality Changers. Reality Changers was one of the two Major Beneficiaries of the Club’s 2018 BocceFest fundraiser, receiving 20% of its net proceeds. Reality Changers’ mission is to transform lives by providing youth from disadvantaged backgrounds with the academic support, financial assistance, and leadership training to become college graduates. It is a homegrown organization, started 18 years ago. It serves students throughout San Diego County from its main facility in the City of San Diego and branch in Solana Beach. Jacqueline updated us with news that their main facility now has 15,000 square feet, a major increase from their recent, crowded 3,000 square feet space, and their search for a new leader now that its founder, Christopher Yanov, has stepped down as CEO.

Molly’s My Three Things

Molly Fleming told the Club of the 3 big things in her life: Family, Health, and Career. We learned that she had great, loving parents, even though they were quite strict. She seemed to like her brothers, too. Her parents taught her to work hard (jobs since age 14, including waitressing and phone solicitations while at SDSU), get a good education, and help others through charitable activities (that’s how we found Molly, checking in donors at a mobile Blood Bank event in Solana Beach).

Health is important to Molly, partly due to her experience with panic attacks in college, which she overcame through help, meditation, and increased attention to her overall health.

Molly spoke about her career, why she chose real estate (more personal control), some great mentors (two really great ones), and now her balancing act between career and baby Riley (with Tim’s help, of course).

Program Speaker, Jim Bettencourt of the California Highway Patrol

California Highway Patrol officer Jim Bettencourt provided our program this morning, covering much good information. With 19 years as a CHP’s officer, Jim now serves as a Media Information Officer. He does outreach and news reporting among his many jobs There are two main CHP facilities in San Diego County, one off Ruffin Road in San Diego and the “Oceanside” facility actually in Vista. Their Transportation Management System watches over all of the roads in San Diego County and is worth a visit by the club.

CHP has a Freeway Service Patrol to clear highway lanes clogged by vehicle breakdowns, out of gas, or health and other issues. It also serves as eyes and ears for CHP officers. Call 511 if you need help; it’s free. CHP also provides many educational programs, including its Smart Start education program that teaches high school students (with their parents) about safe driving, including the many poor decisions that can impact them and others. Other programs include Just Drive (for business drivers), Age Well (for older drivers), and Cheaters Program (concerning residents who don’t register their cars in California to save money).

Other tidbits included: In a no-injury crash, clear the lane first and stay in a safe area. Deaths from crashes normally involve at least 1 of 3 causes - Speed, DUI, No Seatbelts. DUI check points catch relatively few abusers, but they serve as a caution to drivers. Most DUI stops are made by patrolmen who notice unsafe driving. The CHP is California’s state police, having absorbed the early California State Police some time ago. So, the CHP can enforce laws anywhere within the state, not just on highways. CHP officers are paid well (about $100,000/year after 5 years), but recruiting good officers is still difficult. CHP emphasizes respect for all, with training and the practice aimed at verbally de-escalating situations verbally if at all possible.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Shifting perspective on Death" by Lannette Cornell Bloom; $3,000 check to Casa de Amistad

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 08, 2019

This week we missed Molly Fleming, who was supposed to give her brief talk on "My Favorite 3 Things in Life". Hopefully she will do that next week.

Then we had a donation check of $3,000 presented by Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary club to Nicole Green of Casa de Amistad.

Following that we had a talk by Lannette Cornell Bloom about "Shifting Our Perspective of Death and the Dying Process". Her daughter Melissa also was our guest and she provided some insights at the end during the Q&A session. Lannette is a registered nurse (RN), healer, and author who is passionate about bringing simple joys to others. As an RN and health practitioner of more than thirty years, she has seen firsthand the need to care for others both emotionally and physically. When her mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2003, she came to understand how critical it is that we talk about death in a more positive way and that emotional healing is possible through mindful choices. She shares her story and that wisdom in her book, Memories and Dragonflies, Simple Lessons for Mindful Dying, which is on Amazon.

She says that there are 90 million unpaid caregivers and many are struggling to care for themselves and their families at the same time. Her focus is to change the negative outlook of dying and turn that into mindful dying by being in the present moment. She elaborated about the 5 ways to look at dying in a positive way --

Ignore the clock - don't stop living.
Remember to look up - she talks about her mom one day just wanted to go into a store and look around because that was her favorite store & the store clerk did not even bother to look up.
Always have a sense of humor - she talks about a story of how her mom was watching TV and saw a fire outside and had her daughter call 911 and it turned out in the end to be just a waving flag reflected in the neighbor's pool that looked like fire :-).
Spiritual energy - she refers to a red dragon fly that gives energy and shows how to let go of anger.

She mentioned about some funny movies that helps bring humor to the dying process. One of the movies is "Death at a funeral". She also suggested that more information about the dying process can be viewed at https://eldercare.acl.gov/Public/Index.aspx and https://www.aginglifecare.org/.

In the end DMSB Club Vice President Vicky Mallett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Bocce Update, “Pay it Forward Processing Donates Parts of Its Fees to Charities” by Renee VanHeel, “My Three Things” by Phil Campanelli

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 01, 2019

President Ken updated the Club about Bocce 2019, saying that we were targeting the last Sunday in September and first Sunday in October.. Responding to Ken’s inquiry, Art thought that Pacific Rim Pathology should be able to be a VIP sponsor again this year and Art would be happy to help Malcolm with the “beer” thing. Bill matched Art by offering his family’s VIP sponsorship again this year plus an offer to help where needed. Steve raised a concern that the Jewish holy days begin the first Sunday in October.

“My Three Things” by Phil Campanelli

With only a few minutes available for the three big things in his life, Phil quickly talked about the three big things in his life, Family, Friends, and Faith, and shared a few photos (which we’ll try to add to this writeup later). He came from a very Italian family back in Ohio. In addition to Phil’s going to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, both of Phil’s sons graduated from there the same year, even though they were several years apart in age.

“Pay it Forward Processing Donates Parts of Its Fees to Charities” by Renee VanHeel

Renee and David VanHeel started Pay it Forward Processing to offer an improved credit card processing experience for businesses in the U.S. and Canada. But, they did it with a twist: they donate a portion of their processing fees to charities that meet their vetting process. Client businesses of PFProcessing benefit from no long-term contracts, reduced processing fees (98 % of the time), business development advice, social media promotions, and the satisfaction of helping their communities. The businesses also gain additional positive exposure as socially responsible companies. Renee introduced Cade VanHeel, a Vice President of PFProcessing, and Andi VanHeel, Executive Director of Every Swipe Benefits Charity, who added additional insights. Nonprofits are encouraged to introduce businesses to Pay it Forward Processing and its Every Swipe Benefits Charity program to provide the nonprofits with a continuing stream of contributions. Thus, Pay it Forward Processing gains new client businesses, the businesses save on processing fees, and the charities receive additional funds to do good things in their communities.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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DMSB Club Meeting + Molly's Surprise Baby Shower

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 25, 2019

Ken started the meeting announcing that today it was mainly to discuss DMSB club issues and Bocce planning.

Steve Weitzen gave a quick story about how he was invited to meet the incoming Rotary International President SUSHIL GUPTA at a local Rotary meeting. He said that was a big honor and he was able to discuss few interesting points with him. Mr. Gupta is from New Delhi, India.

Then we had Phil talk about increasing memberships to the club and how each current member needs to be an ambassador and invite guests. He suggested that we plan a social in March to attract more guests and provide some Rotary education.

Ken and Malcolm gave an update on Bocce - what happened last year and what we need to do this year. Key points highlighted were --

Need more revenue and member participation
Promote the "beer" part of the fest more
Member participation needed during the "preparation" stages weeks before the event day
The goal for 2019 is to raise at least $65K
Patrica said her company Capital One has already committed $5,000!
Steve has committed to $1,000
Venky said he will bring $5,000 one way or another
So, we are already $11,000 into the fund raising!! That is awesome!
Charlotte is heading up Marketing as per Charles
Molly will help with Sales
Sanjiv to be involved in the web stuff and will help the Auction chair with Auction related technology stuff
Bev has made a list of all the other volunteers

Following this we had a surprise Baby Shower and gifts for Molly Fleming. Her new baby girl is named RILEY! Patricia had secretly planned this session with all the members :-). Nice work Patricia!

Molly spent some time opening all the gifts and reading out the cards and each member gave her some quick "baby" advice.

CONGRATULATIONS Molly & Tim!

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7-way club meeting + Amy Scruggs Entertainment

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 17, 2019

The regular Friday meeting was replaced with this 7-way club meeting at the Del Mar Hilton. It was a packed room and Don Fipps from the Rotary Club of Del Mar kicked off the event.

Each club's President gave a quick presentation and update about their clubs. Ken Barrett kicked that off with updates from Del Mar/Solana Beach Rotary club. The other 6 clubs that belong to District 5340 delivered their updates in this order - Rancho Santa Fe, Solana Beach Eco Club, Encinitas, Encinitas Coastal, E-Club of San Diego Global, and Rotary Club of Del Mar.

Following that we had a very inspirational talk by nationally known vocalist and country musician Amy Scruggs. Her life story was full of struggles and she talked about how she kept "re-calucalting route ..." each time she hit an obstacle or a challenge. She also started a non-profit called Voice For Heroes. She ended the program by singing 2 beautiful songs on the piano. He tag line is "Be Contagious, not Competitive". She is married to Brad Galvan and they have 6 kids. Her full story can be read here.

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"Strengthening the Women, Children and Families' Health impacted by HIV/AIDS" by Sara Duran and "My 3 Things" by Radia Hunter

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 11, 2019

Today was a surprise appearance by Radia Hunter. She is back full-time at Rotary now after a 1 year hiatus :-). She kicked it off by presenting her 3 things that impacted her life.

She said she was in Belgium for few years with her sister and she learnt French during her time there. That was an exciting experience for her.
Then she joined Rotary many years ago and was introduced to Richard Fogg, who was a Rotarian. In due course he gave her a job at his firm and she grew into a partner role there and very soon she will be able to acquire the entire business from Richard. She also said that George & Lou Sousa inspired her a lot and she enjoyed every community project at Rotary.
Finally her engagement to Sean Hunter was a life-changing event. Sean called her one day and said he found a great deal to fly to Belgium and had to leave in few days. He took her to Bruges in Belgium and proposed on a boat ride. She said YES! Apparently Sean surprised her by inviting 6 of her old friends. It was the most memorable event of her life.

And then we had another big surprise news from Molly Fleming! She and her husband Tim adopted a brand new baby born on Dec 23, 2018! A baby girl named Riley Galwin. CONGRATULATIONS to Molly & Tim.

Herb gave a quick update on some of the District and Global grant projects.

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"Strengthening the Women, Children and Families' Health impacted by HIV/AIDS" by Sara Duran

Ali Freedman is the interim Executive Director at Christie's Place, a community-based non-profit organization in San Diego, California. Since she could not attend, her Program Manager Sara Duncan gave a nice presentation about the history and activities of Christie's Place. Sara Durán, has a degree in MPH and she coordinates outreach, education, empowerment, and advocacy services for women, children, and families impacted by HIV. Ms. Durán is a Certified Health Education Specialist who has developed and implemented trauma-informed programming at Christie’s Place focused on health education, access, and retention for women living with HIV and their family members. In addition to a variety of local presentations, she has presented to national audiences on trauma-informed service provision in HIV service settings.

Christie’s Place is dedicated to the memory of Christie Milton-Torres. Christie dreamed that one day there would be a haven for women and families living with HIV. At age 20 Christie was diagnosed with HIV. During the late 1980s and early 1990s Christie was a tireless advocate for the needs of women and children. In 1994 Christie died due to complications from AIDS. Christie’s legacy lives on as the agency transforms lives by providing comprehensive education, advocacy and social services to women, children and families.

She said that at the end of 2016 almost 1.1 million people were living with HIV infection in the U.S. Unfortunately, only 25% of those were virally suppressed. Sara indicated that as long as the patients take their meds they cannot transmit the disease. Christie was the 1st woman in to highlight the HIV issue and take some action to provide relief to those infected in San Diego.

They identified that there was a big link between trauma and HIV. Christie has many peer navigators (PNs) that help HIV patients to navigate the health insurance maze. one such PN is Martha at Christie's, who helps patients with HIV. She is very effective because she herself is an HIV patient and so other patients relate to her very well.

Sara mentioned that there are many regimens to the medication process. Some are 1 pill a day program and very easy for patients to follow the program. The CHANGE (Coordinated HIV Assistance and Navigation for Growth and Empowerment) for Women program serves low-income women living with HIV throughout all of San Diego County whether they are entering medical care, have fallen out of care or are at risk of falling out of care. It improves the utilization of medical care and treatment and strengthens the healthcare and social services systems through strategic alliances and implementation of a peer navigation service model. She said it is always good to add the HIV blood test to routine blood tests during annual checkups. Sara added that the common symptoms are bad flu, pneumonia, etc. It seems many can live over 10 years with no symptoms.

There were 2 other board members that attended the event along with Sara -- Laurie Stewart and Renee Sievert. They provided additional information about Christie's fund-raising events and invited our members to a future event that they hold at the Del Mar Fairgrounds. Laurie will send details about this event.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Mindfulness and Positive Change" by John Allcock and "My 3 Things" by Charlotte Jones

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 04, 2019

We had a quick update by Herb about the district grants that he has been working on. He completed a project that delivered 5 tons of food and a scholarship program in Kenya. Then Steve Weitzen reminded everyone about the 7-way District meeting on Thursday January 17, 2019. This meeting will replace the regular Friday meeting on Jan 18th.

Following that we had a brief talk by Charlotte Jones about her 3 important things in life. She said that there were 3 books that made a difference in her life. She grew up in Moscow, Idaho and is a voracious book reader. She uses Audible to listen to books during her commute and walks.

1. "The Brothers K" by James Duncan: It's a coming of age story about a family. This touching, uplifting novel spans decades of loyalty, anger, regret, and love in the lives of the Chance family.

2. "QUIET" by Susan Cain: This was a book that taught Charlotte the power of introverts. The book outlines the strengths of many famous introverts, such as, Rosa Parks, Steve Wozniak, Dr. Seuss, etc. Charlotte says that she is sort of an introvert and this book helped with leadership skills.

3. "Overwhelmed" by Brigid Schulte: This book tackles a very critical issue with most people - can working parents in America—or anywhere—ever find true leisure time? Overwhelmed is a map of the stresses that have ripped our leisure to shreds, and a look at how to put the pieces back together. A very interesting and informative book as per Charlotte. It touches on the elements of culture. kids, aging, etc.

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"Mindfulness and Positive Change" by John Allcock

John Allcock has been a student and teacher of mindfulness for over 15 years and a certified mindfulness instructor all over the world. He has given interviews on over 50 radio and television stations across the country, including many in San Diego. He graduated from Boston College and Harvard Law School. He is currently a practicing trial lawyer with DLA Piper, where he specializes in the trial of complex patent cases.

He met his wife Cheryl about 5 years ago. She was running a school for challenged kids for almost 20 years. The school is called Sea Change Prep and is located in Del Mar, CA. It is a WASC accredited school. They cater to kids from 4th grade to High School. Some of the key teaching principles of the school are as follows --

Don't be ruled by tyranny of events
905 of your worries are wrong
Thinking is overrated -- it seems a person goes through 30,000 to 70,000 thoughts each day and 70% of those are repeats!

John teaches a lot of his meditation techniques to the kids at the school. His theory is that a person can "control what action one takes on the thoughts", but the thoughts itself cannot be controlled. Mindfulness buffers you from bad actions. For example, if a driver cuts you off on the toad then mindfulness teaches you how to change your mind's state. Mindfulness teaches you to pay attention to our present moment experiences without judgement, with curiosity and openness.

He talks about how Koby Bryant uses meditation techniques. Watch his video here. John says that you can control your thoughts by noting it but let it go. He says to choose responses, intentions and actions that promote a healthy outcome. He cited the recent horrific event of the 12 Thai kids that were trapped in a cave after massive floods in Thailand. They survived those 18 days using meditation techniques guided by their soccer coach! Famous celebrities vouch to 20-30 minutes of daily mediation techniques that help them in their success. John also highlights these principles in his own book "40 Things I Wish I'd Told My Kids".

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Providing Basic Care to Physically Disabled" by George Yeh and "My 3 Things" by Beverly Liberman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 14, 2018

We had a very touching and inspirational "My 3 Things in Life" talk by Beverly Liberman. Her 3 topics were as follows --

She talked about how she decided to become a Christian and started believing in Jesus especially having grown up in a Jewish family. She joined a group called "Mystic Christians" and went to Bible study and when she read "Mark" in the New Testament she was convinced that Jesus is Messiah.
She grew up in Beverly Hills with a wealthy dad and had butler in the house. She had a tough time then. Years later a book was born - "Incest Repressed: Faith & Healing". Members can order it here on Amazon.
The highlight of her life was meeting Herb. They had a drink and dinner on the first date and Bev asked if he wanted to split the bill and Herb jumped at that offer & said "Yes!" :-). They then dated for 4 years and got married. Then once she went with Herb to feed homeless people and she could not stand it. But when she started serving them her perception changed and since then she has been involved in helping the less privileged.

She then became a law enforcement chaplain and did that for 10 years. In the end she received a standing ovation from the audience.

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CHRISTMAS DECOR AT THE HILTON SAN DIEGO DEL MAR

George and Sanjiv enjoy a good photo shoot at the Hilton - courtesy Phil Campanelli :-).

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"Providing Basic Care to the Physically Challenged" by George Yeh

George Reh grew up in Toronto, Canada and he was a senior official at Dupont. His daughter Dina grew up with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and he saw that almost 3-4 months she had to be in the hospital during winter months suffering from inflammation and joint pains. That was a very poor quality of life for all of them. He decided he had to move to warmer area and decided to move to San Diego.

He saw very good improvement in his daughter's condition and she was able to go to UCSD in her wheel-chair and later did her Masters in Clinical counseling from USD. She was very determined to not be deterred by her condition. She now practices as a clinical counsellor at a clinic and helping other similarly challenged patients.

One day Dina was returning home and she was just couple miles away for home when her van collapsed and she had to find a ride. That cost her almost $250! Dina felt she needed to do something about these exorbitant costs. She wanted to offer empowerment to these challenged people. That's when she and her dad founded Club-ABLE.

They essentially identify providers that are willing to work with their group at lower costs and in exchange the patients provide something in return to grow their businesses. Thus a Preferred Partner Network (PPN) was created. They have many future services and products planned. George is looking for help in setting up the 501-C(3) designation for their organization so they can start accepting donations. They also need lots of volunteers to take their mission forward.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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CRC Food Packaging

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 12, 2018

Many of the club members participated in the Community Resource Center (CRC) food packaging & distribution marathon at the Del Mar Fairgrounds on multiple days. Susan took a picture of the truck with our club's logo displayed on it.

The assembly line arrangement was very fascinating and it worked very smoothly with volunteers packing various cans of beans, corn, soup, etc.

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"Solutions For Change" by Chris Megison and "My 3 Things" by Herb Liberman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 07, 2018

Today we had a very captivating and emotion-charged talk by Chris Megison, co-founder & CEO of Solutions For Change. He was accompanied by his team members Patty Johnson and Debra Sallaz. Since 1993 Chris has designed and led numerous free market social purpose initiatives and innovations that have solved homelessness permanently for over 4,500 people. His trademark impact is his “get up, suit up and show up” model of leadership in which he leads from the front, a style of servant leadership that he learned as a U.S. Marine.

In 1999, Chris and Tammy Megison were helping out at an emergency winter shelter with their two boys, when a 9 year old girl named Jessica pulled Chris’ sleeve and innocently asked, “Hey mister, do you live here too?” Chris looked at the girl and then over to her mother who was preparing a bed on the shelter floor. Chris got down on one knee, looking into the girl’s eyes, and said, “I don’t live here, sweetie, but my wife and I are going to do everything possible so that you, and your family, won’t have to live here too.”

The girl’s eyes welled with tears, and so did Chris’s and a vision was born—to solve family homelessness. This one night forever changed not only the lives of Jessica and her family, who solved their homelessness, but also the lives of over 2,600 other children and their parents who have since found their way to Solutions. Through this promise an imperative evolved that is known today as "Solutions for Change".

Chris grew up in the mid-west and after one bad blizzard in Detroit he decided he needs to go west. So, he joined the military and dreamed of getting to San Diego. But then he got positioned in the coldest place in Amchitka Island, west of Alaska. Finally, after few years he was sent to warmer places, such as, the Sahara Desert in Somalia.

The goal for Solutions for Change is to get these homeless people out of the chain of dependency and denial. Chris then talked about how he met Wolfman Steve 27 years ago, who was a homeless man and he was stuck in addiction. He went to see this guy in action and felt that he could do something to change this man & other homeless people. That is when the "ALPHA" project started and he created this "Social Enterprise". He transformed the scary-looking Wolfman into a guy selling newspapers and Chris went with them to provide the motivation. That led him to the LA fair where he took 20+ homeless folks with an entire truck filled with newspapers and sold every newspaper in that truck.

He then talked about the university program, where he has 197 families enrolled. It's a 1000 day university program. They teach things like Connect, Trust and Act - the concepts of Servant leadership training. When Katrina hit they were able to mobilize 13 different organizations, loaded up several trucks and sent that to Katrina to help the people that were displaced. They are able to "transform" people and many of these transformed students end up working at the farm. Chris is also serving on the Poverty Reform Team under President Trump.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Member of the Club Award - George Sousa

Ken presented George with the "Member of the Club" award for his dedication and exceptional service to the club. George also requested a moment of silence since today was the Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

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Thank You Talk by John Van Cleef, Executive Director of CRC

John Van Cleef recently became the new Executive Director at the Community Resource Center in September 2018. He was very happy to hear that our club donated a new truck and USD 1,500 to support distribution of donated items to needy families. John's goal is to improve the quality of life of many people. He is a Rotarian by history.

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"My 3 Things in Life" by Herb Liberman

Herb shared his 3 exciting events in life.

1. He talked about his life as a school superintendent when he had to make tough decisions about school closures when it is snowing heavily. The politics was bad and so he resigned, packed and moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Later he moved to San Francisco and stayed there for 11 years and sold a company.

2. Then he met Bev in San Francisco and have lived together for 31 years.

3. Finally, he learned about "giving back". He was a board member of St. Anthony's Foundation, then he was a Rotarian for 20 years and then he started a micro-lending organization in Kenya and offered scholarships to kids. He is also on the board of Second Chance, Alzheimer's Society, and works with the Salvation Army and also volunteers at the jail with the people who are being released to help them cope with the real world.

So, the one question from the audience was - "when do you sleep?" :-)

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"Biodiversity, conservation of Marine Life" by Paul Dayton & "My 3 Things" by Sanjiv Prabhakaran

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 30, 2018

We kicked off the meeting with a quick update from Susheela Narayanan. She gave an update about her trip to Bangalore, India and how she was given a warm welcome. She presented the DMSB Rotary contribution of USD 3,900 towards a scholarship fund for 13 college students.

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"My 3 Things In Life" by Sanjiv Prabhakaran

Sanjiv talked about 3 important things in his life.

Amazing Road Trips with family
Compassion - helping others
Bonding time with daughter

He said that despite his dad's busy schedule as a businessman, he made time to take the family on road trips during their annual school vacation time. He would drive almost 800+ miles from Bombay down to southern India (Kerala). His dad loved driving and in those days the roads were not very car friendly but he would still drive for 3-4 days and stop at several places on the way. Sanjiv was thus able to experience the different cultures in each state as they drove down. His dad owned some of the cars similar to ones shown above.

Sanjiv learnt later the compassion side of his dad. Apparently he was funding an unknown child's school and college education through a charity organization. Sanjiv also experienced compassion from many Ohio State Students that helped him settle down in the campus when he first landed in the USA back in 1981.

Finally, he had the best opportunity to bond with his younger daughter through their daily walks to school. When he moved to San Diego the key criteria for buying their house was to be within walking distance to their child's elementary school. That was an amazing experience for both.

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"Biodiversity, conservation of Marine Life" by Paul Dayton

Paul Dayton is a long-term neighbor having lived in Solana Beach since 1970 when he came to Scripps to study marine ecology with an emphasis on kelp ecosystems. Paul is a professor of oceanography in the Integrative Oceanography Division at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. He was the longest serving member of the U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and has served on several advisory boards. He has mentored over 40 PhD students. In 2007 he became the third recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Western Society of Naturalists. We had a good number of members and guests to listen to his exciting talk.

He talked about the importance of kelp forests in the marine life. Kelps detach and form sea balls and drift to shore. That impacts the life & reproduction of Abalones. The octopus eats these abalones, but the Moray Eels protect the abalones because these eels eat the octopus. This type of ecosystem chain protection is essential to preserve the kelp forest as per Dayton.

When kelp accumulates on the beaches it forms a "wrack zone" that acts as a natural input of marine resources into a terrestrial system, providing food and habitat for a variety of coastal organisms. It also attracts birds that eat the insects under the sand hence forming that important ecosystem chain. Kelp used to be harvested commercially in Del Mar few years ago. It stopped due to the influx of Asian competition. He has done about 500 dives in the Antartica. He says that Starfishes have disappeared due to some disease as a result of warmer sea water.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"The High Performing Woman" by Susan Treadgold and "My 3 Things" by Vicky Mallett

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 16, 2018

Susan Treadgold delivered a wonderful talk about helping people reach peak performance. She is a mother of 2 children that go to school in Rancho Santa Fe. She was in London for 23 years working as a corporate executive in the financial world and then cancer brought her back to San Diego where she is seeking some special non-traditional treatment.

She is a San Diego and London-based holistic executive coach, founder of Treadgold Executive Development, best-selling author, award-winning speaker and transformational trainer. Faculty member for the UCSD Rady School of Management ‘Elevate’ Executive Leadership program. She is passionate about helping people create sustainable peak performance and success by helping them increase their confidence, energy, executive presence and productivity. She is an author of the book - The High Performing Woman: 52 Action Tips for Greater Confidence, Energy & Impact.

Susan joined UCSD to teach management at Rady's School. She talked about IQ vs EQ and says that Energy is lasting success and the key to success. She also talked about how E+R=O, where E stands for "Event" in life, R stands for "energetic Response" and O implies "Outcome".

The importance of energy is explained in her Energy Engagement Wheel above. She talked about an experiment with some mice for 21 days to show how sleep was important for full energy. They fed one set of mice for 21 days and no sleep, while the other set with no food but proper sleep. The result was that the ones that slept had better energy and survived, while the other set all died soon.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"My 3 Things" by Vicky Mallett:

Vicky talked about few things that mattered a lot in her life.

1. She was from Texas and loved fishing. Her grandpa took her out always and taught her the skills.

2. She got married at age 20 to an Air Force captain Don Barryman. At that time she lived near Colorado and then Tucson. Later on, about 20 years ago she got married to husband #2 Nigel Mallett in 2007. Nigel had a big influence in her marketing career & later she got into Farmers Insurance business.

3. She ended with a funny fishing story. She and her friend Priscilla went to Dude Ranch for fishing and they were coached by a Captain Bill, who said that it will be tough to catch any fish at that time. But the ladies caught some fish that day and caught more the next day too :-). The chef noticed they had captured one large size fish and offered $100 for it but Vicky said "NO" and brought the fish back home :-).

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Veteran's Program by George Sousa and "My 3 Things" by Susan Hennenfent

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 09, 2018

We had a wonderful program by George Sousa honoring all the veterans in our club and all over the USA. He started off with a nice video about vets from the Korean war. He indicated that almost 8,100 are still Missing In Action (MIAs), about 3000 bodies returned, and 51% died in prison. He had some of his memorable photos and medals laid out on the table.

He had a round table set up with various items that signifies important aspects of the Korean war. This table is known as the POW/MIA table. The details of the table layout can be viewed at the U.S. NAVY LIVE BLOG site. Charles helped George point out each item on the table as George read it out. We had a room full of guests and all the vets had some form of military dress and/or cap. A brief video of George's talk can be seen by clicking here.

Each of our club veterans gave a quick update about their time in the military and they had some displays of pictures, medals laid out on the tables along the wall.

Bill Sutton said he moved 11 times during his career due to different postings and he was always moved by the POW/MIA table setup as it reminded him of the great heroes still missing in action.

Jon Fish was on a cruise to the Mediterranean when he was posted at Charleston, his ship came back and it became a Reserve ship as it was declared to be unfit for the sea. His next ship trip was when he went to Mekong near Vietnam. He spent 2.5 years in the Navy.

Lou Oberman was a World War II veteran. He was at Parris Island and trained marine pilots on the instruments used for flying. He trained them to fly blind even in bad weather. In such bad weather situations when there are multiple planes all heading back to land, he would stack them in concentric circles at 3,000, 4,000, 5000 feet so they could land safely.

Charles Foster said that his father-in-law was in the Navy and his mother-in-law was in the Marines. He joined the Navy and was assigned as the Engineering Manager for the re-design of a Destroyer. Soon after he arrived at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, it failed an inspection of the calibration systems involved in its work on nuclear submarines. It had to be fixed within 60 days to avoid complete shutdown of the shipyard! The shipyard commander accepted Charles' team's recommendations and started its implementation in time to keep the shipyard’s nuclear submarine work from being shut down. The poster above was one of the ways they brought attention to those involved in the shipyard’s nuclear submarine work that uncalibrated tools and instruments could lead to failures of submarines while at sea and the resulting deaths of men aboard them.

We also had one of George's World War II friend Arnold F. give a brief talk. He said he was on ship Arora and it was stuck in a big storm, lost all life-boats and they were trying to head back to shore. However, they got a message via "light" to go back to the sea to save 2 other ships that were stranded. They managed to save a few.

In the end, George read out some more stories and concluded with his legendary teddy bear song :-).

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Susan Hennenfent's "My 3 Things in Life":

Before she was born her family was in Germany. Both her grand-parents were born in Russia. She could have been born in Russia, but her parents eventually moved to USA and so Susan feels blessed that she was born in the USA! She has some German blood in her.

She admired her Algebra teacher, who encouraged students to take Physics. So, later Susan took Physics in college and ended up getting her Electrical Engineering degree. She met and married Mark.

Finally, she said that joining Rotary was one of the best things in life.

A reference to a wonderful book came up in the discussion - "A Gentleman in Moscow".

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"Kids are happier when their parents know their ABCs" by Cindy Grossman and "My 3 Things" by Venky Venkatesh

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 02, 2018

Paul Butler started off today with a wonderful video from the Rotary Foundation video library known as "A Century of Doing Good in the World". It showed the various accomplishments of Rotary over the past 100 years. This was followed by Venky Venkatesh sharing his three big things in life.

He left India to work in England. Later he applied to some colleges in USA and fate brought him to Los Angeles to do his post graduate studies. Then he got a job at Welton Beck and then he met and married Meera. Later they found jobs at General Atomics and moved to San Diego. He loves tennis and he found that General Atomics had wonderful tennis courts and so he stuck at GA for many years and is still there - soon to retire. He has 2 sons and 5 grand children. Ironically, both his sons went back to live in India.

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Cindy Grossman is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and the Executive Director of Kids' Turn San Diego, a caring non-profit organization that has been creating brighter futures for children experiencing family separation and divorce since 1996. Cindy earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from SDSU and maintains a current License in Clinical Social Work. She has over 20 years of administrative experience and provided therapy to children for over 12 years. Cindy joined the team at Kids' Turn San Diego in 2013 and services have significantly expanded under her leadership. Having been a child of divorce and currently a parent of a 18 year old daughter, Cindy offers a unique blend of personal experience and professional expertise and is dedicated to helping others transform their families during challenging times.

She talked about how there are about 100,000 children experiencing divorce of their parents every year in San Diego county and some 50,000 military children going through strenuous situations of transitions, multiple schools, etc. Divorce rates in the military is about 85% and the general divorce rate is about 50%. Kids' Turn San Diego has helped about 1095 children and parents in 2017 and in 2018 as of Sept they helped 843 total. They are serving more children & parents every year. She said that the ABC's for parents are Attitude, Behavior and Choices. Bullying amongst kids is a result of what they observe at home with parents. She says that "LISTENING" is the key to all communication. She ended the talk with a wonderful and inspiring video -- The Hug-a-Bug Campaign Video.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the imaginary Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"The BIG Idea" by Chuck Samuelson and "My 3 Things" by Steve Weitzen

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 26, 2018

Today's talk on "My 3 Things in Life" was delivered by Steven Weitzen, who has been selected as the District Governor for 2020-21. His key points were as follows:

Rabbi - In his early days his rabbi influenced into community service and that has changed his perspective on life immensely.
Attorney - He said he has represented over 2000 clients throughout his career and that has impacted his life to know that he has served so many people and helped them in various challenging issues.
Rotary - Joining Rotary has fulfilled his passion in life of serving the larger community. His trip to El Salvador to help the under-privileged people taught him many things. His selection to the District Governor role has been a great experience. It has been a major learning process and he has enjoyed it a lot.

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Update on events after Bocce:

Susan Hennenfent and other key members gave a brief update on the large set of tasks that happens once the Bocce event is over. Members don't realize the amount of work that happens in the background. Final Bocce wrap-up committee meeting below. Wonder why Charles is missing here :-). Great picture Charles!

Jon Fish tallies all the money and prepares the profit-loss sheet.
Jon distributes the monies that go to the various beneficiaries - almost 40% to the top 2 beneficiaries.
Charles follows up to do the press releases and other PR activities.
Thank you letters have to be mailed out to all the sponsors and people that made $50 and above donations.
Susan mentioned that the biggest challenge is getting all the proper addresses of all the donors and auction items.
Auction committee tallies all the collections from raffle, ships out any auction items, prepares reports for Jon, etc.
Bill mentioned that the new format of Bocce+Beer did please many people and it went well.
Malcolm reminded everyone that the target is to reach $100K in net within few years and that he will chair it until that time. He added that this year the net was $41k.
Molly added that we need more members to carry out a huge event like this.

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The BIG Idea:

Next, we had our main speaker talk about "The BIG Idea". Chuck Samuelson, Founder and President of Kitchens for Good, has spent a lifetime in the food service industry as a chef, restaurateur, and consultant. Chuck started his career as a dishwasher at 13 and rose to Executive Chef and Restaurant General Manager in his late twenties. He has owned award-winning restaurants, a catering company, been a Hospitality Consultant to top San Diego restaurants, and served as the Senior Manager for Food Services at Stone Brewing Company. And one interesting fact about him is that he was born and raised on an Indian Reservation in NE Montana and he is a mixed race Native American Mutt.

Chuck said that at Kitchens For Good they primarily hire felons that are looking to get back into society and train them to be chefs so they can have a good life and give back to society. All they hear in the kitchen is "Yes Chef" and "No Chef" :-). They train to become good in culinary and go out to work at various restaurants.

When he was at Stone Brewery, he realized that he was no fulfilled and not happy at the job. He saw lots of food go to waste every day. Statistically, it seems, a single broccoli needs 5.1 gallons of water to grow and an orange needs about 13 gallons! So, he used to cringe seeing all that food go to waste - almost 40% of the food is wasted. That's how "The BIG Idea" started about 3 years ago. One of his goals was to eliminate hunger, but that was not the main goal. The key thing was that he wanted to create jobs & hence trained people in culinary. He wanted to get felons trained since he saw that once those felons are trained the recidivism rate was just 4% compared to other training where the rate was much higher and these felons go back to their bad deeds.

At the school the trainees learn "life" and "knife" skills and graduate with jobs in hand. They have already graduated 190 students in the past 3 years and all are employed somewhere. His goal is to hit 500 graduates each year. One of his classic story is about a a student "Yacca", who graduated and was hired as a chef at a winery. Soon he had to fill the shoes of a Sous Chef and seeing his performance he was soon moved into the Executive Chef role. The organization also gleans food from framer's markets and uses those "not-so-perfect" fruits and vegetables to cook food for the hungry.

Just two weeks ago they partnered with Chef Works and hosted their first fund-raiser and raised almost $50K. They had any celebrity chefs come and make gorgeous entres and appetizers from wasted food! It was an amazing success and the students also learned a lot from this experience to work with celebrity chefs. The students feel good that they are finally feeding others.

His primary needs at this point are to open more kitchens that trains more students by creating a safe place for these felons in their lives. He said that right after his Rotary talk he has to go and preside at a graduation event where his Class #13 is graduating.

In the end DMSB "acting" Club President Charles Foster presented the speaker with the imaginary Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Mobilizing Leaders to Transform Business and Community" by Jeff Blanton and "My 3 Things in Life" by Paul Butler

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 19, 2018

Today we had Paul Butler deliver his talk on the three important things in his life.

1^st Paul’s last name wasn’t Butler when he was born. When he was young, his mother divorced his biological father and, later, married such a good man that Paul was happy to take his new dad’s last name as his own. His new dad was a very positive influence on his life.

2^nd He happened to meet a Navy recruiter in a mall while Paul was a student at Arizona State. The recruiter said they would teach him how to fly jets, and they did. Paul said that it was a wonderful experience and that he couldn’t believe that he was having so much fun flying and getting paid for it.

3^rd A chance get-together with friends led to his meeting Mary Beth while at Arizona State. And, “Boy, could she dance!” The rest is history, one that Paul said has been great.

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Next we had a wonderful talk by Jeff Blanton about mobilizing leaders to transform business community. He is the founder and CEO of The Blanton Group, an organization dedicated to helping leaders transform purpose into possibility. Known as “The Purpose Guy”, Jeff is a highly sought-after speaker, author, and leadership guide who assists business leaders to make the shift from success to significance. Prior to founding The Blanton Group, Jeff spent more than 30 years successfully leading large strategic change initiatives for organizations of all sizes, from well-funded start-ups to Fortune 100 companies. He is also involved with multiple local nonprofits and social enterprises focused on effecting positive change in his community. Blanton resides in San Diego, California, “America’s Finest City”, where he does his part to make that slogan a reality. A fun fact about Jeff is that he has been a competitive sailboat racer for his entire life.

Jeff asked those in attendance, "Who of you can truly say you know your purpose?" He followed that question with his personal progress from not knowing even the question early in his career to, at the age of 60, knowing his true purpose of helping others to "mobilize possibilities."

Today, as a speaker and facilitator, he helps business leaders identify all of their possibilities and then mobilize them into action through helping them become "purpose guided and vision driven." He calls his process "jailbreak leadership" for identifying a person's personal purpose to help him or her see the possibilities in their lives, to look beyond the constraints of their particular jails, and to go for it!

At the end of the talk, Jeff answered a number of questions and said that he offers a complimentary 30-minute phone call for leaders who are interested in his Jailbreak Leadership program.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Taking Action Against Investment Losses" by Leo Kandinov and "My 3 Things" by Malcolm Koll

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 12, 2018

This week we had Malcolm Koll talk about his 3 things in life that had a major impact on him.

"Beer in the fridge" incident :-). This was hilarious where he (at 10 years of age) and his brother decided to try out a bottle of beer. Their dad later decide to drink that last bottle that he knew was in the fridge. When he did not see it he asked the kids, his wife and his maid and no one knew about it. The dad suspected the maid, who was with them for years and fired her. Everyone was sad to see the maid getting fired and Malcolm confessed to his dad. However, his dad never apologized to the maid but the maid decided to continue working there.
Terrorist contact. At the age of 17 he was sent to the army and he was placed near the Angolan border. They caught some terrorist and imprisoned them. One day he came near the cages and had eye-contact with the terrorist and he could see the burning passion in his eyes that showed that he did what he (the terrorist) believed was right even though they were doing bad things and Malcolm believed that he and his army team were doing what was best for the country.
At age 19 he came to the U.S. and he said that is the first time he really questioned what Apartheid really was. His belief is that when you have to choose between what is legal and what is moral, it is always best to pick the "moral" choice.

We had a fairly good crowd today. Malcolm kept it very entertaining for all. members were now anxious to hear our speaker Leo and learn about the crazy things that corporate management gets into.

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Next we had Leonid (Leo) Kandinov from Robbins Arroyo give a talk on "Taking Action Against Investment Losses" that impacts many shareholders and corporations. His colleague Ajit Narasimhan was also in the audience.

Mr. Leonid Kandinov is an attorney at San Diego based Robbins Arroyo LLP. Mr. Kandinov represents individual and institutional investors and consumers in complex litigation, specifically focusing on shareholder rights, securities fraud, and antitrust matters. For his efforts on behalf of his clients, Mr. Kandinov has been recognized as a Super Lawyer Rising Star in 2016, 2017, and 2018.

He indicated how corporate management discusses many things in board meetings that are confidential and they get leaked out leading to major shareholder risk and losses. Tesla was a glaring recent example when its CEO Elon Musk announced taking company private without any written confirmation. That led to major losses for the shareholder, for the company and for him personally.

They represent plaintiffs on a pro-bono basis and only gets paid from the proceeds that comes out of settling the case. It seems that total investor losses have reached almost $334 Billion! The team at Robbins Arroyo works diligently with their clients to ensure that illegal activities by corporations are corrected and secure any compensation for the losses. Recently they did a "Shareholder Derivative Action" against the board and/or executive members of Facebook and they took Mark Zuckerberg into deposition and finally settled the case for some amount.

They monitor "insider trading" issues and other illegal activities that causes a company's stock to fall. Western Union was another example of money laundering that they faced about 5-6 years ago. The company had to pay over $35 million in fines. The sad part is that in some cases, when the company pays the fine it is eventually coming out of the shareholder's pot but in many cases the insurance companies cover that cost. Eventually, as more regulations are put in place the stock recovers. UPS was another interesting case where they were caught shipping illegal cigarette cartons (683,000 cartons) and these were ending up in the hands of under-age kids. They proved that this was happening with full knowledge of the UPS executives and the judgement was a fine of $247 M to New York state and city.

Overall, this was a very educational talk and members really enjoyed it since there were several good questions. He encouraged people to sign-up for StockWatch as it is a FREE service to all clients. There is no cost to the client since the payment comes out in the end from legal settlement costs.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Global & District Grant updates + Bocce Awards

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 12, 2018

GLOBAL GRANT FOR OTTAPALAM, KERALA, INDIA

We had a Global Grant update from Sanjiv Prabhakaran regarding Grant number 1861779 for Quadriplegic and paraplegic beneficiaries. The total grant value was $35,813.

The beneficiaries received 1 chin operated wheel chair, 23 3-wheel scooters, 7 sewing machines and training for various money-making opportunities, such as, making paper pens, pencils, umbrellas, etc. They have also set up a web site HANDICROPS to promote and sell the items made by some of these beneficiaries so these challenged people are able to live independently and earn some income to support their families.

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DISTRICT GRANT FOR RUIRU, KENYA

Herb and Bev Liberman presented their progress on the District Grant for children in Ruiru, Kenya. They were in Kenya to meet the organizers and children of Praisegate Children's Home. This place is near Nairobi.

Praisegate provides residence for older girls and they have a feeding program for the street children. They also have a clean water service there. The district grant was for $1,300.

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BOCCE AWARDS

Paul awarded the Bocce awards to Jan Parsons and Charles Foster for the largest number of sponsorships that were secured for the BocceFest San Diego fundraising event.

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"My Three Things in Life" by Lou Oberman + Bocce updates

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 05, 2018

Phil managed to get us a tiny meeting room today due to some busy bookings at the Hilton. On top of that, our speaker for today had to cancel his talk at the last minute due to an emergency. Ken, Jon and Malcolm provided some Bocce updates and Bill tried to auction off some remaining Champagne and wine bottles. Jon updated everyone that the sponsorship collection was about $55K and Charlotte mentioned that the Auction+Raffle net collection was close to $15,000. Jon was not so sure about the nickel collection but he estimates that to be around $500.

Then Ken presented the annual past-president 18-carat gold Rotary pin with a real diamond in the center. This was designed by Malcolm. Apparently only past presidents and higher can wear a pin with a diamond in the center. Also, Susan read out a "Thank You" note form Reality Changers that was very touching.

Following that we had the "My 3 Things in Life" talk by Lou Oberman. He showed a picture frame that had some great sentimental value for him. There were three pictures in the frame, which his very best friend Syl Schaffer gave him on his 65th birthday. One picture was of the two of them when they were 4-5 years old, another one was when they were in their 50s, and the smaller one with his wife, was taken about 10 years ago. He passed away in 2009, and they were closer to each other than their own brothers. That friendship was wonderful.

He said he is involved in the Convention of States project and that he has given some 90+ talks for that organization. His dream was to be a major league baseball player. His school PSAL won the championship in 1949. Apparently his team was undefeated in NY city. They had a very tough and disciplined coach and this coach made sure the kids were absolutely clean and that their shoes were shining and spotless. Many commented that they looked the professional NY Yankees. Later when he was in college he was selected to try out with the NY Giants. However some leg injury prevented him from going. Then in 1952 he joined the Marine Corps. Once he came out of the Military he went into selling insurance but soon got disappointed with that and later saw that financial planning was what he really wanted to do and he saw that as the future. In 1968 he moved to CA and eventually to San Diego and retired in 2002 as a financial planner.

One of the quotes that he really enjoys is - "Yesterday is History, Tomorrow is Mystery and Today's Present is a Present".

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BocceFest San Diego on Sep 30, 2018

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 05, 2018

We had an amazing BocceFest event on Sunday Sep 30, 2018 at the Surf Cup Sports Park. The two big beneficiaries Reality Changers and Just In Time had a full crew of volunteers there to help. Del Mar Times, Carmel Valley News and Solana Beach Sun had a photographer there to take pictures for the above article. The original PDF of this article can be downloaded here.

The above pictures were some of the images taken by members of the club. Details of the event can be viewed at BocceFestSD.

In addition, we also announced the awards for the Beer competition that was held few weeks prior to this event. The beer served at the event were donated by the breweries that participated in the Beer competition. The results were as follows:

Category 1: Pilsner

Gold: Ned Hall Pilsner, Belching Beaver Brewery

Silver: Boneshakeur, Rouleur Brewing

Bronze: Spezial Pils, Alesmith Brewing

Category 2: Wet-hopped Beer

Gold: Most Wanted, Dos Desperados Brewery

Silver: Culture Brewing

Bronze: Nickel Beer Company

Category 3: Juicy or Hazy IPA

Gold: Dopeur Juicy IPA, Rouleur Brewing

Silver: Hazinitas Hazy IPA, Dos Desperados Brewing

Bronze: Art is Hard, North Park Beer Co

Category 4: American IPA

Gold: Mosaic IPA, Culture Brewing

Silver: Hop Fu!, North Park Beer Co

Bronze: Ride the Pine, Belching Beaver Brewery

Category 5: Imperial Stout

Gold: Speedway Stout, Alesmith Brewing

Silver: Rescue Buoy, Rip Current Brewing

Bronze: Double Abbey Stout, Viewpoint Brewing

Best of Show:

Mosaic IPA, Culture Brewing

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"Teaching to Inspire" by Don Collins, Teacher at TPHS

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 28, 2018

We had a great audience today with many guests. Charles' 2 sisters from the Carolinas were here. Bocce team announced that over $54,000 in sponsorships has been collected so far and urged members to make the final push to invite guests to the BocceFest event on Sunday September 30, 2018! Charlotte mentioned that the online auction had over $12,000 worth of items for bidding.

Due to shortage of time, the "My 3 Things in Life" talk was postponed to next week.

Our speaker today was Don Collins, the Inspiration teacher from Torrey Pines High School. Don grew up in metro Detroit and graduated from Pomona College in Claremont, CA after completing a degree in Mathematics and receiving his commission as Air Force Officer in 1989. He worked as a Public Relations Officer during the first Gulf War where he received a Commendation medal for his work with the national and international media in the Middle East. Don worked in sales, fitness, construction and ran a halfway house downtown before returning to get his teaching credential from CSU San Marcos in 1996. Don has California state credentials and experience as an instructor in math, English and technology, a Masters in Educational Administration, and a Masters of Science in Educational Technology. He is a Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher (2002) and was awarded Teacher of the Year at both Sunset High School (2003-04) and at Torrey Pines High School (2014-15). From 2005 to 2008 he was a National Director for the Center for Teacher Effectiveness where he works as a trainer for improving classroom management strategies. He is currently on the Board of Directors for Directing Change, a statewide film contest for high school students to create one-minute PSA’s on suicide prevention and mental health awareness.

Don is in his 21st year of teaching in the San Dieguito District and his 8th at Torrey Pines High School where he is the Peer Assistance Leadership Support Adviser, as well as the teacher for a pilot course called Academic Success & Survival. Don was also selected by the San Dieguito Union High School District to create and run the Sanford Inspire Program in partnership with National University to train teachers to be inspirational. He and his husband Anthony are excited to welcome the birth of their twin sons, Floyd and Stanley, next month.

He inspires those failing and depressed kids to rise and shine. He sees a lot of value in these troubled kids. He compares them to a crumpled $20 bill that you find on the road-side. You open it up and it still has a $20 value. In a similar manner he sees lot of potential in these troubled kids. His program inspires these kids to learn and achieve. One such kid Nick Gulino was a troubled and dropout kid, who eventually under Don's guidance and training went to Yale Law School and graduated from there. Nick's story can be read at this Del Mar Times article.

Don is also a teacher trainer at the Sanford Inspire Center. He says that his motivation and inspiration came from his mom, who was a very tough lady that used to chase him up the stairs with a broom. At TPHS he used to hold monthly lunch programs and encouraged those troubled kids to come and participate and share experiences. The participation tripled and so he then increased that to 4 monthly lunch programs.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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BeerFest competition

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 08, 2018

Malcolm provided a photo of some judges tasting and judging the best craft beer today. 18 breweries participated in the competition - details at Bocce Meets Beer. They all donated 2 sixtel kegs of beer towards Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club's Bocce Ball tournament named this year as BocceFest San Diego.

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District Governor Mel Gallegos's talk and "My 3 Things in Life" by Art Mendoza + Bocce updates

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 07, 2018

Venky Venkatesh was the acting president today and he requested Art to give his talk. Art Mendoza talked about his three things in life regarding Faith and hope, Family and Love were his key things in life. To him family is not just his close family members, it includes a larger group of dear friends, Rotarians, etc. He has enjoyed his 21+ years at Rotary. Love is something that makes us want to be better as per a quote from Jack Nicholson. In 1975 when he was 20 years old he had an opportunity to live in Indonesia (a muslim country) for some time and he was engaged in community work and peace building. He then married a Persian girl and he had the opportunity to go to Teheran but his wife has never been there although her family comes from Iran.

We then had Charles, Molly, Charlotte and Malcolm give some updates on the Bocce Ball fund-raising and the Beer Fest competition.

Sponsorships have reached $40,000
Auction proceeds have reached $5,000
Brewery competition had 18 breweries that participated. Each brewery donated 2 sixtel kegs, which is 80 pints total

Following this we had our District Governor Mel Gallegos give a talk about his life and how Rotarians are helping the world. Susie Callahan and Steve Weitzen introduced Mel. Steve had invited many guests. Mel was born and raised in Central California. He received his BS in Nursing at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Mel served our country as a Hospital Corpsman in the United States Navy stationed at San Diego Naval Hospital, Balboa. Mel joined the staff of Sharp Memorial Hospital in 1981 working on the Cardiac Care Unit. In the last few years he transitioned to the Information Technology department to work on the electronic medical record-keeping system.

Mel was recognized as a Partner of Health and Pillar of Philanthropy by the Sharp HeathCare Foundation. A multiple Major Donor to The Rotary Foundation and Bequest Society member, Mel is dedicated to making the world a better place. He also actively supports Project Mexico and Mana De San Diego and is a member of the American Legion. Mel is Past President of the El Cajon Breakfast and San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Clubs. In addition to serving at the club level, he has served the District in many capacities including Assistant Governor, Foundation Mentor, Rotaract Chair, Community Service Chair, Foundation Gala Chair and District Conference Chair. Mel’s wife, Hey Jude, is a member of San Diego Downtown Breakfast Rotary Club.

Mel’s first trip to Africa was to participate in an NID in Eritrea. That was the beginning of several trips to East Africa for Mel and Hey-Jude. They have attended District Conferences in Mexico and East Africa.

Some of his key points were as follows --

He said that our DMSB club has given out over $322K to The Rotary Foundation.
He said that our Rotary district was #1 in our zone.
He said we are down to 12 polio cases in Afghanistan and 3 in Pakistan. We are almost there to eradicate polio from the world.
His advice was to find ways to retain members since many clubs lose members in the first 1 to 2 years.

He ended his talk by showing a video of his mock press conference at the Catamaran resort. That was quite funny.

In the end Mel congratulated Venky for running the meeting today and gave him a special and rare Rotary pin.

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"Lithium Ion Battery development and applications at General Atomics" by Dr. Aaron Sathrum and "My 3 Things in Life" by Kevin Cahill

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 24, 2018

Susheela Narayanan was honored today with her 2nd Paul Harris award.

Kevin Cahill talked about his three things in life regarding Faith and hope, Humility and Love for the family. He spoke very eloquently as usual.

Finally Dr. Aaron Sathrum, Concepts Engineer from General Atomics spoke very well about "Lithium- Ion Battery Development". He focused on the design and development of such batteries used in various Tesla models.

He said that one of the recent development is that Tesla has unveiled Tesla Semi-Trucks in 2017 with a range of 300-500 miles without a charge and goes into production in 2019. The talk was very interesting and many members asked questions about the talk.

In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the speaker with the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Living a healthy happy active life, full of vigor and enjoyment after cancer treatment" by Sal Mariscal

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 17, 2018

Sal Mariscal was born in Mexico City. Moved to Hollywood CA at a young age. Graduating from Hollywood High in 1960. Sal studied business administration at the Alexander Hamilton Institute and, in the summer of 1962, he went to Mexico for a two-week vacation. He stayed17 years. There in Mexico he learned the value of possessing dual cultural backgrounds and how to use them in international marketing.

In 1978 he returned to the USA. After working at different international companies, to hone his skills, he eventually established his own International Marketing Company and ran it successfully for over 40 years.

After having a successful cancer treatment and in an effort to give back to society, Sal is now dedicating his time to the Community Cancer Awareness Initiative, whose purpose is to educate and spread the word on how to deal with cancer, the medical system and different treatment options with the aim of having a fantastic, fruitful, happy life without any side effects from cancer therapy.

Sal spoke about life decisions we face when dealing with cancer. 50 % of all men 30% of women face cancer decisions in their lives. His decision related to prostate cancer and whether to have surgery or radiation treatment or just wait and see. Possible collateral tissue damage in treating prostate cancer made him look for alternative treatment and he found proton therapy. Sal had to work through strong insurance restrictions placed on his medical plan until he got the right treatment. Today he is cancer-free and with no side effects from treatment.

A good example for all of us as to how insurance companies work to control how and what treatment we can receive. He had a good message for all. In the end DMSB Club President Ken Barrett presented the Joshua certificate that represents our club DMSB donating school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

We also had "Three Impactful Things In Life" talk by Jan Parsons today.

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Operation Game On Golf Tournament Sponsorship

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 14, 2018

George & Bill played in the Operation Game On (OGO) Golf Tournament fundraiser at Fairbanks Ranch CC on Monday & DMSB Rotary was a Tee sponsor.

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"Transformational Boarding School" by Jabez LeBret and "My 3 Things" by Patricia Case

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 10, 2018

We started the meeting with a quick talk by Patricia Case about her "3 Things in Life". She showed everyone an old family picture and mentioned that FAMILY was highest on her list of things that impacted her life. Her family instilled great long-lasting values in her and she had an ideal childhood. They taught her the importance of being committed to the community. She loves reading books and read out a verse from one of the books she is reading now called Fugitive Pieces. Very rarely, she says, that anyone now reads books. She was on a flight back to San Diego and noticed that all 3 passengers in her row were reading books :-).

We had good audience today and in the end Bill Sutton jokingly asked her a question - "Do you know where you live?". Patricia responded "no idea" since she keeps traveling a lot now-a-days.

Malcolm also gave a brief update on Bocce Beer competition and mentioned that many breweries, such as, Duckfoot, etc, have applied for the competition.

Finally, Phil introduced Jabez LeBret as our keynote speaker. Jabez's partner Tom Schenck was also in attendance. Jabez has been homeless, is a high school dropout, and was on a path to nowhere. After getting his GED, Jabez studied finance and marketing at Gonzaga University. He went on to become a financial analyst at Nordstrom, an international public speaker, author, and Forbes Contributor. He recently sold his award winning marketing agency to free up time to pursue his passion in education as co-founder of Sisu Academy, a new education model. Jabez is a coffee lover and Gin enthusiast.

He said that he became homeless at age 16 and that it was a teacher in school that noticed him and motivated him to learn. This teacher (Art Dolan) took the pains to spend an hour each week for 3 years and taught him business basics. He later decided to start a school (Sisu Academy) that can help such challenged kids to thrive in the community. He wants to create this academy where the students are boarded and fully taken care of while they are in training. The "Accelerator" concept will pay for the program so it is completely tuition-free for the students.

His goal is to educate these kids in a practical environment rather than traditional school formats. The kids need to engage and experience real-life scenarios. The chart shows the key factors for challenged kids to succeed. Apparently millenials lack 3 of the 4 critical things in the chart above. He feels that Robotics and Programming must be mandatory for all kids in the current world. Social farming, music and animal therapy are many ways to train the students when they are boarding in the academy. A well-trained pool of such candidates can fill many open jobs. Apparently San Deigo port had almost 90K jobs unfilled few months ago and only 50% has been filled far.

They already have some students identified and there is room for few more. Their initial goal is to start with 12 students and reach 350 soon. They have identified the location of Alliant University in the Miramar area for now as the spot. They hope to get that location in 2 years.

In the end, our club acting president Vicky awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Jabez that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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Bocce update + Sex Trafficking in San Diego - The Epidemic that's Happening in Our Own Backyard & "My 3 Things" by Jon Fish

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 03, 2018

Thanks to Paul Butler for the wonderful notes for this event. The meeting was started with the bell ringing from the real gavel by Venky as acting president... President Ken on vacation somewhere in Colorado ...

Fine master: After nearly choking on his breakfast.... Malcolm fined Paul $10 for looking at his own phone when Malcolm called him right during the meeting... it was even on vibrate!

BocceFest update: Sponsorships are up about 10,000 from last week thanks largely to Charles Foster's efforts. Charles was able to secure a Premier Sponsor in "Brand Napa Valley" and a VIP sponsor in "Rancho Coastal Computers" Charles is the winner of a bottle of Brand Napa Valley wine and a growler of his choice from Viewpoint Brewery. Please let Paul know your beer choice.

Malcolm then felt bad when Foundation Chair presented Malcolm with a Paul Harris + 5 award. congrats to Malcolm for his generous support of the Rotary Foundation.

Jon Fish talked about 3 important events in his life that involved 3 mentors at summer camps and at college and in business

Great program today by educating the club to sex trafficking problem in San Diego and other parts of the country. Rachel Devine has been involved in the fight against sex trafficking for 6 years. She earned her degree in International Studies and Political Science from Point Loma Nazarene, and focuses on international human rights issues, specifically forms of oppression against women, all around the globe. She's traveled to 10 countries and has worked with many different non-profit organizations in Asia, Africa, and here in San Diego - all focusing on sex trafficking rehabilitation. She has been working with GenerateHope for a year and a half and is excited about the powerful work being done in her local community. San Diego is the 8th worse U.S. city for sex trafficking with an estimated 3000 to 5000 victims today.

In the end, our club acting president Venky Venkatesh awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Rachel that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

DMSB President's Assembly Meeting & "My 3 Things" by Diane Huckabee

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 27, 2018

Today was our new Club President Ken Barrett's Assembly Day. He kicked off by showing this video from the Rotary's video collections. It was a very touching and timely video reminding members of why we are all in Rotary.

Then we had some surprise guests today to celebrate the nomination of Steve Weitzen as the District Governor for 2020-2021. These guests were the past District Governors and the current District Governor Scott Carr.

Each one gave a 2 minute speech to celebrate Steve's new role in 2020. And finally Bill Sutton also pitched in at the end from our club's side.

Following that we had the "My 3 Things In Life" talk by Diane Huckabee. She said that her primary things in life are - Health, Family & Travel. They have family re-unions every 3 years, which started some 30 years ago. Last July 4th they had a gathering of 20 family members in South Lake Tahoe. It seems she has been losing young family members through these years. Her older brothers were diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy also known as Steinert disease, which is an adult version of Muscular Dystrophy. Hence she has always been concerned and every birthday she crosses she celebrates it with a vigor :-). She also enjoys traveling to various part of the world. This is part of her compensation package from work. Her last trip was to Beijing and in November she plans to go to Africa.

She has 2 sons Brandon & Eric and husband is Tom. Apparently Tom & Eric are CPA's and Eric works for Tom. According to Diane Tom panicks a lot and so once Tom & Eric went to a CPA conference and came back all panicked saying that by 2027 only 25% of S&P 500 companies will be left in the market! He wanted to get out of the market soon and Diane jokingly commented that by that time we will be old and out of the market :-).

Ken then announced the best Rotarian of the Month award. Molly Fleming was the winner for her excellent dedication to marketing the Bocce BeerFest event coming up on September 30, 2018!

She and Paul also announced and showed the graphic chart of the progress with sponsorship funds. We have so far $12,800 in various forms of sponsorships. Charlotte also added later that the Auction committee has received over $10,000 in auction items already.

Then we had Malcolm provide an overall Bocce update on the BeerFest competition and how he plans to attract some 75 entries that will provide about 3000 pints of FREE beer for the Bocce competition. At the competition he plans to use coins made from wood as the currency for the beer - called Wooden Nickels. Guests at the event can purchase a 12 oz glass of beer for one wooden nickel. He expects to have several types of beer, such as, West Coast IPA, Wet Hopped IPA, Hazy IPA, Golden / Blond Ale and Classic Saison. He then ended the update with one of his own quotes :-).

Finally Kevin Wilde (surprise guest and past member) requested George Sousa to say a few words about his wife Lou who passed away last week. He was very emotional and said they were married for 68 years. He showed everyone a beautiful picture of Lou taken at Bill Sutton's demotion party last month. That was the last club meeting that she was able to attend. He said she loved Rotary events. George's son Rick also attended as a guest. He came from New Mexico to help George out. Rick also thanked the club for all the support during these tough times.

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Paradigm Shift in Fighting Wildfires by Amir Emadi and "My 3 Things" by Charles Foster

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 20, 2018

The meeting today started by Venky kicking off the new "My 3 Things In LIfe" talk by Charles Foster. He talked about his Scout program at age 14 and how the Red Cross training while in the Scouts program helped him tremendously. He was the camp's doctor for a day and that experience helped him with his graduate school applications. He received a wonderful reference letter from his Economics professor and finally got admitted to Harvard. He later changed his career path and became a Chartered Financial Planner (CFP). His key advice to all is "Be Prepared, Keep Planning".

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This was then followed by a wonderful talk by Amir Emadi about the paradigm shift in fighting wildfires with new technology. Amir Emadi is the CEO of Skylift Global, which helps first responders save time, money, and lives by delivering supplies in the last mile of logistics with heavy-lift drones. He's studied International Security and holds an MBA in Global Management. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Emadi was an advisor to US policy makers on physical security, political violence, and human rights in the Middle East particularly in Iran and Iraq. Since then he has dedicated his life to introducing technology to protect those who risk their lives to protect us.

He talked about the difficulty of delivering critical supplies to military personnel, firefighters and healthcare professionals in remote and hard to reach areas. His company has created a unique drone system that can lift heavy loads and drop it off at convenient spots for these organizations. These drones can handle loads from 100 to 400 pounds.

In the end, our club acting president Vicky Mallett awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Amir that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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YMCA Overnight Camps & Youth Development by District Executive Tom Madeyski

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 13, 2018

The meeting was kicked off by Ken introducing our new red-badge member Suchandra Brahma. She was a Rotarian in India and now shuttles between Del Mar and India. Charles & Paul gave an update on Bocce and Paul said that we now have about $13,000 in sponsorships collected so far. He also mentioned that the Bocce prize of a growler for maximum VIP sponsorships brought in by members has been extended to this month since it was a tie last month. Steve Weitzen mentioned about the future Rotary International conference coming to Honolulu in 2020. Reservations will start in Jun 2019.

Then we had Susan present a check for $2,250 on behalf of our DMSB club to Tom Madeyski of YMCA Camps to support the foster kids that get a chance to attend their 1-week camps.

Then Venky talked briefly about the new "My Three Things In LIfe ..." talk by members each week. This could be my three (could be 1 or 2 also) biggest lessons in life, tips on being happy, events in my life, things I’m most passionate about, challenges I’ve faced, trips I’ve taken, etc. This gives everyone a lot of flexibility to choose what they want to share and do it concisely thus making it very interesting. Charles Foster will kick it off next Friday since he is the earliest member of the club.

Then we had an exciting talk by our main speaker Tom Madeyski. He has been with YMCA Camps for 38 years and lives with his wife Debbie in the RainTree Ranch in Julian where they have one of the camps. He serves as Executive Director of YMCA Camping programs here in San Diego County. In his tenure, camp attendance has increased from 10,000 to 26,000 children and families annually. The three YMCA camps, Marston, Raintree Ranch and Camp Surf have seen over $10M in capital improvements in the past 15 years. Tom is a proud Penn State Nittany Lion and is a certified YMCA Organizational Leader.

He said that the kids that attend are from 7 years of age and up. The cost is very reasonable at $250/week during non-summer weeks and in summer it is $700/week. They also get sponsorships from Rotary and other organizations that pay for some disadvantaged foster kids. The camp helps to minimize the screen time that today's kids have. According to some research and statistics, it seems the average kids today spend only 7 minutes outdoors and 7 hours in front of electronic screens! The 1-week camp helps to change that and he says kids just love the activities and at the end they are not missing their devices at all. The triangle logo of YMCA represents SPIRIT, MIND and BODY and the YMCA philosophy and tag line is - Caring, Honesty, Respect and Responsibility.

In the end, he was asked a question as to what was the most "touching" event he had come across and he mentioned the story of a mom that was diagnosed with cancer and was about to lose her apartment. She applied for aid to send her kids to camp so they could experience the camp life and she finally got approved. During the week of the camp training she lost her apartment and just 2 days prior to kids returning home she managed to get a new apartment and that was a very touching story for Tom that he can never forget.

In the end, our club president Ken Barrett awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Tom Madeyski that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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GLOBAL GRANT #1861799 progress in Kerala, India

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 04, 2018

As many of you are aware, the Global Grant (#1861799) for $35,813 was approved last month for the Quadriplegic & Paraplegic clinic in Kerala, India. Our partner Rotary club in India is the Ottapalam Rotary club in Kerala. They recently celebrated the occasion by handing out purchase orders to all the vendors for the various equipments that are needed for the recipients.

They created the banner above in honor of all the recipients. The International Chair Ambalakat Ram Mohan (known as Ram) has been very instrumental in making this happen along with the extensive support by our own International Chair Venky Venkatesh and rotarian Sanjiv Prabhakaran. Thanks to everyone for supporting this great cause. The training sessions will start in few weeks and they have been sending monthly progress reports.

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StandDown 2018 service by DMSB members

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 01, 2018

Several members of Del Mar-Solana Beach (DMSB) Rotary volunteered to help the veterans at this year's StandDown event near Balboa Park. Thanks to Bill Sutton for coordinating the event for our members. Turns out that there were about 3000 volunteers to help serve and help the veterans for various needs, such as, legal counseling, getting driver's license renewed, doing various medical tests, taking care of their pets, applying for various veteran services, etc., all for free. DMSB sponsored a tent there to serve chilled water for all the visitors and volunteers. We distributed about 3800 bottles of water!

Enjoy some of the pictures taken by several members. One of the picture shows a lady wearing a hat. She has been visiting StandDown for many years and she started a fancy hat project 19 years ago! It contains Poppy flowers that she collected from the vets with their year and name on it. She sews on these flags onto the hat and has been maintaining the hat for 19 years so far!

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Articles in Del Mar Times - Solutions Farm check, Lou Oberman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 01, 2018

DMSB members in the spotlight in Del Mar Times ...

1. Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary helps Solutions for Change buy needed refrigerated van with $25,000 check

(June 27, 2018) DMSB + Solutions Farm

Solutions for Change, a nonprofit dedicated to solving family homelessness in San Diego county, needed a refrigerated van to deliver its produce to schools around the county. Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary rose to the occasion by funding a large part of the van’s cost with a $25,000 check ... more ...

2. Movement to rein in federal government alive in North County

(June 19, 2018) Lou Oberman

Up until a few years ago, Lou Oberman counted himself among many in the country who are frustrated by the problems plaguing the federal government in Washington, but didn't think there was any way to change things for the better ... more ...

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"MacDonald Scholars: Paying it forward" by Scott MacDonald

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 29, 2018

Today Scott MacDonald revealed some interesting statistics on financial aid, college fees, etc. He grew up near Chicago and graduated from Indiana University and the U of North Carolina. He recently retired as Chairman and CEO of one of Australia’s largest commercial real estate companies. Prior to living in Sydney, he was CEO or President of several US based real estate companies and worked overseas with Morgan Stanley for several years advising on their real estate investments.

His latest book, Saving Investa, how an ex-factory worker helped save one of Australia’s iconic companies, was published last year and his next book, Think like a Dog, how dogs teach us to be happy in life and successful at work, is due to be published later in 2018. The new book was co-authored by his rescue dog, Sadie, and himself.

Scott found that many challenged and low-income families had no way to pay for college due to high rise in fees. Since he did well in his career and felt that he did not need all the money he had made and decided to start a scholarship fund at Davidson College in Charlotte, North Carolina where his kids attended. He has endowed 8 scholarships at Davidson. He calls these Community Service Scholarships, where the qualification is not easy. Applicants need to develop special community projects in order to qualify for full college scholarships. It's a "Pay It Forward" concept. He said there is currently about $1.8 Trillion in student debt. And the U.S. government is going to write off billions off that amount. The primary reason for such high costs, as per Scott, is that the states are not contributing as much to education now as in the past and so the colleges are forced to raise tuition to cover the expenses.

He mentioned one story about a girl Olivia that called him while he was in Australia and met him. She was a recipient of the MacDonald scholarship and wanted to talk to Scott about how she qualified for it. She had moved to S. Carolina from Switzerland due to the need for warmer weather after her mother fell quite sick. Her father had passed away before she was born. She had a project in mind to build a school in Ethiopia. It required $20K in capital and about $20k in annual maintenance. She wrote a book filled with kids pictures and quotes and started selling those online for $50 and soon raised the $20K to build the school. Scott was moved by her story and started to seek out other such scholars to hear their stories.

Another story was about 26-year old Eli Kahn, who went to India and rented a 3-wheel scooter (called tut-tut) and drove across India from north to south delivering a hand-held solar light to impoverished villages so kids could study at night. This was sponsored by some solar panel companies. A full story of Scott appeared in the Union Tribune and can be seen here.

Scott then started approaching large universities, such as, University of N. Carolina and Indiana University to promote his scholarship fund concept. It took almost 2 years to go through the college bureaucracy and finally he seeded those funds and the universities then raised millions. As of now Univ. of N. Carolina has given out 12 scholarships, Indiana Univ. gave out 20 and several at University of Michigan. He struck a deal with University of San Diego such that he funds 1 per year and the university will fund 3 per year.

Scott is getting ready to publish his next book, which will be on the financial aid crisis. He distributed one his books "Saving Investa" to all the DMSB members that attended today. Go to MacDonald Scholarships for more information on Scott and his scholarships.

In the end, our in-coming club president Ken Barrett awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Scott MacDonald that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"Challenges faced by the Sheriff's Department in the fields of Law Enforcement and the Detentions arena" by San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 22, 2018

William D. Gore was elected as the 29th Sheriff of San Diego County in June of 2010. Sheriff Gore oversees one of the largest Sheriff’s Departments in the nation with over 4,200 staff. His department handles detentions, patrol, courts, licensing and regional forensic support. Sheriff Gore is well known for his collaborative approach to law enforcement including his spearheading of the Law Enforcement Coordination Center (LECC). Sheriff Gore's law enforcement career spans 47 years. Sheriff Gore graduated from Crawford High School, holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of San Diego and a Master's Degree from Seattle University. A Fun Fact is that Sheriff Gore plays a, "Seeing Eye Person for his 12-year old blind Lab."

Sheriff provides police capabilities for 9 unincorporated zones and many incorporated cities. That is over 1 million people overall. He has to manage an average daily population of about 6000 inmates in the various jails. In 2012 they opened a women's detention facility. He is a big advocate of criminal justice re-alignment that improves many areas, such as, crowding in jails., provide counseling to criminals before they are released, give them tools to improve their lives once they are out of jail and train them to integrate back into the community.

He said that 95% of the inmates come back to the community and so they try to train them on anger management, new jobs skills, etc. Crime in San Diego county is exceptionally low compared to the rest of U.S. They provide computer-based video training to all police officers at the Miramar Training Center to simulate real-life situations and it is extremely effective to train on quick reflex actions, but in court these actions by police are sometimes tough to defend. As far as immigrations cases he said only 41% of cases get reported to ICE and usually minor offenses, such as, DUI, women abuse, etc. are not reported, especially in sanctuary states.

In the end, our club president Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Sheriff Gore that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Malcolm Koll on Fine Master Chair role; Paul Harris, Check for Casa de Amistad

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 22, 2018

Malcolm Koll explains his role as the Fine Master Chair. Some of her KEY tasks and comments were --

Go through the ClubRunner database to see which member forgets their or their spouse's birthdays and fine members accordingly.
Keeps track of members who are absent and if they did not inform him ahead of time then they get fined.
Looks for members that are NOT wearing their Rotary badges.
He looks for interesting areas and scenarios to fine members.

1. Why did you choose that position? He said he was told to do this :-).

2. How would you improve it? By "fining" members more each time :-)..

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Bill is surrounded by the GAVEL PROTECTORS (Kevin Cahill and Paul Butler) with their Golden Gavels :-).

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Susan and Charles presented a check for $2,000 to Nicole Green to support the work done at Casa de Amistad.

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Paul Butler presented the Paul Harris award to Beverly Liberman for her annual contribution of $1,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Her husband Herb Liberman is to her right.

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"Del Mar, the Mouse that roars" by Del Mar Mayor Dwight Worden

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 15, 2018

Mayor Dwight Worden presented the current state of affairs in Del Mar. He is the Mayor of Del Mar. Now retired, he practiced law for 30 years in coastal north county, serving as Del Mar City Attorney from 1977-1983. He also served on the Coastal Commission as a Governor and President of the Senate appointee and is heavily involved in all Del Mar activities. One fun fact about Dwight is that he plays bass and fiddle in two bluegrass bands that perform throughout the region.

Some of the key highlights from his talk were as follows:

Politics has become very contentious and some civility needs to happen.
He believes that climate change is a key factor in the issue of sea-level rise that Del Mar is facing.
On the technology side there are advancements and research in making crippled people walk.
On the Biology side, nano technology is allowing miniature pills containing cameras to go through the body and take pictures.
As far as state of CA he feels that democrats may lose but there are more NPP (No Party Preference) voters rising.
As far Del Mar specific highlights, he had the following points --
1. The city has a population of 4200 with 2 million annual travelers and about 3 million visitors to the annual fair.
2. Biggest issue is the cost of land and lack of affordable housing. He wishes that teachers and firemen and other service professionals could afford a place there.
3. San Diego county overall has a shortage of housing units by 171,000.
4. Short-term rentals is another major issue and they are working on some reasonable solution.
5. Residents are also concerned of the rising sea-level threat. They expect about 3-5 feet rise by 2070. The city is planning a "managed retreat" and some cities, such as, Cardiff is testing the use sand dunes to hold back the ocean water.
6. Water restriction is another big challenge here. There is a $13 Billion proposal to add 2 tunnels from north CA to south CA.
7. Side walk re-vitalization project has been approved and we should soon see an enhanced look for down-town.
8. The Del Mar Plaza is now under new management since last year and these new owners are local Del Mar residents and so there are big plans to renovate the Del mar Plaza soon.
9. He said that the City Council project is complete now and it was one of the projects that was on time and under budget! It has 140 parking places and the vendors will pay some fee but it will be free for customers.

Charles popped the question as to why he chose this role. The mayor said that as a lawyer for 30 years he wanted to explore how it feels to sit on the "other side" as a policy-maker. He said it is mostly rewarding but not to expect a thank you from anyone.

In the end, our club president Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Dwight that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Venky Venkatesh on International Chair role

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 15, 2018

Venky Venkatesh explains his role as the International Chair. Some of her KEY tasks and comments were --

The role involves a lot of interaction with the administrators at Rotary International.
He has orchestrated over $400,000 in global grants since the past 5+ years.
He has successfully completed grants for various countries, such as, India, El Salvador, Uganda, Madagascar, Zambia and Monrovia.
The process was a lot easier in the early days, however, now there are lots of checks and balances and takes a lot longer to get approval.
He said a recent global grant for Paraplegic/quadriplegic clinic in Kerala, India took almost 5 months from start to finish.

1. Why did you choose that position? He said that it was something he loved and he was motivated by other Rotarian cousins from India.

2. How would you improve it? He hopes the Rotary foundation will make the approval process a lot simpler. He has now passed the baton to another club member Herb Liberman for the next year.

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"Talent Recruitment and Retention" by David Alemian; Fred Schenk from SD Fair and Steve Binder from StandDown

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 08, 2018

David Alemian entertained everyone with a very high-powered and energetic talk about talent recruitment. He is a dynamic corporate speaker and one of the country’s top experts on “Talent Recruitment and Retention.” Alemian teaches employers how to attract and retain the top talent they need in a highly competitive marketplace. Nationwide, all employers agree that there is a huge talent shortage, and competition for the best talent is tough. A prolific writer and video producer, he has published over 200 written articles and is featured in over 300 educational videos. He lives in Oceanside with his wife Hillary and their two pugs Zac and Charlie.

He mentioned that 1/6th of the economy is in healthcare and they need more talents everyday. By 2025 he says that there will be a shortage of 500,000 nurses. This shortage is directly tied to the retiring baby boomers. It seems they are retiring at the rate of 10,000 per day! Another alarming statistics he pointed out was that 50% of U.S. physicians are behind in savings and they are not financially prepared for retirement. The employee pool has to constantly be training on new trades since very soon places, such as, McDonald's will have kiosks for ordering food instead of of people taking orders.

In the end, our club president Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to David that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker. David's summary video can be viewed here - David's video.

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We also had Fred Schenk, Chair of Fair Operations, come and give an update on the San Diego County Fair that started on June 1st and will go on until July 4th. He gave some quick updates about the fair --

The theme this year is "How Sweet It Is".
The world famous Pink's Hot Dogs is at the fair.
He showed the picture of the first fair of 1936. The fair has been running at the Del Mar Fairgrounds every year since then except during World War II.
He said SD Fair is the 4th largest fair in the U.S. and the largest county fair.
Chicken Charlie has new items, such as, cotton candy ice cream!
In the end he gave each club member a free ticket to the fair and a $6 discount ticket.

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Steve Binder is a retired Public Defender and he works with Matt Wechter the current Deputy Public Defender to help the veterans at StandDown at the Veterans Village of San Diego with all kinds of legal issues for free. Steve said that the Homeless Court started 30 years ago in San Diego.

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Collaborating Across Generations, by Dr. Joanie Connell

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 01, 2018

Dr. Joanie Connell is an author, organizational consultant, and leadership coach. Her book is: “Flying without a Helicopter: How to Prepare Young People for Work and Life.” She’s writing a second one on connecting the generations that should be out this year. She gives keynote speeches at companies and schools and runs the consulting firm Flexible Work Solutions, Inc. She has a PhD from UC Berkeley and a BA from Harvard.

Today she educated us on how to cope with the various generations - the Silents, Baby Boomers, Gen X, etc. She says there are lot of conflicts when not connecting with the various generations and trying to understand each other.

Companies face a lot of cost for "NOT" connecting with the generations. She cited an example of an organization that invited millenials to a meeting with more older folks and learnt that the older generation was trying to get rid of the Baby Boomers since they did not understand the younger folks. The millenials felt that they were not welcomed to the group. This lack of understanding needs to be corrected by using the 3 key factors that Dr. Connell trains companies on - INQUIRE, EMPATHIZE and RESPECT.

There is some overlap in these generations as seen in the picture above. The older generations today are living longer. It seems 78 years is average life expectancy today. Each generation faces different issues as shown in image above. The context is different and so it is key to understand those differences as per Dr. Connell in order to bridge those generational issues. People have moved from mailing letters to emails and texting, carriages to space trips, etc. And so, the key is to mingle with an OPEN mind and avoid any "assumptions" of each other. Inquire, Empathize and Respect are the key factors to remember.

In the end, our club president Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Dr. Connell that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Susan Hennenfent on Community Chair role

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 01, 2018

Susan Hennenfent explains her role as the Community Chair. Some of her KEY tasks are --

Set up dates throughout the year for various community events that members can participate in.
Key task is to coordinate with venues and find enough volunteers.
Stand Down is one of the major events where we contribute via funds and people.
Play For Say is another big event that we contribute to.
End of April is usually "Rotarians Work Day" and she coordinates a full-day event to build a home, etc. This year the club helped Savannah with the My First Home project and gave her keys to the new home that many Rotarians worked all day to build and furnish.
End of the year is to coordinate with events for the holidays, such as, women with challenges organization, CRC for food distribution, etc.

1. Why did you choose that position? She said that it was LOT MORE fun to give out money than to ask for it :-). Also, she got tired of Bocce and wanted a change.

2. How would you improve it? Find more opportunities that sync with the members' interests.

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Solutions Farm Truck Donated by DMSB

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 19, 2018

Bill Sutton and few other members visited the Solutions Farms Aquaponic farm this weekend, which happens to be the largest aquaponic farm in the west. They are a critical part of the organization Solutions For Change that solves the problem of family homelessness. DMSB donated $25,000 towards the purchase of this refrigerated truck.

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Foundation Information by Janice Kurth

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 18, 2018

Janice Kurth’s (Rotary District Foundation Committee Chairperson at Rotary District 5340) talk covered the Rotary foundation including its Mission of building peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, supporting mothers and children, and helping to grow local economies. she explained how giving to the annual fund comes back to our club when we do district grants and global grants.

There are 3 ways to give to the Rotary foundation. one is polio plus, number two is to the endowment fund, number three is to the annual fund.

Janice presented to banners to our Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary club for the 2016-2017 rotary year for 100% member participation and donations that year.

Janice also talked about the awards that members can receive for giving to the Rotary foundation which include the Paul Harris society, Paul Harris award levels, the bequest society and the major donor… she encouraged our members to join the Paul Harris society by signing up for a direct deposit of $86 per month which adds up to $1000 a year for those who are able to do so and for all Rotarians to make The Rotary foundation their charity of choice. Please talk to our clubs foundation chair, Paul Butler with any questions on these various giving programs.

Janice also mentioned that the Rotary foundation received a four-star rating from charity navigator, which rates all foundations in the United States. The Rotary foundation was voted the number one foundation into 2016 where 92% of donations are put to work in the programs and only 6% goes to fund raising expenses and a paltry 2% for administrative cost.

Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Janice that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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We also had a guest today from Bangalore, India - Mr. M. Krishnamurthy.

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"What I Do" by George Sousa and "Look Beyond the Page" by Michael Gonzales

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 11, 2018

The event started with George Sousa giving a talk about his wonderful experience as part of the honored list of folks chosen to fly on the "Honor Flight" from San Diego to Washington D.C. and back with full royal treatment! Following that we had an excellent talk by Michael Gonzales.

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Michael Gonzales gave gives talks on various topics, such as, ideas about telling a story in a fun way that captures audience attention, how to avoid writer's block, etc.

Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Michael that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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George Sousa's Honor Flight

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 06, 2018

San Diego airport was packed with friends and families of all the Honor Flight veterans. There were several members from our DMSB club there to greet George Sousa! The above picture shows George's American Airlines flight #9459 on it's way to San Diego from Washington D.C.

Terminal 2 was packed with veterans, families and friends all waving the American flag. We ll arrived there around 2:30 pm and the first veteran rolled down the aisle around 3:30 pm. There was music and excitement all around.

They announced that the oldest veteran on the Honor Flight was 99 years old! Finally after about 30-40 minutes we saw George walking down the aisle with his wife Lou. It was pretty emotional and exciting!

In the end we saw the founder of Honor Flight San Diego Dave Smith walk down the aisle!

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"Compassion It" by Sara Schairer

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 04, 2018

Sara Schairer is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit "Compassion It" whose mission is to inspire compassionate actions and attitudes. She can be seen above providing a guided meditation class to make the audience more mindful of their compassionate actions in life.

Sara is a Stanford-certified compassion facilitator and leads trainings globally for people of all ages and backgrounds, including inmates, business leaders, students, educators, and healthcare providers. She was a contributing author to the book "The Neuroscience of Learning and Development" and also writes for The Chopra Center. An interesting fact is that she was the female vocalist in a local indie band that broke up in 2015.

She explains that there are many varieties of social issues in the world - hunger, divisive country on racial issues, bullying, hatred, etc. She points out there are several solution proposed and she looks at her doc Scout and says that is the definition of "Compassion" since dog's love every person whether that person is rich, poor, homeless or a criminal.

Her passion for this movement started when she was divorced early with her little daughter. She went through various challenges for several years until one days she saw a show of Ellen DeGeneres with a person talking about compassion. That changed her life completely and the idea of the phrase and company name "Compassion It" came to her, which makes compassion a verb and a movement!

She was dealt with another tragedy when her father got hit by a truck and was killed instantly in 2004. So she stared making T-shirts with the "Compassion It" logo and giving it out at Yoga clubs and other events.

Then she came up with the idea of a wrist band that had a purpose. It was designed with flippable colors so that one side was a different color and the other side was white. She suggested that wearers should flip the band each time they do an act of compassion. A girl in UK demonstrated and explained this well on a video that went viral. Later 2 high-school girls set up a fundraising event and people were lined up outside the school and they sold all the bands in 42 minutes. These bands can be purchased from her site at Compassion It Store.

She says there are about 140,000 bands in use all over the world! She was with the President of Botswana distributing the bands to the office staff and other folks there. She found out that Stanford in CA offers a course on compassion training at the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and she got certified 5 years ago as a teacher and now offers various courses to inmates in prisons, business leaders and healthcare providers.

Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Sara that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Patricia Case, Refrigerated Truck Donation update

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 04, 2018

Patricia Case explains her role as the Social Chair. Some of her KEY tasks are --

Be creative and cost-conscious.
An example was the fabulous event we had for the 25th anniversary celebrations of our club.
Keep nagging people to RSVP for events as early as possible to get the best possible rates from venues.

1. Why did you choose that position? Said Bill pushed her into it :-).

2. How would you improve it? Stop working :-). Other than that some members suggested having events at potential Bocce sponsors that own restaurants.

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Susan Hennenfent reminded everyone about the Aquaponics Farm Tour event on May 19th. Members also get to see the new refrigerated truck donated by our club. Here is a copy of her earlier message.

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The DMSB Rotary club is scheduled for a Aquaponics Farm Tour with Solutions for Change on Saturday, May 19th at 10 am. The tour will be about 90 minutes. It is a really interesting tour. We will get to see the refrigerated van that was purchased with our Foundation funds.

Please let me know if you are planning on attending-Guests are welcome. The Solutions Farm is located at 948 La Rueda Drive, Vista CA 92084. Parking is limited, so please try to carpool.

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"The Opioid Crisis…In San Diego’s Backyard" by Duane Trombly

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 27, 2018

Duane Trombly is a long time member of San Diego’s business community. He started his career as a county program director for substance abuse services. He was a catalyst in opening the first substance abuse treatment program in Western Michigan. Transitioning into the high tech area he spent 30 years with leading edge companies that were ground breakers in the personal computer space. But now he has come full circle, founding Confidential Recovery a substance abuse treatment facility for working adults who require a high level of confidentiality for their treatment. He will share with us the status of the current national opioid crisis and its impact in San Diego. He was on the board of Just In Time for Foster Youth.

He started off with explaining the definition of OPIOID. He said the best way to understand that is to think of "Morphine" and "Heroin". That's how addictive opioids are! It seems of 95% of the opioids are consumed in the USA! Initially it was used for end-of-life treatments for cancer patients. But then in 1995 a company known as Purdue Pharma founded by the Sackler brothers developed the prescription painkiller OxyContin that became a blockbuster medication. It was a long-lasting narcotic that helped patients suffering from moderate to severe pain. It has reportedly generated some thirty-five billion dollars in revenue for Purdue! The opioid crisis story was aired on CBS' 60-minutes around October 2017.

Apparently, when he went for a root-canal his dentist in the end prescribed Vicodin and the prescription was for 10 days to be used 4 times a day! He says that many adults don't use it and they just leave these unused meds in the medicine cabinet within easy reach for teenagers! Many people go for open house tours of homes and search all medicine cabinets for such prescriptions & sell these opioids or use it for their own addiction! Real estate agents have a protocol to inform all sellers to remove any medications from their cabinets prior to any open house sessions.

April 28th happens to be "Take Back Drug Day" when the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) sets up collection centers to take back all unused medications. It is strongly recommended to take unused meds to these centers instead of dumping into the flush as it can pollute the waters. He says many people shun treatments due to shame and embarrassment. Family & friends support is critical to get an addict under control. Apparently, every addict impacts at least 7 family members and friends in their circle of influence!

DMSB member and doctor Gary Schneiderman suggest the book "Crooked: Outwitting The Back Pain Industry ..." as a remarkable book that talks about the opioid addiction. The book is available on Amazon.

Confidential Recovery is an organized started by Duane to treat such patients that are addicted to opioids. They provide a medically supervised DETOX process. They also conduct mindfulness training. He says that majority of his patients are females that are traumatized due to sexual abuse and end up taking opioids for treatments. Similarly, he sees a large population of doctors and police officers, who are subject to heavy stress environments.

Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Duane that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Charles Foster, Blue Badges and Rotarians At Work Day update!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 27, 2018

Charles Foster explains his role as the Public Relations Chair. Some of his KEY tasks are --

Provide photos and articles for publishing in local newspapers and magazines.
Has been doing this for over 10 years and taking pictures of important events, speakers, etc. until Sanjiv took over the photos and blogging on web site.
He says that our club has been taking and publishing more photos and articles compared to the Del Mar club.
Also works on planning and preparing early literatures for the annual Bocce fundraising event.

1. Why did you choose that position? He doesn't know :-). Said it suits his interests.

2. How would you improve it? Follow Jan's example on keeping a log book with details.

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Susan Hennenfent and Suzanne Sutton updated us about the preparations for the Rotarians At Work Day on April 28, 2018 in Tijuana. They plan to construct a house for a single mother with kids. Susan and Suzanne went out shopping with the family to buy the essentials. The family had no idea what a mattress pad was for and were very excited to get into their new home.

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Ken announced the presentation of 2 new BLUE BADGES for the Red badgers Gary Schneiderman and Molly Fleming :-).

CONGRATULATIONS to Molly & Gary!

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"Burundi, Africa: A Treasure Unknown" by Julie Marner and "What I Do" by Kevin Cahill

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 20, 2018

Kevin Cahill delivered his "What I Do" talk and described his role as Youth Chair in the Youth Exchange RYLA program and Model UN programs.

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Following that we had Julie Marner from Burundi International talk about her various projects of teaching English to the young and the old in Burundi. Julie Marner is the Executive Director of Burundi Friends International (BFI), a San Diego based non-profit working to reduce extreme poverty in Burundi, East Africa. Julie oversees BFI's programming, funding and implementation of projects.

Her love for Burundi grew in 2011 when she taught English at Light University. With no resources except a blackboard and a piece of chalk, Julie taught English Communication to 70 college students for 4 hours each day and since then, her passion to create more opportunities for Burundians hasn't stopped. Julie's other career is as a musician having played at local churches for the past 20 years.

She talked about helping the poor Burundian students of middle school and high school to teach English in schools so that they can advance to colleges and universities in and outside Burundi. There are about 500,000 orphans in Burundi. It costs about $1000 per student per year of college. The Del Mar Rotary club has initiated a $55,000 grant for shipping English text books to Burundi schools. BFI now has over 3000 volunteer teachers. The number of BFI clubs and students have increased significantly since 2011 as seen in about charts.

More information can be found at Burundi International.

Bill Sutton awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Julie that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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San Diego History Center: our community, our story ...

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 13, 2018

William (Bill) Lawrence has served as Executive Director of the San Diego History Center since February 2016 after joining the History Center in July 2015 as Chief Operating Officer. Prior to joining the History Center Bill’s professional career spanned three decades with the KFMB Stations (KFMB-TV, AM & FM), providing a “front row seat” to the history being made in our region. For more than a decade Bill was also an adjunct faculty member of Southwestern Community College having taught broadcast writing, photography and production.

He gave an excellent talk about the various artifacts and collections that he has accumulated at the SD History Center. The original name was San Diego History Society, which later changed to San Diego History Center. He said there are about 45 million documents in their collection and one priceless document they found 7 years ago was a document signed by Abraham Lincoln using his full signature as shown below!

He also distributed some interesting pictures to club members based on who could answer some puzzles :-). He had pictures of the demolition of an ancient victorian tower from 1914, and the picture of Lucy & Ricky (from the Here's Lucy television show) enjoying the horse races at the Del Mar racetrack.

He added that they have about 2.5 million photos, 17,000 objects and a special diary of Victoria Jacobs, who wrote her life story in it but died during child birth. In the end he mentioned about a big dinner/reception event on April 21st called the "Makers of San Diego History". Tickets can be purchased at the link above.

The public viewing timings for the History Center are from Wed to Fri from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm. During other days the public can setup appointments. More information can be found at https://sandiegohistory.org/san_diego_history_center/.

Since Bill Sutton is on vacation. Vicky Mallett was the substitute club President today and awarded the Joshua Malawi school certificate to Bill that represents donation of school supplies by DMSB to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Paul Butler, DMSB's award nomination, George Sousa's Honor Flight award!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 13, 2018

Paul Butler gave a detailed outline of his role as the Foundation Chair (FC). He said he loves it so much that he will be the Foundation Chair next year also :-). He showed Jan Parsons' USB drive that had all the information that Jan collected during her role as FC. Some of his KEY tasks are --

Monitor and make sure the club is still in the EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) category - minimum $25 donation from every member.
Send out emails to all members about the various awards, such as Paul Harris, EREY, etc.
Present the Paul Harris pin and award to all members that contribute $1,000 or more each year.
Mail all the checks back to Chicago office.
Get all the reports online about the various awards and inform all members.
Attend the Foundation seminar in fall.
Deposit all the checks collected for Bocce to the Bocce account.
Club's current cash balance is $52,000 after donating $25k towards the Solutions for Change van.

1. Why did you choose that position? He chose that since he saw Charles and Jan do this and wanted to follow their footsteps :-).

2. How would you improve it? Bringing some videos to show to the club and motivate other members.

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Susan Hennenfent showed pictures of DMSB's recognition on the Solutions for Change delivery van. Our club donated $25,000 towards the purchase of the van.

She also announced that Reality Changers has selected our Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club to participate in the Malin Burnham Awards as a 2018 honoree for the "Reality Changers 100" - an elite group of San Diego leaders and organizations that have changed the reality of San Diego and are most emblematic of Malin Burnham's motto of "Community Before Self."

** Winners will be determined by online voting so we need all members' & freinds' help.

Please go to the following LINK: www.Malin.RealityChangers.org/Vote.

Vote once a day in the category "Most-Admired Service Organization" until April 26th. Please also post it on your social media sites and invite your friends and families to vote for us.

In addition to voting, join us on May 8^th at UCSD to learn who has won the award for Most-Admired Service Organization in San Diego by purchasing tickets to the award ceremony. 100% of proceeds will support students at Reality Changers.

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Malcolm gave a quick update on Bocctoberfest. He said that the venue contract has been signed and that the date is Sunday September 30, 2018 at the Surf Cup Sports Park. His budget for this year is $85K but to net $65K.

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Jan announced about the wonderful honor being bestowed on our own George Sousa, who was picked to be an Honor Flight recipient for his service in the Korean War. He will be flying with 80 other WWII and Korean veterans on a charter jet to Washington DC where he will be wined and dined and treated with great honor & respect as they visit various DC memorials from May 4-6. Jan has emailed more details to all members. George knows of his selection.

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Finally, I received some pictures form Bill & Suzanne Sutton after they attended the RIGA International Rotary club in Riga, which is the capital of Latvia. They had wonderful lunch there and exchanged the club flags.

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Rotary's Model UN (MUN) Conference at USD on April 7-8, 2018

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 08, 2018

April 7th & 8th was a grand Model UN conference that Kevin & his student volunteer team put together with great success. Sanjiv Prabhakaran was the MUN advisor for the team sponsored by DMSB - Sophia Sugarman from Canyon Crest Academy and Lauren Degner from Mt. Carmel High. The event was held at the Joan Kroc Institute of Peace & Justice (IPJ) at the University of San Diego. The meeting was kicked off by Kevin Cahill, Youth Chair at DMSB, Andy Blum, the Executive Director at IPJ, and Scott Carr, the District Governor for San Diego Rotary District 5340.

There were 98 students (49 teams) representing 49 different countries. Each team had 2 students, one researching on Resolution #1 (to include Palestine as a member of the United Nations) and the other researching on Resolution #2 (to protect the oceans from plastic waste). The students went through 2 days of speech presentations, amendments to the resolutions, caucus meetings, etc. In the process they establish new friendships, learn about team collaboration, negotiations and the process of reaching consensus.

Saturday night was a dinner banquet where the parents and guests were invited to attend a keynote talk by Kevin M. Kennedy, former U.N. Assistant Secretary General and a grand dinner. This was followed by an emergency news alert about Russia hacking elections in other countries and that they are launching attach on Kurdistan, that was actually a mock news item presented by Channel 8 News as an exercise for the students to go into caucus and find a peaceful resolution to that situation.

Next day the students all met to review the amendments and cast the final vote on each resolution. It took about 2 hours of deliberation on resolution-1 but resolution-2 was quickly passed as there was major agreement on that ocean cleanup issue.

Finally, we had the "Thank You" talk by Kevin and many students and the Secretary General. And then the secretary generals gave out funny award certificates to each student based on their behavior during the various sessions. Sophia received the award that she would throw her shoe at anyone to make her point and Lauren was the person who would bribe people with fortune cookies. And finally the conference ended with the group taking a good and funny picture :-).

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Being an Anchor Institution in a Sea of Conflict: What Does it Mean to Teach Peace? by Everard Meade from Joan B. Kroc of Peace Studies, USD

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 06, 2018

Ev Meade is Director of the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, where he leads certificate programs in peace building and human rights in the areas of Mexico most affected by the drug war, and directs the Trans-Border Opportunities Certificate Program, a field-based introduction to the politics, places, people, and products that define the U.S.-Mexico border. Before coming to USD in 2014, Dr. Meade was a professor in the History Department and co-founder of the Human Rights Program at UC San Diego. Dr. Meade served as an expert witness in immigration courts across the country, in dozens of asylum cases involving Mexican nationals fleeing the current wave of violence. He regularly briefs U.S. law enforcement and foreign service officers on country conditions in Mexico and he is a frequent Op-Ed contributor on related issues. He delivered a highly charged and motivational talk about the peace building process in violence ridden states of Mexico.

His childhood roots are from the Mexican state of Sinaloa (the place of notorious El Chappo), which ranks 30 out of 31 with regards to violence. He says that there is a huge gap between the positive and negative peace factor. According to Ev, foreigners are not targeted in these places. Executions are usually tied to gang-related or to extract information or to keep some secrets silent.

He promotes and teaches the "I Am Somebody" principles that was originally started by Jesse Jackson back in 1972. The key principles are, Recognition, Positive Support and Integration. He encourages people to visit Mexico since it is one of the financial powerhouses for the Spanish world and is one of the 15th wealthiest countries. Every other week he takes 10-15 students into one of these problematic states so that his students can experience first-hand process of peace building.

He is on the board of 7 different organizations, such as, one that prevents violence in agricultural communities, another one that collects testimonies & narratives of life in contemporary Culiacán, one for developing secure and effective mechanisms to document and report abuses of power, etc. In the end stand-in President Jan Parsons presented Ev with the Joshua School donation certificate that represents donation of school supplies to schools in Malawi in the name of the speaker.

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"What I Do" by Sanjiv Prabhakaran & MUN speakers

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Apr 06, 2018

The Model UN event is this coming weekend (April 7 & 8) and so we had the team sponsored by our club give their speeches as a practice session for their real speeches this weekend. Sophia Sugarman from Canyon Crest HS prepared her research on the resolution #2 about reducing the ocean pollution and Lauren Degner from Mt. Carmel High presented her research on the resolution #1 about including Palestine as a member of the United Nations. Sophia was accompanied by her dad Scott Sugarman, who is a veteran Model UN advisor and advised students for many years. Lauren was accompanied by her mother Carol Degner. Both students gave excellent speeches and were ready for the MUN conference.

We had a guest today from the El Segundo club (Shannon Majid). She was attending an Auto show at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and decided to drop in at our meeting.

Then we had Sanjiv Prabhakaran give his "What I Do" talk. He is responsible for the weekly Programming and maintaining the website blogs. He said his key strategy on program speakers is to find people from the local newspapers, from other events that he attends and referrals from various club members. He starts to communicate with the speakers well in advance and get their date commitments and find out how flexible they are to switch at a short notice in case the next speaker is sick or needs to change dates. He uses an email template to request all necessary information from the speakers well in advance. He tried to book speakers 3-4 months in advance. At this point he has all slots filled until middle of August 2018.

As far as the web site he takes down brief notes at the events and few pics and writes up the blogs soon after the event so there is a record of each event and it helps to spread the story to new potential members.

1. Why did you choose that position? He loves meeting new people and understanding their passion of projects that they can share with our members. As far as website since he is technical he enjoys that stuff.

2. How would you improve it? By looking for new ways to integrate Bocce website with auction site and attract more passionate speakers to come and talk.

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"Building Bridges: TERI’s Inspired Journey" by TERI representatives Greg Snaer & Matthew Anderson

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 23, 2018

Since 1997, Greg Snaer has been a vibrant part of the TERI Family. Starting as an instructor at the Learning Academy, he has since worked and led many programs and initiatives at TERI, leaving an indelible mark on each one. Greg has weaved his passion for artistic expression into launching art, music, theatre, and yoga programs at TERI. Greg’s belief in Collective Impact is evident in his work with legacy planning and his passion and involvement in helping the community to connect with people with special needs.

“When not working he enjoys: community projects, yoga, musical performance, outdoor activities, and family life.”

Matthew Anderson started his career with TERI in 2014 at The Learning Academy, one of TERI’s Non-Public Schools. After a few years working in direct programming and behavioral support services, he chose to pursue an opportunity working in development. Matthew has a deep passion for serving individuals with special needs and their families, and looks forward to the completion of TERI’s Campus of Life! Matthew holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Sociology from Concordia University Chicago and is an IALQ certified Special Needs Life Quality Coach.

“When not working he enjoys: camping, volunteering at church, hiking, traveling with his wife, playing music, and a good cup of tea!”

They showed a video that described TERI's program. According to Greg, 1 out 5 kids are in the special needs spectrum and need some help in coping with day-to-day activities. TERI is building a "Campus of Life" center on a 20-acre plot in Sam Marcos. The Equestrian is already operational and the kids love this as it soothes and calms their nerves when they touch these animals & ride on them. At their current location, TERI has about 12 resident homes where they house such challenged kids, they have day programs and 2 children schools. The new location is a $45 Million project and they need about $20 Million more to complete the campus.

In the end they invited the entire club to visit their facilities in Oceanside and see these kids in action. Bill Sutton at the end presented Greg with the Malawi Joshua School certificate where DMSB donates school supplies on behalf of the speaker's name.

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Bocce update and "What I Do" by Jon Fish

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 23, 2018

Malcolm Koll comes back with a beard after visiting Norway to see the Northern Lights :-). He will be the new co-chair for Bocce along with Bill Sutton. The date has been finalized for Sep 29 and 30 at the east end of the Surf Cup Sports Park. He gave a quick vision of how the Bocce event is going to be re-organized this time with more fun by bringing in a theme of Oktoberfest and hence registered the name Bocctoberfest as the new theme. His goal is to raise over $100,000 within 3 years. Charles and Molly talked about their Marketing and Sales approach and how they need every member to participate. Sanjiv and Charlotte briefed about the approach to Auction, Raffles and other forms of income-generating ideas.

Then we had Jon Fish give a quick briefing about his role as the Treasurer and his past role as Bocce Chair.

As Treasurer he has to make sure he tallies up all the "Happy Dollars" collected at each event, the Polio funds and Fines. He has to reconcile the Del Mar and San Diego foundation accounts. He manages all the finance and tax related work. He gets some reconciling bank accounts and verification help from a consultant (Michelle), who gets paid $75/month.

As Bocce Chair he had to coordinate all sub-committees, manage getting all volunteers, find the field and negotiate the prices, arrange all the staffing and other miscellaneous tasks.

1. Why did you choose that position? He loves finance and has been doing it for a long time.

2. How would you improve it? By adding credit card payments instead of checks.

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Military Service to Community Service by Phil Kendro / "What I Do" by Jan Parsons / Visit by Ildiko Tesak

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 16, 2018

This was a packed event since we had a special guest today - Ildiko Tesak. She is a dear friend of the club and our members have worked with her on projects in El Salvador. She arrived with a cast on her left hand due to broken fingers from a tennis game!

Jan Parsons kicked off the event with her "What I Do" talk. Her primary tasks as the Secretary of the club are to create the minutes of board meetings, log into the ClubRunner site and track all attendances, track the status of members, track the monies collected, such as, Polio funds, Happy Dollars, Fines, etc.

1. Why did I choose this position: By force from previous secretary :-).

2. How would I improve it? Nothing to improve as of now. Process is good.

Then we had a talk by our honorary guest Ildiko Tesak about her work and accomplishments in El Salvador. It seems she is always traveling there with armed guards. Amazing presentation about the armed trafficking, corruption of police that led to more gangs, etc. People are not allowed to move out of the community without permission from the gang's leader. Ildiko has worked with these gangs and convinced them to allow her NGO to work with the community and provide basic essential medical and other services, such as, psychological counseling, group therapy, etc. to these communities. Her NGO provides weekly visits for the children to dental clinics, etc.

We also had District Governor Scott Carr as our guest today and he awarded Ildiko with a special "People of Action" award for all her exceptional services. Usually this is reserved for 1 award each year but he made an exception this year.

Finally, we had a wonderful talk by Community Advisor Phil Kendro. He is a trusted San Diego leader with proven track record in cross-functional team leadership, networking, business development, marketing, veteran mentorship, communications, public relations, aviation and ground operations, executive program and project management, social and historical media.

He is a transitioned 20 years Marine Corps veteran. He has lived all over the U.S. and the world (Virginia, Florida, Mississippi, Arizona, Texas, Okinawa Japan) and multiple deployments to Iraq, Afghanistan, Qatar and more. His specialty was as a pilot, but he also had multiple years of experience in aviation operations, safety and risk mitigation, community relations, forward air controller, and more.

He has been in San Diego almost a decade, leading some of the largest events in the United States. Planning, narrating and entertaining audiences of 10K-500K+ at the Miramar Air Show, Seattle Air Fair, Air Show San Diego, San Diego Fleet Week, Concourse D'Elegance, and the Centennial of Naval Aviation (largest flyover of San Diego since World War Two). His key strengths are in strategic thinking, communications, public speaking, and positive energy during high-risk and high-visibility operations. He is also an executive global pilot with experience in dozens of aircraft. You have a plane? He can fly it.

His Gallup StrengthsFinder includes: Strategic, Communication, Futuristic, Context and WOO (Winning Others Over). He is very active in mentoring vets in transition. His one request to the audience was that if any veteran reached out to connect on LinkedIn then to please connect and spend few minutes on a call or chat over coffee. He started a Veterans Beer Club with 4 other friends - a grassroots organization - in 2015 and has now grown to over 1300!

He is on the board of trustees at the Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial. He said that on Memorial Day May 28th there is a large event at Mt. Soledad Memorial from 2-3 pm and there will be a special keynote speaker. He invited all the members and guests to attend that event.

President-elect Ken Barrett presented the "virtual" Joshua-Malawi certificate to Phil. The certificate honors the speaker with a contribution of supplies to schools in Malawi.

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Tuberculosis: "A Silent Threat To Public Health" by Kevin Glynn & Ken's "What I Do"

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 09, 2018

Ken Barrett gave a brief overview of the Bocce committee's findings and the overall decision to continue Bocce fund-raising with some new twists -- a concept of Bocctoberfest ...

Ken then gave some details of what his role is as the "President-elect". Key role is to attend the PETS training conference and drink lots of "Koolaid" :-). His answers to the two questions were ...

1. Why did you choose this role? It was essentially coercion he says :-). But primarily it is to help his kids understand the concepts of service.

2. How would you improve it? Learn from others at PETS and promote and implement those ideas at our club.

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Following that we had a very informative talk by Kevin Glynn about cross-border Tuberculosis (TB) crisis. Kevin is a retired pulmonary physician, former medical director of respiratory care at Scripps Mercy, and a member of Rotary for 17 years and is on the Rotary District 5340 Immunization Committee. A native of Chicago, he graduated from Northwestern University Medical School, and completed residency at the University of Michigan.

When he learned of the plight of the homeless in Baja with tuberculosis, and their connection to TB in the U. S., he decided to join a bi-national coalition working to alleviate this problem. Rotary Clubs are a potential resource in this campaign. In 2017 he published Gasping For Air, a book on how our breathing is killing us and what we can do about it.

As per Kevin, TB spreads from droplets of cough and the bacteria in these droplets spreads and kills tissues in the lungs and other parts of our body. Some stay dormant forever. The U.S. does not recommend any vaccine since it is very rare in the U.S. However, many Asian and other countries have been providing TB vaccine shots and hence the skin tests many times indicate a positive test but the chest x-ray will confirm it as negative because these bacteria stay dormant.

He says that San Diego is seeing some cases primarily due to the transient population form Mexico. It seems that Imperial county has the highest cases - almost 17 per 100,ooo people. However, Baja has 57/100K. 40% of the cases in San Diego has connection to the border traffic. Hence the goal is to reduce the cases in Baja and other parts of Mexico to prevent those cases from reaching San Diego.

His key project now is to fund a clinic in Tijuana called Las Memorias where patients stay for 18 months and get treatment. His plan is to add 30 more TB patients there and hire more staff to follow-up with these patients. They need about $450,000 over the next 3 years. He is collaborating with our club members Venky and Herb to initiate a grant.

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DMSB Rotary 25th Anniversary Celebrations!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 03, 2018

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary club celebrated its 25th anniversary today. Our distinguished guests included Mayor Ginger Marshall of Solana Beach and Deputy Mayor David Druker of Del Mar. We had many past club members also come and celebrate with us at the Del Mar Hilton hotel. Our own club member Phil Campanelli, who is the manager of the hotel, made excellent arrangements. The photos I took did not come out that well due to the dark settings. However, these pictures will jog some memories anyway :-).

The DJ was great and lots of dancing went around. Many members danced away until mid-night!

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"Eat Well and Age Well" by Charlotte Fan of Meals on Wheels & "What I Do" by Steve Weitzen

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Mar 02, 2018

We kicked off the meeting today with Bill Sutton & Gary Schneider giving a quick update on their meeting with the Stand Down committee for helping Veterans. The next Stand Down event will be in the end of June.

Then Steve Weitzen spoke about the roles & responsibilities of an Assistant Governor (AG) in the Rotary club. Some of the key points he mentioned are as follows:

There are 65 clubs in our district and those are managed by 16 AGs.
Steve has to monitor 6 of those clubs including our DMSB club.
One has to serve as President of a club in order to qualify as an AG.
He has to setup a time to talk at each of the 6 clubs once or twice each quarter.
He needs to make sure there are potential Presidents and President-elects at each club by Dec 31st.
Report to the Governor about memberships, challenges, etc. for each of his clubs.

His responses to two questions:

1. WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS ROLE: He was chosen by Janice Kurth, who was the Governor at that time.

2. WHAT WOULD YOU DO TO IMPROVE THIS ROLE: He says, it cannot be better than this :-).

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Following this we had a wonderful talk by Charlotte Fan, North County Area Manager for Meals on Wheels. They provide meals for senior citizens over 60 years of age. She came from Taipei Taiwan in 1982 and has a master’s degree in Community/Social Psychology. She joined Meals on Wheels 19 years ago and continues to serve as the North County Manager coordinating over 500 clients and 700 volunteers. Charlotte is married with 4 grown children- a dentist, a speech language therapist, a registered nurse, and a student graduating soon from the pharmacy school at UCSF. One of Charlotte’s favorite pastimes is eating. Some people like to cook and Charlotte likes to eat and Charlotte would like to make sure our seniors eat well and age well at home.

Clients sign up for proper nutrition, to socialize and to ensure safety in the home environment. They have delivered over 18 million meals to date. They have been in service for 58 years now. They pride themselves in ensuring healthy meals are delivered and they make sure when meals are delivered that the client's environment is safe and clean. They check the client's home and refrigerator to make sure the food is not piling up and no unhealthy signs in the home. If they see any issues they report it to the appropriate authorities or family members.

New clients are welcomed with a bag full of goodies as shown above. Some clients make fancy items, such as kitchen trivets, etc. One trivet was made by a client/volunteer Rachel Reed from Del Mar and Molly Fleming at our club received it as a gift at the end for answering a question that Charlotte popped up.

Meals on Wheels also celebrates client's birthdays and major events, such as, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, etc. with special treats for clients. The above gift box is delivered to clients on their birthdays. It has many useful items, such as, mittens, bath items, etc.

The primary qualification to receive a meal is that the client needs to be over 60 years and opt for at least 3 weekday deliveries. The cost is very reasonable at $4 per meal and $7 for 2 meals/day. They provide special discounts for veterans and financially stressed clients. More details can be found on their website at MEALS ON WHEELS. Information on how to volunteer or donate funds can be seen on their site.

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Do You Have A Secret? - Erika Katayama from Museum of Man

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 23, 2018

Erika Katayama, the Exhibits Director at San Diego Museum of Man (SDMoM) revealed the story of the PostSecret Exhibit that is about to open at SDMoM on April 14, 2018. It all started in November 2004 with the founder Frank Warren distributing some 3000 self-addressed post cards on the streets of Washington D.C. He has a wonderful TED Talk video here - TED-Frank Warren. Erika was accompanied by Claudia Ehrlich, Chief Development Officer and another new employee Brandie Macdonald, Director of Education and Public Engagement.

The postcard had simple instructions on one side and blank on the other side. The idea was for people to share some secret anonymously that they never told anyone. It gradually started to spread like wildfire and he has collected over half million secrets and it keeps growing. According to Frank, it connects people to their deepest humanity and strong emotional feelings are expressed in keeping and releasing secrets. San Diego's SDMoM was chosen as the site to create the first exhibit of all these secrets. Brandie pointed out that one of the cards from a Barista at a Starbucks was extremely funny. It said, "I give Decaf to customers who are rude to me." :-)

The above picture is an artist's rendering of how the exhibit will appear at the SDMoM. There will be 2 live performances by Frank Warren at the Old Globe on Monday April 2nd. Frank has published 10 books and he still gets these postcards.

Erika invited our club for a private tour of the exhibit so that our members can make this into a social event.

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What I Do: Bill Sutton and Australian guest

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 23, 2018

We kicked off the meeting with Bill Sutton our President explain his role as a President. He said his job is easy since he just delegates it all to the rest of the board members and he heads off to the beach :-). Jokes aside, it is a key role to make sure the club functions as per the guidelines laid out by Rotary International. Some of the key tasks are -

Ensure that the club's board members are aware of their duties and that they get the help needed to perform their duties.
Make sure that the Red badgers (new members) move on to become Blue badgers (confirmed members).
Facilitate the various board meetings.

Then we had a walk-in guest from the Tully Rotary Club (District 9550) of Queensland in Australia. His name was Alan-Frank Vechhio. He was in Del Mar with his wife to attend a dog show at the Fairgrounds. He has been president twice, treasurer 4, secretary 3, held many directorships over the last 19 years in rotary. He is also the past assistant district governor. Alan owns a computer company (Tully Computers) in Australia.

He had a special challenge for the Fine Master & President. He brought a bottle of Vegemite (a popular toast spread in Australia) and challenged the fine master & President to eat a vegemite toast or pay a fine :-). They decided to eat it :-).

He also reminded all of us that today is the 113th birthday of Rotary International. The club was formed by Paul Harris on February 23, 1905.

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IBD: A Real Pain in the Gut - Carly Bazzett from Crohn's & Colitis Foundation

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 16, 2018

Carly is a native of Redding, California, where she aspired to a life of service at a young age while watching her mother's community leadership through the Redding East Rotary. Carly attended the University of California, Davis where she played intercollegiate volleyball and graduated with a dual Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Communications. Carly began her career with the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation in 2007, co-launching the national endurance program, Team Challenge, then taking the helm as Executive Director in San Diego in 2011. As per Wikipedia, the foundation was founded in 1965. Carly resides in Solana Beach with her husband, sons Jack and Travis, and Labrador Retriever, Zack. She is a proud Paul Harris Fellow.

She spoke about the serious issue of Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease faced by almost 1.6 million Americans. Both are different forms of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBDs). It seems high stress life in kids taking various AP classes, after-school sports and other activities leads to these IBDs. Almost 5 million people world-side are affected. It affects men & women equally. There are big clusters now appearing in fast developing countries, such as, China and India.

Then we had Megan Nicholson, who was a patient suffering from severe Ulcerative Colitis, talk about her harrowing experience with the disease. She got affected when she was traveling to Norway with a Tahitian dance company at the age of 25. She suffered tremendously for 3 years and went through 14 different procedures and a dozen different medications and treatments and finally now she has been in remission for almost a year! Until her disease returns one day, and it most likely will, she is doing all she can to spread awareness about Crohn’s and Ulcerative Colitis to help raise funds in order to continue the search for cures.

Finally Megan mentioned about how they raise funds via various charity events, marathons, hikes, etc. The foundation has invested almost $300 million since inception. Just last year in 2017 the foundation invested almost $1.2 million in many San Diego institutions, such as, Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, UCSD, etc., for research on cures.

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Who Am I by Julie LIen

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 16, 2018

Julie migrated to the U.S. when she was 3 years old. She was part of the chain immigration via her uncle. Her dad was an engineer and later opened a coffee shop in City of Industry near Los Angeles. Her dad worked on some projects at the Getty Museum near Hollywood. Julie joked that he would go there not to look at the art, but to look at the building architecture :-).

She went to UCLA to do Political Science and later did her MBA from UCI. She had the opportunity to be an intern in Washington D.C. and work with Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown. Career-wise she has been in supply chain logistics. She is married to Scott and have two wonderful kids - Shawnie and Shane.

She got inspired to join Rotary from her early days when she received a scholarship for a 4-way test Rotary contest. She has been involved in Rotary for many years now and has participated in several community projects.

One of the big challenges in life was to swim. She was paranoid but one of her best friends went with her for 6 months and eventually Julie was confident in swimming. When in Fiji she had the opportunity to go under-water to see wild life and got to swim with the sharks! That was the ultimate of conquering the fear of water.

FAV MOVIE: Lord of the Rings

MORNING RITUAL: Get her coffee, check computer and news.

BIG BILLBOARD SIGN: With change comes opportunity.

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Feeding San Diego project

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 16, 2018

FEEDING SAN DIEGO + DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY

We had a good group of over 10 volunteers from our club along with some family & friends that helped package and clean food at the Feeding San Diego center in Sorrento Valley. In the 2 hours that we spent there, it seems we created 3600 bags filled with apples, pasta, etc. We also cleaned up several thousand pounds of brussels sprouts.

Feeding San Diego has only 42 employees and manages the entire operation with hundreds of volunteers. They have a very efficient system to register and co-ordinate volunteers online and are always looking for more volunteers.

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String of Pearls Around the Pacific - Richard Earnest

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 09, 2018

Today we had Del Mar's former mayor Mr. Richard Earnest present an exciting talk about the string of pearls built around the Pacific Rim as part of the Pacific Rim Park Project. He is a graduate of the Naval Academy and became a fighter pilot in Vietnam. He spent 30 years in the tech industry, running 6 different public and private firms as CEO. He also served as City Council member in Del Mar for 14 years and Mayor three times. He is still working and helping a company that builds inflatable air supported greenhouses.

String of Pearls is a very ambitions project with the goal to build small parks that face the Pacific Ocean in various countries around the Pacific. The major criteria is that students from various countries build these parks during summer breaks. The hosting country will provide all the accommodation and food. Their goal is to build 41 parks and 7 have been built so far. One of the key project founder is James Hubbell - the famous artist from Santa Ysabel, CA. James provides all the art design.

These parks are built within 30 days and involves tremendous coordination between the students and the hosting country. It provides these students with a great opportunity to connect with different cultures via art. The primary theme is to have an object that resembles a pearl in all the parks. They recently built a park in China last year and later found out that the government demolished it for some other construction and no one was informed! The Park Rim organization finally located another spot and will be building that this July.

They see that the students lean a lot of team-building skills and communicating with them via art since most of them don't know each other's languages! In one case a Mexican student met a Japanese student and they fell in love and got married and recently had a child. So, Richard says that this project creates more than art!

Richard is very passionate about these projects and works on raising the necessary funds to send these kids all around the world. It seems that Jim Hubbell , who is 88 yrs old is still very active and visits every site that is being built.

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Another Paul Harris and Who Am I by Art Mendozza

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 09, 2018

We started the meeting with a surprise Paul Harris award by Paul Butler. This time the winner was Gary Schneiderman!

Congratulations to Gary!

Art provided a wonderful memory trail of pictures. His main punch line is to help others. His father is from Mexico, who married a German born on an 8-acre farm in Staten Island. Art later moved to Washington D.C. and Boston. At one point he wanted to be a pianist and then a rock star, but eventually ended up as a Pathologist scanning through films for cancer cells. He now works at Sharp Hospital.

During his young adult ages of 21 to 24 years he had the opportunity to travel across the globe and visit many countries. At one point he was chasing a girl he met all the way to Teheran, who eventually dumped him :-). He finally married his high-school sweetheart, who also is a pathologist. They have a son, but then eventually had a cordial divorce (without attorneys) and they still work together and see each other at work!

He later married Tina Ziainia on Jan 1, 2011 on the beach in Del Mar. They now have a little girl also. He loves to travel and keeps visiting many countries and hence misses many Rotary meetings!

FAV MOVIE: Sound of Music - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sound_of_Music_(film)

MORNING RITUAL: Go for a run sometimes, then a double espresso and read NY Times or WSJ.

BIG BILLBOARD SIGN: A quote by Ernst Friedrich "Fritz" Schumacher - "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction."

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Who Am I: Sanjiv Prabhakaran

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 02, 2018

Sanjiv shared some interesting snippets of his life from India to USA. He was born in the state of Kerala, southern part of India. He grew up in the busy city of Bombay (now known as Mumbai). After his high-school and B.S. in Electrical Engineering he headed to Columbus, Ohio in 1981 and completed his Masters in Electrical/Digital Computers from Ohio State University. He later moved to the Bay area in 1986 and spent 14 years there working for 3 different companies in the areas of imaging and GPS fleet tracking technologies. Later in mid 2000 he moved to San Diego to pursue new opportunities and ended up at a real estate software company in downtown San Diego to revamp their technology platform.

He has a wonderful family with wife, two daughters and finally a son was added to their family via older daughter's marriage in 2017. The other big event in 2017 was younger daughter's acceptance to USC for her graduate program in Doctorate of Physical Therapy.

Sanjiv is also involved in humanitarian projects with San Diego Futures Foundation, Rotary and a group in India called the Ottapalam Welfare Trust (OWT). OWT helps paraplegic & quadriplegic patients to gain skills so they can lead an independent life via training, physical therapy and financial support. One such quadriplegic patient is Ajay (shown above), who met with a tragic train accident and still exudes optimism and a big smile all the time. He trained himself to use his voice to control the computer and be able to edit & create Word and Excel documents. He inspires many young kids and trains these youngsters with computer skills.

FAV MOVIE: Glengarry Glen Ross with Al Pacino, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, Alec Baldwin, etc.

MORNING RITUAL: Glass of warm water, check urgent messages on phone, Yoga, b'fast with WSJ

BIG BILLBOARD SIGN: Keep Smiling Always!

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Paul Harris + The Fine Art of Art Installing by Lizz Lang & Raul

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Feb 02, 2018

Today's meeting started with a surprise announcement by Paul Butler! He had two 2nd level Paul Harris pins for two amazing members of our club - Bill and Suzanne Sutton!

Then we had Lizz Lang present a wonderful story about how she got inspired with art and to help people and business with the art of installing art pieces from their life. Lizz's mom was very instrumental in inspiring her with art. Lizz’s Mom (Norma Benjamin) began the Cedros Design District back in 1980! The Belly Up Tavern owner, David Hodges (now deceased) agreed to rent out his quonset huts to artists and artisans as her Mom promised him “this is a great area for an art community” - and we now know it to be that & more!! Her Mom is still kicking at 90 and lives with Lizz & Raul in Escondido.

Lizz started a framing studio in San Diego on Morena Blvd. to transform and re-install art and later sold that shop in 1986 to a new owner, who still runs it at the same location. She then moved to LA and got married to a laser artist and got more involved in art installations. One of her scariest story was when they were doing an installation at a Beverly HIlls home. The home owner wanted to install a full size pic of his wife and the installer accidentally drilled through the picture and it happened to be right where his wife's belly button was :-(. The owner got so mad that he drew his gun from his holster and started yelling to get Lizz out of his home. Later Lizz managed to come back with her mother and fix the picture and completed the installation.

She later met Raul and that was instant love and they got married and moved back to San Diego in 1991,. They did many art installations in Japan, Portugal, Dubai, etc. They also had 6 opportunities at Super Bowl half-times. At Super-Bowl they get just 7 minutes to setup the stage with all the props and electronics. They also had the great opportunity to meet with celebrities, such as, Phil Nickelson, Tony Gwyn, Junior Seau, etc.

Her favorite job was the art installation at Tony Gwyn's home. Apparently Tony just gave her all the trophies, awards, memorabilias, etc. and told Lizz to just set it up in the best way she can imagine. It took Lizz an entire week to arrange it all over his home. Needless to say, he was thrilled after the work. Their biggest success story is that they have recently been selected as a primary vendor by Ethan Allen for art installations. They have started working with 5 Ethan Allen stores helping their clients with all the art installations. Their tag line is "Show up and do a good job!"

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Model UN Training at CCA

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 27, 2018

Kevin Cahill kicked off the early morning training session for the 18th Model UN program. 49 teams will be participating this year and we had over 120 people in attendance with 90% of the students plus some parents and advisors for each team. The meeting was held at the Canyon Crest Academy's (CCA) Media Center. We had challenges with the heat and lighting but the enthusiasm in the room was so high that people didn't worry about the lack of heat despite a cold morning. We were greeted with hot coffee, croissants, bagels and muffins.

Kevin started off by welcoming the participants and highlighting the theme this year to be "Collaboration Mode". He said that this year we have teams from Mexico and Costa Rica also. the final competition date will be on April 7 and 8, 2018 at the University of San Diego campus. He introduced the Secretariat team as Yasmine Sadoudi (from San Diego H.S.) and Renata Valente (from SDSU). Yasmine has participated in few Model UN competitions in the past.

There will be 2 resolutions to be debated this year:

RESOLUTION-1: This will be about United Nations membership for Palestine. This was created by Yasmine and the topic will be interesting as it will be a discussion about adding a new country to the United Nations.

RESOLUTION-2: This will be about protecting our oceans from all the micro plastic pollution. The primary culprits are countries, such as, China, Vietnam, and Thailand,

Kevin then briefly touched on the agenda for the Saturday and Sunday of the event. There will be a grand dinner banquet on Sat April 7, 2018 for the participants and advisors. There will also be a surprise event at the end of that dinner :-). Kevin also talked about some key strategies for the competition and some of the common research tools to be used. Following that, Yasmine delivered a short training on Negotiation Skills.

In the end, Kevin announced the countries that were assigned to each team via a lottery system. The team sponsored by our club consists of two students from CCA - Sophia Sugarman (senior) and Sabrina Soffer (sophomore). Our team received CHINA as their country.

Sophia attended the event with her grandmother.

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Solar Chargers and Environment Impact by Desmond Wheatley

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 26, 2018

Our speaker Desmond Wheatley from Envision Solar presented a passionate presentation about how we can make our world cleaner, greener and healthier and put more dollars back in our revenue stream by using renewable and stored energy.

His photos provided many examples of how we can efficiently store energy from the sun at economical costs and use whenever we need it.

Looks like Ken ran out of (or lost) the Speaker Certificates and hence is presenting a "virtual" certificate to Desmond :-).

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Who Am I: Jan Parsons and Rotary updates

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 12, 2018

Today's "Who Am I" talk was by one of our long-time member Jan Parsons. Since our featured speaker was sick she had ample time to delve into her story. It was fun and exciting to hear her early entry into Rotary at age 16. She received a letter from the local Rotary club and that inspired her to get involved. She grew up with skiing being a big part of her life. Once she received a 6-month pass to Europe and she skied all over Europe and tried to live on $10 per day! Lunch was usually candy bar & beer :-). She would stay at places where dinner and breakfast were free.

Then she got married and stayed in Morocco for 2 years. Did her Bachelors in Business. Then in 1989 joined Securities Pacific Bank, which later merged with Bank of America. Around that time she got re-introduced to Rotary. She was with BoA for 27 years. She retired on April Fool's Day :-). She loves the arts, classical music and travel.

FAVORITE MOVIE: It's a Wonderful Life - A 1946 American Christmas Fantasy comedy-drama.

MORNING RITUALS: Get her coffee, do some reading, grab the news, play Sudoku.

WHAT WILL HER BIG BILLBOARD SIGN SAY: Love is all you need and God is love!

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OTHER CLUB HIGHLIGHTS:

Lou Oberman mentioned about Convention of States - requesting all to sign up at https://conventionofstates.com/.

Ken Barrett talked briefly about Bocce meeting on Monday Jan 15th at 5:30pm at Charle Foster's home. The goal is to kick-off the planning for the next Bocce fund-raising event.

Patricia gave some highlights of the future game night and 25th anniversary events coming up on Feb 3rd and March 3rd. She has already sent out invites last week.

Bill mentioned about the up-coming 6-way meeting on Thursday Jan 18, 2018 at 12pm at the Del Mar Hilton where we meet for our usual Friday meetings.

There will be NO regular Friday meeting on Jan 19th.

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6-way meeting and Random Acts of Culture by Joey Landwehr of JCompany

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 05, 2018

Today's meeting started with Steve Weitzen inspiring everyone to attend the 6-way District meeting to be held at the Del Mar Hilton (our regular venue) on Thursday Jan 18th at 12 pm. Due to this, the regular DMSB meeting on Friday Jan 19th has been cancelled.

Joey Landwehr is the proud Artistic Director for JCompany Youth Theatre. Joey has won over 40 awards for his work with young artists in San Diego, including a special creativity award for shaving his head with his lead in THE KING AND I, Yul Brynner style, and raising over $10,000 for Rady Children’s Hospital's Cancer Unit - earning him the title Joey "Do Anything For The Arts" Landwehr. His favorite slide shown above talks about how EARTH is meaningless without the "ART" in it, since earth becomes just EH :-). According to Joey, theater CHANGES lives and it also SAVES lives. He said that school kids that are involved in arts and theater on average scored 100 points higher in Math and Verbal.

Joey moved to San Diego after being a professional actor and director in New York City working on and off Broadway, national tours, regional theatre and directing and soloing at Carnegie Hall. Joey received his MFA in acting and directing from The Ohio State University and has had the great privilege of working with such greats as Phyllis Diller, Sam Harris & Howard Keel.
Since moving to San Diego, Joey has worked for the San Diego Performing Arts League as Membership and Community Development Director; in 2007 he received the “40 Under 40” Award from San Diego Metropolitan Magazine for outstanding leadership in the arts. Joey was also honored as the 2011 Newsmaker in the Arts. In 2016, Joey was further recognized when the City of San Diego proclaimed October 18th Joey Landwehr Day.

At JCompany he has had the privilege of directing Rumplestilskin is My Name, Oliver!, Yours, Anne, Annie, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, The Story of Hansel and Gretel, Disney's The Jungle Book, Elton John and Tim Rice's Aida, Disney's 101 Dalmations, etc.

Joey was also accompanied by Suzan Sencan, who has the title of JCompany Mom and she talked about how JCompany & Joey welcomed her autistic son into the a summer program 10 years ago and ever since her son has improved significantly and that has made her son and the entire family extremely happy and productive.

Finally Bill awarded the famous Rotary certificate to Joey where our club donates school supplies in the name of the speaker to schools in Malawi.

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Who Am I: Patricia Case

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jan 05, 2018

Today we had a wonderful talk by Patricia Case, who is a long time member of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary club since 1997. She talked passionately about the beautiful Chaffey High School in Ontario, CA that she attended. Apparently this school is among the top 20 schools in the country for its beautiful campus that was built in 1911.

In 1945 the newspaper for whom Patricia's mother worked sent her to Balboa Naval Hospital to interview wounded Navy men recovering from war injuries.. Being from New York City she did not drive and took the train. It was love at first site. After she met Patricia's father she took the train weekend thereafter until he was released which was six months later.

She also spoke about her various career path that led her to Pacific Bell, Honeywell, AMN Healthcare and finally now at Aya Healthcare. She is passionate abut Christmas decorations and spends a lot of time decorating it. She also talked proudly about her grown-up two sons and shared a picture of a fully decorated Christmas tree with her grand-daughter.

Favorite Movie: To Kill A Mocking Bird - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_Kill_a_Mockingbird_(film)

Morning Ritual: Get her coffee and then read 2 inspirational books.

Big Billboard Sign Would Say: If God is your co-pilot, change seats :-).

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The Impact of the Farmers Insurance Open Golf Tournament

Posted by K2 on Dec 15, 2017

Hosting a golf tournament has evolved a lot over the last several years. Instead of just attending a golf event, people want more of an experience - a lifestyle and entertainment event. That's the challenge Peter Ripa faces as CEO of the Century Club of San Diego. The Century Club is responsible for planning and executing the Farmers Insurance Open, San Diego’s PGA TOUR Event.

The organization is composed of 12 staff and more than 50 San Diego business and community leaders dedicated to the mission of uplifting San Diego and local charities. This is achieved through the Event’s broad economic impact and programs that utilize the profile and magnitude of the Event to provide fundraising, engagement, awareness and experiences for charities, local military families, community organizations and schools.

Event Highlights:

More than $25 million economic impact for the City of San Diego including more than $6 million in local hotel revenue
Excess of $3 million in funding and in-kind value delivered to charitable partners annually
Unmatched exposure for San Diego with 18.5 hours of live TV coverage to 117countries on CBS and Golf Channel.
Plays host to over 126K guests from all 50 states and 20 countries.
PGA TOUR has recognized the Farmers Insurance Open the last two years as a finalist for Best On-Site Staging amongst a 47-event schedule and WON THE HONOR IN 2017.
PGA TOUR recognized tournament charity, The Monarch School as PGA TOUR Charity of the Year in 2015.

Three additional things to note that Peter shared:

Patriots Outpost - The Century Club donates tickets to 1,200 members of the military and their families and provides a separate hospitality tent for them. Early in last year's tournament, relatively unknown Spanish golfer Jon Rahm made a special appearance in the tent to say "Thank You!" and handed out Taylor Made hats. Jon would eventually make a thrilling, 60-foot eagle putt on the 18th hole to win the tournament.
Executive Women's Day - Women’s Day is an inspiring program filled with compelling speakers, leadership topics, personal and career development mixed with meaningful networking opportunities. It is a unique environment for women to grow personally and professionally while also connecting guests to the Farmers Insurance Open’s commitment to giving back to the community. This year will include a special appearance by Scout Bassett, a challenged athlete with is a sprinter, triathlete and world record holder.
97% Would Refer - To illustrate just how incredible the experience is of attending the Farmers Insurance Open. Of the past attendees, 97% would refer others to attend. That's incredible!

Peter previously served as the Tournament Director at the PGA TOUR’s Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Fort Worth, Texas for five years. Colonial was recognized with four PGA TOUR “Best of Awards” – Most Engaged Community, Best Marketing/Sales Plan (twice) and Best Use of Players.

Prior to his role at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial, Peter served as Assistant Executive Director of the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA), Georgia PGA, Florida State Golf Association and Innisbrook Resort over the last 30 years.

Peter currently serves on the Board for the San Diego Tourism Authority and completed two terms on the Board for the PGA TOUR Tournament Advisory Council (TAC). Member of San Diego Sports Innovators (SDSI). His wife and son live in Escondido. His daughter is currently attending Auburn University.

Who Am I: Ken Barrett

Posted by K2 on Dec 15, 2017

Ken grew up in Texas before heading to New Hampshire to attend Dartmouth College. While there, in addition to his studies he was also active on the crew team and competed in cross-country skiing. After graduation he headed to Japan for 5 years. He became one of the first Americans to every work for Mitsubishi on Japanese shores. Upon returning to the U.S. he went to Harvard Business School and then moved back to Texas. During that time he met his wife, Bebe.

Several years later, looking for a career change, Ken went back to college to learn about Industrial Bio-Tech at the University of Arizona. That's also where their two children were born, Isara and Natiya. That career change is also what brought Ken to San Diego where he joined a company called Diversa (which has since been acquired by BASF). Ken is still highly active with his family and the community and finds time to paraglide and surf whenever he can.

Answers to the three questions:

- Favorite movie: Life Is Beautiful

- First 60 minutes of the day: Get up, walk the dog, make coffee and get ready for work

- Saying on Billboard: Enjoy Life - It has an expiration date

Casa de Amistad Making a Difference

Posted by K2 on Dec 15, 2017

Deanna Wolf, Program Coordinator at Casa de Amistad provided an update on the great work they are doing within our community. Since it began in 1997, Casa de Amistad's academic mentoring program has grown from serving just 3 children on its first night to over 250 children and adults annually. Students participating in Casa de Amistad are from school districts throughout coastal North County San Diego. Currently, 204 students come from Solana Beach School District, Del Mar Union School District, Encinitas Union School District, Cardiff School District, Carlsbad Unified School District and San Dieguito Union High School District. Over 100 individuals volunteer weekly as tutors/mentors.

Most of the children they serve are first and second generation students. The program is highly successful and they currently have over 50 students on the waiting list.

DMSB Annual Holiday Party

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 10, 2017

What a GRAND party at the Fish's beautiful home! Thanks to Jon and Barbara for their wonderful hospitality. The early-comers were able to see a beautiful orange sunset from Jon's backyard.

The food was wonderful. And the dessert in the end was superb! In the end we had a wonderful White Elephant gift exchange game with Patricia's MYSTERY GIFT changing hands many times. It turned out to be a singing Santa :-).

A big thank you to Patricia for managing and organizing this wonderful event and to Jon and Barbara for sharing their home.

More pictures can be seen at this Google link that Jon sent. PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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The Science of Compassion - Debra Dupress

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 08, 2017

Dr. Debra Dupree is considered to be a top expert on the Brain-Body Connection and how to master relationships. She is a dynamic and engaging international public speaker; business, communication, and relationship consultant; as well as a published author. She presented a very inspirational talk with great statistics about empathy and compassion.

For more than 20 years, she has been igniting her audiences to fire up their brains to inspire positive changes in their relationships up, down and all around. The information she shares helps those who hear her accelerate their success in life and business through discovery of their natural gifts.

Dr. D’s educational background is vast. She studied Psychology, Career Development and Organizational Psychology at the University of California where she obtained both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees. She has advanced certifications in disability management for when medical conditions change the course of life. She is an Advanced Mediator specializing in workplace and family issues as well as a Professor in Negotiation, Mediation and Psychology. More recently, she returned to school to achieve her Doctorate degree in Psychology at Ryokan College where her dissertation revealed the Psychology of Good Bosses vs. Bad Bosses and its impact on leadership.

She has done extensive research in the areas of Personality Types, Communication Styles, Brain Function, and the Brain-Body- Mind Connection. Her published books include “Unlocking Your Emotional Potential” and “Leading Consciously Now: Managing Up, Down and All Around.” Debra actively teaches at live events and webinars worldwide.

Her research shows that the United States consumes almost 25% of all resources in the world and still lot of depression and loneliness exists. She focuses on the law of reciprocity, which says that you have to give to get back. She talked about Zig Zigler's quote "F.E.A.R." - False Expectations Appearing Real. She also talked about the comparison with iceberg. Most folks react to the top of the iceberg, but one needs to dive deeper and look at bottom of the iceberg.

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Who Am I: Molly Fleming

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 08, 2017

Despite vicious rumors Molly is not a former SNL cast member, however she is a charismatic real estate agent for Coldwell Banker who worked her way through SDSU as a telemarketer. She has the Irish background and grew up with two brothers in Anaheim. Moved to DC for sometime and worked in many software companies. Eventually found her way back to San Diego and got her real estate license. During her growing years itself she was heavily involved in charity and feeding the less fortunate with food every week. Later on in 2014 she found her spouse via online sites.

Favorite Movie: Dead Poet's Society - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Poets_Society

Morning Ritual: Go to gym, watch Today's Show, hit the office.

Big Billboard Sign: "This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave."

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Healing the Brain, Body and Spirit in Addictions and Eating Disorders - Dr. Carolyn Ross

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 04, 2017

Dr. Carolyn Coker Ross (CarolynRossMD.com + FindingYourAnchor.com) is an internationally known author, speaker, expert and pioneer in the use of Integrative Medicine for the treatment of Eating Disorders, Obesity and Addictions. She is a graduate of Andrew Weil’s Fellowship Program in Integrative Medicine. She is the former head of the eating disorder program at internationally renowned Sierra Tucson.

Dr. Ross is a consultant for treatment centers around the US. She is the author of three books including one of the first books on Binge Eating Disorder: The Binge Eating and Compulsive Overeating Workbook and her recent book, The Emotional Eating Workbook. Dr. Ross currently has a private practice in Denver and San Diego specializing in Integrative Medicine for treating eating disorders, addictions, mood and anxiety disorders and obesity.

Eating disorders (ED) and substance use disorders (SUD) co-occur in many individuals. This talk clarified the causes of both and why you or someone you care about is struggling with these disorders. Dr. Ross will offer a specific integrative approach to heal brain, body and spirit.

Overdose of drugs and alcohol led to 65,000 deaths in Vietnam in 2016. According to Dr. Ross, there is no such thing as a "30-day cure" program to fix overdose or abuse issues. It takes lot longer since you have to understand the root cause, transform one's life and heal the pain.

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Who Am I: Gary Schneiderman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Dec 01, 2017

This week we have the first of two new member "Who Am I" presentations. Gary is a neuroscience doctor who started his career by operating on the brains of house cats. His father was a big influence on him in many aspects. One of the big things that Gary admired about his dad was that he worked at JPL and manages mission to Mars and other planets. He would bring interesting exploration items home to show to the family.

Later he went to medical school and met wife Kathy on the 2nd day and been married to her since then. They will be celebrating their 40th anniversary soon.

They are blessed with 3 wonderful kids - Laura, Dan, who is an attorney and 3rd son followed dad and became an orthopaedic surgeon.

He likes surfing, plays rock-'n'-roll in a band and enjoys making surfboards in his backyard despite his neighbor's complaints :-).

Favorite Movie: Casablanca

Morning ritual: Coffee, read paper and go for a swim.

Big Billboard Sign: Quite from Dalai Lama - "Open heart is open mind."

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DMSB + JIT party at the Sutton's

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 30, 2017

Bill and Suzanne Sutton hosted a Just In Time group party at their home. Herb, Bev and Gary also attended the event.

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Who Am I: Lou Oberman

Posted by K2 on Nov 19, 2017

Lou was born in Manhattan . . . New York City. His parents were from Poland and his father was a retail jeweler. Growing up, Lou was nuts about baseball and wanted to be a Major League Baseball player. He played every position except for pitcher, spending most of his time behind the plate as catcher. During his senior year, his high school baseball team won the 1949 NYC Baseball Championship. He even tried out with the NY Giants and received an invitation to go to Florida, however a serious leg infection at the time prevented him from going.

Lou joined a real estate firm while also taking business courses at City College of New York. His weekends were still filled by playing 4-5 games of baseball against a variety of college and service teams, and he even played at Sing Sing Prison.

In 1950 the Korean Conflict started with Lou entering the USMC in February of 1952. He did boot camp at Parris Island, SC then was ordered to MCAS in El Toro, CA where he served as an Instrument Flight Instructor to Reserved WWII Pilots.

Following the Korean Conflict Lou was release to the Reserves for 6 years and returned to real estate. He got married in 1954, the same year he was recruited by a life insurance company. In 1961 he moved to Engelwood, NJ and joined the Englewood Jaycees, serving as President in 1962, chairing the 1963 North Jersey Soap Box Derby and earning Man Of The Year for his local achievements.

His career took a turn in 1963 when he was recruited by a financial planning firm, becoming Director of Financial Planning two years later. What made it interesting is that their office was in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 1967, Lou started his own firm in New York City. During a trip to California he saw an opportunity to do financial planning in Las Angeles so he moved in 1969 and joined a Beverly Hills financial planning firm.

Two years later he decided to go on his own and opened a firm in Torrance, CA. In 1988, he joined LPL Financial Broker/Dealer and moved to Vista Valley Country Club in Vista, CA with his office in Rancho Bernardo. LPL Financial is where Lou met his future partner, Steve Van Houten. They moved to Encinitas and changed the name to Lifetime Financial Advisers. Lou sold his practice to Steve in 2003 while staying on as a consultant a few days a week.

Over the years Lou has also been involved with different projects as an entrepreneur investor:

1979 – Orthotic shoe inserts primarily for athletes and runners with back or foot issues. Lou worked with a Podiatrist who fulfilled the final product to the end user, however the Podiatrist eventually backed out with pressure from others.
1991 – Lou purchased a franchised Mexican fast food restaurant with a client for his two sons to operate. Both sons stayed for 6 months and were not impressed. So Lou sold the business to his partner who eventually sold out to a very large California fast food chain.
2008 – Invented golf clubs (wedges and a putter) with shafts which would separate into two equal sections, by a connector, which Lou patented. The assembled clubs were used for practice only, indoors or outdoors, with special plastic golf balls which wouldn't harm cars, walls or windows. The package included a putting cup, hitting mat and a case to hold all the pieces. Lou abandoned the project when he became a caregiver for his loving partner, Gloria.

Lou has been married twice, with 3 children by his first wife, plus 3 grandchildren. He’s also been in 2 serious relationships and recently met Nancy who many of us have met. He divides his time between golf, volunteering at the Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum, and as a Convention of States volunteer (District Captain 4 years). Lou has also been very dedicated to Rotary, He first joined in 1981 and is a 5 time Paul Harris Fellow. He join the DMSB Rotary Club, his 4^th club, in 1996 and is honored to be a member. And we are honored to have him as one.

Answers to the three questions:

- Favorite movie: Amadeus

- First 60 minutes of the day: Get up, get on computer, read Wall Street Journal, check emails (still involved in many things)

- Saying on Billboard: Yesterday was History, Tomorrow is a Mystery, Today - the Present - is a Present.

Mike and Cambria Perry - Functional Medicine Specialists
Finding the Root Cause of Chronic Disease

Posted by K2 on Nov 19, 2017

Functional Medicine is a fascinating field with remarkable benefits. Cambria Demarco Perry, a Functional Medicine Practitioner and Mike Perry a Functional Medicine Wellness Coach and Micro-Current Pain Management Technician own Functional Medicine Specialists in Encinitas. Their practice focuses on treating the root cause of disease, not just band-aiding the symptoms. Cambria and Mike closely follow the researched based medical protocols and philosophy of the Institute of Functional Medicine.

Cambria has over 25 years of experience in traditional medicine. She is Board Certified in Acute Care and spent 18 years working in the Emergency Department of Columbia Medical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, UCLA and Rady Children’s Hospital of San Diego. In addition to her 5 years of Functional Medicine experience, she specializes in Neurological Health and works in collaboration with Dr. Dale Bredesen, a World Renowned Neurologist who just published a book called “The End of Alzheimer's. He developed a program to Prevent and Reverse Cognitive Decline”. Dr. Bredesen has documented over 100 cases where his protocols have reversed the progression and symptoms of Alzheimer's. Cambria was trained by Dr. Bredesen and colaborates directly with him and his organization on almost all of her Alzheimer’s cases.

Cambria also has a personal passion for treating children with special needs like Autism, ADHD and has over two decades of experience in this area. She is trained and listed with Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs as MAPS Practitioner. Cambria grew up in Del Mar and in her spare time enjoys the natural beauty of her home in Elfin Forest. Her favorite place in the world is on a nice trail nearby with one of her Arabian horses.

Mike is a Certified Functional Medicine Wellness Coach, a Certified Nutritional Consultant and a Certified Micro-Current Technician. Mike helps clients identify wellness goals and helps to implement a wellness plan that is created by the client. He works with clients on how to make the lifestyle changes necessary to get there. His more recent area of focus in on micro-current nerve stimulation and pain management therapies. He works with a machine based on Nobel prize winning research, guided missile and lie detector technologies. In Mike’s spare time you might see him on a road bike or catching a wave in North County somewhere.

Learn more about the great work they do and the benefits of Functional Medicine by visiting their website at www.FMScal.com.

DMSB Rotary Donates $8,858 to Reality Changers

Posted by K2 on Nov 19, 2017

The Del Mar / Solana Beach Rotary proudly presented Chris Yanov and Lauren Tullis from Reality Changers with a donation of $8,858 to support the great work they do with area youth. From 1996 to 2001, Chris worked as a youth director near downtown San Diego. The majority of teens with which he first worked with were involved with drugs and gangs, often leading to violence, vandalism, teen pregnancy, and even death. To respond to this challenge, Chris started Reality Changers in 2001 with just four students and $300 to its name. It is based on the principle that it is just not right that most inner-city students today know more people who have been shot or killed in the street than people who are on the road to college.

Nearly a decade and a half later, Reality Changers now serves nearly 1,000 youth from disadvantaged backgrounds every year (its College Apps Academy course is available to 12th graders from all backgrounds). The program’s 1,300 graduates – including 29 Gates Millennium Scholars – have now earned over $100,000,000 in scholarships from all sources. Reality Changers has begun to scale its programs so that this feat can be accomplished on an annual basis beginning in 2018. The work they are doing has also caught the attention of Mexico President Vicente Fox who has joined their Board of Directors. Here is a story about it in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

We are proud to support the tremendous impact they are making. Learn more about the great work they are doing at www.realitychangers.org.

Global Grant update from Ottapalam Rotary club

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 17, 2017

We are making good progress on the Paraplegic global grant in partnership with the Ottapalam, Kerala, India Rotary club. They are preparing a detailed response to all the questions raised by The Global Grant foundation. In the picture above they are displaying our DMSB flag at a meeting where the club senior members were discussing and preparing responses to the questions raised on the global grant application. They plan to send the final revisions to Sanjiv and Venky by next week. Sanjiv had met them last month in India and also visited one of the quadriplegic beneficiaries of the grant money.

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Veterans celebration day & new members!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 10, 2017

We had an amazing audience today to celebrate Veterans' Day. George brought out his teddy bear that sang the "Great American" song.

Then we had several of our club veterans give a brief talk on their involvement.

These were the club members that spoke. I tried my best to capture notes and so if you see any mistakes please let me know and I will correct it ASAP. Charles Foster could not attend but sent his summary via email.

George Sousa - Married his wife Lou in Dec of 1950 and few weeks later in Jan 1951 he joined the army. He then went on to fight the Korean war. His plaque with his name and picture is also displayed at the Mt. Soledad memorial.

Bill Sutton - Was in the Marine Corps, anti-aircraft officer, showed some pictures with Suzanne and his senior officers.

Lou Oberman - He joined Marine Corps, did the boot camp at Parris Island, was involved in Instrument Flight Instructing School, he had the privilege to train Jerry Coleman.

Paul Butler - Was in the Navy from 1979 to 1989, 2 years in flight training, then advanced flight training in Virginia. He flew jets off aircraft carriers for 10 years!

Jon Fish - He joins the Navy and then was later posted on a ship along the Meekong river in Saigon and it was quite peaceful at that time he said.

Malcolm Koll - Served in South Africa 1976. After boot camp was trained to be a land surveyor and sent to the Angolan border to survey the center line for a road through the Caprivi strip. Did annual camps thereafter until he emigrated.

Arnold Fernandes - George's friend and a guest today. He served during World War II. He is 94 years old.

Herb Liberman - He was in the reserves for 6 years, when he was active duty in the army, they found out he was a teacher and so he was assigned to teach some of the recruits so they received the minimum qualification certificate for GED. He was also an ambulance driver.

Charles Foster - He was in the Navy 1968-1972. Was a Lieutenant. Ran ship overhauls at Charleston (S.C.) Naval Shipyard. Last job was as Ship Management Officer responsible for the planning and execution of the overhaul and modernization of the USS Sampson (DDG-10), a guided missile destroyer. This was an experimental compressed overhaul with monthly reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations in D.C.

Ken also made some announcements today of 2 new members! Molly Fleming & Gary Schneiderman. Welcome to DMSB!

This was a celebration of migrating two long-time guests Molly and Greg from sticker badges to the official DMSB red badges :-).

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Danial Casara - Purple Heart Recipient and much more

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Nov 10, 2017

Sergeant Daniel Casara served his country proudly for nearly 15 years. He deployed in 2005, and on September 23, his M113 rolled over an anti-tank mine. The explosion flipped his tank, killing two and injuring four. Sgt. Casara suffered bilateral fractures to his right tibia and fibula, a shattered left tibia, shattered heel and ankle bones to both feet, and a dislocated right hip. To date, he has undergone 24 surgeries and countless hours of physical therapy.

For his service, Danny has been honored with a Purple Heart, Army Achievement Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Iraqi Campaign Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Still in rehabilitation for his injuries to this day, Danny has also worked with over 20 non-profits to raise awareness and money in over 15 states for the wounded veterans’ community and their families. Using sports and recreational activities to support his rehabilitation, he has continued to strengthen his legs.

Sgt. Casara cycles, golfs, plays baseball, softball, snowboards. He sits on the board of directors of Open Hearts For Purple Hearts Foundation, board of governors for Morgan Run Club and Resort, and is the Executive Director of the Veterans Golfer’s Association Western Region. He was also the Chairman of the 2016 and 2017 Charity Classic (an annual nation-wide charity event hosted by ClubCorp). Sgt. Casara is a 2016 graduate of the Golf Academy of America in San Diego, California and he is currently pursuing a degree in criminal justice.

In 2009 he married Barbara “Basia” Gasienica, who emigrated from Poland in 1987. They have resided with his son, Denali, and his mother, Elaine, in the 52nd district in San Diego County since 2012.

In 2016 Danny was selected as a subject for a portrait painted by President George W. Bush for his book on “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors”. The painting of Danny is on the cover of the book.

He gave credit to all the Vietnam Vets for paving the way for others. He also credited the Korean war and World War II vets and their spouses. He talked about Honor Flight (https://www.honorflight.org/about-honor-flight-networtk/) that aranges a trip to WWII veterans to go & see the museums in DC.

He was finally awarded the Malawi school project certificate by DMSB President Bill. This is a program by our club where school supplies are donated to Malawi schools in honor of the speaker.

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Who Am I: Suzanne Sutton

Posted by K2 on Nov 03, 2017

Suzanne was born in Burbank, CA in the San Fernando Valley. Her dad was a single family doctor who practiced out of the same office for over 50 years, even doing house calls in his 60's.

Her parents were originally from Shreveport, LA. Here mom was born and raised on a plantation in the country and while her dad's family lived in town. Every year her parents and her older brother would make the trek across Texas by car or train to stay with her grandmother in the country. It was a great place to be in the summer, except for the heat. Every day Suzanne would ride horse in the cotton and corn fields, then help move cattle from pasture to pasture or check fences. It was great!

Right after high school Suzanne went to a boarding school in Lausanne, Switzerland where girls as young as 12 attended. She met some wonderful girls there including 6 that she still keeps in touch with. They are currently planning a 50+ year reunion. Upon returning Suzanne went to the University of Missouri, the same college her dad attended, and earned a degree in Business.

Six months later her and Bill got married and began their service in the Marines, moving 11 times in 3 years. Everything they owned could fit in a Dodge Coronet. After the military they moved to Santa Monica. While Bill attended law school, Suzanne began work at Security Pacific Bank.

Eventually they moved back to San Fernando Valley to be closer to family where Suzanne spent the first 9 years working for a private school. Then began a 25 year stretch where she worked for multiple people at the same time including a CPA, realtor, landscape architect and a wealthy business man. This allowed her the flexibility to do things like join her mom on many family cruises. For the last one, after her mom passed away, they had a special ceremony with the captain, several officers and family members as they buried her mother at sea.

These days, Suzanne enjoys spending time with her 2 children, their spouses and her 3 grandchildren (including a new grandson). She also volunteers at the library and garden club. For fun Suzanne reads and scours travel magazines trying to figure out where to go to next. If it's in Europe, it will have to include a trip to Latvia.

Answers to the three questions:

- Favorite movie: To Kill A Mockingbird

- First 60 minutes of the day: Coffee, checking what time it is in Latvia

- Saying on Billboard: Be Kind

Dr. James Veltmeyer Shares a Fresh Approach to Health Care Reform

Posted by K2 on Nov 03, 2017

Dr. James Veltmeyer is the Chief of Family Medicine at the prestigious Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, CA. He has been voted San Diego's "Top Doctor" in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017. He experienced first hand the challenges patients face in getting good healthcare, including with his own wife who has been battling breast cancer.

As Dr. Veltmeyer shared, a majority of his time is spent in making sure the medical care procedures he recommends for his patients are compliant with insurance coverages and have the proper medical codes (there are over 65,000 of them). It's common to have his recommendations questioned or denied, resulting in serious delays to getting the proper care.

He has developed a new approach to health care reform that provides "Health care by the people, for the people". It offers a realistic path to reducing costs of health care through a three-part approach:

A Medical Association Membership (MAM) for routine and preventative care. This provides patients access to doctors for a low monthly fee of $50-$100 per patient.
Emergency Catastrophic Care (ECC) for life-threatening health events, emergencies and accidents. This would cover up to 2 weeks of hospitalization or ICU care.
National Health Savings Accounts (NHSA) to cover costs of pre-existing conditions, specialists and longer-term hospital care.

Click here to download a pdf of Dr. Veltmeyer's "Health Care By The People, For The People" plan and read more about his remarkable story.

DMSB Rotary Donates $7,973 to Just In Time for Foster Youth

Posted by K2 on Nov 03, 2017

As the video below shows, Just In Time for Foster Youth has a power impact on helping transition-age foster youth achieve self-sufficiency and well-being. Every youth leaving the foster care system that they work with has a community of caring adults waiting for them so they can thrive and enjoy productive, satisfying lives. That's why the DMSB Rotary was so proud to be able to present Just In Time Executive Director, Don Wells, and Youth Services Director, Nathan Brunetta, with a donation of $7,973.80. An amazing organization doing amazing work. (Pictured above: Jon Fish, Nathan Brunetta, Don Wells and Susan Hennefent)

Who Am I - Steve Weitzen

Posted by K2 on Oct 27, 2017

Steve was born in San Diego at a cost of $8. He followed by his two brothers, both 1 years and 2 months apart. His father was a court reporter and mother was a secretary with SD Unified.

He had a lot of great experiences growing up. At 9 years old he learned to play golf, a sport he enjoyed as a way to make business connections throughout his career. At 13 he was the ball boy for the San Diego Rockets NBA team and got to meet many famous players including: Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson, Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier and Bill Bradley. At 17 he went to Japan as an exchange student at a time when you had to make a reservation with an international operator to make a call home. At 18 he studied in Mexico his first semester and met David Alfaro Siqueros, one of Mexico's famous muralist. In 1976, Steve backpacked throughout Europe and Israel, a country he has been to 12 times.

Eventually Steve went to law school, met his wife Ava, worked for two insurance defense firms, then opened his practice January 1, 1990. His daughter Shana was born one week later. His son Aaron made Aliya to Israel.

Steve joined our club in 2006, has served as President of the club, District Assistant Governor, Chief Assistant Governor and is a candidate to become our District Governor a few years from now.

Answers to the three questions:

- Favorite movie: The Godfather

- First 60 minutes of the day: Eat breakfast, read two papers and meditate

- Saying on Billboard: It's Mind Over Matter and If You Don't Mind It Don't Matter . . . Don't Sweat The Small Stuff

Gary Sinclair - Changing the Face of Therapy

Posted by K2 on Oct 27, 2017

Gary Sinclair is “Changing the Face of Therapy” through the use of memory energy therapy. His patented process, Soul Link, has proven to neutralize the negative charge out of ANY memory in seconds, including PTSD. Soul Link is passing 10,000 clients with no failures or abreactions and a medical peer review confirmed success in 100% of 2,200 clients they studied.

While at our meeting Gary shared his incredible story, including overcoming 80% mobility loss after 14 years of Multiple Sclorosis. At the age of 36, he then went miraculously from 1/3 lung capacity, which started as birth defects, to full capacity in 15 minutes with a large group of witnesses. Six years later he became our National Amateur Senior Olympic Gold Medal Figure Skating Champion for the USA. In July of 2015 he overcame 14 TIA strokes within 30 minutes of each stroke even with body paralysis and loss of speech while staff at the UCSD Neurology Department monitored it all.

Today, at age 72, Gary Sinclair IS “Changing the Face of Therapy” by training people across the country and around the world how to use his memory energy therapy techniques to help others. For more information check out www.MemoryEnergyTherapy.com.

Sanjiv in India Meeting With Global Partners

Posted by K2 on Oct 27, 2017

DMSB Rotary member Sanjiv Prabhakaran recently met with our global partner club for a Paraplegic Project in Ottapalam, Kerala, India. This Global Grant will support the clinic in Ottapalam that trains paraplegic individuals to become independent and self-sustaining so they can start their own business or find jobs that they can handle independently.

During Sanjiv's visit he met the paraplegic care unit's chairman Mr. Ravi, the highly motivated patient Ajay, Ottapalam Rotary President Raj Mohan, Rotarian Koman and International chair Ram and his wife Rotarian Nirmala. The Ottapalam Rotary club will provide necessary business training and on-going support.

Ajay was a bright engineering student who got pushed out of a crowded speeding train and became quadriplegic for life, BUT never lost his attitude towards life. He kept working hard towards rehabilitation and using his voice to control his computer and become productive by building web sites and helping Sanjiv's company with miscellaneous Word and Excel tasks. The grant we are working on will provide equipment such as; specialized wheel chairs, sewing machines and 3-wheel motorized scooters for patients like Ajay.

The Fellow Who Received His Paul Harris Fellow... Again

Posted by K2 on Oct 20, 2017

Paul Butler, along with President Bill Sutton, presented fellow Rotarian Kevin Ehlinger Wilde with a Paul Harris Fellow pin. The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. It was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to the Foundation. Kevin's pin represents being a Paul Harris Fellow plus 3, meaning this is his 4th pin overall.

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Words Alive Addressing Illiteracy in San Diego

Posted by K2 on Oct 20, 2017

Volunteer Program Manager Christina Meeker shared the mission and magic that Words Alive is doing within San Diego. Words Alive proudly serves 5,500 students and families monthly through the support of their cadre of volunteers who donate thousands of hours.

Volunteers in their Read Aloud Program read weekly in 181 classrooms from preschoolers through 3rd grade students, to connect with the joy of reading while developing cognitive and verbal skills. Their Adolescent Book Group currently engages 450 at-risk teens across 22 classrooms and has expanded to not only include book-club style discussions, but also writing sessions and developmental workshops that build language, reading fluency, and critical thinking skills.

In addition to these two initial programs, they have since developed a Family Literacy Program and the Westreich Scholarship Program. Here's a snapshot of their impact today:

3 core programs - Read Aloud, Teen Services & Family Literacy
5,725 program participants
5,723 literacy program sessions
500 + volunteers delivering over 8,800 hours
215 classrooms
22,251 books donated
30 collaborative partners

Words Alive is actively seeking volunteers who wish to experience the fun of reading to kids. Christina also serves as a council member to the Volunteer Administrators Network of San Diego, is an active USD alumni, a traveling yogi, an avid dancer and volunteers with her local Kiwanis Club.

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Who Am I - Susheela Narayanan

Posted by K2 on Oct 20, 2017

Susheela was born in Chennai, India and grew up in New Dehli. Her father was an officer in the Royal British Air Force and won several awards for meritorious service above the call of normal duty. Because of his work they eventually moved to Bangalore, South India.

She graduated from Delhi University with a B.A. in English Literature and then went on to earn her Masters, after which she taught college a few years. She got married in 1968 and move to Toronto, Canada which was a bit of culture shock, especially experiencing snow. She received a B. Ed degree at University of Toronto, then they moved to Syracuse, NY where their children were born. During that time she earned an M.S. degree in education from Syracuse University.

Finally, they got tired of the snow and moved to San Diego in 1977. They didn't know anyone except . . . Venky and Meera who were of great help to them. Here Susheela opened a Montessori pre-school and eventually became a full time professor of Child Devleopment at San Diego Mesa College.

Susheela enjoys music of all kinds (especially the 60's & 70's, books on different subjects,

Answers to the three questions:

- Favorite movie: Roman Holiday

- First 60 minutes of the day: Get up, brush teeth, make tea and watch CBS News

- Saying on Billboard: Try Everything Once

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Pivot to Success by A. J. MacQuarrie

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 14, 2017

A.J. MacQuarrie is a 29 year old entrepreneur who founded KarmaBox Vending, one of the world's first healthy vending companies that can now be found in over 70 cities across the United States. He writes for Entrepreneur Magazine and Huffington Post and is the author of the upcoming book "Pivot To Your First Million: How to start a business without money, experience, or any idea what you're doing." After turning a $20,000 investment into a multi million dollar business, he started LaunchPad Nation, where he puts on a startup bootcamp.

Pivot to Success! Are you a “Wantrepreneur” – an entrepreneur with an idea, business, or goal that is slipping further out of reach?

In this talk, A.J. MacQuarrie shared his top mindset strategies to help one achieve the success one desires when “the big win” seems unattainable. How one handles the adversities in one's path will determine one's success. His key slogan is "If your business is not where you want it to be, A.J. will share his simple mindset pivot to get you and your company re-calibrated for success."

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Who Am I by Phil Campanelli

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Oct 14, 2017

Phil is the NEW GUY! He's also the general manager of the Hilton Del Mar with over 20 years of hospitality industry experience so he has a lot of practice in "being nice to people". He is originally from Italy and ended up in San Luis Obispo area. He also had a wonderful time in Japan where he attended an All Male Christian Academy via a Rotary Club. He taught English to Japanese kids in San Luis Obispo. He proudly claims that the Italian therapy is Eat when happy, eat when sad and eat when people die :-). They have 2 boys and they all moved to San Diego 2.5 years ago when he got his job at the Hilton Del Mar.

FAV. MOVIE: Blind Side - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Blind_Side_(film)

MORNING RITUAL: Wake up at 4:30 am, visit mom and have coffee with her and then get to work.

HIS BILL-BOARD SLOGAN: Why Can't We Just All Get Along! (quote from Rodney King)

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Red Badge to Blue Badge

Posted by K2 on Oct 09, 2017

Congratulations to Herb and Beverly Liberman and Charlotte Jones on earning their blue badges. We appreciate how active and involved all three have been, and the tremendous knowledge and talents they bring to our club. We are excited to have you a part of our Rotary story.

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Who Am I by Bill Sutton

Posted by K2 on Oct 09, 2017

Bill Sutton shared his Who Am I story of being born in Eugene, OR, and then moving to California as his father began work at UCLA. He actually met his wife, Suzanne, in Junior High and the began dating in High School. After graduating from UCLA he went to Officer Training School in the Marines and became a 2nd Lieutenant. After his service he graduated from law school and practiced law his entire career.

Favorite movie: Gunga Din or Zulu
Morning ritual: Get up, Make coffee, Grab the Wall Street Journal, Drink coffee while reading the Journal and watchng TV
Saying on Billboard: Life is good

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Dr. Axel Meierhoefer - Diamond Formation Leadership

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 29, 2017

Dr. Axel Meierhoefer is an expert in Diamond Formation Leadership (DiamondFormationLeadership.com & AxelMeierhoefer.com). He brings an informative and inspirational approach to the subject with anecdotes, analogies and metaphors to explain the advantages of using these effective strategies for continual improvement.

Diamond Formation is a term that originates from military aviation and indicates the art of staying in a three-dimensional position with four fighter jets. Axel has 22 years of experience in Air Force flying and teaching other aviators how to perform Diamond Formations. After retiring from the military, Axel studied Leadership and discovered that there are four core pillars to success in leadership that behave and have similar importance as the Diamond Formation in aviation. Collaboration, Globalization, Team Building, Cultural Sensitivity.

Collaboration – the way you expand your area of influence beyond your team and immediate network to generate profits

Team Building – the way you form the kind of relationships that last, attract new clients and employees all the time and give you access to the secret of “6 degrees of separation”

Globalization – where you explore and tap into the amazing opportunities the global economy has to offer you so that your products and services have a clear competitive advantage.

Cultural Sensitivity – the new way to expand on diversity to the clear advantage of your business and run circles around the competition.

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Who Am I by Jon Fish and medal for George Sousa

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 29, 2017

This was another day of stories by Jon Fish and Ambassador award for George Sousa. Jon grew up in New Jersey and was inspired by nature when he went to a summer camp in Maine. He also developed a passion for skiing. He went to Harvard to do MBA and met Charles Foster there. Later he joined the Navy and to his surprise met Charles there again! His first employer was (Viks?) and he worked there are treasurer and apparently he said it went bankrupt. That brought some laughter from the audience and someone asked what did he do to bankrupt it :-). He had a son and a daughter from his first marriage and then in 2003 married Barbara and now they have 8 grand children. He has been a member of our Rotary club since 1995. He also made 3 trips to India with other club members.

FAV. MOVIE: Tom Jones - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Jones_(1963_film)

MORNING RITUAL: Walk his dog, check emails and work on Bocce :-).

HIS BILL-BOARD SLOGAN: Make Today Count For Others!

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George Sousa displayed all his pictures and the special Ambassador award presented by Republic of Korea for his service during the Korean war.

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Rotary Foundation Seminar Event 23sep17

Posted by Paul Butler / Sanjiv on Sep 23, 2017

It was a great morning with coffee, juice & breakfast fellowship and then a summary of a lot of accomplishments of our district. Venky spoke about our Colombian shoe project where we were able to provide shoes for about 1300 kids.

Everyone left the seminar very inspired and proud to be a Rotarian.

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Kiurani Boarding School, Kenya - by Herbert & Beverly Liberman

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 22, 2017

Herb and Bev gave an exciting talk about their immense mission in Chogoria, Kenya where they have been helping build a day and boarding school.

Beverly is the US Representative for CISA, a Christian immersion school in Costa Rica. She is also the President of Mission Voz Que Clama, a nonprofit established to serve the indigenous in Costa Rica. She also recruits sponsors to pay school fees for needy children in Kenya. She was the co-founder and Executive Director of the One at a Time Foundation, serving the homeless population in San Francisco. In her professional career, Beverly held Vice President positions at both Bank of America and Tiffany & Co.

Currently Herb works as a business consultant to start ups and small businesses, arbitrator in the financial industry and partner in a nut business in Kenya and Spanish Immersion School in Costa Rica. Herb’s first career was in education where he started as a classroom teacher and ended his career as a Superintendent of Schools. His next career was in the business world involved in manufacturing, computers, office equipment and printing industries.

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Who Am I by Vicky Mallett

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 22, 2017

Today we had an exciting and emotion-filled story from Vicky Mallett. She grew up in Texas and her family owned 5 retail clothing stores. She ended being in few commercials and people would come for her autograph. She was Vicky White then with a Texan accent :-). She left Texas at age 24 and had an advertising degree. She landed in San Diego 22 years later after going through many other states. In San Diego she became a media buyer for the Del Mar Fair. She later became part of the grand promotions team at Legoland and had the opportunity to work with Shaquille O'neil on one promotion.

She later got heavily involved in Rotary and was part of a large group from our club in setting up a school in El Salvador.

FAV MOVIE: Field of Dreams

MORNING RITUAL: Coffee, emails and Wall Street Journal.

BIG BILLBOARD SIGN: Are we having fun yet!

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Senior Home Team - Kristin Gaspar

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 15, 2017

Kristin Gaspar is the Vice Chairwoman of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors and part of the Senior Home Team. She was accompanied by Corrine Busta.

Prior to becoming Supervisor, Kristin was an Encinitas City Council Member and went on to become the city’s first elected Mayor. She has a background in business, serving as CFO of the physical therapy company she and her husband started in 2002.

As Supervisor, Kristin is focused on reducing homelessness, enhancing public safety and improving our streets, infrastructure and neighborhoods. One of her passions is volunteering with her Rotary Club to help those in the community who have Alzheimer’s and other related dementias. She has cleaned their homes, bought household items they desperately needed and worked to spruce up their neglected gardens. This week she'll share her ideas on "Senior Home Team".

She promotes volunteering to help those in need, especially seniors. For those who are interested, there is a website through the county that you can sign up to be a volunteer. The site is xxx (to be updated later). As projects come up everyone is sent a notice and those who are available to help can let them know they’ll do it.

Interesting fact about Kristin: She studied to be a journalist at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism in Tempe.

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Who Am I by Diane Huckabee

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 15, 2017

This week we had our long time member Diane Huckabee give her interesting story. It seems she spent 21 years in college to complete a 4-year degree since she took one course at a time :-). And she worked in commercial banking for over 20 years and in the securities industry over 17! All in beautiful sunny San Diego!

Favorite movie - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (because of Robert Redford).

First 60 minutes of her day - She says she’s a “hard sleeper” so her day starts out with - hit the snooze, hit the snooze, hit the snooze, get up.

Big Billboard would say - Mahatma Gandhi quote “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”

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Stand Down update by Steve Binder

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 08, 2017

Steve Binder is the head of the San Diego Public Defenders that help the homeless vets get their legal affairs in order. He co-founded the Homeless Court Program (HCP) in 1989, at Stand Down, and the Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) in 2011. He will provide an update about the progress that is made at Stand Down.

Matt Wechter is a deputy public defender with the San Diego Office of the Primary Public Defender, where he has practiced since 2009. Since 2013, he has been one of the Public Defender “Gang of 5” crew that organizes and coordinates the Homeless Court Program at Stand Down.

They both provided tremendous statistics on how the veterans have benefited from this wonderful program that started some 29 years ago. The HCP program helps resolve minor cases, such as, public nuisance cases, smoking within 25' of a bus stop, multiple DUI, domestic violence, etc. At stand down these vets get to have a nice shower, shave, medical checkup, vision tests, etc.

Bill Sutton (President) presenting them with a "virtual" certificate of appreciation :-).

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Who Am I by Robert Halleck

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Sep 08, 2017

Bob Halleck shared his life story with our members. He is CEO of Vulcan Trust and has been a member of DMSB club since 2011. He retired in 2002 and has been enjoying his race cars (Porsche & Miata). His 2 Q&A were answered as follows --

FAVORITE MOVIE: The Third Man (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Third_Man)

MORNING RITUAL: Read NU Times, check his financial portfolios

BIGG BILLBOARD SIGN: It's Been A Blast!

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Who Am I by Dr. Seymour Myers

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 25, 2017

We had Seymour return after a long recovery from his back surgery. He shared the fact that he is one of the two founding members of our DMSB club, who is still active in the club. Seymour is a family medicine doctor affiliated with Scripps. He received his medical degree from University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and has been a member of our club since 1992.

Favorite movie: Casablanca

Morning ritual: Wake up at 5am, take dog for a walk, read paper and head to work

Big Billboard Sign: Happy to be here, keep working till you drop dead.

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Inspiring Women for STEM: The Power of an All Girls' Education

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 25, 2017

Lauren Lek, Ed.D. serves as the Head of School at the oldest and only all girls’ high school in San Diego, the Academy of Our Lady of Peace (OLP). She graduated from UC San Diego with a B.A. in Literature, St. Mary’s College with an M.A. in Educational Leadership and her Doctorate in Educational Technology Leadership from Pepperdine University.

She has won many local awards in her short time here in San Diego, including the Athena Pinnacle Educator of the Year award for 2016, Women Who Mean Business, and 40 under 40 awards by SD Metro Magazine. Lauren is a member of the Downtown Rotary 33 and serves on the STEM Committee with several Rotarians to bring opportunities in learning to the lower-socioeconomic schools.

In just four years at OLP, Lauren has helped to create a coordinated STEM Certificate program, launched a Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program, added Engineering Design, AP Computer Science, Bio-Technology, Theater Design, Entrepreneurship, Orchestra, and Architecture.

As an advocate for women in leadership, Lauren has also helped create at OLP a hub for successful women to share their journey with the 750 students. In its third year, the OLP Women’s Symposium attracts 25 of the top women leaders to inspire the next generation, and welcomes over 250 community members.

According to Lauren, there are only 34 women governors compared to 2319 men governors in the U.S. It seems 89 countries have more women in legislative roles compared to the U.S. And finally, she added that in our own world of Rotary there are only 27-33% that are women. She indicated that the track record at OLP is that 100% of the students go on to a 2 or 4-year college for higher studies.

Lauren married her college sweetheart and they have three beautiful children, Lucas is 8, Willem is 4 and Emma just turned 2.

Dr. Lek had the student partnership of Sanjana Paye, a junior, who focused on the impact of all girls education as the vehicle for inspiring interest in STEM. Sanjana is quite a remarkable young lady who as a junior is top in her class with a 4.63 GPA. Ms. Paye has the experiential lens of witnessing the transformative power of an all girls' education and its impact on her own development and interest in STEM. Sanjana intends to pursue higher ed. in the study of neurological sciences. In addition to the top level math courses in which she is currently enrolled, Ms. Paye is now taking her first computer programing class with intention of understanding better the machines necessary for academic and professional engagement.

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Finding Yourself at the End of the World - Antartica by Alex Myers

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 18, 2017

Upon graduating from Amherst College with a degree in Economics in 2010, Alex developed his passion for startups and became the controller for TransPower, an electric vehicle startup formerly located in Poway. He continues to build upon this interest today by working with two startups: as a remote, academic tutor with Elani Learning and as the part time controller for Hyperlight Energy, a solar technology startup in Lakeside. Both opportunities provide unique strategic problems to solve which is what he tries to spend as much of his time doing.

He, along with his wife, Daria and son, Nikolai, shared their unique experience of traveling to Antartica.

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Who Am I by Malcolm Koll

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 18, 2017

We had an exciting Who Am I talk by Malcolm Koll with an international twist :-). Found a nice picture of this handsome South African gentleman, who recently opened a fabulous brewery/restaurant in Del Mar called Viewpoint Brewing Company. He also owns the Charles Koll Jewelry store in San Diego's Fashion Valley mall.

Favorite Movie: None

Morning ritual: He hits the SNOOZE button 6 times :-)

His Big Billboard Sign: If the darkness bothers you, light a candle.

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Supporting Veterans Through Operation Game On

The DMSB Rotary once again was a proud sponsor of Operation Game On. Operation Game On gives returning combat-injured troops suffering from physical and mental disabilities a form of rehabilitation through golf. Golf is good for the mind and for the body. It allows them to compete, laugh, relax, focus, and challenge their muscles outside of regular PT. It gives them hope of a clearer future after their tragic injuries and experiences of war. This years event was held at the Fairbanks Ranch Country Club with DMSB Rotary members Bill Sutton, George Sousa and Kevin Ehlinger Wilde enjoying the day together on the course.

George teeing off and trying to hit the lawn mower man.

Saving Lives, Two At A time; by Graham Bloem / And President gets his badge!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 11, 2017

Graham is a sought after professional dog training expert who has been training in San Diego for over 15 years. With his passion for helping rescue dogs, serving our troops at home, and with the staggering statistics of veteran suicide and canine euthanasia, he has made it his life's mission to give back through Shelter to Soldiers. Because of his work Graham has achieved awards like the ABC 10 News Leadership Award, 2016 Waggy Award in Animal Welfare and a nomination for the Community Spotlight Award. He has utilized each acknowledgement as a vehicle to support more rescue dogs and veterans in need.

As per Graham, the 12-18 months of training these service dogs cost anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000. They help the vets from recovering from loud noises, provide them comfort, help avoid suicides, etc. It seems almost 1.2 million dogs are euthanized each year and their organization is trying to save as many of those dogs as possible. Their tag line is "Saving Lives, Two At A Time".

*Interesting fact: Graham was born in South Africa, immigrated to Canada and then to the US. He is now a proud US citizen, who feels a duty to give back to those who serve our Country.

Finally, Bill Sutton gets his new President's badge in a grand presentation by all the Past Presidents. Jan managed to avoid the $68 FedEx shipping fees :-).

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Who Am I by Paul Butler & the MISSING GAVEL :-)

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 11, 2017

It was exciting to hear Paul Butler give his Who Am I speech. Did anyone know that his real name when he was born was Paul Demingos. Yes, his family came from Mexico. His mom later re-married and that's how he got his last name as BUTLER. He had the exciting opportunity to visit the 1976 Olympics with his dad, who was a huge Olympics fan. Paul graduated from Arizona State University and joined the Navy in 1978 and he flew the F4.

His Favorite Movie: Top Gun!

Morning Ritual: Get up at 5 am, do some spiritual reading, write in his gratitude journal and then work!

His big Billboard Sign: Forgiveness is key to Happiness!

With that big billboard sign he returned the stolen gavel to our president Bill Sutton :-).

Finally, Malcolm announced that the dress-code for Rotary lies some where in-between the dresses worn by Paul and Steve :-).

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Rotary 5340 District Governor Scott Carr & Bocce update

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 06, 2017

It was exciting to listen to our District Governor Scott Carr. He had his first experience in Rotary as part of Rotaract, a Rotary-sponsored program designed for college students and young professionals looking to develop leadership skills and career connections while supporting the community. “Rotaract was connecting young professionals together long before social networks even existed, and continues to be an incredible resource in our community,” added Carr. Through Rotaract, he helped launch programs to support foster youth, as well as homeless and low-income seniors in downtown San Diego. It is also the place where he met his wife, Heather Rosing, a shareholder and Chief Financial Officer at the law firm of Klinedinst PC.

As District Governor, Carr is charged with leading nearly 65 Rotary Clubs. During the 2017-18 year, Carr has identified several areas of focus, including women leadership development, environmental sustainability, active and retired military, and youth. His key message was to focus on the "WHY" we are involved in Rotary. He indicated that almost 112M children have been saved from polio.

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Paul Butler and Vicky Mallett announced that Bocce fundraising has reached almost $40,000!! YooHoo... Our goal is $60,000 and we are close. Vicky has urged all members to bring in at least one sponsor by end of August. Phil, the General Manager of Hilton Del Mar provided an auction basket worth $750 of various items including stay at the Hilton.

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Who Am I by Kevin Cahill

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Aug 06, 2017

We had another exciting Who Am I talk by Kevin Cahill. He was the founding member of DMSB Rotary back in 1992. He was born in Los Angeles 59 years ago and was always involved in acting at very young age. He graduated from UCSD and his big accomplishment was winning a $10M law-suit for his company. His favorite countries are Switzerland and Austria. He raised his 2 sons as a single father from the ages of 2 & 4.

Favorite Movie: Wizard of Oz

Morning ritual: Prayers, 3-4 mile run

His Big Billboard Sign: BE NOT AFRAID - Carpe Diem.

India Paraplegic Global Grant and Who Am I by George

Posted by Ssanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 28, 2017

It was George's wonderful Who Am I story that got everyone dancing :-). As Bill Sutton wrote in his summary -- An inspiring "Who Am I" was given by our own Sgt. at Arms GEORGE SOUSA who told of his military service during the Korean Conflict ("Bloody Ridge", "Heartbreak Ridge", and others), his fishing for tuna from San Diego and his dedication to his wife (Lou) of more than 65 years. George's 3 Q&A were as follows:

Favorite movies: Gunga Din and Singing In The Rain.

Morning ritual: Feed dog, go for walk and then breakfast.

What will his big billboard say: Thank God you are in America - God Bless America!

Sanjiv Prabhakaran presented the history and motivation behind the Paraplegic Project in Ottapalam, Kerala, India. He talked about how a bright engineering student got pushed out of a crowded speeding train and became quadriplegic for life, BUT never lost his attitude towards life. He kept working hard towards rehabilitation and using his voice to control his computer and become productive by building web sites and helping Sanjiv's company with miscellaneous Word and Excel tasks. This Global Grant will support the clinic in Ottapalam that trains such individuals to become independent and self-sustaining so they can start their own business or find jobs that they can handle independently. The grant will provide several equipment, such as, specialized wheel chairs, sewing machines and 3-wheel motorized scooters. The local Rotary club will provide necessary business training and on-going support. Venkat Mandyam has already helped in securing approval from the district and is now waiting for the Rotary International Global Grant Foundation to provide final approval and funds. A total grant of about $35,800 will be provided, which includes a pledge of $5,930 from our club.

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ThinkergyUS - TIPS Profile Assessment & Casa de Amistad

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 28, 2017

Anyone who has taken an assessment before realizes they provide some unique insights. The TIPS Profile Assessment (www.thinkergyus.com/tips) is a breakthrough assessment tool being used by some on the top companies in the world. It helps everyone understand their natural strengths and how they can best contribute to an organization, as well as those they work with. Few of the DMSB members took the test and provided a view into the diverse strengths and talents within the member base.

Susan presented a $2,000 check to Casa de Amistad. Nicole Mione-Green was there to accept the check. Charles and Alicia matched portion of the funds.

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DMSB supporting Veteran's StandDown event

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 23, 2017

(Lou Oberman, Bev & Herb Liberman, Katie A volunteer)

(Charlotte, Rema, Kevin & Sanjiv)

(Music & dance at Stand Down)

(View of Stand Down)

(DMSB sponsor sign)

(Ken, Glens & Kirk Collins (former President DMSB) Mark & Susan Hennenfent)

(Ken, Bill, Kirk, Mark & Susan)

(A grateful homeless vet)

(Ken the MACHO guy with two 20 lb ice bags)

This was StandDown week and we had many DMSB members and their family members volunteering at the event. Our club was distributing cold chilled water bottles throughout the event. Fun music and dance was sponsored by the Wounded Warrior Project. A brief history of Stand Down can be read here - http://nchv.org/index.php/service/service/stand_down/.

Fostering A Spirit of Service Through World Music

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 23, 2017

FEATURED SPEAKER

Monica Emery - Executive Director, Center for World Music

Fostering A Spirit of Service Through World Music

Monica believes in the value of the arts and exposure to the world’s diverse cultures as a pathway to greater understanding and empathy among people. She has more than 15 years of experience working in organizations with international missions. Monica has also prepared hundreds of young people for international service and studies through Rutgers University, University of Maryland, and Princeton in Asia. She's had the great fortune to serve, twice, alongside a team of medicals professionals providing much-needed attention to populations in remote areas of the Philippines.

We also had a guest from Oceanside and club flags were exchanged with DMSB Rotarian Ken Barrett.

WhoAmI by Susan Hennenfent

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 23, 2017

It’s always amazing where life, and choices, take us. For Susan to grow up in North Dakota and have the experiences of living in Canton, spending a year in Finland, working in the defense industry here, being involved in the early stages of the internet and cell phones, and see the impact of your work with the Kindle . . . what a great adventure . . . so far!

Here is what we have for Susan's 3 questions:

Favorite movie - Castaway

First 60 minutes of your day - Take Thyroid med which means you can’t eat or drink for 30 minutes, so you read and make an espresso, then anxiously wait until you can actually have that first cup.

What you would put on a billboard - Can we all just get along!?

Neighborhood Legislature Initiative - TINY districts

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 14, 2017

John is committed to the ideals of limited government and personal responsibility, and is the author of the Neighborhood Legislature Initiative. Born, raised and educated in Chicago, from his very early life John was greatly influenced by his mother and stepfather who spoke often on corruption, waste and inefficiency in public schools and the post office system - both government-run monopolies. John attended the University at Chicago, graduating with honor and a degree in Accounting and Political Science and would go on to found many companies, building his businesses from scratch to having assets of over $200 million with almost 100 employees over the past 35 years. His primary goal in CA is to push the idea of TINY districts so that smaller groups of people are represented directly. He is running for governor of CA in 2018. Also, he said he is looking for grooms to marry off his 4 daughters :-).

SNAP Director Dorell Sackett gives overview of spay & neuter units

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jul 07, 2017

It was an exciting talk by SNAP Director Dorell Sackett. SNAP is the model organization for many mobile spay and neuter units through out the country. As director of SNAP programs, Dorell oversees the over 55,000 dogs and cats that have been fixed in San Diego County aboard the 38 foot, high-volume mobile unit, in addition to educating many, many more families on the importance of pet care. Other SNAP guests Haley Evans and Lori Walton were also present.

We had our new President Bill Sutton introduce all the new Board and Chair members. And the FUNNY part is that Bill LOST his gavel before the end of today's meeting :-). So, question is WHO STOLE IT :-).

Finally, our new Program Chair Kevin Ehlinger-Wilde introduced his new program to have each member do a "Who Am I" talk every week. He started off with his "Who Am I" talk today. Surprising fact we learnt was that he grew up on a farm with 10 siblings!! Kevin's 3 Q&A: Favorite movie: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Morning ritual: walk, meditate, read; Billboard message: Never settle for ordinary.

Gadgets, Gizmos, Good Health and review of Manav Chakravarthy's India project.

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 30, 2017

Susan Taylor, Director of External Affairs at Scripps gave an excellent review of all the Health related gadgets that has saved many patients' lives. She talked about the amazing recovery and care of athlete Phillipe May, who chose Scripps to take care of his irregular heart issue. A two-time world champion and a 12-time Swiss champion in speed skiing, he is one of only five skiers to exceed 156 mph down the slopes. Scripps hospital implanted an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) to ensure his heart would not suddenly stop should he go into cardiac arrest.

We also had Venky's grandson Manav Chakravarthy talk about his website project that he designed and built for a clinic in India that helps disabled children.

Diane gets Paul Harris recognition & Liam's last day!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 30, 2017

Exciting last day for Liam Murphy as President! He comes with a hammer since his gavel is gone :-).

Also, Diane Huckabee received the honor of becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations Diane!

Governor's Dinner Party + Bill Sutton's induction

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 27, 2017

Some of our DMSB club members attended the Governor's Dinner party on Monday night (June 26, 2017). Also, Bill Sutton was inducted as the new president of the DMSB Rotary club.

Testing links

Demotion party for Liam Murphy!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 25, 2017

That was an awesome Demotion party tonight. The venue was fabulous. Thanks to Malcolm and Venesse for hosting us at their new place Viewpoint Brewery! Patricia composed a nice story on Liam and the main theme was "But I Digress!" and "Gavel" :-). The full set of pictures and video can be viewed at this link below.

Full pictures link: Please click here

Enjoy!!

A CASA's role at Voices For Children

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 23, 2017

John Baker is a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for the past few years and he described how a CASA helps foster kids navigate the court system. He says that only 48% of these foster children graduate from high school and only about 3% graduate from college. He appreciated the fact that DMSB supported Voices For Children. He said there are about 2500 CASAs in San Diego county and they need lot more CASAs. It costs about $2,500 to train each CASA. The training takes about 35 hours of online courses.

And finally, we had our very own President Liam Murphy come extra prepared with a holster to secure his gavel that he will have to give up in few weeks :-).

CCA students awarded RYLA scholarships

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 22, 2017

DMSB Rotary awarded 3 Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) students (Laurel Easley, Griffith Hughes and Chloe Gubbay) scholarships for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program. Kevin Cahill was their mentor.

Sustainable Projects: Lessons Learned on a Rotary World Tour

Posted by Sanjiv P. on Jun 09, 2017

We had a wonderful talk by Mathematics teacher Ivan Alba (from La Mesa Sunrise Rotary) about how to sustain projects on its own once the initial funding is done. He talked about Clear Goals, Inter-learning, Motivation and Monitoring. He took his family on a 1 year world tour and executed several Rotary projects along the way as they traveled through several countries. They received the 2016 Rotary Pathways to Peace Award for their efforts during what they called their "Rotary Year of Service".

You can read his blogs at Alba World Tour.

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We also had Mr. Zubair Bakubye from East Riverside Rotary drop by to update everyone on his project at Bugiri, Uganda. Our club has already done two projects in the past with Mothers of Peace for $38k which involved providing training to mothers who were raped by the early worriers of Idi Emin brutal regime. We also did another Global Grant for $35k providing overhead water tanks, bore wells, pipelines to Bugiri Hospital which lacked drinking water for many years. Both are sustained on-going projects and his brother runs the Mothers of Peace Training Center in Bugiri now with assistance from the Bugiri city coffers. He is a very dedicated and hard working person wanting to help his homeland. The Host Rotary in Uganda was Jinja Rotary in district 9211.

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House building project in Tecate, Mexico

Posted by Sanjiv P. on Jun 06, 2017

Under the supervision of Corazon, five members from our club along with two guests and a bunch of other Orange County Rotary clubs headed to Tecate, Mexico recently to build a house and handed over the keys to a single mother with 3 small kids at the end of the day! Amazing project!

CCA students get DMSB Rotary scholarships

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 02, 2017

Today we honored two bright students from Canyon Crest Academy (CCA), Sophia Kazmierowicz (heading to Stanford) and Liana Merk (heading to CalTech). Each won the $1,000 DMSB Rotary scholarship towards their college education. CONGRATULATIONS to both!

Liam's philosophical speech!

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on Jun 02, 2017

We had some CCA scholars today and couple of wonderful guests form Flower Mound in Texas. It was CELEBRATION OF SERVICE day and Liam gave a wonderful philosophical talk. He touched on the various things that have club has accomplished in the past year. We added 6 new members and lost 2. Liam's goal was 20 but achieving 30% is a great win for us. His main theme was that Service is the key factor and triumphs over accolades and other criteria. Great job Liam!

Human Trafficking Combat Model

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 26, 2017

We had a wonderful talk by Summer Stephan, who is the Chief Deputy District Attorney for San Diego County. She has been in law enforcement for 27 years and considered a national and international expert in Human Trafficking. The statistics are just mind-boggling! Just in San Diego the sex trafficking economy is $810 Million! 85% of the facilitators were all gang members. The gang ethnicity is across the board from hispanics to white to blacks to native Americans. The average age of entry into sex trafficking is 16. Social media is a major exploitation method used today!

Teresa Barnes provides SOUND ADVICE to all ...

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 19, 2017

Teresa Barnes, RN delivered an excellent talk today and educated our audience about the hearing impaired population. She is the Chief Innovation Officer at HearCommunication, a Business|Educational Company. She grew up with untreated hearing loss so she understands the inconveniences both personally and professionally. Teresa has 20+ years working with this population in medical settings as an RN and also with her experience in the corporate world. A graduate of UCSD in Communications and a former Emergency Room|Intensive Care Room Head Nurse. She ran 4 marathons and she considers taking HearCommunication to the market as her 5th one and God given purpose.

George with Sergeant Bear

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 19, 2017

Rotarian George Sousa brings his guest SERGEANT BEAR to celebrate "Armed Forces Day" :-). The bear sang a wonderful song to everyone's delight.

DMSB donates $10,000 to Solutions For Change

Posted by Sanjiv Prabhakaran on May 15, 2017

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary president Liam Murphy (right) and community service chairwoman Susan Hennenfent (left), along with other Rotarians and family, presented Solutions for Change founder, Chris Megison, with a grant for $10,000.

The grant will be used to help buy a refrigerator truck for shipping produce from their aquaponics farm. The two acre, non-traditional farm produces more than 120,000 pounds of organically-certified lettuce annually that is sold to local schools in San Diego County.

The farm provides work-related training and employment, along with additional funding, for Solutions for Change’s education and housing programs.

Source: Union Tribune dated May 15, 2017

Robotics team - First LEGO League

Posted on Mar 17, 2017

Robotics team "Abrick Cadabrick" presents their project about drought and impact on local wildlife and developed an innovative water collector that harvests fog and dew to provide water to birds and bees. The team consisted of 6 students from 5th to 8th grade - Andrew Eppich, Stefan Gadient, Zoe Lau, Connor Lee, Isabella Lim, Kyle Shi. They won the top award at the Southern California Championship. They will advance to the World Championship in Houston in April, representing San Diego and the southern California region.

A GREAT FRIEND AND ROTARIAN

We are sad to announce the passing of our friend and colleague Tom Slipper. He will be missed. His son Thomas sent along these words...

"On Tuesday December 20 we lost a dear friend,Tom Slipper. A God fearing good man with integrity and kindheartedness. A loyal father, veteran and husband that cared for others before himself and one who taught his three sons patience and the love of mankind. He shall suffer no more as he sings in heaven above. Oh what a gentle soul, many are blessed to have known you and we are blessed you are with the Lord. Thomas G. Slipper is survived by Vera his wife and sons Paul, Brian, and Tommy, along with his sisters Anne Flower and CeCe Thomas."

DMSB ROTARY'S BOCCE TOURNAMENT RAISES OVER $45,000 TO HELP CHALLENGED YOUTH, MILITARY VETS, AND MANY OTHERS

Posted on Oct 09, 2016

On a blue sky October day, over 250 players, friends and volunteers played or watched bocce on 30 courts laid out on Del Mar Horsepark’s grand prix field during Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary’s 20^th Annual Bocce Ball Tournament. They also had fun and helped raise over $45,000 for beneficiaries Just In Time For Foster Youth, Reality Changers and other deserving youth, community, military and international programs.

L-R: Jane Wagner, Ann Garrett, Andrea Contrades, Conner Sims, Kramer Sims, Scott Sims, taking a break from bocce to enjoy refreshments and shade provided by Premier Sponsor, Merrill Lynch Wealth Management.

AGED-OUT FOSTER YOUTH HELPED BY JUST IN TIME FOR FOSTER YOUTH AND DMSB ROTARY'S BOCCE TOURNAMENT

Posted on Sep 11, 2016

When they turn 18, youth in San Diego County’s foster care program “age-out” from the support system that often does not prepare them for independent adulthood. This is when Just In Time for Foster Youth (JIT) provides many helping hands. Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary has been so impressed by JIT’s work that it chose JIT to be one of its two major beneficiaries for its 2016 Turf Bocce Tournament on Sunday, October 9th.

This family-oriented bocce tournament will be held on the beautiful grass of Del Mar Horsepark’s Grand Prix field. All ages and abilities can participate, experience an exciting day outside, enjoy breakfast and lunch, and bid for silent auction opportunities, while also helping others not so fortunate. Younger family members also can bounce around in the jump house and have their faces painted.

Marquelle Edwards, JIT’s Lead Youth Services Coordinator, bowls while JIT Youth Services Coordinator, Steven Silva, looks on. Opponents Barbara Blakely and Steve Bagwell stand by for their turns. DMSB Rotary’s turf bocce tournament gives JIT staff, volunteers, and youth the opportunity to have fun while helping Rotary put on the tournament and telling other participants about Just In Time for Foster Youth.

20th ANNUAL DMSB ROTARY BOCCE TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT REALITY CHANGERS

Posted on Sep 01, 2016

On Sunday, October 9^th the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club will put on its 20^th Annual Rotary Turf Bocce Ball Tournament and Fundraiser at the Del Mar Horsepark. For the third year, Reality Changers will be a Major Beneficiary of this tournament. Reality Changers originated in San Diego and includes a program offered in Solana Beach.

(L to R) Reality Changers’ youth attendees, Daniel Noriega, Belix Guerra, Edmundo Lopez (hunched), and Charles Nguyen, at a previous Bocce Tournament where they helped Rotarians with the tournament and talked to participants about Reality Changers and its work.

DMSB ROTARY SUPPORTS STAND DOWN FOR HOMELESS VETS

Posted on Jul 25, 2016

DMSB Rotary members and friends distributed over 5,200 bottles of water during the heat of July at “Stand Down San Diego,” held Friday through Sunday, July 22-24. They worked in shifts of 4 for 3 hours per shift from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., continuously filling ice chests with bottles of water and ice, and then handing out chilled bottles to the homeless vets and their dependents (and to the other volunteers there helping the vets). This experience made everyone truly appreciate what we have and our ability to help those who have helped protect our country. This was a perfect example of Service Above Self.

This was approximately the 8^th or 9^th year of both funding and handing out chilled bottles of water to vets at Stand Down. (No one really can remember what year we started this.) As a result of a late, emergency request from Verterans Village San Diego (VVSD), DMSB Rotary also funded the overtime costs for San Diego Superior Court personnel necessary to hold is annual Homeless Court at Stand Down. Stand Down was started in San Diego and has been replicated around the country. (See http://vvsd.net/stand-down/.)

A bird's eye view of Stand Down from the pedestrian bridge across I-5.

DMSB Rotary's "Water Tent" - open for business.

UGANDAN ROTARIAN DELIVERS UPDATE ON COMPLETED PROJECTS FUNDED BY DMSB ROTARY

Posted on Mar 25, 2016

At a recent meeting, Zubair Bakubye updated Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary members on two humanitarian projects in Bugiri, Uganda, for which DMSB Rotary took funding leadership roles. As a Rotarian and citizen of Uganda with a B.A. from UC Riverside and M.P.A. from California State San Bernardino, Mr. Bakubye was significantly involved in both projects.

Bocce 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Sunrise Rotary Club

added 25 new photos to the album on Facebook:

Bocce 2015— at Del Mar Horse Park

Hundreds of folks turned out and braved the rain to support our 19th annual Bocce Tournament and fundraiser. Many thanks to all involved for making this a fabulous year!

Code Crunchers FLL Team.

Posted on Sep 21, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Amazed by code crunchers Robotics Team - Donates $1,300 to help Fund Trip to the World Championship Competition.

Three members of the Solana Beach based Code Crunchers 5-member robotics team recently made a presentation to Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary. Club members were so impressed and amazed by the middle school students’ talent, enthusiasm and professionalism that they contributed $1,300 to help fund the team’s April trip to their world championship competition.

Rotary Turf Bocce Ball Tournament Day

Posted on Sep 21, 2015

The Del Mar City Council declares Sunday October 4th 2015 "Rotary Turf Bocce Ball Tournament Day" in the city of Del Mar, in support of our annual Bocce Tournament and Fund Raiser.

Our own esteemed member Charles Foster was on hand to receive the proclamation and say a few words about the tournament and the programs it helps us support.

Mayor Al Corti and Deputy Mayor Sherryl Parks will represent themselves and the City of Del Mar on the field on October 4th.

THE DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH

ROTARY CLUB

Is a leadership organization of local business, professional and civic leaders, and others with an interest in community service.

Members meet regularly to learn more about many subjects, form connections and friendships, and plan projects to benefit our our community and the world.

Join us!

Contact Charles Foster

Charles@FosterDM.com

+1 858-414-8638

DMSB

P.O. Box 1115

Solana Beach, CA 92075

DMSB Facebook Page

___________________________________________________

DMSB ROTARY HOLDS ANNUAL DEMOTION PARTY

Posted on Jun 13, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary celebrated the end of President Diane Huckabee’s term with its annual Demotion Party at the home of Charles and Alicia Foster in Del Mar on June 13.

Incoming President Myers Congratulates

Outgoing President Huckabee

DMSB ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATES SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY AND WORLD OVER THE PAST 12 MONTHS

Posted on Jun 05, 2015

During its recent Celebration of Service, the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club reviewed - with information and photographs - the many local and international humanitarian projects it supported over the soon-to-be-ending Rotary year, and also the fun and fulfillment Rotarians had making it happen.

Ellen Griffin, Community Service Chair, identified the 25 local organizations the club provided volunteer help to and the 17 that received funding. They included Just in Time for Foster Youth, Reality Changers, YMCA Summer Camp (for foster children), Community Resource Center, La Clase Magica, Stand Down (for homeless vets), Pegasus Rising, and many others.

DMSB ROTARY BOCCE TOURNAMENT TO BENEFIT JUST IN TIME FOR FOSTER YOUTH

Posted on May 27, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary works to help youth overcome obstacles that often prevent them from becoming self-sufficient adults and positive role models. This is why it chose Just In Time for Foster Youth as a major beneficiary of its Rotary Bocce Tournament to be held on October 4^th at the Del Mar Horsepark.

Just In Time for Foster Youth staff and volunteers, taking a break from playing and helping out at DMSB Rotary's 2014 Bocce Tournament

(L to R: Don Wells-JIT Executive Director, Michelle Joel, Karen DeLaurier, Sandra Ramirez, Nathan Combes, Jamie Inarda, Gary Hall)

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARIANS HELP REVITALIZE LA CLASE MAGICA’S LEARNING ROOM ON ROTARIANS AT WORK DAY

Posted by Charles Foster on Apr 24, 2015

On April 25th, Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarians worked to revitalize La Clase Magica's Learning Room at St. Leo's Mission in the Eden Gardens area of Solana Beach. Their efforts were part of Rotarians At Work Day held worldwide on the last Saturday of April each year. This year, about 110,000 Rotarians in 2,800 Rotary clubs from around the world worked on projects that each club selected to help its community.

(L to R) Back Row: Rotarians Susan Hennenfent, Ellen Griffin, Sandra Telles (La Clase Magica Program Director), Diane Huckabee and Radia Bencheikh. Front Row: Stephanie Lam, a La Clase Magica student.

(L to R) Rotarians Jon Fish, Ken Barrett, Kevin Cahill and Paul Butler

WRITER STEPHEN METCALFE SPEAKS TO DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARIANS ABOUT HIS NEW NOVEL, PRETTY WOMAN, AND OTHER PROJECTS

Posted by Charles Foster on Apr 17, 2015

Writer Stephen Metcalfe spoke to Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary last Friday morning about his new book and his career of dramatic writing for the stage, movies, and television.

Writer Stephen Metcalfe (Center) with Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary President Diane Huckabee (Left) and Past President Steven Weitzen (Right)

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARIANS ASSIST YOUNG STUDENTS AT LA CLASE MAGICA

Posted by Charles Foster on Mar 26, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarians recently assisted young students of La Clase Magica with the planting of many vegetables outside their classroom. The planting was for educational and beautification purposes, as well as for future eating.

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarian Bill Sutton works with a La Clase Magica student while Rotarian Susan Hennenfent observes from the back.

ROTARIANS FEED HOMELESS YOUTH ON THE STREETS IN OCEAN BEACH

Posted by Charles Foster on Mar 19, 2015

Members of Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary and Canyon Crest Academy’s Interact Club met together to put 80 fresh dinners together on a recent Friday afternoon. Afterward, they (and the dinners) joined with other San Diego’s Urban Street Angels volunteers in walking the streets of Ocean Beach to help feed the homeless youth they found. In addition to food, the volunteers provided socks and hope to those who most needed it.

Members of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club and Canyon Crest Academy preparing meals for delivery to homeless youth in Ocean beach: (left to right in front) Kevin Cahill, Rotary Youth Chair; Troy Nohra, CCA Interact President; and Susan Atkinson, CCA Interact Faculty Advisor.

Members of Rotary and Interact after preparing the meals for delivery to homeless youth in Ocean beach: (left to right) Troy Nohra, Susan Atkinson, Suzanne Sutton, Bruce Mulmat, Griffin Danninger, Kevin Cahill, Aaron Studer, and Bill Sutton

DMSB ROTARIANS VISIT PEGASUS RISING PROJECT'S NEW HOME

Posted by Charles Foster on Feb 28, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarians recently visited the new site of the Pegasus Rising Project, an all-volunteer, non-profit organization supported by DMSB Rotary. Pegasus Rising enlists the aid of horses in helping veterans heal from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and be reintegrated into their civilian and family lives.

(Left to Right: Suzanne Sutton, Radia Bencheikh, Lou & George Sousa, Susan & Mark Hennenfent, and Ellen Griffin.)

(Rotarians and volunteers interact with a few of the horses at the Pegasus Rising Project’s facility, with a view of the surroundings near Lake Wohlford east of Escondido.)

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY DONATES $2,000 TO HOPE WITHOUT BOUNDARIES FOR TJ DISADVANTAGED KIDS

Posted by Charles Foster on Feb 13, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary donated $2,000 again this year to Hope Without Boundaries to help children who live in Canon de las Carretas at the old Tijuana dump attend public school.

(Hope Without Boundaries’ President, Lesley Sagar, and CFO, Paul Sagar, (on right) accept the $2,000 donation from Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary’s President, Diane Huckabee, and International Service Director, Ken Barrett (on left).)

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY ANNOUNCES THE DATE AND MAJOR BENEFICIARIES FOR ITS 19TH ANNUAL BOCCE TOURNAMENT FUNDRAISER

Posted by Charles Foster on Jan 22, 2015

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary has just announced that its 19^th Annual Bocce Tournament fundraiser will be held on October 4, 2015. It will be held on the Del Mar Horsepark’s beautiful Grand Prix field. The tournament will return to its original time of the year, having been held in the spring during more recent years.

The Rotary club also announced its three major beneficiaries of the tournament. They will receive a major portion of the fundraiser’s proceeds. These beneficiaries are:

Just in Time for Foster Youth, helping motivated young adults transition out of the Foster Care system and into becoming self-sufficient citizens and role models for others. (http://jitfosteryouth.org/)
Operation Game On, offering both mental and physical rehabilitation assistance to military veterans with life-altering combat injuries through golf training, equipment, and activities. (http://operationgameon.org/)
Reality Changers, providing 8^th - 12^th grade students from disadvantaged backgrounds with the academic support, financial assistance, and leadership training to become first-generation college students. (http://realitychangers.org/)

The remaining proceeds will be invested in many other charitable projects and programs – both local and international.

DMSB ROTARY DELIVERS DICTIONARIES TO CASA DE AMISTAD’S ADULT LITERACY CLASS

Posted by Charles Foster on Dec 29, 2014

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club recently delivered 30 dictionaries to Casa de Amistad for its adult literacy class held at the Solana Beach Presbyterian Church. In this program, adults learn English as a second language and also commit to provide a minimum of one hour of daily homework support to their children in English. As a result, both the adults and their children will benefit from the dictionaries.

Left to Right: Nicole Mione-Green, Executive Director of Casa de Amistad, Rotarian Charles Foster, and three students in Casa de Amistad’s adult education class, holding copies of donated dictionaries.

DMSB ROTARY VOLUNTEERS HELP COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER’S HOLIDAY BASKETS

Posted by Charles Foster on Dec 29, 2014

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club members, spouses, and friends helped the Community Resource Center with its annual Holiday Baskets program last month. On two separate nights, they helped prepare for Holiday Baskets and then assisted in the actual distribution to families. They also donated goods and funding in support of the program.

Left to Right, Front Row: Venesse Koll, the Barrett girls, Jan Parsons, Suzanne Sutton, and Susan Hennenfent. Back Row: Ken Barrett, Charles Foster, Alicia Foster, Dan Riesenberg, Kevin Cahill, Mark Hennenfent, Paul Butler, and Bill Sutton.

DMSB ROTARY PROVIDES STUFFED ANIMALS TO VOICES FOR CHILDREN’S FOSTER KIDS

Posted by Charles Foster on Dec 11, 2014

At a recent meeting of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club, its members collected and donated over three dozen stuffed animals – plus additional cash donations – to Voices for Children so that it could provide holiday gifts to foster children at its Holiday Parties this holiday season. For most children, the Voice for Children parities will be their only holiday celebration.

DMSB ROTARY DELIVERS 820 DICTIONARIES TO LOCAL THIRD GRADE STUDENTS

Members of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club delivered 820 dictionaries recently to third grade students in 11 public schools covering Del Mar, Solana Beach, and Carmel Valley. They also talked to the students about studying hard, helping others, and the ethical guidelines contained in Rotary’s “Four-Way Test.”

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DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARIAN MODIFIES ALS ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE

At the first September meeting of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club, Jan Parsons modified the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge process by challenging her Rotary club members to douse both her and fellow Rotarian Kevin Cahill in exchange for donations to the ALS Association. Jan had been challenged recently by a friend who had had four family members and friends die from ALS. This touched Jan so much that it got her thinking about how to raise more money and make it fun, too.

Jan Parsons (front left) and Kevin Cahill (front right) are shown still wet from their ALS Ice Bucket Challenge dousing. Behind them are a few of the very dry Rotarians who had watched the dousing, (shown left to right, regardless of row) Bill Sutton, Paul Butler, Susheela Narayanan, Julie Lien, Bill Murphy, Vita Candela (in very back), Sandra Wagner, Vicky Mallett, Ildikó de Tesák, Radia Bencheikh, and Aaron Studer.

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DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY FEATURED BY DELSOL MAGAZINE

DelSol Magazine featured our Club in its September/October issue. See it at http://issuu.com/suscomedia/docs/del_sol_magazine_sept_oct_2014_e_fl?e=2237643/907.

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Meeting Re-Cap; "They're back!"

Posted by Diane Huckabee on Aug 09, 2014

Friday's meeting started with the pledge and words of wisdom from Paul Butler. Paul also reminded us August is "membership" month. He challenged each of us to bring a guest this month!

We had many Happy Dollars from members returning from vacations, or in Susan's case "workcation". Jan returned from Croatia. Susheela from northern CA with family.

We had a GREAT write up in Carmel Valley News re: Stand Down, full of pictures of participants. Thanks Charles!! Kevin gave us an update on Youth activities coming up, he could use help. If this is an area you are interested in volunteering, please let Kevin know. Ken said the Jungle Medical Clinic III has been approved! Vicky's turning the corner to 2015 Bocce with a photo op next week at the Horse Park, she would like as many Rotarians as possible in the shoot.

Susan introduced our speaker: Judy Sexton from Warrior Foundation, Freedom Station, serving seriously injured military returning home from war.

Next week we have Louise Andres, District Governor, as our speaker. Please be sure to come to get the update on what's happening in our District 5340. See you there!

Diane Huckabee, President, Del Mar Solana Beach Sunrise Rotary

DMSB ROTARY SERVES 6,400 BOTTLES OF CHILLED WATER TO HOMELESS VETS

How did 750 homeless veterans who recently attended “Stand Down San Diego” (plus 144 of their dependents and over 2,000 volunteers helping them) stay hydrated over three hot days, July 18-20, on San Diego High School’s athletic field? Answer: By going to the “Rotary Water Tent” for more than 6,400 bottles of chilled water handed out by the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club.

Stand Down refers to the community-based intervention program that integrates, at one site, veteran services previously scattered throughout San Diego County. It was started in San Diego by “Veterans Village of San Diego” (VVSD) in 1988 and has been replicated in more than 200 other cities since then. Stand Down's philosophy is a hand up, not a hand out.

The bottled water was purchased, transported, chilled, and handed out by 32 Rotarians, spouses, and friends of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club, working in multiple 3-hour shifts. BSD Builders provided the truck and driver that delivered the 3 ½ tons of water.

Charles Foster, Randy Jones, Seaman Whitney, George Sousa, Bill Sutton

Bill Sutton, Diane Grafton, Jan Parsons, Bob Halleck

Bill Murphy, Julie Lien, Gail Kindred, Kerrie Harwig

Kevin Cahill, Beverly Feinberg, Phil Feinberg, Laura Feinberg, Ken Barrett

Charles Foster, Paul Sagar, Lesley Sagar, John Benton

Mark Hennenfent, Nick Hennenfent, Ellen Griffin, George Sousa

Malcolm Koll, Charles Foster, Alicia Foster, Dan Phelan

Lou Oberman, Carol Fink, Ilana Brown, Seymour Myers

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7/11/14; Red Badgers in Singapore and nonembryonic stell cells

Posted by Diane Huckabee on Jul 12, 2014

Our first meeting of this Rotary year started by giving Bill and Suzanne Sutton their well deserved Blue Badges. Steve Weitzen followed with his new Past President Gold badge.

Happy Dollars were given by Paul Butler, as a proud dad for his daughter starting her Rotary President role this year. Bill Sutton gave for their passage to blue badgers. Venky Venkatesh gave happy dollars for his grandchildren arriving for a visit.

DEL MAR-SOLANA BEACH ROTARY’s CELEBRATION OF SERVICE for 2013-2014

Posted by Jan Parsons on Jun 13, 2014

On Friday, June 13, the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club (DMSB) reviewed and celebrated the many projects and activities it accomplished during its 2013-14 Rotary year.

(L to R) Bocce Committee Co-Chair, Susan Hennenfent; International Chair, Ken Barrett; President, Steve Weitzen; Youth Chair, Kevin Cahill; Community Service Chair, Radia Bencheikh; Bocce Co-Chair, Vicky Mallett

(Select “More” below for all the details of DMSB’s “Celebration of Service.”)

Del Mar/Solana Beach Sunrise Rotary - Rotarian of the Year

Posted by Richard Fogg on Jun 12, 2014

We started the meeting by presenting the Rotarian of the Year award to a most deserving George Sousa. George is the guy who makes it all happen. As our Sargent-at-Arms, George opens the doors each Friday morning; hands out our badges and guest tags; collects the happy dollars and fines; leads the 4-Way test at the end of the meeting; and generally keeps things going. We are indebted to our ROY, George Sousa.

Meeting Re-Cap - Remember, don’t worry about the world coming to end today. It is already tomorrow in Australia. Right, mate?

Posted by Steven Weitzen on Jun 05, 2014

Radia Benchiakh presented Lesley Sagar from Hope Without Boundaries a check for $2,000 from the club and Charles and Alicia Foster. Lesley told us what a difference maker the money makes for the kids from Carretas, Mexico. The money provides uniforms for the kids so they can attend school. Thank you Charles, Alicia and Radia for making this project a priority for our club.

Meeting Re-Cap -Remember, Fight on and on ye Aztec men; Sons of Montezuma;

Posted by Steven Weitzen on May 29, 2014

We had a spec-aztecular meeting today. George Sousa led us in the pledge while Susheela Narayan, who did not make the meeting, mailed in her inspirational message. Susheela implored us to apply Rotary’s Four-Way test every day. Not a bad thought Susheela. This will lead to making the world a better place.

Runner-Up at Bocce Ball Tournament Donates Winnings.......

Posted by Richard Fogg on Mar 27, 2014

President Steven Weitzen presented a check to Vanessa Barrelet for her charity, "Hands United 4 Children" that focuses on supporting African children in distress. The money was the prize for the "runner-up" of the DMSB Rotary Bocce tournament this past Sunday. He was so impressed with 11-year old Vanessa singing of the national anthem in front of the Camp Pendleton 1st Regiment Color Guard to open the tournament he returned his winnings in the for of a donation in her name to her charity!

President Thanks Members and Supporters, 2014 Bocce Ball Tournament a HUGE success!

Posted by Richard Fogg on Mar 23, 2014

Hello Fellow DMSB Rotarians,

Thank you for a great and amazing day!!! From my perspective, everything went as smoothly as possible. Everyone went the extra mile to make this so successful. A few numbers and then on to the acknowledgements. There were 110 teams. Over 300 people showed up - players, guests and volunteers. Unofficially, we grossed over $76,000!!! A huge thank you to everyone!!

Meeting Re-Cap - 2 New Members Inducted & change is inevitable except from a vending machine.

Posted by Steven Weitzen on Feb 06, 2014

We had a healthy and lively meeting today. Paul Butler again led us in the pledge. In his tuxedo, Paul asked us to take a deep breath and smell the coffee. And that we should appreciate each other and the work we do as Rotarians. Our guests today included Charles Foster’s friend, Dan Reisenberg. Rachel Jonte and Dr. Stephen Wilson were with us as well.

Meeting Re-Cap - CCA Interact President, Troy Nohra, leads DMSB Rotary Meeting

Posted by Steven Weitzen on Jan 09, 2014

We are now fully situated in our new home at Morgan Run Golf Club. We had a great meeting with many great guests.

Charles Foster led us in the pledge. He spoke words of inspiration reminding us that we can make this a great year with community service and making the world a better place with our Rotarian service.

Our guests today included Bill and Suzanne Sutton who paid us a return visit. Alexandra Spector came back for more. She is heading toward red badge membership. Interact kids from Canyon Crest Academy Troy Nohra, Julie and Sarah joined us. Sue Atkinson and Karl Mueller from Canyon Crest Academy were here as well.

DMSB Rotary Supports TEDx Youth Conference at Canyon Crest Academy (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster on Nov 06, 2013

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary supports youth education, locally and worldwide. Among its local programs, DMSB Rotary encourages student education, community service, and leadership growth at Canyon Crest Academy (CCA) in Carmel Valley through annual scholarships and sponsorship of the school’s Interact Club. Interact clubs are Rotary’s service clubs for young people, ages 12 to 18, in 110 countries.

Rotarians Deliver Food and Supplies to Homeless "Street Angels" in Ocean Beach (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster on Oct 24, 2013

Rotarians and family from the Del Mar area joined with San Diego’s Urban Street Angels to feed the homeless youth of Ocean Beach several weeks ago. After preparing over 80 meals, the Rotary contingent carpooled to Ocean Beach to distribute the meals along with water, socks and hygiene packs. The homeless youth appreciated all, especially the warm food and socks. Some mentioned that this was their first meal in days.

Pfizer Executive speaks To Rotary about The Development Of Diagnostics for Precision Medicines (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster on Sep 07, 2013

Dr. Hakan Sakul, Executive Director and Head of Diagnostics for Pfizer R&D, recently spoke to the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club about development of diagnostics and precision medicines.

New Rotary President Returns from International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster on Aug 14, 2013

Steven B. Weitzen, the newly-installed president of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club and an attorney by profession, recently returned from Rotary’s International Convention in Lisbon, Portugal. He described it as “awesome to see over 20,000 Rotarians from around the world, all having the same values of service to others, many wearing the traditional clothing of their own countries.”

What an inspiring Friday meeting we had with District Governor Carl Kruse.

Posted by Steven Weitzen on Aug 08, 2013

We had several guests today. Bill Wishad returned. He is ready to take over the gavel and run our club like he does his Malibu club. Oh, wait. There is no gavel here. Therefore, he won’t be running our club meeting (collective sighs). Ellen Griffin was back in the house. It is great to have Ellen giving us a real "look see." We hope she joins our merry band of Rotarians.

Eyeglasses for El Salvador (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster on Aug 03, 2013

Eyeglasses for El Salvador Provided by One Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarian to Another

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club (DMSB Rotary) recently took one more step in helping to assist and educate the poorest of the poor in El Salvador, especially children and women. Earlier this month, Jan Parsons, past president of DMSB Rotary, delivered two satchels containing over 100 eyeglasses to Ildiko Tesak of El Salvador, founder of the non-profit Organizacion y Educacion Empresarial Feminina de El Salvador (OEF).

3 ¼ Tons of Water Handed Out to Homeless Vets

Posted by Charles Foster on Jul 18, 2013

Over 3 ¼ tons of water – actually 6,200 half-liter water bottles – were presented with our country’s thanks to over one thousand homeless veterans (and to the volunteers assisting them) at “Stand Down San Diego” during the three warm days of July 12-14. The chilled bottles were handed out by thirty-nine members and friends of the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club during its sixth year of running the “Water Tent” at Stand Down.

Youngest DMSB Rotarian Named "Rotarian of the Year"

Posted on Jul 18, 2013

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club (DMSB Rotary) recently recognized Radia Bencheikh as its Rotarian of the Year and presented her with a Paul Harris Fellow award from The Rotary Foundation. These honors were presented to Radia for her enthusiastic and tireless leadership and service to both the Club and its beneficiaries.

DMSB Rotary Celebrates Its Year of Service

Posted by Charles Foster on Jul 07, 2013

During its annual “Celebration of Service” program, the Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club reviewed its investments of over $81,000 in local and international charitable projects over its fiscal year ending June 30. Adding to this amount, the Club’s international projects have been matched by the Rotary Foundation with an additional $40,000 per year on average for the past two years.

District 5340 Model UN - developing the world leaders of tomorrow - today.

Posted by Richard Fogg on Apr 08, 2013

Everybody Wins at Bocce Ball - NBC 7/39 Reports on our Tournament

Posted by Richard Fogg on Mar 02, 2013

The Del Mar/Solana Beach Rotary hosted a sports oriented fundraising event Sunday. Over the years this event has become quite a tradition. For more here's NBC 7's Todd Strain.

http://www.nbcsandiego.com/video/#!/news/sports/Everyone-Wins-at-Bocce-Ball-Tournament/194972781#ixzz2Mi06tRPu

Del Mar - Solana Beach Rotary Club Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Posted by Richard Fogg on Feb 28, 2012

DEL MAR SOLANA BEACH ROTARY CLUB CELEBRATES 20^TH ANNIVERSARY

A superb venue, bubbly champagne, scrumptious food, and a lively band made for a spectacular 20^th anniversary party

for the Del Mar Solana Beach Rotary Club. The fun filled evening (including bunny hop/congo lines which reminded members

of American Bandstand days) was held at Morgan Run Country Club in Rancho Santa Fe and planned by social chair

Roseann Piazza-Jones. Current Club President Kirk Collins (absent his wife Glenda who has preceded him in their

move to Australia) and the club’s first President, Kevin Cahill, led the festivities and highlighted the terms of the club’s

past presidents.

Patricia Case and Jan Parsons reveled in the applause as being the only two presidents in the clubs history to hold onto

the gavel all year. Paul Butler (The Butler Did It… real estate agent), President 2009-2010, came in his trademark tux

with wife Mary dressed in cocktail attire to match. Art Mendoza’s rein as President was remembered for his “articles” from

the National Inquirer and handing out piggy banks. The evening gave him and wife Tina a night out from their little one.

Charles Foster’s term as President yielded the most new members present and lovely wife Alicia joined in congratulating him.

Vicki and Nigel Mallett, both past Presidents, were the first married couple in the club, but were joined last year when

members Roseann Piazza and Randy Jones wed. The camaraderie and closeness formed over the past twenty years

is fondly remembered by all and this close Rotary family looks forward to the next twenty years of fun and friendship as

they help those less fortunate in the world.

Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotarians Meet “Lovable Lincoln” From Carlsbad's Agua Hedionda Lagoon (Article)

Posted by Charles Foster

The Del Mar-Solana Beach Rotary Club enjoyed a lively introduction to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon by its foundation’s Executive Director, Lisa Cannon-Rodman, who is also President of Carlsbad Hi-Noon Rotary.

Rotary - Doing Good in the World! Come Join us!!!

Posted by Richard Fogg

Del Mar - Solana Beach Rotary invites you to join our ranks and "Do Good in the World!!"

Del Mar-Solana Beach & District 5340 Support of Microcredit & Women

Posted by Richard Fogg

What is microcredit/village banking?
Microcredit programs are committed to providing credit to the poorest of the poor throughout the world, the poorest 20% of the population that shares 1.4% of the world's income.

Grant beneficiaries thank generous Rotarians

Posted by Richard Fogg

Five-year-old Mulambuzi Joshuah is thankful for the surgery that repaired a congenital defect in his heart. The procedure, one of 20 performed on Ugandan children in January, was made possible by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant through the Gift of Life program.

Former Rotary Peace Fellow Jeanette Kroes is grateful for the generosity of donors in supporting the Foundation's work in peace and conflict resolution.

Mariana Ponce is thankful for the loan she received through a microcredit program operated by Rotarians in Honduras, which allowed her to set up a small business out of her home. She is now selling soy products to supplement the income she earns from washing laundry at a local hospital.

Your generous support through the Every Rotarian, Every Year initiative is making a difference.

Annual Fundraiser benefiting youth and humanitarian programs

Posted by Richard Fogg

http://www.dmsbbocce.com/

This is Rotary International!

Posted by Richard Fogg

The Rotary Foundation earns top ratings from charity watchdogs

Posted by Richard Fogg

The Rotary Foundation has earned a grade of A+ from the American Institute of Philanthropy & previously earned a top rating of four stars from Charity Navigator.It has earned full accreditation from the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau.

Independent charity-rating services set 25% of expenditures as the threshold measure of high efficiency. More than 90% of The Rotary Foundation's expenditures go to programs, Only 2.3 percent of its expenditures go to administrative expenses, and 7.3 percent to fundraising.

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