Events

RYLA stands for Rotary Youth Leadership Program . Camp RYLA is a RotaryDistrict 5170  sponsored event. High School students from all over Bay area are selected to attend RYLA, who demonstrate leadership in school and in the community. Many of the students are from the Interact Clubs.

The Students receive scholarship for 4 days camp to become better leaders, foster better friendship and actively apply what they learn in the camp the lives and communities. RYLA leadership skills ground in the fundamentals of the ‘4 Way Test’.

The first camp in district 5170 was held in June 1984, which was created by group of Rotarians namely Dave Ditto, Dick Hennaing, Rick King, Jerry Pettibone, Bud Meddalena and John Fisher.

Now it has developed into 8 part leadership curriculum overseen by Dr Ed Curramang and taught by the Alumni of Camp RYLA. The counselors are very dedicated and are typically in college or early in their career. They are so enthusiastic about spreading the energy and joy bringing new learning to the campers. The counselors are very dedicated and aspire to become Rotarians in the future.

The campers participate in Speech and Debate, Sports activities ,Skits around camp fire, RYLA Studio with photography, videography, digital-editing and technology skills . In Entertainment they host Tuesday Night Live, in  Band and Choir campers perform using their stage directing talents.

These structured programs help the campers to learn and enhance their skills to perform in the activities of the Camp.

This year the camp was held from June 24 to June 29, 2023 in beautiful Mission Springs Camp and Conference Center Scotts Valley Ca. The Dave Ditto BBQ was on the 28^th June. It was an amazing evening of celebrations with performances by the campers, good food and enjoying the company of fellow Rotarians.

We had sent 3 students this year: Alex and Brandon from Leigh High School and Alina from Los Gatos High School. They will share their learning and fun experience at the meeting.

Jennifer Lin is the new Executive Director of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce as of July, 2023. She grew up in the East Bay town of Danville and is a proud Los Gatos resident since 2019. Jennifer brings to the Chamber a robust background in management and brand strategy consulting. For most of her career, she worked with client organizations to solve their strategic, operational, and branding challenges. In addition, Jernnifer possesses significant non-profit leadership experience from serving on the boards of Bay Area charities that support the arts and children’s causes.

Jennifer earned her Bachelor of Arts, magna cum laude, from U.C. Berkeley and her Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. In her free time she enjoys hiking locally with her husband Mark and labradoodle Dashi. 

A junior at Los Gatos High School, Kyle is a creative imagemaker from the Bay Area. Growing up in Taiwan in a family of artists, with a dad who was a stage director and world music producer, he saw large scale global music productions from the other side, backstage in the wings of stages in San Francisco, Taiwan, and China. As a biracial teen, Kyle already sees and embodies two completely different worlds – one in English, the other in Chinese. “I see things neither side sees,” he admits. “Both sides really do not cross, but I do cross because I grew up in Taiwan and the US. And that’s what I want to share with the world -- these fascinating insider stories.” Kyle uses filmmaking to tie together “worlds” that often do not cross, putting raw energy that viewers can feel into his shots.

Kyle’s passion for filmmaking ignited in July 2021 when he filmed a 2 minute short about the homeless on the back streets and hidden alleys of San Francisco. By mid-sophomore year, Kyle started his own film production company, LC2 Productions.

He is currently working on a “Fentanyl High” documentary about the dangers of fentanyl poisoning for teens. Interacting with so many different kinds of people, including the diverse communities here in South Bay, now makes him fascinated by cultural anthropology, a field he hopes to study in college.

Hung Wei was born and raised in Taiwan, Republic of China.  She came to the States in 1979 to study at UCLA. She received a master’s degree in teaching English as A Second Language, moved to west San Jose in 1981, and to Cupertino in 1990.  While her children were in school in the Cupertino Union School District and the Fremont Union High School District, she volunteered in many school activities and took leadership roles as PTA President, School Site Council member, event chairs, and fundraising chairs. 

At Rotary District 5170, Hung served as Club President of the Rotary Club of Cupertino in 2014-2015, Assistant Governor to Area 8 in 2016-17, District Membership Chair from 2017-2021, and Lieutenant Governor in 2021-2022.

She served as Trustee and past Board President with Fremont Union High School District from 2007 to 2018, serving 10,000+ students and their parents from five high schools – Cupertino High, Fremont High, Homestead High, Lynbrook High, and Monta Vista High. 

For over thirty years, Hung has been a dedicated community volunteer, serving on many local non-profit organization Boards.  She was elected to the Cupertino City Council in November 2020.  She currently serves as Mayor. Hung brings integrity, experience, and commitment to Cupertino’s City Council. She believes in Service above Self.

In addition to her passion in serving the community, planting seeds of kindness and goodwill, Hung loves reading, watching old Sci-Fi movies, golfing, food & wine, line dancing and spending time with family and friends.

On a Personal note, Hung is Married to Ta-Wei Chien, also a graduate of National Taiwan University and UCLA. She has two adult sons, both married and living independently, and a beloved granddaughter.

Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian represents the Fifth District which includes Cupertino, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Monte Sereno, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Saratoga, Stanford, portions of San Jose and unincorporated communities in the Santa Cruz Mountains. He was elected to the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors in 2012 and re-elected in 2016 and 2020. Joe’s previous public service includes election to the California State Senate and the California State Assembly, Mayor of Palo Alto, President of the Palo Alto School Board, and an earlier term on the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors. He served as an election observer/supervisor in El Salvador and Bosnia and participated in refugee relief and resettlement efforts in Albania and Kosovo.

Sasha has been living in Los Gatos for over 10 years with her husband, two boys and two cats (also boys). She has also been working in the South Bay for over 20 years, more recently as an engineering manager at Adobe. At the same time she has been active in the community, first supporting various programs as a volunteer at Los Gatos JCC, and once both kids started to participate in the LGHS Music program, as co-president of Los Gatos Music Boosters. LGHS Music program offers over a dozen different classes and includes over 250 families. Sasha has been a first hand witness of the numerous benefits that music education provides in school. Music program provided not only an education, but also a community for the kids to rely on and to relate to. It also helped to grow an appreciation for the art.

Simona has been living in Los Gatos/Monte Sereno for over 10 years with her husband, 2 daughters, and 2 rescue pugs. She loves everything that our community has to offer. In her day job, Simona practices Intellectual Property law at a biotech company. Her older daughter graduated in June from LGHS and played the flute and piccolo in the marching and concert bands for all 4 years of high school. She is now a freshman at Northwestern University. Her younger daughter is a sophomore at LGHS, and plays the trumpet and mellophone. Simona is co-president of the Los Gatos Music Boosters, supporting the LGHS music programs, including band, choir, orchestra, marching band & color guard, jazz band, and more. The music building provides a home away from home and safe space for music students. She has seen first hand through her daughters that the music programs teach not only music, but life skills, discipline, how to be a good person, and the importance of community. 

A veteran, major airline pilot, a husband and father of three daughters, André believes everyone has a gift and it is our responsibility to help educate, encourage, and empower people to pursue and achieve their dreams. So many helped him to reach his dream and now it is his turn to help future generations reach their dreams. André has a BS in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and a MBA from Webster University. He is currently a Boeing 767 Captain for Federal Express, owner of Literary Engineers LLC publishing company, and the president of Literary Tools 501(c)3 non-profit. His passion is to change and save lives through literacy!

Skip grew up in rural Connecticut and graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University with a BA in Economics and History.  In 2011, after working 41 years in the casualty insurance industry, Skip retired and joined the Peace Corps.  He continues to volunteer as a paralegal with legal aid groups and teach ESL.  He is married to fellow Rotarian Donna Brewster.  In 1991, Skip and Donna built their house in Los Gatos and raised their son and daughter here. They are members of the Los Gatos Methodist Church.  Previously to joining the Los Gatos Rotary Club last year, Skip was a member of the Saint Croix and San Francisco Rotary.

Josh Selo comes to Bill Wilson Center from West Valley Community Services, a Cupertino-based nonprofit organization, where he served as the agency’s Executive Director. He is a Certified Fundraising Executive/CFRE with almost 25 years of experience in nonprofit leadership.  Previously, Josh worked as the Associate Executive Director at the Palo Alto Family YMCA and the Chief Operating Officer of the JCC in Rockland County, New York. Josh has an MBA in Finance from Washington State University, an M.A.Ed. from the William Davidson Graduate School of Education, and a BFA in theater from UC Santa Barbara. He has served as the chair of the Cupertino Rotary Housing Corporation, a member of the Kiwanis Club of De Anza Cupertino Board, and a member of the Board of the Cupertino Chamber of Commerce.  Josh was also the 2019 President of the Association of Fundraising Professionals Silicon Valley  Josh is a member of Showing Up For Racial Justice (SURJ) Bay Area, the Santa Clara County REAL (Race Equity Action Leadership) Coalition, and part of Cohort III of American Leadership Forums' Diversity, Inclusion, Equity, Leadership (DIEL) program.  Josh was honored to receive the 2020 Cupertino Citizen of the Year and the 2020 Rotary Club of Cupertino Vocational Service Award.

Bill W. Sanderson is the proud Superintendent of the Los Gatos-Saratoga Union High School District. Joining the district in the 2022/2023 school year, Bill previously served as the Assistant Superintendent of High Schools for the San Francisco Unified School District for eight years, and has worked in public education for three decades in Charleston, SC, and San Francisco.

In just one short year, Bill has led staff to adopt the first phases of the district’s Strategic Plan, We INSPIRE!, implemented the adoption of Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and new Ethnic Studies requirements, revamped both the school and the district’s websites, continued to prioritize student mental health and well-being, and increased transparent communication both within the schools and community, among many other achievements.

Growing up in rural Loris, SC, just after desegregation, Bill saw firsthand the isolation of underserved populations and the life-changing opportunities that education can offer. While neither of his parents graduated from high school, they instilled in him the core values of education and hard work. In 1988, he completed his Bachelor's degree in Biology from Charleston Southern University followed by a Master's in Educational Leadership from The Citadel in 1994. This was then followed by an Education Specialist degree from The Citadel in 2000. He began his career as a middle school science teacher in Summerville, SC, and was selected for the Principal Apprentice Program by the SC Department of Education.

After completion of the program, he served as an Assistant Principal and Principal in Charleston, SC. In 2003, Bill moved to San Francisco where he began his “second career” in education as a high school Biology teacher, Assistant Principal, Principal, and Executive Director prior to becoming an Assistant Superintendent. Under his leadership, SFUSD has seen a continuous increase in graduation rates for all students, implemented an Ethnic Studies Program in all high schools, and increased the diversity of administrators in high schools. Bill deeply believes that access to a high-quality education is an imperative civil right of all people.

Most recently, Mr. Sanderson served as the keynote speaker opening up the international education conference, New Taipei City Multi-Action Green International Carbon Neutral (MAGIC) Youth Forum in New Taipei City, Taiwan. Often asked to speak on his experiences and accomplishments, Mr. Sanderson approaches his career with passion, conviction, and the desire to give every student the opportunities he was fortunate enough to experience.

Tom Picraux is a retired research scientist. During 2021-23 he served as chair of the Los Gatos Senior Service Committee that created a Senior Services Roadmap for Los Gatos. He is now president of the newly created nonprofit, Los Gatos Foundation for Older Adults to Thrive, which is working to create a Community Center and provide support for older adult programs. In addition to being a member of Rotary, he is co-chair of the Membership Committee of the Sourcewise Advisory Council, coordinator of the West Valley Service Providers network and is VP of the League of Women Voters of Southwest Santa Clara Valley.

Claire Day has been on staff of the Alzheimer's Association since 2001. She is the Chief Program Officer at the Northern California and Northern Nevada Chapter and as such, oversees all care and support operations and research initiatives.

Ms. Day is a clinical social worker and received her degree from Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania. She has more than twenty years of experience as a family and professional educator in dementia care and has authored two forwards to Alzheimer's caregiver books.

In 2018, Ms. Day was appointed the Chapter Lead for the US Study to Protect Brain Health Through Lifestyle Interventions to Reduce Risk (US POINTER) in California in partnership with U.C. Davis. US POINTER is a two-year clinical trial to evaluate whether lifestyle interventions that simultaneously target multiple risk factors protect cognitive function in older adults at increased risk for cognitive decline.

My name is Angie Warren and I am the Sr. Director of Homecare and Aging services for Jewish Family Services Silicon Valley. I have been privileged to have spent the last three decades of my career in the service of others. In my current role, we are supporting an underserved population, our senior community. With changes in mobility, increased dependence on others, our seniors are often struggling to maintain the quality of life to which they've been accustomed. JFS SV also supports the caregivers providing hands on care to their loved ones.  We are directly reaching out to our Holocaust Survivors, aging persons with limited or fixed incomes, and seniors who do not have local support. This is a huge need in our greater community. JFS SV, while a Jewish faith based organization, does not discriminate. We serve people in need and will continue to work towards making a positive impact in our community.