Events

It is an enduring mystery whether Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962. It is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found―only their makeshift raft. Our guest speaker, Mike Lynch co-authored a book with the escapees' nephew, Ken Widner, in which they present compelling evidence that Morris and the Anglin uncles did in fact survive. Join us for this account of a fascinating slice of Bay Area history.

Join our CrabFest Committee to learn about all things CrabFest coming up on Saturday, February 1st. This is our club's biggest fundraiser of the year and we hope that the 2025 event will be the biggest ever! At this club meeting, we will be bringing some of the items in the fabulous auction that you can win that day! You'll learn about the CrabFest event night schedule, registering to bid, using the auction "win-it-now" option and even "otto bidding". Don't miss it!

Dr. Jennifer Zumarraga, MD., is the Medical Director, Adolescent Psychiatry, Scrivner Center for Mental Health & Addiction Services at El Camino Health. She has a decade of experience in working with children of all ages with mental health issues. She started out in research at the National Institute of Mental Health working with youth with ADHD. She continued her training at the University of Rochester and the University of Southern California. Dr. Zumarraga was involved in the formation of the ASPIRE program for teens at El Camino Health in response to the glaring shortage of services for adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders and the lack of resources for their families. 

The ASPIRE Program at El Camino Health has been transforming lives in the Los Gatos community since 2010 by providing specialized care for middle schoolers, teens, and young adults facing depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions. This presentation will explore the impact of mental health conditions on our youth and how innovative treatment programs can be a critical resource.  

Dr. Zumarraga will be joined by Sam Kotmel who is an ASPIRE graduate. The program changed Sam's life and taught her vital skills that she uses on a daily basis. She has a bachelors degree from Otis College of Art and Design and is currently applying to go back to school to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. 

In this in-meeting service project, we will make birthday cards for seniors who are clients of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI). PVI's mission is to enable seniors to age in place by empowering them to lead independent lives, engage with their communities, and continue to get the most out of life. Joining us from PVI will be Stephanie Stephanie Figeira, Director of Nutrition Services. She has over 12 years of experience in holistic nutrition and is committed to helping seniors achieve healthy longevity through mindful eating and wellness practices. 

Each year, Rotary District 5170 sponsors a high school speech contest. Participating contestants will speak on a predetermined Rotary theme. Each Club holds a contest and judges select the 1sr, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. The Club 1st place finisher advances to the Area contest. The winner of the Area contest goes on to compete in the Regional speech contest.  The top two finishers in the Regional advance to the District Final Speech Contest. Join us for the Los Gatos club-level contest on Tuesday, February 25th! 

Local resident, Caroline Cocciardi, the author of Leonardo’s Knots, will introduce us to a facet of Leonardo da Vinci that you have not seen before.  Caroline will explain how da Vinci used mathematically-inspired knots throughout his work containing hidden messages that appear in his most famous pieces including Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Every Spring, along with Los Gatos Morning and San Jose Rotary, we sponsor the Enterprise Leadership Conference bringing together nearly 100 high school juniors from over 20 Silicon Valley schools to learn how to become the entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow! This is a three-day event at the beautiful Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove where students break into teams led by Rotarian mentors to develop an idea for a business. Throughout the conference, they are introduced to the concepts of Marketing, Finance, Research, and Human Resources as they develop their Business Plans. On the final day of the event, all of the teams present their plans before a panel of judges in a spirited but friendly competition. Join us at our March 18^th meeting when the winning team from the 2025 ELC presents their pitch to our club!

Join us for an inside look at minor league baseball with San Jose Giants General Manager, Ben Taylor, who will be interviewed by Los Gatos Rotarian, Mike Norcia.