Meeting called to order by President Mike Norcia at 12:30.
The pledge was led by Stefka Bonev.
Inspiration was from Ramon Ware. Ramon decided to see what ChatGPT would come up with for inspiration so he asked for 200 words that would be inspirational and funny for a Rotary meeting. Appropriately it started with a joke but went on to remind us that we are here for a greater purpose-to make our communities a better place, that success doesn’t come easily and we should keep our sense of humor. So, remember, let’s keep up the good work, and remember to laugh and have fun along the way. It is not just what we accomplish, but how we enjoy the journey.
Guests:
Lydia Rosen
Darren DeMonsi from Pacific Clinics
Announcements:
- The Great Race is April 29 and we need more runners/walkers. If you would like to participate, go to www.lggreatrace.com to sign-up. This is one of our two largest fundraisers for the year so we really need to get the numbers up. Let your friends know this is a fun event, walkers are welcome.
- We also need course monitors for the Great Race. Beth Albers sent an email for us to sign up on Sign Up Genius. Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E054FACAE2B0-great
- Darren thanked us for the check presented to Pacific Clinics. He spoke about two new programs they have at PC. One is the Hope Drop-In Center for youth 16-25 living in the SJ area. The purpose of Hope Drop-In Center is to provide a safe space for LGTBQIA+ youth they also provide mental health services, addiction recovery education among other services.
- He also spoke about the Trust Field Response Program which helps Santa Clara County residents during an urgent mental health or substance use situation. They are available 24/7.
- He also invited us to Pacific Clinics Hearts & Hands luncheon on April 28. Please let Darren know if you would like to attend. As a thank you for our support the cost will be $50 for Rotarians.
- Nicolas Welzenbach announced the Roast & Toast for Mike will be held June 27 at Villa Regusa. There may be a sports theme?? Mark your calendar.
- Alex Bonev won the regional speech contest. He will be competing at the District Conference on April 29. Congratulations Alex!
- The PolioPlus drive is underway now. The video we saw can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCDRrXOGKK8 Tina Orsi-Hartigan spoke about the program and explained that when Rotary begins a project, they make sure it is sustainable. She recommended that we read the article in this month’s Rotary magazine which explains how this program has made a difference in the lives of the women who are out there vaccinating children. Dan Snyder updated us on club donations for PolioPlus, just last week we made $10,000 in pledges from 50 members. Remember a donation of any size makes a difference.
The Cilker Family
Today was the day we honored and thanked the Bill and Lee Cilker Family. We were very pleased to have many of the family join us. Bill’s daughter Beth, who was our club president 2008-09, introduced the family members. Bill was president of our club 1984-85 and outstanding Rotarian 1990-91. Mike shared his experiences with Bill, including the year he took over as chair of the Great Race, when Bill won the race in his age group.
John Pencer spoke about Bill and all that he did for our club. Bill was the one of the four founders of our foundation. He also started the pumpkin carving event the club used to do. It seems Bill was a master at seeing a need and knowing just what to do. We are grateful to Bill and the entire Cilker family for their support of our club, the family trust has just made a donation of $199,000 to the Charities Foundation. In honor of the treasure Bill was to our club, the Rotarian of the Year award has been named the William H. Cilker Outstanding Rotarian Award.
Red Badge Speeches
Cindy Gentile is originally from Canada eventually arriving in Silicon Valley by way of Oregon. Fun fact: She and her daughter graduated from the same college (Pacific Union College), lived in the same dorm and had the same art professor. She got her first job in finance with a degree in Psychology and no typing skills. Greg called to offer her the job and later she was the one to ask him out (he was never her boss). After that she had a career in high tech. During this time, she worked with Emi. She is now an event manager which allowed her to work part time when her daughter was growing up. She has a wide range of “girl” hobbies. She is involved in her church and is a Junior League sustainer. She joined Rotary to give back to the community and for the friendships. Cindy believes Rotary is an organization that will “teach a man to fish.”
Adam Mayer is a local kid. During his time at LGHS he took architectural modeling class which solidified his desire to become an architect. After school at USC, he worked as an architect in LA for a couple of years. In 2009 during the recession Adam moved to China and got a job in Beijing. He was later transferred to the Chengdu office. He was lead designer on several projects in Southwest China. He started writing about his experiences and has been interviewed several times as an authority on China urban development. He moved back to the US in 2014 and worked in SF. He and his wife moved back to LG in 2022. They did a complete remodel of their home and garden in Glenridge. (Both look beautiful by the way). Adam opened his own firm in 2022 and has been appointed to the town’s Housing Element Advisory Board and General Plan Committee. Among his reasons for joining Rotary are to reconnect with his hometown and because Barry, Lisa, Rachelle and Mike did such a great job recruiting.
Emi Eto is originally from Los Angeles. She attended UCSB. She has held various jobs in the high tech industry including time at Xilinx, which is where she became friends with Cindy. Through her three children Emi is involved in many community activities including 4H, Boy Scouts Troop 2, and Venturing Crew. Emi has also been a trustee on the LGUSD board which is where she met Tina. Emi loves animals as a result, along with her involvement in 4H she has some unusual animals at home including goats and rabbits. She showed us a video of her goats sliding around which is how she feels sometimes with her crazy life. Emi joined Rotary because of our connection to Troop 2, she saw all the good work we do and she wanted to get involved.
Welcome Cindy, Adam, and Emi we are so glad you joined us!
Meeting adjourned at 1:30. Next week is the Interact auction.