Meeting brought to order at 12:30pm by President, Mike Norcia.
The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Jean-Marc Blanchard.
Mike thanked Gregg Butterfield for the new audio-visual set up for the meetings.
Our Inspiration was provided by John Pencer. John talked about using creativity and support to get yourself out of a tough spot.
Guests: Jan Sirkin, guest of Sue Heller and Adam Mayer, guest of Barry and Lisa Cheskin.
Visiting Rotarians: Mary Pacifico Curtis and her husband Michael Miller from the San Jose Club.
Announcements:
New Member, Ileana Aguilar was introduced and given her Red Badge by Gae La Torre.
Gae La Torre presented a certificate of appreciation to Meghan Burton for her service to the Club.
Jeffrey Barnett spoke about the opportunity for members to attend the Rotary Leadership Academy Training. Training covers a wide breath of topics, ranging from local to international Rotary subjects.
Events
Our next First Tuesday event will take place on August 2 from 5:30pm - 7:30pm at the home of Gordon and Judy Levin. Please bring an appetizer and beverage of choice to share.
The Town of Los Gatos has moved up the date of the Los Gatos Promenade from Thursday, August 4 to Thursday, July 28. We need volunteers to man our Rotary tent on July 28. Please see Rachelle Lopp if you can help out.
A celebration of life for Lloyd Grant will take place on Saturday, July 23 at 2:00pm at the First Methodist Church in Los Gatos.
Service Projects
Jewish Family Services Backpack Drive: See the board in the Shir Hadash lobby to select items to purchase for students returning to school in the fall. Please bring the items to our meeting on July 26. The backpack stuffing will take place on July 31 from 1:15pm – 3:30pm at the Los Gatos Jewish Community Center. If you cannot attend our meeting on July 26, please contact Kirsten Bridges and she will pick up your items.
Pacific Clinics Backpack Drive: Backpack stuffing will take place on Wednesday, August 10 from 1:30pm -4:00pm at the Pacific Clinics Gym, 499 Loma Alta Avenue, Los Gatos, 95030. You do not need to bring any items, just show up and help stuff the backpacks. Please contact Gae La Torre if you’re interested.
West Valley Community Services Back to School Shopping: Do back to school shopping with a child on August 6 at the Old Navy store at Westgate Shopping Center. Please contact Suzanne Boxer-Gassman if you are interested.
Community Profile
Our Annual Club BBQ will take place on Tuesday, August 23 at Oak Meadow Park. Andrew Stearns and Tina Orsi-Hartigan shared some details about the event and some of the event’s history.
Please contact Tina if you are able to help out on the BBQ Committee. They need folks to set up, clean up, set out food, etc.…
30 for 30
Tina Orsi-Hartigan thanked Michelle Myers-Nelson for bringing flowers to the meeting every week.
Barry Cheskin donated $180 to honor the beginning of Mike Norcia’s Presidency.
Jean-Marc Blanchard donated $100 and noted the beginning of his new podcast that tracks Legislative activity in California as well as Corporations that are involved in large-scale affairs with the State.
Patti van der Burg donated $100 to honor the passing of Lloyd Grant, congratulate Suzanne Boxer-Grassman on receiving the Rotarian of the Year Award, and to thank Nicholas Welzenbach for his Presidency last year.
Meghan Burton donated $100 in honor of her daughter’s recent graduation from the University of Aberdeen in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Program
Patti van der Burg introduced Mary Pacifico Curtis.
In fulfillment of a long-held dream, Mary Pacifico Curtis is the author of a newly released memoir, Understanding Moonseed, as well as poetry chapbooks Between Rooms (2016) and The White Tree Quartet (2018). Her work is widely published and anthologized.
Mary has had a distinguished Silicon Valley career as founder and CEO of Pacifico, Inc. a leading PR and strategic communications firm serving global technology clients. In that role she received the American Advertising Federation’s Silver Medal Award recognizing industry excellence and social responsibility.
Mary continues to take board/advisory roles to technology startups and early-stage companies as a Venture Partner with Mighty Capital.
Mary lives with her husband in Los Gatos and is a proud member of the San Jose Downtown Rotary Club.
She read excerpts from Understanding Moonseed and talked about her road to writing.
Mike thanked Mary with a certificate noting that 150 children will be inoculated against polio in her honor.
Meeting closed at 1:28pm by Mike.