Meeting was called to order by President Mike Norcia at 12:30. Mike mentioned it is election day and he appreciates how we come together as a club with different beliefs but all work together for the good of the community. 
 
Pledge led by Randy Cobb and Kathie Benko (thank you for the clever election themed eggs for St. Luke’s)
 
Inspiration from Jean-Marc Blanchard. Jean-Marc will be providing the inspiration in November, the month of Thanksgiving, with an emphasis on giving.  He started the month by sharing a story of Mrs. Tilan RAN in China who jumped into the road when she saw a 2-year-old boy was about to be hit by a truck. They were both hit, but survived. Even though she lost her arm as a result of the accident she said she was lucky to have been there to save his life. She believed that it was worth exchanging her arm for a life.
 
on Saturday, Nov. 12. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at the Cineluxe in Campbell. 2 shows at 4:45 and 7:15. The early bird pricing will continue which is $40 for the matinee and $45 for the evening show. There is a link on the website. If you are unable to attend but still want to support it you can purchase tickets that will be donated. The fundraiser benefits Lighting for Literacy. 

Visitors and Guests:

  • Mike introduced his neighbor Beth Albers. 
  • Marlon Smith introduced John Walker who is visiting us again.
  • Paul Johnson introduced the following guests from the school district
    • Clare Vicker
    • Thomas Lettier
    •  Rhonda Beasley
    • Matt Mullikin
    • Amy Liang
  • Jean-Marc introduced his wife Tong “Monique” Guo who has just arrived from China. They haven’t seen each other in 2 years and 4 months.
  • Randy introduced his brother Brad. Brad has had a very interesting life including being a state champion cyclist when he was at UCSB and living in England after completing his post doc. Randy spoke about coming to the meetings when their dad was president and how he was so proud to introduce his sons. Just as his father did, Randy donated $50 in honor of Brad’s visit. Rotary has been a big part of the Cobb family. Randy and Brad’s mom, who was a member of the Inner Wheel and very involved in the early Great Race, is in hospice now. Our thoughts are with the Cobb family.

Announcements:

Henry Vitkovich spoke about the President’s Brunch on Sunday December 4 from 10 am to 1 pm at Cinnabar Hill Golf clubhouse. There will be champagne, entertainment, and some great door prizes. We will be collecting new, unwrapped toys for Toy for Tots. If you are unable to come to the brunch, we will be collecting toys at the meetings leading up to the event. Gift cards for Target, Walmart, and Kohls are also welcome. The toys will be picked up by the Marines at the brunch. There has been a good response, you won’t want to miss this. Click here to sign up or you can sign up at the meeting. 
 
Mike asked to respect the committee that gets our lunch to us. Committee Cindy Gentile, Michelle Myers Nelson, Randy, and Kathie. Lunches are ordered through Club Runner. If you aren’t getting the email on Wednesday, check your spam folder, especially if you use Google. Please remember the Friday 5pm deadline for the following Tuesday meeting. Mike also asked that we respect the venue and the committee by clearing your table after the meeting. 
 
Dan Snyder introduced us to Amazon Smile which is a way for you to donated part of your Amazon shopping dollars to Rotary. It is simple to sign up, you only have to do it once and you can choose the Foundation or Scholarship Fund. Spread the word the way Avis has and get your friends and family to sign up. 
 
Doug Brent announced the Nominating Committee for the 23-24 year.
 
They are:
Doug (chair)
Lisa Cheskin
Suzanne Boxer-Gassman
Nicholas Welzenbach
Andrew Stearns
 
Gae La Torre introduced our second winter service project “Share the Warmth”. We will be collecting coats/jackets, blanket, and towels for the Family Shop for Pacific Clinics. Cristel Hernandez spoke about the history of the shop. This is a great opportunity to help PC clients, including those in the 18–25-year range who are aging out of foster care and really could use our help. 
 
Marty Fishman told us about the Rotary International Foundation fundraiser that is going on now until the end of the year. This is where we can really make a difference globally. He explained how after 3 years we get back a third of the funds our club donates and the DDF funds are used for special projects. This year our DDF funds along with those of the morning club and a club from El Salvador will be used for Grande Center for Education and Economic Opportunity. 

Program:

 
Our speaker today was Joe Albers from Grande Center for Education and Economic Opportunity. The purpose of the center is to provide a comprehensive model for economic activity for rural El Salvador. They have started with a bilingual, Catholic K-1 school adding grades until they are a K-12 school providing an education for 800 students. They will also be a training center for adults in the region to prepare them for entry level tech jobs with the goal of creating a data labeling company for contracted work in the area. Their goal is to provide a local economic opportunity. Ultimately it will be self-sustaining with the local jobs funding the school. 
 
Meeting adjourned at 1:30.
Next week’s speaker will be Tonya McQuade. She will be speaking about Chasing History and Writing My Family’s Story.