Andrew called the meeting to order at 12:33
Clayton Bruntz gave the pledge of allegiance
Henry Vitkovich gave inspiration about traveling. Travel magnifies the human emotions and opens stories and memories. Go travel!
Anjana Bose was the greeter and reported there were no visitors in the meeting.
Member spotlight is Wes Sadumiano. His favorite experience with Rotary was his trip with Marty to Guatemala. Like what Henry said in the inspiration, the opportunity to travel made the service come alive.
TRF and PolioPlus update: Send your checks in or email Dan with your pledge before the end of the month! Polio is still in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Avis La Grone says we have to completely eradicate it so your contribution is crucial.
Mike Frangadakis announced a certificate of appreciation to Nicholas Welzenbach and Los Gatos Memorial Park from the armed services for his wonderful Memorial Day event.
Avis gave special recognition to Nicholas Welzenbach, Doug Brent, David Wells, and Andrew Howard for giving vocational presentations to Rotaractors in Sri Lanka. Our club members put in a lot of effort and the young Sri Lankans appreciated it, were engaged in the questions they asked, and were outstanding.
RYLA is June 16-19, and on June 19 from 1-4:30 you can log in through zoom and learn more by watching the kids’ presentations. Amy will send out details on how to participate.
The Rotary June theme is Fellowship. There are Rotary fellowship groups like fishing, RVs, marathon runners, metal heads, birdwatching, antiracism, wine appreciation, skiing, quilting, yachting, you name it. You can get involved in these groups and meet Rotarians all over the world.
Alert: There is no June 29 lunchtime meeting.
Instead, it is Roast and Toast! 126 people are coming so far. Be sure to RSVP before the 19th when Marty Fishman has to finalize numbers. Get there by 5:30 so you can mingle and drink before the the program starts. It’s time to leave your cave and have a good time. If you want to be seated as a table of 5-8 email Marty and he can arrange that. Overflow parking at Darling Fisher.
Patti van der Burg set up our Second Harvest Food Bank service project for Saturday July 10. It’s on a weekend this time, in case week day projects have been hard for you.
See Patti’s email to sign up.
West Valley services needs gleaners- going to local grocery stores to pick up food donations early in the mornings M-F. Connect with Bobbi from WVS to get more info on that one.
You can also sign up to be a driver for the back to school event online.
The first Rotary meeting in person will be at Oak Meadow Park on July 6.
Shade tents and chairs will be provided. There will be a sound system and the whole works. We may also be able to start with our Panera lunch orders - stay tuned on that.
Barbara Fishman goes down most Fridays to Santa Maria urban ministries. Drop off donations for her to take at Marty’s eye clinic.
Remember to take the social media survey! See email from Rachelle Lopp.
Next week: Remember your favorite band, song, artist, genre as your backdrop/avatar.
20 for 20
Gary Allison drove his sports car from Carmel to Morro Bay, a spectacular drive. Big Sur has never been prettier and the damaged highway has been repaired.
Dan Snyder visited Ohio to see his family and so his daughter could take the SAT. Dayton OH is the source of First Flight - where the Orville Bros first flew- and has the best aviation museum anywhere. It was a testament to overcoming hard times and American creativity and ingenuity.
Tom Boyce was at Kitty Hawk a few weeks ago where Wright Bros figured it all out. It’s an aviation theme! He also got to see his grandkids.
Patti van der Burg introduced Catherine Somers, Exec Director of the Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce.
She expressed appreciation for the chamber’s covid response for restaurants, holiday lights, business advocacy, and more during the past year that has been so hard on businesses nationwide.
Catherine:
Role of Chamber is to make sure residents, businesses, and city government all work in sync together for a thriving community.
This past year was the hardest. Early on the rules were changing daily. Some people refused the mask mandates. Chamber had to be neutral and helpful.
Today we are opening up more and by the 28th masks should be no longer required in most venues.
There’s a changing landscapes for small town downtowns across America. They were taking a hit even before the pandemic. What does the future look like in the world of amazon and wayfair?
Catherine announced some upcoming changes and additions to the downtown business community. Fewer retail businesses and more restaurants.
The Chamber prevented the current Gap from becoming office space. But what will be able to take that big space? It’s hard.
The Town launched the big effort on Diversity Equity and Inclusion recently . Chambers all around the country are getting into that arena. Towns are only as good as they are diverse - we need a mix of people to make it come alive. They made the street banners: Listen Learn Change Grow to remind people to listen and learn from each other and that divisiveness is not good for the town. Togetherness and respect. It struck up some controversy about what is critical race theory.
Los Gatos Promenade. North Santa Cruz is closed to cars Thursday nights 3-8pm this summer. Local bands will perform and people can walk around, listen, and eat at restaurants that can spill even farther out into the road. Any vendors/kiosks will be los gatos businesses- no outside vendors. Service clubs can have a booth - can serve drinks and fundraise and have a brochure.
Senior services. The Town Health and Wellness Commission (We heard from Jeffrey Blum on this recently!) did a deep dive and found quite a few gaps. The report to the chamber is being given at the meeting tonight. 33% of our population is seniors.
There will be a new Spanish restaurant in old town with a nice outdoor space with excellent views. Blue Bottle is coffee going where Francescas was. Luna Mexican with a rooftop bar will go where Soul Cycle was. Hero Ranch is going to the old William Sonoma location, also with a rooftop bar and outdoor dining.
Try the new French restaurant on Main St. And Mozzarella Market will be opening across from the town plaza.
Outdoor dining here to stay in some areas. The town got federal relief funding to offset restaurant expense to do permanent outdoor dining structures.
Parking programs will be unveiled soon- the first phase is for employee parking. A parking garage is on the table, but not until the third phase. Cars are changing fast (self driving, Ubers, etc) so it’s tricky to plan.
The Meadows will remain a senior community and will be beautiful.
On July 15 the Chamber will have a big mixer. Stop by and say hi. Be sure to contact Catherine with any questions!
Meeting adjourned at 1:31