Stories

Meet Rotary's first female President

Rotary International President Jennifer Jones is ready to hit the ground running as she takes office 1 July as the first female president in Rotary history. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Windsor Roseland, Ontario, Canada, and founder and president of Media Street Productions, an award-winning media company in Windsor. Having previously served Rotary in a variety of roles including vice president, director, and Rotary Foundation trustee, her talents have strengthened Rotary’s reach and impact. Learn more about Jones in a profile in the July issue of Rotary magazine. Watch the presidential changeover ceremony on Facebook.

Meeting Highlights - June 21, 2022

Thank you, President Dwight Perry!

Castro Valley Rotarians give President Dwight Perry a standing ovation to recognize his outstanding leadership during his 2021-2022 Presidential term.

President Dwight Perry, presiding over his last official meeting of the 2021-2022 Rotary year, reviewed the Club's many highlights and significant achievements during the year including events (Rodeo Parade, Car Show, Restaurant Walk, Senior Center giveaways), fundraising (TRF, Polio Plus), scholarships ($10K to CVHS seniors), community grants ($6K), and membership (9 new members). Dwight thanked members for their incredible Service Above Self that made the year so successful. Since the list of achievements and members to thank is so long, watch the video to grasp the scope of successes this past year. Watch Dwight's summary of the year here.

Click here for the complete Meeting Highlights that includes the induction of Marco Jaramillo as the Club's newest member, the presentation of Paul Harris Fellows to Gary Bosley, Gary Howard, and Bob Shayler, a report on the Castro Valley Car Show, and other announcements and upcoming event.

Marco Jaramillo

At today’s meeting, Membership Chair Ceta Dochterman and President Dwight Perry welcomed Marco Jaramillo as the newest Red Badge member. He was sponsored by Randy Vanderbilt with a classification of Construction.

Marco was born in Mexico and moved to San Francisco at age 8 where he lived until he graduated from the School of the Arts in Twin Peaks. He then moved to Castro Valley when he got a job with Randy Vanderbilt. Marco started as a laborer and over the years progressed to painting, framing, and learned all of the trades while working for Randy. Marco appreciates Randy for the training over the years in the construction business and introducing him to Rotary. He has helped Randy with the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade for many years as a volunteer. Marco "constructed" a relationship with Corrine, his fiancé, when he met her 7 years ago at Pete’s Hardware, where she was working. They have a wedding coming up on October 16^th!

Please make the time to introduce yourself to Marco when you have a chance.

Meeting Highlights - June 14, 2022

Considerations for Consumers & Businesses in the Face of Significant Inflation in the Economy - Bryce Sonsteng

Bryce Sonsteng is a Research Analyst at Mirador Capital Partners, a Registered Investment Advisor in Pleasanton, who researches economic cycles, macro-economic risks, and public software companies. Additionally, Bryce serves as an Investment Analyst at Tri-Valley Ventures, an early-stage venture fund focused on software, life sciences and deep tech companies.

Using detailed graphs and charts, Bryce started with an explanation of Modern Monetary Theory and moved on to review interest rates and addressed “synthetic movement of the bond market” relative to world-wide inflation, the rises and falls in inflations, and its correlation with changes in the CPI changes. Bryce emphasized now is not the time to buy debt, but to stay invested or stay the course with current investments.

Click here to access the complete version of Meeting Highlights that includes the video of Bryce's presentation, his slides, and Club announcements with video.

Elizabeth Crocker Rotarian of the Month

Elizabeth Crocker: June Rotarian of the Month and Newest Member

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley welcomed Elizabeth Crocker, a registered nurse and international health care executive from both the business and nonprofit sectors, recently moved to Castro Valley from England as its newest member and at the same meeting on June 7, she was recognized at the Rotary Club of Castro Valley’s Rotarian of the Month!

Club President Dwight Perry stated that in his 50-plus years as a Rotarian “Elizabeth fulfilled the requirements for her blue badge signifying becoming a full-fledged active member faster than anyone ever before embodying Rotary's ‘Service Above Self’ spirit of helping others locally, nationally and internationally. A great example was her positive leadership in a critical volunteer slot in the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade at the last minute by organizing and carrying out the judges and committee's duties on the day of the parade.”

Ceta Doctermann, the Club Membership Chair stated "We're really proud of Elizabeth and her commitment to the principles of Rotary International. She stepped right up and became a full-fledged active member right from the git go -- with enthusiasm to spare!"

Elizabeth was no stranger to the Club as she had made a presentation by Zoom to the Club from London, England, titled "The Majesty of Horses." Her presentation was in conjunction with Rowell Ranch Rodeo festivities.

Since joining the club, Elizabeth, a polio survivor, did an in-person presentation on the subject of Post-Polio Syndrome. She is a polio survivor. The presentation was in conjunction with the annual "Polio Plus" Rotary International campaign to eradicate polio from the world.

Photo by Gary Bosley

Meeting Highlights - June 7, 2022

The Trials and Tribulations of Moving Out of a Home After 35 Years

Castro Valley Rotarian Bill Nott (read bio here) is a retired engineer who worked on the solar panels on the International Space Station. In retirement, he worked on various STEM projects for students and is deeply involved in robotics for students. Bill recently moved from his house of 35 years in Castro Valley to a new home in Rossmoor. His presentation focused on the trials and tribulations of moving and shared many useful tips and insights.

Bill started by saying that such a move involved a lot of insanity. He mentioned the term “expert” and said that it means knowing enough to be scared. Based on his recent experience, Bill claims that he is now an expert on moving. (Be sure to click on the link below to read more about Bill's presentation.)

They began thinking about moving in December 2020. They started looking seriously in January and found a good home in Rossmoor quite quickly, and then they had to begin to time all of the events of moving. They had to move by April. It seemed like plenty of time, but there is a lot to do. Finances are a consideration. (Read more in the complete Meeting Highlights). Besides the great tips and insights regarding moving, Bill made several recommendations for those considering a move.

First, plan ahead and get an early start. You can even begin now by moving all of your home expenses into a spread sheet and giving away some of the clutter that inevitably accumulates over the years.
Second, you can do it yourself, but consider using professional help to move. They did and it was a good experience. They even used a company to unpack their boxes, and the company even took away all of the boxes and packing material. Finally, remember that moving takes a lot of time.

Watch the video of Bill's presentation here. Read the entire Meeting Highlights here with more details regarding Bill's presentation and all Club announcement.

Trials & Tribulations of Moving Out of a Home after 35 Years

They began thinking about moving in December 2020. They started looking seriously in January and found a good home in Rossmoor quite quickly, and then they had to begin to time all of the events of moving. They had to move by April. It seemed like plenty of time, but there is a lot to do. The first consideration was the tax rules, which are complicated and ambiguous. But he was able to figure out a reasonable path.

Their CV home was about 1400 square feet, but had lots of nooks and crannies for squirreling things away, and he and his wife had taken full advantage of that over the years. Bill had many tools that he had probably used once or twice, jars full of assorted screws, bolts, and nuts, lots of dishes and cooking utensils, and thousands of books. All of that had to be moved, given away, or trashed. They took advantage of CVSan’s once-per-calendar year free pick-up of 9 cubic yards of anything. They did one in December 2020 and another early in 2021.

Since they hate garage sales, they had a garage free event: everything was free. But even then, they had to keep an eye on people who wandered beyond the free items and into their garage. They started to take yard decorations that were not in the free area.

They found a neighbor who was happy to take a lot of things and donate them in exchange for the tax write-off. They readily accepted that deal. They also set up a table near the street with items and a “free” sign. Lots of things disappeared, eventually even the table itself.

Finances are a consideration. Should you fix up your house before selling it or let the next person, do it? Bill recommends making the house look good. He invested about $30,000 to do work in his house and it sold for more than $100,000 more than a very similar house across the street that had had no improvements. Also, Bill received 10 offers, and the other house only had two. Additionally, some improvements count as a tax write-off, but others do not. Even seemingly small things can take time and effort. Changing addresses is a big one. We all have our addresses in many places.

Bill made several recommendations for those considering a move. First, plan ahead and get an early start. You can even begin now by moving all of your home expenses into a spread sheet and giving away some of the clutter that inevitably accumulates over the years. Second, you can do it yourself, but consider using professional help to move. They did and it was a good experience. They even used a company to unpack their boxes, and the company even took away all of the boxes and packing material. Finally, remember that moving takes a lot of time.

Watch the video of Bill's presentation here.

Bill Nott Bio

Bill Nott is a Mechanical Engineer. He retired as a Sr. Staff Mechanical Engineer from Lockheed Martin Space Systems in 2007. He worked on many satellite programs including the International Space Station.

From 1994 to 2020 he volunteered on STEM programs to promote engineering at the pre-college level including ASME, FIRST Robotics, the STEM Education Coalition, EAST Initiative, Engineers Without Borders, National Student Leadership Conference and others. He also helped develop the Assessment Framework For Technology and Engineering Literacy for NAEP – also known as “The Nations Report Card”.

He joined this Rotary Club in 2008 and was President for 2011-2012. After 35 years in Castro Valley, he moved to Rossmoor in Walnut Creek. Bill’s hobbies include performing with the Fault Line a Cappella Chorus, swimming and table tennis.

Rotary Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Announces $12,000 in Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Board is pleased to announce the recipients of the four scholarships awarded annually to graduates of Castro Valley High School: Jenny Tran, Jayme Lai, Cecilia (YuBao) Lin, and Travis Orem. Each scholarship recipient received $3,000.

Jenny Tran received the Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Scholarship for her commitment to serve others, reflecting Rotary’s motto: “Service Above Self.” There are more than one million Rotarians and Interactors in more than 200 countries committed to “Service Above Self” in order to make a difference in their community, nation, and the world. Jenny models “Service Above Self,” serving in Castro Valley High School’s Interact Club, a student service club sponsored by the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, for all four years, including being a member of Interact 5170's District Council as the Area 2 Director her senior year, while earning a 3.86 (weighted) grade point average (GPA). Jenny currently plans on attending the University of California, Irvine with the career goal of becoming a high school Spanish teacher. Jenny is the daughter of Bang Tran and Nu Le of Castro Valley.

Cecilia (YuBao) Lin received the Owen Smith Scholarship named in the memory of the long-time Rotary Club of Castro Valley member, who along with his wife Erma, was committed actively promoting education, including understanding the principles of property rights, entrepreneurship, limited government and a free market. Cecilia was very active on the Castro Valley High School campus as she has served in InterAct for three years in addition to four years in the American Red Cross Club and Chinese Culture Club for three years while also volunteering for three years on Asian Youth Services Committee (Volunteer Service), a youth-led nonprofit organization that serves the Oakland community providing volunteer opportunities, such as Adopt-A-Park, and hosts monthly General Meetings to teach skills, including public speaking and financial management. Cecilia earned a 4.39 (weighted) GPA. She will be attending University of California San Diego with the career goal of becoming a data scientist or pharmacologist. Cecilia is the daughter of Wenqin Lin and Chunmei Wu of Castro Valley.

Jayme Lai received the Bob Waberski Scholarship named after long-time Rotary Club of Castro Valley member and former President, who retired as Castro Valley’s Fire Chief in 1993. Chief Waberski left a rich legacy of community service. Jayme was very active on campus during high school as a member of InterAct for three years, and service off-campus serving the youth groups of both Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church and Transfiguration Catholic Church, while also working at Old Navy, and earned a 3.96 (weighted) GPA. She will be attending San Diego State University with the career goal of becoming an Orthodontist. Jayme is the daughter of Hue Lai of Castro Valley and Kayla Tran of Walnut Creek.

Travis Orem received the Sunrise Scholarship, awarded each year remembering the Sunrise Rotary Club of Castro Valley that merged with the Rotary Club of Castro Valley in 2013 becoming part of the Castro Valley Rotary Endowment. The Sunrise Club is remembered by having a scholarship carry their name, and honoring a student who exhibits their legacy of commitment to the Castro Valley Community, and National and International Service. Travis served in multiple clubs during his four years at Castro Valley High School, including the InterAct Club (three years) DCA Business and Marketing club (four years) and American Red Cross Club (three years). He also serves within the community while also working since 2015 both as a Mechanic-In-Training with Travis Specialized Transport during summers and as an Intern with the Leslie Peterson Real Estate Team. Travis earned a 4.21 (weighted) GPA. He will be attending University of California Davis with the career goal of becoming a naturalist or small business owner. Travis is the son of Sheryl Danielson of Castro Valley and Arliss Orem of Virginia Beach, Virginia.

On behalf of the entire Rotary Club of Castro Valley and Endowment Board, Endowment Chair Bruce D. Johnson commends all of the recipients for their commitment to investing their lives in serving others stating “The students who were selected all have marvelous personal stories. Some will be first college attenders in their family, and all are involved in a variety of school service and activities and community service. Each of the recipients is industrious, hard-working (in and out of the classroom) and involved in a variety of activities serving others at school and within the community. We are confident these students will excel and make a positive impact on everyone they impact throughout college and after! We are very proud of Jenny, Jayme, Cecilia and Travis.”

Castro Valley Rotarians John Aufdermauer, Heidi Hausauer, Bruce D. Johnson (Chair), Jim Negri, Margarita Ramos, Ray Wallace (Secretary), and Dan Willits (Vice-Chair/Treasurer) serve on the Endowment Board. For more information on The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and the Endowment, please visit www.castrovalleyrotary.org.

Meeting Highlights - May 31, 2022

Re-imagining Rotary: Embracing Our Community

Gary Howard, Jill Duerig & Mark Poniatowski

District 5170 Lt. Governor Jill Duerig joined Castro Valley Rotarians Gary Howard, Past President, and Mark Poniatowski, Chair of the Racial Discrimination Forum, shared the presentation that they made at the District 5170 Leadership Training Assembly earlier in May. The presentation focused on the work Rotary is undertaking at the local, national, and international levels regarding Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Gary Howard provided an introduction to DEI work, Jill reviewed in detail the efforts of Rotary International to support DEI work throughout the organization, and Mark Poniatowski described the work of the Club's Racial Discrimination Forum over the past two year.

Jill explained that there are many ways to define diversity, equity, and inclusion and that Rotary International uses the following definitions:

Diversity - Rotary welcomes people of all backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and identities.
Equity - Rotary strives for the fair treatment, opportunity, and advancement of all Rotary participants.
Inclusion - Rotary is working to create experiences where all people feel welcomed, respected, and valued.

Mark Poniatowski reviewed what the Racial Discrimination Forum has done and plans to do. He stressed its motto,

We want to be part of the solution Racial Discrimination rather than part of the problem: Silence is not an option.

The presentation was powerful, timely, and challenged all Rotarians to take action. Since the Meeting Highlights cannot capture the power of the presentation, everyone is encouraged to view the video of the presentation here and to click here to see the slides from the presentation. The full version of Meeting Highlight is available here.

Scott Weiss

From the average consumer to the CEO’s office, the global supply chain has never been more at the forefront of all our minds as a result of all the delays and high costs we are seeing for products these days.

Join us now for this discussion led by 25-year global logistics industry veteran Scott Weiss as we examine how and why we got to this point and where we go from here. Scott is Vice President of Sales for Performance Team, a division of Maersk where he oversees a national sales team for all of North America Performance Team is a $2 billion nationwide omni-channel logistics provider that operates over 7,000 trucks, 87 warehouses, and nearly 30 million square feet of warehouse space with an extensive prestigious list of mass retail, apparel, e-commerce, and CPG Fortune 50, 100, and 500 companies including Amazon, Nike, Home Depot, and Target. With subsidiaries and offices across 130 countries and around 90,000 employees worldwide, Maersk is a $65 billion company and is the largest ocean container shipping line and vessel operator in the world.

Busting Some Myths in Early Castro Valley History

Myth: The Mexican Government gave Guillermo Castro Rancho San Lorenzo because he was a loyal soldier. Reality: It was not nearly that straightforward and required 6 long years of pleading, negotiating, and a whole lot of backstabbing!
Myth: While rogue settlers were setting up homes illegally over in Squattersville on the Estudillo's Rancho San Leandro, the honest settlers in Castro Valley bought their land from Castro. Reality: Castro was fighting as many as 80 squatters on his rancho.
Myth: Castro's Rancho San Lorenzo was auctioned off at high-noon on the San Leandro courthouse steps in February of 1864 for $400,000. Reality: This appears to have been a fanciful fabrication created out of thin air in 1969 by an East Bay Regional Park District PR man to build the hype around the opening of Don Castro Reservoir and Park--or was it?
Myth: The first school in Castro Valley was on Redwood Road at Alma Avenue, as commemorated in 1962 by placing California Historical Marker #776. Reality: Depending on how you count, it was either the 2nd or the 6th school to serve the greater Castro Valley community. Almost all of the story used to justify the commemorative plaque seems to have been little more than Brickell family lore, and almost all of it is demonstrably incorrect.

Meeting Highlights - May 24, 2022

Michael Singer (photo right), Managing Editor of the Castro Valley Forum, returned to the Club to speak on Making Local News Work for You. Throughout his presentation, Michael focused on the types of stories that the Forum covers, how local organizations and community members can provide stories, and how local businesses and organizations can support the Forum while promoting their business or organization. He uses the recent four-page insert on the Rowell Ranch Rodeo as a mutually beneficial effort.

The Castro Valley Forum now has an easily accessible and useable online presence at https://mycvforum.com/. Michael filled in for Editor and Publisher Howard Morrison who was unable to attend.

Scott Weiss, Vice President of Sales for Performance Team, a division of MAERSK, provided a very informative six-minute presentation on The Global Supply Chain Disruptions and Challenges that was so good that President Dwight Perry invited Scott to return for a full presentation on a critical topic.

As a wrap-up to the Rotary-sponsored Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade, President Dwight Perry presented Darby Falkenstein (ACSO retired) with a Paul Harris Fellow (photo left) who his incredible support and efforts to ensure the Parade went off without a problem this year. Thank you, Darby!

Click here to read Meeting Highlights that includes more information on the presentation, announcements, photos, and the video of the meeting and presentations.

Meeting Highlights - May 10, 2022

The Rotary Clubs of Castro Valley and Hayward held their annual joint meeting to celebrate the Rowell Ranch Pro Rodeo. During the meeting, Rotarians and guests heard from Janet Lemmons (Rowell Ranch Rodeo Board of Directors) regarding the history of the Rodeo and the events scheduled for the 100th Anniversary of the Rodeo; Brigette Davilla, Miss Rowell Ranch Rodeo Queen Coordinator, who described the selection process and what it takes to be the Rodeo Queen; Katie Ward-Crummey, the current Rodeo Queen, who described her experiences as the Queen and what it has meant to her; and Olivia Sherman, a contestant for the 2022 Rodeo Queen, who presented her contestant's speech and demonstrated the impromptu interview portion of the contest. Watch the presentation here.

Read the full version of the Highlights Meeting including more details from each presenter and the announcements here.

Meeting Highlights - May 17, 2022

Reminiscences on Worldly Matters & A Musical Tribute

Castro Valley Rotarian Ray Wallace

Ray Wallace is the retired Director of International Student Education at CSU East Bay. He earned his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and travelled the world. He shared his diverse experiences from educator to photographer to musician and his thoughts on many issues in between. Ray concluded his presentations with two musical numbers that should not be missed.

During the meeting. President Dwight presented five (5) Paul Harris recognitions and two Rotarian of the Month pins, and witnessed the presentation of a District 5170 Top Performer All

Star Award. Parade Chair Lytel Carter and Float Sweepstake winner Misty Short reported on the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade. Elizabeth Crocker shared her visit to the Rotary Club of Lawrence, Kansas. Click here to access the full version of Meeting Highlights which includes links to videos of the meeting.

Rotary Club of Castro Valley Presents the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade - May 14, 2022

Back in the Saddle!

On May 14, 2022 the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, after a two-year hiatus, once again presented the Rowel Ranch Pro Rodeo Parade celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Rodeo on May 18-22.

View photos from the Rodeo Parade

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #1

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #2

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #3

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #4

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #5

Click here to view Rodeo Parade Photo Album #6

Thank you to Winnie Wright, Mary Cerros-Feria, Steve Johnson, and Rick Taylor from the Castro Valley Photo Club;

Mike Kady from Redwood Christian Schools; and Castro Valley Rotarians Todd Anglin and Jim Negri for contributing photos.

Click here to see the list of Art & Essay Winners.

Click here to see the list of Parade Winners.

Click here to watch the video of the Parade provided by Roberto Souza of the Castro Valley News.

Meeting Highlights - May 10, 2022

Joint Meeting of the Rotary Clubs of Castro Valley & Hayward in Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Rowell Ranch Pro Rodeo

Meeting Highlights - May 3, 2022

Bill Ganahl, Owner - South City Rod & Custom

Bill Ganahl is one of the premier builders of personal, high-end custom cars. He has been in the business for over 20 years. His cars vary from small jobs to $1-2M cars. Essentially, Bill takes the shell of a car and replaces everything else with the very best, including the chassis, engine, transmission, and suspension. His 6,000 square-foot shop in Hayward has everything it needs to build the frames and do sheet metal work and more. Building these cars takes a wide range of trades (e.g., fabric workers, welders, sheet metal, and mechanics), but at the same time, he has a business to run.

At any time, he has 10-15 projects at various stages so that he can keep everyone gainfully employed. Everything is on a deadline, mostly to get cars ready for shows. Bill is proud of the number of awards they have won at shows and the number of magazine covers that his cars have graced. He pointed out that all his cars are fully functioning and ready to drive. Bill and several of Rotarian Cliff Sherwood’s friends brought their cars built by Bill to the meeting that members and guests were able to view after the meeting. More about South City Rod & Custom here. Watch Bill's presentation here.

Sam Crader, General Manager Touchstone Golf at Redwood Canyon

Sam Crader is the General Manager for Touchstone Golf, the company that leases Redwood Canyon Golf Course from EBMUD. Since Touchstone took over the course, they have made many improvements to the golf course, including fixing the drainage, irrigation, and leaks. They have an agreement from EBMUD to install a cart path all around the perimeter of the course.

Golf did pretty well during the pandemic because it was an outdoor activity in which people felt safe participating and the upswing in players has continued. Since Redwood Canyon is conveniently located, it would like to expand its offerings beyond golf. They hope to sponsor the CVHS golf team and fundraisers for other groups. Touchstone Golf Foundation supports community activities. On the third Thursdays in July, August, and September, Touchstone will be sponsoring music concerts. Watch Sam's presentation here.

Click here to read the complete version of Meeting Highlights for May 3, 2022

Next Meeting

Joint Meeting with Rotary Club of Hayward

Date: May 10, 2022

Time: 12:00-1:30 pm

Location: Redwood Canyon Golf Course & via Zoom

Speakers:

Russ Fields, President of the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Board of Directors

Bridgette Davila, 2022 Rodeo Queen

Topic: 100 Years for the Rowell Ranch Rodeo

Reservations: Click here

Meeting Highlights - April 26, 2022

The War in the Ukraine - Igor Tregub

Rotarian April Chan introduced Igor with a video clip from KTVU (be sure to click on the video link below to this outstanding and timely presentation).

Igor was born in Ukraine, but moved to the US as a child. He has retained deep ties to his native country and has done an extraordinary job of raising awareness and resources for Ukraine during the war. He related stories about people he knows who have, so far, survived the horrors of the war. The Ukrainians suffered under Soviet domination for years, but then enjoyed a period of democracy and prosperity when they gained independence, which they are not going to give up.

Igor emphasized that we are all part of the resistance to tyranny and that there are things both large and small that can help. He said that small things done locally can make a big difference globally. He thanked every person at every rally for every penny donated, every petition signed, and more. These collective and effective efforts are ways to help Ukraine. On a larger scale, he urged everyone to push the US and other governments to take action.

Click here to read more about Igor's presentation.

Click here to watch Igor's presentation.

Deborah Varner, Director of Educational Programs - Sulphur Creek Nature Center

Deb Varner brought a special guest to the meeting, Sidney (Sid), a 4-year-old skunk, who was orphaned. Although he received good care, he became too comfortable around people, so he now lives at Sulphur Creek Nature Center in Hayward. Sid was de-scented so he is “safe” around people. He enjoys an exercise wheel that was donated for him, which is important because skunks walk a great deal each night looking for food. Skunks are omnivores, meaning they will eat almost anything. They typically live 7-8 years, but in captivity, they can reach 10 years.

Click here to read more about Deb's presentation. Click here to watch Deb's presentation.

Click here to read the entire Meeting Highlights for April 26.

Meeting Highlights - April 19, 2022

Dr. Jason Reiman, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, and Jaliza Eagles, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Coordinator, for the Castro Valley Unified School District provided an outstanding and thorough overview of how the District is strategically implementing its Ethnic Studies curriculum under Assembly Bill 101- Ethnic Studies Graduation Requirements. They began the presentation with a quote that is common in Ethnic Studies because it emphasizes the need of all of us to know our roots and what our people have contributed to this nation. Without that knowledge, it is difficult to truly know who you are.

Jason went on to define what Ethnic Studies is and how Castro Valley USD is implementing a curriculum that honors and benefits its diverse student population

Throughout the presentation, Jason and Jaliza stressed that CVUSD would not be purchasing an out-of-the-box, but use local and national expertise to develop a curriculum that addresses the needs of the students. To that end, the District has partnered with the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Institute (LESMCI) to develop the curriculum and provide the necessary professional development for staff. Jaliza explained the rationale for partnering with LESMCI and the five (5) themes that the curriculum will incorporate.

They concluded the presentation by highlighting four key points and asked Club members and guests for their input on the curriculum. Audience comments were extremely positive and supportive of the work. President Dwight invited Jason and Jaliza to return in the future to update the Club on the implementation of the Ethnic Studies curriculum.

Click here to watch this powerful presentation.

Click here to read more about the presentation and see all the slides.

Ethnic Studies - Castro Valley USD

From this quote, Jason went on to define what Ethnic Studies is and how Castro Valley USD is implementing a curriculum that honors and benefits its diverse student population

Jaliza moved into explaining how an Ethnic Studies curriculum benefits all students by focusing on the following quote.

The next part of the presentation focused on how CVUSD is planning and developing its Ethnic Studies curriculum through engagement of the students, staff, community, experts in Ethnic Studies, and especially the teachers who will be teaching the courses. The development process is very deliberate, thoughtful, and engaging. Throughout the presentation, Jason and Jaliza stress that the District is not purchasing a curriculum, but rather developing the curriculum to meet CVUSD student needs.

In Phase 1, the district is implementing structures (i.e., a Steering Committee, Community Advisory Committee, and Professional Development Teams) that are defined below.

In Phases 2-5 of this curriculum development process, the District continues its deliberate process by piloting and evaluating the curriculum before seeking Board approval to meet the State of California graduation requirement for Ethnic Studies.

Click here to watch this powerful presentation.

Rodeo Parade 2022 - Back in the Saddle

Who: Rotary Club of Castro Valley
When: Saturday, May 14, 2022 at 10:00 am
Where: Castro Valley Blvd.

What: Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade

Parade information here.

POSTPONED: Chili Cook-off

President of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, Dwight Perry, announced that postponing the May 13 Chili-cookoff "was a difficult decision to make as all of us working on the event were excited to resume ‘normality.’ Unfortunately, the postponement is necessary due to unforeseen circumstances."

Castro Valley Rotary is so thankful for all the entries, volunteers, organizations, and government entities who worked together on this community event and looks forward to its return in the future. Rotary encourages everyone to attend the Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade on Saturday morning, May 14 beginning at 10:00 A.M. on Castro Valley Boulevard to celebrate the theme “Back in the Saddle Again!” See Parade information below.

Meeting Highlights - April 12, 2022

Post-Polio Health

Elizabeth Crocker, RN MHA MSc

Castro Valley Rotarian Elizabeth Crocker share her personal experience as a child with polio and its impact on family and friends. In her presentation, Elizabeth began by explaining the Three Strains of Poliomyelitis and Proportion Case and then traced the history of the Salk and Sabin vaccines before focusing on the late effects of polio on survivors as well as family and friends.

Click here to watch this excellent and powerful presentation by a skilled medical professional that put real emotion and personal experience at the heart of the tragedy of polio and on-going efforts to eliminate the disease. Click here to read more about the presentation and see the slides.

Castro Valley Adult & Career Education

Beth Cutter, Director of Castro Valley Adult & Education (CVACE), who described the many different programs serving the community in the following areas:

Career Education
English Language Learners
Adult High School Diploma & GED
Parenting
Community Interest
Adults with Disabilities (STRIDES)

Watch Beth's presentation here. Click here to read more about CVACE and see the slides.

Meeting Highlights for April 12, 2022, is available here.

Castro Valley Adult & Career Education

Castro Valley Adult & Career Education (CVACE)

Beth Cutter, Director CVACE

Gary Bosley introduced six-minute speaker Beth Cutter, Director of Castro Valley Adult & Education (CVACE), who described the many different programs serving the community in the following areas:

Career Education
English Language Learners
Adult High School Diploma & GED
Parenting
Community Interest
Adults with Disabilities (STRIDES)

Click here to see the extensive range of programs offered by Castro Valley Adult & Career Education.

Beth described a new program, Paid Internship, where students work in 2-3 local business/organizations during the school year, which provides the students with work experience combined with classroom learning while earning an income.

Beth concluded her presentation by explaining how CVACE helps meet local workforce needs through its various training and certificate programs.

Watch Beth’s entire presentation here.

Post-Polio Health – Elizabeth Crocker RN MHA MS

Post-Polio Health – Elizabeth Crocker RN MHA MSc

Castro Valley Rotarian Elizabeth Crocker share her personal experience as a child with polio and its impact on family and friends. In her presentation, Elizabeth focused on (1) The Global Community of Polio Survivors and (2) Spreading the Knowledge on the Late Effects of Polio

She began by explaining the Three Stains of Poliomyelitis and Proportion Case as shown in the slides below and then traced the history of the Salk and Sabin vaccines.

After describing the types of polio and the development of the vaccines, Elizabeth moved into the Late Effects of Polio, Post Polio Syndrome (PPS), Late Effects of Polio for Survivors for Post Polio, and Late of Effects of Polio for Family and Friends, which many people never consider, as illustrated in the following slides:

In her conclusion, Elizabeth discussed St. Charles Hospital in Port Jefferson, NY and the great work it does, pointed out that polio does not discriminate and that we need to continue the efforts at eradication and support for survivors. She dedicated her presentation to her mother and father.

World Immunization Week 2022

Meeting Highlights - April 5, 2022

San Francisco Fleet Week

Sonja Shin, Host of Fleet Week TV

Sonia described the events of Fleet Week, which involves the Navy, Marines, Coast Guard, and other services. In addition, many other civilian emergency services participate in various parts of Fleet Week. San Francisco is considered by the sailors to be the “gold standard” of Fleet Week events around the world. The last live event was October 3-11, 2021; because of the pandemic, it was the only such event conducted.

San Francisco Fleet Week is considered to be the world’s largest humanitarian display. The event has been in existence going for 40 years in San Francisco and over 1 million people have attended the many free events. The main attraction is the Blue Angels performing in the skies over the City, but there are 45 other events as well, including the parade of ships, visits to ships, a baseball tournament, a veteran’s art exhibit, a first responder flyout, a seminar on Department of Defense support of civil activities, and much more. In addition to those attending live events, more than 24 million people attended online.

Read more Sonja and Fleet Week here. Watch Sonja's presentation here.

Announcements (Click here to watch the announcements.)

Rotarian of the Month

President Dwight named Carol Bigelow as the Rotarian of the Month for her selfless service and outstanding generosity.

Rotary Carpet at the Door

Ceta Dochterman noted that the carpet at the door was previously in the office of her brother, the former Rotary International President Cliff Dochterman.

Milpitas Rotary Club. A visitor from the Rotary Club of Milpitas announced that the Club is sponsoring a golf tournament on May 7. Details and registration are available here. All are welcome to participate.

Polio Plus

President Dwight reminded everyone that the Polio Plus campaign takes place in April and May. He asked each member to donate $50 or more to the campaign. Make checks payable to TRF (The Rotary Foundation). Polio Plus began in 1986, when Rotary International asked members to raise $120M to support the eradication of polio. Rotarians raised $240M. Since then, Rotary has vaccinated 3B children against polio. In 1986, there were 350K cases of polio worldwide (1000 per day)! Last year, there were four cases in Afghanistan and four in Pakistan. So far this year, there has been one in Afghanistan and none in Pakistan. President Dwight also noted that RI President Dochterman started a campaign against polio six years earlier that later morphed into Polio Plus.

Rodeo Parade/Chili Cook-off

President Dwight noted that the Parade has many sponsors, but needs more entrants. Please think of groups/organizations that might be invited to participate. Planning for the Chili Cook-off is going well. Next planning meeting is April 12 at 5:30-6:30 pm at Direct Floor Sales. Craig Semmelmeyer has set up an excellent display in the middle of the Castro Valley Marketplace to advertise the Rodeo Parade and Chili Cook-off. Stop by and see the display.

Castro Valley Car Show

President Dwight announced that registration for the Castro Valley Car Show scheduled for June 18^th opened on March 15. There are already 150 entries.

Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce Mixer

Aaron Lewis announced that the Club is co-sponsoring the Mixer with the Chamber at Dig Deep Farms on April 20 (5:30-7:30 pm). Rotary will be selling wine at the event. More details here.

Assembly District 20 Candidate Forum

Todd Anglin announced that the Chamber is sponsoring a Candidate Forum for Assembly District 20 to replace Assemblymember Bill Quirk. The Forum is scheduled for April 11 at 6:00-8:00 pm at the Chabot Theater.

SF Fleet Week - Sonja Shin

San Francisco Fleet Week, SonjaShin

Sonja Shin is the host of Fleet Week TV and Public Affairs Officer for San Francisco Fleet Week Association. She has reported news for NBC Bay Area and KPIX-TV as well as serving as a producer for The Today Show and NBC Nightly News in New York City. Shin specializes in science and technology communication and has handled public affairs, business development, and IT at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley. She studied ceramic engineering and science journalism at Northwestern University and did graduate science communication work at UC Santa Cruz.

Watch Sonja's presentation here.

Meeting Highlights - March 29, 2022

Organizations and Communities - David Joseph-Goteiner, UC Berkeley

David Joseph-Goteiner is a 4^th year PhD student in sociology at UC Berkeley. He has a BA from Yale and an MS from the School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences in Paris. He studies the dynamics of contemporary communities. His presentation addressed several areas:

What is sociology and what does it do?
What do organizations do and how do they show value?
Is their membership inclusive or exclusive or both?
What do the members value and how do we measure success for the organization (is it just membership?).

Sociology looks at social groups to develop facts about those organizations. Some work is controversial and that work combines aspects of the scientific and artistic. David used his apartment building in Paris as an example. It was both a local community (i.e., they all lived there), but it was also a global community (i.e., they had some from everywhere). The pandemic also brought people together. Read more about the presentation here. Watch the presentation here.

Redwood Canyon by Wedgewood Weddings

Megan Rounke, the General Manager of Redwood Canyon by Wedgewood Weddings, described the wedding and other event services that Wedgewood provides at Redwood Canyon. Since taking over the catering and events management at Redwood Canyon, Wedgewood has made many improvements to the facilities to enhance the wedding and events experience. They can support both indoor or outdoor weddings and now have a wedding suite to facilitate preparations for the wedding party. During the pandemic, Wedgewood opened the Courtyard for events, which can seat 300 people. Also, there is a new evening musical event on the 3^rd Thursday of every month. More information regarding Wedgewood at Redwood Canyon is available here. Watch the presentation here.

Access Meeting Highlights including all announcements here.

Redwood Canyon by Wedgewood Weddings

Redwood Canyon by Wedgewood Weddings

David Joseph-Goteiner

Organizations and Communities - David Joseph-Goteiner, UC Berkeley

What is sociology and what does it do?
What do organizations do and how do they show value?
Is their membership inclusive or exclusive or both?
What do the members value and how do we measure success for the organization (is it just membership?).

David’s primary study was of the YMCA, a national collection of local clubs similar to Rotary. The YMCA used basketball to draw young people to the club. Even in New Haven, the Y was both inclusive (seeking members) and exclusive (segregated). The newer better equipped clubs were in the suburbs, supporting and reflecting “white flight.” However, the Y evolved. It ended segregation in the 1960s. Its membership peaked in the 1950s and began a long decline to 2000. Many factors are likely involved (e.g., television). As another example, in recent years, the Boy Scouts declined while the Girl Scouts thrived. Organizations need to be able to adapt to new conditions. Local successes can yield national increases.

Rotary peaked in the 1980s and 1990s and has declined since 2000. So, what are the measures of success for Rotary? What do clubs value and care about? It is also important to think about how to measure success. Membership quantity is only one measure of success. The quality of the membership experience, which is harder to measure, is also important. Watch the presentation here.

Announcements March 29, 2022

Announcements

Click here to watch the announcements

Virtual advertising

President Dwight asked members if there was interest in running virtual ads on the screen during meetings. There was interest in the idea, so the Club will try it out. Please contact President Dwight for more information.

Parade

President-Elect and Rodeo Parade Chair Lytrel Carter announced the next planning meeting of the Parade & Chili Cook-off Committees will be April 5^th at 5:30-6:30 pm at Direct Floor Sales.

Car show

Dave Sadoff announced the next meeting of the Car Show Committee will be March 31 at 5:30 at Dolphin Graphics. Please contact Dave for more information (e.g., volunteers, registration, sponsorship) regarding the Car Show.

Demotion

Past President Gary Howard announced the first meeting of the Demotion Committee (i.e., all Past Presidents except Dwight) via Zoom. If you are a Past President and need information, please contact Dwight.

Castro Valley Sports Foundation (CVSF)

President Dwight announcement the CVSF Hall of Fame Dinner on April 10.

Earth Day Clean-up

President Dwight announced that CVSan will sponsor a clean-up day on April 22.

District 5170 Conference

President Dwight reminded everyone that the District 5170 Conference is in our backyard this year (Blackhawk Museum and San Ramon Marriott Hotel) on April 22-24. Details and registrations are available here.

Scholarship Committee

Dan Willits announced that the Committee has selected four Castro Valley High School seniors as recipients for the Club’s scholarship. These scholarships will be awarded on Senior Awards Night.

Grants

Dan Willits also announced that the Grants Committee had selected two recipients for grants for this grant cycle. The recipients will be announced once the Board of Directors approves the grants.

Wheelchair Project

Carol Wikle asked members who donated directly to District 5170 for this project to let her know so the Club can fully recognize all donors for their support.

Mixer

Aaron Lewis announced that the Castro Valle Eden Area Chamber of Commerce Mixer at the Dig Deep Farms Hub has finally be scheduled for April 28. Rotary will be selling wine at the event.

Elizabeth Crocker Bio

Professional Biography

Elizabeth Crocker is an International Healthcare Advisor, Board Director and Executive working with Science, Service and Technology businesses to improve health for a better quality of life.

Elizabeth currently serves as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board for Oyster Venture Partners in the United Kingdom and Belgium, and most recently served as the Interim CEO for Great Lakes Biologics in Michigan. Prior to that she was the CEO for CLEWS Medical Limited, a UK medical device company focused on non-invasive accelerated disease detection in children and adults. Over the course of 21 years living in the UK, she founded a UK managed care company working with the National Health Service and Private Medical Insurers; and served as a Board Director and Chief Operating Officer for medical device and telehealth companies.

Prior to moving to the UK in 2000, Elizabeth founded several US healthcare businesses, including a pioneering managed care/case management/outcomes data company that she eventually divided and sold to a NASDAQ and a NYSE listed company respectively.

Elizabeth is a Registered Nurse and was an open-heart/cardiac transplant post-operative clinical specialist. She is currently licensed in the State of New York and until 2004, maintained multi-state licenses in California, Illinois, New York, and Texas. She holds dual master’s degrees in Healthcare Administration and Physiology from Long Island University, New York; and dual bachelor’s degrees in Nursing and Biology from the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

Elizabeth is passionate about horses and how they contribute to a better quality of life, and in the early 90’s taught riding for the disabled in San Juan Capistrano. She sponsored a Para Dressage rider and horse for the US team to the 2014 World Equestrian Games in France and the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.

She is a member of the Women in Leadership Institute and serves as a Key Opinion Leader and Mentor to Women and Minority Owned Entrepreneurs.

Meeting Highlights - March 22, 2022

Alameda County District Attorney's Office - Consumer Protection

Assistant DA Greg Boller

In his presentation, Greg described a number of the DA’s successful settlements that resulted in businesses ceasing improper actions and brought money to the county and relief to the consumers...The recovered funds are invested in a trust fund that supports future investigations to protect the people in Alameda County. Read more about Greg's presentation here and watch the full presentation here.

Click here to access the Meeting Highlights for March 22 that includes all announcements and presentations.

President Dwight Perry and Membership Chair Ceta Dochterman inducted two new members Elizabeth Crocker, sponsored by Gary Bosley, and Robert Hoffman, sponsored by Craig Semmelmeyer. Photo left to right: Craig Semmelmeyer, Ceta Dochterman, Gary Bosley, Elizabeth Crocker, Robert Hoffman, and Dwight Perry. Photo by Todd Anglin

Greg Boller - Consumer Protection

Alameda County District Attorney's Office - Consumer Protection - Greg Boller

Greg Boller, Assistant District Attorney for Alameda County, specializes in consumer protection cases. Additionally, Greg has advocated for disadvantaged children and families in truancy prevention, domestic violence, and special victim cases. He has 20 years of criminal justice experience and knowledge of mental health, substance abuse, and child welfare issues. A native of the City of Alameda, Greg earned his B.A. at UC Davis, J.D. at Georgetown University, and M.P.A. at Harvard Kennedy School. He came from a family that was involved in small business. After school, he worked for a large law firm in San Francisco, but eventually moved into DA work to serve people. He has seen businesses from both the inside and the outside.

In his presentation, Greg described a number of the DA’s successful settlements that resulted in businesses ceasing improper actions and brought money to the county and relief to the consumers. The hope is to level the playing field between customers and businesses. The recovered funds are invested in a trust fund that supports future investigations to protect the people in Alameda County.

Greg also provided a great deal of information to help customers avoid fraud. Elder financial fraud affects 5 million people annually and costs $36.5 billion. Fraud can affect anyone of any age and education. Those involved in fraud hope to use fear and a sense of urgency against the consumer. Greg warned everyone to avoid those reactions. For example, the FBI, PG&E, and the Social Security Administration never call or email to ask for personal information. He strongly advised against clicking on an unknown link or responding to unknown emails. He encouraged people to check the email address - if the email address looks funny, it probably is.

Watch Greg's full presentation here.

Meeting Highlights - March 15, 2022

AVID Program at Castro Valley High School

Laura O’Brien and Candice Tigerman are the AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) teachers at Castro Valley High School. AVID is a nonprofit that changes lives by helping schools shift to a more equitable, student-centered approach, so they can prepare all students for college, careers, and life. Laura teaches chemistry and biotech and Candace teaches Spanish and both lead the AVID program in Castro Valley Unified School District.

Click here to learn more about AVID and click here to watch the presentation.

Impact of Covid on Development in Alameda County

Castro Valley Rotarian Jeff Moore is a member of the Alameda County Planning Commission spoke on the impact of Covid and SB9 on housing development in Alameda County. He is also president of Greenwood and Moore, a civil engineering firm in Castro Valley, and a licensed professional engineer. In his six-minute presentation, Jeff discussed the impact that Covid has had in Alameda County and the impact of SB9 has had on housing development. To learn more about Jeff's presentation click here and watch the presentation, click here.

Click here to access Meeting Highlights for March 15, 2022, which includes the Announcements.

Covid & Development in Alameda County

Castro Valley Rotarian Jeff Moore is a member of the Alameda County Planning Commission spoke on the impact of Covid and SB9 on housing development in Alameda County. He is also president of Greenwood and Moore, a civil engineering firm in Castro Valley, and a licensed professional engineer. In his six-minute presentation, Jeff discussed the impact that Covid has had in Alameda County and the impact of SB9 has had on housing development. To learn more and watch the presentation, click here.

AVID Program at Castro Valley High School

Meeting Highlights - March 8, 2022

Blockchain and Cryptocurrency

Linton Johnson

Castro Valley Rotarian Linton Johnson is the founder of OVIS and serves as its Chief Visionary Officer. Prior to Ovis, Linton spent 17 years working for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) - the largest transit system west of the Mississippi. In 2011, BART's General Manager appointed Linton as the Strategic Programs Manager in the Office of External Affairs - Executive Office. His primary responsibilities include developing and implementing large scale communications strategies for major district programs. His topic was Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.

Click here to read more about Linton's presentation and to watch the presentation.

Tommy Gee - Visiting Rotarian

Tommy Gee has been a Rotarian in Honolulu since 1957 (according to the District 5000 May 2021 newsletter) and is an honorary member of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, who frequently participates in Club events.

Click here to read more about Tommy and watch his presentation.

Click here to access Meeting Highlights for March 8, 2022 with all the announcements and click here to watch the announcements.

Tommy Gee

He was born in San Francisco and went to San Francisco State University. He had a good friend who was a watchmaker, who invited him to come to Hawaii for a job. Tommy had seen Hawaii in the movies and wanted to see it for real so he went there in 1948 and stayed. Over the years, Tommy had a series of jobs, was successful in business, and eventually became the President of the Jewelers Association of Hawaii. Tommy is married and comes to the Bay Area to visit his family.

Tommy noted that when he joined Rotary in 1957, Rotary was a very different organization. There were no women in Rotary and Clubs did very little in the community. They focused on raising money for charitable causes. Later, Tommy founded a new Rotary club and had 63 years of perfect attendance, but, unfortunately, COVID broke that string.

His wife passed away in 2004, but he later got back in contact with a girl had known in middle school. They re-connected, married, and have been together now for 14 years. They spend most of the year in Hawaii and some months here in the Bay Area. Tommy is doing great, and he will celebrate his 94^th birthday in the near future.

Watch Tommy's presentation here in the Announcements video.

Linton Johnson

Castro Valley Rotarian Linton Johnson is the founder of Ovis and serves as its Chief Visionary Officer. Prior to Ovis, Linton spent 17 years working for the Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) - the largest transit system west of the Mississippi. In 2011, BART's General Manager appointed Linton as the Strategic Programs Manager in the Office of External Affairs - Executive Office. His primary responsibilities include developing and implementing large scale communications strategies for major district programs. His topic today was Blockchain and Cryptocurrency.

Linton sought to bring some clarity to the topics of blockchain and cryptocurrency, which are often in the news. The topics sound intimidating and some of the terms are counterintuitive. In defining the terms, Linton provided simple demonstrations of the terms.

Blockchain is a system for recording information in a way that defeats hackers since information must be true and reliable. Blockchain accomplishes this by using a very long series of people who hold the password to the information. Two-thirds of them must agree on the password so that the information can be accessed. A holder who disagrees with the consensus is kicked out of the system. So even if one or more of those people with the password are working with a hacker, it is difficult and even impossible for the hacker to get to enough of the myriad password holders to get a consensus so they can break into the system.
Cryptocurrency has been around for a long time and it includes airline miles, credit card payments, and more.
Trustless is commonly used, but it has a weird meaning. It really means there is no need to trust the system because it cannot be penetrated.

These systems also decentralize transactions. The traditional system depends on banks and other financial institutions; whereas, the Blockchain system eliminates all the middlemen, all of whom take a cut. The new process is immediate, safe, and allows the buyer and seller to save money. Smart contracts are a key part of the system, which allow transactions to take place immediately. Linton said that these systems are a way to bringing truth to the community and go beyond simple monetary transactions and includes news and more.

Watch Linton's presentation here.

Meeting Highlights - March 1, 2022

Kevin McCormack, Sr. Director of Public Communications and Patient Advocate Outreach, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) the speaker today. CIRM is a State agency that was created by the passage of Proposition 91 in 2004. It provided $3 billion to be invested in stem cell research throughout the state. In 2020, it was reauthorized with another $5 billion.

Kevin noted that we all begin as a group of stem cells that have two amazing characteristics.

First, they can reproduce forever that makes them very useful to researchers.
Second, they can develop into any cell type in the body that makes them a sort of “Swiss Army knife” for repairing damaged organs and tissues.

CIRM has sponsored a great deal of basic research and now has initiated 77 clinical trials that to date include diabetes, cancer, eye, bone, heart, and more. Kevin provided several examples of the amazing successes that the program has had. For example, severe combined immune deficiency (i.e., the boy in the bubble) results in children born without an immune system at all.

Click here to watch Kevin's very informative presentation. Click on Read more below for more information about the presentation and meeting announcements.

Student Speakers Impress at Rotary Club of Castro Valley’s Youth Speech Contest

Student Speakers Impress at Rotary Club of Castro Valley’s Youth Speech Contest

Left to right: Speech Contest Chair Jeff Moore, Theo Clausen (RCHS), Josiah Saavedra-Flores (RCHS), Xander Russell (RCHS - 2nd Place), Jennifer Mi (CVHS - 1st), Catherine Chen (RCHS - 3rd Place), Audrey Tang (RCHS), Rotary Club of Castro Valley President Dwight Perry.

Photo by Gary Bosley

********************

On February 15, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley hosted the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest for Rotary District 5170, featuring students from Castro Valley High School and Redwood Christian High School. All six student speakers spoke on the theme: “Serve to Change Lives.” Speeches also had to include at least one principle of Rotary International’s 4-Way Test: Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

Castro Valley Rotary President Dwight Perry expressed what all present experienced: “Each year, the students impress our Club membership, not only by the quality of their presentations, but, more important, by the thought and preparation each invested in their topic, many from their personal experiences and challenges, and the joy that they received from putting others before themselves. We are so proud of our students.

To watch the student speeches, click here.

Meeting Highlights - February 22, 2022

Current State of Residential (1-4 Units) Real Estate Economics & Management in Alameda County -

Ralph Watkins III

Ralph Watkins III is the Managing Broker of Watkins Real Estate in Castro Valley and the current President of the Rental Housing Association of Southern Alameda County (RHA). In his presentation Ralph focused on current economics and management of residential properties in Alameda. Regarding the economic aspects, he focused on the following topics: (1) Headwind created by a rising interest environment; (2) Potential reasons for foreclosure; and, (3) Housing Inventory,

Regarding the management of residential properties, Ralph focused on the following issues: (1) Local Government/Political Environment; (2) Tenants' Rights; (3) Rental Control(s); and (4) Eviction Moratorium. Ralph elaborated in detail on each of the points. Here to see the subtopics and watch his entire presentation here.

Rotary Club of Castro Valley Community Foundation Established

After months of discussion with the Board of Directors, the Board of Directors of the Castro Valley Rotary Club Endowment, and among members in addition to hundreds of hours of hard work by Jim Phillips, the Club voted to adopt the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws for the Castro Valley Rotary Community Foundation. Members were provided the documents prior to the meeting for their review and questions. More information on funding the Foundation will be forthcoming, but President Dwight is accepting checks now.

Click here to read all of Meeting Highlights with Club Announcements. Upcoming Speakers, Meetings, and Events are posted on the Club's website.

Ralph Watkins III

Current State of Residential (1-4 Units) Real Estate Economics & Management in Alameda County

Ralph Watkins III

Headwind created by a rising interest environment
- How much will interest rates rise
- How long will this environment last
- The inflationary impact on mortgage rates and real estate
- Traditional real estate as an inflationary hedge

Potential reasons for foreclosure Housing Inventory
- How do we look vs. 2008
- Potential reasons for foreclosure

Housing inventory
- Lack of inventory
- Will inventory increase
- New Housing starts 2022
- Local Government incentive?

Regarding the management of residential properties, Ralph focused on the following issues:

Local Government/Political Environment
- Alameda County Supervisors / Local City Councils
- Cities vs. Unincorporated Areas

Tenants' Rights
- Where do we go from here
- COVID related housing issues

Rental Control(s)
- Cities vs. Unincorporated areas
- State

Eviction Moratorium
- When will it end?
- How to operate in the interim

Watch the presentation here.

Meeting Highlights - February 8, 2022

2022 California Economic & Housing Market Forecast by Otto Catrina

Otto Catrina is a local realtor and the 2022 President of the California Association of Realtors. He has worked extensively for the benefit of the community. He has a BA in government from the University of San Francisco, and lives in Castro Valley with his wife. They have three children and four grandchildren.

Mr. Catrina gave an outstanding summary of the real estate situation in California, Alameda County, and Castro Valley. The real estate market is moving has been crazy, but seems to be moving back to something akin to normal. There is reason for cautious optimism, but there are some things to keep an eye on. His message overall was, “Don’t panic." The four points on this slide perfectly frame Mr. Catrina's presentation.

Click here to access the complete Meeting Highlights, read more about the real estate markers, watch the video of the presentation, view Mr. Catrina's detailed and informative slides, and read the Club announcements from the meeting.

Meeting Highlights - February 1, 2022

Economic & Market Update - Terry Bailey, LPL Investment Services

Terry Baily is a financial advisor for LPL Investment Services. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in finance and has great experience in advising clients on securing their future financially. In his presentation, Terry made two main points: (1) Investors need to be focused on the long term. The market is volatile with many ups and downs. Individual investors tend to panic when the market turns down; and (2) Everyone needs to understand inflation and why it is not typically something to worry about for investors. As the following slide shows, the issues are complex, but can be managed by following Terry's two main points.

Click here to access this issue of Meeting Highlights with announcements, the video of Terry's presentation, and his slides.

Terry Baily (2/1/22)

Terry Baily is a financial advisor for LPL Investment Services. He graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in finance, served in the US Marine Corps as an officer and pilot, and has great experience in advising clients on securing their future financially. Terry is a former member of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley. In his presentation, An Economic and Market Update, Terry made two main points.

First, investors need to be focused on the long term. The market is volatile with many ups and downs. Individual investors tend to panic when the market turns down.
Second, he wanted everyone to understand inflation and why it is not typically something to worry about for investors.

As the following slide shows, the issues are complex, but can be managed by following Terry's two main points.

Terry explained that individual investors often make their moves at the wrong time so that they buy high and sell low. Terry showed a number of slides with data that made a compelling argument that the market has grown over time. As one example, a person investing $10,000 in 1980 and who did absolutely nothing with that investment would have over $788,000 today. As another example, he compared the low point of the market over the last decades with the growth in the market. In 2020, the worst day saw the market down 34%, but it grew 15%. In fact, the annualized average growth since 1983 has been 15.8%.

Overall, his main point was “Don’t panic. Stay calm and ride it out. You will be far better off in the end.”

Click here to see all the slides in Terry's presentation. Watch Terry's presentation here.

Meeting Highlights - January 25, 2022

Lt. Miguel Ibarra, Alameda County Sheriff's Office - Homelessness Programs

Lt. Ibarra began the presentation by reviewing how the Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) has been responding to homelessness in Castro Valley and the surrounding areas. Homelessness is a very complex and complicated problem that requires more than traditional law enforcement activities. Even if ACSO arrests an individual, that person will spend perhaps eight (8) hours at Santa Rita Jail before being released with a citation. The solution to homelessness requires much more than an arrest and a citation. Lt. Ibarra and his team are implementing a carefully planned strategy that looks at the root of crime and homelessness.

The team began by meeting with many of Alameda County's service providers to see how ACSO could combine access to those services with law enforcement, when needed, as a means to address the problems. The team also studied the legal constraints under which they must work in order to understand completely those constraints. Their next step was to determine the scope of the problem which involved mapping all of the homeless encampments and how to access them. Then the team met with the property owner or the agency responsible for the property, which in many cases is CalTrans, and toured the areas with the property owners and tried to convince them to keep the areas cleaned up.

ASCO continually patrols these areas to ensure they are safe. While they are patrolling, they encourage the homeless people to take advantage of the services that the State and County provide with housing, healthcare, behavioral services, and many other services. These efforts, however, often meet with limited success since many of the homeless have substance abuse problems that limit their ability to take advantage of those services. Watch the Lt. Ibarra's entire presentation here. See the Meeting Highlights for January 11, 2022, regarding the ACSO Community Policing Program or click here

Mikey Ochoa, Owner of Oculto

The business speaker today was Mikey Ochoa and owner of Oculto and Hermanos Verdes in the Castro Valley Marketplace. Mikey is a Castro Valley native who wanted to establish a fine restaurant in Castro Valley. He had served as a chef at great restaurants in San Francisco before returning to Castro Valley to open Oculto, which features a unique mix of Mexican and Venezuelan dishes. Oculto started as a pop-up at the Marketplace and at several other locations before settling at the Marketplace. All the food is made from scratch using produce from the Farmers Market and local farms. Watch Mikey Ochoa's presentation here.

Announcements

Rotary Banner.

Obse Lubo presented a Rotary Banner from the Finot.Rotary Club in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia who was the host Club for Breathing for Life. Obse had presented a Rotary Club of Castro Valley banner during her recent visit.

Marble Game.

President Dwight asked for input on the marble game and drawing that the Club has had at meetings. Since the drawing is no longer funded from the cost of lunch, Aaron Lewis suggested that the Club follow the example of the San Leandro Club and charge $2 for any person who wants to play. A drawing will decide the winner who will take all the money. This plan will be tried for a while and evaluated.

District 5170 Conference.

President Dwight announced the District 5170 Conference is scheduled for April 22-24 at the Blackhawk Museum and the San Ramon Marriott. Click here for more information and registration.

Mixer

Aaron Lewis announced that the Club will join with the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce to sponsor a mixer at Dig Deep Farms on April 28.

Chili Cook-off & Rodeo Parade

President Dwight announced that the Chil Cook-off (May 13) and Rodeo Parade (May 14) are in the planning stages with Chairs Lytrel Carter and Randy Vanderbilt respectively. The Committees meet the first Tuesday of the month at Direct Sales Floors at 5:30-6:30.

Meeting Highlight - January 18, 2022

R.I.P. Mathilde Schmidt

President Dwight Perry started the meeting by reporting on the passing of Honorary Member Mathilde Schmidt who was 100-years old and who had been an active member until the last few years. Mathilde, along with Dr. Heidi Hausauer, joined the Club when the Castro Valley Sunrise closed. President Dwight shared several stories that captured Mathilde's spirit. The Castro Valley Forum had an excellent article on Mathilde. Click here to read it.

Breathing for Life Project (BFL) Dedication Trip to Nejo, Ethiopia

There were many visiting Rotarians from the Rotary Clubs of Cupertino and Fremont as well as District 5170 in attendance today. They were attending to hear Rotarian Obse Lubo's presentation on the dedication of the Breathing for Life Project (oxygen generator for Nejo Hospital in Ethiopia). This Rotary Global Grant project, led by the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, is one of the largest ($385,000), if not the largest, in the history of Rotary District 5170. Many of the visiting Rotarians were actively involved in the project from the earliest days, are members of Clubs that contributed to BFL, and accompanied Obse and Castro Valley Rotarian Carol Wikle on the dedication trip in October 2021.

Obse Lubo reported on the dedication and ribbon cutting for the BFL Project oxygen generator in Ethiopia and shared many photos from the dedication trip. The project originated with Obse about 6 years ago with many others involved throughout the years in making the oxygen generator project a reality. Contributors to BFL included The Rotary Foundation (TRF), District 5170, the Rotary Clubs of Cupertino, Fremont, and Fremont Morning as well as many other Clubs in District 5170, in the United States, and in the world. After delays due to the pandemic, the dedication ceremony finally occurred in October 2021.

The photos above are just a small sampling of the BFL dedication trip. See more photos from the BFL dedication trip, click here. To watch Obse's entire presentation to the Club, which included comments from Rotarians who made the trip, click here. To view the slide presentation, click here. To watch a video of the dedication trip, click here. As you can see, the BFL involved many activities.

The Joys of Being a Ham Radio Operator - Bob Shayler

Castro Valley Rotarian Bob Shayler is a retired physics teacher from San Leandro and a ham radio operator. He described the value and joy of being a ham operator, an activity is open to all ages that does require a license and some training. Bob explained that ham radios are valuable to the community because they can provide communications for local events, such as parades, and are often the only means of communications are a natural disaster. Bob shared that maybe the best part of being a ham radio operator is the opportunity to talk to people and make friends all around the world. Getting started in the world of ham radio is easy. A ham radio operator no longer has to know Morse code as one once did. Getting started does require some equipment and a large antenna, which Bob explained and showed photos in his presentation. There are several local ham radio clubs, which are a great place to start. Bob belongs to the Hayward Radio Club and serves as Club Secretary. In Alameda County, there are 5,762 ham radio operators.

Watch Bob's presentation here. Click here to access the excellent links in Bob's presentation to learn more about being a ham radio operator.

Banner Presentation

Kern Lewis presented President Dwight and the Club with a Club Banner that his wife, Olga, received on a recent trip to Ukraine when she participated in a Rotary event. The interesting fact is that the banner is an IYFR banner (International Yachting Fellowship of Rotary). To learn more about IYFR click here and see where the IYFRs are located click here.

Meeting Highlights - January 11, 2022

Activities of the Alameda County Sheriff's Office - Community Policing

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley was pleased to welcome back Captain Marty Neideffer from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) for another update/presentation on the activities of the ACSO, especially in Castro Valley and the Eden Area. Captain Neideffer heads up the Youth and Family Services Bureau. Read more about the work of this ACSO Bureau here.

Captain Neideffer has overseen the outreach efforts by the Sheriff Department for many years and has developed many programs that epitomize policing in the 21^st Century. This new model of policing is based on building trust in the community. In implementing the model, ACSO takes a systems-level approach and strives to deal with issues that underlie crime, which is particularly important in communities that have suffered from decades of neglect.

Captain Neideffer described different types of “capital” that they try to build through the model, which includes; Parks, Cultural, Healing (nutrition, education, healthcare), Community, Political, Financial, and Buildings. One great example of building capital is the Dig Deep Farms on Fairmont Avenue that grows food that is donated to food banks and needy families. Dig Deep Farms also provide employment for a number of people on the farm.

Watch Captain Neideffer's complete presentation here. The following videos were included in the presentation: (1) Community Policing & Partnership (must see!); (2) ABC 7 News on Dig Deep Farms; and (3) Ribbon Cutting for Sports Complex (from Univision in Spanish)

Six Keys for a Successful Business Website

Rotarian Kern Lewis was the six-minute business presenter. Kern has been in marketing for 40 years including KO Websites in Castro Valley and has recently retired. Earlier in his career,

Kern served in the Peace Corps in the Ukraine. His presentation focused on the six keys for a successful business website, which included

Attractive - What is attractive changes with time. You need to be up to date.
Responsive - Your site needs to work on different devices. Modern website programs do this automatically, but older ones do not.
Secure - Google really wants this. Without it, they will make you lower in their algorithms.
Fresh - Google also wants to know that you are updating your website. Do something every month.
Easy to navigate - Think of your website as a conversation with customers.
Clear calls for action - How can they contact you? What are you wanting them to do?

Watch Kern's entire presentation here.

Announcements

Nominating committee

Past President and Nominating Committee Chair Gary Howard announced that the Committee (i.e., all Past Club President) had met and voted 14-0 to nominate Chris Carr as the 2022-2023 President-Elect with Chris becoming the 2023-2024 Club President. President Dwight Perry moved that the nominations be closed. It was seconded and approved, and Chris was elected. Congratulations to Chris!

Future Events

President Dwight announced that the pandemic continues to cause us to reschedule some events, but that we are proceeding with the planning for the chili cook-off and rodeo parade in May.

CVSan

Roland Williams announced that CVSan will sponsor their Zero Waste Week on 7-12 February. Among their activities is a fruit gleaning effort. They will pick fruit from trees and donate it to food banks. Last year they gathered 2000 pounds. If you have a tree, please contact them.

Meeting Highlights - January 4, 2022

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley jumped right into 2022 with a visit from Rotary District Governor Richard Flanders, which included presentation of Paul Harris awards to several Rotarians as well as a presentation by Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce 2020-2021 President and Castro Valley Rotarian David Gehrke. Cliff Sherwood kicked off 2022 with this inspiring video as the Though for the Day.

District Governor's Meeting with the Board of Directors

District Governor Flanders began his visit by meeting with the Club’s Board of Directors prior to lunch. During the meeting, DG Flanders focused on building membership, giving back to the community, and supporting District 5170 and Rotary International Projects. DG Flanders acknowledged that he was quite impressed with the work of the Club as President Dwight Perry and Directors described what the Club has been doing during the pandemic and has planned as we exit the pandemic.

Discussion between DG Richard Flanders and the Board of Directors prior to the lunch meeting.

Presentation of Paul Harris Awards

Prior to his talk to the Club, DG Flanders with the assistance of President Dwight Perry presented several Paul Harris awards. To Carol Bigelow, Jim Negri, and Cliff Sherwood, he presented Paul Harris Society Awards (The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants). DG Flanders presented a Paul Harris Fellow (The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. The "+" indicates the number of times such a donation has been after the initial donation.) to Todd Anglin (PHF+1), Ray Wallace (PHF+2), Mark Poniatowski (PH+4), Carol Bigelow (PHF+6), and Jim Negri (PHF+6 ). Ceta Dochterman was recognized as a Major Donor (total giving exceeding $10,000). Club members qualifying for these Paul Harris awards, but not present, will be recognized at future meetings.

Update from the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce

After the Paul Harris presentations, Gary Bosley introduced David Gehrke, 2020-2021 President of the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce, as the first, six-minute business community speaker of 2022. David described how the Chamber has had to adapt to changes in the business community due to Covid and the impact that those changes have had on the Chamber. He focused on the many new services that the Chamber has implemented during the past two years. David then turned to the Chamber's plans as the business community recovers from the pandemic. Watch David' presentation here.

Presentation by District Governor Richard Flanders

The main portion of the meeting was devoted to the Annual Visit of the District 5170 Governor, Richards Flanders. Following up on his comments to the Board of Directors prior to lunch, Richard acknowledged the great work in which the Rotary Club of Castro Valley has been engaged, especially the Breathing for Life Project in Ethiopia, and encouraged members to explore new opportunities to expand services and contributions to the community - locally, nationally, and internationally. These new efforts will expand the understanding of Rotary's work and recruit new members. He encouraged each member to reach out and invite others to become Rotarians.

DG Flanders discussed the work of District 5170 this year, such as the Wheelchair Project (learn more about the Project here). The Rotary Club of Castro Valley has already made a significant contribution to the Project and members are encouraged to donate. Richard mentioned that District 5170 is hosting Rotary International President-Elect Jennifer E. Jones, who will be the first woman President of Rotary International, at a dinner on February 28 at Blackhawk Musuem. This year, DG Flanders noted that the District 5170 Annual Conference is in the Club's backyard - Blackhawk Musuem and the San Ramon Marriott. There is no excuse to miss this great Rotary event. More information regarding the Conference and registration is available here. Watch the District Governor's presentation here.

Click here to see the slide show from the meeting.

Welcome to 2022

The Club kicked off 2022 in grand style with

a visit from District 5170 Governor Richard Flanders;
an update on the work of the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce by Past President and Castro Valley Rotarian David Gehrke;
a presentation by Castro Valley Rotarian Obse Lubo and visiting Rotarians on the dedication of the oxygen generator plant (the Breathing for Life Project) at Nejo Hospiital in Ethiopia;
reports from the Alameda County Sheriff's Office on what is happening in the Eden Area by Capt. Marty Neideffer as well as its programs for the homeless by Lt. Miguel Ibarra;
a presentation by Rotarian Kern Lewis on keys for a successful business website; and,
a presentation on the joys of being a ham radio operator by Castro Valley Rotarian Bob Shayler.

Details of each meeting along with video recordings and photos will be posted shortly.

District Governor Richard Flanders poses with members of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley on January 4, 2022.

At the January 4th meeting, Cliff Sherwood offered this inspiring video as the Though for the Day, which was very appropriate as a kickoff to 2022.

Dan Willits offered a rousing rendition of the Sal Tedesco Memorial Hello Song.

Meeting Highlights - December 14, 2021

The Castro Valley High School Madrigals once again treated the Club to a holiday concert at lunch. Watch their performance here.

President Dwight Perry recognized Kimberly Alexander and Gary Bosley as Rotarians of the Month for December.

Read the rationale for their recognition here.

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley is the chartering organization for Boy Scouts of America Troop 708. Kern Lewis and Jennifer Petrick, Chair of the roop Parent Committee, provided an update on Troop 708 and its search for a new meeting location.

On behalf of the members of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, President Dwight Perry presented Kim. our lunch coordinator and server, a holiday thank you, which is a Club tradition.

Thank you to Gary Bosley for the photos. Enjoy other scenes from the meeting.

Happy New Year!

Next meeting is January 4, 2022, with

District Governor Richard Flanders.

Special Board Meeting at 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Lunch Meeting at 12:00 - 1:30 pm

Rotarians of the Month

Rotary Club of Castro Valley Names Two December Rotarians of the Month

Rotary Club of Castro Valley President Dwight Perry was excited to name two Rotarians of the Month for December, Kimberly Alexander and Gary Bosley.

Kimberley Alexander, a member since January, “jumped right in with helping Treasurer Carol Wikle collect lunch fees at the start of each meeting when Carol was out of town for five weeks; Kimberley managed the job as a pro, always smiling and a very happy person” stated President Perry.

Gary Bosley, a Rotarian since 1976, “has overseen the 6-Minute programs for several years. These programs take place 2-3 times per month and give community business people and others the opportunity to talk about their businesses or hobbies, and is also always ready to step in as club photographer and takes phenomenal photos.”

Kimberley and Gary also both have 100% attendance for the hybrid meetings since July 1. President Perry stated that “members like Kimberley and Gary allows the Rotary Club of Castro Valley to continue to provide our services and support to our members and the Castro Valley Community despite the many challenges we all face with Covid-19.”

Meeting Highlights - December 7, 2021

Yon Hardisty, Founder of Forestr.org

Yon Hardisty He had a highly successful career in software development and venture capital before applying his experience to a new venture. Forestr.org is a 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to “educate local communities about permaculture practices, plant local lands with the forests of the future, and employ local visionaries in green jobs for all ages.” Their activities include gleaning and contributing to local food banks, removing litter and improving land for growing trees, planting trees, donating plants, and developing mini-parks, and assisting in the design of park and other forested areas. Forestr.org seeks to do things the hard way, the right way, and the permanent way so that the new forests and parks will be here for decades and more. The Club looks forward to hearing more from Yon in the future. Learn more about the work of Forestr.org here and watch Yon's engaging presentation here.

Adopt-a-Family Gift Wrapping

Once again under the outstanding leadership of Chief Shopper Dr. Heidi Hausauer, the Club participated in the H.A.R.D. Adopt-a-Family Program by sponsoring three families. During the meeting, members and guest heard from Zach Ebadi, who formerly coordinated the program for H.A.R.D. and now work for the City of Hayward in the City Manager's Office. Zack introduced Jamie Molina who is now coordinating the program for H.A.R.D. Watch Zach's presentation here. After the meeting, the Club then adjourned to wrap gifts for nine children as part of the program. Dr. Heidi had purchased all the gifts and wrapping paper so members could enjoy wrapping and get into the holiday spirit.

Meeting Announcements

Community Foundation - Jim Phillips reviewed the status of the new Community Foundation and noted that the Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation will be circulated by via email. Jim requested that members contribute any edits, corrections, comments, or questions to him so that the Club can finalize the documents.
Nominating committee - Gary Howard announced that the Past Presidents will meet after the meeting to begin the process of nominating a President to follow Lytrel Carter.
Holiday Party - Lytrel Carter and John Aufdermauer reviewed the details of the upcoming Holiday Party. Over members and guests will be in attendance and the traditional “white elephant” gift exchange will take place.
The Rotary Foundation (TRF) - President Dwight Perry thanked everyone who has already donated to TRF and encouraged all members to make a contribution to TRF. The Club has an extraordinary tradition of supporting the great work of the Foundation.

Thank you to Gary Howard for the meeting notes and to Gary Bosley for the photos.

Meeting Highlights - November 30, 2021

At the lunch meeting,

Castro Valley Rotarian Chris Carr spoke about his experience with motorcycle touring. Watch Chris' presentation here.
Andi Hangea, who coordinates the technology for the Club's hybrid meetings, delivered his vocational talk and shared his experiences Watch Andi's presentation here.
Read more about the meeting including Announcements and Recognitions here. Thank you to Gary Howard for the notes.
View photos of the meeting here. Thank you to Gary Bosley for the photos.

Be sure to check Upcoming Events and Upcoming Speakers in the right and left columns on this website.

Meeting Highlights - November 2, 9 & 16, 2021

This issue of Meeting Highlights includes the November 2nd, November 9th, and November 16th meetings. Be sure to check out Upcoming Events and Upcoming Speakers for more information regarding future meetings and events.

November 16th

Past District Governor (PDG) Russ Hobbs described the work of The Rotary Foundation (TRF), his involvement with TRF, and how members can support and become involved with TRF. Watch the presentation here.
Nicole Easterly, owner of FARMCurious at the Castro Valley Marketplace described her business as well as other services (e.g., classes) that she offers the community. Watch the presentation here.
Read more about the meeting and presentations here.
Check out photos from the meeting here.

November 9th

John Evans, KCBS Radio, shared his experiences in Bay Area radio. Watch John's presentation here.
Francis Vergara, Events Coordinator at the Castro Valley Marketplace share what events and meeting spaces are available at the Marketplace. Watch Francis' presentation here.
Carol Wikle reported the trip to Nejo, Ethiopia for the Breathing for Life (BFL) oxygen generator dedication, the largest District 5170 International Project ever. A special thank goes to Obse Lubo for spearheading the BFL Project. Watch Carol's presentation here. Click here to view the photo album of the trip and dedication.

November 2nd

Roland Williams, General Manager of the Castro Valley Sanitary District, and Jason Warner, General Manager of the Oro Loma Sanitary District, shared award-winning projects implemented by the two districts to benefit the communities and promote conservation while protecting the environment. Watch the presentation here. View the slide presentation here.
Carol Sandoval, Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (HICAP) Counselor, reviewed the services that HICAP provides for seniors, especially Medicare counseling. Watch Carol's short overview presentation of HICAP here. Review the informational handout that Carol shared here.
View photos from the meeting here.

Meeting Highlights - October 26, 2021

The Club heard outstanding presentations by Hayward City Councilmember Sara Lamnin and Castro Valley Forum Editor Michael Singer.

Hayward Councilmember Sara Lamnin

Described how she become involved in politics: (1) learning about the Constitution in junior high school; (2) working in the nursing home industry in South Hayward starting in 1996; and (3) working to support the Patients' Bill of Rights Act of 1989, which was never brought to the floor of the House for a vote.
Discussed her work since 2014 when she was elected to the City Council, especially her involvement with the youth of Hayward.
Reviewed her currents efforts with the Alameda County Coalition on Fair Redistricting. She noted that the greatest challenge is that the issue is "flying below the radar" despite its importance to the communities. (See graphic in the presentation.)
Answered questions on (1) homelessness in Hayward, (2) the challenges of redistricting, and (3) what is happening with Skywest Golf Course.
Described a new version of the 4-Way Test (See graphic in presentation.)
Click here to watch the video of the presentation and here for her slides.

Michael Singer, Editor of the Castro Valley Forum

Michael has worked for the Castro Valley Forum since 2005.
Provide to the Forum, he worked reporter for Channel 30 in the Tri-Valley, CNET, The Economist, and Information Week.
He reviewed the history of the Castro Valley Forum, which was founded in 1987 by Fred Zehner, and the distribution number.
Michael focused on the different sections in the paper and explained how the Forum seeks to provide independent community news and stories with integrity. Current issues are available online at MyCVForum.
He stressed that the community can support the paper by advertising, providing news and stories, and talk to people about the value the Castro Valley Forum brings to the community.
President Dwight commended the Castro Valley Forum for the coverage and support of Rotary.
Click here to watch the presentation and here for the slides.

Meeting Highlights - October 12, 2021

At the meeting, Heather Schomaker, Director of Outreach for the Wheelchair Foundation described the work of the Foundation, which was founded by Ken Behring, the developer of Blackhawk. Heather explained that the Foundation works in schools as well as how Rotarians can be involved in the work. The Wheelchair Foundation is a nonprofit organization leading an international effort to create awareness of the needs and abilities of people with physical disabilities, to promote the joy of giving, create global friendship, and to deliver a wheelchair to every child, teen and adult in the world who needs one, but cannot afford one. For these people, the Wheelchair Foundation delivers Hope, Mobility and Independence. The three goals of the Foundation are (1) raise awareness; (2) to sensitize students and teacher; and (3) to raise money for wheelchairs ($150 per chair). The Wheelchair Foundation is District 5170 International Project for the years. The Foundation leads trips each year to provide wheelchairs. There will be three Rotary trips this year. Click here for additional information regarding the Foundation. Click here to watch Heather's compelling presentation and here to access her slide presentation.

Rotarian Carol Bigelow reminded members and guests that the Club is currently collecting can food or cash in lieu of canned food for Ruby's Place. Please bring the canned food to any lunch meeting. Click here to watch Carol describe how Rotarians can respond to the need of the hungry in the community.

One step on the path to earning a Blue Badge, every Rotarian shares his/her personal and professional background at a Club meeting. Today, the Club heard from Michael Lin. Click here to watch his presentation.

President Dwight Perry presented Obse Lubo with her Paul Harris Fellow and recognized her for her outstanding work on the Breathing for Life (BFL) Project to install an oxygen generator at Nejo Hospital in Ethiopia. The BFL Project was officially dedicated on October 21, 2021. Members should check their email for photos. Additional details and photos from the dedication will be posted on this page soon.

Click here to check out Upcoming Events.

John Evans, KCBS Radio

John Evans anchors the news at night on KCBS. He’s been on the air in San Francisco since 1979 having worked as both a newsman and a rock, jazz and classical music DJ.

John and his partner live in the Oakland Hills with their three dogs. He has three grown sons, two of whom live in the East Bay and one in Seattle. They’re all lifelong San Francisco Giants fans.

His weekend passions including gardening and landscaping their half-acre which features a year ‘round vegetable garden and 15 fruit trees.

John enjoys vegetarian cooking, artsy films, live theater, and all things Italian. He has studied the Italian language for more than 20 years. John’s an avid reader and book collector and enjoys great novels on the human condition and Bay Area history books. He’s also a music buff and spends hours listening to and managing his collection of thousands of CDs and mp3s.

John also is a CrossFit athlete. He’s either working out at his favorite CrossFit gym or getting friends together at Lake Merritt in Oakland or Kezar Stadium in San Francisco.

World Polio Day - October 24, 2021

When Rotary and its partners launched the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, there were 350,000 cases of polio in 125 countries every year. We’ve made great progress against the disease since then. Today, polio cases have been reduced by 99.9 percent, and just two countries continue to report cases of wild poliovirus: Afghanistan and Pakistan. And we remain committed to the end.

With polio nearly eradicated, Rotary and its partners must sustain this progress and continue to reach every child with the polio vaccine. Without full funding and political commitment, this paralyzing disease could return to polio-free countries, putting children everywhere at risk. Rotary has committed to raising US$50 million each year to support global polio eradication efforts. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged to match that 2-to-1, for a total yearly contribution of $150 million. Rotary has contributed more than $2.2 billion to ending polio since 1985.

Visit endpolio.org to learn more about Rotary and the fight to eradicate polio.

* * * * *

In October 2020, Dr. Raul Andino, a virologist and professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the UCSF, spoke to the Rotary Club of Castro Valley. Dr. Andino is noted for leading a team of researchers that developed the first new oral polio vaccine in 50 years. He completed his MS in Biology in 1980 and his PhD in Chemistry in 1986, both at the University of Buenos Aires. He was a postdoctoral researcher at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and then at the Rockefeller University with Nobel laureate David Baltimore. He then joined the UCSF faculty. Watch his presentation HERE.

Stopwaste

Timothy Burroughs started his presentation with an overview of who and what StopWaste is and does. Since 1976, it has been helping helps Alameda County’s businesses, residents, and schools waste less, recycle properly, and use water, energy, and other resources efficiently. Stopwaste is a public agency governed by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, and the Energy Council. With local partners, Stopwaste helped launch the green building movement in California and organized one of the first and largest food scrap collection programs in the country. Its work helps people make better decisions everyday about the products they buy, the resources they use, and the stuff they no longer use.

Timothy continued by describing the multiple approaches that Stopwaste employs to achieve its goals. There is not a single, one-size fits all approach. The Stopwaste website describes each of these approaches in depth along with available resource.

Within each approach, Stopwaste provides a wide variety of services to effectively meet the needs of its clients. The Circular Food System is one innovative approach to multiple issues facing the community.

As the next slide show, Outreach and Education are very important components of Stopwaste's efforts, especially in schools.

Be sure to visit the Stopwaste website, https://www.stopwaste.org/ for detailed information and resources.

Click here to see the complete slide presentation.

Click here to watch Timothy's presentation.

Meeting Highlights - October 5, 2021

At the meeting, Timothy Burroughs, Executive Director of Stopwaste, described the work that Stopwaste is doing throughout the community. Since 1976, Stopwaste has been helping Alameda County’s businesses, residents, and schools waste less, recycle better, and use water, energy and other resources efficiently. We’re a public agency governed by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority, the Alameda County Source Reduction and Recycling Board, and the Energy Council. With local partners, it helped launch the green building movement in California and organized one of the first and largest food scrap collection programs in the country. Our work helps people make better decisions everyday about the products they buy, the resources they use, and the stuff they no longer use. Click here to watch the presentation.

The Club also heard a short presentation by Carol Tan, owner of Akemi Sushi at the Castro Valley Marketplace (click here) to watch the presentation) and by Rotarian Carol Bigelow regarding the Club Food Drive for Ruby's Place (click here to watch the presentation).

Click here to see photos from the meeting.

Click here to read Meeting Highlights with more information about the meeting and to watch the presentations.

Castro Valley Restaurant Walk - September 21, 2021

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Continues Lions Club “Restaurant Walk” Tradition

On September 21, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley continued the “Restaurant Walk,” which was started by the Castro Valley Lions Club more than two decades ago. When the Castro Valley Lions Club was discontinued, Rotary Club members’ Chris Carr and Aaron Lewis became co-chairs to continue the vision and good work of Lions Club members’ Joe Farias and Michael Abel, who planned and managed this event for many years. This year would have been 25 years, if not for COVID.

The theme President Dwight Perry chose for the 2021-22 CV Rotary this year is “to have FUN and support the community!” President Perry stated “I am so proud of Chris Carr and Aaron Lewis for chairing our first fund raiser of the 2021-22 Rotary year. The entire Club got behind the Restaurant Walk and it was a great success!”

Nearly 250 people turned out, and the Village and Marketplace were packed. The participants purchased tickets that entitled them to visit several local restaurants, whose generosity and commitment to Castro Valley made this event possible: Don Jose’s Restaurant, Shari’s Pies, Cannery Kitchen & Tap, Cordial Cellar and Lounge, Farmcurious, Amphora Nueva, Mr. Pickles, MOD Pizza, Aroma Cuisine of India, Knudsen’s Ice Creamery, Rigatoni’s, Portales Taqueria, See’s Candies, Vitality Bowls, Starbucks, and Jenn’s Cupcakes & Keller Williams Castro Valley.

Because of the generosity of the restaurants who donated the food, this year’s Restaurant Walk raised approximately $5000.

Co-Chairs Carr and Lewis are so thankful for “the Castro Valley Rotarians for their volunteer efforts in staffing the restaurants to help offset the crowds that participated. We are already planning and anticipating how to include and promote even more restaurants at next year’s Restaurant Walk 2022.”

Profits from the Restaurant Walk will be used locally to fund the needs of the Castro Valley Community through the Rotary Club of Castro Valley Community Grants Program (see www.castrovalleyrotary.org/grants for information).

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley is currently providing hybrid meetings with both in-person luncheons at Redwood Canyon and online on most Tuesdays at 12:00 p.m. Speakers and links to the meetings are posted at www.castrovalleyrotary.org under Upcoming Events. The Club welcomes individuals who want to make a positive impact locally, nationally, and internationally.

Meeting Highlights - September 21, 2021

At the meeting of September 21,

Rona Popal, Executive Director of the Afghan Coalition, shared the history of and current situation with Afghan refugees.
John McPartland shared the poem, "The Watch", to honor first responders and military personnel in commemoration of 9/11.

Click here to read more and watch the videos of the presentations.

Rona Popal, Executive Director - Afghan Coalition

Rona Popal, Executive Director of the Afghan Coalition was introduced by Parvin Ahmadi. Ms. Popal explained that the exodus of refugees from Afghanistan is only the latest tragedy. Russia invaded the country in 1980 and set off the first wave of refugees. A second wave occurred when a civil war began as the Russians left the country. The Taliban triggered a third wave. The fourth wave consisted of the “children of the war.” Now after 20 years, the Americans have left the country and the Taliban is back. Many of the Taliban are the same people who were in the government 20 years ago, and they do not have a good history. Some are on the UN terrorist list.

The performance of the armed services in Afghanistan was disappointing. The likely reasons are complicated. First, the people are tired of fighting after 40 years of war. Second, Afghanistan is part of a Big-Power game in which the Afghans are simply pawns. The county has a strategic location and many natural resources. Other countries (e.g., China) want those resources. The Afghan people, especially the women, have no voice in these matters.

The lucky Afghans are in the US, and now groups are trying to help the new refugees. For example, there will be a worldwide conference on September 30 to plan that help. The Afghan Coalition is working with the US State Department to identify people who want to leave and to figure out how to help them. The Coalition recently received a generous donation of $200,000 to pay for housing for the refugees who will be arriving in the Bay Area. About 350 refugeed are expected; however, the plane was delayed in Texas due of an outbreak of measles. The $200K was nice start, but clearly, the need is much greater to care for so many people. The Afghan Coalition is soliciting for more donations of money, clothes, and housing.

One positive aspect is that Fremont has a large community of Afghans already who are willing and able to help the new refugees. Mental health services are a particular need because many of the refugees have been traumatized by the collapse of the Afghan government and the hurried escape to the West.

Click here to watch Rona's presentation.

Meeting Highlights - September 14, 2021

At the meeting, the Club heard from

Craig Semmelmeyer, the developer of the Castro Valley Marketplace regarding its development and future plans for the site as well as plans for future developments that Craig has in progress along Castro Valley Boulevard; and
Stacey and Simon Tingstrom, owner of the Cordial Cellar + Lounge in the basement of the Castro Valley Marketplace.

Members and guests were reminded of

The UN International Day of Peace at Lake Chabot Regional Park on September 18 at 10:00 am-1:00 pm;
The Castro Valley Restaurant Walk on September 21at 6:00-8:00 pm; and,
The Club BBQ on September 28 at 5:00-8:00 pm.

The speaker on September 21 will be Rona Popal, Executive Director of the Afghan Coalition in Fremont and Project Director for the Afghan Health Partnership Program. Registration deadline is 9:00 pm on September 19.

Click here to read more and watch the presentations.

Castro Valley Marketplace & Other Castro Valley Projects

Past President Gary Howard introduced the main speaker, Craig Semmelmeyer, developer of the Castro Valley Marketplace. Craig is a one of the newer members of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley. During his presentation, Craig showed many photographs of old Daughtrey's Building illustrating the state it had been in for many years and how the building has now been renovated into the Castro Valley Marketplace. The old building contained a beloved business that had many loyal customers and staff. Sadly, more recently, most people had seen the building as an eyesore on Castro Valley Blvd. Craig said that he looked at the site for 15 minutes and understood its potential, but it took three years to realize that potential.

Craig's idea was to build a stage for the merchants to be the stars. As the developer, Craig used the basic structure of the building, but allowed the merchants to arrange their own space. In this plan, customers are dealing directly with the business owner or an employee who interacts every day with the owner. Opening during COVID pandemic was a challenge for the Marketplace, but the essential businesses are open now and the current plan is to seek out non-essential businesses that will add value to the community. Craig’s own development company will open the Nite Owl, a craft cocktail lounge, on the mezzanine level soon Future shops will include a coffee business, a dessert bar, and, hopefully, a flower shop.

A new venture that Craig has undertaken is the renovation of a Quonset hut building at the corner of Wilbeam Avenue and Castro Valley Blvd. Many years ago, the site was a gas station and car showroom. Craig and partner Ken Carbone intend to return the site to its original design. The building will include a BBQ restaurant, another restaurant, and a retail business with a great deal of outdoor seating. The site should be ready in the first quarter of 2022.

At the other end of Castro Valley Blvd at the lumberyard, they intend to establish an outdoor market using the existing buildings, which will include home and garden stores. The current metal siding will be replaced by redwood siding. The first businesses of a 5-10-year development plan should open in March-April 2022.

Craig noted that he is particular about the tenant businesses because the right business can bring in other top-quality businesses. He further noted that It’s about having faith in one's properties rather than just leasing sited to just anyone. His goals to for Castro Valley to be “a place to go rather than a place to drive through.”

Click here to watch Craig's presentation.

Meeting Highlights - September 7, 2021

At the September 7th meeting, the Club

Heard a presentation by Tyson Amir on Critical Race Theory;
Received an update on the wide range of programs offered by the Castro Valley Adult an Career Education; and
Recognized Brian Morrison as a Paul Harris Fellow.

Read more about the meeting and watch the presentations here.

Don't forget the following Upcoming Coming Events:

September 14 - Lunch meeting with Craig Semmelmeyer, developer of the Castro Valley Marketplace, as the speaker;
September 14 - Racial Discrimination Forum meeting
September 21 - Lunch meeting
September 21 - Castro Valley Restaurant Walk
September 28 - Club BBQ

Click here to access Meeting Highlights, which includes more information and the videos of the presentation.

Rotary Club of Castro Valley Requests Applications for Grants

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley is committed to supporting outstanding community programs that align with the goals of Rotary through its Grants Program. The due date for applications has been extended to close of business on October 1, 2021.

The grants range in value up to $1000 for this round. In addition to supporting national and international projects, Grants Chair Dan Willits said “We are thrilled to be able to support some of the terrific organizations that are working to make Castro Valley an even better community.”

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley meets on Tuesdays at 12:00 noon online and in person and is always searching for individuals who want to make a positive impact locally, nationally and internationally. They will fund another round of grants in March 2022. For more information about the grant program, lunch meetings, or the Club, please visit the Rotary website at www.CastroValleyRotary.org.

Photo: Presentation of a grant to the SMART Environment Club at Castro Valley High School

UN International Day of Peace at Lake Chabot

Throughout August, the speakers from the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) noted that EBRPD was once again hosting the UN International Day of Peace on Saturday, September 18, at Lake Chabot Park Regional Park in the COVE picnic site at 10:00 am - 1:00 pm. Click here to learn more about the event, which is aligned with Rotary International's goal of Promoting Peace.

Meeting Highlights - August 31, 2021

On August 31, Dennis Waespi, East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) Director for Ward 3, concluded a month-long series of presentations by EBRPD staff. Dennis provided a short history of the District, an overview of the District and its philosophy especially during the pandemic, highlights regarding recently opened parks, information on parks currently under development, and challenges faced by the District (i.e., drought, dead and dying trees, fire, rising sea level. Ward 3 includes Castro Valley and Dennis is a Castro Vally resident who worked for EBRPD for 38 years before being elected to the Board of Directors. All the EBRPD presentations are available under the Speakers' Videos 2021-22 and Newsletters 2021-22 tabs.

Also speaking on August 31 was Julien Wagner, owner of the Seven Hills Baking Company in the Castro Valley Marketplace. Seven Hills Baking Company is the only bakery in Castro Valley focusing on breads and pastries - just ask anyone who has purchases the fresh croissants. Julien brought samples of the epi and European butter for the members to taste.

To learn more about each presentation including video presentation and additional links to more information, please click here.

Meeting Highlights - August 24, 2021

At the August 24th lunch meeting, the Club

Heard a presentation by Mona Koh and Morgan Guenther on the East Bay Regional Park District's Healthy Parks Healthy People program.
Received an update on the status of the Club's former Rotary Exchange students from Afghanistan and efforts to assist them and their families.
Approved appointments to the Castro Valley Rotary Club Endowment Board and elected 2021-2022 officers.
Had a thank you note read from one of the Club's 2021 scholarship recipients.
Recognized Rotarians of the Month for July and August.
Heard updates on the Castro Valley Restaurant Walk, Club BBQ, and Club Mixer.
Received information on the Breathing for Life (BFL) dedication trip to Ethiopia.

To read more and watch the presentations, click here.

2021 Castro Valley Restaurant Walk

On September 21 at 6:00-8:00 pm, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley will sponsor the 2021 Castro Valley Restaurant Walk. Ticket books cost $20 each and provide one (1) tasting at each of the 14 participating restaurants. For more information, please click here for details about the event and purchasing tickets. Proceeds from the Restaurant Walk support Rotary's philanthropic efforts in the community and across the world.

Meeting Highlights - August 17, 2021

At the August 17^th meeting, the Club

Heard from Brian Holt, Chief of Planning, Trails, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for the East Bay Regional Park District, who provided a history of the Port Chicago Naval Station, the history of the Port Chicago 50 including the involvement of future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, the conversion of Port Chicago to a park, and the recent naming of the park as Thurgood Marshall Regional Park Home of the Port Chicago 50.
Had had an opportunity to taste olive oil after a presentation by Jennifer Mann, Manager of Amphora Nueva Olive Oil Company in the Castro Valley Marketplace.
Learned more about the upcoming District 5170 Wheelchair Project from Carol Bigelow and President Dwight Perry.
Heard from Bob Shayler and Bruce Johnson about the plight of two former Rotary International Exchange Students from Afghanistan and how members can assist.

Click here to read more and watch the video of each presentation.

Meeting Highlights - August 10, 2021

On August 10, the Club had presentations from the Pete DeQuincy, Lifeguard Services Manager for the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD), describing the Aquatic Programs offered by EBRPD, which annually serves over 500,000 community members; and from Heather Shaw, Manager of Mike's Camera in Dublin discussing Using Photographic Services with Customers and Clients in Mind.

Click here to watch the presentations and access Meeting Highlights with more information about the presentations and upcoming Club activities.

Meeting Highlights - August 3, 2021

On August 3, the Club had presentations from the Castro Valley High School Interact Club, the Bay Area Radio Musuem in Alameda, and Juliana Schirmer, Chief Administrative Officer of the Regional Parks Foundation that supports the East Bay Regional Park District. Additionally, the Club welcomed its newest member, Andi Hangea, and presented Carol Bigelow with her Blue Badge.

Click here to read about the presentations and watch the videos in Meeting Highlights.

Juliana Schirmer

August 3, 2021

Juliana Schirmer, Chief Administrative Officer, Regional Parks Foundation

Chief of Public Affairs

East Bay Regional Park District

Juliana will be presenting on getting to know the Regional Parks Foundation and their work to support the East Bay Regional Park District through fundraising to provide Universal Access, Environmental Stewardship, Educational and Recreational Programs, and the Acquisition of Parklands.

Juliana Schirmer joined the East Bay Regional Park District to oversee the Regional Parks Foundation in October 2015. Juliana is an experienced CEO and Chief Administrative Officer with a demonstrated history working in nonprofit administration, resource development, program management, public relations and communications, and organizational development.

Juliana is responsible for the day-to-day management of the Regional Parks Foundation, a separate 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, with $10M in assets and $4M in annual revenues. In coordination with the AGM of Public Affairs and Executive Director of the Regional Parks Foundation, Juliana guides the board of director’s activities in strategic planning, governance, financial management, growth initiatives, and succession planning. She supervises a staff of seven to implement a comprehensive and aggressive fund development strategy to diversify and increase funding for the East Bay Regional Park District.

During her time with the agency, she has led and implemented the membership program restructure, redesign and launch of new brand initiatives including the 1-in-a-million campaign, marketing collateral and new website, and successful partnerships with Drake’s Brewing, Whole Foods Market and REI. Since 2015, annual revenues have grown from 2.4M to 4.0M and the agency is well-positioned to launch a capital campaign for the Tilden Environmental Education Center in 2021.

Prior to joining the Park District, Juliana served as Chief Development Officer for New Door Ventures in San Francisco where she successfully completed a $16M capital campaign while raising $3M in annual revenues to support youth development programs for 16-24-year-old disconnected youth, and her prior work included serving as Interim CEO and Development Director for Tri-City Health Center, a $20M federally qualified health center in Fremont; Development Director for Habitat for Humanity; and as principal of her own nonprofit consulting firm. Juliana attended Indiana University School of Philanthropy and she is a certified fundraising executive.

Matt Johanson

Adventures in the Sierras

Matt Johanson, Teacher at Castro Valley High School and advisor to the Olympian

In addition to being a teacher, Matt Johanson is the author of several books about sports, the outdoors, education and politics for California newspapers and magazines. His books include: Sierra Summits: A Guide to 50 Peak Experiences in California's Range of Light, Yosemite Adventures: 50 Spectacular Hikes, Climbs and Winter Treks, and Game of My Life: San Francisco Giants. He has hiked, climbed, and skied the Sierra Nevada his entire life. He lives in Castro Valley and teaches social studies and journalism at Castro Valley High School.

Jason Reiman

Building a welcoming, safe, and rigorous learning environment

Dr. Jason Reiman, Assistant Superintendent for Educational Services, Castro Valley Unified School District

Jason Reimann, Ed.D. is an educational leader, advocate for young people, a father and husband. As a fourth-generation educator, the love for teaching and learning was a part of his family culture. Dr. Reimann served as an Assistant principal at De Anza High School in the West Contra Costa Unified School District. He was then assigned as principal of El Cerrito High School, his high school alma mater. In 2011, he completed his doctoral studies. Dr. Reimann then went on to serve as principal of Dougherty Valley High School, then ranked among the top 5% of schools in California and then on to become the director of educational services for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. There, he supervised high school programs, athletics, career technical education and directly supervised seven schools. Dr. Reimann is now the Assistant Superintendent of Educational Services in Castro Valley.

Summary of June 2021 Meetings

June has been a busy month as the Club closes out the 2020-2021 Rotary Year (Rotary Opens Opportunities) under the leadership of President Gary Howard and begins planning for the 2021-2022 Rotary Year (Serve to Change Lives) under the leadership of President Dwight Perry. During 2020-2021, all Club meetings and events were held virtually. It is significant that the Demotion of President Gary will be the Club’s first in-person meeting/event since March 2020.

As the Club enters 2021-2022, planning is under way for hybrid lunch meetings and events as well as in person lunch meetings and events. Watch your email for regular updates and check the website, www.castrovalleyrotary.org, for regular updates posted under Upcoming Events.

Meetings in June included the following presentations:

June 1

A presentation by David Wissinger, Mechanics Banks, and Todd McGinley, SBBT, on the current state of the stock and bond market that included a historical perspective as well as a view to the future. Watch the presentation here.
A short presentation by Bonnie Kohlerite, a former elementary school science teacher in the San Ramon Valley Unified School District, on her work to save wild horses and the challenges involved. Watch the presentation here. Due to technical problems, only the audio is available for part of the presentation.

June 8

June 8 (main presentation) – Project IceCube live from the South Pole. The Club and its many guests were treated to a truly outstanding and engaging, 90-minute, live presentation by Martin Wolf and Josh Veitch-Michaelis, two researchers working on Project IceCube at the South Pole. Martin and Josh shared the what life at the South Pole is like (e.g., the prior day was a “balmy” -92°F, 23 hours of darkness) and their research. Click here to learn more about Project IceCube, which is based on the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Click here to read the weekly updates and other information from the Project. Watch the presentation here.

June 15

June 15 (main presentation) - A presentation by Lorena Hernandez, the Director of Community Impact for Comcast, who oversees the Comcast California foundation, volunteerism, partnerships, and community signature programs like Internet Essentials—the largest comprehensive broadband adoption program in the country. She described the work that Comcast is doing in California, especially its efforts during the pandemic. There is not a video of this presentation.

June 22

President Gary Howard reviewed the outstanding successes of the Club during the past year despite the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. Click here to watch an OUTSTANDING presentation and see how much the Club accomplished during the 2020-2021 Rotary Year. Click here for the slides in the presentation.
President-Elect Dwight Perry, who was Club President in 1982-1983 and District Governor in 1994-1995 shared his vision for the coming year as the Club returns to its pre-pandemic events and projects as well as the many new events and projects the Club will be initiating in 2021-2022. Watch the presentation here.

June 29 - Demotion of President Gary Howard

On the evening of June 29, the Club is holding its first in-person event since March 2020 - the Demotion of President Gary Howard. Members will have the time to socialize with old friends and meet individuals who have become Rotarians since March 2020. President Gary will be thanked for his outstanding service and leadership during the past year, while the Club has some fun at his expense. Details in the next Meeting Highlights.

Meeting Highlights for June 2021

June meetings included a variety of presentations including a live 90-minute presentation from the South Pole. Click here to read about each meeting and watch the presentations.

Thank you to President Gary Howard for his outstanding leadership during the past year. Despite the challenges and restriction of the COVID pandemic, President Gary led the Club to new heights with outstanding speakers from around the world, innovative projects that served the community, and new members. One of President Gary's goals for the year was to make the Rotary Club of Castro Valley well known throughout the community. Mission Accomplished!!!

Rotary Awards Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Announces $10,000 in Scholarships

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment Board is pleased to announce the recipients of the four scholarships awarded annually to graduates of Castro Valley High School. Each scholarship recipient received $2500.

Alina Huang received The Bob Waberski Scholarship named after long-time Rotary Club of Castro Valley member and former President, who retired as Castro Valley’s Fire Chief in 1993. Chief Waberski left a rich legacy of community service. Alina will be attending the University of California at Berkeley leaning to a career as a Physician Assistant or a teacher. Alina participated in many school service activities including the American Red Cross Club, California Scholarship Federation, Animal Rights Club, and the Tobacco Use Prevention Education Program, and was the Founder of the Animal Rights Club Pet Food Drive. She was also very busy serving our community as a Factory Farming Awareness Coalition intern, Earth Team intern, and serving as a volunteer at the George Mark Children’s House, Oakland Zoo Camp. Alina lives in Castro Valley with her parents Li Chen and Jinwen Huang.

Kelly Yu received the Castro Valley Rotary Club’s Endowment Scholarship for her commitment to serve others, which reflects Rotary’s “Service Above Self” commitment. Kelly will be attending the University with the goal of earning her BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) to serve others as a Nurse. Her School Service activities included Associated Student Body Leadership, Interact, Program 3C, Science Olympiad and CVHS Link Crew, while her Community Service outside of School included: Hemophilia Foundation of Northern California and being active in the UCSF (University of California at San Francisco) HealthLink, Stanford Medical Youth Science Program and UCSF Brain Camp. Kelly lives in Castro Valley with her parents Xueling Yu and Tingzhi Yu.

Emily Xu received The Owen Smith Scholarship named in the memory of the long-time Rotary Club of Castro Valley, who along with his wife Erma, was committed to actively promoting education, including understanding the principles of property rights, entrepreneurship, limited government, and free market. Emily will be attending the University of California at Davis studying to be a Physician. On the Castro Valley High School campus, Emily was active in the following clubs: Unicef, Medical Students Association, and American Red Cross and outside of school was active with the CV Tutors. Emily lives in Castro Valley with her parents Qiu Mei Sun and Han Lin Xu.

Ashley Fang received the Sunrise Scholarship. Ashley will be attending University of California- Berkeley preparing for her career goal to become a Physician. She was quite active on campus in the Animal Rights Club, Medical Students Association, California Scholarship Federation, Link Crew Leader, and Earth Team Intern in the community as Co-founder of Castro Valley Virtual Tutors, Oakland Zoo Teen Wild Guide, and Sulphur Creek Nature Center Summer Camp Counselor. Ashley lives in Castro Valley with her parents Andy Fang and Marcy Chien.

On behalf of the entire Rotary Club of Castro Valley and Endowment Board, Endowment Chair Bruce D. Johnson commends all of the recipients for their commitment to investing their lives in serving others stating “The students who were selected all have marvelous personal stories. Some immigrated here as young children and all are involved in a variety of school activities and community service. I appreciated that after viewing the 107 applicants that all of the recipients were on multiple committee member’s lists! We are confident all four of these students will have a tremendous impact now and in the future. We are very proud to recognize Alina, Ashley, Emily and Kelly for their outstanding service as well as their academic achievements.”

Castro Valley Rotarians John Aufdermauer, Heidi Hausauer, Bruce D. Johnson (Chair), Jim Negri, Dwight Perry, Ray Wallace (Secretary) and Dan Willitz (Vice-Chair/Treasurer) serve on the Endowment Board. For more information on The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and the Endowment, please visit www.castrovalleyrotary.org.

Growing Walnuts - Henry Gilbert

President Gary Howard introduced Henry Gilbert as a Renaissance Man: anthropologist, paleontologist, professor, author (Homo erectus: Pleistocene Evidence from the Middle Awash, Ethiopia) , and currently, a third-generation walnut farmer at Gilbert Orchards (founded over 100 years ago). Since he was returning from a family trip to Mexico, Henry joined us from the Houston airport.

After a brief discussion of his academic life including positions that he still holds at UC Berkeley, CSU East Bay, and the Director of the Kesem Kebena Project in Ethiopia, Henry explained how he became a walnut farmer in Wheatland, California (i.e., the death of his father in 2016 and other relatives) on 2000 acres in Wheatland.

While Henry shared photos of Gilbert Orchards, he provided a great deal of information about the history of walnuts, walnut farming, the current market including labor issues and land prices including:

Walnuts come from the foothills of the Himalayas and were spread by Alexander the Great as food for his troops. Walnuts then spread to the Mediterranean and into Europe.
In Indian and Pakistan, walnuts are part of the traditional food culture.
Since the orchards have been in the Gilbert family for over 100 years, there are many heirloom walnut trees on the farm.
Currently, walnuts bring $.60/lb compared to $2.15/lb in 2015.
Walnuts tend to be marketed to people with money and for health benefits especially the heart and brain
Chandler walnuts produced 3-4 tons per acre compared to other varietals and generate twice the price; therefore, as trees are replaced, they are replaced with Chandler trees.
Harvesting walnuts is a simple process: shake the trees; pick-up the walnuts; remove the green husks; wash and dry; and ship.
In recent years, both China and Chile have entered the market, which has depressed prices, but Henry sees the potential of a year-round, world market,
Henry described the process and value of grafting varieties of walnut trees – keeps the trees long while being able to upgrade the varietals.

Since the walnut marker is changing, Henry described some things that he is trying to maximize production from the land, such as growing

teff, an Ethiopian grain that is high in iron and gluten-free. According to Henry, teff has “yuppie appeal,” but he is growing teff for other markets as well;
greenchop that is grown to feed cattle;
peppers and tomatoes to produce salsa for the local farmer markets. Income from these sales is used to promote Mexican folkloric dance in the community; and,
cannabis on a limited basis as the laws and cannabis markets evolved.

After the formal presentation, Henry graciously answered questions on many topics and provided the following information:

Walnuts use 2’ of water/acre/per year compared to 3’ for wheat’; however, access to water is an issue as the population grows and the demand for water in Southern California increases.
The harvest season is normally September 15-October 15 and is not as sensitive as the grape harvest since walnuts will last on the ground without rain.
It takes a walnut tree 5-6 years to get to harvest with major production starting in years 7-9 that can continue for 25-30 years. Henry provided a detailed explanation of the life cycle of a tree.
Labor is a major issue due to the lack of workers and the cost of labor. Henry foresees a significant increase in the price of food in the next five years. The cost of labor not only includes wages, but health care (Gilbert Orchards paid Kaiser for its workers) and impact of Workers’ Compensation as well as “shady” labor contractors (Gilbert Orchards stopped using labor contractors). The bottom line is that there are fewer workers available, and the cost of labor continues to increase. (Watch the video for a detailed explanation.
Henry shared his anthropological and paleontology work including the dangers in Ethiopia and South Africa.

The Club sincerely thanks Henry for a truly engaging educational presentation. Watch his presentation here.

Business Computers vs. Ransomware

Mark Hall, CEO/President of NetSolutions in Concord, spoke on Business Computers vs. Ransomware. He started with a definition of ransomware as a type of malicious software or malware that prevents you from accessing your computer files, systems, or networks and demands you pay a ransom for their return. You can unknowingly download malware onto a computer by opening an email attachment, clicking an ad, following a link, visiting a website embedded with malware, or even loading a foreign CD or USD drive onto your computer.

Moving forward, Mark described the Most Common Methods of Ransomware Infections in North America as follows:

67% - spam/phishing emails
36% - lack of cyber security training
30% - weak passwords/access management
25% - poor user practices/gullibility
16% - malicious websites/web ads
16% - other

Next, Mark detailed the Top-Clicked Phishing Tests/Top Social Media Email Subjects as

42% - LinkedIn
20% - Facebook
12% - log in alert from Chrome
11% - You have a new message alert
9% - Direct Message from Twitter
6% - New voicemail message at <time>

He continued the discussion by focusing on the Top 10 General Email Subjects that included

31% - Password Check Required Immediately
13% - COVID-19 Remote Work Policy Update
5% - Deactivation of <email> in Process
4% - Recent Activity Report

To prevent ransomware without completely shutting down a company’s network or computers, Mark stressed

Keep operating systems, software, and applications up to date
Make sure anti-virus solutions are set to automatically update and run scans
Use firewalls for network security
Use 3^rd party email filters and end user education or email security
Backup files locally, offsite, and online

Watch the video for more detailed explanations of each of the above categories and examples.

Contact information for Mark Hall:

NetSolutions

mark@netsolutions-ca.com

1292 Saddlehill Lane

Concord, CA 94521

925.672.6029

Meeting Highlights - May 18, 2021

This meeting featured

• A presentation by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Dorado describing his path to serving on the bench and his experience as a judge. During this engaging and informative presentation, Judge Dorado offer his insights on a number of issues.

• A presentation by Castro Valley Library Branch Manager Dawn Balestreri describing how the library has operated during the pandemic and its re-opening plans.

• A report from Mark Poniatowski, Co-chair of the Club's Racial Discrimination Forum, describing the work of the group, especially the petition to the East Bay Regional Parks District to name a park at the former Concord Naval Weapons Station in honor of Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall.

Click here to access Meeting Highlights and the videos of the presentations.

2021-2022 Rotary International Theme

Meeting Highlights - May 11, 2021

The meeting featured presentations by Steve McLaughlin describing his career as a bar pilot on San Francisco Bay and Elizabeth Crocker from London describing the majesty and kindness of horses. Access the Meeting Highlights with the videos here.

Coming June 8
Project Ice Cube: Live at the South Pole

Join the Rotary Club of Castro Valley and Castro Valley Science on June 8th at 12:00 p.m. for an extraordinary virtual presentation by scientists at the South Pole who will describe what it is like to live and work where it is dark more than 23 hours every day and where the average temperature is -50⁰F. Project Ice Cube uses a cubic kilometer of ice at the South Pole to measure neutrinos, mysterious subatomic particles that have an extremely small mass. Register here for Zoom access.

May 4, 2021 - Special Presentation
A Conversation with Eric Alatorre
"My Career with Chanticleer"

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and the Castro Valley Educational Foundation (CVEF) jointly presented A Conversation with Eric Alatorre: My Career with Chanticleer.

For 28 years, basso profundo Eric Alatorre sang with the world-famous acapella group Chanticleer. Born in Southern California and educated at the California State University Fullerton and San Francisco State University, Mr. Alatorre joined the San Francisco Symphony Chorus before beginning his great career with Chanticleer.

Laryssa Sadoway, Director of the Choral Music Program at Castro Valley High School, served as the moderator for the discussion.

Watch the conversation here.

Meeting Highlights for April 2021

This issue of Meeting Highlights covers the meetings of

April 6 - City of Pleasanton Update - Mayor Karla Brown
April 6 - Local Journalism - Gina Channell, President/Publisher - Pleasanton Weekly
April 13 - Club Assembly on the Future of the Club including the establishment of the Castor Valley Community Endowment
April 13 - Update on Mortgage Rates - Chris Carr, LaSalle Morgage Services
April 20 -Update on California Tourism - Teipo Brown, Director of Sales San Mateo County/Silicon Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau
April 20 - Update on the Rotary Club of Castro Valley Endowment - Carol Wikle, Mirador Capital Advisors
April 27 - Update from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District - Juan Romero, PIO BAAQMD

Click here to see the full issue. Be sure to click on the links in each story to watch the presentation and learn more.

Bay Area Air Quality Management District

Juan Romero, the newly appointed Public Information Officer for the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), provided a history, organization, and work of the District; a description of the types of air pollution; work that is being done to reduce air pollution; and resources for citizens.

The Mission of the BAAQMD is The Air District aims to create a healthy breathing environment for every Bay Area resident while protecting and improving public health, air quality, and the global climate. The District was established in 1955 and includes a 9-county jurisdiction with 101 cities, 5,340 square miles, a Board of 24 elected officials that serves 7 million residents.

Juan proceeded to describe how Particulate Matter and Ozone impact the health of the residents with the following points:

Lung irritation, and increased permeability in lung tissue
Aggravate severity of chronic lung diseases and rapid loss of airway function
Changes in blood chemistry that can result in clots that may lead to heart attacks
Increase susceptibility to viral and bacterial pathogens leading to pneumonia in vulnerable persons
Irritate the respiratory system and your eyes, nose, throat and cause coughing and headaches
Reduce lung function, or make it difficult to breathe deeply and quickly
Aggravate asthma and make people more sensitive to allergens (dust mites, pets, and pollen)
Can inflame and damage the lining of the lung, like a sunburn on your lungs!

Showing a before and after slide, Juan described how the BAAQDM has been able to improve conditions and create healthy communities through the following efforts with specific examples of each effort (watch the video for details):

Air Quality Plans & Rule Development
Compliance & Enforcement
Grants & Incentives
Outreach & Education
Monitoring, Modeling & Assessment

Juan noted that the Wildfire Season will be here before we know it and the wildfires have a major impact on air quality in the Bay Area as we have seen in recent years. To educate and keep the community informed, BAAQMD produces several publications (e.g., brochures, Air District Annual Report, Air Currents Newsletter) runs many programs (e.g., Spare the Air Day) and community outreach. Among the suggestions Juan provided for individuals to make a difference were

Consider using alternative modes of transit: walk, bike, and carpool when you can
Reduce the use of fireplaces in your home
Continue composting organics and recycling
Support Air District rule development efforts
Reach out to your county to get involved
Share your knowledge

The BAAQMD offers the following Incentive Programs:

Clean Cars for All : https://www.baaqmd.gov/funding-and-incentives/residents/clean-cars-for-all
Vehicle Buyback Program: https://www.baaqmd.gov/funding-and-incentives/residents/vehicle-buy-back-program
Review current incentives: https://www.baaqmd.gov/funding-and-incentives

For more information about BAAQMD projects and notifications, use the following tools:

Check the air quality status at baaqmd.gov or sparetheair.org
Call 1-800-HELP-AIR or 1-877-4NO-BURN
Text “START” to 817-57
Sign up for email AirAlerts at sparetheair.org
Sign up for phone alerts at sparetheair.org or by calling 800-430-1515
iPhone/Android app
Connect via Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram

Watch Juan’s complete presentation with slides here.

Financial Report on the Club's Endowment

Carol Wikle joined the Rotary Club of Castro Valley in 1994 and served as the 2016-2017 President. Before she started her financial report on the Club's Endowment, Carol shared how much she has learned about Rotary International's commitment and follow-up through her involvement with and reporting to RI on the Breathing for Life Project (BFL).

In terms of the Endowment, Carol shared that there are two funds: (1) Scholarships for graduating seniors at Castro Valley High School and (2) International Projects, such as the Breathing for Life Project. She reported that there is currently has $276,284 in the Endowment for scholarships. Since December 2013 when Mirador Capitol Partners began overseeing the investments, there has been a cumulative rate of return of 111% with a 181% return on equities. The investments are based on a distribution model (i.e., scholarships) rather than an accumulation, which has allowed the Club to distribute at least 5% of the funds annually for scholarship. The financial markets have changed over time, Carol has employed an investment strategy that rotates with the market.

Click here to watch the presentation that includes the financial details of the Club’s investments.

Update on Tourism in California

Earlier this year, Teipo Brown made a short presentation on Tourism in California and the Bay Area during the Covid pandemic. He had so much great information to share and the Club members wanted to hear more so the Club invited Teipo, a 20+ year resident of Castro Valley, back to share what is happening to tourism as California begins to loosen the Covid restrictions.

Teipo started by sharing that pre-Covid tourism generated $145B spending in Calfiornia, but in the past year that figure has dropped to $59B - a significant drop with ramifications throughout the economy. Besides the drop in spending, Teipo shared that State & Local Tax Revenues have dropped from $12.3B to $7.4B and the number jobs in tourism have dropped from 1.2M to 682K. The figures supported Teipo assertion that the tourism has been extremely hard hit by the pandemic and only is starting to slowly recover.

During his presentation, Teipo shared airport and hotel statistics for the Gateway Cities (i.e., Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco Bay Area, Orange County). The number of people passing through the airports in January 2020 was 18M per month, but his rock bottom in April 2020 at 739K. The 2021 number ar not available yet, but appear to be improving compared to 2020. Last year, air travel saw a 65% drop domestically and a 75% drop internationally. The hotel industry experienced the same drops in the past year with occupancy and revenue dropping 35% statwide and 41% in Gateway cities; however, growth is projects in the coming year.

Teipo outlined the key drivers in the tourism industry:

(1) Leisure travel that is expected to grow due the easing of restrictions and pented up demand. People are feeling safe about shorter drive/fly vacations. (2) Corporate travel that is not projected to grow to companies moving out of Calfiornia, cost savings from working from home and the cancelation of meetings and conferences, and safety issues. (3) International travel which is not projected to grow and possibly decline until borders are opened, vaccinations are more wide-spread, and vaccination passports are established.

Touching on corproate meetings and conferences, Teipo pointed out that California lost $4.1B per month due to restrictions and cancelation. Since California was the last state to open to business meetings and conferences, many weree moved to other states. These meetings and conferences are a major source of revenue for hotels. Since it takes several months to several years to plan a business meeting or conference, this sector will return more slowly. Before answwering questions, Teipo concluded by noting conditions have improved since June 2020 and the projections for the industry are looking good at this time.

His presentation had a great deal of information presented in easy to read charts and table. Click here to watch the presentation.

Pleasanton Update (4/6/21)

Mayor Karla Brown presented an update on the City of Pleasanton, which is part of the Club’s effort to highlight what is happening in the communities that surround Castro Valley. Mayor Brown was elected to her first term as Mayor in November 2020 after serving two terms on the City Council. As Mayor and a Council Member, she has served on many city, county, and regional committees the impact the City of Pleasanton.

Mayor Brown has lived in Pleasanton for 28 years. For 10 years, she traveled the world a Global Account Manager for a Silicon Valley semi-conductor company, but then decided to settle down and moved to Pleasanton. Since 2002, Mayor Brown has worked as an Associate Broker in real estate, which she described as red hot currently.

In her presentations, Mayor Brown described the 127-year transition of Pleasanton from an agrarian community to a city of 82,000 residents. This transition included

An agrarian community based on dairy farms, hop fields, and vineyards.
In the 1980’s and until the late 1990’s, the population rapidly grew. In fact, at the time, Pleasanton was the 3^rd fast growing city in California. The development of Hacienda Business Park occurred during this era. In the late 1990’s, Pleasanton experienced a slow growth movement.
According to Mayor Brown, Pleasanton in 2021 has three major factors going for it - location, location, and location- with an excellent transportation access (Interstates 580 & 680, BART, Wheels, ACE train). The Mayor described the testing of a driverless shared vehicle project that is currently under way.

Mayor Brown’s presentation further touched on the following topics:

Economic Development: Pleasanton is the home of many Fortune 500 companies including Safeway/Albertson’s and has seen an influx of new businesses, including Workday with a Pleasanton Police Department station in the building that services the area around BART.
Historic Preservation: There is a City Task Force working on historical preservation including older homes and downtown. Mayor Brown shared the work of volunteers to beautify and maintain Pioneer Cemetery where many of the founders and famous early residents of Pleasanton are buried.
Community Amenities: Pleasanton is well-known for its parks and sports fields. The Mayor mentioned many community amenities including Bernal Community Park with its 38 acres of oak woodlands new sports fields, bocce courts, a skateboard park, and the first all abilities playground to serve residents with disabilities. She also shared information about the new fire station that is being build.
Housing: With the high price of housing, the City has worked to create 185 affordable senior apartments at Kottinger Gardens and Sunflower Hill at Irby Ranch for adults with intellectual or development disabilities as well as the City’s Homeless Outreach program that has two officers assigned to the program.

Before taking questions, Mayor Brown concluded with an overview of how the City of Pleasanton develops and decides on its priorities.

Watch Mayor Brown’s presentation here.

Pleasanton Weekly (4/6/21)

Gina Channell, President and Publisher of the Pleasanton Weekly focused her short presentation on the Cost & Price of Local Journalism. The Pleasanton Weekly was established in 2000 and covers the news in Pleasanton, Dublin, Livermore, San Ramon and Danville. The paper has a circulation of 9,500 (print) and 180,000 (digital) and is owned by Embarcadero Media, which also owns the Palo Alto Weekly, Mountain View Voice, The Almanac, and TheSixFifty.com

One of Gina's key points was that not all local news is created equal and then explained the types of local coverage:

local journalism (e.g., Pleasanton Weekly, Castro Valley Forum) with locally assigned reported;
regional coverage (e,g., East Bay Times) that reports local news in a newpaper that covers a much wider region and normally does not assign reporters to the local community;
aggregates which collect stories from numerous sources (i.e., Pleasanton Weekly) and publish the news often online.

Gina shared that local newspapers having been declining in signifcant number (i.e., over 2000 newspapers have folded since 2004) and as many as 1500 communities are without a newspaper. The pandemic has hastened the decline of the newspaper since advertizing revenue has fall dramatically leading to staff reductions (e.g., staffing at Pleasanton Weekly is 1/4 it was seven years ago). Pleasanton Weekly used to deliver a newspaper to every home, but has had to move to subscriptions and online publishing to survive in the current economic environment.

Gina discussed the importance of strong local journalism to democracy - keeping the people informed on issues. While discussing the role of the newspaper in a democratic society, Gina gave a shout out to The Olympian at Castro Valley High School for its work. To wrap up her presentation, Gina briefly discussed that ocal newspapers are a small business and readers need to step to to ensure that these newspapers continue to exist. According to Gina, one of the best ways is to support local advertizers and let know it.

She closed with a quote from John Oliver, "The truth is, a big part of the blame for this industry's dire straits falls on us and our unwillingness to pay for the work journalists produce. We've just grown accustomed to getting our news for free, and the longer that we get something for free, the less willing we are to pay for it. And I'm talking to you, the person watching this segment on YouTube, using the Wi-Fi from the coffee shop underneath your apartment. You're killing us! But sooner or later — sooner or later — we are either going to have to pay for journalism or we are all going to pay for it."

Watch Gina's presentation here.

Announcements

Watch this space.

Meeting Highlights for March 2021

This issue of Meeting Highlights covers the meetings of March 9, 16 & 23.

March 9 - Preparing for Your Next Breakthrough - Jeff Teseri

March 9 - End Polio Now Campaign - Dwight Perry

March 16 - Educational Options at Castro Valley High School

March 16 - Response to Covid-19 - Curtis Porchardt

March 23 - Software Licensing - Ed Molyneaux

There was not a lunch meeting on March 30 and the meeting of March 2 previously posted here.

Click here to read this issue of Meeting Highlights. Be sure to click on the links in each article to read more about the meeting and watch the video of the presentation.

Educational Opportunties at Castro Valley High School (3/16/21)

After opening comments by Parvin Ahmadi, Castro Valley Unified School District Superintendent and Castro Valley Rotarian, she turned the program over to Castro Valley High School Principal Blaine Torpey to provide an overview of the school and presentations. In his opening comments, Principal Torpey praised the inspiring CVHS teachers for responding to the pandemic and designing ways to support student learning. In her closing comments, Superintendent Ahmadi echoed Principal Torpey’s comments about the teachers throughout the district.

The presentation focused on just three of CVHS’s many outstanding academic programs: (1)Engineering Pathway; (2) Honors Afrocentric U.S. History and Literature; and (3) the Library program.

Engineering Pathway

Teachers Jessica Porter and Lisa Holmes provided an overview of the Engineering Pathway, which is one of the programs in the Career Technical Department. Jessica and Lisa repeatedly stressed that the program is designed about problem-solving, project-based learning, and innovation. The goals of the Engineering Pathway are

Foster highly transferable skills in collaboration, communication, and critical thinking which are relevant for any coursework and career.
Prepare students to apply engineering, science, math, and technology to solve complex, open-ended problems in a real-world context.
Expose students to tools, practices, requirements and certification for careers and post-secondary study in engineering or related fields.

The Pathway is a 4-year Pathway (the Class of 2021 is the first class to complete all 4 years) that included the following sequence of courses:

Year 1:Introduction to Engineering Design
Year 2: Principles of Engineering
Year 3: Civil Engineering & Architecture
Year 4: Engineering Design & Development

During the presentation, Jessica and Lisa shared a great video of the program (be sure to watch it) as well as many examples of student projects and activities.

Honors Afrocentric U.S. History and Literature

This University of California approved course combines a student’s history and English courses into a two-section course. Kevin Batchelor, who teaches the U.S. section of the course, described the program that has been taught for 8 years after 2 years of development. In the Bay Area, only CVHS and Berkeley HS offer this type of course.

This class provides a comprehensive review of the history of the United States from pre-colonial times to the present with a focus on the unique role of African Americans within that history. Students will study the accomplishments, history, and culture of African Americans within the American and global context. This class is cored with an American Literature class that will focus on works by African American authors. When the course started about 90% of the students were African American, but as enrollment has grown so has the diversity of the students, but the majority remain African American.

One of the key features of the class is that students are reading literature from the historical period they are studying, which provides a better context for both the literature and the history. During his presentation, Kevin shared many of the prompts assigned to students to make the connection. (Readers are encouraged to watch video to see the complexity of the assignments.

CVHS Library Program

Teacher Librarian Angela Anthony, who is new to CVHS this year, described the two-part Mission of the Library:

(1) Create inclusive collections that acknowledge and celebrate diverse experiences to help sustain a strong reading culture on campus; and

(2) Provide instructional opportunities and spaces to empower learner as effective users and creators of information and ideas.

Angela described adding 500+ titles to the library collection that reflect the diversity of the students and implementing a weekly curbside pickup so students can access the collections during the pandemic. She described programs such as SORA, which links students virtually to the public library, and ProQuest, which provides student access to major sources of information. As a Teacher Librarian, Ms. Anthony often works in partnership with teachers, especially English teachers and students working on research projects, to expand the library program beyond the four walls of the library. Learn more about the CVHS Library here.

Watch the presentations here.

Meeting Highlights - Preparing for Your Next Breakthrough (3/9/21)

After graduating from the Carlson School of Management, Jeff went on to become a Hall-of-Fame Business Achiever. Jeff is most content creating creative content. One of his greatest motivators is motivating others. As an experienced and esteemed speaker, Jeff aims to deliver education, inspiration and entertainment to your sales force.

In a highly interactive and engaging presentation, Jeff Teseri shared three of the seven key abilities that one needs to achieve his/her next breakthrough. Before describing those abilities, Jeff posed three rhetorical questions:

Have you ever felt down on your luck?
Have you ever felt stuck?
Have you ever wanted to yell, “Forget this!”

From here, Jeff noted that everyone would like to

Achieve more
Receive more
Give more
Enjoy life more

From here, Jeff asked “What is the most attractive trait a person can have that not a body part?” The answer was gratitude, which was the first of the three traits that Jeff went on to describe in his presentation. Jeff stated, “If you want to be great, begin by being grateful” and proceed to explain how one does this. He concluded with “Gratitude is a choice.”

The second key ability is creating an inviting environment. Jeff noted that with each breath one can break down barrier (watch the video for examples). One issue that gets in the way of breakthroughs is that people focus too much on matters that don’t matter. He suggested the people slow the pace – not a jog, but a walk. More importantly, Jeff stressed to remove the rush to savor the simple stuff.

The third ability that Jeff described is the number one predictor of happiness – one’s connections. These connections are the life-giving link; therefore, everyone needs the ability of cultivate and create connection.

Click here to watch Jeff’s entire presentation. All seven abilities are detailed in his book, The 7 Key Abilities: How to Succeed 7 Days a Week.

Meeting Highlights - March 2, 2021

During the Club Assembly, Rotarian Jim Phillips presented a proposal for a new foundation, The Castro Valley Rotary Community Foundation, a new 501(c)3 foundation that would serve the broader community. Watch the presentation and discussion here.

Kathy Brady described the work and services of the Health Insurance Counseling & Advocacy Program (HICAP) that assist seniors with Medicate. Watch the presentation here. Use the link in the Meeting Highlights to access HICAP in Alameda County.

Mark Pontiatowski and Gary Howard provided updates on the work of the Racial Discrimination Forum including an effort to spread the work to Area 4 and District 5170. Watch the presentation here.

Click here for the current issue of Meeting Highlights. Click here for a suprise.

Meeting Highlights - February 23, 2021

At this meeting, the Club hosted the first round of the District 5170 Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest for students from Csatro Valley High School and Redwood Christian High School. Due to the shelter-in-place orders, the contest was held virtually this year under the excellent leadership of Speech Contest Chair Bernie Kempen.

President Gary Howard recognized three outstanding individuals as the Rotarians of the Month for their outstanding leadership of the Castro Valley Racial Discrimination Forum.

Vocational Services Chair Chris Carr described a project with Eden Area Regional Occupational Program that is seeking the expertise of Club members.

Click here to watch the student speeches, find out who the winners were, learn about the Rotarians of the Month, and volunteer for the Vocational Services project.

Meeting Highlights - February 23, 2021

Vocational Committee & Eden Area ROP

Hello Castro Valley Rotarians,

We hope this message finds you well. We are reaching out to you today to inform you of a program designed to bring real world experience and education to students enrolled in vocational education with the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program Center in Hayward (Eden Area ROP).

Castro Valley Rotary’s Vocational Committee is seeking speakers and industry experts to share their insights and knowledge with students enrolled in the Eden Area ROP that are seeking alternatives to college or university programs. We especially need speakers for the engineering students (Civil, Electrical, Computer Sciences)

Your gift of time is short but tremendously valuable for students enrolled in a variety of program from engineering, medical technology, medical assistant, welding, auto body, construction, electrical, first responders and culinary sciences.

We are seeking presenter with 2 to 10 years (or more) of experience to speak for 15 to 20 minutes on a topic relevant the course materials being taught in these areas and then take 15-20 minutes of question and answers from the audience. The program runs through the end of the school year in May.

The speaker sessions will be done by video conference (Zoom or Goggle Hangouts) and you will be given an opportunity to correspond with the course instructor prior to the event to ensure that your talk is targeted to the audience and the course materials being currently covered. You are welcome to provide a slide presentation if you have one. Otherwise, we are grateful for your participation in the speaker series.

If you are interested in participating, we welcome you to visit the Castro Valley Rotary Club’s Calendly page to see what courses might fit your background. The Calendly webpage is: https://calendly.com/edenarearop

Thank you.

Chris Carr

Vocational Committee Chair

Olivia Fryling Wins Youth Speech Contest
Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest

On February 23, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley hosted the First Round of the Rotary District 5170 Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest for students attending Castro Valley High School (CVHS) and Redwood Christian High School (RCHS). Due to the current Shelter-in-Place orders, the contest was held virtually under the outstanding leadership of Bernie Kempen, who served as the Speech Contest Chair for the Club.

Each student's speech was recorded live on Zoom prior to the meeting according to the Speech Contest rules. The theme of this year’s contest was "Rotary Opens Opportunities,” which had to be clearly identified in the speech. Each student had to clearly relate, apply, or interweave one or more of Rotary’s Four Way Test principles into the speech:

Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Is it BENEFICIAL to all concerned?

The speeches were then scored according to the Speech Contest rubrics and guidelines by Rotarians Realtor and President-Elect Murline Monet, and Attorneys Jim Phillips and Mark Poniatowski. After showing the speeches, Bernie Kempen announced the winners:

1st Place (Prize $100) - Olivia Fryling (RCHS, 12th Grade) - “A Homage to the Heroes Behind the Scenes”;
2nd Place (Prize $50) - Jonathan Burckin (RCHS, 12th Grade) - “The Forgotten of Society”;
3rd Place (Prize $25) - Rohan John (RCHS, 12th Grade) - “The Opportunity of Growth.”

Other students participating in the Speech Contest included Nathaniel Calvert (RCHS, 12th Grade) - “Building Bridges Internationally”; Quentin Hansen (CVHS, 9th Grade) - “Together Though Apart”; Rayah Miller (RCHS, 12th Grade) - “The Importance of Education for high-risk Women”; and Kaitlin Tchang (CVHS, 9th Grade) - “Opening One Opportunity at a Time.”

Click here to watch the student speeches and hear from Richard D. King.

Olivia Fryling, daughter of Pastor Larry and Arlene Fryling of Hayward, and Jonathan Burckin, son of Mark and Becki Burckin of Castro Valley, will move onto the Area 4 Speech Contest, which includes the eight (8) Rotary Clubs in Castro Valley, Dublin, Hayward, Livermore and Pleasanton, on March 8. The winner of the Area 4 Speech Contest will then compete in the District 5170 Speech Contest.

The Speech Contest is one of the many ways Rotary promotes Youth Service among its members. The 61 Rotary Clubs of District 5170 sponsor the Richard D. King Annual Youth Speech Contest with three goals in mind for the Club Members and each Speech Contest Participant:

To increase the personal knowledge and awareness of the importance of being able to speak effectively before a group.
To increase public knowledge of what Rotary is and does throughout the world, especially among young people. Through this knowledge, we hope that they will learn, as we have in the past, “He who serves best profits most.”
To increase participation in the contest and to provide all high school contestants an opportunity to win prizes as top speaker, or runners-up, in District 5170.

Youth Service recognizes the importance of empowering youth and young professionals through leadership development programs such as Rotaract, Interact, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and Rotary Youth Exchange.

Richard D. King for whom the contest is named has served in leadership roles in the Rotary Club for 35 years, as a Club President, District Governor, Trustee of the Rotary Foundation, International Director, Chairman of the Executive Committee, and last year as the world President of Rotary International. King’s term produced the single largest growth year in Rotary’s 98-year history. From July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002 some 75,000 new members joined Rotary; 1,158 new Rotary Clubs were chartered (more than one every 8 hours); 795 new Interact Clubs (high school Rotary clubs) were chartered; and $67 million (the largest sum ever raised in one year) was contributed to the annual fund of the Rotary Foundation. At the end of his 2001-2002 term, Rotary membership stood at an all-time record of 1,243,431 community leaders in 204 countries and geographical regions. Read more about Richard D. King.

Meeting Highlights - February 16, 2021

the evening of February 16th, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley and the Castro Valley Educational Foundation (CVEF) co-sponosered a presentation by John Perkins, PhD, from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on Fission and Fusion at LLNL: What has nuclear physics done for you today?

In an informative and engaging presentation, Dr. Perkins shared information about energy in the atomic nucleus, how both fusion and fision release energy, the three most common methods to achieve fusion, and the work of LLNL and its impact on the world plus much, much more.

Click here to watch the presentation.

Click here to access the Meeting Highlights for February 16, 2021.

Meeting Highlights - February 9, 2021

Recently, the Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: Supporting the Environment. Today’s speaker, the Honorable Rod Diridon, Sr., brings a wealth of experience in public service and leadership (e.g., Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association, Emeritus Executive Director (Ret.) of the Mineta Transportation Institute). Rod is working with the Rotary Climate Action Council in District 5170. His presentation, posed the question: Is Climate Change the Sixth Mass Extinction? and looked the history and causes of climate change, the current situation, and possible solutions.

The Club also heard from Bernie Kempem in his Student Speech Contest Chair role regarding regarding the upcoming virtual Speech Contest and in his International Project Chair role about a possible global grant in South Africa.

President Gary Howard shared the information regarding a Rotary Area 4 grant the provide breathing equipment to Eden Medical Center. There is a video link to the the demonstration.

Click here to read the entire issue of Meeting Highlights.

Climate Change: The Sixth Mass Extinction?

Recently, the Rotary Foundation Trustees and Rotary International Board of Directors have both unanimously approved adding a new area of focus: Supporting the Environment. Today’s speaker, the Honorable Rod Diridon, Sr., brings a wealth of experience in public service and leadership (e.g., Chair of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association, Emeritus Executive Director (Ret.) of the Mineta Transportation Institute). Read more about Rod’s background with the link at the end of the article.

In the presentation, Riod posed the question: Is Climate Change the Sixth Mass Extinction? Rod began by highlighting the previous mass extinctions:

Meeting Highlights - January 26 & February 2

This issue of Meeting Highlights covers the meetings of January 26th when Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf spoke on What's Up in Oakland? and Redwood Christian Schools Superintendent Al Hearne II, PhD addressed What in the World Are You Thinking: Rebuilding Education in the Midst of a Global Pandemic.

On February 2, Rotary Area 27 End Polio Now! Chair Bob Rogers described the efforts, challenges, and successes of the End Polio Now! campaign including a vidoe of the 2020 National Immunization Day (NID) in India, and his personal story with polio as a child.

Click here to read the complete Meeting Highlights and be sure to click on the links in each story for complete details.

What Are You Thinking? Rebuilding Education in the Midst of a Global Pandemic!

The Club warmly welcomed back Redwood Christian Schools (RCS) Superintendent Al Hearne II, PhD for an update on how RCS is educating students during the pandemic. Superintendent Hearne started by thanking the Club for its $1,500 grant that help to provide hand sanitizer stations for RCS.

During his 10-minute presentation, Superintendent Hearne explained that students are being educated both on campus and via zoom with the following breakdowns (K-5 students at the Castro Valley campus - 70/30%; 6-8 students at the San Lorenzo campus - 41/59%; and high school - 5/95%).

Al described the decision-making process to be one of balancing Risk vs. Mitigation that involves both science and health guidelines. Watch the video to see the types of decisions and responses. In a survey of parents, 20% are Cautious (i.e., primarily work from home; follow every aspect of the CDC guidelines; and prefer to stay conservative about their re-assimilation plans); 60% are Confident (i.e., don’t wear a mask; spend greater amounts of time outside the home and don’t mind tight proximity; obey the law, but don’t worry about going the extra mile; lean towards re-assimilation now regardless of the news; some think the crisis may be blown out of proportion); and 20% are Cauti-denta (i.e., finding themselves feeling and doing a little bit of everything in the Cautious and Confident profiles). People move from category-to-category in the same day. Superintendent Hearne noted that it is practically impossible to please everyone with any decision that he makes.

RCS follows all the Alameda County Health Department guidelines for returning to school that have grown from 4-pages to 50-pages. The RCS procedures include a Daily Health Screener completed by the parents; Drop Off/Pick Up procedures using the PikMyKid app, which CVUSD is also using; and a Return to School Protocol. RCS has conducted 4960 screening with 85 individuals excluded for some time. There have been seven positive cases, but only three have been students. There have been no transmissions due to the procedures used.

Click here to watch Superintendent Hearne’s entire presentation with many insightful comments and data.

What's Up in Oakland? Mayor Libby Schaaf

What’s Up in Oakland? – Mayor Libby Schaaf

As part of the Club’s ongoing effort to highlight surrounding cities by hosting elected officials and other key community and business leaders, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf spoke to the Club about what has been happening in Oakland both pre-pandemic and during the pandemic as well at outlining the post-pandemic future for the City of Oakland.

Rotarian of the Month - Bruce Johnson

Leader. Coach. Mentor. Cheerleader. Conscience. Scribe. Friend. These words describe just a few of the many roles Bruce Johnson, Superintendent Emeritus of Redwood Christian Schools, plays in the Rotary Club of Castro Valley. His energy, joy, and excitement animate the Club. His fingerprints are everywhere in the Club and the community. As a Rotarian committed to Service Above Service, Bruce is deeply involved in activities of the Club handling the public relationship for the Club; serving as the announcer for the Rotary-sponsored Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade; working with youth, especially as chair for Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards); lending a hand, actually many hands, and playing a special role for the Club’s Children’s Christmas Party as well as securing gifts for the Adopt-a-Family Program; and serving as President of the Rotary Club Endowment Board. In the community, Bruce serves as the Chair of the Baywood Court Board of Directors, is a member of the Castro Valley Sports Foundation Board of Directors, and was recently named as Business Consultant to the Board of Directors of the Castro Valley/Eden Areal Chamber of Commerce.

In naming Bruce Johnson as the Castro Valley Rotarian of the Month for January 2021, Rotary President Gary Howard noted, “No matter what, Bruce is always ready to help. His commitment to our community is truly amazing. It is a great pleasure to recognize Bruce as Rotarian of the Month.”

Meeting Highlights for January 12, 2021

The meeting featured a presentation by Cynthia Butler from the Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program who detailed the work of the Program and the resources provided for the community as well as sharing photos of the Program's events.

The meeting also featured a short presentation by Jordan Bernal, President of Tri-Valley Writers, a writing club that provides resources and support for published authors and those looking to be published. Chris Carr, Co-chair of the the Vocational Service Committee, provided an update on the work of the Committee and asked for volunteers to share their professional experience and expertise with students enrolled at the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program.

Click here to learn more about each presentation including the video and the slides, to review the announcements made during the meeting including the nomination of the President-Elect Nominee, and learn about upcoming speakers and events.

Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program - Cynthia Butler

Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program – Cynthia Butler

The main message of the Alameda County Clean Water Outreach Program is that everyone can do his/her part to ensure that only rainwater, not litter and chemicals, goes down the storm drain and into local creeks and the Bay. Educating the public on the difference between the storm drain system and the sewer system is a major task for the Clean Water Outreach Program.

Tri-Valley Writers - Jordan Bernal, President

The California Writers Club (CWC), founded in 1909, is the oldest professional writers’ organization in the western United States. It began under the influences of Jack London, George Sterling, Herman Whitaker, and Austin Lewis. CWC is a nonprofit organization with 22 branches with a statewide membership of over 2,000. Tri-Valley Writers (TVW), chartered in July 2006, is the 16^th branch of CWC.

Tri-Valley Writers is a community of writers promoting the craft of writing and the business of getting published that serves the Amador, San Ramon, and Livermore Valleys, but has members throughout the Bay Area. TVW welcomes writers of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry; all ages and skill levels; and who are published or seeking to publish. TWV offers a variety of programs for members and the public:

Monthly Meetings or Workshops
Biennial Full-day Conferences that have featured many best-selling and internationally known writers.
Open Mic Nights
High School Writing Contest is designed to support writing in schools and winners receive cash prizes.
Pull Up a Chair and Write
Critique Groups
Biennial Anthology
Monthly Branch Newsletter
Social Media Group
Beta Reader Co-op & Launch Teams

Jordan encouraged Club members to participate in the activities of Tri-Valley Writers. President Gary Howard thanked her for a very informative presentation.

Additional Information

Learn more about California Writers Club.
Learn more about Tri-Valley Writers Club.
Learn more about Jordan Bernal.
Watch Jordan’s presentation.
Review Jordan’s slides.

Vocational Service Committee - Chris Carr

Earlier this year, President Gary Howard tapped Chris Carr, Lance Brede, Cliff Sherwood, and Randy Vanderbilt to revive the Vocational Service Committee. The Committee has been working closely with the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program (EAROP) to develop a strong link between EAROP and professionals in the Club and the Community. Chris reported on the Committee work and asked the Club members for their assistance.

Meeting Highlights for January 5, 2021

The Club was treated to a truly outstanding presentation on a critical public health issue, Adolescent Sleep Health, by Raul Pelayo, MD at Stanford University. Dr. Pelayo has been actively involved in sleep research for many years, especially research on the impact of sleep or rather the lack of sleep on students. His research was critical in the passage of SB 328 that establishes later starting times for schools across California.

As part of the Club's ongoing Member's Moment program, Red Badge Member Monica Lee shared her personal and profession background as well as her likes and hobbies.

To read more about and watch the presentations as well as read about December's Rotarian of the Month and the Club's newest member, click here .

Meeting Highlights for January 5, 2021

Adolescent Sleep Health

The Club was treated to a truly outstanding presentation on a critical public health issue, Adolescent Sleep Health, by Raul Pelayo, MD at Stanford University. Dr. Pelayo has been actively involved in sleep research for many years, especially research on the impact of sleep or rather the lack of sleep on students. His research was critical in the passage of SB 328 that establishes later starting times for schools across California. Start by watching this short video on Sleep and the Immune System.

Ceta Dochterman - Rotarian of the Month

At its December 1st lunch meeting, President Gary Howard honored Ceta Dochterman as the Rotarian of the Month for December.

As Ceta noted, “I didn’t join Rotary to say ‘no’ to helping." That statement clearly defines who Ceta is and what she does.

Whether it is helping with the Thanksgiving Senior Lunch or distributing iPads to residential senior care and nursing homes or taking part in the Club weekly meetings, Ceta is always there with her big smile and positive attitude. She also works with Officer Gabriel Walters at the Castro Valley CHP to ensure that children in shelters are provided presents each year at Rotary’s annual Children’s Christmas Party and many other community projects, such packing and distributing Thanksgiving Lunch Bags at the Kenneth Aitken Senior Center. In addition, Ceta leads the club’s singing at each weekly meeting when the Club was meeting in person and is often accompanied at meetings by rescue dogs that she is trying to place in a good home.

Service is truly in Ceta’s DNA. Her brother, Cliff Dochterman served as President of Rotary International in 1992-93.

Meeting Highlights for December 2020

During December the Club held only one lunch meeting (December 1), a Club Assembly (December 8), and a Holiday Dinner Concert (December 15); therefore, this issue of Meeting Highlights covers the entire month, which includes:

December 1 - Captain Martin Neideffer and Crime Prevention Sr. Program Specialist Hillary Bass describing the Alameda County Sheriff's Office (ACSO) Community Capital Policing (CCP) Program

December 1 - Linda Roark, owner of Pete's Ace Hardware, describing the services that Pete's offers and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses.

December 8 - Club Assembly addressing the Club's Strategic Plan, Blue Badge Requirements, and the Parameters and Protocols for Returning to In-Person Meetings

December 15 - Annual Holiday Concert with the Castro Valley High School Madrigals

Just a reminder that the Club does not meet on December 22 and December 29 due to the holidays. Weekly lunch meetings resume on January 5. Check out the list of outstanding speakers and programs on the January calendar.

Use this link to access the Meeting Highlights newsletter with complete stories, photos, the videos of the presentations - don't miss the Madrigals concert - and slides from the presentation.

Pete's Ace Hardware

Alameda County Sheriff's Office Community Capital Policing Program

Rotary Provides Seniors with Thanksgiving Lunch Bags

On November 19, the Rotary Club of Castro Valley personally packed and delivered Thanksgiving Lunch Bags to seniors at the Kenneth Aitken Senior Center in Castro Valley.

In conjunction with Spectrum’s Sandwich program, these special lunch bags contained hand sanitizer, 5-pack washable/reusable face masks, a puzzle book and pen, an apple, wrapped candy, trail mix and applesauce! Castro Valley Rotarian Carol Bigelow coordinated the event with HARD staff, Daniela Keiffer (Senior Program Supervisor) and Jennifer Tibbetts (Coordinator of Senior Center) with Castro Valley Rotarians Ceta Dochterman, Lytrel Carter, Aaron Lewis, Margie Ramos and Dan Willits assisting with the distribution.

Pictured (left to right): Rotarians Carol Bigelow, Ceta Dochterman, Lytrel Carter, Margie Ramos and Aaron Lewis

Photo by Rotarian Dan Willits

Career Education - Eden Area ROP

Linda Granger, Superintendent of the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program (EAROP) provided an excellent overview of the EAROP’s history, programs, and flexibility to market demand. EAROP is celebrating 50 years of serving students in the Castro Valley, Hayward, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo Unified School Districts. At one time, EAROP also served students in the New Haven USD. Currently, there are 4,800 students enrolled in 20 programs on high school campuses and 13 programs at the Regional Occupation Center (ROC) located on Hesperian Blvd. across from Chabot College. Since its founding, EAROP has served over 200,000 students.

Club Donates iPads to Nursing Homes

Press Release

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges, but nursing homes have been particularly hard hit. “Nursing homes have been easily overlooked in the pandemic,” noted Rotary Club of Castro Valley President Gary Howard. “We knew we wanted to do something to help.”

Many nursing homes have had to close their doors to visitors to protect their vulnerable residents resulting in residents being unable to have “face to face” communication with their loved ones for months. The Rotary Club of Castro Valley recognized the need, compiled a list of interested nursing homes and is now providing free iPads to the nursing homes to give residents a way to talk to and “see” their relatives and friends.

"Our residents will greatly benefit from these devices. As a Memory Care Community with more than 29 years of dedication to care for seniors with dementia, adaptability and creativity is in our nature. Now more than ever, we need tools to engage with families and friends, safely socialize, and connect with the outside world," noted Elizabeth Carson of Oak Creek, which was founded in 1991. Oak Creek was the first freestanding dementia care community in Northern California.

The Club hopes to provide iPads to other nursing homes in Castro Valley who have expressed interest in Castro Valley. “We couldn’t do this project by ourselves,” said Todd Anglin. “We also greatly appreciate our partners on this project: the Ombudsman Service of Alameda County, Eden Medical Center, and several community members.”

Paul Harris Fellow Awarded

As a six-year old girl and member of the Oakland Zoo, Castro Valley resident Andy Soulard heard about the financial challenges that the Oakland Zoo was facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic and set out to do something about it. Andy's mom started a Facebook campaign and Andy started with a $5 donation from the Tooth Fairy. Then she started selling bracelets for every donation over $25. Andy generated so many donations that she had to solicit help from friends to make all the bracelets. To date, Andy has raised over $225,000 for the Oakland Zoo.

In recognition of Andy's outstanding Service Above Self at such a young age, TRF Chair Dwight Perry presented Andy with a Paul Harris Fellow on behalf of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley. Learn more about the Paul Harris Fellow here and read the first issue of the new Paul Harris Newsletter here.

Click here to hear from Andy and watch the presentation.

Castro Valley Lions Breafast Club

Joe Farias, a founding member of the Castro Valley Lions Breakfast Club and a Castro Valley Unified School District teacher and administrator, provided an outstanding history of the Club. Joe detailed the many successes of the Club during its long history in Castro Valley. Unfortunately, due to a declining membership and the difficulty in recruiting new members, which is a pattern in local Lions Clubs as well as other service clubs, the Lions Club will end its existing in Castro Valley at the end of 2020 after distributing its remaining funds to charitable organizations throughout the community. Read the history of the Castro Valley Lions Breakfast Club here.

Joe noted that the Castro Valley Restautant Walk has been an outstanding signature event of the Lions Club. Joe expressed hope that the Rotary Club of Castro Valley can keep the tradition alive. Rotary has had preliminary discussions with Joe and the Lions Club about taking on the Restaurant Walk once the pandemic restrictions are lifted. Watch for announcements from the Rotary Club of Castro Valley.

Watch Joe's very informative presentation here.

Vocational Services Committee in Action

Before introducting Superintendent Linda Granger from the Eden Area Regional Occupational Program (EAROP), Chris Carr described the work that the Vocational Serevices Committee has been doing with EAROP. President Gary Howard recently appointed Chris Carr, Lance Brede, Cliff Sherwood, and Randy Vanderbilt to serve as members of the Vocational Services Committee. The two new Rotarians, Chris and Lance, are pairing with two veteran Rotarians, Cliff and Randy, to revitalize this Committee to serve students and others. All Club members are encouraged to lend their professional expertise to the Vocational Seervices Committee. Chis described the work that the Committee has been doing with the EAROP to provide speakers with professional experience for EAROP students in a range of professional. One critical need where speakers are needed is in the area of engineering. If you know anyone who would be an outstanding speaker in this area, please contact Chris immediate. Please watch for emails from Chis and other Committee members asking you to share your professional knowledge and experts with the EAROP students, which is an excellent to demonstrate Service Above Self while serving the youth of the community.

Click here to watch Chris describe the work and needs of the Committee.

Pandemic: An Artist's View

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley is pleased to present the submissions to the Pandemic: An Artist’s View show sponsored by Rotary and A.R.T., Inc. To capture the COVID-19 pandemic that has drastically changed our lives in a very short time, local artists were asked to submit original art, photographs, and poems that presented their perspective on the medical, economic, and social effects of living in a pandemic.

We encourage you to view the gallery at the following link: https://photos.app.goo.gl/aY7broP4isjijBZaA. Please click on each entry to view it, the name of the artist, and the title of the piece. Contact information is provided for some artists. If the information does not automatically display, please click on the information icon (the “i” in the circle on the upper right).

Thank you to everyone who contributed to the show and to everyone at A.R.T., Inc. and the Rotary Club of Castro Valley who made this show a reality.

Enjoy the show.

DG Gregg Giusiana Visit (9/15/20)

Gregg Giusiana is currently serving as Rotary District 5170 Governor (DG). As part of his DG duties, Gregg visits all 55+ Clubs in District 5170 at least once during the year. Gregg served ten years as the Chief of Police for the City of Gilroy before retiring in 2008.

Gregg started the day by meeting with the Club's Board of Directors. President Gary Howard organized a presentation to share with Gregg what the Club has done, is doing, and plans to do in the future. Click here to see the presentation and to hear Gregg's comments about District 5170 and Rotary.

After Board meeting, Gregg joined the Club for lunch and continued to share the importance of Rotary with all the members and what District 5170 is doing and has planned. Click here to watch the meeting and his presentation. Don't miss Gregg's personal story of what Rotary means at the end of his presentation.

Member Moment - Capt. Lance Brede

As part of the Club's ongoing effort to better know the members, Lance Brede shared his background from Hayward native who attended Castro Valley High School as a freshman through his present position as a Captain with the East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) Police Department. In the short time that Lance has been in the Club, he has contributed greatly.

Watch his presentation here.

What's New in San Ramon?

Bill Clarkson is completing his second term as Mayor of San Ramon. He is termed out of office in December 2020 and does not plan to run for another office after serving on the San Ramon Valley Unified School District School Board and the San Ramon City Council.

He started his presentation by commenting on his connection with Castro Valley. Bill grew up in Okaland and San Lenadro, and his grandparents lived in Castro Valley. He shared that as a 12-year old, he used to take the bus from Oakland to Golden Tee Golfland on Castro Valley Blvd.

Before sharing what's new in San Ramon, Mayor Clarkson stated that he was mystified why Castro Valley was not a city because the citizens have ceded decision-making to leaders who do not live in the community.

Click here to watch the video presentation.

Firewise/Fire Prevention- September 10, 2020

The Rotary Club of Castro Vallley sponsored a presentation by the East Bay Regional Park District Fire Department (Chief Aileen Thiel) and the Alameda County Fire Department (Public Information Officer/ Fire Engineer Brian Centoni). The presentation was moderated by Castro Valley Rotarian John McPartland, former Battalion Chief for the Oakland Fire Department and a BART Director. Click here to watch the presentation.

Overview of Funding for K-12 Education

Abe Hajela from Capitol Advisors traced the history of of K-12 education funding from local property taxes to Serrano v. Priest to Prop 13 to Revenue Limits to Prop 98 to the current Local Control Funding Formula (LCFF). In the process, he demonstrated how Sacramento went from having little impact on K-12 education funding to being the major source of funding and concluded with that "compared to their peers, California students are at a competitive disadvantage.”

Click here to view the slides and click here to watch the video presentation.

Eden Health District Update

Eden Health District CEO Mark Friedman and Board Member Pam Russo provided an update on the District including how the District with addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Friedman started on March 2, 2020, and almost immediately was shut out of his offices due to the shelter in place order, but indicated that the District has continued to serve the health needs of the community during the pandemic. The presentation provided information on

History of the District
Community Grants Program
COVID-19 Facts & Response
Communication with the Community

History of Racism in the US (8/4/20)

History of Racism in the United States:

A Primer & Conversation

Stephen Menendian is the Assistant Director and Director of Research at the Othering & Belonging Institute, and he oversees many of the Institute’s research initiatives and ongoing projects. In particular, Stephen leads the Inclusiveness Index initiative, an assessment of global inclusivity, fair housing policy and opportunity with the state of California, and a recent investigation on the extent and harmful effects of racial residential segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Stephen’s primary areas of expertise are structural racism, fair housing, affirmative action and educational equity, and civil rights law, but his research focuses on the causes and consequences of inter-group inequality (“othering”), and the design of effective equity interventions under prevailing interpretations of law.

Write-up for Marian Meadows PPT

Marian Meadows, Coordinator of Behavioral Health Services for the Castro Valley Unified School District and the Wellness Center at Castro Valley High School, provided an excellent overview of the stressors during the pandemic and productive ways to combat stress. Her presentation focused on

Definitions & Types of Stress
Examples of avoidable and unavoidable stressful scenarios
Strategies for reducing stress
Resources

Marian began by defining stress as a state of mental or emotional strain or tension resulting from adverse or very demanding circumstances. She then detailed the hierarchy of stress before explaining the types of stress.

iPad Project

Email message from Todd Anglin regarding the iPads for Nursing Homes Project

Pandemic: An Artistic View

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and A.R.T., Inc. are jointly sponsoring an online show of photographs, artworks, and poetry to document the impact of the coronavirus pandemic in the Castro Valley area. We hope to illustrate the medical, economic, and social effects of the pandemic in our community. Entries will not be juried or judged.

Click on Read more button below for detailed information regarding the show and for an official entry form.

Entries may be submitted August 24 - September 6, 2020, and the show will be posted online from September 21 - November 1, 2020.

Send all entries with an entry form to CVRotary@iCloud.com.

Meeting Monica Lee

Monica has lived in Castro Valley for twenty years. She is an attorney and has a BS in Business and a JD from Cal. She is married and has two adult sons. Monica’s youngest son is currently a sophomore at UC, Santa Cruz. Her oldest son is a 2020 graduate of UC, Santa Cruz.

Throughout her children’s school years, she was active as a parent volunteer, serving as PTA President, Vice President, Secretary, and Parliamentarian of the Jensen Ranch Elementary School PTA.

Meet President Gary Howard

Gary C. Howard grew up in the coal-mining region of Southern West Virginia. He earned a PhD in biological sciences from Carnegie Mellon University and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Harvard and Johns Hopkins. After spending 11 years in two small biotech companies in the Bay Area, he worked 22 years as a science editor and writer for the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco. He is semi-retired, but continues to edit and write books.

In 2013, he was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Board of Education of Castro Valley Unified School District. Since then, he was elected in 2014 and reelected in 2018. He and his wife Shirley have lived in Castro Valley for over 26 years and their two daughters attended Proctor, Creekside, and Castro Valley High School before going on to college.

Pandemic: An Artistic View

We are living in an historic time. In a very short time, the COVID-19 pandemic and its social and economic components have changed our lives dramatically. The Rotary Club of Castro Valley wants to capture these events.

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley and ART, Inc. are jointly sponsoring an online show of photographs, artworks, and poetry that document the coronavirus pandemic in the Castro Valley area. We hope to illustrate the medical, economic, and social effects of the pandemic in our community.

Message from President Todd Anglin

Dear Rotarians:

I hope you are all doing well during these unprecedented times! Please see updates below along with several places that would welcome any financial contributions as many have asked where they can help those in need of support around us as we’re mostly working from within our homes.

Story - David Scharff 070919

David Scharff of Silver Transitions spoke on “Long-term Care Options for Seniors.” Involving the Club members and their personal experiences dealing with the issue of aging (personally or parents), David provided valuable information in a discussion format.

Recognizing the various types of care (i.e., Medical Care that makes you better; Hospice Care to provide comfort and support; and Long Term Care for ongoing custodial care where the objective is to help you with activities of daily living), David stressed that planning is the key especially considering all alternatives well in advance.

Meeting Highlights – January 9, 2018

The Empowerment Project – Sal Sbranti and Milanka Schneiderman

Rotarians Sal Sbranti (President – Elect) and Milanka Schneiderman (Immediate Past President) presented The Empowerment Project, which developed by the Rotary Club of Antioch and is presented to all 8th-12th grade females in the Antioch Unified School District as well as others.

Meeting Highlights – January 9, 2018

The Empowerment Project – Sal Sbranti and Milanka Schneiderman

Meeting Highlights – January 23, 2018

Parvin Ahmadi – Superintendent of the Castro Valley Unified School District – New Bills Impacting Education

Parvin Ahmadi, Superintendent of Schools and Castro Valley Rotarian, spoke on the new bills impacting education and the impact of the Governor’s Proposed Budget.

Meeting Highlights of December 5, 2017

Nick Lavingia - Challenges Executing International Mega Energy Projects

Nick Lavingia, who has over 40 years of Global Project Engineering, Management, Consulting and Training experience in the energy industry with Chevron, captivated the audience with stories and photos of his work on than 100 major capital projects worth well over $100 billion in more than 20 countries.

Meeting Highlights for November 28, 2017

Dennis Waespi, Director – East Bay Regional Park District

East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) was the featured lunch speaker. Dennis was born and raised in Castro Valley and he chooses to live in Castro Valley. He attended Castro Valley Elementary School, A.B. Morris Junior High, and graduated from Castro Valley High School.

Meeting Highlights for October 31, 2017

Program: Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday – What’s Happening in Hayward?

Barbara Halliday, the Mayor of Hayward, provided an inspirational presentation regarding the city’s progressive and innovative accomplishments as well as its future goals. The Mayor presented a short video showcasing housing and public works projects both past and present, and then spoke about projects that showcase Hayward’s innovative spirit.

Meeting Highlights for October 24, 2017

Lunch Speaker - Rodrigo Orduña, Assistant Planning Director, Alameda County Planning Department

Rodrigo Orduña who serves as the Assistant Planning Director for the Alameda County Planning Department, Community Development Agency spoke on the implications of the Residential Design Guidelines and how they impact existing homeowners and new developers.

Meeting Highlights – October 17, 2017

Speaker of the Day: Dave Stark, Public Affairs Director for the Bay East Association of Realtors

Dave Stark provided a very informative, and sobering view of the housing market in the Bay Area. The fact the homeownership in California continues to decline for a variety of reasons, including the following...

Meeting Highlights – October 3, 2017

Speaker of the Day: John Medlock Jr., Director of Alameda County Public Works Agency

Storm Season of 2016-2017, Preparation, Damage, and Response was the topic of Mr. Medlock’s presentation with many, many photos of the damage and the work being done to repair the damage, especially Redwood Road.

Meeting Highlights – October 3, 2017

Speaker of the Day: John Medlock Jr., Director of Alameda County Public Works Agency

Meeting Highlights - September 26, 2017

Speaker of the Day: Ethan Fall
Ethan Fall, General Manager of Health Unlimited, presented the history of the family-owned business, which opened its first store 48 years ago in San Leandro and over the years have opened two additional stores including the one in Castro Village Shopping Center.

Meeting Highlights – September 19, 2017

Speaker of the Day

Michael Moody, Senior Vice President of Partnerships, Affiliations, and Integration at John Muir Health provide an overview of John Muir Health (https://www.johnmuirhealth.com/) from its founding to the present.

Meeting Highlights for September 12, 2017

Speaker of the Day: Rick Silva, Founder and President of B2B Gathering, Inc.

Rick introduced himself as a self-made, multi-millionaire, who went bankrupt in 2008, and considers himself one of the foremost experts on business networking and referral generation.

Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund

You can help Rotary assist the victims of Hurricane Harvey. More information at https://www.rotary.org/en/rotary-districts-collect-emergency-funds-hurricane-harvey-victims

Meeting Highlights - September 5, 2017

Michael P. Mahoney, Chief Executive Officer of the Eden Health District
Michael Mahoney took over as the CEO of the Eden Health District on July 1, 2017. During his presentation, he discussed the evolving history of the District from its inception to present, and the direction for the future.

Meeting Highlights – August 29, 2017

Economic Development in Castro Valley and the Eden Area – Susan McCue

Susan McCue, Economic Development Manager of Alameda County Community Development Agency, reviewed the major economic development projects in Castro Valley and the Eden Area.

Meeting Highlights – August 22, 2017

Speaker: Kelley A. Way, from the Law Office of Kelley A. Way

The speaker of the day explains what I.P. assets are, what you need to know to manage them properly, and the differences between Copyright, Trademark, and Patent and how these tools can be used to protect your I.P. assets.

Meeting Highlights – August 8, 2017

Christoph Nauer: Success Breeds Success – Personal to Business

Murline Monat introduced Christoph Nauer, a business strategist and author, as the Speaker of the Day.

Meeting Highlights – August 8, 2017

Christoph Nauer: Success Breeds Success – Personal to Business

Murline Monat introduced Christoph Nauer, a business strategist and author, as the Speaker of the Day.

Meeting Highlights – August 1, 2017

Parvin Ahmadi, Superintendent - Castro Valley Unified School District
Sharon Trieu-Quince, Director of Facilities Construction- Castro Valley Unified School District
Parvin and Ahmadi thanked Club members for supporting Measure G in June 2016 and introduced Sharon Trieu-Qunice who provided an update on the status of Measure G Projects.

Meeting Highlights – July 25, 2017

Speaker of the Day: Jeff Kirschner, Founder of Litterati

Jeff Kirschner founded Litterati after his daughter asked why there was an empty box of cat litter on their hike in the wood.

Meeting Highlights – July 18, 2017

District Governor Visits
District Governor (DG) Orrin Mahoney was the honored guest and featured speaker. Prior to lunch, DG Mahoney met with the 2017-2018 Club officers, board members and committee chairs for 75 minutes to learn about the Club, and how the DG and District 5170 can support the Club.

Meeting Highlights - July 11, 2017

What are YOU doing to make a difference?
Péllo Walker, President of Daily Digital Imaging (a Green Business of the Year) was the featured speaker. After reviewing the ten characteristics that highly successful leaders possess (see the list below), he engaged the members in an interactive discussion of how...

Meeting Highlights - July 11, 2017

Meeting Highlights June 27, 2017

Speaker of the Day
Ken Sommer, Director of Advancement for the George Mark Children’s House, spoke on "A Better Way to Care for Children with Life Limiting Illnesses." George Mark Children's Hospital was the first freestanding pediatric palliative care center in the United States.

Meeting Highlights - June 13, 2017

Speaker of the Day

Carolyn Darcy, President of the Castro Valley Women's Club, was the lunch speaker at the meetings.

Meeting Highlights for June 6, 2017

"Is the drought really over and what's up with those rates?"

Frank Mellon, Member of Board of Directors of East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD), address the Club on “Is the drought really over and what's up with those rates?"

Meeting Highlight – May 30, 2017

AT Stephens, Executive Director of the Hayward Area Historical Society

Executive Director AT Stephens, who is also President-Elect of the Rotary Club of Hayward, share the history of the Hayward Area Historical Society (HAHS) as well as what is new and exciting.

Meeting Highlights – May 23, 2017

Lunch Speaker: Rachel Rosen, Founder of SPARK for Humanity

Rachael Rosen is a leadership coach and helps communities unleash their potential to work together and build trust.

Meeting Highlights May 9, 2017

Lunch Speaker: Congressman Eric Swalwell, who represents California 's 15th Congressional District, was the featured speaker of the day. He was first elected to Congress in 2012 and is now serving his third term.

Meeting Highlights of May 2, 2017

Lunch Meeting Speaker: Alan West

Castro Valley Rotarian Al West, Oriental Guide Of AAHMES Shriners of Livermore, was the day’s speaker. Al described the history of Shriners, their relationship to the Masons, and the purpose and function of Shriners. In general, all Shriners are Masons, but all Masons are not Shriners.

Meeting Highlights – April 25, 2017

Lunch Speaker: Michael Kusiak, President of Castro Valley Matters

April Speaker Chair Bernie Kempen introduced Michael Kusiak, President of Castro Valley Matters (CVM), which is a membership-based, community organizing group that empowers Castro Valley citizens to assert greater control over our community’s municipal affairs and will plan for and seek to implement a vision for Castro Valley’s future by...

Meeting Highlights for April 18, 2017

Dr. Bruce Roberts of Integrative Holistic Medicine, 2017-2018 Rotary Club of Castro Valley Board of Directors, Announcements

Dr. Bruce Roberts graduated about 35 years ago and joined a HMO as a Family Physician.

Meeting Highlights – April 11, 2017

Speaker: Mary Ann DeGrazia, President of Castro Valley Arts Foundation (CVAF) Mary Ann shared the mission of the Castro Valley Arts Foundation, which is to provide our students and community with artistic experiences that educate, enrich, and entertain by securing resources for the Castro Valley Center for the arts.

Meeting Highlights - March 21, 2017

Lunch Speaker: Glenn Pomeroy, Chief Executive Officer of the California Earthquake Authority – Preparing for the Next Big Earthquake

The risk of an earthquake happening in the Bay Area in our lifetime time is REAL. The probability of a 6.7M or higher earthquake in the Bay Area happening in the next 30 years is estimated to be 72%.

Meeting Highlights - March 28, 2017

Lunch Speaker: Rebecca Passche, Director of Woodroe Woods School

Rebecca provides history of Woodroe Wood School from its founding in 1971 to the closing of the Hayward site in 2016 to the reopening if its new site in San Leandro this year.

Meeting Highlight – March 14, 2017

The Club celebrated St. Patrick’s Day with song, history, dance, and jokes. Pictured above (L-R): Bill Nott, Ceta Dochterman & CHP Officer Dan Jacowitz singing “When Irish Eyes Are Smiling.”

Meeting Highlights – March 7, 2017

The Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce and the Rotary Club of Castro Valley have a long history of supporting each organization’s activities and programs, and anticipate even more collaboration in the coming year. Please refer to the sign-up sheet that President-Elect Jim Negri sent out.

Meeting Highlights – February 28, 2017

Mona Palacios, Executive Officer Alameda County Local Agency Formation Commission

Craft Talk: Michaela Thompson

It was great to see Bruce Johnson return

►Ken O’Donnell reminded members that the Poker Tournament is Saturday

Meeting Highlights – February 14, 2017

The meeting today was devoted to the Club Level contest of the the Richard D. King Annual Speech Contest, which is always a great opportunity to witness the talented students at Castro Valley and Redwood Christian High Schools.

Meeting Highlights – January 31, 2016

Mo Ghaffazadeh, owner of AgroTech in Davis, spoke on how technology is being used to more and more improve plants to deal with drought, soil conditions, insects and other factors that threaten agricultural.

Jake Stewart – Update on Redwood Canyon Golf Course

Minutes Highlights - January 24, 2017

Paul Harris Presentation to Leslie Rothwell
President Carol Wikle presented Leslie Rothwell with her Paul Harris +3 pin, which represents three contributions of $1000 to The Rotary Foundation over the years. Congratulations to Leslie for her genorisity.

Minutes Highlights - January 17, 2017

A Club Assembly was held on January 17th where board members and committee chairs provided status reports on activities that have occurred this year and that are planned for the remainder of the year.

The recognition of Paul Harris recipients was the highlight of the meeting. President Carol recognized the following members with Paul Harris pins for their donations to The Rotary Foundation.

Minutes Highlights - January 10, 2017

Speaker - Rich Schneck, College and Career Specialist, Castro Valley Unified School District
Mr. Schneck outlined the amazing programs for students in the Castro Valley USD that get them involved and excited about...

TEXAS HOLD'EM CHARITY POKER TOURNAMENT

Posted by Ken O'Donnell

Mar 18th, 2017. Food/Drinks served at 5pm. Play starts at 6pm.
Awesome prizes! Register & Pay online here

Table Sponsors Needed

Meeting Highlights - December 20, 2016

Main Speaker - Wendy Winsted from the Sulphur Creek Nature Center.

Sulphur Creek is a Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Center operated by Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (H.A.R.D).

Announcements

President Carol and Cliff Sherwood re-emphasized the need for additional donations to complete the Breathing for Life Project and pointed out the opportunity for taking the year end deductions for this worthy cause.

Meeting Highlights Dec 6, 2016

Meeting Highlights Dec 6th, 2016

After laying out the facts, Dr. Mahoney offer solutions including collecting a fee on pollution/greenhouse gases, revenue sharing back to states and local agency, and tariffs on foreign products. In recent surveys, 2/3’s of those surveyed indicated support for a carbon fee, which could be directed back to address health issues.

Meeting Highlights – December 13, 2016

Gift Wrapping for Adopt-a-Family

Meeting Highlights November 29, 2016

ANNUAL CLUB YO-YO CONTEST

Meeting Highlights November 22, 2016

- Speaker - World Traveler Laura Koshy

- Announcements

- Upcoming Meeting & Events

Meeting Highlights November 15, 2016

-Speaker – Alameda County Fire Chief David Rocha
-Craft Talk
-Castro Valley Meet in the Street/Light Parade
-Announcements
-Paul Harris Recognition
-Happy Birthday
-Thanksgiving Lunch at the Castro Valley Senior Center

Meeting Highlights November 8, 2016

Alameda County Sheriff Greg Ahern
Breathing for Life Project
Birthdays and Anniversaries
Upcoming Events
Photos

Meeting Highlights – November 1, 2016

Castro Valley Arts Foundation (CVAF)
Castro Valley Unified School District
Castro Valley history project
Presentation to Boy Scout Troop #708
Recognizing Charles Mortimer
Red Badge Member Michaela Thompson
Breathing for Life Project
Club Holiday Party
Upcoming Events

Meeting Highlights October 25, 2016

Posted on Nov 07, 2016

Meeting Highlights October 25, 2016

Castro Valley Unified School District (CVUSD) Governing Board
Be sure to vote on November 8th
District 5170 Avenues of Service
Breathing for Life Project update
RSVP for Lunch Meetings
Club Christmas Party
Upcoming Events

Meeting Highlights for October 4, 2016

The Rotary Foundation (TRF)
Stinking Rose Award
Barbara Orth – Read Me a Picture
District Governor Jeff Orth

Meeting Highlights – October 18, 2016

Posted on Oct 20, 2016

Meeting Highlights – October 18

Candidates for the Castro Valley Sanitary District Board Share Their Views
Breathing for Life
District 5170 Avenues of Service
RSVP for Lunch Meetings

Meeting Highlights of October 11, 2016

Posted on Oct 16, 2016

Meeting Highlights of October 11, 2016

Blue Badge Member
Interact
Avenues of Service
Speaker: Mike Godfrey on Prop 60/90

Meeting Highlights – September 27, 2016

Posted on Oct 02, 2016

Meeting Highlights – September 27, 2016

Mark Your Calendar - District Governor Visit on October 4th
Interact Club
Double Sustainer
October Fest
Rowell Ranch Rodeo Parade
Breathing for Life Gala
Speaker- John McPartland – BART Board of Directors

Meeting Highlights – September 20, 2016

Posted on Sep 20, 2016

Meeting Highlights – September 20, 2016

New Blue Badge Member - John McPartland
Recognition - Bill Nott
Breathing for Life Gala – October 22
Craft Talk - Murline Monat
Speaker- Paul McCreary (GM of HARD)

Meeting Highlights - September-13-2016

Posted on Sep 13, 2016

Meeting Highlights – September 13, 2016

Presidential Sign
Volunteers
President Carol
Breathing for Life Gala
Rotary Foundation - Dwight Perry
San Leandro Lobster Feed
Craft Talks - Todd Anglin
Speaker – Jennifer Hosterman (Candidate for BART Board)

BREATHING FOR LIFE FUNDRAISER

Posted on Sep 13, 2016

Meeting Highlights – September 6, 2016

Posted on Sep 06, 2016

Meeting Highlights – September 6, 2016

Rotoract Visit
Service Above Self
Rotary Club of Castro Valley Foundation
Speaker: Brandi Addington on Livermore Valley Wines

Meeting Highlights - August 9, 2016

Castro Valley High School Interact
The leadership of the Castro Valley High School Interact Club made a brief presentation regarding their goals and activities for 2016-2017. The Rotary Club of Castro Valley sponsors Interact Clubs at both Castro Valley High School and Redwood Christian High School. President Carol announced...

An Interactive Workshop for the Rotary Clubs of District 5170

Speaker: Antiques & Estate Sales

New Story August 24 2016

Meeting Highlights – August 23, 2016

backpacks Castro Valley

Today’s meeting was very busy showcasing the many aspects of the Rotary Club of Castro Valley, especially Service Above Self.

Upgrades to the Rotary Club of Castro Valley website
President Carol welcome Murline Monat at the newest member
Ceta has challenged each of us to bring is a new member this year
Visit by BART Director John McPartland
Breathing for Life Project
A Bullet-train Presentation on Identity Theft
Back-to-School Backpacks Project (photos)

Meeting Highlights - August 2, 2016

Welcome to Our Newest Rotarians!
President Carol inducted two new members: Ajay Ahluwalia (Engineer – Retired) and Michaela Thompson (CPA). Tammy Landmesser (Corporate - Recycling) will be inducted next week. Please introduce yourself to our newest members.

10 REASONS TO LOVE ROTARY RIGHT NOW

10 Reasons to love Rotary right now

1. BECAUSE WE ARE ABOUT TO ERADICATE A DISEASE, AND YOU CAN BE A PART OF IT

We are 99.9 percent of the way toward ending polio. As of early June, there were only 16 cases of wild poliovirus in the world, and many think this could be the year we see the last naturally occurring case of polio.

As Rotary and our partners work to eradicate the poliovirus in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the remaining endemic countries, we also continue immunization campaigns in other high-risk countries to ensure that the disease remains gone for good. You can participate on the ground. Email polioplus@rotary.org to connect with Rotarians leading upcoming trips.

Camp RYLA

Club Sponsors Students at Camp RYLA

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership development program run by Rotary. Over 200 high school students in District 5170 participated in Camp RYLA the week of June 27 at the Mission Springs Camps and Conference Center in Scotts Valley. RYLA includes presentations, activities, and workshops that cover a variety of topics, including:

Leadership fundamentals and ethics
Communication skills
Problem solving and conflict management
Community and global citizenship

The students will be sharing their RYLA experiences with the Club in October. It will be a meeting that you will not want to miss. Guest are welcome to attend.

Happy 4th! No rotary on July 5

Posted on Jun 26, 2016

Demotion on 6/28 (no meeting. See info below).

No rotary on July 5.

Next meeting will be July 12th.

Kern's demotion

Posted by Ken O'Donnell on Jun 26, 2016

Hi Rotarians!
Kern's demotion will begin on Tuesday, June 28, at Rowell Ranch Rodeo Park.

5:30 pm-- drinks and fellowship
6-6:15 pm--- dinner and more fellowship
7 pm--- Program (YOU JUST WAIT!! OH, SO FUN!!!)

Cost is $35. If you haven't already paid, please bring a check or cash that evening.
Make the checks payable to "The Rotary Club of Castro Valley" (No charge for kids under 18)

Get your poker face ready!

Posted by Ken O'Donnell on Feb 08, 2016

The Rotary Club of Castro Valley will be holding our annual Poker Tournament
on Saturday, Mar 19, 2016. 6:00 Pm.

Now excepting sponsors and player registrations.

The game: Texas Hold'em

The cause: Local charities

Limited to first 90 players to sign up.

Food, refreshments, top 10 win prizes, pro dealers and tables. See flyer at link below and share with friends.

Print Flyer!

January COG 2016 - Recapping a Successful Year of Service

Posted by Kern Lewis

We had a very successful year serving our Castro Valley Area community in 2015. We ran or participated in an event in just about every month of the year. We also added special projects like renovating the local Adobe Art Center that made a material impact on improving our community. We invite you to join us in our ongoing mission to make Castro Valley one of the best places to live in the Bay Area.

Autumn COG 2015 – Castro Valley Rotary

We had a rockin’ and rollin’ series of speakers for our five September lunches, thanks to the hard work of September Speaker Chair Gary Bosley! Click through for a summary of what we talked about each week.

COG September Meeting Report

Posted by Kern Lewis on Sep 20, 2015

Join us for another great lunch this Tuesday at Redwood Canyon. We welcome Jim O'Connor, Assistant General Manager for Operations for the East Bay Regional Park District. He will discuss the current tenant situation at Redwood Canyon (Willow Park) and what the next steps are for securing the future of the park. That will include a new RFP for a long-term management contract.
Please invite anyone of the community you know who has an interest in the future of Redwood Canyon (and might also be a prospective member!) You can always buy them lunch to make it easy for them to say "yes"!

More...

COG – August Meeting Report

Posted by Kern Lewis on Aug 28, 2015

August 25: Club Reacquaintance Session. In the spirit of both fellowship and vocation, each attending Rotarian spent a few minutes sharing why each person joined Rotary, why they remain in Rotary, what they do for a living, and how we can help them achieve either professional or personal goals.

What we learned:

Dwight and Jerome have been master recruiters for the club over the years. Of the thirty people present, these gents brought in three people each.
People join Rotary for a hundred different reasons (though many referenced a “free lunch” got them started down the road to membership!)
People stay in Rotary for the same reasons: Friendships, mutual support and being able to share the opportunity to work together to make Castro Valley a better place.

We need to keep supporting each other in every way, especially in the spirit of the Four-Way Test!

Castro Valley High School Interact

The 2016-2017 Officers of the Castro Valley High School Interact Club, pictured with President Carol Wikle, shared their experiences and plans for the year at the meeting of August 9. he Rotary Club of Castro Valley sponsors Interact Clubs at Castro Valley and Redwood Christian High Schools.

New Meeting Location

The Meadows Restaurant at Redwood Canyon Golf Course.

(Formally called the Willow Park Golf Course)
17007 Redwood Rd, Castro Valley, CA 94546

MAP IT

COG Minutes June 9, 2015

Posted by Bonnie Best on Jun 08, 2015

PROGRAM - Today’s program was presented by our very own KJ Page. Her topic was Medical Marijuana. She began by giving us some statistics: Roughly 9%, or 1 out of 11, who use recreational marijuana will develop an addiction syndrome; the figure increases to 17% or 1 our of 6, who begin to use it in their early teens. This compares with lifetime prevalence rates of 32% for nicotine, 23% for heroin, 17% for cocaine, and 15% for alcohol.

KJ presented information for "Demystifying Cannabis"...

COG Minutes June 2, 2015

Posted by Bonnie Best on Jun 01, 2015