Monthly Archives: July 2015
NEXT MEETING: July 31, 2015Why Are There Stars?Steven Stahler is an astrophysicist at the University of California, Berkeley. Raised in Maryland, he attended graduate school at Berkeley in physics. He was a professor at MIT before returning to the Bay Area in 1992. His research centers on the problem of star formation, which he has attacked from many different perspectives. He is the author, along with Francesco Palla, of The Formation of Stars (Wiley, 2004), the first comprehensive text in this field. Steve especially enjoys the esthetic aspect of his research, which he tries to convey in his public talks and articles. Not coincidentally, he is also an accomplished artist. For more information, and a sampling of recent sketches, visit his web page at the University. MEETING OF July 24, 2015WelcomePrez Alan Blavins called the meeting to order at Jennifer and Todd’s and asked Mayor Tom Butt to lead us in the Pledge. Prez Alan asked for a silent prayer and Sgt-at-Arms Sid Chauvin offered this thought, “Most employment forms ask who to call in case of emergency…I think you should answer “a good doctor!” Visiting Rotarians and GuestsAlan Baer had with him his children Stephanie and James. Karen Basting, from BART, was also present as a guest of our Speaker. Special EventsPatricia “Patty” Canessa, sponsored by Your Scribe, was formally inducted into the Richmond Rotary Club. Patty is the Public Affairs Director for Chevron Richmond Refinery. Welcome Patty! Announcements• Pam Jones announced that “Rotary Day at the Races” (Golden Gate Fields) will be on November 21 and tickets are available for $40. Only way to reserve your spot is to pay for it. This event usually sells out so get your money in ASAP. RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMStacey Street introduced our speaker Zakhary Mallett, BART Director for District 7. Zakhary was elected in 2012 at the youthful age of 25. He has a BA in Urban Studies from Stanford then came across the Bay and received an Masters in City Planning from Cal. District 7 includes Richmond and also many other cities including Albany and parts of Oakland and San Francisco. Zakhary gave some history about BART which opened in the early 70’s with about 40,000 riders compared to the 450,000 riders today. One of the major issues BART is facing, not unlike other public agencies, is the $5 billion it has in unfunded capital project needs. BART’s trains are some of the oldest cars being used in the nation. Zakhary is hoping that BART will be able to successfully pass a Bond measure in 2016. He did indicate that BART fares do cover 70-75% of operational costs which is very good. - The Menehune “Rotating Editor” |
NEXT MEETING: July 24, 2015
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NEXT MEETING: July 17, 2015Opportunity for all: How Contra Costa is blazing a new trail in solving povertyWith increasing national concern about the growing income gap, there is much recent news coverage about minimum wage increases and other strategies to reduce poverty in one of the wealthiest nations on earth. In Contra Costa, a collaborative new initiative is engaging elected officials, city and county leaders, nonprofit service providers, the business community, labor and faith-based organizations in a “big tent” effort to address the root causes of poverty. Mariana Moore, the new Director of the Ensuring Opportunity Campaign to Cut Poverty in Contra Costa, will discuss the campaign’s structure, goals, current activities and early successes, and share how Rotary members can be part of the ongoing conversation on one of the most important issues facing our community. MEETING OF July 10, 2015WelcomePresident Alan called the meeting to order and asked Menbere Aklilu to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. He asked recently demoted Stoney to lead grace, who asked for a silent prayer for freedom, peace, and justice on Earth. Sid’s thought for the day: If we all did things we are capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves (a quote from Thomas Edison). President Alan also had some “new President” remarks, to kick off his tenure on an auspicious note. He said that with old age comes wisdom, but also, unfortunately, forgetfulness, so… he can’t remember the bloody wisdom! But he does remember that Rotary is not only about service, but about fellowship and camaraderie, and he really wants the club to live up to its reputation as the “Friendly Richmond Rotary” in the coming year. He encouraged everyone to participate in (and invite prospective and new members to) all the great events this year: the fishing derby, the Halloween event (led by Mark Howe), the holiday auction AND the members holiday event, and many more. And in the spirit of fellowship (and showing what a generous guy he is), Alan added that his gift to each member for showing up on his first day was a glass of wine, on the table…but just for this week! Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Sunshine Report
Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMSocial Media: The Good, The Bad and The UglyStacey Street introduced Jason Hanson, Digital Marketing Manager for The Light Digital in Richmond. Stacey read the bio Jason had prepared for her, which was personal, humorous, and not just filled with facts, since he practices what he preaches when it comes to marketing. Jason has worked with both for profit and nonprofit companies, using ideas and words to help sell products as varied as life insurance, smoothies, pregnancy tests, votes, financial advisory services, cars and others, and to get donations of money, blood and organs. Jason is passionate about helping small businesses and nonprofits get back to the basics of marketing and advertising – what we need to say, where we need to say it, and how it should be said. Jason gave a humorous and thoughtful presentation entitled Social Media: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, focusing on what to expect today, specifically what social media can and can’t do. He started with the main proposition of all marketing: it’s a funnel that starts with hooking into emotion/heart, next appeals to intellect with facts and numbers and ultimately earns trust and respect. However, though all marketing works this way, and traditional media isn’t yet dead, we now live in a very distracted society, and social media is key since people are spending more screen time than ever. In fact, he shared the startling statistic that the average person spends 7 hours per day using apps on their mobile phones! Social media can: 1) Raise awareness, especially about a specific organization or cause; 2) Build relationships and 3) Build a business, using the marketing funnel above. It can not 1) sell (only), since it is more about awareness and relationships 2) Replace everything – you need other forms of marketing and media and 3) Be free – it definitely costs to set up and maintain. He gave many examples and humorous anecdotes demonstrating what works and what doesn’t, and answered some specific questions about social media, including the increasing use of video beyond YouTube and how to make Twitter work for your company. Stacey Street, Rotating Scribe |