NEXT MEETING: September 25, 2015 --- MEET AGAIN AT CAFE SOLEIL

West County Schools

Susan and Steve Chamberlin want every K-12 student in West Contra Costa County to get an excellent public education that will prepare them for college, career and life. They have invested broadly in the community to support teachers, school leaders, parents and community organizations focused on the same objective. They understand that significant social and economic challenges and limited State funding make the education job incredibly difficult. They support the schools, principals and teachers who successfully rise to these challenges. They have engaged City and District leaders in positive discussions about education policy, actively supported well qualified leadership candidates and are providing great school facilities for high-performance public schools. They also believe K-12 public education is the single most important issue facing our community.

MEETING OF September 18, 2015

Welcome

Alan Blavins presided over the meeting and held a moment of silence for peace, freedom and justice on earth. David Brown led the pledge  of allegiance and Herb Cole had a special thought for the day in remembering Ralph Hill.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Mae Saechao, a CPA who works in Oakland, was the guest of Doris Mitchell.

Announcements

• MEETING LOCATION FOR SEPTEMBER 25. Please note that the September 25 Richmond Rotary Club meeting will again take place at Cafe Soleil (side room), 3350 San Pablo Dam Road in El Sobrante.
• Saturday October 3rd is Rotary Foundation Fun at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom Day in Vallejo. Go to www.rotary5160.org for the link to purchase tickets.
• Saturday, November 21st is Rotary Foundation Day at the Races. David Brown had warned us that it sells out every year and it is now officially sold out.
• The Peres School Teacher funding ($100 per teacher) is in full swing and we need our Rotarian group to step up to help fund the 30 or so teachers with regard to classroom supplies. David Brown is at the ready with his trusty credit card reader at each meeting. Funding the teachers at Peres is a long standing tradition.
• Bill Koziol talked to Charlie Wong on the phone and Charlie had some nice memories to share about Ralph Hill, who passed away last week. Bill also had talked to Ralph earlier last week and although he was not feeling well he mentioned that Richmond Rotary was on his mind and he missed seeing the members at the meetings.
• Alan Baer talked to Judy Kafka and she has moved into a retirement community with her husband who requires a good amount of care.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

The Bishop Wears No Drawers: A Former Catholic Missionary Priest Remembers Africa

Michael Barrington, a Rotarian for the last 18 years and former president of the Concord Rotary, provided Richmond Rotary with an overview of his engaging memoir.

Michael is the chair of Rotary’s International Committee and is responsible for generating more than $1 million in Global and Matching Grants. He also works for The Rotary Foundation as a Technical Advisor and in this role monitors and evaluates large humanitarian projects. He does the same professionally in more than forty countries.

Michael’s talk was dramatically revealing about life in war-torn 1970’s Nigeria, where he worked for ten years as a Catholic Priest trying to serve and help the various tribes he encountered. He was held at gun point on one occasion and really thought that the end was near. His only out was that one of the tribal languages he spoke was understood by several of the people holding the guns and he was able to talk them out of shooting his group.

NEXT MEETING: September 18, 2015
Note meeting location change! See below.

The Bishop Wears No Drawers: A Former Catholic Missionary Priest Remembers Africa

Michael Barrington, a Rotarian for 18 years and Past President of the Rotary Club of Concord, will provide Richmond Rotary members with an overview of his engaging memoir.

Michael is the chair of Rotary’s International Committee and is responsible for generating more than $1 million dollars in Global or Matching grants. He also works for The Rotary Foundation as a Technical Advisor and in this role monitors and evaluates large humanitarian projects. He does the same professionally through his own company, MJB Consultants, and has worked in more than forty countries.

Michael is on the Board of Directors of Rotary International’s Wasrag committee and helps develop their projects in West Africa in conjunction with Cirque du Soleil and Water Aid. In another life, Michael was a Catholic missionary who served in Mexico, Brazil and Puerto Rico, and for ten years in Nigeria. He also lived for a year as a hermit. Academically he considers himself to be ‘over engineered’ having several Masters Degrees and a Ph.D. He speaks six languages. His book “The Bishop Wears No Drawers” is a memoir of his African experiences.

MEETING OF September 11, 2015

Welcome

President Alan Blavins welcomed guests and Rotarians and called the meeting to order. Tom Butt was asked to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Prez Alan led us in the invocation, a silent prayer in remembrance of 9-11. Herb Cole, sitting in for Sid Chauvin, who just got a hip replacement, quoted somebody (probably himself) saying, “I have good people skills. I just have a bad tolerance for idiots.” Come to think of it, he could have been quoting Sid.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

There were no visiting Rotarians. Doris Mitchell introduced her guest. CPA Mey Saechao, visiting for the third time. (Does that mean she likes us?)

Announcements

• MEETING LOCATION CHANGE, SEPTEMBER 18th and 25th.
  We will meet at Cafe Soleil, 3550 San Pablo Dam Road, El Sobrante, on Friday the 18th. The meeting room is next to and on the left of the Cafe entrance. Stay tuned for the location of the Sept. 25th meeting.
• David Brown announced that it’s the time of year when school bells ring and Rotarians sing, ‘Time to support Peres School teachers again. The club wants to provide its annual $100 gift to all the teachers to help them with new school year supplies and expenses. Send/bring cash, check or money orders David A. Brown payable to Richmond Rotary or use the donate button on this page with a quick e-mail to DAB. He’ll figure it out.
• Joe ‘Swanpy’ Bagley announced a very successful club visit with Charlie Wong and his wife Jean at their Oakland home. The event was so successful and Charlie has so much on site parking, some consideration is being given to holding a remote meeting at his home. Details if they develop, to follow.
• No Sunshine Report today.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Building Community Police Partnerships

Club Treasurer David A. Brown, who is also a member of the Richmond Police Commission, was pleased to introduce the City of Richmond’s Crime Prevention Manager, Michelle Milam. Michelle is a Richmond native, graduated from El Cerrito HS and Cal and describes herself as a poet, playwright and signer as well as a crime prevention manager for the RPD. Speaking about her job, Michelle mused that the firefighters are lucky, “They go out into the community and pass out those red toy fire hats and all the kids come running. The reception in the community is never quite that enthusiastic for the police”. Then using her own enthusiasm, Michelle lunched into her core message.

Like a junior high school teacher of old, Michelle said, “You need to pay attention…if you want to prevent crime in the community.” As in the rest of the Bay Area, one of the biggest impediments to paying attention to one’s immediate environment is hand held technology, i-Things. The recent increase in robberies has to do in part with folks texting and not paying enough attention to their immediate environment to realize they are not the only ones interested in their hand held device. Basic advice: 1)Take off your head phones; 2)Don’t walk and text; 3)Watch your back. Other common sense advice included, Don’t flash money or valuables. Don’t leave valuables in your car or at least put them out of sight.

“Now that you are paying attention and you notice that something/someone doesn’t seem right, call the police. “Don’t worry about bothering the police. We want to know something is amiss before it turns into a real problem for everyone”, says Michelle.

The main part of Michelles effort is focused on the Neighborhood Watch program. She organizes and implements the programs in neighborhoods around the city. Besides providing an opportunity for local folks to meet their beat cop, the Watch programs encourage:

• People get to know each other.
• Be proactive.
• Provides suggestions that everyone can use to improve the safety of their families and property.

Michelle invited the member to contact her if they would like help start a Neighborhood Watch program in their neighborhood, including a program for Spanish speaking neighborhoods.

Another major focus of Michelle’s work is Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED). CPTED is the management of real property so that it is less vulnerable to criminal activity and presents a positive “we care” image to the entire community. Besides basics like lighting, gates, fences and alarm systems, it encourages landscape maintenance that precludes restricted visibility and encourages ‘the eyes of the street’ as primary surveillance of the neighborhood.

Everything Michelle said about Neighborhood Watch and CPTED is also available to business owners through the Business Watch Program. Michelle encouraged members to contact her for more information at mmilam@richmondpd.net

Thank you Michelle Milam for a great presentation about crime prevention in Richmond.

NEXT MEETING: September 11, 2015

Building Community Police Partnerships

City of Richmond’s Crime Prevention Manager, Michelle Milam, will discuss basic crime prevention strategies, and how Richmond can effectively partner with the police through outreach, education, and social media.
Topics will include:
•    Personal Safety/ Neighborhood Watch & Business Watch
•    CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design)
•    Crime Prevention Through Social Media

MEETING OF September 4, 2015

Welcome

Past President Alan Baer led the meeting in Alan Blavins’ absence. David Brown led the pledge of Allegiance and George Egan asked for a moment of silence for Peace and Justice on Earth. Herb, who stood in for Sid, offered this thought for the day: “The biggest lie I can tell myself is I don’t have to write this down because I will remember it”.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Rotarians visiting our club on this day were Steve Kirby, David Hammer and Anne Pardee.

Our guest list included Theresa Brick (Josh Surowitz), Darlene Quenville (Jon Lawlis), Tiffany Straus (Don Lau), Tom Dean and his wife Chieko Chambers (Jim Young) and the Honorable Nobuhiro Watanbe, our speaker on this day (see below).

Announcements

• Nick Despota explained why many members didn’t receive Flywheel notification emails last week, while others were peppered with 4 or 5 duplicates. It seems that the problem is with our hosting company’s mail server— because we made no changes at all on our end. Nick reminded us that regardless of whether we receive the “Flywheel online” email, if we check the Richmond Rotary website (address you see at the top of your browser window) we’ll see that week’s updated Flywheel by Wednesday, if not earlier. At the time of this writing we have no indication that the mail server problem has been resolved.
• Saturday, November21st is Rotary Foundation Day at the Races. Jon Lawlis and Darlene are going and hope everyone will join them
• Saturday October3rd is Rotary Foundation Fun at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom in Vallejo. Go to www.rotary5160.org for the link to purchase tickets.
• Don Lau announced that Luau at the Lau’s, the popular Holiday Auction item, will take place on Saturday, October 17^th . He also raised concern among the partying crowd that this may be the last Lau’s Luau ever. You can still add for $75 and send a check to David Brown.
• Josh Genser announced that only 4 people were able to be at the Scotch Tasting so he will hold a makeup where people who have missed over the last few years can attend. Other people can add for $250.
• Joe Bagley, Bill Koziol, Josh Surowitz and Jim Young visited Charlie Wong. Charlie and his wife were happy to receive them. The Wongs are mentally sharp. They even entertained the idea of holding an “auxiliary” Rotary meeting at their house.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Japan-California Relations

Nobuhiro Watanabe, Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco spoke to Richmond Rotary about Japan-California relations. Deputy Consul General Watanabe joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and has been involved in the Foreign Service for nearly thirty years. His assignments have included posting in Australian, India, Austria and the Philippines. His domestic assignments in Tokyo have included work at the Treaties Bureau and the Economic Affairs Bureau. Prior to moving to San Francisco in November 2012, Mr. Watanabe’s work focused mainly on international trade law (Economic Partnership Agreements and the World Trade Organization) with the Economic Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served for about ten years, except for a period of overseas assignment in the Philippines.

NEXT MEETING: September 4, 2015

Japan-California Relations

Nobuhiro Watanabe, Deputy Consul General at the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco, will speak to Richmond Rotary about Japan-California relations.

Deputy Consul General Watanabe joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982 and has been involved in the foreign service for nearly thirty years. His assignments overseas have included postings in Australia, India, Austria, and the Philippines. His domestic assignments in Tokyo have included work at the Treaties Bureau and the Economic Affairs Bureau.

Prior to moving to San Francisco in November 2012, Mr. Watanabe’s work focused mainly on international trade law (Economic Partnership Agreements and the World Trade Organization) with the Economic Affairs Bureau of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs where he served for about ten years, except for a period of overseas assignment in the Philippines.

MEETING OF August 28, 2015

Welcome

Club President Alan Blavins called the meeting to order at the Richmond Country Club and Don Lau led the pledge of allegiance. Alan asked for a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on earth. Herb Cole, helping Sid out once again with door duty (which will apparently cost Sid at least two Bloody Marys upon his return), provided this thought for the day: “The older I get the more I believe in the hereafter because when I go into another room, I wonder what in the hell I came in here after.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

• Bill Moy from Dublin Rotary joined us for lunch along with his guest, Mey Saechao. Both are colleagues at a CPA firm in Oakland.
• Josh Surowitz introduced his guest, Erik Husby, a member of Josh’s law firm.

Special Events

President Alan Blavins provided Josh Surowitz with the President-elect Rotary pin for his upcoming year as Rotary President, which begins next July 1.

Announcements

• Mark your calendars for a BARSHEEP Chili Cook-Off on October 24. The San Pablo Rotary Club is sponsoring. More info to follow.
• Alan Blavins reminded everyone about his recent email and the flyer describing a Rotary West Africa Project Fair (click on link) coming up in November 2015. Note that polio eradication activities are included. Anyone interested should sign up according to instructions in the flyer.
• Rotary Foundation Day at the Vallejo Six Flags Theme Park will be October 3. Tickets are $40 each. The purchase of four tickets includes free parking. Talk with Alan Baer for more information.
• Joe Bagley said he spoke with Charlie Wong, who said he’d welcome a home visit this week. Joe is coordinating with other Rotarians interested to go.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Junior Achievement: Program Overview

Stacey Street introduced Stacey Martin-Bonaduce, who is the Director for Junior Achievement (JA) in West Contra Costa and Oakland.

JA was founded in Massachusetts in 1919 by a group of senior business executives who declared that “the future of our country depends upon making every individual fully realize the obligations and responsibilities belonging to citizenship.” Through echoes of the founders, today’s JA has the purpose of “inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a global economy.”

JA accomplishes its mission through volunteer-delivered K-12 programs that involve training, materials, and support in school classrooms throughout the world.

Every year, about 4 million students in the United States are reached through JA programs that emphasize business know-how and entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and workforce readiness. There’s even a sister organization called “JA Worldwide”, which touches nearly 10 million students each year in almost 120 countries.

Last year in the local West Contra Costa Unified School District, about 9300 students (almost a third of total enrollment) participated in a JA program. One of the highlights of local JA efforts is the Social Innovation Program sponsored by Chevron. Some high school students select societal issues to be tackled with proposed solutions that require planning, preparation, and presentations to panels of engineer judges.

During Q&A, it came out that some Richmond Rotarians have in the past been involved as volunteers to deliver JA programs. We learned from Stacey that the ABCs of business startup and operation are still taught in some of the lower grade levels through a bakery case study, which includes making “paper donuts”. Yum!