Monthly Archives: March 2016
NEXT MEETING: April 1, 2016Update from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Thanks to support from the Richmond Rotary Club, women in the village of Mumosho in the Democratic Republic of Congo received much-needed healing. The assistance provided these women with job skills that allowed them to support themselves. Rotarian Amani Mataboro is back in the U.S. to attend the District 5160 Conference and will discuss the first Congo Healing Program (CHP) that treats the local population at no cost. A second CHP clinic is planned to open in April 2016, in the New Hope Congo Hospital in Kavumu, an area that is experiencing an increasingly high number of rapes of young women and girls. This trauma unit will provide specialize therapy for children. MEETING OF March 25, 2016WelcomePrez Alan called the meeting to order and asked Dan Tanita to lead us in the Pledge and offered us a moment of silence for peace on earth. Sid Chauvin offered the following thought “A problems is a chance for you to do your best” Duke Ellington Visiting Rotarians and GuestsPrez Alan had as his guest son Josh; Jan Brown with son Mathew and husband Byron; Stacey Street brought James Lee and Yolanda Oviedo; other guests included: Jeff English; Whitney Dotson; Jelani Dotson; Susanne Gordon, Steve Early; Chaire DeSophia; Jan Mignone; Nancy Baer; Larry Giustino; Peter Bauhon; Ann Killebrew; Toula Siacotos, Justine Blanchet; and Tom Kelly. Special EventsPrez Alan presented Jan Brown’s son Mathew with a Paul Harris Award. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAM
Prez Alan introduced our speaker who needed no introduction, our own Tom Butt, Mayor of Richmond who made a presentation on the Paris Climate Conference in 2015. The UNFCC COP21 brought together approximately 40,000 representatives from 196 countries around the world. The key point that Tom made is that cities are leading the way on climate change. They are using local climate action plans to prioritize strategies to reduce their emissions. The City of Richmond in partnership with MCE is one of the best examples of positive change in climate control with community choice in the City of Richmond. The City is working on a Climate Action Plan. Tom gave thanks to Tom Kelly for help in preparing the presentation. If you missed the presentation you can find it at: http://www.tombutt.com/pdf/COP21.pdf
The Menehune “Rotating Editor” |
NEXT MEETING: March 25, 20162015 Paris Climate Conference
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt will present a “show and tell” of his exciting trip to Paris for the UNFCC COP21 this past December, and what it means for the City of Richmond and Marin Clean Energy. Approximately 40,000 representatives from 196 countries around the world participated. The major story was about how Cities are leading on climate change, and how they use local climate action plans to prioritize strategies to reduce their emissions – including through land use and transportation planning. You can preview the PowerPoint at United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Congress of the Parties 21. MEETING OF March 18, 2016WelcomePresident Alan Blavins presided over the meeting. Don Lau led the pledge. Sid Chavin’s thought for the day was what happens is not as important as how you react to what happens. Herb Cole’s thought for the day was John Wooden’s Timeless advice for his players, “Always be on time, be neat and clean, don’t use profanity, never criticize a teammate, have patience, have faith that things will work out if we do what we are supposed to do, don’t whine, complain or make excuses and do your best.” Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMRescue, Adoption Center and Sanctuary for Domestic Animals
Josh Genser introduced Lynne Tingle, our guest speaker from the Milo Foundation. Milo is a nonprofit, no-kill animal rescue organization founded in 1994. Milo rescues homeless pets in Richmond and from shelters across the state. They also take in or help homeless people’s pets when the owners are unable to take care of them. Milo rescues and finds homes for about 5 animals a day. The Milo Adoption Center is located at 220 South Garrard Blvd in Point Richmond and is open for adoptions every day except Tuesday from 11am-5pm. Visit the Milo web site for more information. Henry Moe, Rotating Scribe |
NEXT MEETING: March 18, 2016Rescue, Adoption Center and Sanctuary for Domestic Animals
The Milo Foundation is a nonprofit, no-kill rescue organization founded in 1994. Milo rescues homeless pets in Richmond and from shelters across the state. The organization helps strays found by citizens on our county streets, parks and abandoned in parking lots. Milo Foundation also supports pets from the homeless who ask for help to care for them whether by providing food and veterinary care or taking their animals when they realize they can no longer care for them. Milo rescues and finds homes for an average of more than five animals a day; many of these homeless pets faced euthanasia in animal shelters. The Milo Adoption Center is located at 220 South Garrard Blvd, in Point Richmond and is open for adoptions every day except Tuesday from 11am – 5pm. Visit wwww.milofoundation.org for more information. MEETING OFWelcomePrez Alan called the meeting to order and asked David Brown to lead us in the Pledge and offered us a moment of silence for peace on earth. There was no Sid so Hank Covell offered the following thought (don’t shoot the scribe) “if a man is alone in a forest and says something is he still wrong if there is no woman there to hear it?” Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMLost Art Discovered
Stacey Street introduced our speaker Melinda McCrary who has been the Executive Director of the Richmond Museum since 2013. Melinda told us the story of how she was able through persistence, research and sleuthing to locate and save a mural of Richmond painted in 1941 by famed muralist Victor Arnautoff titled “Richmond: An Industrial City” which was originally on a wall at the Richmond Post at 10th and Nevin from 1941-1976. When the Post Office was renovated in 1976 it was supposed to have been mailed to LA but never was from 1976-2014. And you thought your mail delivery was slow. The 16’x10’ mural had been rolled up and crated and sat in the basement of the post office until Melinda tracked it down by contacting Al Martinez (past Post Master) who sent her to a former custodian. Working with the federal government (another well-oiled machine) and being very persistent and making many calls, Melinda was finally able to liberate the mural from the post office and it is now being restored by Ann Rosenthal. The Museum, after the mural is restored at a cost of $50,000 (donations welcomed), will hang the mural at the Museum hopefully by the end of 2016. Thanks Melinda for saving a Richmond treasure! - The Menehune “Rotating Editor" |
NEXT MEETING: March 4, 2016Lost Art Discovered
In October 2015, the Richmond Museum of History took possession of a mural of Richmond painted in 1941 by famed muralist Victor Arnautoff. Richmond: An Industrial City was commissioned by the Treasury Section of Fine Arts and installed in the Post Office on Nevin Avenue until 1976, when the building was renovated. The mural was carefully removed from the wall only to be crated and lost track of, eventually being declared lost by the Endangered Mural Registry of Temple University. Richmond Museum of History Executive Director Melinda McCrary will present the exciting story of how the mural was found, the trials of taking possession of it, and how the community can help see it displayed to the public once again MEETING OF March 4, 2016WelcomePresident Alan Blavins called the meeting to order, asked Oh! Henry Moe to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and asked for a silent prayer for peace. Sergeant-at-Arms Sid Chauvin offered the quote of the day: “You hit home runs not by chance but by preparation.” (-Roger Maris) Visiting Rotarians and GuestsSwampy Joe Bagley introduced his business partner, boss, and wife, Rita Bagley. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMWhat's All The Buzz About Behavioral Finance?
Rick has written three books, highlighted on this Amazon page. He teaches at UC Berkeley Extension. You can see his online courses here. Rick is an investment advisor with RHL Capital. - Shana Bagley Howe, your rotating Scribette, reminds you that "Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T. Washington |
NEXT MEETING: March 4, 2016What's All The Buzz About Behavioral Finance?
MEETING OF February 26, 2016WelcomePast President Alan Baer called the meeting to order at the Richmond Country Club. John Wilson led the pledge of allegiance to the flag. George Egan asked for a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on earth. Sid Chauvin provided this thought for the day: “People with goals succeed because they know where they’re going.” Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMTech Careers For Low-Income Residents
Program admission requirements are basic (a low-income adult able to work with a high school diploma or GED and 10th-grade reading proficiency). Barrie made it clear that the real key to success in the program is the “want to” factor, not some predisposed ICT aptitude. Reading remediation interventions are also available through The Stride Center. The Stride Center held its first ICT classes in San Pablo about 16 years ago and now operates in three additional locations (Oakland, Concord, and San Jose). With about 27 staff members, the Stride Center has an annual budget of $2.2 million, largely from corporate and foundation funding. While Stride Center coursework costs about $3,000 – $4,000 per student, many pay nothing out of pocket while about 60% pay 15% of costs (thus having some “skin in the game”). The Stride Center’s always-updated ICT classes are fast-paced and last 6-12 months depending on the coursework in each of the seven different industry certifications offered, which are primarily in systems administration, network and security specialization, and software development and coding. In addition to technical skills, The Stride Center also provides training in generalized professional and life skills. With industry-recognized credentials in hand upon completion (average 80% completion rate), graduates are equipped to compete in open-market, entry-level ICT job opportunities (average 75% successful job placement). Starting salary is about $19.50 per hour with 30%+ gains in compensation likely in the first 18 months. At any one time, there are about 350 students participating in the more than 500 Stride Center classes per year. About 20-25% of students are young adults and about 31% overall are female. Thanks to Barrie Hathaway for sharing this uplifting success story of a non-profit program making a real difference in the lives of many. Fortunately for Richmond, The Stride Center is also one of eight partners in the “Progress Richmond” collaborative effort founded in 2010 to empower economic and social mobility for Richmond residents. - Tom Waller, Rotating Scribe |
Program Chair Extraordinaire Stacey Street introduced Rick Lehman of the UC Berkeley Extension. Rick spoke about micro versus macro, key concepts, and behavioral issues in the field of behavioral finance. We learned about animal spirits, lizard brains, black swans, heuristics, loss aversion, reverse halos, money buckets, and hot hands syndrome. Simply put, we are all gambling fools!
In 1980, two Israeli psychologists studying fighter pilots published a landmark paper about how people make decisions under conditions of risk, stress, and uncertainty. The findings were highly relevant to the way we make financial and economic decisions, which are almost always made under such conditions. As a result, a new movement called Behavioral Finance has surfaced and has become a global phenomenon, spawning countless new studies, influencing both government and industry, going mainstream in academia, and creating the impetus for numerous new businesses.
Stacey Street introduced Barrie Hathaway, Executive Director of The Stride Center, an Oakland-based non-profit organization that operates a program dedicated to helping low-income people acquire skills in Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in order to get out (and stay out) of poverty and move to self-sufficiency in a well-paying career for which there are shortages of qualified personnel (especially in the ICT-intensive Bay Area).