NEXT MEETING: October 12, 2018
Next meeting at La Strada Restaurant, San Pablo. See below.

Global Peace

Child soldier in Columbia. Photo from TheirWorld.org

Pierre Thompson, a 2016-18 Rotary Peace Fellow, originally from Richmond, will discuss the empirical study of peace and the Global Peace Index (GPI). The GPI offers a new conceptual framework to define peacefulness, measure peace, and promote a better understanding of the cultural, economic and political factors that create peace. Pierre will reflect on how the “pillars of peace” have affected conflict dynamics in other settings where he has worked (Israel-Palestine, Philippines, China) and reflect on the relationship between business, peace and prosperity in the City of Richmond.

MEETING OF October 5, 2018

Welcome

President Jerry Feagley welcomed the group. David Brown led the Pledge. Herb Cole led the invocation with a prayer for peace, freedom and justice on Earth. Sid Chauvin’s Thought for the Day…”Accept the fact that some days you’re the pigeon, and some days you’re the statue!

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Jim Becker, Richmond Community Foundation (RCF), Speaker Today

Mariz Bolano, Salestian Interact Club President and Guest of Henry Moe, Salestian Facility Advisor

Mariz Bolano was introduced to the Club by Henry Moe. Mariz was sent to Camp Royale in Northern California on a Rotary scholarship. She wanted to thank our Rotary Club for this opportunity to learn better leadership skills. She learned a lot and shared some pictures from her time at the camp. Thank you!

Announcements

• Our next meeting, on Oct. 12, will take place at La Strada Restaurant, in San Pablo. 2215 Church Ln, San Pablo. Directions.
  To avoid food waste but ensure enough is prepared, please RSVP as soon as possible.
• Stacey announced that the Rotary Auction is November 30th. Click here to see our Holiday Auction page. However this is not yet ready for public viewing. We only have a few items listed now,  and don’t want members of the public to go to the site and find just of handful of esoteric gifts. That means it’s important for everyone to get their auction items listed.Nick reminded us how to use the button on the Auction page to submit a description, and if you have a good one, a photo of your donated item. Please check it out now.

  Also think about who you want to invite as guests to the Auction—more guests will bring more bidding!

  Again, we need interesting items for the Auction. Think like Nick’s “Celebration of Cannabis” last year, or Stacey’s “Fajitas & Margaritas Party”….maybe someone could do a “Massage Therapy Party”! Erle Brown said he’d be there for that one!!! Get the date out there, get people interested, it’s a great event.

• Jon Lawlis told us a little story that illustrated the power of our Auction. Last year he and Darlene welcomed Dan Nackerman from Utah, who saw our Quebec Farmhouse listed when Tom Butt shared Auction info, and he rented from them. Nackerman used to work in the Richmond area on housing.
• Tamara Shiloh announced her Multi-Cultural Bookstore Fundraiser Event – November 2nd – 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Funds raised will be used for inventory of books in the store. They are in need of some nice items to auction. If you can help out, that would be great — bring your checkbook.
• Jerry Feagley brought up El Cerrito Rotary’s Sip & Savor Event – October 7th – 2:30 to 5:30 at the Berkeley Country Club.
• Erle Brown reported the need for an additional $1,000 for the Peres Elementary School donation done each year to provide each teacher $100.00 for school supplies for their classroom. It didn’t take long for rotary members present to give funds and the goal was met. A total of $3,000.00 was raised in total in a two-week period. Many thanks to those who donated to this great cause. An additional $1,000, thanks to Phyllis Brown’s bequest, will also be donated to Peres School.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

The RIchmond Community Foundation

Stacey introduced Jim Becker, President of the Richmond Community Foundation. Jim has been with RCF since 2005 but became President & CEO in 2014. Stacey has had the pleasure of working with him since that time. 

Jim began, “There is a new type of philanthropy in town.” RCF is not a typical non-profit organization. They connect people, companies, resources in helping on issues such as education, housing etc. in the community. Community foundations were set up to assist donors so they could make gifts to several organizations within a community, through “donor advised funds.” But this does not insure that the poverty, lack of healthcare, housing, and similar issues we see every day are addressed as well as they should be. Instead, the RCF leverages the “power of connection” to create collaborations that enable companies, individuals, and government to take on projects that help local neighborhood in ways deemed most impactful.

A war on poverty was declared 50 years but poverty is still with us. Jim observed that “we’re thinking about the solutions the wrong way. We feed people, but we need to help people to feed themselves. During the downturn in economy, safety net services such as food, clothing, shelter, some people fell through the cracks as safety net service were not enough.”

Those who do not fall through the cracks, benefit from four condition that they have created for themselves:

1. Job that paid a decent wage;
2. Good money management, working within a budget they have set up;
3. Savings to weather financial storms; and,
4. A strong credit score.

RCF started Spark Point to help families improve in these four areas. There are four Spark Point Centers in the area. Spark Point Centers bring together a range of local services and helps connect people to those services. They help their clients get the skills for a good job, assist them to a 700+ credit score, develop a budget they can stick to,  and save from two to three months of money saved.

Jim told us about a creative approach to solving Richmond’s housing problem. The City has many boarded-up homes. The Richmond Housing Renovation Project has started tackling this issue by means of $3 million in Social Impact Bonds, issued by the City and purchased by Mechanics Bank. The money enables the renovation of derelict homes, then making them available for sale at affordable prices. When the houses are sold, the Richmond Housing Project reinvests that money to renovate new homes, like a revolving line of credit. The Project will continue to do this until the bond payment is due. Go to Richmond Community Foundation website, to learn more about this innovative project. To date, 17 homes have been done.

The main purpose of the RCF is determining the needs of the community and bringing people and investors together to meet those needs. RCF is talking to companies about Philanthropy Tool Kit – how they can be engaged in the community. They are working to get large companies, such as  Amazon and others to become partners in helping to revitalize our community.

NEXT MEETING: October 5, 2018

The RIchmond Community Foundation

Richmond Community Foundation strives for healthy, sustainable communities in Contra Costa County that are safe and diverse, and where families thrive and children are given new hope for a bright and abundant future.

In partnership with the community, RCF inspires leadership and share the vision for work in five areas: Economic Development, Health, The Physical Environment, Education, and Public Safety. Our guest speaker, Jim Becker, CEO, will share how the organization is implementing its mission.

MEETING OF September 28, 2018

Welcome

President Jerry Feagley welcomed everyone to the Mall at Hilltop Conference Room.
Sid reminded us to “Always read stuff that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

While there were no visiting Rotarians, we welcomed Jamil Walker and Jon Lawlis’ daughter, Alissa.

Announcements

No Announcements were recorded for this day.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

The ESCAPE Club

Speaker John Iwawaki from the E.S.C.A.P.E. program at DeJean Middle School updated us on the activities and goals of the organization. Their goals are to build the capacity of the students and their families to enjoy outdoor activities. Thus, the outdoor activities are intentionally designed to be cheap and easy.

The program was started by John in 1999. He and a friend have operated the program together since then. They show up each week at ½ hour orientation meetings to teach the kids about the location they will be going to, the related flora and fauna at that location and what they will be doing. The meeting room is equipped with games, activities and sports that the kids enjoy after the orientation meetings.

Outdoor activities such as rafting, skiing, hiking, visiting the beach, and camping take place once a month on a Saturday. There are 9 Field Trips per year. ` The annual schedule is planned ahead by John. There have been over 160 Field Trips since the program started. Thirty to Forty kids usually attend the Field Trips.

John presented a slide show of photographs of the kids while on several of the past field trips during his presentation.

He thanked the group for our continued support of the E.S.C.A.P.E. program and reminded us that he can always use the help of drivers on the Field Trips if we are interested in volunteering.

NEXT MEETING: September 28, 2018
Meeting at Hilltop Conference Room. Directions below.

What is the ESCAPE Club

Since 1999 the ESCAPE Club at DeJean Middle School in Richmond has been taking students on monthly field trips to exciting destinations all around northern California, like Monterey, Pt. Reyes, and Yosemite.

Students meet weekly after school to prepare for trips; learn about ecology, conservation, and geography; and write reflections of their experiences. Vist our website at www.escapeclub.org or find our videos or photos on YouTube or Instagram.

MEETING OF September 21, 2018

Welcome

The meeting was called to order by President Jerry. Simon led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Herb invoked a moment of silence for peace, freedom and justice on Earth. Syd’s thought for the day: Camping is a way to spend a small fortune to live like a homeless person.

Visiting Rotarians

We welcomed two visitors from other Rotary Clubs to our meeting: Jas Goswami from the Pinole Club and Tim Thomason from the Paradise Club

We also enjoyed the company of our guest Matt Piatt, Simon’s son.

Announcements

• Once again we are meeting at the Hilltop Conference Room (map). Do no go to the Richmond Country Club. To get there, enter Hilltop Mall at the entrance near the Richmond Police sub-station. Park between Walmart and the old JC Penney. Take the elevator to the second level, and the conference room is to the left of the main Shops at Hilltop office.
• Erle: Time to contribute to Richmond Rotary’s annual contribution of $100 to each teacher at Peres Elementary School. There are 30 teachers, so we need $3,000. Upon reaching $3,000, another $1,000 will be contributed because of a bequest in Phyllis’ will. Good news: we quickly raised $2,000.
• Jerry announced the El Cerrito Rotary’s Sip and Savor event is on October 7 at the Berkeley Country Club (in El Cerrito).
• Stacey reminded us of just how fast time flies: our Holiday Auction is will take place on November 30! She offered help planning a social event to dontate, which are always popular. Of course, we also need donation of tangible objects. (After the meeting Josh G went to the driving range and solicited from the teaching pro, Patrick McChesney, a donation of some lessons. “See how easy it is?”)
• David updated us on Board-authorized donationst to the following local nonprofits: the National Institute of Arts and Disabilities, the Ed Fund, Early Childhood Mental Health Program, Youth Enrichment Strategies, Richmond Police Activities League, the Emergency Food Pantry, the Greater Richmond Interfaith Program and the Escape Club. Those organizations receive some of your Rotary donations. Think about your Holiday Auction donation—your gifts will help us raise more!
• Rotary Day at the Races is November 17. It’s a District event, and we have a limited number of tickets. You don’t have any tickets unless you’ve paid David for them. $41.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Leadership and Listening

Stacey introduced our speaker, Kit Pappenheimer. Kit was a school principal and then a coach to non-profits who now operates a retreat center in Point Richmond and a business called Leadership in Motion.

Millennials are famous for multitasking, but do they ever actually get done what they’re supposed to get done? It’s very important sometimes to focus on only one thing at a time (Hey, I’m not even listening to music while I wrote this Flywheel!), and, in relationships, it’s very important to both hear what the other person has to say and to be heard. Kit led us in an exercise in mindfulness, being present. Each of us was paired with another person, and instructed to listen to that other person’s problem for three minutes without interrupting, and then to say back what the listener had heard. It can be amazingly difficult to listen without interruption, and, especially for men, without suggesting solutions.

NEXT MEETING: September 21, 2018

Leadership Skills Development

Join Richmond local Kit Pappenheimer, an experienced leadership coach. Kit has created Leadership in Motion, an innovative approach to Leadership Skill Development.

This session will be engaging and energizing as we listen to one another, move together and connect. See you then.

MEETING OF September 14, 2018

Welcome

President Jerry Feagley called the meeting to order in our new alternate venue, a conference room at Hilltop Mall. Herb gave the invocation. Filling in for Syd—what a thankless task—Tamara offered a thought-for-the-day that spotlighted the value of investing in education. Given today’s line-up of speakers and guests, the thought was well-chosen.

Announcements

Alan Baer asked that we mark our calendars for the District Assembly taking place in Fairfield on October 20th, between 8:30 AM and 1:30 PM. We’ll be recognizing our 100-year anniversary, and all are welcome to attend. More details will follow.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

A report on the West County Unifed School District

WCCUSD is on a path that will lead to increased success. Many new programs for schools have led to a visible improvement in grades and student participation. Mr. Duffy acknowledged that it is with the help of the community, organizations and individuals that the school district is experiencing the more favorable WCCUSD statistics.

Mr. Duffy’s goals of improving teacher and employee compensation, strengthening early literacy and supporting English learners have been effective.

The Superintendent highlighted several initiatives that are bringing positive changes to the District. They include the expanding the K-8 model to three additional schools, raising the number of language immersion program seats, implementing math and writing projects at various schools, and increasing the focus on the lowest performing schools through the Kennedy Family Initiative.

Partnerships have made a big difference. Among the most important partners are Chevron, which is supporting the very popular FAB LAB; Contra Costa College; the PTA. The District is continually looking for partnerships to help drive ongoing success at WCCUSD schools.

Principals from three area high schools spoke briefly about their schools’ accomplishments and their vision for the future. THey were Summerlyn Sigler, from DeAnza High School; Felicia Phillips, from Kennedy; and Jose De Leon, from DeAnza. Their enthusiasm was infectious.

NEXT MEETING: September 14, 2018
Club meets at Hilltop Mall on Friday. See below.

What's new at the West County Unified School District?

West County Unified School District Superintendent Matt Duffy will talk about the challenges and opportunities on the horizon for the District.

Matt is new to our school district. Prior to coming to Contra Costa, he served as the Assistant Superintendent in Milpitas Unified. There he was in charge of teaching and learning, leadership, enrollment, technology, Special Education, and Local Control and Funding Plan development.

MEETING OF September 7, 2018

Welcome

Past President Connie called the meeting to order. Nick led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Herb asked for a moment of silence of peace, freedom and justice on Earth. Syd Chauvin had a thought for the day: “Birthdays are good for you; the more you have the longer you live.”

Rotarians with guests

Darlene introduced her five guests:
Sergio Rios
Nellie Rickert
Lucero De Leon
Ada Recinos
Eduardo Martinez

Announcements

• The Club will meet at the Conference Room at the Shops at Hilltop Mall this Friday, not the Richmond Country Club.
  Directions
  Use the main entrance by the Richmond Police substation. Park between Walmart and the old JC Penney. Take the elevator to the second level, and the conference room is to the left of the main Shops at Hilltop office. Map.
• Ric announced that the Richmond Art Center has new exhibits opening: “Califas: Art of the U.S.-Mexico Borderlands”, “What Knot?” with California artists who work with fiber and textiles, and “Lia Cook: Inner Traces”.
• Oscar asked for more volunteers for tree watering every weekend Contact Felix if you’re interested.
• Tamara announced that her Multicultural Bookstore was having specials for Grandparents’ Day and a fundraiser dinner on November 2 to buy inventory for the holidays.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Oscar introduced our own Darlene Drapkin (rhymes with napkin). Darlene re-introduced her guests, who were among members of the steering committee for Calle 23, a program she manages whose aim is to revitalize the 23^rd Street business district

Darlene has been marshaling assets, cajoling cooperation from the business community and residents, and applying for grants, all to further a campaign to clean up 23^rd Street and attract more people to its retail shops. The key to the program is the involvement of all stakeholders and collaboration with the City and other agencies. An alley behind Portumex restaurant has already been cleaned up and paved.

Darlene hopes to put into place a façade improvement program, to install street furniture and streetscapes, to slow down traffic and in other ways, make 23^rd Street an appealing destination for shopping and eating.