NEXT MEETING: May 15, 2015

Recent Developments in Indonesia

Don’t miss this special presentation by The Honorable Ardi Hermawan, appointed as Consul General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco on August 21, 2014. Consul General Hermawan arrived in San Francisco on November 10, 2014, and previously served as the Director of Protocol at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia in Jakarta from 2012–2014.  He has over 27 years of experience in foreign services, having served as Third Secretary of Political and Social Cultural Affairs at the Embassy of Indonesia in Paris, First Secretary for Political Affairs at the Embassy of Indonesia in Budapest,  and Minister Counselor for Political Affairs as well as Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Indonesia in Tokyo.  He also had various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Head of Section for Northern Europe I, Directorate of European Affairs, Head of Sub-Directorate, Southern Europe Affairs, Directorate of European Affairs and Head of Division at the Human Resources Bureau of the Ministry.

Consul General Hermawan completed his Bachelor of Arts in International Relations at the University of Airlangga, Indonesia, a Graduate-Diplome in International Relations at RSPaC-ANU-Canberra and a Master of Arts in International Relations at the Monash University, Australia.  He was born in Padang, West Sumatra and has three daughters with his wife, Yulina Puspasari.

MEETING OF May 8, 2015

Welcome

President Stoney called the meeting on time to the 24 Rotarians and their guests present today.

Sid’s thought for the day was a definition. “Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.” Some of you might have noticed Sid looked a little different… he wore a Red Nose in celebration of “Red Nose Day” which is on May 21^st (but Sid will be in Ireland on that day so he wore it today, very Irish!), established to raise awareness of kids in poverty.

Stoney welcomed new grandmother Pam Jones back from London, where she spent time with the newest member of the family, Penelope Lane (“Penny Lane”). Congratulations, Pam.

Stoney also acknowledged club anniversaries: Alan Blavins has been with the Richmond Rotary for 6 years this week. And it was only a year ago that Stacey Street graced our motley crew with her good-natured presence.

Visiting Rotarians

Neville Guard of San Ramon Valley was still confused by being singled out.

Rotarians with Guests

Jan Brown’s guess were Kathy Anderson & Byron Brown.
George Egan brought Ron Wilson as his guest.

Announcements

George Egan offered the remaining 4 tickets for dinner at for the Kennedy-Kings Scholarship Awards, held at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Concord, next Friday May 15th. 6-9pm.  The Richmond Rotary was a major donor to the scholarship program.

The Culinary Clash! will be held at Kitchen@812. (812 San Pablo Ave. Pinole) on May 20^th 2015 6-9pm. Tickets are $30 in advance, $ 40 at the door. For Tickets visit 2015culinaryclash.eventbrite.com

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Teen Moms gift bag assembly

This fun and productive hands-on event forged direct connections between our members and 34 high schools students who have become mothers. Jan Brown described the history of the project and its importance for the teen moms who receive the gift bags we assemble. She then introduced Kathy Anderson, Teen Parent Coordinator at the YMCA. Kathy helps educate young teens on parenting and keeps them in school.

Nick did an excellent Vanna White impression as he took us through the filling of the bags. There were fewer than 34 members present so those members—mostly women—who could quickly compose personalized letters of support had enough time to assemble second gift bags. The gifts were provided by Bert’s Bees (baby shampoo and skin care products), Doris Mitchell (books and stuffed animals), Dan Tanita (dental hygiene kits), and the Linus Project (baby blankets). Richmond Rotary paid for all of her materials. Thank you all.

Once the bags were filled and the letters of encouragement written (the challenging part for many of us), the completed gift bags were gathered up. Jan, Don, Herb and Normie delivered the bags to the teen moms the following Tuesday, May 12^th at Richmond High School.

Our thanks to Jan Brown who has deftly managed this highly successful project each year over the last decade. Thanks, Jan.

NEXT MEETING: May 8, 2015

Richmond Rotary’s Teen Moms Project

“A child’s future well-being is determined by age two. What his mother knows can improve his chances.” (The Rotarian, Nov. 2014).

This special Club meeting/workshop is now in its tenth year. The Teen Moms Project offers words of hope and encouragement to a teen mom. As West Contra Costa County’s youngest mothers struggle to stay in school while raising a family, Rotarians will pull together personalized care packages of needed baby supplies for youth enrolled in the Adolescent Parenting Program of WCCSD and the YMCA Infant Toddler Center of Richmond High School. Richmond Rotary is grateful to Burt’s Bees and Project Linus for their donations to this effort.

MEETING OF May 1, 2015

Welcome

President Stoney called the meeting to order and asked Jonathan Lawlis to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. He asked for a silent prayer for freedom, peace, and justice on Earth, as well as prayers for the poor people in Nepal. Sid Chauvin’s thought for the day was mostly personal: Old age is coming at a really bad time.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

• Liz Palmer was visiting from Oakland Rotary #3.
• Felix Hunzinger introduced Oscar Garcia, his guest for the last time (see below…)! Hmmm, Felix and Oscar sounds familiar…
• Markku Pelann noted he was seated at a table with all ladies whom he didn’t know! In addition to Liz from Oakland, Michelle Montakhab and Prapti Rana from Nutiva, guests of the speaker, introduced themselves.

Special Events

• We are delighted to officially welcome a new member to the Richmond Rotary, Oscar Garcia, civil engineer for Chevron. He was recommended by Felix Hunziker, and we look forward to having him participate as a member, and learning even more about him. Welcome, Oscar!
• Felix Hunziker finally earned his Blue Badge by sharing his “Who Am I?” with the club. Felix was born in upstate New York and moved to the Saratoga Hills in the ‘70s with his 3 brothers. It was incredibly rural then, so Felix was a rebel who grew up hunting squirrels and hanging out with the tumbleweeds. He got into construction after high school and became a carpenter. In 1988 he went to Switzerland where he felt he really grew up doing an apprenticeship in framing. When he returned to the states he was ready for something different and studied architecture, graduating in 1996 with a BA in arts and architecture, and focusing on residential design for the next three years. He started working for HTK Architects in 1999 and has worked there ever since. Felix and his wife, also an architect, have lived in Richmond since 2003, and he is very active in the community. He is a self-described “gun nut” and Libertarian, who also serves on the Police Commission for the City of Richmond with David Brown. A very comprehensive and interesting overview – thanks for sharing, Felix, and congrats on the Blue Badge!

Announcements

• President Stoney Stonework noted that Nepal had been hit by a 7.9 earthquake over the past weekend and 6200 people lost their lives with thousands more injured. Pam Jones suggested the Club raise money for a shelter box, a self-contained unit that helps up to 10 people survive after a disaster for 2 weeks. Members generously raised their hands and the $1,000 for one shelter box was raised very quickly!
• Prez Stoney announced that Martinez Rotary was having their Century Bike Ride on May 9^th and everyone was invited.
• Henry Moe said that the 24th annual Salesian High School Golf Tournament on Monday, May 4, at the Richmond Country Club was sold out, but dinner tickets are still available for $25 each. For more info, visit the event web page . Proceeds support the Salesian College Preparatory Scholarships and Tuition Grants Program for students in need.
• Prez Stoney reminded everyone that Kitchen@812 was hosting their Culinary Clash on May 20^th at their facility and encouraged people to attend.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Revolutionizing the Way the World Eats – One Coconut at a Time

Stacey Street introduced Danielle Herrerias, Manager of People & Culture for Nutiva since 2012. Danielle worked in HR for Read Goods Solar, as well as various management positions for a real estate consultancy, Japanese developer and mortgage companies. She has an MA in City Planning from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and an AB in Biology from Stanford. She lives in Marin with her husband and 3 kids and is an avid runner and biker.

Danielle’s presentation, “Revolutionizing the Way the World Eats – One Coconut at a Time” began with the history and origin of Nutiva, and its CEO/Founder, John Roulac, who became interested in the environment when he learned that nuclear waste was dumped 9 miles from his home. He began his life journey: to study natural systems and discover practical solutions to pressing environmental challenges. John is recognized for his expertise on whole foods, organic farming, natural healing, hemp agriculture, forestry, permaculture, recycling and composting, and the conservation of water and energy. He began Nutiva with 500 hemp seed protein bars, and today its core values of Innovation, Purity, Community and Well-Being are embodied in all the company does. Nutiva now offers a range of certified organic products based on the ancient superfoods hemp, coconut, chia and red palm. Danielle shared some details about these, including that coconut oil makes up more than 60% of all sales now that people understand all the great health benefits, that hemp and chia are incredibly high in protein and Omega-3s, and Nutiva uses red palm fruit, not kernels, that don’t harm orangutan territory.

Nutiva has been on the fastest growing companies list for 6 years in a row and has tripled in size in the last few years. They are proud to give back to the community, having donated over $2 million to date to sustainable agriculture and other environmental organizations. She showed a short video demonstrating their relationship with TRUPP (The Remember Us People Project) and its founder Barry Dugar (http://nutiva.com/community/outreach/) She noted that most of their employees are based in Richmond, where they moved in 2012. Nutiva is focused on international growth, especially China and Europe, and have a goal of $200 million in sales in FY2016. Danielle and her colleagues also shared some tasty coconut treats with all in attendance!

NEXT MEETING: May 1, 2015

Revolutionizing the Way the World Eats – One Coconut at a Time

Danielle Herrerias, Manager of People & Culture at Nutiva, will discuss Nutiva’s grass roots mission to revolutionize how the world eats with its pure, organic superfoods. In mid-2012, the company moved to Richmond. Responding to a rapidly expanding desire for nutrient-dense foods, Nutiva’s growth has more than tripled in the last 2-1/2 years. The company believes in sharing its success with its community donating 1% of sales to sustainable agriculture and other environmental causes. Nutiva has partnered with local organizations to plant fruit trees in Richmond schools and run a youth basketball camp. As part of the People & Culture team at Nutiva, Danielle has played a key role recruiting and onboarding new employees, developing a competitive benefits program, and training and developing employees.

Prior to Nutiva, Danielle was HR Manager for Real Goods Solar in San Rafael. She earned her A.B. from Stanford University in social sciences and a Masters in City Planning from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

MEETING OF April 24, 2015

Welcome

President Stoney Stonework called the meeting to order at the Richmond Country Club and Tom Waller led the pledge of allegiance. Stoney asked for a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on earth. Sid Chauvin provided this thought for the day: “Even duct tape cannot fix “stupid” but it can sure muffle the sound.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

• Alan Baer introduced his guest, William Zeier, Executive Director of the El Sobrante Boys and Girls Club.
• Jim Young introduced his guests, Kathe Kiehn and Heinz Lankford, both of whom have been deeply involved over the years with the Masquers Playhouse (the subject of this meeting’s speaker program).
• Sid Chauvin introduced his guests, wife Zelpha and relative Merrilee Bass, who lives in Hawaii when not visiting here.

Special Events

• New member Richard (Ric) Ambrose did his “Who am I?” Ric was born into an Italian family of eight kids near Pittsburg, PA. Being the only lefty in the family, Ric figured he wasn’t bound for the priesthood (hmm, not proper to do a sign of the cross with the left hand?). The family soon moved to nearby Ohio. Stoney wondered if the Ohio move enabled Ric to become a true-blue “Buckeye” fan but it seems the Oregon Ducks were later to claim that lifelong allegiance. Becoming an artist was Ric’s passion so at a young age he took a correspondence course through the Minneapolis Art Institute. Summer travels enabled him to volunteer at a major art center in Colorado. He went to college in Oregon (those Ducks), where he met his wife, who became an educator. Their two kids are also Oregon alums. Ric’s 30-year career as an art curator took him and his family to many places, including Charleston, WV, where a major art exhibit involved a collection valued at over $150 million. Ric and his family were called to the Bay Area a few years ago when his wife got a great job with the Lawrence Hall of Science in Berkeley. And now Richmond benefits from having Ric as the Executive Director of the Richmond Art Center. Richmond Rotary also benefits from having Ric as a new member. Welcome aboard, Ric!
• Jon Lawlis presented Jim Young with his “Paul Harris Plus Six” pin for having donated over the years more than $7,000 to the Rotary Foundation. Congratulations (and thank you), Jim!

Announcements

• Henry Moe announced that the Richmond Rotary Club will once again be delivering dinner for RotaCare volunteers on Tuesday evenings in May. At the time of the meeting, May 19 and 26 are still open for sign up. Check with Henry.
• Jan Brown announced that the annual Teen Mom gift bag preparation will take place at the Richmond Rotary meeting on May 8. A very nice thank-you acknowledgment letter was received from Mary Sue Erickson from the Diablo Valley chapter of a women’s group that hand-makes the baby blankets that are used in the Teen Mom gift bags. Mary Sue said she and the other ladies are delighted to participate in the worthwhile project by making the blankets.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Masquers Playhouse: Gearing Up for the Next 60 Years

Stacey Street introduced David Cole, a 30-year book publisher and currently President of the Board of Directors for the award-winning Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the Masquers Playhouse has been a model of a successful, independent community theater. With more than 100 members and no paid employees, volunteers build the sets, sew the costumes, sweep the floors, and work the box office – all the while producing five fully-staged plays a year, running a summer program for youth, producing concert-version musicals and providing live theater to Bay Area residents.

David talked about the challenges of operating a small live-theater operation in the Internet age where people have an overwhelming variety of entertainment choices. What keeps it all going (thank goodness) is the wonderfully simple fact that there are lots of people who want this choice among their options. There’s really something for everybody, whether it be a drama, comedy, or musical. According to David, the most popular Masquers play of all time was “The Full Monty”. Maybe it’s time for an encore?

In an effort to remain relevant and to give back to the community, the Masquers Playhouse three-week summer program for youth ages 9-14 is really special. Called “Stage One”, the program involves full immersion for the kids into all facets of live theater from writing plays to designing and building sets, doing make-up, running the lights, and building self-assurance and the ability to present oneself effectively.

David reminded us how important it is to involve youth in the visual and performing arts, not just STEM. (As a related quick aside, your Scribe offers this quote from Dana Gioia, then Chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, who said in his commencement address eight years ago to Stanford graduates, “The purpose of arts education is not to produce more artists, though that is a byproduct. The real purpose of arts education is to create complete human beings capable of leading successful and productive lives in a free society.” It’s good to remember that beneficial innovation needed in all aspects of life depends on tapping into and releasing the imagination and creativity available in all people.)

We’re all encouraged to support the Masquers Playhouse by at least purchasing tickets to their live theater performances. But there are other ways to support the organization, too. Our own Alan Blavins built and painted sets used in the recent Masquers performance of the British comedy, “There Goes the Bride”.

NEXT MEETING: April 24, 2015

Masquers Playhouse: Gearing Up for the Next 60 Years

Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, the award-winning Masquers Playhouse in Point Richmond has been a model of a successful community theater. With more than 100 members and no paid employees, volunteers build the sets, sew the costumes, sweep the floors, and work the box office—all the while producing five fully-staged plays a year, running a summer program for youth, producing concert-version musicals and providing live theater to Bay Area residents. In the 21st century, however, all this is not enough. Masquers Board President David Cole will talk about the theater’s plans for the future and how this small local arts organization plans to stay relevant for many years to come.

MEETING OF

Welcome

President Stoney called the meeting to order and asked Jon Lawlis to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Sid Chauvin’s thought for the day was: The biggest lie we tell ourselves is “I don’t need to write that down, I can remember it.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

• Felix Hunziker introduced his guest, Oscar Garcia, who really, really likes our club!
• Jon Lawlis was delighted to have his sweetie, Darlene Quinville as his guest.
• Jerry Feagley introduced his guest Jim Mellander. He noted that Jim is interested in joining the club so asked everyone to treat him nicely.
• Everyone was happy to see former member Paul Allen at the meeting.

Special Events

We are delighted to officially welcome a new member to the Richmond Rotary, Richard “Ric” Ambrose, Executive Director of the Richmond Art Center. He was recommended by Jan Brown and Don Lau, and we look forward to having him participate as a member, and learning even more about him.

Announcements

• Alan Baer announced that the Rotary District Assembly meeting is next weekend, Saturday April 25^th in Vallejo at Solano Community College. He encouraged everyone to attend and to RSVP. It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn more about Rotary, and he noted that one outcome is having a handy “elevator speech” about Rotary and what it does.
• President Stoney Stonework announced that Peres Elementary School is presenting the “It Takes a Village” celebration on May 27^th at 1 p.m. Attendees, all people who have volunteered or contributed to the school, will visit different classrooms and will then join teachers and staff for a lunch and special presentations. Stoney invited members to join him for the event.
• Prez Stoney next announced that the Bocce Ball tournament is coming up on June 20^th. Pam Jones will have details soon.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Cooking up American Dreams out of Kitchen@812

Stacey Street introduced Raquel Toledo, Communications and Program Manager for Business Development Center. Raquel previously worked at the RYSE Youth Center as Development Director for two years, and prior to that was Development Director for the San Mateo County Historical Association for five years. Stacey noted that Raquel is also a Herculean (she lives in Hercules) who loves bacon and donuts, she learned the most about communicating with people while serving tables at a restaurant, and, most important, she is the Mom of two energetic boys, aged 2 and 4, who believe she has super powers (and Raquel intends to keep it that way….).

Raquel provided an overview of the Business Development Center, a nonprofit agency founded in 1995 committed to helping entrepreneurs open and operate successful businesses. The BDC’s clients are primarily low-income, minority, and women entrepreneurs who benefit from individualized services, including business consulting, entrepreneurial training, assistance in securing financing, marketing support, website set-up and loan application support. They do this with help from community partners who provide not only funding but also in-kind services, such as Mechanics Bank, Hack the Hood, SparkPoint Contra Costa and Chase.

Kitchen@812 (named such since it’s located at 812 San Pablo Avenue in Pinole) is one of the BDC’s newer programs, a non-profit food business incubator enabling entrepreneurs to turn passions into profits by helping launch and develop food ventures. It provides 3,400 sq/ft of shared-use commercial kitchen space with 24-hour access to a flexible prep area, work stations, standard commercial cooking equipment, cold storage space and bilingual business support services. Currently 18 food artisans share the space, including caterers, bakers and food vendors, and Raquel highlighted some success stories. Salsa For All Seasons now has its salsa in all local Whole Foods, and Raquel had samples of this delicious salsa for all in attendance! 40 food businesses have been launched in total since Kitchen@812 opened. One of the main fundraisers for Kitchen@812 is the Culinary Clash, a food competition and festival, a la “Chopped” on Food Network, with teams comprised of a chef, corporate sponsor, community leader and youth chef (last year Richmond Rotary’s own Heather Kulp competed!), and Raquel showed a video from the 2014 Clash (https://vimeo.com/102069328). She encouraged all to attend the 2015 Culinary Clash on Wednesday, May 20^th, 6-9 p.m. –a really fun and tasty event! Visit 2015culinaryclash.eventbrite.com for tickets.

NEXT MEETING: April 17, 2015

Cooking up American Dreams out of Kitchen@812

The Business Development Center (BDC) is a nonprofit agency providing free business assistance to  aspiring low-income, minority and women entrepreneurs. One of its core programs includes Kitchen@812 – a food business incubator program cultivating East Bay food start-ups from the ground up, providing food business training, resources and access to an affordable shared commercial kitchen space. As the Communications and Program Manager, Raquel Toledo is responsible for events and programs that promote BDC services and encourage community support for aspiring entrepreneurs and small business development in Contra Costa County. Raquel will share plans for upcoming events that support Kitchen@812.

MEETING OF April 10, 2015

Welcome

President Stoney Stonework called the meeting to order at the Richmond Country Club and Tom Waller led the pledge of allegiance. Stoney asked for a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on earth. Sid Chauvin provided this thought for the day: “If God had wanted us to touch our toes, He would have put them on our knees.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

• Jon Lawlis introduced his daughter, Alyssa, who is visiting from SoCal.
• Liliane Koziol introduced her husband Ken along with good friends Josiane Siegfried and Willie Bennett. Liliane also asked each of her 15 other guests (UC Berkeley students and visiting scholars from around the world) to introduce themselves. What a terrific group and a real pleasure for all of us to welcome them! (With a couple of visiting scholars being from South Korea, Herb Cole pointed out that Rotary International’s annual convention will be in Seoul, South Korea, in 2016, after being in Sao Paulo, Brazil this year.)
• Mac Lingo joined us from Berkeley Rotary.

Announcements

• Alan Baer announced that Rotary District 5160 will be holding the annual District Assembly on Saturday, April 25, at Solano Community College in Vallejo starting at 8:00am (free coffee and donuts to start the day). Register for the meeting (including free lunch and meeting over by 2pm) at the District’s website.
• Stoney reminded everyone about the 24th annual Salesian High School Golf Tournament being held on Monday, May 4, at the Richmond Country Club. For more info, visit the event web page to sign up. Proceeds from the event are used to support the Salesian College Preparatory Scholarships and Tuition Grants Program for students in need.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Apropos of Charlie Hebdo: The French Satirical Spirit

Liliane Koziol introduced the program speaker, Francois Miglio, an affable artist from southern France who lives in the Bay Area and exhibits his paintings widely. Besides doing his artistic work, he spends a lot of time observing social and cultural happenings. He occasionally expresses his understanding of what he has witnessed through satirical drawings that include decorative, politically incorrect wine labels.

At today’s meeting, Francois undertook to share his thoughts on the January 2015 murders at the Paris office of Charlie Hebdo, the French satirical weekly newspaper. While his spoken English was not always crystal clear, for sure it was much better than what most of us could do with French.

There are always beginnings and the one Francois started with was the late 2004 murder by a Muslim radical of a Danish film maker who had released a short film criticizing the treatment of women in Islam. That event unleashed a string of incidents, demonstrations, and protests around the world over the following years that Francois thoroughly chronicled with supportive slides.

For Francois, the Charlie Hebdo murders on French soil in January of this year deeply shocked and destabilized the French psyche in ways not fully understood even here in America where we sometimes think we’re alone in treasuring freedom of expression.

In fact, there are very deep roots to freedom of speech in France going back to the mid-1700’s when official restrictions on “blasphemy” (including irreverence and sacrilege) were abolished. To speak out, to be able to contest and challenge – to fight against – every source of power with different ideas is seen as a most fundamental French value. To be offended by an idea (like a caricature of the prophet Mohammed) is one thing but then to kill because of that offense is unspeakably inhuman and inexcusable. That’s the point.

Many thanks to Francois for coming to share his views with Richmond Rotary. For those of us who were at the meeting, Francois passed around one of the almost 8 million special-edition Charlie Hebdo newspapers that were published in the days after the January killings (prior typical print run was about 60,000 papers). Francois’ daughter in Paris waited in line overnight to get a copy which she sent to her dad and which we got to hold. Je suis Charlie (“I am Charlie”).