Yearly Archives: 2016
NEXT MEETING: May 13, 2016Pogo Park in Richmond's Iron Triangle Neighborhood
Toody Maher, founder and executive director, will provide an update on Pogo Park in Richmond. Toody is an incredibly successful inventor, entrepreneur, and developer, as well as a fiercely passionate community supporter. After graduating from U.C. Berkeley in 1983, Toody secured the distribution rights to Swatch Watch in the 11 Western States. Toody pioneered Swatch’s product launch, set up the regional office, and helped drive sales in her region from $0 in 1983 to $30 million in 1986. She next started Fun Products, which created the world’s first clear telephone with lights. In 1990, Toody was named Inc. Magazine’s “Entrepreneur of the Year.” Toody next became Business Director at Juma Ventures, a San Francisco nonprofit providing jobs and job training to at-risk youth in Bayview-Hunters Point. To employ 200 youth, Toody worked with the San Francisco Giants and ’49ers to start a Ben & Jerry’s/Tully’s coffee concession business at Candlestick and PacBell Park. The business she started is now a highly successful national model. After Juma, Toody invented, developed, and patented different products that she later sold or licensed to others. She worked as a consultant on a project for a research institute at UCLA, helping translate their scientific, evidence-based research into formats that people can actually use. During this project, when she was working on how to increase overall health and well-being in communities, she realized how invaluable safe and vibrant parks could be to children, families; this led her to found Pogo Park in 2007. MEETING OF May 6, 2016WelcomeOn an overcast day, Prez Alan welcomed all to the “Happiest Rotary Club in Richmond” and Henry Moe led us in the Pledge. Prez Alan asked for Peace on Earth and Sid Chauvin offered “Never, ever go to bed angry!! Stay awake all night, if you have to, and plot your revenge!” Visiting Rotarians and GuestsJan Brown had as her guests: Byron Brown; Kathy Anderson and Rhonda Harris. Jon Lawlis was with Darlene Quenville. AnnouncementsFormer Richmond Rotarian Rhonda Harris, who we were all very glad to see, thanked those who helped fix up the Veteran’s Home in Richmond on April 30. She heard comments like “I can see in the kitchen now that it is bright white.” The Home helps veterans with housing, education, health care and legal services and is a one stop center for help. RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAM
Jan Brown gave a brief history of the Teen Parent program which started in 1996 with the opening of a center at Kennedy High (which has closed because today there are fewer teen pregnancies) and later at Richmond High. Kathy Anderson, Program Coordinator of the program for the Y, gave a brief overview of the program. The gift bag program was started 11 years ago by Rhonda Harris. Jan gave thanks to Dan Tanita for dental supplies, Burt’s Bees for baby products, Project Linus for handmade blankets and to fellow Rotarians Nick Despota, Doris Mitchell and Mae Saechao for added help and contributions. Nick Despota gave everyone careful instructions on how to package things into the gift bags (I think most were listening). The most important item to go in was a personal note from the Rotarian who assembled it. Thanks to Jan, Byron, and Nick for organizing the gift bags. The 33 gift bags were delivered to grateful moms the following Monday, May 9th. Byron, Jan’s official event photographer (and husband), snapped the pix you see on the right. - The Menehune, “Rotating Editor” |
NEXT MEETING: May 6, 2016Richmond Rotary's Teen Moms Project
Now in its eleventh year, the Teen Moms Project offers words of encouragement to young women at Richmond high schools. We back up those words with gift bags stuffed with baby care essentials—diapers, blankets, baby shampoo and lotion, and more. Now it’s our turn. Please be sure to attend this gratifying –and fun!– annual project meeting. MEETING OF April 29, 2016WelcomePresident Alan Blavins called the meeting to order, asked a club member from the back of the room to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and asked Dan Tanita to lead us in a silent prayer for peace. Sergeant-at-Arms Sid Chauvin offered the quote of the day: “If you don’t cuss while driving, then you are not paying attention to the road at all.” Visiting Rotarians and GuestsGeorge Egan’s guest was Marge Bottari Don Lau brought Candy Souza Jerry Feagley’s guests were J.R. Griffin and George Lyon Nico Veran brought John Ziesenhenne Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMThe Y Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Program Chair extraordinaire Stacey Street introduced the legendary Don Lau as our speaker. Don is the Executive Vice President of the YMCA of the East Bay. The Y started out as the Richmond Youth Center and eventually joined forces with other local Ys to become the YMCA of the East Bay. There are now over 40 different locations for families to enjoy. Since 1983 when Don came on board, the Y has expanded to include childcare (7 sites, 350 children per day), mental health services (34 counselors and 16 interns to serve 670 children per day) the expanded learning program (1,000 students per day), a child development center, and a new location at Hilltop. The Y also partners with community programs including the holiday toy drive, Rosie’s Girls, and RPAL. Learn more about the YMCA of the East Bay. Then help Zoe become President of the United States. The YMCA isn’t just a gym, it is a community. - Shana Bagley Howe, your rotating Scribette |
NEXT MEETING: April 29, 2016The Y Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
After working for the YMCA for 33 years, Richmond Rotarian Don Lau will be retiring in December 2016. The West Contra Costa Y has been serving this community since 1918. What started out as a single facility on Macdonald Avenue has grown into a $15 million dollar operation, with 470 full and part-time staff providing services at 40 sites daily. The Y is for youth development, healthy living and social responsibility and provides a wide variety of youth and family programs that focus on those core objectives. Don will talk about the Y’s past, its current role and its future in our community. MEETING OFWelcomeAlan Baer is the presiding over the meeting in President Alan Blavins absence. Tom Waller was really happy to be here and to lead the pledge. George Egan led the moment of silence for Peace in the world. Sid’s thought for the day: Don’t die a virgin. Seriously there are terrorists waiting for you up there. Visiting Rotarians and GuestsJon Lawlis’s “guest” was Darlene Quenville. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMThe Tanita family experience during the WWII Internment of Japanese-Americans
Our speaker was our very own Richmond Rotary legend Dan Tanita. Dan spoke about Executive Order 9066, which ordered the internment of the Japanese Americans on the West Coast, regardless of citizenship, during World War II. Fred Korematsu was one Japanese American who fought the internment and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court in a 6-3 vote held that the internment was constitutional. It was not until 1983 that the United States government finally cleared Fred Korematsu of the charges for not voluntarily going to the internment camps. Dan was involved in the committee to change Portola School to the Fred Korematsu School. After many meetings and explanations of who Fred was the school board approved the name change. Dan also spoke about his family. Dan’s grandfather was a citrus farmer but after attended a revival he converted to Christianity and at 37 decided to become a Methodist Minister. He also talked about his uncle who never shook the idea of being arrested even though he was an American citizen and was attending college at the time of the internment. He was shocked that the Japanese would attack Pearl Harbor and saw the reaction of the American government to intern Japanese American citizens as fear and racism. He would equate the reaction to Muslims in Europe after the attacks recently there to the internment. The college his uncle attended contacted him at 86 years old and offered an honorary degree to him since he had been affected by the internment and he accepted it with honor. Dan also told us that the executive order was only for the West Coast and his family was not directly affected since they lived in Arizona. He also mentioned that there was a big population of Japanese Americans living in Hawaii but there was no internment camps started there because the economy would have been greatly affected if the camps were started there. - Henry Moe, Rotating Editor |
NEXT MEETING: April 22, 2016Dan Tanita's family's experience during the WWII Internment of Japanese-Americans
After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 Japanese Americans became the most accessible targets to ventilate hysteria and hate. Amidst the turbulence, President Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066 removing Japanese from the West Coast and hauling them away to interment camps in Arizona, Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. Richmond Rotarian Dan Tanita will discuss his own family history in California and Arizona and how his family endured the trauma of the war. Many of his family members were interned in camps and endured the indignity of being American Citizens who looked like the enemy. Dan will also talk about the experience of racism then and how we need to control our fear and hysteria during these uncertain times. MEETING OF April 15, 2016WelcomeOn “not-Tax Day” Prez Alan called the meeting to order and asked Jon “Kahuna” Lawlis to lead us in the Pledge and offered us a moment of silence for peace on earth. Sid Chauvin offered the following “Like what you do. If you don’t like what you do, do something else.” Paul Harvey Visiting Rotarians and GuestsJon Lawlis had as his guest Darlene Quinville, David Brown had as his guest Eddie Aubrey and Sid Chauvin’s guest was former Rotarian Joe Kelman. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMHappiness at Work
Stacey Street introduced our speaker Pam Rich who is the Director and Founder of Rich Solutions. Rich Solutions is an organization development firm that promotes strategic thinking that enables organizations to have happy, engaged and productive employees. She works on a happiness triangle that includes Organization, Individual and Team. Her approach to happiness involves Positive motions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA). She explained each of the PERMA components which if followed will lead to happy and productive employees. Editor’s note: Prez Alan explained the marks on his head…ask him for details, although there are second opinions. - The Menehune “Rotating Editor” |
NEXT MEETING: April 15, 2016Happiness at Work
The research is clear – employees who are happy at work are more productive, are absent less and stay in their jobs longer. The bottom line is that happy employees improve the bottom line. But what makes for happiness? And what makes for happiness in the workplace? This interactive session:
Pamela Rich is the Director and Founder of Rich Solutions, an organization development firm that promotes strategic thinking, equitable systems and sustainable change as well as happy, engaged employees. She is a Happiness at Work facilitator. Pam holds a BA from Brown University and an MA in Organization Development from Sonoma State University.
No Flywheel Notes this WeekThis week’s Flywheel comes to you a day late and some thousand words short of content. For good reason. Our on-time-leader among the scribes, Tom Waller, suffered a heart attack last Saturday morning. Right now he’s fine, at home and recuperating as you read this. Tom was eager to soldier through it, get out of the hospital, go home and resume life as usual—including hammering out the Flywheel notes by midday Tuesday. Wisely, he decided that he had plenty to manage adjusting to the changes. Best wishes for a speedy recovery, Tom. MEETING OFWelcomeAnnouncementsRecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAM
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