NEXT MEETING: April 24, 2020

State of the City

Mayor Tom Butt will share with us his annual State of the City report at this meeting. Should be interesting. It is obvious that the challenges we face at this time are unlike anything we’ve encountered in the past.

Or maybe not. Please see the Announcements, below.

 

For security reasons, our video conference meetings are by invitation only. The Zoom invitation will be sent to our members with the subject Richmond Rotary April 24 Invitation. If you didn’t get it last week, please check your spam. Rotary guests are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, request it by sending an email to info@richmondcarotary.org prior to our meeting on Friday.

MEETING OF April 17, 2020

Welcome

Announcements

  • Using Amazon’s wedding registry, we have set up a Richmond Rotary Community Project to purchase hygiene gift bags for homeless people in the Richmond area. Visit the registry here, to choose the items you want to donate, or just go to Amazon and search for “wedding registry”, then in the next search field, “Richmond Rotary.”

    You’ll see at the bottom of the box in which each item appears, an indication of how many units of that item are still needed. (Hand sanitizers were sold out when we checked. No surprise.)

    Just before completing the check out stage, you’ll be asked to select a shipping address. At the bottom of that page, you’ll see a section to add a new address. In that area, please enter:  Armor Locksmith Service 2801 Pinole Valley Road, Suite B, Pinole, CA 94564.

  • Do you know of an event you want your Richmond neighbors to know about? We will post it on our community calendar. During this “shelter in place” time maybe you know of some great online events you’d like to share with the general public—lectures, online meet-ups, or volunteer opportunities. You can submit your events quickly with this online form. Iris will post them quickly for you!
  • Ignoring the orders of the health department, bar owners in Richmond refused to shut down during the pandemic. So the local public health authority had police officers visit and close down every single bar in the city.

    If you had not hear that news, you can be excused. It did happen here, but the year was 1918. Read about this and more events from our city’s archives in the Richmond Museum of History blog, written by its director, and Rotarian, Melinda McCrary.

    Even if history doesn’t exactly repeat itself, we can definitely hear some strong echoes.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Hiroshima: Bridge to Forgiveness

Takashi Tanemori, a survivor of the 1945 atomic bomb attack in Hiroshima, recounted his story of recovery through forgiveness.


NEXT MEETING: April 17, 2020

Hiroshima: Bridge to Forgiveness

Eight year-old Takashi Tanemori was playing hide and seek when the atomic bomb devastated his home and family in Hiroshima. Today he believes that forgiveness is the ultimate solution to dismantle a nuclear bomb. For forty years Tanemori struggled with revenge. In 1985 he experienced an epiphany, in a profound transformation of the heart, realizing that forgiveness leads to peace.

He remembered his samurai father’s dying words: “the greatest way to avenge your enemy is by learning to forgive”. Tanemori’s own path to forgiveness is a testament to the power and redemptive force of forgiveness. He has reconciled with history and his own painful past.

Tanemori believes forgiveness is the way to overcome the darkness of the human heart, to turn enemy to friend, to make the world a safer, peaceful place.

 

For security reasons, our video conference meetings are by invitation only. The Zoom invitation will be sent to our members with the subject Richmond Rotary [DATE] Invitation. If you didn’t get it last week, please check your spam. Rotary guests are welcome. To receive the Zoom link, request it by sending an email to info@richmondcarotary.org prior to our meeting on Friday.

MEETING OF

Welcome

Announcements

  • The City of Richmond will host an Online Town Hall this Friday, April 17, on Covid-19. The mayor, city manager, and public safety officials will provide updates on the pandemic’s impact on services and response, and ideas on how the community can help during this crisis.
    You must register to attend. Please submit full name, email address, and questions to Ruben Hernandez Story at Ruben_Hernandez@ci.richmond.ca.us. The link will be provided upon RSVP. Submit questions by Thursday, April 16, 12 PM.
  • Do you know of an event you want your Richmond neighbors to know about? We will post it on our community calendar. During this “shelter in place” time maybe you know of some great online events you’d like to share with the general public—lectures, meetups, or even volunteer opportunities. You can submit your events quickly via this online form: https://bit.ly/rotary-rich-cal and Iris will get them posted for you!
  • This week’s Board meeting is Thursday, April 16 at noon. Contact President Jan for more info.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

The Need for US-Russia Rapprochement Today

Our guest speaker Sharon Tennison, discussed the “Need for US-Russia Rapprochement Today.” Although the nuclear threat each nation poses has dropped out of the national consciousness, the grave danger of nuclear war remains with us. Mr. Tennison offered her book, “The Power of Impossible Ideas: Ordinary Citizens’ Extraordinary Efforts to Avert International Crises,” free to Richmond Rotarians. If you are interested, please direct your request this week to jan@spokewise.com.


NEXT MEETING: April 10, 2020

The Need for US-Russia Rapprochement Today

Sharon Tennison, founder and President of the Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI), organizes citizen diplomacy initiatives between the U.S. and Russia. Ms. Tennison will discuss why the belief that Russia is America’s enemy must be re-examined and updated.

After 36 years of CCI’s work to avoid nuclear war and build constructive relations with Russia, the evidence is clear. CCI’s long history working across Russia’s 11 time zones shows that diplomacy rather than projecting conflict works amazingly well.

Ms. Tennison will co-lead a trip to Russia in September 2020 with Ambassador Jack Matlock where the group will visit 30 Russian cities in a “fact-finding” mission. You are welcome to apply and get an education not possible from the U.S.

 

We are again meeting online this Friday at 12:30 PM.
Jan will email the link for our Zoom session on Thursday. Watch for it.

MEETING OF

Welcome

Once again, our Happy and Sad Dollars span a couple of weeks. In reverse chronological order.

MARCH 28
Don was sad that former Richmond City Councilman and State Assemblyman Bob Campbell passed away on March 26. “Bob was a mentor to me and a dear friend. One of the real good guys.”

MARCH 30
Jan had many, many happy dollars in memory of her dad, Don Hardison, and his birthday on Architects Day at Richmond Rotary.

APRIL 3
Jon Lawlis reported that Lola has sad dollars for Ziggy.  ;-(

Nick was happy that so many members have taken to the new online meeting platform. “We have higher attendance today than we’ve had at most of our in-person meetings. And I can see and hear everyone better.”

Oscar had a happy dollar for the fact that he’s working from home and can grow his beard again.

Announcements

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

You should have already received this exciting news about a global opportunity to serve our health care workers on the frontlines of this pandemic—from your home. District Governor Tina Akins letter is below. This project was initiated by The Global Impact Group right here in District 5160 and our clubs are leading the country in this effort. Those who attended previous Rotary International Conventions and the Reno 4 way Fest District Conference last May were treated to examples of this group’s amazing skilled use of cutting edge technology to overcome enormous hurdles in all parts of the globe. Please consider volunteering and passing on this link: https://theglobalimpactgroup.org to your friends, family, and professional networks.
[showhide type=”letter” more_text=”Read DG Tina Akin’s letter” less_text=”Hide letter” hidden=”yes”]

To All Rotarians in District 5160,
I have an exceptional and extraordinary request of you, and all members in our district, to join the fight against COVID19. What if there was a way to help, from the safety of our homes, and make a real difference?

Our district is one of two districts leading in an extraordinary new effort, and your immediate participation is critical to its success. This program will be announced via a press release today (CNN, NYT, and other major coverage), and will be adopted by Rotary Clubs across the nation in the next few days.

The background is this: Two weeks ago, Rotarians in a local club engaged Rotary International to recruit 1 million volunteers in two weeks to sign up with Volunteer Surge, a new program that allows us to train online, for free, to become a Telehealth Worker, or a Community Health Worker. These volunteers will provide basic assistance, and will reduce suffering and save lives, locally and across the nation. How? By helping our health care providers to focus more of their attention where it is most needed.

TIME IS CRITICAL.
Please click here to learn more and decide how you, your friends, and family can participate. And share this link with others on Facebook, email, and other social media.

The world is watching, and we, as Rotarians, people of action, are now truly defined by our actions in this crisis.

With appreciation and thanks,
Tina

[/showhide]

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICHMOND ROTARY!

Richmond Rotary received Happy Birthday Greetings from the Rotary Club of San Francisco#2. They have invited our club to attend their Zoom meeting with RI President Mark Maloney tomorrow Tuesday, April 7 from 12pm to 1:30. Wear your Hawaiian shirt and Rotary pin! I’ll be there. Hope you can join me. See https://sfrotary.com/event/e-meeting—ri-president-mark-maloney/ Registration is required, and you would all register as guests and indicate your club name. Please join us and we can toast you from a distance on the occasion of your 100th anniversary.

Dora Dye
Secretary
Rotary Club of San Francisco

Richmond Rotary also received birthday greetings from Herb Behrstock of the UNA-USA East Bay Chapter. The UNA-USA was to provide wonderful pageantry at our Centennial Dinner in a shared celebration of the signing of the United Nations Charter 75 years ago in San Francisco. Herb wrote:

“Although plans to celebrate anniversaries this month and this year are not working out as foreseen, I wanted to remember the enormous efforts made for this weekend’s Rotary dinner program — along with regrets about its cancelation (or possibly deferral). And to send congratulations to you and your members for Richmond Rotary’s milestone anniversary made possible by the efforts of so many leaders over the current and past decades.”

Herb also noted: “As you likely know, the celebrations that were being planned in SF for UN75 were also regretably canceled … You and Rotarians might be interested to know that one activity which a small team of us is actively exploring would be to arrange the ‘traditional’ walk that’s occurred for major UN anniversaries in Muir Woods — where the delegates in SF traveled in May 1945 for their historic walk with some memorializing of FDR and bonding about visions of a peaceful future after the War, and principles to adopt in their Charter.”

This may become an event that Rotarians can also share – perhaps through a virtual meeting and walk through Muir Woods. Herb and Liliane will keep us informed of this exciting possibility.

Happy and Sad Dollars

Once again, our Happy and Sad Dollars span a couple of weeks. In reverse chronological order.

MARCH 28
Don was sad that former Richmond City Councilman and State Assemblyman Bob Campbell passed away on March 26. “Bob was a mentor to me and a dear friend. One of the real good guys.”

MARCH 30
Jan had many, many happy dollars in memory of her dad, Don Hardison, and his birthday on Architects Day at Richmond Rotary.

APRIL  3
Jon Lawlis reported that Lola has sad dollars for Ziggy. ;-(

Nick was happy that so many members have taken to the new online meeting platform. “We have higher attendance today than we’ve had at most of our in-person meetings. And I can see and hear everyone better.”

Oscar had a happy dollar for the fact that he’s working from home and can grow his beard again.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

Norm’s Nonsense

PROGRAM

Last Friday, Richmond Rotary recognized three area high school students whose essays on the Four-Way Test were judged by our club to be most outstanding. In a moderated discussion, Daniel Soberano, Jennifer Diaz Lopez and Sabrina Abdurakhmonova told us what inspired them to write about their topic, which Four-Way Test question they considered most important, and which Four-Way Test question they considered most challenging to apply.

You can read their essays here:

First place: Therapy, Mental Health, and the Four Way Test by Daniel Soberano, Salesian, Grade 12
Second place: An untitled essay by Jennifer Diaz Lopez, Richmond HS, Grade 12
Third place (tied): An untitled essay by Sabrina Abdurakhmonova, Middle College HS, Grade 9
Third place (tied):Taking Responsibility by Margaret Rosario, Middle College HS, Grade 10

Their understanding and application of the Four-Way Test is truly an inspiration! Special thanks to the Rotarians who carefully reviewed the pool of essays and shared constructive feedback with every student.