NEXT MEETING: September 11, 2020

UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGs)
Roger Eaton, Voices of Humanity

The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) need more recognition, and the original goals of the UN, peace disarmament and human rights, as put forward in the UN Charter, signed in San Francisco in 1945 are part of the larger package. Humanity has overstepped nature’s bounds, with global warming and the loss of wildlife topping the list. A concerted effort to achieve the SDGs by 2030 is our best hope of averting major disaster. But how? The nations do not trust each other and therefore are not cooperating as they must to achieve the SDGs.

Imagine if Facebook could list the top-liked posts from the last 30 days. Everyone interested in global issues would read those top posts and the result would be a heartfelt global consciousness. Voices of Humanity does that!

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Join us for the Richmond Rotary’s Community Services Team Blood Drive on Wednesday, September 9 from 10am to 3pm at the Richmond Parkway YMCA (formerly known as the Hilltop YMCA), 4300 Lakeside Drive, Richmond CA 94806. Volunteers still needed to assist with the afternoon welcome center and canteen for food service. Contact Don Lau by email or 510-813-5170 if you would like to volunteer.
• The second Richmond Rotary International Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1st at 3:30pm. Reach out to Norm Lundberg by email for the agenda and materials
• New member Joshua Rosales was inducted by his sponsor, Don Lau
• Please note, we will not be meeting on Friday, September 4 to honor Labor Day and recognize the American labor movement and the works and contributions of laborers to the development and achievements of the United States.
• If you haven’t paid your Rotary dues yet, please do so now! Visit our website and use the PayPal button in the lower right hand column. Thanks!

RECOGNITIONS AND HAPPY/SAD DOLLARS

• Oscar Garcia started off the recognitions with Horace Stonework, better known as Stoney. Stoney shared his series of special days in August: his birthday (which is the same as his father’s birthday), his wedding anniversary on the 15th, and his mother’s birthday on the 19th. Since we were meeting on the day of his birthday, the club joined together in singing Happy Birthday over the Zoom call.
• Jon Lawlis acknowledged his upcoming birthday on August 30th.
• Sidney Chauvin was sad not to be meeting in person.
• Stacey Street was thankful to Jan Brown for covering the Rotary President duties during her upcoming wedding and honeymoon.
• Jan Brown requested that the club share their experiences with distance learning and how their family members are adjusting to the new paradigm

LAST WEEK’S PROGRAM

August 28th Program – Pierre Thompson introduced Trina Jackson, Team Lead for the Richmond GARE Team.

Trina reviewed the history of the approval by the Richmond City Council to evaluate the Government Alliance on Racial Equity program and define goals and actions for implementing a GARE Team in the city of Richmond. They used knowledge transfer tools like a speaker series on the history of racism and an implicit bias workshop to fine tune their message into tangible objectives.

Their plan was developed, presented and adopted by the City Council in 2018. The objectives identified include listening to the community for priorities and reaching out to at-risk populations, creating a hot line in April that helped 300 residents get information and access to services. To address the impact of the murder of George Floyd, healing circles were created as a safe space for City of Richmond employees to talk openly about their work environment and racial injustice in America. Employees were taught coping skills, how to support fellow employees, and given a reading list of additional resources.

The all volunteer GARE Team supports dismantling laws that maintain systemic racism, mentoring children and adults from under represented populations on participating in the political process, service organizations, and assuming leadership roles in the community.

Their end goal is to prioritize equity for all and create a genuine equality movement, as stated by Martin Luther King Jr.’s grand daughter at the Commemorative March yesterday.

During Q&A, Norm asked about the current community partners and expected partnership scope with Richmond Rotary. Trina noted that they have relationships with Healthy Richmond and Richmond Neighborhood Services and promised to share their plan and find out how we overlap in goals.