NEXT MEETING: July 29, 2016

Generating Solutions to Ensure West Contra Costa Students Thrive

Educator and Richmond native Natalie Walchuk will discuss how GO Public Schools strives to give every child in West Contra Costa a quality education and prepare them for work in the twenty-first century. The organization supports a coalition of students, families, educators, and community allies united around generating solutions to ensure that every West Contra Costa student thrives. Together this coalition works to develop community leadership, enact practice and policy shifts, and ultimately improve student learning outcomes.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Alan Baer reminded everyone about the A’s game on Saturday, July 23rd. There will be fireworks after the game and a tailgate party before. The game starts at 6:00 p.m.
• David Brown shared that Mark Howe and Shana Bagley are approaching Hawaii with an extraordinarily fast time in the Pacific Cup race.

MEETING OF

Welcome

In Josh Surowitz’s absence, Alan Blavins presided. He called the meeting to order and asked Henry Moe to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. Alan then asked for a moment of silence for world peace. Sid had a thought for the day from Charles de Gaulle, “I have come to the conclusion that politics is too serious a matter to be left to politicians.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Sid brought Joe Kelman, a regular and welcome guest.

Recognitions and Happy and Sad Dollars

• Alan Baer and his wife celebrated their 25^th anniversary with a shrug and dinner out.
• Oscar Garcia celebrated his birthday but didn’t reveal his age.
• Henry Moe was happy for a few days vacation in Tahoe.
• Hank Covell was happy to announce that his surgery went well, and he is on the mend.

PROGRAM

The Cruelest Crime - Acid Attacks

Our speaker was Joe Doser, an Environmental Health Specialist. He addressed the problem of acid attacks, a phenomenon he described as an extreme form of domestic violence. Worldwide there are about 1,500 such attacks a year, though the reporting and recordkeeping likely underestimate the problem. Most such attacks occur in poor countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Uganda are the most common). The victims are primarily women, and the face is the target. The attacks are disfiguring. They often cause blindness, and they are frequently fatal. Because such attacks take place in extremely poor areas, victims rarely have access to swift medical care.

Doser pointed out that there are several international organizations dedicated to serving the victims of acid attacks. He asked Rotarians to visit the websites and share information about the subject. He alo announced his willingness to speak to any group, large or small, on the topic. He provided a handout that included the following resources: Acid Survivors Trust International (acidviolence.org) and Center for Rehabilitation of Survivors of Acid and Burns Violence (ceresav.org). There is also a link to an organization that is helping the child acid victim whose photo moved him to this work (childfoundation.org).

- David Cole, Scribe of the Day