COG – August Meeting Report
August 25: Club Reacquaintance Session. In the spirit of both fellowship and vocation, each attending Rotarian spent a few minutes sharing why each person joined Rotary, why they remain in Rotary, what they do for a living, and how we can help them achieve either professional or personal goals.
What we learned:
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Dwight and Jerome have been master recruiters for the club over the years. Of the thirty people present, these gents brought in three people each.
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People join Rotary for a hundred different reasons (though many referenced a “free lunch” got them started down the road to membership!)
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People stay in Rotary for the same reasons: Friendships, mutual support and being able to share the opportunity to work together to make Castro Valley a better place.
We need to keep supporting each other in every way, especially in the spirit of the Four-Way Test!
We had an unusual slate of meetings this August, with an eclectic set of activities.
Recognition:
Birthdays: Virginia Degner, Charles Landmesser, Bob Crossett, Bernie Kempen, Carol Wikle
Anniversaries: Mark and Leslie Poniatowski, Cliff and Billie Sherwood
Speakers or Activities:
August 4: Our own Castro Valley Rotarian and author Virginia Degner gave a talk about how to start a Memoir project, and how to keep it manageable to keep it from becoming too much to finish.
Some highlights of her advice (which was a condensed version of her Castro Valley Adult School Writing Course memoir session):
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Write it in blocks – Don’t worry about chronology, just start capturing stories “on paper”. You can piece together a narrative later. You don’t have to stick to a chronology, either. Bounce back and forth!
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Don’t try to capture everything – Share what you want to have remembered the most. Think about specific family or personal events that you would want the next generation to remember.
Virginia has already written a memoir, using letters her father sent her, so she had some very practical advice to give us!
August 11: Castro Valley High School Interact Club officers gave the club a presentation about their accomplishments last year, and their plans for this year. These were very inspiring young adults to listen to and talk to. It is gratifying to have such talented and motivated people connected to Rotary. We like our chances if these people, and people like them, will be taking the reins of leadership from us.
August 18: The annual Rotary Family Picnic. We once again spent a wonderful evening sharing great food, intriguing games and delightful conversation with our fellow Rotarians, our families, and some invited friends. The weather cooperated, and Cliff and the Grill Crew cooked up some wonderful beef, veggies and salad. Carol and Dawn supplied the beverages, and Heidi and Margie ran the games (for kids and adults.)
August 24: Back-to-School Backpack Project – A gang of Rotarians assembled 100 backpacks, filling them with the basic supplies elementary school kids need to get the year started. We gave 25 to Bruce Johnson to distribute to needy families in the Redwood Christian community, and 75 were delivered by Dan Willets to the Castro Valley District office. Candi Clark will get that set distributed to needy families in the public school district. Hats off to FUN Ambassador and Master Shopper Heidi Hausauer for buying all the supplies in one day, the day before!
August 25: Club Reacquaintance Session. In the spirit of both fellowship and vocation, each attending Rotarian spent a few minutes sharing why each person joined Rotary, why they remain in Rotary, what they do for a living, and how we can help them achieve either professional or personal goals.
What we learned:
-
Dwight and Jerome have been master recruiters for the club over the years. Of the thirty people present, these gents brought in three people each.
-
People join Rotary for a hundred different reasons (though many referenced a “free lunch” got them started down the road to membership!)
-
People stay in Rotary for the same reasons: Friendships, mutual support and being able to share the opportunity to work together to make Castro Valley a better place.
We need to keep supporting each other in every way, especially in the spirit of the Four-Way Test!
Looking Ahead:
We have a great slate of speakers scheduled for September, set up by Gary Bosley. Look for reminders each week, but here is a sneak peek:
September 1: Dr. Robert Brown, DDS, and a Danville Rotarian.
Topic: The State of Alternative Medicine
September 8: County Supervisor Nate Miley.
Topic The State of Development in Unincorporated Alameda County
September 15: General Manager Jim Shields of the South San Joaquin Irrigation District.
Topic: The Drought and its Impact on Agriculture
September 22: Jim O’Connor, General Manager of East Bay Parks.
Topic: The Status of Redwood Canyon and other local parks.
September 29: TBD
See you next Tuesday at the Meadows in Redwood Canyon for lunch!