The Rotary Club of Castro Valley jumped right into 2022 with a visit from Rotary District Governor Richard Flanders, which included presentation of Paul Harris awards to several Rotarians as well as a presentation by Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce 2020-2021 President and Castro Valley Rotarian David Gehrke. Cliff Sherwood kicked off 2022 with this inspiring video as the Though for the Day.
District Governor's Meeting with the Board of Directors
District Governor Flanders began his visit by meeting with the Club’s Board of Directors prior to lunch. During the meeting, DG Flanders focused on building membership, giving back to the community, and supporting District 5170 and Rotary International Projects. DG Flanders acknowledged that he was quite impressed with the work of the Club as President Dwight Perry and Directors described what the Club has been doing during the pandemic and has planned as we exit the pandemic.
Discussion between DG Richard Flanders and the Board of Directors prior to the lunch meeting.
Presentation of Paul Harris Awards
Prior to his talk to the Club, DG Flanders with the assistance of President Dwight Perry presented several Paul Harris awards. To Carol Bigelow, Jim Negri, and Cliff Sherwood, he presented Paul Harris Society Awards (The Paul Harris Society recognizes Rotary members and friends of The Rotary Foundation who elect to contribute $1,000 or more each year to the Annual Fund, PolioPlus Fund, or approved global grants). DG Flanders presented a Paul Harris Fellow (The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. The "+" indicates the number of times such a donation has been after the initial donation.) to Todd Anglin (PHF+1), Ray Wallace (PHF+2), Mark Poniatowski (PH+4), Carol Bigelow (PHF+6), and Jim Negri (PHF+6 ). Ceta Dochterman was recognized as a Major Donor (total giving exceeding $10,000). Club members qualifying for these Paul Harris awards, but not present, will be recognized at future meetings.
Update from the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce
After the Paul Harris presentations, Gary Bosley introduced David Gehrke, 2020-2021 President of the Castro Valley Eden Area Chamber of Commerce, as the first, six-minute business community speaker of 2022. David described how the Chamber has had to adapt to changes in the business community due to Covid and the impact that those changes have had on the Chamber. He focused on the many new services that the Chamber has implemented during the past two years. David then turned to the Chamber's plans as the business community recovers from the pandemic. Watch David' presentation here.
Presentation by District Governor Richard Flanders
The main portion of the meeting was devoted to the Annual Visit of the District 5170 Governor, Richards Flanders. Following up on his comments to the Board of Directors prior to lunch, Richard acknowledged the great work in which the Rotary Club of Castro Valley has been engaged, especially the Breathing for Life Project in Ethiopia, and encouraged members to explore new opportunities to expand services and contributions to the community - locally, nationally, and internationally. These new efforts will expand the understanding of Rotary's work and recruit new members. He encouraged each member to reach out and invite others to become Rotarians.
DG Flanders discussed the work of District 5170 this year, such as the Wheelchair Project (learn more about the Project here). The Rotary Club of Castro Valley has already made a significant contribution to the Project and members are encouraged to donate. Richard mentioned that District 5170 is hosting Rotary International President-Elect Jennifer E. Jones, who will be the first woman President of Rotary International, at a dinner on February 28 at Blackhawk Musuem. This year, DG Flanders noted that the District 5170 Annual Conference is in the Club's backyard - Blackhawk Musuem and the San Ramon Marriott. There is no excuse to miss this great Rotary event. More information regarding the Conference and registration is available here. Watch the District Governor's presentation here.
Click here to see the slide show from the meeting.