Tag Archives: La Strada

March 27, 2013 Sparkplug

Polio Free Dancing Girl

PROGRAM:

Our regularly scheduled speaker was faced with an unexpected emergency.  We were fortunate to have Nichola Mankos with us and was gracious enough to stand in.

Simon Bandar introduced today’s speaker:

Nicholas Mankos is a PhD student at UC Berkeley studying Public Health. He s been in Rotary for many years now and is dedicated to eradicating polio in the world.

Right now there are still three countries in the world that are endemic with polio: Afghanistan, Pakistan, andNigeria. He and his colleagues go to these countries and help educate the citizens and provide vaccinations to wipe out this devastating disease.

At the end of the presentation. Joyce asked our speaker to sign DW The Picky Eater for the Read Aloud program.

CEREMONIAL:

President Walt called the meeting to order at 12:15.

The Pledge was led by Brad.

There was no food-for-thought today.

ATTENDANCE:

Members attending: 19

Visiting Rotarians: 1. Nicholas Mankos (also a guest of Simon Bandar’s)

Guests:
  1. Yvonne, guest of Carol’s
  2. Lt. Jeff Palmieri, guest of Walt’s

CLUB BUSINESS:

  1. Who Am I?: Melody Ocampo:
  • Grew up in Chico with her dad’s side of the family; Yuba City, and Davis.
  • b. Went to UC Davis her first year and then SJSU to finish up her college years
  • c. Bachelor Degree in Recreation soon after, she got her start at the City of San Pablo and she loves it!
  1. Vocational Training from Kenya. April 10, 2:30pm on Wednesday
  2. Cinco de Mayo Booth & Parade Save the Dates: May 4 (Sat) & May 5 (Sun)
Rotary’s Impact on Literacy Around the World:

a. United States has highest literacy rate in the world

  1. i. Literacy is defined as the ability to read & write own name; more than that, we look for the ability to write coherently, process information, and interpret body language
    • Literacy (or illiteracy, in this list) is defined by several important factors:
  • i. Phonology – can’t hear certain sounds
  • ii. Orthography—trouble with spelling patterns
  • iii. Semantics—have problems with word meaning
  • iv. Syntax—have problems with word order
  • v. Morphology—trouble with the formation of words

c. Rotary, as part of the World Literacy Group

  • i. 1920 – 40% illiteracy rate
  • ii. 2015 – 15% illiteracy rate

d. One thing our club does is donate books to the Read Aloud program

Tailgate Party Meeting: April 3, 2013
  • come dressed in baseball related attire!
  • We’ll have chili & hot dogs & hamburgers
A Night in Tuscany Gift Baskets:
  • Sign – up sheet is going around!
  • Want them to be worth around $100. If you can’t do that, then a $100 donation is another option.

ANNOUNCEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS:

  • Simon invited everyone to the next Chamber meeting on Thursday during lunch
  • Sonya got to see her son & daughter – in-law in China
  • Yvonne’s son just got her PhD and now in residency
  • Simon Bandar’s birthday was last month; our club sang a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday

 

 

 RAFFLE TIME:

  • Carol won $15, Joyce got $15
  • Bill van Dyk got $5.
  • Nicholas got the chance for the marble, but despite his amazing background he only got the green marble.

And so, the jackpot continues to grow.

UPCOMING PROGRAM

  • RAMS: April 3, 2013: MCE Energy
  • April 10, 2013: Metas and Stem Grants

SECRET SPARKPLUG WORD OF THE WEEK:

Aperture: an opening, as a hole, slit, crack, or gap.

March 13 Sparkplug

CEREMONIAL:
At La Strada, Past President Carol Robinson called the meeting to order at 12:15.
The Pledge was led by Vickie Bloomquist.
Antonio Medrano shared a quote byEmily Dickinson, “There is no frigate like a book to take us to far away lands.”
ATTENDANCE:
Members attending: 13
Visiting Rotarians: 1. Lynn, speaker for the day and member of Richmond Rotary
Guests: 1. Cecilia Vega, former mayor of San Pablo.
CLUB BUSINESS:
 A Night in Tuscany:
  • Dennis & Barb passed around sign up sheets for people to construct gift baskets as an alternative to donating $100. There are a number of baskets to choose from and they sound like fun to make!
  • Auction: Someone had the idea for a “Wheel Barrow Full of Liquor”
Rotarians at Work Day:
April 27th at Wanlass Park.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & RECOGNITIONS:
  • Yesterday was Brad’s 36th anniversary with his wife, Marie. Hooray!
  • Paresh just turned 42 years old; he only put in $41 though because it is bad luck to put the same number as your birthday in his culture!
PROGRAM:
Sonia introduced today’s speaker, Lynn Martin, from the Early Childhood Mental Health Program.
Since 1974, the ECMH has addressed the mental health needs of young children in West County. The program, which focuses on children from birth to six years of age who are troubled, at-risk, or are suffering from behavioral difficulties or delays in social and emotional development, helps lay a foundation on which families can build healthy relationships for the long term, and helps children develop skills on which they can draw for a lifetime. Their program offers Child and Family Therapy, a Comprehensive Therapeutic Nursery, a Wrap around Prgram, Childcare Solutions, and Parent Support Groups. They work to strengthen families and enrich communities. They do so in a safe, supportive environment. Their providers are all very well-trained and have Masters & PhD’s in their fields.
At the end of the presentation, Vickie asked our speaker to sign the children’s book “And then It’s Spring” for the Read Aloud program.
RAFFLE TIME:
There was only one cash prize today for $15, and it went to Barbara! Antonio had the chance for the big money, but he obviously wasn’t trying very hard and ended up getting a green marble.
And so, the jackpot continues to grow.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS:
  • March 20, 2013: Brookside Health Center
SECRET SPARKPLUG WORD OF THE WEEK:
Neoteric: recent in origin; new
Editor: Ray Castro