(There were 34 participants signed on for the meeting.)
President Chris "Top Gun" Gallagher opened our first "Hybrid" meeting where three Rotarians joined him at his office while the others participated via ZOOM. He reminded us that this year's Rotary International President is Holger Knaack from the Rotary Club of Herzogtum Lauenburg-Mölln, Germany, and our theme is "Rotary Opens Opportunities." Our Greeter, Patti Hennigan, led us in the Salute to the Flag and her Thought for the Day: You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough!
Patti noted that they are re-opening the salon, using all the criteria to keep themselves and their clients safe. She also reminded us, once again (and we'll probably hear this many more times), that her daughter is expecting; Patti's first grandchild!
Visiting Rotarians: None
Guests: Shayna Ronen and Jarusha Ariel, our Speakers from the I Can Do That Theater Company.
Top Gun's News You Did Not Hear:
And,
Announcements:
Norbert Walz and Terry Koehne teamed up for an update on the Online Auction for Education. Donation forms for this year will be emailed to all soon. Also, they are planning on incorporating a "Live Auction" opportunity, via ZOOM, scheduled for November 5th, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. Vera Packard announced that her non-profit, Lazarex, will hold a Virtual Gala on September 20th. Go to Lazarex.com for details.
Recognitions: Fred Nevarez & Valarie for their anniversary on September 3. They are off for a stay in Bodega Bay. Colette and Brad Lay celebrated their 33rd anniversary on the 5th. Top Gun will be celebrating Renee's anniversary on the 11th. Reminders about upcoming birthdays: Susetta Welm, on the 11th, and Ginny Weber, on the 13th.
Program:
 Shayna Ronen spoke about "I Can Do That Theater Company," which was founded four years ago in Danville. They stage four productions per year, each of which uses about fifty youths as both performers and back-stage help. Shayna and her team, which includes Jarusha Ariel, find that their activity not only empowers young people but also gets them to discuss their problems with adults. So their mission has expanded to include community and wellness programming as part of their youth center.
They are currently in the process of expanding from a 1,000 square foot studio to a 6,000 square foot space on Diablo Road in downtown Danville. The renovation of the former Performing Arts Center is underway. Their facility will look like this:
    Their Budget for this project is $750,000 and they have already raised $600,000, much of that in the form of smaller donations. In total, they have to date 180 donors, ranging from $10 to $150,000. More financial help is of course needed; the donation link is: http://www.ivandothatpac.org.
Next Week's Program: Another ZOOM meeting featuring David Bernal of the One Bread Foundation. Our Greeter will be Priya Jhingan. |
