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This week’s Crow’s Call follows a slightly different format. The experience shared by one of our members this past week deserves priority.
Mark Hornstra shared a story that is simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming. Last month, while working in Uganda - as he has been doing regularly for the past four years - he was attacked while leaving his office. The attack left him with a broken jaw. As he bravely shared his story, he gave credit to four men who came to his aid during the attack, and did not mince words – they saved his life. Two of these brave men stopped the attack, and the other two got him to the local clinic, where he received first aid and they stayed with him until Mark’s Ugandan business partner could take him to a hospital where he had surgery to stabilize the jaw so he could travel home. Although this was one of the worst days, he also learned later that his company was awarded a very important contract that will bring alternative power to 100 schools, where no power currently exists. This has been a goal Mark and his SoloGrid team have working toward for three years, and it came to fruition on that same tragic day. As he told this story, he said that this same type of attack happened to a man in Sacramento (CA) just a week after his attack in Uganda, and they broke his jaw too. Mark wanted to emphasize the important point that this isn’t a “Uganda is a dangerous place”
story. !This is a story that can happen anywhere in the world. Thankfully Mark is on the mend – he has some very important work to do providing power to all those school children in Uganda. What an impact that will make! Now back to our regularly scheduled summary… Our President, Lady Grizzly, a.k.a. Colette Lay, started our meeting off by reminding us that Mark Daniel Maloney from Decatur, Alabama is this year’s Rotary International President. The theme is “Rotary Connects the World”. Carolyn Degnan was our greeter, whose insightful Thought of the Day was “The bad news is time flies. The good news is you are the pilot.” After the flag salute, and a somewhat improved group recitation of The Four Way Test, Carolyn Degnan shared a few interesting facts about herself. She joined the club in 1992 and was only the third female member (good things come in threes!), she is the COO of https://www.lymedisease.org/, and her youngest child is recently engaged and our own Fred Nevarez designed the ring! GUESTS – just two this week, but they were goodies: Jon Dwyer – immediate past District Governor, and a Rotarian with the Benicia Club, joined us for a very special award presentation. Keep reading to find out what that was – it’s very exciting. Surya Rajan – representing the Cal High Interact Club, and currently serving as Interact Treasurer. He’s a senior this year, and hopes to attend UC Berkeley next fall to possibly study Engineering and Computer Science, as well as be an active participant in their Rotaract Club. NEW MEMBERS - yay! Deema Eid and Suzanne Eikel were both named the newest members of our club. Chris Gayler presented them with their red badges and plaques, and let them decide who could claim the “newest member of Rotary International” at that moment. Dennis Harvey is sponsoring Deema, and Jerry Marrs is sponsoring Suzanne. Welcome to the club ladies! NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS With her leg propped up on the chair next to her, Kathy Gailey announced she is now volunteering for CASA. CASA is a special group of volunteers that are appointed by the courts that advocate for foster children. The unfortunate news is she fell one evening while leaving that training, leaving her with a cracked kneecap requiring surgery with wires and screws to put it back together. She’s unsure when she will be back to 100%. We wish you a speedy recovery, Kathy! President Lay is quite pleased with the Online Auction for Education results so far. We are approaching $90,000 raised! She was quick to acknowledge the hard work from everyone who participated. IN PRESTIGOUS AWARD NEWS… Past District Governor Jon Dwyer was there not just for the delicious lunch and excellent company. He was there to present the 2018-2019 Rotary Presidential Citation to our Past President John Milich. Jon explained that out of 72 clubs in our district, only FIVE achieved the requirements for this award. That’s not all – our club achieved GOLD distinction, which only two of the five clubs did! As John accepted the award, he immediately gave credit to the entire club for achieving this honored distinction. How awesome are we, San Ramon Rotary?! I mean, really! ROTARY FOUNDATION NEWS with Ray Giles It’s Rotary Foundation Month! This is the perfect time to donate to the foundation, if you haven’t already. If you have donated, feel free to donate more! Did you know that 95% of your donations find their way to program services that improves lives? If you’re wondering how much to give, Ray Giles suggests “whatever the right amount is for you”. The Rotary Foundation set a suggested amount of $100 – back in 1954! – implying that there should be an inflation adjustment. But even as little as $25 makes a bigger impact than $0 – so please give whatever the right amount is for you. Patti Hennigan was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow plus Two, and presented with her Chevron pin. Way to go, Patti! Thank you to the members who have made or pledged their 2019-2020 contributions to The Rotary Foundation as of November 1: Ed Duarte, Kathy Gailey, Chris Gayler, Chris Gallagher, Ray Giles, Dennis Harvey, Patti Hennigan, Colette Lay, Steven Porschet, John Tatum, Steve Wilcox and Lourdes Ylagen. EVENTS Keep checking your e-mails because President Colette Lay does a fantastic job sending updates and reminders for everything happening with our busy, busy club. Announced this week by members: Chris Gayler announced Gayler Design Build’s “Home for the Holidays” Tabletop Extravaganza on December 5 th from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. to be held at the Gayler Design Build office. More information can be found on the Gayler Design Build website (google it), or contact Chris at chris@gaylerdesignbuild.com. More than just a fun event, more importantly benefits Toys for Tots. It’s a free event, but please bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate (or a $10 cash donation). Patti Hennigan announced she has a One Warm Coat collection box at her business location. Alternatively, you can bring your donations to our weekly meeting and she will collect from you there. Donations of gently used coats and blankets are greatly appreciated. It’s a great time to clean your closets and benefit those in need. PROGRAM Guest speaker Kevin McCormack, the Communications Director from CIRM, the state’s stem cell agency, gave an outline of their clinical trials and how their therapies have helped people. CIRM was created by voters when they approved Proposition 71 in 2004, giving the agency $3 billion to fund stem cell research in California. CIRM has funded 60 clinical trials as of November 2019, in 34 different disease types, including early-stage trials that show promise for addressing some of today’s most challenging diseases, conditions and injuries for which there are no known cures. These include cancer (solid and blood), heart disease, blood disorders, diabetes, eye disease, spinal injuries, and neurological disorders. He told personal stories with incredible results on just a few of these diseases and conditions: Severe Combined Immunodeficiency Disease, Reversing Stroke Damage, Multiple Myeloma, Spinal Cord injuries, and Retinitis Pigmentosa. The story closest to home is of Jake Javier. He was a senior at San Ramon Valley High School set for a full ride football scholarship to Cal Poly. One day before high school graduation, he had a pool accident spinal cord injury that left him paralyzed from his chest down. In the phase 1 clinical trial, Jake was one of 25 participants. They injected 20 million stem cells into his spinal cord. Within a month he regained use of his arms and hands. Although not (yet) able to walk, his regained abilities allow him to lead an independent life, and he’s now studying at Cal Poly. Kevin also spoke about new research in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. And a Tooth Fairy Project where they’ve found that baby teeth hold some stem cells that can be used for research and possibly healing. They can study the differences in the stem cells from a child with a disorder, and a healthy child, possibly creating a cure in the future. This scribe humbly acknowledges the lack of ability to sufficiently recap all the amazing work Kevin described. During the question and answer segment, it was acknowledged that the agency is running low on funding. In November 2020, look for a ballot measure that will hopefully pass, allowing their important work improving lives to continue. RAFFLE RESULTS: Ana Dominguez hopefully went and bought a lottery ticket that afternoon, since she won BOTH raffle drawings! She went home with a bottle of wine, and $10 as a conciliation prize for not pulling a white marble. Pot is now up to $170. You can’t win if you don’t play, so PLAY BIG! |
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