Celebrating Thanksgiving with the clients of The Arc San Francisco has been one of our Club’s favorite traditions for the past 13 years. The pandemic caused the cancellation of many events throughout the world in 2020, but it did not cancel our Thanksgiving with The Arc San Francisco.
Past Club President and Past District Governor Eric Schmautz along with Jonathan Scopazzi from the Rotary Club of San Rafael and some behind the scene work by Greg Gutting came up with a way to deliver not one, but two Thanksgiving meals to Arc clients for a total of 360 meals. The menu included: roasted chicken, vegetables, gravy, yams, rolls with butter, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce.
At the Tuesday, December 1, 2020 Club E-Meeting, President JT Forbus bestowed upon Past President Harold Hoogasian the honor of Rotarian of the Month. Harold has been a member of our Club and a Rotarian for over 30 years. He served as our Club's President in 2001-2002.
Harold is also the owner of Hoogasian Flowers, a family business started by his father. For years, he has contributed flowers to Club events and donated his warehouse space for Rotary and Rotary projects such as housing our Club's records; storing dictionaries and allowing our members to plate and prepare the dictionaries for distribution to third graders in the San Francisco Unified School District; and allowing our members to assemble diaper bags for donation to expectant mothers at the Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP). Harold has even stepped up and volunteered to deliver the stuffed diaper bags and extra diapers to the HPP.
The Board of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation (SFRF) met on November 19, 2020. President Dan Joraanstad presided and welcomed everyone. Below are some highlights from that meeting:
Update on the 50/50 Campaign: Dan reported that the 50/50 Campaign has achieved over 76% of its $100,000 goal. Even better, total pledges paid are at 72%. Our members are not only generous but good for their word. Dan added that combining the fundraising for both Foundation and Club has sparked interest among several other Rotary Clubs.
President JT Forbus (Accounting | Bogdan & Frasco) welcomed everyone to today's meeting held virtually at The Overlook Hotel. (Do you remember which movie is connected with this hotel?) He shared how he had spent the Thanksgiving holiday.
Guests and Visiting Rotarians Among today's guests were Csongor Czezar from Hungary, Margaret Miley (prospective member), Stan Pond who was visiting from the Rotary Club of Foster City as a guest of Peter Logan (Law: Insurance| Peter Logan Law Offices), Sara Willett, a guest of Miranti Ojong (Financial Services: Advising | Team Armada), Krista Maloney and Dr. Jennifer Scarlett of the San Francisco SPCA, and Dr. Kiran Dabholkar of the Rotary Club of Deonar, Mumbai, India.
The Holiday Season is here, and the Holiday Party Committee has been busy planning a GREAT Party for all of you. This year’s party to be held on December 15, 2020 starting at 12 noon promises a lot of surprises that can only be possible in a virtual party atmosphere so we are taking full advantage of our situation.
As always, we like to have fun during our Annual Holiday Party. This year, we are encouraging Holiday Costumes. We will continue to raffle gift cards donated by our generous members. You may donate the actual card or make a financial contribution so that a gift card can be purchased for which you will be acknowledged as the donor. Please make your donation here. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of games, costume contests, and other SURPRISE categories. There will also be musical performances by some of our talented members!
At the Annual Holiday Party in years past, members of our Club and guests donated unwrapped, new toys to the San Francisco Firefighters Toy Drive. This year we cannot bring our toys to the party, but the need is even more dire. Due to the pandemic and its effect on jobs and incomes, some children may not get a toy at all this holiday season. Here is how we can help by going online and following these steps:
A Rotary Talent Survey was sent out three weeks ago, and we encourage all members to take a few minutes to complete the survey. An average response has taken 3 minutes.
The objective of the Rotary Talent Survey is to help gather relevant information to connect you with committee and project leaders so that you can be involved in projects that align with your interests. The survey asks questions to identify your interests and to determine how your skill set can be used to support the Club.
We highly recommend that EVERY member complete this survey. Please reach out to Sunny Singh if you have any questions about the survey.
Juvenile justice is a critical piece of the justice reform conversations taking place across the country and is at a pivotal point here in San Francisco. Katherine (Katy) Weinstein Miller, Chief Probation Officer, shares how San Francisco's Juvenile Probation Department is re-thinking the ways to prevent and respond to juvenile crime and delinquency. Advanced registration required. Connection instructions will be provided immediately to all who register.
Join the Ending Human Trafficking Committee for a short 30-minute presentation to learn more about Safehouse in San Francisco and our service project opportunities. Safehouse’s Executive Director Toni Eby will be the speaker. Advanced registration required. Connection instructions will be provided to all who register as the date gets closer.
Join us at our Annual Meeting and Virtual Holiday Party, where we will celebrate our Club's 112th Anniversary! Bring your family, friends, and business associates to enjoy this most festive and fun-filled event of the year.
Rob Verchick, an EPA veteran and expert in climate change policy, will discuss the economic consequences at stake and weigh in on some of the policy options the incoming Biden administration is now considering. Advanced registration required. Connection instructions will be provided to all who register.
We are not meeting on December 22 and December 29. In addition, Grindings will not be published on December 20, but publication will resume on December 27.
We wish you good health and all the best during the holidays and throughout the new year.
The COVID-19 pandemic created a huge shortfall in U.S. economic activity and the labor market. The recovery path depends largely on virus containment and the possibility of challenging structural adjustments in the economy. Rob Valletta, Associate Director of Research in the Economic Research Department at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, will provide an updated assessment of these developments as we enter 2021. Advanced registration required. Connection instructions will be provided immediately to all who register.
Geoff Cochran, an Annual Giving Officer with The Rotary Foundation, will provide an overview of The Rotary Foundation, discuss the Annual Fund, and share with us the recognitions. Advanced registration required. Connection instructions will be provided immediately to all who register.
Calling all Rotary leaders and potential Rotary leaders! District 5150 presents its Basic Potential Rotary Leaders Seminars (PRLS), the first course in a series of courses designed by Rotarians to teach Rotarians skills and techniques as they prepare to assume leadership roles in their Clubs.
