Life from the start has been a dedication,
A becoming with no end in sight,
A focus on attaining a certain station,
Having the position that was absolutely right.
As a child I dreamed of a world of service,
A position that would give me power
To do what’s right without being nervous,
To allow myself a view from the tower.
As a boy I studied hard, avoiding pleasure,
Doing right by doing good.
As a young man I carefully took measure
To make sure every rule I understood.
As an adult I followed all the rules,
Final preparation for the anticipated test.
And I was right to collect all the tools
As now I have certainly been blessed.
What is this pinnacle of world attainment?
What have I spent a lifetime pursuing?
What job will give me contentment?
What have I for years been wooing?
President of Rotary Number Two.
Attained I’ld relax and let others work,
I could sit back and get my due,
Finally I could get at least one perk.
But the world is not so easy,
As my Rotary year nears an end
I feel a little bit queasy,
I’ve found members a godsend.
There was no pinnacle of power,
But rather the satisfaction of team,
Watching projects and people flower,
It’s really almost like a dream.
The ramblings of the current commander,
A life filled with meetings and the odd photo op,
As Past Presidents I dream with all candor
That I was not an unbearable flop.
Rotarian of the Month: The Rotary Club of San Francisco has many programs, the largest proportion of which has to do with youth. For decades our Club has worked with teens and pre-teens to build self-esteem and to promote leadership skills in a complex world. This focus has become even greater in the last year, with the advent of members like Connor Krone (Non-Profit Management; Student Investment Lab). Every opportunity to support young people as they develop and grow their skills has been pursued by Connor, even to the point where he will become the District 5150 Interact Coordinator. For his tireless efforts on behalf of youth, and his immeasurable contribution to our Club, we honor Connor as March’s Rotarian of the Month!
Great Luncheon Programs:
With all the news about Police and the issues we face, San Francisco Deputy Police Chief Mikail Ali took the opportunity to share the balancing act between criminal fire power and police fire power. In many cases, it is an uneven match as criminals have access to overwhelming lethal force.
Whitney Larsen and Sienna Shankel, representing the Citizens Climate Lobby, provided a detailed view of the progress being made with Congress and the citizenry to bring carbon pricing into the mainstream. Happily, legislators and private enterprises are working together to address climate change.
Janice Litvin's presentation was filled with energy and a message on how to be consistently productive in life. Her style of fitness is a simple prescription for health, made fun by stories and example.
Service Above Self:We held our annual Bike Build on April 7. 93 children received bikes built by our 48 volunteers, including Interactors, friends, and 19 Club members. A police officer provided bike safety training. The Salvation Army food truck provided food for the volunteers and for the kids and their parents. Bryant Elementary School staff helped to assure that all the children that could get to the event made it in time to get a bike. But the biggest delight was the smiling faces of children with their bikes and full stomachs.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) took place on April 20-22. 117 teens from 34 high schools across the District attended this year, with 24 additional teens on hand as counselors and support staff. This is truly amazing! What a great leadership organization our Club has put together, with special contributions of time and effort from Camp RYLA 2018 Director Lynn Luckow (Development; LikeMinded.org) and the administrative management team consisting of David Dye (Management Consulting; Retired), Connor Krone (Non-Profit Management; Student Investment Lab), Casey Blair (Foreign Equity Trading; Feis Options), and Ryan Wilson(Advertising; Twitter, Inc.). More will be reported when some of the campers come to our regular meeting on May 8.
Support for The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International: These members have achieved new levels of recognition as Paul Harris Fellows:
New and Prospective Members’ Gathering On May 16, 2018, we have a gathering designed for our new and prospective members. Join leaders from the Rotary Club of San Francisco at the home of membership chair Dan Joraanstad from 6 PM-8:30 PM. The address will be provided to each person who registers for this gathering. At this casual, after-work mixer, we will enjoy appetizers, drinks, conversation, and a short program focused on serving the community and projects. New opportunities and programs, new people, and places to go. Please RSVP here so we can plan.
Welcome to our Newest Members In April, three fine, new members were inducted into the Club.
John Dean was sponsored by his wife, Susan Dean, who had just joined in March, an excellent progression in membership! John has been an attorney for much of his career, working for UC Hastings College of the Law. John and Susan travel annually to Antigua, Guatemala to help infants and toddlers who are beset by malnutrition. In our Club, John has jumped in right away and participated in the Bike Build as well as other events.
John Rigoli met his wife 50 years ago in San Francisco. After her passing, he returned to the City by the Bay two years ago. He has four sons, one of whom resides in San Rafael. His career has been diverse with time spent in the Navy during the Vietnam Conflict, at IBM in San Jose, and other entrepreneurial work. He has three books to his credit dealing with the women of the Ancient Christian Church who have been left unsung for centuries. John is currently a member of the Commonwealth Club, Jewish Community Center, and the First Unitarian Universalist among others.
Bebo White has expertise that overshadows his long and distinguished career as a physicist and computer scientist at Stanford University’s Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). He is an internationally known expert in cryptocurrency and in much demand on the speaking circuit. Bebo will soon be speaking to a Rotary Club in France on this subject. His goals in our Club are to work on projects involving technology for social change and to support the technology requirements for efficient management of our Club. Bebo has lived in San Francisco for 43 years with his wife, Nancy; they have two adult sons.
In closing, dear reader, I would like to reiterate a policy newly instituted in the past year…if two people are in a committed relationship, the second to join (as in the case of the Deans) is granted a 75% discount to dues. The theory is that two together are stronger and will magnify their contribution to our Club by both being involved. Bring your spouse or "significant other" to the Club and enjoy 75% off.
After decades as what friends jokingly called a “charity czar,” Past Club President Tim Hornbecker plans to retire at the end of the year, but continue as President of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the Rotary Club of San Francisco that manages the endowment dedicated to the financial support of our service projects.
Tim was born in LA, where he graduated from Loyola, a Jesuit high school, then received a football scholarship to the University of Colorado, where he played “linebacker on steroids.” He dropped out of school to take care of his sick mother in LA, where he worked as a film technician and developer, “following in my mother’s footsteps.” One of his aunts played opposite Jackie Cooper in the Our Gang comedies, but all three sisters were in the Our Gang group.
As “the fourth son in an Irish family,” Tim entered the Paulist Fathers and spent five years in Baltimore and Washington, DC. “It was a calling I felt,” he says. “I had worked with the Red Cross as a volunteer and with the Sisters of Social Service in the inner city.” As a seminarian, he worked for two years as a chaplain’s assistant in the amputee ward at Walter Reed Army Hospital, which he calls “probably the experience of my life, because I learned more from the Vietnam vets than I could ever give them. They were brutally honest.”
Tim left the seminary and went to Catholic University in Washington, DC, earning a degree in the philosophy of religion, then taught in an inner city Catholic elementary school on Capitol Hill and began working with people with disabilities. His career then took him to Portland, OR, where he served for 16 years as executive director of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, in charge of 600 volunteers, a soup kitchen and food bank program, rehabilitation centers, and nine thrift stores, which is what earned him the “charity czar” moniker. During his time in Portland, he helped start the Catholic Worker House, whose volunteers ran a soup kitchen.
Then it was off to Spokane, WA, where he earned a master’s degree in public administration at Gonzaga. His next career change took him to The Arc, first of Palm Desert, then Seattle and San Francisco, The Arc of California and now The Arc of Alameda County. He plans to retire at the end of the year, when his term on the board of The Arc of the United States ends. Tim’s wife, Pat, previously served on The Arc’s national board and as president of the boards of The Arc of San Francisco and The Arc of California, which she currently serves as secretary. Tim and Pat live in San Francisco.
He calls Pat’s son, Joseph, who has developmental disabilities, “my inspiration” and says “he keeps me working in my field.” In addition to Joseph and Pat’s three other children, Tim has a son and a daughter and three stepchildren from two previous marriages and 4.5 “wonderful grandchildren.” He keeps in shape with golf, yoga and walking two miles a day. He also plays blues harmonica “with a few bands” and used to play the banjo with a bluegrass band. He and Pat also like to travel.
Tim first joined the Rotary Club of East Portland in 1982 and joined Rotary clubs wherever he moved, including Palm Desert, Seattle and San Francisco. He was attracted to Rotary, because it put family, career and faith first, then service to the Club. “It was the first Club I found that put those priorities first, and I liked the concept.” Tim and his family hosted Rotary Exchange Students for five years, and he was impressed with the international aspect and that Rotary included leaders in the community and had opened up to women. His service to Rotary has extended from sergeant-at-arms to secretary to treasurer to community service chair. During his year as president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, 2010-11, he focused on such youth programs as Camp Enterprise (now RYLA), Interact and Rotaract, and introduced the Thanksgiving lunch at The Arc and Salvation Army, which he says “is always close to my heart.”
After several years on the board of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation, Tim assumed the presidency of the board on July 1. The foundation has raised $1.5 million over the years and done well with investments and will distribute $140,000-150,000 in grants this year to fund projects recommended by Club members, including Emergency Services Day, RYLA, World Wide Rotary Day, Interact and Rotaract, Alliance for Smiles and Rotaplast, the recent Bike Build, Heroes Voices, Thanksgiving at The Arc and Salvation Army, the Dictionary Project, Roots of Peace, the Homeless Prenatal Project, Homeless Connect, and water projects in developing countries. Tim says the Foundation board is especially interested in funding projects “that provide opportunities for members to volunteer.”
That sounds like plenty to keep him busy, even after he retires at the end of the year.
The Rotary Club of San Francisco, and other nearby Clubs, are staffing the concessions at the LPGA Mediheal golf tournament at the Lake Merced Golf Course. There are many volunteer opportunities available. Rotarians, family, friends, and prospective members are all welcome (but you must be at least 18). Please join us to work a shift or two!
Enjoy a private tour of the best Asian-focused art museum in the country. After our tour, we'll retire to a private room for tea and conversation. Space is limited. Registration closes at noon on Tuesday, April 24, so sign up soon!
Blue Bear School of Music is the original school of rock and roll. Steve Savage, its Executive Director, will introduce the school, and Renee Richardson, its Development Director, will introduce a father-daughter duo, Ben and Maddy Black, who will perform for us. Join us for lunch and great music.
The District Conference is an annual meeting of all Clubs across the District to celebrate the year's accomplishments under the leadership of District Governor Ron Gin. All members are encouraged to attend, especially members who are moving into leadership positions. You can attend the Foundation Dinner on May 3, the Conference on May 4-6, or both.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) has delivered a transformative leadership experience for thousands of high school sophomores and juniors. In the last few years, the RYLA leadership program has expanded to create a more enriching experience changing the lives of those who participate.
Come and enjoy lunch while hearing about the 2018 RYLA camp experience and how this program changes lives.
Join President-Elect Rhonda and the incoming Board of Directors to learn about the goals and plans that they have established for Rotary Year 2018-19, including a preview of the programs and projects. You'll learn where you can fit in and how you can help.
All members -- and especially new and prospective members -- are encouraged to attend this informal meet-and-greet at the home of Membership VP Dan Joraanstad, near San Francisco's West Portal. Address provided to everyone who RSVPs.
Get a little muddy and help Sutro Stewards weed and restore Rotary Meadow - a garden of native plants our Club planted at the summit of Mount Sutro in 2004. Friends and family (including children ten and older) are welcome. After all the work is done, we'll enjoy pizza, beer, and fellowship.
Enjoy the opportunity to make dinner and share it with new friends at The Arc. Rotarians are invited to join the fun at one dinner a month: come once, or make it a regular commitment! Open to family and friends who are over 18.
Annie Yalon will present the Career Technical Education program within the San Francisco Unified School District. She will speak to SFUSD's workforce development efforts and how the San Francisco business community can help take learning beyond the classroom walls.
Rotarian of the Month: The Rotary Club of San Francisco has many programs, the largest proportion of which has to do with youth. For decades our Club has worked with teens and pre-teens to build self-esteem and to promote leadership skills in a complex world. This focus has become even greater in the last year, with the advent of members like Connor Krone (Non-Profit Management; Student Investment Lab). Every opportunity to support young people as they develop and grow their skills has been pursued by Connor, even to the point where he will become the District 5150 Interact Coordinator. For his tireless efforts on behalf of youth, and his immeasurable contribution to our Club, we honor Connor as March’s Rotarian of the Month!
What a great leadership organization our Club has put together, with special contributions of time and effort from Camp RYLA 2018 Director Lynn Luckow (Development; LikeMinded.org) and the administrative management team consisting of David Dye (Management Consulting; Retired), Connor Krone (Non-Profit Management; Student Investment Lab), Casey Blair (Foreign Equity Trading; Feis Options), and Ryan 
John Dean was sponsored by his wife, Susan Dean, who had just joined in March, an excellent progression in membership! John has been an attorney for much of his career, working for UC Hastings College of the Law. John and Susan travel annually to Antigua, Guatemala to help infants and toddlers who are beset by malnutrition. In our Club, John has jumped in right away and participated in the Bike Build as well as other events.
ohn Rigoli met his wife 50 years ago in San Francisco. After her passing, he returned to the City by the Bay two years ago. He has four sons, one of whom resides in San Rafael. His career has been diverse with time spent in the Navy during the Vietnam Conflict, at IBM in San Jose, and other entrepreneurial work. He has three books to his credit dealing with the women of the Ancient Christian Church who have been left unsung for centuries. John is currently a member of the Commonwealth Club, Jewish Community Center, and the First Unitarian Universalist among others.
Bebo White has expertise that overshadows his long and distinguished career as a physicist and computer scientist at Stanford University’s Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC). He is an internationally known expert in cryptocurrency and in much demand on the speaking circuit. Bebo will soon be speaking to a Rotary Club in France on this subject. His goals in our Club are to work on projects involving technology for social change and to support the technology requirements for efficient management of our Club. Bebo has lived in San Francisco for 43 years with his wife, Nancy; they have two adult sons.
Blue Bear School of Music is the original school of rock and roll. Steve Savage, its Executive 
Director, will introduce the school, and Renee Richardson, its Development Director, will introduce a father-daughter duo, Ben and Maddy Black, who will perform for us. Join us for lunch and great music.
Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) has delivered a transformative leadership experience for thousands of high school sophomores and juniors. In the last few years, the RYLA leadership program has expanded to create a more enriching experience changing the lives of those who participate.
Join President-Elect Rhonda and the incoming Board of Directors to learn about the goals and plans that they have established for Rotary Year 2018-19, including a preview of the programs and projects. You'll learn where you can fit in and how you can help.
All members -- and especially new and prospective members -- are encouraged to attend this informal meet-and-greet at the home of Membership VP Dan Joraanstad, near San Francisco's West Portal. Address provided to everyone who RSVPs.
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