Planting Trees is Just the Beginning
In August, over 75 Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors joined in a program to plant 500 trees in San Francisco. It was a great success (although we had an overkill in manpower) and fulfilled San Francisco Rotary clubs’ commitment to RI President Ian Riseley’s objective to plant one tree for every Rotarian worldwide by April 2018. In his video about this effort, Riseley made it clear that this was a valuable enterprise but more than that, it was a statement that Rotary must make about the challenge of climate change. Whatever you personally may think about the issue, it is an “issue” we will be dealing with for the rest of our lives. What we do now will impact generations to come.
But making statements — whether through physical or verbal action — is not enough, and is likely not Riseley’s focus! We are a volunteer organization. We take on projects that enhance our community and the world. We do good work … but do we address the most visible impacts of climate change: water inundations, pervasive droughts, powerful hurricanes, firestorms? Or the drivers of these obvious outward manifestations: warming oceans, dying reefs, disappearing species, infestations of every kind, and much more? How do we, as committed supporters of improving the human condition, confront the resulting emergencies devolving from climate change?
I don’t have an easy answer to the above questions. In the face of Harvey, Irma, Maria, the earthquake in Mexico City, and the northern California fires, our Club generously made monetary gifts to help those affected. This is both thoughtful and timely for the victims. But what do we do going forward? As these environmental and human disasters become regular, is our only answer to be financially generous? Can we discover new ways of thinking about how to respond, ones that engage our members and their special competencies? This does not demean our financial generosity, but there may be more. Please think about the likely future for this country and planet and consider the kind of new programs and efforts that might support victims while utilizing all our resources — physical, intellectual and emotional.
To all our Club members, thank you for your support of disaster victims over the past few months. Your thoughtfulness and generosity are a statement about you and about Rotary.
Rotarian of the Month: Tom Brunner (Non-profit research, Glaucoma Research Foundation) is the Rotarian of the Month for September. Tom is CEO of the Glaucoma Institute here in San Francisco and has been a supporter of Rotary and Rotary programs for many years. He has also been on our Club Board as Treasurer and was actively involved as a Board member of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation. All this is wonderful and shows his commitment, but there is a great deal more to Tom and his involvement. Whatever project is being undertaken, whenever some intelligence needs to be focused on a problem, whenever an extra hand is required, Tom has been there to volunteer. Behind the scenes and always supportive of Rotary, Tom is a perfect reflection of "Service above Self."
More Great Programs: This month we had great speakers.
What a fire hose of information John Rothman provides each time he visits the Club! There is so much in the news, and it can be overwhelming; so having a visit from John is a great way to gain some perspective and insight into the political environment we find ourselves in today.
Bert Hill is intensively involved in transportation in our City, being on the Board of Golden Gate Transit, but his focus for the day was on bicycles and his efforts to make our City bicycle friendly. Best of all, he shared some of his insights into what kind of bike to purchase and how to maintain it in a City where theft is a real concern.
Lynn Farley has been involved in health, both physical and emotional, for most of her lifetime and shared what she has discovered about the optimal ways to maintain our health through mental and emotional well-being. It is both an anti-aging and a happiness formula.
Service Above Self:President John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) along with Dan Joraanstad (Financial Management; Retired) and his husband Bob Hermann enjoyed an evening at The Arc Dinner Club. They worked with Arc staff and clients to plan, prepare, share, and clean up after a group dinner. Arc Dinner Club events are scheduled about once a month. Watch our calendar for an evening that works for you, and then come and join the fun!
Supporting The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International: The Foundation Event at Madame Tussaud's was a great success and a big celebration, with lots of photo ops with wax statues of famous people and lots of great food and drink. Thanks to District Governor Ron Gin and District Extension Chair Danielle Lallement for a wonderful event! Katie Schmautz, baby daughter of Past President/ PDG Eric Schmautz (Banking Management; Wells Fargo Bank) and Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle), became our Club's youngest Paul Harris Fellow - even her sister was older when she was awarded with her first PHF. Lynn Luckow (Development; LikeMinded.org) and Kathryn McCall (Attorney; Sideman & Bancroft) also became Paul Harris Fellows. All of our current board members are now Paul Harris Fellows, setting a great example for our Club!
Membership growth continues, and we were happy to induct Gary Dales and Bernadette Lorda in October.
Gary Dales has spent the last 10 years as a member of a Rotary Club just outside of Dublin, Ireland called Dun Laoghaire, where among other things he served as president. Gary has had an interesting career with long stretches at Arthur Andersen and PG&E in the finance and accounting areas. He was CFO of Fly Leasing, an aircraft leasing business. He is married to Lily Choi and lives in Redwood City.; Gary looks forward to the opportunity to serve others and get better acquainted with leadership in San Francisco through membership in our Club. Gary is interested in golfing, tennis, and travel.
Bernadette is one of those rare individuals lucky enough to have spent much of her life in San Francisco. Bernadette’s impulse to join Rotary was inspired by her brother-in-law from the Berkeley Club as well as friends from the Windsor Club. She is looking to balance her life with a new focus on giving back and felt that Rotary Club #2 was a great fit. She has a desire to serve, but she also looks forward to enjoying the opportunity for friendships which Rotary provides as well as getting to know leaders in the community.
Connections to Community Relations The Membership Committee continues to be interested in your connections to anyone who has a job in the area of community relations in downtown San Francisco. Corporate citizens realize the positive characteristics of having their employees involved in the City where they work and live. It seems a natural fit to bring the programs of Rotary Club #2 to the attention of companies wanting to connect their employees to worthy causes. If you have any thoughts or connections in this area, please see Cullen Wong, Parker Austin, or Dan Joraanstad, the Committee working on this initiative.
New Faces, New Energy Change is upon us in the Club. As our membership grows by about two new members a month, the Club is changing substantially with many new faces. Please make an effort to introduce yourself if you’re a new member to those you don’t know. And if you're an established member, please introduce the new folks to those around you. New energy, new ideas, new leadership…!
Past President Jim Bradley is sailing off into retirement at the end of this month, but he hasn’t bailed on his commitment to the Rotary Club of San Francisco. Jim joined the Club in 1989 and was President in 1998-99, having previously served on the Board as Club Service Chair in 1995-97. Currently, he is in the first year of a two-year term as Club Treasurer. He also was on the San Francisco Rotary Foundation Board for 14 years, serving as President for three years.
Jim’s goals as Treasurer are “to keep the Board well informed on the Club’s financials and to try to keep all the money flowing in the right direction, the transparency of the Club’s financial situation.”
Born and raised in Fresno, Jim studied business administration at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley, then returned to Fresno and worked for his father in the family’s laundry and linen supply business. In 1977, he moved to San Francisco, where he worked for Chubb Insurance Co. for eight years, then at Cal Insurance for 38 years.
His hobbies are hiking the High Sierra and sailing his 18-foot race boat. Jim, a member of the St. Francis Yacht Club, races almost every month throughout California and on the East Coast. He says he’s “won a few championships. I’m not going to be an America’s Cup guy, but on the local scene, I do pretty well.”
Jim and his wife, Kathy, live in Ingleside Terrace on the same block as Past Presidents John Hoch and Harold Hoogasian. Kathy is a math specialist for the San Francisco Unified School District, teaching math teachers how to teach math. The couple has a son, Ben, and a daughter, Samantha, who are both married and live in Seattle.
Jim’s father was a Rotarian, “so I always knew about Rotary,” he says. In college, he joined a service group similar to Rotaract sponsored by Kiwanis and found that “my grades got better, my life got better. Rotary has been good for me, personally and also business-wise. When you’re helping out other people, you’re just a better person.”
When he first joined Rotary, Jim got involved with youth programs, and then-President Peter Lagarias asked him to be the contact person with the SFUSD for Club programs like Academic Decathlon and what was then called Camp Enterprise, now RYLA. During his year as President, the Club bought a new van for the Boys and Girls Club, which is still in use, and initiated a project with SFUSD high school counselors to teach seminars in Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. The Club also got involved in the 50th anniversary of the United Nations, and Jim ran the Model UN for that celebration. The Club won both a Presidential Citation from RI and the Best Club Award from the District the year Jim was President.
“Individually, you can’t really do very much for the good of society,” he says, “but as a group you can do some pretty significant things. Being part of a group that does these things is pretty great.”
Jim says he prefers “hands-on service to writing checks,” but he also writes checks. He is a Paul Harris Fellow, as were his father, mother, and brother. His wife and daughter also are Paul Harris Fellows, and he’s trying to get his son down from Seattle to accept the same honor. “One of my objectives is to have the whole family, to try to get everyone. I guess when grandchildren come along, I’ll work on that.”
Our Club works with Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) to provide baby bags for moms-to-be, full of necessary supplies for new babies. In September, we met at Hoogasian Flower Shop to stuff 65 baby bags. We then distributed the bags to moms attending baby showers at HPP. Thanks to all of those who helped, including Harold Hoogasian, John Mathers, Les Andersen, David Dye, Warren and Anne Grawemeyer, Rhonda Poppen, and Jo Patrick. Our next effort will be in December, when we plan to stuff bags at Homeless Prenatal Program, have a tour of the facility and enjoy some light refreshments. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!
On behalf of Rotary, Past President David Dye and I have marched in the Italian Heritage Parade for the past seven years. Participating Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors carry flags representing the nations with Rotary clubs. Others carry club banners for our Rotary clubs. Following the group has been a cable car. This year, we were unable to get a cable car, but not getting a cable car turned out to be a good thing.
This year, our Club member Michael Petricca, in charge of security at the Academy of Art University, provided an AAU truck and a classic 1948 Cadillac from the AAU's classic car collection. Josie McHale, Interact Chair for Rotary District 5150 and Past President of the Rotary Club of San Bruno, enlisted the help of over 150 Interactors and Rotaractors. Almost every flag was carried in the parade. Our Club President John Mathers arranged for warm tacos and salsa for breakfast and a sound system.
David Widerman, President John, Past President David, and Dora Dye decorated the truck. Past President Stephanie Schmautz and Past President and PDG Eric Schmautz organized our presence at the parade and made sure that we had flags and refreshments. President-elect Rhonda Poppen and Bill Poppen made sure that parade participants had water and snacks. Club member Massimo Maresca and his wife Sylvia carried the Italian flag.
Spectators applauded when they saw us as we marched along the parade route. Many shouted “Yay, Rotary!” I was proud to be a member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, and I look forward to next year’s parade!
A special luncheon to celebrate Halloween. Come in costume if you can, and see if you win the prize for funniest, scariest, or best costume. The highlight will be a visit from the Great Pumpkin, who will reveal the past and the future!
Join Rotarians and friends from all of the Rotary Clubs in San Francisco at this social event. Bring your friends and colleagues so you can introduce them to Rotary!
Gender is undergoing a sea change, shifting from a simple binary system to a new paradigm of fluidity. Dr. Ehrensaft will introduce us to the evolving gender affirmative model, which recognizes the complex interplay of nature, nurture, and culture that go into any one person's gender development.
Sandee Blechman, Executive Director of Children's Council, will discuss child care and early education for all, why it matters and the case for increased investment. Her talk will include a survey of the early care and education landscape in San Francisco, the policy environment, and the case for increased investment.
The annual Thanksgiving Luncheon at The Arc of San Francisco is one of our most popular service projects. Come early to help prepare and serve lunch to hundreds of clients of The Arc: all people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities. And stay long enough to enjoy that same lunch with your fellow Rotarians. This is the only Thanksgiving celebration for many of the people we serve that day. And they are most appreciative.
Rotarian of the Month: Tom Brunner (Non-profit research, Glaucoma Research Foundation) is the Rotarian of the Month for September. Tom is CEO of the Glaucoma Institute here in San Francisco and has been a supporter of Rotary and Rotary programs for many years. He has also been on our Club Board as Treasurer and was actively involved as a Board member of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation. All this is wonderful and shows his commitment, but there is a great deal more to Tom and his involvement. Whatever project is being undertaken, whenever some intelligence needs to be focused on a problem, whenever an extra hand is required, Tom has been there to volunteer. Behind the scenes and always supportive of Rotary, Tom is a perfect reflection of "Service above Self."
Service Above Self: President John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) along with Dan Joraanstad (Financial Management; Retired) and his husband Bob Hermann enjoyed an evening at The Arc Dinner Club. They worked with Arc staff and clients to plan, prepare, share, and clean up after a group dinner. Arc Dinner Club events are scheduled about once a month. Watch our calendar for an evening that works for you, and then come and join the fun!
Supporting The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International: The Foundation Event at Madame Tussaud's was a great success and a big celebration, with lots of photo ops with wax statues of famous people and lots of great food and drink. Thanks to District Governor Ron Gin and District Extension Chair Danielle Lallement for a wonderful event! Katie Schmautz, baby daughter of Past President/ PDG Eric Schmautz (Banking Management; Wells Fargo Bank) and Past President Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle), became our Club's youngest Paul Harris Fellow - even her sister was older when she was awarded with her first PHF. Lynn Luckow (Development; LikeMinded.org) and Kathryn McCall (Attorney; Sideman & Bancroft) also became Paul Harris Fellows. All of our current board members are now Paul Harris Fellows, setting a great example for our Club!
New Members 
called Dun Laoghaire, where among other things he served as president. Gary has had an interesting career with long stretches at Arthur Andersen and PG&E in the finance and accounting areas. He was CFO of Fly Leasing, an aircraft leasing business. He is married to Lily Choi and lives in Redwood City.; Gary looks forward to the opportunity to serve others and get better acquainted with leadership in San Francisco through membership in our Club. Gary is interested in golfing, tennis, and travel. 
Bernadette is one of those rare individuals lucky enough to have spent much of her life in San Francisco. Bernadette’s impulse to join Rotary was inspired by her brother-in-law from the Berkeley Club as well as friends from the Windsor Club. She is looking to balance her life with a new focus on giving back and felt that Rotary Club #2 was a great fit. She has a desire to serve, but she also looks forward to enjoying the opportunity for friendships which Rotary provides as well as getting to know leaders in the community. 
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Our Club works with Homeless Prenatal Program (HPP) to provide baby bags for moms-to-be, full of necessary supplies for new babies. In September, we met at Hoogasian Flower Shop to stuff 65 baby bags. We then distributed the bags to moms attending baby showers at HPP. Thanks to all of those who helped, including Harold Hoogasian, John Mathers, Les Andersen, David Dye, Warren and Anne Grawemeyer, Rhonda Poppen, and Jo Patrick. Our next effort will be in December, when we plan to stuff bags at Homeless Prenatal Program, have a tour of the facility and enjoy some light refreshments. Stay tuned for more details coming soon!
On behalf of Rotary, Past President David Dye and I have marched in the Italian Heritage Parade for the past seven years. Participating Rotarians, Interactors, and Rotaractors carry flags representing the nations with Rotary clubs. Others carry club banners for our Rotary clubs. Following the group has been a cable car. This year, we were unable to get a cable car, but not getting a cable car turned out to be a good thing..jpg)
David Widerman, President John, Past President David, and Dora Dye decorated the truck. Past President Stephanie Schmautz and Past President and PDG Eric Schmautz organized our presence at the parade and made sure that we had flags and refreshments. President-elect Rhonda Poppen and Bill Poppen made sure that parade participants had water and snacks. Club member Massimo Maresca and his wife Sylvia carried the Italian flag.
