Ethics in Our Rotary World
What a world we are living in right now! The Washington Post has been tracking the President’s statements and has discovered that on average, every day he makes five verifiably false statements! Venezuela was recently a thriving country with a growing standard of living but is no longer the economic paradise Maduro keeps promising. There were 3.2 million slaves in the United States in 1850, and today as a result of human trafficking, there are as many as 2.5 million! Fifteen of the seventeen hottest years in recorded history have occurred in the last two decades; yet there are powerful political and economic interests that deny global warming! Political discourse and bi-partisanship have broken down and, too often, party comes before country here in the USA and in a number of other democratic countries.
What has happened to create such separation? Is there someone or something to blame (after all we are great at the Blame Game)? Where can we turn for the truth and who can we put our trust in amidst this seeming craziness?
At the 2017 International Convention in Atlanta a new fellowship group was being formed, one focused on ethics. The Ethics Fellowship of Rotarians (EFOR) mission is to create an atmosphere that supports becoming a better Rotarian and encourages projects in education at all levels, always guided by our highest moral values. Amidst different cultures and norms, EFOR seeks to have impact by starting with each of us as Rotarians, move out from there in our families and then support education about ethics in schools. In one of the meetings at the Convention, the difficulties were plain to see as Rotarians from different countries tried to find a common viewpoint about what is ethical in business and government.
In the end, Rotary does provide a guide – or moral compass – for all of us through the seeming minefield of societal and cultural pressures. It’s called The Four-Way Test, a guide for each of us in all that we think, say and do:
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerneed?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
This is not some rule or doctrine for others but a way of approaching our interactions with the world. It is an introspective yet inclusive approach to our world. The Four-Way Test is a continuing, in-the-moment opportunity to clarify who we are in any situation and to take the optimal action in thought, word and deed.
Test it out for yourself. Carry a card with The Four-Way Test. Use it in business. Use it in your personal life. Use it as a guide to be a better person, able to contribute more everyday to a better world.
Ryan Wilson (Advertising; Venables Bell & Partners) joined our Club in early 2017. Immediately upon becoming a member, Ryan joined in on Club programs. He is active in RYLA and currently co-chairs the Bike Build Committee. He has been incredibly willing to do whatever it takes to make an event successful. Too often Ryan would avoid the spotlight, but his actions have shown that the light needs to be on him. Ryan is creative, thoughtful, and persistent in his actions and can be counted on when he gives his word. Our Club is proud to have Ryan as our Rotarian of the Month for July 2017!
Member Moments:
Frank Yoke (Development; Boy Scouts of America) is an Eagle Scout and has worked for the Boy Scouts of America since 1981. Over the past 30 years, he has served the Boy Scouts of America in Ohio (Cleveland and Canton), Michigan (Detroit), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), California (San Mateo and San Francisco counties) and Phoenix, Arizona. He is originally from West Virginia. Frank comes from a Rotary family: his grandfather was a Rotary club president and a District Governor; his father was a Rotary club president; his sister is currently a Rotarian and a former Rotary youth exchange student. Frank’s specialties are finance and development, and he currently serves our Club on the Board in charge of development.
JT Forbus (Accounting Services; Bogdan & Frasco) our Director of Club service, works on complex individual and small business tax returns. JT’s father was in the Air Force so he lived in many states before coming to California. Only after his father retired from the military did his family move out to Tracy, CA. After high school, JT attend California State University, Hayward and majored in Business with a specialized degree in Accounting. Just before he graduated, he was hired by Bogdan & Frasco, LLP in 1997 and he’s been working there ever since. JT also mentioned that JT “stands for nothing.” He was named after his grandfather, and his grandfather’s mother couldn’t read or write so she gave her kids initials for names.
President-elect Rhonda Poppen (Grant Writing; GRANTdog) grew up in the small historic town of Smithfield, VA. Entering elementary school in the early 70’s, shortly after the schools were integrated in the late 60’s, was an experience she hadn’t come to fully appreciate until later when she realized the perspective these friends allowed her. After high school, Rhonda went just across the James River and entered a vocational administrative program between NASA Langley and the local Community College. She heard a rumor that you could begin a good career path, and maybe even land one of the handsome aerospace engineering students roaming the campus. Five years, a vocational degree and an associate’s degree later, she indeed married current Rotarian Bill Poppen, an aerospace engineering student from Tennessee. They moved to Ft. Worth, Texas as newlyweds where Bill took a job and Rhonda graduated with a marketing degree from the University of TX Arlington. A healthcare marketing job for Rhonda took the family to the Charlotte, NC area eventually where they raised a family for much of 20 years. Bill found a job in San Francisco, and our Club is so lucky to have them both.
More Great Programs:
Rebecca Ennals described the history of the San Francisco Shakespeare Festival, with "interruptions" of quotes and quips from the Bard, provided by the company's lead actor with great gusto. All the activities that the company undertakes around the Bay Area — from performances to training youngster — are most impressive.
Nina Willner shared her family's escape from the Eastern Bloc and her experience reconnecting with cousins after the fall of the Soviet Union. Most important in her presentation was the discussion of Russian authoritarianism under the new czars, especially Vladimir Putin. Her highly acclaimed new book, Forty Autumns, may be a great education about the world order as it is forming today.
Denis Mulligan, CEO of Golden Gate Bridge District, provided a brief but engaging history of the bridge and its many ancillary services. He assured us that there is a strong focus on providing visitors with the experience they expect from the most well-known symbol of the West Coast and San Francisco.
Richard Corriea, former SFPD Commander, attorney, investigator and consultant, in retirement has become an active consultant to multiple companies working through the vagaries of regulations and market uncertainties in the coming explosion of the marijuana industry in California. He shared his analysis of the market and a number of personal and professional experiences as the world of pot explodes.
Already a race is on for winning the week in Hawaii before the end of the year. Joseph Fang sponsored Pierce Smith into membership, and so is leading with 1 point. Heidi Kuhn and Cecile Chiquette co-sponsored Jeanne-Marie Cresalia into the Club, and so each has a ½ point. The contest has a singular focus: you receive a point for each new member you sponsor before December 31. The member who sponsors the most new members into the Club wins a week's stay in Hawaii. That’s some kind of holiday present! By the way, if anyone would like to add a car rental, airfare, or restaurants on the Big Island, please contact me or any member of the Board. We want a big prize so that there is a huge motivation to bring in guests and hopefully new members.
Who are you going to sponsor? Please think of inviting a family member, friend, or work colleague whom you think would be interested in Rotary. The many upcoming events give a great platform for asking someone to hang out with us including the August tree planting, September’s Alzheimer’s Walk and October’s Italian Heritage Parade. Most people join an organization because they are asked. Make an invitation and change a life.
New Members
Ann Daugherty has lived in San Francisco for much of her life. Her financial services business is focused on institutional fixed income. She is involved in a dazzling range of organizations: first among them is the Calvary Presbyterian Church where she is active in the Choir. Her mentor, Rick Harrell, is also a chorister there. She lives near the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and looks forward to additional ways of serving, especially in peacemaking efforts and helping mothers and children on health issues.
Jeanne-Marie Cresalia (“JM”) has a distinctive last name linked to the famous jewelry store of the same family in business more than 100 years in the City. She also is linked to Rotary’s greatest cause — eradicating polio. Her grandmother’s polio paralyzed her from the armpits down, and yet this strong willed woman raised 8 children. It’s impressive that JM has 3 children of her own, all under the age of 10. Her other link to Rotary is by way of her employer, Heidi Kuhn and Roots of Peace. She serves in a support role for Roots of Peace. Her mentor is Emily Borland.
Kathie Franks joins us by transfer from the Berkeley Club — and previously from Hudson, OH. Her work in the biotech investment banking arena is in the Financial District, and our Club is convenient and a powerful magnet. In her previous work for Rotary, she was the newsletter editor for two clubs and District 5160 — getting her the Rotarian of the Year award. She has worked in fundraising for the Hudson club and is happy to help out on our Development Committee. Kathie’s true avocation is as a writer. Ask her about her blog! Her mentor is Scott Plakun.
Pierce Smith has had a long and varied career first in medical device technology. For example, he was around when cataract surgery was being introduced to the public. Now he’s a real estate broker and pursuing many extracurricular activities as well. Pierce has five adult children, lives in San Francisco, and says, “I think that the Rotary ethos matches my personal and business ethos.” His mentor is Peter Logan.
Past District Governor Peter Lagarias says he joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 1983, “because I had been in service organizations in high school and was running my own business and thought I should start networking in San Francisco and get back to service in a group setting.”
At that time, the Club was all men, mostly over 60, and Peter helped to establish the “under 35 Club” to attract and retain younger members. He also voted for and was very supportive of the Club’s decision to start admitting women even before the 1987 Supreme Court decision opening Rotary to women.
Peter served as Club President in 1992-93, “the year we went out on a limb and started Rotaplast,” he says. “That was 25 years ago.” He went on to serve as Governor of District 5150 in 2001-02 under RI President Rick King, in the same class with PDG Donna-Lee Young Rubin and PDG Phyllis Nusz.
He points to Rotaplast as his “favorite of all time” project because “individual Rotarians who are not trained in medicine can fully participate in a meaningful way; they are meeting Rotarians in the host countries and learning about the culture of the host countries. That’s the icing on the cake of helping the children.”
Peter says he’s “a big fan of hands-on projects, not just writing a check, although that’s important, too.” He mentions the Bike Build and the Dictionary Project, as well as Interact and Rotaract, “getting young people involved.”
He has served in various capacities on the District level, including chairing the District 5150 committee screening local applicants for Rotary Foundation Peace Fellowships. He is currently one of 30 readers for the Rotary Foundation reviewing international applicants for the fellowships.
Peter jokes that he “was born at a very young age” in Pittsburgh, PA, then moved with his family to California. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and with honors from UC Hastings College of the Law, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. He was an anti-trust prosecutor in franchise cases for the Federal Trade Commission and, since 1983, has had his own law firm in San Rafael, specializing in franchise and distribution law. He has “represented thousands of franchisees and numerous franchisee associations in trials, arbitrations, mediations, and negotiations,” and currently serves on the American Bar Association Franchise Law Forum Board of Governors.
He and his wife, Elaine, live in Greenbrae and have an adopted daughter, Kelly, and a grandson, Caiden, who live in Long Beach.
Peter calls himself “a bumbling photographer and filmmaker.” After taking DG Ron Gin’s class on i-Movies, he’s made two short films, including one about his relatives in Northern Greece, where he travels often and will attend a family reunion later this month.
As for Rotary, Peter cites “the great friendships you can make, not just in your club, not just in your district, but around the world. It’s a wonderful organization that has many layers. I’m still learning about opportunities, and I’ve been in almost 35 years.”
Come to AT&T Park to enjoy some fun, fellowship, and friendship - and to celebrate the 30th anniversary of The Next Generation - with other Rotarians from District 5150. Only a few tickets are available for this special event.
Tallia Hart, President and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, will discuss the Chamber's mission to attract, support and grow business in San Francisco.
Give back to the community as a volunteer for the San Francisco Walk to End Alzheimer's! Ask your friends, family, and coworkers to join the effort combatting Alzheimer’s by which so many people have been affected or have concerns. Rotarians from all San Francisco Rotary, Rotaract, and Interact clubs are working together to help make this event a success. Registration for specific volunteer opportunities is closed, but all are welcome to come in Rotary attire to cheer on the walkers.
One of the discussion topics at the recent Rotary International convention was human trafficking and the need to end modern slavery. Bob Deering, a Past District Governor for Rotary District 5180, and Ashlie Bryant, a leading anti-trafficking advocate, co-founder, and president of 3Strands Global Foundation, will discuss how human trafficking is right in our back yard and their work to stop it.
Join us at this service opportunity where club members and guests will stuff diaper bags with the supplies new moms need to help care for their babies. The bags will be distributed to pregnant women involved in Prenatal Classes at the Homeless Prenatal Project. Afterwards, we'll walk down the block to Mars Bar and Restaurant for food, fellowship, and fun.
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win our coveted Golf Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Fellowship follows every outing. Tee time is 4:15 on September 13, September 27, and October 11 at Harding Park Golf Course.
Join us at one or both of the Baby Showers at the Homeless Prenatal Program where we will give expectant mothers diaper bags filled with supplies. The party for Spanish speakers starts at 10:30 AM, the party for English speakers starts at 1:00 PM.
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, so sign up soon!
DG Ron, a member of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown, will talk about how this year's Rotary international theme, Rotary: Making a Difference, impacts our District and our Club.
Join fellow Rotarians, Rotaractors, Interactors, and volunteers from the community as we build enough bikes right out of the box for approximately 100 third to fifth graders in San Francisco. We need volunteers to move, build, and distribute new bikes, helmets, and locks. This event is always big fun for everyone. Don't miss it!
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win our coveted Golf Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Fellowship follows every outing. Tee time is 4:15 on September 27 and October 11 at Harding Park Golf Course.
Ryan Wilson (Advertising; Venables Bell & Partners) joined our Club in early 2017. Immediately upon becoming a member, Ryan joined in on Club programs. He is active in RYLA and currently co-chairs the Bike Build Committee. He has been incredibly willing to do whatever it takes to make an event successful. Too often Ryan would avoid the spotlight, but his actions have shown that the light needs to be on him. Ryan is creative, thoughtful, and persistent in his actions and can be counted on when he gives his word. Our Club is proud to have Ryan as our Rotarian of the Month for July 2017!
ince 1981. Over the past 30 years, he has served the Boy Scouts of America in Ohio (Cleveland and Canton), Michigan (Detroit), Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia), California (San Mateo and San Francisco counties) and Phoenix, Arizona. He is originally from West Virginia. Frank comes from a Rotary family: his grandfather was a Rotary club president and a District Governor; his father was a Rotary club president; his sister is currently a Rotarian and a former Rotary youth exchange student. Frank’s specialties are finance and development, and he currently serves our Club on the Board in charge of development.
JT Forbus (Accounting Services; Bogdan & Frasco) our Director of Club service, works on complex individual and small business tax returns. JT’s father was in the Air Force so he lived in many states before coming to California. Only after his father retired from the military did his family move out to Tracy, CA. After high school, JT attend California State University, Hayward and majored in Business with a specialized degree in Accounting. Just before he graduated, he was hired by Bogdan & Frasco, LLP in 1997 and he’s been working there ever since. JT also mentioned that JT “stands for nothing.” He was named after his grandfather, and his grandfather’s mother couldn’t read or write so she gave her kids initials for names.
town of Smithfield, VA. Entering elementary school in the early 70’s, shortly after the schools were integrated in the late 60’s, was an experience she hadn’t come to fully appreciate until later when she realized the perspective these friends allowed her. After high school, Rhonda went just across the James River and entered a vocational administrative program between NASA Langley and the local Community College. She heard a rumor that you could begin a good career path, and maybe even land one of the handsome aerospace engineering students roaming the campus. Five years, a vocational degree and an associate’s degree later, she indeed married current Rotarian Bill Poppen, an aerospace engineering student from Tennessee. They moved to Ft. Worth, Texas as newlyweds where Bill took a job and Rhonda graduated with a marketing degree from the University of TX Arlington. A healthcare marketing job for Rhonda took the family to the Charlotte, NC area eventually where they raised a family for much of 20 years. Bill found a job in San Francisco, and our Club is so lucky to have them both.
services business is focused on institutional fixed income. She is involved in a dazzling range of organizations: first among them is the Calvary Presbyterian Church where she is active in the Choir. Her mentor, Rick Harrell, is also a chorister there. She lives near the Sir Francis Drake Hotel and looks forward to additional ways of serving, especially in peacemaking efforts and helping mothers and children on health issues. .jpg?_=636389400100064969)
Jeanne-Marie Cresalia (“JM”) has a distinctive last name linked to the famous jewelry store of the same family in business more than 100 years in the City. She also is linked to Rotary’s greatest cause — eradicating polio. Her grandmother’s polio paralyzed her from the armpits down, and yet this strong willed woman raised 8 children. It’s impressive that JM has 3 children of her own, all under the age of 10. Her other link to Rotary is by way of her employer, Heidi Kuhn and Roots of Peace. She serves in a support role for Roots of Peace. Her mentor is Emily Borland. 
Kathie Franks joins us by transfer from the Berkeley Club — and previously from Hudson, OH. Her work in the biotech investment banking arena is in the Financial District, and our Club is convenient and a powerful magnet. In her previous work for Rotary, she was the newsletter editor for two clubs and District 5160 — getting her the Rotarian of the Year award. She has worked in fundraising for the Hudson club and is happy to help out on our Development Committee. Kathie’s true avocation is as a writer. Ask her about her blog! Her mentor is Scott Plakun. 
Pierce Smith has had a long and varied career first in medical device technology. For example, he was around when cataract surgery was being introduced to the public. Now he’s a real estate broker and pursuing many extracurricular activities as well. Pierce has five adult children, lives in San Francisco, and says, “I think that the Rotary ethos matches my personal and business ethos.” His mentor is Peter Logan. 
Past District Governor Peter Lagarias says he joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 1983, “because I had been in service organizations in high school and was running my own business and thought I should start networking in San Francisco and get back to service in a group setting.”
One of the discussion topics at the recent Rotary International convention was 
human trafficking and the need to end modern slavery. Bob Deering, a Past District Governor for Rotary District 5180, and Ashlie Bryant, a leading anti-trafficking advocate, co-founder, and president of 3Strands Global Foundation, will discuss how human trafficking is right in our back yard and their work to stop it.
