It’s the end of one reign and the beginning of another, although “reign” may be the wrong word in today’s world. Immediate Past President David Dyehas by this posting been debunked, celebrated and traveled across “the pond”. His was a great year: new members, new programs and many new friendships. Most of all, it was the continuation of the work the Board has been focused on for the past few years: building a vital, engaged and powerful Club. Personally I want to acknowledge Past President Laine Hendricks, Past President Stephanie Schmautz, and David for their dedication to our Club and its future.
In our February Board Retreat, I was impressed and gladdened to see the quality of members who stepped up to participate. And the results of the retreat were as impressive as well: a clear vision to “improve our community through active engagement and strong friendships”. The Board also undertook – at the behest of the current and past presidents – the task to streamline our bylaws so that year-over-year we keep the energy flowing toward contribution, value, fun and friendship. Key to this continuity is the Presidents Council, a group of five members who oversee the day-to-day activities of the Club, assuring that all our programs and events are optimized and Board strategies and objectives are fulfilled.
For those that missed my first meeting on July 11th, I have created a brief video that can be found on our YouTube Channel. Although I may look like I got too much sun, the video is worth checking out.
So as we begin a new Rotary year, let’s celebrate all the people who have made this Club great: our members. And then let’s hunker down for a fabulous, fun and productive new year.
…and speaking of being productive, we have a number of events coming up that are worth your participation. Of particular note is the Tree Planting we will be doing on August 26. It supports all San Francisco clubs in fulfilling one of RI President Ian Riseley’s objectives to plant a tree for every Rotarian as a commitment to addressing climate change. We’ll be working in conjunction with the City of San Francisco’s new Urban Forest Initiative. Bring some gloves and join us at Balboa High School at 8:30 AM. We’ll plant some trees, have a nice lunch and then adjourn to a pub on Ocean Avenue for light beverages. You can sign up here. If you want to see what RI President Riseley said about the effort, go here. And you might be interested in the many other videos available on our YouTube Channel.
We started a new Rotary year! The 2017-18 Rotary Club of San Francisco Board was introduced to a large group of club members. It's hard to say how many members were present, but it was well over 1,000! Not really, but it was a good-sized group that listened to our new Club President John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates), talk about the importance of finding common ground and working together for the betterment of our community and the opportunity to build stronger friendships in an era of separation.
Our first speaker of the year was Brigitte Davila, a Trustee at City College of San Francisco. Brigitte shared San Francisco's new strategy of a "tuition-free" Community College. There were numerous questions and broad support for the effort, recognizing the need in today’s complex world.
Rhonda Poppen's big smile said it all: "Week in Hawaii, here we come!" Rhonda, as the winner of the 2016-2017 Membership contest, was announced at the first meeting of 2017-2018. Thanks to Harold Hoogasianfor providing the grand prize: access to his vacation home on the Big Island.
There were many ways to win the contest. Categories in which points were awarded included bringing a guest, working at the Welcome Table, working at an outside event, being a Mentor or Connector and the biggest category--your guest becomes a member. Rhonda received points in all categories. Her diverse array of points reflects her involvement in many areas of the Club and the hard work that she has put into her membership in the Club. Congratulations Rhonda! You are the embodiment of the old saying: "givers gain!"
Yes, you have a chance to join the Winner's Circle: announcing the new 2017-2018 Contest. The new contest rules are finalized. It has a single focus unlike the broad array of objectives last year. The only way to win this time around is sponsoring new members. The member who sponsors the most new members into the Club wins a week's stay in Hawaii. If anyone would like to add a car rental, airfare, or restaurants on the Big Island, please contact meor 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.
TWO PRIZES AVAILABLE: Because of Harold's generosity, there will be two opportunities to win. The member who brings in the most new members by December 1 will win one week. And we start anew with the New Year, awarding a week in Hawaii to the member with the most credits for new members between January 1 and June 30.
Since retiring after a 23-year career in higher education, PDG Phyllis Nusz says she “can now use all of my skills/talents in a different way. Rotary has become a second full-time career!”
Born and raised in Lodi, Phyllis earned a BA in Theater Arts and Choral Music and an MA in Education from College (now University) of the Pacific in Stockton. She later completed a doctorate in Speech and Higher Education Administration from Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She spent her entire career at Bakersfield Community College, serving as chair of the Speech Department and Faculty President, as well as advisor for the California Student Government Association for the then 105-member Community College system.
In addition, she was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the women educators’ honor society, and served as the international seminar director for summer seminars held at Baylor University, University of Illinois Urbana Campus and the University of Texas Austin. She received a graduate scholarship from the society and was honored by the California branch with its Outstanding Leadership Award.
Phyllis is a Certified Fund-Raising Executive and owner of PJ Enterprises in Stockton, specializing in fundraising, speech training, and event planning.
Asked why she joined Rotary, she recalled that her school friends whose fathers were Rotarians would dress in their Sunday best on Valentine’s Day, but her father wasn’t qualified to join Rotary because he was not yet a business owner or boss, instead becoming actively involved in 20/30, a service club for young professional men. When a colleague invited her to join Rotary, Phyllis says she “jumped at the chance!”
In 1997-1998, Phyllis was the first woman president of the North Stockton Rotary Club, Past RI President Cliff Docterman’s home club. She served as the first woman governor of District 5220 in 2001-2002, the year Rick King was RI President, in the same class with PDG Peter Lagarias(D5150) and PDG Donna-Lee Young Rubin (D7930 in Massachusetts).
She was the first woman to chair a President-Elect Training Seminar (PETS) on the West Coast and was one of the founding members and serves on the Board and is a past chair of the Past Officers Reunion for DGs and above that is held in conjunction with the annual International Assembly training program for incoming DGs, previously known as the Mid-Year Institute.
In her spare time, Phyllis is an active member of the Fellowship of Musicians, through which she has been a member of the World Choir at the RI Convention for 19 years; a life member of the Wine Appreciation Fellowship; and serves on the boards of the Fellowship of Convention Goers and the Blindness Prevention Rotary Action Group.
Phyllis served as a Group Study Exchange Leader to Romania for District 5250 in 2004-2005 and received the Service Above Self Award from Rotary International in 2005-2006. She is a Paul Harris Fellow, member of the Paul Harris Society, Major Donor 2, and Bequest Society Level 7.
Phyllis transferred her membership to the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 2008, when she was invited to serve on the Club’s Centennial Committee. She maintains homes in both San Francisco and Stockton.
She says what she values about Rotary is “having friends around the world who are working together to make the world a better place in which to live – and being able to write my own job description to ‘make a difference.’”
Phyllis continues her interest in music; she is a singer and had planned to be a concert pianist at one time. She is a landscape photographer and has traveled to all seven continents, including Antarctica.
My wife, Dora, and I took a well-deserved vacation to England after the end of my year as president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco. We took with us a generous gift certificate from the Club for dinner at Rules, the oldest continuously-operating restaurant in London, located on Maiden Lane in the Covent Garden area of downtown London. Dora and I want to thank the Club for the opportunity to experience this unique dining experience.
We started with the restaurant’s specialty cocktails. I had a quail dish as an appetizer and a lamb dish as the main course. Dora had fallen in love with sticky toffee pudding, a uniquely British dessert. It’s a dining experience we’ll long remember. Interestingly, directly across the street from Rules was a Louisiana-style restaurant called the Big Easy Bar.B.Q Crabshack.
Rebecca Ennals, Artistic Director of the SF Shakespeare Festival, will look back at the company's history of presenting free, accessible theater in San Francisco. She'll be joined by other actors who will dramatize famous quotes from Shakespearean works.
The International Service Committee will meet right after the regular luncheon. Come and learn what activities are available and how to get involved. Everyone is welcome to attend!
The Community Service Committee will meet right after the regular luncheon. Come and learn what activities are available and how to get involved. Everyone is welcome to attend!
Nina Willner, a former intelligence operative in the US Army, will talk about Russian authoritarianism in the Cold War and today's global threat to democracy.
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 August 9, August 23, September 13, September 27, and October 11 at Harding Park Golf Course.
Rotaplast International celebrates 25 years of saving smiles and changing lives with a gala featuring dinner, both silent and live auctions, and entertainment at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco.
Please attend this practical, hand-on training about club goals for The Rotary Foundation or Rotary International, creative ideas about how to meet those goals, and the reports and tools TRF provides to measure progress. While this learning and development seminar is intended primarily for Club Foundation Chairs and committee members, all are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Denis Mulligan, General Manager and CEO of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, will describe the incredible work of building the Golden Gate Bridge in the early part of the 20th century and the technological changes the bridge has undergone, including the recent installation of the moveable median barrier. There are more innovative advances coming, as construction of the suicide deterrent net begins and engineers gear up to complete the important seismic retrofit.
California voters have opened the gates to the biggest money rush since the Silicon Chip. January 2018 will usher in a new era of legalized use of marijuana, and consumers aren’t the only ones who will feel the rush. Richard Corriea will provide an overview of the market grab currently being fought by big businesses and small entrepreneurs to share in the multi-billion dollar cash revenue from the Green Rush.
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 August 23, September 13, September 27, and October 11 at Harding Park Golf Course.
The 2017-18 President of Rotary International, Ian Riseley, has asked Rotary clubs to show their commitment to addressing climate change by planting a tree for every member. Join all the San Francisco clubs as we plant up to 500 trees from 8:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Lunch is included. When the planting is done, we will meet at a nearby pub to celebrate.
Our first speaker of the year was Brigitte Davila, a Trustee at City College of San Francisco. Brigitte shared San Francisco's new strategy of a "tuition-free" Community College. There were numerous questions and broad support for the effort, recognizing the need in today’s complex world.
Since retiring after a 23-year career in higher education, PDG Phyllis Nusz says she “can now use all of my skills/talents in a different way. Rotary has become a second full-time career!”
My wife, Dora, and I took a well-deserved vacation to England after the end of my year as president of the Rotary Club of San Francisco. We took with us a generous gift certificate from the Club for dinner at Rules, the oldest continuously-operating restaurant in London, located on Maiden Lane in the Covent Garden area of downtown London. Dora and I want to thank the Club for the opportunity to experience this unique dining experience.
We started with the restaurant’s specialty cocktails. I had a quail dish as an appetizer and a lamb dish as the main course. Dora had fallen in love with sticky toffee pudding, a uniquely British dessert. It’s a dining experience we’ll long remember. Interestingly, directly across the street from Rules was a Louisiana-style restaurant called the Big Easy Bar.B.Q Crabshack.
