Hello from Seoul! Molly Jean, Eric and are attending the annual Rotary International Convention from May 28th to June 1st.
I am crossing my fingers that Molly will make friends on the plane and we will all arrive bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Either way, we will hit the ground running in true Schmautz style. Where are we staying? What are we doing? I am not sure, as I leave that up to the operations guy. I am excited, though, to soak up the culture, meet other Rotarians from around the world, and immerse myself in the convention.
Seoul, Korea will be my 6th Rotary Convention and it’s comforting to know that each convention is meticulously organized and planned by thousands of volunteers from the host country. There is a certain rhythm to a Rotary International Convention; you learn to anticipate the daily opening sessions, the enormous House of Friendship, and the warm hospitality of all the attendees. Imagine forty-five thousand people from 150 countries all coming together to facilitate a more peaceful world! Language is hardly a barrier perhaps because we all have same overall goal of Service above Self? Even among the tens of thousands of people, I will undoubtedly run into Donna Lee, The Professor, Anita, David, Cecile, Heidi, Alisha and Phyllis the first day we are there. I think of the convention like the Olympics but we are all on the same team.
I’ll post photos and interesting things I learn throughout the convention but there is really nothing like attending a convention yourself.
See you when we return! Oh -- and why don’t you sign up for Atlanta 2017? I’ll be signing up in Korea to make sure I can get the best hotel and cheapest rate. See you in Atlanta?
District Awards: President Stephanie announced that our Rotary Club of San Francisco took home some well-deserved awards from the annual District Conference on May 1: We received awards for Membership and Foundation Giving. Congratulations to all of you who worked so hard in those areas!
Paul Harris Fellowships: A big thank you to everyone for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International throughout the year. We have donated $33,528 to TRF so far this Rotary year, a goal we would not have achieved without these generous donors:
Paul Harris Fellowship "Plus 4": Jim Emerson (Presbyterian Clergy; Retired), Tom Brunner (Non Profit; Glaucoma Research Foundation), Jim Kennedy (Design Consulting; James Kennedy Design)
Paul Harris Fellowhips "Plus 5": Anita Stangl (Nonprofit Management; Retired)
Paul Harris Fellowhips "Plus 7": Kevin Waldeck (Financial Services; Morgan Stanley)
Recognitions: John Mount (Statistical Consulting; Win-Vector) donated to recognize that his phone rang when his Mom called during the meeting. John Dracup (Civil & Environmental Engineering; University of California) is most thankful that one of his granddaughters graduated from SMU. Heidi Kuhn (International Media; Roots of Peace) celebrates Miljenko 'Mike' Grgich’s 90th Birthday and the publication of his new book, A Glass Gull of Miracles, which features Roots of Peace. Jian-ying Chen (Needleless Acupuncture; Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine Japan College) celebrated the opening of his new office on Lombard Street and thanked Cecile Chiquette (Accounting; Retirned) for all her help. Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle) also made a donation as she is thankful that her mother-in-law, Karen Schmautz, is here from Florida helping to take care of Molly Jean.
Newsmaker: Heidi Kuhn sent a report from Viet Nam, where she was attend a dinner with President Obama, the president of Viet Nam, and many other dignitaries. "As a proud American, it is a great honor to receive this special invitation with deep respect for our Roots of Peace MINES TO VINES work in the former DMZ." Way to go, Heidi!
Rotarians of The Months: At the last meeting in April, President Stephanie named John Hoch (Estate and Business Planning; Retired) as Rotarian of The Month for April in recognition of his tremendous work with the LPGA Tournament. John spent seven days organizing and staffing this fundraiser for our club! Hanna Loyola (Accounting; Hanna Loyola CPA) was recognized as Rotarian of the Month for May in recognition of a fantastic job organizing and executing the Bike Build.
Great Speakers:Anita Stangl gave a heartfelt presentation thanking all of us for the success and support over the last 11 years of Alliance for Smiles. Anita recently retired as Executive Director of Alliance for Smiles and credits the Rotary Club of San Francisco among others in helping over 5,000 children receive new smiles. Several club members and guests were moved to donate a total of $2,500 to AfS, including Tim Hornbecker (Human Resources; The Arc of Alameda), Rhonda Poppen (Grant Writer; GRANTdog), Dan Joraanstad (Retail Brokerage; Retired), Frank Yoke (Fundraising; Boy Scouts of America), Jim Patrick (Stationery; Patrick & Co.), Kevin Leong (Institutional Fundraising; USF), Rick Harrell (Veteran’s Outreach; Heroes’ Voices), Allan Herzog (Stocks and Bonds; Wells Fargo Advisors), Jian-ying Chen, Don Parachini (Law Practice; Leland, Parachini, Steinberg, Matzger & Melnick), Cecile Chiquette and John Ringgenberg.
David Bertini, Assistant Governor, a member of the Rotary Club of Pacifica and a Police Commander in Menlo Park, shared with us Rotary's New Focus. Dave brought us up to date on membership trends, Rotary International's new branding strategies, and what we as a club can do to freshen our image. Dave's talk helps reiterate our new direction and commitment towards a renewed focus on membership and retention.
UC Berkeley Cartographer Darin Jensen humored us with his presentation about Guerrilla Cartography. His work with students led to lighthearted maps such as one showing the overlap between Cupcakes and Gangs in the Mission District and another tracking Taco Trucks in Oakland. On a more serious note, he works collaboratively with the public and with scholars to create a collection of maps that explore the theme of water — from the lore of water monsters to the stresses on the Nile River.
Peter Schwartz, futurist and Senior Vice President of Salesforce.com, took us on an interesting journey into possible futures for technology, imagining a world five years from now, where smart phones are many more times powerful than they are today, quite possibly working with our doctors to track health indicators. When asked about the erosion of privacy, Peter observed that the notion of privacy only recently began when people stopped living in small villages. In his view, the era of privacy that began in the 20th Century is now over.
Batter Up! A shout out to Michael Strohl (Investment Advisor; Sagemark Consulting) for organizing Rotary Night at The Giants! 60 Rotarians from all over San Francisco joined together at The Giants Game on May 10. Many of enjoyed drinks and appetizers at The Yard before the first pitch.
Bikes for Monroe Elementary: Undoubtedly one of the best Community Service projects of the year! Hanna Loyola chaired the Bike Build Project at Monroe Elementary School. Together with volunteers from the school, Teecom, USF Rotaract, the George Washington and Lowell Interact Clubs, the SFPD and other community partners, we Rotarians put together 88 bikes: enough to give one to every third grader in the school. All of us enjoyed a great lunch and the students even participated in a bike obstacle course with their new bikes and helmets. Thank you to all who helped make this fantastic project such a success!
Andrew Briggs, the founder and CEO of Freedom in Creation, will explore the evolution of his organization and the way in which they have leveraged the power of art to penetrate the soil in a rural community of Northern Uganda to put down deep roots of change by providing potable water and farm-based entrepreneurship education for youth.
All club members are welcome to attend meetings of the International Service Committee. Please join the meeting to see what projects are coming up and how you can help, and/or to propose your own ideas for new projects. If you would like to find out how to submit a grant for a project, criteria for grants or completing a final report, this is the meeting for you.
Come join us for a Club Social at Palio's! Perfect to hang out with fellow club members in a casual atmosphere. Invite your family, friends and prospective members.
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing. June 9, June 23, July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25, September 8, September 22, October 6.
In his talk, Non-Profit Muscle, David Risher, Chief Executive and co-founder of Wordreader, will talk about how this relatively small non-profit organization has leveraged relationships with huge multi-national corporations to bring free digital books and new educational opportunities to millions of people across Africa and India.
All club members are welcome to attend meetings of the Local Community Service Committee. Please join the meeting to see what projects are coming up and how you can help, and/or to propose your own ideas for new projects. If you would like to find out how to submit a grant for a project, criteria for grants or completing a final report, this is the meeting for you.
It's time to thank President Stephanie for a job well done at the traditional "debunking". Come and find out what President Elect Nominee John Mathers has planned to help us forever remember President Stephanie as we say THANK YOU at the last Luncheon Meeting of her year as Club President.
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing. June 23, July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25, September 8, September 22, October 6.
It's time for the annual Club Assembly. All members, especially new Rotarians and club leaders, are encouraged to attend. Learn what's being planned to make 2016-17 the best year ever for SF#2 and learn how you can help. Dinner included!
Paul Harris Fellowships: A big thank you to everyone for their contributions to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International throughout the year. We have donated $33,528 to TRF so far this Rotary year, a goal we would not have achieved without these generous donors:
Newsmaker: Heidi Kuhn sent a report from Viet Nam, where she was attend a dinner with President Obama, the president of Viet Nam, and many other dignitaries. "As a proud American, it is a great honor to receive this special invitation with deep respect for our 
Great Speakers: Anita Stangl gave a heartfelt presentation thanking all of us for the success and support over the last 11 years of 
Andrew Briggs, the founder and CEO of 
Come join us for a Club Social at Palio's! Perfect to hang out with fellow club members in a casual atmosphere. Invite your family, friends and prospective members.
Join The Rotary Club of San Francisco for a friendly round of golf and a chance to win the coveted Rotary Club of San Francisco Golf Series Trophy! Points are based on participation, not necessarily golf score, so all skill levels are welcome! Come out to Harding Park and join us for some golf fun and fellowship. Fellowship follows every outing. June 9, June 23, July 14, July 28, August 11, August 25, September 8, September 22, October 6.
In his talk, Non-Profit Muscle, David Risher, Chief Executive and co-founder of Wordreader, will talk about how this relatively small non-profit organization has leveraged relationships with huge multi-national corporations to bring free digital books and new educational opportunities to millions of people across Africa and India.
It's time to thank President Stephanie for a job well done at the traditional "debunking". Come and find out what President Elect Nominee John Mathers has planned to help us forever remember President Stephanie as we say THANK YOU at the last Luncheon Meeting of her year as Club President.
time for the annual Club Assembly. All members, especially new Rotarians and club leaders, are encouraged to attend. Learn what's being planned to make 2016-17 the best year ever for SF#2 and learn how you can help. Dinner included!
In honor of the Independence Day holiday, there will be no Rotary Luncheon on July 5.