Third graders at Monroe Elementary School are getting ready for one of the most exciting days of their lives! Will you and your friends be there to make sure every third grader gets a bike?
It will take about three hours to assemble the bikes. While we have lunch, volunteer bike mechanics will check our work. Once they approve we will give a brand new bicycle, helmet, and lock to each of the 88 kids. Following individual and group instruction in bike riding and safety the kids will try out their new bikes at a Bike Circus on a fun obstacle course set up just for them.
Monroe Elementary School (260 Madrid Street, in San Francisco's Excelsior neighborhood) is part of the Safe Route to school program that is working to increase the number of children who choose to walk or bike to school by making it safer and more accessible for children, including those with disabilities.
Monroe is a diverse school that hosts three language programs serving children form many linguistic backgrounds around the City. They offer English Language Development, Chinese Bilingual, and Spanish Immersion programs. The school also has a high percentage of kids on the city’s free or reduced lunch program, so our work with this school is especially impactful. We have already delivered dictionaries to these same third graders earlier this year.
We've done a number of Bike Builds in the past five or six years. They are great projects because they provide an opportunity to do some hands-on work together with volunteers from the community, including members of the SFPD and local bike groups. But the highlight of the day is watching the excitement as each of these kids gets a shiny new bicycle (along with a helmet and a lock), learns how to ride, and then gets to practice on the obstacle course. There is lots to do at every skill level -- we need about 35 volunteers to get it all done -- so bring your family and friends!
Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy a fun-filled day that will make a real difference in the lives of these third graders. Make the commitment before your calendar fills up with other things:Click here to register now!
New Member: We welcomed Yang Yang (Risk Management; Wells Fargo) as our newest member. Originally from China, Yang graduated from the University of Kansas. She plays piano and violin, and she enjoys volunteering, reading, traveling, and meeting new people. We are confident Yang will be a great addition to our club!
Recognitions and Sunshine Combined:Michael Mustacchi (Photography; Michael Mustacchi & Associates Photography) sent in a $100 donation to let all of us know that he appreciates our calls, emails and texts. Keep them coming! He hopes to be joining us at a Rotary meeting very soon.
Paul Harris Fellowships:Phyllis Nusz (Business Service - Fund Raising; PJ Enterprises), Club Chair for The Rotary Foundation, recognized 11 members of our club for reaching new levels of Paul Harris Fellowship:
First PHF: Christy Nguyen (Real Estate Investment and Private Lending; CA Asset Resort), John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo consultancy)
PHF+2: Emily Borland (Architecture; Emily Borland Specifications), Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle), Tom Briody (Elder Care; Institute on Aging)
PHF+3: Ellie Giorgis (Investment Advisor; Gruber & McBaine Capital Management)
PHF+4: Tom Brunner (Healthcare -- Non-profit; Glaucoma Research Foundation), Jim Kennedy (Design Consulting and Space Planning; Jim Kennedy Design)
PHF+7: Dan Joraanstad (Retail Brokerage; Wells Fargo Advisors)
Our club has donated over 1.9 million dollars to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International in the 99 years since TRF was founded!
Inspiring Programs: Katia Gomez, a 2009-11 Rotary Scholar told us about Educate2Envision (E2E) a California-based non-profit organization she founded in 2010. E2E is the only organization in Honduras making secondary school affordable and accessible in rural areas. Noah Griffin, a Marin Rotarian, talked and sang about the work he is doing as the founder of The Cole Porter Society, which introduces young people to the genre of the Great American Song Book through the genius of Cole Porter. And our own member Kristina Ruiz-Healy (Principal; Ruiz-Healy International Relations) provided an overview of organ and tissue donation based on her work with Donor Network West, including which organs are transplantable, who can be a donor, the organ donation process in California, and why we still need more people to register - Kristina introduced Amy Baghdadi, a liver recipient, and Olivia Lemen, the donor of the liver tissue that saved Amy’s life.
Jyoti Chokshi went on an international odyssey on her way to becoming the International Services Chair on the Rotary Club of San Francisco Board.
Born in New Delhi, India, she traveled to England in 1990 to start a business with her husband, then to the United States in 1994 to expand the business. The couple chose Illinois because it is an industrial state and Naperville because it is well-situated and “a good city to raise a family, number one for a number of years,” she says.
They opened a manufacturing plant for composite products for the automotive and defense industries and also exported U.S.-made construction equipment to India. In 2003, they sold the plant and started a new business, Talent Anywhere, which assists corporations to go global without having to have a legal entity in a specific geographic place. Jyoti focuses on the financial side of the business.
In 2008, they moved the company to the Bay Area to be near Silicon Valley and “also because we like the area,” Jyoti says. The couple lives in the Financial District near their office at One Market. Their adult son has joined the business, which works with companies in India, China, Spain and the UK.
Jyoti first became aware of Rotary in India, because her husband was a Rotarian. She contacted Rotary International shortly after she moved to Naperville. RI put her in touch with the Naperville club, which became her first Rotary club in 2003; she was also International Services Chair in that club. In addition to her Rotary activities, Jyoti served on the library board in Naperville. She joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 2009.
Jyoti says she loves Rotary because “it’s a way to give back to the community . . . and to meet like-minded people. I enjoy the fellowship and the lunch programs, the speakers, the company of fellow Rotarians and working on international projects. I look forward to Tuesdays. It’s fun to catch up, to learn and to share something.”
When her term on the Board ends in June, Jyoti says she “will probably get involved also in Community Service.”
We conducted the 31st year of our version of Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA): a free weekend leadership camp experience for high school students. This year we wowed about 100 students. Thanks to Randy Katz (Finance & Acquisitions; Synesis Advisors), David Dye (Management Consultant; Retired), Rick Harrell (Veterans Outreach; Heroes’ Voices), Laine Hendricks (Public Relations; The Salvation Army), and Cecile Chiquette (Accounting; Retired), who participated in various key roles before, during, and after the weekend.
Fifteen of our members cheered on the brand new George Washington High School Interact at their charter party in Stern Grove. Thank you to Lilian Tsi-Stielstra (Insurance; Wells Fargo Advisors) and Susanna Seltzer (Strategy and Communications; Kingmaker Solutions) for mentoring these inspiring young adults!
March Friendship Dinner: Thank you Heidi Kuhn (International Media; Roots of Peace) and Tucker Kuhn (Non-Profit – Humanitarian; Roots of Peace) for inviting 20+ members into your home to celebrate peace and enjoy a wonderful Vietnamese dinner. Also in attendance was the newly appointed Consul General of Vietnam.
The monthly joint meeting of the boards of the Rotary Club of San Francisco, the governing body responsible for club operations, and Rotary Service, which oversees all of our club’s service projects. Members are welcome to attend, but please contact the Club Secretary to confirm time and location before attending.
Let's volunteer so others can eat. Come help pack food for distribution to the many needy people in San Francisco who depend on the Food Bank. Click below on "more information" for details about what to wear and where to park. Optional informal dinner in a neighborhood restaurant will follow.
All long-term, new, and prospective members are welcome to attend this evening social event. It's a great opportunity to get to know your club while networking with our newest members.
This District 5150 Conference is a key component of DG Leah's focus on Peace. Explore important questions, hear great speakers, and celebrate the accomplishments of Rotarians who are actively implementing peace projects throughout the world right now.
Past President Anita will give us an update on the work of Alliance for Smiles to provide free surgeries to repair cleft lips and cleft palates. She'll focus on the mission supported by a donation from our own San Francisco Rotary Foundation.
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.
Dave Bertini, a member of the Rotary Club of Pacifica and a leader in District 5150, will bring us up to date on Rotary's new branding strategies, projected membership trends, and other important information about what lies ahead for Rotary.
The board of the San Francisco Rotary Foundation meets monthly to discuss the needs of the foundation and to approve funding for Rotary Service projects. Meetings of the Foundation Board are primarily for Foundation Board Members, but club members are often welcome to attend.
It's time for another fun-filled bike build! This year, we'll be joined by community volunteers as we build 88 bikes for the entire third grade of Monroe Elementary School. We need a few hands to move bikes into a truck on Friday evening, a few people to come early on Saturday, and a few people to stay afterward to watch the Bike Circus.
Darin Jensen will talk about working collaboratively with the public and scholars alike to create maps that explore the theme of water. He'll also tell us how we can get involved in his crowd-sourced and crowd-funded work to build a larger variety of maps designed to help us better understand the world we live in.
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 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!
.jpg)
Let's volunteer so others can eat. Come help pack food for distribution to the many needy people in San Francisco who depend on the Food Bank. Click below on "more information" for details about what to wear and where to park. Optional informal dinner in a neighborhood restaurant will follow.
This District 5150 Conference is a key component of DG Leah's focus on Peace. Explore important questions, hear great speakers, and celebrate the accomplishments of Rotarians who are actively implementing peace projects throughout the world right now.
Past President Anita will give us an update on the work of Alliance for Smiles to provide free surgeries to repair cleft lips and cleft palates. She'll focus on the mission supported by a donation from our own San Francisco Rotary Foundation.
Dave Bertini, a member of the Rotary Club of Pacifica and a leader in District 5150, will bring us up to date on Rotary's new branding strategies, projected membership trends, and other important information about what lies ahead for Rotary.
Rotarians and friends are invited to join the fun as the Giants play the Blue Jays at AT&T Park.
Darin Jensen will talk about working collaboratively with the public and scholars alike to create maps that explore the theme of water. He'll also tell us how we can get involved in his crowd-sourced and crowd-funded work to build a larger variety of maps designed to help us better understand the world we live in.
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!
This year's RI Convention in Seoul, Korea, is expected to break attendance records.