Meeting Minutes
November 12, 2020
President Alex Robertson brought our evening Zoom meeting to order at 5:31 pm and led us in reciting the 4 Way Test. The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Cheryl Roop who told us about Francis Bellamy, a minister and author who wrote the original version of the Pledge in 1892, which was:
I pledge allegiance to my Flag, and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
The words “under God” were added in 1954 in response to the perceived threat of secular Communism.
Honoring Veterans Day, President Alex inspired us with the story behind the Remembrance Poppy he wears. This artificial flower is worn to commemorate veterans who have died for their country. The poppy refers to the opening lines of the poem
“In Flanders Fields” by John McCrea. Alex also quoted an epitaph by John Maxwell Edmond:
When you go home, tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.
Doug Dawson welcomed our guests and Joel Doss sang them our welcome song. It was a solo, as other members’ microphones were blessedly muted.
District Governor Steve Weitzen stopped by our meeting and recalled good memories of his time with our club during the RI convention in Toronto.
Jim Hyldahl covered two important topics. First, he reported on our partnership with RB Sunrise to create 700 comfort bags for the sailors who have been in COVID-19 quarantine here in San Diego. They are assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt. The combined team of 40 Rotarians finished this task in 50 minutes! Here is a picture of President Alex presenting a check to RB Sunrise President Jeb Bakke as our contribution towards the cost of the bags.
Second, Jim announced the results of the Nominating Committee: Alan Turner was proposed as the president nominee for the 2022-23 Rotary Year. This was unanimously approved by a member voice vote. Congratulations, Alan!
(Due to technical difficulties, I do not have a screen snip of Alan accepting this nomination.
Here are the best pictures I have; that’s him with Hazel on their wedding day!)
Finemaster-at-large Arilla St. Laurent collected a bunch of Happy Bucks.
Dan Malloy announced that our contributions, plus the Gates Foundation match, will bring a total of $16,440 to Polio Plus. Outstanding! And in other generous contribution news, Shirley Napierala informed us that 32 members have pledged a total of $2186 towards the Adopt-a-Family program. This program is run by the Poway Unified School District. They identify and vet families in need and give them gifts during the holiday season. Bravo again RB Rotarians!
John Goodrich introduced our speaker Leah Watson, the CEO of GRACE (Girls Rising Above Child Exploitation).
Leah told us that human trafficking is a growing issue; the average age of entry is shockingly between 12-14 years of age. Many of these victims have been involved in the child welfare system. They also typically have a history of past trauma or violence and are often runaways. The solution involves several actions: rehabilitation, safe housing, education, ending demand and reporting. She asked us to help with reporting by putting this number in our phones:
She also invited us to participate in their virtual fundraiser on December 1st starting at 6 pm:
Terry Heck presented her with a speaker’s gift, a book titled Women in the Marine Corps. It will be donated to the Bernardo Heights Middle School Library in her name.
Gary Saks presented a $500 check to Mindy Collins of Ronald McDonald House. Mindy told us how the money would be used and how COVID-19 has affected their operations.
President Alex thanked today’s volunteers: Zoom setup by Mike Fuqua, newsletter posting by Bill Angus and these words by your humble scribe, Dave Brooks.
President Alex adjourned the meeting at 6:45 pm.