Rancho Bernardo Rotary Club
Scribe Notes
September 14, 2023
The Opening Bell
President Jim Reid, wearing his handsome camel hair jacket, opened the meeting at 12:30 p.m. by leading us in the Four-Way Test and Alan Turner led us in the Pledge, remembering 9/11. President Jim noted that Arilla’s obituary was placed on tables around the room; a memorial for her will be on September 23.
President Jim thanked the following volunteers for the day: Katie Hunter, Greeter; Alan Turner, Pledge; Marty Judge, Inspirational Message and Scribe; Pat Caffee and Joel Doss, who manned the front desk; Dave Brooks, audio/visual; Bill Brehn, photographer; and Joel Doss, who led the welcome song.
PolioPlus
The PolioPlus District Coordinator Beth Garrow told us that only seven cases of polio were recorded last year, which were in Pakistan and Afghanistan. In addition to eradication efforts, she said Rotary was funding a program that monitors areas in which polio was a particular hazard and attempts to curb the undying conditions that fosters polio.
She noted that Rotary International has given more than $155 million last year to eradicate polio and that our club gave $7,300. This year the District will ask each club to give $1,500 to the effort.
Next Week’s Meeting
Our club will hold a picnic at Lake Poway next Thursday in lieu of a meeting.
Camel Hair Jacket Clarification
Steve La Pointe asked what qualifies as a true camel hair jacket and President Jim said the criteria was the prerogative of the president, indicating that his rulings would be liberal.
Induction of New Members
A standing ovation was given to three worthy inductees: Susan Lewallan, ophthalmologist; Paul Courtright, epidemiologist; and David Fitter, entrepreneur.
Family of Rotary
We were saddened to learn that John O’Neil underwent surgery. However, he is recuperating in the hospital and plans to return soon. President Jim explained that John has overseen the club’s Volunteer assignment program for 20 years and revamped it from an ad hoc operation to one where Volunteers are assigned.
Fireside Chat
President Jim thanked Katie Hunter for organizing the Fireside Chat earlier in the week to explain how our Rotary Club and the Rotary world works, and explaining the spectrum of opportunities for volunteering.
Poway Symphony Orchestra
The opening concert of the season by the Poway Symphony Orchestra will be on November 19. Rotarians may purchase tickets to sit together. Tickets are available online, but preferred Rotary seating is only available at the box office in person or by phoning the box office during their limited hours on Friday and Saturday afternoons.
Fines & Happy Bucks
Fine Master and Happy Buck Procurer Bob Vaughn received a rousing round of boos but asked for even more. His intelligence sources were unable to provide grounds for fines but he cheerfully took in some happy bucks for our treasury.
Ken Heinz announced that his wife is scheduled for cancer surgery. Thankfully, the prognosis is good.
Steve La Pointe, who is temporarily using a walker, said he has cancer but it is benign. He contributed $20.
Keynote Speaker: Mental Health & Rotary
Club member Alan Turner gave a well-illustrated and detailed talk on Mental Health and Rotary. Alan is the Coordinator of the program for our club and for the District. He said suicide is the second leading cause of death for children under 10 and it takes an average of 10 years from the onset of a child’s symptoms and treatment. Nearly 10 percent of adolescents have persistent feelings of sadness and San Diego has one of the highest suicide rates in the United States. A major barrier to curbing the problem is that people do not talk about it.
Vista Hill has been working to improve the quality of life for those with mental/behavioral health problems since 1957 by providing food and other support to families. Our Rotary Club recently contributed $2,000 to the organization. Vista Hill’s next event will be a luncheon on November 10 at Oasis in Rancho Bernardo. For more information contact Alan or Charlie Crew.
Our club teamed up with Parenting EQ and provided a grant that trained 27 Poway Unified elementary school counselors in identifying students with emotional problems and assisting them. The counselors were provided with tool kits containing books and toys that were designed to draw out the students and encourage them to talk about what was bothering them. Counselors gave very high marks to the program and students and parents also praised it.
NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is dedicated to building better lives for Americans affected by mental illness. It sponsors fundraising walks and our club and several other clubs participated in a walk last April, raising $22,000. Another walk is scheduled for April 27 next year. NAMI has recognized District 5340 as the trend leader of the year.
The Closing Bell
President Jim struck the concluding bell at 1:30 p.m., reminding us to remain engaged.
