AlamoOak
February 2, 2011
We meet every Wednesday for lunch,
12:15 - 1:30 at Round Hill Country Club,
3169 Round Hill Road, Alamo CA.
Please visit our web site at
www.alamorotary.org
Upcoming Programs
Feb 9
DARK
Valentine’s Day Dinner February 10
Feb 16
Program: Jim Brandt
Super Greeter Gerry Filice
Brian Thiessen, “RI Fellowship of Scouting”
Feb 23
Program: Jan Robinson
Super Greeter: JP Furber
Joleen Lafayette, “Loaves and Fishes”
Mar 2
Program: Mike Gallagher
Super Greeter: Brad Gai
Four-Way Speech Contest Club Finalists
Mar 9
Program: Jeff Cheney
Super Greeter: Mike Gallagher
Museum of the San Ramon Valley, CA Women’s
Suffrage Centennial
Mar 16
Program: Tony Colorado
Super Greeter: AJ Salomon
TBA
Mar 23
Program: Joe Combs
Super Greeter: Steve Glaski
TBA
Mar 30
Program: Carolyn Thiessen
Super Greeter: Bart Gledhill
Library Awards
Apr 6
Program:Alan Fahrenkrog:
Super Greeter: John Hansen
TBA
Apr 13
Program: Bill Ferguson
Super Greeter: Bill Humphrey
TBA
This Week’s Program
They left to avoid being kidnapped. .They walked seven days and eight
nights across the desert to get to the border. They walked at night and hid
during the day so the Russian helicopters wouldn’t find them. They spent
two years in a small room they could rarely leave. When they were able to
leave the room they had to be covered from head to toe.
Our speaker, Halima Arghandiwal, told a fascinating and harrowing story
about her escape from Afghanistan during the middle of the Russian War
in 1986. She was 19, and left Kabul with two sisters and her parents.
Tragically, halfway across the desert her father suffered a heart attack and
died. He mother returned with the body to Kabul, leaving the sisters to
complete the trek to the Pakistan border. After a three week delay at the
border they were sent to Peshawar where their mother joined them a year
later. A Church in the SF Bay Area sponsored them and they arrived in
San Francisco in 1988 speaking not a word of English. Shortly after her
arrival, Halima met he now husband and subsequently had two children.
She enrolled in ESL and college classes, and to this day, reads the dictionary in her spare time. She is “Always learning”, she says. One of nine
children, when asked about her family that remains in Afghanistan, Halima
says “That’s a story for a different day.” Her story made for an engrossing
program, and we thank her for sharing it with us.
Our speaker, Halima Arghandiwal,
signs a bookplate for a book to be donated to the library at Stone Valley
School.
Visitors and Guests
It was a packed house in a little room. We were
pleased to welcome from Rancho Romero: Linda
Mailho, librarian; from Alamo School: Marci Wehrley, librarian and Stan Hitomi, principal; from Stone
Valley Middle School; Irma Volenec, librarian and
Shaun McElroy, principal. Diane’s husband Bill
Barley joined us, as did Rotarian Judy Lewis (San
Ramon Rotary), Carolyn Thiessen’s good friend Betty
Hoffman, and Bill Humphrey’s daughter Pat from
Texas.
New D. 5160 Club
Fines and Recognitions
Brian Thiessen presented the Club with a banner from District 5160’s newest Rotary Club,
the Capay Valley Club. Chartered late last
spring, they meet at Cache Creek Casino in
western Yolo County Friday mornings at 7.
Our Sgt-at-Arms Ben was in fine form. Brad Gai was
recognized $20 for his birthday; John Hansen’s 52nd
birthday cost him $20; The Randalls’ 16th wedding
anniversary cost them $60; Ron Mello was recognized
$47 for their -- you guessed it -- 47th wedding anniversary; Bob Myhre will pay $20 for Betty’s 87th
birthday. Vish More was fined $50 for misspelling
Steve Polcyn’s name in a memo and botching the
Pledge of Allegiance at the Fireside; and Neeraj
Punglia was fined $20 for the same botch job.
Brian was one of the District Rotarians who
worked to get them chartered -- his 6th charter
success, and he’s currently working to help
charter a seventh. Good work, Brian.
Future Board Meeting Dates
Mark your calendars for Board Meetings. Every meeting is on a Monday. Here’s the schedule for the remainder of this Rotary year:
February 7
March 14
April May 9
June 13
Library Awards Presented
Bob and Betty Myhre pledged to help finance books to Valley libraries, and kept their pledge at our February 2 meeting. Bob presented $500 checks to the librarians of Alamo, School, Rancho Romero and Stone
Valley Middle School. Especially in these days of budget constraints and a suffering economy, the Myhre’s
generosity is greatly appreciated.
Receiving library awards (left to right): Linda Mailho (Rancho Romero); Stan Hitomi,
principal and Marci Wehrley, librarian; (Alamo School); Irma Volenec, librarian and
Shaun McElroy, principal (Stone Valley Middle School).
Leah’s New Home
Our inbound Youth Exchange student Leah will
be moving soon. Her new “sister” is an only
child atteding Monte Vista, is an Interact member
who is currently studying French.
It looks like it couldn’t be a better match: same
school, close in age, two languages in common
and a Rotary thread! Good luck in your new
home, Leah!
Part of the exchange experience is getting to meet
as many Rotarians and their families as possible.
Don’t forget to invite Leah somewhere, sometime
before she leaves. Contact Beth Randall to make
arrangements.
Interact Student / Eagle
Scout Needs Our Help
Beth Randall announced that Interact officer, Will
DeMuri is working on his Eagle project and needs
our help. He is stocking the shelves (so to speak)
at the San Francisco City Impact Thrift Store.
While most of our past Eagle Scout support has
been monetary, this is a chance to clean closets
and garages. See the attached list of acceptable,
badly needed (and unacceptable) items you can
donate. Beth is asking that any donations be
brought to our next meeting. Keep in mind we do
not meet next week due to our Valentine’s dinner
on February 10. So plan to help Will, and bring
your donations on February 16.
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks to you, Bob and the Alamo Rotary Club. What a great meeting
today. I really enjoyed the guest speaker. I didn't catch her name.
I just read a CYRM award nominee book to the 4th & 5th graders last week. It is titled, Four Feet, Two Sandals. The book is about a girl and her family. They fled Afghanistan and were living in a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. They lived there two
years before leaving for America. It was very interesting to hear her first-hand account.
It was great to see Bob. I’m sorry Betty wasn’t able to attend. Maybe next year she’ll be
there.
Thanks again,
Linda Mailho
Library Media Coordinator
Rancho Romero Elementary School
180 Hemme Ave.
Alamo, CA 94507
925-855-5700
[email protected]
A Thank You Letter From Rancho Romero
Announcements
February 9 - Opening Day for RotaCare
RotaCare in Pittsburg will open its doors for the first time
from 4-7. Alamo Rotary co-sponsored this project. Volunteers are still needed. Contact Prez Steve for details.
February 10 - Valentine’s Dinner
Valentine’s Dinner at Scott’s Restaurant in Walnut Creek.
Cost is $45 including the cost of a pianist extraordinaire..
Note there will be no lunch meeting the day before.
March 16 - RotaCare Open House
The formal Open House for our new clinic in St. Vincent de
Paul in Pittsburg will be held on March 16. More details to
follow.
April 9 - District Foundation Day and Social
Additional information to follow. Yin Park, Vacaville.
April 16 - District Assembly
This is an important training day for all Club officers and
board members. Solano Community College
April 23 - Rotarians at Work Day
There will be information about our project for this day in
weeks to come.
May 21 - 25 -- RI Convention
New Orleans. Oh when the Rotarians... go marching in...
June 4 -- Bocce Ball Challenge
The third annual Rotary Bocce Ball Challenge will be held
in Martinez Waterfront Park from 10 a.m. To 4:30 p.m. If
there’s enough interest on the part of our members, we will
pay a club fee and join the fun.
2013 0 2014 Rotary Year
Steve Lack of the Pleasant Hill Club will be District Governor for that year. Congratulations!
Club Leadership
President
Steve Polcyn
Cell: 925-548-3516
[email protected]
President-Elect
Chris Suter
Cell: 925-998-1030
[email protected]
Past President
Bill Randall
Vice President
John Jones,
Home: 925-552-7058
[email protected]
Secretary
Kent Johansson
Cell: 925-549-0988
[email protected]
Treasurer
Jim Schuppert
Cell: 510-301-5612
[email protected]
Club Service
Don Morton
Home:925-838-1137
[email protected]
Community Service
Dick Olsen
Home: 925-855-1598
[email protected]
International Service
Chuck Ortmeyer
Cell: 415-740-6890
[email protected]
Vocational Service
Greg Schuyler
Home: 925-837-3416
[email protected]
New Generations
Beth Randall
Programs/Bulletin
Jan Robinson
Home: 925-855-8977
Cell: 925-381-7042
[email protected]
Public Relations/Bulletin
John Jones,
Home: 925-552-7058
[email protected]
Will DeMuri’s Eagle Project
San Francisco City Impact Thrift Store
Acceptable Donation List
www.CityImpact911.com
* Bolded items note the most needed donations *
Clothing Items:
All clothing items must be clean and without large tears or stains. We accept both Men’s
and Women’s clothes.
Shoes
Robes
Pants
Men’s shoes
Pajamas
Shirts
Coats
Men’s Pants
Sweaters
Sportswear
Hats
Men’s Sweaters
Underwear (only new)
Pantyhose (only new)
Socks (only new)
Silverware
VHS’s/DVD’s/CD’s
Toiletries
Toys (new)
Linens
Electric Skillets
VHS/DVD players
Radios
Lamps
Pots/Pans
Household Items:
Microwaves
Hot Plates
Stereos
Blankets
Towels
Blenders/Juicers
Items That Cannot Be Accepted:
There are some items that can’t be accepted for many different reasons, such as: they do
not sell / they take up the limited space that we have
Furniture
Used Toys
Children’s Clothing
Danville Rotary Club
Annual Crab Feed
February 5th
St. Isidore’s large Gym
6:30 PM
Although we had very good response to ticket sales, we still have
some room for more Crab Eaters. The cost is $350.00 for a table
of 10 , or $40.00 each for individuals.
This year we are doubling our capacity and hope to raise a record
amount of money for our charities.
There will be a “cocktail Auction” (silent auction) as well as a live
auction with some amazing items.
We also have hired a great band who will provide some fun music
for after dinner enjoyment and dancing.
This should be a FUN evening and , of course, it’s all for Rotary!
If you are interested in tickets, you can go to the DaCdb website
and go to the Danville club calendar where you will be able to click
on the event to sign up and also pay by credit card.
Thank You for your support !
 $3, $5, $7 or $8 OF EVERY TICKET SOLD
SUPPORTS “END POLIO NOW”
 SPONSOR DESERVING KIDS TO THE GAME!
($10 lawn ticket, $3 from each ticket donated)
 A GREAT EXPERIENCE FOR THE WHOLE
FAMILY! (Invite your family, friends, and co-workers)
 SEAT SELECTION IS BASED ON BEST SEATS
AVAILABLE AT TIME OF PAYMENT
PRICE LOCATION
$10
# OF SEATS x
Child Donation
Price
_______ = $_______
($3 to END POLIO NOW)
$15
Delta Box
_______ = $_______
($5 to END POLIO NOW)
$19
Gold Rush
_______ = $_______
($7 to END POLIO NOW)
NAME: ___________________________________
MEMBER ID #: _____________________________
ROTARY CLUB OF: __________________________
ADDRESS: ________________________________
CITY/STATE/ZIP: ___________________________
PHONE: (_______)__________________________
E-MAIL: __________________________________
$21
Senate Box
_______ = $_______
($8 to END POLIO NOW)
TOTAL DUE
= $_______
Can’t make it, but you still want to support “Rotary
Night at the River Cats”? Your ticket(s) can be
exchanged at the Raley Field Box Office for any
Sunday – Thursday regular season game!
To place your order, please return this order form with payment to Colleen Knight by FEBRUARY 25th.
Please make checks payable to “Rotary Club of Cordelia” with River Cats as the memo.
For questions, please contact: Colleen Knight at (707) 688-6395 or [email protected]
537 Eldridge Avenue, Vacaville, CA 95688