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Register Here online or download this form, print and return to Tina Akins
for our club's annual fundraiser, "Fly Me to the Moon!"
March 20, 2010 6PM Grand Ballroom, Hilton Hotel, Concord CA


The Concordian for March 5, 2010
Rotary Club of Concord, CA

President Steve Wolfe has done it again. It wasn’t until he gave us the answer to the second question that the bells started to go off inside the Scribe’s noggin. Stay tuned. First, our illustrious Cut and Sew Wizard did start the meeting on time, he’s good about that, especially since we were in significantly cramped quarters in the Back 40. President Steve acknowledged the presence of two of our walking wounded, Paul Mills, fresh from a total knee replacement, and Lee Shuff, recovering from neck surgery in the spinal region.

The room was set-up by Sergeant at Arms Paul King ably assisted by the aforementioned Paul Mills. Dan Helix served as Greeter, led in the pledge to our flag, and served as Scribe. Al Kappadahl delivered the invocation and introduced the visiting Rotarians and guests. Rick Ernst could write the field manual on recruiting. What he has done for bringing in new members parallels what Dr. George Washington Carver did for the peanut. Rick’s guest was Bamidele Olowa, a Concord resident and an accountant who has relocated from Nigeria. His father was a long-time Rotarian in Nigeria. Bamidele attended the R.I. convention in Los Angeles as a non-Rotarian. He is looking to develop his own accounting practice in our community. Rick will be proposing him for membership.

Returning to the issue of the “second question,” your humble Scribe is perplexed. Paraphrasing President Steve’s second question: What do you call a grouping or flock of the Obexers perched on the rear-end of a zebra that I have displayed on the screen? . A number of legitimate possibilities were offered: covey, bevy, gaggle, swarm, skein, and more. None of these passed muster. “FLING” was the answer supplied by our Prez. As a student of words, your Scribe flinched. One could explain “fling” as a toss, throw, hurling, etc., or under other circumstances, an inconsequential love affair. Those possibilities were all rejected.

The current Oxford English Dictionary defined every possible scenario for fling on two pages. That’s a lot of space for OED. None agreed with the characterization supplied by President Steve. This caused Yr Obdn’t Svn’t to consider whether we had been misdirected concerning the name of the bird picking nits off the zebra’s behind. Again, OED was no help, nor was Yahoo, Google, or any other search engine with over 5,400 references to Obexer [President Steve’s spelling, not mine] and not one bird in the lot. I went deeper and consulted Harry Luan’s son, Jeixi, a computer expert. He could find no confirmation of the existence of any such bird. Harry’s daughter, Meixi, has a volume on birds. Another dead end. Finally, I contacted Karen Grillo, an author and expert on birds of the world. Karen said there was no such bird, as listed in President Steve’s notes. I asked if there was any bird with an “x” in its name and she said, “Yes, the closest name to what you asked is Oxpecker.” Well, I thanked her profusely and quickly concluded that ours was a family periodical and as far as Mr. (or Ms) Oxpecker was concerned, I wasn’t going there. So, what gives Mr. President? You give us “Obexer” as the answer for a bottle of wine and “fling” as the term for multiples of your apparently non-existent bird. If you, Sir, can provide proof of the existence of an “Obexer” I will contribute $25. to the Concord Rotary Endowment, otherwise . . . .

Under the title of “Know Your Fellow Rotarian,” Chris Moulis is guilty of the following: Emigrated to the U.S. when he was 2, initially reunited with his father in Providence, RI, he grew up in San Bernardino, attended Flight Simulator school in the U.S. Air Force and served in that specialty, graduated from Long Beach State with a BS in Industrial Engineering in 1972, relocated to Concord in 1973 and became a Realtor, joined Concord Rotary in 1979, and served as the President of Concord Rotary. Someone tabbed Chris with the second fact. There are no secrets in Concord Rotary.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES (BD=birthday, CA=club anniversary, WA=wedding anniversary) 2/14 Guy Bjerke, BD; 2/28 CA. 2/17 Tom Wentling CA, President in 1977, 2/17 Joe Cornella BD, 2/24 Michale Patrick CA, 2/24 Jeff Willis, CA, 2/26 Roy Querio, CA, 2/28 Sandy Warren BD, 3/1 Scott Singley CA, 3/3 Doug McPherson BD, 3/3 Harry Luan, WA, ¾ Bob Cressio, BD, 3/5 Rick Vossekuil, CA, 2/24? Pete Baldacci, BD [President Steve paid the fine for missing the date.]

Kathy Adams received her multiple Paul Harris pin, as did Doug McPherson (4) and Bill Bobetsky.
The word “Fling,” supra, is a perfect segue for Tina Akins information about Spring Fling. Her are her thought and comments about this important event: Registration: It’s looking better. Remember the goal is 300. We have 168 committed seats, i.e., over half. We’re still missing about 60 names from that list, so get that info to me or to Kimberly Low. Kimberly.Low@johnmuirhealth.com I figure if 50 more Rotarians sign up, and bring their spouses, and some of those folks bring guests—we could be sold out! I’ve only heard from about 8 who can’t attend, so it’s a real possibility.

Payment: I’m attaching the credit card form again, in case you need it. Feel free to forward it to your friends. It has my office fax number on it. (925) 940-1210. There are only six of us in the office, so they know who to give it to. I’ve added my phone number in case someone wants to call to confirm receipt. And (drum roll) good news - Tania Brugger has found a credit card company to process our credit cards at a very low rate, with the ability to only use it when we need it. Meaning—you will now see Concord Rotary Endowment on your credit card statements. WooHoo! That should make your tax life cleaner.

Auction items: The list of items is growing every day. Thank you, thank you! Now the committee needs to collect the specific info for the program, the auction bid sheets, etc. We’d like to finish up this weekend. If you have yet to turn in a donation form, please contact Anna Price or me, and let’s see if we can’t nail down the information needed. annapricerocks@comcast.net

Update on a live auction item: The Prescotts have agreed to host a poker party for 8 at their house this spring/early summer. Sounds like fun. Oh, and the wines will be donated by the Kaminski’s. Okay, sounds like a lot of fun. They’re looking for someone to partner up with them on this item and provide the appetizers. Interested? This is a great way to get involved. If you want to help, you can make a donation to the Endowment. It doesn’t matter how large or small—remember my theory about all the parts adding up to a greater sum?

What to if you can’t attend: A few of you have voiced your regrets at not being able to attend. Truth be told, you’ll be missed. You’ve also asked what you can do to help out. But a ticket? Donate an item? I thought long about this one, and the conclusion was clear. It’s a fundraiser. It’s our annual chance to focus on adding to the Endowment. If you want to help, I think the best thing you can do is make a donation to the Endowment. It doesn’t matter how large or small.

I think that’s it for this week’s announcements. Oh—I forgot Raffle Tickets. Want to commit to buying some ahead of time? Can’t remember if you already committed to some? Contact Marilyn Fowler at mfowler@concordchamber.com She can answer questions, and get you signed up.
Next week a preview of some of our live auction items. Tina

A reminder from Memory Woodard that Saturday, March 13, will be INTERACT AND ROTARY NIGHT with the Golden State Warriors. The game begins at 7:30pm at the Oracle Arena. Tickets are available for the bargain price of $25.00 for Rotarians. You can help with the Interact students tickets by donating $40.00 per student. This is one way to show our appreciation for all the good work these students do in our community. Please see Memory for mail order ticket information.

Our guest speaker was Anna Chan, an amazing mother who believes that all children deserve to have fresh fruit on a regular basis. To accomplish this goal she has spent countless hours knocking on the doors of those who own fruit trees and asking them to share their fruit with the poor. She harvests the fruit, delivers it to food pantries, and networks with farmers for donations. Anna has raised over $100,000 worth of fresh produce. She is hoping to inspire others to join her in this effort.

For her outstanding volunteer service and selfless commitment to the hunger cause, Anna, “The Lemon Lady,” has been recognized in dozens of media, honored with a special commendation from California Garden Clubs, Inc., a prestigious Jefferson Award for Public Service and was designated the KQED Public Broadcasting Women’s History Hero 2010. This appears to be a program our members will happily support.
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The Rotary Club of Concord has recorded a total of 6247 hours volunteered to Community Service since 2002.

What is a Rotarian?
A Rotarian is one who looks beyond self-interests to serve the community, country, and the entire world as evidenced by Rotary International's global polio immunization program. A Rotarian seeks the truth; lets fairness govern all activities; strives to build goodwill and better friendships; and attempts to develop mutually beneficial relationships in all endeavors. These individual goals evolved into what is now know throughout Rotary as the "4-Way Test" of all relationships.

Rotary's two related mottoes are: "Service Above Self" and "He Profits Most Who Serves Best".

What is a Rotary Club?
Paul Harris, an attorney, organized the initial Rotary Club in Chicago. Its first meeting was held February 23, 1905. The name "Rotary" was selected because the club met in rotation at each member's place of business. The basic objectives of Rotary over the years have revolved around friendship, fellowship and service to others. Rotary International is now represented on six continents with worldwide membership well in excess of 1.2 million. Concord Rotary Club was chartered March 27, 1947; the current membership is approximately 80 men and women. Luncheon meetings are held each Friday from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m.

The 4-Way Test
Of the things we think, say or do
1. Is it the Truth?
2. Is it Fair to All Concerned?
3. Will it Build Goodwill and Better Friendships?
4. Will it be Beneficial to All concerned?

Objects of Rotary
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
First. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
Second. High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
Third. The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life;
Fourth. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Ideal of Rotary
Rotary is an organization of business and professional persons united worldwide who provide humanitarian service,
encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

How does one become a member of Concord Rotary Club?
Membership is by invitation and candidates are selected to represent a wide range of business and professions. The classification principle insures that the total membership is comprised of a cross section of the community, resulting in an interesting and stimulating group.

What is expected of a member?
Regular attendance, financial support and contributions of time and talents are expected of every Rotarian.

Attendance
Rotary is built upon fellowship and friendship, which can only be developed through regular meeting attendance. A Rotarian is expected to regularly attend meetings. If it is not possible to attend a regular Friday meeting, members are expected to "make-up" at another Rotary Club. These make-ups provide a great way to meet and make new friends in over 27,000 Clubs in over 150 countries. The time and place of each meeting is listed on the Rotary International site "Where Clubs Meet." Regular attendance is considered so important by Rotary International, that special recognition is given annually to those members with perfect attendance. At the minimum members must attend 60% of the meetings during each six-month period, half of which must be attended at the home club. In addition, members may not miss more than three consecutive meetings and remain in good standing. Exemptions for good and sufficient cause require Board approval. While perfect attendances is not an end in itself, it is a measure of a member's commitment and involvement in the Club.

What is the cost of Membership?
An initiation fee includes informative Rotary booklets, office plaques, label pin and a membership directory. Annual dues of $250 are assessed in July and can be paid 1/2 in July and 1/2 in January.

Club projects are also funded by "recognizing" members. "Recognition" can be as little as $5.00 for not wearing the Rotary lapel pin and up to $100 in recognition of perhaps a new automobile or exotic vacation. Voluntary contributions are frequently made by members who wish to commemorate a family event or similar important occasion. In all cases the Club diligently avoids placing any member in an embarassing financial situation.

Every year we have one major fund raising event for the Concord Rotary Endowment. While not mandatory, it is expected that everyone will buy at least one ticket and attempt to sell more.

On Contribution and Becoming a Paul Harris Fellow
In addition to paying for luncheon meetings and annual dues, Rotarians are expected to contribute to Rotary International. The Rotary International Foundation supports such worthwhile national and worldwide projects as disaster relief, humanitarian projects, educational scholarships, group study exchanges, and most notable the ongoing Polio plus program to eradicate this dread disease in every corner of the world. Such programs are supported in part by members who contribute $1,000 to become Paul Harris Fellows. Concord Rotary's goal is to attain and sustain 100% Paul Harris participation. Members may elect a one time gift of $1,000 or become a "Sustaining Member" with an initial contribution of $100 and periodic gifts thereafter until the $1,000 goal is reach.

The Rotarian and Service
The pervasive theme of Rotary is "Service Above Self". Participation in civic activities, youth services and public service organizations is encouraged and heavily supported by the Club. There are also plenty of opportunities to participate in Club Service as well - a great deal goes on behind the scenes to make Friday meetings happen. Outside of the meetings, Concord Rotary undertakes a wide variety of service activities in vocational, community and international promotion of good will and understanding. Our programs include: aid to seniors and the handicapped, youth services, scholarship and education, career awareness programs, drug abuse prevention, dental sealant programs, wheelchair distribution and polio prevention world wide, youth exchange grants and scholarship programs, and attention to health, hunger and humanities on a global scale.