Newsletter - Archive  Mar 25, 2009

print this page

P.O. Box 620700                                                   Russ Ketron                                                             Sandra Pugh 

Woodside CA 94062-0700                                District Governor                                                       Club President

                                                      http://wpvrotary.org                                          

Regular Meeting                                                                                       March 25th, 2009

7:30 AM - 8:30 AM Wednesday with breakfast by Encore Performance Catering, fellowship, project updates and an interesting speaker from the community.  The last Wednesday of each month we meet at 5:30pm at a local restaurant for wine and hors d'oeuvres along with a speaker of interest.  Please check our website calendar for details. 

Morning meetings:  Guild Hall, Woodside Village Church, 3154 Woodside Road, Woodside, California  Guests are not only welcome but encouraged!

This Week's Program:   Evening Social Event 6pm, Woodside Bakery and Cafe Guests are welcome but please advise Dave Hyman of the number of guests as he is coordinating the appetizers.  No host bar.  Please consider staying on for dinner to show support for one of our Taste of Woodside sponsors.

Last  Week's Program:   (courtesy of Last Week Editor, Dean Baabcock)   Frank Klein introduced his neighbor Dianne Eskanazi to speak to us about her charitable activities with kids, here and overseas.  Dianne was born in White Plains, N.Y. and graduated from Friends University.  She became a film maker and has won several awards. She has lived in Woodside for 16 years.
       She is now primarily involved with Peace Builders, a California non-profit that is dedicated to the welfare of children in war torn and disaster stricken countries.   Peace Builders has shipped millions of dollars worth of medical supplies, food and other material with the help of corporate sponsors and shipping companies.  An important factor in her success has been getting cooperation from non-profit organization in the overseas locations to help with customs and local distribution.  Shipments have been sent to Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, Guatemala, Zambia, India, Hurricane Katrina states, Mongolia and many others.  The next two shipments go to Dharamsala and Lesotho.
       Peace Building’s new program is “Kids Rebuilding America.” Dianne has contacted Michelle Obama’s Chief of Staff and will be coordinating activities with her office to reward the top ten children with a trip to the White House to meet Mrs. Obama and a $1000 stipend towards their good works.  The goal is to support kids who are helping to make this country better.  Paramount has agreed to produce Diane's film and she is currently looking for a corporate sponsor. 

Next Week's Program:  Puente de la Costa Sur  President-Elect, Dave Hyman will introduce Kerry Lobel, Executive Director of Puente de la Costa Sur.  Puente de la Costa Sur (Puente Resource Center) has provided vital services for men, women, children, and families living in the South Coast communities of Pescadero, La Honda, Loma Mar, and San Gregorio for nearly a decade. Services include access to safety net services such as food, clothing, rent and utility assistance, health and wellness services, parenting education and support programs, literacy programs for English and Spanish learners, counseling and peer support for adults and children, and opportunities for leadership development and community engagement and action. 
  

Club News:  Your editor is in Guatemala for Thursdays's launch of the Riecken Foundation library in Xolsacmalja.  Photos and videos to follow.  Watch this space for a photo of "Charlie" the Guatemala student the club is sponsoring with a scholarship in his new school uniform.  Plans are afoot to dedicate this year's Taste of Woodside to Donn Riesen who was always so generous in his support of the club's fundraising efforts. 

Coming Events:

Next Board Meeting:  Tuesday, April 7th, 7:30am, Church Library 

Rotary Means Business:  Wednesday, April 8th, 5:30 pm Encore Performance Catering

District Assembly:   Saturday, March 28th, 8:00 - 1:30, Redwood High School, Larkspur

District Conference:  April 17th - 19th, Portola Plaza, Monterrey, www.rotary5150.org

Rebuilding Together:  April 25th

Pancake Breakfast:  Saturday, May 2nd, 8-10am

Donn Riesen Memorial:  Friday, May 8th, Ridge Vineyards, Cupertino, 11am RSVP required

Taste of Woodside:  Sunday, September 20th 2009

Announcements:   Have you had a look at the Rotary International website lately for what is going on in Rotary's world?  www.rotary.org   How about finding out about what is going on in the district?  www.rotary5150.org