3.2.2008

Rotaract District 5170 Meeting Minutes

  1. Club Reports

SV Rotaract:

Nicholas: Giraffe Bed was very successful

  • $64,000 to benefit the Neo-Natal intensive care unit in San Jose
  • PR through Harris at RI “Outstanding Rotaract Project” in Rotary magazines, and additional citations
  • Large cardboard check will be presented to the Valley Medical Center Foundation board of directors, invite the local media, as a jumpstart for Rotary Club of Cupertino.
  • 6-7, but w/ this funding additional 2 beds
  • One donor, Sharks Foundation also decided to buy a bed
  • Working on growing membership, and planning to host USCC 2009
  • dwindled to 20, but bringing in new people
  • Leap Year Social last Friday night, mtg on 6th, everyone is welcome
  • Membership Chair: Jeff Benford

Stanford Rotaract:

  • Bulgaria Project and India Project has been approved and on their way
  • Aiming for late August to both trips
  • Cupertino Rotary is purchasing a 35K bus for transporting to Sankara
  • Next year they assured that we would be in the loop
  • Local Projects
  • Senior Home Visit in P.A.
  • Breakfast cook and serve at OpportunityCenter in Palo Alto
  • This Friday March 7 breakfast Meeting, announce events to club (Patrick Regan)
  • 40-50 at a mtg (P.A. univ. rotary)
  • Project FEY from member Alice
  • Fighting for Education in Yuzhong
  • Rural county in WesternCounty
  • 3rd world poverty – dry arid land, no irrigation
  • income: $500/yr
  • School tuition at least $100 (excluding textbooks/room & board)
  • Education is the only way out
  • On avg $1.25/week for their living expenses—basic necessity is already a difficulty
  • Dedicated to staying in school and aiming for college
  • Helps them bring their families out of poverty as well
  • Sponsors: $100/year (provides education to one child)
  • Right now, starting with 10 high schools (last stretch, need help to assist this critical stage)
  • HOPE project also helps to support rural education (volunteer teachers) – Yuzhong is particularly well-run, just need the donations for students – working with them provides all infrastructure for the donation – go to selected students, students write a letter back to sponsors
  • Haven’t found any Rotary clubs nearby Yuzhong yet
  • Cupertino Rotary is a great resource May 5-25 trip there, to provide schools with libraries
  • Santa Clara Rotaract
  • Member drive:
  • Half professionals, half students, working on getting more students

2. International Project Updates

  • See above

3. Report on BARD retreat

  • Jeff: Lot of Interactors but only a couple dozen Rotaractors
  • Workshops, heard from Cupertino Rotarian, about running a big festival
  • would have benefited from having more Rotaractors there to share ideas
  • worth it to meet a lot of people
  • wanted to see more content
  • Alice: Spoke about Club Development
  • Great way to meet everyone there
  • time was fine, but more contact with Interactors and Rotaractors
  • more content/workshops would have been great
  • Israr:
  • team-building was well-planned and executed
  • compared to previous year, it’s pretty difficult to get 1.5 days in
  • Mostly Berkeley or Davis Rotaractors, some from San Francisco Rotaract, UoP
  • Interactors had a project but Sunday—went for a walk
  • Rick King: speech

4. Upcoming Events
a) Rotary President-Elect Training Session, March 7-9

  • Primarily from incoming Rotary Presidents (Multiple Districts)
  • San Jose, Doubletree
  • Opportunity for Rotaract to table and introduce Rotaract to all of these presidents
  • Amanda of San Francisco Rotaract is heading up the table
  • She needs people, materials
  • Previously no participation with PETS, should take advantage of
  • Friday: March 7 11:30-1 5:30-7:30PM
  • Saturday: 7-8AM, 11-noon, 5:30-7PM
  • Ask club members to meet & greet
  • Materials: district materials, Rotaract brochures but that’s it
  • Best to bring club materials, promotional materials, electronically
  • **Forward materials to Todd to print as well as names of volunteers
  • Donn: Send Pradeep & Todd powerpoint of India/Bulgaria slideshow

b) Rotary 5170 District Conference, April 11-13, SJ Doubletree

  • Reps there – ask your club members now – what Rotaract means to us
  • Need a few minutes for meal events
  • Asked for presentation time
  • Lee Cunningham conference chairwoman is not likely to give a time

5. USCC 2009 – Unites States Canada Carribean
a) Status of current plans

  • Host club SV/host district 5170
  • July 16-19 turned into RI
  • Second largest annual gathering of Rotaractors in the world
  • Started several years ago
  • Helps establish D-5170 as a real Rotaract District
  • Projected: 50-55K budget
  • D5170 Rotary
  • Corporations
  • Grants
  • Gifts in Kind (housing/dining, etc.)
  • Planning Committee
  • Co-chair Nicholas: SV
  • Co-chair Jeffrey Benford
  • PR Chair for Canada: Scott Weatherhead Ottawa
  • PR Chair for Caribbean: Jeannice Scheper Aruba
  • Needs many additional chairs
  • SJ State, verbal agreement with Provost and President’s office
  • If that does not go through, backups: Marriott/Hilton connections
  • Need to solidify online registration system (uscc2009.org) needs to be launched before June
  • Committee formed by 3/15/2008
  • Video Conference Call by April 5, 2008 with prior USCC leaders
  • Attendance: 300 in L.A. 2006 but 200-250

b) Relationship with ACCT

  • Role over USCC conference – district perspective: that we don’t need approval from ACCT
  • They are an MDIO (multi district information organization)

6. Website

  • Clubrunner is launching trial site in the next couple of days
  • 30-day free trial
  • Todd will send out a link

7. Council events - seminar planning?

provide development activities? member development

district seminar – short, tight, bite-sized, for important issues

few of our rotaractors have an ability to commit 1.5 days

leadership development for all clubs

Next meeting

Sunday May 4 1:00PM: