Bulletins - 2007 - 09/26/2007
This
Week's Bulletin Was Written
By Margaret Oppliger
President Mike called the meeting to order with Jeff Christie leading us in the invocation, Sandra Schrift in the Pledge and Linda Jalving in our song.
Martin Blair described a recent restaurant experience when he and Cindy were celebrating their anniversary at the Sky Room at La Valencia. His description is probably the closest I will get to dining there unless I can get by on a one ounce steak. At $35 per ounce, your wallet simultaneously empties as your stomach fills. He did say that Cindy was intrigued by the $1,400 appetizer. Some of remember house payments that were less than that!
Paul Marsh bragged about his wife being pregnant. Congratulations! You better hope she doesn’t start craving $1,400 appetizers.
Rosalie Kramm is bragging that she started Sweat Boot Camp. For Rosalie, that is not bragging; just fact.
Karen Busey has been identified as one of the top 1% of city staff. WOW!
Guests and visiting Rotarians were introduced including Beverly Sumwalt, president of the Bonita Sunrise Rotary Club and part of the GSE team that recently went to Kenya to support a water project and efforts to aid the street children. Street children are those children who have lost or left their families.
Beverly introduced Dan and Patty Schmelzer of Capstone Ministries who are working and living in Kisumu, Kenya. Kenya has one of the world’s highest poverty rates with people struggling to live on $1 per day. They have established a micro loan program empowering small businesses to be self sustaining. These businesses are typically started by grandmothers who are now raising grandchildren because their parents were lost to aids, illness or the war. The maximum loan amount in their program is $150.
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Sheila Hardin is now our Captain of the Red Badgers.
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Jonathan Stone spoke of our need for silent auction items for the golf fundraiser on October 19. Our goal is to raise $100,000 for our Wounded Warriors and we are currently at $83,000. Several more sponsors are needed and Cynthia Sener immediately stepped forward with a sponsorship from Solatube. Thanks Cynthia!
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Karen Green announced that she will be collecting career clothing at the next two meetings for donation to the career center at St. Vincent de Paul. Please bring cleaned clothing items. October 12 will be career day at the center and she needs a couple more volunteers. This is an opportunity to put forth a small effort that can have a huge positive impact on someone’s life.
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Karen has filled the Dead Sea Scrolls event on Oct 26 but you might want to check with her to see if there is a cancellation.
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Bobbie Spinner-Flack announced a joint Rotary/YWCA cleanup effort at Washington Elementary on Oct 20. Check with Bobbie for further details.
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Our happy and relaxed past president Carol Jensen is looking for our support for the Foundation Gala. Their goal is to raise $15,000 and we all can help by purchasing raffle tickets @ $25 each. The purchase of 5 or more raffle tickets also counts toward your Paul Harris Fellow. You may pay either by check or have it added to your quarterly bill.
George Mullen introduced our speaker, David Wescoe, CEO of the SD City Employee Retirement System.
David took on a sizeable challenge when he accepted this position approximately 16 months ago and he has an ongoing concern about the accuracy of the reports in the press. The board fully changed in 2004 with the appointment of thirteen independent members that have no financial interest in the plan. Keeping and replacing these board members is an ongoing challenge as they have been targeted by the city attorney.
David created an audit committee and which hired an independent forensic accounting firm. The firm’s audit was completed and they had 47 recommendations, all of which have been implemented. All steps have been taken to fix decisions made 10 years ago.
David stated that the retirement system invests money and the investment returns pay the pension to the employees. The investment returns are the best for their type of investment activity. This is a very simple business but heavily impacted by politics and the ‘little lie.’
David described the DROP program as an HR program implemented in 1997 to retain experienced employees.
Tana Cleaves has proposed the following for membership:
Chris McCain
Financial Advisor with Bank of America, Certified Financial Planner
classification - "Banking-Financial Advisory"
Josephine (Josie) McCain
Self employed in insurance services (new business), workers compensation and premium audit services.
classification - "Insurance-Workers Compensation"
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