January 31, 2001

 

This week's Bulletin was written by Tom Sayer.

 

THIS WEEK'S MEETING

Thrilled to have at least 2 PDG’s (Steve Brown and Wayne Cusick) and the DG-Elect (Bill Sturgeon) in our midst, Colette gaveled us to order and called upon Jennifer Cusick to lead the pledge.  Ron Erbetta delivered the invocation and we tried to redeem ourselves with a consecutive week’s attempt at, “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning” led this time by Jim Mulvaney.  Do we keep trying week after week until we get it right?

ANNOUNCEMENTS

More and More Fundraiser Updates.  Alan Talbot, Carol Jensen, Ron Erbetta, Jennifer Cusick and Mike Jones each advised on a number of topics:

·        A beautiful crystal bowl from Tiffany’s (courtesy of Catherine Ramirez) will be part of the Opportunity Drawing.

·        An equally beautify string of pearls from Ben Bridge (courtesy of Linda Jalving) will be part of the Silent Auction.

·        Each member is billed $130 for 2 tickets, so you might as well come!  Get your reservations in early as the event is filling up.  Click here to e-mail Colette with your reservations.

·        Don Lang and Lynn Hamilton are still heading the contest for King and Queen.  According to Lynn, the King must wear tights and a cape and the Queen gets to show up in an elegant white gown.  Go Don, go!

·        Other Opportunity Prizes include the trip to Tortola (courtesy of Colette and her brother) and a rare voyage on the Media which rarely leaves port.

·        Food choices are blackened redfish or bourbon chicken (please advise Colette of your selection with your reservations).

·        Corporate Sponsorships are still available.  Click here to e-mail Mike Jones if you are interested.

·        For Opportunity Drawing Tickets, contact  Alan Talbott or Carol Jensen.

 

Melissa Blackburn introduced Linda Fox to present the opportunity for us to get involved in the Women’s Resource Fair on February 24th at the Civic Center.  This event is a mini Stand Down for women facing homelessness, abuse, or just otherwise in need.  Professionals volunteer to assist with restraining orders, housing, job training, education, medical, dental, and other needs.  Melissa presented Linda with a financial contribution of $1,000 from our Club.

Bill Sturgeon announced a visit from RI President Frank Devlin who will speak at the Coronado Club on February 5th in honor of its 25th Anniversary.  It may not be too late to RSVP.

SGT-AT-ARMS

Jim Mulvaney was instantly fined for his song selection this morning.  A big Happy 72nd Birthday was sung to Sig Weitzman.  Alan Talbott drew attention when he e-mailed to the Fundraiser Committee a picture article from the Stanford Daily of his son’s involvement in some dating game thing.  Melissa Blackburn was spread all over the San Diego Lawyer magazine for her volunteer efforts.  Linda Jalving paid bragging bucks for being selected to sing with the Auxiliary Choir in the San Diego Opera.  She will appear for 15 minutes in Aida (Click Here For Ticket Information).  Sig Weitzman paid homage to his young-at-heart wife who, for her sixty-something’th birthday, received a Razor Scooter and loves it!

SPEAKER

Lynn Hamilton introduced Loren Harper, Past-President of the Warm Springs Rotary Club in Danville, California.  Among many Rotary achievements, Loren received the Rotary President of the Year Award in 1994, the 2000-01 RI Service Above Self Award, and is the Chairman of the District 5170 Sister Families Program.  He came to solicit our interest in expanding the program from its current reach (Brazil) into Mexico.

The Sister Families Program was conceived during a 1992 Rotary Friendship Exchange in Brazil.  Loren became aware that over 10 million children in Brazil are abandoned and living on the streets.  Not only is this heartbreaking for the abandoned children, but the result is tremendous crime and delinquency.  Over 100,000-200,000 of these kids live in horrible ghettos and serve as runners for drug lords.  Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are the two most dangerous cities in the world as a result of these abandoned children.  It is common for infants to be placed in Fabens (orphanages) where they live in cribs without human attention until they are 5.  The operators receive $800/month/child and have no incentive to either care for the children or give them up to anyone who will care for them.  The Court system is corrupted by bribes of up to $10,000 paid to the judges in return for a child.  When Sister Families was formed, the challenge was to find an ethical judge who would deliver the children to the Program at great personal risk from other corrupt judges.  Such a judge was found and a test program of 100 children was developed.  In conjunction with the Lions, Rotary placed these children in proper homes and the Program has never looked back.  For $216, we can take a child off the streets and place him or her in a proper home with loving and caring parents for an entire year. 

Brazil is especially hard with abandonment (over 10 million kids), but world-wide the statistics are even more staggering.  Sister Families has come to us looking for a special relationship to expand this program into Central America and Mexico.  They are looking for enough Clubs to make a financial contribution that, with matching grants, $38,000 can be raised to launch the program in Mexico City.  This would be the start of much loftier goals along the lines of the Polio Plus Program.  Loren and Lloyd Young would like to see this program eventually set as a goal the eradication of abandonment, one child at a time.  But first, let’s explore what we can do with our own neighbors. 

Through Colette, our Club immediately rose to the occasion and committed to doing what we can to make this program a priority.

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