November 9, 2005

This Week’s Bulletin Was Written By Karny Stefan

THIS WEEK’S MEETING

The Rotary meeting started with a frenzy of announcements, guests, and fines. Pat Cowett gave the invocation which highlighted the life and passing of Rosa Parks, and reminded us of her instrumental part in the Civil Rights movement which forever changed the face of America.

We were joined by several special guests including women from the Tomorrow Project who sold their delectable soups, and by residents from the Senior Community Center including CEO Paul Downey.  Click Here For Order Form

Other guests included Rotaract President Andrea Espinosa and members of their fabulous and fast-growing club … and as always, several envious Club 33-ers (most likely wishing they could defect permanently) joined us. It’s probably the view … or maybe Ron Erbetta’s Centennial Moments?

Announcements

Ø      A Blue Badge “Tatoo” was conferred by Jay  Sener to John Adams. Jay reminded us all of the importance of “bluebadgeness.”

Ø      Our favorite part … giving away money … came when President Maureen Eberle presented the Club’s gift of $3,000 to the Tomorrow Project. The donation was given as $1,700 in cash, and $1,300 in soup purchases (200 mixes) with the soups being donated to residents of the Senior Community Center. Tomorrow Project teaches employment skills for homeless women, and Senior Community Center’s Paul Downey thanked us for the wonderful collaboration.

Ø      Ron Erbetta continued stumping for the Paul Harris Gala to be held on November 11th, and announced that $6,250 was raised through the sales of “Opportunity Drawing” tickets. Ron also shared with us an article from Time Magazine where Rotary International was highlighted for our tremendous work to combat Polio. In 1985, Rotarians took on the task of eradicating polio through oral vaccines. Cases have now dropped from 350,000 in 1988 to fewer than 1,400 this year so far.

Ø      HUGE Thank You to Karen & Gary Green for owning the most spectacular downtown condo … actually, it was for hosting the first Red Badge Club event in their absolutely spectacular home. The view was amazing, the food was wonderful, and eleven Red Badgers attended.

Ø      The next Rotary Board Meeting is November 11, 2005 at 5:30pm at Mighty 1090 in La Jolla.

Ø      Microcredit Project groups will be coming to sell to us next Wednesday, so were all reminded to bring our checkbooks … like they don’t want us to do that on other weeks? Plan to buy lots!!!

Ø      Steve Seligmann and John Addams announced that November is Book Month for the Bookman.

Ø      Joe Marshal and Steve Espino will be co-chairing the 2006 Fundraiser to be held May 20, 2006 on the Berkeley boat. First meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 15 at 5:30pm at the Senior Community Center.

Ø      An organization called “Responsibility” which supports a school in Mexico located next to a dump will be bringing their Santa Lists to us starting next week. Please consider sponsoring a child’s wish list.

Ø      Bridgett Johnson reminded us that their fundraiser to support Juvenile Diabetes will be Thursday, December 1st at the Onyx Room on Fifth Avenue. For more information go to www.sdrotaract.org.  The Rotaracters also delivered a nice thank you card to our Club.  Click Here To View Card.

Ø      Jeremy Brown, also from Rotaract, reminded us to support Pie in the Sky, a bake sale to raise money for Mama’s Kitchen. Pies are $20 and proceeds support this great program to bring food and meals to homebound HIV/AIDS victims.  Click Here For Order Form

Ø      Mel Gallegos shared that 1,000 Smiles performed 20 surgeries in Mexico on Saturday … another extraordinary organization providing surgeries for children with cleft palates.

Sgt. At Arms

Larry Nuffer fined several people … but kept Joe Marshall’s $70 (the penance for being absent) winnings for the Mayoral Race. He had the lucky 54% box for Jerry Sanders. The moral: never miss a Rotary meeting!

The PRESENTATION

Wednesday’s presentation was not for the faint of heart. In fact, it is impossible that anyone could have escaped the meeting without something resembling a broken heart.  Lynn Hamilton introduced Suresh Subramanian, PhD, RN whose resume included upper management positions in Fortune 200 companies, co-Founder of a Community Innovation Lab at MIT, and the founding of the Power of Love Foundation.  Suresh left a highly successful and lucrative career to dedicate his life to combating AIDS in Africa. The highlights from his presentation:

The Global AIDS epidemic is the single biggest crisis in human history. The current forecast is that 75 million people will die in the next 10-12 years from this disease.

Four years ago, Suresh visited a small village in Uganda where about 30 orphans lived. A little girl around four years old came up and held his finger and stayed with him for about an hour. Every time Suresh tried to take his hand back, she would quickly grab onto his finger again. At the end of his tour, he pulled his finger away to leave. He looked at the little girl and saw the devastation on her face. Once again, she’d been abandoned.

The Statistics in Africa:

v     2/3 of all those infected are women;

v     disproportionate number of children infected;

v     the middle generation (ages 15-49) is being wiped out;

v     the continent of Africa will collapse in 35-50 years;

v     women’s health is so poor that the transition from HIV positive to AIDS is accelerated;

v     the disease is creating orphans by the millions;

v     14.4 million children are orphans today;

v     new category for families created … “Child Head of Household” because 7-9 year olds are caring for their younger siblings;

v     children are growing up bereft of all socializing;

v     in Zambia, every home has someone dying of AIDS;

v     by 2020, there will be 50 million orphans.

The White House issued a report announced by then Secretary of State Colin Powell that the resulting orphans from the AIDS epidemic constitute a “Security Risk” for the United States because a state of random turmoil breeds terrorism.  Suresh also shared that if the amount of money being spent monthly on the Iraq war were spent annually to combat AIDS in Africa, it would be eradicated.  To solve this crisis requires a huge tactical effort … a coordinated strategy. To address this, Suresh co-founded of a lab at MIT in 2002. Teams from both MIT and Harvard are working to build a model to successful address this epidemic. In collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), they plan to pilot a 20-bed palliative clinic. [Palliative medicine focuses on pain management and comfort care for people suffering from serious or life-limiting illness.]  The MIT/Harvard team has created this 20-bed clinic which can be built and equipped for under $25,000. The first buildings are due to open early next year.

Pilot Project – the village of Matero.  Matero is a slum with 40% of the residents infected with AIDS including 125 children. In eight days, Power of Love Foundation trained basic care giving. They further offered a three-month course to become a Community Nurse Assistant. In seven months, the death rate of children decreased by 70%.

Power of Love Foundation included executives who take 6-12 months off from their jobs to come work with them. The program focuses 50% on prevention of AIDS, and 50% on caring for people with AIDS. Teaching caregiving is the first step in prevention.  The training programs offered are open to everyone; however, to date 100% of the trainees have been women. Culturally, women are fully responsible for the care of children.  Although Africa is the focus of the Power of Love Foundation, the second phase of the AIDS epidemic is/will hit China, Russia and India hardest.  When asked about prevention programs, Suresh shared that there are two parts to prevention:

1)     Get men to stop “grazing” (cheating)

2)     Get women to have some control in their relationships with men.

Suresh closed with a quote from Albert Einstein:

“Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.”

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