October « 2010 « Campbell Rotary

Continuing our club’s ongoing appreciation for Rotaplast International, today’s speaker was Kathy Wiley, the SJ Rotary Club’s Rotoplast ambassador and the mission director for a recent trip to Oaxaca, Mexico.

Kathy presented some amazing stories of cleft-pallet restoration from her trip, and mentioned a future trip planned for 2011 as an inaugural visit to the Dominican Republic. Trips typically take eight non-medical Rotary volunteers, and cost nearly $100,000 for air freight and expenses. Rotary Clubs across the region sponsor trips, and Rotaplast has been working closely with The Smile Train to land larger grants to share expenses for future trips.

VMC Foundation Makes a Difference

Today, we heard from Chris Wilder, the executive director of the VMC Foundation, which supports the charitable health programs of the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center.

Saving Our Public Hospital with Social Media

Chris introduced the valuable role that Valley Medical Center plays in the overall quality of life in our area, and then explained how the Foundation supports programs for children and low-income families.

He also told a story of saving VMC with foundation video and his weblog The Wilder Side of Health.”

He talked about using video to share the mission of the Foundation, and demonstrated links to a video about an earthquake survivor who appreciated VMC. he also talked about the recent “Give a Booster Shot” campaign.

And Mike also presented his plan to promote the current Measure A campaign, which will support the first-of-its-kind child health insurance system in Santa Clara Valley; A Vote for Kids.

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This is not the first time we’ve discussed Valley Medical Center at our weekly luncheons. In fact, we heard from Denise Carr earlier this year.

This is also not the first time we’ve heard about social media, so your Rotary Club is now officially ensconced in the 21st Century!

Octoberfest – Great Fun, Rain and Shine!

Rotary Newsletter Oct 19 2010

Oct 24: Rotary World Polio Day

Rotary World Polio Day 2010

EHC LifeBuilders

To start today’s meeting, Rotarian Bob Yager presented his daughter Anna with her first Paul Harris Fellowship pin. Anna also invited Club Members to participate in a collection drive for toiletries and personal items to benefit EHC LifeBuilders.

For today’s meeting, we heard from Annette Hancock, a Board Member and volunteer with EHC LifeBuilders. Several years ago, the organization (previously known as the Emergency Housing Consortium) changed its name to reflect its mission of supporting homeless people with services beyond just housing and shelter.

Of course, their shelter work continues, especially as the winter weather approaches. In November, EHC LifeBuilders will open two seasonal shelters.

Annette spoke about her experiences of volunteering with EHC over the past 17 years. She shared some personal stories of some friends she has made among her homeless clients, and she talked about the support services she organizes. She also invited each of us to get more involved, and to consider making a donation.

Campbell Rotary is a proud partner with EHC Lifebuilders, volunteering the Boccardo shelter’s kitchen every month. For more information and to help, please contact Rotarian Jerry Cummings.

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A busy day! … In addition to the standard events of or meeting, we also had two special recognitions during today’s meeting.

The gameday caterer for the Bay Area’s Womens Professional Soccer team, FC Gold Pride, presented our club with a $750 donation, honoring our non-profit partnership in providing gameday concessions.