Foghorn April 21, 2016 Mtg - Relay For Life 2016

Posted by Editor: FDBobko 
 
The FOGHORN 
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
Article by   Joe Brennan 
​Photos by  EJ Dieterle 
​
Program: RELAY FOR LIFE HMB 2016
American Cancer Society
 
Rotary Club of Half Moon Bay member Shana Reily-Pond enthusiastically spear headed our spirited team at last year's Relay for Life event at the High School.
Shana will be the event's coordinator for Half Moon Bay this year and introduced representatives Alicia Ruiz and Kylie Madden from the American Cancer Society to profile the event and raise awareness in the Club of this wonderful opportunity coming July up 30th & 31st this year.
 
The Relay for Life is a fine example of how one person can make a difference in our world. In 1985 Doctor Gordy Klatt, a colorectal surgeon and marathon runner from Tacoma Washington, wanted to raise money for a tribute to a young patient who died from cancer. He set out circling the track at Puget Sound University for 24 hours encouraging friends, family and patients to join him for thirty minute segments for which they would make a donation. In that first event he walked 83.6 miles and raised $27,000! The next year 220 people on 19 teams joined him and a worldwide phenomenon was born.  The American Cancer Society adopted Relay for Life as its signature event in 1994. It has grown to include Relays in 23 countries and has raised nearly five billion dollars to date...73% goes direct to their mission, 27% to administration & fund raising.
 
The American Cancer Society's mission is four fold:
    Cancer Research
    Preventative Education
    Advocacy: ACS Cancer Action Network
    Programs & Services
        Road to Recovery program gets people to their treatments
        Hope Lodges where patients can stay free near hospitals
        Look Good Feel Good Program
 
In San Mateo County last year ACS services were used by 620 individuals. Their hotlline number is 1-800-227-2345 which is live 24 hours a day 365 days a year (and this year for 366 days!). 
 
This years Rotary Club of HMB Team leaders will be Stacy Trevenon and Theresa Adam.  And our own Rusty Reilly-Pond is the Chair for the whole  HMB Event.
 
Club members please contact one of these two co-leaders to join the team by donating and participating in the Relay for Life July 30th & 31st on the Half Moon Bay High School campus.
 
The Relay for Life has adopted the color Purple for their cause, and they wear purple shirts, decorate with purple balloons etc. positing thar we color  the world Purple on Relay Weekend!
 
 
April 21, 2016 Meeting Recap
Article by   Mary Rogren
​Photos by   EP and DB
 
Greeters   Ginger  Minoletti and Andrew Boyd-Goodrich
Pledge of Allegiance:  Susan Shapira
Inspiration Thought:  Andrew Boyd-Goodrich -- “Franciscan Blessing”
 
Visitors  Bill Klear (Mary Corcoran’s husband)
 
Happy/Crappy News
Mary Corcoran:  (noted that it’s nice to be back to see her husband) but she just returned from an amazing AMA Waterways river cruise through Bordeaux drinking wine and enjoying wonderful food (without her husband.)
Liz Schuck:  is decompressing from Magic and is missing the comradery of the planning meetings – but knows that there will be new opportunities to come for planning other activities.
Mitone Griffiths:  missed last week because she was in Aruba with her younger daughter ---- and had a wonderful and relaxing time; her older daughter went on the 8th grade trip to Washington DC and had a packed week of sightseeing – and as a result came home very exhausted.
Warren Barmore:   just spent his last two weeks on a Disney cruise in the Bahamas with his family.  (The trip was an incentive trip earned via Edward Jones Investments.)  His daughter also went on the 8th grade trip to Washington DC – and was completely exhausted as well.
John Evans announced that next year’s exchange student has been identified.  Caroline will be coming to the U.S. from the French part of Belgium.   Caroline is very familiar with the Rotarian exchange experience as Caroline’s family has hosted (10) Rotarian exchange students in Belgium.  All of Caroline’s siblings have also been Rotarian exchange students as well.
John also shared a picture and offered his perspectives with hosting an exchange student, Andrea, from Ecuador.  He recently learned that Andrea’s grandmother’s house was leveled in the earthquake, but her grandmother is ok.     Andrea is currently in Dubai with other exchange students, but she has been in communication with her family members in Ecuador, and they are all fine.
 
                       
 
Announcements
Mary Corcoran invited Rotarians to participate in a group event with the Chamber of Commerce at Half Moon Bay High School.   Volunteers are needed to help conduct mock interviews with high school students in order to better prepare students for job and school interviews.    Contact Mary if you are interested in helping for a full day (8:00-2:45) – or partial day.   (Volunteers will find this event very rewarding!)
Mitone Griffiths invited other Rotarians in our club to participate at the Rotary Peace Conference in San Francisco.   Although this is a 2 day event on the weekend, there are options to attend only certain events on Saturday or Sunday.   The keynote speaker at Saturday lunch is Joan Barnes, the founder of Gymboree and YogaStudio.  She has recently published a book “Play It Forward” – where she says “Finding my way to my own serenity ad peace of mind has been my greatest personal accomplishment.  ...  Having undergone such a transformation of values and character to come home to myself deepens my appreciation for peace and harmony and the importance of staying true to the human spirit.”
Mitone noted that the evening event features “Michael Pritchard” – a comedian, youth counselor, and renowned peace advocate.   He is very well known in the Bay Area, and particularly for his work with youth.
Mitone also discussed efforts by “Shelter Box” in Ecuador given the recent weekend earthquake disasters.  Shelter Box had an assessment team on the ground shortly after the earthquakes – and deployment teams have already been sent in.   (Shelter Box “boxes” are ready to go in Colombia.)
Mitone asked our Rotary club to consider donating to Shelter Box – as we consider how to distribute our designated disaster relief funds.     Mitone also noted that there have also been two massive earthquakes in Japan during the last couple weeks – leaving many without food and shelter.
Joe Brennan   . ..  who has been chair of our World Service Committee --- and has extensive experiences in Ecuador  (both personal and on Rotary sponsored efforts)  . . . .     just attended an event to commemorate the 1906 earthquake.      Joe shared his amazement that earthquakes in Japan, Ecuador, and Afghanistan all happened at a similar month and time as the 1906 quake.
Joe and many members of our club have first-hand experience in Ecuador (Susan, Stacy Trevenon, Kevin O’ Brien, Diane Bobko, Ericka, and others.)   They established a 501(c.) (3)  entity – “PUSH Ecuador” in order to facilitate the donation process to ensure that we will get the most value for the $$$’s donated and to get the donation $$$’s quickly to the people who need it most.    Per correspondence from Keith Axtell in Ecuador and Manuel Nieto, the District Governor,
The situation is very, very bad, mainly in one of the Provinces of the Coast called Manabi, where we have 8 clubs.  It seems there is even a dead fellow  Rotarian from Portoviejo as the building where he had his apartment went down.

As a District (in Ecuador), we have set up a plan to be carried out through these 8 clubs to assist the affected people, consisting of the supply of bottled water, canned tuna, and insect repellents.  We will concentrate on these items with the advantage that tuna is produced in Manabi and can quickly be distributed.

If you would like to help us with the supply of these items, you can make a donation to the following bank account:
Name of Bank:  Banco de Guayaquil
Swift:  GUAYECEG
Account of beneficiary:  No. 41233184
Name of beneficiary:  Distrito 4400 de Rotary International

 On the other hand, we are trying to obtain assistance for providing shelters from different organizations, one of them Shelter Box.  We will appreciate if you know people from these organizations who can help. It seems that a mission from Shelter Box will be coming to assess damages and provide the shelters.   
Joe challenged our lunch attendees to donate to the Ecuador cause during the lunch --- and Kevin O’Brien agreed to match donations up to $500.    At the end of the lunch, Joe had collected ap. $1600 before Kevin’s donation.
Please contact Joe on how you can donate.  
Bill Klear, Mary Corcoran’s husband --- challenged our lunch attendees --- Are we earthquake ready?  Do we have supplies for 3-5 days? A backpack in our car with supplies to be able to walk home?   Bill noted that in a severe disaster, it will likely take FEMA 72 hours+ to get to us.    Bill offered to give a presentation on disaster preparedness.
 
 
Dave’s Quiz of the Week – (courtesy of Joe Brennan, given his fondness for Ecuador – and frequent travels and life experiences in Ecuador)
  1. How did Ecuador get its name?
    1. Location on the earth’s equator
  2. What was the first national park in Ecuador?
    1. The Galapagos Islands 600 miles west in the Pacific founded in 1959 and began operations in 1968 – UNESCO World Heritage Site
  3. Wat is the highest mountain in Ecuador?
    1. Vulcan Chimborazo – a stratovolcano of 20.564”
  4. What is highest mountain in the world?
    1. Guaranteed interesting answer.     (Joe contributed --- Many will say Everest)  - but its Chimborazo -- given its distance from the equator and center point of the earth.)
  5. What is Autoferrio and where does it run?
    1. Bon train wheels between Quito & Guayaquil down the precipitous face of the Andes over an engineering marvel including El Nariz de Diablo, the Nose of the Devil switchback.  “In the 70’s where I was leading trips (Joe), there was a round house at the base of the Andes housing a stable of ancient Baldwin steam engines used to help trains up to the top . . . it was a page out of the wild west!”
  6. What are the export crops of Ecuador?
    1. From its might coastal plain  -- coffee, bananas, sugar, cacao, palm oil and rice.   From the fertile values of the altoplano: potatoes, corn, beans, wheat, barley, & tea.
  7. What is the name and elevation of Ecuador’s capital?
    1. Quito @ 9350’
  8. For what is the town of Banos famous?
    1. Hot springs
  9. What countries border Ecuador?
    1. Columbia to the north, Peru to the east and south and the Pacific to the west.
  10. With its vast variety of eco systems, Ecuador is classified as a “megadiverse country”, one of how many worldwide?
    1. 17
  11. Where was South America’s longest runway from 1942 to 1963?
    1. Baltra Island in the Galapagos, built by US military, the flat uplifted lava island was a natural.
 
The MARBLE DRAW - Green Againsadlaugh
 
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