Nov. 19 Meeting - YMCA
Posted by Editor: FDBobko
The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
Article by Joe Brennan
Photos by Dianne Bobko
Program: RACHAEL DEL MONTE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PENINSULA FAMILY YMCA IN SAN MATEO
Andrew Boyd-Goodrich introduced Rachael Del Monte, his colleague and fellow YMCA Executive Director. He noted she was introduced to YMCA at an early age through the "Indian Princess" father/daughter swim program, the largest swim instruction provider in the country. She is a member of the Rotary Club of San Mateo with an April First Birthday. She holds an MBA in Non-Profit Administration.
Rachael began with an overview of what YMCA is noting that it's purpose is "Social Responsibility" which is expressed in strengthening the foundations of community. They achieve this by building strong kids, building strong families and strong communities by enriching the lives of all people in spirit, mind and body. This at its core is youth development for healthy living and social responsibility.
She asked the club who had a YMCA experience and almost half the hands went up. She called on each to briefly state there experiences, noting that nationwide about a third of all Americans have a "Y Story". Rachael highlighted three of their programs to illustrate their work beyond the stereotype of a health club (Gym & Pool);
- Training Bicycle riding in Middle School
- Mentoring 'Reach and Rise' national program (got its beginning at Peninsula YMCA)
- Outdoor Education as exemplified locally by Jones Gulch Camp
YMCA was founded in London in 1844 by George Williams as a bible study program for all the men drawn into the urban setting by the Industrial Revolution. He saw that physical fitness was very important which was a primary focus from the beginning. It crossed the Pond to Boston in 1851 where it was soon home to America's first swimming pool.
YMCA's reflect the needs of their communities and pride themselves on nimble programming. For example in Boston they needed an indoor physical activity to keep fit through their winters. James Naysmith invented Basketball at the Boston YMCA to solve that challenge. Other innovation springing from YMCA are Father's Day, Racquet Ball, Toastmasters, etc. YMCA is the largest Social Institution in the country, it also has more pools and is the largest provider of Child Care nationwide.
YMCA came to San Francisco in 1853. In 1865 they began a prison Chaplin program at San Quentin; in 1883 they opened a night school which became Golden Gate University; and in 1898 they opened an Army YMCA in the Presidio. The San Mateo YMCA was formed in 1924 followed by Camp Jones Gulch, founded for "Boys & Girls" - since 1955 over 500,000 kids have visited Jones Gulch. Another great advance is their creation of mental health services providing bureaus in 57 schools to address Safe Space, Advocacy, Bullying, Depression and Suicide.
Rachael explained Peninsula YMCA's Vision 2020 whose goal is that in 2020 the healthiest kids in America will live here: physically, spiritually, mentally and socially. Currently they are #4. She noted that San Mateo is the 3rd wealthiest County in California. Charise McHugh suggested it is the wealthiest county in the country but when checking found the distinction is it is the most expensive county to live in in the USA.
Rachael encouraged folks to step up with their ideas and support and gave her contacts:
1877 S Grant Street, San Mateo, CA 94402 650-294-2601 RDelMonte@ymcast.org
She noted that the challenges and opportunities abound pointing out that 24% of children are overweight, 57% watch over 2 hours of TV a day, 35% suffer depression, anxeity or are sucidal and 28% witness violence. They raise $350K each year to offset fees and provide services free to kids and needy families
Question about multilingual programs? San Mateo is concentrating on Spanish while SAn Francisco uses Chinese and Russian.
Question about name in Politically correct times? YMCA has rebranded to "The Y" but will always be the Young Mens Christian Association. The YWCA is a separate, smaller organization whose focus is now on domestic violence.
Question about partnership with HMB's Boys & Girls Club? Especially here in HMB the partnership allows both organizations to contribute their strengths; YMCA's in younger kids programs and the Boys & Girls best with Middle School and High School programs.
Rachael brought a guest Dan Chandra who is a fellow San Mateo Rotary club member and HMB resident.
November 19 Meeting Recap
Article by Bll Johnston
Photos by Dianne Bobko
Dianne Bobko led us in reciting (not singing) the Pledge of Allegiance. Charisse McHugh invoked Thanksgiving thank-you thoughts for an invocation. Robin Jeffs was the PP Greeter.
Guests included our speaker's guest, Dan Chandra, a Half Moon Bay resident who is a member of the San Mateo Rotary Club. Dave Dickson introduced his guest, Mary Rogren , who is also employed at the Water District and may be a candidate for the club. John Evans brought us our Rotary exchange student, Chen Ling Wang, also known as Linda. New member in waiting, Beau Donnegan, was introduced by Liz. 
.JPG)
In the Happy/Crappy News department, Charisse McHugh reported that she's heading south (80° temperatures) for her son and daughter-in-law's 40th birthday parties and then heading back up to Tahoe for the snow. She also reported that she is now a grandmother times six. Similarly, Beau Donnegan was happy to report that she will become a grandmother for the first time. Along the same lines, Ralph Ely wanted us to know that grandson, Austin, will be one year old. Warren Barmore's happy/crappy news was that he had a birthday and his daughter got a new car. (Not sure which of those is the happy and which is the crappy.)
In the Happy/Crappy News department, Charisse McHugh reported that she's heading south (80° temperatures) for her son and daughter-in-law's 40th birthday parties and then heading back up to Tahoe for the snow. She also reported that she is now a grandmother times six. Similarly, Beau Donnegan was happy to report that she will become a grandmother for the first time. Along the same lines, Ralph Ely wanted us to know that grandson, Austin, will be one year old. Warren Barmore's happy/crappy news was that he had a birthday and his daughter got a new car. (Not sure which of those is the happy and which is the crappy.)
Chen Ling Wang (Linda) introduced herself and her family and gave us a brief report on her homeland. She is a 16-year-old high school junior from Taipei, Taiwan. Her father is a computer programming engineer and systems analyst, and her mother is in business. She has an older brother who has graduated from University and is preparing to commence his mandatory military service and an older sister who is studying for the college entrance examination, who was also a Rotary exchange student to Texas. Her family has traveled extensively throughout East Asia. She is sponsored by the Taipei Dragons Rotary club. She shared with us slides constituting a sort of tourist travelogue. We saw Taipei 101 which is a 101-story skyscraper that is the financial center. There were fireworks and the restored Dutch colonial structure called Proventia. There were islands and a beautiful park called Taroka National Park located in the central mountain range in northern Taiwan. She also mentioned some of the international Taiwanese brands including ACER, ASUS and GIANT. She spoke briefly about the shared language, culture and history with mainland China. She said that during the Dutch colonial days, Taiwan was primarily inhabited by indigenous people and relatively few Han from the mainland. In conclusion she invited us to visit her country. She said she most missed good noodles, The boys here are cute, and her favorite new food is anything cooked by her host mother.
Announcements
Dianne Bobko reported on the Rotary Peace Concert, Foundation Event. She waxed complementary about some of the members of the bands. The audience gave them a standing ovation at the end of their sets and were very enthusiastic throughout the performances. She said that the presentation about the Foundation and the District Projects was just before intermission and was short and nice.
Ginger Minoletti reported on her visit with Dan Bodmann at CPMC where he is recovering from back surgery. He should be home in early December. Irwin Cohen suggested texting him.
Pres. Dave reminded us that we will be dark next week because of Thanksgiving. He also announced that on December 17, at the invitation of Joe Brennan, we will be meeting at the Odd Fellows facility for a cowboy-themed Christmas lunch. Dave also touted the open studios Christmas art sale within our community
Finally, Andrew Boyd-Goodrich invited us all to join the YMCA for "Christmas in the Redwoods" At Jones Gulch on December 5. Santa Claus, children's activities and a marvelous repast.
Dave's FUN Quiz of the Week: IT WAS ALL ABOUT THANKSGIVING!
The Marble Draw - Green Again
