The club met back in person at La

Finestra Restaurante. Our favorite

MORAGA Chef/Owner/Rotarian Jeff Assadi served
two salads, salmon picata, spaghetti with

ROTARY giant meatballs, roasted vegetables, and

for desert a lemon layer cake and fresh
fruits.
NEWSLETTER
March 8, 2022

Next Meeting:
Tuesday, March 15, Noon
at La Finestra Restaurante President Brian was in San Diego this
week, so President Elect Roger
Gregory rang the bell to open the
Program: Adam Cooper – meeting.
St. Mary’s Soccer

Greeter & Invocator:

Gary Irwin
Zoom connection information for next week’s
meeting will be distributed early next week

Upcoming Speakers:
.
March 22 – Mike Heller – Habitat for
Humanity
March 29 – Yardith Rodrigues – Shelter Inc.
April 5 – Mike Maxwell – Choice in Aging
April 19 – Julie Parks – Superintendent, Today’s Greeter/Invocator, Frank May
Moraga School District acknowledged Tuesday is International
April 26 - Kathy Bowles – Lafayette Women’s Day, celebrated around the
Theater Trust world. Its seeds were planted in 1908
when 15,000 women marched in New
E-Waste Recycling Event is York for shorter working hours, better pay
Saturday, April 30. and the right to vote. The communist
activist Clara Zerkin proposed the day in
1910 at the International Conference for
Working Women in Copenhagen. It was Next President Elect Roger awarded a
first celebrated in 1911 in Austria, leather binder to Debbie Roessler for
Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, and her great efforts getting weekly speakers.
became the actual day in Russia in 1917 Then he awarded a heavy, solid gold
at a Bread and Peace strike, part of an Oscar, or some other named naked man,
effort that caused the tsar to abdicate. to Hubert Ma, for his outstanding
The U.N. jumped on board late in 1975, assistance to Debbie in lining up weekly
and today it is a national holiday in many speakers.
countries.

It led to an increase in female leadership,

such as the US Vice President, the
Tanzanian president, the Honduran
president, plus female prime ministers in
Estonia, Sweden, Samoa and Tunisia.
There is also an International Men’s Day
on November 19, but who cares.

Frank then led us in the Pledge of

Allegiance to a real flag.

Guests today included Lillian

Roodveldt, Honorary Member from
Arizona, and Jim and Margaret Tait
from our secret sister Rotary Club in
Tranent, Scotland. President Elect Roger then introduced
next year’s RI banner, developed by
President Elect Roger just returned incoming RI President Jennifer Jones
from the 72-hour President Elect Training with the slogan “Imagine Rotary.”
Seminar (PETS) in San Jose, truly
inspired. He called up Rotarian Chef Jeff
Assadi and awarded him a brand new
Rotary hat that Jeff will now wear instead
of his chef’s toque.
 ~~Happy Bucks~~ District 5160 sent an email to all club
members from RI Trustee John Germ,
Evie Michon kicked off with a $5 High giving instructions on how Rotarians can
Five Happy Bucks because she’s happy donate funds to help the people of
for Roger filling in for our missing Ukraine. There are 12 Rotary Clubs in
President Brian. Kiev alone. His message said in part:

Mike McCluer gave $2 Happy Bucks for “As one of the world’s largest
Anna Moon from MEF being our guest humanitarian organizations, Rotary has
speaker at Rotary today. made peace the cornerstone of our
global mission. We are deeply concerned
President Elect Roger gave a $5 High about the Ukraine crisis and need your
Five Happy Bucks because he survived help. In response to the deepening
the amazing PETS weekend, and came refugee crisis, The Rotary Foundation
back home “truly inspired.” Trustees have decided to prioritize
contributions made to the Disaster
Hubert Ma with his solid gold award Response Fund until 30 April 2022 to
gave a $5 High Five Happy Bucks also support disaster response grants for
for Anna Moon from MEF attending our districts affected by these events. These
meeting today. expedited disaster response grants can
be used to supply water, food, medicine,
John Erickson gave a $5 High Five shelter, and clothing. The United Nations
Happy Bucks in honor of International estimates the number of refugees could
Women’s Day, but the rest of what he grow to as many as 5 million people
said will be kept a secret. What displaced. Rotary clubs in Europe and
happens in Rotary, stays in Rotary. around the world have stepped up their
relief work, some working on the ground
~~Birthdays & Anniversaries~~ to help displaced families. With your
donation to our Disaster Response Fund,
There were no birthdays or we can support communities and help
anniversaries for those in attendance rebuild lives during this tragic time.” To
this week. donate go to:

https://my.rotary.org/en/disaster-
response-fund.
~~Announcements~~
Ron Mucovich announced the memorial
On Wednesday, March 9, at 6:30 pm, the for Cliff Dochterman is now scheduled
Town of Moraga will present a for Saturday, July 23, at Holy Trinity.
proclamation for Cliff Dochterman, Details will follow on how our club will
honoring his contributions to the world. support this event.
In addition, President Brian South will
also receive a proclamation in honor of Mike McCluer introduced the new
his 20 years serving the Moraga Moraga Community Service Day. This is
community. Club members are invited to a Community wide project with at least 9
join and watch on the town’s website link. Community groups involved with a goal
to enhance our Community by engaging resident since 2010, serving on various
“Moraga residents” in a set of compelling PTA and school boards and committees,
service projects. These projects will plus is a member of Moraga’s Junior
serve the less fortunate within and Women’s Club. She is a graduate of
beyond our Town, beautify or enhance Georgetown University and UC-Berkeley
our Community, and support our School of Law.
Schools.

This will be managed by a Steering

Committee consisting of Community
groups who have volunteered for the
project, which include: Rotary, Kiwanis,
Lions, Moraga School District,
Campolindo, Garden Club, Chamber of
Commerce, Bobbie Preston, Town of
Moraga, and possibly Boy Scouts, Girl
Scouts and St Mary’s College.

Mike held a kick off meeting with most of

the Steering Committee, formalizing
Committee members, goals, project
criteria, project areas and ideas, with a
very tentative event timeframe in
October. Next steps include each Group
to brainstorm about ideas for projects
and bring specific ideas to the next
MEF is celebrating its 40th anniversary
meeting in early April. Send Mike your
this year, and unfortunately there is still a
ideas. Rotary Committee members
need for funding our schools through
include Tony, Roger, Rich and Mike.
MEF. In the 1960s, the state funded
Past District Governor Mark Roberts schools through property taxes, but that
last week went in for hip surgery at 8:30 was ruled unconstitutional, and was
am and walked out at 4:30 pm. He is ordered to equalize funding to all
doing well. schools. Then in the late 1970s,
Proposition 13 decreased tax revenues
and school funding dropped dramatically
in the 1980s. MEF was founded and
~~Program~~ raised $50,000 through a phone-a-thon
to save the arts and music in our schools.
President Elect Roger introduced our
speaker today, Anna Moon, President of In 2013, the Local Control Funding
the Board of Directors of the Moraga Formula determined schools would be
Education Foundation. She has been funded by their “student population
with MEF for 5 years, in the roles of characteristics,” such as poverty levels,
Secretary, Communications Chair and and now Moraga is one of the lowest
Vice President. She has been a Moraga funded districts in the state. In addition,
California is 41st in all states for school ~~Encore Game~~
funding per student. So the need for
MEF has grown through the years. The prize pot was a huge $20. This
week’s chosen player was Lillian
Last year’s grants to the Moraga School Roodveldt, all the way from her small
District were $1.5 million, and went: home in Arizona.
 35% to Academic Support
 33% to STEM funding
 18% to Student Wellness
 14% to Enrichment (music, library)

Last year’s grants to Campolindo were

$800,000, and went:
 53% to Additional Class Sessions
 25% to Departments (college
career center)
 16% to Student Wellness
 6% to Professional Development
(diversity)
President Elect Roger shuffled the
cards and Mike McCluer selected the
This year’s goal is to raise $2.75 million
hidden Ace, and Lillian guessed the Ace
and is now at $2 million to date. Coming of Hearts. Low and behold the card was
soon are the MEF Auction and the MEF the red Ace of Diamonds, two weeks in a
March Madness events. Town surveys row. SO CLOSE! Tune in next week to
have shown STEM support is the #1
see who gets the chance at the now
motivator to donate to the School District, monstrous $30 pot.
and Campo’s #1 motivator is adding
more class sections of smaller sizes.
And don’t forget to help us rebuild the
Encore pot. Send $10 to Treasurer
The state has mandated starting next Debbie Koo to take part in the game.
year all schools must offer free lunches
to all students. Only Campo has a
kitchen to do this, and MEF is
Future greeter/invocators:
researching how they might help. If you
wish to donate, go to their website at
March15 – Gary Irwin
moragaeducation.org. Plus you can
March 22 – Barb Bruner
participate in their Auction at
March 29 – Tony Schoemehl
MEFauction.com.
April 5 - John Erickson
April 12 – Herb Wehmeyer
Thanks Anna for this great and April 19 – Igor Kipnis
informative presentation. April 26 – Rich Render

This month’s Newsletter Editor – Rich (Very Dusty) Render

For the Rotary Year our leaders are:

President Brian South

Presidents Elect Igor Kipnis &

Roger Gregory
Secretary Jennifer Brophy
Executive Secretary Evie Michon

Treasurer Debbie Koo

Program Chair Debbie Roessler

Community Tony Schoemehl
Service Chair
International Debbie Koo &
Service Chairs Dianne Wilson
Foundation Chair John Erickson

Youth Services Rich Render

Chair
Public Relations Gary Irwin
Chair
Fund Raising Chair Frank May

Membership Chairs Roger Gregory

& Hubert Ma
Directors at Large Mary Sue Erickson &
Linda May
Eternal Director Cliff Dochterman

Advisor to the Board Jim Campbell

District Governor 5160 Kathy Suvia

President, Shekhar Mehta

Rotary
International