President Ken Kaisch rang the bell and gave a warm welcome to everyone attending today’s meeting and proceeded with his weekly commentary: “From my perspective, it’s been a relatively dark week for our club. Our wonderful club administrator, Susan Ouweleen, has had to submit her resignation. She has been overwhelmed by the needs of her children with schooling at home, plus her business responsibilities and caring for her clients’ needs, plus taking care of our District Governor Nominee, her husband Dan. As a new president, you quickly learn you do not know what you need to know. When I came to that place where I did not know what to do, I turned to Susan and she would bail me out of my difficulties every time. She has been an invaluable resource to me and to the club at large. So please join with me in a round of applause as a token of our gratitude. “Thank you, Susan!”

“Yesterday the board of directors met to plan for our club’s future. Among other things, we are looking at ways of reducing the costs to our members while preserving and enhancing our impact on the larger community. We are also wrestling with how to fill the position of club administrator. If any of you are interested in serving the club in this capacity, please talk to Susan or myself in the very near future. If you would like to learn about the intricacies of running a club or an organization, this would be a great opportunity - Service Above Self”.

Club news: Today is our Covid Mask competition. I will do the tally and we will award the winner at the end of the meeting. We received an email today from the president of Rotary International, Holger Knaack, announcing that the continent of Africa has just been certified free from any wild polio viruses. A round of applause for all of you and your decades long effort to eradicate polio! Club members that deserve special recognition for Service Above Self: Every parent who is staying home with their children to school them. Travis McShane who is working hard to update our website and who will be leading us in a couple of weeks to focus on membership in the time of Covid. Christian Estaban who is director of Youth Service and working with the High School district on a Fullerton’s Schools Got Talent, hopefully happening this February.

Jim Ripley led us in the pledge today, and Allyn Lean provided today’s invocation. Guests today included Faisal Qazi, guest of Ken Kaisch and Farrell Hirsch, Rebecca Lyons, guest of Judy Atwell, Sandra Franco, a prospective member and guest of Susan Ouweleen, and Jane Mathewson, spouse of Dick Mathewson and Vern Wagner, guest of the club at large.

Today’s announcements: There is talk that Orange County will be open for business soon. We have not heard from Coyote Hills about their opening, but we will keep you posted. Maybe we can even resurrect our Movie Night at the Muck! Now is a great time to invite your friends to a Rotary meeting. Everyone is bored with the quarantine monotony, so Rotary is a welcome respite. Next week, Matt Foulkes, our city civil engineer, will speak, and the week after that, Travis McShane will lead us in a process to get us thinking about club membership and who we might invite to this very special group.

Today’s fine master was Brett Ackerman who proceeded to fine President Kaisch for his crazy red-nosed mask. President Kaisch fined Brett in return for unapologetically promoting a fund raiser for the Boys and Girls club of Fullerton. Bret also fined Jim Williams for his 69th birthday; President Kaisch again for his birthday on the 29th; Dick Daybell in his absence for his and Lois’ anniversary on the 26th; Rick Crane for his and Jeanne’s anniversary on the 27th; Minard Duncan for 19 years in Rotary; Jim Ripley for his 4 years in Rotary; Bill Peloquin for his wife Wilma’s birthday; Mike Cochran for his 6 years as a Rotarian; John Phelps for his Jaws mask; Judy Atwell for making Bret actually work; Frank Kawase for his Halloween mask; and Randy McFarland for not properly fining last week.

Today’s speaker, Julie Virjee, was introduced by our guest, Vern Wagner. Julie is the wife of CSUF president Framrose (Fram) Virjee and together are co-founders of Yami Rwanda, a not-profit dedicated to improving the lives of Rwandans through the sustained provision of basic human needs and equitable access to quality education through the celebration of Rwanda’s culture and arts. Julie and Fram founded the organization 9 years ago after a visit to Rwanda. Following the genocide in Rwanda, the woman of Rwanda are now running the country and are committed to educating all of the people of Rwanda. Interesting facts about Rwanda: no plastics are allowed; Rwanda is a democracy and is a very clean and safe place to live now. The Yami Rwanda foundation continues to financially support Yami’s art center, woman sewing colors program, the school for the deaf, the village library and have help provide 6 thousand residents with the gift of a sheep, which apparently are cheaper than goats. Julie received a generous round of applause from the club as President Kaisch thank her for her presentation and lavished her with gifts from the club.

Closing Items: President Kaisch thanked all our guests and announced the winners of the mask contest: Cathy Gach and John Phelps tied for first place, and Brett Ackerman came in a close second. Closing comments: Walt Whitman, “I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don’t believe I deserved my friends.” When I read this, I was struck by the many friends I have in this club. Clearly, I don’t deserve your friendship, but I am, like I expect many of you are, very grateful for your friendship. What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison with what lies within you.” Ralph Waldo Emerson. With that, my friends, “Go out and be good people and great Rotarians!”

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09/02/2020 *COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Matt Foulkes / City of Fullerton Director

09/09/2020 * BUILDING FULLERTON ROTARY
Travis McShane / Director Club Service

09/16/2020 * NEW MEMBER CRAFT TALK
Bailey Kline / Look Out! Here’s Comes Bailey.

09/30/2020 * NOW WHAT? POLITICAL ANALYSIS 2021
Barbara Stone / Retired Professor CSUF

10/07/2020 * TITANS REACH HIGHER IN CHALLENGING TIMES
CSUF President Fram Virjee / Status of the University

10/14/2020 * NEW MEMBER CRAFT TALK
Monica Fernandez / “Hear Yee. Hear Yee”

10/21/2020 * CITY OF FULLERTON INFRASTRUCTURE CHALLENGES
David Grantham / Public Works Engineering

10/28/2020 * MARKET BEHAVIOR IN ELECTION YEARS
Tyler Furek / Capital Group