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Music to my ears, that’s what it was. Richard D. King – our song-leader, the man who loves dogs, friend to leaders worldwide, and Past President of Rotary International – on Thursday, September 15, declared that Niles Rotary is, “In my opinion, the best Rotary club in the world.” Now, I have been known to make that claim myself, but truthfully, I can count on one hand the number of Rotary clubs that I can compare. But for Rick King to make the claim . . . well, he has visited clubs throughout the world. So, it must be true.  And the reason we are the best club is because of YOU! We have the best Rotarians in the world, which is how we have the best Rotary Club in the world. So, thank you, friends, for all that you do for Niles Rotary Club.

Rick King’s talk was entitled “The Prisoner of Second Avenue,” and it touched on the subject of Vocational Service in Rotary. The lesson I learned from the presentation was that even though we are all in Rotary to make a difference in the world, an important collateral benefit is that Rotary Clubs also serve Rotarians. By belonging to the same club, we are in a position to help each other succeed professionally and socially. As the Rotary year progresses, I hope that we will do more in the club to promote Vocational Service and showcase our members’ professional accomplishments.

Where did September go? All I know is that we got a lot accomplished. The service project at Blacow Elementary School on September 10 was a huge success. Thank you, Paul Andrus and Steve Landon, for heading up the planning for this event. We had roughly 25 Nilesians, a handful of Interactors from Fremont Christian Schools, members of the Rotaract Club, and a group from Carmax, who came to us courtesy of the YMCA (thank you, Josh Carlson). By the conclusion of the project, we had planted foliage and trees, spread a ton of wood chips, replaced a handful of basketball back-boards, and painted a beautiful map of the United States on the playground. It was great to have Jim Morris, the Superintendent of Fremont Unified, and Jose Hernandez, the principal of Blacow Elementary, join us for the project. At one point, I walked past them both and they were stringing a net on a basketball hoop together. I know that Jim and Jose, and all the students at Blacow Elementary, truly appreciate our efforts that Saturday morning.

September also saw the launch of the Haggis Challenge, this year’s drive to grow the membership of Niles Rotary. This challenge comes complete with its own mascot – Hamish the Haggis – courtesy of the boundlessly talented Jeff Schinkel. As membership chairs, Chuck Canada and Rick Hood, tell us, the best way to attract new members is to invite friends and acquaintances to have lunch with us at a club meeting. So, please support the membership drive and don’t let your teammates down: bring a friend to lunch! Remember, if you and your teammates work hard enough, you could find yourself on the winning team, eating haggis and barbeque at the President’s Manse in lovely Oakland. And that is no joke!

As October rolls in this weekend, I encourage all of us to participate in the some of the many opportunities the club offers for service and fellowship.   As District Governor Jeff Orth noted during his Governor’s visit, we are a busy club. So consider participating in the Candle Lighter’s Ghost House project on October 1 and please support the Hot Hot Chili Pepper Challenge that our very own Daren Young is championing. Your short-term pain will lead to long-term gains in the community.   As always, my advice to you is to “Keep Calm and Serve On!”

In Rotary,

President Angus

With apologies to Jane Austen, it is a truth universally acknowledged, that a Rotary club in possession of a good membership, must be in want of new recruits. Niles Rotary is no exception to this rule. As Rick Hood and Chuck Canada, our Membership Committee chairs, remind us, if the club isn’t attracting new members, then we are in trouble. With the leadership of the Membership Committee and the commitment from recent past presidents, club members have introduced in an unparalleled group of new Rotarians who have brought fresh ideas and great energy to the club. You only have to look around and see what is being accomplished: Simon Cho led the way at the Rotary International Convention in Seoul, Korea; Geeta Kadambi is going to catapult us into a new realm of international service with SightNow; Aggie Freeman is working with the Rotaract club to help strengthen its membership; Maria Mendoza is leveraging her position at Republic Services to help with service projects; the list goes on and on. The contributions of our new members are keeping our club vibrant and relevant. And through the mentoring program, we have done an admirable job of retaining new club members.

August was membership month in Rotary, and Rick and Chuck have asked me to lead the charge in attracting new members this Rotary year. So, over the next couple of weeks, you’ll be hearing about a new membership challenge that we will launch, asking everyone to participate in bringing friends and acquaintances to lunch at the Club. Stay tuned as we get ready to roll this out. Actually, to be perfectly frank, Rick and Chuck have been ready for weeks and have been very patient waiting for me to get my act together. Thank you, guys!

August was also great month at Niles Rotary, with a host of opportunities to socialize and support the club’s service projects. Thank you, Bruce Prescott, for hosting the annual Bocce tournament at your house, and thank you Bubba Hagg for grilling dinner for us all. A little later in the month, Harry Avila hosted Hit n’ Giggles at Castlewood Country Club, which was very well attended. At the end of the month, we held a fundraiser for SightNow at Big Dog Winery in Milpitas. This was one well-attended club event, with over eighty people there to support the project championed by Geeta Kadambi. The hors d’oeuvres were delicious, the band was rockin’, the wine flowed freely, the setting was beautiful and . . . best of all, we raised over $5,000 for SightNow, which primes the pump nicely for our ambitious plans for the project. A host of people made this happen: Audrey Kearns had the vision, Manuel Franco contributed the band, Geeta organized the hors d’oeuvres, Nader Ayad donated a watch for the raffle, and club members showed up in droves. Thank you to everyone who helped and attended!

Next up, September. September is Education and Literacy Month for Rotary International, which is very apropos, as the District Governor Partner’s Project this year (called “Read Me A Picture”) aims to put a book in the hands of elementary school kids throughout Rotary District 5170. District Governor Jeff Orth and his wife Barbara will be visiting the club on September 29, when we will hear more about this terrific initiative. For our club, discussions have begun with Fremont Unified about how we can help students most effectively; thank you President Elect Rose and Jim Morris for initiating discussions. Also, on September 10, Paul Andrus and Past President Steve Landon have orchestrated a big service project for the club at Blacow School. They have organized an impressive number of upgrades for us to get accomplished, so please plan to attend and support our local schools.

Thank you, everyone, for everything that you do for Niles Rotary. The club is its members! Get involved, lend us a hand, pitch in, do your bit . . . and don’t forget to Keep Calm and Serve On!

In Rotary,

President Angus

What? A month has passed in my presidential year already? How time flies when you are leading the best Rotary club in the world. July was memorable for many reasons. I certainly enjoyed my two weeks in Nantucket . . . until, that is, I got word from Rick King that RI President John Germ was fining me $200 for missing two club meetings during my first month at the podium. Thank you to Past President Lisa and President Elect Rose for presiding over the meeting in my absence.

I would also like to extend my appreciation to Dirk Lorenz, our Youth Services Director, who orchestrated a bagpiper to pipe me into my first meeting on July 7. Actually, in the history of the English language, I am not sure anyone has ever used the verb “orchestrate” in relation to bagpipes before. I have to tell you that being piped into an occasion is very emotional for Scots folk, even for a pseudo-Scot like me who has been in the States since I was in high school. The last time I was piped anywhere was at my wedding in 1998, where my dad piped me into the ceremony. I am sure my wife’s family must have wondered what she had got herself into. Thank you, Dirk and all your co-conspirators, for arranging the piper. I loved it!

July was bookended with two excellent opportunities for club members to get together and do what we do best – have fun. On July 4, our newly minted Social Chair Past President Lisa spearheaded Area 3’s entry in the Fremont Fourth of July Parade. As you could see from Mary Lynn Pelican’s photos, our parade entry was fantastically decorated and had great posters publicizing the work that Rotary does in the world. Assistant Governor for Area 3 Karen Koshy, from the Fremont Warm Springs Sunrise Rotary Club, rode on the float and ensured that all the clubs in the Area were well represented. That afternoon, Past President Chuck Canada hosted his by-now annual and legendary July 4 BBQ on his newly super-sized deck. The good news is that the work Chuck and Past President Steve Landon did to extend the deck proved strong enough to hold roughly 60 Nilesians and guests. Thank you, Chuck, for opening your house again to the club.

At the end of July, our ever-busy Social Chair, Lisa, and Jim Brunelli organized an outing to the production of Beauty and the Beast staged by StarStruck Theatre. What a production! The cast and crew pulled out all the stops to bring the Disney classic to life on the stage. The standing ovation that the cast and orchestra received was well deserved. The evening began with a dinner hosted by Chris and Bev Louie at their lovely home in Pleasanton. Thank you, Chris and Bev!

So we move onto August, which is looking to be a busy and fun-filled month. On tap, we have a service project with the Fremont Chamber on August 5, Mentoring Meeting on August 9, Bocce on August 13, Hit n’ Giggle golf outing on August 26, SightNow Fundraiser on August 28, and Friday Fellowship Evenings all month long. Details for all these events will be announced on the website, in the eBulletin and at club meetings. Join us . . . and don’t forget to Keep Calm and Serve On!

In Rotary,

President Angus